#Maine Mendoza

[artistaforever]

Birthday post for Maja

[famousborntoday]

Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza-Atayde is a Filipina actress and television personality. She is best known for her viral Dubsmash videos and her role as Yaya Dub...

Link: Maine Mendoza

[beautifullovelyfaces]

Maine Mendoza

[nursemichie]

E kasi why?

I always wanted to write. Ma-feeling din kasi ako e! Haha. I know that I am not that good at this because my vocabulary is not that deep compared to those I have the same age with. Despite my hobby of reading novels, diko pa rin magawang i-widen ang vocabs ko. Nakakalimutan ko kasi ang mga words. Haha..

Another reason is to free my thoughts. It is a therapy, really. Atsaka for the memories na rin! I used to keep a journal back when I was in highschool, so now, I have something to look back to when I feel like reminiscing about the past. Same to my future self, there will be something for her to look back on, especially the memoirs of good times.

I was also inspired by Maine Mendoza (Faney ako! Haha.). I read almost all of her blogs and they were so inspiring that I wanted one for myself, so here I am. I like Maine a lot. I think, of all the female artists in the Philippines, she is the most authentic one. I feel like what she’s showing on cam is her real self, walang keme-keme, walang arte-arte. Yun talaga sya. I am also amazed by how she responds to anything they throw at her. She is always graceful and eloquent in handling those issues. Maayos ang mga sagot nya, and always keeping her feet on the ground. Witty, funny and well-educated, san ka pa?! I just got frustrated that she didn’t end up with Alden (crush ko din kasi si Alden haha) but oh well, she married the love of her life and she seemed to be genuinely happy naman with him so as a fan, I am happy for her.

[wittykahitcorny]

Kung di ganito kasaya pre nup video natin, wag na nating ituloy ang kasal. Ang gaganda pa ng songs na ginamit.

[khaebalaaltea97]

Are you still a big fan of Maine Mendoza

If you are then please like it up! Thanks.

[helenofblackthorns]

something I would love to see in better in black is wtf is going on at the NY institute. specifically whose living there because I know it's crazy and I want to see it so bad before CC inevitably has everyone move into their own wildly expensive apartments that they can somehow effort despite not having real jobs 😔💔

like we know Jace and Clary are running it, plus Izzy and Simon are living there (at least for now). Beatriz is the tutor so she might be living there?? Mark and Cristina are both part time in NY and if Diego is the Inquisitor he's also probably relocated for that. and Maryse may also still be living there like 😭 we haven't had a full Institute since tid I need it soo bad

[dragonnarrative-writes]

Kinktober Day 1 - Voyeurism

Kate Laswell x Bricks (CIA Asset OC)

CW: Dub-con/Non-con voyeurism (one person is not aware they are being watched), surveillance, sex work, dirty talk, degradation, impact play, daddy kink, too many mirrors, too much setup and an abrupt ending, big dogs

“Got me Watcher?” Bricks covers the movement of her mouth by touching up her lipstick in the mirrored wall of the elevator.

“Coming in clear,” Kate answers. “Go ahead and run a final calibration on the lenses.” She marks the edges of the camera range as Bricks sweeps her eyes in a practiced pattern to confirm the fit and function of the contacts. When she crosses her eyes and sticks her tongue out, confusing the feed, Kate chuckles. “Save it for Mendoza.”

“Please,” Bricks snickers. “My best is wasted on him.”

The doors open. Two large men, Mendoza’s bodyguards, usher Bricks forward. Real professionals, Kate notes, neither of them letting their eyes linger on stunning legs or exposed cleavage. One waves a wand over her, hair to heels, and the other takes the clutch from Bricks’ hand. He rifles through it, then doesn’t give it back.

“My second best lipstick is in there,” Bricks protests, half-heartedly. “I’m gonna want that back, later.”

“You’ll get it back when you leave,” the man grunts. “Come with us please.”

“Give me doors,” Kate instructs as they proceed down the hall. The cameras flick almost aimlessly as her asset strides between her escorts, but Kate is ready. “Left again,” she murmurs, quickly tagging frames for review. “Good girl.”

