#it's kind of mid for a $40 game but would have been really good for a $20 one yknow

[doedipus]

Bomb rush is genuinely really good and I've had a lot of fun playing it, but in a lot of ways it feels like 2/3 of a game. Like the story is engaging, the overall presentation replicates a lot of what I like about games like twewy, and the movement and gameplay *mostly* feels really good (although I wish the air dash would behave more like a sonic homing attack sometimes).

But somehow it still feels a little undercooked?

Like I wish the characters were more differentiated. even just having them be obligate users of their default vehicles would've gone a long way there. And the vehicles themselves all work basically identically afaik, except for opening certain pathways, which I don't think was ever really explained, and isn't required often enough to really matter. I ended up using vinyl on skates for most of my playtime just because she looks cool and there was never really a reason to switch. I also really wish felix's refusal to use the boost packs had any gameplay relevance, when you unlock him he's just the same as everyone else.

The cops system in general feels half assed. Having some resistance is fine, but the implementation is mainly just a nuisance, and not really fun to engage with. Heat builds really inconsistently, sometimes you can tag most of an area before the cops show up, and other times every tag you do adds one level of heat no matter what. And since the second level is the turrets that make certain necessary jumps close to impossible, you end up spending a huge amount of playtime wandering aimlessly trying to remember where the bathrooms were.

Combat also feels really underdeveloped, against the mechs and turrets it works okay, but the random cops are really tanky and there isn't a ton of feedback from the game when you're fighting them about how much damage you're doing, and they respawn so fast that fighting them is a waste of time anyway.

If it were possible to just mod the heat system out entirely I probably would do that. Doing the regular platformer thing of just intentionally placing enemies in specific spots where they're key to progression instead of using a rockstar heat system would've been better

The last thing is that I think it could use some alternate game modes or generally more divergences from the sandbox gameplay loop. I feel like this is really where the price point becomes a factor- $40 is kind of a big ask for a game with this little going on structurally. I really wish the dream sequence stages were a bigger focus- they make great use of the generally excellent platforming and aesthetic sensibilities, but there's no way to replay them at all, they're just used as one and done setpieces instead of something you can replay over and over to master. there's also not a ton of variety in the challenges you're asked to do in each area, basically every npc only ever asks you to do score attack or go to a specific tag spot, neither of which really ask you to engage with the environment differently. the racing sections are very cool but also very short, used sparingly, and not repeatable. the main campaign is really cool and well-paced, but I feel like for this asking price there's gotta be some more extra shit going on to add replay value.

I guess in some ways I kind of saw a glimpse of a lot of stuff I really liked about the sonic adventure games as a kid, and part of me is disappointed that wasn't the direction BRCF wanted to go in at all. but I think there would've been something to be learned there in terms of extrapolating the same handful of environments into a bunch of decidedly unique gameplay modes. gimme a treasure hunting mode, no-boost felix challenges, dream stage replays, a fishing minigame and a chao garden and I'd be 100% satisfied

[butyoudidthis4what]

Something Else (Perfumer Part 2)

Jack Abbot x Bratty f!Reader

6.8k || All my content is 18+ MDNI || CWs: NSFW, MDNI 18+, established relationship, dom!jack vibes, oral f receiving, mention of alcohol, biting, hickeys, manhandling, edging, stubble burn reference, spanking, unprotected PIV sex (birth control not discussed, but implied with the established relationship), age gap (reader 30ish, Jack mid/late 40s) but not mentioned, teasing, reader is a brat, like a really really big brat, no use of y/n or related, zero proofreading of any kind.

Summary: Continuation of Perfumer. Jack finally gets off shift and home to you. Bratty reader gets tamed.

AN: This feels like such an abrupt change of pace from No Man's Land which is where I have been living. It was just in my head and I needed to get it out. It's pretty much straight PWP which has historically been rare for me. I am quite nervous about posting this one because my smut writing feels so so so rusty and potentially not very great. So, I hope it's okay!

This is the look I picture him giving reader at the beginning!

Jack hears the quiet and slightly shuddery breath you take in at his words and can’t help but smirk. 

He likes this little game you guys play, likes when you’re a brat and he has to tame you and earn your submission. Likes when you start it subtly out in public.

Collins walks up to the opposite side of the desk around the same time you and Jack arrive. You share a brief moment of eye contact and then you scratch at your ear. You stop with Jack at the desk and stand close to him, close enough for your sides to touch. 

“Hey,” Collins calls your name to get your attention. You’ve become very close friends very fast. “I’m working with your man tonight, but I’m off tomorrow with some of the other girls and we were thinking of trying that new brunch place two blocks up once I’m off.” Jack’s head pops up and looks between you and Collins before settling back on you. “We figure somewhere between nine and eleven a.m. But McKay said she was happy to provide pregame mimosas at her place while you wait for me. She said she was fine with seven, good to stay on schedule.” 

 “That sounds so fun!” You nod at her, start walking over towards her, acutely aware of the way Jack tracks you as you do. “I’ve really been wanting to try that place! Probably makes the most sense for me to go over to McKay’s at seven if she’s going to be awake, just in case you actually get off on time for once.” 

Collins goes to speak again but Jack speaks first. “Don’t you already have plans?” 

You look back over at him confused. “No? Not unless I’m forgetting something.”

Subconsciously Jack moves his head towards you. “I think you are,” he nods. “Remember, we made plans.”

“Did we? When?” You go to say more but you’re interrupted by Collins laughter. “Heather!”

“I’m so sorry, the look on his face, I couldn’t help it!” She keeps laughing and it makes you laugh. 

“What?” Jack asks, clearly unamused. 

“We’re just screwing with you Jackie!” You giggle as you walk over to him. “We had a prearranged plan and signal to do this when I finally felt the time was right.” 

Jack blinks at you. “Did you now?” 

“Don’t pout.” You stick your lip out dramatically. “I have not forgotten our plans,” you assure him. You drop your voice for only the two of you to hear and run your hands over his chest, smoothing out his scrub top. “And I can assure you that I would never forget the kind of plans we have, nor would I ever take a rain check on them for some other offer.” 

“You’re a brat,” he replies lowly, an edge to his voice that makes another chill run up your spine. 

“You like it,” you whisper back to him before leaning up on your toes to give him a quick kiss. “Thank you, Heather!” You call out to her as she walks away and she just waves, still laughing to herself. “Have a great shift Dr. Abbot. Try not to have too much fun without me. Love you.” 

“Yeah, I love you too.” His eyes still track you as you walk backwards a little and wave at him before turning to walk out. “Hey,” he calls to you. You look back with your eyebrows raised in expectation. “Promises.”

You bite your lip and nod before turning again to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You let yourself get some sleep while Jack works but make sure to set an alarm for 6:45 a.m. so that you can be up when he’s off. Or at least when he’s supposed to be off. Unsurprisingly, there’s no text from him at 7:00, but at 7:05 you get one. 

J – Probably going to be a few hours late.

You – No worries, me and my ankles will be here waiting patiently for your arrival home.

The next text comes at 10:07 a.m.

J – You up?

You – Of course. Just freshened up the ankles for you, loverboy.

You can practically see his eyes rolling from here, but you know he likes it. 

J – You will not like what will happen if you are not on the bed naked and waiting when I get home. 

You – That another promise, Jackie?

At that one you can just picture the way he clenched his jaw as he got in his car. You’re not surprised when you don’t get an answer. 

You do as he asks though. Kind of. 

You shut the bedroom door and strip, and then you put on what you think are one of the sexiest pairs of panties you own. 

You walk over to your shared bed and lay down, propping yourself up with a pillow just enough that you can make eye contact with anyone who walks through the door. 

You let your hand drift lower and lower until your fingers brush over your clit on top of the fabric. He hadn’t given you permission, hadn’t told you to even start getting yourself ready for him. You keep touching yourself, let your fingers rub circles over your clit, use the fabric rubbing against you as a new sensation, all the while thinking of what he’s going to do to you when he gets home. 

Your panties are noticeably wet by the time you hear the front door open, fingers sticky with your arousal despite having stayed on top of the fabric the whole time. 

Jack can feel himself starting to fill out again as he reads how you freshened up your ankles for him. You’ve pushed him today. But he needs it. He thrives on it, almost always, on taming you. On pushing you to the edge of your limits. On earning your submission.  

The drive is mercifully traffic free. He steps into your place, locks the door behind him and just drops his backpack on the floor. Doesn’t put it aside in its usual spot. Doesn’t hang his coat up on one of the hooks. Doesn’t call out for you. 

His coat lands wherever it finally falls off him as he stalks through the house towards your room. His shirt meets the same fate, landing not far from the bedroom door. He’s already fully hard by the time his hand hits the doorknob and pushes open your bedroom door. 

In retrospect he’s not sure why it wasn’t, but the sight of you on the bed, looking right at him, almost totally naked and rubbing your clit over your panties was not what he expected to see when he opened the door. He didn’t expect to hear your soft panting and the softest and most breathy moan of his name. Jack. He tries not to let you see how it gets to him, how you get to him but he knows you’ll see the clench of his jaw and flare of his nostrils. You’re a sight. The most beautiful and erotic one he’s ever seen. 

You bite your lip at him, fight to keep the smirk off your face, but don’t stop. After locking eyes with him for a moment you let your eyes move from his and trail all over his chest and abdomen and arms. And the now very prominent bulge in his scrub pants. He’s too handsome. He burns you sometimes you swear, just by standing there shirtless and silent with that stoic face of his and that jaw and those eyes that ever so slightly tell you just how affected he is. 

Wordlessly Jack steps further into the room and shuts the door before looking back at you. Silence like this always means something with him. Means he’s sexually frustrated and annoyed with you. Means he’s ready to tame. The way he cocks his head just slightly, though, is a silent challenge.  

“It’s funny, sweetheart. I don’t remember my text saying anything about you being allowed to touch yourself and distinctly remember it telling you to be naked on the bed.” His voice is too calm, too composed. He has too much control over himself, it drives you insane sometimes.

“Well,” you sigh softly, roll your hips a bit as you keep circling your clit, “the text didn’t say not to touch myself.” You take a second to let out a few more moans, another of his name, lick your lips. “And technically I’m not really touching myself. The fabric is touching me, there’s been no skin on skin, Jackie,” you smirk at him. 

Jack clenches his jaw and lets out a short hummed laugh. He doesn’t say anything though. He just takes his scrub pants off, tosses them in the corner and looks back at you in just his boxer briefs.  

He stalks closer to the bed, closer to you. “You think you’re real fuckin’ cute, don’t you?”

“Are you saying I’m not?” You pout just a little too cloyingly and he knows you’re still trying to fuck with him. 

“That’s not an answer.��� A little jaw clench there. 

“Hmmm,” you hum, finally take your fingers away from yourself and up to your mouth, sucking them clean before releasing them. “Well it’s the only one you’re going to get.” 

“That so?” 

He can be so quick when he wants to be and before his question has fully hit you and you can start thinking of some bratty reply he’s leant over the center of the foot of the bed enough to grab your ankles and pull you down the bed. It’s so unexpected you yelp, but not in pain. He’s a doctor, he knows just where to grab to not pull too much on your hip or ankle. “Well that wasn’t a very bratty noise now, was it sweetheart?”

He pulls you by the hips now so that your ass is at the edge of the bed, rips your panties down and off you. Before you can wrap your legs around his waist he catches them, holds them up parallel to his body in front of him, but spread just enough for him to stand in between them. It gives him the perfect view of your pussy, glistening and on display for him. You see his eyes slip down to take you in before he drags them back to yours. He holds your eye contact as he moves his face towards one of your ankles and breaks your gaze just as the side of his face starts to brush your inner calf. 

Jack turns his face completely and you can see him hold his breath while he gives you just a little check in, a quick kiss to the inside of your ankle. And then he takes a deep breath through his nose. 

His head snaps back to look at you, pupils blown as wide as they can be, jaw clenched and rolling with the subtlest twitch under his eye for a second that only you would notice. His hands grip your legs tighter, tight enough to hurt just a little. Anyone else might think he was looking at you with controlled but raging anger. 

But you know that it’s a look of primal, possessive need, that Jack’s on fire for you, all searing skin and simmering blood and deep panting breaths. You know that his cock hurts as it strains against the fabric of his boxer briefs because he needs you so viscerally.

There’s another glance down at your pussy again as you hum saccharinely. His eyes snap back to yours. The slowest smirk pulls across your face as you hold his gaze, your eyes smoldering at him. For him. 

“Just thought you might like a little reminder of what’s yours, that’s all.”

Jack’s chest heaves just a little harder at your words and his eyes narrow slightly before pulling from yours and traveling down your body to take in you, all on display for him as he decides just what it is he wants to do with you.  

His cologne. 

His cologne is what you sprayed on your ankles. His cologne with just enough of a hint of your perfume coming through behind it so that it smells like you do after sex when he’s owned you, touched you so much and held you so close and fucked you so hard and so deep that the dewy sweat of your skin has evaporated much but not quite all of your perfume away and his cologne has stuck to you, marking you as his.

He’s still silent. Not brooding like he does sometimes. He’s just thinking. Just using the silence to toy with you and make you wait. Something about that makes you shiver. 

And Jack thinks he has you at that shiver. Keeps silent. Keeps looking at your body, especially your cunt. Keeps waiting for you to be the one to break and speak first. And you will be. 

But Jack thinks he has you and you saw it in a quick sweep of his eyes over your face at your shiver and you simply can’t have that. Not yet. 

“What’s wrong, Jackie?” You break the silence and give the smallest pout before your smirk comes back. “Pussy got your tongue?”

He raises his eyebrows at you, a slow smirk matching your own pulling up. He laughs a little. It’s a little more dangerous than if he hadn’t reacted because of how controlled it is, how it shows how much control he still has left. “Cute,” he nods at you as he caresses your ankles, eyes narrowing just slightly. “You’re cute when you’re a brat.” 

“I try-” You’re cut off by him suddenly bending your legs at the knee and pushing them towards you as he moves closer to the bed, drops to his knees on the carpet. He rests your feet on his shoulder, leaving your ankles right there for the fragrance to perfume the air. 

He takes in another long breath through his nose and you swear you can hear him growl before soft kisses are being placed up your inner thigh. Instead of moving inward though Jack kisses outward, along the inner line where your hip and thigh meet. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t spray anything here for me to find,” he murmurs against your skin as he kisses back towards where you’re desperate for him. 

“I considered it.” The words come out a little breathless as he gets closer and closer to your center. “But decided against it because then I would’ve had to listen to you bitch about not being able to smell me.”

Jack bites your inner thigh only a few inches away from your cunt and sucks, hard. Hard enough to leave imprints of his teeth, to suck a developing bruise into your skin. As he does so his stubble rubs lightly across your lips, breath hitching and hips twitching as you fight yourself to keep them down and not give him the satisfaction. 

He releases your thigh. “I don’t bitch,” he says nonchalantly. Too nonchalantly. As though he hasn’t noticed his face is an inch and a half away from your pussy. 

