#also any time you mention liking my greed thoughts please know i am kicking my feet and giggling it is the greatest form of flattery to me

[clearbun]

You are the greed mutual. I trust every through that you have about greed. You are yhe most greed to have ever greeded.

Greeb 👍

(Also ron delite, which is great bc he's easily in my top 5 ace attorney characters)

THE GREATEST HONOURS.......... all a man could want in life <3

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

[sparkexplosive]

Sentiment [Izuku Midoriya] ; 07

Precious Chapters in Sentiment [Izuku Midoriya] SERIES

Word Count: 1,442

Midoriya Izuku has taken a shower after meeting Misaka to get his shoes fixed. His hair was slightly wet, but still, small droplets of water had fallen on top of the metal suitcase with the red ribbon attracted onto it while holding a red envelope. 

With his shaky hands, he removes the enveloped to the side to read afterward. He unclips the locks with a swift of his thumbs pushing down, with a click popping it slightly open. He takes a deep breath and opens the lid to reveal two gloves identical to his current gloves, but with different features. 

He could feel something heavy weighing on his chest, as his eyes immediately landed on the other suitcase only to open it hastily to reveal two red-colored shoes with feature details that he could pick up. 

His vision gets blurred with tears and instantly remembers your guys' conversations months ago. 

“Do you mean shock absorbing equipment?” You tilted your head in questions when he was in his rambles episodes. 

“Yeah! Like maybe filtering the wind force of my punches or kicks would help the equipment to last longest” Midoriya moved his hands around rapidly but you understood every word he was saying. 

“It would protect your bones and muscles, knowing you break a bone once in a while.” You thought which protest from Midoriya by your side comment. 

“You remember.” He softly touches the feature of the trademark of his hero sign carved onto the side of the shoes to the gloves. He could see how much time you put into this and made sure it would be comfortable as possible without restraining his moves. 

He reaches over to the enveloped to read open gently trying not to tear the envelope. He wonders what the letter holds. He knows this was supposed to be his gift as a celebration of their anniversary. 

Happy Anniversary!

I hope you enjoy the new equipment I created for you, hopefully it will help you get closer to archiving your dream. 

They are just custom to your size and comfort, hopefully I got it everything correct, do let me know if it isn't right. 

I hope you enjoy your logo on your shoes. ❤️

Every time, you need some reassurance why to continue fighting to stay alive to look at your costume. 

Remember you have a mother and a mentor to come to at the end of the day, 

your costume presenting your mother’s love and support, 

as your gloves and shoes presenting the presence of your mentor, All Might be helping you through your journey. 

I may not be there every step of the way since we are taking different paths of careers, but we always find time to be together in our busy schedules. 

A lot of love, 

[Your Signature]

The letter crumbles in his grasp with tears running down on his cheeks to fall on the piece of paper that caused him to get a wave of a roller coaster of his feelings that he is going through. 

He grasps onto his shirt off his shirt to only fist it against his chest. The memories of you scolding him for being so reckless and giving him a better version of his custom from before every single time. You work your butt off to always give him the best quality that you could do with anyone to do that. You care about him and you prove that through your inventions. You always deliver it with a smile on your face. 

He gets reminded by Misaka words, “Take them and think would someone go through deep ends to create something so accurate for your liking and safety if they didn’t care about you.” 

He could see how much work you put into his shoes and gloves that would be added to the suit that you would have made for him for the Invention event. The blueprint of what his costume would have looked like before this incident even happened. 

The effort.

The amount of time you took to plan this suit for him and create the equipment. 

The care. 

The heavyweight of the guilt of not believing you or hearing you out was burying him whole. It was eating him alive. 

He doesn’t know what to do! 

His tearful green eyes land on a picture of his mother smiling at the camera with him on her mother’s birthday. 

“Honey, you can come to me for anything at any time.” His mother's voice echoes through his mother. 

Perhaps his mother could give him advice on how to fix this big mess.

Once he recollects himself, he puts on the gadgets you created and an opportunity to try them out just like Misaka had suggested, before opening the side door of his balcony to jump off. He could feel the lightweight of the shoes compared to his previous ones where you could feel the heavyweight of his boots every time he jumps or walks. 

He needed to get some fresh air and think about what he could do. 

He does realize how comfortable gadgets are and filter the air out from the impact when he lands similar to what he had talked about to you.

Midoriya realized how blinded he was and didn't see what was in front of him. 

A loyal trustful partner. 

Believing into the rumors that [Name] was just using him when in reality, 

They cared about him and his well being. 

_________________________________________________

As time flies, the light blue sky becomes overwhelmed with the darkness of the night. 

From the distance could be seen as a green-haired teen walking through the dorm building covered with filth mixed with sweat. 

There was less tension on his shoulders as if the heavyweight he was holding vanish. 

The heartfelt talk with his mother helps him to think through how he should proceed from here and forward. He was thankful for his mother to give him advice. He knows All might isn’t the best person to ask advice along feeling awkward due to the relation to [Name]. He knows that All might and [Name] don’t have the best father and child relationship but is getting better over time. 

He just needs to figure out how to get in contact with you, since he broke his phone while jumping and running on top of buildings. 

Meanwhile, in the dorm kitchen, a certain duo was hanging out there eating a quick snack before hitting the showers after a long day of training and hard work. 

“What’s up with you and [Nickname] ?” Kirishima asks his best friend who gave him a dirty look but continues to eat his sandwich leaning over the bar counter. 

“Do you have a crush on them or something? The way you defend them ever since this dram-.” Kirishima was lighthearted chuckling before looking at Bakugou who was giving him an annoyed glare to shut up which caused him to choke on his sandwich. 

Bakugou hastily pushes a water bottle in front of the redhead, who immediately drinks to get rid of the struck food on his throat. He was hitting his chest, before speaking up. “Do you?”

“Why you fucking care? It's none of your business.” The explosive quirk user splats out to him and only glances over to the hall where he thought he has seen some kind of movement at his corner of his eye. 

Kirishima leans into Bakugou's space and stares at him which makes the other male growl at him. 

“You aren’t declining it.” He gives him a teasing smile.

He backs away and gives the other male his space back with a soft smile. “So you did catch feelings for them when you helped them with their other projects. I mean I wouldn’t blame you. They are an amazing inventor, matching with a great personality. I am not saying this, because I am dating their best friend but I have met them and know who they are.”  

Bakugou doesn’t say anything for a few moments and throws his trash away. “If I did, it's not a crime. It wasn’t planned.” 

In the hallway reveals the ex of the person they are talking about leaning against the wall while eavesdropping when he caught his ex's name being mentioned. Midoriya was shocked at hearing the news but wasn't at the same time. He knows Bakugou and [Name] did work together for her other gadgets that he couldn’t help her with beta testing them, previously and now working for the inventor event which he doesn’t blame them for changing to a different person and respecting his personal space. He knew [Nickname] has good intentions and respected his space until he was ready to confront her to having a conversation. 

He should have let her speak, before his anxiety thinking the worst things. But he has thought thoroughly speaking with his mother and traveling all the way here. 

Perhaps you needed the money for something. He doesn't know about it. You don’t seem to be a person of greed. 

