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onyx-archer · 6 months ago

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Open World, Shallow Structure: A Look at Zelda and It's Future

Originally, I was going to make my next post about another Life is Strange game, but I've been in a bit of a Zelda mood thanks to playing around with the Ocarina of TIme/Majora's Mask Combo Randomizer, so I wanted to talk about the Zelda series for a minute. As the title would suggest, I wanted to talk about Zelda's current open world direction, why I'm not a fan, and where I think it could improve.

As this is more about game design and less about story, spoilers will be minimal, but present. Just assume that I'm expecting you to be familiar with most Zelda games and their stories, and that I'll mention things from them when I think it's relevant. I'm going to be citing things from the 3D Zelda titles especially, because 2D Zelda is a different beast, but I'll mention things about them when necessary to illustrate a point. I'll put this under the cut cause it's gonna be long, but I have a lot of thoughts.

I also want to say up front that if you like the modern style of Zelda seen in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, that's great! You saw something in those games that I didn't, and I don't want to take that away from you! I just want to talk shop about Zelda's current struggle with game design as a fan who's been playing these games since they were like, 6.

With that, you know the drill, go under the cut if you wanna keep reading.

When I first played Breath of the Wild, I want to be real with y'all for a minute: I put it down after a few hours. I had basically gotten to the point where I was on my way to Zora's Domain, got side-tracked by some Shrines and other stuff, and got bored. What a lot of people see as an adventure full of wonder just felt like I was being side tracked by things that ultimately didn't matter. I've since beaten the game, and even 100%'d it, which is something I'd never recommend anyone sane do more than once.

Cards on the table: I haven't really touched Tears of the Kingdom in any real capacity yet. I watched some people play it, and asked a friend who is a diehard Zelda fan what he thought, and both things lead to the same conclusion: it's just Breath of the Wild 2.0. Which, I mean, duh, of course it was, that's a game that a lot of people liked, and so Nintendo would have to be pretty freaking dumb to not capitalize on that. Even I was initially positive about the choice, because I had thought that since they were going to be building off of the base of a game as beloved as BotW, that we'd see something like a "Majora's Mask" to BotW's "Ocarina of Time" in a lot of ways. In some ways, we got that, but in most ways where I think it mattered, we didn't.

So how can I judge a game I really haven't played? Well, it's built off of one I have played, so I can look at it through that lens. I can also take what I've heard from friends who have played it into consideration. With those things in mind, I've come up with a few core problems that I have with the current direction of Zelda that I hope are righted when the next game comes out in like, 7 years (cause let's be real, it's gonna be a long while before the next big game hits).

The Dungeons:

A big sticking point for a lot of more classic fans of the Zelda series that has yet to actually be remedied is the dungeons. More specifically, how the two most recent titles (not counting the Link's Awakening remake and the Skyward Sword remaster) don't really have tightly designed dungeons. I believe this is a consequence of the open-ended design, and the fact that the developers have leaned too hard into "solve the puzzles in any number of different ways" to allow for that tight design.

Zelda dungeons in the past, for the most part, are a combination of combat encounters and puzzle rooms, with a sense of exploration as you move through them. While I feel as though the combat aspect has been preserved to a degree, everything else is just lacking.

The combat in Zelda pre-Skyward Sword was pretty basic for the most part (just whacking guys with glorified sticks), and this is something that Breath of the Wild has objectively improved in a lot of ways. Combat just feels better, even if there's objectively a lot of jank when managing the inventory to swap between weapons. The only part of combat that is outright trash is the weapon degradation, which I'll cover later.

However, there is one thing that has been lost in this, and it ties into the puzzle element: boss fights.

Bosses in Zelda's past are basic in certain respects, but have layers that lean into the puzzle solving component of the game design. Usually, the bosses require you to play into the dungeon gimmick, which usually involves the tool you get in said dungeon, or in the lead up to the dungeon, which is the case for something like Bongo Bongo in Ocarina of Time. While sure, a lot of this leads to pretty obvious design quirks that make the bosses less challenging overall for some, and lead to mixed results as the series went on, the bosses did more than test your mettle, they tested you on the tools you have.

For every item that has limited use like the Spinner in Twilight Princess, there are items that have utility in ways beyond their dungeon of acquisition. This is typically for staples like the Bow, the Bombs, the Hookshot, etc, but it can also be for things like the Gust Jar or the Beetle from Skyward Sword. Yeah, they aren't as universally useful, but they are still useful, and can be used to add puzzle variety. Beyond just using the tool to exploit a weakness in the boss, they had other uses, and while some were definitely more limited than others, it was still some use.

Modern Zelda has decided that puzzles should be solvable in ways tied to the tools you get during the tutorial for the most part, and I think this has lead to the degradation of feeling of solving a puzzle. While sure, there are times when open-ended solutions to puzzles feels satisfying, it also leads to situations where the player can just cheese an answer, and while that may satisfy some in a creative sense, it leaves the people who want to solve head scratchers feeling like they wasted their time trying to think how the developers wanted the puzzle to be solved.

The fact that BotW and TotK puzzles can be solved in a number of ways, but also really only expect the player to have the tools they got during the tutorial area makes the puzzles feel... flat, for the lack of a better term.

This, in tern, makes the design of dungeons feel less satisfying to explore, because it has lead to the designers basically making all of the dungeon "find X number of keys to open the door to the boss." Yeah, classic Zelda was that at it's core, but the puzzles, while certainly not super complex because of their target audience, often had variety in ways that the modern ones just don't. That variety masked the blatant "find keys" part of the journey, which I feel is so obvious in the modern games that it sucks the sense of wonder exploring the dungeons used to bring. From what I've seen of TotK, this problem is made worse because the game just tells you that you need to find 5 things to unlock a door up front, and that's just kinda lame.

I'm not going to pretend the puzzles in OoT are complete brain ticklers, but they had some fun solutions. Opening the door to the boss of Dodongo's Cavern involved a simple riddle about dropping bombs into the eyes of a giant Dodongo Skull to open it's mouth. It was a fun concept that was really only used once in that game, and it sticks out in my memory to this day. Most of the puzzles in BotW, by contrast, are less interesting outside of the moment you're doing them because they mix the same assets together so much that it all bleeds into one amorphas blob.

Shrines only further make this a problem, because the Shrines have you do these sorts of puzzles outside of dungeons, making them less creative overall over the course of the game. There's only so many times you can have me use Magnesis or Statis Launches to solve similar set ups before I get bored. I do like the idea of Shrines, but there are too damn many of them!

Also of note is the lack of meaningful rewards for doing the Shrines or the Dungeons. Sure, the Shrines give you a resource that lets you increase your Health and Stamina, but that's really it. The chests are largely worthless because they hold weapons that break (at least in BotW), or other things you can just farm from enemies, or just buy. I don't feel rewarded for using my brain, I feel like I'm going down a checklist for some more health. Heart Pieces often had some kind of puzzle or series of things you needed to do to get them, but they felt so much more rewarding because the feeling of getting 4 of them (or however many you need in other games) gave you a satisfying little jingle that hit you with some dopamine like "Look at you! You got a little stronger by using your skull spaghetti!"

My Proposed Solution:

Simply put, my solution is to cut the Shrine number down by half, and make only half of them doable out of the gate. Then I'd use those resources to make unique, tightly design dungeons that give you a unique tool that you can use to solve puzzles with that won't break, and allow those items to be woven into puzzle solutions.

This way, you get some puzzle elements that are open-ended that you can logic out however you want, and then you get some puzzles that have more specific, guided solutions that test your knowledge of the tools you have. You can walk into a Shrine, see a thing that you can't do, and go "okay, there's a tool I need to be able to do this, but I don't have it yet," and know that you'll be able to come back to it later for a puzzle that tests your knowledge as you acquire more tools.

Dungeons could then have more time dedicated to giving them a unique theme and vibe. Unique assets, and a proper sense of wonder that makes them feel worthwhile. Dungeons, I feel, should be guided experiences that progressively introduce new ideas to test the player, rather than just be open ended boxes that have like 5 puzzles that are solved in similar ways to previous puzzles you've likely solved to open a door. They should have a sense of place and spectacle.

Personally, if we were to use the world of BotW/TotK as the basis, I'd have each dungeon reflect the ancient versions of the races civilizations and cultures. Basically, double down on the whole Ancient Sheikah idea, and apply it to the other races of Hyrule. I'd love to see something like an ancient mine of the Gorons teaming with gems and Dodongos, or the dilapidated sunken remains of an ancient Zora city, just to name a few basic things. Pull from the series past and history to create places oozing with cultural atmosphere that stimulates a sense of wonder, but also filled with dangers that excite those seeking the thrill of adventure.

2. The Story

While I am aware that TotK vastly improved the story being told compared to BotW, I think it can't be denied that the open-ended approach to the story is hurting the pacing of things immensely, and leads to a lot of awkward scenarios. The fact that you can view the memories out of order in both BotW and TotK is insane to me, but that's not the only issue.

While open-ended open worlds are good for gameplay stuff, it has taken a toll on having the story of Zelda feel like it has much substance. Sure, you can sit there and say TotK story is good if you sit down and focus on it, but that's the problem: because you can do things in any order, the story loses a lot of traction. I've seen the cutscenes for completing the dungeons in TotK, and the fact that you basically see slightly different versions of the same thing, but with a different narrator, is what I'm talking about.

I personally think that the story is too loosely strung together in these titles because they feel they have to be for the sake of immersion or something, but that is silly to me. You can have an open-ended game that has structure to a plot that is less open, because other devs have been doing it for years. Older Zeldas have done it, to a degree.

Older Zelda titles often did expect you to follow a path the designers laid out for you, but that's because stories often need that kind of structure to be told in any sort of cohesive way. It's like playing a tight game of D&D, where the DM is allowing the players some flexibility, but is still going to guide the players down a path toward some sort of conclusion. The path to that ending may be slightly different, but there are still plot beats that get to that conclusion that occur in a certain order. It's a lot of work, but often leads to satisfying campaigns. And I'm speaking as someone who doesn't care much for D&D.

I think Zelda needs to have a loose, but still very much guided structure. Part of the reason I get so bored playing BotW when I do play it is that the game gives me so much freedom to do whatever, and no real sense of direction outside of a few map markers for the areas you need to go for the main quest. Yeah, that can feel liberating, but it makes it feel more like I'm wandering around in the dark, and less like I'm on a grand adventure, y'know?

I don't want things to go full blown Skyward Sword, where you're effectively on rails, have have to do basically everything in the order the designers wanted you to, cause that feels bad in Zelda too. I think the story should set itself up in such a way where the player is limited to a small pool of possible events that can be seen in any order, but all need to be completed to access the next pool of things, which could be larger. Much like how both Link to the Past divides the game between the 3 Light World dungeons and 6 Dark World dungeons with a trip to Hyrule Castle, or how Ocarina of Time requires you to get the Three Sacred Stones before you can do the Temples for the Medallions.

