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fallen029 · 4 years

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"How did you get it?"

"Get what?"

"Your scar."

Mirajane stared at Laxus with the same disappointment he'd stared at so many other women, in moments like this, just like this, where they were at their closest, their most intimate, and he began to have ideas and feelings and thoughts and desires for something more, something concrete, something real, but then they'd brush their finger over his most cliché part, the zigzag that laid across his eye, and question him about it. Ponder. Wonder. Ask. Blatantly. Because they thought they could. Because they were in a relationship, or at least something close, they were close and that meant that they could discuss the sorts of things that one discusses when they're close, but they weren't close.

Someone close to you, who felt so deeply for you, everything beneath the surface and in-between the crevices, would never ask something like that. Because they would know. Without ever lingering on it, ever questioning it, they would just know. Be well aware. Without knowing the truth, they would know better than to ask. Something so personal and tragic and...and…

And he thought they were different.

Because they were different.

She was different, than every other woman that thought that because they could bring him to his knees that he should just surrender every hidden part of himself. He was different, with her, than the closed off, distant and expectant, so expectant and rigid, man that he was with every other woman.

If she'd asked him, if she'd really asked him, straight up and honestly, about how he found himself with a lightning bolt scarring his flesh, he would tell her straight up. Not get huffy or defensive. Not give some bullshit, bogus lie about how he'd done it himself, or had it done, maybe, with the help of Freed and Bickslow, to make himself look cool. No. He'd have told her the truth. Not withdrawn or been ashamed. Been angry or defensive.

Mirajane was different to him, than every other woman before, and he loved her, he truly, honestly loved something, someone, for once, and it was so real and raw and it hadn't really been that long, but he'd never felt this way, not really, not even when he'd thought that this was the exact thing that he was feeling, all those times before, but this time was so different and real and special and she was it. He knew she was it.

Perhaps it was his own self-importance, the arrogance and swagger he had, to think that just because he felt this way, just because he'd fallen so hopelessly and madly in love, that without a doubt, of course, Mirajane had found herself feeling the same. That of course, to her, their summer romance while the S-Class jobs weren't rolling in and he was taking a break, while she was finding more time off work as Kinana desired more hours, wasn't going to bloom into something more, but rather die off, fade away, with the long days, like a fling should, like all summer flings should. Because oh, they were the same, of course they were the same, but at the same time, they were so different because he was in love, he knew he was in love, he could tell he was in love, truly in love, but she was not.

Was she?

The way she withdrew then, from him, as he traced a finger across the faded, old, but still prominent scar she had right beneath her left breast, long and crooked, but hidden typically from the world, even with her typical skimpiest of outfits or swimwear, it lay just so perfectly, but prominently, to Laxus, who spent so much of his time with his head buried there now. And he'd traced it before, both with the tips of his fingers and the point of his tongue, but now as he did it with the edge of his fingernail and spoke those words, so softly, that he'd so often heard spoken to him.

Mirajane shifted back from him, a certain look crossing over his previously content expression, and he had to wonder how he'd fucked it up, so quickly, so easily, so obviously, as the moment shattered and he fell away from her as well, both silent now with their own realizations about the other, spawning from a simple question.

Laxus would have told Mirajane anything he wanted. He thought that he did tell her everything she wanted. He'd opened up, in this short expanse of days where it felt much longer than the multitude of years they'd known one another, however sparingly, for the majority of their teenage years and all of their adulthood. He knew so much about her, learned so much about her, from this some odd thirty, sixty days, whatever it was, it didn't matter, all that mattered was how special they were, how important, those days, these days, but if this was fleeting, if she didn't feel that way, if she didn't hope the same as him, that the summer never ended, then…

Then…

"I'm sorry."

"Dragon-"

"No, I shouldn't have ask-"

"It's not that."

Mirajane found that she couldn't look at him. That she didn't want to. Then. He was getting out of bed then, following her silence, and she felt like she should do something, to stop this from happening, but at the same time, she wasn't the one who'd spurred it on.

Was she?

No.

He'd done this, by questioning her, asking her that, and she hadn't mean to draw away, visibly recoil at his words, but it just took her back a bit, his question. In a way she wasn't expecting. It wasn't exactly something she was asked about frequently. If at all. Mira found most everyone had scars, in some way or another, especially given the line of work they were in. And considering so many of the men she did find interest in were also mages, working far more than she did in those days, most of their bodies were speckled and marred by an assortment, some even in awkward places.

But Laxus' was different. She'd give him that. If she knew his hangup about it, then she would surrender that nugget to him, yes, of course, because his was so prominent, so much a part of who he was, brought together his whole facial structure, really.

Plus, well, she knew Laxus fancied himself as different. From the rest of them. His pain and trauma, baggage and backstory were intricate to him in a way the rest of them didn't understand. Laxus lived for his pain and his anguish. The remembrance. He liked to pretend that it was in his past, where it belonged, like the rest of them were forced to do away with their own, but unlike the rest of them, Fairy Tail wasn't an escape, a gateway away from the tragic years that brought them as wayward youths to the guild's sanctuary. It was a constant reminder of all he'd gone through, the enigma that brought about so much strife to his family. Fairy Tail was the Dreyars, but also destroyed the Dreyars.

Even if everything had worked out, when she was young, in her village, she imagined she'd still have left eventually, would have had to, to get away from what it had meant, what she'd felt, all the scenery to remind her, constantly, of when she lost her parents, her childhood, and her freedom. She'd want to be somewhere new, carving a path, separate from the things that had drug her down, even if it wasn't to her absolute degradation, somewhere where she wasn't remind constantly of what she'd lost. Who she'd lost.

