#Don't take it too seriously it is all fun and games

[whitenoisefanfiction]

Let the Games Begin (I guess)

Ummm.... did I just write the start of a Squid Game fic? Seriously? I have only watched three episodes of this show so far but this hellsite got to me and now I am writing fics for the season which I haven't even seen! *shakes my head* I dunno anymore.

So here is the start of a 457 fic from the VIPs POV because why not?

I guess if anyone wants to see the start of whatever this is turning out to be, here you go. I wrote it in 30 minutes so its kinda bad. I will make it actually 457 if I continue it (with the VIPs having a vested interest in the ship, because that sounds fun. Plus, even though I haven't finished the show yet, I have theories about what happens to the winners after the games so thats added here. But that does mean a suggestion of human trafficking so be warned)

-----

The gilded rooms buzzed with speculation, the large groups converging around the screens, ready and waiting for the show to begin. 

It was an annual event for most of the people in the room, no one unfamiliar with what was about to happen and yet, the atmosphere was electric. Each member of the large crown milling around, wore an intricately designed and expensive gold mask, depicting some sort of animal. The masks were practical, as well as an opulent display of wealth. Most of these people did not know the identity of their fellows. In fact, a few of them had long term deadly feuds against each other. But the masks gave them all a measure of anonymity and freedom to mingle together without dispute. After all, regardless of where they had come from, they had all paid the same price to be in this room this day.

“A lot of people here. It's odd for so many to arrive so early.’’ A tall male dressed in a fitted suit said to his colleague, his dark eyes peering through his golden mask in the design of an Eagles head.  In his hand was clutched a glass of wine, the value of which would be enough to bankrupt an ordinary person. 

Beside him, a smaller male wearing a Snake head nodded enthusiastically. 

“You noticed that too?” He said, gripping a crystal glass containing spring water. “Normally most people don't show up until the second last game. No point in betting until you have better odds."

“Oh, haven't you heard?” A female patron walking past asked, stopping to stand with the two, her owl head mask complementing her gold dress. “There is a returning Champion this year. Didn't you see the invitation?’

She held up a small pamphlet she had been clutching in her hand as she moved past.

“A returning Champion?” A fourth figure in a Bear mask asked, approaching the forming group, a small figure trailing behind in a plain black mask, the mark of a personal translator to this group. The translator quickly asked his boss's question to the group. 

Owl nodded her head, waving the pamphlet in front of her face. Eagle reached over, palm up in a silent request for the paper which she wordlessly handed over. He scanned it through his mask, Snake peering over his arm at it. 

“Who owns him? And more to the point, who would be stupid enough to return their property to the game.” Eagle asked, looking up at Owl as Bear's translator muttered hurriedly in his ear. 

Owl shrugged. 

“No one, as far as I can tell. He came back on his own accord.” she said. 

Snake spluttered into his drink, the suddenly inhaled liquid causing a coughing fit. 

“How does that work?” Bear asked through his translator. “Isn't it a breach of contract?”

“It is. And I mean to tax the Game Master on it when we see him.” Owl said with a sharp nod. “How they could just let a survivor go free like that is mind blowing. He could have destroyed everything, had he gone to the authorities.”

“That is, if his mind even survived the first time.” Eagle stated. 

Owl turned, her eyes glaring through the mask. 

“We all know that it takes a special kind of mind to win these games. Psychopaths and nut jobs mainly. Not the sort of people who the authorities tend to believe. And from what I understand, they normally let the Champions go back to the world for a while, to allow their minds to fully break from the trauma before they bring them to the auction hall. Makes them more suggestible and easier to train. And I trust that the Game's Masters keep anyone who could do anything firmly in hand. Don't worry my dear. Out beloved sport is safe.” he continued, raising his wine glass in a mocking salute. 

Owl scowled, her mask unable to fully hide the actions as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

“So why did no one purchase him?” Snake asked. He had managed to take the pamphlet from Eagle and was scanning it intently. “Usually when a Champion comes to auction, there is a massive fight for them. And it's not like he's not attractive. I would have bid on him, as a bed warmer if nothing else.”

“Champions can be used for more than just bed sports.” Eagle scoffed. 

“You should know. How many do you own now?” Snake snapped back, shifting his glass in his hand.

