#my interest to the games have started to come back to me…

[cinnamqnx]

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ permission ft, katsuki bakugo

summary. when his friends ask him to hang out while he’d rather be with you, katsuki always hits them with the same answer

a knock on bakugo’s door of his dorm room causes a groan to escape his lips, unwrapping his arms from you where you were both previously cuddled up while watching a movie on your laptop.

“who’s that?”, you ask, still laid up in his bed as you watch him get up while marching to his door with pure attitude.

“probably them damn extras again.”, he complains with a grumble, opening his door to find kaminari, kirishima and sero stood there with large smiles on their faces.

“what’s with your goofy faces? and why are you knocking on my door at 10pm?”, he questions, a scowl plastered on his face.

“we were wondering if you wanted to come play this new game with us?”, kirishima asks, holding up a video game you know your boyfriend has been wanting to try out for a while now.

he leans against the doorframe, “well, i’m with my girlfriend right now.”

“yeah but you’ve wanted to play this for a while, right? i’m sure she’ll be fine with it.”, kaminari reasons, sero nodding along with him.

letting out the biggest sigh he could, bakugo replies, “yeah whatever, let me ask her.”, shutting his door halfway so the boys couldn’t see bakugo’s little act he was about to pull off.

“you can go if you want, i don’t mind.” you say softly, turning your head away from the movie you were just watching. you really didn’t mind if he wanted to hang out with his friends since he spent majority of his time with you anyway.

he frowns at your response, mouthing a ‘be quiet’ before opening the door once again after a minute or so, seeing their anticipated smiles.

“yeah she said no.”, bakugo shrugs through his lie nonchalantly, causing you to whip your head back around at him while furrowing your brows.

was this man trying to make his friends hate you?

“well, do you really need to be asking your girlfriend for permission, dude? seems kinda toxic..”, kaminari starts, scratching the back of his head with an awkward look on his face.

“are you questioning her?”, bakugo questions, his voice slightly raised as he holds his usual angry face when anyone mentions anything he doesn’t like about you.

he’s always been protective like that. although, you do wonder if that’s the reason why most of the boys seem a little too cautious around you and always refuse to train with you. bakugo always tells you not to worry about it.

“nah, course not, bro. we’ll play another time it’s fine.”, kirishima steps in, holding his hands up while giving a light hearted laugh, trying to cool bakugo’s behaviour.

“yeah, yeah, fine. whatever.”, bakugo rolls his eyes, shooing off his friends before turning back to you, the angered expression he once had completely wiped off.

his sight finally falls back onto you as he walks back over and getting comfortable in his bed again, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close to his chest as he interlocks his legs with yours.

if anyone saw the position bakugo was in now, they wouldn’t believe their eyes. angry, aggressive bakugo laid up with a girl, holding onto her so gently as he kisses her forehead, watching some bullshit movie you know he has no interest in watching, and all for his sweet little girlfriend who everyone now seems to think holds him hostage so he can’t hang out with his boys.

and all because he simply just wants to spend all his time with his girlfriend.

“you’re such a lover boy.”, you smile at him, knowing how embarrassed he gets when you say things like this.

“shut up.”, he grumbles, partly hiding his face in the covers as he continues watching the movie with you, back where he wanted to be.

he knows you’re right. you have this man absolutely whipped for you and he couldn’t even care less about it.

© cinnamqnx | do not plagiarise or translate any of my work

[theotherchaospixel]

so many thoughts running through my mind; just gonna spitball real quick

yeah, softlocks are no good. alternatively, you can only continue by going back to a previous time or save or checkpoint and trying again; this is back-tracking, and players might hate that even more than softlocks. also, don't wanna make it so the Orpheus player feels like they're having to protect or walk on eggshells around the Eurydice player; that's an escort mission, and is even more lowly regarded than softlocks & backtracking; i mean, team fortress 2 had an escort mission mode early in development, and it wasn't fun for this very reason: it's boring for both escortee & escorter.

that said, there are games which have made all of those types of problems interesting. stanley parable & portal comes to mind. those two examples at least use their story & dialogue to make the softlock less frustrating & more like an easter egg. bioshock infinite is one big escort mission, but your escortee can't be killed & in fact helps you a lot. team fortress itself uses the different classes & characters to make players naturally feel like they're working as a team, even though none of them particularly need to do so. legend of zelda uses weapons & tools as a prize in dungeons in order to make back-tracking feel different in technique than normal backtracking.

i'm also reminded of that one textpost i saw from forever ago which used the medium of item descriptions in RPG to imply a story, like it starts with "this blade means something to you, but you don't know what" to "your late wife's blade" as it levels up or you progress.

then there's like left 4 dead, where there's a respawn condition - if a player dies and is not saved, they can come back once a certain amount of progress is reached without them.

i'm imagining a version of this game where - as the eurydice character could conceivably die at any moment - the world is noticeably different in her absence, and noticeably different each time. like, the color red disappears when she's absent, or some puzzles require a different, much harder solution. that way, there's like... a point to the failure, but it doesn't completely negate things. it feels natural to me for it to be a horror game, where the horror is in not knowing, not having total control over the state of the game. maybe, like lethal company & some other games have done recently, include proximity chat that can just falter on its own, creating a sense of discomfort and worry based on the assumption that something bad happened. i mean, that's how the original myth goes: on the way back, they talked, but at some point, Eurydice went silent, and in his worry, Orpheus turned to look.

there also should be like a purpose for the Orpheus character: realistically, I think a lot of players would probably realize "oh, i can't look at Eurydice, but she needs to do something, so I'll just look straight down or straight up & let her do that." that's both lame & boring. so, maybe they have their own puzzles to solve, their own things to do. maybe they're not even playing the same game: maybe Orpheus is doing puzzles but Eurydice has to play a shooter, maybe Eurydice is doing platforming but Orpheus has to play a rhythm game, maybe Orpheus has to work with RPG rules but Eurydice gets free movement. definitely feels like there should be some asymmetry to the gameplay.

maybe there shouldn't be any voice chat. maybe there's story that the characters talk through, and there's things that the players can make the characters call out, but, taking a page out of journey's book, maybe it pairs up 2 players totally randomly, 2 players that may have never met before; that way there's stakes to being sure to play the game right, that way the state of the failure condition completely changes, where it stops being a failure to progress in the game & starts being a cessation of connection. i think you could get really psychological with that. you start playing the game, get paired up with someone you don't know, and continue through until one of you makes the fatal mistake of looking at each other, at which point the connection breaks and you have to live with the loss of this person you've gotten to know, gotten used to, and have to start over with someone new; your progress doesn't reset, but you - the player - are directly affected by the loss. much like the story itself. i mean, orpheus doesn't just die after losing eurydice, he doesn't lose his progress, but he does lose a connection that he may never get back.

fuck, i wanna play this now.

Here's a useless thought my head just supplied me with that I absolutely can't use.

Co-op game where if one player sees another, they die.

Both die? Just the one who does the seeing? Just the one who is seen? All players or just one crucial character? Do reflections count?

"Don't turn around. I'm right behind you. I'm going to put the mcguffin down behind you and go around the corner, I'll tell you when it's safe to turn around; let me know when you're looking away again."

[sentientcave]

Swallow My Pride

Simon spots you across the bar. You're a long way from the little girl that used to torment him in primary, but that's alright. These days he's got a soft spot for beautiful men.

Contains: FtM!Reader, Reader bullied Simon in primary school, alcohol/bar mention, smoking, oral sex (Simon receiving), Reader has hair long enough to pull a little, Implied fibre arts, abrupt ending because I wasn't gonna get into all that. Maybe later.

1.1k ~ MDNI ~ 18+

It figured that you'd be gorgeous now.

He almost didn't recognize you. Probably would have missed you entirely if not for the long, searching glance you'd given him, like he was familiar too. Back then you were a skinny, mouthy little bitch that made his life miserable until you moved away, and now you were a handsome, self-assured man, filled out strong and a little soft. Standing with your friends, laughing. They obviously didn't know that you were a venomous little viper under that easy smile and oversized, hand-knit sweater with wonky cables on the front.

The lads noticed his silence and singular focus. Johnny started acting up some, like he always did when Simon paid too much attention to another man.

"Y'gonna talk to the pretty boy?" he asked, exasperated. "Or jest leer at'm all night?"

"If you don't, I might," Gaz said. "It's cold out these days and he looks like he's comfortable to have a lie in with."

"Fine. I'll talk to 'im." Simon stood and shouldered his way over to you, cutting a swathe through the crowd of people lingering by the bar, and put a big hand on your shoulder. "Wanna talk t'you," he rumbled. "Follow me."

"Hey, what the fuck," one of your friends said hotly. "Don't be rude."

Simon glared at her, ready to snap, but you quickly put yourself between. "It's okay. I know him."

Simon steered you outside and shoved you up against the wall. "Recognize me, do you?"

"Of course. Thought you were dead, though. Saw you here a couple months back. Kept coming back, thinking I had to be nuts." You tilt your head to the side. "I'm surprised you recognize me."

"Maybe I wouldn't've, if I'd ever seen you as a woman. But we were kids. You've changed, but I know you."

You had been the worst thing in his life, outside of his home. Quick to point out his hand-me-downs and his shaggy hair, to knock things out of his hands. If you’d been a boy back then, he would have just punched your lights out, but even then he knew better than to hit a girl. You were fair game for a fight now, as far as he was concerned, but he wasn’t really that interested in fighting. Especially when you were giving him that kicked puppy stare, regret written all over your face.

Regret was a powerful motivator, and he liked the idea of you trying to make it right. He liked the idea of seeing what he could get out of it too.

"I never got to apologize. When I heard-- Fuck, you've been through it. Apologies don't seem like enough." You look at him, big eyes and soft mouth. So fucking pretty.

"It's not enough. Don't want to 'ear it anyway. Want to make it up to me?" He waits for your nod, then reaches for his belt. "Suck me off. Right 'ere."