Mirajane loved Fairy Tail because all her early memories tied to it involved discovering her magic, battling it out with Erza, watching her younger brother and sister, both ravaged by the world, come out of their shells again, find friends again, discover happiness again.

Laxus' memories, as he'd told her before, in moments like this, where he felt his most open, consisted of all the people he'd known, not just his parents, but all of the people, the past members, who eitehr died out there, on jobs, or just went away, disappeared, gone of to live fulfilling lives separate from the only thing that he could ever imagine being; a Fairy Tail wizard.

A mage.

A fairy.

Laxus lived with his trauma, his past, shoved in his face every single time he walked through the wrought iron gates and into the hall, the one that had changed so many damn times, but still felt the same, no matter it's grown or shrinkage, as the air inside consisted of the exact same presence it always did, all the way back to when he was just a little kid.

The scar cut across his eye was much the same. Plain for everyone to see. But hidden in the fact that he'd never tell, he couldn't tell, anyone anything about it. Refused.

With the power of transformation magic, Mirajane could hide just about any blemish or marking on her body that she wished. And she didn't mostly, usually. It was a nominal amount of magic, it was almost second nature to her. She didn't know what it was not to hide away parts of herself. Not face them. Not force others to do the same.

But it was different. Overnight. Frequent, overnights, which she found herself dealing with then, with Laxus, as they'd lay in bed together, so openly and freely, and she warned him the first time, she let it all down, her magic and guard, but he only laughed and made some passing remark about how silly she was. Feminine. Girly. Womanly. Something like that. Equally dismissive. To be so concerned about appearance.

She laughed too, because it did sound silly, didn't it? All of it? To care about something like that? And it was so hot, that summer, the summer that they were together nearly every night, falling into his bed together, alone in his apartment instead of crammed and hammed up with her siblings back home, that Mira found it best not to wear anything, nothing at all if she could help it, and it felt so freeing for it to occur to the two of them, at the same time, the same thought, without a word spoken between them.

When the guise fell, when the ruse faded her flesh didn't look so pure and white, but nothing about the two of them ever was and Laxus seemed happy and content, in his own way, his unspoken way, for them to be like this together. Open. Unabashed.

Laxus didn't want the summer to end, but Mirajane did. She wanted it to shift to the colder months, where they had to cuddle up together and wait out the heat once more. He didn't want things to change, but she couldn't wait until they did, until they changed into something even more solid and real.

"Seriously, just drop it. I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay, Laxus. Really. I-"

"You don't have to tell me-"

"I know why you asked."

Of course she did.

Because of all the random assortments of scars she had, from all the battles she'd fought, won and lost, this one was the oddest, wasn't it? All alone? In it's age? It looked far fresher, because it was, than any other she had. In a strange place. He was curious because he brushed against it so frequently, because she talked of her life so frequently, but never mentioned this not yet faded, not truly, still raised somewhat, rough patch of skin. Even without her magic, the others were all at least somewhat hard to notice, as they blended with age, but this one was different.

Why was everything about the two of them so different?

This was hidden because she chose to hide it, she was able to hide it, with or without her magic, and it was separate, from everything, and she knew he'd question it, eventually, he seemed to run his fingers, tongue, everything across it so frequently, and this was just a game of averages, between the two of them. Trying to out play the other. How much could be given up in exchange for silence on the rest?

He meant no disrespect, hadn't considered the possibility of such a negative reaction, but as he sat there then, on the edge of the bed, feet rooted in the floor, he wasn't pushing up, getting away, like he'd seemed to desire the second he realized the err in his delving. Instead, he just sat there, head turned just slightly in the darkness of his bedroom, staring over at her with something of interest, maybe, or perhaps just hopeful acceptance once more. Whether she told him the truth or not, expelled all of her secrets and thoughts and feelings and emotions regarding the scarred flesh no longer mattered; he just wanted her to pull him back down on the bed and banish any fears over misdeed.

But when she reached for him, to pull him back down, into the bed once more, it wasn't to rectify his mistake, but rather to sigh, deeply as they rested their foreheads against one another's, the silence different now, but still hinged on something.

"I just," Mira whispered softly as he bowed his head then, her lips brushing over his golden locks instead, "don't like to talk about it. Think about it."

"That's okay," Laxus assured her, burying his head into her, wishing he could go back to how he was before, when he wasn't absolutely terrified of the thought that she didn't want him, or wouldn't want him any longer, once the summer began its descent. "Really. We-"

"It was...recently, is all." She thread some fingers into his hair then, blinking some as she thought. "And not in...battle or training or anything, so I just..."

He wasn't ready again, so soon, but that was fine because that wasn't what she wanted and when she pushed him back, shoved him really, suddenly, so he was staring up at her, Laxus only blinked sleepily.

Reaching down, Mira traced a finger over the zagging line that scarred his face, made him look so mean, so evil, so much like her Satan Soul take over, but different, because he wore this every single day. Not as a mask, but as a part of himself.

They were so different.

His eyelid fluttered shut, instinctively, void of intention, while the other stayed wide open, watching as she applied pressure, just a bit, while gliding down the lightning bolt-esque marking over his eyes, feeling it, truly, for the first time.

"Who gave you yours?" she asked softly and he didn't even think about it, didn't reflect, just answered honestly.

"Ivan," he replied dryly, but honestly and Mirajane nodded her head slightly as she removed her finger from his cheek.

"I was dating a...jerk, a few months before you first asked me out." She shrugged some, glancing away from him then. "From another guild. It was...different, than how it is, with you and me. And we kind of… He just wasn't someone I should have been with. He had his own stuff going on-"

"Do I," Laxus asked her softly then, his voided gaze turning harder then, "know him?"

