#EVERY single enemy throughout the entire series!

[pagesofkenna]

driving myself crazy trying to figure out the most effective way to format this data

[raticalshoez]

I just feel the need to get this out there because this has been sitting in my Google Docs brainrot document:

I will always believe that Scar is the saddest, most tragic Life Series character.

I'm unsure whether this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I feel like if I were to ask people who they think the most tragic member is they might say Grian, or Martyn, or Jimmy simply because of #lore implications, but when I'm bored I like to reflect on the Life Series characters and...like...

3rd Life had Grian indebted to Scar, creating a narrative based around loyalty that inevitably had to end in tragedy when they were the last two standing, neither one of them wanting to be to one to lead to the dekise of the other. Everyone knows the origin story of Desert Duo, come on now. I'd argue this is one of Scar's less tragic seasons though because throughout the entire thing, he had the unfaltering loyalty of a person, and that loyalty didn't waver on his end either. One might be tempted to bring up the Bdubs friendship pass, but that was all part of a plan Scar formulated, and Grian just never happened to see the secret message sent to him. All in all, a story of companionship that's only tragic towards the end.

Then, Last Life comes, and he is lonely. People are really quick to point to Joel for being lonely this season, but if anything, I'd describe Joel as manic over just lonely. This whole season, Scar tries to make friends after losing his only one to the curse of a red life. Time and time again he's seen trying to help people, he acts as a life dispenser, and at every turn he us either dismissed and never truly seen as an ally, or he faces death, whether by natural causes or by the hand of another player. In fact, instead of making friends, he seems to make a sworn enemy out of Team BEST. This season is really what kickstarts Scar's progression into being one of the staples of Lonely Characters ™️ of the Life Series, for even his final death is practically alone, with no happy reunions with allies, and no boos from any sworn enemies either.

I could argue this is another case of Scar being faced with lonliness because his once closely knit ally in Grian, has now shown scorn for their new fated bond. Scar is left behind as Grian goes to be with BigB, and out of them two, BigB has the guilt to tell Ren the whole secret soulmate ordeal, but Grian keeps his mouth shut. Scar finds out about the whole situation on his own, bitterly offering gifts for Grian to give, and hanging out with Pearl, the girl who is quite literally the commonly accepted poster child for all aspects of loneliness depicted in the Life Series. In this series, I think Scar gets some sort of closure in Grian and him working together again towards the end of the season, but even so, the two of them die apart, in a way symbolizing the disconnect they had all season long.

Limited Life is quite possibly Scar's happiest season, and therefore I don't really have anything to say about it. I think to some degree, everyone in the Life Series has the ability to be an asshole, and I think every single character is morally grey, and with all that being said I think the person Scar needed most was Cleo. Sure, they enable him to be as chaotic as possible, and yeah, being around Ckeo thus season quite possibly made Scar the snarkiest he's been, but the connection he had with her, and just the Clockers overall was so strong. Yes, there's the whole Etho dad thing, and you could argue that's another tally for Scar's abandonment board, but really, that whole bit has always been more comedic to me than it has been entirely dramatic or angsty.

And everyone knows Secret Life. Once again, Scar finds himself in the role of the lonely merchant, running a shop solo, and constantly trying to make friends, but there is always something stopping him from doing so because something in this world HATES him. Scar doesn't make friends, no, in fact, the Secret Keeper screws him over so much that by the end of this season he is literally embracing the role of a villain. He goes on a killing spree, more successful than he's ever done before, and he finds himself face to face with Pearl, who wants him to take her life. He calls it lame, and not fair because if Pearl's good at the game, she should own it and between me and you personally, I think Scar's just got a soft spot for a fair fight between the last two standing. I think the saddest part of Secret Life is the lack of closure Scar gets because he is the only winner that doesn't get to die and meet in this sort of afterlife where everyone reunites and talks like friends again, as if they all hadn't caused each others' demise. Scar doesn't get that, and is instead stuck in, at least in Martyn's interpretation, an endless loop of pressing that succeed button over and over as he goes mad.

This is a ridiculously long post, but I just NEEDED to get it out of my system. I feel like people could argue the curse of having allies is more tragic because you have to witness their deaths, or you can make the argument that maybe trying to fund the most tragic Life Series character is redundant because with how this game is, everyone is bound to be tragic either way, and to which I say true. I just feel like in a game where it's so natural for people to split up into groups of 3, 4, sometimes even 5, Scar's a character that has ended up alone so many times. It's honestly quite insane. I will always say that Pearl and Joel are the lonely dog girl and lonely dog boy of the series, but if there was ever just...the Lonliest, that title would probably go to Scar.

[eddiesghxst]

PRICE OF FAME (PART 3/12)

ALRIGHTY HERE WE GO !!

————

18+ — MINORS DNI

pairing: rockstar!eddie x journalist!reader

summary: eddie and gareth don't get along and eddie thinks you look cute when you're sleeping

contains: enemies to lovers trope, smoking, alcohol use, maybe gareth's a bitch lol, scary feelings, a sprinkle of fluff, and eddie being down bad in every way, shape, and form <3

word count: 5.3k

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| series masterlist | -main masterlist- |

Breakfast has been your favorite part of joining Corroded Coffin on tour. Aside from the fluffy, soft, sweet pancakes, grease-dripping bacon, and toe-curling orgasmic coffee, breakfast has always been lighthearted and fun. Richie makes everybody sit at the table together like a family so there can be some sense of normalcy throughout the busy days; it’s nice.

You alternate with your seating, wanting to get to know all of the crew members as best as you can while you have the time, and you’ve had decent conversations amongst some awkward ones. On the first day, you sat next to Mitch, the light coordinator, and listened to his story about how he met his husband. They’re expecting a baby this fall, and you two bounced a few names off each other for him to consider. On the second day, you sat beside Kaylee, the tour stylist, and talked about your college horror stories. On the third day, you sat next to Brandon, a stage manager, and spoke about… well, you don’t really remember because he talked the entire time, and you kind of blanked out. Slowly, you’ve made your way around the table each day, learning little things about the group.

Today, however, there is not the usual lighthearted and familial atmosphere at the table.

You came down to the breakfast hall a bit late from your shower, and the second you stepped into the room, you could sense the tension still hanging from yesterday. You haven’t spoken to or seen Eddie since he confronted Gareth at the studio, and you’re not sure if he’d even want to see you, but you have no choice but to take the only open seat next to him.

You quietly say good morning to everyone, and Richie is the only one who gives you a warm response. “How’d you sleep, birdie?” He questions around a mouthful of eggs. You nod and settle in, “Good, I almost slept through my alarm.” You jokingly admit. Richie chuckles, “1500 thread count sheets will do that to you.” He says, causing the table to erupt in a soft symphony of laughter.

It falls awkwardly silent, and you try your best to avoid glancing at Gareth, but there’s no doubt everybody notices the shiner he’s sporting on his eye. The room is filled with sounds of forks clanking against plates and the quiet mumble of short, faint snippets of conversation until Richie clears his throat, “We’ve got an interview with the press at twelve and rehearsals at three, like always, so do what you need to do before then. We can’t be late for this interview, got it?” He reminds the crew, and everybody’s head nods in understanding, all but one.

“I’m not going.”

All eyes turn to Gareth, a full plate sitting untouched before him as he slumps back in his seat. Beside you, Eddie lights a cigarette, and you opt to busy yourself with taking a bite of your French toast, practically feeling the anger radiating from Eddie as he takes a drag. Richie clears his throat once again, scooting closer to the table and tilting his head with a look of confusion, “Um… why not?” He questions.

Gareth glances at him as best as he can with his black eye, “Because I’ve got an eye the size of a tennis ball on my face, Richie.” Everyone at the table seems to uncomfortably shift now that the elephant in the room has been addressed. Eddie doesn’t waste a second to speak up from beside you, “Nothing you didn’t deserve.” For the first time since yesterday, Eddie looks at Gareth and sees the swollen eye he left from yesterday. Eddie doesn’t show a single hint of regret.

The table returns to quietly eating as Gareth ignores Eddie’s comment, “I’m not going.” He reiterates. Richie sighs and rubs the coarse mustache on his face, “You have to go, Gareth. Just put some shades on.” He suggests, returning to his food as if the conversation finished, but Gareth holds up. “I’m not gonna sit there in shades like a fucking idiot, man.”

“Well, you don’t have a choice, son,” Richie snaps, dropping the fork in his plate to look at Gareth. You wish the floor would open up and swallow you whole, and you’re sure you’re not the only person with that wish when you look at the other crew members at the table. “This band has an album coming soon,” he reminds the group, “We don’t have time for rumors and gossip to start circulating; you need to show up as a unit. This isn’t up for debate.”

The conversation could’ve ended there because, quite frankly, it seemed like Gareth was willing to go with it, but Eddie couldn’t let the moment to say something slip, “Just let him go, Rich.” He shrugs. You glance at Eddie, watching as he taps his cigarette ash into his plate, “It’s not like he brings much to the table anyway.”

Across the table, from the corner of your eye, you see Gareth lean forward to glare at Eddie, “The fuck does that mean?” He snaps.

Eddie looks at Gareth for the second time and shrugs, “Means you’re a shit band member, man. Fuckin’ Mitch has done more for this band than you ever have or could’ve done.” He gestures towards Mitch, ignoring when the man slightly cowers in his seat. Gareth looks at Eddie with a stone-cold glare, saying nothing momentarily and letting the thick blanket of silence curl around everyone's neck. He leans forward and points a finger at Eddie, who’s not even looking at him anymore, “Fuck you. You wonder why Chrissy left you for Jason Carver, it’s because you’re a fucking asshole.”

“Jesus Christ, guys–” Jeff tries to interject, but Gareth continues speaking, “At least Jason acknowledges her. That’s more than you ever did.” He jabs. Eddie chuckles, shaking his head before speaking around a cloud of smoke, “You don’t know shit about me and Chrissy.”

Gareth tauntingly laughs, “Nah, she filled me in quite a fuckin’ bit.”

