#why make up your own dialogue when the source material is right there /j

[fresh-file-fresh-start]

In Twilight’s Glow

Summary: Twilight is the point in a day right before the sun sets, when the world is awash in a glow of reds, purples, and blues. But it can also represent the end of something, the glow of twilight brings the end of more than just daylight. The twilight of Zagreus’s stay in the Underworld has come, he just needs to get past one last obstacle.

Spoiler warning for the final boss/endgame of Hades! (it may be unnecessary to put this but just in case)

Blood pounded in Zagreus’s ears as he caught his breath. This was it. The end was so close, he could taste it. He knew the end was near the second he stepped out of the arena in Elysium, the very air changed as he moved forward. Through the Temple of Styx he went, weaving through the tunnels that wove a deadly maze filled with rats, satyrs, and gods knew what else. Frankly, he was surprised that he made it this far. Zagreus knew he had been preparing to leave for a long time, but he knew nothing about what the Underworld or the surface held. He was always a quick thinker, and he was thankful for that skill. He didn’t want to think of what would’ve happened if he wasn’t. He double checked what little he brought with him before scanning the area one last time. This was really it, he could hardly believe it. No matter how much he told himself that, he was still in awe. Zagreus was finally going to leave, leave behind all the people who never cared for him and find the ones who would. Nodding to Charon as he passed by, Zagreus offered the Satyr Sack to Cerberus as an offering. He breathed a sigh of relief to himself as Cerberus accepted the sack.

“Cerberus, wait!” He called after the three-headed hound before it left. “Come here boy, I want to say goodbye to you before I go. For good.”

The hound didn’t know what his master’s son spoke about, but he appreciated the company regardless. Sitting down next to Zagreus, Cerberus tore into the bag with relish, eagerly devouring whatever foul contents it held. Zagreus sat next to the hound, stroking his vivid red fur lovingly as he looked on at Cerberus fondly.

“I’ll miss you boy, I really will. Out of everyone here, you were the only one who was really there for me. Thank you, so much.” His voice cracked at the end as tears threatened to well up in his eyes.

Cerberus whined at Zagreus as he finished his treat, sensing the sadness of his young master. He nuzzled the godling with his three snouts, hoping that he could comfort the young man. Zagreus chuckled sadly as he continued to stroke the hellhound, he wanted to enjoy this last moment for as long as he possibly could. Finally getting up, he embraced the three heads of Cerberus, one after the other, and gently kissed each of their brightly colored noses before making his way past them.

“Goodbye Cerberus, goodbye Charon, goodbye Underworld. If I ever have to come back, I hope it’s on better terms.”

With a single, bracing breath, he pushed the door open and walked out into the cold.

It was the cold that shocked Zagreus the most, the wind biting at his skin, his nose, his very self. There was some white substance all around him, falling from the sky and onto him in soft flakes. The rushing of water, the gently falling flakes, the red-purple glow of what he assumed to be the sun setting in the distance, it was all so surreal to him. He was slightly disappointed that he didn’t get to see the sun, but he knew that once he left he could see the sun as many times as he wanted. It didn’t take away from the majesty of scenery either, the white around him turning purple and blue with the fading light.

“Wow...” He walked slowly through the scene, trying to take in as much as he could at once. It was a little overwhelming, but in the best possible way. Zagreus wasn’t even sure that could exist until he was experiencing it for himself. He was so entranced by what he saw around him that it took a while for him to notice the large silhouette that stood at the end of the white clad field he found himself in. When he finally did notice the silhouette, the familiar red cape, he only groaned to himself. Of course he would be here. 

“The air of the surface... it blows senselessly in whichever direction it pleases, I’ve never been accustomed to it. I’ve no doubt that you prefer this to the stillness of the air below.” The silhouette spoke, facing the water. 

“Why yes, I do. It’s quite different from what I’m used to, but I enjoy it nonetheless. But I’m not here to listen to you drone on about the air here, Father. I’m here to leave, not even you could stop me. I’m frankly not surprised that you’ve unearthed your Helm of Darkness for this, it suits you well enough but will change nothing. You’ve tried to muster your forces again and again to kill me, only to fail. You’ll fall like them too.” Zagreus snarked in response, disgruntled about having to get past yet another obstacle when he was so close to freedom. 

Hades scoffed, finally tuning around to regard his son. “Hmph. Such arrogance from you, I expect nothing less of a god and one as unruly as you. It should not have come to this, taking up arms against each other. For all you’ve done around the House, I’ve done a reasonably good job of keeping my temper. Unlike you.”

“You’ve done nothing but berate me time and time again, you’ve lied to me, you’ve summoned literal legions of the undead to try and kill me, but sure I’ll admit you’ve done a good job of bottling up your more severe emotions. I suppose you’ll use this as a way to properly lash out against me after all this time, won’t you?” Zagreus sneered bitterly. He had enough of Hades, enough of the House, enough of being treated like nothing.

“We’re gods, boy. Killing one another is our lot. Although, I always thought I was above it. I told you that you can not leave this place. It seems I will have to enforce my own rules. I’m sending you home, now.”

Summoning his spear, Hades leveled his spear against his son. Zagreus pulled out his own sword in response, mentally preparing himself for what would most likely be the most harrowing battle he’s fought so far. He knew of the violent relationship between the gods and the Titans, the gods took the bodies of their parents and cut them up into tiny pieces before scattering them to the vast expanses of Tartarus. They were immortal, yes, and still were in what little remained of them. But some fates were worse than death. His grip on his sword tightened. He will not meet a fate like that.

He lunged at Hades, feeling the powers of his Olympian family course through his veins. Hades was powerful, but slow. Zagreus used his natural agility to his advantage, darting into attack his father before quickly dodging from any retaliating hits. He continued to do this, deftly dodging any attack his father threw his way and using the powers he was granted when he needed a boost. He internally scoffed at his father, he would think that the almighty God of the Dead would be stronger than this. But he supposed spending all that time doing parchmentwork dulled his fighting capabilities.  

“Grrrr... I expect nothing less from a student of Achilles, but even your swiftness could outpace your mentor. How is it possible that you’ve become this strong?” Hades growled, clutching his side as he braced himself against his spear for support.

“I don’t need to answer to you, how I got this strong doesn’t matter here. What matters is the strength I have, enough to fell you.” Zagreus replied curtly, raising his sword again. “Now, you’re the one who will be going home, not me.”

“Heh, to be brought this low by my own ungrateful child, I expected such treatment from my brothers. But from you? I will not stand for this.” With a shout, Hades stood up straight again, proudly brandishing his spear.

“Oh great,” Zagreus grumbled. “Of course it wouldn’t be this easy.”

Zagreus wasn’t entirely sure whether he should be impressed or annoyed at the fact that his father got even stronger now, attacking with beam attacks that he only narrowly dodged by ducking behind large pillars. But he refused to back down, refused to give up. He watched his father carefully, memorizing attack patterns and adapting to new ones. It wasn’t the quickest way to fight, but it was a steady and reliable one, and slowly yet surely he wore down on Hades. With one last slash, Zagreus felled the God of the Dead.

“Gah, blast!” Hades cried out, collapsing on the ground. “I... how... Go. Go, then. Go!! Get out of here, get out!” He snarled, looking away from his son.

“I told you that I would, Father. And I’m going to. Goodbye, forever.” Zagreus spoke softly, finally putting his sword away.

“Pah, forever. There is no forever for the things we do, boy. We are forever, you will come back eventually. Forgetting and forgiving each other’s offenses only to commit them again is as much a part of us as felling our own kin. You can not escape this.”

“Perhaps not, but make my words it will be a very, very long time before I ever even consider coming back. Until then, take care of Cerberus for me would you? He was the only one between us you really cared about.” He turned to leave, stopping only at the call of his name.  

“...Wait. Wait before you go, if you find her, if you somehow find her... tell her Cerberus is doing very well.” Hades gasped out, his strength fading.

“I owe you nothing here Father, but I guess I will do this one act of kindness for you. To make up for the kindness you didn’t give me.”

“Don’t you have questions for me, boy? Questions about your mother?”

“I’ll have plenty of time to ask her when, and not if, I find her.”

“I... urgh.... blood and darkness.... I can only hope that you find what you seek.... ngh... There... is..... no.... escape....” Hades collapsed and did not rise again. 

Zagreus watched solemnly as the waters of the River Styx rose up to accept his father’s body, and continued to watch as it slowly sunk away into nothingness.

“Goodbye, Father.”

He only looked up when he felt a ray of warmth hit his face. Raising his head and a hand to shield his eyes from the light, he gasped in wonder as he saw the sun rise. Beaming to himself, he continued to stare with a heart full of hope as it rose higher and higher in the sky.

[bangtanpromptsfics]

aconite.

dialogue prompt #4: “You're a nightmare”

pairing: jungkook x reader

genre: e2l, fluff, light angst

word count: 1,070

warnings: none

summary: apparently getting stuck in an elevator with your mortal enemy is not the best situation to be in, especially when you love him.

a/n: inspired from jungkook’s red gym hoodie + sweatpants look!! not really descriptive enough I guess. drop your opinion!!!

masterlist

“You're a nightmare”

“Well you started it! ”, you snort, trying to press buttons of the elevator furiously, but that's dumb though when you know you're in the middle of some black out which has been going on for the past couple of hours.

