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#i had no freakin idea what i was doing but the game was like 'you`re doing great sweetie have this banger of a song'
prototypelq · 1 year
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SUBHUMAN FREAKIN RULES
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sapphire-weapon · 11 months
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HI!
You absolutely have no need to answer this but i just LOVE how you talk about Leon and Ashley, reading all your meta analysis and just reading your replies to other people in general.
I've been in your blog reading everything for 2 days (still not done btw) and i've been having so much fun thanks to you, learning new things about RE since I am kind of new to the fandom. (I've watched RE Village through markiplier but back then I had NO IDEA who Leon was and only saw him after the RE4make dropped, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT-) ((anyways))
I just wanted to thank you for all the entertainment, please keep doing what you do. 🥺 I'll be around.
😭 you guys are so freakin nice to me, man. idk what I did to deserve this.
But I 100% believe that you had no idea who Leon was before RE4make dropped. Resident Evil went through a real depression in the 2010s and, despite continuing to sell in big numbers, did not retain the visibility it'd had in the 90s and 00s and fell away from the conversation very quickly in the video game space.
If you hadn't already been playing RE before the 2010s, or if you didn't have any friends who had been playing RE before/during the 2010s, you had no idea what the fuck Resident Evil was. Maybe you were vaguely aware of the shitty live action movies, but that was it.
And if you're too young to have been playing video games during the time of RE4's release, you had no idea who the fuck Leon Kennedy was.
Like. There was no avoiding him in the aughts. It'd be like not knowing who Sephiroth was. Because RE4 OG was that much of a big deal.
But once that depression hit? It hit, man. And a whole new generation of video game players grew into maturity without even having Resident Evil on their radars at all -- much less who any of the characters were, even Leon.
It was RE7 that started to pull RE out of that depression, but it wasn't until RE8 that RE finally started to feel mainstream again.
Like. RE2make was kind of a big deal, sure -- but only among the Old Guard. It didn't do much to bring new players into the series. RE's big shot in the arm really, really was RE8.
And now here comes RE4make to shove Leon in the faces of this new generation so that Capcom can be like "YOU WILL KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT" all over again LMAO
And, look. Here you are, as living proof of it.
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ambimakesarts · 1 year
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I'm like half tempted to respond to that person who made this mess, cuz like I read their entire post and like, DO THEY REALLY THINK THE TEAM IS GONNA EDIT AN ENTIRE LIVE2D MODEL JUST CUZ THEY DON'T LIKE CATER'S OUTFIT!?!?
They compared it to when they had to edit Trey's Vargas Camp outfit, like child HAVE YOU EVER MADE A LIVE2D MODEL BEFORE!?!? CUZ I HAVE AND THOSE THINGS ARE BITCH TO EDIT WHEN YOU NOTICE A MISTAKE! Like I'm sure the TWST live2d models are more organized then the ones I've made, but like going back to edit a simple v-neck into a crew neck just cuz the card art and the live2d model didn't match ain't the same as editing LAYERS OF PIECES ON AN ENTIRE OUTFIT AND RE-RIGGING THE ENTIRE THING!
Like child you have no idea what you're talking about, they'd have to delay the freakin event for days just to make the changes you want, and no one cares about it except them and the people who think like them which isn't alot of people cuz there are people on Twitter who have been pointing out that their take is pointless and just want admire our pretty TWST bois in new outfits.
Like they're really just making problems out of nothing, just cuz bad things were happening at the same time as particular fashion trends. That doesn't mean the clothes are symbol of racism, they're just clothes civilains who most likely had nothing to do with what the Japanese government was doing at the time, were wearing. It really is like getting mad at hippie fashion or better yet 60's fashion in gereral for existing at the same time as the war in Vietnam and acting like referencing the fashion in a video game characters alt is the same as ignoring all the US war crimes ever.
Ok I'm done, I'm gonna go work on some drawings, maybe get Kaalyia's live2d model rigged since I've been talking about how hard those things are to set up and I do want to get that thing moving soon. -w-
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starry-briar · 11 months
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For fanfic ask:
17, 18, and 19
[Question source]
17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?
Apparently cardboard boxes have been in use since the mid-1800s. If Teyvat has freakin' plastic (see e.g. Ayato's boba cup), they probably have cardboard boxes, too, right? I don't recall seeing any in-game, and I would probably need to do a little more research to figure out if they'd be used for packing.
And as usual, all of that research will be for a single off-hand reference... (if that fic gets written at all, that is).
18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?
I don't have any favorite lines off the top of my head, and...well, re-reading my own fic is something I've struggled with being able to do.
I did manage to look over some of my fic, and I liked this exchange from the Itto & Shinobu one:
Shinobu stared at him, blinking slowly, completely lost for words. Itto had come up with plenty of hare-brained ideas in the past, but this one might take the cake. He circled around behind her and patted her back. "Looks like I finally got to teach you something for a change, huh? Anyway, enjoy the rest of your birthday!"
19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.
A familiar spark appeared in the copycat’s eyes as they got into the finder details. Alchemy – particularly the Art of Khemia – could be a complicated and sensitive subject, one that most humans struggled to understand fully. But for them, as beings who were simultaneously alchemists and alchemical creations, it came as naturally as breathing. Even if a more personal connection remained impossible, they could find common ground in its theories, their practical applications, and the unparalleled joy of chasing after the unknown.
(I will probably workshop this paragraph a bit more for the final draft, but I think the general idea already comes across. I hope.)
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Downtown Revamp - A complete overhaul of Downtown from The Sims 2 Nightlife
It’s finally here! This is going to be a long post, please read everything before you download, as there is quite a bit of information to go over! Let’s get started!
First, a picture of the finalized Downtown!
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Click here for a relatively complete imgur album of all the lots!
*The pics are not in order. I seriously cannot be bothered going through 140 pictures. Sorry!
*Please note that some of the venues may look different in the final download than the pictures. This is because after building everything I went through and picked/replaced all of the CC that I felt wasn’t 100% necessary to use in the hood, thus some of the color schemes of the lots may differ, especially on interiors.
What is this?
 If you haven’t been following me for the past few weeks, I took on a project to completely renovate all of Downtown from The Sims 2 Nightlife. This means all lots have been completely remodeled and updated. No more fugly Maxis lots! I had three main goals for this project - First, to update everything to look good and be fun to play, second to have each lot offer a unique “experience”, and third, to keep the original feeling of the lots in tact. 
This comes in two versions - a Subhood version that you can add to your existing hoods, like you would with a traditional Downtown, and a Main Hood  version, so you can play my updated Downtown as a main hood if you’d like!
General Information:
I renovated every single lot (except four lots which I removed from the hood, more on that later). Downtown had a special way of reusing the same idea for multiple different lots - I stopped counting how many dark vampy dance lounges with raised or lowered dance floors there were. Three freakin bowling alleys? As I mentioned earlier, I wanted each lot to have its own reason for you to come visit, and there were four lots that I ultimately felt offered nothing and wouldn’t be missed if they were taken out. The following lots are not in this Downtown:
Lost in Love Hedge Maze
P.U.R.E.
The Corner Shoppes
Comandgo Emporium
Aside from those four lots, every lot has been renovated - Including Residential lots!
This is not populated. There are no townies and/or Tricou ghosts.
There are a few unavoidable NPC’s that have spawned when I made this such as a busker and the New Year’s Toddler. There are also a few stray animals that decided to spawn, but those could not be avoided. All in all, don’t worry about this adding tons and tons of NPC’s to your game - I did my best to ensure the hood was empty.
This hood does include custom content. Sorry if you don’t play with it, but there’s just some things that I couldn’t go without. I tried to use only what I felt was necessary to make the hood look and play nicely.
This was built in the Ultimate Collection, so unfortunately I don’t know exactly what is “required”. Recommended at the very least to have NL, H&M, BV, FT, UNI, and AL. 
