#spark-i mean himeko

[muni-chan]

Aaaand my winstreak ends-

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝔸𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕤 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: May I request Dan Heng, Gepard, Welt, and Jing Yuan finding their lover crying in their sleep because they miss them?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Of course! I wrote Dan Heng's part during class so... the sleeping part is kinda missed but it shouldn't make that big of a difference, so hopefully you'll still like it!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fluff

Dan Heng for once agreed to go on exploration with Express Crew. Well... more like he was dragged there... you on the other hand couldn't go because of few duties you had to do on Express, so you were left alone with PomPom.

He was supposed to be away for just few weeks, but from your math... he was away for 3,5 months now... you received texts from Himeko that his phone broke and that they're gonna stay for a bit longer... she even checked up on you! But not wanting to cause trouble, you just said everything was alright, even if it was the opposite.

You were sitting on floor with your head on bed, arms covering it's back, as your sobs filled th room. You just broke after so much time away... you didn't know wher exactly he was, what he was doing, what he was thinking... did he even miss you?

When you heard door opening, you figured it was PomPom. He just entered with chocolate when he heard you sob and you honestly appreciated it.

"PomPom, please not now..."

"Not PomPom."

You have raised your head up after hearing familiar voice. You could see slight spark of worry in his cold expression, and he saw your puffy eyes which was enough to make him regret.

He kneeled down next to you, wrapping his left arm around your back, as right one caressed your cheek.

"I'm sorry for being away for so long... trust me, I came back as soon as I could. Others are still on that planned but I couldn't handle being there anymore..."

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@miya-akane @toyaswif3y - come get your quiet but scary trabilazer!

Welt was on the Express and you were on a planet he passed by once. He offered you many times to join him but you always refused, you had friends and family here after all!

But being away from your lover also put small crack in your sanity... it was hard being in long distance relationship... sure, you texted each other daily but you started missing his touch... so one night, when you were cuddled into your bed sheets and in deep sleep, you didn't even realized the thoughts you had were so sad that sleeping you just couldn't help but sob.

Welt on the other hand, finally visited your planet and having keys to your house, he decided to check up on you.

"Hello? Sorry for inviting myself in like that but you didn't answer and I got-"

He stopped when he saw tou form laying under sheets. Small smile appeared on his face, just to get washed away in the next second when he heard you sob in sleep.

He sat next to you and gently shook you, worried you might be having some kind of nightmare. Thought of you simply missing him this much didn't really crossed his mind.

"Darling? Are you alright? Did you had a nightmare?"

Hearing, feeling and now seeing your boyfriend, you immidietly threw yourself into his arms and bursted with emotions. His hand immidietly went to caress your hair and back in a comforting way.

"Shhh... It's alright now... I'm not leaving any time soon. We can finally enjoy our company."

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@vodka-glrl - come get your father of the express!

Gepard's job includes lots of missions, which means you're often away from each other. You didn't even mind patrols that much since he'd at least come back at evening. But when he had a mission? He was away for days... and the worst was, you never knew how dangerous it is nor if he'll actually come back...

You managed to find one if your boyfriend's hoodies in your shared room. So now, you were embraced by his hoodie as you layed under sheets, sacrificing one pillow to hug it instead of laying on it.

Meanwhile Gepard, finally came back home, trying to be as quiet as possible since it's middle of the night and the last thing he wanted to do was to wake you up.

So when he entered your bedroom and saw you sobbing in your sleep, his heart broke... did he left you here waiting for this long? Well he certainly won't leave it be just like that!

Still not wanting to wake you up, he layed next to you, immidietly wrapping one arm around you and caressing your back. He felt so bad for leaving you alone... he kissed your forehead and promised himself to never make the same mistake. He'll do his best to send you letters, without accepting single no from higher ups as answer. He's a soldier, he shouldn't give up without proper fight, especially for his lover.

"I'm so sorry, my love..."

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Jing Yuan was very busy recently... he left with single kiss on forehead or goodbye... he never ghosted or ignored you. He always gave you logical answer why your affection must be moved to some other time. But him being busy lasted for few days now... and despite him assuring you it's not gonna last forever and that he still loves you, you couldn't help but overthink this situation.

The only thing you could to after days of separation was flop on the couch and hope for a nice dream. You didn't even wanted to sleep in your bed because you knew it'd trigger the sadness even more.

But the nice dream that you hoped for didn't seemed to take place, because when your boyfriend finally decided to spend the night at your shared place instead of his office... he noticed you gently sobbing in your sleep...

He kneeled down next to you and caressed your hair, he didn't wanted to wake you up since you're getting your rest but also didn't want you to continue crying, so he just whispered small reassuring words and compliments to your ear as he embraced you with one hand.

"Dearest... I'm not leaving you anymore. We're going to a very nice date tomorrow, I promise... I'll spoil you with affection to your hearts content."

When you finally stopped sobbing, with one final kiss on forehead, he scooped you into his arms and carried you back into your bedroom, already planning how he should repay for all he did.

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@miya-akane - come get your soft general~

[spirit-lanterns]

Imagine if bunny suit reader gets all lovey dovey and clingy when she’s overstimulated, so when it’s Robin’s turn she just embrace her and gives her so much affection

Robin always struck me as the soft sex type, (like girly is the best at soft sensual sex and you cannot convince me otherwise) so she’d be perfect for us whilst we’re in this overstimulated state. If it were any of the rougher women, we’d lowkey pass out from the onslaught. Like Robin softly thrusting into us and giving us kisses and praises and we’d just eat that shit up and become even more lovey dovey and clingy to her

Despite the fact Robin lost and is last, it feels like she’s won in a way. I mean you are all over her asking for more as you kiss her and cling onto her, quite literally we’d wrap our legs around her waist so she doesn’t get too far away from us as she thrusts into us

(Bet the other HSR women are a little jealous at the fact you are so affectionate and desperate for Robin)

AAAAAAA WAIT WAIT THIS IS SO CUTE 🥺

nsfw under the cut (men and minors dni)

After dealing with the rough sex of Black Swan, Kafka, Topaz, Himeko and Acheron (yes, all in that order because that’s the order of winner to loser) Robin finally comes up for her turn, and she’s so turned on because she’s been watching you get ruined by all these rougher women…

Imagine she steps up behind you, cock all pink and leaking with precum, but doesn’t just slam herself all the way in. Even if she’s pent up and horny, she still takes her time with you and makes sure you’re comfortable with her before sliding her tip in and rubbing your clit to make you feel better. Robin is so soft too. Gentle, shallow thrusts into your folds as she leans down and litters your neck with…kisses? Oh, how sweet. Since your neck had been all bruised up with hickies from the other girls, Robin is kissing you all better as she massages your thighs since she knows you’re sore from the previous five women.