Jungkook is stuck with you too, which is a mixture of emotions because you hated him but more like hated yourself that you love him.

“Argh!”, you give up and sigh, sliding down the walls dramatically.

Earlier this day you were heading home from the university library and since Jungkook’s daily routine would be incomplete unless you swear to kill him with bare hands, it started off as a petty fight as always, like grabbing hold of one of your reference books and shoving them in a high place so that your relatively short height could struggle. And then it would go on in loops until you have to hide in an elevator to escape only to find him tagging along.

“Just give up Y/n, you're stuck with me”. The only light source in the elevator is the flashlight from Jungkook’s phone, and half of his face is hidden in the dark, but you can say he was smirking and enjoying way more than he expected.

The news constantly said something about a storm last week, and now it's here, blowing off electricity.

“This wouldn't have happened if you stopped annoying me. I took the elevator because of you!”. You sounded like the most offended human being, but your heart says otherwise.

“Hey don't put this all on me!”, he playfully punches your arm and you return with greater force. His arms though are well articulated to even feel anything.

The more you realise that you're completely alone with Jungkook in a private space, you try to calm down your hormones. No one is allowed to look this good in red sweatshirt and sweatpants. He was on his way to gym, but apparently lost track of himself around you.

Jungkook takes out a hand gripper from his bag to keep his hands engaged, and you definitely not miss the way his arms strain against the cozy material.

“Fuck it's getting hot in here”, you mumble, trying to pull up your full sleeve and wafting air with your hands. This though you said is a truth, the closed space was suffocating and mid-June is always a pain in the ass.

“Is that so babe?”. Fuck.

You eye him in disgust, “What do you want Jungkook?”

“Just want to see you flustered”, he replies.

And out of nowhere now it's a staring contest. You don't protest and instead try to hold the same face of disapprovement. That doesn't last when Jungkook slowly leans closer to your face, way adamant to his goal.

He discards the equipment to place a hand close to your thigh on the ground.

“Look at you, all wrapped around my finger, isn't that so babe?”

You shut your eyes. “Stop calling me that”.

You feel his deft fingers grazing past the side of your face, his chuckle is deep and echoing inside the lift and you know there's no intention besides to tease you. Even though you express immense anger for him through words, none of them are the same in your actions. He expects you to push him away and throw a water bottle at his face. But he smiles seeing you lean into the touch.

“Y/n...open your eyes”.

He understands now why you closed them. They are tear filled and glossy; begging him, afraid. He can't quite understand.

“J-Jungkook I-”

“Hey shhhh… don't talk right now”.

His body is warm, his clothes as you had assumed, so soft and cuddly. When he pulls you into a hug, you clutch the cloth in a small fist and sigh at his scent. There's a brief moment of patting and playing with your hair softly before bringing your face out of his neck to inspect.

“You look beautiful even when you cry babe”. He dries a lone tear from your cheek bone, “so pretty…”

The moment he closes his eyes you're certain that he's going to kiss you.

Your eyes dart open when the lights to the elevator flashes in. There's a commotion outside, indicating people are trying to get the lift to open. Jungkook flinches to the searing light and drops his hands around you, slightly moving back.

Before the lift operator could see you flushed against him, Jungkook shoves you away from him in a jiffy.

“Are you guys alright? ”, the man with a brown beard asks. There were several people on the building stuck and it took hours before they could evacuate. The city has come back to life and the roads are well lit and sound now.

Even though pushing you off was a rational thing on part of Jungkook, you feel hurt. It felt like one moment he looked at you like he adores you and the next second shattered it all away.

“Y/n! ”. Jungkook jogs behind you. The moment you stepped out of the elevator, you were too perplexed to confront everything you did in the dark. You don't know if he means a word of what he says and does, and the greater possibility of no makes you all the more vulnerable.

“Y/n wait”.

He starts off with where he left. He turns you around in one smooth motion by your wrists and makes your lips land on his own. You don't know how to feel. It's euphoric of course, but what's yet to come after this gives you anxiety.

His kiss is eager, as if he is rushing to tell you something. You let him do whatever, and don't complain. Capturing your bottom lips between his, he nibbles and moves with fervor.

“Y/n let me say…”, he breathes, still holding your face close, “babe… can I take you out?”

You smile. “As in? ”

“As in assassination”. You chuckle. “You know what I mean Y/n, I think it's high time we go from enemies to lovers and all that cliche shit hm?”

The blush on your cheeks shoots up to the maximum if that's even possible and he is obviously smirking about how much effect he has on you. You notice that and hit his chest, “Yes I'll be there”.

He sighs and kisses you again, “You're such a nightmare aren't you”.

Thank you so much for reading!! ♡

Original Content of ©bangtanpromptfics

[fallout-lou-begas]

Questions for OC Creators

Shamelessly stole this from @tarberrymentats​‘ post because I’m always a sucker for behind-the-scenes character inspiration and meaning stuff, so if you steal this in turn, feel free to tag me!

(I’m also stealing Halk’s usage of lovely art by @yesjejunus​ for this one 🖤)

Agnes Sands, Courier Six of the Mojave Express

A) Why are you excited about this character?

Agnes was an opportunity to create what felt like a very unorthodox OC, and it’s an opportunity that has certainly paid off. She’s not young, and she’s not a particularly pleasant or easygoing person to be around, but she’s also not the endearingly tragic loner type or a badass army-of-one. She’s not “spunky” or “fun” and isn’t the kind of Fallout character who’s necessarily motivated to do every quest, meet every companion, accomplish every thing. She’s not an important person; being an important person is anathema to her, and the looming, overarching themes of It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin’ are these ideas of the hard limits on unlikely heroism, and how you really can’t fly that far on circumstance and luck. I’m very excited for everyone to see how it goes when the going gets tough.

Furthermore, the design and writing process for Agnes was very informed by finding justifications, reasons, and origins for all of her personality traits, skills, and various hang-ups. The result is a character that feels, to me, so deeply real and well-rounded and alive, that Agnes is a person who has lived every one of her 34 years of age, and that in each of those years were key developments that molded her into the person she is. When I write her, I feel like I know her because of how intimately I’ve researched and come to understand the life she’s led. I don’t want to say it comes effortlessly, but there’s a very genuine, sculpted depth to her character that I’m proud of, and it forms the bedrock of It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin’.

It is also very important to me that Agnes is a trans woman, and is a trans woman who looks the way she does with a strong jaw and a big nose and long face and a wide body and hairy arms and so many other “masculine” features, because I wanted to create a character with a very real, visceral, visible transness to them, and for this transness to be a meaningful part of her character that informs her relationship to other people and the scarce world of the Mojave Wasteland instead of just an auxiliary character trait. She is no less of a woman for existing the way she does, but I simply wasn’t interested in creating a character or interpreting the Mojave Wasteland in a way that wouldn’t meaningfully grapple with what it really feels like, to me, to be a trans woman.

B) What inspired you to create them?

Many of Agnes’ character traits actually come from mechanical and specialization decisions that I play in game. I often joke that Agnes “just plain sucks,” but it’s true that in my Fallout: New Vegas game, I have encumbrance set to a measly 25 lbs without backpacks (necessitating her shoulder-slung duffel bag), use a directional flashlight instead of the Pip-Boy light (necessitating the shoulder-mounted flashlight), play with dramatically decreased total S.P.E.C.I.A.L. and skill points per level (which is why she’s so bad-to-average at most things except key specialties), and so on. This was the most obvious level of inspiration, and much of Agnes’ personality and backstory is reverse-engineered to justify the aspects of her character suggested and represented by her mechanical stats.

C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story?

Epiphanies have come over time, but ultimately I more or less hammered out Agnes’ whole “story” upfront. I have a detailed character bible saved away that covers not only her entire life pre-courier, but the story beats of her experience as the courier thrown into the center of the events of Fallout: New Vegas and the seismic geopolitical power plays leading up to the second battle of Hoover Dam. So, uh, stay tuned for each new issue of IKROAH!

D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look?

I wouldn’t say that I’ve meant to meaningfully change her appearance over time, but as I’ve been working on the comic, I’ve simply gotten better at drawing and the result has been an Agnes that more consistently looks like how I want her to look. One deliberate change to her appearance has been that her hair is a lot fluffier and voluminous than it used to be, just because a few other peoples’ fanart of her would be like that and I really liked how it looked.

E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you?

Hard to say. Agnes has such a defensive, prickly, and particular personality and is so shy and anxious that she’s someone very hard to get along with in general, regardless of who you are. Cass could only ply her through a combination of drunken genuineness and total embarrassment that razor-cut right to her trauma. I don’t think I’d have the...audacious wherewithal to be that blunt with her if we’d just met. The best case scenario is that she imprints on me as a younger trans woman and feels compelled to look out for me because if there’s one soft spot she has, it’s that.

