#4 game suspension?

[marytrakinas]

Searching for accounts with interests in:

- Silent Hill

- Resident Evil

- Arts

- Horror/Suspense/Mystery/Investigation

- Gothic/emo stuffs

- Vampire

- The Sims

- Game Horror

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[littlethingwithfeathers]

I'm grumpy about Silent Hill again...

TW for discussions of suicide, self harm, abuse (both parent to child and amongst peers) and general spookiness. Y'know... the usual Silent Hill rigmarole of trauma and despair. Also be warned that I'm going to spoil a lot of the Silent Hill series, in particular Silent Hill 2 and the Short Message game that just came out. ***

So... one of my most popular posts out there is this one. It's about Pyramid head and the loss of subtlety in media. And I couldn't help but feel like we hadn't moved an inch from when I posted that back in... *checks date on post* hrrk. my bones... 2017. I'm going to die soon. Anyway. Today I watched Second Wind do a run of the short, free-to-play Silent Hill: Short Message. I admittedly had a good bit of trepidation going in just because of the marketing. Which, for all of you marketing majors out there, that is called "Not a good sign." Marketing should make you want to play a game... especially if you're a fan of the series already. But this... it was a bit of a wet blanket, largely due to the fact that it spoiled a lot of the focus of the game. It basically said "this is a game about how bullying and being chronically online is real bad. We're gonna be spooky about it now." And... straining to push aside how incredibly reductive that is... why give it away? Why say it out loud? Why did you tell us what you are doing? Can you imagine Silent Hill 2 if we'd known it was about James killing his wife from the jump? We didn't. We hadn't the first clue. We knew nothing other than that he was looking for her and she was maybe dead? But we didn't know how... possibly lung cancer or TB given that she had the most pointed coughing sequence since the movie Tombstone. And hey... the last game had someone looking for a loved one too. Maybe that's the deal with Silent Hill. Who knows? No one did at that point. It was still a big old mystery for the most part. And then the E3 trailer... like there's the weird pretty lady in jail? But what's she talking about? Who the fuck is Mary? Is that... his wife? Well then who the hell is Ms. Miniskirt? No wait... is that his wife in the VHS tape? What the hell is going on? Oh look gameplay! And... a little girl? And a weird guy with a gun... This soundtrack slaps. I'm gonna go see if it's up on Napster yet. (this was 2001... again... my bones etc) I remember combing over low-res copies of that video for HOURS when it came out. Why are the nurses different? It's not snowing? Who are all these people... And why do they all sound like they put ketamine in their coffee. It was like a great big puzzle to work out and we had a ball theorizing and researching so when it came out we were HYPE. And that was largely because in short... we knew SOME things at release. Fog. Nurses. Big stick. Weird people. Banger soundtrack. Dead (but probably not) wife. And we presumed or supposed more... cult activity? New beasties? Radio maybe? But we effectively knew nothing about the plot. And the best part was, while they had a solid hook (Find dead lady who we love so huggy buggy much) and instant intrigue (Angela in the cemetery being weirder than a film by David Lynch), and a very familiar setting (we may have improved draw distance on the PS2, but we don't have to use it!), we still didn't really know what was going on. The plot was essentially unfolding out of a black box. Silent Hill 2 was quite content to be a slower burn than trying to boil the Lake Superior with a signal flare. You don't even see the main "villain" Pyramid Head until a few hours in and, as I pointed out in that other post, there's no flashy cut scene to introduce him and go WOOOOOO SCARYYYYY. He's just chillin' behind some prison bars (which that totes is normal in an apartment complex) and staring at you like I stare at the inside of my fridge when I really would like some cheese to materialize.

And then... like we're not even really sure what the hell is going on for the longest time. We meet our wife's hot twin with the key to a strip club and she keeps getting killed over and over... and things keep getting increasingly rapey and lewd in a way that's just uncomfortable more than anything... But even at the end. Even with the big reveal of "You killed your wife." they still don't ever explicitly state "And you killed her because you couldn't have sex with her anymore." It wasn't until you finished the game, and talked to someone else about it, or let your brain cook on it for a bit that you went... heyyyy... he's a horndog! (In fact... if I'm going to chide SH2 for anything it's that right at the very VERY end they tried to frame James's actions as understandable because the woman who was dying and frightened and in pain was mean to him. Yes, being a caretaker is hard. But Christ... pick a topic for discussion.) But contrast all that with Short Message. The marketing and such all said out loud "THIS IS ABOUT BULLYING" so even going in... I was already like "yep. The bully is probably us, but we had reasons because we have to be complicated and you aren't allowed to make the player feel bad" And lo was I correct. There was no... intrigue. I was never curious about the character or the people around her because I knew this story. They already told me what story they were telling so I could practically sing along, especially as a millennial that had to grow up watching little videos and skits in school about the evils of bullying. And when you are going to tell a trope-ish story, and you tell the audience what the trope is, it becomes "say the line" writ large. This isn't me advocating for super twisty unexpected plot arcs (looking at you, Supernatural). Far from it. You absolutely should tell a story in such a way that the audience understands how you got from point A to point Z, even if there are some surprises along the way (See Sixth Sense for that masterclass). Rather, what I'm missing from this (and frankly a lot of the Silent Hill games and honestly... media in general these days) is a sense of restraint. A sense of trust in their audience to "get it." They can't just plonk us in the fog with a radio and a stick and say "You're here to find your best friend/dog/cousin/wife/business partner. Good luck. Here's a weirdo to prattle cryptically at you in order to unsettle you immediately. Bye!" No! They have to tell us what kind of story they're telling and what themes are important. They can't just... give us a Silent Hill Game and trust that we know what to do with it. It's... insulting frankly. Especially as a longtime fan of the franchise who remembers when they did trust us and they did have faith in their work. I will say this in compliment to Short Message. The environment design was pretty cool. Especially the sticky-note hallways... they looked like leaves... and sometimes teeth... and like tightly packed bones in an ossuary. It didn't... say anything really. But it looked cool. And you can't go wrong with Akira Yamaoka's soundtrack. But... while I'm on the subject of design. Y'all. An animate sakura tree in an oversized hoodie is not scary. But bless you for at least having the restraint to not make her Pyramid Head.

[djosephqueery]

So now I'm thinking about Eddie teaching Steve Magic the Gathering, and Steve ending up getting really into it and wanting to play all the time. He spends hours going through Eddie's collection and building decks.

Eddie's a little surprised because Steve has never gotten this into any of the "nerd things" Eddie's tried to introduce to him.

Lord of the Rings is too much reading. Steve enjoys listening to Eddie read to him, but even then there's far too much flowery wording for him to really get immersed in it. He ends up more entranced by Eddie's voice, and all the theatrics he puts on.

D&D, while being less reading, is just not Steve's thing. He's tried it, and he doesn't dislike playing- he'll play in special occasion one-shots for the kids, or be a guest character in Eddie's main campaigns. He just doesn't get into the role playing aspect of it as much as everyone else does. He does sit in and watch whenever he can, because he genuinely enjoys Eddie's storytelling.

