#corrin — these things are your becoming

[shieldborn]

The gauge in front of Corrin refused to move down, the needle slowly climbing higher and higher. She groaned and let her forehead bonk against the display before climbing back down in front of the exposed wires that Trip had been walking her through.

"It's still building up too much pressure. I need…" The decompression won't trigger because the computer is still displaying clear levels. Despite the mocking red needle, the automatic release system isn't set up to take readings after the second valve, because usually the vents take care of it. "If you open access panel 17B you'll find, um, part of a protein resequencer panel."

If the heat from the engine block wasn't already sticking her bangs to her forehead, Corrin would have started sweating. It was made worse with only the comms connecting them, Corrin unable to do anything but wait, imagining Trip prying the panel free. "Hey, Commander, it's nothing to worry about but you should know it's a little--"

"bonkers fucking yonkers" | from @entriprises

His voice was muffled through the level between them, but she could just make it out overlapping with the comm. She really had meant to get the panel switched out, but she hadn't had time to set up an order last time they were docked. And if the fix had stayed operational, well…

"I had to patch it in as a relay after the Conatarri system… if you patch a second signal through it'll start a loop and force a fail state. It's one of the safety protocols to stop duplicate signals from overwhelming the synthesizer at the mess hall, but it should interrupt the pressure readings and force it to vent as an error response…" She's rambling. She knows she's rambling, but she's nervous and she hasn't been prepared for Commander Trip Tucker of all people to have to dig into her work. The work she was so proud of this morning suddenly felt inexperienced and inefficient when imagining it through the eyes of another. She wasn't sure if the ticking clock or the chewing out she was going to get later made her more nervous.

[meshla-cyarika]

The Blonde Prince

Pairing: Prince!Rex x Mermaid!reader

Word count: 3,226

Tags/warnings: none

Summary: You're the princess of the seven seas and you've become obsessed with humans. Unfortunately, your mother, the queen, has long since forbidden mers to go up to the surface. Rex is a prince of Mandalore and today it's his birthday. His brothers thought it would be fun to plan a trip across the seas. You're both brought together when the royal ship passes above your kingdom.

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

"We aren't supposed to be this far from the palace."

You don't pay the young mermaid beside you much thought, as you inspect yet another odd human object. It's a long stick with glass either end, one end is narrow and the other is larger.

"Relax, Omega." You stare down the narrow end of the peculiar device and watch in awe, as it makes your surroundings seem closer than what they are. "Woah! How does that work?"

"Please!" Omega whines, clearly scared of being further away from the palace than usual. "My aunt will kill me, if she finds out!"

You roll your eyes at the mention of Nala Se, as you put the thing into your bag. Nala Se means well, but she's very strict on young Omega. The mer is only eight summers old and, for some reason, has imprinted on you since you first visited Nala Se's stall at the market.

"Who says she's going to find out?" You give her a mischievous grin, before swimming further out. Omega huffs from behind you and you smirk, as you catch a glimpse of her purple tail swimming towards you.

"Princess!" A voice calls out, making you halt and turn around. You find your royal bodyguard swimming up to you.

"Must you always spoil my fun?" You roll your eyes.

"Your mother has had the royal gaurd looking everywhere for you. You missed the ceremony." Your bodyguard, Corrin, tells you and you blanche at the news.

"I lost track of time." The ceremony is where all your relatives come together from across the seven seas to spend seven sunrises at the palace. It's partly a celebration of the royal family and partly just for the adults to discuss what's been happening across the seas.

"You have to come back, now, princess." Corrin tells you, but it's more like a plea for you to prevent your mother from punishing the gaurds.

"I guess, I don't have much of a choice." You sigh and Corrin gives you a sympathetic look. Your entire life is controlled by your mother. Just because she's the queen of the seven seas, she thinks she has the right to act like your life is her own. Omega and yourself wordlessly follow Corrin through the depths of the ocean.

+++

When you enter the palace hall, you're greeted by the sight of your entire family enjoying a feast at the long table. The gaurds stationed at the entrance announce your presence and everyone looks up at the sight of you. Most give you warm and welcoming smiles, while your mother gives you a pointed glare that she quickly covers up with a forced smile.

"My daughter, where have you been." Queen Satine innocently asks, knowing full well where you've been.

"I apologise for my absence. There was an incident with the royal gaurd that I wanted to see to myself." You lie easily, just to please your family.

"How noble." Your mother smiles, condescendingly. "Please, join us." She gestures to the long table and you take your place by your cousins. They soon indulge you in their conversations about the latest news, while eating bits and pieces of the mass of food that could feed the entire kingdom. Fish and other creatures have been brought from all across the seven seas, as gifts for everyone attending.

Your mind drifts slightly, while Myra, one of your cousins, starts talking about the pod of orcas her and her family had encountered on the way here. You do love your cousins. They're kind to you and always invite you to be involved in whatever they're doing. It's nice to have people around your age that live in the same conditions as you and complain about the same things. Since you're the only child of the queen, you don't get to express how you feel most of time and, admittedly, don't have alot of close friends.

The feast soon draws to a close and your extended family are finally allowed to do whatever they please, but most opt to go to their palace alcoves and rest. The mothers and fathers stay behind in the royal hall to discuss business.

You're one of the ones that decide to go to your alcove. You push a large stone infront of the entrance to give yourself privacy, before slumping down on a smooth large rock on the floor of your alcove. The bioluminescent coral and planets you have been growing bask the area in a light blue glow.

Your mother will make you stay at the palace for the next seven sunrises, just so she doesn't seem like an irresponsible mother by having you swim off to who knows where. You huff out a sigh and tuck your tail up to your chest, absentmindedly fidgeting with your fin. You always found your apperance to be a little odd. The human-like anatomy part of your body is perfectly ordinary among mers, but it's the colour of your scales and shape of your tail that you find to be a little abnormal.

Your mother's colours are gold and shimmer in the sunlight and her tail is built to be more regal and majestic, showing her beauty and her power. Mer that are royal by blood tend to have more sophisticated colours and tails, but yours are less so.

Your tail doesn't have the frilly embellishments of a creature like koi fish, it's more lean and your tail fin is sturdy and strong, unlike your mothers. Your scales are a pattern of white and dark blue, which do complement your features well, but it's a very ordinary combination of colours, in comparison to most royal scales. Then again, you have never met your father and your mother never wants to talk about him. Maybe your appearance is purely from him.

There's an old myth that dates back to the first ever mers that says the tail and scales of a mer are linked to their soulmate. The belief of soulmates has fizzled out through time among your people, but some of you still believe that there is a person made for everyone. You don't know what you think of the concept, but you'd like to believe that some day you'll find someone that clicks with you like the last piece of a puzzle.

You furrow your eyebrows, when you hear a dull thudding coming from outside. It's very distant and you doubt most would be able to hear it, but it's definitely there. The noise happens in random bursts that sometimes overlap each other. You swim over to the rock at the entrance to your cave and push it away, before quietly sneaking through the palace. You leave unnoticed and venture through the ocean, which is illuminating from some sort of lights from above.

You look up at the surface and see something huge cast a shadow over the area. The noise gets louder and louder, as you swim further and further upwards. Once you break through the water, you startle as the noise becomes incredibly loud and bits and pieces of something falls from the sky. It's hot, the polar opposite of the ocean. You watch as things sore up into the sky, before bursting apart into a million different pieces that are on fire. You force your gaze away from the scary, yet beautiful, sight and look forward at the massive ship sailing before you. Humans!

+++

"Having fun, Rex?" A man slings his arm over his brother's shoulders, a bottle of whiskey in his other hand.

"Sure, Cody." The brother sips his bottle of beer. The pair are both dressed in royal suits, with a cape handing from one shoulder and off the shoulder sashes to match. Rex's cape is royal blue, while Cody's is orange. Even when they are celebrating, they have to do everything by the book. Although, Cody's suit has began to crinkle and slant in some place from him throwing his weight about. If he wasn't wearing what he is, you probably wouldn't even think he's a prince.

"Oh, come on, Rex! It's your birthday!" Wolffe comes up behind the both of them, his plain grey cape sweeping below him, and pats Rex's shoulder with alot more force than necessary, nearly making the blonde stumble over.

Before Rex can say anything in response, the three brothers become distracted by the sight of the crew suddenly singing an old sea shanty. Cody quickly joins in and walks over to where the crew have congregated, nearly loud enough to drown out the last few fireworks going off and Rex shakes his head, with a fond smile. The blonde arches a brow, when Wolffe, the brother known to be the most stern and stoic, starts singing aswell, which causes a few to laugh.

Wolffe drags Rex over to the rest of the crew and nudges his shoulder. Rex rolls his eyes, before joining in, unable to conceal his smile. "To boost the moral of the crew." Rex tells himself. Although, he's sure alot of them don't need any more boosts, as Fives', Jesse's and Hardcase's voices drown out everyone else.

+++

The odd things flying up into the air have just stopped and you're trying to pull yourself up into one of the smaller boats on the side of the ship. Your mother would kill you, if she saw you now. For as long as you can remember, humans have been seen as dangerous beasts in your kingdom. No one is allowed to go up to the surface, by order of your mother. She thinks that just because there's one awful human it means they're all like that. Not all mer are horrible, so why should humans be? She doesn't understand. No one does.

You finally manage to pull your body into the small boat and peak inbetween the small holes in the hand railing on the side of the ship. You've never been this close to humans before. A few of them are using odd devices that make pleasant sounds, while others move around in rhythmic movements and some of them sing. Unlike mer singing, it's frankly terrible and out of tune, but they don't seem to care. They seem to find it amusing.

You observe the crowd. Most of them are wearing pretty shabby clothes that are well worn, but there are three men dressed in something more glamorous and regal. You tilt your head, as you observe the three laughing men. They share many identical features, so you assume that they are related in some way and their clothes indicate a higher rank of importance, maybe even royalty.

You startle, as a creature suddenly appears infront of you and you fall back into the bottom of the boat, with a dull thud. You tilt your head at the creature. It has a seemingly unnecessary amount of fur, it stands on four legs and has a thin long tail. It's face is mostly covered by the amount of fur, but it kind of reminds you of a seal.

You hesitantly reach and place your hand on the creatures head, surprised to find it soft. You jump back, when you hear the thudding sound of footsteps getting closer to your hiding spot. Someone grabs the creature and guides it back to the middle of the ship.

"Can't believe Waxer and Boil stowed away that damm dog."

Your breath catches in your throat, as the blonde man in the regal clothes leans over the railing. If he were to look down, he'd instantly see you hiding in the boat. You push yourself agaisnt the bottom of the boat as much as you can, in an attempt to try and hide yourself in the shadows.

You can't help but observe what you can see of the man. His hair is buzzed and his skinned is naturally tanned. He has a strong jawline and dark brown eyes. He's beautiful. For a human anyway...

