#like why could i still take a man in combat over this. its been YEARS. I HAVE NEVER FULLY REWATCHED THE SHOW SINCE 2017

[coulson-is-an-avenger]

you would think after years of distancing myself from and not keeping up with Star Wars I would actually care less about it. And Yet.

[bet-on-me-13]

Bruce Wayne was never Batman.

So! The night that Bruce Wayne's parents got shot, he developed an Unbreakable Resolve. He needed to get rid of the Crime that had taken his Parents away from him, no matter what.

But that night, he also developed a deep-seated fear of Death. He was face to face with his own Demise and instead of dying himself he saw his Parents die instead. He was Terrified of ending up like them.

But he still needed to stop Crime. He couldn't just let criminals go unpunished, and while he was still using his wealth to try and prevent it before it began, he knew there needed to be something to stop crime After it had been committed. And the Cops were useless on that Front.

He eventually found a solution while looking through his Parents Family Heirlooms.

Ancient Books dating back to the founding of Gotham and even before then, telling of a Creature from another world who his Ancestors had helped in the Past. A Being of Fear and Shadow, who owed a debt to the Wayne Family. He needed that Being. A Monster of Shadows and Fear was exactly the answer to scaring criminals away from committing crimes and punishing those who did.

But he needed to find the Being from another world first.

So he left home, traveling across the Globe training with the best Magicians and Demonologists in the world in search of the Monster who owed his Family a Debt. His travels took him far, from the streets of LA where he met a man named Zatara, to the Snowy Mountains of Nanda Parbat where he learned of the Lazarus Pits and the Demon's that came out of them.

While studying the Lazarus Pits, he was trained by the organization who guarded them. They despised Weakness, and while their leader was in awe of his Intelect he was less impressed by his body's conditioning. If he was to study the Lazarus Pits, he would first have to earn the Right in Combat.

He eventually managed to pass their Tests and eventually left them, having handed over a Copy of his research as the price for being allowed to Study the Pits.

Years later, he finally returned to Gotham, fully equipped to Summon the Being that owed him a Debt.

Bruce drew up the Summoning Circle as perfectly as he possibly could, he had one shot at it.

A drop of his blood and a splash of Lazarus Water later, and the Circle began to glow an ominous Green. Slowing, a shifting shadow began to emerge from the Circle, at first only a mass of writhing darkness before their form Solidified.

The Books he had found on the Spirit said that it would take the form of the Summoners Greatest Fear, which just so happened to be Bats for Bruce. The Form that the Spirit chose reflected that, with large Dark Wings falling over their form as if they were a Cape, and horns looking like the Ears of a Bat. From the Darkness, two glowing eyes appeared.

"Spirit, hear me. My name if Bruce Wayne, and I am calling in the Debt owed to my Family centuries ago. My City is plagued with crime and malice, rotting from its Core. My efforts to prevent Crime from the side of the Light have been in vain, Crime persists despite my efforts. In order for my vision to be fulfilled, the Criminals of this City must have their hearts pierced by Fear. Fear of Retribution. Fear of Consequences. Fear of Vengeance."

Thoughout bis Speech, the Shadowed Figure stayed silent.

"That is why I have called you here. I want you to stalk these streets, punish the criminals of this City and strike fear into their hearts from the shadows, so that they know to stay in the light. I don't want you to Kill them, never kill them. Let them live with that fear in their Hearts until their final days."

After he finished his speech, the Figure finally spoke.

"Your Quest is an Honorable one. You seek the betterment of your people's, and are unafraid to resort to drastic measures to achieve that goal. It reminds me of my Liege's resolve." It Spoke, it's voice low and rumbling. "Very Well. From this day forth, I shall protect your City from the Darkness in its own Heart. I shall be your Dark Knight."

...

Had this idea out of nowhere and needed to write it down. In this AU, Bruce still wants to protect his City from crime, but is understandably traumatized from seeing the Deaths of his Parents. He has a deep-seated fear of Dying, so he chooses to forgo fighting crime himself.

Instead, he finds out about a Spirit that his Ancestors helped long ago, and decides that the most logical next step out be to Summon a Demon to protect his City. Instead of training his Body for a decade to become Batman, he trains his Mind and Studies as much about Magic and Demon's as Possible.

He still knows how to fight because he trained with the League. He approached them with an offer to study the Lazarus Pits and give them his findings, and they accepted. But Ra's didn't want a weakling on his Base so he also required Bruce to train his body. He saw his potential for combat, and was so disappointed that Bruce had chosen a different path. He could have been Great!

Bruce still has a thing with Talia that produces Damian, he is still a point of interest from Ra's since he is insanely smart and has huge potential, and he knows how to fight pretty well. Albeit not as well as in Canon.

Bruce becomes the Benefactor/Guy in the Chair for Fright Knight (who is the one he summoned if you couldn't tell), who looks like a "Bat Man" because of Bruce's fear of Bats. Fright Knight agreed to this because 1.) He had a debt to pay, 2.) Bruce reminded him of Danny, and 3.) He respected Bruce's ballsyness to Summon a demon and command it to protect people.

Bruce still adopts his Kids, but there are some changes.

Dick is adamant about fighting Crime, and eventually Bruce is forced to let him go on patrol with Fright Knight, who has started going by Batman. Thankfully Frighty managed to give him some blessings so he had minor powers and would be safer.

Jason is mostly the same, and he is so excited that Robin actually IS Magical. When he dies, Fright Knight, who had gotten attached to their Family, goes into the Zone to search for him. He is unsuccessful unfortunately.

Tim is kind of funny. He figured out that Dick was Robin, and Jason was the 2nd Robi , but assumed that Bruce was Batman. When he approached Bruce about becoming Robin so he would stop going down his violent Cycle, Bruce Redirected him to talk to Fright Knight, who was not taking his failure to find Jason well.

Damien grew up knowing that his Father was a Genius, and the Master of the Batman, which gave him a bit of an Ego. At first he thought of Fright Knight as a Servant, and tried to command him like he did with Alfred. Frighty corrected him quickly enough.

Any more ideas for this AU? I have so many, but I think I need to stop for now.

[willowed-wisp]

to the winter wedding (part two) [ ghost ]

part one

Growing up you had fated encounters with Simon Riley that would continue into your adulthood. You a combat medic and him, the one you ended up treating.

“Mum, I look like a dusty grape… I can’t go to that wedding looking like THIS!” The dress was sleek, as you hoped. However, it made you wholly self-conscious. It was just a spaghetti dress, long line lilac dress. But you hated yourself in it.

Though your mother objected, “You are ridiculous… you look better than I ever did in it. And besides, it’s not about you… Beth is the bride, you’re a guest…” That was what you needed to hear, it wasn’t about you. People weren’t going to be looking at you…

Everybody but Simon Riley…

You would be fine…. That was until you sat outside of the venue in your car, stalling to enter the church. Why did you feel like that? Simon wouldn’t even look at you like that, he would have made a move on you years ago if he intended to.

So taking a deep breath, hands leaving the wheel of your car. You left the vehicle, locking on the key. At just the right moment for the air to be knocked out of your date; your hair down and long lilac dress that matched his tie down to the fabric. His tawny eyes wide- more expressive than you’d witnessed previously, “Fuckin’ hell…”

That concerned you, “Does it look horrible? I told my mum I didn’t look good…”

He remained gobsmacked, “You’ve got nothing to worry about…” His arm looped, hooking your arm through.

Butterflies constant in your stomach that night: eyes on you and Simon arm in arm and managing to catch the bouquet- looking instinctively at your date. Wishing alcohol was in your system, unable to shake that overwhelming weight on your chest. Worsening when his hulking frame stood in front of you, “Need some air, ya comin’?” Nodding, passing the bouquet to a random bridesmaid. Following the man who stood out like a sore thumb to outside of the secondary venue.

Without hesitation, he brought his lips to yours; seeing if you tasted how he imagined. It’s all he had thought about the entire night… many nights… flutters in your middle were numbing. The slightest smile drawn on his lips while you were sure his hands, rested at your waistline were there to stabilise.

One intended peck turned into a series of kisses. Your eyes finally opened, meeting those of molten russet. His lips ghosted over your own, barely there but that warmth mixed with his laboured breathing. "Please say this isn't a dream..." Your breath tickled against him.

His eyes spoke numerous emotions; shock, longing, gratitude and adoration. Your breathing slowed while his heart beat grew furious under trembling fingertips. "I'm right here, Y/N… want t’ go to my place?”

Crashing against his front door, his mother still present at the reception while Simon’s tongue was down your throat. Breaking apart from you, “I’ve waited too long to do this…”

Whipping off the jacket from his structured arms, “You have no idea,” claiming him in a starved kiss. Your fingers in his thick hair, his hands spreading your legs.

His cheek to yours- a whisper in your ear, “Jump, love,” Hooking your legs around his waist; a groan slipped from your throat each step he took up the stairs. He could imagine why, not able to restrain himself with your legs draped around him- grinding against the tent in his trousers. An ache in you building by the second, no alcohol in your system. It was pure desire and fuck did you need him.

Your body caught air for the slightest moment, body on top of neatly made bedsheets, the moonlight loomed through the curtains. "You’ve been driving me crazy, Y/N…" Your name rolled so easily off of his tongue- wondering what other uses he had with it. The shirt that hung on his shoulders found its position at the base of the bed, before the weight on the bed shifted- Simon’s frame shadowed your fully-clothed body. His mouth tickled your neck until that sweet singe of pain, your head coaxed onto the pillows of the bed. Breath hitching every nip he took.

