#when I heard it during my playthrough i Immediately realized what it was and it made my blood run COLD

[twobellsilence]

bro I don't understand how people don't catch that Jimmy hits Curly the second time he gives him his meds. Like you can hear Curly's confused "huh?" sound after the first blow, and he groans and yells in pain as more rain down on him before he eventually breaks down SOBBING. If it was him thrashing maybe there would be muted thumps, maybe he'd choke more forcefully, but he clearly isn't in a state to flail and toss with enough strength to create the noises we hear. Not only that, but Jim is very openly aggressive in his dialogue... And Curly becomes eerily still after the audio finishes playing, so much so that you can't even hear his usual labored breathing. I've seen very few people acknowledge this or even notice during gameplay and simply go "man curly really doesn't want his meds huh" and I guess it's a relatively small detail in the grand scheme of things but personally I really feel like it's an important indicator of just how much Jimmy resents Curly and how he sees him as subhuman when he can no longer be of use to him and realizing what actually happened is important to understanding Jim's relationship with Curly

[allmannerofmalady]

Disgustingly long ramble about Dragon Age, love letter to my Inquisitor and... idk anymore

Ok so apparently, I can become so attached to a game/story that I can develop post-game depression... without even finishing the game?! At my ripe old age??

After 35ish hours in Veilguard, I realized I wasn't happy with how I was feeling, and more superficially, how my Inquisitor turned out and it was breaking all kinds of immersion for me 🤡 I played around with the character creator a bunch and then just closed the game and haven't restarted it since, and that was 4 days ago. I think that says a lot about why I was playing - I was playing to wrap up Inquisition.

I have a thirst to ramble, so a lot of Dragon Age (and a touch of Baldur's Gate 3) talk ahead. Spoilers, I guess?

The things I'm disappointed about with DATV haven't faded with time like I hoped they would. But, I will say that I’m also starting to get very emotional about the Solavellan ending which I was not a fan of when I first saw the spoiler. Whoever posted the flycam footage of the ending on Twitter, thank you!! It soothed my sad little heart.

My feelings aside, I'm happy for people who are fully immersed and enjoying the game, and I was truly hoping to be in that camp immediately :')

DA2 was my first Dragon Age game, and I love the shit out of it and that merry band of misfits. Marianne Hawke, the woman that you are. DA:O is one of my favourite games of all time as well - when I can get it to run because it always crashes on me.

But DA:I, for all its faults, just hit something very personal for me. I have played it for countless hours, been continuously immersed, and I have leaned on it a lot during crappier periods of my life. The things people hated about it (the Hinterlands, fetch quests etc) I found almost... relaxing? Meditative? I used mods to fix banter issues and would just roam, always changing my companions out to get that extra bit of dialogue and lore.

I know it has its issues and the combat annoys a lot of people, I was kind of indifferent about it, but to be fair I always play a Rogue/archer in DA , so I can't speak too deeply about the other classes. Once I discovered guides and videos about the best gear to craft, the best paths for leveling up, my Inquisitor was a beaaaast and I did enjoy the combat, as simplistic as it may be. Again - truly my comfort game.

I replayed DA:I in the months leading up to DATV, with my beloved canon Lavellan Inquisitor, Solas romanced, the whole journey. It was my first DA playthrough after 700+ hours spent in Baldur's Gate 3, and I remember the thrill at having a voiced protag again - for all the stilted moments (it's a feature atp with DA games) my Inquisitor still feels so real to me, especially after playing a voiceless Tav for so long. Yeah, even the infamous "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE" lololol

I just truly fell in love with the character I HC throughout the years, and I really really love the companions. Even the pricklier ones. I loved the intrigue, the politics - whatever, I loved it. Warts and all. The overwhelming lore that I learned piece by piece over 3 games, through codex entries and novels and art books and comics.

The DATV discourse has somehow become even more draining. It's hard to have a genuine discussion when trying to speak above the incessant bile being spewed by bigots who are hating the game blindly and are going out of their way to hurt anyone who enjoyed it, was excited about it, reviewed it - the vitriol is insane. Then came the waves of actual fans loving it, being disappointed, hating it, hating others for loving it, vice versa... and it goes on. Which I guess kind of happens every BioWare release lol but the 10 year gap feels like it's exacerbated everything.

I'm not even going to try and parse through my heartbreak at the dissolution of the Keep, player choices, and what DATV puts forward as happening in Southern Thedas. I have read the discourse, I have heard those who support it - and I just cant pretend to be ok with it. Months before DATV came out, I put together a slideshow of Chantry-level propaganda to convince my BG3 co-op friends to give DA a chance (heheeee) and one of the reasons I hooked them was that CHOICES MATTERED. Your world state mattered, the lore was incredibly rich, it was your story, and was such a key feature of BioWare games that even when other negative feelings might fade, I just don't see myself letting go of that one.

As for the Solavellan side of things... I think that most people who love Solas (myself firmly in that camp) are very attached to the character and the storyline, especially if they chose to romance him. He's just an endlessly fascinating character, and he will forever be iconic to me and part of my video game/fantasy pantheon - romanced or not. The first time I played Trespasser, I was blown away by the magnitude of the revelations, it felt like a Greek myth being played out. The burdened Inquisitor, the hand that led them to glory starting to kill them, the trickster God, once a trusted companion/lover. Euuuuufff I have never gotten over it, and after my, quite frankly, extreme emotional reaction the last few weeks I don't think I ever will.

I don't know if any ending would have filled the gap of the 10 year wait, to be fair. A game full of Solavellan scenes and dialogue would have been bitterly unfair/ridiculous for those who had different stories and relationships in their game. I am pleasantly surprised we got a scene (for a moment there, I was starting to lose hope), but again, I sorely wish it was fleshed out, on par with the Crestwood scene, or the magnificent climax of Trespasser. I think it took the flycam footage and Trick Weeke's Q&A on Bluesky for me to start to see past the disappointment and enjoy the scene for what was (I'm ignoring the Varric in the room and lots of other things rn, thanks for asking).

Everything else - I will try DATV again later and start with a clean slate, and accept that this is the game we got and not the follow up to Inquisition I had always hoped for. I feel like I have to caveat that I recognize that is MY issue, it is not a read on anyone who is enjoying it. My emotional attachments make me biased, not an asshole lol. The cliffhanger of DA:I always made me feel that the story was not over and the stakes were so high - and I'm realizing how much I wanted to continue that chase with the Inquisition to the end. That’s in addition to the end of bringing in player world states, the destruction of Southern Thedas - it’s just all a lot to accept. What was it all for?

All I can say is, as much as I am conflicted- I will always love Dragon Age from the bottom of my heart for giving me this world to play with and escape to. I hope to be back to Thedas once the feelings subside, after the highs and lows of the last 10 years. I would like to wrap up my Lavellan’s story, at the very least.

In the meantime, I have turned to my ~other comfort game of BG3 to finally start a post-Patch 7 run. And it all starts with a very confused and slightly worse for wear Lavellan on a mindflayer ship, with a fade touched left eye and arm somehow intact. (I realize the immense irony of taking a Dragon Age break by playing another game as my DA character but idk what to tell you). She is a Ranger/Wood Elf (see what I did there), with a suspicious bald man in a suit of armour talking to her in her dreams (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?). Anyway, she's probably going to kill a TON of Goblins, try to avoid the charming wizard (mage) hung up on his Goddess ex (!!!) and then climb mount Halsin. Good for her <3

[propertyofkylar]

Hello~ I hope it’s not too weird that I keep immediately coming into your inbox while you’re playing otome games lol, I’m an anon that’s sent you a few messages during your OlySoi playthrough and I’m back because I’ve had a great time talking about otome games with you ^^ (also I’ve had your notifs on for a while now lol)

Sooo, after looking at what’s on sale, I highly recommend Virche Evermore, Tengoku Struggle, Norn9 Var Commons, Code: Realize!

I definitely think you’ll have the most luck enjoying Virche, it’s dark and depressing and will most definitely scratch your extremely devoted LIs/red flag LIs itch. I do need to emphasize though that this game is so incredibly angsty on purpose, so just be ready for that.

Tengoku Struggle has the same writer and artist as OlySoi and also has a few blushy tsunderes + a tsun MC, and while I haven’t gotten to him yet in my playthrough, I’ve heard that the poster boy is also great like Akaza is. It’s technically a fantasy otome, but has a lot of comedy slice-of-life mixed in it in the same way VariBari does. Also, it’s got some steam, though not on the level of OlySoi.

Norn9 is a fun sci-fi game! It’s got three unique heroines and nine love interests (three for each girl lol), and it almost feels shoujo-ish despite the sci-fi elements? The relationships feel like first love in a way that reminds me of a shoujo manga despite the greater plot. And since there are nine guys, there’s bound to be someone who will work for you.

Code: Realize is just one of my all-time favorites <3 It’s definitely the most lighthearted of the three, and it’s the heaviest on balancing plot and romance (plus the common route is quite long), but there’s still a lot of romance imo!!! The heroine is phenomenal and so are all the guys, though all but one are definitely more green-flag leaning, so idk if you’ll find it boring? You’ll definitely like the one who’s more red-flag leaning though, I’m very confident about that. It’s also steampunk and takes place in Victorian England if that appeals to you!

Thank you for always letting me bug you about otome games :)

NO PLEASE ALWAYS COME AND YAP ABOIT OTOME GAMES i need someone to talk to that isn’t my partner (doesn’t get it) or my irl best friend (also doesn’t get it)

fucking hell yeah i was looking at all those…esp tengoku struggle bc i was on a no buy when it came out wudiekwnxhfh.

probably will buy all of these tbh. what’s another couple of games added to the backlog. since im also almost done with bustafellows and piofiore ill have some room soon right. totally. im not lying to myself at ALL

just got paid yesterday too soooooo….yippee

also again PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE keep coming into my ask!!! i love it!!!!!!!!

[cboffshore]

Paint it black and take it back. This is "Sure Of It."

For Nadakhan's second wish, something we've all heard before: power, pure and simple.

Sheer power is a traditional and expected wish for every Ninjago villain, and of course, Nadakhan takes it to the extreme: he wants to control reality and everything in it, right down to the earth under his non-existent feet. Until he gets all the way through his plan, though, he's forced to settle for controlling his crew - but what fun is that? They're on his side. Even the mildest questions, like Flintlocke expressing doubts early on, can be easily swept under the rug if he raises his voice a decibel or two. Nadakhan likes a good fight, and he simply can't get that when his immediate sphere is deeply loyal to him (which... what a problem to complain about, sheesh). No, in order to tide himself over until he can hear those wedding bells chiming, he has to get creative - and he needs a target. A good one, one that's not so keen on listening to him, someone who's done something remarkable... like escape with only two out of three wishes made.

Although we don't know Nadakhan's full history, the amount of energy and resources he spends to torment Jay indicates that he's used to having so much more power over his targets. What little we do get is a tidy pattern: manipulate victims into making all three wishes in one go and make sure he can profit off of the results. Jay, having only made two (and booting Nadakhan out of the vicinity with one of them!), breaks that pattern for what might be the first time ever. And that's just unacceptable. In fact, Jay is so much of a roadblock to Nadakhan's desire for power that Skybound dedicates an entire episode to his efforts to break Jay down. In demonstrating the depths Nadakhan will go to to exert control over the slightest hint of rebellion, episode 60 is a character study of both Jay and Nadakhan at their respective peaks - unstoppable force meets immovable object. It's also the reason that the Nadakhan tag on AO3 is a minefield of very dubious work, but if you can ignore all the distressingly graphic assault stories, you encounter that same theme as in the episode: Nadakhan's frantic need to assert power by any means necessary.

The Outfit Breakdown

As I described in my introductory post, "Sure Of It" is a blend of analyses: Nadakhan and Jay are both represented here, often sharing parts of the same element. Ultimately, this outfit represents theall the ways Nadakhan tries to overpower the world of Ninjago and all the ways Jay pushes back. Appropriately, it's an elevated version of the gi Jay wears that's become an iconic part of Skybound imagery. (Alternatively, it's "My Dinner With Nadakhan" condensed into gritty formalwear.)

A sturdy parade jacket and pants provide a somber canvas that's not too far off from Jay's seasonal gi: near-black fabric, rigid stitching, and asymmetrical golden closures. I should confess that much of this look (especially this part) was drafted during a full playthrough of The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance; the visual design of that album, as well as the themes of dying and becoming someone new, offered a really cool parallel to both Jay and Nadakhan's situations and ended up being a great place to start. Little wisps of bright, character-defining blue slip out from the wrists, collar, and ankles on what's otherwise a very disciplined suit. Upon first glance, the overwhelming darkness of this suit holds quite a bit back from the viewer in the same way that Jay and Nadakhan mislead their respective teams to accomplish their selfish goals.

The gold aiguillettes and shoulder pauldron are a militaristic twist on the gold chain motif from "It Will Never Be Enough." Instead of being sultry and all-encompassing like the chain elements, these sturdy accents represent Jay's determination to take Nadakhan down. They're also something of a badge of honor that's pinned on as soon as Jay realizes he can set his own wants aside for the greater good. Functionally, they stand in for the gold closures and armor on Jay's canon gi. The pauldron is deliberately closer to the Possession-era armor for two reasons: as a callback to the vision in the ice and the simple fact that the Skybound Panini Pauldron just didn't look good here.

The feathery chain cape is a threefold reference: a riff on the aviator wings on the back of the seasonal gi, Jay's overall connection to flight, and - most importantly - that odd moment where Nadakhan refers to Jay as "little canary" and the overall energy of episode 60. If you look closely enough, you'll see the blue chain edging curl around the mannequin's ankle as a reference to the ball and chain Jay is forced to wear during his time as a prisoner. Aside from lending a little balance, the miniature chain wing on the opposite shoulder is a nod at the common fanwork motif of Nadakhan being a serial shoulder-toucher (which is never shown in canon for longer than two seconds, but I think it's interesting how it's taken on a life of its own in the art and fic scenes). Overall, this cape is an ironic twist on Jay's situation: aboard the Keep, he's attaining the dream of flight that he was brought into the entire series with, but in a way where he's not in control at all. Similarly, Nadakhan presents the image of being in control, but it's not as complete as he wants it to be (hence all the gaps in the cape).

Transparent heel pillars swirling with gold glitter represent the way that wishes - from the ones Jay expresses privately in the first few episodes to the real ones he makes with Nadakhan later on - support most of the season's plot and ultimately drive Jay to better himself. This accent was specifically inspired by the gold dust effect that radiates from most characters at the moment that they make their wishes. The boots that they're attached to are blue to draw out the accents in the base suit; they also feature rose gold feather toe caps and heel accents to compliment the feather cape.

Legally, it's not a Skybound work unless an eyepatch factors in somehow - and I am a law-abiding citizen. Begrudgingly, though. I wasn't excited about this part during the drafting phase, but I grew to appreciate it. This one features the same broken crystal accent as Nadakhan's accessories, but textured slightly differently to represent how his vision in the ice colors most of his viewpoint. The chain veil attached to the band hides most of the mannequin's face and represents all of Jay and Nadakhan's attempts to lie their way into what they fully believe are better situations. We don't need to talk about how that works out for either of them.

Color-picked straight from the aviator's wings on Jay's back, half of a lavender cloak acts as a contrast to the fragile, clinging chains: something solid, comforting, and predictable for the rare moments where Jay experiences warmth and compassion during this season.

A lavender quill dripping with ink from a glass inkwell represents the power of language that Nadakhan weaponizes throughout his ascension. It's also a pretty obvious reference to Jay's message-in-a-bottle scene, which is why it's paired with this look instead of Nadakhan's.

It's weird to think that I've made two out of three wishes in this series come true, albeit in my own special way. Keep an eye out for the third one - no matter who you ask, it might just be the most important...

[lightvsdark18]

First Year in the Devildom 1.1

(Followed LovesOfLauryn and Lavi Alraune's playthrough)

Milady, a 27 year-old woman living on her own as a grocery store stocker. She wasn't mentally in a good headspace after breaking up her now ex-girlfriend who insulted her two months ago. Life was just simple and boring.

However, she got a letter talking about her being accepted to The Royal Academy of Diavolo. Her finger was cut on the edge of letter and a drop of her blood fell on the signature line.

She folded up the paper and bandaged her finger, leaving the letter on the counter. The next day, she was getting ready for work when her vision suddenly went dark. She panicked and closed her eyes, then reopened them to see she was now in a courtroom.

