#holdy city
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ok picture it.
steve and eddie both work at a small cafe in the city that specializes in light sandwiches and pasta dishes. steve is the opening manager, off before eddie, a line cook, makes it in for the closing shift and the evening rush.
every day, steve leaves a “friendly reminder” note on the break room whiteboard for the closing shift and every day, eddie’s blood boils when he reads it. it’s not like the closing shift leaves the place looking like a dump; it’s difficult to juggle the dinner rush and pick up the morning shifts slack when they’d left all their dirty dishes in the sink from breakfast and done absolutely no prep for the closers.
in august, one of the cafes busiest months, when tables are full of rude tourists and college students, the closing manager goes on maternity leave and steve’s forced to cover for her. eddie and steve meet for the first time ever and eddie’s even more annoyed by the fact that steve is gorgeous and fuckin cheerful, even after long days where he’s constantly stepping in to defuse conflicts between horrible costumers and the waitstaff.
about two weeks into steve covering the closing shift, he rounds up all the line cooks, hostesses, and waiters and personally apologizes to them for thinking the closing shift was easy. this shit is hard! infinitely harder than opening the store in the morning. he promises them that when he returns to his morning shift duties, he’ll be much more conscious of the way the staff leaves the kitchen for the closers.
after the staff meeting, eddie’s cold feelings start to thaw. it’s clear that steve means what he said. eddie’s never seen a restaurant manager working with the dishwashers at the sink after close. and steve even agrees to let eddie stay after hours to try out some of his own recipes, in hopes they might make it to the menu someday.
after the closing manager returns from her maternity leave, there’s a remarkable shift in the atmosphere of the restaurant. prep work is done before the closers come in, no dishes pile up in the sink, and if there is ever left over work from a particularly busy morning, steve always stays after his shift is over to help take care of it. eddie can’t help but feel a growing fondness for the guy.
one night in december, when eddie’s stayed late to try a new recipe for christmas cookies, the little bell above the front door starts to jingle as it swings open and then closes. it’s not that unusual. sometimes a manager or one of the shift leads has forgotten something or a late delivery is set to arrive and someone has to be there to sign for it.
just as eddie is setting the cookies on a cooling rack, steve walks in to the kitchen, looking… really good. like, date night good. eddie briefly mourns the loss before he calls out a greeting from across the kitchen. steve looks up at him then, smiling wide.
“oh hey, man. forgot my phone in the office,” steve tells him in explanation, moving through the open door next to the walk in freezer. when he reappears in the kitchen, he holds up his phone triumphantly for eddie to see, grinning. he walks around the counter to stand next to eddie. “so what’s on the menu tonight?”
sometimes, when steve was still working the closing shift and had stayed late after mostly everyone had gone home, he’d ask eddie what he was cooking. and eddie, after the pivotal staff meeting, would tell him and sometimes, if he was super confident, he’d even offer steve a taste. steve would compliment him and tell him how awesome it was and, for a few shining moments, eddie would pretend that he could feel something between them.
“just some christmas cookies. trying to work out the mint-to-chocolate ration. wanna taste?” eddie looks up at steve then and thinks he must imagine the way the other man’s eyes dart to his mouth.
“yeah, sure,” steve murmurs softly in the quiet kitchen. eddie clears his throat and takes a small step back, out of steve’s space, and picks up one of the freshly baked cookies, holding it out to steve. steve takes it and takes a bite so big, he’s practically eaten the entire thing in one go. he chews, a contemplative look on his face, before his eyes widen, eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. “fuck, dude,” steve practically moans, mouth full. “i think you nailed it.” it’s a testament to how hot steve truly is that eddie can watch him speak with his mouth full and not be disgusted by him. not even a little bit.
“yeah?” eddie can feel the grin on his own face, practically splitting his cheeks in two.
steve steps a little closer, eating up the space eddie had tried to put between them. “you tried one yet?” steve asks, voice low. eddie swallows and shakes his head. steve’s eyes dart back down to eddie’s lips again, slower and more purposeful this time. “well, you gotta have a taste, eddie.” steve’s voice is practically a purr and eddie can feel the other man’s breath on his lips. neither of them moves to reach for another cookie. instead, steve lifts the remaining bite he has in his hands and lifts it to eddie’s mouth. eddie drops his jaw, obedient, even without being told, and feels steve place the cookie on his tongue. he chews, swallows, all while maintaining eye contact with steve. “good, right?” steve whispers. all eddie can do it nod.
and then, suddenly, the space between them is non-existent. eddie feels steve’s lips against his own, firm and so much softer than he could’ve imagined. steve has him pressed against the counter, his body firm against him and his hand plunged into eddie’s hair, loosening his tight bun. steve’s other hand is on his hip, inching up under the hem of his jacket. eddie let’s out an embarrassing little squeak before his own hands curl into the front of steve’s shirt.
as quickly as it starts, steve’s pulling away, placing a much more chaste kiss to the corner of eddie’s panting mouth.
“been dying to do that,” steve confesses, eyes meeting eddie’s searching. “i forget my phone here at least once a week. keep trying to run into you.” steve huffs out a little laugh. it’s eddie’s turn to look surprised, but he recovers quickly and pulls steve in for another kiss.
#steddie#steddie fic#steddie ficlet#ok this was literally just supposed to be a quick enemies to lovers concept post#two paragraphs max!!!! but it just kept going 😭😭#written in literally 15 mins so idk is this something lol?#absolutely 100% inspired by a tiktok lol
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kageyama
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sunny day by wave to earth
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“tsukki.. isn’t that kageyama??”
“huh? that king- where?”
tsukishima and yamaguchi were currently walking around the city, a popular place for anyone to hangout for fun. they were going to find a cafe and eat since the hot weather was insufferable. but yamaguchi managed to catch a blue eyed black haired boy.
tsukishima finally spotted kageyama, walking side by side with a girl that was laughing next to him, him smiling and looking at her with a certain expression on his face.
“is that y/n?”
“shit they’re totally dating!”
tsukishima chuckled, pulling out his phone and snapping of photo of the two of them, not even noticing them holding hands until it came into the frame of the phone, it made tsukishima laugh even more.
“she’s doing charity work!”
yamaguchi laughed, tsukishima tucked his phone away, smirking and thinking about what he could do with this.
-
the next day, everyone was stretching getting ready for the practice match that they were going to play as a team after school, 6v6. but there ended up being a knock on the door of the gym door, everyone looked towards the sound to find a y/n l/n, already waving.
“hi!”
kageyama blushed red, the tomato colour travelling all over his body.
“oh hi y/n!”
tanaka yelled out, waving and running at her with open arms. y/n dodged him as he fell outside, falling on the dirt outside the gym door steps.
“where’s hitoka and kiyoko??”
“they couldn’t stay back, said they were busy with something.”
“ohh, alright.”
kageyama kept looking at the girl, admiring her with his eyes until she also looked at him, winking at him which made him turn an even darker shade of red. of course, tsukishima noticed, holding his hand above his mouth to contain a laugh that was about to erupt.
“alright! let’s start this match!”
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“break!”
the 2nd set had just finished, everyone was exhausted and walking up to y/n for bottles of water, she was handing them out on a tray for everyone to enjoy.
“y/n! do i do good!?”
“so good!”
nishinoya called out to y/n, jumping up and down at her reply, and yelling something out like ‘you suck tanaka!’. y/n was walking up to kageyama, who sat on the bench, tired and holding his ankle with one hand and bending his body over, his other hand on the bench to hold him steady.
during the match he had landed funny when setting tanaka, but it was only a few points from the set ended so he kept playing. she looked at him with pity, placing a bottle next to him and patting his cheek with her hand, it made him look up at her, but she just walked away towards coach ukai. he watched as she walked, memorised with her every step.
tsukishima witnessed the action again, finding it absolutely boring now, just a couple doting on each other, gross. y/n ended up talking to ukai about letting kageyama take a break, explaining his ankle and whatnot.
-
as the 3rd set played on, kageyama and y/n walked sitting next to each other, tape now being rolled around his ankle and silence between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable it was, peaceful.
“are you okay? i saw how you fell.”
“you ask me that now?”
“what! it was awkward but like not that awkward but like still..”
“you know tsukishima knows.”
“about what?”
“us, you dummy.”
“oh, really? how’d you know.”
“he was looking at you, then he looked at me, and then remember the city yesterday? he probably connected the dots.”
“i didn’t know you were that smart tobio.”
“hey! i’m very smart!”
“sURE YOU ARE WHAT WAS YESTERDAY AGAIN, ME HELPING YOU FOR YOUR HISTORY EXAM.”
“SHUT UP IT’S ONLY THAT.”
kageyama was silenced, aswell as y/n as she traced her finger tips along his hand, he looked down at her hand, grabbing ahold her hand and intertwining their hands together.
“y’know, i’ve been setting alot they hurt so bad, could you hold it for awhile?”
“since when have you been so bold around everyone?”
everyone was focused on the match, not experiencing the couple that was literally in their vicinity. suddenly y/n stood up, still holding onto y/n’s hand,
“wanna help me fill up the bottles?”
-
the two of them went outside, walking close together due to the cold weather and wanting to stay warm. they were suppose to get the bottles and fill them up but most of the time they ended up just kissing and talking, sitting on the bench and sitting so close together.
“tobio! we have to fill them up they gonna be finished soon!”
“hmmm, i don’t care-”
kageyama kissed y/n all over her face, aiming for her lips but she kept trying to dodge.
“tobio!”
“WHAT THE FUCK”
kageyama and y/n froze like deer in headlights, their heads turning at the sight of the entire team standing at the gym doors, watching the two of them be all lovey dovey. tsukishima smirked, as usual, tanaka and nishinoya were about to rage.
“WHAT THE FUCK KAGEYAMA YOU ABSOLUTE THIEF”
“I HAD HER FIRST”
“MY ASS COME HERE”
kageyama jumped up and ran over, running around the gym to avoid tanaka and noya running at him full speed. y/n sat in the same place, frozen like an ice cube but literally burning like fire, she covered her face with her hands as hinata, sugawara and some others ran up to her.
“why are you dating kageyama?! he’s so moody all the time and no one likes him!”
“i like him! he’s cute..”
“you guys are so gross, you’re not secretive about it either.”
Tsukishima commented, pulling out his phone and showing his photo that he took
“y/n-san you’re too pretty to be dating kageyama!”
“WHAT DID YOU SAY HINATA YOU DICKHEAD.”
hinata ran away laughing, as kageyama ran after hinata with tanaka and noya still running behind him, yelling ‘you’ll pay for this!’.
-
wc : 1013 words
#kageyama tobio#kageyama#kageyama x reader#kageyama is lowkey ooc dont judge ok#kageyama x female reader#tobio kageyama
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twentieth floor | kny fanfic . fem!yn
+ pairings: CEO!tengen x secretary!reader
+ tw: fem!reader, fem!yn, aphrodisiac use, against the window, on desk, oral, fingering, toys, size difference, cursing, spanking, orgasm denial, photography
+ word count: 2k
+ author's note: I started writing this at midnight so sorry if it goes on for too long T^T, might make a pt2
"Take a seat," His voice was stern as he gestured to the seat across from his desk. You nodded, walked over, and sat down, taking a deep breath as you did. He sat down in his chair and crossed his legs, looking down at you with an icy cold glare. "shall we begin?"
About a day ago, you had received word from a friend that there was a nearby job opening that only had three requirements to try for the position: show up early, and dress nice. This alone wasn't a problem, the building for the tryouts was nearby and you had plenty of nice clothes from clubbing with your friends. The problem you were dealing with was the third requirement.
You hung up the phone and headed to your closet. The ad was asking for, what you assumed, to be inexperienced with a secretary experience which is exactly what you were. The interview was in forty-five minutes and you needed twenty minutes to get there. You put on a nice, black, long respectable skirt, a pretty, white button-up, and some nice high heels, and grabbed a bag before heading out to the bus.
