#routes-mechanics-and weapons

[mommytimmy]

what do you mean people can make posts on the internet without knowing anything about what they're talking about? 🤯

[redflagshipwriter]

Mamabat 10 part 1/2

Chapter 10 : Calling from Hell just to say the demons are suspiciously absent, is that fine?

masterpost

“Fucking Batman,” Val said under her breath. Her Red Huntress mask muffled the words and made them come out even meaner than she probably meant them. “Years late and too little, even if he’s not working with the GIW.”

Sam hefted her requisitioned Fenton bazooka and pressed her lips even further together. None of them liked this at all. It stank. It was suspicious. Danny hadn’t sounded distressed, but he’d been out of contact too long for such a short conversation to put her at ease. There hadn’t even been time to update him on what had gone on in Amity Park.

“There.” Sam followed Val’s pointer finger to see the nearly invisible outline of a jet in the faint light. It was landing in the right field. 

“It’s them or it’s a trap,” Sam muttered.

Val let out a mean laugh. “If it’s someone we don’t expect, they’re the ones in trouble.”

Sam huffed and said nothing. She couldn’t disagree, but Val seemed too confident for her comfort. They waited in tense silence to see the jet come to a landing. Not long after, a hatch popped open and the distinctive ears of Batman himself were the first out into the cold night air of a January night in Amity Park. 

He was quickly followed by smaller figures- 1, 2, 3 of them. Sam felt nerves churning in her gut. She tried to channel them into aggression. She had to be tough, tougher than usual. There was no cavalry waiting to help out.

Well, there was Tucker, but he was probably going to be more useful in the wings to feed them information. He was pretty good aim with a thermos but that wouldn’t do jack about Batman and a small flock of, what, junior associates?

“Does Batman work with children?” Sam asked under her breath. One of them was genuinely small.

Tucker snickered on the other end of the line. “Uh,  there’s supposed to be a Robin. Guy in yellow, green, and red I guess? Aside from that, there’s debatably like, 6 former Robins associated with him. But there’s also the Justice League’s junior varsity team, so it’s hard to say.”

She frowned at the lineup. She saw purple, black, and red. There was- yeah, okay, there was quite a bit of yellow when the little guy faced them, but she didn’t see any green.

“Showtime,” Val said. Sam crouched further behind cover as the other girl zoomed out on her hoverboard, effortlessly drawing Batman’s eye. She adjusted the dial on her sound settings to hear Val’s feed just a little louder.

“Batman.”

“You have me at a disadvantage.” Sam cringed at the gravely voice over her sound system. Batman sounded like he smoked a pack a day. She turned the volume down just a hint.

“Not really, there’s four of you,” Val said breezily. Sam suppressed a snort at the dodge. “You wanna meet Jazz Fenton? You’re going to have to prove that you’re not a plant. There’s a GIW facility-”

“Two miles west of here, yes,” Batman interrupted. “I researched.”

“Great. Do you have ground transport?”

“Of course. What is it that you expect me to prove?”

“That you’re not with them.” The subtle whine of Valerie’s weapons started up. Sam only heard it because she was hooked up to the helmet. “They do experimentation and keep prisoners. Show me that you’re not a cop.”

“The police would not support the capture and abuse of people.”

Valerie made a skeptical sound in the back of her throat. Sam couldn’t blame her. “Yeah, but they do.” Her hoverboard’s jet whooshed up in power. “Meet me there, outside the main gate.” She was off like a shot in the dark. 

The four out of towners didn’t take long to get four silent motorcycles out and dash down the lane. Sam thought about what she’d heard as she cut a more direct route on Valerie’s spare hoverboard, taken from Vlad’s deserted mechanics lab. 

Either Batman was a liar, naive, or he was exactly what they were worried he might be. The Justice League was famously affiliated with governments. Wonder Woman was even a member of the United Nations! If someone accepted the claim that Infinite Realms Residents weren’t really people, then they’d say just what Batman had. It wasn’t lying if you didn’t think the people you were hurting were really people.

Sam watched from a distance as the group reached the gated facility. One of Batman's people did something that unlatched the electronic security system. It swung open. 

“Not shabby,” Tucker said quietly. “I coulda done it faster.”

“Not unless it goes off the rails,” Sam reminded him. She clenched a fist against her thigh. They needed to see Batman's real colors before they risked him knowing about their group. It was hard to outplan what you didn't know about, and they'd need every advantage they could get. 

She let them all go ahead before she followed onto the property. It was eerily deserted, tire tracks where dozens of white Vans ought to have been. 

The GIW had deserted Amity Park weeks ago. They were pretty sure there was a skeleton crew stationed out here, but no one came and left anymore. They only occasionally saw an agent wander across the path of a security camera, which were sparse inside the building.

But that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous to be here. Even now, a camera swiveled over the lawn, blinking a clear light that was easy to miss during the day. There was a reason that they hadn't risked a second raid after Danny had barely made it out last time. 

Sam swallowed, hard. The bitterness in her mouth felt a lot like guilt. Who knew what the GIW had been doing? They could have someone else held captive. It was a big building. Danny might have missed someone when he was breaking Vlad out. 

‘We did what we could, and we are making a move now.’ 

She repositioned her weapon and waited, tense with nerves. All she was meant to do now was follow along via what she heard on Val's comms and be in the wings to facilitate an escape, if needed. 

“Left,” said Batman quietly. The comms were quiet for a long moment, then- “clear. Clear. Clear.” 

Sam shifted her weight from one foot to the other. 

“Red Robin.” 

“Got it,” came a response, barely audible. Val must have been hanging close to Batman, then. 

“You think now's a good time to try their computers?” Val said helpfully. 

Tucker snorted. “Could just ask,” he sang to himself, cocky as hell. “I know all.”

Sam rolled her eyes. He didn't know all. About half of the property was disconnected from the security system, meaning they had no eyes on whatever was down there. 

“Six stationed here.” 

That had to be Red Robin’s voice. Sam cocked her head and focused on it, frowning slightly. Did it sound young?

Tucker's computer chair made a click when he sat up too fast. “Wait, what? How'd-” His end of the line devolved into rapid typing. 

“Did you find a schedule?” 

“No, it's not in the system. They're on paper, I suppose.” Seconds passed. “My bet is that labs would be in this wing.” 

“Be my guest,” Val drawled. Sam could all but see her crossing her arms across her chest. 

The line went silent for a while. Then, faintly, there came the sound of a metal door opening. 

“Fu-” A GIW blaster went off. “Intru-”

The alarm was cut off before the GIW goon got out a full word, but odds were good he'd been heard anyway. Sam flexed her hands. Sitting this out sucked. She wanted to see what was happening. How many agents were there?

“Robin!” Batman snapped. 

‘The little one?’

Sam felt vaguely ill. They had to be okay. This was Batman’s team.

[inbarfink]

Any analysis of how Undertale deals with Pacifism and how it tries to guide the Player towards it has to take a deep look at Papyrus. Because Papyrus is the one character in the game who will never kill, the one actual ‘True Pacifist’ in the game’s main cast. 

I mean, the Player can be an even bigger Pacifist. Papyrus does still FIGHT, and the Player can get through an entire run without draining a single sliver of HP. But… they can also be the world’s biggest murderbastard and literally stab reality to death. 

Toriel would very much like to not kill, but she is also fully capable of doing so.

Same with Asgore, but he has a lot more actual blood on his hands. Undyne and Mettaton are both fully 100% willing to kill to accomplish their goals. Sans is non-violent in most runs because he’s too lazy and depressed to do anything, and when he is motivated into actions - it is in the form of a FIGHT to the death. Alphys… the timeline is a bit fuzzy cause both she and Mettaton love lying so much, but it seems like she did sincerely add deadly weapons to Mettaton cause killing humans would make him more 'useful' and then had second thoughts once she developed a parasocial relationship with the Human Child and THEN she and Mettaton started hatching their little play-acting plan. I think??

With Papyrus there is NONE of this ambiguity, we know for sure - no matter what timeline or what may come - The Great Papyrus will always choose MERCY.

And the interesting thing about that is on a Meta-Sense, Papyrus is a very rare example of the game giving MERCY towards the Player. 

Because the game starts out being really obtuse with the Sparing mechanic and how it works. If you want to be a Pacifist in Undertale from the get-go, you’re gonna have to work for it. You're gonna have to figure it out on your own and commit to it and believe that it's possible. It's basically a test of your own belief in non-violence and your moral integrity. Then, the RUINS end with the Toriel boss battle - in a way, that’s probably the hardest Sparing puzzle in the whole game. And it’s very very easy to accidentally kill her. (I’d almost say that’s the intention of the battle, to try to goad the Player into Resetting so they can see how the game remembers across RESETs)

And then we have Papyrus, and it’s not just that his ‘Sparing Puzzle’ is something as simple as outlasting him and letting him run out of dialogue - and it’s not just that he’s the only boss that will just give up and let you continue if you lose to him enough times. it’s also that, just as Papyrus is the only boss incapable of accidentally killing the Player - he’s also the only boss that the player is incapable of accidentally killing.

(Okay, fine, to be pedantic, there’s also Asgore)

I mean, the Player can certainly kill him if they want to - but draining Papyrus’s HP just makes him skip through his battle dialogue right to the end of it. It’s designed in such a way that, no matter what Route you're on and no matter what approach you take with Papyrus - you will always end up on this screen.

Unlike basically any other Monster in this game, including the major boss battle just before him - you can’t kill Papyrus accidently. You can't kill him without also having Sparing him as an option. The game kinda treats killing Papyrus as one of the Worst Things You Can Do because killing Papyrus will always be a deliberate, considered action done to a person who will not kill you and who has stopped wanting to FIGHT and has extended a hand of Mercy. With the game clearly communicating what you need to do to Spare him at that moment.

And that means that - even if you killed before, even if you don’t have the patience of a True Pacifist, even if you spent all this time in the game without even trying to engage with the Sparing mechanic… as long as you don’t want to be a Huge Rat Bastard, the game is basically gifting you with the very very easy option to not be. Being a Pacifist in Undertale is usually a challenge - a puzzle to be solved, a test to pass. But as long as you aren’t intentionally trying to be the Worst Person - the game is basically giving you Papyrus. 

If you accept his Mercy, you are accepting the game’s Mercy. That sort of benefit-of-the-doubt assumption that maybe all of the LOVE you might have accumulated so far was all due to honest mistakes or panic or an attempt in self-defense. That you still deserve this one chance to prove that you are not intentionally, maliciously cruel - or at least not like the Worst Person in the World. Even if you did kill before, you still deserve at least one friend.

And Sparing Papyrus leads you to his wonderful Hangout/Dating Sequence and to his Phone Calls and they all add so much wholesome charm to the Undertale experience and no matter what happens Papyrus will always think the best of the Player and he will always trust them and it also makes Sans also kinda your buddy by default. And more than just adding a little bit of wholesome charm into even the more LOVE-filled Playthroughs, I think this is meant to try and incentivize these players into trying out the Mercy mechanic a bit more.

Whatever it’s, like, for future playthroughs or Resetting the game right there to try a True Pacifist Run right there and then or just trying to be a little kinder for the rest of this current playthrough - especially since there’s an emphasis about the close friendship Papyrus has with the upcoming boss Undyne, and to a lesser extent with his idol and next-next boss battle Mettaton. It’s like “well, if you didn’t figure out how to spare before, this is how you do it? And isn’t it nice to have a friend? Isn’t it nice to not have to kill this lovable skeleton man? You should do this more often wink wink nudge nudge!”

And it’s like… all of Papyrus’ loved ones care about him so much but they also look down on his pacifism. They see his inability to kill and desire to make friends as simple naivete and that’s why all tend to hide the truth from him all the time. About what will happen to the Human he will capture, about what his new Human friend might’ve done, about the fact that they view him as so naïve. 

They admire it on some level, that’s why they want to protect it, but they also see it as a weakness which is why they want to protect it by lying to him all the time. But, you know, Undyne says that if Papyrus goes into battle he’ll be ‘ripped into little smiling shreds’ and that is certainly what happens every time a Player chooses to refuse Papyrus’ Mercy and the game’s Mercy and press that FIGHT button…

But have you thought about all the times that doesn’t happen? All the careless or violent players who were offered that skeletal hand of friendship, accepted it and then carried that offered kindness forward for the rest of the game? All the players motivated to do good for the sake of their buddy Papyrus? All the Murder Routes stopped because the player just didn’t have it in them to kill someone who believes in them so earnestly?

Like, no, it’s not a surefire thing - especially since Papyrus has so much less narrative power than the Actual Unkillable Time God that is the Player. But it happened, and it happened many many times to many players. Papyrus offered Mercy, the game offered Mercy. And much like Frisk’s Pacifism, it comes from a place of seeing the honest goodness in your ‘enemy’ and can inspire them to become a better person - this little sparkle of goodness being passed forwards. 

And I think that’s beautiful, even if it didn’t happen in every timeline. Any potential future where Papyrus’ kindness can have such an effect on the Player and thus the entire trajectory of the Underground validates his kindness and pacifism on some level - even if there are also always the potential worlds that it backfires completely. 

And there’s also one other way in which the Great Papyrus Proves Pacifism Pays. One that is a bit more practical, perhaps. And one that Papyrus himself is not even aware of. 

Papyrus’ boss battle can be a surprisingly challenging one specifically because he is the only one who doesn’t kill the Player.

Like there is a reason why Papyrus will just offer you to skip his Fight after you lose to him three times, because if he didn’t do that - there’s an honest risk that the Player can get stuck in a much stuckier way than anywhere else in the game. 

Because, like, for basically any other character in the game, being killed is the Worst Thing that could ever happen to them. For everyone except the actual Player Character because we are an Actual Unkillable Time God and dying is nothing more than a minor annoyance that sets you back to your last SAVE Point. So, leaving aside Papyrus’ admirably kind intentions - there is not much material difference from the Player’s perspective between getting Captured and getting a more traditional GAME OVER. Except…

Except getting Captured does not undo everything that happened in your inventory during the battle. In every other Undertale battle, if you use all of your items but still lose - the GAME OVER at least means you get your stuff back. But because Papyrus doesn’t kill you, any healing item you’ve used during the battle is still used. I have watched so many Undertale Let’s Players waste all of their valuable items on their first Papyrus battle and then have to face him again without them and thus do even worse in their second go… and then their third go... and thankfully then Papyrus offers them to skip the fight.

And while that technically can be circumvented by just manually closing the game and opening it back again on their pre-battle SAVE Point, a lot of players are gonna reflexively Save over it if they pop over to the Shop or the Snowed Inn before their second attempt at the battle. If Papyrus didn’t offer that chance to skip his battle, it could’ve easily become a softlock situation for a huge chunk of players - because he doesn’t kill the Player.

Most of Undertale deals with the value of non-violence from a standpoint of morality and kindness and personal connections. Since most people do die when they get killed. But when dealing with an Unkillable Time God like the Player, Papyrus proves that not-killing might actually be the most practical solution.

