#I will try to complete all his challenges because I know it alters the game ending

[hydraballista]

“Bring me clean clothes in prison”

Never in all 3 games I wanted to kill Riddler more than the Arkham Knight I swear 🤣 Batman’s biggest strength is his patience.

This was fun to draw ahdjkfg

[route-to-eutopia-if]

Route to Eutopia - New WIP IF

DEMO(28K) I CHARACTER DOSSIERS I PLAYLIST (TBA)

You have one year left to live.

But are you afraid of dying? Probably not. Since you don’t even know how to live your life. You have been hidden away from public eye since young. And the only friend you have is an Alter, humanoid species born to only serve other people and nothing else. Alters live so ‘people like you’ could live.

That makes the two of you. Alive. But never here. Never lived.

If opportunities arise, would you take a chance to change it? Only you can answer.

In a world where feeling nothing at all is better than letting your emotions rule over you, your choice to break those rules and make a change will paint a new shade of history that no one ever could. 

Hidden behind shut doors to live your quiet life as a secret child of Bastien Palmer, Sole Leader of Eutopia paradise, you never experience anything except for repeating the same old routine your entire life. You are the existence which should not be known, not just for the reason that you are the byproduct of your father and his secret lover. But also because of your frightening ‘Alter-like’ eye color, most of it is silver like any Stargaze–but nevertheless… tinted shamefully by crimson streaks.

You are told to stay away from public eyes for the sake of Palmer’s reputation in which you feel obliged to. However, your life of peaceful solitude will never be the same again after tonight…

Route to Eutopia is a violent dystopian loosely-conceptual interactive story where you are a bystander surrounded by The Chosen One of your own choice. You are to designate whether this story will head towards the direction of mutual peace between Alters– a human-like species believed to be plagued by uncured disease since birth– and Stargazers —a group of survivors whose ancestors once lived on a faraway planet before an inevitable disaster occurred and forced them to flee into another dimension, or towards a doom fate that cannot be reversible.

To be noted; RtE is a heavily-relationship based game (not necessarily in platonic/romantic sense) each of your interactions with any character will determine the tone and purpose of their motivation. Any choice you have chosen, make sure to embrace the consequences of your action at your own expense.

With that being said, it is also worth mentioning that you don’t need to engage into a romance or specific relationship with any character to complete the story.

RtE also rated 18+ for strong language, suggestive contents, disturbing topics such as racism, sexism, discrimination against queer people, explicit descriptions of violence, murders, drug use and sexual behaviors of certain characters with optional intercourse scenes.

Setting

RtE takes place in a post-apocalypse society where the concept of time is lost and any history known was only speculations at best and rumour at worst. Trying to maintain their sense of utopia, Stargazers built and operated their space colony as a temporary base for self-preservation (in which only fews know details about) called ‘Eutopia’. 

In this dystopian paradise people’s sole purpose of living was fixated on surviving. And in order to do that, the whole population creates a solid ground rule not to let themselves ‘feel’ about other emotions that do not serve for public favors. Hence, you will be challenged to adapt to several situations and handpick the best flavor of your actions based on the emotions you have learnt or developed from your surroundings.

Who do you play as?

For now, you will be playing as a secret child of Bastien Palmer, the leader of Stargazers who already has a wife and two other perfect children, your younger sister and brother. Ones you have never interacted with nor you ever get the chance to.

MCs subjectively considered a white sheet which you can paint anything on by your preferences. Explore the world full of colorful emotions or bottomless pit of numbness by your own choices. 

But remember, Eutopia is a place where everything goes according to one simple rule ‘To survive’ hence the marriage between a man and woman will be set as the norm and only truth, and someone who will state otherwise must face and suffer the ugliness of social standards accordingly. However, I do not encourage any transphobic/homophobic behavior of the characters in this story. Please kindly be assured of that.

There might be a chance where you can start off as other characters, that is, however, still a subject-to-change matter as of now.

Introduction to the Chosen Ones [ ROs]

**Please be aware of mild spoilers below**

Vegaris (M/F) 19 Star-crossed lovers or Nemesis route, The Rebel.

They would do anything to survive, even if it means to betray the only person who trusts them deeply… like you.

Vegaris is an Alter who has so many sides hidden behind closed doors. Unpredictable, cunning, hot and cold are the words that describe them best. Due to their traumatic childhood (much like other Alters on Eutopia), they have a deep-root hatred for Stargazers. Although they were brought in by your family and treated almost the same as one of your father’s own kids. They still witness the unfairness of being an Alter in society and never afraid to point the wrong in other people’s doings. 

Their usual mask, however, is one where you cannot crack open that easily. They always remain calm and composed in front of you, and only show their fangs when circumstances arise.

Dana/Darren Regency (M/F) 22 Childhood friends, Forbidden route, The Face.

For a person who seems to be easy to read as much as an open-book, they sure talk with silence better than with their own voice.

A poster girl/boy for Regency Academy. Your former childhood friend (for some unknown reason, they're trying their hardest to avoid you) and an only child to the Head of Deans at Regency, Sandalphon. They are the precise image of how one should raise a Stargazer. Being a honor student. A model citizen. And a perfect ideal partner. They are assigned to be married with the most capable genetic-wise fiancé. As popular as they appear to be to the public, their private life (as private as it can be) is still a gigantic loophole for most imprudent reporters trying to catch even just a glimpse.

It seems like what they are trying to avoid is not just you, but the entirety of Eutopia.

Sandalphon Regency (M/F) 40 Age-difference, Single-parent route, The Pacifist.

Do you believe in something just because it's true, or it becomes the truth only when you believe in it?

Sandalphon is the most powerful influence among the deans of Regency. A group of people that has control over governing matters even beyond that of Bastien Palmer, the President. For Sandal, they are anything and everything people could ever ask for in a Regency. Kind, generous, well-versed with every branch of knowledge in the universe. Never wrong in anything. And never judge anyone based on their bias.

If only people knew the truth, they’d probably beg to differ.

Maybe they are just good at hiding beneath that gentle facade, maybe a calculated mind with strings to pull works best with neutral suggestions... who knows?

One more hidden character will be revealed in the demo, Into the Madness route, The Savior.

[ Classified info. ]

**There will be two sub ROs and flings to be introduced later in the story.**

More info will be announced.

Demo 1st update : 24/01/2024 Chapter 1 (28k codes excluded)

Datalog is completed roughly til the end of the story. Coding and polishing will certainly take time. Any more updates will be announced solely on this blog.

Reblogging is appreciated. Thank you!

[gatitties]

So how about this.... some king, saitama, genos and tatsumaki (Separate) headcanons with a reader who's an A class hero and their power involves video games physics. An example of that would be where reader had the power to interact with the world as if it is in a video game which as you may know has these:

The System

Video Game/Game Mimicry

Video Game Imitation/Mechanics

Virtual Reality Mimicry

The user can alter the laws of physics to mimic any and all video games. This power can give the user a wide variety of abilities like he can use a cheat code from a real game to trick his foes and avatar manipulation that creates modulate personality character identities (Think of it as a character customization except irl). Reader also has an instant learning ability so anything reader sees or wants new information they acquire, they can immediately learn and master any form of knowledge that can comprehend with ease. There's also a dimensional storage ability that reader can store anything inside their item box and can summon them back with relative ease. Actually just to make this quick I'm just gonna have to send this link so it would better explain everything: https://powerlisting.fandom.com/wiki/Video_Game_Physics anyways for personality I imagined reader to have a more laid-back attitude and relatively has a lot of patience when it comes to dealing people that can anger others quickly yet he's also confident and outgoing that likes to hang out with people no matter what you are as long as you don't try to harm him. Reader works a bartender and tends to meet other heroes (or villains who happens to visit that place) they always put on a polite behavior despite the mistreatment they'd often receive from other customers. also they never lose to a single game match like ever! No matter how professional you are at a video game or how much you do speedruns. reader is always one step ahead of you and even if you cheat they would immediately spot it. and speaking of speedruns, they also have a streaming channel on youtube in which they do all sorts of challenges. Other than that reader is pretty much the person you'll love to hangout with.

─King, Saitama, Genos & Tatsumaki x hero!reader

─Summary: just a few headcannons of your relationship with these heroes

─Warnings: none

King

─ He probably met you from one of your streams early on, then you saved him from a monster he was completely terrified of, only taking a quick look at his 'character' stats to detect the terror behind that straight face.

─ You found it so amusing that you indirectly encouraged him with a drink at the bar where you worked, after which he became a regular customer.

─ Although you had to change the meeting place because there were many King fans who came to ask for autographs, there were only a couple of people who wanted your autograph, and it was not even because you were a hero, but because of your streams.

─ Anyway, you found yourself at his house every time you had free time, when you found out that he played video games and watched your streams he desperately tried to deny it, you didn't give it any importance and now he's one of your most competitive rivals.

─ Luckily you can give more life to the games you play, King is used to playing against npc or Saitama and it's always very easy to win, so his mission right now is to beat you.

─ He will definitely run towards you if there are monsters nearby, you have incredible power and despite being A-class, he thinks you can eradicate any kind of threat or at least aspire to more than A-class.

─ Your relationship is based on a constant fight to break records in any game, whether it is the best streak in Valorant, speedruns in Mario 64 or winning in Mortal Kombat, although the rivalry increases much more in Mario Kart, peace was never an option.

Saitama

─ He met you in the middle of a battle, completely fascinated by being able to change your 'character' and appearance, he asked you if you could change his appearance too, although you could 'program' reality in a certain way, his change would not last forever.

─ After that silly situation, he found you at work and stayed for a while chatting, which made him visit the bar more when he needed to get away from Genos for a bit.

─ He takes care of all the people who have a bad treatment towards you when you work, although you simply don't care, he insists that you should not let disrespect pass.

─ He encourages you to change some parameters of reality to play some jokes on bad customers, you only get carried away sometimes changing the appearance of those people to something ugly.

─ Smoke comes out of his head whenever you play games because you are unbeatable, more than once you let him win to see his happy face, although if he rubs it too much in your face you will not let him win again.

─ You feel a little envious of his great power, it's not that you complain about yours, but sometimes it's tedious to have to think of a video game mechanic to transfer it to reality and fight, it's not so easy to change weapons from a shooter to sorcery from a fantasy rpg and he just has to throw a punch.

─ You are somewhat similar so when you both need calm or are saturated you get together to have a tea or coffee without the need to start a conversation, you just enjoy the program that is on television.

Genos

─ You became a Saitama 2.0 for this boy when he saw you fight, you will have him as a puppy in your work until you agree to train him once and for all.

