#Resident Evil 6 Scenery

[crimescrimson]

Red's Guide to Resident Evil [Volume Three] Resident Evil 6 (2012)

Scenery: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33]

Characters: Ada Wong [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] | Leon S. Kennedy [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] | Sherry Birkin [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] | Jake Muller [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | Helena Harper [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] | Ingrid Hunnigan [1] [2] [3]

Pairings: Aeon [1] [2] | Shake [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Specific Scenes: [1] [2] [3] [4]

[megamyceted]

RACCOON CITY SCENERY 6 / ?? resident evil 3 remake, 2020

[porcelainseashore]

Coffee & Secrets (6)

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Rookie Cop! Leon x Barista! Fem! Reader

Summary: As a cozy coffee shop owner in Raccoon City, you’re no stranger to visitors seeking comfort, quiet, and warmth. When a rookie officer named Leon finds a kindred spirit in you, it sets in motion a chain of events that forever changes the course of your lives. An alternate universe set in Resident Evil 2 Remake and inspired by the game Coffee Talk.

Content & Warnings: Canon divergence, coffee shops, romance, slow burn, strangers to lovers, idiots in love, fluff, slice of life, swearing

Author's Note: We’re nearing the end of this series! Thank you to everyone on here for your support, especially in the comments and reblogs. This will probably be my last Leon fic for a while. Sometimes it felt like I was writing into the void and it was a little disheartening, but I started to realise that I need a change of scenery and explore writing through other fandoms.

AO3 Link

Chapter 6: Full Circle

“Am I looking at the new Chief of Police?” 

You cracked a grin as Marvin graced your shop clad in his shiny new outfit and badge that made him look almost regal. Gold stripes and stars lined the cuffs and epaulets of his navy blue jacket. He removed his elegantly embroidered peaked cap, tucking it under his arm as he rubbed his buzz cut. And there he was again, the same old Marvin that you knew.

“You sure are.” He winked, reflecting your grin before a minor shadow loomed over his face. “Can’t say the circumstances I got promoted in were the most pleasant though.”

Laying your hand on his shoulder, you gave it a firm, supportive squeeze. “Everyone knows you deserve this, Marv. You’ll do great.”

“Aww, look what you’ve done! Making me cry all over my nice suit like that,” he emitted a low chuckle, his voice cracking up as he patted your hand. Wiping away a stray tear from his waterline, he cleared his throat and pulled up a chair at the counter.

“So, what can I get for the man of the hour?”

“You know me, I’m a creature of habit,” he affirmed.

You caught the drift, your hands already busying themselves as if they had a mind of their own. “Something gingery.”

The kettle whistled as steam rushed through its spout. Taking it off the stove, you poured it over a mixture of the fresh ginger and turmeric root you had diced up. You allowed it to steep for a while before adding in the jasmine tea leaves. Finally, you strained it into a tea cup garnished with the flower petals.

“Your celebratory drink—Golden Dawn.”

“I can already tell I’m gonna love it.” Marvin lifted the cup to his lips, blowing on it lightly before drinking it sip by sip. 

“Nice music too,” he added, bobbing his head along to one of the tunes on the stereo. “This what you kids listen to these days?”

Over the next hour, you engaged in lighthearted chatter until it came to the never ending squabble of who would pay—or not. As always, you won, telling the older man to accept the gift and enjoy some quality time with his wife and daughters.

As Marvin prepared to leave, Ben and Claire coincidentally came through the door. All three of them stopped dead in their tracks, tensing up as they eyed each other awkwardly. 

It was Ben who broke the silence, extending his hand as he said, “Congratulations, Branagh. I mean it.” 

And he truly did. There was not a note of insincerity in the man’s tone.

At this, Marvin smiled, giving Ben a cordial handshake. “Thanks, Bertolucci. Guess I’ll be seeing you around, though hopefully not on my case,” he joked. 

That elicited a roar of laughter from Ben. “I go where the story leads me, Chief.”

“You really are the devil in disguise,” Marvin noted wryly. “Well, I’mma head off, so have a good evening.”

“Bertolucci. Redfield,” he acknowledged, tipping his cap to the two before giving you a final wave as he exited the shop.

“Drinks on me,” Ben declared, smacking the counter table with his palm.

You raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t a bar have been a better choice?”

“Yeah, we’re headed there after,” he confirmed. “Just had to patronize the place that fueled all my sleepless nights first.”

“I read the article by the way,” you mentioned in passing as you got to work. “It was very well-written and fair.”

“Facts, you can’t go wrong with facts,” he clarified. “I don’t sensationalize.”

“You could’ve been scathing, but you didn’t. That’s an active choice,” you pointed out.

The article had identified several instances of corruption and gross misconduct that the previous chief had been involved in, but in a relatively neutral tone. It also ended on a more positive and optimistic note, creating hope for the future of the RPD.

“Heh, well,” he shrugged, pressing against the bridge of his spectacles as he gave you a coy smile. “Maybe I am getting soft.”

Turning to Claire, he noted, “You’re quiet today, Red. You should be celebrating, kid.”

“Mmm,” she responded with mild disinterest, though you could see her glancing at the shop’s entrance every now and then.

“I didn’t have shot glasses, so I used your favorite—espresso cups,” you teased, placing the two orders on the table. “These should make good pre-drinks.”

“What’s in it?” Ben asked skeptically, unused to anything other than his trusty coffee.

“Let’s just say a combination of lemon, olive oil and cinnamon. I added some other flavorings to make it more palatable,” you explained. “Prevents hangovers.”

Swirling the liquid, he pinched his lips together and remarked, “Guess it wouldn’t hurt. Bet it’s got one of those hippy names too?”

“Grandma’s Cure.”

“Hah! That’s a good one!” he exclaimed, taking a swig from his demitasse.

There was a short pause before he gave his verdict, “Hmm! Not bad… not bad at all.”

However, Claire still left hers untouched and her mind appeared to be elsewhere.

“Hey, you okay?” you asked out of concern.

Claire shook herself out of her thoughts, stumbling over her words, “Y-yeah, shit, I’m sorry.”

Consuming the drink as quickly as possible, she thumped the cup back onto the counter, cleaning her mouth with the back of her hand. Fortuitously, your next customer who came through the door appeared to be the one she was looking for.

“Leon?”

The young officer froze, swallowing nervously as he stared at her. “Claire.”

You and Ben exchanged looks as you tilted your head in the direction of the exit, indicating to him to give them some space. He nodded discreetly in response, understanding what you were getting at.

Immediately, he stood up with a grunt and clapped Claire on the back. “Alright, Red, I’ll make a headstart first and you can join me at Jack’s Bar when you’re ready.”

With that, he placed some cash on the table, casually saluting you before making his way out.

Claire wasted no time getting to the crux of the matter. “That anonymous tip—it was you, wasn’t it?”

Slumping down on the seat beside her, Leon conceded, “Yeah, you got me.”