Unable to take action, as he was in full control. Pinning your hands with such delicacy to either side of your head as he laid waste to your arching neck; acute snappy breaths each graze of his teeth. Simon worked down the length of body- across the dress just leaving delicate pecks. All a euphoric blur.

Before you knew it he was hilted in you, every duty and purpose you had ever burdened put on the back burners. This was you and Simon, not the frontlines of a war. Shared breaths of laboured passion the only thing lingering in the world. Your head fuzzy with desire, nails scraping along his scarred, muscular back. A moan strangulated as his back dipped, hand coiling further and forceful in your hair. “Simon…” Fallen from your full lips, tickling the hair curved at his ear. The man kissed your temple.

His name fell from your lips again, shouting da curse. Scrapes along the blades of his shoulders and fingernails indented his neck while he took care of your bare chest and clavicle- love bites scattered north to south of your pretty body, just as your back arched before his eyes.

You weren’t thinking- the only thing you knew was his name, ripping a spasm through your core. An insatiable grumble from Simon- so light in the air, not like his usual rough tone.

Blood drawn from his neck, your grip like a vice back lifting off the bed. Simon’s cock lburied all the deeper, and your voice was crying out. Vision clouded in the bright haze by his chest then how he chewed at his lip slamming his hips into you, a sight enough to quiver at; dripped in sweat and flopping hair stuck to his forehead. His lips agape towering you. All but a glimpse as he devoured, a warm wave of salted sweetness.

It did little to smother the noise, it just made that craving for him peak- perched in his lap all while he throttled upward. Arms slack over the broad set of shoulders, left panting into his soft neck. Avoiding the fresh scars you had treated, so mindful of them even in the throes of sex.

Worlds apart to what you’d been used to. Nobody had fucked you out like this man, how could someone be so abrasive but so forgiving in the same moment.

You had never such peace, in a vintage dress on the naked lap of Simon Riley. His arms holding you close while sharing a fairytale kiss, holding his shaven jawline.

Resting at the side of him, rubbing circles onto his defined chest. Following old stab wounds, Simon’s nose buried in your messily clad hair, “Have you ever wanted to get married?”

You were caught in a daydream, “Well… I’ve never met the right guy. Never had luck with that,” You turned to look into those gorgeous eyes, “Have you?”

His face unreadable, though his hand rested around you, “I’m 25 and I’ve been in love with this one woman…” His warmth was scalding, or it might have been the jealousy running through your veins. Until the pin dropped.

“You don’t mean…” That knowing look intent on his smirking face, “You mean me?”

Fingers twirling in your hair, “You looked at me like there was something worth looking at… every time you ran into me…” His scarred, much larger hand fitted around yours- lacing his fingers. “You also saved my life, so that goes a long way…”

You were rendered speechless, at ease in the silence while in the safety of Simon’s body. “Don’t let me go… please…”

“Like I ever could…”

And he never did.

Stood in that same church a year later, this time you wore white and Simon in his military formals.

————

I hope I did a good job on this… and thank you for reading xx

————

cod m.list | request guidelines | ghost m.list

[shi4g]

I have no tittle for this but... CW: Divorce, a bit of manipulation if you squint ExHusband! Simon Riley

Simon Riley it's this big complex of a man, a kaleidoscope of traumatic experiences all smudged together, some sparkle of pride, a piece of big ego, and that clear feeling of constant discomfort that haunts him in the back of his neck, one that he can't get off, no matter how much times he stands under the shower head, a forearm pressed against unmoving and cold tile.

Of course, this are things that he learned to live with, all his life has been like this, full of burdens and sorrows being thrown into his strong shoulders, he's used to it a this point. So when he goes home and things are completely fine? It does more wrong than good.

This man had not taken leave in a while, if, not to say, ever, but lately, his body had been acting up, he's not as young as he used to be and and it was taking a toll on his body, either he wanted it or not, so reluctantly after getting scolded not only by one of the nurse's at base, but his therapist, and the Captain itself, he had no other choice than to take a small break, two weeks, two weeks it's just as much as he needed, at least that's what he said, but no amount of resting time could really make up for all of those years of hard exhausting work.

His apartment it's empty, just as empty when he left, just as empty as when he moved in, empty in the sense that it lacks of much things, has the very strict basics, empty in the way that his steps echoed through the walls as his combat boots met the wooden floor. As he walked into his room, there still laid the last vestiges of how this place wasn't as dull as it was at the moment, and it wasn't in the most pleasant of ways either. A small burn of cigarette butt on the floor and little indents in the wood of something that looked like heels, that disgusting smell of incense that still clung to his curtains, that stupid dog fur that he still found on his black shirts; things that used to be nothing turn into something.

The first days of his week were spent solely on resting, but, he's used to a bit more of action, so he keeps working out even if its on the emptiness of the department, but soon, with time to rest also comes time to think, time for that awful sensation to crawl into his neck, and, in an impulse, a very bad impulse, a bit of whiskey and a cigarette, he calls.

The phone rings

Once

Twice

Who is this? — A female voice answers the phone, you, the culprit of the damaged floor of his place, the cigarette burns and the smell of lavender incense. — I swear if it's about the credit again, I don't want it

'Ello, luv, nah, jus' me — He answers in that voice that you've grown to hate, the groan it's loud when you realize, and he chuckles in response. — I guess I have that well deserved...

What do you want? — You ask a bit of worry still seeping through your voice, why did he call? Was he okay? He never reached out, you had agreed on not doing so, but even in the end, the words "Call me if you need anything" had come out of your lips the very last time you had seen each other, it rolled off with ease, he would never be a burden you reassured, even after you had yelled at him how much of a bastard he was, maybe you were too.

Are you alone? — He counters your question with another one, even with all the implications you could grasp from that, his voice sounded pensative, you knew how to recognize it, even if it had been literal years since the last time you two spoke.

What do you want?— You repeat, skeptical, what is he trying to do? What is he trying to get you into?

Come over — He asked as if he was demanding it, something you've grown to hate of him.

Even with that, even when you hung up on him, the silence after the question had Simon positive about his request. And he was in the right, neither of you could keep the distance you've been trying to keep, and it just got confirmed when after an hour, some knocks in his door distract him from his piss poor attempt at making supper.

When he opens the door there's this awkwardness lingering in the air, specially when you notice that he's... Whole, he's not missing a limb, or in a wheelchair, he doesn't even have a bandaged arm, no nothing.

You said you wanted help

I never said that, love

Well, no, you didn't say it but I told you to call me if you needed help

I do

With?

Supper

The silence it's loud after his answer, you look at him with incredulity, how can he make you worry like that for something so stupid? He was a grown ass man with a grown ass man job and a grown ass man house, yet, he wanted help with supper, before you could even begin to complain the door was closed behind you, and he looked like he was trying not to smile at your angry face.

That's what he wanted that's what he was craving, a bird that kept him by his toes... And who better than you? His already ex-wife. Your relationship with him was a mess, he is away a lot of time, too much time for your liking, he's away, and he's insufferable when he's around, he's too closed off with his emotions, he doesn't let you in, he keeps you on his porch and expects you to get yourself soaked while it "rains" if that metaphore makes any sense.

Are you fucking dumb? Did you hurt your head again? — You ask, incstintively pushing past him as he has that ugly (not really) smirk on his face

But even with that, you find yourself falling right onto his trap, right into his infuriating words that keep you going, right into his mocking ways.

Even with all of that you always came back.

That man craves for no silence, he wants you there, he wants your fiery spirit, he wants your reprimands, he wants your mean words that you didn't really mean, he wants the heel marking on the wood floors and the impolite cigarette burns on there too after you drop it when he starts kissing you.

But it's fleeting, just as his small break from his job, once he's back at base he makes honor to his nickname, he goes radio silent yet again and you can just stay there and wait for him to get too overwhelmed by the silence of an empty apartment again.

[simp-ly-writes]

A Suit Filled Surprise

Pairing: Commander Philip Graves x teacher!Reader

Summary: its been awhile since you had last seen your husband; thankfully your coworkers are there to help.

Warnings: mentions of anxiety and a sprained wrist.

A/N: why do i love this man. WHY. feeling feral for graves rn.

Masterlist | Taglist | edited.

The kids were filling in their worksheet and continued to work on their printing as you continued to mark yesterday's grammar quiz; taking the time to place stickers and small motivational comments after each answer.

Pencils scrapped across paper in the background as the cheerful screams of other students on break coming through the floor level windows overpowered the small conversations happening between table-groups.

Checking in on the students you noticed as the curtains floated with the breeze. It was half-way to the summer break and the buzzing fan trying to combat the southern heat was struggling much like your sprained wrist. You smiled thoughtfully at the rows of desks while twirling your wedding band; thinking back to the card and chocolates they all bought you to get better soon.

Before you could make your way back to your desk to continue the mountain of papers and the ever-flowing flood of parental emails; your coworker Christina waved you over form your classroom joining door. Smiling and bringing your finger to your lips; she nodded and smiled widely herself before turning back around and explaining to her older grade that she would be back in a minute.

are you ready for parent-teacher night with your class? i could use some help with mine if you have time during your spare? Christina asked as she kept glancing towards your hall door. Yet just as you became growingly curious she held your arm and began to show you a list of planned material to prepare for over the summer. Nodding along while becoming a bit concerned over her obvious anxious figure.

You held her hand and opened your mouth; about to ask if you should look over her room so she could revive a much needed break early. Yet it would be the silence of your own classroom that overtook your concern for Christina; followed by a series of unanimous giggles that held your heel; about pivot to ask the class what was so funny.

You then felt Christina squeeze your hand before she asked your class to join hers; making sure she still held your full attention. Her eyes began to crinkle joyfully in a knowing look that had your anxiety reeling across your skin- turning pink.