Once Bricks is handed off to Mendoza, the real work starts. Dinner goes as expected. Mendoza brags and paws. Bricks is charming, flirty, and teasing. She plays every bit of her part while Kate half listens and reviews data on the guards. Contractors, she notes as Bricks titters about something. Mendoza is just oggling her tits, so Kate continues reading the dossier. Contractors, good ones. Ex-military, but unlikely to see Bricks for the threat she is. The only problem will be-

“Puppies,” Bricks coos, as two Rottweilers come trotting up to the table. “I love dogs. How old are they?”

“They’re trained as part of the security detail,” Kate states as Mendoza goes on about pedigree. “German commands.”

Bricks kisses one of the dogs on the snout. “Do they know any tricks?”

“They’re trained killers,” the mark brags. “Only listen to me and designated handlers.”

“The handler command is folge mir,” Kate provides. Luckily, Bricks isn’t able to comment on her abysmal accent. “Ruhig. Geh runter.”

It doesn’t take long for Mendoza to send the dogs away, tired of not being the center of attention. And Bricks plays him like a fiddle, drawing him all around the penthouse to give Kate sight lines, the layout, and an unobstructed view of the server room through the kitchen.

When he finally catches her, Kate cant help but snort. “Is he as bad a kisser as he sounds? Your not usually this all over the place."

Bricks doesn’t bother to hold back a soft laugh. Mendoza lifts his mouth from her neck with an almost affronted grin. “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry,” she giggles, with a peck to his lips. “Ticklish, and I just feel good with you.”

“Can I make you feel better?”

“Here’s hoping,” Kate mutters as she counts server racks in Bricks’ periphery. The woman’s laugh rings off the marble counter tops.

Kate doesn’t bother watching the feed as Bricks kisses Mendoza down the hall, eyes closed to avoid any chance he might notice her contacts. When she opens her eyes again, Kate stifles a groan and pulls out her cigarettes. Mendoza’s bedroom has an entire wall of mirrors, and another on the wall above his headboard. Bricks kisses him some more, but in no time, she’s bent over the bed, looking at her own breasts nearly spilling from the top of her dress.

She’s there for… a lot longer than Kate expected. Whatever Mendoza is doing, she looks as bored as she ever does when she’s in character. Kate decides to step in when she moans, rote.

“Oh no,” Kate chuckles, grinning when Bricks’ eyes snap to her reflection. “I know you can do better than that. If I have to watch you have sex, you’re going to make it worth my while. Get that ass in the air, lets’s see if Mendoza can’t be good for something.”

Bricks’ next moan is much more resonant. Mendoza echoes her as he bends over her back, no doubt pressing his cock against her barely there panties.

“Ask for a spanking,” Kate commands, lighting a cigarette. “Ask nice, the way I like.”

“Please spank me, daddy,” Bricks moans, holding eye contact with the mirror, staring directly at Kate.

“Good girl, there you go,” Kate purrs, over Mendoza’s tiresome noises. “Too bad he’s going to be such a shit lay. You’re right, your best is wasted on him. Say thank you.”

Bricks hisses after Mendoza gives her three quick, sloppy strikes. “Thank you, daddy.”

“Fuck, you’re a slut, huh?” Mendoza flips her, and Kate laughs to see the mirrored tiles on the ceiling. “I can be your daddy, baby girl.”

“I’m tired of hearing his voice,” Kate scoffs. “Put his mouth to use.”

Bricks opts to grab a fistful of his hair and drag the man down her body. Kate gets to enjoy the view of her, chest heaving and disheveled as she winks up at her reflection. There’s no rolling eyes - there’s nothing of interest in the room, really, and Mendoza is apparently all noise and no skill.

“Touch yourself,” Kate commands. “Give yourself a show, beautiful.”

Bricks draws the fingers of her free hand down her neck, toying with her necklace before pushing the fabric of her dress down beneath full breasts. Kate makes an appreciative noise when she pinches a nipple. The woman in the mirror moans and arches her hips into the mouth between her thighs. Her eyes go half-lidded, when Mendoza pulls away to pant against her, one hand working its way up to prod at her. He groans something about “wet” and “tight,” like he had anything to do with the first and doesn’t understand the implications of the second.

