#as for the game series question i ruled out anything that had only two games as of date
Text
[Translation] Asagiri Kafka's afterwords for The Day I Picked up Dazai novel
Normally, afterwords would be the last thing I read in a novel, but as there are not many changes to the published novel this time compared to the movie bonus version, I was able to skim through the text quickly and get to this. And to be honest, despite not being a writer myself, I was so moved by Asagiri's views about writing and his characters that he shared in the afterwords, that I had to sit down and translate it right away.
This is just my crappy translation, as usual, but I hope it gave you a short, interesting look into the author and the characters. And please do not forget to buy the novel if you have the chance.
The translation is under the cut, thank you!
It has been a while. This is Asagiri Kafka.
Have you been enjoying Bungou Stray Dogs?
This novel, “The Day I Picked up Dazai”, is a compilation of the first week’s bonus novel “The Day I Picked up Dazai – Side A” and the second week’s bonus novel “The Day I Picked up Dazai – Side B” for the screening of “Bungou Stray Dogs BEAST” movie (hereinafter referred to as “BEAST”).
Normally, it is difficult to publish a bonus like this, but since "BEAST” and “Fifteen” that were published earlier by BEANS Bunko were originally bonus novels too, "The Day I Picked up Dazai” was also published in the same way, thanks to the efforts of all parties involved in the Bungou Stray Dogs series.
It is the story of Dazai and Odasaku’s first meeting, where Dazai who wants to die, collapsed in front of Odasaku’s place, who is neither a mafioso nor a hit man.
Why are there two different stores, Side A and Sode B? Regarding this question, please read the novel and see for yourself. If you keep in mind that this is the bonus for the BEAST movie, I think you will be able to understand it better.
Let me reminisce a little bit here.
This story was actually suggested to me by Igarashi Takuya, Director of the Bungou Stray Dogs anime.
Shortly before BEAST movie premiered, I was struggling. It was because I was asked to write a bonus novel for movie-goers again. I said “again” because, as I mentioned earlier, BEAST itself was a bonus novel for the Bungou Stray Dogs DEAD APPLE movie. I remembered having a hard time writing it, because I let myself run wild and wrote a total of 190 pages instead of 50 pages as requested.
But I had learnt my lesson after the last rampage. I can’t just write whatever I want anymore. I have to wrap the story in a reasonable length, like a pro should do.
A proper, professional story.
Huh?
My pen stopped right there. I stopped, looked around, feeling lost.
What is a proper story?
The act of writing novel is quite different in character compared to other types of media such as writing manga, anime scripts, or game scenarios. You can say it is almost a different thing. Writing novels, rather than narrating an event, is more like putting the flow of emotions into specific sentences. You use the sequence of letters to create rhythms, create flows, and create emotions. If anything, it might be closer to composing a song than writing a story.
Therefore, you have to decide “what kind of emotion will be put in this novel” from the very beginning, or you can’t start writing. That is the only and absolute rule.
Now, however, that is where the condition of a “proper story” hung over me.
A proper novel, of a proper volume, with a proper content for a bonus.
In other words, a proper emotion.
I searched through the drawers inside my head. For a proper emotion that is waiting to be brought out.
There was nothing but emptiness there.
A professional story teller is one with the skill to move the readers’ emotions. When people find the chance to move their own emotions, they will happily be paying for it. Human-being is that kind of creature.
And writers are ones who create and sell those kinds of emotions: the fear, the excitement, the heart throb etc., those that make you think. It is that kind of job.
It is supposed to be that kind of job.
Yet I became unable to move forward.
A good story is a story that moves people. I know that. Then what kind of emotion I should put in the story to make it "proper"?
How do I find that emotion?
I mean, how did I even write novels until now?
I stood still. My legs stiffened, my knees froze, unable to take even a step forward.
I then tried to at least pretend that I was moving forward, by listening to music, by taking a walk around the neighborhood at night. But as good as the night breeze felt, I didn’t manage to reach a single story that I needed to write.
What if I stayed like this forever, what would I do?
I felt a chill plunging into my back.
Then I realized, that stories, or probably emotions too, are not things you can search for or come up with. You have no choice but to patiently wait for it to come your way. You have no choice but to humbly and earnestly sit and wait for the story’s visit.
I got that, but the "proper 50-page story” still refused to come.
It was not long before one week passed. Then two weeks.
I was doing other work, while keeping my heart’s door open, waiting for the story to come to me.
At that time, I had an online meeting with the anime staff. I casually asked Director Igarashi, “Do you have any story you want to see?”
The Director gave it a little thought then told me, "I want to see the story of Dazai and Oda’s encounter”.
At that very moment, the story rushed in through my door, like a bang. I could hear that sound very clearly.
Two stories. Odasaku, and the two Dazais. A story where they met, and a story where they couldn’t meet. A story of gain and a story of loss. If I can portray the gain and loss side by side, the amplitude of the heart will be doubled and rise up in front of us.
That was a momentary event. Rather than pushing my way forward, I felt as if something was pulling my hand. Before I noticed, I have already finished the stories.
I came to realize.
It is not the writer who searches for the story. It is the story that chooses its writer, and at some point it will come our way. A professional writer is no more than someone with the ability to catch that call.
Also, this is the most important thing: there is no such thing as a “proper emotion”. Because after all, the feelings of other people belong to them only. That is why there is no guarantee that a novel can move others “properly”. However, you can move your own emotions. You know what kind of novel can and how it will move you. If you do, you can write just that. That’s the only way. That is the truly professional attitude. That’s what I thought.
Well then.
It is a little bit off topic, but as we are talking about “stories that come our way”, let’s talk about Odasaku’s first-person narrative.
Odasaku is a special character. For me, he is exclusively a novel character, and I have never portrayed him in the manga.
He first appeared as the narrator in “Dazai Osamu and The Dark Era”, then “BEAST” and now this “The Day I Picked up Dazai”. All are novels. That’s why for me, Odasaku doesn’t live inside the pictures, he lives inside the first-person narrative passages.
He is an eccentric guy. Even if you prepare the place and tell him to speak, he won’t speak to you that easily. His way of thinking is rather unique, that if I write his narrative after writing other characters’ first-person narrative, I would stumble for sure. Odasaku doesn’t speak. He just sits there in silence, while I can do nothing but sitting in front of my blank manuscript paper, trying to talk to him, like “What’s up?”, “Here, here”. However, he is a guy who won’t speak when it is not necessary. Sometimes it goes days or even weeks without him saying a word. Why did such a character come to me...?
During such time, there is only one thing I can do. That is, of course, to stay with him, sit patiently, and simply wait.
Finally he will start speaking. In his unique rhythm, word by word. His words have the power to cut through the world from a certain angle. That special cross-section is full of things I have never seen before and it never fails to surprise me.
And then when he finishes telling his story, he will swiftly disappear. To a dark and quiet place somewhere – probably, I can only imagine, somewhere like a bar. He will sit there calmly and keep his own time to himself. After that, it will be hard to call him again. It is a backbreaking task to me, but in the end, that is the type of guy Odasaku is, and if I am allowed to sound self-conscious, that is Odasaku's charm.
This story was written in such a way. There is a chance that he will come back again. And when he does, I will patiently listen to his voice again.
This story was completed and published thanks to the help of many people: in the Bungou Stray Dogs BEAST movie’s Production Committee, the anime staff, Young Ace’s Editorial Department, BEANS Bunko’s Editorial Department, and the many people who were involved in the publication of the book. Thank you very much. It is all thanks to you that the book was published without any problem this time as well.
Well then, see you in the next story.
Asagiri Kafka.
833 notes
·
View notes
Text
playing god's game ~ coriolanus snow
five
warnings: nothin much
word count: 4.7k
a/n: thank you to those who have enjoyed the series so far! i've decided to change up the taglist a little bit. if you would like to be added to the taglist, please comment the series masterlist (below) so its all in one place. i'll also add people that interact regularly with the series. thank you!
series masterlist
When you arrived at the steps of the school, half the peacekeepers abandoned the group of you, leaving you and Coriolanus with two to escort you to your class.
“This is your fault, you know,” you whispered to Coriolanus.
“Mine!?” he attempted to yell softly. “You were just as much involved as I was.”
“Maybe. But I didn’t jump into the cage with the tributes.”
He opened his mouth to say something at your retort, but chose to keep silent. He didn’t want to argue with you, as much as he wanted to see you shy away at his insults again.
The peacekeepers walked ahead of the two of you, opening the doors to your classroom. Being a mentor in the Games meant that your class load had been trimmed down to a singular class personally taught by the dean. All you would do until the timer went off in the arena was learn more about the history of the Games and work on how to apply strategy to your mentoring assignment. The open doors revealed your classroom set up with two seats empty in between Clemensia and Sejanus, saved for the two of you no doubt. The dean began to speak from his place in the middle of the room without looking up at you or Coriolanus.
“Miss Stillwater, I expected better of you. And your little excursion was in violation of about five different Academy rules, Mr. Snow. Chief amongst them, endangering a Capitol student.”
“What? Who?” you and Coriolanus said at the same time. Both of you looked at one another, faces filled with embarrassment, raising a snicker throughout the rest of the room.
“You. I'm moving for the Gamemakers to disqualify you both as mentors immediately.”
“You said we had to get our tributes to perform, not that we had to stay away,” Coriolanus argued as the two of you shuffled in front of Sejanus to find your seats. You sat next to your best friend, giving him a faint smile as you passed him.
“I'll add insubordination as well.”
“Shaking her hand, Y/N? And Coryo, introducing her to people? You make it look as if we're one and the same as those animals,” Arachne mocked the two of you.
“Coriolanus didn't show those people anything they didn't already know,” Sejanus spoke up.
“I don't need your help, Sejanus,” Coriolanus whispered loud enough only for Sejanus and you to hear. Regardless of his comment, Sejanus continued.
“That the tributes are human beings. Just like us. That's why nobody wants to watch the Games. It's because people know deep down that winning a war 10 years ago doesn't justify starving people's children, taking away their freedoms, their rights.”
Before he could argue another word, a dark voice that you recognized sounded from behind the students, heels clicking as they walked down the aisle of stairs you and Coriolanus had just walked up. “Snow fell down in the cage. It fell down in the cage but it landed…” Gaul.
“On stage.”
She laughed at his comment. You couldn’t tell if it was in mockery or in praise, though. “You're good at Games. Maybe one day, you'll be a Gamemaker like me.”
Her comments kind of enraged you. You were at the zoo too, but where was your validation? As scared as you were to be singled out by the looming woman, you hated that Coriolanus was eating up all of the compliments for something you were BOTH getting into trouble for.
“If the Games continue at all,” Highbottom replied with a dull tone.
“Oh, they'll continue,” Gaul reassured. “With performances like young Mr. Snow's and Miss Stillwater’s in that zoo. Miss Stillwater, how did it feel to be so close to someone from the districts?”
You didn’t know how to answer her question when the truth was, it didn’t feel any different than when you would talk to Sejanus. “It was…enlightening.”
“Enlightening?” the doctor laughed. “How so?”
“Like Sejanus said. They are human beings. They’ve been painted as these monsters to us for so long, but perhaps they aren’t all like that. Maybe we’re wrong.”
Coriolanus chuckled beside you, whispering to himself. “I beg to differ.”
“Do you have something to say, Snow?” you jeered at him.
“You weren’t in that cage with them. I could practically feel the anger radiating off of them. They would’ve ripped my head off if it weren’t for…” he trailed off. “The point is, they are all the same. They hate us and we hate them.”
“You didn’t have to jump in the truck with them,” you argued. “You could have simply just come to watch like I did.”
“Enough.” Gaul’s voice thundered around the room. “This..bickering…can happen later. I’ve come here to ask you star mentors a question.” The students murmured around the two of you. Star mentor. You liked it. “What are the Hunger Games for?”
You sat, debating how to answer this. Harboring about as much hate for the games as Sejanus, you didn’t know what you could say about the games that wouldn’t offend the Head Gamemaker herself. You were always told as a little kid when you asked about it that it was simply a means of keeping order, to show the districts that the Capitol won the war. But you knew that for those in power it ran deeper than that. Before you could answer, Coriolanus spoke up.
“They're to punish the districts for their uprising, to commemorate the end of the war…” he answered naively when Gaul interrupted him.
"’Commemorate the…’ Dull, dull, dull,” she almost reprimanded. Coriolanus looked down into his lap, embarrassed. “Punishment can take myriad forms. Why not drop bombs, cancel food shipments, stage executions? Why Games?” she emphasized.
“Shouldn't we be asking ourselves whether or not they're right in the first place?” Sejanus asked beside you. You set a hand on his shoulder to try and signal him to stop, but he shrugged it off.
“Sejanus, don’t-” you started.
“You have a problem with my Games?” Gaul asked.
“Some of those kids were two years old when the war ended. The oldest of them were only eight. The Capitol is supposed to be everyone's government now. It is supposed to protect all of us. I don't see how making children fight each other to the death is protecting anyone,” he announced to the entire classroom. His head moved, like he was giving a speech to everyone, trying to see if anyone had even the slightest bit of compassion that he held toward these tributes.
“That sort of sympathy might interfere with your mentoring assignment,” Gaul taunted.
“Perhaps the Capitol students are ill-suited to be mentoring tributes. Perhaps the Game's time has passed.” Highbottom seemed to be on everyone’s tails about this. Did he not want the Games to continue? He was the creator of them, afterall. His ride to fame at the creation of them was likely the only reason that he even became the dean at the Academy in the first place.
Coriolanus stood up beside you. “Dean Highbottom is wrong. My classmates, too,” he said. “Maybe Sejanus is onto something here. Maybe we should be viewing those tributes as human beings. I mean, you saw those kids in the zoo, they just…” he paused, looking at Sejanus past you. “They just wanted to get to know Lucy Gray. If we need people to watch, we should be letting them get closer to the tributes before the Games. To make the stakes personal.”
For as long as you knew the boy, he always seemed to twist others words to exactly to his benefit. He knew that Sejanus didn’t mean for these tributes to be used to benefit the view of the Games. Sejanus only wanted these tributes to be safe, to be viewed as someone worth getting to know rather than as a form of entertainment. But you were also annoyed with Coriolanus, once again digging up all of the attention.
“Who will watch the Games if they care what happens to the tributes?”
“Everyone,” you said, standing up. It surprised just about everyone else in the room. You already weren’t one to speak in class, this day being abnormal for you. But to see you defending the Games was another thing. Sejanus spoke highly against it and you seemed to always agree with his opinions, but here you were, defending Coriolanus. Just for attention. What has become of you? “If they thought the tribute they cared about had a chance of winning. People need someone to root for and someone to root against. We need them to invest. And if we bend a few Capitol laws, we could even have them place bets.” You looked down at Sejanus, hoping that he wouldn’t be angry with you. When you met his eyes, it wasn’t anger, but disappointment.
“Lucy Gray may not win in the arena, I know that,” Coriolanus cut in. “But if you give her a chance, I would bet the Plinth Prize that she can win people's attention.
Gaul stayed silent for a moment, deciding whether to weigh in about your ideas. Finally, she cleared her throat, making sure that everyone still had her attention. “I'd like you both to write up a proposal of these thoughts tonight.”
“Wait. You mean y-you m-might…” Clemensia stuttered, “...you might actually use their ideas?”
“If it'll help the ratings, why not.” Gaul shrugged.