"No," she whispered, but she nodded her head, just a bit, and he glared. Then, sighing, she added, "It doesn't matter."

He wanted to argue, she could tell, but relented some as he remarked, "Why did he...cut you?"

It felt blunt, put like that, and Mirajane looked away as she remarked, "He didn't. Not really. We were...fighting, and his magic… It's stupid. His magic just caught me because I wasn't going to, you know, transform on him or anything. I just...and he…he underestimated me. Most men do."

Reaching out, he sat up some as he caught her chin, just slightly, in his palm, forcing her to meet his eyes. They were on even ground again. Finally.

"I don't," Laxus whispered to which she smiled, weakly, distantly, just really.

"I know," she agreed as he fell back then. "Dragon."

They were shifting again, together now, as she slowly fell back into bed as well, and they were together again, settling once more for the night. In the morning, she had to get down to the hall and he'd promised to train with the Thunder Legion, so they needed their sleep, they needed far more than they were typically allotted, but at the same time, in that moment, he didn't want it.

At all.

But she did.

At least somewhat.

"Why do things have to change?" he muttered as his eyes felt heavy and this was all just a dream, almost, kind of, it felt like, but Mia's lips felt warm against his cheek as well as her breath, reminding him that it was all real, all too real.

It felt like a weird thing to say, a very weird thing to say, honestly, but somehow, someway, because they really were connected, maybe, unspoken, but known, and Mirajane understood perfectly.

"Because if they don't," she answered with a yawn, falling back into her side of the bed then as he blinked at her some more, determination the only thing winning out against sleep in the battle to keep his eyes either open or closed, "then they can never get any better."

"Can't get any worse," he reminded, but she only shrugged.

"Sometimes," she told him simply, "it's worth the risk."

And after finding this to be true, following his question that brought about the entire interaction, it was hard for him to do anything other than agree.

#Miraxus #Miraxus Week #Laxus Dreyar #Mirajane Strauss #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction

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lyricalt · 7 years

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[ovw] Destiny AU - take you out

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @irlwolves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here’s a little mcgenji destiny au.

The match begins without much fanfare at Firebase Delphi, rocky ground kicking up dust as both fireteams land on their feet in unison. Less than a minute later, Genji takes first blood with even less flair, leaving the unfortunate enemy warlock to spawn elsewhere. He leaves the rest of his team behind at Zone A—per his usual strategy when it comes to Zone Control, but he finds himself hurrying faster than normal, just the tiniest bit impatient to rush ahead to middle ground.

He had taken a quick glance at the teams’ rosters beforehand, so it comes as no huge surprise to him when he runs into McCree at Zone B.

“Fancy meeting you here,” McCree says, tipping an imaginary hat as his gunslinger’s cloak flutters behind him. The circle of light around them blinks, HUDs showing that Fireteams Alpha and Bravo are both supposedly contesting for Zone B.

Thankfully there isn’t anyone yet to witness the two of them standing around. Genji can practically hear Shaxx grinding his teeth in frustration.

I should just shoot him, Genji thinks wryly—but he’s got a sharp knife and a good sense of humor this round, so there’s no use wasting either of them. He draws out his blade and lunges at McCree.

“A shame Shaxx decided to keep us apart,” Genji says, voice brightening when the barrel of McCree’s pistol connects with his knife to block it. The metal clash shocks his hand but doesn’t slacken his grip. A small shift to change the angle of the blade would have freed them both, but Genji only pushes forward, goading on a deadlock between their weapons.

And McCree doesn’t give an inch so much as lean closer to him in return. Genji’s knife comes dangerously close to his neck, sharp point almost nicking at the lower edge of his helmet.

“Oh, us being on the same team would’ve been unfair,” McCree says, unbothered by the possibility of getting his throat sliced. The gun in his hand shakes a moment from the strain. “But hey, after this match, how ‘bout I take you somewhere nice?”

Genji’s answer is immediate. “No. I’m on a Vanguard streak. I have Crucible bounties.”

“I’ll show you around Mars,” McCree adds, as if to sweeten the deal. He pushes back with his gun, index finger sliding to the trigger.

“I’ve seen Mars,” Genji replies. If he had eyebrows, he would have raised one of them. “We are on Mars right now.”

“The parts that aren’t the Crucible. And without Cabal.”

Genji tilts his head to the side, considering. The sand dunes had made for some interesting sparrow jumps at times, but that’s the only good thing about Mars Genji could say from the top of his head. In his opinion, one orange desert landscape is as good as any other.

“If you win this match,” Genji says, after a moment. A Vanguard streak isn’t something he’s willing to forfeit so easily, after all. “If you win, I’ll go.”

He can hear the grin in McCree’s voice, picking up the implication fast.

“And if I lose?” McCree asks in a low murmur, like he cannot wait to hear the answer.

“We’ll have a date on Venus instead.”

McCree pauses, voicelink cutting off for a quick second. When he replies, there is an impressive amount of forced enthusiasm in his tone; “Oh, that ain’t no real punishment. So long as it’s a date with you, sugar.”

It’s almost charming, if not completely sincere. Genji laughs, unable to help himself. “Have you checked the weather there? It’s storming. Acid rain on both hemispheres.”

McCree seems to mull over his own response before drawing out his own knife to take a swipe at Genji. The feint is enough to make Genji hop back, but not before McCree’s pistol fires deep into his shoulder—and Genji suspects that vicious move may have been partially motivated by reasons less than charming.

“Aw, hell,” McCree says, over the sound of his gun reloading, “I better not lose then, huh?”