“Please,” Bricks moans at her reflection.

“Oh,” Kate chuckles, “Is he really that good?”

“Roll over,” Mendoza growls as he stands. He’s dropped his pants and underwear.

“No,” Kate snorts. “I’m not watching your bored face as you compare him to Ghost. Ride him.”

All it takes is one skilled twist of Bricks’ hips before Mendoza is lying on his back, groaning under the woman Kate could command to kill him at any moment.

But Kate simply sits back in her chair. “Finish him off before I finish this cigarette, and I’ll let you come.”

Bricks narrows her eyes at the mirror. Kate can almost hear her calculating how long it’s been since she heard the click of the lighter. And then she balances on the balls of her feet and Kate grins as she watches the woman tear Mendoza’s orgasm from him with brutal efficiency.

“Good girl.”

[purplelinks]

3/20/2025: 5

[artistaforever]

Throwback photo of Maja and Maine

[revvethasmythh]

I love how fucking goofy Astarion's seduction techniques are. We're camping indoors, he calls me over, and dude hastily lies down in his "draw me like one of your french girls" pose when he hits homeboy with this one:

Truly, a master seducer at work

also, just, this reply had me rolling:

[necropolis-official]

Before You Live Chapter 1

Introduction

“I’d feel much safer alone” - Alex G

The name is Astrophel Vernon Franklin. It’s quite the mouthful, huh? You’ll get used to it. I am currently seventeen years old. And I study at Red Hill High School. I wish I could say more, but my alarm is about to go off. See you.

Anyway, back to reality.

The sound of my alarm wakes me from my light slumber. My eyes flicker open to glimpse at the light peeking through the curtains of my messy room. Monday. As I sit up, my head begins to pound. I have been getting these headaches quite frequently. It is probably due to my insomnia or other things I can’t quite name due to not being medically informed or anything of the sort.

I swing my legs off the bed and sit on the edge. Currently still in my pajamas. Well, that is if you count the clothes I used when going out as nightwear. I finally get off the bed and head to the bathroom, staring at my reflection, I wince. The bags under my green eyes are more prominent than before. I run a hand through my medium length black hair. I look at my speckled face in pure distaste. Letting out a sigh, I splash cold water on my face to try to calm the pounding in my head and get ready for a shower.

I finally stepped out of the bathroom after my shower. Approaching my closet, I get a glimpse of my body with a towel wrapped around my shoulders through the full-body mirror my closet had on its front. My body isn’t anything impressive. It’s quite pathetic actually. I look like I haven’t eaten in weeks. My skin was deathly pale and I was quite tall. So I just look like some overgrown stick bug.

After getting dressed into the fresh uniform, I get greeted by my mother entering my room with a sour look on her face.

“Yeah?” I say skeptically.

My mother’s expression immediately changed. Her face softened, “Ready for your first day of senior high, hm?”

My own face cringed at the mere mention of being a senior. It is really weird to hear, “Um… yes?” Even I sounded unsure of my own answer.

She mustered up a kind smile, “Don’t worry so much, you’ll do just fine. You have your friend, don’t you?”

I sighed and hesitantly nodded. She was sort of right. I did have one friend, Alexander. He’s been by my side since the ninth grade. We met by him asking me if he wanted to scribble on a sheet of paper with him. Childish, I know. Though I wouldn’t say we’re even friends. I barely engage in conversation or even look at his direction. He’s just been sticking with me ever since because no one else could tolerate or keep up with his energetic personality. Even if I’m the complete opposite of the boy, I can’t help but grow fond of him. I just keep him at arms-length, of course. You never know when someone will just disappear from your life. So I’ve prepared myself for it ahead of time.

My mother gave my shoulders a quick squeeze and said how proud she was of me for making it this far. I couldn’t help but smile slightly at her encouragement. It was sweet, really.

