#the third time: fucking hell why did i make a persona that cant keep it in his pants

[bbbbbbbbatman]

Bruce keeping a tighter and tighter lid on his identity around the Justice League because with each new person to reveal their identity he realizes that he has fucked far too high a percentage of his co workers as Bruce Wayne and he has to take this secret to his grave

[skittymon]

Finally finished Tales of Eternia!! 

And that makes 11th tales games finished and 15th overall played in some degree (Phantasia, Legendia, Innocence, and DotNW being the ones I havent finished yet).

Once I started again in December I decided that instead of liveblogging I’d make a review at the end instead.

So here we go! I will keep this spoiler free as possible!

I’m pretty scatterbrained but I’ll try to divide this into: combat, story, characters, and other game mechanics.

Combat: So obviously, the combat is above Phantasia and Destiny’s, being made after them. I honestly have grown fond of the 2d linear style format. There’s so many different boss fights in this game that can only work in a 2d field rather than 3d. 

On the flip side, that’s not always a good thing. I count bosses like the wild dog thing in Vesperia, and Fodra Queen of Graces to be among the hardest mandatory boss fights in tales. Welp, Eternia added one to the ranks. Rem (aka Aska the light spirit) is one of the most frustrating boss fights I’ve done. Apart from constantly slowing healing itself, on the field it brings a shiny ball with it. You cannot destoy the orb, it’s there all fight, and if you touch it it hurts you. And of course it blocks the way to Rem. There is a way past it, it moves up and down so you just have to wait until its up to move past. BUT GUESS WHAT THE AI DOESNT DO. So your party will probably either be dying or constantly in pain. AND REM CAN MOVE THE ORD ANYWHERE. Also you cant physically hit Rem while its casting a spell only far away skills. So if you ever play this game just cheese it and spam variations of Sonic Blade.

Of course, on the flip side it’s every easy for you to cheese boss fights and just back them up into a corner unable to move or do anything until they die, so it evens out.

The sprite animations for the artes are gorgeous. Reid moves so fluidly in his artes, he’s honestly my third favorite protag to play as behind Yuri and Ludger because of this. The caster animations are great as well, granted it can become cluttered and hard to see in when artes like blizzard and earth shaker are used. BUT GOD DAMN I CAN WATCH MEREDY USE METEOR ALL DAY IT LOOKS SO COOL.

Nitpicks about the combat system are, Life, the reviving spell Farah has, takes to long to charge, and for Meredy and Keele to use healing artes you have to mix and match who has what craymel (spirit). There might be a guide but I didnt look beyond reddit so Life was the only resurrection spell I had. 

Last nitpick comes from the Aurora Artes. Aurora Artes are skills only Reid can use, but in order to use them you have to have health below 15% and press circle, square, and x at the same time, so it’s very easy to mess up and die. Then to use more Aurora Artes you press the same buttons repeatedly, and after you use them Reid is left with 1 hp. AND the final boss has an automatic kill skill, you have to press the buttons at the right time to activate it and keep everyone alive, or you can cheese it like I did and have Farah hold a reverse doll to revive her after she dies. Did I also mention this skill happens in phase 2 of the fight when the bosses health is less than 20,000 after starting from 300,000? If you fuck up thats like 10mins of redoing.

But to end on a better note for this section, I love the way artes are learned. You have to use certain artes a number of times before you can unlock it (I THINK abyss and vesperia and many others are like this but this is the first time I found it rewarding). I grinded like hell to get the best artes for Reid AND YOU BET IT WAS WORTH IT. Omega Demon Chaos I love you,,,,

Story: Like countless other Tales titles, the conflict comes from two worlds being at odds with each other. However this game does something that none of the other games have done with this story beat. Language barriers! It’s super cool in the first couple of hours theyre just trying to figure out how to talk with Meredy. Of course by the end this point is nearly dropped entirely, everyone else just getting the special ear ring I spent 3 hours to get so the plot can move on.

Like most tales, theres a moment you thought the story would end but BOOM the twist. I wasn’t shocked by it, but that’s because I knew who the final antagonist of the game was prior to playing it, but still it was executed well. 