She freezes in place at what is before her. "Devildom?" "Why am I here?"

Lucifer?! Stares at him in fear.

Exchange student? One year? Anxiety and panic twists in her chest, feeling physical sick from this. Lucifer notices her fearful state and explains he won't abandon her in the Devildom, signing someone to look after her.

She takes the phone and calls Mammon, giving a quiet hello to him. "I'm the new exchange student... You're to look after me... Lucifer called for you."

Satan?! She hates this already.

Her face is of uncomfortable and anxiety, come on, Mammon.

A quiet "No promises."

"Tasks?" "My soul?" "And if I win?"

You're scared of him. "Is looking after me really that bad?"

"Where's my room?"

He didn't use me, he confused me. She immediately dislikes Levi after calling her dumb.

Sends the No sticker.

"Why do you hate him so much?"

She tries her hardest to not laugh at what is being told to her.

"A pact?" "I'm not interested." "I don't know." "Let me think about it." Then after leaving Levi's room, Lucifer takes her shopping to get everything she would need at the moment since she has nothing but her work uniform.

(Solomon, what the hell?) She didn't drop her DDD, it's inside her bag.

"How do you know my name?"

Looks unpleased with Lucifer's comment. "Good morning, I guess." Still speaking quietly.

Was looking through her phone's contacts and realizes there's suppose to be a seventh sin.

On her second day is when she asks about what students are allow to have, but doesn't ask about Mammon's weaknesses. Lucifer tells her he heard the conversation between her and Levi, then gives the hint.

Turns and walks away. "I'm hungry." Frowns at no food and doesn't ask about Belphie.

(The Mc is funny) Milady looks around to find Levi.

"Wait, don't do that, you'll ruin it."

She does it out of survival. If she wants to survive the year and return home, then... "Make a pact with me."

Mammon grabs her head and presses her forehead against his, she wanted to jerk her head away, then speaks in a demonic tongue. His sigil appears behind her left shoulder.

Shrugs at Asmo.

"Um, I don't know. I'm only interested in the one."

"I don't. If you're just going to complain about it, then let me get something straight. All I ask is you protect me. Keep me alive until the year is over, then I'll be out of your hair. Got it?"

"What? Like hell I'm gonna protect some human! I'm the boss, if you stay alive before you can go back to your crappy little home, then you better-"

"Shut up!" Mammon stops talking and struggles to do so. She blinks in surprise.

"... You will call my name from now, and stop yelling around me or complaining about everything that involves me. You may speak."

He tries to complain some more and call her human, but can't and ends up calling her "Your Majesty."

She's sitting down during the three's conversation. A soft "who are you?" to Barbatos.

"What?" "Kid, I'm well aware not to trust any demons. However, I do have to give some trust to the ones I'm living with them because of this situation."

Staying in a house full of powerful demons, would definitely not go looking for the person calling out for help.

"Do you ever shut up?"

A few days later, Mammon and Levi are in a fight when she walks by them and Mammon drags her in, saying she's a bigger TSL fan than Levi. A bet is made: Levi will forge a pact with her if she wins, or her and Mammon will serve Levi for a week if he wins. The marathon was to prepare her for the competition.

She isn't interested in the bet or the competition, even ignoring the brothers advice, but Asmo asks questions she knows the answers to. During the competition, a letter is sent in front of her and it asks her to read the contents out loud.

Runs away and falls on her elbow.

Not impressed.

"To annoy me?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to." But he made a promise and is going to keep it. He gets slightly flustered at having her face so close to his, immediately pulls away when his sigil appears behind her right shoulder.

Milady gives Levi the cold shoulder since he tried to kill them.

Hears the voice again that night, asking Mammon the next day what is in the attic and saying it was out of curiosity. Asks for the record from Levi when everyone heads off to bed and sneaks off to the attic.

How does he know my name?

As a lover of art, Milady looked at the paintings on the walls before meeting him. "You're the seventh brother?"

"No, I'm a human just like you."

"There's paintings of you on the walls."

His eye goes wide for a second, then chuckles. "Clever, you're right. I'm Belphegor, the Avatar of Sloth. And the seventh demon living here in this building."

"How can I help exactly?" "And how can I make them do it?"

"Oookay, I'll see what I do." Isn't going out of her way to help him. If a brother makes a pact with her, good. If they don't, she's fine with it. Basically, don't hold your breath, Belphie.

"Did something happen last night to keep you up?"

"Nightmares."

~~~~

"Hmm, I guess that's more of what you'd call a word of warning than a piece of advice."

"Actually, there's a second part of that phrase. "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." Then she stands up and leaves (like a boss.)

Doesn't visit Belphie again to not get into trouble with Lucifer.

"He's your brother, why do I need to say something?"

Eh on the camping, no real opinion on it.

She ignores Mammon and tries to sleep, but he kicks the door open and drags her to the kitchen. She says she's allergic to the custard and pushes it back to him, then leaves. (No hole in wall here)

Lucifer is an ass.

The information on Beel and Belphie being twins comes from that conversation. Mammon tells her about how they were in the Celestial Realm originally.

"What are you doing here?"

Takes Luke to her room and they talk. He tells her what happened between him and Simeon and she tries to give her thoughts on what he's saying.

Because her room is next to the kitchen, Beel walks by and hears them talking, offering to help if she give him her sweets.

"You will eat what I give you." She tries to get food he likes.

Places chin on hand. "Are you worried about me?"

(Luke is so cute, all excited being in the House of Lamentation.)

Beel throws Luke into the closet. "A dog? Um, no." Lucifer opens the closet and see nothing, then leaves as Milady panics because she lost the child!

"We're looking for something I lost. It's a personal item and it's embarrassing to say what it is."

"What is Lilith's room doing here, in the House of Lamentation?"

"Who is Lilith?" Insert tragedy backstory.

~~~~

"I tumbled down out of Katelynn's closet after Beelzebub pushed me and found myself here! And then-"

"Wait. Katelynn's closet and Beelzebub pushed you...? Did I hear that correctly? Did you just say the words Beelzebub pushed you?"

~~~~

"Beelzebub! Did you help hide this angel? Did you allow him access to the House of Lamentation? This angel who would try to steal that grimoire?"

"You three had better be ready to face the consequences...!"

~~~~

Stands in front of both of them. "Lucifer, Luke didn't even know what a grimoire was until now. He had a fight with Simeon and just wanted a place to stay. He wasn't trying to steal it, he was just curious on what it was. He-"

"Silence! Enough with the excuses. Stand back with the others."

"No! You need to calm down and think of this rationally."

"... Why don't I give you a choice, you can choose one person to save. Beelzebub or Luke. It's one or the other. Make your choice!"

Her heart is pounding against her chest and feels suffocated by fear, but still stretches out her arms in protective posture. "I want to save both of them."

Lucifer grabs her by the front of her shirt and throws her towards the coffins, crashing her body against one of them and makes her fall unconscious. Blood starts pooling under her.

Beel carried her to his room where Mammon and him bandaged her wound. Her back took the most of the impact and has a nasty gash under her neck. Beel had to convince Mammon to leave and let him talk to her alone.

"Where's Luke?"

"I'm the one to blame here. I'm the one who let him stay in your room, I'm the reason he disappeared. I'm the one who failed to calmed down Lucifer, and allowed you to get hurt... All of that was my fault. When you shielded us from Lucifer, I was pretty shocked. I mean, why would you go to those lengths? You're not a demon or an angel, and you're not even someone with powerful magic. You're just a regular human. So why... why did you protect Luke and me?"

"I don't know, I guess I just wanted to."