“Coriolanus and I are class partners, Dr. Gaul,” the dark haired girl said, standing up and grasping onto Coriolanus arm like she had a few mornings before. You scoffed at the interaction. “We do all of our assignments together.”
Gaul’s sinister laugh rang through the room. “Ms. Dovecote, Mr Plinth. Since you both seem so…eager to share your ideas too. I’ll expect them on my desk tomorrow morning.” She made eye contact with you, making your bones go rigid. “It'll be an interesting test,” she said, smirking.
The few moments you and her stared at one another seemed to go on before she turned, exiting the classroom the way she just came. When the door closed behind her, Highbottom cleared his throat, seemingly unsure what to say.
“I-I think that we’ve all had enough of the Games this morning. You may go to lunch.”
You turned to Sejanus, anticipating to talk to him as you walked to lunch, but the moment Highbottom finished his announcement, Sejanus left, swinging his bag around his body without another look at you. He left his books on his desk that you assumed that he would use to write up his proposal.
“Sejanus,” you started. But it was too late. He was already out the door.
Coriolanus watched the entire interaction, silently praising you for pissing Sejanus off, putting him in his place about the Games. He had no idea you supported the Games so much, but maybe you truly didn’t. And that was what was truly pissing the district boy off.
He thought back to what Tigris had told him about trust last night. Although he needed Lucy Gray’s trust the most in order to help him succeed, he saw how well you and Lucy Gray connected this morning. You couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything for him unless he could trust you. It would be even easier to manipulate you into benefitting him if you were right under his nose.
“Y/N.”
You turned around, surprised that he was talking to you. He didn’t say anything else, just gesture for you to follow him. As much as you didn’t want to follow Coriolanus, Sejanus didn’t seem eager to talk to you right now. You figured it was better to sit with him than sit alone. Gathering up Sejanus’s things that he abandoned, you followed him down the stairs. He was ahead of you slightly, but you caught up to him in no time.
“What do you want, Coriolanus?”
He smiled, genuinely. “What makes you think I want something from you?”
“This is the most we’ve talked to one another in one day. Ever. And the only times before that have been you picking on me or needing something from me. Why would now be any different?”
He seemed hurt at the comment, something in his face changing. Coriolanus didn’t think that he picked on you all that often, Clemensia always being the one to speak up first. It was true that you got on his nerves and vice versa, but it was only to get under your skin. He didn’t know that you took most of it to heart. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. About this morning. It was my fault we got in trouble. You were right. I was the one that got in the cage.”
You were genuinely shocked at his apology. He prided himself on being right and worthy in everyone’s eyes and discrediting himself to anyone was always out of the question. Yet here he was, apologizing to you.
“Thank you?” you said, still unsure if he meant it or not.
“W-would you want to eat lunch with me today? Maybe talk through some of the ideas?” Why was he so nervous about asking you this?
“Why? You want to steal some of my ideas?” you said as seriously as you could.
He stuttered over his words. While he didn’t think of that, he didn’t want you assuming that either. “N-no, I jus-”
You cut him off in laughter. “I’m kidding. I’d love to have lunch with you, Coriolanus. As long as it’s all in business,” you joked.
“It’s all in business, I can assure you.”
Both of you went through the line, putting high amounts of food on your trays. You got enough for yourself to fill yourself up and to bring to Mizzen. You wouldn’t have enough time to grab any when you ran home later to check up on your mother. When you looked over on Coriolanus’s tray, you assumed he had the same idea. Before long, the two of you were sitting at a small table in the middle of the luncheon room, yourself sitting across from the blonde boy. You had barely gotten a word in to one another nor taken a bite before a tray slammed down on the table to your left.
“You trying to fatten that poor girl up so you can finally start taking bets?” Sejanus spat at you.
“Sej, I didn’t mean-” you muttered, leaning back away from the boy. You could never be scared of him, but it didn’t stop you from feeling the need to protect yourself.
“Sejanus, enough,” Coriolanus said, standing up and pulling the dark haired boy back, away from you. Sejanus lost his balance briefly, but Coriolanus poked him in the chest as soon as he was stable. “You think they'll give those kids a scrap if we don't give them a reason to do it? How do you think your tribute will have a chance if he can't eat?” Sejanus was still looking over at you with a dark look in his eyes, disappointment gone, replaced by sheer anger. “Hey,” Coriolanus said again, turning Sejanus’s jaw to look at him instead of you. “Maybe instead of yelling at her, you should be thanking her.”
It was odd to see Coriolanus defending you to Sejanus, the roles normally reversed. If you would have been told two days ago that one of your biggest enemies would be supporting you over your best friend, you would have laughed in their faces, but you did suppose that a lot had been changing these past couple of days. It made your head spin.
Coriolanus sat down back in his chair across from you, giving you a sympathetic look. He looked back up at your best friend, gesturing for him to take a seat. You flinched slightly when Sejanus pulled the chair out. He was clearly still angry, but at least it wasn’t being aimed directly at you anymore. All three of you picked up your silverware, beginning to pick at your food.
“He was my classmate. Back in 2.”
“It's not your fault it's him,” you said.
“See, I know. I'm so blameless, I'm choking on it,” Sejanus spat out before taking a deep breath and turning to Coriolanus. “My father bought him for me, you know, at the Reaping, Just so he could show me that I could never go back to 2.” Sejanus set his fork down. “But being Capitol is gonna kill me.”
“So do something about it,” Coriolanus said, shaking his napkin out onto his lap, beginning to set food into it. As soon as you realized what he was doing, you followed suit, placing the extra sandwiches and blocks of cheese into your own cloth.
“Quite the rebels,” Sejanus half-smiled, watching you both steal school food for your tributes.
“Oh, yeah,” Coriolanus said, picking up Sejanus’s napkin and throwing it at his chest, urging him to do the same with his food for his tribute. “I'm bad news,” Coriolanus said sarcastically.
You wondered why you had never conversed like this before, the three of you. You supposed that Coriolanus was too busy trying to blend in with the other students, to avoid being different. In a bad way at least. Maybe in another life, it could be like this, the three of you, joking around, laughing with one another. You smiled to yourself as your mind created a fantasy of this. But before you could get too happy about it, you were reminded of the person that Coriolanus Snow truly was. He was cold to you and Sejanus. All he wanted was attention from those around it and here you were giving it to him. But you couldn’t let him have it anymore.
However, you could live in the fantasy of it for just a little while longer, meeting Coriolanus’s blue eyes and smiling.
You left the Academy earlier than the boys did, making enough time for you to run home to see your mother. She was still sleeping, his roll from this morning still untouched, but you figured you’d set out a fresh apple you had taken from the cafeteria for her. When you left her again, you hoped that you would still have enough time to maybe talk to Lucy Gray before Coriolanus showed up. You had some questions for her about this morning and you figured that it’d be better to ask them without the cameras around. And without Coriolanus.
She was sitting against a rock, Jessup sleeping on her shoulder when you walked up to the gate. There was a small crowd gathered at the zoo, staying back from the bars and simply admiring the tributes rather than interacting. You hoped that whatever proposal you could come up with tonight would allow them to quit being gawked at by the citizens of the Capitol and instead interacted with like normal human beings.
You brushed through the small crowd, gaining attention with your red uniform, but they paid little mind to you. “Lucy Gray,” you said through the bars, trying to get her attention.
She had her eyes closed, much like Jessup did. But when she heard your voice, she opened them, searching around groggily before finding you. Lucy Gray shook Jessup’s shoulder, waking him up and letting her know where she was going. Lysistrata was Jessup’s mentor and you had no idea if she would be coming to visit him. So you figured you could share a little bit of your food with him. They both walked over to you, Lucy Gray grasping the bars while Jessup kept his distance. Not all of the tributes trusted you or any Capitol citizen for that matter as much as Lucy Gray did.
“You’re back,” she said with a smile. “Did you bring any food?”
You nodded your head, taking out the small cloth to hand her a sandwich and a few things of cheese. “I gotta feed my own tribute. Coriolanus will be here with some more later.”
She held her hands out as you gave the food to her. “Thank you,” she said, giving you a warm smile. “Jessup.” She gestured for him to get closer as she held out the cheese to him.
“I'm not hungry,” he replied, keeping his eyes on you.
“You think I can't hear your stomach growling, Jessup Diggs?” she scolded. He hesitantly took the food from her hands. She proceeded to split the sandwich, giving him the other half while she was at it. She turned back to you, her eyes flitting all over your face as if she was trying to commit your face to memory.
“What?” you asked. “Do I have something?” You moved your hands over your cheeks and mouth, perhaps leaving a crumb behind from lunch.
“No! No, I just-” She stopped herself. “Can I ask why you’re here instead of my mentor?”
“Oh,” you exclaimed. “I just wanted to ask you about this morning…” Would she even remember the encounter as you did? After all, maybe it was just the sunlight glinting off of her glowing face to make her appear pale. “When you looked at me, you looked as if I was a ghost.”
“You kinda are, in a way.” Realizing what she said, she tried to steer the conversation. “I mean that you just remind me of someone I knew a time ago.”
You knew there was more to it, but decided not to push. There were more pressing concerns taking place right now. “Coriolanus is going to want you to sing again,” you admitted to her.
“Why? Whatta you mean?” she asked.
“In case you didn’t know, you put on quite a show for the Capitol,” you joked. “The Gamemakers are putting new things in place to help you out before and during the Games and singing just might help.”
“It might. But I don't sing when I'm told. I sing when I have something to say.”
Your conversation was interrupted by Arachne screaming into the zoo, calling for her tribute.
“Oh, Brandy,” she teased. “You want something to eat? Come and get it.”
You rolled your eyes at the action, turning back to face Lucy Gray but her gaze was behind you.
“Feeding my tribute, Stillwater?” Coriolanus asked, walking up behind you. “You really are making this easy for me.”
“Ha ha, very funny,” you said sarcastically. Facing Lucy Gray again, you thanked her for her conversation before bidding them both goodbye to find Mizzen.
You passed Arachne who was kneeling on the ground with a bottle, teasing her tribute by hanging the bottle just out of reach. You couldn’t believe her, using hunger as a weapon. You knew it was personally from during the war. With barely a scrap to quench the hunger in your stomach, you often turned to sleeping to pass your time without food. You knew that you’d probably be in the same circumstances right now if it weren’t for Sejanus’s family.
“Can you take it? Come on, try harder than that,” Arachne tormented.
Sejanus was by then at the cage too. His arm was stuck in the cage, reaching a sandwich out for nearly anyone to come and grab. “Marcus. Hey. It's me. Marcus, look. Here, I got some food for you. Here.” He pleaded with his tribute, but Marcus didn’t spare him more than a glance. “Come on. Marcus.”
You stood next to Sejanus, placing a hand on his shoulder. You knew that he was probably still mad at you, but you had to try something. He looked over at your hand on his shoulder, pulling his arm in the cage back to his body. Without a word to him, you took the sandwich from his hand, walking a few feet away from him.
“Marcus,” you said through the bars. The tribute spun his head in your direction, watching you watch him. “It’s food. We don’t want you to go hungry.”
You placed your arm through the cage like Sejanus had been, waiting for the boy to get up. Marcus looked back over at Sejanus, who was watching the interaction, and glared before getting up and walking toward you. He looked at your food-filled hand for an extra moment before roughly grabbing its contents.
“You keep him,” he pointed to Sejanus, “away from me.” The boy bit into the food while making his way back over to the rock he had been sitting on before.
You had no idea if it was simply the fact that Sejanus now lived in the Capitol or if something else had happened between the boys when Sejnaus still lived in the districts, but whatever it was ran deep. Making your way back to Sejanus, he whispered a quiet thank you. You gave him a small smile before calling out to Mizzen.
Despite the fact that you hadn’t met him yet, you hoped that it would be easy to build a relationship with him as it had with Lucy Gray. If you couldn’t get him to trust you, then there was no point in you trying. A small boy perked up, a flat cap upon his head. “Mizzen?” you asked.
He looked over at a red headed girl who you recognized as Festus’s tribute. She gave him a small nod before he looked back over at you. He and the girl were tucked in the back of the zoo, as far away from their audience as possible, so it took a moment for him to make his way over to you. When he finally got to a good distance, we stopped, keeping a few feet back. “Who are you?” he asked.
“I’m Y/N. I’m your mentor. You might’ve met Coriolanus the other day,” you gestured over to him. “He’s also a mentor.”
“Yeah. I gathered that,” he retorted. “What are you s’pposed to do as my…mentor?”
You didn’t know exactly what you could do to help him yet. You still had to figure out how you could possibly provide him with what he needs, but Highbottom did say that your job was to make the tributes interesting to the Capitol before the Games.
“Introduce you to the people of the Capitol, I guess.”
“You guess?” he laughed, spitting on the ground in front of you. You took a step back. “Seems like you aren’t quite sure. I can’t let you ‘help,’” he said, using air quotes, “if you don’t know what you’re doing. Besides, you seem much more invested in the singer.”
“She’s intriguing. Like you need to be. Interact with the people for a start,” you suggested. “Don’t hide in the back with the girl-”
“Coral,” he interrupted.
“Coral,” you corrected. “Come talk to the people. I’m sure they have questions for you. I know I do,” you said, holding out your last bit of food in the cloth to him. He picked up only the food, careful to avoid touching your hand through the cloth.
“Come on,” Arachne said, lightly tapping the same bottle she had been teasing Brandy with against the bars.
“Give me something. I've been sitting here for 15 minutes!” Brandy complained.
“Thank you,” Mizzen said, drawing your eyes back to him. “Some of you are kind enough.”
He began to walk backwards away from you and back to Cora, bidding you goodbye. You were sure he would share with Coral like Lucy Gray had. With no sign of Festus, you were okay with that. It was wrong to let them starve. You knew that personally. Directing your attention over to Coriolanus and Lucy Gray, you watched as they both laughed with one another, crouched down in the dirt and eating with one another.
Screams pulled you out of your stares as you watched Brandy grab the bottle from Arachne’s hands and smash it against the bars, making the glass shatter. With the tributes free hand, she grabbed Arachne’s collar pulling her close and stabbing the bottle into Arachne’s throat.
taglist: @gracieroxzy @poppyflower-22 @hungergamesfantatic @becauseseaotters @tyjanelle @ganana @immyowndefender @edb954 @haroldpotterson @bitterplacebrokendreamsmaegan @undeadtears66 @astarborntowrite @marvelescvpe @ems-st @blythlover @tinyhumanoidclodhorse
#coriolanus snow#coriolanus snow x reader#coriolanus snow x you#coriolanus snow fluff#coriolanus snow angst#coriolanus snow smut#coriolanus snow imagine#tom blyth#tom blyth x reader#tom blyth x you#tom blyth fluff#tom blyth angst#tom blyth smut#tom blyth imagine
65 notes
·
View notes
Text
Связи (n.) connections - four
disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest
pairings: mob!bucky x reader
Summary: “Did you think you could hide from us? That’s adorable, little one. There’s no where on this planet where you could hide from the Shostakov Bratva and even if you did manage to evade us, the Barnes Bratva would find you. Your связи, your connections, will always come back to haunt you, Y/N.”