─ However, no matter how much you explained to him that you only had powers by copie stats from video game characters to use them to your advantage, you couldn't help him much for that, so you simply supported him in the silly ideas that Saitama invented.

─ He didn't care that you were a class lower than his, after all Saitama was C-class and was his trainer, he thought that having two would only make him stronger.

─ He's not that big a fan of videogames, so unfortunately you spend more time having small battles against him in your free time, you weren't as good in combat as you were in videogames but luckily Genos was easy to read and distract with reality bending.

─ He won't tolerate a single disrespect towards you when you work, even though you don't care about the bad comments, you don't even have time to blink and those people are kicked out.

─ He'll put on your streams in the background while he cleans house, he's probably subscribed and donates from time to time to ask when you're free for a rematch.

─ Probably you will lend him some robotic parts or weapons from some games like Metroid, Megaman, Metal Gear Solid or Call of Duty, although they will not last infinitely in the real world.

Tatsumaki

─ She started a rivalry with you because you started to get the attention of some of the administrators of the hero association, you were just an A-class, you weren't that great.

─ You decided to ignore her silent threats during meetings, although when it was your turn to battle together she always did something to stand out from you, you really didn't care, it's not like you put in that much effort in battle.

─ After a while she left the childish attitude and found herself frequenting your bar, at first it was to follow you closely, then for chat with you.

─ She will begin to admire your fighting method because it's never the same and you learn quickly about your opponents, coming to imitate their attacks, you always change the game mechanics to your liking, although she will not admit it out loud.

─ At a certain point she offered you a class upgrade because you really were much better than a simple A-class, but you turned it down, you had enough work already and being a hero was only an occasional thing, she got mad at you for saying no.

─ She doesn't like to lose so she won't waste her time playing games with you, nor will she admit that she watches your streams and that's why she knows that she won't be able to beat you in any video game.

─ She makes a competition for everything she can think of in what she can beat you, you don't give a shit about her tsundere attitude and you just flow with it, if she wants to compete, it's never a bad thing to have a healthy rivalry with someone.

[voxofthevoid]

April Anniversary Final List

I've compiled the 15 fics/ideas you guys picked in response to this post into a detailed list (under the cut). The numbers (51, 43, etc.) are now obsolete because I've added another idea to the list—yes, the total is 94 now, 77 untouched—and plan to keep doing it, which will alter the numbers owing to the way they're organized by ship(s). The doc will stay publicly available (...though I should really go through it and fix all the typos and errors).

Like I said in the OG post, I want to write a scene of approximately 1k for each of these. That's easy enough, usually, but I also want these to be coherent, standalone scenes—connected to the overall fic 'verse, yes, but a self-contained short story nonetheless. And we all know that's not my forte. So, yeah, it's gonna be a hell of a challenge.

These WIPs are not getting struck from my list once I'm done though. I'll be poking at them later, the way I do now���one at a time, until I'm out of the fandom.

Also, the usual disclaimer: If health/IRL fuckery pops up, I'll postpone or cancel the project. Hoping that won't happen, but you never know.

#1. 51 @nearalways

Canonverse pet play featuring a developing relationship, in which Yuuji jokingly says Gojou’s like a puppy and Gojou takes it and runs with it. Yuuji discovers the dubious joys of pet ownership.

#2. 43 @naeldeus

Satoru and her bigass tits single-handedly turn Yuuji from an ass woman into a chest woman, and Satoru’s reaction to Yuuji staring at her tits is to basically smother Yuuji in them in the guise of a hug. It escalates predictably.

#3. 31 @fluffys-nightmare

Yuuji makes a binding vow with the Angel to let her kill him and Sukuna after Gojou’s unsealed, except it doesn’t go as planned and the end result is Yuuji and Sukuna completely merged.

#4. 55 @laughing-sock

A curse user’s failed technique leaves Yuuji with a plush-like replica of Gojou, which Gojou lets him keep. It’s harmless until Yuuji accidentally activates a connection between the doll and Gojou.

#5. 36 (anon)

Sukuna kills the Angel so they can’t unseal Gojou. Teen!Gojou drops into the timeline and retrieves the PR, but they can’t open it. Yuuji has complicated emotional sex with teen!Gojou and spends every spare hour gazing plaintively at the PR. Teen!Gojou is in it mostly for the sex at first, except that doesn’t last.

#6. 45 (anon)

Post-canon where defeating Sukuna still leaves Yuuji with all his loved ones dead. He’s trying to busy himself by helping rebuild society when a new 6E+Limitless user is born, named “Satoru” to honor the last one, and a few years later, the Gojou clan asks for him to be the kid’s bodyguard.

#7. 71 (anon)

Gojou dubcons Megumi in his dorm room while mocking him about his crush on Yuuji, and when Yuuji bursts in after hearing concerning noises, Gojou offers Megumi to him.

#8. 67 @yaoshifollower

Canonverse breakup-makeup AU in a no-Shibuya context, spanning the time from Yuuji’s first year to his early-mid twenties. The sukuita parts are hatesex culminating in cannibalism; goyuu is the endgame.

#9. 03 @lo-55

Gojou tries to seduce Yuuji by rapebaiting him—sleeping on and near him in provocative clothing. Yuuji resists until he doesn’t.

#10. 73 (anon)

Yuuji semi-accidentally seduces Higuruma after their fight in the Culling Games, and during the one-month time skip after Gojou’s unsealed, he manages to semi-accidentally romance both men to the point of inevitable heartache.

#11. 74 @kubo-chan

Pre-canon where Kenjaku pays their favorite child a few in-person visits, finds that Yuuji’s body is rejecting Sukuna’s fingers, and lets their scientific curiosity run a little wilder than usual. Years later, Gojou finds Yuuji while investigating unusual curse activity.

#12. 08 @cunt-recesses

Omegaverse-canonverse alpha/alpha where 20-something Gojou adopts Yuuji, who was being raised by a Sukuna-focused cult.

#13. 50 @zalondra

Omegaverse-canonverse alpha/alpha where becoming Sukuna’s vessel triggers Yuuji’s rut early, a couple of days after he’s accepted into Jujutsu Tech, and since the higher-ups aren’t willing to risk Sukuna’s vessel losing control during that hormonal mess, Gojou volunteers to help him through it.

#14. 42 (anon)

Someone makes the mistake of letting Gojou teach sex-ed to the first-years. It’s a pretty typical class for Nobara and Megumi, but Yuuji's living a different porn scenario every week.

#15. 24 (anon)

Sukuna–Yuuji role reversal where Yuuji’s more interested in his vessel’s teacher than the vessel himself, and Gojou gets too much of a thrill from playing with fire.

[anxiously-going]

Found another fairly completed WIP, this one set post Elaan of Troyius.

"Jim!" Leonard greeted as the captain strolled into medbay. "Take a seat, would ya?"

Jim did as he was told. "Everything alright, Doctor?"

Leonard ran the tricorder over him. "I dunno, Jim, you tell me."

"You called me down here, remember?"

"I did," McCoy agreed.

"So?" Jim shrugged. "Where's the fire?"

Leonard folded his arms over his chest. "I'm not buying Spock's antidote."

"Is that so?" Jim asked, looking at the ground.

"It is. I know what this ship means to you, but I don't buy that it was enough to overtake some alien infection."

"And what do your instruments say on the matter?"

"They agree."

"Do they now?" His voice was flat and empty.

"'Love potion' is a very unscientific way of saying 'altering the body's biochemistry'. You're giving off some unusual readings here. Not as bad as they would have been right after the infection, I'm sure. But certainly not normal."

Jim nodded slowly. "So it wasn't my fault?" He asked quietly.

Leonard's face fell and he set aside his scanner to put a had on Jim's arm. "No, Jim, of course it wasn't."

"I should've known better-"

"How?" Len challenged. "Did anyone tell you what the ambassador said about the tears?" Jim shook his head. "Then it can't possibly be your fault. If anything…it's my fault. I should have warned. And for that I'm sorry, Jim."

"You didn't have any reason to suspect she'd try anything-"

"That doesn't mean I couldn'a warned you. But playing the blame game isn't going to get us anywhere. Are you okay?"

"I would've said 'no', Bones."

"I know, Jim. I know," Len answered softly.

"I wanted to- I tried, but… it was almost like dissociative, you know? I was just...trapped in my own body and I couldn't do anything. Not anything she didn't want anyway." Len sat next to Jim and rested his hand between his shoulders. "I tried to tell her it was wrong, but she kept saying it was what we both wanted. I wanted to push her away, but part of me was afraid to hurt her, and the other part… I wanted to get away, but it was like something else was controlling me. Like I was just a puppet."

"In a sense, you were. You're human, Jim. It affected you differently than it would have one of her own species. As a species they've adapted to those chemical changes in their bodies to be normal and probably even necessary. But you're not one of them. Your body wasn't prepared for that kind of reaction."

The captain gave a small nod and continued his staring contest with the floor. "Would the antidote do anything at this point, doctor?"

"It'll bring your body back to it's usual equilibrium. The human body is incredibly resilient and it's moving that way anyway, but the antidote will speed up that process."

"You have it on hand?"

Len nodded. "I do." He stood and picked up a loaded hypospray from the table near the bed. Jim tilted his head away and winced a little at the injection.

"Thanks, Bones," he said quietly.

Len sighed. "Look at me, kid."

Jim raised his watery eyes to Len's face.

"The antidote is only good for fixing your biochemistry. The rest is going to take time. It's going to have ups and down just like healing from any traumatic event would. So don't expect all this to just...go away because I gave you a shot. Be kind to yourself, alright?"

Jim ground his jaw and nodded. "Doctor's orders?" He tried to tease with a faltering smile.

Len brushed aside a stray tear with this thumb. "Doctor's orders," he agreed. "Come 'ere, kid." He tugged Jim into his arms and held him tightly.

Jim melted into Len's arm. "Sometimes, part of the healing process is to grieve," Len advised softly. He hugged Jim tighter when the younger man's tears began to wet his shirt.

Several minutes passed before Jim sat back with a sigh. "Thanks, Bones," he said, already sounding calmer.

Len gripped his shoulder. "Do you need a few days leave?"

Jim shook his head. "I'm alright. I'd like to keep this between us, as much as possible though."

"Of course. Whatever you need, just let me know."

"I could do with a drink, if you're offering."

"I think I can fix you up some cocoa."

Jim chuckled tiredly. "I had a feeling you might say that."

"Your system's outta whack as it is. I'm not givin' you anything to unbalance it further."

"I suppose that's fair," he sighed. "Thanks for lookin' out for me, Bones."

"That is what you keep me around for. C'mon. You can stay with me tonight."

