#for now he is just an OP blob

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Teaser thoughts

I had to do adulting (leave for a suddenly rescheduled appt) 20 mins after the trailer dropped this morning, so I'm only now starting to get my thoughts settled but omg I have to write this stuff down or how will I know what I think

here we go

Rayllum flying together. Is it cute, romantic, or is it some twist where they're going somewhere for horrible reasons in a hurry and they can't even take the Shadowpaw. Where is the Shadowpaw why are they fl-

Does Ethari have his Shadowpaw back is that why they have to fly

Love the bisexual vibes here ngl

Starscraper is over land. It's not a deep thought shhh

The search for Zubeia. I'm curious why Ezran has let two of his best Crownguard leave his side. Surely this will have no consequences!

Janaya kiss with Amaya on her tippy toes. Janai has her crown on here. I feel that's relevant for uhh later. I hope this is real and not a dream Janai is having - those have not been going well for her.

This one makes me sad. The picture is torn, but then mended, and I love that. But it's set up like you'd see at a funeral.

Is this one super early on in episode 1 maybe? It could be the same night as the end of S5. That feels more likely than Terry catching up to Claudia later on... specifically in her allowing him close after what we got in the other trailer. Aahhh

This one has so much in it, I can't! It's got star bug stuff which I'm extremely here for, let the gods be gooey. It's got the whole quasar diamond crown right there. It's got Rayllum having a close moment. and it's posed like they're at the altar in a chapel getting married. Also the star is upside down in the stained glass window, so whatever theme is going on it's being consistent there.

This is one of my favorites: Ezran out on his own castle bridge defending it. Ye Olde Narrative of Strength got to him! Opeli looking worried has me worried - she's usually so certain and swift. This could be Viren trying to come home like a half drowned rat - will they let him in? Don't make me think of the men of Númenor right now, do not.

Battle couple battle couple! Rayla and Callum teaming up again! (she's the dark blob kicking free in the upper left) I love when a couple fights together. gonna be super normal about that.

This top down view of the Starscraper is a little dizzying, ngl. With Callum and Rayla tiny at the bottom, three floors down, these flying, circling elves give me shark vibes. What if they're not nice. like at all.

Why was Stella falling!? what are the Celestials doing, are they helping or are they trying thievery? Is this just a big mob of seagulls here

Janai is losing control of her emotions, she's furious and sad. She's setting fire to the Sun Seed tree. We know the Seed was stolen, but maybe this is her finding out, early on. It's less angsty if it's early, you know how things always get Worse during the course of a TDP season lmfao. If it's later on, maybe the fact that she isn't wearing her crown is... important.

Rayla in the frozen ship. Why's it burning, what's she there for? why did she go alone? This gives me some Banther Lodge infiltration vibes ngl.

Okay I am all about this altercation. Viren shoving Kpp'Ar to the floor in fury. are they arguing about Soren? dark magic? both? neither? What's the logo stand for, what's the I for in IK? Does he have a show called It's Kpp'Ar and they're just on set? lmfao the real reason there are gears everywhere is to change the rooms around isn't it. Kpp'Ar just got sick of those extra 29 steps to the kitchen.

Few things are scarier than a True Believer getting everything he wants. this shot of Karim being so filled with elation cannot be saying good things for Janai's prospects. He's got all kinds of cool Sunfire stuff on, too, including a crown, and his old tin ring from his mother. Those things were confiscated when he was exiled, which means he must not be exiled anymore. He could be king, having displaced Janai somehow, and he's fulfilling his intentions to his people by bringing back the glory of the Sunfire elves by healing their injured archdragon. Or so he hopes, anyway! We'll see if it works.

Sol Regem has come out of his cave and he's got that Power Dragon Wingspread going on. Looks like he's been convinced to take a swing for uhhh big dragon things! I wonder how far his power will reach... and his bitterness. We might get a new Dragon King that makes Avizandum look soft.

It's so interesting to me what we did not get to see in the teaser, too. There's no Aaravos, no Aanya, no Runaan or Ethari, no Kim'dael. If we get another trailer before July 26, maybe they'll be in there! Or maybe we'll just have to white knuckle it until release day.

Hold on tight! S6 is coming!

[sintiva]

‏‏‎ ‎ //santa's sleigh

ft. geto x black!reader

. *. ⋆summary: geto can only think of one way to settle the boredom and desperation that occurs when you two get stuck in traffic on the way to a christmas party

‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‎ ‎ ‎ ‎. *. ⋆contains: gn!reader, they/them pronouns, fem!bodied‎ ‏‏‎fourth‎ ‏‎ reader, chubby reader, a lot of back and fourth, dirty talk, “car sex”, praise, pet names, slight cursing, geto is well versed with reader’s body, alcohol consumption (just… two shots), fingering, fem!masturbation, male masturbation, mutual masturbation, guided masturbation, geto edges himself!, foot job (with stockings on), geto has a stocking fetish, established relationship!!! //wc: 3.4k

. *. ⋆*ੈ✩‧₊˚ sin's notes: this wasn’t short and sweet, but i hope you all enjoy it. i’m trying to work harder on my dialogue, so there is kinda a lot of dialogue in this (it simply adds to their relationship🫶🏽

you both peer at each other when the clump of red lights became all too real. the car stops, and you both wallow in frustration. you cave first, irritated only because of your lack of patience. somehow, someway geto would have to make up for his sluggish behavior. 

“it’s your fault we’re stuck in traffic you know,” you then extend your lips to your window and turn your head towards the center of the car slightly so you can turn the music up, “if you’d let me do your hair yesterday we would’ve been fine.”

“now we’re super la-”

“shut up.” he retorts. he wraps both of his fists around the wheel and circles them around the diameter of it. his fingers, decorated with a plethora of rings scrape the suede. when they meet at the bottom; his body slumps forward and his forehead bonks the horn. ultimately making it sound off, and forcing the car in front of you to retaliate. beeping theirs twice and throwing up the lovely bird outside their window. 

“you should’ve just done it.” he continued on, ignoring the altercation before.

you turn in your seat, angrily perplexed. first, he cut you off, and second of all, it was to shut you up! over his stupid head of hair? outrageous!

“and how was i supposed to do that, huh big guy?,” you cocked your eyebrow and got in his face quickly. all he saw was a red blob zip across the middle console; he swears he saw little flakes of glitter fall from your eyelids as you shifted. 

“if you weren’t whining and moaning like a bitch yesterday, your hair could’ve been done.” 

“i was not,” he finally looks at you and squints his eyes in disbelief, “maybe grunting, but it’s cause you were hurting me!” 

“i was only parting your hair geto!” your mouth hung open as you stared at him in utter disbelief. 

‘you might wanna move up though’, you tilt your head to the right so he’d see the point five millimeters of space that opened between his hood and the trunk of the other. 

‘ope, thanks bae’

‘anyways’ “it still hurt!” he frowns and rubs soothing circles against his cranium in remembrance of the pain. 

if there was one thing about the two of you, one common similarity that never failed to shine; it was the way you two interacted. both overly animated and always working the other’s nerves. 

“but i was being gentle!” you feign a sniffle and peer at him above the rim of your glasses. “i was being as gentle as possible,” you whine, softly and make a giant heart out of your arms. 

“why would i try and hurt you?” 

“why wouldn’t you?” he smirks and runs his hands through his hair as he lets his left one situate at the bottom left of the steering wheel. he spreads his legs and moves his seat back to get comfy, because even though the content banter keeps him on his toes; he realizes you two would be stuck in this traffic for a while. 

“fuck you,” you suck your teeth and rotate your body away from his. your knees knock against the car door and you slip your hands in between your thighs. he yanks at the red fishnets you have on, so it softly slaps back against your skin — he does it repeatedly. 

“what time?” he coos back, sweetly. he licks his lips with a low gaze as he waits for you to spin back around to- 

“you’re such a child you know that?” you spin around, nearly dizzy from the number of times you’ve refocused your attention. your brain’s practically on its stem knocking against your skull initiating a subtle throb. 

“no, i’m not.” 

“mhm, that’s why you’re on my naughty list.” your lips curl into a smile, and you boop his nose with the tip of your finger. you place your elbow on the center space to get closer to him. naughty list, the fuck?

“you don’t have a naughty list, that’s my job. i’m the one with the santa hat and red tuxedo.” he does have some sort of a valid point. he looks a little goofy with his hat, but it doesn’t hide his handsome face features. his smile is stretched wide across his face, as he levels his face with yours on the console and squeezes your cheek.  

“owwwaa!” you yelp out and rub your cheek. “i-look at you being naughty! i thought santa was supposed to be nice.”

“well his partner is being a bit naughty.” his face inches closer to yours — treading upon dangerous waters. 

“your partner doesn’t agree with that statement.” 

then you move closer.

‘move up again’ 

he shifted his car out of park and lightly tapped the gas to decrease the gap. as quickly as he shifted gears and pulled up; he reversed his actions. ‘thanks’

“mmm, maybe his partner should, considering i can smell the alcohol on their lips.”

now he’s close enough to smell the mix of peppermint and fireball? no, no you have some class. it’s jack daniels — tennessee fire, chased with apple juice and peppermints to rid the smell. along with a pop of peppermint lip gloss. 

“yeah? you know i don’t go to parties sober — ever. i admire you for being able to.” you squeeze his cheeks and let your lips brush against his as your eyes shift to the back seat. then back to him, then down to his crotch, and your stare lingers for too long because he asks— 

“something caught your eye?” he looks to the back seat. “no.” 

he uses two fingers to lift your chin. “you wanna go to the back?” 

“feeling hot? that’s why you’re being slick out the mouth huh?” he squeezes your cheeks and kisses your lips. “n-no.” you stutter. your tongue feels oddly heavy in your mouth. it’s enough to make you slur a few slick remarks under your breath. 

but before you knew it, geto was coaxing you to the back of the car while he drove to the shoulder and flicked on his hazard lights. all while rubbing and patting your ass as you slipped through the tiny slot to the back. anxious and ready to feel some relief. the constant banter and the light thoughts in your brain left you impatient and horny. 

it took a lot more work for him to get to the back. he tried to slip back there with some grace, but he was bumping everything, shaking the car and leaving his santa hat in the front as it slid off from his head dragging along the roof of the car. even the little bit of eco gel he used to slick his hair down was useless as strands stood up and fell along his face on his adventure to the back seat.

“easy peasy.” he gloated as he caught his breath. 

“you’ve got some liner on your cheek… and on the back of your seat.” you laugh innocently, and he uses the back of his hand to wipe the black pigment of his skin. “i wonder why.” he rolled his eyes. 

“i didn’t tell you to kiss me.” you answered back with that usual influx in your tone — as if you were pressed that he did. “i didn’t tell you to look so fucking good either, it looks like we both don’t know how to ask for permission.” he shrugs his shoulders and starts unbuttoning the ruby red of his tuxedo jacket.

