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evajellion · 3 years ago

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FF5 Four Job Fiesta: Part FINAL

I finally did it. We beat Exdeath. It took 26 hours in total, longer than my first playthrough by an hour, but I did it.

I knew I was going to have to grind, and it was going to be a slog so I put on some background noise while I began my grind for experience in the forest and tower sections of the N-Zone. (it had the least amount of brutal enemies)

There, I unintentionally picked up several Dragon Fangs from the Aevis Dragons, an item that would inevitably be the most useful drop I could get from the game. I reached Level 37, which wasn’t ideal, but I stuck with it and made my way back to the last area.

Once again, I began to grind, this time for AP so Lenna could obtain Dualcast. At the time, she was my Red Mage. Once I found out that Dualcast with the Red Mage only allows for the weaker spells, I was pissed because I had spent time getting 999 AP for her. Then, I realized I could just give her back the White Mage class and stick Bartz to being a Red Mage.

You’ll understand why I made such an effort for Dualcast later.

I switched Faris to a Chemist temporarily so she could learn Mix and captured a King Behemoth while I was at it.

With that, we were going to fight Exdeath. Not once, but twice. The first being an experiment, since I learned about a glitch.

You see, if you cast berserk on Exdeath’s initial form by using the Chemist job, he’ll pretty much be stuck in an “offense only” script, that will overwrite his defeat sequence into the second phase. This will completely skip the final boss and take you to the ending after an awkward, shaking screen without dialogue.

Similar tactics are used to break Exdeath in speedruns, so I wanted to try it for myself. I used a Kiss of Blessing on Exdeath, and found myself constantly reviving my party with the Chemist since he was dealing 2000 HP worth of damage. (side note: the Chemist’s ultimate ability can revive all party members without MP, very overpowered)

Thankfully I did set up Protect and left my party members to heal on one end, then attack or cast Holy on free turns. Rinse and repeat, Exdeath was dead but he was so angry that he didn’t go into his second phase. A victory, credits and all, but an empty one.

Even I know that truly beating this game requires facing the real final boss.

Meet Neo-Exdeath, and just listen to his theme.

This fight… took about four, maybe five times before I got my strategy down. Dear god.

Firstly, we set up our defenses on Exdeath’s previous form, casting stuff like Protect, Shell, and making sure my Chemist ingested Giant and Speed Drinks.

Next, since I gave the Mix ability to Faris, I let her use the Dragon Fangs I collected to create Dragon Power, something that would boost the level of my party drastically so they could do more damage, especially Lenna.

Once we got to the Neo-Exdeath phase, we had to get that Magic Lamp out. Bahamut and Leviathan are good damage dealers while Odin will kill that segment of Exdeath all the way in the back, saving us trouble. After which, Faris would unleash the King Behemoth that was captured to deal damage on all three remaining halves.

With one out of four of Neo-Exdeath’s halves gone, I immediately had Lenna Dualcast Holy on what remained. Krile would attack with the Chicken Knife or revive, Faris would use the whip or mix items, and Bartz was stuck as the healer mostly but also functioned as back-up Holy.

Once every few turns, usually after he uses the annoying Almagest, a magic damage attack that deals hefty damage to the entire party. Sometimes it will be immediately followed up with Grand Cross. Unlike FF9, we don’t have an Angel’s Snack to deal with whatever Neo-Exdeath decides to cast on us.

Usually one party member gets stuck with Silence, our Red Mage stuck in Berserk, and someone else gets turned to stone. To my luck, Neo-Exdeath didn’t use Zombie or any Doom-related ailments, so I never had to worry about a countdown timer. I ran out of eyedrops, so I couldn’t mix a cure for any of these ailments, but I did have a spare Soft to get rid of being petrified.

Since Lenna had been beefed up from the Dragon Power, she was consistently dealing 9000-18000 damage with each Holy dualcast. Sometimes I would have to sacrifice a second Holy in order to heal, if only to survive whatever physical attacks he could throw my way.

Sometimes Neo-Exdeath will use Dispel, which will undo buffs on a party member. Easy enough for Krile to remedy through another Speed Drink, but Bartz and Lenna were often stuck recasting Protect and Shell.

After killing off two more of Neo-Exdeath’s halves, he pretty much goes into a desperation mode, something that nearly all final bosses in this franchise do. He’ll start casting Meteor much more frequently, but will then burn himself out really badly and use a wimpy Comet attack that barely makes a dent in my party.

I constantly heal and cast Holy at this point, and ignore putting up Shell again since there’s no point this far into the battle. I’m getting as desperate to kill him as he is to rid of my party. One last stab from Krile’s Chicken Knife, and that was it.

The battle was over, for real this time since I finally killed Neo-Exdeath. The world is saved from being sent back to the void.

I watch half of the ending… aaaand my game freezes, for some reason. Don’t worry, I think something is wrong with the emulation or my PSvita, because it did that the last time I reached the ending to this game. I’m still very much satisfied with just defeating Neo-Exdeath, end credits not required here!

As for my overall playthrough rating…

Lenna Charlotte Tycoon - White Mage

Ability: White / Dualcast

White Mage is an MVP you want on any team. Healing and Holy is just the way to go. Being stuck with bonking your enemies with a staff isn’t as bad as it seems, as you can tell from the first part of this playthrough.

Bartz Klauser - Red Mage

Ability: Red / White

Oooooof… jack of all trades, master of none. This class was good early game, but falls apart so badly. Magic and equipment both get really mediocre in the late game, and it has the lowest HP. Really wish I had gotten the Summoner instead. Yeah, probably the least good of the jobs I got. The only saving grace is Dualcast, which I gave to Lenna.

Faris Scherwiz - Beastmaster

Ability: Catch / Mix

Beastmaster is a really fun physical class! It’s best used when paired with a Blue Mage, but we didn’t get that. Still, probably the most capable in terms of physical offense, and I got some good use out of capturing monsters and controlling them. Wish the whip was a bit more accurate though at times.

Krile Mayer Baldesion - Chemist

Ability: Drink / Revive

I was so scared when I rolled this one because I had no clue what to expect. I had no idea this would be the job that saves the fight against Exdeath, with its mixture and revival abilities, no MP required. If I ever play this game again, I am going to definitely utilize this job more, it is now a favorite of mine.

Overall, despite my gripes with the last half of this game, the rest of it and the final battle have been so much fun. I can’t wait to talk more about it at the end of the year. I also really enjoyed coming up with new strategies with the jobs I was given.

Thank you all for reading. If you haven’t played this game yet for some reason or done a Four Job Fiesta, I highly recommend it.

#Final Fantasy #final fantasy v #four job fiesta

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medea10 · 5 years ago

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My Review of Fruits Basket (2019): 1st Season

#Fruits Basket #Tohru Honda #kyo sohma #Yuki Sohma #Akito Sohma #shigure sohma #arisa uotani #saki hanajima #momiji sohma #Kisa Sohma #ritsu sohma #ayame sohma #hatori sohma #hiro sohma #kazuma sohma #anime review

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donttellthemangosiwashere · 5 years ago

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Sanders Sides RPG AU

Ok so hear me out

new au, Dungeons and Dragons / Savage Worlds / generalized RPG, work in progress, definitely gonna draw for it so dont worry about that

hoping to make it into an ask blog if there’s interest, or if there isnt, because I still like it lol

definitely a lot still mold-able here, if you have some ideas or additions or head cannons to add, please pile them on! :D

LOGAN - (moon elf) Half-elf, Lore Bard (wizard was too obvious) - inspires through teaching moments, inspirational speaking, encouragement, and maybe a rap or poem on a special day - despises the stereotype that all bards sing and dance - raised by the elven parent, this + longer lifespan = detachment from emotion - Wisdom and Intelligence high, Charisma and Strength mid, Dexterity and Constitution low - Lawful Neutral (doesn't bother himself much with arbitrary rules of morality but definitely isn't evil) - Weaknesses: bad at emotions, tends to over-speak, short fuse

PATTON - Stout Halfling, Open Hand Monk - loves good food and companionship - focus on the wellness of the body and purity of the heart and soul - calls himself a ‘way of the open arms’ monk (hugs!) - Dexterity and Wisdom high, Charisma and Constitution mid, Intelligence and Strength low - Lawful Good (lying bad, stealing bad, killing bad) - Weaknesses: a bit judge-y and strict(practically raised by a bunch of old monks and a therapist, he cant help it), quick to trust, fear of spiders

ROMAN - Protector Aasimar, Oath of the Crown Paladin (bard was too obvious) - son of Sune, goddess of beauty and passion and the color red, who really just lets him do his own thing cause she's about as close to 'drunk/cool mom but to the point of negligence' that you can get while still being loved by ur son - so, stick with me here, paladins get their powers from their belief in what they swore their oath to, right? - ideas are EITHER boy is a prince literally/emotionally and swore an oath to himself like a g OR he swore an oath to his king, thomas - either is wholesome and good - Charisma and Strength high, Dexterity and Wisdom mid, Constitution and Intelligence low - Chaotic Good (will break the rules to do what he knows is right, happens to do so frequently) - Weaknesses: super-inflated ego, insecurity issues, v strong but not actually very hardy

VIRGIL - Drow, Wild Magic Sorcerer - during an event he doesn't remember well, while travelling with his old party, they came across Some Shit® that sorta fucked them all up - he went into the experience without magic and came out of it with magic he couldn't control and some pretty bad nerves about some impending doom something something he doesnt remember - left his old party cause he didn't want to hurt them, found three new guys after a while - Strength and Constitution high, Intelligence and Dexterity mid, Wisdom and Charisma low - Lawful Neutral (follows his own code of rules, not necessarily the laws of the land) - Weaknesses: has some trust issues, Some Shit®-related/induced nightmares keeping him from sleeping good, can't control his powers and lost confidence in his previous skills (range-based fighter)

DECEIT - Yuan-ti Pureblood (I mean, clearly), Warlock (either great old one or demonic, still deciding on that) - one one of them who remembers the Some Shit®, came out of it with a deal, knowledge he can't safely share, and some new powers - seems to want the best for everyone, but harbors so many secrets... can he be trusted? - Charisma and Intelligence high, Dexterity and Wisdom mid, Strength and Constitution low - True Neutral (driven purely by self preservation and personal goals, not 'good' but def not evil) - Weaknesses: compulsive liar, short patience, the awareness of impending doom

REMUS - Fallen Aasimar, Wild Soul Barbarian - son of Sune, goddess of beauty and passion, brother of Roman. Mom hardly talks to either of them if at all, but they're pretty sure Roman is the favorite. Remus doesn't appreciate that her views of beauty are so restricted to traditionally attractive things, and started wearing green as part of a rebellious phase, but it really stuck when he started hanging around faries and they seemed to like it so much. (his mom is mega petty and condemmed him as fallen when he said red wasn't his favorite color. this is not a joke) - spent a lot of time planehopping to the nearby feywild, underdark, and shadowfell, met some strange people, and adpoted some strange tendencies and beliefs - Met virgil first, then they found deciet, becoming The Boys® - also saw the Some Shit®, doesnt remember it, but pretty sure that's because it just wasn't very interesting compared to a usual Saturday - Constitution and Strength high, Dexterity and Wisdom mid, Charisma and Intelligence low - Chaotic Chaotic (he cannot be defined with a moral tag and you know he can't) - Weaknesses: unpredictable to the extreme, some inadequacy issues, maybe crazy a little bit This is a fantasy world with several of Thomas and Friends and various skit characters inside, as follows: (I only have thomas joan and talyn rn, no idea for terrence and valerie and camden and the others yet... any ideas lol)(i hope i'm spelling everyone's names right)

REMY - Half-Elf, Inquisitive Rogue - Logan's older brother, formerly a spy for the kingdom they live in, actually very high level but prefers to sleep and otherwise do absolutely nothing - obscenely good at reading people, which Logan desperately envies - hangs around picani a lot, used to go to him for therapy (wouldnt tell logan what about) but now they're just good bros - Charisma and Dexterity high, Constitution Dexterity and Wisdom mid, Strength low (higher levels, less lows) - True Neutral - Weaknesses: debilitatingly lazy, blunt, Curious with a capital C

EMILE PICANI - Lightfoot Halfling, Circle of Dreams Druid - uses his abilities to read and sooth people really well and works as a therapist - sweet boy and housemate to patton, known each other since patton was a child - also pretty high level but doesnt really use it - Charisma and Wisdom high, Dexterity Constitution and Intellegence mid, Strength low - Lawful Good - Weaknesses: first language is refrences, refuses to display negative emotions (more of a 'i will philosophy and cartoon my way out of my sad asap' than an emotion-bottler, but don't put it past him) THOMAS

- Human, Glamour Bard (pretty 👏 boy 👏) - inspires through singing, dancing, performing, encouragement, speeches, literally breathing - Charisma and Intelligence high, Dexterity Strength and Wisdom mid, Constitution low - Lawful Good - Weaknesses: quick to trust and sympathize, puts others first (strengths AND weaknesses) - Lord of base town, with Joan and others as his Advisers

JOAN - Tiefling, Mastermind Rogue (sneaky spooky smart one, good with knowing about people without being necessarily good with people) - Thomas's primary adviser and master of secrets, Remy worked for them - looks scary, very pure. cuts cute little horn holes in their beanie for god's sake i mean come on - Wisdom and Dexterity high, Charisma Intelligence and Strength mid, Constitution low - Neutral Good - Weaknesses: You assume??? Joan can be bested??? Joan cannot be killed. Joan cannot be overcome

TALYN - Forest Gnome, Abjuration Wizard (protective spells) (cute small) - A prime adviser and Master of Knowledge (lore, history, scientific developments, etc) - favors defensive and ally-boosting spells - Logan's teacher; Logan respects and admires them very very much - Intelligence and Charisma high, Dexterity Constitution and Wisdom mid, Strength low - Neutral Good - Weaknesses: its Talyn, Talyn has no weaknesses. thoughts?? interest?? suggestions?? thank you for reading this long post lol

#sanders sides #thomas sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #thomas sanders virgil #deciet sanders #virgil sanders #sanders sides rpg au #sleep sanders #emile picani #joan and talyn #remus sanders #thomas sanders sides #sanders sides au #fantasy au

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zacekova · 5 years ago

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Top 7 Comfort Movies

Tagged by @kalira9

Ohhh, interesting! I’ve never seen this one before. Let’s see....