You look stunned for a moment. He expected to to stalk off back inside-- He didn't really want an apology, didn't think there was any making up for it, not really. Just wanted to push your buttons a bit, more than anything else.

But you dropped to your knees on the dirty ground, and waited, patient as a well trained dog. "Good boy," Simon grunted, pulling out his cock. He liked the way your big eyes got bigger, a gleam of want in them. You'd grown up to be a proper slag. He slapped his cock against your cheek, and you turned to catch it, sliding your lips and tongue along the side.

"This why you 'ad t'be such a cunt back then?" he asked, grabbing your hair to keep you from sinking your mouth down onto his cock. "Wanted me so bad an' couldn't say so?"

You glare at him from the ground. "Do you want the apology or the head, Riley?"

"Makin' me choose, are you?" He let go of your hair, however, his laugh turning to a groan as you sucked the head of his cock into your hot mouth, tongue lapping at his slit to taste the bead of bitter precum.

He was going to be more of a dick about it, but he couldn't get a word in. You worked his cock like you were made for it, working your hand over the shaft when you lapped at the tip, swallowing around him when you sank all the way down, taking him into your throat, bobbing your head back and forth, spit dribbling down your chin and his balls, messy, like you knew that was just how he liked it.

He managed to communicate that he was going to cum, enough that you let him pop free and pump his come onto your waiting tongue, purposely missing a little, his come glistening on your cheek and caught just slightly in your hair. You swallow, grimacing slightly at the taste.

"You ever eat anythin' that has a lick of nutritional value?" you gripe, using your fingers to scrape his come off your cheek and into your mouth anyway.

"Get your trousers off an' I'll eat your cunt," he offered, groaning again when you sucked him into your mouth again, cleaning off the mess. "If y’still ‘ave one. Christ. I'm takin' you 'ome either way." He lit a cigarette, glancing at the door when it pushed open, ready to bark, relaxing when he realized it was just Soap and Gaz. "Hey, lads."

You side eyed them, but you finished your job first, sitting back on your heels and wiping your mouth with your sleeve as Simon tucked himself away again. Gaz and Soap stood there, gaping like fish until you stood up.

"That's gotta be a record," Gaz said. "You haven't been gone ten minutes."

"Well, pretty boy knows what 'e likes." Simon dropped a hand on top of your head and pulled you close to his side before you could duck out of the conversation. "Don't go, pup. Figure you owe the lads an apology too. You're the reason I'm so mean, and they've 'ad t'deal with it all this time." He slid his hand down the side of your face and hooked his fingers into your mouth roughly. "What d'you think?"

You look at the other two. Gaz was trying to look nonplussed as he lit his cigarette, but there was no hiding the hungry gleam in his eyes. Soap wasn't even bothering to be subtle. He looked you up and down, palming himself through his jeans.

You shove Simon's hand out of your mouth, grinning. "Oh, he's been real mean, has he?"

Soap stepped in closer, his fingers hooking into your pocket to reel himself in next to you. "He's been a nightmare. Yeh gonna make up for it?"

"Can try. Riley's always been pretty determined t'be a cunt though. It's not all my fault."

“Need to say goodbye to your friends?” Gaz asked.

“Nah. It was a date. Didn’t really like them anyway. Felt like they were just looking for a compromise between addin’ a man or a woman to their failing marriage. Not really keen to get into all that. This sounds more fun.”

Simon chuckled. “Good choice, pup. Let’s get goin’.”

I've been rotating this thought in my mind since I read this fic by @/soapcloth about Soap being Reader's childhood bully. Read that, and then all the other stuff they've posted because there's some very fun stuff and I highly recommend their work.

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

[universefcb]

↬❥ "I'm here.."

Pau Cubarsí x Barça!Fem!Reader.

sy: You are a player for the Barça women's team, and you have a secret relationship, only a few employees knew about it. And one day, some players from the men's team went to watch the women's team play. But you end up getting badly hurt and Dad becomes desperate.

a/n: I accidentally missed the request for this order, a thousand apologies to whoever asked, but here it is! And sorry if there are mistakes, English is not my language.I hope this is what you asked for!

warnings: A little anguish, anxious reader, super protective Pau Cubarsí.

The game was intense. The Barça women were facing one of their biggest rivals Real Madrid, and she was focused as always. The team needed the win, and she played with fierce passion, not hesitating to chase every ball. Her energy was contagious, and even from the bench, her teammates shouted encouragement.

In the front row of the stands, the men’s team watched the game with interest, enjoying their day off. Pau Cubarsí was among them, seemingly calm, but anyone who knew him well would have noticed that his gaze followed her every move on the field. He didn’t show anything obvious—after all, no one could know about their relationship—but every time she fell, his heart skipped a beat.

“Y/n is getting a lot of attention, huh?” Yamal put his cell phone in his pocket.

“The game started ten minutes ago and she’s already playing with a fierce wolf.” Hector said smiling and watching y/n receive the ball and kick it to the side, falling at Ainata’s feet.

Pau felt a pang of jealousy in his chest and shifted uncomfortably on his seat.

“Lucky is her future boyfriend” Marc Guiu said making Cubarsí look at him, taking his attention away from the game.

And then, it happened.

Pau was startled by his friends' screams and turned his attention to the field, seeing his girl lying on the ground.

The ball had come high. Y/n jumped to head it, but at the same time, an opponent came with unnecessary force. The other player's elbow hit her head, making her lose her balance in the air. The fall was ugly.

The stadium was silent for a second, and then a disturbing murmur began to spread. The referee quickly blew his whistle, summoning the medics, while her teammates rushed to her side.

Dick feeling his stomach tighten.

Y/n slowly opened her eyes. Her head was throbbing, her vision blurred. She tried to get up, but as soon as she got to her knees, she felt something warm run down her face. When she touched her forehead, her fingers came away covered in blood.

And that's when the panic began.

She hated blood. She hated anything medical. She hated feeling like she was fighting in front of others.

“I’m fine,” she muttered quickly, refusing any help. She stood up on her own.

Her heart was beating fast. Her breathing was irregular, and her hands were shaking. The doctors tried to hold her down and carry her to the edge of the field, but she refused, not wanting to appear vulnerable.

“I need to get back to the game! I’m fine!” Her voice cut off at the end, and that’s when her eyes filled with tears.

She tried to return to the field, but the doctors got in front of her. Leaving her teammates worried and Pau completely nervous in the stands. Making her friends notice her uneasiness.

Her legs were weak, her head was spinning, but she kept trying to convince everyone that she could play. But no one believed it anymore.

The trainers exchanged worried glances. She was on the verge of collapse, refusing help, insisting that I needed to keep going. She let the pain take her, sitting on the floor.

They don't know what to do.

Until someone had an idea.

“Call the Dick...”

Pau was already on his feet before he even finished his sentence. As soon as he heard his name, he didn't think twice. He jumped over the barrier and ran towards her.

Leaving some of his friends confused and others with a smile of surprise.

“Love, look at me.” He said, after getting close to her.

His voice was low, but y/n heard it. And in the midst of the confusion in her mind, something clicked into place.

She blinked a few times, trying to focus her gaze. As soon as she saw Pau kneel in front of her, her racing heart gradually slowed down.

He gently touched her face, brushing away some of her bloody hair. He tried to clean the side of her face that was covered in blood.

“Breathe with me, okay? Slowly.” He drew in air and let it out slowly. She hesitated, but eventually followed suit. Her eyes were watery, her chest rising and falling too quickly.

“I know how bad this is..” He automatically ran his fingertips over his scar. “It’s going to be okay.

He whispered, leaving small kisses on her forehead.

“I… I have to go back…” the voice came out small, almost a sob.

“Not now, mi amor.” The way he said my love was so delicate that those who were closest heard it and were left open-mouthed. (MY LOVE)

Some of the men's players exchanged looks of surprise. Gavi almost choked on what he was drinking. Ferran Torres furrowed his eyebrows.

Y/n had never let anyone see her like this. But there she was—completely surrendered to him.

“I hate this,” she whispered, closing her eyes as another tear fell.

“I know, I know… But I’m here, okay?” Pau opened her hand slightly, pulling her closer. “Let the doctors take care of you, please. For me?

She bit her lip, still reluctant. But he lightly caressed her face and looked at her in that way that always made her give in.

And then, for the first time that night, she nodded slowly.

As the doctors treated the cut, she never let go of his hand. Pau held her tightly, taking his time, letting her calm down at her own pace.

The men's players remained in shock.

“Wait… They’re together?!” Balde muttered, trying to process what he saw.

“Cubarsí is a scoundrel!” Hector laughed, running his hand over his face. “I love that boy!”

“Worse than that, it makes sense,” Ferran replied, frowning.

“How did we never realize this?” Gavi whispered, still in disbelief.

But at that moment, neither Pau nor y/n cared who knew or not.

She was still dizzy, her head still throbbed, but when Pau helped her up he put one arm under her knees, and the other arm secured her behind her back. Carrying her away from the field and the shouting.

The game had been over for some time, and the men's team players were gathered in the locker room, still trying to process everything they had seen.

Gavi, still in disbelief, ran his hands over his face. “I just can’t believe this. Dick and Y/N?! This kid hid it really well!”

“And he really did hide it,” Random Bucket shook his head. “That quiet one… pretending he was innocent!”

“That explains a lot!” Ferran Torres commented. “The way he was always watching the women’s games more attentively than anyone else… The day he almost jumped off the bench because a woman marked him too hard… But my love was the best.”

Hector laughed. “MY LOVE! The guy announced his relationship in front of the entire stadium and we’ll only see it later!”

Before he could continue teasing, the locker room door opened and Pau entered with y/n, still visibly tense with a headband on. He looked at his friends and already knew that he would not have peace.

“Are you okay?” Yamal said before any jokes could start.

She let out a sigh of relief and nodded. “Yes, the doctors stitched up the cut and told me to rest.

“She didn’t want to go to the hospital, but…” Pau gave a small smile. “I convinced her.”

