#Heist Strategies

[fogaminghub]

🎉 Hey RDR2 adventurers! Have you tackled The Spines of America mission yet? If not, we’ve got the ultimate guide just for you! 🤠 Explore effective strategies, Gold Medal requirements, and hidden treasures to make your heist successful.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Dark Frontier should have had an ending scene where after Seven returned to the ship and she's self-conscious about having 'betrayed' Voyager and whether or not the crew trust her (they retrieved her on Janeway's orders but her orders don't always match the feelings of the crew itself), thinking of Tom's comment, thinking of what she was a part of, she stumbles upon B'Elanna. They're both working well past the time to do so. Seven tenses up because B'Elanna looks irritated but she just goes into business as usual about mistakes in Seven's work (probably because she needs to regenerate!) and how much time and energy it took to find her and Seven apologizes for the inconvenience (sarcastically) and B'Elanna accepts her apology then she smirks, staring at Seven. Seven looks unsure about what this means. B'Elanna reaches up and clasps her shoulder. "Good to have you back, Seven." she says. Upon Seven's nod of acknowledgement, she leaves, calling over her shoulder "Get some rest!" threatening that she'll be back in the morning with more corrections if she doesn't. Seven stares after her for a moment. She continues to work. She pauses. She turns around and gets onto her alcove, beginning to regenerate.

[hazzieandnord]

Love the steampunk vibe in this game!

[butternutape]

Review: Steamworld Heist

A heist game of strategy and chance.

I tried something a little different this time, a comic review. It was fun to make, and I’m sure I’ll return to the format again soon. Played on Nintendo Switch for review. View Transcript Page 1 Review: Steamworld Heist By Dan McAlister http://www.butternutape.com Panel 1: A robot with a captain��s hat poses while holding a pistol, with text that says “Notorious outlaw Captain Piper Faraday…

[thedeadthree]

besties we survived the couriers mile

[damez1979]

Stealing the Submarine - GTA V Minisub Mission Walkthrough

[linuxgamenews]

Discover the Exciting World of SteamWorld Heist II

SteamWorld Heist II turn-based tactical strategy action adventure game launches on Linux and Steam Deck via Windows PC. Thanks to the brilliant team at Thunderful Development. Available now on Steam with 100% Positive reviews. Big news, Thunderful launched SteamWorld Heist II, and it’s available now on Linux and Steam Deck (Verified) via Windows PC on Steam. This game is full of turn-based tactical strategy and action adventure, and it’s already getting a lot of attention as a “must-play.” In SteamWorld Heist II, you’re stepping into the boots of Captain Leeway. While leading a crew of quirky Steambots on a wild journey across the high seas. Your mission? Solve the mystery behind a dangerous water crisis that’s threatening the world. The game world is also beautifully crafted, with lots of details that bring it to life. And the combat? It’s all about precision. So you’ll need to aim carefully and use your environment to bounce bullets off surfaces to take down enemies in style. Let’s talk gameplay. If you’re into strategy, you’re going to like the turn-based combat here. Every move matters, and aiming is crucial. The ricochet mechanic is satisfying — while you line up your shot, and if you play it right, you can pull off some amazing trick shots. Due to keeps your enemies guessing.

SteamWorld Heist II | Official Launch Trailer

As Captain Leeway, your crew’s fate is in your hands. You’ve got a ton of customization options, thanks to the game’s rich job system. Equip your crew with different weapons, tweak their abilities, due to pick the right gear for each mission. So whether you’re leading seasoned pros or fresh recruits, it’s up to you to steer them through the dangers of the Great Sea. But SteamWorld Heist II is not just about combat. There’s a whole ocean to explore, full of adventure and hidden dangers. You’ll engage in real-time naval battles, raid enemy bases, and score some sweet loot to boost your crew’s power. And when you need a break, hit up one of the lively bars scattered across the map. It’s the perfect spot to upgrade your gear and relax with your crew. Maybe also form alliances with other bots.

A few highlights to look forward to:

Free - aiming and ricochet gameplay: Plan your shots and let those bullets bounce for some seriously satisfying combat.

Expansive world exploration: Set sail, battle on the open seas, due to discover all the challenges the Great Sea has to offer.

Deep customization: With over 150 guns, utility items, and ship equipment. You can also tailor your crew and playstyle however you like in SteamWorld Heist II.

Immersive world and soundtrack: Enjoy a world full of handcrafted characters and settings. Plus a killer soundtrack featuring songs by Steam Powered Giraffe.

So, if you’re looking for a new adventure that’s packed with strategy, humor, and tons of action, SteamWorld Heist II should be at the top of your list. Grab your crew, set sail, and get ready for the turn-based tactical strategy action adventure. Available on both Steam and GOG (if you like your manual Proton setup). Along wit support for Linux and Steam Deck (Verified) via Windows PC.