Magic, though? Once he understands the rules, the only reading he has to do is what's on the cards. There's lore, but it's not necessary to play the game, and Steve doesn't particularly care enough to look into it. He enjoys the strategy of the game, it feels similar to what he enjoys about sports (though he does also enjoy the physical activity of playing basketball).

He learns to play with one of Eddie's decks, a simple green creature deck that Eddie made a while ago but doesn't use much now. Eddie goes easy on him in the beginning, he uses a red creature deck against him rather than the blue-black deck he uses to torture the kids. Soon though Steve is looking through all of Eddie's cards and building his own decks and asking Eddie to critique them. Steve starts buying sets of his own, building up his own collection. He refuses to actually learn the card names, just to annoy his boyfriend.

He and Eddie trade cards like children on the playground. Sometimes they'll use cards as incentives to get the other to do something for them.

"Eddie I'll let you have that dragon I saw you eyeing if you just fold your goddam laundry for once."

"Steve you know full-well that was a drake. Also say no more."

Steve did in fact have to say more, and ended up folding half the clothes anyway. Eddie still got his card, but he had to give up an angel for it.

[fdragon-art]

Day 23 (30 Days | Homestuck - Day 9) - Favourite Flash ([S] Jade: Enter)

"CG: YOU MADE AN UNBEATABLE BOSS IS WHAT YOU DID"

=Thoughts=

I'm wondering if I should really write these when the pieces are made simply since not a great deal of thought is put into the how of it. It's been an interesting habit, but still.

Trying to pick how to go about this took some thought, but a simple scene that shows the impact of the whole thing seemed right, both because simple & doable and also because it demonstrates the impact of the whole flash and not just one scene (though that would've been a good approach too).

I just did a simple mostly-symmetrical piece of Bec Noir since, aside from the clothes and scar, he is largely symmetrical. The bust portion was done incomplete intentionally but the wings, while also incomplete, extended beyond the intended frame 'cause otherwise it wasn't going to look natural.

It's surprising the power of a reference shot (even if this is closer to a panel redraw). The flash had some good shots of Bec Noir on its own.

[dogwittaablog]

why would u think he’s closer or likes his little sis more compared to his older now

I honestly think they're actually all close but the way that older and younger sibling dynamics evolve overtime might not make sense to most unless you've gone through it yourself or know people who have. So I guess ill do my best in elaborating.

Growing up she was probably your typical annoying little sister to him, who’d nag, be a brat, ask dumb questions, eaves drop on him and his friends and snitch at any given moment. So once that phase passed and she matured I bet he had more realisation like “Oh my sisters actually not that annoying... she actually is a little cool and funny”.

He seemed like he just gradually enjoyed being an older brother (even when it got unbearable). Especially since his older sister probably wasn't leaning into him the same as she was. I wouldn't doubt if she would go to him for advice especially about hockey, talking about how her game went, spending time shooting pucks outside together etc. I think he developed to appreciate things like that, cause it just shows how much she values his words, approval, time and just liked knowing someone admires him like that. *There was an article when he was about 17, where he talked about how she would be excited about scoring a goal and would text him about it + He mentions her a good bit throughout old interviews and articles, usually praising her athletic capabilities*

They also seem to have quite similar common interests, both listen to the same music like classic rock and indie. She's into art and it's kind of been established over time he is too, I feel like he'll send her a picture of something he finds interesting and is like ''You should paint or draw this''. No doubt he admires her work. They just come off being more alike especially in terms of personality, I can see them liking to banter and joke around a lot and I feel like they both tag team and make it a mission in pissing off there eldest sis lmaooo.

Especially now presently and even a couple times back in his career where he had to sit out a season + covid and was chilling back home he was most likely seeing and being around her way more. Since I know the oldest has been living out of town all the way in BC for years.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Lumberjack by Susan Stoker

Game of Chance #4

Seamless transition between this and the previous book ~ Great conclusion to this series!

What I liked:

* April: divorced, short-term amnesia post head trauma, loved by her friends, knows she and Jack have chemistry, mature, intelligent, in charge, admired, good friend, capable, leader, liked her a lot

* JJ/Jack: ex-military Delta Force leader of captured and tortured team, good friend, bright, protective, lethal, caring, bright, attracted to April for years, finally realizes it’s time to make a move

* That April and Jack finally see the light and make a move toward what they both want

* Catching up with the four men and their wives and finding out all three women are pregnant (remembering each of their stories as I read this one was a special treat)

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* The strength of the women and their ability to work together in a dire situation

* The four military men turned lumberjacks who will do anything to keep their women safe

* The network available to JJ and his friends when they needed a bit of help

* The way the story came together, the conclusion that wrapped up the series perfectly, and the epilogue that allowed me to see how all four couples were doing ten years after the book ends

* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like

* The bad seed hyper-focused on revenge and the evil he committed

* That I have to say goodbye to the characters in this series

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

New York Times bestselling author Susan Stoker wraps up her steamy Game of Chance series with an explosive novel about an ex-soldier fighting to save the woman he loves—even if she can’t remember him. A game of chance during a horrific POW experience decided the future for Jackson “JJ” Justice and his teammates. Years later, they’re well settled into their lumberjack business in small-town Maine. And for nearly as long, JJ’s been pining for April, the woman largely responsible for growing their business, but insecurities keep him at arm’s length from the sexy receptionist. April Hoffman loves her job…and her boss. She’s unsure where JJ’s head is at, but for her part, she knows exactly why she’s not revealed her feelings. Not only does she have one failed relationship under her belt, she’s also several years older than JJ. Why would a man so brutally hot settle for someone almost past her prime? After a car accident nearly takes April’s life, leaving her with temporary amnesia, they both understand what they almost lost. The floodgates are open, their feelings exposed…but it may be too little, too late. An enemy from JJ’s past has come calling, putting not only his future happiness on the line, but the lives of several people he holds dear—starting with April.

[whitneydaniell]

by: Catherine Steadman Published: Sept 29, 2022 Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction 336 Pages, Audio Book (HH:MM) 10:51

★★★★

GoodReads Synopsis:

Harry is a novelist on the brink of stardom; Edward, her husband-to-be, is seemingly perfect. In love and freshly engaged, their bliss is interrupted by the reemergence of the Holbecks, Edward's eminent family and the embodiment of American old money. For years, they've dominated headlines and pulled society's strings, and Edward left them all behind to forge his own path. But there are eyes and ears everywhere. It was only a matter of time before they were pulled back in . . .

My Review:

Once I got to the part where Harriet (Harry) left the tape recording playing and Edward didn't even flinch or confront her, I knew! Even though, I couldn't quite figure out the 'why' at the time but, I knew at that moment. Harry really dropped the ball many times but every time, Edward kept pushing and something about that was 'off' to me.

The whole family is crazy, which is something that I wanted to explore further -- I wish there was a book just about this family and how they got to the point of these awful games. Not one person in this family (save for the children) was redeemable. The games this family plays are for psychopaths!

As the story unfolds at the very end, I wasn't shocked but I still don't understand the 'why'. How it was explained, didn't make sense to me to risk it all for what?! Also, why was the list of women needed? That didn't push the plot forward. Again, not one adult in this family, married into or otherwise, had any redeeming qualities.