He gently grabbed her waist from behind, letting her rest her head on his chest.

The friends exchanged knowing looks.

“Convinci,” Marc Guiu repeated, arching an eyebrow. “What kind of convention are we talking about here, Cubarsí?”

Y/n felt her chest burn, slowly rising to her face.

The defender rolled his eyes, already anticipating a barrage of jokes. “The kind you don’t care about.”

“Ahhh, so that’s how it is, huh?” Gavi slumped down on the bench, pretending to be offended. “Months by your side and you never gave any hint that you were dating our future star?”

“Exactly,” Pau replied without hesitation, crossing his arms.

And getting a little laugh from y/n.

“Scoundrel.” Bucket laughed, pointing at him.

“You can’t trust a defender,” Ferran joked, shaking his head. “They’re too cold to even hide their relationship.”

Hector laughed. “At least now we know who will be the official brother-in-law of the locker room.”

Pau rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile a little. Deep down, he knew his friends were happy for him.

And he was so grateful to have y/n in his life.

[avidredux]

Magic Sword

so this is one of my favorite installments of linked universe and i'm going to ramble about why

magic sword takes place right after divine dark reflections, legend is no longer a rabbit, sky is established as being a shit long distance runner, and we get what i'd argue is one of the finest demonstrations of hyrule as a character and fighter. we also get some of my favorite panels in the series, like this one

i love looking down on him

anyway starting with some general Stuff That I Enjoy on a technical level! (under the cut because this got LONG)

first the color palette of this update is so so cool, lots of lovely reds and purples. the shading is amazing, like this panel here

simple but effective! the backlighting is dramatic and interesting, and i'm always a sucker for a silhouette (or nearly a silhouette) shot.

i love the black speckles and splats of the black blood throughout this update, and the way the rest of the colors are almost a gradient through the whole thing, it starts very natural toned, and as the fight intensifies gets darker, more purple and deep red and blue, all in sharp contrast with the blinding yellow and red of fire. it's a neat detail that if i'm not mistaken shows up in quite a few updates. the colors in the comic series as a whole blend in to each other within updates, a smooth, easy for the eye to follow change.

another thing is the paneling itself. the diagonal shapes of the panel help with that movement feel obviously, but also the framing of the characters. the panel up there (looking down on wars) is much more obviously a panel looking down on wars when you can see the slanted edge of the panel, augmenting your perspective of him to make him appear smaller! a neat detail that i didn't consciously realize was there until i had taken a screenshot and seen that he didn't look nearly as tiny as he does in the comic itself.

the angled panel, pov shot, and juxtaposition of wars and moblin, it all adds to the experience of looking down on him

the lack of speech in this one is another big reason i love this update. i'm always a fan of silent updates (or mostly silent, as the case may be) because... well link is a silent hero, it wouldn't feel right for these links to be quipping like mcu characters in the middle of a fight; the lack of talking keep the eye moving, keeps the anticipation building as the fight gets bigger and bigger. it's one of those updates i've come back to time and time again and i'm always seeing new little details because without words in the way, it's almost difficult to take my time "reading" this one, i get too excited!

now onto the actual characters! wars and hyrule are in my top 3 (technically 4 because wars and legend are in a constant fight for second place) in the chain. this update, coupled with their appearance in the divine dark reflections arc, is kind of what led me to loving them in the first place, and for hyrule especially, it establishes some awesome stuff about him with very little.

we obviously get to see wars take down a few of the monsters and kick some ass, showing his bravery against a much larger foe, etc etc but this ain't about him (even though i do love him)

he also does a spin attack! still not about him tho

this is about hyrule.

LOOK AT HIM. LOOK. good. moving on.

this is one of the first moments with hyrule demonstrating his confidence in his skills. though he says in an earlier installment that he, "must have had it easy," (ironic, considering his games), he doesn't seem to doubt his actual capabilities, just what he went through. and, yeah, as difficult as his games are, most of what he went through was just fights. maybe getting jumpscared by aches here and there, and yeah the whole "monsters gunning for his blood" thing, it certainly wasn't a walk in the park but in his eyes, at least he has his memories. at least he wasn't sent on like 6 different adventures before he hit 20. he's a glass half full guy, he's not going to look at his adventures against theirs and come to the conclusion that he was unlucky.

what he does have utmost confidence in is his fighting. this isn't the first time he's been a competent fighter (the second installment sees him finishing off the moblin with his iconc downward jump strike) but it is one of the first instances of him acknowledging he's a badass. a cocky bit of lightening and a smirk and jojo establishes that hyrule knows his power. hyrule knows he could wipe the floor with a horde of monsters, no problem. and he does!

though not without getting knocked down, which brings us to, not another Big establishing moment, but a smaller one, one that pays off later when twilight nearly kicks the bucket

someone call chumbawamba

his tenacity. get knocked down, get back up. he immediately cuts this lizalfos's tail off and we get this banger of a panel

love his smirk here, he seems to like fighting quite a bit

it's a smaller detail, and when the others get knocked off their feet they tend to get up too ofc, but it's so focused on in this update compared to in other updates, like here where when hyrule gets whipped with a tail, wild kills the lizalfos, and the comic moves on to warriors. intentional foreshadowing of hyrule's life savingly perseverant nature or not, i think it's a great moment for him

speaking of saving lives, his MAGIC

probably one of the coolest panels in lu and i swear i'm not biased

one of the coolest things about hyrule (and indeed AoL, one of my favorite zelda games) is his magic! he's got a number of spells, and if i'm not mistaken he's actually used his Jump spell in the comic before this point (when he does that cool aforementioned jump strike) but his first obvious magic (spells that someone not knowing his games would recognize as magic and not him maybe jumping out of a tree) are a little bit of Thunder in the first panel of this update, and of course Fire.

it really sets him apart from the other links, since none of this is from special items. he just... has magic ability and learns some spells that he now uses in battle to devastating effect (if you're a monster at least) i love the dichotomy of him being The Classic Link, humble and brave and strong and just, while also being a bit of a black sheep with his use of magic. it's a great mirror to how his games are perceived irl

now on to some of my favorite bits just for fun

love the sequence of them saving each other back to back

i'm sure wars is rethinking everything he knows about this guy

love this panel, hyrule makes amazing faces throughout lu but this is one of my favorites, just resonates with me

SIR

screams until i throw up this one is iconic I LOVE HIM also the magical sword is so so pretty i can't believe i didn't mention it sooner like fi i love you but damn hyrule has a fine weapon

head in my hands i love these guys so bmuch

i have to include this bit from the update right before this one

i love them

anyway thanks for reading if you got this far! this is dedicated to @esthelle-wanders who commented on another post of mine and spurred me to finally write this up! i hope you enjoy it!

all artwork is from @/linkeduniverse

[arthursfuckinghat]

As promised, here's a little tutorial on how I use photo mode to take my pictures!

It's a long one, but hopefully it helps <3

Alright, so first thing's first, you hop into photomode and see this feller and a bunch of options on the side. It's a bit overwhelming, so let me break it down.

Whenever I use photo mode, the first thing I do is make sure I'm in freecam mode and not orbit. You'll be in orbit mode by default, it stops you from being able to move around freely. We don't want that, so always make sure you're in freecam if you want dynamic shots!

Now, I'll come back to the advanced options and the save photo option, but this is the general layout of the photo mode menu.

These funky little numbers in the corner are important too. Now, if you do use the save photo option for your pictures, they will save to your Rockstar account. The reason I don't use this is because you cannot access your pictures saved on your account outside of your game on your console. You can only view the saved pictures when you view them in game, it'll take you to the social club and you'll see your pictures, but you will not be able to save them or access them anywhere else but there.

Anyways, back to this handsome feller.

Once you're in freecam, you'll be able to move around however you like. You control the camera by using the normal movement controls, and the triggers for moving the camera up and down. You'll notice that the numbers in the corner are different now, that's because I zoomed in on Arthur using the lens button. Even though 75 mm is the maximum amount you can zoom in, you're still able to move the camera closer!

Ta da! Look at this fella now! You can see all of the yummy details. I pressed the lens option three times with the top d-pad button on my controller, zooming the camera in fully. Now, let's press the advanced options.

Oh no. More numbers and buttons. Don't worry, it's easier than it looks!

It's important to note that you cannot move the camera or zoom in again once you're in this menu. You'll have to go back and start again if you want to move things around, your perfect pose will be lost and you'll be put back into gameplay, so definitely only use the advanced options when you're fully happy with your picture so far.

For my pictures, I always make sure that the blur strength is zero. I don't usually change the distance focus, but it's really up to you. The number indicates how far off into the distance it focuses on, it's measured in metres. Now, let's hide the HUD and see what we've got!

Nice. See the difference in the backgrounds? That's what the focus distance can do!

Okay, let's try again with a different example.

The angle is a bit awkward here, so let's move it around.

Just like last time, we're pressing the lens button up three times to zoom in fully and position the camera where we want it.

The blur strength is zero, but I put the distance focus to three metres because I liked the trees in the background. So, let's see what we have now.

Very nice. Not the most exciting, but this is just for the example, you'll be able to find more interesting angles the more you practice! I like to zoom in a bit extra just to capture Arthur's expressions.

Ta da! What a nice picture. To save it, make sure you use your console's built in screenshot button.

Once you have the picture saved on your console itself, import it to your phone or computer and feel free to adjust it from there. Look at these nice pictures we have now!

Hopefully this helps, feel free to ask any questions!!

[thecheshireprincess]

Because all of two people said they wanted to read my newest story obsession, here's a sneak peek at my favorite chapter I've written . . .

