#there’s so much content in the game and with that comes a ton of replay value

[streamsofstardust]

safe & sound | d.r.w x s.f.k

danny wagner x sam kiszka

word count: 8,315

content warnings: descriptions of violence, detailed descriptions of murder as a means to survive, severe depression, nightmares, danny is Not Okay, self isolation, attempt at suicide, sam has the biggest heart, tons of angst…. like so much angst and sadness, sam is reactive and hot headed but he feels bad about it, happy gay endings

summary: 5 years after the winning the hunger games, danny has moved on to a new life, one where he gets the creative freedom to create music in a band with sam, jake, and josh. but for danny, being outside the arena doesn't mean the fight is over.

a/n: so this came from a concept karou lovingly shared with me recently. we're both obsessed with it and i had so many ideas popping into my head when we talked about it that i decided to write something to go along with a specific part. I'm kind of in love with it and it might be in my top five favorite fics that i've written

that said, this fic is genuinely one of the saddest, most intense things i've ever written and i cannot stress this enough but if you're not comfortable with depictions of suicidal ideation or suicide attempts, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS.

Moving into a shared residence in the Capitol was moderately unsettling. Most of the people Danny encountered only saw him as the unlikely and unexpected champion. He didn’t feel like he’d won anything, sometimes even wishing he hadn’t made it so far. But there he was, in a new home with new people who only vaguely knew of what he’d gone through. The Kiszkas had spent an eternity together, one never knowing life without the other two by his side.

They hadn't been thrown into the Games.

They didn't have blood on their hands.

If Danny was closed off, more reserved, and quieter than the other three, it was because he no longer had a proper sense of how to just exist. He no longer knew how to truly interact with other people; he hadn’t for a few years now. It turned out murdering five people while they were unable to defend themselves had that effect. He tried to be normal, tried his hardest to go back to the fun, extroverted man he was before the Games. This proved to be extremely challenging.

Danny hoped one day someone would be able to bring him back to the world of the living. That one day someone would hear his story and understand he had no choice. That they wouldn't praise him for being a victor, but rather console him for what he had to do to get there. That they’d understand how hollow he’d become.

He hoped one day someone would be the reason his smile wasn't forced or fake. The reason he could feel whole again.

Most nights, Danny never tried to fall asleep. Sleep meant subconscious thoughts would come to the surface, visions of the horrible things he endured, the horrible things he did. He protected himself in that arena, saved his own life during the Games, but at what cost? He hadn't known peace since the night he left home.

When he sleeps he dreams and when he dreams, the nightmares replay. He’ll never forget it: the feel, the smell - metallic and horrendously pungent - of blood on his hands. How the warm, red liquid seeped into his clothing, trailed down his arms, splattered on his face. He had sat in the carnage for longer than he wanted to. While his brain had told him to run, to flee as fast as he could, his body was immobile. And so, the image of the bodies, the lives he took, resided permanently in his tortured mind. Danny saw it as instantaneous karma, as if the world was saying “you committed this atrocity, and now you’ll suffer the consequences.”

None of this had been shared with his new cohorts. Bandmates. Brothers.

– – 

A long day of band practice left Danny feeling drained, more so than usual. He loved playing and he enjoyed every minute he spent with the Kiszkas, but still, he was tired and ready to retreat to his bedroom - to solitude - for another night of restless sleep plagued by never ending loops of nightmares. Ones he could never truly wake up from because he’d actually lived through them. 

The Kiszkas rarely questioned why he constantly rejected their offers to hang out after practice. It wasn’t personal, he’d made that abundantly clear, but despite five years having passed, he still wasn’t comfortable letting his guard completely down. He was in the band out of obligation. Not that he would give up the opportunity, the freedom creating art gave him, but it wasn’t as though he’d volunteered to be thrust into the spotlight. He was thankful his drum kit remained at the back of the stage, out of direct light, furthest away from any crowd they performed for.

So, as he typically did, Danny went to his room and shut the door, not bothering to turn on any lights. He stripped out of his clothing, save for his boxer briefs, and climbed into bed. He still hadn’t gotten used to the comfort of it. How lavish it was compared to what he grew up with. There were many things he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to. Every day that passed was one he had to force himself not to fear.

It wasn’t particularly late, maybe around 11:30 at night, and he knew the others would likely be awake until 2:00 am at the very least. Even then, they’d be asleep before Danny. Tonight, though, he felt especially tired. As he crawled under his comforter, he found himself repeating the same motions he did every night: reminding himself of the times before the arena.

He recalled sitting by the fire with his father, listening to him recount stories of brave warriors who saved lives and slayed monstrous beasts. He thought of his sister, how they’d run around as children catching fireflies and picking flowers to decorate their house. And he thought of his mother and her sweet smile that lit up every room she walked into. He thought of the times he and his sister would help their mother cook meals, taking notes for each recipe to one day do the same with their own children. He thought of nights where the four of them would gather in the living room, staying warm by the fire and just enjoying each other's company.

Slowly, he felt the calm wash over him and his body gave into the slumber it so badly desired. 

Then, against his will, he was struck with the cruel reminder of how the three most important people in his life were mercilessly slaughtered for protesting Danny being selected to represent their district in the Games. He gasped as his eyes shot open, trying his hardest to catch his breath and calm his furiously beating heart. A stray tear fell from his right eye, the salty water feeling like fire on his skin. He quickly wiped it away, sniffling and shaking his head before closing his eyes.

That was another piece of information the Kiszkas didn’t know. Another look into his troubled mind and traumatized existence that he kept to himself.

Once more, he tried to calm himself down, and eventually he was able to fall asleep. It was peaceful for a moment, no dreams whatsoever, and that rarely happened. Of course, though, it didn’t last - it never did. 

Suddenly he found himself back in the arena, just barely 16, wide eyed and nervous, having no idea how he’d possibly survive. His training scores were embarrassing, but he was tall, naturally muscular, and incredibly broad. His facial features had him standing apart from the others in a way that brought him more attention than he’d ever experienced before, and then it didn’t matter how poor his scores were; the public adored him, dubbing him their favored gentle giant. 

It was that persona that allowed him to fly under the radar when the Games began. He hadn’t made any attempts at finding allies, instead focusing on merely staying alive as long as he possibly could. On the seventh night, he began noticing a distinct flower appearing around the arena- henbane. A beautiful and deceiving plant that had killed off several of his family’s livestock. He backed away from the plants, having no desire to fall victim to its effects. 

He found a place to hide and looked around at his opponents. At that point there were only five others left, and they’d gotten far because of their alliances. He watched the tributes huddle together in an open space not too far away from him, staring in wonder as they fell into states of delirium and hallucinations from the henbane that surrounded them, eventually passing out on the ground. 

Danny was familiar with the deep state of unconsciousness henbane caused. He knew there was little that would wake them up, and most, if not all of them, would fall into comas they’d never wake up from. It was too easy to take advantage of, so he did.

He quietly stalked over to the group, careful to avoid the poisonous plant, and reached for a dagger that had fallen from the hand of a tribute from District 2. The metal felt heavy in his hand, but the knowledge of what he had to do with the weapon weighed heavier on his mind. Back home, he’d helped his father kill cattle, but that was a necessity - a means to survive. 

Then again, he figured this, too, would be a necessity. Without giving himself another moment to reconsider his choice, he walked up to each of the sleeping tributes and slit their throats with the stolen dagger. Blood sprayed everywhere, covering his hands, his clothes, his face.

When he was done, and all five tributes were dead, Danny stood up and looked at bodies below him. He was shaking, barely able to catch a breath, and he felt tremendously dizzy. All he could smell was blood, and he felt sick. He wasn’t sure how much time passed while he stood there, completely immobile. In the distant parts of his brain, parts that were still able to process his surroundings, he heard the Canon go off. Each boom signifying the death of a tribute.

He had won. It was over.

But like it did most nights, the dream restarted, eventually only replaying the moment the blade in Danny’s hand sliced through the still warm flesh of those five tributes. It was too much, too much, too violent, too real too real too real too-

“DANNY!”

His eyes shot open, adjusting to the darkness of the room and witnessing Sam’s terrified face.

He wasn’t able to respond yet, his brain still replaying scenes from the Games. His mouth was dry and his eyes were frantically moving around the room as he attempted to ground himself with familiar sights.

Sam was hovering over him, one of his hands gripping Danny’s right upper arm. His entire body felt overheated, but somehow, the warmth of Sam’s hand felt different. A completely separate warmth. 

“Sam? What are you - How did you get in my room? Why are you here?” He didn’t mean to come off sounding so harsh; Sam certainly didn’t deserve any attitude from him.

“I woke up to the sound of you screaming. I didn’t even realize it was you at first, but when I did I rushed over. Your door wasn’t locked so I- I came in and,” His words trailed off as he took in Danny’s appearance. His curls were a mess around his head, the bags under his eyes were incredibly prominent, and there were beads of sweat slowly dripping down Danny’s tanned, bare torso. He stopped himself from looking at that part of his friend any longer; he needed to focus.

“Dan, you were thrashing around like a fish out of water, screaming bloody murder.”

Danny physically recoiled at Sam’s words. He had no idea how accurate they were, but Danny wasn’t about to tell him.

“I’m fine, Sam. Go back to your room.” Danny turned away from him, grabbing his blankets and pulling them up to cover his upper body, despite feeling like he was about to melt from the heat. 

“You’re clearly not fine. You know this isn’t the first time I’ve heard you, right? The twins might be too far away in their rooms, but I’m right next to you, and I’m not deaf. I know you don’t want to tell us about what happened, you know, back- back then, and you don’t have to, but at least let me be there for you.” 

Sam still hadn’t moved from Danny’s bed, and he had no intention of doing so anytime soon. He cared about the drummer more than he could put into words, and had for as long as he’d known him. And sure, maybe they’d only personally known each other for about a year, but Sam knew he was something special when he found out Danny won the Games. Admiration quickly turned into adoration, and feelings he wasn’t familiar with blossomed too fast for him to take a second to question them. The twins knew how Sam felt, but Danny didn’t, and given what could be at risk if the truth came out, they kept that information to themselves. They’d made that same decision when Josh had come out to him and Jake years prior. 

So no, Danny wasn’t fine, and no, Sam wasn’t going to leave him alone. He had too much love in his heart to walk away from someone he cared so deeply for. He still hadn’t received a response from Danny, and he nudged him, hoping to get his attention. When that accomplished nothing, his first thought was Danny had somehow fallen asleep again. He then realized he knew better, him and the twins being well aware of how little sleep their drummer got on a nightly basis, so instead, he mustered all the strength he had and rolled Danny onto his back.

Danny’s eyes stayed closed, but Sam watched as tears trailed down his face, into his unruly curls. He reached forward, softly wiping away the tears and cradling Danny’s left cheek in his hand. It was that touch that prompted Danny to finally open his eyes, and when he did, Sam felt his heart shatter.

“Oh, Dan…” Sam whispered. He felt tears of his own forming in his eyes, not able to help the reaction he had to seeing his friend in such a state.

“I don’t want to talk about it Sam, I can’t- I-” Danny found it hard to fully put into words what he wanted to say, stuttering over each one that managed to spill out of his mouth. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to. You don’t have to tell me anything, okay? I’m not going to push, Dan, I promise. If you want to be alone, I can g-”

“Wait!” Danny’s hand wrapped around Sam’s wrist as the bassist moved to stand up. “N- no. I-” He couldn’t bring himself to ask the question lingering on his mind, only letting out a soft “please?”

Danny looked up at Sam through his long, dark lashes. He’d stopped crying, but the red hue surrounding his hazel irises burned. He dropped his head and rubbed his eyes with his free hand, the other still firmly holding onto Sam.

When Sam looked at where Danny held him, his chest constricted. He didn’t need to ask Sam to stay, he would’ve made that decision on his own unless Danny explicitly demanded he leave. But in his own way, Danny did ask. Sam understood what that one word meant. He nodded, sitting back down on the bed before laying fully on top of the blankets. He didn’t want to risk Danny being uncomfortable when both of them were barely dressed. 

Danny, however, wasn’t ready to settle for that. 

“Sam?” He called out, his voice hardly above a whisper.

“Yeah?”

“I know this might sound weird, but can you… can you hold me? You can say no, it’s fine if you do I wouldn’t blame you, but I just feel like I need-”

“Daniel, calm down. It’s not weird, come here.”

Sam fully expected Danny to turn his back to him, letting the bassist’s chest press against the soft skin, but he didn’t. He faced Sam, looking up at him for a brief moment before curling into his chest, one of his arms wrapping around Sam’s slim torso as he breathed in the familiar scent that was so unmistakably Sam Kiszka. Sam wrapped his arms fully around Danny, one of his hands coming up to cradle his head and gently play with his hair.

“Try to go back to sleep, Dan. I’m not going anywhere.” Sam spoke softly, fighting the urge to place a kiss to the top of Danny’s head. The drummer nodded in lieu of a verbal response, his arm pulling Sam even closer to his body.

– –

When they woke up, Sam noticed a few things. The first being that he was no longer holding Danny. At some point in the night, they’d switched positions, and now Danny’s muscular arms were wrapped around Sam’s body as they spooned. The second thing he noticed was that he was under the blankets, something he had no recollection of doing before he fell asleep. And while that wasn’t very alarming to him, what was was the fact that his bare body - save for a pair of shorts that could arguably be deemed too short - was pressed entirely against Danny’s bare body. Not only was every inch of them touching, their legs were tangled together, another thing Sam had no memory of happening. 

He smiled, his heart fluttering in his half awake state. 

Danny was still asleep, and when Sam looked over at the clock, he saw just how late in the day it was. He’d gone into Danny’s room around 2 am, and now it was the afternoon. Danny had slept for ten straight hours, and Sam couldn’t help but feel rather proud of himself for being the reason why. 

At least, he assumed he was the reason. He didn’t let himself think too far into that one. 

As much as he wanted to let Danny sleep more, he knew they had practice in a few hours, and Danny would definitely want to shower off the sweat that coated his body. He did, however, give himself a few more minutes to enjoy the feeling of Danny’s body encasing his own before waking him up. 

– –

Practice ran smoothly, as it typically did. Josh had presented a few new songs, and all of the guys loved the lyrics. He had a way with words that Danny envied and a power to tell stories like no other. Sometimes Danny wondered if he could take his past and put it to music, but then he’d be opening himself up in ways he never had, and that terrified him. For the time being, he decided to stick to keeping it all to himself.

Neither Danny nor Sam had talked about the night they spent together, especially ignoring the subject of how they woke up. Danny was a bit surprised to find out how long he’d slept, as well as by the position the two had ended up in at some point in their parallel unconsciousness. Yet, at the same time, he wasn’t. He’d always found Sam to be comforting, and he gravitated towards that feeling, chasing it as quickly as he ran from the demons that haunted his mind. 

Danny figured if Sam was bothered by it, he would’ve said something, and he probably would’ve removed himself from Danny’s grip, but he didn’t. That fact made Danny’s heart race, wondering if Sam had picked up on the feelings Danny had for him that he’d tried his hardest to keep hidden. He wondered, too, if Sam could possibly feel the same, but he wasn’t in the business of allowing his hopes to get too high.

Jake’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought. 

“Hey Danny, do you wanna help me with these riffs?” 

– –

That night, he gave in to the Kiszka’s persistent begging to join them for a few drinks in the living room. They all seemed shocked that he agreed to stay and hang out with them for once, and he didn’t miss the smile on Sam’s face upon hearing Danny say “okay.”

The more they drank, the more Danny felt himself loosen up. He’d taken one side of a couch, letting Sam drape his long legs over his lap without thinking twice. It was actually nice, spending time with the Kiszkas. So nice, in fact, that for a moment he felt guilty for not doing it more often. 

Apparently nothing killed a nice buzz quite like overwhelming guilt.

“I think I’m gonna head upstairs, get some sleep. Thanks for tonight, guys.” Danny spoke as he lifted Sam’s legs before placing them back down on the couch. Understanding how little socializing Danny regularly partook in, no one pushed him to stay longer, all three brothers being thankful he stayed as long as he had. 

Sam looked up at him with a questioning glance, one Danny wasn’t able to decipher the meaning of, so he didn’t try harder to. He figured the alcohol would help him fall asleep, and as tempting as it was to drink himself into oblivion and pass out face down on his mattress, he opted against that idea. He’d tried that a few times in the past; it never made him feel any better and it did nothing to keep the nightmares away. So really, there was no point.

It was a bit colder than usual that evening, so Danny threw on a pair of soft flannel pajama pants - still leaving his torso bare - and crawled into bed, his head feeling just the slightest bit fuzzy from the drinks he’d consumed. 