"You wanted to protect us, protect me?" She slowly nods.

~~~~

"So, is there anything I can do?"

She remembers what Belphie said about needing her to make pacts with his brothers.

"I don't need anything, Beel. Just walk me back to my room."

Taking her out to eat ^-^

Panics at seeing Lucifer at the front door and leans on Beel.

"Do I have to?" Lucifer insists she meets him in the music room as three brothers stare at her in worry. "Fine." She goes alone.

She stands nervously in the music room when Lucifer finally enters, apologizing for what he did and asks about her injuries. "Don't worry about it," she says a bit coldly.

"I understand you're angry with me and I don't blame you. If you need anything for pain or more bandages, just let me-"

"Stop. I know you don't actually care, you're only saying you're sorry because Lord Diavolo expects you to apologize. Don't act like you care for my well-being." She walks pass him and heads towards RAD.

Milady trusted Lucifer slightly, he protected her by Levi and asked if she was adjusting okay in her first week. She thought she could rely on him somewhat, but that tiny bit of trust was gone, now she's avoiding and acting cold towards him.

Mammon was the only one to clean and bandage the wound below her neck and the only one who knows that it healed into a large scar. He hates it.

Two weeks before the retreat, Beel comes to her room and tells her he wants to do more for her after protecting him. She tries to convince him he doesn't need to do nothing, but he's persisted on doing something as thanks. He offers to make a pact with her. "I want to protect you like you did for me. I want to get to know you better. So please, let me do this for you."

She never wanted a pact, but can she say no to a demon? "Okay, let's make a pact." Beel smiles and takes her head into his hand, leaning down to touch her forehead and speak the vow. His sigil appears under Mammon's.

"Eh."

"Because Lord Diavolo wouldn't allow it."

"I don't really care." It's castle, simple as that.

Hugs Luke back. "It's alright, Luke."

"No one told me about this until now."

"Yeah."

Mammon, you can't keep a secret to save your life.

"Where are we?"

"You shouldn't have antagonized her."

What she desires is a partner who isn't toxic.

She doesn't care about this conversation, she just does want to leave.

What the fuck?

How do you charm a statue?

"He really is a handful. What are you going to do, Kate?"

"Nothing."

All of the demons are over six foot and Diavolo is seven foot, this is terrifying. Lucifer's demon form is giving her PTSD.

Lucifer just grabs her arm and drags her onto the dancefloor as she glances over to Mammon.

Her face is literally in his chest as they dance.

He asks about her pact with Beel and the reason behind it, a hint of a threat in his voice as his hand grips hers a bit tightly. "Beel wanted to. He came into my room one night and told me he wanted to protect me like I did for him by making a pact."

Considering Mammon's pact was by Levi planning it and vice versa. With Beel, by saying he did it to return the favor because what happened, Lucifer couldn't really get mad at her because it was his brothers' choice, she didn't play a part in their decision.

Lucifer leaves her with Solomon looking a bit bothered.

Solomon overheard Mammon talking about sneaking into Lucifer's room to take a picture of his sleeping face and planning on taking Milady with him. Solomon lends his power because 1) he was curious on what would happen, and 2) she needs something before walking to her doom.

Beel and Levi follow her as she's dragged by Mammon to the end of the hall, complaining why she has to come with.

Grabs Beel as they fall and he takes her into his arms. Lands while holding her bridal style.

Runs away while struggling to remember the incantation to summon Asmo and help them from dying.

She's just standing there, not interested in the conversation, but then Asmo says he wants to forge a pact with her and she hears record scratch in her head.

"Wh-What? Why do you want to make a pact with me?"

"Because even if Solomon lended his powers to you, it shouldn't be possible for someone to draw that kind of power out of me! I mean, you've got to admit, it's super impressive! Katie, you really were amazing down there! So, I'm making a pact with you!" -Asmo

"WHOA, HOLD ON!" -Mammon

"I'm allowed to do that, right Lucifer?" -Asmo

"It's her decision if she wants to make with you, Asmo." -Lucifer

"Of course she wants a pact with me, who wouldn't!" -Asmo

Everyone stares at her, carefully watching on what she will do. Her eyes look around at everyone surrounding her, waiting for an answer as Asmo's eyes burn into her excitedly. I can't say no, can I?

"Okay..." Asmo giggles as he almost skips over and gently touches the sides of her head, pressing her forehead towards his. The vow in a demonic tongue are spoken and right under Levi's is Asmo's sigil.

"Interesting... your right ear is different than your left. Oh, you have scars on your right hand and wrist, also a little one on your left pinky. Come here, let me see your teeth. Go on, open your mouth... Let's hear you say aaah. Hehe. Come on, there's no need to be shy." -Asmo

"You're getting too close for my liking."

She walks out of the room when Mammon and Asmo start cursing at each other, sitting by the door and watches Satan enter, then Lucifer and Diavolo.

Pillow on fire? Leans in and watches.

She stands in the kitchen, not knowing what the hell to make. She asks Solomon for some help deciding. She manage to pull something together and gag at Solomon's cooking.

While unpacking, Asmo kicks open the door and takes her shopping because if you're going to be in a pact with him, he's going make sure you have some good shit. "Humble person vs shopping fury" explains the shopping trip. During the trip, she requests glasses for she's narrow sighed. Asmo makes an appointment for her and gets ruby red glasses during the body swap incident.

[1.2]

[timbrrwolfe]

It occurs to me that I never actually posted about my current BG3 playthrough and the character I made for it. Or if I did I forget what I tagged the posts. So.

Basically, I wanted to rush through a playthrough to unlock the self-imposed limiter of "No making other characters, no playing with friends until I finish 1 (one) playthrough." Which seems to have backfired a bit because I'm currently stalled out early into Act 2. Anyway. To that end, I decided to make a very generic self-insert type, so I didn't spend a ton of time in character creation. Except that when I picked a body type I /thought/ was gonna be husky or heavyset, it turned out to be muscular. So my elf (half-elf? I think?) ended up looking....a bit more chadded out than I intended.

Seriously he's even making the face. Sort of. Anyway, I left it.

I also decided to stick to one class for the whole playthrough, rather than multiclassing. Part because I wanted to keep things simple, and part because, uh, most of the other build ideas I have are multiclasses. Maybe all of them actually. Though they probably won't all stay that way. But I digress. I settled on Storm Sorcerer because I'd heard that lightning could be ridiculous in this game, and I'm a fan of storms, so it worked out. That lasted for a few levels. until I realized that the lightning build I was thinking of was a multiclass of Sorcerer and Cleric. At which point I decided to pivot.

it took some thought, but I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to stay with a spellcaster. Specifically, a charisma based spellcaster, since I'd been enjoying being the face of the party and all. Which meant I had to choose between Bard (which I dismissed because I had already passed on an interaction with a Bard NPC), a different strain of Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline was already spoken for and I didn't feel like dealing with Wild Magic for my first playthrough), or Warlock. I ultimately decided on Warlock because, even though I'd already put some time in with Wyll without being a Warlock, it was still the best option in my head. And then the rest of it just kind of fell into place from there.

He became an Archfey Warlock. His patron granted him power just to see what he'd do with it because they sensed a fun mix of mischief, knowledge-seeking, and ability to influence others. Pact of the Tome due to the aforementioned knowledge seeking. The backstory became that he'd hidden what he was at first because it's smart to keep your cards close to the chest. And while he loved learning he felt no need to let everyone know everything about him immediately. Shadowheart wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Speaking of Shadowheart, he cozied up to her and got her to open up to him by letting her do so at her own pace. And once she trusted him enough for that, he started to question her about her beliefs in Shar. Not for any particular purpose, just to get her thinking about things. Lae'zel got a similar treatment, in a more accidental way. She was part of the party early on, then got swapped for Karlach for most of Act 1, only making an appearance for a specific mission. During which, he convinced the blindly loyal Lae'zel to lie to her Queen's right hand man, avoiding a fight. And then after that mission I put her away for a while longer, bringing Karlach back. Until other things happening on the adventure made it clear that Lae'zel was going to feature a much bigger part. Including accidentally bedding her, despite courting Shadowheart the whole time. Oops. But neither seemed to have a problem with it. Yet. Despite their animosity towards each other. I'm sure it'll be fine and definitely won't blow up in his face down the road.

Anyway I renamed him to Trick at some point. It seemed fitting. And was a minor Lost Girls reference. Someday I'll go back and finish that show. I won't go into every choice I made with Trick, since this is long enough already (and I probably don't even remember all of them), just know that there have been a lot of persuasion and deception checks. Also despite his interest in knowledge and fucking around and finding out (...and having a patron that gives him power) Trick has something of a moral qualm with the idea of using the mind flayer parasite to become stronger. Probably something about the non-consensual nature of it, if I really had to put a finger on it. So he's been studiously avoiding that (which means I'll definitely be having a playthrough where someone dives right into the deep end with it. Just don't know who yet, as most characters I have in mind are pretty opposed to the idea.

Also, bonus, but if you recognized that the pink-haired character in the screenshot above (Larian photo mode soon pls) wasn't an NPC you can find in your game, that's because she isn't. As something of a salve for my altitis itching at me, I got a Hireling from Withers and made her after an OC for a story I haven't written yet. She's a thief Rogue, and I built her to be something of a gunslinger, which is not exactly accurate to the story idea, but the story doesn't really get into what kind of a build she'd have except that she's sort of Jessica Jones-y in that she's a private detective type solving mysteries and stuff. But I figured I probably wasn't going to do a whole playthrough with her, so she was a good candidate to be a hireling (and I didn't mind benching Astarion because I'd watched a good chunk of a playthrough by someone who is neck deep in Astarion love). The name is a placeholder but here's a better look at her.

I think she's human because you can't change hireling race (and I didn't think far enough ahead to hire a half-elf and respec her into a Rogue) but rest assured she's half-elf in lore.

[nokikissa]

Hahahhahhaaa ended up finishing the evil baldur's gate 3 playthrough before continuing much on the dark urge redemption one, was so close to the end so my brain just kept going all oh come on just finish that one to see the end bit.

Putting some thoughts under the cut again because spoilers

Main reason I did the playthrough was to see Astarion's Ascension side of the story and romance, and as that seems kinda evil decided to try to do a evil playthrough. During the playthrough I did some of the evil actions (siding with goblins, helping Marcus take Isobel, having Shadowheart kill Nightsong and become the leader or whatever of the Sharran temple, letting Astarion complete the ritual) but like didn't otherwise side with any of the absolute people, and so act 3 went somewhat similar as to my regular playthrough outside of the companion quests.

Astarion's ascension storyline was also very good, definitely prefer the other one but this was good as well, and the powers Astarion get from ascending are pretty rad not gonna lie lol. And lol it's amusing how one of the romances is like after all kinda wholesome supporting your partner and making them feel safe and realize you don't need to have power over everybody else to feel safe etc. etc., while the other way can be like a messed up power balance possessive one lol. Also was amused that the ascension one was way hornier, in the other one the after quest scene was like heartfelt conversation and then like immediate fade to black if you agreed to sex, while ascension one had a very horny sex scene and also while no sex was involved the being turned into a vampire spawn scene was also very horny lol.

I had the worry of oh no the final fight will be difficult since I'm burning all the bridges I am crossing, I'll have no allies for the fight! But turns out that ascended Astarion and Sharran Shadowheart give you their troops of undead creatures and Shar worshippers to use so had some lads to summon at least. And the fight ended up being easier than first playthrough, partly cos I knew what I was doing and other part cos having two fighters in your team is actually pretty good and effective in killing bosses lol.

I saved before the choice of whether to destroy or control the brain, cos like I wanted to see the control the brain ending but I had also heard it's pretty underwhelming. And yeah. Basically it's just your dude sitting on a throne with your mindcontrolled companion cheering you on... But it's so weird that like the entire game Astarion's been like "Hmmm hey how about we control the brain tho?" and I've been agreeing with that with my dude, and like right before the choice option he was again all "Oh it could all be ours my love" but then when I do stab Orpheus and take over he's immediately all "wtf you doing???" my guy I though this was what you wanteeed. I wanted an ending of us ruling over together but idk game said no I guess u_u

So after seeing that I reloaded and went to check the ending bit for destroying the brain with how I've played this time.

lol Lae'zel got her good ending again because I sided with Orpheus once again, cos like I don't think Lae'zel would approve of killing Orpheus and don't wanna risk like her getting pissed off and leaving the party or something.

All in all it was pretty much the same except for the scene with Astarion where he's all "Oh damn I'm getting new powers from this ascension thing every day, I'm probably the most powerful person now. And since you're my consort, we are the most powerful people, what you wanna do ;)". Picked the option of taking over the city of Baldur's gate lmao.

So yeah he got rid of his brainworms and now gets to hang out with Astarion for eternity as his consort and slowly start taking over the city lmao. Good for him I guess.

[apompkwrites]

I just read your story, the one with Xiao and Albedo, its really good! I love it! Is it ok if you do the same thing but with Kaeya, Zhongli, Childe and Diluc version. I can see how excited these guys are since Kaeya first appeared is clapping his hand, the way Childe call Lumine 'Hey Girlie', Zhongli with how handsome he is especially his eyes and with Diluc how mysterious he is when he appeared out of nowhere

Feel free to do it if you're not busy or you can ignore this :3

reader impact || first meeting cont.

series masterlist characters: kaeya, diluc, childe genre: fluff summary: a game has been released entitled genshin impact, consisting of otherworldly abilities relying on the basic elements of nature. the game follows the story of an interdimensional traveling twin in search of their other half. along this journey, they meet different characters that live in this world. including you. notes: i’m glad you liked it! i’m having a lot of fun writing these so expect some more coming out :D i plan on doing more first meeting hcs and then branching off to other scenarios, so if there’s something specific, please request it! also, i’ve already done one for zhongli!

kaeya's playthrough -

he's more of a variety streamer, honestly.

most of his viewers watch him because of his carefree nature (as well as his looks).

obviously, he'd do a bunch of drinking streams whenever he could where he would just talk to his viewers about whatever came to mind.

during those streams, his viewers often try to ask him questions, which are only answered in vague statements.

his gaming streams are pretty rare compared to his chatting streams, but they're there nonetheless.

his viewers jump when they hear he's planning on playing genshin impact.

just neverending messages about a character they are convinced he will love.

he's so tempted to ask but decides not to, wanting to learn who this mystery character is on his own.

honestly, he was expecting you to appear way later in the story.

he's very interested in the looming threat of stormterror.

his character lands on the ground and he leans back to watch the cutscene play.

then he hears footsteps and sees his character look to someone offscreen.

this man practically LUNGES INTO HIS MONITOR WHEN THE CAMERA PANS UP TO YOU.

you walk in clapping at a calculated pace, which is when he leans forward and stares at your character model.

"i can't believe you have the power to stand up against that dragon... that said, are you a new ally... or a new storm?"

"oh, hun, i can be whatever you want me to be."

HE'S ALREADY FLIRTING WITH YOU PLEASE HIS CHAT IS IN HYSTERICS-

he knows his chat is freaking out, so he turns to the camera and sends his signature smirk.

"now i know why you guys wanted me to play this so bad."

"(name), kaeya, you've come at the right time. we must..."

"now now, don't forget to introduce us."

"oh... right. this is (name), our cavalry captain. these two are travelers from afar."

"ooh, they're a person in charge, too?"

HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING TO HIS CHAT BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU DO TO HIM.

he genuinely likes you. like genuinely. he's fallen deep and he doesn't plan on leaving anytime soon.

if your costume has that long v-neck like his does...

hOO BOY HE'S THANKING EVERY DEVELOPER OF THIS GAME.

anyway, he's heard that there are characters you can only obtain throguh wishes, so he's kind of nervous to find out if that's the case with you.

he just really wants you in his party so y'all can be mysterious together.

"let me show you how the knights of favonius conquer our adversaries!"

"oh, yes. please do."

his viewers can and will make compilations of him flirting with you.

ngl, he's looking forward to those.

sometimes, your voice gets all quiet and he melts when he hears that.

he will pay to have voicelines of you flirting with him--

when he enters your trial domain, he will purposely avoid completing it just in case he doesn't get to keep you.

he sees some of his viewers talking about how you're a bad character and that the other characters are so much better.

too bad, they're banned now.

no (name) slander in his chat, thank you very much.

he loves your quips whenever he uses your elemental skill.

he loves you even more if those quips are puns based on your element.

finally, he's nearing the end of your domain. when that happens, he will slowly turn towards the camera and stare.

"if they aren't a permanent member on my team, this'll be the last stream of genshin."

"let's continue our adventure, shall we?"

obtained (name): a thinker in the knights of favonius with a somewhat exotic appearance.

"okay, so we'll continue streaming genshin soon."

he'll put you in the first slot of his party, moving his traveler character to the second.

his streams will always include him flirting with you, even if you don't reply.

diluc's playthrough -

his streams are mainly bartending based, so he likes mixing drinks on stream for his viewers.

he doesn't drink them, though. he gives them out to his friends and family once the stream is over.

it's pretty rare for him to play games but he'll do an occasional gaming stream if his friends and family don't want any drinks.

his chat always makes fun of him because he's a bartender that doesn't like the taste of alcohol.

he's very blunt, so he's not afraid to drop a game immediately if he isn't interested.

in fact, that's almost what he did with genshin.

it's not like the game is bad or anything, diluc just didn't care for it because of all the hype his chat shared.

he keeps playing, though, because someone promised he would really enjoy a character that comes up in the prologue.

granted, it's over an hour or so but it doesn't matter--