Genji’s armor blinks a critical red. McCree is a second away from finishing his reload and Genji’s no longer within knife range to do any damage. There’s always his pulse rifle, but Genji opts for the pettier route and simply throws down his grenade between them.

And apparently he isn’t the only one to have the same idea. Three more grenades join his in Zone B and Genji has enough time to feel exasperated—there’s half his fireteam, along with McCree’s as well.

“About time they showed up,” McCree says, echoing Genji’s thoughts.

Genji would have spoken, but the nature of demolitions takes its course and he supposes he’ll have to wait until after revival to reply.

Genji doesn’t run into McCree again for a few cycles. If he hadn’t known any better, he would have suspected McCree was avoiding him, but a quick peek at the scoreboards show McCree is busy in his own right, either capturing zones or killing the other members of Genji’s team.

Meanwhile, Genji is collecting a fair amount of medals—a continuous stream of the usual icons appearing in the corner of his vision. He runs around the corner, shooting down an enemy titan along the way before his radar shows a ping of red to his right side. Without a second thought, he switches directions to hunt down his next target.

“You know we are playing Zone Control, right?” Ryuu says after a moment of running.

“Zones won’t matter if I have enough kills,” Genji says, checking the scoreboard again with a flicker from his HUD. Alpha team is ahead by a few hundred of points with him as the top scorer. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, but his Ghost apparently senses something amiss.

“I advise against this strategy,” Ryuu says, as blunt as he is helpful.

“You’ve never advised against it before,” Genji notes, and skitters to a stop when he spies a familiar red cloak and hand cannon pointed his way.

Ryuu falls silent, and Genji would never accuse his own Ghost of conspiring against him, but it seems like a near thing at this point.

McCree’s first shot misses him, though Genji has no doubt the bullet would have landed if he hadn’t Blinked away. The second shot does hit, a shock of pain driving Genji to move faster rather than stagger. McCree’s trigger finger is quick, but it doesn’t make up for his slower movements. Genji’s footwork to move around him is automatic, pathway almost a calculated circle. He drives his knife into McCree’s back, invisibility device activating as the blade bites deep.

Genji backs up, footsteps light and soft to conceal his presence. He has half a mind to taunt, but to his surprise, McCree takes off in a hasty retreat, bounding off through the plasteel doors.

Genji’s cloaking device fizzes out, leaving him in an empty room as the doors hiss close. Less than half a minute later, Bravo Team captures Zone C.

“He gets it,” says Ryuu with a clear note of approval.

Genji shrugs.

“Don’t get angry just because he isn’t chasing after you for the entire match.”

Genji turns his head, expecting his Ghost to be hovering over his shoulder. Upon finding the spot empty, he gives the air a swat anyway.

“No more advice from you,” he says.

Genji finds himself being approached by the enemy team in groups of two or three. Normally, he wouldn’t have a problem with it—he would have gladly pitted himself against the entirety of Bravo Team by himself, but after his last three deaths under enemy fire, he finds it all a little bit too deliberate for random happenstance.

He wouldn’t have called it being ambushed—there’s no way, not in Crucible—but his suspicion doubles when he corners McCree beneath a rocky outcrop over dusty orange sand.

“One would think you weren’t trying,” says Genji, risking an open voicelink. He’s gotten McCree’s armor down to nearly nothing. One more shot and McCree will be reviving on the other side of the base. Alpha Team is still leading by a good number of points.

McCree’s voice patches into his audio sensors, breathless. “You underestimate how badly I want a night out with ya.”

“Try harder then,” Genji says, taking the shot, and McCree’s Ghost springs from his body.

When he turns around, half of Bravo Team is waiting for him with weapons that look like a good combination of rocket launchers and machine guns.

“Oh,” says Genji.

The alarms haven’t stopped blaring into Genji’s helmet for what seems like too long. He doesn’t know when it happens, but Bravo Team shifts from chaotic carnage to organized killing and capturing. Genji thinks McCree may be barking orders to his own team, which is a strange concept. He knows McCree has a certain unwillingness for leadership, though he has on occasion seen McCree pick up the role when needed. He isn’t quite sure how McCree is doing it, but time and time again, Genji becomes outflanked by two or more enemy guardians.

It’s maddening, but also a little flattering.

“They’ve got them all, Guardian,” Shaxx announces as Bravo Team’s score makes a leaping jump past Alpha’s.

Genji turns his head. He isn’t surprised to see Ryuu floating over his shoulder this time, somehow looking as smug as a Ghost can be.

“I think I see your point,” Genji admits.

Ryuu offers one last piece of advice; “Then get on the point, Genji.”

They meet again at Zone B, though the rest of Firebase Delphi is now empty, awaiting the next match between a new set of teams. McCree stands beneath the zone’s banner, Bravo’s emblem waving over him.

Genji’s Ghost has seen fit to respawn him near McCree. He lands on his feet and slings an arm around McCree’s waist, drawing him in.

“Zone Control isn’t my favorite,” Genji says, tipping his head back to look up at him. “But a loss is a loss, I suppose.”

“You sure as hell didn’t make it easy for me,” McCree replies with a huff, but he sounds pleased. “Guess I’ll have to beat you in some other Crucible game.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Genji says, a little ruffled, but the feeling passes itself quickly as McCree’s helmet tilts to tap against his. He reaches over to pat the dust from McCree’s cloak, which is looking more orange than red. It’s a futile gesture. He’s sure they’ll both be up in dust again soon enough, considering he’ll be staying on Mars for the time being.

They start walking off from Zone B, McCree taking the lead to hop over the rocky ridge surrounding the edge of base. Genji follows after him.

When they get to the top, Genji is treated to Mars’ familiar sandy landscape and burning overhead sun. He dims his visual settings, seconds away from making a smart comment, something about the weather on Venus being preferable.