Warnings: cursing, Carol not being nice
Word count: 3.4k
part three | series masterlist
taglist: @scott-loki-barnes @unaxv @identity22
A week passes by in a blur of moving and staring out the window while that stupid song, Possibility by Lykke Li, plays in the back of my head. Bucky arranged for all of my stuff to be moved into his penthouse but promised to keep my apartment for me. I think he even offered to take over my rent but honestly I don’t remember. I’ve tried to tell myself that I haven’t fallen into a depression but that would be a lie.
Between having my world crumble around me and then rebuilt by others, it’s to be expected that I’m feeling…awful. That’s not the right word but it’s all that I can think of to describe the feeling of complete isolation and loss of control that’s taking residency in my chest.
Bucky and Sam did stay around for the first couple of days, probably to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid but after that, it was just me, the two guards who never look like they’re doing anything, and two other staff members. Thor, the massive blonde guard, lounges at the kitchen island everyday and flirts with the golden haired cook named Jane. The other guard, Valkyrie, is always within sight of me and moves when I do like a little shadow but I rarely see Loki who I can only assume runs the entire place. If he’s not on the phone, he’s just hanging up or is excusing himself to answer it.
I’m grateful to have had time to process and grief before being shoved back into my life and forced to act like nothing happened. Tony and Steve both have called numerous times to make sure I’m okay after randomly taking a week off but it’s Carol’s insistence on texting, calling, DMing, and FaceTiming that gets to me. I have half a mind to show Bucky and get him to do something about however something tells me that I won’t like his methods.
His question comes in the form of a text the first night he’s not around. It was simple; “what’s your favorite food?”
“Are you really going to waste your question on that?”
“It’s a question all the same.”
“Pho but it has to be from the place down the street from my apartment.”
The next day Jane brought me that exact meal and made a point to show me the note that accompanied it.
“See? Not a waste.”
It wasn’t signed but I knew it was from him. Although I wanted to be angry with him for the part he’s playing in all of this, I couldn’t be. I can’t. He’s just as stuck as I am.
We’re both stuck being pawns for a giant game of chess that neither of us want to play.
A debriefing with Wanda and Carol wasn’t exactly what I thought my first day back at work would entail. I’d hoped for a relaxing day with my head buried in paperwork so I could avoid any questions but apparently not.
It surprised me at first that I would be allowed to go back to work but my father apparently hadn't cared enough to make any terms and conditions regarding me after I married Bucky. His concerns lay in the merging of their lower men and giving the directive of “shoot first, ask questions later” if they saw Antonia or any of her people to their Brigadiers. Neither of those things involved me and seeing as I was now a member of the Barnes Bratva, I became Bucky’s burden to bear.
The lack of rules regarding me meant that I could return to work and use it as a cover to help with the FBI’s investigation. Hence why I’m being forced to endure Carol’s stare as Wanda gives me the complete run down on Alexei. The entire time Carol’s been burning holes into my back and Tony’s done the same to her.
The moment I walked in, he had grabbed and yanked me into his office, demanding to know what the fuck happened. I explained as much as I could without putting him in danger but he refused to hear it. He’d threatened to send Steve after me if I didn’t give him the full story and the thought of Steve lecturing me was enough to have me spill everything. I swear tears pricked his eyes but he was quick to engulf me in a hug and promise to do whatever I needed him to.
“Anything at all, you call me. I don’t care what time it is, you call me,” he’d whispered into my hair and I nodded.
I honestly think if I asked him to make Carol disappear, he would. He might even be trying to do that now with the way he’s shooting daggers at her. Wanda pretends to not notice but the air is growing too hot around us and she lets out an annoyed huff.
“You need to figure your shit out right now. I don’t get paid to deal with children so you better grow up and sort it all out right now.”
Carol is the first to speak, “this isn't safe anymore. We need to call it off and find another way to get evidence.”
Wanda arches one auburn brow, “and why isn’t it safe anymore?”
“You know why.”
“I do but if you’re going to suggest something that stupid, you need to back it up.”
Tony snickers to himself and earns a glare from Carol.
I interject, “the operation is fine and we all know nothing is ever going to be ‘safe’ not when you’re dealing with criminals. Your best chance is me. Alexei will trust me more than anyone else you’d send in. It’ll be slow and you probably won’t get anything useful for a few weeks but sending in more people or even pulling anyone will be suspicious and he’ll catch on. I’ve been made Bucky’s Sovietnik and he’s obviously a part of all of this so I’m already in a good position to infiltrate Alexei’s organization or at least get someone else in.”
“Barnes made you his advisor already?” Wanda asks with curiosity and something else edges her voice.
“He only did it to piss me off,” Carol snips as she moves to make herself coffee.
“I’m starting to think you’re the problem, Danvers. Maybe you need to be reassigned,” Wanda snips back as she goes back to look at the file splayed out on the table. She’s leaning over the table and Tony joins her, coming to sit next to where her hand is on the table. They begin to speak in low voices and I take that as my cue to take a break or make a run for it. I still haven’t decided as I get up and excuse myself to go to the bathroom. Carol’s lurking on the other side of the room, angrily stirring her coffee and staring at the ground so I think it’s safe to slip out.
Alas, everything I think is apparently wrong and I don’t see her follow me out but she makes her presence known when she grabs my arm in the hallway and stops me.
“What is it with people grabbing me?” I sneer at her as I spin around and pull my arm away from her before she can say anything. Hurt flashes in the eyes that I once loved to get lost in but that was before I found out she’s been using me. Now they’re dull and lifeless like a painting that’s been sitting in the sunlight too long. “What do you want?”
“I…” she stammers clearly not expecting me to snap at her and that makes me even more angry. Did she really think I could forgive and forget, move on after hearing that she’s the reason my sister is dead and that she’s been lying to me since we met? The void that’s eaten away at me now fills with molten anger and demands to be released.
“Spit it out. I have to pee.”
“I'm sorry. I wanted to say I’m sorry and ask if you’d come over for dinner tomorrow.”
If I were feeling anything other than anger, my jaw would’ve dropped in surprise but instead it clenches and I raise a brow at her.
She continues, looking around to make sure no one hears a single desperate and disgusting word she’s saying, “please, Oksana…”
When I didn’t think she could fuck up anymore, she does and she knows it by the way her face pales.
“Let me make myself perfectly clear; my name is Y/N and I want nothing to do with you after all of this is over. Bucky already told you that we can’t be seen together anymore. We can’t be together anymore and nor would I even want that if it was a possibility. I will be professional because we have a job to do but don’t expect me to come running back to you because you said you were sorry. It means nothing to me.”
Something shifts in her and she takes a step forward as a dark look overtakes her features, “but it means something when he says it?”
I narrow my eyes at her and scoff. Jealousy is a terrible look on everyone but on her it’s appalling. Shaking my head, I turn to the bathroom and she yanks me back, pinning me between the wall and herself. She leans down to whisper in my ear, “because he’s the good guy, right? The guardian angel who saved you from turning out like your sisters? Is that it? Is that why you didn’t even try to stop the marriage and just rolled over like a fucking dog?”
“No,” I grit out as I try to push her but she doesn’t budge. “Move.”
She presses further into me and I gasp out of anger, shock, rage, take your pick.
“He’s the criminal here, don’t forget that,” she whispers in my ear and I squeeze my eyes shut at the feeling of her breath washing over me.
“I can see it clear as day now,” I whisper back and she pulls away with pinched brows. Dropping my head back against the wall, I use her confusion as my chance to slam it forward and smash my forehead into her nose. She lets out a shriek of pain and jumps away from me as blood gushes from her nose. I can feel where my forehead made contact with her nose and blood drips down my face but I don’t care.
“Tell whatever story you want, Carol, but don’t think you can make me the villain without forcing me to turn into one. You don’t know me half as well as you think you do nor do you know what I’m prepared to fucking do if needed. You are a pathetic excuse for a human being.”
Finally she’s silent and I straighten my shoulders at my victory before giving her a look that would make even Alexei shrink away. I know that someone will have something to say about what just happened but for now, I’ll bask in the glory of getting her to leave me alone and clean up my face after I pee like I originally wanted to.
Tony is sitting on the bathroom counter when I open my stall and go to clean up. He doesn’t look pissed but he doesn’t look happy either. I choose to ignore him as I gather paper towels and wet them so I can dab at my forehead. He takes them from my hands and finishes the job.
“You need to be more careful.”
“I’m aware.”
“Are you though? I don’t know exactly what Barnes has worked out with the Feds but I’m sure there’s a clause somewhere that lets them drop you whenever they want.”
I stare blankly at him and he rolls his eyes; what a perfect duo we are.
“All I’m saying is that if something happens, I don’t know that I can help you.”
I step away from him, narrowing my eyes at him, “I don’t need you to save me. I don’t need anyone to save me, I can take care of myself. If something goes wrong, I’ll be fine because that’s always what happens; I find a way out.”
Tony’s eyes soften and he drops the bloody towels into the sink, “I didn’t say you needed saving, I said I might not be able to help. Those are two very different things and this..”
He gestures under us as if the lies are tangled into the air, “this is different. This isn’t a bad day on a case or even a criminal who got away. This is your past. These are your connections that you’ve tried to sever for years coming back to show you that you won’t be free until every last one is gone. All I’m asking is for you to be careful please.”
I nod and shift my stare to the woman in the mirror that looks vaguely like me. Her forehead is a collage of dark hues, throbbing under the surface but the blood is no longer visible. Her eyes are void of anything, any life, any emotion whatsoever but there is a slight curl to her lips, a shadow of a smirk.
Oksana is staring back at me and I find myself welcoming her home after so many years.
The first thing out of Sam’s mouth when he sees me is “Jesus fucking Christ” as he hands me an ice pack. It’s been a few hours so it’s not like it’s going to do anything but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless.
“You should see the other guy,” I half joke as I take the pack, pressing it to my forehead with a wince and he shakes his head even more.
Bucky on the other hand is silent, nothing betraying what he’s thinking as he stares at me from across the kitchen island. It’s unsettling. It’s unrelenting. It’s enough to make me want to vomit.
Sam notices and clears his throat, drawing me into a debrief about the meeting with Feds. He sits beside me and doesn’t hesitate before diving into how I got my lovely bruise. Only then does the Pakhan speak and causes us both to freeze mid sentence.
“Question for a question,” he barely utters as he leans back against the cabinets and crosses his arms. “Did she threaten you?”
Sam’s eyes dart between us as I carefully pick my words, “In a way, yes.”
“What do you mean?”
I raise a finger at him, “it's my turn, what changed that night?”
Vague sure but he understands.
“Take your pick. Alexei’s men came in too early, Joseph was killed, you fought me more than I expected, Yelena wasn’t sedated and then she bit Sam.”
I nod, satisfied with his answer and tell him to ask his second question which he repeats. Sam and him give each other a look before he slips out of the room and leaves just Bucky and I in the kitchen. Jane had left us all plates in the fridge but only Sam and Bucky had eaten. Mine still sits untouched only a few inches away on the island but I’ve been too focused with talking to even think about eating.
“She followed me to the bathroom and grabbed my arm.”
“There’s more.”
Damn, he’s getting good; stating things so that I have to either confirm or deny them but not outright asking.
“No there’s not.”
“Yes there is, tell me what else happened,” his voice is stern and it sends a shiver down my spine.
“There’s really not.”
“So your forehead just randomly bruises like that,” he states with a bored look and gestures to the darkening spot on my forehead.
Suddenly my food looks appealing. He calls my name, softer this time and I let out a sigh before looking at him over my food.
“She pinned me against the wall and wouldn’t move so I made her.”
“And head butting was the best option?”
I narrow my eyes at him, “one at a time.”
“Fine, ask yours then.”
I chew my food, pretending to think of one even though I already have one in mind. I maintain eye contact with him as I swallow.
“How long were you and nat together?”
He rubs his jaw and scratches at the stubble that’s grown into almost a beard since the start of this all. Eye bags are slowly starting to form and I wonder if it’s from me or the Feds or anything other aspect of his life. Everything seems to be complete chaos around him albeit organized to some degree.
“We weren’t.”
My brows knit together in confusion, “what? She was in love with you, she wouldn’t shut up about it.
He shrugs before sliding off the counter top and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. “Some things are better left alone.”
“Are you always this frustratingly vague? No wonder Sam is always in a mood, you only speak in riddles and sarcasm.”
Bucky chuckles. “And I’m guessing you have a habit of picking fights when backed into a corner.”
“I was raised by the one and only Alexei Shostakov; isn’t that what he’s known for?”
He nods in agreement with a smirk but doesn’t say anything. We settle into silence as I finish eating and he stands guard with his arms crossed while leaning against the wall closest to the front door. The penthouse isn’t extravagant but it’s not homey either. Steel, concrete, and dark wood cover every surface giving it a showroom vibe and the severe lack of any personal touches makes it worse. The room I’ve been staying in was like a hotel room when I first moved in but now it’s at least comfortable thanks to my things. I tried once to be a minimalist but after years of not being allowed to enjoy life, I couldn’t deny the little girl in me that anymore.
Plants line the window seals and terribly hand knitted blankets cover the white bedding I couldn’t get rid of. While it might have felt sterile at first, the sheer comfort and luxury of those sheets and blankets convinced me to keep them. Where there aren’t plants, I put candles and small lamps so I don’t have to turn on the main lights. My little haven is the complete opposite of the kitchen that feels even colder with Bucky’s cold stare but it’s mine and mine alone.
He breaks the silence before I can escape to it and watches me closely.
“Has she hurt you before?” he asks, his voice dropping an octave in an effort to not scare me off I assume. I freeze as I’m putting my dishes into the sink with my back to him. I know who he’s talking about and I know my answer but I can’t figure out why he cares.
He seems to see the hesitation in me and taps my elbow to get my attention. I’m thankful he doesn’t grab me and I suck in a breath before turning around.
He is unlike any of the other Bratva men I’m used to. The others are filthy, worn, and all around awful to be near from their lives in crime but there’s something about this man that’s different. He looks every bit of the menacing Pakhan that he is, however I still remember that laughing young man who pulled pranks on my sisters with me. The years aren’t usually kind to the children raised in Bratvas but he’s found a way to make them work in his favor and at 34, Bucky is the most respected while fearsome Pakhan this world has seen.
The kitchen light above us emphasizes the dark flecks in his blue eyes and amplifies the sun kissed hue of his skin. The dark blue threads of his eyes rival that of any ocean wave I’ve ever seen and mild concern lurks in them as they bore into me.
“Has Carol…” he starts and I interrupt him.
“No. She’s…she wasn’t like that at all. She’s never even raised her voice at me before.”
“Lisichka,” he murmurs to me and the nickname catches me by surprise.
Little fox.
“Don't call me that,” I spit out and clench my fists at my side before storming off to my room.
Little fox.
He used to call Natasha that.
#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes x y/n#bucky barnes x you#bucky barnes fic#marvel imagine#bucky barnes fanfic#mob au#mob!bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes reader insert#mob!bucky#mob!bucky barnes x reader#mob!bucky barnes and reader#marvel#mob bucky barnes#mob bucky x reader#Связи (n.) connections#Связи (n.) connections bucky x reader
99 notes
·
View notes
Text
What's with Balloon Boy and the Daycare Attendant?
The Balloon World arcade machine exists, it's in the DA's room and both characters are involved in it. It's probably one of the most cryptic minigames in the FNAF series as a whole, but while we could ponder what exactly it's supposed to mean (maybe I'll do that for all the security breach minigames eventually), the main question I have is this:
WHY Balloon Boy specifically? Why is the minigame about HIM?