The Garden of Words

A high school kid skips school on rainy mornings to sit in a garden and one day he meets a woman who’s skipping out on work. Takao’s friendship with Yukino helps bring her out of a dark place, helping her learn to “walk on her own” and start moving forward with her life again.The movie has beautiful visuals (bless you Makoto Shinkai) and a quiet, gentle atmosphere, and watching the two characters mature and inadvertently support each other is really moving. It’s on Netflix right now!

Avatar

The one with the blue aliens and definitely not that horrendous Shyamalan nightmare.

I understand the reasons why a lot of people don’t like the movie, but I really like watching fierce and determined people defend their home and win, regardless of the details. This is the only movie I have ever gone back to see in theaters a second time, that’s how much I love it, though I couldn’t tell you precisely why I love it so much. I suspect it’s mostly for the beautiful score (I mean, it’s James Horner, come on) and stunning visuals. Pandora is breathtaking. Can I go?

Lord of the Rings

Will any other book-to-movie adaption top these? I know there’s some hardcore book fans who were disappointed, but as far as I can tell almost everyone thought the films were excellently done and I am one of them. I’ve seen the whole trilogy at least a dozen times by now and when I finally got to see the extended editions I was thrown off because the music was different in the expanded scenes. I kept going “it’s wrong, it’s weird,” while my husband looked at me like I was crazy for even being able to tell the difference.

The Bridge to Terebithia

If you haven’t noticed by now, the recurring theme in my “comfort” movies is that most of them make me cry. My comfort movie needs are that when I am stressed or depressed - but not enough to actually work myself up to a good cry under the weight of my own misery - I need the extra boost of a sad or moving story to help me out. And this movie just hits all those buttons so well. And hard. “You were the best friend she ever had.” UGH. *cue ugly sobbing*

What’s Your Number?

There had to be at least one comedy in here, right? Idk, the combination of Anna Faris and Chris Evans is just too good to pass up, especially with Faris’ RL then-husband playing the exasperated ex she keeps running into everywhere. It’s cliched and ridiculous and hilarious and it’s a great go-to when I just want a fluffy romcom.

Broken Blade

This is not a movie, rather a short film series, but apparently I don’t have that many comfort movies. I think this one makes the list because despite the fact that it’s a mech/action story, the atmosphere still comes off as slow and quiet to me, although some of that is probably the nostalgia. This was one of the first anime I ever watched during a quiet summer of doing outdoor farm work at my part time job, taking long walks and bike rides out on the country roads around my house, and discovering the wonders of anime. I watched most of my all-time favorites that summer and Broken Blade is short enough that I can hop back into it whenever I want and finish the whole thing pretty quickly.

The King’s Speech

I’m stretching with this last one, because I’m totally out of my own movies now, all that’s left is actual anime series. This is one of my husband’s favorite movies and we watch it pretty much every time he’s home sick for a couple of days. So it’s come to be associated with lazy days on the couch. And it is a great movie, just not the usual type I think of when I want “comforting.”

Tagging @thelionshoarde @wichols @ptw30 @bosstoaster @jiangrightsactivist @paladinpuppypile @akai-vampire

#about me #tag meme

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lonescion-archive · 5 years ago

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GET TO KNOW THE BLOGGER.

Can be used for RP and non-RP blogs to get to know a bit about the person behind the screen!

1. FIRST NAME: Leila (but I much prefer Inky here!)

2. STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: I don’t dream that often, actually. And no, it’s not a lack of sleep thing. I just don’t dream much. When I do though... I vividly remember it-- or most of it.

3. TOP THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON: The more dapper (and hygienic) you look, the more I’ll probably appreciate your sense of fashion. Ask my friends; I appreciate a certain aesthetic that could be described as... foppish....

4. A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF: oatmeal creme pies. apparently one time I bought a whole box of them and ate them non-stop when I was badly sick because I told my mom I couldn’t eat anything else. i never found out if I was wrong or not though...

5. A FOOD YOU HATE: Something my mom made called ‘sweet rice’ It’s basically white rice cooked a certain way and made to be a bit... well... sweet... but it just makes me sick. I hate it.

6. GUILTY PLEASURE: Take your pick: AUs, crackships that become REAL ships to me because I can’t get them out of my head, or “I won’t make gen2 kids for this pairing. I will not. I refu-- dammit��

7. WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN: Shorts and a light shirt. I turn in my sleep, so loose clothing is essential.

8. SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS: Serious relationship, but I’m not sure about that even.

9. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE: LITTLE INKY, I’D MAKE YOU TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF >:I

10. ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON: If you’re family or a friend, yes~

11. A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN: Probably the first Harry Potter movie. I admit, I’m soft for the young, childish adventures and wide-eyed learning Harry partakes in before it gets all serious and grim. Or Milo & Otis. God I love that movie; it’s so pure and sweet.

12. FAVORITE BOOK: Goblin Wood trilogy by Hillari Bell (technically three books I know but they’re all good MAKENNA IS A GREAT PROTAGONIST SO IS COGSWHALLOP! AND TOBIN IS TOBIN go rEAD IT)

13. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE: I’d just want my old cat Fluffy back, to be honest ;w;

14. TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL]: HOOOOOH BOYYYYYY first i need to set myself some rules; no oc/oc or canon/oc. That’ll narrow it down.... Numerical order does not imply that it’s more important to me btw 1) Tidus/Yuna (Which has the honor of being called Tuna) 2) Bartz/Faris (This one goes to @ask-captain-faris and the stellar way they write their muse) 3) King Albert/Meru (Eh, I can pass this for a purely platonic deal-- but it is cute to think about sometimes...) 4) Ovelia/Agrias (I always got the sense Agrias cared for Ovelia in more than a platonic sense, and I also have a feeling I am not the only one.) 5) Green/Red (Not Gary/Ash, though I don’t mind them either. The OG boys though ;w;)

15. PIE OR CAKE: both, i can’t choose and this ink is hungry for sweets all the time

16. FAVORITE SCENT: Lavender~

17. CELEBRITY CRUSH: I never really got celebrity crushes. I can appreciate aesthetic and I can most certainly appreciate the voice of a celeb but I never... I was never all “mmm yes gimme them”

18. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO: Some place where the nature is still largely untouched, but isn’t too dangerous for me and my accident-prone ways.

19. INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT: Introvert, but I can be very bouncy around friends. Their happiness energizes me!

20. DO YOU SCARE EASILY: ......yes.

21. IPHONE OR ANDROID: Android.

22. DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES: Video games is what got me this blog, my dearies~

23. DREAM JOB: full time independently wealthy writer

24. WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS: pay off debts and then buy myself a cozy place for myself and my cat..s... then save the rest for whatever other things I might want to buy later.

25. FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE: I know Argath is detestable for his actions of which he should be held accountable for, I get that-- but the snake that always got under my skin was Barrington. That guy in no uncertain terms acts loathsome towards Rapha and even Marach once you think about it. I won’t spoil the story if you’ve never played Tactics in either form but... ugh. Gross. Get him out of here.

26. FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER: that would have to be Harry Potter. I rode on the craze wave back in junior high/high school, but once I left high school and went to college my love... kind of dimmed. I can’t tell you if it’s because Rowling’s writing has fallen off majorly or because my interests simply changed.

TAGGED BY: borrowed from @xkuja

Tagging: @holey-soldier , @burmecianblackmage , @thetaintedemotion , @wingsdontsymbolizemonsters , @lovelysweetxhart , @theoldmenofdunwall , @white-bird-in-a-cage , @divine-identite , @sagittaxrose , @theamazingchickenman , @aubadexcantata , @treacherous-heretic ,and god my wrist hurts please take this meme and tag me if you wish ily guys but i can’t tag everyone xD

#rp meme

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swindlersstole · 5 years ago

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For the kisses prompt lumineric 7 or 17 if it's ok?

hell YES it is absolutely ok

two quick disclaimers, I did pick 7 because that one came to me first… but the catch is it DID turn into an FF9 au (because if I like a ship I’m gonna make a 9 au out of it, it’s just the Cosmic Bear Order). specifically I’m going off of the ending of 9, so it might help to watch the ending first if you don’t already know how it goes (I started it off at the 18:10 mark on the video)

I’m gonna take a crack at 17 though when I figure out something aside from “get caught in rain” I promise you that at least

7. Slowly, while everyone is watching

It’s been a long time, Nova thinks, since he last saw a play.

His musings don’t go unnoticed. Once Hendrik and Krystalinda have announced themselves, salutes and all, they don’t waste any time in coming closer to the throne, and to his side. It’s rather comforting that Hendrik is all the more familiar with him now, though Nova doubts he’ll ever be as casual as Krystalinda, who places a hand on his shoulder without much thought. “Are you alright, dear boy?”

“Yes. I’m alright.” And he is, all things considered. “The theatre ship should be arriving any minute now.” Nova smiles. “I can’t wait to see everyone again.”

“And you’re sure about this, Your Majesty?” Hendrik has gotten better, but Nova supposes he couldn’t expect him to forgo all his knightly training. He would expect no less from the captain of the guard. “No one would think ill of you, should you need more time.”

But Nova shakes his head, wizened and serene. “No. If I keep pushing it aside, then I’ll never be ready.” He pauses a moment, to brush his hair back behind his ear. He’s been letting it grow out since then, brown tresses now only ghosting over his shoulders. “I have to let go of the past.”

Before Hendrik can speak again, the roaring sound of propellers cuts the conversation short. Above the castle balcony hangs the Salty Stallion, preparing to dock amidst the growing crowd, eager to see the upcoming show. Everyone in Dundrasil could do with some excitement. Everyone could do with some new, happy memories.

Nova looks up to the ship. Sylvando is at the bow, waving down at him with a grin so wide it could be seen from the heavens. He returns the gesture with gusto.

It won’t ever be the same, Nova thinks, his heart still heavy but healing every day, but I have to move on. Just like he taught me.

It is unsurprising, what the play chosen for tonight was going to be.

Nova isn’t sure what else he thought Sylvando would have organized, back when this whole event was scheduled. “It’s your favorite play, darling,” he had said, “and to be fair, we never did finish the show proper for your birthday. As far as I’m concerned, we owe our king this one!”

Nova had wanted to argue, but Sylvando is always insistent, and there was little point in fighting him. And when Sylvando steps out onto the stage front, he’s beaming with that same enthusiasm he had in the weeks prior.

It sets Nova’s heart at ease. Some things don’t change, he supposes.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Sylvando begins, “Tonight’s performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Serenica, is torn from her lover, Erdwin. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Morcant. Tonight’s story begins when Erdwin and Serenica decide to run away together.”

Sylvando begins to step back at the light dims, flourishing his exit with a bow.

“And now, Your Royal Majesty, King Nova; Lord Hendrik; Lady Krystalinda…”

He rises up, both arms extended, and the crowd begins to cheer.

“…noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers! The Soldiers of Smile proudly present–’I Want To Be Your Canary’!”

The play proceeds as expected, and Nova cannot express how happy he is to see Serena in the lead.

He supposes it’s not that surprising–she’s much more soft and sweet than her sister, better suited for such a bespoken role–but from the start of their travels, she was complacent in letting Veronica take center stage. Serena came into her own right through trials and error and tribulation, her voice stronger than ever before, and Nova is so proud to call her his friend.

