#Mirage is what actually got me into the game | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

justmasblack · 2 months ago

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Mirage

Sauron/Annatar x Female elf reader, Celebrimbor x Female elf reader -Is it?-

Summary: Your husband Wants the rings but Some smith is getting on his nerves in so many ways.

Word count: Almost 2.5k

Author: This is my first ever published fanfic for any fandom, It hasn't been beta. I really hope to know what you think of it, Have fun I guess.

Warnings: Blood, Slight smut, Graphic scenes, Less than 18 please Don't read.

"This all can stop, All of it." I kneeled by Celebrimbor's side, He doesn't have much, I know it, He knows it and therefore my words are empty and my promises are hollow to him.

"If only I gave you the nine rings." He tiredly nodded."Name what you want, I will make sure you get it."

"Anything?"

"Anything" I caressed his face gently.

"Kill your husband" My hand retracted as if it was hit by lightning.

"Kill my husband and have the rings And live lonely, Just like you did." I replied coldly.

"Is it the only reason you are with him? So you wouldn't be lonely?"

"You can never understand, He loves me Celebrimbor, He Loves me." I viciously replied.

"But who do you love my dear friend?"I swallowed hardly the lump that formed in my throat because of his question and the fact he still calls me his friend, I didn't know if he actually meant it or not, But Who do I love indeed?. Am I still in love with Mainor?, Or Is it just just a habit by now?. Centuries passed since we were last together. Is he even still in love with me?.

Celebrimbor sensed my hesitation and decided to twist the knife deeper."He doesn't love you, He never did, He isn't capable of that and you know it."I was having enough of Celebrimbor's games and decided to focus again on my mission. He will never know how far Mairon can go for me.

..............................................................................

Five courses lied on our dinner table."I know you don't have much of an appetite but you will definitely love what I had prepared for you" He grabbed my seat for me to sit down and went to sit in his seat.

He pointed to the servants to uncover the five courses that was put in front of me to find 5 elven heads. Not just any elfs, I will always remember the elfs who killed my family, Their heads now lie in front of me. I chuckled and couldn't help the tears that streamed down my face. I got up of my chair and he met me half way.

" I promised you to quench your revenge fire, Now I promise I will never let anyone hurt you again"

"And I promise that you would never be alone again"I didn't know who needed that promise me or him, But I knew something for a fact that night. I knew He was the one for me and I would do anything for him.

...............................................................................

"We will never let anyone know that it was you who gave them to us, The massacre of your people and the destruction of your legacy will stop and......" Celebrimbor chuckled at my promises.

"Or......" I put my index on my mouth "We could deny you death and he would let me keep you as a pet." I caressed his face delicately and whispered in his ears "Trust me my dear celebrimbor, You will hate it."

My husband entered the forge at this very moment "What's taking so long?." He was impatient and agitated.

"His head is indestructible." I grimaced at celebrimbor and got up leaving him for my husband to deal with. I watched the city being brought to ashes from the window.My husband took pleasure in tormenting Celebrimbor. He was always good when it came to that.

..........................................................................

"Do we really have to do this?"

"We must do this, Otherwise we can lose each other any moment again and this time, It could be forever" Those were the words of my husband who came back as Annatar, Lord of the gifts.

Centuries of mourning, During them I built my life in Eregion, Had a new name, New identity and new feelings for the master of the city.

Mainor taught me some craft in our leisure. He loved teaching me everything and I always wanted to learn quickly and be perfect for him.

The things I learnt from my husband were the things that drew Celebrimbor's attention to me. I felt seen for the first time in centuries. So when my husband showed up again and told me of his plan, I hesitated but eventually agreed as he told me it was the only way to be together again. I never thought that this plan would involve tormenting Celebrimbor that much or that long as he wasn't supposed to discover the true identity of Annatar that quickly.

................................................................................

"You will never reach whatever mirage you are seeking Sauron".

"You will be surprised how resourceful I can be Celebrimbor" Celebrimbor snickered at Sauron's vanity.

"You can't even see what you lost even when it's in front of you" Sauron followed Celebrimbor's gaze and his eyes widened.

"Enjoying the view".

"What?" I frowned as I was snapped from my train of thoughts by his comment.

" I ... Said.... Are you enjoying the view?" He approached me with the coldest stare in his eyes, I didn't know what urged it but I knew something was wrong as I was perplexed by his question and his next words planted terror in my bones.

"Finish him".

"What?" I looked with horror at celebrimbor who was barely conscious.

"Why?, We didn't get the rings yet" I hid my panic as my breath started to hitch.

"We won't get them from him, I will get them the hard and traditional way, I will look for them myself, NOW...- He shoved a blade into my hand- Finish him".

I hesitated and he caught that hesitation, He grabbed my arm.

"Are you defying me?" I frantically shaked my head. "Just let me convince him, I know I can" My husband's grip almost broke my arm before he let go of it. "You have only one try and you will kill him" He pushed me towards celebrimbor whom I kneeled beside and held his face gently. "It doesn't have to be this way, Please Celebrimbor, I don't want to see in hurt, It doesn't have to end this way" My forehead rested against his head while I whispered my words into his ear.

" Leave..... I don't want you to witness this". Celebrimbor whispered in pain.

" We will eventually find them, With your help or without it, Your life is too precious to be lost this way".

"Leave for good" He looked at me while saying his last words to me.

...............................................................................

Sauron was barely containing his anger and jealousy, Did his wife actually betrayed him?, Did she stop loving him and left him like that elf had said?, She is begging the elf and he is shamelessly telling her to leave him, Her husband while he is witnessing all of it.

"That's it, You failed, Finish him" I looked at my husband who approached us, His face darkened and I knew there is no room for any more delay. I held the blade again but it felt so heavy in my hand, It wasn't the first time I kill but why I couldn't lift my hand as it felt so numb. My husband gave me his back waiting for me to finish my mission.

Celebrimbor noticed my hesitation and he decided to spare me such cruelty.

"Asking your wife to kill me instead of you is kinda beneath you, I thought we had special time Annatar Or shall I say Shadow of Morgoth. Listen to me very well Shadow of Morgoth, Listen to the Dying words Of Celebrimbor, The last prince of house Fëanor, Those Rings of power shall be your destruction and your ruin, You lose everything because of them Lord of Rings and EVERYONE"

................................................................................

I couldn't take the teasing of that elf anymore, I grabbed a spear, stuck it into his abdomen and lifted him with it. My wife screamed and covered her face. I looked at her and the blade that fell of her hand then looked at Celebrimbor.

I told him the last words he will ever hear "I WILL WIN EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU GIFTED ME THEM". Then I fixed the spear to the ground. I decided to put all my focus on my wife or whom I thought was my wife, I uncovered her face with my hands to find her crying.

"Are those tears for me or for him? Answer me." She flinched and tried to free her face from my grip. "You are hurting me", She grabbed my wrist. "You loved him, Didn't you?. Do you love him?", I let go of her chin and dug my fingers in her arms holding her in place, She shaked her head, closed her eyes and let her tears stream.

"I want to hear you say it, Do You Love Him?"

"No" She whispered but her thoughts screamed yes, My eyes widened and a tear fell down my cheek. My hands fell by my side, She opened her eyes at the loss of my touch and cupped my face.

"You are my husband, We swore long time ago for better or worse. Mairon, I choose you, It's always gonna be you. Please let's go home. Please."

................................................................................

I woke up in my bed in Mordor, I don't how I got here, I saw my husband standing at the head of my bed looking at my lying figure, I sit in my bed with my head spinning. "How did I come back here? When?."

He took his time before answering. "You felt overwhelmed and lost your consciousness, Apparently you have grown soft with time"

I looked at my lab, He lies straight to my face, He knocked me down, I know it but he would never admit it.

"It's good to be back home" I whispered but he never commented. I got off my bed and walked to him, He refused to meet my eyes.

"I missed you, I Missed us, I missed this" I put my hand on his heart and took his hand to put it on mine. " Mairon" I whispered his name but he still didn't react, I tried to kiss him but he wasn't kissing me back so I was about to head back to my bed before his hand grabbed my wrist. He pulled me closer to him and hungrily kissed me. He threw me back on our bed, We both lost our garments quickly. His moves were harder than anytime and my moans of his name were louder.

I wanted him to have me, with his mouth and his touches. I wanted him to remind me of what we had and make me forget the mirage of what I almost had. I wanted his touches to cleanse me of my forbidden thoughts, Claim me as his and make me repent from any feeling or smile or even a word of affection I targeted anyone else but him with it.

Tears fell down my face and I didn't know if it was because I am finally with my husband for the first time in centuries or because of his moves that felt like punishment or because I had a hand in the demise of Celebrimbor. My heart was clenching in my chest and I couldn't place the reason, A feeling I thought I had forgotten, Could it be guilt? Or something else?.

After coming down from multiple highs, I rested my head over his chest listening to his heartbeat. I always loved doing that. His heartbeat was always relaxing and hypnotizing to me.

...............................................................................

I watched as he was experimenting his ideas. He always preferred the early hours of the morning before the forge gets crowded.

"Don't you have some work to finish or Are you gonna watch me all day?" I smirked at the lord who haven't spared me a look yet.

"I finished it yesterday". He sighed and left what he was doing and I advanced to stand by his side.

"You never listen, I thought I told you to finish it today and go get some rest." I smiled at his frustration, Did he actually care about me or was it all in my head?

"What? You can't blame me, It's not my fault I have a master that inspire that devotion in me."

"You are taking the day off, When did you finish your work?"

"Two hours ago" I smiled admiring his feature from this close.

"And why aren't you in bed already?"

"I couldn't sleep, Not when I know I can get a front seat to watch that inspiration before the forge gets crowded." He sighed but decides to fiddle with some of the papers in front of him.

"I will never surpass you, Will I? You will always be the master and I am the pupil." "That's not right, One day you will be even greater. You need more experience and to never rush time wanting to grow up quickly, Who knows you could be my heir or my successor." I shaked my head at his words, I knew what he meant but I grew tired of that game.

"But I don't want to be your heir or successor."

"Y/n" He whispered my name

"Celebrimbor" I held his face gently.

"Listen I will not act on my feelings if it's not mutual and be assured I would never embarrass you by any indecent action but Please stop dismissing them as if they don't exist or they are vile. It hursts me." His worried eyes looked down then looked at me again.

"I never said they were vile. You are young"

"I am old celebrimbor" My hands left his face.

"And I am even older. You deserve someone younger."

"Don't tell me what I deserve, Especially when I know exactly what I want, But I get it now, You will always be married to your craft and I don't like to share."

"You will find someone more proper than me."

"No, There's no one like you." I lowered my gaze and turned my face the other way snickering at my ridiculousness. There's actually someone like him and I am tied to him. Already.

"It's just you are different." I painfully smiled at him and before I leave the forge , I turned my face with sad smile over my face.

"You would have been a great husband and a magnificent father celebrimbor."

...............................................................................

The bitterness in sauron mouth increased. He wanted to kill his wife in her sleep. How dare she touch him while thinking and dreaming of another?He won, He really won, celebrimbor. Not only he denied him the elf rings but also he stole from him his most precious thing. Sauron only saw it now that no matter the outcome to the situation. It's celebrimbor who won.If he had killed him or If he hadn't. If he killed his wife or If he didn't. Sauron lost this battle

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sugar-grigri · 11 months ago

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I think I remember you making references to Fire Punch in a few analysis post so I assume you've read that one, but have you read Goodbye Eri, and if so do you have any particular thoughts you want to share on it? It might be my favorite, although it's hard to rank Fujimoto's works because there's something different I like about all of them.

Hi Yuta! or is it Fujimoto?

2022, Goodbye Eri is released and I'm in for a huge slap in the face! I've finally got the chance to talk about it, so thank you!

It's hard to come after the war after this one-shot has been the subject of so much analysis, interpretation and criticism. But I think it's a work that's deliberately designed to be a trap, and the first mistake would be to try absolutely hard to determine whether Goodbye Eri is true or false.

Trying to detect the true and the false is futile, not that it's really impossible, but arguments could be several pages long and the theories put forward would remain mere hypotheses because no explicit confirmation is given. Quite simply because this is not the aim of the work, nor a satisfactory way of reading it.

For example, when Yuta's father seems to be getting angry with Eri, we understand from Eri's "And Cut!!!" that it was all a set-up. So, as a good reader, we can only assume that what follows is pure reality. However, the father, now an actor, if he should play his line differently.

As another illustration, when Eri is close to death and Yuta are talking, there are a few hints that they might have a relationship, but this is denied by Yuta himself, in a discussion with Eri's friend.

The film plays with this to such an extent that all sorts of theories are possible. It could just as easily be interpreted as there being only two films (on Yuta's mother and then on Eri's death), two films but in different ways: one about Yuta's mother and a second film about Eri, as a vampire, with the end scene played by Yuta's father and by Eri before her death.

This explains why, even after Eri's death, Yuta continues to film because the film isn't actually finished yet, the editing being there to reverse the scenes played chronologically, to make it look as if Eri was still alive, and so on. ..

As you can see, it all makes sense, and our preference is purely personal because they all work. But I'm not going to play that game, because it only shows me one thing, and that's that the plot surrounding Eri is deliberately obscure.

I've seen a lot of people describe Goodbye Eri as a work about dealing with death - the way we want to remember those we've lost, etc... It's about mourning, symbolically saying goodbye, hence the title. Which is true! But it goes further than that.