[sooptea]

I made the mistake of play testing a few games I was planning to give as a Christmas present and now I've grown attached , help

[unproduciblesmackdown]

fr incredibly epic subversion move in creep 2 is denying the audience the "understanding" that our perspective is that of Neutral Objective Arbiter. we aren't shown arguments of the protagonist's unfiltered, private thoughts & feelings through visuals or dialogue for us as obstensibly our way to believe she's vulnerable: she is, we understand she understands this, and then we aren't privy to any more "proof" of this by observing whatever attacks or simply emotional duress. we can assess and judge and guess about this person, but the movie doesn't let us believe we're Not, and that instead we're simply "understanding" the conveyed factual information. the killer man uses performance as a way to generate vulnerability, the protagonist young nonwhite woman uses performance to strategically interrupt such efforts from malicious to exploitative to violently so men on like any given tuesday, and the killer man's approach to performance is not truly equipped to react to her adaptation and flexibility; his loss of control turns vulnerability back around on him, whereupon he stumbles and flounders and is knocked off course, while existing in continuous vulnerability even when succeeding at her efforts is, again, any tuesday for the protagonist. putting him in a position of having something to prove just by expressing skepticism abt his threat of eventually killing her. when he tries to leverage Gender to discomfit her by saying she (or, they both) should undress, only to be the one clearly discomfited when instead she simply does so with her nudity a matter of fact (and not really shown, b/c the killer guy's camera pov doesn't just provide some full body shot, he's directing it down, around, at her set, unbothered expression, Showing his own vulnerability in the situation now, unable to deal with her body outside his effort to make its very existence a power play. but isn't being a woman sexual, which is to say, inherently available for consumption by men???). when we get the killer guy's pov as he is looking for the protagonist around the house, increasingly turning it into a threatening sort of hide and seek (kind of creeping around, creepily, even) and we wait for his, and our, expected vision of her being Afraid and Menaced and possibly Attacked, only for her to jumpscare him, and us, knock him on his ass and laugh at him. the killer's like melancholic musings as established in the first film being a situation in which the protagonist plays into the gender of "women provide comfort, emotional support, intimacy!" to extend the relative vulnerability of that and prolong the delay of any violence, how far-fetched....while this narrative of her navigating & kind of heist breaking out of this danger doesn't ask her to like "overcome" or "transcend" that vulnerability like oh hooray she's now Strong enough to win, Too Strong to be thusly vulnerable ever again; nor ever puts forth that she can, or should, ever just turn the situation around completely to win. jumpscaring the guy? still happening in the context of her performing as, at most, "playing along." he's trying to get the advantage over her, she's trying to more so establish / prolong a dynamic of closer to equals to protect herself and interrupt this: despite her inability to take control of the situation / name the game in any lasting way: killer guy is still driven by ego. in the end it's that ego that makes him vulnerable enough for her to again surprise him and us with the final physical fight maneuver to get away, in that last minute and culmination able to drop any performing as her survival strategy, but still able to take advantage of his own performance as means of control and driven by ego

this also compared to horror genre ostensible commentary by way of "subversion" that's just still also misogyny: just Showing women's pain? what else is new. we're asked to recognize it not by understanding it's there as a matter of fact, but by observing and assessing some unfiltered display of it. or the classic of "but if we put a man through the same violence or pain. makes you think huh." or ohh we posited this disabled person as a scary threat but now they're dead b/c they weren't the real threat, makes you think huh? or the classic of "but if we keep the disability as threatening & scary but we also kind of ask the audience to Pity it. makes you think huh." like no, the power dynamic of [the audience (with a clear assumed perspective) is neutral! they must be able to assess and judge The Other onscreen] is there. pity requiring the power difference to Deign to extend it. "well disability is scary but some things are scarier" wow. indulging in [women experiencing violence / harm] as privy observers b/c it doesn't exist if you're not looking right at it, judging it as legitimate for yourself rather than via having to accept the character understands it as legitimate for themself, whether their most unfiltered (in an expectedly externalized way) pain or even simply what was done to them was shown directly to you or not. that women trying to insulate/extricate themselves from harm must also "look" unusually elevated & intense & extreme to be "real," it can't be so matter of fact and even potentially made invisible as for us to be Surprised by the efforts of the protagonist here, and have to wonder what she'll do next, and not be convinced she'll make it out of this forever through taking control and transcending her vulnerability

point is like yeah any character but also any person Making billions should've watched creep 2. the power dynamics not only re: successful Gender relevance in the text but also in the genre of horror, of film itself. the potential violence of looking? that's made constantly relevant. the audience does not get to understand itself as impartial judge. the protagonist doesn't have to earn anything from our assessment: this is a strategic heist, not, again, some kind of commentary on [gender/ed violence, huh?] that presents a Narrative Arc of a woman's who "overcomes" this by becoming "better" (stronger, braver, smarter, etc....). again, with the premise of an egotistical murder man who uses performance and wants to himself be assessed for his own power trip and amusement, the protagonist already prepared to perform in response to such efforts has a survival skill that completely eclipses the ability of murder man, who can only be on the offensive, while not being a mere [just being on the offensive in turn] response which would only become a Power Levels competition. it's not about "winning" at someone else's game that shouldn't exist, it's just about getting through it until there's the opportunity to get away.