[vacantgodling]

The sexuality/gender/otp headcanon ask game stuff for any oc of your choice? Bonus points if it's someone you haven't talked about in a while

thank you!!

i haven't talked about noh outside of the very very basics of his story and what's going on so let's talk about my favorite boyo.

here is he (cuz i found this picrew and i thought it was cute) -- the only thing that's off about it is that noh usually wears a mask over his face; he's completely mute and only uses sign language so in a way he views his mouth as "useless" so he doesn't like it being seen lol.

Sexuality: gay gay homosexual gay

Gender: noh is trans masc!

A ship I have with said character: so the main ship that i have with him is a space pirate named emerion jackson. technically speaking the two of them have known of each other since before noh had amnesia; noh and his team were actively trying to bring emerion in and though they never met in person the two of them were definitely :eye emojis: at each other because it was "oh, finally a challenge" type scenario. but then when noh disappeared off the face of the earth and started being plastered everywhere as a criminal, emerion got a little.... worried about him. it seems crazy and its not something that he would talk about to any of his crew because they would heckle him for it, but the fact that someone as formidable and determined as the mysterious (bc they'd never met face to face) noh bell; and how he's suddenly a criminal by the govt??? something is up.

the two of them end up meeting in person at a bar at the edge of a particular star system after noh is dropped off by the cargo crew that found him adrift in space. emerion recognizes noh immediately but doesn't say anything until someone else recognizes noh and a bar fight ensues bc they want to bring noh in for the money. emerion and his men jump in and end up helping him out and then he drags noh onto his ship.

at first, emerion isn't sure what to make of actually seeing noh face to face. coupled with the fact that noh doesn't remember that he was originally hunting him and his crew down its odd. but then he learns about the amnesia etc etc and emerion kind of feels guilt for not telling him everything up front. but part of him also likes the fact that noh doesn't remember anything and they end up beginning to form an actual bond and attachment to one another, which gets a BIT complicated as noh starts to learn his identity.

idk now that i'm writing all of this out fully i'm so in the mood to talk more about them; emerion is such a jackass and has a stick up it but at the same time he really cares about noh and hes SO INTIMATELY aware of HOW FUCKED he is lmaooo its kind of hilarious.

A BROTP I have with said character: noh has a really good circle of friends because they all grew up training together in the JACK and JILL program. the closest friend he has is amelia (who was his JACK so they know each other like the back of their own hands) but i think the cutest brotp/friendship he has is with neso.

neso is a very special JACK/JILL unit because she's a system with just one other alter and so she doesn't have a separate physical "body" that serves as her partner; its technically just within herself. the two of them are fully aware of each other and can switch back and forth though its not fully at will. she is the host and neon is her alter (and is essentially her older brother). neso can call neon to the front and he will show up occasionally but its not often because he doesn't really like people lol (though he is okay with the rest of their friend group). usually he shows up in dangerous situations because he's the JILL of their unit and in this universe they were able to engineer technology to change neso's eye color back and forth when she and neon switch fronting.

neso and noh are really alike and she can be somewhat childlike and cling to him. they use sign language with each other the most--especially in episodes where she's having a ptsd flashback or episode, he can help talk her down and taught her signs since she was young. they also tend to be the most quiet of their friend group and prefer to just vibe while the others (amelia, iodine, and ethan) are more personable and loud lol.

A NOTP I have with said character: this isn't a notp so much as like, its not canon anymore BUT it did used to be canon back in the day when i felt like i had to overcompensate with heterosexuality in all of my wips (i've had noh as an oc and this story for at least a decade so yknow). but before, noh and amelia were actually supposed to be the endgame couple, but at the end of the day i think they just work better together as best friends/found family. they know each other so well; to the point that its less like being with someone you're attracted to and more like being with the other half of their own brain so like... how am i gonna be attracted to myself energy. plus, amelia ends up with an engineer named claude and they're so sweet together i want to throw up <3

A random headcanon: noh is heavily inspired by my personal interpretation of link which is where his muteness stemmed from :)

General Opinion over said character: i love noh A LOT and i need to get over my fear of writing scifi because i've been wanting to tell his story for years. i project onto him a lil bit sure but he's such a fun character and i wanna figure out more about his storyline so i can be driven insane by it

since ive been talking about it so much, perhaps i might lol.

feel free to send me a character (mine or overwatch) and i'll do this for them :D

[blasphemyisjustforyou]

So, since i dont do a lot with my time right now besides play games I acquired through various means and use tumblr, I think it'd be fun to start using that time for something at least somewhat decent. Mutuals and followers, I introduce to you

The defininitve guide to Zelda:tm:

A list of Zelda games I've played, my opinions on them, and their rank against each other (or against the number one slot).

Starting this off strong, we have The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for N64 and Gamecube. Arguably the best of the original 3D Zelda games, and a fairly short title as far as the 3D titles go, Majoras mask easily hits a 9.5/10. Its almost perfect. The graphics are lacking by modern standards but it makes up for it by having an interesting story, a fucking stellar mechanic that sets it apart from literally every other game in the series, and a weird level of complexity that you wouldn't necessarily need.

The general premise of the game: You are (The Hero Of Time), following the events of Ocarina Of Time. You are riding through a forest with said Ocarina, and you end up getting beaten up, robbed, and turned into a fucking creacher by some guy who just got back from a masquerade party. On top of that, upon following him through a fucking portal to a literal alternate universe (Because apparently those exist now) you find out that he is basically god and you have to stop him from killing everyone in the new universe.

Now you might be thinking "But Maeve, why is this any different than any of the other Zelda titles where (The Hero) goes and saves the world from someone trying to kill everyone?" and the answer is: It kinda isnt, unless you are story oriented. The main antagonist isn't Ganondorf, which isn't too strange, but he's also not like, inherently malicious. Spoilers ahead, don't read if you dont wanna know about the game.

<spoiler>The antagonist is a Deku Child, one who has been abandoned by his friends. The mask in question is just a plain evil mask that alters the Deku Child's personality, turning him into a monsterous evil creature. Sorta. Anyways, the big point is that the actual antagonist is just a mask, not the silly little guy wearing the mask.</spoiler>

Following that, the three day mechanic is the most important part of the game. Each game has a 3 day cycle. You start the game on day one, with 72 hours (Just under 1 real life hour) to complete the main objective of the game. Which, surprisingly, isn't actually entirely impossible. Speedrunners actually have the game down to 1h12m without major glitches, and just 15 minutes with major glitches for an any%. Of course, 100% glitchless runs take about 6 hours at their fastest, so you are in for a few hours worth of gameplay on your first run. Now, to beat the game you need 4 boss remains, and thats it. There's optional upgrades like 2 sword upgrades (technically 3), a mask that doubles your damage, magic bar upgrades, and obviously weapons, but realistically you can just Do The Bosses And Fuck Off. The mask that doubles your damage is actually the most difficult to get, as it requires you collect Every Other Mask In The Game, but the swords are easy to get since they're basically handed to you from the 3rd dungeon's city, and all you have to do is wait 2 in game days (after you pay the rupees for the first upgrade and give some gold dust for the second one.

Now you might have read That Fucking Paragraph and wondered "Maeve, why do you enjoy a game that not only sounds kinda complicated but also takes up so much time inherently?" and the answer is: Its just solid all around. The game itself is actually fairly easy, but it has its challenges. The time limit for each cycle means you have to be careful as you progress. If you start a dungeon on day 3 and you don't finish it before midnight, you have to start it over. Its a neat game that presents a unique challenge. Every other game is is so linear, but this game has you backtracking all the time if you wanna truly finish it.

I'm super sorry this is running long, but this is the first entry in the series. I still have to write up OoT, TwiPri, and Windwaker (once I finish TwiPri and Windwaker)

[fantasyinvader]

I think we've been limiting ourselves with the Buddhism takes. While Buddhism does play a part in Houses, it's not the only symbolism the game uses. There's the easy Christian stuff, elements relating to the tarot, there's the names of ancient greek philosophers, it invokes Napoleon and even the nickname El refers to ancient Sumeria as a title/name for a god.

Nirvana isn't just from Buddhism, it's origins are from Hinduism where it's not the ultimate goal. In Buddhism, Nirvana is achieving a form of enlightenment portrayed as extinguishing of the self. The ultimate goal of Hinduism is elevating ones consciousness so that it becomes part of the universal truth, indistinguishable from the creator god Brahma. When you die, you return to the energy that created the universe.

If you want a very scary version of this, someday I'll explain Getter Robo and what exactly is Getter Emperor.

The Nirvana class seems to be a reversal of the Hindu version. Byleth gains Nirvana when the Creator Goddess Sothis fuses with them, extinguishing herself for Byleth's benefit. The deity fuses with Byleth, fading into Byleth's subconscious and from there Byleth gains their power (Hopes admittedly fucks with this as Sothis fuses to save Byleth, but can take over if pushed). Even the fact Byleth is male by default but is referred to as a spiritual mother in the ending points to the Hindu version, complete with Flayn trying to figure out his pronouns in the S support, a combination of male and female like Brahma.

While the game does seem to support the Buddhist takes of extinguishing the poisons/flames, for Byleth extinguishing themself seems to be the problem. They grow during White Clouds, eventually defaulting to siding against Edelgard. Byleth's flag, the supposed Fire Emblem of the game, reflects a belief in Byleth themself. But by altering the story, by going against Byleth's choices and characters thereby extinguishing Byleth as a character, in the words of the devs it's about believing in something else entirely and instead Byleth becomes subservient to El (a false god figure). The Japanese explains the Crest Stone disappearing at the end of Flower by saying it "shattered," Byleth's actions were bad enough it broke the heart of the Goddess and caused her to unfuse with them thus Byleth loses Nirvana.

This would also carry implications about Byleth's karma. Hindu belief is based on the caste system, where if you have good karma you'll be reborn in a higher caste, a form of spiritual meritocracy where your good deeds benefit you in your next life, such as being born into wealth and privilege because you earned it in your last life, and even plays a role in achieving Enlightenment. Buddha rejected this, believing that anyone can achieve Nirvana regardless of class. But considering that Flower is called the animal path, it's ultimately about Byleth's demerit.

Flower Byleth might fight so that Fodlan can know “true peace,” but they need to ignore the fact that Edelgard is invading other nations post-war in the Japanese script or having anyone who challenges her rule offed from the shadows in the English all while using Slither tech. Byleth is a soup sandwich if they submit to Edelgard. Meanwhile, fighting Edelgard might be hard now but it bears fruit in the future, as that way Fodlan doesn't suffer her tyranny, which does tie into Eastern beliefs.