Eri's plot is deliberately obscure because the right way to appropriate the work is not through her. She's the character we know least about. Physically alone, we learn that she wore glasses and braces. Mentally, she was more annoying than she seemed in the movie. Eri is a mirage in which we won't find answers, so we have to learn to say goodbye.

The only reliable information given in this OS is that everything is filmed by Yuta's phone. And in reality, you know Yuta better than Eri, so it's him you should turn to...

Hi Yuta!

Yuta is almost never shown in this OS, as he is always filming. And when he is shown accurately, it's when he's inspired by other films by watching them with Eri, in other words, he's continuing to work on his own film by watching others.

Yuta's first film began as a result of his mother's narcissistic desire, as he was celebrating his birthday, discovering his gift, a smartphone, all of which was directly taken over by his mother, who asked him to film her until she died.

By keeping only the good sides of his mother, ignoring all the abusive parts of her, Yuta does not follow his parent's wishes, he does it for himself, showing what he himself wants to retain from his childhood, his story, in order to move forward properly.

But as everything is filmed, it gives the impression that the videos have been passively lined up without any sorting, without any choice. Yuta takes his revenge because he refuses to film his mother until the day she dies, stopping before then, preferring an explosion to conclude his film. It's brutal because it's as if Yuta's tastes, his little touch of fantasy, are suddenly surfacing, while the rest of the film is just as personal, just as him. So when his film is mocked, it's a work so personal that Yuta wants to die.

It's not insignificant that it's Eri who intervenes, whose only certainty was that she loved not only the films but also Yuta's, simply because she saw not only Yuta's mother in this film but also him, whom she considered to be the best character. She wasn't revolted by the ending, because she was aware of Yuta's touch throughout the film. The same ambiguity then resurfaces, we don't know if Eri is in love with Yuta, she corrects him to say that it's these films, the two are so linked, that liking Yuta's films is tantamount to liking the teenager.

Yuta follows Eri's desire to produce a film that is above all personal to him, to the point that when Eri sees her last moments narrated by him, she sees Yuta more than herself, because she is seen through someone else's eyes.

For me, there aren't two or three films, but just one from start to finish. Because you see, we've said goodbye to Eri, we've got out of her tricky story to reflect on Yuta, but we still haven't stepped back enough. Because you know who made the film, and it's not Yuta, it's Fujimoto. So, third stage :

let's salute Fujimoto.

The film we've just seen in this OS deals with a number of overlapping themes, the way in which a loved one is portrayed, the relationship with others, death, creation, but above all, the extent to which a work is personal. Goodbye Eri is a pretext for Fujimoto to show us the extent to which even the cutting is the fruit of reflection, is already a message.

In this OS, all the boxes are in the video format of a smartphone, each moving, static shot depends on Yuta, just as each shot is in the third row, drawn by someone.

People make the mistake, like the first audience of Yuta's film about his mother, of relating to works as linear stories to be trusted, even if they film his mother every day, Yuta's editing is his way of counting a story, it is certainly not the truth in all its neutrality. It's only at the moment of the explosion, which expresses the most of Yuta's personality, that people get upset.

This offbeat, absurd explosion is something that Fujimoto punctuates in his works, yet they are both thought out and personal to him. But they are often mocked as a way of poking fun at his work. What Fujimoto is saying is that the work doesn't become brutally personal for the controversial, offbeat moments, just the way he depicts a scene from life is personal.

People believed this version of the author's mother, otherwise they wouldn't be outraged by this disgraceful way of portraying this nice woman at the end, so in itself, Yuta's film worked. But all this is just a pretext for Fujimoto to point out that he is the author of all his other works, CSM, Fire Punch, Look Back, Just Listen to the Song... They are just like another film made in response to the positive or negative reactions of the others.

Fujimoto likes to trace the common ground between these works, which respond to each other. Each one, placed side by side, is an attempt by Fujimoto to upset his audience a little more, a second or third try.

The mistake is to separate the author's touch from his work, just as we are tempted to focus more on Eri than Yuta. Just as Fujimoto reminds us through this OS, who writes, draws Goodbye Eri. The first part of CSM was turned upside down by the fact that Makima was a demon from the start, abusive to the point of being the antagonist.

A violent and abusive maternal relationship. The design of the mother is also a bit similar. Mentions of the breasts, something that also went down quite a bit and left its mark on a lot of readers because it was so out of sync. The emphasis on cats... A rejected boy. A work focused on female characters.

Goodbye Eri is a work in which Fujimoto makes fun of himself, his works and the things that bring them together. Yes, there will be an explosion if the author so decides. Yes, Eri can live again, be a vampire, if the author so decides, but what's to stop him making his characters die, and then bringing them back to life a few pages later?

The characters' plots are the authors' playgrounds, whether you like it or not. You can't detach works from their authors, or read works as unrelated things because they were written by the same person. Talking about death, life, mourning, love, with a touch of fantasy is what Fujimoto does in each of them.

So if you're lost, remember that what you're reading isn't in the title but in the author.

#goodbye eri #sayonara eri #fujimoto tatsuki #eri #yuta #makima #csm #chainsaw man #fire punch #look back #one shot #analysis #my thoughts #credit to Reddit for the last image @/blackfish171

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lalunanymph · 1 year ago

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𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐆𝐎

↳ a foul-mouthed, aggressive, pro-soccer player on the verge of being disqualified from the biggest game of his life, is tossed into a fake relationship with a spoiled heiress to salvage their bad public reputation. what exactly could go wrong?

𖨆♡𖨆 itoshi rin x fem!reader

cw. mentions of injuries, angst, mentions of food, the itoshi brothers and their horrible communication skills, mentions of medication, arguments, shidou being a menace, language

masterlist | playlist

#6: HIS CONFESSIONS

Rin didn’t know what compelled him to open his mouth, or for those words to tumble freely from his loosened lips. He liked to think it was grief which compromised his unwavering pride for a split second. Or, the guilt for what he did and said to his brother when he exhaled—

“Teach me how to win her back.”

Sae’s expression betrayed a hint of surprise when those cold features morphed into begrudging curiosity.

His deadened stare sparked to life with a flicker of interest, and he regarded his younger brother for a long moment. When the silence got too much for Rin to bear and he wanted to walk away and play it off as the after effects of a mild concussion, Sae tilted his head to one side.

Another agonising moment later, he nodded.

“Fine,” his older brother mumbled. “On one condition.”

Rin waited for him to counter-offer something humiliating which his ego and pride would never consent to him doing. He anticipated the other shoe to drop, and tensed, shoulders squared and ready to take back his foolish question, replacing it with spat hatred into Sae’s face.

But, his nii-chan’s next words shook him to the core, and he thought he might actually be suffering from a concussion when Sae said: “Play soccer with me again.”

Rin’s shoulders slumped, and something achy and hot pressed in the back of his throat. It crept into his eyes, burning a stinging path which bubbled over into beads of tears forming right on his lash line. Sae, too, could not bear to look at him; like he was a mirage and if he stared too long at his little brother, Rin might vanish.

“Oh.” Rin spoke past the lump in his throat, ignoring Shidou who hovered in his periphery like a gnat, batting its wings and waiting to float back to Sae’s side. “... okay.”

Their moment was interrupted by Shidou’s loud gagging. “What is this? A fucking Hallmark movie? You both are corny as fuck. Lame.”

He jammed his large hands into his hoodie and rolled his vermillion eyes, stalking back towards whichever hell hole he came from. “See you later, Sae. Don’t get too weepy.”

“Man, fuck you,” Sae murmured mildly.

“I would if you gave me a chance.”

Rin’s disgusted grimace broke the fine film of tension between the two men and Sae shook his head absentmindedly. Looking back at his brother, he motioned to a nearby field which was empty this afternoon save for a shoddy goalpost and one discarded, almost deflated soccer ball.

“One on one?”

Unlike that wintry night when Sae challenged him to the same thing, Rin didn’t feel a sense of foreboding or dread. He welcomed the sunshine shimmering in his vision, almost blinded by the faintest glint of sincerity in his brother’s irises. Sae picked up the ball, and just like when they were both teenagers again, he shot his brother a challenging smirk.

“Ready?”

Rin nodded, stepping forward out of his shell and into the man he already was today; a champion and a worthy opponent. A man who had proven himself multiple times in the big field. A man enough to go against Itoshi Sae.

“Ready.”

It was time to put old ghosts to rest.

The thunderous applause echoing across the gilded palace rooms vibrated through your very soul.

Its ardour would’ve scared you if it was not directed towards your creations waltzing down the catwalk, validating your belief in your designing prowess. The spectators called you Japan’s next best underground fashion designer, and many heiresses, too, wanted you to dress them for their next event.

Your works encapsulated a mix between ornamental opulence and sleek simplicity; kimono-inspired suit sets made from spun golden silk, body-hugging cashmere and luxurious sleeves showcasing models of every ethnicity and body size as their godlier versions. A true spectacle considering the palace’s heavenly aesthetics which complimented your creative touch.

You took one shaky step up onto the stage, and the lights almost blinded you; you were wrapped in a simple black corset dress from your collection, its sleeves trailing down to your knees and almost covering your hands when you humbly clasped them in front of you, bowing lowly to the applause.

The fashion critics remained impassive, and you had no doubt they would try to find an opening to diss a relatively unknown fashion designer. They may call you a nepotism baby, never mind that your father was famous in the sports world and this was the first attempt for the L/N name to breach through the fashion industry.

You let the naysayers whisper behind your back, already feeling like you achieved something because you took the first step—trusted yourself to put your abilities forward when the whole world saw you as nothing but a spoiled rich brat. That was considered a win in your book.

“Congratulations, Miss L/N!” Every designer and model you worked with bore a bright smile when you went backstage to speak to them.

Warmth suffused across your cheeks, and you shook your head, giving them back the credit. “No, it is all of you who deserve the recognition for bringing my designs to life.” Bowing low to each of them, you said, “Thank you for putting your trust in me.”

The talented individuals were touched by your acknowledgement, and it showed in their bright smiles and shiny eyes.

“Tonight, drinks are on me,” you announced to the whole room through your cupped palms. Everyone cheered and the legendary near frenzied post-party after a fashion show began with manic cleaning up and rapid-fire jokes going off across every room.

Someone touched your arm amidst the chaos, and you turned to find Damara, her light eyes twinkling with mirth.

“A gentleman is outside of the building and he’s requesting a one-on-one with you. Fair warning, he’s rather good-looking.”

You blinked, retracing in your mind who would have expressed interest in your works and stifled a gasp. Was it perhaps Itachibana-san himself who promised your father he would drop in for this show? Junni’s dad always did have a soft spot for you, and his contacts extended towards the top fashion conglomerates in the world. You pictured the mature, but still attractive man waiting for you with his carefree smile, and thanked Damara for sending the message.

Heart beating hard in your chest, you swiftly moved towards the backstage exit and out into the cool wind, forgetting to bring your jacket in your excitement. The streets were filled with activity, and you blended right into its motion, keeping your eyes peeled for your best friend’s father.

But, it wasn’t him standing underneath a pool of orange street lamp light, holding a rose bouquet.

Rin tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, teal eyes bright despite his impassive expression.

You faltered and took one step back when you noticed him.

The bruise around his eye was stark across his pale skin, and his smile was paper thin with nerves.

“Hey. C-Congratulations on the show. Here—” He walked over to you and handed you the arrangement. You gingerly took it by the hefty stem, cradling the burst of roses to your chest, your heart doubling in speed from how heartbreakingly handsome Itoshi Rin looked tonight.

Glossy dark green locks tinted black from the darkness were pushed from his face, stray bangs falling across his forehead and brushing his chiselled cheek. Even with a blooming black eye, it could not compare to the delicate jut of his nose bridge or the elegant curve of those thick lashes framing his beautiful eyes.

Your voice was stuck in the back of your throat, and you stared at him in silence for a few seconds.

“I… heard from your designer that the show went well.” Rin shoved his hands into his slack pockets, dropping his gaze towards the grey pavement shyly. “I’m—that is to say, I… you did good.”

You suddenly felt too hot around your neck, and like there were far too many eyes on you. Shifting your weight from one Louboutin heel to the other, you managed to exhale a small laugh.

“Thank you.” Glancing at the bouquet, you gestured to it. “And thank you for these. Red roses are my favourite.”

“Yeah, you told me that before.”

You blinked. Like a mirage, the memory of that conversation sparked in your mind; the both of you sitting across the table having a simple dinner of ochazuke and tempura—where it felt like aeons ago that you could sit in such casual affection with a man you once held such strong feelings for.

Feelings which were resurfacing back despite your efforts to keep a lid on them.

“I guess I did,” you mumbled, smiling weakly. A beat of awkward silence passed between you two, and you desperately wished he would say something. Do something rather than blink owlishly at you, as if he were trying to find the right words to say. You settled for wrapping this conversation up, deciding it was time to put an end to your contact with Itoshi Rin.

“Thank you for the flowers. I have to go back in. My colleagues are waiting for me,” your smile grew tighter. “I assume you’ll be heading off to France soon?”

It stung him how you still remembered despite everything. How his schedule was etched in your memory. When he didn't reply, your smile waned around the edges and you bowed your head forward slightly. “Good luck with your game, Rin. I’ll be rooting for your win against your brother.”

Your best efforts at hiding the wobble in your voice was masked by your bright smile and you almost turned around to leave when his choked rendition of your name stopped you short.

“W-Wait…”

Never in a million years did you anticipate Itoshi Rin wrapping his fingers around your wrist to anchor you to his side, a slight tremble in his grasp. The bouquet tumbled out of your arms in surprise, hitting the pavement in a rush of falling blooms, mimicking the blood roaring in your ears.