You flinch, as some kind of liquid lands on your cheek. Then, slowly water starts falling the sky in small droplets. You notice the blonde looking upwards and an uneasy expression takes over his features. Within seconds, tons of water is crashing down and there's the distant sound of thunder drawing closer.

"Storm coming in fast! All hands on deck!" The blonde marches over to his crew and they quickly stand to attention. You take this as your signal to leave and dive back into the sea below.

+++

The men instantly sober up and race around the ship to tie down the sails, while rain continues to batter down and thunder and lightning draw closer. Within seconds, everyone is soaked to the bone. Fierce waves wash over the deck.

Rex notices that no one is at the wheel and, while his brothers are yelling orders, he races up the stairs to grab on to it. The wheel fights agaisnt him, as the current throws the ship in all sorts of directions, but the prince manages to keep it relatively still.

The ship lurches upwards, with the movement of a particularly tall wave, before crashing back downwards. Rex's eyes widen at the sight of jagged rocks spiking out the water. He spins the wheel to the side, as fast as he can, but it's no use. They inevitably collide with the rocks and the ship tips sideways. The crew yell, as they cling onto whatever they can to prevent being thrown into the dark water. Eventually, the ship evens back out and is longer tipped sideways, but the front of the ship is still embedded in the spiked rocks.

A lantern must have smashed onto the floor, because the ship is soon engulfed in flames. Rex races back to the main deck.

"Life boats! Abandon ship!" The blonde hollers over the sound of the harsh rain.

"Abandon ship!" Wolffe and Cody repeat his words. The crew barely hesitate to leap over the railing and into the depths below. They quickly loosen the ropes that are holding the life boats on the side of the ship and they splash into the water. They help each other out of the freezing water and into the boats.

The three princes wait to make sure everyone is off the ship, before going to jump out aswell. Suddenly, there's the sound of barking from the other side of the ship. That damn dog.

"Rex!" Cody urges his brother to jump.

"Go! I'm right behind you!" Rex shouts back, before running off through the flames. Wolffe and Cody don't get a chance to protest, as a particularly strong wave knocks them off their balance and over the side of the ship.

The blonde flinches back, when the fire on the stairs roars and grows. He shakes his head to try and tries to give himself confidence, before swiftly running up the stairs, wincing as the flames burn his clothes.

"I'm never letting Waxer and Boil on a ship again." Rex mutters to himself, while he picks up the dog and drops him over the side.

+++

You feel so useless, watching the events play out before you from the shadows, not being able to help. You observe the blonde man chuck the creature over the side of the ship and you swiftly submerge yourself back into the water. The creature isn't able to swim well with the current and you sneak underneath to guide the creature to one of the boats, where it's quickly pulled on board by the humans.

"Rex!" Both of the men in regal clothes yell and you turn back to face the ship, watching how the blonde goes to jump, but the ship suddenly lurches onto it's opposite side, flinging the man across the deck and presumably into the depths below.

You swim underneath the ship and scan the area for any sign of the blonde. Then, a flash of blue catches your eye and you see the human sinking lower and lower. You race downwards and wraps your arms securely across his chest, before swimming back up to the surface. You have it so his head is resting on your shoulder, to keep him from being completely submerged. His body remains lax, but you can vaguely hear the sound of his breathing and the puffs of air agaisnt your face.

He's alive.

You just saved a human's life and you pray to the sea Gods that your mother never finds out.

+++

It's been a long night. The storm eventually settled out and the sea became tame once again. Swimming while carrying another being that can't breath under water proved to be immensely difficult, but you couldn't just let him drown. You swam for hours in the direction that is known to have a human kingdom.

You drag the body of the human across the beach and settle him on the sand. The burning feeling of the hot sand combined with the sun rays themselves is almost unbearable, but you grit your teeth and try to ignore it. You blanche at the sight of the human's chest no longer rising up and down. When was the last time you heard him breathing?

You lay your head agaisnt his chest and hear a very faint beating. You raise your hands to his chest and shake him, hoping to do something. Your worries continue to grow, until the blonde coughs up some of the sea water from his lungs. You sigh in relief and have to resist from resting agaisnt him. You haven't slept at all.

You tilt your head, as you observe the man. Humans are so different, yet so similar at the same time. A pained expression takes over his features and you place your hand on the side of his face. You think back to how your nanny had soothed you as child. She used to sing this song that always seemed to make you feel safe. So, that's exactly what you do. You sing.

Mer voices are naturally more beautiful than that of humans. Mers even have the abilities to reach notes that humans can't. Music and singing is a big part of mer culture, but humans twisted this into to some terrible myth about mers leading sailors to their death through their captivating voices. In reality, humans were probably just bad at sailing at that time.

Your voice wavers, when you see the blonde's eyes slowly flicker open. You stop singing all together, as you hear yelling coming from the distant cliffs at the far end of the beach. Your head perks up and you barely make out the sight of a pack of humans running down the cliffs. You pull away from the human and make quick work of gliding back out into the sea.

+++

"Rex!" Cody and Wolffe run towards the body of their brother and sit down next to him.

"You're going to be alright, Rex." Wolffe assures the blonde, after noticing he's conscious.

Rex isn't paying attention to any of them. Instead, his mind drifts to the vague image of a beautiful woman leaning over him and singing a tune he's never heard the likes of before. It feels like the song has cast some sort of spell over him.

"The woman..." Rex doesn't get to dwell on it much longer, since he falls into a deep slumber...

[frickingnerd]

yandere corrin

pairing: gn!corrin x gn!reader

tags: unspecified route/setting, spoiled!corrin, obsessive!corrin

corrin has been sheltered all their life. living in nohr, only being around their siblings and a few selected maids and such, corrin grew lonely

so it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that the first person that corrin meets outside of that group immediately becomes special to corrin

not just that, but corrin is quick to start obsessing over that person!

you become the embodiment of freedom to corrin! you've lived a life surrounded by so many people and have had such a vastly different experience than corrin

corrin envies you, but also admires you! corrin wants to learn everything they can from you about the world outside

corrin is relatively harmless as a yandere, at least in the early stages of your relationship. but depending on how things go, corrin does have a more dangerous side that could come out

after all, corrin has been spoiled and is used to getting what they want. whether it's from their siblings or maids!

and if corrin wants something from you, that you aren't willing to give, then corrin doesn't mind letting others do their dirty work and simply force you to give corrin what they want!

[thetevinterspy]

When I was little, people said I had too many opinions. Some thought I’d grow up to be a lawyer, but instead, I became someone who’s just outspoken on the internet. And now, it’s your problem, because here I am, sharing my unsolicited thoughts in blog form.

Today, news broke—though not directly from her—that Dragon Age: Veilguard game director Corrine Busche is leaving BioWare. The official announcement came later, but by the time I saw it, the story had already been circulating for a while. I found myself wondering about the timing since Edmonton’s in a different time zone, but eventually, the news was confirmed. It got me thinking—about the Dragon Age team, BioWare as a whole, and the strange dynamics of the gaming industry.

From the outside, it all seems incredibly stressful. The fan ecosystem surrounding these games is, to put it mildly, unique. Developers are treated almost like celebrities by certain parts of the fandom, but they don’t actually have the status or protection that comes with being a public figure. Meanwhile, EA and BioWare often seem to adopt a say-nothing approach, rarely stepping in to defend developers when things get heated or personal.

From an outside perspective—especially coming from a business and PR background—the payoff for game developers doesn’t seem to justify the stress and anxiety they endure. I’m sure there are countless reasons why unions aren’t common in the industry, but what I see is creative developers increasingly unable—or unwilling—to interact with fans due to our own bad behavior as a community and lack of protection and defense by those above them. Studios, in my opinion, need to do far more to protect their teams from crunch, burnout, and the toxicity of “fans” that has become all too common in this space.

But you know who I think holds the biggest responsibility to do better? Games “journalists” and creators who leap at any chance to rage-bait for clicks and views, amplifying hateful rhetoric without concern for the consequences. And the studios themselves, who then sit by and do nothing while their developers endure harassment. Someone at EA should be going through video after video, tweet after tweet, cataloging the hate, death threats, racism, and misogyny that Dragon Age developers, creators, and fans have faced—and responding with lawsuits where necessary. Ignoring it only emboldens the worst corners of the internet.

If BioWare wants to avoid this with Mass Effect, they need to overhaul their social media and PR strategies well before the game launches. Otherwise, we’ll see the same toxic cycle repeat itself. Until then, it falls on creators and prominent fans to push back against harmful “journalism” and hateful campaigns—to protect not only the IP we love but also the people who make it possible.

Now, I have no idea if any of this played a role in why Corrine left, but I do know that I couldn’t have endured what she likely faced over the last two or three years. She’s far from the only developer on the Dragon Age team to be on the receiving end of relentless criticism and harassment, much of it fueled by so-called “journalistic” hit pieces that embolden fans to run their mouths. It’s disgusting behavior.

And this issue isn’t limited to BioWare. The entire gaming industry needs more respected, responsible news outlets—and studios need to take far stronger action to combat threats and harassment. Ignoring the problem isn’t a solution, and it’s long past time for real change.

To Corinne and any other devs that have left BioWare since Veilguard: I see you. We see you. Thank you. Take care of yourselves. 💜

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

As the anonymous author of the famed (75 notes) What I Think Would Fix the Fates Royals asks, I now present to you:

Fates Royals Ranked by How Much Gender They Have (and also this time I include Azura)*:

Elise: You would think she's just a girl but she hides at least 15 genders under her bed alongside her contraband sweets. Nobody knows where she's getting all these..it's alarming

Xander: Xander has one solid gender. No one is quite sure what it is but he's definitely got a total of one. As you can see from his being so high on the list with only one gender, this family isn't very high on them.

Hinoka: She has like 89.5% of a gender and that gender is lesbian.

Ryoma: His gender is part Hoshidan, part his beautiful, illustrious hair when it's not in that weird headpiece. That is to say, one part is very deeply instilled in his personality, the rest is left to the imagination, you never see it but you know it exists. His gender would be sort of enigmatic if it wasn't SO in your face…known but unknowable, y'known?

Camilla: Has about 75% of a gender that can very loosely be described as being a woman. It's close enough that she doesn't bother explaining it beyond that but like there's 25% something else that she doesn't really touch.

Sakura: Whatever gender she has she does not think she's doing it very well. She's actually doing the best out of anyone because she's sweetiepie :)

Takumi: Takumi has got like half a gender. He had to move the rest of it out to make room for his crushing inferiority complex. Actually no, I think his gender IS having an inferiority complex.

Leo: Taking note of Takumi having only half of gender, decided he must become even less gender. This failed, he has the same thing going on now just in the opposite direction. Put them together and you now have every form of gender angst imaginable.