Let me introduce you to:

The Game Itself

A Chishiya x childhood best friend reader (Niragi's sister!) fic

Content Warning: Mentions of an abusive father, mentions of reader trending toward a panic attack, canon-typical violence, curse words, Niragi is in here and is a menace

A/N: This chapter takes place well into the story, having already introduced many of the main characters and some important plot points. None of my own twists are spoiled by reading this chapter first, and I think it's the best representation for how this story will be 😘 I hope you love it 💕

You lean back with a sigh, relaxing into the plastic beach chair set in front of the glittering pool packed with bodies. The sun is high in the sky, and the citizens of The Beach are happily drinking it in. That's not the only thing they're drinking in, mind you - it's mid-afternoon, and the party is absolutely raging. The music is bumping, the drinks are flowing, and the people are doing what people at The Beach do best - celebrating life. It may seem macabre, to party the days away when you're forced to face deadly games by night, but honestly it feels kind of right when you aren't really sure how much longer you have left to live.

Chishiya sits at your feet, one arm draped lazily over your bare calves and the other holding him upright on the chair. As usual, his face is devoid of any emotion, but you know he is enjoying the opportunity to people watch and get some sun. Even he isn't a vampire, after all.

You spend a few moments studying the people yourself - many splashing around drunkenly in the refreshing pool water and others dancing uninhibited around its edges, everyone looking free as can be. How must it feel to not have to worry about anyone in the Borderlands but yourself? How easy it must be to not have the two most important people in your life stuck here with you, wondering if today is the day they're going to die.

You feel the familiar tight feeling in your chest start to build, and force yourself to shake away those suffocating thoughts - you simply cannot afford to panic here.

You turn your attention instead to playing with the beads adorning the straps of your emerald green crochet bikini. The suit was new, wearing it outside of your room for the first time today. It was special to you - Kuina had found it while she was out for a game last week, saying it had reminded her of your sparkling eyes. The gift made you feel loved, and the suit made you feel sexy.

Rolling the wooden beads between your fingers seemed to help settle your nerves. When your breathing finally returned to normal and the simple anxious task was no longer needed, you sigh loudly, covering your face with your arms and flopping further back into the chair. Bored.

Chishiya smirks, raising an eyebrow. The man very nearly laughs at the dramatic habit that was very you. "Bored already, hm?" He hums, "Coming down here was your idea after all."

"Yes, but I thought there would be more excitement" you whined, flailing your arms widely to accentuate your point. Chishiya sweeps his eyes over your form, looking at you with amusement.

He's about to say something more when he's interrupted by the arrival of two familiar figures - a nervous looking guy with shaggy black hair, and a fit, muscular girl with a cute bob cut. Chishiya squeezes your calf to get your attention, flicking his eyes toward them as they sit down apprehensively on two beach chairs across the pool from you. It was the two newcomers from the most recent executive meeting, and before that, your 5 of Spades game. Arisu and Usagi.

"So they decided to stay after all," you muse, sitting up in interest and folding your legs underneath you. You scoot your body closer to your friend, your thigh brushing against his, as you continue to observe the couple. You briefly wonder what had happened to his blonde friend, and the one they'd been trying to get medical help for. In a place like this, it's probably best not to ask.

The blonde turns his head to study your face, brushing a piece of hair behind your ear as he does, "I can't imagine that it would have gone over well had they declined Hatter's offer." You feel a slight shiver run down your spine at Chishiya's intimate touch. That's new, you note. He had brushed your hair behind your ear like that many times in your life, and only now does it take your breath away. You hum distractedly, still staring at the pair but suddenly feeling very far away from the events taking place around you.

You grin brightly, then, having noticed Kuina skipping over to them. She plops, likely uninvited, down on the chair beside Arisu, her unlit cigarette hanging characteristically in her mouth. There is no doubt in your mind that she was already teasing them about the relationship between them, despite having just introduced herself.

Kuina was confident like that, and you loved that about her. Well, except for when she was teasing you and Chishiya. You blushed slightly just thinking about it, wondering when you had started becoming so flustered about your best friend. You duck your head at these thoughts and pretend to study the sparkly manicure Kuina had given you last night.

You and Chishiya were still just best friends, right?

Within a minute or two, the air had turned from relaxed to tense, and your neck snapped up to find out why. Your discerning eyes land on the militants, of course, you really should have guessed. The hostile and generally power hungry group of The Beach's "personal protection unit" were filing into the party, sure to flash their weapons at anyone looking. The smart people were avoiding their gaze entirely, and the stupid (drunk?) people were openly gawking. You rolled your eyes, how typical.

Leading the charge onto the pool deck was Aguni, looking cold and calculating as usual, with your brother following close behind. Your eyes narrowed, having not seen him for a few days.

"Looks like you're about to get your excitement after all," Chishiya whispered, his breath tickling your ear. You took in a sharp breath in anticipation; the full militant corp was standing at arms looking ready to fight, at the pool. Could this mean the fall of The Beach could be coming sooner than you previously expected? Anxiety swirled heavily in your stomach, fingers subconsciously finding the wooden beads again.

You look to Niragi, the one person who would normally soothe your frayed nerves with just a glance, but feel even worse seeing the wild look in his darkened eyes. Had your relationship truly deteriorated so much in a matter of weeks?

Being all the way on the other side of the pool from them, you're unable to hear Aguni's request, but Niragi was quick to obey. He moved towards Usagi, pulling her roughly up to her feet.

You watch with widened eyes - had Aguni asked for Usagi? What would he even want her for? Nothing good, certainly. Maybe you overestimated his kindness and empathy the day he saved you in the 9 of Hearts game. Or maybe this place really does create monsters out of men - you could certainly see that in the long-haired man across the pool from you, once soft and caring, now swinging a gun around without a care in the world and physically threatening a girl not much older than you. Hell, you see it even in yourself, having been happy enough to let everyone but Chishiya die from the second you landed in this wretched place and started playing.

You're shaken from your reverie when Arisu springs up from his place beside Kuina to help Usagi. You groan in despair, knowing full well that your brother would only be further provoked; Borderlands-version Niragi has an extremely short fuse. Kuina also looks displeased, as though she'd literally just told them not to mess with them, which she probably had.

The people of the party are now definitely watching, but openly pretending not to be. If you didn't feel so anxious at the situation, you'd probably laugh at how nosy and indiscretion drunk people truly are.

You find yourself standing instead, ready to close the distance between your perch and where Niragi has now thrown Arisu to the ground, kicking him repeatedly in the stomach. You felt like throwing up watching the display. Memories flooded your mind of watching your father do the exact same thing to the tall man who was now delivering the blows. It was taking everything in you to not curl up in a ball crying like you always had when the two men in your family were fighting. No, this time you had to put an end to it. This time you would be brave and fight.

"You're going to try to save them, aren't you?" Chishiya mumbles in concern, knowing this scene was likely triggering to you. You knew he wanted you to stay out of it, but you just couldn't help yourself.

"I can't sit back and play victim anymore, Shiya," you whisper. You move swiftly around the pool, before you could lose your nerve or Chishiya could stop you.

"Niragi, please. They're my friends," you plead with the violent man, grabbing onto his forearm as he delivers another crushing blow to Arisu's ribcage. The people of The Beach were now actively watching the scene, fully invested in your family drama. You're unsure of why you called the couple your friends, when you just barely know their names. All you know is that you don't want to watch your brother kill the poor guy, and you definitely don't want to find out what Aguni had planned for Usagi. Or was it that you couldn't stand to see your sweet brother hurt someone the same way he had been hurt so many times in his life?

Niragi ceases his assault on the boy and rips his arm from your grasp. He gives you a full once over in the process, his cold eyes meeting yours for the first time in days. You feel real, raw fear filling your system, something you haven't felt since leaving your father's house for the last time 8 years ago. You'd never felt smaller in your life than you did now, shrinking under Niragi's brutal gaze.

Taking a shaky breath, you muster the shiniest, prettiest puppy dog eyes you can, peering up at Niragi through long eyelashes. "You won't hurt them, right? I'm friends with them."

Niragi continues glaring intimidatingly down at you, in what you realize is disgust. He doesn't address your concerns, but instead has something else to say.

"Put some fucking clothes on, you look like a slut" he spits fiercely, his pierced face now just centimeters from yours. The tight feeling in your chest had returned in full force, threatening to suffocate you.

You stumbled back as if he'd struck you - Niragi had never spoken to you like that. Your stomach dropped, and it took all of your willpower to maintain your composure. You obviously couldn't cry in front of all these Beach idiots, gaping at the two of you like you were the best soap opera in the Borderlands. You turn your head to escape his intense gaze, and put your tongue in your cheek to keep the tears from spilling over. You want soap opera? I'll give you soap opera.

Looking back up at your brother, you cross your arms over your chest. "What are you going to do, make me?" you implore him brattily. Niragi seethed, pierced eyebrow arching, looking like he was seriously considering slapping the attitude right out of you. You stand your ground, the way you should have every other time you've faced a monster like this.

As you and Niragi stare each other down, the initial cause for your dispute long forgotten, Aguni and the others have become distracted by Hatter's arrival. One side demanding peace, and the release of the newest members of the beach; the other begging silently for chaos to ensue. The tense atmosphere surrounding you indicates the balance of power between the two leaders was indeed in jeopardy.

After what feels like hours of strained silence, Aguni ultimately yields to Hatter. The Beach seems to collectively release their held breaths as Aguni and the militant corp flock away to another part of the resort. Usagi quickly tends to Arisu, leading him back into the building to treat his wounds and get to safety. Meanwhile, you have your own struggle for power going on.

Niragi still stands towering above you, obviously not in the mood for your games. He unbuttons his black and white collared shirt, draping it over your shoulders, "Go. Change. Not a request." His fingers wrap tightly around your forearm, aggressively yanking you towards the entrance to the hotel. The force that Niragi had exerted on you nearly sent you careening into the pool still glistening mockingly at your feet, but luckily Chishiya had appeared in just the right position to catch you. Unbeknownst to you, the two exchange a brief look before Niragi skulks off to find Aguni and his other lunatic friends.

The panic within you threatened once more to boil over and your brain simply shuts down - this day had been too fucking much. In your daze, you barely register Chishiya dragging you inside, away from the curious and scrutinizing glances of The Beach citizens. You were embarrassed, confused, and fucking mad.