He just regrets all his actions when he reacted to the rumors adding to the gossip around the school didn’t help. He let his own emotions cloud his rational thinking. 

He sneaks off the hallway as quiet as possible.

How does he even approach you?

What does he even say to you?

Midoriya scratches his head while heading to his room to get some clean clothes and head to the showers.

________________________________________________

Any predictions / theories are welcome. I would love to know what you guys are thinking. Thank you so much for supporting this series. I would like to mention I might be getting another series in bnha x reader fandom, as I have few ideas in mind. 

Also, what do you think of me creating another book where holds deleted scenes or unpublished series introduction chapters that were never published. I don't know if you guys would be interested in that. Anyways let me know your thoughts on the ideas that I have mention or this chapter.

Please be kind within the comments. I hope you are enjoying the story. Sorry for any spelling or grammar errors.

if anyone wishes to be tagged, either send me an ask or comment below this post! Taglist will be in the comments.

[barb610]

@earthquakeofideas​ asked - pls may my lonely ass have a ship 🥺 i’m a girl w brown hair + blue eyes, glasses, and im kinda thicc and short. i rly like all things horror even tho i’m a huge chicken. i love to draw, and i also love indie music, and fashion. i’m also a vegetarian :-) i love reptiles and dogs. also, i’m a very empathetic person uwu! thank u bro 💕💗🥺🥰

Of course you can!  I am so sorry that this took so, so long!  Remote learning had really messed up my schedule (not that I really had one to begin with).  

I ship you with... 

Horace Somnusson!

I know this might sound strange, and I know that he is one of the younger wards of the loop, but let’s just assume that he’s a few years older!  I got a little carried away, so there’s a LOT of stuff under the cut

So you work at a small family owned boutique in a no-name town in Florida, it was one of those “My friend’s aunt who knows this lady, who’s sister-in-law owns this” kinda things

On one particular day, business was very slow, so you decided to listen to your own music through your earbuds instead of whatever trending pop music was playing over the intercom of the boutique today

You’re jamming out, folding some nice sweater, and hanging up dress on the “Sale! 10% Off” rack, so you don’t notice the bunch of people that walk in

You finally realize that they had walked into the store when you get a tap on your shoulder

You turn around to see a beautiful blond boy with impeccable fashion sense

I’d like to think that Horace gets quite a bit taller as he gets older so he’d kind of be staring down at you 

Hi miss!  Do you happen to have this dress shirt in a smaller size?  Wonderful blouse you have on there, truly quality craftsmanship.  Maybe a medium?  Or do you have any slimmer styles?

You were in awe of the style he had and the fact he had an elegant British accent, something very unusual for no-name town in Florida

Most guys that came in here were sent in by their girlfriend or wife with a picture of what they needed

This guy wore beautiful leather oxfords, exquisitely tailored slacks, and a button up that was probably nicer than a lot of the shirts in here

You had to look up at him to see his face (and he had a pretty nice one)

Oh, yeah, we actually have a few slimmer ones, they’re behind that display over there.

Responding to him makes you realize the group of people he’s with

There’s another boy older than the one you just helped, and one other boy that looks around the same age, he had almost cartoon-like bags under his eyes

There were two girls, one practically had fire in here eyes and one wore a quite tomboy outfit

Thanks, love!

“Love?” You thought to yourself, who calls someone they just met “Love”?  Is it a British thing?

You watched him walk over to the other side of the store and later helped him and his friends check out at the counter

You had an interesting conversation about cashmere versus alpaca wool while him and his friends payed for the clothes they picked out

The rest of the day, you kept the strange interaction in the back of your mind, wishing you had gotten his name

Once you had finished up closing the shop, you walked out, holding your sketchbook along with your other belongings and began locking the front door of the boutique

There was the sound of expensive shoes slapping against the pavement, but you didn’t think of it because there was always a bunch of rich kids running around this neighborhood

You turned around, only to see the boy from earlier running towards you and slam into you sending your sketchbook flying, papers floating in the air

They settled in the ground revealing your drawings of outfits and cute little reptiles

Oh my, oh dear, I am so sorry, so unbelievably sorry.  Let me help you pick these up, love

“Love? again?” you thought

He bent down and started to gather the pages that were strewn out all over the sidewalk

As the boy helped you pick up your sketches, he began to admire your sketches

These are quite superb!  I love this chameleon you have here!

You weren’t too sure on how to respond, you don’t even know why he ran into you in the first place!  Let alone his name!

Oh, you must be confused a bit on why I ran into you like a madman.  I truly am sorry, I was trying to get here before you closed the shop because, well, this must sound absurd, but I wanted to get your name.  I’m Horace by the way.  I just wanted to talk to you a bit more.

You were a little shocked, but you introduced yourself and the rest is history

You two started going out on the town as friends and it quickly evolved into something else

It wasn’t a surprise when he asked you to go on a real date with him

After a wonderfully planned date, he was walking you home when you both noticed that you were being followed

Millard, I know that you’re following us!  Please come out of the bushes so I can introduce you to her.  I figured this was going to happen sooner than later.  

When nothing stepped out of the bushes even though you heard the sound of rustling leaves

Horace introduced you to Millard, briefly going over the fact that he was invisible, something that seemed a lot more important to you than Horace apparently

I suppose I should explain the rest to you now shouldn’t I?

He took you to a large expensive house on the other side of town, where you were introduced to the rest of the gang

He explained the peculiardom to you, and told you what he could do

You were a little skeptical at first, but quickly realized that he wasn’t joking around

You guys were hanging out at your place when he fell asleep on the couch

This was after a mutual agreement to stop a horror film you guys were watching because of the antagonists’ mutated animal that would have given you both nightmares if you continued

At first Horace was just squirming a bit

Then he started to whimper and cry out for someone that you didn’t know

But you really understood what he was talking about when he shot up from the couch, eyes wide open and glossed over, not really focusing on anything

Oceans will rise to claim what was stolen from them, ashes will fall from the skies to punish the destructive, cities will burn in the name of greed,  after the fog lifts the only remnants will be of those who tried, we will be no longer, six-legged wings will devour us in the end

When he first started talking his voice sounded almost dreamy, but by the time he finished, he was shouting, his limbs flying everywhere, it was as if he was in physical pain, but it was only a dream

As soon as he stopped spewing out apocalyptic riddles, he slipped back into a restless sleep

You were so freaked out that you didn’t let him sleep for long, you woke him up and asked him what that whole thing was about

He told you that he didn’t remember anything he saw or said, and the ones he can’t remember barely every come true

You trusted Horace, so you relaxed and decided to put that horror film you stopped

It took a few scenes to remember why you had shut it off in the first place

Horace started taking a lot of naps at your place, he usually didn’t get a lot of sleep when he went to bed at night due to his visions

You weren’t aware how little sleep he was getting, oh the wonders of concealer 

Sleeping somewhere else didn’t stop the visions of seeing people he didn’t even know get in car accidents, get shot in a back ally, and many other worse things

He wanted to sleep wherever you were because when he would wake up in a cold sweat, he didn’t want to have to explain what he saw to Miss P, or answer Millard’s endless questions, or have to endure Enoch’s rude comments

He wanted to be with you

You would be there for him, if he wanted to talk, you would listen, if he wanted to just sit and think, you would be right next to him

He’d absolutely love your glasses!

