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kpopisamood · 5 years ago

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Queen’s Clan { 1 }

Summary: y/n is plagued by nightmares. She realizes that the more she runs away, the less frequently they haunt her. However, in running away, she’s also running straight into her ultimate demise. Will she be saved in time by those who would lay down their lives for her, even if they don’t know of each other’s existence?

Monsta X/Reader, Human/Vampire(s), Reverse Harem, future smut?, violence, language

Word count: 2.35k

***

My queen.

Your highness.

Blood of my blood.

Trick.

Bébé.

My liege.

Lover.

With a startling gasp, you’re brought out of your reverie. They’re back again. Closer.

“Earth to Y/N! You’ve got customers!” Your manager shrieked at you.

You quickly shake your head and put away the rag you’ve been using to clean the same spot for the past few minutes and try to focus on the ever growing line in front of you. It would be a long morning of people demanding soy this and nonfat that. You took a deep breath to prepare for the oncoming onslaught that was coming your way and put on your best fake smile to welcome the next guest.

Hours later, you’re finally off of your feet and chilling out in the back room for your fifteen minute break. Your mind is wandering back to the voices you heard this morning. All very different and saying different things, but the meaning all the same.

How long have you been here? Surely, it hasn’t been long, right? It’s August now, and you settled down in this area around May. Was it already time to leave again?

You had grown accustomed to your frequent nomadic lifestyle, sure. However, picking up everything and moving on was starting to get frustrating since you just started at this new job to keep yourself afloat. But you couldn’t help it. Once the voices came, it was like a warning of what was to come and you shuddered at the thought of trying to pull the same stunt you did in Denver.

Fighting back only made it worse. You’d be left comatose again and that wasn’t an option.

You’ve gotta keep moving. Perhaps after work you could—

“Y/N! I need you out here!” Her voice was really starting to annoy you but at least you could distract your mind for a few hours more.

Grumbling to yourself, you leaned back to give yourself the leverage of hauling yourself out of the not-so comfortable but welcoming chair and walked on your pulsating feet back to your register to smile at the next guest. Another long line of complicated orders. Just another few hours to go.

As you’re making a specialty item for a group of teenagers on their lunch break, you hear the door hit against the bell. Another customer needing their caffeine fix. In a way, you were like a drug dealer, enabling these people to get the highest they’ll ever be today and smirked to yourself.

The girls waiting around the counter all gasped and whispered in hushed voices, giggling.

Now, you know for a fact these kiddos weren’t laughing at you making their drinks, right? As you’re about to give them a piece of your mind you hear him.

“I’ll have a coffee, black.” He said with a bored tone. Your attention snaps from the girls to a man with blonde hair swept to one side. He’s wearing a gray shirt that accentuates the lines of his body and has a necklace dangling in front. He’s carelessly typing on his phone, not giving you any sort of regard. It wouldn’t have bothered you, had you not already been on edge. You rolled your eyes at him and started getting ingredients ready to make a new batch of coffee.

Once you poured it into a to-go cup, with the new state-of-the-art lid that promoted a cut back on plastic straws, you slid it over to him.

“That’ll be $2.60.” You totaled out for him, and fixed your attention on the register, hand out for his payment.

What you didn’t see was his eyes widening. His head slowly picking itself up to stare at you and your hand. His phone completely forgotten and clutched at his side.

Growing impatient, you looked back to him and gasped. He was staring deep into you but that’s not what scared you. His eyes tinged red for the slightest of seconds and he quickly threw a twenty dollar bill into your hand, grabbing his coffee and just about sprinting out of the cafe.

The girls whined at the absence of his presence impetuously but you paid them no mind. Your earlier negative attitude almost completely diminished. Immediately, your mind tried to come up with a logical explanation. Was he wearing contacts? No, contacts don’t change color, right? Trick of the light? Perhaps, if the lights inside weren’t already dim. Why do you care?

Why do you care?

Your vision blurred slightly before returning back to normal.

Already? In public?

You looked at the clock in panic and saw your shift was just about over. Surely, your boss wouldn’t mind if you left a few minutes earlier? Even if she did, you’d be leaving town soon and starting over anew. Who needed this place as a reference, anyways?

You huffed and made your way into the back room once more, seeing your boss in her low of the day. She’d been taking espresso shot after espresso shot this morning to keep up with the lines only to meet a hard crash in the afternoon. As you’re about to wake sleeping beauty, your co-worker comes in, ready for a shift change and you sent him a relieved smile.

Tossing your apron onto a nearby table, you made your way to your locker. You grabbed your over the shoulder bag and checked your phone for any messages, though you know the chances of seeing any sort of notifications were slim to none. Still, it brought you peace of mind and you shuffled out of the small building into the unforgiving, blistering heat.

How long has it been since you’ve lived like this? Maybe a little over a couple years? After high school had ended, you had these episodes. You had assumed it was your body trying to adapt to a new lifestyle of college and all the new adult things you had to do, but for some reason, it felt like there was something more. Your parents had sent you to countless psychiatrists, therapists, and psychologists to get opinion on top of opinion on what you could possibly have. All gave varying answers to diagnosis with prescriptions filled to the brim of medications that would pretty much put you into a vegetative state.

You had discovered soon after that these episodes would dampen each time you saw a new area. Each hospital you went to for treatment had a completely new environment that you welcomed. Not the hospitals themselves, but the areas around. Simply sitting outside in a new place seemed to calm you down.

That’s when you knew you had to keep moving.

Starting over was hard, but staying in once place brought the attacks.

As you made your way to your car, your mind once again wandered to the voices from earlier today. They only came when things were about to south. A forewarning of sorts. Then, you would start zoning out more frequently. Shadows would blind your vision and chills would overtake you. You’d only tried to fight it off once after being so tired of dealing with it. That was a mistake.

A mistake you learned from.

You quickly started your car and sped to the motel you were staying at. When you parked, you made a beeline for your door on the second floor. You quickly slide your card in and waited for the beep to let you in before chucking the door open and slamming it behind you.

Made it. You smiled softly and almost pat yourself on the back when you noticed the picture next to the messy bed. You sighed and sat down, throwing your keys and bag to the side while looking at the smiling faces. The picture was of you and your parents on a vacation. Times were tough and they couldn’t exactly pay for the most extravagant trip, but you were all excited to stay at a 4-star hotel by the beach nonetheless. It was a much simpler time and you missed your parents if you think too long about them. They were truly supportive of anything you did and wanted to be there with you every step of the way.

But you couldn’t let them. You didn’t know why, or how, but you knew staying near them wouldn’t be good for either party. Your sanity was slowly deteriorating and that was too much for everyone involved. Once you figured out a way to help yourself, you had had a long conversation with them about what you were going to do and how you were going to do it. They were a bit reluctant to let you go so hastily, but they understood this was something you had to do for yourself. They couldn’t send a lot of money, but when they did, it was usually when you were scraping the bottom of the barrel. It’s like they knew in some weird, helicopter parent way.

Thankfully, you had saved a few hundred from tips and whatever you made, so this next trip should be easy. You started packing when you heard an incessant knocking on your door that made you stand up straight.

It’s not the maid, right? Surely, they only came when rooms were vacant. The owner? But you paid for the room a day in advance.

You wearily made your way to the door and chanced a look through the peephole. You scanned around the area in front of your door only to see it empty. You sighed and leaned against the door, bumping your head against it in agitation. You’re losing it again? So soon? Your eyes closed, body sagging to the floor from pure exhaustion. Your feet ached, your legs were slightly numb, and your back and neck felt like you were a senior citizen who desperately needed a chiropractor.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Your eyes popped open as you felt the vibration of the door being pounded once more and pulled yourself up with the swagger of a cripple. Once again, no one was outside. You frowned and slowly stepped back, going through your options like some sort of video game story.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

You could do a few things here. Open the door like the dumb, first person who dies first in a horror flick does, or you could try and find a way out. You weren’t a criminal by any means and the worst thing you did was steal a toothbrush on a field trip to the grocery store with your class which had made you feel horrible. So this couldn’t be the police waiting on the sides of your archway, wanting to pummel in the door and arrest you. You didn’t know anyone here, not really, so it’s definitely not someone you know. It could be your boss trying to give you a hard time, but even then, you hadn’t put the motel address on the work application. Just your parents’ location.

Could it be your parents? They wouldn’t scare you like this.

You slid the lock onto the chain and slowly opened to door, letting the warm breeze into your cool room. Door ajar, but locked provided a small sense of security. You were sure someone could easily just kick the door in and break the chain lock, but that was neither here nor there.

With a sigh, you braced yourself and looked through the small crack.

Nothing.

No one.

Shit, you were losing it. You rolled your eyes at yourself before trying to close the door, only to get it stuck on something. Shocked, you tried putting weight against it, only to have it knock back at you. The edges of your vision darkened and you nearly whimpered at the familiarity of the situation.

You’re hallucinating and you needed to go. Now.

Leaving the door slightly cracked, you packed the remained of your stuff in your duffel bag. Your grabbed your family picture and held it tightly to yourself in one last embrace before packing it gingerly with your clothes and made your way back to your door.

It was closed now.

You breathed shakily as you grasped the doorknob, trying to build up the confidence to throw it open and run.

The moment you did so, you regretted it.

As soon as you threw caution to the wind and ran like hell, you were yanked down by your hair with a cry. Your vision weaving in and out relentlessly, breath coming out in panicked gasps.

Once you were sure it was just your imagination, you slowly made your way down the rickety stairs and towards your car before being thrown to the side by an invisible force.

You looked around in panic to see nothing out of the ordinary which made you that much more terrified. Just as you were about to get back up, you felt a blunt force hit you in your stomach, knocking you back down, face flat against the asphalt.

“SHIT!” You screamed in frustration and pain. Were you drugged? Was your imagination this wild? What the f—

Your slammed back up and then back down with a force harsh enough to bruise. You rolled into your back, trying to alleviate the force, only to get knocked again on your side and then dragged against the rough terrain.

“Please, no.” You begged. You waited once more for this to die out, only to feel a warm drag on your arm. A glance at it and you nearly screamed. Your entire arm was cut from elbow to wrist in one fell swoop.

You need to go. Now.

You huffed. Enough was enough. You slowly tried to pull yourself in an army-like crawl, only to get dragged back.

You were going to die. In a damned motel parking lot like some washed up prostitute. Great.

Just as you were willing to accept defeat, a growl resounded around you. You could hear a blunt object hitting another again and again. You didn’t care, though. You were just thankful it stopped it’s attack on you.

Before you lose all consciousness, you heard the voice. His voice.

“My Queen.”

#monsta x x you #monsta x x reader #ot7 x reader #ot7 x you #kpop #kpop fanfic #monsta x #monsta x fanfic #vampire au #monsta x fic #kpop fic

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modmamono · 4 years ago

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Why Space Channel 5 is one of SEGA’s best dumbest games ever, no questions asked. (Report 2 cont.)

Here’s ramblings about Report 1 & most of 2: https://huskynator.tumblr.com/post/627109114690109441/why-space-channel-5-is-one-of-segas-best

Report 2 (Cont.): In which I analyse the Morolina boss battle with no point in mind.

So where was I?

youtube

BOSS TIME!

Jaguar (Age 35): The alien mothership is retreating. Don’t you have to follow them, Channel 5? Fuse: Blast you, Jaguar [Age 35].

With the pirates giving chase, Ulala is left with the cowardly alien robot to elegant music.

Ignoring the robot’s title, while silly, its cowardice is its greatest asset. For it has kidnapped some space schoolkids, making their space teacher worry.

Before I start, in-between phases there this chorus, and it’s great, awesome way to prep you to start Chu-ing.

So during Report 1′s Coco Tapioca’s battle, I had trouble describing how it was really all that different from every other battle up until that point. Morolina won’t have that problem because this bot is the toughest cookie so far. Lemme explain why:

Space Channel 5 uses two senses: sight and hearing. During the dance battle when a Morolian says Left, they also move Left. Ergo when they move Right, they have said right. Meaning that if you forgot what they said, you can still save you a lost heart if you remember which way they moved. You can rely on your eyes for a little help, but it is also possible to do it blindfolded.

Not so much during the shoot-outs, because of the hostages. If you play those blinded folded you will fail. You may hear Chu Chu Chu. But you’ll shoot hostages because it was Moro Human Moro. You didn’t see that because you were blindfolded you dingus! You gotta pay attention!

And Morolina is “Pay Attention” the Boss Battle. And I know that’s a good chuck of bosses ever but hear me out.

For its first two phases this is its formula: One or two directions. Pause. Chu Chu Chu.

That doesn’t sound so bad. But you need to use your ears on the directions and your eyes on the Chus.

Its Up and Down movements are straight forward. But its Left and Right commands are a little confusing.

This pose obviously is its Left command. But in motion it looks like the Right command as most of the movement comes from that free tentacle on the right, which while it points Left, it stays on the right side of the body where most of the movement is. Not helped that it doesn’t stay on its poses for long. (Not everyone’s gonna think its moves look reversed in motion but it certainly looks as such to me so I can’t be the only one.) So for that you gotta memorize with your ears.

After the second phase, he start throwing in space school kids into the mix, replacing the Morolians with its Chu Chu Chu. Thankfully, it’s always 3 sets of either Moros or Space Kids it shoves in your face, but that’s still paying attention with your eyes and that happens during the same turn as the paragraph above! It’s a lot for only 5 commands max.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not a complaint. This is good game design if intentional. But I have a feeling it’s moreso because its limited by its animation then intentional misdirection. And the way I described how it’s in practice doesn’t happen in this game or the next, it’s a missed opportunity having a character say one command but moving differently.

In short: The unintentional misdirection adds more then in hinders, but you may wanna beware-y because of it.

And then it explodes!

It’s okay.

The next phases begin in zero gravity because the ship’s gravity generated has been damaged... When?

I love and hate this bit, it’s a shoot-out but with a twist. A literal twist. Many of them in fact. In practice, this is more of the same, but it isn’t a strict 3 Chus anymore it can have as many as it has tentacles that aren’t the 3 in front as it feels like.

But that’s not the twist. It still holds up Morolians and Space Kids but it does twists so you don’t have a visual aid of what he was holding during Ulala’s turn. You may forget if its holding Moros or Space Kids. Especially if it’s a short one.

Example: Morolina: (Turns) (Show Moro/Kid) Right Chu (Shows Moro/Kid) Left Chu (Shows Moros/Kids) Up ChuChu. (Retracts Moros/Kids so Ulala can’t see them until it’s time she would’ve shot her guns already.)

This is great stuff. This game adheres to basic game design and it’s great. It takes the simplistic controls and does as many things it can do with those controls to make a fair fight to screw you over.

Despite what it may seem like sometimes with Sonic games, and SEGA’s past failures, their studios can make great games. Even if they’re bad, it’s still clear to me that a lot of their games still had a lot of passion put into it.

I’m not calling Space Channel 5 a bad game for the record. But it’s clear there did went passion into it. I feel like it’s one of the last SEGA IP greats that aren’t Sonic, where they just a had an absurd idea and saw it though to the end. Super Monkey Ball is like that too, Billy Hatcher too but that might not be a good game (I wouldn’t know).

Sorry for that tangent, back to the game where Ulala gets licked.

Morolina kinda had to resort to this. It lost its tentacles because Ulala shot at them. Ulala had it coming.

Luckily Ulala has one hand free with a gun. And I love this section. Just two commands! Up and Chu! Up to roll Ulala out of the tongue as far as she can and Chu to shoot as usual as well as to roll.

You’d be surprised how much mileage you can get out of it.

Also it’s safe to say that it lost both its cowardice and elegance at this point. Shame, I liked the way it danced.

And then it stops anti-climatically. Boom! Status screen:

You saved the space kids and Morolina joins you in Ulala’s strutting. Also the gravity is fixed. When?

I have said that this is probably the most boring report, but wanna take that back. For one it has Jaguar (Age 35) and Morolina, the first true sign of what this game has to offer when pushing its gameplay.

Halfway done. No clue if anyone cares or not, but I know I cares a lot. Me gushing about Report 3 coming sometime in the future.

#space channel 5 #sc5 #ulala #dreamcast #chu #gushing #fuse #morolina #morolians

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amazingmsme · 5 years ago

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Down and Under

AN: This is the third fic in my saf fake interrogation series. You don’t have to have read the other two in order to get this fic, but it might help you understand some references. Here’s Mission Gone Right and Round and Round if you want to read them! Hope you enjoy!

WARNINGS: Mentions of animal trafficking, torture techniques, British jokes

Ever since Owen had pulled the little spinning wheel knife stunt, Curt had been itching for revenge. Owen still rubbed it in his face when they saw each other, and his hair had only just grown out to normal. He had ended up having to get a buzzcut to even out where Owen had chopped off a fist full of his hair like a damn trophy. He was tempted to do the same to him, but Owen was even more obsessed with his hair than he was. He might literally mount his head on his wall if he did that, so he'd have to get his kicks another way.

He was ecstatic when he found out he and Owen would be busting an underground drug and exotic animal smuggling ring and saw his chance to enact his revenge. Cynthia had told him he probably wouldn't see Owen since he was handling the drugs and Curt himself was in charge of finding the animal cages and taking down anyone who got in his way. He always had a way with animals, and it had come in handy on more than one occasion. But he figured once he located the animals, it wouldn't hurt if he also tracked down Owen to, help him with his task.