The invisible ticking time bomb seems to have gone off in Eddie’s mind. He stands up from his chair, a loud screeching noise grating everyone's ears as he flicks his cigarette into his plate, “The fuck did you just say?”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Richie interjects, standing up and raising his hands as a gesture to stop. “Enough. Fucking enough,” he glances between the two heated men in annoyance, “I don’t know what’s gotten into you boys, but you need to figure your shit out on your own time.” He snaps. Your hands rest in your lap, anxiously picking at the seam of your jeans, wanting to shrink into your seat because you can’t help but feel as if this is your fault. It was your journal he read anyway; you play some part in the issue, right?

Richie sits back down with an exhaustive huff, picking up his fork to resume eating, but before he picks up a piece of his food, he gestures at the table, “Either sit down and finish your goddamn meal, or fuck off somewhere. Both of you.”

Eddie stands for a moment before deciding to leave without another word.

By the time the press interview rolls around, you’re more anxious than you thought you’d be. Between the time frame of breakfast and now, you had more than enough time to ponder over the messy situation you’ve accidentally created between Gareth and Eddie.

Truthfully, you had no idea that the Chrissy Gareth had mentioned during your conversation was Eddie’s ex-girlfriend Chrissy; hell, you didn’t even know Eddie had an ex-girlfriend named Chrissy until yesterday!

On one of your few sit-downs with Gareth, you ended up discussing his love life, and you took the leap of faith to ask him if he’d ever been in love.

“…There was one girl. Her name was Chrissy; we went to high school together.” 

“You dated?” “No,” Gareth shakes his head, “No, we never dated. But I always had this weird connection with her… like we understood each other in a deeper way.”

You smile in awe of the sweetness behind his words, jotting down little notes in your journal as he speaks. “I always admired her to an extent, but she, uh,” he clears his throat and scratches at his jaw, “she was in another relationship for most of the time I knew her.”

Gareth silently watches as you continue to write. You look up at him when you realize he’s been silent for a while, and you open your mouth to ask what is wrong, but he speaks before you, “Is this um,” he gestures towards your journal, “this bit isn’t going in the final publish, right?” He asks. You tilt your head, a few questions running through your mind, but you brush them off, “Um… well, I suppose I can leave some of it out, yes.”

Gareth nods, shifting in his chair and clearing his throat. “Okay, good. Um… well, anyways,” he begins, “Me and Chrissy didn’t hook up until I went back to Hawkins during our break off from last year's tour.” 

Ultimately, Gareth had explained that Chrissy had recently left a three-year relationship when they’d hooked up. He explained that they crossed paths at a bar, and things took off from there, but he cut it off with her the following morning. He never told you why he cut it off, but you now understand the guilt of betraying his best friend had forced him to do so.

You had no idea that the entire conversation was pertaining to Eddie’s ex; if you had known, you would’ve never written it down. You wouldn’t have even finished the conversation if Gareth had told the whole truth because, quite honestly, you would rather not be in the mix of this disaster. 

You’re disappointed. Upset that Gareth practically used you to get the guilt off his chest. And the truth is, that conversation did little to nothing for Gareth in the long run; he still felt guilty for never telling Eddie, and it’s only gotten worse with the added tension between them now that the secret is out.

Eddie was cold toward you before, but now he’s thicker than the ice in Antarctica. He’s avoiding you at all costs— and maybe he’s just avoiding everybody. Still, you can’t help but take his avoidance personally, especially when you’d thought you were finally reaching some sort of middle ground with him.

You sit off to the side of the stage with the rest of the band’s crew as you watch them take their seats for the press interview. Eddie sits on one end of the table while Gareth sits at the other end, the other two members filling the two seats in between. Gareth had no choice but to cover his black eye with a dark shade of glasses, and it seemed like nobody paid mind to it— typical rockstar wardrobe and all.

The interview was off to a good start, with reporters asking questions about the upcoming album, life on the road, and relatively anything about the music. Near the end, however, is when things seemed to get rocky. The questions became more of a filler than anything important, and boys were evidently tired of answering. It wasn’t until a journalist asked a specific question that things seemed to reach a tipping point.

“There’s been rumors that this album has more love songs than usual. Could you confirm or deny that?” 

The boys look at each other, and Gareth leans forward to respond, but Eddie beats him to it. “There were a few, yeah, but um… They didn’t make the final cut, so maybe next time.” 

The energy vividly shifts amongst the boys; Gareth looks at Eddie and scoffs before leaning back into his chair, clearly throwing in the towel for the rest of the interview. You don’t understand the apparent dispute just now, but you find out when the boys finish the interview and walk into the green room.

“What the fuck, man?” Gareth spits, walking a few paces behind Eddie. “We’re not cutting the song.” His loud voice booms through the room, not caring if anybody will overhear their dispute. 

“I’m not putting a song out that you wrote about my fucking ex-girlfriend, Gareth. Are you out of your fucking mind?” Eddie snaps. 

Richie turns to the band and crew members and motions for them to leave the room, which nobody even bothers to protest, eager to escape any more awkward conversations for the day. Everybody else makes a beeline for the tour bus, planning to fill in the few hours before rehearsal.

You glance back at the room where Eddie and Gareth are bickering, and you bravely choose to sit in the chair outside the doorway. You try not to stick your nose in their business, but they’re arguing loud enough for you to hear snippets either way. The conversation doesn’t last long before Gareth storms out of the room and down the hall, bursting through the doors and out of sight.

You glance back into the room where Eddie stands, fishing out his pack of cigarettes and sparking up. You figure now is better than ever, so you clench your bag strap and stand up, hesitantly stepping into the room. Clearing your throat once you’re a few steps away from Eddie, you watch as he exhales a cloud of smoke. He glances at you and turns away, “What do you want?”

You take one step closer, “I um… I wanted to apologize.” You begin. He looks at you again, brown eyes tired and riddled with pain— and you can’t imagine how much of a whirlwind the past twenty-four hours have been for him. “For what?” He asks, confusion and annoyance laced within his tone.

He’s turned to face you, shiny chains glistening on his hips beneath the building lights. You shake your head, struggling to find the words, because, was this really even your fault?

You obviously can’t apologize for Gareth fucking his ex-girlfriend— you had no part in that— and it’d seem silly to apologize for accidentally dropping your journal. So, what exactly do you apologize for? How do you let him know that you’re sorry this was how he found out, even if it isn’t entirely your fault?

You decide to try and redirect your wording, “I want you to know that I was never going to put that in the final article.” You say.

Eddie scoffs, taking a drag of his cigarette before responding, “And why would I believe that?” He questions. 

He’s gazing at you like the first night you’d met when he was watching you from across the green room and commanding you to leave. You think he has the same intentions now, but Eddie has yet to learn that you’re stubborn.

“Well, for starters, Gareth asked me not to put it in,” you admit. Eddie’s jaw tenses and part of you feels as if you’ve tossed Gareth under the bus, but you had no choice. This was Gareth’s doing, and if you have to tell the ugly truth to save your image, then so be it. “He didn’t tell me why, but I know now. And now that I know the full truth behind that story, I definitely won’t write it in.”

Eddie watches you momentarily, intense eyes burning holes through you before he turns away. He scratches his jaw for a moment, taking a breath before returning to you. Eddie points to you, the burning cigarette hanging between his fingers as he speaks, “You know,” he begins, “somehow, you’ve managed to persuade everyone that you’re some sweet, innocent small-town journalist that just wants to ‘appreciate the artists,’ but that,” he gestures to your bag where he knows your journal is resting, ashes fluttering to the ground with each wave of his hand.

“That proved everything I believed about you.” He says. “People like you are fucking vampires. You suck the life out of people to keep you alive, and it’s fucked up.” He snaps. 

Your face twists in anger, subtly shaking your head as you subconsciously step closer, “Eddie, I didn’t… I didn’t even know she was your ex, and if I did, I would’ve never written about it.” You exclaim, tossing your hands in exasperation. “And I’m sorry you found out the way you did, but you can’t hate me for something someone else did!”

Eddie frustratedly rubs his face, “That’s not the point!” He exclaims. “I read your journal. I saw everything I needed to see to confirm that I was right about everything with you and this fucking article.” He stresses, his loud voice echoing throughout the empty room.

“I'm not here to destroy your life, Eddie!” You snap, voice raising to match the level of his own. Eddie steps closer, towering over you and glaring so intensely into your eyes that you almost cower, “I don’t fucking believe that for a second.” He snaps back.

His chest rises and sinks like a rocky boat beneath his angry breaths, and he’s so close you can smell the cigarettes and mint on his breath. The scent of his cologne wrapping around you and choking you like a snake.

You don’t know how much more patient you can be with Eddie. You don’t know how much more of this back-and-forth you can take before it drives you insane. You want it to end. You want him to understand that you’re not his enemy; you never were.

You can only think of doing one thing: unzipping your bag and reaching in to grab your journal. Eddie watches with a hint of confusion in his eyes as you crack open the journal and start flipping through the pages. “What are you doing?” He asks in annoyance, patience running thin at your silence.

You flip through nearly half of the book before finding the pages you sought. You don’t think twice before ripping them out, not even caring if it destroys the binds of your precious journal. “The fuck are you doing?” Eddie asks again.

You tear each page out and drop the book to the floor, ignoring Eddie’s questions as you shred each torn-out page to pieces. Eddie watches in silent and hidden shock as each pen-soaked strip flutters to the ground, creating a heap of trash between where you both stand.

You tear the last piece and let it fall before looking at Eddie, watching as he gazes at the torn pages. Nearly five pages worth of writing, gone.

“There. It’s gone. Do you believe me now?” 

Eddie says nothing when he drags his gaze up to look at you, shock-ridden across his face. “I’m not who you say I am, Eddie. I’m not here to ruin your life; that was never my intention.”

Eddie stays silent, seemingly lost for words, and even if you want him to say something, your braveness has begun to falter, and you itch to leave the room. You’re strong-willed, but you’re no fucking superwoman, and Eddie has pulled every exhausting breath out of you, and you can’t seem to get a grip because every time you breathe in, all you smell and feel is Eddie.

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.

You grab your destroyed journal from the floor, not bothering to try and fix the binding before you shove it back into your bag, and you don’t say another word as you leave the room.