Something that makes this Tales stand out is how they deal with backstory. So the main fours backstory is vital to the story and their characters but they don’t show it till like 20 hours in. It’s like if Graces you start off in main arc and learn about the childhood arc 2/3 of the way through and went “ohhhh that’s why they were distant with each other.” And other stuff about it but I won’t spoil it.

Overall a good story, though I do feel like I’m missing things either from missing some side quests, or because of no skits.

Characters: The main ones to shine are the four main characters (Reid, Farah, Keele, and Meredy), everyone else literally is either one dungeon and/or optionable. Chat does still feel like a character being the owner of the Van Elita aka means of transportation for half the game. Max and Ras tho rip. ESPECIALLY MAX. Ya know how every tales there’s the mandatory Talk Before The Final Battle? Yea well they all get one except Max. You see him, but he doesnt talk, YET THEY CRAYMELS DO.

Another odd, yet charming, thing is that there’s no big moment of character development for anyone like Luke cutting his hair, Magilou keeping the portal open, or punch in the face like Alvin. They just. Slowly change. And its really weird cause for all of disc 1 Keele is basically an unbearable asshole and he just? Learns to be a better person from everything he sees? There’s no callout or moment of realization, he just slowly learns and it’s super refreshing. 

Reid is probably one of the most relatable protagonists up there with Jude. I’m sure most of you know the “he doesn’t want to do shit lol” persona he has BUT GOD WHY HE’S LIKE THAT BABY I LOVE YOU. Farah’s personality is also explained in the backstory, so for any of you crestoria players that Farah’s backstory is really different like how Emil’s is, but the sentiment of why she’s like that is the same and stem for a similar event.

Meredy’s also great. I thought I’d get annoyed of her and her “You bet!” but god when she says it the last time at the end of the game, I was pretty moved. I wish I knew more about her backstory but I’m pretty sure a certain section of her life info was left to skits and ya know we didn’t get those till Symphonia :)))

As antagonists go, besides the Craymels who are there to test you before you get their power, there’s just two. Main boss and their lackey. The lackey is eh. You see him once at the beginning of the game, then see him destroy a  city, then one last time where you kill him. You do get his backstory and stuff but eh I’m usually not fond of tales mini villains minus Chimerad, God Generals, and Artorius’s lackeys

The main antagonist tho, I really don’t wanna spoil it but it’s hard to talk about why I’m conflicted on it without spoiling. So it’s like Destiny’s final boss but written better in some part and worse in others. So at one point it’s super emotional and pretty powerful with the message eternia wants to send but at the same points its a jrpg where you gotta kill god cause he doesn’t think humans are worth it. 

Oh one more thing thats honestly hilarious, there’s literally SINGLE animated cutscene by Production I.G in this entire game minus the op. 

Other things: the amount of mini games in this game is insane, but the amount you have to do IN JUST THE SECOND DISC to continue the plot is more than any other tales game I can recall. Some of them are fun like the card game, others like the bomb one I want to throw in a fire. 

There’s also so much Destiny pandering in this game. There’s portraits of the characters, you can collect lens, I’m 95% sure the way a certain character is done is because they wanted another Leon, you can SUMMON THE SWORDIAN USERS ARE AS AN ACTUAL SUMMON. While all Phantasia gets is the cameo battle and the Eternal Sword. I mean I didn’t mind cause I’ve finished Destiny and it’s one of my fav tales games but damn it was pretty obvious. 

EXPLORATION IS SO FUN IN THIS GAME. Mainly near the end when you have free reigns. YOU CAN DIVE UNDERWAY AND EXPLORE THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA WHAT OTHER TALES GAME LETS YOU DO THAT??? 

In conclusion: A fun game! I don’t think it was worth 133 dollars tho consider my play file was 35 hours and thats with a good chuck of side quests and ex bosses. Probably in my top 5 combat systems of tales and final villains, but not in terms of story or characters. A really hope it gets remastered soon I’d love for more people to play it.

[blkgirlcafe]

Home Pt. 6

Viktor Drago x Cyra (Black OFC)

Cyra (Ky-Ra) -Sun or throne

Kazimir (Kah-Zee-Meer) - Bringer or Announcer of peace

Viktor Drago is married to the love of his life, they have a 5 year old son. He is willing to do anything to keep them safe.