“Three. All properly broken in and trained.” Eagle said, a hind of pride in his voice. 

“Lord knows what you do with them if not use them for fun.” Snake muttered. 

Eagle shot him a look through the mask. 

“I use them to conduct business transactions. Nothing like a killer with a high body count and a broken mind to smooth over difficult clients.”

“But I still don't understand why he wasn't picked up after being released. Did he not break?” Bear stated, glancing at his fellows. 

Owl reached over and snatched the pamphlet back from Snake. 

“Check the year.” She said, thrusting the pamphlet to Bear who took it graciously and handed it to his translator. The translator read quickly, finding the required information before muttering in their boss's ear. 

“2021. I didn't attend that year. Did something happen?” Bear asked, glancing at his company. 

“That was the year the old man died, wasn't it?” Snake asked, glancing at Owl who nodded. 

“Old man? What's so special about that? A lot of old men die.” Bear said.

“Not an old man. The Old Man. The Old Game Master.” Owl explained, a hint of annoyance seeping into her voice. 

“Ah.” Bear replied in understanding once his translator had finished speaking. 

“Didn't he take the tourist position that year?” A new figure asked, walking up to the group. His mask was that of a Dragon, his accent, height and hint of deathly pale skin showing his foreign roots to the rest of the group. From his comment, it was clear he had been listening into the conversation for some time.

“I believe so. If I remember correctly, he picked the Champion.” Eagle stated. 

“I thought that was against the rules.” Snake said. 

“He didn't help him win. But I think he guessed who it would be. I know I didn't pick the winner that year. I thought it was gonna be the other one.” Eagle stated. “I lost a lot of money on that bet.”

“Did anyone win that bet?” Dragon asked.

“Not from what I remember. Just goes to show, don't discount the dark horse.” Eagle replied.

“So the dark horse won and then managed to slip out of the auction. Interesting.” Dragon muttered, peering at the paper Bear still had. On it was a photo and a brief description of the player they were discussing.

“I wonder who got the tourist position this year.” Dragon muttered, still reading. “I would have paid handsomely for that spot, had I seen it come up for sale.”

The rest of the group exchanged looks, all of them in silent agreement. The tourist position was a coveted position amongst the group. A single place in the games in question which, rather than be filled by any of the hundreds of desperate competitors, was reserved for the highest bidder. The coveted 001 position which would allow the watchers to test their skills without the dangers the other competitors faced. The only rules were, the tourist could not tell the competitors what was going on and could not proceed past the second last game. It would not be fair to the competitors and would rob them all of a Champion. 

“Maybe it's a dummy spot this year. Although I do not know why they would do that, after so heavily advertising the Champion’s return.” Bear said. 

Dummy spots were reserved for if no one wanted to join the game that year. An old photo would be used for the spot and ‘killed off’ at the start of the first game. With the large number of competitors at the start and the sheer shock they faced in the first game, no one ever realized that a player had been missing in the chaos. 

“Or maybe they are testing a game this year so one of the creators is in there.” Snake suggested. It did happen occasionally, when a new game was introduced, for a staff member to enter to run the game with the competitors, to see if it could yield the required outcomes in a live simulation. 

“A bit of bloody poor timing in that case.” Bear stated. “They could have made a decent amount if they auctioned off the spot after advertising a returning Champion. I am sure a lot of people would love to meet him.”

“I still don't get how this one didn't come up for auction. How did he manage to disappear? And if he did, how did they get him back?” Eagle said, reaching forward to tap his finger on the photograph, drawing the discussion back to the topic at hand. 

“He must have managed to slip away during the upheaval of the old man's death.” Owl stated. “Maybe the Old Man already put a claim on him but died before he could be broken and retrieved.”

Several members of the group nodded. It was well known that the Game Master had first dibs on the Champions and could claim them and stop an auction. But only once before, had he actually claimed a Champion for himself.

“I assume he is still alive.” Owl said, glancing at the paper. “Since he had the advantage this time.”

“I believe so.” Bear muttered, scanning the screens which were displaying the competitors' photographs and status.

No one tended to watch the first game. It was the game where the chaft was separated from the wheat and no one wanted to place a bet too early. Unless they were very interested in bloodshed, it tended to be a boring but necessary game. 

“Yes. There he is. Still alive.” He nodded to a small corner of the screen.