As if on instinct, your body flinched from his, and you backed away, unable to look into his beautiful teal eyes which were brimming with such a sharp emotion, you feared one glance would cut you up for life.

“Don’t,” you managed to whisper, tightening your arms around your torso. “Don’t… don’t play with my heart like this, Rin.”

The pain in your hushed voice drew him up short.

Tell her you’re sorry, Sae’s voice echoed in his head. Apologise for what you said to her. Y/N’s feelings are hurt and if you try to make peace first, she will be open to hearing your words.

But, what came out of his mouth was completely different from the words Sae coached him to repeat.

“You did this to me.”

Amidst the twinkling lights of the Milanese streets and the adrenaline pumping in your veins, no one could fault you for taking a step back; wanting to preserve what sliver of inner peace you still had left.

Those that he hadn’t taken from you just yet.

You puffed your chest and squared your shoulders, meeting Itoshi Rin’s glare head-on even though you felt like dissolving into sniffling sobs. He truly was the bane of your existence—not even a few days ago, you were glad to be away from Tokyo; away from the man who had taken every inch of your thoughts, but did not reciprocate it.

“It’s all your fault.” You had never heard Rin sound this angry.

Your words were tripping over each other, spluttering out into indignant sentences which raced to fly off your acidic tongue when you suddenly stopped.

He had closed his eyes, pretty eyelashes casting shadows onto his chiselled cheekbones and took the final step so your chest was pressed to his.

“I hate you.”

He swept you into his arms, holding you fast to his heart while his face was buried in your hair. The anger you held for him died in the back of your throat, and you froze, unable to believe he was touching you on his own free will.

“Can’t stop thinking about you,” he continued to murmur into the softness of your hair. “Lost so many goals because of you. My pass rate dropped by 45%. I got a foul. I punched Isagi in the face.”

Your mind was blaring sirens of overwhelming response to his sudden touch and barrage of information. “Rin,” you gasped. “You did what to Isagi—?!”

“Stupid,” he growled, stopping your influx of words. Tall and imposing, his body heat was heady and made you want to curl up in his embrace forever. A sob bubbled from the roaring depths of your heart and you hiccuped it back, refusing to fall into his embrace and deception again. “You’re such a fucking pain, Y/N.”

You swore you would never be that same girl who cried on the plane to Italy while wearing the jersey you stole from his closet.

You swore you would never let Itoshi Rin kick your heart around as if it were a spare ball.

But, you couldn’t pull away, not even for one second.

“Yeah?” your voice quaked from disbelief. “If you hate me, then why are you here?”

His rough palms slid up the bodice of your dress, feeling the ridges of the corset you wore which barely concealed how your heartbeat was quickening; his lips touching the rapid pulse ticking under your jaw.

Itoshi Rin was never a man who minced his words, so what else did you expect when he exhaled—

“Told you. Can’t stop thinking about you.”

“Rin—”

“Y/N.”

He gave you no time to second-guess his intention when he leaned closer to you, one palm cupping your cheek to hold you in place. You could not look at him, not when the words he uttered behind your back still scarred your trust.

You had shown him, didn’t you?

Showed him how you finally found the courage to stand on your own two feet; how you did something crazy and stupid and took a chance on your dreams which landed you on one of Milan’s hottest runways.

He knew that, didn’t he?

“I thought you hated me,” you whispered, unable to look directly into his eyes; afraid of what you might find. The truth, perhaps, that your doubts were real. “Said I was nothing but a spoiled brat.”

“I’m sorry,” he finally muttered after a beat of silence. “I was wrong. I was so, so wrong. My ego—”

“Is fucking huge,” you quipped which earned you the softest glimmer in his teal eyes even if his expression remained impassive.

Eventually, he agreed.

“Yeah,” Rin muttered softly. “It is fucking huge. And it nearly cost me someone I care about.”

Were you hallucinating?

Did his team put him up to this so they could record your reaction and laugh at it later in the locker rooms?

Whatever hope you buoyed that Rin actually reciprocated your feelings curdled in your chest like sour milk from the bitter memories, and you stepped back from him, unable to look into his gorgeous aquamarine eyes which clouded over with confusion when he noticed the tremble in your lower lip.

“I should go,” you mumbled, willing the tears not to break down your cheeks, and spinning around so he couldn’t see your expression. Gathering what was left of your composure, you dipped your head low and mumbled: “We don’t have to fake anything anymore, Rin. You can hate me out loud now. I won’t mind. It’s your sentiments. It’s just—”

I wished you didn’t.

But, you had no courage to tell it to his face.

In the end, you were as much of a coward with your emotions as he was, and your skin suddenly flashed hotly, goosebumps prickling your arms; the world was spinning slightly in your periphery, the lights too loud and the people rushing down the streets sounded like a roaring waterfall and you haven’t eaten anything yet this whole evening so you could fit into this stupid, vintage dress and you were so sure your curling iron was still switched on in your hotel room and—

His strong grip on your wrist nudged you back into his chest. Halting your thoughts right in their frenzied tracks.

You did not get to fight him off, not when he was fueled with desperation and contempt for his stupidly big ego.

Not when he gently spun you around, lifted your chin and fixed you with a look of hunger and yearning which softened the hard edges of his once diamond-like yes and definitely not when—

The world screeched to a stop.

Soft as a cushion, Itoshi Rin’s lips pressed onto yours, stealing the last of your protests and breath away.

Nothing in your existence mattered beyond the curve of his mouth rasping against your own; the hot press of his hands roaming up and down your back, bringing you closer to him—Rin’s courage solidifying from such an ensconced location away from the ruthless eyes of cameras, fangirls and Ego’s scheming.

Is this really happening?

Rin tilted his head to the right to slot the jut of his bottom lip in between your parted, panting mouth, and you almost shied away from the tip of his tongue touching yours, coaxing you to come out and meet him in a reciprocal dance of devotion.

He ruthlessly overpowered his opponents on the field as easily as he overwhelmed you with his tenacity on this dimly-lit street, and you did not protest when one hand came to cradle the nape of your neck, holding you in place while the other tentatively squeezed your waist, committing your curves back into his memory.

Ever a quiet gentleman, Rin let you break off the kiss first; a single strand of spit connecting both your lips together flashed like a silver thread from the hazy orange glow the streetlamps above casted over two uncertain lovers.

You licked your bottom lip, tasting his musk and something minty, breaking the final connection between both your parted mouths. A dust of pink glowed on his cheeks, and his azure eyes—usually boring into yours with sullen distaste—were almost overshadowed by his black pupils, only a thin ring of blue left.

It was endearing how he could not even meet your gaze, uncharacteristically timid for someone so sure on the field.

A smile burst forth onto your face, illuminating the scenery with a sweet luminosity which took his breath away.

“So,” you started, a teasing glint in your eye. “I take it this means you miss me and you want me to come back?”

Rin’s first instinct was to roll his eyes and scoff. But, strangely, the same contagious happiness stole the muscles on his face, curving his thin lips into a smile against his will.

There she goes again—making me act like a fool with no self-control.

He didn’t have to reply. That little grin was the only answer you needed.

The city lights continued to sparkle and a cool breeze nipped both your noses, but Rin’s hand in yours is as warm as ever.

“—and that’s another spectacular goal from Itoshi Rin!”

“He’s on fire this season!”

“The finest soccer legacy from Blue Lock is right here, ladies and gentlemen!”

You chanted his name along with the crowd, the cameras panning towards his impassive face with those fired-up teal eyes you knew and loved.

His number blazing across your chest, and pride overflowing in your soul—you were surprised when he lifted his head and noticed you right in the heart of the crowd.

Nothing could compare to how the entire stadium went wild when they saw his eyes softened infinitesimally in real time; their clamour rocking straight into your bones when it kicked up a notch from his small smirk and wave in your direction. You shyly waved back at him, and this time, it was your lovesick grin splashed over the huge LED screens for the world to see.

But, Rin and you didn’t care.

You were past faking anything, anyway.

He doubled back after the ball went careening into the opponent’s goal, jersey soaked with sweat, and he gave a small fistbump when the crowds roared his name. You leapt to your feet with the rest of Japan’s supporters, and clapped, pride blooming hotly in your chest.

As if you had him in a trance, Rin glanced up at you, and disregarding the pitch etiquette, he jogged over to where you were separated by the touchline barriers and pushed his bangs from his forehead in time for you to flounce closer, hands extended towards him.

“Are you hurt?” you said in dismay, recalling the ball which accidentally smashed into his face, leaving him a smear of dirt on his cheek which you wiped it away with your thumb. He beamed up at you, drawing a gaggle of surprised reactions from his teammates who had never seen this side of Rin before; his broad shoulders relaxed, brow smooth, Captain armband stretched across his defined bicep. He looked far too enticing for such a crowded area.

God, you wanted to kiss him so badly. But, you reined in your reactions, biting your lower lip to keep your face from splitting into a wide grin.

He took your hand and squeezed, nodding.

“After this game, baby, I’m bending you over the couch and I’m not going to go easy on you.”

You gaped at him, unsure if he said what you thought he said in the middle of the most important game of his life. He’s insane. Your heart flipped and your stomach exploded in a rush of butterflies when Rin grinned at your stumped silence and ran back into the action, kicking up dirt from his quick sprint, leaving your melted heart gooey with affection.

He’s insane and he’s all mine.

When Blue Lock scored 2-1 against Bastard Munchen, you swore you had never seen your boyfriend look this ecstatic; brows shooting up to his hairline, mouth parted in a raucous yell when he scored the final goal—his teammates lifting him up in the air as triumph blazed their happiness like a second skin.

A familiar bob of reddish-brown hair made its way to the field, and you couldn’t see what the older Itoshi was saying to his younger brother, but Rin wore a small smile, and nodded. You had faith it was something good.

Later when the frenzy died down, you were admitted into the premium lounge where you found him sitting on the edge of the plush leather sofa, conversing with Isagi in low tones. At the sight of you, he paused, raising a brow. Quietly asking for you to come over to him.

You did, and Isagi beamed when he noticed how easily you sat next to Rin, no longer tense nor fidgety. He took your hand and rubbed gentle circles onto the rise of your knuckles, and to everyone else in the Blue Lock, the sight must be completely alien for a few other players were smirking in your direction.

“Hey, Isagi, do you think I should get a girlfriend, too?” Bachira asked innocently from his perch on the floor, holding an isotonic drink pack in one hand. Ego was in the corner, speaking to a team of managers that he did not overhear Meguru’s innocent question which would land him in hot water.

Taken aback by his friend’s question, Isagi chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know. If it’s anyone you should ask, it would be Rin.”

To everyone’s surprise, the unsmiling, aloof and cold Itoshi Rin scoffed fondly, flitting his calm teal eyes towards you.

“Go for it,” he murmured while tightening his grip on your hand, secretly enjoying the feel of his fingers laced with yours, and the sight of his name and number on your chest. Everyone knew without a shadow of a doubt that you belonged to him.

The corners of your eyes crinkled from your wide grin which was so full of life and unaffected by anything else. Completely enamoured with the fact you could wake up everyday and call Rin Itoshi yours. But, no one could say you were still not the same teasing girl who had melted the ice-cold walls around his heart.

“Try it if you dare, Bachi. Rin should be able to give you some pointers off-field if you get stuck thanks to my training.”

Your charming quip was met with raised brows and surprised smiles, least of all from the one man who could make you melt into a puddle of your own glee when he scoffed a quiet laugh.

“Yeah, I’ll give you some real advice alright,” he grumbled to appease Bachira’s sudden onset of relationship questions.

He tuned his teammate out.

No one else existed in the room to Rin at this moment; not Ego calling for the team to regroup and debrief on the latest match, or Bachira who bravely thumped Isagi’s back to cajole him to help get me a girlfriend, Yoichi-kun! I wanna see what the hype is all about!

It was just you and Rin in this split second of time, and he could not stop those stupid muscles on his face from ticking upwards in a shy smile. Completely honest and truthful when he showed the world how much you had him head over heels in love.

After all, he was done pretending, too.

hihi this is finally done and though i admit my interest in bllk has waned, im happy i wrapped this up and this little story has made everyone feel good :'> im not so sure what my future in the bllk fandom would be but your support and love for my work will always be the highlight of my time here <;33

p.s: pls listen to this song as the closing credits for a little serotonin boost as much as i had when i wrote this hehe

xoxo dawnie

youtube

©️ all rights belong to lalunanymph. do not copy, repost or claim as your own.

#itoshi rin x you #rin itoshi angst #rin itoshi x reader #rin itoshi x you #blue lock x reader #bllk angst #rin x reader #bllk x you #bllk x reader #bllk x y/n #bllk series #rin itoshi series #series: between love & ego #🦢 writes #Youtube

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stnkiconverse · 4 months ago

Text

you're going to do it, and you're getting away with it. you know that.

Ch.8 - Move.

⇠ Previous

Next ⇢

genre: psychological horror (in a way), creepypasta, supernatural thriller (in a way)

pairing: none. (yet;) )

WC: 2.5k

content warnings: echoes in the static contains scenes and themes that may be disturbing or triggering to some readers, including: graphic violence and murder, mental illness and psychological distress, suicide and self-harm, domestic abuse, cannibalism and strong language.

Reader discretion is advised.

Yes this has to do with Creepypastas. Yes, Creepypastas will pop up and make appearances, it's basically a reader insert into the Creepypasta word.

do not repost my work anywhere, I only post in Tumblr.