and, again, like that we and the protagonist doesn't Need to know if he really means to kill her for real. uneven power and misogyny and the threat of a man and what room there is for her to act in ways that throw off, interrupt, divert, but don't make overt that she's deliberately doing so or threaten in turn? we can understand that this woman is already at all prepared to navigate that; the killer man is not (who, in a true "that is a choice" element of the first movie which is more [whatever] and not required viewing for the vastly superior sequel imo, has implicitly killed mostly to all men before (Choicedly b/c there is given this angle of like, "performing" any affection towards these men. that and the "uh oh! he's Weird!" angle carrying so much more weight like, zzz to the first one. "uh oh! he's a man immediately trying to fuck with this woman!" in the second being much more actually interesting, as well as the performance of / desire/expectation for affection, intimacy from a woman amidst this context of violence like yeah and that's cishet ideals for you!)

anyways yeah lot of media analysis, the pov & not like "negotiating" with the audience to interact w/the understood theme of gendered power dynamics, the audience not getting to think it is granted an objective omniscience, the [this is An Other Person] turned on the protagonist made Relevant, our lack of complete access to her is Relevant, we do not get to expect we are entitled to that full access or forget that we're observing as An Other Person ourselves to instead believe we're a removed, impartial judge who has to be presented with and convinced of every element out here. much more to say but this is like effort #5 & we can't be here all day, gotta throw down a draft at some point, and can't readily rediscover some short essay about it from closer to its actual release. well, it pwns. like i was saying the handling of gender / power going on in there is >>>>>>>> like god knows horror material generally including that which tries to be About it too, but also really just anything in any genre. billions should've watched creep 2 & been different now. imagining s5 where after axe gets peak horribly possessive towards wendy, being outwardly petty towards her over her also shit & boring & Superior artist bf, stalking her about it, sabotaging the relationship about it, secretly taking the portrait of her that he resented her having before....and then we get the repulsive "romantic" scene about wendy going "aw gosh :) you only want me to be [single] so You get access to me!! :))" like and then axe doesn't show up on the helicopter in the end while wendy's like haha i knew :) b/c she rendezvoused with him and killed him. society if only. superhell for real

[lord-jaeden]

Brawl Stars Heist Map Gameplay: Brock's Rocket Showdown

In this Brawl Stars video, I play as Brock on the Heist map. Brock has a lot of rockets, making him a formidable opponent. Watch as I navigate the map, taking out enemy players and trying to destroy their safe. The Heist map is a challenging one, with obstacles and narrow paths that require careful maneuvering. As I play, I'll share tips and strategies for how to succeed on this map and with Brock as your brawler. Whether you're a seasoned Brawl Stars player or just starting out, this video is sure to provide entertainment and insights into the game. Don't miss out on the action!

[lazyajju]

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew - Coming to Steam EGS, Xbox Series X|S & PS5 in 2023

Watch the first gameplay trailer.

[fogaminghub]

🚨🎮 Attention, cowboys and cowgirls! If you're tackling "An American Pastoral Scene" in Red Dead Redemption 2, you won't want to miss our latest guide! Learn how to achieve the Gold Medal with essential strategies for headshots, Dead Eye kills, and more. 🤠✨ Let's ride into this dangerous heist together! Check it out! 📜💸

[r0semaryt3a]

PLEASE write a soulmate au with the phantom troupe and reader. Reader hiding away from them for so long, only for one of them to find her randomly and take her away to the troupe

BOY OH BOY- I’m a sucker for soulmate aus so you better bet I JUMPED at the chance to write this!

I will admit I wasn’t entirely sure if you meant like the reader being each individuals soulmates separately or a Polycule type of situation…so I did the former-

DAMN DID THIS TAKE LONG-

I fell to the authors curse so some of this (up to Machi’s) is proofread.

As with any of my PT work focusing on Chrollo, Feitan, Phinks, Machi, Shalnark and Paku

Cw: kidnapping, yandere themes (ish?), drugging and torture vaguely alluded to.

Chrollo

Chrollo was never particularly interested in soulmates. There was no clear path to you, no set strategy for getting him where he needed to go; for a man always three steps ahead: Chrollo didn’t like that very much.

This predetermined destiny it bored him. The troupe gave him the ability to pick and choose where he wanted to go and how he wanted to do things. This soulmate speil didn’t. So, he wouldn’t let himself get wrapped up in it.

Or, that was until you probed his interest. No matter where he was, it was as if some unknown force was pulling you both apart. As if you didn’t want to be found. And that? Well that excited him.

Now you were a heist, a thing to acquire, his shiny new trinket to steal. And you know Chrollo: he loves a good heist.

When he first met you, it was as if fate itself had smiled upon him. You’d dropped your guard; allowed the string binding your two souls to slacken. This happened to occur when he was in the area: dressed to the nines no less. A perfect facade, with you right at his fingertips.