when he gets to the domain teaching him how to use cryo, he hates every minute of it.

he hates the character he's given and just wants to leave.

the demo character is one he doesn't really care for, especially because he's the type of person he dislikes coming to the bars he works at.

his chat is laughing at him when they reach the end because the cutscene continues with the character he hates.

he feels a bit better when he learns the abyss mage is in the domain because he gets to see and hear something that isn't the cryo character.

then he meets you.

you run into the domain out of nowhere, quickly defeating the abyss mage and tossing it towards the corner.

"knights of favonius... always so inefficient."

his chat goes insane when your character appears, especially because of how dumbfounded diluc looks.

he's known for not really emoting and it's the same case for this scene. however, his chat knows he is in love with your character.

he takes a few minutes when he's kicked out of the domain but he clears his throat and looks over at the camera.

"i'll be streaming this game again soon when the others don't want any drinks."

YOU SINGLEHANDEDLY SAVED THIS GAME FROM BEING TOSSED AWAY WITHIN A MINUTE OF APPEARING

THE POWER YOU HOLD OVER THIS MAN AND HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME--

cut to after he's stolen the lyre and is sent to the tavern.

he's a bit excited because he gets to visit mondstadt's tavern but then--

"master (name), this is this week's accounts."

"they're back."

HE'S SO NONCHALANT BUT WE ALL KNOW HE'S FREAKING OUT

he gets second-hand embarrassment when venti talks to you asking for the... least conspicuous table.

he's kinda sad when your character is suspicious of him, but he understands.

when the knights leave the tavern, he really wants venti to just shut up.

please you're embarrassing the man.

when he hears how you feel about him joining the knights, he is so willing to quit--

man just wants you to be proud of him and trust him :((

he's relieved to hear that you will help him and you don't hate him.

please give him validation--

childe's playthrough -

man is still rich he can do whatever he wants.

his gaming streams would definitely be pvp based games. honestly, just any game where he can fight someone, he'll play.

his chat also has a few little games they like to play together like guessing what the hell this man does to have so much money--

also his siblings crash in on his streams sometimes :D

those are pretty much the only times you'll see him be soft and not so competitive.

teucer likes crashing his streams to show off his plushies :))

anyway, genshin time!

he definitely tried to fight paimon the first time he loaded the game.

please expect lots of genshin stream from this guy because he needs to make his team deal the highest damage he can get.

also his wallet doesn't even have a dent in it despite all of the money he's spent on characters and weapons.

please sir what do you do for all that money

ok so onto your first meeting

he was really excited when the exuvia fell during the rite of descension because he thought he would get to fight whoever killed the great archon of liyue.

he really wanted to fight the millelith but then his chat convinced him to dodge them first.

one of his viewers explains that there's a character they know he'll like and he was very... intriguied to say the least.

he moves forward in his chair once his character is heard by the millelith, prepared to fight the various soldiers surrounding him.

"hang on, sweetheart. i've got this."

this man will squeal when you flip over the stairs in front of his character.

he doesn't know who you are and what you do but he knows for a fact that you are his new favorite character.

you take down all of the guards in two seconds, leaving him (and his in-game character) dumbfounded.

"come with me."

"o-okay..."

he's smitten.

he absolutely loves the way your character fights even if he met you about... a minute ago.

his siblings definitely come into his room to check on him because he's so quiet.

once he realizes you're a part of the harbingers, he's even more obsessed.

he hates the options the game gives him when he needs to respond because 2/3 of them are insulting you.

anyway he really likes listening to your voice.

he will give anything to hear you call him sweetheart again.

his chat informs him that the traveler he chose changed the nickname you give him, which makes him very happy.

when you send him off to talk to the other adepti, he's kind of disappointed he doesn't get to hang out with you.

but when he gets back to you...

"welcome back, sweetheart. how was your trip to jueyun karst?"

HE'S SOFT ALL OVER AGAIN PLEASE KEEP CALLING HIM SWEETHEART!!!

when he learns you're rich just like him... he gets all pouty. his chat, of course, wants to know why.

"... i want to be able to spoil her."

PLEASE HE'S SO IN LOVE WITH YOU <3

[babycharmander]

WARNING, THIS AUDIO FILE AND POST CONTAIN END-OF-THE-GAME SPOILERS FOR PSYCHONAUTS 2!

(The first half of the above audio is the music as heard normally in the game; the second half is reversed.)

During my playthrough, I noticed some very... interesting audio. At first I’d thought there might be something new hidden there--a hidden detail or something--and while I was not entirely correct, what I did find reinforced my interpretation of some themes the game presents.

Analysis under the cut, and, again, SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE GAME. This is going to get long, but stick with me!

What you hear in that audio clip is audio from Fatherland Follies--specifically the last part of the ride, shortly before you’re dumped out at the gift shop (specifically, the part leading up to the zoom-in to the giant Gristol head). When playing this level, I picked up on the reversed music immediately. As someone who finds backmasking fascinating (and as a Gravity Falls fan who participated in the puzzle solving while the show was running), I thought there must be something hidden here. But the wild ride that is the end of the game made me forget about it for a while... but last night I remembered it again, and this morning I decided to do some investigation.

It was definitely a reversed version of part of the song, that was for sure. I was hoping there would be some new lyrics here, perhaps hinting at something even more sinister going on. But instead, what I got was a reversed part of the song that we hear earlier:

“Grulovia, Grulovia, you’re always right!”

This initially disappointed me at first... but I quickly realized the fact that these specific lyrics not only being repeated, but being backmasked in Gristol’s mental world (I’ll get to that in a minute) was not insignificant.

(Or maybe it is and I’m just reading too much into things, but let’s assume I’m not for a moment.)

Before I can explain this, I’m going to jump into some analysis on some themes the game presents.

Firstly, let’s talk about Maligula. She’s a part of Lucy’s mind, and a dangerous one. I don’t have exact quotes from the game on-hand, but Ford talked about how Lucy’s mind was in a vulnerable state at the time she left to return to Grulovia, and how Maligula emerged as an overdeveloped fight-or-flight response (or something to that effect). Later, Raz states that what Maligula is is something that everyone has inside them--it’s just that most people know how to keep it “where it belongs.” During the fight, Lucy tries to admit that she was the one to kill her sister, but is stopped by Maligula. After the first phase of the fight, she’s able to admit it to herself... but the Maligula part of her mind decides she doesn’t care. Lucy, however, is able to break free, and then able to empower Raz.

My take on this is that Maligula represents the fact that every human is capable of committing atrocities.

This is a theme I’m very glad the game touched on, because it’s one of the most important things people can learn. Everyone (including me, including you) has the capacity to do horrible, awful things. This can manifest itself as something as extreme as the horrors we’ve seen throughout history, or smaller-scale like a murderer, or simple things like racism, ableism, homophobia, and so on. Ever notice how it’s usually the people who say “I can’t  be ___ because I don’t hate those people!” tend to be the people who are the most casually racist/ableist/homophobic/whatever?

It’s the people who insist they are not capable of doing something wrong that are the most at risk for doing that thing... and if they wind up doing that thing they think they’re incapable of, they’re more at risk of thinking “This thing I’m doing is not wrong.”

It’s why my hackles rise when I hear someone insisting that of COURSE they would never do something terrible to the wrong person.

Meanwhile, realizing “I have the capacity to do this awful thing” is the first step to making sure “I REFUSE to do this awful thing.”

Tying this back into Psychonauts 2... Lucy, against Ford’s warnings, insisted that she would be fine despite how vulnerable her mind was. That she would make things right, not worse. She did not believe she could do something terrible... and was thus easily manipulated into doing something awful--killing peaceful protestors. And among those peaceful protestors was her sister. The realization shattered her, but she could not let herself believe that this was her own doing, and placed the blame on her brother-in-law. The grief she felt combined with various other things (the stress of the war, the vulnerable state her mind was in, and her refusal to admit to herself what she’d done) is what ultimately created Maligula.

However... later on, after the help of Raz and Ford and the rest of the Psychic Seven, Lucy was able to piece together what had actually happened. And she was at her most powerful when she realized, “I killed my sister. I did these terrible things. And I want to stop this.”

Next, I want to talk about another very important theme in the game, which is that of helping other people. Early on in the game, Raz learns the importance of things like consent and responsibility in people’s minds--to not go into people’s minds to just mess around or try to change their thinking, but to “help them learn to fight their own demons.” I could go into just how wonderful it is that Raz learned to ask permission before entering the minds of others, but what’s more relevant to the point I’ll be getting to is just how Raz is able to help people. This is something that was present in the first game and midquel as well.

Raz doesn’t always enter minds to help them--in fact, in the first game, the first several levels are merely Raz being invited into counselors’ minds in order to learn psychic techniques and... well, to experiment with the brain tumbler. After that point, however, he does wind up helping all the characters whose minds he jumped into (minus Boyd, but that wasn’t really his fault). The same happens with Raz winding up helping Loboto in Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin.

In the sequel, Loboto’s mind is entered more to pry information out of him, so helping him wasn’t the primary goal there... and of course, Raz messes with things in Hollis’s mind for all the wrong reasons, which brings him to the harsh lesson he has to learn. Past that, however, he genuinely helps each character whose mind he enters (with the exception of one).

All of the characters Raz wound up helping have something in common: even if they did not admit it outwardly, they knew they needed help on some level. Some examples: While Linda was unable to do anything other than what she was commanded to do, some of the mental figures in her mind knew that she was being controlled. Though Oleander outwardly showed desires to take over the world no matter what it took, his inner child was still suffering from the trauma of what his father had done and how small and powerless it made him feel. While Loboto outwardly refused to see anything was wrong,  inwardly some small part of him desperately wanted to find his moral compass again and defeat the absolute monster of a person he’d become, while his inner child wanted to show someone the horror he’d gone through. Though Compton outwardly wanted to keep himself hidden away from all the overwhelming voices and judgements, inwardly he wanted help facing those fears and anxieties so he didn’t have to keep isolating himself from his friends and colleagues. While Bob outwardly had isolated himself and chased away anyone who tried to talk to him so he wouldn’t get hurt, inwardly part of him desperately, desperately wanted to see people again, as evidenced by his attempting to grow plants again, and also begging Raz not to leave him.

All of this to say that in order for Raz to help someone, that character had to, on some level, realize their need for help and WANT it, even if they didn’t fully admit that to themselves. This rings true of real people as well--in order to help someone, they need to realize they need help, and want it.

But there’s one person in this game we could not help.

Gristol Malik was a prince who came from a very rich royal family. He was sheltered from the rest of his country, understanding nothing of the troubles beyond his own home. All he knew was the sanitized propaganda his parents had taught him, the comfort of his home, being waited on hand and foot, being constantly pampered, and eating caviar.

After the events of the Deluge, however, he and his family were forced to leave, and he was forcibly yanked out of his comfort. That comfort was all he knew, all he cared about... and he wanted it back.

Thus he began his mission to revive Maligula, use her to destroy the Psychonauts, and take back his home country once again so he could go back to his life of comfort and caviar.

This is the entirety of what we see in his mental world: the propaganda his parents fed him (and that he continued to tell himself), his love for caviar, and his desire to use Maligula to get back everything he wanted. And as shown earlier in this post, in part of that earworm of a song, Gristol tells himself (and likely, his parents told him) that Grulovia (and by extension, the royals running the country) is “always right.”

Earlier I had explained that Maligula represents the capacity for every human to commit atrocities. This capacity, while it can be subdued, grows more dangerous when someone tells themself they are incapable of committing those atrocities... and Gristol believes he is “always right”--that he can do no wrong.

As well, I have explained that in order for people to be helped, they have to, on some level, recognize their need for help and want to be helped. Very obviously, Gristol outwardly does not want any form of help other than that of Maligula to help him achieve his goals and return to his life of comfort. This is shown when Raz encounter him outside of his mind post-game, in the Psychoisolation Chamber--when Raz sees him, he’s singing his own little song about Grulovia.

But... inwardly... this is where things get interesting.

As I stated before, all of the other characters Raz has helped have at least inwardly realized their need for help, and desired it. But when Raz goes into Gristol’s mind, he hears the lyrics:

“Grulovia, Grulovia, you’re always right!”

He does not hear these once. He hears them twice.

The second time they’re heard is toward the end of the level, right before we’re presented with a giant version of Gristol himself and his brain. But do me a favor and scroll back up to the start of this post, and listen to the sound clip again.

Raz doesn’t just hear those lyrics a second time. He hears a backmasked version of them.

Let’s talk about backmasking for a second.

Wikipedia defines it as “a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward.” It can be done to achieve interesting audio effects--if you’ve heard the music in Haunted Mansion ride at the Disney parks, you’ll notice it has an eerie quality to it, because the instruments are actually played in reverse!

However, it’s also used to hide messages within music. While oftentimes this is just an instance of people hearing things (such as the “Sad Satan” phenomenon in playing “Stairway to Heaven” backwards), it is sometimes deliberate. Though it’s often used merely for fun, it’s believed by some that the human mind is still hearing the messages and is aware of them on some level, and may still be able to process the messages subliminally even if they’re not consciously aware of it.

Of course, the effectiveness of these type of subliminal messages is WIDELY debated in the real world... but this is Psychonauts we’re talking about. As seen with Linda and Boyd in the first game, in this world, mind control is entirely possible, which means subliminal messages aren’t out of the question.

However... it’s not hypnotism we’re talking about here.

This is Gristol’s own mind. This is his own song that he invented. And like a subliminal message, it is being played backward in his own mind.

Outwardly, Gristol sings his song. Inwardly, it plays in his head. And on a deep, subconscious level, it’s still there.

“Grulovia, Grulovia, you’re always right!”

There is no level of Gristol’s mind that believes he is wrong, or realizes he needs help.

And this, my friends, is why Gristol is the antithesis of the themes of the story, and the most dangerous character in the game.

[fieryanmitsu]

Cream Pie Antidote | A3! NSFW Week 2020 – Day 3 (Itaru/Izumi) | 18+, NSFW

A late contribution to the A3! NSFW Week! I had the rough draft written out during that week, but work got crazy busy, so I just finished this up now!!

But, anyway, when I originally saw the prompts for Day 3 of the A3! NSFW Week, I laughed really hard because the “fuck or die” trope is so campy and hilarious to me. There’s so many crazy ways it can go and it’s mad entertaining. And the idea for this fic immediately jumped into my brain when I stared at the prompt. LITERALLY NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS, but here you go anyway! For your brain cells’ sake, don’t take this too seriously, haha!

CREAM PIE ANTIDOTE

PROMPTS: Masturbation / Fuck or die

CHARACTERS: Itaru Chigasaki, Izumi Tachibana

PAIRINGS: Itaru/Izumi

My fanfic masterpost: Here

AO3: Link in my Blog Menu

CONTENT WARNING: Rated 18+ (NSFW, contains smut/explicit sexual descriptions and situations)

“Annnnd, that’s a wrap,” Itaru said to himself as he finally finished editing his next ‘Let’s Play’ video.

Removing his headset, he pushed himself off his chair and stretched his neck, wincing as he heard a crack. He had needed to spend more time than usual editing the video, so he was exhausted. But, being tired was way better than getting his account reported because he didn’t censor things properly. He still couldn’t believe his viewers had somehow voted for him to play a recently released R18 visual novel. He had a suspicion that someone was trolling him, but he couldn’t let his viewers down… so, he had played through the prologue and first chapter of the ‘Cream Pie Antidote: The Cumplete Edition’.

All in all, the storyline was ridiculous (as expected). The story took place in the year 20XX, where Tokyo was suddenly plagued with a deadly virus that had a 69% mortality rate. However, said virus only affected women and the only known antidote was to inject semen into the infected person’s body, because it apparently neutralized the virus. Of course, the protagonist was an ordinary salaryman who was suddenly thrust—pun intended—into the position of having to help several of his infected female acquaintances.

The voice acting was only so-so, and the background music was appropriate, but uninspired. On the other hand, the sound effects and the graphics were top-notch. He had especially enjoyed the CGs of the protagonist’s next-door neighbour. It definitely wasn’t because she had long, straight, brown hair and bright eyes that suspiciously resembled a certain curry-obsessed director.

Stifling a yawn—it was nearly 4:00am—Itaru hauled himself onto his bed. He was glad he had washed up earlier, because he was beat. Even the titillating nature of the game wasn’t enough to keep his exhaustion at bay. Putting his phone and glasses to one side, he plopped himself down onto his pillow and immediately fell fast asleep.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Hnnng…” Itaru groaned, pulling his blanket over his face.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Ugh, who the fuck is that?” he swore to himself as the knocking continued. Everyone should know not to disturb him on a weekend when there was no Spring Troupe practice scheduled.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

With an annoyed sigh, Itaru slid down the ladder of his bed, stumbled over to the door and wrenched it open, ready to give the person on the other side a piece of his mind.

However, as soon as he opened the door, someone slammed right into him.

“I-Itaru—thank goodness!” Izumi gasped as she caught herself on his chest.

“Izumi? What are you—Hey, what’s wrong?! You’re sweating buckets!” he exclaimed as he realized the young woman leaning on him was drenched with sweat, her thin t-shirt clinging to every curve of her chest. Her face was flushed and her eyes looked glossy as well.