“So we have a returning Champion in the games. I wonder if that will affect anything.” Dragon said 

“And more to the point, could we possibly get a two time Champion?” Bear added.

“I doubt it.” Eagle snorted. “Even if he is a bloodthirsty psychopath, the odds of winning twice are insanely low.”

“A shame.” Snake said, a little wistful, glancing up at the screen and the picture of the topic of their conversation. “Give me a chance and I would definitely be willing to drop a lot of money to buy him. Even unbroken, just for the fun of doing it myself.”

“Maybe the Game Master will pull him out before the end. Or maybe they will all vote to leave. It has happened before and I bet, if the Champion walks, they will want to correct their mistake and place him up for auction.”

Snake seemed to brighten up at that comment. 

“I will live in hope then.” He said. A soft ding, like a dinner bell chimed, drawing all the rooms occupants to the screens. The second game was about to begin, the competitors being rounded up. All eyes were fixed on the screen, searching for the Dark Horse with the number ‘456’ on his flank in the mess of human suffering.

Raising his glass in the gesture of a toast, Snake took a last opportunity to speak before the entertainment began. 

“Well then gentlemen. And lady. To the Games.”

“To the Games.” The rest of the group muttered, returning the toast before their attention was inevitably drawn to the blood sports. 

------

TBC? Maybe? If so, it will turn into 457, pinky swear. Maybe I will add it to my AO3 page.

[sinsofnivan]

hiii thank you so much for writing carlos

eumm can I ask for another Carlos x reader fluff and nsfw

pleaseee im begging

Have a nice day!

divider gif belongs to kdanie.

CARLOS OLIVEIRA HEADCANONS .ᐟ

A/N: ask and you shall receive. :smirk_cat:

SFW/fluff.

⟡ ── a gentleman through and through. every door you come across—an entrance to the mall or shop, your car door, he always opens and holds it for you.

⟡ ── he also switches to the side closest to the street when you're out on walks, your bag slung atop his shoulder. you will never get the chance to hold your own bags, because he always steals it from your hands. don't try to argue or reach for it. because if you do, he'll just raise it above his head and tease you for being too short.

⟡ ── always goes along with whatever you wanna do. you saw this trend on tiktok where men's girlfriends wrap ribbons around their biceps? bet. that trend where girlfriends cover their boyfriends with lipstick kisses? fucking bet. make him wear a ghostface mask? consider it done.

seriously. as long as it seemed fun and was safe and consensual, he'll do it.

⟡ ── fucking looooves to flaunt you off. especially when you're wearing a dress that he bought? or when you do your nails the colours that he suggested? it's his own way of branding you, letting everyone know that you were being treated right by him.

⟡ ── carlos also loves the way you smell. he always finds himself burying his nose in your hair when you cuddle. it soothes him. when you're not around, he cuddles your sweater so it feels like you're with him.

⟡ ── not the jealous type. he's very confident.

⟡ ── lover of all bodies too, by the way. he doesn't care if you gain weight. he benches your body weight ( and more. ) just so he could show you that he can carry you in his arms.

⟡ ── also dates to marry.

⟡ ── your number one supporter. if you have zero fans, he's dead. he's always pushing you to pursue your dreams, encouraging you to take risks.

⟡ ── loves to make you laugh. your laugh is his favourite sound eveeeerrrr.

⟡ ── also, carlos is a romantic.

⟡ ── he's the greenest of all green flags.

NSFW/lewd.

⟡ ── always goes along with whatever you wanna do. you wanna be on top? sure. interested in trying this bdsm shit? kinky, but sure. make him wear a ghostface mask? dang, you're so freaky, but alright, bet.

"babe, what do you mean you want to wrap a ribbon around it?"

⟡ ── does not give a shit if you shaved or not. he'll eat you out no matter what. he's also pretty hairy. sometimes trims his bush, but you don't seem to have any complaints with it.

⟡ ── has good head game. you can't tell me otherwise. he would be orally fixated too, always sucking on your nipples or your clit as a past time.

⟡ ── yes, he always finds your clit.

⟡ ── used condoms when you first started exploring your sex life. the first time he goes in raw, he literally just spills his cum with just a few thrusts.

carlos swears that he's never using condoms again after that day. and it's a memory you both still giggle at.