As all the children joined the older class in the next room; Christina addressed the class while gripping on to your form, okay class! storytime together please- practicing their collaborative skill for their final report card. Looking at you once more than at the door; smiling widely she dropped your hand and walked back her room; closing the door behind herself.

Turning back to look at the now empty rows of desks; the children still played in the background as you made your way back to your desk. Shifting through the papers and submitting them on your records sheet you pen flew across the page. Marking a large red streak as you heard a throat clear.

Turning towards the door to glare at whomever decided, eyes going wide in seeing your husband, in a suit, leaned against the doorframe with flowers in his hand as you began to have flashbacks to prom all those years ago.

C'mon sweetheart is that anyway to greet your husband? Graves teased as you watched him stand upright and start to saunter up to your desk. Blinking in reaction; your body thought him to be an illusion; starting to shake; eyes becoming wet.

Baby, baby. He began to console you, kneeling beside your chair and taking your hands in his own as he began to rub small circles on the back side of your palms. You felt the cold matching ring against your skin as a smile began to form widely across your face matching his own.

Closing your eyes as you felt him cup your cheek and kiss the other; moving to your forehead next and then all the way down to your lips. Giggling at his scruff tickling your nose. You lightly grabbed the outlines of his suit jacket and pushed him away gently.

Large puppy dog eyes were all you had received in return. I missed you.

How about you show me how much? home is calling... he trailed off while glancing back at the door than back at you. He pulled your frame up lightly and then pulled you back into his lap. Starting to brush his nose against your neck, sighing softly; awaiting your response.

As you breathing and shakes still, you accidentally shift in his lap earning yourself groan, how could I ever say no to this suit?

I was debating between this and my field outfit; yet I figured I would become less of a scare with this... Laughing at your husbands commentary over a simple outfit, you felt yourself being lifted with a squeal escaping your lips and being carried out the door towards a black car. While exiting the building you saw Christina hold two thumbs up with a wink as you buried your face into his shoulder.

Placing you in the passengers seat he took off his coat jacket and threw it in the backseat and rolled up the sleeves of his dress-shirt to his forearms before leaning over and giving you a kiss. Igniting the engine, he placed a warm hand across your thigh.

Tracing the veins up his hands and arm; you saw his body shiver in response before moving his hand away and giving you a playful glare before moving his eyes back to the road. Let's just say that the drive home was a bit longer than usual...

[ominous-faechild]

CHARACTER INTRO:

RISING FROM THE ASHES

KIEVA CARON

(slightly sarcastically) “I'm sorry, it appears I must've left my sense of humor at home.” - Kieva Caron

Despite being the adoptive son of Caron—head of one of the world's most well-renowned academies and a man extremely prominent in the public's eye—Kieva himself is a bundle of mysteries.

When Kieva was only seven years old, a feral berserker appeared on the outskirts of Maunne. It brought ferocious storms, savage lightning, and a senseless brutality with them, attacking all who approached and causing dozens of casualties.

None of the local guards or mercenaries were able to do much more than escape with their lives or those they'd been tasked with protecting.

So they sent for aid from the king, who then dispatched Kieran Caron himself—a man well-adapted to combat and disabling opponents of all kinds—to quell the savage beast's fury.

Only for him to discover that it was a child.

A child incapable of speech, more animalistic than human... ignoring, of course, the fact that it wasn't human. But Caron still saw it just as worthy as protection and love as any other, and, recognizing its frenzied attacks were attempts at self-defense, petitioned to be allowed to take in and raise the child himself.

He was later named Kieva.

Due to Kieva's inability to speak, read, write, or understand language prior to his adoption, he was never quite able to tell Caron or any others why he'd been found in the frantic state he was. By the time he knew enough to share what'd happened, he'd long-since forgotten... and had grown comfortable in his new life as Caron's son and Tián's brother.

Kieva's history prior to his adoption is surrounded in mystery, but his life afterwards is easily tracked: he was raised no different from Caron's biological son, treated with love, all but pampered, and allowed to wander about Lotus Academy to attend any and all classes so long as he never disturbed other students.

Which... he didn't.

Even before Kieva officially enrolled in classes himself, he observed other students learning, lowkey participated in lessons when he could without disturbing others, and picked up various skills from his observations.

So Kieva had a major head start—alongside being raised and given self-defense lessons by Caron himself—when he officially started taking classes himself.

And that's not even mentioning his berserkerness.

Berserkerness?

Kieva Caron is a berserker: a creature gifted with enhanced senses, healing, and strength—both physical and magical—directly tied to their emotional state. Positive moods make them generally healthier and more resilient, while negative moods take a toll on their overall health, strength, and resilience.

Anger and fear can even further boost the strength of a berserker, amplifying it past "inhuman" to straight-up monstrous. They can crush bricks or trees with a simple grip, heal from near-fatal wounds within minutes, react to things with a speed and dexterity far beyond human capacity, and accomplish magical feats 10x their usual might. All it takes is for them to choose to lose control.

That's where berserkerness turns into a curse: tapping into that power slowly corrupts both their will and appearance, making them visibly less and less human while increasing their tendency toward rage and violence.

Even if they manage to stray from the path of wrath, their appearance will be forever warped, a reminder of what they've done.

Although it's unknown in-universe—and, in fact, theorized to be random or genetic at best—berserkers' appearances are warped relative to one (or both) of two things: what they want to be or what they see themself as.

Beyond his typical berserker antlers and fae-tipped ears, Kieva has two pairs of wings—a small set on the sides of his head, naturally covering his ears, and a large set stretching over his back and shoulders that let him fly.

Similarly, he sometimes can have talon-like claws for fingers and the taloned legs of a falcon.

Which brings up the last point—although it's next to unheard of in berserkers, Kieva naturally has mild shapeshifting abilities. On top of being able to mildly warp his limbs and features to hide parts of his berserkerness (but never remove his wings or antlers), Kieva is able to transform parts of his body into electricity. He uses this ability during fights both to avoid attacks and to move near-instantaneously across large distances.

Not only is Kieva an absolute mystery because of his origins, but he's a marvel in the face of what arcanists and scientists alike thought they knew about berserkers.

Fortunately, Caron has kept their investigations far away from him.

And may it forever be a mystery.

Appearance

Beyond his fae-tipped (pointed instead of rounded) ears, double-pairs of silvery-gold wings—one small pair often covering his ears and the other, large set stretching over his back and shoulders—and deer antlers, Kieva otherwise tends to look human when not tapping into his berserker strength.

Kieva is a pale, effeminate, 5'7 (170cm) young adult man with messy, shoulder-length white-blonde hair he often ties back into a bun, grey eyes, and thin-but-soft features.

Kieva overall has a wiry frame, bags under his eyes from a frequent lack of sleep, and often appears deadpan or unassuming.

After the beginning of RFtA, Kieva gains (non-continuous) burn scars over his jaw, chest, arms, and hands from the Disaster of Vemor.

Personality & Motives

Kieva, now aged 19, has long-since acclimated to his life as Caron's younger son. Early into his childhood, he would constantly wonder about his life before, where he'd come from, and what had happened to his biological family, but he's given up hope of learning.

Not only are the memories lost to him, but Caron's own investigations—incredibly thorough and the results of which were occasionally shared with Kieva—pulled up nothing.

So, instead, Kieva has fully accepted Caron as his father and Tián as his brother.

Caron's strong sense of justice—and the nobility of taking him in to begin with—has rubbed off on Kieva, making him incredibly stubborn, kindhearted, and protective of his loved ones.

Despite his known origins as the berserker that terrorized the outskirts of Maunne twelve years ago, Kieva is an incredibly calm and collected person, mostly minding to himself. He's overall professional, but turns deadpan sassy around his friends and casually intimidating with aggressors—both his own and others'.

He's spent his entire life learning about combat, had nothing but a loving family who've made him well-aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and has no problem turning the tables against those who deserve it.

Kieva wants nothing more than to become a knight, protect those in need, and, most importantly, make his family proud.

So... how's he going to feel when the investigations into the disasters around Kihroin start bringing up more questions about his past?

Rising From The Ashes Taglist:

@honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

@leahnardo-da-veggie @world-of-iridensia

Introductory Taglist:

@paeliae-occasionally @pluppsauthor @thelovelymachinery

(request to be added to the permanent taglist if you'd like to be! You will be dropped after a few introductory posts!)

Dividers made by @saradika!