Just as you passed through the swinging double doors and into the air-conditioned building, Kuina fell in step with you two. She let a reassuring hand fall on your shoulder, squeezing it for comfort. At her kind touch, you feel your carefully crafted resolve finally crumble to the floor. Chishiya knew immediately that you were done for, lifting you easily into his arms and allowing you to ground yourself in him. He carried you protectively the rest of the way to his room as your thoughts thundered around in your head like a wild storm.

You had been lying to yourself your whole life, Niragi had been lying to you your whole life. He promised that your family wasn't broken, that you weren't broken. You guessed it was too much to ask for you to remain untouched by your father's special brand of cruelty. That one day, you'd likely both become just like him.

And now Niragi had. He called you a slut, degrading an outfit that had made you feel beautiful. He embarrassed you in front of an audience. He grabbed you so hard you could see his fingerprints etched in your skin. He was just like him and this time you knew you wouldn't escape.

It was then that you knew - this game that you were playing was much more dangerous than you had initially realized.

♤ ♡ ◇ ♧

OKAY so I got a little carried away 😅 Yes this was supposed to be a sneak peek, but believe it or not it's not even the entire chapter 🤭

Who's ready for the whole story?

[b1xi]

───𝘊𝘜𝘗𝘐𝘋───ハイキュー!!

Tsukishima Kei(ハイキュー!!)x fem!reader

Word count:3249

𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

The atmosphere in the room was filled with a warm sense of camaraderie, a small respite after the intense day of matches. You plopped down onto the soft mattress, stretching your arms above your head as you stifled a yawn. Slowly getting up, you crawled on your knees towards the group of girls who had formed a circle on the carpet.

In the center, Miyanoshita was expertly finishing folding a paper cootie catcher, making sure the creases were perfect before she began writing words inside. Yachi, with her characteristic nervousness, made space for you beside her, giving you a shy smile.

“It’s ready,” the girl announced excitedly, holding up the paper game for everyone to see. “Who wants to start?”

The girls looked at each other, some with restrained smiles and others with expressions of slight doubt. Suzumeda brushed her hair behind her ear indecisively while Shirofuku laughed quietly.

“Come on, anyone up for it?” Miyanoshita insisted, waving the cootie catcher in the air.

“I’ll go,” you broke the silence confidently, shuffling forward a little and holding out your hand.

Yachi watched you expectantly while Miyanoshita nodded in satisfaction. “Okay, pick a number.”

You looked at the cootie catcher and quickly chose. “Eleven.”

Miyanoshita flicked the paper, opening and closing it eleven times before looking at the options inside. “Now pick a word,” she instructed, holding it out in front of you.

Your finger pointed at random, and everyone leaned a little closer to see the result.

Shirofuku covered her mouth with one hand to hide her laughter. “Oh, this is getting interesting.”

“Come on, read it out loud!” Suzumeda exclaimed excitedly.

Her smile widened before she read aloud, “You have to steal a kiss from the number eleven on your team.”

There was a second of silence before the entire group erupted into excited giggles and murmurs. You felt heat rise to your cheeks as you immediately understood who the dare was referring to.

“Lucky you,” you muttered, your smile faltering as you looked at the girls.

“Rules are rules,” Miyanoshita hummed, waving the paper in amusement.

“Come on, it won’t be that hard,” Suzumeda chimed in with a playful laugh.

“Hard? Tsukishima doesn’t exactly seem like someone who is approachable,” Shirofuku commented with a raised eyebrow.

“All the more reason to make it quick,” Kiyoko added with a slight smile, causing everyone to look at her in surprise at her sudden contribution.

“Well, there’s no turning back now,” you thought, feeling the heat wash over you even more. You looked at the girls, all of them with a mix of amusement and nervousness, and nodded determinedly.

“You could choose a punishment instead,” Shirofuku suggested in a sympathetic tone, but the mockery in her gaze indicated that it wouldn’t be that easy to get out of the task.

You let out a sigh and stood up with feigned resignation. “Fine, I’ll do it. But if he kills me afterwards, I want my funeral recorded.”

The laughter echoed again as they all stood up with you, forming a small entourage of conspirators who set out into the hallway in search of their target. You walked with cautious steps, your heart pounding as you scanned the hallway until you finally saw him:

Tsukishima stood in front of the vending machine, inserting a few coins with his usual bored expression.

“There it is,” Yachi muttered, giving you a gentle push on the back.

You took a deep breath before moving forward with determination. The others stayed at a safe distance, watching with obvious expectation.

Tsukishima didn’t seem to notice your presence until you were already next to him. Just as he pressed the button for his drink, you stood on your tiptoes and, without giving him time to react, you brushed the corner of his lips in a quick kiss before immediately taking a step back.

The can landed with a clang into the machine, but the real bang came seconds later.

“OOOHHHHHHH!”

You turned around startled to find Nishinoya and Tanaka gaping, with Hinata and Kageyama behind them, all with expressions of absolute astonishment.

“NOT WAY!” Nishinoya shouted, pointing at Tsukishima as if he had just witnessed a miracle.

“W-what was that?” Kageyama asked, confused, while Tsukishima remained frozen in place, still holding the can and his face redder than you had ever seen.

“Hah, this is the best thing that happened to me this week,” Miyanoshita whispered between laughs while Suzumeda and Shirofuku tried to contain themselves.

Tsukishima finally seemed to react, bringing his hand to his mouth and frowning tightly.

“You’re a complete idiot…” he muttered quietly, but the barely perceptible tremor in his tone gave away that you had taken him by surprise.

Your nerves got the better of you and all you could do was give a quick apology and quickly back away from the group of girls watching everything from a corner.

The hallway was silent for a moment before an explosion of laughter echoed behind Tsukishima.

“No way!” Hinata doubled over in laughter, holding her stomach. “Tsukishima went blank!”

“And he even blushed!” Nishinoya added, pointing at him dramatically.

Tanaka slapped him on the back with a mocking smile. “You get nervous over a stolen kiss, Tsukki?”

Kageyama, though less expressive, crossed his arms and looked at him curiously. “What did they do to you?”

Tsukishima closed his eyes in obvious frustration, adjusting his glasses in an attempt to maintain his composure. “Nothing happened.”

But the barely perceptible blush on his cheeks gave him away, which only caused the boys to laugh harder.

Tsukishima clenched his jaw and grabbed his drink from the vending machine, trying to ignore the laughter around him. But the boys weren’t going to make it that easy for him.

“Come on, Tsukishima, one little kiss and you’re already like that?” Nishinoya insisted, nudging him.

Hinata, even more excited, pointed at his face mockingly. “Look at his face! It’s red.”

“Nothing happened,” Tsukishima grumbled, adjusting his glasses in annoyance before turning and walking steadily away towards the dorms. The heat on his face didn’t go away, though, and the echo of his classmates’ taunts accompanied him the whole way.

Meanwhile, you had hurried back to the room, closing the door behind you with a ragged sigh. Your heart was still pounding, and the blush on your cheeks was impossible to hide.

“Well?!” Miyanoshita exclaimed, creeping closer with a smile of pure amusement.

“Your face is red,” Shirofuku observed calmly, though his eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Yachi looked at you nervously, as if the emotion of the moment affected her as well. —You did it

Kiyoko gave you an expectant look, clearly waiting for confirmation.

You sighed, bringing your hands to your cheeks to try to dissipate the heat. —Yes…

"I knew it!" Suzumeda high-fived Miyanoshita, both of them laughing knowingly.

"And not only did you do it, but you enjoyed it" Miyanoshita added with a mischievous smile.

"Not true!" you exclaimed quickly, although the way you avoided her gaze said otherwise.

Shirofuku rested his chin on his hand, watching you with amusement. —Oh, you did enjoy it.

"Why not?! He's tall, handsome, and has that bad boy attitude!" Suzumeda intervened, exaggerating a dramatic sigh.

"Don't overdo it…"you murmured, unable to erase the nervous smile on your lips.

The morning passed with a deceptive tranquility. There were no direct comments about what happened the night before, but the knowing glances from the girls and the mocking smiles from Tanaka, Nishinoya, Kageyama and Hinata every time you walked past them reminded you that no one had forgotten what happened last night.

The hallway was silent, interrupted only by the echo of your hurried footsteps on the linoleum floor. You held your towels a little tighter to your chest, as if that would make you invisible, but fate seemed to have other plans for you.

As you turned the last corner before the gym, you collided with someone tall and firm as a wall. A quick pair of hands kept you from losing your balance, but the towels you were carrying weren’t so lucky, slipping from your arms and falling in a messy pile on the floor.

“Really?” Tsukishima’s unmistakable voice rang out with his usual exasperated tone.

“S-Sorry…” you muttered, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks as you bent down to hastily pick them up.

To your surprise, he did the same, picking them up with ease. His expression showed no annoyance, but there was something about the way his golden eyes landed on you that made you look away.

“Are you going to carry them all by yourself?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he handed you half the pile.

“I can handle it myself…” you insisted, though your tone lacked much conviction.

Tsukishima snorted in barely perceptible amusement. “Yeah, sure. Let’s go, before the idiots see us and start another round of stupidity.”

The sound of his footsteps echoed in the nearly empty hallway, the echo bouncing off the walls as the two of you walked forward in a tense silence. Tsukishima walked beside you, his expression inscrutable, the towels in his arms like a shield separating him from any conversation you might initiate.

The weight of the situation was pressing down on your chest, and you felt like if you didn't speak now, the awkwardness would swallow you whole.

"About last night..." you began cautiously, keeping your gaze on the floor.

Tsukishima let out a sigh, but didn't stop.

"I don't want to hear an apology," he interrupted you with his dry, characteristic tone.

You frowned, surprised by his answer.

"But I..."

"Why did you do it?" he asked bluntly, his voice devoid of apparent emotion, but with a hint of curiosity that didn't go unnoticed.