Robin is just so kind to you! Though you enjoyed being manhandled and roughly used by the other HSR women, something about Robin sparked an attachment with you, leading you to latch onto her and coo for more. The other women watching you in the room have never seen you get so attached, clinging to Robin, begging for more kisses, more attention, it makes them kinda jealous to see…

But Robin isn’t bragging. Robin isn’t smug. She just continues moaning and kissing you sweetly while you take her all the way down to her hips. You’re clawing at her back, urging her to get closer as you want to feel Robin completely against you. Feel her body completely engulf yours as she treats your body as if it were made of porcelain. (Ignoring the fact that this porcelain bunny was manhandled by the other girls just a few minutes ago…)

All in all, Robin is just the most intimate with you when it’s her turn. Though she may have lost the gamble, she definitely won the game because she was the only woman in the room to get you so coddled up to her, that even when you both finished, you clung to her and didn’t want her to leave!

Sweet Robin got to have you for the rest of the night since you were so attached. And on the car ride home, she just continued kissing and praising you, her sweet little bunny girl that she won instead of the money 💕

[luvrbug]

Honkai Star Rail Men ; where do they lie on the pathetic man scale?

includes ; Sampo, Welt, Jing Yuan

A/N ; sorry everyone ive been playing hsr, and it has COMPLETELY captivated me. i will maybe write about one piece more buuuut I cant be too sure :[ i change like the wind sorry guys. also my first time writing in like Months so apologies if this is poopy

Warnings; literally the smallest amount of spice, no allusion to sex. reader is not the trailblazer, Gender neutral reader with 2nd person pronouns

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Sampo Koski

Sampo is such a failboy. it's not even funny. He embodies a pathetic man.

You get word of Sampo scamming someone once again; and to make it even worse, it was the kids that literally saved the entire planet.

So, you sentenced Sampo to a week of sleeping on the couch, which landed you in this unsightly situation.

"Baby, please, you know i didn't really mean to make them do my work," he pleads, grabbing your leg and squishing his face into your stomach. "I had urgent business to attend to somewhere.. else in the mine,"

Sighing, you run your fingers through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Sampo begins to rise, hoping that he's swayed your iron heart, until-

"Two Weeks on the couch,"

"Baby!"

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Welt Yang

Out of all the men on this list, I'd say Welt is the least pathetic man. He has fatherhood skills and absolutely does his half of the chores.

... But he still is completely whipped for you.

Welt has never forgotten an anniversary. Without fail, he brings the biggest boquet of flowers, plans the best date night, and manages to keep your little troop of mischief makers pacified for the night.

So, when this year's anniversary rolls around, and nothing has happened yet, you begin to worry.

Did he want you to plan the events today? Did you miss some subliminal messaging? Are you losing your spark?? Is he-

"Ah, there you are," Welt's voice alone is enough to completely silence any rebellious thoughts running around.

"I was starting to get worried, i wouldn't want your surprise to get cold," You perk up instantly at the mention of a present, quickly gathering the book on and gold quality black tea you'd bought a few weeks prior.

Welt pulls out.. your favorite dessert from your favorite bakery on your homeworld. That is thousands of lightyears away. "I managed to understand enough about this dessert from your stories, and i managed to make something close to it with my powers and a little help from Himeko,"

You practically launch yourself at him, covering his face with kisses. Best anniversary ever.

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Jing Yuan

In the middle of the pathetic scale. Proper, courteous, and flirtatious, but also the most pathetic, clingy man ever when you're alone.

It's Saturday morning, the sun is shining, you have a romantic lunch reservation in an hour, and Jing Yuan is refusing to allow you out of bed.

"Honey, we have to get up or we'll miss our reservation. You know how hard it is to get on their waiting list, especially for the lunchtime rush," You whine, attempting to wriggle out of his hold.

Jing Yuan simply squeezes you tighter, making a muffled "hmmph" into your stomach. "Your cooking is better anyway," he mumbles, stretching and yawning not unlike mimi.

You huff, lying back in bed with your eyebrows scrunched. "I'm not going to cook for a week unless you get up and we make it there on time,"

This finally gets Jing Yuan off the bed and rummaging through his closet. "Well, hurry up, we wouldn't want to be late,"

[trendywaifus]

old draft. angsty asf.

could she have saved you from drowning in your own darkness? cw: angst, little comfort, mention of death, death, cursing, blood

there are times i think about that fateful day

i threw your love away ( every time I see that look upon your face

the same one that you made )

“ why? “ is all HIMEKO could ask in a shaky voice, gleaming golden eyes narrowing into a distressed gaze as you stood opposite from her with one of the infamous stellaron hunters, blade, and not by the astral express’s, your family—her side where you belong. the prized look of shock and hurt marinates in her features will forever be engraved in your memory like a unforgettable tragedy. blade briefly spares you a look similar to pity as he quietly notice you anxiously fiddling with the prized jewelry on your ring finger behind your back. it’s a habit you do whenever you feel jittery. it provides you minimal comfort. but in this situation, it breeds a feeling of disgust for selfishly betraying her trust to lull the anxiety and woes manifested in your heart and elio is to blame for it. he was the one who sent you an unknown letter, warning you of a strong possibility of himeko sacrificing herself for the safety of the astral express in the future.

he even offered you to join the stellaron hunters to assure that possibility doesn’t align with reality. it weighed on your mind for weeks, unable to sleep properly despite himeko’s warm arms wrapped around your body. you became gradually anxious and more reserved. this behavior did not go unnoticed by your companions and especially himeko herself. you dismiss their concerns with a pretend smile and a poor excuse of 'feeling under the clouds.' even with himeko's comfort and tender kisses, it didn't sate the anxiety in your heart, in fact, it nearly broke you due to the guilt. it wasn’t like you could talk to her about it because, how can you possibly bring something like that up to her? it doesn’t help that she vocally distrusts the stellaron hunters and finds their beliefs superstitious. perhaps you’re the one to blame for reading an unknown letter that was suspiciously meant for you, allowing a wanted manic, who claims to see the future, get under your skin, and emotionally manipulate you into becoming a destiny slave.

you swallow the large hump lodged in your throat. your trembling lips part to speak and you refuse to look her in the eyes as you did. “ i-i don’t want a future where you’re not in it. i want to secure everyone’s future and yours, even if it means i can’t be by your side to do it. “

was it really emotional manipulation or were you just emotionally weak?

when your fragile world was crashing down around you

you realized your place

you can feel the immense pain and rain drops cascading down on you.

you can barely breath.

you can barely move your limbs as they feel heavy like they’re underwater.

you can only peer at the dark, grey skies above you with blurred, teary vision.

all you can hear is the downpour.

oh that’s right, you’re dying. you’re reaching the final finale of your script.

it feels like something other than physical pain is clawing at your heart, sharp nails sinking it’s pointed ends into weakened muscles and crumbling walls. you were prepared for your fated end from the very beginning, but, you were not prepared for how painful the realization was going to be. your dim eyes flutter close as you muster all your remaining strength to calm the suffocating feeling in your chest. you let out uneven, quick breaths; thoughts race through your head like they’re rushing to a finishing line. when you have a chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won’t regret. was the only coherent thought that you can associate a voice to—a voice you cherish deeply and always will.

