#I'd like to think he would have explored some of the dungeons and stuff on the island on his own | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

onyx-archer · 7 months ago

Text

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Dungeons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Proposed Solution:

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

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

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

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

2. The Story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Proposed Solution:

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

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

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

Speaking of...

3. Hyrule

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

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

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

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

4. Weapon Degradation and UI

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

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

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

My Proposed Solution:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11 notes · View notes

frauleinandry · 3 months ago

Text

just finished the episode aigis dlc, and honestly...

just watch a FES cutscene compilation instead, imo.

long post of my specific thoughts under the cuts; it's not proofread, so read it at your own peril.

so, to start with, i've never played FES and the OG answer, but i pretty much knew all the rough sequences of events (along with the common fandom complaints) since i never bothered dodging persona spoilers when i was younger since i didn't think i'd ever get the chance to play the games.

one of the Big Problems most people seemed to have with the original version is that 90% of it is an unfun dungeon crawler, but i was pretty confident reload would fix that by sheer nature of it being reload. i mean, i loved the new tartarus gameplay loop - more of that sounds great!

except it wasn't. i couldn't figure out why at first - was it because of the reset levels, loss of the second theurgies/personality traits, or the lack of ambush mechanics i'd gotten used to? in part, yeah. i do think it would have been more enjoyable if you'd started at level 70 or so, and were at level 99 by the time the final boss rolls around. in normal persona games there's never any actual reason to get to that level after all unless you're playing some sort of challenge run.

but ultimately, i realised what the dungeon crawling segment lacked compared to tartarus. and that was a time limit. a huge part of newsona games is resource management. to optimise your time, you've got to complete as much of tartarus as you can whenever you go in. the full moon is constantly looming, and with it the end of your time in iwatodai.

episode aigis completely lacks that, however. there's no looming deadline hanging over you. you've got all the time in the world to tackle the abyss of time, and no stakes pushing you onward, nor any particular reward waiting for you at the end. the characters themselves treat exploring it as a chore once paulownia mall is unlocked, with good reason.

it also doesn't help that there's not much happening during that point of the game besides going through not-tartarus. the new conversations between aigis and SEES help, but there's no real change in the gameplay loop. you go to tartarus, see a figure that's clearly makoto but somehow no one puts two-and-two together, and get a flashback, rinse and repeat.

admittedly, there's no real fixing the lack of deadline issue. that's simply inherent with the premise. the makoto stuff, however, is a different thing. i love the resolution to it, with him being a proto-erebus (and everyone taking solace in seeing his face one more time again, even if they know it's not him - like argh). the lead up, however, is meh.

make it so SEES recognises him instantly - make it so they think he's the real deal, somehow returned to them from the past, but for some reason he's avoiding him all. make them gradually realise how odd that is (except for yukari and maybe aigis, who are in denial). make it so his appearance is what sends both of them spiralling for the next segment of episode aigis, the boss rush.

so, the SEES vs SEES match over the keys is something i like in theory. and i do like parts of it. i think junpei's character development shines through greatly here, along with some regression on yukari and akihiko's parts, which is also fabulous! like, this is some really solid conflict!

what i dislike, however, is the hackneyed 'if aigis loses her key she'll die!' storyline. it's just so... unnecessary? on that note, the loser-gets-turned-into-flames aspect from the colosseo purgatorio is also, uh, not fabulous, especially how metis springs it on aigis. it makes metis far too unlikable, and therefore completely sours the effect of her begging for aigis to be safe, because at that stage i had absolutely not forgiven her.

like, they simply could have had akihiko force aigis to fight since he realises she doesn't want to actually move forward into the future and he'd feel bad using her key for something she doesn't actually want. then, have it so metis was unaware of what the colosseum does to losers, which then make her realise (with fuuka confirming it) that it'll mix poorly with aigis multiple personas, preventing her from rematerialising properly if she loses.

i think the final nail in the coffin is that the bossfights are just... not fun? like, why the heck do akihiko and koromaru have counter skills. why are crit rates so nerfed if you're playing on hard. hell, i actually bumped the difficulty down to normal purely because the SEES team were absolute damage sponges, and i just got bored. i will say though, the way they actually use their theurgies was a nice touch!

this leads me to my biggest gripe with the DLC. i'd heard about it before i reached this point, which i think was for the best because it saved me an immeasurable amount of disappointment. namely WHY DID THEY NERF MITSURU'S MOTIVATIONS?! no, she did not make a promise to stay by each of her friend's sides if they're suffering. she made a promise to aid yukari specifically due to her gratitude over kyoto!! anyway, excuse me, i'm going to eat some drywall now.

i will say though that the erebus stuff all got my seal of approval. the final door was appropriately creepy (and the time travel to the final fight was a great way to introduce SEES to erebus), and generally, I have no complaints about the final fight.

my final issue with the DLC was the death fakeout for aigis at the end. it's just like the whole if-aigis-looses-her-key-she'll-die-for-real thing. like, the whole 'oh no, she's dead!', 'oh wait, she's fine!' thing is just. uuuuurgh. like, really, just have SEES worried for a moment when she doesn't wake up, and then have them realise using multiple personas just drained her battery lmao. same thing, but far less grating.

but yeah. anyway, very much a 4/10 experience, and a stark lesson as to why remakes that mirror their predecessors gameplay structure don't always work.

#persona 3 #episode aigis #review tag #man i'm yapping today

2 notes · View notes

websitewizard2005 · 5 months ago

Note

Hi i'd Like to know more about the dark Fantasy Dungeon crawler rpg

OKAY so it started with me playing some random RPG I don't remember and being like "huh the members of the august sky playhouse would make a cool video game team" and thinking about how a game starring the five of them would work & ended up creating kind of an AU

It would take place in the time before the gnome war when they were still trying to figure things out, entering different narratives by putting on shows and stuff. The general premise is they end up in a video game narrative but they're separated and they slowly regain the full team as they explore the dungeon, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. The "player" starts off as Asha because she has the most balanced skillset (in terms of video game logic that I made up lmao)

Asha has the ability to coordinate attacks involving everyone, she also has an ability that allows her to take another party member's damage and & makes her attacks stronger when one of her friends is knocked down.

Michael is the "support" character, he's basically a bard. Can play banjo songs that distract enemies/boost party's stats. Regular attacks are strong enough to hold his own against minor enemies, but not the highest.

Jill is obviously the spellcaster/healer lol. Mostly shield & healing spells but she also has her cool offensive spells that do a lot of damage but take more resources.

Lloyd's regular attacks do the most damage, significantly more than anyone else, but this causes enemies to target him more. His luck is terrible.

David seemingly has no abilities and his attacks do very little damage, but as Raven his attacks do more damage. He gains more control over his abilities as the game goes on.

The story would have horror elements & involve the dungeon trying to turn them against each other but I haven't thought about it much beyond that. This is a really disorganized explanation but hopefully it conveys The Image. I've been really obsessed with retro video games lately and I had to combine the hyperfixations

#tagging this as #storytime gothic #because thats what i've been calling this #lowkey i'm tempted to make a version of it with OCs and a slightly altered story because i'm super attached to this idea #but i have so many projects rn so i'm forcing myself to have restraint #asks

4 notes · View notes

fantomette22 · 1 year ago

Note

I was the anon that asked for Caryll and Rom! Thank you, I didn't expect a lot of doodles! I already have a theory on how Caryll lost their arm, but I'll see about that. Meanwhile, what do you think of the rarest dynamics between the scholars (Laurence/Rom, Micolash/Caryll)? Micolash/Rom, Micolash/Laurence, Laurence/Caryll and Caryll/Rom feel obvious, but I haven't seen the other two explored anywhere. If you were the first to give me some ideas, I'd feel honored.

You're very welcome I'm really happy to know you like it!

And don't worry for the notation of the relationships, I figured it was in general ^^

Alright in my drawing with Caryll & Rom at the hamlet, Caryll didn't actually loose an arm but just got injured and it will heal. And it will heal better than everyone else trauma xD but I do headcanon Caryll will eventually loose their eye(s) 😅 I'm sorry all of this might sound really bad. I don't know if you have an account but feel free to share you thought in dm if you prefer! I'm curious of what you think :3 (I don't bite too)

Ok now! Concerning Laurence and Rom relationship I do have a few ideas of course! In my main headcanon, Rom is Willem's daughter and Laurence was kinda adopted by him so... yeah I have ideas.