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

wait wait, could i offer you the use of my own au The Quirkless Martial Arts Club, its basically what it sounds like, a martial arts club populated predominantly by elderly quirkless martial artists. its not that quirked people are banned from participating (there have been at least a few) its mostly that in this day and age not many people in the area are interested in non quirk combat.

the premise is basically that izuku is their first beginner student in years and these clinically insane old fucks all start fighting over who gets to teach him first. izuku only really gets training because one of them usually sneaks off with him while the others are getting into fights about who hes training with today.

i dont so much have ocs for this au as i have characters from other martial arts media with the serial numbers filed off and transplanted into bnha. ones i use frequently are ip man, the martial artists from kung fu hustle (the movie is free on youtube) and the ryozanpaku dojo masters(from kenichi the mightiest disciple, the anime of which is also free on youtube but the manga is longer) and various characters from kengan ashura (kureishi mitsuyo usually but ive used others like mukaku gaoh) and the manga teppu's ladies.

i dont really have a set plot for this either but usually if im working with people who were supposed to be living in hiding to avoid trouble like the kung fu hustle characters i just say they no longer have to live in hiding to avoid trouble since heroes got big. no set rules either, pink muscle fibers can be a thing anyone can train for and landlady's lion's roar is a martial art anyone can learn because why not? if theres multiple characters from multiple series i just say they take turns holding quirkless martial arts club meetings at various members residences. kureishi mitsuyo or someone else might take izuku to an illegal fighting ring as a learning experience, if not just sign him up to fight entirely.

the au is just izuku gets to go to ua quirkless and dangerous basically

(a sideshow to quirkless martial arts au, where izuku still gets one for all and breaks his bones a lot is after recovery girl tells him she wont heal his injuries inflicted by one for all, he asks if he can call his usual doctor to deal with it, gets a yes and proceeds to call in either

A. National Treasure of Japan Akisame Koetsuji, Premier Buddha Statue Artisan, Genius in Almost Any Field, The Medic Demon feared throughout the nation, and Judo Teacher who happens to run a bonesetters clinic out the back of his dojo he gives izuku discounts at for being his student

or

B. Kureishi Mitsuyo, Guy with a deep love for breaking bones and something deeply wrong with him who has retired from fighting rings to train other fighters and figured out chiropractics by just breaking peoples bones in every possible manner until he could also fix them well enough to operate an chiropractors clinic, only getting a license to run a clinic legally. his clinic was opened right next to his dojo where he teaches mixed martial arts and yoga, both of which izuku goes to

and she already gave him permission to have his broken bones treated by one of those freaks. nezu appears to be considering hiring them to work at ua mostly because he finds them funny but also because they are bizarrely competent at what they do)

Thank you for showing me this AU. However, I don't feel any creative spark from it. I have been answering a lot of long asks so far with a lot of depth, and I won't stop answering them, but when people are giving me their AU ideas and laying them out/building an AU themselves, I...

It feels like it is no longer my AU. It feels like it is someone else's. As I said in the tags of the previous post, I used to have a rule where I did not answer/expound upon AUS when I got giant asks full of info because I felt it wasn't fun. I made exceptions recently, but I'll admit it lost it's shine for me.

I am sorry about this, but I would rather ask to receive asks with some info, but not everything plotted out or the like.

This is your AU, and it is beautiful. I would love to read it, but I want to hear about it from you rather then from anyone else.

[yunessa]

Mendev is a nation defined by the Worldwound. I’ve said it before and will say it again. The countries that surround the Worldwound are at the most immediate risk but of all of them it’s Mendev who has bled the heaviest.

Calling the Worldwound a plague is accurate. Without the exhausting efforts and lives spent on it daily then the Worldwound would expand. How quickly I couldn’t say. But if we’re comparing it to a plague then we can assume that the more it ‘feeds’ (Consumes? Expands? Devours? Perhaps even claims?) the faster it would spread. That they have erected the Wardstones to prevent the expansion of the Worldwound shows they expand.

But to determine the speed of the expansion, I must admit, is not possible. The reason why is simple: For over a century it has been Mendev who’s the shield against the Wound. Not Ustalav or Numeria, not the mammoth Lords. Mendev fights, bleeds, and drains itself to combat the threat that is the Worldwound.

I am certain other countries are helping. But to what extent I have no idea. Every day i see reports on my desk: condemned man sentenced to fight in the crusades, squad of pathfinders disappeared near Iz, aspiring and honorable noblemen of the Mendevian court found slain on the road. Even as recently as last week I was given a report of two paladins, lost in the Worldwound and spent eight years fighting their way out. The rest of their group was dead before their first month in the Worldwound.

For their struggle to survive they were given petty rewards and words that failed to compensate them for their struggle to fight and survive. You can apply the same to Mendev as well. Some of the best and brightest of Mendev, the most honorable, and the strongest go to the frontlines. They’ve done it for near a century now, if now over by the time I finish this letter.

The Worldwound is fertilized in the blood of Mendev and Mendev cannot last forever. Eventually Mendev will bleed itself dry or collapse. So Mendev is now no longer able to be picky about what help they do get or who comes in to provide aide.

So it’s easy for those who do not look at the details to gloss over that a century of war has left Mendev strapped. It’s easy to gloss over how other countries send in support and the politics that go behind the scenes when you have not an ounce of knowledge of economics or politics.

Without Mendev then maybe it would be Cheliax watching the Worldwound expand to touch its borders with gritted teeth. Maybe it would take a year, maybe two. Buf if Mendev dies and the Worldwound expands, then it would be all of us who are at risk.

We sink or swim together.

I repeat that in my head often enough. I will not lie in my letters- you can say whatever complaints please you about Galfrey- but Queen Galfrey handles so much of it all before it reaches me, it feels as if I just get a summary. Without Galfrey, I imagine I would be drowning in the affairs of handling it all.

Hells, even with Galfrey alone handling much of it, I might still be were it not for those with me in Drezen. Any bit of aide sent, I appreciate. Even Daeran’s plans I appreciated, as difficult as it was for my mind to wrap around the maths he used to plan.

Even Wilcer Garms and Horgus have had headaches plotting out things in Drezen. Daeran’s plans have helped considerably in making some sort of trade route and as unhappy as I am to realise a few missed shipments could be critical, well, what can I do but ask and try harder?

Without Drezen, without us, without everything together, I feel like we’d be swept away. Another crusade lost before Mendev would begin its inevitable collapse as what remained of its lifeblood drained from it.

There is so much more to write. So much more to do. But if there is anything i refuse to delegate as a commander, it is the current task at hand. With each life lost, I write a letter to those they left behind, if any remain. And so many remain that the weight of the task burdens me heavier than I ever thought.

If they do, I write a letter, sign my name, stamp an official seal and send it off. If they died beneath me with loved ones still among the living, I feel I owe them this much. So I must stop this letter, to write another.

Until the next time.

-Yunessa

[marabelle5]

Files

The Copper King walked through the hallways of the Emperor's HQ that they call Mangriovia. The walls were lined with torches and the sound of the Copper King’s sandals walking on the wood floor could be heard throughout the tunnel. There were many tunnels in Mangrovia each going to a different room or rooms. It was quieter than normal on a Sunday at noon. Then again he was headed to one of the rooms most of the Emperors didn’t take a second glance at. 

The Copper King put his gem in the stone and it lit up, beige ruins glowing as the Copper King heard rusty gears turning as the door opened and he stepped into the archives. The Copper King ran his hands over one of the millions of shelves. It was a big room. What made it feel bigger was the small table at the center of the room with only two chairs. 

“We’re dealing with Void and The Red King.” The Count’s voice sound strained over the comm

“The Farmer Queen and I will be there soon.” The Grand Wizard replied.

 The Copper King smiled as the Mage King replied about being there. Void and The Red King were going to have to fight the Wither Rose Alliance. He wished Void and the Red King luck. The Copper King sighed as he turned to look at the files he needed to look though. 

The Copper King was planning to take this afternoon to look at as many villain records as he could. There were only 20 something of them. How hard could it be? 

The Copper King strolled past the As and the Bs and the Cs and so on until he got to the Hs. 

“Hybrids…, hermits! Wait no, that's hermit crabs. Ah there are the Hermits.” The Copper King muttered to himself. He pressed his comm knowing that the fight was still going on so he put it to ‘Not The WRA’ mode. 

“Hey does anyone know why we have a whole box of files for hermit crabs?” 

“I think it was one of the things the Hermits did a few years back.” Spring replied.

“Shouldn’t that go in attacks then?”

“The Count wanted that to go in its own bin. I have no idea why though.” The Ice King added.

“K Thank you for answering my question.” And with that the Copper King went back to his work. He pulled out the file box and set it on the desk looking through it. Running though all the names thank the Vigil they were all in order and all of the files were there. When he finally got to the end he saw three other files in the box. 

The first one was unreliable with its scratch out ink. All the Copper King could see were the faint words of DECEASED. He put that one back in the box quickly. 

The second one was easier to read. It said on it in big bold letters: SLAYER. The Copper King had never seen this file. He flipped it open. And read

 GENDER- FEMALE, 

HAIR COLOR- RED, 

AGE- UNKNOWN THOUGHT TO BE CLOSE WITH THE CLEANING LADY, 

EYE COLOR- GREEN,

WOOD ELF 

TIER- A

 POWERS-UNKNOWN 

NAME- UNKNOWN

STATUS- NOT ACTIVE FOR REASON UNKNOWN     

DO NOT ENGAGE IN COMBAT IF NOT WITH MORE THAN 5 OTHER EMPERORS. 

IN A GROUP CALLED THE SOUP GROUP AND LIKES TO HANG OUT WITH BOATEM. SOUP GROUP INCLUDES SV AND THE CLEANING LADY

MORE ON SOUP GROUP AND BOATEM LOOK AT SV’s FILE.

The Copper King frowned, having way more questions now than when he got in here. He had faint memories of a villain being a really good fighter. They fought that Hermit a good bit; it must have been Slayer, so why didn’t they have more on her? The Copper King put the file back and made a mental note to check SV’s file later and to find out who this ‘Cleaning Lady’ character was.

So he went and picked up the last one. It said in big bold letters: THE CLEANING LADY. He opened the file with interest. It was the same format as Slayer’s.

GENDER-FEMALE

HAIR COLOR-LIGHT BROWN

AGE-UNKNOWN THOUGHT TO BE CLOSE WITH SLAYER

EYE COLOR- BLUE, SOME HAVE REPORTED THAT HER EYES ARE A GOLDEN COLOR.

