#they never really stand beside it like this in any cutscenes

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts 2 - Gummi Garage

[lady-layton]

hi! so I was combing thru ur PL tag, and I noticed u have a large collection of dvds/cds. i hope this doesnt come across as rude or imposing, but do you think it would be possible for you to "burn" and upload the videos/audio to youtube? highest priority has to be the interviews, esp with the seiyu, i don't think i've ever seen that ANYWHERE. even if most people can't understand the japanese, having an archive of this content allows us to archive the games, their development, and the fandom. second priority would probably be any commercials featuring cutscenes from the 3ds games, as they were never released in HD to this day. besides that, i have been able to find most of the CD releases online, but i was curious about the premium cd layton theme cover song. if you are worried about copyright law or just don't want to, that is understandable 👍 but as it stands, there is more and more layton content completely lost to time (like the flip phone exclusive official art and games) and without its preservation, the less and less there will be to celebrate as the anniversaries continue... i hope that's not too dramatic. as far as i can tell when it comes to copyright strikes, i uploaded layton game content to YouTube and never got any (i got one immediately over the utena anime) so i believe it is safe, but there are alternatives like gdrive etc. "burning" (copying) dvds is also very simple if you have a computer.

I REALLY really hope I don't come off as demanding. Ultimately it is 100% your decision. But the layton fandom of today (in its tiny size) would thank you. It also would be a nice way to look back in time, as I personally played all the games only in 2020. I'd love to know more about the process behind the development of the games in general, but as the fandom even at its peak was never huge (and bc its been 15 years...) very little of that has been recorded in western fandom, vs big IPs like Zelda or even Fire Emblem. It'd also be really cool to hear the thoughts of someone who was there when things WERE happening!

Regardless, I will respect whatever decision you make. Game (and game-adjacent) preservation matters a lot to me, but I do know how to take a "No". I hope you can understand my perspective however. 😔 While I don't think the fandom will ever fully revive (unless maybe we got a switch port of each trilogy like Ace Attorney), I hope the new generations of Layton lovers can appreciate each other as well as the old fandom they built upon. Thank you for hearing me out!

Hello!

First of all thank you so much for this ask (o´∀`o) To be honest my plan with buying these commercial DVDs in the beginning was to preserve a part of Professor Layton history. There is so much about Professor Layton that have disappeared over the years, since some fansites and blogs have shut down long ago. So I really want to save as much as I can of what is left.

I've been looking into transferring the trailers, interviews and such to some online archive in some way. Sadly I have not had the time to properly sit down and research how to do it more exactly, but I do have a close friend of mine who is willing to help. If I get them uploaded somewhere I will absolutely share the links through this blog! It would be even more fun if a subgroup would be willing to help out with texting some of the clips as well. I have managed to collect quite a lot of these DVD's since I last updated my collection, but I should have the following:

3 different DVDs for Curious Village

4 different DVDs for Pandora's Box

2 different DVDs for Lost Future

1 promotional DVD for Eternal Diva

3 different DVDs for Spectre's Call

3 different DVDs for Professor Layton VS Ace Attorney

1 DVD for Layton Brothers Mystery Room

1 DVD for Professor Layton and the Phantom Thief

1 for Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy

1 for Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy

1 for Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy DX

I also have this one DVD from Code NEO from 2007 that I remember purchasing because it said to have some Layton content. But it got to me just now that I have never checked it out. Perhaps I should do so, so I know what is on that disc haha.

About the premium CD I have been pondering over uploading it as well. I'm not so sure how comfortable I am with sharing MP3s online, but since it's from quite an old era by now and not released outside of the premium disc I could perhaps make an exception.

[patricia-von-arundel]

FE asks 29 and 31!

29. Avatars: yay or nay?

I'm fine with it either way! I do prefer avatars who have slightly more personality than your average crumpled paper bag blowing across the playground after lunch (hi, Corrin), but otherwise all good.

(Honestly, Corrin's position could have been used to make really interesting contrast in their growth and development across whatever path the player chose, but... they didn't. By those standards, Byleth is sort of a letdown too. I like Byleth more though, because the Three Houses script wasn't written by a bunch of monkeys banging on typewriters, which is the only valid excuse for Fates.)

I've never found them egregious (and I haven't experienced Kris and the notorious stealing of victories across FE12), but I'm also happy to play games without them. I quite liked Robin, Corrin and Byleth both had interesting roles within their stories, and Shez and Alear have strong, developed personalities. But on the last... why even have an avatar, if there's little the player can customize? Are they serving a deeper purpose in the story, or are they just a stand-in for the player and hardly relevant to the overall plot? Robin, honestly, I think was the best-handled avatar, but I also haven't hated any of them. I'm just unsure what function they serve, if there's no customization besides form and name. Alear seems likely to have Robin-like relevance to the plot, so it will be interesting to see where the game goes with them! Shez was also a fun contrast to Byleth. That was fun. It's also always amusing to see one of the lords just going completely 😍😍😍 I WANT THAT ONE the moment they see the avatar. Poor Frederick and Hubert!

31. Some moments of Fire Emblem you keep thinking of?

Definitely love very much the cutscene after the final battle in Crimson Flower (especially since CF was robbed of cutscenes otherwise). The contrast between the presentation of the Battle of Eagle and Lion versus Gronder Field (on the routes that have it). The end cutscene in Awakening, especially the first time I played. The conversation between Laslow and Silas in Soleil's paralogue. Finishing FE7 for the first time and realizing there was more to play now. The first time I got everyone in Awakening married off before the chapter where the truth about Lucina comes out, and watching all the paralogues start opening up across the map.

And if I can bring up some out-of-game moments: seeing the shield at the Nintendo Direct that introduced the first Warriors game. Beating Apotheosis for the first time (July 15, 2016). Finishing Future Past with the good ending. The 2017 direct just for Fire Emblem. The first time Edelgard was revealed. Happening to go to Gamestop just as they took down the Three Houses poster and then taking it home with me. Getting up at 4am to play FEH the day Inigo was released AND FINALLY GOT TO BE A DANCER. Handing over a ring on the second anniversary of the game's release. And every single time a new trailer debuts.

[hak]

OKAYYY. I’ve been playing final fantasy x and here are some preliminary thoughts after like a hard won 4ish hours in 🫠

It was a huge leap to start this game just because 1) I don’t play games like this period (rpg fighters) and have even less experience than any other type of game I ever played and 2) there’s truly nothing more intimidating to me than the final fantasy franchise.. like it only won out over me trying out kingdom hearts because I didn’t feel like doing the punch _ button for _ move type fighting in a game just yet lol. BUT WHATEVER! It has been my goal this year anyway to try games out of my comfort zone (80% of games out there lol) so here I am…

I think the world-building is very appealing!! look I have never in my life even tried looking up final fantasy lore or anything I think I just know Sephiroth and the big ducks maybe but regardless I loved the 5 seconds we got in Zanarkand just because a fantasy steampunk-esque world can be charming.. and exploring the 1000yrs later world and it’s differences is also very interesting. I think I spent half of my hours just talking to everybody I saw and looking at the world textures lol it’s nice and peaceful most of the time

I love the cast a lot.. playing as Tidus kind of surprised me because I think I’m not used to fully formed playable main characters like him (was thinking Link or a fire emblem protag rip) but I LOVE HIM!!!! HES SO GOOFY AND CHARMING and I am so endeared by the voiceover narration (ummm his future self??) and where the story is taking him. He and Yuna are so sweet and cute. I actually really love that not ever cutscene was there to move the plot??? Like the one first boat scene where Tidus stole some guys binoculars and was monkeying around on the ship. Or this one 🥺😭💗

SO PRECIOUS!!! It’s how I know something horrible is going to come regarding them 🧎Well for now I’m just in for the ride. The other guardians are definitely a ragtag bunch but I really appreciated how they were fleshed out in this narrative. I like the big wolf beast guy and I will tell you every time I get a chance I try to get Tidus to go talk to him and every time I get ignored 🥲 ONE DAY!!!! And I love theeee goth woman supreme Lulu even her name is so cute. Love her little doll. She saves my ass every single fight I swear. Wakka is also charming in his own way lol he reminds me of a character I just don’t know who.. he and Lulu having their josei romance drama in the backdrop of this story also gets meeeee. Like!?? Look at them wtf…

Ok ok now about the fighting itself: it’s not as bad as I thought. It’s still not something I really have come to look forward to though, and I really really despise the mechanic where you’re walking and get a randomized battle out of nowhere. The Pokémon grass effect whatever you call it…. IM SICK OF IT!!!! LET ME RUN AWAY!!! especially when I’ve had like 3 fights in a row and that stupid breaking glass effect comes and I have to fight again. Oh save me. im not built for this. HOWEVER. Besides that. It’s okay. Figuring out what moves I should be doing isn’t all that difficult even if I do kind of just guess most of the time. I’m lucky I’m using an emulator and saving as much as I can in case I need to reload during a battle. I’ll be okay lol I just want to complain sometimes just cuz. 😖

And finally…. The one thing I did not expect to encounter in this game and genuinely made me want to QUIT this game for good despite everything positive above: BLITZBALL. WHY DO YOU EXIST. WHY. I CANT STAND THIS SHIT!!!!!!!!

This funny scene made me laugh when I first saw it because I literally thought blitzball games would play out like that first cutscene in Zanarkend - AS A CUTSCENE!!! TIDUS YOULL LOSE I HAVE NO SKILL YOULL LOSE TIDUS!!!!!!!

I will admit now I didn’t know wtf I was doing on that boat and totally failed at getting the Jecht shot but how??? Was I supposed to know????? I THOUGHT IT WOULD JUST LEAD TO A FUN MINIGAME how was I to know it was life or death (in blitzball)…. I did Google whether I needed it to win and results varied. But before I get judged I spent about 40 min trying to grasp the entire blitzball tutorial and things still didn’t wrap around until I began playing and EVEN THEN I wanted to cry and rage quit. Something I have never needed to do in all my life!!!!!! Then I thought fine whatever I’ll just let the game do it’s thing and maybe try to give the ball to Tidus as much as possible if that’s my only shot and lord almighty I couldn’t even get one point in. The ai would score so much and I swear I paid attention. Imagine me mid game pausing just to google 10+ year old forum answers on whether I can just do the bare minimum and still win. I don’t even think I needed to win??? But the other team was so mean to us …. LIKE I WANTED TO WIN….. but I’m not capable of it. I knew it when I first started the tutorial too versus the real game I truly am so disinterested in this kind of minigame (the least mini of mini games I’ve ever played ever) that I don’t care. Like I’m just so so frustrated that it’s 3am im writing this post just to vent about how I want to keep playing ffx but not at the cost of this stupid side game that shouldn’t even take me more than 15 min to play!!!!!

I should’ve known from this part in the tutorial that this was bullshit fr. Look I know its not like all of the mechanics were rocket science, if I took 1 day to actually study the game I would BUT WHY WOULD I DO THAT. WHY WOULD I WASTE MY TIME AND DO THAT. I am just so put off at this point from this game simply because of blitzball. Sorry to Tidus and his quest for home and all but it will not come true because I cannot stand playing blitzball. 🤬

Where i am now: I paused at the end kinda when Wakka comes in at the end of the game. I couldn’t score a single point so it was just left at 2-0. I really don’t care anymore I will just lose the game because I’m sick of it. But damn I was really trying okay. Kinda. I hate being petty but we’ll see if I want to even pick it up as a whole game again when I wake tmrw after this experience lol

To be extremely honest I kinda began ffx as a total “wouldn’t it be funny if?” type game for me because I know what I like and dislike in games and this one bordered that for me so I was genuinely curious to see how far I’d last. But this blitzball game is so far into my dislikes that it actually bums me out because the storytelling is so in my lane. I don’t want to quit just yet but I will say now if blitzball gets any worse I’m out. That truly is my last straw lmao. Also it seems like a very long game otherwise and even that is a struggle for me to comprehend. Plus battles are even going to get worse and I can barely slide by during those… idk it is looking grim for the mariel partakes in final fantasy era 😭

[stxrmnight]

Growing, Flowing, to a Dead Sea of Stars

She knows what's next, but she doesn't really wanna see it.

Okay kids you are all too noble FOR BEING DEMATERIALIZED SOON!!!

Ah, no screenshots of that cutscene. But I may look back on it and edit this later...

The one thing I wanna add, now or earlier in Ultima Thule, is Meteion rejecting Nemi's offers of alternate emotions of a range closer to happiness.

"If you are so sure your emotions are the answer, why didn't you stop me back then? Why show up only now?! Where were you... where were you?! How can you, now that I'm this? And not when I was a little girl in anguish? You said you were a hero for the meek and weak, but I am not weak anymore! I don't need you!"

"I... I'm here now."

My girl destroyed...

The Dead Ends explained why Meteion was so overwhelmed, what thought processes flooded her mind and left space for nothing. One part of her remained in Pandora's box, but it wasn't only the bird from back then that she cared about.

Nemi endured next to her friends, but as they started to falter Nemi realized this would not work. Blows would not address nor balm the seepy ichor clogged in the Endsinger's brain. Sadly, 8 people were too much for a conversation.

...would she live doing something so crazy? Sending them all away and standing against the Endsinger on her own. And yet, Her instinct believed this was best. Zenos appearing as Shinryu right as the ground caved seemed to protest that. Realizing he's here almost tripped her over, having to pierce her claws to mitigate falling and climb on his back. Fortunately the adrenaline was too high for her to be put off again, and so she took a deep breath as she rose her scythe reflexively.

"That isn't prey, that's a child that could be mine."

And so Nemi would dance, avoiding lethalities and imbuing her defenses with the melody of her heart. She would counter and protest a lesson for every world fallen in the dead ends, resting on her scythe too long for a second and surging with her friends' protective akasha right after. Now Nemi could fly with wings of metal and precious stone, slashing off power barriers and energy waves in a way that made the Ensinger frantic, until Nemi finally said:

"What do you really want more than death?"

"I, I want a stop, to all this! But I don't want to be hurt like those people broken hearted even before the wars finished their worlds! If no one lives, no illusion of love, greed or power can hurt me!"

"But you won't know any staying here. Besides, it isn't too the worst. My heart is broken even to this, and here I am offering my hand to you."

It seemed for a second Nemi readied a deadly spin. Finally Zenos thrilled in delight at this lowerment of defenses, but

Endsinger's eyes widened in shock, since Nemi finally touched her forehead gently. The collective realized she had sharp claws she lays ever so gently, a touch they couldn't remember. The black birds scatter disolving in mourning of the gentleness they never knew, and Meteion is left kneeling with Nemi's thumbs gently holding her cheeks. With the remembrance of Hermes and the flow of memories, one song floats in the air, colors and visions of joy and pain and sun and love and burst and death and rebirth flood as she attunes to Nemi's share, clinging to her more and more with clean tears.