Curt pressed himself against the side of the building, creeping closer to the door to knock out the guards. According to the mission briefing, Owen was supposed to already be inside the hanger where they were loading planes with cocaine and opioids. Curt had a sneaking suspicion they were either keeping the animals in either the warehouse or barn, or maybe even both depending on how many they had.

Curt snuck up on the two men and hit a pressure point on one guard's neck, sending him to the ground in instant slumber. The other one aimed his rifle at Curt, and he swiftly yanked it from his grasp and slammed the butt of the gun on his forehead, knocking him unconscious. He tied them up before dragging them to his truck and chucking them in the back. The agency would take them into custody and deal with them from there.

Inside the warehouse was dark and empty. Too empty... Something must've happened to draw their attention away from their posts because there's no reason a building this big would be so empty. He walked down a flight of stairs and found rows of cages and crates containing wild animals, the calls and snorts echoing through the metal building. He had his gun at the ready just in case he were to encounter someone else.

He passed by a cage he thought was empty, but erupted with manic laughter that scared the shit out of him. He pointed his gun, fully expecting to see a mad man ready to fight but was instead met with a hyena cackling in the corner. He walked throughout the building tallying all the animals and keeping track of what was where. He made his way towards the barn, and got a sick feeling when there weren't any guards their either. But it was in the middle of the night and it was a small operation, so he hoped they just didn't have many people on site.

He snuck in through a back door and just like the warehouse, the air was alive with the sounds of animals in distress. They paced their small cells, some just giving up completely and laying down. He was about to leave and call Cynthia on his watch and tell her where the animals were. She'd send in the animal control team to rescue and relocate them so they wouldn't have to live this shitty life anymore.

He was walking down the middle isle when a small lump caught his eye. At first he didn't pay it any mind but then it started moving and he gasped. A little joey started making its way towards him, and he looked over his shoulder to check no one was there before he knelt down and picked it up. It was small, definitely too small to be without its mom. And he knew enough about kangaroos to know that a baby this young shouldn't be out of a pouch. It tried to burrow closer to his body, and he felt his heart melt. He picked up a tote bag and let him crawl inside, slinging the strap over his shoulder and supporting the joey's weight with his arm. He still felt like something wasn't right and made his way to the hanger and snuck in.

It wasn't pretty. It looked like a massacre, blood and bodies strewn across the floor. Curt counted about 26. Looks like things got a little messy for Owen. Oh well, he'd rather he not be the one to get chewed out by his boss, but that still didn't tell him where Owen was. He heard a noise in the next room and ducked behind a small plane. A man walked out and grabbed a few things: rope, pliers, a whip, Curt knew what that meant. And he could bet he knew the British agent he planned to use it on.

He crept along silently and peaked inside the room he had just left and lo and behold, there was Owen, tied to a chair and unconscious. He drew his gun and hid behind the door, waiting for him to come back in, and when he did, he pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the back of his head and he fell to the ground. He drug the body out of the room before glancing back at his unconscious friend and smirked to himself. Since that part was already done, he might as well get his revenge and have a good time.

He stripped one of the bodies and used their clothes as a disguise so that Owen wouldn't recognize him straight away. He pulled the red bandana over his nose to conceal his face and pulled his Akubra lower, casting his face in shadow. He gently placed the bag with the joey in the corner for him to keep an eye on. He checked his watch, and he had all the time in the world if he wanted. Cynthia told him to take however long he needed to find the animals and help Owen with his part of the mission if he finished early. He considered this helping.

He grabbed the short whip off the ground and stood back, raising his hand in the air and bringing it down fast with a loud crack. Owen jerked awake with a gasp and struggled in his bonds before narrowing his eyes at Curt.

He opened his mouth and spoke with a thick Australian accent. "'Ello sleepy head. Nice to see you're awake." When he got no response, he took a step forward. "Looks like you had a lotta fun with my men out there. Now if ya don't mind, I'd like to have me own fun."

"Be my guest, I was getting quite bored," Owen drawled, an amused and cocky smirk plastered on his face. God he wanted to smack it off. Then he remembered: he could. He delivered a nasty backhand to his right cheek, and Owen chuckled.

"You hit like a bitch."

"Why do you think I have so many tools mate?" Now it was Curt who was smirking seeing the fleeting look of fear pass over his friend's face. He grabbed the large bowie knife from his belt and yanked Owen forward by the collar of his shirt. He reeled his head back, a rough gurgling sound coming from the back of his throat before leaning up again and launched a loogie in Curt's face. Thankfully it landed on the bandana, and he laughed.

"Shouldn't a done that." He took the knife and slowly sliced open Owen's kaki shirt, watching each button as it popped off. He applied just enough pressure to break the skin, leaving a pencil thin line of blood on his chest, but not hard enough to do any real damage. He stepped back to admire his bare chest, slowly rising and falling with steady, even breaths.

"Now tell me, what all do you know about us?"

"Well obviously I know where your base is," he quipped. Curt rolled his eyes and grabbed the large bucket of ice water. He splashed him with it and relished how Owen sputtered and shivered. Revenge was a dish best served cold after all. "I also know I killed a good bit of your men-"

"Enough!" He threw more of the freezing water in his face. Owen shook his head like a dog trying to dry himself off since he couldn't wipe his face. "I don't like your cocky tone, so I'm gonna set you straight."

"Pft, that won't work-" Okay Curt had to hand it to him, that one was pretty good. The fact that he winked at him didn't help either, and now Curt wondered if he had him figured out. Regardless, he still had more tricks up his sleeve. After all, most of the fun in their little game came from playing along with the other's antics.

"What do you know about the drug smugglin' operation?" He made a show of cracking the whip again. Owen smirked and met his eyes, "Everything. And I'll have you know I've already alerted my men, and they're already on their way. You'll be surrounded within the hour," he bluffed.

"Well then, I better get busy shouldn't I?" Curt took a step back, putting enough distance between himself and Owen so that the whip would sting but wouldn't cut deep into his skin. He barely even flinched each time it bit into his skin. Curt admired his bare chest, seeing the small red whelps start to rise.

A small rustling sound made him look in the corner and he saw the little joey crawl out of the sack. Owen looked over and gasped.

"Where the bloody hell did that thing come from?" he asked incredulously.

"That's none a your bloody business!" he hissed, gingerly picking him up. He got a devilish idea and tugged the bandana down so that Owen could see his evil grin. "Y'know, this fella's gonna grow up nice an' strong. A full grown kangaroo can disembowel a predator in a fight, but they're more well known for their kicks." Curt shifted his hold from a cradling position in favor of holding his sides underneath the armpits. Even though he was a baby, he was still pretty heavy and Curt's arms were getting tired. He was much easier to hold in the sack.

Apparently he wasn't a fan of the new technique and started squirming: perfect. Owen's legs were tied to each of the front legs of the chair, leaving him wide open. Curt brought the kangaroo closer and just as he planned, it kicked his square in the balls. Owen let out a loud groan and doubled forward as best as he could. The joey delivered another swift kick before Curt pulled away and took him back to the bag.

"In ya go lil guy, good work," he praised. He turned back to Owen, who was still recovering. He was having a great time, but knew he should start to wrap it up. He glanced at the coiled rope by his foot then back at Owen. Well, let's just say it wouldn't be the first time he choked him.

"Last chance mate. You wanna tell me what you know?" he said, crouching in front of him. Owen slammed their skulls together, and Curt brought his hand up to rub his forehead. He was even more excited to do this after that.

He unwound the rope and stood behind him. "Better take a deep breath mate. You're gonna need it." Before Owen could undeniably make some smart ass remark, Curt wrapped it around his throat and pulled back. He used the perfect amount of pressure that he knew Owen liked. He held for a few more seconds before letting the rope go slack. Owen gasped, and Curt leaned over his shoulder and whispered.

"Enjoying yourself Carvour?"

His face was flushed from lack of breath and embarrassment.

"How'd you know I like being choked?"

"You of all people should know personal history has its benefits," he said with a flourish, taking off his hat and shoving it on Owen's, rubbing it harshly to thoroughly mess up his hair. Based on his expression, he knew he would bat his hand away if he wasn't tied to the chair.

"Curt Mega you sly dog, I'd know that ass anywhere," he teased. Curt scoffed, "Really? My ass is what gave it away?"

"Well you hid your face so well I that I could barely tell it was you, barely."

Curt rolled his eyes, "Yeah I'm not like you," he said, beginning to untie him. Owen furrowed his brows, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Curt smirked, "That jaw's a dead give away," he gently grabbed his chin. Owen jerked his head away.

"You ass, you know I'm sensitive about that."

Curt finished untying him and cupped his face, "I meant it as a compliment. It makes you unique." Owen tried to bite his hand and he yanked it away.

"You sure enjoyed doing a number to me," he mused, brushing himself off and lightly slapping Curt's arm. "Loved the accent though, very sexy."

Curt shrugged, "Well Australian is just a sexier version of British." Owen pulled him a bit closer and growled, "I'll make you take that back."

"I'll look forward to it. But first we should probably get out of here." Owen sighed, "You're right. I will say, the kangaroo was a surprise. Where'd you find him?"

"He was out of his cage and needed a pouch, so I put him in that bag and brought him with me," he explained, walking over and picking him back up. He gently bounced him in his arms. He's a kangaroo, it should be comforting, right? Owen smiled at him.

"You really are just a big softie aren't you?" he teased. Curt narrowed his eyes, "Careful, or I just might let him kick you in the balls again." Now it was his turn to smirk as the smile fell from Owen's face. Curt called Cynthia as they made their way outside.

"Mega, it's about damn time I heard from you."

"You're the one who said to take my time," he justified. Cynthia frowned.

"Yes, but if I'd known you'd be so fucking slow I would've told you to get your ass in gear! Now where are they keeping the animals?"

"In both the barn and the warehouse, looks like there's just over a hundred."

"Alright, I'll send the animal control unit in and you can head back to base."

Owen shoved his head next to Curt's so that his face could be seen by the watch's camera, "Why don't you show her your cute little pet?" Curt made a motion to tell him to shut up, but Cynthia cut him off.

"What the fuck is he talking about Mega?"

"First of all, it's not that bad and I was going to tell you as soon as I saw you, but I found a little joey without its mom, so I let it climb in this sack," he explained. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose before taking a long drag from her cigarette.

"Let me see it." Curt furrowed his brow in confusion, "What?"

"Baby kangaroos are cute as fuck, let me see it!" she ordered. Curt scrambled to fold down the opening of the bag, showing her the sleeping joey. She placed a hand over her heart and a warm smile was plastered on her face. "God that's cute. But we'll put it in an animal rehab center where someone actually qualified can care for it."

Curt nodded, "That's for the best. And just a warning, things got a bit messy on Owen's end, and I wanted to make sure you knew I had no part in it." Owen smacked him on the back of the head, and he snickered. "You should've seen it; it looked like the Boston Massacre!"

"Is that a Brit joke?" Owen asked in shock the same time as Cynthia threw her head back in laughter.

"That's a good one Curt, remind me to tell Susan, he'll get a kick out of it!" She took another puff from her cigarette, "Yeah they sure do love staining everything as red as their coats," she joked at his expense, and Curt laughed along with her. "Hey Owen," she said, gaining his attention.

"Yes dear?" he asked, slight annoyance in his voice. "What's a British person's favorite restaurant?" She didn't give him a chance to answer before she spoke again. "Red Lobster. Get it?" Owen nodded, staring at the ground. Damnit, that was a pretty good one. "There should be a team arriving in a half hour, after that you can leave." Curt nodded and turned off his watch.

"She's always more pleasant over the comms." When over didn't answer he looked over at him and was met with a hard glare.

"Oh c'mon you know we're only joking! We love you posh bastards! We're American, we can't help making British jokes," he defended.

"Oh shut up and shove a cheeseburger down your gob." Curt chuckled and slung an arm over his shoulder. He felt accomplished, and he knew he couldn't wait to see what Owen had up his sleeve next.

#spies are forever #saf #saf fic #curt mega #agent curt mega #owen carvour #another saf fake interrogation fic #fake interrogation #curt with an Australian accent is sexy #& half the reason why I wrote this fic

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yoosungiib · 7 years ago

Note

Hi! I was wondering if you could do a hc for the rfa and minor trio where Mc throws a surprise party for their birthday?