⟡ ── loves to 69. he really just loves the feeling of your warm throat while he gets to taste you too. he's just addicted to your taste of your cunt and cum . . literally he can cum just by jerking off to the thought of it.

⟡ ── sometimes dirty talks to you in spanish. especially when he's really immersed in the moment.

⟡ ── literally loves every position. as long as he gets to bury his cock deep inside you, he's happy. he's not a titties man or an ass man or even a thigh man, he's an i love my girlfriend's body man. so whatever position you want him in—doggy, missionary, cowgirl—it didn't matter. he's always gonna end up rutting his hips and vigorously ramming your creamy cunt.

⟡ ── both a degradation and praise connoisseur. it's just the perfect mix of both, and he does it so well, too . . .

⟡ ── also, he doesn't mean to but he loves leaving hickeys on your body. mostly on your chest and on the inside of your thighs. he also loves it when you mark him or scratch him.

⟡ ── loves to edge himself so he can cum a thick, fat load into you and watch his cum leak from your pretty cunt.

⟡ ── has a stamina of a god. he can go for a few more rounds after he's reached his peak. especially when you're still horny and want more, he's more than eager to shove his fingers into you while his tongue lapped up your clit.

⟡ ── loves to cuddle and kiss you all over when you're both spent.

⟡ ── you didn't hear this from me but he also loves cockwarming. something about keepin' you plugged and stretched makes his brain go brrr . . .

end.

[darkangel11122]

Imagine you're a well-known expert swordsman who men/women/people fear if they don’t wanna outright have bone you, some of them do both but that’s not the point. You’re living your life as a single man having a grand old time. Then you're totally not an adopted son with anger issues start dating the son of the owner of your favorite restaurant located middle of nowhere. Who have you watched grow up and who have you seen give random patrons level 5 concussions since he was like 12. So you're not really worried about him holding his own but you are concerned that your not-adopted son will break the heart of the obviously a bit love-starved boy, which would mean you might end up no longer able to go to your preferred dive bar. Now your not-adopted son has some(lot) of issues one of which is he doesn’t bathe regularly and no sense of direction either. With those anger issues, it does make you worry that you might no longer be able to get those horrible but so very delicious dishes from that dive. To keep from dwelling on that too much you choose to focus on your own love life, your three eager suitors, one of which was more eager than the others. You do have rather homoerotic sword fights like every other week since you started swimming in the same circles. You don’t wanna just pick him because he’s got enough of an ego but you also don’t wanna pick the clown because he’s a clown or the lizard. After all, you're soundly a bird and he also has problems with water. This would make him a good pair for your not-adopted son, but your definitely adopted daughter “ships you “ with your homoerotic sword fight companion. Wanting to no longer think of your own life you go back to focusing on your not adopted son’s relationship with the son of the owner of your favorite dive.

Deciding that while he’s living with you now, totally not because you adopted him, you decide to try to fix some of those small issues so at least you can argue that you tried to raise your not adopted son to be a good partner. You like to think it kinda worked but when you hear about them fighting you still cross your fingers and pray to whoever is listening. 

When the fact that your not adopted son's partner is also adopted and is actually a fucken prince, you almost have a heart attack and are the son of an asshole with a bunch of asshole brothers and a sister. Now while you choose to let the poor kid handle it, should push come to shove you will probably offer your services to take out said sperm downer if it would get you back in the good graces of the dive owner if your not adopted son fucks it up. It does also make you feel a bit anxious about the wedding as while you can provide a worthy celebration of such rather sweet love it’s not the level of a royal family.  Then again this kid is a cook and a pirate in love with your nardulle not adopted son. This does make you at least question his taste in men but he also has a similarly refined taste as you, so it’s a bit of a give and take. 

The biggest curveball however is when you bring up your still present nervousness at your not adopted son’s relationship and you almost have a heart attack because his response is “What relationship?” With a confused look on his face. Which was something in itself as he doesn’t emote often at least if it’s not rage. Leading to further confusion as you and your adopted daughter look at each other to confirm you both heard him. Then you say the one which the cook, son of that dive bar owner, apparently a prince of some kind. Your not-adopted son, who’s not one for choking or wasting alcohol, spits out his drink of some alcohol that would likely make him go blind, and yells out a “What! I’m not with that shitty cook!” 