“I-I’m sorry, Itaru. I was trying to be careful so that I wouldn’t catch the virus, but… I-I think I must have picked it up somehow,” she said, panting slightly. “I-I could just barely reach your room… Y-You’re the only one who can help me.”

“H-Huh?” Itaru could only stare at Izumi with wide eyes. He was suddenly having déjà vu. This was exactly what the next-door neighbour had said to the protagonist in ‘Cream Pie Antidote’. He must be dreaming.

“Please help me, Itaru. Pl-Please fuck me and fill me with your cum,” Izumi gasped out, her hands grasping his shirt.

Definitely a dream. Or a hallucination. Maybe he should pinch himself. However, just as he made to lift his hand, his eyes met Izumi’s and he found that he couldn’t look away. Her wet lips were parted and trembling, and her eyes were teary and… full of lust. After all, one of the side effects of the virus was that the infected person became incredibly aroused. He was seriously going to need to examine his mental state when he woke up—he couldn’t believe that he was dreaming up something so disgustingly self-indulgent and wish-fulfilling.

But, well… if this is a dream anyway…

“Are you sure you want me to be the one to help you?” he asked, steadying Izumi with his hands.

“Y-Yes. If… If it comes down to this, I…I want it to be you, Itaru” she replied sweetly, wrapping her arms around his waist, her breasts pressing into him.

“Then, I’ll do whatever I can to save you,” he responded, throwing all sense of logic to the wind. May as well go big or go home.

Pulling Izumi further into his room, he slammed the door shut behind her before he reached out a hand to cup her face. Her skin was hot beneath his palm and fingers—she felt so real. Unable to resist any longer, he leaned down and kissed her fervently. She leaned into him and returned his kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth. With a groan, he stumbled back and managed to catch himself in his computer chair.

“I-I heard that the most effective method is to make sure you both ingest semen and have it inserted into your vagina as well,” Izumi said as she pushed herself off his shoulders.

Before he could even respond, her hands were on the waistband of his sweatpants. With one smooth yank, she pulled off both his pants and his underwear.

“Wh-Whoa!” he yelped, nearly falling off his chair with the movement, grasping the armrests just in time. Then, Izumi’s hand was wrapped around his cock and stroking it up and down. “A-Ahh!”

“Does it feel good?” Izumi asked coyly, peeking up at him through her lashes as she continued to pump his member with long strokes.

“Y-Yeah,” he choked out. This was better than his imagination. He couldn’t help but close his eyes as he relished the feeling of her smooth hands. Then, he groaned as he suddenly felt a warm, wet sensation engulf him. He opened his eyes and glanced down, letting out a sigh of appreciation as he watched the back of Izumi’s head dip up and down below him.

His grip on his chair tightened as he tried to control his breathing, but Izumi was doing something with her tongue and teeth, and it was driving him crazy. Then, her hand started moving in rhythm with her mouth and he could feel his orgasm building.

“I-Izumi—I’m… I’m going to… come…” he gasped out as he bucked his hips into her mouth, desperate to obtain release. And then, it hit him, and he moaned as he felt his seed shoot out of him.

He heard Izumi’s muffled exclamation, but she didn’t let go of his cock until he stopped ejaculating. As his high died down, Izumi moved back and swallowed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Sorry, I don’t think I gave you enough warning,” he muttered, heart still pounding.

“It’s fine—I’m so glad you gave me such a big load. I’m already starting to feel better than earlier,” Izumi responded. Indeed, she appeared to have stopped sweating at least. “But… I still need you to take care of me… down there.”

Itaru’s eyes widened as Izumi suddenly stood up and stripped off her clothes. He couldn’t help but gape when she slowly removed her panties, because, when she did, he could see her juices drip out of her steadily and splatter to the floor.

“The virus won’t be neutralized fully until you fill me up with your cum… And… I-I’m so, so wet, Itaru… Please, won’t you put your big, juicy cock in me?”

His brain vaguely registered how he had laughed at that dialogue line during his playthrough—but, now, he would be lying if he said it wasn’t affecting him. He was a weak man.

“Get on the couch.”

Izumi immediately laid herself onto his couch and spread her legs, continuing to drip her fluids all over the cushion. He tentatively put one hand on her knee and slowly dragged his palm down her thigh, relishing in the feel of her smooth skin. Izumi moaned at the touch and, as he reached the apex of her thighs, he sighed at how absolutely slick she was under his fingers.

“I-Itaru, please!” she begged, panting hard as he pushed a finger into her. It was ridiculous how easy it was to slip inside her—there was absolutely no resistance. After a few pumps, he slid in a second digit and he could feel more fluids gush onto his hand. His cock was twitching—already erect again despite his recent orgasm.

“I-I need more. Please, Itaru—I want your cock to penetrate me.”

Biting back a groan, Itaru extracted his fingers, giving them a quick swipe with his tongue—delicious, of course. Then, he pushed her legs farther apart and lined himself up with her opening.

“All right, I’m going in now,” he announced. Seeing her nod beneath him, he pushed himself in slowly. He moaned as she enveloped him—she was so warm and tight, and how was it even possible for someone to be this wet?

Izumi moaned and he felt himself growing bigger. Her legs wrapped themselves around his waist and she arched her back, trying to push him deeper inside her. A shot of pleasure coursed through him as he sank further in.

After a moment of savouring the feeling of her pussy around him, he slowly began to pump in and out. With each movement, wet sounds lewdly echoed around them, punctuated by Izumi’s short cries every time he pushed into her.

“I-Itaru! M-More! Please, fuck me harder!” Izumi panted between parted lips. Her cheeks were rosy pink and her hair splayed around her in disarray.

Itaru could only nod as he hooked his hands under her knees and pressed her further into his couch, shoving her legs towards her chest so that he could leverage himself over her. He then thrusted into her, trying to reach deeper inside. Her inner walls were squeezing him, and he could feel the pressure building up inside of him again. He’s never felt this good before.

“I-Itaru, I-I’m coming!” Izumi gasped beneath him. And then, a moment later, she screamed and her walls clenched around his dick and he choked back a gasp. The feeling of her squeezing him was too much, and he knew he would come too. Just a few… more… thrusts.

“A-Ahhh!” he half-gasped, half-choked out as an intense orgasm ripped through him. He could feel his cum shoot out of him with his final push. But, even with the large load that he knew had blown out, he could still feel more. With a groan, he slammed himself into her again, shooting out more of his seed inside her. And then again. Finally, he felt that he had completely spent himself and he slowly pulled out.

“Wow, there’s so much cum, it’s leaking out of you,” he remarked as he extricated himself. His white seed was dripping out of her, as if there had been too much to contain inside. It was all over her pussy lips, mixing with her own fluids, and it was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. He had never really caught on to the appeal of creampies, but he thinks he might be a changed man after this.

“I-I shouldn’t let it go to waste,” Izumi responded shyly, reaching a hand down between her legs. She scooped up the excess fluids with her fingers and slowly pushed them inside herself. “I-I want… every… last… drop… inside… me…”

Each of her words was punctuated by a shove of her fingers diving deep inside her, her hips thrusting up with each movement. And, just as Itaru could feel his cock growing hard again, his eyes snapped open.

“Holy shit,” he groaned as he came face-to-face with his ceiling.

After taking a very cold shower, Itaru made his way to the kitchen, hoping to find some leftovers from lunch. As he pushed the door open, a sweet and tantalizing smell wafted past him.

“Oh! Itaru, you’re awake!” Izumi exclaimed, turning around at the sound of the door opening. “There’s leftovers in the fridge—I’ll heat it up for you. Or—I know it’s not really a proper lunch, but I just finished baking something if you want to eat that fresh!”

Itaru’s heart pounded a little faster as he took in her appearance. She was slightly flushed—probably from working over the oven—and her hair was tossed up in a disheveled ponytail. An image of her spread out on his couch briefly flashed into his head.

“Oh? What did you bake?” he asked, distracting himself with the coffee-maker.

“Omi taught me the recipe the other day, so I made coconut cream pie!”

Itaru’s hand froze. A moment later, he resumed the motions of measuring out the coffee grinds.

“Heh. Sure, I’ll have some cream pie.”

“… You know what, I changed my mind. I don’t like that smirk on your face. You’re not allowed to have any.”

I apologize—my brain is only filled with garbage, hahahaha! This idea was just so funny to me, I couldn’t help but write it out. Hopefully you all enjoyed this ridiculous little story, because I had way too much fun writing it! 

I do have one more prompt that I want to fill from A3! NSFW Week, so will eventually post that as well!! As usual, feel free to leave a comment and reblogs are alwasy appreciated! Thanks again for reading!

-Anmitsu

[sibyl-of-space]

Final Fantasy IX ~ Melodies and Memories

"Jesters of the Moon"

There are a lot of very good video games in the world, but it takes some luck and circumstance outside of a game's control for one to reach me at just the right time(s) and place(s) in my life that it has a tangible impact on who I am -- who I want to be. One that carves out a space for itself in my soul that will never be removed or replaced.

I've just finished playing Final Fantasy IX for the first time, and there's no doubt in my mind that such is the case here.

(Continued below readmore.)

I drew this art last year, when I was mourning my attachment to an old favorite game that I just don't feel the same way about anymore: Majora's Mask. I wanted to draw something that captured my feelings about it, because sometimes art is the best way to talk about something when the words don't want to come.

Why is "Jesters of the Moon," the name of a random song in the Final Fantasy IX soundtrack, plastered in the middle of this Majora's Mask fanart? Especially considering I hadn't even played Final Fantasy IX yet when I drew this?

The reason is exactly that "luck and circumstance" that allowed me to fall so uniquely in love with the game.

"Mt. Gulug"

In 2008, someone on YouTube uploaded a Majora's Mask parody-slash-let's-play series called "Majora's Mask: The Things Which Were Taken Out." The series has since become unlisted and won't be linked here out of respect for the creator who probably doesn't want things they said and made in 2008 being spread all over the internet, but because of Unregistered Hypercam 2 reasons, the series inserted other background music over the video and didn't record the actual game audio.

I didn't recognize any of the music, but I watched these parody videos on repeat because in addition to being funny (...at the time, in my mind, at least), I really really loved the music. It got to the point where I would sometimes be playing Majora's Mask and get disappointed when I approached Goht and the Mt. Gulug theme wasn't playing in the background.

I had forgotten about these videos for a really long time in the interim, but I remembered them at some point when I was thinking about Majora's Mask and I found them again. The creator had cited the Final Fantasy IX soundtrack for virtually all of the background music used in the videos, and I realized that despite knowing literally nothing about the game, I had become really fond of - and weirdly nostalgic for - the songs from it that I now recognized.

So I looked up "Jesters of the Moon" and played it on repeat while I drew out my feelings in colored marker. A few months later, I realized that my backwards compatible PS3 can also play PS1 games, and eBay had FFIX for PS1 at a good price. I had nothing to lose by ordering it and seeing what the source of all that fantastic music was like.

"Vamo Alla Flamenco"

I started my playthrough knowing nothing about what to expect from the game. I'd never played a Final Fantasy game before and my overall JRPG experience has been mostly limited to Tales of, Persona, and more recently, mainline Shin Megami Tensei. The only things I knew about Final Fantasy were a) the Tidus laughing scene, and b) Sephiroth. IX seemed like it had vibes I would enjoy, but beyond that I knew nothing about what the experience would be. So I approached it with a "let's have fun and see how it goes" attitude, naming my party members the first silly thing that came to mind, ending up with "Swaggy," "OwO," "Bitchin," "Gunz," and "SWOOORD" to start with.

(For the record I do not regret those names whatsoever.)

I was immediately struck by how differently the game uses music in comparison to all of my previous JRPG experiences. This was not a game where the composer was given a list of theme songs that were slapped on top of a mostly completed game-- this was a game constructed with the soundtrack in mind as a part of the writing process.

The opening act plays almost like an opera (side note, yes I know one of the other FF's has a literal opera, I haven't played that one): you traverse the same locations from different perspectives as different characters, introducing the cast with lighthearted humor and dramatic irony out the wazoo. While you traverse the city as OwO, OwO's theme is playing in the background, coloring your perspective of the city and the narrative. When you switch to Gunz patrolling around the castle, Gunz's theme accompanies your movement and informs his character and mission. I am so accustomed to "location themes" being the norm in virtually all video games that experiencing character and/or narrative themes as BGM instead while I bumble around town changed my entire perspective on what music in games can do and be.

The operatic feeling is definitely intentional, because the game uses a play-within-a-game narrative device to hit you over the head with its themes in a way that is somehow poignant and artful while also being extremely blatant. That is a hard balance to strike, but it manages. The whole game is like that: it is completely straightforward and tells you exactly what it's about at heart, but it does it beautifully.

At any rate, I was enamored with this intro and had a very fun time, but I wasn't obsessed or anything and ended up putting it down. I spent several months on the first half of disk 1 with weeks passing between play sessions. I liked the game plenty, but life stuff happened and I decided to get obsessed with Dai Gyakuten Saiban and Ghost Trick for a while. No regrettis.

It was already clear, though, that FFIX was going to be special to me. My compositions for my team's game in the Global Game Jam in 2021 were directly inspired by FFIX's opera-like intro. I wrote two character themes for our game that would serve as background music when you play as the two protagonists, coloring your journey differently even when moving in the same spaces. I was intentionally trying to mimic the way music is used in FFIX as an exercise. The themes I wrote are definitely some of my strongest work so far.

(You can check out the game here if you want, I promise it is significantly shorter than Final Fantasy IX.)

"Melodies of Life"

Music caused me to pick up FFIX the first time, and music caused me to return to it. After months of not touching or really thinking about it, just earlier this week I was inspired to play it again, because - again - I listened to the right song at the right time.

I was again mourning the loss of something, in this case a friendship, for reasons I'm not going to share here. I had already heard the song "Melodies of Life" because it came up when I was looking up FFIX songs to reblog on Tumblr a few months ago, and I decided to listen to it again. Even without knowing the game context, the song itself really spoke to me in that moment: "a voice from the past, joining yours and mine, adding up the layers of harmony" - it kind of made me feel at peace with the fact that I had a lot of positive memories of that friendship and I could keep those at heart while also moving on in the present. ...I'm also a sucker for music metaphors, so there is that.

I was really moved by this song, cheesy as it is, and I was also definitely in the mood for a distraction. Picking up FFIX again felt like the best move.

It was, and my life is forever changed.

The game never stopped being beautiful and funny and touching, and the soundtrack never ceased to amaze. I recognized concepts I've seen in other games but never had I seen them used so artfully. I adored the fantasy world and non-human cast, I found myself enticed by random encounter for the first time because it made me feel like I had to struggle to survive a difficult journey. Music, gameplay, visuals, and story felt like one cohesive work of art for the entire duration.

Life circumstances got me to play the game again, but the game itself was so captivating and wonderful that I binged the entire rest of it - disks 2-4 - in less than a week. Everything else that the game had to say, it told me itself, in its own context, and I was ready to listen.

"You're Not Alone!"

This is going to make me sound like an emotionally-stunted twenty-something, but it has been years since a work of media has got me to have a really good cry. I used to cry playing games all the time as a kid but recently I'll find myself getting emotional, sure, often tearing up, but getting completely red-faced and snot-nosed because I physically cannot contain the emotions being evoked by a work? Years. I can't honestly tell you the last time it happened with certainty.

I feel like an emotional band-aid has been ripped off. I was f*cking sobbing during the entire duration of the "You're Not Alone!" sequence. It didn't matter that what was happening was obviously coming from a mile away, because the delivery was so raw and emotional and human!!! A whole game's worth of Swaggy punching first and asking questions later to save his friends, being Protag McProtag endangering himself for others in any and all circumstances, for the payoff of all of his friends forcing him to stop being such a primadonna and let them help him for once. It's true, too! He relies on them just as much as they rely on him! And the game doesn't just tell you this, no, it lets you try to solo all these fights and waits until you realize how boned you are until they come bail you out.

When Bitchin showed up with her "looks like you need a hand" I wanted to straight up yell at my tv. YES I DO!!! YES I DO NEED YOU BITCHIN!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!! I half knew that SWOOORD was going to heal me before I got truly KO-ed but I had been unmercifully wiped in "unwinnable" battles before in this game, so I legit thought I might have to re-do that whole part of the game again, and I was so relieved and thankful when she showed up and healed me.

This moment exemplifies everything that I adore about this game. It doesn't just tell you its story. It shows it to you, it sings it to you, and it and lets you play it out and feel it for yourself.

"Game Over"

This song is all too familiar to me. Gizamaluke's Grotto was very unforgiving for a first-time Final Fantasy player, especially one who didn't happen to pick up Big on the way for a fourth party member early on.

I hadn't heard the piano part in a few months, though, because when I picked the game back up I started just mashing to reload before it got to that point any time we wiped. I didn't hear it again until the game was truly over, this time for good.

I let it play for a while. Not too long, because I have a CRT TV and didn't want "The End" to get burned in. But a while. Enough to meditate on what I'd just experienced, and how I was feeling about it.

There's so much more to say about the game, far more than I could put in a blog post. But I don't think I need to describe these thoughts in words. I can do what the game did, and use music, use art, use stories, use metaphors, and use symbols to communicate what I mean; and hope that someone else is able and willing to listen.

And although a written record of my thoughts likely won't be preserved for all that long, maybe the feelings and the memories will be, so long as they have been shared.

[bearpillowmonster]

Xenoblade Definitive Nonspoiler Review (Main)

I've heard high opinions of this game, in fact, I don't think I've heard a bad review for this one specifically, maybe Xenoblade X or 2 but not this one. Chuggaconroy even said that it was his favorite game. I decided I wasn't going to buy it on Wii, it was rare anyway, but I started watching a playthrough of it but didn't make it much past the beginning. Shulk got in smash and now there's a definitive edition on Switch so hey, let's give it a go.