Of course, it doesn’t seem like Papyrus is aware of any of this. From his perspective, he is just offering genuine mercy to a being just as ephemeral as he is. But it accidentally turned into one of the most effective methods of blocking the Player’s way… at least he didn’t offer us an opt out so soon after that. 

And it’s interesting when comparing him to how his brother Sans - one of the few people actually aware of the existence of SAVEs and RESETs - deals with the Player. Because the Sans boss battle at the end of the Murder Route is entirely based on the concept that death is nothing but an annoyance to the Player. Sans is less trying to kill the Player (the way Undyne the Undying did), he is simply trying to annoy the Player into a ragequit. But he is still killing the Player.

Now imagine a Sans battle where he has all of his usual annoying tricks, but also instead of killing you - he captures you just like his brother would’ve in a happier timeline. And while it’s not a fool-proof plan to stop the Player in their tracks - he could very easily stick them in that sort of softlock situation where they have to battle him again and again without any Healing Items. Forcing them to either abandon the game or RESET the whole world back the way it was - just like Sans wants them too. 

But instead, by killing the Player, he is just allowing that perfect second-third-fourth-fifth-sixth-try where they get all of their Stuff back. And he does actually knows that. And why doesn’t he do that? (Speaking here from an in-universe character study perspective. Obviously the Doylist answer is that the game doesn’t want to Softlock you even in the most deliberately-frustrating part of the game).

Maybe, even though he intellectually knows that killing the Player will be of no help - he still does it because he wants to. Because he just wants to get back at the evil murderous monster that took his brother from him and destroyed his entire world even if he knows it’s actually ineffective. And this thirst for bloodshed is, ironically, blinding him from a new exciting way to actually practically stop that murderous bastard who is themself motivated entirely by bloodshed. 

Maybe he just can’t do something like that. Reducing an enemy to exactly one HP and then stopping is not a feat anyone else in the game is capable of pulling off - even the ones who would obviously use such a thing (like Toriel or a Player with a Pacifist intentions). Maybe it’s something that requires a lot of hard practice and discipline and carefulness, that Sans never thought to put in because he didn’t see it as a useful skill the way Papyrus did. 

Maybe that wouldn’t have worked anyways. After all, and that’s something I kinda touched on in a previous Overly Long Rambly Hot Take - Sans’ War of Attrition against the Player is greatly helped by the fact he can’t remember every single previous try and so he can’t get exhausted the way the Player can get. Obviously, without a GAME OVER induced RESET that will not apply. Which is especially notable because… Sans’ laziness is literally what brings him down at the end of that Boss Battle. 

So maybe, while Papyrus, as long as you decline his offer to skip the battle, is capable of offering just the same Battle as before over and over and over again.... It’s possible that Sans just won’t be able to pull off two or three or more battles of the same intensity and difficulty in a row without a RESET to undo his own exhaustion. 

But I think it’s at least worth considering the option, y’know? That after all this time of viewing Papyrus’ kindness as sweet-and-yet-kinda-foolish-naïveté - that exact viewpoint made Sans overlook the perfect solution to dealing with his little Murderous Time God problem. Cause he just never considered that while killing might be fully morally justifiable in this situation and very very satisfying, that does not necessarily mean it is actually the most practical solution. And that maybe, in a weirdly twisted way, Pacifism WAS the answer.  

[randomnameless]

In a way I realise the issue with Fodlan is pretty similar to the one found in Tellius regarding Brandeds, but refusing to acknowledge part of the issue, the games pushes for a less than ideal solution, especially with this ending.

You summed up Claude and his routes as fuck the past and the traditions associated with it.

And I'm thinking, with hindsight, about Rhea's words here.

In our absence, future generations are likely to repeat the foolish actions of their ancestor.

And when that happens, who will be left to stop them? This land has suffered enough as it is.

Nabateans are associated in this route, but Rhea and her Church in general, to the "past and traditions".

In VW, Rhea reveals the truth and is put in the fridge (dying off screen).

And who pops up when we're sure Rhea won't return ?

On the one hand, we can see Nemesis's sudden return and ultimately, final death, as the occasion to cleanse Fodlan from all of its past history and secrets, no more Seiros, no more Nemesis, we get a blank canvas to work with.

On the other hand... Even if the canvas is now blank, what is going to happen next ?

As you pointed out in your post :

but now the false history of Fodlan has been corrected. People now know what the past really was, not some glamorized image of it from the Agarthans nor the story told as part of a peace treaty. The Church is still going to be there, helping to rebuild Fodlan after the slate was wiped clean, free to spread it's messages without having to also recite falsehoods that can give people mixed messages

Will the Church really be free to spread its messages without falsehoods ?

And that's where the Tellius parallel comes in, Fodlan refuses to engage with Nabateans.

Will the Church really reveal that Crests come from Nabateans, and the origin of relics ? Will Flayn will free to show her ears to the world and not be afraid for, idk, potential kids she might have being turned in poleaxes ? Or bled, like she was, to get power ?

VW doesn't answer, hell, no Fodlan game gives an answer.

Hell, we can even make a link : the second she reveals the truth about relics and crests, Nemesis and his Elites, living (well) proofs of human greed and lust for power return.

Rhea sealed Nemesis, just like she "sealed" the truth about Fodlan and Nabateans with her lies.

When the jig is up, Nemesis and his allies return-the game reminds us why those lies were created in the first place.

Some people meme'd and called Nemesis the "ceo of racism", but Nemesis is only an example of human greed/lust for power :: we got Supreme Leader and, arguably, Claude in GW and, even if it ends on a positive note because Claude has a treaty in his hands, the ending mural imo still has one party holding weapons when the others aren't.

VW is painfully silent on the aftermath of Rhea's big reveal - no one reacts to it because, well, Fodlan game means we dgaf about Nabateans but hey, Lorenz just learnt that slaughtering people with pointy ears can give him a relic and a super powerup. Lorenz isn't the kind of person to abuse his power (at least not in VW), but if this "truth" is told to Erwin? What if Erwin immediately wants to secure a marriage between Lorenz and Flayn to get future "super human" heirs? Or maybe, use her in, uh, a more "Agarthan" way to get a poleaxe and new crest for a future line?

Are Nabateans really "free" to live and spread their teachings in a world where there are no lies, and the truth is revealed?

Imo, VW doesn't end with the blank and "new" dawn presented by the game, but it's, again, a return to a past state : an era where humans and Nabateans lived together, but humans knew what kind of power they could get from a Nabatean...

And we know how that ended!

Maybe it was just a "skill" issue and like, where Nabateans and Sothis herself failed to curb down human greed and envy - which led to Zanado's party and Nemesis - maybe Billy and Claude will do better...

And yet, it's just some "maybes" and, at the end of the day, sort of headcanons?

"Telling the Truth" and "Smashing the lies" effectively means painting a giant target on every Nabatean's back. From now then, we won't know what will happen - but we know what happened the last time humans got this knowledge.

And the game, this route's lead (bcs let's be honest, Billy is as relevant as a flower pot in this route) doesn't even take this, say, immediate consequence in consideration.

Rhea conveniently dies at the end of VW - while Seteth'n'Flayn are pretty much ignored in this route as Nabateans - but if she didn't and Claude told her he was going to reveal the "Truth" to get rid of Fodlan's past and traditions, to make a world where everyone can live together regardless of race, etc etc.

Wouldn't Rhea just look at Failnaught, and tell him that Sothis/Nabateans already tried to live with humans - without any lies or omissions, but when Humans desired more power, Nabateans ended up as glorified weapons?

What is going to prevent Claude/Billy from making the same mistakes (slaugther Nabateans to get weapons/trust humans with their secret and hope they won't kill the remaining Nabateans?) their ancestors (Riegan, but also, in a way, Sothis/the Nabateans themselves!) made?

Why were those lies built? Is the "truth" and getting a blank canvas - to create a new society - more important than the lives of a few people ?

I agree with you when you say VW doesn't end up with a "traditional jp" ending, because VW (or maybe I was too influenced by discourse) ultimately champions the "Getting to know the Truth/ending lies" is more important than anything else, regardless of the consequences - I know this also parallels a cultural difference between some parts of the world, lying can be seen very negatively but in some other areas giving half-truths and omissions are more "accepted", especially if it's to protect/bury something important.

Is revealing the Truth and ending Rhea's lies going to benefit Fodlan ?

We don't know, but we know why those lies were made, which VW reminds us through its final boss.

Supreme Leader sacrificed people to get power/for her IdEaLS (even if VW still has her line refusing Flayn's place in Fodlan because of her race!), Nemesis massacred people to get power, in an alternate world, Claude will also kill random people for his IdeAlS (and to get more power!)...

Is it the same of VW!Claude? To make a new world with new values, he sacrifices the few remaining Nabateans?

And in a way, it's annoying because Claude, through WC when he realises Tomas was Solon, understands that piercing the church's secret (aka the Immaculate One and her crest stone) is less important than, in this case, refusing to saddle the Church with another problem/issue and taking part in Solon's plans, aka, Claude could determine that there was something else at stake here than "getting to know the truth and ending lies".

But when Rhea gives her infodump? The end of VW? After knowing why those lies were made up?

"Fuck the past, fuck the traditions associated with it, let's end those lies" which, implicitely but ultimately leads to "fuck Nabateans and their survival".

---

Much like Tellius who goes "lol" about, arguably, one of the reasons why the Big Bad does Big Bad things - none of Fodlan's endings (bar Tru Piss lol) deal with the crux behind Rhea's lies, which is often cited as one of the reasons why "the war" happened.

Is there a future for Nabateans to live as Nabateans (aka not hide their ears and maybe transform in front of people) in Fodlan?

Sadly... none of the endings (again, save for Tru Piss) give an answer, and VW, in this way, returns to the situation that existed pre Agartha War. Will History repeat itself again, with a new Red Canyon and a new Nemesis later down the years? We won't know.

I know Claude (and Dimi!) can marry Billy and Flayn, thus, technically, it means they could get (through Flayn?) part Nabatean children... and yet, would those children have to hide like Flayn does in the current Fodlan, or free to bare their ears - if everyone, from Bob the Carpenter to Derrick the soldier, that the Queen/Prince/Princess can be turned in a shiny poleaxe and grant them super powers?

I don't think that's what the games wanted to say (especially with Tellius lol), but that's the conclusion they lead to.

VW ends as a new dawn for Fodlan, it's supposed to be full of hope and a joyful ending !

And yet, just like Tellius that ends with Beorcs and Laguz joking and getting alone, there's still the biggest question left hanging : can they really get along if Laguz die when they "get too close" and racial segregation, at least when it comes to breeding, is the only way they can survive?

VW ends with a positive note between Almyran (or Dagdan?) armies and Fodlan signing a peace treaty, and yet we still see the "foreigner" army with weapons when Fodlanese people have none, besides, there's no Nabatean (no Billy) in this scene, so what, for humans to get along, Nabs have to put under the bus? What of Relics and Crests, is that secret out in the wild and the reason we don't see any in that mural, or they still exist but the game pretends no one will ever give a fuck about it?

Granted, unlike Tellius, I can chalk Fodlan's lack of, uh, resolution, to crap writting and the devs prioritising something else than coherency in their world (tfw no continuity guy and the "uh we added things here'n'there to make the world seem bigger and that's why we left some stuff hanging but don't worry we have our 10k years of lore notes somewhere" from the interview...).

With the last few points in mind, we can see how SS, AM and VW are may be somewhat radical from a Japanese POV.

In SS, Byleth's leadership goes against a very common mentality in Japan where it's viewed as wrong to give people money they did not earn, even when that person is in dire straights. In fact, begging for money is actually illegal over there. So with that in mind, Byleth focusing on reconstruction of Fodlan in addition to the Japanese text saying he supported “every soul” in a motherly-fashion, it does point to Byleth's rule being one that looked out for the people.

It also has elements associated with oudou, considering the Sword of the Creator's Japanese name the Sword of the Emperor of Heaven. Emperor of Heaven is term for the Jade Emperor, the deity that oversees Heaven's mandate (Mazu, the Emperess of Heaven, is commonly depicted in red robes... but she's associated with water as a sea goddess, not fire. She's also said to be an incarnation of the Jade Woman of Marvelous Deeds, and associated with a star in the big dipper, who is said to oversee all aspects of life and death and help those who call upon her. So, Edelgard's color scheme itself might be a red herring, as Sothis is the one associated with water). Byleth judged Edelgard as unworthy of following, rejecting her and in turn leading the Black Eagles to do the same. They no longer bend the knee to their emperor simply because she is their emperor, they take a stand against her actions and work to remove her from power. And this is consistent for them regardless of whether Byleth taught their House or recruited them to another House, not joining Edelgard is tied to their character development (see Ferdinand and Caspar's paralogues not being available in Flower).

Dimitri takes Byleth's supporting the poor a few steps further, believing change has to come from the people and giving them a voice in politics while at the same time supporting them. He empowers the masses, and on top of that even has focus on improving relations with foreign nations (whereas the Japanese text indicates Edelgard begins invading other countries). Dimitri is also meant to represent oudou himself, a benevolent ruler justly governing the people.

Claude also identifies Edelgard's rule as oudou, stops her, but then puts Byleth and his version of oudou in charge of Fodlan. I think the best way to put how Claude is radical is, to put it bluntly, fuck the past and fuck the traditions associated with it.

Claude's goal in coming to Fodlan was to learn from it in order to change Almyra, and he got that in Verdant Wind. He begins transforming his homeland into a trading powerhouse, works with the Church in order to bridge the two nations, and can even introduce magic to his country in one ending. On top of that, people have noted that he embodied a very negative stereotype of his people in Hopes, so his character growth proved beneficial. He's no longer the type who will flee to save his own life rather than protecting his people, he stops trying to manipulate everyone and instead work with them as well.

When applied to Fodlan, it's not saying that the Church is bad. It still continues to exist, but now the false history of Fodlan has been corrected. People now know what the past really was, not some glamorized image of it from the Agarthans nor the story told as part of a peace treaty. The Church is still going to be there, helping to rebuild Fodlan after the slate was wiped clean, free to spread it's messages without having to also recite falsehoods that can give people mixed messages. And on top of that, there's also support for other faiths and customs to be brought in, accepted and learned from. The game really drives home it's the dawn of a new era for a reason.

So, we have that. Meanwhile Edelgard trying to set the clock back on Fodlan, spouting ideals informed by Agarthan manipulations, and trying to conquer the world... this is all supposed to be tyranny according to the devs. SS, AM and VW all support some form of progress whereas Flower, once you see through the cracks and get to know Edelgard, is supposed to be regression. To return to old ways, old traditions, that the Church put a stop to for good reason.

[themongrelcatcamehome-blog]

i am trying to break your heart pt.2

So, for this part... Basically it's Sevika and Cait's smut. Please read the tags first. This story was in my head for days. Hope you guys enjoy it.

x

Synopsis: Over a month has passed since Caitlyn and Vi ended their relationship, yet Caitlyn couldn’t find a reason to celebrate Jinx's capture. Despite it being a huge day for Piltover and the Enforcers, Caitlyn only wanted to go home, but someone had another plans for ther.