"What kind of workplace asks for you to be "virginal"? The hell does that even mean?"
"I dunno, but it pays really well."
"How well?"
"125k a year I think."
"Say no more."
It was obvious to say you were excited, you had been wanting to get a new job since your last one so this would be a nice change of pace.
You got off the bus and walked into the building. It was tall and had a large vinyl record symbol on the side of the building. You made your way into the main lobby, a beautiful entrance filled with elegant seating, tall pieces of artwork, posters of albums the company had produced, and near the front desk, a tall painting of the owner of the establishment. Tengen Uzui.
You checked your phone and walked up to the front desk, showing them a picture of the ad your friend had sent you. The lady at the desk, a pretty young woman with deep black hair and violet eyes. She looked up at you with a smile and pointed at the stairs.
"Top floor, walk all the way down the hall. Once you see the others get in line and wait your turn." She handed over a small bag and a small cup of water. "Before you go in, take this."
You nodded slowly, a little confused but not concerned. You walked to the stairs and sighed seeing how high up it was. No way were you going to go up 20 floors walking. You pressed the elevator button only to be met with silence as the doors didn't open. You silently cursed the gods above before you started to begrudgingly climb up the stairs to the twentieth floor.
"What is it?"
"I'm not at liberty to say."
҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
By the time you made it up, your legs are trembling. You were tired, sore, and debating whether or not you should call it off. But with the pay being so good you forced yourself to go on.
You walked down the hall and turned the corner to see about ten other girls waiting in line. Almost all of which were dressed as if they were going to go clubbing. Three whole hours went by as girls went in and came out either tired, crying or with looks of disgust. But finally, once the last girl came out, it was your turn. You had a sip of water and opened the bag to find a small white pill inside. You shrugged, took it, and walked inside.
The office was gorgeous, just as you'd expect. A massive glass window looked out across the entire city with tinted panes that kept the outside unable to see it. The floor was a white and gold marble tile that made the room cold. In all the corners of the room were tall, exotic botanical plants with deep green fronds and leaves. On the walls were shelves holding up books, trophies, awards, picture frames, and other little souvenirs. And there, in the middle of the room, leaning on the window behind a large, dark wood desk, was the CEO of the company. Tengen Uzui.
You bowed for a moment before walking up and waiting patiently for him to speak. He was massive, 6"6 and ripped. He had red makeup on his left eye that looked like a flower or the rising sun of japan. His pants were black and tight, showing off his thighs and leaving just enough room for him to be comfortable. He had a thin, white, long-sleeved button-up and perfectly showed off enough of his figure to anybody close enough. His fuchsia eyes seemed to notice you making glances at him.
"Take a seat," His voice was stern as he gestured to the seat across from his desk. You nodded, walked over, and sat down, taking a deep breath as you did. He sat down in his chair and crossed his legs, looking down at you with an icy cold glare. "shall we begin?"
You squirmed a little in your chair, your skirt felt damp. Maybe it was just sweat? You ignored it and smiled. "Thank you for putting time into your schedule to see me." You smiled. Uzui seemed taken aback by your kindness before offering a genuine smile as well.
"Please, don't mention it. I should be thanking you for reading the paper. I'm happy such a beautiful young woman like yourself saw the advertisement." You looked away shyly, blushing like a madman. He chortled and leaned back in his chair.
You paused and squirmed a bit more in your chair, something was definitely wet. Oh god, did you start your period? You weren't supposed to start for another week. You chuckled nervously.
"Now then, tell me about yourself. What working experience do you have?"
"I worked with the labor union for a while and then the little coffee place down the street for a month. After that, I worked as a secretary for the Shinazugawa Company for a while before I got laid off."
"Why were you laid off?"
"They didn't tell me-"
You crossed your legs and sat on the side of the chair, trying to keep your dress from getting damper as you spoke. "I know how to use a printer, a cash register, and a fax machine--" "A fax machine? It's not the 1800s anymore, why would you be using a fax machine." "My manager was a little old-fashioned." "I see..."
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah. I-uh, I'm fine."
"Wonderful," Uzui smiled. "Now then, what are some good skills you have?"
As the interview continued, Uzui asked you questions about your skills, how you worked in teams, how you solved problems, etc. But it wasn't until the last question you really had to think.
Uzui grinned and stood up, towering over your tiny body, his figure casting a shadow over you completely. "The next question I'm going to ask you may be personal, and once I ask it you have two choices. You either keep up with me and manage to get the position, or..." He slowly walked around to your side of the desk, leaning down and whispering into your ear. "You leave and never come back here ever again.." His hot breath sent a shiver down your side.
"Any partners?"
"Pardon?"
"Do you have any partners? Boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, fiance?"
"I- I've never-"
"Have you ever had sex before?"
You were confused, what was he asking of you. His hand was just behind you and the back of your chair and you couldn't stop squirming. Was this because of that pill you had taken earlier or was it just your nerves? You didn't know what to do.
You are away from him, exposing your neck and hiding your blushing face. You knew you couldn't let down the chance of a big paycheck like this, you'd never hear the end of it from your friend. But at the same time, he was asking something so personal, could it be a health thing? No, those girls who had come out earlier looked exhausted. You knew what you had to do. Slowly, you turned your head to face him before speaking.
"Well?"
"I...I..."
"Yes or no, baby, you can be honest."
His lips met yours, they were soft and easily opened your mouth letting his tongue enter. Your surprise was muffled as he dominated your face, gently bringing up one of his hands to hold the back of your head while the other placed itself right on the edge of your inner thigh. You could feel his thumb exploring your body as you gave in to his touch.
"N-no."
"Good girl."
Suddenly, your thighs twitched open after his thumb found a special spot near your folds. You moaned into him as he rubbed your clit in tiny circles. His hands felt so warm and the fabric made you sensitive as you were touched.
Uzui pulled away as you gasped for air, feeling cold as he took away his hand from your thighs. You held onto the table trying to control yourself before you saw him starting to take off his shirt.
"Mmm~"
"You alright?"
"Don't worry, the glass is tinted, they can't see inside." He unbuttoned his shirt all the way until there was one more button left, he then walked over, picked you up, and sat you on the desk. There was a fire in his eyes, a type of flamboyant passion you'd never seen in a man before. He grinned and used his hands to fully spread your legs.
"Strip."
You did as he says, undoing your shirt and rubbing your thighs together. Uzui quickly stopped you, placing his massive hands on your thighs and keeping them apart. As you finished with your shirt and took it off you paused when it came to your skirt.
You tried to stand up but he wouldn't let you. You looked at him nervously as he cocked his head ever so slightly before pushing you onto your back and pushing your skirt up. You tried to close your thighs but it was to no avail. Uzui seemed to purr as he hooked a finger around your panties and slowly pulled them to the side. Your pussy twitched at the sudden cold they were exposed to.
"Should I take off my-"
"If I say strip them you fucking strip."
"Beautiful... absolutely beautiful." He traced his thumb across the slick of your folds. The man licked his pointer and index before slowly inserting them into your pussy getting a nice squelch from your folds. You moaned and attempted yet again to close your legs only to receive a hard spank on your ass.
"The next time you close your legs you get punished, is that understood?" You nodded as he began to push and pull at you, making sure that you heard each and every lewd sound your body made. You tried to fight it by looking away but he always called you to look back at him like a master to his pet.
This went on for what felt like ever as your body learned the way his fingers felt inside of you. You would feel your insides tighten every now and then making him stop and wait until you had calmed down. Sometimes he would ram his fingers into you causing one or two of his knuckles to slip inside and make you moan.
After a while, he pulled away and fully undid his shirt, casting it to the side and finally unzipping his pants. He locked eyes with you as he did making you feel even smaller as you lay breathless and exhausted on the desk.
He walked over to you and leaned down, looming over you as his bulge pressed against your wet cunt. With one hand, he held onto your chin, kissing you and grinding against your sensitive lower half. With the other hand, he held onto your hip and kept you in place. You could feel his torso move against your as he whispered into your ear.
"Brace yourself~"
#requests are open#ask to be tagged#tengen uzui#uzui tengen#demon slayer#kimestu no yaiba#kimetsu tengen#kimetsu uzui#sound pillar#sound hashira#hashira#ds#kny#smut#kny smut#demon slayer smut#kimetsu no yaiba smut#smut headcanons#smut au#fem yn#fem reader#this author needs sleep
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Magical Girl Yuu's First Day pt 4
“Listen dude, I don't know what kind of cult thing you’ve got here and at this point I don't care. I just need to get back home before my mentor freaks out.”
This time it really isn't Yuu’s fault she got lost!
“Cult?! Night Raven College is the most prestigious school in all of Twisted Wonderland!”
“Cool story bro. You still kidnapped me.”
“The black carriage does not kidnap – !”
“The what?”
So according to Birdman all students are recruited via some spooky carriage and horse that Yuu does not remember seeing.
Actually she can't remember anything of how she got here. The day was Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday? She had been getting ready for… something important. Something that had the adult magica gearing up. Yuu remembers a sense of urgency, this had been different from the usual fiend attacks.
What happened? Did something go wrong?
For the first time since waking up Yuu feels truly scared.
Panic rises as she tries to go over what enemies could have the power to transport someone while fogging their memories.
Meanwhile!
Totally oblivious to Yuu’s mental crisis, Birdman was reaching his own conclusions.
“... truly weren't meant to be here then that could explain why you couldn't be sorted. I suppose there's nothing for it. Step back in front of the mirror, young man.”
Finally Crowley looks back at the child, Yuu, and takes in his state.
One hand is tugging at his hair while the other grips his strange magic pen. The boy’s eyes are unfocused and he rocks his weight back and forth from one foot to the other.
Hmm.
Hmmmmmmm.
That’s probably not good. If only Crewel were here to deal with this instead.
Remembering the damage from earlier, Crowley approaches cautiously. He keeps an eye on the hand holding the oversized pen and grasps Yuu’s shoulder in a clawed grip.
Yuu does a full body jolt but listens when Crowley tells him to approach the mirror again
*Return to sender!*
…
Nothing happens.
Yuu’s anxiety is getting out of control, so she tries channeling it towards something more productive. Specifically anger.
This mirror!
First he calls her a freak, now he's saying her home doesn't exist.
“I cannot discern –”
“Well, is there anything you do know? Or should I do this place a favor and break you out of that frame!”
For the record, Yuu wasn't actually going to break the mirror. Squakface still wasn't willing to risk it as he dragged her out of the room.
Crowley guides Yuu to the library where they spend some time looking for references to her home city Duskfront.
Eventually Yuu asks what the books are referring to when they say Twisted Wonderland.
After some more back and forth Crowley concludes that Yuu must be from another world.
Yuu is like okay bro, a likely story.
She’s still concerned this might be a plot, and thinks it's pretty convenient that they happen to be on an isolated island.
Crowley suggests that they shelve this for now and he offers to house Yuu in an unused dorm.
Yuu is not having it and tries to walk out, determined to swim back home if she must.
Crowley protests, despite the many complaints from both students and staff alike Crowley does in fact have a sense of responsibility. And while this particular student is, for whatever reason, unsortable, he cannot allow a student to just walk out. Not even one as unruly as Yuu.
Yuu really, really, doesn't want to be alone with her thoughts waste any time, but she understands this isn't the type of situation you can just bully your way out of. So with gritted teeth Yuu finally hisses out, “fine!”
Birdface is leading her far away from the main building.
Really far.
How big is this campus?
Finally they reach a derelict building that may at one point have been a dormitory.
“It's a little old, but a building with such character is suitable for such a rambunctious young man.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?”
“Calling you what? Rambunctious? I’d say it's rather accurate.”
“No. Young man. I'm not a guy.”