Her actions of accident and purpose cannot be undone, but she can fly and grow weaving melodies that speak of a world of freedom to live, die and love. A world Hermes would've liked, a world where she... Could have walked into her own wants and aspirations. Y ahora, y ahora

Y Meteion quiere ser canción

[skrunksthatwunk]

ok now that the dust has settled a bit im actually gonna talk about my thoughts on the rgg summit y8 cutscene. you know the one

ok im talking about the proposals because although i didn't make it clear at the time i uh. i don't like it lmao (<- oversimplifying). let me explain (in 9 points + a tl;dr)

ichiban does strike me as the type to jump the gun and propose early, especially after like 18 years in prison. granted, i never did the dating stuff in y7, but i think it's in line with his character (i like it, makes sense)

him asking kiryu for advice is also fine, seeing as he's So Fucking Frazzled By Getting Turned Down im convinced he would ask anyone (i like it, makes sense)

regardless of my own views on ichiban's love life i. i guess i see that they could've been setting him and saeko up? like saeko's cattiness with seong-hui (who, if you forgot, flirted pretty hard with ichi when they first met) could be viewed as jealousy over ichiban...? i guess? and maybe that time she compliments his hair and he's like "well maybe I'll keep it :)"...? (i don't like it, but makes sense in hindsight as something they may have been trying to establish)

in regards to my thoughts on ichiban's love life: girl they have so little romantic chemistry im not even joking. not more so than like, him and any given member of the ichigang (which isn't nothing (<- ichigang polycule enjoyer) but you really just picked Nearest Girl huh), and arguably less imo. i like them!! i don't even hate them dating per se, but i don't love it being canon. like exploring it conceptually and making fan content etc is cool (go crazy!!), but i don't think they have enough standing in canon as-is to be satisfying as a couple, yeah? it doesn't feel like they were going for that in their y7 dynamic, and i actually found the platonic vibes of their bond kinda refreshing and im sad to see that replaced with a simple (probably offscreen) "okay they're together now" like it was inevitable, or the implication that the only reason their friendship was there was to set up a romance later, and they were just saving it for the next game. (i don't really like it, doesn't make sense)

it feels like they were anxious about where saeko falls in the "romance or relative" dichotomy of the series' female characters (see yumi, yuko, yasuko, hana, mirei (<- less direct, but majima's ex/pretty explicit mother figure to haruka), sayama, makoto, eri (y7, not the morning glory kid), seong-hui, that woman from y5, haruka, most of the cabaret girls as manager and customer, maaaany substory women, that patriarch's daughter in y3, reina, yayoi, the morning glory girls, etc etc). like she HAD to end up with someone in the cast because what else would she do, right? in isolation it's not an awful choice, but within the context of the rest of the series, it's frustrating because she was one of the only exceptions besides like. miss tatsu probably. (i don't like it, makes sense that it would happen in this series)

even if you want/are open to saeko and ichiban being together, shouldn't that be given more time and development? it feels rushed to me to go from hinting at romance (assuming that's what it was in y7) to proposing is like. kind of a disservice to those characters and that dynamic imo (i don't like it, doesn't make sense)

NOT TO MENTION KIRYU'S PROPOSALS?? like. to yumi? to sayama? it feels like that'd be weird to retcon in since we saw their relationships on screen. and if kiryu had an (or multiple?? as arguably implied in the scene???) offscreen relationship so serious he PROPOSED i think that'd also be weird and annoying to not see if you were a fan of that idea. shit man, if kiryu's proposing to someone i wanna meet her!! (because it's going to be straight. i know you know we know. pain) and maybe she'll even get like. depth and agency outside of being a love interest. if we're very lucky. (i don't really like it, doesn't make sense)

kiryu suddenly having ~plenty of experience~ with women isn't homophobic (or aphobic) per se, but. i mean. look there's a lot of good ways to read the way kiryu engages with sex and romance (including ones where he likes women and/or doesn't like men, in case you want to argue with me about that) but what we know for sure is that this series seems to a) be unable to let him hold on to a definite love interest between games b) want him to be a forever-bachelor, either because "i think he would be" or "he's mourning yumi sayama doesn't count" or "he's waiting for the right person" or "he can't endanger someone like that" etc, and/or c) does not want to/cannot validate queer interpretations of him (which the two previous points as well as other context may imply). y'know how around y4 they stopped letting majima and kiryu interact but still hinged big shit on their fated bond or whatever? it's like that to me. sometimes they feel the need to remind us all that they're actually super heterosexual guys. this could be that. if it walks like damage control and quacks like damage control it might very well be damage control. even in straight readings of him it's jarring and out of nowhere and lacks real time, development, and so on in ways that are both unsatisfying and contributing to the problems with women in the series, even more so than an ichi/saeko relationship (i don't like it, doesn't make sense)

during the summit they were careful to be like "well, we don't know what kind of proposal it is exactly ;)" so lemme say this: if it's not actually marriage proposals they're talking about, im not gonna be happy either. clickbait ass. (actually it would be a little funny if they were straightbaiting but im still gonna work under the assumption that it's not because like. did they word the cutscene like that just to show it at the summit like this? freak behavior) (idk how i feel about it, idk if it makes sense, someone should get smacked for this choice but there's a 50/50 chance i would do this in their shoes)

tl;dr i don't hate these ideas in isolation and if you're excited for them then i wish you the best. i hope for all of us that it's actually handled well. to be completely honest, im still interested in what leads them both to this point, and the relationships they may reveal, what they'll try to say with them, what they say about ichi and kiryu, etc. i will play along with ichi and saeko if they can do something cool with it, because i tend to be very flexible about that kinda thing. im not mad about it and i don't hate it exactly, but my impressions of it for the most part are "this seems sudden and out of character for everyone involved in troubling ways that are part of larger annoying/problematic patterns in the series".

[maryse127]

Really kinda frustrated about how Final Fantasy XV handles Noctis and Luna. They are shown to really love eachother. And on an emotional level I really feel that. But from a story perspective it makes no sense. He was 8 and she was like 12 when they met and after that they were only pen pals for 12 years and never saw eachother again until Altissia. Yet in cutscenes Luna is all "oh my god i love him so much how i wish to hear his voice once more and spend our life together" and Noctis is like really, really, really sad about her death. Absolutely devastated. Probably even more emotional about it than the death of his father who he also really loved (and actually spend time with). And emotionally I get sucked into that ship. I feel for them. I want them to reunite and hug. They deserved better. But it really annoys me too. Because there is no way they share a connection, a love that strong or deep when they only spend at most a few months together as kids and then sometimes wrote eachother things for 12 years without ever meeting or talking.

Honestly the game handles Luna poorly in general. What she does as for the people as the Oracle, getting the ring from Regis and keeping it out of Imperial hands, waking the gods, it's all pretty cool. She is strong and kind and takes her duty as Oracle very seriously. But we barely see any of it and then she gets killed. Then in flashbacks she is suddenly all "I don't wish to guide him, merely to stand beside him" And I absolutely do not think that showing weakness or hesitation about her duty is bad, but it annoys me that she is portrayed as being less than Noctis. "I do not wish to guide him" girl, that is literally your duty as ordained by the gods. A duty you take very seriously ever since you were a child. And through waking the gods and Gentiana's messages Luna did, in fact, guide Noctis. It's like the game took a character with a lot of potential to be awesome and powerful then reminded themselves they wanted her to be submissive to men and a martyr

[kirain]

I love Hosea (he's my fave) but one thing that's always bugged me is how he's definitely the most moral member of the gang but he still stays with Dutch after he kills that girl in Blackwater. I can't help thinking that'd be the last straw for Hosea...

If it's any consolation, there's nothing to suggest Hosea actually knew about Heidi McCourt. As far as I know, there's no encounter or cutscene where it's explicitly stated. In fact, an argument can be made to the contrary.

In chapter two, during a confrontation with Dutch, Hosea says "I heard things got nasty on that fairy", but he doesn't say how nasty. He then proceeds to ask Dutch to elaborate, but Dutch deflects, just as he deflected in Colter. Arthur flat out asked him what happened in Blackwater and Dutch responded with, "We missed you, that’s what happened." With Hosea, he quickly ends the conversation by telling him to "be strong".

That isn't the first time Hosea digs for information about Blackwater either. He later confronts Micah, asking, "Just what exactly went on in Blackwater?" This interaction is especially sad because Hosea basically begs Micah to answer, but the little rat brushes him off. Now, whether Hosea was asking why the the job went sideways or what the gang did in response is certainly up for debate, but his conversations with Dutch lead me to believe he might not know about the murder.

And in all fairness, that does seem like something Dutch would proactively try to hide, since killing innocent people is supposedly against their "code". Not far from the camp, you can even find torn up wanted posters detailing Dutch’s crimes, though it’s anyone's guess who destroyed them. One interesting detail, however, is that after Trelawny warns Arthur about the situation in Blackwater, he only tells Dutch about the wanted posters, not Hosea. I tried several times, but to my knowledge there’s no dialogue for it. The only gang member who wasn't in Blackwater who explicitly finds out about Heidi is Arthur, told to him by Javier when they ride to save John. Arthur never repeats this information to Hosea.

However ... as I like to deal in facts, the fact of the matter is Hosea could know just as much as he might not. It does seem a little farfetched to think Hosea never saw a single wanted poster, never heard someone talking about it, or simply wasn’t clever enough to piece it together on his own. Plus, Agent Milton does show up at the camp and call Dutch “nothing but a killer” while Hosea’s standing right next to him (though he could just be talking generally).

That said, I think Blackwater was the last straw, regardless of Heidi’s murder. After the botched robbery gets three gang members killed and the rest of them running from the law, Hosea blatantly tries to convince those remaining--Abigail, John, Sadie, Tilly, Lenny, even Arthur--to leave and "go legit". Hosea's reached a point in his life where all he has left is Dutch and the years behind them. He knows he's close to death, terminally ill, a wanted man, and he feels like sticking it out is a type of punishment for his own crimes. He declares several times throughout the game that he "wasn't a good man" in his youth, and he acknowledges (unlike Dutch) that gunslingers are part of a bygone era. He accepts this and literally says "I'm ready" when he talks about dying.

For further evidence of his sense of remorse, when talking to a frightened Abigail he says, "Seems we don't have any choice but to ride this train to the end of the line." He points to himself, and by "we" I think he means him and Dutch, as he immediately follows it up by telling Abigail to take Jack and start life anew somewhere safe. There's also another conversation (if you play on low honour) where he unambiguously says he wants to "make amends", but he feels like it’s too late.

In addition, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Hosea’s slightly afraid of Dutch. During almost all of their arguments, Hosea recoils when Dutch approaches/yells at him. If you watch a compilation of their arguments, you’ll notice that when things get heated Hosea steps back, walks off, or looks at the ground submissively. He’s probably well aware of Dutch’s temper and knows what he can do when he’s angry, which tends to be the case when you've known someone for nearly thirty years. It isn't until chapter four, Hosea's last chapter, that he becomes more assertive and pushes back. I really do believe Hosea was more than just a friend to Dutch; he was also his conscience and a bit of a leash. As Hosea’s health waned, so did his influence on Dutch, unfortunately. I think he knew leaving the gang would only make things worse for everyone else, so he stayed.

In the end, whether or not Hosea knew about Heidi is kind of inconsequential, because there's nothing he could've done about it besides what he tries to do in game: muzzle and undermine Dutch, plan adequate heists to ensure everyone's future, and convince his friends to move on, be better, and accept the ways of the new world. In a sense, Arthur became Hosea by the end of the story.

Like father, like son.

[kyndaris]

Dating 2.0

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” So wrote Jane Austen in one of her most famous novels: Pride and Prejudice. In our modern age, it is no longer the purview for men to seek a wife. Rather, any individual of good standing and good fortune are wont to seek their better half - be that man, woman, non-binary or wherever else they might sit on the gender spectrum.

But while romance sits at the forefront of many a mind - being something that is sung about in songs and shown on the silver screen, I’ve never really thought of romance for myself. While I may gush over the interactions between Ren and Grey in the Rook and the Rose trilogy, and certain cutscenes may warm the cockles of my stone-cold heart, 

And it is into this world that I, a humble blogger, shall take you. After all, I can’t simply drop a bombshell in a previous post about redownloading a dating app and not deliver!

Here, I present my forays into the murky world of online dating.

So, dear readers, get yourselves ready and strap yourselves in! 

You’re in for a relatively smooth ride.

This time round, I downloaded two apps onto my phone. Once again, I went with Hinge - with the smoothest and clearest user interface, it seemed the easiest app to use - and Plenty of Fish (after being recommended by a work colleague who had used the app to meet her current husband). All in all, after dabbling with a variety of dating apps including Boo and Bumble, I found Hinge was the easiest. While I did ponder the use of Tindr, it’s reputation for being one used for quick hookups was certainly not something that appealed.

Besides, I’ve never been that type of girl. And the thought of getting down and dirty has...well...not an act I really envision myself doing. Even though I’ve a penchant for reading smut fanfiction on the internet. Please, NO ONE, go through my browsing history. I don’t know how I’d ever live it down.

But let’s focus first on Plenty of Fish. Options were limited in choice of gender. Unlike Hinge, you could only focus on men OR women. Never both. Prompts were few and scattered - with nothing particularly poignant (in so saying, responses to prompts on Hinge can also be hit and miss and I worry for the mental health of some of the people on the app). It also wasn’t very clear on how it worked. You could like an individual but then there were those that could immediately send a message to those that they wanted to start a chat with.

It just seemed...counter-intuitive.

Especially when I was getting unsolicited messages from individuals that I wasn’t very much interested in. And my goodness were many of the men pushy. I’d never been propositioned as quickly or got demanded my personal details in order to have chats away from the actual dating app.

PSA Alert: I’m not the type that’ll freely give you my Whatsapp if you sidle up to me and say ‘hey.’ Sure, some women might be into that, but for me, that’s not the way into my heart. Also, because, I don’t know who the f*** you are and want to first suss out if there’s any compatibility in what we like. 

Yes, I might be slow about the whole thing but I’m a wary online traveller that is NOT keen on being possibly murdered, raped or taken advantage of. 

Some might say I’ve my barriers up too high.

I like to think I’m just being prepared.

Within a few days, I’d deleted Plenty of Fish. Unable to deal with the barrage of desperate boys that were hoping to get something extra just for showering a person with far too much attention than they were comfortable with.

Hinge, on the other hand, offered a lot more variety. And while there were the occasional individuals that didn’t have much to say in their responses - or hoped to provide as little as possible in order to set-up their account, there were also a few genuine folks that seemed like they were there for a good time.

It’s also where I felt like I met those that shared a few of my passions and could easily communicate with them. This time round, though, I made the conscious choice not to mention anime in my profile as it only opened up a can of worms that I was not eager to delve into.

The people I’ve met in August and September seem all right. They might not be the next Brad Pitt by any means, but they certainly carry a confidence that makes them easy to interact with and allow for consistent banter.

So, after exchanging quite a number of back and forth messages, I finally went on a very casual date/ meet-up with one of the people I was chatting with. It might not have been in broad daylight, but it was certainly in a public venue. Suffice it to say, I was not murdered and got to enjoy a pleasant evening where I got to know a bit more about them - let’s call them Pickles for short - because on the dating app, I did find that I was more disposed to talk about myself more - such as my hobbies and other pursuits (that or I’m just terribly nervous in real life. It doesn’t help that I often feel pressured by the media that I consume and by family expectations to IMMEDIATELY fall in love. It was probably both).

PIckles, it seems, didn’t feel like the date went badly either! So, yay to not getting immediately rejected?

That said, I’ve a meet up with a different person at Oz Comic-Con. We’ll see how that goes but I get the feeling that it might not go as well. Of course, by the time this post goes up, it’ll be done and dusted. 

