#it's a shame it wasn't in the remake

[laugtherhyena]

What being insane over Dra does to a mf

[paperhats-and-evil-schemes]

You know, I think what i fear most about all these soulless Disney remakes is that one day they'll take Hunchback of Notre Dame, one of the strongest and most daring Disney movies ever in its depiction of showing the dark sides of religion without demonizing faith as a whole, and that they'll take Judge Claude Frollo and either make him "sympathetic" or way less extreme than in the original, since Disney is nowhere near as ballsy to do something like directly criticize religious extremists anymore, I think, and that would just DESTROY the great impact that movie's messaging had.

That's not to say I have anything against sympathetic villains, but Frollo is one that was so strong BECAUSE of how awful he was and the position he held, and that fierce kind of villainy should NEVER be changed in his case imo. Very strong teaching moments in there for kids.

[rainy-day-gracie]

- wedding night (1) -

A Venus & Mars mini series

pairing: general marcus acacius x virgin!wife!reader

content warning(s); dual pov, arranged marriage, implied age gap but nothing specific, period typical misogyny (Ancient Rome), mentions of violence/warfare, mention (1) of sexual violence (not against reader), mentions of pregnancy, attempted bedding ceremony, reader has hair that can be pinned back, steamy kisses, crazy amounts of sexual tension, discussions of consent because consent is sexy mandatory, virgin!reader, SOFTTTTT marcus acacius, romantic and intimate as hell, grievous historical inaccuracy because it's fucking fanfiction, canon divergent because duh

a/n: this has been living in my head for weeks now, along with every new photo we get of general marcus acacius because of course. this can be read as a prequel to bloodlust, or read entirely on its own. the reader insert is written as the same character in each fic.

this will be part 1 of the wedding night, and part 2 will include smut :)

---

You considered bolting as the sun rose on the morning of your wedding day. Stealing one of the nobleman's horses, putting as many miles as you could between yourself and the General's country house.

But, from what you've heard about the General, there would not be a corner of the earth that he would not find you in.

Your palms were clammy with sweat as the handmaidens pinned your hair back into a style of a bride. You wondered how they couldn't possibly hear the quick, panicky beating of your heart as each moment brought you closer to what you considered a life sentence.

General Marcus Acacius is venerated like a god in Rome, and anywhere else. Men boast about his wartime accomplishments as if they were their own, and ladies whisper about his scarred face like they would a demon within the walls.

So many rumors swirling around the Emperor's most esteemed general.

His hands were permanently stained red with blood, he burns the heads of his enemies in sacrifice to the gods, he kills men with icy calculation, takes women with fiery passion.

You could only imagine what kind of monster was waiting for you at the altar.

---

Marcus was in no good spirits on the day of his wedding, the marriage forced on him almost as much as it was forced on his...

Gods above, his bride.

The idea of having a bride was almost as foreign as you yourself were, since never once had Marcus even considered marrying anyone. With all the bloodshed and near-death experiences, he never exactly considered himself a man that was meant to be a husband. Or a father, for that matter.

Marcus tried not to shudder at the end of the aisle as the chorus began singing, sounding all to close to a death march.

At the sound of the choir, you entered into the wedding hall, for all gods and men to see.

His bride.

The world seemed to be brighter, the flowers bloomed more beautiful, and Marcus' vision turned clearer as you stepped into his sight.

For a moment, he forgot all about the blood of men on his hands. The shame that burdened him was cast off. Maybe he wasn't completely condemned to the Underworld.

The very possibility of you being his bringing him more relief than any wine or fine lady. The possibility of you being in his life was... redeeming. Redefining. Remaking.

One look, and he made a vow, but not to you. To himself.

If any harm were to come to you, he would unleash the fury of the gods upon them. He would protect you to the end of his days. Honor you, and serve you, however you may wish.

---

Fear coated your every nerve as you beheld your soon-to-be husband.

Nothing could have prepared you for just how mighty General Acacius was. Tan, broad, and mighty, dressed in fine white robes similar to yours. His bare hands were strong, made for swinging axes, throwing punches, and taking what he wanted. At the altar, he seemed to be near brooding, speaking his vows quietly, his voice like a roll of thunder.

You managed to keep your voice steady while you spoke your vows, but there was nothing you could do to keep your hands from shaking as the priest brought out the rings.

The general reached for your hand, and you were unable to keep from trembling.

His touch was warm on your skin, his calloused fingers surprisingly gentle as he slid the gold wedding band onto your finger. You found the nerve to meet his brown eyes, finding something utterly unreadable as he held your gaze. Could it be... fondness?

Gods, he was beautiful.

His touch steadied you, though you still exchanged rings with a thundering heart.

"In the sight of Gods and men, you are now Husband and Wife. You may kiss your bride, General."

The priest's words echoed in your head.

Husband and Wife.

The general leaned forward, an unspoken question in his warm eyes.

Swallowing, you gave a near imperceptible nod.

For such a harsh man, such a dominating man, his kiss was utterly... soft. Tender. Almost coaxing.

After a moment, he pulled away first, and you could've sworn he lingered, cherishing the air between you... before turned to the cheering wedding party.

In an instant, he changed, switching from the gentle kiss of a lover to a commanding force, a man that drinks in praise like fine wine.

A mighty man, indeed.

---

Marcus tried his best to not feel too wounded that his new wife was completely terrified of him.

He felt the thundering pulse in your hand as he slid that ring on, and he wondered if you saw the wedding band as a chain, a set of shackles. It's all too true for other women in Rome.

You barely spoke to him during the wedding feast, only giving small nods and forced smiles in between sips of wine. He had a good feeling you were resisting the urge to swallow it down in one gulp.

Marcus couldn’t help but study you— at first innocently, taking in the curve of your lips, the shine of your eyes, the polite smile you gave when someone offered congratulations.

Damn his dirty mind. As the night went on, and the celebrations continued beyond what he would’ve liked, he tried, and failed, not to eye your body as a means of distraction from the rowdy feast.

It started with your neck. He traced the slope of it with his eyes, marking every freckle and curve. He prayed to all the gods that you would want him to leave his marks on you.

Downward, he peeked slightly at your breasts whilst cursing himself. Of course, they appeared perfect beneath your wedding stola, and he wondered what manner of sounds you would make when he took them into his hands, into his mouth.

And then… Gods, those hips—

“Time for the bedding ceremony!” Emperor Geta jeered, pulling you from your seat with a firm jerk of your elbow. His eyes were greedy, scheming. “Let us see what is underneath that—“

Your face flushed with either embarrassment or fear or both. And that was all Marcus needed to see.

“There will be no bedding ceremony.”

Marcus lowered his voice to a deep warning, the kind that has sent men running for their lives.

Geta scoffed, still holding to your elbow. “It’s a wedding, Acacius, it’s your wedding. Don’t you want to show off the prize of your latest conquest? Distribute the winnings? Strip down that—“

Marcus stood, towering several inches over Geta’s slimy face. “I said… there will be no bedding ceremony.”

Geta kept his hands on you, and Marcus’s vision tinged with red hot fury.

His voice was a rumble, a threat in itself. “It’s my wedding, is it not? And I say there will be no bedding ceremony.”

People were watching now, the feast gone silent at this standoff.

Marcus knew how to pick his battles, cut his losses. But when staring down Geta, the most powerful man in the empire, he realized that for you, he would pick every single one if it meant he kept you safe.

The moments that passed were crackling, the tension between the two men sucking all the air from the celebratory hall.

Geta saw something in Marcus’s unyielding gaze, something that told him he would not win this fight, and decided the bedding ceremony wasn’t worth the scrutiny.