Custom Content info & Download links/Instructions below the cut :)
UPDATE: You can now download all Downtownies (Except dead Tricou’s) easily to add to this hood! Check out the post and download here!
Custom Content:
Firstly, a HUGE thank you to all of the following CC creators who have so kindly allowed me to include their CC in a single download folder. Below are links to the individual pieces that were used, along with their creators blogs/profiles as well. There are also some important pieces of information and disclaimers about certain sets and defaults below. Please read everything before you bork up your game and blame me. 
Custom Content used in this hood/Credits:
**You do NOT need to download the following items one by one. These are credits. All but ONE of them are included in a single download folder included with both hood versions**
*Those with a * next to their name are Default Replacements.
Pub Bottle Recolors and *Clothing Rack Defaults both by @withlovefromsimtown
Better Nightlife, Tarmac Hood Deco, and Matching Road Floor Tiles by @criquette-was-here
A few recolor sets from @cluedosims AKA @shastakiss
Community Phonebooth by nicvncnt
*Linden Trees, Seasonal AL Pond, Tower of Communism Skybox, and The Emerald City Skyscraper Set all by @lowedeus
Skyfix by @simnopke
Hood Deco Buildings by @dulcinean-alien
Criquette Horizons by @witheredlilies​ and @criquette-was-here​
*Terrain Default Replacement by @dramallamadingdang​
Invisible Driveway Recolor by Roddyalexio
*Invisible Stop Sign Default Replacement by Psychosims
4T2 City Living Murals by @moocha-muses​
Simlish Neon Signs by @polllinationtech​
Some (excluding the DFR) items from the Bespoke Build Set by @honeywell-mts​
Public Bathroom Deco by @nekosayuri​
Vampire Gravestones by @tony-veis​
*Low Poly Tree Defaults and *Edited Defaults of Criquette’s Rural Road by @peppermint-ginger​
I do not claim any of the included CC as my own. If I mistakenly included CC that you created and you do not want it included (Though I contacted those I was unsure about) please immediately reach out to me and I will remove them :)
Additional credit to the amazing and dear Mootilda for this extremely helpful tutorial :,)
Important CC Info:
DISCLAIMER: There are SOME default replacements in this CC folder. They have been marked in a separate folder with “-DFR” in front of their names. If you have your own defaults, simply do NOT add them to your downloads. 
Note about Bespoke Set: This does NOT include all of the items in the Bespoke Build Set. If you already have it, do not add these folders to your game. If you do have it and plan on getting the rest of the pack later on, just delete these two folders and install those from MTS. The items included in this folder are the following:
Windows
Doors
Wall Coverings
Floor Edging
If you do not wish to use the entirety of BBS, then just use the items in the folders I have provided, as these are the ones that are necessary in Downtown :) Thanks again Honeywell!
The Roads that I use in this hood do not have a grass median between the road and sidewalk. The way my DFR’s work is that that space needs to be filled in once the overlays are placed. If you do not use a DFR OR if you use something different, you may have to remove the filled in section. You’ll know what I mean when you load it up. Also, if you don’t use these defaults, there may be random rugs in the road, that is just the game replacing unavailable content.
If you don’t plan on using the Phone Booths that are included, you will want to go back through the lots and add back the EA default phone booths. I am not sure if your sims will be able to get back to their home lot if you don’t download the custom ones, since I deleted the original vanilla booths. 
Excluded CC:
I used these recolors of Numenor’s stairs. You WILL need to download these (be sure to properly download them) as they are NOT included, since Numenor does not allow this.
CC Download Instructions:
CC is included with both versions of the hoods.
Instructions: Download the zip file for the hood version you want, unzip it with your preferred zipping program, and extract the contents into your downloads folder. Don’t forget to check your Default Replacements!
Download Instructions:
Instructions:
If you want the Subhood version - Download the DTWN Subhood zip, unzip with your preferred program, and extract it to the following folder, depending on which version of the game you have:
DELETE THE D001 Folder, or move it to a safe location. This is the original Downtown.
Ultimate Collection:  C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Double Deluxe\EP2\TSData\Res\NeighborhoodTemplate
Disk: C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Nightlife\TSData\Res\NeighborhoodTemplate
Once this is installed, load up the hood that you wish to add the new Downtown subhood to, and add it as you would with the vanilla Downtown. Note that you will know it’s the right one as the thumbnail will be different.
If you want the Main Hood version - Download the DTWN Main Hood zip, unzip with your preferred program, and extract to the following folder, depending on which version of the game you have:
Ultimate Collection: Documents\EA Games\The Sims™ 2 Ultimate Collection\Neighborhoods
Disk:  Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2\Neighborhoods
Hood Download Links:
*Links include CC
Main Hood
Subhood
If you have trouble downloading, let me know and I’ll throw in an alternate link :)
TOU: I guess I need my own TOU now. Please don’t be an asshole, don’t steal my lots or hood and claim it as your own. Use common sense. I am fine if you renovate one of my renovations and want to post it yourself, just give me credit and link to this original post. Also, do NOT redistribute the cc folder included. This is meant only for Downtown, only saying this as I wish for the creators to get all the credit.
Thank you all once more for your interest in the project! I can’t wait to see what you all do with this! Please feel free to tag me in screenshots, renos of my renos, etc...
Additional thanks to everyone at PleasantSims’ discord for the interest and motivation for this project, especially to Sabrina, Melting Magnetz, Crosimmer, Yeetus, and much more!
Keep an eye out for my next project. Thinking of moving on to Bluewater Village or a Vacation Hood!
Enjoy and have fun :D
- Mike
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sofreddie · 3 years
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Serendipitous Souls 5
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Summary: Now that Chuck's requirements are fulfilled, will Dean still want her?
Characters: Dean x OC!Reader, Sam
Warnings: Light Angst, Pregnancy, Fluff
Word Count: 1,571
A/N: This part just makes me laugh. Sam's cool AF and it's so domestic it kills me.
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Y/N sighs. Her body feels amazing after the most incredible sex she's ever experienced. But her head…her head is a freaking mine field at the moment. She forces herself from the bed, using the tissues from the nightstand to clean herself up before redressing. Once done, she sits on the end of the bed, nervously waiting for Dean's return and wondering what will happen to her now.
Will Dean give her her own room?
Will there be an awkward ‘thanks, that was fun’ or something along those lines?
Does this mean she’s pregnant now?
Dean re-entered the room as she was deep in thought, causing her to jump in surprise at the sudden opening of the door.
“Is Sam okay?” she asks straight away and it makes Dean’s heart swell to see that she really cares so much.
“He is,” Dean nods, closing the door behind him, feeling his own trepidation at the situation, “Chuck popped up. Said it’s done. Pretty sure he’ll pop up again at some point though,” he chuckled humorlessly, easing himself to sit on the mattress next to her.
“So…am I-” she couldn’t quite vocalize the words at the moment, but her hand on her stomach told Dean enough.
“Yes,” he breathed out. Y/N turned her head to meet his gaze, giving him a small smile. Sam had said all arranged marriages probably started out awkward as hell and that Dean should be patient and take it a day at a time. “Do you need anything?” he tried, hating how pathetic and lost he sounded.
“I’m pretty tired,” she responded meekly. Dean fought the urge to make a comment about tiring her out.
“Come on,” he said, getting up and throwing back the covers for them. She stood and watched as he removed his pants, leaving his boxers and t-shirt on. He laid in the bed and patted the empty side, encouraging her to join him. She smiled and crawled in beside him, accepting his silent offer to cuddle into his side as his arm came down around her, holding her close.
“I’ll be good to you,” Dean whispered against the top of her head, placing a gentle kiss there, “I promise.”
“I know,” she hummed in response, letting the warmth and comfort of Dean lull her into sleep.