RFA + Minor Trio reacting to MC throwing them a surprise birthday party

~~~

★ Yoosung ★

Was really hurt at first because he thought you forgot his birthday, but when he came home from work, opened the door and saw all his friends and you holding a banner that says ‘Happy Birthday Yoosunigie!!’, the disappointment he was feeling was totally worth it.

In fact, he gets really excited and starts squealing — sure, he may be a grown adult now that he’s a vet and in his later twenties, but the inner college kid will still come out every once and awhile, and when he’s getting a surprise party, it’s definitely coming out.

Definitely runs to you and almost squeezes the life out of you. “Cutie! Thank you so, so much! I knew you’d never forget my birthday!”

“Of course not, honey! How could I forget your birthday. Especially when you’ve been reminding me about it for the last month,” you say with a wink.

His surprise party is definitely one to have games. You can expect pin the tail on the donkey, bobbing for apples.

Don’t forget a piñata! It would probably be something simple like a colorful ball. And it’s filled with all his favorite candy! Saeran helped you to pack it and pick it out!

You get him a red-velvet cake that is almost as tall as him, and he totally goes on a sugar high later that night because it’s been awhile since he’s had a lot of sweet foods.

Over all he is incredibly grateful for this surprise party and what you’ve done for him. He’s very tired by the end of the day from all the excitement, but he makes sure the next morning to show you just how much he appreciates what you’ve done.

♪ Zen ♪

Zen was incredibly confused when he entered the studio and no one was to be found. He checked his phone, pondering to himself, ‘Did I get the time wrong?’

He made his way to the theatre hall, flicked on the lights, and gasped when he saw the whole cast for his newest show, the RFA, and you in the front gleaming.

He lets out an astonished laugh before running up on the stage and gathering everyone in for a group hug. But the group hug is short lasted as he shoves everyone away so he can get to you. He practically yanks you to him and lifts you up, spinning you around which causes you to giggle as you cling onto him. He sets you down and backs you into a wall as he gently kisses you. “Jagiya? Did you do all this?”

You snicker, pooping his nose and standing on your tippee toes to kiss his cheek. “Maybe~”

This is Zen’s party, so there are lots of drinks and everyone is drunk by the end of the night. Lots of snacks too, but mostly healthy snacks. There are a few bowls of chips but not many.

There is definitely loud music and a lot of dancing, and there is a DJ mind you. Since you guys are at a theatre, there are stage lights that you say are to replace ‘disco lights’.

There isn’t a cake but there are cupcakes, however, besides Seven and Yoosung, people are more interested in the dancing and partying then really eating. You and Zen laugh as you watch Seven and Yoosung compete with each other on who can eat more.

Everyone is very tired and very drunk by the end of the night, so while Zen is relaxing and talking with some of his cast mates, you are working to make sure everyone gets home safe by calling taxis.

Zen is a little drunk too, not as drunk as others but still drunk, so you drive home considering you didn’t drink a lot, but Zen is very doting the whole ride home.

He’s practically on top of you the whole time getting into the house and he collapses on top of you on the bed, kissing up your neck till he gets to your ear and whispers, “Thanks for such a wonderful night, babe. But who says it’s over yet?”

❀ Jaehee ❀

Parties, if not an RFA one, are not really her scene, or really something she is that bothered about. But a surprise party from you she is definitely down for!

Especially if you do a really good job and manage to hide it from her. She’s no 707 but she is incredibly smart and can usually figure out if you are hiding something from her pretty quick.

It’s a small party – only the RFA and it’s in your shared apartment with Jaehee. Nethertheless, she was very surprised when you removed your hands from her eyes and she saw everyone in the apartment. Not only that, the apartment has balloons and streamers and other party decorations.

She grins, turning to you and pulling you in for a hug. “MC, you shouldn’t have. I told you we didn’t need to do anything for my birthday.”

“Did you seriously think I’d let you not doing anything on your birthday? What kind of girlfriend do you think I am?”

“A wonderful one,” she says kissing you sweetly.

It’s a quiet party, but still all the fun. You’ve put food on the table, a small cake, and some drinks – all chosen specific to the different members likings.

You guys sit on the couch, talk, laugh, share memories. There is a really fun game of charades at one point where Seven, Zen, and Jumin are a team, and you, Yoosung, and Jaehee, and lets just say some people are not very good at the game Jumin which leads to almost everyone on the floor laughing with stomach aches.

When Jaehee wishes everyone goodnight, she joins you on the couch one last time and wraps her arm around you, slowly turning your head to face her with her pointer finger. A smile crosses on her face and she bends down, kissing you gently. “What a wonderful night, honey,” she says letting her finger trail up your jaw. “Allow me to show you just how grateful I am for this great night.” To conclude, the party lasts another hour and a half for you guys as she brings you to the bedroom and draws a close to her birthday.

☂ Jumin ☂

Jumin was happy enough with the breakfast in bed you gave him and the new collection of colorful ties! A surprise party was definitely not something he was expecting, but you never fail to surprise him after all.

In the penthouse is the entire RFA, his father, a few co-workers, and hey! Even some security guards are here ready to celebrate their bosses birthday.

He turns towards you, gently tugging you by the waist against him and bending down slightly so he can kiss your forehead. You laugh softly, wrapping your arms around his neck and saying, “Before you ask, I have four guards watching over Elizabeth so Seven can’t get to her, so don’t worry and enjoy your party, ok?”

Jumin chuckles, kissing your forehead again before guiding you back towards everyone, his arm never entangling from around you. “I didn’t plan to do anything else.”

Lots of wine and lots of funny stories from V about the few car crashes Jumin started and the couple times V has caught Jumin goggling over random pictures of cats instead of working much to Jaehee’s displeasure.

Seven tries to pop open a bottle of wine, even if he doesn’t plan to drink it, and the cap explodes off causing the wine to spurt out of the bottle. Seven being Seven has to of course spray everyone as the wine comes out like a fountain!

After that, Jumin is pretty much done with the party, and Seven and Zen are laughing their assess off being practically dragged by Jaehee and Yoosung out the door.

Jumin thanks the guards who attended, watched Elizabeth, and watched outside the door, thanked the other guests and wished them a goodnight, sending them off.

You were startled by Jumin almost pouncing on you the minute the last guest was out the door. He smothered you with kisses, causing you both to fall back onto the couch almost crushing poor Elizabeth!

“Jumin~ Was the party not enough excitement for one night?”

“Oh, darling, it was quite exciting. But I need to give you a proper thank you; one that cannot wait until tomorrow.”

☺ Seven/Saeyoung ☺

You were worried at first that you wouldn’t be able to keep the surprise party from Seven a secret since he’s so clever and he’d eventually figure it out. But he was so focused on what to do for Saeran he didn’t even realize you and Vanderwood were planning a surprise party.

Originally it was for both him and Saeran, but Saeran actually found out about it, so he decided to help you with the party as his gift to Seven. as well as a cat stuffed animal but he claims it’s because Seven will never let him live it down if he doesn’t get him a gift. We all know it’s because he loves his brother.

Seven is full on bawling when you surprise him. One, his princess 606 planned a surprise party for him, and two, you got frickin barn babies, oh my g o d he’s happy.

“M-MC, I love you so much, and I don’t deserve you. You are so pure and-”

“Ah, honey! Don’t do this, ‘I don’t deserve you’ stuff now, ok? Let’s enjoy your party! Wipe those tears and you can thank me later. Come on, I know you want to see the kittens.”

Oh, he does. You two and Jumin spend about an hour cuddling with the kittens, playing with them and taking selfies. Saeran even comes in at one point, taking a kitten from the bunch and walking off with it.

If there is any party for Seven, there is going to be three things; honey buddha chips, cats, and a food fight.

He is definitely one to shove his face in his cake while everyone is singing ‘Happy Birthday,’ and to be the more extra, he’ll then start chucking food at everyone. Yoosung is the first person to throw back after a piece of cake gets in his eye, and surprisingly Jaehee is next when she’s angered by cake getting in her hair.

Even if the food flying everyone and getting onto everyone’s clothes is annoying and a hassle, it’s a lot of fun for everyone.

Considering Seven is one who can stay up for two days straight, he is pretty tired after the party and collapses on the couch, bits of cake, chips and fur all over him.

Saeran grumbles as he helps you to get Seven to the bedroom, and changed too for that matter.

As you’re about the turn off the lights and go to sleep, you feel Seven roll over and wrap his arms around you, pulling you against his chest. He kisses the back of your neck before gently whispering into your ear, “Thank you, MC. Not just for the party. For everything.”

The next morning he definitely shows you how grateful he was for the party, and uses some of the special toys he got for his birthday~

❆ V ❆

Let’s just say, you and Jumin had the same idea, so the surprise party is planned by the both of you. And if Jumin is involved, it’s going to be a really nice, fancy, expensive party instead of the simple one you wanted to have.

You don’t complain as long as you are the one who is able to get V and bring him to the revenue.

V kinda figured out what you two were planning early on. The constant sneaking around, the weird decorations he catches you shoving and hiding in a storage room.

For your sake, he pretends to be surprised, putting on a look of awe even though in his head he’s saying, ‘I knew it.’

“Do you like it?” you ask nervously, twiddling your fingers and keeping your gaze down. V grins, tilting your head up and bending down to kiss you.

“I don’t like it,” he says and you frown. “I love it.”

Again, Jumin was involved. So there are ice sculptures, a really huge cake, fancy tables and flowers, and of course, Jumin has to make a speech that V is secretly laughing at, only because it’s such a typical thing for Jumin to do.

At one point during the night while everyone is partying (aka watching Seven try to shove cake down his throat), you, V and Jumin go out on the balcony for wine and chit-chatting.

You fall asleep while the two talk for about two hours. You’re a little surprised at first when you wake up in V’s arm since he’s carrying you to the guest room of Jumin’s penthouse, since you two will be staying with him for the night.

V grins, tucking you in and getting in besides you, pulling you into his arms. “Be honest with me Jihyun, you liked it right?”

“I did very much, MC. It was wonderful, even if we both know a huge party like this is not my scene.” You chuckle, nuzzling into V who wraps his arms around you a little tighter. He trailed his fingers up and down your back and you ask him what he’s doing. “Hm? Oh, just thinking about how I’m going to thank you tomorrow. I’m thinking a little more than just breakfast in bed.”

☻ Saeran/Unknown ☻

He’s a little uncomfortable at first – you had first asked him to put on a blindfold, which was a little nerve wrecking to him, then you wouldn’t tell him where you were taking him, and all of a sudden the blindfold is being yanked off and he’s in a room full of people screaming, “Surprise!” at him.

You stand in front of him and cup his face, beaming up at him before you stand on your tippee toes to kiss his cheek.

“Happy birthday, baby!” you say, kissing his nose this time. He slowly wraps his arms your waist and squeezes you.

“I’m confused. What is this?”

“It’s your birthday party!”

“I didn’t know I was having a birthday party.”

You giggle, running your hand through his tangled, red locks, smiling into his neck as you hug him a little tighter. ��Well, that’s because it’s a surprise party.”

He really likes it. Well, the party he isn’t that fond of, only because he doesn’t really like being in a crowd and everything is very chaotic, but what he likes is that you put in the time to throw him the surprise party, and that is just enough for him.

Saeran clings to your side the whole night, and is very gracious towards those who are the party – mainly just the RFA members and a few others – thanking everyone who came.

He’s a little flustered by all the gifts, but he’s really grateful.

And he totally pipes up when you bring out the desserts. A big ice cream cake, lots of cupcakes, and tubs of ice cream to go with the ice cream cake. He’s a very happy boy at the end of the day, and he has a wonderful birthday.

Now that everyone is gone, Seven and Yoosung passed out on the couch and Vanderwood having retired to his room, Saeran brings you to the bedroom, a sadistic smirk on his face.

You let out a squeak as he hoists you up and you quickly wrap your legs around is waist, giggling a little as he rubs his nose against yours. “May I unwrap my gift now?” he asks, kissing along your collarbone whilst walking you back to the bed.

“But I already gave you my gift.”

He chuckles, dropping you on the bed and crawling on top of you, bending down to kiss your forehead then lips. “But darling, you’re the best gift I could every ask for.” Saeran shows his thanks to you in the possibly the best way~

✌ Vanderwood ✌

A surprise party? Well, parties in general he’s not fond of considering they always leave such a big mess, it’s crowded, and there is overall chaos,

However, he can’t help but grin when you take your hands off his eyes and he sees the living room to your shared apartment decorated, and Seven and Saeran holding gifts and a cake.

Clearly it is a small party, but you knew that would be enough for Vanderwood since he doesn’t know many other people besides the twins and some RFA members. And you know anymore people in the apartment would near enough give him a heart attack.

“MC…”

“I know, I know you said you didn’t want to do anything for your birthday, but baby you deserve this. You work so hard to provide for you and I, you make my life so much more happier and brighter, even if you’re always frowning, and I love you more than anyone else on this planet. So please, enjoy your party,

And happy birthday!”

Vanderwood has more fun than he will admit must keep his tsundere facade up. Seven, though crazy and has the tendency to annoy him, is the ultimate life of the party bringing a karaoke machine. Seven of course goes first, singing a few songs from BTS and completely butchering Chandelier.

Seven is the main person to use the karaoke machine, but Saeran and Vanderwood do at least one song. Saeran awkwardly sings Beautiful by Christina Aguilera, and it ends with him chucking the remote at Seven who is laughing his head off. You and Vanderwood do a duet, and afterwards you compliment him on his singing voice. He turns a very bright red.

After eating cake, ordering take out and opening his gifts, he sends the Choi Twins off with a warning they better not mention the singing again. Once the twins have left, he immediately struts over to you and throws you over his shoulder, you laughing in the meanwhile as he carries you off to the bedroom.

He plops you down on the bed, following you shortly as he gently kisses you, his hand roaming up and down your body, tugging at your clothes. “What was that you said earlier? You love me more than anyone else on this planet?”

“I did say that.”

“Hmm. What about the part where I’m always frowning? How about I show you a different expression. And I can show my thanks for this nice little party too.”

~~~

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#Yoosung Kim #Zen #Hyun Ryu #Jaehee Kang #Jumin Han #Seven #Luciel Choi #Saeyoung Choi #V #Jihyun Kim #Saeran Choi #Ray Choi #Vanderwood #Mary Vanderwood 3rd #Mystic messenger #mYsme #mystic messenger headcanon #mysme headcanon

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destiny-smasher · 6 years ago

Text

TIGERFIST

So! I opened writing commissions recently since I’m unemployed and, well, really struggling to find a new job. Every little bit helps! I have a Ko-Fo set up, my fiancee and I have a Patreon we’re posting things up on every month, and you can commission me to write fic or edit or whatever if you so choose - no job is too small, just give me your budget and your request and we’ll see if we can work something out!

This commission was from Twitter user @PKFCx, who requested,

“And yeah dunno. Kind of a story like a Contra/Bad Dudes type character has to kick butt :P Just cliche filled. Because cliches are like a breath of fresh air for me”

Suffice it to say, the end result is unlike anything I’ve written before. (also, I must’ve subconsciously gotten the name/concept from Gravity Falls but this is different)

Inspirations: Kung Fury, Axe Cop, Half Life: Full Life Consequences

The phone was ringing.

It kept ringing. It was annoying.

The man didn't pick up the phone.

The man was trying to win Fortnite.

He was playing all day to win but could not win even though he was the best because people were being cheap.

But the phone was STILL RINGING it would not stop.

RIIIIING RIIIIIING RIIIING went the special red phone with the blinking light.

“I'm in top five!!” yelled the man at the phone. “Stop ringing so I can beat this scrubs!!”

Finally the phone shut up for a minute.

“Yes. now I can play with my maximum ability...!” and the man did. He built the stairs up and behind the enemy tower and blew them up with rockets and won chicken dinner.

“ok phone,” said the man when he was done winning the game. “now I can take your call.”

RIIIIING RIIING RIIIng

The man picked up the phone and said to it, “This better be important, you almost made me lose.”

“It's about the world safety!” said the phone. “Yes it is important!!”

“HMM what is it??”

“The presidents of every place are kidnapped!!”

“WHOA that is important for sure!”

“Yes it is and we need you TIGERFIST, only you could do it.” The man who was the hero of the story put on his sunglasses and looked at us. His muscles became so big his shirt exploded.

He raised his tiger arm and made a tiger fist with determined look on his face. “Yes,” he said. “Only I could do it.

Because I am TIGERFIST.”

And his claws came out, and they were so sharp they cut the phone in his hand. But he did not need the phone until next time. The presidents could buy a new one. After he saved them.

So Tigerfist flexed his muscles so hard his shirt came off, and his tiger stripes could be seen to put fear in the eyes of his enemies. He put his Minecraft hat on backwards because it was time to mean business. He tied his shoes tight because safety. He got a cold one from the fridged and cracked it so much it broke.

Tigerfist kicked open the door to his house and roared at the sky so his enemies knew he was coming for a challenge.

AT THE ENEMY BASE:

A roar from far away...

“Whoa,” says one guard to another guard. “That must be him.”

And then the other guard says “I heard he has a pack of eight. But I don't think he will share it with us.”

“He must be coming for a challenge. We better tell the boss.”

And so they went to turn on the alarms and the sirens. But then something stopped them. VRRRMMMMM

Up over the cliff was a motorbike with rocketmods and heavy machine gun attached. It flew up over the cliff in the air in slow motion.

It was TIGERFIST on the motorbike. He took out his lazer pistol and fired it two times at the guards, and they both were zapped and fell dead.

The motorbike landed and drove past them. Tigerfist said to the dead guards “You shouldn't be guards for the bad guys or bad things will happen to you!!” and some other guards heard him roaring this and ran to save themselves. He drove across the big bridge to the base and there was resistance but it did not resist good enough.

He opened his heavy machine gun attachment and blowed away all of the guards at the doors.

“code orange code orange!!” yelled one guard into his walkie talkie. “he is here!!”

But the walkie talkie was lazer shot out of his hand, and Tigerfist drove by, cutting his face with his tiger claws as he drove. “I am everywhere!!!” yelled Tigerfist, raising his gun as he drove.

The big metal door was in front of him so he JUMPED from his motorbike with a backflip, and the rocketmods went up to maximum power, and the motorbike ran into the door with a explosion to open a hole. As he landed like Iron Man, he remembered, “I have a backup at home,” and went into the base. “WELCOME!” said a voice from speakers, as Tigerfist walked into the dark inside of the base. “This is a bad welcome,” said Tigerfist. But his tiger eyes let him see that there was a tank in front of him in the darkness. “Oh, that is a better welcome,” he said, and jumped as the tank fired at him. He did flip in the air and cut the giant tank bullet in half with his tiger claws. The two halfs of bullet split up and blew up the two speakers as they tried to talk, like, “If cats have nine lives then we will-BOOM!” And Tigerfist landed on the tank, and it tried to move around to find him but it was too dark. Tigerfist cut open the tank and threw a grenade into it, and it exploded the entire tank in fire. He flew through the air from the explosion and landed in the next room of the base. There were more speakers and they said, “You ruined my line!!” “It was a bad line!” said Tigerfist, as he suplexed a big guard through the floor. The speakers said “I didn't finish it how can you know it was bad??”

Tigerfist straighted his sunglasses as he punched another guard so hard he flew out of the base. “it's coming from a bad GUY,” he said.

“At least listen to it first!” “Fine ok go ahead.” “cough cough. If cats have nine lives then we will have to kill you nine TIMES!!” “OK I guess that is actually not too bad.” “Yea, see? Told you.” “The tank was a nice touch also.” “Thanks, that was a last minute choice but it was good wasn't it?” “Yea, I liked that. Also. NOW YOU DIE.”