Characters first, as I expected, the Nopons are kind of annoying, I barely ever used Riki though. Who is best girl? Well for the main female characters, we have Fiora, Sharla, and Melia. I'm a bit torn between the three because they all offer something different. 

I was team Fiora from the start, I just assumed that's how it went, I had previsions to like her but when it came down to it, there wasn't a whole lot to her at first. Then things happened and I have to say, her background with Shulk makes her a strong contender. She is a lot like him in more ways than one.

So then came Melia, who I instantly really liked, and tried to keep pampered throughout my playthrough. There isn't a whole lot I can say about her without spoiling though.

Sharla is the one that I know I don't ship with Shulk. She's a few years older anyway and she'd fit with Reyn more, they push that pretty hard. But she has the best character development and is probably the most interesting, 9 times out of 10, I had her in my party because for one, she's a sniper and I love snipers and she can reach birds that a sword or even the Monado can't normally reach. And two, she's a healer.

So we have best relationship, best character, and best story. I'm leaning towards Melia as best girl overall, even if I don't know who belongs with Shulk.

As for other characters, I was afraid Dunban would get sidelined and he kind of did, he’s only there because (spoiler) is there, then he gets told certain things by the ending and it’s like it barely even fazes him, sure he had that one moment where he was kind of broken up but other than that...Now Reyn is kind of the best, he’s ironically hilarious and the one that brings the team together, even if he does make mistakes sometimes and he’s easy to make fun of, he was a decent addition. And I expected Shulk to be my favorite yet I couldn’t help but feel he wasn’t, his quirk is that he’s kind of milquetoast but he’s learning not to be, I like that aspect but I just like everybody else’s character more.

Story

I’m making this review because I’m challenging the game. I started feeling like it was all too familiar but then I realized Sword Art Online definitely took a few notes for Alicization. The dialogue is pretty campy too. It’s not clear whether Shulk SEES these visions the same as what we’re seeing as well as hearing them but if he does then he’s really oblivious. “What could this mean?” Gee uh, maybe someone crying for help?! If he was just hearing it though, I could totally understand except he talks about "seeing" things so I assume he knows. 

It's ironic, I started this because I thought the story was supposed to be good and I thought the gameplay was just something you had to accept. I ended up staying for the gameplay and thinking the story is kind of outlandish, I'm not sure where the whole Zanza thing came from and when I looked it up when I was thinking about buying this game, it didn't show that side of the story, because it's a spoiler. Yeah it’s hinted at throughout but I don’t care, it’s not my thing at all. I won't talk about it but just know that it's questionable, I thought I got rid of it with Persona 5. I wasn't going to complain about the cutscenes because Kingdom Hearts has long cutscenes but these are especially sluggish, and over nothing, Shulk sometimes just stands there and "mmph"s and "urgh"s looking at the Monado and then you enter a new area and you walk down a ramp and immediately comes another cutscene. I would start doing something else while some of the cutscenes were playing because they were so slow. Don't tell me that I shouldn't judge the story that way because first off, if it doesn't engage me enough to stay there then it's not my kind of thing and second, I only started doing that towards the end and still understood everything. It should have just ended when (to put it in non-spoiler terms) Shulk sat on the Golden Mechon. I think this game is more for people who were already fans anyway though.

As for the graphics, I’m a fan of these designs, it reminds me of a Kingdom Hearts style, kind of cartoonish and vibrant and they aren’t too realistic. Why is that? Because apparently Tetsuya Nomura himself put a little bit of influence in there. Looking up a few things here and there, I can tell that it’s definitely a glow-up over the original especially the character models, I can actually tell their faces apart. The original actually reminds me of the FF12 era. I see some people saying that it’s still not great because of the resolution but as long as it has style then it’s fine with me, I couldn't see myself playing any other version after even glancing at the improvement of these designs. 

You could call this a gameplay thing but it fits here since it's design. I really really love this one. So, with a lot of RPGs, there are equipable items, weapons, and gear but most of the time, it’s just for stats, they don’t actually show up. With this game, they do! You can customize your character essentially and it keeps it even during cutscenes. As if that wasn't good enough right? So if you just want to have the cutscenes look good but also have a style going on, there is a section to put on the gear that you want visible while also have the same attributes of the other gear you have “equipped” so no worries. The only gripe with it is that I really liked the short sleeved outfit in the trailers "The Monado style" but you know what? You have to play the epilogue to get it, "Future Connected" which means after the main story. I’m not doing that because I ended up being disappointed with the main game, why bother? I looked up some FC stuff and it seems just as messy, like they wanted to add to the ending of the game but it doesn’t add all that much from what I see. Not in terms of length but actual lore and story.

Now do I recommend this game? Ho ho, people are gonna be mad but no. Maybe I don’t understand it, but I played the game, you tell me why it’s supposedly good.

[fallintosanity]

in my ffxv playthrough the summons had the obnoxious habit of only allowing themselves to be summoned right as the fight was ending, when they would be the least useful

also, gentiana is a complete troll

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15

“Have you ever heard about someone generating an elemental attack without actually using a materia?” Genesis demanded of Angeal. 

It was Friday, the day after Cloud’s materia class, and he, Genesis, and Angeal were heading to the Briefing Room. Angeal frowned at Genesis’s question. “That doesn’t even make sense,” he said.

“That’s what we said!” Genesis gestured to himself and Cloud. “But that’s exactly what Caelum’s doing.” 

“Huh.” 

Genesis stopped walking and glared at him. “You don’t care, do you,” he accused Angeal. “You’re not even remotely curious about this?”

“I’m more curious why Lazard sent all of us an emergency summons an hour before we were supposed to have a meeting with him anyway,” Angeal answered, and kept walking. 

Genesis harrumphed and followed, but Cloud had to concede Angeal’s point. He suspected the original scheduled afternoon meeting was to discuss Noctis’s work in SOLDIER and, in all likelihood, a promotion to Second Class, but couldn’t begin to guess why Lazard had called all the Firsts in early. 

Sephiroth met them in the hall just outside the Briefing Room. “Is this everyone?” he asked.

Angeal nodded. “Zack and Kunsel had to go down to Junon this morning to deal with a Turk emergency.” 

Sephiroth gave a clipped nod at that and swept into the Briefing Room without further discussion. Lazard was pacing back and forth along the end of the table, snarling into his PHS, “I don’t care how it happened, just tell Scarlet that if it ever happens again, I’m having her funding revoked—No, I just said I don’t care, this is the second time her experiments have put SOLDIERs in danger.” He glanced up, spotted the Firsts, and snapped to the PHS, “Tell her.” Then he slapped the device closed and shoved it into a pocket. 

Genesis raised an eyebrow at Cloud behind Angeal’s back - Lazard didn’t normally get that worked up. But the director took a deep breath, making a visible effort to calm down. “My apologies,” he said. “And thank you for coming on such short notice.” 

“You said SOLDIERs are in danger?” Angeal asked. 

Lazard nodded. “Scarlet has apparently been developing yet another line of attack robots - a model supposedly capable of slaying a Zolom. She took them out to the wastes south of Midgar for testing, but ‘lost control’ over them.” He didn’t quite roll his eyes at the phrase, but it was clear from his tone what he thought of Scarlet’s ability to keep her machines in line. 

Sephiroth folded his arms. “Scarlet’s robots are no threat to us. Why claim we’re in danger?” 

“Not you.” Lazard rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “I’d planned to ask Commanders Strife and Rhapsodos to deal with them after our meeting, but something went wrong with the mission system.” 

“How so?” Angeal asked. 

“Instead of staying reserved as I’d intended, the mission somehow made it out into the regular roster,” Lazard said. “It was automatically assigned to a Third who departed on the mission before I realized what had happened, and now I can’t get hold of him to call him back.” 

Cloud nodded. That wasn’t surprising; cell signal in the wastes was spotty at best. 

“Which Third?” Genesis said. “Some of them might be wise enough to fall back when they find the robots.” 

Lazard looked up at them, and from the weary look on his face, Cloud realized who it had to be even as the director said, “Noctis Lucis Caelum.” 

“Of course it’s him,” Genesis muttered. “It’s like Cloud all over again, but worse.” 

Cloud kicked him in the ankle, then looked innocent when Genesis glared at him. Lazard ignored them both and said, “I need the four of you to head to the wastes immediately to rescue Caelum. He’s shown promise, certainly, but promise won’t protect him from Scarlet’s most murderous designs yet.”

“How much of a lead does he have?” Sephiroth asked.

“About an hour,” Lazard said. “He requisitioned a van. I already have another which will be ready for you by the time you get down to the garage.” 

“Understood.” Sephiroth glanced at Cloud and the others; when no one objected, he nodded to Lazard and swept out of the room. 

*           *           *

Fifteen minutes later, the four of them were packed into a van and bouncing along the bumpy road out of Midgar toward the wastes. They were going faster than the rough road would normally allow, but Angeal navigated around the worst potholes and debris with the ease of familiarity and the reflexes of a SOLDIER First. 

Genesis, sitting in the back with Cloud, leaned forward and prodded Angeal on the shoulder. “So have you ever heard of someone making an elemental blast without using materia?” 

Sephiroth, riding shotgun, glanced back at Genesis with confusion drawing a narrow line between his eyebrows. “That doesn’t make sense.” 

“That is exactly what we have been saying!” Genesis pronounced dramatically. He launched into a description of what had happened yesterday during the materia lesson. “Perhaps we can use today’s little mishap as a test,” he finished. “Rescue Caelum, but bring him along when we destroy the robots, and have him try out that Thunder materia he carries. Then you’ll see.” 

“Good idea,” Angeal said. “There has to be a logical explanation for what he’s doing.” He drew breath to say more, but Sephiroth’s PHS rang. The general answered, then frowned as he listened to whoever was on the other end. 

“Wait,” Sephiroth said finally. “The others should hear this.” He held out his PHS and set it to speaker. “Go ahead.” 

Lazard’s voice came over the line. “I was just telling Sephiroth that my assistant figured out how this mission got on Caelum’s roster.” 

“You said it was a glitch in the system,” Genesis said. 

“Apparently not,” Lazard said. “Someone assigned it to him.” 

Cloud frowned. “Who?”

“Well…” Lazard hesitated. “The First Class override code used to make the assignment belongs to Commander Fair.”

“Zack?” Angeal said, surprised. “Why would Zack do that?”

“More importantly, when would he have done it?” Genesis added. “He’s with Kunsel in Junon.” 

“Good questions,” Lazard agreed. “Ones we don’t have the answer to.” 

“Does anyone else know Fair’s override code?” Sephiroth asked. “A Turk, perhaps?” Then his green eyes narrowed and he looked at Cloud. 

Cloud scowled back. Sephiroth must have picked up something over their connection; Cloud knew the answer, but hadn’t wanted to throw Zack under the bus. He managed not to squirm as he admitted, “Most of SOLDIER knows. Probably half the cadets, too.”

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. In the rearview, Cloud saw Angeal wince. Genesis flung up his hands in exasperation. “I thought the Turks like him because he’s so very trustworthy. How is sharing his First Class override code with most of SOLDIER trustworthy?” 

“He likes helping people,” Cloud muttered, the words coming out defensive. “He gives it to people when they lock themselves out of their rooms, or when they need to requisition something. He wouldn’t have expected anyone to do something like this.” 

Lazard sighed, audible even over the PHS’s increasingly staticky connection. “That’s going to make it difficult to identify the culprit,” he said. 

“Who would want to, though?” Angeal asked. “Sending Caelum on a reserved First Class mission which would very likely be fatal? Has the man made such a bitter enemy already?” 

“Three friends go into battle,

One is captured,

One flies away,

The one that is left becomes a hero,” Genesis recited thoughtfully. 

“Rivalry?” Sephiroth seemed to turn this over, then shot another glance at Cloud. “You’ve spent the most time with him. Have you noticed any such thing?” 

Cloud shook his head. “One of the Thirds made a joke about Noctis’s bunkmate killing him over his alarm clock, but that’s it.” 

“I doubt a bunkmate dispute would rise to the level of attempted homicide,” Lazard agreed. “I’ll keep investigating here. You four… just hurry.” The PHS clicked as he hung up. 

Sephiroth looked at Angeal. “How much farther?” 

“Another fifteen or twenty minutes before the road ends,” Angeal said with a glance at the speedometer. “Then it’s on foot until we find Caelum and the robots.” 

“Wonderful,” Genesis muttered. “Wandering the wastes with killer robots on the prowl. Just my idea of a good time.” 

“You could always recite Loveless at the robots, if it would make you feel better,” Sephiroth suggested. 

Genesis scoffed. “Just because you have no appreciation for the arts—”

They kept bickering as the van drove into the wastes. It reminded Cloud, not pleasantly, of the time the other three had kidnapped him to spar with Sephiroth. That little adventure had been what kicked off Angeal’s degradation and started the whole mess with Hojo. 

Cloud clenched his fists. Hojo was dead, and so was Hollander. Both Genesis and Angeal’s degradation had been cured, and Noctis, despite all his other mysteries, showed no signs of anything similar. All that would happen this time was that they would find Noctis, destroy the rampaging bots, and return home. 

Fortunately, Angeal managed to arrive at the end of the road before Cloud could work himself up too badly. Noctis’s requisitioned van sat just off the pavement, and Angeal parked beside it just in time to stop a full-blown argument from developing between Sephiroth and Genesis over the interpretation of a particularly vague line in Loveless’s third act. Cloud fled the van before either of them could demand his opinion, leaving Angeal to bully them out himself. “Genesis, you and Cloud go that way,” Angeal ordered as he all but dragged Sephiroth out the passenger door. “Sephiroth and I will take this side.” 

Cloud followed Angeal’s nod to the west, where low mesas rose up from the dusty ground to create a maze of cliffs. The sun, low in the sky, cast brilliant orange and pink light across the grey landscape. They’d have to hurry if they didn’t want to be wandering around out here in the dark. Even the more aggressive monsters that emerged at night weren’t a threat to First Class SOLDIERs, but they’d be annoying - and would pose a risk to Noctis. 

“Move quickly,” Sephiroth said, echoing Cloud’s thoughts. The Loveless argument was apparently already forgotten, his focus turning to the mission. “Check in frequently, and be careful. Lazard wasn’t able to get more information on these robots, other than that they were Scarlet’s deadliest yet.” He tossed a small handheld radio to Cloud, and another to Genesis. “Let’s go.” 

They moved out, spreading out across the wastes. Cloud quickly lost sight of Genesis among the rock formations, and even the rustle of his boots over the rocky ground vanished beneath the dull rush of wind. But as he passed around the far side of one of the larger mesas, the wind carried new sounds to his ears: the shriek of machinery under stress and a distant, familiar shout. 

Noctis. 

Cloud followed the sound, ears straining as he wove through the rocky terrain. When he thought he was headed in the right direction, he radioed the others, but didn’t stop to wait for them. He could hear the deep rattle of heavy artillery now, and another metallic shriek. The sounds of battle intensified as he wove through a narrow gully that cut through one of the larger cliffs - then abruptly fell silent. 

Cloud’s gut clenched. Was he too late? He pushed himself to run faster, heedless of the rocky spurs jutting into his path and tearing at his shoulders and legs. The shadows shifted up ahead, and Cloud skidded around a corner, emerging onto a broad, flat area littered with smoking robot wreckage. 

There had to be at least twenty of the things, though it was hard to tell because they’d been so thoroughly torn apart. Spindly metal legs, still-smoking gun barrels, sheets of plating, and more debris all lay scattered across the rocky plateau. In the center was a larger pile of robot bodies, as though they’d all ganged up for a final, desperate rush against a single target. Noctis Lucis Caelum stood atop the pile of wrecked robots, his hands empty, his face turned upward and his eyes reflecting the brilliant pink glow of the sunset. 

As Cloud skidded to a startled halt at the edge of the plateau, Noctis blinked and turned to look down at him. The pink sunset glow vanished from his eyes, replaced with surprise that mirrored Cloud’s own. “What the hell are you doing here?” Noctis said. 

“Saving you...?” Cloud said, then shook his head, staring in amazement at the mess of metal parts. “I guess you don’t need it.” 

“No, why would I?” Noctis jumped lightly down from his perch, following Cloud’s gaze around the plateau. “That was a lot more fun than killing bugs in the slums.” 

“Did you just say that was fun?!” Genesis demanded, emerging from the gully behind Cloud. “How did you—” 

Noctis scowled at him from behind his bangs. “Did you think I couldn’t handle a few MAs on my own?” 

His frown deepened a moment before Cloud sensed Sephiroth’s presence. The general, with Angeal on his heels, followed Genesis out of the gully. Green eyes surveyed the destruction coolly as Sephiroth said, “Given the Head of Weapons Development’s reputation, Director Lazard had reserved this mission for a team of First Class SOLDIERs. You should never have received it as a solo mission.” 

“Oh.” Noctis looked over the robots once more, then shrugged. “Guess the director overestimated these things.” 

“You also should not have gone on any mission alone,” Sephiroth added sharply. “You’re still on probation and subject to Commander Strife’s supervision.” 

Noctis’s expression instantly turned sullen, his chin lowering so his bangs hid his face. “The mission didn’t say anything about needing to be babysat. Figured maybe you guys were finally laying off.” He strode forward, brushing past Cloud toward the gully. 

“Wait, Caelum, you’re hurt!” Genesis called. Cloud spotted the torn fabric of Noctis’s uniform and the red smear of blood down his side an instant before Genesis cast a Cure on him. 

Noctis yelped and jerked like he’d been stung. “The hell—?!”

“Easy,” Angeal said. He stepped closer, one hand out like he was worried Noctis might spook. “It’s just a Cure spell.” 

“A Cure spell? Like in—” Noctis started, then snapped his mouth closed so hard his teeth clicked audibly. 

“Never had magical healing before, eh?” Genesis asked. He clapped Noctis on the shoulder. “SOLDIERs heal quickly, but a Cure is far cleaner and doesn’t leave a scar.” 

Noctis blinked, then twisted to look down at the wound. “...Huh.” 

“Come on,” Angeal said gently. “We should get back. The wastes are—cold at night.” He didn’t quite manage to hide the fact that he’d been about to say something else. But unless those mangled robots had been far below Scarlet’s usual standards, dangerous wasn’t a concern for Noctis any more than it was for the Firsts. 

If Noctis noticed the substitution, though, he gave no sign, just headed for the gully again. “Sounds good to me. I’m beat.” 