“especially you.”

he peers into your eyes with intent — the intent of murder is right on his mind. and his “murderous” intent was always handled sexually. the slant of his eyes makes you burn under his gaze. his eyes are dark and unwavering; scary but inviting. 

“you don’t scare me.” you begin stretching out your legs; chubby extremities, that lead down to chubby feet. you wiggle your toes as your back slips down the door; inching your feet closer to his groin. he obviously wants you to touch him. his legs are spread. one foot is anchored down into the seat, and the other dangles on the ground, because there definitely isn’t enough space for the two of you in the back. 

but for these circumstances, it’s more than enough space. 

your foot finally reaches its goal. during this “staring” contest you rub your foot along the hardening, gift of god, in his pants. your press your foot against his dick, and use your toes to “stroke” it to the best of your ability. he’s trying not to break, but the amount of pressure you're exerting from that little foot of yours — just to give him some pleasure is working. it’s working wonders. 

you’re cracking his attempt at being stoic. you can’t see it, but he’s gritting his teeth. sliding the molars back and forth as if he’s trying to relieve the pain of sore gums. he’s on the stand, trying to plead the fifth, but he fails miserably. his hips buck up, and he grunts a small “shit.”

“what was that, baby.” you gaze with soft eyes. soft, wet eyes, that never fail to make geto wish he had stronger resolve. your head tilts to the side as you try to put your finger on it.

“you’re hearing things,” he replies — stone-faced, but his hands reach out to massage the soles of your feet. geto’s fingers slip and tug at the lacy material, it stretches due to eager fingers. he runs them along the thin black stockings that you wore underneath them, and he fondles what little of your skin he can feel. touching you is his sanctuary. 

“mhm? i can hear just fine, i just can’t see all that well.” you point to the big square frames that settle on the plumpness of your cheeks. 

“but can you unbutton these for me?” you ask so politely and direct his fingers with your toes. you rub at the space that hides the button and zipper that fasten his pants together. it’s straight warmth across your foot as you massage his bulge with your foot.  

“and can you spread your legs for me?” he pleads almost as his fingers work to free himself from his pants. “that’s a simple request.” 

the ruffles of your red mini skirt flip up with ease, and you spread your legs just as he asks. you throw your left leg, up and over the headrest of the back seat, but not before dragging it over his thighs. your foot arches as he catches it in his palms, and caresses the souls of them. he’s careful and his moves have been calculated with the utmost precision. 

he can’t feel the heat pooling in between your thighs, but you can feel how warm it is and the cool air fanning the interior gives you some relief. “it’s a shame, but i’m gonna need to make a little slit in these.” 

he pulls at the fabric once more and moves his body to meet yours in the middle. this interaction requires more effort on suguru’s part, because, like always you make him work for it. even though you want it just as badly. 

truly, you want it more “su… these are my favorite you know.” he’s not listening; were you even talking at this point? just babbling nonsense. he’s inching closer. closer. and closer till his hands are situated in between your legs. the decision he’s considering is whether he should stuff his hands in your stockings, or just rip a perfect little slit, so he can sink a finger inside. 

“there my favorite too, doll.” 

as always the latter wins. it fulfills his fantasy in a better way, a better execution. so he defies you. he gets to splitting the stockings right where nobody can see them, but him. 

when he finally sees skin, he’s losing his composure. stars, hearts, and pearls cloud his vision when he sees the wetness situated between your folds. he separates them with his fingers and slips just one finger between them. from the entrance up to your clit; he’s covering his finger in all that slick. all while maintaining eye contact. entrancing you with his eyes. 

making you squeeze your hands together, and knit your brows when he massages your clit. a smooth ooh, baby — right there you coo. “i know, i know.”  he soothes. 

he blows strands of hair out of his face and licks his lips when he sees your expression. fucked out eyes, and ragged breaths. each whisk of his finger against your clit, forces constricted labored breaths. hazy eyes, and more of your arousal leaks onto his leather seats. 

“you’re so beautiful.” he whispers.

“mmph,” you squeeze your eyes shit when he pushes his finger harder against your clit, “i-thank you.” you sigh. 

“now i need you to do something for me.” he begins. you can barely tell that his lips are moving, but you nod your head and hum a short response. “i want you to play with yourself for me while i help you. can you do that for me?”

“yes.” 

“thank you, baby.” 

once he pulls his finger back, a thick coat of arousal sticks to his fingers. creating a connection that he snips when his tongue wraps around the digit. he lets it settle on his tongue, and gets closer so he can steal a kiss. a simple, slow, lazy kiss that grants you a taste. sweet and simple. you moan into his mouth sucking every bit of you off his tongue. ’s good, honey’

like clockwork, your fingers drop to the mess in between your legs, and suguru indulges in the feeling of his hand and your foot caressing his dick. just a few pumps and he’s stuffing his fingers back inside of you for some lube. taking it and smearing your sweet mess all over his tip. giving himself lazy, slow strokes while your toes parted to compensate for his girth. 

he shuddered from the mesh pattern stroking at the thick vein that bulged from the base of his cock all the way up to his frenulum. it felt heavenly. his adam’s apple bobs with each gulp he takes. the pleasure spirals up to his brain; nearly clouding his thoughts.

“geto, are you gonna tell me what to do?” you reel him back to his senses. 

“yeah-fuck, just one finger first,” he instructed. you listened obediently; rubbing your middle finger innocently between your folds before you sunk it in. slowly, perfectly slow until you stuffed yourself full with it. you squeaked out in pleasure and embarrassment. his eyes bored into the space between your legs. stuck like glue, transfixed on how perfect you looked when you played with yourself. 

but embarrassment flooded your senses. your thighs slowly pressed together in an attempt to shield yourself. geto was aware that at some point your resolve would crumble. you couldn’t take it. mutual anything tore you apart. you tried to focus. you really tried to the best of your abilities. 

yet, seeing the beads of pre cum trickle from his tip made you hot. seeing how tight of a grip he held around his dick made you ache and squeeze around your finger, and here he was planning mutual enjoyment, and you couldn’t tell who was enjoying it more. who was licking their lips more, grunting more? it wasn’t fair how much of you he could see. 

it was geto who was more fixated on the way your fingers drove in and out of your pussy. the squelching and thick drops of arousal that splashed on his seats were rewarding enough. he tuts, squinting his eyes and reaching forward when they hide your cunt from his gaze.

geto’s hand wrap around the plushness of your thighs, “don’t be embarrassed, keep them, open baby. i want to see everything.” his fingers dig into the plush of them, turning the tips white. a smile tugs at his lips when you yelp out in pain. but you feel yourself clench from the simple action of control.   

he took the opportunity to spread them again, and this time he used his dangling foot to hold yours down. leading his foot over your calf and locking it under your thigh — fair restraint. keeping them entangled ensures that you can't snap them close no matter how badly you try. 

“s-sorry.” you muttered. now slightly embarrassed that he crept even closer towards you in this cramped back seat. 

“instead of apologizing why don’t you just make yourself cum. can i see how pretty you look when you cum?” 

his features turn soft. he gazes with soft, pleading eyes and hunches over to run kisses all along your covered thighs. nothing else sounds better than your soft submission of, “yes, i can.” 

“put another finger in, okay?” 

“and go slow, like this-“ he wraps his thumb and index around his cock to show you how he’d like you to do it. he ruts his dick into the circle he forms and glides it through at a snail's pace. “this slow okay,” he points his head towards you; indicating the start of your demonstration, “show me.” 

“slow like this?” you relax around your finger, and slip your ring finger in. “just like that.” he affirms. “good job, baby,” he lifts the foot you had wrapped around the back headrest, and brings it to his face. “match my pace.” he hums. 

he kisses the sole of it, and urges you on; making sure each of your moves punctuates at the same time. quiet affirmations slip off his tongue as he watches you, i love watching you play with your pussy, baby

“thank you, thank you.” you moan 

you know i love it when you're good to me. 

“you ‘bout to cum?” he asks. it’s a question he knows the answer to. instead of fucking yourself with your fingers, you’re rolling your hips against them. panting and groaning for release. going a little bit faster than the pace geto had set for you both. he was waiting for it, because he wanted you to cum first. he was painfully close to his release, a white glob of cum slowly dripped out of his tip, and he bit his lip to hold it in. 

the glob falls on his index finger, and he brings it to your attention. “look at what you did.” he lets go of your leg and reaches out to cradle your head against his. 

“yeah?” you groan. 

your foreheads press together and he circles his index around your clit. he smears his cum over your clit, and applies enough pressure to make your legs shake. he tilts his head further down and drops a fat wad of spit on it, and when he guides it the wet sound increases. sticky and cumbersome; loud like the gentle smacking of puckered lips. 

you draw your head back and let it fall against the car window. your legs twitch and your body slumps against the door, as a deep groan travels up from your chest all the way to your throat. you’d been holding your breath chasing your release, and all you needed to topple over was geto’s help in rubbing it out. 

“you did so well.” he smiles and kisses you all over. your cheeks, nose, and even your sweaty forehead. he moves your underwear back over your pussy and pats it, then he tries to reassemble the stocking and make the slit as invisible as possible. 

he stuffs himself back in pants suit with great difficulty and sets his sights on the driver's seat. his hair is a fucking mess, but he places the santa hat right back on its temple. he gives you a stupid smile from the front seat, but you look gloomy. 

“you didn’t cum.” you pout. 

“it’s okay,” he reaches back to cradle your face, and kisses your plump, tear-stained cheeks. “when we get home, i’ll fuck you just how i please.”  

“so? do we really need to go to this party?” he flips his indicator on and slowly merges into the thinning traffic. 

“well…we’re already late, so we don’t really have to. you lay back in the backseat, and give him a thumbs-up,

“perfect.” 

tagging: @blkcupid @artemisthestar @venusflytrapstar @sirenh4ll @si00p @444yeager @rayemelanin @privateparty3 @chosoguapo @getosbunny

[playmiya]

chapter eight: i just get so passionate about feminism previous ⎯ masterlist ⎯ next

You're peering over the edge of a railing on the roof of your rendezvous point, watching people mill about like specs of colour when you hear the familiar whoosh of wind that signals the arrival of Tokyo's arachnid saviour.

"Spider-Man," you speak, and he shoots you a timid wave. "Vigilante."

This time, you study him even more intensely than before, trying to gauge his height and cross-check with the Reddit post. You struggle to find any identifying markers, since his suit's practically stretched taut against his body, red and blue appearing glossy in the moonlight.