“I shouldn’t have pressured you into it, I’m sorry,” she blurted out.

“No, you wanted to do the right thing,” he sympathized. “I was so caught up in an ideal that never existed, I forgot about that.”

“It was decent of you to get Bertolucci to hold off on publishing the article until Irons stepped down,” he continued. “At least it was less of a blow to the department as a whole.”

“Still, the way I treated you was uncalled for,” she argued. “You’re a good friend, Leon, I…” her voice cracked.

“Sometimes, people say things because they’re hurt,” he mentioned, giving you a knowing look. 

You smiled back, acknowledging the very same advice you had given him when you first met.

“Pals?” He stuck out his palm.

“What are you, twelve?” she scoffed. Breaking into a dazzling grin, she grasped his hand as though they were sealing a pact. “Pals.”

“Care for another?” you offered, presenting the drinks you had crafted up on the side.

Claire’s eyes twinkled. “Don’t mind if we do.”

Sherry arrived soon after, instantly taking to the redhead like an older sister. Eventually, Claire went off to join Ben, promising to return for a proper goodbye before leaving to finish her semester.

“How was school?” you asked, scooping yet another dollop of whipped cream into Sherry’s drink upon her instructions. She could be quite assertive when she wanted to be.

“Good…” she hummed. “Made a friend.”

“That’s awesome!” Leon commended.

“Oh, and no one dares to touch me, ’cause I told them you’ll kick their ass,” she added.

“Wait, what?” he guffawed, but she suddenly had the urge to use the bathroom and scurried off.

“Impossible,” he huffed as you snickered.

Leaning on your elbows over the counter, you addressed him, “Not that I don’t ask you this every day, but anything new with you?”

“Well, apart from the stuff with Claire and the RPD, it turned out that the background checks on the suspicious lady in red came up clean,” he reported.

“Wow, Kevin must be pissed.”

“You don’t say. Wesker kinda just lets her through too. The whole thing just screams trouble to me,” he admitted. “Guess you win some, you lose some.”

“Anyway, speaking of Kevin, he told me to pass you this.” Chucking a folded letter on the table, his icy blue eyes watched you like a hawk as an unreadable expression formed on his face.

“Huh, looks like everyone’s doing the rounds today,” you muttered, opening the paper to read its contents.

A telephone number was written down in bold black marker, followed by a “CALL ME ;)”

Your shoulders trembled as you burst out laughing, shaking your head in disbelief. That guy had some nerve for pulling off such a stunt, unless��

“You gonna?” Leon quizzed, and you swore you could sense a hint of jealousy in his voice.

“Whaddya think?” you smirked, closing the gap as your nose nudged against his.

His eyes fluttered, and he sucked in a sharp breath. You felt his lips barely graze yours until—

“So… are you, like, boyfriend and girlfriend?”

All at once, you were back at square one, Leon having hastily distanced himself away from you as Sherry stared at the two of you inquisitively.

“Yes—no. I mean, no?” Leon stuttered, his cheeks burning crimson as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

You let out a frustrated sigh, deciding to leave them to their devices for the moment while you counted stock in the cabinets. At some point, Sherry wanted to go home and Leon took it upon himself to drive her back.

As you said your good nights, to your surprise, Leon wrapped his arms around your waist, dragging you in for a spontaneous embrace. “We’ll talk about this soon—about us,” he whispered into your hair.

Soon could not come soon enough.

Dividers by @cafekitsune

[easternmind]

The weird and wonderful history of Kowloon as a digital interactive space - Part II

This article is the continuation of a previous post.

Any comprehensive history of 20th century Hong Kong is not complete without a chapter entirely dedicated to the architectural and urban planning puzzle that was Kowloon Walled City. Quite unlike any other slum in Asia or elsewhere in the world, the extreme conditions under which its inhabitants lived captured the attention of various international journalists and photographers whose reports of this accidental labyrinth, in turn, inspired some of the most remarkable artistic explorations of our time. In this regard, video games did not remain impervious to the powerfully stimulative imagery, as much a reference today as it was when its hardened concrete walls still stood tall.

Kowloon's Gate Suzaku VR - Jetman - 2017

Kowloon's Gate made a most unexpected comeback twenty years after the original episode via the crowdfunded VR project Suzaku developed by Jetman, a studio founded by and composed almost exclusively of ex-SME/Zeque staff. While it is not the remaster many had hoped for, essentially consisting of a walking simulation through some redesigned locations from the original, it does a commendable job in faithfully replicating its instantly recognizable, light-starved alleyways in competent high-definition. It is also the only VR-compatible entry from this list, granting it a degree of uniqueness over its counterparts.

Stranglehold - Midway/Tiger Hill Productions - 2007

Stranglehold is the result of a collaboration with Hong Kong movie director John Woo, developed as a direct sequel to his heroic bloodshed classic Hard Boiled, featuring Chow Yun-fat in the role of detective 'Tequilla' Yuen in his unending confrontations with organized crime. One of the game's most unforgettable levels, Slums of Kowloon, takes place during a particularly rainy day, seemingly in those last days when the zone had been emptied of residents and demolition work was well underway. The visual representation of the quarter is suitably evocative, its buildings in complete state of disrepair, the remnants of local businesses or places of prayer still discernible from under the piles of steel and cement rubble.

Resident Evil 6 - Capcom - 2012

For all its shortcomings, Resident Evil 6 partly succeeds in taking the first two episodes' concept of parallel storylines and realizing it to a much fuller extent. Its choice of different characters translates into entirely different campaigns, locations and playing styles. The very first scene in Chris/Piers' campaign occurs in the fictional Chinese city of Lanshiang, modelled after real-life Hong Kong. The mayhem in the main streets forces the player to take a detour into a location named Poisawan, which bears a striking resemblance to the Kowloon district. Though an unofficial representation, it is among the most skilled replications of the scenery we find in the vast photographic repository of the area. The degree of minutiae with which the district's haphazard electric installation is replicated, alone, suffices to demonstrate a true commitment to authenticity.

Paranormal HK - Ghostpie Studio - 2020

Few would dispute that Kowloon is, itself, naturally conducive to sentiments of dread and anxiety. Paranormal HK is a 2020 made in China production reviving the defunct neighbourhood in a gripping, blood-curdling contemporary ghost story. The player is the cameraman of a paranormal-themed TV show exploring the zone during the evening of the Zhongyuan festival, a scheme suspiciously akin to that of Akira Ueda's 2004 game, Michigan: Report From Hell. As a result of the thorough research work performed by its creators, as well as the impeccable usage of contemporary 3D graphics techniques to achieve accurate lighting conditions, players may momentarily experience the feeling of walking into a photo of the actual city as it existed in the mid eighties.