The flower shop should have closed an hour ago, but you linger, waiting for the moment when the streets are entirely empty, save for the two figures standing just outside. Their silhouettes are dark against the streetlights, unmoving as if they're statues waiting to come to life. You know they're watching you, have been watching you since Lisa left, and you can feel the anticipation building within you, your heart pounding in time with the seconds that tick by.

Your hand brushes the duffel bag under the counter. Inside, the axe rests, ready to be drawn, its cold steel offering a promise of the violence to come. But not yet.

There's a thrill in the waiting, in drawing them in, making them believe they have the upper hand. You allow yourself a small, calculated smile as you stand and head toward the door, making sure to keep your eyes on them-unblinking, so they don't vanish like mirages.

You open the door slowly, the creak of the hinges loud in the still ni ght air.

You lean against the doorframe, your smile widening as you catch their attention. "Need anything? Why don't you come in?" you say, your voice dripping with a saccharine sweetness that barely conceals the malice beneath.

They exchange a glance, something dark and knowing passing between them before they step inside. Jeff, with his grotesque, carved smile, and Toby, with that unsettling gash on his cheek, walk in as if they belong here, as if this were their domain. You close the door behind them, the soft click of the lock sealing you in together.

The shop is dark, the dim lights casting long shadows across the walls. It's quiet, too quiet, but it's the kind of silence that hums with potential energy, ready to explode at any moment. You walk back to the counter, each step deliberate, your pulse quickening with every inch that brings you closer to the axe hidden just out of sight. You lean casually against the counter, your smile now a thin line of anticipation.

"So what was it?" you ask, voice low and taunting. "Frank? Mary? The cute little couple? Tell me, which one caught your attention?"

Jeff leans back against the wall, his smile widening into something obscene, something that belongs more in a nightmare than reality.

"We've been watching you for a while," he says, his voice a deep, scratchy, gravelly rumble. "You've got a real knack for this sort of thing. But Frank... he was fun."

Toby, standing just a step behind him, stutters slightly as he speaks, his voice dripping with mockery. "Y-you really p-put on a show with that one. K-kinda hot, actually."

Your fingers tighten around the handle of the axe inside the duffel bag, your patience wearing thin. The time for games is over. You slowly unzip the bag, the sound almost lost in the tension-filled silence. But they notice. Jeff's grin only widens, sensing the shift in the air.

"So, you're fans? Admirers? Or just creeps who get off on watching?" you ask, your tone hardening as the playful edge disappears.

Jeff's laugh is rough, almost manic, filling the small space with its grating sound. "Creeps? Fuck yeah, maybe. But we're not the ones leaving corpses with pretty little flowers stuck to them, are we? There's something about a girl with an axe that just... does it for me."

"You've got spirit, b-but let's see if you've got the guts," Toby adds, his eyes raking over you with a twisted sort of admiration. "I like a girl w-who knows how to use an axe."

You've heard enough. Your hand tightens around the axe's handle, and with a swift, powerful motion, you pull it free and swing at Jeff. The blade slices through the air with deadly precision, aimed right for his head. But Jeff moves faster than you expect, dodging the blow with a speed that sends the axe slamming into the wooden wall behind him, splinters flying everywhere.

"Feisty!" Jeff growls, clearly enjoying the thrill of the fight. "You know, I like it when they fight back."

Without hesitation, you yank the axe free, ready to strike again, but they're already on you. Jeff and Toby move like shadows, their movements almost too fast to follow as they slip past your attacks, dodging each swing, each stab, with ease. It's infuriating, the way they toy with you, their grins never wavering.

Your breath comes in sharp bursts, your frustration mounting with every missed strike. You're good—no, you're great-but they're better. Still, you refuse to back down. You grab the sharp scissors from the counter, your grip tightening as you change tactics. When Jeff gets too close, you lash out, the blade slicing through his arm. Blood spatters, but it only seems to excite him more.

"Now we're getting somewhere,"

Jeff laughs, his voice edged with manic glee. "If you wanted to get close, sweetheart, you could've just asked."

Without missing a beat, you grab his wounded arm, yanking him close and driving the scissors into his stomach.

The blade sinks deep, and for a moment, you see the flash of pain in his eyes. But it's fleeting, replaced almost immediately by that maddening grin.

"Is that all you've got?" Jeff rasps, blood dribbling from his mouth.

"You're gonna have to do better than that."

You shove him back, watching him stumble, but before you can capitalize on the moment, Toby charges at you, relentless. You barely manage to grab a nearby vase and hurl it at his face. The vase shatters against his cheek, sending shards of glass flying. Toby staggers, momentarily disoriented, but the grin on his face only widens.

"Nice shot," Toby sneers, wiping the blood from his face with a wicked smirk. "B-but you'll have to try harder than that, sweetheart."

Before you can respond, the back door creaks open.

"Y/N? You okay? Sorry, I just forgot my pho-" Lisa's voice cuts through the chaos like a knife.

You freeze. The sight of Lisa standing in the doorway, her expression shifting from concern to shock, sends a jolt of something-fear, anger, you're not sure-through you. But it's short-lived. Instinct takes over, you drop the pair of scissors and reach for the axe.

In one swift, brutal motion, you turn and swing the axe. The blade connects with Lisa's forehead, splitting her skull with a sickening crack. Blood sprays, and her body crumples to the floor with a heavy thud.

For a moment, the world goes silent.

The weight of what you've just done hits you like a freight train, but you can't afford to dwell on it. There are bigger problems now-two of them, in fact.

With a growl of frustration, you spin back around, adrenaline surging. You throw the axe at Jeff, who's grinning like a madman, but Toby shoves him out of the way just in time. The axe slams into the wall again, and you realize, with cold clarity, that you're outmatched.

Jeff and Toby close in, their movements calculated, confident.

You duck behind the counter, your mind racing. You can't afford to lose control. As you crouch, your hand brushes against the sharp scissors you used earlier. Grabbing them, you prepare yourself, refusing to let fear take over.

Just as Toby reaches over the counter, you spring up, slashing at him. The blade cuts across his cheek, the same one already marred by the vase shards. Blood trickles down, but his grin doesn't waver.

"You're making this fun," Jeff hisses, his voice a mix of pain and exhilaration. "But you're outnumbered, sweetheart."

Jeff moves faster than you can react, swiping the axe from the wall. He wields it with a sinister ease, his manic grin never fading.

You refuse to back down. As he closes in, you slash at him with the scissors, managing to land a deep cut on his other arm. He winces but doesn't stop, his eyes gleaming with twisted enjoyment.

With the odds stacked against you, your mind races for a way out. You grab the nearest object—another heavy flower vase, a much bigger one —and hurl it at Toby's head. The vase shatters on impact, sending him reeling backward, giving you the opening you need, Jeff drops the axe and you grab it.

Before they can recover, you bolt for the back door, your axe still in hand.

You don't look back as you disappear into the night, taking a winding, familiar path home where no one can see you.

The adrenaline pulses through your veins, making your limbs feel both weightless and leaden as you make your way through the shadows. The path is quiet, secluded, and you're thankful for it. By the time you reach your door, you're exhausted, every muscle screaming for rest.

You drop your axe by the door and stumble into your bed, not bothering to remove your shoes. The moment your head hits the pillow, you're out, sleep claiming you almost immediately.

—————————————————————————

When you wake, sunlight is already filtering through the blinds, harsh and unforgiving. Every muscle in your body aches from the fight, but there's a sick satisfaction deep in your chest. You survived.

You reach for the remote, turning on the TV as you sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. The local news flickers to life, the anchor's monotonous voice droning on until the words "Local Flower Shop Burned Down Overnight" make your heart skip a beat.

The screen shows the smoldering remains of the shop, firefighters still working to put out the last of the flames. You feel a cold chill run down your spine, but it's quickly replaced by a twisted sense of satisfaction.

Jeff and Toby had destroyed the evidence, ensuring that no one would ever know what happened there last night. But it also means one thing: the police are going to be all over this.

You know you have to leave Greenville. The police are already suspicious of you, and with the shop destroyed and Lisa dead, it won't take them long to connect the dots.

You have to disappear, and you have to do it now.

But not without one last act. One final spree to leave your mark on this town forever.

You stand in front of the mirror, staring at your reflection. You look like hell- dark circles under your eyes, your skin now pale and slick with sweat. But there's a fire in your eyes, a hunger that burns hotter than ever.

You can't leave Greenville without one final act of defiance. One last spree that will haunt this town long after you're gone.

You pack your weapons-your axe, a few knives, and whatever else you can find. You know exactly who your targets will be. The people who have wronged you, who have looked down on you, who have made your life hell.

You wait until night.

Your first stop is close to home- a neighbor who has always been a thorn in your side. They're outside, tending to their garden, completely unaware of the danger lurking just behind the fence. You wait, your breath steady, your grip on the axe firm. When the moment is right, you strike. The blade slices through the air, connecting with flesh and bone.

The neighbor's body crumples to the ground, lifeless. You drop a small petal right next to your now deceased neighbor.

You don't linger. You move quickly, efficiently, leaving the body behind as you make your way to your next target—a former employer. You slip into the building unnoticed, your footsteps silent on the tile floor. The boss is working late, just as you'd expected. He doesn't even see you coming. The axe slams into his neck with ease, his body slumping over the desk in front of him. You lean in close, your lips brushing his ear as you whisper, "This is for everything you ever did to me."

You leave a single flower petal on his desk, a final message to anyone who finds him—a petal from a red spider lily, the symbol of a final goodbye.

Your spree continues, each kill more brutal than the last. A random stranger on the street, caught off guard by the blade of your axe. A police officer, targeted specifically to send a message.

With each kill, you leave behind a calling card—a petal from the red spider lily, each one a cold, silent farewell.

As the night wears on, the bodies pile up. The town is in chaos, sirens blaring in the distance as the police scramble to contain the madness.

But you're always one step ahead, moving through the shadows with lethal precision.

Your final target is someone who has always been just out of reach—a high-ranking official, someone who has the power to ruin lives with a single decision. You've been planning this one for a while, waiting for the perfect moment. And now it has arrived.

You approach his house under the cover of darkness, your heart pounding with anticipation. The windows are dark, the street quiet.

Perfect.

You slip inside, moving through the house like a ghost. Your target is asleep in his bed, completely unaware of the danger lurking just beyond the door. You stand over him for a moment, savoring the power you hold in your hands. Then, with a swift, brutal motion, you bring the axe down.

The blade connects with a sickening thud, blood spraying across the room. Your target doesn't even have time to scream.

You stand there for a moment, your breath coming in short, sharp bursts.

The room is silent, save for the sound of your own heartbeat pounding in your ears. You look down at the body, at the blood pooling around it, and feel a sense of satisfaction settle over you.

This is it. The final goodbye.

You reach into your pocket and pull out a single red spider lily petal. You place it on the pillow next to your target's head, a final message to the town you're leaving behind.

You don't look back as you leave the house, the darkness swallowing you whole. You have one final task before you can disappear for good.

You arrive in Tuscaloosa under the cover of darkness, just as you had planned. Two duffel bags propped on your shoulder, one with your axe and a couple knives, and the other with as many clothes you could fit in it.

You have a new place waiting for you, a small, nondescript apartment on the outskirts of town. It isn't much, but it's perfect for laying low. Plus, it’s near the woods. Something you’ve been planning to explore since you rented the apartment.

As you unpack your things, you can't shake the feeling of satisfaction that lingers in your chest. You've done it.

You've left your mark on Greenville, and now you're free to start over.

But even as you settle into your new life, you can't stop thinking about the thrill of the kill. The way it made you feel alive, invincible. You know it won't be long before the hunger returns, before you're driven to kill again.

But for now, you'll lay low, bide your time, and wait for the perfect moment. And when it comes, you'll be ready.

Tuscaloosa looks like the perfect place to wreak havoc in.

FUCK COLLEGE😡

i don’t like this chapter lol

Who’s gonna tell her who lives in the woods of Tuscaloosa??? 👀

Once you’re done reading this, go vote on this!! It is VITAL for the story, pinky promise.

🏷️: @mimmickmouse @stranger-of-the-internet @akashic06072007 @hey-an-original-url

#creepypasta #fandom #slenderman #slender mansion #creepypasta fic #creepypasta x reader #horror #psychological horror #supernatural #supernatural thriller #ticci toby #jeff the killer x reader #ticci toby x reader #jeff the killer #jramblesaboutsoap #j’s fics!

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sleepyconfusedpotato · 1 year ago

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Just finished grinding Assassin's Creed Mirage! WOOHOO! ୧⁠(⁠ ⁠ಠ⁠ ⁠Д⁠ ⁠ಠ⁠ ⁠)⁠୨

I think it's a deffo wonderful game and a refreshment after the RPG trilogy (it does have RPG elements to it, but still), and it also have some things that are lacking. It reminds me of the good 'ol days, but deffo not on par with the good 'ol days.

Here're some of my thoughts and reviews!

🕌 Sleepy's Assassin's Creed Mirage Review 🗡️

(Spoiler Warning ⚠️ Including the ending ⚠️)

Disclaimer, this is just my personal opinion. You may agree and disagree. I’m just gonna talk a lot because I LOVE Assassin’s Creed with all my heart. Here goes.

VISUALS

(+) Basim Ibn Ishaq, the handsome man that you are… HOLY SHIT (yes I’m adding him as the first plus point of this game what of it). Man's fine AF.