Warning: Kidnapping, abuse, mentions of child abuse

Flashback 5

After that encounter they didn't speak for weeks, they caught each other looking at each other, but for the most part they didn't say anything. One night she came in late, just as he was about to leave, he decided to stay and do a few more around. She went from cardio to free weights and finally her sit ups. As she was doing sit ups, a guy approached her, towering over her. 

Viktor couldn't hear what he was saying but could see the panic on her face. The guy reached out to touch her hair, and Cyra tried to smack it away. Viktor abandoned the sparring bag, approaching her. 

“Dostatnʹo.” Viktor spoke (Enough)

“tse vasha poviya Drago?” the guy laughed. (This your whore Drago?)

“Zalysh yiyi, i ya poshkoduyu tebe.” (Leave her alone and I will spare you.)

Viktor knew his reputation, he had a reputation for being an animal. All he knew was violence and no one wanted to mess with that. He had very little regard for life, his own or others, and people were afraid of that. The guy walked away grumbling, leaving Cyra alone. 

“Thanks.” He helped her get up. Cyra dusted her hands on her pants, “Sorry for snapping on your a few weeks ago, I am just, I don't know.'' She gathered her stuff and started to walk out. 

“Wait!” he didn't mean to yell, “I will walk you home.”

She smiled at him, “You don't have to.”

“I want to, let me get my stuff.” Viktor scrambled to grab his gym bag, stuffing his sweaty clothes in it. He opened the door for her, taking her bag as she walked past. 

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I really am sorry I disappeared for two weeks, I didn't want Ivan to make me.”

“It's so weird to me you call him Ivan and not dad.” she shrugged. 

Viktor shrugged in response, it never occurred to him. 

“I miss home, I miss my brothers.” She said suddenly. The whole walk home, she talked about her home, about her family. Viktor listened intently, he had only left Europe once and that was to fight Creed. 

When they got to her apartment building he didn't want to leave her. 

“Wanna come up, we got leftovers?”

He looked both ways, afraid this was a trick, that Ivan would show up out of nowhere. He followed her up the stairs, the building was a tad bit better than where he lived. He couldn't deny the apartment was warmer in feeling this and Ivans.  Viktor left his bag by the door and sat on the small couch, 

“I will be right back.” She disappeared into one of the bedrooms, coming back a moment later in shorts and a t- shirt. Viktor tried his best not to stare at her but it wasn't working. 

“What are you looking at?” she asked him as she pulled food out of the fridge. 

“Nothing.” he mumbled. She fixed food, warming it up in the microwave. She walked over to him, pulling him off the couch. 

“You don't have to be shy around me.” she said softly. 

Viktor's eyes searched her face, before he bent down and kissed her. They both were surprised, she took a step back, her hand still on his. Viktor snatched his hand away, rushing to the door, grabbing his bag and leaving without saying goodbye. He passed Cyra’s roommate on the stairs as he rushed out.

“What the fuck was Drago doing here, are you okay?”

“Yeah. I was going to give him food but he kissed me and then ran away.”

“Word, bro is weird like leave him the fuck alone.”

“Stop he just, he just...trying.” 

“Yeah, trying to be weird. Anway, I'll eat his food.”

She grabbed the plate and sat down, Cyra looked out the window, he was already gone.

----

The fight was in a week, Viktor was stressed, he was barely eating, couldn't sleep. His trainer and manager were on his ass about the sudden change. Everyone wanted to know where Cyra was, why he had cheated. It pained him to lie, he would ever hurt her, or cheat on her. The sport gossip blogs picked it up, adding to his new persona of him being an boastful fighter. People came out the woodwork to, adding gas to the fire. His social media page had grew overnight, the comments ranged from accepts of his new identify to disbelief. 

Viktor has never acted like this, fame has gotten to his head.

Finally Big Nasty, you have earned it, show them how nasty you can get. 

The BDE is gold.

Cant belive he cheated on his wife, she fine as hell. 

Yo he gone wipe the floor with his oppoent. 