Sifu - Sloclap - 2022

Notwithstanding of its renaissance during the 128-Bit era, the beat 'em up genre is commonly associated with the arcade games of the late 80s and 90s, the period of time when it flourished and, arguably, reached its zenith. The simplicity of controls and ease of access sufficed to attract players to the arcade cabinet, while the frequently extreme levels of difficulty of advanced levels ensured a steady flow of cash for arcade room owners and game development companies alike. Nevertheless, the genre has but perished and, in many aspects, recent years have indeed elevated it to unforeseeable degrees of complexity. Sifu, by Sloclap, synthesizes the elation of digital hand to hand combat simulation with the real-life complexity of mastering a martial art.

As is the case of previous entries in this list, Sifu makes no admitted reference to Kowloon or Hong Kong. However, the designers left little to the imagination in what pertains to their inspirations when taking on the task of constructing the game's environments. Another notable coincidence stems from the fact that this production was made possibly with the support from a celebrated independent game funding group going by the name Kowloon Nights.

Stray - BlueTwelve Studio - 2022

Stray is one of the most revered independent video games in recent memory, and justifiably so. The long development process yielded many benefits, judging from the consistency and attention to detail that engrossed many an avid player. That the main character is singularly charming feline may have played an equally crucial role. The creators have made no effort to conceal the fact that the notorious Hong Kong district was a pivotal influence to the design of its nameless city. The first indication can be spotted in the game's earliest footage, in which a black cat traverses a street where a particularly conspicuous sign boasted the initials HK. Stray is less concerned with presenting a precise replica of Kowloon than it is about summoning the very essence of its atmosphere. Moreover, in an exquisitely poignant way, its ending lends an entirely new meaning to the term walled city. In the future, robots may well take the place of humans. Invariably, the Walled City is no more. Slitterhead - Bokeh Game Studio - Work in Progress

An sequence of unconscionable mistakes from the part of Sony Computer Entertainment's management galvanized Keiichiro Toyama to part ways with Japan Studio, as it once was, and establish his own game production label. Their debut title, Slitterhead, is described as a grotesque survival horror experience, a genre within which the author moves with matchless ease. Among the few certainties regarding this project is the fact that it will take place prominently - if not exclusively - within the Kowloon City province. A wide variety of aspects included in the preview footage leave the viewer optimistic as to this being one of the most accomplished portrayals of the district ever seen in a video game. Subtle yet telling signs already demonstrate the creator's in-depth knowledge of the quarter's architecture and history. Take, for instance, the suggestive image of the airplane flying mere meters above the top of the buildings. Although the growth of Kowloon was for the most part ungoverned, buildings did not rise above a certain height, even as inhabitants claimed for increased availability of space. This is due to the fact that airplanes landing at the nearby airport would be required to make their descent at relatively low altitude, performing a tight curve as they soared just above the enclave, thus preventing construction from expanding upwards. Another scene shows a child playing on the rooftops of the buildings, which once again is consistent with the documented habits of residents who, starved for sunlight and open space elsewhere within the city limits, had little alternative than to take the stairs all the way to the top.

Warehouse Kawasaki Arcade

I would be remiss not to make some form of allusion to Warehouse Kawasaki, an arcade built to replicate the Walled City with unthinkable detail. Though its ultimate purpose was for visitors to engage in digital entertainment, the venue was scrupulously put together. Point in fact, many of the objects used in the construction of the five floor amusement centre were imported directly from Hong Kong. Like so many other Japanese arcades, it closed its doors in 2019.

In recent years, a rather similar initiative was taken by the Chinese in their attempts to build unique mall spaces. The 文和友 malls in mainland China, found in Changsha, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, attempt to reproduce the walled city aesthetic. Local residents inform me that these are increasingly lacking in foot traffic, for which reason the majority of their stores are closed. Other digital replicas of Kowloon

A number of other videogames set in or deriving inspiration from Kowloon could not be featured in this article. A frequently cited reference in this context is the action/adventure game Fear Effect, one which I emphatically dispute. No doubt remains as to it being located in a futuristic version of Hong Kong, yet I could discern no parallels with the walled city, save for those scattered second-hand visual motifs that were no doubt imported from sci-fi classics such as Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell.

The Utelek Complex stage of Deus Ex: Makind Divided presents a similar situation, where the overall atmosphere of the futuristic favela bears some resemblance to Kowloon, without meeting the specificity quota that would warrant a more comprehensive exploration.

The 2004 Shout! original Kowloon High-School Chronicle for the PS2 is a unique case, in that it borrows the city's name despite taking place in a massive, Tokyo underground dungeon that is later revealed to be a maze-like Egyptian pyramid. The odd choice of title remains unclear. Shadowrun: Hong Kong game (screenshot above) contains a very direct mention of Kowloon as the place in which an entire episode comes to pass. Another project still in development, Kowloon's Curse (screenshot below), is following the lead of many popular independent horror games in recent memory by using a visual design and structure that elicits memories of the late Playstation/early Dreamcast era. A short prequel episode was made available earlier this year, for free.

Additionally, I refrained from mentioning the Kowloon maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as I perceive both games to be insufficiently relevant to merit study or contemplation.

A space that refuses to be forgotten

(China rooftop stage from The King of Fighters 2003)

It would be a gross overstatement to claim that Kowloon is a recurring location or level design motif in videogames. The relationship between digital games and the real life ghetto has been one of sporadic references. What makes the subject so engrossing pertains to the quality of the relationship, particularly that of a small cadre from among the titles featured in this article. Kowloon's Gate was one of the most relevant game creations of the 32-Bit era, a game deserving of reverence and cult following inside and outside Japan. Likewise, Shenmue II is the second instalment of a truly ground-breaking and highly advertised series whose production costs alone were unmatched until quite recently.

Moreover, this is an affair that is far from concluded. The unexpectedly high number of allusions to Kowloon in videogames released or revealed just last yet demonstrates that its aesthetic is still very much present in the minds and hearts of artists and designers working in the field. The walled city lives on as a digital demarcation that is certain to resurface time and again in years to come.

[inafieldofdaisies]

Resident Evil 4 (2023) | Scenery Appreciation (vol. 6-?)

[evilvvithin]

RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE scenery 6/??

[shadowsofrose]

Resident Evil 8 ↳ Scenery [6/∞]

[alexhwriting]

Bloodborne: A Study of Environmental Narratives and Ludonarrative Harmony.