One-Word Summary: Psychopaths

[artilite]

exploding dog of true love 🧨🌌

my part of an art trade with @drabdoodler!! HI!!!! check out their art here

creds. words: richard siken inspiration: riotbones (it's sooo genuinely gorgeous. please check it out!!!)

thoughts and sketch under the cut!

first page:

i imagine the setting is pre-game, camping outside somewhere for the night. mira/odile/bonnie probably took their only tent or something idk.. suspension of disbelief!!

when thinking about love in any capacity, isa looks to the stars!! take that as you will :)

i decided not to connect the dots of the canis major constellation as a nod to the fact that neither isa nor siffrin would recognize it. it's simply naturally there in the sky, apart from the dog-shaped sky for viewing purposes !

originally the red/blue color palette was a faint nod to t4t isafrin but evidently i deviated away from that a lot,, HELP

second page:

each 4 point star in the background was meant to be another version of them? something something.. in every universe trope !

siffrin's supposed to resemble a supernova somewhat???

originally i figured siffrin would take off their eyepatch to sleep. i vetod this because drawing two eyes is hard, okay? thanks for reading my scattered ramblings... isafrin makes the brain spin 'round <3

[salmalin]

My sincerest apologies and warmest welcome to my rant about FF7: Crisis Core. Or, as I like to call it,

Propaganda: The Video Game

I say this with the utmost affection. Crisis Core ranks really high up there in my favorite Final Fantasy 7 installments. I played it when it first came out, borrowing it from a friend to play on a borrowed PSP. And, the more I learn about the game and the more I replay it, the more everything lines up.

This game is not about Zack Fair.

This game is about how Capitalistic Propaganda can sink into every aspect of life to the point where it is entirely indistinguishable from reality. And it’s very overt about it. So…

Here we go.

My treatise on Propaganda’s starring role in Crisis Core.

Part One: The Timeline

Something that a lot of people gloss over due to decades of Child Heroes in media—Japanese Shonen and Shoujo series in particular—is how young these protagonists are. We’ll hand-wave a lot of stuff in non-live-action series with just a little bit of suspension of disbelief. And that’s honestly just accepted these days. But here’s the thing about those hand-waves.

Final Fantasy 7 doesn’t do that.

Now, FF7 hand-waves a lot of stuff. For example, how far you can travel in a day by foot, the distance a man weighing approximately 165lbs can jump after being genetically fused with what might as well be a cocaine demon (Jenova), and how much hairspray one can reasonably carry on a cross-country journey while on the run from the feds.

Age is not one of them.

Exhibit A: Yuffie Kisaragi.

Do I really need to say more? She acts her age. So does Zack. And Aerith, even. Most of the characters in the original lineup were over twenty for a good reason. We see several kids in the series, and they all act their age, too—both the OG and the remake. Age is not a thing that FF7 really grapples with. It’s something they take relatively seriously.

Now, to the point.

Zack is 16 when Crisis Core starts…

… and he was 13 when he ran away from home without his parents’ knowledge to join the military.

Which accepted him.

At 13.

Without a parental permission slip.

Think about that for a second.

… Or for the next several parts of this breakdown.

Part Two: The Main Character

As I mentioned in the introduction, Zack is not the main character of the events of Crisis Core. Instead, he is the focal point of the second person POV. This is not the first time Square has done this. It was done most notably with FF9, FF10, and FF12. (I’m not going to go on an Akira Kurosawa rant right now, but please check out his film “The Hidden Fortress”. FF12 and Star Wars episodes 4-6 borrow heavily from this film.) The purpose and position of this character is such that they might best witness the effects the other characters make on the world as their stories unfold, usually in the role of a love interest. For Akira Kurosawa, it may have been told this way because these people are most effected by the decisions being made.

“Well, then, Sal,” you may be asking, “who would you say is the main character? Would that be Aerith, since she’s the love interest, like in the other games?”

No, actually.

It’s the antagonist.

And by that, I mean Genesis.

Hear me out. I used to hate Genesis, for I was once young, full of judgement for flamboyancy (thanks, internalized homophobia), and was led by the narrative to believe he was mean to his friends. Then I met my Lovely beta who loved him, so I wrote a fic for her as a gift. So for that I kinda just… read stuff. Because that’s the thing about Propaganda—you gotta read stuff to navigate it. I read the in-game emails. I re-watched all the scenes I could get my hands on with him. I read his wiki and tried to track down more information about him. Then I watched the scenes in Japanese and gained a better understanding of not just Genesis, but Sephiroth’s character. And I realized that Genesis was put on this road from the start. In fact, a big part of the fact that he’s seen the way he is in Canon—only at his most hostile and lowest points—is because the story is told through Zack’s point of view.

So before we get into the breakdown, here’s the hard facts about Genesis.

1. He was a test tube baby who may or may not technically be Angeal’s fraternal twin brother, which we are not going to unpack right now.

2. He was adopted by a relatively rich family.

3. He was a child genius (which requires not only resources, but drive to achieve), and at a tender young age of like… ten or something? He decided to mess around and literally invented pasteurization. Which is incredible, and really speaks to his knowledge of the world and ability to grasp complex concepts even at a young age. But, again, this is not the time or place to unpack that.

4. He was best friends with Angeal, who might as well have been the sweetest, kindest boy to ever walk the Planet. (I’m biased. I love him.)

5. As a teenager, he became fixated on Sephiroth, who had gained national acclaim as a SOLDIER despite them being the same age. (Please see part 1 and think about that for a second.) He then goes to join SOLDIER and brings Angeal with him. And Angeal brings his step-father’s puritanical “hard work is honorable” mindset with him. (On that note, Angeal and his father’s arc really are a wonderfully scathing letter to companies that overwork their employees and how toxic/unhealthy that line of thinking is. But. Again. We are not unpacking that right now.)

6. At one point he became consumed with LOVELESS, a series of poems with heavy prose and symbolism thicker than syrup. It got to the point where he was so well known for it that there was an entire fanclub dedicated to both him and analyzing the text.

7. While he was in SOLDIER, he repeatedly had his achievements publicly accredited… to Sephiroth.

Over and over and over again.

Everyone did, really. They mention it in the beginning of the game. Sephiroth even got public credit for Zack’s raid on the castle when he wasn’t even there. How much of his legacy is real? How much of it is made up? How much of it was faked? We don’t know. No one knows. But he keeps getting credit, anyways. And when Genesis confronts him about it, Sephiroth doesn’t care. In the Japanese version of their fight scene, you could even say he indirectly implies that he wants Genesis to take his place as the “hero”. In the English, Sephiroth’s line is, “Come and try.” But in the Japanese the line is closer to, “Wouldn’t that be nice?” Which, depending on how you take his tone, can mean wildly different things—from mocking, to earnest, or even admiration—which is especially to tell because he might be annoyed with Genesis at the moment.

Fun Fact: In Ever Crisis, Sephiroth explicitly says they are making up his achievements in the press to target boys his age for recruitment. (Thus why they accepted Zack at age 13.)

My theory on this line is that he is being cynical; that Genesis doesn't understand just how harrowing and even humiliating his experience has been. This only enforces my theory that the "come and try" translation in the English not only does a disservice to a line as wonderfully heavy as, "Wouldn't that be nice?", but fundamentally misunderstands Sephiroth as a character.