AVIAN

TIER-A

 POWERS- CAN MANIPULATE MATTER 

NAME-UNKNOWN

STATUS- NOT ACTIVE FOR UNKNOWN REASON 

 IN A GROUP CALLED THE SOUP GROUP AND BOATEM. SOUP GROUP INCLUDES SV AND SLAYER. BOATEM INCLUDES SV, POULTRY MAN, MINNER, AND HOT GUY 

MORE ON SOUP GROUP AND BOATEM LOOK AT SV’s FILE.

How does this Cleaning Lady manipulate matter? The Copper King thought to himself. It would probably be in attacks. The Copper King looked at his watch. It was 4 pm and he was going to meet with the rest of the Recap team at 6. 

The Copper King pulled himself up from the chair and put the files back into place and opened the archive door. He walked down that same hallway to one of the bigger hallways and through a door which closed behind him. The Codfather was carrying a basket of arrows. He was looking down and seemed to be on a call with someone, he hung up. Now the Copper King was not ready for someone to be walking through the hallway and so the Codfather ran into the Copper King and with a yelp of the Codfather both fell down arrows flying everywhere.

“I’m so sorry, Pix.” The Codfather said getting up and picking up the arrows.

“No it’s alright. I didn’t expect anyone to be here.” The Copper King replied. They both laughed as the Copper King helped the Codfather to his feet. And they walked in silence to the main room of Mangroivia. Where they saw most if not all the emperors sitting chatting. The two men got a chorus of hello’s and hi’s from everyone. The Copper King pulled the Farmer Queen, the Grand Wizard, and the Count aside to ask about the files he found. 

“So I found these files in the archives. It didn’t bring them out here but tomorrow or later tonight we can take a look at them. But before do any of you three know who or what the Cleaning Lady and Slayer were?” 

“We fought with them a couple times. They always moved so in sync. The Cleaning Lady making platforms for Slayer. When the platforms came down alien like plants would still be on the ground” The Count replied his hand was scratching his red beard.

“I have never fought any of them nor have I seen them around.” The Grand Wizard said. “But I can do some research into them.” She looked at the Farmer Queen, who looked as if she remembered something fondly.

“I have fought Slayer before. That was fun, she has a whole different fighting style than the rest of the Hermits!” 

“Interesting.” The Copper King was thinking about this when he got a text from Zloy. 

‘Are you ready for dinner?’ It read.

The Copper King smiled and texted back. ‘Yep almost I’ll meet you two at House Blossom.’ He smiled and waved to his fellow emperors then exited the building. When he was at the Vigil, he took off his sandy color robes and put on his blue sweater. He set his crown and trident down. 

Pix ran up the stairs grabbing his notebook and pencil from his office before heading across the street and then down one. He smiled as he saw his zombie and fox hybrid friends. Lyarrah was jumping up and down waving.

“Come on Pix!” She yelled as he got closer.

“Hello Lyarrah.” Pix managed to get out as Lyarrah hugged him. When she released him: Pix turned to Zlop and gave the zombie a hug. The three entered the cafe and sat down and looked over the menu. 

Pix waved to Kathrine who waved back as her and Shrub were running around getting things done. The three reporters had been sitting down for only a couple minutes when they saw the Codfather slam against the glass covered in chicken eggs. 

Pix sighed and put his head in his hands. 

[toujokaname]

Card shuffle / Episode 5

Author: Akira

Characters: Kohaku, Niki, HiMERU, Hiiro

"This 'Matrix' is just a waste of a project that boasts an impressive facade yet remains hollow at its core."

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Season: Winter

Location: Café Cinnamon

Kohaku: Uh-huh, guess callin' it an end-of-year special program hits the nail on the head. With all the talented people wrapped up in the new year's developments, they're so busy that the leftover folks get the scraps.

Niki: *Munch munch munch* End-of-year specials always get ripped apart... Come to think of it, doesn't Rinne-kun always get on edge around the end of each year, too?

Kohaku: He's a surprisingly passionate man. Can't stand half-baked efforts, maybe?

HiMERU: Well, not all specials are so ostentatious.

However, this "Matrix" is just a waste of a project that boasts an impressive facade yet remains hollow at its core.

Kohaku: What a way of puttin' it...

HiMERU: There is a reason for HiMERU to say so.

The producer leading this project isn't held in high regard at ES.

Not gonna lie, it's an individual notorious as a LandmineP.

Niki: Uwah, HiMERU-kun used youthful language like "not gonna lie"~♪

HiMERU: Rather than youthful, you could call it anachronistic. Anyway, if ES is labeling it as a major event, the producer in charge should have a solid track record and skill.

Niki: Like Anzu-nee-san, maybe? She looks like an ordinary girl, but it surprised me to hear she's a very reputable and talented producer!

Kohaku: There's no way you didn't know that...

Niki: I've got her food preferences down pat!

Kohaku: Why can't ya put that enthusiasm into idol work?

HiMERU: Fufu. Well, you're right about that. Seems like Shiina's unusually understanding today.

If it's being touted as a major event, someone like Anzu-san should have been put in charge.

But in reality, Matrix is a landmine project with a low budget, a useless producer, and numerous unfavorable conditions.

Hiiro: Fumu, is it really that bad? That Matrix thing?

HiMERU: Yes. It's a textbook example of a hopeless project.

Matrix will take place over a month, during which Crazy:B and ALKALOID are supposed to have a total of ten matches—so it's said.

Despite the unnecessarily long time commitment, there are no specific dates or instructions mentioned in the plan.

Niki: Ah~ That's a problem, even I can see that... If I dunno in advance when it'll be busy, I can't adjust my part-time shifts.

HiMERU: Do you even need to work part-time at a restaurant anymore? Compared to the summer, we've been earning a reasonable amount of money through our idol activities, haven't we?

Niki: Being a chef's my main profession!

Kohaku: He says, eyes all sparkly...

Hiiro: Hehe. Actually, what HiMERU-san mentioned was on my mind too.

We're supposed to have ten matches, but what exactly does that entail?

If it involves physical combat, I might be in a bind. If Nii-san's skills haven't dulled, he'd still be stronger than me, and I don't want to hurt Aira and the others.

HiMERU: It seems unlikely that it will escalate to physical violence...

Niki: Why keep the details secret? Such a hassle!

Kohaku: Maybe it ain't set in stone yet, rather than bein' kept secret?

HiMERU: Yes. HiMERU shares this suspicion, as it tends to be the case with hopeless projects.

On paper, the plan looks grandiose, but in reality, its purpose is only to gain approval, devoid of any substance.

There's no preparation, no specific plans, absolutely nothing.

Niki: Is it like starting to chop veggies without even knowing what dish you're making?

HiMERU: Right. So you understand it by comparing it to cooking, Shiina. You can't make a good dish with such a haphazard approach, can you?

Niki: Well, even with that, I could whip up something decent~

HiMERU: A skilled chef like you could. However, it seems that this producer lacks such an ability. Sadly.

Kohaku: Still, if we're called upon, we can't refuse. That's the tough part of bein' newbies... Even if we spot a landmine right in front of us, we've got no choice but to walk that path.

Unpleasant stuff like that always seems to find its way to the most vulnerable.

[ ☆ ]

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[salon-maiden-anabel]

figuring out teams for characters who dont have canon teams/only partially full kinda fun sometimes .

I already have talked abt Argenta's team previously bc of CiaCM but im still sticking to my decisions . Meganium specifically is her old starter/possibly child of her original starter? still trying to decide. But Meganium is just such a Her pokemon to my brain in no way i could explain. Same with ninetales it just feels right. Dragonite from the tcg cards and Skarmory from pokemas. Apharos and Floarzel have less explanation else then the vibes just felt right for her

thorton bottom text. Most are from pokemas/one a reference to pokespe team. Rotom just Feels like a thorton 'mon and Cyclizar just feels right in my heart

Darach keeps his canon 5 + gains Haxorus as once again. Trust Me Bro.

Dahlia swaps out Medicham for Quaquaval ! It fits her dancing theme to a t as a fighting type more then Medicham. and also the more i can ignore medicham the better. Gourgeist and Dragapult reserves have just been smtn ive been thinking abt for a couple years now. Which accidentally means she has a lot of ghost types lol

Palmer doesn't change his team. lmao

for the hoenn brains i don't think most of them would shuffle their teams too much and stuff down the line but i do have Thoughts abt additional pkmn they'd have. Specifically how much Greta with a Zoroark would suck so severely it should be banned from the Battle Arena. which is exactly why she should have one. Same logic for Aegislash. "How would she have a Sneasler?" how do half these people have the legendaries they canonically have. Its free real estate.

Tucker's is mostly just following his trend of pokemon that would all later receive mega evolutions bc HOW did all his canon mon receive them. He's the reason the battle frontier didn't return /j

behold the worlds most unique Brandon team /j. Anyways all canon mon else then Gimmighoul which just FEELS like a brandon pokemno but specifically not a fighter. It just sits in his office and torments Samuel

Lucy is Lucy. Lucy has snakes. I imagine Serperior would run a contrary based set to rough up people unprepared. The entire second row are non-combat pokemon though! Arbok being an old pokemon from her youth who was already old when she caught him and is now a little too under the weather to battle all the time. Dunsparce. Typhlosion Mamoswine and Skitty are based off some of her anime-only housecats but i let the first two evolve over time! Skitty is a menace to society. Skitty will make everything Your issue. Lucy refuses to accept anyone trying to tell her that her Skitty is the worlds biggest problem causer skitty.

Noland. Running out of things to say. Gestures with my hands.