As the Emperor walked away, Marcus took your hand, and led you to your marriage bed.

—

You couldn’t find the words.

The general nearly trembled in rage on the walk to the bedchambers, but still, he maintained that odd gentleness, holding your hand as if it were the most delicate thing in the world.

Servants opened the grand doors as you entered, showing a large room with a massive four poster bed and elegant tapestries lining the walls—

Then the doors shut. And you were left alone with the legendary, bloodletting general.

And you still couldn’t find the damn words.

You knew what came next. The husband will take what is now his.

In this case, you expected your husband to take you in the same way he took lands for the empire— violently, mercilessly, with the intention of forging new legacy, through a son of Rome.

“Before you ask, my General, I wish to assure you that I am untouched,” you blurted, quoting what your mother taught you to say before you were to be… intimate. “I am pure, though I can only hope to be worthy—“

“Darling wife,” the general said quietly, so different from the commanding force from the feast. He held your hands in his, leaning down and kissing your knuckles in reverence.

You went silent, shocked at the soft fondness in his tone.

He peered at you with curiosity, and almost amusement. “The only thing I wish from you is for you to call me by my name, not title. No general, no lord, but my name. I hear it so little nowadays that I will look forward to hearing it from your lips.”

“As you wish… Marcus,” you breathed, eyes locked on his.

Marcus let out a little sigh, like he was relieved. “It’s much prettier when you say it.”

You drop your head in bashfulness, more confused by the moment. The way he spoke so kindly, so fondly.

“You know what is meant to happen tonight?” Marcus asked, almost hesitantly. You nod, undeniable fear curling in your stomach. “I need you to understand something, my darling, so listen very carefully.”

He pulled you toward the bed, sitting you both down on the silken sheets. His eyes on yours were discerning, and intent, like he was searching for something within your stare.

“I will never, ever, force myself upon you. Not in this life, or the next, or the next. I know what you might’ve heard about me, and much of it is true, but never would I take a woman without her permission. You belong to yourself, and if you never should like me in your bed, I will honor that to the end of my days."

You blinked at him in confusion. "So, you do not... you do not want me?"

Marcus exhaled sharply, looking down at your intwined hands. "That... that does not matter."

"Why not? A husband has the right to take what is his--"

"No man has any right to take a woman's body for himself, husband or not. What... what do you think is to happen tonight?"

Heat rises to your face, embarrassed at the question. By the look on his face, he was embarrassed, too.

"I don't... I don't know how it works, but some of the other wives at court say that the consummation of marriage is one of the more... painful duties of a wife. What you are meant to do to me... it's painful," you murmured, and quickly begin stammering. "B-but is it a great honor to serve you, my--"

"May I kiss you, darling?"

Some candles had been left burning, illuminating him in a warm glow. Marcus's eyes were soft, a rich, chocolate brown in the light of your bedroom, and something about them made your core flutter like one of the candles.

"Yes... yes, please."

Marcus smiled softly, and moved his hands to the sides of your neck. They were scarred, and calloused... and so warm.

His lips met yours almost hesitantly, like he was holding himself back. They were tender, tasting of sweet wine. Fingers curled lightly into your pinned hair, pulling you closer as his chest pressed against yours.

You moved your mouth with his, suddenly feeling the need for... more. You didn't know what, but you just knew you needed it.

His tongue slipped against yours, and the groan that left his throat left your pussy throbbing.

"Marcus--" you gasped, losing your breath as his lips traveled down to your neck. You could've sworn he moaned in response, sucking at your pulse point, leaving it a delicious shade of red--

"Do you want me to keep going?" He gruffed, trailing light kisses along your throat.

Oh, gods, how you wanted him to. "Yes, but..."

Marcus withdrew instantly at your seemed hesitation, pulling his mouth away but keeping his hands in your hair.

"I'm fearful," you admitted, holding his tunic to keep your hands from shaking with both desire and nerves. "Not of you, but... the rest of it."

Marcus nodded, swallowing. "We could continue kissing, if you like."

You laughed lightly, the nerves mellowing for a moment. "I'm not sure I'm prepared to have you in that way, but I know that I want to. I know that I... I want you."

Marcus's soft eyes shone with fondness, but had a wicked edge to them, like he was plotting something.

"I know I want you as well, darling. I promise, I will make sure you are prepared to have me... perhaps even over-prepared."

Your brows furrowed with confusion. "What do you mean?"

The general smiled. "I'll show you what I mean."

Part 2 here!

[riniworld]

my perfect soldier

yandere!emperor x general!f!reader

warnings// mention of blood+injury, that much it.

reference// you,general, woman/girl, y/n, she/her.

remake of this hcs

a/n// i was having a bad wi-fi and when i wanted to save the draft it didn't save, i had a damn long heart attack, then when i was about to cry it said that it had been saved, man the scare!

born and raised as the heir of the throne,in a luxurious life,some people will dream to live like his life, but he hated it.

Baron hated how he shouldn't act like a child because he's the heir, hated the boring meeting he has to attend with his father, hated how he didn't get attention,but he hated his parents more than anything.

a small light lightened his life,his brother,who came to him after 8 years from suffering alone,as he grew up,baron took his responsibility upon himself,he won't let his brother live like him.

in the night of his eighteenth birthday, instead of hearing clapping and partying for him,what the castle heard was a scream, echo in every corner of it.

in that day the death of the emperor and his wife was confirmed and he stood there without guilt or shame "i did it." was Baron's first words on that night.

he did it,he got rid of his misery, he got his revenge for his shattered childhood, for his brother's tears.

he got rid of his misery and gave the people a new misery.

And who can prosecute him? he is the law after all,he put it and he eras it.

as a young boy it wasn't professional to give him the throne but he insisted and killed everyone that was against it.

as the years passed,baron was expanding his empire taking as much kingdoms as he please, starting with small ones to the large ones.

however,Yale,baron's brother,didn't like all the blood that was sacrifice for his brother's pleasure,hence he left the whole empire at age 18,and has never communicate his brother again.

This got on Taron's,as he named himself, nerves, wich lead him to take out his anger on the civilians,the smallest mistake lead to getting killed.

life started to get boring for him until he heard about you,a powerful general that no one had defeated,not like the kingdom you were in was under too much pressure or popular,but it won't hurt him to take it anyway.

anxiety kicking in as you hurry to the throne room, the king asked for you to come,it's not everyday he want to see you so it's must be something important.

a loud thud was heard as you open the door aggressively.

you bow your head a little as you see the prince standing in the room,he smiled at you softly in return,when you get closer to the king you kneeled down on one knee and bowing your head down in front of him.

"your majesty." you said steadily.

"Excuse me for bringing you from your duties in a hurry,general, however we received information that you should hear." the king explain "I'm sure you've heard about the falling kingdoms by now?"

you stood up "i did,your majesty, apparently the new emperor isn't as peaceful as his father."

after a minute of silent the king spoke again "i don't know what is his purpose by this.." he walked to a close table and took a latter that was on it "but it seems we're next." he handed it to you. "I'm counting on you about this."

you opened your mouth to speak but the prince cut you off.

"pardon me but what! you're saying the emperor wants to take our kingdom and you still want to fight? father no one happen to stop him!." he said irritated but didn't rise his voice.

"what do you suggest then? giving up easily? so everyone can call us cowards?" the king said calmly (dumbledore said calmly)

"It is better than wasting the blood of soldiers in vain."

the king sighed in frustration and motion for you to go.

you bow your head and headed out immediately.

planning to call every battalion commander to discuss the plan for the battle.

the day of the battle came,everyone was anxious even you,you'll fight the emperor how can you not?

but as the general you need to keep a steady expression as you check on every soldier,recuse the frightened ones and reassure the ones that has a slight anxiety.