“ i. .won’t pass. . .just yet, i want. .to see. .” not yet. a twinge of determination, akin to a small, wispy flame sparks within you. not at this moment. you don’t want to die alone. that was the only thing you ever wished for.

breathe in.

breath out.

breathe in.

breathe out.

you try to take in small gulps of oxygen to maintain your unstable breathing, a pathetic method to slow down your inevitable end. a stray tear rolls down the side of your face as the numbness slowly overcomes you. what you don’t hear is heels clicking against the shattered asphalt as they approach your body. the rain that once poured down on your face, abruptly stops. a small thumping noise softly hits your ears. your tired eyes peel open to see the woman you yearn for the most standing over you with an umbrella over you and her.

due to your blurry vision, you can’t see her face clearly until she crouches. her still painted lips twisted into a subtle frown, and the first time in years, a solemn expression is present on her face. “ y. .ou. . .ame. . “ you cough out weakly and KAFKA hums softly with acknowledgment, understanding your weak, croaky voice. her brows relax and lifts, a practiced yet genuine smile that’s meant to comfort you, replaces the frown. there’s a softness to her gaze, a hint of sadness bleeds through her contact lenses as she stares down at you. her voice is low and tender as she whispers to you, “. .don’t talk, focus on controlling your breathing as long as you can. i’m here and i’ll continue be here with you until you’re not. “ here with me anymore goes unspoken. with her free hand, she gingerly brush away strands of hair that stuck to your damp forehead.

“ you’re not alone, “ kafka says, voice filled with assurance, she rubs your brow with her thumb. “ i won’t let you be, darling. “ she briefly stops when she takes a glimpse of the small, happy smile pulling at the ends of your blood stained lips. a firm tug pulls on a heart string, her breath hitches. there’s an unsettling feeling that’s rising from the pits of her belly. kafka can’t decipher it; its a new feeling that she’s never experienced before and already doesn’t like. tender memories of you, your smile, your radiance, laughter, touch—everything flashes through her mind. her heart skips a beat and races. for once, it’s not from anticipation, excitement, nor pleasure. was this fear? did you really have to be on the brink of death for her wish to be granted? is this how cruel destiny can really be to its victims? she never really consider herself a victim and didn’t care as much until this moment. the realization sinks in and her expression almost falters in front of you. ‘can’t have you see her sorrowful face before you leave this world. she wants you to have no regrets when you go.

“ . .ank you. .f. .or. . .very. .th. .ing. ove. .you. .��

the light in your eyes completely vanishes and your chest relaxes permanently. kafka eyes the peaceful look on your face for a moment. her gloved palm then caress your wet cheek and shifts down to your neck. she press two fingers to your pulse point, a place that’s one of her favorite spots to kiss on. nothing. not a gentle, single beat thumping against the pads of her gloved digits. her expression falls blank.

kafka gained the emotion of fear but lost the ability to love. it was like losing her yang, making her more vulnerable than she ever was before. after minutes of your passing, she still stays and lingers; the aftertaste of regret bitter on her tongue.

“ mhm. .i loved you too. “ she confesses under the gloomy, dreary skies, delicately closing your unmoving eyelids with her palm.

( and the darkness that you try so hard to subdue

It causes you to change ) but baby, baby, please don't leave me

ACHERON’s arms wrap tightly around your body, pulling your body into hers. she presses her face against your neck, breathing you in like a breath of fresh air. she can feel your warmth through the exposed skin of her body. it felt unreal to have you in her arms like this. “ you’re here. .” she mutters in relief, her palms pressing against the small of your back. you let out a soft chuckle, combing your fingers through her purple locks. the sun shines its radiance under you and her, its warmth kissing at your skins. “ why wouldn’t i be, mei? “ your sultry voice is full of affection which she so deeply misses.

her lips purse into a thin line at your question, she removes her face away from your neck to look at you with troubled eyes. she doesn’t want to reply to that, she doesn’t want things to turn into the same repeated nightmare whenever she answers your question. acheron shakes her head and smiles sadly at you. “ you’re right. don’t mind me. “ you tilt your head, reaching out to cup her cheek. she leans into it, letting you caress her pale skin. “ but you look sad. you can talk to me, mei. you know that, right? “ she nods, leaning forward to rest her forehead against yours. acheron gives your waist a tender squeeze, “ that’s true. but, you being here with me right now is enough. “

she kisses you, a sliver of shame crawls up her skin. the only time she ever gets to hold you and kiss you like this is in her dreams. you’re a precious part of her past that she refuses to forget. she find solace in the memories of you, even in vivid dreams. she applies pressure to your soft lips, wishing to engrave the feeling of them into her broken memory. acheron knows eventually that she’s going to forget and it’ll be out of her control. abruptly pulling away, she places hasty kisses to the corner of your lips, jaw, and down to your neck. “ little fast, are we? “ you tease, tilting your neck to grant her more access. she stops her barrage of kisses after a few moments and buries her nose into your shoulder blade. “ forgive me, i’m feeling a little impatient right now. “

she feel your fingers drum against her back. you giggle softly, pressing a chaste kiss to the side of her head. acheron nuzzles further into you, reveling in your comforting presence. “ so warm. . “ she sighs with utter contentment. a gentle silence settle over your heads. she wishes to live in this dream forever, even if she knows it is not real. a choked cough make her ears perk up. she feels your chest stutter and a warm liquid staining her palms. the feeling of dread fills her once light chest and she rips away from your shoulder blade. her eyes widen in terror, thin trails of blood spill out from the corner of your mouth, the horrified look on your face petrifies acheron to the bone. just like that, the scenery suddenly changes; crumbling buildings, broken weapons, and torii gates now surrounds you and her. your body gives out and you become limp against acheron. your bright, red blood stains her white kimono.

she falls to her knees with you in her arms. “ n-no, th-this is-isn’t how it supposed to. .” acheron shakes her head in astonishment, looking down at you with fearful eyes as you start to physically fade away in her arms. all you could do was smile to comfort the woman cradling you in her embrace. “ i-it’s going to be okay,” your shaking hand reaches up to wipe a tear rolling down her cheek. “ even if. .i don’t have a place in your memories. .i’ll be lingering in the depths of your heart instead. “

just like that, you completely disappear in her arms, leaving behind nothing. acheron stares down at her bloody hands with helpless eyes. her chin lifts, looking up at the spherical black hole sitting in the middle of the sky. she hopelessly watch as the hungry deity swallows everything she used to love and protect.

when acheron finally wakes up from her slumber, she doesn’t remember why she feels sorrow.

I know I made a big mistake, don't turn my sunshine to shade

at the sound of several rounds of gunshots firing into the front line, you instinctively tackled robin down to the gravel pavement, attempting to shield her from the incoming bullets with your body. ipc medical supplies strewn about on the ground as frantic shouting and the smell of gunpowder fuels the violent atmosphere. the halovian woman’s head spins from the hard impact and her ears ring. all she could feel is your arms circled protectively around her frame and the firm weight of your body over hers. your voice is a blur but she can make out small apologies and words of reassurance through labored breathing. it takes a moment before she becomes fully conscious again and realize what happened. “ (n-name), thank you for protecting me. a-are you alright? “ robin ask breathily, worry heavily weighing in her voice. her hands clutch onto your sides and they hold on tighter when she doesn’t get a response from you.

robin can feel your body slowly relax against her. a wet cough erupts from your chest and she panics. “ no, no, no, “ with little trouble, she maneuvers your weakened body next to her on the pavement. frantic green eyes instantly land on a gunshot wound on the side of your neck, she gasps in absolute horror. her lungs struggle to take in air due to the panic and shock rushing into her like a tidal wave. an allied soldier rushes to you and robin’s side. “ w-we need a combat medic! one of our aids has been shot in the frontlines! “ he easily scoops up your dying body and urges robin to follow him to a nearby safe point.

swallowing thickly, robin nods tentatively, her gaze fixated on you the entire time. your eyes are barely open, your chest is rising up and down in an uneven pace. aeons, there’s so much blood pooling out from your wound, she’s scared you’re going to bleed out before they even get to somewhere safe. robin desperately wish for a miracle.

why couldn’t she be the one to take your place? to take your pain?