“Erdwin?” She calls from the stage’s castle wall, coming down to the center stage to meet a man coming from the right. He’s cloaked, heavily so, and Nova can’t discern anything about him, but he’s seen the Soldiers of Smile before, and he knows it can only be Faris under the cloak.

“Sweet Erdwin,” Serena lets herself fall into Faris’ arms, and he cradles her head against his chest, “I fear I love thee more than I should!”

“Princess…” Faris speaks now, his voice more powerful than Nova recalls, but he thinks he has Sylvando to thank for that, “Wilt thou be happy, married to a lowly peasant such as I?”

“Prithee, call me ‘princess’ no more!” Serena lifted herself from Faris’ chest. “Erdwin, wilt thou truly cherish me, the king’s only daughter? Or is such a desire too dear to wish for?!”

Her excitement seems to be getting the better of her; Nova can see the way her lips curl for miles, even as she speaks such serious, sad words, “After our nuptials, shall I become no more than a puppet? A mindless puppet–never to laugh, never to cry?”

Her head shakes, and Serena turns her face to the sky. “I wish to live my life under the sky. At times, I shall laugh, and at other times, cry. For no life is more insincere, than that lived as a masquerade.”

Faris laughs, and raises a hand from Serena’s shoulder to her cheek, drawing her face back to him. “Such consideration thou hast given it! But worry not!”

He draws Serena back into his arms, so soft, so eager. “Cast aside thy trappings of royalty, and I shall swaddle thee in a gown of pure love. Never again will I part from thee–pray, my love! Make me thy canary, to keep forever in the cage of your bosom.”

Nova hears the swoons from the audience below loud as day, as they both part once again.

“Let us embark on the first ship tomorrow,” Faris continues, “before dawn can can tell of our elopement.”

“All my fortunes at thy feet, I lay,” Serena answers, “and I shall follow thee throughout the world!”

Faris begins to tread backward, to leave the stage once more, and he holds Serena’s hand as long as he can. “No cloud, no squall, shall hinder us!”

He releases her reluctantly, reaching for her even as he departs, leaving Serena alone on stage once more.

“O, love is the sweetest joy, and the wildest woe.” Serena falls to her knees, hands clutching at her heart. “All I wish… is to be by my sweet Erdwin’s side.”

She speaks wistfully, longing in her voice, and it’s strange, because suddenly, Nova truly understands those words now. And it stings all the more now, because he knows how this play ends.

On stage left, crouched behind the backdrop of stars, the wheels of this tragic tale have already begun to spin–but what Nova isn’t expecting is that Faris is the one to turn them.

“Fie!” He curses, and now Nova can’t even imagine why he thought he was playing Erdwin, “It shall be war again unless this marriage is stopped. Ne’er will I let their plan come to fruition.”

He stands from his hiding spot, and comes to center stage alongside Serena. He bows. “Good day to ye, Highness.”

Serena, rising from the ground, curtsies, cautiously. “Good day…”

“Wist thee of Erdwin?”

“Erdwin?!” She crosses the gap between them without a second thought, “What news dost thou bring?”

“This!”

Faris reels back his fist, and sends it down into Serena’s stomach. It isn’t a real strike, clearly, but the chorus of gasps from the audience make it seem all the more lifelike. And as Serena cries out and crumples into Faris’ arms, the stage goes dark, leaving Nova with far more questions than he’d anticipated.

When the lights come back on, they shine on Sylvando, who strides on stage every bit of the imposing king he’s meant to portray. “Where is she?!” He shouts. “Where has mine only daughter gone?!”

It doesn’t surprise Nova–even if the theatre troupe is a front, Sylvando has always taken that front very seriously–but it is strange to see such a jovial man so serious. He must be enjoying himself tonight, Nova thinks.

Faris enters the stage once more, descending from the staircase, and Sylvando turns to greet him. “Faris, good man! Hast thou seen Serenica?”

When Faris reaches the stage, he bows assuredly. “Worry not, Majesty. I shall make sure Serenica marries Prince Drustan. Be thou at ease.”

“At ease, sayest thou?” Sylvando retorts, “How can I rest, not knowing she is safe? Could it be…” He eyes Faris with a glare, “thou hast betrayed me?”

“By my troth, sir,” Faris asserts, “I betrayed none other than poor Erdwin!”

“Thou had the gall to betray thy dearest friend.” Sylvando snorts, and steps closer to Faris. “Would thou not betray me as swiftly?”

Faris takes a step back, panic beginning to fill his eyes. “Stay thy hand, I merely…”

But Sylvando does not stay his hand. He draws his sword, and strikes Faris down. Even knowing that it is fake, Nova cannot help but wince at the sight, as do many others in the audience below.

As Sylvando walks away from Faris’ crumpled from, Faris cries out with his last breath, “I merely sought a lasting peace between two kingdoms!”

Jade and Veronica arrive from both sides of the stage; Veronica’s hair has been hidden away into her hat, Nova notes, most likely to separate her from her sister.

“The traitor is dead!”

“O, cruel fate!”

But Sylvando does not give them the time to talk, and addresses them with a wave of his hand. “You two–quickly, find Serenica and bring her to me!”

Each girl addresses him with a bow–”Yes, Your Majesty.”–and are off just as quickly as they came.

“Wretched daughter!” Alone once more, save for Faris playing dead on the floor, Sylvando turns to the audience as the stage turns black again. “How dare she disobey her father’s wishes!”

When the stage lights again, the play is in it’s final scene.

Or at least, so Nova believes it to be. He knows this play so well, reading it cover to cover endlessly over the course of his life, but this scene, with the painted sky of two moons and the encroaching dawn, are unfamiliar to him. Erdwin–who he can only assume now is being played by Dave, because Nova can think of no one else–awaits on stage, alone, for Serenica.

Sylvando, it seems, has taken artistic liberty, which isn’t uncommon for a play so old. Nova supposes he understands the excitement now.

“The time for our departure is long past.” Erdwin speaks. “Where is Serenica?”

As fate would have it, from stage left comes Dave, and now Nova is finally out of options for who the leading man is. Perhaps it’s someone new, he thinks, someone he hasn’t met yet in the time since their journey ended.

“Erdwin!” shouts Dave, “The ship soon embarks! Board ye this boat alone, and peace could come to both kingdoms, as Faris so said.”

Erdwin says nothing, and Dave implores again, “Speak, Erdwin!”

“…she told me should could not live without me.”

The melancholy, performative as it is, is still almost too much to bear, even if Nova does not know the words this time. Erdwin turns his back to the crowd, to face the painted sky; shadows of birds now dance along the coming sun.

“So, the sun is our enemy, too. The eastern sky grows bright. Will we not spread our wings, as yonder birds in joyous flight?”

“Hark, Erdwin!” Dave pleads, beginning to run off stage. “They cannot wait any longer! The ship departs!”

But Erdwin does not move, now alone, gaze trained to the birds above him. “Could she… have betrayed me?” He begins a pace across the stage, desperation in his every move. “Nay, ne’er would my love speak false–I must have faith! She shall appear, if I only believe! As the sun lends me no ear, I pray instead to the twin moons!”

His stance now strong once more, Erdwin turns to face the painted moons, arms raised in prayer. “I beseech thee, wondrous moonlight–grant me my only wish!”

He lowers himself to the ground, and for a moment, Nova thinks he is preparing to beg. But then, Erdwin’s hand grabs at the bottom of his cloak, and tears it up and away from him–and when the first thing Nova sees of this man is a blue tail, he all but jumps to his feet.

Erik throws the cloak away from him, chest heaving, face grinning, hand outstretched to the throne. “Bring my beloved Eleven to me!”

Everything else after that is a blur.

Nova stands on the balcony dumbfounded for what feels like eons, but when he finally registers that yes, he isn’t dreaming, and yes, Erik is alive, and yes, Erik is waiting for him, he dashes to the doors, and if not for Hendrik and Krystalinda holding their arms out to block the way, he would have barreled through them without stopping.

Nova does skid to a stop, though, and is prepared to command and plead his way through–but the two push the doors open for him without a word.

He looks to Hendrik, who smiles, and nods. He looks to Krystalinda, who chuckles, and bows at the door. He wonders if they knew all along, and then decides that he doesn’t really care.

Nova gasps out a hushed, “Thank you”, and runs once again, down the spiral staircase, tripping on the last stair but refusing to fall. The guards at the front door jump away when he charges ahead, and he pushes through into the crowd below.

The sudden burst of sunlight is blinding, and Nova finds himself bumping into a man before pushing through, past noblemen and women and all sorts, none of whom are prepared to see their king stumbling through the crowd as fast as he can.

And the crowd only begins to part for him when cries of his presence begin to rise and carry like a wave, and by that point, the goal is in sight. Erik is stepping down from the stage waiting to greet him, and when he sees Erik run a hand through his hair with a shy grin, Nova throws his crown off his head onto the ground, and all but leaps into Erik’s open arms.

He almost knocks Erik off his feet. Serves him right, a part of Nova thinks, for leaving him alone like that for so long, but the rest of him is too caught up with the feeling of Erik’s arms wrapped around his waist, tight as can be, spinning him in circles before finally setting Nova down. And when Nova looks at Erik in the eyes once more, he realizes that it’s through his own tears and held back sobs.

He brings his hands to cup Erik’s face, and Erik gives him an apologetic look. He puts a hand between them, and wipes away a tear from Nova’s cheek with his finger.

“Sorry it took me so long,” Erik says, or at least, he might have said it, because Nova had pulled Erik’s lips against his own before he even had time to think about it.

There was so much that could be said, so much that had to be said still. Everything they all saw and felt that day Erik parted from them. Nova had thought he’d said them all on that fateful goodbye, but as he kissed Erik, and Erik squeezed his waist and kissed him tenfold in return, he realizes that he’d still been holding back. Nova always knew he had been, he supposes, but it a gentle lie like that had been helping him along to heal. He would have faced the full truth, one day, when the past was truly behind him.

The past is behind him now. Behind all of them. And in its place, a brighter future Nova couldn’t have dared to dream of.

There is still so much he wanted to say, and could only say between desperate lips and hushed voices, but Erik pulls Nova away from him, and knocks their foreheads together. In the distance, Nova can hear the cheers of the kingdom, and their companions, but he’s far too lost in Erik to give them much thought.

Nova’s arms against his shoulders, Erik shrugs, and smiles. And Nova falls into Erik’s arms, his head on his shoulder, and fist pounding against his chest. He only stops when he feels Erik’s hand slide up his back, and when Erik lays his head against his, and presses a kiss to his ear, Nova begins to cry without relent.

#luminerik #i wasn't trying to make an au and i do apologize for that #but zidane and garnet taught baby panda what love is and i've been wishing on that star ever since #so i can't say it's an ENTIRELY sincere apology here #exiledatrocity #panda does a write

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ranawaytothedas · 5 years ago

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WIP Weds!

farI was tagged by the wonderful @faerieavalon

I am going to tag, @sasshole-for-rent , @lyrium-lavellan , @cornfedcryptid

I have two little things I am working on and have been for a couple weeks.

Also Keep in mind these are edited or possibly even spell checked yet O.O

1. Cullen/Maeve - Oneshot - “A Letter” - this is actually smut.... just over-glorified smut...

Maeve’s guilt over the letter ate at her as she watch Cullen read over several passages multiple times. She assumed they were the harsher portions of the letter, and Maeve wasn’t wrong. It was unfair of her sister to assume so much about Cullen’s character after so long. Not giving any thought to how much people can and do change over the course of a decade. Slowly, Maeve reached her hand over and placed it on his arm. “She doesn’t know why you left the Templars, that you are a different man than the boy they found in the tower…” Her tone was soft, gentle and full of love as she spoke. She knew Cullen was a good man. He made bad choices, had horrible things happen to him. Yet he never used them to excuse his behavior. When ever they discussed his past, he owned his faults. It was Maeve who often tried to make excuses for him and it was something he would never allow. Always reminding her that he had free will, that no one forced him into anything.

For a man who held himself in such low esteem, seeing someone else share the same opinion of him was far mor jarring that he expected. He had said horrible things to Morrigan. Accused of her trying to manipulate him when she had only bening trying to help him. She has every reason to feel this way, I am the monster she thinks me to be. Perhaps, all this needs to end. As he was drawing the conclusion he glanced back at Maeve. Her face, soft and sweet. Her eyes filled with love and concern as she gazed up at him reminded him why it couldn’t. No one has looked at me like that. She loves me, Maker, why does she love me? I would die a thousand times to spare her life. Their relationship wouldn’t end, it couldn’t. Maeve was his reason for waking up each day, she was his hope for a life after all this. He wasn’t going to let her go because he was afraid, that was not the man she saw when she looked at him. Cullen held up the letter and let out a nervous laugh. “She is going to kill me..”