But McCree grabs his hand, his gaze looking at some point beyond the endless orange dunes. His grip tightens, excitement somehow emitting through his unseen Light, bright solar energy matching Mars.

“I could do without the ridiculous wagers next time,” Genji says, staring despite himself.

“Deal,” McCree says, turning to him with a laugh. “C’mon. I’ll show you around.”

And Mars is beginning to look nicer already.

#destiny au #overwatch

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iscarfacei15 · 6 years

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Mega Man Ultimate

Week 1:

On the first week of the development of my level I was introduced to the Unreal engine and was shown how to create tile maps and insert them into my level. I did this by finding sprites on the website sprites resource so I can get a rough idea and viewpoint of how they would look in my level. I did all of this by researching into Mega man games more in depth such as Mega man 2 to see what type of layouts the levels took and the enemies and hazards the player faced. The way I did this was by taking sprites within Photoshop and separating them and setting them so they were the right size of each tile in my tile maps that will be used to create the environment for my level. I then experimented with the tile maps so I know how to use them and portray them properly.

Week 2:

In week two I took what I learned in in the first week of the development of my Mega man level and I then went on to create my first section of my level environment in the form of tile maps and tiles that I created in the first week. So I decided to go with a mechanical approach with the environment and the sprites that I will be using. However, I did eventually want to descend to the underground of the environment which is a mars future space facility. After this I then started to place and create the environment and made the introduction environment playable and to see if it worked how I intended and it did so next I will be moving onto the next tile set.

Week 3:

On the third week of my level, I starting t create the next part of my level as well as including enemies in the first tile set where the player will start. I also included damage volumes and ladder outcomes so the level was completely playable for the player and they could descend and move on to the next area. I created the second tile set in the same way that I made my first tile set by placing tiles and my sprites to create the environment, I also placed enemies in this section so I new how the layer would encounter them and make sure they were not to difficult so it is impossible but difficult enough to be a Mega man game.

Week 4:

In week four I decided to make my second main level section more interesting, I did this by making moving platforms for increase the challenge for the player and so its more relative to mega man’s past games within the franchise because they also had platforming mechanics similar in this way. I did this by making the platform moving on a timeline. However, I customised it so it moved in the direction I wanted it to by setting it to recognise the new and old location and determine the timeline by the time it will take to reach the top and I put this on loop. I then experimented the different movements speed and height of the platforms until I found them to be suitable for the players.

Week 5:

On week five I decided to add my own enemy within my level, the enemy I wanted was a turret which will be shooting towards mega man in difficult situations to provide challenge and excitement for the player. The way I did this was finding an sprite for a turret in an past mega man game, and then I down scaled it to the suitable 16 by 16 pixels. So it ca be inserted in my game. Once inserted I then created the blueprint for my enemy within the enemy spawner and I also made the way the enemy shoots such as sped of bullets and where the projectile will spawn. After this I then inserted this into my level to make sure it was working and it was after I fixed the issue to where the sprite was facing and the projectile was shooting was opposite.

Week 6:

In this week I made the first new environment of the underground of my environment, the reason I did this was to keep the environment fresh for the layer and the scenery was not getting to repetitive and become boring as the player progresses through the level. The way I decided go with this was to change similar sprites and the way they preform from the section above the ground. For example, I changed the way the ladders looked however they work the same. Although, platforms have changed in both aspects, this is because I lan to have falling rumbling platforms to freshen gameplay and to provide a stable amount of challenge for the players.

Week 7:

On week 7 this is were I decided to create my disappearing platforms which will provide for the layer. I will only apply these into the underground sections to give the illusion of the lace breaking down with lava being everywhere, which have been replaced of spikes. The way I created this was by copying and pasting my already moving platforms alternating them to the changes I needed to apply to make them disappear. However I did get it work but I did come across one major problem which when it was not respawning if the layer failed and died when trying to get across the obstacle.

Week 8:

On this week I completed my boss area and started to insert my boss character for Mega man, and just made sure it was in a working standard. However, I came across many problems with the boss dying as soon as he was off screen, but I have decided I will dedicate these problems to next week so I can go back and improve the layout of my level sections. In this progress I went back to add enemies in sections that didn’t have them such as the underground section and the addition of then middle section of the level I have added. I added my turrets in certain areas and made branching paths for basic exploration which will give Mega man an item. Although, the main thing I did today was creating a new weapon upgrade for Mega man which is activated by pressing Q. this weapon is a shotgun for mega man although it does the same damage as the mega buster I does shoot 3 projectiles at a time than one so it does cover more radius than The Mega buster. I did this by copying Mega blasters' code and altered it so it spawns 3 projectiles that move in different directions and it changes Mega man’s colour to show the player has switched to the shotgun.

Week 9:

In this week I focused on completing my bosses issues within the programming, the firs thing that I have fixed was stopping the boss from dying as soon as he appears off screen. This was a big issue because as soon as the player started the level it would kill the boss because he was off screen. I sorted this by setting the enemy in the enemy spawner instead of having him as his own character. Another problem that I had once this issue was resolved was the fact that the boss would freely move around the map and this either killed the boss due to him going into hazards or glitching through the level terrain or him starting to attack the player before I intending leaving the boss area irrelevant. However, I fixed this simply by including a hitbox area from where the player will have to enter this area to make the boss spawn. Also I made this only in the boss area so it makes the player only able to fight the boss within this area as I intended.