He approached you with a smile, dawdling away from his current objective, you were simple. If he had to put a word to it, endearing would’ve fit the bill.

Getting you to agree to dinner was simpler. He put up a perfect act, the definition of chivalry: chin resting upon his hand, a charming smile painted across his face as he admired you through half-lidded eyes, swirling a glass of wine idly in his hands, far more interested in drinking every aspect of you in.

He played dumb on the soulmate front and you seemed to play dumber, perhaps that was giving you a bit too much credit. However, by the struggle it took to find you; the way you shifted and the twisting of that tormenting string. It would be safe to assume: you knew.

Drugging you wasn’t really part of the plan, I mean, having you here wasn’t a part of the plan. The plan was to steal a classical painting from some uppity aristocrat; the small dose of flunitrazepam was originally going to be used as a fail safe. Though, Chrollo welcomed this turn of events non the less.

Once he has you, you’re bound to wake up wherever the troupe had made residence. He’d played a long enough game to even acquire you; his patience had thinned far too much for him to play it any longer.

He doesn’t rush to introduce you to the spiders. No, he coaxes you into some sense of normalcy before he does that. No point in ruining a good thing before it’s even started.

On the offset you were avoiding him all this time: you best prey your reactions to this eventual introduction are in check. If you truly weren’t playing your own long winded little game of hide and seek: consider yourself lucky (In the vaguest sense of the term).

The spiders took to you quickly, most of them having heard (and many witnessed) their boss’ onslaught of restless nights when he’d finally committed to finding you. A few of them were even impressed that you’d proved so difficult to find: the barrage of compliments on a feat you might not have even been guilty of proving quite confusing. Aside from this little introduction however, you don’t see much of the Troupe. Chrollo prefers to keep you as his own little domestic facade: a microcosm in his pocket.

The very few times you do see them is when Chrollo just needs to be around you. You rest somewhere close, on his lap, agaisnt his shoulder, a few centimetres off hand in hand, the specifics don’t matter. You’re with him and that’s all he needs. The Troupe hardly gives you a second glance: far too used to this little charade. Their leader playing absentmindedly with some aspect of you as he relays the rules of their next heist.

Once the Troupe disperse he always pulls you closer to him, head buried in the crook of your neck as he takes you in for a few seconds.

You’re a gem he’s acquired; he wishes to revel in you a little bit longer.

Feitan

Similarly to Chrollo: Feitan didn’t care. Hell he probably cared less. It was Phinks who actually started talking about it.

He saw no reason to care, you weren’t any use to what the Troupe was doing.

Then your hiding became evident. He liked that: a chase. Every time your string tightened, a part of Feitan lit up.

The time he spent curating your capture filled his waking days. The occasional torturous thought slipping in every now and then.

And oh boy, when he found you? You hardly had time to react. A small whoosh of air and the rest’s a blur to you. He’d slugged you back to where the Troupe reconvened.

Unlike Chrollo, Feitan wastes no time in integrating you into the troupe. It proves no use to him having you in the dark; he doesn’t care much for the facade. You’re his now, soulmates: whether either of you liked it or not. So, it’s best you know his colleagues as soon as possible - they’ll be partly responsible for keeping an eye on you afterall.

You won’t leave his side. Ever. He’s surprisingly adamant about it.

Spindly arms wrap around you, pressing you against his chest. “Staying here.” The ever familiar hiss of his voice rang loud in your ear, the broken lilt of it as alluring as it was fear inducing. Feitan was usually like this, twirling the string that bound you two in between his fingers. He often held you just as he was: close to him. There was no comfort in his hold, for either of you: he just needed it. Needed you.

If you were purposefully hiding? You’ll be quickly introduced to his torturous pastimes.

If you weren’t? Good. Be glad.

After you get used to the whole arrangement he’s actually quite ‘sweet’ (in a twisted sense of the word).

Phinks

One of the only people to court you normally. Like sure, he’s short tempered about it. But, he’ll see it through (maybe.)

Actually wanted to find you, a person bound to him by forces stronger than either of you could comprehend? I mean come on! That’s perfect!

Hours were poured into getting to you. Which, made your hiding all the more obvious. Like some odd rendition of hide and seek, he’d get hairs away only for you to flee again.

He found you eventually, of course, it was inevitable! He was rather rough with the way he restrained you and hauled you back to the troupe. Phinks is another who didn’t waste time in shoving you headfirst into the troupe’s business. Admittedly, with far less grace than any other member.

You’ll spend most of your time with his chin resting on your scalp and his arms swung around you: a distorted sense of a regular relationship. The troupe are an acquired taste to get used to, but Phinks seems to try his best to act as an outlier. For the most part, it works, though, old habits are hard to break.

Once you get used to him, he’ll revert back to his typical idiosyncrasies. He’s actually quite stupid with you: if you can get past circumstances.