He'd always been cautious, even at your last two meetings when you'd been brainstorming ways to flush out the serial arsonist that had recently hit another shopping complex in Ginza. Constantly standing a couple of feet away from you, speaking in a thick dialect that sounded like a cross between Tokyo and another district you couldn't quite put your finger on. If it weren't for your doomscrolling through forums piecing together a digital footprint, and the lifesaver of a Reddit post, you'd be hitting your head against a wall right now.

Instead, you play nice.

"Did the police manage to salvage the footage?", you ask, leaning on the edge of the cool metal bars as he surveys you from a distance, scanning the perimeter not very subtly.

"They're tryin' to. I know we agreed to me handling the cops, but d'ya think you could run by the Ginza scene around 10 in the morning to get the footage? I got this unmissable appointment around then."

Unmissable appointment. That could be anything: a birthday party, a doctor's visit, or a training session.

You cringe inwardly at a run-in with the police, again, and that too during your Behavioural Econ class. Still, Spider-Man sounds sincere enough, and you suppose he's been doing most of the public lifting in this op anyways, so a quick visit to the crime scene should be the least you can do.

You sigh, relenting. "Fine."

You can hear the relief in his tone. "Thanks. I owe ya."

"I'll hold you to it," you grumble under your breath, and then, remembering a hunch that'd hit you like a brainwave while studying all three crime scenes in Shinjuku, Ginza and Minato, you add:

"Can we get a list of all the shops that'd been hit in these three places? I think it's time we begin making a suspect list."

"Sure," Spider-Man replies, shrugging. "I can get that info off the net and I'll bring it to ya. Same time tomorrow?", he asks, and you nod, unsatisfied and frustrated with how little personal information you've been able to extract from this meeting.

"Cool. See ya," he declares, flicking his wrist in the direction of the building behind you and whooshing past the railing in one swift motion. You watch him, swinging across the skyline of shiny glass and lights, until he becomes a tiny blob of blue and red, heading towards the curved roof Ariake Arena.

taglist: @diorzs @egoistars @she-lovesmyheartshapedsunglasses @dailyakira @giocriedpower @southernfrogprincesd @iiwaijime @punkhazardlaw @dazqa @loverlunaire @milesmoralesluvs @thiisisntlovely @kuroppiii

[ophieslibrary]

Okay so part 2 to this because I can’t stop thinking about it and also because @persephone-kore-law asked me to, and it made me happy that another person wanted me to continue onto that.

Word Count: ~1200

After the dust settled and everyone’s names were cleared, the normalcy you had craved, once again returned to your little family. You began to fall back into your routine. Brief. Go. Find your target, or sometimes take the target out. Debrief. Sometimes it took a little more than that, and sometimes one or more of you came back a little more battered and bruised than the last time. But overall? Normal. Exactly as you had hoped.

That is until the incident.

He was fine. He is fine. It was scary he could’ve died. But he didn’t.

You try to remain calm and to repeat this to yourself on the Heli, heading back to base from Urzikstan.

You had managed to secure Laswell after she had been taken on an OP in Spain. You and Captain had taken to the ground with Farrah’s troops to pursue the vehicle that held your CIA agent. Gaz and Nic were in the Heli, taking out enemy combatants from above and being ready for Exfil once Kate was secured. You volunteered to take to the ground with Price just so Kyle would still be in the Heli, to keep him off the ground, out of the direct line of fire. You thought you were doing the right thing.

Everything was fine, you were making good progress, making up a lot of ground. It was fine. and then it wasn’t. How were you supposed to know they had RPGs? You heard Nic tell out about the first one, but he managed to evade. You breathed out a sigh of relief only to gasp when a second missile took to the sky watching from the back of the truck you and Price had commandeered as the Heli was struck slightly, Nic not being able to fully evade it this time. It teetered like a log in a rushing river and then you saw the flailing blob of the Sergeant fall out from the chopper.

Nic managed to pull up just in time for Gaz to not smack into the hard earth below, getting caught a rope by some miracle. But that miracle was short lived as enemies now began firing on your vulnerable, upside down teammate.

Nic began screaming “Captain Gaz fell out!”

“Come again?”

“The Sergeant! He’s gone!”

“I’m not dead Nic! I’m hanging from a bloody rope- Pull up! Pull up!”

Nic cursed something in his native language but you didn’t need to understand it to know what he was saying. Holy shit. Gaz began swaying side to side to avoid being hit by vehicles and finally after what felt like hours of agony that truthfully lasted no longer than a minute. He cut himself down, and began the pursuit on the ground with the rest of you.

And now here you are. In a crudely patched up Heli. With your comrade, Captain, Kate, and Kyle. Kyle who could’ve died. Kyle who should’ve died. You still don’t know how he didn’t. You do, you saw what happened but your brain is having trouble catching up with your eyes. You can’t get the picture of his falling body out of your head. Every time you close your eyes, even to blink, it haunts you. His screaming, even if he had the situation under control, set every one of your nerve endings on fire.

He was fine. He is fine. It was scary he could’ve died. But he didn’t.

The heli lands and your rag tag groups heads to debrief and prepares for whatever news Laswell has on the missiles.

It isn’t until much later, days, weeks later even. That you are able to finally voice that you’ve been unable to sleep. That the guilt you feel for sending him up in that chopper has been eating you alive. You don’t admit it to Gaz of course. But to your mandated therapist. Everyone on the team has to see her. And it makes sense considering the shit you all see and walk through everyday.

“Have you told Sergeant Garrick about any of this?”

“No, no, he doesn’t need to hear about this. I’m sure he’s got his own stuff going on. Plus, he was fine. He is fine. It was scary he could’ve died. But he didn’t. So no reason to dig all this up for him again.”

“Hmm”

And you think that’s that. You told your shrink, you made it seem like you were dealing and you thought that was the end of it. Until Captain Price pulls you into his office with Gaz saying you were both mandated to a joint therapy session lasting no less than one hour.

“Do you know why you’re both here today?”

“Not a clue” Your teammate remarks.

You stay silent. You know what she wants from you. But you’re hard headed. You’re stubborn. You're a soldier who has been trained by the best of the best in the CIA. You can handle hours, weeks of torture and you would never speak. You stay silent.

“Hmm. Sergeant Garrick would you mind sharing your experience with the joint mission you had in Urzikstahn to get Kate Laswell back?”

And Kyle wastes not time telling the story from a tactical standpoint. He keeps it methodical, clinical, professional even. As if he was reciting his report of the OP.

“And can you go into detail about what you were feeling when you fell out of the helicopter?” She probes.

“I was terrified.” He whispers. Fine is the strong, sure voice from moments before. “I thought I was gonna die, I thought I had for a minute there. It messes with you thinking you're gonna die, accepting that, not dying, and then having to fight to stay alive. I can’t get it out of my head.”

You wish you could have kept the sob in. Or your tears back. But hearing Kyle admit that he was also struggling, that he was also fearful, somehow makes you feel better. Connected even. You feel bad of course that he’s struggling with this, but it validates your feelings to an extent.

You begin to tell him everything that’s been going through your head since the mission, all the sleepless nights, the guilt slowly eating you alive. After many tears, many many assurances, and a few glasses of water. Gaz and you promise to lean on each other as you both continue to work through the fears and feelings that mission brought on.

Losing a member of your family is something you never want to have to worry about again. Something you never want to have happen again. You're thankful to still have Gaz with you, and you know in time you’ll both heal together. Because that’s what family does, they help when needed and they pick each other up when they’re down. Your group may not be a conventional family, but it’s yours and that’s enough for you.

xx

Requests are: OPEN

A/N: I’m thinking about doing more in depth parts for all the boys, if you want me to lemme know and I’ll do it, if you hate this and don’t want me to, don’t tell me🙂

[medra-gonbites]

BG3 Masterlist

Hereby find a list of my writing (revolving exclusively around Baldur's Gate 3 because I have brainrot).

If you feel like it I'd be more than happy to receive prompt to work with (however I am quite slow just so you know ^^)!

Disclaimer: Most NSFW pieces are not posted on this platform in their entirety and will relay a link to the full version on AO3. This allows the reader to consult the full list of tags and CW before interacting with any potential triggering scenario. NSFW does not necessarily means smut: it can also indicate violence or possible triggering themes.

Head Canon Blobs

Companions Filmmaker Edition - What roles would the BG3 characters be taking on a film set?

Companions Party Edition - Who brings what to Tav birthday party?

Companions Music Edition - Which instruments do the Tadfools Band (and others) play and why?

Companions Pokemon Edition - Which Pokemon would the companions choose

Companions Disney Animation Edition - Which Disney Animation are their favourite?

One Shot Fictions

The Contemplations and Conclusions of Minsc of Rashemen - SFW - A stream of consciousness following Minsc's (and Boo's) reading of their new (and old) comrades.

A Night to Remember - SFW - The drunken shenaningans of two tadfools out in Baldur's Gate. (Astarion/Shadowheart (platonic))

A Modicum of Decorum - SFW - An old friend attempts to visit Gale. Unfortunately Tav is at the door. (Gale/Tav)

Wounds of Love - SFW - Lae'zel is obsessed with the wizard and needs to do something about it. (Astralweave: Gale/Lae'zel)

Ashes to Ashes - SFW - During the first year in Szarr Palace, Astarion has grown very close to one of the other spawn. (Astarion/Male!OC)

The Treasure among the Scale - NSFW - Wyll encounters a distressed mermaid on the beach and decides to help her out. (Wyll/Unnamed Fem!OC)

A Cone of Cold you Made of Me - NSFW - Gale visits an old flame. She is not happy to see him. (Gale/Unnamed Fem!OC)

On My Lord's Lap - NSFW - Lord Astarion and his consort Gale receive an adventuring party reporting on their missi. (Bloodweave: Ascended Astarion/Consort Gale)

A Wild Magic You Cast - NSFW - She infuriates him; her talent for magic matches only the chaos she triggers. (Gale/Fem!Wild Sorcerer Durge)

Blooodweave week 2024 - SFW & NSFW This series consists of 6 one shot chapters and 1 multi-chapters fic centered around the Bloodweave ship (Astarion/Gale)

Multi-Chapters Fictions

The Wizard Who Read Everything - 3 chapters - Pairing: Gale/Named Fem!OC - SFW

The wizard had struggled to find an apprentice for quite some time. When he finally does, he find himself quite intrigued by his new hire. It is not appropriate but he can't help think about her. The racy literature that she writes as a hobby does not help. Neither does the fact that he reads in secret…

What is left of what once was - 5 chapters - Pairing: Gale/Fem!Tav - Ascended Astarion/Fem!Tav - NSFW

Astarion has ascended. He has all he has ever wanted. Except you, since you chose Gale over him. Now that he is a Vampire Lord he will not let you go so easily.

Roll Initiative - 4 chapters -Pairing: Gale/Astarion - Alternative Universe - NSFW

This is not Astarion's idea of fun but he begrudgingly agreed to join Wyll's current D&D tabletop campaign: the prospect of rolling dice and hallucinate a quest for 2 hours does not appeal to him at all. At least the game master is cute...