As for Caryll and Micolash I didn't really think about it 😐 for me they just have close common friends (part of the same friends group by default) and had classes together . But hey you give me a few ideas!

Laurence and Rom :

Ok so like I mentioned they both been raised by Willem.

Laurence's parents were ex students and associate with Willem and his wife before the 3 passed away ;-; so in the end he kinda adopted Laurence at like 10-12years. He's like check note 6 years older than Rom I think? They don't have a "typical" siblings relationships too. More like if you would have a step sibling but they do appreciate each other a lot and Laurence knew how to be quite protective towards her too. And Rom really appreciate him as well he's a great model to follow (except when he was in his first few students years at uni XD).

During Rom scholarship he did had to teach her 1 or 2 classes perhaps but stayed really neutral. For the other classes (taught by other profs) he did give her a hand when she had difficulties.

When the healing church became to take forms Rom was basically going back and forth between him (in Yharnam) and Willem (at Byrgenwerth) before the big separation. But even after she did help him a lot at the research hall, the choir, the church expeditions in the chalice dungeons etc. SHe also became the 2nd choir leader after Caryll too so yeah Laurence trusted her.

And he probably feel quite conflicted and perhaps a bit bad when she transformed into a kin much later.

Now to have a bit of angst in their mostly great relationship :

Rom was kinda envious by the fact that Laurence is like the perfect son Willem never had.

On the contrary Laurence is a bit envious that he will never be Willem’s son properly. He can’t treat him as a real « father » and don’t want to be treat like a son either. « You’re nit my dad!! » kind of shouting you know.

Hdjwkwjjd family is complicated

Also I already explain maybe?? In my main headcanon I don't headcanon Rom & Mico as siblings but it is an interpret I really appreciate too! + yes it is true Mico English VA is similar to Willem like I mentioned to some friends a while ago. (I didn't play with it too lol I love the French dub too much XD) oh and Mico still live a few years-months with them so they all know each other since childhood.

Caryll and Micolash

I guess they could bond on runes meaning, great ones, weird dreams, pthumerians & the tombs under Yharnam, augurs, and a few other things + the classes they might have together.

So yeah I think they became friends and even if they didn't agree on everything everytime they are the more "weird" of the group so it can get quite unhinged discovering stuff XD

And Mico admire Caryll for understanding runes and think it could be a key to contact the great ones!

Look at those poor sleep deprived students doing their homeworks x)

#bloodborne headcanons #my asks #anon asks #laurence the first vicar #rom the vacuous spider #micolash host of the nightmare #runesmith caryll #my art #yeah thank for the ask don't hesitate to go chat!#bloodborne

12 notes · View notes

prismatoxic · 4 months ago

Note

I know you've been having oc brainrot recently, (which, fucking epic btw I just now found out about those guys and they're really fucking interesting too) I was just wondering if you had anything sitting in your brain about promises to keep specifically, something about them that you just can't stop thinking about? Or a thing you really enjoy about their dynamic? Even something completely unrelated to chilaios that you always think about. I'd rlly love to hear abt what makes you tick!

this is such a nice ask wtf

glad you like the sillies, they fill my brain with worms. but as for ptk and/or chilaios...

i do still rotate ptk in my mind fairly frequently, and was actually re-reading it recently so try and get back into the headspace for it. (i got to chapter 4, i have to get back to it soon.) i do have a variety of disorganized thoughts about it

i've been deliberately drawing out the sex stuff, obviously. to tell you the truth i'm not someone who's beholden to realism; i chose to have them actually work their way up to penetration, and actually realistically negotiate the daddy kink, because i thought it fit the tone of the story and would draw things out in a satisfactory way. it also gives me time to explore the different ways their inexperience manifests, show them learning each other's bodies and desires, and explore chilchuck's view of his own body and his relationship to his gender via sex over a longer period of time.

which brings me to another part i put a lot of thought into--chilchuck's gender! i am a fan of a lot of interpretations of him, both cis and transmasc in ways other than what i've been writing. i have plans for at least one fic where he's post top surgery and on T. but i chose to make him pre-everything in ptk for a few reasons, and i'm honestly really pleased with the portrayal. some things i haven't gotten to mentioning yet are that half-foot names are considered unisex (not a headcanon i always go with, but i am fond of it), and he did voice training after he came out. it was more accessible than, like, hormones, at least back in kahka brud, and then he ended up pregnant anyway which delayed doing anything. eventually he decided he didn't really need any of it, anyway. (sorry to deprive everyone of tdick chilchuck 😔.) i like exploring his dysphoria, where it exists versus the many places where he's moved past it, his relationship to sex as a trans man and his concerns about a gay cis man wanting him... while i do insert some of my own experiences into the narrative, chilchuck's transgenderism does manifest in several ways mine doesn't, and it's really fun to figure out what makes sense for him.

speaking of things that are fun to figure out: worldbuilding!! i was told early on that the casual inclusion of "the dungeon age" as a phrase was a really genius method of suggesting the state of the world without exposition, and it very much went to my head, lmao. i do exposition every so often, but only when someone in the conversation doesn't already have the information. so laios explaining monsters and their history, and chilchuck explaining the social structures around half-foots and the differences between kahka brud and the northern continent, are easy ways to try and build on the world i've made--make readers see my vision--without it seeming too out of place. i do hope i'm doing that well, i worry about it when i'm not being subtle, lmao.

other than that--i've set up several plot threads i intend to follow through on later. i really enjoy calling back to earlier things, big or small, and using them in ways people might not expect. (like chekov's plastic wrap from chapters 3 and 10. sorry, chilchuck.) i also thought of a new one while rereading that i think will slot into the narrative nicely. it's going to be a fun ride!!

i hope any of this was interesting :')

#tox answers #fic: promises to keep

5 notes · View notes

katyspersonal · 1 year ago

Note

You talk about underrated bloodborne cooperators? How about some headcanons on olek or gremia if you have them?

Ahhhhh, shoot; Sorry for the delay ;-;

🦠 Honestly, for him, the things are sort of,, writing themselves? He is a unique cooperator: he doesn't step back during the boss fight, but will always jump into the battle aggressively, as well as being a unique cooperator that can sprint just like the player! This is especially interesting, since he is a cooperator for Isz Dungeons. Another Isz cooperator is Damian, who has like three long distance Hunter tools, a healing bell, and a shield that was distributed specifically for the Tomb Prospectors that delved into Isz. You also cannot summon both Damian and Gremia... This gave me very strong feeling of them having worked together and fallen apart, as well as them having directly opposite hunting styles - Damian being overly cautious, and Gremia being.... opposite of that.

🦠 His affiliation with the Choir is further hinted by him wielding Rosmarinus! Again, he appears to be not a full member, but the lower class that would simply bring them cool stuff from the dungeons... Isz dungeons, specifically. I think it is weird that he doesn't have Loch Shield even as an unused item, though? I can't help but feel as though it is a deliberate choice - he believed it was completely pointless to guard himself from basically "magic", seeing how it was the VERY thing his institution pursued... Basically, not only he is the type to jump head first into a battle, but also he had that concept of 'if that Arcane stuff is truly a good thing, it is not supposed to harm us'. It was both very smart and very dumb idea. Like... He had the right logic, but not the right picture.

🦠 He is one of the characters using the generic face data. You might know it from gems such as:

sgfgdgfd okay sorry for cursing you xd But yeah, I've basically spent it on him, since other characters with this face data had their faces COMPLETELY obscured. He though, shown enough face to earn it. I simply chose the hairstyle and added the 'aged person' spots on his skin.

🦠 Like I said, he used to explore with Damian, whereas Damian would always have his sorry reckless ass saved. But I write down Damian as one of the 'still alive' cooperators; so, Gremia's hatred would be because Damian is in School of Mensis now (hence no way to summon both of them). Gremia is not very capable and educated on the Choir's shenanigans, but with whatever naivety and honesty he has, he believes them way more and is devoted to them no matter how many Ls they take :( Though, in the way, he adopted the mentality that was around in earlier Healing Church somewhere - that you should strive to do good, even if it is not always a smart choice... Or something like that. He swears he can't remember where it came from.