“What?”
Yuu loosens the sash holding her outfit and pulls back the outer robe to reveal modest, but still visible, breasts.
“WHAT!”
I was going to make it longer but I decided to split the final into two parts and give you this now. Sorry about the long wait (╥_╥). I'm kinda disappointed by how close to canon I've been but I know there will be big opportunity for change later. Specifically with the ghosts.
Ive been thinking about writing some drabbles or trying to draw out some scenes, turns out even making a short comic is hard. Im working on a short piece about the mine based more on the manga than the game. I'll focus on that after the last part of Yuu's first day, but might also do some smaller posts as well.
#twisted wonderland#twst yuu#twst#magical girl yuu#twisted wonderland au#twst au#dire crowley#I'm kinda rushing through this part#the big change comes at the end of Yuu's day#She's about to be a little clumsy :)#Crowley is a conspiracy theorist in this scene#Cant find a student's address? he must be from another universe!!!#Yuu is all like miss me with that bs#I bet he also thinks the world is flat#twst writing#twst drabble
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My thoughts on Starfield:
First of all, I do really enjoy the game for all of its flaws. Just want to get that out of the way first.
It is, from toe to tip, a Bethesda game. For better or worse. It definitely has a very Fallout-esque flavor. As a big fan of Obsidian's The Outer Worlds, I can't help but compare the two and they are similar in a lot of ways. We are definitely having cowboy times in space doodoo do doo. That's not a bad thing though. I think it's easy to see influences from all sorts of sci-fi sources throughout the game. We've got space miners on asteroids, rag-tag space pirates, slick corpos, uptight military leaders, and the aforementioned independent minded space cowboys. Pick a trope from a popular title and it's in there. We've even got space drugs made from fish!
Technical downsides? Menu upon menus within loadscreens within menus. It's fairly quick, but it just takes you out of the action. So you wanna fly to another planet? Sit in the pilot's seat. Tiny unskippable scene of you sitting down. Menu to take off pops up. Cinematic cut scene of you taking off plays. Now you're in orbit. You might have a random encounter in orbit, peaceful or hostile. (Some really fun ones.) Open your main menu. Go to the star map. Find the star system you want to travel to and select it. Click Jump. Cutscene of your ship doing a FTL jump to that system. Load screen. Now you're in orbit in the new system. Open that menu back up to scan the planet and find a landing site. Etc etc.
ORRRRR you can pick a planet you've already been to, or from your quest log, and just fast travel there from the main menu and never fly in space at all. ??? Aside from kinda defeating the point, you have skill points to level up how much cargo your ship can carry that requires you to make FTL jumps. And BY GOD will you need cargo space.
The game does not explain things well. I guess Todd was tired of hearing about how Skyrim was too "hand holdy" because this game doesn't tell you shit. Once I played for a while I figured things out or I just looked them up online. I also watched a couple of Gameranx videos before I started playing. (I 💜Jake Baldino and Falcon.) That helped tremendously.
Speaking of not telling you things... there are NO city maps. The cities are huge with lots of buildings and shops you can explore and people you can interact with. Good luck memorizing them, bitch. (You'll get used to them eventually, honestly. But I'd kill for a map.) Planets have a surface map but it will only show you a very condensed local area with specific landmarks highlighted on a blank blue background.
There's a lot of really funny stuff in the game that has made me LOL and I want to shout out the writers. Just kooky jokes and silly encounters. Had a pilot hail me to make a Uranus joke. Dead. Had another ship invite on board to party. Very fun.
I personally have not encountered any major bugs to speak of. I thought I did on my first mission but I was in the wrong place bc the game didn't tell me where to go bc fuck maps. I did lose some weapons bc of bugged weapon racks on a ship I got but they weren't anything special. I haven't seen any floating mammoths or anything.
The leveling system is not my favorite. There are a ton of things to potentially put points into from pistol damage to carry weight to how well your ship steers. When you put a point into a trait it unlocks a "challenge". For example, I put a point in security, so until I unlock 5 locks I don't get the bonus from that point. Then once you complete the challenge, the bonus is activated and the next level of that perk is available to unlock. The problem is for some of the combat perks, you're going to be making pistol kills (or whatever) that aren't counting towards your perk bc you don't have a point to unlock the next level. Or maybe you forgot to go into that menu 30 minutes ago, or didn't realize that perk was done. Bethesda said they were trying to keep players from getting too OP and having too many perk points but damn. It sucks bc base building is also limited by perks.
Base building! Ok so this is a mash-up of Fallout 4 and No Man's Sky sort of... kind of. Apparently your main objective is to place bases on planets to harvest valuable resources like Helium-3. Considering that I already have more companions than I do places to put them, I was looking for a place to assign these folks so they'd stop pestering me on my dang ship. You can build bases right from the get go, but certain things are blocked off until you have a couple of perks unlocked. I always need more perk points. Ugh.
There are 4 companions you can romance. I immediately started flirting with the cowboy single dad. He looked boring before the game came out, but I'm 100% a sucker. He has a southern accent and a raspy voice and calls his daughter "gumdrop". He's like a 15% himbo. One of his voice lines after I looted a corpse was, "To the victor go the spoils... Did I say that right?" Shut your mouth and kiss me. AND! His baby mama is NOT dead. I won't spoil it, but it is refreshing as fuck!!
Yes, I did unlock the Adoring Fan from Oblivion and add him to my crew. How could I not?? He's everything you could possibly imagine and more. 11/10
Heller 💜
I'm a ways into the main story but these are my take aways without any real spoilers. It's fun. It really is. I'm a loot gremlin and Beth outdid themselves with the lootables on this one. So yeah. I like it. It's pretty much what I expected.
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________ Devotion (7)
John Soap Mactavish x f!reader
Long chapter !!!
Your POV :
I have never traveled so much in so little time. It seems like yesterday we were in St. Petersburg and here we are in the suburbs of Mexico City. In fact, after this first assault, we discovered a basement hideout with a stockpile of weapons, all in closed boxes from Latin America. Some from Mexico and most from Brazil.
So very quickly was programmed our departure for Mexico. Alejandro was the man for the job. He guided us through the city and we quickly found a place that could bring us closer to Basquat. But before attempting an assault, we had to get some information about the place. So in groups, we took turns scouting. The first expeditions took place in groups of four, as a precaution. Then, when the surroundings seemed safe, we started to reduce the number of people to three and then two per expedition. I left for the expeditions less than the others. Price needed my help to prepare for the upcoming assault on Basquat's Mexican base. I stayed up all night reading maps, calculating routes, possible exits. Then I would go on a field mission to confirm or deny my observations.
I would have surely cracked, under the weight of accumulated fatigue, stress and repeated physical efforts, if I had not been so well accompanied. I was often with Gaz and Roach for the expeditions. Then more and more with Alejandro. Price saw how good we were together. And outside of the field missions, Alejandro's precise knowledge of the area was invaluable to me in advancing my strategy work. On top of that, I was finding out more about him and opening up a bit to him in return. He had grown up in Mexico City itself and had experienced delinquency, fear, violence and poverty. It motivated him to make this world a little better, to want to make a difference by joining the military. He preferred dogs to cats. He had two sisters and a brother, but did not have a good relationship with them and had not seen them since he was in the army. He hated French cheese and the smell of rain. He had not seen his mother since he was 14.
I'm not sure what I told him. I remember telling him about my passion for languages when I was young. About how easily I caught a cold. That I really liked Red Velvet cakes. I told him about my family, very vaguely I think. The point is that I feel comfortable around him. It felt like I had someone I could count on. Maybe I could even say a friend.
The reconnaissance missions went on and on. We had to be sure we knew the place we were going to enter, we couldn't take any chances. Tonight we had prepared a kind of Chili con Carne. We were hungry and we were happy to finally have something decent to eat. Alejandro and I sat down on a table to which Gaz was waving at us energetically to join him. I was happy to be at the table with such nice and warm people. The heavy atmosphere of the American base seemed far away.
Only, the table was also occupied by Soap and Ilona. While Ilona gave us a big warm smile, Soap hardly looked up. Always so boring that one. No matter. I was there with people I liked and who seemed to like me back. I was eating as if he wasn't there but I could clearly feel his gaze on me. Probably a look full of hate. And to think that tomorrow I had to leave with him. And on top of that, several kilometers away from here. Price had not chosen well on this one.
* * * *
Soap’s POV :
We had been driving for an hour in a nameless off-road car. And we were still far away. The roads are at the limit of the impracticable, the car is shaken in all the directions without ceases. The silence is heavy. Neither I nor [y/ln] have exchanged a word since leaving the base. Plus, I slept badly yesterday. I could not find sleep at all. And my driving is affected by that. I'm starting to have trouble reacting properly, so much so that we're really starting to get bruises. If [y/ln] didn't say anything about my driving until now, I can see that she is barely holding back from yelling at me. And after an umpteenth projection against the car, she loses patience.
"Well, I don't know what's going on with you Mactavish and I don't know if you're doing it on purpose but I don't plan on getting to the village in pieces. Stop the car and get out. And don't even think about resisting."
I hate to agree with her but she's right, I'm not able to keep driving. We switch places. She gets back on the road and we are much less shaken up. Slowly, I feel myself falling asleep.
* * * *
I feel myself being gently shaken. Then I finally open my eyes. [y/ln] is out of the car and tries to wake me up.
"Open your eyes Aurora. We've arrived."She says with a smile.
"Very funny." I answered annoyed, still numb from sleep.
I get out of the car and slam the door behind me. We are in the middle of nowhere. She parked the car on the side of the road. Around us there is only burnt grass and dead, dry bushes. In the distance, we can see a village.
"The road is impassable there with the car. Then on foot we will be more discreet. And then you will be able to stretch your legs, right?" She says amused.
"Shut up."
We begin to advance towards the village. We are not very loaded, a backpack each and that's all. And we are in civilian clothes. It is not an assault, just a reconnaissance mission. The sun hits us hard. Here it is hot, very hot. Despite her light shirt, i can see that she is sweating profusely.
"Damn, at this point I'll end up like those bushes." she complains through her teeth, breathless.
I can't help but answer her, the heat rising to my head. I'm hot too. But she doesn't know it and she can't see it.
"If you wanted to be cool you should have stayed in your office [y/ln]."
She turns around, visibly annoyed.
"You know very well that I'm not the one who chooses. I don't understand what you have against me, but I feel like you've already formed a certain opinion of me. Let me tell you that you are probably way off base."
She turns again, her back to me, and walks quickly, muttering.
"When you don't know, you ask."
For about ten minutes we move forward in silence. Only the sound of our steps on the dry and hard ground and our breaths always stronger resound in this emptiness. She still has her back to me. I am one step behind her. She walks fast, with big steps. She has tied up her hair [y/hc]. Drops of sweat are beading on her neck. They come down from her hair and slide down her neck, and disappear under her shirt. I can imagine the drop continuing its path, down her back, rolling between her shoulder blades, then further down-
"Where are you from?"
She turns to me, eyebrows furrowed, obviously confused, slowing her steps.
"What?"
I tossed that out of my mind. Like a reflex. Against my thoughts that were starting to ramble. If I pretended I hadn't said anything it would be worse, so now I might as well continue on this trajectory. Maybe she's not what I think she is after all.
"I say, where are you from?"
"Uh… well I grew up in [y/hld]. Is that what you want to know?" she replied confused.
"Really? I never would have imagined!" I answer.
"Ah well! I can't say the same for you Mactavish! Your accent gives you away!"
"Alright, I know. No one can understand what I'm saying. I know it doesn't sound very classy." I replied, a little offended.
"I didn't say that. I really like your accent."
Brief silence. She … likes my accent? So far people are just blaming me for this part of me that disturbs them. But not her apparently.
"So what about you, huh? It must be nice in Scotland... Scotland, yes... I went to Glasgow, once, uhm, a while ago, and it was really beautiful."