Corrin: No matter which Corrin you select at the start of Fates they both have just the vaguest hint of gender, dedicated to whatever meshes best with their siblings at the moment. Their gender is loving their family and having fun and also the inexplicable horror of existing in a nonhuman body and the alienation they feel because of it. Also autism.

Azura: They have so little gender that I consistently forget that they're supposed to be canonically a woman. You're telling me that if you could just sit by bodies of water and sing a little song and do cool shit all day you'd care about gender?? Yeah right.

*Ranking is NOT on gender they are, as they are all gender in some way. It’s about how much gender is in their gender. Also none of this is that serious because I could literally reverse the list and still make a case because they're my sillies :)

.

[felassan]

Podcast: My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin - Episode 98 - 'Corinne Busche & John Epler, game directors, Dragon Age: The Veilguard'

Summary:

"Corrine and John are the director and creative director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Corinne Busche majored in digital animation at the University of Utah. In 2006 she joined the studio now known as EA Saltlake, working through the ranks to become a Design Director for The Sims series. John Epler studied English language and literature at the University of Alberta. After graduating, he was selling televisions when he applied to be a tester at Bioware. At the studio he began working as a writer and director of cinematics. Now, the pair have come together to lead development on the latest entry to the beloved Dragon Age RPG series, which launched at the end of October."

[source, two]

Notes/quotes from the episode, under a cut in case of spoilers:

John Epler: thematically, "DA:TV is ultimately a meditation on regret, more than anything else, not just as an amorphous theme, but how the way we deal with regrets shapes our lives. [Solas'] entire arc is motivated by the regret of what he had to do millennia ago". So many of the companions' and characters' lives are driven by regrets (wallowing, or letting it take over their lives, or facing them and taking a step forwards). "Every character has some different perspective on regret". This theme shows up in Solas, companions, side characters, faction stories and side villain stories

Corinne Busche: "When approaching this game, what was right for this game, it was about being really aware of what it means to be BioWare, first and foremost. The focus on characters. Getting back to our singleplayer roots. Really exploring this world, the deep lore that's been built up around this franchise. And, to be completely honest with you, what worked from those past games that caused our players to fall in love with BioWare titles in the first place."

John Epler: "A lot of the focus just came down to being part of a studio that has a very specific and very real strength in character-building, story-telling, and being on projects that maybe didn't center that strength as well as they could have. I personally love Mass Effect: Andromeda but we had open-world - that was a big thing in the industry at the time - and that starts to dilute your focus. We had Anthem, live service dilutes your focus. So for us, it was really, understanding, what it is that A) people come to this studio to do, people work here for a reason, they wanna make big stories that you can play and which allow you to be a hero of your own creation, but also a focus on characters, a focus on that experience of living in a different world. And for DA:TV, we really wanted to make sure that we got back to those things that made the studio what it was, that contributed to what I would call the 'golden age of BioWare', when, you know, there was hit after hit being turned out. DA:TV was a very conscious return to that with the focus on characters, storytelling, and being just this really bombastic singleplayer RPG that allowed you to play through the story as yourself if you want to, or an idealized version of yourself, or someone who's really different to you. That's the joy of a custom protagonist."

Corinne Busche: "I felt very supported through this, by both BioWare and EA. It's intimidating to buck trends in an era where it feels like almost every game must be an open world, to say, you know what, that works for those titles. For us, the way in which we tell the best stories and be true to our roots - a more handcrafted, intimate experience is appropriate. And just to have that support from within, around getting back to those elements we do best, was fantastic."

John Epler: [around 5 years into development, around the time when Corinne Busche joined the team] "The challenge of the game at that time was it was a bunch of different games that were kind of being spearheaded by different people. There wasn't really a cohesive vision or direction at the time. I was narrative director so I had my storytelling corner and I'm like, okay, we need to focus on character, we need to focus on story, but everywhere else there were so many competing ideas and competing priorities that we had, I mean, conservatively, I'd say three different games going on. So Corinne joined the project, and reached out to me on Slack, said hey, you know, I'm joining, I'd like to talk. And I remember coming out of that meeting with this profound sense of relief, like okay, finally. Because, as narrative director, there's only so much you can do to shape the course of a project, and here comes Corinne, very sharp, very clearly understands what we're doing, and is asking all the right questions. It was just this moment of, okay, good, there's an ally here, there's someone here that knows what they're doing, that can pull some of these visions together into something more cohesive. I'll say, working with Corinne from day one has just been an absolute pleasure, because Corinne gets games, Corinne understands how games work, understands how they come together. I think it's something that we take for granted, but not everyone in the games industry necessarily knows that."

Was Corinne Busche nervous when she got the call to join the project, a project that was 5 years deep? Corinne Busche: "You know, I was, but I was also tremendously honored. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but I love a good challenge. And it's kind of, to be honest, become an aspect of what I do, to join teams and help empower them and get where you need to be. I will say, Dragon Age, we talk about how we don't always get to work on or design the games we play. While it was intimidating, Dragon Age is one of my all-time favorite series. I was one of those people that waited in line outside GameStop until I could get my DA:O copy. I remember walking home with it in hand. So it was surreal, it was surreal. I was aware of some of the explorations, some of the difficulties, what was working, what was not. When I joined we had collectively made as a studio the decision that this needs to go back to a singleplayer game. And I will say, when I picked up the controller, pulled down the build and played for the first time, it was still that multiplayer concept. Yeah, I had that moment where I went, whoa, well, okay, you're in it deep now lady. But what a privilege, and to look back on what makes a BioWare game so special, and to see the talent within the team, it felt very achievable, it did."

What was the main thing that Corinne Busche perceived where the team may have lost their way a lil bit and needed a hand back on track? Corinne Busche: "Well, here's my perspective. I wouldn't even say the team had lost their way, to be honest. There were a number of concepts that had been explored, and there are merits to that. There's a lot of good learnings that come from exploration and indeed failure. In some ways you learn more from that than you do from success. This was a situation where we had an outline of a story, and speaking of my first interactions with John, I had much the same feeling of, okay, this is somebody that knows what this game needs to be, what it can be, that can realize its potential. It was very assuring. It really was looking at, what did we have, what can we keep? And a big part of that was that initial story outline, it was the tech stack that we had, some of the ideas behind the game, about it being more intimate, being true to the deep RPG strategy, the pause and play gameplay, but also an awareness that this is, as with all Dragon Age games, a reinvention, and that intimacy, that immersion, stepping into Rook's shoes was going to be a very important part of this journey for us. So that is to say, we really dissected everything. We took this back down to its studs, whether it's gameplay, progression, mission game flow, I can't think of any rock we didn't turn over. In fact, John, correct me if I'm wrong, but my recollection is, I think there was only one mission that more or less survived in a recognizable form in the game, that being the Siege of Weisshaupt."

^ John Epler: "Yeah, you are correct. That is only mission that I would say looks like it did back when Corinne was joining the project."

[character limit text break!]

Were they given a deadline that the game had to be out by that was looming over? Corinne Busche: "There's always a deadline, and it's important that there is because that creates a sense of drive, prioritization, velocity, you learn what the team can do together. What I will say is that we had tremendous support from within BioWare and EA when we said, look, we've discovered the beating heart of this game, what makes it work, and we're not ready yet. We're not at quality, we think we can do more, we can push it further, we're very transparent with that, because it was important to us that this is a game that is worthy of BioWare and worthy of the title of being a Dragon Age game. So when we go back to that, well, I'm really happy to say that, it wasn't always the most fun conversation, but I'm really happy to say there was a lot of support, commitment and interest in making sure we did get the time we needed."

John Epler and Corinne Busche asked to do this interview together as opposed to only one of them (as DA:TV was a team effort of many people)

[source, two] <- listen to podcast here!

[h-worksrambles]

God, Alear’s fear of the Corrupted is so incredibly limp as a feature of the story. When they first bring it up, you get the sense it might either:

A) tie into their past in some way, like it’s a trigger and they still react to it even without their memories.

B) that it sets up Alear in general as kind of timid and cowardly.

And the latter would actually be kind of neat and rare for Fire Emblem. To have a protagonist who not only doesn’t like fighting the way Erika did, or was inexperienced and made mistakes the way Leif did, but is actively frightened and has to grow to be more courageous. Like, Erika didn’t like fighting in Sacred Stones but she was still plenty good at it, so there was room to explore this in a more meaningful way.

This…goes nowhere. It doesn’t tie into their past outside a vague link to Sombron…because he uses Corrupted I guess (even though they aren’t unique to Sombron as Veyle uses them too, and we don’t get enough of an idea of Alear’s past to see why the Corrupted specifically would be a trauma trigger, so it’s not good foreshadowing). And as for it being part of a character arc? Well that’d be great…if they didn’t overcome that fear in the very first chapter. After Alear saves Clanne and Framme from the Corrupted, their fear of them only comes up in a few limp references in their supports, most notably Alfred’s, where it just feels like the game trying to justify why this isn’t a contradiction. It reminds me of something Lindsay Ellis pointed out multiple times. Some writers seem to think that if a character just explains it with their words, you can justify any act no matter how forced or contrived. Imagine if Alear as, you know, a formerly abused child soldier, actually was genuinely timid. They’re an inexperienced amnesiac and the only times they fought prior to that were deeply traumatic. So yeah, they probably should have to grow into the role of a fighter and leader.

It turns out, Intelligent Systems originally thought the same thing. They’ve discussed in interviews how they struggled to pin down Alear’s character. How they originally conceived them as more fearful and timid, but walked back on it because internal feedback said it was too much to the point of grating. And on paper, there’s nothing wrong with dialing your original idea down a bit if feedback suggests it isn’t working. But it leaves Alear feeling like a compromise. Their arc of becoming braver is cut short, and now their fear of the Corrupted feels like exactly what it is: the leftover of a previous draft.

And not to go tinfoil hat, but I can’t help but think that the reason they were scared to make Alear potentially come across as cowardly, is because they’re the player avatar and self insert, and players will get prickly if their insert character is too uniquely flawed. This is the same game that makes your avatar character literal ‘Jesus-kun’ who everyone worships and adores at first sight, after all. It reminds me a lot of Corrin in Fates and how their naivety and idealism in such a grim setting (a promising start for a character) never goes anywhere all that challenging because that’d make the player prickly. And it leaves Alear as a character with no real flavour.

Alear has at least a little more personality as an avatar character than Byleth did, which is a start. But god I hope Intelligent Systems soon learns the lesson to kick avatar units to the curb. They’re not allowed to make real, meaningful mistakes like Sigurd, Erika or Leif. They aren’t allowed to get genuine pushback or criticism from other characters like Ike did. They can’t even be just a little bit of a jerk like Micaiah. When the best outcome of this trend in the decade plus since New Mystery of the Emblem is Robin, an inoffensive supporting POV character, it’s hard not to see diminishing returns in Fire Emblem’s recent attitudes to protagonists.