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Dean woke slowly, his eyelids fluttering open as he came to consciousness. He couldn’t remember the last time he just…woke up. Usually he was woken by something or someone or a nightmare, jolting him into consciousness. As his eyes focused, he realized Y/N was still beside him. In fact he was wrapped around her snugly, spooning her from behind. She was so warm and soft in his arms. He leaned his forehead against the back of her head, taking a deep breath to take in her scent and humming in satisfaction. He could definitely get used to waking up this way.
He placed a gentle kiss to her shoulder before carefully unwrapping himself from her. She grunted a little and rolled onto her stomach, settling back into her slumber. Dean grinned and climbed from the bed, deciding to make coffee and breakfast before she woke.
Throwing on clean jeans and a new t-shirt, Dean made his way down the hall, grinning to himself the whole way as he thought about Y/N, their bond, the sex, and that she was expecting. It was a lot to take in and a lot could go wrong. But he still couldn’t take the happy grin from his face, or his heart.
“Morning,” Sam greeted from the kitchen table as Dean sauntered into the kitchen.
“Morning,” Dean responded, pouring himself a cup of coffee and taking a few gulps before heading to the fridge and pulling out items to make breakfast.
“Y/N still sleeping?” Sam asked and Dean nodded with a hum, “So…what now?”
“Back to the usual I guess,” Dean shrugged.
“Dean,” Sam chastised, “You’re married now,” he paused, waiting for a reaction from his brother who stayed stubbornly focused on cooking, “You have a wife, your soulmate,” he emphasized, “A-and a freakin’ baby on the way.”
“Oh, I’m very much aware,” Dean flashed a smirk over his shoulder. A long silence stretched out between them as Dean finished fixing up a simple breakfast, before leaning against the counter and finally facing his brother, “Do you think maybe I should take some time, like maybe a honeymoon or something?”
“Really?” Sam said in surprise, his brows risen to his hairline, “Yeah. Yeah, I think that’s a great idea actually.”
“Do you think we can?” Dean then asked dejectedly, “It’s not like we ever have time to vacation or anything-”
“I’m gonna stop you there,” Sam interrupted, “We’ve dropped everything to drive for days to go to a game or go fishing or whatever. We’ve dropped everything so many times, for so many reasons, work or not. This is definitely one of those times where you need to drop everything. She’s not even from here. Her whole existence has just changed overnight. Yours too for that matter. You two need time to talk, to connect, to get to know one another.”
“You know I can’t quit, right?” Dean said after a beat, him and Sam exchange a long look. Y/N walked into the kitchen then - more like stumbled like a zombie with messy hair and half-open eyes. Two sets of eyes landed on her and warm smiles adorned the brother’s faces.
“Morning Y/N,” Sam chirped happily. She narrowed her eyes at him slightly, giving him barely a head nod, before shuffling to the coffee machine and making a cup. She plopped down at the kitchen table and began drinking her coffee in silence.
“Not a morning person, eh?” Dean chuckled as he took the seat beside her, across from his brother.
“I miss my bed,” she grumbled into her cup. Sam laughed and Dean’s brows furrowed.
“My bed is awesome,” he defended, “It’s memory foam!”
Y/N snorted at that, smiling dopily at him before focusing back on her coffee.
“It’s not bad,” she told him, “My bed is just taller, higher off the ground. It’s bigger, a queen. And it’s a firm mattress with a four inch memory foam topper,” she grins at him, “It’s just a little bit more…inviting.” she shrugged.
“You two should go bed shopping,” Sam suggested casually. Two heads simultaneously snapped in his direction, equal looks of embarrassment on their faces. Sam snorted, “You’re married,” he reminded the two of them with a grin like he was talking to children, “Are you not gonna ‘move in together’? Go bed shopping and get something that you both like.”
“We haven’t really talked about that yet, Sam,” Dean said through gritted teeth.
“Okay, well…do you want to sleep together?”
“Sam!”
“Do you?”
Y/N and Dean looked at each other and blushed. Dean smiled warmly at her, “Yeah,” he said, looking at Sam again, “We do.”
“Then go buy a bed!” Sam laughed, standing from the table, “And go on a honeymoon,” he shouted over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.
“A honeymoon?” Y/N laughed, meeting Dean’s eyes once more as he sat beside her. Her matched her smile, a hand coming to rest casually on her thigh.
“Yeah. You want?” He wiggled his brows at her, biting his bottom lip as she blushed hard and giggled.
“That could be fun,” she agreed with a nod, finishing off her coffee, “What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know,” he laughed, taking a moment to refill their mugs and rejoining Y/N at the table, his hand finding her thigh once more, “I never really thought about a honeymoon. Never thought I’d have one.” She hummed in response, “What did you do on yours?”
“I’ve never had a honeymoon.”
“But you were married.”
“Doesn’t mean I had a honeymoon.”
Dean pouted in thought. He didn’t like that.
“But you had a wedding, right?” He was suddenly feeling guilty. They were married, but they didn’t have a wedding. He was in dirty, rumpled clothes and she was in pajamas. Shit, she was still in pajamas. He’d have to give her a change of clothes, take her shopping.
“No. Just a simple thing, like what we did.”
“A dress?”
“No.” she shook her head and laughed a little, “Why does that bother you?”
“Because you should have those things,” he shrugged, shaking his head. “So what do you want to do? Where do you want to go?” he asked, trying to bring them back to happy conversation, “Whatever you want, we’ll do it.”
“I dunno,” she shrugged, “With you?” she smirked, “Probably a long road trip in Baby, some stops at cabins, beachside cottages, romantic B and B’s,” she giggled, blushing at him. Dean couldn’t help it. He crashed his lips into hers hungrily and she opened up to him, giving back in kind.
“Is that really what you want or you just saying that for me?” he breathed against her lips.
“That’s what I want with you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and stealing a kiss of her own, “Don’t you?”
“Whatever you want,” he promised, kissing her again. This whole thing was new and exciting and he couldn’t get enough of it.
Dean forced himself from the kiss, focusing them on eating. His mind was whirling with thoughts and plans. But it all started in one place.
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Forevers:
@sis-tafics
@lyarr24
@calaofnoldor
@hobby27
@spnbaby-67
Dean Winchester:
@akshi8278
@jerkbitchidjitassbutt
Serendipitous Souls:
@brilovesdeanwinchester
@xhannahbananax03
@440mxs-wife
@crist1216
@deans-baby-momma
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renorasims · 3 years
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I’m still going to be around, creating and active in the community! After a rough couple of months with constant stress of keeping my quantity production up to par, i’m taking some months off of Patreon.
When?
My billing cycle will be paused for at least 3 months. During this period pledged patron will not be charged. At the end of March i will re-evaluate if i need more time or start up my page again. I will inform you ahead of time if/when i start up my page again! I will change the bio of my patreon page/tiers/website accordingly so people will know that there will be no early-access/pre-release items for at least 3 months.
Continuing support?
Pausing the billing cycle only pauses the monthly billing cycle, which is only at the start of the new month. So if you pledge, you get charged right away. If you’ve already pledged/are an active patron and want to donate; you have to un-pledge and re-pledge to get charged. This way, i can still use Patreon as a donating system. Please don’t feel obliged or anything! I love you regardless<333
Why?
I need to take a nice looong breather and i just want to play the freakin’ game for awhile haha! =) Also; update my CC on my slow-poke pace, experience what needs to be made bc i miss it in-game and... last but not least; make CC in peace! Care to know more? Read further below!
First and foremost; thank you so much to everyone who ever supported me! I cannot possibly put into words how this made a difference for me the  past 1,5 years i’ve been doing Patreon <333! Till this day, it paid for most of my creating expenses (software subscriptions, hosting fees). Please don’t take the below explanation as a insult or me being  ungrateful or anything. Its has nothing to do with that! Its just the reality of my current situation.