This makes you freak out because omg you broke up! I have reservations for next week! Fuck! I’m gonna have a fight when I get there and I just wanna drink and kick up my feet and relax! Luckily while you’re having your inner freak out your adopted daughter has the presence of mind to confusedly ask “What? You're not?”

Which reveals that they were in-fact not together and never had been. Which does bring you out of your freak out, enough to actually look confused. 

“Your not?” 

“No” 

“Are you sure?” 

“The fuck  you mean am I sure? Why would I be with that shitty cook!” 

This is when your adopted daughter chooses to point out all the things you’ve both seen in how they interact and the look in his eyes or eye when the cook is in the line of vision. Then leads to a month of your not adopted son denying everything, at random times too coming up with defenses at random times you come yell at you or your adopted daughter.  At one point you are on a long-distance phone call with your not-quite boyfriend, still homo-erotic sword fight partner, when your not-adopted son bursts in and yells that his gaze isn’t full of lot and longing but angry and frustrated at the cook's existence. All said at a shouted volume and with an enraged look on his face. Know did your, not-quite boyfriend wins some big points with you with his response of “frustrated longing is a thing too.” Which almost made you laugh, you had an image to keep up. Though it did send your, not son into a bit of a spiral and about to challenge your not-yet boyfriend to a fight. That you had to defuse as honestly your not son was being an idiot and your not yet boyfriend is also an idiot, and while idiot and idiot is also entertaining, this seems more like a crime than a fun show. 

After a month of this denial in the middle of the night, while you were sleeping he busted into your room and yelled.

“Okay so maybe I’m a little in love with him!” 

A lovely revelation that could have waited until the morning. Now you're either regretting adopting him as he obviously is just here to vex you. “Great glad you’ve come to terms with it.”  You attempt to roll over and go back to sleep but it seems your son is now choosing to chat your ear off. It almost seems like retribution for making him come to this revelation. Of course, your daughter sensing your awake comes in and joins in his babbling. So now you have both your children seated on the edge of your bed talking about boys, All while you’re trying to sleep. 

When your daughter started painting your nails do don’t really know but she was doing that while your son was braiding her hair as they continued to talk about boys. This is your life now, no sleep but your nails do look great so it’s a give-and-take you guess. 

[royalarchivist]

Etoiles: Oh, finally we had a funny moment in Purgatory, let's go. Oh, let's go! One week of wait to have a funny moment.

Roier always knows the best way to diffuse a tense situation.

[foxhole-pipe-dream]

I want to write an AU fic where Neil and Matt become roommates and it's the Best Thing Ever because they've been BFFs for years and what could possibly go wrong, but then Neil starts dating Andrew and they start having conflicts about wanting to use the apartment for private couple time.

Neil and Andrew like their privacy and Neil has probably walked in on Dan and Matt too many times for comfort—plus the lack of soundproofing leaves little to the imagination—so now they have to plan a schedule and work around each other.

Dan lives with Allison and Renee, and Andrew lives with his family, so their place is the better, more private option. And they both work, so that leaves less free time.

"Matt, I need the apartment on Friday afternoon."

"Oh, sure thing. Wait... I kiiinda already planned something for Dan and I on that day."

Silence.

"I guess I'll replan."

But it keeps happening til they start grating each other's nerves, eventually getting a bit passive aggressive then start bickering.

Everyone is like What the hell? You guys are fighting? Weird.

And they're horrified to realize that, for once, they are.

Basically:

Besties' First Fight.

[theskymother]

animal jam is a lot more fun when you're rich

[strangeaxel]

Hiii, I came to check on you today, how have you been? Have you eaten well? I would like to know how you are. ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Hi!! Omg thank you, that's sweet and kind of you /gen, Im doing okay today (i just woke up, it's 3 pm jajsjs) i been playing the sims 4 all day yesterday just building the pd1 house xD and doing other stuff :/

I haven't eaten that well tbh, i been eating lots of recipes with potatos and ordering stuff with potatos because my mom doesn't have any good money so we've been struggling a bit with money and stuff for a long time so im used to it i guess jskdk and potatos are all that we had at home.