[kipsels]

Peek-A-Boo

Dan Heng x Stelle

Dan Heng was convinced that Stelle was messing with him.

The first time had been in those fraught moments in Scalegorge Waterscape, when relief had sunk in to meet with a maelstrom of other emotions. He’d found himself gathered into three pairs of arms.

March and Stelle, even Mr Yang.

His body had just relaxed when he had felt it. A wayward hand in the centre of his back, meeting his bare skin. Stelle’s fingers curled in towards her palm, catching the lattice of the lotus design on his back between her knuckles. He had flinched against the contact, yet he could feel the way she held on tight, like she was latching on to whatever she could.

Dan Heng had brushed it aside.

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Stelle to sling her arm around his neck, or to bump shoulders with him as they walked. She hugged people freely (well, maybe not as freely as March, but she was certainly up there on the physical affection scale).

But then it continued.

Whenever Stelle caught him in his high elder garb, it was like her fingers sought out whatever strip of flesh she could find. Pressed against his spine, tracing along his naked shoulder. Poking the tips of his pointed ears just to make them wiggle and flick in response.

He tried to accept her curiosity. It was understandable, really, and while he preferred to keep his personal space to himself, he gave everyone a little leeway as they navigated this new normal. He’d even let her touch his horns when she’d asked.

But now, now he was certain that she was just teasing him.

Taunting him.

Because right now, her hand was pressed to the centre of his chest, palm flat and fingers flexed wide enough to burrow beneath the edges of silk.

The tip of her middle finger finds the divot between his collarbones, lightly pressing down and he almost can’t take it anymore–

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you cold?” Stelle repeats, as if she takes his stupor for deaf ears. “You’re Vidyadhara.”

And now she’s pointing out the obvious.

“I– What?”

“So aren’t you cold blooded? Since you’re a dragon? Reptilian? How do you manage having so many peek-a-boo holes in your clothes without freezing to death?”

Dan Heng can barely process her words. What was she implying? That all the touching, all the teasing she had ruthlessly inflicted upon him was because she was worried he was cold?

“Oh, I can feel your heart- It’s racing.”

He barely holds himself together when her hand moves, seeking out the planes of his chest, digging beneath silk for more. But something inside of him snaps the moment her nails lightly rake across his skin, sparks of electricity racing through his body, launching him forward.

Between one breath and the next, he pins her to the ground, their fall cushioned by the mess of his bedsheets. Stelle lets out a grunt as she lands, her grey hair framing her face like a feathery halo. His heart patters away inside the confines of his chest, and he doesn’t know where to look. Where not to look.

Because she looks so pretty beneath him.

“...Dan Heng?” Stelle’s eyes are wide as she stares up at him, her lips softly parted.

He can’t help but follow the slow creep of her blush as it travels from the apples of her cheeks to her chin, down the gentle slope of her neck.

“Dan Heng?”

This close and he can smell her sweet scent, how it lightly perfumes the air between them.

It calls to him, because she smells like home. He wants to bury himself in that scent until it covers his own skin, wants to cover her in his scent too.

He wants to make sure that the lingering scents of March and Welt and Himeko and Jing Yuan are gone, gonegonegone.

“Dan Heng, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomf–”

“Shut up.”

He ducks his head, closing the distance between them until her lips are against his and he gets his first taste of her.

He feels the rush of air against him as she gasps in surprise, and he uses the weakness in her defences to devour her.

His tongue curls around hers, savouring her sweet flavour. Drinks it all in as he smothers her soft little whimpers with a passion he did not know he possessed.

Something inside of him begs for more, wants him to take and take when she turns supple and pliant beneath him. But the rational part of him pulls back, letting them both finally breathe.

“Dan Heng?” She asks again, her tawny eyes hazy.

He watches the way her tongue traces her lower lip, flushed and swollen from his kiss. His heart is gripped by unwarranted jealousy when she pulls it between her teeth, teasing the strip of flesh in the same way he wants to tease it.

“Yeah?” He says when he finally finds his voice.

“What was that?”

“I think that’s what people call a kiss.”

“No– I mean… You’re not mad?”

Stelle’s hand reaches up to cup his cheek, pushing lengths of black hair behind his ear. Dan Heng has to stop himself from sinking into her embrace.

“No. Not mad.”

“So you’re… good?”

“Yeah. I’m good. You?”

“I’m good,” She repeats, cheeks pink, “Very good. Great, even.”

He doesn’t fight the smile that curls the corner of his lips.

“Good.”

- Fin -

[ravensilversea]

Title: I wish I may, I wish I might (have this wish I wish tonight)

Author: Raven_Silversea

Rating: G

Pairing: Fuuta de la Stella & Welt Yang

Prompt: Space AU/Found Family

Tags/Warnings: Light Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Touch-Starved, Fuuta joins the Astral Express

Summary: His rankings tell him he's safe here, and Fuuta knows his rankings are true. But that doesn't mean he was prepared to be accepted as one of the crew so easily

Ao3

The Astral Express is much bigger than Fuuta imagined when he first asked the Ranking Planet where he would be safest. The parlor car alone would fit almost an entire Famiglia, maybe not one of Vongola’s size but a smaller one like the Todds for sure, with long red leather couches, globulous chandeliers, and floor to ceiling windows looking out into the stars. A phonograph in the corner plays a record that fills the car with the sound of electronic-sounding strings and piano chords.

Fuuta inches closer to the phonograph. It doesn’t look like anything he’s ever seen before with it’s tall base and floating bowl, but it’s definitely got a record and it’s definitely playing music. The black disc spins around and around beneath a needle of made of light. 

“I see you’ve found the phonograph,” a voice says from above and behind Fuuta. 

Turning, Fuuta clutches his Ranking Book tightly to his chest. He knows his rankings are true and he knows everyone on the Astral Express ranks extremely low for using his rankings to further their own ambitions, but he also doesn’t really know that. The man standing behind him has a kind smile and kinder eyes behind rectangular-rimmed glasses. Brown hair almost flops in his face, the front strands already gray. There’s an itch to set his book down and rank the man in front of him: his combat ability, his favorite foods, anything he can think of.

“You must be our newest passenger- Himeko mentioned she brought someone aboard,” the man continues like Fuuta’s silence and intense scrutiny is nothing out of the ordinary. “My name’s Welt Yang,” he holds out a hand, and Fuuta takes it, carefully shaking it. 

Welt’s hand is warm and calloused and so much bigger than Fuuta’s, and something about this simple handshake makes Fuuta want to cry and fling himself into this stranger’s arms with the intent to stay there forever.