“No… that’s not her way…” Maeve corrected quickly. “She may try to turn you into a rat but I promise you I won’t let her get that far.” Clearing her throat Maeve looked at her feet. “Alistair… well, he may kill you. He was with the Wardens that passed through Kirkwall during the start of the Rebellion. He had very strong opinions about how the Templars behaved. I know that you did not do anything horrible to Mages yourself, but you were Knight-Captain. He will hold you responsible. ” She muttered her eyes peering up at Cullen’s face at it drained of all it’s color. Everyone knew of the great AlistairTheron, who should have been King of Ferelden and was a fabled hero of the fifth blight. He was the last man Cullen would want to go toe to toe with over his relationship with Maeve. “But he adores me, like a little sister. I can likely talk sense into him… more than likely.” Her nervousness over the whole situation was apparent in how her voice wavier

Cullen laughed nervously again as he turned around to face his desk. “Wonderful… oh Maker…” He exclaimed as he looked at the letter again. “I couldn’t just find a nice, uncomplicated girl… you know a baker perhaps…” He mused shaking his head, silently scolding himself for even momentarily wishing he hadn’t met Maeve. He set the letter on his desk and turned around to see the pained look on her face. His words had cut her deeper than he expected and his heart sank as he saw tears well in the corner of her eyes.

“I am so sorry, Cullen…” She started shaking her head as she brought her hands to her mouth. He was right. He would have been infinitely better off with anyone but her. As she looked away she cursed herself for being too selfish, too much of that foolish child that Morrigan always called, to see it till he pointed it out. Her breath caught in her throat as she went to speak. Her golden eyes closed as she choked out. “I ruined everything.” Her mother’s harsh words, faded and jumbled in her memory called out to her. Nothing but a mistake. She called out harshly. You have ruined all my plans Maeve, you have cost me everything! Of all my ungrateful daughter you are the worst! Her mother was not what most would have called kind, Morrigan has shielded her from most but there were hazy memories that still cropped up any time that Maeve was feeling particularly hard on herself. Tears started to roll down her cheeks as muttered. “Mother was right…”

2. Solas/Tamaris - Oneshot - “His Heart” - Inspired by the art that @pookyhuntress did for my loves that you can find.... here

And the whole world changed…

Solas’s words echoed in Tamaris’s mind as she stood over a large, plush bed with one tiny figure curled into a ball in the middle. Her faced was nuzzled against the soft pale yellow wool of her favorite blanket. Clutched tightly in her arms, a small pink Nug. Tamaris felt blessed she remembered in the frantic moment to grab her daughter’s favorite things because she knew there was going to be no turning back when she saw Abelas darkening her door. The Council had not been going well and Solas always had interesting timing.

Tamaris would have preferred not to have had the experience be so traumatic for Shivana. It was never going to be easy, leaving everything she knew. Leaving, Cullen. Shivana sobbed, so loudly they nearly got caught as they snuck back threw the Eluvian. It wasn’t until Solas had taken her from Tamaris’s arms did the child stop crying, for the moment. Change overwhelmed Shivana, who had spent most of her life in the relative confinement of Skyhold. In a few short weeks, she had traveled across a long distance, stayed in a grand place and now was someplace that was not real, but wasn’t a dream either. Solas said it was the safest place for them to be, though he had yet to explain just where they were.

He had yet to explain quite a number of things, in fact.

Solas had helped her settle into his rooms, or what Tamaris assumed were his rooms in the hidden estate that he did explain was the base of all his operations. Abelas and some of the other sentinels appeared to live there as well, though Solas assured her they would leave her and Shivana alone. He spent a little time helping Tamaris settle Shivana before Abelas came to tell him he was needed. Tamaris in the moment had a great deal of sympathy for Dorian and dealing with the same intrusions for Mathras. She was also reminded that her brother and Dorian were likely beside themselves, likely being to mount some half-cocked war to try and rescue her.

#wip wednesday #dragon age fanfiction #solavellan #cullen x inquisitor #tag games with friends

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ren-c-leyn · 6 years ago

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One Day....

Well, @thependragonwritersguild , I looked at your unconventional challenge, and honestly don’t have a clue what prompts you all wanted to fit together; not because none of the fit together, but because so many of them fit together perfectly in my (possibly strange) mind. So, instead of guessing, I combined these prompts ( 4735, 4765, 4766, 4820, 4842) into this no-so-short short story.

This is a heavy angst piece as it is my interpretation of what the life of an immortal would be like. It talks about deaths, about battles, about alcohol, grief, and includes a self-inflicted wound, among other things. Tread lightly.

I’m not sure which was worse. The lies she told before, or the truth that followed. If I had known what secrets had been hidden, I never would have dug for them. I never would have searched for the history of the hero that had been by my side since the beginning of my journey. I didn’t know, though. I couldn’t have dreamed of knowing the weight of the burden on her shoulders. So, I dug, and I confronted her at the gates of the abandoned fortress she called home.

The melancholy etched in the dark brown curves and lines of her face did nothing the stem the words. One after another, I spat out all of the lies I had caught her in. No one in Snow Well had heard her name, she didn’t buy her unicorn mount from the exotic animal trader, we didn’t get the quest to save the king’s daughter, which meant he saw her of his own volition that stormy night; and no one at the guild would answer my questions as to who she really was or from whence she came.

At the end of my ranting and raving, my evidences and questions, a soft sigh slipped from her lips. She tossed her dark curls back and forth before waving me forward, deeper into the depths of her home. When I didn’t move, she turned her back on me and delved further in herself. I listened to her light footsteps echo on the dull, grey cobblestones for a moment before chasing after. I couldn’t let her slip away before she answered for all of the lies she had told me, her partner, her friend....

Through the elaborate maze of rooms and halls she led me until we stood inside a room I didn’t recognize. There were books everywhere, each with a sketch of a person on the cover. Elves, dwarves, humans, halflings, nympths, faries, centaurs, even a dragon. All of the faces were so detailed and realistic, I felt as though they were actually watching me pass them by.

She slumped down into one of the plush chairs in front of a cold, silent hearth, waving me into the other one. I took my seat and stared right into those dark eyes. It was still hard to look into them for too long. Her gaze was just as piercing as it was when she saved me from certain death years before.

“Do you know where we are right now, Jack?” “In your fortress?” “In my memories,” she replied eyes sweeping over the books. “Those were all people I knew, people I fought with, people I fought for, people I loved and treasured. All of them died long before you were born....”

I stared at her, processing the madness she was speaking. Before I was born? She looked younger than I was... just as young as she had been that day. I shook my head. A crafty move, trying to change the subject and confuse me, but I would not be distracted so easily.

“Who are you, Summer? Who are you really?”

“I don’t know. Very few people remember my name. And I’m not one of them. I never thought to write down my own name, to commit my history to pages. Maybe I knew that I didn’t want to remember before I was even old enough to realize that immortality was a curse, not a blessing.”

I snorted at the idea, sure she was lying through her teeth.

“Immortality is impossible, a mere fable.”

She answered by drawing her blade. I did not so much as have time to blink before her blade was in her heart. A scream had escaped my throat as I rushed over to her. Her hand stopped me, pushing me back toward my chair. I was silenced by my own horror as she twisted the blade around in a circle, forcing the blood up her throat and out her lips, before she ripped it free of her body. Dark crimson seeped through her pale tunic, creating and ever growing red circle.

For a long time, the only things that broke the silence was the echoes of my erratic breathing, the dripping sword, and her own slow breaths. I kept expecting her eyes to glaze over, her body to slump, her breathing to stop, but it never happened. Instead, she wiped her blade clean and sheathed it before dabbing at the hole in her chest with the same cloth. Less than five minutes after the wound had been inflicted, it was gone. Only the blood stains remained as proof she had ever been wounded.

“Immortality should be impossible, Jack, but it isn’t. Now, if you will allow me, I will tell you the truth the best my cloudy memory can recall.”

I only nodded, unable to speak.

“I was born mortal, like anyone else, in Snow Well. It wasn’t a town back then, just a farm. I don’t remember much about it, really. I can’t even call my parent’s faces to mind. I do recall being bored of it, though. I didn’t want to tend animals, I wanted to be an adventurer. So, I left home and did my best. I would have died if some real adventurers didn’t save me, though. They were the founders of the guild, and the ones that trained me. Only, my sparing partner and I didn’t see eye to eye. We’d goad and torment each other every chance we got, until we were sent out on quests together. The thrill and the danger eventually got us to bond.

One day, though, he was hurt so I set out to find herbs for him. I stumbled into an old, sacred place. I recall there being a tree with white leaves and black flowers, but nothing else really sticks out in my mind. The herbs I needed were growing there, so I picked them. The guardian of the place appeared and scolded me. I don’t know why I did it. I regretted it before, during, and after it all happened, but laughed and blew him off. Told him he was full of hot air and went to leave, but not before the roots of the tree grabbed me.

‘Perhaps time will tech you to respect my sorrows and the burden I carry. Return in five hundred years with a plant to replace the one you have stolen from this sanctuary, and then I will break your curse. Until then, you will walk this world alone.’”

She sighed, dabbing some of the congealing blood off of her tunic. A bitter smile crossed her face.

“I can’t quite remember what happened after that, but I remember my partner being ecstatic for me. Said I’d never have to be scared again. I thought he was right at the time. Death could no longer threaten me, no matter what kind of quest I was on. That became the problem, though. I had married my partner and watched him age. I had married my partner and watched him age. When we had the twins, the horror of my curse finally set in. They wouldn’t live five hundred years, my husband wouldn’t live five hundred years.

One by one, the other guild members died, until there were only four of us from the original founders left, and two of them were elves. Then, the horrid day came when old age claimed my lover. I put him in the ground, an old man, while I still looked as young as I had been when we were wed. My children had families of their own, and the days showed on their faces. Gods, when I buried my children I didn’t know where to turn. Then my grandchildren, and then their children. It never stopped. One generation was born, and another stepped into their graves.”

There was a pause before she took a deep breath, nodding to herself as she lowered the cloth onto her lap.

“Five-hundred years of suffering passed by even slower than it should have. I dug up an herb plant from my garden and searched for the guardian, hoping to put an end to my suffering. It took me another fifty long years to find him again, and then I was informed that because I came too late, I would have to wait another ten-thousand years.”

She gripped the little rag in her hands so tight I thought it was going to tear. She wrung it back and forth as she continued talking.

“Ten-thousand more because I had missed the day that stars aligned and he would have been strong enough to undo what had been done.... I laughed and wept, throwing the plant at his feet and stumbled back to my cottage. I turned to the bottle to numb the pain. It did nothing to ease the suffering, though. One of the elves came after a while, wearing his own age on his face. I don’t remember exactly what he said to me, but he made me realize that I could still do something for this world. I could make this world so much brighter. And so much darker. I decided to make it brighter for the heirs of my bloodline, to give my descendants’ children a good place to live.”

“You do a good job of that, Summer.”

“Do I? I haven’t really been sure of that for a long time. So many dangers left for them to face. No matter how many bandits and monsters I cut down, there’s always more... always so many more. I’ve been at this so long, I’m not even sure I’m human anymore. I feel like a ball of pain and an old war machine.”

“Pain is the most human thing there is.”

“Is that so? Well then,” she smiled, “I guess I’m the most human of anyone in the entire world.”

With that, she drug herself out of the chair and showed me all of the books she had written about all of the people she had known. She introduced me to her family, to her comrades, to the idiots she had saved before me, and even showed me the one she was working on for me when I died. I wished I hadn’t looked, but I did. The words inside tore me apart. It was a complex mix of our history, my personality, every little quirk and habit she had noticed, and things I was prone to blurt out on a whim. It talked about my skills, my favorite things, even the silly little songs I came up with at random. So much beauty and sorrow was already in those pages, and I wasn’t even dead yet....

I left that night with heavy footsteps and a heavier heart. I wished I could tell her it would be okay, that I wasn’t going to leave her, but the wall of books spoke the truth. I would die one day, and in a few hundred years, she’d be the only person left to remember the things I did and the person that I was. One day, she’d probably show my story to some other unlucky soul that realized there was more to her that what met the eye. One day....

#My writing #fiction #fantasy #angst #short story #immortal #a sad story #a story by Ren

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rbrown2019-blog · 6 years ago

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Why the Golden State Warriors will NOT win the 2019 NBA Championship

Edit 1: 4/20

Yes, you read it here. The Warriors will not complete their ever so wanted 3-peat, nor do I think they will even make it to the NBA finals. I believe that the Houston Rockets or the Milwaukee Bucks have the greatest chance of taking down the defending champions. In this blog, I am going to break down the starting lineup match-ups, as well as each teams’ offensive and defensive play-style.