Tags and Warnings: porn with plot, vaginal fingering, cunnilingus, dom/sub, face fucking, face sitting, degradation kink, power play, smoking, drinking, tribbing, dry humping, abduction, caitlyn with sevika, strong language and i don't know what else to put here, i'm sorry.

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The Commander had left the precinct a few minutes earlier. She decided to walk home. The route was short, and she didn’t want to feel nauseous driving. As she turned onto the street that led to Municipal Park, her house came into view. Caitlyn heard the rustling of leaves coming from inside the park, a sound too loud to be caused by an animal. She straightened her posture, unfastened her holster, and walked toward the noise with her right hand on her weapon. The park gate was closed. Caitlyn checked the latch and confirmed it was locked. She heard a metallic clanging sound. Caitlyn quickened her pace toward the side of the gate, further from the street and closer to the fence and the sidewalk on the right of the park. Several vehicles were parked there, but no one was in sight.

It was a spot used to park the cars of lower-ranking officers who didn’t have official spaces in the precinct’s parking lot. There were no establishments on this street; it was a dead end. Caitlyn crouched to see if anyone was hiding between the first two vehicles. No feet. She moved a meter forward and peeked around the side of a car. Nothing. She turned on her chest flashlight, attached to her uniform. Nothing. Caitlyn drew her weapon from its holster. She was blinking rapidly.

Behind the third vehicle, she saw a shadow.

“Who’s there?” Caitlyn called out. No response.

Caitlyn grew concerned it might be a Firelight.

“Come out and there won’t be any trouble.” Still no response.

Caitlyn moved to the right to avoid being cornered against the park’s fence. With her weapon drawn, she began sidestepping with her back to the street. She pointed her gun toward the inside of the car, then behind it. She saw someone running to the fourth car, close to the fences.

“You’re running out of cars to hide behind. Show yourself and I won’t shoot.”

Part of the figure hiding behind the car was now visible. It was a Zaunite child, wearing a dirty hat splattered with fluorescent green stains.

“Isha?!”

Caitlyn couldn't react when she felt a blow to her left temple.

As her eyes began to open, Caitlyn felt a sharp pain in her head. Her vision was blurry and she was confused. When she tried to bring her hands to the source of the pain, she realized they were tied.

"What?! What is this?! Where am I?!"

The chair Caitlyn was tied to creaked as she moved from side to side. She only realized her feet were also tied when she toppled to the side. Her head almost hit the wooden floor, and she felt like she would faint again—until she felt a bunch of cold water splashing on her face. Caitlyn was terrified, bleeding, tied up, and nearly choked on the water. Her body was lifted off the ground and she closed her eyes to regain her senses. When she opened them, Sevika was standing in front of her.

- Hello, dear. Did you sleep well?  - You... Where am I? What's going on?  - You're in Zaun. Didn't you smell it?

Sevika laughed. She was leaning against a large table. The room was dark with colorful decorations. A glass of whiskey was beside her, and she was smoking a cigarette. Sevika was wearing a cloak over her mechanical arm, and her other arm showed she was dressed in a gray tank top. She wore dark gray pants and iron-toed boots. Her hair was half tied up, with a few strands falling over her face.

- I find it very funny how stupid you all are.

 Sevika continued laughing.

 - You really think you're clever. And that's why you're stupid. Do you understand, sweetie? - Just tell me what you want.

Caitlyn had regained her senses. Despite the pain, the cold water helped her see better and the adrenaline made her feel electric. Her shirt was soaked with blood and water. Caitlyn looked around and saw her gun resting on the table. There was no chance of solving this any other way but by talking.

- Your little informant must've delivered the message. I didn't want to wait for you to come here all armed, so I found you first. - Typical of a cowardly henchwoman. Why don't you untie me and we can talk as equals? - Oh... you talk tough for someone who's tied to my chair. - You don't intimidate me, Sevika. In fact… - Shut it, kitten. You and half of Zaun can call me whatever you want; I don't care. Now that you've caught Jinx, you all think you're so great, huh?

Sevika let out a loud laugh and stubbed out her cigarette on the table. She approached Caitlyn, crouched down to be at her level. Caitlyn was scared.

- How's that bitch-ass whining traitor? - What?!  - Your little girlfriend. The one who likes to play rough.

Caitlyn was trying to keep up with Sevika’s tone. She couldn't let her win.

- The one who tore off your arm and beat your ass more times than you can remember?

Sevika smirked. She pushed back the strands of hair falling over her face. She lifted Caitlyn's head, who was trying to pull away from Sevika's touch. Sevika reached for her cloak, took the end of it, and wiped Caitlyn's face. Caitlyn thought it was weird, but just watched how it would go from there.

- You know, sweetie, I wonder how a whiny little bitch like Vi managed to pull you off. 

Sevika stared at Caitlyn’s breasts. Caitlyn was now looking directly at Sevika's face. She was gorgeous, but Caitlyn despised her. Sevika spoke again.

- Do you have a thing for pitiful individuals? It's a shame I don't have a chance with you, then.

Caitlyn felt rage building up. Her face was hot with hatred, and her head kept throbbing in pain. While Sevika spoke, Caitlyn tried to free her hands without success. She lowered her gaze, laughed, and said:

- I heard that competition between women is a thing, but not in a million years would you win against her. Is that why you talk so much? To make up for your little ego… - Oh, I love when you talk like that. Keep going! - Look, I don't know what you're trying to do with this little show. Stop with the theatrics and just tell me what you want. - What a shame. I was starting to get turned on.

Sevika stood up and walked over to the table. Caitlyn followed her movements with her eyes. Sevika had a strong build. Her back was wide and the cloak gave her an almost mystical aura. Her thighs were strong and large. Caitlyn thought it was a shame that she was such a bad person. Sevika interrupted her thoughts.

- I think you're the type that bites.

Sevika lit another cigarette. The smoke covered her face for a moment and she blinked slowly. She had a smirk on her face when she licked her lips and said:

- You bite, darling?

By this point, Caitlyn's entire body was sore. She couldn't loosen the knot tying her hands at all. Her heart was racing, and she started coughing when Sevika blew smoke in her face and spoke again.

- Well, Hotstuff, here's the thing. Jinx's capture was great for Zaun. I wanted to thank you personally. That brat was out of control and I unfortunately grew fond of her. I think she’ll last longer locked up. She would’ve ended up dead or completely insane here and… - What a disgusting way to care about someone. Jinx is in solitary and will get the worst treatment possible as long as I live. - Does the crybaby know you talk like this about her sister?

Caitlyn felt her body tremble. She was cold, in pain and anxious. Fear washed over her. She thought about Vi’s face and feared she might never see her again.

- Vi is aware of what I think of Jinx.

- The dynamics of this love is pretty fucked up, sweetheart. Vi sleeps with someone who hates her, her origins, and her family. I think she has a humiliation fetish. Tell me... Does she fuck you while crying? Or even better! Do you fuck her while laughing?

Sevika’s words were the last straw. In one swift movement, Caitlyn tried to get up from the chair and slam it to the ground. The chair shattered, and Caitlyn fell. Her feet were still tied, but her hands were free. The knot had been tied to the back of the chair, which, when it broke, left just a small wooden stake. Caitlyn quickly wielded the wood in Sevika's direction.

Sevika clapped and placed the cigarette on the edge of the table. With almost dramatic flair, she removed her cloak, revealing her mechanical arm. Before Caitlyn could react, Sevika took the wood from her hand and struck the rope binding Caitlyn’s legs.

- Done, Commander. You're free. What will you do now?

Sevika crossed her arms, resting her human hand on the lever of her mechanical arm.

Caitlyn tried to stand but was dizzy. She fell back to the ground, lowered her head, and rested it on her knees.

- Sevika, if you're going to kill me, just do it. - I’m not going to kill you, sweet thing. I'm going to offer you a deal. - I don't want any deal with you. So now you have it. My answer is no. Cut the chase.

Sevika moved toward Caitlyn. She lifted the commander with a quick, firm motion, holding Caitlyn by the arms, pinning her against the wall.

- Commander, forget I exist. Can you do that? Get all your informants out of Zaun or I’ll kill them and send their remains to their families. You’ve already got what you want. Leave my people in peace. 

Caitlyn felt Sevika's breath near her left cheek. It smelled like cigarettes and alcohol. Her skin had a strong scent of wood and leather. Caitlyn said:

- Hand over Singed and all the shimmer production. Then I’ll give you your peace.

Caitlyn was trying to speak firmly despite her fear. She was completely vulnerable, pinned to a wall by someone much larger and taller than her. Sevika's figure was intimidating for many reasons. She thought about kicking Sevika in the groin, but her mechanical arm was too fast and she was probably resistant to pain.

- Caitlyn, Caitlyn… Don't you think you’re asking too much? I thought your megalomaniac phase was over.

It was the first time Sevika called Caitlyn by her name. The commander felt a shiver.

- I just want to lock up the people who harm Zaun. - How noble of you. But then you'd have to lock up yourself, your police, the Piltover councilors and every pathetic citizen of your city. You’re the ones poisoning us with the filth you produce. And you treat us like violent animals, huh? - My family built the ducts that filter your air! We do the best we can… - Best? You don’t know anything about Zaun. You think just because you sleep with a zaunite you know something about our people? - Sevika, it's the fourth time you mention my relationship with Violet…

Caitlyn quickly reflected before continuing. She remembered that Vi would probably be notified of her disappearance and come to her rescue. She needed to protect Vi. She resumed:

- For your information, we broke up. She ended things with me after I took on the task force that captured Jinx. If you’re interested, I...

Sevika interrupted:

- Wow! Good to know that Zaunite blood still runs in those veins.

Sevika moved away from Caitlyn. She thought about how much Vi must’ve suffered from Caitlyn's role in Jinx's capture. She reflected on how sad Vi's life must be in Piltover, even though she dated the commander. A wave of sadness, pity and a little bit of jealousy passed through Sevika's heart. She remembered when Vander brought her and Powder to live at the bar. Sevika had brought Mylo just a few days prior. Sevika shook her head trying to shake off these feelings. She needed to convince Caitlyn to leave her people alone once and for all.

Caitlyn, on the other hand, noticed the change in Sevika's expression. She was desperate and couldn’t identify which part of her speech had made Sevika change her expression. She thought it was the breakup for a second, but that would be a reach.

- Sevika, you are a woman who has lived through many things. And... What I’m asking for isn’t that different from the deal Vander had with us. Hand over Singed. - You think I know where Singed is?

The room started to heat up. Sevika heard a noise at the door. It was Isha.

Isha had a small weapon in her hands. She held the gun with one hand and gave Sevika a thumbs up with the another. Caitlyn felt saddened when she saw the girl.

Sevika ruffled Isha’s hair and said:

- Good job, little spark. You were great today. Mission accomplished. Now go to the hideout and...

Sevika crouched down to whisper something in the child’s ear, but Caitlyn overheard. Sevika told Isha to take a bath and that she could turn on the TV as long as she used headphones. "Don’t wait for me. Your bedtime stays the same, okay?"

Caitlyn was stunned. Sevika had adopted a sweet tone with Isha and Caitlyn noticed that she was smiling while talking to the girl.

For a moment, Caitlyn looked at Sevika differently. She realized how much that woman cared for her people and her place, even though the place was Zaun. The room where she has been was clean, everything was in place. Caitlyn briefly reflected on how the antagonism between the nations dehumanized the people of Zaun. She remembered Vi and wanted to cry, but held it back. A strange feeling overcame her now, almost an admiration for Sevika.

Sevika closed the door when Isha bounced out. She walked over to the table and continued:

- No one knows where Singed is. He doesn’t control anything, he’s insane. The shimmer is still controlled by the barons and there’s nothing I can do about it. I just want you to stop chasing my people. - Sevika, Singed is our target. Everything else is just collateral damage.

"Collateral damage, huh?"

Sevika lowered her eyes. A part of her hurt when she heard such terms. She thought about giving a big speech on the commander’s insensitivity, but she adopted her usual posture. She adjusted her body and sat down at the table with her legs spread apart. Her abdomen was exposed, and she noticed Caitlyn staring at it. Sevika needed to make things easier for herself. Was Caitlyn really staring at her body or she was wondering if she could take her down?

- Commander, just promise you’ll stop harassing the citizens. You want to do your job? Fine. Catch Singed and every baron. But stop harassing common, hard working people.

Caitlyn started to feel sick again. Her stomach was turning with mixed feelings. Sevika, despite her enormous figure, was very attractive. In a different way from Vi, but with similarities that made Caitlyn not completely despise Sevika. She noticed her six-pack and her beautiful muscles on the side of the abdomen. Her waistband was tight, pressing against her olive toned skin. Caitlyn was pondering on how to get herself out of that situation in the best way possible.

- Okay, Sevika. I’ll see what I can do about that. Can you get me a glass of water?

The atmosphere between them was now more pleasant. Caitlyn realized Sevika wasn't being violent anymore, she was being reasonable. Sevika opened a small fridge near the table and took out a tonic water. Her arms stretching to reach the bottle. The brand was unfamiliar, probably contraband from another country. She took a clean, cold glass from the fridge and poured the drink for Caitlyn.

Caitlyn thanked her from a distance. She was feeling better from the dizziness despite the pain. She made a head movement indicating if she could sit.

Sevika pulled a chair with her mechanical arm and turned her body to face Caitlyn, who was sitting down. The commander crossed her legs. She was in combat uniform: pants, boots, shirt, and jacket. Her beret was left in the car that had brought her to Zaun. Sevika stared at Caitlyn's legs. They were thin and long, but her thighs seemed strong. In other circumstances she would be very interested in her.

Caitlyn had a different kind of beauty compared to the women of Zaun. She was taller than usual and had astonishing blue eyes. Sevika observed as Caitlyn drank her tonic water.

- It’s really good, thanks. - You’re welcome. Recover as much as you need and one of my guys will escort you to the factory.

Sevika shook the thoughts away. Caitlyn despises her and she despises Caitlyn.

"One of my guys." Sevika said this while twisting a screw on her mechanical arm. Her human hand was very large, strong, and with visible veins. Caitlyn admired Sevika’s hands when she realized she was blushing.

- What’s the matter, commander? You’re not thinking of attacking me with that glass, are you?

Caitlyn barely managed to hide a smirk. Something about Sevika was sparking an unexpected desire to stay in that grim room a little longer.

- No, I won’t attack you. After all, your arm would kill me before I could do anything. - Oh, it would for sure. You have no idea what it can do…

Sevika gave a tap on her mechanical arm and raised her hand to her head. It was getting hot and sweat was starting to form on her forehead. Caitlyn drank the rest of the water in one gulp as she gazed at Sevika's arms. Her biceps were huge and they moved as she scratched her forehead. By now, she was trying to deny the thoughts running through her head. Did that arm help or hinder things?

“What the fuck was that?” Caitlyn thought before shaking the thoughts away.

The commander felt she needed a break.

- Sevika, I need to use the bathroom.