[dizzyhslightlyvoided]

OK so I don't have a Playstation and soulsbornes aren't my scene, but here's my understanding of Bloodborne's lore based on a half-remembered post from years ago about how it was a deconstruction of Shadow Over Innsmouth, that one post by @cryptotheism about "how your Smash Bros main would do in Bloodborne", and a video I saw years ago comparing how Lady Maria stabs you depending on your character's gender which framed it as doing it in a more gay manner if you're playing as a woman:

The city of Yharnam is an off-brand Innsmouth. (Or, well, "Innsmouth, except someone owns the copyright", so I guess it's more of an on-brand Innsmouth.) There is a blood-borne "Old Blood" or something, which has the threat of turning you into a monster. Possibly you need to have Old Blood in you in order to be able to fight monsters at all?

If you're too evil or bloodthirsty, or just Learn Too Much Eldritch Knowledge, you'll turn into a monster and/or go mad and/or become a target of the bad guys. Animals just automatically turn into dark beasts.

If you want to fight the monsters, you need to be willing and able to kill former friends and family who got turned into monsters, even if they are still recognizable as such, without hesitation. Also you need to work alone, because allies will die a lot.

There are xenophobic NPCs who are worried about blood-purity but in like the eldritch sense. This concern is only making things worse.

Great Ones: your regulation cosmic-horror eldritch-monstrosity gods of chaos.

The Moon Presence: a particular Great One, and probably the final boss, given references in Samus and Kirby's entries in the Smash Bros post. Defeating the Moon Presence will end the "dream" and will, if not fix everything in Yharnam, then at least it will make things somewhat better.

Mensis: a smaller Great One, but still a major boss. There's a Brain of Mensis; I think I found this in a search for "Mother Brain" years ago.

Kos: Zelda's entry namedrops "... Mensis, or even worse, the adherents of Kos herself". So, probably either a cult-leader or a Great One with a cult, who is worse than Mensis in some manner.

Queen Yharnam: I have no idea who she is except that she's in charge of the Great Ones, maybe? Or maybe instead she's someone they want to control? Rosalina's entry said "Essentially on par with Queen Yharnam. Great Ones would be tripping over themselves for her" which means they either want to kidnap her or bow down to her, it's not clear which.

Hunter: probably someone who fights monsters, I think? The Smash Bros post didn't make that entirely clear, but it keeps referencing "the Hunt". Also the different versions of Link's entry quote "Hunters do not normally employ shields, ineffectual against the strength of the beasts as they tend to be." But also multiple characters' entires say that they might be "hunted", but Corrin's entry says "but this would not stop them from doing what was right" so it's probably a job with requirements, instead of just being a generic term for anyone who fights monsters.

Hunter Of Hunters: pretty sure from context that this would be a Hunter who specializes in taking down Hunters who've gone monstrous/mad and are thus greater threats/liabilities than regular monsters.

The Powder Kegs: a faction of Hunters who use guns and/or like to blow things up.

Executioners: a faction of Hunters who are, like, evil and/or religious zealots.

Vilebloods: vampires who are fashionable, or something.

Lady Maria: a lesbian.

Vicar Amelia: Bayonetta's entry begins and ends with "Would keep Vicar Amelia as a pet." "Vicar" isn't usually a title given to animals, so I was like "what" and skimmed Vicar Amelia's wiki-article, so ... she's someone who turns into a dog-like monster over the course of the game? Presumably Bayonetta's entry means her monster-form, but the other possibility is also fun.

[randomnameless]

tbh, I stopped caring about houses that much when I found out that it's an otome/dating sim game with srpg gameplay sprinkled on top. In other FE games, you either gather supports by pair ups or by having units standing against one another. And mechanics like cooking in Fates were done to get some more stat boosts. And even if the avatarization of the game started with New Mystery, Robin and Corrin feel more like customizable characters than an avatar for the player.

In houses, Byleth is like every typical dating sim protag, that does not speak and the few times they do is by having the player choose options that may raise heart points with a character or lower them, you have to find lost items and when you give them back you gain heart points, you have to give them gifts to gain heart points and cooking now doesn't give you any beneficts in battle and only works for, you've guessed it, getting heart points. And let's not kid ourselves, tea time is like the "dates" in otome games, in which you can spam gifts till you raise the affection to the max. The only thing that distincts those points from the otome ones, is that those are necessary for proficency and for unit classes.

Heck, we even have a ring to give to the chosen blorbo in order to get a special custom made cutscene, when in pasts games getting an S support gave you a broken unit to deploy and a little blurb of text during the credits. And of course, calendar/day systems are also common in these tipes of games too.

People complained about awakening and fates for turning the franchise into a dating sim, but 3Houses is literally one in and of itself, and yet is praised as peack FE experience and as peack srpg.

(I could also argue that is because of this otome nature why the characters are "tell don't show" with their given trauma, unlike in pasts games when it was "show don't tell" (Nino, Reison, Camilla, Leif, Soren...))

Well,

When you put it like that, it becomes obvious that the other games (FEH, Engage) mentionning Fodlan are stuck on the uwu monastery part of the part 1 and not the, y'know, events happening that will lead to part 2 because as you said, the SRPG aspect is just "sprinkled on top" lol

However, the "pair up your units and build their relationships!" has been a non gameplay mechanics for decades now (FE4's was a gameplay mechanic, it had no support convos - FE6 added the support convos and gave a small gameplay boost but it didn't commit and we had no endings, FE7/8 had endings, FE9 had convos but FE10 removed them and yet had endings depending on the pairs, etc etc) even without avatars.

Then we entered the avatar era and if it added the "my waifu and my bae" shenanigans, FE13/14 were still more centered on the story aspect that on the "dating sim" aspect, as in, even if you could raise affinity with a character by doing X or Y, it wasn't really coded in a minigame - came FE16 which you analysed perfectly : tea time, gifts, eating, S-support CG, etc etc.

That being said, FE is a RPG, meaning it has characters : you play FE for the solid gameplay but you also build characters, and imo the best way to develop and write characters is to interconnect them with other characters, and/or with the plot/lore.

Sure, Arden functions as a wall/tank. But through the 5 lines he has, you learn that he is part of a group of knights, has friends who often tease him but is relied upon by those people and takes pride in that, he'd also like to find a wife someday and has self-esteem issues.

Is he as developped as, say, Xillia's Alvin? Hell no! But they're characters from two different genres, Arden has those 5 lines that puts him above any "generic" armor.

(I find it interesting how UO and in a way, FE11, gives you the opportunity to play with generics instead of playing with named characters, in UO generics will turn out to be better since you can change their growths, but they're generics. Do you want the RPG of the Tactics/Strategy aspect?)

So, I'd say that support conversations are important, I love Saias and Ralf to bits, but I'm sure I'd love them more if they had more lines. And since support through battle can be a chore (hello FE GBA and trying to get Bartre and Karla's supports when she joins 2 chapters before the end!), I initially welcome any way to grind those supports faster lol.

However, it can quickly spiral in, well, the otome mechanics we have in FE16 - if you want to build support then why not have an entire mini-game for that, and meals and chorals and whatever else?

It's all about finding balance between developping your characters without turning your game in a dating sim or what I'd call "playing the sims and pairing those dolls with those other dolls you like".

Still, let's not kid ourselves, nowadays the "dating sim" aspect of the series is, while decried by some, very popular - and FE is first and foremost, a series that has to sell.

3H is not peak SRPG not peak gaming experience or even in FE gameplay that'd be FE5 but I can't ignore the fact that its dating sim aspects might be part of the reason why it's still very popular.

[emblemxeno]

I know ranting about Birthright's localization is kind of my new obnoxious thing, but the really unfortunate aspect about it is that I very much love Birthright's main narrative structure and themes.

Much like how Conquest is a spin on how you're effectively playing the Camus role in the conflict and grappling with the baggage that comes with it, Birthright is also flip on the traditional FE plot. Instead of Corrin having his home taken over during war, becoming an exile/refugee, and needing to gather other allies to take it back, he actively sides against the home he knew his entire life. Corrin's desire to stop the war as quickly as possible and his disgust towards Nohr's crimes overrides his personal fondness towards Nohr as the place where he grew up surrounded by love and strong familial connection.

This is why his Birthright supports with Azura are about his fond memories with Nohr juxtaposing with Azura's abusive childhood and Hoshidans' general sentiment towards Nohra as a country, because the things he sacrificed when choosing Hoshido were his personal attachments. That's why Birthright's plot is an in-universe retread of Corrin's character: an inexperienced, but extremely kind-hearted and trusting prince who believes in the good of others. This is who Corrin was in Nohr, but since he's chosen Hoshido, that facet of his character must be built up with his Hoshidan allies. Why else would his Hoshidan siblings react with surprise and confusion over Corrin's naive choices? They don't know him, and so, Corrin's convictions and morality must be developed in order to have his Hoshidan allies trust his judgment. Otherwise, what was the point in siding with Hoshido? Why sever the bond with your adoptive family when your new allies meet your every decision with resistance and criticism?

Conquest, as many know, asks the opposite question. What's the point in siding with Nohr and your longtime family if Corrin's unable to change how his country operates? Why sacrifice personal morality, in that case? Birthright and Conquest are meant to be opposite but equal journey's for Corrin's character. Corrin wants peace to reign but are they willing to throw away either their ideals or their bonds to do that? Revelation, in the middle, then answers the question with "neither." Corrin doesn't have to sacrfice any part of his character to end conflict (hence why his personal authenticity and ego is challenged the most in Rev). He instead has to see how Nohr and Hoshido's war is senseless at its core and seeks to end it through both ideals and bonds. All three routes are supposed to work as answers to this question of choice.

And this is precisely why Birthright's localization is as bad as it is. Because any and all negative results of Corrin's decision to side with Hoshido are either sanitized or removed entirely, and Corrin's personality was changed from self-critical, sincere, and sensitive to cocky, sarcastic, and quick to criticize everyone else.

When Corrin no longer feels the personal guilt for his decision ripping his Nohrian family apart, or for his decision resulting in the deaths of Flora, Elise, and Xander, you remove the weight that choosing Hoshido is supposed to have. When Corrin is overly critical of the actions and words from Flora, Leo, Camilla, and Xander, as opposed to being sympathetic to their plight as a result of his choice, you instead enforce the idea "well obviously this is the right choice, and Nohr isn't" when none of the choices in that situation is supposed to be absolutely perfect or correct. By changing Birthright in this way, and leaving Conquest and Revelation mostly intact, you weaken the latter two stories. When BR Corrin is proactive, quick to shift blame, and self-assured, CQ Corrin reads as spineless, whiny and pathetic, and RV Corrin reads as wishy washy and self absorbed. What's the point in caring about what stories CQ and RV are trying to tell when the main character is so radically different from BR, and to many people, unappealing? Why else would Birthright be crowned the "only non-terrible story" in Fates, if not for the fact that almost all of the nuance around choosing Hoshido was scrubbed clean and replaced by a generic strongman (not even up to par of other action oriented lords in FE) in a Corrin costume? Birthright is now the "obviously correct" route that's headed by a badass who says fun one liners. What's not to like?