Also noticed this in Wind's ending, the Japanese makes it out Byleth's goal is to make a world where everyone can hold hands regardless of nation or ethnicity. Bloodlines don't figure into it, likely that change was to support the change where Edelgard's ideals aren't too far off from what Claude and Byleth support in Wind in English.

But, as a whole, this just illustrates a problem with Houses and it's writing. The game loves it's symbolism and uses one set of symbols to reinforce another. But when you don't understand those symbols, or mistake one for another, it can throw the reading off even before Treehouse got their hands on the script.

[mercerislandbooks]

Book Notes: Twelfth Knight

Football and tabletop games. Shakespeare and MMORPG’s. Fandom, feminism and the perils of falling in love. Alexene Farol Fallmuth's new YA, Twelfth Knight, has all this and more in its pages.

Viola (Vi) Reyes would like it if she lived in a world where no one questioned her abilities in ConQuest, a tabletop game, or in the MMORPG Twelfth Knight simply because she’s female. Since that isn’t the case, and Vi spends enough of her time fighting to be taken seriously in real life, she’s crafted a male alter-ego, Cesario, for Twelfth Knight, so she can simply play the game.

Jack (Duke) Orsino is ready to have the senior year of his dreams, leading his high school football team to state championships. But when an injury sidelines him indefinitely at the beginning of the season, Jack’s friend introduces him to the diverting world of Twelfth Knight. In the online game, Jack has a body that isn’t restricted by injury, and he quickly becomes engrossed by the challenges and quests. Before long, Jack encounters Cesario in the game, and the two team up to take on the most epic quest in Twelfth Knight-- the quest for Camelot.

Jack has no idea that Cesario is really his classmate, Vi Reyes, the thorn in his side, perfectionist Vice President to his laid-back Student Body President. Viola, on the other hand, is very aware of DukeOrsino12’s actual identity, but has no intention of outing her real gender in Twelfth Knight. As the two grow closer, both on and off-line, Vi is increasingly aware what coming clean could cost her.

Alexene Farol Fallmuth also writes under the name Olivie Blake in the adult fantasy space. She’s taken on Shakespeare before, with One for my Enemy, as well as crafting the Atlas Six trilogy and several other fantastic novels. The broad strokes of Twelfth Night (twins, false identities with gender swapping, misunderstandings galore) undergird this contemporary YA retelling, while bringing in sharp commentary on toxic masculinity and female inclusion in places like tabletop game communities, online gaming communities, and fandom.

Fallmuth is unvarnished in her portrayal of how Vi struggles to belong in places she’s passionate about but aren’t inherently welcoming to her and the anger that burdens her as she continues to fight. It was hard to read in the beginning. I wondered what shape Viola’s character arc would take because all the reasons she is so angry were justifiable. I didn’t want her to stop being angry. But I did want her to stop feeling so alone. You can see her tender heart, when people show up for her, when they see beyond the barbed exterior and trust her with vulnerable things. She might have a sharp tongue, but she is also wants to be accepted for who she is, prickliness and all, and she’s afraid that no one ever will.

Meanwhile Jack is trying to figure out who he is if he can’t play football. What will the future look like for him? He’s torn between the expectations of his father and the concerns of his mother, all while having completely new avenues open up before him when his injury forces him into trying new things. In this season of graduates heading out into their next chapters, this advice from Viola to Jack about the future from the middle of the book feels especially poignant:

"Personally, I don’t think there’s only one outcome for life,” I add, and when he says nothing, I continue, “I mean, I don’t think there’s a predestined fate or anything. You’re not born to play football. There’s a version of your life where you do other things. Infinite versions. And when you make a choice, you cast off one possible outcome, but then, I don’t know—ten more pop up in its place. And you just keep going like that, choosing a path and watching new paths branch off in front of you. Even if the old ones disappear behind you, it doesn’t have to be sad…" (pp 161-162)

Not a bad worldview for any age.

We’ve got a few special editions of Twelfth Knight on hand with gorgeous, illustrated endpapers and an enamel pin for giveaway with purchase. If you’re an audiobook reader, I highly recommend Twelfth Knight on audio. Twelfth Knight would easily fit Young Adult square for your Summer Book Bingo, but also Friendship or BIPOC Romance!

-- Lori

[thestoriesthatweweave]

🦉🦅🐤 for the ask game! i love your writing!

Thank you!! I'm glad to hear you like my writing :D All three snippets are from the time travel au companion fic

a clever quote: Another challenge! Zhu and Ouyang from chapter 2

"What are you doing with the Red Turbans?” Ouyang shrugged, which wasn’t easy to do in armor. "The same thing you’re doing, I expect," he said.  This seemed to amuse her: he caught a flash of it, in her eyes, something true and private. "Somehow, this monks doubts it," she said with an easy smile. "This monk isn’t a soldier, but you look fierce, Benefactor…"  "Ouyang," Ouyang supplied, resignedly. Doubtlessly, she was going somewhere with this, and doubtlessly the road there was going to be long and meandering.  "Benefactor Ouyang," she continued, still smiling widely at him. She started to walk, away from camp and towards the city. "Walk with this monk a little, this monk is glad to see a familiar face! Let us catch up." This monk is lying to me with her eyes wide open, Ouyang thought. 

an angsty quote: Slightly altered to avoid spoiling who Ouyang's lover is here when you actually read the fic (he's an OC, but his name is different).

Ouyang felt abruptly cold. He retracted his hand, and slipped to the side, so he was lying on the narrow mattress next to Ziyu rather than sprawled on top of him. "You didn’t want my money before." Ziyu wrapped both arms around him and pulled him skin-to-skin again. "Are you upset? I thought you’d be happy. Think about it: a modest house, a small plot of land. I could till the fields, and you could weave." Weave. The word alone made him nauseous. "You want me to be your wife," he said. He’d wanted the words to be harsh and cutting, but they only sounded weak to his ears. He wanted to rip himself from Ziyu's arms, but he felt frozen in place, his heartbeat echoing loudly in his ears.  "Don’t be like that," Ziyu said, wheedlingly, "I want you to be my partner. My equal."  "Your equal," Ouyang said, and this time the words were harsh. "You want to use my money to buy yourself a field during a famine and you want me to stay home and weave. And you say you want me to be your equal?" He stood. He was abruptly grateful that Ziyu had always seemed repulsed by his scar, because it meant that Ouyang never stripped completely when they entangled together. The short, thin inner robe he wore wasn’t much protection, but it was better than nothing; better than being naked and shivering under Ziyu’s eyes.

a mystery quote: I am censoring names for this one. One of them's Ouyang, you can try and guess which one if you want :D

"The Red Turbans won’t lose," A snarled. "You’re just a bunch of useless turtle eggs that will get slaughtered in your first engagement. Do you even know what a battle looks like? The Hu’s arrows will blot out the sun. They will turn you into mincemeat. You’ll all die without an intact corpse!"  There was a long silence. B was breathing raggedly, his face very red. He looked halfway to tears. C, in contrast, was growing steadily paler.  “You and me,” D said, very evenly, “we will surely die without an intact corpse. There’s some hope left for these three."

Ask game here

[lildevyl]

FebuWhump Day 11: Time Loop

DAY 11: Time Loop

Summary:  Time Keeper has seen the devastation the Syndicate caused.  L’Manburg is nothing but a crater.  If only he had gotten there sooner!  If only he could have saved him!  If only there was a way to prevent this from happening.

TW: Mention of a Major Character Death. Don't worry! The Character doesn't stay dead!

A/N: Okay, more of a Time Travel than a Time Loop but I had this idea stuck in my head for weeks now! Still trying to figure out the chapters for Tommy Innit's Secret Clinic but don't worry! Once I start writing again, updates will be coming!

Thank You all for your Understanding and Patience!

(L’Manburg in the Future)

Time Keeper stood there feeling numb.  The destruction of L’Manburg all around him, Siren laughing maniacally commanding all the officers and riot squads to turn on each other.  Erinyes the “Blood God” has taken on a Blood Lust like no other and began taking on any Hero or Vigilante down with his sword and blood energy.  Orcus was no better, the once well-known Hero Archangel has now become the Angel of Death.  Blacking the skies and having his crows swoop down and attack civilians and killing anyone who dared challenge him to a duel.

Time Keeper stood on top of what was left of the once pristine building that was known throughout as Hero Tower, looking out at L’Manburg, now L’Mancrator or the “Pit” the Blood God called it.  When the Syndicate lost their youngest family member Theseus, they all lost it.  Finally snapped.  If the Heroes refused to honor the Honor Code and have no problem in getting away with murder.  Then the Syndicate will have no problem in doing the same.

The only difference was the Syndicate had no problem in going out into Egopocalpse to gain even more power.  Egopocalpse, the Alternate Universe where they all live from the Real World of their Creators.  Yes, everyone here knows that they are “Characters,” “Alter Egos,” of their Creators.  That is when their Creator and the Community behind them stop making content, whether it is Fan Art, Fan Fiction, Cosplays, Theories, Videos, Clips, Songs, Fan Games, or anything else on Social Media or other Platforms.  Then they, the Characters, would “Fade.”  But some Characters/Egos, like Darkiplier or AntiSepticeye, hate the idea that one day they will fade.  So, they try to take over to keep that from happening.

However, grief can do a lot to someone.  Even though they all know that one day they will fade from this world, just the mere fact of losing someone you love can be devastating.  The Syndicate, desperate to bring their youngest son/brother back, ventured out into Egopocalpse seeking the most powerful Egos they could find.  Phantom and Darkiplier were unable to bring Theseus back, his soul had already moved on to the Other Side and it wouldn’t be the same Theseus if they took a different one from another Multiverse.  But what they could do, however, was to give them each a power like no other.

Siren could command anyone and there would be no limit to the amount of people, and the command would stay even if he left.  But he had to be careful because he could accidentally hurt someone he loved.  He didn’t need to sing for them to be under his control and he would have complete control of anyone who could hear him, even if they covered their ears.  The price was a piece of Siren’s sanity.

Erinyes could cut through any building and slice through anyone with an energy wave and nothing would be able to contain him.  The price would be his blood lust.  The more blood that was spilled the stronger he became to the point of Demigod power and used that energy of the spilled blood to take down anyone who dared to face him.  No Hero or Vigilante would be able to stop him.  Pandora’s Box would never be able to hold him.