Angeal and Genesis followed him, but Sephiroth hung back, and Cloud paused, waiting. Only when the others had vanished into the weaving trail through the rock did Sephiroth say in a low voice, “Did Caelum have a weapon when you found him?” 

Cloud blinked, running the memory through his mind. Noctis’s standard-issue broadsword had been strapped to his back, but… “Not in his hand, no.” 

Sephiroth surveyed the robot graveyard before them once more. The sun had sunk below the horizon while they’d been talking to Noctis, and in the deepening twilight, his slit-pupiled eyes glowed more brightly than usual. “None of this damage was done with that broadsword he carries,” Sephiroth said quietly. “In fact, I see a squadron’s worth of weapon marks here.” 

“You think he had help?” 

“I don’t know,” Sephiroth admitted. “We should have seen some sign of the presence of others. But Caelum clearly has no other weapons himself.” 

Cloud took another look around the plateau, studying the destroyed robots. Now that Sephiroth had pointed it out, he could see the marks of strange weapons on the pieces: a serrated blade here, something long and thin - a spear? - there. Bullet holes from a different caliber than the robots’ own mounted guns, and even familiar layered slices from a throwing star like the one Yuffie had used in Cloud’s timeline. A squadron’s worth of weapons, like Sephiroth had said, but Cloud hadn’t heard a squadron. And he’d arrived fast enough after the fight ended that he should have seen something. 

“No one else was here,” Cloud said reluctantly, and shook his head. “We’ll figure it out.” 

“Yes,” Sephiroth agreed. His eyes gleamed like a prowling coeurl’s as he stalked after the others back to the van. “We will.” 

Cloud turned, intending to follow, but an icy breeze shivered over his bare arms. He stopped, senses on high alert. The wastes were cold at night, sure, but the rocky ground was still warm with the last of the sun’s baked-in heat and that breeze had been positively arctic. Almost like…

He dug his Shiva materia out of his pocket and held it up. The red sphere was coated with a thin layer of frost, and Cloud’s breath crackled and fogged the air as he studied it. Then his straining senses caught movement behind him, and he spun around, reaching for the hilt of First Tsurugi on his back. 

For just a moment, he thought he saw a figure standing on the far side of the plateau. In the fading light, all he could make out was long dark hair, pale skin, and flowing clothes - but even as he tried to focus on the figure, it vanished as though it had never been. That arctic breeze rippled across Cloud’s skin once more, then likewise faded. 

Cloud still shivered. Had he imagined the figure, thanks to Sephiroth’s suggestion of others accompanying Noctis? Or had Cloud actually seen one of Noctis’s mysterious accomplices? He took a couple of steps forward, squinting toward where he thought the figure had been, but saw nothing, heard nothing.

It couldn’t have been a hallucination. Could it? Cloud was sane, had gone to great lengths to recover his sanity - he shouldn’t be seeing imaginary people anymore. Shouldn’t. But then, how else to explain the figure? Even Wutai ninja couldn’t vanish in plain sight like that. But if it was a hallucination— 

“Cloud?” 

He jumped about a mile and spun around, glaring at Sephiroth where he stood at the entrance to the path through the rock. Sephiroth returned the look levelly. “Everything alright?” 

“Fine,” Cloud snarled. He forced himself to let go of First Tsurugi’s hilt and stalked past Sephiroth before the general could ask any more questions. Sephiroth was absolutely the last person Cloud wanted to discuss possible hallucinations with. And it wasn’t a hallucination anyway. It couldn’t be. It had to be Noctis’s mystery accomplice. 

...it had to.

[egginthepit]

Army of Two

So I kind of wrote this story to be self-indulgent but it came out better than expected! First time posting any fan fiction on this account but here goes nothing! Be kind and be respectful about feedback and I will take them seriously! This is an OC x Claude and OC x Dimitri from Fire Emblem Three Houses

(Btw never played the game because I’m poor so I mostly watched playthroughs and read the Wikipedia pages. Again this fic is entirely self indulgent)

****

Chapter 1

An Uncanny Friendship

The morning light of the sun flooded into the corridor from the wide panel windows. Libelle and Valeria walked side-by-side heading towards their first day of class at Garreg Mach Monastery. Libelle watched silently as Valeria talked excitedly about getting to finally meet the rest of the noble families that would be in her class. However, the pit in Libelle’s stomach begged to differ with her forced smile.

“What’s wrong?” asked Valeria, slowing down her pace and glancing over.

“Oh, nothing! Just… have excitement jitters!” Libelle answered. Valeria knew for certain that wasn’t the truth. Her friend’s movements had been stiff the very moment they had set foot on the monastery. It wasn’t the lazy saunter that she knew from childhood and not to mention Libelle had maybe said a total of ten words for the past two days.

“Liar, you’re nervous. They’ll like you!” she reassured. Libelle immediately gave Valeria a skeptical look, scrunching her nose up in retort.

“They’re all nobles. I’ll be the odd one out. You’ll see, you’ll be the only one who talks to me once we walk in.”

“Maybe if you could make yourself approachable instead of having that scowl plastered on your face all the time! Then people would talk to you more!”

“I do not scowl!” Libelle paused, glancing down suddenly, “…all the time.”

Valeria let out a hearty laugh before noticing that they were now approaching the Blue Lion classroom. She paused slightly before the door to make herself presentable. Fixing her braided hair and her uniform that had been slightly wrinkled during their walk. Libelle let her eyes wander around the hallway as she waited. Landing on anything but the classroom doorway. Valeria did one last pep talk to herself before finally turning to walk into the room with squared shoulders and a straight back. Libelle followed suit, rolling her eyes and opting to stick her hands in her pockets.

****

As soon as Libelle had set foot in the classroom she could feel the eyes of the other students. However, she knew the eyes weren’t directly on her but rather her escort. Valeria smiled and greeted a towering young man with bright blonde hair and a blue cape. She also addressed the group that had been standing near him. Libelle had counted at least five people that were there beside blondie. One redhead, one with very dark blue hair, a blonde girl, and an even taller man with what seemed like gray hair. The gray-haired man didn’t even attempt to smile at any of Valeria’s greetings. Which was entirely new, everyone always smiled at Valeria, at least once-

“Ah! Why don’t you introduce yourself?” Valeria said as she turned towards Libelle, catching her off guard.

“Um, I’m Libelle Fabricius” she answered with a wavering voice and a slight croak. She began to mentally berate herself for not paying attention to the conversation. If she did, maybe she would have remembered to clear her throat before answering! She could just feel Valeria’s ‘I’m disappointed in you’ stare from her left.

“It is my pleasure to meet you Miss Fabricius. May I ask where your family is from? Your name sounds very familiar,” the blonde boy said. Libelle thought for a moment, her and her uncle were just commoners so there was no way a noble man like him would recognize them. However, after a moment she thought of the only answer for the familiarity.

“Perhaps you know us from my uncle’s blacksmith shop. We supply a portion of the armory in Fhirdiad to the Bailddyd and Lucentio houses.” Libelle deadpanned, not realizing how monotoned her answer had been. The redhead in the back tried to hide a snicker while his dark-haired friend scowled. Well really his face had been in a scowl the entire time. What caught Libelle’s attention was the blonde boy’s chuckle and Valeria’s quick swoop into the conversation.

“Libelle!” Valeria said, a tad too loud and sudden, “This is his lordship Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, I am sure you had heard from earlier.”

No, no she had not. Libelle could hear the slight emphasis towards the end of Valeria’s statement meant specifically to sting some realization. However, she really couldn’t understand what the problem had been. She had answered his question, she hadn’t lied about anything and merely was stating a fact.

“Yes, now that explains it! Your uncle makes very fine weaponry for our guardsmen!” Dimitri said through a very amused smile. Before long the conversation began steering towards noble family stuff and Libelle’s interest had faded. It just wasn’t her cup of tea to discuss matters that didn’t really concern her personal experiences. She let her eyes wander again and her mind detach itself from the conversation in front of her. There were two seats to every table and the room had very good lighting from all the windows. Books were strewn about on the wall shelves and the professor’s desk stood in the stark middle towards the front. As Libelle’s eyes kept wandering they unexpectedly landed on a boy with silver hair holding a book by one of the windows. He had looked up just as Libelle had glanced his way and she probably would have immediately looked elsewhere in that moment if he hadn’t waved to her with a smile.

It was the kind of smile that didn’t seem forced or had any hidden intentions. Just an honest smile from a stranger and at this point Libelle was desperate for any reason to leave this circle. Taking one last glance at Valeria to be sure she wasn’t paying attention to her Libelle then made her way to him.

“What are you reading?” Libelle asked, opting to stand at the other end of the window.

“Oh, this? This is called ‘The Journey of the Great’, it’s about a group of knights seeking to save their land from peril!” The boy excitedly explained, closing the book to show Libelle the cover. She gladly took a closer look at it and gestured to the boy if she could look through it. He nodded and scooted closer while Libelle let her gaze flow over the words.

“Oh, by the way, I’m Libelle Fabricius! What’s your name?” Libelle asked, taking a pause from the book.

“Ashe. Ashe Ubert! It is quite a pleasure to meet you Libelle,” he smiled.

****

Valeria had been so caught up in the conversation with the circle of nobles that she hadn’t kept track of where Libelle had wandered off to. Then it was too late to track her as their professor, Byleth, walked in and everyone took their seats. Valeria would have throttled Libelle for leaving her so suddenly if chance hadn’t looked her way. She had been granted the opportunity to sit next to THE Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. They had spent the better part of free work hour exchanging notes to be sure that they both had everything written down from the lesson. Although she found herself very surprised with how frank Dimitri had spoken to her. They were now all walking together to the training grounds for the combat lessons of the day. It filled Valeria with rather great excitement to be able to have the opportunity to walk alongside the prince.

“I do apologize for taking you from your friend. I would not mind if you rejoined her,” Dimitri said, leaning down slightly to compensate for his height difference.

“Oh, it’s quite alright your highness Dimitri! Besides, I believe she’ll be fine on her own now. It seems she’s found another friend at last,” Valeria smiled as she glanced over at Libelle and Ashe animatedly talking to one another.

“It seems she has,” Dimitri said as he too looked over at them, “Also, Miss Lucentio I would very much prefer it if you just called me Dimitri seeing as we will be classmates and comrades for our time here.”

“You will have yourself a deal if you also return the favor by calling me as just Valeria,” she responded, her eyes showing a sort of playful mirth.

“Then consider it done, Valeria,” he smiled. In that moment, Valeria felt as if nothing could go wrong. That is until she also felt a slight tap on her shoulder. In that instant she didn’t need to turn to know who it had been.

“You two are getting awfully familiar,” Libelle chirped in matching the two other students’ paces.

“Libelle!” Valeria said, feigning surprise, amusing Libelle slightly, “I hope you didn’t just leave behind your companion just now.”

The second that statement left Valeria’s mouth she knew she had screwed up. Nothing takes greater joy for Libelle than terrorizing her when she is showing an interest in a person. Any person really. Then right on cue, a sly smile briefly appeared on Libelle’s face. It passed so quickly that Dimitri had no time to notice but Valeria had. She greatly feared what was in store.

“Oh don’t you worry, I told Ashe I was just checking up on you since I felt bad just up and leaving you by yourself earlier.” Libelle gladly retorted, her steps becoming more like a skip every second, “Besides, I should get to know more than just one person in this entire class. Right Dimitri? May I call you that?”

“Of course, I hope you don’t mind either if I call you Libelle,”

“Nope! Aw, look at us! One step closer to being great friends and comrades!” Libelle said cheerly as she slung an arm around each of their shoulders. Valeria gave Dimitri an apologetic smile, seeing as he had to awkwardly lean down even more to match Libelle’s height. The prince simply laughed and carefully matched his long strides in order to not accidentally fling Libelle forward.

****

Once everyone had arrived to the training grounds they were all sorted by which weapons they would be specializing in. Libelle opted for her dagger and spear while Valeria left to train for archery. At first Libelle had been excited for this portion of lessons that day. That was until she found out who she would be facing for the first time at the academy. Standing across from her was the crown prince of Faerghus. Armed also with a spear he stood at the ready. From what little Libelle knew about him she knew he would be the most formidable opponent she would ever face. He would never underestimate an enemy, no matter their appearance. Not to mention Libelle barely had any combat experience outside of the ring while she knew for certain he was already battle tested.

She pursed her lips trying to decide how she could possibly even just last more than a second in this match. Libelle unsheathed her dagger, holding it close to her thigh for some semblance of comfort; her other hand clenching tightly to her spear. The two eyed each other as they circled the arena. Then a realization hit Libelle after shifting her spear slightly, Dimitri was only watching her weapons and their movement. As soon as it dawned on her she made her move to attack. She charged quickly across as Dimitri did the same. He had not even taken his third step when Libelle spun her spear and dagger into the air high above both of their heads. Before Dimitri realized it had been a distraction Libelle had already grabbed both of his arms and threw him to the ground. Then just as quickly she sat atop of him, using her knees to press on his shoulders while catching her spear and dagger. The metal of both weapons now pressing against his neck. A clear sign on who had won the match.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Libelle gasped between breaths. At this moment, Dimitri noticed that both the dagger and spear were shaking in her hands, clanging together slightly. He slowly reached up to pat her arms, shaking her out of her general shock.

“You did great Libelle! You can take a rest now,” he calmly reassured. Libelle heaved a sigh of relief as she sheathed her dagger and dropped her spear as she got off of Dimitri.

“I never suspected you to be able to pick me up let alone throw me,” he chuckled as Libelle helped him to his feet.

“I’m a blacksmith’s niece, what did you expect?” she joked in return, “I’m going to see how Valeria is doing. Would you like to join?”

“Of course, it would be a great opportunity to see her skills. She would be at the target range correct?”

“Yep and she is one hell of an archer,” Libelle remarked.

****

Valeria steadied herself as she kept her eyes closed. Knocking a single arrow in she breathed out one long breath. Then, as fast as lightning, opened her eyes and shot arrow after arrow into every target in front of her. Each one hitting the red center with accuracy and precision. After both front rows and farther back rows of targets were marked Valeria quickly turned to her right. The targets on this side were designed with magic, each one zipping back and forth at the speed of many cavalrymen. The row in front slower than the one in the back. However, speed and distance meant nothing to Valeria as each target earned itself with an arrow at its center. Then to her left were the targets hung upon the groupings of trees. Valeria’s eyes worked over time to locate and hit every single one. Silence settled after the last arrow was shot. The sound was abruptly interrupted with a cheer from behind.

“Great job Val! That was even faster than last time in your family’s courtyard!” Libelle yelled from a considerable distance.

“I swear if you’re going to bring up how I narrowly missed Mr. Thanamor’s rooster and we had to run for our lives from a dumb chicken-” Valeria began and then suddenly stopped once she had turned to see that Libelle had brought company. She could feel her whole face heat up as soon as Dimitri had given a small wave. She didn’t even need to look at Libelle to know she had her signature trouble-making grin. However, Valeria refused to go down without a fight and trudged towards the two, trying to keep her head held high and forcing back the blush.

“I don’t know anything about a rooster but Valeria that was some impressive archery skills you displayed,” Dimitri remarked with a smile. That was all Valeria needed to feel the blush creep back up. Then she looked over at Libelle briefly who stood slightly behind Dimitri. Her grin was there but this time less sly and more genuine as she gave Valeria a thumbs up.

“Sorry to leave so suddenly but I’m going to see how Ashe is doing! Have fun you two!” Libelle sang towards the end already leaving without permission.

“I hope she didn’t drag you here by force,” Valeria said, directing her attention back to Dimitri. He only laughed in response.

“No, she merely invited me along. On the way here though she did insist it would be worth the walk to see you in your element. I see now that wasn’t just talk. Where did you learn to hone your skills like that?”

“You speak of me so highly I can’t help but feel honored at the moment! As for learning, I was taught for a little while by an instructor my parents had hired. However, he had to return to his homeland around the time when I had turned eleven. I still appreciate all that he had shown me,”

“I am certain that if he were to see you now he would certainly be impressed,” Dimitri said. However, before their conversation could continue Sylvain had arrived to tell them that professor Byleth wanted them back in the classroom for strategy lessons.

“Shall we continue this conversation on our way back?” Valeria asked. Dimitri agreed and the two walked side-by-side towards the Blue Lions’ classroom, “So, would you mind telling me how Libelle did for combat training today?”

“Ha, she is a tricky one and managed to beat me,”

“SHE WHAT,” Valeria almost shouted.

****

Libelle flopped face first onto her bed groaning with exhaustion. It had been only one day and she already felt as if both her body and spirit were dying. She could hear Valeria settle into her own bed in a more graceful manner but knew she was just as exhausted. Adjusting herself to sit upright against the wall and her legs spread out Libelle began thinking about the events of the day. Nothing had been better than getting dinner after such a long and arduous day. However, something had bothered her throughout the meal. As if she had been watched by a pair of keen eyes. Libelle looked up, ready to ask Valeria if she had felt the same but found her fast asleep already.

“You’re going to get a cold like that,” Libelle whispered to herself. Quietly climbing out of bed she carefully removed the blanket from under Valeria and draped it over her, “It’s not very ladylike to sleep in your uniform.”

Without much else to do Libelle decided to take a walk around the monastery to take her mind off that strange feeling from dinner. She let her feet take her through winding stairs and halls illuminated by the moon. Before she knew it she was atop some tower somewhere with the most amazing view of the monastery she had ever seen. Her eyes gazed across the horizon and to the stars above. Libelle seated herself on the ledge and for a few moments felt quite at peace with the night atmosphere. Then, to break the silence, she heard the slightest footfall from her right.

“Who’s there?” she called out, whipping her head towards the direction of the sound. It may had been a few seconds but eventually a figure stepped from the shadow of a tree rubbing the back of his neck.

“You’ve got one hell of an ear there, I really thought I was being quiet,” the boy chuckled. Libelle watched as the moon’s light illuminated his features. Brown hair curling slightly on his head, a small braid cuffed with gold falling away from his face, and a yellow cape draped over his shoulder. A sign that he was a leader of another house.