“Yes you-” You’re cut off with a gasp as Jack’s tongue licks up you cunt to clit. Your head falls back onto the pillow without a thought as the sensation of his tongue overwhelms you. 

“Sorry sweetheart,” he pulls away from you for just a second, “were you saying something?”

He renders you unable to answer by giving you another lick before using the tip of his tongue to trace lazy figure-eights around your clit. His tongue drops down again and he leans into you, sucks at as much of you as he can before going up to focus on your clit, taking it between his lips and sucking, but leaving just enough space to not get a complete seal so it doesn’t feel quite as good as it could. 

You whine softly about it because Jack’s eaten you out and sucked at your clit enough times for you to know how it normally feels, that he’s fucking insanely talented at it and that he never slips like this. So you know he’s doing it deliberately. 

He gives a little grunt against you to say fine, if you’re so unhappy with it he’ll go elsewhere, and the vibrations of it as he sucks and pulls away from your clit make your hips jolt. Jack’s hands immediately come up and hold your hips down, hands strong and warm and so big as he presses his fingertips down into your skin. 

Jack trails his tongue down, teasingly traces circles around your entrance as he basks in the little mewls you make for him. His cock throbs hard against the fabric of his boxer briefs and he gives the slightest groan about it. 

As quickly as his tongue dropped down to tease you it pushes inside of you and you moan, louder than you want to for him right now. Jack’s stubble rubs against your inner thighs as he tongue fucks you a few times and then pulls out, fingers squeezing your hips harder when you whine about it. 

His lips move back up to your clit and suck again, but this time the seal of them is tight around you, his tongue flicking little circles against you in his mouth. It steals your breath for a second as your back arches while your hips remain pinned to the bed by his hands. “Oh, Jack!” The moan is quiet, clearly slipping out of your lips unconsciously. Your hands fist the sheets hard before unclenching and starting to move down to his salt and pepper curls.

Jack isn’t looking at you, he has his eyes closed as he focuses on you and the little noises you’re making for him but that you’re trying to hide and how you taste and how you smell and how hot your pussy is on his skin, chin coated in you. But he doesn’t need to be looking to know your next move. 

He suddenly pulls his face from you. “Don’t even fucking try it or we’ll end this right here, right now and I’ll go fuck my fist in the shower.”

You freeze for a second and then pull your hands back up and twist at the sheets again, give him a huff. 

Jack takes the few seconds he’s pulled away from you to move his hands from your hips and push his boxer briefs down, freeing himself. He gives a little groan of relief when his hand wraps around him and tugs a few times. You’re already a little too fucked out to really notice.

He lets his hand stay there as he brings his face back to your cunt, starts licking and sucking again. He fucks his fist as he devours you whole, needs the relief even as a piece of him mourns the fact that it’s his hand and not your hand or your mouth or your cunt. 

Jack builds a pattern with his tongue, repeats it over and over as you writhe for him against the sheets, as you give him sweet little moan after moan until you’re finally moaning his name loudly. Pleasure courses through you and heat roils in your lower belly as your muscles contract tighter and tighter and Jack works you closer and closer. “Don’t stop, don’t stop,” you pant out “just like that Jack, just like that, fuck!”

And then he changes his pattern. You let out a vaguely frustrated sigh, but can’t stay true to it because the new pattern is just as good. You can feel him smirk against you at your sigh, move his face just a little so that his stubble scratches into you a little harder, starts to etch into your skin. 

Jack touches himself faster and faster as he licks and sucks at you, paying attention to how close he is and how close you are. The grunts and groans he pulls from himself send shivers through you and drive you that much closer to the edge. Your mind is so pleasure hazy you don’t even think to question why he’s making them. 

Once he gets himself right to the edge he slows down, is more absentminded with himself as he doubles down on you, pushes you right up to that same ledge with his tongue and mouth. He can feel your toes curl against him as you get a second away from the point of no return. 

You already know what’s going to happen but it doesn’t help, doesn’t make it easier to weather when he rips himself away from you. “No!” You cry it out for him despite yourself, despite wanting to appear unaffected. 

Jack laughs darkly. “You know only good girls get to cum, babygirl.”

You huff slightly, lay there panting with your eyes closed as you try and ride out your almost orgasm, hear Jack stand up. He lets one of your legs fall gently and holds the other up against his chest by your calf. So you wait for him. For whatever is next.  

You don’t expect the way he runs the palm of his hand through you though, the way he curls his fingers to drag up you in a way to collect as much of the arousal he’s pulled from you on his hand as possible. “Fuck, Jack!”

Your eyes fly open at you prop yourself up on your elbows to look at him. The sight of him wrapping his slicked up palm and fingers around himself and starting to fuck his fist is unexpected but anything but unwelcome. 

“This could be, you know.” His voice is low, followed by a few low pants as he touches himself. “This should be you.” He lets his hand that’s holding your calf adjust your leg so that he can turn his head and breathe in through his nose at your upper ankle, let the smell of him owning you course through him. His head turns back and his eyes find yours. He stares at you with that same intensity from earlier but this time it’s glazed with an even heavier lust. “I should be in your hand, or your mouth, or your cunt,” he growls at you. “But am I?”

Though an obvious answer, it’s not a rhetorical question. He expects an answer. Expects you to acknowledge and think about how he’s not in your hand or your mouth or your cunt. You stare at him, can hear your heart beating in your ears, pussy growing wetter and mouth salivating at the thought. You just can’t help yourself though. 

“Well if you have to ask Jackie…” You give him a little shrug. 

“God, fuck!” Jack groans, voice strained as he aims his cock at you and comes all over your pussy and lower abdomen. He works himself through it, chest heaving, glistening with sweat and flushed as he slows his hand and releases himself. “You’re fucking pushing it,” he almost laughs, but it’s more an observation he happens to find entertaining. 

He stares at his cum that sticks so prettily to your skin and pussy, claiming you just for him as he lets himself come down from his orgasm. “You look so beautiful like his,” he murmurs lowly, voice huskier than normal. “Covered in me.”

Before you can say anything he looks away from you and grabs the panties you were wearing, uses them to clean you off and sits you up. It surprises you a little, that he’s so eager to wipe it away. But then he’s sitting on the edge of the bed next to you. 

He shows you again just how quick he can be, and you’re yelping again at the suddenness of finding yourself bent over his knees with his palm caressing one of your ass cheeks. There’s no build up. There doesn’t need to be. You know why you’re in this position. 

“Count.” It’s an order.

“Or what? You’ll spank me?”

He does, obviously. It’s a little harder than he had been planning the first one to be just because of the extra attitude, the smacking sound a little sharper. Another one to the other cheek follows swiftly. He can feel you squirm on him and hear the softest moan that just makes it through your lips into the air despite your otherwise lack of reaction. 

There’s a pause as he waits. Waits for you to say one. Two. 

“I distinctly remember telling you to count.” His voice is still so composed even with as low in pitch as it drops.

“I am!” You huff at him. He squeezes at one of your cheeks where his hand just came down. “I am!” You repeat, doing your best to sound indignant which is difficult given the position you find yourself in. “In my head.” You feel his entire body tense. “What? You just said count. Not count out loud.”

Jack takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He’s quite certain he hears you giggle about it. There’s some part of him that’s a little proud of you for this little display. He shifts his legs a little, spreads them just a bit and runs his hand over your cheek and under you to pinch your clit. Not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to make you jolt and let out another pretty little moan for him. You can feel him start to get hard again against your thigh. 

“Outloud.”

Another little giggle. 

“Sir, yes sir.” 

He’s good at spanking, you have to give him that. He gives you ten in total, five to each cheek. He doesn’t alternate every time, brings his hand down in quick succession sometimes and makes you wait torturously for it to come back down at others, varies the pressure and how hard he brings his hand down against you, where he brings it down. 

By the time he’s done tears sting at your eyes as your ass throbs, burning and sore and stinging in its own right. 

“Good girl.” It’s low, breathed out more than actually spoken as he leans you back up, but you’re still able to hear it. The part of your brain that wants to be a brat feels betrayed by the part that glows at his praise and approval and sends warm happiness flowing through you. 

“Center of the bed. On your stomach.” For once this morning you actually do as he asks, crawl your way to the center of the bed and lay on your stomach as he takes his prosthetic off and crawls up in between your legs. 

You rest your head on its side, look back at him as much as you can. His eyes run over your ass as his hands grab your hips and haul you up to your knees. You go to push yourself up on your hands or elbows but all too quickly his hand wraps around the back of your neck and pushes you back down wordlessly. 

With his other hand he gets himself lined up with you and pushes inside you slowly, cognizant that while he’s already edged you and gotten you nearly dripping for him, only his tongue has been inside you, no fingers to help prep you. You whimper but Jack knows you well enough to know that its not from physical pain but rather from how slowly he’s sliding into you. 

As he bottoms out Jack closes his eyes and takes deep breaths, a little shaky because fuck do you feel good and fuck has he been waiting to be buried inside you since you showed up at the Pitt. 

He pulls out of you slowly, lets you feel every ridge and vein of him before he snaps his hips hard to get himself back inside of you. 

“Ohh,” you moan out, “Jack, fuck.” He does it again, pulls out torturously slow and snaps back in. 

“You want more baby?” He says as saccharine and teasing as you’d spoken to him when he got home. He pulls out a little faster this time, moves his hand from your neck and uses both hands to help pull you back onto him so he can fuck you even harder. 

You immediately go to get up on your elbows again. “Stay down,” Jack warns, curling over you a little and using his hand to guide you back down. It changes the angle, makes him slide deeper inside of you which draws a moan from you and an erratic buck of his hips as he chases the feeling. 

“But I can’t see you like this,” you pout, breathing heavily. 

“Brats don’t get to see,” Jack grunts out, leans back up and returns both hands to your hips so that he can return to fucking you harder. 

You take in a couple of panted breaths, tilt your head at an awkward angle for a second to see a little more of him. You know he sees you do it. Somehow you manage to smile at him. 

“You’re cute when you’re all worked up.” You mirror his words from earlier back to him and manage the smallest smirk before turning your head back to a neutral position. 

Jack lets out a quick scoff. “You’re really fucking something else today.” Jack slides his hands up a little and pushes down, forcing your ass to come up higher for him, again letting him get deeper and hit harder with the added bonus of keeping your head on the mattress. He watches your hands curl in the sheets as he rails you.

“Touch yourself,” he orders. 

He snarks a laugh at how you don’t have to be given that instruction twice, hand sliding between your legs and rubbing erratically at your clit as your brain starts to get pleasure drunk off his cock.  

Neither of you speak for a bit, not real words. It’s just the sounds of your panting and the moans and groans you pull from each other and the slap of skin on skin. You’re the first to break.

“Oh god! Jack!” You mewl as the pleasure starts to overtake you. He can hear and feel how close you are.

“Stop touching yourself.” Another order. You falter on this one, like you knew he would. So he stops, removes your hand himself.

Another orgasm ebbs away from you. 

You whine but do your damndest to remain unaffected, to try not to show how desperate you’re getting. But your whine has just enough of a desperate edge to it to let Jack know he almost has you. 

“What was it you said again?” He starts rubbing your clit. “Oh yes, I remember. The anticipation and wait makes it better.” He gives another dark laugh as he starts fucking you again, just as hard and just as intense. 

“Oh fuck Jack!” You gasp out. He hadn’t given you much come down time and so you feel your orgasm cresting again quickly. 

“Close, baby?” He asks like he doesn’t already know by the feel of your cunt around him. 

You can only nod as the pleasure grows stronger and stronger, your breaths coming harder and harder as you moan nonsense to Jack. 

“Jack!” You draw his name out in a moaned whine. “Need to come. Need to.” Your speech is a little slurred now. 

“Brats don’t get to come.” It’s nearly mocking the way he says it. Cocky. Like he knows he has you now. Because he does. He knows how close you are. His pace doesn’t relent. He speaks through the panting breaths he takes. “And what are you sweetheart?” 

“A brat.” You look back up at him with watery eyes and a real pout this time, on the verge of tears of pleasure. “Please-

“You still think you’re real fuckin’ cute?” he pants, cutting you off. 

“No, I’m sorry, please Jack, Sir, I,” a few tears slide down your face. “I want to be good for you.” You’re so ready for it, so convinced he’s going to let you have it now. 

But Jack stops and pulls out of you and you let out a little sob as more tears fall.  

“Shh, shh, shh,” he shushes you softly as he flips you over so you’re on your back. “I’ve got you.”

He pushes back inside you, grabs your calves and throws one over his shoulder, takes his time with the other as he lets himself take in a deep breath through his nose at your inner ankle and lets out what sounds like a growl from the deep within his chest before settling it on him like the other. His fingers on one hand toy with your clit as he leans over you and grinds himself into you. With how worked up and sensitive you are and the sound he just made for you it’s all you need and he finally lets you have it. 

Your orgasm shatters you. You swear you lose hearing for a minute, lose the ability to breathe and that your vision goes white 

“There she is,” Jack drawls, “there’s my good girl.” He moves his hand and stills his hips, let his hands grope at your breasts, fingers gently teasing at your nipples. 

You pant hard as you try to reorient yourself, finally get your eyes back open and look up at Jack. 

“Jack,” your breathing starts to return to normal. “Please,” you breathe. 

He moves your legs off his shoulders and helps you wrap them around his waist, lowers himself down so that your chests touch. “Please gets you what you want, doesn’t it sweetheart?” He leans his head into your neck and starts kissing you there, soft teasing things. 

“Yes.” It’s just as breathless as your please and something about it drives Jack wild. You let one arm slip under his shoulder and bend up to cling to his back as much as you can, the other staying above his shoulder so that your hand can find his hair, let your fingers run through it.

Jack starts fucking you again, hard. He puts his whole body into it, arching his back and using his knees for leverage to help his thighs and hips drive into you over and over. He keeps kissing your neck, sucks at it, nibbles at the spots he knows are most sensitive. 

“Oh Jack!” You arch up into him. “Jack, Jack, Jack.” He feels too good, fucks you too good. It’s unreal. 

You hear him grunt low from deep in his chest and it makes you shiver, let out a whine. “I love the way you say my name when you’re like this. Fucked out and cock drunk.” 

Jack’s voice reveals he’s just as drunk on your pussy as you are his cock.

It rips through you out of seemingly nowhere at his words, your second orgasm, just as good as your first but deeper, more intense in the way it feels like your muscles contract so hard all your bones will snap before they release with a rush of pleasure that makes you arch into Jack again. 

His name slips off your tongue in a moaned prayer again. “Jack, Jack, Jack.”

“You sound so pretty when you come for me.” He kisses at your jaw, down your neck, sucks at your collarbone while he fucks you through it.

Jack moves his hand, slows his hips to give you a little bit of time to recover. You whimper through your tears of pleasure. He’s not chasing his own release. 

Because he’s not done with you yet.