II. Environmental Storytelling

Environmental storytelling refers to the act of using the scenery of the story to communicate additional details about the story being told, typically through details like plants, architecture, items, etc. Alessandro Soriani and Stefano Caselli, build on Michael Nitsche’s conception of the Evocative Narrative Element (ENE)[1] in explaining how an ENE works:

“‘Evocative narrative elements’ (ENEs) are implemented to ‘encourage players to project meaning onto events, objects, and spaces [in videogames]’; they help players to ‘infuse significance’ and therefore to ‘form narratives’ (p. 44). Such ENEs are defined as ‘foundational building blocks’ (p. 37) at the basis of the structuring of players’ comprehension of the game. They ‘can be anything and any situation encountered’ that can structure such a comprehension (p. 37). The aim of ENEs ‘is not to tell a linear story, but to provide evocative means for the interactor to comprehend the virtual space and the events within it and generate context and significance in order to make [it] more meaningful. While the reader of a novel is limited to the given text, the player of a game interacts with these evocative elements, cocreates them, and changes them.’ (p. 45).”[2]

            This means that any object that is presented within a game space as an object of the plot, be that a reward at the end of a puzzle (such as the rewards of notes after solving puzzles in the Resident Evil series) or an item with an in-game description that reveals more about the plot (such as key items in the Dark Souls series), can be described as an ENE. As games have evolved, these ENE’s have become much more plentiful and their nonlinear narratives more convoluted. Previously, a video game followed a structure that could more accurately be described as on rails, meaning that there was only one path forward, like a railroad.[3] As ENE’s have become a larger and larger part of game design over the years, these paths become progressively less defined and less easily followed.

            Soriani and Caselli also establish the term Visual Narrative Elements (VNEs) to refer to the graphical representation of visual elements in the game world, such as objects, rooms, and characters, which are the building blocks of their five types of visual (by which they mean graphical) narratives: evoked[4], enacted[5], enacting[6], embedded[7], and emergent.[8] For the purposes of the rest of the paper, the most important of these to keep in mind is the embedded visual narratives, which “refer to those visual elements intentionally positioned by developers which contain information about the context of the game,” as this is the strategy that FromSoftware takes with the story of Bloodborne.[9] This means that as the player enters a new area and interacts with the items and enemies within that area, they will in turn learn more about the story of the game and the particular role they play in that game. For example, in Dark Souls III (2016), another game developed by FromSoftware, the player can come across a body in a swamp that has a spell book and a set of pyromancer robes. The description of these items, in addition to their location, tells the player the story of a swamp pyromancer who preceded the player in their journey.

Espen Aarseth addresses a similar question, the intersection of game world structure and game mechanics, in his essay, “A Hollow World: World of Warcraft as Spatial Practice”.[10]  World of Warcraft (2004) is a Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPGs), meaning that it is played by many players interacting with the world and the characters simultaneously and often in cooperation with each other. As a roleplaying game (RPG), the player designs an avatar for themself to embody and move within the game world. The game also does not have a set path to follow like Super Mario Bros (1985), and, as such, allows for a more explorative experience since the avatar can explore without being put on a specific path. This gives the player a large amount of freedom to tell the story of their character rather than just the predetermined story of the game.

Aarseth argues that, as a world made up of a wide variety of landscapes and cultures, spread across multiple in-game continents, that World of Warcraft represents a “hollow” world, where the variation is rich, but it lacks in depth.[11] He says that this hollowness is part of what gives the game its popularity.[12] The game world’s primary goal is to be functional and playable, which distinguishes it from traditional fictional worlds of film and literature, where the primary goal is to offer grounding for the action of the narrative.[13] This means that, rather than designing a world from a directed perspective, one that cannot change after publication, World of Warcraft designs a world where the perspective is guided by the player’s interest and interaction within the game world. It is because of this approach to world design, focusing on the interactivity of the world, that its hollowness shows merit: it allows players to make their own stories and add their own depth.

Tanya Krzywinska, also discussing World of Warcraft, talks about how this hollowness relies on some familiar themes to remain as an evocative environment for player interaction.[14] She attributes familiar themes to the real world’s collection of mythological stories, and the nonlinear symbology that makes up these stories being at play within the game world.[15] Though these symbolic elements are nonlinear, they add to Krzywinska’s conception of worldness: “the world should have a unifying consistency; this applies not only to spatial coordinates, style, and physics but also to the past events that constitute the current state of affairs within the world and to which the player-character is subject.”[16] Symbols, as well as references to the game world’s internal history add this consistency for World of Warcraft.[17] For an example, Krzywinska points to the faction within World of Warcraft called the Night Elves, who are an incredibly long-lived race that has historical ruins throughout one of the game’s regions.[18] To indicate the historical ruins, the game uses forms of ancient Greco-Roman architecture strewn around important locations to indicate to the player that those locations are ruins or built on top of ruins. By utilizing this real-world symbol of the Greco-Roman ruin, and the mythological familiarity with such places, the game world becomes more fleshed out within the player’s mind and they in turn become more immersed in the world that seemingly has a history that exists before their experience of playing takes place. The story is then communicated through the player’s experience of the environment without any dialogue to tell them the written history of the area around them.

[1] Soriani and Caselli, “Visual Narratives in Videogames.” 481.

[2] Soriani and Caselli, 481.

[3] Arcade games such as House of the Dead (1996), and early home console games like Super Mario Bros (1985) are famous examples of on rails games.

[4] “Evoked visual narratives refer to those situations where the fact that some videogames are set in scenery/backdrop already known to gamers may ignite a process of anticipation that allows the game narrative context to exercise a greater sense of involvement by evoking what the player already knows about such contexts.” Soriani and Caselli, 495.

[5] “Enacted visual narratives can be considered all the cases where game designers stage in-game scenarios where players are called to 'solve' the situation by means of creating or perturbing a graphic element (or a set of them) that immediately becomes an integral part of the game world, thus activating a narrative sequence.” Soriani and Caselli, 495.

[6] “Enacting visual narratives refer to all those visual elements staged by the designers with the intention to suggest to the players an action with a specific scope.” Soriani and Caselli, 495.

[7] “Embedded visual narratives refer to those visual elements intentionally positioned by developers which contain information about the context of the game.” Soriani and Caselli, 495.

[8] Soriani and Caselli, 485; “Emergent visual narrative concerns all those games that allow the creation of graphic assets by the player, such assets assuming that for the person they have meaning within a context of reference absolutely internal to the subject.” Soriani and Caselli, 495.

[9] Soriani and Caselli, 495.

[10] Aarseth, “A Hollow World: World of Warcraft as Spatial Practice.” 111.

[11] Aarseth, 111-112.

[12] Aarseth, 112.

[13] Aarseth, 118.

[14] Krzywinska, “Blood Scythes, Festivals, Quests, and Backstories.” 383-384.

[15] Krzywinska, 385.

[16] Krzywinska, 386.

[17] Krzywinska, 386.

[18] Krzywinska, 388-390.

[lurakha]

Resident Evil 4 Remake ー scenery (6 / ∞)

[moodymisty]

Thank you for the tag @l-lend <3 self promotion is always a good thing. I just noticed how many of my things I don't bother to give a title;;;

1: Part 3 to a Crosshair/Fem!Rreader request:

With cautious steps as he enters- part from his new prosthetic legs and part from the new scenery- Echo looks around the Marauder, it having been only the second time he’s been inside it since Skako Minor.