8. Genesis then took the fight to Shin-Ra. Inspiring a good chunk of their staff to leave the company, he then staged multiple attacks on facilities, staff, and the main building—which also spilled out into the city of Midgar. He murdered his parents, buried them, killed everyone in town, and… Yeah. It wasn’t pretty. A lot of innocent people died simply because they were vaguely associated with Shin-Ra. These are the actions of a villain. What’s more, this is clearly a sign that he has been acclimatized to death and violence by Shin-Ra to the point where he doesn’t even consider taking hostages.

Except.

Except the entire town was a Shin-Ra town.

Banora, canonically, was a Shin-Ra built town, which means everyone there was basically an employee of the company. No one was safe. Everyone was a threat. And that…

That was how he was raised. And he finally knew the truth—that every moment of his life was touched, controlled by Shin-Ra, all the way down to his very conception. He has never known freedom. He has never known his own identity. And now that very cage was killing him, slowly and painfully, and turning him into something that couldn’t even be recognized as human. He was watching himself rot in the mirror, and it was all because of Shin-Ra’s greed. And as he searched for salvation, he sunk into LOVELESS as he always had, hinging his entire life on Minerva’s Gift because he knew he was dying and that was all he had.

9. And then he died…

10. … but then it turned out LOVELESS was actually kind of a blueprint, and he did meet the Goddess, and he did get reborn without his degradation so he was rewarded for his journey in the end.

So why wasn’t Genesis the main character of the game?

Simple.

His actions challenge the status quo without being about the status quo. It’s a story about revenge. It’s a story about retribution. It’s a story about answering mass violence with mass violence and ultimately being rewarded by it. And while, yes, the series is an action-based violence simulator, the violence in the original FF7 was a guided, tactical effort. (For all that the characters aren’t the brightest bulbs in the sun lamps.) But the biggest, most obvious shift in the narrative happened when they realized their role as terrorists—bringing mass violence to the company via bombing and open aggression—was just resulting in increasing levels of retaliation against uninvolved people. They might as well have been a child beating the ankles of a giant. The goals and themes of the game fundamentally change when they realize that answering mass-scale societal violence with mass-scale physical violence was not only unsustainable, but also wasn’t going to solve their problem.

FF7 is about change and learning when violence—and what kind of violence—is appropriate in the face of different threats.

Genesis’ arc undermines all of that, and making him the main character would contradict the very heart of the OG game.

So, instead, we are positioned as Zack, connected to him through a mutual friend. From there we see all the damage and horror this vengeance brings to those living under the status quo.

But also, that plotline’s a major downer in a lot of ways, so they needed to lighten things up a bit to keep audience involved. And that’s why Zack is, well…

Part Three: Zack is a Himbo

Please, for the love of all that is holy, keep in mind that everything I say here is with the utmost affection.

Zack is dumb as a rock.

He is a charismatic, enthusiastic sixteen year old jock who ran away from home at thirteen years old to join the military. Which, please know, why I say “military” I mean “private security guard force with a standard-issue Death Baton and a license to kill”. The first scene in the game is him being excited that he gets to murder a bunch of people in a simulation, which he is immediately scolded for by his mentor. He is a glorified, souped up private security guard who is canonically only in it for the glory at first. He wants to be a “hero”, but doesn’t seem to fundamentally know what that means. And, over the course of the story, the definition of that clearly changes for him.

Which tracks, because the story takes place over a period of time with high stress.

Occasionally I see people saying they wish that Zack had more complexity to him, and honestly? The game. Would be. SO. BAD.

Full Disclosure: I am not the biggest fan of Zack specifically because he lacks a lot of nuance. I wish he was a bit more complex, too. But I also know that would break the game. What’s worse, if he was still on Shin-Ra’s side because he understood Shin-Ra’s mission… Well… That would make him a villain, or a cog at best. That’s not main character material. It would make the ending more messed up, though.

Anywho, Zack was thirteen when he left home. He had no formal education. He didn’t tell anyone what he was doing. He even joined without a permission slip from his parents. This means that Shin-Ra was accepting thirteen, possibly fourteen year olds into the military. (Some people will say this tracks because you can get a job at fourteen in many parts of Japan. But, and this is important, you aren’t allowed to be a security guard until you’re quite a bit older, and you need a specific license for it, much like in the US.) Clearly they didn’t teach this boy critical thinking skills. Not because he’s a himbo, but because having their Super-Powered Private Security Force With A License To Kill think independently would explicitly go against their interests. (EX: Genesis.)

Shin-Ra needs SOLDIERs to follow orders or the company would no longer be able to function. Seconds and Thirds aren’t even allowed to reject missions. (One could argue that sending certain someone on back-to-back missions would be a good way for them to eliminate undesirables within the ranks by sending them to their deaths, which… would make an incredible fic idea, actually.) We already know that First, Second, and Third Class rank assignments do not actually reflect the power of the SOLDIER. This is canon. I would instead argue that those who make the rank of First Class aren’t necessarily the most powerful, but are instead the most visible in the media, thus the easiest to market, and/or the easiest to manipulate and control. (For a great example of this, see The Umbrella Academy.)

The point is, Zack may have been elevated to his position as a first specifically because he is malleable and single-minded. Even after all he saw with Genesis, he stuck by the company to the very end, with the exception of the time Sephiroth was literally guiding him to fail a mission. Zack allowed himself to take Shin-Ra’s side every time, taking down their enemies and following their orders, preserving his “honor as SOLDIER” as he had been taught. The only thing that made him stop…

… was literally getting put in a jar.

It was when he was no longer a SOLDIER.

Part Four: Honor

There is no such thing as SOLDIER Honor.

I repeat: There is no such thing as SOLDIER Honor.

It is a fictional thing that is borne of an ideology based around hard work. It only has power because it is believed in. It is an intangible social construct similar to the law, mathematical order of operations, and gender roles. So why are Angeal and Zack obsessed with it?

Pretty simple.

Angeal’s step-father followed it.

Now, we know three things about Angeal’s step-father.

1. He was chill with the fact that Gillian was already pregnant when they started dating.

2. He was a very good father.

3. He worked himself to death trying to pay off the sword he bought Angeal.

This, of course, says a lot about Angeal considering he rarely uses the sword. He essentially sees that sword as the symbol of his step-father’s life. Everything he uses it for, he sees as more important than his step-father’s life. That thing is usually Zack.

Zack, who is the child who joined the military based on stories of heroes.

Zack, who rises against Angeal in the name of his own step-father’s ideology and tries to talk him down, even at the very end. But Zack fails because he fundamentally doesn’t understand what’s going on, partially because “Soldier Honor” is just one more aspect of this narrative he was given. It is a narrative that Angeal has had to step away from, even though he doesn’t want to leave the memory of his step-father behind. He was a good man. He was a good, hardworking man.

And that is why he died.

Corporations will use you up until there is nothing left, then honor your memory/sacrifice. Shin-Ra was doing the exact same thing the company his step-father worked for did; using up SOLDIERs until they outlived their usefulness. And Angeal was horrified to realize that his “SOLDIER Honor” wasn’t honor at all.

It was willingly submitting to control.