Phinks tends to treat the whole ordeal as if the string binding you simply wasn’t there. It’s a fact about him that you’re not quite sure if you enjoy or hate. The way he’ll swing an arm over your shoulder, casual as can be, talking idly. There’s a few questions on your day; how you were. Which, soon snowballed into a refresher of the troupe’s work. All as if he wasn’t glued to your side through the whole ordeal

Which, speaking of, you’ll be bound to get involved in. It’s probably the most nonsensical thing about your arrangement. If Chrollo allows it you’ll simply become a part of the troupe. Apparently you took the place of some clown (from descriptions you’re not sure you want to know anymore).

Machi

Did. Not. Care.

Like at all.

Seriously.

She found you by happenstance; out of sheer boredom used a nen thread to tail you. It wasn’t like she followed you for hours (she actually forgot about the thread quite quickly).

It was only when you’d become so much of a nuisance that she was mistaking your string for her threads that she even bothered.

Machi excels in tailing targets so unlike the others you were quite an easy find. When she found you, she was quick to fall into a “civilian” persona. You hardly knew what to expect when the woman first came up to you, a smile that charming it was hard not to trust. The two of you walked for a while, sharing facts about your life, Machi tailoring her own stories: making herself appear a simple person with a simple life.

Given she didn’t really care much, Machi is completely willing to play the long game, building her facade through a series of weeks. Hell, if it weren’t for the fact you struck a chord inside her she would’ve probably kept up for longer.

When Machi does finally want to cut the charade you’ll know. The snarky redhead you’d been getting to know will have you where she wants you in an instant.

Don’t worry though, Machi’s a doctor (all things considered). Any pain you might wind up with will be quickly rectified. She’s also a lot more level headed than some of the others, she knows not to bombard you…to a degree. Once she’s set on something having to dance around the subject tends to irk her and this is a fact you’ll come to know very quickly. Machi is only amiable for so long.

She keeps you away from the troupe for the most part, you aren’t a spider so there’s no reason for you to be there. If anything the others would probably just make her job harder (and you being there would truly just be a pain).

She’s one of the only ones with a fool proof contingency plan for your escape. Her threads can chase you as long as she needs them to; as short a distance as you’re sure to manage.

Overall despite the circumstances she’s fairly tame. Always having been nonchalant about these sorts of things Machi was never one to chase romance and considering the thread reminding you of your inevitable fate she sees no need in forcing what’s bound to happen anyways. You’ll eventually wear down if you’re angsty and if not? Well it’s a win, win.

She mellows out with you overtime, if not for the constant threat of what might happen if you run off to far your relationship threatens to be…normal? If you could get past all its unique idiosyncrasies.

When she finally caves and introduces you to the Troupe it’s mainly because she has to move for a job. She’s very particular with who you do and don’t meet (Hisoka and Feitan) though tends to leave you about Nobu and Shalnark, with the odd night out with Pakunoda and her.

As I said, as odd as it may be, you’re actually fairly normal.

Shalnark

There’s no amount of information this man can’t find.

And so, there’s no real reason to fuss over you.

Romance is complicated and Shalnark would rather stay clear of the whole thing when he can. He’s after money and Troupe jobs not settling down with soft kisses.

Still, it’s a rather humorous game when he truly gets going.

Watching your life; the way your days play out. Finding all the little puzzle pieces that tie the whole picture together winds up quite the exhilarating pastime. It’s rather humorous in a way, you’re so obviously hiding from your fate that he can’t help but want to shatter the hope you’ve built up. Afterall, even without his license or the information at his disposal your string would guide you to one another sooner or later.

Shalnark is well aware that simply finding you one day and dragging you back to the troupe is a silly thing to do.

But.

It’s easy.

And he can’t really be bothered to do much else. If you run there’s always his nen; if you don’t: you don’t.

He introduces you to the Troupe as if you were an old friend he happened to run across; not the victim of an elaborate game (or well game to him.)

Shalnark doesn’t attempt to form a relationship with you, he already knows who you are and over time you’ll get to know him so it’s just a matter of waiting till you know enough.

Probably won’t use black voice on you.

Maybe.

Pakunoda

This woman actively hunts you down.

The mere thought of a person perfectly fit for her? She simply had to see this.

The way she meets you is similar to Chrollo only purposeful. She takes you out on a lavish night, treating you to wine and delights. A plethora of soft spoken words leave her tongue.

Don’t you just look stunning? Wow you have so much in common.

It’s an interesting experience for her, feeling so connected to a feeling, a fling.

The night progress almost perfectly, it’s tailored to be a blissful evening: utterly perfect in every way. Pakunoda knows how to put on a show and she’s fully prepared to. The Troupe is her life and she’s never cared much for the domestic aspect of the world. And yet, whether it be the string or mere curiosity, she can’t help the way she wants to feed into this. The way she wants to find out if you’re well aware that she’s who you’re tied to or if you truly are blissfully ignorant.

Where she diverges from her close friend is how quickly she pulls you into the Troupe.