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

Pride at the amount of work I’ve put into developing her and crafting her story so far, pride at how it’s been such a rewarding and enjoyable vehicle for getting so much better at art and writing since this summer, and occasionally sadness just because, man, I really let her fucking have it sometimes, huh.

G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most?

Her solitary lifestyle made it necessary to find a way to write Cass into the story, just so that there would be some more dialogue while she traveled. She has a lot of interpersonal flaws, her habit of going from totally reclusive and private to hollering mad with no steps in between would certainly be off-putting to me especially. She gets a bad, sad, crying kind of angry, and she doesn’t get there quick but she goes get there suddenly.

H) What trait do you admire most?

She has a dedication to her and a commitment to what she’s good at. She understands the value of stability, good work and a good job. Sometimes this value is so much to her that it keeps her stagnant, and she’s very much a person who’s stuck in their ways in so many regards, but there’s a resilience to her that may not be obvious at first, but that she simply wouldn’t have gotten this far or survived without.

I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe?

Agnes’ story is so tailored to the source material of Fallout: New Vegas that I thought that transplanting her into other AUs would be difficult, but it’s actually been pretty seamless inserting her into the a modern AU with a few friends called Courier House, where instead of being a courier, she kept up her medical training and works as an EMT. That also spun off into a modern zombie AU, which is just fun and tragic in a lot of juicy ways.

I also have a lot of thoughts on an AU in which she makes it to the Commonwealth, in which she’d become Nick’s partner at the eventually-renamed Valentine and Sands Detective Agency, helping to solve cases of burglary and theft, B&E, and advises on various security concerns. She’d also get extremely invested in tracking down missing children. There are a lot of parallels and dramatic development potential between Agnes Sands and Nick Valentine that I’d kill for more time to explore one day.

J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

I didn’t have to, no, but I chose to and at least filled in some holes. My theory on transitional health care in the wasteland is all my own (the Followers are the primary manufacturer and distributor of hormones, which can be inefficiently synthesized from Auto-Docs so they’re not impossible to find but are considerably rare) and I’ve taken some liberties in the IKROAH canon so far for convenience, such as Primm never getting taken over by convicts and the Cassidy Caravans buyout offer being a letter at the Mojave Express instead of something she’d have had to get personally from Alice McLafferty later on. Expect a lot more little twists like this in the future.

[gumnut-logic]

Dear John

@purfectpurple asked for question number 8.

(why won’t Tumblr tag you????? Aaargh! Stupid program!)

Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it. 

I have written far too much fic. It took me a while to work out which fic to choose, but then I remembered this one.

This is built almost entirely out of text messages so it is almost all dialogue. The back story is that Virg was seriously injured and due to reasons, he can’t see his brother John without a serious negative emotional reaction to his presence. But Virgil loves his brother and tries to reach out and talk to him anyway, even if it is only through text messages. And John loves his brother too.

This one was both painful and hilarious to write. It is one of my very early fics and part of a series that is kinda special to me. I’m particularly happy with this one because, honestly, for what it was, I think it works really well.

I’ve posted the whole thing rather than a snippet because I think it needs to be read as a whole to get the effect.

It should also be noted that at the time I was still terrified of writing John :D

-o-o-o-

Title: Dear John

Tales of Sotto Voce

Author: Gumnut

9-10 Sep 2018

-o-o-o-

Message from OntheVirg.

Dear John.

I don’t really know where to start other than to say that I am so sorry. This is not your fault and I know I’m hurting you. If I could stop I would.

I miss you, little brother, please don’t doubt that ever. This thing that bastard has done to me has come between us, but I still love you (yes, I said it, you can now poke fun) and we will get through it. Somehow.

I’m having a hell of a time talking at the moment, so even if I could bear to be in the same room with you, having a conversation would be difficult. Would you mind if we swapped words using the message system? A little odd to be pen pals when we are only a couple of rooms away, but I’m hoping it will help. And I miss you.

Your brother, Virgil.

John stared at the message and something inside him broke. He knew the state his brother was in. He was still confined to the infirmary, could barely walk due to dizzy spells, could barely speak, and was wracked with emotional instability, his brain struggling to right itself after the attack.

Yet, he had managed to write this?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Certainly, Virgil.

I think it is a good idea. It is likely to help us regain our relationship.

It is also great to see you able to write so well, considering your condition. I am very happy to hear from you.

And yes, I love you, too. No poking required.

I am also so sorry this has happened to you. I would offer some regrets, but I cannot see any way that we could have honestly prevented it. Looking back reveals so many opportunities, yet given the same situations with the same information at the time, we would have acted in exactly the same manner. It appears the Hood planned well for once in his life and he almost succeeded.

The only element that he didn’t plan for was you. It is you we have to thank for his failure. I have never been more thankful for your stubborn streak in my life.

I’m am so proud to have such a strong big brother.

John.

He hit send and bit his lip. He wouldn’t list personal relations in his list of best skills, but Virgil knew that. He just hoped he was good enough.

Several hours later, John was startled out of the sub-function he was writing by a chime from his tablet.

Message from OntheVirg.

John.

Thank you for your vote of confidence. To be honest all I could think of at the time was that I couldn’t let you have my ship. You yelled and screamed, but no, you couldn’t have her. Then you hurt me, tried to force me, but no

Sorry, wasn’t you.

V

It was to be expected. John was surprised the message had even been sent and not deleted. Perhaps Virgil had hit the wrong button. Or perhaps he was trying to explain.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Virgil.

There are no words for the extent of the anger I feel for the violation made against you. There is no need to apologise. I understand, big brother.

Please if you need to talk. I am here.

John

He swallowed and hit send.

Message from OntheVirg.

Do you remember that deer Dad found on the side of the road that had been hit by a car? How it looked up at us desperate for help, but somehow knew it wasn’t going to come?

It felt like that.

It hurt so much. I couldn’t do what he asked, so he just hurt me more. And then I think he just hurt me because he could. There wasn’t any way out.

And he looked just like you. I think that hurt the most.

V

He had to resist the urge to run down the hallway and hug his brother. He rubbed his eyes instead.

Message from GuyintheSky.

I really wish I could hug you right now. Tell Scott to give you a hug from me.

Do you know why he looked like me?

John

Message from TheFlyingScottsman.

Hug delivered.

You okay?

S

Message from GuyintheSky.

As well as I could be considering the circumstances. How is he?

John.

Message from TheFlyingScottsman.

Struggling to type. We’re going to have to call it quits soon. It is taking everything he has to hit those keys. But I think he needs this.

Thank you for being there.

How goes the programming?

S

Message from GuyintheSky.

Don’t let him overtax himself.

Where else would I be? He is my big brother.

Slowly. Whoever did this really knew what they were doing. It is cutting edge work. I can guarantee that the Hood outsourced it. Far too smart for him. I recommend we set Penelope and Kayo on their tail. I dread to think what else this person could be capable of doing. Brains has already started the groundwork to protect our systems. We have a long road ahead to get our equipment up to a level I will be happy to let out on the field without fear of compromise.

I’m afraid International Rescue is down for the count for the foreseeable future.

John.

Message from TheFlyingScottsman.

Damn. I still had hope for a magic wand. Do your best. I know you will.

Oh, and if you need to talk, let me know. Virgil isn’t the only victim here.

S

Message from OntheVirg

Gonna have to stop soon. Tired.

I have thought about that and I’m not sure. Have you ever met the Hood? I don’t think you have. So I’m wondering how on Earth he knew what you looked like.

But then perhaps he didn’t have to know. Perhaps the program just needed to source the most likely person in my head it could use. You are unique, little brother. Because you spend so much time on TB5, I mostly see you as a hologram. That would be extremely convenient for a mole.

In any case, I fell for it.

V

Message from TheFlyingScottsman.

He’s asleep.

You know, watching him, I can see why the Hood didn’t win. He won’t give up. By the end of his last message his hands were shaking so badly, I had to help him tap the right keys. Wouldn’t let me do it for him, no, he had to do it himself.

We are so damn lucky to have him for a brother.

S

Message from GuyintheSky.

I know.

J

Message from TheFlyingScottsman.

Johnny?

He was still sitting, staring down at his tablet when Scott entered the room behind him. He continued to stare as his brother’s hands took away the tablet and placed on the shelf beside him. When a hand was placed gently on his shoulder he finally looked up into those caring blue eyes.

It was enough to break him again.

For the first time in many years, his biggest brother drew him gently into a hug. John let his forehead drop to the soft material of Scott’s shirt and simply clung.

-o-o-o-

Message from OntheVirg.

Roses are red We wear blue I look groovy And so do you.

Message from OntheVirg.

There once was a flyboy named Scott Who used to fly around a lot He flew so fast He kissed his own ass And completely lost the plot.

Message from OntheVirg.

And then there was one named John Whose appendages were quite long In space he was ace Full of delicate grace But in gravity everything went wrong.

Message from GuyintheSky.