2: "Sound asleep" Boba/Fem!Reader

You swore you hadn’t had a nightmare since your childhood years; But even then, you couldn’t remember one like this. It had all felt so real, almost touchable. You sit up awake in a daze still feeling as if it had just happened.

3: "Thank you" A Resident Evil Merchant/Fem!Reader NSFW 18+

“Ahhh, well look who it is,” You quickly turn your head, seeing a familiar shape bathed in the soft light of the setting sun outside. It’s filtering through the cracks in the walls and the windows; Without it, the only light you’d have would be the glow of your torch with it’s slowly draining battery. This whole place still unsettles you, but it’s nice to finally see someone just a bit less hostile than the usual fare.

4: A Crosshair/Fem!Reader request NSFW 18+

Crosshair doesn’t normally use the word ’cute’. Not much in his life warrants the adjective; and the few things that do, he normally has less than a stellar disposition towards. He almost always says it with venom, meant to insult whatever or whoever it is rather than compliment.

5: A Samael(Darksiders)/Fem!Reader request

“Well now,” His voice carries through the stone laden room, a booming deepness that even when he’s only speaking casually, sounds almost as if he’s addressing a group.

6: A Echo/Fem!Reader request

Echo normally doesn’t do a lot of, stopping. He’s always- since he was a cadet- been shuttled from place to place, battlefield to battlefield, squad to squad. There wasn’t much time to enjoy the scenery, or take a breather.

7: A Crosshair/Gn!Reader request

Hyperspace might be the perfect time to get things done- but to Crosshair, it’s dreadfully boring. The ship sails through the stars with a monotonous hum, putting anyone of a less overactive mind to sleep a long time ago. Wrecker is snoring away, a forearm over his eyes. Hunter isn’t asleep, but he’s relaxing, as is Tech. Which means more so that he’s tinkering on a personal project, instead of needed repairs. Echo is resting his eyes- Crosshair can tell by the rhythm of his chest he isn’t asleep.

8: Boba Fett/Fem!Reader NSFW 18+

‘Go upstairs.’ His words echo in your ear, knowing that as you ascend, he isn’t far behind. The steps are steep, and you almost trip over your own feet trying to quickly make your way up them. Bits of sand dragged in from the desert outside crunch under your feet, the stone of the walls cool against your hand as you brush your palm along it.

9: A Crosshair/Gn!Reader Request

-Hey. You busy? Looking over at your datapad you see a message from Hunter, before glancing back at your computer. Hunter knows damn well that you’re always busy, it’s more so a matter of if you’re too busy to sneak away and do whatever he has in mind.

10: A prompt with Wrecker/Gn!Reader NSFWish 18+

You are Wrecker have always been irrevocably infatuated with each other. It’s often to the misery of everyone within your vicinity, given it’s a near constant. There’s never a moment you’re not side by side holding hands, sitting in his lap, or he’s holding you in his arms.

NPT: @imarvelatthestars(If you want me to tag a specific blog on these sorts of things pls say lol) @crocuta-corvax @stardust9905 @sinfulsalutations and whoever else would like to self promote <3

Creator Self-Promotion

Rules: post the first lines of your last 10 fics you posted. If you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics.

"But K, I don't write but I still create can I still play?"

Post your last 10 pieces and give us a play by play. What was the inspiration? Any fun facts you can share with us?

Anyway let's get on with it

1. Fishing for Compliments - Merman!Crosshair x F!Reader

A sigh passed the young woman’s lips as the sun began to disappear beneath the waves. The waves rocked her quaint vessel as if it were a mother soothing her child. Her meal as well as a plate of identical food remained untouched as she kept her gaze to the depths. Every ripple of its surface a reminder of the mounting minutes that her company kept her waiting.

2. Drop Me a Line - Wrecker x F!Reader

The young woman stifled a yawn as she continued to work the mass of dough to her standards to be plopped into pans to bake. She continued working the dough sparing glances to the chrono on the wall as the sky outside began to lighten with the sunrise. Her pulse spiked when the chrono was checked again. She abandoned the lump of dough as she snatched up a pastry box. The bell chiming as the door opened and closed.

3. Budding Romance - Rex x F!Reader

“And you’re sure you’ll have them there.”

“A bit of faith would be nice, Anakin.”

4. Skin in the Game - Wrecker x OC (Rina) (18+ Please view responsibly)

Wrecker was on the hunt. Thankfully the Marauder held only a few spaces to hide away as he searched the ship. His target tucked away by the sensors. Vibroblade twirling between his fingers while his idle gaze stared at the screen. The demolitions expert took a breath, hoping to find answers.

5. Hair Support - Tup x Reader

The days of the Clone Wars tended to drag on in between assignments. Thankfully, the Republic saw it fit to dispatch your research team with a clone legion escort to ensure the lush jungle planet would not eat you and your colleagues alive. It was in the sweltering heat of the afternoon that one of your study binges was interrupted. You shook your head knowing who dared tread into your tent.

6. Interrogations - Echo x F!Reader (18+ Please view responsibly)

The former arc trooper sighed. Another fruitless attempt at slipping free of his bonds. The chair he was bound to chilled any amount of exposed skin. The room kept dark to prevent him from gathering his bearings. He bided his time, waiting for the tell-tale clicking of his keeper. It was a whisper at first but grew louder as the automatic doors parted.

7. Personal Tastes - Hunter x F!Reader

Strands of meat sizzled and spat as she flipped the tangled mass. Her work distracting from the pair of eyes watching you from the doorway. Her culinary tasks from the staccato chops of a knife to peppers to the accented clink of a mortar and pestle offered a calming tune.

8. Just This Once, Everyone Lives - Rex x Reader

Your bottom lip remained captured between your teeth as the speeder came to a stop. The building looming over the city streets twinkled in the night. A beacon for personnel to gather while dressed to the nines. A hand curled around yours, smoothing over your knuckles.

9. Keep Away - UniversityAU Wrecker x Reader

You filed out with your fellow undergrads as your last class for the afternoon let out. the professor's voice offering mention of the end of the first sprint. You traversed amongst the student body's current before veering off to a corridor. The current loosening its grasp the closer you ventured toward the sanctuary of paper and ink.

10. Nothing Fight - Crosshair x F!Reader

It could be easy to say Clone Force 99 had a culture separate from the sea of clones. Clone medics would be reassigned in the blink of an eye and nat born medics often assigned whoever pissed off the higher ups. This led to your current long term assignment. Having a medic on board being the main reason one of your patients was released to his squad early pending observations.

NPT - @photogirl894 @rain-on-kamino @tecker @techs-stitches @littlemissmanga @annwayne @fakegingerrights @merkitty49 @moodymisty @starrylothcat

Wanna promote your work here too? Do it!

[crimescrimson]

The Republic of Edonia in Resident Evil 6 (2012)

[megamyceted]

BIOHAZARD SCENERY 6 / ?? resident evil 7 : biohazard, 2017.

[stdismas]

resident evil 2 remake scenery  —  6 / ??