For a moment, he allowed himself to think back to the prior night, specifically Sam in his bed. It was the first time they’d intentionally shared a bed, and while it could’ve been awkward, it just felt… right. Part of him wanted to ask Sam to sleep with him, but perhaps that was pushing it. He still had no idea how Sam felt about everything. About him.

Eventually he was able to fall asleep, though, as expected, it didn’t last. Once again he was tormented by his memories on a loop, and once again, he was woken up by Sam shaking him.

“Dan…” Sam sounded just as out of breath as Danny was.

“Was I screaming again?” His voice cracked ever so slightly as he spoke, already knowing the answer to his question.

Sam simply nodded, trying his hardest to hold back his own emotions. He wanted so badly for Danny to tell him what was causing the nightmares. While he knew it was related to Danny’s time in the arena, he had a feeling there was so much more to it, and even though he knew he could look up the answers for himself, he refused to. If Danny wasn’t going to openly share the information, Sam wasn’t going to go behind his back to find it. He had way too much respect for his friend.

Danny’s hands wiped over his own face, pushing his curls away from where they’d plastered to his skin from sweating so much. 

“Sam, can you-”

“Of course. You don’t have to ask.” 

Sam crawled into bed with Danny, this time intentionally laying under the blankets. He stayed on his back, and as Danny curled into him, Sam stared at the ceiling, his own thoughts racing. He felt Danny shiver, but his body was warm. A single tear fell from Danny’s eye onto Sam’s chest and he pulled Danny closer into his body.

“I’m sorry Sam.” 

Sam took a deep breath, not out of annoyance, but because he was frustrated. Frustrated that someone he cared about was struggling, and there was little he could do outside of holding him. He hoped it was enough, at least for now.

“Get some sleep, Danny. I’m right here.”

– –

The same thing happened every night for the next two weeks.

Danny didn’t understand why his nightmares kept getting worse, more persistent. He didn’t understand why nothing kept them away. And he didn’t understand why Sam’s presence was the only thing that relaxed him enough to sleep through the rest of the night.

After a few days, Sam stopped going to his room to sleep. He assumed he’d end up in Danny’s room anyway, so that’s where he started. If the circumstances were different, he might appreciate it a bit more, having Danny wrapped around him and vice versa - which was how they always woke up. 

The twins caught Sam and Danny walking out of the latter’s room one morning and while Danny was rubbing sleep from his eyes, Jake and Josh gave Sam questioning looks. Sam said nothing, he just shook his head as a clear nonverbal response he knew his brother’s would understand: Don’t ask.

During that two week period, there were only two nights that Danny didn’t wake up screaming in a cold sweat, though they weren’t consecutive. His nightmares still attacked his unconscious mind, but for those two days, he’d wake up startled rather than terrified to his core. He knew it wasn’t an indication that things were getting better, that would be much too naive of a thought. Danny knew the severity of nightmares would inevitably return, and he was proven right when they did. 

There were nights where he tried to stay up as late as possible to avoid sleeping at all, something Sam quickly caught onto and gently reprimanded him for. Everyone could see how tired Danny was, how detached from reality he was. It had gotten to the point where it was impacting his ability to play. He missed cues, played the wrong notes, or sometimes forgot what to play all together. 

Jake had gotten annoyed for the slightest moment, but immediately backed off when he saw the state Danny was in. Sam was thankful Jake was relatively perceptive. If his older brother hadn’t stopped, he was positive he would’ve jumped over Josh to strangle Jake with the cord plugged into his bass.

Danny felt the shift in himself, too. He recognized things were getting worse for him mentally, and though he was aware he could’ve asked for help, he didn’t. It wasn’t like him to open up that much, not even to Sam. The rational part of his brain told him he was making a mistake, that nothing would get better unless he finally talked to someone about what was troubling him. But then he felt like all his confession would do was burden the Kiszkas, and he couldn’t let that happen. 

But he was tired. So incredibly, painfully tired, in more ways than one, and it had gotten to the point where he could no longer handle it. He just wanted it all to stop. He missed his family, his life before the Games. He missed feeling normal. And as much as he enjoyed Sam’s nightly company in his bed - perhaps a bit more than he wanted to admit - he hated that he’d become moderately dependent on it. 

If he was honest, he was ready for all of it to end. He knew it was dramatic, he knew he would hurt people, but what about the hurt he felt? He couldn’t take it anymore. It had to stop.

– –

That night as Sam crawled into bed with Danny, he noticed his friend was fully dressed for once, not an inch of bare skin to be found. He frowned a bit at that, having gotten used to feeling Danny’s warm skin pressed against his own, but he chose not to speak on it. He also noticed how silent and closed off Danny had been. Even when he was quiet when the four of them were together, he at least spoke a bit more the moment the two of them were alone. He was tired, that’s all it was. Sam tried to push away the idea that Danny was sick of him being there; that he wasn’t pulling away despite how much it felt like he was.

Then there was another difference.

“Hey Sam?”

“Hmm?”

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous tick of his that Sam had picked up on. He was struggling to look at Sam as he spoke, and his words sounded quieter than usual.

“You know how we- when we fall asleep, you’re the one holding me?” Sam nodded, waiting for him to continue. “Can we- can I- just this once-”

Sam smiled at his friend, knowing exactly what Danny was trying and struggling to say. “You want to hold me, Dan? Wanna be the big spoon this time?” 

Danny could tell Sam was making an effort to lighten his spirits. He appreciated it, but it was making everything that much harder. He forced himself to crack the smallest smile. Sam had told him in the past he loved Danny’s crooked smile, and he thought about that compliment daily. 

“Yeah, if that’s okay.”

“Of course it’s okay. Come on over, I’m a bit chilly and you’re basically the human equivalent of a space heater.” Sam joked.

Danny waited for Sam to shuffle closer to him before wrapping his arms around him and holding him as tight as he could. He wouldn’t be able to do this again if he followed his impulses.

“Woah! You know I’m not gonna run away, right?” Sam was taken aback by the grip Danny had on his body, but had no intention of moving. He thought about turning around to tell Danny exactly how he felt about him, but with the hold Danny had, it was impossible to move.

Danny ignored the joke his friend made, burying his face into Sam’s long, chestnut locks. He breathed in the scent that he’d gotten so used to, the scent that was so unequivocally Sam, the one that brought him the faintest sense of peace. He thought back to the first night Sam came to wake him up, to protect him from the things only Danny could see - he still hadn’t asked Danny to explain what caused his nightmares. Danny thought about how quick Sam was to be there for him no matter what. He thought about how often he’d catch Sam staring at him with nothing but love and adoration in his eyes, though at first he was convinced he was imagining it.

He thought about how much he loved Sam, the boy who had so rapidly gone from a stranger to his best friend. 

He wanted to tell Sam exactly what was on his mind, at least when it came to his feelings, and even though he knew it would be his one and only chance to do it, he was too afraid. He squeezed Sam closer to him and hoped it would be enough.

“Goodnight, Sammy.” Danny spoke into Sam’s hair.

The bassist sighed tiredly, already being in the middle between sleep and consciousness.

“G’night Dan.” His words were slurred as they fell from his plump lips. “Love you.”

Danny’s eyes widened at his friend’s confession. Sam… loved him? No, he- as a friend, that’s all. Sam didn’t know major parts of who Danny was. He couldn’t actually… no. No way. 

He could feel Sam’s breath even out, this being one of the rare times he fell asleep before Danny. The drummer was thankful for that; it gave him an opportunity to appreciate Sam as much as he wanted. He’d miss him the most. He’d miss all the guys, but Sam… Sam would always be special.

After an hour of holding Sam, slowly trailing one of his hands up and down the smooth skin of Sam’s arm, Danny felt himself falling asleep. He so badly wanted to avoid it, to force himself to stay awake, but it was impossible. Even on nights where he didn’t wake up screaming, he still woke up from nightmares, and sometimes that movement didn’t wake Sam. This was one of those nights.

Against his will, Danny fell asleep. He wasn’t unconscious for long, maybe under an hour, but his nightmares once again wormed their way into his mind, and he woke suddenly with a gasp, struggling to take a breath. Instead of being scared, he was frustrated. He was so sick of being unable to sleep, unable to function the way Sam, Jake, and Josh did. He was officially done suffering.

Danny was still holding Sam, who was sound asleep. He carefully maneuvered his body away from Sam’s, trying his hardest to make sure he didn’t wake up. When he was successful, he stood up and walked around to the other side of the bed to face Sam. 

He knelt down, letting himself remember every detail of Sam’s face: His soft, plush lips, his smooth skin, the two small freckles on his left cheek. He brought one of his hands forward, gently lifting away a collection of stray hairs that had fallen over Sam’s face. Danny always believed Sam to be effortlessly beautiful. It was the first thing he noticed when they met, and that belief hadn’t changed. 

Tears formed in his eyes, threatening to spill over. He gently played with Sam’s hair, forcing himself to remember how soft it felt threading through his fingers. The longer he stared at his friend, the harder it was to keep the tears from flowing, and so they fell freely down Danny’s own freckled cheeks.

He stood up, placing one single, lingering kiss on Sam’s forehead. He whispered as quietly as he could.

“I love you too. I’m sorry, Sammy. I’m so, so sorry.”

Danny walked out of his room and into the bathroom down the hall, not bothering to lock the door; Sam was sound asleep, it wasn’t necessary. 

He sat on the edge of the bathtub, his head in his hands, and thought about his next move. He hadn’t really given much thought as to how to achieve his goal, and now that it was time, he wasn’t sure what to do. He thought about everything that was kept in the medicine cabinet. There were razors for them all to shave, save for Josh, who had insisted on growing out his facial hair. There was also an abundance of painkillers and sleeping pills, both prescriptions, the former for Jake’s left forearm and the latter, for Danny. He avoided them as much as possible, so the bottle was essentially full. 

He took it out and placed the bottle on the counter, staring at it as if it would do something for him on its own. Part of Danny expected that he’d be anxious about taking his own life, that when the time came, he’d be in a complete state of panic, but he wasn’t. He had no more fight left in him.

After filling a glass with water, Danny spilled the pills out of the bottle and into a pile on the granite. Twenty four pills would be more than enough. Once again, he found himself staring at them, hoping he wouldn’t have to be the one to make the final move. But the pills couldn’t do anything if he didn’t consume them, so he swept a quarter of them into the palm of his left hand, his right hand gripping the glass of water, the appendage shaking ever so slightly. 

He took a few deep breaths, feeling tears drop from his eyes again. He hadn’t even realized he started crying. Before he continued, he allowed himself to think back to happier times again, just as he did every night before falling asleep. That’s all he was doing - falling asleep.

He thought about his father’s warm hugs, his mother’s smile, his sister’s laugh. He thought about fireflies and cool summer nights with skies full of stars. He thought about spiced tea, crisp apples, and sweet pastries. All of the things he wished he appreciated more while he had the chance.

He thought about Sam.

It was the thought of leaving Sam that had his tears begin streaming down his face, but he forced himself to stay quiet. The last thing he wanted was Sam to wake up and see what he was doing. Slowly, he lifted his hand to drop the pills into his mouth. As he moved the glass of water to his lips, the door to the bathroom opened, and his head whipped in its direction.

“Dan, are you in here? I saw the light and- what the fuck?” Sam had been rubbing his eyes when he walked into the bathroom, not immediately seeing the scene before him. Once he did, he felt more awake than he had in a while, shutting the door behind him and fighting the urge to yell. He looked down and saw the remainder of the pills on the counter, finally putting two and two together, before ripping the glass out of Danny’s hand. “Danny fucking- christ, spit them out, now!” 

After a moment of hesitancy, a moment Sam believed to be way too long, the bassist repeated his demand. 

“Daniel, I swear if you don’t spit them out I’ll pry them out of your mouth myself.” He sounded angry, he knew that, but he was terrified and appalled and he couldn’t focus on sounding calm. He’d worry about that once he knew Danny was safe.

Danny complied, spitting the six pills into the garbage by his feet. He backed away from the sink and sat back down on the tub’s ledge, refusing to lift his face to see Sam’s face.

The two were silent for a few minutes, Danny not having any idea what to say and Sam having too many thoughts flooding his brain to know which ones to verbalize. Sam started pacing in the enclosed space, his hands tugging at his hair as he worked to form a sentence.

“What were you thinking? When did you even leave your room? You waited until I was asleep? You fucking- what, you were just going to kill yourself while I slept soundly in your bed? That was your plan? God, Danny what the fuck?!” He took a breath before continuing. “Is that why you wanted to hold me tonight? Is that why you were holding me so god damn tight? Because you thought it would be the last time you’d be able to? And what, you figured at some point I’d just find you lying cold on the bathroom floor? Or that Jake or Josh would? That’s why you were wearing actual pajamas tonight, isn’t it? Don’t answer that. Don’t fucking answer any of that, just… Danny what the fuck?”

At some point, Sam had started crying too, but Danny still hadn’t lifted his head to look at his friend, his own tears falling into his lap. Sam continued talking.

“You called me Sammy. You never call me that I- I should’ve known something was wrong. I should’ve-”

Danny figured it was the right time to speak up, not wanting Sam to start blaming himself for anything.

“Sam, I’m sorry. I didn’t -”

“You’re sorry? You’re sorry?!” Danny could see the rage in his friend’s eyes. “You were just going to leave me like that? Leave all of us? I know things have been hard for you and I get it but-”

“No you don’t!” Danny’s voice was raised, louder than he wanted it to be. “You have no idea what I’ve dealt with, no idea what I went through, what I’ve been going through for the past five years. You have no fucking idea how hard it is.”

“Because you don’t tell me anything! You never want to talk about it and I never push you because while I don’t know the details, I know it must have been horrific, and the last thing I wanted was to force you to relive any of that. But I can’t fucking help you the way you need to be helped if you won’t let me in.”

Danny scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest defensively. “I don’t need your help, Sam.”

Sam’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head and Danny’s words. “Really? You don’t need my help? Look at where keeping everything bottled up got you, Daniel. You were trying to kill yourself. You were… oh my god.” Sam fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands as he sobbed. “You were going to leave me. You- you can’t leave me Dan, you can’t just-”

Danny moved to kneel in front of his friend, quickly pulling him into his arms. Sam was right, Danny couldn’t leave him. Hearing Sam’s cracking voice snapped him out of whatever trance had brought him to that bathroom in the first place. All he could do was apologize over and over, hoping that Sam would believe him. 

The two cried while holding each other, both shocked that the twins hadn’t heard any of the commotion. Sam thought about telling Danny the rest of what he was thinking, about how he loved him. Danny was considering the same thing, but neither of them spoke. After a while, Danny pulled away and stood up, reaching down for Sam to grab his hand.

“Let’s go.”

Sam wiped his face and looked up, grabbing Danny’s hand and standing along with him. “Where?”

Danny opened the door and turned the bathroom light off, walking into the hallway with a tight grip on Sam’s right hand. “Back to my room. Back to bed.”

– –

Neither of them spoke as they entered Danny’s room, nor as they got into bed. Danny knew he had a lot of explaining to do, but he also knew Sam likely wouldn’t push him to start talking. He appreciated that fact, feeling as though he at least needed one night before spilling all of his secrets. Rather than stay in his pajamas, Danny stripped down like he normally would, his body feeling much too hot from the anxiety and adrenaline coursing through his veins. There was also the fact that he desperately craved the comfort of having Sam’s bare skin against his own.

But he didn’t wrap his arms back around Sam, choosing instead to wait for his friend to make the first move. He didn’t know if Sam wanted space or if he’d shove Danny off of him out of frustration the second he was holding him. Sam did, in fact, make the first move, and faster than Danny expected. He threw himself onto Danny, burying his face in the space between Danny’s neck and shoulder while his long arms wrapped around the drummer’s upper body. His legs once again found themselves tangled with Danny’s, and he did what he could to ensure all of his body was touching all of Danny’s. 

It was his attempt at being as close as humanly possible. His own way of comforting himself and ensuring Danny was there; that he was still warm and breathing.

“Dan, I’m not gonna ask you to go into detail about everything, you know, that prompted you to do… that. But I just want to know why. What made that become the most desirable option for you?” Sam felt like he was skating on the thinnest ice imaginable as he spoke. He didn’t want to risk saying something that would set Danny off or make him spiral, but he needed an answer.

He felt Danny take a deep breath, his chest rising from under Sam’s hold. 

“I was tired, Sam. I am tired. Always so fucking tired. I can’t focus, can’t relax, can’t do anything and I couldn’t keep living like that. So I just… decided I wouldn’t anymore. All of the shit in my head, the memories… fuck, Sam, the things that I did. It’s impossible to deal with. I know it’s stupid and I know you’re probably mad at me and I really am sorry.”