She talks fast, confused. She also seems to be surprised by her remark about my accent. Seeing her panic all of a sudden, her, who's always so sure of herself, always so straight and so proud, it amuses me a little. But I'm not going to make her even more embarrassed. Finally we talk like colleagues, cordially.
"Yes, Scotland is indeed really beautiful. And Glasgow too. So, what city are you from in [y/hld]?"
* * * *
Your POV :
"Billiards is a hundred times better. I'm the best at it. We should play together sometime Mactavish!"I say, challenging him.
We've finally arrived. As we continue our discussion, we enter the village. I couldn't imagine that I would be chatting so much with Mactavish. Well, at least not as pleasantly. I've found myself laughing several times in the 45 minutes we walked here. It was so funny and entertaining that I didn't feel the sun burning me or the irritating thirst in my throat.
"John."
"What ?" I asked, confused.
"You can call me by my first name you know. I mean, if you want. MacTavish all day long sounds too military, Captain."
I see. So here we are, finally. I smile. It's a good thing he can't see my face.
"Got it, John. In that case, I'll be [y/n]. I never really liked being called by my last name anyway."
"Got it, [y/n]." he says with a slight chuckle.
Damn. I get goosebumps. My name sounds different from his mouth. His voice… His voice makes my name sound different.
I want to hear it again. I want him to call me by my name again.
What was that? No! What's wrong with me??
I have to pull myself together. I guide us, Soap, well, John and me through the deserted streets of the village. We see here and there people, through the curtains and the doorways. It is the hour of the nap. And finally, after many forks in the narrow lanes, we fall on the one that we look for.
Alley Rivera. This alley, which is in fact a dead end, is longer. Bordered on both sides by buildings higher than elsewhere here. And it is darker there. At the end we can see a fork in the road to the right. John and I move forward.
"You have quite a sense of direction. I would never have found this place." he says, smiling to me.
The street ends. We turn right.
"I've spent hours reading maps, it's almost painful now." I answered him with a chuckle, my head turned towards him.
And then I turn my head again and look ahead.
We are not alone.
Five men.
Armed.
˚✧₊⁎ next chapter
#cod mw#john soap mactavish x reader#military#reader insert#slow burn#x reader#soap x reader#cod#f!reader#fanfic#soap x reader.#mexico#alejandro vargas#gaz cod#gary roach sanderson#captain john price#könig#simon ghost riley
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SteveTony Weekly - January 22
Hello, friends! Here’s what I read this week. I went on a bit of a Ults kick (again) so there’s a fair bit of that. Enjoy--and be sure to leave comments and kudos for your fic authors!
~*~
Unforgettable by msermesth
Weddings aren't the best places to hash out long-held disagreements.
But this is Steve and Tony. What else did you expect?
An Educational Experience (The Good Things Come To Those Who Wait Remix) by valdomarx
Ults Tony has a nice day.
aka Tony talks Steve through sucking his cock.
A Uniform Velocity from the Cradle to the Grave by Sineala
The machine found in the wake of the attempted Chitauri invasion opens a portal that could lead anywhere. Steve's sure as hell not expecting it to lead a decade in the future, to a New York reeling from another alien attack. And he's definitely not expecting the man he finds on the other side of it.
A Proportional Response by msermesth
Steve doesn't have a reason for cock-blocking Tony.
No reason, whatsoever.
Veridicality by Sineala
When Steve is accidentally exposed to a truth serum, Tony learns that Steve has been keeping a lot of feelings hidden.
A Hundred Times, Once by FestiveFerret, SirSapling
The shrill tone of his SHIELD beeper pulls Steve out of sleep and into battle. He fights robots, he fights Tony's shameless advances, he fights the exhaustion that threatens to take over him, drown him. And then the next morning, he wakes and does it again. Exactly the same.
And again.
And again.
And again.
always winter, always spring by Mizzy
(groundhog day) trapped in an ever-replenishing room with an impossible puzzle to solve, Steve and Tony learn a thing or two about each other and about themselves
Everlasting devotion by gottalovev
With their diplomatic mission on Xandar over, Steve is looking forward to a well-deserved vacation — on a space cruise! — with his beloved long time fiancée Natasha.
The space pirates, though, are an unpleasant surprise.
you'll fear what you found by xWinterDreamsx
His heart thudded painfully in his chest, urgency racing through him. He just couldn’t stop thinking about where Stark was, who had taken him, where they’d taken him, and most importantly, what they were doing to him.
_
Tony gets kidnapped.
desperate for you by xWinterDreamsx
Steve and Tony finally get the chance to spend some quality time together.
Can we start again? by xWinterDreamsx
The door opened, but it wasn’t Pepper.
What the fuck was he doing here?
A Good Man Bears Watching by navaan
Timely is a complicated and dangerous town and when the new blacksmith comes into town, Steve feels he bears watching. It might be for the best.
Surprise Packages by Neverever
When Steve is overwhelmed by omega attention, Fury insists that Steve get married. Steve gets engaged to omega Edward, who has a lot of secrets.
this is what it feels like by Thahire
Against his better judgment, Steve accepts Jan’s dare to kiss Tony under the mistletoe. It has unexpected consequences for everyone involved.
To Unseen Heights by KandiSheek
Tony wakes up naked in a place he doesn't recognize. Not unusual for him, except this hasn't happened to him since the eighties, and he's usually not in the company of the supersoldier he's carrying a torch for. Who is also naked. And who is now privy to the sight of Tony's wing stumps, an injury he's successfully hidden from the public - and his teammates - for years. Not just because he hates the sight of them, but also because they're a dead giveaway that he's Ironman. This couldn't be more of a shit show.
Tony eats those words as soon as the aphrodisiac kicks in.
Field Medicine by kellifer_fic
Tony Stark is a terrible patient, which is surprising to no one.
kings of the city by Areiton
The Irish mob held Brooklyn.
The Spider held Queens.
And where Tony fits in the city has never been clear...
Sometimes though, he thinks he fits here--at Steve's side.
Oxidation by paxnirvana
Terrorists develop a riot-inducing spray that has unexpected effects on America's only Super Soldier.
Holding Out for a Hero by mariana_oconnor
The serum did a lot of things to Steve, but one thing he hates about it is how sensitive it made him, too sensitive. After it contributes to the end of his relationship with Jan, Tony offers to help him out.
An Inglourious Affair by ann2who, morphia
In 1944, Steve's commando team, The Basterds, are off to fight nazis in France. Tony joins their efforts after intelligence suggests that Herr Kleiser, a German scientist, has set his sights on making a massive nuclear bomb. Their mission: Get to Kleiser before he completes his evil plan. What neither of them had planned for, however, was to fall in love in the middle of the worst war either of them had ever seen.
Must Be True by AvengersNewB
When the stakes are too high, Tiberius Stone offers his omega, Tony, as a little side incentive to close important business deals. Tonight’s business is an arms deal with the Avengers, and the alpha they’re meeting is Captain America.
This is Our Place (We Make the Rules) by iam93percentstardust
Tony has been dancing for close to an hour when his feet start hurting him badly enough to drive him off the club dancefloor. The lights are flashing blue and red and green, adding to the throbbing headache he’s had all day that he ignored in favor of going out tonight. It might not have been the smart choice, but Tony’s young still, and isn’t that what youth is all about? Making bad choices and damning the consequences?
He staggers over to the bar, wondering if Steve will be upset if he goes upstairs. Steve doesn’t normally mind—he likes it actually when Tony goes in to pester him during his meetings; it’s a status symbol to have the last Stark curled up on his lap—but Captain Fury is the sort of reluctant ally that Steve doesn’t want him around in case things sour and there’s a shootout. Most people would hesitate to use Tony as leverage against Steve after what he did to Hell’s Kitchen. Not Fury though.
#stevetony#stevetony fic#stevetony fic recs#stony fics#stony#stony fic recs#steve rogers#tony stark#captain america#iron man
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YES!!!!!!! holding th stikfigures is a vital part 2 enjoying them as blorbos must holdys them and keep them in ur pokets peeking out and waving at random little strangers while u walk around th city or smth just holding them sm we will hold them 2gethr
WHTY IS EP 4 SO FUCKIFN SAD
HOLDY FHEM IN MY HANDS AND CRYING AT THE SAME TIME
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the devil is human
finnpoerey , cage fighting , hurt/comfort
word count : 4298
summary : Poe is captured by the First Order and conditioned to be a cage fighter. Finn and Rey hear word of an ex-Resistance being who's winning streak is making a few First Order members rich.
“What if it’s not him?”
“What if it is?”
“It’s most likely not him.”
“...”
“But you have to try.”
“I have to try.”
—
Word was there’d been an ex-Resistance being with a group of high ranked First Order soldiers who’d blown through the underground cage fighting scene in Aurilia. It got the Resistance base buzzing. Word traveled fast, and secrets weren’t kept hidden for long. And it got beings to talk.
Who could it have possibly been? Were they with the First Order willingly? Or were they being forced?
It made the beings who talked, and the beings who listened, chafe uncomfortably at the thought that one of their own could be a traitor. Of course, it wasn’t the first they’d heard of this, but it was no less disturbing.
A mixture of suspicion and concern rippled across the base as a meeting was prepared. It was assembled by General Organa of course, but also by the stormtrooper who was picked up by the Resistance’s missing commander, and the Force user said stormtrooper had picked up along the way. This was unnerving news. An idiot could put two and two together. General Organa thought the ex-Resistance being could be Commander Poe Dameron. And that was a whole other can of worms nobody wanted to open.
Yeah, word was there’d been whispers on Aurilia, the gambling city of Este, of a being from the Resistance working for the First Order. There was no evidence to suspect it could be Poe. No descriptions of the being’s features, no race or suspected gender mentioned, but it didn’t matter. This was something, and they hadn’t had something for months.
General Organa specified that the Resistance wouldn’t use too many of their resources for this shot in the dark. Not until it was confirmed a Resistance member was being held hostage- not until it was confirmed it was Poe. By the end of the meeting, they’d all agreed, two pilots, two x-wings, strictly reconnaissance until further notice, and if something was brought to light, to report immediately, do not engage until the okay is given.
By the end of the next night, Snap Wexley and Finn were taking flight towards Aurilia.
—
While Snap had gone on many recon missions (some had taken to naming him the Resistance’s best recon pilot), Finn was still getting the hang of simply flying. He had taken lessons of course, when Poe or Jessica had the time to teach him, but it hadn’t been for a long while now. He was rusty, but determined to perfect it as he went. He had to be on this mission.
“I’ve got this.” Finn mumbled under his breath.
“Steady, Blue Two,” said Snap, over the receiver. “Prepare for hyperdrive.”
“Copy, preparing for hyperdrive.” Finn was silent for a moment, and then, “On your go, Blue Leader.”
The journey was quiet, and nobody disturbed them as they touched down on a landing pad just outside of Este’s infamous city's boundaries. They wanted no trouble, no reason for people to focus their attention on them. The two men met the General’s contact, thanking her for keeping their landing off record.
“Anything for the Resistance,” she’d smiled warmly, pride lifting her shoulders a bit.
The walk into the city’s limit felt long and arduous, but only because Finn was so impatient, anxious to see. He was admittedly quite afraid of what he might find. On one hand, he might not come across what- who he’s looking for. This being could be anyone, and they might not even be Resistance. On the other hand, Finn might find exactly who he’s been looking for. Poe, his pilot, his best friend. But if it was Poe, the possibility that he’d be different was high. And Finn would accept whatever was to come, but it wouldn’t be easy for either of them.
Nothing in this Sith forsaken life is easy. Finn thought bitterly.
“How’re you holding up?” Snap broke him from his thoughts. They’d gotten closer since the loss of the Commander. Both feeling the pilot's absence heavily, guilt ridden and mournful. “You look spooked.”