He picks the pace of his hips back up and you moan for him, claw at his back and scalp. He knows it’s not going to take much to get you there a third time with how sensitive you are, right on the border of pleasurable and painful overstimulation.

“You’ve got one more in you for me, sweetheart, I know you do.”

You shake your head at him. “I can’t.” You sniffle and he leans in to kiss away your tears. You say that you can’t but you trust Jack to know your body more in this moment than you do, trust that he won’t push you too far, only right to your limit before bringing you back. “It’s too much Jack!” You keen as his fingers return to rub tight circles over your clit again.

“No babygirl,” Jack finally kisses you, licks into your mouth possessively and moans just as loud for you as you do for him, breaks the kiss but hovers his lips over yours so they brush against each other when he speaks, “it’s just enough.” 

Your orgasm crashes over you just as he finishes his sentence, white hot and searing. Your hands tug hard at his salt and pepper curls as you go soundless from how hard your coming, almost holding your breath as the pleasure completely takes over. Your ability to speak suddenly comes back and you let out the most erotic moan of Jack’s name that he’s ever heard.

Your cunt clenching around him, the sharp burst of pleasured pain from how hard you tug on his hair and that moan of his name are all Jack needs. He follows you, coming with a groan of your name that’s so choked and even more gravelly than his usual voice that you think for a second it might make you come again. He keeps moving his hips somehow, fucking himself through it to try and keep the feeling from ending.

“Fucking christ,” Jack groans as his hips still, propping himself up on his elbows and panting as he looks down at you. “You okay?” You’re smiling at him, eyes completely glazed over, but you nod. He knows that right now you are. It makes him smile back at you. He takes another couple of seconds to even his breathing out before kissing your cheeks and nose and forehead and chin and then your lips to bring you back down. “You. Are. So. Fucking. Perfect.” He punctuates each word with a kiss.  

You blink at him, eyes a bit clearer. So he asks again. “Hi beautiful,” he smiles down at you amusedly, “you okay?”

You come back to yourself a little more and that’s when the trembling starts as you reconnect your mind and body enough for the dump of hormones and adrenaline to hit you, your body struggling to figure out what to do with all the pleasure. “Ohhh,” you sigh out, voice a a bit shaky, “I am so much more than okay, Jack. I’m trying to figure out what layer of the fucking stratosphere you just sent me to and how I get back down,” you laugh softly. 

Jack returns the soft laugh. “Good. Water now?” You shake your head, not ready for it yet. He gives you another kiss that you return and then lowers himself on top of you. He knows his body weight and the skin on skin helps with the trembling and reorientation. You wrap your arms around him, let one hand play in his curls while the other rubs up and down his back absentmindedly. Jack feels when you stop trembling and relax.

“You did amazing sweetheart, I’m proud of you. That was a lot.” He leans back up for another kiss and you beam at him, glowing in the warmth of his body and praise. 

“Thank you,” you murmur against his lips. A beat passes. “I really got you twice there with the ankles, once at work and once with the cologne.” 

Jack snorts a laugh and buries his face in your chest. “You really are something else, you know that?” He peers up at you and the only thing you see is a man hopelessly in love with you and not afraid to show you. 

“I do.” You nod with a smirk, almost smug about it. “But I’m your something else.” You grin at him. 

Jack laughs. In a few moments he’ll ask you if you’re okay again, pull a pair of pajama pants on, put on his prosthetic and walk around shirtless to get you water without asking and probably a snack. He’ll ask if you want a bath or shower and when you say no this time he’ll rub some of the salve you have on your ass to help soothe where he spanked you. And then after his twelve plus a few hours shift followed by fucking you out of your mind he’ll ask if you’re okay if he grabs some sleep, as if you’d ever say no and won’t be half asleep yourself from the fucking he just gave you when he asks. But for now he just agrees with you. “You’re correct sweetheart,” he nods, “you’re my something else.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hopefully it was okay?

Thank you so much for reading!! Let me know your thoughts, comments etc! Liking, replying and reblogging is so so appreciated! Requests are open and I love chatting!

If you'd like to be added to my Jack Abbot taglist please message me!

If you asked to be tagged and were not, please shoot me a message! I think it should work this time but I do not trust tumblr! If it doesn't please bear with me while I get it sorted. Thank you!

Taglist: I'm so sorry we went straight from No Man's Land to pure smut, that will be an incredible rarity here. Like this is very well likely to be the only time.

@yxtkiwiyxt @viridian-dagger @generalstarlightobject @andabuttonnose @beebeechaos @pear-1206 @starkgaryan @travelingmypassion @marvelcasey05 @millenialcatlady @loveyhoneydovey @rocker-chick-7 @mayabbot @taylorswifts-cardigan @phernandez2001 @sammiib444 @livinthevidaloca-ish @morallygreymaniac @woodxtock @shaydawgsblog @deadneverlander @imonlyhereformemes14-blog @sleepingalways @thelightnessofthebeing @generalstarlightobject @dudewithastick @thatoneawesomechicka @rebeccasaurusrex @mc-bbeth @compressoexpresso @evermoresivy @beebeechaos @loverofmusic @pastelbunnelby @literaryslapshot @sweetdayme4427 @joko-00 @phoenixhalliwell @chaotichurricaneoffandoms @chillicrackers @cosmoscoffeee @melancholicstation @scrappybear89 @xxemmarldxx @lm-lg-4ever @margoniezniez @diamond-gardens @keileighr @nobiggiebabe @a-stari-night

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Would I be the asshole for being in a relationship with someone much younger than me?

My (35nb) neighbor (19f) moved into my apartment building last year. She's going to the local college and lived with her boyfriend. She always complained to me about him and recently broke up with him, and he moved out. Since then she's been asking to spend more time with me, offering to do chores together and stuff.

Recently she's been asking a lot of questions like am I gay, do I ever date women, etc (she's not being rude - I'm very obviously gender-weird.) In addition to that I think she's flirting with me. (I've never really been able to tell when people are flirting with me.) She hasn't outright asked me out, but I think she might, or wants me to ask her out. I never saw us as a couple because she's so young, but we are friends. She's still pretty immature about a lot of things, but she has a good head on her shoulders. My concern is she's in a different stage of life. Like if we're still dating in 5 years, she'll be 24 and just getting started, and I'll be 40 and having a mid-life crisis.

For context I've always been a kind of a youthful person. I'm "immature" in the sense that I still like concerts and video games, and most people my age are, like, having kids. I'm afraid she gets along with me well now because our interests align, but as times goes by I'm going to stay the same and she'll "grow up" and we won't be a good fit anymore.

I don't think me being older than her gives me any kind of leverage over her, although I'm financially stable and she's dependent on her parents, who live in another state. But she always says good things about them so I don't think she's unsafe there.

Everyone says age gaps are skeevy but I don't see how this one would be. But I welcome anyone's thoughts on the matter. My neighbor is a nice person and I wouldn't want to cause her any problems.

Would I be the asshole for dating her?

What are these acronyms?

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Splatoon 3 Version 6.0 Patch Notes Breakdown

Been a little bit since I did one of these, but Nintendo released the Chill Season 2023 patch notes about three hour ago, and while in terms of balance changes this is one of the smallest patches ever, it's got a ton of quality-of-life changes, so let's dig in, shall we?

So let's start from the top. In terms of new content, this patch includes a new catalog, two new stages (Robo ROM-en and Bluefin Depot), two new Specials (Splattercolor Screen and Triple Splashdown), nine new weapons, two new multiplayer songs, the new King Salmonid Megalodontia, and eleven new Tableturf cards.

Additionally, you'll note that they're including a line about giving you one Sheldon License at the end of each season. This is actually really relevant to a change coming down in line, so tuck that in the back of your mind for later.

The balance changes are all buffs, but they're relatively minor, and only six Main weapons and one Special are seeing any changes this time around.

Starting off, .96 Gal is having its ink efficiency buffed by 8%. It currently gets 40 shots on a full ink tank, so I wager this increases that number by about 5-10, but it's 5 AM my time at time of writing and I am bad at math, so I don't know for sure.

Ranged Blaster's explosions get a 15% paint buff. Note that this applies only to the final explosion and not the trail, so it's not a straight 15% paint buff.

Dread Wringer gets a 10% ink efficiency buff, and since it currently has ten sloshes on a full tank, that increases that number to eleven.

And finally, for Main Weapon changes the Heavy Edit Splatling now paints more. Unlike the Ranged Blaster's paint buff this is a lot harder to gauge, but Heavy Edit's paint can be kind of spotty and inefficient, so this is undoubtedly a good thing for it.

After that, we've got only two points-for-Special changes.

Jet Squelcher and L-3 Nozzlenose both get some points shaved off their Specials, taking their Ink Vac and Crab Tank to 180p and 190p respectively. On one hand, I am biased and hate the Jet Squelcher, and I think this buff was completely unwarranted and unnecessary, but on the other hand I love the L-3 and want only good things in life for it, so they balance each other out, in my book.

And, for the final balance change of the entire patch, we've got a Reefslider buff, as it now makes you invulnerable during its startup 13 frames faster. The thing about this change is that like, it's a buff, and that is good, but the problem Reefslider has is not getting the Special off, it's that you very rarely survive the aftermath of using it, and this does nothing to solve that. With Triple Splashdown on the horizon I think things might be rough for this Special in the future.

And that's all of the balance changes! There being so few of them indicate two things to me: That Nintendo is overall happy with the the state of the game, and that they are wary of touching anything unless they have to. And one hand I get it, after all, competitive players are currently saying that there really isn't a meta at the moment, just picking weapons you're good at and playing well, and that's probably not an environment you want to shake up too much. But on the other hand, there are a lot of things like Line Marker, Undercover Brella, and Reefslider to name a few, that could really do with some sprucing up to help them keep up with the just the middle of the pack. I think raising the bottom bar a bit higher would be to everyone's benefit.

But we've got two Specials being added, so I suppose now's not the time to rock the boat too much. We'll see how things have shaken out come the mid-season patch in January.

But the balance changes are a very small part of these patch notes, and nowhere near the most interesting, so let's keep moving on.

Anarchy Series and X Battles are receiving a whole slew of changes, the most prominent of which are some new badge rewards for win streaks and attaining high X Rankings. Additionally, matchmaking in X Battles is being changed to more strictly separate people with high and low X Ranks, as well as allowing more team compositions. To cut a long story short, weapons have a set of internal values that the game uses during matchmaking to try and balance the team compositions. Matchmaking in high-power X Rank infamously takes a very long time, so I have to imagine that this change aims to speed things up by making the matchmaking more lenient on that front.

Salmon Run, in addition to the new King Salmonid, is getting some significant changes, starting with some changes to the Specials:

Kraken Royale and Triple Splashdown are being added to the pool of available Specials. Additionally, Mr. Grizz has finally agreed to always provide at least two workers on every team with a long-range Special to handle all the pesky Stingers and Flyfish. Be sure to thank your local union representative the next chance you get.

This change is particularly spicy. Your Salmon Run stage badges will now boost your starting difficulty on their respective stages, adding more incentive to play beyond the two superbonuses, as well as making the grind for future badges easier. This certainly gives me more motivation to go for those VP 400+ badges.

You'll now be able to tell what King Salmonid is present during each Shift, and the Salmometer will change to match it, as well. Can you believe they didn't change that when they added Horrorboros?

Also I am curious what this means for those Shifts where the King Salmonid was random. Will the Salmometer become a question mark? Are they not gonna do those anymore? We'll have to wait and see.

But this next change, is a big one, and it's for, what else, Big Run:

Big Run trophy requirements will now be set in advance, and no longer scale off top 50%, 20% and 5% player results.

I am in two minds about this change. On one hand, I always thought that people complaining about overfishers in Big Run were kind of petulant and entitled, especially when the rewards were as minor as locker decorations and badges. Maybe that's mean-spirited of me, but there was never a way for me to read it as anything but people demanding to be given the same reward as the people working the hardest without putting in the effort themselves.

But on the other hand, the 5% cutoff has been steadily rising as overall Big Run participation decreased, which is just a natural result of time passing and casual players falling off the game, nothing weird there, but this means that the top becomes more stacked, further disincentivizing casual players as getting even the bronze trophies becomes harder and harder for them. Giving the players much clearer and more achievable goals will likely serve to pull a lot of people back into Big Runs, and that is undoubtedly a good thing.

And hey, I said the rewards weren't worth getting upset over, and by that same metric, I don't think it's worth getting upset over more people getting them, either. All the better, if it makes more folks happy. And as for the people who do want to grind their hearts out, well:

There's still some recognition for that, too.

So that's the gist of the Salmon Run changes, so let's finish up with some miscellaneous changes.

Remember how I told you to keep that bonus Sheldon's License in mind for later?

Players who own every currently available weapon will now be able to trade extra licenses in for Shell-Out Tokens. In other words, that extra license serves as a failsafe so you don't lock yourself out of buying future weapons by spending all your licenses on gacha rolls.

The Splatfest Battle Pro queue is receiving the same matchmaking changes as X, presumably for much the same reasons.

And finally, the most important change of all:

WANDERCRUST IS BACK!!! YEAH BABY!!!! WOO!!!

[blackjackkent]

"Rook," Harding says eagerly, looking at Helena. "You remember how Varric and I served the Inquisition? Well, this is Inquisitor Trevelyan, the man who led us all."

Helena gives the man a slow nod, studying him curiously.

She's heard tales of the Inquisitor, of course - some of them certainly false, as they all conflicted. Most of them told of an earnest, faithful human of the Southern Chantry, a Free Marcher who had helped Thedas to stand up against a great threat and then allowed the Inquisition to be absorbed into the Chantry proper. The last she heard he was operating as the right hand of Divine Victoria - and perhaps even more than that for her, depending on which story is being told.

Harding has spoken highly of him too. A good man, she's said. Kind. Funny. A powerful fighter. Not a surprise, then, that Morrigan has judged him a worthy ally for their new battle against the blighted gods.

But really, despite all of this, Helena had already formed her own picture of the man in her head - a southern Chantry loyalist was bound to be stodgy, difficult, set in his ways, and probably disdainful of Tevinter and Minrathous. And she's a little surprised that this fellow doesn't really seem to match much of that image.

He's younger than she expected, perhaps a hair south of 40, and far more than stodgy or stiff he simply looks tired. His left arm is off at the elbow, replaced by a prosthetic, and his startlingly bright blue eyes show good humor but also a sort of soul-deep exhaustion. And most of all, his smile at seeing Harding is utterly genuine, and those lines at the corners of his eyes are from humor as well as from weariness.

(A/N: It's so good to see Dom. The engine is of course treating his gorgeous face terribly; he looks about 10 years YOUNGER in Veilguard, honestly, and tbh this would have been a much more apropos look for him in Inquisition, when he was a baby in his mid-20s Doing His Best, and his Inquisition face would be much better suited now.

But all the same... I have missed him and I am thrilled that he's here. By the sound of it, as this conversation plays out, he's been having a rough time and it's not sounding likely to stop any time soon.