When he win there better be 50 bitches waiting for him in the back. 

His manager shook his head, looking through the post. They had companies wanting to sponsor them at the last moment, but Viktor said no. there was already enough attention on what was going on. He sipped the protein shake that was pushed in his head at some point. He had to make weight. 

Ivan walked into the office, wearing a smile, and Viktor just wanted to wipe it off his face. 

“Lets train.” he said to Vikor. 

“No.”

Viktor wasnt in the mood to train, wasnt in the mood to be around Ivan. The more days that passed without his wife home the worst he got. 

“I wasnt asking you.”

Viktor stood and towered over his  father, “You are a guest in my home, you are not my trainer and you are not my manager, act accordingly.”

If looks could kill they both would be dead, his manager came between them, pushing Viktor out the room. 

“Why the fuck is he even here, I dont understand Vik, you can talk to me.”

Viktor just shook his head and went to his bedroom. He laid on the bed, pulling her pillow close, her scent very faint on it. Viktor ended up falling asleep, dreaming of his family. 

Cyra was just out of his reach, he wanted to pull her close but each time he moved forward she moved back. Just behind her was Kazi, he was holding a toy, reaching out for him. 

“Tata I want to come home.”

“Me too baby.” Cyra said.

“Baby I am sorry, I never wanted this to happen.” 

They both faded away, Viktor looked around, trying to find her and Kazi. They had to be here, he could sense them, he could smell them. 

Viktor woke with a start, drenched in sweat. He sat up, looking for his phone, hoping he didnt miss a call. There were no new notifications at all. He went to the bathroom, then down to the kitchen to find food, normally Cyra and Kazi would be down here, the kitchen and attached family room were their domain, Kazi toys were stored in the corner, Cyra bookcase took up a full wall. 

The patio door was open and small snatches of conversation floated in, it was Ivan talking to someone. 

“Chy dobre vony?” (Are they well?)

Viktor took a step back, moving light on his feet.

“Tak, vin lamayetʹsya, vin zaznaye nevdachi.” (Yes he is breaking, he will fail.)

Viktor heart was beating fast, was Ivan behind this, would he do this? But Viktor already knew the answer to that.

----------

They let her and Kazi out once a day, they would spend hours outside. Sometimes one of the guys would play soccer with Kazi, sometimes it was just them. She never thought of screaming or trying to run away, not wanting to risk Kazi. They would simply kill her, they would make sure he suffered. 

Every few days she was able to speak to Viktor, she was allowed to call Trey, he stayed suspicious of everything. He wanted to see her, facetime her, touch her, anything. She kept the calls short, knowing her brother had the technology to find her. 

Kazi had stopped asking when Tata was coming to get them. She was told his fight was less than a week out, which means they would be fine if everything went according to plan. Viktor kept up his public appearance of being a badass, all the interviews he did he was prideful and boastful, which was unlike him. 

She just wanted to go home, get back to normal, whatever that would be after this. Kazi ran over to her, falling into her lap giggling. She was happy to see the smile on his face, he only smiled when he was out here. In the room he sat there, quiet, holding his toy. 

He stood up in front of her, putting his hands on her cheeks, giving her forehead a kiss. In that moment she broke down crying, because it was the same thing Viktor did to her. 

“Its okay mama.”

“I know baby. Mama sorry.” 

He didnt move, peppering her face in kisses until she started to giggle, she feel back, and they laid on the grass looking at the sky. 

She wondered what Vik was doing, if she knew her husband he was worrying. He didnt say much but boy could he worry. The backdoor opened and that was there cue to head back inside. She gave Kazi a kiss, picking him up.

Flashback # 6

Cyra avoided the gym for a few days but finally went back on Friday night. But there was no one there and that was rare. She approached the front desk, the girl behind her not even bothering to greet her.

“Where is everyone, this place is a ghost town?”

“Drago has a fight tonight, thought you would know that.” she rolled her eyes. 

Cyra was use to the attitude of most of the local people, she get it, she didnt belong. 

“Where?”

“No place for you.”

“I asked where, not your opinion.” Cyra gave the attitude back. 

The girl rolled her eyes again, popping her gum, before writing it down. 