[boozerman]

RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE — Scenery (6/?)

[alltimefail-sims]

A Strangerville Lookbook, pt. 3 Ft. Junia Cahill

Junia wasn’t crazy about her dad taking up residence in Strangerville when he crash-landed there about 9 years ago. She was 18 at the time and freshly moved out, so she didn’t feel like it was her place to try and talk him out of it. Plus, after her mother died (she was about 10 at the time), George’ had to make a lot of sacrifices and be the strong one for Junia, all while he was grieving. That led to his life being put on hold, and Junia thought maybe the change of scenery wasn’t the worst thing for his healing process. 

In the years since her mom died, Junia has focused primarily on athletics and keeping up with a rigorous daily workout routine, but her art is a sacred escape that brings her closer to her mother, so she does that privately. Well.... except for that stint in high school where she was tagging around town. She hated school so college was a no-go, but she’s traveled a lot and makes money working as a mechanic, using all the skills she learned from her father growing up. Now, however, she’s moved back to Strangerville to keep an eye on her dad, as she’s worried about his safety with the town’s recent streak of missing people, shady coverups, and politically-charged attacks. Much like her dad, she’s kind of seen as a town pariah and many people would even go as far as to call her unhinged because of a stint at the 8-Bit Saloon a few years back. Needless to say, her return to Strangerville hasn’t gone unnoticed...

Junia is an OC that I created for my Strangerville gameplay story - you can see the original post that features all the characters HERE. I do want to note that in the Strangerville GP George Cahill (her father) is apparently evil? I changed that lol. That’s just... not how I see him. But overall I’m happy with how I translated her from brain to page to game, but my only complaint is that I wish there was more visible definition on her muscles, especially her arms! We need more skin overlays/skin details for buff ladies in the sims 4 cc community.

DOWNLOAD BELOW ↓

[1] Hair, earrings, shirt*, shorts, socks, boots [2] Hair, bandana, dirt overlays 1|2, jumpsuit, boots [3] Hair, gloves, full outfit [4] Hair, hand bandage (Werewolves GP), shirt, pants, boots [5] Hair, shirt*, shorts*, shoes [6] Hair*, necklace, accessory jacket, dress, boots [7] Shirt, pants*, boots [8] Shirt, pants*

Anything marked with a * means it’s either from the Sims Resource, Simsdom/Simsfinds, or goes through a “host” such as AdFly.

Thanks to all the talented cc creators! @dogsill, @plbsims, @plumbobteasociety, @lazyeyelids, @ice-creamforbreakfast, @jius-sims, @oakiyo, @plazasims, @simcelebrity00, @astya96cc, @simandy, @candysims4, @sentate, @luutzi, @belaloallure3, @sondescent, @kumikya, @nolan-sims, @anvilesi, @goodchillsstudio, @aroundthesims, @christopher067, @arethabee, @softerhaze, @serenity-cc

[bacchicly]

BIG TROUBLE IN RIVER CITY: A GARVEZ CASE FIC (PART 4) 

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7

Paring: Penelope Garcia x Luke Alvez

Summary: Dinner with the team and developing the profile over dessert. This is a “happier (i.e. there is no talk of Luke and Pen breaking up) / stand alone version” of the case fic which suddenly appeared in the middle of my lovers to friends fic (Deep and Crisp and Even). 

Words: 3500

Content This Chapter:  Another case centric chapter - so no canoodling - but lots of found family stuff and definite hints of Luke and Penelope being a couple.  This one includes Spencer’s report on what was discovered at the morgue.  More mentions of fat hate and some musings about the psychological damage it can cause both fat and non-fat people. CM type violence. 

Content Overall Story: CM type violence / themes; unsub; sex (but can be skipped to or away from as I will put it in stand alone chapters - like PART 2)

Big thanks to @reidsbookclub and @scargarcia-magshotchner for their help with researching possible terms for hickeys - apparently the internet mostly just wants to teach us how to give them or get rid of them quickly!

And so much love and thanks to @vangsdroide for her help with this one (and all my writing!) - she really is one of the best people on the planet and deserves the world.  Te quiero mucho! Always. 🧡

Emily scans her team to get a sense of how they are holding up.  Rossi, Tara and J.J. are clustered together - clearly having a serious tete-a-tete in one corner of the BAU’s Ballroom basecamp.  

Luke and Spencer are pointing at a map that’s been tacked up and marked with circles, red dots indicating where the victims were found, and green dots indicating - she’s pretty sure - their residences. 

Garcia is probably back with the techs and Matt is nowhere to be seen - so Prentiss checks her watch - and indeed it is 6:45 local which means that her family man Agent has been able to slip away for his “if at all possible call” to say goodnight to his four children.  Prentiss knows there will be a second call later tonight (if at all possible) to connect with Kristy.  The love and commitment between those two is palpable.

Emily honestly wonders sometimes how they make it all work... 

…she has enough trouble taking care of herself with this job - which as her stomach is uncomfortably reminding her, she has not done a great job of today having wolfed down a tuna sandwich at lunch and nothing since… dinner had better be next - she wonders if they should order something in or go out… they need to talk as a team - Prentiss can practically feel the case clock ticking down to the next tragedy - and restaurants aren’t always terribly pleased to have folks show up and talk about murder..BUT a change of scenery could do them all good... 

Just then Emily feels her pocket vibrate with an incoming text - she pulls her phone from her pocket and wakes the screen - it’s from Garcia…

HEY GAL BOSS EXTRAORDINAIRE! 😺 RESERVATION MADE FOR PRIVATE DINING ROOM AT ITALIAN PLACE DOWN THE STREET - THEY ARE EXPECTING US IN 30 MINS - 5 MIN WALK - TELL THE TROOPS THEY HAVE TIME TO CHANGE. OH AND I WILL TEXT MATT SINCE HE’S PROLLY TALKING TO HIS DARLINGS.  OH AND BRING YOUR TABLETS - I’M JUST ABOUT TO SEND OVER THE FIRST SET OF COLLATED FINDINGS - WE CAN DISCUSS OVER CAPPUCCINO AND TIRAMISU.  CIAO!  

The next text is the address.  Prentiss smiles down at her phone amazed as always at the perceptive powers of Penelope Garcia… the bureau just can’t pay her enough… 

“Hey Everyone!  Guess what Garcia has organized for us? Oh and she wants y’all to bring your tablets...”

 ✈   ✈   ✈

Everyone agrees that the dinner is delicious and for the most part they follow Penelope’s edict that no evil or murder be discussed over the main course.  So instead they talk about what they did for the holidays as kids (Matt’s family went on extra long roadtrips), their most embarrassing holiday moments (Tara had accidentally sat on a juice glass one year and six stitches later found herself at Christmas dinner), and their wildest requests from Santa (Luke had asked for a life sized robot mountain lion when he was five - with hopes of riding it to school).  