Danny didn’t want to cry again, he wasn’t even sure he had anymore tears left to cry, but he could feel his chest constricting as if he was about to. That was another thing he was tired of - crying. 

“Danny, I’m not mad. I mean, I was at first I think, but more than anything I was just scared. I didn’t - I don’t - want to lose you. I don’t think my heart could take a loss like that.” Sam shut his eyes, taking a breath of his own to relax his mind before speaking again, scared but ready to confess. “I love you too much to survive losing you. The second I realized what was going on I swear I felt my heart shatter. Just the very idea that you’d even consider… Danny, it wouldn’t have fixed anything. Maybe the nightmares would stop for you, but what about me? The twins? The hole you’d leave if you…” He shook his head, not wanting to utter the remaining words of that thought. “No one could ever fill that space, Dan. Not in the house, not in the band, not in my heart. You need to understand that.”

If Danny was shocked by what Sam said, he did his best to not make it obvious. He liked to imagine at times that maybe his feelings for Sam weren’t one sided, but with no strength to actually tell him, he figured he’d never find out the truth. But Sam loved him. Sam loved him. He said the words clear as day, and for the first time in a long time, Danny felt a twinge of happiness. He shifted his body, nudging Sam to sit up with him.

Before he could respond, Sam spoke again.

“Please don’t freak out over what I just said. I know maybe it’s crazy and I know you’re going to say I don’t know you well enough to love you, but I do-”

“Sam.”

“I do love you. And it’s not pity or some overreaction to what I just saw, so don’t say that either because I know you would-”

“Sam.”

“I can’t help it okay, I love you and I’ve been dying to tell you for so long and if you don’t feel the same it’s fine, okay, I’ll get over it but-”

Danny couldn’t help but roll his eyes and grab Sam’s face with both of his hands, surging forward to kiss him with everything he had. It wasn’t like the movies, where fireworks go off and everything is right in the world - because truly, most things in Danny’s life were not right - but it was still perfect. 

Once Sam moved beyond the initial shock of Danny’s lips capturing his own, he kissed him back, both of them pouring every emotion into the action. The hand that Sam wasn’t leaning on for balance moved up to hold Danny’s bare hip, the skin feeling warm to the touch. Despite how often the two had cuddled, Danny still shivered at the feeling of Sam’s hand on his body.

When they realized they no longer had enough air to continue kissing, they pulled away, one of Danny’s hands remaining on Sam’s cheek, softly rubbing his thumb over those two freckles he never thought he’d see again. Sam’s eyes were wide, as if he was scared that the second he spoke, the bubble would burst and he’d wake up, that everything that was said and done would be a dream. But it wasn’t, and he saw that Danny was staring at him with the same love and adoration Sam had looked at him with. 

Sam opened his mouth to speak, Danny’s name coming out in a hushed squeak. The drummer shook his head. He had too much to say.

“It’s not crazy. You’re not crazy. I didn’t know you felt like that about me. I thought… I thought you might, but I think I convinced myself I was imagining it, that I wasn’t deserving of it. But it’s not one sided, I promise.”

Sam’s mouth felt dry. He repeated Danny’s words in his head five times, ten times, just to make sure he truly heard him correctly. 

“So you-”

“I love you too, Sammy.”

Sam smiled, a real, genuine smile that reached his eyes. But then his brain focused on everything that had occurred that evening and he was confused, hurt. A frown took over his face and his lips quivered as though he might cry again.

“If you loved me, why were you about to leave me? Why would you- you weren’t even going to tell me?”

It was a valid question, but if Danny was being technical, he had told Sam.

“When I realized you were asleep, I did tell you. You muttered it when you were barely conscious, I didn’t even know if you realized you said it, and it was just loud enough for me to hear. I would’ve said it back right then and there but with what I was about to do, it didn’t seem fair to tell you how I felt and then break your heart.” His head hung between the two of them, the realization that he still would’ve broken Sam’s heart anyway hitting him once he finished speaking.

The room was completely silent for a few minutes, both of them processing everything that had been said, everything that had been done. Danny knew he’d have to rip the bandaid off and finally explain to Sam - and the twins - all of the information he’d been withholding, and he knew Sam wouldn’t rest until he did. But that wouldn’t happen tonight, and yet again, Danny found himself thankful for Sam’s ability to let him do things at his own speed.

“I think we should go to sleep.” Danny nodded at Sam’s suggestion. “But before we do,” Sam leaned forward, pressing his lips against Danny’s again. He’d never get tired of the way his stomach flipped at something as simple as kissing his best friend. “Please don’t let things get to that point again, Dan. I need you to talk to me about everything. Promise me you’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Sammy. I promise.”

Sam smiled and moved to hug Danny, the drummer’s arms wrapping around his friend’s slimmer body. The two layed back down, tangling their limbs together as they had on previous nights, and with the knowledge that his love for Sam was reciprocated, and the stubborn belief that things had to get better from that point on, Danny finally felt relaxed. 

For the first time in five years, Danny felt his broken pieces begin to merge, slowly but surely making him feel whole.

And for the first time in five years, Danny slept through the night, the demons of his past and his nightmares nowhere in sight.

-- --

taglist: @ageofnations @obetrolncocktails @greta-flanveet @doodle417 @mollie-gvf @hoeforstevienicks @infisonicosm @gretasmokerising @joshsindigostreak @jakewhorecore @sparrowofthedawnsworld @teddiie @sammiejane22 @gretavanbitches @skankforjakekiszka @fantazmagorical96 @gretavangroove @stardustgreta @gvfrry @myownparadise96 @richjaaasss @mywaykiszka @cyliegvf @dannywagners-chesthair @gretadanfleet @writingcold @gretavanfleas @stardust-jake @maddie-van-fleet @wingedgardener2000 @gardensgatedaisy @earthlysorrows @lvnterninthenight @gabyvanfleet @gretavanferal @sacredthefran @allieisacrybaby @gold-mines-melting @brinlygvf @captainjtk @alyssawatson2003 @malany-gvf @ageofhearingloss @bizzielisteningtogreta @fallonfatality @indigofallingsky @hyperfixated-gvf @twistedmelodies @the-starcatcher @gretavanfreaky

#gvf #gretavanfleet #greta van fleet #greta van fleet fic #gretavanfleetfic #gvf fic #gvf fan fiction #greta van fleet fan fiction #gretavanfleet fan fiction #danny wagner #daniel wagner #sam kiszka #sammy kiszka #danny wagner fic #sam kiszka fic #danny gvf fic #sammy gvf fic #danny gvf #danny wagner gvf #daniel wagner gvf #danny greta van fleet #sammy gvf #sam kiszka gvf #sammy greta van fleet #my fics

[gascon-en-exil]

What do you consider the best FE games in terms of gameplay?

Bearing in mind that my parameters for what constitutes good FE gameplay are very different from those of pretty much anyone else who talks about this online:

Replayability and completionist goals like support logs are very much a part of gameplay even if most people disregard them.

Fun unintentional metas

Notably, these are the only games that I can fully enjoy even without cheating (not that they wouldn't be even more fun with cheating).

FE16: 100% completion, I have a playlist all about it, and alongside my favorite ships it's the best thing to have come out of this game in my opinion.

FE10: The game forcing stat points on level ups (at least +1 in combat, +3 with BEXP) as well as the battle save feature makes it feasible for units to cap all stats without grinding or using a bunch of stats boosters...which is good since they're finite here. It's also a lot of fun for draft runs with all the army switching.

Better with cheating, good replay value

FE4 rises above the other Kaga games by virtue of its eugenics babies, which really add to the replay value as you try out different combinations. There's also, unexpectedly, a charming smallness to its overall limited inventory and fewer chapters.

Not a ton of replay, but more interesting gameplay than below (esp. with cheating)

Basically what it says. None of them have universal support logs so that concern isn't there, but they can be fun to replay with different characters. FE5 especially though needs cheating, because I'm not a masochist.

Whoever designed the GBA support system should be ashamed

...Yeah. Good games, but the grind is miserable especially in FE7. Also, FE7's ranking system is awful and annoying although I can't fault it for that as it originated back in the Jugdral games.

Postgame is just a grindfest, but at least it's fun getting there

To this day I still haven't finished all the supports and bond conversations, mostly because I lost interest. There's just too much to collect or achieve postgame and almost no incentive to do so. As many have said though, the gameplay is fun and dynamic - yes, even on Normal.

Play it once (or play the remake) and that'll do it

FE6 would be up with the other GBA games if it had a support log, but since it doesn't there's no reason to get supports aside from the stat boosts. The Archanea games and Gaiden all feel small and outdated now, and there's not much point to going back to them. I ranked the DS remakes below the originals because while they're more up to date they also have more annoying features, like unlocking paralogues in FE11 or Kris in FE12.

Oh my God how did the support log get *worse*!? (Apotheosis meta is alright at least)

Grinding out every variable parent-child support line is a nightmare, and there's no sense of accomplishment because they're so repetitive. The gameplay is dull as anything, and while this is a game for min-maxing that will require lots of grinding. At least Apotheosis exists as a goal for that.

See Awakening, but somehow even worse except for the maps

(Note that this is FE14 in its entirety, not just Revelation - no idea why so many of these tier list makers break up the routes of Fates as if they were separate games)

Much less completionist-friendly than FE13; the support log is even bigger with even more variable parent-child lines, growths are lower and it's harder to level infinitely, and there's no serious postgame content to work toward. The maps are fun and I appreciate what they were going for with Phoenix mode even if no one else does, but there's a reason I haven't come back to this game in years and it has nothing whatsoever to do with moral outrage or nitpicking over plot holes.

#Fire Emblem

[efangamez]

EfanReviews: Roboquest (PC)

So a little while ago I was looking through the Steam library and I found an FPS Roguelike that I had never seen or heard from before. I had played others like Gunfire Reborn, Tower of Guns, that one "retro FPS" that makes mental illness a caricature that I can;t remember the name of. None of them really gripped me too much other than Gunfire, but even then the replay value wasn't enough, and the emphasis on 4 player co-op wasn't my thing.

So I bought Roboquest, and I think it is the best FPS Roguelike I have played. Here's why.

What is Roboquest?

Roboquest is an FPS roguelike where you play as a robot turned good in a robot lead apocalypse. Your fixer and friend is a girl, who, when you fall in battle, scoops you off the battlefield and repairs you.

In this game, each "floor" is randomized with a set pool of layouts, allowing familiarity with maps. However, each of the shops, perks, weapons, and chests are randomized, adding uniqueness to every run.

In each run, you have Power Cores, little upgrades that allow you to power up your weapons at certain smiths in rest areas. After each "floor", you gain Wrenches which allow for meta-progression when you leave a run, giving you the ability to upgrade your character and runs the way you want to.

Smooth, DOOM-like Gunplay.

The gameplay is reminiscent of DOOM 2016 more than the other games. While it does lack some of the speed of it's inspiration, the verticality in specifics is fun with it's built-in double jump. It allows more freedom with movement, and that's paramount in game feel, especially in FPS games in today's market. It also lacks a consumable ammo, where ammunition is used in a magazine with limited ammo within it, but you never run out permanently. Reload, and shoot. I do like this, as with DOOM, it did feel a bit weird as even the huge weapons had unlimited ammo, but the double barrell did? It didn't make a lot of mechanics sense, but this scratched an itch. It allows for you to increase or decrease your magazine size with perks you get throughout the run, adding even more variety to builds. I'm a sucker for that, so I think this was a great decision by the devs.

Great Pacing With A Simple Story

The pacing of the upgrades was great. It really gave me enough push and pull so I felt like it wasn't a grind nor did I feel like I was having my hand held. The upgrades do have some filler mechanics, like added percentage for one extra power-core that let';s you upgrade weapons instead of 1, but most feel great.

The story is, well, nearly non-existent, but that's okay. This is a game play-focused title, and I respect that.

A Great Price, and It's an Indie Game!

This game was at 11.99 USD, and it was a steal. I have over 30 hours in this game, and you should to. The devs routinely update this game, with an upcoming patch coming soon that addresses some issues AND adds a ton more content. Support these indie devs, because the indie market truly is the best market for games, an they need your support.

Summary

This game is great. If you like FPS games and/or roguelikes, please give this a go. I promise you'll have a ton of fun!

Score

Bad Not Enjoyable Okay Pretty Good Pretty Dang Good Amazing Perfect

#review #game review #roboquest #efanreviews

[hirazuki]

Hi! Re: the fic writer ask game, what about 1, 42, 49, 14 please?

Hi!! I don't think I actually reblogged the writing ask yet -- I was absolutely planning to once I got home for the day for good -- but you totally anticipated me and I am absurdly delighted 😂💕

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Probably A Step Faster -- it's a very self-contained one-shot which incorporates pretty much all themes/tropes that I'm drawn to, and is a good example of how I like to balance adherence to canon with canon divergence; skirting that line is one of my favorite things. It's also one of my more recent fics, so it gives a sense of what my current writing voice is like, as well as my habit of switching POVs and my preferred way of enjoying romance/shipping dynamics.

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

The two that come to mind immediately are: one on my Bleach longfic, where someone said that if they didn't know better, they'd have thought the mangaka himself wrote it; and one on the fic I linked in the previous question, that said they keep coming back to reread it. But literally any comment that someone enjoyed what I wrote will replay in my head for weeks ♡

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Ahaha, I have so much that's in varying states of WIP-ness, but since you're here for the Tolkien, that's what we'll go with. Full disclaimer, it still needs a ton of work ^^;

It takes a breath and a half for recognition and the beginnings of wariness and rage to replace the shock in Maedhros’ eyes of finding someone else skulking in the shadows, but that span is more than enough for Mairon to conclude what Feanor’s eldest must be doing here.

He hates Feanor and his brood – for their obstinance, for the obstacles they have ever proven themselves to be, for the crafting of those miserable jewels that set madness ablaze in all but a few and stole everything from him – but he hates the Valar more.

So, he closes his eyes – perhaps not wise given his once-time prisoner is standing before him; he was not involved in his torment or his hanging, but though he doubts Maedhros grants him the courtesy of that distinction, he also knows this elf with the intimacy of blood and bone upon rock and wind; knows that for all his ruthlessness, he is pragmatic; for all that he is murderer and kinslayer, he still, somehow, clutches to the shreds of principle – and casts his senses out from his body.

It is a simple matter, to find them. He knows them intricately, having lived under their cold, searing light for centuries. He would know them anywhere. He could not forget them, even if he tried.

(He has tried.)

“Third tent on your right,” Mairon says in a low voice. “That blue one.”

Maedhros does not thank him, and Mairon does not wait.

He turns his back – and if that is yet another unwise decision, it is merely the latest in a long line; he has been acting out of character since waking up with salt water in his mouth and seaweed in his hair and loss in his throat and soul – and continues his escape from the camp.

“They’ve put the fire out!” He hears a new voice whisper. “We don’t have much time until – brother, who was that?”

Mairon tenses.

“No one,” Maedhros says after a heartbeat, his voice even; unaffected, to all ears but those who heard every shade of raw inflection in his chords for thirty years. “They’re this way; come.”

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

Hmm, I guess anything that is darker/"problematic" (like idk, rape or very dark/graphic torture)? I have no problem with that kind of content itself at all, but dislike when writing for those things becomes excessive and slips into melodrama, for the sake of shock value, especially at the expense of stuff like good characterization. OH AND REDEMPTION. Omg, I have come to greatly dislike the trope of redemption as I've grown older, because too often I find that it either defangs the character to make them more palatable, or it has this very preachy, holier-than-thou approach about it, particularly with regard to the concept of "deserving," that just leaves the atheist in me me feeling all slimy and gross.

#thanks so much for asking!! #i haven't really focused on my writing for years and want to change that #and doing asks like this definitely helps! :)

[yukikurosu123]

(unpopular opinion) A Defense of Diabolik Lovers

So I normally don't post anywhere about this on the internet because of mainly social anxiety, but I've been feeling super frustrated at all the hate towards Diabolik Lovers since years that grew even more when the anime came out that (in my opinion) isn't really deserved, especially since most of the people I've seen ragging on it have only watched the anime. In fact, Diabolik Lovers was one of the first actual otome games that I played after the TokiMemo Girl’s Side Series and I was really surprised when I saw that a ton of you guys hated it. I even replayed all chapters because I thought I had missed something, but to my surprise, I enjoyed it even more the 2nd time and it's still one of my favorite series to this day. So, I've read through a lot of comments about Diabolik Lovers and found some common arguments against it that I will discuss below. (sorry for the walls of text)!