There is something to be said of first impressions and Pickles has certainly set the bar high.

Is there hope for Pickles? Will love be on the cards for Kyndaris with this new contender? Or will Kyndaris end up sad and alone - a crazy dog lady til the end of her days?

Tune in next time to DATING 2.0!!

[buffaloborgine]

Of Zack Fair, Genesis Rhapsodos and the strange narrative POV of FFVII-Crisis Core (Part IIIb)

Part I: https://buffaloborgine.tumblr.com/post/650462647672766464/of-zack-fair-genesis-rhapsodos-and-the-strange 

Part IIIa: https://buffaloborgine.tumblr.com/post/655899595763859456/of-zack-fair-genesis-rhapsodos-and-the-strange 

________________________________________

Warning: Sincerely, this part takes on an even more controversial route than last part. Please read the previous parts first before reading further on this part. (I did have the link to part I in case you are new reader)

Also, please keep an open mind when you read this. I appreciate any kind of discussion about theories, but please, try to keep your bias out when we discuss on an objective subject. Thank you.

________________________________________

The Mails (b) 

So we have the fundamental basic on how reliable the mails from the fanclubs could be. One person’s fanclub is mostly right when they wrote about their idol, but they may not be right about the others in the trio. 

Last time, we took a look in the Keepers of Honor’s mail, this time, we will take a look in the Silver Elite’s mail. 

Like, I think you would have already guessed out which mail it is, it’s not that hard.  

“The memory of silver winds

Sephiroth is known to value his private life, but there was a time when he had two best friends. We'd like to share a story of this threesome guaranteed to raise a smile.

The SOLDIER trio would use the training room exclusively as their playground, but in order to retain their 1st Class dignity, they would sneak in only after the 2nd Class members had gone home. Then they would proceed to have one of the three stand with a dumbapple on his head, while the other two would throw their swords at the apple to pierce it!

Sephiroth always won, his Masamune always striking every dumbapple dead center.” 

So, what’s the problem with this mail? It’s just a fun snippet about what the trio do in their free time, right? 

The first thing we notice about this mail is it’s title, “The memory of silver winds”. It then raises the very first problem about this. 

In the last part, I introduce the “Rashoumon Effect” to you guys, and it’s really important to bring it back here again. 

When you realize that you are facing a problem affected by Rashoumon effect, you should be aware of two things: one is that you don’t have enough proofs to confirm what the heck happened and two is the witnesses may not provide accurate testimony, either because of their memory got tampered by emotion, situation or even their own decision. 

Therefore, the title of this mail has a red flag that it’s just a “memory”, thus, it can totally be not accurate, due to, a lot of reasons. But of course, it can still be accurate, right? Then let’s move on to the next problems this mail brings about.  

“The SOLDIER trio would use the training room exclusively as their playground, but in order to retain their 1st Class dignity, they would sneak in only after the 2nd Class members had gone home.” 

In one of the very first mail Zack got from Kunsel, we got some information. 

Kunsel points out that “Genesis never found group activities appealing”, so it contradicts with the info “The SOLDIER trio would use the training room exclusively as their playground”. However, taken in the famous “training simulation room” cutscene, we find details contradict even more. 

Yes, we actually have a cutscene, which is trustable, of the trio in the training room and the mail from Silver Elite did say that too, we can assume that Kunsel’s stating was a wrong point of view on Genesis. The part “in order of retain their 1st Class dignity” shows that “Genesis never found group activities appealing” is a facade, Genesis acted like he doesn’t enjoy group activities, but in truth, he does, similarly to Angeal and Sephiroth. 

Therefore we can confirm that at least, to this part, the mail from Silver Elite is not wrong about the trio. 

Moving on to the next problem, and I repeat again, from the warning, this is the controversial part. 

“Then they would proceed to have one of the three stand with a dumbapple on his head, while the other two would throw their swords at the apple to pierce it!”

While this sentence sounds fun, what I want to discuss is the reliability. 

First of all, about the dumbapples. We don’t see much dumbapples around in Crisis Core, and especially in Shinra HQ. The places we can spot dumbapples are in Banora, in that one weird room of Shinra Mansion, and a few times Genesis takes it out.  

So to say that the trio would use dumbapples as a dartboard, would mean you have to see those apples around very much, but of course, you don’t. Since the dumbapples are not in abundance, wasting them as sword throwing boards would be extremely illogical. And knowing Angeal, he grows up in Banora, he sees the dumbapples as precious fruit, and he comes from a poor family, thus, wasting food for games would not sound acceptable to him.

The second issue with this comes from Genesis’s side. To say that the trio would get into the apple sword throwing game means that Genesis would have to agree to play on his own will, so would Angeal, and this may not be true. 

Genesis doesn’t bring the dumbapple out that frequently. We don’t even see him holding the dumabpple until Junon event. In which, he held out the apple as a way to reminisce about Angeal, who has just passed away not long ago. Besides, the Junon’s Sister Ray is a special place to him, it’s the place where the trio had had their very last friendly moment with each other (before the disaster occurred).

The other times he hold the dumbapple are: 

- Nibelheim Reactor, where he offered the apple to Sephiroth, as a way to ask Sephiroth to join him. 

- The bridge scene, where he is seen holding the apple and caressing it to his cheek. 

- In Gongaga, where he offers the apple along with “proving” his theory about the gift of the Goddess for Zack, but when Zack refuses, Genesis simply drops the apple into Zack’s hand. This later proves useful as Zack finally realized that Genesis could be in Banora due to the apple. (I’m pretty sure that when Angeal called Zack as “puppy”, he means Zack’s brain is of a puppy due to how slow he realizes the hints).  

Something to take note about is when Zack found Genesis’s diary. 

Overall, this very small amount of times we see Genesis holding out the dumbapple, his gestures towards it, and his dream to “serve the hero Sephiroth” the apples one day, show that he literally treasures those apples. He held the apple in reminiscence to his dead friend, he wished to serve the apples to his “hero” and he used the apples as a way to invite people to join him. Such a person, with that much respect for the dumbapples, would agree to use them as sword throwing boards? I don’t think so. 

Therefore, this part of the mail about the trio throwing swords at apples as a game may sound fine with Sephiroth, but it doesn’t with Genesis and neither with Angeal.

In conclusion, this mail of Silver Elite can only be trusted from the first half, the rest is totally made up, whether is is made up by Sephiroth’s fans, or even by Sephiroth himself, I am not sure, but I can be sure, the trio would logically never come in the training room to just throw swords at dumbapples. 

Thanks for coming to my Ted-Talk. I will see you later, with a new problem.  ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ 

_______________________________________  

Part IV preface: https://buffaloborgine.tumblr.com/post/656609254197936128/of-zack-fair-genesis-rhapsodos-and-the-strange

[quazartranslates]

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH40

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

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Chapter 40: Star Death Reality Show (XXIII)

In front of the screen, Qi Leren went completely cold. Even the temperature regulating suit couldn't keep out the chill pouring into the bottom of his heart.

The "Qi Leren" in the game knew "Passerby A", but Qi Leren didn't remember "Passerby A" ever meeting "Qi Leren". Was the save file changed or the whole game changed?

Qi Leren stared at the "Qi Leren" on the screen. "Qi Leren" had ignored Passerby’s existence. After seeing Maria's tombstone, he went to Ning Zhou and started a familiar conversation that made his hair stand on end.

"She always wanted to go back," Ning Zhou said.

"Go back to the Holy City?" "Qi Leren" in the game asked.

Ning Zhou nodded: "But she had been unable to go back and dared not to."

"Qi Leren" asked him, "Do you want to go back to the Holy City?"

As if it was fate, he watched the same story unfold before his eyes, only this time, he was a passerby. It was also this unique perspective that made him see many things that he hadn't noticed before—originally at that time, had Ning Zhou’s face really looked like this?

That faint shyness, when he changed his perspective, was so obvious that it couldn’t be hidden. And the look in Ning Zhou’s eyes... Those eyes that reflected the golden glow of the sunset, where can you hide the tenderness?

Maybe only two people who had feeling for each other would be too stupid to see clearly.

The following story was almost according to the exact direction of the Nightmare World, except that there was one more "Passerby". The "Qi Leren" in the game seemed to be familiar with him. From the words inadvertently mentioned by "Qi Leren", they had come from the same Novice Village. Just when Qi Leren thought he was replacing Dr. Lu, Dr. Lu also appeared, and the number of people on the Holy City task this time became five.

Passerby A, Qi Leren, Ning Zhou, Dr. Lu, and... Su He.

The Devil of Fraud who had hidden his identity and appeared in front of them as a friendly senior once again joined their ranks.

Don't take Su He, don't take him!

However, no matter how the Qi Leren in front of the screen shouted in his heart, he still knew nothing about the future fate in the game. Passerby A was just a passer-by, who couldn't control all of this. The game didn't even give him any options; he could only choose to go along the established route.

Until they came to the Holy City, until the nightmare of the new moon came, until...

Until "Qi Leren" died.

When the Passerby, who had drunk the antidote, hurried to the old site of the Vatican along with  Dr. Lu, everything was already over. Qi Leren didn't even have to go to the Vatican on top of the mountain, because he knew that the other Qi Leren was sleeping in the tree tomb in the Garden of the Holy Tomb.

Once, there was an afternoon with warm sunshine, when they had had a picnic here, the grass and treetops were full of flowers. A gust of wind had blown, and blue and white petals fell in abundance. At that time, he had been lying in the hollow tree stump covered with green grass, relaxing in the sunshine.

Past and present seem to overlap in this cutscene.

He came to the Garden of the Holy Tomb, silently watching "Qi Leren" sleep in the tree tomb under the starry night with the milky way hanging high above them, and Ning Zhou quietly standing beside "Qi Leren".

From dusk to dawn.

Companionship was always short, but missing could be very long.

This long thought, this long farewell, may take up this person's whole life—if he didn't wake up.

The Holy City was becoming more and more boisterous, and finally it was time to say goodbye.

He saw that Ning Zhou, who had not recovered from his injuries, had picked seven white wild roses and plucked off the thorns one by one, which seemed to be him breaking free from the shackles of his heart one after another, and every bloody thorn pierced his skin.

He was breaking free from his chains, but wasn't he taking off his armor?

This was his farewell to his lover, and also to the faith that dominated the first half of his life. From now on, he would continue to have faith, but he would no longer be accepted by that faith, because he was already a heretic.

When Ning Zhou placed the seven white roses on Qi Leren, his expression told Qi Leren that he had made a decision.

The Qi Leren in front of the screen choked on his breath, and both dry and wet tears stung his skin. They formed a thin layer of frost, and his chest seems to have a fire burning inside it, burning him, tearing his heart, cracking his lungs, an inferno that made him unable to breathe.

On the day of his resurrection, he had seen the withered white roses, but he hadn't seen the man who had carefully cut off every thorn, so even if he was sad, he was full of hope, and he knew that they would meet again one day.

But when this scene that he had never seen before was staged before his eyes, he knew what it was to have pain pierce his heart.

Had he experienced one tenth, one hundredth, one thousandth of Ning Zhou's pain?

But even if it was one tenth, one hundredth, or one thousandth of the pain, once he felt the same way, it was tantamount to torture.

When Ning Zhou had stepped out of the Garden of the Holy Tomb and walked to the cathedral at the highest point of the Vatican, Qi Leren looked at his back; when he knelt in front of the statue of Maria and drew a cross on his chest, Qi Leren looked at the side of his face; when the archangel with blazing wings was summoned to come here, he merged his strength with Ning Zhou, and he held the Sword of Judgment. Ning Zhou also held the virtual Sword of Judgment, and waved it hard in the direction of the rising sun, cutting open this dead field with one slash.

Amid the holy power that filled the sky, the gold and silver spots, and the hymns and music, this church seemed like a heaven on earth.

Qi Leren looked at his lover like a holy angel, but he couldn't help smiling proudly, even though the tears on his face had not dried.

But such a smile only stayed on his face for a moment.

In this glorious destruction, the holy field was touched by the power of the Devil, and the darkness hidden in the abyss was ready to move and quietly come to this pure land. The blazing angel possessed by Ning Zhou was attacked by the power of this dark demon and gradually dissipated, turning into falling feathers all over the sky. The strong wind swept into this world and woke it from its dream.

The power of holiness was cut off, and a red light flashed in his eyes. Ning Zhou covered his face painfully, clutching the Sword of Judgment and kneeling on the ground.

A narration appeared on the screen, making Qi Leren fall into ice:

[The child of the Lord of Destruction and the Holy Nun returned to the place where the story began, ending the Holy Nun’s life regret. These lovers, who once shared the same ideals and explored the mysteries of the world together, ended tragically. The power of destruction and the power of protection were doomed to clash. Perhaps, when chasing the ultimate source of power, whether a saint or a demon, you will eventually get lost in power and forget yourself...]

[A new destructive force has begun to wake, will he repeat the same mistakes? Or is it that a new miracle is faintly brewing in his body...]

Qi Leren collapsed in his chair, staring at the narration disappearing from the screen.

He thought that this world was crazy.

Otherwise, how could it treat Ning Zhou like this?

How could this gentle, kind-hearted believer who had devoted his whole life to fighting the Devils be a descendant of a Devil? And the power of that Devil was awakening in him...

Could Ning Zhou accept it?

Qi Leren trembled, afraid that he would not have the strength.

He couldn't imagine how a devout believer, who had just lost his lover and been excommunicated from the Holy See, could accept this truth. If there was a God in this world, how could He add another whip mark to a scarred person?

God, he has suffered so much pain, why do you want to break his back, so that he can't keep his last faith and pride?

Do you really love him? Have you really loved him? Will the believer not be subjected to irresistible temptations, and his faith in you will help him overcome these temptations. Isn't that what is written in the Canon?

Qi Leren couldn't say anything. He was just a passerby watching this tragedy happen, but he couldn't say a word.

This task had come to an end. After evacuating the residents of the Holy City and watching them follow the people of the Holy See to the distant Neverland, Qi Leren got on the aircraft and once again returned to the Village of Dusk. Here, he was faced with another choice: whether to follow Ning Zhou to continue the next task, or to stay in the Village of Dusk.

Without a doubt, Qi Leren chose to follow Ning Zhou.

Ning Zhou returned to Neverland. He wanted to go back to the Holy See and confess his decision to the Pope. Qi Leren waited for him at the Holy See’s stronghold outside Neverland, waiting three days and three nights.

The wind on the tundra was cold, and in the long polar night, the aurora brightened the sky in a mighty display. Qi Leren stood at the top of the valley and looked at the boundless world of ice and snow in the distance, but this beautiful scenery made him feel desperate.

He knew Ning Zhou would come out from the world that had once sheltered him and imprisoned him, but the fate imposed on him didn’t know what compassion was, and it would lead him to another bloody world, which was even more cruel than any before.

He was such a good person, but he bore such a cruel future, a future that could destroy his will.

His life seemed to be cursed, and he kept losing, and losing again, until there was nothing left to lose… When he was a teenager, he had lost his only relative, and when he grew up, he had lost his lover, and even the land of eternity that filled his soul had closed the door to him, even in the distant future, he would even lose himself.

The Passerby on the screen looked at the snow with a straight face, but the Qi Leren outside the screen burst into tears.

When you love someone, even if he is wronged only a little, it makes you feel too distressed.