And Tigerfist shot his lazer gun he was charging all the time into one of the speakers, and the lazer went through the system and came out the other side and zapped the bad guy talking into the speakers. Tigerfist went to the next room and there was all dark but a light in the middle. Tigerfist made sure his teeth were showing and his claws were sharp and his muscles were big and he walked to the light. Then the ninjas attacked. It was a team of ninjas, jumping from the shadow and using swords and throwing stars and numb-chucks and smoke balls and tricks. But Tigerfist was a ninja when he was a kid and his uncle and auntie were ninjas who trained him so it was too easy for him. And SLICE and KICK and PUNCH and BITE and CLAW and ROAR and the ninjas were all defeated and ran back into the shadows with smoke balls because ninjas always live to the next fight unless they want to be dead. Tigerfist laughed at them and took one of their katana swords and said while laughing, “You will need more training before you can beat someone like me, I'm the best.” And Tigerfist went to the next room where there was a elevator leading up the tower to the sky. So he rode the elevator, ready for an ambush. But there was a voice from the darkness that said to him, “You came just as expected, Tigerfist.” And Tigerfist remembered the voice...from somewhere...! “Who is it?!” he called to the voice as the elevator went up. “What do you want with the presidents?” The voice laughed “Hahaha heheh” and their yellow eyes glowed from the shadows. And Tigerfist knew those eyes. “It's YOU,” he said, surprised, but only a little. “Pantherfist, I should have known.” The enemy came out from the darkness onto the elevator as it went up higher to the sky. It was for sure Pantherfist, the arch nenemis of Tigerfist, and she was wearing all black soldier uniform. “You have a lot of nervous to be showing your face to me,” said Tigerfist. “We have unfinished business big sister.” because she was his older sister when they were kids when things were not so angry between them. “haha, yes, we do, little brother,” said Pantherfist, and she flexed her muscles so hard that her sleeves ripped off and her panther claws came out sharp. She put on her sunglasses the same as his, because it was handed down from their grandparents'. “Where did you go the wrong way, sister?” said Tigerfist, shaking his head. “I made the direction that was more fun, I made bases and armies when you just listened to what cops want you to do.” “I could never forgive you...” said Tigerfist with his teeth showing. Tigerfist tightened his hands and looked down with sadness and being angry. “You...killed...MY HUSBAND!!” he roared, and he pounced for the attack at his evil family member. But she was fast like him and maybe faster and his attacks were missing. She blocked his claws with her own claws, and sparks were flying. And she tried to slice at him but he blocked it also. They punched at each other but their fists just both hit at the same time, and they both knocked back. They kicked at each other but their own feet blocked the other foot. “We are both the same strength,” said Tigerfist. “This will go forever like this at this rate.” “That would be fun,” said Pantherfist. “But also a waste of time.” And then the elevator reached the top, where all of the presidents were tied to a rocket pointed at the sun. “Why do you do this dumb, evil stuff?” said Tigerfist. “You know it is useless to try to kidnap the presidents. It is too easy for me to save them from any bad guys.” “Yes,” said the voice. And she pushed the button that started the rocket countdown. “You are right. Fighting bad guys is too easy for you..” And then from the top of the rocket another person jumped and landed with their hand to the floor. There was the moment of calm before the storm and the man who had jumped stood up and took his hat off, showing his face. It was a half robot face with cyborg eyes and metal teeth and a headband. It was...his HUSBAND?? It was Cheetahfeet?? “NO...” said Tigerfist in shock and he reached out his hand. And Pantherfist laughed, yelling, “Fighting bad guys is easy but what if you have to fight A GOOD GUY INSTEAD??” And Tigerfist fell to his knee and punched his fist at the floor, and it made a crack. Indeed his sister was evil and always planning a step in front of him. “I AM CHEETAH BOT” said the cyborg of Cheetahfeet. And he slammed his foot on the ground and it made a shockwave that pushed Tigerfist back but also ripped his pants off and showed his robo cheetah legs. “No!” said Tigerfist when he tried to stay determined. “You are still inside the heart of yourself!!” “THE MAN WHO LOVED YOU IS NO MORE” said the robot cybrog cheetah man. Pantherfist laughed. “He cannot be a bad guy when he is a ROBOT because they cannot be evil! NOW GO my robot! Fight Tigerfist to the DEATH.” “I CANNOT KILL,” said the Cheetah Bot. “IT IS AGAINST MY PROGRAMMING.” “Oh right because you are a robot,” said Pantherfist. “BUT STILL beat him up!” “I CAN DO THAT,” said the Cheetah Bot, and he was faster than any of them and he ran in circles so fast that Tigerfist was going to be sucked into the sky. So Pantherfist made sure the ropes were tight so the presidents would not slip away, and the countdown was going on, and Tigerfist was going to be flying away. But Tigerfist remembered: the katana sword! So he took the sword and he timed it with perfect timing and THREW it at the Cheetah Bot, and the Cheetah Bot ran into the sword because he was too fast to slow down, and tripped onto the floor. Tigerfist yelled “CHEETAHFEET!” and went to his side. And he was glitching and mall functioning and the Cheetah Bot said “...TI...GER...FIST..MY...OL..D..SELF...IS...S..TILL..HERE...SO..ME..WHE...RE..” and his eyes were flashing and and his robot parts were moving weird, and Tigerfist felt his chest and it was not a person heart but a robot heart BUT a person heartbeat was inside...somewhere. And Cheetah Bot was bleeding robot blood all over the floor. “HAHAHA” said Pantherfist, jumping down from the rocket. “You have hurt a GOOD GUY now Tigerfist! You can never go back from this!!” And Tigerfist did not cry even though it was sad to hurt his husband who was now a robot because the presidents needed to see him be the hero who did not give up. And Tigerfist walked to the Cheetah Bot and pulled the sword out, and the Cheetah Bot shut down but was not dead. “I did not hurt a good guy,” said Tigerfist, and he flciked the sword and blue robot blood came off. “Because if he is a robot and cannot be evil, then he ALSO cannot be good!” And Pantherfist was quiet and opened her mouth because...he was right. “You will never make me become bad,” said Tigerfist, and he stood with the katana sword with some blue blood still on it and the wind blew over him. “And YOU will never make me become GOOD!” said Pantherfist, and she stood with the remote and her claws sharp at her side. “Someday maybe I will,” said Tigerfist sadly, and his sunglasses shining in the sunset. “Someday maybe I will...” “Not on THIS someday!” and Pantherfist pushed the other button on her remote, and the rocket countdown was finished and began to shoot jetfire. “NO! The presidents!” yelled Tigerfist, and he leaned down and JUMPED as hard as he could jump, and landed at the rocket as it took off. Pantherfist picked up the Cheetah Bot cyborg. “Your husband is still TRAPPED inside the robot soul!!” she yelled at him. “I married him because he is strong as I am!!” said Tigerfist as he began to untie the ropes for the predidents. “He will stay alive inside the robot soul until he can be free again from you!!” “So it looks like our unfinished is still unfinished for NEXT TIME!!” said Pantherfist, and she escaped with his robot husband. “No more distractions,” said Tigerfist as he carried more and more presidents on his back as the rocket started to go away from the planet through the clouds. And when he got to the last president...he left them tied to the rocket. And he jumped off, holding all of the presidents because his tiger arms were so strong to do it. And he fell and fell and just before landing back at the earth he used the presidents to build stairs down like in Fortnite and landed safe. As he walked down the stairs made of presidents the reporters came and had cameras and microphones. “Tigerfist! You have saved the presidents!” “Wait but one is missing..!!” said one reporter. And Tigerfist watched as the rocket with the missing president went closer to the sun. And the reporters asked, “You saved the presidents but forgot the most important one of the United States!!” And Tigerfist looked up at the sky, and in his sunglasses was the reflection of the rocket reaching the sun and blowing up. “Not MY president,” said Tigerfist. And the reporters did not know what to say. “But...wait, now we need a new president!” said one of the saved presidents. “Yes,” said Tigerfist, and he took off his sunglasses and winked and put them back on. “Yes we do.”

😎 😎 😎 😎

#Tigerfist #parody #commission #writing commissions #one shot #original

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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A.J. Hinch is the latest pennant winner who won’t manage the MLB All-Star Game

A history of All-Star Game managerial upheaval.

The 2020 MLB All-Star Game will be played at Dodger Stadium on July 14. Dave Martinez of the champion Nationals will manage the National League All-Stars. What we don’t know yet is who will manage the American League.

The midsummer classic traditionally puts the prior season’s pennant-winning managers in charge, but the defending AL champion Astros are without a manager at the moment after A.J. Hinch was suspended by Major League Baseball for the season, then fired for allowing a widespread electronic sign-stealing scheme to take place under his watch.

While it may seem logical that the Astros’ next managerial hire will step in for Hinch, replacing an All-Star Game manager is not that simple. To understand what goes into the decision, we must delve into the game’s history.

The first All-Star Game

We were still 64 years away from interleague play in 1933, when the American League and National League would only square off once a year, in the World Series. But that was between just two teams. The thought of corralling the best (white) players in baseball for one game was an intoxicating idea at the time, so much so that this was the headline in The Sporting News in advance of the game:

Headline regarding the first MLB All-Star Game from The Sporting News on July 6, 1933.

But instead of tabbing the managers of the previous World Series between the Yankees and Cubs, the All-Star Game pit the Giants’ John McGraw for the National League against the A’s Connie Mack for the American League. Heading into 1933, they were the two winningest managers in baseball history, each with 1,000 more victories than any other manager at the time, and they are still the top two in managerial wins to this day. McGraw and Mack would be facing off for the fourth time, having met in three World Series more than two decades prior.

McGraw actually retired midway through the 1932 season, but was brought back for the exhibition. Mack, who also owned the A’s, would manage for 17 more seasons to finish with an unfathomable 53 years working as a manager.

After that first All-Star game, however, the tradition of selecting the managers of the previous year’s World Series began. In 1934, Joe Cronin of the Senators faced off against Bill Terry of the Giants, a managerial rematch of the 1933 World Series.

Since then, there have been just 11 instances in which a pennant winner from the previous year didn’t manage the next All-Star team.

(There are three instances of a pennant-winning manager who was no longer with that team getting to manage the All-Stars anyway. Dick Williams won the World Series with the A’s in 1973 but was fired. He managed the 1974 All-Star Game while representing the Angels. In 2003, Dusty Baker wore a Cubs uniform while managing the NL All-Stars after winning a pennant with the Giants. Tony LaRussa retired after winning the 2011 World Series with the Cardinals, but returned to the dugout for the All-Star Game in Kansas City.)

For the most part, these All-Star managerial oddities fall into two camps — the same team sending a different manager than the previous year’s pennant winner, or a manager from a different team altogether.

Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was suspended for the 1947 season for “association with known gamblers,” and Burt Shotton guided Brooklyn to the NL pennant. But with Durocher back in the manager seat in 1948, he managed the National League All-Stars in St. Louis.

Another Dodgers managerial switch happened after the 1953 season, when reigning pennant winner Chuck Dressen left Brooklyn after a contract dispute. Walt Alston took the reins in 1954, and managed the NL All-Star team.

Casey Stengel was fired by the Yankees after having the audacity to lose the 1960 World Series, so his replacement Ralph Houk managed the AL All-Stars as well. Stengel won 10 pennants and seven championships in his 12 seasons in The Bronx, and his nine All-Star Games managed is a record.

Indians manager Terry Francona was recovering from heart surgery in 2017, so his bench coach Brad Mills piloted the American League All-Stars in Miami.

All of these instances involve the previous season’s pennant runner-up filling in as manager for the reigning winner.

Mickey Cochrane won the World Series in 1935 as player-manager of the Tigers, but missed six weeks in the middle of the 1936 season after a nervous breakdown. Taking his place was Joe McCarthy of the Yankees. McCarthy won four straight World Series with the Yankees from 1936-39 and managed four straight midsummer classics, but he took the All-Star break off in 1940, leaving duties to Joe Cronin of the Red Sox.

Al Lopez of the White Sox got to manage the AL All-Stars in both 1964 and 1965, despite not winning pennants in either of the two preceding seasons. Houk had to step aside from All-Star duties after being promoted to general manager by the Yankees after the 1963 season. And after 1964, Yogi Berra was fired by New York after losing the World Series.

“I would be proud and pleased to have any of our present 10 managers fill in for Houk, but I feel that Lopez earned the honor through his fine job last season,” AL president Joe Cronin said in 1964. (1)

All-Star Game decisions were the purview of league presidents back then, but come from the commissioner’s office now.

The 1965 All-Star Game is especially notable because both managers from the 1964 World Series were canned. Johnny Keane was let go by the Cardinals, so Gene Mauch of the Phillies stepped in to manage the NL All-Stars.

A merry-go-round in New York

You might have noticed a couple names appearing in both lists of All-Star managerial maneuvering. Billy Martin and Bob Lemon took turns for a few years managing the Yankees, each taking over for the other at some point. In the process, each replaced the other in an All-Star Game.

The tumult began on Sunday, July 23, 1978, when Martin was managing the Yankees after a championship and two pennants in the two years prior. At the time, he was once again feuding with outfielder Reggie Jackson. As the Yankees were waiting to board a plane to Kansas City from O’Hare Airport after a series again the White Sox, the cantankerous Martin groused to reporters about his star player and his bombastic owner, George Steinbrenner.

“The two men deserve each other,” Martin said. “One’s a born liar, the other’s convicted.”

As it turned out, referencing his boss’s 1974 conviction for illegal campaign contributions was not the best job-keeping technique, and on Monday, Martin resigned.

Amazingly, a mere five days after his resignation, Martin was introduced at the Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day. And during the introduction, legendary Yankee Stadium announcer Bob Sheppard revealed that Martin would be back to manage the team in 1980. Martin’s Yankees tenure was as glorious as it was intermittent. He won more than 59 percent of his games in New York, including a championship among two World Series berths. But the eight seasons he managed the Yankees were spread across 14 years, and he resigned or was fired five different times, including once for fighting with a marshmallow salesman.

All Lemon did in 1978 was lead the Yankees to a historic divisional comeback to catch Boston, followed by a second straight World Series for New York. But a slow start in 1979 led to Lemon’s dismissal on June 17.

His replacement was Martin, his promised 1980 return hastened under the circumstances.

Lemon by this point had a stellar baseball resumé. He pitched in two World Series with the Indians, winning one, and was named an All-Star seven times before being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1976. As a manager, he won 85 games in the Royals’ third season, making them the fastest expansion team to post a winning record. Lemon also won 90 games with the White Sox in 1977 before winning a World Series in New York one year later.

Even though the 1979 All-Star Game took place a month after he was fired, Lemon got to manage the American League as the reigning pennant winner.

“I’ve done everything else,” Lemon said in 1979. “That’s the one thing left to cap off my career.” (2)

Lemon got a second tenure with the Yankees, managing the final 25 games of a strike-shortened 1981 season, then led New York to its fourth pennant in a six-year stretch. This tenure was short lived, however, as Steinbrenner canned Lemon just 14 games into the 1982 season.

This time, it wasn’t the reigning pennant winner Lemon who got to manage the AL All-Stars, but Martin, whose A’s lost to the Yankees in the previous season’s ALCS.

In that four-year span, Martin and Lemon combined for four different managing stints with the Yankees, and they each managed one All-Star Game.

What now?

With Hinch fired in Houston and suspended for the season, he won’t manage the American League All-Stars this July in Los Angeles. No matter whether his replacement is the yet-to-be-named manager of the Astros, or Aaron Boone of the 2019 ALCS runner-up Yankees, there’s a precedent.

The Sporting News, June 20, 1964

Phil Pepe, Lemon Steps Down With Dignity, Class, The Sporting News, July 7, 1979

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davidcarner · 7 years ago

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Sarah vs The Unexpected Life, Ch 4, Save You Now

A/N You like this...you really really like this...thank you all so much! I didn't know if this would get done today, three schools in three days and a lot of personal stuff going on today, but it turned out I need this. For those of you waiting, we find the Intersect, but you have to pay attention. Again, I can't thank you all enough, now for bad news. I don't see anyway I can get a new chapter posted tomorrow, hopefully some time Friday, but I can't promise. My daughter requires me to be Daddy Uber for a few days. Sit back, relax, and enjoy Save You Now

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, but I am certain Han always shot first.

Sarah entered the small building of Intersect Games, and was greeted by the receptionist.

“Hello,” the redheaded receptionist said in a thick New Jersey accent. “How can I help you today?”

“Is Morgan available?” Sarah asked.

“May I ask who’s asking?”

“Sarah Walker, his girlfriend’s boss,” she replied. The lady nodded, picked up the phone, and punched a few numbers.

“Morgan, a Sarah Walker is here to see-” she held the phone away from her ear.

“What was that?” Sarah asked, having heard the sound. Suddenly the door opened, and an out of breath Morgan was standing there, trying to appear professional.

“Daphne,” Morgan said, trying to get his breath. “Anytime Mrs. Walker shows up, you let her just come right on back.” Sarah smiled at him and entered down the hallway.

“Interesting choice to be the receptionist,” Sarah said.

“We got her through a work release program,” Morgan explained. Sarah looked surprised. “We were having a cash flow problem early on. We didn’t have any cash to flow. So, if we let her work here, her salary was paid by the state. You should always make sure you have your valuables after you talk to her though,” he said. Sarah looked at him. “She was in jail for conning people as a wedding planner.

“What makes you think she’s a pickpocket?” Sarah asked.

“Are there many in the con game that can’t pick someone’s pocket?” Morgan asked. Sarah had to admit he was probably right. They came to his office and he offered her a chair. She sat, and he sat across from her at his desk. A large smile covered his face, and he steepled his fingers together in front of him, bouncing them together.

“I’m so very glad you came here today to win my approval,” he said. Sarah gave him a curious look.

“Who says I’m not here to make sure you have my approval,” she countered. Morgan’s face fell, and Sarah couldn’t help herself and grinned. Morgan laughed.

“Okay, I deserved that,” he said. “I’ve watched over him for several years, and I’m very protective of him. Probably overprotective.” He held up a pad and a list of questions he had made a copy of. “I’m made a questionnaire to make sure he has the right person. I just don’t want to see him hurt.” Sarah watched Morgan during his admission. She thought he was genuine. A little strange, but genuine.

“Okay,” she said bouncing a shoulder and grinning. “Hit me.” Morgan’s eyebrows raised in surprised. He quickly pulled out a pencil, licked the end, and prepared.

“If you’re on a deserted island what type of sandwich would you bring?” Sarah blinked once, not sure she had heard him right. Morgan noticed the look on her face.

“Okay, okay, maybe a little much for the first question, toss up, which is better Star Wars or Star Trek?” Sarah had no idea.

“Who says either should be better than the other, they both have their own redeeming qualities.” Morgan nodded.

“Nice, I like it,” he said, making notes. “Okay, marathon video game session with boyfriend’s best friend; feelings?” Sarah leaned in close.

“Probably the same that said best friend’s girlfriend feels, and that if we felt like we were being ignored, we might go do something we enjoy, like getting dressed up, drinking, and dancing. All. Night. Long.” Morgan dropped his pencil on the desk and gulped. Sarah sat back. “Let’s skip to the big ones, I’m ready.” Morgan nodded and found one. He looked up, and locked his gaze on Sarah.

“Bad things I should know,” Morgan said, pencil ready.

“Did CIA wetwork,” she began, Morgan looked up over the paper he was writing on, his eyes huge. He drew his thumb across his throat. Sarah nodded, and Morgan gulped. Sarah smiled to herself and continued. “Father was a con man-”

“Two things, first, no offence meant by the pickpocket remark earlier.” Sarah nodded it was fine. “Second, you know I said bad things, right, not cool, impressive, things.” Sarah smiled. She shouldn’t be surprised with this reaction, but that meant he’d probably have the same negative reaction about some things.