Week 10:

On my final week I focused on just changing basic things due to my overall level being complete. These things were varied from the enemy spawn locations and fixing ladder volumes also continuously lay testing so I knew the level was not too hard and the player was not impossible to complete. I also knew and changed things by asking others to play test my level and I took their feedback into consideration and added changes to my level which were manageable due to my limited time left on my level and work on the feedback on the best ability that I could due to my time limit. The things I changed were the difficulty on the boss fight by changing the platforms that the boss can jump between and the spawn areas for some enemies to give the player a chance to respond to where the enemy is and give them time to determine their battle tactic.

Critical Evaluation:

Research (Design Document):

Before making my level, I researched into the mega man franchise and past game mechanics that have been used before in the series and how I could implement that in my level as well as keeping it fresh and enjoyable for the layer. I put all of my research in a PowerPoint presentation. This was because they were so much to cover. I decided I wanted to present it in a design document because this is what is used while developing game ideas and concepts in the industry, and overall I found this very effective.

In my design document I showed my research within the mega man franchise especially Mega man 2, and I explained the game mechanics in the past mega man titles while using mega man 2 as my main research source because it is a fan favourite game within the franchise. In my design document, I played it out so it was a slide each on different aspects on research and my game mechanics that I will be implicating within my game Mega man level. I did this so I can easily switch to different slides quickly and knowing what I will be reading on the slide and so it was clear for others for read and know what rea they are reading as well as finding the section they need easily. I think this was a good way to layout my design document and research. This is because it was easily presentable as well as being able to return to it while developing my level.

I think I did the layout and research in my design document really well because it shows the aspects and sources of some of my ideas that will be within my level. I also think the detail I included with drawings and annotations to display how my mechanics may work was done also well because it shows how it may work in a playable environment and the player may experience it. I also believe the way I clearly showed and demonstrated my research and implemented these into my very own game ideas and portrayed these within my 2D design document was also very well done.

On the other hand, I could have improved my design document by looking into more megaman games in the franchise instead of just focusing on my main source of research Mega man 2. Although, my level is heavily inspired by this entry in the franchise I could have looked more in depth of the other mechanics used in later installments of the Mega man franchise and how I could have implemented them into my level. In addition to this I could of also explained more in depth of where my ideas come from by adding an harvard reference within my 2D design document for the basic ideas and concepts for the overall game idea Mega Man Ultimate.

Level Design:

Mega man 2 was the heavy inspiration of the level design approach that I decided to go with within my Mega man Ultimate level; this is because I wanted to reflect the difficulty in my level in a similar way I implemented within Mega man 2. The way I decided to do this was complex platforming and hazards surrounding these areas as well as the enemy’s within the level.

I think I did this well because the difficult is not cheap how it can easily be mistaken for by making unnecessary traps and hazards that the player may find unfair. This can be shown in games such as cat Mario, which have just disappearing platforms for no reason as well as traps or one hit deaths that will never be see. This can be a huge problem for the game, which can make the players more raged and annoyed than finding the platforming. In addition, the hazards fair, which is what mega man games in the franchise do very well. This was difficult to implement and not get confused with unfair scenarios for the player, although I think I portrayed this well. The way I think I did this well was by carefully placing tarps, hazards, and enemies which will keep the player on edge but will be fun because the situations were made so they were seen as fair and do able but they may need to learn patterns of enemy’s.

A great way I think I did well with the level design was with the environment itself, this is because I think I captured the theme of the game that I wanted to present pretty well. This is because I captured the mechanic and futuristic feeling from past mega man games as well as keeping it fresh with unusual scenery such as the background which is showing the effect the time travel in the story is having an effect on the facility in the world the level is based in. However, I did also transcend into an underground area of the environment, which is not as distorted due to the time traveling not effecting this because it was not used in this area. The reason I chose to do this was because of keeping the layer intrigue with the environment constantly changing keeping it fresh for the layer and it stops the level design from being repetitive because it can be different in each area.

However, I could have improved much more reason within my level design for example I could include more different platforming mechanics as well as the traps and hazards to provide more variety and challenges for the player. Although this was due to some of the problems that I faced with the programming, aspects as well as the overall time limit on the project. I also I put more time within the environment because it can be seen as plain and boring although I feel as though it is a simple but unique look.

Enemies & Boss:

After I gained the rough aspects of my level design within my level for Mega Man Ultimate I started to put in my enemies for Megaman to keep the player intrigued. I used the basic enemy which was already within my code for the level the telly enemy which would float towards Mega man and do light damage to him. This was the first enemy I had inserted and had working within my level. I had enemies in my level to keep the player from becoming bored and provide more challenge for them during certain stages of my level design such as platforming and exploration. However, I did not feel like this was enough and I went back into my research and found two enemy that I wanted to insert in my level. These were a basic turret which will provide more challenge for mega man because they will constantly be shooting a forward projectile for the player but would be in a stationary position and it was designed to provide challenge the player because they will be blocking the way ahead. The other was an end boss at the end of my level like they used to be at the end of each level of Megaman 2.

Overall I was happy with the look and the way my turret enemy worked within my level as well as the other telly enemy, I felt as though they just provided the right amount of challenge to keep the player intrigued from stop them from getting bored. In addition I also think the way my final boss worked within my level worked very well and successfully managed to do which I intentionally designed which was to test the player's skills in movement and timing as well as combat to defeat him. I am also happy with how I designed the boss area because it gave the player as well as the boss enough movement to keep the battle fun, interesting and challenging which I intended as well as it being like this in classic Megaman games such as the second entry in the franchise.