Orcus, the once beloved Hero known as the Archangel.  The Guardian Angel of L’Manburg, with the power of Air Bending and Wind, had become the Angel of Death.  He now has the Power of Death.  Able to kill a single person just by touching them and being able to bring that person back as a Zombie completely under his control.  The price was his remorse and empathy.  Orcus would feel no remorse, no empathy, no guilt for anyone, not even his own family.  He’ll still feel love and pride but cannot feel or show any guilt for what he’s done, said, or planned to do even if it cost them dearly.

They all said yes and days after Theseus’s Funeral, they destroyed the one thing that the Hero who killed Theseus loved more than anything else, the City the Hero had sworn to protect.  Killing Millions of innocent lives in their wake.  And the Syndicate true to their word did exactly that.  They planned over five tons of TNT all over the City and detonated it.  Leaving L’Manburg as nothing more than the Crater.

“Hehehehahahahaha!  L’Manburg!  You’re L’Manburg Dream!  An Unfinished Symphony forever unfinished!”  Siren called laughing hysterically at the destruction he caused.

“Thought I might find you here,” a voice said right next to Time Keeper, making the Hero nearly jump out of his skin.

Time Keeper turned around and was face to face with one of the Egos who was responsible for all of this, Phantom.

“What do you want?!”  Time Keeper demanded.

“I can help,” Phantom said, looking at the L’Mancrater with an unreadable expression.  He turned to Time Keeper.  “You called, I heard, I can help.”

“Why?  Why do you want to help?  Why should I believe you?  You’re the reason this even happened!”  Time Keep lost his composure and lost it.  Why now?  Why does Phantom want to help now?!  He was the reason this all happened.  He was the one who offered the deal to the Syndicate in the first place!  All he wants is Chaos and Destruction so why help?

“I’m not the one who caused all this, Time Keeper.  The Hero named Dream who killed Theseus was responsible for all this!  If he didn’t kill the Healer, the one who told Dream that ‘Healers don’t play God, they don’t choose who lives or who dies.  And you, being a Hero, should know that!” 

It was weird hearing Theseus’s exact words and cadence come from Phantom.  “And what did Dream do?  He’s the one who played God and lost.  He killed the youngest member of the Syndicate and did it on live television when the Hero Committee couldn’t pay their way out to the News Networkers and he got caught.”

Time Keeper stayed silent.  He knew.  He knew there was corruption in the Hero Committee but he just kept turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to it all.  Wanting to live in that ignorant life of not knowing.  Believing that the Heroes weren’t killing someone unless they had to.  But after Dream killed Theseus, it’s still unknown even now if it was an actual accident or if Dream did it intentionally.

Time Keeper still remembers Dream begging him to go back in time and stop him from doing this.  To save Theseus!  The mantra of I didn’t, I didn’t, I didn’t I didn’t!  I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean, I didn’t mean!  Bring him back, bring him back, bring him back!  Kept repeating in Time Keepers mind.  He was able to go back in time but not to the exact spot where he was.  He goes back in time and knows what happened those minutes/hours ago before he traveled.  But Time Keeper would wind up where he was before the situation happened and then has to get there in time to stop whatever happened.  But he couldn’t.  Time Keeper no matter how often he traveled just could never make it there in time.

When the Syndicate saw what happened Erinyes went right after Dream, determined to kill him on the spot.  Siren was sobbing and cradling his baby brother.  He looked at the Heroes, ripping his mask off showing everyone who was under there.

“Are you happy?!  Are you finally satisfied that you finally killed a member of us?  You killed a child!  He just turned twenty-one!  He didn’t do anything but fucking heal you all!  He healed Vigilantes, Heroes, and yes us Villains.  Because Healers don’t play God!  Unlike you who have no problem in sending children as soldiers!  Having Orphans and the ones in Foster Care on the front lines just so you can sit in your Penthouse Suites!  What did he do to deserve this?!”  Siren demanded.

“Do you finally believe us?!  When we kept telling you what the Hero Committee was up to?  That they are Corrupt?  That they don’t give a shit?  That they will silence anyone who tries to tell the truth about them experimenting on Hybrids just to make Heroes to control and Villains to show that the world needs Heroes?  Do you finally see what they are?”

No one said a word.  Too shocked by Siren’s outburst and the fact that everyone was seeing his face for the first time.  But the shock soon worn off with the next thing that Siren said.

“Hehehehahahah!  You all will pay!  We will get our revenge and the one thing you treasured and loved more than anything in the world will be destroyed and it will never be able to bring it back.  It’s all your fault Dream!”

Then Siren bent down and grabbed Theseus, scooped him up in his arms, and gave him to Orcus.  Then he ran and lept off the building.

“I suppose you’re right,” Time Keeper said, coming back to reality.  “But what can you do to help?”

“I can send you back.  I know you keep blaming yourself for never being able to save Theseus.  It’ll be before all of this happens.  Years before, when the seeds were planted and Dream began to go down that path.  You can save two people.  Dream from losing himself and going to the Darkside and you can save Theseus from dying.”  Phantom offered.

“How much time will I have to relay the message?”

“Not long.  You can only go back hours in the same timeline but if I do this you will only have minutes to relay the message.  You can warn someone, but I can’t guarantee who you will see.  But if you want to warn the Syndicate then you better warn yourself as well.  I can send you and one other person back momentarily.  But we have to be careful.  Creating that kind of Time Rift can and will have a lot of consequences.”

“What’s the price?”

“Your memory.  You will start to lose your memories the more you travel back or forward in time, more than a few minutes.”

“What about my past self?  Would there be consequences for him?”

“He will start to lose his memory too.  Slowly, but it won’t be that bad.  And you will be seeing parts of the future the minute you cross paths with Theseus and the member of the Syndicate you choose to go back to warn you.  But I must warn you if you say yes, then your time-traveling abilities will get a jumpstart and you will become very powerful.  Demigod powerful.  And if your past self finds a way like your future self has.  There will be a way for you two to talk in a Time Rift but only briefly.”

“What do I have to do?”

(Manifold Hotel)

Jack let out an exasperated sigh when he returned to the back of the bar in the hotel.  It was nights like these that Jack contemplated his life choices.  His Granddad left him, the hotel, and at the time, Jack was overjoyed!  Jack loved the hotel business and always imagined himself taking over one day.  But at this moment with hundreds if not thousands of fans for this “wonderful” Meet N’ Greet with the Heroes.  Jack was seriously starting to see why his parents decided to duck out of the business.  The “Karens,” Jack could handle but these obsessive fans over their favorite Heroes?  Good Primes above!

“Yo, Casey!  We need another round of your famous Chocolate Chip Brownies and another round of Punch!  The fountains are getting low!”  Jack called out to the Kitchen as he made his way to the back to restock the Buffet.  “Casey!  Did you hear me?  Casey?”

When Jack looked up from his tray, his mouth hit the floor.  Everyone in the Kitchen was frozen.  It looked as if they became wax statues with how still everyone was standing.  But what caught Jack’s attention the most was the water from the faucet froze as well.  It was still water, but it didn’t move, it didn’t make a sound.  Then, to Jack's utter surprise colors burst out from the corner warping everything around it, and the sound of energy crackling through the air was heard.  And Jack felt a power like no other run up his spine.

The person who stepped out of the “Warp” was the last person Jack had ever expected to see.  Time Keeper.  Time Keeper was standing in front of Jack but he looked completely different.  Time Keeper’s hair was a lot longer, nearly shoulder length, and several scars littered across his face and chest.  Gone was Time Keeper’s trademark colorful hoodie, replaced by a dark Steampunk coat and shirt with Time Keeper’s trademark swirl.  Time Keeper’s goggles were also different, purple and teal lenses, high tech too.  But what caught Jack off guard was that one of the Time Keeper’s hands was a mechanical hand.

“Time Keeper?”  Jack asked barely above a whisper.

“Boreas,” Time Keeper greeted with a nod.  “Oh, wait, you don’t go by that right now.  You go by?  Frostbite right?”

“I - I don’t know what you’re talking about Time Keeper,” Jack said, perplexed that a Hero knew his Villain Identity.

“I don’t have a lot of time, Boreas, but I need your help,” Time Keeper said with authority.  Time Keeper then handed Jack/Boreas a small journal.  “The future, the one I just came from, is bleak.  Save him!  Save the Healer!  The future you went to warn my past self since I can’t do that.  Hopefully, the both of you will prevent L’Manburg from being a Crater.”

“What happened?”

“The Healer died, and the Syndicate went mad with grief of losing their family member.  Help him!  Help my past self save the Healer as I couldn’t in the future.  Maybe now, with the Time Rift, we change that.”  Time Keeper said.

“Wait!  Time Keeper!  Save who?!”  Jack demanded.  And then he went after Time Keeper who stepped back into the Warp again.  “Time Keeper!”  Jack shouted and rushed through the double doors.  Finding himself in a hallway full of guests looking at him.

Jack ignored them and tried to find Time Keeper but he was nowhere to be found.  Jack then looked down at the journal that Time Keeper gave him and opened it.  He froze upon seeing the picture that was in the journal.  Oh no! No, no, no, no!  Not the kid!  The kid’s the Healer that they’re supposed to save.  Jack didn’t realize that his hands were shaking and he never heard Casey calling his name several times trying to get his attention.

Jack slammed the book shut, shoved it in his pocket, whipped out his phone called the first person he could think of, and ran towards his room.

“Phil!  Emergency Meeting!  Tonight!  ASAP!”