Events in the stories, as they are, feel like they expect that any dungeon should be your first, and there are only a small handful of dungeons. This, in theory, would be fine, but because each dungeon has to act as though you've never seen things before, it leads to very stale narrative presentation long term.

There's also another small issue that's eating away at the story of the games: the reliance on Ganon.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Ganon/Ganondorf when he's done well, and he was several times in the past. I understand he's the big bad of the series, and he'll always be around, but he's been something of a stain on the series' ability to tell unique stories for a while. This was highlighted in Twilight Princess first, where he sort of just comes in and kicks Zant, a villain who was super imposing and interesting, to the curb for the sake of a lame twist. This was lame, sure, but I really don't like their reliance on Ganon in these recent games.

I could put up with it in BotW, because the game is ultimately about dealing with the Calamity, which is Ganon's essence of corruption given shape. It was dumb and basic, but BotW was sort of basic on purpose in a lot of ways with it's story, so I didn't mind. But with TotK? I feel like they just brought him back because it was easy, and because there are a lot of thirsty Ganondorf fans out there. I just see his inclusion after dealing with Calamity Ganon as a blight on what could have been a much cooler narrative.

My Proposed Solution:

As I mentioned above, I think the goal should be to apply a degree of limitation to the player in how much they can accomplish as they progress. This means there are only so many scenarios the game has to account for. If we, say, limit the player to the classic 3 "starter" dungeons before letting them go into the next batch, then it makes things easier to write around. Have each dungeon be tied to a thing going on in the area that is connected to the main plot, but serve as a piece of a larger puzzle.

Then, I'd establish a simple check: if the Player is visiting, say, the Goron Mines first, then they'll get a slightly different cutscene than if they did the Goron Mines after the Lost Zora City, to account for the idea that the player has already seen some of the set up already. Basically, have the stuff the player experiences be told in a set order in slightly different ways, depending on when the player experiences it sequentially, and adjust in accordance to the order to avoid unnecessary repetition of ideas being conveyed. That way, when Link gets insight into the broader narrative, it feels like a puzzle being solved, but the stuff surrounding that insight is focused on the area.

As for Ganon, it's a pretty simple thing: just don't use him for a little while. Again, I get he's the big bad of the franchise, but we've seen other villains in the series work. Even having a devout follower of Ganon take over and try to resurrect him for a game would be fine, if a bit cliche at this point. Let's see Vaati come back maybe? Or another interesting original villain like Majora/Skull Kid? I still want to learn more about lands besides Hyrule, and a unique villain from Ganon gives us plenty of opportunity to explore those lands.

Speaking of...

3. Hyrule

I don't think it's at all controversial to suggest that Hyrule's map in TotK makes it less satisfying to explore for a lot of people. Sure, there are new areas to check out in a post-Calamity Ganon world, and the added the Depths and the Sky Islands... but I mean, it still kind of sucks that 90% of the map is just a copy/paste job.

Beyond that, I've developed a bit of a pet peeve with the Zelda series and it's use of Hyrule. While I completely understand that it's the primary setting, and that's not really something I'm looking to change or anything, I just miss when we got other places to explore, y'know?

Majora's Mask has Termina, the Oracle games have their own countries, and even Tri Force Heroes has it's own unique setting, and that's just scratching the surface. I love when a Zelda game takes us outside of Hyrule to see other parts of the world, even if it just has a bunch of things that make it feel like a remixed version of Hyrule at it's core. Termina is like this, but I still want to go back there and explore how things have changed since then, y'know?

I don't really have a solution for this issue, I just really think they need to be willing to go outside of Hyrule more often... especially with the next game, just to have things feel fresh again.

4. Weapon Degradation and UI

I don't know about y'all, but I hate the weapons I'm using breaking, but having no real way to repair them. Sure, I know you can often find duplicates or, in the case of TotK, you can just build a new copy of the thing you like, but I still hate it.

A lot of this is compounded by the fact that a lot of chests just contain weapons that will break after a few uses, and it just makes the act of fighting things feel more tedious. I know some would say it adds a degree of tension, but I and many, many others don't like it. It says a lot about the system that when you disable it via cheats, BotW becomes more fun.

The UI doesn't make this any better. Cycling weapons and shields feels clunky as hell, and selecting which arrows you are shooting from the bow is just... why is it so bad!? And how did TotK make that WORSE!? Crafting in TotK is neat, sure, but when you have to individually combine the item you want to each nocked arrow, and the menu is that bad, you have to ask how that got out of beta. I dunno if it's been fixed since then, and I don't really care.

My Proposed Solution:

Here's the thing, all I want is to have 2 things in the case of the weapons breaking.

Thing 1: A permanent set of things you can upgrade over time that never breaks, and only needs to be sharpened or something, but lacks special attributes that make the breakable stuff worth a damn to use.

Thing 2: The ability to use materials to repair/maintain the weapons you like.

The simple thing to fix the UI is actually just to have a weapon wheel that you save the things you like onto in the positions you want them, and to have a tab button to cycle to less used stuff. Basically, just do what Ratchet and Clank did 20 years ago.

As far as arrows are concerned, just let the player craft them in the inventory, and have the Bow weapon wheel have a way to cycle which type of arrows you want to use. Easy. It'd still be a touch clunky, but you'd not have to deal with scrolling through a list, and that's just objectively better.

The wheel would also apply to Tools/Abilities like Runes. Just hold hold the button, and then use one of the sticks to cycle around the wheel. Simple.

Honestly, this post got a little long, but hopefully people see where I'm coming from. I don't really have much of a point beyond what's stated above, but I'll try to end this off with something to think on.

Zelda's current direction has been a bit contentious with some of the older fans, and while I think BotW and TotK are respectable games, and they offer new life to a series that was admittedly losing a fair bit of it's steam, it's frustrating how there are some things that just feel like simple, elegant fixes to the new formula that'd bring it more inline with what classic fans like myself would like more. I don't think what I'm asking for is that much (especially with the UI stuff). I'm not really out here demanding that they bring back something like the transformation masks (though if there was a game like BotW and TotK, but they replaced Runes with Transformations like those of the masks from Majora's Mask, I'd probably give the game a 20/10 out of pure bias for Majora's Mask), I just want the game to feel more like the Zelda I grew up with, rather than this sort of bland open world with a Zelda skin that it's become.

As it stands, modern Zelda is starting to feel less like a grand adventure, and more like I'm wandering through the woods without a map or a compass while it's super foggy out, and finding table scraps rather than neat treasure. I might make a post about what I'd do with a hypothetical Zelda game in the future. I've got a handful of ideas, but this post is too long as it is... so... yeah, that will be done later. Maybe.

#The Legend of Zelda #TLoZ #Problems with Zelda #Zelda Games #BotW #TotK #Breath of the Wild #Tears of the Kingdom #Ocarina of Time #Majora's Mask #Game Design #maybe #Onyx Rambling #Zelda Analysis #or at least I'm going to pretend it's analysis #Onyx Analysis #Future of Zelda

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solradguy · 7 months ago

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thoughts on the age old vincent could be sephiroth’s dad theory? i don’t subscribe to it but i really wanna see vincent and hojo fight it out on maury

Now, there's a lot I don't know about FF7 lore because there's just so much of it and I'm lazy... So there might be some details I'm missing, but I kind of get the impression from playing Dirge of Cerberus that Lucrecia maybe wasn't as into Vincent as he was into her and I don't think they ever hooked up tbh. Like she definitely seems to care about him a LOT but I think she's sort of friendzoned him lol. Though, I haven't beaten the game yet. Maybe there's something later that goes into more detail about their relationship? Don't spoil it for me!!

I keep seeing people say that Sephiroth is somehow related to Vincent because their faces look really similar (particularly their noses and mouths) but... (modern) Final Fantasy's main character face variety has honestly always kind of sucked bad and I don't think their faces looking similar is indicative of anything. If it was then I guess Reno and Cloud are Vincent's kids too hahah

Sephiroth being related to Vincent feels like it could make sense though and I'm curious to see if that's the direction the remake ends up going, but I'm not very convinced by current evidence that it's going to. Since Sephiroth is significantly more powerful than the other Hojo mako experiment dudes, maybe Hojo did something to an egg first before using IVF to put it into Lucrecia? I absolutely do not think Lucrecia and Hojo had sex; it's test tubes and petri dishes in a sterile, professional, lab environment all the way down.

My thoughts on this might change after I beat Dirge of Cerberus. We'll see!!

#asks

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angelictactics · 1 year ago

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that limbus company meme you reblogged is singlehandedly making me wanna see what in the world that game is about but i heard that it's a gacha game and im like aghh i can't do those, not again, is the gacha aspect super important to the it??

Hey! Limbus is technically a gacha (Project Moon is an indie game company of about 30 employees total and they have said that the funds from Limbus will go to new Projmoon games) but honestly it's not supremely integral to the gameplay. I haven't spent money on any of the banners mostly because there is a mechanic to get anything you want with egoshards, which you receive lots of in the form of crates.

Though if I'm honest, you aren't going to want to start with Limbus. Limbus Company is the third of Project Moon's games, and many people recommend starting with Lobotomy Corporation, then Library of Ruina. Keep in mind that both of these games have some difficulty peaks (LoR in particular is notorious for having several of them) but I believe both games should be on sale. If you can't get around to playing Lobcorp, there's some really good story summaries on YouTube. (I reccomend Wordsmith Vids' video on the topic) Lobcorp being the first of Projmoon's games sets a lot of the stage for the games down the line and the events from that game still impact the story very profoundly.

Of course since they have added Dante's Notes, players new to the Project Moon scene won't be super lost in the dark if they don't know the past worldbuilding and lore, but it's just better if you go and play the first two games first. I personally haven't beaten Ruina yet, since I'm stuck on an endgame boss rush that requires a little too much thinking for my tired ass, but I got enough of the story done that I get the gist if that makes sense.

I think I ended up rambling LOL but yeah if it's a concern you get a lot of free Lunacy (currency to make pulls) after every update cause Project Moon is surprisingly generous and it's a breath of fresh air

#i rambled more than i meant to but! i guess thats par for the course #i hope this helps :3 #limbus company

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federthenotsogreat · 2 years ago

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Oh wow, it's May 7th already!

As some of you might know, today is a pretty important day for me! Exactly four years ago I beat my first ever Mario and Luigi game, and the memory of that particular day has stuck with me ever since.

I really wanna write down some thoughts as it's tradition for me, but regardless if you decide to read them or not, please know that I appreciate you. Every single one of you.

Where do I even begin...