Sevika found the way Caitlyn spoke amusing—so polished. She stood up from the table and adjusted her pants. Her pants were so tight that they were slightly uncomfortable. She adjusted them by slipping her hand into the front pocket and pulling out a small key. Caitlyn was trying to look away, but couldn’t help looking at Sevika’s groin. Now the commander was sweating too, her head aching from the blow and her heart pounding from the sight of Sevika’s body.

As she handed the key to Caitlyn, Sevika lightly brushed her hand against the commander's. She noticed Caitlyn's skin was incredibly soft. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, Sevika realized the whole room smelled like Caitlyn: a sweet perfume mixed with the scent of blood and smoke.  

Caitlyn took the key from Sevika's hand. She noticed how rough Sevika's hands were, and her skin tingled at the touch. The commander asked herself silently what was going on and rushed to question:

- Where's the bathroom?

Sevika gestured with her chin toward a door at the end of the room, almost a hidden little hatch. “Oh my God, every move now is kinda hot”, Caitlyn thought as she saw Sevika swinging her legs while sitting on the table. Caitlyn needed to wash her face and get some of the blood off her clothes. She was uncomfortable with her own scent. 

Caitlyn stood up from the chair. Sevika didn’t move, only following Caitlyn with her eyes. The uniform pants highlighted her figure. The commander had a beautiful backside and she walked as if she owned the place. A wave of heat swept through Sevika and she instinctively squeezed her own thigh. “Commander hotstuff indeed…”, the zaunite thought.

Caitlyn knew Sevika was watching her as she walked toward the bathroom. The door latch was set a bit lower than usual, so she had to bend slightly to see the keyhole. Caitlyn wanted to glance back but didn’t know how she’d react to Sevika’s gaze. She quickly unlocked the door and entered the bathroom.  

Sevika chuckled. She found it delightful the way the commander bent down, revealing a tiny bit of her white underwear.  

Inside the bathroom, Caitlyn noticed how clean the small cubicle was. It was a tiny bathroom with no shower and a dim warm light. Caitlyn turned on the faucet and started washing her face, removing the dried blood on her cheek and drying off with a paper towel. She tied her hair with itself. She realized her jacket was ruined. She took it off, and the contrast between the clean part of her shirt and the bloodstained part annoyed her. She considered removing her shirt and just wearing the jacket, but it didn’t make sense since the jacket was even dirtier. Caitlyn decided to take off her shirt and try to wash the blood out. It was quick and useless, the stains only got a little lighter. The commander wasn’t wearing a bra. It was so hot in the cubicle that being topless was a relief. Caitlyn patted the wet shirt with a bunch of paper towels trying to dry it a little. Her breasts were bouncing with the swift moves and with all the agitation, her head started bleeding again. “I need to see a doctor”, she thought.

Sevika noticed Caitlyn was taking a while. She wasn’t worried about an escape attempt or anything like that—just curious. Her phone rang.  

“Talk to me.”  

“Sevika, we’re still in position. Our lookout hasn’t detected any movement in Piltover yet. No one noticed the commander’s absence.”  

“Good. Stay alert. You’ll be the one escorting her back.”  

“Roger.”  

Caitlyn stepped out of the bathroom. Sevika locked her phone and looked at her. Caitlyn had cleaned her face and tied her hair up. Her shirt was wet with pinkish bloodstains now and her jacket was folded over her arm. Caitlyn turned around, locked the bathroom door, and handed the key back to Sevika by throwing it. Sevika caught it in the air.

- Thank you. - You’re welcome. You can leave now. Do we have a deal? - I’ll do my best. - Your best won’t suffice, sweetheart. Do I have your word?

Caitlyn was trying to focus on leaving, but Sevika's presence was magnetic. Something about her was so interesting, the commander thought to herself “Almost like I wanted more”. The thoughts now didn’t seem so absurd as Caitlyn started to feel aroused.

Caitlyn extended her hand to Sevika. The zaunite’s face was illuminated by the faint light streaming into the room through the skylight. Caitlyn’s breasts were visible through her shirt now. Her nipples hard against the shirt’s fabric. Sevika clasped Caitlyn’s hand and held it, her gaze fixed on Caitlyn’s chest. The commander said:  

- Sevika, you’re not my type. Let go of me.

Sevika didn’t let go of Caitlyn’s hand when she tried to walk toward the exit. Sevika bit her lip and chuckled at Caitlyn’s remark. A wave of excitement now ran through Sevika’s body. She was so horny..

- Oh, sweetheart. I’m just using my eyes.

Caitlyn stood still, Sevika holding her hand. Was she really flirting with the woman who had kidnapped her just an hour ago? Caitlyn hadn’t had sex in over a month. She’d been buried in work and couldn’t imagine sleeping with anyone recently. But a body is still a body and the commander was not immune to physical longing.

- You can look, but let me go.

Sevika rose from the table. She was nearly two heads taller than Caitlyn. Standing directly in front of the commander, she said:  

- Or what, officer?

Sevika used a disdainful tone when calling Caitlyn "officer."

Caitlyn’s gaze now fell to Sevika’s chest. Broad, powerful shoulders, and her tank top clung tightly to her figure. Caitlyn wondered what Sevika’s breasts looked like. A heavy silence filled the room. Caitlyn wanted to deliver a sharp response, but an inexplicable wave of desire was overtaking her. Sevika was big, strong, and exuded a dangerously attractive confidence.  

Caitlyn didn't think much. "Fuck it", she thought and said:

- Sevika, you don’t know who you’re messing with.

Sevika was deeply aroused now. All she wanted was to kiss Caitlyn then and there, but she was curious to see how far the commander’s boldness would go.  

She tightened her grip on Caitlyn's hand, kept smiling as she pierced into the commander's eyes while resting on the table again. She crossed her legs, her thighs pressing against each other and Caitlyn lowered her gaze. Sevika said:

- I know exactly what you are. A spoiled little girl who thinks she knows everything about anything.

Caitlyn recognized it was a game. Sevika was trying to assert dominance over her. She wouldn’t be the first to try. Caitlyn slipped her hand free from Sevika’s grip, took a step forward, her breath quickening as she got closer:

- Afraid to find out that I can bite, darling?

Sevika felt a shiver run down her spine. Caitlyn smelled amazing. Her tied-back hair only accentuated her beauty. Caitlyn’s ears were flushed red. The warmth of her breath so close to Sevika’s cheek made her clit throb. But nothing was more exciting than realizing that Caitlyn thought she could have any control at that moment. Sevika decided to act.

- Commander, you talk too much for someone who’s about to sit on my face.

Sevika pulled Caitlyn to herself. She leaned her mechanical arm on the table and pulled the commander towards her with the other. She took advantage of her larger stature and wrapped Caitlyn's head in her hand. She had to control her strength so as not to hurt her neck when she wrapped her fingers around the end of Caitlyn's hair, near the nape. Caitlyn stood with a defiant look on her face, staring directly into Sevika's mouth, forcing her head in the opposite direction of Sevika's strength.

Sevika kissed Caitlyn, easily winning the struggle to see who was stronger. Her lips practically engulfed the commander’s. Sevika slipped her tongue between Caitlyn's lips and bit them together. Caitlyn leaned her whole body into Sevika. She put her right hand around the zaunite's waist while her left hand was on her face. Caitlyn was startled by how hard Sevika's waist was through her muscles. She felt the scars on her back and dug her nails into her hip.

Sevika had her arm around Caitlyn's waist now. Her hand wrapped perfectly around the curve of the commander's waist. The kiss got faster and sloppier. Sevika started biting Caitlyn's cheek, moving down to her chin and neck. She tore the buttons off the commander's shirt. Caitlyn let out a startled moan at Sevika's strength.

Caitlyn’s clit was hard now. 

Sevika sank her face into Caitlyn's right breast. She was amazed at how beautiful her tits were. Sevika bit Caitlyn's nipple and she let out a grunt.

Caitlyn was kissing Sevika's ear, enjoying every suckle the zaunite was giving her. She whispered in her ear:

- Take me to your room.

Sevika licked Caitlyn's left breast a little bit more now, bit the nipple harder and let go, which made Caitlyn's breast sway beautifully. She held the commander by the neck and said:

- I won't. You don't get to lay with me as an equal. I'll treat you like you deserve to be treated.

Caitlyn couldn't contain the wave of excitement that went through her body… What was that? Why the hell was she horny by being treated like that? Sevika was now pulling her hair down and Caitlyn's face was so hot that sweat was running down her neck. Sevika turned Caitlyn back to the table aggressively, the two of them exchanging positions. She finished ripping off Caitlyn's shirt, licked her sweat. Caitlyn stared back with a piercing gaze. Sevika was almost out of her mind now. Caitlyn rested both hands on the table, stuck out her ass a little and said:

- And how exactly do I deserve to be treated?

Sevika wrapped her cloak around part of the mechanical arm. She covered the piercing parts that could seriously injure Caitlyn and took off her own blouse. She was amazed by how Caitlyn was a freak.

Sevika's breasts were firm and perfectly contoured. Her crotch was pure muscle. Caitlyn turned to get a better look and her mouth filled with saliva. Caitlyn wanted to suck those breasts, unzip her pants and kneel for Sevika, all at the same time. She was so horny that she put her hand on her own pussy.

Sevika put her thumb to her lips when she saw Caitlyn like that. She took her hand to the zipper of her own pants and unzipped it.

- I'm going to treat you like the dirty little slut I know you are.

It was unbelievably hot being treated that way. Caitlyn was surprised at how much she liked that kind of treatment.

Sevika pulled the girl by the neck and sank her face down into her breasts. Sevika threw her head back in ecstasy.

Caitlyn sucked and nibbled on her left tit, licked the space between them and did the same on the other. Caitlyn's mouth was hot and she sucked with great desire. While she sucked, Caitlyn tried unsuccessfully to pull Sevika's pants down. They were still tight and Sevika wouldn't let her unzip them.

Sevika's mouth was full of saliva. She was whimpering“that's it” while Caitlyn sucked on her breasts. The commander finally gave up on unzipping the zaunite’s pants. Caitlyn moved her mouth up to her collarbones, licked them and spoke into her ear:

- You talk too much and do too little.

Sevika laughed. She pulled Caitlyn into a kiss again. Sevika was a ridiculously good kisser. Her hand was now on Caitlyn's pussy, over her pants. She made a few movements up and down Caitlyn's clit and realized that the commander was already very wet. 

Caitlyn had her hands on Sevika's ass. Her hips were huge and her ass was round and muscular. Caitlyn squeezed her ass and dug her nails into the zaunite's hips from time to time. 

Sevika lifted Caitlyn with absurd ease, holding her between her ass and thigh. With the help of her own thigh, she sat the girl down on the table. Caitlyn rested her elbows on the table and spread her legs. Sevika began to lick and bite her belly. Sevika's bite was strong, but not enough to hurt too much. She kissed Caitlyn's pussy over the pants and sniffed them. She hissed.

Sevika took two steps back and made a “come here” motion with her fingers. She said:

- Take off your pants and turn around.

Caitlyn got up from the table and undid a button on her pants. She was trying to prolong the moment, even though she really wanted to give it all to Sevika as soon as possible. She undid the second button. Sevika was watching with her thumb in her mouth. Her figure was stunning. The muscles in her forearm were prominent. Caitlyn wanted to feel what it was like to be fucked by that huge hand.

She undid the third button. She pulled down her pants a little so that part of her cunt showed. Sevika blinked slowly and nodded. Caitlyn now looked down at Sevika's pants. It was open a little lower. She could see Sevika's bush. Sevika's pubes were trimmed, close to her skin, it was a wonderful sight. Sevika noticed Caitlyn's gaze and put her hand on her hip. She started to pull down her pants. Caitlyn was fighting the urge to kneel and didn't even notice when she was already squatting. Sevika was visibly enjoying it. When Caitlyn was completely kneeling in front of Sevika's pussy, she moved closer, put Caitlyn's face against her crotch, lightly rubbed her mouth and nose against the beginning of her bush and said:

- Smell it. Feel it. Do you want it, you little whore?

Caitlyn was losing her mind. She needed to suck that woman off as soon as possible. Caitlyn never imagined that she would enjoy being treated like that, being cursed at. But it was all so delicious that she was in fact loving it. Caitlyn ran her hand down Sevika's thighs. Now she could smell her pussy. Her mouth filled with saliva as she squeezed the side of Sevika's thighs.

Sevika, in turn, grabbed Caitlyn by the hair. With her still kneeling, Sevika said:

- Stand up. Take off your pants and bend for me. I want to see your pussy from behind.

Caitlyn stood up, finished taking off her pants, stopped for a moment to let Sevika look. Caitlyn was fully naked now. Her cunt was completely shaved. She moved slowly, waiting. It felt weird. For a moment she was hoping Sevika would compliment her, but she just motioned with her fingers for her to turn around.

Caitlyn shrugged, she was disappointed. She rested both hands on the table and looked back at Sevika.

Sevika, still wearing her pants, approached. The commander felt her entire body stiff as Sevika’s body pressed against hers, pinning her against the table. Caitlyn's pussy was rubbing on the edge of it and her clit was so hard right now. It was almost impossible to control. Sevika continued pressing the commander, biting her back hard and squeezing her breasts. Caitlyn almost lost her balance as she tried to hold on to the table. Sevika bit Caitlyn's left ear and whispered:

- Spread your legs.

Caitlyn obeyed. Nothing made sense anymore. She was enjoying being treated with no intimacy. She spread her legs as wide as she could and leaned over the table. Her pussy was now almost dripping. Her legs trembled when she felt Sevika's hand on her ass. Caitlyn was longing for the zaunite’s hand inside her. Sevika, however, opened Caitlyn's buttcheeks and sank her face in. Sevika viciously licked Caitlyn's asshole. Movements up and down, biting the cheeks occasionally. Caitlyn moaned as she tried to lift herself more so that Sevika could suck her pussy. But Sevika refused, pulled away. Sevika opened Caitlyn's cheeks again and began to lick her asshole slowly this time. Caitlyn collapsed on the table, her whole body shaking. Sevika was spectacular. Every move Sevika made was better than the last. As Caitlyn enjoyed the licks, she felt Sevika's heavy, warm hand on her slit. Caitlyn lost all sense of space and knocked several items off the table. She put her hand back and touched Sevika's head. She was almost blacking out.

Sevika was masturbating Caitlyn with one finger while licking her asshole.

Caitlyn was moaning, standing on her tiptoes, her stomach flat on the table. When Sevika noticed Caitlyn's movements speeding up, her ass contracting faster, she took her mouth off Caitlyn's ass, her hand still on the commander's pussy.

Caitlyn gasped, she was ecstatic, this was the best thing she had ever experienced. The feeling of being eaten on a table by a stranger was very different and delicious. Sevika stopped masturbating Caitlyn. She ran her wet finger down Caitlyn's back and Caitlyn felt a shiver. Her fingers moved up to Caitlyn's shoulder. The commander was trembling, her legs staggering, her feet aching from being propped up for so long. A second later, Sevika removed her own pants with the help of her mechanical arm and pressed her pussy against Caitlyn's ass. Caitlyn felt Sevika's warmth, her pubes touching the bare skin of her butt.