*****

@febuwhump, @weirdmixofweirdness, @a-humble-narcissus, @m4delin, @dezzydynamite, @isa-ghost, @ashedflower, @fangirltothefullest, @juju-on-that-yeet

[productsreviewings]

To paraphrase a sure Dante: I am not even presupposed to play Hello-Fi Rush right this moment. That stated, this brightly coloured rhythm/motion sport, which hit Xbox Sequence X, Sequence S and PC on January twenty fifth (and is obtainable on Recreation Move) has discovered a spot in my routine after I ought to be doing extra. However the largest purpose all this surprises me is that I am not good at hi-fi rush.what are we enjoyingWelcome! This column is a part of a sequence the place Tom's Information workers members share what they're enjoying and having fun with proper now, with the objective of serving to you discover nice video games you've got missed. Make sure you try our earlier entry, the place we speak about Sonic Frontiers.And that signifies that a number of this complete fascination I've discovered with the hi-fi rush will be damaged down into one exhausting axiom: Do not hand over on issues you do not like. Simply because I've by no means loved a rhythm sport earlier than does not imply somebody goes to return alongside and alter my thoughts. Which Hello-Fi Rush will need to have.My shock additionally has one thing to do with the truth that I expressly forbade myself to pay for any extra video games till I've performed extra of the video games I've earned and given severe effort. However the hype for the hi-fi rush that has flooded my social media timeline, and phrase of mouth from pals, has hit a really delicate stress level: FOMO. Here is why I am glad it did.Hello-Fi Rush is an ideal cocktail of tantalizing substancesMy early glimpses at Hello-Fi Rush had been all nonetheless photographs, and I believe that is why I gave it an opportunity. I may see that it delivered the cell-shaded aesthetic of Jet Set Radio, and I heard that it did an incredible job of implementing music. Tunes are within the sport's DNA, as nicely, as protagonist Chai winds up embedding a music participant in his chest by a freak accident.The accident happens when Chai (a free boy), enters Vandelle Industries (loves a great Seinfeld reference) to be a topic for the corporate's revolutionary challenge Armstrong. And this secret initiative offers Armstrong a robotic arm, which makes use of magnets to tug metallic junk right into a guitar-like weapon he can play — which requires you to click on the Y and X buttons in a sure rhythm to do it appropriately. Test it out on this video under:Since I've performed Hello-Fi Rush, I've repeatedly felt that it is not my favourite style. Fortuitously, it is not an intense rhythm sport like Guitar Hero (you are not making an attempt to match 4 buttons), as a result of I am consistently getting dangerous rating playing cards. However for probably the most half I managed to get by, even when it was by the pores and skin of my enamel. I solely died as soon as, truly, so the sport is fairly forgiving, not less than within the early going.Despite the fact that I died, I felt nearly helpless to play through the first boss battle. My largest challenge with Hello-Fi Rush is with display screen motion, as I've hassle transferring across the depth axis. That stated, the boss battle was set to 9 Inch Nails' superior music "1,000,000", which had me laughing and failing.Hello-Fi Rush is making me take pleasure in each secondBetween its rhythmic components, stunning fashion, platformer sensibility and class, Hello-Fi Rush is the sport I did not know I wanted.Notably, Hello-Fi Rush is known as a brief sport, How Lengthy to Beat (opens in new tab) Claims its major story takes 11 hours to finish, 22.5 hours for completionists. This, arguably, is why I am okay with having issues with Hello-Fi Rush, as a result of I am in no rush to complete it (sorry).On high of that, all the things about Hello-Fi Rush's aesthetic and vibes speaks to me. It seems like a non secular successor to a Scott Pilgrim film, and all of the little issues (together with the cat that helps you early on) really feel like the proper contact.

Heck, try this well-stylized 'sport over' display screen, which appears to be like like a film poster.(Picture credit score: Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)All through, Hello-Fi Rush offers you room to discover and play in its platformer expertise. Many trinkets and upgrades are hidden in hard-to-get-to areas, reminding me of Mario video games in the easiest way. Hello-Fi Rush's rhythmic components additionally seem right here, as a result of in case you soar to the beat, you will transfer round its world higher.Outlook: Hello-Fi Rush defies the style to nice successEach time I believe I do know what Hello-Fi Rush is doing, it surprises me. Take, for instance, the second under, the place Chai — who's scrutinizing Vandale — asks "Anybody see the man who did this?" Alongside together with her red-and-yellow outfit, Chai pulls off a intelligent reference to I Suppose You Ought to Dwell (considered one of Netflix's greatest reveals) with Go well with Man's automobile accident.(Picture credit score: Tango Gameworks/Bethesda Softworks)Between its rhythmic components, stunning fashion, platformer sensibility, and attraction, Hello-Fi Rush is a sport I did not know I wanted — and I wager I will be hoping for DLC quickly. Heck, possibly it will train me to be good at rhythm video games.In the present day's greatest Microsoft Xbox Recreation Move Final offers

[wonwoonlight]

📣: boyfriend!Jeonghan // flufffff // jealous!jeonghan ohoho // 1310 words

A/N: thanks for the req, anons! combined these two together bc theyre somewhat similar but i altered some stuffs here and there hehehe. this is my selfish agenda of using wonwoo as a side character bc wonu and han r my top 2 in svt ehheeh 🙈 enjoy💕

 find the rest of requested drabble here  

When Jeonghan has told you to come visit him at the dorm, you never thought it’d end up in you having a war against your own boyfriend.

You were talking with Joshua when Jeonghan suggested to try this new game app he’s stumbled upon in the internet.

“It’s not hard,” he had said an hour ago. “The rule is to pair up two by two and the app will choose which game to play and the team with the highest score at the end wins.”

There are you, Joshua, Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Junhui, Seungkwan, and Mingyu in the dorm. Junhui has voluntarily dropped out of the game, saying he’d rather watch because he knows it’s going to be a mess and it’d be way more fun to watch. Right now, you’re tied with Jeonghan’s team while Mingyu and Seungkwan don’t even try anymore.

Obviously, you thought you’d pair up with Jeonghan and be done with it. But the jerk who has invited you here himself has said: “Sorry, baby, you suck at games and I’m gonna leave it to luck if I have to partner with you.” before he suggests pulling draws to divide the teams.

That option turns to bites Jeonghan back as you end up teaming up with Wonwoo. Out of all the members, Wonwoo’s the one Jeonghan often gets jealous of because he knows you used to be a big fan of his before you end up befriending the members and eventually started dating Jeonghan.

It’s a running joke between you and the members: saying how you betrayed Wonwoo for Jeonghan and how Wonwoo’d take you back somehow. Jeonghan knows for sure you’re just a fan, but there are times when you know he’s a bit peeved when you squeal over Wonwoo. Once, he’s completely stunned in disbelief because you’re screaming out of instinct when you get Wonwoo’s photocard from the album Jeonghan has randomly taken from the company to give you.

The current arrangement has made him more competitive, if anything.

“Yes!!!!!!!” he screams, high-fiving Joshua as your piece of Jenga makes the wobbly tower fall down at last. “Losers!!!!!!!”

You glare at him for a good amount of time before turning to Wonwoo to apologize. Jeonghan just annoyingly sticks out his tongue in return.

“It’s okay,” he laughs, his hands are already busy tidying the pieces back into the box. “We can just win the next stage and we’ll be tied again.”

Mingyu sighs, leaning his chin on his palm. “Are we, like, not considered a competition here?”

Smiling at him sheepishly, you just pat him in his shoulder before reaching for the phone again to start drawing the next game. “I just don’t wanna lose to Jeonghan, hehe.”

“And the next game is… drum rolls please!” Seungkwan takes the phone from you, covering the screen with his palm for dramatic measure. “Pepero game!”

Jeonghan immediately locks eyes with you, an unreadable expression in his face as you just raise your eyebrow in challenge. “Afraid you’ll lose?”

“I’ll win again even if it means I’ll have to kiss Shua here,” he declares determinedly.

“Dude, I definitely didn’t sign up to kissing you,” his friend claims, frowning in distaste. “Let’s just boycott the game before Wonwoo takes her away from you with his lips.”

Seungkwan laughs at that while Wonwoo just shakes his head at the joke. He’s kind of sure he’ll be awkward with Jeonghan for a few days if the game goes on, but your determination tells him there’s no way he’ll be able to tell you to back out.

“Let’s just go on and see who goes first,” you quickly say, pressing another button in the app. “Oho, I’m last! So gonna win!”

Your boyfriend just rolls his eyes, maybe if he can just cut his pepero before Shua moves forward too much it would erase your need to come too close to Wonwoo just to break his record.

So he does just exactly that, somehow breaking the pepero into two when Shua has just bitten twice at most. He blinks owlishly in mock innocence, blaming Shua for it as you just gleefully laugh at the awful record.

But of course, he forgets there’s also Mingyu and Seungkwan’s team. For whatever reason, they try hard to win this particular game, leaving only 2cm of their pepero before breaking it off.

Jeonghan bites the inside of his cheek as he sees you take the first bite and Wonwoo bites the other side. He can see you nodding at Wonwoo, as if telling him you’re determined to win and you have to win. He doesn’t even realize he’s been digging his nails into his palm as you get closer to Wonwoo.

It’s just a game, he tries telling himself. There’s no need to get jealous. You know how competitive she could get.

As you scream in joy as Junhui announces it’s 1 point something centimetre, Jeonghan can’t help but frown at the result. You mistake his frown as him being a sore loser, your hands reaching to playfully squeeze the both of his cheeks before high-fiving Wonwoo for the win.

It’s childish, but he’s no longer in the mood to play and Jeonghan thanks everything that is up there because Seungcheol suddenly comes in bringing food, making the guys stand up and crowd him at once.

He takes the chance to get back to his room, claiming that his phone almost dies and hoping he’s subtle enough with his move. But of course, as subtle as he is, there’s no way you wouldn’t notice.

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?” you shoot straight to it as you close the door to his room behind you.

Jeonghan looks up at you from his phone, you’re leaning against the door with a satisfied grin, arms crossed in front of your chest. There’s no way he’s admitting it when you’re like this. “Just bummed we weren’t able to finish the game so I can eventually win against you.”

You let out a mock ‘aww’, moving to sit beside him so you can latch on to the guy. Jeonghan just narrows his eyes at you, not the least bit amused in contrast to you. “You’re jealous because I was with Wonwoo, aren’t you? Aren’t you? Aren’t you?”

He scoffs incredulously, pushing you away as he falls into his bed and gets into his blanket and turning his back to you. “Get out. I need my beauty sleep.”

“Should’ve teamed up with me, huh?” you tell him, and he can feel you rustling a little before you eventually settle in the blanket behind him, your arm goes on top of his waist as you try to stop giggling in his back. “But thanks to you I kinda know what it feels to kiss Wonwoo now.”

It happens too quickly for you to be able to process, but, the next thing you know, Jeonghan is hovering on top of you with both of his palms planted next to your head. He’s looking down at you in annoyance. “Repeat that.”

“I said I kinda know what it feels to ki—hmmph,” you let out a muffled laugh as Jeonghan drops a kiss in your mouth, not letting you finish.

“You’re laughing?” he frowns at the way you’re biting down your lips to stop yourself from grinning.

“How can I not when you’re being a jealous baby?” you grin at him, reaching up for more kisses when Jeonghan pulls back to avoid your lips.

“You’re laughing at me and you think you can kiss me whenever you like?”

You just blink at him before shrugging nonchalantly. “Well, if you don’t want my kisses—hmmph—Jeonghan! Stop kissing me when I’m trying to speak!”

“Nope,” he drops another kiss.

And then another.

Then another.

“Gonna have to erase all of that glasses guy’s traces from your lips.”

[interact-if]

We’re going strong on Day 7, folks! Introducing the lovely Billi :chinhands:

Billi, author of Spilt Milk

Latino Heritage Month Featured Author

You are the heir(ess) of a hotel empire enjoying your independence before you  eventually assume the role of CEO. with no shortage of money, drink, and warm bodies, you would say you have a pretty good life.