Is there a connection between the two characters? Or was it a completely random decision?
Out of nowhere, thinking about Balloon World, I came to a realization:
The Lights.
Balloon Boy's entire gimmick in FNAF 2 was that if he got into your office, he would disable your flashlight and vent lights (...somehow. I know we all make the jokes about him taking the batteries [and then that FNAF 57: Freddy In Space thing in FNAF World said he just straight-up steals your entire flashlight], but you never see the battery icon disappear or appear empty in FNAF 2 itself when he gets into your office. And the vent lights also stop working, so unless they also operate on batteries, then... does he actually take them from you?).
What's the one rule in the daycare?
Keep the lights on.
His mechanic is the antithesis to what Sun wants and exactly what Moon would want. Balloon Boy doesn't keep the lights on. He prevents you from turning them on at all.
(which also makes me kinda sad there wasn't a Glamrock version of BB. Then again, I don't know how exactly he would've uniquely affected like anything. Regardless I am hoping for the day someone in the fandom makes a glamrock bb who is arch-enemies with sun and gets along well with moon skseijdndndnd-)
It feels kinda obvious and I'm guessing I'm not the only person to think about this, but I have never seen anyone else bring this up. Not on YouTube, not on tumblr, nowhere. Maybe if I go looking for it I'll see, but i'm surprised I haven't bumped into anyone else saying this just naturally. I go into the BB tags a LOT, surely SOMEONE would've said something, right? I don't even see it noted in the trivia on the page for the arcade game on the fnaf wiki.
...but is this supposed to mean anything? Or is it just a cute little reference or callback? it's hard to say, especially with how ambiguous the minigame is.
Though I DID think of ONE thing... (possible minor spoilers for Ruin under the cut):
Saw this pointed out in a youtube video that the BB World screen (with Eclipse, who makes their proper debut in Ruin after effectively being foreshadowed by the minigame in SB's base game) can be seen on the ceiling in the DA's room. Which makes sense, obviously, but also take note of the pirate-themed windows in the hallway leading to it.
...now, which character do most of us tend to associate with Balloon Boy? His "tag-team partner," of sorts?
Foxy. The Pirate.
With this, I found that there's more Foxy-related stuff associated with the daycare area than I had previously realized because I had never made any connections before. I mean, Kids' Cove is directly linked to it for god's sake.
Like. I hope i haven't forgotten to mention anything (I've been writing this post over the course of hours 'Cus I had stuff to do in the middle of it all). My brain's kinda starting to fry. But basically: Was Foxy originally meant to be the Daycare Attendant, in-universe? Was there gonna be a Glamrock Balloon Boy with him, like as his first mate or something??? Were they gonna be connected to Fazbear Theater????? (Uh basically Sun/Moon to my knowledge from confirmation in the books and a lot of more subtle implications in-game mainly involving environmental pieces were originally meant to be in the Fazbear Theater as a stage animatronic but got moved to daycare duty instead and being reprogrammed. Which actually explains a lot about them when you think about it-)
Like. Ok I'm forgetting where I was going with this, I'm sorry, but I guess it's food for thought/adds to the weird connections between DA and BB, I guess. Idk. I can't focus that well right now to keep making new ideas.
felt like sharing my interpretation of the Balloon World minigame itself at least since earlier I did kinda finally get it down concretely:
I kinda developed a theory that Eclipse is Sun/Moon's "safe mode" and that rebooting DA reactivated Eclipse as a result. Like, they're their own AI that was at one point implemented. but then Vanny happened and locked them out thanks to the whole Glitchtrap virus thing (albeit it only seemed to reach Moon, while Sun remains seemingly unaffected. Guessing it's because they're different AIs [finally implied/basically confirmed by their Ruin dialogue). Eclipse has seemingly not been active for some time, or at least never post-pizzaplex closure, given how they're seemingly completely oblivious to the fact that this place is closed with no signs of opening.
So the minigame was foreshadowing Eclipse's existence and implying their "trapped" nature, which also could be seen as paralleling Vanessa's whole "Vanny" situation, especially given how iirc one of the messages related to princess quest can be found near the arcade machine.
#This post kinda crumbled toward the end but I hope it's still interesting enough :'3#fnaf#fnaf sb#fnaf ruin#fnaf eclipse#fnaf sun#fnaf moon#daycare attendant#balloon boy
99 notes
·
View notes
Text
✨Bucky fic recommendations ✨
Last update: July 12th, 2023
Hi! I’m Jimena and I love reading fanfics. I usually just like them and eventually I end up losing some fics I really liked. So I decided to create this type of masterlist for me to organize and revisit fics I really really enjoy.
So please take this as some recommendations of fics you should read! In my opinion these authors deserve so much recognition for their incredible works 💖
Also if you have any recommendations please let me know, I would love to read them.
——————————————————————————
SERIES
I’m with you (Mini series) - @wkemeup
summary: When two strangers meet on a layover in the Charlotte Airport, they are sent on a whirlwind weekend filled with cancelled flights, painful questions over giant checkers, an ex-boyfriend’s wedding, and a confrontational graduation. They find that a lifetime can sit in the span of three days and it doesn’t take very long at all to fall in love.
Pairing: Bucky x Reader, modern!au
For the Love of the Game - @pellucid-constellations
Summary: Bucky Barnes was a menace. NYU’s top baseball player, he was used to girls falling at his feet and could smooth talk his way out of just about anything. You hated him. He couldn’t figure out why. So when the novelty of weekend parties and quick hookups finally wore off—and his feelings for you began to grow—he made it his mission to fix it.
Pairing: College Athlete!Bucky x Reader
The Number One Rule - @justkending
Series Summary: Y/N has always been seen as “Steve’s rambunctious sister.” However, she grew up, graduated, and moved to London to study abroad for 4 years and get her bachelor’s degree. The girl that returns looks nothing like the teenager that left. But don’t worry, the attitude is still there and stronger than ever. What’s to come of the two grown adults that used to push each other’s buttons, but now have a lot more in common than they’ve ever realized?
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Y/N Rogers (Steve’s little sister)
Save me (Mini Series) - @espinosaurusrexex
summary: Bucky Barnes has never had it easy, which ultimately turned him into a caveman-like introvert with no desire to see the positive side of life. But what happens when the clumsily charming art student, Y/N, stumbles to his rescue, determined to show Bucky how truly wonderful the world is?
Pairing: College!BuckyBarnes x College!reader AU
Everything's Better in Westview - @espinosaurusrexex
summary: Bucky and Y/N sneak into Westview to have the perfect life. Away from late Steve and Tony, Vision and Natasha, they let themselves be consumed by suburban magic. To their surprise, however, some of these people aren’t so dead in the town. And there are some other weird things happening that make them question their sanity. But that’s okay, right? ‘Cause everything’s better in Westview.
Pairing: BuckyBarnes x Female!Reader
Bulletproof - @amandaoftherosemire
Summary: You, Steve Rogers, and Bucky Barnes have been the best of friends since middle school. On top of that, you’ve been in love with Bucky pretty much the whole time. Everything changed after the three of you got to college, however. Over the past couple of years you and Steve have become even closer but things between you and Bucky have been strained since the night he broke your heart. Can anything bring you back together?
Pairing: BuckyBarnes x Reader
Part One // Part Two // Part Three // Part Four // Part Five // Part Six // Part Seven // Part Eight ** // Part Nine // Part Ten // Part Eleven** // Part Twelve // Part Thirteen ** // Part Fourteen // Epilogue
Sunrise - @wkemeup
summary: After an explosion takes his arm and his only sense of belonging, Bucky is discharged from active duty and sent back to civilian life. Left with a storm of unchecked guilt, Bucky is content to live out the rest of his days in the hollow comfort of the dark. This is, until Sam drags him down to the local VA and he meets you. (Modern AU)
Paring: bucky x reader (veteran!bucky x librarian!reader)
Winter Canvas Masterlist - @sebbytrash
Summary - AU Reader is an Art Major and needs a life model for a major assessment. The catch? It’s gotta be a stranger. Then you gotta remind yourself that it’s just an assignment…right?
Pairing: College!Bucky x reader
★ Ice ice baby ★ - @endless-summer-soldier
Summary: Bucky is a college hockey player, Y/N is a figure skater without a partner. What's happens when these two opposites start sharing the ice...
Pairing: CollegeHockeyPlayer!Bucky x CollegeFigureSkater!Reader | Enemies to lovers
★ Method acting ★ - @kinanabinks
Summary: frat!steve and y/n are close friends, but the lines are starting to blur. if that isn't confusing enough, enter beryl; a girl who's hell-bent on making steve rogers hers, no matter what it takes.
Pairing: Frat!Steve x reader x Frat!Bucky
——————————————————————————
One shots
How’s Your Head? - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky
Summary: Reader gets hurt in the subway, Bucky helps
Pairing: Bucky x reader
Suburbia - @wkemeup
summary: Posing as husband and wife, you and Bucky infiltrate a quaint suburban neighborhood in search of a Hydra hacker. Perhaps if you weren’t so in love with him and he hadn’t broken your heart, the act of pretending wouldn’t hurt so much.
Pairing: bucky x reader
let’s play pretend - @khimili
Summary: You’re supposed to attend your sister’s wedding, but when you learn your ex-boyfriend is coming with his newly found girlfriend, you come up with a lie. Yes, you’re in a relationship, and yes, you’ll bring someone to the wedding. Since your sister already knows about your best friend Steve, you decide to set your sights on his taciturn friend, the infamous Sgt. James Buchanan Barnes. What’s the worst that could happen?
Pairing: Bucky x Reader
She’s not mad - @subwaysurf45
Summary: Bucky Barnes was a known people pleaser, it was second nature to him. After meeting you and getting close you both try to navigate his eternal stressed state, working together you try your best to tone down his obsessive ways.
Pairing: College!Bucky x reader
Golden Life, Gutters - @castieltrash1
Summary: patience is a virtue and you show bucky barnes he’s worth waiting for
Pairing: Bucky x Avenger!reader
(One part but it has 17k words)
It’s called: freefall - @kikixreverie
Summary - Things get heated between you and your closest friend Bucky, when you're made to play a married couple on an important mission. Neither of you can help yourselves when you end up stuck in a hotel room together, with sexual tension you could cut with a knife.
Pairing: Bucky x female reader
Flirting and Football - @lovelybarnes
Summary: Bucky Barnes is a soccer player, most girls are interested in him but Bucky is surprised and interested in reader when reader is the only one who isn’t interested in him. College AU
Pairing: CollegeAthlete!Bucky x reader
The right partner - @bucky-bucket-barnes
Summary: You and Bucky have always possessed a complicated history, and even more strained relationship with one another. Begrudgingly, you're sent out on a mission with Barnes where you two are posing as a newly wed couple. In an effort to investigate the consistent disappearance of young women in a certain neighborhood, you find yourselves forced to confront a whirlwind of emotions.
Pairing: Bucky x Avenger!Reader Enemies to lovers
★ When the Morning Comes ★ - @pellucid-constellations
Summary: An entire childhood, an entire life, and Bucky just hopes you’ll be there when the morning comes—that you’ll get tired of this town and follow him. If not, he’ll try again next summer. And the summer after that.
Pairing: Modern!Bucky x reader
——————————————————————————
Two parts
Like I Want You - @tmpestuous
summary: you and bucky have been best friends your entire life and it’s never been anything but platonic. so why do things get so bad when he gets a new girlfriend?
Pairing: college!bucky x reader
——————————————————————————
I’ll keep updating it as I read more fics (new ones will be marked with ★ )
#bucky barnes#bucky masterpost#bucky#bucky x reader#bucky fluff#bucky x female reader#bucky x you#bucky smut#bucky imagine#bucky x y/n#bucky fanfic#bucky au#fanfic recommendation#roomate!bucky#winter solider x reader#winter soldier#winter soldier fanfiction#bucky angst#sebastian stan#sebastian stan fanfiction#marvel fluff#marvel
356 notes
·
View notes
Text
Quincy and the forest giant part 6
Hey, here's part six of the gt story I'm writing. This one is a pretty uneventful chapter, but things will get more exciting soon after this. As usual, criticism is appreciated.
No cws this time (I think)
Here's the previous part:
__________________________________________________
I didn’t know many card games. I didn’t understand the rules of most mature card games, and most of the young card games I knew from playing them at school couldn’t be played with normal playing cards. I did know how to play “Go Fish,” but I wouldn’t call myself too good at it.
“Go Fish’ isn’t exactly a skill-based game. But it was the only game both me and Ella knew that could be played with the large, generic playing cards she had. The cards were big, about two feet long, but for Ella, they were just barely big enough for her to see without squinting. Proportionally, they were about the size of “mini” playing cards for her. Meanwhile, I had some trouble holding my cards so she couldn’t see them. I ended up having them face down on the floor (which was actually the table) and remembering which cards I had and which card was which in my head. I considered asking Ella why she even had these cards since most card games needed more than one person to play, and she was here alone, but I decided against saying anything, due to how she usually reacted to my questions.
“Do you have an ace of diamonds?” Ella asked, looking down at me while holding her cards in one hand.
“G-go fish,” I said, looking down. Ella took a card from the pile on the table. She struggled a bit to only take one.
“So, kid,” Ella asked, picking up her card, “you have any friends back home?”
“Uh, kinda,” I said, peeking at my cards while they were still face down, “do you have…a 10 of spades?”
“Go fish,” The giant said. I got up and walked to the stack of cards, sliding one off the top.
“So, there are some people I like, hang out with, sorta,” I said, “they’re…kind of my friends,”
“What do you mean ‘kinda’?” Ella asked, “Got any kings of hearts?” I took the king of hearts from my deck and held it up for her. She took it with two fingers and placed the pair in front of her on the table.
“I mean, I dunno, they would talk, and I'd ... .sorta just be there,” I said, looking down, “they like me and all, but it doesn’t really feel like I’m part of the group…do you have any 2 of spades?”
“Hmm…no,” Ella said, looking at her cards before looking at me, “so, you're not too attached to anyone in that village of yours?” The giant asked, “you wouldn’t be too sad if…y’know what? Nevermind,”
“What?” I asked, looking up at her worried,
“Don’t worry about it, it's nothing, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Ella said, “you have any queens of clubs?”
“...no…” I said, looking down, thinking about what Ella was just saying. I tried changing the topic, “So, where’d you…uh…learn cards? Um ... .have any…one of hearts?”
“Kid, ‘go fish’ isn’t exactly the most complicated game to learn,” The giant said, taking one of the hearts out of her deck and gently placing it in front of me. I flipped over my one of hearts and paired it with hers.
“um…I mean…who taught you? Um…was it…the people from your job?” I asked, before realizing what I was asking, “Um, sorry if that's…one of those questions ... .um, do you have an ace of spades?”
“Don’t worry, it's fine,” Ella said, looking down at me, “also, you already went,”
“Oh..sorry,” I said, sheepishly looking down,
“I learned how to play cards before any of this, that's all I can say,” Ella said, “you have any 10s of spades?” she said with half of a smirk. I sighed and gave her my 10 of spades.