Four years ago, on May 7th 2019, I beat Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions for the very first time, and just like on March 13th, something about me changed that day.

The final battle against Cackletta's soul is something I will never forget. From the moment I first saw it on YouTube I was absolutely obsessed with it, and I don't use the word obsession lightly. This fight is what made me fall in love with M&L, something about it intrigued me, fascinated me. And yet when the time came, I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to finish the battle. If it was due to empathy for my favorite character, or because I didn't want the game to end is still unclear to me.

But after some days of switching off my 3DS everytime I got close to finishing the battle, I finally decided to take on the fight properly. And what a fight that was.

In the end I killed Cackletta on my fourth try. It was weird seeing the credits roll. I never thought that I would actually get to play the game in the first place, and now I had finished it.

The next morning I checked the date, and I haven't forgotten it since. Not a day goes by where I don't think about that battle. I still remember everything so vividly.

It's weird to think back to a time where I hadn't beaten Superstar Saga yet. That game is such an important part of my life, yet there existed a time where I hadn't even finished it. And I can't even say if I'm glad that I did. May 7th did a lot for me in ways that I can't describe, and that a lot of people won't understand. It opened up new chapter of my life I think, in positive as well as in negative ways.

In the end I think a part of myself is grateful for what that day did for me. It helped me develop as a person, helped me figure out so many things about my life. It might sound weird to some, but I feel like it showed me who I am as a human being.

That being said, I want to thank everyone who has been a part of my little journey of self discovery. You all mean the world to me, and I am truly thankful that I got to have people like you in my life.

Thank you.

#mario and luigi superstar saga #demonsoul #feder's art pile #my crown in red #mcir #may 7th #march 13th

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ilaiyayaya · 6 months ago

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Trust me I'll do the cool PSP stuff tomorrow I promise don't yell at me plz

Too bored and too headache to be productive so instead tier list time!

Tier list number 1 (one) (I): Genshin Impppppspspspspspsps kitty! My opinions on almost every character changes slightly like every hour so while these are ordered within each tier, that order for most of them is super loose I have no consistent opinions.

This is the least accurate tier list I have ever made I already disagree with every placement I fucking love Clorinde. If I don't get Clorinde in 1 month I will never play Genshin Impact ever again and I'll also recreate that image of a krill breaking the chains on it's wrists and declaring to the world that it can finally krill itself.

Tier list number 2 (too) (II): Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 3!

This is the most fucked list I've ever made, ngl I literally forget 1/3rd of the characters in this game exist most of the time, but like of the other 2/3rds at least 1/3rd is epic! I FUCKING LOVE LUOCHA! I FUCKING LOVE HOT GUYS CARRYING AROUND DEAD PEOPLE IN COFFINS!!!! I FUCKING LOVE FIREFLY! I FUCKING LOVE WOMEN IN HOT ROBOT SUITS!!!!! I FUCKING HATE JING YUAN!!!! i don't have a reason i just think he's lame sorry. i'm not actually sorry i think he's stupid. his son is stupider tho imagine not being able to take 1 hit lmoa.

Tier list number I can't count!!!:

I know very little about Yugioh, despite this I have over 300 hours on Master Duel using almost exclusively 2 decks. I should finish reading Zatch Bell.

TIER LIST 4 YAYYY!!!!!!:

I was gonna do all the Xenoblade characters but then I realized I don't wanna get spoiled to all the Xenoblade 3 characters I haven't seen yet because it's been nearly 2 years now since the game released and I still haven't beaten it :c. But if hypothetically I did spoil myself to all of the characters from 3 Juniper and Ino would be at the top, obviously I would never do that because I haven't actually seen either of those characters in game but like hypothetically if I knew they existed they would be at the top. And Morag is the best character from 2. And I like Mechon-Fiora. And Celica and L are cool too but like ngl the characters in X are kinda uninteresting af in general like I love that game but I can't name more than like 5 characters despite replaying the entire game like 5 times.

I FUCKING LOVE FIRE EMBLEM YEAAAAAAAAA TIER LIST 4 YEAAAAAAA there's too many fire emblem characters fuck it im only doing 1 game

Look I know Fates is bad, but I simply do not care. Please don't ask me how many hours I have across all 3 versions I will burst into tears. Fuck axe-wielders I hate axe-users I hate missing every attack I hate gambling. Tbh I probably should've chose Engage instead since I have more recent memory of that one and there's also way less characters but I already finished the Fates list and I will NOT do 2 lists of the same series that would be too much, nobody will ever know that my favorite Engage character is Panette now!

TIER LIST uhhh which number is this 7!!! nevermind too eepy the genshin/star rail ones took too long i'll do more in like 9 months when i get sick again. I was gonna rank fruit next, but fruit will have to wait 9 months. No froot get today.

#if i dont get clorinde next month im gonna fucking krill myself #what if what if i spent money on clorinde banner wouldnt that be the worst idea ever good thing that wont be necessary #I literally just wasted an entire day but it's okay because I was probably just gonna rot in bed today anyways #THERE'S BLOOD IN THE FRUIT #dollbore #dollsnore #aw fuck i shouldve done a webkinz tier list so i could put googles the penis duck in b tier cuz honestly googles is kinda mid #i like the gecko more. the gecko is better than googles. sorry it's just an opinion please don't hit me for my googles-based opinions

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elderemorune · 9 months ago

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A Diatribe

I'm fucking tired.

Just wiped.

I haven't written in days and my brain is a mess. I don't know how to process some of it, so I've just been mainlining the MSQ in FF14. I love the game, but I'm worried I've been doing escapism too much lately.

I have an Atlas complex. Hero complex, whatever you wanna call it, I'm the guy who's right there, ready to help every goddamn time. I am the tank, the one who takes the hits and backs up the party by making sure they can do their Jobs well.

My whole life, I've been told that my value is tied directly to helping others. I've always made it my goal to help people. It's not where I derive all of my value these days, but I find it telling that my preferred form of entertainment/relaxation is still doing that job.

I am a good tank. Not a great one, but a good one. I know my Job well, and take it seriously when I'm in game. It matters to me that I do well in the dungeons and during raids. I'm not even to HW yet, and I still can't wait to try Dark Knight, because swords are cool. Gunbreaker is also high on my list, almost entirely because Slicks will look way too cool with a Gunblade.

I have another character too. His name is Rassjan Starlight, he's married to Persephone Starlight, and is the toon I wear when I play with my wife. Where Slicks is a Warrior, Rassjan is a Paladin, a Job I identify more with, likely due to my incredibly strong sense of justice, a sense that was honed in my ten years being together with my wife.

And I've been thinking about how that happened. I've always cared about others, not what they think mind you, but in general. I don't want people to get hurt or to die, and generally believe that people are good. This has always been where my morality comes from, even when I got sucked into the alt-right pipeline. For a long time, all I could see was other people getting hurt, but I didn't see how they were hurting others.

I'm fairly certain that I'm the tank because I'd rather be the one getting hurt. I can take it, I know I can. Shit, I've lived through enough at this point to know that short of murderous violence, I can take it. I've seen 'mothers' decry their children as selfish solely because they want to live differently. I've been beaten, stepped on, elbowed punched, you name it. I've borne witness to the transformations of friends, the loss of enemies, and the shifting of cultural tides.

And I can take it. It's a lot, but I can.

It's not even a saviour thing. If I can buy my allies just a few seconds, just a scant moment, so that they can escape or deal the killing blow, I'm there. But I didn't save anyone, I've only enabled them to save themselves.

Like my wife. She says all the time that I saved her from a miserable life, but that's not true. She saved herself, I just extended the hand. I took the fights she couldn't so that she could get strong enough to take them on later.

Five years ago, if I'd proposed that I never want to speak to her mother again, this would have posed a problem. But now she's on board. Three years ago, I never would have envisioned my father trying to apologize for being a bad dad, but because I took the fight and enabled him to grow and heal, he did.

And the thing is, I've never done this alone. I used to say I raised myself, which is only half right. While my mom has always been distant, and my dad wasn't the best growing up, I still had people around me. Family friends who wanted to see me succeed. They took the fights I couldn't. My wife does it too now, sometimes. She encourages me to step back from dealing with my father when I'm drained. To take time for me from time to time, even with me caring for her full time on top of my job.

(Side note, is that why I'm always so goddamn tired?)

I think it feels similar in FF for me. The story is fun, but the meat of my love for the game is in exploring the world and seeing the incredible setting and in diving headfirst into dungeons across the land, fighting monsters and buying my party the time they need to dispatch our foes.

Real life, like FF, cares about our party composition. A tank to buy time for the DPS to take care of threats, and a healer to put them out when they all inevitably catch fire. A poorly constructed party may clear a dungeon, but it's harder. A poorly constructed friend group may be helpful sometimes, but it's still harder.

I dunno.

I think I've lost the plot, and don't recall what I wanted to say anymore. I tend to bullfrog anyway, you know? Talk just to hear my own voice or whatever.

Eh screw it.

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evilbihan · 8 months ago

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Reblogging this again because you made some very valid points.

"Besides that, NRS has stereotypically made him a sympathetic, good man. Sure, there's that thirst for vengeance, but where Hanzo's mind gets genuinely clouded by it from his trauma, MK1 Kuai seems much more... sinister(?) in comparison. Because he's not Hanzo. His revenge will be a planned out thing, not some moment of passion."

I agree with this, Hanzo was a victim of manipulation, he was traumatized by the loss of his family and he showed deep regret for his actions later on. Hanzo was, despite his flaws, a good man. The same thing cannot be said of Kuai Liang in MK1 who comes across as a fanatic defender of tradition and a bloodthirsty zealot who wouldn't shy away from committing fratricide in the name of vengeance and his own twisted idea of honor.

"So. Are these intros the way they are because we're meant to simply look at them and think "wow, Scorpion is so cool!"? Because that's the only way I can make sense of it all. Like, whoever wrote these wasn't looking at who exactly would be saying them, or what it would convey as a whole, or how it even comes across by itself."

I think your guess here might be correct. MK1 Scorpion has very little going for him. He flinches from fire, he gets beaten up by two farmers and Johnny Cage (alongside Sub-Zero), he seems overall boring and uninteresting as a whole. Maybe they tried to fix that with the intros (not that it did much to make the character cooler anyway).

This meant a kinder, more honorable Lin Kuei. Ironically, this resulted in The character shaped by his traumas and pain into a genuine force for good turning into a two-faced arrogant man with his own obscure agenda. Sub-Zero Kuai Liang believed in redemption because he had to claw his way out of the dark. MK1 Scorpion turns his nose up at everyone because he was always on the side of "good", and he's quick to write off any doubters. Even his own brother. SZ!Kuai practiced forgiveness and worked to end the cycle of violence he was in, because he understood the value of peace after not having it his whole life. MK1 Scorp was born and raised in a time of peace, and he's only too quick to start his own cycle of violence. SZ!Kuai never gave up on Bi-Han, and redeeming him was always his end goal. His brother was all he had. MK1 Scorp grew up with his whole family around, and the rest is history.