Mildly funny to me that the outfit he's wearing appears to be the same Shadow Dragons casual outfit that Helena started the game in. Does the Inquisitor always wear the PC's faction outfit? Or are they always wearing a SD outfit?

I must admit I'm amused by the idea of him showing up in Minrathous and the Viper squinting at him like, "Here, put this on so you look less conspicuous."

At which point Dom is like 'ah, a skin-tight blandly-colored outfit that looks like pajamas; just like old times'.)

"Trevelyan," Helena says cautiously. "Isn't that the name of a moble family down in the South?"

She's lining up a playful gibe about nobility to follow the comment; her experience with nobles in Minrathous is generally not good, as most of them end up as the sort of people the Shadow Dragons are in the business of taking down. But she never voices the joke, because when she mentions his family, the lines in Trevelyan's face abruptly seem to deepen and there's a flicker of grief across his face.

"Yes," he says. His voice is as surprising as his appearance - soft and good-humored, but just as saturated with that same note of weariness. "I remember the days before the Inquisition, when Trevelyan family politics were the most complicated part of my life. Simpler times..."

(A/N: Aw. :( Dom's family was super important to him and I had a bunch of headcanons around it. He was the youngest of six children and his mother died having him. He grew up raised by his father Gregory, the Bann of Ostwick, and his somewhat overbearing society-minded Great-Aunt Lucille, alongside his siblings (in descending order) Preston, Kenneth, Regina, Kiara, and Marianne.

For purposes of angst (and also consistency with the terrible picture of goings-on in the South that Dom is about to paint), I think things have gone very badly indeed in Ostwick. I doubt anything will be specifically made canonical here, so I'm going to headcanon that Dom's home got overrun by darkspawn during the gods' initial push, and his father and aunt are dead. His siblings are in the Frostbacks under the protection of the remaining forces of the Inquisition.

Dom is miserable about this and has had very little chance to properly grieve given the absolute cavalcade of shit that has followed since then, and he hasn't even had a tremendous amount of chance to see Cassandra and have her comfort him.

This helps to account for the lack of his usual jokey mood in his in-game dialogue; poor boy is wrecked.)

Morrigan gives Trevelyan a sideways look. She is, as always, rather difficult to read, but Helena thinks she spots a note of sympathy in her expression, or at least regret. "I fear that simpler times are like to remain a memory for now," the mage murmurs.

Trevelyan nods and draws a breath, squaring his shoulders. Helena gets the sudden impression that this is a calming ritual that has seen a lot of use lately. "Morrigan and Harding have told me about what you've accomplished since taking over for Varric," he tells her. "You've put together an impressive team, and you've got the best chance - maybe the only chance - to stop Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain."

Helena nods slowly. Meeting his eyes, she's surprised to realize that she's inclined to be honest with him; perhaps it's just that his obvious good nature is disarming - or perhaps it's that she has the sudden sense that he didn't sign up for this either.

"We've been doing what we can," she admits, "but I'll be honest. Right now, it feels like we're in over our heads."

Trevelyan smiles wryly. "You've already faced setbacks," he says quietly. "You'll face more. Your actions will have consequences."

It's not really much of a reassurance - but Helena knows it's not really intended as one. More of an acknowledgement, an expression of sympathy. Yes - this is a man who has faced the same uncertainties, who perhaps is still facing them.

Harding frowns. "Have you seen the blight all over Treviso? We know all about consequences."

But Morrigan shakes her head. "Such thinking is a trap you can ill afford," she says firmly - and Helena gets the sense she might be talking to Trevelyan as much as to her and Harding. "Treviso was blighted because of Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain. But Minrathous was saved because of *you*."

Trevelyan nods slowly. Again that slow breath in, then out. "I wasn't ready to become the Inquisitor," he tells Helena bluntly. "I wasn't ready to have to choose between helping templars or mages, or decide the fate of every Grey Warden in southern Thedas. Eventually, when the choices I made caught up with me, I turned the Inquisiton over to the Chantry rather than create even bigger problems. Maybe someday you'll face the same situation."

(A/N: I know this is just an expository lore drop but damn, Dom, you're really not painting Helena an encouraging picture. :P )

He folds his arms across his chest. "But I'm asking you not to worry about that future until we have one. Right now, we need you to stop the gods."

Helena looks at him for a moment in silence. Then she mimics him - the slow breath in, the exhale, the shoulders squared in determination. It's not as if she has much choice, but all the same... she knows he's right. Do the work now; worry about the future when it comes around.

"All right," she says. "I'll do my best."

"And while you do so, Rook," Morrigan cuts in, "the Inquisitor will do his best to ensure that he rest of the world remains intact. A daunting prospect, given that most of the South is under siege by darkspawn."

That gives Helena pause. She has little familiarity with anywhere south of Tevinter, but she knew Harding had been in touch with people from her old organization. Emphasis on had... she hasn't had return messages in several weeks...

Oh, hell.

Harding seems to have come to the same realization. Her eyes widen abruptly. "It's that bad?" she asks faintly.

Morrigan nods. "If not for the Inquisitor, the South would have collapsed completely. He has not been idle while you assembled your team."

Helena squints at Trevelyan questioningly. "I thought the gods were mostly active up here," she says. "It's really that bad in the South?"

"Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain have indeed restricted their activities to the North," Morrigan says grimly. "But the forces they deployed to the south - the strange new darkspawn - have spread fear and corruption greater than any Blight in history."

"Darkspawn have cut through the center of Orlais," Trevelyan says. His tone turns crisp, as if giving a battlefield report - as, in a way, he is. "Val Royeaux and Halamshiral are barely holding out. Ferelden would have fallen already if not for help from Orzammar. With Denerim lost, the Fereldans are holding the line at Redcliffe."

Again that grief flickers across the calm mask of his expression. "The Free Marches have the worst of it," he adds in a low voice. "Acting Viscount Aveline Vallen led the evacuation of Kirkwall. She's taking her people and what's left of her army to help Prince Vael keep Starkhaven."

The two dwarves listen to him in stunned silence. Harding's eyes have gone very wide and frightened. "Maker... we didn't know..." she whispers with deep alarm. "My ma--"

For the first time, Trevelyan actually properly smiles. The effect is stupendous; it looks much more natural on his face than any of the grief or serious calm, and it seems to relax him in every muscle, if only for a moment, to be able to deliver a bit of good news.

"Don't worry," he says. "I talked to the Divine. And your mother's safe with the Inquisition."

Harding sags with relief, a muscle working in her jaw. "Thank you," she whispers.

(A/N: Whoo boy. LOTS of exposition here and most of it is Not Good News.

I had heard a little about how bad things were going in the South already, so this isn't exactly a surprise, but still, big yikes. Obviously, this is partially a narrative device with the overt purpose of making it so that the writing team have about 123513123 fewer things to worry about, but nevertheless there are some fun angles to think about.

a) This for sure explains why Daniel isn't with Morrigan. If an apocalypse-level blight is rolling through Ferelden, he's going to be on the front lines, probably helping his buddy King Alistair hold the line in Redcliffe. He and Morrigan are exchanging letters whenever they can, and both of them are desperately worried about each other at their disparate ends of the fight.

b) Kieran, meanwhile, is definitely also with the Inquisition. I'm very much picturing Dom, in between more strategic tasks, doing approximately 234132412 fetch quests to seek out every family member and loved one of anyone who ever wore Inquisition colors, learning their fate and getting them to safety if he can. I think moments like this where he can tell someone that their family is okay is one of the things keeping him going through this shitstorm.

c) Per a slide at the end of Inquisition, Elliot Hawke ended up back in Kirkwall as well with Fenris and Aveline (and Varric, at the time), helping with the rebuilding effort of the city. So he was, presumably, involved in the evacuation that Dom describes as well. It would be easy for me to headcanon that he is simply dead, but I'm actually making an executive decision that he isn't, because Elliot's story was one of those that I was most proud of, and he and Fenris deserve a happy ending more than almost anyone else in this worldstate.

He actually came to care somewhat about Kirkwall, too, and making it a better place - one of the few things that he actually did feel invested in. So here's what I think happened with him.

Elliot and Fenris held the line against the darkspawn while Aveline organized the evacuation. Their efforts were instrumental in allowing much of the city to be able to escape. For the first time in many, many years, as he watched his adoptive home start to crumble to the invasion, Elliot came very close to succumbing to the influence of a rage demon again - not quite the same one that dogged him for most of his life, as he destroyed that one, but a similar one, taking advantage of the combination of Kirkwall's habitually weak Veil and Elliot's fury at once again watching things fall apart around him.

But with Fenris at his side he was able to drive both the demon and the darkspawn back long enough for most of Kirkwall's populace to follow Aveline out of the city to (temporary) safety in Starkhaven.

He and Fenris then disappeared. No one has seen them since, but Leliana has put feelers out and has reason to believe they are holed up in a remote corner of the Anderfels that the darkspawn have left alone because they don't realize anyone is there. Aveline received a single letter from them in the aftermath of the evacuation, which said something to the effect of, "We're alive. Don't come looking for us. We're done fighting."

d) With Val Royeaux also on the verge of collapse, Cassandra has (officially) been relocated to the Inquisition's headquarters as well for safety. Unofficially, she's there managing the rescue efforts at a higher level while Dom works out in the field. They keep in touch by regular letters which often contain a lot of torrid details about how they're going to have a passionate night when they see each other again, and when Dom does make it back to Skyhold, there's tons of gossip about what happens when the two of them disappear up into his tower bedroom.

However, usually they just end up just curling up together on the bed, and Dom, utterly exhausted, falls asleep with his head on her chest as she strokes her fingers through his hair.

e) The fact that Dom only mentions Kirkwall and Starkhaven when he is from the Free Marches only lends credence to my theory that Ostwick is just straight up gone. Flattened. Erased. An ex-city-state. Yikes. :( )

Trevelyan's smile fades as quickly as it came, and he looks around at the three women with grim determination. "The Inquisition might just be an arm of the Chantry now," he says firmly. "But we've still done our part to get people to fight this threat together. Again - the South is my problem, not yours, Rook. You stop the gods, and I'll make sure the rest of Thedas doesn't fall to the blight."

He's good, this fellow, Helena thinks wryly. He's one man, just like she's one woman, and neither of them should have this weight on their shoulders. But he knows how to talk about it like they can do this crazy damned thing after all. And, almost in spite of herself, she feels herself a little bolstered by it.

And... if he knows how to bolster people up like this...

"I've been having trouble getting people in authority to listen to us," she says, wincing a little as she remembers her disastrous conversation with the First Warden. "If you help with some of your political strength--"

To her surprise, Trevelyan barks a sudden laugh. "My political strength?" he says dryly. "Tevinter hates me. The Venatori helped make sure of that. And while I have a few friends in the Wardens, their leadership hasn't much cared for me since we clashed at Adamant Fortress."

"The Inquisitor did not come all this way to leave you with empty words, however," Morrigan says as Helena's face falls in disappointment. "He brought something no one else could."

There's a heavy clunk sound and Helena blinks as Trevelyan sets down something heavy on the bartop.

(A/N: "I've brought you this lovely decoration for your base, Rook!"

I actually have a statuette that looks rather like this, although it's not blue.)

"A wolf statuette," Harding says, bemused. "Something to do with Solas?"

Trevelyan nods. "I found it right around the time Solas's ritual failed," he explains. "When he was pulled into the Fade. We examined the magic, and it's tied to the Veil. To him. Somehow."

"Solas is ancient," Morrigan explains. "And his magic is part of him in a way far beyond that of mortals." She jerks her head to indicate the statuette. "I suggest you take it to the Crossroads and see if something in the Lighthouse calls to it. Perhaps it will yield some insight into your new 'ally.'"

"I appreciate it," Helena says wryly. "Solas has been helpful while he's trapped in the Fade. But anything that can help me get inside his head will help counter him getting inside mine."

"Wisely spoken," Morrigan says, her tone dark. "Solas rarely lies directly, but he finds ways to weave the truth into a noose you find yourself wearing."

Trevelyan frowns, his eyes flicking away towards the statue for a moment. "I considered Solas a friend," he says in a low voice. "I'd hoped to convince him to see reason." A bitter pause, and then he shakes his head. "It's too late for that now. But still... if this can give you some insight, help you understand him..."

He sighs, and then again manages that flash of a smile that seems to light his whole face when it's allowed to. "Whatever it turns out to be, I hope that it helps," he tells Helena earnestly.

(A/N: OK, OK, he still cute, I admit. XD )

Morrigan casts him a sideways look. "We should go, Inquisitor," she says. "The armies in the South need you."

And the smile is gone again, and Trevelyan's shoulders slump as if taking on an invisible weight. "Right," he says quietly. "Harding, stay sharp. You're my eyes in the north."

"Always, Inquisitor," Harding says promptly. And Helena is struck for a moment by the sincerity of the loyalty in those words. She and Harding are friends, working together for a common and desperate cause, but Harding does not look at Helena like that. Helena is a leader by necessity - but Trevelyan is one by nature.

And he turns now towards her and sticks a hand out, and she takes it and feels the solidity of his grip as they shake. "Rook," he goes on firmly. "Good luck. If I come across anything else that can help, you'll be the first to know."

"Thank you," she says simply, and watches as he turns away and disappears back into the shadows.

[yurtb0y]

GNAWING ON THAT OC GIVE ME INFORMATION

YESYES OKAY!!! *inhale* SO.

(this all might change later since he's still pretty new)

General info I guess (haven't fleshed out his backstory much yet.)

was a Catholic priest before the AM takeover (obvis)

he's roughly in his mid/late 30's- early 40's

he doesn't have a name yet because I'm stupid.

He lived in the United States when AM attacked. He was born in Poland and moved to the US in his mid 20's. (probably someplace like Texas or Utah... )

probably gay or in some way queer but DEEPLY in denial. (also in my mind IHNMAIMS takes place in the 60s/70s somewhere around that time so like... y'know... also makes room for the religious guilt plotline.)

Kinda stopped believing in god after long enough in AM's complex because like really who wouldn't. throwback to Ted's entire spiel about AM being god y'know the one.( Ik that wasn't meant litterally but the sentiment still works.)

As for his relationship with the other survivors and his torture.

Ellen- He'd most likely be less harsh on her and not really like.... *ahem*. use her. He'd always been a pretty compassionate man he was never like the freaky creep kind of priest/pastor. He can most likely sympathize with her past a bit as well- or atleast as much of it as she's willing to share which I imagine isn't much.

Nimdok- This mf is Polish. He does not like Nimdok. (If we're talking game Nimdok which is what I'm basing this... AU, I guess? off of.) I don't think they'd actively beef but they'd prolly just try to avoid eachother within the group. In terms of book Nimdok I think there's a slight possibility they could've gotten along. Honestly for Nimdok like... (Idr if where I saw this I think it was from a fic somewhere) but I like the idea that he wasn't actually a n*zi but since it's mentioned his memory is fucked AM just convinced him and the others he was so pin them against him and fuck with him some more. idk man allied mastercomputer behaviour. It also makes me dread thinking about him a little less.