(+) Baghdad’s really beautiful, nuff said. The color palette is PERFECT - displays the warmth of the atmosphere really well, but also just enough greens and many starking hues of flowers.

(+) The waters and environment textures are CRISPY. The detailed patterns on the clothes, the engravings and the state of the arts is really cool. I haven’t really looked a lot into the 800’ Baghdad arts, but I can see lots of good details and art styles. SHOUT OUT TO THE ARTISTS!!

GAMEPLAY - Now here’s what I have a lot to comment on.

(+) Stealth -> I think they did quite good with the stealth. One of the many complaints that I saw on the previous RPG trilogy games was the fact that the main characters/players had no reason to be stealthy, because they can just barge in and defeat the enemies easily. Ubi has marketed the game to be more stealth focused and intentionally made Basim a less of a fighter (make sense, since he came from a thief background, unlike Bayek, Kassandra, and Eivor who are actual trained warriors since they’re kids). However, this brings me to the first lacking point.

(-) Combat -> The combat feels janky. I feel like I’m really fucked up in combat situations if I don’t upgrade my sword and dagger. Like I get it, Basim is not meant to be much of a fighter, but in the beginning parts (or… even the middle parts of the game, let’s be real), I feel like combat is HELL. I forgot the Youtuber who said it, but he said something along the lines of “I’m an assassin, I want to feel like an assassin and want to feel like a badass and can take down many enemies with ease.” And that actually rings true with me. When I’m in combat and countless soldiers are fighting or following me (and I don’t have the smoke bomb with the forgetting effect), I’m most certainly FUCKED.

(+) The fighting style is cool though, it's stylish and the finishing moves are sick af. It could deffo use some work.

(-+) Parkour/Movements - It’s alright. It’s most certainly better than the previous RPG trilogy, but it’s definitely not Unity or Syndicate. Sometimes Basim can do something that I didn’t want and I’ve lost count on how many times I got caught and died just from a mis-movement. I literally don’t understand why they don’t use the Unity parkours and combat styles. Unity’s parkour is smooth, swift, and stylish. It feels GOOD.

(+) Stealing - I’m a loot goblin in games, and believe me, I think I’ve spent like hours just stealing from the entire population of Baghdad that by the end of the game I’m probably richer than the Taxmaster and the whole entire Abbasid Caliphate. It’s fun, it’s easy, but it can sometimes be hard enough to miss. I just hope there’s more variety/difficulty in the stealings in different places – Like maybe in the Round City the diamond thingy is much smaller, or in like for stealing merchants (who has particular fashion/silhouette or have wallets/pouches with different colors) can be harder to steal from but have more rewards and money.

(-+) Map - OKAY. I love the fact that Mirage has a significantly smaller map than that of Odyssey and Valhalla. It’s focused and it’s much more centered. HOWEVER. For a game this caliber, and with this good of a graphic? It’s much too small and it’s too divided between two parts. Hear me out – The graphics are really cool, but I feel like the map is too divided between – either a densely populated city, or just barren lands of desert. I think the map could be much much bigger with much more collectibles and much more variety in the terrains. Like, for example in Black Flag (The S tier game. Argue with a wall), there’re more than one major city, while in Mirage the map is so very centered (Yes I get it it’s the Round City), but I’d love it if there’s another major city that we can travel to, like Damascus, for instace. + I love the Tales of Baghdad. MORE TALES OF BAGHDAD PLEASE.

STORY - nOW THIS… I never liked the stories post - Origins and here's why :

(-) LET 👏 THE ACTORS 👏 DO 👏 MOTION 👏 CAPTURE 👏 - My biggest complaint for the RPG game styles is always about the facial and motion animation. The cutscenes feel DEAD. The eyes are DEAD. I almost can't feel anything. Ubi is rich af, why not use facial capturing? AC3 was the first AC game to use motion capture, and holy shit… it's one of my fave games. Yes. All games, not only AC series. The emotion in their faces, the gestures, the small glances, the little movements - they all decide every character's personality. The reason why I love every AC since AC3-ACOrigins is because the actors pour all their voices, faces, even body movements into the interactions between characters, because they make the stories feel alive. Let the actors be actors. I can rant more but this is already a long post so I'll stop. MOTION 👏 CAPTURE 👏.

(+) I love Basim's origin story. Dude's a 17 year old street thief who got a bit over his head and ended up becoming a fugitive because he killed the fucking caliph himself. That was crazy HAHAHAH anyway even though I think the beginning felt a bit rushed I love it. I just wish they could milk it more.

(+) I love the side characters! Especially Ali (I think he's hot 👉👈 and he's the absolute freedom fighter). Anyway, even though they don’t really do much, they all feel alive and do lots of things (except Roshan prolly HAHAHAH but there's a reason I guess)

(+) Roshan. Mentor and reminds me of Al-Mualim. I particularly love the fact that after all that wise words throughout the game, she literally threatened Basim if he actually went to the underground temple. And when she showed up covered in blood??? And THE TWIST AT THE END??? "Roshan bint La-Ahad". SHE'S ALTAIR'S ANCESTOR. THAT FUCKING SHOCKED ME YOOOO. She's just amazing.

(-) Pacing - I feel like this is because they’re speeding things up (which is a good thing), the pacing is pretty standard in the beginning, but the ending is a bit too high of a rollercoaster mount. The ending went from 0-100 real quick. I feel like we need a more of a climbing storyline. This is why I kind of don’t agree with the ‘centering’ storyline instead of a linear story. Centering styles of story has no climb in the intensity, and because of that we can’t feel the character developments because he’s supposed to stay the same even though we’ve killed like 3 bosses already. And then when all the underlings are dead, finally the boss racks up Basim’s curiosity super duper high that it becomes too sudden.

(-) Weak Villains - The villains since Origins are always hidden and unknown, unlike the previous games where the Templars are literally KNOWN by the people. I want more villains like Haytham tbh, where he literally doesn’t care about the precusor sites and only wants stability in his reign as a Grandmaster. Or if the villains do care about the Pieces of Eden or have a prior interest of the First Civ, at least let them have an actual personality and character, let them be a menace and a threat since the beginning of the game instead of being the NPC’s we kill to finish the game. Let them challenge our beliefs as an Assassin/Hidden Ones. Let the villains actually have an impact to the main storyline. Imagine in the end Basim and Qabiha really went to the underground temple together, and got confronted by Roshan. That’s where the conflict in Basim climaxed! Imagine the emotion! The drama~!

(+) How the stories interlinked with Valhalla. Basim is a sage, and host of Loki who sought revenge to Odin (who wronged him). So I don't think Basim nor Loki are evil per se. They're just gray. Now the stories aren't just about Templars vs Assassin, it's more focused towards the First Civilization. It's a bit hard to keep up but it's nothing a bit of reading/looking up some lore videos wouldn't solve.

MISC

We need more outfits! The outfits are far too few for us to choose from!

Wonderful and mystifying music. Nuff said. Brendan Angelides and Layth Sidiq nailed it. One Republic and Mishaal Tamer’s “Mirage” in on repeat on my Spotify right now.

I love gear chests hunting and all the collectibles. I just wish the map is bigger and there’re more collectibles T_T I’M A LOOT GOBLIN OKAY.

I learn history of Baghdad LFG. I play largely for the stories and not the gameplays, so if there’s a codex entry or any new historical sites I always read it. Learning history doesn’t hurt!

How I can really relate to the real world. I live in Indonesia where 90% of the people is Muslim (I’m a Christian), so when I here familiar words like Alhamdullilah, Assalam’ualaikum and Wa’alaikumsalam, or see the people praying, the Adzan sounds throughout the city, the people praying towards the Ka’bah, it kinda feels like home! Just hope that they add more funny shit to it though, like “Yaallah Basim! Istighfar!” Or “WALLAHI.” Or more Arabic sayings so we can immerse more to the world.

MAKE BASIM DO THE 5 PRAYERS (maybe when we pass time or after a big mission we come back to him finishing a prayer).

FINAL VERDICT - 7.8/10 -> It’s a focused game, and it really did come back to some of the original elements of AC before the RPG trilogy. It’s not too long and casuals can play it without feeling like we have to grind like Odyssey or Valhalla. Deffo would recommend playing it!

Once again, BRING BACK MOTION CAPTURE ‼️‼️‼️🗣️🗣️

If you did play it gimme some thoughts in the comments! Thank you for reading! (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

#sleepy's thoughts #non-cod #assassin's creed #assassin's creed mirage #ac mirage #basim ibn ishaq #sleepy's game review #sleepy plays games

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anony-man · 1 month ago

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So sorry the ask is dark 😭 screenshotted it at night and didn’t realize lol. On a side note, this drabble features my beloved Trailbreaker/Hound/Mirage… love them. I hope you enjoy!

Chubformers drabble #126!

Characters: Trailbreaker (& Hound & Mirage - G1)

Word count: 1.1k

The clink of his glass against the table was hardly audible over the sounds of his team around him, and Trailbreaker was thankful for it. Having exhausted from simply dragging his aft out of bed to join them in the mess hall, a free excuse to fill up on some of the good stuff was not an offer he passed up on. Still, every little blessing had its downsides, and he wasn’t free from the guilt that followed.

He had done no more than the average recruit’s work in a day, but Primus, if felt like he’d just lost years worth of his life in a few hours. The aftermath of a raging disease that had ravaged dozens of bots just like him still lingered, and would continue to linger for the rest of his days—that he knew for a fact. Even so, Trailbreaker could never seem to shake the dead weight that weighed him down in his spark.

Physically, he was exhausted, but mentally? He was a mess.

There was a near permanent curve to his belly that he often found himself feeling up whenever he was out of sight. A foggy processor and the constant lag in his systems were all to blame on that damned disease he’d been exposed to, and he knew that this was nothing more than an extension of the unfortunate side effects. He couldn’t help the fact that his frame craved energon, so much energon, to a point of bordering starvation at any given moment. It was out of his control, and the weight he packed on was hardly something to feel ashamed of.

Add all of that to the list of things he should make self-deprecating jokes about, Trailbreaker thought to himself. His servo was shaky as he lifted his glass to his lips and drained it all in one go.

He shouldn’t have come out here for this. The engex was always nice—he liked the way it soothed his guilt-ridden professor. It was on the house, too, even for a mech as selfish and indulgent as him. The company wasn’t bad either, when he found himself stuck chatting with the right bots, but it only took one wrong turn before he was spiraling into another loathsome game of beating himself up with chortles and teasing.

He shouldn’t have come out of his room, but he did, and now he was going to have to make the most of it. The walk back to his berthroom would drain him of energy pretty fast, anyways.

“What’s this?” he heard a mech say from behind. “Drinkin’ all by your lonesome over here?”

Trailbreaker didn’t need to turn around to see that great big smile and even greater and bigger frame staring down at him. It was hard getting himself up out of a slump when he’d already fallen so deep, but even harder when there were good friends like Hound to help him back up again.

“Thought you and that pretty little mech had plans for tonight,” Trailbreaker said as he pushed his empty glass aside, making room for Hound to sit across from him. “Don’t tell me he got cold pedes.”

Hound shook his helm. “Nah. Opposite, actually. Dunno what all he meant, but he was sayin’ something about another pretty mech looking sad in the corner here.”

Trailbreaker hid the flush of his cheeks behind a sip of his drink, only to be reminded that he had finished it off before Hound came wandering over to keep him company. He set it down hard, and subsequently winced at the sound of glass ringing out against the cold metal table.

“I’m alright, Hound,” he said, his free servo still rubbing over the swell of his belly beneath the table. “You two go have your fun. Maybe later I’ll catch up and join in.”

He hardly believed it for himself, but he’d do anything to convince Hound (and Mirage, apparently, who was checking up on him from a distance) that his little hide away from the fun and enjoy the night by drinking himself into oblivion was intentional. He was exhausted, after all, and though he’d already fueled up with enough energon to satisfy three bots or more, he still felt the gnawing pain of hunger in the pit of his tanks.

He was too slow to keep up, and too slow to refuel properly. Was there anything he could do, aside from inhibit the longterm livelihood of the jovial mechs partying around him?

Hound was silent for a moment. He stared off into the room, his optics lingering on the various forms of drinking, dancing, and talking bots that swung this way and that.

“Mirage got some of the good stuff again,” he eventually said, scratching his chin as he eyed the empty glass in Trailbreaker’s servos. “The stuff you like.”

“Ain’t that the pricy slag he keeps buying?” Trailbreaker said. “I thought I told you guys not to—“

“He likes it,” Hound cut in with a shrug. “I do, too.”

And so did Trailbreaker, but that went without saying. The two knew him far too well, that was for sure.

“I won’t push you if you’re not feeling it,” his companion continued. “But it oughta be better than sitting around drinking cheap stuff that bubbles in your tanks, dontcha think?”

It would be nice. There wasn’t much that could satisfy his cravings these days, but whatever miracles Mirage pulled seemed to do the trick. Just the thought of that sweet, warm energon trickling down his intake as he sat between the two, his belly swollen with fuel and feeling full for the first time in days… it was impossible to pass up. The best part? They wanted it just as much as he did.

Trailbreaker’s spark still clenched with guilt at the thought of hijacking a specially planned moment between his two companions, but something about the twinkle in Hound’s optics told him this had been the plan from the start. Mirage didn’t buy that special slag for nothing, that was after all.

“You don’t think he’d mind?” Trailbreaker pressed, having already stood up from his chair. “I mean, I ain’t gonna stop you two from having fun, am I?”