 Instead, he introduces himself as Fuuta de la Stella, watching the man carefully for any hint of recognition just like he always does because that brief spark of realization in someone’s eye is often the only warning he’ll ever get. There’s no spark in Welt’s eye, no tightening of his grip, no shift in his weight like he’s going to pull Fuuta to him and never let him go. In fact, he even releases Fuuta’s hand and folds his own hands behind his back. “What do think of the record? I found it in a used bookshop a couple planets back, and it’s become one of my favorites.”

Fuuta tilts his head, looks back at the phonograph and the spinning record. A frown tugs at his lips as he considers the music. “It’s… nice,” he settles on. “I like the sound of it, but it does get a bit repetitive.”

Welt laughs. “I suppose that’s fair. We’ll have to keep an eye out for something more to your taste then.” He says it so easily, so matter-of-factly, like Fuuta’s going to be with traveling with them for the foreseeable future and they should accommodate for that.

Like Fuuta already belongs.

This time tears do streak down his cheeks, and he frantically wipes them away with his jacket sleeve as he quietly hiccups. Welt immediately kneels down and reaches out, stopping just before touching Fuuta as if waiting for Fuuta to accept the offered comfort. 

It just makes the tears come even stronger.

It feels like ages pass before Fuuta is able to stem the tide, and the entire time, Welt just waits. His hand still held out in a silent offering and his eyes never leaving Fuuta’s face, even though his knee must be aching with how it’s digging into the red carpet below and his arm must be getting tired with how long he’s held it out. Sniffling and still clutching his damp sleeve, he asks, “Do you really mean that, Mr. Yang?”

Welt nods. “You’re a member of the Express Crew from now until you choose to leave us. Of course, we’ll find some records you’ll really like.”

“You… you really mean that.” The urge to do a ranking just to be sure is strong, but Fuuta has already ranked the Astral Express crew and Welt Yang ranks high on People Who Mean What They Say.

“I do.”

The Ranking Book falls to the floor as Fuuta flings himself into Welt’s chest. Strong arms wrap around him in a firm hug, and the steady rhythm of Welt’s heart fills his ears. It feels like a bubble bursts in Fuuta’s chest as he clings to Welt. The electronic music of the record continues it’s loop.

Fuuta was right: He wants to stay cradled in Welt’s arms forever.

[ohmeadows]

[20 Question Fic Writer Tag]

i wasn't tagged, i just wanted to do it 😌

How many works do you have on AO3? 10 currently. if we’re counting all past accounts and orphaned works… easily 50-60.

What is your AO3 word count? currently 149,834. if we account for the grand total, well. more. ha.

What fandoms do you write for? i’ve been in quite a few, mostly video game ones, but right now it’s mostly only honkai star rail on my mind though i have the odd rhaenicent idea rattling around.

What are your top five fics by kudos? you and me are a twisted fantasy (kafhime enemies to milkies), i’m on a leash called you (kafhime with dom himeko), da capo al fine (kafhime time loops), the dew of dying stars (ruanliu mara body horrors and cannibalism), and spark (kafxuan horny).

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? yes, i try to most of the time! i had a lapse this fall where i just didn’t have enough energy to do it for months on end, but i cleared my inbox of that backlog on january 1st. i’m trying to be more consistent going forward.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? none i can link bc orphaned or on old accounts, but i do love a good angsty ending if it makes sense for the way the story has been going. kinda aching to write one again i won’t lie.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? most of them are quite happy in terms of endings! i know people doomed so hard about da capo was going to have a sad tragic ending but that was… never in the cards for me. i already have it written and i’m very excited about getting there.

Do you get hate on fics? sort of. i wish people would offer up critiques instead of just leaving comments like “ew this is unhygienic”, “disgusting”, “can’t believe i read 8 chapters just for BOTTOM KAFKA” or whatever else pointless stuff i’ve deleted.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? mostly, yes. i think 99% of my writing stems from a very clear and vivid image of a sex scene, and then me building backwards to root that sex in a way that feels natural and consistent to both characters. and i'm always looking for some new angle in smut, or else it'll bore me, so that means exploring new kinks or dynamics each time.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? no, i frankly hate crossovers and it’s one of my blocked tags on ao3.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? oh yeah lol. sucks! what can you do! it always amuses me because if these people just bothered to talk to me in the way of “hey, i love x idea, i want to do my own take of it, can i discuss some ideas with you?” i’d be 100% down to help nurture that. i reblogged a post about it the other day but i definitely feel that fandom community has turned into a fandom clout competition which feeds into this, too many of us looking for a quick boost in some imaginary clout chasing.

Have you ever had a fic translated? several, yes. for a while i had a bunch of old fics translated into russian. it always flatters me that people would go through that effort with my works.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before? yes, i’ve written a ton of unpublished wips with others and enjoyed the process, and then one i co-wrote with junie and published in an old fandom. i’d love to do it again, tbh, it’s incredibly energizing and fun, but wrangling two people’s creativity together over an extended period of time is always a lot of work and agreements, as well as being able to actually produce. you both need to trust each other and deliver.

What's your all-time favourite ship? uhm. i don’t know. i really don’t. ships by themselves don’t make me feel that excited, weirdly enough, but rather what people make exist in them. i have absolutely lost interest in compelling ships because the fandom de-fanged them, pulled their punches or morphed every single aspect about them into “uwu soft healing together”. (i could go into a long rant about how healing tends to be kinda… ugly…. in interpersonal dynamics. but that’s for another time.)

What's a WIP you'd like to finish but doubt you ever will? most of my unfinished wips i’m completely at ease with leaving behind in the dust. most. i do spend a lot of time thinking about a dorothea/rhea court drama au.

What are your writing strengths? visuals, i think. i have a very vivid inner eye when writing and the scenes play out like a movie for me, so i pay a lot of attention to the choreography and details of the scenes, where everyone’s hands are, and so on, to try and translate my inner vision to text. i can be a very harsh editor which means i’m always looking at what effect each scene is striving for — does it make sense for it to meander, or does it need to be snappier, sharper?

What are your writing weaknesses? i feel like my vocabulary could do with enrichment. i spend a lot of time looking up synonyms because they never stick in my head, and most of my reading books is spent noting down words in a notepad i’d like to use. sometimes i leave too much to be fixed in editing instead of putting it all down in the first draft. i don’t like involving too many characters so sometimes i think fics can get a bit too narrow — and sometimes i can play that for good effect, i guess.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? if you know it, sure, if you want; or at the very least use a beta who knows the language. i tried reading some fics that made use of my mother tongue and my god was it jarringly obvious google translate as well as irrelevant. i think it is worth asking twice what effect it will have for the reader and if it will come off as jarring.

First fandom you wrote for? lord of the rings! man i loved my mary sue silly era.

Favourite fic you've ever written? completed: spark. the amount of research i poured into it, as well as dedicating myself to convoluting fu xuan’s internal voice and outlook on things was some real hard work, but satisfying in the end. incomplete: the dew of dying stars. this one pushed me to research more, think harder about what i wanted to convey, and make them be worse. it’s been a very fun shift in how much i allow myself to dig deep, and relaxing and trusting the audience more. truly a new level of sicko weirdo fic for me.