He’d love picking out new frames with you

He’d search the whole store to find the perfect pair

And Horace would love to go shopping with you because let’s be real here, Horace is the only peculiar with any fashion sense whatsoever

Do you know happy he would be to have a conversation about fashion with someone who knows what he’s talking about

He would totally buy you outfits at completely random times for absolutely no reason

I just saw this and I knew that you would look spectacular in it, even though you look spectacular in everything under the sky, love

Did I mention that he calls you “love” all the time?

Well, he does and refuses to call you anything else

He has you in his phone (assuming he gets one when he’s out of the loop) as Love

Just Love

When he finds out that you’re vegetarian, he goes on a vegetarian kick himself

He learns a bunch of vegetarian recipes to cook for you guys

And the dishes he cooks taste so  g o o d

Horace totally revamps his own diet to match yours and is the most supportive boyfriend ever

Enoch makes fun of him a lot for it

Horace is would be an amazing boyfriend

I didn’t realize how long I made this!! I hope that you like them and I am so sorry that it took me so long to get to this!  I hope that it was worth the wait!

[peaches-of-1]

Demon AU: 666 So Fresh- Chapter 2

Type: Angst, fluff, romance

Taehyung (V), Yoongi (Suga), OC Zula

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of suicide

<- Previous | Next ->

It had taken all night and for the three strangers to get far enough for Yoongi’s comfort. She woke up near 10 am when her phone alarm went off. Her hand slapped it off without the rest of her knowing.

Zula bolted up, “Fuck, my paper’s due in two hours!” She then looked around and remembered everything.

Being demon spawn and a killer, she would probably never show up at school again. All that tuition down the drain. Her parents would kill her, but only one of them would be strong enough to actually do it. The one that was an actual demon.

“Sleep well?” Yoongi smirked.

“Y-yeah, I guess.” She shifted in her seat and looked behind her to see the other man fast asleep in the back seat. “So it was real.” She whispered to herself.

The driver snickered, “Taking you a while to realize that, huh, Demi?”

She glared at him, “Not every day you discover you’re half demon. Kind of hard to believe.” Her attention shifted to the window. “How much longer until we stop? I gotta piss.”

“Soon.” He said. “Almost outta gas.” pointing at the dash.

Zula made a sound in reply and then a loud noise came from the back. A sore Taehyung woke up with a roar and a stretch, hitting his head on the door.

“Ouch!”

The two in the front seat giggled.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Her flute-like voice greeted him.

He smiled at her, “Morning. Aish, I gotta take a piss.”

“That’s what she just said.”

Taehyung met Zula’s eyes even as she tried to hide them away. He couldn’t help but thinking she was hella cute. He was kind of run over by a car last night, so he didn’t think much about actually looking at the people he was with.

“We’re getting close to an exit.” Yoongi said. “Don’t you dare pee in this car, or I’ll end you.”

They pulled up to a pretty small gas station in a pretty deserted town. They went inside to handle their business. Bathroom, gas, and snacks. Luckily, Zula’s rapist had left his wallet in this specific jacket that she had stolen. Wow, a thief and a killer. She really was a demon.

She wasn’t brave enough to use the credit card that was in there. Dude carried enough cash for a decent meal, so she stacked up on chips and gummies and sodas while the others got whatever they wanted. Zula opened the wallet to put the left over cash in and noticed his card was missing.

“Yeah, my boyfriend said it was ok to use it.” Yoongi said, flashing the credit card in the cashier’s face. He smirked knowing she wouldn’t dare cause a scene in a place like this.

“Whatever.” The gothic being said and ran it.

Safe.

Zula just went back into the car and left the door open as she opened the first bottle of root beer. The other man was already in the back eating as well. She wondered where he came from and why such a beautiful face decided to launch himself in front of a moving vehicle.

Yoongi handed Zula the card back. “Thanks.”

“No problem, douche.” She replied with a smile and snatching it back.

He chuckled and leaned on the car, opening a beer bottle. Being raised as a human, Zula knew that drinking and driving was bad. However, she didn’t know how many of those rules applied to Hell Spawn. Probably not.

She still didn’t even know their names. Taehyung was thinking the same thing and was itching to ask her. He didn’t want to get to know her, though, if he was never going to see her again. Yoongi threw his bottle in the trash.

“A demon who cares about the environment.” She snarked.

“We don’t need our second kingdom to be filthy, now do we?” He retorted. “I’m gonna check out the trunk. See what I’ve got.”

Singular. Tae thought. He wasn’t gonna let them tag along. He’d be thrown back into reality with nothing to do and no way to end his horrible life.

“Holy shit!” The brown-haired full demon exclaimed.

If something was enough to surprise him, then it was worth seeing. That’s what the two others decided as they rushed to go see what was up. In the trunk, there was a tan duffel bag overflowing with stacks of money. Based on the face...it was...

Zula gasped, “Holy...”

“Fuck” Taehyung finished.

Yoongi closed the trunk. They were all hundreds. They were rich! As an embodiment of greed, this was all that he had ever wanted. But these two kids knew about it, too.

The girls started hopping around and spinning. “We’re rich! We’re actually rich! I can pay off my tuition!” She was almost in tears. It must have been part of her wildest dreams to have so much money. Didn’t seem like she cared where it came from, either.

“You can’t kick us to the curb now. We know your face and your car, and your secret.”

Brown eyes flickered to the guy inside the gas station who was busy playing on their phone and didn’t seem to pay them any mind. Maybe they should die just in case. The girl stopped spinning and looked at him.

“We’ll report your to the police if you don’t take us with you. Do you know how easily it’ll be to convince them that you’re the one who tricked a poor innocent girl into killing some fratboy asshole?” Zula batted her eyes and pouted.

The kid tilted his head, “She’s got a point.”

He sighed, “Fine, fine, you can come with me!”

The girl rushed him with a hug and bounced, not knowing her own affect on him. Her squeals held more joy than any angel could ever muster.

“I’m so happy, I could kiss you!”

Yoongi smirked and raised his brows. She was legal, even for something his age. Then she backed up, releasing the strange demon man and looking around herself.

“But I won’t.” Zula said as she blushed.

The boy with the mullet had sat on the curb, “So, names?”

“Yoongi.” Their savior of sorts introduced himself. “Hell Spawn of Greed.”

“Zula.” She followed his lead. “Demi Spawn of Lust, I guess.”

“Taehyung. Call me Tae.” He stopped there.

They nodded and remembered the names of their new companions and decided to drive off before Human Hot Topic remembered they existed. First place they needed to go was to get new clothes. They asked Yoongi what exactly what powers they had. He had no idea. It differed from Spawn to Spawn.

All they knew for sure was Zula apparently could already access her true form which included claws and stuff. She described more of the attempted rape to get a better understanding. Also, Taehyung couldn’t die. Yoongi had a lot of things that he said they’d find out through being around him so much.

Rolling up to the mall, Zula had one more thing to ask.

“Last night you said that I was Hiding. What’s that?”

“You basically don’t exist. It’s a natural response when you don’t want to be seen, you just aren’t. That street last night was bustling with drunk couples and none of them saw you. It’s just to make sure no one, no human that is, knows what you are.”

