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magistralucis · 10 months ago

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The chef has entered the kitchen [Drabble]

(For @eleooooooo. AU of an AU (😂) inspired by the Unravel!Imotekh cameo in From Darkness Unto Thy Light, which somehow pretzeled back into this scene. Imotekh makes Orikan a mushroom risotto/porridge/succulent vegetarian meal. Since AO3 is down the brainworm has been entertained, I hope it turned out cute aaaa)

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The tent flap rustled open. Imotekh looked up, the spoon scarce halfway to his mouth. At the entrance of the tent stood a veiled figure, his dark hair loose and mussed from a recent sleep.

Orikan stared at him. "What are you eating?"

"Orikan." Imotekh put down the spoon, and was just about to rise in greeting when the chronomancer took the liberty to plonk down right next to him, peering into the bowl. Through the cloth the tips of his ears were twitching in a way Imotekh had not seen before. "I didn't mean to wake you."

The cryptek contemplated this for a moment. Disregarded it, to return to the more pressing question. "What are you eating?"

Imotekh laughed. "Tried something different today. You can only have so many nights of gruel in a row, no matter how low down on the food chain you are." He stirred the grains for a moment, then glanced back up. "Would you like to try?"

Orikan nodded. Imotekh offered him a spoonful. There was a pause, then the cryptek hesitantly pushed his veil to the side, revealing just enough of his mouth that he could eat.

He didn't take the spoon from Imotekh, just leaned down towards it. Licked the broth off the tip, warily. The soldier watched, somewhat taken aback, as Orikan lapped slowly around the edge of the spoon - before finally closing his lips around it. After a few seconds he was up again, savouring the taste. Nothing about his demeanour suggested an opinion either way.

"... Well?"

Orikan remained silent. Imotekh worried that he'd blown it somehow, though he noted this was unlike any other reaction he'd seen from Orikan before. If he disliked it he'd probably have walked away without a word, like he'd done for so many meals of dry rusks or ration-cake stews. There was never any joy in it when he was obligated to finish something, either, he seemed to find the very concept of consumption mortifying. Still, he thought, this thing - it's no apple, certainly nothing you'd find at a banquet - but if he'll actually eat it...

"Orikan?"

And then he saw it. The tiniest of fidgets, accompanied by the brief clutch of the other's slender hand upon Imotekh's lap. He had no idea how he'd done it, but the cryptek was flustered - and pleasantly so, judging from the increasingly insistent stare Imotekh could feel a veil and an eternity away.

The soldier's face brightened. "Would you like more?" He exclaimed.

Orikan nodded. Hurriedly Imotekh scooped up another spoonful. And this time the chronomancer actually took matters into his own hands, accepting the spoon with one hand and pushing back the cloth with the other. There was none of the wariness from before: just the mouthful followed by another, the third faster than the second, until he abruptly dropped the spoon into the bowl.

"Let me-"

He then took hold of the veil's edge, and flipped it right back from his face, so that he might be wholly engrossed in the business of eating.

Strange, how Orikan made such a fundamental activity the subject of pure awe. Imotekh felt almost out of himself as he watched the cryptek eat, his every move laced with an enthusiasm he'd not thought him capable of before. Orikan did not even stop to let the porridge cool, even though every bite was piping hot; where the spoon came away with more grains he chewed them thoroughly, delighting in the slight firmness to his teeth, and when there was more broth he sipped and savoured the rich creamy thickness upon his tongue. There was not a single complaint of too hard, too soft, too flavourless. Anything but.

The usual soldiers' fare: dry the hell out of it, bake it into bread, or throw everything into a stew. Flavourings were negotiable, foraging inconsistent, and sometimes even the fundamentals of nutrition were up for debate. Imotekh inwardly praised himself for saving up his salt-rations - food at the cryptek temple was bland, or so Orikan had told him, the boy might've hankered his whole life for some seasoning - as well as taking the time to collect mushrooms during the long forest marches, staying up late all those nights to dry them carefully over the brazier. He could do little about the quality of their grains and pulses, but where others might've tossed them into a pot straight away he'd taken the time to process them even further. The barley-grains he toasted prior to boiling, the legumes he soaked overnight then ground to a fine paste. Orikan was not partial to meat, so mushroom broth it was, simmered so slowly that it took almost an hour to extract their savoury depths; then came the grains, then the vegetables and a splash of seed-oil, the legume paste stirred into the mixture in between stages for thickening. Who could resist the mix of those flavours, the tender way the mushrooms fell apart between the teeth, the tiny drops of oil melting upon the tongue?