My Tavs & Durges

Most of them are silly geese. I like puns and inventing wacky backstories for them.

Tavs

Medra Gonbites - Drow Paladin

Denisious Delicious - Rock Gnome Bard (& co-op Tav Denise Delice - Wood Half-Elf Druid)

Mari Zoto - Human Monk

Durges

Dana R'Whaal - High Elf Sorcerer

Robert (Bob) Slay - Half-Orc Warlock

Zorthos Akognto Yerwitcher - Tiefling Cleric

I hope you enjoy my work! Comments and feedbacks are always appreciated of course !

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

For the longest time I thought the new update in Base Security Breach before Ruin came out did nothing...

But here are highlights:

Vanessa actually chases you instead of summoning animatronics to your location. She chased you before in base game, but they pumped it up to be a LITTLE bit faster.... She is still slower then all the other animatronics though. (Vanessa you're a security guard. work on your glutes)

The animatronics not despawning after Moon shows up for the first time after the Daycare Section is pretty OP honestly. (op for the animatronics, not us) I would try to run past Monty and get to the recharge station without Freddy here just to see how it goes.

When you get the shoe upgrade, Gregory's footstep sound effects are more accurate. Which is hilarious Now you can hear this little gremlin running all over the map.

They shrunk the Blob???? He's at least two sizes smaller and you can walk around and examine all angles of him now. Maybe they changed his size so he could show up as an easter egg for Ruin? Idk

"Press E to skip" isn't on screen anymore during cutscenes the whole time......👏👏👏 Revolutionary.

The Blob/Tangle is more aggressive during the Afton Boss Fight and will spawn in tentacles more frequently.

Afton fight is still skuffed.

You can break Chica before the Pizzatime Mini-game, and she will no longer Scream "Pizza" if she lost her voice box before the quest :(

If you alert Chica when she's eating trash after the Pizzatime Minigame... She will ignore Gregory and go straight back to eating Pizza. hahahah. I like that. Like she priorities eating garbage over hunting Gregory. It's a good little bit of character flavor.

The "Game Over" Static Screen has been dimmed. 👏👏👏 Thank god.... the bright white was hurting my eyes.

But yeah. That's all the little touches found.

I wish Steel Wool had a comprehensive list for this little patch, but it was so minor I can see why they didn't

[klmwrites]

Bishop takes Rook (a pre Black Ops 6 Story)

ao3

Directing his attention back from the room to the chessboard before him, Adler now raised a hand to make his move. On the opposite side of the stage from where the pair were seated one of the staff members near the giant board, upon placing down a pair of binoculars, reached for the cutout of a white bishop and moved it diagonally upwards - replacing the position of the black rook before it. 

The audience visibly stirred.

“Bishop takes Rook.” he heard the younger woman murmur under her breath, her mouth set in a firm line as Adler moved a finger to press down on his side of the Fischer clock. Chewing her bottom lip, Bell now turned her attention towards her one remaining rook and king. 

“I should tell you Adler, survival is now the main priority of ours now. Her eyes now flicked upwards, gaze directed at Adler as she switched the positions of the aforementioned two pieces with ease.  “My job is to do anything to make sure it stays that way.”

AU in which Adler - on the run from the CIA - goes undercover as a competitive chess player where he is made to play a match against a ghost from his past in front of a live studio audience.

In the spirit of respecting those who have yet to play Black Ops 6 (it has only been a week since its release as of this post) this fic will be spoiler free. So go ahead and read to your hearts content 😊

song recommendation (this song slaps ok and for some reason in my head it fits really well don't come @ me lmao) :

Russell Adler

Moscow, Union of Social Socialist Republics

20 March 1990 - 10:00 MSK

Seated at the back of the state-provided saloon car, Adler watched as the huge crowd gathered consisting of the media, adoring fans and curious onlookers alike appeared in the horizon, the once small black blob was now becoming discernibly larger as the vehicle drew closer to its destination. Retrieving a cigarette and his zippo from inside his suit, Adler rolled down the window on his side before lighting the nicotine stick and taking a long drag from it, watching the evidence of his vice float out into the open and vanish from sight.

The speedy little devil that was the maroon coloured automobile sped down the remainder of a seemingly vacant highway before making a sharp right turn, parking itself right before the end of the pavement in what only could be described as in a cartoonish fashion. Opposite stood a building sporting gothic style architecture and right above the pair of twin wooden doors that marked the entrance was a huge banner with the Cyrillic Words ‘Annual Soviet Chess Championship, Moscow’ accompanied by the silhouette icon of a knight chess piece. As soon as he opened the door and stepped out onto the red carpet the flash photography and videographers came into full swing, all of which he had expected at such an event. He was however pleasantly surprised by the cordiality of everyone else around - not once had any member of the public rushed up to him in an attempt to take a photo or sign an autograph. For that Adler was grateful, as the last thing he needed as an rogue agent was close up pictures of his face taken for the world to see. He had changed his aviators and hairstyle in a fashion that he would still be unrecognisable in pictures and videos taken from afar, but any closer and he ran the risk of being identified.

Though he never liked any of the countries behind the iron curtain (for more than just ideological reasons) he was begrudgingly grateful for the match to be taking place in Moscow of all places. Had it been Hollywood or any other western country it would have been a completely different story, and it would have been much harder for him to remain inconspicuous for long given the strong alliance the authorities had with the United States.

Adler made his way into the building with haste and after a quick pat down was escorted by a member of staff to a nearby sitting room to wait for his registration to be confirmed. In this building he was no longer Russell Adler, the framed CIA operative but Lev Balashov, a former KGB agent and aspiring holder of the ranking of Candidate Master in his hobby of competitive chess. Adler only knew of his existence thanks to Belikov, whom he contacted before entry into Moscow. Despite the former's defection, Belikov still knew people on the inside and not only managed to arrange the necessary papers to get Adler into the country, but also gave the former clandestine officer the profile of the man he was to replace. 

“Why him of all people?”

“Because my friend, Balashov is a notorious recluse. Only a handful of people have seen his face and they will most definitely not be present at the tournament because he has beaten them all to get to where he currently is.”

“And you are certain that she will be there.”

“Most certainly. Her injuries post Solovestky were serious, so I reckon she is currently taking a much needed break from the field.”

Adler was rudely pulled away from his trip down memory lane upon hearing a member of staff at the door of his assigned dressing room calling out his alias name. 

“Mr Balashov? The tournament you are scheduled to participate in will begin in 90 minutes.” 

Adler nodded in acknowledgement and after requesting for a cup of coffee, proceeded to light another cigarette as soon as the staff member’s back was turned. He allowed his mind to drift back to her; he had always wondered how she had been doing after all those years. He remembered the surprise he felt upon realising that she had survived what was supposed to be a fatal shot - one which he justified to himself was done out of mercy. It had been sheer luck that she had not gone insane already after being exposed to the many rounds of MK-Ultra, and figured that it was only a matter of time before that would come to fruition. 

No doubt she will be livid upon seeing his face again, but for the sake of the free world he was willing to take the brunt of her anger. 

Adler chuckled mirthlessly to himself as the familiar smell of arabica wafted into the room. There was no longer a point in reminiscing about what could have been or the many questions he had repeatedly asked the imaginary figment of her in his head - for now he has the privilege of hearing the answers to all his unanswered questions straight from the horse's mouth.

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When it was time, Adler was escorted out of the dressing room and backstage where he was made to listen to what seemed to be the announcer presenting the current tournament lineup of the day in Russian through a set of thick curtains. As soon as he heard his alias name being announced he stepped forward and into the limelight in front of the adoring crowd. Giving a half-hearted wave, Adler made his way to his designated seat, where the nameplate “L. Balashov” was placed facing the audience, along with a small table red coloured flag of the Soviet Union. In the centre of the ornate wooden table that was to serve as the mental battlefield for the next few hours lay a wooden chess set, pieces already put into place. 

Another round of applause now sounded and from the opposite end of the stage came his opponent - a Miss Yelizaveta Ivlev. Dressed in a simple dark blue dress and a pair of pearl-studded earrings, Ivlev walked across the stage with a small smile, waving her hand towards the audience cheerfully. She then turned to her side with the intention of greeting her opponent when she realised who it was. Adler noted that Ivlev was careful not to let any shock show on her face and the only indicator she gave as to knowing his true identity was the small drop to her beautiful smile, perhaps in part due to the sheer number of cameras around recording both players' first encounter with each other. 

Ivlev’s eyes flicked downwards to look at her opponent's name plate. “Mr Balashov. A pleasure meeting you.” She simply nodded her head, tone slightly harsher than normally how an introduction should entail. “The pleasure is all mine.” replied Adler, playing along. 

Once both players took to their respective seats, Ivlev picked up the black velvet pouch that sat inconspicuously towards the right side of their shared table right next to the Fischer clock. Shaking it slightly, she allowed its contents to drop into the palm of her hand: a single coin.

“Heads or tails?”

“Heads.” Adler now watched as the rounded object flipped in midair and landed once again into the safety of her palm. “Looks like you get to pick the colour, Mr Balashov.”

Adler’s eyes now flipped back to the chessboard with disinterest. “I don’t mind keeping it the way it is now.”

“Very good.” Ivlev now turned her head and made eye contact with a member of staff, nodding her head as she did so. This prompted the staff member to walk over to their table, giving it a quick once over before walking over to a giant board - in which a replica of the current chessboard configuration has been made - and writing down the names of both players in the blackboard above.

White –  L. Balashov

Black –  Y. Ivlev 

“Shall we begin?” Ivlev’s voice prompted Adler to once again focus on the woman currently sitting in front of him bearing a deceptively neutral look on her face. Adler did not respond, choosing to proffer out a hand to her instead which she accepted. 

For a third time, a round of applause thundered around the auditorium. But Adler wasn’t paying attention to any of it, for his eyes were currently on his actual prize - the sole reason why he was here in the first place. 

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Truth to be told, sitting in this auditorium, Adler felt like a fish out of water - and it has been a while since he had experienced such a feeling. Though he played the game occasionally and knew the basic rules and moves, he knew that he was widely unprepared to be playing in such a professional environment. Still, he has come too far to fail now - he will achieve his objective by hook or by crook. 

Despite his limited understanding of the game, Adler knew that being able to take control of the middle was vital for eventual victory - the player that controls the centre has the best vantage attack point on the rest of their opponents pieces. With this in mind, Adler’s opening move was to move his pawn to d4. Ivlev responded by moving her knight to F6. Seeing her motive, he pushed another of his pawns to c4. Where is she going with this? Seemingly unfazed, Ivlev simply moved her pawn to e6. She really is that insistent on wanting my d4 pawn huh. Adler now brought forward his knight to c3 in hopes that it would deter his opponent from their current objective but instead what it did was embolden Ivlev to bring forward her bishop to b4, effectively not only threatening his knight (and in turn the king) but also preventing Adler from taking control of the centre by moving his one of his other pawns from e2 to e4.