But, unlike Angeal, over time, this meaning changed for Zack. Partially because he didn't understand it fully in the first place. It became about acting with integrity. It became about helping people. It became about not lying down and watching the abuse Shin-Ra handed out in exchange for literal money; for maintaining the status quo.

At the very end, Zack understood what it meant to be a hero.

Part Five: The Conclusion

To sum up, Zack believed in and idolized the propaganda spread by Shin-Ra at such a young age, and was so convinced by it, that he ran away from home at thirteen to join the military.

He was their target demographic, so they happily took him into their ranks. What’s more, people think this is normal enough that we see no one opposing this, because the only people who oppose Shin-Ra are “extremists” or “violent terrorists”.

Zack then became their loyal puppy, groomed to fill his role as super-powered attack dog to sick on anyone they deemed appropriate, and he filled the role. He believed he was doing good. He didn’t think they were invading another country, because that’s not what he was told.

He went after Genesis, because that’s what he was told, and he wouldn’t let Genesis’ actions shake his faith in the company.

Then he went after Angeal, hoping to get answers, only to become more confused. Angeal taught him about SOLDIER honor. He taught him about a higher calling. He was the one who made Zack truly loyal to the company. This challenged everything Zack knew.

He went with Sephiroth, planning a small rebellion of their own (a white lie on paperwork) to get answers, only to find things he wasn’t ready for and couldn’t fully understand.

Zack is shaken by each of these events. Horribly. At times, we even watch him grieve. But time and time again, he doesn’t leave the company. He sees the damage they do first hand, and he doesn’t leave the company. The company isn’t the problem, to him. He reads their emails, does their dirty work, and “maintains his SOLDIER honor”.

Zack swallows what they give him right up until what they give him is torture.

Zack swallows what they give him until he becomes their victim.

Every step of the way, Zack is fed a story of how the world is. He was raised on it. He lived it. He became part of it. He was paid peanuts to enforce the status quo Shin-Ra installed in the world by force, and he was proud of it because it was, to him, something to be proud of.

Zack believes the propaganda whole-sale, and we get to watch, from the point of view of an outsider, as it slowly destroys his life before killing him.

Propaganda has the power to make suffering normal. Propaganda has the power to make murder righteous. Propaganda has the power to take a thirteen year old boy out of his home so they can give him a sword, and when they point him in the direction of their enemies he charges of his own volition, because they made him believe in their cause. And he believes in their cause because he believes that it makes life better for everyone.

But that’s not what’s actually happening.

That’s just what he was told.

Crisis Core is about propaganda, and the depths to which it can affect our lives. It changes our belief systems. It changes our perceptions of reality. And when it’s torn down around our eyes, it can make us go insane. It can make us violent and unreasonable as we realize just how much violence is being forced upon us—violence other people just plain do not see. It's just a a piece of paper. It's just a law. It's just a job.

It's just a war.

Final Fantasy 7 was about Fascism.

Crisis Core is about the propaganda that built it. It is told from the point of view of a boy, then a man, steeped in it. He watches until the people suffering around him—Sephiroth, Genesis, and Angeal—are twisted into villains by the truths and lies around them. Genesis and Angeal are tortured by truths, Sephiroth is transformed by lies, and Zack is subsequently hunted down to conceal them.

Crisis Core is Propaganda: The Video Game.

[jacesvelaryons]

spicy links part 4.

masterlist

previous editions:

1, 2, 3

a/n: you guys always love these, so i updated how id summarize them to give you all a better look on how to imagine these scenarios.

sorry the links were being deleted last time but these are all fairly recent and I checked they’re safe from the recent mass suspensions of accounts.

please send me what you think, which ones you liked, talk to me as my inbox is open for requests, comments, suggestions, and more will be coming.

characters featured:

coriolanus snow

tom blyth

billy the kid

REQUESTS OPEN.

coryo

academy!coryo not wanting to take your virginity yet

president!coryo needing an heir and not wanting to waste a drop

senator!coryo engaged to you but not wanting to take your virginity until your wedding night and says "just the tip"

peacekeeper!coryo dragging you to the woods because you're in trouble

sneaking in your rooms with academy!coryo

tied up by dom!coryo

a good housewife with husband!coryo

tutor!coryo when you get the answers to your homework right

coryo making you come on his fingers and maintaining eye contact

punished by daddy!dom!coryo for being bratty and misbehaving

tom

tom waking you up after a long time away

wedding night with husband!tom

lazy day with tom

tropical vacation with tom

waking you up with head

tom washing you real good in the shower

tom making you squirt and overstimulating

nipple sucking and boob worship

fucking you with your legs up

pretty in pink

handjob and playing with his pretty dick

billy

billy taking his frustrations out on you after a long tiring day

save a horse ride a cowboy with billy

deep throating with billy

taking it from behind with billy

bent over after a game of pool with billy

billy carrying you and fucking you against the wall

fucking you while you play with yourself

riding billys face as he eats you out

billy making you arch your back for him

[imfoive]

════════ ࣪࣪⊹𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 1⊹ ࣪════════

⟢ my works are sfw unless stated otherwise. ⟢ interactions, feedback & likes/reblog are greatly appreciated! ⟢ next chapter, always linked at the bottom of previous* ⟢ all works somewhat proofread, notify me about any mistakes. ⟢ ask to be tagged! / removed ⊹ one-shot masterlist SERIES ──────────────────────────

⟢ Crystal Bird ── BANG CHAN ╱ on-going Genre: Royal au! Crown Prince! Chan, Angst, Romance, Historical, hidden identity, slow-burn Warnings: mentions of blood, war, death, cursing, more in chapters

The Crown Prince is saved by the Princess of a rival kingdom, and he swears his second life to his savior. A forbidden friendship no one knew of, grows deeper with every secret meeting. As the two are kept apart, memories of their sunset playdates by the serene river, begin blossoming into something beautiful. Cheeks blushed, stomach butterflies fluttered at the thought of each other. Years of yearning and imagining had only made them crave a sweeter reunion. And finally meeting at a Royal banquet, he could only stare at the now grown Princess, taken by her beauty, while she only watches as he gives his heart to the wrong princess.

Prologue / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

⟢ The Youngest Son ── LEE MINHO ╱ complete Genre: non-idol au!, Suspense, Angst, Romance, Revenge, Mature Warnings: morally-gray Minho, mentions of drugs, cursing, death, suggestive, more in chapters

The youngest son of the Lee family was stubborn, he was arrogant, he was conniving. Hiding it all behind the mask of a calm and collected man, the youngest son was a master at mind games. Playing a dangerous game where trust is a luxury and betrayal lurks around every corner. He had sworn once, to not let family ties or any feelings hold him back. Yet, against all odds, she had him completely wrapped around her fingers, and he had no desire to break free.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

⟢ Trophy Husband ── HWANG HYUNJIN ╱ coming soon Genre: Arrange Marriage au!, Romance, Opposites-Attract, Marriage of Convenience-ish, Frienemies-to-Lovers, NSFW (mdni), Angst Warnings: mentions of cursing, cheating, more in chapters

Two individuals with polar opposite lifestyles are thrown into an arranged marriage for the benefit of both their families, or so they claim. One is a frivolous playboy, living off familial wealth, while the other is an overly controlling workaholic. Navigating their marriage with a business-like approach, their relationship is marked by a whirlwind of bickering, banter, and societal pressures. Amid misunderstandings, they uncover layers of unexpected qualities, eventually discovering a sweet love neither saw coming.