“I dated Bryce Larkin, in fact, he is the last guy I dated since I started raising Molly.” Morgan did not looked pleased, but then his eyes narrowed.

“Are you saying he broke up with you because you raised a baby?” Sarah thought for a second.

“He thought he did, what he didn’t know was I was over him already,” Sarah replied. Morgan nodded.

“I’m not gonna lie, the Bryce thing hurts you, I have been known to keep things from Chuck that have to do with Bryce,” he said, making notes.

“Like what?” Sarah asked, honestly intrigued. Morgan thought for a second, and then head nodded like, ‘why not’.

“Five years ago, Bryce emailed Chuck on his birthday, and I deleted the email. It was something stupid about Zork anyway,” Morgan replied. Sarah looked a little confused. “It was a text based Role Playing Game, or-”

“RPG,” Sarah finished. Morgan’s eyes lit up and he made notes. “Of course sometimes that does mean Rocket Propelled Grenade.” Morgan was writing quickly, and his eyes were lit up like it was Christmas and he was a kid. “You were saying about the email?”

“Right, I deleted it, and the next day his computer was stolen. We got another sent to us a few days later, must have been some strange replacement plan. Listen, I have only one more question on here that matters.” Sarah looked at him, ready. “Why him? He’s no one.” Sarah gave him a look.

“He’s your friend,” she said, sitting up straight in the chair, starting to get upset. Morgan shrugged.

“Let’s be honest, he got kicked out of Stanford, it took every trick in the book to get him to finish up, he worked at the Buy More foreeevvveer, it took me, ME, Mr. allergic to work, to get him to work on our game, and we’ve only gotten one actually out, the other goes gold next week, and he’s a single dad raising a baby that’s not even his. Loooooser.” Sarah slammed her hand on the desk, making Morgan jump back.

“That is the kindest, most giving man I have ever met! He has put his life on hold for his niece! He took the time to help a child he didn’t even know to get over one of the worst days of her life, when I, her MOTHER, didn’t even know how upset she was. How dare you speak of him like that! I thought you were his…friend….” Sarah noticed Morgan was smiling, glowing, and bouncing. He ran around the desk and hugged her. She knew over 100 ways to kill him, and he knew it. He had done it all to find out exactly how she felt about him. He let her go, and she was watching him, fighting a grin, afraid he might do it again.

“I’m going to need you to sign a few waivers-”

“You do know I know over 100 ways to kill you?” she asked. Morgan tossed all the papers over his shoulder.

“Paperwork is very overrated, plus there’s the possibilities of unseen paper cuts,” Morgan said. Sarah stood, bent, and kissed him on the cheek. Morgan’s eyes got wide and he touched where she had kissed him and looked at her.

“I wish I had someone who cared about me as much as you do him.”

“I think you do,” Morgan answered. Sarah smiled and started out the door. “He’s probably asleep in his office. Clara was teething last night.” Sarah turned and looked at him. “He wouldn’t let anyone help. Alex and I offered to watch her so he could sleep, but he refused. He’s been burning both ends of the candle trying to get the code right and the bugs out so the game can be certified. He thinks he’s done with it. Last night was supposed to be his sleep night, but Clara…” Sarah nodded.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I completely believe you. Take care of him, Sarah. He’s a good guy.”

“Morgan, he’s a great guy,” she said smiling, “And, so are you,” and with that, she walked down the hall to Chuck’s office. As she walked, her phone went off, she looked down, reread the message twice, and rolled her eyes. She walked into the dark office and saw Chuck, stuffed on a couch that was too short for him. She bent down in front of him, and for the first time since she met him, he seemed completely at peace.

How can this guy affect me this much, this quickly? She couldn’t help herself and ran her fingers through his hair. There’s been no one to share my life with, so why him? She looked at him and smiled. Why not? And with that, she made a decision. She said she could be his baggage handler, and tonight she was going to be that. She pulled her phone out, and shot off another quick text.

“Morgan,” she said softly, never having moved.

“Yep,” he replied from the hall, where she knew he was listening.

“Do you need him for the game for the rest of the day?”

“Nope.”

“He’s going home, for the day, he needs to sleep, but I need him to get his daughter. She’s having teething problems.”

“If anything comes up, I’ll call him.”

“Morgan, call me if anything comes up,” she said. “I know you got my number off his phone.”

“Am I in trouble?” he asked, his voice quaking.

“Are you going to use it wisely?”

“Yes,” he squeaked. Sarah smiled.

“Then no.” She ran her fingers through Chuck’s curls again. He shifted and she saw him smile. “Chuck,” she said softly. “Time to get up.” His eyes opened, and he got the biggest grin on his face.

“Oh, it’s a good dream,” Chuck said. “You’re so pretty.”

“How do you know it’s a dream, Chuck?” she asked.

“Because you’re in my office, and you don’t know where I work,” he answered, with a sleepy grin on his face. “Seriously, the pictures your mom showed me didn’t do you justice, you’re so pretty.” Sarah leaned in close. Chuck’s grin got bigger.

“Chuck, I’m former CIA, how hard do you think it would be for me to find out where you work and get in here.”

“She’s got you there, buddy,” Morgan yelled from the hall. The grin on Chuck’s face fell off.

“I wouldn’t dream Morgan’s here,” he said with a panic on his face. Sarah still close, grinned.

“I certainly hope not Mr. Bartowski.”

“Uh-oh, I’m in trouble. No one uses Mr. Bartowski unless I’m in trouble or they’re my teacher.”

“Maybe I’ve decided to teach you how to be happy, Chuck,” she said, unable to help herself. Chuck’s brain may have short-circuited with that one. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I need your keys, we need to go get your daughter.” Chuck came out of his stupor quickly. “She’s fine, teething, and causing a small ruckus. My daughter is causing a huge ruckus because of said small ruckus.”

“Do we have a problem with those two?” Chuck asked. Sarah began to stand and offer him a hand to get up off the couch.

“I have it on good authority that some people believe helping others is what makes them tick,” she said, smiling at him. “So we’d have to be a hypocrite to say anything. Besides, how much of a problem could a five year old really be?” Chuck’s face had a look of horror.

“You don’t watch movies, do you?” Sarah kind of shrugged, confused. “You NEVER say something like that. It’s like saying, one last mission and then someone dies. It’s like saying what could go wrong and then you’re shocked when the water pipe breaks in the bathroom and ruins your floor and you have to move out of your house for a minimum of three weeks.”

“What. Could. Go. Wrong.” She said. Chuck nearly fell off the couch in horror. He covered his head, waiting for the roof to fall on him.

“Protect yourself, Sarah!” he shouted. She rolled her eyes, grabbed him, and drug him out of the room.

}o{

“I still don’t understand why we’re in my car,” Chuck said.

“Because we need your daughter’s car seat, and yours is bigger,” Sarah replied.

“Why am I not driving?”

“You’re tired.”

“If, I was completely awake?”

“I’m a trained CIA agent.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m more qualified to get us all home safer.”

“I think you’re just a bit of a control freak,” he said, grinning. Sarah shut the car off and turned toward him, a slight grin on her face.

“Would that be so terrible?” she asked softly. Chuck’s brain seized.

“That’s really not fair,” he wheezed. She arched an eyebrow, the grin growing.

“Whatever do you mean?” she asked innocently.

“You know what, I’ve not slept much, and I think I misunderstood what you said,” he said, getting out of the car. Sarah did as well, and as they both got to the front, she placed her hand on his arm.

“Maybe you didn’t,” she said, as she smiled and headed into the preschool alone. Chuck was stuck in the parking lot, brain overheating.

“What does she see in me?” he mumbled to himself.

“Same thing Molly does,” Emma said from behind him, scaring Chuck half to death. He calmed down, and started to ask why she was here when he realized he didn’t have a car seat for Molly. “You’re a great guy, Chuck. She’s been waiting for a long time for a great guy.”

“A guy, who breaks down, who’s wallowed in misery for years, a guy who’s out of his league with her?” Emma smiled.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. She thinks you’re too good for her. In fact, if she wasn’t so happy and have her roots planted in her family, home, and job, she’d probably keep everything bottled up inside.”

“I can’t ever imagine her like that,” Chuck replied, looking at the door Sarah just went through. He looked back at Emma who shook her head. “What about you, Mom?” he asked with a smile. “Am I good enough for your girl?” She walked up to him, and hugged him.

“Chuck, you’re perfect,” she said. She released the hug and patted his arm to get him to come in with her. “Listen, Sarah is probably going to want you to fill out paperwork to let the two of us pick up Clara if you need someone else too.”

“I’ve got Morgan and Alex,” Chuck replied, a little surprised. Emma nodded.

“I know you think the world of Morgan, but is he the best at handling a baby?” Chuck realized that even though Emma didn’t really know Morgan, that she nailed his friend. “And if Molly see’s Alex picking up Clara…”

“I asked you this morning if I had a chance against her, and you said no. I asked Sarah if she’s going to be a problem and she answered, how much of a problem could a five year old be. Which is the truth?” Emma smiled.

“Sarah really didn’t answer your question did she?” Emma said and went inside. Chuck followed, and saw Clara being held by Sarah, and Molly waiting for him. Molly handed him papers to sign.

“Sarah, what is going on?”

“Chuck you need someone you can trust with your child, and Molly right now is determined to be a big sister. If you don’t want this, it’s fine, but please don’t think it’s a bother.”

“Sarah, you barely know me.” Sarah smiled at him.

“Chuck, you’re wrong. I know you, we may not have known each other long, but I know you.” Chuck couldn’t help but grin.

“Okay, should I,” he began, but paused not wanting to step out of place.

“The third form is for you to be added to my pickup as well,” Molly said, growing a little impatient. He looked at Sarah, who was trying to hold in a laugh. She blinked a few times as if that would hold the laughter at bay. Chuck pressed his lips together, blew out his cheeks, nodded slowly, and then shrugged. He went through the papers signing them. Mrs. Wood beamed at Sarah, and Sarah grinned back at her. Chuck looked down at Molly.

“Don’t you dare try and pull something to get me to pick you up, Missy,” he said pointing at her.

“He’s not joking, Molly,” Sarah said backing him up. “If you pull something, whatever punishment Chuck says, goes.” Molly nodded, smiling like she had won the lottery.

“Okay, Mom,” she paused and looked at Chuck. Chuck had a bad feeling what she was about to say. “And, Mr. Chuck.” Chuck let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. A look at Sarah told him she was wondering the same thing. “Let’s all go home,” she said, taking Emma’s hand and leading her out the door. “I’ll ride with Granny and you two can bring the baby.” Chuck and Sarah shared a look.

“I guess we’re going,” Chuck said, opening the door for Sarah and Clara. Sarah shrugged, and took Clara out to the car. He saw the look on Mrs. Wood’s face. “You aren’t going to believe me if I tried to explain this would you?”

“Chuck, I don’t think whatever you’d try to explain, you believe anymore,” she said. “I guess I’ll see the four of your tomorrow?” and with that she turned and went to the other kids, giggling. Chuck shook his head and headed to the car. When he got there he saw that Sarah already had Clara buckled in. Chuck joined them in the car.

“I like that seat,” Sarah said. “Those ones when Molly was a baby were so difficult to fasten sometimes.”

“Sarah,” Chuck began. Sarah let out a breath, knowing what was coming. “Thank you,” he said softly and reached out and took her hand. Sarah was surprised, but happy. She squeezed it, and decided in for a penny, in for a pound. She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

“It’s my pleasure,” she said. Chuck couldn’t help but laugh, and the two drove away, happily.

}o{

When they got to Sarah’s they decided to do something easy and had pizza delivered; vegetarian with no olives, of course. Clara started to fuss, and Chuck started searching for the gel to relieve the pain.

“You trust me?” Sarah asked. Chuck was surprised.

“Yes,” he replied not sure where this was going. Emma handed Sarah a bag from a local store. In it was a bottle with little pills. She picked up Clara, and gave Chuck a chance to read the label. He shrugged not seeing anything that could hurt her. Sarah bounced Clara as she softly hummed. Chuck thought he might fall asleep standing up listening to her it was so soothing. Molly had disappeared and a terrible racket had come from another room. Emma went off to see what was going on. Sarah took one of the tablets, and gently placed it under the tongue of Clara. In a few seconds she stopped fussing and smiled at Sarah.

“Mama,” she said. Sarah’s eyes got huge as she looked at Chuck. He just laughed.

“Sarah, it’s no big deal,” he said. Sarah gave him a look.

“Who’s that?” she asked pointing to Chuck.

“Dada,” Clara answered. Sarah turned toward Chuck, smirking, but when she saw his face, she knew she had messed up. He wasn’t mad, just sad.

“I’m sorry, Chuck,” she began. He waved it off, but went over and sat on the couch. “Clara,” she said turning back to the little girl. “I’m Aunt Sarah, and that’s your Uncle Chuck.” Clara yawned, and put her head on Sarah’s shoulder. Emma came out into the room with something Chuck had never seen before.

“Is that a swing?” he asked. Emma smiled. Sarah got Clara in the swing and turned it on. Molly came into the room with an old bunny and started to give it to Clara. “Sweetie, she’s teething and she’ll chew on it.”

“I know, but it’s her turn to have it now.” Chuck looked at Sarah who shrugged at Chuck but smiled at her daughter. “Okay,” he relented. Molly handed the bunny to Clara who inspected it for a minute and then began to chew on the bunny’s ear. In about 20 seconds, she was asleep. Sarah turned toward Chuck, which was good, because he had just caught her in a bear hug.

“Thank you,” he said, sounding almost desperate. “Thank you,” he whispered. Sarah held him and patted his shoulder. “I just hate I’ll have to wake her when I leave.” Sarah pulled back and gave him a look.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked. Chuck just stared at her. “Clara is sleeping with Molly and Emma tonight.” Chuck looked at Emma as she whispered, “good night,” and took the swing carefully back to her room. Chuck gulped.

“Sarah,” Chuck began.

“Chuck, I’m going to stop you before you spiral. Tonight you need sleep. That’s all this is. You’re half-crazed and sleep deprived. Now you can sleep in your old room, which would make the most sense, or you can give me all the reasons why you can’t.”

“I can’t take your bed!”

“Who said you were?” Chuck’s eyebrows raised. “Chuck we’re two adults, we can sleep in the same bed without having sex.”

“I’m aware that we won’t be having sex, I just don’t want…” he trailed off, and lowered his head. Sarah took his hand and rubbed it with her thumbs.

“Chuck, look at me,” she said softly. He raised his head to see her smiling. “I don’t think tonight will be the last time you’re in my bed, or I’m in your bed, but we certainly aren’t ready for that.” Chuck blushed furiously. “Furthermore, while I am very confident in myself, I’m not sure how my ego would handle it you falling asleep in the middle.” Chuck laughed softly. “You need sleep. Tomorrow we’ll take the kids to school, take you home to change, and then you can take me to work. And, if I have time you can take me to lunch.”

“What if I have something important to do?”

“Morgan already said you didn’t need to do anything.”

“Well, as long as it’s cleared by Morgan,” Chuck replied, grinning. Sarah led him over to the couch. She sat down, and patted her lap. “Lay your head down.”

“Are you-”

“Chuck,” she said a little exasperated, cutting him off. She did have a smile on her face though. Chuck did as she asked, and he had to admit it was quite comfortable and quiet and…. Less than a minute later, Sarah heard his breathing change; he was asleep. “What am I gonna do with you, Chuck?” she asked softly as she played with his curls. She picked up the remote, found some program to watch with the sound down, and sat there, more content than she had ever remembered being. She heard soft footsteps.

“Is he okay?” Emma asked. Sarah didn’t even bother trying to hide the fact she was playing with his hair.

“I think he will be,” she said with a smile. “Mom,” she began. Emma shook her head and chuckled.

“Sarah, just go with it,” Emma said smiling. “Why shouldn’t you two be happy?” Sarah looked at her, and tilted her head as is to say “why not?” Emma went back to bed and Sarah continued to watch TV. A few hours later, Chuck began to toss and turn.

“It should have been me,” he mumbled. “It should have been me!” Sarah hugged him the best she could. “Ellie, it should have been me,” he said softly as tears rolled down his cheeks. Sarah shook him to wake him.

“Chuck,” she said softly. He opened his eyes and looked around, and saw her. He sat up, wordlessly, looked at her for a second, and his eyes threatened to break again. She hugged him, and he sobbed quietly. “You’ve never had a chance to grieve, have you?” He shook his head on her shoulder. “Let it out, Chuck,” and he did. For thirty minutes he cried. He let out all the hurt, anger, and frustration of ten long years and the loss of his family. When he was done, he pulled away, a look of embarrassment but gratitude.

“Sorry, I think your shirt is soaked,” he said, wiping his eye. Sarah laughed, she couldn’t help it. How come in his worst moments he could make her laugh? She stood up and took his hand. She led him to the kitchen where another bag was. She handed it to him and pointed to the bathroom. He looked down, seemed to almost freeze up again, when she gave him a look and nodded her head toward the bathroom. She went in her room, changed into a tee shirt and her sleep shorts. She pulled back the covers to the bed, and waited outside the bathroom until the door opened.