While i enjoyed and hopefully one day might enjoy Patreon again, it has also put a strain on me and my personal life. I know more creators struggle with ‘the pressure’ and i just want to share my side of it. To enlighten the other side of the coin (pun intended).
Creating CC takes time, in my case a lot bc im a freak and tend to uphold myself to absurd standards for some reason. bc of this i never learned how to be more chill and just ‘let it go’. I sometimes have periods that every pixel needs to be right which is absurd. Its also takes inspo and sometimes... the juices just aren’t flowing. Now, there is not room for times like that.
There’s this certain expectation to get 3/4 items each month since that’s the unwritten ‘rule’. If you look at most pages, that’s the unwritten (sometimes written) ‘threshold’. I failed to deliver that, twice. ‘Only’ had 3 items for that month and immediately people unpledged citing something “did not deliver what was promised”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s your right to do so! If you’re not satisfied than by all means, do what you have to do!
Hear me say this in the nicest way possible; just try to remember that at the other side of the screen there is a person working for 1-3$ a month (i get maybe $0,75-2,5 of it after conversion fees, Patreon fees, etc not to mention; taxes... which is at least a 3rd of the total amount, here in the Netherlands) in my case at least 32 hours a month. In most months its more but im a bit embarrassed to reveal how slow i work. Being a "smaller" Patreon Creator (nothing wrong with that!) i don't make 'big money' with it. The biggest misconception of Patreon i think. It's super nice(!) to earn anything with it! Don't get me wrong! but the hours never weigh in for the earned amount in my case unfortunately. And reading those exit-polls after those 2 incidents... I stopped reading them all together. It crushes someone’s soul who’s literally working her/his ass off to deliver you CC and only came up 1 item short. bc of this i sometimes (in rare cases, thank god) had to go for quantity instead of quality which is NOT for me.
Please know: most of my patron’s aren’t like that all! 95% is satisfied/understanding/loving and supporting all the way!!! I love you guys to the moon and back and thank you for being there this past 1,5 years! <333 I only experienced this twice in 2 years but still... it takes the pressure to a level that’s just not healthy (for me) to sustain.
A lot of creators seem to work the whole Patreon thing quite well. I really hope they do, I’m happy for them! and hope they can continue to grow healthily! Nevertheless, I can’t help but feel that i’m not alone in this. Being open about this is hard bc people think you’re making ‘all this money’ and you don’t want to come off as ‘complaining’. I totally understand, i had the same feelings. At the end of the day i chose to share my side bc i suspect there’s a lot more stress/pressure going on behind those pages than non creating simmers could possibly comprehend. I rlly hope this can contribute to more knowledge and understanding what can be happening behind a Patreon Page.
Hopefully I can come back in a few months! I still wish I could create full time some day (putting in less hours at my normal job) and will actively keep this in mind but i might have to acknowledge/accept that it will never happen. I have to see if i can conquer my own insecurities and reshape that idea in order for it to work in a sustaining and healthy situation.
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meepmoopfanfics · 4 years
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you don’t get a win unless you’re playing the game: Daveed Diggs x Reader Chapter 6 Part 2
The familiar sound of Alexander Hamilton blares through your phone speakers waking you from your deep, restful sleep. You reach over to snooze it but are almost too excited to continue rehearsals to even close your eyes again. It’s 7:30am. Monday. It’s finally here. The day you would rehearse for your dream show in front of your dream cast. The sunlight peeks through your window, shining warm, bright light on your cheeks, filling your soul with positive energy for the day. You reach over to your nightstand to flip through your script to make sure you’re able to nail all of the alto harmonies in front of the whole cast today. 
You had your rehearsal outfit laid out from the night before. You weren’t one to be this organized or prepared... but for Hamilton?! You were instantly on top of your shit. You pulled on your favorite black Lululemon leggings, a camo sports bra (you’re ready for battle here!), and a cute cropped burgundy shirt from Urban Outfitters. You threw on a white Nike hoodie over top to keep you warm when you weren’t dancing. You giggled at the thought of potentially wearing your copy of Daveed’s signature Purple Oaklandish hoodie to rehearsal that you got as a gag gift from your parents on your last birthday. One day that would have to happen. Would be fangirling at its finest. Maybe you would eventually just burn it so no one saw.
Your subway ride to the Richard Rogers was not as chaotic as usual. The trains were on time and you felt like the universe was finally on your side. You stopped into the coffee shop across the street to grab a large black coffee and a classic bacon, egg, and cheese on an English muffin with avocado to get you going. You were there a little early so you could foam roll and stretch while listening to chill music. You always needed your “me” time to get into your groove before facing the day. You walked into your dressing room and were so happy to see Michelle already there, devouring her favorite Panera bagel, the cinnamon crunch. Mid-bite, she squeals at seeing you.
“Y/N!!! You have me on the edge of my freakin seat here. What in the HELL happened after brunch?”
You giggled and felt the heat come over your face. 
“Let me tell you Michelle... it was everything.”
“Was it good?!” Michelle immediately blurted out.
“...yeeeeeeeah...” You said through a smirk. 
“WAS HE BIG?!” Michelle yelled.
“SHHHHH” You said to shut her up while snickering.
You both laughed so hard you felt tears coming to your eyes. Thankfully there was no one else in the dressing rooms near you yet so you weren’t that worried. 
Until two seconds later when you heard a knock from wall next to you.
Michelle and you screamed and continued to die laughing. 
“Laaaaaadieeees!! What’s goin oooon?” Anthony bursts into your dressing room without warning. “What are ya laughin’ about?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing!” You said quickly back, continuing the laughter.
“Oh yeah?! Nothin at all to do with Diggs, right?” Anthony’s signature grin came across his face as his face turned red as he held back laughter. He nudged your arm a couple of times. “I heard the whole thing, Y/N, the walls are paper thin. But it’s chill! It’s chill!” He waved his hands signaling that he would keep a secret and would have your back. Then out of no where he whisper taunts “Diggs is after the bullet! Diggs is after the buuuulleeeeet!!!”
Thankfully Anthony’s actual dressing room was upstairs next to Diggs. Ant was only visiting the PT room to warm up.
“You’re the absolute worst!” You responded.
“Enjoy your breakfast ladies!” Anthony waved goodbye in the silliest way and headed back out. 
You and Michelle caught up over your breakfast sandwiches. You showed her the note you wrote on your phone about your hookup, trying not to miss out on any details when telling her. Your attentiveness to details and your photographic memory were so helpful when it came to choreography, but when it came to remembering events, it was both a blessing and a curse. Re-reading it, however, was having you break a sweat more than if you started warming up.
Michelle then filled you in on her evening with Cedric. You knew the two of them were bound to become a thing even though she was hesitant about it. And thankfully you wouldn’t have to worry about Cedric coming on to you in any way.
--
Time passed and both you and Michelle warmed up together, foam rolled, and got ready to go. You started to get butterflies thinking about dancing for Lin Manuel Miranda. He was having his alternate, Javier, stand in for rehearsals so he could watch from the theater. He was going to see your every move of Act 1. You were proud of yourself for how well you knew the show and felt perfectly comfortable with your castmates. 
“Alright good morning everyone!” You heard from the loud speaker that reached all rooms backstage. “You all can make your way to the stage for our first run through of Act 1! Make sure you grab your mic belts and mics from sound. Thank you! Everyone to stage, please, everyone to stage.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.” You said aloud. 
You made your way to the stage. Even though you already had seen the set and the majestic view of the theater seats in the Richard Rogers, it still gave you chills every time. The intricate detailing in the set design was something you could stare at for hours and continue to find something new.
You walked out of your comfort zone to stand next to Anthony who was giving Jasmine a shoulder massage. They were so sweet and truly the epitome of what love/healthy relationships should be and look like.