This right here is so true. MK1 Kuai Liang grew up priviledged and with the conviction that he's on the right side, always, simply for being Earthrealm's defender and therefore one of the "good guys". He didn't experience the things Sub-Zero Kuai Liang experienced in previous timelines, being used by the forces of evil as a Cyber Lin Kuei or a revenant, so he has no sympathy for those corrupted by evil because unlike his previous counterparts, he doesn't know what that feels like.

"I resent what's been done to my favorite character and I don't think the story expansion nor the next game will fix that. Sadly, I almost think the best thing they can do with him at this point is Noob-Saibot him and put Hanzo back in his place, but that's even sadder because it'll be the third hand-me-down title he'll have. And Noob-Saibot as a character is even less him."

I don't wanna bring out spoilers if you haven't seen any yet, but no, the story dlc won't fix it. As you already correctly said, Kuai Liang always carried someone else's mantle and they won't make him Noob. In my opinion, the best they could have done was scrap his character entirely. With both Bi-Han and Hanzo being alive in the new era, we already had a Sub-Zero and Scorpion and Kuai Liang shouldn't have been in the game at all.

"It's not like they've never written all the traits fanon MK1 Kuai has before. Humility, integrity, a tangible code of honor... these are all things that were present as recent as MK11's Kuai Liang. Of course, that iteration has its own issues, but they are on the large easy to ignore or explain and his arcade ending pretty much makes up for them."

This is the only part I disagree with because Kuai Liang was never humble, even in MK11. I remember an intro with Jade where she called him overly confident or something similar to that. He always seemed very boastful to me. I do agree with the last part though. Kuai Liang saving Bi-Han in his tower ending did slightly redeem him.

Kuai Liang is not "nice"

This is technically the second part of my character analysis for Kuai Liang, so be sure to check out the first part focusing on Kuai Liang's personality, goals and his relationship with his brothers and Harumi.

This part will focus on how Kuai Liang treats other characters and upon closer inspection, the image of the "sweet wholesome guy everyone adores" that the fandom crafted for him starts to crumble very quickly.

Kitana and Mileena:

Mileena: My bond with Kitana can't be broken. Scorpion: I'd once thought the same of mine with Bi-Han.

Why exactly is Kuai Liang trying to make Mileena doubt Kitana's loyalty to her? We have all seen Kitana's tower ending. She has gone out of her way to secure her sister's reign, she defends Mileena fiercely and is genuinely worried about her. It upsets her to see other members of the court conspiring against her sister. Kitana is nothing but loyal to Mileena, in a way Kuai Liang was never loyal to Bi-Han.

"I'm disappointed in my brother's decisions and therefore everyone else's siblings suck too." That's not a healthy or mature mindset. He's projecting his own family issues onto Mileena and Kitana, who actually share a wholesome bond, and tries to create distrust and dispute where there is none. And why? Out of jealousy? It's hard to tell, but this was uncalled for.

It's particularly awful because Kitana is actually trying to help fix Kuai Liang's relationship with his own brother while it seems Kuai Liang is trying to ruin hers with Mileena.

Kitana: You've broken Kuai Liang's heart. Sub-Zero: It won't be the only part of him I damage.

Kitana: I understand congratulations are in order. Scorpion: How did news of my marriage reach Outworld?

Kitana: Weapons. Soldiers. Whatever you -- Scorpion: I have all that I need to defeat Bi-Han.

She's also offering him her and Outworld's support and is really just being nice to him, yet he never once shows gratitude and even tries to plant doubts about her in her sister's mind behind her back.

Nitara:

Scorpion: If you would only feed on lower species -- Nitara: Humans are a lower species.

"Lower species"? What species exactly is Kuai Liang talking about here? What's his definition of a lower species? Tarkatans? Netherrealmers? One could assume he means animals, but then why doesn't he say so? Instead, he's using a term that's often used in f*cist language. Who or what he's referring to isn't specified either, but it's definitely a questionable choice of words regardless.

Let's be honest, the mindset that there's "lower species" that are not deserving of life, as Kuai Liang basically implies by claiming Nitara should feed on them instead, says quite a lot about the kind of person he is. No matter what he's speaking of here, I still think this is pretty fucked up from any standpoint, especially because Kuai Liang doesn't explicitly say that he's talking about animals.

This is just my opinion, but even if he were to "only" be talking about animals here, I think it's downright wrong to say any animals are a "lower species", given the fact that we very much depend on certain animals for our own survival. Even if we give Kuai Liang the benefit of the doubt, he still sounds incredibly uneducated and ignorant. To not value the life of other creatures is not a good look on him, but then again we've seen how much he values his own brother's life so the bar is quite literally in hell.

Raiden:

Scorpion: Liu Kang's revelation has shaken my faith in him. Raiden: Understandable, given what he chose to hide.

Reptile: Am I right to put faith in Liu Kang? Scorpion: He's always proven worthy of mine.

Oh, has he now?

Kuai Liang is beginning to sound two-faced. He's certainly not conflicted because he still continues to follow Liu Kang and advices others to do the same. He also doesn't openly criticize or doubt Liu Kang like Tomáš and Bi-Han do. But he himself has lost some of his faith in Liu Kang, yet he judges Bi-Han for having done the same thing? Where does any of that make sense?

Bi-Han:

Scorpion: You would shed your brother's blood? Sub-Zero: Because you choose to stand in my way.

The first blood shed was Bi-Han's, not Kuai Liang's, but because Bi-Han doesn't bear a visible scar, no one acknowledges that.

Kuai Liang is once again showing manipulative behavior here. Blaming everything on his brother and pretending he did nothing wrong. Guilt tripping Bi-Han for something he himself has done.

Kuai Liang's actions are not even the biggest problem here. You can somehow justify what he did with him being hurt/angry when he found out about the true circumstances of his father's death. It's the fact that he refuses to take any responsibility for what he did and acts completely innocent although he's anything but, that shows he's not who the fandom makes him out to be.

Even Bi-Han stands by what he does. Kuai Liang can't even own up to his actions.

Liu Kang:

Liu Kang: You allow vengeance to consume you. Scorpion: I should not punish Bi-Han for his crimes?

So, Liu Kang seems concerned with Kuai Liang's thirst for vengeance. What's even more noteworthy is that we have Kuai Liang, a mortal, speak to Liu Kang, a literal god, about punishing someone else as if he's entitled to do so? Should it not be up to Liu Kang to decide whether Bi-Han deserves forgiveness or punishment? Do we need to add a god complex to the list of Kuai Liang's flaws?

There's nothing honorable about vengeance. It's honorable to be the bigger person and to forgive.

As Chinese philosopher Confucius said:

“Love thy neighbour as thyself: Do not do to others what thou wouldst not wish be done to thyself: Forgive injuries. Forgive thy enemy, be reconciled to him, give him assistance, invoke God in his behalf.”

Kuai Liang has none of that honor he claims to value.

Tanya:

Tanya: Liu Kang says we can trust you. Kuai Liang: As long as Outworld's goals don't conflict with Earthrealm's.

Let me translate it: "No, you can't. I'll stop being a reliable ally and might betray you as soon as our interests no longer align." Which is fair enough, he doesn't owe Outworld his loyalty. It's, however, funny that that's exactly what Bi-Han did with Liu Kang/Earthrealm too, but for some reason Kuai Liang is still delusional enough to think he's a more honorable man than his brother?

Kung Lao:

Kung Lao: I bet I could be Shirai Ryu. Scorpion: First, you must learn humility.

Also Scorpion:

Ashrah: I'd do well to follow your example. Scorpion: Then start by studying my kombat.

Quan Chi: Your brother told me of all your weaknesses. Scorpion: A short conversation, sorcerer?

Kuai Liang is a hypocrite who doesn't practice what he preaches. These are just two of many dialogues in which he comes off as overly confident and boastful. He will try to force his own values and ideals onto others but will not uphold them himself. These dialogues are not even the only example of his hypocrisy, but more of that to come later.

Smoke and the Shaolin monks:

Scorpion: Was it worth it, training with the Shaolin? Smoke: Let me show you what I learned.

Yet another example for Kuai Liang's arrogance. "Was it worth it?" What's that even supposed to mean? Admittedly, this might not sound as bad compared to everything else he's said but I invite you to go and listen to this specific intro and pay attention to the tone of his voice. To me, it very much sounds like, as a former Lin Kuei, he thinks there's nothing the monks can teach him and Tomáš anymore and therefore he sees training with them as a waste of time. Overall, Kuai Liang seems to hold little respect for his allies. He might not outright say it, but there's definitely a superiority complex there.

Johnny:

Scorpion: Your mansion was unduly extravagant. Johnny Cage: It came with the megastardom. Package deal.

What gives Kuai Liang the right to judge Johnny for what he does with his money that he's earned from his movies? Judging people and acting like he has the moral high ground over them in any situation is something Kuai Liang does a lot. That alone might not automatically make him a bad person, but it's tasteless and impolite nonetheless.

Johnny Cage: With your skills you'd be a hit, Kuai Liang. Scorpion: Do I look like an entertainer?

Again, if you listen to the actual intro, the distaste in his voice is obvious. He seems to not have much respect for Johnny's profession or for most of his allies' professions, really. Remember his reaction to Tomáš training with the Shaolin monks?

Rain:

Scorpion: Like a dog, you bit the hand that fed you. Rain: You've no right to judge me, Earthrealmer.

He doesn't -- because did Kuai Liang not do the same to Bi-Han? It doesn't matter that Bi-Han chose the wrong side, Kuai Liang's oath was to his grandmaster, not to Earthrealm. Bi-Han broke his oath to Earthrealm and by breaking his own oath to his brother, Kuai Liang is no better. And as I already explained in the first part of my analysis, Kuai Liang always meant to overthrow Bi-Han, even before Bi-Han abandoned his duties to defend Earthrealm. Bi-Han gave in to corruption and became a traitor, Kuai Liang was always a traitor in disguise. Kuai Liang is yet again being a hypocrite in this situation and displays double standards.

Kenshi:

Scorpion: Do not let Sento become a crutch. Kenshi: I could win this fight with or without it.

Does anyone else think this comment sounds a lot like ableism? Who is he to tell a disabled man how to handle his disability? Kenshi is a badass, he's proven that countless of times and he doesn't need Kuai Liang's advice, but Kuai Liang has a habit of acting like he knows better than others.

Bi-Han (again):

Shang Tsung: It was all too simple, pulling your brother's strings. Kuai Liang: It sickens me that he was so easily exploited.