1. **The most frequent and widespread criticism about problematic fiction is that “Men will learn violent behavior, and become abusers. Women will seek out harmful partners, develop a desire to be physically hurt, and engage in self-destructive behavior.." This statement is absolutely ridiculous and false. One’s preferences in fiction have no impact on reality. Women who have rape fantasies do not desire to be raped in real life, just as women who enjoy sadistic characters do not want their partners to be abusive. To use a similar example, people who enjoy violent media do not want to become murderers. Fans of the series simply enjoy it for what it is: a harmless, indulgent fantasy. I actually don't know how people come up with the notion that simply playing a Do-S video game would make you become an abuser or victim. Like, problematic fiction has existed in men’s media since the beginning of times, I don’t know why when it starts to become common in women’s media, it’s supposed to be ‘unhealthy’. For God's sake, it sucks that otome games, and media directed at women in general, often get judged harshly for dark content that gets basically no attention in "men's" media. Now first off, I am not saying that otome games are free from being criticized or that people shouldn't be triggered by its content or whatever, I'm just pointing out that there's a definite hypocrisy in how otome games are percieved by non-otome fans versus more mainstream stuff, simply because it's for "girls". Content like Diabolik Lovers is a rarity in the otome genre, while the ones aimed at men that involve harems and rape are just considered par for the course and never make a blip on most peoples radars. It's all a hypocrisy because girls are expected to only like "cute, pink and nice" things or else they're weird, while men can like whatever they want and it's fine. It sucks man. For example, one of my favorite characters in the series is Kou. He harms the heroine in various ways: for example one time ripping open bite marks with his fingernails, repeatedly digging them in to torture Yui and other instances of physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. But however much I like him, and sympathize with him within the context of fiction, I do not think any of his actions would be acceptable in reality. You're not degenerate trash for liking content like Diabolik Lovers. It might not be your flavour personally but it's been well studied and it's perfectly healthy, there's not a damn thing wrong with it so don’t hate on women for liking stuff like that, they have the total right to consume it. Those who declare Diabolik Lovers to be harmful to women’s rights are the most hypocritical of all: women’s rights are about accepting their choices and preferences, including their sexual fantasies. As long as no real person is harmed in reality, everyone will always have the right to like anything they want.

2. **Other critics state that the series, even if harmless, is disturbing and distasteful, and should not exist.** If that is one’s private opinion, that still never gives one the right to try to control another’s fictional tastes. Diabolik Lovers was originally made for a specific niche demographic of masochistic girls. Even in modern day, pure love is the only genre of joseimuke which is considered acceptable by much of the population. To expect an entire population to enjoy but a single genre is unnecessarily restrictive, for every individual has different preferences, no matter if they are the same gender. The Diabolik Lovers series is not condoning abuse, nor are its fans. It is an open-minded series which caters to the unusual. It not only acknowledges some women’s taste, but celebrates its masochistic demands, giving them variety and creativity, with amazing VA’s, complex characters, tragic backstories, and an intricate plot. Anyone who attempts to shame, demean, or judge another person for their fantasies—provided it does not involve the legitimate harm of others—is not concerned with women’s rights, or human morality, but only with their own comfort, and is the very opposite of any “progressive” agenda they may be intending to put forward.

#diabolik lovers #diabolik boys #diabolik brothers #rant #vent post

[hazelplaysgames]

   my annual February shiny hunt is on soon! February, if that title is to be believed. this year, i’ll try to get two games going: Y and Legends Arceus! i’ll prefer hunting in Y if i have to choose, but i think it could be fun to get the two working together.

   in Y, i’ll be in Route 4. i am specifically going for a Shiny Combee, and the closest thing to a zonk is gonna be Ledyba. i expect four, even if i stick to the Yellow Flowers.    that said, every other encounter on the route i consider good. if i somehow manage to get plenty of all ‘mons off of that route, i’ll swoop around to route 22, as that gives a pretty healthy selection with no repeats and no real misses to me. if i somehow manage to get a bunch of ‘mons there too, then i’m gonna call it a good month. :p

   as for Arceus’ role in this, it’s to hunt in those Space-Time Distortions. Johtonian Sneasel, Porygon, Magnemite, Cranidos, and Shieldon are exclusive to the bubbles, and i want to make a solid effort to get a full-as-possible living shiny dex in that game, since those are really the big things holding it back. also, Cherubi, sorta, but because i expect there to be a ton of waiting around for the former to pop up, i think it’ll be nice to weave the two together.

   depending on exactly how many encounters i get, we might be looking at weekly updates from Y, or possibly a mid-month and end-of-month update about that. Arceus, if i’m lucky, will have enough encounters to stitch together a video for. i’ll hit a bit a ton on the plans and ideas for the rest of the year, i excluded a tangent that seemed a bit much. i’ll just put it under a Keep Reading, because details can get long and i want to respect Dashes.

   first things first, the most common thing on this blog, Switch games. hopefully, there’s not gonna be much going on in Splat 3 in Feb. i’d give a sigh of relief if, if there is some event, it was at the end of the month. the rest of the year is gonna be fine, i just don’t want it crunching on the shiny hunt. i expect the DLC this year, but no sense in rushing that. the new game i got for the holidays(i’m excepting World’s End Club) are queuing up, not much to say there. if i get the majority of Distortion Pokemon in Arceus, maybe a small uptick from that afterwards.    about like a week ago, i learned i can way more easily move my teams from any game that can connect to Pokemon Home to my main files, so i want to do a Poison monotype in Shield this year. if anyone wants me to specifically try another type sooner or later, i’m open to the idea, i was thinking about it a bit and realized that Shield is a shockingly light game for me, and i won’t feel too roughed up about replaying that a bit more. that said, if i’m the only one, i already got a priority list lined up(i’m feeling Rock, ice, and Dragon, to match gens 6 & 7, and Steel, which i’ll elaborate on when i get to it, so i know now next years monotypes for X and UM). i doubt i’d do all 18 types, but i’m already considering five, what’s 13 more? maybe trim content, at that point badge completion is more a formality on my end. i don’t feel the need to do a major revisit to any other games i played before.    you know, i think i’m getting a better handle on why i like Nemona so much...

   i think the only new full game i know about this year will be Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. it’s on my radar.    that said, 30 minute(maybe more like 3 hour) break, taking a bit to look into planned releases coming up, and a quick browse through the eShop, i got myself a list of other games to keep an eye out for, i figure i’ll get them as i get them if i want to get them. i’m kinda leaning towards other Monster Master sorts of games, the three big ones i saw on there being Temtem, Coromon, and Nexomon. Temtem’s the priciest by about double, i’ll look into the trio sooner or later, see what’s up with them. Dark Souls Remastered sounds serviceable on Switch, and there’s a few others i didn’t expect to find either.

   off of the Switch, a small liveblog of Digimon Dawn, which i figure i’ll go with way less posts compared to Dusk, more so detailing differences. for that, i think i’ll aim to start mid-March. then i got some Dragon monotypes between X and Ultra Moon, the latter of which we can expect to see photos from. to better guide me on timing, i know i have a trip to visit family in July, and after that i’ll do a liveblog for a Smeargle team in Moon. maybe a handful of photos from that one? it’s kinda silly to have multiple photos of a single Pokemon over a whole game, especially since the Photo Club isn’t actually IN Moon, and it just gets sillier when the idea of doing an Ultra Moon run is still not wholly off the table in my book.    i don’t want to do a Smeargle run in Ultra Moon yet because, frankly, Molayne scares me more than Hala. this is meant to say more about Molayne than Hala, truthfully. in either case though, the relatively early Route 2 provides Smeargles in both games, so this marks the first time i won’t feel i need to trade a team in. exciting! i got a few ideas already, but i’m not gonna look up much details until later, i’m planning to do this sometime starting in July after all.

#2023 shiny hunt #you know how awkward it is to try and acrominize ''Space-Time Distortions''? #acronymize. whatever apparently neither of those are a real word anyways

[shoutydwarf]

another hot take: andromeda was a beautiful and interesting game with polarizing choices, realistic dispositions when it came to characters and romances, and the funnest combat system in any BioWare game to date and u guys only hate on it bc u expected it to be mass effect 4 with a bunch of callbacks to the trilogy

#mass effect #there’s so much content in the game and with that comes a ton of replay value #mass effect andromeda #now that they’ve patched a lot of the glitches it’s a 10/10 from me #I’m starting a mea hot take tag #aht #(andromeda hot takes aka AHT AHT!)

[playtwewy]

Idk if anyone else has talked about this (if so, I have not seen it) but I find the idea of Rindo as a proxy, especially in comparison to Neku, and his relationship to Joshua, fascinating to think about.

Because with Rindo, he is a proxy in the same way Neku was in the Game three years ago, but he does not have that connection in narrative with Joshua the way Neku did nor is he told explicitly that he is a proxy by the end.

(I'll put my rambling under a cut lol)

[Also spoilers for both games and their secret reports]

Of course, this is because Neku has a mutual relationship with Joshua. They've interacted far beyond what those boundaries should have been since Joshua actively participated in his own game as an illegal player. He talked with Neku and, in terms of character arcs, you could argue that twewy is as much about Joshua's growth as it is Neku's, and we are constantly reminded of their connection throughout the game.

In ntwewy though, its not ever revealed to Rindo that he is a proxy, that he was chosen by Joshua to represent all of Shibuya and his desire to preserve it from purification. Its the reason, hinted at in the secret reports, Kubo gave Rindo the Replay pin when he could have, theoretically, chosen anyone. Although its also hinted at that Joshua could have also given it to him? (I dont think we ever know for sure since Mr. H doesn't)

But what about Rindo makes him Joshua's choice for proxy?

We know from the secret reports Rindo has a powerful imagination as did Neku (altho yes I know the lore makes neku extremely op) otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to use the pin or even been summoned into the UG.

But is there anything else?

Well, I think so.

I think, just as with Neku, Joshua chose him because he saw himself in Rindo.

But what is my evidence for this?

It is stated over and over again in the secret reports that, in contrast to Neku, Rindo's soul isn't going through any growth while in the current version of the Reaper's Game.

We find out later what is leading to this:

And I think, while Joshua doesn't have the indecision that Rindo does, I think he also has/had a problem with taking responsibility.

He stays his own decisions several times in the favor of games or risk, with his Conductor over the fate of Shibuya and as well as his final duel with Neku. He spends several days to possibly a week in an alternate universe playing tin pin, almost seeming content to avoid the outcome of the mess he's left behind. There's this line:

and, while not a ton of evidence, I think the conclusion that Joshua avoids responsibility is a little valid, okay?

But my interpretation that Rindo and Joshua are possible parallels to each other leads me to have a small theory behind Joshua absence in ntwewy.

It is stated in the secret reports and by Kubo himself that those of the Higher Plane are not to interfere directly in the game.

But its interesting that Kubo still interacts with players in the UG and has direct contact with Rindo at points despite the fact that he is an Angel and tasked with Shibuyas destruction (kinda similar to how Joshua partnered with Neku is week two even though it was illegal lol). This is in contrast to Joshua, who is absent the entire time until right before the games conclusion.

We also know from the secret reports that the Higher Plane is lax when it comes to Kubo because of the divisiveness of Shibuya's destruction, so it makes sense they would be lenient towards him to ensure it.

Mr. H also states that he is forbidden from interfering this time around and I think we all have come to the conclusion that this is because of the events of twewy. And I think the same is held true for Joshua. It seems likely given his previous actions, the Higher Plane would have forbidden him from direct contact in this game except for choosing the proxy to represent him.

Just as the Reaper's Game Rindo plays is rigged to favor Shiba's will, the game Joshua is playing against Kubo is biased towards the latter.

But back to the subject of responsibility - I believe, as Rindo made the decision given to him by Haz to accept responsibility in exchange for a chance to save his friends and Shibuya, Joshua made his decision not to interfere with the Game and accept responsibility for whatever outcome it provided, whether or not it was what he wanted, or what insured Shibuya’s survival.

Its also interesting that the secret reports bring up Haz's interference as a way to draw Joshua to action.

And I think it could be because Joshua had accepted Shibuya's fate and had still stood by his decision despite a bleak outcome.

Anyway, I say all this to say that Rindo and Joshua have a fascinating relationship. And even if my interpretations are inaccurate, I think there's some thing to be said that Joshua at least had to trust Rindo to an extent and also tried to repay him by helping Shoka, and yet they have never really spoken to each other.

I dont know, the fact that there is someone out there with a connection to Joshua who doesn't even know the extent of it, kills me, and id like to think there's even more under the surface.

#rindo kanade #joshua kiryu #ntwewy #ntwewy spoilers #twewy #neo twewy #neo twewy spoilers #idk yall are gonna look at this okay #anyway i feel like im the only one really interested for joshua and rindo #and also how that affects neku #like i really believe neku probably knew or at least had a feeling about rindo possibly being a proxy for joshua #and i wonder how knowing about that would affect rindo #but this could all also be bullshit lmao #i just would like to think its not because im a mess and i like thinking about joshua having emotions and connections #it soothes my soul #anyway if you read all this thanks i appreciate you ❤ #protag.txt #also i havent replayed ntwewy yet so all this is memory babey and i could be wrong about certain things i do admit #ALSO #thinking about Rindo's instability in then even if Joshua had wanted join the team to help him he couldn't have #i doubt Rindo would have been able to take the strain of Joshua's vibe. even Neku struggled with that #neku only powered through because of his resolve to save Shiki #is this meta??? lol #twewyposting

[devildomimagines]

Love Languages

My headcanons for the Demon Brothers’ love languages; how they express love and what they yearn for. It ended up being so much longer than I anticipated so I put them under a read more.

Here are the 5 love languages I used that were proposed by Gary Chapman:

Words of Affirmation - Saying supportive things to your partner

Acts of Service - Doing helpful things for your partner

Receiving Gifts - Giving your partner gifts that tell them you were thinking about them

Quality Time - Spending meaningful time with your partner

Physical Touch - Being close to and caressed by your partner

Belphegor

Express: Quality Time

He doesn’t have much to offer except his time.

If he chooses you over a nap, you know you’re important.

His offers to hang out with each of his brothers when he gets out of the attic really cemented this for me.

Complements his twin’s trait of yearning for Quality Time which makes them a good match.

Yearn: Physical Touch

He’d never admit it to you cough tsundere cough but you grabbing his hand as you lead him somewhere is a special experience.

The fact that you don’t fear reaching out to touch him in any manner means a lot to him after what he did to you.

Secretly loves when his older brothers tousle his hair.

Holding him while he drifts off to sleep will have him feeling like he was on cloud nine in the Celestial Realm once again.

Beelzebub

Express: Acts of Service

Beel would do anything for the ones he loves.

He recognizes that he is strong and uses it to serve others.

He would be quick to offer to carry your backpack after school or if it’s been a long day of Student Council meetings he might even offer a piggyback ride so you don’t have to walk back.

You don’t have to ask for him to do any of the things that he does. He would gladly go out of his own way if it would make you happy.

Yearn: Quality Time

This boy revels in spending time with you.

He doesn’t care what you’re doing but just being in the same room energizes him.* He would love if you come watch him work out, he doesn’t care whether you join in or not.

It’s the little things like doing homework together or snacking in the kitchen that make him unbelievably happy.

Asmodeus

Express: Words of Affirmation

He’s quick to offer praise for appearances at any time. “I love how you did your hair today,” or “You’ve accessorized perfectly today!” are just a few examples of the first thing you hear from him in the morning.

He’s observant af. You did that thing that you were dreading? He’ll offer, “Way to get through it! I knew you would be great.”

Even when you’re run down and not looking your best, Asmo knows exactly what to say to brighten your day.

Asmo may not tell his brothers but he talks them up to you, he knows all of their best qualities.

Yearn: Physical Touch

For the Avatar of Lust, touch has so much meaning for him.

He reads into every touch, basically a body language/touch encyclopedia. He’s the kind of person that you would go to like, they smiled and then touched my arm, what does that mean? And he would know!

He loves when you initiate casual touches like linking arms while shopping or jokingly bumping hips while walking.

The lingering intimate touches drive him wild! Your hand on his back as you pass or when your hands slide down his arm makes him shiver.

Satan

Express: Quality Time

Giving you his time is the highest compliment.

Being together, no matter the activity, makes it special.

He’d be willing to try anything as long as you were there.

I feel like he would be the type to make ordinary tasks fun. Like the first time you had your turn at cooking dinner for the House of Lamentation, you were worried your cooking skills wouldn’t translate to the Devildom ingredients but you were also worried there wouldn’t be enough, you had never cooked for so many people. Satan appeared in the kitchen to offer some guidance, he understood your want to do it yourself so he stayed to chat and the time flew.