Tae asked, “So we can’t control it?”

“Not one bit. At least, you two can’t. Not yet. You’ll learn though.”

As Zula started to get out of the car, Yoongi stopped her.

“Where the Hell do you think you’re going?”

“To the mall? I need to get new clothes, Yoongi. Tae, tell him.” She looked towards her attractive companion for back up.

Yoongi shot him a glare, “She’s covered in blood.”

She sighed, “Fine.” In the middle of the parking lot, she took off her bloodstained top and skirt, revealing shorts underneath. “Blood’s only on the inside of the jacket now, and I’m still clothed enough to be seen in public.”

“Barely.” Tae said, biting his lips and looking her up and down.

Yoongi did the same and laughed, “Yep, your parent came from Lust. No doubt in my mind. Let’s go then.”

The three walked into the place like they owned it in order as to not be seen as suspicious since they were carrying nearly $1,000 each. Yoongi got several new blazers and tons of jeans and hats. Tae got scarves, over-sized dress shirts, and a really expensive camera. Zula bought some blazers and several pairs of shoes. A few formals dresses just in case.

She turned around, wavy black hair fanning slightly as she met his dark brown eyes that seemed to glitter.

“Zula, Come with me to put the clothes in the car. He doesn’t trust me with the keys by myself.”

Her eyes turned to Yoongi who gave a shrug. He wasn’t a flight risk, per say, just a bit. Yeah.

“Yeah, I’ll come with you, Tae.”

The other one bought some more things. Apparently, the money was good since no cops or guards had shown up yet. The handsome cashier tried to make conversation about what they were up to. He said he was helping his little brother impress a girl, so they brought her along for a shopping trip.

Said he was using money from his new promotion at some company in the US that she’d probably never heard of. She bought it. And it wasn’t completely a lie. Yoongi had been part of a US company before he scammed them all out of their money and moved back to South Korea.

That was his last big take that lasted him a good while. Yoongi decided to go put his stuff in the car as well. He he had given them enough time.

Tae told her. Everything. How many times he’s tried based on the lipstick stains on the wall. When he started. How he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stop. He lit a cigarette.

“I’m just not sure there’s anything I wanna live for, and just existing sucks. So the only other option is death, right?” He turned to see tears running down her face and was confused at the pain it caused in his chest. Not a pain he had felt before.

Zula wiped her eyes, “I’m sorry. I just. That’s so sad.” She held his hands. “Please find something to live for, Tae. Even if it’s superficial like money or whatever, maybe adventure. This adventure. Find it.”

He was confused. No one had been so passionate towards him in a while, at least not in a kind way. Usually, they were just yells and screams about how he could’ve done better. Blaming him for what he was born as. His parents fought a lot, and he now understood why.

“Would you miss me? If one day I succeeded, would you miss me?”

She bit her lip, looked away and then stared into his eyes, “Yes. I would. I don’t know you that well, but we’re stuck like this for a reason. So yeah, I’d miss you.”

A loud voice surprised and embarrassed them for some reason, “Just fuck already!”

The two parted and didn’t look at each other. They weren’t that close and that wasn’t what they wanted...right? At least, not, not yet.

“So, are we going back inside? I think there might be a few more things--”

“Nah, let’s go somewhere else.” Yoongi cut him off. “I think we need party clothing and bathing suits, and I know a demon who has it for free.”

So they all climbed back in the car.

<- Previous | Next ->

[ellebeebee]

Indelible Valor

My first bit of tinkering w @queenscrownvn‘s game, which even as a demo is one of my absolute faves.  Uhm.  I’ve actually been sitting on this for a while and keep adjusting, but at this point I think I just want to post and be done with it.  Mostly self conscious because I play a lot with things that are purely my headcanons for background info.  Also, I know jack-all about horses, so please suspend disbelief while reading lol...

2,595 words, Noah/MC, general rating, on AO3

-

Behind them the palace sat high, and before them cold fog obscured the path wound down and around the hill.  Like a salt-heavy ocean in furious flux, the air shivered inscrutable before them, squeezing and stifling their world.  Still, his companion seemed to know her way, and her loyal guards were silent.

That pricked him, to be sure.  The two men riding behind, their small movements and the quiet of their oiled armor, not to mention their belonging to a previously enemy nation-- their presence rankled Noah on an instinctual level. But they were enemies no longer.  He would never turn down a friendly sword at his back, and, of course--

“Propriety” had to be followed.

The way they treated women here had a clear point of origin: their fixation on bloodline and the purity thereof-- or at least the appearance of purity.  Any perceived dishonor endangered their nobles’ power, both political and economical, and invited “outsiders” into the inner circle of the elite.  A most grievous state of affairs by Sinado standards.

He still puzzled over the incident with the former queen.

He glanced over.  Black hair pinned up simply behind the pale shells of her ears, she wore a modest riding habit.  They all dressed like that here.  Their sleeves covered their arms and their skirts swept the ground.  She in particular, though, seemed disinterested in finery or jewels or even colors.  If not for the requirements of her position, he felt sure she would deposit herself completely of all things superfluous.

Some years ago, they had been on the road in winter and came across a lake. A thin coating of ice gilded its surface, so perfect and crystalline that it did not obscure at all the dark, deep, and frigid waters.  The lake resembled a great expanse of night brought low to the earth.

Sometimes she reminded him of that lake.  Her serene face so immutable and still, her dark eyes glacial.  But should you take one wrong step, her surface would crack and drag you down into an inescapable undertow.

To think, if he was one to trust first appearances, he would have taken her as dull.

This morning though, the slightly deeper set of her mouth read as particularly pensive.  She turned to him.

“I wish to give you something,” she said.

She did not mince words.  Yes, she could weave a wickedly witty line, dry as the steppe in summer, but when she meant it she did not embellish.

He raised a brow, and knew his expression pulled in because he could feel it in his chest.

She continued, heedless. “I hesitate to call it a gift, though.  Because it requires a price of you.”

She stilled her horse and turned slightly in her saddle to look at him.  How many times had he faced that serious look she’d given him and turned it into a flush and a small twitch of a smile with a bit of teasing?  But he couldn’t summon the habit.  Not now, when he could feel the chill seeping up from mirror-thin ice.

“Of course,” she said. “It’s a price that you aren’t obligated to pay.  I leave the choice to you.”

He frowned, and for once found himself struggling for words. “You know that in Tawar…”

“I know.  You told me.  But this isn’t quite a gift.”

“And is this a custom of Sinado?  To court with not-quite-a-gift?”

“No,” she said, cutting down his attempt at a smirk. “Perhaps this hasn’t anything to do with Tawar or Sinado.  Perhaps this has everything to do with who I am, as an individual person.  And my personal intentions.”

The fog pressed around them, amplifying their small sounds: the calm whuffing of the horses, the creak of leather as the younger guard shifted in his saddle some paces away, her small exhalation into the icy morning air.  She glanced away.

“I know it is a strange concept to you,” she said. “But I have so rarely felt the compulsion for personal agenda.  Duty, above all.  That’s what we grew up with. Not until… I have not felt the need to have something of my own-- truly of my own-- until you.”