His yearning heart could no longer be suppressed, and Qi Leren impatiently wanted to fly to Ning Zhou now, give him a hug, and tell him—at least he hasn't lost him yet.

Three days later, Ning Zhou returned, and they boarded the aircraft again, flying to the distant Sea of Tranquility desert and heading for the Underground Ant City.

At dawn, the sunshine outside the window fell on Ning Zhou's face through thick glass, and Qi Leren looked at him quietly. He did not tell him the story of "Qi Leren", as if he had forgotten that he had this deep love.

It seemed that he was neither sad nor forlorn, as if he had cured himself.

This calmness was a sort of despair.

On the 29th day after the task of the Holy Nun, Qi Leren, who had triggered the second part of the main task but was forced to part ways with Ning Zhou, got a system prompt:

[Party member Ning Zhou has died.]

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

[deathchamber6172]

Short Story: Invisible

So when I said things should be calming down, things got to shit real quick. Like plz, could the drama stop.

Anyways, I saw the new season for Halo Infinite and it's cool. I like seeing my spartan in cutscenes, it really adds into that you are there.

Halo Reach belongs to 343 Industries.

My spartan oc (Avery) belongs to me.

Repost with credit.

1. Invisible

Despite the heavy armor and bright red highlights, most didn’t notice her presence unless her skills were called upon. Avery didn’t care. Her duty was to serve humanity, to protect them from danger. She didn't need to be anything else.

Yet, there’s this bubbling feeling inside. It threatened to boil over every time she was with Noble team; the light brushes against her arm, her name being called by them, seeing them all grouped together. She felt it pound at her chest, watching them from the corner. Sometimes she felt herself reaching towards them.

Avery rubbed her neck, the feeling returning as she observed them chat as they ate. The cafeteria providing a nice noise distraction. She tried to focus on random conversations rather than the one here. Hearing Kat laugh sent the feeling twisting in her stomach. It bubbled until it reached her heart. She didn’t know why or how; her chest tightened, she couldn’t breathe.

She stumbled up. It made the conversation pause. She knew their eyes were on her, but she dashed away. Avery didn’t stop until she was alone in whatever hallway she chose; she hit the wall with her shoulder as she took a deep breath. The feeling only tightened its hold, and she gasped, reaching up to press her hand to her chest.

“Avery?”

The voice echoed in her mind; the voice changing to Aaron’s. She remembered why she never bothered with friends- she couldn’t handle losing more people. It would be better if you didn't get connected at all. Her duty gave her a purpose.

“Is this what you want?” She remembered Aaron asking her once, a look in his eyes she never understood. “To just fight and kill when you’re commanded to. Is that what makes you happy? What’s your choice, Avery?”

Avery gasped again, sliding down the wall. He had been so upset that day. She couldn’t understand why he had asked her that. Why had he had a look in his eyes? Was it sadness, or possibly anger? It was something. She didn’t have any complaints about her life; a spartan’s duty is for humanity. She would fight with her life to protect others. She was okay with that. There isn't time for anything else.

She is okay with that. The feeling told her otherwise. She gripped her shirt tighter; it bubbled in her throat. Everything she pushed back came rushing back. Was it a mistake to join Noble? She wanted to be with them, to enjoy their company; playing a card game with Jorge, discussing mission plans with Carter, fighting enemies with Emile, doing scout missions with Jun, and Kat. It felt peaceful when they were there.

“Avery? You just ran out. Jorge got worried.”

She shouldn’t have gotten close. She remembered why she pushed everything back. Avery slowly looked up and saw Kat standing beside her. “... I… I’m scared, Kat.”

Kat sat down beside her, Avery fought with herself, wanting to hug her. “What are you scared of? If you’re worried about the upcoming mission, then-”

“No!” Avery buried her face in her knees, not wanting to show her teary eyes. Embarrassment flooded her body. This had to be childish. Death is a part of life. Something that is drilled into them during training. “I just… I…”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Kat’s hand felt warm on her shoulder.

“Kat,” Avery dared to peek through her arm, “I fear losing Noble.” Kat blinked and leaned back before squeezing Avery’s shoulder.

“Even if we don’t have that fancy title of yours, we don’t die that easily.” Avery released a shaky breath when she leaned into Kat, squeezing her eyes shut as she listened to her steady heartbeat. “We may be Spartan III’s, but it will take a lot to kill us all.” Kat slowly reached up, running her fingers through Avery’s hair, relaxing as Avery did. “I’ve never… seen you like this. What happened?”

Avery kept her head pressed against Kat’s shoulder. “I… Aaron used to ask me these life questions a lot growing up. We had a big fight before… it happened. He wanted to know if I was happy with my life. You know,” she narrowed her eyes, “being a good follower for orders, I didn’t care, not when they were dead. Then I came here.”

“Oh?”

“You guys confuse me.” Avery pulled back. The bubbling feeling disappeared, but her heartbeat didn’t slow. “I can’t lose anymore people, okay? If I do, I’m going to break and no one will fix it. If Noble dies, if you die, I won’t be able to deal with it. It’s too much.”

“And you won’t,” Kat took one of Avery’s hands, “we all have our strengths separately, but we’re stronger together. As long as Noble stands together, nothing can stop us.” She placed a key chain in her palm; it was a triangle with two swords through it. “We won’t fall.”

[vodkassassin]

cucumberplane with sqh defending/comforting sqq instead of the other way around (badass!sqh?)

Someone asked for a FIERCE son???

This one is a little long, at just about over 4k

Warnings: gore, graphic depictions of violence ;3

—

Shang Qinghua is scared.

There’s been plenty of instances, especially in this new life of his, where he has been in fear for his life. Every instance feels like it’s the worst one, in the time that it is happening. In the moment, when his heart seems to freeze, beating so quickly it’s almost like he can’t even hear it in the blood that rushes by his ears. When his breath stutters to a stop, and his stomach drops so sharply that it feels like it’s dug itself deep into the mantle of the earth.

In the moment, when it feels like he’s never been this scared in either of his lives.

Like a cornered animal, pinned down against cold stone marble floors, this snarling demon’s clawed hand encircling his throat with just barely enough pressure to make breathing something difficult. The cold, sharp point of a spear digging ever-so gently into his gut, just to remind him that it’s there.

“I’ll carve out each and every one of your bones,” the demon is crooning into his ear, fingers flexing against his jugular, just barely. “They will make excellent jewelry, a badge of great honor. A boast at how the revered and powerful Peak Lord Shang was felled by my hands.”

Revered? Shang Qinghua has absolutely no idea where this dipshit idiot got his information, but clearly his broker had decided it would be a good laugh to lead him around by the nose, because he is so far off the mark.

It’s far more like Shang Qinghua is barely tolerated. Kept around for his work ethic and quick results. But revered? No.

And powerful? Okay, in order to be a peak lord, Shang Qinghua had to meet certain expectations. There are prerequisites for becoming the successor of your Shizun in Cang Qiong. However, there are twelve peaks, and despite being ranked number four out of all of them, the peak lord of An Ding is hardly considered powerful.

This demon has it all wrong. But! Here he is, spear and claws cutting into Shang Qinghua’s skin, threatening his life.

Usually, Shang Qinghua has precautions in place for this very circumstance. There are so many exits he could have taken before this. Back up plans, routes to temporary safety. Hell, just calling for Mobei Jun gets the job done in a flash, half the time.

Okay, more than half.

But. However. Shang Qinghua had made certain oversights. Because he never, in any of those precautions, accounted for the additional presence of his bro. Shen Qingqiu, who is curled up against the wall across the room, pale and unmoving, blood dripping steadily from a gash in his head.

And so, like a cornered animal would, Shang Qinghua bares his teeth.

It should have been a warning, but the demon just laughs.

“Don’t pretend to be brave now, little cultivator,” he chuckles.

The hand on Shang Qinghua’s throat loosens, before removing itself completely so that those long, wickedly sharp claws can trail up the soft skin underneath his jaw. They press down as they go, just enough that Shang Qinghua can feel droplets of blood start trickling down his neck. The demon traces up his cheek with two claws, gently, and croons.

“I never imagined a small thing like you to be the infamous Lord Shang,” the demal continues. “I really did expect someone at least a little taller. But, small is fun, too! You gave me a good hunt, little one, so at least you lived up to some of the rumors.”

Any other day, Shang Qinghua would really love to know what the demons of the North say about him. Really. He’s dying of curiosity, about as much as he’s certain he doesn’t actually want to know.

It doesn’t matter right now, though. If there’s anything that Shang Qinghua is guaranteed to be able to work with, it's being underestimated.

“But, the chase is over now. This one wins, and Lord Shang loses.”

With that, the demon plunges the spear into Shang Qinghua’s stomach.

It’s cold, going in. Terrifying, knowing that there’s something ripping into you. The feeling as your body reacts to a foreign object’s invasion. Not quite at the conclusion that it should hurt, yet. Just… shock.

There’s a brief period of time before the shock makes it hard to move, though. Shang Qinghua knows, from experience, almost exactly how long it will take for his body to realize it’s suppose to be in pain. He has a precious few moments, and his teeth are still bared.

Shang Qinghua has been waiting. He’s good at that. He’s patient. He’s spent most of his life waiting for one thing or another. For plans to come to fruition, for schemes to set. For pieces to fall into place so that he can pull his strings. For this demon to finish his dumbass, dramatic monologue, and make the final blow.

Shang Qinghua is quick — he always has been. At the moment the spearhead enters his flesh, he’s already wriggled an arm forward and grabbed it by the shaft, just below where the demon holds it.

The demon makes a surprised noise when Shang Qinghua uses his grip to pull himself further onto the weapon. It’s the last sound he makes, beyond a wheeze of shock as Shang Qinghua jerks forward into his space and latches his jaw around the demal’s throat.

He sinks his teeth into flesh. It tastes salty. He can feel the point of the spear exiting his back, but he doesn’t pay it any mind. He clamps down as hard as he can and thrashes his head to the side and then back again.

The skin under his teeth breaks open. Bloods splurts out, dribbling in rivulets down his chin, and Shang Qinghua bites down even further. Something long and sinewy, stretched like a tube, bursts between his molars, coming apart over his tongue.

The demon collapses, falling away from where he’d been straddling Shang Qinghua’s legs. He crashes to the ground with wide, unseeing eyes, soft gurgles erupting from the demal’s mutilated neck before the sound dies out completely, and Shang Qinghua is left lying there on the cold marble floor, a spear protruding from his midsection.

He stares up at the ceiling, hyper aware of the shock that’s finally settling into his limbs. There’s copper and salt cloying in his mouth. He’s never been a fan of rare steaks, and this is even worse. He feels, distantly, as if he’s going to throw up. But, not now. Maybe in a little bit, after the shock wears off and the pain sets in.

Shang Qinghua experimentally tries to wiggle his toes. He succeeds, and so he moves on to the muscles in his arms, working at them until they contract and retract in the way he wants them to. He lifts up one arm, shakily, and carefully grabs the shaft of the spear that he’s currently impaled upon. He can feel the spearhead pressing uncomfortably against his back, from where it’s exited the wound.

He can’t just pull it out the way that it came in, like he wants to. It will catch, and drag against already torn flesh. The backside of the spearhead is serrated. It will just make it worse.

He has to snap the spear head off before pulling the shaft out.

But, it’s not like a shoddy spear, with a stone head and a wooden shaft. This is a well-crafted weapon, without any seams to serve as a weak point. The spearhead is carved of the same strong metal as the shaft. This was forged by a master weaponsmith, with demonic spells carved elegantly into the detailing.

Shang Qinghua isn’t going to be able to break it with regular, Qi-enhanced strength. He can’t start healing himself until he removes the spear, either. And he can’t push the spear all the way through, since the opposite end is an oddly shaped hilt. Bulky. That would do worse damage than the serrated spearhead.

He’s kind of… stuck. Shang Qinghua isn’t entirely sure how to get the spear out of himself without making it worse. He’ll have to wait until help arrives.

However, he might just bleed out before then!

And, across the room, though his head wound has sluggishly ceased its bleeding, his best friend is still unconscious.

This is fun. Exciting! A real puzzle to solve.

Hey, System!

[System remains in standby mode during all cutscenes.]

What the fuck is that suppose to mean? Cutscenes? There’s never been cutscenes! This is just another shitty excuse not to help!

I hate you.

[System remains in standby mode during all cutscenes.]

Shang Qinghua groans, and carefully begins to maneuver himself onto his side.

The pain hits. Thankfully not all at once. It comes in increments, so Shang Qinghua is able to sit up and get his legs underneath him before it really starts making a nuisance of itself, but it does come.

It hurts, dammit. He’s had worse, of course, but it still hurts like a bitch, and there’s a hazy blackness encroaching on the very edges of Shang Qinghua’s vision that won’t go away no matter how many times he blinks.

He shoves the pain to the back of his mind and focuses on standing. It’s an arduous process, but he manages it, and he’s by Shen Qingqiu’s side within thirty seconds of almost drunken stumbling.

Shang Qinghua is very mindful of the spear that still impales him as he kneels in a controlled collapse beside his best friend. He angles his chest away from the other man so the heavy end of the spear points downwards and away from them both. He lifts a visibly shaking hand to Shen Qingqiu’s brow and begins channeling qi into him.

Just because he can’t heal himself with the spear still in him, doesn’t mean he can’t heal his buddy.

It’s a short process. He’s no healer, but he and Mu Qingfang are — close, and Shang Qinghua has learned a thing or two from the very best that their sect has to offer. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes are fluttering open within minutes.

“Ow,” the man murmurs, raising a hand to his most-likely aching skull. It lands to cover Shang Qinghua’s, fingers momentarily intertwining with his, and Shen Qingqiu straightens up from where he has slumped against the wall to look over at him.

“What hit me?” he groans, confusion cinching his brow.

Shang Qinghua sucks in a slow, controlled breath. The pain is hammering at his senses insistently, but he shoves it to the back of his mind again. It’s an ongoing battle, like trying to fight off a jumping dog with boundless energy when you’re going off two hours of sleep and are short three cup of coffee. And you have a migraine that makes every single one of your joints feel like there’s a knife stuck in them.

It’s a very specific metaphor. Which might not be a metaphor, but more of an correlation to that one time he’d been roped into dogsitting for his older brother.

That didn’t necessarily hurt as bad as this, per say, but it was like, similarly annoying?

To… being impaled?

Right.

It takes a few moments, Shang Qinghua still focused on channeling his qi, but Shen Qingqiu eventually becomes coherent enough to recall how exactly he’d ended up like this, and he pins him with a sharp look of examination. Which quickly turns to pale-faced horror.

“Airplane!” Shen Qingqiu hisses, eyes wide and terrified. “Airplane, stop! Why are you — why are you healing me? You have a fucking spear sticking out of you, oh my fucking god—!”

They quickly switch positions. Suddenly, Shang Qinghua is the one on the ground, with a panicked Shen Qingqiu leaning over him, hands hovering above the spear but not quite touching it, uncertainty warring with fear on the man’s face. No fan to hide the expression, this time.

Amusement and fondness twists up in Shang Qinghua’s gut, mingling with the internal bleeding that he is most certainly experiencing. He reaches up a hand to clumsily pay at his bro’s face.

“Peerless,” he breathes out. He can feel a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. “Bro, you’re so pretty…. I did so, so good…. character descriptions absolutely flawless....”