Gorrister- Surprisingly, I think they'd get along. Even if they don't share a religion I think they'd find solace in confiding their guilts in eachother, esp with Gorrister's guilt over what happened with Glynis-- also since it's mentioned in the book Gorrister used to be an activist (which I think is more interesting than his trucker backstory from the game so I'm sticking with the activist storyline.) I feel like he's the least likely to be quite as homophobic as the others (cause let's be real here.) so maybe. MAYBE. He'd eventually try talking about some of those buried up feelings with Gorrister. Unlikely though. Overall I think they could be the closest thing to friends I can imagine with their situation.

Benny- I think they could've gotten along pre-monkey'd, (For Benny I like to combine his book and game backstory in my mind so tldr he was a professor and was later fired when it was discovered he was gay and then the enlisted in the military and killed 3 people. boom.) I think Priest oc would've respected them but after the monkey moment I feel like he'd kinda treat him like the family dog just as the other survivors do.

Ted- Ohhh boy. I have some words I'm not sure I'm allowed to use on Tumblr. They'd either get along or beef or some secret third evil and more sinister thing. Toxic without the yaoi. They make eachother worse. I need to map my thoughts out better before I write anything about them out. giggles but not in a good way.

wow I really used this as an excuse to dump about my ideas for the other survivors too huh.

Whilst I haven't sat down to ponder how AM would fuck with him I do know I wanna play off the theme of guilt somehow. I can imagine him being ripped apart by wolves for some reason that's just been like stuck in my head the whole time I've been typing all this out. Also maybe almost something with sacrificial themes? I'm kinda thinking about how Benny's part in the game ends for inspo on that it's hitting the right vibe. Please don't cancel me I'm Polish and all my family is Catholic.

Annon I hoped you liked reading this cause I had fun writing it. Also here he is again for anyone who's seeing this but didn't see the og post.

also I'm SO open to name suggestions for this freak cause I've got NOTHING.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

//So this is referring to this post I made a while back when I talked about the SDRA2 Omake. I was just scrolling through my notifs and this came up, and I felt like talking about it.

//What you're saying is correct. Personally, I don't think Syobai does really care for Iroha in canon, and it's weird to think of him ever finding genuine affection in someone, especially if it's someone like Iroha who is basically his polar opposite.

//But I still believe that so long as they work together, there's always potential for there to be a growing relationship and genuine cause for affection between the two so long as they're sticking it out through tough times with the other being basically the only person they can rely on. That's kind of how it works.

//If I had to compare Iroha and Syobai's relationship in Survivor to anything, and pardon me if this is a bit controversial, I think it's most akin to the relationship between Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us.

//Joel and Ellie's relationship didn't start off well. Joel didn't think of himself as someone who had to get to know her; he only saw himself as her escort. He didn't want to lose someone close to him ever again, so he saw Ellie as someone he had to protect but also maintain a distance from in order to keep his spirits up. Similar to what anon just mentioned, Syobai probably initially thought of Iroha as just a pawn or a way to make money. That's just the kind of guy he is, even now.

//Later in the game, as both characters came to terms with the fact that they kind of NEEDED each other in this crazy world they live in, their bond eventually became stronger. By the time they arrived at the university, Ellie had lost her fear that Joel would abandon herm and Joel had even been honest with her about his relationship with Sarah and had stopped completely ignoring her when their conversations became too personal.

//What you have to keep in mind is that Syobai and Iroha have been doing their "thing" for about 8 years before the events of Survivor, when they met Kokichi and he took them on as stragglers for his club. Imagine the kind of situation where this rough and tough old soldier, now that the world is on the verge of repairing itself entirely, can no longer make any decent money out their schemes anymore, since the Remnants of Despair aren't as common anymore. That doesn't mean he just abandons Iroha entirely. It's not like he could, even if he wanted to.

//So the situation they find themselves in now is not as business partners, or contractual allies, but as teammates and coworkers at worst, and basically a dysfunctional brother and sister at best.

//I am aware that for Syobai, it feels a little bit out of character for him to be in that big brother/maternal role, but consider for a second that looking at both characters histories, as much as neither will ever want to openly admit it, Iroha and Syobai are the closest thing that either have ever had to someone who genuinely cares about the other as family.

//Syobai's parents abandoned him in another country when he was just a kid, and he's in his 30's around the time SDRA2 starts, which means he'd be in his early to mid-40's in Survivor. And he's spent basically all of that time making his own way through life, doing whatever so long as the pay was good, with no close connections, or anyone that he could consider a reliable partner, that weren't based on capitalism and how much money he had in his pocket.

//Until Iroha. She's not in it for the money, she's in it because she trusts Syobai to keep them both alive. Because let's be honest, SHE couldn't do it by herself! I say this lovingly, but Iroha is a DUMBASS! There's absolutely no way she could get a job, make any kind of money, or SURVIVE in a tragedy world without Syobai's help, and she knows that full well, which is why she sticks with him even now.

//And even if at first she's little more than a tool to him, Syobai is the first ever older figure in Iroha's life who WANTS to PROTECT her, regardless of his motivations. Her family and parents fucking sucked, that much is clear, and to be honest, VOID wasn't much better! At least not Nikei or Mikado. For someone like Iroha who is at her complete and total wits end, having Syobai around is her number one mechanism of coping with how much her life sucks.

//However, everything I've just noted draws attention away from the very point of what I was trying to make in the original post. And that is that the relationship between Iroha and Syobai in Survivor ISN'T CANON.

//Yes, their relationship WAS toxic in the original, but that's the very reason I wrote them like this in Survivor. Because the omake in the canon showed such a lack of character development for both characters, like they learned absolutely nothing from the Killing Game and nothing from the time they spent with each other.

//Even if it does make sense from Syobai's end, it wasn't just that I didn't like it and wanted to make my own changes, it was actually just because it DIDN'T MAKE SENSE to me.

//If you don't want to accept things as they are in the blog, that's fine. Feel free to go whichever story you prefer. That's the magic of fandom after all.

//Personally speaking, I took a look at their canon relationship and what happened after SDRA2, I said "I don't like that" and tried to make my own version. That's all. It's not harming anyone, and from what I've seen, people actually kind of like it, so I'm not about to change it any time soon.

-Mod

[lazyvase]

TMNT TO ME:

Wrath of the Mutants First Impressions

First: I am so glad this game is getting preserved and made available to everyone. It may not be great, but it’s a nice and fun time.

I’m also glad that some of 2012’s greatest and original villains are being put into the game.

Second: analysis

Ok, so the new level seems to be a Coney Island level.

Rahzar and Fishface will be the bosses of this area. Rahzar has been shown to be in the park’s haunted house.

Fishface will be the other boss of this area. He and Rahzar are a pair. And being on the docks around water is a typical Fishface move.

I theorize that this area will be a Docks/Coney Island hybrid, as I’m unsure if there’s enough material to make a whole area out of Coney Island alone. However, all the clips from the trailer merely show Coney Island. So who knows.

I also believe that Rahzar is the last boss of the area as the haunted house is where I’d imagine the area would end. But once again, who knows.

Next Big Question:

I have three theories about where he’ll show up.

1. We get an entirely new area: this one is the least likely as I imagine we would’ve seen a snippet of it in the trailer. Also because thinking of a mid boss for this level would be a headache. Who would you pair up with Tiger Claw? Snake Karai? The Shredder Mutants? Alopex???

2. Shredder’s Lair is expanded into a full level. This one isn’t too infeasible. There are a good amount of locations that could be included: dungeon, catacombs, Baxter’s lab, dojo. And I swear that entering the Shredder’s throne room looks different in the original game (could be wrong though). I’d imagine that before Shredder’s throne room you would face Tiger Claw. You would also refight Fishface and Rahzar either before Tiger Claw or within Shredder’s boss rush.

3. Tiger Claw is a surprise boss fight in Shredder’s boss rush. This is the most likely as it’s the easiest to pull off. After fighting three of the bosses in Shredder’s boss rush. You’ll have to fight Tiger Claw for the first time. Once you beat him, you fight the other three. Then fight Shredder. Then fight Super Shredder.

Also I doubt that Super Shredder will replace Shredder as I imagine the developers will want to reuse as much content as possible. I’m glad Super Shredder will now be the final boss as the regular Shredder was kind of a pushover.

Finally, im Really looking forward to this game. It will be so nice to have this as part of my collection.

Although if it’s over 40$ I’m gonna wait for a sale based solely on principle.

[bihansthot]

Wtf is happening in my life lol I went on two dates last week one good-ish one painful and I have two possibly three dates this week. Someone send help, being this social for a gremlin is very difficult. I suppose I should spill the tea, I went out with a nice metal head last Wednesday and while he’s not exactly my type physically he was nice to be around, pleasant to talk to and a gentleman so I agreed to see him again but we haven’t made plans yet and I’m still holding try outs for be Sol’s boyfriend right? The second date was Friday with a super nerd now don’t get me wrong I’m also a total nerd I mean my dog is named Denethor FFS but we’re the wrong type of nerd. He’s sci-fi and I’m fantasy and while this is poly dating and I knew going into the date he was married I did not know about his three kids under 8 or the couple he and his wife were seeing together nor did I know he was a stay at home dad. All of these are kind of big red flags for me, not being upfront about additional partners HUGE red flag, not knowing about children also huge deal for me. He also took me to a cat cafe without asking prior if I was allergic, thankfully I’m not but these are all pretty big signs he’s concerned for himself and not others. He was also rather large, which don’t get me wrong I have no issues with I’m not a body shamer and my partner is rather heavy too but this guy had a chronic injury so he couldn’t really interact with the kittens so the whole thing was weird from the get go and I know y’all know me, this pillow princess does NOT ride (unless it’s for Bi-Han) so wtf would I gain from this relationship? A guy who already divides his attention between 6 people has no income and I can only see him when the kids are asleep?! Big fucking no. I was pleasant and cordial through out the date and thanked him for taking me but I put on my big girl panties and told him he just had too much going on for me. I’m clingy, I’m needy, I’m also materialistic there’s a reason I met my ex on a sugar daddy website, I can’t be dating a broke ass man who’s seeing three partners and has three kids. I’m sorry if that sounds spoiled but it’s the truth, I NEED to be a priority and I didn’t feel like he could make me one.

I’m tentatively going out with another man this Friday at a barcade which is much more my scene, drinks and video games sound wonderful. Appearance wise he’s still not quite what I go for but better looking than the other two, then Sunday I potentially have a date with a dude who looks like he used to play college football and is physically much more my type he’s also in his mid 40s thank fuck as the others have all been in their 30s. There’s also another one who seems a very good fit who’s asked me out but we haven’t set a date or time yet.

So, yeah that’s what’s going on in my life lately the app is FeeId if anyone else wants to try poly or couples dating and was unaware of the app. I don’t remember the name of the sugar daddy website or I’d hook y’all up too but that ended badly so maybe it’s for the best I don’t remember.

My partner is going out of town for three days so wish me luck that Denny behaves for me and doesn’t drag me around in the snow. Oh yeah! It’s snowed the last two days! My real husband is saying hi 🥰 Maybe it’s a sign of good luck? Maybe one of these upcoming dates will go well then?

[waffleweirdo]

Finished Path of Radiance!

In total it took me about 40 hours and about 4 months (oops)

Long story short I really liked this game both in story and gameplay!

Now for some more rambling thoughts:

*will include spoilers*

Gameplay:

The best way that I can describe what I enjoyed about the gameplay is a good balance of information. I think there are a few other facts that could play into this (this is the fe game I went into the most blind, and difficulty). But in general I felt like there was a good balance of systems and ‘calculations’ to manage in battle. My wording here might be nonsense, but essentially there aren’t as many active effects like engage or fates that make everything overwhelming. While there aren’t as many automated tools like the later entries (I.e aggro indicators in three houses) have so I was more so forced to check possible outcomes manually. Now this probably isn’t ideal if you really want to play strategically, but I don’t! I typically play these games mostly around feel, and this method of play helped me develop a kind of sense of what would likely happen and a greater familiarity with my own and enemy units and I thought that felt cool!

Another possible contributor to this was the difficulty. It started off a bit difficult while the units were all still weak, then got pretty easy in the mid game (except daybreak!!), before getting fairly tough again around the last 6 or so chapters. Which is a curve I generally like! There were moments I would’ve liked it a little bit harder, but it was overall very satisfying! (For context I didn’t use any bonus exp until after chapter 18, and only used the majority of it around chapter 27).

Some other minor gameplay things. I thought the mechanics surrounding laguz were cool too manage! Plus they tied in really cool thematically and I felt awful attacking helpless laguz (the fact that the game made me feel awful is a good thing!). This game was the fe game that I knew the least about going in, and I managed to only ever use a guide for one chapter which I enjoyed, but I do think it means I probably missed a few recruitable characters. I’m pretty confident I missed at least three, though it might’ve been more oops… I really liked the use of bonus exp it was a cool way to still level up units that don’t necessarily earn a bunch naturally, or buff underperforming units, and as a sort of difficulty regulator. Gameplay wise my favorite unit was far and away Astrid. She snowballed so quickly! I was shocked when Titania had beaten her for most victories. I though item management was a bit tight sometimes, but not really in a good way. The fact that the shop had different stock every chapter was a bit frustrating, especially when it would remove basic iron weapons so units with only an e rank couldn’t train at all. But overall it wasn’t too big of a deal. I also didn’t realize how op forging was until the mid to late game, but that’s on me.

Characters:

Ike was BY FAR my favorite fe protagonist. His consistent attitude and personality made him a lot more interesting. Although he didn’t have the most complex character journey ever, he was still enjoyable, and always felt like an engaging character, rather than being one note. He consistently works well with the rest of the cast, and the way that he serves as an optimistic force, yet isn’t without flaws is really nice. I think he’s just a great character! I also really like that he didn’t turn out to secretly be a noble. I think this is the first fe game I’ve played with a protagonist who is not a noble, or secretly revealed to be a noble!

I feel very guilty that I never got around to using Soren much and thus didn’t get many of his supports because he was really interesting and I would’ve liked to see how he grew past his outward facade. But even so the story did a good job of depicting his growth, even if it was somewhat subtle. I also guessed that he was the spy for Daein, but nope!

Elincia was great too. She never stood out to much, but throughout the whole game she was engaging, and it was nice to see her growth. Again I didn’t get to do too many of her supports which was a bummer.

I guess this is as good a place as any to talk about supports. The way the PoR levels them up based on deployments? Very cool! Really excellent idea. The support conversations I read? I really liked them! Why. WHY is there a limit on supports? And even more so why was it so strict? Essentially what this meant was I was constantly juggling which characters I cared about the most, and if I ever found another character whose supports would be interesting? Well let’s hope I have a bunch of supports left, or I have to change my mind, or hold supports for possible future characters. It’s awful, and locked me out of probably 3/4 of the supports I was interested in. It sounds minor, but honestly really did affect my play through a lot. I care about supports and having them so limited sucks!