He was grateful for his own physical dexterity.  He was grateful for the docile responsiveness of his borrowed steed.  It made an effortless, natural thing of his sidle close, and his reach across to her.  His fingers cradled her hand like a fresh-cut flower, as if its petals should bruise if handled with anything but the softest touch.  His own ears thumping in the silent air, he brushed against the underside of her wrist.  Her pulse ran hot.

After all, she only appeared like an icy lake.

The older guard cleared his throat loudly.  She pulled her hand away, turning her heated face away.

He smiled. “Show me.”

Her boots nudged her gentle gelding forward as they followed.  The worn-smooth path descended down the hill, and forked off into slightly lumpy foothills. Sparse groupings of silver aspens and little golden maples fell in beside them. The smell of manure and the bays of livestock were the only things to alert him to their destination.

They passed several pens with unseen or skittish habitants absent from their view, and at the end of an overgrown path she stopped them by a large paddock. The chipped and dark wood fence rolled far into the distance, its boundaries obscured by mist.  She dismounted, so he did as well.  The guards remained several paces away.

The woolen pleats of her split skirt gathered the dew from grass gone slightly wild and long.  The trail of a single horseman, just an hour or two old, was the only clue that any human ever tread this far from the palace main.  She stepped up on the lower fence rung and gazed out into the empty pen.

Noah joined her, but he just propped his arms up and still his eyes grazed over the top of her head.

She was silent, so he said nothing.  He listened to the wind lapping at the brittle trees.  The heavy sway of the thick heath swept up across his boots and out over gentle knolls.

He heard it before he saw it.  One too many breaths huffing warmly, and the soft fall of heavy feet in an unusual rhythm.  Asymmetrical and deeper on one beat. The white fog condensed in a single point.  That white density hardened, moving with its uneven padding from the depths of the paddock.

It was a horse.  As the fog stripped away, he saw its yellowed hide did not actually refract like condensation.  It stopped, still quite far, and considered them.  He saw now it had a strange device on a hind leg, connecting it from the hock to the ground.  Bracken tangled in its mane, and he thought its tail looked somewhat ragged.

Its head lowered slowly and fog misted from its nostrils.

She turned to him.  “This is Indelible Valor.”

Her voice held a low, soft note. “He’s nearly two score old.  We hold our lineages very dear here, as you’ve found.  He’s the product of centuries of careful breeding by the royal family.”

She paused. “He was the last horse my father owned.”

His eyes broke from the slow sway of the horse’s great head.  She still stared over the drifting wisps over the grass.

“He’s a warhorse.  Knows how to toss a rider from their own horse, and whirl to crush their skull.  But it’s been many years since he’s done that.  He was already retired and put to stud before my father died.  But once Father was gone…” She shook her head. “He mourned.  He was never docile, but since then he’s bit and kicked so many stablehands.  There’s only one left that can approach him.  My mother and I can sometimes.  Roy had the best relationship with Valor.”

She stumbled a bit on the words.  And even with the guards at their back, Noah reached out to run a thumb over her knuckles.

“Roy’s horse, Dauntless, is Valor’s grandson.  My own Chi-Chi-- um, Chivalry-- came from him.  Anyway--”

She cleared her throat.  She stepped down from the fence rung and moved closer.  He gazed down at her, struck by her clean scent.

“Noah, my family has trusted this horse’s ancestors and offspring with their lives.  We’re like two families interwoven.  He doesn’t look like much now, but this horse saved my father’s life more times than he could count.  I’d like to give you the chance to know him.”

He gazed back at her. “So this is not so much a gift, as-- a test.”

“No-- well, not in the sense of the old fables.  ‘If you are pure of heart’ and all that.  It is more…”

She stopped.  If she were a woman from Tawar she would grunt in frustration or curse.  As it was, she looked to the side with a small knit in her brow.  His fingers found a strangling lock by her cheek and swept it back behind her ear.  She returned to him.

“Perhaps,” she said. “This moment here is the important part.  My telling you this.  What comes after is up to you, but ultimately this was what I wanted most.”

Her hand reached to his, his fingers lightly feathering her hair, and she pressed his palm more firmly against her cheek.  His chest lept with the rare contact, as small as it seemed, and with the tangles of their mingled gazes.

He grinned. “What would your people say, skirla, to know of such blatant selfishness expressed by their noble queen?  Shocking.”

“Surely not so shocking if we consider the more flagrant of the world’s rulers,” she smiled. “Why, if I am to be queen, proper abuse of power and classical greed are time-honored skills I must cultivate.”

He laughed.

She dropped his hand and stepped away.

“I must go.  Follow if you will, or don’t.  But I am expected elsewhere.”

She remounted her gelding with an elegant swing of her legs.  It struck him that, in billowing split skirts, that was the most he’d seen of them.  Yet.

“Wait,” he called.

Halfway back to her guards she turned in the saddle.

“How did he lose the leg?”

She raised a brow. “It wasn’t a battle wound.  It was his last cover.  The mare kicked him and quite put an end to his stud days.”

Her heels set her horse back along the path, and the guards circled to follow. Noah would laugh at her words except they were a touch too dark for even being darkly comic.

He went back to the fence.  Valor still watched him, yellow and ragged and shifting on his hooves.  The false leg pawed at the grass.  It struck him that perhaps she had been lying.  The thought thrilled him, that he could not be certain and she left him with a puzzle of mental sparring.

If she had been lying, then-- not a test, indeed.

He considered Valor.  Valor considered him.

-

The first time he climbed the fence, he immediately had to vault back to safety as a great weight of barrelling beast rammed the fence a few hand spans from where he’d been.

Noah laughed, let the horse see him laugh.  His blood raced.

“Good,” he said loudly. “Try what you will, you old pony.  But you will find me entirely different than these soft Sinado creatures.”

Valor huffed with a vile eye rolling at him.  He hobbled away into the mist without sparing a second glance.

Noah strolled around the paddock’s perimeter and found it generous in size with a small barn for what little currying the absent stablehand could manage. A broad creek ran through the enclosure, and a dense copse provided a lair for whatever machinations the beast was brewing.

He lingered for several hours until warm sunlight dappled by the surrounding foliage cut away the fog.  He watched the strange shape of the horse lurking in the copse, catching glimpses now and then.

He finally left near noon with his thoughts turning.

-

For a week, he spent his mornings at the paddock among the silvery trees.  His companions turned curious, but he shrugged it off.  She hadn’t said anything about keeping it secret, but something about the silent mists and the yellow-white apparition limping through the dark morning shadows made him want to keep it to himself.  How had she phrased it?  Something truly of their own.

He brought treats.  Valor ran him out of his territory.  Sometimes the old horse would let him tread a few steps through the grass on the other side, even disappear for a long stretch.  But then the rumbling of those uneven hooves and Noah had to bolt to avoid getting smashed into the dirt.

He started to notice things.  Old scars along that patchy hide, marks from swords and pikes and daggers.  An uneven set in his long face like a broken nose.  He could imagine the wet crunching thump from another horse’s hoof.  A constellation of nicks and indents.  Tough knots of ropey tissue.  His weight, and his broad shoulders and flanks, made him a terrifying battering ram.

This was no horse.  It was a warrior.