“Great, you’re delirious.” Shen Qingqiu huffs out, trying to sound annoyed. There’s still that note of fear in there, though, that can’t be mistaken. “Airplane, pull yourself together. How the fuck am I suppose to get this out of you? I need you sober, man.”

“Drunk on paiiin,” Shang Qinghua giggles out in a singsong, and his bro pulls a face.

“That sounds so wrong. Don’t say that. Instead, tell me how to— to unimpale you? Maybe? Airplane?”

Shang Qinghua tilts his head back. Cold marble presses against his crown. It’s soothing, kinda. He feels like he’s burning up with a fever. The slight chill is… nice. He closes his eyes.

“Fuck,” Shen Qingqiu says. A hand lands on his shoulder and gives him a very light shake. “Don’t fall asleep. Don’t fucking fall asleep! Airplane, please.”

Right.

Shang Qinghua sucks in another slow, careful breath, and forces his eyes open. He fights past the haziness that’s trying to cover his vision, and locks eyes with his martial brother and best friend. Shen Qingqiu looks terrified, eyes wide and damp around the edges.

Awww, he does care!

Shaking the thought away, he reaches out with one hand and slaps his palm against the shaft of the spear. The vibrations travel down its length and into Shang Qinghua, and his entire torso alights with fresh, white hot pain. He stiffens and smothers a cry.

“Shit! Airplane, what the fuck?! Stop!”

He ignores Shen Qingqiu. Shang Qinghua is more awake now, which is exactly what he was going for.

“Bro,” he says. It comes out breathless, more of a wheeze. “We can’t break the spear with normal cultivation.”

“Then how the fuck—?!”

“No, no. Listen. You can’t break it with normal cultivation. It needs an elemental touch, and I’m not about to electrocute myself to death again.”

Shen Qingqiu pauses, staring down at him. He blinks.

“But,” Shen Qingqiu says, realization alighting in his eyes. His bro is so clever. “I don’t have a lightning element. Mine is earth.”

“Yep! Bro.”

“Airplane?”

Shang Qinghua swings out his arm and slaps it against Shen Qingqiu’s chest, turning his hand to grab the front of his bro’s robes. He uses his grip to haul himself up into a sitting position, leaning in to speak directly into the other man’s ear.

“Bro, disintegrate the spear. Like, I am begging you here. It fucking hurts.”

Shen Qingqiu leaned back in order to stare at him. After a few seconds, he shakes his head roughly, eyes wide.

“R—Right!” He says, and reaches out to curl his fingers hesitantly around the spear shaft. His other arm has curled protectively around the small of Shang Qinghua’s back, helping to hold him up as his strength quickly drains away from him.

“Right. Um, just… give me a second. I’m not… um, I’m not really good with elemental techniques….”

“Take your time,” Shang Qinghua says sincerely, before blacking out into his bro’s shoulder.

—

“Hey, Airplane?”

Shang Qinghua glances up from the door of the throne room that they’ve summarily been trapped inside of.

It was a beautiful scheme of their opponent, truly. Using the defenses of the wards that are intended to protect against them. Setting up a grand distraction in the form of a false invasion, drawing away the guards and his king to the frontlines of the battle. Meanwhile, Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu were trapped within the seat of power of the palace the very moment that the wards had initiated the total lockdown.

Nothing goes in, nothing goes out.

It’s a complete, absolute protection — but it can’t do anything to protect them from someone already inside the wards themselves, and subsequently had cut them off from any back up in the form of a teleporting demon king, as not even Mobei Jun himself can break through the ancient wards of his own ancestors.

It was a severe oversight. He’ll have to rectify it immediately, once this is all taken care of and finished.

Loopholes being taken advantage of in such creative ways! Shang Qinghua would be so very impressed, if only they weren’t his wards being made a mockery of.

He looks over at his bro, to find Shen Qingqiu staring down at the corpse of their attacker with an odd look on his face.

Really, Shang Qinghua is kind of embarrassed. For both of them! They could have taken this guy, working together. Neither of them are slackers in the power department, and Shen Qingqiu in particular inherited a pretty strong body to begin with, that he has since only made more powerful. Shang Qinghua himself is, while not exactly super impressive, certainly nothing to sniff at. After all, he is a peak lord, too.

Together, they should have been able to take this guy.

Too bad the dipshit demon had foreseen that, and had worked in the element of surprise. It really had been too quick. Strike down the more powerful of them first, and fight the lesser head on. Shen Qingqiu is unconscious against the wall, and Shang Qinghua is fast, but apparently not fast enough.

Seriously. It’s embarrassing.

“Yeah, bro?”

“Did you….” Shen Qingqiu looks up from the body, glancing at the bloodied mess that is the front of Shang Qinghua’s robes. He points a finger at him, and looks back down at the corpse in clear befuddlement. “Did you, uh…. Um, how exactly did you kill this guy?”

Shang Qinghua pauses his work with the wards. They’re a true beast, really, and he’s gonna need his bro’s help anyway. It’ll take more than just him to dismantle the lockdown. He stands up and wanders over to stare down at the corpse as well.

It’s a fucking mess. The corpse had drained out of the neck until there wasn’t any more blood to bleed, resulting in a massive puddle of deep crimson that has expanded a good five feet in diameter around the demon’s body. The body itself is pale in death, an ashy green color that has become mottled in places due to the absence of blood. The eyes are still open, staring sightlessly at nothing, and the face still bears a slightly slack expression of shock.

It’s disturbing to look at, sure, but they’ve both seen worse. Shang Qinghua is a little confused about why his bro seems so uneasy.

“Uh,” he says, head tilted to the side in thought. “Well, he stabbed me…. hm. Oh! Yeah, so I kinda, like, used the spear to pull him closer so I could, y’know,” Shang Qinghua snaps his teeth in a theatric grimace, and gives his head a slight jerk to the side.

He then smiles brightly at his friend, who is staring at him with an expression he can’t really describe.

“And, yeah,” he finishes, lamely.

“There’s blood,” Shen Qingqiu says. “In your teeth.”

“Hm,” Shang Qinghua frowns. He runs his tongue or his teeth, and grimaces for real at the tacky feeling that coats them. Not even going to mention the taste. “Can blood stain, like, bone? Teeth are bone. Do you think it’ll stain?”

“Airplane, did you rip out that guy’s throat with your teeth?”

Shang Qinghua frowns at his friend. “Um, yeah? Didn’t I just say that?”

“Haha, you did.” Shen Qingqiu gives a strange laugh. It sounds a little hysterical. “You actually did.”

Shang Qinghua watches in bewilderment as the other man spins on his heel and takes a few steps away from him. His steps bring him closer to the corpse. He stops just shy of his feet kicking into it and stares down at it for a long few moments that feel like they stretch into minutes.

Then, Shen Qingqiu shakes his head slowly, and walks back over to him.

“That’s so fucking metal, bro,” he says, finally. “Like, I’m both terrified and very, very impressed.”

“Oh.” Shang Qinghua says. He runs his fingers through the back of his hair self-consciously, feeling at where the strands have come loose from his bun. “Thanks. Listen, I’m gonna need a hand with the wards. They can only be unlocked from the inside, and usually I’d be able to just do it myself, but I’m almost spent, dude. Like, I need a fucking nap, as soon as possible. Imma need your qi.”

“Sure, what little I can give of it. I used up a lot on that medical technique for your, uh, impalement. I’m no doctor, man.” Shen Qingqiu shrugs. He casts one last vaguely incredulous glance between Shang Qinghua and the demon’s corpse, before following him over to the two, large and imposing throne room doors.

They’re swinging them open about fifteen minutes later, and both of them are forced to duck out of the way as a barrage of deadly sharp icicles comes raining down almost upon their heads.

Shang Qinghua grabs his best friend by the arm and flings him back, raising his other arm up into the air to snap his fingers. He winces at how the movement pulls at his still incredibly sore injury. Thankfully, he’d managed to heel it enough that the wound itself has closed, but he’s pretty sure he’s still got some internal bleeding going on in there.

There’s a light shimmer in the air before them, barely visible, as his qi condenses into a weak physical barrier. Most of the icicles shatter upon contact with it, but some make it through, and Shang Qinghua tugs his increasingly drowsy martial brother out of the line of fire.

Ah, head wounds are so annoying. Guess he’ll have to drag Shen-ge with him to see Qingfang, after all.

“My king!” He shouts, and then raises his voice as another volley of icicles begins to form from the moisture in the air. Being in the cold north, there’s plenty of it. “Mobei Jun! Stop! It’s us!”

The icicles pause, and then fall to the floor, shattering into thousands of tiny shards of ice that immediately begin to melt into the floor. There’s no time to appreciate the built-in clean up function born from his beautiful world building skills, however, as a large figure comes striding across the outer hall toward them, intent in every single step.

As soon as Mobei Jun and the retinue of guards spot the two peak lords, they fall to an abrupt stop. The guards all exchange glances, but it’s difficult to make out their expressions underneath the helmets of ice. His king, barefaced as always, looks a little surprised. Not much, of course, but his eyes are a little wider than usual.

“Shang Qinghua,” Mobei Jun says, and then stops.

“Yes, my king?”

There’s a long strength of silence. Shang Qinghua frowns and turns to his friend, only to find Shen Qingqiu staring at him as well. His fan flutters in front of his face, having appeared out of absolutely nowhere — seriously, does the man keep spares in a qiankun space? — and the eyes that peer over it at him look distinctly amused.

“Shang-ge,” he says, mirth coating every word.

“What?”

Shen Qingqiu watches him for a moment, and then snickers.

“Shen-ge, what?”

“You look like you just ripped someone’s throat out.” Shen Qingqiu comments idly.

Annoyed, Shang Qinghua reaches up and rubs the back of his sleeve across his mouth. He scowls at his bro. “That’s because I just did? Why are you laughing at me?”

Someone coughs. It sounds like one of the guards. Another hurriedly shushes the one, and all the demons in the hall are very still and very silent. It’s kind of eerie, actually. Mobei Jun is still staring at him, too.

Is it because Shang Qinghua has made such a mess? He will clean it up, your majesty, he promises!

“What did it taste like?” Shen Qingqiu suddenly wonders aloud, watching him inquisitively, and Shang Qinghua rounds on him with a sigh of exasperation.

“Gross.” He says firmly. He wipes his sleeve over his mouth once more, for good measure. Blood flakes off of his chin, and he makes a face. “Disgusting. I’m never doing that again. Ugh.”

Shen Qingqiu’s fan flutters, and his friend laughs at him.

“Shang Qinghua.” Mobei Jun says, this time more firmly.

He turns toward his king and folds his hands out in front of him, bowing just slightly enough to show respect. “My king, this one will have the mess cleaned up, do not worry. However, both this one and his martial brother require the assistance of our fellow peak lord after such an ordeal, so if your Majesty would allow us….”

Mobei Jun’s haze sharpens, and he takes a step forward. Always one to read in between the lines of what is being said, he demands answers. “You are hurt?”

“This one was impaled. Healed now, but likely requires further treatment just in case. Brother Shen has a head wound that I would like for our sect doctor to look at.”

“I’m fine,” Shen Qingqiu says, annoyed.

He sways slightly to the side, righting himself before Shang Qinghua can reach out to steady him, and gives him an impervious look when he tries to set his hand on the man’s arm anyway.

Shang Qinghua rolls his eyes. “Sure, as Shen-ge says. Would you like to tell Qingfang, or should I?”

Shen Qingqiu glares at him.

He turns back to Mobei Jun, who has taken a few steps to the side and is trying to peer around them for a glimpse at the mess on the throne room floor. Shang Qinghua steps in front of him, blocking the view.

His king narrows his eyes at him, and Shang Qinghua swallows down the usual nervousness that tries to crawl up his throat at the look. He is tired, he’s got a headache, his qi levels are at rock bottom, he’d just been impaled, and Shang Qinghua thinks he deserves a fucking nap, okay?

He summons up a polite smile and gives his king another bow. “If my king permits it…?” He hedges once again.

Mobei Jun glowers at him for a couple more long moments, the line of demonic guardsmen at his back unrelenting and immovable.

“The invasion force at the gates,” his king says slowly, eyes once again going to the throne room just beyond their little rendezvous point here. “It was only a bluff?”

“Yes, my king.”

“And the assassin?”

“Dead, my king.”

“.... Hmph.”

Well, Shang Qinghua has no idea what that sound means.

Mobei Jun stares at him some more, before finally nodding his head once. “This king will take you to Qian Cao.”

Shang Qinghua beams at the man. “That would be amazing! Many thanks, my king!”

Mobei Jun lets out a huff and pivots on his heel to face the contingent of guardsdemals instead, his back shown to them.

From Shang Qinghua’s shoulder, Shen Qingqiu quietly snorts into his fan.

“Gather a cleaning crew for both the battlefield and the throne room,” Mobei Jun barks out, and the guards scatter.

He turns back to face the two peak lords, and holds out one arm, not even looking at them.

Shang Qinghua wraps one arm around his bro’s waist. From how unsteady Shen Qingqiu still is, he doesn’t really trust the man to hold on for the entire trip. And falling off mid-teleportation is definitely not fun. Shang Qinghua can attest to that.

Mobei Jun is scowling when he reaches out and sets his arm into the crook of the king’s elbow, but he steps into the teleportation before Shang Qinghua can even consider asking him what’s wrong.

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Sidequests are part of the story so it’s still my ballpark shut up it’s time for

Read Part 1 here!

Part 2 || Part 3

If you’re on mobile, and tumblr hates this post, follow along on this google doc!

Rules/overview this rewrite in the beginning of Part 1

- - - - - - - - - - 

Side quests, side quests, side quests. What are they? And what are they doing here, on an Age of Calamity rewrite? I must admit, game design is not an inherent forte of mine, and I like to think that my only “expertise” would be on writing and storytelling. So what the fuck is a fool like me doing here

Well my dear ladies, lads, and gentlefolk, if your memory does serve, I did say that the format of Age of Calamity was one that served the major plot and story beats for it’s cutscenes, and its worldbuilding and good parts of it’s character development for its gameplay and side quests. It’s actually a concept that can be seen in shows and movies too, although obviously it’s origins are in TTRPGs and videogames. Definition wise, a side quest is any deviation from the main story and plot that serves to flesh out an optional/overseen aspect of the game. So there’s out perfect outlet for worldbuilding, characters, and even a bit of humour. Side quests, by definition, can’t simply be just XP grinders, because otherwise you could…..just make an XP grinder. It’s like saying you’re getting your kids a bike, but then you get them a stationary exercise one. Sure it’s functionally the same and gives the same benefits, but it could be so much more. 

Does Age of Calamity have good side quests? I’d actually argue, yes. I mean sure, it’s not exactly gonna hold a candle to Fallout or Witcher 3, but there are great memorable side quests that do serve their purposes in this game. 

A fan favourite is “The So-Called Knight,” in which Link spars Mipha, Teba, Sidon, and Revali, a conflict of the Sidon’s confidence and belief in Link, with Revali’s skepticism and grudge against him. Not only is it great fandom content, but it explores the carrying POVs of several characters in a fun way. We also have Hestu’s Dance Competition, and the Miss Vai Battle Pageant. What they lack in serious character tone, they make up for in humour and world building. Even the quests that have nothing to do with the main cast of characters, like the Questionable Escort Mission, still provide funny and interesting details about the world, like how the Yiga Clan is still ever persistent in trying to take down Link with monsters and Windcleavers alike. 