“um ....I know…I probably shouldn’t ask, but ... what do you mean before this?” I asked, looking up at her,
“Hmm, before this,” The giant said,
“You mean…before you were hired by…whoever you work for? Before you were a giant?” I asked,
“Maybe before those things, but definitely before I brought you here,” Ella said nonchalantly,
“Got any fives of clubs?” I asked,
“Go fish,” Ella said,
“...so…you said ... .you're human, right?” I asked, taking a card from the stack,
“When I say that?” Ella asked, shuffling through her cards,
“...when you first brought me here…when I woke up..” I said,
“Oh,” the giant said, “yeah, I said I’m a human, but bigger. Got any threes of diamonds?”
“....so….were you always like that? Um…a giant?” I asked, handing her my card.
“Hmm, y’know what?” Ella said, putting her pairs of cards on the table, “Guess,”
“...what?” I asked. Ella placed her deck of cards on the table face down and leaned towards me.
“Guess. Tell me what you think this is all about, and I’ll tell you if you're not right.”
“..really?” I asked, looking up skeptically,
“Yeah, it's not like you’ll guess correctly anyway,” the giant said,
“Um, ok, so,” I looked down trying to figure it out, thinking of everything I knew so far, “you…work with a bunch of other giants…and….um….they….no…” I tried again,” You work for….some kind of…forest god…that made you a giant ... and the disappeared humans are sacrifices for it?” Ella smiled and laughed under her breath,
“Nope, not even close,” Ella said,
“Oh…um….can I try again?” I asked,
“No, I don’t want you to try finding out through the process of elimination,” she said more sternly this time.
“Oh…ok…” I said,
“Anything you want to do other than play cards?” Ella asked me,
“Um….do you have any other….um….games?” I asked,
“Ever play chess?” The giant asked blankly.
“No, I’ve played checkers though,” I answered.
“I don’t have checkers pieces.” Ella said,
“But you do have giant chess pieces?” I asked, “and a giant chess board?”
“There are only so many board games they make giant versions of, kid.” Ella sighed,
“But…..doesn’t chess need two people?” I asked,
“...yeah,” Ella said, looking down, rubbing the back of her neck. She tried changing the topic herself, “maybe there's a game we could play without cards or a board or whatever, do you have any ideas?”
“Um…” I thought to myself about what to suggest, “I don’t think we could play like….ice breakers or anything like that…since….y’know,”
“Hmm, yeah…” Ella said, looking down, “we could do them one sided. I could stand to know a bit more about you,”
“Huh?” I looked up at her again, “what…like what?”
“I dunno, you said you were stargazing when I found you, right?” the giant asked,
“Yeah,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck,
“Do you like stargazing?” Ella asked, tilting her head at me.
“Um, I…I think so,” I said, looking down,
“You think so?” Ella said, confused.
“The stars and the sky are wonderful and all, but…” I paused, still looking down, “I don’t really…feel anything looking at them.”
“Huh, really?” Ella said. She looked down at herself before looking back at me. “I’ve never really been stargazing before. I mean, I’ve been outside at night and looked up, but I’ve never really specifically done it to look at the stars.” the giant turned towards the window. “The rain is starting to let up,”
“It is?” I asked, “Does that mean they’ll be here soon?”
“They’ll still probably won’t get here until tomorrow morning,” Ella said, “so, Quincey, if it stops raining tonight, could you maybe…. I dunno, show me what to look for?” she asked, looking down and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly, “when stargazing I mean,” I gave a light smile.
“Yeah, I could do that,”
#g/t#gt community#g/t community#giant/tiny#sfw g/t#giant tiny#g/t writing#gt writing#constructive critism welcome#giant and tiny#gianttiny
16 notes
·
View notes
Note
What are your thoughts on Hawks as a character in BNHA? I know a lot of canon tends to mischaracterize him (Hense Why I can’t read any fics w him despite him being my favorite character next to Izuku), so I was wondering about your take on his canon self, and what choices you’d make in writing him into one of your fics
Gonna be honest, I’m very biased because Hawks is actually my least favorite character. Once he was introduced, he suddenly became super important out of nowhere and took up a lot of screen time away from characters I actually cared about like Izuku and the other students. We’re talking months of chapters with this new random guy as acting protagonist when we already have a perfectly good protagonist getting shunted to the sidelines. Even when we did get Izuku back, it seemed like the guy just wouldn’t go away. If I had to pick a reason I never warmed up to him besides oversaturation, one thing would be that despite him being so involved in the plot, he didn’t have much personal stake in it for a long time. He had this cocky attitude (already a character trait I’m not fond of) and lack of drive compared to other characters that to me came off as apathetic to what was happening. If he doesn’t care about what he’s doing, why should I? I get that he has a secret tragic backstory past that explains why he’s like that, but that came out pretty late in the game and wasn’t enough to switch my negative perceptions.
Now, if I were to write him into a fic, I would lean into the questionable ethics of his acts and lack there of as a double agent. It’s very likely he knew about some of the League’s murders and didn’t do anything about them in order to stay in their good graces. So we have a very interesting set up for the morality of letting a few people die in order to save even more in the future. One thing we never got from canon that I wanted to see is how a character like Izuku, who wants to save everyone, would react to something like that. A top hero, and the heroic ruling body at large, deciding that some lives were expendable for the “greater good.” Not to mention the fact that (and correct me if I’m wrong, I haven’t reread the whole series in a while) that Hawks himself doesn’t really grapple with this contradiction other than being personally frustrated. How would he react to be confronted? Would he succumb to guilt, or double down to preserve his self image as a good hero? He did it for the greater good after all. He meant it to be good. That’s what matters, isn’t it?
I actually have a couple fic ideas where this idea gets explored, but the only one I can tell you without spoiling anything is my scrapped plans for Angel’s Egg. Hawks was going to be the final boss of that fic. As Izuku learned to use his wing quirk better than he ever could have imagined, it starts going to his head. Hawks worked as a parallel to that, a cocky hero who didn’t have to think too hard about what he was doing thanks to his overpowered quirk. Unquestioned power and adoration from fans made him complacent. So he didn’t question the morality of using the two hero students he was mentoring as two different kinds of bait for a dangerous organization. it all worked out in the end, so what’s the harm? He was just following commission orders besides, so none of it was his fault. This would have been my only fic that ends with Izuku questioning if he wants to be a hero anymore.
25 notes
·
View notes
Note
DMC Questions Anon here!
Capcom has called to tell you they've put you in charge of the next DMC game. They left no instructions but one: the game focuses on Dante and Vergil after the events of DMC 5. How will you do the game? What will the plot be? How will you have their relationship progress throughout the game?
Hi, Ember! Your timing is, as always, suspiciously accurate
Just the day you sent this ask I saw a post with this screenshot and saved it to answer later
Funny thing is, my answer to this post is disagreement with this point on a fundamental level.
I have an extremely hard time imagining anything for DMC6, and one of the reasons is story. Capcom did a great thing when they actually acknowledged their series-founding character aging. Dante is not getting younger, physically it's not really a problem for him, but emotionally? This man should have gotten a mental retire like, after dmc4. I mean it. He shouldn't get sucked into another Sparda legacy drama, please no. Same for Vergil, man needs a gramophone, his bro to retire with, a library card and some freakin knitting needles or smth.
DMC1 started with the second lowest low the twins relationship had ever been at, DMC3 showed the divide of their relationship, DMC4 was the ghost of it and DMC5 had been the fallout of 20+ years of not-cooing-with-trauma. 5 ends with a perfect ending the twins were gifted by Hideaki Itsuno (bless the man), there is nowhere meaningful to take them.
(This is where I would have ranted about Mundus and how HE should be the main boss of the series, but he was sealed off and manga says twins could have defeated him even in their twenties and capcom did not freakin retcon that)
Alas, this would have been my answer if you haven't added the mandatory twins rule xD (to be fair, it does sound like a rule executives force on a new game, cause how would they ever let go of idols like Dante&Vergil? the bois sell better than hot cookies)
This is where I go in reverse mode, because I think the post is actually onto something. A new game about twins conquering different regions/levels of Hell and fighting cool Hell Lords the entire time. It would also be a good opportunity for some worldbuilding overhaul I keep ranting about in every single ask!
The only gameplay feature I can imagine for the game, the one that was MUCH requested and so close to properly implemented in 5 should ABSOLUTELY return - proper coop. Not sure if splitscreen would work optimisation-wise, but they should freakin try. RE engine turned out to be surprisingly adaptable and works insanely well in 5.
Character abilities wise - DMC5 is a goddamn masterpiece of slasher, I have absolutely no idea how to make it better. Dante alone requires you to study in Combo University for four years, and Vergil would freakin make you meditate in a cave without food or water for another four.
If the narrative could take a double plotlines structure and Nero would have his own adventures in the human world, it would be nice to give him more attention as well. And an opportunity for some new devil hunter characters (Master Summoner Patty) !
If DMC6 ever happens then Mundus HAS to be the endgame come on, that is (1) plotline DMC has hanging and it would be EPIC to make.
Twins-relationship wise I expect a Lot of banter. It would be awesome to have the second twin be AI piloted around the level with you.
As for bonding? Mixed feelings. Twins will have lots of time to learn to work together again, but I am not sure they can actually heal while in Hell. Hell trip is a constant run from and into violence, demon horders, hunting and being pursued in a maddening never-ending circle untill the twins are able to escape. This is not the best situation for healing, honest conversations, or supportive moments. Plus, the twins entire lives revolve around violence, I can only wish one day they can settle in a calm environment to learn to live without it too.
btw the last two sentences are like, the premise of Raven's @stashoflostsouls newest Take a trip or two awesome fic, definitely check it and her other works out if you liked the previous paragraph
So yeah, I believe the twins will progress a lot during their escapades, but the reforging of their brotherhood can only fully happen outside the violence they are regularly thrown into, and a retirement plot doesn't really sound like a good idea for a slasher game, does it.
as always, the rambles got the best of me.
tldr: Personally, I think the twins' story is done and they should be allowed to happily retire, but if the story continuing to revolve around them is the mandatory rule then my best guess is a cool slasher in Hell. Still, it wouldn't fully mend the twins relationship, even if the game would probably be very satisfying to play
(have you seen the coop mod videos online? those clips are insane)
#dmc questions anon#should raven propaganda be a tag? I feel like it should at this point xD#ill never be sorry for reccomending insanely good work so check it out yourself to prove me right#sorry ember this one is extremely rambly somehow even if i don't have much to actually reply with#my character build is very unoptimised#dmc#the sparda loser twins#dante sparda#vergil sparda#nero sparda#dmc5#dmc6 predictions
39 notes
·
View notes
Note
I know you're not fond of Twilight Princess, but what would you think if they brought back worldbuilding elements from it (the Twilight world and Midna, mainly) to a newer game? I'm not familiar enough with the series to know a whole lot, but that stuff at least seems really neat to me from my secondhand knowledge, but if Twilight Princess was as bad as you say... I would love to see them revisit it somehow with the BotW/TotK continuity.
i have this. thing about twilight princess. we know this. but genuinely even looking at the lore from an objective standpoint i think trying to pull any of it into other games is a bad decision at best and actively detrimental to the new game in question at worst. there are two main reasons for this:
the first is that mainline, non-sequel zelda games have a general rule about standing alone. in order for the games to remain accessible to players of all ages and backgrounds, every original (non-sequel) zelda title has to be able to function as an introduction to the franchise, meaning any lore required to understand the story must be exposited WITHIN the story of that game. the few lore-points that HAVE been adapted from other games (sacred realm, oot ganondorf, talking sword) are generic enough that they can be explained briefly within the story without taking too much time away from the player's journey. while those of us who ARE versed in the lore might have a deeper understanding of the overarching implications of these elements, NOT understanding the history behind them isn't going to impede your understanding or enjoyment of the game. for example, this is likely the practical reason why fi was never named or appeared in botw beyond her generic sound effect and the glowing of the sword, because even players who don't KNOW fi are able to tell from context that the sword is magical and is speaking. not knowing who fi is doesn't impede your ability to understand how and why the sword is speaking, given the rest of the context of botw's story. the two elements of tp that you mentioned, the twilight realm and midna, are VERY difficult from a writer's standpoint to work into a game without requiring the player to understand the plot of twilight princess. neither element easily fits into a new cycle's story without requiring a ton of expositional explanation which will inevitably take players out of the story, and relying on convoluted lore that new players won't even be familiar with to drive your story just sets you up for failure.
the second reason is that, from a writer's standpoint, neither midna nor the twilight realm were well-written enough in TP to be compelling. lmao. If you're going to adapt world-altering lore like the twilight realm into consistent canon, you need to have a firm grasp on the implications of adapting it. even the writers of TP had no fucking clue what the twilight realm was or where it came from or how it tied into the existing world of hyrule at all. literally the first sentence on the zelda wiki for twilight realm history is "The Twilight Realm's full history is incomplete." adding something like a new dimension to your consistent canon is world-altering. when you do something like that, it HAS to be thought-out and for good reason, or you're just confusing your audience unnecessarily. IF the twilight realm was to be brought back, it would HAVE to be with explicit knowledge of of how it effects the narrative and theming of the story its being written into, something that wasn't even present in the game where it was introduced. the same goes for midna; if you bring her back, she needs a reason to be there. she needs narrative weight and thematic consistency with the entire rest of the game, things that were barely present in her original story. ripping these elements out of their own game and tossing them into another only makes them more likely to feel out-of-place and confusing to players. And to be completely honest, almost anything that writers wanted to accomplish with the twilight realm could be done just as easily utilizing the sacred realm, an element which is already in consistent canon and is much easier to write into a given story than something as mysterious and confusing as the twilight realm. with midna, almost anything that she would accomplish could be accomplished by a game-specific guide character, which is already staple of loz anyway. using a game-specific guide character would also remove any potential confusion for new players who lack the context of midna's past appearances. the only reason you might NEED midna as a character is if you ALSO have the twilight realm and specifically require a twili guide character to explain it, but. for all the reasons stated above. you shouldn't have the twilight realm. lol
#tp critical#like. i know we all love the overarching lore and are obsessed with consistent canon and game callbacks#but if the game can't stand on its own it cant stand period. consistent canon is less important than a legible standalone game#ive said this before but i NEED you guys to remember that up until skyward sword there WAS no consistent canon.#for almost 25 years the zelda devs were making standalone games tied together by a few consistent elements of gameplay#and then AFTER they made 25 years worth of games they sat down and connected them all.#thinking about how the game fits into the overarching lore isn't usually a priority for these devs. and i don't really think it SHOULD be#their priority is telling a good story and giving players a good gameplay experience.#where it fits into the overarching lore can be figured out after the fact the same way it was for every game pre sksw.#pulling WHOLE GAME-SPECIFIC CHARACTERS AND SETTINGS into a new game makes little to no sense. that's not really what the games are about#anyway. rant over
57 notes
·
View notes
Text
Thank you for the ask @1ittlesparrowlegs!
8. What lines never fail to make you laugh?
Already answered here. In short, a lot of Thomas and Mary's lines.
13. What storyline(s) would you have liked to see (more) explored?
There's an imbalance regarding character exploration in the show that has always vexed me to be honest. Some characters like Fanny and Thomas only got one single episode focused on them whereas others like Pat, Kitty and Humphrey got at least two. Thomas, I think, is the character who suffers the most because of it. He is the embodiment of, "You stay how you die," and because of that most people consider him to be one-dimensional and annoying. There's so much more to him, though, so many things hinting at his underlying trauma and self-worth issues, but the show never explored that properly so I can't really blame people for not picking up on that. I wish we'd gotten at least a flashback to the time after his death - watching Isabelle have that life Thomas always dreamed of having with her with Francis instead must have affected him deeply. I explored that in one of my fics (the idea of which was that Thomas spends the first decades of his death with the Plague Ghosts because he can't bear to see Isabelle every day) but I would have loved to see the repercussions of that in the show.