But finally, coffees and dessert have been served, waitstaff have been dismissed, and it’s time to get back to the case. 

Penelope’s actually the first one with her tablet out looking expectantly at the team as they finish up the tail ends of their conversations - Agents falling silent one by one as each in turn notices the intense look of their beloved technical analyst. Luke who purposely sat at the far end of the table from her to avoid the temptation to smile too much at her - or sneak a touch or two - is actually the last to hush and his guffawing laugh, at some tasteless joke Tara had just laid down, bounces around the room and then falls away as he follows Tara gaze and sees the sea of serious faces turned towards the one person he has been fighting against staring at all through dinner. 

Now though - like everyone one else - his eyes are glued to her… her eyes are wide under her glasses, her brow ever so slightly furrowed from the strain of the case, and she's biting her lip. 

Luke's hand slides off the table and he grips his knee hard enough for it to hurt.  Hard enough to hold himself back from rushing to her side…  his arm is just starting to shake when Tara slips a friendly hand over his tight one - gives two reassuring squeezes and then, when she feels him relax, pulls her hand away but not without giving him a couple extra pats that seem to mean "It will be ok - we're all here for her…and you ..stay strong and at this end of the table…we're almost done." 

Luke takes a deep breath and is so thankful for friends and colleagues like Tara.

Emily - who seems to have been having a silent conversation with Penelope over who will speak first, with neither of them particularly wedded to being the one to officially end the little bubble of safety the team had found - finally clears her throat and addresses her Agents:

"As much as I would rather hear more about exploding turkeys and model trains, the time has come to review what we've learned today.  I think we will start with Reid and then Garcia can do a quick overview of any commonalities that have jumped out to the collating team.  From there, I'll open it up to all of you - and we'll see where we're at.  No pressure, but I committed to sharing at least a preliminary profile with the lead detective tomorrow morning at 7am…and frankly I'd like to follow that meeting with a full delivery of the profile to the local force."

Rossi's voice claps like sardonic thunder.  "Ahh so no pressure at all then?  Alright kid, you'd better hurry up and dazzle us.  What was to be discovered at the morgue?"

Spencer who's been adding sugar to his coffee, takes a sip - grimaces - and rips and pours another pack starts in - most of his attention still on perfecting his coffee:

"Well, of course most of the victims had been cremated - so the ashes are being submitted to chemical analysis but the full results won't be in for days - maybe weeks - and even then, the M.E's office is not expecting much.  Cremation furnaces don't generally leave much trace of poisoning as most toxins are incinerated as part of the process.  However, and this could be due to the large Catholic population in St. Antonio, five of the twelve bodies were buried whole and I was able to attend three of the autopsies done today. So with the latest body not yet released there are six relatively complete autopsy reports."

Matt leans forward with his question "So anything unexpected?"

Spencer’s cocks his head like a young sparrow - his eyes serious but intense with a curiosity that seems less frequent and infinitely more precious to the team since he returned from prison. “Actually? Yes. They still haven’t been able to figure out what substance was used to kill them - although there are several drugs that could have been used: succinylcholine, for instance, a muscle relaxant which was used in 2006 to kill a Nevada Senator.  The coroner located  a puncture site on Cathy Barlow’s upper right thigh - so we can assume that whatever was used was injected.  But most interesting? On three of the exhumed bodies - Cathy Barlow, Clayton Sooze, and Bobbi Jean Ramirez - the coroner thinks all had a similar marks on their lower bellies and was able to confirm with a reasonable degree of accuracy that the mark on the last victim is a mechanical purpura-”

Penelope gasps in disgust. “No?! Ick. I really really hate this guy.”  Everyone looks from Spencer to Penelope’s pinched face and back again. Tara is the first to bite…

“And, good Doctor, are you going to tell the rest of the class what a mechanical purpura is when it’s at home.”

“A mechanical purpura is a hematoma caused by an external force.  There are several subtypes and in this case the coroner felt that the additional marks confirmed that it was-"

"Spencer, you know I love you.  But if you don't cut the crap and tell them that it is a trumped up quazi-medical term for a garden variety hickey, I swear on all that is purple that I am going to boot your genius butt into next week."

Luke sits up straight, "A hickey??? Just one? On their bellies?"

Spencer nods.  "That's the theory. The coroner is checking the other three bodies now to see if there are similar marks.  The one on the last victim had teeth marks… which may be interpreted as an escalation of violent intent although there is significant research that suggests that biting with teeth is a common part of much love play. Did you know that the Kama Sutra refers to a love bite as the coral and the jewel…the coral of course is the lips and the jewel the teeth? There are actually eight different types of love bites described in the Sanskrit text - in one variation the lover creates a delicate chain or necklace of interlocking bite marks.  Although on our victim's the marks are-"

Matt's voice is dry as he interrupts - not being able to hold back the wry comment "-garden variety hickeys?"

Spencer nods and his hands which were gesturing along with his explanation drop to his lap. "-just so.  A single round dark mark made presumably by our unsub sucking on the victim's lower belly peri-mortem."

Prentiss' eyes snap back to alertness - she had slipped into deep thought as soon as the purpura was mentioned - her profiler's brain chewing over the new piece to the puzzle. "DNA? Can the tooth marks be traced or matched?"

"Swabs were taken but Dr. Craven wasn't optimistic.  We may be able to compare the bite marks if we ever have a suspect in custody - but they are not very deep or defined so their value as evidence may be limited."

J.J. speaks up now, her tone wondering, "A love bite on three victims - none the same age - one Black - one Hispanic - one Asian - two females and one male.  This unsub does not have a type - which was reasonably consistent with a poisoning vigilante - but the hickey suggests a sexual motivation and the lack of a more specific type is uncommon."

Tara's hand unconsciously - protectively - cups her stomach - but her professional devil's advocate comes to the fore… "...but can we assume the marks were sexually motivated?  Why the belly? Stomachs are intimate - but they are hardly the epitome of erogenous zones…"

"Says you." Penelope darkly mutters almost under her breath.  Luke catches her words just at his threshold of hearing and bites his lip - not quite sure if he's biting back a smile or a grimace.  He wants to weave his fingers with her so badly… offer comfort... he knows he left at least one mark on her belly just last night while worshiping…

He swallows hard as the memory drags his attention back to the case.  This is important.   Life or death.

"...could the marks indicate ownership? Or authorship - a literal signature - I was here - I killed them.  Or could it be desecration - communicating disgust - condemnation of their weight?"

"But why a hickey not a cut or a burn or punch or shot? I agree with J.J. I think there has to be a sexual element.  This guy is getting off on something about this but whether anger or arousal…his control is absolute. Imagine having the discipline to leave just one mark…"

Penelope scowls down at her tablet and speaks up louder this time.  "Control or disgust? Look, I don't know if a lot of women have this experience but men who are attracted to me are not always happy about it.  I've… um… dated… more than one guy who was all sweet nothings and hot to trot but then severely remorseful or y'know mean afterwards… like it was my fault for tricking him into… wanting… someone like me.  Like I had suddenly become sinful or unclean or… poisonous…"

Luke's head jerks up but he's looking anywhere but at Penelope. The almost-epiphany that spiked through him is battling to transform jn something coherent cohesive useful while the rest of him is fired up by the murderous urges clamouring inside of his brain and body.