Rockets vs Warriors

How will the Rockets beat the Warriors? The Pick and Roll. Clearly, the Warriors can’t handle the Clippers’ Lou Williams isolation ball/pick and roll game, as he lead the Clippers charge putting up a 36 points-11 assists stat line in Game Two AT the Oracle. If the Warriors can’t stop the Clippers’ offensive moves, please explain to me how they will be able to stop James Harden and Chris Paul? With Demarcus Cousins now being ruled out for the rest of the playoffs, you might have better defense with Andrew Bogut. But let’s not forget about that 3 point line, the true reason why the Rockets are so deadly. As a team in the regular season, they averaged a total of 16, made 3s per game; second being the Milwaukee Bucks at 13.5 (NBA Stats).

Edit 2: 4/21 Continuation of Rockets Analysis

Running the offense through James Harden and Chris Paul opens up so many opportunities for them to score, as well as the other 3 or 4 guys on the court, all ready to shoot. Double teamed? Kick it out to Eric Gordon or P.J Tucker. The Warriors are protecting the 3? Lob it up to Clint Capela or Kenneth Faried. Thus, the Rockets just have too many weapons in their starting 5 and off the bench that can torch the Warriors on any given night.

Now yes, The Warriors have their big 4 in Durant, Curry, Klay, and Draymond. And yes, the Rockets don’t have the greatest defense. The big difference is, the Warriors do not really have that guy to throw the lob to, now that Demarcus Cousins is out. When they set up their own pick and roll, they can easily attack coverages such as switches and hard hedges, just like the Rockets. Their one big piece they now lack is a big man to throw the lob to on the roll. Draymond Green, an undersized 6′7 forward is a great option, but I believe he won’t match up against the Rockets bigs, (please prove me wrong). The Warriors do indeed have a man named Kevin Durant, who can get you 30 on any given night. I truly believe he is the X Factor to this series, and it all depends on how many shots he wants to take a game. He needs to quiet the media and haters and prove to them that this is his team, not Curry’s.

EDIT 3, 5/3: Warriors vs Rockets: Games 1-3

Wow. All I have to say. This has been a very entertaining series, from on the court to off the court. If you are an NBA fan, you couldn't ask for anything more, except if you are James Harden or the Rockets. Yes the Warriors are up 2-1 in the series, but the big ref scandal on not knowing their own rule they created a couple of seasons ago about closing out on a player is absolutely ridiculous. Mr. Scott Foster was the main target for this blame, since it was in his zone. The problem was, none of the refs attempted to call it, even if it was in his zone. There were many occurrences of it, mainly that James Harden was apart of. He is known for initiating contact with a defender, but the Warriors players gave him nowhere to land after he shot. Though the Rockets are still in this series, a stolen game at the Oracle will come up big down the road.

Throughout the series, we have seen tempers flare, terrible acting, and Steve Kerr doing absolutely nothing this whole series except trolling the internet and the Houston Rockets. Very funny, but we all know the Warriors could win it all with any head coach. Harsh words, but give the ball to Kevin Durant- just like they did in the 4th quarter of game 3- and watch magic happen. It is unbelievable how good of a player he is. He can do it all, and I do truly believe it is HIS team. Steph Curry may be a fan favorite, but KD is showing up day in and day out, just look at his playoff numbers, he is averaging 36 points on 51 percent shooting. Like I said, Kevin Durant is truly the X factor for the Warriors, it all depends on how many shots he takes, and how many shots they let him take in a row. This man is the definition of streaky, and the Warriors have yet to use him to his full potential.

Edit #4, 5/5: Warriors vs Rockets Games 4 and 5

As the series has gone on, we have seen a lot more flopping, acting, and numerous maneuvers in order to exploit the referees and get a call. These games in my eyes are turning into plays, while each act is a quarter. You never know what is going to happen next from these guys. #BringBack90sBasketball . Now if you know 90s basketball you may think I am contradicting myself saying I do not like trash talk and miniature fights in basketball, but I am trying to say that these days the refs immediately blow their whistles for a technical if you stare someone down, or talk trash a player. This whole series has been a prime example of what I explained above, and it needs to stop.

Despite the flopping and complaining, we got to see Kevin Durant and James Harden both take over in Game 4, and it was a fun scoring battle to watch. James Harden ended up scoring 38 points, while KD led his team in scoring with 34. A great battle between each of these players in the fourth quarter, but the Rockets ended up tying up the series 2-2 after some missed clutched three pointers by Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.

Steph Curry. Has yet to REALLY show up for his team yet. Yes he is still putting up great numbers, but not MVP type of numbers we expect to see from this man. From the missed layups and the wide open threes, Curry has really struggled to put the ball in the net when his team needs it, ESPECIALLY in the fourth quarter. I will give say though he was the main reason why the Warriors brought home game 5 after KDs calf strain. But now since KD is ruled out for the series, Steph Curry really needs to start finding his shot quick in order to avoid elimination from the playoffs. I wouldn't say Austin Rivers, Shumpert, and Cp3 are 100 percent locking Steph up, but they have definitely made a major contribution to his struggles.

Edit #5, 5/7: Could the Raptors be a new rival?

Never thought I would say this, but the Raptors are actually looking great in the PLAYOFFS. We all know Kawhi Leonard has been putting his team on his back and making up for the “Playoff Lowry” jokes that have been happening, but Marc Gasol and Pascal Siakam have really stepped up their game. Gasol has been rock solid offensively, and has really stepped up defensively when it comes to guarding the post or contesting shots. Not to mention, Marc Gasol is creating shots for his teammates, and taking a major gap out of the equation that the Raptors have of depth in the front-court. Also, Paskal Siakam has continued to show us why he will be a offensive and defensive star for many years to come. He is averaging 22 points per game, 1 steal, 1 block, and 7 rebounds a game. Those are some amazing stats coming from a player who averaged 7 points last season in the playoffs. Hats off to both of these guys, as well as the rest of the Raptors role players, for shutting down the Sixers offense.

Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors 100 percent made the right move by bringing him and Danny Green over to the 6. I couldn't be more proud of him, after sitting out a whole season due to his situation with the Spurs, he has been the second or third best player right now in the NBA. He has greatly handled Jimmy Butler and the Sixers defense, averaging 31 points this postseason, to go with an effective field goal percentage (EFG) of 61.2 percent. Not to mention, his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) has been 31.2, which is off the charts. As the article I linked said it, he is a Defensive player of the year putting up 30 points a game; that deserves comparisons to the Greatest of all Time, Michael Jordan. We will see if he can continue this high level play, especially against teams like the Bucks, and if they can get to the NBA finals, the Western Conference.

Edit 6 5/8: How the Blazers can Defeat the Warriors

We all remember Damian Lillard telling reporters he believe the Blazers will win the series in 6 games. That turned into a meme real quick. Now that the Warriors have lost: some of their firepower on defense, the new weapons the Blazers have added, and the emerging of a superstar back-court in Dame and CJ, the Blazers truly match-up with these high flying defending champions. They will need to make a little magic happen-especially at the Oracle Arena- if they want to take this series and advance to the NBA finals assuming they beat the Nuggets.

First off, Damian Lillard has been the definition of clutch, along with Steph Curry. In my eyes, we are seeing the number 1 and number 2 point guard duel each other in the Western Conference Finals. Dame and CJ need to be able to out-shoot their perimeter based offensive, or this series will go downhill very fast. Portland will also need to use their size effectively to counter post touches from Kevin Durant. This will easily be their greatest challenge of the series, because we know both team’s back-courts can score at ease, but can Nurkic and Aminu shut down the best pure scorer in the league. Otherwise, I see the Warriors not having the biggest problem against this Blazers squad.

Edit 7 5/9: The Nuggets Bigs’ are the Key

This blog is turning out to be talking about each team left in the playoffs and talking about how they have a chance on taking down the defending champions. I am totally ok with it, but from a readers standpoint, it may seem very annoying. This Nuggets team really succeeded in the regular season, though then again, it is the regular season. The main key to their success was their ball movement, and their patience. Unlike the Rockets- and for some games the Warriors- the Nuggets use the whole 24 seconds given to them most of the time in order to get a shot off. The fast pace threes are greater than twos game the Warriors play is not their type of game. The Nuggets need to make sure their game is being played, and they are not rushing.

Taking a look at their roster, they are led by the 7 foot point guard/center Jokic, key role players in Will Barton, Garry Harris, and Paul Millsap. Finally, they have an emerging star in Jamal Murray. I love and been loving this mans game ever sine his days in Kentucky; a high flying, electric, fun to watch and impossible to hate player. I see his game very similar to Damian Lillard, the man he is going up against right now in the Western Conference Semifinals. It has been very fun to see both of them go at each other.

Getting back on track, the Warriors lack the size and depth of bigs on their squad, so if Millsap and Jokic will have a field day going against Draymond and Looney if the Nuggets give them post touches. If the post isn't working, both of these big man are great play-makers, and are willing to set another player up for an open shot. On defense, the Nuggets might have a tough time guarding perimeter shots and the pick and roll/pop offense the Warriors run. Though this team has some great defenders in Will Barton and Garry Harris-who will need to be constantly on Curry and Thompson- they must protect the perimeter and be ok to give up lobs and post-up baskets. The Warriors do not completely live and die by the three, and are willing to distribute the ball, so the Nuggets need to be aware of the extra pass and weak side ball screens and cuts the Warriors do to free Curry and Klay. As for Durant, he will get his shot no matter what, but the Nuggets need to make sure they double team him in the post, preferably with their two bigs.

Edit 8 5/10: The Rockets are sent home

Despite Kevin Durant being ruled out for Game 6, the Warriors took the series after a dominating performance by the Warriors back-court Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. I am truly happy for them, both of them started to find their shot and consistency that they have been burning the NBA with during the regular season. Though lets not get ahead of ourselves here, Curry did score 0 points in the first half, and Klay Thompson got off to a decent start. Despite that the game was still neck and neck in the 1st half. Yes, the Rockets deserved to lose this one. Though, from what I watched, there is nobody truly to blame. As Jonathan Fiegen puts it in his article reflecting on the game, James Harden did not fail. He did not succeed, either. No one can claim that he did in another loss, another season ending in frustration. But as much as many will blame him for the latest playoff loss and use it to define him as had been promised even before the game began in the event of a Rockets loss, if he is to be ripped now, they are talking about games of his past. This is a perfect explanation of tonight's game in terms of a Rocket fan’s shoe. I would though argue they should have been up by more at halftime due to the offensive struggle the Warriors had, but not every game is winnable.

Edit 9 5/11: Bucks Analysis

This is the team I expect to be in the NBA finals, and now that the Rockets are gone, the team I want to win it all (in case you didn't know or infer from my previous edits, I don’t really like the Warriors). I am now going to break down the match-ups, and how I think the Bucks can really take advantage of the Warriors fast paced, high flying offense.

Currently, all I know is that Kevin Durant's leg is going to be re-examined in a week, but I am going to assume that he is going to play in the NBA finals. That will be Giannis’ or maybe Kris Middleton's assignment. As I have said for the past teams, Kevin Durant will get his shot, the Bucks just need to make sure that the shots that they give him are not full isolation plays ran for him. As for the back-court, I am really confident that Bledsoe and Middleton have the defensive ability to lock up Curry and Thompson. Both of them are solid defenders who have the ability to guard such of players.

The Giannis Durant match-up is one for the century. Two freaks of nature dueling out with one another for the championship (assuming that is the finals match-up). Both of these players are in their MVP form, and certainly showing it these playoffs, but I believe Durant has the slight edge over him due to his experience in these very intense situations. I fear is the lack of experience this team has. The NBA Playoffs are a whole different type of basketball, not to mention that the NBA finals are the best of the best basketball. We will see if Giannis can continue to perform how he has been all season. Otherwise, the Warriors are most likely seeing a 3-peat.

This is an English Project, I am not a professional blogger nor do I have any experience in blogging. I will continue to update this blog as the playoffs go on, as that is one of the requirements for getting full credit.

#English Project #NBA #nba playoffs #golden state warriors #houston rockets #milwaukee bucks #debate #kevin durant #stephen curry #james harden #chris paul #giannis antetokounmpo #khris middleton #draymond green #demarcus cousins #klay thompson

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bloomingednae · 6 years ago

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Hi, Bloom! After this week’s episode I am craving some happiness. Prompt 22!

We all definitely need some happiness some time in this season (most especially after The Episode 8 Moment), so here’s some happiness for you. ~ Enjoy!

“My head is stuck in the clouds,She begs me to come down,Says ‘Boy quit foolin’ around’.” ~ “Rhythm of Love” - Plain White T’s (song insp x)

Because he, a mad scientist, truly became madly in love with her the moment she entered his world.

The doors opened to the airport lobby, a cold breeze of the air conditioning hitting their faces. As Mayuri ran ahead with Ruka in tow hand-in-hand to check the arriving flights, Okabe trailed behind the rest of the group watching the scene.

It had been Mayuri’s idea, naturally, for everyone to come to the airport to greet her again. When Okabe adamantly (and quickly) refused to go, claiming he had to hold down the lab in preparation for his assistant’s arrival, Mayuri merely puffed up her cheeks in feigned frustration as she balled up her fists at Okabe.