On a similar note, I wish the show had made it clear that Thomas's infatuation with Alison never had anything to do with romantic love and allowed them to become actual friends. But as I said, after The Thomas Thorne Affair, Thomas was never really explored as a character again (there was 4x01 but the most we got out of that was confirmation that Thomas is very much aware he's not a good poet) so we only got a few glimpses at what that friendship could have looked like (the sunrise scene, Thomas helping Alison learn how to speak in front the camera etc.).
Fanny is another character that hasn't been explored much, and even though the Button House Archives book gives us a little more insight into her, I'm still left with so many questions about her, her marriage to George and her relationship with her children. She's such a criminally underrated character and even more so than with Thomas it makes me angry that she didn't get the screentime she deserves. I feel like even Sophie got more character development than her and as much as I love Sophie and was glad to see her again in series 5, that's just not right. So yeah, I wish the show had devoted more time to exploring Fanny's character and shown us how she actually became Lady Button because I don't believe strong-willed and independent Fanny turned into stiff and rules-abiding Lady Button the moment she got married.
Ask Game is here.
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
Mako in the Avatar Legends: Republic City Setting Toolkit
Ok so I've mentioned a few times I'm deep into Avatar Legends, running a game with my irl dnd group. It's my first time really GMing anything and it's been a wild ride but I'm having so much fun (and my players say they are too, but my imposter syndrome makes me question it haha).
I'm cutting this because it got extremely long and it's just incoherent rambling about Mako and the game.
I just downloaded my preordered pdf of the newest book for the game, Republic City Setting Toolkit. I have not read the whole thing in depth because holy shit is it detailed and involved. tons of info about the actual city and its districts, business, government, etc. But they also introduced some very detailed mechanics for Pro-Bending, vehicles and Mechs. And when I say detailed.... Like i tried to read the pro-bending rules and I literally had to stop because it was so detailed that my brain couldn't process it at the moment- from the rules of the actual matches in the fiction, to a whole new gameplay mechanic for players, moves and techniques, and even tournament structures. There's rules for vehicle racing and chases, and combat incorporating vehicles. and mechanics for piloting mechs.. its just like SO MUCH and I'm excited to get into it but it will take my brain a while to comprehend all of it.
But of course after I went cross-eyed reading that I'm like, lets just jump to the premade adventure at the end and all the new NPCs: Bolin, Lin, Zhu Li, Iroh, and of course our beloved Mako.
The first thing I want to talk about is Mako's principle. In the game, there is a mechanic called "Balance". For PCs, they get two opposing principles and they have to pay attention to their actions throughout the game keeping their two opposing principles in balance with one another and not favoring one over the other too much. It's a whole mechanic that can sometimes give them advantages or disadvantages in rolls. Each NPC gets only one principle- (NPCs work differently and there isn't a focus on their inner turmoil or conflict about their actions the way it is for PCs, so the one principle serves an NPC just fine)
Mako's principle is a new one that I haven't seen in an NPC yet- Family. It's just perfect- particularly because throughout the character sheet it clarifies that, to Mako, family means both biological family and found or chosen family. In the instructions on how to roleplay as Mako, the first suggestion says "Put family first. Family, whether biological or chosen, is always Mako’s priority. Whether he has to enforce the law or bend it to protect loved ones, he does whatever it takes."
NPCs also get a drive (just a quick blurb to help the GM portray them, making sure to always have them act toward their drive), Mako's is "To defend and provide for his loved ones".
The next thing I want to talk about is his combat techniques. The game has a mechanic for combat, called "Combat Exchanges". It's got very specific, step by step rules for how each exchange plays out, but essentially each exchange is where the characters come together, exchange a series of blows, then breaking apart for a moment (and then either entering another exchange or ending the combat with different moves or actions or whatever). Combat imposes positive and negative statuses, each of which has rules that will affect what the character can and can't do in the fiction.
Mako has two techniques that are available to PCs- Lightning Blast and Fire Blade. Self explanatory attacks, no need to explain the mechanics. He can hurl lightning and slash with a blade of fire.
But his third technique is one that is not available to PCs- it's called "Indomitable Will" and it's incredibly powerful. "Push yourself to overcome anything holding you back" is the first sentence in the description. I'll try not to get too dry with the gameplay mechanics, but what makes it powerful is: first, it is in a category called "Defend and Maneuver". PCs and NPCs who use defend and maneuver techniques go first in the order, so he gets to use it before anyone can actually attack him. The ability lets him immediately use any other ability he knows, while ignoring any negative status effects. Then he gets to clear a negative status of his choice.
This is basically what he does when Amon blood bends him in season one. Before Amon can take his bending, Mako uses his sheer force of will to ignore the negative status of being "trapped" by Amon's bloodbending, blasts him with lightning, which then frees him of being 'trapped', effectively clearing the condition. Like. Absolutely amazing. I recently reblogged something about his super powerful bending, and like, this technique is a perfect demonstration of that.
In the Premade adventure of this book, "The Quick and the Quarrelsome", Mako is the one who sets the PCs on the path of the adventure. The adventure is all about illegal racing in the tunnels beneath the city. Mako calls on a the PCs to square away a favor they owe him (starting the session involves all the players answering questions about how they know Mako and what situation he had helped them with leading to them owing him one). He has been keeping an eye on the illegal racing, in particular the street kids who run the whole thing, who call themselves the Badgermole Triad. Due to a myriad of political reasons, the police are about to crack down on the races (Up til now, Beifong has turned a blind eye because the racing is underground where it isn't really affecting anyone but the racers). Mako apparently has a soft spot for these kids and doesn't want them to get in trouble, but his hands are tied, so he asks the PCs to infiltrate the races and help the Badgermole Triads possibly turn to legitimate racing before they are arrested. (or whatever other solution manages to come out of how the adventure goes)
I love everything about this, Mako looking out for street kids, Mako having helped the PCs out of something in the past, and of course the fact that it's the Badgermole triad he's helping out. Wu is probably rooting for these kids too, if not for any other reason than their taste in triad name.
Mako's character sheet also firmly establishes him as a workaholic which should come as no surprise. He basically never relaxes except if his friends force him to or if he decides to catch a pro-bending match to relive his days in the arena.
I haven't decided if I'm going to run this adventure for my players yet but if I do I'm both nervous and excited to roleplay as Mako, even for a short time. I already had to roleplay as Varrick at the conclusion of the Water and Mist adventure, and THAT was a trip, let me tell you. Mako is like, a normal guy so it will probably be easier, but still. I still get shaky about portraying NPCs, in particular the characters that already exist in the show!
If you've read this far, thank you for letting me wordvomit all of my Mako thoughts into one place. Now that I've got that out of my system, I'm going actually read the book and plan for the next session of my game haha
18 notes
·
View notes
Text
don't look at me like that unless you mean it
so i get out of bed ♫ put on my shoes and in my head
|| series masterlist || main masterlist ||
a/n: going back and revising can either be the best or worst thing in the world i stg lmao. i'm honestly surprised with how quick i got this one out?? anyway, thank you all for the likes and reblogs so far on this series! i hope you're all enjoying where the story is going!! if you have any questions, comments, or even suggestions (even if its like grammatical stuff), please let me know bc i'd love to hear some feedback <3
word count: 4.1k (where da freak did that come from?!)
pairings: joel miller x f!reader
warnings & tags: minors dni, angst, reader midkey being a little shit, reader also being a mom, swearing, lil fluff here n there, pining, looming threats — please tell me if i missed anything!
Winter turned to spring.
Spring turned to summer.
And Ellie found her purpose again.
She volunteered to help all around Jackson when she wasn’t out on patrol with you or Joel, going above and beyond what was expected of her. At least twice a month, the three of you would go over to Tommy and Maria’s for family night, consisting of food and games for a couple hours. Sometimes even Dina, her now-official girlfriend, and Jesse joined– At Ellie’s request, of course.
You tried your best to have meals as a family, taking the time to share details of the day or week, or simply just enjoying each other's presence in silence. Ellie had made it a point to spend time with you and Joel separately once a week outside of work, whether it’d be having lunch, going for a walk, or watching a movie together.
It was like life breathed into her, and your house felt like home again.
Whenever you’d get lucky enough to all be home at the same time, the three of you would be in the living room together but be occupied with your respective interests. Joel would be on the couch with a guitar and rag in hand, delicately cleaning and polishing the instrument, while Ellie sat on the window seat across the room with her notebook and pencil. You’d be curled up on your reading chair between them with your nose in a book while cradling either a mug of coffee or tea. Sometimes the quiet would be broken by Ellie peering up from her art and seriously prompting Joel with a question that was so obviously from her book of puns and you'd watch as she eagerly waited for him to take the bait. You couldn't tell what was better, when Ellie would make herself crack up, or watch Joel shake his head in disbelief with a grin on his face. The best, though, was when Joel would answer with the punchline and laugh as he watched Ellie's face fall with contempt.
Things had just fallen back into place.
The general rule in Jackson was that everything had a set schedule and was planned in advance, no matter how big or minuscule it was. So when Maria had called in for all patrol, leaders, and committee members to meet at first light this morning, you knew it had to be something important.
On your walk over to town hall, you took the extra time to appreciate your surroundings. The sun shined a bit brighter, and the air felt fresher. The trees were regaining their green leaves in full, and weeds sprouted in the cracks of the streets and sidewalks. You waved to fellow settlers sitting on their porches and drinking their morning cups of coffee, many of whom you’d come to know as good friends.
The room filled up quickly and the air hummed with anticipation and light conversation. People arranged themselves according to their role in Jackson, but you only paid attention to the groups you belonged to: The committee, who sat before the podium, and patrol, who lingered near the back. And it just so happened that you were administration duty this week, so you took your seat in the front row. You scanned over your shoulder for Joel and spotted him off in the corner with Tommy, in what seemed like typical brotherly conversation. The two faced each other, Tommy talking passionately about something while Joel shook his head in annoyance, which slowly turned to reluctant nods and a hand up in defeat. You wondered what he’d been going on about.
Your attention was drawn back to the podium by the tapping sound of the microphone that was amplified through the speakers, Maria's favorite way of commanding the room's attention. But when you looked at her, she wasn’t her typical self. In all meetings, planned or not, she always exuded an unmatched confidence and possessed a let's-get-to-business attitude. That she wasn’t phased by the sheer amount of responsibility that rested on her shoulders, being the backbone of Jackson.
But now, something was off. She was bothered, and it showed. Her hands that normally folded in front of her now gripped the sides of the podium with such a strain that you could see her knuckles turning white and her thumb repeatedly scratching at the wood. Her eyes anxiously darted around the room, looking at all the bodies staring back at her, but not really seeing them.
"Thank you all for being here on such short notice," she tried to mask her concern with a bright smile, "I wanted to bring you all together to discuss an important development that has come to our attention."
She paused for a moment, as if to reel in everyone's attention moreso, though it was probably more for herself. You tilted your head and squinted at her as she nervously peered around again, wondering what the hell had gotten into her.
"Recently, some of our patrol has been encountering a group little ways beyond our walls,” she allowed her words to sink in, “but they’re not like our usuals– they’re more organized. Dangerous.”
And? Jackson’s dealt with savagery before, what’s so different now? Maria glanced at you briefly, as if she heard your thoughts.
“They pose a significant threat to us. One greater than we’ve ever seen, and one that we cannot underestimate.”
Without missing a beat, you looked over your shoulder between the sea of people that were exchanging uneasy looks and words for Joel, finding his eyes on you. He shared the same apprehensive expression as you did, with steady eyes and scrunched brows.
Maria held up her hand to quiet the murmur that had rippled through the room before speaking again, but you drowned out her words. The most you were able to put together was something about unsettling information, the community being built on unity and resilience, and stricter security measures.
For all the times you came across people, how many of them had been the company that played a hand in this? How many times had you walked away from someone who harbored ill intentions? How many times had you unwittingly brushed shoulders with death at the hands of these people?
You sat still as ever, eyes locked in front of you, but your body was beginning to shut down as more thoughts crammed themselves into your head. Your heart rate picked up, being able to feel the pulse just about everywhere, and your vision began to blur in and out.
Your hand ghosted over the void in your stomach. You could handle being out there. Fuck, you could come to terms even getting caught out there. But it made your blood run cold knowing that Joel was out there facing those same risks as you, and– fuck– even Ellie too.
One question still lingered: What was it about this group that set them apart from the rest?
“Hey sweetheart-” you were startled by the sudden hand on your knee, jerking your head to the left to look at the woman next to you, Charlotte. She frowned at you, “Are you alright?”
“I’m-” you shook your head to a nod, “I’m- Yes. I am.” She didn’t look convinced, but didn’t pry either. Instead, she gently placed her hand on top of yours.
You liked Charlotte, and not just because you had to for the sake of the committee, because God, there were quite a few that fell under that obligation. You actually respected her. She was sweet and southern as they made them, and everything she did was always handled with grace and poise. You’d also be lying to yourself if you said you weren’t slightly envious of her. To be soft and benevolent well after the end of the world? You could only wish to be those things.
“Well, if it’s alright with you, I could really use Ellie’s help at the school today.” She took her free hand and gestured about the room, “Just ‘ought to prep some things in light of all.. this.”
You placed your hand on top of hers, "Ellie would love to."
“And have Dina go too,” she gave a warm smile and squeezed your shoulder as she stood. She leaned down as if she was confessing a secret, sending you a wink. “I’ve always liked those two.”
It was when she walked away that you noticed the meeting had ended. People were standing clustered in groups, and you were unable to decipher what each conversation had really been about as you were preoccupied with finding Joel before heading out.
He’d still been near the back with Tommy and other patrolmen Samson, Milo, and- oh, great- Fitz.
You’d been paired up with Fitz on several occasions, only getting to know him well enough to stand him for an entire shift, but still struggled to do so. He was a patrol leader around your age, but still acted like he was in his twenties, in the sense of that he wanted to fuck every woman available in Jackson. Every time you’d turn him down, he’d have another girl on his arm the week after, and then a different one after that. And just when you thought he’d given up, he made his rounds back to you in hopes that you’d give him a chance to get in your pants.
Tommy's back had been to you, the four men around him listening to whatever story he'd been telling. You gently patted his shoulder and you stepped beside him so as not to spook him, to which he pulled you in for a side hug/cheek kiss combo and quick good mornin' as he carried on his story. Joel had been on the end of the semi-circle of men, leaving you a spot to settle in next to him. When Tommy got to the height of the tale, the three men erupted in laughter, Joel only shaking his head with a curled lip.
In a moment of reprieve, Fitz took the opportunity to draw the attention to you with a mischievous grin.
“Miler, how’s it that you’ve got the most beautiful woman in Jackson livin’ under the same roof as you, and yet you won’t even claim her?”
Fitz’s tongue poked his cheek as Joel’s jaw tightened at the slight. You caught Tommy giving Joel a smug look before looking down at his feet to hide it. He’d teased Joel for the same thing before, but never as direct or harsh, and definitely not in front of other people. Fitz redirected back to you, “Listen, if he won’t touch ya', I’d be happy to-”
“Who said he didn’t?”