She finally left my room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I fixed up the tie of my uniform and grabbed the messenger bag I prepared the night before and walked out the room. My eyes immediately landed on my father who was drowning himself in bottles of who-knows-what and smoking a cigarette. The scent hit my nostrils right away, making me nauseous. Even though my father has been drinking and smoking for God knows how long, it still makes me uneasy.

I try to walk past the man, but he ends up looking in my direction for a second. I could hear a huff of air escape his lips.

I managed to grab the extra key and step out of the apartment before anything happened.

As I walked down the stairs from the fifth floor to the ground floor, I heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind me when I reached the front door of the apartment building. Before I could turn around, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my shoulders, making me stumble forward slightly, but I caught myself.

“Astrophel!” A familiar voice chimed from behind me.

I sighed inwardly, not of annoyance or anything, just tiredness. It was 7:30 AM after all.

“Alexander.” I greeted in return.

He finally let go of me and stepped in front of me to show his face. His golden locks and brown roots shone in the morning sun. It honestly was a sight to behold, but I’m not here to gawk about it. His almond brown eyes bore into my own. My own eyes drift to the side every few seconds because I just can’t seem to hold eye contact with anyone.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you! I missed you so much!” Alexander expressed how much he missed me with his hands stretched out to his sides. I couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

“Right,” I replied, walking past the boy and out the apartment building. He, of course, followed suit.

~

As we walked to school, he made meaningless conversation. Talking about what he loves and that I should find the beauty in even the smallest things. I sighed inwardly as he kept going.

We finally reached Red Hill High School. The familiar black and gold gates greet the two of us with its daunting presence. The sound of feet shuffling and the occasional greeting filled my ears as students made their way into the school. I’ve been to this school since the seventh grade, but no one really notices my presence. Which, to be honest, I do not mind in the slightest. I spot some familiar faces. And some new faces mixed into the crowd. I know most of their names even though I don’t exactly interact with them on a daily basis. I mostly know from group works or attendance checks.

Alexander and I reach our classroom right before homeroom starts. The teacher was already there, but most of our classmates weren’t. Most likely too busy chatting with one another. I take my seat at the back of the classroom. Alexander sat right beside me.

“Astrophel?” Alexander whispered to me. I looked at him, signalling him to continue.

“I’ve been curious… Why’d you move to this school all those years ago?” His question caught me slightly off guard. Though… It isn’t that unusual for him to ask such questions. I couldn’t tell him exactly why I moved out of my old school, so I decided to answer with a white lie.

“Just… didn’t fit in, is all.” I murmured the lie under my breath.

“Ah… I see.” Alexander hummed in acknowledgement. He didn’t push the subject.

Despite him being a naturally open and energetic person, he knows when to stop prying into people’s business. Sometimes.

More students began pouring into the classroom as homeroom started, the teacher gave opening remarks and tiredly read the welcome back message she was tasked to read to the class.

~

As homeroom came to an end, I took my stuff to head to my first class. Social Studies, not a subject I’m particularly interested in. But it’s required anyway. Alexander signed up for some of the same classes as me, so the boy followed along by my side.

I took a seat in the third row of chairs while Alexander took the one in front of me. The teacher wasn’t there yet, so Alexander sat backwards on his seat to look at me with his little smile. The snaggletooth in the top row of his teeth peeking out from his parted lips.

“What?” I looked into the other’s eyes. But my gaze ends up drifting away.

“Nothing.” Alexander said, continuing to blatantly stare at me.

This is normal.

The teacher finally arrived, taking Alexander’s attention. Social studies class was around an hour long. So I’m in for a long ride.

I see Alexander seemingly writing down notes for class like me, but that thought was erased the moment Alexander turned around and placed a sticky note on my table. I didn’t bother to read it for like a minute or so. When I did, the note read:

“Astro!! Can we eat lunch at the field later????”

I wrote down my reply, tapped on his shoulder, and gave the note. It was simply: “Sure.”