It took a while for Adler to realise what Ivlev had just done: the Nimzo-Indian defence. In his rush to control the centre, not only had he given away his strategy early on, but placed Ivlev in a position to not only develop her pieces earlier but also play them aggressively should she so choose, possibly gaining potential control over the centre as the game progresses on. 

“Interesting that you didn’t open using the queen’s gambit.” Ivlev suddenly remarked, possibly in response to Adler’s surprise. “You are a habitual gambler, no? And very apt at giving away your pawns when needed. Frankly I’m quite surprised to see you here. I thought you were all brawn and no brains, just like the CIA lapdog you once formerly were.” Ivlev’s voice could only be fittingly described as a sheet of ice - calm on the surface, but arguably emotionally tumultuous underneath.

“Formerly?” Adler raised an eyebrow as he moved another one of his pawns to a3. As Ivlev focused on her next move Adler waved his hand up in the air, making a motion with his hand for a cigarette. “What makes you say that?”

“I might be physically out of the field, but it doesn’t mean I am out of the loop information wise.” Ivlev now tutted as she moved her bishop to take his pawn. “Also, you are not as subtle as you think you are.”

Their conversation came to a temporary halt with the arrival of said item - a cigar surprisingly - balancing precariously along its edges of an unused ashtray. “You mind?” asked Adler rhetorically as he placed the item between his lips, flicking the cap of the provided zippo open. Ivlev simply snorted back in amusement, shaking her head. Taking a much needed drag of nicotine, he now moved his own pawn to take Ivlev’s bishop. “It seems that word travels fast. Either that or you have been keeping tabs on me….Bell.” Adler saw the woman’s composure break slightly at the mention of that name, her body physically tensing up. 

“Don’t test your luck here, Russell Adler. We are being live streamed for the whole of the Soviet Union to see; I could unmask your identity right here and you will be arrested by the KGB within a few minutes.” Sensing the man’s scepticism, Bell elaborated. “The USSR has changed over these past 10 years - especially since our little stunt in the Lubyanka Building. Now with some of the Eastern Bloc Republics expressing disillusionment, the Motherland is ramping up efforts to keep the collectivist culture and ideology alive.”

Adler hummed in acquiescence. “So why didn’t you do that from the very beginning?” he now asked, to which Bell elected not to respond.

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The game dragged on for longer than expected. The silence in the room changed from being comforting to suffocating, save the occasional cough from a spectator and the constant ticking of the Fischer clock near his right elbow. From the corner of his eye Adler watched some of the moderators and judges fidget in their seats as did some members of the audience, who by his standards were doing rather well in keeping their impatience at bay given the games seemingly lack of progress. 

Though not one to always practise what he preached, Adler could appreciate the art of patience - many years of being in intelligence taught him the value of it. Besides, it was good to exercise that brain of his once in a while - even if admittedly he would have preferred being out in the field shooting at something or someone instead. 

“Why did you shoot me at Solovetsky, Adler?” Bell asked abruptly, eyes never leaving the board or the pieces before them. Ah, the inevitable question that needs to be answered. Adler opened his mouth to respond, but realised that the words he had rehearsed in his head were now stuck at the back of his throat. Did he actually want to tell her the truth? Was there even a point in lying at this stage regarding all that happened 10 years ago? “And please don’t lie, that would be extremely low of you to do so. The least you owe me is the truth in that regard.”

“I don’t owe you jack shit, Bell. I did what I had to do for my country.” 

“The country that now turned its back on you when you were clearly framed?”

“So you believe that I’m innocent.” Adler saw an opportunity to deflect and gladly took it. Bell simply laughed in response. “Russell Adler, willing traitor of the CIA in exchange for blood money? Not your style, and certainly not your modus operandi.” Bell moved another of her pieces and like clockwork pressed down the button on her side, folding her hands on the table before her afterwards. “Humour me, Adler. You clearly want something from me - that’s why you are here playing a chess game for the past 3 hours, no?” 

Adler took a puff of what was now his 5th cigar, tapping it at its end as more black flakes dropped into the ever growing pile of grey in the middle of the ashtray before setting it down in favour of moving his piece. “It was supposed to be a mercy kill.” There, this was as close to the truth as he could master. When one lies on a regular basis as part of the job requirement, suddenly telling the truth becomes a tall order indeed.

“Who did you take me for, A chained up dog? One you can just simply get rid of as soon as the work gets done? Even the process of euthanasia has rules and guidelines and doing that with your reasoning fails the eligibility criteria!” Bell took a deep breath in, before her calm mask of composure returned once more. “Give me one good reason why I should work with you now after what you have done.”

“I don’t have to. Clearly your handlers see a mutually beneficial outcome by us working together: if not you would not be up here with me right now.” Adler smirked. “Your handlers are the two men seated at your 4 o'clock, are they not? I’m frankly surprised Perseus took you back after all the shit that went down, how we thwarted their plans and all.”

“I’m frankly quite surprised too. And grateful.” Adler could hear from her voice that the sentiments were genuine. “Враг моего врага - мой друг”.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Their previous campaign against Perseus in the 80s must have set them back quite a bit; to the point that they feel threatened by simply the presence of another prominent paramilitary group. But why Perseus and this particular group are antagonistic towards one another is something that Adler mentally stored in his head as needing to be further investigated upon. 

“Now that we are on the same page, I’m going to give you a code phrase that you must keep to yourself until the time comes.” Directing his attention back from the room to the chessboard before him, Adler now raised a hand to make his move. On the opposite side of the stage from where the pair were seated one of the staff members near the giant board, upon placing down a pair of binoculars, reached for the cutout of a white bishop and moved it diagonally upwards - replacing the position of the black rook before it. 

The audience visibly stirred.

“Bishop takes Rook.” he heard the younger woman murmur under her breath, her mouth set in a firm line as Adler moved a finger to press down on his side of the Fischer clock. Chewing her bottom lip, Bell now turned her attention towards her one remaining rook and king. 

“I should tell you Adler, survival is now the main priority of ours now. Her eyes now flicked upwards, gaze directed at Adler as she switched the positions of the aforementioned two pieces with ease.  “My job is to do anything to make sure it stays that way.”

“I understand.” was all Adler simply responded with ease. He could easily read between the lines, and he knew that a cornered animal is always a dangerous one - not that he was currently in the position to corner them any further anyway. The subconscious weight he had been carrying left him both physically and mentally. With his objective now fulfilled, he could finally fully focus on playing regularly just as he was sure Balashov would have if the latter were currently in his shoes.

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After another tedious hour of nothing but back and forths, the match was eventually brought to a standstill and declared inconclusive by the panel of judges present. Despite the outcome of the match not being significant Adler, it was mostly out of professional pride that he refused to withdraw after getting what he needed - besides, It would have been the same thing the real Balashov would have done after all. 

As soon as the panel made the results of their judgements known, the media personnel, who were no doubt restless and itching to move after the tiresome four hour long match, seemingly leapt up from their seats like people possessed and approached both players with their endless barrage of questions. This was promptly ignored by both Bell and Adler as they made their way backstage unscathed thanks to the diligence of the security personnel present. 

“Stay here.” Adler broke the silence between them as he led Bell into his dressing room, closing the door behind him and he swept the room for cameras. Once he determined that they were not being watched, he opened his bag and from it revealed a nondescript looking file which he passed to Bell promptly. “Everything you and your handlers need to know about the organisation I am tracking is here. I’m presuming your handlers would know more about them though than I, given Perseus’s  implied history with them.”

The woman opened the folder and stared at the papers inside unimpressed. “There’s nothing much to go on.”

“I know. They are very good at infiltration; I believe they have multiple moles in the CIA. Elusive fuckers, they have already dug their claws in deep which is how they were able to produce fake irrefutable evidence of my so-called betrayal. Mason and Hudson are dead because of them.”

Bell��s face fell slightly. She wasn’t Hudson’s biggest fan, but she and Mason did share an amicable relationship. The latter was someone she actually enjoyed having conversations with, so it was sad to know of his fate. “Mason has a son right? What’s going to happen to him?”

Adler looked up at Bell grimly. “I don’t know. I can only hope he will be well cared for by the state, or whoever Mason had placed as the next of kin.” The duo continued to look at each other, either side seemingly hesitant for the conversation to continue or their time together to end for that manner. Perhaps they knew that they eventually needed to discuss what happened at Solovetsky and both sides are reluctant to bring that up; or maybe because this is the first time they have seen each other face to face in five years, and the feeling of seeing someone who had attempted to brainwash you (Bell) or was a ghost from your past (Adler) standing  in the same room as you in the flesh was simply…overwhelming.

Luckily for Adler, the awkward silence was eventually broken when Bell’s phone rang. Adler watched as the woman removed a flip phone from her pocket and answered it with much haste - a call from her handlers, no doubt.

“ I’m currently in contact with him, he’s passed me a file with the information we need. Are you sure - yes, Comrade, at once.” Bell placed the phone back into her pocket. “Change of plans. You are coming with me.” Adler raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. “What do your handlers want with me?” 

Bell shrugged. “I will go get my purse from my dressing room; they said to meet us outside in five.” And with those words, Adler watched the once timid and non-verbal woman now exited the dressing room with her head held high. Feeling the man’s gaze on her, Bell turned around abruptly once more with a gaze which sent an involuntary shiver down the older man's spine. 

“C’mon Adler, don’t dawdle. After all, we've got a job to do.” 

[mrmoonmilk]

A FANFICTION?!

Based off of this post from @raylipines ! She drew herself instead of stanley so I’m just saying outright that this is stanley and the narrator, not OP and the narrator. /lh

Also I don’t have a set narrator design yet so we’re using OP’s narrator. <3

Stanley came back with a subtle jolt, his fingers still lightly grazing the glowing button before him.

The room was dark and quiet, and the narrators ranting had stopped.

Stanley blinked slowly, glancing around the room as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He slowly registered the literal weight he could feel on his shoulders and back, and he realised his shoulder felt wet.

He turned his head to look down at the figure resting against him, the Narrators arms clung tightly around Stanley’s chest, and his head rested against Stanley’s shoulder. He was quiet and still.

Stanley gulped down his shock, he had never seen The Narrator in person before, and he never really tried to imagine what he would look like. Seeing what was practically a black blob resting against him was bound to be slightly shocking.

When he realised that The narrator may be resting, stanley became stiff, his entire body freezing up in an effort to keep still.

And at the realisation that his shoulder was wet, and that the narrator had his face pressed against it, at the realisation that the narrator was probably crying…

Stanley could feel his throat close up.