🦠 He visits the base at Choir occasionally, only to cover up rare celestial larvae that would grow into teen or adult state and then petrify. None of those babies is able to grow up to be like Ebrietas, they all lean stronger to half-human and just... go still at some point. I simply drew it from the fact that the "statues" in Upper Cathedral seem to be weird Eldrich figures covered by fabric, as well as themes of petrifying upon facing too much arcane being enough in Bloodborne:

🦠 He is actually on good terms with Wallar! That dude also might originate from Choir's prospectors, moreover, he is wielding an arm of a smaller Amygdala as a weapon... And Amygdalae are trademark Great Ones of School of Mensis. They are both more on the "just block and report" side regarding opposing institutions; but whereas Wallar is more malleable and puts curiosity before principles, Gremia is... well, not that.

🦠 I am not entirely sure where he came from, but hmmm. Loch Shield was initially used in Research Hall by bodyguards of the Healing Church staff that were performing "rituals". I'd say Damian was there for the practice, but Gremia was not. He was simply more of the Healing Church hunters trained by Ludwig. He is also one of like, four people that ever saw Ludwig's Moonlight Sword shining in action - in his case, this was an accident. He told Forgotten Madman, though, and whoever else would listen, because he is absolute garbage at keeping secrets, but only very few actually cared.

🦠 In fact, his penchant for picking up fights and blurting out whatever he thinks was the real reason why Choir collectively agreed to never promote him, at all cost. Gremia is not a fool just because he can be naive and blunt to a fault, but he could not be predicted and controlled in the way they wanted... Hell, they had to lie to the guy that the orphans were terminally ill and experiments were their only alternative from dying early, because if he knew the true nature of those "experiments" - he'd tear them all apart! Like I said, he has a good faith, but is also naive enough to be diverted where "smarter" people want him to be. If you have morally questionable plans - you simply should never let him in, that's it. He won't understand, and jump straight into conclusions.

🦠 He likes working out at the times when he is not exploring the dungeons, nor tending to what remained from the Choir's base. Physical activity just gives him peace! However, if only he lived at the time when photography was developed enough, he would be obsessed with it. He likes pointing out interesting bits about his environment! Without a good camera, though? Yeah, he is bringing along TOO many "discoveries", including the pointless ones, like arcane plantlife everyone saw 7 times this week already, or a literal brick from the wall. At the very least, this passion ensured that he'd bring a LOT of Pearl Slug eggs...

🦠 At the same time, he is forgiving to a fault. If Damian came to him saying that maybe School of Mensis was a failed institution, after all, Gremia would just go 'oh, good, glad you are done being a dumbass'. He is only hostile for as long as it is relevant. Patches woud've approved 🤔

-------------------------------------------

⛏️ Everything around him suggests being a very basic Tomb Prospector of the Healing Church! His weapons are Kirkhammer and Repeating Pistol, his summon locations are Pthumeru dungeons... Interestingly, in the layers 4 and 5 of Pthumeru Dungeons, you can only either summon him OR Queen Killer. Yeah, I know, gameplay mechanics and all, but!! I try to use what I can + I headcanon that the surviving veteran Queen Killer was helping School of Mensis to capture Mergo's cord from the undead Queen Yharnam (only to be left to die as he expired his use...). So I feel as though the "normie" Healing Church and School of Mensis had a competition for Mergo's cord. Do I even need to mention that Yharnam's battle in the dungeons features her as still pregnant, but with still a slice on her belly area...?

⛏️ You probably don't need a reminder in who won that competition, but yeah... Olek is a rare cooperator that is technically dead as you summon him. I think he fought Queen Killer and lost. He is one of the people that honoured Ludwig, though. If you got to fight him as a hostile NPC - he'd recite Ludwig's inspirational speech (same as what Yamamura recites in his madness).

⛏️ He was not rude to Simon for his weird ass choice of weapon (well... weird in Healing Church's concept of such). Only a few people were understanding of Simon, actually!

⛏️ Otherwise, he was a very devout hunter. It is funny that you asked for both Gremia and Olek, as they are both devout to their institutions! I separate the "normie" Healing Church focusing on the blood ministration and the "nerds" Healing Church focusing on Arcane and Eyes; and so, Gremia would be more interested in eyes, whereas Olek would be more devout to blood. But they both would struggle to listen and consider alternative ideas.

⛏️ I also found his design interesting! The curly hair is my liberty, actually, since his original face data is bald. But he looks rather 'not white', which I wrote in my headcanons about how Healing Church opted out to blaming the "foreigners" for the beast plague, and Olek looked.... very foreign. So, much like with many other hunters and Tomb Prospectors that looked not like typical Yharnamites (think Czech + Polish + Hungarian people), he ended up being tasked with too many requests, just as long as no one had to see him.... Only, he survived for a long while, one of the few.

⛏️ His genuine faith in Healing Church and passion for hunting could bring him back from the death, after all. (More about it in this ( x ) post)

⛏️ He would've been rather social aside of his duties before the Healing Church. He would know every neighbour he has. He would know every friend's birthday and special day to prepare the gifts for. He would always be ready for any celebration months ahead! Basically, he is a 'backbone' person of the community, doing his best and lost to a pointless quest he has lost in anyway.

-------------------------------------------

Thank you for the ask!

#bloodborne #ask replies #tomb prospector olek #tomb prospector gremia #bloodborne headcanons

9 notes · View notes

blink-blank-bliss · 2 years ago

Note

Hey Blissy your turn. I hear you are: "Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns owned voice actress and pleasure puppet"

Some odd questions for you:

Would you desrcibe yourself as being in a bdsm relationship that uses hypnosis as a tool like a Dom-sub relationship + hypno, Or a Hypno-Domination H-D/s relationship? Just curious how you'd define it - because you seem happy and you guys are still going strong, or is it a Hypno relationship +D/s?

Could you say please what the most important part of the hypnotic relationship is - like the thing that makes the hypnosis most effective for you?

Could you also please say what submission means to you, what are the core components for submission to be happening?

Thank you in advance x x x

Hi Doll! It's always a pleasure to hear from you and I'd be happy to answer your questions, I apologize to any reader who actually plows through this whole thing for what may be a little too much of a glimpse behind the curtain at Actual Me and not the public face of Bliss, but oh well, I don't really get a lot of serious questions and I am delighted that you've asked me, so buckle up here we go.

I don't think I would use any of those terms to describe my relationship with Neural. We are primarily romantic partners and best friends, and we work together to create weird kinky artsy audio porn stuff. He's the creator, but I do a lot behind the scenes to help keep the content coming and I take my job as Cunt Muse seriously. Yes, we have kinky sex and it's fucking great, but it's just a small part of a relationship between equals. He has, however, spent a lot of time inside my mind, as I have in his. It's given our relationship something that I guess I would call ...mental intimacy? haha that sounds gross idfk. But I've never really had this before and can't imagine having it with someone else. The content is a part of it, I love acting and he just writes me the most fun roles to play. haha in the one we are working on now I play the most sadistic nun ever, it's so cathartic, I swear I'm healing generational trauma doing it haha. Getting to explore all of that together is really sexual and really hot but it's not like ... hypnosis. I love having wild kinky trancey scenes with him and he is a wonderful dom, knows how to push my buttons just the right way to take me apart and always makes sure to put me back together after, but it's not as important to me as it is that he has made me laugh every day for over 5 years without fail or that he can write me a part to play in a script that will both highlight my talent and turn me on.