The commander was almost cumming from the friction with the table. Sevika thrusted her hips onto the commander’s ass. Caitlyn instinctively began to move on Sevika's cunt. Sevika moaned. Her thick voice let out grunts. Sevika ran her hand through Caitlyn’s back and then her hair. She wanted to slap Caitlyn’s face, but wouldn’t do it from the back, so she choked the commander. Caitlyn whimpered, she wasn’t used to it. The zaunite’s grip was so strong that she had trouble breathing. Caitlyn focused on not passing out because that was too good. She then started grinding up and down on Sevika’s pussy while the zaunite choked her.

Caitlyn was very hot and Sevika stopped thrusting just to feel Caitlyn rub her ass. She let go of her neck. Caitlyn moved her hips up and down. She slid down Sevika's pussy slowly, then faster. She was breathing slower and deeper to catch more air. The zaunite crossed her arm over Caitlyn's body and squeezed her ass, pulling her closer. Sevika pressed her pussy against Caitlyn's ass and moved her hips to feel as much as possible. Caitlyn's buttcheeks were red with Sevika's grip and occasional slaps.

Dry humping was clearly one of Sevika’s favorites.

Caitlyn was experiencing something new. She'd never been denied for so long, treated like a fuck toy or being that physical, but it felt good. Sevika for some reason wasn't edging her. She stopped moving at just the right moment and it was as if Caitlyn's hard-on had reset.

Caitlyn lifted a little and looked back. Sevika had her hand on her own pussy, rubbing it. She looked at the commander and said:

- I can give you what you want by just looking at you.

“What does that mean?”, Caitlyn thought. Giving what?!

Caitlyn looked confused and Sevika laughed a little. She stopped rubbing her pussy. Her fingers wet with her own fluids. Sevika approached Caitlyn and rubbed her wet fingers on the commander’s mouth. She tasted Sevika for the first time and moaned. Her taste was very different, stronger. Sevika opened Caitlyn’s mouth and the girl started suckling her fingers.

When Sevika thought it was enough, she said:

- Oh, baby girl, you like that? 

Caitlyn nodded. Sevika resumed:

- I almost came in your beautiful ass, but I want to hear you moan my name first.

Caitlyn savored Sevika's taste again and whimpered a little. “What the fuck is happening?” the commander thought as she grew hornier with the zaunite’s treatment.

Sevika rubbed her pussy against Caitlyn's ass again and Caitlyn felt the weight of Sevika's mechanical arm on her back. It wasn't unpleasant, on the contrary. Sevika sucked her own two fingers and shoved them straight into the commander’s pussy.

Caitlyn's vision blurred. She felt a sharp pain because Sevika's movement was so fast, but it didn't last a second. Horniness quickly took the place of pain. Sevika thrusted deep. Her fingers were thick and skillful. The zaunite thrusted at a steady pace. Caitlyn moaned loudly, almost screaming. 

- Oh my God, oh my God!

Sevika felt her fingers getting wetter and wetter. Caitlyn was producing a river now, making a mess on Sevika’s hand. Caitlyn couldn't stop moving around on those fingers. They were rough in a delicious way and Sevika thrusted in without pity.

- Does that feel good, kitten?

Caitlyn felt her orgasm coming, she couldn’t control herself anymore. “When did I get so quick?” she thought while bouncing on Sevika’s fingers now. She tilted her head back on the zaunite shoulder.

- Yes! Yes! Sevika, I’m cumming!

Sevika groaned. She increased speed. She thrusted frantically now, hammering Caitlyn’s g-spot. Sevika's fingers were almost completely out of Caitlyn's pussy and back again in a perfect in-and-out motion. The zaunite removed her mechanical arm from Caitlyn's back when she realized that her body was arching. Caitlyn's back was arching. Caitlyn lifted her torso and rested her hands on the table. Her feet were firmly on the floor now. Sevika thrusted in hard, biting Caitlyn's back and saying through her teeth:

- Cum for me, baby girl. Let me hear it.

Caitlyn's breathing quickened, she threw her body forward one last time and let out a loud, long moan. She slipped her pussy deep into Sevika's fingers and squeezed them inside. She mewled softly while leaning back, landing in Sevika's chest, mewling just above the zaunite's chin:

- Sevika, oh my…

"Damn" was all Sevika could think. She also made a surprised face at how tight was Caitlyn's pussy grip. Caitlyn laid on the table, exhausted. Her body relaxing. She brought her hand up to her own ass and slowly withdrew Sevika's fingers.

Sevika sucked the two fingers that were inside Caitlyn.

Caitlyn couldn't think of anything else. She was shivering, sweating. Her whole body was lighter now. It was the best fuck she'd ever had with a stranger.

She got up from the table and realized that Sevika was sitting in the chair, lighting a cigarette, naked.

Caitlyn smoothed her hair and leaned against the table. She didn't know what to say, she was confused. Why did she just sit down?

“Did she come?” Caitlyn thought. She didn't know anything about Sevika, didn’t know how to act after sex with her, so she went to the mini fridge and got another tonic water. Sevika smoked calmly. Her gaze was on Caitlyn. She watched the commander drink the water, her throat swallowing, her stomach moving. Everything about Caitlyn was beautiful, delicate. 

Caitlyn interrupted the silence.

- Well, I still have to sit on your face.

Sevika stubbed out her cigarette. She looked into Caitlyn's eyes and smirked. The zaunite’s hair was now glued to her forehead. She was breathing heavily. She wanted to touch Caitlyn again so badly, but she wasn't willing to give up on the little game they've been playing so far.

- I know you're used to being in charge, but not here. Here you are just a…

Before Sevika could continue, Caitlyn was eager to join the game Sevika was playing as well. She didn’t held back:

- A whore, I know. I like being your whore.

Sevika hissed loudly. “What an interesting twist”, she thought. Caitlyn couldn’t believe that she was saying those things out loud.

Before Caitlyn could think of speaking anything else, Sevika told Caitlyn to approach using her finger with a sign of “come here”. Caitlyn obliged, still holding the water. She stopped in front of Sevika and said:

- I want to suck you off.

Sevika was wet and horny, but she didn't give in. 

- No, sweet thing. You will make me cum with your pussy. Looking at me.

Caitlyn kept being surprised by Sevika. She was different, almost strange. Caitlyn's mouth was salivating as she rested the bottle on the table and approached Sevika. Now seated, the zaunite's faced Caitlyn's navel. Sevika saw the fingerprints left on Caitlyn's waist. The commander lifted one leg, put one hand on the table and the other on Sevika's shoulder. She raised her hips as high as she could and put her cunt towards Sevika's mouth. She said:

- Get me started then.

Sevika was in heaven. Every part of her craved Caitlyn's body. Sevika pulled Caitlyn by the ass and started sucking her cunt. The commander's taste was smooth, almost sweet.

Caitlyn was still wet from her last orgasm. Caitlyn was surprised Sevika didn't vary her movements, she just sucked constantly. No licks. Caitlyn's entire clit was in Sevika's mouth, and she sucked the tip masterfully. Sevika felt Caitlyn's clit harden in her lips, she knew the pressure was right. She started sucking harder, faster. Caitlyn was breathing heavily, holding Sevika's head. 

The zaunite felt her chin getting wet as the fluids flowed out of Caitlyn.

Sevika slid down the chair, lying on the floor.

- Sit on my face, pretty thing.

Caitlyn spread her legs and rested her knees on the floor. She got on all fours in Sevika's mouth. She lowered herself a little to fit better and began to ride Sevika's mouth. Caitlyn was very horny and was already rubbing her pussy all over Sevika's face: chin, mouth, nose. The zaunite didn't seem to mind, she just kept sucking Caitlyn's clit frantically whenever she had the chance.

Caitlyn realized that she would soon cum at that rate. She tried to get out of Sevika’s face a few times, but she didn't want it to stop either. Sevika's mouth was big and swallowed her pussy completely. After three more attempts, Caitlyn pulled out of Sevika's face and sat directly on her cunt, her hands resting on Sevika's thighs as if she was restrained, she thrust her chest forward.

Sevika, her face all wet, didn't hesitate. She licked her lips, savoring Caitlyn's fluids and watched Caitlyn ride her pussy. Caitlyn wetting her as she rubbed herself against Sevika. The zaunite stretched her hand towards Caitlyn’s pussy and masturbated her while she was riding. Caitlyn closed her eyes and whimpered. "Oh my god, I can't cum first", she thought. Sevika was now spreading Caitlyn's fluids on her breasts, squeezing them. Every part that Sevika pressed, squeezed or bit got immediately red. Sevika pulled Caitlyn towards her. Caitlyn didn't stop riding, but her hips started to lose the pace. Caitlyn leaned to kiss her, pinning her chest onto Sevika's. The zaunite was groaning, biting Caitlyn's lips. She turned her face to the side and bit Caitlyn's arms. Caitlyn moaned and made a swift movement with her head trying to get her hair out of the way. Sevika noticed and pulled her hair, Caitlyn rode faster, her scalp was tingling and she let a loud moan out. Sevika couldn't think, she was just staring at Caitlyn's moves. "For fuck's sake" she thought. She did want to cum in Caitlyn's mouth now. Who knows, maybe afterwards?

Caitlyn rested her hands on Sevika's waist, squeezing it. Her pussy moved back and forth. Caitlyn even bounced up and down a little. Her face was stunning. She had a mischievous look on her face. She knew Sevika was loving it when she started to feel the spasms on the zaunite’s thigh.

Caitlyn rubbed her pussy three more times very slowly and turned onto her back. Now she had her hands on Sevika's shins now, their pussies pressed together. Caitlyn’'s clit rubbed against Sevika's bush. Caitlyn began to bounce in Sevika's cunt again, up and down. She looked back and moaned the words, her voice breaking from the movement:

- You wanted to see it from the back? Watch.

Sevika couldn't believe when she let a clear, loud moan, whimpering some words that Caitlyn unfortunately couldn’t hear.

(The words were: "I want to fucking tear you apart.")

Sevika grabbed Caitlyn's ass, squeezing and bouncing it harder.

Caitlyn's knees were killing her, but the adrenaline was extreme.

She was startled by a sudden slap on her ass. Sevika's hands were heavy. Caitlyn rode faster, Sevika lifted her butt off the ground and began to move her hips to match Caitlyn's movements. She was amazed by the commander figure riding her, her back was so white, her skin was smooth and her pussy was beautiful from behind too. The spasms increased, Caitlyn's ass spasmed as she felt Sevika strutter. The orgasm was beginning. She stopped moving and just pressed her pussy on Sevika. Sevika thrust and rubbed herself so fast now. She finally let out a long whimpering followed by a moan. She was squeezing Caitlyn's ass, didn't want her to move. When the commander felt the grip loosen, she was so proud of herself. Sevika was cumming the way she wanted.

Sevika stretched her body and let out a grunt. Her body trembled. Caitlyn held her position and rubbed slowly now. Sevika entire body trembled now, uncontrollably.

When she regained control of herself, Sevika slapped Caitlyn's ass prompting her to get up.

All of Sevika's actions were authoritarian. Caitlyn was now feeling used, almost like a toy. All the pride was gone, the relief vanished. She was getting up from her position, massaging her knees, her buttcheeks sore. Sevika stood up. Caitlyn saw her shadow and heard the zaunite saying:

- Now you kneel and drink it all.

Caitlyn was tired, let down by the subtle aggressiveness... But she obeyed. Sevika held Caitlyn tightly by the hair and shoved her face into her pussy. Caitlyn licked and swallowed all Sevika's cum. She looked up and instinctively opened her mouth. She was a brat, after all. Sevika rubbed the commander's face against her cunt again. Caitlyn kissed it while the zaunite lit another cigarette, an absurd scene that felt like a movie. Caitlyn’s head was racing again, she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. When Sevika rubbed her cunt one last time on Caitlyn’s face, she noticed a shift on Caitlyn’s expression. She wanted so badly to keep going and maybe slap that pretty face, but she sat down in the chair and said:

- Good girl. I get it now.

Caitlyn was too exhausted to get up, so she just crawled over and sat next to Sevika, resting her head on her knees. She felt pathetic. Sevika wasn’t touching her. Still with the taste of Sevika in her mouth, she was feeling... disposable. An uncomfortable thing to feel. She was sitting on the floor, post-sex. Sevika didn't touch her at all even though Caitlyn instinctively caressed Sevika’s legs. The commander missed the post-sex cuddling, something that was so common with Vi.

“Vi... Oh, my god. What have I done?”

Sevika noticed when Caitlyn shook her head and covered her face with her hands. She was certain Caitlyn had never been through anything like this before and to make things worse she had a concussion. 

Sevika stubbed out her cigarette on the table again and gently stroked Caitlyn's head. She lifted her knee slightly, tilting Caitlyn's face toward her. 

Caitlyn’s expression was one of evident sadness and her slow blinking made it clear something was off. 

- Are you tired or planning to pass out? - My head hurts. Am I bleeding?

Sevika simply said "No" and observed Caitlyn lying there. The commander was so beautiful, so fragile. She brushed Caitlyn’s cheek and Caitlyn closed her eyes, tilting her head to savor the touch like a cat. For a brief moment Sevika felt a flutter in her stomach. What was that feeling? 

Sevika was a heartbreaker. She hooked up with whoever she wanted, whenever she wanted, but her best memories were always the ones with women that caught her off guard and Caitlyn had done exactly that. 

- You just need some stitches and a painkiller. Lucky for you, I’ve got both.

Sevika made a move to get up and Caitlyn lifted her head from Sevika's knee. Before things got awkward, Sevika grabbed the commander’s torn shirt and wrapped it around her. 

- I’ll grab the med kit.

Caitlyn felt slightly better. Even though she was sitting on the floor, exposed, that small moment of tenderness from Sevika had been enough. Still, something was off. She couldn’t focus on what could it be, she was tired and everything hurt. She decided to stand and sit in the chair Sevika had been using, curling up with her feet tucked beneath her.  

Sevika approached. Now wearing pants but still shirtless, she carried a small white box. 

- I’m gonna need you to help me, pretty thing.  

Caitlyn tilted her head, resting it on her knee, brushing her hair to the side opposite the wound. Sevika noticed it was just a small cut above Caitlyn's eyebrow. She grabbed a suture patch, some gauze and alcohol.  

- Give me your hand. I need you to pinch the wound so I can clean and stitch it.

Caitlyn had forgotten Sevika couldn’t do it alone and felt bad. She quickly sat up, but Sevika hushed her gently and guided Caitlyn's hand with care. 

- Right here. Feel that? It’s a pathetic little cut—it’ll heal in two days max. - My head is killing me, Sevika. - I know. If it were me, I wouldn’t have hit you soooo hard.

Sevika chuckled, teasing her. The cut was tiny, but she knew the pain came from the impact. Caitlyn’s head ached from the adrenaline and stress as well.  

Caitlyn pinched the wound as instructed. Sevika dripped alcohol into the cut and warned Caitlyn to close her eyes. Before a drop could reach her eye, Sevika leaned in and licked it away.  