Yearn: Quality Time

The only one that yearns for the same thing he gives.

Since he puts in the effort and time, he deeply appreciates someone doing the same for him.

When you choose to spend time with him over others he is so pleased/honored. Alternatively, blowing off plans with him for something else enrages him like nothing else, so don’t do that.

He finds a lot of comfort in just knowing you’re in the same room enjoying your time with him.

Leviathan

Express: Gift Giving

I totally see him as the type to leave gifts for you to find instead of handing them to you himself. You know who leaves the presents just by the contents.

He definitely gets you a ton of TSL merch. Also matching merch to wear with him.

If you are playing video games together, he will leave enemy drops for you to pick up. He will play it off as he is so good at the game that he doesn’t need the drops.

We would also let you open his loot chests for him. Levi blushes as he explains he thinks you’re lucky and it will get him the best items.

Yearn: Words of Affirmation

The smallest compliment will have him a stuttering mess.

Cheering him on as he plays in a tournament makes him both nervous but more so powerful knowing you’re his cheerleader.

Overwhelm him with an endless stream of praise.

He can usually shake off any negative words thrown his way by others but his self talk can be extremely negative. Your words always pull him out of the darkest of spirals.

Mammon

Express: Physical Touch

Mammon is king of the casual touch. On any given day he could sling an arm around your shoulder, sit a little closer, or brush his hands with yours as you walk to and from school.* With his brothers: light punches to their arms, messing up his little brothers’ hair or hiding behind Lucifer to get out of trouble.

When he gets serious and wants to make a point, he will grab your shoulders so you face him dead on. When he is worried that someone might be hurt, he’s the one to check them over, turning them to check the damage.

Secretly loves holding your hand but he can only build up the courage to initiate it every once in a while, hence the brushing hands hoping you will take the bait.

Yearn: Words of Affirmation

If you give this man praise his knee jerk reaction is to brush it off. Just repeating it once more makes it sink in for him and he blushes.

Since his brothers are always putting him down, your admiration makes him go feral.

He thought it was odd at first when you would congratulate him for doing small things like getting through the week without stealing or not failing a class but over time he lives for it. Even going out of the way to earn more congratulations.

He gets so flustered when you thank him. Of course you would be thankful toward the Great Mammon but those thanks are the conversations that he replays in his head when he’s alone. I could see that the first time you do, it throws him off and he trips over himself.

Lucifer

Express: Gift Giving

He is a very thoughtful gift giver and he has the means to get almost anything in Devildom, nothing is too extravagant nor too simple to be a good gift and he knows it.

Maybe it comes from practice of keeping up with his brothers’ interests but he easily picks up on your interests and caters his gifts to such.

I think as a pseudo-parent figure, the positive reinforcement is ingrained in him. Rewarding good behavior has been proven to have better effects than punishing bad behavior after all.

To that point, most of the time he will give gifts in relation to something that happened: good grades, helping the brothers, or impressing Diavolo to name a few. But he also gives small things to boost your mood or motivate you and if something catches his eye that reminds him of you he would get it, without a second thought.

Yearn: Acts of Service

Taken aback when you do something for him unprompted. He was so used to giving orders that your random act pleasantly confused him at first.

He thought it was a fluke so he continues to be surprised each time you go out of the way for him. He feels a little guilty that you would perceive that he’s stooped so low that he needs your help so he apologizes.* After you explain that you want to help and that it’s your way of showing you care, he then begins to look forward to your acts of service no matter what it is. Just like his gifts, no act of service is too much or too small to him, he appreciates them all.

It feeds into his pride that you would take time out of your day, doing something for him and presumably thinking about him while doing it. He likes that he’s on your mind even if he’s not around.

#obey me #obey me mammon #obey me lucifer #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me headcanons #my writing

[volfoss]

where can i begin with king of fighters kjlljk i am looking for playthroughs and the anime but theres so much content xd

OK. this might be a long post so um. under the cut

THERE IS A TON of media for kof. so like lemme break it down into sections:

Games:

So, if ur wanting to watch the main storyline in order, I have made a handy dandy playlist of playthroughs here! (each game is abt a half hour of video!) U can also emulate the first 5 (kof 94-99) on pc which i have a guide for here. i need to like rq explain. the first several games are really fucking hard. but like genuinely if ur into fighting games dont let that deter u!! theyre rly fun and the combos are really enjoyable and its just like. genuinely a VERY fun series to play! but the canon order of games separated into story arcs is:

kof 94 (in its own little arc, sets up the concept of the game and stuff!)

orochi saga:

kof 95

kof 96

kof 97

nests chronicles:

kof 99

kof 2000

kof 2001

tales of ash:

kof 2003

kof xi

kof xiii

shun'ei saga

kof xiv

kof xv

so let me like rq explain smth! so each saga has a dream match (basically non canonical and just like is a ton of fighters who fans wanna see come back) and those are kof 98, kof 2002, and kof xii. i realize this is like. a lot. but imo id stick w the main canon stuff as the dream matches dont have a plot as far as i know! there are like. a million side games (i literally dont even wanna think about how many there are. it is INSANE) but id rec personally starting at kof 95 (kof 94 is way way harder and if u watch the anime u p much get the story of kof 94). kof xv just came out this february so its p recent! onto the anime/movies now!

Anime/Movies:

There are technically four animes/movies so I'll really quick go thru each!

The King of Fighters: Another Day: this is basically like. if u wanna see every character and the plot not make a ton of sense from episode to episode, this is good. its an ona (original net animation) and u can find it on like. basically any anime piracy site (i havent searched for it legally bc i um. dont wanna etc, i found it on 9anime). its honestly really fun when u like recognize the characters and its about a half hour to watch all episodes (theyre each like 7 to 8 min or less) so its def a good point to start at!

The King of Fighters: Destiny: this basically covers most of the plot of KOF 94 which is really good! Its literally all on Youtube for free which is rly good! It's a p short series and honestly just really fun! the animation is 3d so it might take a bit to get used to! Heres a link to the youtube playlist!

The King of Fighters: Awaken: this is a movie coming out this year! based on context clues i would assume its before the tales of ash arc and after the orochi saga, so its not smth u need to worry about yet since its not out

Last but um. definitely least: The King of Fighters. Thats the entire movie title and its a live action movie. This is like the one piece of KOF media i wouldnt recommend to anyone, its very out of character and just has like nothing good other than i suppose confirming two characters as lesbian. it has insanely low scores like everywhere online and its not worth it at all

TLDR:

If you wanna play it instead of playthroughs- id mess w the emulation a bit since its free that way and honestly. very easy to set up. i personally watched KOF: Destiny to understand the plot of 94 and started playing from 95 onwards. u can like always start at later games and stuff but the plot might be confusing and the plot is like genuinely good! each team has their own endings so its like a lot of replay value and its rewarding to improve at it!

the playthrough playlist i made follows the canonical winners of each tournament but like u can always look into other characters ur interested in and watch their endings too! most of the older games have pretty much every ending on youtube! I would like def recommend if u are curious about the characters to just like look thru the character list on the wiki here, its SO fun to just look thru them! there are also some crossovers w the capcom characters but i havent played them so like i dont really have much experience w that! i hope this like kinda makes it a bit easier to understand whats going on!

#asks #kof posting #sorry if this is like. mega convoluted. i am trying v v hard to like make it make sense #im not even touching the manga w a 10 foot pole bc its like. so so much. i think 27 different series

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Game Review - A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986

Before diving into the meat of Oracle and Bone’s A Summer’s End, I want to talk about the women behind this game Tida Kietsungden, and Charissa So. So and Kietsungden have done nothing but impress me since the announcement of A Summer’s End. They have repeatedly demonstrated their immense effort and dedication to creating a beautiful and thoughtful experience. Through conversations with the studio and reading their blog entries, I gained a remarkable understanding of how this game is both a tribute to classic cinema and a love letter to the Yuri and LGBT community. Through careful research and thoughtful expression, the two women navigate and acknowledge complicated issues, including Asian LGBTQ history and Hong Kong’s delicate political situation with grace and maturity. I am in complete awe of both women and their work. However, regardless of my profound respect for these creators, I still endeavor to offer my unfiltered thoughts on the visual novel, giving praise and criticism where appropriate.

A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 is a Yuri visual novel set, as you may have figured out, in Hong Kong in the year 1986. The game follows a young office worker, Michelle (Fong Ha) Cheung, who has a chance encounter with a free-spirited woman named Sam (Ka Yan) Wong. Both women feel drawn to each other, and the game explores this mutual attraction and the budding relationship which emerges from it.

This plot follows the standard girl meets girl story that has permeated the Yuri genre for the past several decades. Like most Yuri stories, the older and more experienced woman, Sam, is rebellious and beautiful, with long dark hair and a dominating persona. Michelle, although far more naive in the ways of love, breaks the trend of this trope by being the more sullen of the two. I would have liked to see the game diverge a bit more from the standard story of the genre. Fortunately, A Summer’s End is a romance story between adults who do not work together, setting it apart from the norms. It even includes a coming out section that creates a more robust LGBT identity than any tale of temporary schoolgirl love.

The story is well put together and well presented. The story is told primarily from Michelle’s perspective. It mostly takes place over a few days, during which Michelle engages in a whirlwind romance with Sam. This story features the struggle between her feelings and passion and her devotion to tradition and her mother. The progression of her affection is unrealistically fast. The story feels a bit rushed, and many of the societal and personal quagmires the game stumbles upon are not sufficiently developed or confronted. Had the game indulged in a more prolonged and tumultuous struggle for Michelle, conclusions would have felt much sweeter, and the story would have gone from good to great.

Even with this massive missed opportunity, there are plenty of exemplary moments and aspects of the narrative. The game pulls no punches addressing Michelle’s slightly overbearing mother and the conflict between the two. It would have been incredibly simple to take the easy route on this one. Still, the developers stuck to their guns and manage to explore a challenging situation satisfyingly, all while keeping the characters realistic and sympathetic. In fact, every scene relating to LGBT rights and history is flawlessly executed.

There are also some fantastic chapters, including a thrilling but refreshing bike ride and a flashback scene that recontextualizes certain events from another perspective. The many references and allusions to classic cinema including some older lesbian films and plenty of Asian works, are particularly noteworthy. However, the best part of A Summer’s End by far is the setting.

The location and time period is intrinsic to Sam and Michelle’s tale, as it is shaped by and reflects contemporary culture and LGBTQ rights. Oracle and Bone create a vibrant and lively world, a jaw-dropping depiction of Hong Kong in the 1980s. Everything helps feed into the creation of this world, including a fantastic and retro UI, small touches such as a Cantonese subway announcement, and objects encountered like a disposable camera help convey a strong sense of the period. However, the soundtrack sells it more than any other element, save perhaps the artwork, transporting the player to the era. While a few tracks are the standard easy listening affairs one expects from visual novels, there are tons of excellent city pop and disco beats, complete with plenty of synths and confidence! Finally, a visual novel soundtrack that contributes more than just background noise!

Sadly, the game’s dialogue choice system and branching paths are far more of a hindrance than a help. I can honestly say that the game would play better and be way more enjoyable as a kinetic novel. Most choices feel inconsequential, changing nothing of the story and resulting in almost the exact same response from other characters yet, they have a hidden points system. If you do not earn enough points, parts of the optional adult content will be unplayable until one goes back to find the right choice. I spent several hours replaying, and eventually skipping through, the game to unlock all the scenes, and finally gave up with one CG left unseen. The only choice with any actual effect is painfully evident in its consequences. One option leads to the bad ending, which is well written, but no reasonable player would go down that path unless they just wanted to see the whole game. The second unveils the true good ending, which no player in their right mind would not pursue, as again, the choice is obvious and adds nothing to the game. There is no reason to put in an alternative ending or tedious dialogue choice.

The characters in A Summer’s End are well constructed. Sam is adventurous without being obnoxious and has a mature though appropriately unrefined demeanor. Michelle is extremely curt and somewhat distant, although she displays a sharp wit and more timid nature on occasion. Both women participate in engaging, deep, and thoughtful discussions, often with each other, although sometimes internally, and thus feel well developed and complex. Unfortunately, their chemistry, while not absent, is not enough to sell the whirlwind romance. There is insufficient expression of their feelings and attractions, both internally or through dialogue and actions, so their inevitable closeness feels unearned.

However, even in the short game, both characters change with each other, especially Michelle, as she becomes more affectionate, confident, and caring. She begins to embody some of Sam’s warmness while never losing herself. Some of my favorite dialogue and interaction came from her towards the end of the game, although I will not spoil it. Additionally, side characters have a strong presence thanks to their firmly established characteristics and a profound effect on the narrative. Each has their own sprite and mannerisms, helping cement them as fixtures in A Summer’s End rather than tacked on assets.

The visual novel contains optional adult content, which is installed in an extra patch and can be toggled on and off. I played through the game with and without it and can happily report that the story is just as fulfilling and complete without it. Although the unlockable nature of these scenes is aggravating, they are very well written and sensual without being exploitative. There were moments I did not care for as much, such as Sam getting carried away at one point, but it felt very realistic and incredibly sensual. The artwork in these sexual encounters is some of the best in the game, embracing darker colors and showcasing intense desire.

Speaking of the artwork, it is stupendous. The game is bright and striking, with amazing backgrounds complete with luminous neon signs, glaring televisions, and life and activity oozing from every corner. The backgrounds are so beautiful and detailed they could effectively serve in place of CG art, although there is plenty of that asides. The character models and designs are similarly excellent, with expressive poses and faces. The various outfits, of which the game has many, embody iconic 80’s fashion. Artist Tida Kietsungden draws both the characters and CGs with a distinctive hand-drawn style, which allows them to play well off each other and add to the beautiful presentation. The detail and care that went into the aesthetics are enormous and elevate the game at every moment. 

A Summer’s End – Hong Kong 1986 is a vibrant and intimate experience. The fantastic setting and flawless artwork surround a compelling and thoughtful story about lesbian love and desire, societal expectations, and the bonds between family and lovers. It is rough around the edges, with a slightly rushed story that leaves little time to wallow in complexity and an awful dialogue system. However, it will win players over with its striking presentation and sophisticated subject matter. I look forward to more from this studio and highly recommend you check this game out!

Ratings: Story – 7 Characters – 6 Art – 10 Music – 8 LGBTQ – 8 Sexual Content – 3 (8 with patch) Final – 7

Purchase A Summer’s End on Steam and itch.io, available April 23

Consider supporting Yuri news, reviews, and content on the YuriMother Patreon

#Yuri #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+ #queer #gay #reivew #a summer's end #hong kong #girls love #gl #wlw #lesbian #visual novel #games #video games #gaming #manga #anime #reviews

[yoongislittlemeowmeow]

𝘽𝙏𝙎 𝙓 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙎𝙖𝙮 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙏𝙤 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚

BTS

Paring: BTS X Reader

Synopsis: BTS reacting to you when you tell them that you love them for the first time ❤️.

A/N: Hello my lil beans! I hope all of you been well and if you haven’t, I hope everything will turn out okay for you and that I’m always here if you ever need to talk to someone 🥺. Now, I know it’s been a bit since I made a post so I decided on doing a BTS one since they are my other ultimate group and I haven’t made a post for them yet. I’m still trying to figure out what kind of content I want to post so please bare with me here lol. And if you guys have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to send them to my asks box ❤️. It would actually help me be more motivated to create more content and to have more ideas so I won’t be so stuck all the time. Also the gifs I’ve used in this blog do not belong to me. All credits for the gifs go to the rightful owners.

♡ 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧 ♡

Y/n: “Hey Joonie guess what.”

Namjoon: “What is it sweetheart?”

Y/n: “I...I love you”

Namjoon: *smiles big til the point his dimples are on full display for you and the world to see*

Namjoon: “I love you too my little princess. Now, get over here. I want to read you a story while telling you how much I love you.”

♡ 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐤𝐣𝐢𝐧 ♡

Y/n: “Did you know that I love you Jin Jin?”

Seokjin: “Well, of course I did. Everyone loves their world wide handsome. How can someone not love me.”

Y/n: *pouts all sad like...* like this 🥺

Seokjin: “You know I love to tease you hehe. But in all serious, I love you too Mrs. World Wide Beautiful. You complete me but just remember one thing.”

Y/n: “What’s that?”

Seokjin: “That I love you the most times infinity.”