You may be entering, endearing even. But, the Troupe is her family (all things considered) and she won’t leave the introductions till later.

Pakunoda works to settle down any and all nerves with ease. Though it may not work she’s certainly skilled at trying to butter you up. She paints a picture of normalcy, a picture she claims the spiders to be a part of. She does care, or tries to? Out of all the spiders she’s the one with the most affection for you. Call it her nature, call it what you want. Pakunoda

Can you tell I haven’t written for these people in a while? Cause I can. I will probably come back to this and give it more content when I have time but by God life kicked me in the shins and ran off with my firstborn the second this ask came in istg.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

hello hope you are doing well! I had a scenario question but would love any information ❤️❤️

If you suddenly woke up in Twisted Wonderland and had to face Azul, what strategies would you use to win against him? How do you think someone can manipulate or defeat him? I’m curious about how we saw it happen in Chapter 3, but I’m wondering what other weaknesses he might have.

Realistically, I feel like there's only 3 ways the average person ("average" meaning assuming average skills/talents and intelligence; no magic) could "beat" Azul at his own game:

Know smart or powerful people who can help you find loopholes and/or to lend you a hand in executing a plan. This is essentially what happened in book 3; Yuu gets advice from Malleus that helps them realize the true nature of the contracts, then recruits Savanaclaw to help them pull off their heist. Without the support of Malleus and Leona, it's highly unlikely Yuu and co. could have come out victorious or successfully manipulated Azul's actions as they did.

Don't entertain Azul or make a deal with him in the first place. This is what Leona recommends doing in book 3. It follows very simple but effective logic. If you never get involved with Azul, then he can't exactly take advantage of you, now can he?

Weaponize information against him. I don't think this would be feasible for someone who just got isekai'd to another world and is still trying to get their bearings on it. However, I do feel like Azul isn't the type of obstacle you can brute force; you'd have to take your time and gather data on what his weak points are in order to gain leverage over him. We sort of see Yuu and Jack attempt this in book 3; they follow Azul around to try and see where he struggles but he appears to be perfect in all of his classes. You'd probably have to dig even deeper than his high school career. For example, if you were somehow able to dig up dirt on Azul that he doesn't want to let out (such as his experience of being bullied as a child), you could open up the route of negotiations. As it currently stands, you don't have anything to bargain with besides Ramshackle Dorm.

If it were me in Yuu's shoes, I'd probably avoid making a deal to begin with (I'm very risk-averse www). If I do have to make the deal, I'll prioritize information warfare (blackmail is okay sometimes/j). My absolutely last resort would be to such up my pride and phone a friend for help. That's... kind of the same order Yuu goes in canon anyway, no?

[felassan]

this post is under a cut in case anyone would consider it to be DA:D spoilers, as the things it mentions came from the leak a year ago (spoiler warning for link) that included screenshots and a gif of the game. (the things this post mentions are therefore not new information and this does not reference a new leak)

I'm just thinking again about Rook (which seems to be the PC's name or title) and the imagery conjured by the name. ◕‿◕ this post is just speculation and overanalyzing for fun. also this post is a now-finished draft from my draft section from a while back.

I think it would work as a surname (like "Hawke") or a codename (think Leliana's spies and contacts such as "Butler", "Farrier", "Butcher", "Charter", etc although these are all professions that end in "-er" or "or" iirc). it could also be a title (like Warden, Hero, Champion, Inquisitor, Herald) or a nickname - like maybe it's short for "Rookie", it's a Varric-assigned nickname and it references how the DA:D PC is the newest member of the team after he recruits them?

I think it sounds catchy, and cool - it's snappy and short, Hawke-like in this way. and it sounds like the kind of name a spy or secret agent might have in a fantasy, superhero or sci-fi-type setting.

a rook is a black bird, Corvus frugilegus, a member of the corvid family. rooks have been perceived as vermin and nuisances by people in the past, and persecuted due to this. they bear a resemblance to their crow and raven relatives, both birds which have a large cultural footprint and lots of symbolism in areas such as folklore and art. Hawke obviously also had a bird motif going on from their surname and associated art pieces. corvids also bring to mind the Antivan Crows (assassins, thieves, & spies), reminding of the stuff about how in this game the PC may be trying to operate under the radar, and the reporting on a previous iteration of DA:D which had the game concept as being focused on spies and heists. rook plumage is inky black, bringing to mind darkness and shadow.

from the bird angle, a "rook" sounds neat opposite a "wolf" imo. wolves are obviously another animal that have large footprints in culture, myth and folklore. in the natural world there is symbiosis sometimes between wolves and corvids when hunting/feeding. there are lots of photos of wolves and corvids together.

a colony of rooks is called a rookery. of course, the fortress of Skyhold has a rookery. it's from there that Inquisition Spymaster Leliana operates (operated) sending her black birds on missions with letters and messages to her many agents and spies throughout Thedas. what if Rook is one of Leliana's... "rooks"? a spy or agent of the remnants of the Inquisition.