“Okarin, even if you are being tsundere, that’s not how you treat your girlfriend, you know!”

…Needless to say, that outburst had him choking on failed replies and he found himself trailing behind the rest of the group as they walked into the airport.

He had to admit; it was a little embarrassing, having all the members hear such an interaction. Of course, it wasn’t like no one knew about their relationship; it has been three years, after all. But between his dodgy personality and her tsundere aspects, it was almost difficult to express what they really meant to each other (at least within the prying eyes of the rest of the members).

“Okarin, Okarin!”

Mayuri’s sweet-sounding voice snapped him out of his thoughts as she came bounding over, smiling.

“Kurisu-chan’s flight is arriving on time, so we’ll be seeing her soon!”

The warmth of her smile was contagious to him as he smiled back at her. “Is that so?”

Before he knew what he was doing, he quickly cleared his throat and tossed his head up with pride.

“O-of course it is! My assistant knows better than to be late to my lab, because she’s only learned from the best!”

Mayuri smiled. “I guess the Organization really wants you two to meet up, huh?”

Okabe coughed, not expecting Mayuri’s very witty and perspective remark. He glanced away, trying not to lose composure, before Ruka spoke up softly.

“A-are you unsure about meeting her again…?”

Before he could respond, Faris came up from behind Ruka and smiled widely, a mischievous look in her eyes. She dramatically draped her forearm across her forehead, tears filling her eyes.

“Ruka-nyan, of course he is! Meeting his fair maiden after half a year, it’s just too much! How powerful the forces of love can be on Kyouma’s heart, perhaps it is the Organization’s plan for you two to meet up to cause such distress in your chest and mind…!”

Okabe gritted his teeth. So much for feeling comfortable when she came. One of the top reasons why he never came to the airport to greet her.

He cleared his throat once more, managing to speak in a short sentence. “Mayuri! Lead the way to the gate!”

Mayuri nodded in enthusiasm as she walked ahead, relief filling Okabe’s mind as the rest of the members finally took their eyes off of him. His phone vibrated suddenly and he rolled his eyes at the message as he read it.

Hope Makise-san is doing alright! ^__^ I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it today. ;___; Boss wouldn’t let me go! >0

…How Moeka was very timely and colorful with her text messages was always beyond him, but he replied quickly anyway, knowing she would probably spam his phone if he didn’t.

That’s fine. Hold down the fort, 005. El. Psy. Congroo.

Hitting send, he sighed as he put his phone away, knowing full well she typically didn’t respond if he was straight forward in his messages. Glancing up at the arriving flights, he saw hers; she’d already landed, he noticed, but given the time she had to go through customs and pick up her luggage, it would still take a bit of awhile before she exited the gates.

As soon as everyone gathered near the gate exit, he could hear Mayuri talking excitedly to Faris and Ruka, clearly ecstatic for her arrival. He gave a small smile at the sight, when suddenly, he heard a sigh next to him. Turning towards Daru, who had been quiet for the majority of the time (probably on his phone texting Yuki, Okabe concluded), he noticed Daru finally faced him and he shook his head.

“Okarin, man, I don’t know how you do it,” Daru started, crossing his arms.

Okabe quirked his eyebrow in question. “Hm?”

Daru nodded towards the gate exits. “This. Long distance is hard enough being in different cities for anyone, but you’re having to face it by being in different countries.”

Okabe realized what Daru was implying and slowly, he shrugged.

“I just….we just do, I guess.”

Daru clicked his tongue. “I can barely stand two weeks without Miss Amane, but you’re doing this six months at a time, man!”Okabe, not knowing how to formulate an appropriate response, huffed. “We’re scientists.”

Daru gave him a look. “That’s the best answer you can give?”

Shaking his head, Okabe sighed. “Rationale works for us.”

Daru threw his arms up, rolling his eyes. “I’m calling BS; I’ve walked in the lab at the worst times in more ways I’d want to admit.”

Okabe visibly began to choke and struggle for air as Daru glared at him, a glint in his glasses. As soon as Okabe regained enough energy to speak, he pointed dramatically at Daru, a theatrical tone in his voice.

“Shut it, Super Hacker! As if you’re one to talk-”

“At least I get away from the lab!” Daru exclaimed. “Like come on man, kissing and being in each other’s arms is some serious ecchi stuff and I don’t even know how you feel comfortable with the lab door unlocked! You’re a serious normie, go explode.”

Okabe’s eyebrow almost twitched; for someone who played a million and ton eroge games in a week, Daru was surprisingly tame when it came to thinking what was considered ‘ecchi’ and ‘normal’.

And it’s not like he and Kurisu were doing anything bad. They were, in fact, just normal relationship things that normal people did. Being in each other’s embrace while sleeping on the couch, holding hands in silence, and having the occasional, er, intimate session were things that were ecchi in Daru’s eyes, he supposed. (In Okabe’s defense, he could argue with Daru that at least they were fully clothed, and, for crying out loud, haven’t done anything that would scar anyone’s eyes).

Okabe shook his head. “Who’s the normie now, you hypocritical Super Hacker-”

“Come on, now, you’re both full-fledged normals now!”

They both turned to Mayuri, who came bounding in, a smile on her face. Okabe scratched his face nervously as Daru just puffed out his chest in pride.

“I’m not as normal as Okarin, though.”

Okabe eyed him and spoke dramatically. “I’ll take that as a compliment, my Favorite Right Arm.”

Just as Daru opened his mouth to retort, his phone began to ring, signaling an incoming call. He smiled in response, turning away from the group as he did so.

“Hello, Miss Amane? Oh, yeah, we’re at the airport now-”

Okabe rolled his eyes. So much for him being a non-normie.

He scanned his situation, eyeing the exit gates as people began to slowly stream out. Shrugging to himself, he laughed a bit. He wasn’t any better, he supposed.

“Okarin?’

Okabe looked up to Mayuri’s voice, who’s gaze was centered on his. She gave a small apologetic smile in his direction, laughing a bit as she did so.

“Sorry about bringing you out like this. Mayushii just thought it’d be better like this.”

He shook his head in response. “Don’t worry about it, Mayuri. After all, I guess a mad scientist such as myself can make exceptions to meeting his assistant at the airport. I’ve to look over the well-being of all my lab members!”

As he did a low, mad scientist laugh, Mayuri smiled. She placed her arms behind her back and looked up at him, innocence in her eyes.

“You’ve really missed Kurisu-chan, haven’t you?”

This caused him to stop laughing almost immediately and locking eyes with Mayuri, he knew he couldn’t hide anything from her perspective gaze. When he didn’t speak, Mayuri continued.

“Your phone’s Rine notifications have been going off more and you tend to go to the rooftop of the lab more nowadays to talk to her. And the other day, you know, I heard from Daru that you fell asleep in class, which Mayushii thought was odd because you don’t usually fall asleep during classes you like.”

She then laughed. “When Kurisu-chan told Mayushii you stayed up most of the night to keep her company before her really big conference lecture at her university, Mayushii knew right away that you were just being the nice Okarin that you are, and that you really do care for her!”

Okabe almost visibly jolted. Kurisu had told her that? Or did Mayuri pry it out her? Either way, he began to dread a bit inside how much Kurisu did tell Mayuri, but then again, it probably wasn’t a whole lot in any case.

But she still knew that much and it’s not like he really wanted the rest of the lab mems to know he stayed up for her (on more than one occasion, too).

Mayuri giggled when she noticed Okabe’s reaction. “Don’t worry, Mayushii won’t say a thing to anyone else!”

“It’s just that…” she trailed off and looked away before turning towards him again, “Mayushii thinks it’s really nice that Okarin and Kurisu-chan make each other so happy.”

The innocence of Mayuri’s smile made Okabe drop his Kyouma act in an instant, and he found himself smiling back at her a bit, this time not recovering into a Kyouma episode.

He scoffed to himself. How much had Mayuri seen their relationship progressing, he wondered? Shaking his head, he laughed. Between he and Kurisu, it was Mayuri who saw more of their growth long before they could see it themselves.

Her words echoed in his mind: …Okarin and Kurisu-chan make each other so happy.

Between a virtual image and the physical presence, a voice and projected light on a screen never matched up to an actual existence. To this day, he still didn’t know how he managed to get through day-to-day routines without her; Daru’s marvel at their long-distance relationship was something of validation, because Okabe realized he was right no matter how it was viewed.

…She did make him happy. Her actual voice, her snarky comments, her exasperated expressions, her intellectual examples on the whiteboard in the lab, her blushing face, the way she fit in his arms so perfectly, and the way she accepted everything and anything he was, despite his dark failures, mistakes, and regrets. And then there was the vulnerable side of her, the only side he’s seen, that tug at his heart strings every time. From her falling asleep comfortably in his arms to her lightly tugging his lab coat sleeve when she didn’t want him to leave just yet, they were small moments that made him realize that what they were together caused the emotions they felt for each other. Everything was a combination of the smaller things that made up the larger picture of her and him, a connection which he could admit loudly should someone ever ask him.

Because he, a mad scientist, truly became madly in love with her the moment she entered his world.

She was a simple line of thought to the rest of the world, a photograph plastered on an extremely prestigious magazine; but to him, she was a complex array of charts and graphs in his mind, filling each thought in both rationale and emotion and taking over every crevice of heart.

The thought of her suddenly brought an onset of mixed emotions torn between wanting to see her right away, run to her, and bring her close. No one, ever in his life, had ever made him feel so elated and excited, a rush streaming in his blood as he realized he wanted to see her soon.

And as if on cue, the sound of Faris yelling became evident, who, was waving erratically over the railing, Ruka next to her in an attempt to calm her down. Mayuri gave one last smile to Okabe, realizing he had seen her; his expression had softened and had features which Mayuri could only sigh at in contentment, seeing Okabe truly overjoyed. Mayuri turned towards the direction which Ruka and Faris were facing, joy filling her heart as she did so.

“Kurisu-chan, we’re here!”

And as she walked out of the gates and towards them, it hit Okabe much more than before:

He really did love Makise Kurisu.

Her evenly-paced walk as she went up to them, her surprised expression as soon as Mayuri and Faris jumped to give her a hug, and her laughter ringing in his ears, happiness and appreciation reflecting in it with the lab members’ greeting. He couldn’t quite catch Daru’s (more than likely) perverted phrase, as she yelled back at him angrily, before her eyes turned to him, slight shock wavering in her eyes. The rest of the lab members had gone awfully quiet (to Okabe’s distaste; everyone just needs to ignore them!). She quickly recovered, he noted, as she placed one hand on her hip, sarcasm in her voice.

“Well, well. This has to be an occasion if even you came out today,” she haughtily began. “Mad scientist isn’t so mad, after all?”

He almost couldn’t find his voice to speak. She was back, like any other time, but she was just….back, here, presently, and for some reason, his mind was reeling at the thought. It almost took all his will power to hold back wanting to just have her in his arms. He choked a bit before speaking, and he realized his Kyouma side was still weakened from his previous conversation with Mayuri.

It was weakened, he realized, but he suddenly felt as if he didn’t really have to care what he said. At least, not that much.

He crossed his arms in response, and smirked. “Hm, acknowledging my mad ways, Assistant?”

Kurisu face palmed. “Great, I did just admit to your chuunibyou ‘mad scientist’ thoughts. Maybe I’m going mad myself.”

Okabe took a step forward towards her and he smiled. “Good, because I’m still just as mad for y-”

Okabe bit his tongue; good gawd, what was he saying in public space? He coughed loudly, noticing Kurisu’s eyes slowly grow wide from his comment and he turned around from the rest of the snickering lab members who had caught on quickly (too quickly, in his opinion).

“Come!” he announced as he turned around. “The lab awaits its assistant’s arrival!”

Kurisu rolled her eyes, grabbing her luggage as she did so. “You don’t have to tell me twice!” She yelled back in response, feigned annoyance in her voice.

As she walked forward, Faris linked arms with Ruka and Mayuri, the three of them running ahead squealing in laughter, with Faris vaguely responding to Okabe’s chuunibyou phrase. Daru ran after the other three, mentioning something along the lines of “not wanting to be a third wheel” before leaving both Okabe and Kurisu trailing behind the group.

As Okabe continued to walk forward without facing her, he heard her laugh as she shifted her bag next to her. He hummed in response.

“What’s so funny, Assistant?”

In his peripheral vision, he saw her shake her head as she smiled. “Real smooth, Okabe.”

He groaned he realized she was referring to his slip up (that she of course noticed), still avoiding her gaze as he did so. He concluded in his mind, though, that he still felt vulnerable from earlier’s thoughts and decided to not let the embarrassment get the best of him.

“…You’re not bothered?” he asked, hesitating.

Kurisu groaned in response as she kept her eyes straight ahead.