- Did you just lick my blood?! - Whoa, kitten. Calm down. Don’t get me started again, please. It was just rubbing alcohol. Keep holding it.

Sevika, her chest bare, her mechanical arm limp at her side, rested her human arm on Caitlyn’s forehead. Caitlyn couldn’t help but notice the way Sevika’s muscles and chest moved as she worked. A sharp sting made Caitlyn gasp softly.  

- Ouch.

Sevika leaned back, placed the gauze on the table and gently held Caitlyn’s chin.  

- There you go, sweetheart. Ready for round two.

Caitlyn’s thoughts went adrift. Was that flirting again? She wasn’t in the mood.

Sevika however just opened the kit again, pulled out a pill and handed it to Caitlyn along with the water she hadn’t finished earlier. Caitlyn felt relief.

As Caitlyn swallowed the medication, Sevika picked up her tank top from the floor and slipped it on. She grabbed her phone, typing something and Caitlyn noticed the change in her expression as Sevika scrolled through her screen and sighed.  

- Well, darling, the cavalry’s on the way. - I’ll tell them I came willingly. Don’t worry. - I don’t need your protection, Commander. Nobody’s arresting me. - I could arrest you as soon as reinforcements arrive. You kidnapped Piltover’s commander, caused her a serious injury, tore her favorite shirt…

Caitlyn didn’t even notice the mood swing. Was she losing her mind? Something about just talking to Sevika made her feel better all of a sudden. 

Sevika teased her again.

- Oh, Commander. Are you going to tell them everything I did to you?

Caitlyn smiled; she was almost comfortable now. The pain was starting to subside and she let her legs drop. She looked at Sevika. Her pants were unbuttoned and her tank top was slightly askew. Caitlyn stood up from the chair, approached the zaunite. Sevika was reaching for another cigarette when Caitlyn plucked it from her hand.  

- This will kill you. - I breathe toxic waste as soon as I wake up. Every single day. I’m dying anyway.   - We have a plan to— - Commander, stop. Put your clothes on; your reinforcements should be here soon.

Caitlyn couldn’t understand Sevika’s demeanor out of nowhere. The fleeting sense of comfort evaporated. She realized she was in the enemy’s den trying to get physically closer to someone she should be arresting. Caitlyn tried to push away the confusion of it all. The sex had been good, the deal was made. So why was Sevika so cold? And more important... Why did she care so much? 

Caitlyn moved away from Sevika and picked up her clothes from the floor. She slipped her dirty jacket over the torn shirt, buttoning it up to her neck. The jacket was heavy, damp and stained with blood. As she put on her underwear, she noticed it was cold and wet too, but she slipped it on anyway, followed by her pants.  

She looked around for her boots but couldn’t find them.  

- Where are my shoes, Sevika? - Probably in the car. Let’s see how your hero plays this before we leave the room...

Caitlyn froze. “What?!”. She realized too late what was happening. Sevika was now fully dressed, her mechanical arm exposed and emitting sharp mechanical noises as its components adjusted. Sevika stood with her back to Caitlyn, facing the door. Caitlyn was just piecing it together when the door burst open violently and one of Sevika’s henchmen was thrown unconscious into the room.  

Vi stood in the doorway, poised to deliver another punch but stopped short when she saw Caitlyn.  

- Cait?! Are you okay? Come! Get behind me. Get away from this disgusting piece of shit!

______________________________________

End of part 2.

Breathe! Part 3 comes tomorrow.

Thank you so much for reading.

(also, please let me know if you have any suggestions. I'm new on fanfics in general and I don't want to screw this up.)

[pipwritesoccasionally]

"stay away from my husband!"

nanami x reader (of course)

in which nanami goes on a mission but doesn't come back for hours, leaving the reader to come to his aid.

gender neutral reader

wc: 1391

sorry if the special grade spirit/any of the cursed energy mechanics are wrong! i barely know how it works honestly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

you knew that he couldn’t handle the special grade curse with only one other grade one sorcerer around. hell, you’d told him as such this morning, and even offered to ask yaga to go on the mission with him, but of course kento’d refused. 

“i can’t let you get hurt, (y/n),” he’d said, only causing you to cross your arms in anger. 

“and you think i could let you? absolutely not,” but he’d continued getting ready anyways. kento left like always, kissing you sweetly before closing the door behind him. you knew he was cautious, but after hearing that three second grade sorcerers had gone to shoko in critical condition, you felt justified in feeling worried. 

the afternoon crept past at an agonizing pace, leaving you unfocused and stressed. you’d tried to relax, but the silence only seemed to amplify the sound of your pounding heart. 

he’d said that the mission should only last two hours, three if the curse put up a really good fight, but it had been six hours now, and there was no sign of your husband. you know that he can handle himself, but if he’s with another grade one sorcerer, especially someone younger than him, you know that he would do anything to protect them. 

“fuck,” you mutter, jumping up and rushing to your weapons’ shelf to grab your cursed weapon of choice. the sword handle chills your hand, but you sheath it quickly and run out the door. 

as you run, you scramble through your memories to find the address kento had told you earlier– “for safety”-- and throw it into your gps. the route hasn’t even loaded before you throw your car in reverse and make your way down the narrow street. 

“if you’re dead when i get there kento…” you know that you’re talking to yourself, but due to the high stress situation, you can’t seem to care. 

thankfully, the address where kento was sent to intercept the curse is only fifteen minutes from your house, though that does little to calm your worries. after all, if it’s so close to home, what’s taking him so long? 

the car slides in to a spot along the street, and you throw the door open, barely locking it before running into the building. grunts echo from above, and you start taking the stairs two at a time. when you make it up the first two flights, the air gets heavy with cursed energy, and you feel both relief and worry compound. at least somone is still alive. 

creaking floors and eroded stone decorate the inside of the stairwell, so you infer that the building has been abandoned for a while. that means you don’t have to hold back against whatever curse is there. 

the sounds of fighting get louder as you go up, until you find yourself in an open floor plan, face to face with the special grade cursed spirit.

who was seconds away from killing your husband. 

kento was against the wall, ragged breathing perturbing your already worried thoughts. seeing him in this state threw any hesitations you had out the already-broken-in window.

“stay away from my husband,” you threaten, tension grating your deepened voice. your trusty sword had already met your hand, and your cursed energy radiated into it in droves. the cursed spirit turned its head toward you, and it was then that you were able to really gauge the threat it posed. 

the beast’s long body coiled around like a scorpion, extending into a craning horse’s head. what’s more, two sets of long, feathered wings lay dormant against its body, creating a monstrous medley of an organism. the different characteristics of the curse most likely were the reason that your husband had such a problem with it, but you had the advantage of seeing it in its entirety before even beginning the fight. 

however, you felt the energy shift in the room, and your movements became slow, sluggish even. 

‘this must be part of its technique,’ you think, but unfortunately for the curse, you’d been a sorcerer for too long. 

it also helped that you had been adopted as a grade one sorcerer immediately after killing a grade one cursed spirit on your very first mission. as a freshman in high school. 

you ran to the other side of the room, hoping to distract the curse from kento, and swung your sword towards its body. it made contact, but the wound closed almost immediately. 

‘it has reversed cursed technique too? no wonder its special grade,’ this made the task of eliminating it much harder. 

“darling, i told you not to come,” kento said, stabilizing himself against the wall. 

“that stubborness could have gotten you killed,” you reply, striking the curse again to no avail. kento joins the fight, the two of you working together seamlessly. 

“i’ve been trying to find its weakspot, and i don’t think it’s anywhere in the body,” he says, and you nod. 

“then it has to be in the wings, i’d assume. cut them off and it should disintigrate on its own. hopefully,” you say, running towards the curse, sliding under it and slicing all the way down. kento follows, immediately making his way towards the wings, slicing at one. your sword lodges into the beast’s body, getting stuck part of the way through, and you push it up further up into the curse’s body. it screeches, and kento takes that time to slice the other wing. the two of you had always been such great partners, not even having to relay your plan before the two of you begin to work in sync. your movements begin to speed up, letting you know that your endeavor had worked. however, the beast was disintigrating too slowly, allowing it to still attack. 

your sword had been dislodged from the curse and you found yourself behind it, watching everything happen in slow motion. it thrusted its head towards your husband, clearly meaning to get one last attack in, and while he would normally be able to evade quite easily, he’d been here for hours and his exhaustion was clear. 

‘Fuck no,’ you thought, pulling yourself together and running straight towards the curse. all of the cursed energy you possessed was in your sword, and you made an arc, slashing it right through the curse’s neck. its head came clean off, and you positioned your body towards your husband, pushing him out of the way to take the weight of the head onto your own body. 

a crack echoed in the room, probably from one of your ribs, but you couldn’t find it in you to care. the curse disintegrated, leaving you on the ground, eyes peering over at your husband. 

he groaned weakly, slowly pushing to a stand, and he walks over to you. 

“are you alright?” his eyebrows furrow in worry, and you shake your head, sitting up. 

“i should be asking you that. you fought that curse for hours and are still standing upright. we need to go visit shoko,” you say, wincing at the pain in your abdomen. kento comes over, kneeling next to you and putting a hand on your shoulder. you grab his hand, and he helps you stand up, the two of you leaning into each other. 

“what happened to the other sorcerer?” he’d been sent on this mission with another grade one sorcerer, who was no where to be found. 

“he got injured really badly, and i had him leave so i didn’t have to worry about protecting him too,” your heart warms at his care for your fellow sorcerers, but you can’t help but sigh. 

“this is why i came to get you. i love how protective you are, but you need another person here for fights like this,” a low hum fills the room as he agrees, and you lean your head on his shoulder. 

“can we go home? i think we can hold off on seeing shoko for a bit, i just need some rest,” your husband’s voice is scratchy as a symptom of his shallow breathing, and you want nothing more than to help him. the exhaustion washing over your body tells you that rest will do the both of you some good, so you nod, and start walking towards the door. 

“okay, let’s go home.”

[ataleofcrowns]

New Chapter Released!

Hello again! Hope your winter has gone well ❄️

With the public release of this new chapter we’re setting up the Crown's daily routine as a monarch, while romance and courtly intrigue continue to build:

Diverging paths depending on your love interest, including scenes from your main LIs point of view! R and A accompany the Crown, but what are D and X up to in the meantime?

While the Crown becomes used to ruling, each LI experiences a shocking revelation in their main route, one that will cascade into future chapters

The Crown continues to grow and learn, being tutored in various subjects to increase their knowledge

Tutoring is not merely in theory: the Crown enjoys physical training, as well. Choose your favorite weapon and shape future fight scenes!

The Imperial Court is finally taking shape. Choose certain positions, receive political proposals, even form an alliance, if you have the points...

A few additional changes made to the game overall:

The codex page for the Crescent Blades has been added, including character art! It should be unlocked for all saves that are past Chapter 1

Changed various lore related names, mainly the ones referring to the Major Spirits, in order to better reference the Zoroastrian inspirations that Arsur's religion is based on

Darkened the background color further to be friendlier on the eyes. Some day, I'll add a proper dark mode, but that day is not today haha

Edited the Arsurian Calendar to match with the new background color, and also corrected the start and end dates of the months!

IMPORTANT: It's highly recommended to replay the entirety of CH9 before getting to CH10. CH9 has some changes relating to LI relationship stats, so if you don't go back to play through those, you risk relationship flavor text messing up in CH10. Such as a high relationship being described as a low relationship, things of that nature.

Thank you for all your patience and support, I hope you enjoy the new chapter with the nearing end of this winter 💖

For those that are unfamiliar with the game

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy romance story, told in the form of a text-based interactive novel with choice mechanics. The setting is inspired by Kurdish culture as well as other historical settings in the Middle East such as Ancient Persia, but it also draws heavily from other cultures and countries in the region.

Your character is native to Arsur, a vast empire overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the Spirits of this world to be the new Crown. In this story, your MC takes on that role.

There are four different love interests to choose from, whose genders will be customized to suit the preferences of your Crown. You can find more info about them on the blog page!

Also note that this current version of the game is safe for those 16 years and older.

Like the premise so far? Play it and give it a try! The entire game is free!

If you enjoyed the game, please reblog! Share it with your friends! Recognition and reader interaction is just about the only thing I get in return for creating it ❤️

[ashley-kins]

If I were to make the next Zelda game, what would I change?

Bring back underwater traversal and real Water Temples.

If you were to think about any iconic Zelda item that isn't a weapon, you'd most likely think about the hook/clawshot. I like that we can climb, but I miss the claw/hookshot. Personally, I'd have the Skyward Sword climbing mechanics where you can climb a little bit but not much, but make it so that the hook/clawshot can go on any surface. Even better is a double claw/hookshot so you can swing around like Spider-Man

Linkle. That's right, from the original Hyrule Warriors spin-off game. It would be cool if we got to choose to play as Link or Linkle at the beginning of the game. Make it so that Link can't get into Gerudo Town without a disguise like in Breath of the Wild, but also make it so Linkle can't get into Goron City without a disguise, that way it's even and there's no major advantage.

If Linkle can't be an option, I'd have Link be a different race than Hylian. Tears of the Kingdom already teased us with this concept with the Ancient Hero. Before TotK, the closest we got was Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask Link who thought he was a Kokiri but found out that he was in fact Hylian and also had ghost masks to shapeshift into other races. (Or you could also add Linkle as this race too. But I think that's a bit much)

20 hearts OR harder enemies. With BotW, Link had 30 hearts. In literally every other Zelda game he had 20. With 30 hearts, it was a decent change in normal mode, but in Master Mode, it made it essential. Enemies did more damage and evolved from their normal mode counterparts. In TotK, Link has 40 hearts and no Master Mode. The enemies do basically the same damage as in BotW's normal mode and sometimes even far less with the decayed-unfused weapons. So I would make the series go back to 20 hearts or have Master Mode as the default difficulty.

A new fast travel system. Look, shrines were a good idea. Especially for a fast travel system, but if we're getting rid of the 10-20 extra hearts how I would do it, we need something else. For this, let's turn to Skyrim for just a second. The fast travel system there is broken because every cave, tower, dungeon, etc. is a fast travel point, but let's look at the towns/cities and important landmarks: they're fast travel points once we discover them. So let's turn those things into fast travel points in this hypothetical Zelda game. Now, what about the less significant parts of the map? Well, a few train stations around the map with a train. I mean, trains are in the Zelda universe. Spirit Tracks literally is about that, so it wouldn't be a big deal. I had this idea back in 2021, and now even fucking Fortnite has a train around a map with a few train stations in random spots.

This one will make a bit more sense if you read my "If I were to make a Zelda game, what would I keep?" post. Heart Pieces/Stamina pieces. You could go the normal route with 4 pieces makes a full thing or go Twilight Princess style with 5 pieces makes a full thing. These would probably be given as quest rewards in quests that are Side Adventures rather than Main Quests or Side Quests. Side quests would give you rupees or a rare item and Main Quests will give you more story progression.

Bring back the "one-and-done" races like the Kokiri, Twili, Minish, Zonai, Lokomo, etc.