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Noam Kaniel - The Mysterious Cities of Gold 1982

Esteban: Child of the Sun, known outside of Japan as The Mysterious Cities of Gold (French: Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or), is a French-Japanese anime series, animated by Studio Pierrot. Mitsuro Kaneko (MK Productions) wanted to make an animated series based on the young adult fiction novel The King's Fifth by Scott O'Dell; a book that detailed how the Spanish stripped the New World of all its riches. The story was adapted by Jean Chalopin and Bernard Deyriès, and is very loosely based on the novel; in 1532, a Spanish orphan named Esteban joins Mendoza, a navigator, in his search for one of the Seven Cities of Gold in the New World. They are joined on their quest by Zia, an Incan girl, and Tao, the last descendant of the sunken empire of Mu (Hiva in the English version). The series is a mix of ancient South American history, archaeology, and science fiction. During their journey, the travellers encounter the Mayas, Incas, and Olmecs. They discover many lost technological solar-powered wonders of the Mu Empire, while they're constantly pursued by the antagonists who are also in search of the Cities of Gold.

Jean Chalopin founded the production company DiC Entertainment in 1971, which specialized in children-oriented television and film productions. Through the company, he co-created, co-wrote, and/or produced successful television series, including Ulysses 31 (poll #541), Inspector Gadget (poll # ? :) ), The Real Ghostbusters, Sonic Underground, Dennis the Menace, Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, and Heathcliff.

The Mysterious Cities of Gold was directed by Bernard Deyriès, Edouard David, Kenichi Murakami and Kenichi Maruyama. Shingo Araki was involved with the series as an animator and some episodes were directed by Toyoo Ashida and Tatsunoko Production veteran Mizuho Nishikubo. Nobuyoshi Koshibe composed the original Japanese score, while the Western version is credited to Shuki Levy. Originally, Koshibe's score was to be used for the French version as well. However, Bernard Deyriès recalled his reaction to the proposed music he heard from Ulysses 31 in that he felt that the score was rather understated as he was expecting a more adventurous feel, something akin to films like the Indiana Jones movies. At that point Shuki Levy had met up with Bernard Deyriès, in which he became involved with the soundtracks of Ulysses 31 and The Mysterious Cities of Gold. Levy has been credited to the music of a huge amount of shows such as Inspector Gadget, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Digimon: Digital Monsters, Sylvanian Families, Heathcliff, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (poll #543), and Lucky Luke.

When The Mysterious Cities of Gold was rebroadcast in Japan on NHK BS2 from 1998 to 1999, the animation was imported back from France and the audio was redubbed. NHK had erased the original VTR when their contract expired, and the rights holder had lost the master copy. The voice actress for the main character, Esteban, was the only one to reprise her role. The second season of the series, serving as a continuation of the original 1982 series, premiered on La Trois in Belgium on November 17, 2012; 30 years after the original first season was aired.

"The Mysterious Cities of Gold" received a total of 57,7% yes votes.

[manessha545]

Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, South America: The Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, also called Cristo Redentor, is a mountain pass in the Andes between Argentina and Chile. It is the main transport route out of the Chilean capital city Santiago into Mendoza Province in Argentina and so carries quite heavy traffic. Wikipedia

[mixelation]

tori: it's not about sasori. it's about me being right and other people being wrong

sasori: how is it NOT about me

sasori: give me this ridiculous thing you're doing. i'm going to do it better

Tori, #1 sasori girl au my beloved

tori: i want to be loved and respected and also a little bit feared

obito: by the sasori fanzine girls

tori: BY THE SASORI FANZINE GIRLS

[lulu2992]

Today is the fourth anniversary of HITMAN 3, the last game in the World of Assassination trilogy!

I’ve wanted to write something about it for a while because I love it, but as much as I enjoyed playing it, taking my time exploring the levels, finding useful objects, taking notes, completing challenges, listening to conversations, following my targets, and being as stealthy as I could to reach “perfection” in each mission, what I’d like to talk about today is the scenario. Indeed, this trilogy doesn’t just have good gameplay, a nice soundtrack, and pretty visuals, it also has a great story.

My favorite thing about Hitman, at least in the most recent games (the first I played was the divisive Hitman: Absolution), also happens to be one of the main focuses of this trilogy: the relationship between the protagonist, Agent 47, and his handler (I would even say the deuteragonist), Diana Burnwood.