“What Mirage says goes,” Hound said. “And I’m tellin’ you, Trailbreaker. He’s been begging me to come get you to join.”

He still had his doubts, as he always did. You couldn’t demand the most fuel out of the whole Autobot faction without garnering a name for yourself, after all. Hound was insistent, though, and from the sounds of it, so was Mirage. It felt nice, being wanted, and being cared for. For once, his needs weren’t seen as a liability, but as a trait that they could all enjoy. Who was he to pass up on that?

“You got me,” he said, his growing smile rivaling Hound’s own. “Now where’s that mech waiting for us this time?”

#chubformers #g1 trailbreaker #g1 hound #g1 mirage #trailbreaker/hound/mirage #anon man writes

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crazy-fandom-madness · 2 years ago

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Just a little Revenant x Reader cuz yes

This is my first time writing so sorry if there is any mistakes it anything enjoy

Summary: you decide to relax while the other legends talk amongst themselves and Revenant try’s his best to show he cares

Words 1.1k+

SFW/ Gender Neutral/ Fluff Rev/ Established Relationship

It was a normal day on the drop ship and Lifeline, Bangalore, Gibraltar, Octane, Mirage and Wattson where sitting and playing a card game, Newcastle and Wraith were watching listening to Mirage brag about how good he was. Of course Octane had to one up him at this point they where the only ones playing. You where laying down in the same room tired from the last match but the sound of Elliott and Octavio stopped you from sleeping. Though the Nessie Wattson gave you helped and Ajay’s light drumming on D.O.C. was also calming but it couldn’t distract from the eyes on you. Revenant, just in the corner watching not threatening just observing. You were always interested in the simulacrum and you knew he was somewhat nice to you well as nice as he could be, he tried his best.

“Ya sure you don’t want to join us?” Ajay stopped tapping D.O.C. to ask. “I bet you could get Mirage you shut up.” Wraith added with a smirk earning a look from Eliott. “They look tired let’s leave them alone.” Natalie said making everyone go back to what they were doing. A loud laugh came from Octane as he won the match. “Sorry amigo looks like I win again!” Elliot wasn’t even paying attention to him. “Well maybe if that murder bot wasn’t standing so menacingly I would have played better.” Renee rolled her eyes. “Come on brudda no need to watch join us.” They all looked over to Revenant he just let out a grunt and left. “Typical.” Anita and Renee said in unison turning back to the game, you wondered where he was going looking over the couch you were on. He went into his room unable to see him you lay back down, closing your eyes finally falling asleep.

Waking up noticing your alone at least you thought but you have a blanket it was soft. One of Revenant’s you smile looking around for anyone. “Finally, you where out for a while.” A familiar robot voice filled the room looking over there he was. Starting to walk over to you he just looked at you so you spoke. “Were you just watching me? Oh and thanks for the blanket you could have just carried me to bed.” You giggled while getting up, he let out a grunt as a response. “You can walk yourself can’t you?” Collecting all your things you head back to your room with Revenant. He usually stands in the doorway just watching you sleep making sure your safe, but today he got into bed with you. As you got comfortable laying against him just listening to his robotic parts work. It was times like this that he wished he was human but he would never admit it. “I brought you some water so you don’t have to get up.” Looking over at the table there was indeed water, small thing like this is what made you happy. Sure he wasn’t great at showing love but he did it in his own way. You give him a small thanks before taking a sip of the water. Putting it back down on the table. You wanted to see if this time he would actually sleep or if he would just watch you like always.

He has a rest mode but he never used it he didn’t like to sleep, he didn’t need to so why use it? He didn’t trust anyone enough to use it in the first place. You knew he would use it in due time, when he was ready. “Well I’m going to go to sleep feel free to move me if you want to leave.” You giggle knowing he will stay there all night. As you rest your head on his chest you hear the parts start to slow down, getting more calm the faint glow from his eyes light the room. You tiredly say you love him and you start to doze off. Smiling when he says it back, playing with your hair just a little, things he would only do in private. You wake up to the sound of Octane and Mirage again knowing you won’t be able to fall back asleep you get up. But not before noticing Revenant, asleep well in resting mode it brought a smile to your face, he is comfortable enough to do this. You lay back down and cuddle him whispering sweet nothings to him. Holding his hand and rubbing it, he often picked at the paint on his hands hating Hammond Robotics for making him this killing machine. Of course you understand this hatred he had, but remind him to be nice to himself.

His LED eyes start to light back up, gears inside him start up again. “Morning, did you rest well?” You ask as he starts back up. “I guess it’s not like it does me any use.” He sits up and watches you get ready. “Well I’m just happy your comfortable with me to do that I know it’s hard for you.” It was, he’s trying for you but it’s still hard for him to show it. “Small steps at a time.” You add all he said was a soft yeah. As you where about to leave the room he stopped you. “Thank you, for making me feel human.” He hugged you it was unusual for him to do this but you let him. “I try my best, honestly forget your not sometimes.” With a soft giggle you let go of him and smile. If he could he would be too, you place a soft kiss where his lips would be and leave.

You were greeted by Bangalore and Gibraltar they were talking about the schedule. “Bonjour, did you sleep well I hope we didn’t wake you?” Natalie asked while she watched Ajay work on D.O.C. “Not at all Wattson, so what’s the plan for today?” Looking over at Anita. She took a sip of coffee as she explained everything. She soon left to grab some more coffee and Ajay’s light tapping with her shock sticks could be heard as you felt eyes on you. Revenant walked over to you sitting next to you, he put his arm around you. But quickly moved it as Bangalore walked back in. He didn’t pull away when you grabbed his hand rubbing where the Hammond Robotics logo was. Small steps you say to your self. After a few minutes of sitting with each other the announcement for the next match could be heard. Letting go of his hand getting ready he stops you, and puts a light kiss on your hand before going to his spot. The progress might be slow he might not even get past this stage but you didn’t mind. You would always love him no matter what and you knew he felt the same. Smiling while looking at him you start to drop. He looked at you as you both got ready to jump sharing a look before everyone jumped. Sure you loved him but this is a blood sport and you didn't come to lose. Giving him one last look knowing it will be over soon and you can go back to holding him. And with that let the games begin.

#apex legends #apex lifeline #apex pathfinder #apex x reader #apex legends revenant #apex revenant x reader #revenant apex #apex revenant #revenant x reader #revenant #kaleb cross #simulacrum #apex mirage #apex wraith

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demani-dusk · 4 months ago

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Palisade didn't work for me, and idk how much of that is my headspace or if it just, wasn't going to hit for me no matter what. Parts of it hit. Parts of it are just definitely great. But I think I was most affected by things set up and built up in previous seasons. I was feral about the Satelite/Primary reference. I almost lost my mind during the stellar combuster arc because I still care so much about Twilight Mirage. I was very gur-pilled.

I think some of my problem this season is to do with story structure. It's to do with there being too many things across the road to palisade being set up for very much of it to feel properly paid off. There were ideas about settler colonialism that I wanted to see explored and just didn't feel like they got enough attention. The stakes for the stellar combuster arc were so high I couldn't sustain that level of interest and investment afterwards. I don't know how to describe how and why the first finale episodes felt structurally off to me. I mean, they were very much on their shit in terms of the stakes and scale of a finale game. I guess, I think the individual arcs felt rushed. I didn't feel connected to the way the world was changing so dramatically. And the epilogues, idk, it felt like these big important things were happening and then entirely reshaped with just a sentence in this way that didn't honor the gravity of them.

I'm glad they did another mission in armor/astir afterward. I think that definitely helped me process a lot of the pre-finale and make sense of what it meant for the characters if less so for Palisade.

Idk, I kind of hate to make this post at all and what I want is to be shown how actually I'm completely wrong and Palisade was the best season yet. I feel weird loving Twilight Mirage for how big and ambitious it was and now complaining about something very similar. But to me, I guess the difference is how elegantly Twilight Mirage could hit its themes at climatic moments. I had this feeling, as TM approached the mid-season finale that everything was coming together shockingly elegantly for a tabletop game, and I don't know if what's happened is I can't watch the same magic trick 8 times and still be amazed or if they just didn't pull it off as well this time.

#friends at the table #palisade #complaining lol

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hydropotato · 2 months ago

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So I've been playing Warframe for about 100 days.

I think that should be a pretty decent amount of time for me to get a feel for this game, and well? Yes, but actually no. This game is, for lack of clearer initial description, Amazing.

I first heard of Warframe ages ago from friends playing it. Didn't think much about it. Then I heard We All Lift Together, and added it to my Spotify playlist because it rocks. Didn't think much about the game at that point either. And then one day, I saw a group of my friends playing it and streaming on Discord. "Decree"? "Secrets lie deep within the undercroft; the paradox gives us a means to extract them"? Girl with a skirt on a floating skateboard, firing bubbles at enemies and it kills them?

I was sold. I thought this is bonkers, I gotta check that out. But there was more.

I can't begin to really describe my experience starting off. You get to pick from three frames (sorry, not Loki, the future is now old man), and then you get to pick some starter gear. Every option you forgo in favour of the other becomes available later on, but I didn't know that. I was just stealthily nailing baddies to walls with my Paris and clumping hoards together with Mag's Magnetise, trying to learn how to bullet jump. Days became weeks, and I was unlocking new planets like it was no big deal. Well, it was. I had to learn how to make my gear and abilities work together (like using Pull to group enemies at my feet and then whacking them with my Bo), how to avoid Sentients' spinning beam attacks, how to mod my gear so that I wouldn't die immediately. Now and then I'd stumble upon other random players in public lobbies; you'd get the Titanias, the Wukongs, the Mirages, all speeding to the finish line before I knew what was happening. At some point I thought to myself, I should really go for another Warframe just to explore my options. Citrine stood out to me (her rock fires rainbow beams, and she's a solid support that has good damage potential), and she wasn't too difficult to gain access to.

Then came the farming. Getting Citrine's components required you to do waves of a Mirror Defence mission up to multiples of 4. I still remember clearly the dismay upon reaching round 3 for the first time, only for my teammates to all extract. I tried to protect the crystals on my own, only for the second one to get destroyed at the very last second of wave 4. I was distraught. It took me much begging in different friend groups for friends to accompany me to the later rounds, to finally get all her parts. It was then that I discovered how powerful a frame like Frost or Gara could be, but Frost, despite being easier to get, just didn't stand out to me aesthetically. So my next goals were Gara and Garuda. But for now Citrine. And Citrine continues to be my main.

I don't really want to explain every single thing that happened, but I got Garuda, got Yareli, though omg she's so fun lemme get her signature weapon, spent days skating across Orb Vallis for that bubble gun,

At some point I got a Kuva Lich, accidentally made it rank 5, killed it on my own somehow, then got a Sister of Parvos (Sleeping in the Cold Below is such an awesome song by the way), finished The New War, cleared the Star Chart, and unlocked the Steel Path.

I haven't even mentioned The Duviri Paradox, which is what I was referencing at the start of this post. That gamemode is so fun, even if all the premade builds for gear and frames are frankly dogwater that only works if

a. You're running normal mode, or

b. You're playing Rhino so it doesn't matter how he's modded, you just don't die and buff everyone

So yeah. This game rocks. It's massive, it's free to play (you can get the paid-for currency by selling stuff to other players if you want to spend platinum), and it's really worth getting into. No daily obligations, the game just waits for you. That, and there's plenty of time gates, so I felt motivated to take breaks, naps, and just relax. Even the dailies on the Nightwave (a battlepass but 100% free) have this system where once you complete the existing ones, any quests you missed from previous days/weeks reappear for you to complete (marked with the word 'Recovered). I could max out the Nightwave despite having started Warframe halfway into it.

Now, I do have some issues with it, though. Host Migration is probably the most annoying of issues, and I genuinely think that the game should just leave you at the previous host's instance, regardless of ping. Sure, if you were lagging you still will be lagging when they leave, but it'll be uninterrupted, you won't lose all your active abilities, I dunno. I just think it would work more smoothly.

Also.

Can they please rework Wukong? He appears in every mission. It's tiring. Give him a higher skill floor or something. Maybe make him targetable in cloudwalker, I dunno. This game is too much of a sandbox for players to be funnelling into one meta. We gotta encourage people to be more creative.

Also, make Arbitration drones enter the rift when they float into Cataclysm. They're the only thing that annoys me as Limbo in Arbies. Please and thank you.

#warframe #also i just witnessed a rhino prime die to lv40 infested this is so sad can we get an f in chat #very long post #tennotober2024

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dammarchy211 · 7 months ago

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Despite having finished Psychonauts I don't think the fixation is gonna wear off (time to watch a Rhombus of Ruin playthrough!) so I will be plaguing your askbox/page (/lh+silly)

For an ask about your Psychonauts OCs, what do you think they'd be like in-game, if you could interact with them? Or how do you think they'd be towards Raz? I've seen some of your characters and they make me go silly /pos, so I'm curious about them :3

Hi hi basically all of my ocs are written as if they were in game characters fhfjvk

This includes mental worlds and game mechanics and such!