Your father, however, would beg to differ, and threatens to cut you off until you demonstrate “some semblance of common sense”—whatever that means. Like he does every week.

You didn’t think he would actually do it this time, though.

Some Scottish guy once wrote “[it’s] no use, however, crying over spilt milk.” but, damn it, you’d like to see someone try and stop you.

Spilt Milk Demo TBD | Read more [here]

Tags: comedy, romance

(INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!)

Q1: So, tell us a little bit about the projects you’re working on!

I’m currently working on Spilt Milk, a novel made in Twine. It’s essentially a game where you play as an heir[ess] whose father is fed up with their shenanigans™. It’s definitely inspired by that genre of television where a character is completely and utterly removed from their element. Re: Schitt’s Creek, Arrested Development. As it is Latino Heritage Month, I’d toss in Que Pobres tan Ricos [starring one of my favorite Latino actors,  Jaime Camil] and Silvana sin Lana. It’s incredibly fun to write—I make myself laugh at least—and I hope it’ll be fun to read as well!

Q2: What excites you most about using interactive fiction? What are some of the biggest challenges?

Interactive fiction as a medium is incredibly exciting! I’m an impatient reader, picking up books with the intention of finishing, of finding out what happens next. Upon rereading, I love stumbling upon little details that, in my initial haste to reach the ending, I overlooked. Purposely knitting in those details to be missed, then noticed, gives me a little sense of satisfaction each time. That may apply more to fiction authors in general, but it’s definitely prominent in interactive fiction in which those minute details can entirely alter the direction of the story. What I find challenging with interactive fiction is figuring out how to actually write it.

Do I approach this section linearly? Do I first explore all these branches and then return to the main plot? And if you’re like me and have a bunch of activities going on, when you get a chance to write, you tend to work on the fun scenes just for the sake of getting something on the page. I do realize that one of these days I’m going to have to sit down and write all the interludes and transitions I’m currently neglecting. I both dread and look forward to it because, at the very least, when it’s done, it’s done.

Q3: What has been something in your project you’ve had to do a weird amount of research for?

I’ve had to do an absurd amount of research on noughties culture: fashion, music, memes. I grew up in the aughts, but my experience was that of Club Penguin, Claire’s, and Disney Channel. So I’ve been rediscovering the era through this project.

I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit making playlists, pinning outfits, and browsing old websites for design ideas.

[Aside: some aspects of the early internet aged like, well, milk].

Q4: Which of your characters is most like you? How?

I put a bit of myself in each character; however, I think the way I interact with the world is most similar to Bri. I’m laid-back to a fault; the boundaries I do have, I’m firm on. I also love me a good grilled cheese. Unfortunately, I don’t have a rivalry rife with sexual tension, but it’s only 10am—that’s subject to change.

Q5: Does your heritage influence your characters as you create them? (How? Why or why not?)

I’m Afro-Latina, born in the States. My mom is Colombian; she found asylum here with my brother back in 2001. Because of Colombia’s political situation, most of my extended family on my mother’s side lives everywhere but: Spain, England, and Texas [its own country by every definition of the term]. My dad is your standard issue African-American man from Georgia. You can definitely find influences of my heritage in my writing, because it is such an important part of how I view the world and the world views me. I don’t think I would know how not to let it influence my writing.

Bri is an absolute overachiever, which comes from having incredibly supportive parents that have afforded her every privilege and never let her see the color of her skin as an obstacle to overcome.

Juanes’ background is more than a little influenced by my older brother’s experiences; he grew up with a single mom. My mom did not have an Abuelita to help out around the house, but she found herself a family in the tight-knit community of Latinos in Roswell, GA. His addiction to telenovelas and general camp comes entirely from me.

Santy is mixed. The interest in theatre comes from a place of trying to find your niche, your own little place in the world wholly separate from the labels people try to place on you. Santy tries their absolute best to be unapologetically themselves, but it is tough sometimes, which can be seen in the way they fret a little too much about how they’re perceived.

Q6: What is something you love to see in interactive fiction?

“Can you say ‘Diversidad?’”

Interactive fiction is very much a medium that lends itself to representation, and I love seeing creators take advantage of it to showcase their own cultures or simply create an environment in which readers feel both safe and seen.

Q7: Any advice to give? 

In general: Make your bed before you leave the house; it’s a different kind of gratification coming home to tucked sheets.

To creators: Terrible first drafts are a thing. That’s why they’re drafts.

[tanadrin]

Dev Patel and the Green Knight

I finally got around to seeing The Green Knight. Overall, I enjoyed it--David Lowery does a good job capturing the essential weirdness of the tale, which is very much about taking a mundane circumstance (a Christmas feast) and suddenly catapulting the reader into a mythic otherworld through the intrusion of the alien and monstrous, and the fantastical costumes, dramatic lighting, and dissonant score all contribute very well to a sense of otherness that permeates the original story.

But I find it interesting--and, I'll admit, a little frustrating--that no modern film adaptation of medieval literature is really capable of taking the story it's adapting on its own merits. This isn't an objection to modifying the source text, or taking it in new, non-literal direction. I can think of plenty of adaptations of work that play with the source material in interesting ways, and are better for it. Even very faithful adaptations like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings are inevitably going to alter the source based on the need to adapt it for the screen and the whims of the director. But when it comes to medieval classics, texts like Beowulf or Gawain and the Green Knight are always held at arm's length. An ironic layer is always interpolated into the original story, and even in modified form the story is never allowed to stand on its own.

Contrast, for instance, modern retellings of Arthurian legend; or Wagner's Nibelungenleid; or something like Neil Gaiman's book of Norse mythology. These are all adaptations of much older stories, all medieval; and the authors typically happy to let the stories operate on their own terms. In fact, that is often a selling point: dipping into these tales is a way of sampling an alien culture, one that is remote from us in time rather than space, and part of the sense of heightened drama is the understanding that these stories do not necessarily depict the world in the same way that modern realist prose does. They are fairy-stories, in the Tolkienian sense, and something not quite even like "high fantasy," which, although it is a genre which owes much to the mythic tradition, is usually *told* in the same manner as other realist fiction. And you could take these stories and re-cast them in a realist mold--that's definitely been done with Arthurian legend, either via anachronism or trying to place them in an era-appropriate historical context, and even that yields something quite like the original in tenor, even if the language used to relate the story is often very different.

Watching this movie, I was *strongly* reminded of Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf, in that this did not feel like an attempt to adapt Gawain and the Green Knight for the screen. It felt like an attempt to tell a story *about* Gawain and the Green Knight (the text), a story which does not stand on its own. You don't have to have read the text to understand the movie (although I think some directorial decisions would be a bit mystifying if you hadn't), but the movie definitely situates itself *as a response* to the text. Which is an odd choice! Actually, another good point of comparison is Spike Jonze's Adaptation. It started life as an adaptation of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief, but Charlie Kaufman sort of gave up writing that halfway through and wrote a movie about the difficulty he was having writing *that* movie, and the result is something very weird (and very good) that is full of metafictional elements that depend on the existence of this other work, in a way that a straight retelling of The Orchid Thief for the screen obviously would not. And while The Green Knight isn't that extreme, it is definitely playing on the structure of the medieval poem, and replying to it.

The core of the movie (as I understood it) is a tension between young Gawain's aspiration to knightliness, his ambition which is born at least in part from his mother's encouragement, and his own failure to live up to the heroic ideal of greatness. Not chivalric--this is a movie in which the ethos of chivalry makes not even the briefest of appearance, which is weird given that it's nominally an Arthurian romance, and that the chivalric ethos is extremely important to the original text. Instead we have a generic greatness being described, one which is associated with renown, with taking part in mythic events, and with achieving high rank and honor. In the service of seeing her son obtain all this, Gawain's mother seems to cast some kind of spell, whereupon the titular Green Knight appears at Arthur's Christmas-feast; and as in the poem, a game of beheadings is proffered. Gawain accepts the challenge, beheads the knight, and the knight rides away, promising he'll meet Gawain a year and a day hence at the Green Chapel. So far so straightforward. When Gawain sets off a year later to meet the knight, his mother gives him an enchanted belt to keep him safe from harm. Gawain goes on to have a couple of side-of-the-road adventures and mishaps, the kind of thing that's par for the course when you're telling an Arthurian romance, until he arrives at the house of a mysterious benefactor, just about a day away from the Chapel, who grants him hospitality until the day of his challenge.

Now, in the original story, this is where Gawain gets the magic belt, and it's hugely important: Gawain and his host promise to exchange anything they might receive at the end of each day, when the host has been out hunting all day and Gawain has been in the house recuperating from his travels. During this time, the host's wife repeatedly tries to seduce Gawain; and Gawain is trapped between the imperative not to sleep with his host's wife (a major violation of the rules of good chivalric conduct!) and the imperative not to offend the woman (also a violation of those rules). He succeeds, for the most part; he is forced at one point to give his host a kiss at the end of the day, since the wife kissed him; this is shown as him holding nothing back and acting in good faith on the vow he made to his host. When Gawain finally rebuffs the wife for good, she insists that, even if he won't sleep with her, he should at least take a magic belt she has woven that will keep him from harm. He does; but he does *not* give this to his host. When he finally goes to the Green Chapel, the Knight returns the original blow as promised--but only nicks Gawain lightly. He reveals himself to be none other than the host who was sheltering him; the nick was his reprimand for withholding that final gift, but because of his good conduct he is otherwise left unharmed. The whole thing was a test of sorts, one which Gawain passed. Despite flinching at first from the blow, and keeping the belt secret, he shows himself ultimately to be a man of good (albeit not perfect) conduct, and *that* is why he wins honor from the whole affair.

The movie takes this basic narrative and alters it in key places, completely changing the valence of the whole thing. First, Gawain gets the belt at the beginning of his quest, as mentioned; he loses it on the way, but when he reaches the castle, the wife of his host (who succeeds in seducing him with a handjob) presents it to him as if she had woven it herself. He does not actually engage in the game of exchanged with his host, who is *also* not the Green Knight. And we're treated to a monologue about the color green from the wife that feels beat for beat like it's been ripped off from someone's undergraduate essay about Gawain and the Green Knight, which is a little weird even in the context of the rest of the movie. Finally when Gawain reaches the chapel, the knight goes to return the blow--and Gawain completely chickens out and flees. We are then treated to an extended sequence of Gawain returning home; being feted as a hero; earning his knighthood (presumably by lying about what happened); succeeding Arthur as king; him abandoning his low-class beau once she bears him a son, and marrying a princess; going to war; his son dying in a war; and finally, as an old man, being trapped in his throne room as a besieging army breaks its way inside. Just before they do, he removes the magic belt from around his waist, his head fall off, and bam--we're shown this has been an Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge thing this whole time, and the Green Knight has not yet landed his blow.