“I’ll admit I’m embarrassed but….�� she stuck her head high, stuttering in response. “I-it’s not like it was nice to hear or anything, but…”

Okabe quickly glanced at her and smiled to himself. It was only two weeks, but two weeks with her…

Every day would be added time to be by her side. Every night was a few more extra hours to hear her voice. And every minute in between were moments that brought them closer than they usually were, built on delicately, firm words and established feelings.

He suddenly found himself enveloping his hands with hers, and the reminder that she was right beside him was almost too much for him to bear. In response, he felt her intertwine her fingers with his, her grip more relaxed as they continued to walk towards the exit of the airport.

He heard her laugh to herself as she looked off to the side, a smile on her face.

“You idiot.”

#steins;gate #steins gate #okakuri #blooming drabbles s;g

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gotakuofficial-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Kyo - Impressionist Vignettes: OFFICIAL REVIEW

Written by Kisai The Spooniest Bard

[Foreword]:

To begin, Mike Faris AKA Kyo (FKA Demon Eyes Kyo) is an artist I respect immensely. He is also a dear friend and someone I consider a kindred soul. I take every verse he writes, sings and/or raps as a chance to understand more of his worldview and thought process. That said, I'm extremely honoured (so much so I just spelled honored with a FARKING letter U) to have been chosen as one of the trusted to review this, his debut album. I am Darris Marcell Kisai Parker, and this is Impressionist Vignettes by Kyo.

[Track 1ne] - Yasiin (prod. by kaptain planet): So from the start we get a gritty, dark boom bap jawn produced by the impeccable kaptain planet. It's always lit when planet links up with Kyo because Kyo starts to slip into his particular brand of what he calls "sophisticated ignorance", a glorious combination of swagger, hyperbole, and good old-fashioned dark humor. In this instance, however, Kyo's lyrics are more sober, less grandiose. He chooses to lampshade how basic and one-note some artists tend to be in their portrayals. He even pays homage to one of his fellow CPC member's songs (Views by Savior Monroe). And most of all, Kyo just makes it plain how serious he is in this outing. This one is less about stellar bars and schemes and more about the human experience as interpreted by Mike Faris. I'm here for it. Quotable: "Ain't my fault if the truth hurtin' ya feelin's. You ain't puttin' work with writtens murkin' the rhythm. You just jerkin' the listeners like jamaican chicken."

[Track 2wo] - Highland (prod. by Lé Real): An autobiographical stroll over a jazzy lofi road paved by a Castle In The Sky faithful, the uber-talented Lé Real. Here, Kyo talks about his old stomping ground, a place in Michigan called Highland. He highlights the rough yet sensitive nature of the milieu, the roaming opinions of passive observers looking in from the outside, the desperate grab for tough guy points by those who probably can't get into the Salty Spittoon otherwise, the ones who live in nicer areas, who don't really HAVE TO be in such an area. Kyo warns these folks about greenness of grass, and tells them in no plain terms to get a life of their own. This is the stuff I was looking for. And he delivered. Quotable: "A double-wide was like a luxury home! Havin' both parents there the rarest of luxuries tho and I know; I'm one of the lucky ones when it comes to that, Most of my homies wasn't tho, that's just the facts..."

[Track 3hree] - Flowers From The Old Vic Stage (prod. by Medical Nindo, guitars by Kyo): Kyo sings, by the way! I feel like typically when artists try to be multi-layered it's an attempt to appeal to a public all too swayed by gimmicky shallow bullshit. But in Kyo's case, he really carries all the musicianship and artistry necessary to sustain the various mantles he's borne over the years. That said, on the singer/songwriter tip, Kyo is something to witness. But if you've followed his work at all, you've probably heard this on display on his previous work, "The Imposter's Muse". His poet's soul is on display here in track three, a somber, romantic ballad produced by the smooth/savage master himself, Medical Ninjutsu aka Medical Nindo. Some of y'all might know him as Diggz Da Prophecy. Kyo accompanies our resident "Hood Nerd Sage" on the guitar, providing weepy, melancholy-yet nostalgic licks that carry the heady tone of his musings. A song from the perspective of a tragic lover of a former star of the stage and screen, a person with whom our hero was enraptured, with whom he was close, a flame that perhaps burned too bright and sputtered into dying embers. "I wonder..." The words pass his lips several times over, each time a different thread carried on their doleful, mournful wind. Quotable: I'm not giving you one. Listen to the song.

[Track 4our] - Summer '09 (prod. by River Sanzu): So, ironically, Summer '09 is a time of major importance to me because it was a time when I was ambivalent towards life. I was holding down a job I truly loved, but not seeing much of the money I was getting paid due to familial obligations, I was dating one of my current best friends, a relationship I look back on fondly even now. But it seemed like everything in the world conspired to keep us apart and as such I felt like I was failing her. I was writing some of the best bars of my life, but I had no way to record and couldn't afford to hit anyone's studio. I was dependent on music to keep me going and every month I had an issue with my mp3 player. I was finally seeing some measure of freedom, but at the same time I was constantly being appraised by family members as an adult acting like a child. As if they alone held the yardstick by which adulthood is measured and everyone's lived experiences were supposed to be uniform with the same milestones at the same times as if life worked that way. And to top it off, my father's genes were kicking in and I started to lose hair, just when I was getting ready to pimp my afro to the max! (RIP afro dreams). I just felt like I was languishing in some sort of middleground hell where everything was awesome but terrible at the same time. I constantly questioned whether I even wanted to be alive. Looking back, I always tell myself it wasn't that bad. It was just growing pains and every adult has them. But you couldn't tell me shit in the moment. I'd've said "Life is iffy af for me right now." On another side of the country, here is Kyo, driving drunk on his way to kick it with his friends. The same ambilavence towards the idea of continuing life present in his thoughts and actions. Instead leaving it to the "Most High" to determine his fate, he arrives unscathed at the function, has a rowdy old time with his buddies, the sort of things youths get into when together. "Freestyling and clowning", card games, even more drinking, some squabbles-nothing that really matters between friends however, and just being in the moment, then Kyo drives (possibly even more drunk) back home. Again he tosses the dice and leaves it up to higher powers to determine if he will make it home. And there you have it, a square out of the quilted tapestry that is Kyo's life. River Sanzu aka Lit Yagami AKA Ish1da creates a city pop-infused backdrop that perfectly encompasses the nostalgic feel of Kyo's ride through memory lane. One of my favorite songs on the album honestly. Also I'm really mad I didn't produce this because it's amazing. Not quite as mad as Ethos made me that one time but I may still turn into a dog for 3 seconds... GRRRRRRR (DAWG MODE) Quotable: "They say seeing is believing, these demons I'm seeing in my rearview mirror keep chasing, I stay weaving through lanes and I'm.... still thuggin' it, drunk in public and unequpped to handle the mental stresses I struggle with but it's just... One mo' night in Summer '09!"

[Track 5ive] - You Go To My Head (prod. by RealVenom): Kyo’s strongest quality as an artist is his ability to depict the various aspects of his point of view without sacrificing impact. In “You Go To My Head”, he croons, raps and waxes poetic to the subject of his affection. It’s tender, but in a truly relatable fashion. I consider myself strongly in the romantic camp, so endeavors like these speak to me. I blame my soft heart. The warm lofi provided by RealVenom just makes you feel like you’re by a warm fireplace, keeping warm inside from the harsh winter. A glass of wine, a bag of marshmallows for roasting and some good-looking company and you’ve got a night. Kudos to both Kyo and Venom for making such a dope jam. Quotable: “And if you got me seein’ double... That’s twice as many chances to say I love you...”

[Track 6ix] - Moving To Detroit (prod. by Camp Phire Connection, guitars by Kyo): Here is a fully acoustic affair. Just Kyo, his trusty guitar, and us, the listener. In “Moving To Detroit”, he intimates the lonely predicament of a single man deciding to move to what is considered the saddest city in the country according to a study. He mulls over dating the local women hoping for a shot at love, relates his hopes that any local toughs don’t harass or assault him, and mentions his prior OWI (An incident he explained in detail to me in a conversation we had.) and the consequences thereof. “Moving to Detroit” is a somber, reflective look at both himself and his environment, and rather than feeling like a fly on the wall, we are put right there in the passenger seat as he takes us along for this ride. It’s an eye-opener, for sure. Quotable: “It’s not as bad as everyone says in the city, but every time I head home I feel such relief when I hit the freeway. If I move down there and my friends come visit me, they’ll also get to know how good that feels. I guess you’re welcome...” [Track 7even] - Vignettes feat. Savior Monroe (prod. by Camp Phire Connection): The only vocal guest feature on this album comes from fellow Camp Phire Connection artist and founder Savior Monroe. “Vignettes” is gorgeously produced, a shoegaze-y blues waltz number by Kyo and Savior. Both artists give amazingly heartfelt accounts of grace. of friendship and of humanity. The feeling is just abstract enough, just specific enough. Truly these are just vignettes. But that’s all we needed. Quotable: “But for now I can still paint you with an impressionist’s view. I might not remember the facts, but I still remember the truth.” [Track 8ight] - French Lessons (prod. by Camp Phire Connection, guitars by Kyo): Kyo’s trusty guitar returns once more, fair accompaniment for a sultry number about SEX. Yep. Sex. Who among us doesn’t simply long for the next chance to be intimate with a special someone. There’s something magical about when two souls connect, REALLY CONNECT, for those precious moments. Even sometimes when it’s empty, it’s still grand. Here, Kyo says it all. Quotable: “Sex is empty, sex is death, so baby please kill me then hold me in your arms until I resurrect. Sex is endless, sex is French, le petit mort, the little death, and rebirth and first breath and back again.” Track 9ine] - Snow (prod. by Lé Real): Snow, to put it plain an simply, is hard. Hard as pavement. Once more, we’re right there in the room with Kyo as he relates some tales from his life. I don’t even wanna talk too much about this one. It’s something that just needs to be heard. It’s too real for me to adequately put into words. Quotable: None, just peep the song. [Track 10en] - Philip Seymour Hoffman (prod. by Kisai The Spooniest Bard): Iono who the hell this Kisai The Spooniest bard dude thinks he is, but we gonna fight because this beat is fire. He could have at least let me rap on this. Not that I’m salty because Kyo did his thing. But seriously this is a great closer. Something about that japanese jazz sample makes such a great backdrop for Kyo to compare himself to Vincent Van Gogh and Philip Seymour Hoffman (RIP to two of the greats). As artists our art is what we use to combat the negative feelings that dwell in our mortal minds. Not everyone can win this fight, but Kyo is dead set on winning. If I hadn’t heard this song before judging, I’d have told you that the beat used doesn’t fit the theme of the album, but I’d have been wrong. Kyo made it work like only he could and the result is a track that both producer and artist could be proud of. Quotable: “In a world of visigoths and vandals I’m Vincent Van Gogh, battle depression with insufficient ammo.” [Afterword]: Impressionist Vignettes is a ride, friends. Tonally, It starts low and ends high, moodwise it’s as human as we are. And from an artistic standpoint, it’s probably Kyo’s strongest work to date. I recommend you give it a spin. I learned something and so might you. One final note. Big ups to Savior Monroe on the engineering end. This album sounds great beginning to end. Kisai out. Ja ne~ Peep Impressionist Vignettes here!: https://campphireconnection.bandcamp.com/album/impressionist-vignettes

#gotakuofficial #GOTAKU #GO-TA-KU #music #music review #music link #album review #camp phire connection #kyo #savior monroe #medical nindo #le real #river sanzu #kisai the spooniest bard #realvenom #kaptain planet #january 12 2019

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emovatore · 7 years ago

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SEASONS TAG! ☼

i was tagged to do this by @herbalteasims thank you !! 💕💖✨

1. which season are you gonna play with first?

Fall. Eternal summer BEGONE. Or maybe winter. I’m DESPERATE to see Windenburg in the winter.

2. from what you’ve seen in the trailer, what are you most excited about?

GOD I don’t know. All of it? Everything? Yeah, everything. but mostly snow in windenburg

3. what’s your favorite season irl?

Not summer, I can tell you that.

4. what’s your favorite flower / plant?

Sunflowers and snapdragons.

5. are you going to create a new sim/family or are you gonna keep your current household?

I’m gonna keep playing my current family. I imagine my generation two heir will be a young adult by then, so there’ll be a lot to do with that.

6. what would you like to see in this new add-on that you haven’t seen yet?

Honestly I don’t have an answer for this question oml akjgskajfas

7. how do you feel about not getting a new neighborhood with seasons?

I literally do not care. They said that they wanted to focus on how the existing worlds are affected, and they’ve also said each world has a unique climate, which is exactly what I wanted. So I couldn’t care less about there being no new world. I haven’t even finished exploring Brindleton Bay yet.

8. snow, rain or sun?

Rain. I’ve seen enough sun to last me a lifetime, and snow’s fun when it shows up, which it hasn’t in years, but it’s a nightmare to travel after it’s snowed.