GORDON, GET OFF VIRGIL’S TABLET!

-o-o-o-

Message from GuyintheSky.

You there, Virgil?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Yeah.

Message from GuyintheSky.

How are you?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Been better.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Scott with you?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

No. I sent him to bed. He looked awful. Please make sure he looks after himself. You know what he is like when one of us is injured.

Message from GuyintheSky.

I’ve been trying, but he is slippery. Any tips?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Don’t take no for an answer and, if necessary, manhandle.

Message from GuyintheSky.

I don’t exactly have your physique, Virgil.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Out logic him then. He does see sense occasionally.

Message from GuyintheSky.

I’ll try.

Virgil, I had an idea about how we could see each other. Do you remember my prom?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Really?!! You’d try that again?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Do you think it would help?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Honestly, John, I don’t know. Maybe. It is certainly a fond memory, for me, if not for you. Would you really do that for me?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Of course. It will grow back and maybe that could help you ease back into seeing me?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

You would really go that far?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Wouldn’t you?

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Maybe.

Message from GuyintheSky.

I know you better than that.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

It is asking a lot. Are you sure?

Message from LittleSpaceballs

John.

Can you please give Gordon access to his tablet. He is driving me insane.

A

Message from GuyintheSky.

Yes, Virgil. Give me a moment. Alan is throwing a hissy.

Message from GuyintheSky.

No, Alan.

Message from LittleSpaceballs.

Then at least change my username for me. He’s locked me out of my settings and his sense of humour leaves much to be desired.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Sure.

Message from TheShortestOne.

Thanks, John. Yours isn’t much better.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Now you lack the balls.

Message from TheShortestOne.

You’re not safe on your little satellite at the moment, John. Remember that.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Go and see Virgil. He needs the company.

Message from TheShortestOne.

How is he doing?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Go and ask him. I’m sure he would love to see you.

Message from TheShortestOne.

I guess.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Have you gone to see him at all?

Message from TheShortestOne.

I’ve been busy.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Alan.

Message from TheShortestOne.

Okay.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Alan.

Message from TheShortestOne.

I hate seeing him like that.

Message from GuyintheSky.

We all hate seeing him like that. This isn’t about us, it is about him. He sacrificed so much to protect us, the least you can do is visit him while he is recovering. He’ll be missing you. You know what he is like.

Message from TheShortestOne.

I know.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Get Gordon to go with you if it will help.

Message from TheShortestOne.

Maybe.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Alan, do you have any idea how much I would like to walk in and see Virgil right now? But I can’t. Move your ass and go see him.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Everything okay?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Yeah, Alan is just being Alan.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

He tends to do that. Being Alan and all.

Message from GuyintheSky.

Ha ha.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

So you are going to try it?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Yeah.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

I’ll owe you big time, Johnny.

Message from GuyintheSky.

No, you won’t.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

Do I get to keep proof?

Message from GuyintheSky.

I’m sure Gordon will oblige - at a factor of approximately one thousand.

Message from LikeaVirgil.

It will be painful. You have my sympathies. Speak of the devil, the terrible two are here. Speak to you later?

Message from GuyintheSky.

Of course. And you have my sympathies too. Yell if it becomes unbearable.

-o-o-o-

Message from EatYourVirgetables.

Fgxzs

Message from GuyintheSky

Virgil?

When his brother didn’t answer, John pulled up the video feed from his room. Virgil was not in his bed, the covers ruffled and discarded.

Frowning John scanned the room. For a moment he thought it was empty, but no. Right on the very edge of the camera field, a hand lay across a discarded tablet on the floor.

He hit his comm. “Scott, get to the infirmary, now!” And he was moving.

He didn’t know exactly where in the building Scott was, but John was close. He dashed down the corridor, tore around the corner...and Scott had beat him to it.

Virgil was on the floor, distressed and disoriented, struggling to get up. Scott knelt beside him, his hands on his brother’s shoulders muttering reassurances.

John slipped back into the shadows. He could not be seen. Certainly not when Virgil was in this state.

“It was a nightmare. Only a dream.”

“It h-rts. G-d, it h-rts.” There were unshed tears in his brother’s voice, a shaking hand fumbling at his temple. “Mk it g ‘way.”

“I-I can’t, Virg. I’m so sorry.”

Virgil let out a sob. “Why? Why d-s he w-nt to h-rt m?

“Because he was a self-serving bastard who would do anything to get what he wants.” The venom in Scott’s tone startled Virgil.

“J-hn?”

Oh, god.

“No! John would never-“

“H-rts.”

Scott drew his brother close, rocking him gently, desperately trying to calm him down.

John slipped back into the corridor and headed back to his room, heart in pieces.

-o-o-o-

Message from TheMightyFish.

John?

Message from TheMightyFish.

Johnny?

Message from TheMightyFish.

Jooooooooohhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyy.

Message from TheMightyFish.

I really don’t like being ignored. You haven’t answered your comms and your door is locked. C’mon, John. We’re worried about you.

Message from TheMightyFish.

John. John. John. John. John.

Message from TheMightyFish.

Please John. I really don’t want to have to deploy Scott, he looks like shit.

Message from GuyintheSky.

What do you want, Gordon?

Message from TheMightyFish.

You okay?

Message from GuyintheSky.

I’m fine.

Message from TheMightyFish.

Don’t believe you. This all sucks big time. Let me in, pleeease.

Message from TheMightyFish

C’mon, John. We need each other in this.

John sighed and walking out of his bathroom, opened the door. Sure enough, Gordon was standing outside, tablet in hand, worry on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“I should be asking you that question, bro. You look almost as bad as Scott.”

“Well, plenty of reason.” He sighed. “Is he okay?”

“Who?”

“Scott. Virgil. Pick a brother. Everyone is hurting.”

Gordon looked at him for a moment as if he was going to say something, but then decided against. Instead he took the opportunity to push past John and into his room. “What are you doing in here anyway?”

“Gordon-“

“What?! You’re going to dye your hair???” His little brother let out a laugh. “This will be good.” He grabbed the packet. “Blond? Do anything to be me, huh?” The humour in his brother’s eyes was definitely infectious.

“I’m hoping it will help.”

Gordon immediately sobered. He looked down at the packet. “Prom?”

“Yeah.”

“That sucked.”

“Yes, it did.”

Gordon reached up and patted his shoulder. “Hope it works better than it did last time.”

John looked down a moment. “Hey, Gordon. Do me a favour?”

“Anything, bro.”

“Can I borrow one of your shirts?”

Gordon cracked up. “Anything to be me.”

-o-o-o-

Message from EverVirgilant.

You ready?

Message from LongJohnBlondie.

Are you?

Message from EverVirgilant.

Scott’s here, and Gordon. Dunno where Alan is. We have enough troops should I lose it.

Message from LongJohnBlondie.

You are not going to lose it. Do me a favour and cuff Gordon about the ears for me. I don’t know how he has changed my username this time, but even I’m locked out now.

Message from EverVirgilant.

Cuff deployed. Consider yourself scowled at. I’ll speak to Brains later. See if I can get his font to appear pink with flowers and fairies.

Message from LongJohnBlondie.

Sounds great.

Message from EverVirgilant.

Now get your ass in here.

-o-o-o-

Scott was tired. But that seemed to be the permanent state of affairs since his brother had been injured. He was wary of this experiment, but agreed that it was worth the try. Virgil missed John, and John was going through his own version of hell in this, so if it helped just a little, it would help a lot.

Gordon dashed back into the room, a grin on his face. “Awesome. Totally awesome.”

Scott glared at him, but his grin would not be subdued.

He reached for Virgil’s hand. Simple reassurance.

Virgil’s voice was hesitant. “C-m in, J-hn.”

The middle brother edged around the doorway, and Scott felt Virgil tense.

Oh my god.

His tall lanky brother had cut his hair short and dyed blond. He had obviously shoved a pile of product into it and it stood up in messy spikes. On top of that he was sporting a pair of John Lennon sunglasses, conveniently hiding his eyes.

One of Gordon’s just a little too small, blindingly colourful shirts hung from his shoulders, leaving just a hint of bare skin at his waistline. Low hung burgundy linen pants and leather sandals finished off the ensemble.

So far from their John that a new man stood in the room.

“J-hn?” Virgil’s voice cracked.

John attempted a grin.

Virgil succeeded. “Yu l-k gr-t.” Scott started as Virgil suddenly pushed aside his covers and clambered out of bed. He steadied him as he wavered predictably, but let him go as he hesitantly approached his little brother.

His shoulders were tense, but he reached out and laid a hand on John’s chest. “H-w r yu?”

Quiet and still tentative. “Getting better by the minute.”

Virgil looked up at him, a mess of emotion on his face.

“How are you, Virgil?”

Whispered. “G-ttig b-tter b the m-nut.” He swallowed, then leaping in, closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his little brother. “M-ssed yu.”

John gently returned the embrace. “Missed you, too.”

Scott swallowed as something caught in his throat.

They stood there for a moment before Virgil broke it off, stumbling a little and backing off. Gordon caught him and led him back to the bed.