I think the most important part of the hypnotic relationship is trust. I trust him and he trusts me. I know he is committed to being good to me and good for me, as I am for him. He's proven it to me through haha some honestly insane shit storms of life and I know I have proven it to him. And we've been at it long enough that we've seen the proof, both of us are better stronger people than we were before we met. This is what makes us equals, but it's also what makes it possible for him to slide inside my mind like he's coming home and make me into nothing but his. For a time at least.

ok so this is a two-parter. Part 1. What does submission mean to me? So ok I am old. I came out as queer and kinky in a world where to be kinky you had to put on a latex dress and go in person to what they called an "S & M Club". It was terrifying but thrilling. But as far as kink goes, I'm a little jaded at this point. I feel like I've literally seen it all. I've been to at least 50 kink conventions of all varieties. I've taught classes, hosted infamous dungeon parties, demo dollied, bootblacked, partied with all manner of kinky people. but like.... I'm fucking old and I did it already. Now yes, I am still submissive, I am still a masochist, but I just don't have anything left to prove to myself or anyone else about it. Submission has been a part of who I am for more than half my life now, but at this point, it's pretty much just a sex thing for me. I mean yeah I call Neural Owner or Daddy when we play, and yeah it was hot as hell when I asked him to choose my new hair color, but it's for fun and a sex thing. Part 2 is pretty cut and dried. I'm jumping over the safety speech part here and just say that I'm only talking about power exchange that I would consider RACK. But for submission to occur there has to be some kind of agreement that you are going to give up your power to another for a period of time in some agreed upon way. That's what we mean when we talk about consent really. it's what makes healthy power exchange possible, without that it's all various degrees of abuse and codependency and people making each other into less than they are. Gross. I'm also going to answer a question that you didn't ask, but my advice to any submissive but especially those getting into it: -sit down with yourself and really decide what your values are, what your limits are, what your needs are, physically emotionally mentally before you go giving your precious self away to a dom. - Sub frenzy is a thing, it's crazy, I've been there, but it is Not Real and it will fade, take your time in establishing relationships and making commitments no matter how hot the scenes are. -No matter how much you worship them, your doms will remain human. Humans have limits on their time and their energy. Humans are not all-knowing. Humans get sick. Humans make mistakes. Don't put divinity level expectations on your human partner. It's a set up, no one can live up to it.

#not a bimpost for once

11 notes · View notes

moinsbienquekaworu · 2 years ago

Text

@ivory-coronet I've kept playing TotK and oh my god do you want to hear literally every thought out of my head on the topic?

BEWARE OF TOTK SPOILERS ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE

First I love all the little newspaper quests they're silly but they're fun and it's pretty nice going everywhere doing random shit that in like a third of cases are just the Yiga trying to fuck with you. I'd say Penn is useless but actually I think we're splitting the work pretty well: I do all the fieldwork and he writes the articles and gives them to Traysi! Great partnership. I just need the Gerudo Stable and I'll be done, but Ihope you can do stuff with him once the questline is over.

Also I can't help but notice you have way more of an impact on the world in a way? The NPCs remember you, they know who you are more often, I saw the two horse researchers and since I'd already talked to Malanya I got to tell the one who was interested in him that he did indeed exist, it's really really cool. And the rebuilding quests!! The Rito Village bridge! The Lookout Landing mini-stable!! The monster-control crew stuff!!! I really feel like I'm not just doing random sidequests for a reward but that I'm actually contributing to the world and the world knows it.

On the topic of the Wind Temple: it was great, you were right it didn't feel like an annoying dungeon! More like a traditional dungeon but not annoying like they usually are to me. It took me uuuh humiliatingly long to realise you had to use Tulin's gusts of wind on the turbines even though the Sage just straight up tells you to do that lol. The Sages stuff is incredible and I'm absolutely delighted by the fact that I've done a quarter of what was the main quest in BotW but I still don't know what's going to happen at the end of the game. In BotW you just knew where the final boss was and how things would more or less go from the end of the tutorial but here I'm still kind of at a loss. Like there's the Sages but there's also the Depths and the ruins in Kakariko! That said one of my friends who's also playing it said he stumbled upon the Mastersword and the final boss at random just exploring so uh. That must have been weird.

Plus on the topic of the Rito I need to be insane about this to as many people as possible because I was a Revalink kinda girl and I won't forget my roots: when Tulin gets the Great Eagle Bow after the temple... Babe that's MY bow!!! Give it to me it's MINE!!! It does 3x28 damage and it has a great design!!! I got it by beating the dungeon and saving your village almost alone last time!!!! I knew Revali and I wam/am a Champion too!!!!!! IT'S MY BOW GIVE IT BAAACK!!! Make your OWN bow Tulin!!!!! No for real I would be so happy to make a new group for the Sages and Link and make some fabric we can all wear and he can put it on his own bow someone made for him/helped him make but you gotta hand that back baby it's mine!!!!!!

Also I've been to see the Zoras as well and I'm at the entrance of the temple but not there yet so I won't say anything about the dungeon itself but 1) god Sidon.... dreamy sigh. Also 2) Yona isn't that ugly people are just mean. She's great she's sweet and she grew on me real fast. And 3) I really do not care about Finley's appearance relating to her quest in BotW I think it's some fun background stuff but I'm disappointed they didn't give her an older model like they did for Kass' kids. Like she's been waiting for that growth spurt for years now Nintendo just let her gain a few inches!!

Anyway what I want to talk about is the way they handled BotW's existence & a little bit its themes, which I personally think is the biggest flaw of the game. No mention of the Divine Beasts no mention of the towers or the shrines there's some stuff about the Calamity but it's rare I'm sooo mad like I was there for all of it!!! Why are you not saying anything!!!! We can't be forgetting history like three-five years after it happened!! I know they didn't want new players to the franchise to be lost but it's offensive Purah doesn't mention Sheikah tech when explaining the towers it's offensive the Zora chest armour's description just goes 'made by a Zora princess for her future husband' like the Zora princess in question wasn't Link's childhood best friend and he wasn't supposed to be the future husband it's offensive there's no mention of Revali anywhere except the landing is still called Revali's Landing when he had extremely similar powers to Tulin and Teba spent his childhood talking about the legendary champion to him and he has his damn bow in his back!!!!!! I'm so mad!!!! Why Nintendo why!!!

And when I said themes I meant that I'm sad the Sages are all descendants of the original Sages. Cause see the new champions all occupied the same roles as the old champions (greatest Rito warrior, Zora royalty, Gerudo chief, Goron boss (to be)) but while the others all were descendants of the OGs Teba wasn't. It said something about the characters and their villages and what they all valued. And now we're totally forgetting Revali when he's relatively recent (100 years compared to like 5 000) and had similar powers because "what if the player hasn't played BotW". Honestly it made me feel like the shitty 180 the Star Wars sequels pulled with Rey where the message was that whoever her family was didn't matter because she got to decide her own path and - oh wait no her grandpa was Palpatine it was always meant to be fuck off. Like none of them need to be related to the OG Sages but if Sidon or Riju are it's at least coherent with the fact their tribes (?) both seem to have a hereditary thing going on with their leadership. But Tulin really doesn't!! The Ritos don't work like that!! The point was hard work!!! I'm so mad about this one. Note that I don't say anything about Daruk and Yunobo because Yunobo is sweet but Daruk's personality is flatter than a sheet of paper in BotW, especially compared to AoC. I guess at least Mipha's statue is still there and they namedrop her once really badly :)))

Anway I also went to the Depths because I need that camera and it caused me worse stress than walking around Central Hyrule at the start of BotW. So. Not hyped to have to go there more.

There that's it I think but if you have more stuff to chat about don't hesitate to answer or to hit me up 👀 👀👀

#in order i talk about the journal stuff - general stuff - wind temple - wind temple - the zoras - me ranting x2 - the depths #i'm really having fun with it it's so cool #i need the game to uncurl its grip on me i have things to do that aren't totk :'))))#wow i have a ramble tag now

6 notes · View notes

apoptoses · 2 years ago

Note

"Stumbled into Armand’s bathroom and washed his face, brushed his teeth with the toothbrush Armand had purchased out of habit over a decade ago. He’d been so used to shopping for Daniel whenever he moved into a new home that he’d picked up all the things a mortal lover would need and put them in his medicine cabinet despite the fact that Daniel had been gone from his life for years." In a chapter full of lines that made me INSANE, this one sent me to my grave. Of course Armand would keep getting all the stuff mortal Daniel would've needed, and would keep it in his bathroom unused for years, despite the fact that Daniel was neither mortal or actively involved with him at the time. And of course Daniel would find it there during his first night back in Armand’s bedroom in over twenty years. I’m fine this is f i n e 🥹

Armand avoding the word "dildo" and then Daniel being like "I know what you're trying to say pls stop trying to sound so formal" lmfaoo peak characterization moment 😮‍💨 if you ever decide to expand on this, please know that I'd be there in a second. It would feel extremely in character for them to continue exploring each other's (now both immortal) bodies in every way, shape and form after their reunion. Picking up right where they left off and all that.