[thunderandsage]

what dnd class you should play based on your favorite arcane character

starting note: this isn’t me saying what dnd class absolutely 100% lines up with a character, this is me making recommendations based on the characters’ aspects (e.g. narratively mel isn’t a wizard at all but if you like her shielding magic then abjuration wizard is the way to go, etc.)

Vi - barbarian if you like wreaking absolute havoc on the battlefield (statting out the atlas gauntlets as weapons makes this a good choice), the sevika fight when vi hallucinates vander could fit the ancestral guardian subclass well, or monk open palm, or a good old fashioned fighter champion could work

Jinx - artificer artillerist (obvious), but her crazy agility and reflexes also line up with a lot of rogue features and her pirate-esque qualities could line up with a fun swashbuckler or gunslinger

Ekko - druid if you like the eco aspects, or paladin oath of the ancients (protecting the tree), if you liked the z drive aspect i’d recommend chronurgy wizard

Mel Medarda - bard college of glamour (the social aspects from season 1, with unbreakable majesty as her glowing avatar form), draconic bloodline sorcerer (hear me out—the scales ac boost could be like the golden sigils, and narratively this fits best out of the sorcerer options i think) or abjuration wizard (if you like the idea of magic shield mechanics)

Viktor - warlock if you enjoyed the late season 1 hexcore dynamic, could be a reflavored genie with the hexcore as the “bottle” or a great old one if you want some season 2 mind manipulation aspects, for season 2 era someone proposed cleric order domain which i really like, if you like LoL viktor you could go the artificer route

Caitlyn - hunter ranger with maxxed out archery features, if you liked her dictator arc i think paladin oath of the crown could also be a fun option

Jayce - forge cleric fits his character best overall, or artificer battle smith, or if you want to lean in to the “defender of tomorrow” you could technically do paladin but i’m unsure on the subclass

Sevika - paladin of crown actually as well??? her loyalty to zaun makes her fit this description very well tbh, but i’m open to suggestions on this one

Ambessa - paladin oath of conquest (duh)

Silco - rogue mastermind or bard college of whispers

Vander/Warwick - barbarian path of the beast has some appropriate werewolf-flavored mechanics

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana Mini-HCs: Brainrot's Masterlist, Pt 5

M6 and lunchables

MC gives M6 a drink called "gender fluid"

M6 when MC likes "kid's shows"

M6 making art

M6 on MC's trauma anniversary

When MC grew up on the docks

M6 playing instruments

M6 with a highschool crush

When MC has a shy familiar

When MC catches the bridal bouquet

M6 when MC breaks their hand and can't play games

M6 when their kid does the same dangerous stuff they did

When MC returns after a long trip

With a Clown!MC

MC has a spider familiar

M6 waking up to MC on the floor

MC breaks their bones because of a roach

M6 get turned into mythical creatures

M6 when MC clings to them like a koala

When MC's parent is cold and demanding

MC with chronic nightmares

M6 at a friend's wedding

Vesuvia Weekly: First (Platonic) Kiss

When MC has allergies

M6 forget to give their familiar a treat

M6 vs horrible goose

Werewolf MC

M6 and interior decorating

MC visiting the beginning of their route

MC wears clothes with M6's face

When MC sleeps like a vampire

M6 hear you say "I love you" while they're sleeping

MC moves the room onto the ceiling

Vesuvia Weekly (poorly doodled): M6 as mermaids

When M6 miss MC at work (poorly doodled)

Modern M6's jobs

When MC likes to be talked to sleep

When MC imitates M6

Styling MC's hair

M6 vs Mechanical Bull

M6 trying to make up

Adopt-a-goat with the M6

When MC's bad at remembering names

When MC's familiar is a little bit of a jerk

M6 helping MC mourn their Aunt

What M6 bring to show and tell

When MC and M6's relationship is forbidden

M6 being MC's lucky charm

MC is a Royal Guard

With a nocturnal familiar

When MC has alien antennas

M6's favorite IRL occasions

Things I associate with M6

MC with a lot of tattoos

Winged!MC hugging the M6

When MC floats in their sleep

With a gardener MC

M6 on laughing gas

M6 helping MC wash their hair

When MC is a deep sleeper

M6 when you give them the Djungelskog

Pride Month

When MC and M6 used to be rivals

Helping MC use trans tape

When MC is bad with money

When MC stays angry at Lucio

M6 when MC overuses their magic

M6 waiting for MC

When MC drops their phone in water

With a mind-reader MC

When MC knows lots of trivia

M6 sit in MC's lap

M6 with a gentlemanly MC

When MC plays otome games

M6 when MC is religious

When MC's accent slips out

When MC has eczema

Nighttime routines

When M6 turn into a small, wounded animal

MC with scoliosis

With a fox familiar

How M6 handle their crushes

M6 find a child with the same trauma as them

With a crybaby MC

When MC has narcolepsy

MC teaching M6 magic

When MC used to be royalty

With a very feminine MC

M6 with a randomly contorting MC

When MC has anxiety

Using poetry to compliment M6

Asking M6 "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

When MC has abandonment issues

When MC loves tea

Asking M6 to kiss it better

When MC has asthma

Visiting non-Vesuvian MC's home country

MC who uses shovels as a weapon

M6 when MC is covered in stitches and limps

When tourist!MC has to go home

[lilacargent]

Here we go again,

Puzzles/ jigsaws would confuse Aliens so much

Set on the serpentine, beginning of the humans tenure

Important crew:

Primoz, captain -Limoyh a four armed species-Krag, second in command (brother of Primoz)

Kit, dokter -avian, bird like, she has feathers like a swallow-

Ortez, ASR (all species resources, human resources in space) -kiltak, insectoid species, think ants but exoskeleton-

Lugea, helmsperson (does the steering) -rock like alien-

Artex, engineer/mechanic 1 -also Kiltak-

And then our humans:

Kamari, navigator -Eritrean woman- (has cat named Sidra)

Markus, weapons expert (knows how to use them and upkeep, also shields) -Swedish man-

Petrus, mechanic/engineer 2 - Italian man-

Lilly, administrator/note keeper (learns languages for fun)-english woman-

~~~~~~~

Puzzles

The serpentine is on route between trading posts, this is currently the furthest route without proper jump point because of the static energy surrounding the dual planets castor and pollux.

Primoz is getting worried. The humans are becoming increasingly more jittery and Kamari looks like she a pinch away from punch someone, Markus has been ‘humming’ a song that annoys her greatly. Honestly the noises the tall man is making don’t seem that bad but every few minutes her eyebrows twitch which Ortez told him is a sign of frustration.

Before the captain can figure out how to keep them from doing something deathworld worthy, Lilly comes in with precariously stacked carton boxes and Petrus carrying a table. Setting the pile down the smallest human straightens out “look what i brought! Old earth puzzles! This one has a deer and this one has the old world wonders” immediately the humming stops and Markus is at the table with Petrus “oh yes Lilly you are the best! I wanna do the deer one, that is gonna be a challenge”

With the table in the corner of the bridge the tension among crew is nearly gone, as all species try to put the cut apart pictures together, Lilly brought 9 puzzles and at a certain point a competition was forming: after one of the human unit had finished a puzzle the other crew try to make it in less time. They have yet to win.

Looking at his relaxed crew Primoz grins at his brother who is trying to use all his four arms to put pieces together without much succes. Turning away from the competition he taps Lilly on her shoulder “how do you guys do it? Also why did you think to take these things with you.” Lilly looks up from her drawing (the crew bent over the table making the puzzle) “well i knew it was going to be a long trip, Kamari thinks Markus will be ‘professional’ but he can’t help himself” her soft smile when she puts air punctuation around professional makes her look much younger than she is “puzzles are something many humans enjoy, not everyone is as good at them as Markus, but he does this thing where he uses the shape of them more than colours. While he isn’t colour blind, he has real trouble with telling differences in shades. No idea why it works this well but it does, Petrus has already won three nights of free drinking on Castor from betting.” All of a sudden looking bashful Lilly ducks her head “ah eh yes sorry forget i said that we don’t bet on this at all!” Primoz just grins “nobody has broken anything this whole trip, im not going to disrupt the flow you and your unit created. Don’t worry.”

At arrival Petrus has won the whole human crew free drinks for the foreseeable future, and the crew in its entirety hooked on puzzles. While not all species see the colours the same way or understand the patterning in the pieces the feeling of putting in the correct pieces makes it such an enjoyable activity that Lilly brings new puzzles after every holiday back home.

~~~~~~~~~

This one was born out of the confusion my family had when we were making puzzles (jigsaws?) the pictures in pieces… this is where it becomes super clear English is not my first language. Anyway, we had two puzzles out and they were so surprised i could differentiate the positions the pieces needed to be in without context. I had to tell them that the pattern otherwise won’t make sense,

I have the same thing as Markus that colours are fine unless you put several of the same colours next to each other and call them different. This is why the deer one is super hard,

The two puzzles that were described:

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

thinking about the fe games w/ routes (fates and three houses specifically but probably others idfk)

i think there needs to be more tragedy there. or opportunities for it i guess? or that fire emblem has to make unique death quotes for characters in general man

death in fire emblem feels so blah for me. more of an inconvenience than in other media. like when im playing DnD and an npc i love dies it isnt "man that sucks. anyway" but even w characters i love in fire emblem its just "man do i wanna reset the chapter for this that was so lame"

make death and especially betrayal related deaths Hurt More.

lets say youre byleth. youre teaching the black eagles, yay! but you have a b support with claude. you and claude are good buddies, maybe you just like claude as a character or its accidental because of x y z does Not matter. either way you are one of claudes closest friends. then the war starts, and you choose to side with a woman claude sees as a future tyrant (or at the very least a driven warmonger who might crush the alliance underneath her boot). imagine the hurt. the absolute fucking agony for claude.

and for byleth! byleth wakes up and their friend is gone. on another side, unreachable, 5 years of emotional distance *yawning* in front of them.

and then they reunite in the midst of battle, weapons drawn. theyve both come so far and have goals they *have* to achieve.

"I don't want this."

too bad. if you roll over, you get a game over because you fuckin failed the route. or you have to make someone else kill claude because sumn sumn mechanically you have a 0% hit rate bc of that b support. you cant do it.

too bad. claude cant run away, hes the last line of defense for a place hes responsible for. if he leaves what is he? a coward? a turncoat? would he have to believe in edelgard's future? would he have to slay his own allies, friends, the people who relied on him?

he cant. you cant.

he begs you to reconsider. you cant.

as he falls he reaches out a hand. you kneel beside him as he says a few things. calls this whole battle a clever gambit, praises your cunning in using effective weaponry, etc etc. but his voice is weaker. theres no option to spare him, you couldnt spare any *other* unit, could you? couldn't spare hilda. cant spare claude.

he mentions sometimes dreaming of the monastery. the food was good, right? hope the foods good in the future you build with edelgard. hope you name a town after him, thatd be fun. dont get stupid, teach, dont join him too soon. maybe he'll even wait for ya. keep a seat warm.

(fire emblem unit death sound)

then also: units in your own army.

lets say youre playing black eagles. its nearish endgame but not too close so i dont say any spoilers, but regardless bernadetta and yuri have an A support. they might get hitched postgame man, you havent done the A support of anyone else w those two. its a rough battle, your healer is severely low on psychic uses, you sold all your fucking vulneraries because you thought dorothea was more of a beast than she is. its dire.

unexpected sniper crit. yuri is on 0 hp.

bernadetta is within 5 tiles and instead of yuri's canned death quote, bernie interjects with one of the most well voiced anguished screams youve ever fucking heard. on the next turn, bernie gets +50 hit *and* crit on that enemy, and if she kills it the rest of the scene plays.

bernie is holding yuri, one of her few friends in her hellish fucking life. hes not gonna make it, she knows that, but shes still gonna try. shes wailing and begging him to stay like she wished she had all those fucking years ago, shes babbling about all the things he'll miss if he goes, all the things shes planned for them to do now that shes brave enough to leave her bedroom. he cuts her off to laugh. now is when she gets brave and honest with her feelings? when hes dying? oh bernie come on. he wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her in for a hug, kissing her temple like an old boyfriend and not a quiet yearning crush. he murmurs that hes glad she left her bedroom. that hes glad she can see the world beyond what abuse happened to her behind closed doors. that she'll find some other person to hold in his stead, one who wont so rudely get his blood on her battle leathers. one who wont leave her time and time again like he has. she wails into his shoulder as she drops the scraps of cloth she had been trying to use to stop his bleeding and just holds her dying friend.

(fire emblem unit death sound)

if death felt like An Event and not An Inconvenience i'd play with permadeath more man. make me sad fire emblem youre so shit at it

.

[universe-prime]

Are you in need of transport A.S.A.P?

Looking to deliver some goods across Cybertron faster than a turbo-fox chasing its own tail?

Tired of having to keep track of overbearing lists and passports just for a single ride to the city??

Well look no further than Cybertron's finest—

The mighty Click-Clack and Co.~!!

I've been thrown back into my transformers love HARD and decided to revamp/create a bunch of ocs to cope with it lmao. Anyway, meet Click-Clack and(a small part) of his dandy crew~! Click-Clack(or just Clacker for short) specializes in delivering all manner of goods and services across the vast expanse of Cybertron in just a few days time. Whether it be weapons, medical supplies, building materials, or simply an independent company needing help traveling from point A to B, he doesn't really discriminate and just LOVES doing his duty as a gigantic mailman train

To really put Clacker into perspective, I put him beside a few iconic bots from tfa...👀💦

And as an added fun bonus, I even made a map of his internal layout when he's in train mode(which is pretty much his default tbh)

But what's a train without his helpful crew, ey? This is only a small part of it, my pal @simplych4i has ocs that cover a good majority, but I can at least give a quick overview on these fellas!!

Needlepoint

The one and only medic! If there's an incident or injury, she'll take care of you with a patient servo and a caring spark

She was assigned to Clacker due to a recent scandal that ruined her career. Her patients mysteriously wound up dead or missing memories while under her care, and enough of these reports piled up to the point where her license was revoked and no respectful hospital would ever hire her again

Overall she's a doting maternal figure to the crew and, although a bit quiet and reserved, she's always happy to lend a shoulder to cry on or a listening audial fin

SpRocket

Self proclaimed demolitions expert and part-time mechanic! Should the train ever be attacked by Decepticon's raiding it for it's cargo, or any other outside threat, she's there on the front lines ready to blast them back to the hole they crawled out of

Former Elite Guard, Rocket(she claims the "S and P" are silent👀) was quickly demoted and shunned from her station due to her "sudden" fatuation with explosives and anything that could cause them. After a near-death experience that nearly extinguished her spark, she went off on a personal mission to recreate the enlightening blast that started it all in the hopes of "seeing utopia" once again...whatever that means

Nowadays, Rocket is just as explosive as her passion. Loud-mouthed and unafraid to speak her mind, she's always ready to slam a fist into anyone who crosses her path while also gleefully spreading a few headaches across her fellow crewmates

Tag

And lastly, our head of navigation! Despite their age, Tag has a natural gift for plotting out routes, understanding complicated maps, and making sure that there's always a backup route should the current one ever be interrupted

(Former)delivery mailbot by day, graffiti street artist by night, Tag often explored the seediest parts of Cybertron along their route and saw the injustice firsthand. Using their artistic talent and the access they had to private letters, they'd anonymously paint rebellious ideology and personal defamation against elites as a way of speaking out. Tag's artistic trail was eventually traced back to them, and they were swiftly demoted to a spot on the Click-Clack

Tag is overall what you might expect from a young bot who was practically raised in the underbelly of Cybertron. Cute and sweet one minute, then cutthroat and petty the next, overall Tag is just a bundle of energy constantly looking to prove themself alongside the much older "adult" bots of the crew they're with. They can't quite grasp why everyone insists on protecting them so much, but slowly Tag has learned to accept this ragtag group of weirdos and ex-convicts as their true family

And that's about it!! These guys have been flooding my mind for DAYS and if you've actually made it this far, thank you thank you🥺🤙 I can't wait to post more stuff about them, I'm rattling them around in my brain SO hard

[mjrtaurus]

My idea for some Crocodile's backstory until Oda spills the tea

A bastard child of Rocks D. Xebec, one of many, but the only to survive.