You looked around at everyone chatting to each other in awe. There was Oak making Michelle and Cedric laugh as if they’d been best friends for years, Renee and Philippa giggling and rubbing each others arms to stay warm, and Leslie pacing already in his craft, perfecting every last detail to ensure he still had that Tony winning performance in him.
Stephanie was seated a few rows back to get a good view of the full stage and balcony. Andy, the choreographer, wasn’t there this week since he was working on some other projects, but he would be coming to watch soon. You couldn’t wait to dance for Andy again, your dream choreographer. She sat next to Alex Lacamoire with the “god mic” which she would be shouting out notes and corrections from during the run.
“Check check...” Stephanie said in a low, radio-esque voice. “It’s me, God.”
The entire cast and crew erupted in laughter.
“Just jooooking it's Steph. WHAT’S UP WOLF PAAACKKK?!”
The OBC woo’d, shouted, and clapped. 
Then you heard a familiar raspy voice shout, just about an inside voice, “It’s too early SK.”
You looked over to see Daveed looking hella hot with his hair pulled up a-la Lafayette style with his glasses on, scratching the scruff of his freshly trimmed beard.
“It’s too early for shots out the grammy hangovers, Diggs.” Stephanie responded playfully. You hoped one day you’d get to take one out of the grammy.
Daveed looked tired, but so sexy as expected. He was dessed in a Black Oaklandish tank and red sweats, with a black hoodie tied around his waist. You instantly you got a sour feeling in your stomach. You imagined him partying out late with other women, hooking up with them after he threw back a few Belvedere shots with Rafa... wait. Your mind was making up situations that were not even real. Shit... I guess you were starting to like this idiot. You rolled your eyes at yourself and focused back on his bulging biceps to snap out of it.
Gotta pay attention, gotta pay attention. You thought.
“I can guess who he was out late with!!” Anthony softly whispered in your ear. Jasmine instantly hit him on the shoulder giving him a dirty, yet playful look. 
“Oh shut it, A.” You whispered back as you elbowed him in the side. 
Daveed looked over at you and Ant but had no idea what you both said. His eyes then met yours, sending a heartbeat to your core. He winked at you quickly and smirked. You winked back.
“I see you, Y/N...” Jazzy whispered. “You guys are acting like Ant and I did when we started this shindig.”
“It’s nothing, really.” You said while breaking eye contact, trying to sound chill.
“Y/N... don’t you dare lie to me!” She giggled. You were dumbfounded by her perfectly clear skin.
“Well, we’re just two super flirty people, it’s nothing, well, nothing more than that on his end I don’t think.”
“Girl just be patient. Enjoy it. He really isn’t openly flirty with many people. He sees what he likes and takes it. You’ll see. If anyone knows that, we do.” Jazzy mentioned while pointing at her and A. She then started softly warming up her vocal chords and gave you a pat on your shoulder. She was so sweet and the positive, chill energy she brought into the room was contagious.
“Lets take it from the top y'all!” Stephanie shouted on her mic.
You headed backstage to get ready for opening. You and Daveed started backstage Left together. You approached him and he gently placed his warm hand on your lower back as you passed him.
“Morning, (Y/Nickname). Merde, babygirl.” He said as you walked to your wing.
“Mornin, Lafayette.” You said as you snickered. “Loving the hair.”
He smiled and shook his little poofball on top of his head back at you as you both settled into your spots.
The piano keys pounded the same melody as you heard from your alarm waking up this morning. An unreal moment for you. After Leslie sung his solo, one by one the principals started rapping the words to Alexander Hamilton. It was hard not to mouth them under your breath. It went perfectly. Aaron Burr, Sir went through quickly since you weren’t on stage really. You didn’t get a single note during My Shot. The little moments you had together bantering with Daveed were cute and he “shoved you with love” as the chorus says during rehearsals if you know someone’s in the wrong spot. One after one, you all nailed your dances. You and Cedric nailed your partnering with only one slight mishap with the basket toss lifts in Helpless, since it was your first time using the rehearsal skirts. They were heavy as hell.
Then came time for Stay Alive. Your first moment as the Bullet in front of Lin. You counted and perfectly grabbed the bullet from M4′s rifle causing Stephanie to come on the mic and say “You better work, Y/N!” You smiled as you mimicked the bullet just surpassing Javier’s skull. You respected Javier so much because he took his work so seriously. That’s how you wanted to be known. The quick change into the British army coat was going to be difficult, but you know the dressers backstage were on top of it a and would make sure you’d get to stage on time once the show premiered.
The rest of the run through was a sheer blur of running back stage through the wings, mimicking where your quick changes would be, staring at awe at Daveed as he rapped 19 words in 3 seconds, even while completely hungover, and chugging water bottle after water bottle. This was tough stuff. Non stop was a cardio routine essentially, and pushing Chris as Washington on the moving stairs was way tougher that you thought. You didn’t want to hurt the set so you were extra gentle with it. The way Stephanie responded to the cast was so positive. You all were knockouts. She gave some notes to Michelle about her mother lift, which she corrected and perfected immediately. You were so thankful to be part of such a talented and intelligent cast who were quick on their feet and no nonsense.
“If that were in costume, that would’ve been a near perfect first run for your cast.” Stephanie said.
“EXCEPT I WASN’T IN IT.” Lin said as he snatched the mic. The cast giggled as they plopped onto the stage floor, panting from the run. “My new cinnamon rolls are perfect. PERFECT I tell you. I can feel all of your energy beaming from the stage. I can’t wait to perform with you all. This is truly an honor.”
Everyone clapped together. Just so happy to be performing after such a long time apart. You’ve never felt more proud.
“Now OBC’s... make sure we don’t let our comfortability tinge our performance okay? Remember when the material was fresh and fun? We need to make it fresh and fun for our audiences. Jazz watch the eye contact with Ant, you’re gonna ruin it for the LAM fans if John Laurens looks like he's straight.” Everyone laughed. “Also Daveed, quit milking your side moments with Y/N.” 
“I noticed that too...” Steph chimed in in a tone which sounded like she had discovered a secret.
You began to feel embarrassed and covered your face with your hands.
“I was shoving with love!” Daveed shouted, trying to make the situation less awkward. He didn’t look back at you, no recognition, no nothing. Your stomach started to churn with nerves again. Could he not admit he was flirting with you? I guess it was a professional setting, but still sort of upsetting. 
“Alright let’s take a twenty minute break. New ensemble, we’ll go a little more in depth with minuscule notes and changes. Wolfpack, take a half hour before music brushup with Alex.” Steph turned off the mic and people dispersed into their dressing rooms, the green rooms, or into the audience to grab snacks/ foam roll.
Your Burgundy top was slightly sweat drenched from the hard work you put in. You got back up to your dressing room with Michelle and saw your phone light up with a text.
Diggs: You looked hella good out there, Y/N. Couldn’t take my eyes off of you
Y/N: Thanks, Diggs. You weren’t too shabby yourself ;)”
Diggs: Like I said before, even though I’m not technically the bullet, I still got ammo... and you have a twenty...
Your eyes widened. A quickie? Right now of all times? You couldn't. Not with the professionals in the room.
Diggs: My dressing room in 5?
Well I’ll be damned, Lafayette’s on my side... you sung in your mind.
Y/N: Here? You sure it’ll be okay?
Diggs: I don’t share a room. Only if you’re comfortable, babygirl
You felt a pulse go to your opening when he said that. Also him calling you babygirl drew you over the edge. You also didn’t realize how much of a turn on it would be to potentially hookup in the very place the most respected people who’ve ever worked on Hamilton would be simultaneously working, unfazed at what would soon happen behind Daveed’s dressing room walls.
Y/N: I’m in
You checked yourself out in the mirror without saying a word to Michelle, made sure your flyaways were sprayed back, put some more deodorant on and gave yourself a splash of your fave perfume.