You bit your lower lip, looking away. The truth was simple, but saying it out loud made it seem even more absurd.

"It was a dare," you finally confessed, feeling the blush rise to your cheeks. You clenched your fists, trying to ignore the way his golden eyes bore into you with a mix of amusement and disbelief. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

Tsukishima let out a huff, a lopsided grin spreading across his face.

“So you stole a kiss from me just because someone told you to? How obedient,” he commented with a smirk, leaning slightly towards you.

You frowned, offended by his tone, though the heat on your cheeks gave you away.

“It’s not like I meant to,” you defended yourself, crossing your arms.

“Sure…” he murmured with feigned understanding, his expression still amused. “So, if someone challenges you again, are you going to do it again?”

You shot him a glare, but Tsukishima simply arched an eyebrow, as if he was actually expecting an answer.

“I don’t know, Do you want me to do it?” you blurted out without thinking, a little defiant.

For a moment, the blond looked surprised, but his expression softened with something you couldn't interpret.

“Hmph. I guess we could try again. But this time, do it right.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment, keeping a neutral expression as you walked together down the gym hallway.

“You're talking nonsense,” you muttered, not giving it much thought.

As you reached the gym, the hustle and bustle of training filled the air. Tsukishima dropped the pile of towels on the small supply cart and, without saying anything else, headed toward the court, where the players were practicing their serves and receptions.

You quickly arranged the supplies before heading toward Ukai. As soon as you approached, the familiar scent of cigarettes impregnated in his clothes reached you, a constant that was associated with his presence. The coach stood by the line of the court, arms crossed and his gaze fixed on the players, evaluating each movement with a critical eye.

“Do you need anything else before formal practice begins?” you asked, keeping a neutral tone, accustomed to the routine.

Ukai let out a soft sigh, eyes narrowing as he watched Hinata perform a serve.

“Let them not kill each other before the match,” he replied wryly, watching as Hinata slipped away from Kageyama’s furious scolding after missing one of his receptions.

“One thing at a time,” you commented in a light tone, crossing your arms as you followed the scene with your gaze.

Training continued with its usual intensity. The players moved with energy, repeating plays over and over again under the watchful supervision of the coaches. The sound of the ball bouncing against the ground was almost constant, an echo of the concentration and effort that permeated the gym. The team gathered in a small circle at the edge of the court, listening intently to the final instructions before the most demanding practice of the day.

“You can do it, boys!” You cheered enthusiastically, giving both thumbs up in the boys’ direction, a brief, genuine smile on your face.

—Umh... excuse me.

Cautiously, you reached out and poked the cheek of the blonde woman sleeping on the futon, covered from the waist down by a sheet, with your index finger. You expected at least a layer of clothing under that fabric. Before you could decide whether to insist or let her sleep, the woman woke up abruptly, making you take a step back, surprised.

"You're finally awake" you commented, bringing a hand to your chest to calm the shock.

The blonde blinked several times, looking around with a confused expression. Her gaze scanned the classroom, as if trying to locate herself in time and space, while she muttered something unintelligible to herself.

"Umh... you're Saeko Tanaka, right?"

The woman didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stretched her arms above her head, letting out a yawn before scratching the back of her neck nonchalantly.

“What time is it?” she asked in a sleepy voice.

You glanced quickly at your watch before answering her. When you looked back at her, you noticed she was already watching you with an arched eyebrow, analyzing you with open curiosity.

“ who are you?”

Her tone wasn’t exactly hostile, but it was inquisitive enough to make you hesitate for a second before answering.

“I’m Y/N,” you introduced yourself with a slight nod. “I help out at the volleyball team your brother plays on.”

Saeko tilted her head, as if trying to fit the information into her still sleepy mind. Suddenly, a spark of recognition lit up her expression.

“Ah, I know who you are,” she said with a lazy smile, resting an elbow on her knee as she pointed a finger at you. “I’ve heard of you before. My brother has talked quite a bit about the team’s ‘adorable foreign assistant.’”

You couldn’t help but blink in surprise.

“Adorable?”

“Yeah, he said it like that,” she said with a laugh, shrugging. “But he also mentioned that you work really hard with Ukai and keep those messy players at bay.”

You let out a sigh, crossing your arms.

“I do,” you replied proudly.

Saeko looked at you with a half smile, but before you could say anything else, she let out a sigh and muttered,

“Help me find my pants?”

The request took you by surprise. You opened your eyes in disbelief, blinking a few times as if you had misheard “What?”

“I had a little too much to drink last night,” she admitted casually as she rummaged through her bag for something. “And now I don’t know where I left my pants.”

You brought a hand to your forehead, suppressing a laugh.

“Okay, I’ll help you.”

The two of you began to inspect the classroom, checking between chairs and desks for the missing item of clothing. As you walked forward, curiosity got the better of you.

“Who were you drinking with last night?”

Saeko chuckled, as if she had expected the question.

“Oh, with some teachers and coaches,” Saeko answered, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she watched you from her position on the futon. “Takeda was there, though he didn’t drink much. He was more of the leader of the group.”

“That sounds like him,” you commented, giving a slight smile.

“Ukai, on the other hand… well, I don’t know how he’s still alive with the amount of alcohol that man can handle,” you added with a laugh. “And some coaches from other teams were there too, I don’t remember all their names, but one of them insisted on having shot competitions.”

You raised an eyebrow as you pulled a pair of wrinkled pants out from under a chair and held them up.

“You were part of the competition?”

“Obviously,” she said proudly, taking the pants from your hands. “And I don’t want to brag, but I think I put a few of those guys to shame.”

You shook your head, amused.

“What surprises me is that you didn’t wake up in a worse place.”

Saeko casually pulled on her pants and shrugged.

“Oh, it’s happened before. But for now, I need coffee. Are you coming with me or do you have to go back to being the adorable assistant?”

You paused for a moment to consider her invitation. The boys were in a match against Nekoma, and while you didn’t want to be pessimistic, you already knew how that would end. Plus, Saeko seemed like someone fun to hang out with.

“I’m going with you,” you finally decided.

Saeko smiled approvingly, and together, they headed to the school cafeteria. At this hour, the place was relatively quiet, with only a few students scattered around the tables. They lined up to order coffee, and as they waited, Saeko turned her head slightly towards you with an interested expression.

“So, what brought you here? I mean, to Japan,” Saeko asked, stepping forward as the line moved forward.

It took you a moment to respond, absentmindedly tucking a strand of hair behind your ear before clasping your hands behind your back.

“My parents were offered a good job here, which is why we moved,” you explained naturally.

“Ah, I see. And how has the experience been?” she inquired with genuine interest, turning her head slightly towards you.

“It was a little difficult to adjust at first, especially because of the language and culture. But over time, I started to enjoy it. There are so many interesting things here, and working with the team has been one of the best parts,” you concluded with a genuine smile.

“That’s good. Not everyone manages to adapt so easily,” Saeko commented curiously before tilting her head slightly. “With or without sugar?”

“Without sugar,” you replied with a smile.

The blonde nodded and, when it was her turn, she ordered both drinks. Once they were served, they headed to one of the empty tables by the window, where the natural light softly illuminated the wooden surface.

The conversation flowed easily, jumping from one topic to another without a fixed direction. At some point, Saeko began to tell you a long anecdote about her rocky relationship with a boy from her university, a story that had lasted almost five months and that, according to her, was a mix of indecision, misunderstandings and pure exasperation.

“And trust me, collage men can be even more complicated than teenagers. If you thought high school kids were indecisive, wait until you deal with one of these,” he said, dramatically stirring his coffee.

“And that’s not even the worst part—” He cut himself off abruptly as his phone screen lit up with an incoming notification.

He took the device and read the message with a resigned expression before quickly typing a reply.

“Ahh, sorry, sweetie, but I have to go,” he said with a sigh, putting the phone back in his jacket pocket.

“Don’t worry,” you replied with a sympathetic smile. “I’m just glad we got to chat for a while.”

“We definitely need to do this again. Next time, with something stronger than coffee,” he said matter-of-factly.

You weren’t sure if he realized you were barely fifteen, but you decided to let it go. Instead of correcting her, you simply rolled your eyes in amusement.

“We’ll see.”

“That sounds like a ‘yes,’” she hummed, winking at you before dismissing you with a casual wave of her hand.

You watched her walk out of the cafeteria with her carefree energy, her blonde hair whipping around with every step. You smiled to yourself before letting out a soft sigh and taking the last sip of your coffee. The moment of rest had been nice, but it was time to head back to the gym.

[superscrub323]

A Little Elaboration on why a certain Animatic does the Lovers section of God Games the best

Alright if you've been following me you should know that one of my favorite tertiary characters in Epic the Musical is Ares and it's primarily because there's no reason for any version of the God of War to go harder on a verse than the God of Music yet Earle Gresham Jr. did so anyway and most of us, including those who write Warrior Penelope AU fanfics, thank him for it.

It's also a challenge for animators because while Apollo's and Hephaestus's verses and scenes are fairly straight forward, the primary challenge with Hera and Aphrodite is which glammed the fuck outfits they're going to be wearing, and Zeus needs to be depicted with all the pomp and grandiose we'd expect after hearing him proclaim his greatness and power in 'Thunder Bringer'; pretty every animatic artist universally agrees that Ares and Athena have to fight and flyte* at the same time and while all of them usually do a good job depicting the basic gist on how said fight usually goes, Ares temporarily having an edge over Athena, Athena emotionally rallying after Ares insults Telemachus, and Athena beating and/or intimidating Ares and Aphrodite into releasing him.**

But there is one animatic that does the Lovers section of God Games the best in fact it's the only part they've done and while I desperately hope they do the rest of the song they did the Lovers section so good it...sticks with me in ways that never leave my brain cavity and that's @sixofclovers's version of that part of a scene which...oh geez were do I start?