Not bad, Imotekh thought. Orikan's praise was yet higher. Before they both knew it the porridge was all gone, and the soldier found himself eye to eye with the chronomancer, who was slowly licking the spoon clean and dealing with the realization that he'd eaten the whole contents of Imotekh's bowl.

He hadn't asked, or anything. It never even crossed their minds that he should.

A deep embarrassed blush bloomed across Orikan's cheeks.

"Why, Master Orikan!" Not that Imotekh minded. He could hardly keep the grin off his face, so relieved he was to see Orikan finish a meal for once. The fact was even sweeter because the Diviner had favoured him - because no one else, Imotekh thought, had yet come up with an experience Orikan had thrown himself into so eagerly. "There's more where that came from, you'll be glad to know. You enjoyed it, then?"

Chronomancers were meant to be indifferent. Certainly a stranger would've said that of Orikan, with his blank expression and empty eyes. Imotekh, however, had learned him during their past months together: he read sentiment in the microscopic flickers of the veil of Orikan's lashes, how from first taste his ears had perked up and hadn't stopped perking, the slightest drag of his tongue along the lower lip where the residual flavours dwelt. Notably, Orikan did not retreat behind the cloth. Presumably he thought he could've been more graceful, but he did not look away - and, eventually, gave Imotekh a shy little nod.

The soldier laughed. "I thank you for your high praise, sweet Master." He stood and beckoned Orikan up, and the Diviner followed him right away, one slender palm folding like a lotus upon Imotekh's own. "Come on. I think that calls for seconds."

#warhammer 40k #wh40k #necrontyr #imotekh the stormlord #orikan the diviner #unravel #drabble #fanfiction #if i didn't have so many projects to juggle this might've lead to a 'five times imotekh cooked and one time he didn't' fluff fic or sth 😂#but yeah unravel!imotekh could cook and cook well. probably most necrontyr soldiers knew how to manage in that regard #but since imotekh had a love interest who was fussy about food/didn't feed himself well to care for i think he'd have learned very quickly #this is just his first attempt... wait until he starts crafting roasts in the middle of a war zone and making orikan a mince pie 😆

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cometrose · 1 month ago

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my thoughts on khux and kh mobile games

Now that the dust has settled, missing link has been cancelled and I think this marks an end to kingdom hearts mobile games as whole (or at least for now). Unchained X released in 2016 and Dark Road released in 2020 and ended in 2022. For about 6-7 years we received kh mobile games and it's difficult to describe their impact and influence on the series.

Pros

A brand new story told in a new way.

When khux released on ios and android it introduced an brand new, live update form of storytelling on probably the most accessible kh platform to date. It's practically impossible to do anything without a cellphone and khux covered that market. Like fans waiting for a weekly manga or tv show, khux regularly released new story cultivating a fanbase and tension that other kh titles can't do.

Plus khux added a lot of new characters and a lot of lore and story that can't be done in the traditional titles. Being a cute 2D mobile game allowed devs to shove hours and hours of content and characterization which wouldn't be possible outside of novels or books or multiple games.

We met so many new characters and grew alongside them. Union Cross and Dark Road despite their cute aesthetics managed to craft unique and at times gruesome storylines that many argue are some of the best in the series.

A sense of community

I am still in the discord with my khux guild and I still remember those raid bosses. Not only could you create your own avatar and "keykid" but you got to talk with other guild members and other content creators about the story. Fan theories about whose the traitor, or the future of ventus and laurium, about the master, about ava. Sure we still theorize about what's to come in every kh game but not in the same manner.

I still remember the day lauriam was revealed as a dandelion because strelitzia died mere moments prior and everyone was convinced he was the traitor. The whole fandom was shaking and yelling and there was so much excitement and energy. Being able to experience those moments with everybody at the same time was wonderful.

Accessibility

I touched on this briefly earlier but by being a mobile game, khux was potentially many people first interaction with the series.