To me, their bond is just so special, unique, and compelling, so nearly four years after finishing HITMAN 3, I decided to write this post as an attempt to finally organize my many thoughts about it, but also and mostly, about them.

My relationship with theirs: how it started vs. how it’s going.

When I want to summarize what’s going on between Diana and 47, I usually like to describe their connection as “platonic, but more in the French acceptation of the term”... which must sound rather confusing or boring to most of you, especially if you’re a native English speaker, but I’m not, so let me explain what it means to me.

I must digress for a moment here but, the first few times I saw people use the term “platonic” in English to talk about friends or even family, I was quite confused. In French, if we say a relationship is “platonique”, there’s only a small chance that what we mean is, “They’re just friends” and a much higher probability that what we’re actually saying is, “They’re having a soulmates-level of romance so deep and spiritual that carnality is completely unnecessary” instead. I’d find it weird to use that word to describe relationships that are inherently not sexual; it mostly refers to a “special” kind of romance in French.

And this is what Diana and 47’s relationship is to me: something powerful and unconventional that I don’t think can reasonably be described as definitely romantic but that simultaneously manages to be, somehow, the ultimate form of romance.

So, as a fan of this unusual and seemingly unbreakable bond, playing through the entire trilogy was a delight. There were a few scenes in the first two games that made me smile like an idiot (such as this one), but in HITMAN 3 in particular, there were even more moments to enjoy.

I was pleased to see 47 get a bit upset when he realized Lucas didn’t fully trust Diana and to hear him affirm she would make things right because “she always does”, felt vindicated when she told Edwards he was “delusional” if he thought she could betray 47, was touched when Olivia said she understood why he wanted to “protect her”, then both surprised by the bluntness and happy with the assertiveness of 47’s “You don’t know her” after she questioned Diana’s allegiance, and I even pretty much turned into that “excited Kermit” reaction GIF when Diana explained she was 47’s only weakness even though that was exactly what I expected her to say.

Finally, in Mendoza, the most exciting mission for me despite its worrying name (“The Farewell”), I loved their conversation at the beginning, was glad to hear that he was right about her true intentions and loyalty all along, and much like he clearly was, caught off guard when she touched his hand. In the rest of the level, I enjoyed following her around and found their banter and synergy quite delightful, especially at the end. Then, of course, there was also the tango.

But when the “Necessary Evil” cutscene happened, I was… upset. Well, the first time I saw it, at least, because there is so, so much more depth and beauty to this scene than I initially realized, as concerned as part of me was that yet another franchise I love had forgotten its own lore and was collapsing in on itself before my eyes, ripping away from me what I loved most about it. Thankfully, that was not what was happening.

Looking at what I know of their history, I was and still am very much confident that Diana and 47 would rather turn against the rest of the world (and do it together) than be disloyal to each other, so even though I kept telling myself that her betrayal was fake and she had a plan, I was disappointed to see that, contrary to what I thought, they weren’t past the point of pretending to deceive and/or kill each other as a way to fool and bring down powerful people and organizations. She “killed” him in Blood Money, he “killed” her in Absolution; they were even. She most likely thought things had to happen this way to truly work, but I hoped they were done keeping secrets from one another. I’m still sad she had to trick him, and even more so that, even for just a moment, he genuinely thought she was serious and that he had lost her too.

In the toxin-induced and introspective hallucination that follows, 47 faces his worst fears... and some happen to be Diana deriding, belittling, and abandoning him. This was painful to watch because those are distressing thoughts for him, but to be honest, I also liked seeing just how much she meant to him. When he watches her dancing with Edwards, I couldn’t help but think of that scene in Polarized, the fifth episode of Life is Strange, in which Max, also drugged, has a nightmare and sees her “special friend” Chloe criticizing and replacing her. Fortunately, 47 quickly reconsiders the situation, talking some sense into himself with the help of “Lucas”. The other voice in his mind, Diana’s, encourages him to trust his intuition, and so he finally understands what he has to do.