“And where the hell are you in a hurry to go to, missy?” Michelle said as you began to briskly exit out of the dressing room.
“Can’t talk, will update you later. Love ya.” You winked in her direction. Her eyes widened and she started laughing to herself as you closed the door behind you while ferociously typing a new text to get Diggs excited.
Y/N: Your shirt better be off by the time I get to your dressing room. 
Diggs: Way ahead of you
Diggs: Can’t wait to hear you struggle not to moan
God damn, Diggs.
Y/N: Oh yeah? How cocky of you to assume you’d make me moan ;)
Diggs: You know I will
Diggs: And I know just how I can muffle them ;)
Fuck.
Your brisk walk turned into a light jog as you became desperate. You climbed the last set of stairs to his dressing room and stood outside of the door that was slightly cracked ajar. Here you were again, with one inch of barrier between you two. You couldn’t wait any longer.
You lightly knocked on the door and waited.
@alexander-hamilhoe
@riiyy
@lonelydance
@braidedchallah
@ohsoverykeri-blog
@roman0ffxnat
@lizzzaaaaaaaaaaa
@i-know-i-can
@vemazing
@ramp-it-up 
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belliesandburps · 3 years
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Followup with MGS4 Peace Walker and 5?
History has a funny way of repeating itself. :P
This one's actually gonna be long, so I'll cap it here to spare those uninterested in non-kink posts the burden of having to scroll past this fanboy rant. 'XD
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
3. It's Okay
Soooooo...not a controversial opinion to say that I don't think MGS4 is GREAT. I adored it when it first game out, and I still enjoy replaying it from time to time. But good lord, so many of the interviews shed light on a LOT of this games problems.
Some backstory is required. Hideo Kojima was done with MGS by this point. He planned to move on and leave the series to the younger generation. But then, there was a lot of internal conflict and struggle to determine what MGS4 should be after Fukushima quit (AND was rumored to have been murdered by the Yakuza...how that rumor started...and became a SERIOUS rumor that millions believe, I do not know...). So Kojima came back, course corrected, and the end result was kind of a giant mess.
I'm not talking story because, there's just way too much to unpack. But as a game, MGS4 can't decide what sort of video game it wants to be. It had a brilliant idea that had never been done before with its Battlefield Stealth, which were the best parts of the game. And then they get dropped two acts in, and what gets replaced in their stead is not nearly as fun.
The game had substantially less boss fights than its predecessor, and a lot of them were mechanically simplistic or just didn't let you get creative with how you fought them. And we later learned there were a lot more bosses planned, more gameplay sequences planned, and an entire other PMC group that got canned in favor of the Scarabs so Shadow Moses could be guarded by machines instead.
There's a lot about MGS4 that I love. I think the first two acts are amazing, ESPECIALLY Act 2. I think the mechanics are great. REX vs RAY is criminally fun. The sheer buffet of insane weapons gives the game a good amount of replay value. And the graphics still hold up to this day!
But what I finally realized is that the game juggles way too many ideas and doesn't give any idea the time they deserve to flourish. Battlefield Stealth could've CARRIED MGS4. But it gets dumped before we can get our moneys worth. A disguise sequence could've been really creative, having to juggle different identities with OctoMask every time one identity is burned. But it's only used once and wasted because it's only used for a terrible tailing mission that doesn't let you actually explore the European City. And too many of the action set pieces are kind of bland except the bosses and piloting Metal Gear.
MGS4 should've been MGS4. Not MGS's "Best Hits."
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
1. LOVED it!
I know this is unpopular to say, but I'll say it. Peace Walker is one of the best Metal Gear games ever made. I adored almost everything about it. The gameplay improves on MGS4 in most ways because it doesn't juggle a billion ideas all at once. It's MGS4 stripped down to stealth action from start to finish, and that's all I wanted. The level design is great. The insane volume of guns changes the entire feel of combat in later post-campaign gameplay. The mission select options mean you can jump into all the parts of the game you enjoy the most. There's TONS of bonus missions that are really inventive and fun to replay. And the story is one of the best in the series. It's straight forward, very tight, characterized well, and is the best iteration of Big Boss to date.
Peace Walker's also the FUNNIEST MGS game by Kojima as well. There's so much more personality and levity to everything, to the point where Big Boss often feels like an MCU character. That might sound bad, but it's really not. That corniness fits MGS PERFECTLY, and I'd argue is tonally spot on for this series. MGS doesn't need to be dark, gory or explicit. It's a silly series that's about giant robots, corny bad ass super agents with an anti-nuke message.
The only downsides to Peace Walker are the QTE's and the boss fights. This was a feature that only ever appeared in this game and for good reason...it was fucking terrible. So basically, you had cutscenes that forced you to do various QTE's or else get dinged on your ratings at the end, even if you played perfectly. Fairly minimal, but then, you get to Strangelove's torture. And this is the single most rage-inducing part of any MGS game ever made. It's an insanely physically painful button mashing sequence that will leave your fingers raw and your PS3 triangle buttons jamming. And the ONLY way you can replay one of the best missions in the game (the prison escape where you have no items) is by redoing that sequence over and over. And the boss fights? While inventive, they're all just grindy bullet sponges with no personality, no stealth tactics, and no room for creativity the way you can get creative with every other MGS game's bosses. This was the biggest disappointment for me because the stealth and combat mechanics of PW are great and would've been SO good against human enemies like what Portable Ops had. Instead, every boss is a mini-Metal Gear all voiced by the VOCALOID AI from the mid 2000's, and each one takes forever to destroy. It sucks because PW had a TON of bosses, but only a few of them are any fun, and that's only if you have weapons that are strong enough that they don't take ages to destroy.
But asides from the bosses, the REST of the game is so damn good that I don't even care because that's just one element to a much larger, grander game. Which is even more impressive when you consider PW was originally on the PSP before the PS3 port. And this game has more content and replay value to it than most games I've played since.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
1. LOVED it!
Hooooooookay...so, I've rambled about my storybook romance with MGSV for YEARS now. (Just ask @twistedtummies2, he's been subjected to my fanboying of this game more than anyone in existence XD) But there's a reason I regard this game as one of my all time favorites and the best MGS game to date.
It's REALLY freakin' fun.
Kojima had been re-energized by the time he got to MGSV. He'd been working on the game around the time he finished Peace Walker in 2010. He KNEW it was his final MGS game and wanted to do something completely different...
...He wanted to make a game where the central focus was on...waaaaait for it...the gameplay...
MGSV was designed to be, what he described, as a toybox. You have these missions that all take place in structurally unique outposts like any level in MGS. And the missions are designed with the structure needed so that they all feel different, but all remain so open ended that you can play them countless different ways.
MGSV's game model is everything GTA SHOULD'VE been. It fully embraces the open world freedom and incorporates that into the missions flawlessly. And it plays in such a way that stealth and combat both feel like they were the primary point. In MGS, combat is usually a last resort. But with MGSV, you can fly into an outpost blasting away on your helicopters mini-gun, shoot up the bad guys, rescue your target, throw them back into the chopper and fly away while "The Final Countdown" blares on your choppers loud speakers.
Every method of gameplay is valid and the controls, the enemy AI responsiveness, it's all, bar none, the best I've experienced in ANY video game. Sneaking around feels tight and tense and combat makes you feel like Jack Bauer on adrenaline. (I mean, he IS the voice of Venom Snake)
And I really like the story for the most part too. Its weaknesses are really glaring. Namely, the "Fun" of MGS is completely devoid in the story (which is really odd since it's FRONT AND CENTER in-game). Venom Snake only has maybe six minutes of dialogue in the entirety of this 30+ hour long game. And the way Skull Face gets completely undercut right at the home stretch is something I have NOT stopped bitching about for almost six years, and my friends can personally attest to that.