You’ve been writing for hours when you check the clock— twelve thirty-two. The band played a show tonight, but you decided to stay in your hotel to let your ankle rest— you haven’t been taking all the precautions the medic advised you to, so by the time lunch rolled around, you were in an uncomfortable fit of pain. You used your free time by tweaking the draft of your article— adding in new pieces of information and taking out unnecessary notes. You’re about twenty pages in, but by the end of the month, you’ll have compiled it all into ten; but for now, it seems your brain has become a muddled mess of words and ideas. 

You suppose drinking three glasses of wine didn’t help fix that, either. You’re tipsy, teetering on the edge of drunk, and that’s a dangerous place to be when you’re practically working. You don’t even want to think of the past drunken works you’ve made; they’re worse than you’d like to admit.

You sigh, dropping your pen onto the hotel desk, leaning back in your chair, and rubbing your hand down your face in exhaustion. You glance over to the chair you’ve propped up to rest your injured leg, deciding that you should probably ice it since you’ve neglected to do so all day.

You figure you’re done writing for the day anyway, so you put your things in order before grabbing the ice bucket and making your way out of the room to find the ice machine. 

What you don’t expect to find on your journey is a sleepy Eddie sitting in the hallway just a few doors down from yours. Maybe you drank four glasses of wine.

Out of common, drunk courtesy, you redirect your path and limp over to where he sits, arms folded across his chest and head leaned back against the wall with shut eyes.

You gently say his name to grab his attention, but he doesn’t budge. You shuffle closer, calling his name out again, and when that doesn’t work, you gently nudge him with your non-injured foot. His eyes flutter open, blinking away the light sleep from his eyes as he looks at you.

You tilt your head in question and ask, “What are you doing sleeping in the hallway?” 

Eddie shifts in his spot, grunting and glancing at the bucket in your hands. From the looks of it, Eddie is as sober as can be, so you guess he decided to skip out on the after-show festivities they usually partake in. “I um… I lost the key card to my room.” He explains, gesturing to the door across from where he’s seated.

“The band is out for the night, and the lobby’s closed, so…” 

You nod in understanding, glancing around the empty hallway, catching sight of a cleaning lady entering a room down the corridor. And technically, you don’t owe Eddie anything.

You could leave him here in the hallway to spend the night sleeping on the hard ground, and it probably wouldn’t bother him either way because Eddie clearly doesn’t like you, but fuck you feel bad.

You’re not a terrible person. You wouldn’t kick somebody when they’re already down, and Eddie… Eddie is clearly down.

Before you can thoroughly think it over, your liquor-weighted mouth speaks before you can stop yourself, “You could crash in my room for the night.”

Eddie looks at you with the blankest expression he could ever muster and blinks, “Why would I do that?”

God, he’s such a fucking asshole.

You shrug, gently swinging the bucket in your hand and glancing around again, “I don’t know, unless you'd like to sit here all night like a moron, then be my guest.”

Your ankle hurts as you stand and wait for Eddie to make up his mind, and just when you almost decide to throw in the towel and let him fend for himself, Eddie grumbles a short “Fine,” and gets up.

You watch as he reaches down to grab his leather jacket and turns to you, “You can go ahead; I have to get ice for my foot.” You tell him, pointing to your door so he knows where to go.

Eddie glances down at your injured leg and says nothing before he reaches forward and gently takes the bucket from your hands— cold, jewelry-covered fingers brushing up against your warm knuckles and sending shivers up your spine.

He hands you his jacket, and you stand silently, confused by the exchange. Before you can ask what he’s doing, he answers your question, “I’ll get the ice.” And he doesn’t even bother looking at you before turning around and leaving to find the ice machine.

You’re too drunk to figure out what that was about, and your ankle is starting to throb under the pressure of standing, so you walk back to your room clutching his jacket and trying your hardest not to let the familiar scent of Eddie knock you dead.

You leave the door slightly propped open for Eddie and place his jacket on the chair near the desk. In the meantime, you busy yourself with removing your suitcase and clothes you’d haphazardly tossed around from the extra bed where Eddie will be sleeping. You figure you’ll just head to bed once Eddie gets here, so you exchange your jeans and fitted top for shorts and a ratty old He-Man shirt from high school.

You’re setting your previous clothes aside when Eddie steps into the room, a bucket full of ice in one hand with a Coke and chips in the other. You raise an eyebrow, questioning the extra items, and he shrugs as he shuts the door with his foot, “What? The vending machine was right next to the ice, and I was hungry.” He explains as he places the bucket on the desk, making sure to avoid placing it on your work pages. He tries his best not to look at what you’ve written, and you don’t point it out when he clears his throat and diverts his attention to something else. He grabs the wine bottle and shakes it, raising an eyebrow when he realizes it’s less than halfway full, “I take it someone had a good time?”

You roll your eyes, walking over to take the bottle and put it back on the desk. “Not that it’s any of your business.” You respond, turning to grab a ziplock to fill with ice. Eddie takes the bag from you and shoos you away, “Go sit down, I’ll do it.”

Your face twists in confusion, “You’re starting to scare me. Are you gonna kill me?”

Eddie laughs and busies himself with scooping large chunks of ice and dropping them into the open ziplock. “I will if you don’t sit down.” He responds.

You relent and walk over to your bed, sitting at the head of the mattress to lean against the pillows near the headboard, doing your best to shove a pillow beneath your foot lazily. You sit silently, hands folded against your stomach, watching Eddie work.

He’s wearing his usual black jeans, decorated with hanging chains from his waist, and a plain white shirt, hidden muscles flexing beneath the soft cotton. His shoulders are broad yet hidden beneath the thick, curly mane of hair he has. Tattoos litter his arms, a few trickling down to his fingers, and you catch glimpses of his knuckles dripping with drops of water from the ice and— fuck.

There’s no way you’re checking out Eddie Munson, the asshole who’s made your life a living hell these past few weeks. You really can’t handle your liquor.

You panic and grab the TV remote, quickly turning it on to fill the silence. You distract yourself by watching the random sitcom playing until Eddie steps into your view. You must’ve been focused on the show because Eddie seems to have traveled to the restroom to get a towel to wrap around your makeshift ice pack. Your sheets are pulled back, leaving your bare legs on display, and you can’t help but squirm when Eddie stands at the foot of the bed and takes in the sight of you.

He says nothing as he gently lowers the ice onto your ankle. His inked fingers sink into the plush cotton of the towel, and if Eddie weren’t an artist, you bet he could land a job as a hand model. Or maybe you’ve really lost it.

His gaze flickers to catch your wide eyes, and you hold your breath when he speaks, “Is it too cold? Do you need another towel?” He asks. You stutter to answer him, so you shake your head no, eventually sputtering out a response of, “N-no, it’s fine. Thank you.”

Eddie turns to grab his snacks and falls into the other bed with a sigh, cracking open the bag of chips and popping a few into his mouth. You grimace and pull the sheets over your body as you comment, “If you bring ants to my room, I swear to god, Munson, I’ll hunt you down.” 

Eddie chuckles, glancing at you as you shift around and get comfortable in bed, “Not with that broken foot, you won’t.”

You glare at him over the heap of expensive duvets and pillows, “I wonder whose fault that is?” You respond, falling back into bed when you see him roll his eyes. 

Eddie clears his throat after a moment, “Speaking of that,” he begins; you peek over at him once again to watch as he puts the chips aside and grabs the remote to start flicking through channels. “Since we’re off these next four days, you should keep it light on your feet.”

You sarcastically laugh, “Don’t tell me you’re actually concerned for my well-being. This night keeps getting weirder and weirder.” You joke. Eddie pauses his task to glance at you, “No, I just…” You raise an eyebrow, urging him to continue. He rolls his eyes, “I’m not a complete asshole, you know?” He grumbles, turning back to the TV.

You’re snuggled into your sheets now as you watch Eddie flip through the channels, admiring how different features of his face light up under the different colors from the screen. He’s… pretty.

“What do you have planned for your days off?” You question behind a drawn-out yawn. You think you catch a glimpse of a smile on Eddie’s lips, but you can’t see very well in the dim lighting. “My Uncle Wayne is flying in, so… I’m spending time with him,” Eddie explains. You smile, “Your uncle?” 

Eddie nods, and you hum, “That’s nice… Can I meet him?” 

You’re never drinking wine again.

Eddie looks at you as if you’ve asked him the dumbest question on earth, “Why would… why?”

You shrug, “Maybe he’ll help me figure out why you’re such a grump.” You half-heartedly tease. Eddie scoffs, returning to watch the movie he’s landed on, “If you think I’m grumpy, you’re not equipped to meet Wayne.” He comments. And then something remarkable happens.

Eddie smiles to himself.

It’s small and obviously not meant for your eyes, but you see it either way, and it… fuck, it makes you feel things you would’ve never imagined you could for such an asshole of a man. What is going on?

“He can’t be any worse than you.” You joke. Eddie scoffs, “Nah, Wayne takes the cake for grumpiest man alive,” he bids. 

Eddie tells you about Wayne, little memories he remembers that bleed into more memories until, eventually, he’s practically taking a walk down memory road. You go back and forth with him, commenting when you had a similar situation or when Eddie mentioned the same show you loved in high school.

At some point, Eddie’s stories and the low hum of the TV lull you to sleep, and you find yourself lying in cotton candy clouds, sinking into the softness and letting it surround you. 

Eddie’s not sure when you checked out on him, but he figures he’d been talking to himself for a while because you're fast asleep when he looks over at you.

He watches you for a moment and appreciates the way the blue and white hues of the TV dance across your face. Your skin looks soft under the fluorescent lights, and he thinks the steady rise and fall of your breaths is more entertaining than any movie he could’ve landed on. And you’re so pretty— soft and molded to perfection, and Eddie thinks he might like you more like this; when you’re not talking and being the most obnoxious person he’s ever met. Eddie hates the feeling he gets in his chest from just looking at you. 

You’re cute, he thinks.

He shakes his head to free himself from whatever weird feelings are spiraling through his mind, and he turns off the TV, letting the darkness swallow the room.