I have been okay but at the same time very bad because I don't know if i wanna come back here, some of y'all postal art is very triggering for me and im a little disgusted at times, i just wish i could have a little bit more fun you know? Not feel intimidated. I think that or I'll either leave and just post occasionally or just keep posting and blacklist the postal tag :/

(i like this type of asks a lot btw thanks, makes me feel good and happy)

Here's a doodle that one of my friends requested xD it's postal dude 3 eating a massive burger...tf

[ll-until-the-very-end-ll]

Okay Snily friends! Hi! My Name is Shay and while yes I'm a Jily girlie, I come to your tag bearing gifts (sorta? Idk) anyway, In my language (Arabic) there has been this poem (turned song) that I have always associated with Snily ever since I was a young girl because the lyrics are so crazy spot on it lowkey feels like it was written about this specific ship (it was actually written based on a true story which is heartbreaking when considering the lyrics).

The poem name is (Ana Wa Layla) and it translates to (Me and Layla). A little background on this bit, Qais and Layla are pretty much the equivalent of Romeo and Juliet for Arabs. And the name Layla in Arabic is Written almost exactly like Lily minus two dots.

Demonstration:

Layla (ليلى)

Lily (ليلي)

So the song title could be easily read as (Me and Lily). I'll post the lyrics below and you can be the judge of how well it fits the context of the relationship between Snape and Lily (you're the experts after all and I'm a mere outsider).

(Keep in mind that 1- I am not a professional translator and Arabic is HARD language to translate so I might lose some meanings in the process. And 2- I will only be posting the English translation of the lyrics here so if you'd like to have the Arabic ones let me know and I'll send them to you)

The poem/song starts with a calm symphony (showcasing sorrow) and the first words are a line describing Laila's Lily's eyes:

"My pleas and prayers have died in the alter of your eyes"

And then it's followed by:

"And my flags surrendered to the winds of despair"

"My days shriveled at your closed and locked door"

" Oh Laila Lily"

"And what results did my cries get?"

The musical part that follows these words is more upbeat because the singer/musician wanted the musical intermission between lines to be interrupted as someone reliving their happy memories.

The music then calms again bringing us back to the current state of sorrow and the following lyrics are:

"For two years I couldn't make any music" the literal meaning isn't necessarily about music, it's about the poet losing his passion for everything for two whole years. In the context of Snily it could be interpreted as 6th and 7th years after the events of SWM.

"And there is no light in my skies anymore"

"I released the love in my heart and crushed it, so I could drink the grief that comes out of it in the dirtiest chalice" apologizes for my rough translation, the dirty chalice metaphor is supposed to be a symbol of feeling abandoned.

"I am so torn apart"

"I had no prestige or luxury to tempt you with" this line is talking about the guy Laila left the poet for *Ahem*James *Ahem* since he was far richer and from a well known family (not that Lily would fall for such shallow things as money and fame, but Laila did and that's just how the poem goes)

"So leave me with my pain"

"If you squeeze all the years of my life, you'll find blood dripping from all of my wounds"

"If I had been able to offer luxury, you would not have refused my love"

"But the roughness of my situation.."

"The poorness of my situation.."

"The weakness of my situation.."

"Is my tragedy"

"I suffered, Oh I suffered"

"But I have not revealed my sorrow, and you don't know a thing about my suffering"

"I walk and smile, oh Layla Lily, because I'm stubbornly hoping I could hide my inner demise from those around me"

"For people don't know what is wrong with me to excuse me"

"And they wouldn't even know how to console me"

"Deprivation rests upon my brow and sucks my blood"

"And it allows itself to take away my smiles too"

"But rest assured I forgive you for aborting all my hopes"

"It was never your fault..it was my foolishness" him calling her mudblood in front of everyone in SWM.

This part is followed by upbeat music again, signaling that the happy memories segment is back again before we enter the 2nd part of the poem/song. The poet mentions his reunion with Layla and how hurt he was after that reunion. Personally I feel this part somewhat describes the fall that happened between Snape and Lily (and maybe specifically the talk they had outside of Gryffindor's tower that was signaling the beginning of the end).

"I lost my caravan in the desert"

"And came searching for myself in your eyes" self explanatory line when it comes to Lily's eyes.

"And I seeked warmth in your embrace"

"Like a child carrying my naive dreams" Snape hoping they could go back to how things were before the incident.

"But instead your planted your palms into my soul, and pulled apart my veins" Lily still being bitter and upset about the situation.