♡ 𝐘𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐢 ♡

Y/n: *whispers softly into yoongi’s ear at 3:30 a.m when he’s sleeping while having your arms wrapped around his waist*

Y/n: “I know it’s late but I just can’t hold this in anymore Yoongi. I love you with all of my heart. I can’t believe you are mine.”

Yoongi: *lightly and cutely snores like a little kitten before rolling onto his other side while grabbing you softly like you are the most fragile thing ever into his arms, keeping you locked in place as he pressed a couple of kisses onto your forehead* “I love you too my lil munchkin and I always will. But, for the love of god, kindly please shut your cute little mouth up and go to sleep. We both need to be well rested”

♡ 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐤 ♡

Y/n: *bounces cutely and happily up and down in front of Hobi while he cooks breakfast*

Hoseok: *softly giggles as he gently pets you on the head and a kiss on the cheek before turning back to the pan to focus on cooking* “May I help you with something buttercup?”

Y/n: “Actually, there is and it’s something important I want to tell you.”

Hoseok: “And that is?”

Y/n: “Hobi , I love you.”

Hoseok: *couldn’t contain his excitement as he immediately stops what he was doing and picked you up in his arms before twirling you both around away from the stovetop as he attacked your face with tons of kisses* “You have no idea how happy you just made me Y/n by saying that. And there’s something important I need to tell you as well.”

Y/n: “Oh? What is it?”

Hoseok: *puts you gently on the ground before pulling you close to his chest to give you and Eskimo kiss* “It’s that I love you too but more than you love me.”

♡ 𝐉𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧 ♡

Y/n: *plops self down on Jimin’s lap as he was working on a new song to pitch to the guys, which caused Jimin to break out into a cute, heart warming smile placing his pen down so he could focus on you*

Jimin: *plays with your hair softly for a moment before holding you secretly in his lap with one hand while the other was holding one of yours* “Ah, there you are my favorite and most precious human being in the world. May I help you with something?”

Y/n: “I have a confession to admit chim chim...”

Jimin: *chuckles as he gently rubs the back of your hand with his thumb* “Haha well okay then. Tell me what it is.”

Y/n: “I love you.”

Jimin: *blushes profusely as he tried his hardest not to get all shy but he couldn’t help it with a big smile forming on his face as he looked down at the ground as the three words kept replaying over and over again in his head like a never ending recorded message that he’ll never want to stop hearing* “Can...can you say that again please?”

Y/n: “I love you my chim chim.”

Jimin: “I love you too, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say those words. But, I was hoping I would say it first though.” *Jimin playfully mumbled with a cute pout on his lips as his crossed in disappointment that he wasn’t the first one to say it but the happiest man alive to know that you love him*

♡ 𝐓𝐚𝐞𝐡𝐲𝐮𝐧𝐠 ♡

Y/n: *shyly tugs on Taehyung’s sweater with you focused your gaze to the ground before you felt him pull away from the drawing that he was working on to put all of his attention on you. Once he placed everything to the side, he’d pull you down onto his lap before nuzzling his head into the croak of your neck*

Taehyung: *gently lifts your chin up so you could be looking directly at him which made your cheeks flame up a bit as he looked deeply and lovingly into your eyes before stroking the side of your right cheek softly with his thumb* “Well, this is certainly a surprise. I didn’t expect you to be down here the entire time as I worked on a new drawing. Is something the matter?”

Y/n: “No...no. I-I just wanted to come and say something to you. Tae, I-I love you.”

Taehyung: *kisses gently into the croak of your neck before feeling his lips curled into a soft smile as his grip around you became more intimate and more secured, making you feel safe and loved* “You are so cute when you stutter babygirl. I love you too.”

♡ 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐨𝐤 ♡

Y/n: *whines and pouts like a little but cute baby on the floor as you tried to get your boyfriend’s attention from his video game but he was completely in the zone, almost ignoring you but you knew it was not intentional. But still, you wanted his attention and you wanted it now because you wanted to tell him that you love him. So, you decided to just playfully shove your head on his lap while poking gently in his ticklish all over his body, which made him pause the game as he looked down at you with his cute bunny smile as he grabbed you and picked you up and tossing you gently on the bed before he began his tickling attack on you, making the both of you laugh hysterically.*

Jungkook: *continuing his brutally tickling attack on you while giving you kisses on both sides of your face and maybe even sneaking a kiss on your lips here and there.* “Did you start tickling me because you wanted my attention?”

Y/n: *snorts and crying in laughter as you tried to push his hands away from tickling your most vulnerable tickling spots on your body but he didn’t budge one bit*. “Y-yes but I also wanted to tell you something but I can’t if you wot stop tickling me Kookie!”

Jungkook: *stops all of his tickling movements before placing comforting kisses on your nose, forehead, cheeks, lips, and your hands. Honestly, he loved how tiny your hands looked in his as he kept staring at them in awe as he held them both in his hands. But then he shook is head from being distracted, knowing that you wanted to tell him something*. I’m sorry my love, I got distracted by how cute and adorable your tiny hands looked in mine. Now, what is it that you wanted to tell me?”

Y/n: “Finally, thank you Kookie hehe. Well, what I wanted to tell you was that I love you and you are the only person that I have truly felt that I’m in love”

Jungkook: *stares at you in awe as he kept asking you for the rest of the day if that’s what you have said to him, which of course you always reassured him that he had heard you right. But don’t worry, during that time, he kept on reminding you how much he loved you as well. It was a never ending battle of saying I love yous to each other which you both didn’t mind one bit*.

#bts #bts fandom #bts army #bts imagines #bts gifs #bts x reader #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop fandom #imagines #namjoon #seokjin #yoongi #hoseok #jhope #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #namjoon x reader #seokjin x reader #yoongi x reader #hoseok x reader #jhope x reader #jimin x reader #taehyung x reader #bangtan #bangtan boys #bangtan bts

[dokoni-mo]

Far Away, Together || Darth Vader x Reader (Chapter 6)

(A/N: I had originally planned to do post this friday, but I was just on such a roll last night that this bad boy practically wrote itself! Im very happy with the turnout as well :)) I hope y’all like it too!!! I also realized while writing this that the series will have to be one chapter longer than I had originally intended, but that’s just good news in my book!! As always, please feel free to ask to be put on the taglist for anything or send me asks about anything!! I love interacting with yall and making content for yall!! enjoy more time with our favorite sith ;) ))) 

WARNINGS: cursing, old man kinda creeping, breif mentions of violence, otherwise none!!! 

Key: (F/N) = first name 

Word Count: ~5600

Chapter One: [x]

Chapter Two: [x]

Chapter Three: [x]

Chapter Four: [x]

Chapter Five: [x]

Chapter Five and a Half: [x]

~~

You hadn’t meant to be late that morning, but nonetheless, you were. Unquestionably so. 

Waking up in the silk sheets that morning had been one of the most difficult things that you had ever had to do. For one, the bed was quite comfortable compared to the cot that you normally slept upon in your quarters back on the Super Star Destroyer. The cot that the Empire provided you was almost exactly like the Empire itself. Cold, hard, and not comfortable at all. The bed there on that planet, however, was the opposite. It was warm, inviting, and very comfortable. You would have simply cocooned yourself back in the covers and fallen back asleep were it not for you remembering your duty. 

Alongside leaving the comfort, waking up that morning meant that the time you had spent with Lord Vader the night prior was officially over. For a brief moment in your groggy, freshly woken-up state, you had thought that the dance you shared with Lord Vader must have been a dream. A wonderful, yet cruel dream of what you knew could never be. However, contemplating it a moment longer, you knew that it was, in fact, very much real. Sitting up to look sleepily at your surroundings, you felt the phantom touch of Lord Vader’s arm around your waist, his hand within yours. Going back further, you replayed the conversation you had had with him in your mind, cementing the thought within your memory. 

You smiled to yourself then. You knew that you would cherish that moment forever.

After picking up your uniform and pulling it's cloth upon your body, you decided that it would be best to simply just cut to the chase and go downstairs instead of stalling in your room for an indefinite amount of time. As you opened the door and clacked your boots down the hallway, a yawn escaped from behind your lips, making you raise your hand to your mouth to muffle the sound. As you drew closer to the stairs, you started to hear muffled voices from below you, your ears unable to decipher what exactly the voices were saying. 

Your curiosity taking over you, you slowed your steps so that you could concentrate on the voices, your ears perking as you honed in on what they were picking up. After a moment of investigation, your mind was able to process the tone of the voice you heard, but not necessarily the words of which it was speaking. Your brow furrowed as you searched your mind for where exactly you had heard that voice before. The memory seemed so distant from your conscious, yet so very close. 

The face that matched the voice hit you like a ton of bricks. 

That face was old and nasty. 

That face had blue eyes. 

Shit. 

You were late. Very, very late. 

Adrenaline pumping through you, you bounded down the stairs faster than you had ever before on any set of stairs. You cursed how loud the sound of your boots stomping quickly on top of the surface of each step sounded, eliminating your chances of joining the meeting quietly and undetectably. Drawing quickly down the stairs, you were greeted with a sight of confirmation of exactly how late you were. About 50 feet away from you stood a handful of palace guards, another handful of stromtroopers and officers, one king, and, of course, one extremely tall sith lord, looming above the rest as he always did.

Walking quickly over to the group to assume your position at Lord Vader’s side, it was extremely difficult to not notice the stares you got from the officers and, more-so, the king. Meeting his blue gaze for a moment, you felt your cheeks rush with embarrassment. It was only then that you had allowed your mind to go back further into the events of the past night. 

The king’s hands on you. 

The conversation you had. 

The broken glass. 

You should have been ashamed to show your face. But, you weren’t. You were proud that you had put that old man in his damn place. 

You were ashamed, however, of exactly how much you suspected you would be chewed-out by Lord Vader for being late two days in a row. 

Oh well. 

Standing with your arms crossed over your chest, you found your position by Lord Vader’s side, shooting up a small, quick smile at the sith Lord. He turned briefly to acknowledge your presence before returning to his original position of staring down at the old king. This made you puff your cheeks slightly, disappointed that he didn’t do anything else. Thinking it over a moment longer, you decided that you shouldn’t be too upset. This was technically a meeting, to be fair. 

Returning your gaze to face forward, you were met by the sight of the king’s gaze trained upon you. The look he gave to you was one of an odd flurry of amusement and daggers, his lips in a slight smirk. Your eyes hardened in return, refusing to let you submit to the old asshole’s gaze. 

“Well,” the king said, a breathy chuckle in his voice, “Look who has decided to join us! Good morning, Miss (F/N).” 

You put on the best half-friendly smile that you could before formulating your response, “Good morning, your majesty.” 

If you had simply trained on his words, you would have convinced yourself that perhaps the king had decided to continue on like the previous night’s actions had never occurred. However, you knew that his eyes had told a different story. Yet, you were confused. It was hard to tell what exact game he was trying to play

 Furthermore, it was hard to tell if you really wanted to play. 

“Well,” the king said, clapping his gloved hands together, “Now that everyone is here, allow me to guide the way.” 

Turning on his heel and walking the other direction, you figured that you must have missed the details of the day while you were getting ready that morning. Sighing silently to yourself, you picked up your boots to follow the king, as well as the barrage of guards, stormtroopers, and officers that tailed him. 

This had been your original plan, until it was sharply and swifty interrupted by a large weight throwing itself upon your shoulder, simultaneously pulling you back and keeping you in place. Your mouth opened to let out a yelp, but your lungs prevented this with a moment's more worth of constipation. 

You recognized this weight. 

“You are late again.” You heard the weight’s owner say from behind you, your cheeks turning pink.

Turning your body to face the sith lord behind you, you crossed your arms again as you looked up at him, a small smile on your features. 

“I like to think that I’m just fashionably late again, my Lord.” You quipped back at him, “What do we have to do today?” 

He gave you a strong pat on the shoulder before walking past you, slow enough for you to keep up, “Our host will be showing us what his planet has to offer the Empire, along with its natural resources.” 

 You walked to catch up with Lord Vader, letting your arms fall to your sides. 

“How exciting…” you mumbled out. 

You continued to walk in silence for a long moment beside the sith lord, unsure of what to say. You desperately wanted to say something, anything, but the words just would and could not come to you. Every now and again, you would open your mouth to say something, but would quickly second guess what it was, causing you to shut it again. You began to grow somewhat frustrated that you couldn’t find the words. You hoped that you didn’t look as dumb as you felt. 

Lord Vader must have sensed the frustration growing inside of you as he looked down at your small frame, noticing how your brow was furrowed as you stared at your feet in compilation. He would never admit it to anyone, but he found it to be… 

Amusing. 

Returning his gaze to it's original position, you heard the sound of his respirator pick up in rhythm before he spoke. 

“(F/N),” Lord Vader said, “I sense that you are frustrated.” 

You felt your gut sink as you processed the words, shooting a look up at him. Damn, you thought to yourself, is it that obvious?

“I… I don’t know what you mean.” you responded. This was a half lie. You had known exactly what he meant by the words, but not what exactly he was trying to say. So what if you were frustrated? Every time he came to visit you while you were working on his TIE you were frustrated. What made now so special? 

Lord Vader paused again before rumbling out his response, the metal of his armor gleaming in the light of the day. 

“I enjoyed our night together as well.” 

Oh. 

That’s what made now special.

Your heart had skipped multiple beats at his words. Your nerves were firing off a mile a minute as waves of joy rippled through you. You had not realized that you were nervous about whether or not he actually wanted to be with you last night, or if he was simply doing it to get away from the mingling he had to do. Your doubt quieted, you looked up at Lord Vader’s mask, a big smile painted on your features. Sensing your gaze, Lord Vader pointed his mask to look down upon you. 

“I’m… glad. Really glad.” you said up at him, your eyes crinkling in delight, “I… hope that it wasn’t the last one.” 

You shot your gaze down back to your feet after you finished talking, your smile fading into a soft, faint stretch of your lips. You were surprised how bold you had been just then, admitting your true feelings to the sith. Where you should have felt embarrassed, you felt instead… content. You didn’t regret your actions at all. You felt comfortable even. If you had been anyone else, you knew that you would have been sliced in half or choked to death right then and right there. Yet, by some grace that was far bigger than you, you knew deep down, you were lucky enough to be excluded from that fate.

You thanked your maker above silently and unconsciously. 

Lingering his gaze upon you a moment longer, Lord Vader drank in the sight of your flushed face before turning his armor-clad head to face forward again, as if he were looking something very, very far away. His words came a moment filled with nothing but the sound of birds, the breeze, and his respirator allowing him to inhale and exhale later. 