First off, one thing to notice is that while the character designs are simple but no less striking, it gives a chance to do things different from how animatics go, for example it opens with Athena having a lyre string and a hammer and giving it to her owl which is explained in the description stating that Athena in this version has to collect tokens from all the participants in Zeus's game, which in this case is Apollo's lyre string, Hephaestus's forge hammer, Aphrodite's pearl ear ring, (most likely) a peacock feather from Hera, and the golden ichor from Ares, which is already an interesting idea on it's own but that last one is pretty interesting in ways I'll get to later.

Then it cuts to Aphrodite and, unusually, she doesn't look seductive, flirty, or playful, she looks pissed at Athena and in tears while surrounded by a purple aura that is rapidly growing and when it comes in contact with Athena it compels her to cry and share her grief. Which also as a bonus forces Athena to be put on her back foot especially since as she weakly defends Odysseus with 'he was busy fighting' she has to wipe away her tears as Aphrodite sings 'more like busy spiting, the cyclops' she takes off her ear piercing and holds it to her eye in a striking visual way that references said Cyclops and begins to crush it in away that lets Athena know she finds her argument uncompelling until Athena in tears has to beg for Aphrodite to 'please reconsider this' while shapeshifting out of her armor symbolically making herself vulnerable before Aphrodite which causes her to loosen her grip on her pearl ear ring until...

'Really Athena? These old tricks?'

BAM

'Ares!'

And then Ares charges in and back hands her to the floor while Athena desperately barely gets time to magically summon her armor and shield to shield herself as Ares steps on her while Athena, and by proxy we the audience, get a good look at Ares and we see that he's crying along with Aphrodite and Athena which means that not only is Ares unaffected by Aphrodite's forced empathy making him cry, he shares it and is empowered by it. But as Ares gets to singing he kicks Athena away to give her a chance to get on her feet so Athena can prepare to get her grisly token Ares's of approval.

Another thing to note is that while the other 4 gods have personal objects they can give away as tokens, Ares's token is his ichor. Ares explicitly wants to clash spears with Athena and the only way he'll agree to release Odysseus is if she can draw ichor, not beat, just get a single cut of his blood which in turn paints a version of Ares that is confident in his ability to fight Athena under Aphrodite's forced empathy wave.

Said confidence is further backed up as while Athena is still on the back foot despite having her shield and spear already drawn, Ares doesn't even have his spear drawn yet and Athena is still on her back foot, and when Ares does draw his spear he draws it so fast it extinguishes 6 torches behind him which symbolizes the 6 men Odysseus sacrifices to Scylla as he calls out Odysseus unwillingness to even try to fight Scylla (didn't even try to kill her.)

And as Ares continues fighting Athena while he laments his cowardness, he beats her pretty evenly before throwing her to the ground while calling Telemachus pathetic and weak. Which in turn gives Athena a chance to channel the rage she feels at Ares for insulting her friend and to emotionally rally past Aphrodite's empathy wave but what is usual is that even when Athena is using her owl as a distraction to get Ares to turn his back for a surprise attack, she still can't get a clean cut on his neck...so instead she points to Aphrodite as she tells him 'And tell your lover that a broken heart can mend' and charges at her to force Ares to intercept Athena and catch the spear head.

And despite having the pointy end of a spear firmly in his hand it's still not enough to get him to draw blood and while Ares could probably kick Athena away and continue fighting, Aphrodite, who has been watching them fight, smiles in approval of Athena's willingness to protect her friends and Ares's protective nature (another thing that rarely gets shown) and hugs Ares from behind as if to tell him 'it's okay baby, you can let him go' and Ares grips the spear tighter and willingly draws his ichor thanks to Athena's urging to give Odysseus a chance to prove he isn't a coward and Aphrodite's approval of his release. Which is further demonstrated when Ares looks at Aphrodite who gives a smile not and they both say 'ugh...release them' as Ares gives Athena's owl Aphrodite's pearl earring covered in his blood so Athena can move on.

It's an amazing animatic that lets all 3 characters be more than how they're usually depicted in these animatic, Aphrodite doesn't get to be the sultry seductress, she gets to be aggrieved at Odysseus for letting his mom die, Athena gets a chance to show her ability to experience empathy and how dirty she can be in a fight, and Ares...gets to unironically (at least with Aphrodite helping him) be the martially superior God of War in a straight up fight and show emotions beyond rage and demonstrate his protective nature, and as an added bonus it's one of the few animatics where Athena does beat or intimidate Ares and Aphrodite into surrendering, they both give up of their own will which is...wow!

I hope the guys at Epic do that scene in a way that's something similar because...I can't get over how breathtaking it is and I once again shout out at sixcloveranimations for doing a fantastic job and doing it debatably the best.

*scold or in this case quarrel

**Special shout out to Neal the Illustrator, @anniflamma, and @gigizetz for having some of the best full animatics for God Games.

[ohburgee]

𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭

yandere!mafioso x player!reader

w: yandere themes, violence, murder an: the reader is gender neutral :) this story is from a game in Roblox, Forsaken, i get down by the killers they are so looking fine and cool and this Mafioso (c00lkid's skins) damn. Also the last sentence gets spicy. I'm now opening a request so any requests I'll be accepting (in my interest) :> summary: you are a player who got into a deal to play to survive in exchange for freedom... Money. so you got into debt and wanted to pay it by joining this game but when the game started when you got separated from your friend from the two henchman chasing you and when you try to survive you saw this man in a fedora hat chasing after you, you try to get away from that killer when it catches you and know that it was the man you having debt with, how is he going to deal with your debt.

The round had just begun. You and your teammates scattered across the map, each moving with cautious steps. You never expected to be chosen for this twisted game truthfully, you didn’t care for it. The only reason you kept coming back was the money.

Your friend, Bobby, had recommended it to you, insisting it was easy cash. Now, as you walked beside him, he nudged your side.

"Don't get separated like last time," he warned, pouting slightly.

You merely shrugged, keeping your focus on the environment. The game's objective was simple: hide, run, play, and most importantly survive. This was only your second time participating, but the generous payment kept luring you back. You needed it, especially with the debt you still hadn't paid off. The black-suited men who frequently visited your apartment were a constant reminder of that.

Your stomach twisted at the thought. This was the last time. One final payout and you’d be free from debt forever.

When both of you heard footsteps. Both you and Bobby froze before pressing yourselves against a nearby wall. Two men in black suits passed by, scanning the area carefully.

“What the hell…” Bobby muttered, his face paling. “What is it?” you whispered, confused by his reaction. Bobby swallowed hard. “That’s Mafioso’s henchmen” The name alone sent a chill down your spine.

“Who’s Mafioso?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. “He’s one of the killers-no, scratch that. He’s the killer. He owns part of this game,” Bobby said gravely. “And he’s rich. He forces people who owe him money to play. If they don’t pay back their debt…” Bobby trailed off, his lips pressed into a firm line.

Your stomach sank as Bobby grabbed your wrist, pulling you both further away from the henchmen.

"What's something about him?" you asked as he watched the two guys carefully "He is dangerous" "How dangerous?" You ask and he sighs and looks at you "He hunts those people like an animal, he is like a predator hunting its prey" Bobby replied and that made you even more nervous and scared.

You think if this is your boss the one you have debt you probably die right now...

The two guys stopped looking as one of them picked up a phone and any second they nodded their heads and proceeded to look, "What are they looking for?" Bobby asked when one of them found you both and immediately ran towards you. Bobby drags you along. You ran as fast as your legs could carry you, as the bullet went through the middle of both of you, your grip slipped from Bobby’s hand.

“Go! Stay alive for me!” he shouted as he veered off.

But something was wrong. The henchmen weren’t chasing Bobby. They were after you.

You zigzagged through corridors, ducking behind walls, desperately trying to break their line of sight. One of them nearly caught your arm, but you twisted your body, using their momentum against them, sending them tumbling to the ground. The second one lunged, but you delivered a sharp punch to his face, buying yourself time to flee.

Gasping, you hid behind a small barricade, pressing a hand to your racing heart as you watched them search for you in vain.

Why only you? And why didn’t they shoot immediately like other killers in this game?

..

"We lose them, boss," one of the henchmen said as Mafioso gripped his hand, he was standing through the window.

"Why is it so hard for you two to catch them," Mafioso said as he did facepalm "They quickly got away from us we even tried to get them but they fought back" the other henchmen replied.

Mafioso looked out the window as he sighed took his long coat and drank his last champagne.

You little Rabbit.

He was the boss you borrowed money from and now become your debt, he was asking you to pay it off but you keep telling him that you pay any soon.

When he starts to stalk you, every day when you go out of your house and buy some groceries and when you go to work in a diner.

He was fascinated by you, why? Because out of Mafioso's who borrow him are coward. But you. you intrigued him. Unlike the others who cowered in fear, you were different. Brave. Reckless. Stubborn. And completely unaware of the danger you were in.

He wanted someone like you fearless, it made him feel entertained, he started to imagine you on his hunting ground as he chased and hunted you, as you tried to fight him back and that kind of behavior is his favorite, a fighter one. He is a masochist.

He wanted you, to be his entertainment, his prey in his hunting, like a play toy to hunt but he is not just making his entrainment but also something in his other interest...

Most people who owed him money feared him like a god, trembling at the mere mention of his name. But you? You were the only one who still acted like he was just some man you could escape from.

How thrilling.

"Hunt and kill the other players, their mine to hunt" Mafioso ordered as the two henchmen followed Mafioso got inside the map and started looking for you.

He walked every corner of the wall as he kept his eyes looking at his surroundings, when he spotted someone running he started to run and followed the person.

When he got to see who's and saw you running, his face turn into a smile.

As you running you notice a man followed you, a man wearing a black fedora hat as you run inside the circle walls and saw player hiding as you quickly went to them.

When you both the player saw the man in the fedora hat looking at you both, his face looking serious and the stranger immediately grabbed your arm which made Mafioso angry, jealous and took out his sword and fastly slashed the stranger as they fell into the ground.

When you tried to find a way out Mafioso grabbed the player in the neck and broke it you looked scared and tried to run but Mafioso immediately threw you something a bunny thing and that made you fall on the ground.