Although she partly left him in the dark about her strategy and there are certain things she didn’t say, rewatching “Necessary Evil” made me appreciate how much Diana did say and how significant all of that was. Indeed, despite the apparent disingenuity of her act, the context suggesting, at first glance, that she’s either backstabbing him or purely playing a character, and the rather contemptuous tone she made sure to use to fool her audience, it’s since become apparent to me that she meant every single word she said.

She makes it sound like she’s turning against him and doesn’t want to see him anymore, but what she’s actually saying is that he, like everyone else, should be free to forge his own path. Even though she meant no harm and believed it was what he needed when she recruited him, she felt she used him, that he was only a tool, a weapon she controlled, and it was not right. He didn’t object when she chose him as her agent 20 years earlier, but had he not lost his memory and been truly able to make an informed decision, what would he have chosen?

And when she says she knows it was 47 who killed her parents, which is something he (and the players) only recently discovered, although she doesn’t even blame him for it, he apologizes. He sincerely apologizes, with an unusual and palpable pain in his voice. He’s genuinely sorry for what happened (so much so that he thinks that’s reason enough for her to want him dead), and maybe also for not having had the courage to tell her the horrifying truth. She deserved to know, but maybe out of shame, because he didn’t want her to suffer or for their relationship to be affected, he chose not to say anything. Had she known the full story sooner, though, what would she have chosen?

Diana’s last words before she leaves and he loses consciousness are, “This is a kindness. Goodbye... agent”. “Goodbye”, not “farewell”. “Agent”, not “47”. This is the end of the partnership she realized she imposed on him, but whether or not it’s also the end of the friendship they nonetheless built along the way is up to him. She’s been the one making most of the choices this whole time, and now it’s his turn. Calling what she’s just done a “kindness” isn’t a lie or emotional manipulation; it’s a fact. In their “own special way”, they care about each other, deeply and earnestly, but both of them also made selfish decisions they convinced themselves were in the other’s best interest. In that scene, they’re finally facing their past(s) and accepting the truth, freeing themselves and each other in the process.

“Necessary Evil” was initially worrying to watch, but what it shows isn’t the brutal and grim end of a 20-year partnership; it’s a moment of pure honesty, maybe even the most heart-to-heart conversation Diana and 47 have ever had. After this “last tango”, she sets him free, allowing him to live the life he wants. At last.

Although, again, I would have preferred her to do things differently and spare him that suffering, I also absolutely love the fact she didn’t even need to reveal her full plan for him to figure out what it was and carry it out exactly the way she expected him to. I suppose it’s not that surprising since he’s already demonstrated many times in many ways that he knows her better than anyone else does (and vice versa, probably), but it’s still fascinating. They don’t need words to communicate anymore, yet the few they exchanged before leaving Mendoza were salutary. A necessary evil, indeed.

In the last scene of the game, one year later, 47 recontacts Diana and informs her of his decision to go back to doing his former job, but this time by choice and on his own terms. “It’s good to be back”, he says with a smile (yes, a smile) on his face. There was one on mine too as I realized this was a callback to the very first “Announcement Trailer” for the World of Assassination trilogy. In the video, however, it was Diana who said, “Good to have you back” while he remained silent the whole time. In more than one way, the trilogy ends the way it started, but the major difference is that 47 now truly has a voice.

“I choose him”, confidently said Diana in the prologue, thus starting their productive partnership. More than 20 years later, he’s back in business, not because he has to but because he wants to, believing his mission is not done and wishing to continue it… but not alone. Finally free to do whatever he pleases and having had time to decide what he wanted his life to be, 47 came to a conclusion, and what he tells Diana in the epilogue, implicitly but assuredly, is, “I choose you.”

Almost six years after it was first announced, the trilogy has come full circle, and it feels like IO Interactive had it all planned out from the start. Diana and 47 are back to being partners, and by embracing their past, they can build their future on better, stronger, and healthier foundations. Now, more than ever, it’s them together against the rest of the world. As a fan of their duo, as well as nicely wrapped-up and carefully written stories in general, I don’t know if I could have dreamt of a more satisfying ending.

Perfectly executed.