In 2016 there were no All-in-one collections, we had just started received the 1.5 and 2.5 editions but those were only for playstation so most of the series was out of reach for a lot of people. A large portions of the franchise was still spread across a lot of platforms (DS 3DS PS3 PS4) and khux was on a platform that many people had access to. It brought new fans and new people to the franchise.

Especially in regions like Japan, mobile games are incredibly popular. A lot of people don't have time to go home and turn on their huge PS5 or want to lug their Switch around to school, having mobile games is a great way to play games virtually anywhere you can get a signal.

And besides most importantly these are free to play games. You don't have to spend $60 to $70 on a game and another $500 on a console to play these games.

Cons

predatory gacha game

Khux was a gacha game period. Yes it had colorful gameplay, fun characters, and interesting story but you really couldn't access any of that if you weren't strong enough to beat story missions and for that you needed medals and hours poured into the game to level up your keyblades.

These games are fundamentally exploitive and exist to drain consumers of money. As someone who has played many gacha games (sw, gi, wuwa, love nikki, crk, crob) and continues to play them the biggest stain on their existence--no matter how fun the combat, or interesting the characters, or how beautiful the world and music is--will always be that they are money hungry projects designed to strip you of your money.

Sure kh3 alone for the ps4 is like $60 + $400 for a ps4 but regular gacha spending rates can easily climb to the thousands with $30 packs, $100 packs, battlepass, other subscriptions. $5 montly battlepasses will cost $60 within a year. If you spend any regular amount of money on these games over time the prices skyrocket far beyond any console platform game.

Daily login rewards that force you to login everyday for in-game currencies or limited time events that are designed to keep your screentime and money focused on the game. All of these are just ways to keep you spending and nothing to do with crafting or enhancing the kh universe.

that's not to say that can't be fun or that you are obligated to spend money but they are gambling covered in cute aesthetics. khux's value in my regard will always be less than the others titles just for being fundamentally what it is. A game whose purpose and story will always be overshadowed by the amount of jewels and money you pour into it.

Accessibility...

the problem with live service games is that they will one day come to an end. Outside of the ginormous ones who have been running for decades, many of these mobile games will eventually die. khux was no different and doubt missing link would have stood the test of time either. These games were fated to die and all of the hours and money you have spent in them were doomed to die along with it.

you can still play 358/2 days, you can still play re:coded, you can still play the original chain of memories for the gameboy advance. Those games will exist forever! They are physical games with physical hardware (though you can pirate them too) their stories will always be told and their gameplay will always be accessible.

the only way to experience khux is to watch 10 hour videos on youtube.

this accessibility issue is only amplified by the value it has on the series. Everything in khux from the dandelions to the foretellers will impact the rest of the kh franchise. Such crucial and vital storytelling is effectively lost forever.

Will kh remedy this? Yes probably. The plotpoints in khux will likely be rehashed and retold in future kh titles. But will every detail and characterization from khux make it into kh4 or 5 or whatever? No that just not feasible nor really necessary as the story focuses on Sora. Sure they can integrate some lore through books or collectibles but this experience can't be replicated outside of brand new game.

Especially for dark road. You have backstory about the main antagonist for the first 15 years of kingdom hearts be locked away in gacha hell and eventually completely gone. You can't even download khdr they took them off the app store!

khux was the most accessible and inaccessible kh property to date. And given square enix's current executive moves and strategy I don't see them reinstating khdr any time soon or dedicating any time to it outside of integrating story elements into the next major installments.

Gameplay and Investment

When khml was announced I think many of us were excited until we saw Mobile GPS game. With combat and gameplay locked behind gacha and being so different from the traditional action rpg mechanics of the main titles many old kh fans were fundamentally disinterested in anything mobile. Personally, myself included. With kh4 sitting right next to missing link I found it hard to care about anything about it when it wouldn't exist in 5 years.

When khux came out it filled a void in the kh series. Post DDD was chronologically the penultimate title to KH3 and there was nothing coming out between that time (other than 2.8). khux gave players something to do while we wait. While I think missing link intended to serve the same purpose I think it fundamentally failed to capture the interest of many.

Whether it be the GPS mechanics, its short lifespan, or that KH4 loomed right next to it, many people didn't want to invest time and effort into something that would reach end of service the second KH4 released.

No matter how fun khux was the game was not meant to live long after kh3 and I think many people have learned from that.