Finn shook his head, shrugging his anxiety off as best he could. “I’m good. I’m just…”
Snap nods knowingly and changes the subject. “Cage fighting isn’t a sport most casino goers take part in, but mingling with the locals might give us something. Bartenders and the like. Remember, we’re casual.” He gave Finn a hefty pat on the shoulder and smiled. “That means no overreactions and no impulsive moves.”
Finn rolled his eyes but smiled back. “Yeah, yeah, I’m cool, alright? I can be casual.”
——
It was the hunger that woke him up, as it always was nowadays. He didn't even feel the pain anymore, welcomed it actually. It meant he was still alive, that he’d survived the fight. It meant he’d done good. They would feed him a little bit more. They would touch him kindly. He wouldn’t be left alone as long. Small rewards that were his lifeline.
Tucking himself further into the corner of his cell, he stared aimlessly at the ceiling. The thin blanket beneath his finger tips frayed as he fidgeted with the fabric. He didn’t think of anything as he waited for his meal. It was better to keep his mind blank, he was prone to disobedient thoughts and that never ended well.
His heart skyrocketed as the door opened and footsteps echoed against the concrete. Force, he was starving. “Eat up, pup.” Kless, the First Order general said warmly, sliding the tray under the bars. “And be ready, you’ve got a big fight ahead.” General Kless stood quickly and left the room as another soldier came through the door. He'd seen her pop in and out every so often, but he'd never gotten her name. She didn't talk much, least of all to him.
The solider ambled about, grabbing things and swearing under her breath. She didn't spare a glance his way at all. Her form stilled for a moment, and then she was making her way towards the exit to leave.
He didn’t move until the soldier had closed the door behind her. Most of the soldiers, aside from maybe Kless, didn’t like to see his eagerness. But now, alone, he couldn’t stop himself from trembling as he hunched over the tray and stuffed his face. He didn’t stop until he’d licked the tray clean. He was still hungry, but at least it didn’t hurt anymore. And if he won this next fight, they would feed him good. He was sure of it.
——
Finn and Snap regrouped with their intel, relaying what they’d learned back to the General. The next fight was tonight, a sort of ‘finals’ match, real important to the cage fighting crowd. It was being held in an arena somewhere in the underground pipeline tunnels and they would have to bet to get in and watch. Luckily they weren't there to watch because the pot had grown fairly large, the starting bets were already so high. Even if they wanted to, the two couldn't afford it.
They could hear the General conversing with someone else before humming in approval. "Okay, gentlemen, unless you have anything else to add, you're free to move forward. I'm sure I don't have to tell you two again, but for records sake, this is still recon, if you see… the prisoner, do not engage. Report right back to us. Understood?"
"Yes, General." They both said in unison.
The two made they’re way back to the landing pad to check on their x-wings, and to be sure no one had been snooping around. The lady who had helped them, Tala, assured them that nobody had been suspicious towards the fighters. So, with that aside, Finn and Snap could focus on preparing themselves for the next step in their plan. Break into an underground cage fighting arena and snoop on the fighters. Easy peasy.
“What is it?” Finn asked impatiently when Snap looked over at him for the fifth time in ten standard minutes. “What’s bothering you?”
Snap sighed, throwing something down on the seat of his fighter. “Do you…do you think it’s really him?” He watched as Finn furrowed his brow and sighed again. “I mean, I know that’s why we’re here but—”
“It seems impossible,” Finn nodded. “Trust me, I know.” He let out a breathy laugh, throwing his hands up in the air. “It’s like a trillion to one that it’s Poe down there fighting. But it’s like you said, it’s why we’re here. Why I’m here. I think it could be him, and that’s good enough for me.
Snap nodded, tucking his blaster into the holster strapped to his thigh. “Yeah, me too.”
—
When night began to fall on Aurilia, Snap and Finn knew it was time to really get it together. They could feel their nerves bounce off each other and it spurred them to move. They slid down the ladder of one of the entrances to the arena Snap had learned about. It was a street grate leading to the city’s sewer system. They would have to follow certain directions to find the sewer’s entrance to the pipeline tunnels. And if that bar patron knew anything, they shouldn’t run into much company in the sewers.
The pipeline tunnels were a different story entirely. It was busy. The buzzing crowds bustling up and down the winding tunnels. Beings were chattering, holding drinks and snacks on small trays, smoking on the far sides of the tunnel's concrete walls. Under other circumstances, the two Resistance men might’ve found themselves unaffected by the place. But instead the pipeline tunnels left an uncomfortable pit in their stomachs.
Finn glanced both ways, regarding the patrons closely. He could tell Snap was doing the same. And it came to them both at once.
“Food!” They said in unison, grinning at each other in satisfaction.
The duo followed an excited group of beings holding refreshments down the tunnel. After a few turns chosen in confidence, they found they were being led to the arena’s front. A burly man with a worn scowl set on his face was guarding the entryway. Finn and Snap stopped as casually as they could manage and ducked into the outer edges of the tunnel, settling by the smokers to converse.
“We need to find a way around. There’s gotta be a back entrance or something.” Finn mumbled under his breath to Snap. The other man nodded in agreement. “We could start there?” He pointed to the branching pathway next to the arena. It was a smaller underpass than the pipeline’s previous tunnels, littered with only a few beings.
Snap adjusted the backpack on his shoulder and jerked his head forward. “We’ve gotta be so inconspicuous. We can’t draw any attention.” He looked at Finn, kept eye contact to show how serious he was. “Do you think you can use your- yanno…” He gave Finn a pointed look, feeling too self conscious to say the word out loud.
It took Finn only a minute before he realized what his partner was trying to say. “Oh.” He replied dumbly, not expecting to whip out this particular skill just yet. “Yeah, yeah, I can do that.” Though the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. It would make sneaking down the secluded passage easier.
"Let's do this then."
With a quick glance back at the arena, Finn led them away.
——
The training room was much warmer than his cell.
It also awarded him a lot more freedom, more room to move around, which he took full advantage of. And he didn’t have to buffer his excitement with Kless being his warden for tonight. He sat down on the cushioned weight bench and looked around himself. There were others working out alongside him, though he wasn’t permitted to interact with any of them. Lieutenant Ghent made very sure that it was pounded into his head when they’d first let him access the training room.
Falling backwards, he raised his arms to grab onto the bar and lifted. He was halfway done with his first set when something pulled at the back of his head. His arms shook and he quickly made to settle the bar back onto its rack before whipping his head around to check. Phantom touch, it seemed, because no one was behind him, and everyone else looked too preoccupied. He shook his head to clear it and sat up. He would just do something else.
A free heavy bag at a corner of the room caught his eye and he made his way over, only glancing at Kless to be sure it was okay to move about. With the okay in a short nod, he kept walking forward to continue his warm up before the fight. The sensation at the back of his head returned as he lifted his fists and he punched through the bag to ignore it. It seemed to work for a short while but the feeling was insistent, and it was distracting.
It felt like it was getting stronger too, a warmth pulsing somewhere behind him, pulling and pounding. His legs were moving before he could even really think things through. He could hear behind himself Kless’ voice calling to him but it was a dull thing compared to the thrumming in his body. A part of him knew he should stop. He should go back and continue warming up because leaving would have consequences and that meant pain and hunger and loneliness. And he couldn’t take that. He couldn’t take that. But he found he couldn’t stop himself, no matter the fear encompassing him.
He was taking quicker steps, and then full on sprinting, following the growing feeling down forking tunnels. Under his skin felt on fire, he swore it would burn him alive. His eyes glazed making his surroundings blurry and he stumbled over, wanting it all to end. And then after a moment, or maybe a few moments, it did. Disappearing as if it had never happened. Head clear, sight focused, his body light almost. He doesn’t remember feeling this good.
“Poe!”
He felt sick suddenly.
——
Finn broke into a sprint, the Force slipping his thoughts. He didn’t need it anymore. He could hear Snap following him just a step behind.
“Kriff.” Snap mumbled. “Finn, wait.” He made to grab Finn’s wrist to stop him.
“He’s right there!” Finn exclaimed roughly.
“I know, but the General said confirm and report back.” Snap sighed, irritated. He too wanted to run to his Commander, scoop him up and fly their asses back home. But they were under orders. “If we do this quickly, we can get the all clear even faster. Let him go for now. He’s not… He’s not going anywhere. We found him.” He held his hand out and tipped his head to the side. He hoped Finn would comply.
The other man sighed heavily, and then nodded, clapping Snaps hand in solidarity. “Let’s make it quick.” He glanced over at Poe, who hadn’t seen them, maybe hadn’t even heard him shout. His back was to them, hunched over pathetically as a First Order soldier helped him upright. Finn sneered and turned away, making for where Snap had settled in a tight crevice between connecting tunnels, presumably for privacy.
——
Poe shut his eyes against the smack across his head. He knew they wouldn’t do anything too severe to him yet, not wanting to weaken him before the big fight. But later, after, he would get it like he hadn't had for a good long while. Usually so obedient these days. He shivered harshly at the thought of them subjecting him to more reconditioning.
“Try that again, pup,” Lieutenant Ghent hissed into his ear, spitting the pet name General Kless came up with when they’d first entered into cage fighting. “And I will kill you.” Ghent shoved Poe away in disgust and motioned for the other two soldiers to get him ready. The fight was about to begin. He made his leave, commenting mockingly about handling General Kless. Poe’s heart clenched.
He cleared his mind. He would not disobey again.
——
‘Get our boy back.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
Finn had done a lot of ridiculous things in his life. It’s par for the course at this point. So he barely bat an eye as he and Snap hid in the fresher like creeps to bum a couple of betting cards off their victims unconscious (but still alive) bodies. The duo slunk their way inside the arena, the screams of excitement, the heated arguments only getting louder.
The arena was split, both sides holding up banners with stage names they couldn’t connect anything to. One half was clearly more popular, which only made the two Resistance men hover closer to that side. First Order gamblers always caught more attention and support. The banner above their heads displayed a single name, a diminutizing tag.
PUP.
The crowd started to cheer as the announcer stepped up. A Devaronian with a wicked grin. Finn and Snap held their breaths in quiet anticipation as the announcer presented the opponents. First, a being named Boss trudged in. He was a fairly big being and he huffed angrily in his corner of the cage, pacing back and forth like a rabid animal.
Finn gnawed at his lip anxiously.
When Poe stepped into the pen, Finn could practically feel the anxiety rolling off of him. He clenched his hands into fists, afraid he might act without thinking. The match was starting and he leant forward to get a better view of his pilot. A First Order soldier, the one from the tunnel (except a little more bruised), stepped up behind Poe and whispered something to him. Finn could feel the tension leave Poe for a moment and it made him frown. And then the bell rang loud above them, startling Finn. The First Order soldier clicked something off of Poe’s neck and shut the gate behind him with a quickness meant for true rabid animals.
That was what Finn thought before he saw the horror in the cage.
Poe was like a rabid animal. A desperate trapped thing fighting for its life and liking it. Finn had never seen Poe like this. Poe was a relaxed, laid back, “take it as it comes” kinda guy. Sure he could be irritable and snippy sometimes, but he was never violent.
“Fragging hell.” Snap mumbled. His eyes were wide in disbelief.
As the fight went on, Finn grew more distressed. He could feel Poe’s agony through the Force like the cold water of a frozen lake. Underneath that, Finn could feel the utter chaos spurring Poe on. He was like a man truly possessed.
Round one ended and the First Order soldier stepped into the cage seemingly to wrangle Poe away. Only he came too easily after the sheer mania from only seconds before. Finn could sense it how the soldier was getting Poe to comply so willingly. “They’re hurting him.” He hissed, feet shuffling anxiously, itching to do something.
Snap gripped Finn’s jacket, giving him a pained side eye. “It won’t be long till round two starts, I don’t think we can safely get him out yet.”