Jill ended up being one of my favorite characters. I was interested when she first joined us. I think my first thought was, “what is she up to?” But her story of learning the truth behind Daein’s propaganda and choosing to oppose them was really touching, and equally tragic. The dialogue where Mist offhandedly mentioned that she and Jill were about the same age… augh!! Plus Jill’s supports with Lethe were great, another reason why supports shouldn’t have bee-

I think the other character I want to highlight is Nasir. He’s one of my favorite characters for sure, and his story is really intriguing. Even learning his relationship with Ena and his ultimate motivations it still feels like there’s so much we never got to learn. Especially never having truly gotten to reconcile with Ike… it’s just really interesting. He traveled with us for so long, and always felt like a mystery, and even finally understanding him came too late… it’s just really neat.

Story:

The story of this game was interesting, the main plot thread was helping Elincia retake Crimea, which was a fairly standard though well done story. Archetypal in a sense. But largely what I cared about was the story in regards to the laguz and beorc. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just interesting to note. In that sense some moments of the plot felt largely unremarkable to me, while some moments where the two converged felt really interesting. The discovery of the truth behind the Serenes massacre and Ena’s reunion with Rajaion stand out to me. In the sense it’s sort of hard for me to reconcile my thoughts on the story. I didn’t really care much when Ashnard was killed, but the moment I understood who Rajaion was I wanted to cry. I think largely PoR’s story is a success, as there were more moments that I was interested than moments were I was disengaged, and I do generally think of the story fondly.

Having the full vision of how the conflict between laguz and beorc was depicted I think there are probably some things to critique, especially in some moments where it doesn’t feel as far reaching as it largely should. As in sometimes it feels like that racism is far too easily ‘solved’. But ultimately I think it fits PoR. PoR isn’t trying to be a story that is incredibly focused on fictional race relations. But it doesn’t shy away from including and exploring them, and out of the fire emblem games I’ve played it does by faaaaaaaarrrrr the best job. Plus it does have many really good moments that I think are genuine standouts.

As an aside, I’d also like to say that the info system is really good at adding in additional plot relevant reactions by characters, and showing the effects of your actions on civilians and the world around in such an excellent way. I can’t exactly pinpoint why, but some of my favorite moments just come from the one off interactions in it with characters you know you’ll never meet again. It’s cool!

I guess my thoughts of PoR’s story and themes come down to the fact that they are far from perfect, but ultimately succeed where it matters.

Sequel?:

I wasn’t really sure what to call this section, oops. This is the first time I’m playing Fire Emblem game that has a clear sequel! Which I know even less about going in than PoR.

Knowledge going into PoR: It has the Black Knight and Ike

Knowledge going into Radiant Dawn: It has Micaiah

So these are a collection of things I’m still wondering about which might possibly come up in the sequel? Though even if they don’t I’m satisfied with the conclusion of PoR’s story, and leaving loose ends isn’t a bad thing.

Ahem. What’s going on with Goldoa’s royalty? What’s going on with Sephiran? The apostle is a descendant of one of the warriors that fought the dark god? Is the Black Knight really dead? And most importantly Chekhov’s amulet that contains a literal dark god???!??!?!? Anyways I’m sure that will end just fine.

One of the moments that I’m most interested in was Ike’s final fight with the Black Knight. I took one look at the battle forecast and saw that Ike would immediately die, remembered Ike and Titania’s promise and booked it. Though I really wonder what might have happened if I did something different. Though honestly I’m okay just wondering.

Aaaaand yeah. That’s everything I can think to say at the moment. I liked this game a lot! I’m not quite sure how I’d rank it among the fe games that I’ve played. But I’m very excited to play Radiant Dawn and see what that has in store.

[blindrapture]

SUNDAY JULY 17TH, 2011 (The Grand Gtheru)

9:04 AM Woke up to the sound of snoring. We're still here. Still on the plane. Donnie's sleeping next to me, sleeping soundly. The sky outside is orange, reminds me of a sunset. That factory from last night... it persisted into my dreams. Like we missed something in there. Like we're gonna have to go back, if not soon then sooner than later. Like there was someone in there who needed our help. Like, if we'd kept going downstairs, flight after flight, we'd start seeing patterns in the blackness that would have given away the game and told us everything we'll ever need to know. If only we'd save the beast below… But these are just dreams. Dreams in the apocalypse… Well. There's no use going over it again now. We've got a different kind of staircase to descend, deeper and deeper. What's at the bottom of this one?

9:07 AM She wants a bit more rest. Well, okay. I guess I’ll just stay here a little longer.

9:27 AM The plane shook heavily. We got some turbulence or something? …inner turbulence? *rim shot*

9:30 AM OH GOD HEAVY TURBULENCE THIS MUST BE THE SEVENTH DEGREE Donnie's awake. Reaching for her rifle. I don't know if that'll do much good in a moving plane. We've just gotta.. brace. I'm gonna look out the window. The sky's changed to purple real fast.

9:32 AM The clouds are giant floating spiders. We’re flying through an upside down mountain range in the sky. The same mountain range is down below. We've been here before. Something looks odd, though. The sky isn’t actually pulsing purple here; it’s just plain purple. Maybe it’s because we decoded the fifth Cipher? ..ope, more heavy turbulence.

9:34 AM The sky is swirling colors.

9:36 AM ..it’s settled on a starker orange, pulsing red a few times a minute. Now the plane's starting to dip. I think we're landing. I think we're here.

9:38 AM We've got a bag with weapons in it. There's the ammo for our rifle, the gun itself strapped to Donnie's back. There's Tiger Stripes, which I've got on my back. There's Donnie's frying pan, staying in the bag for now. And we still have some nonperishable foods in the bag too. I'll carry the bag.

9:45 AM …wait what physics where are they THE PLANE HAS JUST ABRUPTLY STOPPED. We are now suspended in mid-air, frozen in place above what looks like a cornfield far below. I don’t like where this is going.

9:46 AM "Over here, by the door. I found parachutes." Oh god, we’re really gonna have to do it. We’re up in the clouds. Uh, spiderclouds. This isn’t going to be a pleasant landing.

9:53 AM Well. That was terrifying. It wasn’t as much of a drop as I’d expected, thankfully, but.. well, I suppose once you get past the jump and make sure to pull the string, it’s over quick. Hoo. Right. Thoughts. This cornfield’s.. not what I was expecting. The corn’s all eyestalks. With eyes on top of each. o_o

9:57 AM They kinda remind me of spaghetti. "Pfft, shut up, they look nothing like spaghetti."

9:59 AM I just bumped into a tall black pole, and it felt warm and full of life. Legsteps. They’re inactive right now, though. Just big legs.

10:40 AM The eyefield finally ended. Now there’s a few miles of grassy plains ahead of us. The grass is a distinct teal hue, and there’s a strangely warm wind blowing through. It’s just miles of sprawling teal plains in all directions, other than dead ahead, as this is where it gets interesting. A few miles ahead of us is an enormous structure, what I’d call some sort of eldritch Rapture Tower. It stretches high into the sky, far higher than even the hourglass mountain from the God Machine’s Realm stretched to. It makes me wonder what abomination inhabits this section of Xanadu.

11:13 AM Lightning struck in front of us. o_o; Of course, it was the awesome hamburger lightning, so we got free food out of it.

11:54 AM We’re at the tower entrance. There’s a door with no doorknob, and an inscription on the side. The inscription shows “eyestalk = key.” …fuck. >_> Well, at least we have plenty of time to do this!

11:58 AM Starting the long trek. Sigh.

12:32 PM I hear a vague hum. It’s never a noise I like hearing. We’re all on guard.

1:04 PM Made it. Got an eyestalk. Donnie grabbed one too, just in case. And now we go all the way back!

1:19 PM ..random eyestalk in the middle of the plains. Staring at us. They don’t normally do that. We’re on guard.

1:37 PM Patch of several different eyestalks. All staring at us. This is just weird.

2:04 PM We’re back at the tower. I’m legitimately surprised nothing happened at all on the way here. Not even any Legsteps waking up.

2:05 PM Donnie’s holding the eyestalk she took up to the door FIDJFG OKAY We’re.. we’re in a giant ballroom now! I guess we’re inside! This ballroom is gorgeous. Sequins in the curtains, chandeliers at least seventy feet above us, spotless marble floors, portraits of fancy designs on the walls. Just like everywhere else, though, it’s completely deserted.

2:08 PM Stepping through, slowly. I'm following Donnie, as she's still heavily armored. I've got our 6. Or whatever. I only hear our footsteps. I see no shadow out of place. Just a quiet ballroom. Oh shit, a bathroom. Hang on, Donnie!

2:11 PM I stepped into the men’s room and immediately saw the women’s restroom from that hotel in London. I saw the Harlequin standing there, looking below the stalls into the one I was hiding in. And then I blinked. Now it’s just a regular restroom. For. For all I know, that one was all in my head.

2:14 PM This stall has one piece of graffiti, and only one. Was guwo ga endia yora omnis, grow en envied gyas knawa yora dest manaf. Was yant ga guatrz yorra ruinie en stel art yora dsier deata art alroetsue. Zodaw. No clue what it means, or even what language it’s in. But it creeps me out. o_o;

2:17 PM I heard Donnie gasp outside. I'm coming, I'm coming! …okay what Mannequins! All standing around the ballroom, being mannequins! Most are frozen in romantic dancing poses. Donnie's in the middle of the floor. The spotlight’s on her, so bright. I see no fear in her eyes, no expectation, no emotion at all besides curiosity. The mannequins, without being seen moving, have formed an aisle directly between herself and I. A nearby speaker begins playing some familiar piece in an old-fashioned style. Donnie looks so curious. I.. am, too. I want to know a lot of things, but.. ..but then again, right now I’m just curious as to how well she can dance.

2:25 PM We slow danced. It went.. surprisingly well. She led the way, and as we shifted, we touched not a single mannequin. They seemed to shift out of the way for us when we weren’t looking. And then the Legsteps came in. They came in and turned the oldie-sounding piece into a dubstep remix of Madonna's "Beautiful Stranger." As the piece came to a climax, the feeling that it was just me and her in there came true: all the mannequins are now gone. As if to applaud our performance, a ladder has fallen from the ceiling. We can climb it to reach some new room.

2:28 PM fdsjg water wet journal wet

(The journal is perfectly dry.)

2:34 PM We swam upward, only to discover we were trapped in some kind of underwater maze. So we swam right, up, right, up, left, up, and.. yeah, directions. Now we’re in a room with a very low ceiling. I have to take my trilby off just to fit in here. There’s a little rabbit in here and a sign that reads “1- Kill.” ..o_o;

2:35 PM I wish I hadn’t seen that. A set of stairs has appeared nearby, taking us to the next floor.

2:36 PM This is also a room with a low ceiling. There’s another sign in here that reads “2- Kill.” There’s a few flies flying around. Well. Okay. Even I can do that one.

2:39 PM 3- Kill, two spidercats.

2:43 PM Give me a minute. These were just spidercats, but, like. That doesn't mean it's fun to see, or to know what I've done.

2:50 PM 4- Kill. This is a severed human head that still functions perfectly. He calls himself “Teddy,” and he’s begging us to put him out of his misery. o__o;;

2:52 PM …

2:53 PM 5- Solve. Yes, something that doesn’t say “Kill!” Here, we have a chessboard set up. There’s a rock shaped perfectly like an old man seated at one end of the board, seeming to suggest that we get first move.

2:55 PM Donnie, I had no idea you were so good at chess. She’s taken the seat and is making some pretty interesting moves. Moves I wouldn’t use. But then I’ve never won a game of chess in my life.

3:02 PM She and the rock man look of equal wit.

3:09 PM Donnie just fucking pulled a “Checkmate.” Rad, dude. The next staircase is open.

3:10 PM 6- Kill, a tree.

3:12 PM 7- Kill, a mouse. "I'm not really.. loving this either, Jordan." No, I know. Look, just. Let me do this. You did the rabbit.

3:14 PM 8- Kill, a regular human being named Jeremiah.

3:19 PM He fought back. Had me on the ground until Donnie shot him square in the chest.

3:20 PM 9- Kill, a WAIT WHAT AM I SEEING THIS RIGHT

3:21 PM I am. o____e;; It’s asking us to perform an abortion. There’s a woman right here, fully awake, no anesthetics, naked, legs spread. Pregnant. And the room provides us with a crowbar. Donnie said, to the room, "Are we going up against fucking Jigsaw?"

3:30 PM I mean, I’m.. I’m pro-choice, but… this is just a caricature of what that even means. ..the staircase still isn’t down. Oh, it wants the woman, too. ._.

3:37 PM She kept screaming about how the NIHIL was keeping her here. The Sine Labore Nihil. ..”Nothing without work.” Staircase is here.

3:38 PM 10- Solve. There’s two doors and two guards. Yeah, no, this is an easy one. Oldest trick in the book. If you were the other guard, what would you say is the door leading further up the tower? "I don't know. He never talks to me." ...shit. donnie's found instructions on the wall. probably should have read these first. "One guard never tells a lie. One guard never hears a lie. These are the same guard. The other guard never leaves his post while observed. One door leads further up the tower. The other door leads back to the entrance. You have as many questions as you need, but if you choose the wrong door and make your way back here, the doors and guards may shuffle." What? donnie "What?" okay uh. never tells a lie, never hears one either… and the other one.. I mean, he may tell a lie? it doesn't specify... but he never leaves his post while observed… donnie, let's both look away from the guards. 3:39 PM When we turned around again, one of the guards was inches away from my face. I nearly decked him on instinct. He's gone back to his door. Okay, so he's not the one who will always tell the truth. But he's also the one who told us that the other one never talks to him. Uh. donnie "Hey, mister!" talking to the truthful one "Yes?" "What's behind your door?" "I dunno. Never checked." "You've never checked?" shrug "The doors change every now and then. I can't say for sure where either of them go." "Dammit." "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." Could you... check now? "Oh, I never leave my post, not ever." "Wait, so you also never could have checked before, then? So your answer omitted that. That's kind of untruthful." "Well, is a lie by omission still a lie?" "Yes" Yes "Huh." Wait!!! Donnie!!! What if he's the liar? What if both guards moved when we weren't looking? You there! Other guard! What's behind your door? "Oh, I don't know. I never checked." Shit!

3:42 PM We just tried a fucking door. It's pure blackness in here. Following Donnie's headtorch.

3:44 PM A LONG FUCKING WALK a voice speaks to me...

4:08 PM Here’s what seems to be a fancy hallway, red carpet and everything. Portraits line the wall, all of famous musicians. There’s a left and a right here, as well as a path back into blackness. I don't know where Donnie went.

4:10 PM I took a left, and now I'm in a giant room filled to the brim with mirrors. Specifically, it seems to be a mirror maze. The ceiling and floor are mirrors. The walls are mirrors. And when they're not mirrors, they're glass, looking out into more and more corridors and twists and turns of mirror and glass.