Conclusion.

Do I think the khux and the mobile games are wholly bad? No.

The light of the past from KH3 and watching all those names appear on the side of the screen was one of the most magical feelings I have ever felt in this series (and one of my favorite moments ever I remember filling out that form before kh3's launch). Knowing that even though khux is gone, the fans and people who played it are forever engraved into the series makes me happy.

Arguing with people over whether ventus was the fake or who killed strelitzia or the future of the dandelions was great. Decorating my keykid with cute outfits or messing with medals was fun. I remember waking up in the morning to do Raids and running around disney worlds with our friends.

But I also remember spending $80 to get Illustrated Kairi EX in her debut then NOT getting her and becoming disillusioned with gacha games forever and never spending a dime on a another one (maybe thats also a good thing).

All things come to an end, and I have long gotten over the money I spent on the game because at the time in made me happy. khux granted players a more personal way to interact with kingdom hearts. We were keyblade wielders! And the fact even now all of characters live within the series as dreameaters is a praise for how kh integrated all of us into its wild story.

However, community is one thing and games are another.

You can't play khux anymore and that is the most important thing. It's frustrating to have hours and hours of lore and story hidden within a game that won't exist in a decade that often has derivative gameplay in a franchise that is known for having exciting and well thought out combat and mechanics.

When the KH4 trailer came out many people didn't have clue who Strelitzia was because they didn't play the mobile games. While I think is a minor issue as the game will definitely reintroduce her (guys Sora doesn't know who she is either) many people are frustrated to be locked out of story and lore for the future because they didn't play khux. This issue is only amplified in today's time because the game is gone! And not many people want to just sit on youtube watching cutscenes.

In an era that has become saturated with gacha games to point of oversaturation I think it's fair that people don't want to waste time and money on a temporary game. And I also understand why people are upset that we lost a kh game. Brain's story, the lost era? Even if I wasn't heavily invested in the game itself I definitely wanted to know the story and the fact it is gone is disheartening.

Also I don't think cancelling khml suddenly means kh4 production is going to skyrocket. They were probably different teams from the get go.

Plus for square to cancel a game that had multiple betas, music and voice acting ready, means years and years of money and time has been wasted. We don't know what will happen with IV but considering khml was stated multiple times to have very important lore for IV, I won't be surprised if the game suffers a couple delays as the devs and writers are forced to incorporate or even remove khml lore from the story. A game being cancelled so late in development is not a good thing guys.

And again, it might not impact KH4 that much or it might impact it greatly we don't know and Square Enix's total lack of communication on Kingdom Hearts in another rant entirely.

I love Kingdom Hearts and I will probably enjoy any game I play but I feel I am in the crowd that would have loved a console game. KH is no longer spread across 10 different platforms any kh game that comes out today will be on ps, xbox, switch, steam and epic almost immediately. There is no need to limit ourselves to ios and android games and there are countless co-op mmos on console as well. There are so many ways to have vast online communities without locking fans in phone gacha hell.

As fun and as interesting as these stories are the issue will always be their fundamentals. It's a shame missing link is gone truly, but I do hope kh steps away from these kind of properties.

Did they do more harm than good? I'm not sure yet. But having so much story and content be stripped away from fans feels awful no matter what.

TLDR: khux are fun games but their short lifespan and predatory gameplay are so frustrating I think it's fair the series move away from them.

#kh #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts missing link #khml #khux #unless square wants to make a genshin impact or wuwa equivalent and craft huge open worlds I don't see kh mobiles lasting long #but at the same time id rather you not waste time on open world gachas and just make another numbered game #would mmorpg kh in the same vein as ff14 be welcome? yes #but those aren't open world gachas #I think its fair for kh to try out new storytelling elements but I feel missing link was wrong place wrong time #this was so long my bad guys #would I love to make my own keykid again? yeah probably I hope to try this again #do I think they should waste time with missing link? ehhh #when it came down to it? khux was fun I had fun #would I do it again? ehhhhhh #the irony of me writing this then logging onto wuwa to try and get carlotta...i did not get her not enough wishes #see thats the thing i play gachas if missing link came out i would play it but ya know would i enjoy it? maybe but also who knows #id rather missing link be here than not be here but i also wish it never existed in the first place

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