On the other hand I do know I could've improved my boss and enemies if I included more variety of basic enemies to provide challenge for the player. This is because I only have 3 enemy types in my whole level which are the nd level boss the turret and the telly enemy. I think this can become repetitive very quickly and make the player become bored due to the lack of variety. Also I do think although I only have two basic enemy types I could've including different attacking types and included different looks for some of the enemies but the time limit on the project stopped me from doing this. In addition for the boss I believe I could've made the stage of the battle more interesting and included different stages where the battle could of moved to to keep it interesting and force the player to come up with new tactics and strategy of battle choices.

Programming:

During the programming of my level, I manage to program a new type of weapon for Megaman which the player can use, which was not to difficult to implement I just copied the code for the Mega Buster and added additional code which will change Megaman's colour to show which weapon is equipped and to changed what the weapon will do. I programmed a shotgun for Mega Man which spawned three projectiles and they travelling in different directions which indicated the blast radius for the weapon. I also programmed the way the turret worked I did this by importing the sprite I was using for the turret and I creating a code where the projectile spawns at the end of the barrel of the turret every 3 seconds and travels in a forward direction where the player would be. I also came across spawning problems within the programming for the boss and the turret enemy I fixed this by coding them into the enemy spawning and creating a hitbox which the player will have to enter for the enemy spawn. This is how I fixed an error I had with the boss in my level he died as soon as he was off screen which was a problem because as soon as the player would start the level the boss would die instantly giving the player the challenge and less of skill. In addition, I also programmed moving platforms which helped to improve the overall level design and the challenge for the player in my opinion keeping things fresh for the player by introducing new elements that could be used for additional challenge in later levels.

On the other hand I believe the way I changed my programming to fix the issues in my level with the boss dying instantly when the player spawns and the way I programmed the enemy turret within the enemy spawner was well done and fixed most of my issues with the enemy types and the way they act towards the player. I am also pleased with the way I created moving platforms and falling platforms to create additional challenge for the player and this also increases the fun factor in my opinion. In addition I believe my programming within my level was overall well done and the brief experience with programming before the creation of my level but overall I am proud with the outcome of my programming skills that I have developed and i know they will benefit me in my future.

However, there is still minor problems within my code of my boss, although I fixed the issue of him instantly dying when off screen and only activating when the player enters the zone I created within the enemy spawner he will spawn. Their is still the issue when he is off screen he remains stationary and not continue to move around the platforms like I decided. Although, this may not seem like an major error within the code compared to the way I designed the bosses movement this can be easily exploited by players if they were to find this fault, which would remove the test of skill of the player like I originally intended.

The way I believe I could've improved my programming was if I had more time I would of been able to program more challenges and enemy as well as moving platforms and change to level design for the player the. Although I don’t think this would of been possible due to my this being my first major experience with programming and the time limit I had to get so much completed.

Final Outcome:

Overall I am very pleased with the level I have been able to make and design especially with this being my first experience with programming and making my ideas a playable level for others to experience. I am also pleased with the research I did and how I successfully implemented my ideas from my research into working game mechanics within my level. In addition I think my approach towards the level design was slid and stayed true to the original entries in the Megaman franchise which was my aim for the level designed and I believe that I reached this goal successfully despite minor setbacks with some problems during the development. Although, I do believe that I handled these problems very professionally and to the best of my ability.

However, if I could do this project again I would try to fix the issues in design and programming that still remain in my final level such as the boss exploit and the additional problem I have with sprites loading each time the game is loading, but with this being my first experience of level development on unreal I did not know how to resolve these problems. I also know if I would have had more time to develop this level I would be able to design additional stages with other game mechanics from my ideas that I did not get to include in my final level. Also I would of be able to include other enemy types and hazards like I originally wanted.

On the other hand, I have learned a lot from this such as programming skills and how to use different elements and how code works in unreal. I also believe that now due to this experience I will be able to manage my time better to reach a better overall goal if I set a realistic aim and not become over loaded with mechanics I wanted to insert in my level at some point.

Overall I do believe that all of the stuff I have learned during this experience will benefit me in future projects on unreal and how a level should work and be designed for it to be an fun experience for the players.

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bibliophileiz · 7 years

Text

An ultra-long rant about last night’s episode of Supernatural

So because I’m a masochist, I watched last night’s episode of Supernatural for a second time to figure out all the things wrong with it (and there are many – I picked up even more on the rewatch).

Many people are obviously – vocally – upset about the death in the cold open, and there are a lot of reasons that death is terrible. But it’s not just the death – almost everything in this episode is as poorly done as it could be and most of that is because of lazy writing. Literally everything plot-wise that happens relies on characters being stupid.

Spoilers under the cut.

RIP Eileen

First off, Eileen’s death is more brutal the second time around, despite the fact that it looks shitty. Now one of the things I looked for are weird directing decisions because something I noticed last night was that the episode not only is bad in general but it both begins and ends with the worst shots of the season.

Yeah, Eileen’s death looks fake.

At first I thought that was because the show probably can’t afford to make hellhound deaths look good unless it’s season 3 and it’s Dean Winchester dying and they’re willing to give their hero the benefit of their budget. But we literally had a very nicely done hellhound mauling of an unknown character only a handful of episodes ago, so that can’t be the case. Special effects team, wtf?

So we not only use the cold open to kill off a well-liked female character, the only disabled character the show has given us and who it was hinted multiple times could possibly have a romantic relationship with the hero in the future, but we make the death look shitty.

It’s probably not fair to compare Eileen’s death to Bobby’s or even Charlie’s or Kevin’s – and Charlie’s and Kevin’s deaths were mistakes, but at least there was build-up to them and they didn’t look terrible – because she’d only been in two stand alone episodes, whereas Bobby, Kevin, and to a lesser extent Charlie were all integral parts of the show and the plot by the time they died. But it is not hard to make death on TV look realistic. Like I said, they did it to Gwen’s boyfriend not two months ago. Eileen’s death looked so bad that I literally thought it was dream at first.