John stayed where he was standing as his big brother sat back down on the bed. Scott grabbed a hand. “You okay?”

Virgil smiled up at him. “Ye, I th-k I am.”

The biggest brother in the room broke into a grin and tightened his grip. He looked up at John and finally saw a hesitant smile on the man’s face.

They had made a beginning.

-o-o-o-

Message from ScottyWantaCracker.

GORDON!

Message from TheVirgilQueen

What has he done now?

Message from HeWhoLooksUpSkirtsBecauseHeisTooShorttoLookDownShirts

What the hell?!

Message from BlondHippyandLippy

He’s in the pool.

Message from ScottyWantaCracker.

I’m going to drain the damn thing!

Message from SleekSilverandFoxy.

I’ll take care of it.

 #Username reset

ScottTracy

VirgilTracy

JohnTracy

AlanTracy

GroovyGrandma

GordonisGrovelling.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

The rest of the series can be found here.

[lananiscorner]

(1/?) So about 10 days ago I started reading the Arkham Compendium, and now I've arrived at IWGA/Chapter 1. I'm not really much of comment kind of reader and for this I thought a summary of my experiences was more appropriate seeing as I don't really have much to say about every single part of the series. It really shows that there was a lot of research done, but without making it labourous to read. (I mean without fachsimpeln; I can't remember the English word right now.)

(2/?) But me being the way I am I ended updoing a google search about Castillian vs Latin American Spanish anyway becauseone of my teachers was married to an Argentinian while the other was very muchEuropean so I got a lot of conflictive info while learning Spanish, especiallywhen it came to adressing other people (the vosotros vs ustedes thing, which Isomehow also remembered as a tu vs usted thing, but nooooo). So thanks for therevision of that!

(3/?) Moving on; rewriting the plot ofArkham Knight (and filling in some plot holes) while using pre-existingdialogue, but from a different perspective and keeping things interestingrather than tedious / a revision of what is already there is something thatseems really difficult to me, you did a really good job there! Like, therewould always be the wish to stay true to the source material, but you want toadd your own take onto things, and I usually end up doing too much of one ofthose.

(4/?) (It's a big part of why I ended upgetting into just about every kind of creative expression BUT writing at onepoint or another...) So fast forward to the Christmas one-shot: the gamingscenes. I'm mostly in the (J)RPG/turn-based combat corner these days with theoccational bout of Action-RPGs and some Visual Novels when I feel like it. Myaction gameplay "strategy" has been largely influence by AC, meaninga) going for stealth takedowns or b) evade - counter - takedown for directcombat.

(5/?) For the most part this works fairlywell for Arkham, esp since you'd try to go up most of the time for extrastealth anyway. But so far I ended rage-quitting Arkham Asylum a bunch of timesbecause I'm stuck at a point where I can't go up because Joker has rigged thegargoyles to explode and there is this one fucker in front of the box (?) thatI have to get to who ends up killing me every. Single. Time. The gaming scenereally reminded me of that, so thanks, I guess...

(6/6) Now I'm kind of at a crossroad whereI can either try to get through the 300k of IWGA, or pick up Arkham Asylumagain and die some more. Any suggestions there? (Sorry that this ended up witha lot of venting, my brain-to-typed-words filter is pretty much shot past 10pm.)

Thank you very much, Rhinefall, and no worries about the rambling/venting. I do that all the time (and the record holder for most consecutive comments is still @phantomchick XD)

Speaking of rambling, I could write entire essays about Castillian vs Latinamerican Spanish, but other people have already done that much better than I ever could. Suffice to say, tu/usted is the tip of the iceberg, especially considering all the lexical differences (which can have you going from “I’ll take the bus” to “I’m a pedo” in all of three words).

Re “re-treading” Arkham Knight in “Red”: it was definitely a challenge. THere were plenty of moments where I felt like people who had never played the game would not understand wtf was going on and people who had played the game would find it tedious. I’m glad it ended up doing neither, but one of the things I always try to do is to stick very close to canon, unless I am writing an AU/fix-it. For example, Batman: Arkham Compendium is trying to stick as close as possible to the Batman: Arkham games canon. I am ADDING a whole bunch of stuff, but I am not really CHANGING much (if any) of that existing canon. Same for “The Calling” and post Crisis. “City of Hope”/“Gotham Banksy” on the other hand are explicitly written as canon-divergent.

As for the Christmas story and Arkham Asylum: my frustration came more from the predator challenge maps in Arkham City (specifically the ones with Catwoman), but yes, Arkham Asylum had its terrible moments, too. And like you, I prefer stealthy approaches to combat, so any map without gargoyles/perches is a sad map :(

As for your last question, I can’t really make that choice for you. If you choose Arkham Asylum, definitely don’t be afraid to ask uncle Youtube to help you. If you choose IWGA... please remember that its already Really Fucking Late™ and taking breaks is a legit strategy in 300k fics.

Either way: have fun :)

P.S.: “fachsimpeln” - I think that’s one of those words that English doesn’t really have a translation for. Leo and Dict.CC suggest “talk shop”, but that is completely missing the “wtf is up with your legalese/legalese-equivalent-from-other-field” component.

[unknown-de-mordor-blog]

Five ships I’m still not over

Beleg Cúthalion/Túrin Turambar

Universe: Middle-earth, first age

Ship name: Nothing that’s widely used in the fandom, I don’t think. But I like to think of them as ‘Black Sword (referring to Turin’s cursed weapon) and Strongbow (direct translation of Cúthalion)’

To me, there's no character more tragic than Turin son of Hurin, and no pairing more tragic than him and Beleg. And no clearer love, too. I don't know if J. R. R. Tolkien intended for them to go that far, but their emotional connection is so deep and powerful that whether you ship them or not it's undisputedly one of the most beautiful relationships in Tolkien's lore. Alas! It's not powerful enough to undo the curse placed on Turin and his clan, which ends both his and Beleg's life all too soon and all too tragically. So, yes, I count Beleg as one of the elves who die for love.

Favourite quote: 'I would lead my own men, and make war in my own way,' Turin answered. 'But in this at least my heart is changed: I repent every stroke save those dealt against the Enemy of Men and Elves. And above all else I would have you beside me. Stay with me!' 'If I stayed beside you, love would lead me not wisdom,' said Beleg.

Uh, I love this so much because it shows the difference in their temperament and maturity. Beleg's an elf who has lived through and fought in so many wars. He's an (elf)man of duty, honour and intellect, and Turin is still a young man whose pride and stubbornness can seriously get in the way of a grown-up conversation. And Beleg is so not having any of that in this scene. He’d do anything for Turin, including ditching his command to find him, but he can pull some tough-love moves, too, when Turin’s unreasonable.

Uzumaki Naruto/Uchiha Sasuke

Universe: Naruto

Ship name: sns, narusasu, sasunaru

I think Naruto and Sasuke canonically love each other, I really do, but I don’t think they are together romantically at any point in the series. And that’s by design, really. Sasuke -- the last of the Uchiha, the tragic figure of the Naruto series (still not as tragic as Turin, but let’s not do this morbid comparison) -- has too many issues to work through, and Naruto isn’t in the position to really help him through them. So as soul-deep as their bond is, they couldn’t have been together and survive each other. Although, I really want that to happen. That’s what fanfictions are for, I guess.

Favourite quote: ‘If you attack Konoha, I will have to fight you... So save up your hatred and take it all on me, I'm the only one who can take it. It's the only thing I can do. I will shoulder your hatred and die with you.’

Honestly, Naruto might just as well propose to Sasuke with that because he’s essentially saying ‘give me your worst, I’m not leaving and never will’. I know friends could be like that, too, but normally not to this degree and not with this kind of commitment. I’m not surprised at all when Sasuke has to ask Naruto why the hell he is doing all this for him. It just goes beyond reason, really.

S'chn T'gai Spock /James T. Kirk

Universe: Star Trek

Ship name: K/S, Spirk

The Daddy of all ships! Pun intended! Spock and Kirk's friendship really walks that fine line of are they/aren’t they. I personally think they aren’t (another controversial statement coming from a shipper), but they’re so cute together you just can’t help think: what if they are? They have this deep trust and affection for one another anyway; why not push it a notch further? ‘This simple feeling,’ as Spock calls it, might as well be love.

Favourite quote:

Kirk: How's our ship? Spock: Out of danger. Kirk: Good... Spock: You saved the crew. Kirk: You used what he wanted against him. That's a nice move. Spock: It is what you would have done. Kirk: And this... this is what you would have done. It was only logical. I'm scared, Spock. Help me not be. How do you choose not to feel? Spock: I do not know. [tears fall] Right now, I am failing. Kirk: I want you to know why I couldn't let you die... why I went back for you... Spock: Because you are my friend. [Kirk places his hand against the glass and gives the Vulcan Salute as he dies]

It’s actually really hard for me to pick a quote for these two because I think every ‘Jim’ from Spock does the job except nobody else would understand it but me. (Second to that is, ‘Captian, not in front of the Klingons.’) While I love them teasing each other a lot, I think Kirk’s death scene from Star Trek Into Darkness has all the right punches to it. Spock has been unable to accept the feeling of friendship towards Kirk (actually just feelings in general) until the moment he watches Kirk dies behind the glass door. And all just comes out like BOOM! Not to mention how close Spock comes to killing Khan for revenge before Uhura tells him that Kirk can be saved but they need Khan alive. Honestly, that’s the only reason Khan’s head doesn’t go plop in Spock’s hands.