You wanted to punch yourself in the throat immediately, but the wild look on Joel’s face made the lie so fucking worth it. You kept the smirk on your face and stared at Fitz until he grew uncomfortable enough to break contact, ignoring the wide eyed expressions from the rest of them.
“You could probably take some pointers, honestly.” You jerked your thumb at Joel.
Joel continued to burn holes into your head as Tommy, Milo, and Samson tried to stifle their laughter. Fitz rolled his eyes as a redness spread on his cheeks, mumbling an insult and withdrawing himself from the group. You smiled and bit your lip as you watched him walk away, letting out an airy laugh once he was out of sight.
“So, when were you guys gonna-” You and Joel both gestured defensively at Tommy as excuses fell out of your mouths by the second.
“No! We’re not-” you glanced at Joel quickly. “No. That was just to get Fitz to quit his shit.”
Knowing Fritz’s reputation, Tommy didn’t require anymore persuasion, saving you from having to over-explain yourself and wind up looking like a fool in the process. “Well.. we're havin' a thing at the Bison on Friday. Why don't you come down?"
You raised an eyebrow at him, looking at Joel for confirmation if you heard him correctly. “Shouldn’t we.. I don’t know, not be having a thing? Especially after what Maria just said?”
Tommy nodded his head and sighed, knowing exactly that’s what the invitation sounded like. “It’s not- It’s supposed to be a.. morale booster, fuckin’ whatever– it's Maria’s idea, not mine. I'm just supposed to get the word out."
While it felt a little odd, you could understand why she wanted to do it. "I don't know, Tommy, I-"
"Great! See y'all there!" Tommy smirked as he looked between you and Joel and began to walk away. You turned to Joel with disbelief, but he was unphased, conveying how Tommy had roped him into this way before you walked over.
As the room emptied out, you all took it as your cue to leave and begin tending to your responsibilities for the day. Joel had disappeared too quickly for your liking, but you didn’t have the time to sit and chat with him either.
You stopped home to find Ellie, Dina, and Jesse in the kitchen eating breakfast together, chuckling at the idea of the other two essentially being your adoptive children as well for how much they were over.
Ellie offered you a strawberry off her plate and inquired about the meeting with genuine curiosity. Carefully, you explained to them the importance of being aware of their surroundings for the next couple of weeks, and to not stay out past curfew no matter where they were. Meaning if they needed to crash at your house for the night, so be it, and so on and so forth. They found your propositions to be odd, understandably as you didn’t give the proper context as to why, but nonetheless they didn’t question you.
"So.. are you going to the thing on Friday?" Jesse’s inquiry took you by surprise.
"How do you know about the thing on Friday?" You asked like a mother asking her child about something they weren't supposed to know about.
"I ran into Fitz before I got here.”
You rolled your eyes. Fuckin’ Fitz. Of course he’s going. You shifted your weight against the counter, crossing your arms. "Yeah, I am. Why?"
"'Cause we were gonna sneak in if you weren't." Dina mumbled behind her glass of juice.
You tittered at her honesty, your eyebrows now furrowed together. "And why would you guys have to sneak in?"
"Because Fitz said that Uncle Tommy said it was only for adults? Like, older than us." Ellie gestured to the other two and shot you a look of confusion, like you were already supposed to know.
Your expression stayed the same, but your eyes shifted around the room as you thought about the new fact she presented you.
Huh. Only for adults.
Your mouth closed and curled up. It was on brand for Tommy to not have added that important piece of information.
Ellie watched as the gears turned in your head, but you didn't give her the opportunity to pick at your brain as you changed the subject to Charlotte's request.
“Well, Ms. Charlotte needs you two to help her today.” You pointed your fingers at the girls, who shared an excitement to be with the kids. Keeping one finger on them, you averted the other to Jesse. “And you need to get ready to head out, Mr. Almost-Patrol-Leader.”
The kids rushed to clean up their dishes and grab their bags to get to it. Before running out the door, they each gave you their own special way of saying goodbye.
“Thanks for letting me eat your food!”
“See you later, love you!
“Love you more than Ellie does!”
You beamed at the door after it closed.
For some reason, you thought Joel would've been home. You imagined that if he had been present for the conversation, he definitely would've dropped a sarcastic remark somewhere to illustrate his dismay for Fitz or the party. But he wasn't, and it made you feel off.
You were still leaning against the counter in deep thought, feeling.. oddly familiar in the spot. It had only been months ago when you stood here, tea in hand, sharing a.. moment.. with Joel. You stared at the empty space where he had left the jar of honey that morning, a memory of yet another stolen moment.
The silence overwhelmingly contrasted with the energetic scene you were just part of, forcing you to realize just how empty the house was.
You shook your head, rousing yourself from your thoughts.
Go. Go out and get some work done.
You spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking through the bustling streets of Jackson, checking in with other leaders and taking note of their preparations for the coming weeks to report back to Maria. You wanted to gather as much information as possible to keep her adequately informed, but it also gave you a reason to push Joel far away from your thoughts.
Through your interactions, you couldn't help but admire the unity and spirit of Jackson. The sense of vigilance permeated the community, there was a collective understanding that every measure mattered in ensuring the safety of everyone. From rigorous training sessions led by guardsmen, sharpening their combat skills and marksmanship, to the meticulous maintenance of weapons and ammunition, no detail was overlooked.
Before returning to the town hall, you brought yourself to the stables. It sat on a hill that overlooked the town with no other buildings near it, making it the perfect getaway when you needed a break from all the noise.
It'd been empty with the exception of a handful of horses in their stalls. In relaxed movements, you swiftly picked up a bucket and flipped it upside down as a makeshift seat, plopping yourself down on it. Hues of red and orange brushed across the sky, the sun sitting just over the top of a mountain far out in the distance. You sat quietly, listening to the buzzing and ticks of nature.
"Can't beat that view." A gentle voice came from behind you, registering as Joel.
The sound of his boots on the floor let you know he approached your side, shoving his hands into his pockets. You nodded in agreement, not seeing the use for words in the moment. Neither one of you looked or even glanced at each other, focusing your attention to the sunset in front of you. The sun descended behind the mountain, dragging the bold colors with it and allowing new hues of blue and purple to replace it. The town lights began to come on, flickering up and down the streets. A soft yellow glow illuminated the stables.
You hadn't seen him all day after the meeting, but now here he was, joining you in your small time of solace. Honestly, you didn't expect him to be there. If he had gone out for his shift around noon, he wasn't supposed to be back for another few hours. You thought that maybe Tommy switched his shift last minute, or that you just remembered his schedule wrong for the week. Either way, you weren't going to poke and prod. Your thoughts had pivoted back to this morning.
“Do you think she’s not telling us something?”
He furrowed his eyebrows momentarily before relaxing. “Maybe.”
You stood up and slid the bucket off to the side, beginning to pace at the edge where the wood met the grass. Joel watched as you brought your hands to your hips and your eyes stared down at your feet, placing themselves one in front of the other as if they threatened to trip over thin air.
You couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to this. It all felt so sinister. You wanted to be mad at yourself– How could you have gone so long without realizing that there’d been people out there watching, judging, and assessing every move? But also, how could you have known? What were the signs you were supposed to be looking for?
“People hide things when they’re scared.”
His words stopped your pace, and fuck if they hit a little too close to home. You faced him with a perplexed expression etched on your face and a light desperation in your voice. “But why is she scared?”
You weren’t looking for a legitimate answer, you just wanted him to see where your train of thought was at. You searched his eyes in hopes that he shared the same doubts. That something bigger was in the picture.
“Tommy thinks they’re tracking us on patrol.” He shrugged his shoulders again, his eyes first glancing down at the ground before landing on you. He shifted his weight to his one foot almost cautiously. "Seems that way, I guess."
Your breath hitched in the back of your throat as you tried to take deep breaths. Your hands ran through your hair to stimulate the light-headed feeling that was spreading quickly. No fucking way.
“How long?”
Your eyebrows were knitted together and your eyes narrowed at Joel's. He brought his hands to his hips and turned himself towards Jackson, staring off into the distance, where somewhere between all those mountains, rivers, and forests, danger lurked. The weight of silence hung heavy in the air, a tangible presence that seemed to amplify the gravity of the situation.
“Been runnin’ into the same people for a couple months, at least.”
Months. They had fucking months on you. And only now had Jackson realized it. Yet, Joel seemed indifferent in conveying this to you. You felt that all the air had been knocked out of your lungs, and you turned away, dragging a hand down your mouth to cover your mouth, muffling an oh my fucking god. You reverted back to how you thought about how blissfully unaware you were about all the times they could’ve taken or killed you, or Joel, or– you whipped around to him.
“She cannot go on patrol anymore.” He looked at you with a somber expression, his gaze growing with concern as the lines on his forehead deepened. You didn’t notice as he drew closer to you as you began to think of the worst case scenarios. “I’m sorry, Joel- But she can’t. God forbid something-”
You’d been talking a million miles a minute and staring right into his chest, yet didn’t see his hands coming up to cradle your face and make you look up at him. In his eyes, you saw his worry as you lost yourself in your own head. He saw how troubling you found the entire matter to be, and knew that it would eat at you until it was put to rest.
“Please, don’t let her.” Your hands wrapped over top of his as your voice broke in a final plea.
His hands were rough and calloused, yet when they held you, you’d think that he’d held everything in life this softly. His thumbs ran over your cheekbones, eyes flickering between your own. If the circumstances were different, maybe you’d take your chance and crash into him. But when he looked at you like this? Man, it didn’t get much better than that.
“Yes ma’am.”
In his response that probably should’ve made either of you withdraw, neither of you did. His eyes quickly glanced down at your mouth, and you involuntarily did the same to him. You said his name, but it was barely audible. He brought his hand to the back of your hand and guided you into his chest, wrapping his arm around you.
“Hey,” he cooed, “we’re gonna be okay.”
His words had a profound effect on you. Those simple words said with such an assurance and sincerity that you so desperately wanted to believe him without question. It echoed in your head.
We're gonna be okay.
You don't know when, but at some point over all the years with Joel, it became something more than just surviving together. It became that you were unofficially his, and he was unofficially yours, with no room for anyone but Ellie inbetween. But still, you found yourself wondering if it would ever be more than just that. If he ever felt the same pull, the magnetic force that constantly drew you towards him.
You couldn't help but wonder if he truly understood the depth of your own feelings. If he grasped the significance of these moments that left your heart racing. Did he know how often you spent thinking about him, replaying conversations in your mind, searching for hidden meaning in every word and gesture like you were right now?
You buried your chest into his chest and nodded, a silent acknowledgement at best, allowing his words to sink in for what they were worth.
"Yeah, we're gonna be okay."
You didn't believe yourself for a second.
#joel miller#joel miller x reader#joel miller x f!reader#joel miller fic#tlou#the last of us#tlou fanfiction#annasmasterlist#annawrites
26 notes
·
View notes
Note
DEAR DEAR LOVE.
OKAY.
I HAD to send this comment as a massage and not in the comments section because I have so much to fucking say.
I think I want to marry you?
First of all the new chapter got me into the six dimension and I can't believe I actually got the courage to read this in the car with my dad so I had to pause and actually get home so I could react to this in peace, and OMG the d-rule.
Perfection.
You have no fucking idea how I fucking love the idea of the mha series happening in this universe and Deku meeting horikoshi and there are no words that can describe my feelings rn but I'll try anyway
You, you bring me happiness and this has become much more than just a fanfic, and I might be exaggerating but who can blame me when I read perfection.
But love, dear, darling, sweetie, I adore you, okay? But please please PLEASE take a break if you need to, your health means much more than us and stupid adorable deku alright? I'm begging you, do not overwork yourself, please
Alright. So have an absolutely amazing wonderful and happy birthday ever, I wish you all the goods and hugs, and everything you could ever wish for, and as always, don't forget to drink, eat, and rest my love! ❤️❤️❤️
I love you so fucking much, I swear your comments are my favorite things on Tumblr! ;D
Not going to lie I kinda thought you’re gonna send me hundreds of questions when I saw your name pop up and I was kinda excited 😂 it’s still exciting though, you made my heart go all TOKIDOKI!!! 💜💜💜
Funnily enough the D-rule thing and the KiriBaku story wasn’t even planned that just happened while I was writing 😂 it was supposed to be a basic confession scene, no My hero academia story or anything but then… Deku decided to overcomplicate the whole chapter but I really like how it turned out and the confession wasn’t as harsh thanks to it so I’m glad!
About your marriage proposal, well, it’s not impossible to be fair, might need to talk to me boyfriend of 10 years about it but he doesn’t look like he wants to marry anyway so you can totally marry me? 😂😂😂😂😂💜
Thank you for all your worries, I swear I’m completely fine! (well, kinda, but it has nothing to do with me overworking myself I’m afraid 😂)
Writing these silly fanfictions make me happy and reading your comments is my favorite thing in life, honestly! I also play the two MHA games on my phone all the time so I swear I’m not just writing and editing every single moment of my free time. The only reason I get overwhelmed is because sometimes i enjoy the chapter I’m writing so much I over-concentrate on it and I give myself anxiety because I have so much to say but everything wants to come out quicker than my fingers can move and then I burn out for a few days. I’m silly like that. (yes, I have undiagnosed ADHD 😂)
(this bit a tiny bit more personal, mostly for Ronimacaroni, but feel free to read it if you are nosy like me haha)
I don’t really know how to do anything without stressing to be honest, even those two games makes me feel like I NEED TO play a certain amount of time with it daily even if I’m not in the mood, otherwise I feel like I’m “neglecting it”. So silly.
I do the same at work by the way, I used to be in management so I always had all the responsibility on my shoulders and I changed my job due to my mental health and went down to operations (so basically just putting stock on the shelves) yet I still manage to freak the shit out and try to sort stuff out that’s not my responsibility. It’s just who I am, trying to everything all at once then making myself sick with it. I’ll try to think about your words the next time I start being an idiot though!
But I swear I don’t only post because I need to and I do take a break when I have to it’s just that I had a random spur of inspiration after my birthday and I managed to write both the Izuku and the Bakugou chapter, all in one go so I was like “why wait if I can post them sooner and read the cute comments that will make me happy” so after I came home from work because I got a flu and had a Power Nap I posted the Izuku one quickly, knowing it will cheer me up 😂
Omg why can’t I shut up I’m so sorry I love you much btw be my friend thank you 😂💜
Tell your dad I said hi! 😂💜 (that sounds so weird omg just shut me up please omg this is as long as half of a shenanigan chapter send help)
Kit
This is me now and Inko is you, listening to my rambling thank you.
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
A Collection of My Trials of Apollo Fics
This is the link to series I made of them here.
These are the fics linked individually with their summaries:
Rules Are Made To Be Broken
An Artemis Fowl Crossover.
Three months after his return to godhood, while Apollo is taking the sun chariot through a merry ride over Ireland, he is attacked by a mysterious group of creatures. When seeking out more information on the species his questions are blocked at every turn. He starts digging for more information on the species that his father forbade him from seeking out, but realises too late that he should have stopped digging, when a prophecy is foretold that whatever those things were, they were going to spell the end of Zeus' rule on Olympus and that he was going to help them.
Meg’s In A Musical
Apollo thought his trials were over. He finds out he was wrong when Meg asks him for dance lessons in preparation for her school musical.