"and you mercilessly suppressed my joy"

Another music intermission followed by:

"And now I'm estranged from my home"

"My city has abandoned me"

"And my sailboat couldn't sail away from her"

Dramatic music pause.

"I was exiled, and strangers settled in my country, and they have destroyed everything that I loved" another line about the guy Laila Lily chose over him.

"Your eyes betrayed you" x3 seriously can this poem/song could be anymore Lily Evans coded??

"Believing their fraudulent and lying nature.."

"Or was it his shiny armor that fooled you, My Lady.."

The music in this part starts picking up again where the poet/singer starts coming into terms with his loss and starts making peace with the fact that he will have to live with it

"I came to you as a butterfly to place the heavy weight of my wings within your hands but my wings were unjustly burned"

"I screamed while the sword was implanted in my waist"

"For betrayal has destroyed all of my dreams" C'monnnnnnn

"You should know I died when you did.."

"And so I deleted your precious transparent name from my language"

"For, it will be without Layla Lily,..."

"Layla Lily.."

"Layla Lily.."

"Layla Lily.."

"..My stories"

[cacw]

I think online mutual culture is killing some of you

[pa-pa-plasma]

one of the things that will always destroy me is people believing that good story = darker/more mature/more sexual. this belief has ruined so many stories that could have been amazing & has prevented almost everyone from enjoying other really good stories simply because the age range it's aimed at is one they believe can't have complex themes, characters, plot, etc etc. they don't believe they can be moved by something a publisher or studio decided is for kids & so write it off without even thinking about it. biggest curse of being a writer who actually loves stories & telling them is that literally no one else cares in the most pessimistic, higher-than-thou, capitalism brainrot way you can imagine. & it's all automatic. because that's just what you're taught.

[accursedthing]

Tbh I kind of hate those "NOT the same person. ARE the same person" Kingdom Hearts memes, not cause there's no humor to them but because most of the explanations for these things aren't actually that difficult, it's just possession or clones or spiritual connections most of the time, which are pretty common in fantasy stories (some of them like the Nobodies are kind of a can of worms but also not hard to understand in context and ANY fantasy story with multiple installments is going to have stuff like that), and yet people who aren't familiar with the series use these images all the time to support the running idea that Kingdom Hearts is like. Impossible to follow and makes no sense. Which I, of course, don't like because at its core it's just people calling a thing I like stupid. And I WILL take it too seriously because I have the kind of autism that makes you deranged about Kingdom Hearts

[pikachu-deluxe]

been thinking recently about how i play games (in general but also a bit on the competitive side on some)

turns out i don't particularly care about winning, i just want to have fun, but obviously i do like winning i just try to do win by doing very stupid stuff

it's way more fun for everyone involved when you do things against the meta or common sense and end up winning anyways bc it's so weird that it takes others by surprise

[drmajalis]

Put this together with my friend Erik for fun-

I purposefully made the thumbnail as clickbaity as possible

[eyes-above--the-waves]

I just feel like the people who don't think Mitch should be voted into the All Star game because he "hasn't been playing good enough" don't understand the point of the All Star game...

[randomnameless]

I have been playing Baten Kaitos EWLO for 3 days straight lol and...

Well, it has been a long time since I haven't played an old RPG !

We have NPCs!

And while some aren't relevant for sidequests and just exist for "flavour text" or stuff, well, they exist and of course add more meat to the environment! Farmer 55 who talks to famer 48 ? Sure they're talking about nonsense (going to the city to find a hubby!) but hey, at least they exist.

And when events happen with the plot, well, they react - in their way - they're not completely and utterly static!

Sure some of them are weird and cryptic as fuck (Mira!) but they feel like they're part of their setting/city they're in - i think it's also helped by the artistic/design choice for each island and area.

Also, special mention to the Diadem Knights (side)quest :

(Sidequest because you can theoretically let everyone die?)

Plot wise, a castle is assieged by the Empire in a surprise attack (hmm) and we have to help the knights protect their castle/defend themselves/protect their King.

And how to help them ? Well, you have spare knights in, somehow, your inventory, and have to support the ones fighting against the Empire, how? Well, when there are 2 knights fighting against 3 imperial soldiers, you have to add 1 knight from your inventory to make the numbers even, and the knights triumph over the imperials. And how to add knights to your "inventory"? Well you have to find the ones in the infirmary and motivate them (using their national flag!)