The infliction of pain didn’t stop until the soldier had the collar locked securely around Poe’s neck. Snap led Finn through the crowd, getting them closer to the changing room on Poe's side. If they couldn't grab him just yet, they would certainly be able to once the fight was over. It was in their best interest to get as close as possible.
——
In the state after being collarless, Poe noticed time didn’t work the way it usually did. Everything around him went so fast. He was being sat, being cleaned, and then being shoved back into the cage for the next match. He had no time to take things in before his collar was off, and then at that point he couldn’t even think about anything other than move and fight and kill.
His vision was red with bloodlust, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He sized his opponent up, checking for a sore spot he could exploit. Poe sneered, thrusting his body forward with an inhuman amount of force and swung his fist against Boss’s side, making him groan in pain. Boss countered with a heavy right arm but Poe dodged it, bending his knees to duck. Boss had strength, sure, but Poe was fast. In the time it took for Boss to pull back, Poe was wrapping his arms around his center, squeezing hard and bucking forward to tackle him down. The ground shook under Poe’s knees as they fell.
He was being grappled, an attempt to flip them over. But Poe wouldn’t lose this advantage. He drew his legs around Boss’ waist and huffed in an echoed attempt to scream, mouth wide, wailing blows with all the strength he had against Boss’ face. His nose crunched sickenly under Poe’s fist. It sent blood splattering across the concrete ground. Through the mess of red in his mouth, Boss gurgled, beating his hand against Poe’s side. It didn’t matter, Poe couldn’t feel it. He kept swinging, through the blind rage, the conditioning, that stupid feeling at the back of his head that won’t go the frag away! He kept swinging until his fists were caked with blood, until the being under him went limp, and then he kept going. He didn’t stop until that electric shock through his entire nervous system locked his limbs rigid, paralyzing him with pain.
It never got better. You don’t get used to agony like this.
——
Finn felt bile rise in his throat. He clutched at Snap’s shoulder to steady himself. He needed to get it together. The announcer was declaring a winner, and the two would need to work quickly once the soldier escorted Poe away. The crowd around them roared in triumph as Poe’s bloodied arm lifted in the air. The next few moments happened in a slurry of movement, tension high, adrenaline piloting him. Finn’s blaster was out, lowered to his hip, hidden between his and Snap’s moving bodies.
“Here he comes.” Snap murmured, pulling his own weapon out.
As a nearly unconscious Poe and the First Order soldier passed by, Finn got up smoothly beside him. His gun tucked up against the soldier’s side and he smiled at the crowd calmly as the soldier stiffened. He gave a small shove to get the man to keep moving. “No sudden movements and I don’t blast a hole in your side, capiche?” He mumbled. The soldier nodded shortly beside him. They stopped in a corridor (away from the crowd) when three other soldier’s ran into them. Snap took a shot instantly, hitting one of them in the knee. Finn threw the soldier holding Poe to the ground hard. He only felt a little remorse as Poe went down with him. But handling two First Order lackeys instead of three was better odds of getting them all out.
Snap was already running to tackle one of the two still standing. The other had a gun out, and was shooting right at Finn. With his own blaster, Finn shot back. He wasn’t a terrible shot when he was a stormtrooper, but he was much better now without that Sith forsaken helmet. He was able to shoot the blaster out of the soldier's hand, and Snap had successfully knocked the other out cold. Finn picked Poe’s unconscious body up as a couple of the soldiers were already rousing.
“C’mon, Wexley, we gotta get outta here.” He hoisted Poe’s body into a more comfortable holding position and started to move. A shout made him spin around. The soldier Snap had shot was holding a gun, aimed straight at him. The gun went off, an awful beaming sound echoed in the concrete room. The soldier dropped the gun, head tilting, slumping down on himself. Finn was not dead.
“You need to leave now.” The soldier who’d been with Poe lowered his blaster and stared at Finn. “A stormtrooper squad will be here to escort us, they’re expecting us. Best bet is to go out through there.” He pointed to a back door.
Finn’s brow drew in confusion. “Why are you helping us?”
The soldier glanced at Poe and then back at Finn. “You have to go.” He repeated, kneeling over one of the unconscious bodies. “Tell Pup I’m sorry.” A burst of Force sizzled in the air and Poe was jerking out of Finn’s arms, gasping out in pain. The soldier grimaced and stepped away. Boots were echoing down the halls, and he started to leave. “I’ll divert them.”
Getting Poe upright now that he was awake, Finn led the two through the door. The ladder at the end of the small tunnel led up into a connecting back alley of a very popular night club and a bounty bar. The more people, the harder they would be to spot. Snap took front, keeping an eye out as Finn supported a weary Poe. They made it back to their ships, though Poe had passed out in the time between, and Finn and Snap had to take turns carrying him back. It wasn’t much of a chore though, considering how thin Poe was now.
“I’ll take him in mine.” Finn said, before Snap could even ask the question. “I-I think I could help if he wakes up while we’re flying back.”
It was a quiet ride. Poe did not wake up, even while Finn reported to the General, he did not wake up when they finally got back to base. Poe did not wake up for the next two days…
#canzonii fics#read on ao3#finnpoe#finn rey and poe#stormpilot#poe dameron#finn star wars#rey skywalker#snap wexley#leia organa#cage fighting#hurt/comfort
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Been going through the Pladea Region map and trying to parse out how the first portion of the game might go
My guess is that in all likelihood pokemon scarlet and violet are going to play like typical straightforward pokemon games for the first portion of the game. That is to stay that, through use of geographical obstacles you can't yet get past, the game is going to push you into a forward direction towards the first big city in the game, Mesagoza, where all the seeds of three story beats are going to be set up.
So, like, basically the first portion of the game, much like other pokemon games, and lets admit it, the better class of open world games, is going to be full of tutorials. We are likely going to see the usual catching tutorials outside the professors home, get a run down of the pokedex, etc.
If the towers and light houses we've seen in the various promotional material are going to function as check points, ways to collect information, or even just map out the surrounding area then it would make sense to place one here early on and then prompt players to go check it out as a way of showing them one of the structure to look out for.
Later on, when players come across their first dilapitated towers maybe a prompt, potentially from their rotom phone, will give the player a hint that they can function the same as the earlier lighthouse.
I noted that while the town has two routes to the east and west respectively that the player will, presumably, be able to choose between, they both have one of the dilapated towers in the immediate area.
Stepping back though, there's also the first town you will likely run into on your journey. Which is just a cluster of a few houses with a pokecenter/stop.
A number of mechanics could end up being introduced here. Like, if fishing is going to be available in game, I wouldn't be surprised if that small pond next to the town will be one of the first areas you can talk to a fisherman and get a rod. Oooor not. There was an early pond along the road from the professors place to this town where you might've gotten a fishing tutorial. Although, getting here might be a deliberate choice as a way of gently encouraging the player to double back and check out the earlier pond, or even the beach behind the professors house for pokemon.
If there's a camp cooking mechanic it could also be introduced here, or at bare minimum it's where you get the key items to perform the cooking.
And if they bring in jobs or sidequests, this little town would be an excellent place to get your first one. Perhaps a resident wants you to catch a certain pokemon for them or if theres berries, plants, etc that can be collected in the wild (like in swsh and legends) perhaps some of the residents will ask you collect a small number of them for them. In exchange you get a few items to help you out when you inevitably have your introductory rival battle with nemona in roughly this area.
After that you go into the town where you get the proper set up for the main stories/setup for the game, go through some last minute tutorials, attend some form of student orientation, and then VOILA!
You're done with the tutorial and the game is suddenly your oyster!
I'm mostly addressing all this because a tutorial section for this game is, I think, a gurantee. If they really are changing and putting in a lot of new mechanics, at least a few tutorials are going to be inevitable. Both for people getting a pokemon game for the first time, or picking the series up after awhile, as well as for new fans who'll need to learn the new mechanics.
Tutorials themselves tend to get a bad rap in general, since a lot of tutorial sections in games fail to hit the proper balance between being hand holdy vs completely hands off. However, so many games have them because they're a safe way to introduce the mechanics of the game without it being too frustrating. I think most game designers would prefer for a first portion of a game to be slightly too frustrating vs it being incomprehensible.
That doesnt mean that earlier pokemon games had amazing tutorials that weren't absolutely irritating. They did. I'm just wanting to make sure no one boots up the game expecting to immediately do whatever they want.
#pokemon#pokemon scarlet#pokemon violet#pokemon scarlet and violet#pokemon sv#pokemon scarvio#pokemon scarlet and violet spoilers#pokemon violet spoilers#pokemon scarlet spoilers#pokemon sv spoilers#pokemon scarvio spoilers
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A couple of months ago I did an intense rewatch of WoT. I'd previously engaged with the show as pure pleasure. This time I wanted to turn on my analytical brain. This was before I officially joined Tumblr so I posted my thoughts on Reddit. And since Tumblr is doing a rewatch in anticipation of season two, I thought I'd share my far too involved analysis here, episode by episode. I do spoil the entire first season but I only mention book stuff in a very general way.
So anyway... thoughts on episode one! :)
Leavetaking: (55 min)
There must have been so much pressure to keep this episode under an hour. They even truncated the opening credits to squeeze in as much story-action as they could. What I would've given for an extra... gosh, even 10 minutes would've done wonders, I think.
Prologue:
This opening scene is... clunky. If you were feeling generous I guess you could call it retro? An out and out stating of our hero's quest as she prepares for her journey is a bit '90's (or even '80's?) action-genre tv-show, I suppose. It helps that it's Rosmund Pike doing the voice-over (and the gearing up), and the lighting and sound design is suitably moody.
Two points for: (1) Foreshadowing with the sa'angreal for Rand to kill Dark One and the knife to kill Rand if he decides not to kill the Dark One each getting their own closeup. (2) Moiraine is wearing pants!!!!! (Split skirts is kind of a WoT book meme but let's get the women some practical clothing if they're roughing it across the continent for years and years and years.)
Aaaand the next scene is better (actual action, well directed with the excellent soundtrack kicking up the tension) but I still suspect this was a last minute add because Liandrin has nary a little braid in her hair. (Rafe has commented on his wig-woes and I can easily see filming a last minute, executive-ordered, scene and saving time/budget by not fiddling too much with the wig.)
The horse women look fierce, though. And Kate Fleetwood's delivery of, "you make it filthy," was delicious. A minute in and I'm already loving her as the season's villain.
Ruined ancient, modern/futuristic city!!
Truncated credits arrive and this was our prologue. It's a bit hand-holdy, imo. I think using the "Young!Moiraine and the prophetic announcement that the Dragon has been reborn!" opening would've been better (more creative and exciting). And it would've been helpful for the end of this episode as well (more on that when we get there). But it is what it is and the next bit...
Two Rivers (day one):
...is freaking gorgeous! The beauty of the setting and the laughter and supportive community of the Women's Circle is our introduction to the Two Rivers and I love it.
I also love that the initiation into the Women's Circle has an element of danger. (Just an element, mind. None of the women looked worried and you know kids in a village situated near a raging river like that are taught early how to swim and how to handle getting swept into rapids.) It hints towards a warrior society (foreshadowing!) and the visual illustration of how women are trained to channel was kind of brilliant.
I also love the cultural importance given the braided hair of the Two Rivers women. It gives a depth to their society that I'm not sure the books quite gave them. (Or at least -- it quickly gave their culture a depth that the books had the advantage of time to get across to readers.)
And! The warmth Nynaeve is expressing towards Egwene is kind of beautiful.
Soft-boy Rand! I adore his fuzzy blue sweater and that our opening scene with him is all about him being a sappy little romantic. Also, he and Tam are so comfortable with each other. (Light foreshadowing of lurking danger with the wolves keeps the story tension going.)