Also, whenever I finish reading a chapter I usually read through the comments and nod my head in agreement all the way through and this time I noticed you mentioned Fareed's drugs in one of your replies and I was like 👀 I know it’s a popular trope in the fandom these days (and with good reason too lmao, Anne really did that huh) and I would LOVE to read your take on it some day if you're feeling up to it. It’s specially interesting when it comes to these two because there are definitely some vampires who��ve never explicitly expressed sexual desire for another or even the need to have a sexually intimate connection with their partners. It’s sensual/romantic without being overtly sexual and Anne was particularly great at writing that. But I don’t think it's the case with Daniel and Armand who were very explicitly erotic with each other and whose intimacy was one of the main driving forces of their relationship (and their relationship most likely suffered a great deal when they lost that element). And lbr neither of them would pass on the opportunity to smash like god intended them to. Even if only for old times’ sake like Daniel said. Armand would probably get sanctimonious about it for like two seconds and then would jump right into it. They're not NOT taking turns in fucking each other is what I'm trying to say lmao but I'll stop before I'm horny on main again!

Perfect chapter as usual, can't wait to see how you wrap it all up xoxo DA ❤️

Dungeon anon, I was wondering where you went!! 🥹

You're welcome for the suffering! Old habits die hard and idk i love to hurt over the idea of Armand still buying Daniel's favorite soaps and shampoos and stuff in the hopes that he'll come back to him one day and be comforted by seeing all these things. And Armand using them in the mean time as a way to feel close to the man he misses. I'm fine everything's fine I'm not miserable over this at all

I would LOVE to do a fic of them trying Fareed's weird ass vampire viagra out, like it's deifnitely on the list because you're right, Armand and Daniel do have a physical component of their relationship that seems to transcend typical vampire relations. Armand says over and over in TVA how much he believes in the good that is found in pleasures of the flesh, he's a carnal being and I see him hopping all over any new physical ways he could bond with Daniel.

(also not to get off track, but sometimes I do wonder how much of the intimacy seen in VC books is a deliberate choice about what happens when one becomes immortal, and how much of it was formed by 'it's the 70s/80s if you write mlm sex scenes that go beyond kissing these books will be hard to sell'. Because Anne had no qualms about that stuff in the sleeping beauty books, and finally in the late 90s started pushing that limit in VC with some of the scenes in TVA but. Anyways. Side bar over.)

But! As far the ~implement~ goes, just wait, it makes an appearance before the end of this story. And they are definitely flip fucking- everyone gets their turn in this universe, thank you very much 😌

(and please, DA, I think I speak for all of armandblr when I say you being horny on main is always a gift haha)

The last chapter should be out this weekend and I really, really hope you enjoy it ♥ I just gotta finish editing it.

#apoptoses answers #dungeon anon

5 notes · View notes

crossroadsdimension · 10 months ago

Text

I know it hasn't come up here a lot because a lot of the posts I've made in the last couple of years have had something to do with Final Fantasy XIV (or other FF games, since I've played 16) -- but I'm a Pokemon fan. Not on a competitive level, but I definitely like to dig into the lore and the story and go on a collection spree when the games let me.

(That last bit is why I haven't completed Legends Arceus yet because I've been trying to perfect as many entries as possible. I've got the last of the Nobles on my hit list and I'm terrified because I've heard he's...big. I'll face him soon, is the plan.)

But with Pokemon Day coming up on Tuesday, I figured I'd throw my hat into the ring for guessing at what games they're going to be announcing next for the main console stuff. Personally, I don't expect they'll get a lot of attention because The Pokemon Company has a lot of pies to put fingers in, but I hope for at least one new main series game teaser. Two at most.

What games, though, is a question, because I'm seeing 4 options here.

Black and White Remakes (or Sequels depending on what they decide to do with the plot)

Another Legends game (potentially Jhoto, which I'm seeing rumors for, or maybe Unova.)

Let's Go Jhoto games

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers remake (wishful thinking on my part, I know.)

I'm gonna go ahead and put my thoughts as to why for each of these under the cut cause this post is gonna get long.

So, firstly -- Black and White Remakes/Sequels

Thinking they'll announce this is honestly pretty obvious. With all the hints that Scarlet and Violet dropped in the Indigo Disc DLC, what with the location of Blueberry Academy and the Elite Four kids being from Unova (Lacey being Clay's kid, Drayton being Drayden's grandson, etc), you'd be a fool not to think about this being a possibility. Not a guarantee, certainly, but a possibility all the same.

How they could tackle Unova, though, is another question, because either they're gonna remake Black and White wholesale and leave B2/W2 to collect dust, or they're going to continue the storyline further forward from where B2/W2 left off. I mean, I'd love to see how insane Ghestis got after we trounced him so thoroughly and the Shadow Triad spirited him away. The ninjas said their boss was broken when you run into them in Iccirus City post-game, after all. I'd love to see how far he spiraled!

But that's just wishful thinking. We're probably just going to get a bog-standard B/W remake. Whether or not it's in the same style as Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, well...we'll have to wait and see.

(But I would love it if the acknowledged Ingo's absence from the Battle Subway somehow...and maybe gave us an in-game event if the game acknowledged that we completed Legends Arceus? One where Ingo comes home?)

Speaking of -- a new Legends game

With how popular Legends Arceus has gotten, it wouldn't surprise me if they continued the trend of games that cover some of the Pokemon world's history. What region and what story are probably going to be up in the air, but I could see it going either for Jhoto or Unova. Both because they're due for remakes (either the Let's Go variant or the bog-standard generation remakes we've been seeing) and because of the hints being dropped about Unova. And if they do the "protagonist gets time traveled" bit again, Jhoto would make more sense just because of Celebi's presence. Although I'm gonna withhold judgement until we get more info. I think, at this point, I'm just wondering who else from a battle facility is gonna get ripped across time and space and lose their memory in the process. Because first it was Anabel from the Battle Tower in Hoenn (via Ultra Wormholes to another dimension), then it was Ingo to Hisui (via space-time rift because of the absence of Ultra Beasts)....

...if Emmet was with his brother at the moment the rift opened and swallowed Ingo, I wouldn't be surprised if they fell together and were separated in the rift, I'll be honest. He could pop up in the next Legends game for all we know.

Moving on! Let's Go Jhoto

Considering it's been a few years since Pikachu&Eevee, we're probably overdue for another Gen 2 remake. And if they pair up a region remake and a Legends game, that means that Legends Jhoto and Let's Go Jhoto could be a pair, like BDSP and Legends Arceus. What Pokemon you'd have as your partners, though, I have very little idea. I remember seeing someone suggest Togepi and Wooper, which...I'll accept the first one, but I'm not so sure about the other.

Now for some wishful thinking.

It's been 4 years since Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX was released in March 2020. I don't know about you guys, but I would love to see the Explorers games get the same treatment. An announcement at Pokemon Presents would be something I plan to squeal non-stop about. But I'm not expecting it, because not a lot of people are talking about wanting a remake for it on social media right now.

I'll be honest with you, I'm mostly putting this here because I'm nostalgic and I want to be able to play as a Vulpix in a Mystery Dungeon game on my Switch. And cry when the Emotions hit, because Explorers is very good at making the Emotions hit.

And those are my speculations! I'm not expecting anything to come from making this post, nor am I expecting to see these during the Pokemon Presents on Pokemon Day 2024. But I wanted to get my ramblings out in the open somewhere because I think I'm gonna explode if I just sit on them in a house where I'm the only Pokemon fan.

#cross' rambling #pokemon #pokemon speculation #if people want to poke me more about pokemon stuff my ask box IS open #pokemon presents speculation #be aware that I am taking ANY leaks going through Twitter with a massive grain of salt and a severe side eye #while also staying away from social media by playing my games and working on fanfics

0 notes

i-used-to-wear-the-fedora · 2 years ago

Text

Stranger Things Egg Baby AU, Steve and Eddie's Not So Egg-cellent Adventure

"Favorite color?"

"Purple. Favorite song?'

"Don't have one."

"You can't be serious Munson." Steve looked up from the his worksheet at Eddie slightly annoyed. The school library they had parked themselves in was almost completely empty. The elderly librarian that sat at the front desk was asleep. Well at least Steve hoped she was asleep, he hadn't seen the older woman move in quite a while now. But he ignored it, instead trying to focus on the questionnaire he was filling out with his health partner. Eggbert "Eggy" Pop was sat on the table, wrapped in Munson's skull handkerchief. "You're in some crappy metal band, you have to have a favorite song.''