Sensing his turmoil, Tara again puts a hand on Luke's sleeve - looking worriedly enough at Penelope for both of them.

Emily covers Penelope's hand with her own - sharing a worried look with J.J.

J.J. pushes away from the table and starts to angrily pace the small private.dining room.

Matt is mulling over the new options - his jaw working… 

Rossi is outwardly cool but inwardly squirming at the memories of the once or twice or twenty times when his younger self wasn't as kind as maybe he could have - should have - been.

Spencer's eyes are closed as he sips his over-sweet coffee and thinks about the probabilities and the different types of poisoners.  Calculating and predicting.

"...poisonous… poison… Do you think that's it? A love turned to hate thing?"

Penelope's eyes are wide and earnest - her blond hair halo-ing her head - framing her expression. The question is said to the team at large but its tone is directed unthinkingly at her lover.  Penelope is not just posing a question about the case, but about the workings of the universe.  She is asking for light in the darkness.

Luke meets her eyes then - his face impassive - his tone steel derision - not directed at Penelope but at the picture of the world she and this case has opened up.  

"It would explain unexpectedly attractive partners."

"How so?" Rossi leans into his question - his whole attention focused on Alvez - the timber of his voice betrays real curiosity.

Luke answers Rossi but speaks directly to Penelope.  

"Imagine falling in love with someone completely amazing.  Someone that your friends and family - maybe strangers - casually imply or even flat out tell you isn't good enough for you because the person you love happens to be fat... and you aren't.  But you know… you know… something they don't… no matter how it looks to the outside world… you are the lucky one… you are the one isn't good enough… and yeah the person you love is beautiful on the inside - but to you they are also beautiful - desirable - on the outside… but… but… you can't help it.. part of you believes your friends… your family… believes the anti-fatness propaganda you've been fed and swallowed your whole damn life… and so part of you believes you're lowering your standards…you're doing your lover a favour by being with them… by deigning to love them and then… and then…"

Luke stumbles on the ugliness…so Emily completes the thought.

"...and then something happens and they reject you.  Maybe you try to fix things - ask for another chance…"

J.J. stops pacing.  She death-grips the fancy wood of the backrest of her empty chair then adds a theory into the pot…

"What if it's the couple's happiness that first captures the unsub's attention?  Like some sort of real-life how-to video on happy relationships with fat people?"

Tara is nodding "...but then the switch flips and instead of admiration and love it's self-recrimination, self-disgust..."

Rossi is there with the topper, "But that's too painful and so the rage and hate is turned outward...and no one would - could - blame you..."

Penelope is a million miles away - a lifetime ago - but the words are here and now - they are not words she is saying but words that were said to her.

"You're gonna regret this.  I am the best thing that will ever happen to you. Better than you deserve.  Fat Bitch."

✈️✈️✈️

Back at the hotel the team splits at the elevators - no one suggests a nightcap at the bar - they will be delivering the profile first thing and they need to retreat to their own corners and hopefully unwind, get some perspective, and maybe some sleep.

This time the groups are not divided along gender lines - Prentiss, Garcia, Rossi, and Alvez are in the second car and the rest are in the first.  The ride up is companionably silent but when they disembark long enough after the second car that the corridor is empty of their colleagues - Alvez leading the way - Rossi last - Prentiss clears her throat and asks Garcia for "a word". 

Luke and Pen share the quickest of looks - then with a smile and a cheerful "Anything for you mon cap-pi-taine!" Garcia allows herself to be ushered into her boss's hotel room - Rossi invites himself in too but gives Luke a pointed if regretful look as he closes the door on the younger Agent.  

Luke seriously debates at least knocking - maybe insisting loudly that he be let in too - or just breaking down the damn door… but he ultimately pushes down the hurt and worry and decides to just go wait in his room and listen for Penelope's return and hopefully a knock at their adjoining door.

✈️✈️✈️

"Penelope, I have two things to ask you and you can say no to either of them or both.  I will not order you but I do want you to make up your own mind."

"So that's why you guys locked out the Newbie?  I mean, I get it, but aren't you two the ones always telling me to be nicer to him?"

Rossi watches his boss arch her eyebrows at their beloved technical analyst refusing to change the subject.  When Penelope realizes she is not going to win this one she huffs and flounces over to the chair to make herself comfortable for the pitch, Rossi plunks down on the bed - eager  to see if Prentiss is going to ask what he is expecting - and smiles as he is struck, not for the first time, how much he respects and loves these two women.  

"Lay it on me, Boss, before I get nervous and grumpy and say 'no' in a fit of unthinking revenge.  C'mon!  Hurry hurry!  It's been a long day and bed is calling!"

Prentiss' seriousness drops in the face of these antics and a glossy smile and deep chuckle bubbles out despite herself.

"Alright! Alright! First, I'd like you to help deliver the profile tomorrow.  You've done it before on cases with digital considerations - so I know you know how we do it and how  insightful you can be - but this would be a bit different since I am asking you to be there as an expert on your personal experience.  Technically I shouldn't even ask, but I really think your participation could be invaluable."

"That makes sense.  I'm in.  Next?"

"The next one is the bigger ask…and it might not even be necessary.  We'll have to talk about it as a team before anything is put in motion.  Also you don't have to make up your mind right away - and even if you agree - you will have an opportunity to reconsider - but I will not even bring up the option for discussion with the team unless you give me permission first..."

Rossi starts nodding - but his smile has vanished and he's pretty sure he's guessed two for two.

"So here's what I am asking: while we of course will be pursuing the typical investigative channels - there is another option we could explore - but it would be dangerous and I am not convinced it is either worth the risk nor even remotely guaranteed to work. Essentially what I am thinking is that we could mount a sting.  We could bait the unsub by posing you and another Agent as a happy couple.  You'd need to wear padding since you don't quite fit the body type our unsub is targeting - but I think we could make it work. I mean-"

"Emily?  I'm in.  Bring the idea to the team."

"You're sure?"

"Yep.  And now I am leaving - if that's all?  This woman is T.I.R.E.D. Capiche?" 

"Of course!  Go!  Get some sleep!"

Penelope heads for the door - she wasn't lying when she said bed was calling to her - but just before she disappears into the hall, she turns to her boss with a twinkle.

"Em?  I'm not going to lie - it's the first ingenue role I've been considered not fat enough to play.  It's a nice change.  Night, Boss.  Night, Monseigneur Rossi!"

✈️✈️✈️

To be continued…in part 5

Master List | List of One Shots & Happy Versions  | Micro-Garvez

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