The promised hour has come, you wear your armor, it wasn't alot but it did just enough.

you arrive at the place at the same time taron's has arrive, you two were at the head of your army.

taron scoff as soon as he sees you "a woman? is that what your king could bring? what a joke."

you got irritated, you've always hated when someone talks about you because you were a woman, You extended your hand to the side and someone gave you a bow, you throw the arrow at taron, it didn't land on him as you knew this was a big move to do first but it did scratch his cheek and killed one behind him,you return the bow and say"i didn't laugh" in a calm manner.

taron put his finger on the scratch and look at his blood, he smiled crazily. This was the signal for the beginning of the war.

Two hours have passed since the start of the battle، and it did not go well in your favor. Many of your soldiers were dying, but that does not mean that you were not advancing as well.

you were against the emperor the whole time and the first thing you learned about him is that he's not a silent type because he was talking the whole damn fight.

in a quick motion his blade was at your neck,you expected your head to chop off, but instead taron was smiling widely as he looked in your eyes "it would be such a waste to kill you now." he said.

then he removed the blade away from you as he announced to his army to withdraw.

you wanted to yell after him to come back,to end things, you couldn't return to the kingdom with such shame, even if you didn't lose you know deep down that you would have if he didn't do that.

when you return to the kingdom the king received you with clapping hand and congratulation, you didn't even left your head up you don't know how to tell him what happened in the field.

you were sitting on a bench at the practice ground, your head between your hand thinking about everything.

you felt someone sitting beside you, you were ready to kick out whoever was there but when you left your head up you shut your mouth close, it was the prince "your royal highness!."

the prince was smiling slightly at you,like always, "why are you here alone?."

"I'm just...resting." you say turning your head away.

"you don't seem like usual, what happened at the battle?."

you pause don't know how to say it, "i-..wouldn't have won if the emperor took it seriously," the prince hummed "he was an inch away from killing me but he just backdown..i don't count this as a won." you continue.

"well,what were you expecting from an emperor?, i respect your power but as much as you've been in the army he must have been practicing more, I'm just happy you're alive." he put his hand on yours.

you looked at him with soft eyes like you were about to cry, in return he looked in your eyes as he spoke "how about you accompany me to the town,hm? like old days."

right,in one point of your serving here you were his personal knight wich made you two so close to each other, even if you treat him as a royal prince he always has treated you as a friend, wich made you,as much as you don't want to admit it,falling for him.

"that would be an honor,your highness."

"great." the prince took your hand and drag you outside.

seeing all the people in the town safe, smiling and laughing was enough to make you smile and forget about the battle.

on the other side,at taron's castle.

"she's incredible." taron was lying on the bed, smiling staring at the roof.

His personal advisor was standing at the door inside "if you say so,your majesty."

taron sighed dreamly "i can't wait for our next battle,y/n, was it?."

"it is,your majesty."

"Gather as much information of her as possible."

"as you wish,your majesty."

the battles continued to happen,Day after day, taron becames quicker to announce the second battle,he start,what you consider it as,flirting in the middle of your fight, saying things such as, "you look gorgeous with blood." , "you make me more insane in your love,dear" , "won't you consider becoming my personal soldier? oh,or maid!." you nearly cut his arm off when he said that, he sometimes cross the lines saying some personal information no one knows.

you got enough with his playing, always announce a battle then backdown when he's close to knocking you off.

it all changed though at that fateful day.

after every fight the prince,keith,would come to you, talking or taking you out with him, the civilians noticed that as much as the servants did, and the rumors spread quickly about you two being in some sort of relationship.

it eventually reached taron's empire.

"what is this fucking thing i hear?! what do you mean there's a rumor about my woman being in a relationship?!" taron was holding his personal adviser by his collar.

"i-i don't know your maje-it what I've heard!." the man says frightened.

taron throws him away making him hit the ground "oh,i know what I'll do, if that shame of a man wants to take my girl away, then I'll just have to make him to never see her again, prepare the army, we'll go get what's mine."

and that's how you end up looking at him standing above while you bleed on the ground.

finally ending this

have a good day/night♡

[robbinghisdick]

Putting a pause to hero work didn't help Dick get more rest like he thought it would. With no financial backing from Bruce, Dick was left working as many hours as he could to afford rent and time off once the baby came. He was exhausted beyond belief and sore all over. His due date was still a solid month away and it might as well have been an eternity. He was done.

Once home, he cooked and told himself he'd worry about the dishes later. As he went to the couch, something moved in his peripheral vision. His reaction time was slow, body jerking and tripping over his own feet. The bowl fell from his hands as he prioritized catching himself on the counter. The porcelain bowl shattered as it hit the ground.

Dick glanced to his side to see Slade staring at him and his head hung with a heavy sigh. Of course he invited himself over. Why not. Looking at the broken remains of his dinner, the only thing he could currently stomach, he felt his eyes burn with incoming tears. He should've been able to catch that.

Don't be ridiculous, Dick scolded himself, it's just some noodles and a bowl. Getting angry at himself only served to make his eyes water more. He straightened up and swallowed hard.

"It's not spilt milk, but are we really going to cry over this, Grayson?" Slade asked.

Dick squeezed his hands into fists, eyes closing and taking in a deep breath. "I'm not in the mood, Slade." He hadn't been in the mood for Slade's taunts for a while now.

"No kidding."

Something in Dick snaps. "Oh fuck you!" He snarled. "Get out!

Slade seemed taken aback, hands half raised. "As ease-"

"NO! Get the fuck out of my apartment!" Dick started to storm forward, ready throw Slade out by force. "How many times do I have to tell you-"

Slade's eye narrowed and rushed forward, grabbing Dick by the shoulder. He forced the other man back a step and Dick heard the crunch of Slade's boot against broken porcelain.

Dick stared down at the floor, at the remains of his dinner and how close he had been to stepping in it bare footed.

The anger deflates into a sob.

Once the tears spill he couldn't stop them, defeated and exhausted.

"Please just go," Dick begged, hating himself for crying in front of Slade, hating the way the man was looking at him.

Unsurprisingly, Slade didn't listen. He moved Dick around the broken plate and gently pushed him towards the couch. "Go sit down. I'll clean this up."

With his breath hiccuping with sobs, Dick wasn't in the place to argue, and he really didn't feel like bending down to clean up the mess himself. He sat on the couch but continued to watch Slade as he went to open up the pantry and grabbed a broom and dustpan.

"Your due date must be getting close if you're getting this worked up over nothing," Slade unhelpfully commented as he began to sweep.

Through tears, Dick glared at him. "Well maybe I'm just tired of some weird old man not listening to me when I tell him to leave me alone."

Slade gave Dick an unimpressed look. "You've sought me out before, don't give me that." The dustpan is emptied in a trashcan before a rag was grabbed, wiping up the remainder of the mess. "Did you really just make yourself plain boiled noodles?"

"They had butter and salt..." Dick said, tensing at the judgement he felt coming from Slade. "Listen, right now I will throw up if anything has too strong of a taste or a smell." He sighed heavily, fresh tears welling up in his eyes. "And I'm out of butter." So great. Couldn't even remake the meal Slade startled him into dropping.

He could hear Slade approaching, but didn't look up at him.

"Do you want me to go to the store or pick something up?"

Dick buried his face into his hands. "I want you to leave."

"Not one of the options I just gave you," Slade said, unbothered.

One of the last things Dick wanted to do was rely on Slade. He didn't want to owe him anything, he didn't want Slade to think he was needed. But Dick knew he wouldn't be able to drag himself to the store. Shame coiled heavy in his chest at the thought of reaching out to his friends for something so dumb. Slade was already here and couldn't think any lower of him.