I have not added any new pokemon to Anabels list of pokemon. She just has so fucking many between sun/moon and the anime originals

However. That was Fallerbel. Mega-timeline/non eeby deebied Anabel gets a different team layout then her since their life experiences after a certain point are completely different

Spenser gets a Tangrowth bc that just feels right. Given its been a little over 10 years im not sure he works at the frontier anymore though that man is over 100 :sob:

I'm still to this day deciding who takes over the Battle Palace in his place [ive been thinking abt wally but am mortified of being accused of copying other people :sob: so i gotta think] But since Anabel gets deebied to megaverse theres a spot open in the Tower for a new Tower Tycoon so. Slaps oc that needs to be redesigned so badly in here, Dia. She's Perrin's cousin but i created her before Perrin existed :sob: so feeling meh on her design. Anyways.

[cherrymoonmotel]

Kiss me hard before you go…..

✧ you and dean have been off and on for years, he's always on the road and your always....waiting, until something brings him back home

✧word count: 950

✧notes: this is my first ever dean blurb and i'm nervous y'all (maddie ik ur the only one reading this lol)

It was hot, the fan in the diner was doing nothing to combat the thick July heat, you already threw your hair up, and it's still sticking to the back of your neck as you wipe down tables, your apron slung across your waist. The only thing keeping you going was the tub of ice cream tucked away in your freezer back at home, imagining peeling off your jeans and stretching out on your couch, no plans to move or go anywhere. 

You were at the register when you heard it, a sound you knew well, too well, one that only ever ends in disappointment, that thrum of the impala pulling into the parking lot. 

dean. 

He hadn't texted, hadn't called, in a while. which was normal. you stopped expecting stuff like that a long time ago. Stopped hoping that each time you woke up, he’d still be there, that he'd stay for longer than a couple of hours. It feels like a lifetime ago that you first laid eyes on him, when he told you about the family business, and now…. Well, now this is what you two do, what you have been doing for years. 

The door opens and the bell goes off with a ding, even in the deep July heat it gives you chills, your back is turned to the door and you still know its him.

“Are you sure?”

Dean asks Sam, looking over at him in the passenger seat of the Impala. Sam had picked up a newspaper at a gas station, and a headline on the first page had caught his eye.

“A total of four people dead in the past week, I don't know dean, I mean, we’ve looked into less.”

He's right, I mean they had, and it wasn't the case that was bothering him, it was the place, Lawrence, home, her.

He’d been gone longer than usual, he and sam falling deeper and deeper into problems that always seemed to concern them. He hasn't called, hasn't texted, and it keeps him up at night. Knowing that he should, should call, text, and yet he can't. It's not cause he doesn't want to, god does he want to, but you two had fallen into this routine, a dysfunctional one, that left him feeling guilty and left you wanting more. And he knew what you deserved, stability, but he was the last person who could give that to you, so even though what was happening between you two wasn't perfect, it was what he could give you without feeling like he was gonna ruin it. 

“I guess we're going to Lawrence then.” 

Before I can turn around, he speaks

“Any chance you have pie on the menu?”

I turn now, as he sits down across the counter, and I can't help but take in his appearance, my eyes betraying me, reminding myself he's real and not some fiction of my imagination.

“Why are you in a suit?” 

It comes out of my mouth before I can even think about it, he's not usually dressed like this, and I'm mentally adjusting myself to the way he's pulling his tie loose as he settles into the barstool.

“It's hot.” 

I say, again not thinking -something i should probably start doing- especially not thinking about how that sounds, because his reaction tells me he took that entirely different to how i had meant it.

“I mean if I had known all it would take was me showing up here in a sui-”

“No, I mean I meant the weather, its- hot, whatever”

I say, waffling over myself, not helping my case, especially when i see that shit eating grin hes wearing, i swear this man will be the death of me. And as I stand there waiting to hear what he has to say, that's when I look at him, really look. And even though he’s sporting that stupid smile, he looks- nervous? Tense? Something feels…off.

“dean?”

He runs a hand over his face, exhaling a breath that i guess he was holding onto. As he looked at me with, concern? Longing? Im no expert in reading human emotions and behaviour, but i am an expert when it comes to him and somethings wrong.

“It's- me and Sam were working a case…here, in lawrence”

And the small part of me that hoped he would drive me home, that i would share that pint of ice cream with him, slowly started to disappear when he revealed why he was really here, a job. here. in lawrence. i nod, slowly intaking this new information.

“And so you're here because-” 

oh. 

He's here at the diner…. for me? Is that why he looks so…worried? I would be lying if I said that didn't make me feel something, good or bad. I can't tell yet.

“I just had to- i just wanted to make sure that you were….okay”

I stand there, unsure of what to do, say, this is a…different step for us, its not within the realm of our usual arrangement, and i can tell its making him nervous.

“Well, I'm okay.”

I say, unsure what else to do. The both of us sitting in this silence, this understanding that there are things we're both not saying right now.

“We have cherry-uh pie today, is that ok?”

And it's the small nod he gives me, the way he looks into my eyes, that says more than he can come up with verbally at the moment. And at that moment, when he's sitting across from me, tie loose, a thin sheen of sweat across his forehead in the evening glow of the diner, is when i realize that i'm fucked.

✧ ummm so pt.2? i had no idea where this was going lol.

[chromantlks]

Workin on art at 5:30am and watching Vendetta, so to procrastinate even longer, here is:

Resident Evil Vendetta: Why Leon and Rebecca’s Positions Should Have Been Swapped

• Rebecca is not a damsel in distress please stop doing this to RE women (female characters in general, hate to be that guy), let Rebecca be the prodigious badass tyrant slayer she has been since day fucking one

• Leon’s entire arc would be improved in the way Chris’ sort of was if he was kidnapped and had time to think about who he is and why he’s come as far as he has, as well as accepting that he can’t always be the dashing hero and that sometimes he needs help too

• We could FINALLY re-explore the dynamic between Chris and Rebecca!! Don’t get me wrong, I love the relationship between Chris and Leon I love the part where they said “it’s gay sex Thursday” and then started making out on the chopper, but cmon. These were the ORIGINAL guys, the goobers, the oomfies, they were partners then and they could have been again

• We might have had more of a chance to catch up with what Rebecca has been doing all this time, we haven’t seen her since 0, or the stage play if you’re insane like I am, and I feel like we deserved to see her in action. It’s totally in line with her character to take more of a backseat to the action, having more of an interest in the science and medical aspects, that’s all good, but she’s still trained in combat and marksmanship. Can you imagine a scene of Rebecca showing off her skills, especially to Leon? Dude that would rock so unbelievably hard cmon.

• Chris has this continued theme in his life of losing people close to him and it reflects in the way he treats his partners/teams. This is just a flaw with the movie in general (which I continue to enjoy despite its. Yknow. Everything~), but we never got to see much of that. Obviously that whole theme was generally resolved in 5 and then continued into 6, but I feel like whether it’s Leon or Rebecca, Chris should have been, like. Way more freaked about it? Staying professional and all, but Jesus Christ man, you’re gonna exchange one liners and cool gun slow-no scenes with MCR over here in the hallway while you have less than 20 minutes to both SAVE and CURE someone who has been by your side for upwards of 20 years whom you have befriended and relied on numerous times??? Whatever! Whatever!

• Arias should have had a MUCH higher interest in obtaining Leon if he wanted his revenge plan work out. He’s already a suuuuper iffy character, I too would be mad if the government dropped a bomb on my wedding and killed almost everyone I held dear, but also I didn’t do arms dealing and bioterrorism so. Maybe reflect on that man. But anyway, the A-Virus already has a lot in common with the Plaga. Arias ABSOLUTELY could improve this connection via a sample of Leon’s blood and an examination of whatever’s left in his nervous system; if done right, this could have handled the virus nearly unstoppable. But instead, he opted to, uh…steal a woman that looks like his wife? Yeah, her blood with the antibodies made the virus stronger, but he had NO IDEA OF THAT. He totally lucked out there. Now, information about the Plaga would be easily attainable for a man of Arias’ profession and status among the underworld of crime or whatever, all that shit, and Leon’s name would absolutely be among that information. It’s just so much more convenient? Makes so much more sense?? Literally aids his evil plan???

I’m sure there’s more reasons I’m forgetting because the amount of times I’ve ranted about this is ridiculous, but like. Cmon cmon cmon I beg

If someone makes art or like rewrites the story like this tag me in it I beg of you like idk if this will incite any inspiration this is just my special weird take on a my special weird movie

[tokiro07]

I recently read and really enjoyed the Medaka Box fighting game ideas you made. Is it possible in the near future you could come back to that idea and make a final part 7 covering Fukurou, those in the Shiranui village and the intern student council. I think the Abnormal Negator post should have foundation on what their movesets would be.

Oh man, I haven't thought about those posts in years! I'm glad you liked them!