That and the ending feels too abrupt.
We know that Kojima got fired by Konami's VP and said VP scorched the entire production company after that and made a series of dickheaded decisions that pissed off a LOT of fans, burning much of the good will Konami IP fans had towards the company. But that had nothing to do with MGSV's abruptness. That was the plan from the start because only Kojima would think to end the entire series on a plot twist like that.
And I think the issue isn't the twist at all. In fact, I LOVE the twist. The issue is that the game should've continued beyond it so Venom Snake could cope with the truth and realize how badly he'd been screwed. I think even people who hated the twist could've been won over if there was a little more to the games epilogue than Episode 46.
Also, the games boss fights were a tad underwhelming. Not the fights themselves, I LOVED all five of the games bosses.
Oh? There were twelve?
No. I meant what I said. Because so many of the games bosses are rematches against the same bosses. All MGSV has is the Skulls, Quiet, Eli, The Man on Fire, and Metal Gear. They're great bosses that do everything the best MGS bosses always did; give you tons of options, incorporate combat AND stealth, have varied attacks AND even have multiple methods to sneak around the boss and avoid the fight completely. But for a game as long as MGS, you need more variety. And frankly, the bosses NEED more personality. Skull Face should've had more XOF assassins acting as the bosses in the game along with the ones we have. Elite assassins like Quiet, with their own powers and specialized weaponry so the fights feel completely different from the ones we have. And oh yeah, SKULL FACE HIMSELF SHOULD'VE HAD A GOD-FUCKING-DAMN BOSS FIGHT!!!!
Buuuuuuut those issues don't even matter if for all the games issues, I still replay it frequently when it's almost six years old.
So yeah! There's the massive rant you totally didn't ask for! :D
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eat-the-richard · 3 years
Text
Sonic’s 30th: What it could be and what it won’t be
Well folks, it's about that time again. Our beloved Sonic thee Hedgehog is turning the big three-oh this year.
I say that time “again” because, y’know, it seems like we just went through this. The last mainline Sonic releases, Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, were both revealed as part of Sonic’s 25th anniversary. In a sense, that’s all us fans really have to look forward to anymore. Waiting for about five-or-so rotations around the sun to pass until SEGA can slap that big number next to Sonic’s mug to usher out as much celebratory marketing material as they can, all for the chance to get a smidgen of new video games to get our hands on.
This anniversary feels... different, though. Last anniversary SEGA had an absolute winner on their hands in Sonic Mania. There was no way the team behind that one could possibly mess up. And even if Sonic Forces turned out like... that, it at least made sense from SEGA’s perspective to greenlight a game like it during that time. But the five years since those games were announced have done little to assuage my worries about what exactly is planned for this year’s big game.
You see, Sonic has kind of vanished. He’s lost. M.I.A.. Which feels strange. Even during the supposed “dark age” of Sonic, he never really went anywhere. New games were still being produced like clockwork for a whole host of gaming systems. From mainline titles to spinoffs, dedicated Sonic fans had a lot to sink their teeth into back then. Since the release of Forces, all we really have to show for ourselves is a (personally) insignificant expansion to Sonic Mania and a new racing title which, frankly, didn’t set the world on fire when it was released. I suppose there’s a whole host of mobile titles that I didn’t mention but it’s difficult to get excited over yet another Sonic auto-runner. Perhaps most bafflingly, there haven’t even been many ports of older Sonic titles to modern hardware. If the mid-2000s were the dark ages of Sonic, perhaps right now we’re living in the “silent age,” where basically nothing is even happening and the franchise is at an eternal standstill.
The sole exception to this self-titled silent era was the Sonic movie, which I don’t think anyone anticipated being as big of a success as it was. Including the studio behind it. And especially including SEGA. It was utterly baffling to me that, upon the film’s release, there was nothing in the way of a tie-in game. Nothing directly associated with the movie. Nothing separate to release alongside the movie. Nothing. Some have speculated that SEGA was supremely unconfident in the film and it's hard to argue otherwise. It seems that, in a sense, the movie was a success in spite of the company the IP is linked with.
That’s why this anniversary feels more peculiar than the last one. At least Sonic was doing something in the early 2010s. Perhaps nothing groundbreaking, but he was at least around. If it hadn’t been for the movie, how in the world would the series be attracting new fans? This anniversary needs to be big. It needs to be the explosive re-emergence of Sonic to not only please the jaded oldies but the next generation of kids. And… I just don’t anticipate anything of the sort.
To me, Sonic Team has about four directions they could take the 30th anniversary game. Here they are, listed in descending order of likelihood.
4. A new “boost” game. Sonic Team ain’t opening that can of worms again.
3. A new “classic Sonic” game. While Christian Whitehead’s new studio has been deafeningly silent since forming, I believe that we’d have a bit more information about a Sonic Mania sequel by now if that was indeed in development.
2. Something entirely different.
1. Sonic Adventure 3 (or comparable analog).
Now, your reaction to that list may differ depending on your preferences and the year you were born. To me, something evoking nostalgia to the two Sonic Adventures is the safest and most likely choice for SEGA and Sonic Team. Just as classic nostalgia permeated through the 2010s, Adventure nostalgia will trailblaze full force through the 2020s. There are a lot of people whose only exposure to Sonic at all is playing Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on their GameCube. And the only way those people could potentially get funneled back into the series is through a proper Sonic Adventure 3, or at least something like it.
This, of course, says nothing about the overall quality of what this new Adventure title would be. And really, this is my main concern with the 30th anniversary. Can I even trust Sonic Team anymore to put out a good game?
Regardless of style, I’m unconfident to say the least. The staff that worked on the Adventure titles are not at SEGA anymore. The staff that spearheaded the “boost trilogy” of Unleashed, Colors, and Generations are not at SEGA anymore. And modern-day Sonic Team’s idea of something entirely different is, well, unappealing. Sonic Lost World proved that trying to change the core of the series for its own sake leads to a bland and uninspiring experience. And Forces? Oh… Forces.
Really, Forces is the main reason why I’m so disillusioned. Maybe it was that I was excited for the grand return of the boost. Maybe it was that I loved Generations so much that a proper sequel to it couldn’t possibly be bad. Instead of being a sequel to Generations, though, it tries to be everything at once. A game to appeal to the classic fans, the Adventure fans, the boost fans, those whole love complicated narratives, those who love the many characters this series has, and, obviously, the Original Character Artists™. Jack of all trades, master of nothing. A directionless, soulless game that in some instances is seemingly artificially-generated.
If this spectacular 30th anniversary Sonic game is something entirely different, it had to break an astounding amount of new ground. It had to rethink and reshape the series so drastically that, honestly, I don’t think it's very likely. I don’t think Sonic Team has even the slightest clue about what makes their flagship IP so appealing to so many people. If the nostalgia-fueled 2010s are any indication, SEGA only understands what makes Sonic so popular on a superficial level. 
They know we liked the 2D games, so now EVERY game has 2D in it! Oh, they didn’t like that Sonic has green eyes. Well, let’s bring back the CLASSIC version of Sonic. Let’s actually make him his own character who will also appear in every game! 
New zone ideas? LMAO how about we reuse the same set of classic levels over and over! Green Hill? YES! Chemical Plant? Of course! Let’s make an entire game that has both Sonics running around in a bunch of old zones. Wait, didn’t we just do that idea last year for Sonic 4 Episode 1? And aren’t we going to do that idea NEXT year for Sonic 4 Episode 2? WAIT DID SOMEONE SAY CHECKERBOARD PATTERNS IN WINDY HILL ZONE!???!!!! 
Oh wait, Christian Whitehead just pitched to us a brand new 2D Sonic game with classic physics and new levels? We’ll let him do it, but ONLY if it is ANOTHER nostalgia game that reuses old zones! 