It’s not like those side quests were functionally useless either, all of them still provided great amounts of exp and materials. What specifically made them great and memorable was their small little stories and character/world details. Of course, that’s not to say you can’t have the occasional plotless boss rush every now and again, those are fun in their own right and it’s good to have variety. But just thinking about it...what were everyone’s least favourite sidequests? The timed Yiga Escape?  The ones where you sit around defending strongholds? The one hit death Hair-Width Trials? Ah...so all the least enjoyable side quests were the ones that were difficult, with no enjoyable character or worldbuilding to back it up….interesting interesting….interesting pattern indeed. 

So, let’s improve the game a bit further. I do need to pace out my future character arcs somehow. I tried to make use of the existing quests where I could, but it’s just eaaaasier to just not think about it and do it from scratch. Just shove these in place of all those quests whose only description is “monsters have been spotted here! Take Mipha and go to work!” and stuff like that. Alrighty then! Here’s my take on cool side quests for every single character thus far, along with their paired gambit attacks. Prepare for heists! Drama! Simping! And Bananas!

Link: Mastering Stasis

Ok I have no idea when this quest unlocks so just for my purposes assume this only becomes available after Link pulls the Master Sword. 

Engage the hordes of monsters that have been spotted in Hyrule Field. Now is a great time to master the use of the Stasis Rune. Impa and Zelda accompany you, but it seems stasised monsters aren’t the only thing coming to a tense standstill…

This isn’t anything that special, I just want to further highlight this tension that Zelda and Link have, as it’s something touched upon in Botw, but never really mentioned or used ever in Hwaoc. Now more than ever, Zelda has an excuse to have a rocky relationship with him because she could actively see just how far he’s coming in such a short amount of time. Classic “he probably hates me so I guess I’ll hate him” thing.

You play as Link, the game gives you your little prompts on how to use Stasis, you take out a few hordes of Bokoblins and blah blah blah. I wanted to use an earlier level to establish Zelda’s relationship sooner as obviously it’s gonna be important to the story. But of course like all side quests it won’t kill you to skip out. Text dialogue can be Zelda saying science shit like “This will be a good opportunity to test out the full limits of the Stasis rune” and then Impa’s all “Yep! We got your back, Princess! We’ll clear out these monsters in no time.”Then Link the little angsty shit that he is says nothing, and as you play you clear out more and more bokoblins Zelda just says “...” and then we can toss in a Moblin or two in there for gambit voice stuff.  

Gambit dialogue with Impa would be supportive, her usual spunky dialogue. I had two ideas for Gambit attacks with Link: One where Impa does that thing where she cuts a giant laser through the air, but it’s aimed towards Link and he parries it right in a monster’s FACE because I think it’s badass and also a good way to show trust and stuff. The second thing was Impa’s giant bomb barrels, but Link is the one to somehow ignite them, because he is an arsonist after all. He can even have a chaotic Sheikah blue glint in his eyes like blue flame, I can already picture it so clearly given how anime/dramatic Impa’s movements are. Impa sets bombs, Link *teleports behind Moblin* nothin personal, kid. 

Also right at the end of their gambit attacks, Impa and Link should try to fist bump or something (cause the whole “cool guys don’t look at explosions” thing that Impa usually does on her own) but are interrupted by eggbot jumping up to try and join in. And then Impa can be annoyed and try to punt it or something. That’s not just self-indulgent that’s in her character she totally would and I want to make use of the fact that eggbot travels around with Link. The success of her attempts to punt him can vary.

If Link does a gambit with Zelda, her dialogue can just be her usual monotone Princess stuff, “Thanks for lending your strength,” or “There is still much more to do!” just purely professional, we’re not at a stage yet where she’s buddy buddy with Link. Their gambit attacks can still be cool though. One idea I had was Zelda using stasis, and you know how when you use it in botw everything lights up with that sonar effect? So Link stands besides Zelda, and she activates stasis, the first “sonar” light wave reveals the stasised monster, and you see it from the view of the Sheikah Slate. Then with each additional flash of sonar you just see this silhouette of Link going absolute ham on a monster. And then when the stasis “ding ding ding ding ding” is done, everything’s just dead. Can you see my inspiration from Persona 5 yet? Second idea was Zelda using cryonis and makes an ice ramp for Link to shield surf on and ram into a monster. For entertainment purposes Zelda should also be putting frogs on said slide. (Also also the reason I’m putting Link as the main focus for those gambit attacks is because I want to juxtapose it with future gambits where Zelda may or may not be more powerful…)

Anyhow anyhow, so this side quest, you beat some bokoblins, theres a moblin or two. However as you progress Zelda’s dialogue because a bit more passive aggressive, maybe Zelda can be a bit irritated at how quickly Link is defeating everything before she can even contribute. Impa can comment on this like “She hasn’t exactly been warming up to you, has she…” and then the last point of the side quest, Zelda runs off, there’s a...let’s say a big horde of blue or black Moblins. Or a horde of Wizzrobes, I’m not too picky on it. Link can save her and do a gambit or whatever, but the point of importance is that Zelda leaves with the clear mindset off, “You don’t need to keep coddling me, I can handle my own” to Link, but is “Thank you, I’m glad you’re here,” to Impa. 

Now I stole was inspired to use this based on this comic by @novellanova, and you should check it out here. But basically, at the end when all the monsters are dead and the last few text boxes are rolling, Impa says something like “Gee, at this rate I might have to protect you from the princess! Hmm…. you know, maybe if you two had the opportunity to hang out more and get to know each other, she’d warm up to you! Ha! That’s it! I’ve made up my mind. Listen up Link, from now on I’m gonna let you man the wheel when it comes to protecting Zelda. So with me out of the picture you better take the opportunity to be the nicest, most helpful, and most effective body guard there is. I know you already are, but still, if I hear that one little Chuchu so much as splat in her direction I will take you down...got it?” And, that’s that.

Side quest done. Fun Link gambits with Impa and Zelda, some little character POVs on the situation, plus an explanation as to why Impa doesn’t accompany Zelda everywhere/nods to the cutscenes of Botw as to what happened to Impa. Alright, that was probably the most boring one so let’s move on to

Daruk: A Rumbling Stomach

Alright I’ll be honest...I have no idea what to do with Daruk. Especially when Yunobo’s not here, I got zip-zero to work with considering his character is non-existent. Further down the line I’ll certainly try to give him more nuances and the like, but I’m afraid the majority of my character efforts have been towards Astor, Revali, Zelda, and [REDACTED] so this is my apology ahead of time, rock fuckers.

This is my take on how to make those timed quests more fun. So basically, the premise of this stage is that Daruk was just happily hanging around trying to enjoy his rock roast, when a monster surprised him and he dropped it, and now it’s rolling down the hill. This is based on my real Breath of the Wild experience where I had to trek up that Volcano path to bring a rock roast for that shrine quest, but at the very top I dropped it and had to chase it down before it fell into the lava below. 

Daruk is eager to chow down on the finest rock roasts this year has to offer! It’s too bad things go downhill when monsters start to ambush. Defeat key enemies and rescue Daruk’s tumbling meal before this year’s wait goes to waste!

So, that’s what this is. The stage opens and Daruk says “NOOooOO! My rock roast! Damn monsters!” and you have to defeat baddies and catch up to the rock roast before the timer runs out and it falls into lava. And then when you finish and get back the rock roast that’s pretty much it….except SIKE no it’s not. Because a lot of these timed quests usually have a “surprise! There’s more!” thing at the end so I’ll do that here too. So Daruk has saved his rock roast and he’s talking about how he’s going to enjoy it in all its deliciousness, when he’s cut off by a random Goron’s scream. Turns out, Daruk’s yelling at the monsters about desperation to retrieve his lost lunch has attracted monsters to some traveling civilians, and now you gotta go beat a Talus, or a couple of Moblins, or something...Again I don’t really have level set or idea when these side quests unlock so just use your imagination. Once Daruk defeats the monster(s) the Gorons can thank him, and then one of the Goron kids can be like “Ooo! Is that a super special rock roast?!?” And Daruk is all:  “Ah! Well all the best Goron heroes eat plenty of rocks! This here is the gourmet stuff. You can only get it once a—” And the kid’s like “Woah! I’ve always wanted to have one, that’s why I’ve been training hard so I can explore more of the mountain. Where’d you get it??” And Daruk can sputter a bit, before finally sighing and giving into his instincts. “Ah….well, why don’t you have it? You’re probably really hungry after running around with those monsters…”

“Woah really?? Are you sure—”

“YEAH JUST TAKE IT ALREADY GO”

“Woah, thank you!” and then the Goron kid and co run off. Cue Daruk crying to himself in the background. Daruk may have an appetite, but I like to characterize him as the Goron Hero first and foremost.  

I’m sure that doesn’t stop him from mourning his rock though.

Mipha: Stronger Sentiments

Mipha and Daruk talked a whole bunch about training together so that Mipha can grow stronger, and Daruk was catching on to her crush on Link and it was a nice interaction in between them except for the fact that we never see them do the damn training so that’s what this is.

I think this is as good an opportunity as any to make this a Hair-Width quest, the ones where you can’t take one hit. The difficulty of a level is one of the most effective ways to put the players in the boots of a character to experience the same struggles they do. If the player works hard, then they automatically associate that with the character working hard. So, yeah, let’s have Mipha kicking ass and working to be strong enough to protect Link.

Mipha is determined to grow stronger. Daruk and the other Gorons are helping out with an intense training session by Gut Check Rock. Prove yourself by defeating all the enemies you encounter!

So Mipha is sparring with the Gorons, you fight through them and the captains and blah blah, the final boss is fighting Daruk without getting hit. 

“I promise not to hurt you more than I’m capable of reversing.”

“Ha! Give me all you’ve got, princess!”

You fight, cue the special music or whatever. I mentioned that gambit dialogue/attacks could also work to be custom for the character that you’re fighting, so I’m thinking something like this. Daruk slams the ground and rocks and magma sprout up around him like jagged pieces of glass, but Mipha is no where to be seen. Daruk’s kinda huffing and puffing, “Where’d you go Mipha…” and then FWOOSH, giant geyser right behind him. [yes I KNOW I overuse the *teleports behind you* “nothing personal, kid” thing but I think it’s COOL and you can’t stop me] So anyhow, you know that thing in Avatar where Pakku is just riding at the top of a whirlpool and destroying everything? That’s Mipha.

Daruk turns around and scratches the back of his head. “...huh….that’s not good.” Cue Mipha swooping down to deal the defeating blow. 

So Mipha wins, she can mention how wonderful it was and how much stronger she feels. And she can thank Daruk, and he’s all “No problem!” but he mutters something like “And I thought Gorons hit hard...now I know how Link feels.” End side quest….SIKE it’s another surprise boss at the end. A Goron captain suddenly reports that an Igneo Talus has appeared nearby. 

Mipha goes up to fight it, but wow! Link is already there. They both fight it, but it’s clear that Link didn’t need her help that much. You can defeat the Talus with a Mipha/Link gambit. It’s similar to Link’s usual “swing sword in a giant circle and become a death windmill” but Mipha kinda enhances it with water or something and it puts out the Talus. I wanted this ending with a focus on how strong Link is just to show that while Mipha is improving, she’s still not yet where she needs to be. 

Daruk: “Sorry I wasn’t much help at the end there, I was busy, uh, stretching.”

Mipha: “Oh it’s quite alright, Daruk. We were both quite tired from today’s training.”

Daruk: “Well I dunno about that...seems to me you were quite lively and active as you fought beside Link. *wink*”

Mipha: “Huh!?!? W-What is that supposed to mean??”

Cue laughter from Daruk. Mipha is flustered. And Link is just...confused, as always. 

Urbosa: Mighty Thunder of the Gerudo

So in the game this is just some normal outpost capturing, stronghold defending side quest, but we’re gonna spice it up just a bit. 

An important excavation site is being overrun by monsters, and Urbosa has set out to engage them. Defend and capture the outposts, in order to prevent this valuable place from falling into enemy hands…

So you fight as Urbosa, defeat some enemies and blah blah. When you first arrive there, I want one of the Gerudo Captains to be like “Lady Urbosa? Where did you come—What are you doing here? Aren’t there areas of greater importance for you to be at right now?” Urbosa says something like “Nevermind that now, let us focus on achieving victory over these rotten beasts.” 

As the battle goes through, it is revealed that this excavation site is where Zelda’s mother would often work and hang out with Urbosa. Urbosa says some stuff like “Her Majesty would not be happy to see all these monsters heading here!” *decapitates Moblin* and then she can say other dramatic stuff at the end like “We have fought well...for her memory” and other classic lesbian pining. Some guard at the end can say “Perhaps you should move on and help out somewhere else, Lady Urbosa. We can handle the clean up from here.” 

“Sure,” Urbosa replies, “Just another moment.” And then cue reminiscing. “She always did love these machines…”

And just other sentimental stuff like that. If you’re gonna be a coward and hold out on the Champion death angst, then you best be pumping that angst and emotion from somewhere, you know?

Also yay for worldbuilding! At least in my rewrite, the Guardian excavations and stuff were overseen by the Queen. Could be a reason Zelda hangs out with Sheikah tech so much...who knows who knows... who knows what other implications this has, it’s just a side quest after all.

Revali: Anti-Ice Training [get it??? Cause in this one, Revali’s gonna break the ice with some other characters?? I’m funny I swear]

Ok so for this one, I want to pull Revali’s character away from just “the birb that doesn’t like Link” and give him some other stuff to stand on. Obviously, there would be other side quests in a fully fleshed out game that did even more to characterize him, but for my rewrite I’m only dedicated this post and one other future post to sidequests, so I gotta really bring out what I can for the few side quest stories I have time to tell

Revali sets out alone to deal with some monsters by the Hebra trail. Although intended as an isolated moment to hone his skills, he finds himself with unexpected company. Defeat key enemies.

So you play as Revali and at first you’re alone, taking out Ice Lizalfos and the like. Revali’s text dialogue can say stuff like “Hmm...not fast enough” “My current needs to be stronger” “*mutters* Can’t compete with lightning and magma with aim like that.” Just stuff that establishes that he’s working hard to really prove himself as the best, but is still a bit insecure about his position. He thinks he’s better than Link, sure, and he certainly thinks that being a princess or a chief doesn’t automatically make you the best. However by this point, Revali has battled alongside the other Champions and seen their skill in battle, and has developed some respect for them. Afterall, Champions were chosen in some part for their skills, unlike Link or Zelda who destiny just thrust greatness upon. 

So Revali has this slight insecurity that compared to lightning, and magic healing, and magma, with chiefs and princesses and titles of heroes, he and his efforts will be overshadowed and forgotten, unfairly deemed the useless one. Thus, here he is, training in solitude, not wanting anyone to see the imperfections and mistakes until he is absolutely perfect.

Except for the fact that after you beat a Wizzrobe, the other three Champions show up. 

Revali: Wh—Huh?? What are you all doing here?

Urbosa: Well, we all have to travel with the princess to that Tower in a few hours, so I recommended we find you and hang out until then

Mipha: And a good thing too! Look how many monsters there are

Revali: I’m actually doing very well on my own right now. Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold or something, so why don’t you head on back and let me handle this.