[hxkerwxlf]

If we're to pin point SW's relationships when it comes to the express crew. It can be split up quite easy.

By that I mean, while you can say she has interactions, or least an opinion around the TB themselves, March, and Dan Hang. Not that there isn't anything there, but more that you could argue there is WAY MORE detail in the thoughts section, when it comes to Welt and Himeko.

If one has played HI3. They might know of Bronya's relationship with both, or least the dynamic that could spark so much. Not that Silver Wolf is a 'complete Bronya.' Yet alone even being super connected to such. From also her in a way, being the expo of Haxxor Bunny, and to go into detail on her, would be a whole different set of understandings. Which given where that is from, it feels different.

With TB, March, Silver Wolf can see the fun in them, in both an interesting aspect, but also in a teasing manner. Given both their stories. Not to mention having fun with them in how she can poke and prod. With Dan Hang, it's a bit different, as naturally, that's cause of his character. Compared to 'trash bin child' and a more reactive March.

For Welt and Himeko, it's more along the lines of like the post I made about Black Swan. SW LOVES but also IS SCARED of them. But that's the EXCITING part about it.

Remember, SW is the kind of girl who hates being restricted. As if even when following the script. The 'Can I have fun this time.' If applied in this logic, she hates being restricted to things being too easy. She LOOKS for a challenge, cause that's what brings the fun, the WANT to over come it, instead of being a 'sure, whatever' kind of deal.

While she would still hold up her personality to some degree when it comes to them both. But it'd be quite clear, how much that is driven, but the thought of how 'fun' a b a t t l e. Would be with either one of them.

Silver Wolf I'd say has a lot of interest with the Express Crew, as like a game, or your favorite adventure Anime. Watching them go on the journey from start to finish. Is a thrill of the ride, and she gets to be apart of it to boot.

How couldn't she not like the Express Crew?

[busghost]

Sakura is wonderful... but her lore is dumb

Everything about Sakura’s story is more convoluted than anything I’ve ever seen, and it’s all Mihoyo’s fault for having two completely different things happen in-game and in the manga.

By the way, despite their appearances, Previous Era counterparts to current era characters have nothing to do with each other, even if they look exactly the same. DR. MEI and Raiden Mei are two completely different characters. Unless they are the same person but that’s just because Kevin Kaslana is 50,000 years old.

and if you haven’t read the manga yet

SOURCES

https://mangadex.org/chapter/724398/1

Elan Palatinus manga explains why Kallen is in Japan and has the black box.

https://mangadex.org/title/15560/houkai-gakuen-ex-sakura-arc

(despite being a GGZ manga this is referenced multiple times throughout the Honkai manga so we can safely assume it vaguely fits into canon)

https://mangadex.org/chapter/617286/1

(ending Volume 4 Chapter 24)

Starting here is where Sakura starts getting involved in the main characters’ story and how Theresa gets her stigmata, it’s also where the game and manga split in terms of what happens.

https://mangadex.org/chapter/617302/1

What the black box is and the story of the Herrscher of Corruption, a small part of this is told in story chapter 12 in the game.

The Prevoius Era of civilization, about 50,000 years ago

When the 12th Herrscher appeared she didn’t have any powers despite being a Herrscher in every other way. The young woman was imprisoned in a secret base and kept locked away from everyone despite repeated asking to see her sister, being kept for testing.

Many people were furious that a Herrscher was being kept prisoner rather than just killing her outright. Humanity only existed in three cities because of the honkai, most of humanity was gone. So against DR. MEI’s orders some people broke into her cell and killed her. And that’s what sparked all of her hatred of humans. Her body let out a black mist that turned those who killed her into zombies and she also became a sapient computer virus and launched all of humanity’s nuclear weapons at the remaining cities, olbliterating them. The humans at the secret base were the last ones on Earth.

But just moments before the Herrscher of Corruption was killed a MANTIS soldier broke into the secret base to get her sister out and run away with her but when she found her cell her sister Rin was dead.

Sakura was able to reach Rin and calm her down just long enough for DR. MEI to trap her (in digital virus form) in the black box. Sakura died from wounds she sustained breaking in and fighting the Honkai.

Sakura’s life from birth to 1477

Everything is easy to begin with so I’ll go fast and only cover the most important parts. Sakura is from Yae village in Japan which routinely suffered droughts and the village sacrificed young girls to the gods to get rain. Sakura had a sickly younger sister Rin who she took care of and loved deeply. During a particularly horrible drought, Rin was chosen to be a sacrifice for the gods for rain, so she tried to run away with her. They were caught and Sakura’s father, the village priest, forced Sakura to kill her sister.

Years passed and Sakura was the village miko, holding in all her hatred for the villagers who forced her to kill he sister and then one day she finds a foreign woman washed up on the river clinging to a black box.

She nurses the woman, Kallen Kaslana, back to health and they fall in love but the Herrscher of Corruption inside the box possesses Sakura due to her hatred of humans. Kallen is forced seal the Herrscher and Sakura back inside the black box. Kallen, seriously wounded, is captured by Schicksal and executed for stealing the black box. (During her execution Otto releases a bunch of Honkai beasts into the city to cause a distraction for her to escape but she dies protecting people from the Honkai beasts)

So, in a word, tragic.

537 years later

Sakura then spends just over 500 years trapped in the black box, when she is freed again during the 3rd Honkai Eruption in Nagazora March-April 2014, she does come across Kiana, Mei and Bronya while they are trying to escape but we’re only told that this happens, not shown it.

Just after Himeko brings Kiana, Mei, and Bronya to St. Freya, the residual Honkai energy in Nagazora picks a new Herrscher, but because Mei already had her partial awakening to Herrscher of Thunder, this is only a pseudo-Herrscher. Theresa goes by herself to kill it but the Herrscher succeeds in poisoning her and she almost dies.

Theresa wakes up to find Sakura giving her medicine but Theresa is hallucinating due to the poison and tells Sakura “don’t worry, I will always protect you Kiana”. Sakura can tell that Theresa is related to Kallen so Sakura gives up her Herrscher core, the Core of Corruption, to heal Theresa. This gives Theresa her stigmata.

When Theresa starts losing in her second fight against the psuedo-Herrscher, she almost dies again but this time Sakura takes over her body and bites off the pseudo-Herrscher’s arms and and stabs her many times with swords from the Oath of Judah, which turned into the Pledge of Sakura when she touched it.

This is where we get the Sakura/Theresa combo battlesuit, Sakuno Rondo from. Theresa falls unconscious and is taken back to St. Freya. She wakes up at St. Freya but collapses again.

This is Where it all gets Confusing ²

The manga and the game tell two completely different stories here.

The Game

This one is easy and you’ve all probably played through the first three Samsaras in the Sakura Samsara open world. The Fourth Samsara is unrelated as it is independent of the first three.

All you really get from the game is “The Principle’s stigmata is acting up” and then you’re thrown right into the First Samsara.

First Samsara, you relive Sakura meeting Kallen but when the Herrscher takes over her body Kallen kills Sakura.

Second Samsara, same thing but the Herrscher Sakura kills Kallen.