Intro to Mat and Perrin and first impression is Mat may have a gambling problem (he is palpably desperate to keep gaming and that worries both Rand and Perrin). Also, Perrin is the responsible and checked in one, keeping up with current events, trying to keep his friends looped in.
Egwene arrives! She survived (Dad is massively relieved so... maybe a bit more of a danger element to the initiation than I'd first thought? warrior society intensifies) and now, Party!!
Rand's big, unaffected smile! Perrin's sweet smile! Such good boys. (Did not pick up on Perrin's crush at all at first. This is where a tiny bit more time might have helped the episode a bit.)
And Rand almost immediately realizes Something is Up with Egwene. And a bit further into the evening Perrin realizes Something is Up with Rand. (They all know each other so well. Great subtle storytelling here.)
LAN IN THE CLUB! And only when all has fallen into an expectant hush and the tension has built to screaming: Slow-mo Moiraine entrance. (All eyes on us.) God, I love them. They are so wonderfully extra.
Of course, this is Detective!Moiraine at work, scoping out the 20somethings, looking for dragons.
Something interesting, Egwene looks intrigued when Moiraine is assumed a noblewoman. She gets just as guarded as Rand and Perrin when Moiraine does her ring flash to reveal it's actually, Moiraine Sedai. (Mat, bless him, is the only one who appears the least inviting, giving Moiraine a small smile.)
And then our extra!couple leave and Nynaeve sends Perrin home to Laila with enough of a loaded comment to tell us, Something is Up with Perrin and Laila's marriage.
My first impression was a miscarriage because of the belly hug. As we now know -- it's not that at all. I think the belly grab is meant to provide an echo for that shot where Perrin is covering Laila's belly wound towards the end of the episode (complete with the meaningful pinky grab) but when you're not given a reason for marital issues, you do go looking. I wish this scene had been a couple minutes longer. A bit more dialogue to let us know Laila is worried that Perrin either settled for her or is second-guessing marrying her... Something to give us a real sense of what the issue was as I don't think that was meant to be an ongoing mystery. That he carried a bit of a torch for Egwene was maybe the mystery to gradually unfold but that Laila was uncertain of his love for her... I don't think it was meant to be a secret kept from the viewers. (Or at least, I don't see any benefit in keeping it a secret.) I think Perrin's the character who is most screwed by the tight runtime of this episode. I actually quite like this new backstory for him. But I don't think it's shared as well as it could've (and should've) been.
On the other hand... Mat comes out of the sex barn (heh) to find his drunk mom watching his philandering dad and we realize he's got issues other than gambling and a really warm, caregiving, heart. He cares for his mother and is wonderful with his sisters and his mom drunkenly voices his deepest, darkest fear (he's a prick, just like his dad). So all is not right in the Cauthon home but Mat is successfully shielding his sisters from it -- which is a massive job for someone so young.
In the land of warm, supportive families, the al'Veres and al'Thors behave like they're already family and they're very comfortable leaving the kids alone at which point...
Rand goes all in on tackling the problem: "You've been avoiding me." Points for bravery!
But then when Egwene is about to tell him what the issue is he interrupts her with a kiss and it's all in for sexy times (with eventual fade to black because, classy, and I'll try not to pout because...classy?). So Rand's bravery points get taken right back.
And I have to take this moment to say: I adore that the kids have all been matured from the first book. It's more in line with who they are through the bulk of the series, anyway. And I am SO. FUCKING. GLAD we don't have to live through whole Two Rivers purity culture shenanigans that made everyone seem either 10 years old and worried about cooties or card carrying members of the Harper Valley PTA and looking for any excuse to clutch some pearls.
Meanwhile, Lan and Moiraine chilling in a hot tub, not-having-sex, 'cause that's not who they are. And we see that they are a team of equals as Lan feels very comfortable prodding Moiraine to use her powers to get the hot tub to the right temp.
And we get the, "Who is the Dragon?" mystery officially off the ground with Egwene as our first contender what with the leading smash cut to her immediately following the question.
A word on the lighting: I kind of love how the firelight glows off Rand's naked chest and belly. Also how it shows off the stenciling on the ceiling beams. Good lighting job, is my point.
And this is where we get Egwene choosing her calling over her boo and the super-packed line: "It's a lonely life, being a Wisdom." Also, Rand's voice break on "no kids." This is a boy who wants nothing more than to be a father. (With Tam as his role model, I can see why.)
And with all that character-work done we're back to the plot with the Fade's arrival.
Two Rivers (day two):
Adore that the whistling musical motif is picked up by Padan Fain's actual whistle as he arrives in town. And I adore what they've done with Padan Fain as well. The slyness of in his voice when he interacts with Mat... Johan Myers is killing it.
So we're into the early morning of a new day and Tam continues to be the best dad ever by letting Egwene know Rand's taken off. Clearly getting that there's trouble still brewing but not holding it against Egwene or trying to interfere.
Whatever trouble was brewing between Perrin and Laila, her snuggle + pinky grab suggests it's over but... what the hell was the issue in the first place?!? (Is what the audience is left wondering and I think that was a mistake. Oh, for that extra 5 min to their first scene!)
Anyone else notice that Mat's coat kind of echos Fain's coat? A cheaper, more ill-fitting version but similarly shaped, right? Just me? (If you watch Lezbi Nerdi's YouTube channel, her discussion with Pez regarding the costuming also points this out. So... vindication!)
We learn that this is an annual thing between Mat and Fain ("What do you have for me this year?") and that suggests Mat's desperate gambling the night before probably doesn't speak to an actual gambling problem. And it's all over a couple of lamps for his sisters for BelTine. The best of big brothers doing a job he's too young for... and this has been going on for a while. The heart clenches.
Moiraine and Lan are doing their detective thing and also their conversation short-hand thing. Moiraine is on Dragon search duty. Lan (who's aware of the lurking Fade) is on monster duty.
Time for Rand and Egwene to officially breakup. It's sad and sweet. They both still obviously love and care for each other, just -- they have different dreams that cannot work together. Really maturely handled but still a painful event. (And I kind of adore that they both lean on each other for comfort.)
Gorgeous spot for a break up, though!
Detective!Moiraine checks in on Nynaeve and I love how Moiraine leans into Nynaeve's hostility (her little power play when Nynaeve tries to get out of the pool) to push Nynaeve into a background revealing monologue. That's our Moiraine!
Mat is very warm with his mom as he gives her a lamp to put in the river and she looks kind of devastated and I strongly suspect Mat had three little sisters and one died. The death of a child can push parents apart. I can see his mom self-medicating with alcohol and his dad self-soothing with sex and Mat (who'd also be grieving) being the one to pick up the pieces for his surviving sisters' sake. His parents do still love each other (they're leaning on each other as Mat helps his sisters put lamps in the water) but they're also a mess. And it leaves Mat being the adult in the family which is not fair to him, obviously.
We do not see Perrin or Laila put a lamp in the water (which should've told me my miscarriage theory was wrong) but they're leaning lovingly into each other and there's another pinky-grab. Whatever the issue is/was with their marriage it seems well towards solved.
Nynaeve puts her lamp into the water somewhat apart from everyone and fiercely wipes away her tears before heading back out. The loneliness of the Wisdom underscored. (We'll also see her watch, but not participate in, the village dancing later.)
Battle scene!! (~34 min in):
Honestly, incredibly well paced and shot. There is shaky-cam but it's used well to denote character confusion and it's used sparingly. Shaky for Egwene initially. Very smooth for Padan Faid's dip and the Fade's watching eye. With Laila and Perrin the camera's not so much shaky as it is off kilter (having the focus action being out of center with unsettling push ins and cuts, etc.). Ditto the camera work with Mat until he enters that one room where a bunch of people are sheltering (including his parents but not including his sisters) when the camera goes smooth (safety). It goes off kilter again when he makes his hero run through the battle, though it's more his swerving in and out of view (too-long sleeves flailing) as he serpentines through the battle.
This holds true for the battle up at Rand and Tam's. (Rand no longer in his soft-boy sweater.) Steady until the Trolloc bursts in, going a bit shaky initially, steadying right back up when Tam unsheathes his sword. There are quick cuts but a very steady camera until Tam is injured and then steady again when Rand kills the Trolloc.
We also get smooth camera work when Lan and Moiraine enter the battle. This is the first time we actually see the weaves of her channeling (and I personally think they're beautifully done) and I think you could argue that the first time she channels (the bath) it's Lan's POV so we don't see the weaves -- but this time it's Egwene and Nynaeve's POV so we do see the weaves. (Which fits with the lore that only women who can channel can see the weaves of channeling women.)
The arrival of Moiraine and Lan is an upturn of the battle and it's at this point that we see the Women's Circle kill a Trolloc with their farming tools (warrior society!) and this is when the Trolloc bursts into the forge and Perrin picks up an axe and Laila picks up a hammer and we see them fighting it together in a sort of amateur echo of Lan and Moiraine.
Then it's a downturn of the battle when Nynaeve gets grabbed by a Trolloc and carried away. A second Trolloc comes into the forge and Laila and Perrin are both fighting their own Trolloc in separate corners of the forge. Perrin goes into some sort of berserker mode (sound design here is really well done), finishes off his Trolloc with extreme prejudice, spins with his axe and accidentally hits Laila who is poised to do a finishing move on her own downed Trolloc.
She dies very horribly and Perrin tries to hold in her belly wound and she grabs his pinky finger (echo of their first embrace) and dies. Rutherford does an amazing job showing Perrin's horror and grief and I'm sorry this scene got tangled up in, "is Laila a Dark Friend," questions (there were very definitely two Trollocs in that room and she was very much bringing her hammer down on the Trolloc she'd been fighting; but I don't think the director anticipated that question so there's no clear overhead shot of the body layout) and "what was up with their marriage?" questions. I think if it'd been clearly laid out that Laila was worried that Perrin loved someone other than (or more than) her, this moment would've been better served. But... as I said, Rutherford killed it and I don't think any viewer doubted the guilt and grief Perrin carries from this moment onward.
Yes, this is a Fridging, but! I think it works here. For one, WoT has enough Fridging to fill a Costcos with in-book Perrin given his very own aisle. So it's not unprecedented and it very much works to make Perrin's interior struggle with violence something exterior that a viewing audience can understand. Also, it takes Fridging in an interesting direction. Usually the trope motivates the male character to violence (and this is how it's generally used in WoT, including with Perrin) but in this case it turns the male character off of violence. So, for me, this Fridging gets a pass.
Moiraine is hit by a Trolloc knife but manages to win the battle by throwing the inn at the assembled Trolloc army. (We get a really good look at the Trollocs here, a slow, closeup shot, and my hat goes off to the Practical Effects and CGI crew. They look incredibly good.) Moiraine collapses as the inn collapses with Lan charging up to cover her body and... battle end. We're ~45min in, so that was a solid ten minutes of battling and I wasn't bored once and felt like I learned something important about each character we focused on. Gold stars all around. :)
Two Rivers (day three):
We fade into Rand leading his horse (Bela if you're in the know) into town with his injured dad and realizing crap happened everywhere last night (the lighting gives "early morning" vibes). His face is streaked with blood and filth.
Reunions happen, beginning with Egwene and Rand. She's obviously thrilled to see Rand and he her, though his injured dad has priority. Then Mat arrives with his sisters. His parents are, again, leaning on each other, and his dad seems a bit ashamed (which, he should be). Mat notices Perrin coming out of the forge with Laila's body (Perrin has obviously taken the time to clean her up a little bit). His calling out to Perrin gets Rand's attention but Rand is focused on Tam. So it's Mat who silently supports Perrin as Perrin lays Laila down with the other bodies.