Daruk: Aw, it’s not that we think you can’t do this. It’s that you’re hogging all the fun! Urbosa: And that it would be more efficient if all of us went to work

Daruk: That too

Revali: Look it’s not—you all can’t just—this is not just about—AUGH, look, I’m just trying to train myself at the moment, and I don’t need you all to mess with my drills

Urbosa: Training, hm? Well how about this...you let us continue helping you with these monsters, and after, I’ll let you in on a good Gerudo training technique

Revali: Hmph. Fine, whatever gets you out of my tail feathers faster

So Revali and the Champions clear out the monsters. Revali can have gambit attacks/dialogue with each of the other Champions. This is already incredibly long so perhaps I’ll save specifics for another time, feel free to use your imagination. Urbosa teasing Revali and they make a thunderstorm, Mipha and Revali swimming in the sky and kissing—wait that’s— 

When all the monsters are cleared, which honestly isn’t tooooo many, Revali speaks again.

Revali: So what’s this oh-so-holy technique you had in mind, then?

Urbosa: Ah yes, well really it’s quite simple. It’s called…

Urbosa: One-on-one combat

Now Revali fights Urbosa. It think it’d be really fun if your allies on a stage could swap to a boss, and I wish hwaoc had a bit more freedom with the interactions as a whole, but ah well, that’s what I’m here for I guess.

So when you/Revali defeat her, it’s a good accomplishment! Not only for you the player, as Urbosa would not be the easiest to beat, but also because match-up wise, Revali prevailing over Urbosa is a big feat as their styles are quite opposite, arguably with the strength in favour for Urbosa.

Revali might at first have the mindset that Urbosa is overconfident and thinks she’s got an easy win on Revali, but that mindset is quickly proven wrong when 1) the difficulty of the gameplay itself shows how they’re both doing their best and 2) Urbosa with her Gerudo qualities is probably shouting stuff like “give it your all!” and things.

And so, as you beat her...

Revali, kinda huffing and puffing, but just a bit:: ...you….held back

Urbosa: Come now, do you really think of me as someone who’d do that? I’m almost insulted.  

Revali: Hmm...perhaps not then....

Mipha: Wow! What a wonderful fight from both of you. 

And then insert some other dialogue from Daruk or something that shows the Champions acknowledging the training and hard work Revali must have put in to be so skilled. Perhaps it’s not so bad, when you train with others and your skill is fully appreciated by your frie—GAH. Perish the thought, they’re all just a bunch of royal fools who can’t hold a candle to the skill of a Rito Master….probably…

Revali: Well unlike you lax fools, I tend to take my job seriously. I don’t have time to longue and banter when the princess is still expecting me in an hour or two

Urbosa: Oh alright, let’s get to it then. What’s the expression? “The early bird gets the w—”

Revali: Gross. No. Don’t finish that sentence, I beg you. 

Urbosa: Oh? Well why don’t you fly off to escape my dreadful tones then?

Revali: ...Heh, don’t be absurd…

Revali: Without me, you’ll all probably get lost. So, I suppose I should stick around for that sake Great Fairies: Dress to Oppress 

The Great Fairies are holding a fashion competition and rating people’s outfits. Poorly judged outfits gives them the right to compensation combat. Defeat all your less than fashionable allies.

...

...yeah.

It seemed funny in my head, alright? cOme on, just imagine…

Revali, fully expecting to win: Well?

Great Fairies: Hm...I don’t know dear, all the colors are very clustered. Perhaps if you were taller—?

Revali: bWHAKT!? *other angry bird noises*

- - - 

Daruk: I brought my BEST out today! :D

Great Fairies: Is that a….chain?

Daruk: TWO chains, actually. :D

Great Fairies: Oh honey…

- - - 

Great Fairies: Ooo! Our little hero is about to come out! Wonder what he chose...a knight in shining armour? A handsome desert voe? Ooo!! And those Snowquill braids always made him look so cute…

Link: *comes out in the Tingle Outfit*

Great Fairies: …

Great Fairies: …………..hm…..

At the end of the side quest, after you beat everyone, the Great Fairy wins because of course they do. 

Great Fairies: Oh my! What an unexpected outcome...but it really couldn’t have gone any other way. I declare the judges the winner! I mean just look at me, I’m as dazzling as a jeweled desert flower, because I am! Ohohohoho…

This side quests unlocks the Tingle Outfit

Hestu: Forest Dance Festival

Alright this quest was already pretty perfect, BUT, I just want to use this opportunity to say that all of Hestu’s gambit attacks makes his allies and enemies do special dances. Absolutely abSURD that Hestu can only make the lesser smaller enemies dance on occasion, nonononono, my guy Hestu is making everyone dance. You can’t stop this. Nothing I say will ever top the imagination, so just take my word that this is a good thing. [Reluctant Revali doing the macarena against his will in sync with Hestu and they bash someone’s head in...ah the possibilities.] 

Maz Koshia: Links to the Past

Ok so before I get into this, a few things. This quest takes place well after the tower activations in Akkala. Age of Calamity leaves a whole lot of plots holes as to why a Monk is just...here, and what the point of the shrines are, and personally my first reaction to all this was just a five minute extended “huuhhhhhh???” 

So here is my headcanon, explanation, thing, canon to the world of the Kip Cut story. Ones all the Sheikah Towers were activated, that officially woke up all the Shrines, because we know that the Towers and Shrines are all connected to the same system. [See Great Plateau Tower activating all the Shrines and Towers, and Creating a Champion explanation on the system] But when all the monks were in their little altars and noticed how Link hadn’t dont a single one, they were like “what the fuck.” Monk Maz Koshia, who is kinda the head honcho of the monks and probably the only one powerful enough to go out in the world anyhow, sets out to see what the deal is, and after many a teleportation and telepathic communication, he figures out that Link is just running around with the Master Sword already. This kinda confuses him, because the whole point of the Shrines was to test Link and give him the spirit orbs so that he could grow strong enough to get the Master Sword, but he somehow already has it...so hmmmm something fishy is going on in this timeline. So Link technically hasn’t proven himself at all, Maz Koshia ambushes him, they do their little combat trial, Link passes, and Maz Koshia’s like “ok cool so you’re not useless.”

So now Monk Maz Koshia has cast aside his old monk duties of waiting around for a couple hundred years, in favour of just hanging out with Link and continuing to train him combat wise. Shrines are still explored by Zelda and co because they are important areas to establish teleportation pads, and whenever they’re there, Maz Koshia forces Link to get in a shrine to get a spirit orb, which is not only useful in general for health, but since Link already has the Master Sword, the other characters can get the spirit orb too. (So all those little heart upgrades that you see on the map, those are all just in the real Botw Shrine locations, rather than just scattered around randomly. Also I’m ignoring the stuff about talking to Hylia in order to exchange for stamina or heart containers because the game never talks about her, or stamina, and I’m not about to create an entirely new custom gameplay feature for this game, fuck you.)

I like to think that Maz Koshia is very selective about the Shrines he encourages people to try out. “Oh nonono, don’t bother with Qukah’s….lazy ass, only set up one little mountain that you have to blast through with lightning and that’s the entire puzzle! Disgraceful...Here, Kaam Ya’tak has set up a wonderful Trial of Power for you. I’m sure you’ll find the level design quite thrilling. They spent a lot of time on the critical thinking aspects so have fun!”

“I should warn you that this one was made by one of the millennials...yes, those youngins who were only initiated 1000 years of age. Honestly, they lack so much experience. Ms. Agana over here was experimenting with something called ‘motion controls?’ Pretty lazy if you ask me. Traditionally I would just stick to combat and block and switch stuff...but ah well, variety I suppose.”

Right, what was I talking about? Oh right! This is a sidequest. So Monk Maz Koshia doesn’t really have...a character??? Or a personality??? So I don’t really know what to do with him other than use him as an outlet for world building. Apologies to the Monk….fuckers? Stans? Feel free to leave me a comment about how I missed all the nuances of his character or something I’m all ears.

On an expedition to mark more Shrines and establish more teleports for the Kingdom, a large horde of monsters is spotted, seemingly with the intention to destroy these Ancient relics. Link and Maz Koshia use this opportunity to sharpen their combat skills. Protect the stronghold and defeat key enemies.

And then that quest would just kinda echo the stuff I said earlier about the world. (As Maz Koshia defends a Shrine, somewhere Qukah Nata is smugly shouting “Bet you wish ALL of them were protected with a giant mountain now, do ya?)

Also Link and Maz Koshia’s gambit attack involves the Master Cycle. I don’t have the specifics, but damn if I want some call backs to Botw while also having fun.

Impa: Steal Yourself [Yiga Clan Escape]

In an act of pure hatred and malice, the Yiga Clan has snuck into Kakariko Village in the dead of night…and stolen all the Swift Carrots! Impa sets out to get them back, as well as taking something else as a form of swift revenge...Escape before the time runs out.

Ok I can explain.

So you know how the Yiga and the Sheikah have kiiiiinda been murdering each other a bunch in Botw, going as far as to kill a deserter’s wife and threatening to murder his kids, and also people on both sides were sorta massacred for no reason? And alsoooo one of those people who literally lived during that time of the massacre is just kinda floating around now?  And you knooooooooww how the Yiga Clan just kinda joins Zelda’s side later on and we’re not supposed to think about the implications of that too hard because they’re the funny banana ninjas, haha? Yeah well neither Age of Calamity or I really have time to explore the moral grey areas of an alliance between two warring factions, one of which has a leader who doesn’t really seem to remember the reason why they hate Hyrule which brings into question whether the lackeys even know their clan’s history, and brings about the moral dilemma of criminalizing the ignorant, and also there’s the whole other dilemma of depicting the side that submitted to their oppression as being “in the right” and the topic of a race of people being pitted against their own by a higher power is really brushed over sO WE’RE JUST GONNA TOSS ALL THAT OUT THE WINDOW AND MAKE THEM ACT LIKE RIVALLING HIGH SCHOOLS, OKAY? OKAY! This is fine this is fine— 

So I have dubbed the High School mascot of the Sheikah, the Swift Carrot. And although there does seem to be some internal debate about whether the carrot should be replaced by the Fortified Pumpkin, the hero of Hyrule Link favours carrots so that’s that. Then of course, the mascot for the Yiga Clan is the Mighty Banana. The two sides hate each other and steal their food symbols to be petty. I’ll be covering the side quests of Kohga and the other later characters in another later post, but just know that Kohga will have his banana heist sidequest too. 

So anyhow, you play as Impa. Maybe she can say a piece of dialogue or two about how she has to uphold the image of her people as she has to lead them one day. And then, this side quest is just her retrieving the carrots and running off with the Yiga’s big banana supply before she’s caught. This is based on that “Escape the Yiga Clan” quest if you couldn’t tell.

Custom gambit defeat of Impa vs Kohga: On one hand I think it would be badass to see Impa’s Sheikah skills go up against the Yiga Clan tactics. Kohga summons a giant metal ball to throw, Impa teleports behind him “nothing personal, kid” nO fuck I’m doing it again away goes to swing a blade at his face. He blocks it with his little energy shield thing, but not before an entire conga line of Impa clones start slashing at him until he’s defeated by a giant explosion. So yeah, that’d be badass and cool. But on the other hand…

Kohga, stomping his feet and having a fit: I cARROT believe you would do something this terrible! Give us back those bananas right now! D: ….please? You can keep the gross orange sticks.

Sooga: He asked nicely. You wouldn’t deny the wishes of the most polite and charming Yiga Chief there is, would you?

Impa: No can do, Yiga scum! I’m afraid this cruel action wasn’t veggie nice of you so I must exact justice! Now it’s my time to split. *Impa clones gather and throw Kohga into a giant frog’s mouth. Impa runs off with a sack of fruit [fruit (derogatory) if you will] cackling into the horizon*

Zelda: The Path She Laid For You

The King has order Zelda to head to the Temple of Time, in order to see if anything there could help awaken her powers. Zelda sets off quietly, with minimal company, as not to attract too much attention lest the Town’s folk be hit with another attack. It seems, however, that these precautions won’t be enough...Defeat key enemies

So this is a pure Zelda sidequest, with no other characters except for eggbot because I said so. Starts out normal when SURPRISE! Bunch of monsters appear and Zelda has to whip out her iphone and fight them. 

Also!! Good time for the Hollows to show up, and you know, tell her what a failure she is and all that. Convince her that she's useless and gonna doom everyone. All that good stuff!! It’s just nice to catch up with the villains and see how they’re doing, you know? ‘Sup Hollow Urbosa, last I saw you were barely spitting words in the Lost Woods, and now you’re giving full hard-hitting insults to Zelda’s character and ability? Good for you, Queen, good for you.

So Zelda and a handful of guards are fighting off monsters, and Zelda has to beat the Hollows too. Her gambit dialogue when she defeats Hollows can be stuff like “You’re not the real ___” or something idk, I don’t have a lot of experience with the evil clone trope, I’ve never played Ocarina of Time. But one specific I DO want to highlight is that Zelda uses the nearby Sheikah Tech to defeat the enemies. I find it a bit weird how Zelda just knows how to use those random water canons in the Faron region in later chapters, so we’re just gonna at least set up a pattern so that it makes a bit more sense later. Plus! This is in front of the Great Plateau, AKA Gate Post Town/Garrisons AKA oh lOOK it’s that area where Link and Impa and eggbot first meet in that Impa introduction scene of my rewrite so we have already established that Sheikah Technology is being stored here and ready to use! Continuity in world building! Nice.

So Zelda uses her knowledge of Sheikah Tech to defeat the Hollows, when...dun dun dun! Astor appears. But you don’t fight him...

Astor: Have you listened to one word spoken to you today? Why are you still resisting? Let me help you.

Zelda: And what exactly is your plan? You wish to kill me, then?

Astor: Not quite. I mean, if you do die, there are ways I can manage, so if some stray Yiga blade happens to strike you I’m not completely doomed.

Astor: But no, the most optimal outcome for everyone is the one where you live yet. You must see the truth as I do, and let me fix this. I can undo this terrible knot destiny has thread for you. [and insert other fate sisters and sewing metaphors here]

Zelda: But how? What’s your game here, if you’re truly claiming to be in everyone’s best interest then why all this secrecy?

Astor: Ah...ever the one to look for the facts and logic, hmm? Can’t blame you, you get it straight from your mother.

Zelda: …!

Astor: But...I’m afraid even if I did tell you now, you’re in no state to truly grasp it. No...the only way this works is for you to truly understand the position you're in, and the stakes that hang in the path before you. 

Astor: And if I have to kill every King, Champion, or knight to get you to understand…

Astor: Then so be it. 

[dun dun dun]

Zelda: No! I won’t let you hurt anyone, I swear it!

Eggbot [just pretend eggbot can have dialogue boxes too]: *chirps* 

Astor, suddenly noticing eggbot: ...You…you’re one thing I still don’t—

Eggbot chirps again beside Zelda, both seeming to be angry at Astor’s words. Eggbot releases a glowing flash of light. Kinda like a...flash bang? [is that the right word idk]

Astor: Ah—! *and he teleports away to escape* Astor: Until next time then...Princess

And that’s pretty much the sidequest. Zelda can question what exactly eggbot did, but he’s not exactly the most verbal in responses. Finally it ends with Zelda going home, “He was still right though...I’m still sitting in failure, with not a hint of my powers awakening. All I have is some Sheikah tech, some exhausted shoulders….and well, you, I suppose, little one.”