Shoulders drooping and hands dropping away from his face, Dick relented. "Okay."

"Store?" Slade asked, continuing when Dick nodded, "Do you need anything else?"

Dick shook his head.

"The corner store is on a few minutes walk away, go ahead and boil the noodles, I won't take long."

///

Dick had calmed down by the time Slade returned and he finally got to eat. He was too tired to shrug Slade off as he joined him on the couch. Whether he liked to admit it or not, Slade was warm and was so easy to melt into.

He jolts slightly as Slade's hand touched his swollen stomach.

"When's your due date?"

Dick sighed heavily, not lifting his head from Slade's shoulder. "She's not yours," he said instead of answering the question. To be fair, there was a nearly non-existant chance that the father was a man Dick hooked up with for a one-night stand. They used protection, but that was never 100%. However... Dick knew she was Slade's. It was barely a doubt in his mind. All he could do was pray that she'd have dark hair and look nothing like Slade. Maybe if Dick kept telling him that the baby wasn't his, he'd loose interest.

"So it's a girl?"

Dick finally lifted his head to give Slade a stern look. "Whatever the baby is doesn't concern you."

Slade met Dick's gaze unwaveringly, reaching up to brush some hair out of Dick's face. "You keep telling yourself that, kid."

Dick grimaced. "Don't call me kid."

With a muttered, half-hearted apology, his hand cupped Dick's cheek and he pulled him close. Dick knew he should push Slade away, but leaned into the kiss.

More than he liked to admit, he missed being kissed. Dating and hook-ups were obviously off the table, but Dick wanted to feel the press of another body against his own. The stroke of a hand through his hair, the warm press of lips, and the caress of calloused fingers against him.

The guilt in indulging himself and Slade caught up a couple minutes later and he broke the kiss with a sigh and a turn of his head.

"Why are you here?"

"It doesn't seem like you and the Bat have made up and you're, what, seven? Eight months pregnant?" Slade tilted his head slightly. "And I imagine you haven't told many, if any, of your friends about me, so you've likely cut yourself off from them. Someone has to check on you."

At times like this, Dick was reminded how much he hated that Slade knew him, at least just enough to be entirely correct. The only people who knew about Slade were Roy and Donna. Things were already in a rough patch with Bruce before he got pregnant.

"Do you have a contract in Blüdhaven?" Dick asked, deciding to ignore what Slade said.

"No. I'm not taking contracts in Blüdhaven or surrounding cities right now."

Dick blinked, baffled. "Why?"

"You're pregnant, you can't be Nightwing," Slade answered.

For a moment, Dick stared at Slade as if waiting for the man to realize how ridiculous he sounded. Right now was literally the perfect time to take advantage of the fact that Dick physically couldn't stop him.

But there it was. With what Slade lacked in respecting boundaries, he made up for in respecting Dick as a hero. A thorn in his side he'd never actually try to take out for reasons Dick couldn't entirely understand.

"What?"

Dick felt the urge to cry again, but this time his eyes didn't water. "Why are doing this?"

Slade huffed. "You could just say thank you." He doesn't seem particularly annoyed.

You make it hard to hate you, are the words that don't leave Dick's mouth. Slade had done unforgivable things. He's hurt him, he's hurt his friends. But they've also worked together, he's seen Slade draw lines and do good. If he were a full blooded monster, it'd be easy for Dick to hate him enough to shut him out. Maybe then Slade would take him seriously when he asked him to stay away.

It wasn't love... so why was this so hard?

[myoldurlwasemo]

potentially unpopular (but undeniably correct) Maria SH2 opinion incoming.

I am normally so profoundly against the "oh no, they un-sexified my video game woman" rhetoric but it is so critically important to who Maria is as a character and to the overall theming of the game as a whole, and to put her in a more conservative outfit is so blatantly missing the point that it makes me deeply worried for the direction of this remake and the dev's grasps on the games most central theme.

Silent Hill 2 is an exploration into the psychosexual guilt of a man who experienced carnal urges while his wife was dying of a mysterious disease and physically unavailable to him. Maria is the most concrete confirmation of and confrontation with this theme that exists in the game. A mirror of his dead wife, meant to look James in the face and say "this is what you wanted, right?" She HAS to be identifiably sexual on sight, because Maria only exists to be a purposeful avatar of this concept.

it is ESSENTIAL TO THE PLOT that Maria is aware of and in CONTROL of her sexuality. Not only is it critical to James' story and his overall theming, but part of the tragedy of Silent Hill IS Maria's own story. Maria, who feels like a real, whole person, is an invention of the town made explicitly and only to torture James. Part of the tragedy is that Maria herself was born (from a wish, ba dum tss) by a malevolent supernatural force to exist as a sexual object. Maria, who is brought back to life again and again to be killed brutally, begging for James to save her. Maria, who comes to understand that she will never live up to the ideal of James' dead wife, and will continually beg to be taken seriously as her own person. The only thing she has to offer is her sexuality, the one thing James couldn't get from Mary; the thing that brought him to the town, to her. It her is primary character function, and it wasn't done to objectify her for shits and giggles, or because the devs were pervs who wanted a sexy woman in their game. It was done because that, in itself, is a horrifying, gut-wrenching reality to be brought into, a fundamentally ABYSMAL reason to exist. It IS the horror.

Maria exists exclusively to be a confrontation with James' sexual guilt. She is a specter that haunts the hallways James walks down, a shadow that hovers over his shoulder, the object of his shame and desire. Maria is the worst, most carnal aspects of James' urges made manifest, standing before him, tempting him deeper into the clutches of the town, muddying his senses with her physical allure.

Maria's outfit actually IS that deep. Part of the tragedy is that she only exists to be objectified. It is a commentary in itself. This is the one time EVER (god willing) that I will champion a woman being in a revealing outfit in a video game, because this is the one time it actually fucking MATTERS

maybe this is an unpopular opinion but as an afab person these themes are so so important and identifiable to me. it reflects the horror of every day life as a woman and magnifies them tenfold. it is tragic, it is awful, it is sick, and the point isn't to glorify it, but to call attention to it. it forces you to engage, to not turn your head away. and that matters to me.

anyways bloober team really be bloobing all over this IP huh

[kaibutsushidousha]

Thoughts on Solomon/Romani and Goetia?

A long time ago, Nasu wrote a character named Angra Mainyu. Angra was randomly chosen to have a greater spiritual purpose and because of that he never learned how to be human, but after unique circumstances in a Servant summon, he got the opportunity to have the mundane life he never had in his time, finally learn to be human, and because he valued what he took so long to obtain, he felt compelled to return himself to nothing so that the people he cared about wouldn't lose it.

Great narrative, right? Shame that it happened in the limited frame of the mind of Emiya Shirou, a notorious tsundere. Imagine how hard this same story would hit if it happened to a character much more expressive. Someone who, while not exactly honest because Romani was even more full of secrets than Angra, was super open about his joys and griefs, engaged intensely with everything without exception, and overall the symbol of positivity among the team.

Romani may be a pessimist and chicken at heart, but he's rivaled only by remake Roa in terms of being tangibly happy to be alive, and that adds so much weight to his conclusion.

Both to Solomon and Goetia, Romani represents the difference between knowledge and experience. Solomon never learned to be human because he lived his whole life doing as the voice of God told him to. He knew everything but never learned anything. He was a good judge of character, a good legislator, and a good administrator, but couldn't a good person because he wasn't a person at all.