4:12 PM ..some else is in here with me. Hearing footsteps now. Donnie? ...

4:14 PM I hate tension, I hate horror, I hate feeling scared, I hate it, I hate it

4:16 PM but. I fucking love mazes. u_u

4:20 PM left forward right right forward fuck back left forward forward left forward right right left

4:24 PM just when I think I'm getting a sense of the size of this maze, another turn breaks my sense of the boundaries. now there's stairs taking me to another level above. maze upon maze.

4:32 PM I swear I saw movement in a reflection in the corner of my eye. oh god where is that exit

4:38 PM …it’s up there. On the ceiling. A ladder into a trapdoor. Very high ceiling. Now how do I get there. Maybe if I keep looking. Maybe if I try to get to the far side wall.

4:53 PM I made it. I found the far side wall. But I'm gonna feel even more vulnerable climbing up that ladder.

4:54 PM Okay. I’m gonna give it a shot. Gonna climb up and push on that trapdoor, see what's above.

5:949 eo a voice speaks to me. I made it to the floor above, out of the maze, and staring at me is a corpseg brown hair with purple bow, striped shirt, a face I knowr this is Anna. this was Anna. she made it to the tower, she made it this fari eyes staring lifeless, flies buzzing. I killed those ones just as easily as the ones beforem I don't see what killed her. I don't see what pierced her heart. there is nothing arounda this was the right part of america for my ex to have gotten to. I can believe she made it here, to this Cipher's realm. but something killed her before I could get herel what would I have even said to her? would she have been happy to see me? we ended awkwardly. I wished her well... I could have gotten hered I could have gotten here. I could have gotten here. she didn't deserve thisi

65843920 mrf mrff mfff mfff mrff mrff donnie help

6:45 PM do you want to see?

6:50 PM the musicians have left. but anna is still here. the door ahead opened, and donnie found me. found anna. "did you do this?" I found her. "huh. someone else trying to get to the top of the tower." this was anna. this was my ex. "o-oh. are you sure?" I.. guess I can't be. but. "c'mon. let's.. leave this room. you don't need to hang around this." no. yeah. okay. let's go.

7:34 PM Somewhere along the way, we wound up boarding a small indoor riverboat ride. It was very pleasant, complete with cute music as we rode. I.. didn't feel it. Maybe that wasn't... her? I never did meet her. We were an online thing. And we didn't even last long. But beyond that, we were friends. But that is to say, I can't be certain that every brown-haired corpse... is… Ugh.

7:37 PM The boat let us off at the bottom of a large staircase. We’re going up. No other choice. "This feels close to the top. Are you sure you're okay for a big fight?" I'll try. "It might have still been a Musician thing, you know…" Please, let's just.. go, up the stairs, let's go.

7:40 PM Reached the top. Huge majestic doors.

7:41 PM This is a very giant concert hall. About as big as the cathedral the God Machine resided in. I bet this is the room we’ve been hunting.

7:43 PM There’s a single eyestalk on the stage. o_o

7:45 PM RISING …THAT’S I KNOW THAT THING THAT’S GTHERU. THE GUITAR-SHAPED BLUE MONSTER. Except this one is giant, has millions of suction-y tentacles, and an eye stalk for every pore. It’s the Grand Gtheru. Monitors above the stage label it as “The Sixth Cipher,” and “Sine labore nihil.” Nothing without work. As heard before.

7:48 PM And in come the Legsteps with a bitchin’ drop. Starts with a siren and everything! How appropriate. "You ready, Jordan?" I'm good. It's us against a giant boss monster. That's all that matters right now. Let the attack begin.

7:53 PM Gtheru’s sending its tentacles at us. I'm trying that crowbar, we picked it up earlier. It's sharper than it looks.

7:58 PM Fended off the invading tendrils. Now the tentacles are retreating, and the Legsteps are playing some other riff. ..eye stalks. A wave of eye stalks. Okay. Gotta cut some chaff. Wheat. Uh. How does the expression go?

7:59 PM Donnie’s running off. What’s she doing she’s going to the concert stage. Whacking the fucker, but it’s blocking itself with tentacles! Hold up there, I'm coming!

8:02 PM I’ve fought my way here; Gtheru’s tentacling up a shield, but this crowbar sliced it apart. Underneath is some very strange substance that’s pink and smells like plastic. Donnie's cocking her rifle. Looks like she'll be adding her own.

8:07 PM My crowbar does nothing against the under-substance, but Donnie's rifle is ineffective to the surrounding tentacles. So she's the offense, and I'm the defense.

8:13 PM Gtheru’s closing his tentacles in, trying to trap us inside. I got us out; looks like round one’s over.

8:15 PM Gtheru changed colours. He’s now orange. The Legsteps are playing something really strange now. Heavy as fuck, but strange. ..Gtheru’s tentacles are floating, separate of it. Some are blue, some are red. I sense they’re going to try attacking us.

8:18 PM Oh god, I can’t figure out how to damage a single one. Donnie's gotten some, but then many others just have the bullets bounce off like nothing. They’re flying around, lashing us again and again

8:19 PM ..hey, I just damaged that one. That one that was blue. Hm.

8:20 PM I can hit only blue, Donnie can hit only red. When we hit them, they drop little.. gadgets. They look like jigsaw pieces.

8:25 PM I put a lot of them together and it made a little harpoon. o_o Throwing it!

8:26 PM Socked Gtheru square in the face, it seemed to hurt it! ..the monitors above the stage just said “2: Upload,” but then changed; now they say “GOTO 1: Author.” Huh. The tentacles are flying at us again.

8:34 PM We repeated the process and made another little harpoon. The monitors say “2: Upload” now. Throwing now!

8:35 PM It just shattered to pieces, the harpoon. And the monitor said “ERROR: User multiuploaded.” ..idea.

8:42 PM Another harpoon. Okay, Donnie, you throw this one.

8:43 PM Right in the face, it did damage! “GOTO 1: Author.”

8:50 PM Okay. My turn.

8:51 PM Goto 1 again.

9:02 PM Okay, Donnie. "Upload" that fucker.

9:03 PM Gtheru is keeling over in pain, but it seems to be still sending tentacles. The screen says “3: Review. Who did most damage?” …fuck! o_o

9:05 PM Uh. We think.. it.. was Donnie’s. The last one thrown. ..the monitor’s now on “4: Publish.” Gtheru’s tentacles are back to surrounding its now-blue self. "Okay. Cover me, please." Right behind you!

9:14 PM Gtheru changed colours one more time. He’s red now. The screen says “5: Promote.” Fuck. What? ….what’s that noise

9:15 PM SHADOWCLONES running right past us. o_o Charging at Gtheru. It’s roaring like mad, and BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

9:17 PM The Grand Gtheru is dead. What a weird-ass fight.

9:18 PM Where it used to be, there’s an inscription. The actual Cipher. Zaarn, plina, zarle, milra yeeel! …it’s that language again. What does. What does that mean. "Roaring oceans, rustling meadows, gushing waterfalls are all but fragrances of the past.” OH GOD BLINDING LIGHT

9:19 PM cockroach jesus. at the entrance of the hall. wearing his white robe to disguise his body. "The works of nature home to your planet are all but fragrances of the past now. As we come closer to that bountiful boundless day, a new era will seize the lies and teach you a more fundamental nature: what is natural to all existence." donnie's pointing her rifle at him he's smiling wider "I do not fear your weapons. There is nothing to fear when Rapture is coming." shoot him. BANG she got him in the face. a big hole in his cheek. no blood. he still smiles. ...he's turned away from us. about to leave. Wait! What did we... just... do? What did this Cipher do? chuckle. "Sine labore nihil held the cruelty at bay."

11:00 PM What? ..what just happened? We’re in the Peisistratos. ..I don’t know. o_e

11:04 PM Tiresias came in. He’s telling us to rest up. “We will talk in the morning; I need time to prepare."

11:39 PM Donnie’s clutching me tight, fast asleep. I can try to sleep, but.. I’ve got too much on my mind right now. Just want to write. Just want to think.

(Attached: “As do I. One of the chapters in my life is something of a riddle to me, and this log brought it to mind. I'd just finished signing a hieroglyph onto the side of a mountain-- the other gods talked me into it, they consider it to be their form of an autograph for the eyes of history-- when I figured I'd just about stayed long enough. In my time in ancient Earth, I'd prevented many divine bouts, shared my wisdom with whatever humans felt themselves ready to stare into my blank gaze, and even celebrated a new year. No luck on taking memory away, though. I'd have to wait for that superpower to come. Instead, satisfied with the state of affairs of the times, I sneaked away in a lull of conversation and approached the Gates of Olympus.

A mahogany wind kept me company as I braved the elements of the Empty City of yesteryear. It wasn't really any different, but for some reason on this occasion it decided to delay my journey a little longer, knowing I could do nothing in retaliation, knowing I depended on its mercy if I wished to travel anywhere. For three days and many more nights I wandered the repetitive streets until I happened upon something resembling a park. There, I decided to take refuge on a bench and rest my eyes a little.

I dreamt I was blind in a more mortal manner. I dreamt of the widest expanse of nothing you've ever seen, stretches of the stuff shifting between every blink, my blinks lasting aeons in this mighty sleep. I dreamt of sound, of smell, of touch, of memory. The sound of love's laughter. The smell of hair. The touch of fingers upon fingers. The memory of a life without responsibilities such as these, the memory of a youth in sight unaffected.

My eyes opened to the sound of birds chirping. I felt someone sit down on the bench next to me. No matter how hard I tried, I could not see. I touched my face, ensured I was still there. Pinched myself, ensured I did not still dream. Cried out Untamo's name. I was not dreaming. I could not see anything. I figured it was appropriate that I would finally experience the blindness proper, but still I felt cheated. I heard the sound of rustling next to me. Then of chewing. I spoke, asked who was there.

-- Your best friend, ever. I recognized the voice. --- Sempiternity. -- The same, am I. You? Spoken with the diction of a professor. --- I.. believe I'm same. Sane? Same as I've ever been. -- Tiresias. Which? --- I'm, uh. Thoth. More chewing. -- Still young. Ham sandwich? I reached out my hand until I felt the food placed into my grasp. Took it and ate it. It was good.

: After a while of silence, I asked: --- Where have you been since Nyarlathotep and his bunch showed up? Offended. -- Not because you should, but because you must. --- What? Apologetic. -- I travel the stars. Hardly by my choice. I recalled where I'd met my friend to begin with: They'd just sorta stumbled into our universe, unsure of the location or the date. I suppose they really can't control their wanderings. -- - It's okay. So where are we, might I ask? Silence. --- Sempi? -- I cannot say where. --- You can't say? -- No. I cannot see. --- What. Why.. well, why not? A long sigh. -- Last place I arrived, I scared the people. They held me up to… a hole in the sun. Burned my eyes out, pain. Of course, next day my eyes recovered but when the people saw, they blindfolded me and cursed the blindfold. I can't take it off. --- A curse? What do you mean by that? Meekly. -- I mean 'eldritch stuff.'

I fumed. Nothing turned red in my mind. I stood up. --- They can't get away with that! Can you take me to them? -- I can't, never. No. I stood there, feeling the rhythm of anger fade away. Felt tangible. Felt awkward. Waited for any further response before I asked --- Why not? -- Do you know of time? --- What kind of question is that? I'm the god of time! Or something. Of course I know time! -- You don't know of time, forever's meaning. You know the words to eternity's song but you sing along to an opera you merely observe. The angst in their voice turned into a python of poison upon my ears. ---- Oh yeah? I've watched worlds crash and burn. I've participated in the ultimate battles to determine the fates of everyone I've ever loved. I have loved, and I've lost. You can't say I don't know more than the words to this opera.

I heard Sempi get up. Felt a finger stab my chest, lighter than a push but firmer than a touch. A point. -- You know of a life, your life, a life that stands a sentence in the library of time. The battles you fought were not fought by you, you were an actor. The people you've lost, you care more about their deaths' impact on you and yes I say that with poison, with angst, with vitriol, with knowledge of the-- experience of the-- unbeatable hatred, tragedy, the flames of elders and worse still the damned sufferings of youths, so now a FUCK YOU for you have not lived, you have barely breathed, you do not know the sickest part of all of this opera. Time is entropy, or ideally, time feeds on effect. But eternity is endless, endless! So all we suffer, and all we fucking cry and grieve and die and hate and kill, fuck-- all of this has been a single letter in dictionaries multi-volumed and always written. We have not been through a fraction of all we'll go through before we can finally end our suffering-- lie down and… just…… die. Silence. No more birds chirping. -- Forever's a long time before I die. Then I heard footsteps running away. Sempi was gone. I stood there for about a minute, thinking about what happened. Then I found I could see again, see an empty park in an empty city established for empty worlds with empty gods. I hated it all. A duck flew by. I sighed and resumed my long walk home.”)

[PREV LOG] [TABLE OF CONTENTS] [NEXT LOG]

[wondereads]

Weekly Reading Update (06/10/24)

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Forced Bonds by J. Bree (9/10)

I think this is my favorite of the series so far. The majority of this book was par for the course, but there were a few major things that really brought it to another level for me. One is the reveal about the main characters' bonds, which I'm very interested to see a resolution to, and another is the ending, which I never expected from this kind of series. I have my doubts that that development will actually hold, but it still took me by surprise!

Toward an Aesthetic of Reception by Hans Robert Jauss (5/10)

This is a literary theory book that is highly useful to some research I'm doing. It is also incredibly opaque and miserable to read. I feel like I retained about 40% of what I read, even if I did get some useful quotes and ideas.

The Once and Future King by T. H. White (8/10)

I went into this one with a certain idea of what it would be like, and I was completely blindsided. Despite being a fantasy classic from the mid 1900s, it was quite accessibly written and a good bit of the humor holds up. I think what I liked most about this version of Arthurian legend was its portrayal of Arthur, Lancelot, and Guenever (that's how her name is spelled in this book). White did a great job getting across the nuance of the conversation and not villainizing any of them, even if they did act horrendously stupid at some points. There are certainly things I did not like about this book, major ones being how White is so obviously a white English man and how Freud's theories must have still been popular when he was writing, but it was overall an enjoyable read and a very obvious inspiration for a lot of modern medieval and Arthurian fantasy.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 34 by Haruichi Furudate (8/10)

It's a bit tough for me to rate manga volumes since they go by so quickly, but I think I would be hard-pressed to find a Haikyuu!! volume I don't like. While I've watched the anime many, many times, I'm finally committing to finishing the story through the manga. This volume in particular was quite good, focused on a highly anticipated match. There were some moments that got a little repetitive, but I expect that's the point since part of this arc is the Karasuno team's frustration at being unable to break through.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 35 by Haruichi Furudate (9/10)

There was a bit of a shake-up in this volume, and I think it's a great one for showing how Hinata has developed over the course of the story. The fact that he's being targeted for receives to keep him out of the game instead of because he's shit at them is a huge amount of growth in the first place! I liked the problem-solving displayed by him and the rest of the team, and the Hinata/Kenma dynamic is really starting to take off. I kept this at a 9 instead of a 10 because while the ending got me excited, I don't see yet how it's supposed to disrupt Nekoma's strategy.