“Come, it’d be a waste to continue forth in this condition. Let’s go back to the castle.”

Eggbot: *happy whistles and chirps*

= = = = = 

Tune in next time folks, as we dive back into the main event! Needless to say, Chapter 4 is where the shit starts to go down...

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Free Day Thursday

(More Everybody Lives au.)

Izuku hadn't expected the mysterious Shimuras to ask him to visit. Honestly, he hadn't even expected them to remember him. Ever since they'd moved out of intensive care, All Might had been visiting them every week. He never talked about those visits to anyone, as far as Izuku knew.

At least, not until he'd stopped Izuku on the way to lunch to tell him that "Tenko" wanted to see him.

"Keep in mind, young Midoriya," Toshinori said, "Young Shimura is...he er, bears an uncanny resemblance to a villain you have...history...with. And he is aware of that, so if you feel uncomfortable, or run into any traumatic triggers, don't hesitate to say so."

They found him playing with the PS Vita Izuku had leant him. As soon as Tenko moved, Izuku froze. All Might hadn't been exaggerating. Tenko's hair was loose, covering some of his face, and all Izuku could see at first was the scowl. He felt the ghosts of fingers around his throat.

Shigaraki?!

Beside him, Toshinori cleared his throat, and the young man in the bed jumped. He looked up at them, momentarily confused. Izuku could understand the feeling. Seeing an overall lack of scars and lines on Shig- Shimura's face left him disoriented, like he was looking at a doppelganger.

[[MORE]]

The first thing he said to Izuku, oddly, was, "How do you beat the giant Flan? It just party-wiped me again."

Then he lifted his bangs and got a good look at his second visitor. Tenko dropped the Vita and scrambled off the bed. He stopped a few feet from Izuku and just stared at him.

"Is he-? Is this-?"

Toshinori nodded. "Shimura Tenko, allow me to introduce my successor, Midoriya Izuku. Young Midoriya, this is...my predecessor's grandson."

Tenko gave them a bittersweet smile. "Oh wow, your hair really did stay that curly. Gram always thought the curls would go away when you got older."

Izuku blinked. Did this person know him somehow?

Tenko waved his hands quickly. "Ack! Sorry, wait, let me back up!"

He backed up physically a step, as if to emphasize his words. "Uh...let's see. Has Dr. Flashpoint's agency proposed Multi Theory yet?"

"The...thing about extra dimensions?" Izuku asked after a moment, "I thought that was a String Theory thing."

"Not...exactly..." Tenko said awkwardly. "Look, I'm really bad at science stuff, so you're going to have to be content with a terrible simile. It's like, uhhhhhh, it's like if you peel a stick of string cheese. It all starts from the same spot, but then one string goes left and one string goes right."

Toshinori shook his head and laughed under his breath. "String cheese," he muttered, "Egg in the microwave. Now there's two of them."

Izuku found that he was a little less put-off by the resemblance to Shigaraki now that he'd heard Tenko speak. Their voices were similar, but not similar enough to unsettle him too badly. He tried to work out what the older boy was trying to say, and it finally clicked that he was in the hospital with two Shimuras.

"Are you saying you come from one of those, er, strings?" he asked cautiously.

Tenko nodded eagerly. "Yes! Yes, exactly!" He held he hands up parallel to each other. "Okayokayokay, so. Let's say you're the string on the left, where Gram died when All Might was my age give or take. So here's Gram and me on the right, where Gran Torino was the one who died."

The thought weighed sickeningly on Izuku's mind. He couldn't imagine the thought of losing Gran Torino now that he knew the man. He swallowed hard.

"That's terrible," he managed.

Tenko took another step back and collapsed to sit on the end of his bed. "Terrible doesn't begin to cover it," he said glumly. "Creep for One couldn't stand being foiled by Number Seven. He escalated outrageously. Anybody we knew, anybody we loved, anybody I even met at school. All gone. Things went from dystopian to apocalyptic by the time we escaped."

Now he was afraid to ask. But curiosity drove Izuku to reluctantly say it anyway. "How did, uh, how did you know me, there?"

The older boy shuddered and looked away. "We were neighbors. Your mom half raised me when Gram and All Might had to work. It's not going to do anyone any good to talk about what happened to everyone in our timeline, so don't ask."

He rubbed his fingers together oddly, as if remembering a texture. "I guess you could say my string snapped in half. So we kinda...jumped to your string."

Izuku wasn't sure he believed any of that, but he still asked, "How?"

Tenko shifted uncomfortably. "...uh...I...may have stolen a villain's super-collider and combined it with a warp gate."

Well, that explained why he'd launched out of Kurogiri, at least.

"Singularly horrible experience, by the way," Tenko added, "0/10 stars. Do not recommend."

Despite himself, Izuku cracked a smile.

Toshinori cleared his throat and placed a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "My boy, would you be comfortable with me leaving you to get to know young Tenko for a few minutes? If you'd rather I stay, we can just go visit Nana afterwards."

Privately, Izuku thought that All Might probably wanted to speak to his mentor alone. He hadn't seen her since high school, right? Izuku couldn't imagine being separated from All Might for thirty years and then unexpectedly reuniting. He could handle a little discomfort if it meant All Might got to spend some time with Nana, Izuku decided.

"I'll be fine, All Might," he promised.

"I won't try to sneak into the waiting rooms this time," Tenko promised.

"This time?"

"Look, the food here is so bland my tastebuds cry," Tenko huffed. "Can you blame me for trying to find a vending machine?"

He waved Izuku over. "So...have you beaten XIII 2?"

Izuku was confused until he saw Tenko pick up the PS Vita. "Oh! Yeah, just recently. You can save over my file if you need room, I don't mind."

Tenko tugged Izuku down to sit beside him. "Okay, what is the deal with the One Ton Tomato flan and why can't I kill it?"

He turned the screen back on and Izuku peered over his shoulder. Then Izuku laughed.

"Oh! You're not supposed to kill it here, there's a cutscene coming!"

"You say that, but the only cutscenes I've been getting are the "Game Over" ones."

When Toshinori returned five minutes later, pushing Nana in a wheelchair, they found the boys huddled over the Vita. Tenko was yelling at the screen, and Izuku appeared to be trying to help him pick dialogue choices.

Well, at least they were getting along.

[mtraki]

Brain chemistry is messing with me... got me in the bad feels looking at dark roads... So let’s try and drag ourselves out of it through hyperfixation!  It’s time to rant about Agent 47′s brain chemistry-- specifically all the serums and antidotes that artificially change it! (It’s a rant... I won’t take up space on your dashboard scroll if you don’t want to see it, but if you do, please check out under the cut.  Spoilers for the comics and Hitman Season 2-3 are unmarked...)

The focus of the rant is thus: “Exactly what did Ether’s antidote do?” ‘That’s easy, MT,’ I hear you tell me, ‘It brought back 47′s memories that were wiped by Ort-Meyer before he escaped the lab.’ Forgive me, strawman Reader, (but as always, thank you for your faithful engagement) but I don’t think it’s that simple...  Maybe because I overthink things, or maybe because the details aren’t adding up... Let’s discuss. In the cutscene in HITMAN 2 (Hitman Season 2) ‘Long Shot’, Olivia and Lucas provide a syringe from Ether Biotech Corporation.  According to their information, Ort-Meyer’s estate and his research were granted to the corporation (through Providence) after his passing.  The syringe is supposed to be an antidote to what Ort-Meyer used to wipe 47′s memory.  Using the syringe, 47 is able to remember Janus, the first Constant of Providence, so they can go get his info on the Partners... and kill him. ‘Yes, MT,’ you say, ‘so it’s easy.  The answer is right there.’ Well, please bear with me... In the next cutscene ‘Gifts and Curses’, our leading ladies Diana and Olivia are doing the real work (tracking Janus’s coffin) while our lads are being moody.  Lucas asks 47 if he’s all right and 47 says, “It comes back in flashes.  Fear.  Anger.  But like it happened to someone else.” Later, in ‘Precautions’, Lucas and Diana talk about how Lucas has feelings about the things he’s done, and 47 does not-- a parallel is drawn between these feelings and “having a conscience”. In ‘The Ark Society’ mission, on the Isle of Sgàil, as you’re marching Arthur Edwards, the Constant you are abducting, to the harbor, he’ll fish around for information by giving some of his own.  For the purposes of my rant, there is an exchange I want to focus on: Edwards: “...Your murdered him [Janus] to get to me.” 47: “Not just that.  He had it coming.” Edwards: “Interesting.  It was my impression that you were cured of such... sentiment.  The ‘good doctor’ built his serum specifically to target the seats of your emotions.  Has Miss Burnwood’s sense of justice rubbed off on you, I wonder?” This is where I feel the need to stop and point out that there are TWO DIFFERENT SERUMS at play here, that were forced on 47 at TWO DIFFERENT TIMES in his forgotten past.  This is shown in the comic series. SERUM #1) This serum was given in 1989, after 47 and 6 failed to take over the Institute.  47 sacrificed himself so 6 could escape (though he was presumed dead) and instead of being killed like he expected, due to pressure from Janus (who spoke as Constant for the Partners of Providence) Ort-Meyer instead used a serum to stifle his and the remaining clones’ emotions.  This one was an injection to the neck (like the antidote).  Here are his exact words: “I gave you something most people lack: a true purpose.  And you cast it aside.  For some misguided dream of freedom.  Why?” “It’s that storm inside you.  All those feelings I fought so hard to lock away.  Raging, driving you.  So now I must wipe them out entirely.  A small chemical insult designed to target the amygdala, the hypothalamus, the cingulate gyrus.  The seats of emotion.  I’ve just sawed the legs off them.  Do you understand, 47?” “Your memories remain intact.  But now they’re a series of events with no significance.” The effects of this serum were devastating.  With the singular exception of 47, every other clone more or less lost the will to live.  They died of starvation, dehydration, infected bed sores... losing any and all motivation for anything.  Meanwhile, 47 became an apex predator of murder, stating that the opportunity to complete the assassinations handed down by Providence through Ort-Meyer were the reason he went through each day.  He had a hand in the deaths of a good number of clones, either via poisoning or smothering. SERUM #2) This serum was given in 1998 (that’s nine years after the first one) after Providence demands Ort-Meyer give them 47 as the only success of his very expensive perceived failure.  Ort-Meyer gives this serum, without the permission of Providence, very specifically so that 47 will not remember him to assassinate him.  This serum is given orally, and through a hose and pump apparatus.  Here are his exact words: “I only need one more day, and a moment alone.” (This is included strictly to point out that 47 must have escaped that exact same day) “I raised you as my own.  Taught you everything you needed to thrive in this fallen world.  And now I have to take it all away.  You would come after me.  It’s the only way I can be free from having to watch over my shoulder for the rest of my life.  It feels like drowning at first.  Don’t struggle.  I’m going to make you perfect.  Now you have all the potential in the world.” 47 wakes up later to the voice of Ort-Meyer over the intercom.  He implicitly trusts the voice, as he knows nothing else.  He knows about the existence of nothing outside of the room and the voice.  He starts making associations as he goes on, and points out that he understands how some things work (”The mechanics of breathing, the science that makes remotely operated restraints possible.”) and the justifications behind their existence (”Somewhere deep down, I even understand the need for them.”).  As he makes his escape, he observes that their is familiarity in the sensations of killing.  Out in the world, he continues killing on his own for about a year, claiming that his work is his only indulgence and that he doesn’t need things, friends, or stories.  He does also claim to have a few stray memories that haunt him-- elicit emotional responses in him (which we also see in Absolution with the whole “doctors” flashbacks). Edwards should not know about the mind-wiping, and his dialogue does not betray that he does.  Lucas apparently knows about both, but I’m going to attribute this to “Lucas became personally invested in learning what happened to 47 specifically after learning he was alive and working for ICA, so put the pieces together once he stole the data from Providence” because he wasn’t around for either serum.  Meanwhile, Edwards doesn’t have many reasons to worry about 47 until he starts trying to use his past as a lure for Diana.  Because his angle is to eventually reveal that it was 47 (AND 6... they were on the job together, per the comics) who killed her parents, and the fact that that juicy reveal would hurt that much more if he could reveal it as something 47 knowingly hid from her... I don’t think he’d go out of his way to discredit Janus’s reporting on the situation that only the first serum was given, and something else happened that allowed 47 to escape into the wild.  Janus is apparently Edwards’s beloved mentor, after all. ‘MT,’ I hear you say, ‘You’re rambling.  What’s the point here?’ The point is that 47, a man who does not mince words, makes the observation, when asked, that he remembers fear and anger.  These are the things that stand out to him in his memories.  The emotions.  This is in violation of the first serum’s properties as well as the second. Now, why is this happening?  Perhaps the first serum has an effective lifespan, and perhaps it’s wearing off.  Perhaps 47′s human (arguably superhuman, per some sources) brain is adapting to make necessary associations despite the “chemical insult”. Or... was this antidote supposed to also be an antidote for the first serum?  It is noteworthy that 47 starts behaving in ways that suggest more emotionally-driven motivations after the antidote is given-- at least it seems that way to me.  This seems especially the case at the very end of HITMAN 3 (Season 3), ‘Untouchable’, when 47 is confronted with his guilt, with his feelings about what he perceives Diana’s thoughts and feelings to be, and with his choice in the end concerning Edwards in the final confrontation.  No matter what he chooses, he owns his choice and all the baggage and consequences that come with it.  At the very end, in the cutscene 'New Deal', he tells Diana that he isn’t ‘Agent 47′ anymore.  That he chooses this path because he can. Perhaps I’m very much misunderstanding the themes, here, but 47 not remembering his past never struck me as something that held him back from choosing something else.  It has always been his inability to connect with others in any way outside of infiltrating their spaces and killing them... with very, very few exceptions... that has kept him from choosing a path outside of murder-for-hire (perfectly executed, of course ;) )  So I’m left at the end with the conclusion that 47 is now able to operate as his own conscience because he now has a... mostly usable independent sense of morality-- which requires a certain level of empathy. So... again: what’s the deal with the antidote?  Is it two-in-one?  This would be fine, (Okay, not really, I would then have to rant about how this only makes sense as a convenient plot device because for which person BESIDES Agent 47 would such an antidote be useful unless they also work with the first serum... and oh boy IMPLICATIONS... I know we keep crashing their stock but can we crash their production too?) except the antidote is only referenced as working to return 47′s memory... and his ‘warmer’ dialogues through the end of 2 and into 3 with his allies is simply treated as matter of course-- nobody points it out. I don’t know if this is a problem with my perspective, the writing, or what... But it seems like Lucas knows and doesn’t know about both serums at the same time (he comments specifically about 47 remembering things... but not him behaving more emotionally engaged)... Or like the games smooshed both serums together while the comics had them separate.  This isn’t like the whole “we don’t talk about Absolution though we do wink and nod that it mostly happened in canon” thing.  The comics were written as a companion for the HITMAN: World of Assassination trilogy! I know how I’m treating it for 'Monstrous’ (because if I don’t, I’ll go crazy and rage-quit the fic) but it still bothers me...  Anybody got any ideas?  Nuggets of lore I missed?  Am I the only one stressing out about this??