“What are you doing?” Libelled said, her voice deadpanned as ever.

“Jeez, an interrogation already? Not even asking for a name?”

“Would you answer the question already?”

“Alright, alright, I came to look at the stars that’s all,”

“Fat chance, I heard you following me from behind two staircases ago.”

“Oh wow, you heard me from even then? Let me ask you this then, why did you let me follow you?” he retorted, a shit-eating grin now plastered to his face. Libelle didn’t answer right away and instead just stared back at him. Then, finally deciding on an answer, turned back towards the sky.

“Because you don’t seem like a bad person, just curious.” Libelle answered. There was a long pause after that between the two of them. The boy continued to stand a while away and Libelle could feel his stare last for a second more before glancing back up at the sky, “Well are you going to join me over here or continue standing over there like a creep?”

The boy simply laughed at her question but answered by walking over and sitting a shorter distance away from her. The two sitting in silence and just soaking in the view of the night sky.

“Since I answered your question and you still haven’t honestly answered mine you owe me on true answer. What’s your name?” Libelle asked looking over to the brown-haired boy.

“It’s Claude. Yours?” he answered quietly after a brief moment of silence, looking back at her. When he did Libelle got a full glimpse of his eyes brightened by the moonlight. A wondrous green she had never seen before and captivated her.

“Libelle,” she said, almost breathlessly.

[killscreencinema]

The Witcher 3:  The Wild Hunt (PS4)

There’s a necrophage, eatin’ up your neighborhood.

Who you gonna call?

The Witcher!

I’m so very sorry for that.  I didn’t know how else to start this review.

The Witcher 3:  The Wild Hunt, developed and published by CD Projekt Red, is the third in the series of games based on the fantasy novels of Andrzej Sapkowski.  The series follows Geralt of Rivia, a white-haired warrior who has been trained since childhood to hunt monsters by a guild known as the Witchers.  In this game, Geralt is searching for his young Witcher protege, Ciri, who has gone missing while on the run from a powerful supernatural force known as The Wild Hunt.  Geralt must traverse a war torn foreign land in his search, diplomatically navigating through local political upheavals, gang wars, as well as helping old friends and new along the way, while taking on monster hunting contracts in order to make ends meet.  

I’d heard nothing but good things about this game since its release in 2015, but was reluctant to play it as I had never played the first two Witcher games.  If you happen to have the same hang up, then let me relieve you with the news that, while knowledge of both the games and the books would certainly augment the experience (as characters reference previous events numerous times), the story is so well crafted, and the characters so well realized, you’ll catch on in no time.  If anything, the game will make you curious to further explore the lore of the series by reading the books or playing the previous games (personally, I’ve already added the books to my Amazon wishlist - I am in!). 

The Witcher 3 is very reminiscent of games like Dragon Age, especially in how your choices have consequences.  The choices you are given aren’t cut-and-dry, black-and-white simple choices either.  Sometimes you’ll do what seems like the right thing, only for it to have dreadful consequences later.  The story is so immersive, the characters so well written, that when a negative outcomes results from your decision making, it comes as an emotional gut punch.  For example, during one of the many compelling side quests, I was tasked to find a nobleman’s family, who had “disappeared”.  The more you investigate, though, the more you find out they didn’t simply disappear, they ran away after a drunken domestic argument with the nobleman got so violent it caused the wife to have a miscarriage.  By the time you track the family down, the wife has lost her mind after becoming enthralled by a trio of witches and the daughter, who absolutely hates her father by his point, has joined a cult.  Devastated by these turn of events, the nobleman takes his own life, which you only find out about after you return to his castle to find him hanging by a tree.  Mind you, this was just a SIDE QUEST, and yet the story had so much dramatic weight and complexity that when I reached its grim conclusion, I verbally exclaimed “Oh no” to nobody in particular.  

I can’t move on from talking about the story without mentioning Geralt, who is one of the most likeable gravelly voiced protagonists this side of Solid Snake.  While Geralt very much embodies the loner hero archetype, he also has a sense of humor and a... er... a passion for life’s finer pleasures... that rounds out those loner edges and gives him enough humanity as to be somewhat relatable.  For example, there’s a sidequest in the game involving Geralt having to perform in a play that is positively delightful to watch as he woodenly delivers hackneyed lines about a Witcher’s duty.  As I alluded to above, Geralt has a... very active love life, depending on the choices you make in the game, and The Witcher series is famous for featuring pretty graphic sex scenes.  Whenever presented with the option of having sex in a game, I always ALWAYS go for it, because I’m an immature child, and boy do you pay for that mentality in this game.  I actually felt bad when Geralt’s promiscuity leads to destroying his relationships with both of his main love interests.  So pro-tip, if you want the game to end with Geralt still in good graces with both Triss and Yen, you had better just pick one and commit (pick Triss - she’s much more likable and she’s a redhead). 

While the story is certainly a highlight, the gameplay is no slouch either.  While the combat is your standard hack-n-slashery, you are deeply encouraged to prepare for each enemy encounter via using the appropriate oils for your swords, spells that particular enemies are weak against, and potions for augmentations.  If you don’t pay attention to these things, this game will kick your ass, especially during the monster contract missions, where each monster you face are basically boss level fights.  You create these various oils and potions by, you guessed it, crafting various ingredients you find along the way.  This can be tiresome at first, but the further along you get in the game, the more this stuff just happens to be in your inventory.   I rarely had to go out of my way to seek out rare ingredients to craft stuff, the tedium of which can often kill gameplay momentum dead. 

Before I finish up, I must talk about Gwent, the deckbuilding card game that you can play to complete certain side quests for money and experience.  As I am wont to do, I completely ignored Gwent for the majority of my playthrough as I have no patience to learn how to play a card game while playing a perfectly satisfactory action RPG.  At some point, on a boring night when I was fatigued after completing a lengthy side quest but not quite ready to go to bed, I finally gave Gwent a real shot as a lark.  I’ll be damned if it turned out to be a quite a fun little card game!  I became hooked, immediately prioritizing all of the Gwent side quests which had been on my “Active Quest” list for some time.  I won’t go over the rules of the game, as this review is long enough already, but suffice it to say it’s similar to games like Magic: The Gathering (I say “similar” but definitely not the same).  It’s regrettable that the game has certain Gwent related sidequests that you can’t beat if you take up an interest in it too late.  I enjoyed Gwent so much I even considered buying the Gwent game on PS4, but that looks like a micro-transaction extravaganza.

Anyway, The Witcher 3 graphics are breathtaking, as you can well imagine a game of this generation would have to be to keep up.  The music is an interesting mix of Celtic strings and chorus (if I knew enough about music, I’d elaborate, but that’s all I got!).  Overall, believe the hype - The Witcher 3 is as perfect a game as it gets, although I’d advise playing it on a more powerful system, such as PC, as the loading times on the PS4 (especially after you die and the game reloads) is absolutely frustrating.  Not a dealbreaker by any stretch, but it’s annoying and ever present.

[redselfships]

little red’s pastries

SUMMARY: Little Red decides to make amends with a certain wolf.

PAIRING: Bigby Wolf x Red (Self-insert, OC)

WORD COUNT: 2.2k

NOTE: I was rewatching Cry’s playthrough and fell in l*ve with Bigby all over again so uh............bear with me :-).

Red arrives at The Woodlands fairly late into the day. She meant to close up her cafe earlier than usual until a sudden rush of customers kept her in. Even if the others pressed for her to leave but she couldn’t find it in her to leave them be.

Nevertheless, Red took a deep breath in and out. She was finally here at least. Even if the walk was longer than she’d thought it would be. The night sky was already growing darker, stars slowly dotting the sky and the high moon peeking out from the clouds. She drew her red coat tighter around herself, as a chill breeze blew threw her body.

It was now or never.

She entered the apartment lobby, it was small. Nothing too special. She’d been here before—countless of times, actually. It was where Snow’s office resided, same goes for Bigby Wolf. Though, until today, she never had the need to go to his office. Petty crimes were basically nonexistent for her. A small cafe would never draw any attention, anyway.

Red diverted her attention to the sleeping guard.

“Um—excuse me?” She lightly tapped at his desk, hoping to wake the man. Instead, he stayed fast asleep. The only response he offered were heavy snores, muffled under his cap. “I...ugh…”

Red taps the desk once more, hoping to wake him but to no avail.

“Alright, I’m going up to Mr. Wolf’s apartment.” She says, to nobody in particular but just getting it out there was enough to ease the guilt forming in her heart. The guard merely snores back in response.

As she waits for the elevator to come down, Red hums a soft tune. Rocking back and forth on her heels while holding the beautifully decorated box between her hands. 

A stab of nostalgia strikes her heart, while drastically different, she is reminded of old times; way back when, anyway. With Little Red Riding Hood on her way to her grandmother’s only to find the Big Bad Wolf awaiting her. Only this time, she truly was on her way to meet the Big Bad Wolf.

 She’d dropped the red cloak a long time ago and in its place took a red winter coat with a stylish A line that she couldn’t part with. And rather than her famous wooden basket, she carried a tote bag around. Stylish and modern.

The elevator finally stops at the ground floor and she takes a step inside. If she remembered properly, his floor was somewhere at the top. It’s the smallest but she supposed the view would be worth it. Before the doors can shut close, a familiar, hairy hand stops the doors.

Lo and behold, as the doors slide open once more, Red finds herself facing the man himself. It’s his scent that hits her first. The unbearing scent of his favored Huff and Puff cigarettes. She wasn’t the biggest fan of smoking since the general stench of nicotine filling her lungs was enough to keep her from cigarettes.

They both share a look of surprise before Bigby hesitantly steps inside just as she pulls her attention away. Her heart pounds at her chest; some mix of fight or flee raising red flags at her head. It was just some primal instinct, given their history. She tries to shrug it off, repeating in her mind that Bigby Wolf is different from the Big Bad Wolf they all knew and feared from before.

He is their sheriff now. He’s better. Different.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

No, she shakes her head.

“These—”

“Why—”

The two had turned to look at each other, eyes shooting up in surprise once more. Red can’t help but jump back a little. He looks apologetic, pulling his gaze away from her and staying silent. Probably to let her talk without interrupting her.

She clears her throat.

“I actually came to visit you, um, Bigby.” She says his name slowly, as if to test it on her own tongue. There’s a flash of shock in his face before it’s wiped clean, a look of indifference taking it’s spot. She watches from the side of her peripheral as he reaches up to scratch his stubble.

“Is that so?” His voice is a deep grumble. It soothes her more than anything and she feels herself relax beside him. She drops her shoulders, not having realized they were so tense. “Did, er, did something happen?”

“Oh, no, not at all. Plus I think it’s a little past your office hours, isn’t it?” Red tilts her head quizzically at the man. It’s a rhetorical question and so all she gets is a snort in return. She lifts the box in her hands up, directing his attention to it with a curious gaze. Red wouldn’t put it past her to know that Bigby could sniff out the contents himself. “I brought you some pastries from my cafe. And, um, I wanted to talk.”

He seems to think it over. Most likely more from disbelief that she’d come to him first. Red takes the time to turn on her heel to face Bigby. He looks worse for wear and she feels a stab of regret coming by so late. Maybe she should’ve called earlier instead of dropping by at random. The heavy bags under his eyes only made his appearance look worse. It was too late now, anyway. She was here and he was here.

“Talk?” Bigby repeats, cocking an eyebrow in her direction. His hand twitches slightly beside him before he reaches in his pocket to pull out a box of cigarettes. Huff and Puff. She blanches at the sight, her nose scrunching. “...Not a big fan of cigarettes?”

“Nope.”

“Alright then.” He shoves the box back into his pockets and instead crosses his arms.

Just as Red was about to start talking, the elevator rumbles. The overhead lights flickering on and off before staying off, plunging the two Fables into darkness. A muffled squeak slips past Red’s lips and she immediately tenses. Just her luck. She was hoping to be in and out of The Woodlands.

“Calm down.” Bigby mutters as he reaches over her to press the alarm button. This wasn’t a common problem, being The Woodlands and all, but he’s had his fair share of shitty elevators. The girl beside him though seemed to be quite the opposite. Her body more rigid than when she first saw him. Eyes blown wide as her grip on the box tightened just the slightest bit. Enough the crease the box.

Even with the overwhelming scent of pastries that clung to her person, he could sniff out a faint scent of panic. 

“Listen, during these times, you shouldn’t panic.”

“Easy for you to say, sheriff.” Red chuckles dryly, somehow finding the energy to voice her sarcasm.

He presses the alarm button once, twice, before the emergency lights finally flicker on. It may have been a simple blackout.

“Well, we’ll probably be here a while.” Bigby lets out a grunt as he settles down on the floor. One legged bent at the knee and the other spread out on the cramped elevator. Red stares him down for a few minutes before sighing and settling down on the other side of the elevator too. She keeps her legs criss crossed before neatly placing her tote bag onto her lap. “At least now, we can talk. ‘S what you wanted, right?”

She nods. “I just wanted to say thanks.”

It was Bigby’s turn to scrunch his nose. “For what?”

“It might sound morbid but just hear me out.” She shifts her attention down to her hands, where she was fiddling with her fingers. “The Woodsman came by my cafe, um, a few nights ago. He told me why he ran into my Grandmother’s home. Which kind of makes the both of you absolute assholes, by the way.”

Her statement makes the latter snort but he stays quiet nonetheless.

“Anyways, he apologized, even though he didn’t really get around to the robbing part.” She waves her hand dismissively. The Woodsman didn’t stick around for long after apologizing to her. Still, she sent him off with a nice cup of coffee and his favorite pastry. On the house, she’d said, despite the sour taste building up in her throat. Maybe The Woodsman noticed it, the way her smile was strained because he left rather quickly after that.

“I came to make amends with you too. Hence the pastries.” She holds the box out for Bigby to take, which he does, after a few seconds of suspiciously eyeing it. If she was in the least bit offended, Red concealed it well. “In a way, you kinda saved me from being robbed. A-and I know that you’re not that same person. Or, er...wolf? Uh—not the same werewolf? Sorry, um, anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to be your friend now.”

When she’s met with silence from the other man, Red feels her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Maybe this was a bad idea. But it wasn’t like she can run away from this situation, since they’re stuck in the elevator for God knows how long.

“Alright.” Bigby finally says with a stiff nod. He isn’t looking at her either, instead keeping his attention on a random spot on the floor. He’s holding the box of pastries out too, awkward and stiff. It almost makes Red feel a bit better. She straightens herself, fixing her posture and making sure her short hair is fixed.

“My name is Red, some people like to call me Little Red.” She sticks her hand out for Bigby to shake. “And you are?”

It takes a few seconds for Bigby to realize what she meant to do. He places the box on the ground beside him and reaches out to shake her hand. His hand was larger than her own—probably large enough to cover her whole hand. It’s warm around her own. Insanely warm. Red obviously doesn’t know much about wolves—werewolves or whatever the sort—but if she remembered correctly, they were much warmer than humans.

“It’s nice to meet you, Little Red. They call me Bigby Wolf.”

Her infamous nickname on his lips brings a shiver down her spine and she can only hope that he didn’t hear the hitch in her breath.

(Who was she kidding? Of course he heard it.)

“It’s nice to meet you Bigby Wolf.” She musters up the best smile that she can, despite her burning cheeks. The two of them draw back their hands, if not a bit hesitant. “..,Mmm, can I tell you about what I brought you?”

Bigby picks up the discarded box before unceremoniously dropping it to his lap. Without thinking, Red moves to situate herself next to the man, leaning over his shoulder to look inside the box.

“I didn’t know which you’d like so I kind of just made some of my favorites that I thought you’d like.” Red explains. “I also brought one with peanut butter...um, my friend’s dog really likes it! Wait—not that you’re a dog, but uh—” Red cuts herself off from rambling any more and digging herself into a bigger hole. Her cheeks are sufficiently flushed. In a last ditch effort to hide her face, she basically shoves her face into the palm of her hands. Barely resisting the urge to scream.

“I’m sorry.” She finally says, her voice muffled. “I—”

The elevator dings and she guesses that the power is back on because it finally continues the travel up the building.

“Oh, thank God.” She breathes out a sigh.

A deep chuckle besides her catches her attention though and she manages to gather the courage to peek from her fingers. Bigby is laughing. Honest to god laughing. The sight takes her by surprise—the way his nose scrunched as he laughed. His eyes shut tight as he raises his hand to cover his mouth. It’s muffled and a bit silent but she soaks it in nonetheless.

The sight takes her by surprise, to say the least.

The Big Bad Wolf was...laughing.

“I like peanut butter.” He mumbled, a crooked smile on his lips once he’s collected himself. The elevator dings and the twin doors slowly open to his floor. The two stand up from where they sat; Red picking up her tote bag and with Bigby picking up his box. He takes a step out of the elevator while Red stays put.

“T-that’s good! I’ll just be on my way home now. Since I got everything off my chest.”

Bigby uses his free hand to scratch the nape of his neck, looking hesitant. It sends her heart in a  flurry, endeared by the man. This was someone entirely new. Not the Big Bad Wolf she knew and feared.

“Will you be fine? To get home.”

She waves a dismissive hand. “I promise I won’t take any back roads or talk to any bad wolves.” She jokes, hoping that it comes across as that. A joke. Luckily it does as an exasperated smile curls his lips.

“Alright, be careful on your way bad, Red.”

“I will. And come by my cafe sometimes! Maybe I’ll throw in a free cup of coffee for our Sheriff.”

He nods.

“Sure, Red.” Maybe it was quick of her. Being naive was one of her defining traits; too trusting, was another. But hearing her name from his lips was...oddly soothing. Maybe it was the rumble of his voice. Or maybe she was just imagining things.

Red waves her hand, managing to throw one last ‘Good night!’, before the elevator door shuts close. Once she was heading back down to the lobby, she heaves a sigh.

At least she managed to do what she intended.