The Dark Secret by Tui T. Sutherland (86%)

Starflight's character development through this book is really quite good. He's always been a nervous worrier, and I think the way he moves through the plot allows him to come into his own and find courage without abandoning his intelligence and conscientiousness. A good balance is struck, giving him character growth that doesn't overshadow or completely change his core personality. Looking forward to finishing this book and reading the final one in this arc of the series!

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (15%)

The first isekai? I have so much to say about this book, but it's just going to end up being five paragraphs of nonsense, so I'll just say this for now: Hank is an annoying hypocrite and perhaps the first isekai power fantasy character. Do with that what you will.

Haikyuu!! Vol. 36 by Haruichi Furudate (33%)

So far I'm really liking this volume, and I just got some backstory for Kuroo and Kenma! They're so cute as children! I honestly can't tell who's going to win this match. My preference, of course, is for Karasuno since they're the main characters, but Furudate does such an amazing job of making the reader root for both sides. I'll be working through these next few volumes quickly since I want to go see the new movie this week!

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (1%)

I've barely started this book, but I'm a little uncertain. I am not one for historical fiction usually, and I'm really only reading this for my book club. So far the main character seems a little too perfect to me; clever, driven, beautiful. I hope she becomes a more well-rounded character as the story progresses.

[ratking-pkmn]

Hi, I found out about the blog from Quin from Mirage Mews and I have a question regarding the timeline. You say that the story would be set 40 years after the events of red and green in generation 7 but here is my question, in what timeline? There are three timelines in the main games: the Gameboy universe, the Gameboy advance universe and the mega universe This image was made by a Spanish-speaking youtuber that I follow shows it better

so in what timeline? although the Pokémon origins miniseries would be located in the mega universe

firstly I love you good sir for being the first ask. smooch for you.

this is gonna be a long one so buckle in. putting it under the cut so some poor guy doesn't have to see my eight billion word novel about how I'm ignoring Pokémon canon and dancing atop it's grave.

So let's start with your question. What of the three timelines is it in? None fuckit I'm doing all if it call it the Dean Timeline (/j do not do that plz.)

I guess the most obvious indicator of timeline to most people is Mega Evolution. At the moment that kind of hangs up in the air for me, but for now I'm going to say yes, it does exist, though it isn't particularly story relevant so kind of put it into the limbo area of 'probably exists.'

"so if there's mega evolution it's in that timeline-" NOPE GET EXPLODED. all the other battle gimmicks? z-crystals, dynamax, terastallizaton? we riding it with all of it babie!!!! Although some are region locked.

And as for the "40 years after" comment I made honestly that was like a vague approximation. What I really meant was more 'it's been a hot minute all your faves are old now.' While again these characters aren't super relevant to the story I'm aiming to tell, Red and Blue/Green/Gary ("SMELL YA LATER" guy, you know who I mean) are in their mid fifties by now.

prof oak dead fr by now

While the story does absolutely focus on the cast of Gen 7, it does not take place during the events of Gen 7. They're all older too now. Lillie, Hau, Gladion, all our little guys are in their early-mid thirties now. Also, I'm mixing together the events of SM and USUM to make the story more interesting. The games offered a lot of cool concepts and I'm going to push them to their furthest extent by picking and choosing what I use and what I don't.

I have my lore preplanned, so worry not! There will be more consistency than somebody making stuff up on the fly. I even have a whole notebook assigned to this verse! >:3

OOPS as a side note try not to assign human earth real life years to events that take place in my content. While the games were first released in 1996, the history of humanity on the Pokemon world earth is drastically different than our own. Basically everything is different, from the shape of the land, to the very basics of biology, and how technology has developed are all different. So what's the current year in my verse? Well it's [REDACTED] duh. When's [REDACTED] exactly? Approximately 55-ish years after Red was born. yea.

[knightwar]

info dump.

origin / pre-batman v s.uperman.

Origin follows Frank Miller’s Year One and most of canon (pre-52) leading to A death in the family. 

He has been working in Gotham for 20 years and in those 20 years have collected his own rogue gallery, effectively functioning both as an urban myth and a tool conveniently feared and favored by the Gotham Police Department. 

Thematically inspired by TDKR and heavil influenced b the Arkham Games.

during batman v superman.

He is roughly around mid-40s, still seen as part of the high elite with the party boy and play boy personality for the media, while being CEO of Wayne Enterprises. 

His connection to his mainstay allies have been tenuous at best, especially with Leslie Thompkins and Jim Gordon, while Alfred and Lucius keep guard of him still the best way they can. 

Roughly been 4 or 5 years of operating on his own, after having both cut off ties/abandoned by his ward Dick Grayson and trusted ally, Barbara Gordon since the death of Robin (Jason Todd.)

In their absence, he becomes more cynical, more violent, in the eyes of both the people he saves and the criminals he tries to put away. This is only exacerbated by the introduction of THE SUPERMAN. 

A duration of 2 years gets him invested in his own paranoia, assisted further by the machinations of a manipulative billionaire, into planning the Murder of The Superman at the risk of his potential turning after seeing so many of his trusted friends and colleagues in the last 20 years lose or be turned to the dark side. 

It is only through the clarity of Lois Lane and Clark Kent reminding him of his own trauma through his mother’s name is he awoken to the darkness he has fallen into. And in Clark Kent’s death is he brought back to the light.

post zsjl.

He is consumed by the guilt of his failure in recognizing the goodness in Clark Kent and devotes all of his time to informing a group of people, and others like Clark, of an incoming threat. Promising, just as he had promised before his death to keep his mother safe, to keep the world safe he had nearly abandoned. 

Immediately realizing he can’t do this alone, he asks Diana for her help. It’s only when she says yes later that some progress is made to form the group that would safeguard the world from the threat of Darkseid. 

plotting assistance.

For friends and allies, post ZJL, he is both distracted by the bigger cause to the point where it might appear that he’s manic ; having little to no sleep, devoted to finding others ; making sure the world is prepared for another invasion where he wasn’t during Man of Steel, to the point where he doesn’t quite care if it costs him his life so long as he can ensure that the League or the World can go one without him. 

With this, comes also, a renewed faith in people where he will try to make amends first and foremost to his family, his closest allies, his kids for practically abandoning them in both his grief and his bitterness at the loss of Robin. So that’s really going to be his main focus as far as relationships goes. 

Basically, he would have a basic connection to most people and plotting can be specific to how much and how deep that connection goes.

For enemies and villains, where he might have turned a lot more violent in the years past, he will try to make an effort to go back to his older ways to a point. He will still use violence and fear as a means to get what he wants but his more extreme methods might be held back unless you’re a piece of shit.

As far as Arkham Asylum goes, while he’s had a hand with it through the years, he’s kind of lost touch with the methods they’ve been using in the last few years and have come back to try and do better with the treatment of the inmates held within its walls. Basically, he’s going to try harder than ever to make sure these people get the proper help they need. 

Except the Joker, he’s going to kill that bastard the next chance he gets.

Romance wise, his ex wifes are canonically Talia (first) and Selina (second.) That's it.

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Portrait of a Duchess. By Scarlett Peckham. 2023.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical romance

Series: Society of Sirens #2

Summary: An activist painter of radicals and harlots, Cornelia Ludgate dismisses love and marriage as threats to freedom. But when an inheritance gives her the chance to fund the cause of women's rights--on the condition she must wed--she is forced to reveal a secret: she's already married. To a man she hasn't seen for twenty years.

A horse breeder with a clandestine taste for revolution, Rafe Goodwood never expected to become a duke. But now that the title is his, he is plotting to shock the ruling class with ambitions of reform--and reveal the infamous Cornelia is his duchess. That just presents one problem: he must not fall in love with her--again.

Although determined not to sacrifice her principles for passion, Cornelia is still drawn to the man whose very being threatens her independence. Hurt too many times, Rafe can't risk love again--especially with the woman who once shattered his heart. But a conspiracy to upend the inequalities of the aristocracy bring Cornelia and Rafe closer, forcing them to finally decide what--and who--they hold dear.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: graphic sexual content, age gap, racism, misogyny

OVERVIEW: I liked The Rakess enough to continue on with this series, so here we are. Overall, I don't think there was anything "bad" about this book - it just had some things that weren't to my taste, which made me think that it missed some opportunities. Your mileage may vary.

WRITING: Peckham's prose is not radically different in this book than in previous ones. It's quick, simple, and about what you'd expect of the romance genre (in a good way).

PLOT: The non-romance plot of this book follows Cornelia, a radical painter who wants to raise money to fund an institute for women. Cornelia's estranged uncle has just died, leaving her a sum that can only be claimed on the occasion of her marriage. To get the money, she turns to her secret husband, Rafe, who has, improbably, become the duke's heir.

While I liked the idea of this plot, the stakes didn't feel quite high enough to be interesting. I didn't really feel like the institute was badly needed or desired - it just kind of existed on the periphery. I also didn't quite feel like Cornelia and Rafe manipulated the legal system in an interesting way, so most of the time was spent playing silly games with their friends and working on a scandalous art exhibition.

I did like how a big theme seemed to be public vs private, but I wish Peckham had done more to explore it. There's not much discussion about public vs covert political opposition and how that ties in with public vs private emotion and obvious vs symbolic imagery in art. If Peckham had just linked all those things a little more with higher stakes than just parlor games and fun scandals, I think this would have been an excellent plot.

CHARACTERS: Cornelia, our heroine, is fun in that she's a self-confident woman who knows who she is and what she wants. I was pleased that she was mixed race and older (late 30s - almost 40), and I liked that she had an arc that involved admitting to her faults.

Rafe, our hero, is also an intriguing archetype (bisexual, polyamorous, mid-50s) and is rather the opposite of a lot of romance heroes: overly romantic and emotional, rather than gruff and stoic. He didn't have much of a personal arc, which made him less interesting than he could have been. I don't think his flaws were really framed as something to be overcome, just personality quirks that annoyed our heroine.

Supporting characters were fine. We see more of the sirens, who do their best to support Cornelia and provide some stakes, but I do think they could have been used better. Rhys, Rafe's lover, is nice in that he's a romantic interest who cares deeply for Rafe yet expects no commitment. I liked the exploration of a healthy, queer, open relationship that doesn't demand monogamy, though I do wish some attention was given to building up the emotional conditions of that relationship.

ROMANCE: There were some things I liked about this romance and some things that I think could have been better. I liked that it explored what a healthy open marriage might look like and how a queer relationship might work without focusing on queer suffering and hiding. I also liked that Rafe and Cornelia had to negotiate how much to give and expect from one another and that Cornelia, specifically, had to think about how to love Rafe without feeling trapped or like she was giving up her power.

All that being said, there were times when the romance felt a little repetitive. Cornelia and Rafe would express some physical affection, realize they have feelings, spring apart, then flirt, then get mad, and so on. I wish the narrarive had provided more opportunities for them to self-reflect, and as fun as some of the parlor games were, after one or two, I didn't feel like I needed another.

The age gap also was something of a question for me. In the present, it's fine; I'm not one of those people who think it's inappropriate for a 40 year old and a 55 year old to consent to each other. This story does have flashbacks, though, tobwhen our leads are 18 and 35, and I still don't know what I feel about that. Not super great. But I'm not sure if it's problematic or I'm just sensitive.

Still, I enjoyed the flirtatious banter. It was silly. And fun. And I like a dynamic where the love interests tease each other (good-naturedly).

TL;DR: The Portrait of a Duchess was fun but ultimately lacked high enough stakes. The novel also misses some opportunities to entrench it themes into the narrative, so most of this comes off as lighter and silly rather than a thorough exploration of ideas such as public vs private.

[yakdeculture]

Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Rongs Forgotten Review

before finishing: I’m up to chapter 7 I think so I’m probably 60~70 percent through the game I’m like level 40 or something honestly I think I overleveled because its like kind of easy to do it’s pretty easy when the world first opens up and you have to go to the forrest you can basically explore the entire first section of the map because the enemies are all around the same level so if you kind of just wander around looking for stuff because you play the game absentmindedly because the story is like nothing at that point you get to the point where when you attack an enemy on the feild you autokill them and it comes pretty easy to just kill everything you see like that and farm way more xp than the game expects you to for pretty much the whole game I feel like I’ve been 5 levels ahead of what it thinks you will be like the sidequests give recommended levels and I’m pretty much always over it by at least 3. Anyways I think this game is very up and down tha main story is pretty interesting but there are multiple times when it kind of just comes to a halt. I mean I guess this is pretty normal for Utawarerumono in Prelude the middle part of the game is basically just fighting jobbers, Mask of Deception is basically just Haku chilling for a while, and then in this one its like okay the gang needs to become stronger so you can’t really advance the plot but also half the stuff you do is like you don’t really feel like you’re getting stronger you go train under Dikotoma and that’s cool but also I don’t think you ever do any actually on screen training with him. In general I think this game is very hit or miss with its presentation it feels like it doesn’t always know how to take advantage of having actual character models they can use to show things and they also don’t take advantage of the more ADV text sections because the CGs are pretty scarce and also there aren't that many expressions the characters do so its just like. Kind of clear they probably didn’t have the budget or experience to make this kind of game I’m making it sound like it sucks ass and it doesn’t its fine but I started playing this again because there’s going to be a new one and I hope they learned something from this one and make it better because it looks like we have older versions of some of the characters and if we waste beautiful 30 year old Kuon I’m probably going to end it all. There are a lot of scenes in the middle of this game where it’s like Hey remember Mask of Deception? Remember when this happened? And it’s like wait I do. That’s crazy. But the game is pretty good I will finish it.

after finishing: I immediately went back to playing this after like 2 years of no progress because as soon as Uta 4: Morbius 2 was announced I was like OH FUCK and I had to beat this and I’m glad I did holy fuck the story was, much like 1 and 2, kind of nothing for half the game and but the other half, especially towards the end, holy fuck peak blast dude. I really didnt know anything about what happened in this game and I think thats because its a mix of like basic stuff some general winks and nods and references that are like hey remember these bits from 2? Lets start them here! But like i had no concept of what this game would do for the overall lore of the series and i definitely had no idea that this had like some of the most insane sequel bait of all time. I am genuinely really excited to see where this series goes and what Uta 4 can do to build on the stuff this game has and sets up. Like its gonna be absolutely crazy unfortunately I dont think I have anyone to talk about what the implications of any of this stuff could mean and what could be in store so basically what I’m saying is i need my uta fan friends to play this game. Yes the gameplay is pretty mid not bad but definitely rough definitely their first crack at this but trust me bro. At the very least watch the Full Game Cutscene + extras youtube video wherever that may be