Looking back over them after reading things like @wickedsick's UUUnite series, I'm pretty ashamed of how basic they are

I'm not really big into fighting games, so I don't have much of an understanding of what makes the mechanics interesting. In my head it's all about the aesthetic and being faithful to the imagery of the source material, so making movesets for characters without much to go on is pretty difficult for me

The interns would be the easiest since they actually have something resembling a fight, but that's also why I bundled them into Wanizuka; in fact, I feel like I should have leaned harder into it and had them show up for multiple attacks and not just one, but I probably didn't want to overlap with the aesthetic of Saki's summons

If I had to take a stab at it today, though, I'd probably try to focus on how the characters actually play. Please note that I'm not super familiar with fighting game archetypes, so I just found a list online - if any of this is inaccurate, it's cus I'm a dummy

Takarabe tries to avoid direct conflict and prefers to torture an immobilized opponent, so I envision her as a Keep Away fighter who progressively debuffs or otherwise weakens the opponent, until she's comfortable enough to become more aggressive and act as a Rushdown to finish them off. Aesthetically, this would require adding new tools to her kit, like perhaps a beartrap or barbed wire, maybe laid as part of her heavier attacks since they take time to set up, while her usual tools are her lighter attacks since they're quick but tend to deal less damage

Kikitsu has arguably the least to go on of all of them since we only ever see her using a butterfly knife in combat, so she'd require the most embellishment. Fortunately, since she's a gamer, we at least have a theme to base her aesthetic on. I think I'd like to make her a Puppeteer, using her game to summon and control various video game parody cameos. Since I'd like there to be multiple cameos, I think that would also make her something of a Stance character, with each summon having its own style, though also being permanently defeatable

Kibougaoka's pretty easy; she's only been shown flying and kicking, so she seems like she'd be a Rushdown character, but with a fuel mechanic thrown in to limit how long she can consistently be in the air. Giving her some kind of ammunition would make sense, but there's no precedent for it, sadly

Tsugiha's tendency to use real weapons and pretend that they're magical objects and spells might work well with making her a Mix-Up character, focusing on confusing or otherwise throwing off the opponent mentally. I don't really know how per se, but perhaps a lot of her moves start out looking pretty similar, like pulling out different chemicals to splash which have different effects or hitboxes. Maybe the visuals become progressively obscured by illusion, as if she's dragging the opponent into her delusions as the fight drags out

Fukurou's only fight took place while seated, so I like the idea of him moving as little as possible, moving slowly and even sitting down when not moving. Maybe it's a sort of Stance, where while he's sitting he's setting up certain moves based on his position. It's difficult to tell whether he's actually prepping a move or just sitting there, making him a Bait & Punish character

The Fake Suitors still don't offer a lot, so they require pretty heavy conjecture, but for the sake of completion:

Kairai - Mixup, switching rapidly between swords and guns

Shinkirou - Grappler, releasing his power limiters to get progressively stronger

Genjitsu - Zoner, using various spells and illusions

Sakugo - Bait & Punish, his timid appearance makes him look open to attack but really he's setting up a horror-themed attack

Kariteru - Glass Cannon, has a frail body as a scientist but unleashes strong attacks by turning into a monster momentarily

Gizou - Shoto, acting as a send-up to Akuma since he's the "Boss" character of the Fake Suitors

Aaand for good measure...

Bukiko - Hit & Run, with her spear keeping her out of enemy range

If I were more familiar with fighting games, I could probably wrack my brain to get something more worthwhile out of any given character, but at the very least I feel like this is a more interesting approach than my previous one since I can actually envision what makes the characters fun to play

I hope this lived up to your expectations!

[sincerely-sofie]

still cant get over travailshipping. i remember when you first tested the waters with it (which i believe was some time before the tpiag chapters started coming out?) and at first i thought it was pretty funny. ark slowly but surely falling headfirst for twig, who if she had a tagline it would be "if i could turn my feelings into weapons, mine would be a goddamn nuclear bomb", and her at first just being oblivious to it and thinking that the letters that expressed love and care that were written in cursive in her mailbox were just funny and she wanted to show them to ark with the guy just looking at her with the most "well that backfired in the weirdest way possible". but when tpiag finally ended i finally connected the dots as to why these two are just. augh. i wont go into detail here in your askbox but i wanna know is: HOW DID YOU DO IT. HOW DO YOU KEEP MAKING SUCH GOOD IDEAS FOR THE FUNNY DIGITAL ANIMALS. TELL ME.

(thinking to myself) "Ugh I should stop posting so much travailshipping stuff... It's probably so annoying to everyone who sees it. I feel bad for my poor followers. I'll check my inbox real quick and then commit to shaking up my content by—" *gets obliterated by your niceness*

Oh man. I remember posting that poll where I hesitantly described a possible Darkrai/Twig pairing in the tags while proposing Twig/Kip as an alternative route, despite it not being the direction I wanted to take the characters, because I was so scared of what people’s reactions might be. If I remember right, I posted it a little bit before I had just barely reached 5k words in the first draft of TPiaG.

I've been trying to write up detailed responses to how I come up with good ideas for travailshipping in particular, but there's one rule I use that defines everything after it and speaks for all of them: I have fun with the characters.

That's it. That's the rule. If I don't want to write a subject, I don't. I stick with what I find enjoyable and resonant. Does a joke make me laugh? Does a scene make me cry? Does a villain make me punch a hole in my wall? Does a cute gesture make me squeal? If so, then into the project it goes. I think people can feel when someone is having fun with their work, and that fun radiates out into their own experience consuming that work. It's like laughter— joy is something we're sharing with others as long as we feel it. Fun is contagious.

Also: when you don't force yourself to make things you hate, you attract people who like the same things as you. These people will find your work even more fun— because not only did you have fun making it, they're having double fun consuming it.

An important tangent I'll go off on is that I think that every creative project idea is a good idea. There's so many beloved bizarro ideas in the world, even the ones who try to be cool about how weird their premises are. There's this weird show where the main character works as a service industry worker in an underwater setting that's ruled by a Roman deity— he lives in a piece of fruit, and his pet gastropod makes cat noises. This show sounds like word salad garbage on paper and could be tossed out for its nonsensical nature, and yet SpongeBob SquarePants has made Nickelodeon over $13 billion dollars and is a treasured part of many childhoods. There's also a character who spends his time locked in intellectual and physical combat with a wannabe clown and wears a costume with bat ears while doing it. Batman's been an icon for over 80 years.

All of this is to say:

Ideas are always good ideas by virtue of existing. They don't derive their goodness from external sources. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Make more of what you love. Don't make things you hate making.

If you have fun while making the thing, people will have fun while they consume the thing's content.

I hope this makes sense. I didn't touch on idea generation as much as embracing existing ideas. Fingers crossed that was the right response. I'd just woken up from a nap as I was writing it, so hopefully it's not too meandering and managed to answer the question and—

— Oh shoot. Was that a hypothetical question??? Uh. Sorry if I went off on this rant when you were just trying to voice your niceness. Oops. 🫥

[styrmwb]

I beat Yakuza 3 Remastered

Why can't this poor man have a happy life

I've had the itch to pick up a Yakuza (a LaD) again for a minute now, and I think the announcement of Pirate Majima finally kicked me into gear.

It's been like... 3 years? Since I played Kiwami 2, which I actually think was a good thing for this game. Rather than going from modern Yakuza immediately into old, still growing Yakuza, and feeling that whiplash, I feel like I got to have a pretty fresh experience with this guy, and kinda judge it on its own merits rather than comparing it to the great remakes before it/the Objective Superiority that is 0 (I feel like this isn't a terribly hot take)

I've seen the comments people leave, the rumors, people fuckin hate this game; so it was good to finally get my own feelings on it (and now this is the part where I say those feelings)

Chapter 1: Gameplay 第1章：ゲームプレイ

The Big Controversial Part. The Evil.

To start on a positive, more general note; this is Yakuza. You Cannot Go Wrong With The Formula. It's a completionist's dream/worst nightmare, it's perfect for whatever tone you want, it's tried and true. This is the 3rd time they have done it and they are becoming exceedingly efficient at it. If I didn't like the baseline of this series I wouldn't be at the 3rd entry. I love doing fight, eating food, filling up the numbers on the completion, it's fun, it makes my monkey brain happy. I love being in the same city I've always been in and seeing how it's changed this time around, as well as what hasn't changed. It's such a unique feeling that I don't think other games have.

Coming from the previous entries, I wasn't used to random battles having dialogue instead of a smooth transition; I was iffy at first, but honestly the rewards having silly adjectives won me over and I was entertained until the end (I don't even want to know why this ¥50,000 is lukewarm). I also actually really liked the running sequences. It took some getting used to for the rhythm of dodging around pedestrians, but once I got the hang of it I actually looked forward to them. I do wish Mack's training came earlier, though, and also came with more diverse benefits other than More Stamina and Strong Tackle.

Minigaaaaaames. As with every entry in this series, they are wide and diverse; some I love, some I despise. My favorites ended up being Karaoke (this is every game though, and I love rhythm games this is no surprise), Koi-Koi (a love I've obtained from previous games), Darts, surprisingly enough (once I figured out The Strat I cleaned house), and Bowling (another classic, figure out The Strat). Least favorites were Fishing (I generally don't like fishing in games though), and that God Damn Batting Center. I HATE the batting center I swear I just could not get that timing right. I also don't like mahjong but I knew that from previous games so I didn't touch it. One day I'll learn but not today. Aroma Massage was frustrating but I didn't need to do it much so it gets a pass (also the baby failure was fuckin FUNNY), and Boxcelios was actually pretty neat but it didn't wow me. Also getting put here is the Hostess Maker; I respect it for being the start of good minigames later, I do not care for it, and I swear I had constant garbo luck.

Alright, now the main part. Combat. I think from the start, I was aware of "Blockuza 3"; and I'm not sure if having that awareness affects my bias of analyzing it at all. Like I said, it's been 3 years since I last played a Yakuza game, so I don't.... really remember the general combat flow of those? I remember bosses have always been a bit frustrating. Start of the game was fine. I didn't have issues, and I felt like I was using grabs, weapons, and heat actions a lot more than I remember doing in the past (I also think me thinking of heat action completion more helped this). I vibed with it for a good while! No issues. Bosses took a little bit, but they always did. However, once I hit late game, especially when I was doing the coliseum, I understood. There's an issue here.