How many old men and women had he known so like this creature back home? How many, in fact, of those same people had faced this very creature on some old bloody field?

He could not summon any enmity though.  Not when he leaned against the fence and watched that noble form sway with cunning majesty and gleaming eyes attended as closely to his hands and feet as any sparring partner.

He admonished himself of the idea of owning Valor; how could such a spirit ever be owned?

-

She rode up the path and stopped her horse where he had tied his.  Dewdrops caught on the embroidery of her riding habit as she came to where he sat on the top fence rung.  A heavy basket sat on his knee.

She leaned near him. “So?  You’ve made progress in all this time?”

Noah held a finger to his lips.  He pulled an apple from the basket, splotched with pink and yellow and red.  He tossed it out into the field where it landed with an audible thump.

They waited.  The scent of damp and mud, and the seep of chill pressed on them.

Indelible Valor finally appeared, like a ghost.  He lowered his great wedge of a head and watched them.

Leisurely, as if doing them a great favor, Valor rolled forward on his truculent uneven stride.  His nose swept the ground and his white breath wafted over the grass.  He found the apple, and chewed on it.  

Noah smiled at her.  She smiled back.

“So you are pure of heart,” she said.

He laughed. “Ah.  I was afraid, actually, that it wouldn’t be enough.”

She climbed up to sit on the fence as well.  She took an apple as well. “No. This is about all even I can manage a lot of days.”

She tossed the apple near Valor, already bucking his head and snorting.  She picked another one from the basket and handed it to him.  Noah accepted it.  His smile lingering, soft, he let his fingers deliberately feather over hers.

“Thank you,” he said.

She hesitated.  But her dark eyes communicated that warm night sky brought low, and her fingers let go to run over his knuckles, over his hot pulse.

“I’m glad,” she said.

[bluegoattoken-blog]

What is this; and why is it here? Who am I?

This is going to primarily be a blog about Goat Control, and various concepts and musings I have about the format, both currently (in its re-re-reemergence in my local scene as an alternative to the contemporary format) and back in the moment, sometimes juxtaposed. It will mostly be to try and articulate some feelings I haven’t yet fully formed and hope this medium will force me to do so. Though, I hope you dear readers can get something out of it as well. I thought of myself as an adequate player at the time, improving up until my first departure from the game following the Perfect Circle format/ introduction of Destiny Heroes. Since then I’ve come and gone in and out of the game to various and mild successes. If you told 14-year-old me I’d long for the days where my “only” complaints about the game were, “Oh, the dude opened trinity on me…” Or “Got sacked by a ripped BLS/Snatch/Ring” I’d probably kick you in the knee. Yet here we are.

My name is Jon Sturick, formerly and firstly TheMysticOne-LV4 (I’m judging my twelve year old self pretty hard, as I’m sure, are you) back in the good old Pojo days, followed by theSAVAGEindian, modeled after theSAVAGEcanadian, and my Jae Kim/Team Savage fanboyism on duelistgroundZ (Sorry OD), jayhawn on several sites and forums and finally the Bluest of Goat Tokens you see here today. This is going to be an unnecessarily long winded, and probably uninteresting to most, history of my experiences with, and tales regarding, the game that consumed and shaped so much of my adolescence. So, if you’re here for goat stuff, it’s coming. I just have some things I’d like to finally write down first.

My history with the game dates back to the North American release in 2002, where I begged my mother to buy me the starter decks on ebay after watching the show, which she did. I’d play with my friends, not entirely sure we were following the rules correctly. This is because I, of course, would play all the high attack tribute monsters played by the characters in the show, letting my friends use “those other cards,” but I’d frequently lose. Therefore, obviously, we must not be playing correctly.

As my collection grew so did my deck. Back in the day there was no main deck limit and my strategy was not very refined. It was along the lines of, “All my cards are cool, so all my cards go in the deck.” -- At least the ones that I can legally play. I still followed the rule that you can only play three copies of a card and adhered to the limited and semi-limited card list. In my elementary school we were allowed to bring in our stuff and do with it what we would during lunch and/or recess. There had been no huge issue after Pokemon Cards came and went. However, one day, I made the mistake of bragging about my Gate Guardian and how much money it was worth ($80 according to ebay at the time). Naturally it got jacked, and I was devastated. It was my only secret rare other than the Gaia the Dragon Champion that I pulled in my first ever pack. Worst of all this little prick was parading it around and had his parents write him a note saying they bought it for him. My family and teacher had some pity for me and bought me a few packs, attempting to replace the missing centerpiece of my collection. The game had three expansions at the time (Legend of Blue-Eyes, Metal Raiders and Magic Ruler) so they got a little of each because they didn’t know the difference. This is blessing in disguise eventually ended up accelerating my first “break” into the tournament scene, as I ended up with staples such as Raigeki, Mirror Force, Heavy Storm, Pot of Greed and an extra copy or two of Fissure, Trap Hole and Man-Eater Bug. These powerful cards would have otherwise been inaccessible to a youngster such as myself.

One day, after agreeing to accompany my mother to the mall on the condition she buy me a pack of cards, I discovered a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament being run in the back of the store. I ran the idea of participating the next weekend by my mom. She was initially disinclined to acquiesce to my proposal of carting me to the mall at 9am on a Saturday. She also wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of sitting in the mall with me until I was done, either. She eventually agreed after my insistence that I’d be okay alone, and that I’d call her after every round. Not to mention I’d keep the sharpest eye of all time on my things, lest we repeat the disaster that happened in school.

I remember sitting on the bench outside of the comic shop in the mall at 9:30am before my first ever tournament with my tin of cards, containing my deck, before the store opened at 10 and feeling nervous and alone. It wasn’t the typical pre-tournament jitters, peppered with an anxious excitement that I’d eventually come to know and love. I was just scared. I was no stranger to competition as I was naturally quick witted, and able to adapt well on-the-fly, for my age. The consequences of which were my friends and I challenging each other to video game triathlons, decathlons; marathons in every sense of the word (because I’d never sit, always standing, pacing and jumping) in every game we owned, trying to prove our superiority. However, I was not with my friends. This was no test of reflexes or dexterity. There were no mini-games to practice and memorize. I had no way to prepare for what cards would be in their deck, nor could I know what I would draw from my 325 card monstrosity. Eventually people began to file in and I gave the man behind the counter $5, and told him my name. I tried to articulate my strategy, which to him probably seemed like anxious babbling, which it almost certainly was. I was looking for validation or even any friendly notion to calm my nerves. I got no such gratification, so I went in the back and watched some kids play games before the event started.

The pairings were posted, and I noted how long this list of names seemed and the fact there were almost as many people in the back of this store as one of my classrooms. I sat down across from a teenager, and began nervously struggling to shuffle nearly every card I owned. I won this match. I’m not sure how, but I remember being very pleased with myself nonetheless. The next round I was mercilessly destroyed by a different teenager who seemed totally disinterested that I had flipped my trap card that did damage to his life points. Defeat after defeat followed and I went home, tail tucked between my legs, but exhilarated by the prospect of this new challenge. The following week, a similar tale of defeat, but with much less anxiety. I challenged every person who would agree to entertain the notion of playing against this little kid, losing most games. After this tournament one of the older kids there, Jake B, asked to look through my deck. I was wary, because I noted his shock, then amusement and eventual interest in the Mirror Force I flipped on him in my round one loss, but I agreed. I watched, hawkishly, every motion of his hands as he began separating the cards in my deck. First, he asked if I wanted to trade. A quick, “Nope.” was my reply. He then chuckled and sighed and recommended that I run as few cards possible, as close to the 40 card minimum that I could in order to maximize my chances of drawing my more powerful cards. As he helped sort through the giant heap I once called my deck in order to create a considerably more concise pile of cards, I relaxed and realized he was just trying to help. Upon later inspection I noted many of the cards remaining said, “destroy” in the text, or had 4 or fewer stars and relatively large attack and defense.