Corrin was written to be a specific character with specific traits: kind, naive, trusting, well defined morals, values personal attachments, quick to question himself, able to sacrifice a part of himself to attain a goal.

Birthright in its original script follows this just fine. Birthright's localized script inadvertently warps and simplifies its main protagonist, and so drags itself and the other two routes' stories down tremendously in the process.

[spenglersglasses]

⌛⚙️IMMORTAN TIME! ⚙️⌛

Lol

Hello everyone, I am back again with the next chapter of my Immortan Joe x the Fray (Corrine) fic!!!

I am so grateful for your patience as your girl is now knee deep in 50+ hours a week at work and then taking care of my kiddos and life has not been kind these past few days... but it makes me happy to share this so without further ado here we go!!!!

**This fic will be an AU! Mostly I will try to stay canon but there will be some conflicts and reimaginings. This includes themes as listed in the tags, if any of this doesn't sit well with you, please skip this one!**

TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️Discussion about RAPE/FORCED PREGNANCY/VIOLENCE/VARIOUS DISTRUBING SUBJECTS⚠️

Listen you are reading a fic with Immortan Joe, it should be pretty obvious. but that being said if you are still here, I sincerely hope you all enjoy!

*Special shoutout to @animatedglittergraphics-n-more for the awesome dividers!

Chapter 3: Scars of the Past

Dark moments from Joe's past still haunt him while Corrine struggles with the demons in her present.

Also available HERE on AO3. Haven't started yet? Read from the beginning HERE! 

Will eventually be very NSFW below the cut!!

-2 years ago-

The air was thick with promise as Joe made his way to the vault. Rictus and Scotus followed closely behind him as all of them did their best to remain optimistic—but they knew better. As Joe turned the corner, he could hear the screams emanating from within the vault. Rushing to open the door, finding the Organic Mechanic crouched down between Ifanna’s legs. 

The other wives and Miss Giddy, flanking her on all sides. Wearing the worry on their faces. The uncertainty of the moment, building the anxiety within. Leaving them all breathless as their sister screamed in the active stages of labor. Writhing in pain and agony as she pushed, bringing another child into their world of captivity. 

Even worse for them all was remembering that this would be Ifanna’s last shot at producing an heir. She had already suffered through two losses in her short time there. The mounting stakes, sending adrenaline rushing through their bloodstreams. Joe could feel it too. The room was positively pulsing with tension as he watched on. Ifanna’s dark brown hair, latticed against her face from the sweat of her brow. Her body too was covered in it—sticking the fabric of her gown to her skin. 

“Now shove that little beauty out into the world.” the Mechanic encouraged. Steadying Ifanna’s movements. “...come on…here it comes.” he continued. Watching as he prepared for the delivery. 

Joe and his sons stood watching with bated breath as the wife continued to push. A new young girl accompanied them. All of them, hoping that this time would be different.  Eyes fixed atop the Mechanics head as he waited for him to turn around with joyous news.  

The mysterious girl watching on with flat affect. After having seen so much destruction and pain in her short life. What would it be like to see a miracle? After all, it had only been a short time since Joe had procured her—Furiosa. 

The girl was destined to be another of the wives—or perhaps something more. Taken from Dementus, a misguided megalomaniac leader of a biker horde who seized Gas Town. Returning control only after demanding to be appointed its protector. The girl left behind as part of the deal.

For now, that was a matter for another time. The only thing Joe could think of now was the child. Moments from birth as the Organic Mechanic, the only other good thing to come from Dementus’s acquaintance, helped assist in the labor. “I can see its head!” he said, laughing in excitement. “...good girl, good girl. One last shove.”

Joe refused to take his eyes off them. Rictus and Scrotus grew tired of the waiting. Furiosa watching on in horror at the gush of blood from between Ifanna’s legs. Frightened that this too might become her fate. “One more, one more—very good.” 

“Hmph.” Scrotus huffed. Ready to leave, heading back to the War Boys for another night of spreading terror in the Wasteland. Joe was all too ready to scold him just before they heard it. The sound of cries. For a moment hardy and loud, echoing through the vault. The next hushed and quiet before going silent.  

“...is it a boy? Is it a boy?” Ifanna cried, her breathing ragged from the loss of blood. Heart barely able to continue on. A lack of oxygen circulating in her blood, making her foggy as she begged to learn what was to come of her child. The Mechanic wouldn’t say much, snipping the child free of its cord. Severing its tie to its mother before he spoke.  

“More or less.” he sighed, holding the infant up for Joe to see. One head, two bodies. The grotesque horror of what had been brewing in her womb now revealed. Taking its final breath as Joe watched on.

“Sorry boss.” the Mechanic lamented as the child fell still within his arms. The room quickly drowned in the sound of grief. All the hope in the world—gone. The knot in Joe’s throat was too hard to swallow. His breathing aching as his chest rose and fell. The pain of another loss, hitting him full force. Deciding then and there that once the last of the gestating wives delivered, the program would be over. 

In that moment he was changed. It had been years since the birth of his sons, his hope squashed under the weight of seeing what would now come of his seed. Nothing but death and pain. He was devastated knowing that the legacy he longed to leave behind had come to a bitter end. 

The first-born child of his wives was deformed and dead. A promise of true immortality crushed. The Immortan, doing everything he could to hide his emotions. This was it—never again , he thought to himself.  

“I will give you a full life!” Ifanna sobbed, “I know I can…please.” she continued, tears flowing hard as she was handed the child by the Mechanic. Joe said nothing, only turning to leave. Desperate to put the whole mess behind him. 

“Nope…Three strikes you’re out.” Scrotus snapped, cold and cruel. An example of his ill repute on full display. The Mechanic, young Furiosa, and Joe’s sons followed him down the hall. Each of them hoping to not be the first to have to speak.

“Dad…” Rictus said, breaking the silence. However, before he could continue Joe stopped, whipping around to face the four of them. The People Eater and the Bullet Farmer, appearing behind him. Waiting to hear the news.  

“It’s over.” he said. The weight of his words felt between them. The Immortan’s eyes, barely able to hold back the tears and the frustration that had been building within him. The raging at the injustice he felt in this life. The man who had all that was possible–-yet nothing at all. 

“Then what about the…” the Mechanic began, remembering the other women whose pregnancies he had been tending to. Still two others that carried Joe’s child within them. 

“As far as I’m concerned…it would be a mercy if nothing comes of it. I can’t stand to see this happening again and again.”

“Then what’ll we do? With them I mean?” The Eater asked, overhearing the conversation as it transpired. Stepping forward as he twisted against the flesh of his own nipple by its chain. 

“They can provide milk, if not send them back out to the wastes!” Joe hissed, lashing out at everyone in his grief. Knowing that if he didn’t leave now, he would crumble before them all.  

“I’ll see to it.” The Eater assured him, frightened of the fire that burned within Joe’s eyes. The Immortan, briskly making his way back to his quarters, with only his anger to keep him company. Stopping for only a moment to respond.

“See that you do.”

-Present Day, 2 Weeks After Her Capture-

If Corrine had closed her eyes, she might have convinced herself that she was home. Finding herself comforted by the gentle hand of Miss Giddy. Reminded once again of her mother, a woman whose voice Corrine could no longer clearly recall. Taken from her as a child, in an accident so long ago.

As the bone comb slid through her hair, she listened to Miss Giddy recall the night the original breeding program was abolished. The tale, leaving her with a sense of horror and despair. A pain held in her heart for this wicked man who held her prisoner. Missy Giddy too was almost in tears. A memory she would rather be forgotten, deemed painfully necessary to retell. 

“What happened to the rest of them?” Corrine asked as Miss Giddy laid down the comb. “...the other wives I mean.

“Milkers. Or distributed out amongst the V8. The Immortan no longer wanted anything to do with them after that night.” she explained, Corrine swallowing back before she continued her inquiry. 

“...and their babies.” she continued, feeling the still of her heart as she watched the look on Miss Giddy’s face. Recalling the memories from years ago. 

“None made it to term. After the last was lost, we closed the door of this place and there hasn’t been another woman brought back for years…not until you.” 

“Me…” Corrine whispered softly, trailing under her breath. She wondered what made her different. Would she really be the one to bring back the program? Why was she the one to reignite the Immortan’s desire for a child? 

“There's something I find so odd about this whole thing.” Missy Giddy began again, breaking Corrine’s train of thought. The old woman, scratching her head and looking off as if staring at something. Trying to connect the dots.”

“What?”

“It’s just you… I’m used to a full house.” She reasoned. Laughing it off, Finding some humor in the situation. One of her ways of coping with her own life of servitude. 

“Maybe there just aren't as many women stupid enough to get themselves caught.” Corrine groaned. Letting out a laugh herself before the nagging of her head once again hit her. Pulsing and aching at her wound. 

“Maybe…but still. You know, he wasn’t always this way.” Miss Giddy began, as the two of them stared out over the tops of the rock fortress that formed the Citadel. Looking on with longing at the green tops and the hint of a blue sky peeking through the haze. 

“...oh? How so?” 

“He was once a colonel. Though that was a long time ago now… during the Oil and Water wars. A hero from what I am told, by the history men that is…though one can never be sure what is true in this day and age.” she digressed. 

“From a hero to this…” Corrine sighed, holding out her hand as she glanced around the room. Wondering how it was the Citadel came into being. Only legends and rumors of violence and bloody glory. The only things that were truly bountiful in the wasteland.   

“Kalashnikov…the Bullet Farmer…” she clarified, “...and him. Well and a few others, came here when this was nothing but a forgotten source of water. The Immortan and the men that followed him…twisting and weaving their way into the good graces of the ones who were already here before them. The Immortan and his gang managed to seize control of it, along with the old oil refinery and lead mine and before they knew what hit them, it was over. It was then I am told the cult of the V8 was born.”

“Hmph…” Corrine huffed, unsurprised by the selfishness and scheming of men.

“Now there are boundless followers…War Boys raised from birth to obey him with blind devotion. He and the bunch of power-hungry men who surround him. All of them, feeding off the chaos and what little control they all still have. Sickens me…pretending that they are above all the rest of us.” Miss Giddy ranted, her face turning sour. Spitting on the ground as if she could taste the vile nature of them. 

“I see.” Corrine muttered. Wondering to herself how a hero could turn so quickly into a villain. Looking up once again to see that the clouds had begun to turn. Darkening up, the threat of a storm brewing within them.

Only moments later, as the room grew dark, Miss Giddy stood up. Flipping on the lights before making her way towards the door. Corrine, watching as she approached it, knowing that someone would soon come to retrieve her. Sure enough, the door to the vault came slowly open. It was as if it was perfectly timed.