'It's not crappy." Eddie said and Steve rolled his eyes. "You just don't get it."

"Oh I'm sure that's it."

"Says the man who's favorite song is Dancing by Myself. Seriously dude, Billy Idol? How much more basic could you get?"

"You say basic, I say it's a classic. And at least I know what I like."

"I like a lot of stuff." Eddie huffed as be continued to doodle on his worksheet. Glancing over Steve saw the would be rockstar drawing some weird gorey skeleton thing. Eddie noticed him staring and moved his arm to hide the drawing. "I can't pick just one favorite song. There's so many."

"Well I need one for the answer sheet."

"Fine. Rainbow in the Dark by Dio. Happy?"

"Yes." Stev looked over the answers, grabbing his calculator to do some math before scribbling down the answer. "According to this, it appears we have a 6% compatability rating as a couple."

"Not surprise there." Eddie stared at his paper disinterested. "Seems our little Eggy Pop here was most likely the result of a drunken one night stand. Born to a broken, unloving family." The high-schooler dramatically raised the back of his hand to his forehead with a sigh.

"Why are you making up such an elaborate backstory for an egg?"

"I'm a dungeon master, it's basically my job." Eddie shrugged. "And he's not just 'an' egg. He's our son. Who happens to be an egg."

"Whatever, but I'll have you know that if this was an actual kid, I'd be a great parent." Eddie snickered. "What?"

"You? I can't even imagine you being a parent, let alone a good one." Steve responded by rolling up his worksheet and giving Eddie's shoulder a hard thwack. "Ow! Not cool dude, you could at least wait until Eggy's asleep before you start hitting me."

"You are literally impossible." Steve frowned.

"I want a divorce." Eddie replied as his watch began to go off. "Crap, got band practice at Jeff's place. You got Eggy?

"Yeah, just remember to pick him up tonight."

"Meet you at the 7/11 on Oak Street for a drop off? Round eight?" Eddie asked and Steve nodded, carefully picking up their health project. The former king of Hawkins High waited until Eddie was out of the room before stroking the egg in his hands and whispering to it.

"Hey don't listen to him, you're not unloved."

"-and then he implied I was a bad parent! He doesn't know me! I'd be a great parent."

"But you said it was just an egg."

"That's besides the point." Steve said as he and Dustin continue their search of the neighborhood for the creature the middle schooler had dubbed Dart. Little Eggbert was still clad in Eddie's hankie as he rested in the teenager's jacket pocket. "What would he even know about parenting?"

"I don't know but he sounds super cool. I didn't know you guys had a DnD club."

"Ugh. Of course you'd think he is." Steve held the nail bat in his hands tight as they carefully explored the woods near the Henderson household. When the kid, Dustin, he was friends with Nancy's brother, came up to him saying he needed help, he didn't expect he'd be spending the rest of the day trying to hunt down a weird alien lizard thing the kid had been keeping to try and impress a girl. It was getting dark now and knowing that a cat eating lizard was out there somewhere made him nervous. "Listen, it's getting late. We can restart the search tomorrow after school but I've got somewhere to be."

'What? You got a hot date or something?" The preteen asked, nudging Steve in the side with his elbow.

"Something like that." Steve watched the kid reach into his backpack and pull out a walkie. Handing it to the taller teen. "What's this?"

"Emergency walkie talkie. If you see Dart or anything else weird, call in a code red."

"And what? You guys are literally a bunch of kids. What are you even going to do?"

"I don't know but just call us if something happens, got it?"

"Yeah whatever. "

A couple of days ago Steve was the top dog at school, now he was taking orders from a preteen on what to do on case he ran into pet murdering alien. Making sure Dustin got back to his front door safely before returning to his car. Putting the key unto ignition, the teen glanced over to his dashboard clock to see it was almost nine.

'Shit,' Stev cursed as he put the car into drive and began to drive towards Oak Street. 'Eddie's going to be pissed.'

"I don't know who you're waiting for, but I don't think they're coming. " The clerk behind the 7/11 counter said as she watched Eddie refill his cherry slurpee for the third time in the past half hour.

"I don't remember asking you." The metalhead snapped. The girl shrugged, redirecting her attention to the magazine she was reading. Despite his annoyance, the teen knew she had a point. Looking at the watch on his wrist to see it was nine o' five.

"Damn it Harrington.'' The high-schooler cursed as he realized Steve forgot or just ditched him. Tossing the slurpee into the trash as he left the convenience store. Going around the back of the store, the teen pulled a cigarette out of the carton. Lighting the smoke, he took a long drag to try and calm his nerves. 'Probably shouldn't be too surprised. ' Eddie thought to himself as he inhaled the smoke. A list of reasons for why Steve wasn't there ran through his head. Hoping their project was still in one piece, Eddie brought the cigarette to his mouth again when he heard it.

A weird animalistic growl but something was...off about it. Looking up he saw something moving in the bushes just a few feet away from the back of the 7/11. Eddie found himself frozen in place as he watched something emerge from the brush. In the shadows, at first he thought it was a stray dog. As it got closer, Eddie dropped his cigarette in shock when he saw it in greater detail.

"What the fuck-?"

#eggy #stranger things #fanfiction #stranger things au #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #egg baby au #egbert pop #dustin henderson #eddie says steve is a basic bitch #and he's not wrong

36 notes · View notes

june2734 · 4 years ago

Text

The Short Lived Golden Age of Nerdy Web Shows

There was a time between the years of, let's say, 2007 to 2015 that I like to call the golden age of nerdy web shows. It consisted of a lot of small low to no budget productions that had a lot of heart, the kind you just don't see very often anymore for some reason. Many of these show have found a dedicated home on streaming services like The Fantasy Network, some have even gained enough steam to be featured on big name services like Netflix and Amazon like The Guild and LARPs The series respectively. I'm not exactly sure why the web show trend died out so hard, maybe the crowds just aren't there for them anymore like they use to be with some many pieces of high budget productions on streaming services vying for their attention. Every once and a while I'll jump onto Google to try and find new web shows that have that same heart and feel but rarely if ever do I come up with anything. As far as I can tell the only place new nerdy low to mid budget web shows or films gets any attention is at GenCon or small streaming services like The Fantasy Network. Who knows if there will ever be another nerdy heartfelt web show created that captures the spirit of those old series I hold so dear to my heart, but regardless if it happens or not I'd like to bring some attention to a few of my favorites. They may be old by the standards of the internet and maybe even cheesy by today's standards, but I really think they were something special and if you give them a shot maybe you'll think so too. If you have any others that you think would fit in with shows like this feel free to let me know.

The Gamers: Hands Of Fate

Zombie Orpheus Entertainment use to be one of my favorite channels for nerdy fantasy related content back in the day. You could always see the quality and passion that they put into every piece of content they out out on their channel. They're still around today but they've shifted their focus to other ventures such as the ever popular trend of live streaming table top games rather then making scripted content. That being said their old stuff is still well worth a watch and The Gamers series, particularly The Gamers: Hands of Fate, is some of their best work they’ve ever put out. The series centers around a group of table top gamers(the same that can be found in most of the other The Gamers creations by ZOE), particularly the character by the name of Cass, as he steps into the world of one extremely popular card game hopes of impressing a woman who's a huge fan of it. But this is seemingly simple premise is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this series. The show also features a secondary narrative that involves the characters that actually exist in the card game as as the players decisions in the real world effect their lives and leads one character, Buckstahue(not sure if I’m spelling that right), in particular to start questioning what mysterious forces are controlling their lives. The show is a real treat filled with twists and turns I never saw coming, it's fascinating seeing how the real world actions of this card game effects the card characters lives as well as question if and when Buckstahue will figure out what strings control her actions. The stories surrounding the other characters in the party might not be as engaging but they are by no means a weak point of the series either, many of their subplots are engaging in their own rights and pay off certain character moments established in proper The Gamers creations. If this peaks your interest then the series can still be found on Zombie Orpheus's Youtube channel or as a movie on The Fantasy Network. ZOE had pivoted more towards live streaming as opposed to the scripted content of their past but I'd love to see more content from The Gamers one day. Source