Solomon lived his life on autopilot, feeling nothing about the many tragedies he saw. With the power to see past, present, and future, Solomon did nothing about the horrible tragedies within his sight but beyond his reach, because he objectively knew his choices were optimal. That's why Goetia disparages him as the heartless and uncaring king.

But Romani is different. Their core as a compulsive people-pleaser with a crippling fear of disappointing remains the same, but Romani is not self-assured like Solomon was. Romani needed to go out and see the world, learn things the hard way, try and fail, and accept being disliked. Every Servant not named Bedivere is vocally critical of him, but in his 10 years alive, Romani learned to live with that. He's someone who always tries his best but values the experience of his failures as much as his successes. That's why his final answer to Goetia was "There's nothing to feel angry about". The same answer Solomon would have given, but with completely different in terms of unspoken meaning.

Goetia already has his own post, so I don't need to extend his part much, but same deal. Goetia is mad at mortality because he knows it but never experienced it. Then after Ars Nova, he experiences it and suddenly gets what it's about. Mirror to Solomon as Romani valuing the world by experiencing it.

Goetia was really intent on having Mash as the one human who agrees with his vision, and the beginning of the story, Mash could have agreed, because although she knew a lot of history, she never experienced history. But 7 Singularities and any number of events later, she did, so history mattered a lot more to her than Goetia's dreams of deathlessness.

[widowmura]

Figured I'll finally post these. Initially I planned on making a Bloodweave visual novel using TyrannoBuilder. However, due to my mental disability, I realised I wasn't able to understand the coding needed to customize the features and flow I wanted. I had to remake it from scratch twice because I wanted to change the menu icon and because it wouldn't let me, and due to lack of online support, I decided that if any hiccup ended up with me losing all my progress, it was better to leave it be. Plus, I have other projects I'm working on now. It's a shame because I really wanted to make a visual novel for these two but in the end it was just too sensitive and too complicated for me to fully get behind. Anyway, here's the backgrounds I made until I couldn't continue any more. The general style was based off of the style / vibe of Darkest Dungeon.

[zelda-the-sacred-realm]

Which of your Links is the one from Link's Awakening? Can I give him a big good hug, pretty please? Link's Awakening is the very first Zelda I ever played back on the good olde Gameboy when I was a wee small child, bringing me into the franchise. For that, it will forever have a special place in my heart (shame I had to pass on the remake; the characters looked way too much like plastic figurines for my taste).

Then you're looking for Pinky! If you brought him an apple he will hug you for hours and hours! 🍎

I really love Link's awakening so I understand how special it is, it wasn't my first Zelda but I played it and I can say that I love it a lot!

The story literally conquered me with how sweet it is, even though I always found the ending very sad 😭

I'm happy I draw this for you! I hope you like it!

Thanks for your ask! 💖

[108garys]

Em=Hannah

Consider this an unofficial part two of my previous writing on Emily's character, a certain thought that has been in the back of my mind for a while(seriously, I wanted to write this out before the remake came out and just did not have the time over the past few months)

At anyrate there's a few things to be clear about first, the prank will be discussed in a manner that speaks of intent, outcome and intended outcome sepreately, I have zero intention of downplaying the severity when I talk about Hannah in this and I hope we can at least see this as an everyone sucks type of situation.

So to spell out the actual premise of this analysis, I believe Em=Hannah socially in the fallout of the prologues events and is bearing the social consequences Hannah would have received if things went to plan.

For this we must understand that completely apart from the terribleness of the prank, the disappearance and Hannah immediately removing her shirt were not considered factors and the prank of course relies on Hannah's willingness to go for someone already taken(again there is a grey area between making her an innocent victim and putting all the blame on her, okay? I won't disclaimer it again).

So I asked myself how was this supposed to go? Would it get to barely kissing and everyone jumps out and shames her? Perhaps, but after that what would the friend group situation look like? Obviously Sam and Hannah's siblings would stand by her but this would be a massive stain on her reputation with the group but that's not how it went and in my opinion that stain is borne by Emily, as it was ostensibly done "for her" even though if you honestly look at it Emily is no more involved than Ashley and infact did nothing other than be present, the fact that it was done "for her" over inflateS her sense of responsibility in the minds of both characters and players alike.

Firstly I wanted to reference how Jess speaks of Hannah in the prologue is relatively similar to how she speaks of Em in the main game, as the intruding party, and that the fallout of their friendship is brutal and I'm sure if Hannah had been around in the to plan version that fallout would have been equally brutal for Hannah.

Another thing to consider is that the prom photo has Hannah/Sam/Mike/Emily which places these four as particularly close outside of Emily's friendship with Jess and Hannah's crush on Mike so I do believe that Emily was much more enmeshed in a perceived core part of the broader friend group before everything.

Continuing on with old photos, the twins wear black and white interchangeably in photos but obviously in the prologue Hannah is wearing black but Emily on the other hand was wearing blue both in the prologue and in her old photos, so this means that her main colour changes from blue to black and she's the only other character than Hannah to wear (almost) all black on screen, through this lens this is symbolism of Emily's position in the group shifting to fill Hannah's social role in wake of the twins disappearance.

She is often judged more harshly both by the other characters and by the player despite how other characters are acting in the same situation, like her reaction to Mike jumping out at her and Matt on the path was entirely reasonable but it's still implied that she is being a certain way which is the first taste of her being framed as a villain despite the fact that she hadn't done anything to earn it.

Beyond this Emily's time alone in the mines is most similar to Hannah's experience, she even has a leg injury at the time much like Hannah broke her leg in the fall. Hannah's continued anger at Emily post transformation is an interesting parallel to Emily and Jess's rivalry, Hannah's jealously is twisted into a deep seated hatred for her perceived main obstacle to everything she wanted(likely with a large side of her monstrous self blaming her as the reason she ended up like that because if she wasn't dating Mike then the prank wouldn't have happened) and Emily is on the other side of this very same happiness and similarly lashes out at the people who ruined her good thing, not only her relationship to Mike but her place in the group.

A point that's been stuck in my mind that further emphasizes the Em=Hannah lens is that Emily can be betrayed by everyone else involved in the prank to some degree: Jess betrays her friendship, Mike can kill her, Ash non determinantly encourages him, Matt can leave her to die. She constructs part of herself just as much as Hannah(or Jess) did to be liked but because she's already been burnt it comes off differently and is a defensive measure rather than an appealing front. She is jaded and desperately wants to be proven wrong, she was at the center of the prologue's prank, every single person involved supposedly doing this "for her", so when the object of their ire is not present, when guilt and blame sets in, a new object needs to receive that ire because otherwise it was all for nothing and it was of course done for her.

So that concludes my Em=Hannah analysis and I will again note that this was conceptualized and written without influence of the remake and is entirely based in the original release. Beyond that anything said negatively about the rest of the cast is more so through this lens and not a general reflection on them all together.

Tags?

@kassiekole22 @delurkr @ctrvpani @eframschweigersskincells

@conra @tinynightmarewoman @qusok @kindheartedgummybears I hope this all makes sense as its months of scattered thoughts written down after a recent replay to refresh my memory 😅

[buckevantommy]

I saw you're watching Love, actually and how it's a shame there is no queer storyline in it (I agree) but I'm here to tell you about Alles is liefde (Love is all) it's basically a Dutch remake of Love Actually and it DOES feature a queer storyline. It's from 2007 - you might be able to find it online somewhere with English subtitles. In my opinion it's better than Love Actually. The story is that the couple are engaged, one of them has cold feet but hides it until he has a bit of a breakdown after his mum dies, and says 'no' when he's asked to say 'I do' when they're standing at the altar and runs away. He actually goes to work but can't think clearly and screws up, and ends up talking to a "random" guy (who later turns out to be his long lost dad) in the cemetery (he's a funeral director) and the dialogue is just *chef's kiss*. "I walked out of my own wedding this morning." "Why? Didn't you love her enough?"