“Starts at 9 Nehr.”

Cyra snatched the paper, knowing the slur that she was just called. 

She rushed home and convinced her roommate to go with her, they had a hour. Cyra changed into jeans and a tee, finding her bomber jacket to wear. They took a cab to the location. They got weird looks the whole time, or she got weird looks. They found a seat third row behind the opponent side. The fighters made there way to the ring and Viktor looked like nothing she remember. His normally shy and bashful expression was replaced with a look of hate and violence. 

The energy of the room was more than she could take, she wasnt use to this. People cheering for others to tear each other apart, people cheering for blood. The fight started, the first 3 rounds passing with hardly any damage. The 4th round his opponent got in a good hit, sending blood flying across the mat. Cyra stood, hands clenched in front of her. 

Her eyes met Vik and he was hit again, she realized that she was distracting him and sat back down. Viktor pushed off the ropes, standing up and getting back in stance. By the 7th round she could tell he was tired, his punches lacked the force from the earlier rounds. 

“End this and now!” Ivan shouted. 

Viktor straightened his back, delivering nasty punch after punch, even when his opponent leaned against him, Vik just pushed him off delivering a devastating uppercut that had his opponent on the ground. The ref counted and the bell rang, the fight over. Ivan bound into the ring, holding up his son arms in victory, you would have thought he made the final punch. 

The two exited the ring, Cyra pushed her way to the barrier that separated the crowd from the walkway. 

“Vik!” he turned to look at her, right eye already staring to close. He walked over, helping her and her roommate over the barrier so they could follow him. Ivan was to busy trying to find the sponsor for his payout to notice. 

Viktor led them to a small dressing room, her roommate waiting outside while she followed him in.

“You okay?” she asked stupidly. 

“I will be fine, what are you doing here?”

“Came to watch you fight, duh, also wondering why you ran after you kissed me.”

His head dropped,”I am sorry…”

Cyra didnt let him finish, standing on her tippy toes and kissing him back. His shoulder sagged almost in relief. 

Cyra bought her hands up to his cheeks, kissing him harder, wanting him to know it was okay, she wanted this too, whatever this was. 

“shcho tse?” (What is this?)

They both looked over, Ivan standing in the door, Anna standing behind Ivan. 

“I just came to congratulate him…”

“I am not talking to you girl. Lets go Viktor.”

“Dayte nam khvylynku, budʹ laska” Viktor spoke. (Give us a moment, please)

“No, lets go.” Ivan looked at her with disgust in his eyes. Viktor mumbled an apology before following Ivan out the door. 

“Damm what the hell was that?” Anna asked. 

“Nothing I guess.” 

That night all Viktor could think of was her. Usually when he won a fight, he floated high off of that for a few days, but even that didnt matter, she did. He snuck out knowing that Ivan was passed out drunk. 

He ended up at her apartment, knocking softly, Sarah answering the door. 

“Ugh you again, its like 3am, little late for a bootycall. Wait here.”

When Cyra saw him, she stopped. Viktor thought she looked gorgeous, in just a tshirt, curly hair everywhere. 

“Vik what are you doing here?”

“I came to apologize for Ivan, he doesn't have a reason to be mean to you.”

“You dont have to apologize for other people Vik.”

“I like you, I’ve never done this before, I dont know what to do.”

She smiled up at him, “You like me?”

“Yes a lot, you make me happy.”

She bounced over to him, hugging him around his middle, he winced from the pain, his ribs still sore. 

“Sorry, you make me happy to Vik. Come.”

She pulled him into her bedroom, the light was flicked off but he could still see the touches of her. The makeup on the vanity, clothes slung over the back of a chair, a picture on her bedside. 

“I swear to god yall better not fuck, these walls are thin as fuck, I can hear giantgtor breathing.”

“Don’t mind her, can you stay?”

Viktor shook his head quickly, not caring that he would have to face the consequences tomorrow. He pushed his sweats down, leaving him in boxers and tshirts and got into bed, she snuggled up to him, trying her best not to touch his bruises. 

“Its fine, I am use to pain.”

“You shouldn't be Vik.” She kissed the underside of his chin, settling into a comfortable silence. 