Bi-Han fell victim to Shang Tsung's manipulation, yet here Kuai Liang is, blaming the victim. Meanwhile, Tomáš:

Smoke: I rue the day I ever met you. Quan Chi: No sense dwelling on the past, Tomáš.

Tomáš regrets ever meeting the sorcerers because he rightfully blames the people responsible for this whole mess, Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, not Bi-Han. Kuai Liang is miles away from the same level of emotional maturity Tomáš has.

Scorpion: "Bi-Han's trail has led me to Sun Do." Li Mei: "I'll abide no vigilante justice, Kuai Liang."

Scorpion: If you know where he is, tell me. General Shao: As if I would spill your brother's secrets.

Scorpion: I need help to find Bi-Han. Johnny Cage: Y'know I was only a TV detective, right?

Kuai Liang is making his own family feud everyone else's problem.

SPOILERS: At the same time, when Bi-Han will crash Kuai Liang's wedding in the dlc according to leaks, Kuai Liang will "apologize" to those who attended that they got dragged into his war with Bi-Han, once again painting his brother as the villain. Could he be any more duplicitous? I think the main reason why Smoke is not mentioned in any leaks is because the writers might deliberately not want him to be there because the way Kuai Liang acts (wanting to kill Frost, leaving Bi-Han to suffer and die) would go against everything Tomáš believes in and they can't have someone make Scorpion look bad, so they decided to just have Tomáš not be there at all. If that doesn't say it all, I don't know what will.

Kuai Liang:

Scorpion: I won't be consumed by vengeance. Scorpion: How can your father's death not burn you.

You know it's bad when your own alternate self starts judging you and criticizing your ways.

Geras:

Scorpion: I want to see the moment my father died. Geras: You are not ready to receive that knowledge.

I wonder why Geras denied Kuai Liang's request. Is he concerned that actually witnessing the event will make Kuai Liang lose his mind completely and he will make even more of an effort to kill Bi-Han? He surely seems to think Kuai Liang is too unstable to receive that information. But then again, Kuai Liang already wants to kill Bi-Han, he already tried to do it and he already knows what happened. When will he be ready in Geras' opinion? Once he already forgave Bi-Han (which seems like it won't happen at all)? Would that not just reignite his old hatred? Could it be that there's more to the death of Kuai Liang's father than we know? Is there something Geras is trying to hide from Kuai Liang on purpose?

Ashrah:

Ashrah: Bi-Han can be redeemed. Scorpion: I don't see how that's possible.

It sounds a lot like Kuai Liang doesn't want it to be possible. He wants to deny his brother a chance at redemption. He's also once again acting like he knows better than everyone else. It's getting to the point where he seems self-righteous and out of touch with reality.

So, tell me again, after all that, why are we calling Kuai Liang a nice guy?

To conclude this, Kuai Liang only appears "nice" in direct comparison to Bi-Han, not necessarily because he's a better person, he's just the more agreeable one of the two. Take Bi-Han out of the picture and it's plain to see Kuai Liang is really not that nice. I also don't see how Kuai Liang is the poor, traumatized victim that never did anything wrong in his life, as fans like to describe him as. Yes, he suffered as well, but victims can also become aggressors. There are plenty of situations in which that's the case for Kuai Liang. Again, this is not hate or an attempt to completely demonize him, just to show that the fandom has a wrong idea of who Kuai Liang is and what he's like.

#i think mk11 and previous versions of kuai liang deserve an analysis of their own #i've never been a huge fan of the character personally but mk1 kuai liang is the worst version so far #kuai liang #mk1

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thefourteenthdoctorr · 6 years ago

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I just beat Undertale Hard Mode am I cool yet

#I haven't beaten the whole game yet and don't have a computer #so my dude gave me his ps4 copy too play #and I named the character Frisk of course #but I didn't know that that aCTIVATES FUCKIGN HARD MODE #but I beat it and it ended up being hilarious #apparently I have to rename my character now and actually get to the rest of the game #lol this was an experience #and yeah I never fully beat Undertale #I'm a loser I know #but with Deltatune being out and a thing it's made me wanna play Undertale again so I am not #I love this game a lot okay. it's important #nb protag? that me #shut it space man

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ruthlesslistener · 3 years ago

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do you have any thoughts on malenia yet? she's one of my favourite characters

I haven't gotten to her yet but tbh what I've seen of her in-game paired with all the hate she's gotten from people who think she's problematic for rotting Caelid already has me obsessed with her shchsh. From what I've seen of her so far tho, she's a very proud, tragic character and I love her.

Here are some questions/thoughts I have so far that I'm hoping to get answered:

-She's an Empyreon, but she seems to have shirked the title of lord in favor of simply serving her twin. If that's the case, then where are her Fingers? What of her shadow? Ranni slew hers, for she did not want to be their pawn, and Malenia seems just as prideful as Ranni. I rlly wanna know what tf happened with that, esp. since her 'curse' outright devours Erdtree avatars and the like

-It's quite fascinating how she has this internal struggle with her own aspect, terrifying though it is. Tbh I feel like her surpressing it has caused more problems in the long run, but I'm intruigued by the nature of the Rot and how it contrasts with the parasitic wasp vibes I get from Miquella. Its probs just a different form of parasitic fevor taking the form of mushrooms, but it overcomes via brute force rather than luring is victims, which might mirror how Malenia deals with something vs Miquella; by punching the everloving fuck out of things instead of luring them close and methodically taking them apart. She's more outright scary, but they're both terrifying in their own right

-The fact that she's lost most of her limbs and yet is still undefeated in battle is hella sexy ngl. Love me a proud warrior queen, Rahdan fans stay losing (jk I love Rahdan). Also her rotting Caelid honestly isnt that big of a deal, Caelid already looked like hell from what details we saw in the trailer. She just added a cherry on top of the shit sandwich

-Still losing my mind over the fact that she's the product of godly parthinogenesis tbh. Up until last night I thought Miquella and Malenia were of the Radagon/Rennala pairing, not Radagon/Marika. It does explain why they have so many problems tho lmao, considering Marika's...everything.

-This is entirely bc of Cleanrot Knight Finley, but she gives off massive lesbian vibes. There's simply no heterosexual explaination for any of that shhdjsj

-Fuck whatever people think of her pride and battle prowess and my lowkey fear of Miquella, her being so doting over him and him fighting so hard to save her is super damn cute. I hope we get dlc where Miquella emerges from his pupation in all his beautiful terrifying insectile glory and just totally wrecks ass once he hears what we did to Malenia

-This is entirely theoretical given the fact that I haven't beaten the game yet, but I theorize that the whole unleashing of Destined Death thing that Ranni is trying to do will actually make Melania a really important goddess in the future. Fungi terrify the everloving shit out of me, but rot is generally a massively important facet of getting rid of dead things, so I think we kinda need her power around

-Her aesthetic fucks the hardest in the entire game. Don't @ me its true

#Elden ring #malenia goddess of rot #malenia blade of miquella #These twins are so goodhrgh #Anon #Reply

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ba-katsuki · 3 years ago

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Can You Keep a Secret?

Collaboration with @httptamaki

Bakugou x Female!Reader

Synopsis: Bakugou and you have been dating each other for months now, unknown to your friends and classmates. Both of you were new to this whole relationship thing and decided to keep things lowkey at the start. However, as time goes on, the teasing intensifies and with Bakugou's competitive nature, it soon turned into a game. Who can keep a secret, and who is going to expose it all?

a/n – I wrote this in one seating at 3 in the morning so if some parts don't make much sense, I am terribly sorry.

Warnings: 18+ (minors DO NOT interact, NSFW), slight footjob, dirty talk, minor degradation, slight choking, sloppy blowjob, swallowing/cum eating, risky public sex, creampie, unprotected sex