In the Third Samsara you are able to get the Herrscher out of Sakura where you fight it head on in the Hellmaru boss fight and when you win Sakura is finally left at peace after 500 years of suffering.

(I’m so sorry I could only find a meme of scene)

The Fourth Samsara takes place a while afterwards. Kallen leaves Sakura and steals a very dangerous sword (it’s Jizo Mitama the 12th Divine Key). Sakura chases her to the Celestial Casle and meets Higokumaru, a small person claiming to be a human but she has fox ears and lots of tails.

They go through the Celestial Castle and find Kallen again and Higo touches and sword and kinda goes beserk, cue Jizo Mitama boss fight.

When Sakura defeats Jizo Mitama, Higo comes back and remebers that she is the 12th Herrscher, the Herrscher of Corruption. Sakura forgives her though and then they confront Kallen, who Sakura gets to come back with this VERY gay scene.

Higo says that she can use the 12th Divine Key to reform Sakura’s body in the real world but Sakura refuses saying that there’s nothing for her there. In the stigmata space she at least has this version of Kallen, the real Kallen died 500 years ago. So Higo sends the 12th Divine Key into the real world instead, because Sakura wanted to give it to somebody who could use it.

So Sakura gets to live with Kallen and Higo (who is the previous era Rin) in the stigmata space.

The Manga

Honestly it’s going to be easier for you to go read it yourself than to have me explain it, it’s weird and Theresa is a cat at one point for some reason. Fourth Samsara doesn’t conflict with the manga.

Here’s the link to that part again.

https://mangadex.org/chapter/617292/1

IN CONCLUSION

I guess you gotta pick which one you like until Mihoyo says something official.

Also because Jizo Mitama is in reality now and because Divine Keys are made from Herrscher Cores, this means that the Core of Corruption is no longer in Theresa. This doesn’t explain anything about whether or not the stigma is still on Theresa.

[avoutput]

Gaming And Film: The Tomb Raider Example

A golden opportunity has arisen. I get to make another example of the star crossed genres, Film and Video Games. Two narrative forces bound by their visual narratives, but separated by a single major mechanic: Control. But a new challenger has arrived, or rather a returning challenger, another gaming legend. Tomb Raider. The gods have deigned Square Enix another chance at the big screen after their massive flop at the box office over 20 years ago with their own classic title, Final Fantasy. Gaming has made its way back to the big screen with Tomb Raider “parenthesis 2018 film” starring the legend herself, Lara Croft. Well, it stars a real actress, Alicia Vikander, but you know what I mean. Gaming has its own stars. Previously, this role had been played twice before by Angelina Jolie in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003). This gave me a very unique opportunity to take a jump back in time to gaming’s initial foray into the world of the Third Dimension (3D), its replication of cinematic narrative structure, and all of the freedom that comes with giving the player the ability walk around in that space, instead of just watching. It was during this 3D polygon era that cinema took a fundamentally flawed stance to the translation from game to film; they tried to duplicate as much of the minor details as possible in effort to reanimate and profit from a movie going audience. In doing so, they sacrificed the heart of good cinema trying to capture the flavor of the game, hoping that the only thing fans would need is a the skeletal carcass of their favorite game.

By the time that first installment of  Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) had hit the screens, there had been 4 full games released, none of which would ultimately become the story of the film. They surmised that simply making a film that imitated its main attraction, a (British) woman who raids tombs for treasure, would suffice. And in a way, this might be the most correct course of action. There had already been series of similar action films to take from, including Indiana Jones, James Bond, Mission Impossible, and Jackie Chan’s Armor of the Gods. With the games already pulling inspiration from these existing films, intentionally or not, it doesn’t seem that unreasonable to think that a film version of Tomb Raider would succeed at the box office.  All they needed was to eject the male as the lead and pop some abnormally large breasts on an otherwise perfectly attractive female figure. But then the real question becomes, why make this film based on a video game character at all? Obviously brand recognition and the all mighty dollar, both domestic and international, but wouldn’t they need more to really entice both the fans and the uninitiated alike? And this exposes an issue with the Hollywood mindset that, while I have come to understand, I can’t abide or come to terms with. Forsaking the heart of intelligible film making in favor of a return on investment. When art and capitalism mix in which the art comes second, the audience usually loses, and the house of Hollywood usually wins or breaks even. Because for the audience, what’s on the line is a chance to make a good video game into a great movie, and if that movie flops, then investors look at not just the game franchise, but all gaming films as a risky or unworthy investment. Stranger still however, is what ended up happening with Tomb Raider. It returned big on its initial run, almost certainly powered by Jolie’s star power. But when you make a cheap, flimsy version of  a game into film, and it works, it becomes the model that all video game films run on. We end up being served a deformed representation of something that, in my opinion, never stood a chance of becoming anything more than a cash grab. (See: Resident Evil (2002) starring Milla Jovovich)

At no point does Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) or its sequel try to become more than a cheap representation of its source material sewn together using existing action-adventure movie tropes. The original games themselves offer little more than an exploratory cave diving, gun slinging shell for people to play in. Games (at the time) were not as harshly criticized for taking huge leaps in story, tone, or realism, but the films never really took that risk. In the game, Lara shoots at bats, bears, and wolves while cave diving. Yet, both Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and The Cradle of Life (2003) look indistinguishably bland compared to other films of their era like LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring, Swordfish, Training Day, Jurassic Park III, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kill Bill, The Matrix Reloaded, and many more. Granted these budgets are a bit more inflated, even their smaller moments are better than Jolie’s biggest. In fact, some of the stunts seem to come right out of the Mission: Impossible series. Taking a game thats little more than an empty, fun action platformer and trying to build an entire film franchise around it without adding some spark of originality or building any sense of a larger world for its characters will ultimately lead to a lackluster, forgotten film. Anybody watching these movies today are only returning because they might be a fan of the franchise, which might be the only win under the belt these films, but it’s another loss for gaming, gamers, and film.

Moving into the next generation of consoles and computers, as games become more modern, they began to more deftly integrate cinematic techniques. Game creators can control the world, the camera, and the characters with complete freedom, unlike film which has to worry about pesky things like props, actors, and reality. In 2013, Tomb Raider was re-imagined by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix. They created a more sleek and vibrant world that embraced a mixture of realism and paranormal. Lara was modernized, made a bit more youthful, and her skillset was more refined and deadly. She went from a caricature to a character and her adventure matured into something a bit more robust. Coupled with expert pacing, the new Lara Croft moves through her deadly environment and faces foes head-on in the same vein as Indiana Jones. Only she is a bit more willing to pull the trigger or sling an arrow. I don’t want to continuously gush about this game, so to summarize, I will just say this game was by far one of my favorite action games in this last generation. This reinvisioned version would become the basis for the recently released Tomb Raider (2018), and I was excited to see what kind of adaptation would spring forth. After the many, many Hollywood failures, had gaming finally caught up so completely to cinema, possibly even overtaken it, that it could allow for an easy transition from game to film?