Afab, but knew he was a boy since he was in his single digits. His father was indifferent to this and everything else about him.

"Discovered" his name when he bit the ever-loving shit out of somebody who was fucking around and found out.

Inherited Xebec's horror of a temper and weaponized it as a self-defense mechanism. This got him into a lot of trouble later in life.

Was adopted by Whitebeard when Xebec was executed. He later took the mark on the back of his left hand, once the "family" was more well established.

Immediately had beef with Marco due to being under the assumption that the Phoenix was dad's new favorite.

Teach egged this rivalry on from the shadows, knowing damn well that if the two worked together, they would sniff his treacherous ass out in record time.

When their devil fruits were found and eaten, Crocodile was deeply jealous of Marco's newfound power.

What began as a brotherly quarrel spilled over into an actual, serious, life or death fight that Whitebeard had to intervene in.

This intervention ended with a nasty cut across Crocodile's face, and Marco dumbfounded by the attempt on his life.

Crocodile was marooned at the next port, his destructive temper deemed a danger to his brothers and sisters.

The whitebeard pirates mourned the loss, hitting Marco and Whitebeard the deepest.

Crocodile- betrayed and alone for the first time in his life- renounced his family by getting good and drunk, cutting of his marked left hand, and vowing to kill Whitebeard.

Set about learning to master his abilities, and- bitterly- how to keep a tighter grip on his anger.

By his late teens, he was leading a small but deadly efficient crew that only grew and grew with time until he gained the title of Warlord.

With this ego boost, he took his flagship- the Sobekneferu- to launch a swift and silent surprise attack on the Moby Dick under a dense fog, intent on catching Whitebeard unawares.

This attack went about as well as one could imagine. The fog covered them well, but not well enough to evade the eyes of one particular phoenix..

What the fog did do was delay Whitebeard's realization of who was attacking him until the Sobekneferu and the crew that manned her were all but destroyed.

Crocodile was the only survivor, presumed dead and adrift at sea, watching the gulls and the sea kings pick at the corpses of his found family, new and old.

He was saved days later by a passing Revolutionary ship that was scouring the wreck for anything that could be used or repurposed.

He was thought dead at first, until he lashed out at the Revolutionary who attempted to move his body.

They took him in, sick and starving and with his spirit all but broken, and he ran with them for about a year before he was ready to move on.

In that span of time, he met a man named Dragon, and bullied him ruthlessly for his impossible goals. Unfortunately for Crocodile, Dragon found this sour attitude to be quite charming.

It wasn't quite a relationship, though not for lack of wanting it to be. Times were too dangerous. The two couldn't even give each other their full names out of the need for caution, let alone be seen together outside of work related things...

It was Dragon who eventually introduced Crocodile to Ivankov, and the two were soon discussing the ins and outs of a full transition. This was put on hold when, one evening, it was discovered that a particularly nasty bout of cramps were actually the beginnings of labor pains.

No one knew who the father of this unexpected child was, save for him and Dragon, and that was for the best. If anyone asked, it had been a nameless bedfellow when they had been spending time ashore.

Neither named the child, knowing that giving the baby up would be the safest route to go for all of them. Crocodile didn't even want to know if he had a son or a daughter. He didn't want that pain.

He only spent long enough with the revolutionaries to recover from the birth and then from the transition. After that, he was off to reclaim his title of Warlord, to find new leads and new purposes, and maybe send some funds and information Dragon's way. Just to make sure he and his little outfit was still kicking.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hey! I really love your recommendations— I’m just now getting into Ironsworn as a solo game from one of your posts. I was wondering, and I know this is a difficult and maybe weird ask, but do you know any solo rpgs that have good tactical combat? I enjoy narrative systems a lot, but my biggest passion is getting deep into tactics and strategy. I can’t even imagine how a solo game could get much more tactical than Ironsworn is, but if there are any out there I’d really love to try them out.

THEME: Solo Tactical Games

Hello, thank you so much for the lovely compliment! Let’s see if I can find anything for you.

EZCARGOT, by Garlickatsu.

"The surface has been lost. What remains is a gray, featureless and foggy wasteland. Dangerous, unidentifiable Entities roam free. Humanity lives in Rifts that keep them safe from Entites. These Rifts are kept open using a highly volatile resource called Anomaly. You pilot an EZ.CARGO.Trailer to transport one chunk of stable Anomaly between Rifts. Scan for the route ahead. Protect the Anomaly. Make it to your next destination alive."

EZCARGOT is more of an exploration game than it is a combat game, but the fact that you’re protecting an Anomaly makes combat feel necessary, even if it’s just a necessary part. That being said, the building and maintenance of your EZCARGOT vehicle is definitely at the centre of this game. This vehicle has compartments for various purposes; generating energy, firing weapons, carrying the Anomaly, and more.

On top of maintaining the EZCARGOT and protecting your precious cargo, there is the hazard of the land you must travel to get from rift to rift. If you want a game that’s weird, futuristic and dangerous, you might like EZCARGOT.

Delve to Earn Dimes, by flumpledev.

The surface world became uninhabitable for most people long ago. Not due to any cataclysm or war, but due to low wages.

In this solo journaling TTRPG you play as a crew of career dungeon delvers who are able to afford to live on the surface- as long as you spend most of your time surviving inside the dungeon. With a blackjack resolution mechanic you will need to weigh risk and reward, survival and honor in The Undercity.

A deck-of-cards dungeon delve, this game gives you a crew of characters to manage, rather than just one. Each member has different skills, attached to the four suits of your deck of cards. These cards also double as encounter generators, creating obstacles and enemies as you move down each floor of your dungeon.

Each day of in-game time, you will have an encounter. I suspect many of these encounters will be combat focused, since in most case you’ll have to decide whether you press on and deal with the encounter, or flee. You’ll also have a boss to defeat on each floor in order to keep moving onward - and a juicy reward after each boss fight that gives you the feeling of levelling up.

Hollow Hike, by RollForThings.

Hollow Hike is a short Dark Souls-inspired RPG about travelling a blighted land as a deathless Hollow, repeatedly dying and reviving against difficult foes, discovering the secrets of a lost kingdom, and slaying the Ashen Lords along the way. Hollow Hike is designed for a one-player experience, but can optionally be played with a GM for a duet game.

If you like gritty combat, you’ll probably like Hollow Hike. Similar to plenty of traditional fantasy games, you have a level and a class, and similar to Dark Souls, you need to collect souls to level up. If you die, you drop all of the souls you’ve collected up until then, and you’ll have to reach the same point in order to pick them back up - if you’ve played Bloodborne, this is probably familiar to you!

One of the ways the game is challenging is in the single-use nature of your items. You can use them to give yourself slight advantages in combat, but once you use them, they’re gone. However, I think the highlight of this game is the bosses on each level. They’re the doors to a new realm when they are defeated, and if they are an Ashen Lord, they’re extra special - they bring you one step closer to a true escape.

Factory of the Machine God, by Anthony Hobday.

A solo pen-and-paper tactical mech combat game.

An AI virus has uploaded itself to Mech Factory 12 [North Sea]. It has named itself “The Machine God.” We cannot send autonomous mechs against it. You will be airlifted to the factory. Go to the 5th floor and shut down the server. Clean-up crews will land on your all-clear.

This feels very much like an old-school rpg, with levels of the factory to work through, 6 skills, and various module spaces with which you can build your mech. Because you’re building your ideal war-machine, I think character creation alone can make this game tactical, but of course you’ll also have to battle various enemies as you try to get closer and closer to the final boss. The game also comes with an order of operations for enemies to act, which makes it easier for you to plan ahead and try and make the most of what you have.

Factory of the Machine God is rather minimalist in presentation, but I think it has a really strong concept as its base conceit, and I think it’s worth checking out all the same.

My Spoons are Stabby!, by Caramel Sugarevil.

Welcome to My Spoons are Stabby, a solo roguelike game where you’re dungeon crawling through your mind and dealing with the monsters you find there. The best weapon in the Monster Hunter’s arsenal is their mind, so we developed The Chaos Machine, the holodeck that mentally links to the Hunt Team. Through that, they can work through their issues individually or as a team. 

My Spoons are Stabby uses a deck of cards for task resolution, and your character has four stats that correspond to each card suit. You play by drawing cards from a draw pile and placing them into a daily spread of 6.

Your primary resource is called “Spoons”, which are required to do most things. If you run out of spoons too soon, you can take a wound or use up resources, but both are limited - and if you get 5 wounds, you lose the game.

The genre of the game feels a bit like urban fantasy. Each card you draw introduces various complications and monsters, many of which have special rules about how to deal with that day’s specific problem.

If you want a game that’s a strong metaphor and feels a little bit like a pick-your-own adventure with a few extra pieces to manage, you might like My Spoons are Stabby.

Welcome to the Dungeon, by wym_lawson.

You are the overseer of the realm of darkness, the supreme ruler of all monsters, known to the humans as The-Tainted-One. Despite these grand titles and immense responsibilities, you just want to live a quiet, peaceful life with your skeleton friends and pet slimes. But why do the humans find the need to invade your domain, seeking to destroy you and disrupt your peace?

Fine. If they insist on war, you will give them just that. In Welcome to the Dungeon, you play as the Dark Lord. Your goal is to build a dungeon filled with traps and monsters to thwart these pesky Heroes. Each victory against these intruders earns you resources, enabling you to enhance and expand your dungeon. Hopefully, you will be prepared to face the ultimate adventuring party led by the Chosen One.

I think Welcome to the Dungeon is kind of a tactical combat, but most of the tactics happen before any of the combat starts You create a dungeon with a certain number of points; the more points used, the higher the level of the dungeon. Apart from rooms, you’ll also need to create traps and Monsters - if you’re familiar with Boss Monster the boardgame, I think it feels slightly like that.

You’re also going to building the Heroes, which are the foes that you pit your dungeon against. These heroes have levels, just like your dungeon, but they also have classes, special reactions, and traits that will make defeating them difficult. If you defeat them, you get more points! Perhaps you can use those to make your dungeons even deadlier on your second play!

First Monarch, by Mundos Infinitos.

After THE FALL, We conceive the perfect MONARCHS And they, released their CRIMSON MIST. Many became SPECTERS, cities crumbled. Some survived, underground. The GUARDIAN has found her CHOSEN, With the duty of defeating the… FIRST MONARCH

The creator behind Mundos Infinitos is very good at packaging a whole experience in just a few pages. One page of First Monarch is full of oracles, generators that make your adventure unpredictable. Another page is dedicated to character details and special abilities; including a Bloodlust track that fills every time you turn a failure into a victory.

You play two characters in First Monarch, rather than one: a Chosen and a Guardian. The Chosen is the character with special abilities, but the Guardian has a special dice that can be used to lend you her aid in certain circumstances. She can also give you her blood to reduce your Bloodlust.

All in all, a lot of flavour in a very small package.

Other Posts To Look At

Not all of the games in these posts will be tactical, but these are the recommendation posts that I think are most likely to have tactical games.

Solo Showdowns Recommendation Post

Chrono Trigger / FFVI Solo Games

Solo Knights

Also Consider…

Godspark, by M.Allen Hall.

The Void series from ParaMyth Games.

[heelycular-manslaughter]

new hellbreak this ones about some freaks again

Hellbreak is the working title for my Hades-inspired ttrpg, in which the PCs are residents (likely prisoners) of hell attempting to break out, and finding support from various gods in the setting's pantheon. While most of the gods that give you boons do so on their own, there's a pair that don't really have that option.

Remis, God of Rats + Salvo, Goddess of Plagues

Remis goes by it/they, Salvo goes by he/him

Remis & Salvo have two conflicting stories to how they became gods; Remis says that it became the god of rats just before the mortals blamed the species for starting a disease among their kind, and Salvo thus formed from one of its veins. Salvo says that he found Remis while he was between hosts, and infected them, thus becoming a god and causing the mortal plague. 

Remis is frenetic, almost constantly stressed about something, exuding a nervous energy that is unseen in every other member of the pantheon. Salvo does not help with their anxiety, constantly whispering things that could go wrong, presenting himself as getting a twisted joy from it, hiding the deep fear of everything he has as well.

Remis usually takes the form of a small, thin, vaguely humanoid creature with pale gray skin covered in thin patches of hair and beady eyes on their palms. They have a light, jittery tone of voice. Salvo often likes to change how he appears on the body, if at all, but his favorites include bright red spots, a writhing ring under the skin, blackened veins, or a golden halo. 

Remis and Salvo help runners because they were tasked with establishing a trade route with the 4th layer of hell, but both have been too scared to meet with the Lord Mistress, and instead ask the runners to relay information when they see her. 

Core Mechanics: Rats & Infection

Rats will help you do various actions better, like adding harm to attacks or dice to attribute rolls. 

Infected enemies take harm at the end of each round.

Boons of Remis & Salvo

Rabid: +2d6 to Wrath.

Scurry: +2d6 to Greed.

Protective: +2d6 to Pride.

Quick Reaction: You can use a cast to instead dodge the first attack on the GM turn.

Scurry: Gain +1 movement if at least 5 enemies are infected.

Rat's Weight: (requires weapon slot) Using your weapon action pushes you back 1 range

Rat-Toss: (requires cast slot) Your cast turns into a rat that will scurry towards any other enemies after being thrown, moving 1 range toward the nearest enemy and dealing 1 harm on each turn until the next round

Bloodborne: (requires weapon slot) Weapon attack infects target for 1 harm

Contagious: (requires move slot) When you move into Close range of an enemy, that enemy is infected for 1 harm

Bug: Your cast deals -2 harm, but inflicts infection for 2 harm

Spread: Infected enemies can infect other enemies if in Close range for 2 turns

Superspreader: For each rat boon you have, infection deals +1 harm

The rat boons do involve literal rats you just have to use your imagination ok

previous god

hey thanks. thank you for reading all that. would you like to read any more? i have plenty. no pressure though. okay. thank you. love you

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