“As do I.” 

~~~

The places that the King had taken you, Lord Vader, and the posse of troopers and officers were pretty, but not all that interesting. A tour of the city, a look at the forest, a look at the sea, and a look at the sports colosseum. Again, all very beautiful to look at, but not too interesting to talk about. 

You had been able to avoid any sort of contact with the king as you trudged through the sights of the city, keeping your mouth shut and your eyes trained on the view around you. Every now and again, your group would begin to walk without you even realizing. You were always broken from your trance by Lord Vader, either by him calling out your name or leading you on by the small of your back for a brief moment, his giant hand nearly taking up the entire expanse. Both would always make you smile up at him, and the latter would make you blush. 

You were currently atop of a platform that looked over a medium-sized waterfall, the sound of the water falling off the edge filling your ears. The air was thick with the smell of salt, and the dew that emanated off of the falls making the atmosphere humid, but pleasantly so with the breeze that fluttered your hair. Across the stretch of rock that you stood upon was the entrance to one of the largest mines on the planet, the cave so large you had to crane your neck to look atop it. The few stalactites and stalagmites that stuck out of the entrance gleamed and littered in the sunlight, emanating many hues of the rainbow. If you weren’t here representing the Empire, you would have almost thoroughly enjoyed the setting. 

“I will give you a few moments to look around, my Lord. I have to discuss something with my advisors for a brief moment.” The king had said to your boss after blubbering on for a long while about the history of the mine and the resources that were found inside. With a nod of approval from Lord Vader, the king gave one last snake-like smirk and walked off, giving you some sort of look. You felt a sour taste on your tongue as you rolled your eyes, making sure that the king’s gaze was turned away before you did so. 

You had hoped to take a short walk with Lord Vader while the two of you were on break from mingling, but you were disappointed to see his attention be taken away by an officer who demanded his attention. You would have been saddened, were it not for you remembering that the visit to that damn planet wasn’t just a get away for you and Lord Vader to hold hands all day and walk into the sunset together. There was work to be done and deals to be made, and that always seemed to involve him in some way.

Awesome. 

Deciding to not try and make friends with the guards or strike up a conversation with the stormtroopers, you placed a hand on your hip as you started to slowly walk around the stone platform. You had eyed some of the members of the posse as you walked by, quietly wondering what their daily lives were like or what their thoughts on Lord Vader’s visit. Sighing to yourself, you realized that they must be just as boring as your own. 

As you continued to stroll about the platform and gaze absentmindedly at the people that littered it, a certain sight had caught your attention. You didn’t mean specifically to look at the king, but your eyes had somehow fallen upon him. Just as he said he would, he was currently talking to a few guardsmen who seemed to have a few more matches and medals than the rest. Captains and generals, you took it. 

Lingering your gaze a moment longer, you felt a jolt rush through your spine as your lips parted. While the king was whispering to his guards, he had taken a moment to look over his shoulder at you, a glint of venom in his eyes. This glint quickly dissipated, however, once he realized that his blue eyes had made sudden contact with yours. With this, he quickly let his gaze fall as he continued to talk quietly with his advisors, as if he had hoped you did not notice this action. 

However, quite the contrary, you had noticed as plain as day. Processing what had just happened, you allowed your brow to furrow.

What was that for? You wondered to yourself. The obvious answer, the one you wanted so desperately to believe, was that the look you had exchanged was by pure accident, the tone of his look being from the king’s residual loathing from the night prior. However, as much as you wanted to believe that, you gut told a different story. You felt… odd. 

You decided to do something about it. 

Marching past all the other people dispersed in the crowd, you only stopped when you were within conversation distance between the king and his huddle of guards. You had noticed that their voices had grown quieter and quieter as you had approached. 

“Did you want to speak with me, your majesty?” you asked, raising your voice so that you could be heard over the bodies of the guardsmen as you placed a hand on your hip. 

A moment of awkward hesitation loomed over the air as the king exchanged a few glances with the guards, causing you to raise a brow. Smirking and stepping forward, the king placed his hands behind his back as he looked down at you. 

“Now where would you get that idea, my dear?” the king asked you, his tone so sickeningly sweet it made you wince. 

We made eye contact, dumbass. 

“I saw that you were looking my way, your majesty,” you responded, “and I just figured-” 

“What? That I would ever want to speak with the likes of you again?” 

Your mouth opened slightly in shock at his sudden change of tone, your legs moving to shift your weight. Excuse me?

“W-What?” you stammered out, the shock still in your veins, “no, I just-” 

“Don’t get smart again with me, missy.” the king hissed out, stepping forward and glaring down at you, his finger in your face, “Don’t think that I have forgotten how you embarrassed me in front of my entire entourage last night.” 

Oh. 

This was what this is about. 

Not letting yourself back down, you placed both hands on your hips, your brow furrowing again as you shot up a glare right back at the blue-eyed old man. 

“Embarrassed you? How about when you embarrassed me?! Looking at me like that, talking to me like that, are you out of your-” 

“Shut up,” the king spat, cutting you off. Suddenly and without warning, he reached out and grabbed you by the collar, making your eyes widen. You wrapped your hands around his wrist and tried to pull away, only for him to pull you closer to his glare. 

“Do you really think that you could pull that sort of stunt and get away with it? I swear, I will-” 

“Is there something wrong, your majesty?” 

The voice that came from behind you was comforting to you, but only sparked fear within he eyes of the king. Letting you go almost instantly, you stumbled backwards, your back bumping against the hard, firm surface of a panel of buttons. Before you could look up at the owner of a panel, a pair of hands wrapped themselves around your shoulders, grounding you and making you feel safe. Looking at the king again, you had noticed that his face had morphed from one of anger and hate to one of fear, only masked by a forced friendly smile. You smirked softly to yourself as you noticed the beads of sweat starting to form upon on his old, wrinkly brow. 

“O-Of course not, Lord Vader!” the king said, a waver in his voice, “Miss (F/N) and I were just having a, erm, little… chat.” 

“Is that so…” Lord Vader rumbled out. You opened your mouth to object, but you were quickly cut off by the old man before you. 

“Y-yes! Yes of course!” the king chuckled nervously in response. 

“Good,” rumbled Lord Vader, taking his hands off your shoulder and stepping closer to the king ever so slowly, his head tilting to the side, “It would be quite the shame if my prised mechanic were to be harmed.” 

Gulping silently and taking a few steps back, the king responded, “Yes… quite the shame indeed.” 

Clearing his throat, the king placed his hands on his hips, assuming a new look of attempted friendliness. 

“Well, I assume that we are all done here, yes? Excellent! Let us head back to my palace now, my Lord. There we can talk more about our entrance into the Empire.” 

Before Lord Vader could do anything in approval, the King pushed past both  you and the sith lord, the cape on his shoulders fluttering at his pace. As the troopers and officers began to follow suit, you began to mimic their actions, only to be stopped by a familiar hand upon your shoulder. 

“(F/N),” Lord Vader spoke to you, making the pair of you linger behind the group, “Are you… alright?” 

You didn’t know how to respond instantly.

Were you alright?

You frowned slightly as you thought about what your response should be. You didn’t know whether or not to tell him about your interaction with the king, or how you had seen him look at you and whisper with his guards. The feeling in your gut had not dissipated, and it plagued the back of your mind. You wondered if that was worth telling Lord Vader, however, since he already had so much to worry about. Was that just normal behavior? Lord Vader did do similar things with the officers on the Super Star Destroyer… 

“Yeah, I’m fine… thanks.” you decided to respond. Shooting up a small smile at his mask, you lifted up your own hand to rest upon his own briefly in order to cement your gratitude. 

He looked at you in silence for a long moment after you responded. You wondered if your answer had satisfied his curiosity. His pause said no, even the aura around him said no, but he did not poke the subject any further as he removed his hand from your shoulder. 

Deep down, you really wanted him to question you further. 

~~~

The walk back to the palace was excruciatingly long. 

You didn’t realize just how far you and the little posse had gone until you passed by literally everything that the king had taken you to see. By this point, the sun was starting to set, and your feet were starting to ache in your boots. You were somewhat grateful for this, however, since it meant that the second day on this planet was finally drawing to an end. 

Just one more day of having to deal with this shit, you thought to yourself, then I can go back to my station. Funny… I never thought I would miss that place. 

But there I can be by myself, and not worry about having to deal with creeps. 

There I can be with…

You shook your head to dislodge your thoughts. Now was not the time nor the place for you to indulge in such things. 

Staring to grow bored with your walk alongside Lord Vader, you began to let your eyes wander once again for some people-watching. You watched as the stormtroopers marched along with their guns held tightly to their chests, and how the officers walked with their heads held high. There was no doubt that this was an empirical entourage. 

Looking deeper into the crowd, you allowed your gaze to fall upon the king’s guardsmen. Their uniforms were somewhat silly to you, but you figured that you must be biased in that regard. Training your eyes on them a moment longer, you started to notice small things that the guards would do. 

Every so often, one guard would whisper to another, then another, then another. Sometimes, the guards would even steal glances of you and Lord Vader as you were fixated by his side. Your brow furrowed again at this, making your mind try and piece together what you were seeing. 

He must have sensed your shift in mood since he looked down at you without warning, his respirator as loud as ever. He took note of your facial expression before he spoke. 

“You seem on edge, (F/N).” Lord Vader said, making you look up at him a brief moment. 

“Yeah,” you said back quietly, your fingers twitching in a faint sense of nervousness, “It's just… Do you see them looking at us? It’s… weird.” 

Lord Vader looked at you a moment before responding. 

“Yes, I am aware.” 

“Should we… do something about it? Or is this normal?” 

“It happens periodically upon my visit to certain systems. Besides,” he continued, “Any attempt to conspire against the Empire shall result in failure.” 

You would have smiled at that if it weren’t for the pang of nervousness that still resided in your gut. Instead, you looked down at your feet and frowned to yourself, your lips stretching into a brief line. 

“If you say so, my Lord…” 

You desperately wanted to believe him. But, a pit of doubt and anxiety in your stomach kept you from doing as such fully. You hated the feeling. 

It’s just me wanting to get off this damn rock… you tried to tell yourself. 

You didn’t fully believe yourself, either. 

You didn’t know which feeling to hate more. 

~~~

Upon your arrival back to the palace, you were allowed 30 minutes to yourself to freshen-up before the day’s closing meeting. Relieved to get a moment to yourself, you headed up the stairs almost too quickly as you were relieved to go by Lord Vader. 

‘Do try not to be, how do you put it… ‘fashionably late,’ again this evening, (F/N)’ he said to you. 

‘No promises, my Lord.’ you had giggled back to him. 

Locking the door and kicking off your boots in your room, you sat down gingerly upon the freshly made bed, a wave of relief washing over you, so strong that it made you lie back upon the plush surface. Reaching your arms above your head, you arched your back as you let yourself have a big stretch, your muscles turning cold from the rush of blood-flow. Letting out a big breath, you closed your eyes as you let relaxation flow over you. You figured that since you needed energy to continue on with the night, now was as good a time as any to get in a quick cat-nap. 

Just as you had settled into your quick nap, a startling yet soft sound made you snap your eyes open, because of course something had to take your relaxation away from you. Laying there silently for a moment, you tried your best to hone in on the sound. Your ears prickling, you heard the noise again, only this time it made you sit up in your bed at attention. Finally able to decipher where the noise had been coming from, you snapped your head over to the knob on your door. 

Sure enough, it was twisting and turning at a feverish pace. 

Someone was trying to come in. 

Oh hell no. 

A sense of anger and frustration washing over you, you quickly marched over to the door, throwing it open as quickly as you could. 

“WHAT THE HELL-” 

Nothing. And no one. That’s what meat your gaze as you looked out in the hallway. 

Your face fell from one of anger to one of sad confusion as you stood there a moment, your hand sliding down the surface of the door. Sighing to yourself, you slowly went back into your room and closed the door behind you. You closed your eyes and pointed your head at the ceiling as you leaned your back against the door, allowing yourself to slide down into a kneeling position. 

Great, you thought, now I’m going crazy. 

I just want to go home. 

I hate it here. 

~~~

Deciding to humor Lord Vader a little, you had arrived at the night’s closing meeting on time. This had proven to be the correct choice, since you didn’t get any stares from anyone upon your arrival. The gut feeling from that morning still inside you, and this did little to appease it. However, it made you wonder if the king had given up on whatever he was trying to pull with you from earlier. 

But, of course, you had no way of knowing. 

The meeting was just as boring as all the other ones you had been to. Again, you were sit speechless by Lord Vader as he discussed the topics at hand with the king or one of his advisors. As he did so, you would try and find anything you could do to entertain yourself. This often involved counting tiles or trying to play back a holovid you had seen long ago back in your mind. 

This meeting, however, had a big surprise in store for you. 

“Miss (F/N),” you heard the king’s voice call out to you, sending a shock of get your head out of your ass down your spine, “You look dreadfully bored over there, my dear.” 

Looking over to the king, you hid your scowl as best you could as you tried to ease your sense of deja-vu. 

“Well, there isn’t much I have to add to the conversation, your majesty…” you responded back. You hadn’t meant to sound snarky, yet you couldn’t help yourself. 

The king laughed, an odd glint in his eye, “Yes, of course, my dear. I understand perfectly. Yet, I feel so bad just watching you sitting there. Here, how about we have my guards here escort you to the mechanical department for the time being? You can get a good look at the place whilst me and Lord Vader discuss, hm?” 

Your lips parted in confusion as you looked into the king’s blue eyes. What the hell? Did he suddenly feel bad for being such a dick to you? Or did he simply just feel bad? Or could he just not stand the sight of you anymore?

Deep down, you didn’t care. Enticed by an opportunity to leave the boring meeting behind, your mind was fuzzed from any thoughts of doubt that plagued your conscience. That offer did sound… appealing. 

However… 

“I… I would love to, your majesty, but…” you began to say, turning your gaze to fall upon Lord Vader for a moment, “I wouldn’t want to go against my Lord’s wishes if he required me to stay.” 

This was a silent plea, but you wouldn’t know it yet. 

“Oh, I’m sure that our dear Lord wouldn’t mind at all! Am I right, Lord Vader? Won’t you allow our dear Miss (F/N) to be relieved of our boring conversation?” the king asked, propping his boots on the table. 

You shot your gaze over to Lord Vader, unable to tell what emotion your eyes emanated to him. The sith looked right back at you, the sound of his respirator allowing him to inhale and exhale filling the room. 

Deep down, you wanted him to say no. 

Deep down,you prayed he would say no. 

He spoke after one of his trademark pauses. 

“I will allow it.” 

Why did that sting so bad? You should be relieved… 

“Excellent!” the king exclaimed, “Guards, please take Miss (F/N) to the mechanical department for the time being. I will comm you when she is to return.” 

The guards grasped their blasters tightly in response, standing at attention. Slowly but surely, you stood up from your chair and pushed it in. As you turned, mumbled out a quiet thanks, and began to walk past the dark lord you knew too well, you felt something large and leathery wrap around your fingers. Sure enough, when you looked down, he saw his hand wrapped there, making you look up at his mask. 

“(F/N),” he said slowly, just enough for you to hear, “be… careful.” 

You smiled and nodded at him like you didn’t need his caution.

Why did it feel so wrong? 

With Lord Vader eventually letting you out of his grasp, you walked over to your guard escorts and gave them a nod to signal to them that you were ready. Nodding in return, they turned on their heels and escorted you out of the room. 

You gave one last glance over your shoulder at Lord Vader before you exited. 

Deep down, you prayed that this wouldn’t be the last time you saw him.

~~

The palace was eerily quiet with no one else but you and two guards walking the halls. Even though you had never been to a palace before, something inside you told you that this was wrong. 

You ignored it. 

The sound of footsteps echoing off of the walls made the goosebumps raise on your arms. It was so eerily quiet. And so eerily cold. You thought about striking up conversation with the guards, but you took them as not the type for conversation. 

Looking past all the doors that you saw on your walk, you took brief moments with each to see the contents inside all of them. You felt a lump in your throat as you saw a door with half-broken ships and blasters in the doorway. A feeling of unease washed over you. 

You ignored it. 

There must be some other way into that room. 

You held your biceps as the guards led you down a long hallway, only for it to end with two long, dull, menacing doors. A pit bore itself into your stomach. 

You ignored it. 

“Is this… it?” you asked. 

“Yes.” One of the guards responded. 

“But…” you said, “I-I saw some ships back there and-” 

You were swiftly and rudely cut off by an action you barely had any time to process. 

The guard had lifted his blaster, pointed to butt-end at you, and slammed it against the side of your forehead. 

Instantly, your vision blurred, your brain just barely able to process what was happening as your sight started to fade to black. 

You heard the doors to the room in front of you open. 

You felt your weak body being dragged inside. 

Your body weak, you felt yourself roll onto your side to face the fall without you even telling your body to do it. 

You were met with one final sight before everything went black. 

There was no mistaking it. 

You had seen it countless times before. 

From news briefings.

From posters. 

From propaganda. 

That brilliant crimson.