And even aside from the fact that they killed off yet another minority female character – aside from the fact that she appears to have been reintroduced three episodes ago just to die in this one – it’s just. Terribly. Written.

Ketch has a hellhound kill her? Because … that’s easier than shooting her? Why does the hellhound listen to him? How does he know where it is? Where did he get the whistle? Where did he get the hellhound? From Crowley? Why the fuck would Crowley give him a hellhound?

(I’ll come back to Crowley.)

Eileen herself gets no say and no agency. Remember how in her first episode she and her surrogate grandma kicked banshee ass while Dean bashed his head against a wall and Sam cried like a baby? Good times.

It was hinted at in her last episode that she shanked Dagon’s demon henchman like a boss. I remember wishing we’d seen it on screen. Oh yeah – who wrote that episode??

I also remember thinking that once the Winchesters realized the BMOL were going after hunters that they’d frantically get in touch with Eileen like, “The British are coming!” and she’d be like, “Oh, hell no, because we Irish hunters don’t let the British Men of Letters in our country” because fuck yeah Ireland.

Instead, she leaves Ireland and randomly is killed in South Carolina. How’d she end up there when she wanted to bunk with her buddies in Kansas? Who knows, who cares, certainly not the writers.

Speaking of wanting to bunk with her buddies, the letter. Oh, the letter. I would be so much more pissed about the line “I hate to be all girly, but” if it wasn’t the only hint we get this episode that she has a personality.

And except for Sam’s manly jaw clench of pain, there isn’t really much emotional reaction from any of the characters that she’s dead. We don’t even get to hear Jody tell them about it, because why waste valuable screen time showing characters have realistic emotional depth when you could devote half the episode to Crowley acting like a sock puppet in a political satire?

Speaking of…

Crowley deserves better

So … Crowley devises this spell-and-tech combo to keep Lucifer magically trapped in his old vessel and physically forced to do Crowley’s bidding because their DNA is linked or something and yet … doesn’t think it’s problematic that the device can be reversed so that Lucifer can control him … instead?

Also, why is Crowley working with the BMOL? What is the point of that – other then The-Writers-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named apparently thinking he’s a second-rate villain in a Mel Brooks movie who exists to have a British accent, twirl an imaginary mustache and get his ass handed to him in the most slapstick way possible?

Luckily for Crowley, the only person in this episode stupider than him is Lucifer himself who decides to kill Crowley, but draw it so that Crowley has time to smoke out of his meatsuit and into a rat. Lucifer stabs Crowley’s (empty) meatsuit because having a puppet slave who is trusted by and knows everything about your most problematic opponents (Dean, Sam, Castiel, and Rowena) wouldn’t be useful or anything.

The British Men of Letters

But wait, there’s more! The British Men of Letters are equally stupid because they have potent brain-washing serum, but instead of using it on American hunters who they’ve spent all season complaining don’t obey, decide to kill them all in really stupid, pointless ways like siccing hellhounds on them, siccing half-brainwashed assassins on them, and walling them up in their own houses.

The hellhound successfully kills Eileen, but plot contrivance is the only thing that keeps Ketch from getting ripped to shreds too – have we ever seen a hellhound obey someone who wasn’t a demon? Nameless-but-presumably-cool flannel wearing hunter killed by Mary only dies because his foot slips on a beer bottle at the right moment. And Ketch leaves Toni, Dean, and Sam to die slowly over two or three days from suffocation in their own home despite the fact that he is literally holding not one but TWO guns in his very own hands.

Third place in the stupid awards!

BMOL is only looking for the spawn of Satan – it’s not like eliminating an entire group of people while said spawn is running around with a badass angel of the lord is a waste of time or anything OR like killing all the people who’ve been looking for it all year is a waste of resources OR like using your angel-lore-ridden bunker as the stupidest way to kill someone anyway is another waste of resources. But if there’s anything BMOL and this particular writing duo have in common – other than a tendency to kill people – it’s wasting resources.

The competition between Toni and Ketch for head of the American Men of Letters would actually be cool if not for the following facts: one, that it’s in this episode and two, that it does not in any way match anything we’ve ever learned about Ketch’s character. Lines he delivers in this very episode suggest he does not want to be in charge. He derisively referred to Mick’s “ivory tower” a few episodes ago, and in this one he told Hess he wasn’t the administrative type. So it makes no sense for Ketch to be in competition with Toni – unless he just doesn’t want to take orders from her. That could be it, but the plot still doesn’t really work because Mary apparently sides with him because brain serum even though it was Toni who administered the brain serum. Why would Toni, knowing she’s in competition with Ketch and that he’s a ruthless psychopathic killer, not anticipate Ketch using Mary, who he’s already got a connection to, to kill her?

I refuse to get my hopes up about Toni

I actually love Toni as a villain. She’s sleek and glam and sophisticated and just vulnerable enough to be human (and while most people would credit her son for that, I give all the credit to her lady butler who makes sure to pack Toni’s gun for her). I am hardcore pro her becoming the Big Bad of next season because she would make a much better one than Lucifer-and-nephilim combo. But if the great Rob Thomas can’t even write a good female villain (and my rants on the deaths of Kendall from Veronica Mars and Rita from iZombie are almost as long as this one), then I sure as hell don’t trust Supernatural to do it successfully. I’m sure Toni will die before the end of the season, probably stabbed or shot by a white guy.

At least her death will look realistic.

#supernatural #supernatural spoilers #supernatural rants #i counted two good things about last night's episode #i did not include them in this post because this post is over 1700 words long #that's how bad it was

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