I insisted on keeping my one copy of Alpha, Beta and Gamma, the Magnet Warriors, in my deck as they had a similar strategy to my beloved and departed Gate Guardian. The next week I found myself thrashing kids who only a week prior showed no interest in our game together, as the outcome, in their mind, was never in doubt. I finished with a score of three wins and one loss, still being metaphorically eviscerated by Hamad, the near-silent Middle Eastern gentleman who sat in the corner. We began the top 8 cut and I was paired against Jake, who was still very intimidating to me, despite last week’s friendly assistance. I managed to win this game as well and was next playing a fellow by the name of Josh Eller. Josh was tall, confident and borderline arrogant, though depending on who you asked, extraordinarily arrogant... and a dick. This brazen confidence could only be displayed by either a master, or a fool. I would quickly come to realize during our match he was certainly the former, as he annihilated me in game one. In game two I drew my most powerful cards early on and was able to overwhelm him. I managed to win game three by protecting my Beta the Magnet Warrior with all manners of traps and removals, just as Jake had showed me. Josh was so upset and frustrated by this loss to such a novice, he punched a hole in the drywall. Despite my understandable fear at the time, that hole soon morphed into a symbol of pride for me. It was a marker of my victory that day that stood, covered by a poster, until the store’s departure from Shoppingtown Mall. 

I was in the finals. My excitement was short lived as I had to play Hamad again, and again got pummeled. It wasn’t a disheartening loss, despite its one-sidedness, as the way he played his cards proved to me there was much more strategy than I had previously believed. You didn’t need to, and in fact, shouldn’t, play a card just because there was an instance in which the card can be played. This concept seems simple, but it was foreign to me. I had only ever played card games like Uno and solitaire before. It allowed me to think much more critically and begin to develop strategies on my own and make more insightful reads on my opponents. Deep stuff for a twelve year old. I was hooked. And I belonged.

[mode7rap]

genoboost reviews the Final Fantasy VII commercial

via Game Music 4 All

I hate Final Fantasy VII.

Well, I love Final Fantasy VII, but don't tell Final Fantasy VII I said that. FFVII doesn't deserve my love, but I often find myself thinking about all the good times we had together. We laughed, we cried, we bitched about Cait Sith. Those were the days. But it was such a toxic relationship. I can never go back.

It's going to take a few more therapy sessions before I'm comfortable digging deeper into that. Today, I simply want to discuss a small portion of the very rich meal that is Final Fantasy VII. There are a lot of layers to this RPG onion, and I want to focus solely on the dry, dusty, useless onion skin, slowly rotting beneath the produce section lights. I'll be dissecting Square's game changing game commercial which appeared on US television ahead of the games stateside release. That's not a joke.

How did we all think Final Fantasy VII was so great? Clearly opinions have splintered in the 20 years since the game's release. It's hard to stay unbiased after many years worth of extraneous FFVII games, movies, and more games, and anime shorts. It's now pretty hazy just exactly what convinced me to love this game so much in the first place. Then I saw the original commercial again. My very sudden and brand new hypothesis is that the marketing blitz put on by Sony and Square (now Square-Enix) made sure we thought this game was going to kick every ass. It did. The commercials that aired constantly on cable television also made sure that viewers had no idea what the 'game' part of this game was. 

   So it's time to dissect a thirty second long and twenty year old commercial. This advertisement was the first glimpse of Final Fantasy for much of the US, except for nerds like me that is. That glimpse made Final Fantasy VII look like one bad ass mother fucker of an action movie, er, action game. It's a game.  You can play on the "Play Station." Somehow.

What do you even do in this game? It would appear to be some sort of motorcycle riding, helicopter chasing, explosion causing and/or preventing type action game. Maybe you get to play as an ass kicking, motorcycle riding protagonist that is also a soldier of fortune, as mentioned in the commercial! Mystery solved.

I don't know what's happening here, but it doesn't matter because I'm dead now.

Actually, I think the Soldier of fortune is the only thing this commercial gets right about Final Fantasy VII. But only if I'm being generous and assume when the voice over said "soldier" he meant SOLDIER. 

It's hard to think back to a time where we didn't know about sephiroth, JENOVA, and Cloud, the only three characters that very briefly appear in the commercial. Each with a haircut sillier than the last. None of these highly integral characters are established in any way. It's just some insane fever dream. Was that a monster?  Did it explode? Does CG hair have to look this ridiculous?

Absolutely.

I know I come hard at Final Fantasy VII like the old, jaded gamer I am, but back in '97 I was just as enamored by it as any other kid that got their kicks from playing Chrono Trigger and FFIII, I mean VI, I mean, ah fuck it. Square knew exactly what a young American gamer wanted to see. Explosions, revenge, motorcycles, soldiers of fortune, more revenge, another explosion, and another explosion and revenge, plus it's a video game!

This isn't a commercial for a hundred hour, story driven RPG from Japan (this is, and it gets me pretty damn hyped). This is a commercial for a high budget Hollywood action movie. It has more in common with trailers for Men in Black and The Fifth Element, the latest sci-fi blockbusters circa '97. This was long before Lord of the Rings made everyone very very familiar with the Fantasy genre. Back in 1997, no one in the US cared about grass or trees or magic or elves or none of that shit. Those were good times. Anyway, the folks behind advertising Final Fantasy VII knew what's up. They showed off nothing but the heavily industrial, very metallic side of Final Fantasy VII. Cannons, helicopters, motorcycles. This was some epic futuristic realism here. No magic airships, no swords, no riding on big dumb chickens! 'Wark' your ass on out of here you stupid chocobo, or is it 'kweh' now? Go 'kweh' yourself! 

"Did you unlock the motorcycle?"

"Not Quite."

Give Square some credit where it's due though, twenty years later, every major game release is marketed this way. Only cut scenes, no game play footage, and only the vaguest half paragraph outline of the plot. Makes me nostalgic for the storyline to Bosconian. Make sure your way dope commercial includes anything that would be cool to own or pilot, as long as it's a machine and not an animal, such as a very large, very colorful, very inbred bird. 

There isn't a single company fool enough to include actual gameplay in the commercial for said game. Some commercials these days don't include any images from the game at all. Even Nintendo themselves cut that shit out a few console generations ago. Well, Nintendo still tries to shove a little gameplay footage in at the end of their commercials. Unfortunately, Nintendo's stubborn respect for consumers makes for terrible marketing. Not to mention the incredible difficulty in conveying fun game play to a passive audience. Just make some jokes, or throw some babes at me, and/or a few explosions and I'm in! Buy me Bonestorm or go to hell!