He’ll just have to worry about his feelings another time, he thinks.

————

part four

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a/n: HII U MADE IT TO THE END, U CAN ALL THANK MY STINK @mmunson86 FOR THE TINY PIECE OF FLUFF, THIS WAS FOR U BAE <3 ANYWAYS, PLS LET ME KNOW HOW U LIKED THIS PART I ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR UR FEEDBACK, ILY BYE

————

cutie lil taglist: @mastermindmiko @whataboutbibi @ryanmxrie @ihatepeanutss @tlclick73 @motherfckerrr @emxxblog @jesssssmaybankk @eddiesguitarskills @bibieddiesgf @chloe-6123 @micheledawn1975 @demxnicprxncess @emma77645 @sidthedollface2 @mvnsonslvt @s-u-t

[delicatebarness]

safe & sound | chapter one

Summary: An attack on the estate causes the security to tighten and means the worst of the Rogers comes home.

Warning: Mob AU. Age Gap (Bucky - late 40s/Reader - early 20s). Dad's Best Friend. Mentions of Violence/Blood/Bones. Mentions of weapons. For Peter being 3 and a half minutes older, he is an immature man-child.

Word Count: 1322

Spotify Playlist

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter |Next Chapter

A/N: I wrote this and the last chapter of I Think He Knows in the same night and I am such a wreck. Oops, I dropped this.

Tags: @wintrsoldrluvr | @mostlymarvelgirl | @abaker74 | @scott-loki-barnes

It started as a seemingly ordinary day, the morning sun casting long shadows across your family’s estate as you went through your daily routine. Your newly assigned bodyguard, Sergeant James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, always stood at a discreet distance away, scanning the surroundings with his practiced vigilance. 

You adjust your bag on your shoulder, giving Bucky a small smile. You always felt a strange sense of comfort knowing Bucky was near. He was more to you than just your protector; he’s your father’s best friend since childhood and second-in-command. You’ve known and trusted him for your entire life.

The estate’s iron gates creak open as you walk towards the car waiting to take you into town. Bucky’s posture remained relaxed, but you noticed the slight tightening of his jaw. He’s always alert.

The Rogers Estate; is strategically located offering privacy and security. Situated in a sprawling countryside upscale neighborhood. Surrounded by acres of lush greenery and perfect landscaping. Shielded by towering walls and guarded gates, the head of the Rogers family believed security was paramount. Installing state-of-the-art surveillance throughout the entire grounds. There was not a single blind spot, he saw everything. 

Yet, no fortress is impervious, and danger always finds its way in.

~

Suddenly, a screech of tires shatters the silence of the estate. A black van swerves into the driveway, and masked men with guns begin to pour out. The peaceful morning instantly turned into chaos as the men began shouting orders and brandishing their weapons. 

“Get down!” Bucky barked at you, pushing you behind a marble column. 

Drawing his weapon, Bucky fired with deadly precision. Your heart pounded in your chest as you crouched low, bullets ricocheting off stone and metal. You weren’t entirely native to your parent's work, you’ve always known they had enemies, but this was the first time you felt their malevolence so close. 

Bucky moved like a predator, every shot he took neutralized a threat. He was outnumbered, but his determination and training kept him in control of the situation. As you peek out, your fear mixed with awe at his focus.

Your breath catches in your throat as you notice one of the attackers rushing towards you. Bucky’s gaze met yours for a brief moment before he was able to react. In what felt like the speed of light, he tackled the man to the ground, disarming him and delivering a punch so brutal it left the man unconscious.

In the distance, you notice the familiar SUVs arrive, the estate’s backup security. The shoot-out ended as quickly as it began, leaving an eerily silence in its wake. 

Bucky reached out to help you to your feet, his pull gently. “Are you hurt?” he asked with urgency as he examined your face. 

“No, I’m okay,” you reply, your voice trembling. “Thanks to you.” you offered him a small reassuring smile, and he returned it as he reached out, rubbing your cheek with his thumb for only a moment. 

Your father, Steve, arrived moments later, his face contoured into a controlled fury. Rushing over, he embraced you tightly before turning to Bucky.

“Who were they?” he demanded, his eyes turned a deeper shade of blue with his anger.

“They looked like Rumlow’s,” Bucky replied, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. “It seemed like a random hit. But,” his voice trailed as he took another glance at you. “We need to tighten security all the same, they knew when to strike.” 

Your father nods, his expression hardening the more the gears in his head turn. “I’ll speak to Stark,” he stated firmly, referring to Tony Stark, a longtime ally of the Rogers family and exceptional in mechanics and technology. 

As your father began making calls to arrange meetings, you stood by reaming close to Bucky. His eyes, usually sharp and focused, softened as he looked down at you. He placed a hand on the small of your back, ushering you towards the safety of the house. 

Inside, the atmosphere was tense but yet, controlled. Bucky remained close by your side, guiding you to a secluded area of the house, away from the commotion your father brought back in with him behind you. 

Before you can fully process the events that happened moments ago, the door bursts open with a thud, and Natasha, your mother, storms in. Her eyes were wide with fear and desperation, a look you had never seen your mother sport.

“Are you alright?” she demanded your answer, trembling with emotion as she rushed toward you. Her hands reach out to cup your cheeks, moving your head and twisting your body to assess any signs of injury. Her controlled demeanor which she usually wears, shattered.

You met her gaze, she searched for reassurance in your eyes. “I’m okay, Mom,” you tried to reassure her, your voice threatening to discredit you. “Uncle Buck kept me safe,” you shot her a small smile. 

Grasping you into an embrace, she turned to Bucky, “Thank you,” she whispered, sincerity laced in her tone. 

Bucky nods, “I won’t let anything happen to her,” he vows to one of your parents, for the second time. 

~

As the days passed, you found yourself seeking peace again in the tranquil embrace of the garden. The vibrant blooms and gentle rustle of leaves provided a calm sanctuary for your mind. 

You were suddenly startled by the sound of approaching footsteps. Glancing up, you saw Peter, your twin brother, emerging from the shadows. His presence casts a shadow over the serenity of the garden. 

His gaze was cold and calculating, “What are you doing here?” his voice dripped with contempt as he approached. 

He was, ever the hostile older, by 3 and a half minutes, brother and you could only assume that his mood had only worsened since your parents cut his business trip short. Despite sharing the same bloodline, your paths diverged sharply. 

“Reading,” you replied, trying to keep your voice steady as you gestured to the book you were holding.

Peter scoffed. “Of course,” he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the garden. “Always so sensitive, one little scare and you seek refuge in pretty flowers.” 

Your grip on your book tightened, and the sting of his words cut deep, “Just leave me alone.”

A cruel smile tugged at the corners of Peter’s lip, his eyes gleamed with malice. “Make me,” he taunted, snatching the book out of your hands. You watched with frustration as his actions were fuelled by his desire to provoke and intimidate. 

“Give it back, Pete,” you demanded, rising to your feet.

Peter laughed, a harsh, mocking sound that echoed through the garden. “What’s the matter, little sister?” he continued his taunts, flipping through the pages. “Can’t handle a little fun?”

Your fists clenched, the urge to lash out nearly overwhelming. But, the years of conditioning yourself to keep emotions in check and not be like him, held you back. “Just give it back,” you repeated, your voice almost breaking.

His grin only widened, he thrived in your discomfort. “Or what?” he challenged, “What are you going to do about it?”

Before you could respond, a voice cut through the tension, sending both you and Peter snapping your heads around in surprise. 

“What’s going on here?” Bucky stood at the edge of the garden, his expression was a mix of concern and disapproval as his gaze flickered between you and Peter. “Peter, your dad wants a word with you,” 

Hesitating for a moment, Peter narrowed his eyes in defiance. But, he ultimately tossed the book aside with a dismissive flick of the wrist, indifference spread across his features. As he disappeared toward the house, you let out a shaky breath. The tension drained from your shoulders as you kneed down, reaching for your book.

In your haze, you never noticed that Bucky had also knelt. For a moment, his hand grazed over yours and your gazes met.

---

Series Masterlist | Previous Chapter |Next Chapter

[rigberts]

thinking about how insane the demon slayer art style and character design is. like, the the nose, mouth, and face shapes of everyone in the main cast are virtually identical regardless of gender, and yet every single character has a very distinct personality at first glance. And unlike other popular anime, it isn't their rainbow hair colors or painstakingly customized uniforms that help the audience tell them apart (though I do love their outfits).

It's almost entirely their eyes.

The best example of this is probably shinobu. Her eyes are enormous, round, and purple, things associated with femininity. However, they have no pupil or sclera and have a matte gradient effect. The gradient effect gives an appearance similar to an insect's compound eyes, giving a nod to her abilities and character aesthetic, but more importantly, the lack of reflected light makes her eyes look completely dead. This tells you everything you need to know about shinobu's character. She's beautiful and graceful in her appearance and mannerisms, but she's also lost the most important thing in her life, is capable of great cruelty towards her enemies, takes a sadistic delight in their pain, and her cheerful and benevolent persona is a facade. Basically, by just drawing a couple of carefully shaded circles, the artist lets you know that even if this character acts lively and upbeat, that fact that there is no light behind her eyes shows that it is false.

This is thrown into even greater contrast when a flashback is shown of kanae, shinobus late sister, who we know that shinobu seeks to imitate with her faux cheerfulness. Though their faces are identical, their eyes couldn't be more different. Where shinobus eyes are matte and reflect no light, kanaes are glossy and have three enormous highlights in each eye, making her look literally starry eyed, and that's reflected in her personality. Kanae is shown to kind, overly idealistic, and optimistic to the point of being airheaded: the exact opposite of shinobu, who is bitter, cunning, and capable of great cruelty.

Anyway demon slayer really makes the most of visual storytelling in even its smaller details.

Some other highlights in character design:

rengoku's constantly wide eyes with their rings of contrasting color that almost resemble an optical illusion perfectly convey everything about his most important character trait, his unrelenting intensity. Additionally, depending on context, his wide-eyed appearance can either be played for laughs or deeply unnerving, depending on whether his neverending enthusiasm is being directed towards complimenting tasty food or carving up his enemies with a smile.