Sure, it's just a sidequest or a game mechanic, but damn if it, you know, just works getting the player involved with the current invasion and sense of urgency that comes with helping people defend their country from a surprise attack.

In the same vein, we had Triangle Strategy showcase in a small cutscene random yellow (Glenbrook) soldiers wondering why they were attacked, holding a line against red (Aesfrost) soldiers wanting to advance and march on their castle/city.

And because I didn't get the mechanics of this sidequest (tfw you suck lol) I let some knights die, and I'm pretty sure there is a house in the city where a person is waiting for a knight to return home (I think the knight was her son?) but well, since I kind of messed it up, when you return in this home she mourns his death.

But unlike a certain fandom and game in a franchise I still appreciate, no one blames the world, mechanics or the fish grilled over the oven for that knight's death, no, the people living in Diadem aren't written to be completely stupid and blame the aggressors, aka, the Empire (who also, apparently, wrote with markers over their lamp posts just to piss people off lol).

When you finally come in the Empire, well, you can talk - for a time - to the NPCs here and lo! They reveal they are imperialistic pieces of crap, because they think they're superior to the rest of the world and said rest of the world should bow to them - there's even a cutscene where a kid bumps in your party and insults you for making him lose his precious time.

Again, we're in a game who depicts each island/nation through their npcs : the empire is imperialistic? Well, they added NPCs to demonstrate that, it's not only hearsay - we go in the Empire, we talk to its people, we see them spit on us.

No false tea - but maybe Geldoblame was right and wanted to bring enlightment to the rest of the known world uwu - nope, not here.

People do shit, we see them do shit, and Geldoblame falls to his supposed demise after being turned in an eldritch abomination in a pit of lava.

Also, past events in backstories matter : we won't have, say, a character accepting being called a good girl and bonding over sweets with the daughter of the man who orchestrated the sack of her lands and the death of her people and siblings. Savyna's backstory involves murdering the people of Azha?

Watch as there is a cutscene about a kid running away from here, and how you're physically prevented from going in an area by some NPCs because she and Lyude (an imperial who was more or less exiled because he wasn't enough of an asshole) are in your party.

Kalas' is happy after being "finally complete"? Well, it was more or less foreshadowed in Balancoire, when we saw two NPCs talk shit about him because of his supposed "defect", aka only having one wing instead of having two.

Speaking about him...

Well, I watched my bro play the game on GC a long time ago lol, so I knew it, but you can see glimpses here and there about the twist, especially how Kalas himself seems to have more doubts or at least seems to regret his future course of actions, as the party learns more and more about the eldritch abomination he is supposed to release and the idea of betrayal - he is the one who is the most gung-ho about a possible mole in the party, he is seen doubting himself etc etc....

Nothing as hamfisted as a certain twist from another game, but it's nice to see and to spot the clues here and there that, well, he has an agenda that doesn't only revolve around avenging his grandpa and brother.

Given how the Switch version has the JP audio though, I noticed a blooper : Melodia, during the betrayal scene, calls Kalas in the jp audio "nii-san" but the script has her call him "my dear Kalas" - was Origins in preparation already and the devs really wanted to imply that Melodia is the daughter of the leads of BKO, who somehow, through a sidequest, help "create" Kalas?

Or does it relate to Kalas' creation, that happened before Melodia's, uh, "rebirth"?

IDK.

I'll make a post later on about the rest of the game (time to beat up monsters and use a mirror that'll totally work on Kalas to "free" him from the tainted influence!) but so far, from the cast, I'm really impressed with Gibari lol BK's take of the fisher bumpkin who's - totally not a former knight even if he is besties with the King - actually the one to impart wisdom and, in his way, try to refrain Kalas in the first chapters from acting too assholish really grew on me. Hell, it's Gibari who planned the rescue of his bro of a King, got a badass scene where he jumps (rather flies) in front of him to fight against the Imperials, and while it's obvious he's not adverse to using force, he's far from the "dumb muscle" archetype!

and he fucking kills monsters/eldritch abominations by bashing them with a paddle ffs

[nexus-nebulae]

the aftermath of having 2 terabytes of storage