To be blunt, the AI sucks. EVERYTHING ELSE is fine, the AI sucks. There are two things here. Everyone knows the blocks; they're all the time. So ok, I'm gonna work around it. I'm gonna go for grabs, I'm going to tiger drop to negate all damage. I'm going to use the counter mechanics it's given me cause I can't quite get in otherwise. This would be ideal, if the AI did anything. The most egregious example of this, and the summarization of my point, is the final training with Komaki. I need to parry his attack, and then use ultimate dragon king essence. Awesome! ...why isn't he attacking? He's just... dodging. And looking at me. He doesn't do anything until I throw a punch in his direction, which then he freaks out and kicks my ass. How am I supposed to parry him if he doesn't attack? How am I supposed to get around the invincible walls if they won't interact with me? How is tiger drop supposed to negate all damage if there's no damage!?!?! There's workarounds of course. I learned some good rhythms, I figured out the combos that could get in, and When I had weapons they were useful, but those have durability and I can't rely on them forever.

There is a clear problem here, but I do think it is only apparent on the higher level play of the game. Generally, for the most part, I had a perfectly fine time, and I got to do that one scene from Avengers where Hulk throws Loki back and forth and it worked so frequently it was hilarious. I can imagine if I played above normal, I would be more upset (But I didn't cause I'm not looking for a punishing experience and I'm cool with that!).

One last thing, super minor; I definitely prefer the later games' leveling. They give you more stuff more often, where here my leveling really started to slow down giving me less things which made me sad. It's not huge but it's there.

Chapter 2: Story 第2章：物語

This is the REAL treasure of this game. I Love This Story. Kiryu Dad Simulator is the greatest thing ever. How do you make the Father Fantasy even better? By adding several more children, and giving you time with each and every one, letting you love, and appreciate them, so that way you care for this orphanage in the same way that Kiryu does. Honestly if I just left Kamurocho for Okinawa and there was no crime the entire time and it was just take care of your foster children I would be so so so so ok with that.

Anyways, there's two major reasons why I enjoyed this game's story so much more than the rest. 1. The characters were all great, and 2. I think it felt a little more cohesive than some of the previous entries.

Substory 120: Characters

Kiryu - I really felt for the man here. This is a man who has been dragged into bullshit for far too long now, and finally literally got to run away, and spend time doing something fulfilling, only for him to be dragged right back in yet again. You could really tell how much he cared for everyone around him in this game, which only served to make his self-sacrificial nature worse. It makes me think of The Incredibles: "I'm not strong enough to lose you". I love this man, give him a break.

Haruka - Not a forefront, but one of the best parts of this series so far is seeing Haruka grow; and this game really gave her a huge leap. Putting her in that big sister role was such a good play. I can almost see the Kiryu in her here, the caring for others, with that little bit of stupid self-sacrificing for others being shown in her section with the credit card running.

The Morning Glory Orphans - My children. This game introduced 8 new characters, and (like I mentioned above), through giving you time with each of them, their own dedicated stories as well as their times in the others'; I love them! They did such a good job portraying them all as kids, but also as a family. Taichi was my favorite. This big ol big brother type with a big heart.

Rikiya - MY BRO. MY ANIKI. I LOVE THIS DUDE, I LOVE HOW HE LOVES HIS HOME AND HIS FAMILY. He was such a fun character and I think Kiryu having a brother character is highly needed, something he really hasn't had since (in-universe, not irl) 0. I could feel his fate coming from a mile away, but it didn't make it hurt less. You fucking dumbass you should have just STAYED BEHIND AAAAGH

Mikio - Another bro character; a younger type compared to Rikiya, but still someone I cared about. This dude is full of love, and for a criminal, someone that I would trust around children.

Nakahara - Grandpa. Yeah I know dad/brother is more accurate, but he's old so grandpa. I like him and I loved how him being a positive influence (again, Despite Being A Criminal) spreads to his whole family clearly being beloved in Okinawa (DESPITE BEING CRIMINALS). I'm so glad him and Saki get to be a happy family by the end. (I'm not gonna give Saki a full section but that poor girl went through so much unnecessary pain and she gained a whole family by the end of the game, she deserves the world)

Majima - I think this is where Majima really started to become Friend. He got back into the game for Kiryu, he was loyal and doing what he promised to the end, and he was a great support. I loved the truck scene, and his genuine concern for Kiryu.

Daigo - My favorite princess. He was literally the damsel in distress this game, but his impact is something I appreciated. You can tell that this is a decent man, and even though he's in power, treats those below him as equals. His good character was literally part of the reason of why the final boss was so interesting.

Kashiwagi - :( A very similar role to Daigo, where his character, rather than his actions, set his role in the game. A decent man, setting a good, honest foundation inside of a criminal empire. The fact that he set up an organization to get people safely out of the business was huge, and I'm gonna miss Kiryu's big brother.

Tamiya - I'm going to steal a joke from the other game set in Japan that I beat in 2024: You can tell this is a fictional game because there is an actually decent politician. I actually felt surprised that the angry dude pushing for the military base was like, the best person involved in everything.

Mine - Such an interesting character. A very very hurt man that never learned how to love, finally finding A Purpose, but throwing it away out of pain. I really liked him as an antagonist, and I loved that he wasn't the traitor, that he wasn't some Secret I Planned Everything For Power; he just happened into place. A series of unfortunate events put Mine where he ended up, and I found that really cool.

Joji - He's a bit of an asspull, but not one that ruins anything. Like yeah "character has a secret twin" is some comic book shit, but I actually enjoyed his presence here. He gave an interesting mystery to the story, and became a good support towards the end.

Andre - He's definitely the most... Nothing, in the story, but I didn't hate him. I thought his voice acting was surprisingly decent (hearing that constant SHITTO... in the coliseum didn't give me high hopes). I think every Yakuza needs to have that weird side villain that's the main cause of everything, but this dude didn't feel as disruptive as Jingo, or as insane as the Korean Mafia. He's fine!

Hamazaki - I Genuinely think, that presenting this huge threat with connections out of country, but then having you not even fight him, and having him offed by his own hubris, was SUCH a neat play. Absolutely a twist that I did not expect. He might have seemed as wasted potential, but I kinda really liked how he ended up being off-screened.... and then.... then you bring him back? You bring him back for... a final cutscene... that doesn't mean... anything. A guy that should be dead.... stabs the main character, who ends up being perfectly fine. This dude is like... the one cause, of the one problem, I had with this story. Why couldn't he just stay in the ocean

Kanda - He sucks hard which is good cause I get to beat him up and I don't feel bad about him being a head, you love a character that's easy to hate.

Tamashiro - Absolute scum of the earth, that dude deserved a bullet in his head. I hate you I hate you I HATE you.

I feel like whenever I write a characters section it doubles the length of my already long post, but again, they are such a huge reason of why I loved this story.

As for the cohesiveness, I think the little point I made with Andre is a good summary. Previous entries have had this like, last minute What The Fuck plot twist nonsense that completely go wild and kinda tie together all the plot points. But in 3, I didn't feel that What The Fuck. I got it. I think the Okinawa land, the opposing bills of Resort vs Military Base, the involvement of the CIA, Black Monday, and the Yakuza, as well as the inner turmoil of the Tojo Clan; I honestly think it all tied together pretty smoothly. Andre was just the strangest part of it but he was so nothing compared to the rest that I literally don't care. (I Am Trying My Best To Ignore That Second To Last Cutscene)

I think overall, the general theme I got from this game was love. I felt the Essence of Love (press Heavy Attack at Blue Heat near Family) infused through nearly every part of this game. In Okinawa, with the Orphanage, with the Ryudo Family. In Kamurocho, with Daigo, with Mine, with Joji. Even in some of the substories, they generally felt... kinder? than usual? Like maybe I'm crazy for that, but there wasn't a lot of mean spirited things in the game I don't think. Hell, there was a whole sidequest that literally said trans rights lmfao. It all made me very happy.

Chapter 3: Aesthetics 第3章：美学

I've seen some criticisms on how this game looks (like one time when I was trying to google something one of the suggested was literally "why does yakuza 3 look bad"), but honestly, I kinda like it. It's absolutely the start of what modern LaD looks like, with a bit of that PS3 edge (and I mean that literally, bit of polygonal action). I think the best looking area is Morning Glory Beach, I love the water, the sands, and the greenery there. Music is classic Yakuza, there's not much to say beyond it's good, but doesn't always have tracks that stick out to me (there are some; Fly, Dead Run, and Another Demiworld I think are the standouts (also D2A lmfao)).

Chapter 4: Similar, But Not Equal To, A Dragon (aka the rest of my thoughts and the finale) 第4章：似て非なるもの、ドラゴン（感想の続きとフィナーレ）

Yakuza is usually beloved and infamous for its tonal dissonance. My favorite quote I saw once was "Yakuza is a serious crime drama occasionally interrupted by an episode of The Simpsons". I think 3, for the most part, felt a little bit more on the serious or genuine end. But from my research (light googling) on what the original 1 and 2 were like, 3 is the start of what we know now, what eventually turns into 0. Karaoke is getting its ridiculous start, we have revelations giving us more over the top comedy. But I think the balance it gives is something I appreciated. The serious parts had a genuine feeling to them that really grabbed me, but I still got my silly fix.

It's such a shame that this game has that stench of combat attached to it, cause it really was a good experience. I think it's overhated, and especially because you'll naturally play it after more modern games doesn't help.

While I could absolutely feel The Inevitable Yakuza Burnout towards the end, I still think I'm gonna look back at 3 positively.

8/10. Amazing story and characters in a genuinely heartfelt wrapping, just with kinda clunky gameplay. Fix that AI and my major issues are solved.

also like wasn't it super fucked that Sayama became a love interest for Kiryu, but then just fucking dipped and went to go date an American dude in the side text