He had the biggest urge to move away from the button, to step backwards in disgust as he realised how horribly this damned skip button had effected The Narrator. But he couldn’t, not without disturbing The Narrator.

Stanley had already felt uneasy when The Narrator devolved into ranting to himself, never even noticing that Stanley had returned from his trance.

But suddenly being this close, knowing the narrator had cried.

Stanley just felt horrible.

He could do nothing but keep still, in hopes to allow the Narrator a well deserved rest.

Of course, his hopes were put down pretty soon after he thought this as The narrator would groan tiredly, his arms hugging Stanley’s chest slightly tighter. Stanley stayed still.

The Narrator didn’t lift his head, in fact, he pressed his face further into Stanley’s shoulder. Apparently, like the last couple of times, he hadn’t noticed Stanley’s presence.

The narrator let silent tears well up in his eyes, never making a sound.

And Stanley couldn’t bear staying quiet anymore.

[Narrator?] Stanley signed, then mentally hit himself as he remembered that the Narrator had a form now, and was probably no longer omnipotent.

The Narrator stilled as he felt Stanleys shoulders shift while he signed, his arms loosening as he slowly lifted his head. “Stanley? You’re back?” He muttered, his voice sounded weak and worn.

[I’m here.] Stanley nodded mostly to himself, opting to use his internal monologue instead of signing, which sounded quiet, as if he was whispering. How tired the Narrator sounded hurt Stanley, feeling as though his heart had been stabbed.

The Narrator stepped away from Stanley, allowing Stanley to move freely. He took this chance to turn around and look at The Narrators whole form.

Just as expected (now), the narrator was practically just a silhouette with solid yellow glasses. A black blob. It was hard to see him in the dark of the room, but with the subtle glow of the Skip button, Stanley could just barely make out the details.

“Stanley- You were gone for so long.” The narrator choked back his tears, stuttering slightly, which was immensely out of character for him, Stanley noted.

Stanley went back to signing, [I know, I’m sorry.] His head hung low in a dejected manner as his arms drooped.

The narrator stayed quiet, which somewhat scared Stanley. The Narrator was never quiet. Unfortunately.

In fact, this entire situation scared Stanley.

Stanley let the silence linger before lifting his hands again, signing slowly, [Are you okay?]

The narrator suddenly turned his head to stare at Stanley, he hadn’t expected the question. Let alone how sincere Stanley looked.

This entire time Stanley had aimed to practically torture him, what changed?

Then, the Narrator looked down at his form, then back at Stanley, as he felt his face become wet yet again.

Ah.

“Oh- Stanley, this is rather unusual, isn’t it?” The Narrator tried to let out a lighthearted chuckle, but it just made the tears flow faster, making him let out a quiet sob instead. He raised his hand to wipe at his eyes.

Stanley stared on with a worried expression, he was never the best at comforting people, he had no clue what to do. Despite this, he took a step closer to The Narrator.

“I shouldn’t even be down here, Stanley. I’m sorry if I bothered you.” The Narrator continued, not noticing how Stanley was getting closer, until he was abruptly pulled into a hug.

“Oh-“ The Narrator breathed, his voice shaking as he tried to hold back his tears.

[It’s okay. You’d never bother me.] Stanley thought half-sincerely, of course it was very possible for The Narrator to bother him, but not like this.

Never like this.

—————————

After this fic I imagine they stay in the room together for awhile, until one of them (most likely Stanley) accidentally presses the Skip button again. From then on the Narrator sits quietly on the ground, never again speaking or moving.

This is my first time properly posting a fanfic, or even any of my writing, so I’m nervous. Be gentle please 👉👈 /hj

I’m well aware of how out of character this probably is but I yearn for angst

[lifenconcepts]

you do have oc’s yes. give the lore now. That is an order, mister /j /nf

BHSXHHDOBSOXBXBI HAVE TOO MANY

UHM

I GOT LIKE A MILLION ESSAYS OF LORE FOR MOST BUT HERE ARE THE INTRODUCTIONS:

For this show I wanted to write I have 3 main guys I love dearly, Lifen Heid who is the main dude and German- is secretly holding some kind of power and yet isn’t aware of it. This spirit guy Fhelix (quite OP but is so fed up with every being that he litterally does not use his powers at all except for his main goal) knows though and was set off on a journey to help him become a god like he once was but can’t say what he’s doing otherwise they would both die an agonising death. They got some chemistry and lore together plus I advanced the plot into a full blown book. Robin, a side character whom I love dearly, is a pathetic little kid who was forced to flee from his planet from false vigilante accusations and resides in the realm (this whole new world only accessible through a portal) with Fhelix, whole ordeal, and also some other people that also had the same fate, basically heroes turned sour and he got trapped into their little group (There’s this massive group and all got their individual relationship with one another and personality but in short they’re like 15-23 year old losers with some sort of dramatic past and incredible talents (lemme tell you about them..) ) So there’s Batrose - an emo shithead who is 99% a sadist and is a very good swordsman, and despite that, he is in a relationship with Florence, an absolute sweetheart who also is quite a dangerous individual. Basically that meme template where they both can absolutely kill you but one visibly has intention and the other is bubbly. Both dress somewhat goth. There’s also Dan, a daredevil cat hybrid who always looks for trouble and is a horrid influence on Robin but I still love him, not too much older then him. Westifer is this ginger kid the same age as Dan and yet is much more secluded than the rest and has an amulet passed down from generation to generation which allows him to practically bend water to his will, but he sort of struggles with it. He has a floating blob of water he can activate anytime and it’s somewhat sentient and has bubbles for eyes but mostly just helps him get to places sometimes as it’s body can act as a cushion. Also has a pet flamingo named fern. There are some other others but they’re not worthy enough of being saved in my mind.

one of my newest two is Neil Wolfman, he got a shitload of lore which I could copy and paste here in a second. Absolutely adore him but in short he’s a pathetic little soggy boy who has a car and out of paranoia spends most time out in the suburbs and owns an adorable German shepherd named Arc. also this mad scientist I haven’t bothered with making a name for that I do quite love and is my most attacked character for art fight!

also idk if it counts but just any variety of me whenever I draw myself, ranges from abstract concept to realistic depiction to absolute goofy doodle to entirely new creature or human.

I also realised like not lately that they almost all were some representation from me and I was incredibly surprised.

[deada55]

Kloktober 2024 day 3: Horror movie crossover

I also did Carrie because I forgot that role was legit made for Toki, but have a Murderface spin on it. Because why not!

They’re all gonna laugh at you!

The gym was silent. Glitter’s bright stars on the curtains lining the walls continued to flutter unfettered. A blob of pig shit rolled off of Willy’s head and landed on the toe of his shoe.

They’re all gonna laugh at you!

Stampingston snickered first, and so did the rest of the team of volunteers, then the gym erupted in giggles. Throaty heuh-heuh-heuhing rose out of the cheer team, with half a dozen acrylic fingernails pointing towards the stage.

They’re all gonna laugh at you!

Nathan and the whole football team pounded their fists on the table and laughed until their surround stank of cheap body spray and fireball whiskey. Pickles looked up from the punchbowl and suffocated a snicker with a black cocktail napkin. Some punch dripped out of the tiny cup and onto his ruffled shirt

They’re all… laughing at me!

“What the fuck is wrong with you people?!” Dick shouted, but that was almost it. He waved his hands once or twice before the bucket came down from the rafters, with a couple more chunks left inside. It hit him on the head hard enough to bring Dick to the floor, knocked out cold.

They’re all gonna laugh at you!

Lost in the cacophony of laughter, Toki Wartooth looked through reinforced glass in a metal double door in shock and shame that Crozier’s plan had worked, and that Toki was powerless to stop him. By now, Mr. Offdensen was sure to have figured out why Toki tried to stop the announcement of the prom royalty… Mr. Offdensen slowly elbowed through the crowd toward the stage–

They’re all gonna laugh at you!

All of the doors locked with a satisfying metal clunk. As Willy’s eyes shed tears, he looked down into the crowd and all the glass centerpieces shattered and scattered their pieces. The tablecloths bowed down then up like gym class parachutes and flung broken glass and liquid just in time for every chair in the gym to collapse, and the tables, too. While students rolled and cut their palms trying to pry their legs free from the furniture, the bleachers unfolded and shoved tables of refreshments into some of the fallen crowd, and others were impinged or moved by the structure itself.

The right halves of two athletic championship banners broke free from the ceiling. The flag fell, but the pole followed, conveniently through Nathan’s jaw and Skwisgaar’s chest. Not quite writhing and not quite choking, Nathan squirmed until he’d lost enough blood to pass. Meanwhile, Skwisgaar tried to move around it, but all the squad around him could do was scream and run towards the back of the gym. One girl was trampled underneath the fallen banner itself after she’d slipped trying to untangle herself from it.

The sprinklers ove the gym floor went off: black liquid shot out of them over the crowd and soon everyone was slipping.  However, the stage remained dryer than the rest. Power strips shorted and sparked until the dust bunnies and spare butcher paper crumpled up by a trash can went up in flames by the entrance and caught the photo-op area. Wet oil paint behind the stage caught a light and erupted into flames behind Willy. Slowly, fire traveled through the crepe paper. It was an old school: the sprinkler system didn’t keep up.

The crowd started to scramble up the bleachers to get out of the wet below and the fire spreading by the doors, then Willy snapped them back together, leaving people hanging upside-down by their trapped, mangled legs.

Mr. Offdensen was almost frozen. Just when he started to thaw and reach for the stage, Willy looked over and a speaker on a stand came toppling down on top of Mr. Offdensen, smashing his head against the floor.

Willy stepped down from the stage slowly, chunks of shit rolling off of him. Under the sprinkler, it sank into his suit. Slowly, he walked to the door to the parking lot.

Toki prayed until his father’s truck turned on and put it in gear: It was time to leave.

[jacenotjason]

hellooo!!! helloo!! i am here yet again.. asking silly questions because.. i am just a curious little blob.. hahahee..

Does Frank still like bugs? is he still a funny little bug lover man??? 2. You said that Op. Eddie and Og.Frank would just scream at each other right (i think i hope im remembering correctly) uhmmm is it like fearful screaming? angry screaming? confused screaming? and thank uou to barnaby for letting me kiss his big ol fluffy head -a pink n yellow blob (thats now slihgtly fearful and anxious that it is asking a tad bit too many questions) ((sorry if i am aaaaa))

HI AGAIN BLOB! AND DW!! My askbox is full asf but I don’t mind at all!!

1. He is terrified of bugs, but doesnt want them to die or anything!

2. They are very angry at eachother! They don’t like eachother! At all!

And Yw! Barnaby says thank u for kissing him!