"I've never loved anyone this much."

"What's her name?"

"Victor." and it's not played for laughs or anything, the 'randomer' just takes a second to process and then just goes "right. that's also a possibility of course." and starts to talk to him about holding onto this Victor guy if he loves him and Victor loves him back. And the film ends with them getting married after all - with his dad there.

and now I'm picturing a bucktommy AU where it's Tommy who has the breakdown and accidentally meets his dad and finds out the asshole that he grew up with wasn't his bio dad. And this guy wants to be there for him and get to know him and his fiancé and is just the supportive dad Tommy deserves.

excuse me?? this sounds great and now i'm mad i don't speak dutch 😩🤲💘 (and that song is catchy af)

it's on prime and apple if you can work the vpn i guess, but part 2 is also on veoh: https://www.veoh.com/watch/v146166052JNNF3Rz (sadly piratebay is down atm - i repeat, piratebay is down 😭)

I NEED THAT BUCKTOMMY AU RIGHT NOW PLEASE 🙏🫠💞

i think fandom is still lacking with the long AUs, and i've always found drafting out fusions of movies for ships to be so fun. i'd love to see someone take this idea and run with it... 👀🫡

[struck-by-the-rain]

ok ok I thought for one second about how it's a shame there's no official rh spinoff about joe (BC he's the main/most developed character) and then I REMEMBERED!!!!

there's an old fangame called karateka mania that's basically karate man but it's a bit more like a normal rhythm game and has custom charts

its similar to another fangame called polyrhythm mania, which is basically the same deal but also has a story mode!!!! and that got me thinking,,,,, what if there was a karateka mania mod/remake (as the original site w the game got taken down) with a story mode!! aaaa id love to work on smth like this as a project,,, if only I wasn't a busy grad student w little ability to code,,,,,

[3mcwriting]

Any Fan's Dream, Part 24

Any Fan's Dream Masterlist

Synopsis:

When you look around and see Avengers Tower in front of you and Peter Parker beside you, you wonder how the hell you managed to get into the MCU.Keep reading

Sorry this chapter is a day late, I was remaking the taglist and that took a lot longer than expected so I just passed out after lol

Taglist: @secretly-sirens, @zeeader, @imdoingathingmom, @x-theolivia, @ainsley-official, @ourgoddessathena, @vine-enthusiast, @hoohoohope, @myfturn, @mjaudrey, @igotthisasajokeyetimstillhere, @starr60, @lauraashley93, @coldmermaidhologram, @daenerysluvrr, @viperchick47, @im-better-than-your-newborn, @mynightandstars, @qvnthesia, @liallerr, @cypherverze, @afraidofshrimp, @alexsmonstercan, @huntress-artemiss, @im-better-than-your-newborn, @marvelwomen-arehot

Hope I finally got everyone!! Also, if anyone is getting notified for the first time in a while about this fic, just know my acc has been bugging for a while so you may have missed the recent updates.

As the bright lights carried you back to Earth, you couldn't help but curse yourself for not talking to Heimdall. 

It was Heimdall for goodness sake!

You were extremely disappointed in yourself. He was so cool! He deserved someone to appreciate all the times he had committed treason in order to save Asgard! You couldn't believe yourself. You hadn't even said one word to him!

You stopped berating yourself when the rainbow lights began to fade, taking in the familiar surroundings when the Bifrost was gone. You looked down, feeling both guilty at the marking on the ground and also in awe of it. On the one hand, it was proof of the Bifrost but on the other hand, it looked like a lot of work for the gardener to fix.

You were pulled out of your thoughts when Natasha grabbed your hand and began leading you to the compound. 

With Natasha on your right side, pulling you along, Peter walked beside you on your left side. He looked like what you imagined you looked like the first time you saw the compound—of course, his curious face was undoubtedly more adorable than whatever face you had been making. That experience had been surreal.

The three of you had appeared relatively far from the building itself, so when you were about halfway to the compound, the doors burst open and half of the Avengers came pouring out. Wanda and Steve reached the three of you first, but Clint and Scott weren't far behind them. 

"Are you okay, (y/n)?" Wanda asked, accented voice soft. 

You nodded and grinned, spreading your arms. "I'm all healed."

"I'm glad." She smiled back. "Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?"

Your grin got even bigger. "Of course!" 

How could you say no to Wanda motherfucking Maximoff???? She was literally amazing and strong and kind and caring and-

HOLY SHIT SHE'S HUGGING MEEEEEEE!!!!

You reciprocated the hug eagerly, more than happy to receive a hug from the one and only Wanda Maximoff. It wasn't a very long hug, which you had expected considering you hadn't really interacted with Wanda much (which was such a shame) but you were more than happy with the short, reassuring embrace she gave you. 

When she pulled away, she smiled at you. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Uh..." Your brain had stopped working at the realization of how pretty her smile was. "...You're super awesome, Wanda."

She laughed. "Thank you, (y/n)."

Wanda patted you on the shoulder one more time before moving out of the way for Clint and Scott to approach you. Scott gave you two thumbs-up and a bright grin while Clint gave you a side-hug, telling you softly that "he was glad you were okay". At that point, you were pretty much on Cloud Nine; after all, you had just been given a hug by Wanda and you got to interact with Scott and Clint who were both wholesome dads and with your parental issues, they seemed like incredibly amazing parents to you.

"I know everyone is relieved to see her, but we should go inside so she can sit down. She needs her rest," Natasha spoke up, having watched you greet them all with a smile on your face that caused a smile to grow on hers. 

You wanted to protest, but you knew that you had worried Natasha a lot recently so you figured you could listen to her. 

The little group of you, Peter, and Natasha, had more than doubled with the four new arrivals. You all walked back, Peter still beside you while Nat moved to walk beside Clint as she talked to him. As you looked at the people around you, you couldn't help but notice Steve's silence.

Your thoughts about them were halted when you realized you were about to step into the compound. Any time Steve had brought you to the compound, the two of you had stayed outside and just gone on runs. Never had you gone inside, though. It wasn't even that Steve had said you weren't allowed or anything, there just had never been a reason to go in. But as the rest of the group walked in, you felt yourself take in a quick breath. You were about to enter the Avengers compound. To you, it was practically sacred ground.

You weren't given much time to soak in the awesomeness; instead you were ushered to a free bedroom by Natasha and insisted to rest for a little while. The healers on Asgard had said it would be a good idea to rest for a couple days, just because you were mortal and they were used to treating humans. You didn't really mind the rest, even if you felt guilty for making everyone worry, because for the last week you hadn't had one hour of sleep that wasn't riddled with nightmares.

After Natasha and Peter left you to relax, both giving you a hug, you found yourself unbelievably bored. Thankfully, a knock at the door was able to catch your attention.

"Come in!" you called out, fiddling with the thick comforter before your hands froze as you saw who it was. "Oh."

Bucky immediately noticed your halt in movement. "I'm sorry. I can go, if you'd like."

"No!" You winced at your own volume, especially when you saw him cringe at it. "Sorry. I just meant that it's fine if you stay."

"Are you sure?" He was clearly reluctant to take up your time. You thought it might be because he wasn't very comfortable with people quite yet but your theory was wrong. You didn't have a clue that his actions were motivated by guilt, which was pretty stupid considering guilt is something you'd gotten well acquainted to.

"Yeah. Promise." You smiled at him, shocked and delighted that Bucky Barnes was approaching you. 