Viktor got no sleep that night, he stayed up all night watching her sleep, she never left his side. Her scent stayed with him even as Ivan chewed him out the next morning and made him change gyms.

-----------

24 hours before a match 

It was time for the weight in and conference, Viktor always hated these. They obsessively tracked his weight the days leading up, to heavy or light and there was no fight, he had to stay in his weight class. He dropped a lot of weight since all this started, how could he eat without know if his wife and child were. 

After he head the phone call between Ivan and who he assumed was Andriy, he knew that they would be okay, it was all a plan to get him to fold. Viktor would bet his life that both Ivan and Andriy had big money bet on this fight and they needed him to fold so they could get paid. 

All the extra shit was just so he would be embarrass. He thought of he quote that Ivan had always told him when he was growing up, “A fool tells you what he will do, a boaster will tell you what they have done, The wise man does it and says nothing.” He never saw the need to be prideful. It just wasnt his way. 

“You ready?” his manager ask him. 

“Yes.” usually Cyra was here with him, behind the scene, being his cheerleader. He didnt need the huge entourage, the flashy clothes of jewelry, just her. Kazi would be with one of her brothers, watching from home.He wasnt allowed to watch the fights, but the weight ins no problem. All Viktor had on were boxing shorts, he followed his manager to the stage. Dozens of specters watched, cameras out, mics pointed toward the stage. 

The announcer did the usual bout, introducing them. They weighed in, their weight checked before they took their respective seats, this was the part he hated, the interview. 

Drago where is your wife, does she plan to support you even thought you cheated?

She will not be in attendance. 

Why the sudden change, you did a complete 180 on us.

People change.

Needless to say fans are loving the new attitude, they think you earned the right to be boastful.

They are right, I haven't lost a fight in 5 years, I dont have anything else to prove. 

For the most part he kept his answers short, keeping up the facade like he was supposed to.

Finally they were done and Viktor along with his manager and trainer went back to his room, that same room he would prep in tomorrow for the fight. Win or lose he was going home with 2 million dollars. If he won he was looking at 10 million, tack on what he would make from sponsorship it would be a nice purse. 

“Viktor you look dead, I dont believe anything you said on that stage. Man what is going on?”

“Nothing.” he got dress and quickly. 

With Ivan not here he asked to use his trainer phone, he went into the bathroom. 

“Who dis?” Trey answered the phone. 

“I dont have much time, I know who has Cyra and I think my dad is on it. Come by the house tonight.”

“Aigh bruh, Imma be there, but my sis and Kazi better be okay or I will make good on my promise.”

He hung up, deleting the call log. When he came out the restroom still no sign of Ivan, he gave his trainer back his phone and left, wanting to go home.

----------

Both her and Kazi watched the weight in, Kazi was quiet as he watched his tata on stage talking. Cyra hated seeing him like this, he looked awful, not his normal self. His eyes were dark, the same darkness she saw when she met him in the Ukraine. 

He weighted in as normal, did the interview and rushed off of stage. She just wanted to reach out and comfort him. The day before a match she was always by his side, they needed each other in that way. They kept each other grounded.

After watching the weight in, she and Kazi had dinner. But Cyra wasnt hungry at all. They were given a bathroom run, allowed to take a shower, and her kazi sharing the shower to save time. Once back in their room they laid together while Kazi told her a story, like most children he had the most active imagination ever. 

She wanted to tell him that tomorrow they would go home, that everything would be okay. But she didnt, know sure she could handle the disappointment if something went wrong.

[angstandhappiness]

LMAO YES

Bruce keeping a tighter and tighter lid on his identity around the Justice League because with each new person to reveal their identity he realizes that he has fucked far too high a percentage of his co workers as Bruce Wayne and he has to take this secret to his grave

[freakofnerdsher]

“But the mask doesn’t cover that part of your face! How would we not know you had a mustache??”

“I’m Batman” *glares*

Bruce keeping a tighter and tighter lid on his identity around the Justice League because with each new person to reveal their identity he realizes that he has fucked far too high a percentage of his co workers as Bruce Wayne and he has to take this secret to his grave