Egwene was fetching Moraine for Tam. And I love how visibly exhausted Moiraine is. Because we saw how hard she fought last night, we recognize how much she's pushing herself here. Which makes Rand's accosting her all the more jarring. And a very strong contrast to the soft-boy Rand we've seen previously. (His sweater is long gone.) And of course, by season end we understand why he's on edge at this moment. (Stradowski gives good reaction when Moiraine retorts, "They're here for you." He looks like he's about to be sick.)
And then we're into Moiraine's monologue about the blind Aes Sedai's prophecy or vision and... yeah, this bit is clunky and rushed, imo. Oh, how I wish the opening scene had been that vision itself as Rafe had planned! That would have left space for more natural sounding dialogue -- less stuffed to the brim with exposition -- for Moiraine to gather our crew together and get them to leave with her. Pike is able to deliver it fairly well but... yeah. Still kind of clunky.
I do love Lan's line, "How did they get here so fast?" The frustrated confusion in Henney's voice, like he's almost speaking to himself. That's the natural I was looking for.
Anyway, it's everyone on their horses and off they go. A couple of things I noticed:
Everyone is still as filthy as they were prior to getting onto the horses. All that's changed is Rand and Egwene have on (admittedly really nice) coats. So there wasn't even a pause to wipe the blood and dirt off their faces.
Everyone has someone to say goodbye to except for Perrin. D: The heart clenches. The warmest goodbye is between Tam and Rand. Tam gets a close up for his gentle, best-dad, smile.
TL;DR This episode, out of the whole first season, is the one where I most felt the interference of sticky executive fingers. The very beginning is an unfortunate level of clunky, and the very ending is almost as bad. Thank God for Rosmund Pike and Kate Fleetwood is all I can say. Fortunately, the middle parts range from good to amazing. I do wish Perrin's backstory had been fleshed out more. (I don't see any benefit gained from not full on spelling out that Laila was worried Perrin loved another woman more than her. And I think there was some cost to not spelling it out.) But otherwise, I enjoyed the character work and the world building.
A solid B episode that easily carries me into watching the next one.
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2, 5, and 12 with whichever insert you’re feeling?
*deep breath* HIIIIIIIII TIME TO DO SOME OF MY SUPER LATE ASKS (post here). Gonna be doing these for PokeManda cause the brainrot for Pokemon came back and hit SO STRONG
2. when in canon does your self insert come in? do you have a scene in mind for your entrance?
In DPPt and BW, they are briefly mentioned by an NPC. For Gen IV, someone in the contest hall will talk about them, commenting that they aspire to be a great coordinator like Amanda. In BW, she's mentioned in a TV program about how she came close to facing the champion, but lost her final Elite 4 battle. She makes her first actual appearance in BW2, first seen in the Floccesy Ranch offering to help the player with any tips for raising Pokemon that they might need, then later is seen with Roxie trying to calm her down. During BW2's post game, you can battle her at the Ranch as a post game boss.
She plays a larger role in SwSh, and is first seen outside of Spikemuth on Route 9 having a... Not-so-pleasant conversation with some Team Yell members and vaguely threatening to kick their asses if they don't open up the city and let the kids waiting to battle the gym leader inside. I think it'd be cute if Hop or the player offer to help her (hell, I think it'd be funny if it was Marnie who offered to help), but she tells the kids not to worry and this is something that adults should take care of. "You worry about how you'll tackle the next gym! I think I need to give these guys something else to yell about..." When the player leaves Spikemuth, they come back to an optional dialogue of Amanda scolding the members of Team Yell she absolutely wiped the floor with. I'm still deciding if she shows up at all during the Wyndon/Rose Tower fiasco at the end of the game, maybe shows up as a character in a cutscene wondering what the hell is going on, or giving the player a useful item and telling them to go kick some butt before leaving.
5. does your self insert have any special powers or abilities?
Does having ADHD and autism count--/j. Nah, it's nothing too special, but they struggled to make friends as a child, so they have ended up being very in-tune with their Pokemon, especially their Empoleon.
12. how would the fandom view your character?
I can see it going one of two ways: they'd think she's cute and down to earth, probably a little terrifying (cause her post game fight in BW2 would kinda be a blindside like Cynthia's in BW) OR she's a bit overbearing and hand-holdy to the player. Either way, would be recognized as a fun post game boss in BW2, definitely.
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In hindsight, it’s important and better that ukraine had proven the contrary to us warning. Because us should give its candid assessment instead of sugar coating and ukraine needs to know its true strength and priority.
The best example as I’ve mentioned a few time was napoleon and that he faulted his own miscalculation in spain as the biggest blunder and cause of France’s downfall.
Everybody likes to point to his disastrous campaign in Russia and eventual defeat by Wellington, but I argue that napoleon was beaten by Spain
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conclusions to be had after replaying 1/3 of a way through leafgreen:
first of all im having serious nostalgia emotions. it’s been so long since ive played lg and its to me like what unwavering emotions is to some people. depression? nonexistent im too busy playing pokemon
really like how you have to catch a certain number of pokemon to get Important Items (vs seeker, exp shares, etc), makes catching and evolving pokemon and not just blasting through the game worthwhile
vs seeker is just as awesome as i remember it and i’m infinitely pissed it didn’t continue as a concept. i dont wanna have to challenge the elite 4 + champion to exp farm for lower level pokemon
its rlly interesting to go back and see what movesets are like (limited, challenging but not bad) and how you have to balance out your mons
ALSO status effects can be gotten semi-regardless of type. you rlly need to work around slp and prlyz ALSO ALSO accuracy lowering moves will really fuck you up, aerial ace and swift are good moves to have
it also throws into comparison how like. non gimmicky so many are? like im not trying to be bitchy and im not a wild gen1-er but after seeing the leaks from sv and going back to the ogs it’s fun to see how many designs are believable “naturally occurring animals who are also made of and can control the elements” for example my blastoise is a giant blue turtle who is so fucking shaped. and at least 2/3 of the starters for the past few generations look like furbait.
not very hand holdy, i forgot how saffron city is closed off and if you want to get back and forth between places you have to brave the many tunnels around. you want important item? go walk through every door and talk to every person to find em
hms are kinda annoying in this incarnation. i dont mind the concept of hms as long as they’re like... at least a decent move that isn’t dead weight in battle (hackers that change hm moves into usable battle moves *chef kiss*)
i dont know if it’s the romhack i’m playing on but i have encountered numerous shinies that have not been on shiny-specific spots! like two shiny geodudes within 10 minutes of each other (and i consulted the pdf guide, not shinyzer spots) so idk if ultraviolet has increased shiny odds or if i have gotten extraordinarily lucky
blue is so funny he’s so rude but it’s always in a way that seems like he’s trying to look cool
the only reason i didn’t evolve eevee into umbreon is because umbreon’s gen 3 moveset is unfortunately ass >:(
soundtrack is creepy good!!! viridian forest, cave theme, lavender town
i am going to slam my head against the wall i need tms from the rocket game corner but they’re so expensive but you get the amulet coin AFTER going through multiple trainer dungeons
it’s super cool seeing starters with non-rival trainers!
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I want to joke more about it all, about the fact that in a small wlw community (esp when you keep killing off characters for shock value, just sayin) it kind of makes sense that you end up flirting with your ex’s ex/gf/whatever, that the writing doesn’t make any sense in this arc so why bother getting mad about this nonsense and that Alex is really a berena fan living the berena fan dream
but
I knew this was going to be all about the Man Pain, and still it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Serena’s own grief was completely occulted (apart from a couple of sad-ish moments, mostly she took care of Cameron and made some jokes at the eulogy like?? who are you and what’d you do with serena campbell) in favor of Cameron’s, and we didn’t really get to see a proper reaction to her finding out about Alex and Bernie. Like, I’m not saying I wanted her to lose it completely the way Cam did, but they went the exact opposite with her barely showing any emotion. I know they’ve been broken up for a while, but they went through a lot together and I just can’t fathom the “see, Serena’s fine about it” vibe I kinda got from those eps. And yeah, it could be a facade or denial, our bitch is the Type after all, but it didn’t feel like it what with the “force of nature” comment and its likes.
Now I might be blinded by my own grief rn, so I’ll need to rewatch them later (lmao no I won’t). But those are my morning after thoughts.
#berena#bernie wolfe#bernie wolfe deserved better#serena campbell#holdy city#cameron dunn#alex dawson#am i polluting the tags to cope why yes i am#wrote this half awake too
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Sweet Tuesday’s “Brighton ‘82″ EP is out
You can listen to it here on Spotify Or here on YouTube
I’ve also written transcriptions for all 4 songs on the EP, which you can read below the cut:
Puddles:
Send another letter
It flies by
Sit under a tree
Wonder why
I know she'll never come back to me
I wonder if she'll even read the notes
I don't think she'll ever see what I wrote
But I know she'll see
The puddles from the tears I cried
All the times I struggled when she lied
But I just want her so
I'll never ever let her go
Went up to your house
She's still there
Now I know it's done
You don't care
I know you'll never come back to me
I know you never read the notes
And you'd never see what I wrote
But I know you'll see
The puddles from the tears I cried
All the times I struggled when you lied
But I just want you so
I'll never ever let you go
Something's not right
He can't contain it
It's something tonight
Oh my god, he's burying this
Nevermind the letters
Not right now
Something bad has happened
Don't know how
Then she shut the door on me
I tried to warn her once again, oh
I don't think she'll ever live in the end
But I didnt see the puddles from the tears she cried
All the nights she struggled when they died
I tried to tell her best
But she thought it was to jest
But she's got her by her side
Holding her day and night
So no more puddles tonight
Slippin’ Away:
It's the slippin' thing
In my mind
Yes, my mind
It's trippin' through my time
It's the slippin' thing
In my mind
Yes, my mind
That's trippin' through my time
It's a freaky thing
What power may hold
I feel cold
My ears only ring
Because I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh yeah, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh, well I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh yeah, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
It's a mental thing
In my head
Feelin' upset
Feelin' regret
It's a problem thing
What minds can uphold
What feeling can't show
But despite my grippin',
I'm slippin'
Away
I'm slippin'
Away
I'm slippin'
Away
And there's nothing I can say
It's a lovin' feeling
In my heart
Seems though, that time
Will tear me apart
It's a numbing thing
What the future can hold
I feel cold
Loving the feeling
That I'm slippin'
Oh yeah, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh, well I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh yeah, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh well, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh yeah, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh Well, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
Oh yeah, I'm slippin'
(Slippin' away)
His Daughter:
(His daughter)
(His daughter)
(His daughter)
(His daughter)
Laying at night
I wondered why
The simple task of looking on
Makes you wanna cry
Then you sat alone
All alone, all alone
Without you
(His daughter)
(His daughter)
(His daughter)
(His daughter)
I really wanna know
What you must've seen
To go and make a man
Run away and flee
And now you sit alone
All alone, all alone
Without you
Now you sit alone
All alone, all alone
Without you
(His daughter)
(It's something bigger than me)
(His daughter)
(It's something bigger than me)
(His daughter)
(It’s something bigger than me)
(His daughter)
(It's something bigger than me)
(His daughter)
(It's something bigger than me)
(His daughter)
(It's something bigger than me)
(His daughter)
(It's something bigger than me)
(His daughter)
Holding On:
Why were you gone
Every night
Just 'cause you're gone
Don't make it right
I know you love me
So it's alright
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
Your mother watched you fall
I knew how you felt
Flew along the wall
So you wouldn't melt
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
Did it feel good to finally breathe the air?
Feel the breeze of the city
Through your hair?
I know it was hard to choose
But you should know
You didn't lose
If only you knew how it changed
You might feel better with the choice that you made
You never saw the roof comin' down
You never had to shout
You know we all miss you
We know you loved us, too
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
Were we in love
While you were holding on?
#chirps#this is ok2rb everyone can have files lyrics#feel free to screenshot the lyrics or whatever if you want to get emo about them like i will definitely be doing#the walten files
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