9. favorite refreshing summer drink?

water. I pretty much only drink water, ever. or a salted caramel mocha frappuccino. but i’d drink that even if it were freezing cold outside.

10. favorite hot drink in the winter?

Coffee. I have to drink coffee every morning when I wake up, even in the summer.

11. walk through the forest or by the beach?

Forest. I love the beach, but walking on the beach is so hard on account of the SAND. I don’t like sand. It’s coarse, it’s rough, it’s irritating, and it gets everywhere. Also yeah I did pull out a vintage meme to distract from the fact that my name’s sand but I hate sand.

12. swimming pools or the ocean?

If I really have to choose, ocean. Swimming pools are fun, but I’m allergic to chlorine, so I have to be real quick about getting in the shower once I’m out of the pool. And I know I was just talking about how I hate walking on the beach because of sand, but I love the feeling of waves just picking me up when I’m in the ocean.

13. where would you like to travel if you could go somewhere right now?

Somewhere cold. Canada, maybe.

14. how is the weather today?

No idea. Looks like it rained outside during the night, and it’s kinda chilly right now, but I’m sure by noon it’ll be 500 degrees out. The weather lately has been all over the place.

15. what new traits would you like to see in the new add-on?

Definitely something along the lines of “Hates the heat/summer” or “Hates the cold/winter” since those are pretty realistic traits to have. I’d never use them because there’s so few trait slots to begin with but, they’d be fun to have I guess.

16. do you like to play with supernatural creatures like vampires and aliens? and if so, would you like witches/faries/elves?

Sure do, but only when I’m in the mood for it. Not gonna involve the occults in my current save, but I love my bisexual vampire boyfriend Caleb Vatore. Aliens I’ve played with way less than vampires, but I’ve had plenty of sims get abducted.

And I’d imagine I’d feel the same about witches and werewolves and fairies and stuff as I do about vampires. I’d have a blast playing them, but it’d only be when I’m in the mood to deal with them.

17. what is your favorite thing to do during winter?

wonder why it’s still 90 degrees because i’m from southern california and idk what a Winter is.

18. … during spring?

celebrate my birthday.

19. … during summer?

suffer.

20. … during autumn?

carve pumpkins. i’d love to go out on walks just as the sun sets, but it’s always nasty and humid here at that time of day. so that’s a good idea in theory.

21. have you pre-ordered seasons? and if you haven’t are you going to pre-order it or wait till it comes out?

Haven’t pre-ordered it yet, no. Waiting to get my paycheck, then I’m going to preorder it. I’m pretty against preordering things, but sims is my weakness, I guess.

22. in which neighborhood are you gonna play in sims first?

Like with seasons? Windenburg. I wanna see the SNOW there.

23. do you listen to music while playing? and if you so, what are you favorite songs to listen to?

I didn’t used to, but I pretty much have to now. That’s actually caused... some ISSUES. To say the LEAST. But I still do it.

As for the songs, it depends on what sim I’m playing with at the time. I listen to certain genres for certain sims. Like when I was playing my last legacy that involved my vampire heir and Caleb Vatore, I listened to a lot of alternative stuff. Mainly My Chemical Romance though, since, I mean, of course? Right.

Lately I’ve been listening to the songs Oh Ana by Mother Mother and Don’t You Dare Forget The Sun by Get Scared a lot while playing.

Oh and Smooth and Wow Wow by Neil Cicierega. But those are mostly when I’m not playing the game, just editing outfits or building.

24. What’s your favorite thing to do in the sims? creating sims, building, etc?

I love creating sims, that’s probably what I’m best at. Storytelling, mostly though. Oh and also, for whatever reason, I really love the grind that comes with the beginning of the legacy challenge. Especially when the bill percent is increased. Makes this fun.

25. what’s your favorite kit/pack/add-on?

Just like, one out of all of them? Not sure. But I think Get Together is my favorite expansion, Vampires and Parenthood are my favorite game packs, and then Vintage Glamour and Movie Hangout are my favorite stuff packs.

26. and finally, what add-on / pack would you like to see next?

I’ll just be like half the rest of the fans and say University. More occult stuff would be fine too, but I don’t know, I always prefer the packs rooted in realism more than the more Wacky packs.

Hmmm I always feel weird tagging people akjfaskjfa but how about @allurasims @sailor-day-sims @catmily @celestialsims-y @hallucinosims @lovelythesimmer @waywardqueensims ok is that too many people idk ajgkajjk i feel like it’s too many dang people so i’ll just stop and go to sleep now

#saviorhide #sands posts #seasons tag #sorry for the keysmashes i'm gay #ALSO idk if tags even show up under readmores?

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thesoftestmess · 7 years ago

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I was tagged by @technicallysam thanks love!!!!!!! ♥

Rules: tag some followers you want to get to know better

Name: Farina, Fari

Gender: female I guess???

Star Sign: aquarius

Height: 174cm (I’m lazy and have no idea how other measurements work!!)

Sexuality: bi ♥

What image do you have as wallpaper?: uhm blackpink’s rosé as my lockscreen and hobi as my homescreen wallpaper

Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?: not a teacher but a caretaker in a hospital (i had a crush on him for like 3 years he was so lovely!!!)

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?: alive hopefully??? (stolen from sam, but what a mood tbh) also just... some sort of independent is all I’m asking for, but I genuinely can’t imagine it. ://

If you could be anywhere else right now, where?: in a different mental state!!

What was your coolest Halloween costume?: I dressed up as a punk when i was nine!? yea, don’t ask.....

What’s your favorite 90s show?: i don’t think I’ve watched a 90s show tbh?!

Last kiss?: yeah my mom :P last romantic kiss has been 83 years :/

Have you ever been stood up?: yep, by a group of friends!!! three people I planned to meet up with and none of them felt the need to tell me they couldn’t make it, so I stood there in the cold for an hour like an idiot... I’m still bitter!!! Have you ever been to Las Vegas?: nope

Favorite pair of shoes: all my shoes are black and look the same I’m so fucking boring (send help)

Favorite fruit: strawberries and bananas probably!?

Favorite book: i haven’t touched a book in months, but the last one I rlly enjoyed was ari and dante :’)

Stupidest thing you’ve ever done: don’t even ask... god...........

I’m tagging: @kuu-dandere, @from-zer0, @eel-nimeat, @ko-yoongi, @bejimaito (no pressure in doing this friends!!)

#tag game #fari talks

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indigozeal · 7 years ago

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Today is the International Day of Final Fantasy, its 30th anniversary, and all of us across the internet are sharing fond memories of the series. I'd like to chime in with one moment that's dear to me from FF4, a great moment for a character that comes in the Castle of Dwarves.

Like many folks like me who grew up during the 16-bit era, Final Fantasy IV is my favorite of the series. Though I was initially skeptical because it didn't fulfill my expectations of a sequel ("Why isn't this game like the game before? Who are all these strange new people?"), it eventually served, despite the rough translation, as an introduction for me to how games could tell character-driven stories. It was the SNES "Final Fantasy II" cartridge that I grew up playing, and it was that incarnation of the game that had a big impact on the U.S. gaming landscape, so that's the version about which I'm going to be talking here.

(I will be using images from this LP, despite its ill-advised text window colors and sporadic headache-inducing commentary.)

After main villain Golbez completes his goal of acquiring all four Crystals, the Cecil and his friends learn of a Hail Mary second chance of a second, as-yet uncaptured set of Crystals in an underground kingdom. (Certain parts of the FF4 storyline do not exactly sparkle with originality.) The party rushes to meet with the underground king but discovers that agents of the enemy have already infiltrated his castle. The party defeats the lackeys in a boss fight, but they call Golbez, and he comes and starts an impromptu showdown.

It is very obvious that this is not likely to end well. You've just come off a losing confrontation with Golbez in the previous dungeon, where even an awesomely powerful magician armed with a Spell of Legend couldn't take him down. You've just fought a two-stage boss and are in no condition to tackle the current main villain and seeming ultimate boss of the game.

The game makes it clear that this is wholly Golbez's arena. He strides into battle with an ALL-CAPS villainous laugh; his oppressive theme is playing all throughout; and his boss sprite, arms crossed in utterly unthreatened confidence, towers the entire height of the screen. After a brief, ineffectual skirmish during which your every blow will miss, Golbez binds everyone effortlessly, leisurely calls his pet dragon to feed, and merrily drains the party members' life forces one by one.

He pauses to gloat before he ends the hero's life force and quest...

But JUST BEFORE THE FINAL BLOW:

A spell graphic appears on screen - one the player hasn't seen in a long time, and one for a magic the current party isn't capable of casting. The new dragon vanquishes Golbez's dragon, and for the first time in this battle, the seemingly invincible wizard is thrown off his stride:

A mysterious benefactor removes the paralysis inflicted on the only party member left alive.

"Who is it...?", Cecil stiltedly gasps, and there's a dramatic pause...

And in comes the long-lost summoner Rydia, last seen as a child helplessly swept overboard during a previous shipwreck, now swept in by the utterly awesome strains of "The Dreadful Fight" (a.k.a. "Battle with the Four Fiends"). Not only is this a tour de force of a track by which to make an entrance, it is an important signal to the player: Golbez is now a standard boss enemy - a special one, and a tough one, but a beatable one. And it would accompany only the appearance only of a total badass.

Looking at FF4's female cast yields interesting insight as to where video games were in terms of female representation at the time. FF4 has two major female characters: Rydia and the hero's love interest, Rosa. Rosa's seen a bit of a renaissance in recent years, adopted by folks in the wake of The After Years who want to see more heroic moms in gaming - which is a laudable goal. In the original game, though, I gotta say: Rosa is a depressing catalog of negative female game character stereotypes. She is defined near-wholly by her romantic relationship and her physical beauty. She exists largely to be a kidnap victim - to motivate a more important male character. Most of her prominent dialogue consists of her crying her love interest's name in distress. Her relationship with the other major female character is at times marked by condescent and cattiness toward her - bluntly, Rosa can sometimes be a mean girl (not a hallmark of game characters, maybe, but an unwelcome trope nonetheless). There are a couple spots that speak to a bit of depth in Rosa (she joins the Baronian army - to be close to her guy; she goes running after Cecil - but gets herself into trouble and winds up being a liability). For most of the game, though, Rosa represents the image of women video games largely had at the time: an object, someone who exists to be a trophy only.

But things were beginning to change, and that's where Rydia takes over. For a woman in a video game to get a Big Damn Hero moment like Rydia's, much less one this dramatically and effectively staged, was fairly unheard at the time - but for Rydia, it's allowed to be the way her character is defined, by power and competence, the tone-setter for her reintroduction as an adult participant in the story. It also marks how Rydia is allowed to be cool - she has a cool look and a cool, stylish summon animation (face lit, with a dramatic pause before those fiery orbs fan out), she can summon cool monsters, and she has cool weapons and that awesome Dancing Dagger. (Even her signature green represents a break from traditional palettes for female characters at the time.) Yeah, girls in games could be pretty - but coolness requires style, self-assurance, attitude: aspirational qualities that project self-worth. In other words, not qualities many women in games were typically permitted to exhibit in the past.

The scene also marks Rydia as a proactive character in the story, someone defined by outward action and energy. She is can-do - not passive, a trait embodied even in aesthetic touches like the vim with her overworld sprite often flips around and her vibrant palette. Even as a child, she has a strong spirit capable of rallying those around her, such as when she spurs Cecil and the others to renewed action after the defeat at Fabul. Even her breakdowns in the story (at Damcyan and in the Eblan Pass) have a distinctive ferocity and outward energy - her anger at Edward's defeatism, her weary frustration at losing so many good people to a long battle. And she’s allowed to have goals and motives related not to romance, but to more heroic ideals. When she and Rosa stow away in the Big Whale, Rosa's reasons for insisting on joining the fight are reduced to a need to be with Cecil ("I don't care how dangerous it is...as long as I'm with you!") Rydia, on the other hand, erupts from her hiding place with a jubilant "We did it!" and cites higher ideals for wanting to come along such as fellowship and devoting oneself to a "common cause," providing the rallying cry for the journey to the final battleground.

The Castle of Dwarves battle with Golbez is noteworthy for its use of battle mechanics to relay an important turn in the story - spell graphics, use of character and battle themes, everything right down to the party roster of character names, with the silent "shit just got real" beat where "Rydia" is added. For me, though, it holds equal significance for how it signaled the expanded roles female characters would finally be appointed in the years to come - how, in her own franchise, Rydia paved the way for characters like Lenna, Faris, Yuna, Ashe, and how in FF4, the dichotomy between gaming’s past and future was particularly striking. An incarnation of the previous ideal of perfect passive femininity couldn't hold a candle to this new glow. Our light was dim, but now, it was dazzling.

#final fantasy iv #rydia of mist #stuff i wrote

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