A rook is also defined as "A cheat or swindler; someone who betrays" [noun], "mist, fog" [noun] and "to cheat or swindle" [verb]. it's also a type of trick-taking card game. these sorts of things bring to mind a rogueish, stealthy aspect, and the shady, shadowy dealings and card-game played in Minrathous Shadows.

a rook is also a chess piece. they're castle-like (since "rook" can also mean a castle or fortification) and usually have their top in the shape of a battlement. they can move in any direction along a rank or file on a chessboard on which they stand (horizontal/vertical, not diagonal). they can also do the "castling" move. in history, rooks have also been called towers, castles, rectors and marquesses. in chess, each player starts the game with two rooks at opposite ends of the first rank. chess itself is a game of strategy and tactics. "the chessmaster" as a trope is a character type who manipulates events, tugging on strings and moving 'pieces' into place on a metaphorical chessboard. [Solas' DA:I dialogue about his past, like the one he has with Sera about cells of spies/agents, hark to this]

in the castling move,

"Castling is a move in chess. It consists of moving the king two squares toward a rook on the same rank and then moving the rook to the square that the king passed over. Castling is permitted only if neither the king nor the rook has previously moved; the squares between the king and the rook are vacant; and the king does not leave, cross over, or finish on a square attacked by an enemy piece. Castling is the only move in chess in which two pieces are moved at once."

castling rules often cause confusion, even occasionally among high-level players. historically the move has its roots in the "king's leap", of which there were two forms and which arose in part it seems due to increasing importance of king safety as other pieces were given increased powers through time as the game developed. "the king would move once like a knight, or the king would move two squares on its first move. The knight move might be used early in the game to get the king to safety or later in the game to escape a threat." basically it moves the king away to safety and the rook to a more active position. there is also kingside castling and queenside castling. I wonder, symbolically.. is Rook more the king's rook, or the queen's rook? (reminds me of the Left Hand and Right Hands of the Divine hh). who or what is the king in this hypothetical analogy? the World of Thedas itself? as a castle or fortress.. Rook is the bulwark against what's to come? [over-thinking ik ik, tis just for fun hh].

by now we're all familiar with the chess game Solas plays in banter dialogue with Iron Bull during DA:I. in the in-world chess game, rooks are called towers. Solas moves his right-hand tower once. at a later point in the game, Iron Bull's "Arishok" piece takes Solas' left-hand tower, getting a check and leaving him feeling triumphant. Bull asks Solas wth he is doing as Bull takes Solas' remaining tower. "Your last tower, by the way". Bull, a spy and liar himself, bears down on Solas' pieces "with his full army", thinking a win is in sight. Undeterred, Solas executes a few moves in a sneaky plan and entraps Bull in a checkmate, winning the game after sacrificing various pieces to enact his plan.

rook also brings to mind the Tower tarot card and its meanings. it's associated with sudden, disruptive revelation and potentially destructive change. it connotes danger, crisis, sudden change, destruction, higher learning, and liberation, as well as adversity, calamity, deception, ruin and unforeseen catastrophe. reversed, it connotes things such as negligence, carelessness, apathy and vanity (vanity.. pride). in this depiction of the Tower tarot, lightning strikes from the sky, striking a crown (hubris) off the top of a tower and setting it alight as people fall from the tower to their doom. this imagery and the upright meanings of the card bring to mind the sudden massive change Solas seeks to bring about (destroying the Veil), the revelations and liberation for some that it might bring, his identity as Fen'Harel Lord of Tricksters (deception) as well as the destruction he seems to think the Veil destroying action will cause ("as the world burns in the raw chaos"...). the 'Tower scene' has also already played out once before in Thedosian history, when Solas created the Veil and sealed the Evanuris away, leading to the fall of Arlathan and its wonders. in modern Thedas, Morrigan and Flemeth (as well as possibly some side 'prophecy' type things) both allude to a big change coming to the world.

in DA:I, the Tower tarot card is ofc none other than Solas' ending card, if he is not romanced. in the DA:I version of the card, we see Solas, cloaked in a dark robe and holding a mage staff under a half-moon or eclipse. darkness seeps from his shadow, stark against the orange sky, and blends with the giant black Dread Wolf, looming ominously and open-mouthed above him with its many eyes. (the Tower tarot card Solas scene is later referenced in DA:D promotional art and DA:D-era in-world murals). it makes sense to have assigned this to Solas given the above discussed meanings of the Tower tarot card, but it's a verrry inchresting choice imo to then give "Rook" as a name/title for the DA:D PC.