*while the story takes place in school still, i wrote it with 18+ year old/final year Bakugou in mind!!!

~~~~

With shaking hands, you shove the spoon of rice into your mouth and chewed, praying that the people surrounding you, your close friends and classmates, did not catch the look of ecstasy that momentarily passed your face. The handsome ash-blonde opposite you flash you a cocky grin with a mischievous glint in his eye, as he pressed his sock-clad foot deeper between your thighs. His big toe rubbed harsh circles on your sensitive clit, your arousal staining your panties and his socks. Bakugou jerked his leg under the table, pretending to be shifting in his seat, his big toe pushing into your entrance suddenly. You let out a surprised squeak as your toe curl. Suddenly aware of the curious eyes on you, you let out a series of coughs and pat aggressively at your chest, pretending to have accidentally choked on your food.

"I think… the rice… went down the…wrong hole…" you said between coughs as you reach for your iced drink, hoping your friends bought the act and that the coldness of the drink was cool down the heat in your face.

"jeez y/n slow down! There's still 15 minutes of lunch left to go," Mina laughs at you as she reaches over to pat your back.

"thank god." You muttered under your breath as you took another gulp of your drink. You sent a glare towards your annoying boyfriend opposite you, whose foot is still on your clothed pussy, by the way, shamelessly rubbing against you. He returns your glare with a smug look, leaning back into the seat and resting his right arm on the chair, which just annoys you even further. You couldn't remember that last time you had a peaceful lunch with Bakugou around these past few weeks. He was always teasing you under the table, whether with his hands or his leg. You had been able to hold in it with relatively minimal problem the previous times but for some reason, he was especially aggressive and pushy today. Literally.

You and Bakugou have been dating for a couple of months now, which honestly comes as a surprise to you. If someone had told you that you and Bakugou would become a couple when you first started thirsting and crushing on him, you have laughed in their face. I mean, just look at him. He was so utterly committed to becoming the number 1 pro hero that you didn't think he would indulge himself in something so trivial like a relationship. And he didn't help that he was calling you a dumbass or an extra or some other mean names every five seconds. So you settled for a one-sided crush. It was going well, quietly crushing on him from the sidelines, until one heated argument. You knew Bakugou was a massive tsundere, always saying brash and demeaning things even if he doesn't mean it, but that day you were just out of it. You were falling behind the class, training went terrible for you and you were exhausted and so beaten. Bakugou saw you training alone in the woods and decides to approach you with his loud mouth. You snapped and Bakugou, not backing down from the argument, argued back. Amid the argument, an argument which you honestly can't even remember that well down because of what happened next, you blurted out your feelings for him. It took him aback and you were expecting him to ridicule you or reject you harshly, something you cannot handle then and so you walked away. What you didn't expect was for Bakugou to grab you and smashed his lips onto yours.

That marked the very dramatic and surprising start of your relationship. Both you and Bakugou were very new to this whole dating thing and with Bakugou's pride, you guys decided to keep things lowkey and not let other people know about the relationship. Bakugou would "rather die than have raccoon eyes and dunce face be all up in his face", you quote.

From secret hand-holding between classes and the late-night cuddling sessions at either one of your rooms, the whole lowkey relationship was going amazing. Both of you enjoyed the adrenaline that came with keeping your relationship a secret and sneaking moments of affection and intimacy in front of your friends. Your relationship progressed fast and soon, both of you had passed all imaginary bases. You were so happy in the relationship, even with all the hiding and secrecy. But then…Bakugou decides to take it a step further. Hand holding between classes became ass grabbing. He would slip his hand under your skirt whenever the opportunity arises and grab smack your plump ass or grab that. He would corner you in the locker room and make out with you, grinding his bulge against you or tease your pussy during lunch. He was obviously winding you up, challenging you, trying to see if you will be the one to expose the relationship. Being less competitive, you did not immediately take on his challenge and even after you did, you seldom retaliate.

But, today is a different story.

You've had enough of his teasing and you pushed his leg away with your hands. He raised an eyebrow at you as he set his foot back onto his shoe. He brings his drink up to his lips as he takes a sip, his eyes watching you from behind the cup like a hawk, his mind plotting your punishment. You pulled your chair towards the table and slipped the shoe off your right foot. Leaning forward like he did, you reach your right leg forward towards Bakugou and pressed the length of your foot against his crotch. His eyes widen, obviously not expecting you to return the teasing, and he almost spits his drink out. Oh, how you would love to see him actually spit out his drink all flustered, losing his composure in front of the squad but he held himself back with his insane reflexes. He was already semi-hard from teasing you. You curled your toes around the shape of his dick and dragged your foot down his length slowly, feeling his dick harden against your toes and the way he lids closed slightly. You pressed your foot harder into him as you reach the base of his length, where his balls are probably full of lust and cum. You rubbed circles with your big toes against his balls, where you knew he was extremely sensitive especially when he is hard and turned on, and you watch as he breathed in sharply through his nose, letting out a soft hiss that was easy to miss if you weren't paying attention. You dragged your feet up his length again, this time much faster, and then back down. You've never given him a footjob before but damn, this is hot, and you pressed your thighs together, trying to create some friction.

You almost, ALMOST, forgot about your surroundings until you heard the bell ring and your friends around you move. You drop your feet almost immediately and sat up, alarmed. You glance in the direction of your friends. Kirishima and Denki were still engaged in conversation as they got up from their seats with their trays in hand and Sero was laughing at something Mina said. You let out a breath of relief.

"Are you okay, y/n?" Mina questions when she saw that you were still frozen in your seat. "Lunch break is over and we better leave. Don't wanna be late for sparring class next," she shudders as she remembers the glare Aizawa sensei gave her the last time she was late.

"oh..right…sorry I was uhm…" you stuttered as you pushed your chair out and grab your tray. Bakugou had already walked away, a little funny you noticed, probably due to the huge boner he has in his pants. You would have laughed but the adrenaline you felt was numbing you.

"Are you fantasizing about some anime boy again, y/n?" Mina laughs as she jokingly slaps your back. "How are you gonna find a real-life boyfriend like that?"

You laughed. The truth cannot be further away. If only she knew what was going on under the table between you and Bakugou, your boyfriend.

As you walk to the locker rooms with the Bakusquad, engaging in light conversations with Mina, you refuse you even glance in the direction of Bakugou. You could feel his intense glare at the side of your head and the tension emitting from him. He excused himself to the bathroom halfway through and you felt your shoulders dropped unconsciously. The sexual tension between you two was insane and it's a wonder how the squad haven't sensed anything yet. Not having your boyfriend staring intensely at you was a relief but at the same time, just the thought of him jerking himself off in the bathroom makes your core clench.

~~~~

You praised the lord as you packed up your hero costume in the locker room, changing into a normal t-shirt and comfortable shorts. Sparring class went on smoothly and you were not paired with Bakugou a single time. You don't know how you would have handled sparring with him after that whole lunch situation. You grabbed your towel and walked out of the quiet locker room. The girls had already left, and so had the boys. You decided to stay behind to do some additional solo quirk training in the gym and you were extremely thankful that Bakugou had been dragged away by Kirishima for some sparring. Bakugou reappeared in class in his hero costume, a tad later than the rest of class, but still on time nonetheless. The moment he walked in, his eyes latched onto you. You were in a conversation with Kirishima and Denki, and Bakugou did not seem happy about that as his eyebrows lowered and tensed up, his lips curled inward into a scowl. Bakugou was fine with you hanging out with them, they were as much your friends as they are his (even if he always tries to deny it), but he did have a possessive streak in him. Especially when he has been all riled up like that. You thought he was going to burn holes into your head with his intense stare but thankfully, Midoriya approached him and he proceeded to yell his head off at him.

Gosh, you are going to be in so much trouble tonight. This is why you rarely retaliate. Bakugou is an immense sore loser and extremely competitive, and he would always return the favour in double fold.

The gym lights were already dimmed by the time you walked out of the locker room. You ponder about ways to appease Bakugou later tonight, hoping he will not torture and tease you too much. Your thoughts were cut short when a hand reached out and grabbed your wrist, spinning you around and pinning you to the cold and hard gym wall. Your items clatter to the ground, the noise echoing in the vast empty gym. A large muscular thigh parted your legs and pressed up against your core as another hand grabbed hold of your throat and squeezed.

"Aren't you getting bold, babygirl?" he growls, his warm breath hitting your cheeks.

"Katsuki…" you gasped as he gave your throat another squeeze.

"That was hella difficult to take care of ya know," he spat angrily as he grinds the top of his knees harshly you. You can feel the wetness growing between your thighs and your legs were turning into jelly. He pulls your head towards him and captured your bottom lip in a harsh bite. You moaned at his assault.

"You…you started it…uhhh," you moaned as he pushed his thigh up higher into you, his forehead pressed against yours, "…started it first…uhhh…'tsuki."

The corner of his lips quirks up into a threatening smirk. His hand frees your wrist and moves to grab your leg, lifting it from the ground and hooking it around it waist. His hand trails from your calf to your thigh slowly, raking his short fingernails along your skin. The hand around your throat squeezed harder, pressing you harder into the wall. You gasped for air, your eyes rolling back in pleasure and your hands fisting tightly in his black tank top.

"You were the one that didn't stop me babygirl," his lips brushing against yours as he speaks. He relaxes his hand from your throat and grabs your chin instead, pulling your head towards him as he envelops your lips in a deep kiss. His lips move passionately against yours, full of lust, as his knee continues its assault. Your leg was losing strength as you start to slide down the smooth wall. Removing his hands from your chin, he moves to lift your other leg from the ground to his waist. You hook your legs around him, pulling him closer to you with your lips moving frantically against his. He lifts your body from under your thighs, his fingers digging into your soft flesh.

"Katsuki…" you whisper between kisses.

"You feel so good baby," Bakugou murmurs, gripping the flesh of your thighs tighter.

Another moan erupts from your lips and Bakugou wastes no time in slipping his tongue into you. Your tongues swirl together, Bakugou's tongue dominating yours. He rakes his fingers down the curve of your thighs to your ass, slipping under your shorts and palming your cheeks.

"Fuck babygirl," he groans between kisses, "your ass feels so good."

"Katsuki please" you begged, pressing yourself against his huge bulge and grinding desperately. Your pussy is overflowing with arousal, soaking through your panties and shorts, and you ache for any form of friction against that sensitive bud.

"Nuh uh baby," Bakugou teases as he takes a small step back, leaving a gap between the two of you, "you don't get to cum so easily after what you did to me just now."

You whine, trying to push his lower body forwards with your legs.

Bakugou leans his torso forwards and whispered next to your ear, "You'll have to earn it baby."

He forcefully tugs your body towards his, lifting you away from the wall, and starts walking to the male locker room. His lips latch onto the sweet spot just between your earlobe, leaving a red blotchy hickey. He licks along your jawline as you tilt your head back in pleasure. Your hands snake up to the back of his head, grasping his ash blonde hair between your fingers, maneuvering his head towards your throat. He obliged, leaving open mouthed kisses all over your neck as he sets you down on the metal bench, the coldness stinging your thighs.

Bakugou unwraps himself from you and stood up straight, towering over you. You looked up at him all dazed, mouth slightly open, your lips glistening with saliva. You leaned back on the bench, your elbows supporting your weight as you instinctively spread your legs apart.

But, to your dismay, Bakugou did not move to touch you or appreciate your arousal like he normally would. All he did was palm his bulge, looking down at you with a cocky mischievous smirk plastered on his face.

"Strip for me y/n," he commands, his voice low and husky with lust.

You gulped. Shaking, your hands reach for the hem of your shirt and pulled it over your head slowly. You then reach for your shorts, bending down to pull them off.

"And look at me while you do it."

You tilt your head up, your eyes meeting his vermillion ones. Heat creeps up your cheek as you drop your short on the floor. Sure, you've been intimate with Bakugou many times and he has seen you naked before. But you've never stripped for him this way, no. Much less in a public place like this.

You unhook your bra and slides it off your shoulders. Your nipples harden as the cold air touches your skin, sending a shiver down your spine. Bakugou glanced down at your pebbled nipples and shameless licked his lips. Your hand subconsciously moves to grab your breast, appreciating the warmth of your hand but it only lasted a second as Bakugou rips your hand away.

"You're not done babygirl," he sneers, "and I don't remember saying you can touch yourself."

You bite your lips to keep the whimper from escaping, knowing that will only egg him on even more. You lift your hips and slides your soaked panties down your legs and steps out of it. You sat back down on the bench as you watch Bakugou take in every inch of your exposed skin, appreciating every curve and roll on your body.

"Open up y/n. Let me see that sweet pussy."

You parted your thighs, the inner flesh glistening with your juices and your pussy clenched at the coldness.

"So wet babygirl," Bakugou hums as he licks his lips once more, "can't wait to get fucked huh?"

You nod and parted your legs even further, hoping Bakugou will take it as an invitation to, finally, touch and please you. But he didn't, again.

"Get on your knees babygirl," he commands as he tugs his sweatpants and let them fall to the ground. His cock was pressing against the tight fabric of his boxers and you could spot the delicious thick vein that ran along his shaft.

You kneeled obediently in front of him, mouth watering with anticipation at the sight of his hard cock, as you look at him through your eyelashes. He steps towards you, his cock pressed against your face. You felt wetness on your nose bridge as you inhaled the slightly musky scent of his precum.

You palmed his cock, rubbing him through his boxers. You stretch out your tongue and pressed it to the wet spot on his boxers, tasting his precum, before bringing the fabric into your mouth and sucked it.

You played with the hem of your boxers, a cheeky grin on your face, and pulled, releasing Bakugou from his boxers. His cock sprang free and hits you on your face. Gosh, he was so big. His cock was almost the length of your face, with a good girth. This man really was blessed with everything. You wrap your hands around the base of his shaft and pumped gently. You swirl your tongue around his flushed tip, lapping at the precum that continues to ooze out of him.