LARPs The Series

LARPs The Series first premiered at GenCon 2014 and took home the award for Best Independent Series. The year after it was picked up by Geek and Sundry as a part of a push for more scripted content on the channel which was where I and many others first got a chance to watch it. When the short trailer for popped up on the G&S channel everything about it screamed that I was absolutely going to love it, and I wasn’t wrong. The series centers around a 4 man party of larpers (AKA Live Action Role Players) by the names of Will, Brittany, Arthur and Sam and their DM (Dungeon Master) Evan as we follow their lives in and out of the game. The show is surprisingly heartfelt and sympathetic towards the characters involved in this often misunderstood and mocked hobby as it shows how larping enriches their often turbulent lives and connects them all as friends on a deep and meaningful level. These characters felt real and you really rooted for them as they deal with, work, relationships and the many other hurtles of adult life as they wait eagerly to gear up for whatever peril might befall them in their next campaign session. The show was also pretty hilarious, seeing them play out classic predicaments that any party, whether they be larpers or table top roleplayers, have experienced such as one player trying to roll to kill a tavern owner or romances between PCs were always a joy to watch unfold. Another thing that most will notice right away is how the production value and direction are surprisingly astounding as well, especially in season 2. I was shocked by just how much quality was put into the show from the costumes and sets as well as from a writing standpoint. If you're interested in checking out the show then it can be found on Amazon Prime but they can also still be viewed for free on YouTube or in The Fantasy Network. Beanduck, the production company behind LARPs The series, is working towards a funding campaign in hopes of earning enough to produce a third season so if you have any spare change you might want to toss it their way in support. Regardless if you decide to help or not, LARPs The Series is a show that I think any nerdy individual will enjoy. Source

Glitch

Glitch was another show produced by the team over at Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, but it never seemed to get the same kind of love as many of their other productions. The concept was brilliant: What if one day you woke up and found out your life operated on the logic of video games? Well this is the predicament that a programing temp nicknamed Glitch finds himself in. Most episodes of the show centered around particular game mechanics causing problems in his and his friends lives and how he tries to figure out ways to work around or fix problems they've created. Glitch, Wyatt and Samus were all fantastic characters and it was always fun seeing Glitch trying to work through some real world problem with game logic like trying to flirt with a woman he likes using a conversation wheel like in Mass Effect or figuring out how to "defeat" his boss at work who he see's as an actual game boss. Another thing I liked about the show was how the characters really felt like real people I knew, they played games on the couch, debated about which Sci-Fi starship captains were the best, and they grilled each other in nerdy ways while working in slang from their favorite bits of nerd culture into their daily vocabulary. I always hoped that ZOE would eventually put out a second season but unfortunately for whatever reason that never became a reality. Now days the channel that originally hosted Glitch has changed their name to Burger Orchard and rarely if ever uploads anything, but luckily those original episodes of Glitch can still be found on their. Give it a watch, it's short but sweet and if you really enjoyed the show a lot there are little companion shorts that can also be found on the channel. Source

The Street Fighter

The Game Station was an early find for me back in my early college days, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I shaved away many hours watching all kinds of gaming related content on that channel instead of studying for exams. One production, created by one of the channels founders Layne Pavoggi, which came out in late 2011 and was a cut above much their already fantastic content was a short lived series was called The Street Fighter. The series centered around a single dad by the name of Phil who has just lost his job and decides to take up a short career as a professional Street Fighter player to provide for his son as well as keep his mind off of the stressful and highly competitive job market. This a real underdog story that’s extremely reminiscent of old sports 80s films where the protagonist has everything working against them, with that being said you might think that such a trope filled narrative would make things a little predictable and you wouldn’t be wrong but there’s still plenty to love since this concept has really never been explored with videogame to my knowledge. Phil is a guy you’d be hard pressed not to warm up to, especially when you see him interacting with his preteen son Ryan or his best friend/semi love interest Camile (played by former All That star and all around spectacular person Lisa Foiles). Seeing him trying to make his way into the job market, taking odd jobs here and there just to try and get by while also playing Street Fighter to destress and become better for the sake of winning a competition for money to support his son really makes to root for him through all of it. One aspect of the show that I really this is fantastic is how it feels truly authentic to the FGC (Fighting Game Community) when it comes to talking about all of the technical aspects of play Street Fighter on a competitive level. There are moments when Phil goes into detail about his “bread and butter” combos or talks about different strategies when it comes to taking on different characters compared to his main. The show was short lived but it can still be found on The Game Stations channel, if you’re looking for a heartfelt underdog story then I highly recommend giving The Street Fighter a shot. Source

Versus Valerie

Versus Valerie is a bit of series finale for a fictional character created by Hannah Spear for the character more commonly known as the Sexy Nerd Girl on her YouTube channel. Even if you didn't watch the characters vlogs over the years leading up to the web series I still think you'll find something to enjoy in this extremely charming show. It centers around Valerie Lapomme, the titular Sexy Nerd Girl, as she lives life hanging out with with her best friend Guy, shopping for comic books, going on dates, vlogging, and trying to make something of herself as a mid 20 something living in Toronto. The brilliant thing about this series is how each episode is structured like or makes homage to popular shows, films and games such as Star Wars, Doctor Who, Memento, and The Matrix just to name a few. On top of that the show is surprisingly well produced and written for something that spawned from a fictional vlog series, Valarie and Guy are much more fleshed out and all the characters including them have some really fantastic character arcs and moments in the show. Valerie’s awkwardness and extremely nerdy imagination felt embracingly relatable to me personally since I often imagine different situations in my life in relation to my own nerdy fandoms. What I was often taken aback by when I first watched the show years ago was just how enjoyable all of the episodes were in their own special way, and the pay off of it all really feels like a proper satisfying ending to the strange and imaginative journey we’ve been on with Valerie. If it peaks your interest at all then you can still find the full series on the Veruse Valerie YouTube channel as well as some of the vlogs prior to the series on the Sexy Nerd Girl channel as well. It’s well worth a viewing and aside from the fantastic lead characters of Guy and Valerie the show also managed to grab Mark Meer as a supporting character, aka the voice of COMMANDER MOTHER F^*$(^% SHEPARD BABY!!! Source

#Web Shows #geek and sundry #Zombie Orpheus Entertainment #LARPs the series #table top rpg #larping #web series #a few of my favorite things

25 notes · View notes

kingdomheartsloversstuff · 6 years ago

Note

Are you doing the Ship meme thing? If so I'd like to suggest Kallus and Zeb

YES I AM AND THANK YOU FOR ThIS SHIP!!Sorry it took so long but their where so many questions and it was so much fun answering these!!

General:

· How long will they last? – Until the day they die. Though Zeb willlive longer then Kallus since Lasat can live like 400 years Zeb will neverremarry or really find someone else because he loves Kallus with every fiber ofhis being (also have this HC that Lasat mate for life and believe that whenthey die they will be together again in the afterlife which is why they don’tfind someone new).

· How quickly did/will they fall in love? – Zeb falls in lovemuch more quickly then Kallus does, probably shortly after he found out Kalluswas Fulcrum. Kallus also falls in love very quickly but he is reluctant to acton those feelings because he doesn’t feel like he’s worthy of Zeb’s love afterall he’d done to Zeb and his people. They both admit their feels on accidentafter the Lothal mission when Kallus thought Zeb might die.

· How was their first kiss? – Right around the time they admitted theirfeelings Kallus just kisses Zeb because he’s so relieved he’s alive andrealizes Zeb actually has feelings for him as well.

Wedding:

· Who proposed? – Zeb proposed shortly after moving to LiraSan. Kallus was crying so hard Zeb was worried he was upset until Kallus juststarted saying yes over and over again.

· Who is the best man/men? – Kanan (becauseheisalivedamnit) AndEzra.

· Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - No one but Hera wouldofficiate the wedding

· Who did the most planning? -Chava (but between them Kallus cuz heworks himself to near death.

· Who stressed the most? – Kallus big time. He wanted everysecond to be perfect for Zeb because Zeb was his everything and he deservedabsolute perfection. Zeb had to drag Kallus to bed most days when preparing forthe wedding to get him to sleep. Chava making the wedding so big did not helpwith his stress.