Square-Enix has made a ton of missteps since the release of FFVII, which lead to the name Square-Enix itself, and my endless confusion on whether to call them Square, or Square-Enix when referring to the company when it was called Square, or was it Square LTD, I don't think it was Square EA yet, or was it EA Square in the US and Square EA in Japan… Ah fuck that too.

Actually (fixes glasses) the full name is… 

As I was saying, Square whatever has had some misfires in their long and expensive history, but damn were they on the cutting edge of logically baffling but ridiculously effective commercials.

If I'm generous, I could understand that there could be some difficulty in explaining a 70 hour epic within a 30 second teaser. Ungenerously, since this is a commercial after all. Please be skeptical of anyone selling you anything. Please? This is 30 seconds of random images and blatant lies created solely in an effort to take your money. Square got my money. Don't let them get to you too!

I'm not sure if this is the first RPG to be marketed to popcorn shoveling mongrels and not the elite console gamer class that knew what a JRPG was, or, as we called them at the time. RPGs. We didn't need more specific definitions because all console RPGs came from Japan. American companies made Bass Fishing and Bubsy, and a game starring the fucking president's cat. Who cares! Until FPS games gained some traction, US game developers would do their best to serve up nice bland plates of whatever Japan created first. 

Despite Square's best efforts, and explosions, the most insane thing about this commercial was the ending. 

:Record scratch

Appearing in the final moments of the commercial was the title "Final Fantasy VII." Wait a minute! I know what Final Fantasy is! I know exactly what Final Fantasy is! Hold on, where did four, five, and six go!?

I had already played Final Fantasy VI, although we called it Final Fantasy III back in my day. Whatever this commercial was that my eyeballs were subjected to was certainly unlike any previous Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy is about wizards and spell casting and swords and a bunch of numbers going up, sometimes down. You collect money, which you can use to buy new weapons, and you can find treasure, which is hopefully new weapons. There's just loads of text and menus. Honestly, it's all just text and menus. The point being, that there ain't none of that in this commercial, and we all know damn well there is plenty of that shit in the game. Conversely, I think every exploding building, crashing meteor, or giant energy weapon in the game is shown off in this commercial.

Before I watched this commercial several dozen times in order to form this deep and absolutely necessary analysis, I decided to make a list of a few words and phrases that come to mind when I think about Final Fantasy VII.  Play along at home. Just close your eyes and think of some of your most cherished memories with this very ridiculous game. 

Giant Swords

Armageddon

Bigger swords

Corporate greed

This guy are sick

Leveling Up

Great Music

Unlikable characters

Huge world

Huge monsters

Double crossing

Ancient stuff

Fancy wigs and dresses

Cait Sith… Fuck you Cait Sith! I never wanted you on my team in the first place you traitorous, plot advancing piece of-

Okay, I should stop there, but I think that's a good synopsis of FFVII to be honest. 

Now time to live blog this ephemeral seizure of a commercial.

There's an evil empire.

So evil it's a whole evil planet?

Giant cannon!

Modern day helicopters

Modern day motorcycle, is this Terminator?

The world is in danger! So it might be Terminator!

To Aerith: "Come with me if you want to live." No wait!

More cannons! These cannons shoot lasers!

It can shoot in this single direction though.

Was that a monster?

Quiet down in there!… You!

Everything is so shiny

At least this evil empire has some showmanship.

Great graphics!

...for the time.

There's seven of these!?

Another record scratch

This is a video game!?!?

and it's on the playstation!?

Whaaaaa…

As you can see, a few major elements of Final Fantasy VII seem to be lacking in the commercial. In a game with nine different playable characters, each with plenty of backstory, we see Cloud's dumb hair for a second, and Sephiroth staring down a robot. I remember staring at the print ad of this scene and having not a single clue what I was even looking at. Did you notice any swords in this commercial? Catch someone using a spear or inaccurately enormous shuriken shaped boomerang? There wasn't even magic. No magic in a game called Final FANTASY. No feathers, and not a single blade of grass.

If this commercial is to be believed (and who am I to not believe the very people who are trying to take my money) then this is pretty much James Bond, Blade Runner, and Armageddon, but playable. I wouldn't be shocked if this blonde haired soldier of fortune was voiced by Bruce Willis himself. Yippee ki yay Sephiroth. It's time to save the world from lasers and cannons and meteors and all kinds of other crazy crap.

Somehow…

Oh, I almost forgot, this game commercial doesn't feature any game play. Maybe it was an oversight. It's certainly not necessary to include gameplay footage. Why, Square gave us all the information we need to understand the gameplay, right in this very commercial, if you just look closely enough!

I can easily imagine the control scheme for this wild ride.

X = Motorcycle

Triangle = Revenge

Square = Explosions

Circle = Explosion based Revenge

L1+R1 = Run Away

This lack of gameplay footage is what changed video game commercials forever (except Nintendo). Nintendo was trying their hardest to show off some quality games back in the mid 90's, but that integrity lost them valuable MTV commercial real estate. Square and Sony on the other hand, began to create commercials that were more like existential references to the games in the PlayStation library, rather than provide actual details or information about why you should purchase the product featured. Nintendo clearly wanted to emulate these highly effective commercials, all while still conveying the inherent fun of Nintendo games. This meant that Nintendo became stranded in some horrible middle ground. Wanting edgy commercials with a bunch of crazy crap happening, while still conveying the style and quality of the gameplay. Don't forget to wedge some game footage in there somehow.

As reference, here is a 1996 Nintendo commercial. Coincidentally, I chose the commercial for Super Mario RPG, the final Square produced game for a Nintendo system for nearly a decade.

   Dammit Nintendo, it's like the head of your PR department is my mom. SO LAME. This commercial needs it's own analysis. I'm a life long Nintendo supporter through and through, but I have made no bones about their inability to create engaging commercials. Nintendo has been getting their asses kicked in the marketing department ever since Sega said 'Nintendon't.' Luckily Nintendo's games often speak for themselves in terms of quality game play. Of course, you would have to purchase the game to know that. Oh the irony! Every Nintendo commercial feels like the boxart to Phalanx. Baffling and unintuitive.

In fact, here's another one from 2005!

   Even after many years in this brave new world of logic free commercials, Nintendo still slides in that gameplay footage. Will they never learn?

Conclusion

Hey Square, I love all the convoluted stories, convoluted hair, and pompous cut scenes, but I also like the part where I rummage through menus to equip insane materia combinations, or just simply stealing from as many different enemies as possible. This commercial, and the frenzy for Final Fantasy VII upon launch reinforced those former attributes, sending Square into an anti-gameplay spiral that we've only begun to unravel. In the immediate aftermath of FFVII, Square gave us both the amazing 'cinematic RPG' Parasite Eve, as well as the bankruptcy inducing Final Fantasy The Spirits Within. 

Now they go by Square Enix, a little wiser, and a little less bold. They still waver between quality game play and an overzealous cut scenes, second only to the Metal Gear series (which also made Konami hemorrhage money, hmm). 

Next FFVII anniversary, I'm going to review the Knight of the Round (AKA the longest fucking thing in video games ever) in the same amount of time that the animation of Knight of the Round takes to play out. 

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