[thegeminisage]

back at it with zelda...now with automaton in tow

Big Flower. its just like wind waker lol

i like the music in here! still kinda generic but at least it's pretty

dungeon is brutal. so many enter and exit points :(

are we fighting the boss early??? it kind of looks like the four swords boss

kind of a snoozefest tbh. electric blob op as fuck, that foght barely needed me at all

never really felt the need to use warp points around a dungeon before but now im glad i have them

FUCK this puzzle with the weighted platforms where you have to hit 2 switches at once. prior to now the game has only shown me this with armos so i thought you HAD to do itbwith arnos which meant even googling the armos puzzle in faron temple was no help. i had to dive into a full fucking walkthru

Big Flower round 2 a little more complex and fun

OH NO BIG SPIDER

how could i have forgotten gohma............but i have killed her before and can and will kill her again

MOTHERFUCKING EYE LASER????

ok got her. jesus fuck

FINALLY got another triangle. now i can summon a wizzrobe

FARORE??????????????

DIALOGUE FROM FUCKING FARORE? THREE GODDESSES ARE BACK AND THEY FUCKING TALK NOW??????

sorry did tri just say someone IMPRISONED the GODDESSES? the three goddesses? they fucking imprisoned them???????

this is crazy...the sanction looks so much like the ww pearls too...zeltik is gonna have so muxh to say if he isn't saying it already

fuck. these deku scrubs are real tiktok kids, akways chasing the next trend.......

ok, since i gotta quit soon i'm just gonna do a little sidequesting

soldier echo quest deeply cute. i HAVE always wondered why soldier uniforms were identical thanks for asking tri

WHITE STEED TIME. i did run up onto what i believe is the edge of the lost woods near this rift...

horse quest COMPLETE. i wonder now if i should have been doing these optional rifts before dungeons to level up...

might as well do another since there's one like right here

oh damn stilled sanctuary...this shit looks crazy

a rumor about a garmet that lets you talk to the CATS. fuckin hell yeah

omg i found thebgreat fairy...

jesus, good thing i'm flush with rupees. this shit is expensive. i wonder how high the upgrades go...

theres also another rift here lol so i might as well

ok, i actually wrote this like an hour ago and had to stop abruptly to cook so that's all!

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic Colours Ultimate (PS4)

Lipstick on a pig.

Next on my Sonic chopping block is Colours, originally released on the Wii in 2010. I've played the DS version by Dimps (the unofficial "Sonic Rush 3" although I think of it more as a 2.5) and thought it was fine; sadly even with the enhancements in this Ultimate rerelease I don't think the console version even manages to get that high in my esteem.

As relayed in an opening cutscene that plays after you beat the first level(?), Eggman has built a giant amusement park... er, again. Eggmanland is never brought up once. Anyway, this one's in space! Inexplicably, six mini-planets are tethered together in Mobius's orbit and the new alien mascot blob creatures Wisps have been enslaved to power it all. Sonic and Tails team up with the non-verbal Wisp Yacker to stop Eggman's plan which involves mind control or something.

Well I say Yacker is non-verbal, but they do speak in Wisp language. Tails's role in the story is to build a translator machine so they can communicate. This leads to many (many) "hilarious" translator gags. Ugh. Colours marks the point where a new team was contracted to punch up the writing in the games, and their initial effort is a gigantic fumble. The dialogue is constantly cringe-inducing, with anaemic quips that get driven deep into the ground through repetition. I'm told that Eggman has some good lines delivered over a PA system that runs in the background of stages, but they're mixed so low that I could never make out what he was saying!

Eggman's new minion bots Orbot and Cubot exist solely for wacky hijinks, which also rarely lands. And I've now named all the characters in the game. Eggman's unnamed orbital park feels so empty; cutscenes are often just Sonic talking either to himself or an unresponsive Badnik boss, or filling the air with mind-numbing banter with Tails. This is the peak of the era of paring the cast back to the bare minimum for no reason, and the game really suffers for it. The DS version at least had a bunch of folks popping up briefly; here they're conspicuous in their absence. There's not even nameless imperilled citizens, and this is supposed to be the opening day of a theme park!

As for the gameplay, we’re firmly in the “Unleashed Day” mould, with boosting and so on. Colours is so stingy with boost though; you don’t get it from collecting rings, or doing game actions, only from white Wisp capsules (and defeating certain enemies but not others??). And it feels like later on they just forget to put boost Wisps in, so I often felt lacking. The Ultimate release tries to alleviate this by awarding boost meter for good timing on homing attacks but this only gives the merest pittance, so it doesn’t solve the problem.

The balance of 3D and 2D also feels off, with many of a given zone’s six acts being almost mini-levels that are solely in 2D. Others are a mix but it leans heavily on 2D sections. This may be a symptom of lower budget since asset-heavy 3D segments are expensive. It also is likely a concession to the big new Wisp gimmick, which give Sonic temporary transformations; the majority of them only appear in sidescrolling parts, I guess because they couldn’t figure out how to make them work in 3D. They don’t seem to have quite figured out how to make them fun in 2D either but that’s just my opinion.

The game is quite short; I just tore through it. Well, some parts of it are too long like the gruelling final level—an autoscroller with a lack of checkpoints—and certain dragging boss fights (and by the way there’s only three bosses for six worlds because they recycle the designs). A side mode offers co-op play in bland “virtual” levels, unlocked by collecting red star rings, but it doesn’t extend the play time by much.

The Ultimate version has a handful of enhancements worth noting. Lives have been eliminated (thank you!), replaced by balloons which have Tails rescue you from pits without returning to a checkpoint. A new Wisp has been added, as well as races against Metal Sonic (glorified time trials, one per world, taking place in existing levels and needing to be unlocked). A new token collectible lets you buy cosmetics but it’s a much shallower system than Forces’ fun customisation. There’s also a newly arranged soundtrack, although I preferred the original which is thankfully now a selectable option after a patch.

I can’t speak to the performance of the Wii original but this rerelease looks great and runs solidly. The cutscenes are a letdown by being quite crunchy, upscaled in some way from the Wii’s SD FMVs. But the world of Colours is very, erm, vibrant, the environments popping with, uh, various hues. So it lives up to its name in more ways than just the spectral-coded Wisps.

It feels a shame to have another misstep just as Unleashed seemed to be getting things onto a better footing. But Colours despite some artistic flair and a polished movement system is stacked with unforced errors. The Ultimate version has a bunch of tweaks but all told they don’t amount to a true and deep addressing of the weaknesses of the original game. Not to mention the additions Dimps made to the DS version not present here or on Wii: its expanded cast of friends, the Mother Wisp, new bosses and the extra postgame boss fight, special stages, more Wisps, the concept art gallery… maybe that version is the real definitive release!

[thevulpinehero1]

GWatch -- Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Ep 1

Since Armoured Core came out and everyone's in a mecha mood, I figured I would talk about an entirely different mecha series instead. The plan is to watch one episode a day, talk about it, and include one (or more) screenshots to facilitate enhanced rambling. I want to start with the original series since I've watched it before, see if I can get through it all, and then maybe move onto some other Gundams if I have the spirit.

Beware! Spoilers for a 40 year old anime inbound, as well as possible misreporting since I probably am not going to fact check too well. Gundam nerds may feel free to correct me and dispense wisdom where appropriate. Also, I'm just going to go with whatever name spelling is on the subtitles I have at the time. Sorry, not sorry.

The first thing I have to talk about is the theme song, which honestly gives me emotions. Nowadays, we all have this image of Gundam as basically the show that invented the real robot subgenre, but you would absolutely never get that impression from the theme song or OP. Honestly, go find it and listen to it -- it's actually amazing how widely it misses the tone of the series, with lyrics like "Bring to bear the rage of justice!" and "If you are still burning with furious rage, you must fight the towering foe!" It sounds much, much more like a Super Robot theme song for like Daitarn 3 or Raideen or something, than something you would see associated with a classic "war is hell" series like Gundam.

And this was probably completely intentional. I remember hearing that even as far back as its initial run, the series had to fight the sponsors/toymakers in order to carve out its own identity, and part of that was projecting a surface level impression of a more palatable Super Robot style show. (Some things never change, I guess...)

To me, it adds a lot to the charm, because the singer is obviously going in and doing their best, singing an ode to a giant metal hero of justice who doesn't really exist outside of the fertile imagination of an advertising/toy exec who has been thoroughly mislead. I love that. I just want to go and tell them, hey, I appreciate you, you are singing your heart out on this theme song for an entirely different and imaginary series than the one they've actually made, and you're killing it. You are fighting the good fight, and you may be one of the reasons the series even got off the ground in the first place because you were part of this obfuscation.

This is Amuro Ray. His shadow looms large over every Gundam protagonist that will follow him; many of them either use him as a blueprint for their personality, or are meant as a study in contrast to it. He kills a lot of people. He eats a lot of sandwiches. There are long and intricate scenes of Amuro eating sandwiches, and they are among my favourite scenes in the whole series, and, in fact, any Gundam show I've ever watched. I'm not kidding.

I picked this screenshot not just because it shows a stone-cold, unrepentant sandwich-murderer in his natural habitat, but because it also showcases another thing I love about the show: the goofy animation. This was not a show with a huge budget. There is something weird or goofy happening in every episode, almost every scene, and the first episode -- traditionally one of the best funded in most series -- is no exception. Amuro eats like a turtle. Hayato's hand is an amorphous, misshapen blob. I think it honestly adds to the charm; the series is scuffed, and probably knows it's scuffed, but it's doing its best to tell a story in spite of that.

For now, Amuro is not the pilot of legend. He sits around the house doing science in his underwear, his neighbours don't like him enough to tell him about an actual military evacuation that he's supposed to be undertaking, and without the aid of his childhood friend Fraw Bow (who he mostly summarily ignores), he wouldn't bother to evacuate at all and would likely die at home. He's a scrunkly kind of dude. Maybe even a scrunklemeister. Your boy probably smells like a scratch and sniff card if you rubbed off all the panels and tried snorting them all at once.

The show is surprisingly quick at characterising him, too. Within a minute or two, we know all the above, plus that he seems to have a certain amount of tension with his father, who his neighbours blame for bringing the military to their peaceful colony. His father, Tem Ray, loves him at least enough to put a picture of him on his desk, and makes vaguely prophetic statements about how kids as young as Amuro are already joining the war as guerrilla fighters. Foreshadowing hit different in the eighties.

One scene I didn't actually remember, but really should have in retrospect, is the part where Amuro confronts his father ("Do you care more about Mobile Suits than humans?" is the absolute first thing Amuro says to him), and the death of Fraw Bow's mother and grandfather, both of which expose a more sensitive core to the scrunklebeast within. It's very convenient/poetic (delete as appropriate) that Fraw Bow was herself very nearly caught in the explosion that killed the crowd her family was in, and only survived because she separated from them in order to check on Amuro.