· How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big. Thisis entirely due to the fact that Chava got involved and wanted everyone to betheir to celebrate their union and everyone was more then happy to attendbecause they are so happy to see Zeb so happy. And Zeb radiates joy on theirwedding day and is moved to tears the moment he see’s Kallus in full on traditionalLasat wedding attire. As far as Zeb was concerned he’d never seen anyone morebeautiful in his entire life.

· Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? – For obviousreasons none of Kallus’s coworkers from the Empire or family.

Sex:

· Who is on top? – Zeb usually, but Kallus is definitely notagainst being on top when Zeb wants that.

· Who is the one to instigate things? -

· How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks,nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Theyare humping each other on the couch right now Okay so maybe not thaaattttbad but they certainly enjoy having sex with each other especially after thewar ended.

· How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go intothe sex dungeon without a horse’s head I imagine as time goes on they wouldstart to explore more and more.

· How long do they normally last? -

· Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? – Ohyes most definitely. They both want to make sure the other is enjoyingthemselves as much as they are.

· How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of abunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8| 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, thewall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it. Most people thinkthey like it rough but Kallus is much happier with gentle sex and Zeb is happyto oblige, especially since the few times they do get a little rough Zeb isworried he’ll hurt Kallus.

· How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on thecouch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Theysnuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillowfactory.

Children:

· How many children will they have naturally? - They can’thave children biologically (unless we play around with some AU’s lol)

· How many children will they adopt? – 3 or 4.

· Who gets stuck with the most diapers? – They take turns though neither mind as they bothlove bonding with the kiddos.

· Who is the stricter parent? – Alex definitely since he worked forthe Empire. Zeb can be strict when needed (but he will let Kallus be the strictparent when he’s around.)

· Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? – Kallusand Zeb have very different ideas of dangerous which can be a problemsometimes.

· Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? – Kallus since he’s the onewho always cooks (he doesn’t mind at all he loves cooking for his family andjust in general)

· Who is the more loved parent? – They are equally loved by theirkids.

· Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Uhhhhhh well in amodern AU Zeb I guess?

· Who cried the most at graduation? – Zeb to no one’s surprise.

· Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with thelaw? – Zeb. Alex is horrified but turns a blind eye in the end.

Cooking:

· Who does the most cooking? – Alex would cook all mealsbecause Zeb cannot cook to save his life. Alex though teaches Zeb absolutelyeverything he knows and they spend hours in the kitchen together with Alexteaching Zeb everything.

· Who is the most picky in their food choice? – Honestly,neither are very picky. Zeb had to long ago get used to the idea that he wouldnever taste food from lasan again and Kallus is just used to ration bars.

· Who does the grocery shopping? – Kallus and Zeb for the most partgo together for groceries because they enjoy spending time together.

· How often do they bake desserts? – Not too often, neither have astrong sweet tooth since both are military types.

· Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? – both aredefinitely Meat lovers

· Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversarydinner? – Zeb will attempt to because Kallus works so hard and he deserves abreak so Zeb wants to surprise him and nearly burns the kitchen down. Kallus happilywill help him though.

· Who is more likely to suggest going out? – Zeb. He can’t cookand he loves taking Kallus out somewhere fancy.

· Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently whilecooking? – Zeb. As stated before XD

Chores:

· Who cleans the room? – They both do

· Who is really against chores? – Zeb, but he will after enoughpestering from Kallus.

· Who cleans up after the pets? – Both do

· Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Zeb

· Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? – Kallus, hewants everything to be perfect for visitors thanks to Imperial training

· Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? –Neither are that lucky XD

Misc:

· Who takes the longer showers/baths? – Zeb solely because hehas so much fur to clean.

· Who takes the dog out for a walk? – No dogs, only loth cats/catsin a modern AU

· How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? – Theywill use any and every excuse to decorate/celebrate something.

· What are their goals for the relationship? – Umm….this one stumpedme I am going to be honest. I’ve never dated though so that doesn’t help….

· Who is most likely to sleep till noon? – Zeb. I always headcannonthat Lasat sleep a lot more then most species while Alex wakes up at the crackof dawn.

· Who plays the most pranks? – Zeb, he’s always trying to helpKallus to loosen up.

#Kalluzeb #Star Wars Rebels #SWR #Alexsandr Kallus #Garazeb Orrelios #bifinmediasres

15 notes · View notes

bearpillowmonster · 3 years ago

Text

.Hack Story Review

Is this the OG SAO?? I will be spoiling a few small things here and there just for the record, but more just for intrigue than anything specific.

Imagine a person who's gets introduced to a new game but instead of admins having control, the "NPCs" do (The character's NPCs, not ours). There are straight up parts where an admin will stand in front of an area and be like "You shall not pass." but you do anyway, they seriously could care less, they don't know what's going on. Some of these "NPCs" are using that power to make bugs, invincible enemies. But one of them bestows a power onto the main, the power to hack. He hacks into the enemy's data and reconfigures it to meet his liking, namely a much weaker monster. I could see a lot more being used with this mechanic as the games grow. And yes, people hurt by these invincible enemies DO in fact get hurt in real life.

I find the cutscenes more comprehensive from here forth. They get baited by the admins, asking Kite to stay out of the way and delete his character (even though he's supposedly fixing the dungeons one by one) and Kite actually calls them out for doing nothing to help or even stop them. So I guess they do "know".

The monster at the end of the last game is still out there or maybe they were two different beings. 👀 Maybe the thing we saw was...a mutation! But basically this game is really just to introduce the lore. We got a small bit of it with Aura in Infection but this round, it's the "Epitaph of Twilight" which seems to be a sort of omen? Very odd, I've always felt like this whole thing might've been scripted from the start but we don't know that yet.

The Net Slum is very memorable, an environment I wish I actually played to see. I'm all about Island of Misfit Toys mixed with internet culture. It's got hackers and broken AI. I think this would've been a cool place to have some of the characters that were "technically" logged out when they were put into a coma or data drained. Very interesting stuff.

Your safe haven is no longer safe. The hub. Stakes are higher, invincible enemies become more frequent. Is what you're doing working if it's still spreading? This game does a pretty good job of exploring that. The power is at the whim of the user and they show both the salvation and destruction it could cause.

With circumstances so bad, the whole game could become a virus, resulting in having to nuke the servers, including the lost comatose users inside. Which kind of reminds me of the Alicization arc in SAO in concept and while I think it might go more into depth there, I like the delivery more here.

I heard that personal emails start to get dark after a while, I'm not sure if that's only if you respond a certain way or what but I don't really pick that up. But Terajima is introduced in this game...you should already know, I've posted about her, and will probably continue to, I'll leave it be.

But you can prove that these invincible enemies aren't so invincible. Even without data drain! Look at how strong you've gotten over this journey.

I found myself kind of missing the actual games, I know the final bosses are dumb and I'd rather not bother but even if I just played the rest...but in terms of gameplay, you can have the most powerful weapon from the start of this one (from Mutation) so my grinding problem is kind of irrelevant if played right. Though, even if party members are level 99, you have max stats, they don't, they have much lower stats than you're able to get which is a handicap but also probably necessary. (unless that's a bug too? Because the video I watched had BlackRose's stats rise throughout despite being level 99??)

Anyway, I feel like most of the characters could have more relevancy, even with the email quests. Maybe it would benefit from having their irl counterparts but at the same time, SAO managed for a little while by having just them in their game because it was literally them and not just their game character. Like we see what happens to Kite but what do we really know about him? Anyway, to make matters worse, the virus can turn those players into data bugs. Really dark, really sad. From what I hear though, watching the anime makes those moments even sadder.

Overall I'm conflicted because I think the story could do better if it was more condensed but the gameplay doesn't really allow for that, and that's kind of the point so it's hard to chalk up as the wrong medium. Then we have Harald, how exactly did they know he was there? I looked it up and like I said with Infection, it's just hard to get answers to what you're looking for which is all the more reason for a remaster, more people would play it that way. While I never found that answer, I did find something and it has a lot of what I've been looking for. It's called the lparchive and someone there made a really good breakdown. I'll leave it below, he did the whole series and I actually felt the need to go and read it before I finished writing this because there were parts that were just that enlightening. I wish I knew about it sooner so I could've just followed along, which is why I'm informing you of it now.

I imagine certain stuff was remedied through Hack's other media, which I plan to visit later on. But overall, pretty decent.

#.hack #dot hack #outbreak #infection #mutation #story #review #hack spoilers #quarantine #imoq

0 notes