Morgoth/Sauron

Universe: Middle-earth, first age

Ship name: it just came to my attention that the fandom is calling this ship Angbang (a wordplay on the name of their home/fortress Angband). Nicely done, you naughty people. Also Melkor/Mairon if you’re going by their proper first-age names.

I think a lot of people seeing this ship would go ‘what?!’ Like, how is that even possible when Tolkien didn’t write a single scene with the two of them in it. I’d say in this case the absence is more powerful. Tolkien wrote the Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales as lore, so they necessarily come from the perspective of the tellers; i.e., humans and elves. That doesn’t mean Tolkien didn’t drop hints about the complex characters that the dark lords of Middle-earth are. He even has Elrond says that people don’t start out evil, not even Sauron. So the question becomes, what the heck happened? And the heck that starts it all out is pretty much in the first few chapters of the Silmarillion where Morgoth is clearly a powerful and inventive figure but in many ways an outcast and shunned by everyone including the very power that made him. (*cough* daddy issue *cough*) And then we are made aware of the fact Sauron, who is also powerful and creative, isn’t on Morgoth’s side from the get go but decides to join him later. The power-hungry dark lords we are later told about aren’t that at all, so it raises the question of their true characters and motives. If anything, I think the length in which Sauron would go for Morgoth thousands of years after his master is defeated and shut away says something about their bond with each other. And if I know one thing, it can’t be fear or respect. If I have to make a guess, I think it is akin to love.

Favourite quote: There isn’t anything I can quote from the source material since there hasn’t been a dialogue or anything they say to an audience that could be trusted as genuinely representing who they are. One thing I do scream about is the scene in the Return of the King movie when the black gate opened and behind there isn’t just the tower with the eye of Sauron but Mount Doom next to it in the same frame. I was like ‘I know Morgoth’s not here but isn’t that him in spirit.’ Yes, I’m a proper trash for these two.

Also, there’s this awesome comic series (unfortunately discontinued) by Suz. It’s legitimately hotter than the fire of Aule’s forge, honestly.

Beren/Lúthien

Universe: Middle-earth, first age

Ship name: I’m not aware of any ship name for these two but ‘Beren and Luthien’ is catchy enough as it is.

How else to finish this list but to dedicate the last entry to the greatest love story of Middle-earth, and, yes, I'm saying that with a straight face because, holy hell, this couple defies expectations left, right, and centre. Luthien, our elven princess, is an active participant in her own fate. She falls in love with a human who, in an act of valour, accepts her father's stupid, impossible task to steal the most treasured jewel from Morgoth the Dark Lord himself. Luthien basically runs away from home, finds her man captured and tortured, and tears the goddamn fortress down in a showdown with the-dark-lord-to-be Sauron himself (which makes you question the competency of everyone else in Middle-earth). They then proceed to steal the jewel together. They don't quite succeed in bringing it back and Beren loses his hand in the process, but hey, they could say it's in his hand, somewhere, and now could they please marry because otherwise I have a feeling that Luthien is going to elope with her boyfriend and her mom and dad won't be seeing her again ever.

And this is really just scratching the surface of Luthien’s feisty personality quite unbefitting of most princesses until the recent overhaul of attitude by Disney. And all this came from a man who was born in the Victorian era when women's autonomy wasn't given or respected. But I think Luthien's depth of character comes from the fact that she has a real-life counterpart, and so she feels more like a real woman. And the love between Beren and Luthien feels compelling because its the love the professor himself had for his wife and life-long partner, Edith. You can check out their gravestone. I'm so not making this up.

Favourite quote: The song of Lúthien before Mandos was the song most fair that ever in words was woven, and the song most sorrowful that ever the world shall ever hear. Unchanged, imperishable, it is sung still in Valinor beyond the hearing of the world, and the listening the Valar grieved. For Lúthien wove two themes of words, of the sorrow of the Eldar and the grief of Men, of the Two Kindreds that were made by Ilúvatar to dwell in Arda, the Kingdom of Earth amid the innumerable stars. And as she knelt before him her tears fell upon his feet like rain upon stones; and Mandos was moved to pity, who never before was so moved, nor has been since.

It’s not a scene between them, but this is how far Luthien’s love and badassery goes. She loses Beren in a battle to protect her father’s kingdom, and she dies grieving him. In the afterlife, she gets to meet the god of death Mandos and sings him a song of their love and her grief. Apparently, she’s so good with words and music that Mandos is like, ‘I can’t handle the feels. You can have your husband back and have a mortal life with him.’ And Luthien takes the deal, of course.

[snowflakesx]

Final Fantasy 7 (PS1) impressions

So, a few months ago I finally managed to finish the classic game that every gamer seems to drench with nostalgic praise and hoist onto the JPRG genre defining pedestal – Final Fantasy VII. And, I think I’ll be joining those gamers with doing that from now on. 

Final Fantasy VII is a Final Fantasy that the vast majority of RPG players are familiar with. It is also the only Final Fantasy to have produced a vast range of sequels and extra material, with familiar characters such as Cloud, Sephiroph and Tifa dominating the Square Enix merchandise lines. Even most non-gamers will have at least heard of Final Fantasy VII, for sure. One of the reasons why, seems to be because Final Fantasy VII was released back in the late 90s, before J-RPGs had kicked off properly in the West. The graphics and beautifully rendered cut scenes also make for a more immersive and pleasurable experience. Instead of the sprite characters from the previous 6 Final Fantasy games, we now have three-dimensional characters (albeit with boxy-proportions) with expressive movements and actions. I really loved this game. For me, the overall package of the game, which includes the story, soundtrack, graphics, the battle system, the character development and party dynamic truly should define the JRPG genre, even today. 

Firstly, the story is pretty straightforward, but players will have to have a degree of investment in both the backstory and origin stories, in order to fully understand everything. Final Fantasy VII’s game story not only involves the present, but also to a large extent – the past. A lot of the character’s motivations and personalities have been heavily influenced by past events, which are revealed throughout the game. The story initially revolves around an ex-SOLDIER mercenary called Cloud, who (reluctantly at first) joins up with an underground rebellion resistance group called Avalanche. They are rebelling against the evil corporation Shinra, who are using the world’s lifeforce, as disposable fuel, which means they are slowly killing the planet. The reason why the story resonated so much with me was because it has a nice parallel with the world we are living in today. Similar to the Shinra Corporation, we have big corporations in real life which pollute the planet with fossil fuels, without a second thought about the long term consequences for our children’s futures. So, Avalanche opens the game with a literal impact, Cloud’s first mission is to blow up a reactor. The clever part is, that by opening the game with a mission such as this, we don’t think about the consequences, until much later on. I thought it was interesting how Cait Sith brings it up towards the end of the game – “Do you realise how many people were killed in that Reactor explosion?” A small point to make, but it hit me a little bit. The characters in the story go through a journey that questions their principles and beliefs, what’s right and what’s wrong. Eventually, towards the end of the game, Cloud asks them to reflect. He tells them, that to continue fighting, they had to think about the greater goal rather than just themselves. The last dungeon was an especially emotional journey for the cast, with Cloud surprisingly saying things such as “Don’t go dying on me”, which is a stark contrast to his indifference at the beginning of the game. All the characters get their own mini story arc to shine. I especially enjoyed Red XIII’s story and Tifa’s mini arc. I have to admit, that at the beginning of the game I liked Aeris and Cloud’s relationship more than Tifa and Cloud, but that was before I saw the memory scenes and dream/lifestream sequences. I loved how Tifa was the one to help Cloud find his real person, and become stronger. I loved Red XIII’s story because it showed how his misunderstandings shaped his initial beliefs, and once that was broken down – he could move on. Cid’s story was also a nice addition, especially as Cid has never been more than a side character in Final Fantasy games. His desire to see space and the moon are totally believable, and it hits an emotional chord when he actually gets the chance to do this. The soundtrack has some of the most memorable tracks I’ve heard from a game. I am all too familiar with the iconic Aeris Theme, but also, there are other tracks that hit the right emotional chords at the right moments. 