Meg and Apollo Strategically Don’t Die
Apollo, Meg, and Meg's younger stepbrother Cassius decide that they need some bonding time and head off on road trip through some of the states Apollo wished he got to explore more during his trials. When their car starts breaking down the group is forced to spend a few days at a dingy Inn in a small town. Things get weird when a murder gets reported around the Inn they are staying in.
Or a Meg and Apollo murder mystery road trip fic.
Door Three-Thirty-Six
Apollo finds his way into a therapy session. And despite telling himself not to, keeps showing up.
Quite A Picture
"Will was missing. It shouldn’t have been possible, but I couldn’t find him."
Meg Just Wanted Cake
Vanilla Cake Recipe:
Two sticks butter
Three cups flour
One tablespoon baking powder
One half teaspoon salt
One and one-fourth cup sugar
Four large eggs
One teaspoon vanilla extract
And one and one-fourth cups milk (Can be substituted with Apollo.)
I’ll Miss You
Meg and Apollo get held up at a bus stop and admire the view.
In Between Memory and a Dream
Warning: graphic depictions of violence.
I woke up in between memory and a dream.
I couldn’t remember anything except that I had a promise I needed to keep. I had a vague idea that death was supposed to be peaceful, an end. There was no end to whatever was happening now.
Mortality Ends In Too Many Ways To Count
Apollo puts on a brave face, but he fears death.
You’re My Missing Puzzle Piece
She used to think Apollo was a failure. When Meg was trapped on that shard her stepfather called Apollo the worst kind of failure, a failure that could’ve been great, but gave up trying. But Apollo never gave up, she realized that night at the myrmekes’ nest.
He kept trying, and trying, and trying, and trying, until he physically couldn’t. About the things he cared about, Apollo never gave up. It just happened somewhere along the line himself stopped being one of those things.
A Single Moment
They were literally in the eye of the storm, and there was no question what would come after. What they were doing wasn’t a foray into the unknown; every single one of them had thousands of years to explore all possible outcomes, and every single one of them had come to the realization that there were only two; success or death.
Who I Am Is Not Who You See
Apollo and Zeus have a conversation. Every moment Apollo wishes they didn't.
Family Game Night
It's family game night at Aeithales.
Not In The Script
The Arrow of Dodona confesses his feelings to Apollo. (Polldona)
The Adventures of Lester Papadopoulos and the Scrap Master
Lester's life has been a on a steady decline ever since he left his abusive family to go be on his own. The days at his new job at his local coffee shop are monotonous and unrewarding until one day he gets robbed by a human traffic light that insists things around here start changing. Lester just wished the "here" she was gentrifying wasn't his life.
Fine to Not be Fine
Meg is sick. She doesn't like to be sick. She doesn't like the headaches. She doesn't like the aches. She doesn't like the snot. Most of all she doesn't like how people act around her when she's sick.
A Canvas is Still a Canvas Under the Paint
What would your first thought be if I died?
Believe in the Heart of the... Sun God?
A Yu-Gi-Oh Crossover
Yugi and friends find themselves transported into the middle of The Dark Prophecy. Meanwhile Apollo and Meg find themselves in another universe, if Apollo's remaining gody senses mean anything, in the midst of a deadly... card game tournament?
Co-written with @txny-dragon @littleredniacurutu and @phoneheadedemployee
Not the Hunter Not the Weapon
Apollo/AoD
The stars were gone and the sun rose to the next day.
An ode to
This entire fic is Apollo's scribblings on a piece of paper trying to write a song in Meg's honor. This is all he can manage after hours spread out across days.
This post is going to continue to be updated as I post more fics.
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
Toontown Rewritten Recap: November 2002 (Part 1)
November 1, 2002
Sir Max started off this day’s blog post by rattling off various SpeedChat phrases:
Hi there! I can only use Speedchat. Having fun? Me too. What do you want to do? Let’s go ride the trolley! Got gags? Sir Max is the greatest! I absolutely love these SpeedChat Phrases he wrote!
He then revealed that they’re mostly done tweaking the SpeedChat system, and also commented on all the Black Cats he saw running around, assuring everyone that we’re bound to see more of Flippy as he continues his campaign, even if he’s probably not going to be throwing black paint on cats anymore.
That’s just how politicians are.
Also, another new game was added to the Trolley: Race Game.
Unlike in Corporate Clash’s version of the game, there’s no Trolley Bot players, meaning that you NEED at least one other Toon to play. The rules are simple. Every player is given 4 dice (numbered 1-4) that indicate how many spaces forwards they can move. If multiple Toons choose the same dice, none of them will move. If a Toon chooses a dice nobody else did, however, that Toon will get to move forward the number of spaces indicated.
Step on a space with a question-mark token, and you can draw a card from the deck. It may grant you jellybeans, send you a couple spaces forwards, send you a couple spaces back, make you miss a turn, whatever. Question-mark tokens are removed after a Toon lands on them.
November 2, 2002
Sir Max started off with a series of dog noises, realized he had SpeedChat+ disabled, and then switches it on to announce that SpeedChat+ has finally been implemented!
Additionally, Fisherman Freddy had set up a pond in Toontown Central for Toons to fish in, FINALLY giving a use for all those Jellybeans they’d been earning.
Plus, it’s a nice activity for anyone who’s sick of playing Toon Escape.
What’s Toon Escape?
This game actually DIDN’T make it into Corporate Clash due to a bug that lead to its “temporary” removal (several years ago), but the basic gist of it is that it’s a side-scrolling game where several Toons, armed only with squirt guns, must escape a robot factory, collecting the Trolley Bot’s badges to increase their scores.
But when will the Toons EVER need to know how to escape from a robot factory? It’s not like there are any robotic capitalists trying to take over the town, or anything like that!
(Oh, how innocent they were back then. They had no idea of the horrors that were awaiting them.)
November 3, 2002
Sir Max reflected on how much had changed over the course of the past week.
In the name of not burning themselves out, the Toontown Team decided to stick to smaller updates on Sundays.
In this case, the only Trolley Game that was added was Tug-of-War, which is exactly what it says on the tin. Toons can play against either other Toons or a Trolley Bot.
Also, Sir Max has apparently been tasked with fixing a bug that’s turning Toons into frogs.
As I’m not aware of that bug ever surfacing in game, I’m guessing he fixed it?
Hopefully!
Maybe!
It never came up in the changelogs either, so for all I know some poor soul is ribiting.
(Then again, there are no frogs in Toontown)
November 4, 2002
Sir Max and Hawkheart (a brown cat) stole an unused hockey rink, and hid it near Toontown Central, planning on adding Ice Hockey as a trolley game.
In order to avoid the cops, they set up an inflatable hockey ring on the trolley’s route, where the Toons can go and play the Ice Hockey Game!
Sir Max later edited the news post, realizing that he and Hawkheart forgot to steal hockey equipment, and thus used the leftover dynamite from their hockey rink heist along with some barrels of jellybeans, a few tires, and decided to make it a NEW minigame: Ice Slide. Get as close to the center as possible to score big points. Collect the jellybean barrels, but avoid the dynamite. Every Toon gets two moves per round, so be sure to exploit the minigame’s ice physics to bounce off the walls!
November 5, 2002
A blue duck named McQuack made this day’s blogpost (as Sir Max and Hawkheart were still hiding from the police), but a spider bite had temporarily given him an Australian accent.
The Trolley now makes stops by Toontown’s spider-infested jungle for “Jungle Vines”. Swing on vines and collect bananas to score big points (with bonus points if you make it all the way to the end) while avoiding spiders and bats.
November 6, 2002
Sir Max has returned from his fugitive arc mostly unscathed!
Unfortunately his stol-(BORROWED) ice rink melted in the sun. Turns out you’re not supposed to leave ice in direct sunlight for multiple days.
Regardless, he’s also stol-(BORROWED!) several fish from the Pet Shop! Normally they’d be thrown back into the fishing pond once they were done studying them, but Sir Max has dumped them all into the pool of water that used to be the ice rink, along with various treasure chests as part of his new minigame idea: Treasure Dive!
Also, he replaced everyone’s twig fishing rods with bamboo rods while he was at it.
November 7, 2002
As the Toon Council was working on something big for the then-upcoming Saturday, they decided they’d take today off.
Sir Max, however, didn’t want to let the Toons down, and thus pitched his magnum opus: Crane Dozers.
He was immediately kicked out of the meeting.
Not wanting to give up, he kept searching for SOMETHING he could use to make a new Trolley Game.
Thus, he found a tree house on some “public” property, kidnapped two Toons off the playground, and picked up a bucket of apples and an unlocked truck full of anvils.
And thus, the Catching Game was born!
Toon have to catch apples, dodge anvils, and avoid getting run over by the Trolley Bots that walk through the play area.
It’s AMAZING what you can get done behind the Toon Council’s back when they forget you are a literal cartoon character who’s as crazy as you are determined!
November 8, 2002
A purple dog by the name of Fat McStink rehearsed his new play: Doglet, Prince of Dogmark. It’s a one-man show.
As part of his method acting, he’s starting his weekend off the way all princes do: by launching himself out of a slingshot. He took his umbrella with him, just in case it rained.
Toon Slingshot’s been added to the Trolley. However, back in November of 2002, there was an umbrella shortage in Toontown.
Thus, you could not play Toon slingshot with other Toons. There simply weren’t enough umbrellas for everyone to use.
The goal was to try and land on the smallest target possible to score the most points. You’re not required to open your umbrella, but it would make landing easier.
And I just realized how overwhelming the “daily updates” of Alpha testing could be (remember how I had to break up a few of my earlier Corporate Clash Recaps to make them more parsible) so I decided to cut myself off at roughly the 3-page mark.
Don’t worry, after we get passed the daily updates, I’ll be able to cover far longer stretches of time!
Next time, we wrap up the Trolly Game saga, and get started on expanding the town.
See ya then!
-
the side eye on ‘temporary’.
Also ‘Hawkheart’ is 100% someone’s repurposed Warrior Cats OC.
3 notes
·
View notes
Note
7, 12 and 25 for the choose violence ask. for any fandom you like~
I tried answering this like three times and Tumblr crashed on me every time and then I just got busy with irl stuff but I AM HERE TO ANSWER NOW!
7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?
Loaded question, let's go! But as a general rule, my opinions rarely change depending on the fandom reception. Fandom behavior might deepen preexisting feelings but it rarely changes my perspective on characters. With that said...
TWST: R/ook used to just be a very strong dislike, and then all the incidents with his fans happened and made it so bad he became a legitimate trigger for a time. The amount of times his fans harassed me, invalidated my experiences, my trauma, and sent extreme hate messages including but not limited to gore, animal gore, and detailed death threats is honestly astonishing. He's not a trigger right now anymore but I do still cover my screen whenever he pops up and I keep all his tags blocked.
AFK Arena: Similar though not to such degree, I already disliked Lucretia to begin with but her fandom is SO annoying, mostly a bunch of man-hating raging feminists who excuse infanticide because a stalker couldn't keep their victim in her clutches while he was busy saving hundreds of lives. Antandra fans are incredibly hypocritical and annoying too but not as bad as Lucretia fans.
Makai ouji: Not during the run of the series but I do find it incredibly worrying how many people seemingly forgot all Baalberith did just because one booklet had him be good with kids and apparently he wishes to have a family. For those unaware, Baalberith has a son whom he abused for thousands of years, mentally, physically, and even sexually, going so far as to change his memories and seal his powers away. The series itself doesn't shy away from showing just how awful this is and what horrible effects it has on the son, yet the late fandom somehow missed all that.
12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them
I used to like almost exclusively unpopular characters so *cracks knuckles*
TWST: SEBEK! This little baby boy gets so much hate in this fandom when there is SO MUCH to love! He is a mixed-race baby with severe self-esteem issues and deep-rooted racism which clashes with his generally people-pleasing and polite personality. He is very insecure and projects his own value as only related and solely dependent on his work achievements. And that's not even mentioning his blind adoration of Malleus and how much he is still going to struggle with that over Book 7.
AFK Arena: There are honestly so so so many of them, and it only got worse with AFK Journey (ew) coming out since that game messes up everything it touches. But that's not what we're here for. So let's start going down the list very very quickly! I'll just do one from each faction (not gonna do NPCs because there's too many good ones and no dimensionals either).
Zaphrael – victim of a stalker blamed for her crazy behavior to the point of being banned as a god and sealed away by his own people and yet he still fights to protect the innocents.
Khazard – he loved life and the living world so much he became a demon and then he STILL doesn't go on a destructive rage or anything, he did a grand total of TWO evil things, one of which is also kinda debatable in terms of evilness, also a good teacher/dad.
Eluard – victim of systematic social crippling and locked into a work position he hates and he's severely depressed and cries every time he is forced to take a life, his own life at stake and having nowhere else to go
Salaki – the lore is SO JUICY with this one – or well, it would be if the creators ever did anything with it instead of wasting it on this stupid dragon thing but aaaanyway, the whole concept of "Salaki" being made up of generations upon generations of souls adopted or otherwise dedicated to sealing away a corruptive meteor that slowly erodes their mind until a new host takes over? Genuinely one of the best character stories they've ever had!
Oku – broken dad whose daughter got kidnapped by slavers and that made him become extreme and lash out at the world, who adopted a twice orphaned werebear girl and never pressured her into anything or stoked any hatred in her, and mentored an orphan boy who wanted to become a killer for protection like him, letting his new children choose their own paths while seeking redemption through being the best father figure he could be to them
Treznor – tragic escapee leader who had to leave his best friend behind after his mind was broken and he betrayed their plans, who spent years in captivity being tortured for trying to save his people and keep to his oaths, and even when the tortured souls of his people joined into a mount for him, he sends the mount away if he takes too much damage because he can't bear letting them down again
Makai ouji: Technically, he is a main character but Michael is definitely underrated and I can see why, especially for anime-onlys. He got done very dirty by the anime which made him antagonistic and down-right evil at times but in the manga, we get to see him for the anxious, scared, poor little thing he is. Yes, he lashes out. Yes, he is violent. Yes, he seems paranoid. He's dealing very poorly with it all but you can see why. You can see how he got his trust broken time and again, how everyone he trusted either abandoned or betrayed him or let him down. He has SO MUCH baggage and guess what, his "happy ending" is not that he was wrong and he has friends and all that, it's that he was RIGHT. He was right and he had to accept it. Because sometimes you aren't anyone's first choice. Sometimes, your paranoia isn't just paranoia. And sometimes, there just isn't anything for you left in this world and the best you can do is dedicate your all to give others what you can't have yourself.
25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing
Makai ouji fandom is dead but it was very nice back in the day. AFK fandom is small and I am honestly considering leaving it for good with how much the new creators have been screwing over the fans so only one fandom left.
TWST: "The fandom hates female characters!!!!" No. There are maybe two, three people who genuinely dislike female OCs specifically. All the canon female characters are adored. Female Yuu's are usually not even paid attention to, much like male Yuu's. Female OCs make no sense for the canon setting so unless you're running an AU, most people might not engage with that kind of content. Private RP groups/servers will sometimes ban them because they don't want to deal with AUs or for whatever other reason. I've seen hundreds of complaints about how much the fandom hates girl OCs but never saw any actual hate on female OCs at all.
3 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
mangaunnie
manga unnie
docwater
DOC WATER
wllwjn
Willowjean
ollieblog2
Hi
carwel322
A blog on tumblr