Mafioso looked at your fragile self as you tried to get up but a foot stamp on your arm not harshly, you looked up and saw the man.

"Look this is a bit faster, the round is still long can you give me a chance?" you asked as Mafioso looked at you seriously.

"Chance? When I gave you twice chances to pay your debt" he kneeled down to you "Are you going to pay me now Little Rabbit?" Mafioso asks you and you look shocked as you realize this man is the boss you borrow money.

"Look I promised myself to pay you, that's why I'm here risking my life to pay you," you said and he looked bit amused and grabbed your arm, when you tried to get off a pair of shadow smoke tied your wrist.

"Mister Mafioso, what are you doing?" A voice came out from the walkie-talkie as Mafioso answered "How much money you invested in this game?" "Uhm in about $50,000" That's a lot of money, you mind speak.

"Let them get their price... In half"

WHAT!? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?, what is he talking about? Why I'm getting prices suddenly the game still going. :0

"I'm taking this rabbit with me," Mafioso said as he put the walkie back in his coat pocket when he walked close to you, you immediately ran away but you stopped by a wall and you turned around as Mafioso slowly walked towards you.

"This is a mistake I was going to pay you but the money was used for emergency purposes," you said as you walked backward but you stopped when you reached the end.

Mafioso is now close to you, you start to feel scared as he notices your expression he smirks and chuckles.

He quickly grabbed you and carried you onto his back you looked confused and tried to kick him but he didn't mind, he was strong it could be seen in his body.

"You don't mind paying the other half.. Because you are the half of it," Mafioso said as he start walking through the exit of the map as his henchmen appeared.

"I can now imagine you in a bunny costume as you ran away from me," Mafioso said as he chuckled and you looked widened, scared as you screamed for Bobby.. ;)

credits to the fanart, here is the link to it if you want to check it :)

[unlawfulgames]

We are a week away from Sooty Saturday!

What is Sooty Beards?

A setting zine about a fantasy dwarf-hold crossed with a decaying American coal town. People are leaving and things are falling apart. If something doesn’t change–if things can’t change–it’ll become a ghost town soon.

Sooty Beards Features:

8 Run-down urban and wilderness areas complete with “What Used To Be Here?” And “What’s Here Now?” tables to bring out the weight of ages.

8 Strange, Dual-Statted Creatures to populate your dying coal town with, whether your game uses d6 or d20.

Dozens of quirky, narrative items to discover, from screaming lanterns to steampowered ballistic sportballs.

A “Why Did You Even Come Here?” table to give your characters quick, easy, and miserable motivations for visiting the crumbling city of Vesallberg.

More than 20 evocative pieces of art and a beautiful map of Vesallberg by Charles Ferguson-Avery.

CREEPING DEPRESSION

Instant talking canaries! Just add booze!

A glossary of useful terms to get you speaking like a native ‘Berger in no time.

A supplemental bonus book with d66 backgrounds for Vesallberg locals, compatible with TROIKA!

What People Are Saying

“An evocative portrait of community decay in the form of a TTRPG setting -- the troubles of these dwarves in their failing mine resonate strongly with the concerns of the modern day. Bleak in the best way. One gets the sense that this text is just the tip of the Vesallberg, as it were; hints lurk throughout that there is much more going on beneath the surface. (What is up with those *cats*?)”

- Dr. Mac Boyle of The Maniculum Podcast and Marginal Worlds TTRPG

The Creators of Bridgetown have done it again. They’re created a grim, nay whimsical–nay grimsical – setting that makes me wish I could grow a beard.

– Asa Donald of Backwards Tabletop

Ah, Vesallberg, miserable rock, “titanic triumph and miscreation”, a dying city stripped of resources, but full of beards (and the ecosystems within them). A wonderfully horrid place to visit, from the Slag Hills to the Deep Delvings. Come for strange misadventures among the Koljar Dwarves, Big Folk, and Scrawny folk. Stay for the deep, dark, hilarious writing; the whip-smart Politics(™); and the amazing illustration. Once you arrive you may never be able want to leave.

—Adam STATION, An Infinity of Ships, Make 100 Bastards

"How do you communicate background and lore in an RPG without it becoming a slog through a textbook? Quotes, cool tables, beautiful maps, and evocative art. This book makes it easy to picture the dwarf-hold of Vesallberg!”

-Joshua McCrowell of His Majesty The Worm

“This is like Veins of the Earth but with more life and less crunch. I really dig it!”

-David Schiduan of Technical Grimoire

“Welcome to Vesallberg, the Phoenix of the Wetlands™! … How’d that sound? Too corny? It’s too corny, isn’t it. Oh, that’ll send ‘em running away even faster. Stupid, stupid…!”

-Dent Pigiron, Newest Head of the Visitor Center

From the Team

From Furtive Goblin

Like most of my projects, what would eventually become Sooty Beards started as a half-joking mashup of X and Y shared with my friend John. In this case the “X” and “Y” were “Khazad-dûm” and “a dying coal town”, which turned out to be the magic words. For the next year he and I threw ideas back and forth and built the doc up, but soon I found myself in my first ever leading role with final say on what our team did. A fun idea became my first test as a game designer. And if you find yourself interested in picking up a copy of your own then hey, thanks for helping me pass.

From John Gregory

Just like Bridgetown, Furtive Goblin came up to me and said “Hey, I’ve got an idea!” And I responded, “I shall assemble The Team.” And, well, once again some of the Very Vilest Viziers have come together to give you something weird and bleak, a mix of dark humor, social commentary and dwarves being dwarves. Pulling from somewhere between my Appalachian coal-town ancestors and Furtive’s literal experience living under a rock, I’d like to think we’ve made something that will speak to that yet burning coal in your soul.

From Tony

I had 2 people message me asking if I could help Furtive get a zine published. I was already interested and then… they mentioned beards. At one point they tried to give me a “developer credit” but really Furt, John & Charlie did all the work and it’s beautiful, grimm & whimsical all at the same time. Each level of design layering on the next, to create something more than the individual parts. At the end of the day, unlike Vesallberg, I think people will flock to this project because of the earnest love that the creators have for what they have made, and each other. It’s great to be the 1st fan of a project, but it’s just as good to be the 3rd fan.

Follow Up

If you have additional questions, would like to schedule an interview, set up a time to play with us, or have any other questions please feel free to reach out via email to Tony@PlusOneExp.com

[notkirbiinut]

[icharchivist]

I think one thing i really hate about Veilguard is that in this attempt to make Solas less sympathetic they do simplify his motivations and end up doing things specifically for people to dislike him (re: the whole Varric storyline),

but they also just make everyone around him paragons of virtues so it becomes clearer, so it does end up being too black and white.

Like Solas has flaws! he's ruthless! he would kill his friends if they got in the way of his goals! A lot of people died because of the calls he made! he's pragmatic! he copes by not seeing people as "real"! He manipulates other people! those sucks, right?

But in DAI he's balanced with Bull who also says that he has to deshumanize the people in front of him to just be okay with killing them. or Vivienne who casually mentions that killing the servants is a normal way to play The Game. Or Dorian who argues in favor of slavery in the main game and then approves of Fen'Harel's methods in Trespasser after he starts to realize radical action is necessary. Or Blackwall who made a terrible call too as a general once and still is paying the consequences of it. Or Leliana who is also someone who was made into a weapon to support someone she loved "her call, but my conscience to bear the consequences". Also just Leliana or Vivienne or Josephine being quite manipulative themselves.

Or even Felassan in The Masked Empire letting Imshael kill innocent elves, being ready to kill Briala once she starts to see through his plan.

Or Solas' arrogance over everything he knows about the past that clashes with Morrigan's own arrogance about it when they talk in the Temple of Mythal.

Veilguard meanwhile both have the most inoffensive companions of the whole franchise (none of them deal with guilt for something they actually did, at worse they have misplaced guilt (Bellara), else don't worry even the assassin knows he only ever kills bad people. (compared to Zevran who knows he had been sent to kill people who perhaps didn't deserve it).), and when it can bring back a character from before, it's by stripping them of anything that would make them sympathize with Solas.

Re: Felassan losing his edge completely just to be shocked about Solas' actions, or Morrigan joking about how she humansplained him elven history and "resolving" her conflict with Mythal offscreen to better lecture Solas' about his own later. (which i'm so angry at, Morrigan's "arc" this game made me so angry, my god.)

So instead of Solas being flawed, the way Any Dragon Age Character is flawed, he's demonized to the extreme while also refusing to have any characters match his freak.

And it's not even mentioning how Rook fails at also having any chances of relating to Solas, in a way the Inquisitor could (if only because as a leader sometimes you make calls that will get people killed. Re, all the people who died in Adamant or in the Grey Wardens' War Table missions, and it's not even mentioning the one War Table mission about whether to sacrifice innocents to find Red Templars or give up on a promising lead.)

And it's why lots of Solas' fans will end up being much more defensive about him because the gap created in Veilguard is just... deeply out of synch with the way the franchise had dealed with controversial characters yet.

That makes Veilguard a lot more frustrating than it even is to start with.

[sysig]

The brainworms are winning, clearly (Patreon)

[skecherss]

my roommate's been playing through the Arkham games (very notably has NOT played Arkham Knight before this. just Arkham Asylum and Arkham City) and he made the terrible mistake of admitting that he doesn't know much about comic book lore. then he asked me if Batman was the Arkham Knight

[amikothegreat]

i made this for myself but anyway! homestuck lobotomy corporation crossover!!! featuring Dirk as Ayin and Jake as Carmen :)

secrete design under here for my fellow pm heads for whos angela

is angela based off of jake you ask? nope! lil hal is angela! ;)

instead of AR its DEM or D-em, whats it stand for?

deus ex machina :]

you look me in the eyes and say dirk "control freak" strider wouldn't make an AI based off himself, he doesnt trust anyone else enough to do the task of maintaining the script!