I especially loved Cid’s theme (see above), because when ether it played, it just HIT at the right moments. One Winged Angel was also a perfect addition to the final battle with Sephiroph. It was really fitting, and sounded really good through a PS1 version of the game. Sephiroph’s final form, by the way, is an actual nightmare. I knew Jenova was the destroyer of all planets, but, his special attack takes that all too literally. I had the pleasure of that special attack 4 times, it wasn’t nice at all. Moving onto the gameplay and mini games, what I really liked about Final Fantasy VII was the fact that it included more mini games, and some extra challenges (such as timing jumps and steps, and pressing buttons in the right order) which diversified the gameplay a little. I saw the beginning of this kind of thing in FFVI, for example, with splitting up the party and strategically placing teams to meet enemies at different entrances and exits of a dungeon. FFVII takes this further. The mini games with chocobo racing was fun, a different kind of challenge, and also the dialogue choices which would affect future events, was also good for making the player more invested in the story. With regards to materia and magic, at first I was a bit irritated that materia had a detrimental effect on a character’s stats. For example, for every Summon you equipped, you would lose 10 HP. Imagine equipping all the Summons? But when I understood the story more, I came to realise that it actually makes sense. The Lifestream is really detrimental in large doses, and Materia is pretty much crystalised lifestream, so absorbing too much at once is bad for you – meaning its bad for your stats. Either way, the levelling up system and magic use is pretty straight forward. Materia levels up, rather than the character, which is handy too, because it means that characters can take a Materia that was levelled up by someone else and just equip it, to have the same abilities. 

For me, the biggest problem for Final Fantasy VII was the way they ended the game. Judging from the response online, this also seems to be a source of contention for most fans too. The fact that the game ends with no epilogue, showing how the characters are, how they lived their lives afterwards, if they did survive, leaves players with nothing but emptiness. It’s like ending a novel mid-sentence. We know it’s over, but there’s nothing left for us to take away with us. The epilogue after the credits is interesting though, it does suggest that humanity has survived, but we don’t know in what form. The faraway scene of Midgar surrounded in greenery may be interpreted positively. However at the same time, players could easily interpret this negatively, as we do not see any humans anyway. 500 years later – did humans become extinct? The developers clearly wanted players to make their own theories and speculate, but, it still leaves us wondering – what was next? I really hope that they have a more solid ending in the upcoming Final Fantasy VII remake. Even though they have produced sequels and movies, etc, it still doesn’t make up for the fact that the game ending itself was vague and gave us more questions than anything else. Until the remake comes out, we won’t know. However having said that, the game was still a great experience for me and I’m extremely happy I finally got the chance to play the game. 

[mentorup]

2017 MentorUp | Session #6

Session Breakdown | 60 minutes

Introduction | 2 minutes

Mentee’s Perspective | 4 minutes

News | 8 minutes

Work | 8 minutes

Our Work | 8 minutes

Trend & Hot Topic | 10 minutes

Dialogue | 10 minutes

Flex-Time | 10 minutes

Introduction 

Raise your hand if you’re in complete and utter shock that A) kids are back in school B) you’re seeing PSLs in your Instagram feed AND C) your alma mater’s first football game has already happened? Whether we’re ready or not, fall is just a few weeks away… or perhaps already here if you consider the PSL’s arrival the harbinger of fall. Be honest, have you ordered one yet?!

With this colorful season and the end of the year clearly in sight, things like your final 3x3 check-in and 2018 planning should definitely be on your radar! Don’t forget to carve out time to thoughtfully prepare for those meetings and plans. When feeling tired or a bit burnt out, I often remind myself of Mark Twain’s wise words, “the secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

On that note, let’s dive in!

Mentee’s Perspective

As we do each month… let’s gain valuable perspective from your mentee(s). Their mindset should be a guiding force in how you present this material.

Here are a few starter questions…

1. What is going on with your clients and their business?

2. What are your clients’ focuses right now?

3. What are challenges or things that need solving with your accounts/clients?

4. Anything you’re especially curious about or want to learn?!

Now having those questions answered, begin walking them through the session with those filters in place.

News

1. Google Announces ARCore

Google has been involved in augmented reality pursuits for some time. If you rewind all the way back to 2014, Google introduced Project Tango, at that time, one of the first augmented reality computing platforms. Although producing quit a bit of buzz and being used in an array of impressive creative applications, the focus once placed on Project Tango is now shifting to ARCore, which simply put, “will deliver AR capabilities to Android smartphones at a scale Tango was never able to reach.”

Google’s newly announced AR pursuit will operate almost entirely like Project Tango, but will be available on smart phones (Pixel and Galaxy S8 currently). Tango will be for Google’s high-end capabilities while ARCore will serve as an everyday AR platform on mobile.

Here are the 3 components of ARCore you need to know. 

1) Motion tracking – “which estimates a phone’s relative location based on internal sensors and video footage — so you can pin objects in one place and walk around them. “

2) Environmental Understanding – detection of flat services by use of the camera.

3) Light Estimation – “helps virtual props cast accurate shadows and otherwise fit in with their surroundings.”

Now, if the timing of all this is interesting to you, your instincts are correct. As the Verge stated, “Google is under obvious pressure to compete with Apple’s lightweight version of AR (ARKit), which has produced a small wave of clever experiments since its announcement in June.”

Apple has one big leg up on Google at this point; their anticipated ARKit is about to be released on iOS 11 to millions and millions of Apple loving consumers, who have most likely been eagerly anticipating the iPhone’s 10th anniversary.

What do you think about all this? Which one do you believe will win?

What opportunities do you foresee with your clients to work with ARKit or ARCore in the future?

2. Microsoft Buys into Blockchain

“A growing number of enterprises are investing in blockchain as a secure and transparent way to digitally track the ownership of assets across trust boundaries and to collaborate on shared business processes, opening up new opportunities for cross-organizational collaboration and imaginative new business models.” – Mark Russinovich, CTO, Microsoft Azure.

Interest in blockchain technologies is higher than ever, but there are legitimate reasons why companies are hesitant to adopt this type of technology. Issues like latency, performance, confidentiality, and required processing power have been major stumbling blocks for business. Although blockchain currently works well for a group of “untrusted actors,” that’s not the same transaction dynamic as enterprise business. Microsoft wants to solve the issues mentioned above by making blockchain technology “more suitable for the enterprise” ergo… the announcement of Coco!

Microsoft has created a product of sorts that will help bring blockchain to the enterprise. See this PR statement from their website, “Microsoft is committed to bringing blockchain to the enterprise—and is working with customers, partners, and the blockchain community to continue advancing its enterprise readiness. Our mission is to help companies thrive in this new era of secure multi-party computation by delivering open, scalable platforms and services that any company—from ledger startups to retailers to health providers to global banks—can use to improve shared business processes.”

The Coco framework, “an open-sourced system,” first works “by replacing the tedious proof of work computation with trusting submissions to the ledger because they come from a ‘trusted execution environment’ (TEE) secured by silicon.”

In English, that means Microsoft has figured out a way for blockchains to process transactions much faster by introducing a TEE (Trusted Execution Environment). Coco also adds a layer of confidentiality on top of the ledger so that “other suppliers cant’s see the orders you placed with another supplier.” 

To give you an example of how much faster transactions can happen on Coco, let’s look at some numbers. “In one test using the Ethereum ledger in Coco, the network delivered 1,500-1,600 transactions per second with latency between 100-200 milliseconds – far faster than Ethereum itself running on the same hardware.”

Now Coco is a framework, not its own ledger, meaning that it uses other ledgers (and is compatible with them all). Blockchain giant Etherium as well as many companies (J P Morgan Chase for example) are already porting their ledgers onto Coco. Microsoft will open source Coco’s code in early 2018, with a technical whitepater and demonstrations available now. (see here!)

p.s. If you’re scratching your head in confusion at the entirety of this topic, first, be affirmed in that it’s very complicated. Second, it’s high time you educated yourself! We’ve discussed blockchain and cryptocurrencies in Q2 In Tha’ Know as well as in last month’s session. Please take a look at those links and slides for further education. I promise, you’ll be glad you did!

3. Fall + Pumpkin Spice News 

Before October is here, before the leaves begin changing colors, EVEN before the clocks turn back… oh yes, it’s pumpkin mania. As the pumpkin obsession sets in for fall, Fast Company went as far to say that “pumpkin spice may just be the driving force behind the autumn economy.” 

With pumpkin spice products growing in number each year, this autumn cash cow is more than just a trend but increasingly becomes a cultural icon for an entire season. 

Starbucks, historically strict on when beloved seasonal drinks are offered in stores, had many store managers go completely rogue in late August by beginning to sell PSLs early. Several social posts of happy customers with their beloved drink as well as a very mysterious Starbucks Facebook live video began somewhat of a PSL panic.  

About a month ago, Starbucks employees even started a Reddit page support group to help deal with their fears surrounding customers who asked too early and were told no.

As I hope most of you are chuckling to yourselves or making #basic jokes to the colleague sitting next to you, let us ask some more serious questions.

If, in fact, pumpkin is such a phenomenon, how does your client play into it? How can the brands you work on play into cultural moments like this? On a more psychological note, what does this pumpkin spice craze teach us about culture and society?

Work

1. Warby Parker Owned the Eclipse

When brands foresee a cultural moment and perfectly insert themselves in an educational, helpful, or even comical way, consumers respond.