I was also kinda surprised to relearn that Amuro doesn't really 'fall in' to the cockpit; he very deliberately gets in, having happened to read the manual earlier, in an effort to either protect the remaining civilians or take revenge for the ones who've just fallen (the context doesn't really make it clear which one, but he rushes to the cockpit soon after Fraw Bow sees her family die and is making her escape).

One thing that's really interesting in the metacontext of the series is that although Amuro ends up being one of the best pilots (he's a legend in mecha anime for a reason), he kinda starts out as one of the worst. Many Gundam protags are either experienced, have some level of training, or have other reasons why they're hot shit right out of the box; Amuro really does not know what he's doing, and is carried entirely by the fact that the Gundam itself is dizzyingly durable for the time period. It also comes with a learning computer (which I bet sounded very advanced in the time the anime was made, but kinda brings certain chatbots to mind in the present day) to ease the piloting burden while he learns how to use the dang thing. Not only that, but he goes up against a lot of mobbers who aren't that much better than he is and can't do much against his much better machine.

(A really interesting experiment is to contrast Kira from SeeD, which follows a lot of the original Gundam's major story beats quite closely for the first part of the series and is almost a spiritual remake in some parts. Kira almost has the opposite end of the equation going on -- a very good pilot from day one, he has the misfortune of having five other named dudes who are close to his level and have machines that are arguably better than his in a vacuum, and he fights them pretty regularly.)

Anyway, through more luck than skill, Amuro manages to get through his first Mobile Suit battle in Side 7, but Bright is already looking to utilise him as labour, and Char is advancing on the colony. That's the first episode, more tomorrow. (I don't intend these to be exhaustive or talk about every little, but I wanted to go a bit more in depth for the first ep, and I don't want to restrict myself from veering off on tangents because those are fun.)

[nitrosodiumfmp]

Games Like Sinister | Gameplay

The only reason I picked Doom 2 over Ultimate Doom is that I prefer it; better level design, more enemies, generally more fun. The link here is obvious; you move through levels trying to reach the end, fighting off demons as you do so. The game is 2.5D, which may seem confusing, and it is. Essentially, there's no up - floors can't be placed on top of each other, but it gives the illusion of height. The basic idea of exploring an abstract underworld filled with two-dimensional monsters is what Sinister is entirely based on, and I'll probably add limited combat, but not on the gratuitous level of Doom.

Pathways Into Darkness is a classic 90s dungeon crawler akin to Ultima Underworld, but slightly more obscure as it was released for the Mac and the Mac only. The story is bizarre; a gigantic god-like entity is asleep under the earth, and its dreams are causing a massive temple to manifest in the jungle. You're part of a spec ops team sent into the temple, to drop a nuke in its lowest chamber and pacify the being before it wakes up - as this would cause the end of days. It connects to the Marathon series as well, but that's not important right now. Having a game focused on exploration and combat, but also being set within a dead god's dream is very in line with my idea for Sinister. The game is also quite surreal with its enemies; from lumbering blob-men with mouths in their chests to goofy walrus-like floating creatures to reanimated skeletons, who throw bones at you.

Penumbra was essentially a tech demo for Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It follows Philip, a physicist who enters a desolate bunker in Greenland to find his father. Inside, you must solve puzzles using the proprietary physics engine, and occasionally avoid enemies; namely, rabid dogs. There is combat in Penumbra, but it is discouraged, and there are many ways of getting around enemies. You could sneak by them, you could run, you could bait them with meat or distract them with a flare. You could throw explosives (a quick but costly kill) or use physics objects to slow their pursuit. You could even lure them into an enclosed area and trap them, or use environmental obstacles to kill them without your input. It's an interesting angle of immersion that I haven't seen much; so many immersive sims will give you all sorts of weapons and gizmos and character upgrades for dealing with enemies in unique ways, but these usually boil down to a fancy way of killing them that isn't just shooting them in the face. This idea of discouraged but viable combat is what I want to replicate.

Prey 2006 is pretty obscure (mostly due to Prey 2017 making it impossible to search for, and it's removed from Steam) but quite interesting. You play as a Native American guy named Tommy, who gets abducted by aliens, and has to fight through their massive bio-organic ship to save his girlfriend Jen. The game uses seamless portals, one year before Portal, as well as loads of interesting tricks like non-Euclidian level geometry and alterable gravity (such as walking on walls and ceilings). It's really cool. The relevant thing for my game is that Tommy canonically dies within the first hour. After this, he's taken to a spirit world by his grandfather, where he gains spirit-walking powers and a ghost of his childhood pet, a hawk named Talon. When you die again in-game, you're taken back to the spirit world, to battle the "dishonored dead" and regain your health and spirit power. I really like games that deal with death in a canon sense - instead of restarting at a checkpoint, your character has legitimately died and returned to life. I want to explain respawning in Sinister in a similar way; you're in the afterlife, so technically, you're already dead.

Pathologic is a game I can't say enough good things about. It's a mega-obscure Russian game, about (in simple terms) a strange town, a string of murders, and a plague. You have twelve days to explore the town, uncover its mysteries, save your Bound (a group of people who are connected by fate) and save yourself. You'll have to make tough decisions, scavenge for supplies, learn the town's esoteric customs, and all while discovering the secrets of the Sand Plague. When I was first deciding what I wanted the project to be about, Pathologic was my main inspiration for the key themes: "Exploration in an unfamiliar world". The gameplay is primarily walking about, but you will occasionally get into combat. Stakes are very high in the game, and so you are encouraged to run and hide in buildings just as much as you are encouraged to fight. This more visceral and realistic approach to combat rather than just "shoot the bad men" is another thing I want to replicate in Sinister.

[purplerose244]

Watched the fourth episode of LEGO DreamZzz: LOVE IT!

The Youtube LEGO channel waited a couple of days before putting the third episodes, while this one came out right on the next day! Why though?... does it sound like I'm complaining? BECAUSE I'M NOT!!! 😍

THE DREAM FORGE

Heeeeeyyy, the thumbnail is showing Zoey! Are we finally getting a visual on her?

When I heard of the concept for this show I was kinda scared that for being a dream world it wasn't going to show much creativity... but the turtle burrito truck is making me change my mind 😅😅

Welp, Logan is still pretty much a jerk to Mateo 🤷🏻‍♀️ Honestly I prefer this over not talking about how they were super at odds at the very beginning

If you give me a Clay and Lance from Nexo Knights situation I'll be happy 🤍💙🤍💙

Still calm down sweetie 😅

Logan the barbarian, okay buddy 🤣 Considering his "ancestor" was a ninja master of fire, it seems appropriate 🔥

Okay, you can't give a griffin like creature with an owl face and expect me to be normal about it, that's my favourite mythical creature and my favourite animal mixed together LOOK AT THEM GO SO GORGEOUS 😍😍😍😍

ZIAN IS THE NAME LOVE IT 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

Oh yeah Zoey got that rewind clock thing, I saw that before... that looks super OP, are we gonna talk about it?

I did not expect Izzie to be the first to confront Zoey and honestly? SO HAPPY. I don't know if Zoey will actually end up being Mateo's love interest, but presenting her on a separate stance makes me see her as her own character first

WITH A KILLER DESIGN AGAIN I MIGHT DIE FROM AN ARCHER AND SAY THANKS THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM 😍

"Who says I'm pretending?" Okay I love her

Logan I really like you, you got plenty of potential and you're voiced by Vince which is a plus... BUT STOP BERATING MATEO HE ALREADY GOT LOW SELF ESTEEM AND HE'S DOING AN AMAZING JOB STOP GETTING IN BETWEEN 😭😭😭

Yeah Mateo is also being against him, but at least he realizes that they have to stop fighting each other, so that's good

Sorry if I'm biased from now on I'm just really rooting for Mat

I really wonder how Cooper and Logan became friends in the first place...

So the Night Hunter got Zoey's song? That's kinda interesting, it makes me wonder how much their power can extent. They can take creativity and using what someone's like against them... AAAAAAA THE ANGST POTENTIAL IN THIS

It's nice to see Izzie calling her out, like girl you can do your solo thing if you want but if you really wanna help then move it!

ZOEY RESCUEEEEEEE

Pff Izzie just wants to be her friend and Zoey is not having it 😂 Come oooon, drop the lone wolf act, join the gang!

ZOEY WITH HER CLOCK THINGIE I REALLY WANNA KNOW MOOOORE

Also interesting that the Night Hunter got a crossbow, while Zoey got a bow. I don't know if it's simply a parallel, or Zoey got pissed and used it to mock him 🤣🤣

Challenge in the forge GO

I actually just had a recent conversation with my boyfriend about fears, over how suffocation is something everyone fears apparently. Given this, having then go down the sand... SCARY ENOUGH I'D SAY

Nooooo Logan dang it, you're making it hard to cheer for you 😅

WOOOOOO ANOTHER TROUPE I'M A SUCKER FOR, MAIN CHARACTERS FACING THEIR FEARS 😍😍😍

Maybe I'm just that easy to please, but this show is ticking all boxes for me

FINALLY SOME LIGHT ON COOPER! I was waiting to see something more about his character and MAN I'm not disappointed! He's a much more stressed person than I thought, he wants to be up to expectations but there's so much on his plate!

I wonder if he got friends with Logan because he's way more carefree...

Awwww Izzie is not over Mr. Sharkyjaw 😢 I might've glossed over that scene but in retrospect, given how much she cares about her plushies, it must've hurt her

DUDE MAT GOT THE COMBO SCHOOL NIGHTMARE AND NO HANDS GIVE HIM A BREAK JEEZ

ALSO NOT Z-BLOB 😭😭

Interesting how their nightmares are in some very specific places

I think that Mateo lives school in a very negative way as we saw in other episodes so it makes sense to see him there. Cooper seems to be a bit too pressured by his parents, therefore he's in his house. As for Izzie I think she's very comfortable in a lot of places, so this is the most unreal one

It would be very cool analyzing Izzie's dream, losing someone like that... MORE FICS IDEA HERE I COME

Look at them overcoming fears 🥹

Pff Oz doesn't care if Zoey joins or not, he just really needs backup 🤣🤣

CRAFTING HOURGLASSES 😍😍😍

This was a very cute scene, although I hope we'll still see Mateo using the weapon pencil because it's so silly and quirky and I actually kinda love it 👌

Since we're putting so much focus on Lunia, I wonder if she's an important character for any of them. Like personally

Is it Mat and Izzie's mom? Zoey's mom?... Zoey's herself? ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE THIS FAR IN THE SHOW I'D SAY

So... what now, Logan? Any chance you'll get to be a bit nicer? I really wanna like you so please, PLEASE, do something nice next time I see you 😅

IT WAS SUCH A GOOD EPISODE THOUGH I'M SO HAPPYYYYY