"Don't tease me," he groans and fists his large hands into your hair. He pushes your head forward harshly, forcing his aching cock between your lips and into your warm wet mouth. Taken aback, you lost your balance and fell forward slightly. The tip of his cock pressed into the back of your throat as you gag around him. Your hands found stability on his muscled thighs as you dug your fingernails into them. He jerks his hips forward rapidly, fucking your face as saliva dribbles down your chin and your eyes watering.

"Fuck your mouth feels so good y/n. Fuckkk…look at you taking my cock so good. You're such a slut for my cock aren't you?"

You could only hum in response with your mouth stuffed full of his throbbing cock, pounding into you at a crazy pace. His balls slap your chin with each thrust, sending saliva dripping down your neck and chest, creating a wet and sticky mess.

"Fuckkkkkk y/n I'm gonna cum soon," Bakugou moans as he proceeds to push your head further down his cock, thrusting faster into your mouth. You reach out to squeeze his balls and fondle with them, sending a deep and loud groan echoing in the room.

"FUCKKKK," he heaves as hot thick spurts of cum coats your throat and mouth. He holds your head there for a moment as he empties his load into you, before slowly pulling out his cock, making sure his tip hits your nose.

"Don't swallow yet," Bakugou warns as he leans down and grabs your chin roughly, forcing your mouth open. He admires the mess he made, the white cum pooling at the back of your mouth, your eyes red and watery and decollete area wet with saliva. With a satisfied smirk, loosen his grip on your chin, and asked you to swallow.

You gulp his cum down, making sure to look him dead in the eye as you do so, knowing it turns him on. Despite the cold air, your body was covered in sweat and your pussy was hot and throbbing excruciatingly.

"Please Katsuki please."

"What do you want, babygirl?" He pools the saliva on your decollete into his palm and wraps it around his semi-hard cock, pumping it right in front of you, knowing EXACTLY what you want.

"Fuck me Katsuki please," you beg as you press your thighs tightly together, trying to ease the throb, "I want you in my pussy Katsuki please."

"Get your ass on the bench then."

You waste no time in climbing onto the bench, leaning backwards with your elbows supporting your weight and spreading your legs apart as part as you could. The cold air against the heat of your pussy sends a chill down your spine as you let out a soft moan.

Bakugou lifts your legs off the ground from your calf and rests them on his broad shoulders. He bent his knees, positioning his now hard cock at your throbbing entrance. He teases your clit with his tip before slapping his shaft on your pussy.

"Ready for me cock baby?"

"Uh huh," you nod eagerly.

In one smooth thrust, he enters you and fills you up completely. The sudden fullness wrecks a gasp out between your lips as your head tilts back in ecstasy. You have been waiting for this moment ever since he was teased you during lunch break.

"Fuckkkkkk," Bakugou draws out as he enters you, feeling your muscles clench around him.

He gives you a moment to adjust to his size before pounding into that pussy of yours. Your elbows gave out as your back hits the cold metal bench. The metal bench creaks under all that movement as Bakugou fucks you mercilessly, letting out all the frustration he felt from earlier.

"You feel so fucking good around my cock baby," he praises as he stops and adjusts himself, causing you to whine at the sudden halt. But before you could even fully, he is thrusting in again. This time, his tip hits against your sensitive g-spot with each movement.

"Holy shit Katsuki! Fuck! Ahhh right there baby right there fuck it feels so good."

Placing his hands firm on either side of you, he pushes you into a mating press, pounding into you and pleasuring your g-spot with each thrust. You wrap your hands around his neck and brings him in for a heated kiss, moaning shamelessly into his mouth.

"Fuck Katsuki I'm gonna…"

"Hey is this y/n's bag?" a familiar voice question from outside the locker room.

Both you and Bakugou went immediately still as panic looms over you.

"I think so but what is it doing here?" Kirishima replies as their footstep echoes in the locker room.

"Don't know maybe she just forgot," Denki says, "like how I always forget my shit too."

The footsteps got closer and with his fast reflexes, Bakugou grabs you and shoves you into one of the lockers. Thankfully, he did not make that much of a sound but it was no ninja stealth either and you pray under your breath that Kirishima and Denki won't linger and potentially catch you guys in this compromising position.

"Wait," Kaminari stops in his tracks, obviously spooked by the subtle noise you guys made, "did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I swear I heard one of the locker doors close."

"Ohhh there's no one in here," Kirishima reassure with a yawn, "now hurry and found your bottle. I am so exhausted."

Their voices seem to linger at the entrance of the locker room and you let out a tiny sigh of relief. But this relief was short-lived when Bakugou slides his cock into you.

You let out a gasp and your hands flew to your mouth immediately. You turned your head and glared at Bakugou, sending him a warning through your eyes. Bakugou, being the jerk he is, of course, just gives you a cocky smirk, barely visible in the dim lighting and presses his chest along the length of your back. Grabbing your hips, he starts to thrust into you from behind, careful not to hit any of the metal walls.

The chatter between Kirishima and Kaminari continues but you can barely process what they were saying. Your mind was blank with pleasure as Bakugou reaches down with one of his hands and rubs your clit. A moan escapes from your lips and you bit down on your lips, Bakugou squeezing the plump flesh on your hips as a warning.

"Woah Kirishima please tell me you heard that?"

You didn't hear Kirishima's response as you felt a warm breath tickle your ear.

"Better keep that cute little voice of yours down or Shitty hair and Dunce Face are gonna find out what a slut you are," he whispers harshly into your ear.

You clamp down on your fingers, trying to mute your whines and moans as much as possible, as Bakugou increases his pace. He buries his face into the crook of your neck, muting his groans as your walls clench tightly around his cock. He pinches your clit and you let a squeak at the pain and pleasure.

For someone who just told you to be quiet, he is trying awfully hard to make you lose control. You covered your mouth with your hands, mortified that you let that sound out as Bakugou growls teasingly at you.

"Uhhhh…I think we better leave now Kirishima…" Kaminari stutters, "I found… uhhh… I found my bottle." "Yeah…let's uhm let's go."

To your utter relief, the boys left the locker room in a hurry and you finally let out the sounds of pleasure you have been painstakingly trying to hold back. The moment their footsteps could not be heard, Bakugou slams the locker door open and walks you out, his cock still buried deep in your cunt. Your legs could barely move and support and weight, and you fell forward onto the bench, hands gripping the metal hard.

"F-Fuck Katsuki!"

"Such a little slut huh? Can't even keep your little mouth shut in there. You wanted those extras to know how hard I'm fucking you, didn't you? You little slut fuckkkkk you are tight baby you feel so good…"

Placing his hand flat on the square of your back, he pushes you down as you both land on your knees, your torso flat against the metal bench. Your hard nipples rub against the cold metal, sending another wave of pleasure through your body as the coil in your pelvis tightens. Coupled with Bakugou's fingers rubbing your swollen clit and his thick cock practically bruising your g-spot, your climax was hitting you hard and fast.

"Fuckkkk 'tsuki I'm gonna ahh fuck…Katuski I'm gonna cummm."

"Fuck I feel it babygirl. You are clenching me so fucking hard shit," he cusses as he grips the soft flesh of your ass cheek with one hand, "gonna cum baby?"

"uh huhhh," you nod weakly, your mind blank with pleasure.

He leans forward, pressing his front along the curve of your back and pounds into you from behind.

"Fuck I'm close to baby."

"C-cum inside me Katsuki please."

"Fuck you want my cum inside you y/n? yeah? Fuckkk I'm cumming baby!"

With a few final thrust, the tension inside you releases. Your legs were shaking from stimulation, toes curling and back arching from your climax. Your pussy clenches tight around Bakugou's cock as he cums inside you, his thick cum filling up your cunt.

Slowly catching his breath, he slowly pulls his cock out of you and you feel his cum drips down your clit, overflowing.

"Fuck y/n," he draws out, "your pussy looks so good all stuffed with my cum."

He spreads your lips apart, admiring his handiwork as his cum, mixed with yours, continues to spill out of you. He dips his finger into your pussy, pushing out more cum, coating his finger in the mess created. He swipes up the trail of cum dripping down your clit with his finger and approaches you.

"Don't let it go to waste now babygirl."

Still catching your breath against the metal bench, he pushes his wet sticky finger into your mouth. You wrap your lips around him and suck eagerly, tasting the muskiness. When you are done, you release his finger with a pop and looked up at his satisfied face. He pulls you up towards him as he sits down, cradling your tired sweaty body in his.

"That felt so good babe," he compliments as he presses a tender kiss to your lips and brushing your hair out of your face, "come on let's get you cleaned up."