Chapter 1

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

more to come ──────────────────────── ⟢ Updated: 09/19/24

I don’t take requests (for now) but feel free to leave prompts/ideas/thoughts or messages in my inbox!

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Lotus Elan S3, 1966. The Elan was an era-defining car and was for Lotus, their first really commercially successful road car. It featured a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body and was powered by a DOHC 1,558 cc engine, with 4-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and 4-wheel independent suspension. Sales were boosted in the UK and internationally when the character Emma Peel (played by Diana Ring) drove one in 60’s TV series The Avengers. It provided the template for the Mazda MX-5 Miata. In 2004, Sports Car International placed the Elan number 6 in a list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. 

PS: Diana Rigg had to learn to drive for the TV show, Lotus gave her the car when she left The Avengers, but she wasn't a keen driver and passed the Elan onto a friend. More recently Dame Diana played the role of Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, she passed away in 2020, aged 82. R.I.P

[waratah-vroom]

Eavesdropper (ln4)

This was written as a sequel to Silly Season but can be read as a standalone! warnings: sexist comments, everyone being chaotic, lando being an idiot. Pls grab a big handful of suspension of disbelief 🍿

Tagged: yourcoach, yourfriend, georgerussell63, alex_albon Liked by landonorris, lilymhe and 901,371 others yourusername: My week off between races

yourfriend: I need a pay rise if we're going to keep getting 4am flights ↳ yourusername: you said you wanted to travel the world!

williamsracing: Drivers get together and we weren't invited? ↳ yourusername: It was a union meeting, no management xx ↳ alex_albon: williamsracing that was a joke. We love the team especially you, admin.

ynstylefiles: When are we getting a Y/n skin care routine? Come on vogue...

Tagged: carlossainz55, yourusername, maxverstappen1 Liked by wtf1official, charles_leclerc and 948,294 others landonorris: Silly season is here

mclaren: Carlando 4 eva ❤️ ↳ williamsracing: counterpoint... ynando supremacy.

yourusername: terrible pic pls delete xx ↳ landonorris: no xx

f1driversdaily: random Max pic is sending me 😂

Liked by daniel3.jpg, maxfewtrell and 642,284 others lando.jpg: Little bit of everything

alex_albon: Nice buildings mate ↳ lando.jpg: Thanks mate

yourusername: So aesthetically pleasing

daniel3.jpg: Lovely use of lighting. ↳ lando.jpg: Have to teach you sometime 👍

softboynorris: We're all just collectively ignoring the last slide? Cool. ↳ laaaando: Not me, I'm about to head to the train tracks. ↳ carlando4eva: I'll join

Liked by yukitsunoda0511, charles_leclerc and 729,407 others pierregasly: Night out with the family

charles_leclerc: I missed karaoke? ↳ pierregasly: we didn't sing our song don't worry mate

danielricciardo: Gasly in his jpg era

f1driversdaily: uh Lando and Y/n?

ynsource: Lando and Y/n look very close

ynlovebot: LANDO AND Y/N CONFIRMED

francisca.cgomes: yourusername 👀 ↳ pierregasly: 😭 ↳ yourusername: francisca.cgomes ❤️ ↳ pierregasly: yourusername 😇 ↳ yourusername: pierregasly 🙄

Liked by alex_albon, williamsracing and 1,389,503 others yourusername: Day in the life of a wannabe grid girl xx

landonorris: first pic got me 🥵🥵🥵 ↳ landonorris: side note - seeing that YOU look bad in your race suit suddenly makes me feel a lot better about myself. ↳ yourusername: was that a neg, Norris? ↳ landonorris: I'm just saying that everyone looks bad in their race suit and you look good in everything ↳ yourusername: obvs I don't look good in everything... ↳ oscarpiastri: landonorris I see you typing and I'm begging you to stop

lilymhe: Confirmed girl boss ↳ yourusername: says you 😍

lissiemackintosh: She is the moment. Liked by yourusername

carmentmmundt: And that's what I call Woman 💪 Liked by yourusername

ynstylefiles: but the purple... I need more!

Liked by lissiemackintosh, carlossainz55 and 4,592,193 others f1: A statement from the FIA.

mclaren: Our fave couple 🧡💙

williamsracing: Come for the racing, stay for the romance 💙🧡

ynsource: Seeing williams and mclaren scrambling to come up with comments that make it look like they're completely fine their two best drivers are dating each other is hilarious

ynlovebot: Ok, but like I need a relationship timeline ↳ laaaando: babe, no. I need a 4 hour long youtube analysis of their relationship ↳ softboynorris: what are you even talking about I need a true crime style podcast series

carlando4eva: They're literally textbook friends to lovers ↳ f1newbie: wdym ↳ carlando4eva: They grew up karting together and now they're dating

yourusername and landonorris

Liked by estebanocon, lewishamilton and 6,580,201 others yourusername: In the words of the FIA, we'd like to formally announce our (intimate) relationship ❤️

landonorris: Can we be the first joint world champions??? ↳ yourusername: like how Katniss and Peeta won the hunger games? ↳ landonorris: exactly ↳ yourusername: nah I'm good winning by myself thanks baby ↳ landonorris: 🥺

alex_albon: How many captions did you go through? ↳ yourusername: At least 30. ↳ landonorris: alex_albon all of mine got vetoed 😒

carlossainz55: Congratulations! (also finally) Liked by yourusername and landonorris

danielricciardo: Love that the FIA hard launched before you guys did 😂 ↳ yourusername: yeah I'm not thrilled about that ↳ yourusername: also who taught you the term hard launch? ↳ heidiberger_: yourusername that'd be me. Congrats babe ❤️

pierregasly: You are welcome ❤️ ↳ yourusername: francisca.cgomes I will push him into the ocean you know I'll do it

charles_leclerc: Happy for you two ! Liked by yourusername and landonorris

georgerussell63: Out of everyone we grew up karting with I really thought it'd be Charles and Pierre who ended up together. Not dating, just platonic soulmates. ↳ yourusername: Me too. ↳ alex_albon: Me three. ↳ pierregasly: Me four. ↳ charles_leclerc: quoi ?

read more of my writing here.

Made to order for a sweet anon for my perfume collection xx

ﾟ｡ ⋆ mags' radio: Ok guys I am obsessed with driver!reader x lando... they're kind of just as chaotic as horner!reader x lando, but I think they're a little more lowkey with their chaos and prefer to keep it professional in public, horner!reader is pure idgaf.⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡

taglist: @fulla02reads @lazybot @flowerchild-96 @camillalarke @cool-ultra-nerd @azxulaa @hrlzy @ghosttwit @inejghafawife @booksobsess @formulakay @1655-1485 @chonkybonky @peachiicherries @toalltheboyswhowastedmytime @lilacsimps @diaa-20 @imsorare @lunnnix @ctrlyomomma @leclercdream @aces-tattooartist

(if you're not highlighted I couldn't tag you. If you'd like to be removed from the tag list please send me a message.)