Obanai has heterochromia identical to that of a cat, and let's be real, his personality is pretty cat-like. He's proud, disdainful, and judgemental of others, but he is also full of unconditional love for Mitsuri, even if he usually only shows it by quietly enjoying her company. Plus, it's also revealed that the reason obanai fell in love with mitsuri is because she is a genuine person who doesn't push his boundaries, giving him someone he can truly be comfortable around. Anyone who's interacted with a cranky stray cat before can tell you how familiar that sounds.

Nezuko has three separate sets of eyes throughout the series. As a human, her pupils are pink with complicated black shading and with a white highlight, once again hinting at her innocence. As a demon she usually has pink eyes with a circular highlight, but all the shading and therefore all the "depth" is gone. Since she doesn't remember that her family was killed and has somewhat regressed to a childlike state, nezuko still has her innocence (as shown by the highlight) but has lost her complexity that made her fully human. When she becomes enraged, her pupils become dark and slitted and her irises lose their reflective sheen, showing that not only is she monstrous, she has temporarily regained the capacity for anger and other dark emotions, and lost the ignorance/innocence that keeps her monstrous instincts at bay.

Muichiro has no memory of anything but the last three months of his life, and likewise, his eyes are foggy and dull

In the case of aoi, the square, blocky shape of her pupil implies a lot about her character: the fact that she's somewhat ordinary and a reliable, steady ally, even if she can be a little stiff.

I'm fairly certain that tanjirous red eyes were supposed to have narrative importance and signal that he is a descendant of yoriichi until it was decided at some point that yoriichi had no children and tanjirou was a descendant of a friend of yoriichi instead (either that or the reveal was planned from the beginning and the eye color was a red herring), but that's beside the point. Tanjirous eyes are red with dark shading, and do not have a highlight, though they do have a white pupil. This combination represents tanjirous emotional maturity, the combination of negativity and positivity. Unlike shinobu, who has no light in her eyes and is controlled by her resentment, and kanae, who has nothing but light in her eyes and was idealistic to the point of foolishness, tanjirou has both. Yes, he has suffered, he lost almost his entire family, even after he dedicated his entire self to caring for them after his father's death. However, tanjirou is still a fundamentally compassionate and hopeful person. No, Tanjirou is far from the first shonen protagonist who is kind and a genuinely good person (Luffy, Naruto, and Goku come to mind), he is one of the more emotionally intelligent ones. Tanjirou empathizes with the demons and recognizes the suffering that made them into monsters, but at the end of the day, he still kills them. There is no talk no jutsu, there is no transformation of enemies into allies, and there is no sparing of enemies out of respect for their fighting prowess. Though Tanjirou recognizes that demons are tragic and pitiful, he also knows that they are creatures that survive only on the slaughter of innocents. This isn't to say that stories about redemption or forgiveness or once-feared villains turning into the protagonists wacky neighbor are inherently bad, far from it. But for the story that demon slayer is, tanjirou is the perfect fit. And you can tell, just by looking in his eyes.

[sapphire-weapon]

Please tell me more about how Chris is on the list of people who loved Leon without caveats and not like, a lot of other recurring cast members. I mean I agree I just want to hear the good word of our himbo and hero Chris Redfield and this hot traumatized mess named Leon S. Kennedy.

So, the thing about Leon is, he has a lot of people who like him. He's a well-liked guy with very few actual personal enemies. But very few people tend to think about him beyond that point.

Claire likes Leon just fine, for example. So does Jill and Rebecca and Helena and Hunnigan and every other person who's ever worked with him. People value his insight and experience, they enjoy his company, and they overall have very high opinions of him -- but that's about it. None of them ever seem to go out of their way for him (except for Hunnigan, who only does it because it's her ass on the line if she doesn't) or have their lives affected by him in any personally meaningful way.

There are other people, like Ada, who have a certain degree of affection for him. Leon has a soft, special place in Ada's heart, sure -- but she also has a very out of sight, out of mind attitude towards him. The biggest debate in this fandom, sometimes, is what her actual feelings are.

And then there's someone like Ashley, who is the tragedy of the love that never was.

But then there's Chris.

Chris is the only person in this series who actually thinks about Leon just because he cares about him. There's actually a moment in RE6 where Chris radios him just to check on him and his location and make sure that he's not somewhere that's about to blow up or get destroyed.

The only time that was ever done in this series was in RE0 and RE1, because that was an entire team of people who all worked together trying to make it out together. After that point, everyone works pretty independently of each other, and any "check-ins" that happen end up happening purely by happenstance (think Leon and/or Claire actually glimpsing each other on a CCTV and trying to call out to the other at the end of RE2). But in RE6, Chris buzzes Leon out of nowhere just to check on him.

There's also a thing about Chris Redfield where -- one of his major character flaws is that he gets extreme tunnel vision. He's also stubborn as all hell and can't really be talked out of something once he sets his mind to it. Name a character that has teamed up with him at some point, and there's an example of him not listening to their plea/advice to do or not do something.

Chris listens to Leon every single time. Without question.

In RE6, Chris won't even listen to Piers when it comes to his blind fury and relentless pursuit of Ada -- Piers, who Chris handpicked himself to be his own successor.

Chris listens to Leon the first time, without question or much pushback, and he never goes back on it. All it takes is Leon saying one time "let the Ada thing go, I can speak on her behalf" -- and Chris, somehow, magically and miraculously... does. There's a real argument to be made here, due to this moment, that Chris trusts Leon as much as or more than he trusts Jill, even.

Throughout Vendetta, Chris defers to Leon's judgment and goes out of his way to get Leon at his side, when a simple phone call could have sufficed. And when he finds Leon in the state he's in, suddenly his focus isn't on getting his professional opinion anymore -- suddenly, it's all about Leon's physical and mental state. Chris is pissed not because Leon's refusing to help them, but because of Leon letting his depression win out and his drinking problem take over. Chris tries to take the booze from him not once but twice.

If Rebecca hadn't been there to keep them both on track, this would've stayed and continued a personal dispute. It wasn't about the mission anymore, for Chris. It was about Leon. And Rebecca had to remind him why they were even trying to talk to Leon in the first place.

And I know that there were Chreon moments in DI, but I've only watched it once so far, so I'd have to watch it again to talk further about it.

But suffice to say, Chris loves this man. Chris loves Leon more than Leon loves himself. That's for damn sure.

Hunnigan even describes them as a sort of love at first sight thing. It's impossible to know just how close they actually were in the time between their first conversation during the events of Code Veronica and their first face-to-face meeting in roughly 2008ish, but once they were together, they have had a partnership to rival any other in this series.

I actually hate to think how much worse Leon's depression might have gotten if not for Chris looking out for him -- because I think it's a really safe bet to say that they keep in touch between missions.

In fact, if the entire dev staff of Division 1 showed up at my house tomorrow and tried to say that Chris and Leon have no relationship outside of work, I'd call every single one of those devs liars LMAO

[nnoragamis]

the entire END thing was soooo. because natsu and gray were narrative foils for each other from the very beginning, right? and then you add in the END bombshell and it just raises the stakes impossibly high.

because gray is the first character we connect with who has been ravaged by the horrors of the demons of the books of zeref — he's the first character through whose perspective we see how awful it was! he lost his parents and ur to deliora. spent his entire childhood blaming himself for their deaths. although defeated in the galuna island arc, the spectre of deliora continues to haunt him throughout the series. gray loses ultear, too, not because of deliora, but he associates her sacrifice so much with ur's that it might as well have been. and he has to confront his trauma over deliora twice in the sun village arc and the tartaros arc—right before his father is taken from him again.

and gray learns that silver was forcibly resurrected by the demons of tartaros—zeref's demons. and silver had made it his mission to kill END, and passed down that responsibility to gray. and END is supposedly the mastermind behind tartaros, the reason for silver's death and reanimation, the biggest and baddest of all of zeref's demons. and somehow, along the line, in gray's mind, the spectre of deliora has morphed into END instead. END is actually the ones responsible for gray's parents, for ur, for every single terrible thing that's happened. gray has to defeat END. it would be a disservice to his father's memory if he didn't.

except...when they go to battle, END is nowhere to be found. except...END is supposedly a fire demon. except...END was actually natsu, this entire time.

END. natsu. demon and human and friend and rival and loved one and mortal enemy all rolled into one.

on paper, it's such a fucking delicious concept.

and then mashima went and fumbled it so, so badly.

[respectthepetty]

Hi RTP! What are the BLs you would recommend solely for the colors? 🌈

Anon, before I answer this great ask, I want to highlight other posts I've written that are slightly similar:

Reading the (Visual) Rainbow Awards 2023

Overall Winner - Kiseki: Dear to Me

Top Five - Color-Coded Storytelling in BLs

Honorable Mention: Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

5) Moonlight Chicken

4) My Beautiful Man

3) My Love Mix Up

2) Semantic Error

1) Big Dragon

Top Five Color Moments of 2023

Honorable Mention: 7 Days Before Valentine

5) GAP

4) Bed Friend

3) Last Twilight

2) Moonlight Chicken

1) The Eighth Sense

Bonus: Jeff Satur x SHAUN's "Steal the Show"

I don't want to repeat any of the shows I picked, and I'm trying to pick more recent ones so people can find them if they want to watch them, but per your ask, I'm recommending them based solely on colors regardless of how much I liked them.

Recommended Colorful BLs

Honorable Mention: Intern in My Heart

The show is not finished, and it's not a BL, yet it is doing everything right, which is why it gets the honorable mention. Great (Grey) is coded black/dark in the show, and Top is coded pink/light. They are supporting characters who are best friends, and they have stuck to their colors throughout, but in the last episode, they *almost* exchanged colors after Top revealed that he liked Great. Now I'm praying to all the saints for a full color exchange in the finale like I have a personal stake in this because I do! I'm invested, and it better not disappoint me.

#5 - One Room Angel

When I write "Heavenly Human" for a character who wears white, and "Black Brooder" for a character who wears black, THIS is what I mean. A story about an actual angel and a guy who wanted to die was the perfect place to use the light x dark dynamic. However, calling this show a BL is troublesome, which is why it's number five. It still is a great example of what the light x dark color scheme should be used for, and in the end, the guy who wanted to die is much lighter in mood and color, which is what the colors are all about.