One of the men, whom Corrine had found was known as an Imperator had come to claim her. The old woman, sending Corrine one last pained smile before she took her leave. “That last day though…when I looked into his eyes…” she said, looking woeful once more. “I could swear I saw a brief glimpse of what he was before. Just a man. A man filled with the pain of loss.” 

It was the last thing Miss Giddy said before the door closed behind her. Leaving Corrine alone once again. Making her way carefully down the steps. Traversing each one with care as the dizziness from her head injury lingered on. 

There was no doubt she had suffered a concussion. The effects, keeping her from being confident in her gait. Worried she may fall down the stairs to her death. Though, at times, she considered that death maybe the lesser of two evils.  

When she reached the bottom, she walked over to the table. Looking out at the mound of books spread out across its top. Thankful to Miss Giddy for all she’d been taught so far. Though she still only managed to understand some basic words and phrases, she found sanctuary in their pages. Grabbing one book atop the pile that had quickly become her favorite. 

Slender fingers, trailing across the spine as she moved to open the cover. Her eyes fixed on the colorful pictures. Plants–lots and lots of plants among the pages. They were something Corrine could understand. Entranced by their beauty—of a world that once was. 

She looked at them as a child would the pictures in a fairytale—filled with intrigue and delight. Finding it hard to believe that these things ever really existed in the world. One she had only ever known as desolate and barren. Turning each page, while a smile found its way across her face.

The sensation, like a long-lost memory. Lifting her fingers to feel her lips. Tracing them as if to prove to herself it was really there. “What is wrong with me?” she asked herself. Wondering how far gone she must be to be so happy from mere illustrations. This book, giving her a momentary distraction from the painful truth of her situation. 

Once she turned the last page, reality would be waiting for her. Today though, the feeling didn’t come as she expected it too. Those thoughts, replaced by the stories that Miss Giddy had told her. Finding herself wondering more and more about the man who held her capture. Contemplating if he really was the monster he was made out to be. Or if somewhere deep down there was something else—something worth knowing. 

Immediately Corrine shook her head free of the thought. Pressing the lids of her eyes closed in disgust. Wondering how hard she had really been hit to even entertain the notion. The pain, now reaching a new high as she continued to wince. 

“Does it still hurt?” came a voice from behind her. Corrine, freezing still in place. Hoping she had imagined it. Realizing she hadn’t as she felt the weight of hands upon her waist. 

Frightened with the sheer boldness of his actions. Cold chills traveling up her spine and every little hair along her skin stood up. Before she could speak, the Immortan turned her around to face him. Brushing back the fall of her hair to take a closer look at the small wound that still lay hidden there. 

“It’s not too bad.” he said, the crow's feet along his eyes becoming more pronounced. Was he smiling again? Corrine swallowed, her eyes meeting with his. Joe, gently bringing his hand down and across her face. 

He held it still. Rough yet tender against the curve of her cheek, as if he were comforting her. The first small kindness he had shown her. Her heart began to pound, Corrine quickly shying away from his touch. 

“The mechanic said it's just a mild concussion. Though I am sure your pain may say otherwise.” Joe told her. 

“Yes, well…I might recover faster if I were far away from her.” Corrine snapped, taking the opportunity to put some distance between them. Joe quickly came up from behind her to grab at her arm.  

“I’ve been thinking of you.” he admitted. His words, sending a flash of pink across her cheeks. 

“You shouldn’t be.” Corrine responded, trying her best to bury the uncomfortable feelings bubbling up inside her. Frantically juggling around her thoughts. Trying to think of something to say next that might break the tension between them.     

“And why is that?” he asked, yanking her close to him. Taking her into his arms as Corrine let out a hasteful breath. Immediately enraptured by his stare as his intense blue eyes stared into her soul. Stirring inside her a desire that she felt deep in her core. 

Why?! Why him, she asked herself. Feeling betrayed by her own heart for wanting him. Hating that the helplessness she found in his arms to be irresistible. Joe noticed it too. The look in her eye and the way she melted into his arms, giving her away before any more words were spoken.  

She knew she had to do something. Something that would prevent them from going any further. That would stop her from imagining what might happen if the Immortan would once again remove his mask—or more. 

“Aren’t you afraid.” she blurted out, just as Joe’s face had been brought level with hers. HIs brows raised and eyes widened in confusion. Surely, she didn’t believe he was afraid of her.  

“Of?” he asked, his hand snaking its way from her arm to the swell of her breast. Her scent and the softness of her flesh were too enticing to ignore. 

“Of failure again.” she continued. Her comment, stopping Joe mid action. “Miss Giddy has told me about that night…aren’t you afraid of it happening again?” 

“I…” Joe began dumbfounded at her candor. Furious that the old woman had opened her mouth. Wishing that there was someone else as good as she for the task at hand. Then he might be able to kill her without a second thought. 

Instead, he was left vulnerable in front of the Fray. Giving her the upper hand for the moment. How dare she bring that up now. Remind him of what he has lost and refuse what there was to gain. 

“That's no concern of yours.” Joe said, his voice dosed with the hint of a quiver. Even someone as strong as he couldn’t help but give into the pain. 

“...I’m sorry.” Corrine said softly. Feeling immense regret as she watched him turn away. The moment compelling her to follow him. Shocked to see a tear running down his face. 

Corrine couldn’t help but pity him. This one simple tear had given her much needed proof of the Immortan’s humanity. An unexpected but pure reminder that he was just a man.  

“Really.” Corrine whispered as she brought her hand up to wipe the tear from his face. Joe was startled, surprised by her actions as he snatched her arm. Holding it up at the wrist as the two of them stared at one another. 

Both of their hearts began to pound as they stood there in the hollow of the vault. Joe, now more than ever determined to push forward. Corrine, chewing on her lip as he carefully undid his mask. His face once again revealed to her as he brought his lips only a hair’s breadth away from hers. 

“You’ll make it up to me.” Joe vowed as he passionately took her lips onto his. 

[shieldborn]

CORRIN DOESN'T SLEEP in the underdark. She waits for Erefein's breathing to become even and deep, and then waits for the little hitch in his breath that means he's truly asleep, and not just pretending, and finally turns away from him and pulls out her dagger. As she tugs her goggles over her eyes, it's not just her tools that come into focus in the dark, but her party too, and she can't help but seek out the sea elf. The rise and fall of Veona's breath is another comfort given by the darkvision, one that pushes against the memory of her limp body in the illithid's grasp. Blooming dark bruises snake around her neck, but they will probably fade in the morning.

Danger is assumed in their work, and even in the underdark Veona is not the first to be badly hurt, but it felt different. Maybe it was because Corrin was so close and so helpless, maybe because the druid is usually so full of life, and the oppressive darkness underground had seemed an especially cruel place for her to struggle for her life. Her hands work as her mind wanders-- unthreading the magic from her gear, components put to the side to be polished and reapplied. It has been awhile since she's had the time to do a deep clean, and there is no more room for error in the underdark. When she next looks up, the dagger almost falls from her hands as she finds Veona no longer sleeping deeply, but awake and sitting up, staring back at her. In the near darkness, her pupils disappear behind a flat reflection of light.

Corrin grabs a length of copper wire from beside her, twisting it around her pointer finger as she mutters an incantation, feeling the soft breath of her words fade soundlessly into the night. When she next speaks, her voice will only reach Veona's ears. "I hope I didn't wake you... are you... alright?" | @strangewonderful

[haleyboook]

The Marriage Pact

When Sloan and Chris become reunited and get more than a few drinks in their systems they remember something from their past, and it includes a marriage pact they made a decade ago. But the two decide to follow through with the agreement and get married!

warnings: mentions of sex, drinking, and swearing

word count: 2,750

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“When I say birthday you say bitch!” My best friend Corrine shouts to the crowd of men at the bar

“Birthday”

“Bitch!”

“Birthday!”

“Bitch!!”

I shake my head at her as she remains standing on the bar stool across the way from me

I stare at the weird colored cocktail in my hands that she insisted I have

It’s extremely strong and very disgusting

“When Corrine texted me last week with an invite to celebrate your birthday I was honestly surprised.”

I look behind me quickly, seeing a very old friend that I haven’t spoken to in years

Chris smiles and hugs me tightly as I stare at him confused

“She invited you?”

“She invited a lot of people, clearly. How many of these people do you actually know Sloan?”

I look towards the groups of people and say “Probably about a fifth of them I’m acquainted with.”

His eyes widen as he laughs saying “Typical Corrine.”

“She sends out mass text messages, for all her parties. That’s where you come in, you must’ve accidentally been grouped in.”

He looks to me suspect saying “What you wouldn’t invite me by choice?”

I sigh saying “I don’t know, it’s been awhile.”

“Yeah it has, from what I’ve heard you’ve basically stopped acting?”

Shaking my head I say “Who told you that?”

He waves his phone saying “The internet. Your last show is going to be that sitcom? Really?”

“I need a break from acting. The roles I get are undeveloped and unenjoyable. I’m tired of playing the female arm candy in an action movie.”

“You’re done with Tom Cruises movies?”

I roll my eyes saying “Unless I get my own spin off, yeah.”

“That’s a shame. You’re so good at what you do, you need a better agent.”

Narrowing my eyes to him I say “It’s been at least 2 years since we’ve talked and this is what you want to talk about? What are you filming? Still at Marvel’s beck and call?”

He grumbles saying “funny. When you get a multi million dollar main character role you can have an opinion on my role but yeah I am still doing the marvel thing.”

“I can tell, you’re only in this good of shape when you’re filming marvel.”

“Thanks?”

I sigh and say “I also want a break to start a family or something. I’m ready to settle down.”

“Ah I see..”

“You want something to drink?” I ask

He nods saying “Yeah sure. What are you…having? Jesus what is that?” He motions towards the glittery glow in the dark drink in my hand

“It’s called a Sloan. Don’t ask me how Corrine thought of it, it’s nearly toxic waste.”

Chris looks over in the direction of our somewhat mutual friend getting men to shout in unison with her “I see she still has men wrapped around her finger.”

“She wouldn’t be Corrine if she couldn’t get men to wrap around her finger.”

“What’s she been up to in acting terms?”

I finish my drink and say “She’s in a new movie with Margot Robbie and Will smith.”

“Interesting pairing, I’ve gotta admit.”

I walk with him to the bar and the bartender says “What can I get you both?”

“Two more Sloan’s and also something drinkable.”

He smiles to us and Chris says “I’m not drinking that glittery toxic waste.”

“It’s my birthday are you forgetting that?”

“I hate when people leverage that. I already got you a gift. It’s in that disgustingly tall pile of gifts.”

“You owe me. It’s been 2 years since we’ve talked, you owe me.”

Grumbling he takes a sip as I carry the other drinks in my hands

He makes a face saying “It’s gross.”