He cleared his throat, looking away from you. "I just came to say thank you."

You blinked. "What for?"

Bucky looked at you questioningly. Had you lost your memory during the fight? He felt even guiltier at the thought of that, but that would explain why you seemed so happy to see a criminal—

"Ohhhh," you realized, "I'm stupid. It was my pleasure—well, I mean getting stabbed wasn't ideal but I'm glad you didn't get hurt.

You smiled at him earnestly, hoping to convey your appreciation for him through the gesture. He was one of the heroes who suffered the most and you found hope in his strength. 

Bucky didn't really know what to do. How could he? You had risked your life to save his and now you were saying it was your pleasure? It took him a moment to realize who you reminded him of. The reckless actions for the greater good? The putting aside your own pain to save others from it? You were just like Steve was before the war. Optimistic, unapologetically willing to do the right thing, and with far too little regard for your own safety. 

Just thinking about the similarities between you and his best friend, a small smile came to his face. "Well, still, thank you. I probably would have died had you not stepped in and I am indebted to you."

"There's no need for that. I mean, it sound kinda cool to have an Avenger be in my debt, but I'd rather you just be my friend." Your eyes were so honest and hopeful and Bucky had a hard time accepting what you were asking. 

The entire situation didn't make sense though, so maybe he was dreaming?

"You want me to be your friend?" Bucky asked slowly, as if he was listening to another language and slowly trying to decipher the meaning behind the words. 

"I mean-" you were starting to regret your words. What if he didn't feel comfortable with it? You didn't want to make him feel obligated to be your friend. "-I just think you're cool. If you don't want to be, I understand. I just thought it would be nice..."

He still didn't know how this situation was happening, but he wasn't averse to your question. He just didn't want to hurt anybody. Having friends meant the possibility of hurting them. "If you would like me to, I would be honored."

Your heart stopped when he smiled at you. 

DAMMIT WHY DID EVERYONE HERE HAVE SUCH NICE SMILES??????? MY HEART CAN'T TAKE SUCH BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Uh..." you were slightly dazed before snapping out of your stupor. You didn't want to scare him off. "Awesome! Oh—also, my name is (y/n) (l/n). I just realized we never really officially introduced ourselves."

"I'm Bucky, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

When Bucky left, he still couldn't believe what had transpired. He'd gone in expecting you to be mad at him for your wound, which wasn't his fault, but he still felt guilty for it. He had expected fear or regret but had been greeted with excitement and earnest friendliness. 

He could understand why the rest of the people in this place seemed to care for you so much. 

~~

You rubbed the crust from your eyes, groaning as you began to wake up. You weren't sure how long you'd been out, but you could already tell that had been one of the greatest naps of your life. What with the chaos of the past week, you hadn't had a good nights rest for a while and your body was paying for it. The healers on Asgard telling you to take the next couple days easy was something your sleep deprived self desperately needed and while you would've preferred to be completely okay, you couldn't deny that you were relieved. Besides, even if you tried to avoid resting Natasha didn't seem like she'd go along with that.

You sat up in the bed, reality hitting you like a frying pan when you remembered that you were in the compound. You still hadn't yet seen the extent of your actions. You could guess that the team hadn't split up because Steve and the others were at the compound but you didn't know that for sure. And you still hadn't seen Tony so you didn't know what was happening there. Plus, there was the matter of you releasing the Accords to the public and you hadn't seen the effects of that either.

Overall, there was a lot of shit you still had to deal with, but for the moment you were allowing yourself a moment of rest. You knew that even if you had somehow miraculously been successful in your attempts, there was still the matter of the future and that purple wrinkly bitch's stupid ass plan.

You rubbed your temples, knowing that you couldn't forget the dangers of the future but that you also needed a moment to focus on something else. You left the room to go seek out that distraction you craved. You walked back the way Natasha had led you to the room, unbelievably curious to see what else was in the building but also not wanting to get in trouble for snooping.

That's kinda funny...you didn't wanna get in trouble for snooping but you leaked government documents...aNYWAYS-

You were pulled from your thoughts when one of the many doors in the hallway opened, a familiar figure exiting the room. He froze as he saw you, looking divided and...sad.

Why was Steve sad?

"What's up, old man?" You grinned at him, hoping to lift his spirits.

With your words, he looked even sadder- 

No. 

Not sad. 

Guilty.

“(y/n).” He nodded at you. “I hope you’re alright now.”

”Oh.” You felt slightly put off by the way he was speaking. “Thanks. How are you? I hope you didn’t get hurt during the fight.”

He barked a laugh, the sharp noise unexpected. “I’m fine. I’m not the one who took multiple stab wounds to my side.”

“Well now you’re making it sound serious or something.” You tried to joke. 

“Could you, for once in your life, stop joking?” The anger in his voice shocked you, the unexpected situation making you feel vulnerable.

”…Are you mad at me?” 

Something in your voice made him take a step back, reining in his temper. “No, (y/n). I just—“ he sighed. “I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve any of this. My attitude or your injuries. I should’ve—none of this should’ve happened.”

And you began to understand.

He wasn’t mad at you.

He was mad at himself.

But why?

He had done what he set out to do. Bucky was safe for the time being, nobody had gotten arrested like in the movie, and everyone was alive with hopefully minimal injuries. 

Even as your mind searched for a reason he would be so angry, you missed the most obvious answer. 

"I'm so sorry, (y/n)." This time, he sounded defeated, seconds away from his voice breaking. It was scary to you. He was one of the strongest people you knew so to hear him so sad broke your heart. "This is all my fault."

Even as you struggled to wrap your mind around the situation, you found yourself reaching out to him, trying to grab his hands and give him a reassuring squeeze. Unfortunately, he only moved his hand away, shying away from your touch. You could understand not wanting to be touched when you were emotional, so you respected his boundaries, putting your hands back at your side.

"None of this was your fault," you told him. "The Accords were always going to happen. Besides, you found your best friend and saved him from being wrongfully imprisoned-"

"That's not what I'm talking about." He raised his head, looking you dead in the eyes. "You almost died. I know you're smart so I know that you understand what happened. You're still a teenager for God's sake. You didn't deserve this."

You refrained from pointing out that you were technically an adult. Also, you couldn't help but feel like you did deserve what happened. You'd known about the bombing at the Accords and had failed to prevent it. People had died because of you. 

"People don't always get what they deserve," your voice was far less cheery than usual, it's usual lightheartedness gone. "Besides, you were what? Also 18 when you enlisted? Even now," you sighed. "You're like 27 and you've been through hell."

Steve was shocked by the numbers. His life felt a lot longer than that. "I'm 26. And that's different. I signed up for this. You didn't."

"Well it's not like you dragged me there while I was kicking and screaming. I chose to be there." Your voice was firm. "And I don't blame you at all, okay? None of this was your fault."

You could tell he was still having a hard time believing your words of assurance. 

"Would it be okay if I gave you a hug?" you asked, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable and hoping that maybe it would help him believe you were sincere. Plus, you loved hugs from any of the Avengers.

"I don't think you want to."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Fine." Steve could feel a small smile begin to form. "Only if you it's safe for you, though."

"Psh, nothing could keep me from hugs."

While the hug you gave him was short, you hoped it still helped lift his mood. You knew what it felt like to be burdened with guilt.

[visionsofmagic]

just came to my mind, so, I wrote. thanks!

leon s. kennedy [re: 4 remake]

you were staring without any shame.

you stared at him all day but when he removed his jacket, allowing you to see him with a t-shirt that stays good on his well built body enough to make you stare more.

however, he knew it. how could he not when you were standing right there as he kept looking at same loot, probably bullets, on the cabinets of an abandoned house in the village, far away from those odd things seemed like humans.

your weapon and bullets stayed on your belt, so, there was no need to rush when he needed more than you do but that didn't mean you could not sit there and watch him while he was breaking something to get ammo.

however, it was the third house in which you acted like this and Leon for sure decided to remark what you were doing aloud.