“Go pick your side,” she said as she headed to the bathroom. She stopped, not able to help herself. “Just remember, this will set a precedent,” she said softly. She thought she heard Chuck’s brain lock up.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered.

“You’ll enjoy every second of it,” she said as she shut the door. Chuck went into his old bedroom, got in the bed, and waited. He wasn’t sure what he should do so he just stared at the ceiling. Sarah walked in, not even hiding the grin on her face. She got in her side, and scooted as close as possible, leaned down to his ear, and spoke very softly, her breath hitting his ear.

“Good choice,” she said. Chuck didn’t know if he’d sleep at all tonight. In five minutes, he was asleep.

}o{

Chuck opened his eyes as the sun came in the window. He had missed this, there was something about that window, the sun coming in, the blond hair laying on his chest…wait, what? He looked down, and there was Sarah, wrapped up with him, her head on his chest. He should probably get up, things would be awkward enough with Molly. He felt something to his right. He turned his head and there was Molly watching him.

“How long until I can call you Daddy? I would like a little brother to go along with Clara,” she said as she skipped out of the room. Chuck noticed the weight wasn’t on his chest anymore. He turned his head slowly to see Sarah looking at him.

“Remember yesterday when you asked if we had a problem with her?” Chuck nodded his head. “I think we have a problem.”

A/N I REALLY like Molly. Can you tell? Hope you enjoyed it!

#Sarah #Chuck #Charah #Sarah vs The Life Unexpected #Molly

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gutterballgt · 7 years ago

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@susan-25 said (for the drabbles prompt): Love me love me love me!!!!!

Leave a “Love Me” in my ask, and I’ll write a fluffy drabble about two (or more) characters.

Your wish... is my command! I mean... in my day, drabbles were 100 words, no more and no less. But screw that. We want fluff, dammit!

When the (possibly radioactive) dust settled and everyone finally got out of medical -- well, not Stacker; the brush with a nuke had a weird effect on the cancer already brewing, and the doctors couldn't figure out if it had helped or hurt -- Chuck found himself at loose ends for the first time in his life. Well, for the first time in memory, anyway.

Just... he'd always had The Next Thing to do. The next repair on Striker. The next kaiju alarm. The next fight with his old man. The next game of catch with Max. The next food fight to start with the Weis.

Not that the Weis were up for a food fight these days. They were all out of medical, but there was oh, so much physical therapy to be done before the wankers had that much mobility.

Anyway, Chuck Hansen was a doer, not a sit-and-think-about-things-er. If he was honest -- and he was trying to be now that there was nothing but time to regret the ignorant shite he tended to spout in anger -- he was... bored.

And more than a little scared.

What the hell did people... just... do? For the rest of their lives?

Oddly enough, on his worst possible day, just when he'd given up trying to soul-search and decided to punch the big bag until all the sand fell out, Raleigh Has-Been Becket showed up. With a vengeance.

Suddenly, there weren't enough hours in the day. Chuck had a sneaking suspicion it all started with a prompt from Herc, but it wasn't long -- a week; a month, tops -- before Chuck didn't care. He was having too much fun.

They hit the mainland almost every day for take-out or to watch new buildings go up on the bones of the old or, once, to take one of the junks out to the islands for an honest-to-fuck picnic. The silly bloke said it was up to their teamwork that the traditional boats were out again for the first time in a decade, so they ought to be one of the first to enjoy them. With that rationale, Chuck was hard-pressed to argue and found himself, for the first time in his life, kicking back with a gentle breeze in his face, lulled by the subtle rocking of the junk, idly watching their particular island draw closer with no urgency to get to The Next Thing.

Admittedly, The Next Thing this time was a frankly embarrassing array of foods that Raleigh had insisted on cramming into a massive picnic basket he'd haggled off a street vendor. It's nostalgia, Chuck, the silly sod insisted. It's not a picnic without a basket.

Again, Chuck had been hard-pressed to argue. He was having too damn much fun.

It had been a damn long time since "fun" was in his vocabulary.

And then, there were movie nights. Sometimes just the two of them, sometimes everyone still mobile. Sometimes with pizza or Chinese food, sometimes just with popcorn and beer. Sometimes comedies, sometimes action flicks, and just the once... a romance.

He couldn't remember what it was called, but Raleigh said it was based on an old book, it was long as hell but seemed to go ridiculously fast, and Mako (and, weirdly, Herc) fucking loved it. Chuck had to admit that the oppressive atmosphere while the naive young governess discovered that the evil in the attic wasn't anything supernatural but just her cranky boss' addled wife was impressive. And he pretended not to see Herc wipe his eyes during the governess' flashbacks of her brief love affair with the cranky boss.

In fact, he rather understood. The poor sheila just wanted, for once, to be seen as an equal. To not be a drudge or a colorless creature to be pitied or ignored or looked down on. Of course her memories of the one person who treated her like a human being would be full of pain and longing.

Dammit.

Because there was a downside to all the fun and running about. Raleigh, that giant wanker of a has-been, would probably never know, but Chuck had come to... depend on it. Like it. Love it, even.

And at any moment, it could just... stop.

He didn't want it to stop.

"C'mon, Chuck." A foot nudged him under the rather sticky table. "You've been brooding all day. Out with it."

They were at some rank-looking hole-in-the-wall, eating mouth-watering Indian food that would taste like heaven if Chuck could manage to eat a bite. He'd never know how Raleigh kept finding these places, but he wasn't exactly complaining.

This time, though....

Sighing, he shrugged with an elbow on the table and his cheek leaning on his fist, toying his fork through his butter chicken sauce.

"Chuck. Seriously. Do you not like the naan or something?"

Another shrug. He couldn't stop thinking about how echoey and heart-wrenching the poor girl's sobs were as she fully remembered all she had left behind, all she felt she couldn't have.

He could relate to that last bit.

"Hey, c'mon. You're starting to worry me. There's still food on the table."

That got at least one side of his mouth to twitch in a half-ass grin, and he put down his fork to sit up a bit straighter. "Dread days, indeed."

But Raleigh finally cracked a smile, which never failed to lift Chuck's spirits.

Dammit.

"So lay it out for me. What's going on in that complicated head of yours?"

Nope. Not for all the Indian food in Hong Kong.

"Chuck."

Never.

"Chuuuuuuuuuuck."

Goddammit, Raleigh.

"Chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck chuck ch--"

"Do you think you could ever love me?"

What. The. Fuck.

Appalled at himself, he slapped both palms on the table, sitting stick straight in the creaky chair, eyes wide and jaw clenched tight, ready to leave at the first hint of a punch. Raleigh stared at him, those crazy blue eyes at least as wide as his own. For a breathless eternity, neither of them dared to breathe.

Then... Raleigh sighed.

Oh, fuck. Oh shit oh fuck.

"Got some bad news for you, kid."

Oh, fuck, Raleigh was straight, or the gorgeous wanker remembered all too well how big an asshole Chuck had been at first, or... fuck, Chuck was just plain unloveable.

Why the fuck did he say anything? He should've just--

"It's too late."

--kept his big, stupid, impulsive mouth shu--

...what?

He blinked, then focused on the menace to his sanity that had become such a huge part of his every day. The menace who was currently smiling softly, those blue eyes warm and soft.

"I already love you, ya big jerk." A snort. "I mean, I thought that was obvious. I found us a picnic basket, Chuck." A nudge under the table. "In Hong Kong."

Oddly appalled, he pointed accusingly at the wanker. "You fucking ratbag! Why the fuck didn't you say anything?"

Blue eyes rolled, and the irritating bloke lightly kicked him under the table. "Yes, because you're so warm and cuddly and welcoming, Chuck."

He opened his mouth to protest.

"Outside of naptime."

He closed his mouth, then shrugged. "That's fair."

He wouldn't trade naptime-in-a-pile for anything in the world. Max would never forgive him for the sudden lack of cuddles from two of his three favorite people.

But he couldn't hold the grin back anymore. "So... you really love me?"

Unfortunately, though the smile remained, the bloke suddenly looked a bit... fidgety. "Mm-hm."

Frowning, he leaned forward over his plate, which suddenly smelled almost irresistible, though he'd never been further from eating in his life. "Oi, Raleigh... mate, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Okay, that was definitely not Raleigh's warm, bright smile. "My tandoori chicken's a little dry, is all."

And that was patently untrue. The chicken was juicy and fucking delightful. Raleigh had offered him a piece earlier and -- oh, shit.

Here, Raleigh had been making all the gestures and had just said--

"I love a man who can't lie for shit."

Oh. Well. Not how he'd meant to say it, but dammit, he couldn't leave the bloke hanging like that. Chuck really wasn't the most approachable guy on the best of days, but Raleigh had told him he loved him anyway, and Chuck hadn't reciprocated, and dammit, that was just fucking rude.

Chuck Hansen had always been and would always be a jerk, but damn if he'd be rude to the man he loved.

Plus, the stupid blurt was worth it for the slight perking up hidden behind narrowing eyes on the silly bloke's face. "I'm not sure if I should be offended or not."

Blushing a bit, he shrugged and prodded his chicken with his fork. "Offended because I love you or offended because you can't lie for shit?"

Aaaannnnd there was the bright, happy, doofus grin he'd fight another kaiju just to see. "Offended because you can't tell me you love me without an insult for good measure."

Jesus, the butter chicken was fucking fantastic. And because he wasn't a goddamn grunt, he chewed fully and swallowed before responding.

"But you love me anyway."

It wasn't a question. He absolutely was not holding his breath whilst waiting for an answer.

Thankfully, Raleigh was a good bloke and didn't leave him in agony. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a glutton for punishment."

Relieved but hiding it, he pointed with his fork. "And that, mate, explains your whole goddamn life."

Snickering, the silly sod shook his head. "Can't even argue." The pretty wanker took a slow, savoring bite of his tandoori chicken. Then: "So... are we both okay with this?"

As if it was even a question. "More than."

"So we can start making out in the evening?"

He did not waggle his eyebrows. He didn't. He just... had an itch on his forehead and his hands were full. "Why wait for evening?"

Luckily, the bloke didn't take him up on the half-assed offer but just shook his head. "I really am a glutton for punishment." But the smile came back, slow and warm and fond. "Guess I picked the right guy to fall for."

This time, he actually managed to not waggle his eyebrows, though he nearly got butter sauce on his shirt as he leaned over the table again. "I'll punish you all you want, love."

One eyebrow rose, and Chuck blushed and sat back in his seat.

"Sounded better in my head."

The wanker nudged his foot under the table again. "I didn't say I wasn't into it."

A chunk of chicken sucked back into his throat, and he choked, eyes watering and fist thumping himself on the chest. Raleigh, that rotten sod, just grinned and watched, unconcerned.

Weak, he swigged water, gasping between gulps. "You'll be the death of me, ya wanker."

"Oh, no." That smile was positively evil. "I'm not done with you yet."

He blinked, then practically inhaled the rest of his excellent meal, then hurried through Raleigh's leftovers, too. He had better things to do than eat. In public. With clothes on.

And maybe, if he was lucky, after he got lucky, they'd watch that movie again. He doubted he'd puddle up at the sad part this time.

He might, though, when that final family portrait was being painted of the governess and her cranky boss husband and their huge, happy family.

Yeah, he might cry a bit, then.

He couldn't wait.

THE END

#chaleigh #ask meme #pacific rim #these guys will be the death of me #but this was a great prompt!#thank you!

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spicynbachili1 · 6 years ago

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Japanator’s Anime Binge Log: Goblin Slayer

Killin�� Goblins in the Name Of

It’s time again for your semi-regular look at the season’s best and brightest anime! Welcome once more to Japanator’s Anime Binge Log! Last time we took a look at the latest chapter of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, a show that, while not universally-liked, is almost universally respected.

This installment goes a bit deeper into the weeds with a show that managed to alienate a good chunk of its audience from the get-go: Goblin Slayer. Studio White Fox’s adaptation of the hit novel/manga stirred up a hornet’s nest of discourse with a divisive first episode, but what’s the verdict, now that about half its cour is over? That’s the question we posed to the staff and a couple of us deigned to answer!

If you’ve got a suggestion for the show to cover in our next Binge Log, don’t hesitate to tell us in the comments!

youtube

Goblin Slayer Studio: White Fox Director: Takaharu Ozaki Airdate: October 5, 2018 Watch it On: Crunchyroll The Blurb: Need some goblins slain? Give this dude a call.

Staff Impressions:

Marcel Hoang

Oh boy, here I go with Goblin Slayer, one of my soft recommendations of the season. This is the series where I say I like it and when people ask me if they should watch it, I say, “Yes asterisk,” because I verbalize the asterisk that is the catch.

There are two sides to this asterisk. First is obviously the important part which, let’s be honest, you may not be reading this sentence anymore because you just gotta type a comment right now about the controversial rape scene in the first episode. I can try to say words, but ultimately I’m not eloquent enough to even begin saying anything about it. Let’s just say that I think we can universally agree that it was bad. In fact, the whole first episode, even barring the big oops scene is pretty bland and wholly disconnected from why I like Goblin Slayer. That part is the asterisk I mentioned. Everything I like about Goblin Slayer comes later and has nothing to do with the first episode. Hell, I don’t even need the part of the first episode that depicts the character, Goblin Slayer, as a badass, edgelord, goblin killing machine. Even that isn’t all that high on my list of why I like the guy.

Now I’m speaking as someone who is just watching the anime. Asides from the rape scene, the other things that pops up most often whenever Goblin Slayer gets talked about is how messy an adaptation it is and how the manga and then the novel are way better and have more to flesh out. But the thing that I like about Goblin Slayer so far as a limited anime viewer, is the characters themselves. Plus, these characters only get further developed from their respective mangas and novels anyways.

The hallmark is of course good old Gobby Slayer at the front. If you ignore the first episode, Goblin Slayer isn’t a huge badass. Adventurers around him think he’s a dirty, weird maniac who only kills trash mobs yet has the audacity to be considered a highly ranked, silver adventurer. He barely talks, barely interacts with people around him, and in general if you spend any amount of time with him you’ll either want to leave or just be creeped out. But that’s what the people in the show and even the viewers outside the show see. What I see is an autistic man who is living life to the fullest, on his terms. Clearly that’s just my interpretation, but the fact of the matter is that Goblin Slayer isn’t just disinterested with anything that doesn’t involve killing goblins, he’s almost incapable of it. He does try interacting with people, like trying their alcohol or discussing a plan, but it comes out so cringingly awkward, especially when he knows people around him get offended so he even goes so far as to further clarify his point after a conversation. That happens often when Priestess points out the problems in his plans and he simply replies, “I see. Ok then.”

Things pick up when a steady cast of characters get introduced, everyone only having their titles as named such as High Elf, Dwarf Mage, and Lizard Shaman. But not only do we see these demi-beasts bounce off each other, such as the natural friction between an elf and a dwarf, but we then see them interact with Goblin Slayer, who is barely human.

One point I see as a take it or leave detail is the hard fantasy. Plenty of people are turned off by hard fantasy because it’s been done to death already. Normally I’d agree, but Goblin Slayer even then doesn’t make it plain old hard fantasy. Goblin Slayer is straight up Dungeons & Dragons, right down to the dice being rolled in the OP. Magic isn’t some vague power but is a limited resource to adventurers. Goblin Slayer even asks the spellcasters, “How many spell slots they have left.” Lizard Shaman requires totems to be used in order to summon familiars, and a later boss fight involves the fireball spell in a context that is familiar to anyone who’s played D&D, particularly when one party member says to scatter but another replies, “To where?” because in D&D lore, fireball spreads out in all directions and even around corners for 20 or so feet.

Basically what I’m trying to say it, the real first episode is episode two. Throw episode one into the dumpster and toss a match in there, because nothing of value was lost.

Oh, also, before I forget, Goblin Slayer really needs some consistency on how they animate the character. Sometimes he’s respectably drawn and animated and you think he’s a proper character in a dark fantasy anime, and other times he’s this huge block of dark anime CG, and there’s no rhyme or reason when he shifts between the two. He will literally have a conversation with the adventurer’s guild marm (which should admittedly be easy to animate) then in the next scene as he walks to the side to talk to Priestess he’ll be CG. But then when he’s walking away to the door to leave, suddenly he’s animated again and not CG? Goblin Slayer isn’t just proficient at killing goblins, he’s also capable of switching between animation styles too.

Josh Tolentino

I’m right with Strider on this one: Chuck that first episode in the damn trash, because it frankly does the show a disservice. Contrary to what a public relations consultant will tell you, there IS such a thing as bad publicity, and Goblin Slayer brought a mess of it on its own head with that first episode. I don’t blame anyone at all for being turned off the show by the big scene: It was graphic, shocking, and utterly transparent and cynical in its flailing attempt to establish the show as “dark fantasy”, where “dark” is the same kind of cringe-inducing edgelord BS that drives the likes of marketing campaigns for Dante’s Inferno (the game) or similar juvenile awfulness.

That said, that’s actually the worst thing about it, since the novel (I’ve read the first volume) establishes the edginess so much better, without having to use an explicit rape scene to do it. Given the same scene is in the manga, this is a classic case of a scene getting “punched up” for dramatic effect and resulting in unforeseen consequences. It happened to Marvel comics with the whole character of Hank Pym, and it happened to Goblin Slayer with episode one. And for what? To emphasize that Goblins – a race that is almost never portrayed as good or even tolerable – are bad? That’s honestly as pointless as writing an op-ed in a Vatican newspaper titled “The Case Against The Devil” and thinking that’s a controversial take.