As much as I don’t want to spend the entirety of this review discussing the differences between the film and the exact game it was based on, that is technically the point of this article. Still, I’ll spare you a lengthy diatribe and stick to the key differences between Jolie and Vikander’s Lara Croft. In this version, the realistically re-imagined Lara Croft is crafty with a bow instead of guns, inexperienced instead of an expert, and hasn’t attended any higher learning in pursuit of abandoning her heritage to find her own way. These also happen to be departures from the Crystal Dynamics’ Lara Croft as well. However, I found that these character changes spoke the language of cinema better, making for a more relatable character, especially for late millennials and gen Z at which this version is aimed.

Tomb Raider (2018) stars the new Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) as she takes on the challenge of living life as a broke young woman in the big city. But, a twist, the young lady is broke by choice, turning down the opportunity to take up her family name and with it , the family business. Angry that her father, Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), never returned from a business trip and is considered dead, she mounts a personal battle against her heritage. Through a series of turns, she finds a final message from her father in a secret bunker outside her family estate, warning her to burn all of his research just in case some bad guys come looking for it. Instead, of course, she sets out to find the last place he was said to have visited, enlisting the son of the man, Lu Ren (Daniel Wu), whose boat was to have taken her father to his final resting place. At this point the film finally takes a similar shape to the game, introducing Mathis Vogal (Walton Goggins) as the leader of digging team sent to find the treasure of Lady Himeko’s tomb. Vogal has been employing as slaves shipwrecks and treasure hunters who have come to the island in search of such a treasure.

At this point, I would like to praise this film for actually making a decent adaptation of the game. The actors are great, the story is pretty tight, and they do a pretty good job keying you into just how far Lara will have push herself to get what she wants. Unlike Jolie, who was characterized as a fearless expert, Vikander is an inexperienced young girl who struggles at almost every turn. Throughout the film, she misses, she loses, and she takes hits, which is similar to the game, except when you lose the game, it had some pretty incredible death scenes. But in a way, I personally liked her Crystal Dynamics video game persona better. She was both experienced and still struggled. She used her wit and cunning to elude her captors. In the 2018 film, Lara spends most of the runtime falling into situations and just kind of winging it, but not with tools or weapons found in the game, mostly just through luck. My only other criticism is a bit of a spoiler if you have played the game and not seen the movie or have seen the movie but not played the game. But here it is. The film rejects the concept of the supernatural, which is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to see the film after having played the game. The game continuously hints at the supernatural, but only towards the end do we actually see it in action, which totally caught me off guard. I half expected some ancient local tribe would be behind some form of sabotage from the shadows, like in an episode of Scooby Doo. But how does this stack up as a video game film? Can we build a new legacy from here?

Well, unlike the Jolie era, video games and film are not so different anymore. In fact, film often doesn’t have the runtime to contain an entire video game plot into a single movie. The golden age of television would be a better place for your favorite game stories. Japanese anime has been doing this for years with shows like Star Ocean EX and Persona 4 The Animation. In a very short time, film has been surpassed as an entertainment medium in size, scope, and runtime/playtime. But the one thing that you can feel has really changed in Hollywood is that they no longer underestimate the need for authenticity in the transition. Gaming films are getting better because gaming has become better. The stories they tell are taken more seriously, and triple-A titles have bigger budgets than some triple-A films. Gaming companies could be looking to invest in adaptations to film, seeing them as an extended product to their own. With that dollar power and some guaranteed butts in seats, we should be able to expect better films. I would like to imagine if both Godzilla and King Kong can be re-imagined into great films that also get to share the same universe as a plethora of tokusatsu monsters that gaming can get of its ass and produce some better films. Still, it was only 2 years ago that Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) was released, ending a series of terrible video game films that did nothing to elevate games as critically good films. Assassin's Creed (2016) also didn’t help.

The thing is, we don’t need video games adapted into film. Gaming has its own thing going on, and when it’s done right, it does it all bigger and better. But, if we are going to continue to see them pushed into film, let’s at least get a few things straight. First, there is a balance between authentic and creative. Take care to have a vision for the film beyond simply taking a bird’s eye view of the game and applying that visual to the film. The old Tomb Raider was built on the back of action genre films we had already seen and for the most part lacked any sense of creativity. It was authentic to its source from afar, but up close it offered nothing for fans beyond a push-up bra and two guns. Second, be aware of the scope of the game’s world. More and more games are open world, meaning that the world is going to be as much a character in its own right, so don’t forget that it exists. Even older games can have a vibrant world. A good example is Castlevania, which saw an amazing mini-series produced by Netflix. The story was small, but it never betrays the world in which it takes place. Now more than ever, the lines between gaming and cinema have all but been erased, so narratively, you can take a much more direct approach to the translation. Feel free to rewrite the story as long as it doesn’t forsake the game’s characteristics. Games are no longer manufactured for control alone, they have well thought out characters, themes, and motifs, all with a joined motive. If Lara Croft has taught us anything, take calculated leaps, not blind jumps into the abyss.

[flamechasr]

uhm.......... how about that time i dragged him out to stargaze and ik he was really bored and probably preferred to be in his room reading or something but he went along anyway and it made me so happy bc there was someone my age and even though we were totally different its just nice to get along with him like i really liked being around himeko and mr. yang of course but it's just different! bc theyre like my parents but having dan heng with us actually felt like i had a friend. plus i felt like he needed some fun in his life and i really wanted to be the one to bring that! he never asked or anything cause duh it's dan heng but whenever i got him to smile its like the biggest accomplishment ever.... and also that time i had nightmares and i should've gone to himeko bc it made the most sense but i felt bad abt waking her up and dan heng is the only one on the train who regularly stayed up late so i went to him super embarrassed but he was so nice and let me stay. even tho i could tell he was definitely awkward i just didnt want to sleep alone and the data bank isnt a big room but we fit just fine. and in the morning when stelle couldnt find me in my room and he had to cover for us both was so funny bc to this day i Dont Know if stelle knew (even if she did its not a big deal, just a bit embarrassing bsdsdsk) and idk omg im ridiculously happy about how he's been feeling more at ease with us because its been a long time coming but we care him so much and he shouldnt have to feel like he needs to keep secrets with us . like i mean i say offhanded things sometimes but i would never Judge bc no matter what he was still my super cool super smart dan heng. like when he started opening up to us + me a lot more i was genuinely so happy bcs no matter what i just wanted to be reliable to him as much as he was to me and well maybe i wasnt the quintessential reliable figure but if nothing else i would listen! and give my opinions and im sure he didnt need them but it just makes sense. bc i was starting to feel bad that i asked him for help sooo much and i never really did anything for him besides being a little spark of light in his life.. purhaps .... because in the end he is a special person in my life too, who always kept me in check and comforted me (badly but its ok), protected me and stood by me no matter what. i just gggahh i love him to unbearable amounts. i often got frustrated bc hes just never transparent when it came to emotions and it made things really hard sometimes because like i didnt know what i could to do help him and if i asked he'd just say he doesnt need any like UGH how HARD can u be. and i am so scared of messing up but he's never mad at me for it, even when i definitely annoyed him he would never say a genuine mean thing for me (cause we had our playful mean moments) and i get it actually. in the end i think he was doing so much better and i just hope hope hope i brought just a bit of happiness to his life and i wasnt too much ahahahah. i love him i will eat him

blows up