I smile saying “good. Finish it.”

Shaking his head he says “this would kill my street cred y’know.”

“I’m sorry, what street cred?”

He scoffs as he finishes the drink and sets the glass down. He grabs the beer from my hand and says “I’m a beer guy, you know that.”

“And I’m a tequila gal, doesn’t mean Corrine cares.”

He nods and says “no family here today?”

I narrow my eyes to him saying “Surprised you didn’t read about that in the news.”

“What? What happened?”

Sighing I say “it is my birthday you know, and I really would like not discussing my family.”

“Fine, deal. No bringing up ex’s then.”

I smile saying “good. I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Does that mean you broke up with Garret??” He asks dumbfounded

Groaning I say “Don’t make me bring up Minka and Jessica.”

He groans loudly and says “I need more beer.”

He walks away and I follow as I laugh at his avoidance of the topic. I nudge him saying “Still want to ask about Garret?”

He narrows his eyes to me in annoyance as he pushes cash towards the bartender annoyed

“I’ll just ask him myself.”

I make a face and say “And Minka happens to go to the same spin class as me.” I smile to him

He huffs in annoyance and says “They wanted more and I wanted more time.”

I shake my head and say “Sounds about right.”

“Is that why you and Garret broke up?”

I scoff saying “No. Far from it. I wasn’t pushing him for more, he fell for his costar. She’s 10 years younger than me and she worships the ground he walks on. He told me about her and we were done. I threw his things off my balcony.”

His eyes widen and he says “Jesus.”

I shrug and say “There, you’re caught up on my romantic life.”

He laughs as I sigh, he says “I’m sorry. I was just curious. You guys were serious, at least I thought so.”

“We were, then I got swamped with work and he sought out comfort elsewhere. Fucking asshole..”

Chris and I laugh as I motion to the bartender for more tequila shots

“I have work tomorrow.”

“This should do nothing to you. Come on lightweight.”

The drunkenness quickly came over us as we just kept drinking together, the surroundings around us melted away as we caught up

“How’s your mom?” I ask as I squint at the beer in my hand

“She’s doing great. How’s yours?”

“Not going there right now.” I hum as I reach for my beer

“I think I’m drunk.” He says aimlessly as he stares at the ceiling that’s dimly lighting up the bar

“It feels great. It’s been too long.”

He smiles widely as my head hits his shoulder as I laugh and smile to him

His head rests on mine and he says “Another round please.” He motions towards the bartender

I spin the shot in my hand saying “This is the real Sloan! a shot and a beer to wash it down with… you know me so well.”

I smile to him as I turn my attention to him, he smiles saying “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Right back at you Evans. I’ve missed having friends that actually know me.”

We click our glasses together and say “Cheers to our reunion.”

He nods saying “Cheers to you, happy birthday Sloan Sloan.”

I smile and say “Ah I was wondering when that nickname was going to come up.”

I shoot back the shot and he follows after me a few seconds later

“Remember that stupid list we made?”

“When I was 22, i hadn’t met Garret yet and you were with Jessica. We wrote so many stupid things on that page.”

“Can’t remember what the paper even had on it.”

“We both wrote things we didn’t want each other to know for 10 years remember?”

I laugh and say “I remember.”

“God I wish we still had that paper.”

We both laugh as we sigh in defeat. I spin the liquid in the beer bottle as it dawns on me and I repeat “Under the three willow trees in our favorite park.. where the dog shit can’t be smelled from..”

He looks to me surprised and says “We buried it!”

I nod and he stands up quickly as I tumble out of my barstool from his sudden movement.

He steadies me as he holds my shoulders tightly

“We have to go.”

“What..?? This is my party!”

He nods saying “We have to go get it.”

I smile and say “Well okay I guess. But you owe me a cake I am going to miss my cake.”

“Deal.”

An Uber was called, we stumbled into the back seat as the woman says “You two alright back there?”

“Jimminy crickets we’re amazing! Oooo all this is for us? Okay… I see you.”

I grab the free candy and water she has set up for Uber guests

She pulls up to the park saying “You two going to be alright?”

Stumbling and basically rolling out of the car we laugh and i give her a thumbs up

“We’ll be perfect, thank you!” He thanks the driver as we approach the very dark park at this late of an hour

“I just love scary parks at this hour.”

“It’s not that late. It’s only like 1:30am or something like that.” He reassures me

As soon as we got to the trees I fell to my knees and struggled to dig at the grass. He laughed as he stumbled as he laughed so hard he fell over

I shush him and he laughs louder screaming “Who’s going to hear us out here!”

I crawl towards the play structure and steal some kids plastic pale and shovel

I dig at the grass and he grabs it from me saying “No, no let me.”

I sit back and watch as he digs with the weak shovel as it bends from his strength

He hits the box and I quickly push the shovel away as I impatiently pull the box that’s slightly damaged out

The dirt has eaten at it and the plastic bag hasn’t lasted very well

I guess it has been a decade

I pull the papers and read the list in my hands confused

I don’t remember this being in there

He pulls the bottom papers and reads them as I look through this written agreement that we signed

“Get this, I wrote that in ten years I hope I’ll be a more respectable actor and work on a award winning movie.”

He flips the page as he reads “In ten years I want to be married with a baby and a successful career. But all I really want is to be happy, whether that means giving up acting or not.”

His frown deepens as he looks to me as I read the list

1. Don’t let work get in the way of our friendship

Well clearly we didn’t follow up on that one

2. Help each other anytime it’s needed, career wise or otherwise.

He can’t help with things he doesn’t know about.

3. Always be each others backups, in any date scenario

That one was a stupid add, he only added that one because he knew he needed a date to his sisters wedding the next week. But I obliged.

4. In ten years, or less if we haven’t settled down and gotten married we’ll get married to each other

What the fuck ?!

I stare at the list of shit we wrote and I feel the stinging of a headache hit me as I go back to the first page

He pulls the other page from me as I go mute on him and he stares at me in confusion as I don’t respond to his questions

He reads through them with a smile and it only falters when he gets to number 4 and he looks to me as I stare at the agreement

He smiles and says “Ten years, huh?”

“Take this written agreement as a verbal and written contract that we are obligated and honored to marry the other if both see fit in their very single lives. Rules that may exempt the agreement would be a. A relationship b. A baby and a relationship c. A sexually transmitted disease d. a change in sexual orientation.”

Chris chuckles at the last two rules and I roll my eyes as I say “If not met with that criteria we are morally obligated to relieve each other of the embarrassment of being married too late in life.”

I scoff in annoyance saying “who wrote this shit oh my god.”

Chris smiles saying “I think it’s hilarious.”

“I think it’s- it’s… I don’t know!”

“I think we should listen to our twenty-something selves and follow up on this.”

I stare at him in shock and he nods saying “We promised, we’ve gotta follow up on this pact, we fell through with every other agreement, not this one too, come on.”

“We just started talking again,”

He nods saying “I haven’t had fun like this in years.. I feel like me when I’m with you. I haven’t felt like me in too long. Let’s go get our shotgun wedding, c’mon.”

I slowly warm up to the idea and my smile slowly widens as I begin to nod in agreement

He smiles back at me as his arms snake around me and lift me off the ground. Spinning around as we laugh loudly leads to us tumbling over again

“You call the Uber, I’ll look up a place to get married.”

I feel my fingers move but my mind not catching up as I proceed with our plans of marriage.

It seems completely rational to us and he shows me the 24/7 chapel only a city over and I smile widely as I nod saying “deal.”

He presses his hands to the sides of my face as his thumb brushes down my nose and he taps the top of my nose saying “deal.”

The Uber drive consisted of me sitting close to Chris with his arm wrapped around me as my hands held tightly to his other arm

Pulling up to the chapel the Uber driver didn’t say much but there expression wasn’t indescribable

But it irked me.

I straighten up my dress and lick my hands as I press them to Chris’ stray aways

He groans as he attempts to squirm away from me as I insist on fixing his hair

I nod as I smile saying “perfect.. you look perfect.”

“Thank you, you look beautiful.”

We enter the establishment and the lady behind the podium welcomes us and gets us on the fast track to getting married

“We have a selection of rings to pick from if you haven’t purchased one yet, we offer a character wedding, Elvis, and a few other options. There’s a tropical wedding, a traditional-”

I cut her off saying “traditional.”

Chris smiles saying “no Elvis?”

I push his shoulder as I shake my head. We are brought to the ring area and he immediately picks the ring that sticks out to him

It’s what stuck out to me, it was surprisingly beautiful for the other options they had

I shook the fake ministers hand as we met him 2 minutes before we were to be married

“I need you both to sign this document.”

I squinted my eyes as I read the words on the document and it was a basic marriage document and I flipped the page and signed my name across the bottom quickly

Chris scribbled his name quickly, not taking a second glance and says “if the misses says it’s safe to sign I believe her.”

The minister walks us down the isle as the director of the weddings clips a waist length veil onto my hair

I nod to her in appreciation and the ceremony proceeds as the alcohol was still very influential in the ceremony even happening

The pictures were taken as the minister asks “This is both of your opportunities to say something about the other.”

Chris nods and squeezes my hand saying “You’re my best friend, Sloan Sloan. I felt incomplete without you in my life and having you back in my life means everything. I can’t wait to navigate this new adventure with you as my wife.”

My cheeks redden as I blush and my heart flutters and does back flips.

He tilts his head to me as he admires my smile and he pulls my hand to his lips as he kisses them delicately

I swallow thickly as I say “There’s no one else I could possibly do this with, it’s only you that could put me at ease like this. You are my best friend and I can’t wait to be married to you. I love you, Chris.”

He smiles and the officiant smiles as they say “do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do.” I nod as my brain is still foggy

“and do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.”

Chris smiles widely as the man says “I pronounce you husband and wife.”

Before the man can continue Chris kisses me, and once we got started kissing we didn’t stop

His arms wrapped around me as he dipped me into the kiss and the officiant shakes his head muttering “Jesus..”

The wedding director smiles widely and pats our shoulders saying “A few more pictures.”

We take our pictures and are handed glasses of champagne and a bottle as we are directed to the restaurant next door

Chris says “Hello wife.”

I smile as I look to him saying “Hello husband.”

We both laugh as we stumble towards the Italian restaurant next door

“What would you say to skipping the dinner and going home?” I chime

He looks to me and says “Sounds like a square deal.”

The second we got into the Uber his lips were pressed to my neck as the driver visibly cringed

The car ride was fast as the man clearly wanted us out of his car.

Chris lifted me as he stumbled in step up to my house. I laughed as I hung off his shoulder and he patted the back of my legs as he sang everlasting love by natalie cole

“This will be… an everlasting love..!! Ooo..yes it will be!”

He is hilarious and I haven’t laughed this hard in too long

He jingled the key into the door and shifted me in his arms as soon as the door was open.