Warby Parker, the innovative glasses company already invested in eyes throughout the US, did a nation-wide campaign leading up to and on the day of the Great American Eclipse. They educated consumers on what an eclipse was, how it would affect your eyes, and even sent out catalogs with DIY pinhole projectors so that consumers could easily protect their eyes while enjoying a historic viewing of the solar eclipse.  On a microsite created for the eclipse, Warby Parker had unique content, educational information, a downloadable link to make your own pinhole projector as well as an opportunity to win a trip to their Nashville store for a path of totality viewing.

On the day of the eclipse, it became quite clear that it was in fact not only a scientific event but a media and brand event as well. 

Similar to the questions posed above, how can your clients embrace moments like this? What about this campaign did you think was smart?

2. The KFC Escape Room

Escape rooms are having a moment. From a cultural trend to the brand stage, these real life adventures have the power to transport consumers to another reality – giving them an experience to remember.

With many of KFC’s employees being millennials, their staff is increasingly screen-obsessed and therefore more difficult to train due to lack of attention. In a clever marketing stunt/real life employee training program, KFC created an escape room that in VR teaches those who participate to fry chicken the KFC way.

This ingenious creative technology work was designed for the Oculus platform and had the trainees master the five-step process before allowing them to “escape” the VR escape room. With a creepy picture of Colonel Sanders haunting the room and horror-like music playing, the desire to learn quickly and get out of there is very present.

The agency design director said, “"What excites us is experimenting with new tools and mediums to tell stories. VR became an obvious choice to create an immersive experience that teaches trainees how to make KFC's Original Recipe. The escape room concept builds on the pure training and utility of the experience into something that's also entertaining and connected to KFC's iconic founder."

What do you like about this piece of work? How could a creative marketing technologist add value to your brand work?

Technology

1. QR Codes as a Tour Guide

QR codes are so 2004 right? Think again.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is trying to reignite the spark of interest within Hong Kong’s business district. Despite the district’s business-like appearance, there are many “hidden treasures, like temples, galleries and street food.”

By creating four different explorative walking routes around the business district (renamed “Old Town Central”) and having QR codes strategically placed through the route, an educational and entertaining tour was born. By scanning the QR codes (an easy task for all ages since the technology is not new), tour walkers would be brought to a web page giving them information about the spot and providing insight on the history and culture of the area. Now, QR codes aren’t the prettiest to look at, right? No worries there, each one is “art-inspired” creating tea pot of temple inspired codes.

Depending on interest, explorers could go on Tasting Hong Kong, Crazy for Art, Treasure Hunt, or Time Traveler, and by the names of each tour, you can most likely guess the type of tour.

Why feature such an ordinary technology in the Technology section of this session? Because often times budgets are tight and the reason for strategically using technology doesn’t have to be to impress everyone by being the first, but simply by being the most pratical or helpful.

What technology could your clients use to help or be more useful to their consumers that may not seem flashy, but it’s just plain brilliant?!

2. Alexa’s new Today in Music feature

Alexa (as well as other AI home devices) is great at giving you a quick news recap as you sip your coffee in the morning, making you feel up to speed and ready to go! What about other things to stay on top of? Like music! 

Amazon has launched “Today in Music” which will provide daily updates regarding news in music, events in your area, releases, and music-related Prime and Unlimited offerings. For those thinking music trivia is a nice add-on, it has that too.

In addition, Alexa can now play mood music. So you can say for example, “Alexa, play classic rock for a dinner party.” And she’ll do it! Teaching consumers that they can tell a technology an emotion or setting, and it’ll react accordingly is very interesting movement in human expectations of AI.

How do these AI updates effect the brands you work with? What about the music industry? What are your thoughts on the ever-evolving expectation for AI?

Hot Topic -> The Internet of Home Comforts

[By pulling from Stylus’ recent report, The Internet of Home Comforts, the main points and key stats from it that are applicable to our business will be distilled down and shared here with the goal of getting you up to speed fast!]

Full report here.

This month we’re going to take a look at the current state of smart home technology and where it may be headed in the future. Specifically though, we’ll discuss how technology in our homes is “rewiring the habits and rituals of home life.” As you well know, anything that is shifting the attitudes and expectations of consumers is valuable information for our clients’ business.

Before we dive into this hot topic, name one home tech device or service that you use on the reg. Has one become a part of a habit or ritual? (wifi doesn’t count!)

Who has more connected devices in their home? Do a quick count check!

Current State of Smart Home ->

What is the state of the smart home right now? Despite cost and security concerns, this area of technology continues to grow at a rapid rate. Take a look at some of these numbers! 

In the UK, 52% of consumers own some form of connected device, and 30% intend to buy a connected device in the coming year (Deloitte, 2016).

By 2020, there will be 20.4 billion connected things in use globally, up from 8.4 billion this year (Gartner, 2017).  

In the US, 86% of millennials (aged 23 to 36) would be willing to pay more for a home with smart extras (Construction Dive, 2016). 

However, in the UK, 48% of consumers think that connected products are too expensive, with that figure rising to 53% among 18- to 34-year-olds (Deloitte, 2016)

There's a growing market for lower-priced smart home devices. In May 2017, Ikea tapped into this by announcing plans to begin selling its own cheaper range of app-controlled lightbulbs, saving consumers money on electricity bills and smart home upgrades.

In the US, 73% of millennial women see smart home technology as a way to protect their homes (TecHome Builder, 2016). 

Two-thirds of global consumers are very concerned about smart home data being hacked by cybercriminals.

From pure #’s to price and then of course safety, there are a variety of factors one has to examine before proceeding with purchasing or entering the home tech space.

Stylus says... 

First we’re going to look at categories of home tech that are buzzing right now, but then look to how the home will evolve.

RIGHT NOW->

What are some categories of home tech that are doing just that?

1) Central Nervous System Tech – products or interfaces that are “anchored in physicality for a more intimate connection with the smart home.”

a. Pop Home Switch

b. Knocki

2) Scent Tech – noses are very emotional and a scent can completely change the way you feel or think. When thinking about a category that is due for an update, home fragrance is definitely ripe for innovation.

a. Moodo

b. P&G’s Febreze – smart device

3) Responsible Tech – devices that encourage healthy or more informed choices.

a. Eugene smart trashcan

b. Hydrao

4) Voice Tech – did you know that by 2020, half of searches in the US will be done by voice? I know, crazy! With 33 million voice tech devices in homes now (and growing everyday!), this category should be no surprise to you.

a. Amazon Alexa

b. Google Home

c. Apple’s Siri - HomePod

What about your space, though? Peter Madden, an ambassador for Future Cities Catapult said,

It may sound a bit like the Jetsons to you, but this is happening! What is the most futuristic home or hotel you’ve been in? How did it affect your mood?

FUTURE ->

With focuses on “anticipatory, contextual and intuitive” tech, the future smart home will be like an assistant that enhances whatever mood you’re in or comes alongside you to accomplish whatever task you wish.

Want to save money on your heat bill? Done. Want to relax after a long day? Easy.

What are ways this will happen?

1) Sensor Shortcut – items in the future will be able to turn ordinary objects into smart devices by plug-in sensors that detect status. In the future, there will be more ways to track usage and habits by means of status throughout your home.

a. Synthetic Sensors

2) Butler for All – everyone wants their own Carson, right? With Chatbots and AI becoming increasingly more sophisticated, behavior tracking and coordinating between say, watering the lawn and weather patterns would be easily done. In the future, technology will increasingly act like a butler to your home… well perhaps not answering your door ;)

a. Thington

b. Neeo

3) Enhanced Accessibility – for anyone that has beloved grandparents or elderly parents or perhaps a family member with special needs, navigating the home is difficult without the help of another. In the future we’re going to see more and more technology that helps accessibility and eases the pressure of caretakers.

a. Howz

There are a few more mentioned in the report that if this has peaked your interest, for sure do some more reading! 

Before we close, how does the current smart home and the future smart home affect you? How does it affect your clients?

Is there an initial behavior or attitude that comes to mind for how this will change society/culture?

If you remember from The Future of the Customer Experience segment presented in In Tha’ Know last quarter, we discussed how consumers will reward brands with loyalty when they know when and how to either SAVE or SEIZE their attention? A big way of how to do that was breaking out of the normal, comfortable vertical. Let’s stretch your brain a bit… try and concept one idea for your client that would involve home tech. Ready, set, be brilliant!

In closing, innovation always proceeds cultural change. Just think of the 10th anniversary of the iPhone we’re about to experience/celebrate. Think of the world and culture before that innovation!

App Feature

Status

This is the blockchain startup app that is projected to change the way regular smartphone users can interact with the blockchain network. From receiving over $100 million (equivalent in Ethereum) in first round ICO funding, this app is considered one of the next big innovations to hit the mobile world. The finished product will look like a WhatsApp-meets-decentralized-banking based on the blockchain, but for now it’s in early development.

If you have an Android you can download immediately, but if you have iOS, you can get on the invite waitlist. It takes about 2 months to be invited, and I promise you’ll be glad you did :)

Content Feature

*please go to linked article - downloadable video was not available. 

Thanks!

For the Curious TMA’er

(Podcast Insights)