He carries you into the shower, washing away all the sweat and stickiness from your body and caresses you gently, making up for all that teasing and hard fucking and mean words. Gosh, he is secretly such a softie and you love him for it.

~~~~

After collecting all your stray clothing and getting dress, Bakugou and you walked back to your rooms together. His softness is gone as he makes fun of the way you are walking, obviously sore from all that fucking you did earlier. You glare at him and pouts, muttering under your breath that it was totally his fault which earned you a little chuckle.

As you entered the TV area, you found Kirishima and Kaminari sitting there, deep in conversation. Heat rushes to your cheeks, as you thought about how close the two of you were to being caught by them. You quickened your steps and walked towards your room, not even bothering to acknowledge them or say goodbye to Bakugou, but you were stopped in your tracks by the redhead's question.

"So…Bakugou and Y/n…" he runs his hands through his flattened hair, a sheepish look on his face as Kaminari elbows him to continue, "how long have the two of you been…you know…together?"

"W-what are you talking about Kirishima? Me and Bakugou are not-"

"We saw your belongings outside the boys' locker room and uhm we saw your clothes uhm on the floor and uhm you guys weren't exactly being quiet in there…"

"yeah especially after you thought we couldn't hear you no more," Kaminari adds under his breath, causing your face to heat up even more. You were sure you looked like a cartoon tomato right now.

"so…if you guys aren't dating then…?"

With a huff, Bakugou walks towards you and grabs your fidgeting hands, "Fine. Me and y/n are dating and we were totally fucking in the locker room and if you two shitty extras even think about muttering a word about this to others, I will blast you to the fucking space ya hear me?!"

He didn't even bother waiting for their replies before dragging you to his room and slamming the door shut.

Your secret is out. Not to the whole class but out nonetheless. You stood there, a little shocked from that confession with too much information, as you watch Bakugou nonchalantly strip out of his clothes and into his sleepwear.

"Katsuki!" you shriek as you slap him on his arm.

"What?!"

"I thought it was supposed to be a secret?! AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO STRAIGHT UP TELL THEM WE WERE FUCKING IN THE LOCKER ROOM oh my gosh I'm gonna die of embarrassment! How am I supposed to face them tomorrow?!"

"Stop being so dramatic," he pinches your cheeks and walks to his bed, "There's no point trying to deny or hide it from them anyways. Besides, it's not like the whole class knows."

He lies down and makes himself comfortable before looking at you, a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his face, "so our game can still continue baby, don't worry."

He pats the empty spot beside him, asking you to join. You rolled your eyes. "That's not what I'm worried about," you said as you tuck yourself into him. "In fact, I would like the game to very much end here."

"Nahh not happening babygirl."

Silence fills the room as both of you starts drifting off to sleep, minds tired and muscles exhausted. You felt your eyes get heavy until a question pops into your mind,

"Katsuki?"

"Hmmm?"

"Does that make you the loser since you exposed our secret?"

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reinabeestudio · 9 days ago

Text

Gonna add some of my basic hcs for my top 3 mercs (engineer + soldier + scout). Not claiming these are super original, but I wanna show what I'm working with on my selfship stuff 👍

Extra notes: 1) I haven't read the comics but I have some vague knowledge about them. I'm not gonna follow them much tho. 2) game and comic take place in different times (game: 1968 / comics 1972). I'm sticking to 1972. 3) I don't really treat RED and BLU mercs as different people, so these apply to both sides

Engineer

Dell Conagher, in his 40s and 5'7"

Very nice, very polite. But don't be fooled by the southern charm, this man is more stubborn than a mule

One of the best cooks at base, only beaten by Heavy and Demo (he won't admit this)

Yes he's short. Ye's he's aware. Yes he has a complex. No he won't admit this either

Don't be fooled, this man has very good aim. Sentries are just a very effective way of keeping motherfuckers away

I like to think he can sing, might sing a ditty when he's playing guitar/banjo by himself. He's 100% fine with playing in front of others but he's actually shy about the singing!

Sore loser and sore winner, one of the few times where he's rather annoying no matter the outcome lol

He... fucking sucks at making jokes. Or puns. He's a lost cause

Hard-worker to the bone, not even 11 PhDs can hide the underlying insecurity of needing to prove the worth behind the Conagher family name

Related the last: he's very reticent to ask or accept help even when he really needs it. He's the fix-it guy, he solves problems

Because of that, he's not used to compliments. He'll brush them off ('Ah, weren't no thing'). But if you keep insisting, you'll see the rare sight of embarassed Engie

Don't ever try to sneak up on him, his first reaction will be to punch you or hit you with whatever he's holding (and you don't wanna be hit with a wrench on the face do you). Spies messing with his machines has made him rather paranoid in that sense

Speaking of Spy, these two absolutely don't get along at all. All southern charm is gone when he interacts with him

Soldier

Jane Doe, 49 years old and 6'

Official bio says he's from the midwest, so (after consulting my American Friends(tm)) I ma Soldier is from somewhere rural Nebraska with a vet father, where his big patriotism comes from

If you don't think he won't argue with scout or engie that nebraska is in fact midwest, you don't know soldier. He WILL literally brawl for this

Jane Doe isn't his actual name. It's an undercover alias.

Belligerent and idiotic, yet not as stupid as people tend to assume. He's smart, just in different ways

Destructive, but surprisingly friendly if he assumes you're on his side

He often carries a rocket launcher and shoots that thing near his face, so his hearing isn't as good as it used to

That helmet he always wears? Same one he's been wearing he 'became' a soldier

You'd be surprised what a good memory he has!

Insanely good poker face, don't play cards with him

Too thickheaded to be scared. Sees a ghost and he'll just be like 🗿

Not really a hc but reminder than besides a 'soldier', this man is also: a mercenary (duh), a lawyer, a park ranger, a tour guide and a priest (in Guam)

You'll never catch this man drinking tap water. What about the FLUORIDE!!!!

Don't trust this man with a stove EVER

Rarely you'll see him doing nothing. Tends to keep himself busy, as good soldiers do (his logic says so, at least)

Despite his mentioned patriotism he's shit at geography, including his own country. He knows states EXIST but he doesn't exactly know WHERE or HOW MANY (last time he checked there were 48)

Scout

Jeremy Mortenson, 27 years old and 5'11"

Youngest of 7 brothers, all of them have names that start with J—even his mother's name starts with a J! (June Mortenson)

Youngest at home and now youngest at the base. He gotta prove he's tough and to not be messed with—he's teased enough at home! He's a merc dammit

That said, being surrounded by lotta guys that are older than him that don't really pay attention to him most of the time... aah, just like home

He genuinely loves his family and his teammates, and admittedly he misses his famiy in Boston. But HEY don't tell anyone

All talk no walk, he's gotten himself in problems more than once because of his dumbass claims

Being half-french (he doesn't know sshh), he's more similar to Spy than both care to admit. Scout just doesn't have the charming, lady-killer façade Spy has

He does know a few French words tho, but not many. And his accent bleeds so much into them, it's hard to make out what he's saying (even for Spy, who just looks at him like 🗿)

Not a big fan of tiny spaces. This dislike came with his job, a tiny space makes escaping harder

Besides Tom Jones, reckon another big love of his is baseball. I like to think in different circumstances he'd have tried to become a pro. But when there are so many mouths to feed, you take what you can to help your single mom

Fast learner when it comes to arts. Drawing, playing an instrument, etc—he picks it up fast. Did you know he can sing? Oddly enough he doesn't gloat about it (Only his ma knows this fact)

Like Soldier, he's smart but in a different way. He might have difficulty reading, but guy is a speed demon when it comes to killing. He gets the job done, and FAST

If I see someone else calling him a twink, I'll start exploding people. Yeah he's not exactly muscular and rather scrawny compared to the other mercs. But he ain't weak! The thing about Scout is that he isn't built for strength, he's built for speed.

I'm late, but using my (recent) birthday as an excuse to ramble about Cee and the other mercs—mostly Cee, with hints of ship stuff :]

This is kinda long btw

The arrival of Ms. Doremi was not something unexpected, since the team had been notified a few days prior of a new hire from Spain. However, she wasn't what they imagined.

The answer depends on who you ask, but all of them more or less were expecting a tough mercenary, someone that has clearly fought and killed before. Someone that gets the job done no matter what. But before them was the damndest fanciest lady they've ever seen. Scout was the one tasked to showing her around due to being the fastest, and it was clear some doubts about this new teammate quickly started to appear after each one met her personally.

Not only that, but there was something particular about Ms. Doremi: she had a room for herself like the others, but she didn't always sleep on it. In fact, many nights she'd leave the base and come back in the morning. Spy even identified her car as an ivory Seat 600 D. Not exactly a model seen in the US.

Now, as I mentioned in past posts, I ship her with almost all of them (except Pyro)—not at the same time. So how things develop depends on the merc! Although the ones I think about the most are Engineer, Soldier, and Scout.

I'll focus only on Engineer/Cee for now. Maybe I'll explore different reactions in the future (please ask me about any of the other ships gimme an excuse to gush please please please pl--).

Surprise, he fell in love at first sight 💥

I imagine they found him on his workshop, arguing with one of the others for touching his tools or something else (probably Spy? I like to think they don't get along at all lol). So there he was, cursing up a Texan Storm(tm) until he hears stifled laughter behind him and he turns around like ???. And when he sees her, he completely freezes.

“Apologies, I didn't mean to laugh. You just have such a way with words, I coulnd't help”

And aren't you a vision of loveliness.

She would offer her hand for a handshake, while introducing herself. How proper, ain't she cute. “I'm Cee Doremi. I'm the new RED member. And what might your name be?”

“I'm mighty sorry 'bout earlier, promise I'm nicer than that!” He took her hand then, a bit too tightly. “Dell Conagher, or the Engineer. At your service.”

“It's alright, Mr. Conagher. As my mother used to say, when we argue it's because we care. Don't you think?”

“Please, call me Dell. And I can't say I fully agree with ya, Ms. Doremi, but I can see yer point!"

“Call me Cee." God, that smile of hers could resurrect an angel. The guy is practically leaking toony hearts while Spy and Scout look at them like 👁 (nosy father & nosy son lol). “It was nice meeting you. But I still have to finish my little tour, and I'd kindly like to have my hand back, yes?”

Engie's face scrunched up in confusion before he looked down at his hand and noticing that he's, in fact, still shaking her hand.

So she waved him bye and he waved back with a face warmer than an oven. Meanwhile Spy just looked at him with the most insufferable knowing smile ever.

“What a gracefully embarassing display of those 11 PhDs, pardner.”

“Shut it, you snake.”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ⟐ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Time passes, and Cee's presence is just one more on base. She even got her own nickname: the Lady (very original). It started as a joke, but it ended up just becoming a thing lol.

She gets along with her teammates! Some more than others, but she has a minimum level of property that she doesn't seem to like breaking, no matter how rude some people might be. Old habits, she calls it (makes you curious how she was raised).

And everyday as usual, when night comes, she drives off... somewhere. And everyday she comes back in the morning. She's been asked about this by the others many times; she has her own room here, what's the need of leaving every night? Where does she even go? But as polite as she is, that's a question she doesn't answer.

Until one day the answer comes to them.

Cee called for a meeting, which was odd. She was the only one standing up, the rest of the mercs sitting down and no doubt confused what was going on.

“As all of you know, I spend most of my nights outside of the base. First I want to clarify, I have no problem with my room. I'm thankful I was given my own space.” she started, her hands clasped in front of her. “But I did for a good reason. Something very important.”

She explains how she was told by the higher-ups it'd be best if she stopped the car trips, mostly because the enemy could follow her and learn the location of the base. How she explained her situation, and a solution would be searched.

But until then, she'd have to compromise.

“I'm only doing this because I have no other choice. Apologies in advance,” she finished explaining.

They see Cee turn around to the doorframe behind her and says something in Spanish (“Ya podéis salir”). And the 9 mercs watch with wide eyes how a young girl and a young boy come out and quickly go to Cee, the kids looking at the men while hiding behind her. They looked similar to Cee.

“Gentlemen, these are my twins: Lance and Renée.”

She looked down at them, gently patting their heads. “They will be staying on my bedroom, until a safer place for them is found. I've already told them to behave and not bother any of you unless it's a dire situation and I'm not around. Please, be patient with them while they are here.”

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ⟐ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

Yes I know, I didn't really talk about actual ships AJSDNGDS. But I thought that it'd be best to first establish some facts about Cee for better understanding ☝ If you wanna learn more, ask about it (/j /lh)

#my writing #self insert #long post #tbh i might add to these in the future?? but for now im good #ALSO!! I added that extra post about Cee to this original post as well :]#tf2 #team fortress 2 #tf2 engineer #engineer tf2 #scout tf2 #soldier tf2

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