#4 - Why R U? (Korea)

First and foremost, that kiss was LIT! The Thai version had Tutor and Fighter's high heat, which could never be matched, but Korea had that kiss, and it ate! But on top of that, it had colors! Ji Oh was a Black Brooder while Lee Won was a Multicolored Menace, and right after this kiss, they flipped colors. That's right! After five episodes of being enemies, they made out for acting "reasons," and then exchanged colors. Normally, Korea is all about the feelings, so the color exchanges in Korean BLs align with a character's feelings changing, but this one directly correlated with a kiss. And for emphasis - That kiss was fire!

#3 - Secret Crush on You

Destiny Seeker might have won the 2023 award for best group effort in color coding, but Secret Crush on You set the bar for that award the year before. This show is Color-Coding 101. Each character has a color, and by each, I mean each and every single damn character in a cast of eleven (plus three fairy godmothers) has their own color. That is a ridiculous feat! Wardrobe, props, and lighting deserved a raise for this show. Some shows can't even get consistent color coding when it only has two characters, but this show understood the color-coding group assignment for the entire series! I'm still applauding two years later.

#2 - Stay by My Side

Taiwanese BLs are my vice. Even the worst Taiwanese BL will still be better than the rest of these BLs. I WROTE WHAT I WROTE. So, of course, I liked this show beyond color reasons, but the colors greatly helped me enjoy the show even more. We had a guy who was haunted by ghosts. He was colorful and light coded. Then we had his roommate who could magically keep the ghosts away. He was dark coded. Read it again. The guy being haunted was bright, light, and colorful, while the guy with the power to help was dark. GENIUS! It was Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss with a supernatural twist. The dark coded guy is sad and isolated but the one who is being HAUNTED BY GHOSTS brings life to his world! Give me a minute. I'm still not over it.

#1 - Pit Babe

I watched this show muted and without subtitles, yet the colors guided me through all thirteen episodes. I understood the plot perfectly because of the colors, and only became confused when people tried to tell me about the actual plot. Alpha? Omega? Santa Maria? Wasn't important. Didn't matter. I don't know them. Red and Blue were the main characters here, and they did their damn job. Babe, in his black, was his own man. He wasn't trying to fit in, but every time the red light focused on Charlie and Way, I was screaming for Babe to run because the colors told me they were still tied to Tony BECAUSE THEY WERE! That's elite color coding, and it ushered in a whole new way for me to watch a show. I loved it.

Bonus: Old Fashion Cupcake

I love this show which is why it is a bonus. Unlike the other shows where I had issues with some part of the plot, Old Fashion Cupcake is as close to perfect as any show has ever come in my personal rating system. It is an Advanced Color Coding course only offered for graduate students, which, honestly, is very Japanese of it because it was in the ties. The color coding showed up in other ways, but the ties were where the story lived since in the past, Nozue was a bright red, but we saw his red damper in the present, which made his loyal assistant bluer. It was only five episodes, yet it used every second of those five episodes in every single way to propel the story forward, colors included. Actually, let me go rewatch this for the hundredth time instead of just writing about it!

[thevioletcaptain]

Day three of the @spnficrecfest was in fact... several days ago. Apparently I'm destined to run late throughout this entire thing, but better late than never, I guess! Here are five of my favorite Dean/Cas fics over 50k words. Some of these would also fit into other lists, but I'm going to try not to double up.

Clean Air by anactoria Explicit | 121k | 💨

Set in a post-apocalyptic future where what's left of humanity lives deep underground, this is the kind of atmospheric sci-fi that I'm always thrilled to find in fic. This AU was written for the DCBB in 2014, and is a fusion with Hugh Howey's Wool trilogy, which has since been adapted into the Apple series Silo. I'm yet to dig into either the books or the show, so anactoria's fic is still the only version of this particular universe that I'm familiar with, and it's stuck with me for a decade.

For All You Young Hockey Players Out There, Pay Attention by thursdaysfallenangel Explicit | 146k | ⛸️

Listen. If you haven't already read THEE professional hockey player enemies-to-lovers Dean/Cas masterpiece that is this fic, I don't know what to tell you. Go read it. That's all.

PWP: Pie Without Plot by MajorEnglishEsquire & orange_crushed Mature | 82k | 👨‍🍳

Sometimes, you'll read a fic that so perfectly and sensually describes the process of baking that you'll think about it every time you so much as see focaccia for the next eleven years. This is a canonverse fic diverging from season eight, in which Dean goes "undercover" as a . And I'm really not joking about the focaccia thing -- literally every single time. For almost eleven years.

What It Means to Be Alive by LeandraLocke Explicit | 132k | 🏖️

This post-canon fic sees Dean taking a road trip, healing from a lifetime of trauma, grieving for Cas, and figuring some things out through an unexpected relationship with a man he meets in Mexico... and then Cas comes back to life. Definitely one to check out if you've never read it before!

some blueberry pie life by soft_pine Mature | 172k (so far) | 🥧

A sprawling, achy, wonderful character study that fits into all the gaps of canon. I adore the way Pine writes, and this fic is a forever fave. Yes it's a WIP, but as Pine describes it, it's really a bunch of oneshots in a trenchcoat, so don't let that stop you.

Check under the cut for links to all of the rec lists I make for this fest! I'll update with new links as I post them :)

Day One - Purgatory Era Day Two - Dean's Canon Kinks Day Three - Long Fics Day Four - Alternate Universes Day Five - Rare Pairs Day Six - Case Fics Day Seven - Tropes Day Eight - Gen Fics Day Nine - Vintage Fics Day Ten - Coda Fics Day Eleven - Mystery List

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.185 thoughts

[The New York Soup Stock Exchange]

(Contents: thematic analysis)

I've been thinking a lot about Tozuka's editor saying that Undead Unluck's slogan would be "let's enjoy life," and maybe it's a matter of translation, but to me, it seems like every word of that slogan has meaning

"Enjoy life" is easy enough to see the significance of, but I'm willing to bet most people who read that discount the "let's"

To me, though, that phrase isn't a command, it's an invitation: it's not telling you to go out and enjoy your life, it's asking you to enjoy life with others. We all should enjoy our lives, together, and this chapter illustrates that concept beautifully

In shonen battle manga, togetherness is most readily conveyed through standing united against a common enemy, but that's not really applicable to most people's lives. However, there is one way to show togetherness that I think pretty much anyone anywhere can relate to: sharing meals

Family gatherings, holiday parties, celebrating special occasions, or even smaller occasions like dates or regular lunch breaks, the number one way that people spend time together is just grabbing a bite to eat. Any given cooking manga, like Food Wars or Toriko, capitalize on this throughout their entire runs, but even manga without a focus on food like One Piece, Dr. Stone or even Cipher Academy often feature their cast savoring delicious food in each other's company

Undead Unluck is no stranger to this, like with the cherry blossom viewing as Spring died in the previous loop, but this is the first time that we've focused on the creation and consumption of a singular dish in this series. The cooking process is just as important as the dish itself, and while Enjin has experience, Fuuko has love: a group of friends who will face any challenge with her, and who she has a strong enough understanding of to be able to create something greater than the sum of its parts. In a way, that's what the Union is: a hotpot of disparate ingredients brought together and harmonizing to create something incredible

I've noted before that very few fights in Undead Unluck are one-on-one, but one-vs.-many is a pretty common setup: Union vs. Victor, AnFuu+RipLa vs. Autumn, and, most notably, AnFuu+ShenMui vs. Feng. Unlike Feng, Enjin definitely understands the concept of cooking/fighting with love, but just like Feng, Enjin operates alone, taking on every aspect of the cooking process by himself while Fuuko has split up the responsibilities based on everyone's strengths. This is exemplified best through his taste test, where the panel zooms out to show his single silhouette struggling to cool down his broth while Fuuko and friends continue cooking. The wide empty space and his one shadow vs. the Union's three felt so incredibly lonesome

I won't dig too deep into Enjin's mentality or reasoning just yet, as I'm sure the next chapter will give me more than enough to work with on that front, but it's plain to see that Enjin isn't just solitary, he's isolated. Just like Feng, just like Billy, just like Rip, just like Andy. Did he choose to be this way like the former three, or did he find himself here like Andy? Again, we'll find out next week, but I'm willing to bet it's a little bit of both - something happened that pushed him away from others, and he chose to continue on alone

I'm really liking this arc so far, but I think the clincher is going to have to be Enjin's backstory. I like his design and personality, but for him to solidify himself in my heart like everyone else has before him, his story needs to move me. With everything we've seen in these last two chapters, though, I have no doubt that Tozuka will do just that with ease

Until next week, let's enjoy life

[averagesadperson]

Hello! First of all, I hope you are having an excellent day! Second, may I request some dating Macaque hcs?? Please and thank you!! ^^

Dating Macaque Headcanons~

~~~~~

Notes: Hello!! Thank you so much for requesting, so sorry this took me so long, I've literally been writing this in a little notebook during my breaks at work lol

Hope this is to your liking, enjoy!

also, sorry if there's any spelling mistakes!

~~~~~

To start off, I think we would all love to say dating Macaque would be sunshine and rainbows, he would love you and treat you perfectly

But let's be real here

Macaque is an asshole lmao

Even getting him to date you is a hassle itself

But let's not get into that atm

He loves you a lot, don't get me wrong, he just has a very, very hard time showing it

Depending where in the series we’re talking about it's going to be quite different, but let’s just assume this is after LBD, ‘kay?

‘Kay

During this time Macaque is a lot more likely to stay in one place with you

Yes, maybe that consists of him popping into your apartment every now and then, but you slowly start seeing things around your place that aren’t yours

Piles of clothes, food, a toothbrush, his scarf at one point, all that jazz

But, this domestic scene is very… forgein to him

He’ll gladly sit down and watch your favourite stupid, predictable TV show with you for hours, but he’ll critique it the entire time

He insists that he help you cook, even though he knows even less than you and it always turns out a mess

You don’t even have to ask him to go shopping with you, he’ll use his shadows to get there quickly but will just stand beside you as you shop, not helping whatsoever

As I said in the last post, Macaque is very touch starved

But he also hates it lol

He doesnt think he deserves your touches

You’re just so perfect, how could you ever be happy settling for him?