"liked what you see?" he finally asked, smirking a little with some sparkles on his eyes as he kept doing what he was doing.

"truth?" you asked, confident.

"yes, truth."

getting up from where you were sitting, you slowly reached him, putting right hand on his shoulder only to feel his tensed muscles under it and blushed face.

"I wouldn't look this long if I didn't like it." you said with a kiss on Leon's cheek, giving him more pink color on the face.

winking, you went for the door, ready to leave after turning to frozen Leon who stood still with shocked face with your sudden but open gesture, kissing him like it was a daily routine of yours - oh how you wanted it to be a daily routine.

"c'mon! did I affect you that much?" you teased, already knowing the answer but still curious about his reaction.

Leon shrugged, looking so cute while pretending it meant nothing to him. "no. not at all. it was just a kiss, I get it every day."

chuckling to his response, you opened door and when Leon took a step forward, you pointed to a place behind him, "you forgot to take the gun back pretty boy."

touching his body, he realized he left his gun on the table while he was putting additional mechanism on it and he was going to leave it behind only because of you.

smiling widely with pure happiness, you added before getting out, "didn't affect, my ass."

and you left him there, looking like a tomato with his cute face. he really was making you happy, wasn't he.

🟣

[blazehedgehog]

If one decides to start a creative project about their favorite thing, be it fanart, fanfic, fangame etc. , which approach do you prefer, the creatives involved fully dedicating themselves to recreating and recapturing what made the original works...work, or make an active choice to be derivative (this doesn't mean artists are ignorant about the original material, not necessarily) How do you feel about either, and are there any other approach you can think of?

There's this guy who used to post at SFGHQ named Sam Beddoes who now runs Freakzone Games. He's made the official Manos: The Hands of Fate game, he did both AVGN Adventures, he's the project lead on that Toxic Crusaders beat'em'up, etc.

But he's an old guard Sonic head and I've heard him turn up on a couple of Sonic podcasts, specifically to talk fangames, and by his account he got really fed up with the Sonic fangaming scene when everybody became obsessed with perfectly replicating the Genesis games, because to him, all the creativity and magic went away.

I remember hearing that and both agreeing and disagreeing with him. And I have enough thoughts about it that I've actually considered doing a video about it, and about fangaming overall.

I think there is a stigma to replicating something perfectly that's very adjacent to people who are concerned about young artists who start out by tracing pictures other people have drawn. Plagiarism is a real, legitimate problem. But it's only a problem if you lie about tracing.

I'm of the mind that if you're starting out drawing, half the problem is just learning control. Tracing can be a valuable tool in helping you to understand hand motions and give you a perspective on the construction of an image. For the earliest beginners, I don't think there's any shame in starting out by tracing. It's building muscle memory. Just don't say you drew it.

Similarly, my game development skills went way, way, way up about the time I started to analyze and perfectly replicate existing games. Like, the long canceled Sonic Forever project used an early enough version of the Sonic Worlds codebase that I had to read the Sonic Retro Physics Guide and use their data on how to add Knuckles in from scratch. My code matched how he worked in the Genesis games almost 1:1, because it was largely me just interpreting the values into something Clickteam Fusion could understand.

Something similar happened when, in 2012, I started (and never finished) a remake of my famous Mario Blue Twilight DX fangame. That's when I started really paying attention to how the source games worked so I could get a better sense of how a Mario game needed to "feel" in order to be correct.

And that trend continued with every fangame project I worked on following that, like when I figured I could make my own version of Sonic 2's Hidden Palace Zone, since I wasn't happy with the Retro Engine version. The idea was to be accurate above all else. In some cases, I'd even watch recordings of official gameplay in slow motion just so I could see exactly how the game was created, and in some cases, count frame by frame the duration of certain actions.

And all of this just makes me think of when I showed a friend my game jam game, OverBite. He complimented me on how nice the controls felt, in that kind of backhanded way where he said "When did you learn to make games feel so nice?"

Because if you go back to those really early games of mine, they all feel like garbage to control. And I attribute it to putting in a lot of time pulling apart the nuts and bolts of real retro games and putting a microscope up to why they work the way they do. Deconstructing all of their little nuances and sub-states and then trying to put it all back together again in a different programming language.

You learn a lot when you're forced to stop and understand why a piece of code exists in the way it does. Why there are all these little edge cases that you never notice but still exist to make a game feel just a little better.

At the end of the day, yes, Sam was right. Games need to have creativity and seeking out the perfect replication of the Sega Genesis Sonic games can feel somewhat futile. Every SAGE for the last ten years, there will be at least three games that instantly vanish from my memory because they are basic, plain Sonic Worlds Delta fangames with no style of their own. They just want to make Sonic 4 and we've had a lot of different Sonic 4s by now.

But the thing about learning is, you gotta learn the rules before you learn why and where to break them, because breaking (or at least bending) all of those boring, standardized rules is where your personal style starts to emerge, and that personal style is ultimately what people are going to be interested in at the end of the day.

So I think it is vitally important to start at 1:1 exact recreation and once you've made a comfortable replica, only then should you start asking yourself what you'd change and why. Make sure you understand the material before venturing further. You gotta learn to do it right first.

[rabidrodent]

In a surprise move of "huh?" and "now?" and "really?" and "why?", Cup Noodle just put out a new commercial based on El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron... the obscure PS3/360 game from nearly 15 years ago.

(A history below...)

At E3 2010, a peculiar game trailer dropped, free from either Sony or Microsoft's big stage shows. It featured vague narration from a snazzily-dressed deep-voiced man, and gladiator combat from a seemingly airheaded prettyboy protagonist. It was barely comprehensible, but I suppose that was also its appeal...

For reasons beyond my comprehension, this trailer absolutely took off in Japan's internet culture, becoming a huge meme on Nicovideo, spawning numerous parody and remix videos.

This one was an old fave of mine, mashing up the trailer with a famous Puyo Puyo song. Also it loops endlessly, so you never have to stop watching.

There was even a goofy no-budget live-action remake of the trailer that's hit 1.5 million views...

El Shaddai eventually launched the following year in 2011. However, despite its early meme status, the game flew criminally under the radar. While it wasn't exactly a flop, and reviewed reasonably well, it just didn't quite leave the impact it probably should've.

Which is a shame, because it was one of the few genuinely ~artfully crafted~ big-shelf games for the big-boy consoles of the era. It donned a painterly style, using pseudo-cel-shading with pastel colors and a watercolor look. The story is esoteric, the environments are abstract. And it even dared to be a bit flamboyant! Wow.

It was essentially the polar opposite of where gaming culture was at the time. And as someone who was completely disillusioned with the direction games were going in that generation, it was one of the few games I really wished I could play. But unfortunately I couldn't...

...UNTIL...!!!

In 2021, a strange miracle happened. A surprise remaster of the game launched on Steam. It too seems to have flown under the radar. But it's still there, still buyable, still playable. And the port seems to be good.

A Switch version also exists if you're so inclined.

So do y'wanna talk about "hidden gems"?? Here's your PS3/360 hidden gem!! And it's available right now, on modern platforms, running well, with no strings attached!

Did I mention it was directed by a character designer who worked on Okami and Devil May Cry? Does that pique your interest yet??

Let's right the wrongs of the past!! It's finally El Shaddai's time to shine!! MONDAI NAI!!!