The curb this post being extremely long and just a run down of Everything about my ocs. I’ll group them up. (Even tho a lot of this will probably still be restating lol)

So the C.R.I.M.E. agents function basically entirely as antagonists for the most part. Given the uh. Villainous nature of the organization lol. They all kind of act Banterly towards the psychonauts and especially Raz. But do not take this as them being bad at their jobs!! The only cringefail villain really is Ant, I can’t play up the “villain but they actually suck XD” trope that much it would get annoying to write lmaoo. I will single out Dexter specifically to note that he was written as a perfect foil/arch nemesis whatever to Raz. The two are also “accidentally friends” because they would 1000% get along well if it weren’t for their circumstance. That being said Dexter is probably just as good, and just as bad, of an agent as Raz. They were written to be comparable. Another note I’ll make is towards Neo Cortez. He’s the founder of CRIME, and probably stands out as a possible “main antagonist”. Hes extremely self serving and ends up garnering the contemp of his own agents along with the psychonauts eventually.

Now Cheri! She was originally made, as my first oc, to be a new mentor for Raz after what happens in the events of pn2 (though I reckon I’ll probably have to change that if a pn3 comes out and they expand on that). She’s an ex-villain, similar to Oleander, but a lot farther back and was “evil” for a bit longer too. She kind of ‘pretends’ to still be evil because she thinks it’s funny, but it’s mostly just cartoonishly dastardly things. Imagine Queen from Deltarune with Kris or Noelle but instead of being Genuine it’s just a bit. She has a loott of baggage she’s just kind of. Holding onto. She got a handle on her mental spiral back when the psychonauts had stopped her previously, but that doesn’t really mean anything was fixed. Anything in game with her mainly circles around helping her with that, but also her helping Raz! She is a mentor after all. She teaches Raz electrokinesis (more specifically how to deflect it) and an alternate form of mental projection

Mirage and KC are more background characters. I still need to post about Mirage. Most of their connections to the canon come from not Raz, so it’s hard to fit them in a game-like narrative. Theoretically you could probably chat with them regardless tho. KC is Dogen’s friend, so after awhile she kinda becomes friends with Raz too :-]

I also have the Donatella headcanon backstory characters, but I don’t think I say anything more about them other than “they’re just the family members I thought up for Donatella because I wanted to write a backstory for her” without sounding like a broken record. They would probably eventually have a reunion with the Aquatos tho! Raz’s favorite Aunt would be Fran (and her wife) :-]

#psychonauts #psychonauts ocs #psychonauts original character #Dexter Fahrenheit #Cheri Bellum #Neo Cortez #Ant Shoebottom #Mirage Cameron #K.C. Enigmatic #Francesca Ghiaccio #I’m not taking anyone I didn’t mention by name fhfj #psychonauts headcanons

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swallowtailed · 9 months ago

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palisade 44

it’s so fun to watch the finale get built out. we’re back to the mirage!!!!! we’re in it!!!!!!!!!!!

solid arc to this episode. lots to chew on.

really liked the final beat of righteousness and mourning’s conversation—paraphrasing, but, “you came to me because you knew i’d agree.” “perhaps i did.” “i’ll back it if you give me command.” “done.” “done.” it’s especially good in the context of those same two people later being so reluctant to trust gucci to use clem. something about… being willing to make deals yourself that you think are too risky for others. individuals playing private power games in service of utopia.

keith raised a great point re what the principality even means to the bilats inside the mirage. the thing i’ve been turning over since last week is what this is like for members of the cause who just got slurped into the mirage. like, when you get to see the utopia (“utopia”) you’ve been protecting sight unseen for a year, and now you have the choice between living there for the rest of your life or spending years leaving, what… do you do? how do you value the fight outside? how do you value the chance to stay when you were never supposed to get to see the mirage in the first place? fuck.

hey speaking of mirage folks HOW ABOUT DRE’S NEW PC

levitation “levi” cascabel-gardner. wow i love this kid. i can’t wait for him and cori to meet. (like, has he heard of cori?? does he just know of the devotees as that weird religious cult??)

he is absolutely extremely mirage

there is a certain kind of suspension of disbelief required when a new character is joining the party and it just doesn’t play that well when taken seriously. with that said, clem was always gonna be a tough sell. like, a really tough sell.

i am not really interested in clem coming back in, tbh. we know her problems pretty well by now—doesn’t feel like there’s much more to say. she’s been defeated several times over. beat her to death with hammers already.

what does intrigue me is the blue channel interpersonal drama aspect. the reflexive kesh noble infighting is excellent, as is clem and gucci having weird tension and brnine finding out about the deal and getting upset. also very much looking forward to whatever conflict cori and clem are gonna have.

and also the drama in the way of… sometimes clementine kesh survives and your friends don’t, and you have to deal with that. grief has become really essential to this season.

so we’ll see, i guess! i feel like i say that a lot in these posts. but actual play is such a fluid way to build a narrative. hard to say what’s gonna be interesting in another two episodes.

other things i enjoyed in this episode: mustard red sidebar, brnine and gucci’s texts, levi’s feather covered poncho, jesset immediately vibing with levi, mourning’s comprehensive gossip intel, “a broken clock kills the right person twice a day”

kept hearing “mourning” and thinking “morning’s”. miss that guy

#hello world #fatt #palisade #fatt lb #palisade spoilers

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shinysamurott9 · 1 year ago

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Shiny kyurem after 5648 SR's on my main Black 2 file. Kyurem is one of my absolute favourite pokemon of all time and i am so happy to have it shiny now.

This shiny has been a long time coming for me. I've been making strides to 100% this Black 2 file for a long time and I've come pretty far. I've completed the national dex, did all the movies in pokestar, beat all the tournaments and collected an obscene amount of medals, not all but a lot.

The legendaries are actually one of the only things I haven’t done. Ever since ORAS I've made it a point to avoid catching 1 time only encounters in case I ever wanted to shiny hunt them, as when I got the shiny charm in that game I used all the mirage spot legendaries to fill out my dex, but when i got the shiny charm i realised, "Wait, I've just caught basically all of the coolest targets to shiny hunt". In the case of the Unova dragons, I also specifically avoided doing this in hopes I could get access to Shiny Lock Removal and obtain the whole trio. And now I finally have

The Unova Dragons or the Tao Trio are easily among my favourite legendary pokemon. Their designs are fantastic and make for excellent depictions of what they represent. I love their role in the lore of Unova and how the values they represent have influenced modern day Unova, subtlely showing which of the dragons actually won in the conflict between the sons of the twin rulers of ancient Unova.

Even their typings have significance. Something that often cones up in N's speech patterns is formulas and chain reactions which create change, but a change can only be created with energy. Reshiram and Zekrom being fire and electric type respectively, represent plasma and two different kinds of energy that can create those chain reactions. They have everything needed to change the world. Kyurem however is ice type. Cold is created from an absence of heat and energy, and is typically used to preserve things, brilliantly showing what Kyurem has lost and what it is left as, basically just a walking preserved corpse. It's a big reason why it loses some of the ice covering it's body in it's fusion forms. Speaking of:

I love Black and White Kyurem. I think it's a brilliant concept that Kyurem can still fuse with one of the legendaries, adopting either truth or ideals to return itself to a more cohesive form but even though it's closer to it's original form, it's still mishapen and imperfect, having to use it's ice to remain cohesive with the DNA it obtains from Reshiram and Zekrom. I'm a massive fan of monstrous and mishapen designs like this. It's absolutely brilliant all while giving us just a few little hints as to what Kyurem may have originally looked like.

#pokemon #pokemon black and white #pokemon black 2 #shiny pokemon #Reshiram #Zekrom #Kyurem #unova

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littleladymab · 8 months ago

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Fic Authors Self-Rec!

Ahhhh thank you @fourteenfifteen for the tag! (You can find Hen's post over here!)

Rules: When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let's spread the self-love

Also I'm totally going to CHEAT, because I absolutely LOVE my two big series that are NOT popular at all LMAO

the scars that we're made of series! This is my "Star Wars Rebels S5" fic. This is my "did you hate the ahsoka show for yes girl giving us nothing??" this is my "do you also want to know what happens after rebels but don't want it to be EXCLUSIVELY thranto?" THIS IS MY FAVORITE SERIES I'VE WRITTEN like the whole thing top to bottom bangers imo It's not yet finished, I still have to write my Eli prequel but honestly, if you love Rebels, read this! Here's the tumblr post for main fic, far from the world that i made.

inside every open eye series! This is a fantasy Magnus Archives fic, in which Sasha steps in to take over the role of the Archivist after Jon goes missing during a ritual for the Beholding. I love a lot of the visuals from this, and I loved writing for Sasha -- plus there's a lot of fun side-stories. This one is complete! Here's tumblr post for the main fic, tiny cracks of light.

my place to land. What is UP SIGNET/ECHO NATION, ALL FIVE OF YOU! I wrote a novel for my rare pair because i am actually three bodyguard AUs in a trench coat captaining the good ship I made up. Twilight Mirage is still my favorite fatt season, because it is exactly my aesthetic and also, Signet is there. This is still one of my favorite fics, even though I can think of many things that i would change upon a rewrite. I got a lot of amazing gift art from friends when I was updating it, too, and I treasure everyone who came to read it!! It is currently still the longest fic in the fatt tag, but not for long it does look like there is someone rapidly catching up with 74k on a 6/14 chapter fic. It was fun while it lasted! Unfortunately, twitter moments went kaput so I will have to figure out some other way to put all the wonderful fanart everyone made for me!

'til my lungs burn bright. Affectionately called my "regency magic spies AU" for Ace Attorney, specifically this is for AA4/Klapollo!! This is a sequel to a fic I haven't finished yet! (Someone encourage me to finish the main fic! it's what i'm supposed to be working on this month!!) I love this setting SO much and I loved making all the little references to in-game moments. Here's the tumblr link to the fic ;) I had a hard time picking between this and my sleeping beauty klapollo au.... Also shout-outs to Joanie for doing the WONDERFUL art for it!!! (I should actually go put it in-line with the fic text too oops)

Theseus' Ship. The Anders Defender has LOGGED THE FUCK ON. That's it that's the post. No okay, it's an Anders character study and i think it absolutely slaps. Here's the tumblr link to the fic!

Bonus very short fic that I still enjoy, which you can also read even if you're not in the fandom, but Five Steps To Ensure Your Soulmate Becomes a Ghost from Rusty Quill Gaming.

Honestly I love everything I write because I am an audience of me first. The current version of my masterpost has links out to a lot of my fics from different fandoms -- like some of my other friends at the table content and my jgm labyrinth au and my lockwood fic! That's my best piece of advice: love what you write, and write for yourself first! And then the two little freaks in your group chat second 💞 I wouldn't have been able to do most of these fics without the besties, so thank you to everyone who has read my novel-length fics.

Tags: Scrambling to think of any of my fic writing friends let's goooo @luukeskywalker, @mariusperkins, @lesbianahsokatano, @redtailedhawk90, @bardicspiration, @krisseycrystal , @strangeharpy and there's so many of you i love you all, please go flaunt your writing and talk about your five favorite fics!! and tag me!!

#a lil miss fic #just generally a huge shoutout to kaite for being my number 1 hype man i couldn't do this without u bestie!!!#argh does anyone know why tumblr will untag people but still pretend like they're tagged

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lopaak · 1 year ago

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In Stars and Time, Aion, Mirages and Thoughts

Launching a game you were awaiting for long is always weird to live ; you're in a special time frame, an Eon you're aware you'll only live once.

In the case of In Stars and Time, it's also partly because once your finish the game, once your fixation will be over, you know you'll look back a few days or weeks before and realize your life changed in such little time.

Eon, or Aion as I will be referring to, one of the three divinity of Time in ancient Greece, represents the Time of eras, cycles, where Past and Future cohabit like lines on a globe, both parallel and meeting at every pole.

While there is Kronos the linear, unstoppable Time, and Kairos the Time of the moment and opportunity you'll get once, Aion is a Time that takes from both of its siblings.

Aion only happens once, as a specific time frame, a frame constructed by the events within it. Yet it is also a Time you live through during which Kronos' linearity makes you suffer, inexorably, makes you love and appreciate things nearby, makes you fear the end.

Yet it is also a Time in which countless opportunities are presented to you, as Kairos' influence washes over every ounce of Time thrown by the Universe.

Another specificity of Aion is that it is the only of these 3 divinities that has an existence within space, not just Time. It was originally used for astronomical time, to measure the cycle of astronomical objects, of Stars.

So here I was, playing a game about loops, unavoidable cycles of repeating events, while myself being in an Aion, aware of the ephemeral aspect of my emotional playthrough.

So, what about In Stars and Time?

It was a great game, standing in that huge rift between imperfect game and perfect piece. So great actually that this small essay is, unlike my digression about Aion might suggest, about this game!

A professional reviewer making an article on the game might be more interesting and especially, better written than a silly 18yo tumblr user though. Read at your own risk. Spoilers ahead btw!

But, since I'm making this, let's start with the basics, I imagine? The art direction is really, really good. The design of the characters is both cute and distinctive, and the (mostly!) black & white aspect of the game fits the characters and the story really well! Some still art of the characters during the hangouts and at the end of the game brought tears to my 4am-completely-dry eyes.

As an rpg, ISAT does the job well for me. The traditional medieval rpg endgame place, the castle, in this game the 'House of Change', is where most of your gameplay will take place, in 3 different floors. Which starts in the beginning as a map to go up the floors to encounter the King later evolves into a labyrinthine experience as in act 3 and 4 you have to go back in rooms hinted at you by an NPC, by your helper-companion Loop, or by deduction, to get some items, go back to another floor, go to the spawn village, over and over again.

That is where my only negative criticism of the game stands ; Acts 3 and 4 felt sometimes too confusing, hard or complicated, finding the items to advance in the story almost felt more as a burden than a fun detective exploration game. The moments of fun in these were talking with your friends about the discoveries and then going back to the village to talk with Loop. And all that was inevitably done so by Siffrin dying or being frozen in time, which wasn't making all that job any more fun.