If your dating Macaque, you’ll definitely have to make a few changes in your day to day life

Starting with the physical changes

Not to you, of course

If you want him to sleep beside you you’ll have to push your bed against a wall if it isn’t already, or else he’s sleeping on the couch, peace out

You’ll have to get used to telling him where your going/where you are when not with him

Not in a creepy, possessive, stalker-y way, but because he’s the ‘Six Eared Macaque’, he’s got a lot of very old, and very powerful enemies

Granted, most of those enemies are on the good side and wouldn't stoop that low to get to him,,,,

Doesn't matter, he’s worried about you

Speaking of said heroes,

If you happen to be friends with MK and co. he’s not going to be very enthused

Especially if you talk to Wukong

Macaque wants to puke when you come home smelling like peaches

If you happen to run into them while with him, or they stop by while he’s there, things are going to be kinda awkward

Half of them are trying to talk to him, some are keeping a respectful distance, and some are glaring like he held them by the throat and forced them to take on this really obscure dangerous weapon that even its creator couldn't handle and that might have killed them and the entire world or sumthin

Idk

Anyway

HE’LL PUT ON SHADOW PLAYS FOR YOU!!!

He’ll teach you how to make certain shadow puppets, but like the normal way with your hands

His are always better but he has powers so it doesn't count

Before Macaque initiates any physical affection he will always ask

“Can I kiss you?” while holding your chin

“Can I hug you?” while physically holding himself from reaching for you

Along with that, he always makes sure you have a way out throughout everything

All you have to do is say ‘stop’ and he’ll pretend like it never happened

Macaque dreads the day you’ll finally wake up and realize you deserve so, so much better than him

He’s done despicable things in his long life, how can you love him knowing that? It’s really just a matter of time, he’s sure

But, even then, he’s going to savour every single moment he has with you

Macaque is just a little bit too selfish to have this end so soon

But, if you do decide to leave, he’ll let you

[agonycrossbow]

No one in RE canon loves Leon the way Chris does

The thing about Leon is, he has a lot of people who like him. He's a well-liked guy with very few actual personal enemies. But very few people tend to think about him beyond that point.

Claire likes Leon just fine, for example. So does Jill and Rebecca and Helena and Hunnigan and every other person who's ever worked with him. People value his insight and experience, they enjoy his company, and they overall have very high opinions of him -- but that's about it. None of them ever seem to go out of their way for him (except for Hunnigan, who only does it because it's her ass on the line if she doesn't) or have their lives affected by him in any personally meaningful way.

There are other people, like Ada, who have a certain degree of affection for him. Leon has a soft, special place in Ada's heart, sure -- but she also has a very out of sight, out of mind attitude towards him. The biggest debate in this fandom, sometimes, is what her actual feelings are.

And then there's someone like Ashley, who is the tragedy of the love that never was.

But then there's Chris.

Chris is the only person in this series who actually thinks about Leon just because he cares about him. There's actually a moment in RE6 where Chris radios him just to check on him and his location and make sure that he's not somewhere that's about to blow up or get destroyed.

The only time that was ever done in this series was in RE0 and RE1, because that was an entire team of people who all worked together trying to make it out together. After that point, everyone works pretty independently of each other, and any "check-ins" that happen end up happening purely by happenstance (think Leon and/or Claire actually glimpsing each other on a CCTV and trying to call out to the other at the end of RE2). But in RE6, Chris buzzes Leon out of nowhere just to check on him.

There's also a thing about Chris Redfield where -- one of his major character flaws is that he gets extreme tunnel vision. He's also stubborn as all hell and can't really be talked out of something once he sets his mind to it. Name a character that has teamed up with him at some point, and there's an example of him not listening to their plea/advice to do or not do something.

Chris listens to Leon every single time. Without question.

In RE6, Chris won't even listen to Piers when it comes to his blind fury and relentless pursuit of Ada -- Piers, who Chris handpicked himself to be his own successor.

Chris listens to Leon the first time, without question or much pushback, and he never goes back on it. All it takes is Leon saying one time "let the Ada thing go, I can speak on her behalf" -- and Chris, somehow, magically and miraculously... does. There's a real argument to be made here, due to this moment, that Chris trusts Leon as much as or more than he trusts Jill, even.

Throughout Vendetta, Chris defers to Leon's judgment and goes out of his way to get Leon at his side, when a simple phone call could have sufficed. And when he finds Leon in the state he's in, suddenly his focus isn't on getting his professional opinion anymore -- suddenly, it's all about Leon's physical and mental state. Chris is pissed not because Leon's refusing to help them, but because of Leon letting his depression win out and his drinking problem take over. Chris tries to take the booze from him not once but twice.

If Rebecca hadn't been there to keep them both on track, this would've stayed and continued a personal dispute. It wasn't about the mission anymore, for Chris. It was about Leon. And Rebecca had to remind him why they were even trying to talk to Leon in the first place.

And I know that there were Chreon moments in DI, but I've only watched it once so far, so I'd have to watch it again to talk further about it.

But suffice to say, Chris loves this man. Chris loves Leon more than Leon loves himself. That's for damn sure.

Hunnigan even describes them as a sort of love at first sight thing. It's impossible to know just how close they actually were in the time between their first conversation during the events of Code Veronica and their first face-to-face meeting in roughly 2008ish, but once they were together, they have had a partnership to rival any other in this series.

I actually hate to think how much worse Leon's depression might have gotten if not for Chris looking out for him -- because I think it's a really safe bet to say that they keep in touch between missions.

In fact, if the entire dev staff of Division 1 showed up at my house tomorrow and tried to say that Chris and Leon have no relationship outside of work, I'd call every single one of those devs liars LMAO

[daenerys-targaryen]

x

I know the asoiaf fandom has it in their heads that magic is bad evil vile the dragons destruction death but I mean you guys do know that without dragons and Daenerys, the world is literally fucked right? The Others would be 100% unstoppable if it weren’t for Daenerys and her dragons. You’re actively wishing on your faves downfall if you really truly believe that Dany has a single evil bone in her body because without her, without her magic, without her dragons, without her resources, your faves will die.

"But Dany plans on ruling the 7K! which means she is public enemy #1 to all of House Stark because House Stark DESERVES to be independent!!!"

You see this is their immediate argument because they do know that without dany, her dragons and resources their faves will die, but they only care about the fact that since ‘the north must be independent’ -> and ‘dany wants to rule the seven kingdoms’ = dany is bad and must be vilified to the furthest extent.

If you understand daenerys character at all (most don’t), you’d know that Dany has only ever viewed the throne and ruling as something that is her duty as the last living Targaryen. It was not something she wanted. This was something that was thrust upon her when she was sold into a position of power she didn’t want and when all her remaining family members were murdered and killed, leaving her the very last. When Viserys died, she took it upon herself to do what he could not. Again, being 14 years old with no education, dany didn’t really understand the true horrors of what that meant until things were already set in motion. When pregnant with Rhaego, she doesn’t think of herself as sitting on the throne but sets that destiny on her son so that he will rule. Then, when Drogo and Rhaego die, who else would that responsibility have gone to? Once Drogo is gone, Daenerys views the remaining khalassar who chose to follow her as her responsibility; how could she not? How could she look into their eyes an abandon them?

Throughout the series, the crown is heavy on Daenerys shoulders. She would rather sit with her girls and eat fruit by the pool, but thankfully another key aspect of Daenerys character is that she is incredibly selfless. Thankfully, she does rule because not only does she have the heart to rule, but she also has the intelligence and cunning to do so. She's good at it. Not perfect by any means, but she's not awful like the fandom tries to make her out to be. In A Dance With Dragons, “For every [petitioners] two she sent off [from her court] smiling, one left red-eyed or muttering.” 2/3 in favor is a pretty good track record if you ask me 🤷🏼‍♀️

She would love to live happily as a common woman with Daario, even saying that if he asked her to, she would give up her crown for him. But in that same vein, her desire to rest and just be a 15 year old girl is overshadowed by her sense of duty. Not only does she believe is it her duty as the last Targaryen to rule, but it's her sense of duty to protect those who can't protect themselves that motivates her rule. With all of that being said, Daenerys main mission right now is not the seven kingdoms, her goal is not the long night and she has a lot of work ahead of her in Essos.

If Daenerys were just power hungry who wanted to rule the seven kingdoms with an iron fist, she would have left essos and taken it upon herself to do just that in the second book. She would have done anything she could to get to the seven kingdoms and take down her enemies. Just how Viserys would have allowed an entire army and their horses too to rape her to get his throne. But again, she chose to remain in essos as there is still work to be done and people to protect and save.

What is sad is just like in the show, Daenerys will go North and defeat the others and save the world (because it’s her destiny), but these same people who NEED HER AND HER RESOURCES TO SURVIVE THE LONG NIGHT will once again toss her to the side once they have no use for her and vilify her every chance they get because the North Must Be Free! But they don’t even understand Danys motives on why she’s ruling.

Daenerys gets the short end of the stick by not only genuinely being a good person and hero, but also because the very fans of the people she will save twist her into a villain who needs to be destroyed. It’s so messed up. It’s so sad considering at the end of the day, Daenerys is just a 15-year-old girl who’s suffered more than Jesus who has a good heart but these people who claim to be fans of the Honorable House Stark would rather her be crazy and die than anything else simply because they’re threatened by her. Not very honorable if you ask me.

I mean, if you hate her and want her to die just say it? You don’t have to twist her and vilify her to justify your wanting her removed from the story. But I understand that it’s just a way for you to save face from wishing a horrible death upon an ex-child bride who’s just trying to abolish slavery.

[shiroi---kumo]

⚠︎ I HAVE VIDEO FROM THE LAST EPISODE IN THIS POST SO IT HAS SPOILERS IN IT. NOW YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED ⚠︎

There lots of video throughout the series in this post because I need to make a point.