He carried me through the door frame bridal style and says “Now it’s official!”

The door is kicked shut behind us as he walks like a blind mouse through the pitch black house

We laugh loudly as we bump into every object in my house as our lips are glued together

His teeth pull on my bottom lip as I mumble “Past the guest room. And laundry… keep going.”

We hit the wall again and he releases my lip as my lips press to his cheek

“You’ve almost got it.”

And victoriously he finds my bed and we fall into it slowly as he lands on me carefully, keeping his lips attached to the exposed skin on my neck

“We should’ve done this years ago.”

I hmm in response as I can’t talk through the blissful tingling I feel throughout my body

“Y-yeah.” I say as his lips trail down the exposed skin around my dress as his hands reach behind my back, searching for the zipper

The zipper breaks through his impatience and I grumble as I grow uncomfortable with the heat between my legs

“Just rip the dress- Chris..”

He didn’t have to be asked twice, the dress was ripped from the fabric at the zipper and he pulled it off me roughly as I mumbled into his skin as he hovered over me “oh finally…”

He pauses for a minute as his eyes retreat down to my exposed chest, my back arching at his hands moving down to my waist, the exposed skin quickly showcasing new goosebumps

“didn’t need a bra with that dress- did-did you?”

His fleeting eyes look to mine as I produce a furrowed look, my expression asking him what he’s waiting for

He slides his hands up to my face and says “Are you okay? You alright?”

I nod quickly and say “I’m perfect. I’m happy.”

“That’s all I want for you, lo.”

I nod as I heave a breath saying “Are you okay?”

“More than okay. I’ve wanted this for a long, long time. Is this- is me doing this, is it okay?”

I nod in agreement quickly saying “Not if you wait any longer, you’re killing me…”

I squirm while I’m under him, in near desperation as his grin runs wide and his eyebrows pop

“Oh… I see..”

He laughs as I hmm in response, patience is not my strong suit

“I got you, as your husband, I’ve got you all taken care of.”

And he does, he easily does. My eyes flutter in relief and the rush of adrenaline hits me as my hips rise up in response to him

“good job, honey.”

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AAAAAAAAHHHH new story alert!!! eeeeeekkkk!!!! I’m so excited for this one! It’s already a bit steamy haha. I feel motivated to write this story so that’s exciting!!

I’m happy to introduce you guys/people to Sloan! She’s great and I hope you all end up liking her! she is different from Jules in the best ways, at least I think so??

I hope you like the story!!

Reply to be added to taglist!!

[28dayslater]

Please talk more about how you hated Deadpool 3, your sharp-witted hot takes sustain me.

Love you lots x

I probably wouldn't have been so irate about it if I didn't like the other deadpool movies. Like they're stupid and annoying but I do like them, I really like deadpool 2 I think it's genuinely well made. This was not.

So there were actually several things I liked:

Hugh Jackman seems like he's genuinely trying and I thought his character was, at the start, reasonably compelling. Like he's this total failure got all his friends killed depressed as fuck and doesn't even want to fight. Unfortunately he then becomes Generic Marvel Hero (personality variation: grumpy) and all that is lost

Emma Corrin is decent as the main villain and her outfit is cute

Matthew Macfayden is so good, this is him operating at 5% of his powers but he's genuinely so funny, his line delivery is amazing

I cracked a smile at one (1) joke (Wolverine very flatly saying "we don't know that guy")

Here's a non exhaustive list of complaints

Emma Corrin and Matthew Macfayden despite coming off well are given absolutely nothing interesting to do

Every line of dialogue has "fucking" shoved in at some random interval, has zero effect and just comes off like WHOA GUYS LOOK... THEY SAID THE BAD WORD IN A MARVEL MOVIE... ARE THEY ALLOWED TO DO THAT????

Deadpool's annoying dialogue is even worse than usual, we need to shoot Ryan Reynolds in the street like a dog. People were hooting and hollering in my cinema. Why. It's simply not funny

I hate scenes where the hero(es) go up against a thousand random indistinguishable goons and kill them all in one hit, there are approximately five hundred of those and they all last what feels like hours

I hate scenes where the hero(es) go up against someone exactly as strong as them and just punch/stab/shoot each other for ages and do no lasting damage so what was even the point, there are approximately five hundred of those and they all last what feels like hours

The emotional core of the movie is absolutely non existent, it's that Deadpool got dumped by Vanessa for not caring enough about saving the world or whatever so he's trying to prove himself as a superhero?? This is not compelling

I am not a fan of massive scale "we have to save the universe" stuff in general and where I think the previous two movies benefited from being a lot smaller scale (we have to beat the bad guy bc he is evil, we have to stop this boy killing someone bc then he'll become evil) this is like THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE IS AT RISK IT'S GOING TO BE OBLITERATED which essentially means there are no stakes at all. Like that means nothing. Who gives a shit

I also hate the stupid multiverse shit and I might have turned a blind eye had it not been so egregious. They get sent to this dimension where all the superhero rejects go and every minute of the film after that is like "look it's Elektra from daredevil 2003! Remember her? Look it's Random Xman #59! Look it's doctor strange's magic ring!" Ohhhhhhhh my god who CARES

There's this bit where he's trying to join the avengers and Jon Favreau gives this whole speech about how important they are, it's just five minutes of Kevin Feige sucking his own dick cumming into his own mouth and swallowing

NO CABLE NO DOMINO NO RUSSELL.... WHATS THE POINT

Why was "Shatterstar" there at all

[deva-arts]

CRINGE NAMES. NOW. 👹

FINE! FINE!!! So everyone had some name tryouts at first, and everyone has different themes behind their name! I think about this an embarrassing amount.

Sera is pretty on the nose with hers. Vincent had a lot of ancient Roman name themes. Nathaniel? tons of Latin. Sonia has a more American name, and Amon has both ancient and modern Egyptian names to his- er... name.

The name 'Seraphina' was my first choice. You can give her several nicknames! But I felt like it was super cringy- I still cringe here and there when I say that my MC has such a mouthful of a name! However, she quickly grew into it; it was the only name that fit her.

Other runners up were: Daya, Jena, Lark, Pheobe, Raven, Tori, Diane, Robyn, Vanessa, Karla, and Corrine. You can tell I wanted a specific vibe here. Her last name used to be Guerrero!

Herrera is a Hispanic surname. It literally means iron forge, but sounds so cute. And her middle name, Nephele, means cloud in Greek. You can tell she is my oldest oc goddamn four years now

Vincent has always been Vincent AFAIK, but his lab name had changed quite a bit, to the point that I decided to leave him nameless in the lab. A name implies an identity after all. I still sometimes wonder if I'll stick to the name, since the way he canonically gets it is kind of weak narrative-wise.

His beta lab names included: Livius, Lucius, Odysseus, Aetius, Nero, and Dante. Kind of teetering on cringe, even though I liked Dante... Oh well. It's for the best. My subconscious would've played the nastiest trick had I not found out:

Now, Vincentius remains with his first and only name, its latin root, Vincere, means to conquer and prevail. He's the winner! He won! why is no one clapping...?

We move on! Nathaniel!! Ahaha I liked brainstorming Nate a lot...But his name was pretty straightforward. I just picked something off the top of my head and it stuck! kind of how it happens in Canon, lol. As Nathaniel grew his personality and character profile past "Hi! I exist to be your boyfriend!" Things quickly took form for our dear Wilson. I chose Wilson as a surname because of our og here:

...I just think he's neat. The tattoo on his shoulder was going to be Inter Umbra, but I soon found that Noctis Umbra fit far better. Darkness in a night filled world. Toxie Noxie. Plus these names make a poem!

Nathaniel Wilson: God has given a son of will,

Noctis Umbra: A shadow in the night.

Sonia’s names were pretty straightforward. I wanted something playful and energetic! but also quite American. She's a carefree ginger with her heart on her shoulder... Even though it's doubtful this is her real name past just being a stage name. It might be something stupid. Like Marjorie.

Oof. Let's stick with Sonia. I wasn't thinking about any name meanings here, but it is kind of funnily ironic that her name means wisdom! ahah!

Amon wasn't going to be Arab at first; I was leaning more towards Egyptian mythology rather than modern, Islamic Egypt. I found it a lot funner to meld Momo more in that direction. even though he is raised a lot more multiculturally and areligious past his teen years in canon. (He was working in the mafia since he was fourteen. He has become the definition of Haram.)

So, instead of making a character based off of Amon Ra, or Ammit, the crocodilian deity in ancient Egyptian mythology, Momo kind of evolved past just his character abilities! In canon, Amon uses this name as a nickname/street alias. Adra finds it cool! so she call him that too.. His real, birth name is Arham Hassan Ahmed. Not that he will use it much in the story.

Some literal Google search translations to his name- Arham, coming from the arabic word "rahma", which means merciful or compassionate. Hassan, meaning handsome. And Ahmed, from "al-hamd" meaning praiseworthy. Or so I have read!

Lastly, Eric. My mom came up with it, and my brother immediately went "gasp- RICKY." and it stuck. My brother also came up with Schraf as a surname. It doesn't mean anything, but it's cool innit? (This is also how he named Karl Strohl.)

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

I really don’t like how Fates totes Hoshido as the right choice and Nohr as the wrong choice when the point is neither is the right choice the right choice is going to smash bro-I mean taking the Valla path. And even in that path Nohr is treated terribly. The legendaries of Corrin now that we have both routes further this issue, Hoshidan noble is confident, happy life couldn’t be better doesn’t even mention Nohr. Nohr noble speaks of sacrifice mentions Hoshido and talks of the rough path toward piece.

This wouldn’t bother me as much if Hoshido wasn’t a clear stand in for Japan in a *Japanese game*, it feels like they’re tooting their own horn about how great they are and have no issues. Ryoma is a culmination of all of this he knew Corrin wasn’t even his real sibling and no one cares he hid this? Are you kidding me? But nah he’s the perfect samurai. I’m American so bear with me here, you know how in movies and other media made here America is the greatest no flaws everything done wrong wasn’t their fault it’s always the other side with the issue? I’ll use Mexico as an example here because I used to see this ALL the time. Mexico is a poor country they’re all terrible except the one who left to better themselves and become an American, let’s forget everything going on there that made the country this and we’re not going to help siding with America f yeah!!! is the always the right thing to do.

This is how Hoshido is written to me and it drives me crazy. I think that may be why Nohr ended up more popular in the end, Hoshido wasn’t allowed to have flaws so they’re very boring compared to insanely flawed Nohr. I think this in as issue with the country in question puts itself in the material. I don’t think Hoshido is a mistake so to speak I just wish this was noticed when putting in your country insert because of how it messes up treating things equally due to a bias. Another really good example is Genshin (based in China) treating its Chinese region of Liyue the best out of all their regions. Sure they do research on the other ones but because it’s THEM there’s a bias going in

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