and most inchrestingly, there's the symbol from the front of Mark Darrah's mysterious Red Book. this mysterious red book shows "a flaming rook" on the cover. the book was an internal guide for developer and publisher eyes only that summarized the vision for DA:D, in its Joplin iteration. we know that the Joplin project has since been revised to an extent that it was the newly codenamed Morrison instead, but the red book is known to still contain plenty of ideas likely to appear in DA:D. most pages of the book remain highly classified. it's the symbol on the front that's of most interest to us though for the purposes of this post. there is a castle, tower, or rook, like a fortress or the chess piece. above the tower, a fire burns, reminding us of the burning tower from the Tower tarot card imagery and what that symbolizes, as well as Solas' "world burning in the raw chaos" line from Trespasser. inside the fire is a wolf, the Dread Wolf, in a now very-familiar and repeated motif in DA:D art, merch, murals, teasers etc. whatever else "rook" may connote, it feels like it's not an accident at all that the PC's name is apparently "Rook", given this depiction of a fiery rook and the Dread Wolf together.

what do you think? ^^

[aventurineswife]

The dad Aventurine fic genuinely made me want to cry but now i can't stop thinking of something

Imagine Aventurine having an extremely chaotic kid, like one of those kids where u take your eyes off of them 00.1 seconds and they 10 broken bones, have broken at least 15 vases and is currently on a sugar rush from eating too much candy.

It can be either a boy or a girl! Im very in love with your writing and i'd love to see your own thoughts on this Idea. Overall just Aventurine having to deal with his little demon spawn

The Greatest Award

Summary: Aventurine’s life is a high-stakes game, but nothing could prepare him for the chaos of parenting his five-year-old child. In a single afternoon, his once-luxurious office is reduced to shambles, courtesy of a sugar-fueled miniature whirlwind. As Aventurine tries to reign in the chaos with his usual charm and strategy, he learns that even the sharpest gambler can’t outwit the boundless energy and imagination of their own child.

Tags: Dad!Aventurine and his demon spawn child, Parent-Child Bonding, Domestic Chaos, Fluff and Humor, Mischievous Child, Found Family Themes.

Warnings: Mildly Destructive Child Antics, Implied Past Trauma(?), Excessive Use of Candy and Paint.

A/N: I lost my previous fic i wrote about this req, seems like it didn't save... 😭😔💔. So, have this while I cry with my broken back 😪

The room, once an opulent display of Aventurine’s impeccable taste, now resembled the aftermath of a casino heist gone wrong. The velvet curtains had been pulled down, puddling on the floor like fallen royalty. His priceless roulette-themed rug? Drenched in some unidentifiable sticky substance that smelled faintly of caramel.

And in the center of it all stood the culprit—Aventurine’s five-year-old child, grinning like a miniature devil. Their hair, much like their father’s, was streaked with suspiciously bright blue paint. In their hand, they wielded what appeared to be the broken leg of an antique chair as if it were a sword, declaring, “I’m the Ruler of the Candy Castle!”

“Darling,” Aventurine’s voice was sharp but calm, his smile firmly in place despite the chaos around him. “Care to explain why my baccarat table is missing a leg?”

The child tilted their head, pretending to think. “A monster ate it.”

“A monster?” Aventurine pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a rare migraine brewing. “Was it the same monster who broke three vases, emptied my desk drawer of poker chips, and decided my coat rack was a jungle gym?”

They nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, and then it told me candy makes monsters go away!”

Before he could respond, they took off like a rocket, their tiny feet thundering across the marble floor.

“Darling—” Aventurine began, but they were already scaling a bookshelf like some kind of sugar-fueled mountain goat.

For a moment, he simply stared, calculating the odds of them not breaking a limb versus the likelihood of toppling the entire structure. Slim to none. He reached out just in time to catch them mid-leap, their laughter ringing in his ears as he set them firmly back on the ground.

“Listen, kitten,” he said, crouching down to meet their wild magenta eyes. “You’re giving Daddy a run for his money, and I don’t lose. But if you keep this up, I might have to start betting on when you’ll turn the entire estate into rubble.”

They gasped dramatically. “You’d bet on me?”

“Absolutely.” He tapped their nose. “But I’d also bet that if you sat down for five minutes—five minutes, mind you—I’d let you pick out the next ridiculous hat I wear to work.”

Their eyes sparkled with devious glee. “Even the one with the feathers?”

Aventurine suppressed a groan. He had gambled with empires, conned royalty, and survived assassination attempts, yet this small, chaotic creature could bring him to his knees with a single demand. “Even the one with the feathers.”

They pretended to consider his offer before darting off again, leaving Aventurine in their wake. A crash echoed from the next room, followed by an enthusiastic, “Oops!”

He stood, smoothing his blazer as he surveyed the wreckage of his once-pristine office. This was just another high-stakes game, he reminded himself. The rules were unconventional, the opponent unpredictable, but Aventurine always played to win.

“Alright, darling,” he called, striding after them. “You’ve forced my hand. It’s time to introduce you to the most dangerous weapon in Daddy’s arsenal.”

They peeked out from behind an overturned chair, curious. “What is it?”

He smirked, pulling out a deck of cards. “A little thing called discipline.”

Their giggle echoed through the halls, and Aventurine couldn’t help but laugh too. Because despite the chaos, the broken vases, and the candy-fueled mayhem, he wouldn’t trade his little demon spawn for all the chips in the universe.