But enough about that. Goblin Slayer is a fun, atypical sort of misanthropic power fantasy that absolutely revels in how the character of the Goblin Slayer just isn’t like anyone else, for better and for worse. He’s strong, no doubt about it, but he’s not like Kirito, Goku, Superman, or Tatsuya Shiba. He’s not special, or chosen. In fact, other people are the actual chosen ones, and by episode five we’ve already seen a few of them – the characters who would be the leads in a stereotypical Dragon Quest-derived JRPG. Instead, Goblin Slayer’s hypercompetence is the result of his utter and complete dedication to the trade of murdering goblins. His expertise is clearly-hard-earned, but the show doesn’t pretend he’s any kind of aspirational figure. Occasionally it even deigns to hint that this dude with the cool helmet might not be right in the head.

Of course, the one thing it doesn’t want to do is make Goblin Slayer look genuinely bad. Like a badass, certainly, but not truly unappealing or unrelatable. Despite being shunned and mocked by the other adventurers, he still makes friends with a full party of competent people that desire his company. And his skills constantly land him in situations that threaten to take him away from the goblin-slaying he so craves, interacting with the fringes of the epic struggle against the Demon Lord. In its way, Goblin Slayer as a show is like Konosuba for peopel who think they’d do a better job than Batman.

And that can be pretty fun to watch, all thing considered. Just skip the first episode.

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lineffability · 8 years ago

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the art of slaying dragons

“Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.” ― Craig Claiborne

Nalu | Chef/RivalsToLovers AU part 1/? words: 1475 rated: M read: all

I can’t even believe it myself, but I am... back?! And it feels great. :’) I know I haven’t written in ages but I hope you haven’t forgotten me entirely my pals my buddies my frends... and this time around I’m writing about one of the great loves of my life: food. ;) Well, maybe not only about food. But there will be food. Yum.

Cooking, despite what some might try to tell you, is an art.

It is art, and it is magic. There is art in an idea, in the careful execution, in the swirls and patterns of thoughtful arrangement on a simple plate. There is magic in old, scribbled recipes that endure time, in the love you pour into your creations, in that first bite. It is in the smiles of the people who taste your food, in the way they come to know you without ever having met you, because you took a part of your soul and held it to their lips.

The art of cooking---

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”

Resisting the urge to hurl her pen against the next wall, Lucy Heartfilia leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Maybe this was why she had not become a food critic in the end. As much as she loved writing, it did not come easy to her. It was hard. What she could do, however -- what she had taught herself to do with passion and endurance -- was to create dishes that spoke for her. Or at least she hoped that was what she did. Some days, she didn’t know anymore.

Maybe this wasn’t the best time in her life to be writing an article for a renowned food magazine, when she wasn’t even sure if she deserved to be in it. With a heavy sigh, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and tried to focus on the task at hand.

But she did not finish it that night, or the night after.

“Chef, appetizer for table six is ready to go.”

“Thanks, Cana. Gajeel, ready to go on the main?”

“Aye.”

“Cana, send it out. Gajeel, start in five. I want this energy to continue, alright team?”

“Yes, Chef!”

Lucy was in her element. She was in control. Everything happening was happening as it should; the magic (as she liked to call it) was flowing splendidly tonight. Yesterday’s doubts were still in the back of her mind, the anxiety over that new restaurant across the street a thorn in her side, but for tonight she pushed it all away. This year, she reassured herself, would be the year she would finally earn her first michelin star.

There was no one who could do it like Lucy Heartfilia. No restaurant that could rival The Fairy’s Tail, not in this street or this city or the entire fucking country. She had to believe this.

“Chef. Chef! Lucy!”

Blinking away her stupor, Lucy gave a start. She found herself confronted with the stern face of her head waitress, Aquarius. She swallowed. The scowl on her face bode nothing well.

“The guest at table seven asked to speak to you.”

All that Lucy heard in her tone and bearing was ‘What did you do wrong now, silly girl?’ but she merely nodded and skidded away from the woman’s likely wrath. Lucy might be her boss, but god, could Aquarius still be scary after all these years.

Scary, too, was the prospect of meeting that guest. It didn’t help that Aquarius had not hinted at the nature of the request. Would she be met with a complaint or a compliment?

Pondering this simple yet nerve-wrecking question, she made her way through the kitchen doors and out into the dining area, into her restaurant. For Lucy, it was the kitchen which felt most like home: this was where she lived as much as she worked. But here, amidst neatly decked tables and careful arrangements, amidst the sound of conversation, softly clinking cutlery and low laughter, here was where the soul of her restaurant lay. It felt good to remember that from time to time. Here, what she did felt easy and joyful and right. The blood, sweat and tears that had brought her to this point lay behind her, forgotten easily in the face of what her work could accomplish. Steaming plates, inviting dishes, colourful details... it all looked so simple, despite the hours of thought so many people had put into it. Her food brought people together; it made them smile.

And that was all she had ever wanted, in a way.

The table she was headed for was one of the small ones close to the wall, with the soft emerald cushions. There was only one person sitting there, comfortably lodged between table and wall, looking entirely at peace with the world. Some of the tension dropped off Lucy’s shoulders. His eyes moved and caught her approaching, and the smile that spread across his face lit up his eyes in a way that was, she found, entirely pleasant. A very good, content smile.

Her initial impression, however, was quickly redacted when she arrived at the table and he opened his mouth.

“Yo,” he said, looking her straight in the eye as his smile wandered and settled on the corner of his mouth in a rather cheeky fashion. “You the chef?” A little confused (she was not undercover in her flashy chef’s uniform, after all, and he’d asked for her -- and what kind of weird manners did he have anyways?) Lucy merely nodded and waited for him to continue. He told her he very much liked her food (which made her smile) and then he told her that he was the owner of the new place down the street (which made her want to faint on the spot and be carried off to the nearest unoccupied grave).

The new place down the street. The restaurant. The very thing that had been the cause of so many sleepless nights now that she had stopped counting. Her smile froze.

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

Taking a closer look at him, she noticed details that his outfit (a black suit which looked entirely out of place on him, upon further consideration) had drowned out: the spiky hair that was dyed the most ridiculous pink, the piercings, even (poking out beneath the table) the dirty chucks on his feet. An image popped into her mind’s eye, and she almost laughed: someone stealing him right out of his bed to drag him, kicking and screaming, into the suit he wore, and then shoving him through the door of her restaurant. What other explanation was there for his odd appearance?

So this was… her rival. The one she knew she had to compete against, one way or the other. His restaurant had not yet opened, yet the hype around it already was more than she could take at the moment.

Lucy smiled, extending a hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mr…?”

(She knew his name, but she did not want him to know that she knew it. If he knew she knew it would mean he’d know she’d researched him, and that was one thing she did not want to give him the pleasure of knowing.)

“Dragneel,” he offered, and took her hand into his. His grip was firm and hard. “Natsu Dragneel. You should pop over to the Fire Dragon one of these days and I’ll give you a special tour.”

She couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her or if his offer was genuine; there was a glint in his eyes that made a shudder run down her spine.

“I might just take you up on that offer,” she said, taken aback by the intensity of the man. It wasn’t just his piercing eyes or cocky smile, it was the entirety of his person that unsettled her. Not in a bad way, no -- she found him surprisingly likable, which made her angry in an altogether different way. There was arrogance in his behaviour, but it was not unappealing, which would have made her life a lot easier. “For now, I fear, I should get back to my kitchen.”

Lucy offered him her most dazzling smile, and he flashed her a grin that was all teeth.

“I’m looking forward to… this,” he said with a casual wave between the two of them, leaving her speechless.

The implication of that wave, and the sheer simplicity of it, infuriated her beyond words. Was it all that simple to him? Was it a game? Fun? The complexity of her thoughts on the matter had nearly overwhelmed her every night as she tried to fall asleep, and here he was, shaking his hand and managing to say it all with a flick of his wrist...

This was a man she had to look out for.

They were locked in a silent competition, and he was looking forward to it with the air of someone who had already won. But she would not go down without a fight. She would not go down at all. Natsu Dragneel had no idea who his opponent was.

Now Lucy knew. If it meant besting him, she could work harder than ever before.

#fairy tail #nalu #nalu fanfiction #my writing #taosd #the art of slaying dragons #it's short but it's a start??#i've always wanted to write a chef au omg #i hope i can keep at it

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space--cadet-glow · 8 years ago

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Theory: The Irony of Vaati, Part Three: Temperaments

There is the thing that is the typical "Four Temperament Ensemble", where a group of four characters seemingly fit into one of four personality "groups". There are four characters in "The Minish Cap": Link, Zelda, Ezlo, and Vaati. So- which of the Four Temperaments match to which character?

Technically speaking, any Temperament can fit to anybody, but to get the Ensemble part to work, there will have to be one Temperament to each character. For Phlegmatic characteristics, we can find unemotional, calm, humble, sympathetic, and too yielding. For Sanguine, we can find extroverted, loves people, talkative/friendly, forgiving, and hyperactive. For Choleric, we can find practical, takes the lead, determined, goal-oriented, and hot-tempered. And for Melancholic, we can find detail-oriented, analytical, perfectionistic, organised, and pessimistic.

So, let's start with Link. PHLEGMATIC: Unemotional? Well, since he never talks, there's not much we can go on; but, he IS emotional enough to want to save Zelda. Calm? Pretty much- and Ezlo even wonders why he (Link) wasn't scared after the minecart in the Cave of Flames took off at lightning speeds. Humble? Chivalry goes hand-in-hand with knights, which he clearly isn't because he's a child- but he doesn't seem to brag about his accomplishments, either. Sympathetic? Even after Ezlo reveals the truth to him, he doesn't chuck him off. And his goal is to save Zelda. And he saved Ezlo in the first place. Too yielding? (As in, basically being treated like a doormat). Well, it WAS his grandfather's idea to send off to go find the Minish- he didn't really say yes or no visibly/audibly. But he seems like he WANTS to help, so I don't think he's too yielding. For PHLEGMATIC: 3 out of 5.

SANGUINE: Extroverted? Again, to use the minecart scene, he really seemed to enjoy the rush; but he was pretty quiet during the Picori Festival, though... Loves people? Enough to want to save Zelda and Ezlo (and later, King Daltus and the other people that got turned to stone)! Talkative/friendly? Not a peep from him. But he IS friends with Zelda. Forgiving? Well, he didn't KILL Vaati, he merely sealed him in the Four Sword. Hyperactive? Well, we'll have to take Ezlo's word for it, because he DOES call him "hyperactive" at one point, but "as a compliment".

For SANGUINE: 2 (or 3 at most) out of 5.

CHOLERIC: Practical? Well, he takes immediately to the new items he finds in each of the dungeons and uses them to strategically defeat each of the Bosses. Takes the lead? Other than being the main character, no. Determined? That's the whole point of wanting to rescue Zelda! Goal-oriented? He has a clear goal in mind, but CAN fail in an odd scenario (a Non-Standard Game Over). Hot-tempered? Not a bit. For CHOLERIC: 2 out of 5.

And MELANCHOLIC: Detail-oriented? Unless he was obsessed with his rescue goal, then no. Analytical? Could relate to his strategy of using the dungeon items against the Bosses. Perfectionistic? No hints towards this at all. In fact, quite the opposite, since Ezlo describes Link's hair as a "real rat's nest". Organised? Maybe- if you take the Start Menu to be the inside of whatever he keeps his weapons in, then it's very neat in there. Pessimistic? Nope. For MELANCHOLIC: 2 out of 5.

So, for Link, we can determine that in the complete Four Temperament Ensemble, then he is either PHLEGMATIC or SANGUINE.

Next, Princess Zelda. PHLEGMATIC: Unemotional? She's quite happy and bubbly, to be honest. Calm? As a stone statue, but I don't think that counts. Humble? She doesn't seem to use her status as a Princess to her advantage- this is seen during the Picori Festival, where she is content with a dinky little shield as her prize, and actually ends up giving it to Link. Sympathetic? Well, she is Rem the Shoemaker's number one customer, possibly because she feels sorry that his shoe sales aren't that great??? But that's a bit of a stretch. Too yielding? Again, her being a stone statue doesn't count. For PHLEGMATIC: 1 out of 5.

SANGUINE: Extroverted? Very- her defining character trait seems to be her childish happiness. Loves people? She talks to almost every person at the Picori Festival. Talkative/friendly? Same with "loves people". She does nothing but talking during the Festival scene. Forgiving? A bit of a stretch, but she didn't protest Vaati merely being sealed instead of killed. Hyperactive? Very. She sometimes even gets distracted mid-sentence. For SANGUINE: 4 out of 5.

CHOLERIC: Practical? She (quite possibly) methodically chooses the small shield for Link to use instead of getting something for herself. Takes the lead? She spends the entire game as a statue. Determined? Determined to give the shield to Link, if that counts. Goal-oriented? Stone statue. Hot-tempered? No. For CHOLERIC: 1 (or 2 at most) out of 5.

And MELANCHOLIC: Detail-oriented? Does her being easily distracted go completely against this? Analytical? She DOES listen intently to everybody's stories at the Festival... Perfectionistic? Nope. Organised? Unknown. Pessimisstic? Nope. For MELANCHOLIC: 1 out of 5.

So, for Princess Zelda, we can determine that in the complete Four Temperament Ensemble, that she is almost guaranteed to be SANGUINE.

And then, Ezlo. PHLEGMATIC: Unemotional? No. He even blames himself for Vaati's rise to power. Calm? Squawking does not compute. Humble? He calls himself a well-known Sage in the Minish Realm- so he thinks a bit highly of himself. Sympathetic? He doesn't seem to forgive Vaati- but at the same time, he genuinely wants to help Link. Too yielding? The complete opposite; almost being a bit more like a boss to Link. For PHLEGMATIC: 0 (1 at most) out of 5.

SANGUINE: Extroverted? Very- he even gets to the point of talking about cows at one point. Loves people? Seemingly- he accompanies Link, and gets along well with Zelda (eventually). This is probably the reason he took Vaati in in the first place. Talkative/friendly? If PCULL44444's "Minish Cap" catchphrase is any indication, "SHUT UP, ELMO!". Forgiving? He had no problems with Vaati being sealed. Hyperactive? He falls asleep often, so no. For SANGUINE: 2 (or 3 at most) out of 5.

CHOLERIC: Practical? It was Ezlo's idea for Link to use him as a parachute in the whirlwinds. Takes the lead? Against Link? Yes. Determined? To stop Vaati and help Link? Yes. Goal-oriented? Yes. Hot-tempered? Very few of his sentences do not involve sarcasm.

For CHOLERIC: 5 out of 5.

And MELANCHOLIC: Detail-oriented? More like, goal-oriented. Analytical? His Sage wisdom could count. Perfectionistic? Not really. Organised? He has a pretty neat desk in his home in the Minish Realm. Pessimisstic? The complete opposite. For MELANCHOLIC: 2 out of 5.

So, for Ezlo, we can determine that in the complete Four Temperament Ensemble, he is basically confirmed for CHOLERIC.

And finally, Vaati. PHLEGMATIC: Unemotional? Can seem like this at times. Calm? He literally says that he can take his time looking for the Light Force and that he's in no hurry. Humble? HE CALLS HIMSELF THE "GREATEST SORCERER ALIVE"- I DON'T THINK SO. Sympathetic? Yes and no- No, because he straight-up turns Ezlo into a hat- but yes, because he could have easily killed him instead. Too yielding? As a young Minish, he could have been pushed around by Ezlo's lessons- but definitely not in his Hylian form and onward. For PHLEGMATIC: 2 (or 3 at most) out of 5.

SANGUINE: Extroverted? He doesn't talk very much- and when he does, it's usually threats or put-downs. Loves people? On the contrary- he spends most of the game completely alone. Talkative/friendly? While disguised as King Daltus; but that's just so that he could yell at the soldiers to go find the Light Force. Forgiving? He's the one who caused the game to happen in the first place, there's nobody he can be forgiving to! Hyperactive? He is quite composed. For SANGUINE: 0 (or 1 at most) out of 5.

CHOLERIC: Practical? He completely remodeled Hyrule Castle just to confuse Link and Ezlo. And he even set up a bell to go off when he drained Zelda of the Light Force. Takes the lead? He's the only villain of the game- there's no lead to take from anyone. Determined? To get his hands on the Light Force? Check! To attempt to kill Link when he as infuriated him enough? Check! Goal-oriented? Sort of- but he's primarily after an object. Hot-tempered? Not until his final demon form, Wrath. For CHOLERIC: 2 (or 3 at most) out of 5.

And finally, MELANCHOLIC: Detail-oriented? He desires one thing and one thing only- the Light Force. Analytical? It is heavily implied that he extensively studied history (and magics) just to learn about what he wanted. Perfectionistic? Honestly, his goal all along could have been for perfection, if he saw himself as a "meek, miniscule nothing" as a Minish- oh wait- he DID.

Organised? He had a long, drawn-out plan to get the Light Force by ENTERING THE SWORD-FIGHTING TOURNAMENT. He could teleport- why didn't he just teleport into the courtyard once the soldiers brought out the Bound Chest? Pessimisstic? Not for others, but for himself and his past. And his failure once he's defeated. For MELANCHOLIC: 5 out of 5.