HEY I just remembered a thing I was going to ramble about here a couple of days ago but I was tired after work so I forgot.

But we need to talk about something important here and that is ->

Kumo's Voice

Firstly, when one watches the series - when you first hear this man and for most of the series, while he speaks little (due to poor company) when he does talk he almost always speaks in near monotone.

See here:

Kumo speaks in damn near monotone for most of the series BECAUSE he is purposely forcing his emotions into a tiny bottle and trying not to feel ANYTHING due to how Chaos functions.

Kumo's voice is mostly monotone ON PURPOSE.

Chaos, the main enemy of the series and who the Unlimited are charged with fighting this eternal fight with - is a god like being that is basically darkness incarnate.

Chaos gains power by feeding on the negative emotions of living beings.

So the Unlimited both took an extremely different approach to how they were going to address this fact in the terms of their shared enemy.

Kaze - continued to brew in hatred and rage and basically just decided fuck chaos and that he wouldn't try not to feel those things because Chaos could choke on it.

Kumo - decided to handle this fact by shutting down every single emotional system he could ever possess - including the good ones - and decided that the best way to address this aspect of his enemy was to never feel anything ever again.

AKA

Kaze at "I don't fucking care about how Chaos feeds. Chaos can take my rage and choke on it." Kumo at "Can't feed off of my emotions if I don't have any."

Needless to say this went very very poorly for the Cloud.

As the series progresses you can hear the emotion come back into his voice little by little and then his brother shows up and all bets are off - the whole episode is a mess and we get this by the end of it:

Kumo's entire voice shifts the next time we see him to pure growling.

And from here he turns into a snarky asshole when encountering Kaze:

To becoming soft and polite with the main party and protective at the end of everything and sort of turning back to his actual voice by the last episodes - >

And I want you to take a minute and compare that "Get out of here!" to the previous "Heed my words, all of you. None of you will ever stand a chance against The Earl." From episode 4.

This is 20 episodes later.

Shit has happened. Kumo is not the same man he was when the series started. He's taken certain masks he was holding himself to and thrown them in the fucking trash. He's done with a certain level of bullshit and he's just not playing games anymore at this point.

Oh but then we get to THIS

(and this my friends is the last episode, so it is the most spoilery thing I can give you even though there's really no context to it)

We get to this RANGE in this man's voice - who has been damn near monotone and almost emotionless for the entire fucking series. We get to fucking THIS and I desperately need you to listen to this to hear him go from the first couple videos to THIS.

Kumo goes from dead monotone to THIS by the end of the animated series all because of all the shit that goes down and all the things about him that CHANGE. I can only imagine had After / After Spiral / After 2 gotten animated - the man's range would have gotten out even more.

My point in all this is - Kumo will destroy parts of himself in order to protect himself and the people around him and his voice is a prime example of that.

I'm also saying this because Kumo did something no one in his life currently has really caught him on yet or thought about.

Kumo destroyed his Misterican accent in the name of survival.

Living in Gaudium under The Earl / Chaos - meant Misterican was considered "speaking improperly" so not only did he need to learn Wonderlandian - he needed to learn to speak it with a Wonderlandian accent.

It wasn't like when he lived on Windaria with Kaze - no he can speak fluent Windarian but he speaks it with a Misterican accent - because he's Misterican.

Misterican speaks a lot from behind the ears and rolling Rs and rolling sounds in general. It'll come from the lower throat and the nose and it is fucking fast. There are some words that are words but are said in a way that makes them more of a sound and less of a word.

Kumo's accent that he should have from speaking his mother tongue is gone. He spent years destroying his own voice, just so he would be deemed as more acceptable to the people he was living with.

AKA Chaos and Company. His greatest enemy.

And then he took it a step further and after he tore his heritage out of his voice, he tore the emotion out of it too.

All in the name of survival and protecting those around him. Chaos can't pull power from his emotions if he doesn't have any and he can't get in trouble if he's not speaking "incorrectly".

This is part of why I keep saying that all of Kumo's words are important. It's not just in choice but in how they sound. The time in the last year he's been out of Gaudium has allowed the emotion to start to really settle in his tone again and thanks to the help of some people around him getting him to fall back in love with his mother tongue, his accent is just starting to peek back out too.

Audio for Kumo's untranslated name:

Valkoinen Pilvi

[skysometric]

my 4th favorite game that i played in 2023 is...

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

"but sky, didn't you already play this when it came out?" yeah, and that was almost 20 years ago. bite me.

if you didn't see me stream Phantom Hourglass already: before this year, i hadn't played or seen the game AT ALL since it came out. i loved it as a kid, i 100%ed the whole thing! but all the opinions i've read ever since suggested that it's one of the more… polarizing games in the series. maybe kid me was just willing to overlook the bullshit? who knows!

now that i've replayed it, though? god DAMN, it might be one of my favorite Zelda experiences in recent memory! especially as, once again, the newest releases (BotW and TotK) didn't really do much for me.

first off: i actually like the touch screen controls – especially for what it does to the items. every single one of these items is at its most unique! drawing a path for the boomerang, connecting things with the grapple hook, and remote controlling the bombchus are some of the coolest item concepts in the entire series. even the swordplay goes beyond just "tap an enemy to kill it," which i was genuinely surprised by!

as a sequel to Wind Waker it hits all the right notes; the condensed sea makes sailing a delight, with tons of things to do that keep sailing from becoming a glorified loading screen. each island is explorable and re-explorable, especially when paired with the map system, which makes taking notes highly engaging and ADHD friendly. it's inspired me to take more notes IRL!

the story is FULL of charm from top to bottom; Toon Link's animations made me laugh out loud on several occasions, Linebeck is the perfect type of loveable curmudgeon, and the rest of the characters are full of soul! i was genuinely sad to let them go at the game's close.

even the Temple of the Ocean King, the most dreaded dungeon in the entire game, the one you are required to return to over and over again throughout the story… really surprised me with how well laid out it is! it's full of shortcuts and treasures that require the new items you get along the way, meaning no two runs ever felt the same to me. that's a HUGE accomplishment for one of the most criticized dungeons in the series.

so all of the internet's complaints can go jump in a… well, scratch that actually. to be honest, all the complaining made me go into Phantom Hourglass like it was a grand mystery that needed solving. will i like it? or will i have grown up too much? in the end it captured the kid in my heart, and that made this revisit all the more special.

[clickbliss]

Astlibra Revison is an RPG of a tremendous scale

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Astlibra Revision

Developers - KEIZO

Publisher - Whisper Games

PC, Switch

As Astlibra opens, your character finds himself stranded in a cabin at the edge of a lake, with nothing but an endless forest in front of him. After years at the cabin, he finally resolves to escape, trekking for eight years without contact through the forest, with no idea of when he may finally reach the edge. 

Developed over the course of 15 years, by solo developer Keizo, you can feel the creator’s preoccupation with time and scale throughout Astlibra. The story’s themes are obsessed with time, with how our actions reverberate through it, and what we would do if given the opportunity to go back and change them. The scale of the game itself is tremendous, with system after system stacked upon each other in a way that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Tri-Ace title. Every system has been reexamined, throwing off the general assumptions of the genre.

Simple interactions such as buying an item from a shop have been complicated, requiring you to have the appropriate materials on hand to purchase them, keeping you on the lookout for new drops from enemies, or experimenting with the crafting system to see if you can work out the recipe. Grinding these materials will naturally push you into the multiple growth systems, with both a traditional skill point system, but also a sprawling map of character bonuses that can be purchased with gems dropped from enemies. This cartographic journey will unlock more abilities, and ability slots, getting you excited to head right back into combat and keep the loop going. 

Combat has the vibes of a later Ys title, if the series had continued following a sidescrolling format. The basic moveset isn't too complicated, with a ground combo, a launcher and spike, and a shield. Early on you'll also get an invincible back dash and magic spells, which enable some strong hit and run tactics. There's a varied arsenal to collect, and while they generally don't have significant moveset changes, considerations like range, attack speed and the unique skills you gain from mastering them keep weapons in rotation even as you progress. 

Positioning plays a huge part in combat, and the small cooldowns when your shield breaks, or your backdash ends can end with fatal damage if you're caught in the wrong group of enemies. Magic becomes essential here, providing crowd control and the ability to reposition yourself, with invincibility during the duration of the move. Mana builds through combat, empties outside of it, so you're also incentivized to use spells as soon as you're able, since you'll never be able to stockpile it for future battles. 

Despite the myriad ways to prevent damage, you'll rarely come out of a battle unscathed, so spending and refreshing resources becomes essential to surviving even basic encounters. Astlibra is unafraid to push you to take advantage of every system, to the point where the very first boss appears nearly unbeatable until you learn every system. It's an ambitious and gutsy choice, one of many that go against conventional wisdom in modern RPG design. Astlibra is full of these, and it’s a true feat that it manages to remain coherent throughout. 

A similar sentiment could be said about Astlibra’s aesthetics. Collaged almost entirely from a number of royalty free images and sound sources, Astlibra has a distinct look to it that calls to mind early Playstation games, where digitized imagery began to become popular. Stitching these images into a single world is a feat of its own, and it manages to stay coherent enough that it never draws attention to itself. Part of this is thanks to a group of professional artists, including Vanillaware veteran Shigatake, who provided the character portraits and sprites, and Haku Tatsufuchi, who created the art for the dragon bosses. The music is equally well selected, with a variety of musical styles, but all feeling as appropriate as if they were composed for the game. The most surprising were the tracks for the many emotional moments of Astlibra, which did a fantastic job selling the drama, something hard to do even in games with bespoke soundtracks. 

It’s those big character moments that form the core of Astlibra for me. Even as I enjoyed playing with the various systems of the game, all of it remained motivated by my desire to unravel the next mystery, and my impatience for the next plot beat. Astlibra is full of heart, and it was impossible for me not to be charmed by it. 

When you spend so many years working on a single thing, it’s hard not to lose faith in what you’re making, and harder to keep a coherent vision as you and the world around you continue to change. Despite the odds, Astlibra manages to hit on every aspect it tries for. It’s a triumph that kept me astounded at what a single person could accomplish.