Gawain finally takes off the belt, throws it aside, and tells the knight to go ahead--and the knight bends down and congratulates him. In context, the reading seems to be this: the belt is a talisman of Gawain's mother's influence, of external expectations for what kind of man he is. The Knight is Arthur or perhaps an agent of his, and the test in *this* case is whether Gawain can be his own person. All the events leading up to this point are perhaps a part of the original magic Gawain's mother cast, an effort to Lilith Weatherwax her kid to greatness by putting him into an epic story. Implicitly, then, the Gawain and the Green Knight we all know is the false version of the tale, the tale as Gawain's mother would have it told.

This is all very clever. But I'm afraid it's so clever it falls apart in the end. Because the structure of the original story that this depends on is dependent in turn on taking the whole notion of chivalric virtue seriously, which this movie plainly does not. Gawain is shown as irreverent and lustful and a bit of a party animal--lovable and good hearted fundamentally, but definitely not an Arthurian hero. That's fine, but that's a very modern sort of character, one that feels out of place in a movie that is trying very hard also to be tonally unmodern, firmly embedded in a mythic otherwhen of Arthurian legend. Moments of slice-of-life mundaneness, while charming, strain mightily against the epic tone the movie tries to take in other places, and strange events like a ghost seeking her lost head or immense giants striding the landscape. We are jostled: are we in the land of myth? Or are we in historical Britain? We cannot be in both!

And this is a movie that was definitely made by people who had read the original text; not just the original text, but also a great deal of criticism *about* the original text. The movie namechecks the theme of fivefold symmetry that's incredibly important to the structure of the poem; there's the aforementioned undergrad essay about colors about 3/4th of the way through; and there's the fact that the structure of the original plot (down to Morgan LeFay in disguise as an old woman in the host's castle) is present in altered form in every detail. But none of these details add up to much. There's a weird homoerotic kiss with the host that implies that in fact *he* wanted to sleep with Gawain, in addition to his wife; the ghost Gawain encounters early on tells him the Green Knight is in fact someone he knows (and therefore *can't* be the host; I think it's implied to be Arthur, like I said, but this is never quite confirmed), and while all these things *about* the original poem are shown, none of them ever get integrated thematically into the plot.

I think as a result, whatever Lowery was going for, the whole movie kind of falls apart in the end. And that's a pity, because somewhere in there is just a really weird, visually striking, really gripping, embellished-and-polished-for-modern-sensibilities-but-also-thematically-true-to-the-source retelling of Gawain and the Green Knight. And that would have been a much better movie! What are we to make of this, a movie that purports to be telling a story-behind-the-story, but one that leaves no room or context for the original? After all, Gawain in the end does *not* flee, does not return home a coward and a liar; presumably, he earns his honor, and can be honest about what happened. But if he is honest, none of the rest of what we have been shown makes a lick of sense, or has any point.

One feels a bit as if modern directors, when confronted with medieval texts being a bit weird, a bit alien in their worldview, instead of realizing that's actually something people like some of from time to time, feel like they have to construct an artificial bridge between the Middle Ages and the present day. But because it is invariably metafictional and self-referential, as if to say "don't worry, we know nobody REALLY wants to watch a bunch of boring medieval shit played straight," it comes off as cringing and ashamed of its source material. This isn't a plea for historicity! Gawain and the Green Knight is not history. But one does occasionally want to see an adaptation of one's favorite works without directors being ashamed of the text they are adapting! And since most people will not have read the original, I am rather confused about what the director intends for the audience to get out of all these references that are dependent on it, but don't stand on their own merits within the narrative of the movie itself.

The acting was good, the set design and costumes were terrific, I loved the slow and measured pacing and the weird score, and the design of the Knight himself, and the landscapes and almost everything else about the movie. So I don't think it's a waste of time, especially if you have read and enjoyed Gawain and the Green Knight, in the original or in translation. But it's definitely a pity to see a movie that was, well, *almost* great, but ended up merely OK.

[hecatemoon87]

Devil May Care - Ian Eames

Part One: The Museum

Arthur was chewing on the end of a pen when Eames casually strolled into the warehouse.

"Well, I'm off. Give Cobb my love" Eames said.

"Wait a second. What about my proposition? Are you going to do it?" Arthur said, getting up from his seat.

"You mean your little challenge? Honestly, I find it highly insulting." Eames said.

"You said you can track anyone. I just want to see if that is true. Besides, guess who agreed to play?”

“It doesn’t matter because I’ll find them,” Eames said.

“Katrina,” Arthur said.

Eames arched an eyebrow. “Katrina? Oh, I would love to be the cat to her mouse. Alright, I’m game.”

"Yeah, sure, mouse. Didn't she slap you the last time she did a job with us?"

Eames raised a hand to his face. "She most certainly did and it was incredibly sexy."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You have until the end of next month to find her."

"Right. And if I win you’ll give me 2 million dollars?"

"That's right," Arthur said. "But if you lose, I get 2 million dollars."

"Let the challenge begin." Eames said.

Katrina was hacking into a company’s mainframe for a job in Seoul, Korea when her phone vibrated on her desk. She picked it up and saw a text from Arthur.

Arthur: Eames is in. 1 million USD if he can’t find you before next month’s end

The last time she had seen Eames was a year ago. He had made a comment about how she would be prettier if she’d dress more feminine. Katrina liked to wear black skinny jeans with vans shoes and tight t-shirts with comic book heroes, like Batman.

He kept on about it before she got irritated and slapped him. After the initial shock he just smiled and apologized. She was very attracted to him, but she didn’t expect him to go for a girl like her when he could have any woman he desired. Now, Eames was out there trying to find her. It was kind of thrilling knowing he was trying to track her.

Two weeks had passed since she had received the text from Arthur. Katrina had come to Rome for a job. A museum exhibit had opened and a buyer requested her to hack into a manifest document and alter the paperwork. They wanted a few items to be removed from the list, so when they were stolen it would go unnoticed.

She attempted to hack into the mainframe and was surprised that the museum was utilizing block chain technology. She would have to figure out how to steal someone’s login information in order to alter the documents. The easiest way would be to get onto their computer and perform a quick hack into their account and alter the documents from there.

There was a gala at the museum on Friday. It would be an upscale event so she would need to dress up. She didn’t want to waste money on an expensive dress, but the job needed to be completed. She found a dark red dress that had a slit cut up the leg and matching heels.

When Friday came, she slipped on the dress and applied some light makeup. Glancing in the mirror she had to admit she was looking very good and probably could make a man do anything she wanted. Katrina had smooth chestnut colored skin, hazel eyes and raven black hair and the dark red dress accented her lovely dark features nicely.

She easily distracted the museum curator and slipped his access card from him. All she did was ask if he was Mr. Bianchi, flashed him a smile and giggled when he told her how beautiful she was. Rolling her eyes as she walked away, she tucked the access card into her clutch. She passed a few displays of Roman artifacts. There was nothing outstanding in the display stands and she pretended to read a plaque in front of an ancient plate when she heard a man’s voice speak behind her.

“You are looking fabulous, Katrina.” Eames said.

She froze for a moment before turning to face him.

“How…?”

“How did I find you? Now, why would I give away my secrets so easily?”

He was dressed up in a sharp black tuxedo, hair perfectly combed, looking very dapper. Handsome and charming as always she felt intimidated by him in respect to sexuality. He owned his masculinity while she was awkward in her femininity.

“I’m working, I don’t have time for this.” She said, trying to hide her insecurity.

“But I’ve come all this way, love. Perhaps I can help you?”

She thought about it before replying. “Fine, follow me.”

She guided him down a hallway to an elevator and pulled out the access card she had stolen, placing it against a panel in the wall. The elevator opened and she hit the button for the fifth floor. The doors opened and she walked with purpose toward the curator’s office.

"You’ve reviewed the blueprints rather thoroughly, haven't you?" Eames asked, hands in his pockets, trailing behind her.

“Shhhh, just make sure no one is coming. And I can feel you staring at my ass, stop it.”

She heard him chuckle as they continued down the hall. Finally she found the office door of the curator. She tried the door, it was locked.

“Damn it,” She said, annoyed.

She had a lock picking kit in her clutch, but she wasn’t good with it. She always got frustrated half way through. Eames joined her in front of the door.

Eames pulled out his wallet, extracted a credit card and crouched down in front of the door. He wiggled the card for a few seconds before hearing the door unlock and turned the handle.

“Like a charm,” He said with a wink.

She was envious of his confidence. Walking over to the desk chair, she sat down and began her work. She took about ten minutes to hack into the curator’s computer. Browsing his files she found the manifest and edited it accordingly. Eames leaned over her shoulder, interested in her work.

“You’re a clever girl, aren’t you?” He said.

She felt his body heat and she could smell his cologne. His closeness was making her heart rate increase. She focused on her work, trying to block out all the naughty thoughts she was having. Once done, she signed off and shut the computer down. As they returned to the main level of the museum they saw a flashlight beam coming down the hallway.

“Oh shit, there isn’t anywhere to hide…” She said, looking around in a panic.

“Don’t slap me,” Eames said.

She didn’t understand and before the guard rounded the corner, Eames took her in his arms and pressed her up against the marbled wall. His hand slipped down and pulled her leg up where the slit was cut and held it against his hip. He buried his tongue into her mouth and although she was shocked, she enjoyed the kiss, returning it with fervor.

"Excuse me? You can't be back here." The security guard said in Italian.

Eames broke the kiss, released her leg and turned to face the guard.

“Sorry? Don’t speak Italian, my good chap.”

“You can’t be back here,” The guard said in accented English.

“Ah, not a problem. Just wanted to sneak away for a good snog.” He said with a grin.

Katrina and Eames made their way outside. She took out the access card and attempted to wipe it off. But all her senses were still on fire from the kiss, she fumbled with the card.

“You alright?” He asked.

She blushed and hesitated to look at him. God that kiss was so good, she thought to herself.

“I’m fine.” She said, and completed the wipe, tossing the card into a trash bin.

“I’m here for the next few days…if you care for a shag, I’m available.” He said.

Her eyes shot over to his and her cheeks now felt as if they were on fire.

“You are unbelievable,” she managed to say.

“Sure, but you should wait to say that after we’ve slept together. You have my number if you change your mind.” He said with a wink.

With that he waved down a cab and disappeared into the night.