And finally, for Vaati, we can determine that in the complete Four Temperament Ensemble, he is basically confirmed for MELANCHOLIC.

Ironically, Link was the only one who fit more than one Temperament. But, judging from the others, here is the complete Four Temperament Ensemble: Link: Phlegmatic Princess Zelda: Sanguine Ezlo: Choleric And Vaati: Melancholic.

Perhaps this will come back to haunt Vaati later...

#the bard of light rants #vaati #minish cap #the minish cap #the legend of zelda #theory series the irony of vaati #Ezlo

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shearah · 7 years ago

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uggghh...

I’ve been really enjoying Tales of Berseria’s story so far. The characters are great, the story is heart-wrenching and the dialogue is really well written (even if there’s the odd bit of voice acting that sounds a little awkward).

...But the gameplay drives me up the goddamn wall.

The environments may be pretty, but they’re large, empty and boring for the most part. The level design is naff, trying to put in puzzle elements that just make it tedious, annoying and difficult to navigate. All they have going for them is the enemies scattered around, which would be fine... if the combat wasn’t such a damn chore. It’s clunky and awkward in that weird.. half way between turn based and hack’n’slash mechanics. But. fine, whatever, I’ll live. There’s worse things to do with my time, right?

Except it’s compounded by the fact that, as I’m approaching the final boss I’m chucked in an area with the worst level design, no idea where I’m trying to go and teleporters here there and everywhere to god knows where next, scattered with enemies that are dull to fight, and THEN it throws a mini boss or something at me with such ridiculous defense that I can hardly ever do even one point of damage and the thing have some 10K HP. I spent 15 minutes straight spamming items to let me use special attacks because they’re the only ones that do any damage.

Up until this point I’ve been more than willing to just put up with the bits that annoy me, but now... I don’t think I’m going to finish the damn game because it’s just so tedious. Which is a real pity because I want to love it so badly. The characters are easily some of my favourites, but... it’s just not worth the hours it’s apparently going to take me to muddle through this last ‘dungeon’ (if you can call it that) to get to the final boss.

#I'm very annoyed #I love Velvet so much!#I love the story so much!#it's the kind of game story I would play through time and time again!#except the gameplay makes me want to pull my teeth out #and I'm not usually one to complain about gameplay!

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rayxnkh3 · 6 years ago

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Final final thoughts

Wow, okay, so it has been a while since I have posted anything on this blog. Reasons being I beat the game a while ago and I kept forgetting or getting distracted from finishing this final post. I wanted to do a lot of smaller posts detailing every little event from the end of my last post until the end of the game, it is no longer looking like that is going to happen so I am going to quickly wrap up the last components of the game and swiftly get into my final final thoughts.

The Final World - Creepy, interesting, but overall sorta bland and rather dull. Due to its aesthetic and simple mechanics I got very bored with it rather quickly. I like the idea of a world being basically limbo or death (It’s a KH story so there isn’t a straight forward answer) but this one just seems sorta... meh..

The Cutscenes in between game play - Ranged from holy shit amazing (the massive keyblade attack) to ridiculous (donald laser). Overall every cutscene was gorgeous and filled with artistic wonder. Some of the characters did not hold up to their potential, examples being Axel being a terrible fighter and Kairi dying (Remember that rage? Yeah, it’s about this). Other times the characters had tons of heart and felt like either badasses or emotional powerhouses (i cried four times by the end of the game)

The Labyrinth - So having to go and fight every single new member of organization 13 seemed like a daunting task while it was being built up towards the end of the game and I was curious how they were going to pace them out over time. NOPE! Just throw them all together and have fun! While I understand why they did this, it was a rather large let down that such colorful characters get their 5 seconds in the death spotlight and then are gone.

Xehanort Fight(s) - Long, sometimes very repetitive, and overall pretty good. They could’ve cut out some chunks of it as the constant change in scenes got repetitive (they wouldn’t have if the mechanics significantly changed, but they didn’t) Overall not my favorite fight in the game, and certainly not my favorite final boss fight of any KH game.

Final Final Final Thoughts (I swear, I am going to ramble a lot and then I am done) - Soooooo KH3. I had a ton of fun playing this game. I have been a huge KH fan since the first trailers for KH1 were being released. My gamer tag is my nobody name and I have spent hundreds of hours discussing every minute detail about every game with some of my closest friends. So it’s pretty obvious I love KH.

That being said, this is my least favorite of the three main KH games. While it is clearly the most artistic and the most innovative when it comes to mechanics and levels, it falls short on one of the most important things about a KH (or Squeenix) game, the story.

Each individual level’s story was fun and engaging in some sort of way, but the overarcing story made little to no sense, went almost nowhere given the amount of time they spent on it, and had a very predicatable and unsatisfactory ending. The overarcing story feels very rushed and slapped together for the purposes of just ending Xehanort and Sora’s involvement within the world.

If they had spent more time either in between worlds, took large breaks between worlds, or spent a few more worlds worth of time on the story of Xehanort and Sora than I feel like they could’ve done such a better job. Most other KH stories gave their main story so much more time and effort and it really shows how little they put into it for this game.

For being the third main installment of this series I was really expecting the story to have some sort of massive final struggle and conclusion, but in the end it was the same rehash of the last game’s story with the exception of a different head (which we already knew was there). KH2 built up an entire organization of colorful people, a plan for what they were doing, and how we systematically brought down inch by inch their organization and plan. What did we do in KH3? Uhhh, took down these people in about one world’s worth to stop them from...Unleashing Kingdom Hearts? Again? I barely can even remember why Xehanort wanted to do any of the crap he did and that says a lot about how much time we were given understanding the antagonists motivation and plan.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RAGE INCOMING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you have been reading my previous post you are probably ready for some rage. Well, here you go. THEY FUCKING DID NOTHING WITH KAIRI!!!! They spent so much time on attempting to make her a badass, they gave her a keyblade, they spent most of the game training her, she constantly babbled on about wanting to save Sora for once. Well, SHE DIDNT! All she did was show up, show her keyblade to the players, AND FUCKING DIE!!!!! Words can’t even express how much this angered me when I saw it happen. Technically I was upset and shocked when it first happened, but it was very quickly followed up with blood curdling rage about how they did NOTHING with her. I love having strong female characters in my stories, they don’t have to be physically strong, but they have to be more than just one dimensional - girl. Kairi’s only purpose was to motivate Sora to go do a thing, that is such a horrible waste of a character.

SO ANOTHER THING! Yes, they brought Kairi back at the end of the game, but they fucking KILLED SORA!?! SO, this is supposed to be a happy feelsy sort of game, right? It’s made by fucking DISNEY! If you give me two cute little kids who grow up together, hang out together, and clearly really really like each other, WHY DON’T THEY GET TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!!! *chucks computer*

*deep breaths* Okay, I am done. *mumbles under breath* Fucking ridiculous....

Let’s on a positive note!

KH3 had some of the best combat, mechanics, and graphics that the series has ever seen. Most, if not all, the worlds were immensely enjoyable in one way or another. If you read all of my previous posts it becomes painfully obvious I am a big fan of this game, and I would recommend anyone who has played the previous KH games to play this one as well. Though, don’t get your hopes up too much for it and know that it feels significantly shorter than any of the other KH games. Nitpicks aside, I had fun, and at the end of the day that is the most important part of any game, having fun. Having a positive experience in some way and walking away feeling better for having played the game.

Level of Enjoyment: Still a massive KH fan and can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

*Side Note* If you got all of the way to this note and read all of my previous posts I just wanted to give you a massive thank you!!! Thank you for reading all of my dumb or nerdy rants about this game.

I am trying my hardest to become a game designer myself and hope that one day, you will be playing and enjoying my game. Feel free to critique it as intensely as I just critiqued KH3. Have a great life!!

#KH3 #kh3 spoilers #kh3 review #gamereview #spoilers

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nuzblog · 7 years ago

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November 17th and 18th, 2017

Extra long update here, comin' in real hot!

After some research, I established my plan going forward. The first step of that plan is to retrieve Arctid, my Venonat from Route 15, from the PC, and start ascending Silph Co. Psychic coverage is going to be very useful, and since my Jynx Plan A is foiled, Venonat will have to do until I can get something better.

Of course, once I'm in Silph Co. it becomes clear that that's where I was supposed to go first - the trainers are nothing to my Pokemon. Which... confuses the heck out of me, given that Koga is definitely meant to be Gym 5. Like, do you want me to be in Fuschia City or not?

Of course, once Arctid hits a level where I'm like "okay maybe now I can actually use him to fight this thing he has the type advantage against", he dies up good. Siiigh. Well, at least it means I won't have a big hole of "unable to catch anything but still not technically FAILING a capture" on my big list of captures by location. I head back to Route 14, where I quickly replace Arctid with another Venonat, this one dubbed Sciari. Back to Silph Co. I go!

Heh. TM for Selfdestruct. Good joke, video game.

I made the smart decision to actually look up Blue's team before heading in to fight him and... yeah, he's a bit too tough. Grinding time!

Oh, while I'm out, I might as well fish on Route 19. Goldeen is a dupe, but Staryu sure ain't! Boy, if I hadn't already spent my one and only ever Psychic TM on Lola, Staryu would be SO useful. Or if it like... learned Psychic STAB moves. Seriously, what is with movesets this gen? Every single Pokemon is such trash. Sandslash literally doesn't even get any ground type moves outside of TM. It might as well have been straight up Normal.

Grinding literally takes the entire rest of the 17th. That and losing at Pokemon Cards, but hey, this isn't a "let's nuzlocke Pokemon TCG" blog, is it? (Also how would you even do that? Burn every card that dies in battle? Only buy one booster pack at any given store you visit? Lmao)

While grinding, Moschops tries to learn Focus Energy, which... is another hilarious joke. Both because it's at such a high level, and because it's supposed to quadruple the crit rate... but it actually QUARTERS it, making you almost never get a crit after using Focus Energy.

Sciari, on the other hand, learns Psybeam, which means I can finally stop mashing B every time it tries to level up, and turn it into the beautiful moth it was always meant to be.

Psybeam in hand, my first move when I started playing the next day was to fight my way through the Fighting Dojo. I actually did this so soon after waking up that, when claiming my Pokemon, my errant finger erroneously hit "start" instead of "select" when naming the Hitmonlee I claimed. Its name is "B", but uh. Please pretend that it's "Bruce." Not that I'm using it. I HAVE my Fighting type.

I then checked out Koga's gym trainers, since I was on such a roll, and, funny enough... literally only the one dude with a Level 38 Hypno was even close to a challengingly high level. Everything else was a piece of cake. Koga included.

Oh, except for that Level 42 Weezing. That's pretty nuts, right? Well, actually... Maybe not.

Gen 1's AI tech is so primitive that NPCs, even gym leaders, will make real boneheaded moves in the interest of type superiority. Famously, confronting Lance with a Poison type makes you nigh untouchable, since most of his Pokemon will use Agility since Psychic is super effective, without even checking to see if Agility does damage.

His Weezing knows 2 poison moves, Smokescreen... and Selfdestruct. All I need to beat him, besides Cingu and Sciari, is something that resists poison, and can either for sure tank a Selfdestruct OR... that I don't mind losing.

Remember vlad?

My team for Koga is Cingu, Sciari, Lanius (my highest leveled team member at the time) and Vlad. His other Pokemon are easy peasy.

And as expected, when he switches in Weezing, I switch in Vlad... and he blows himself up. That's Koga's gym badge! Which also mens I can Surf outside of battle! Whoo-hoo!

First destination (floating from Pallet on Bernie's tummy, repels on), for easy flying, is Cinnabar Island. Now, I've mentioned my mysterious plans here... I'll discuss those later. I have not yet put them into effect.

Instead, I think it's high time we take down Dingus. I box Bernie back up, and for once my actual team is the same number of Pokemon as his team.

The one concern I had was with Gyarados, but I got it sleeping and lemme tell ya... it never woke back up. B)

Now I have a Lapras! Her name is Nessie. Of course since nothing in this game can be easy, I get it at Level 15. Sooooo grinding time!

While grinding, I started clearing out trainers on the surfing routes, and grabbing Pokemon. Oh, but first... Penthes learned Razor Leaf! And you know what that means...

Leaf Stone!!! Finally, my lovely pitcher plant is all overgrown up! (Get it? Overgrown, like, plants do? Do you get it? Do you see the humor in my joke?)

Okay so. Route 20, I fished! Horsea appears! Aaaand I killed it accidentally, cause Sing and Surf start with the same letter. Been a while since that's happened, huh? Feels like old times.

Seafoam Islands! I didn't actually go through here yet, although I plan on doing so - my intent is to battle all of the legendaries I can, treating them as additional boss fights. Still though, I stepped inside to catch a dude! After 5 consecutive Staryus, I finally found a Seel. Staryu isn't even that common I thought? Ah well. Seel's name is Harp.

Route 21, where I could catch a Tangela if I really wanted but look I have Penthes, I need no more grassy boys! After fishing up yet another Staryu, I caught a Shellder! Its name is Okeefe.

Since I still have grinding to do, I stepped into the Pokemon Mansion, hoping not to be completely owned, and... It's okay actually! I caught a Grimer, named it Ooze. I fought my way through, and Nessie actually started doing most of the work way earlier than I'd thought. Surf owns bones. Ice Beam is pretty solid too. I finished the mansion, grabbing the Secret Key, and... set out for the unfinished business in Saffron.

First, Giovanni. Nessie, Cingu, Penthes and Moschops join me for this fight, and, quite frankly... he's a little bitch and I could have made short work of him before doing the Pokemansion.

Next is Sabrina. She and her gym trainers are a touch tougher, but I manage fine with Lanius, Cingu, Nessie and Penthes.

Also now Nessie is finally at around the same level as the rest of my team! Hooray!

Now, here I am. Plotting and planning. Blaine shouldn't be too hard at all. Giovanni is just as much of a puss as always. I have three more dungeons to tackle - the Power Plant, Seafoam Islands, and Victory Road. The resting places of the three Legendary Birds. But most importantly...

The Elite 4.

Now, I'm planning here still. I know what I want to do, but I'm interested in getting any feedback there could be. Especially since the ask box which I didn't realize was closed this whole time, is now open! (That's "Option" on the menu!)

The first point: An Electric type would be super effective against almost all of Lorelei's Pokemon, against both Lance and Dingus' Gyarados, and against Agatha's Golbat and Lance's Aerodactyl. That's really really good. The Power Plant has electric types. In fact, it has options: Voltorb and Electrode would be duplicates, but that still leaves random encounter chances for Magnemite/Magneton, and Pikachu. Now, obviously one of those is way way better to have than the other. But is that a chance I'm willing to take, when the other option is repelling my way through until Zapdos, and hoping to high heck I capture it (or chucking my Master Ball at it, maybe?) Zapdos does have legendary tier stats, but it also is part flying type, which removes its ground weakness... but makes it weak to Ice, meaning its usefulness against Lorelei will be limited to its ability to OUTSPEED Lorelei. Zapdos is fast, but is it fast enough to body an elite four member without getting hit?

The second point: I really really need Psychic STAB. I love my big mothy boy, but he's just not cutting it. Now, stop me if you've heard this one: Cinnabar Island's coast acts very strangely. Since it doesn't expect to have an encounter rate but it can be GIVEN an encounter rate, basically any Pokemon can show up there as long as it can show up somewhere else. The question is one of gambling. You see, I could play it safe and get a Drowzee by going to Route 11 where I've already caught Sandshrew and Spearow and flying to Cinnabar... or take a bit more of a risk with a higher payout stats-wise by using Route 24 and trying to catch an Abra? Not only is there the slimmest margin of possibility for it to flee an Ultra Ball, it might also not show up, since that route also has Caterpies and Metapods that I don't yet have. I suppose doing the more traditional Safari Zone glitch is also possible, to try for an Exeggcute, but A: that'd supplant (ha!) my boy Penthes, and B: even less of a guarantee, and jeezy kableezy do I NOT want a dang Nidoran as my booby prize. So, what should I do? Play it safe or get dangerous?

The third point: If I'm adding these guys to my team, then it's going to exceed 6, and someone's gonna get boxed. Nessie is INTEGRAL to the Elite 4 gameplan, and also just kinda rules overall. Lanius is my flyer... but if I get a Zapdos, that replacement feels like a no-brainer. Sciari is right out as soon as I've got an actual real Psychic type, so really it's just a matter of who's losing out to my Electric type. Cingu's Slash will be incredibly helpful, and Dig should double down on effectiveness for the Onixes, Agatha's poison types, Rhydon and Arcanine. Moschops will make Lorelei that much easier. That really seems to leave it to Lanius, who feels more expendable but will probably be most useful in the Elite 4 fight (especially vs. Venusaur) and is also my flyer... and Penthes, who I've become so emotionally attached to as the first Victreebel I've used and a fantastic assripper who came from such a humble start (especially losing Vine Whip, lmao), who has, in lieu of my lost Minos, become practically like my starter. Can I really afford to leave one of them behind? Should I nix someone else instead?

Please, leave your thoughts.

#pokemon #nuzlocke #pokemon blue #entries

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