[mysticfalls01]

The Draw

(Williamson!reader)

The Wonder Twins Universe

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

During your international break you talked with Leah about your feelings for certain Catalonian captain. She couldn’t help but to smile while she listened how you talked about Alexia. She confirmed that moving to Barcelona was the perfect move.

Also, during the third day of the break Mapi called you. She hated how everything was going with Vilda, how he and his staff treated the girls and how they made them train extra hours. You let Mapi to vent out all her frustrations, all her feelings at that moment it was everything you could do for her. You were worried for Mapi and the girls. 

After the international break Lucy, Keira and you returned to Barcelona.

Playing with the Lionesses gave you that energy boost that you needed, you guys had two out of two possible victories. While playing in Barcelona has been amazing nothing could compare to the feeling of playing alongside your twin.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

You were over the moon, since Liga F started Barcelona hadn’t lost a single game. You had won a spot in the starting 11 and you couldn’t have been happier, with each game you only get better. Barcelona was really your home, your dream team.

Two weeks after the international break you and the girls found yourselves sitting down in the media room watching the Champions League draw for the group stages.

Until that moment the group was the next: FC Barcelona, Sporting de Lisboa, and Bayern München. There was only one team left to complete the group. Everyone turned their heads towards the TV to learn who would be their final rival.

“Joining in group D is going to be…”

The suspense was killing everyone in the room, that was until a team was mentioned.

“Arsenal”

As soon as that word left the mouth of the presenter you stood up and left the room. You couldn’t support the pity looks that your teammates were giving you.

You couldn’t believe it, of all the possible teams it had to be Arsenal, you were going to be playing against your previous team. Against some of your best friends and most importantly against Leah.

You had always played with Leah, never against her.

You couldn’t hear it but as soon as you left Mapi stood up and followed you. You ran towards the training ground as you needed fresh air, you were having a panic attack.

You felt a hand rubbing your back and that person said “y/n! Breath, follow my breath. One, two, three. Again y/nn one, two, three. You are doing amazing y/nn”

As soon as you kinda calmed down you realized that the person helping you was Mapi.

She gave you a few more minutes to calm down.

“Gracias por tu ayuda Mapi” (Thank you for helping me Mapi) you whispered and hugged her

“What is going on your head y/nn? Please talk to me.” She could imagine what was going on however she wanted to hear it from you.

“I’m not necessarily worried about playing against Arsenal itself. I’m worried about playing against Leah. All I’ve ever known is playing with her not against her, I knew that it could happen, but I expected it to happen later on”

Mapi knew that she would never understand what it meant to play against a sister, nerveless twin against twin. She knew that the only thing she could do was to help you to accept what just had happened.

“y/n I will never be able understand what you are feeling but I feel as if I have known Leah for ages because of everything you’ve told me. She would be proud of you if you give your everything against them. I know that nothing can break the bond that you have with her and if there is something that could do it wouldn’t be something as simple as a result from a match”

You needed to hear those words; your feelings were all over the place.

“y/nn why don’t you go back to your apartment and call her. I’ll explain everything to Jonatan so go back home and rest. If you miss one day of training nothing will happen. I’m sure that he will understand”

At that moment you couldn’t have been more grateful for Mapi.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

After your call with Leah you realized that Mapi was right. While it would be difficult to play against Leah you guys promised to give your best versions of yourselves against each other.

You were sitting in your living room still thinking about the draw when the sound of someone knocking on your door interrupted your thoughts.

You stood up and opened your door. It was Alexia.

“Hola y/n. Puedo pasar?” (Hi y/n may I come in?) She said with a soft voice.

As soon as she said those words you let her in.

“I don’t want to sound rude but what are you doing here Ale?”

“Well y/nn I just went to the store, and I brought popcorn and some ice cream. I was thinking that we could watch a movie to distract you for a while. What do you say y/nn?”

If after almost three months in Barcelona you hadn’t fallen in love with her, you just did. Usually, you were the one cheering up everyone else and not the other way around so, Alexia doing that for you just made your feelings for her grow even stronger.

“Let’s do it Ale”

While the movie was on you could help but to look down towards the Spaniard who was cuddling you. She felt you looking at her and then it finally happened.

You kissed her and she kissed back. You guys separated to breathe some air. You joined your foreheads and whispered “Let me take you out on a date Ale”

“Si, y/n” she whispered and gave you a kiss again.

You guys separated when you heard someone knocking on your door. You quickly fixed yourself and opened the door.

You couldn’t believe it, it was some of your teammates with Mapi at the front.

“y/n! We are having bonding time in your apartment so let us in”

She walked through your door and let herself and the team in.

You knew why Mapi was doing this. You couldn’t believe how lucky you were to call someone as her your best friend.

“y/n is there something you want to tell us about Ale already being here?” She couldn’t help but to tease you while rising her eyebrow.

You never answered and just told them to sit down.

Barca was really your second family.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Arsenal vs Barcelona

How lucky were you. Your second Champions League game with Barcelona was going to be in the Emirates Stadium.

The team arrived to the stadium and everywhere you looked you couldn’t help but to remember everything you went through with Arsenal.

Before you knew it was time to line up in the tunnel. You greeted every single person of your former team. Finally, you reached the person next to Marta Torrejón and hugged her.

“Sis no matter the result nothing will affect our relationship. You are my sister, my best friend, and my twin. I love you y/n” Leah whispered

“Thanks Lee, I needed to hear those words sis. I love you sis”

You went back to your place and the teams walked out.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

You heard the final whistle and finally you could breathe.

Barcelona won 0-4 with you assisting Aitana and scoring the last goal in the 88th minute, taking home the player of the match award. Even if you assisted and scored you didn’t celebrate them, you couldn’t do it. You had too much respect and you were grateful towards Arsenal and the gunners for everything they did for you and your sister.

You walked towards Leah, you knew that losing was difficult for her so, you hugged her.

“Can we swap jerseys Lee?”

“Of course y/nn”

You took off your Barcelona’s jersey and she took off hers. She hugged you and whispered “I’m so proud of you sis, you are on the way of becoming one of the greatest to ever play this game.”

You guys decided to sit down in the middle of the pitch looking how fans were leaving and how both teams greeted each other. You couldn’t help but to rest your head on Leah’s shoulder taking everything in. You guys stayed there until Katie gave Leah a sign to stand up while Patri gave you a sign indicating that Barcelona was going back to their hotel.

While hugging for a final time that day Leah whispered “Next time you guys won’t be so lucky”

You laughed at her words as you knew that it was her competitive nature talking.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

news spreading and expulsion

One pro to the light novel adaptation of TWST is more in-depth explanations for the consequences that play out. The game kind of sweeps over this, as there’s reasonable suspension of disbelief for the medium. However, in a book or mainly text-heavy form, there has to be a more pragmatic sequence of events to fill in the gaps in logic. (For example, Yuuya takes on a more explicit and active tole as a tactician in battles, there is more description about how the OB boy behaves, and just more general detail about fighting with magic overall so as to not make the OB fight scenes boring to read.) As a pragmatic person myself, this has made me really appreciate the light novel and what it does for the TWST lore!!