The symbol of the rebellion. 

~~~

TAGS: @spaghetti-666 , @soullesstaco , @arsonistvoyager , @robin-obsessed , @glitter-rian , @captainrexstan , @easterncryptid , @deviatedwinter , @roseangel013bf , @danicalifxrnia , @dartheldur , @finest-trashbag​ , @yeah-boiiiiiiiiiii​ , @elongatedmusk-rat​ , @shads121​ , @muffinbeliever​ , @sakuramadae​ , @padme-parker​ , @missmannequin​ 

#darth vader #darth vader x reader #fanfiction #anakin x you #anakin skywalker #anakin x reader #star wars fanfiction #star wars #star wars x reader #star wars x you #star wars fanfic

[luobingmeis]

i have a genuine arcana question! I really want to play it and actually did part of it a while back, but i really felt like it was a bit of a money sink... it seemed really cool so i guess im wondering if its worth it?

i'm putting this under the cut just bc it got long!!! :D

okay so!!! i have honestly been thinking abt this a lot and, like, i will admit that i was kinda retroactively shocked by how uhhh quickly i spent like Real Money on the arcana? i think that's kinda like the kicker of having a lot of like $1/$5 options? to be fair as much as i am living in the arcana rn, it's whole play model Does seem to be based in, ah, microtransactions!

and like for a hot minute, i was quick to drop like small amounts on coins bc i do work, so i had the mantra of "well i'm getting paid in a week so-" but still i'd be careful with that!! like i've been playing for almost a month and it was really in that first week where i was like "well $1/$5... it's not that much" which like! tbh i don't wanna be like "no never spend money on a game ever" bc that'd make me. a hypocrite! and also to a degree, like, ik people talk abt microtransactions a lot in video games, but i don't think any in-game purchase at all is a bad thing, and i think it's fine to treat yourself once in a while! but also i am purposely replaying julian's route (and replaying it slowly) so that i can start racking up coins to carry over into the replay/the next arc i want to play (because you get free coins every day from the tarot daily section, and 40 coins per day by watching ads)

but also!! i think it's also good to just kinda think abt the kind of person you are when it comes to spending? like to put myself on blast, i have become Very Prone to impulse purchasing, especially when i'm in a rough patch, bc apparently retail therapy is a very real thing akjdsjksdkj so after i finished julian's route, i metaphorically sat myself down and was like "nope, no, this cannot become a habit!!! the coined options will still be there later, you can take your time and replay the game, which you want to do anyway"

but that is also bc i Know that i have... the type of personality that really latches onto stuff like that? like, little things that, on it's own, don't cost a lot of money, and it makes me feel happy, so i'm like "well, it's only X amount!" and then. yeah.

but also i have to be transparent here and say that i am also coming from a place of like. privilege, where i'm working full-time and i still live at home, so there is a degree of financial security that allows for me to have spending money. which is also why i don't want to uncritically be like "go ahead! treat yourself!" bc like, it might also be dependent on your current situation!!

and also my more harsher critique of the arcana Asides from the paywall is that like....... tbh the better scenes in the game Are behind the in-game coin paywall (and also tbh only 3 of the 6 arcs are enticing enough to me to consider grinding for coins to parry that paywall). and that tbh is def part of the business model bc, like, a lot of the free options cut off the chapters so quickly and that to me isn't worth it, like being very frank if i only chose the options that didn't use the coins, idk if i would have liked it nearly as much

so tldr (i'm sorry i ramble), the arcana has become what i have latched onto right now, and i love the story! however, i will be honest, most of that "worth" factor comes from the content behind the in-game paywall, which is then behind an actual real paywall. so if you're in a place where you have some spending money and won't blow a shit-ton of money on a game, then the choice is up to you! i don't want any of this to feel like i am Telling you what to do with your money, and at least how i see it, what helped me was essentially telling myself "you are forming a habit that will dig you into such a deep hole, just take your time, save up the in-game currency, and replay." so like!! i think the arcana as a game is very fun and i am fixating so hard on it rn, however whether it's Worth the paywall is dependent on your situation, i think

(and also just bc i'm Anxious, i would consider this less advice and more so "hey, i'm someone with an impulse spending habit and here is how i see/navigate the arcana paywall")

(edit: okay i'm rewording my take on the free arcana content, bc it's not that it's not good! closer to the end of julian's route, i started being a lot more picky with What coined options i used, and i still had a very fun time!! and tbh that gave me incentive to want to replay bc now i have new stuff to still look forward to!! it's more so that the scenes unlocked with the coined options are very fun, and i think they're a good incentive to save up for!!! :D)

#answered

[obeyme-kaidii]

Obey Me Tips

General Obey Me Gameplay Advice

I really love Obey Me. Really really really love it. I love the characters and the stories, and I really love the fan content that’s been created for it. I’ve never been involved in a fandom before, but I have to say it’s pretty amazing finding like minded people to interact and share these things with. I’m not brave enough to write fanfic, but I can give game play advice and do math, so that’s why I write these guides.☺️

My advice here is either from personal experience or because I did the research and the math so I could figure out the answer. I’ll always have proof to back up my assertions, if you’d like to see for yourself if my theories hold water. (I’ve even started a free account on my iPad just so I can thoroughly test all my recommendations from the perspective of a non-paid player.)

Please keep in mind that my advice is geared towards players that view finishing the normal mode lessons/main story as their priority. You may prefer to collect outfits or bloom all your favorite cards, and that’s quite alright too.

So without any further ado, here are my general gameplay tips and advice.

An ideal team consists of 3 Demon cards and 3 Memory cards per type.

But a team with only 2 Demon cards and 2 Memory cards per type is also viable for the normal mode lessons at this stage in the game (up to lesson 40).

This is because of the 2.6x type boost for primary types and 1.9x type boost for secondary types per level. The boost only applies to the cards that match the types on that level - so on a level with Envy as its primary type, the Envy stat on your Envy cards will receive the 2.6x boost.

So while that 2.6x boost is pretty awesome, the 1.9x boost is nothing to scoff at either. And if you have 2 Demon and 2 Memory cards of each type, then you can guarantee that all of your cards will receive some sort of boost on all the new levels.

For the first season of levels (lessons 1 - 20), you can get by with just a single team of 3 Demon cards and 3 Memory cards because the type boost for those levels works differently and applies to all cards, not just the ones that match the types for the level.

(And don’t forget you can only use 1 Demon card per brother on a single team. So if you have two Greed cards, but they are both Mammon, you’ll only be able to use one Mammon at a time. Don’t waste your time powering up both of them.)

Powering your cards up evenly is the best way to advance in the game.

I don’t know how it got started, but at some point everyone became convinced that the best way to advance was to work on a single card at a time. And that’s simply not true. In fact, it’s pretty bad advice if I’m being honest.

Things get more expensive as your cards get stronger and you get less strength for the effort. When you level your cards evenly you’re able to get more strength combined for the amount of Grimm you spend.

(If you’d like to see the math on this, I have a whole 4 part series that breaks it down bit by bit packed with examples.)

This advice applies to stars too. Bring all your cards for your teams to 1 star, then 2 stars etc. Sometimes you’ll already have the mats on hand to unlock more stars on cards of certain types, and that’s totally cool and fine to do. But when you are short on mats and trying to figure out what to work towards next, remember to strengthen your weaker cards first.

Use Grimm to level up your cards.

You do receive a small portion of experience in battles that will help your cards gain levels. But because of the mechanics of the battles and how long they take, I really don’t recommend grinding them for experience to save a few Grimm.

Maybe if you had a ton of free time and nothing better to do, I guess? But it’s just not worth the trouble to me. I think it would be a better use of your time to use the “x3” or “x5” button and just get it over with, and then go read some smutty fanfics, where you get pounded by the demon(s) of your choice. 🙃

It is worth mentioning though that the addition of the “SKIP” feature for battles where you overpower your opponent by a large margin makes it much easier to earn experience through battles, but you’ll still occasionally be given a Surprise Guest to entertain. It’s up to you to decide if that delay is worth the experience.

Stars are overrated.

I already mentioned how for most of the game my cards only had 3 stars. And that’s because the amount of time and effort you have to spend to farm hard mode materials in pretty crazy. It’s just not worth the effort to get hung up on them. You’ll quickly find yourself struggling to advance if you get distracted by the stars.

You’re better off doing events to get new cards and waiting for Levi’s Otaku Bootcamp to roll around, and doing the hard mode battles then. And if you just absolutely have to have some hard mode mats - buy the extra levels from the current event so at least you can get extra event points (and thus more rewards).

Only spend your Demon Vouchers in sets of 10.

That guarantee of getting 1 SSR card is pretty gosh darn important especially for free players that don’t have DV to waste. I know it’s tempting to spend them as you earn them, but try to resist the temptation. My biggest regret is that I didn’t spend my DV more wisely when I first started.

Don’t waste your DV on Chapter A.

Besides the UR cards, all of the cards in Chapter A can be won in the event Nightmares. So unless you really really want one of the OG Demon UR cards (which I admit, they are all pretty awesome), don’t do it. And if there is a specific UR card you want, you should try to wait until the birthday event for that demon for a better chance at getting that specific UR card (assuming they continue the pattern of releasing birthday Nightmares for all the brothers).

Invest in Chapter M when you get the chance (be sure to use 10 DV at a time).

This is important to free players especially because it’s the best way to get Memory cards. Odds are you won’t be able to get enough points for the new events to win the SSR or UR Memory cards so you’ll have to get them somewhere.

(Replaying the old events in Lonely Devil is also another good option because the rewards were much cheaper and easier to acquire than they are now.)

Don’t neglect your Memory cards.

I really cannot emphasize this enough. I know they give less strength than the Demon cards, but they are still really important in terms of not only strength, but also their special skills that can boost your strength during a dance battle (or hinder your opponent).

Glow sticks are amazing.

I love glow sticks. I always try to use the type specific glow sticks first, and save my rainbow glow sticks for when the type specific ones aren’t enough. And if you’re a free player, the rainbow ones are arguably the best way to spend your Raven.

But please don’t waste your glow sticks. If you can’t beat a level after 1 shot, take a break and look at how you can strengthen your team before trying again. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it’ll be to advance if you just add 5 levels to a card on your team whenever you get stuck.

Rainbow glow sticks - grant you a 30% boost to the Strength of the card you equip it to

Single color glow sticks - grant you a 10% boost to the Strength of the card you equip it to

If you are 10,000 strength stronger than your opponent, you have a really good chance of winning with 2 stars.

If you go for 20,000 - 30,000 strength over your opponent, it’s pretty much a guarantee at getting 3 stars.

There are exceptions to this where special skills come into play (especially in boss battles), but this has been my experience when advancing through the normal levels.

If a level is giving you trouble, try to counter the opponent’s special skills.

This was especially important for the boss battle with Diavolo at the end of Lesson 40. His combination of skills was absolutely brutal.

My original recommended team was over 50,000S above Diavolo’s S and I barely filled the bar halfway. But when I switched to a team that focused on countering all of his skills, I was able to win with a considerably weaker team.

(Yep, you’re reading that right. Beel was only level 10.)

The cards with the Abilities that can counter these skills are found in the new event Nightmares. Both the UR cards and the SSR card will have whatever the featured Ability is. The SSR cards will simply neutralize the opponent’s skill when it’s activated, but the UR cards “reflect” the skill back to your opponent so that they are cursed instead.

Only buy DV from the 99 DP offers that are available when you level up.

Or during special sales like Solomon’s Summoning Sale. Or specific packages in Mammon’s Rip-off Sale.

Sometimes you’ll need to spend some DP because you have no DV left and really want a chance at a specific card, but try to avoid doing so as much as possible. Your DV and DP will go further and last longer if you save and spend it wisely. This is especially important for free players who have to balance card collecting with building stronger teams.

Whenever you have Grimm to spare, dump it into Chapter G.

This will be your primary way to earn Raven. And Raven is a great way to buy rainbow glow sticks, additional Demon Vouchers, and now even card pieces for certain SSR and UR cards.

They also have the outfits for all the brothers demon forms which are pretty neat. I do own them all, but that’s not exactly necessary and definitely not the best use of Raven. 😂

If you need friends for the daily AP, just add all the top players from the current event.

The top players are the ones most likely to be active, and know how to use the feature to add friends. (Let’s not talk about how long it took me to figure that out when I first started playing, ok? Lol) So they’ll be the ones most likely to accept your friend request and send you AP daily.

On my free account, I just started at rank 1 and sent requests to everyone down to about rank 200 or so until I had 50 friends. And then whenever I had some new spots open up, I’d do the same thing again. I’d also check my Friends Request section to see if I had any new requests from other active players.

Oh, and I periodically remove friends that haven’t played in over 2 weeks. No sense in keeping them on my friends list when there are plenty of new people and active players who could use the free AP and send me some as well.

That’s all I’ve got for now! I hope these tips help you out some if you ever find yourself stuck and uncertain as what to do next. ❤️

#obey me #obey me tips #obey me advice from kaidii #obey me strategy #obey me guide

[gingerweed-man]

Just finished Two Realms, apparently 100% it. I have many words to say. Here's a review.

First, is this game worth buying? Oh absolutely. It may be a mobile game but once the difficulty starts actually showing up, it is a lot more in common with an actual puzzle game and boi it gets real good and fun. Fucking loved the puzzles!

When thet fucking work. Because, dear god, this game couldve used a few more months. Do you want an example? Because I got plenty. As a matter a fact, here's a few!

Here, my character had theur individual body parts replaced by the tail, which was a sticker.

Here, a Dreamer, which are characters you're supposed to free from cages and lead to that lil stage area, was somehow detached completely from his cage but still trapped. In the second pic, notice the STAGE CONDITIONS CHANGED. Also, the Dreamer somehow escaped that little stage and is currently walking on bramble, which should kill him. Think this is wild?

IM PLAYING AS THE STAGE. EACH INDIVIDUAL PART OF MY BODY HAS BEEN REPLACED BY THE LEVEL SCREEN. AND YES, THEY SCROLL AND MOVE TOO.

Those glitches arent even the worst. They're hardly bothersome, honestly. Hell, one of them helped me. But there are some other more annoying bugs. Like sometimes, the game just super lags! It's very unstable, if it wasnt already clear. Also, sometimes your character spawns backwards which doesnt really change anything, but also changes the throwing physics. Which makes several levels unbeatable. Still, that's better than just... not spawning. Which is a thing that happens. Admittedly, that only ever happens very very rarely. With around 20ish hours, I only ever encountered that twice, and all it took was exiting the level and restarting.

Not really all that bad, because the levels are really quick to join in and the dialogue even changes so you get to experience a bit more unique content. Unless it happens during a story mission. If you have to restart one that had a cutscene before it, get ready to see that cutscene again if you have to exit. It just so happens that most of the levels where I got a glitch that had me have to exit the level- was the final set of 5. Meaning I not only had to restart all of those levels, I had to rewatch the cutscene. FOUR TIMES.

That said, they were actually fun af and I didnt really mind replaying them. It feels really good to replay stages and slowly master your route. And boy, there's a lot of ways to beat these levels. Most levels give you a set of Toys (enemies and obstacles) to use. These are random, making each runthrough unique and giving you tons of options for how to beat each level. Its honestly fun to replay stages you've beaten with a different set of toys to see what you get and hiw much chaos you can cause.

Unfortunately, it's not fun to play through stages for higher scores. It really isnt. For the first half of the game, you're gonna rely heavily on the missile launcher toy. It gives a max of 400-600 points every time it shoots, making it the best source of points in game, until you unlock the Wind Doot, which can easily get you the 2000-2500 points you need to get 3 stars on each stage with one blow, if you line up enough toys in it's path. The bomb baki is also busted. Having just one of these is a pretty good source of points, but if you ever have more than one and you trigger multiple simultaneously- I managed to get over 11000 points in seconds. They are ridiculous. Honestly, I wish there was a level editor I could just to see how much I can break the point system. Once you get to a point where you dont have to rely on missile boy for points, going for 3 stars on each stage can be super fun!

But even this comes with a caveat. You know how you get random set of toys per stage? Yeah, you can a set that is impossible to beat the stage with. This is pretty much exclusive to stages where you have to catch enemies by throwing them into a large wooden cage. You cant throw Wind Doots & the pufferfish, meaning you have to slap them into the cages. Some stage layouts make this impossible, forcing you to exit and restart the stage with a new set of toys. Thankfully, all story based stages do give you set toys, completely avoiding this.

The story isnt all that great, at furst. It really hits a bit iber halfway and crescendos right at the climax, working perfectly. I would describe the plot more, but the entire plot is a spoiler for the entire series, making plot detailing especially difficult. Lets just say, apart from tiny character moments (like just letting Click continue to exist in the town) which are moreso just not to my tastes (I will fistfight Click with any and no excuse). It was a bit rough at first, but thats oddly a running theme in this franchise. Once the plot swings at you, YOU FEEL IT. This is, at it's core, a game about loss, survivor's guilt, and people searching for answers for why things happen. And how guilt can corrupt and ruin lives. Its a game about learning to accept reality and seeing that, no matter what happens, no matter how you feel. Things can get better. Things will get better. Sometimea, all you need is someone to talk to, someone to help push the darkness out of your mind. How you are never alone. And about how much I want to put Click in a headlock. I honestly, really needed this. Especially now.

I highly, highly recommend playing through Drawn To Life: Two Realms. Despite it's many, many, many glitches, it's a sheer joy to play, to mess around with, and the story is absolutely wonderful to experience. The villain could be better, being very generic. I do love his design, Im just hoping to see more to fully flesh out his character. Do I recommend completing this game? Dear god, fuck no. I do not at all recommend completing this game, I actively recommend the opposite. Theres 54 side stages. Thats plenty of content. There's definitely enough game if you want to, but the plot is the real star and provides you some of the best stages in the game. Id say, play through some of the story stages then decide if you want to play through as many side stages as you can.

Do I want to give this game a number rating? Yes. Do I think I can? No. There's way too many unavoidable bugs to give it an 7 or above, the actual fun I had doesnt deserve anything below an 8. I can say, I do nit think it's the best game in the franchise, but it's nit the worst and it is a VERY good game. Buy it, play it, and beat it.

#drawn to life #dtl #dtl two realms #dtl tr #dtltr #drawn to life two realms #two realms #review #to let you know how much I love this game and series #this is the only video game review I've ever written