BUT! Because most criticisms need a 'BUT', that was also experiencing, what Siffrin, our main silly hat character, was living, and thousands of times less strongly. In this specific case, the slight frustration or annoyance i got by looping to certain floors to get books and all that fuss was completely justified, as the ending would make less sense without it, and Siffrin's development as a character would be pretty meaningless, because they would have went through way less.

Act 5, where Siffrin "slightly" loses it because of everything he went through in the previous acts, is only meaningful because while what we as players might have found annoying, he as a character suffered his heart and mind through it. Every time you decided to step on a banana peel to loop up in the House, Siffrin had to die and fake their feelings to their friends once more. Every time you found slightly annoying that you had to fight a specific enemy (Sadness) again, Siffrin was living it.

About fighting! I felt the battles as really fun, satisfying and never really getting boring? Some criticisms I've seen say that fighting Sadnesses is boring, either too easy or too hard, that it's not fun... But personally i really enjoyed it!

First because, the art of the Sadnesses is like. reallyanotherlevelofdope. I found each Sadness' design amazingly cool. Many of them have this silliness to them, whether in their pose or in their expression, yet they are all crying, and, as their name implies, anything they experience is nothing but sadness. At a point where sometimes, despite hurting them in the process, you almost feel like you're freeing them when defeating them.

And well, the moving patterned background art during the battle is super duper cool as well! As someone who loves patterns of any kind, i found all of them really cool looking. Each Sadness has a background different tied to them!

Secondly on why i liked the battles, this won't be a long point but : simply, the combat system is fun! The rock-paper-scissor aspect, the different Crafts, the jackpot mechanic, all that was pretty fun.

And thirdly, the MUSIC!!! The music playing during the battles is really good and makes them more fun. And that brings me to another point on why I love ISAT : the OST. Which is my next paragraph, how fortunate.

THE OST!!!! Composed by Studio Thumpy Puppy, the soundtrack of the game is stunning! stunningly good! The genre of music i listen to the most surely is videogame ost (I'm even listening to that rn), and the soundtracks of games is something I always pay great attention to and an aspect that really hammers the nail (or nails the hammer?) when it comes to me loving a game. Every track of this ost from the King theme down to the rock-paper-scissor tutorial kid tune is of genuine amazing quality. I can only recommend giving it a listen if you're not interested in the game, and supporting the composer on Bandcamp if you can! The ost is a great fit to the event currently happening in the game, and sometimes really feels as if you were in the place of Siffrin, reflecting their mental state. For example, during Act 5, when everything about the music takes a drastic change and becomes darker, fitting the game and Siffrin's current state.

Oh, did I mention Siffrin's feelings? Makes me realize I haven't talked much about our main character yet. Oh well! Here I go. And that is where I'm gonna spoil!!

Siffrin, the silly hat wizard (wizards are not real, urgh, i mean traveler) is who you play as in ISAT. Every moment you experience is from Siffrin's perspective. He's a traveler (uses he/they!) from another country, unknown even by him at the beginning of the game. Eventually as the game progresses, they realize the land they came from was a land north of the country in which ISAT takes place, Vauguard. That land disappeared years ago, and everyone sort of forgot about it. The characters know there was an island north of Vauguard, but forgot everything about it. Trying to read its language or saying its name out loud gives a headache, if you can even remember the name. A big chunk of the game is about remembrance, Siffrin wanting and trying to remember that name, as he himself forgot. Siffrin is a deeply introvert person, scared when people touch them yet touch starved, have a hard time talking about their feelings, and much more (I'll go into it more when I'll talk about the story and do the essay part of this post). Most aspects of their personality, the topics of depression and trauma he went/is going through, as well as him being asexual makes me relate a lot to him.

However Siffrin is far from being the only multilayered and complex character in ISAT.

AND!!!! Here is when I took a break from ISAT.

A few weeks ago, I started writing this essay and eventually took a break, heh. It gave me time to think more about this silly sad game :)

I wondered whether I should rewrite everything or continue where I left off, and if you're reading this, well it means I decided to continue!!! SO here I am, continuing this essay, however moving the direction a little. I'm easing back on the review aspect and going full-on essay. Let's gooo~ wowee

When there's a topic tough to talk about because of its complexity, I ask myself : why do I want to talk about it? It eases the process to reflect on why I'm doing what I'm doing. But for some topics there's another level of complexity, thanks to, oh well, the emotional attachment there is to it ; and one of these topics is ISAT.

In what lens should I analyze ISAT? Under what light? What zoom level on the microscope? What aperture size? What focus? And perhaps the most important question ; should I use anti flare and damaging equipment? Should my picture of In Stars and Time be burnt, as looking as Stars entails. I think I'm going to look straight into the Stars and let my pupils burn, let this text get consumed, because if this text were to exist in the grand scheme of ISAT, I imagine it would get consumed either way.

Let's think. I'm closing my eyes now. No spider on my neck, no croissant in sight. Thoughts merge with C418's beautiful composition on his album "Excursions".

On the horizon, a plethora of games, shows, movies or artists that will impact my life in more ways than I can imagine at this moment. On the ground, in the sand, In Stars and Time lies, an artifact in the photographic sense, and an Artifact in the sense that it will stay with me, like many did in the past, still impacting what I'm writing right now. I pick up the cartridge..or the..steam key(?), slowly blow off the sand and rise my hand to look at it under the scorching sun. It won't be an easy task. But it wasn't for the past Artifacts either.

So ; In Stars and Time is an incredibly hard object of analysis, both because of its nature and because of my attachment to it. That's for certain. Now, it's far from impossible and nothing's impossible anyways when you have all the time in the world. A lens that I feel necessary to use when analyzing In Stars and Time is the lens of the dispossession of one's identity. Siffrin is forcefully separated from what made them who they are now, forcefully separated from the impending victory and freedom.

Cultural dispossession is something that I can't say I relate myself but is something that had a definite impact on my family, something that I could witness in the eyes of a loved one back a few years ago, someone who was reminiscing their earlier memories as a way to survive in a brain getting used and fatigued. Memories that I could not all write down, as Time was getting close. One day, a bit over three years ago, these eyes closed and with that ended a flow of mental souvenirs.

ISAT made me think about that person a lot. It feels that throughout In Stars and Time, at least to me, grief was treated in a way that I've never seen before. Grief is everywhere, but subtly? It is just a car you see driving next to you during a trip on a long highway. You can't really read its license plate but, do you need to? Do you need to know where that car is from, in what country, what state was it bought? Do you need to know where it is going? No you don't. But sometimes you wish you could know. (Note ; writing this makes me think about this song)

I left all my luggage in the last station. I lost them. Moving on.

Grief is also present as a fear of something that might have already happened, in the character of Bonnie. They did not lose their sister but what if? What if it was too late? 'Siffrin, what if they could never go back because of you? Because of me?'

Siffrin witnessing Bonnie being murdered was one of the most terrifying experience while playing the game. I don't know if Sif can ever recover after that in the future, but my headcanon says so. Thinking about that event makes me ...sick.

Bonnie is, despite their age, one hell of a strong character, for many reasons. Because their final hit can be an absolute bop. Because they make super duper good snacks. Because they're here. They crawled to escape the curse, walked with no gear nor water for days before meeting the crew. All this time, they stayed strong. They kept advancing, in the hope of finding something, anything to help.

And they did. I can see them right now, in this desert, looking at this cartridge. The scorching sun is freezing cold, so I'll keep moving to heat myself at least a bit. I have to continue.

Difference is constructed.

Mirabelle is, in a lot of ways, the other main character. She created the party, she saves everyone's life, she beats the King. It's tough to be more 'main character' than this. At least it is by most fictional adventure standards. She's very unique anyways, but is it a weakness to be unique? Obviously not; except in the house of Change? Tough to say, but needless to say, she has a very dyptical (i made that word up, let's say, "dual") relationship with the House and with her fellow housemaidens. She loves being where she is, she loves her place in the House, she loves her beliefs. But she's scared whether she is the right person, because the reality is that she wasn't "chosen" by the Change God, because there are expectations she cannot (or is repulsed to) fulfill due to being on the aroace spectrum.

That is also something I related a lot with! And the message about religion and more specifically belief is really healthy. To believe is not necessarily to make compromises, it is also to believe in yourself, as apart of whichever deity, able to change, able to be who you are.

I think her fears are very relatable, to many people. To an inattentive eye, it could make her a pretty consensual character when it comes to her personality. A character that everyone can like, she's the nice one, all that. But that'd be falling for the trap she's in herself.

Mirabelle is way more complex than what she may look like, a sweet housemaiden who is nice and caring, here for others, who fits her name really well (to be fair, Mirabelle does suit her alot, but not just bc of the sweetness and all that). She has a strength other characters don't necessarily have ; a strength that is in-game represented by her shield ability and the fact that she deals the final blow to the King. But it's a strength that deeply, is tough to explain and that other people will likely do better than me. A strength tied to her belief in Change, tied to her care towards the people of Vauguard, but also tied to her believing in herself. She seem unsure of herself and, arguably she is in many situations, but when the moment is important she knows what to do and she's sure of that.

In the end of the day ; Mirabelle is aware that she doubts her strength, and knows that she can fight those doubts.

And, as I see in the distance a faraway light illuminating the sky, making day look like night, I understand that a shield, far, far away, is resonating for countries around. In another land that is mere mirages for me, they're celebrating.

I don't want this essay to look review-y too much so I won't go around analyzing Isabeau and Odile like I did previously with the others ; plus, patterns get quickly boring. Nah.

There is a ton to say about Isabeau and Odile though. However I've been thinking about how to express my feelings and essaying on them, and I can't find the words. Which granted I'm no journalist, no professional reviewer, but I feel like any inability to write about the things I love is a form of weakness for me. Just for me though, if, that makes sense, oh, well, okay,. If people read this and are interested in my thoughts about them, I'll definitely try my best to go in depth in another essay, specifically about the whole roaster ; Bonnie, Isabeau, Mirabelle, Odile and Sif! (and another one!) They're in alphabetical order! (not the essay).

I will try for now tho, to at least express a bit my feelings on them two. Isabeau is a beautifully written character. I really see his personality as a glimmer in the party. He's brave and strong, but so romantic and kind-hearted. Like Mirabelle, he may seem like a pretty consensual character that is a bit stereotypical ; the buff guy with a heart of moss. But! Like her, he is much much more complex than what meets the eye of someone casually glancing at a ISAT 100% No Commentary video by "theFullGameplayGuy" or some other name (made them up). (No hate towards these channels. They're lifesavers sometimes. Thanks thefullgameplayguy or any no commentary gameplay channel.)

Got distracted but, like the script of a film being created on set, I decided to not delete my distractions. Makes the essay more me!

Odile. Odile is a character that I found so very intriguing since I played ISAT's "prototype", Start again: A prologue. She talks less compared to the others, she's much older, mysteriously scientific and scientifically mysterious. She's lesbi- oh sorry that's a headcanon. . . Um, so, she's very intriguing, especially until her hangout event where you learn much more about her, her past, her life, what brought her here. She has a personality that is quite hard to get at first, but a really cool and sweet one. When I played the game and had to choose the wish in the first minutes, I actually chose the one with Odile! And the reason is exactly this intriguing personality, her mysterious veil of Craft and Science, and my interest for Ka Bue (the country she came from).

All these characters will stuck with me for a long, long time. While playing, I saw myself in each of them at least a bit. Few games made me feel represented with an array of different characters, all shaped in the small world they're coded in, yet near infinitely complex.

Now I know what you may be thinking. I'm not forgetting Loop!!! I actually thought a lot whether I should include them here and decided that I will include them in that other essay I'll make if it interests people, because they are a WHOLE other level of layers and as much as I love writing this, it's a very big piece I can't really tackle in the middle of an overall essay about the game.

In Stars and Time is one of these games. One of these art pieces that will have a lasting on my life. In the continuity of games such as Undertale/Deltarune, fnaf (yeaa it's a franchise), The Stanley Parable, Stardew Valley, Bad End Theater, Life is Strange, If Found, or more recently q.u.q and Stories Untold, and much much more ; this game will change my perception and apprehension of things, and will continue to influence me over the time, over all my future creative projects. (id recommend to check all the games i mentioned that you haven't heard of!!) It will follow me, for the better, in my creative process. So thank you Armor Game Studio, thank you Studio Thumpy Puppy, and thank you the creator, Insertdisc5!

So ; as I'm nearing the end of this, I wonder what it is. I called it an essay for a lack of better words, but I honestly don't know if I'm qualified to write something and call it an essay. And it's definitely not a review either. But it started as one, a bit! Though i don't want to make a review. So I don't really know! But oh well.

Also, remember the three Time in ancient Greece? I think a lot about its ties to the game, but again, that would be too long and especially, too hard for me to explain with words..?. Everything interconnects, everything meets everywhere, everything, on all ends and all thoughts. And ISAT is now part of a cobweb bigger than worlds, words and concepts. I might, tho, try to write about it, one day.

Call me lazy for not expanding on some topics but it's tough to produce allthat for my tiny brain!! I really want to go further but you know. Eh

As for me, I continue walking in the sand. In the erased steps of someone of more importance, I go forward toward the unknown with a new piece in the forever expanding puzzle of a life ; a piece called In Stars and Time.

#in stars and time #ISAT #essay?#thoughts about a game i really like :)#it's probably not really good but it's my first time

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