Another example of this is the dorm leader meeting in book 2 following Riddle’s OB. There’s a whole conversation (that’s 100% unique to the light novel only) in which the other dorm leaders have dialogue that implies they’re aware Riddle OB’d and that he should be recovering right now. People constantly whisper and stare at him, hurting Riddle’s pride. In other words, there are more obvious social consequences on display for OBing. We also get unique text which describes the pain associated with the aftermath of Overbolt.

OH YEAH AND??????? Riddle actually faced expulsion from NRC, which is NEVER brought up in the game. The only reason he could stay was because his mom put up a fight with the school administration… which is very Mrs. Rosehearts of her, but that also kind of implies that the staff told her or provided a reason as to why Riddle was being removed… MEANING SHE MIGHT KNOW ABOUT HIS OB????? 😭 But maybe not the reasons for the OB… If Mrs. Rosehearts did have all this knowledge beforehand, then it changes the context for Riddle resolving to speak with her in book 4 (during winter break). Like, Riddle would now be confronting his mom knowing that she’s aware of what he did, and knowing that he’s still indebted to her since she’s the reason they let him stay. That must place so much more guilt and shame on his shoulders, making it all the more difficult to discuss with her.

It’s crazy how these extra scenes in the light novel can recontexualize so much with so little new content… I love it 🥰

[rahuratna]

ღ Rahu ღ 36 ღ JJK, MHA, Naruto ღ Rahuratna | Archive of Our Own about me: she/her | fanfic writer | science fiction enthusiast

current fandoms writing for: JJK, MHA

ღ Jujutsu Kaisen Series

• He Whose Arrows are Flowers (NEW SERIES!)

Genre: Mystery, Investigative, Romance, Slow Burn, Eventual smut/erotic content Summary: Nanami x Curse Analyst Reader.

As a curse analyst, your work is a routine cycle that takes you between laboratory and crime scene. That is, until you are assigned to work a case alongside sorcerer Nanami Kento.

Links: Ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Nanami Kento: Relationship headcanons

Genre: Romance, angst, humor, fluff Summary: Nanami x Reader headcanons (now a fic). Includes slow burn, pining, romance, establishing relationships, an introvert reader.

Links: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 ღ on tumblr

• The Transformation of Nanami Kento (complete!)

Genre: Crack, humor, fluff Summary: An encounter with a rogue curse user leaves Nanami transformed into Pompompurin! It's now up to the first-year trio, with some help from Nanami-pom, to gain back his original form.

Links: ch 1 | ch 2 | ch 3 | ch 4 | ch 5 | ch6 | ch 7 | ch 8 | ch 9 ღ on tumblr

• The Good Ship Percimeran

Genre: Action, fantasy AU, mystery, adventure Summary: While away investigating the magical anomalies that are increasing in frequency across the land, Gojo's three students, Yuuji, Megumi and Nobara, are tasked with testing his new spirit-repelling device on board a ship. The voyage takes a dangerous turn, however, and the truth behind the spirit swarms may not be an easy one to swallow. {One-shot] [Part 1 of JJK: Winds of Change]

Links: ch 1 ღ on ao3

• Red Earth, Dark Rain

Genre: Fantasy AU, mystery, suspense Summary: Wild spirits once roamed free in this land. Hanami survived many ages in the isolated forest, alongside the volcanic spirit Jogo, until a mysterious traveller pays a visit and turns their world upside down ... [one-shot] [Part 2 of JJK: Winds of Change]

Links: ch 1 ღ on ao3

• Ikemen Kaisen

Cross posted!

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack, mystery, adventure. Summary: A cursed spirit develops a massive crush on the 7:3 sorcerer while he's on a mission. Trapping him in its unique otome game domain, the spirit soon discovers that it's bitten off a lot more than it can chew with this particular jujutsu sorcerer ...

Links: ch 1 | ch 2 ღ on tumblr

• He's got the look

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack, mystery. Summary: A regular visit to the hair stylist takes a strange turn when Gojo is involved ...

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• JJK: Encounters across the animeverse

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack, mystery. Summary: The characters of JJK have close encounters with the other kind when strange portals appear within their universe ... crossovers, featuring characters from other anime appearing briefly in JJK.

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Geriatric Kaisen

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack, suspense. Summary: Megumi returns from a day out to find that the inhabitants of Jujutsu Tech have undergone a strange transformation ...

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• This Fearless Shadow

Genre: Fantasy AU, romance, action, mystery. Summary: Kusakabe x Illusionist Reader. Loosely based on the film 'Bajirao Mastani', a gift fic for the wonderful @jjk-eugie

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Boogie till we drop

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack, mystery. Summary: Nanami and Ijichi are called in to handle an investigative mission requested by an unexpected client. The mission takes a strange turn when they learn that they're expected to assist in ... writing erotic fiction.

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Queen of Thorns

Genre: Action, adventure, mystery. Summary: In the remote reaches of a Siberian peninsula, Kurosawa Akito, student of the legendary Nobara Kugisaki, learns a fundamental truth about his sensei's strength.

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

ღ Jujutsu Kaisen Stand-Alone fics

• To you, young sorcerer

Genre: Fluff, humour Summary: Papamin fic written for Father's Day! Nobara suffers with cramps and feelings of inadequacy, and Nanami offers some advice, affirmation and hot tea.

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Suited up

Genre: Fluff, humour, action, angst Summary: Another Papamin fic! Ino attempts to present himself just like the sorcerer he admires the most, with some ... regrettable consequences.

Links: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Get that bread, sir!

Genre: Fluff, humour, crack Summary: Written for the Foodies and Goodies challenge, created by the amazing @tsukimefuku ! Ijichi goes to get Nanami lunch, an excursion that turns into a fast-paced battle for a pork cutlet sandwich!

Link: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• The in-between

Genre: Fluff, humour, angst Summary: Megumi needs silence and to be away from it all, at times. Yuuji and Nobara will always be waiting in the wings for when he is ready to join them again.

A short, fluffy one-shot for the first year trio.

Link: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Thirst Trap

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack. Summary: Ino and Yuuji unwittingly make Nanami IG-famous through a social media post. As the internet's thirst ramps up, Nanami remedies the situation by roping in the two young sorcerers once again.

Link: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Love Thine Enemy

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack. Summary: The JJK sorcerers find themselves faced with a slippery customer - a cursed spirit with the worst pick-up lines imaginable ...

Link: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

• Good morning, Handsome

Genre: Humour, fluff, crack. Summary: A JJK short. Gojo sends increasingly annoying 'good morning' texts and Nanami gets his revenge.

Link: ch 1 ღ on tumblr

ღ MHA Series

• The Feast at your Table (Fat Gum x Reader)

Genre: Fluff, Romance, Smut.

CW: Explicit Sexual content Summary: Attempting to hide your infatuation with the kindest and warmest of heroes is no easy feat when you work directly for him. Especially when you find that the hero in question, Taishirou Toyomitsu, may just reciprocate those feelings in the best of ways ...

Links: ch1 | ch 2 ღ on tumblr

Thanks to @tsukimefuku for creating this beautiful masterlist post for me! Credit to @strangergraphics for dividers.