Let’s inundate our fans with the same images of their childhood to activate their dopamine receptors! 
I can hardly wait for what this team’s idea of Sonic Adventure nostalgia looks like. Hope you really like City Escape.
Really, while such appeals to nostalgia are welcome the first few times, after a while it starts to get grating. Sonic Team leaning so hard into it during the 2010s reeks to me of desperation. As if the constant callbacks are the only thing the team knows how to do to link new games with the rest of the series. 
In actuality, fans don’t like Sonic because of the classic design or 2D-platforming or Green Hill Zone. They may like those things, but it isn’t why they continue to support the series. Fans love Sonic so fervently because, when he hits on all cylinders, he really hits. His games play in a supremely rewarding way where skill mastery is key. The better you are at Sonic, the better you feel while playing it. The personalities and designs of all of the different characters, from Sonic to Tails to Vector the freakin’ Crocodile, are not only distinct from each other but bleed through into gameplay in the way that they control and in how they are animated. Sonic’s best stories are ones that people can really relate to, dealing with a whole host of themes such as environmentalism, resisting fascism, surpassing expectations, and even the concept of free will among nonhuman entities. Not especially deep, but certainly thought provoking, especially for kids. All tied together with top notch visual and audio design that will stand the test of time. I’d posit that, while people like Sonic for a whole host of reasons, their starting point lies somewhere in the above explanation.
Hopefully, Sonic Team has realized by now that nostalgia will only get them so far. While a Sonic Adventure 3 would turn heads, it wouldn’t push the series forward. While a proper sequel to Sonic Mania would be a critical darling, it would continue to keep Sonic’s feet firmly planted in 1991. Sonic needs to evolve. He needs to change. And it seems like a change is happening. Roger Craig Smith, the voice of Sonic for the last 10 years, is no longer working with the series. The new TV series, Sonic Prime, is set to take place in a “strange new multiverse.” Even the Sonic movie refuses to lean on nostalgia too hard. 
So maybe the future will be set in unfamiliar waters. But if this is the case, I don’t want SEGA to half ass it. I want them to boldly step into that abyss with a vision of Sonic that appeals to the heart of the fandom. Because, even if it's been down recently, that heart is still beating, and after the abuse it's already taken, it’s going to take a hell of a lot to get it to stop. And if SEGA can get this heart pumping to its full extreme as it had in years past, we may have something legendary to look forward to.
They could also just release a bunch of old Sonic games on Switch. I’d like that too.
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theonceoverthinker · 4 years
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Staff of Creation Theory Thoughts and Companion Theory
So, like most people in the Fair Game community, I’ve taken notice of the Staff of Creation Theory created by @fairgame-is-canon. To be honest, it took me a while to really believe in the theory -- no offense to fairgame-is-canon, he did a wonderful job creating it, and it’s got some serious backing by all sorts of great fairy tale meta. However, given how much of a blow 7X12 was to my confidence in the writing of RWBY, the new brand of pessimism it birthed in me felt that while the theory itself was good, it was also a stretch. But with more information being DISCORD-vered (Because puns) every day in the group page, I re-evaluated my feelings and started to think what I felt like a Clover resurrection would be like if this theory were true.
And as I thought on it, I found myself differing with the consensus as to some of the circumstances of the resurrection, namely Ironwood’s motivation for using it, how he would get the staff with the new Maiden, and the sacrificed being that would allow for it to happen. Again, I say this not as a slight to fairgame-is-canon, quite the contrary -- he’s one of the leading figures in the #CloverDeservedBetter movement, and I respect the hell out of him as well as consider him a friend -- but just as a fun ‘it could also go like this’ companion theory, so to speak. This one also won’t reference a lot of the meta aspects that back up this theory since that was all done by people far more apt to take it on than myself, but it will instead be focused on the story and character directions that would ultimately inform and follow this decision, in universe.
Now, with all of that said, let’s get to it!
The biggest point of difference between my version of the theory and fairgame-is-canon’s is Ironwood’s motivation for bringing back Clover in the first place. While I think it does make a lot of sense, I personally don’t fully subscribe to the theory that James will give his life to get Clover back. And to be fair, I think his thoughts on why Ironwood would bring him back are super well thought out -- I’m just coming out of V7 with a less than optimistic viewpoint over whether Ironwood can be redeemed at this point. I’m simply not really convinced he can be.
I can guess what you’re probably thinking: If I don’t believe James can be redeemed, then how will Clover be able to come back?
Well, I have a...darker opinion about how that’s going to happen.
To understate things, James is in a BAD spot right now. He lost control over the Winter Maiden, he no longer has access to the Staff of Creation (More on that problem in a minute), he’s all alone, his resources are exhausted, Grimm are destroying Mantle, and oh yeah -- SALEM IS ON HIS DOORSTEP WITH A FREAKIN’ GRIMM WHALE OF DOOM! So now, even his plan of retreating with the staff is utterly moot since Salem is -- again -- RIGHT THERE!
James needs a little bit of help, and a WHOLE LOTTA luck.
Say, wasn’t there someone who used to provide that for him?
So James hears that Qrow and Robyn were brought in, and goes to find out where Clover is, unaware that Clover’s dead.
But Qrow is fast to let him know that.
He SCREAMS at James for Clover’s death, swearing revenge in a rage. James doesn’t even know how to take all of this. Clover’s dead...he truly is doomed.
But during Qrow’s outburst, James notices something -- Clover’s pin in Qrow’s hand.
And then he gets an idea.
James confiscates the pin, and ignoring Qrow’s loud protests and promises of revenge, takes a walk over to the hospital wing.
He walks past Clover’s bed, oddly and notably offhandedly, and instead goes a few doors down...to where Winter’s hospital bed is.
Winter is apologetic for losing control of the Winter Maiden, but James is surprisingly not furious. Instead, he simply and stoically asks who the Winter Maiden is.
And whether intentionally or not, Winter reveals the answer to him.
It’s Penny.
With that revelation, the last piece of James’ plan falls into place, and far easier than he expected it to be at its conception.
Now, Penny may be the Winter Maiden, and emotionally, she’s a real girl first, but she’s also a robot, and a robot James has assured others in the past is under his control.
What if that wasn’t just fluff, said to comfort the already apprehensive council?
And what if, just like he did team RWBYJNROQ’s scrolls, James can take control over Penny whenever he wants?
From the safety of the airship, Penny is unintentionally propelled away from her friends and through the sky back to Atlas Academy. It’s absolutely HORRIFYING to watch, and tragic as even after receiving the ultimate moment of validation that she IS a real girl, Penny is reminded that real girl or not, she’s a robot at the end of the day and just as subject to a certain level of powerlessness as ever. Ruby stretches out her arm as much as she can to try and grab her -- she might even go into Petal Burst mode...but she fails.
James forces her to open the vault, grabs the staff, sacrifices a random minion of his (Or maybe Watts, and that’s why he kept Watts alive), and brings Clover back.
And the episode ends with James holding the staff, and a blinding blue light taking over.
The next one begins at the hospital. The flatline that is next to Clover’s body slowly springs back to life.
Clover wakes up in the same hospital bed that he was in in the previous episode, gasping as he recalls the last moments of his life. Instinctively, he looks to his stomach, which is now whole once more (Pun intended), maybe with a neat blue scar to match the staff’s color.
The nurses and doctors are astounded, and so is he but before they can say anything, Clover runs out of bed.
He's alive, and he needs Qrow to know that.
He RUNS to the jail and DEMANDS to see Qrow, pushing past the guards and running directly into the line of cells.
Qrow and Robyn are sitting in a cell towards the back when suddenly, Qrow hears his name called by an impossible person.
"QROW!"
Qrow and Robyn barely have a moment to register who is calling his name before Clover shows up on the other side of the cell.
It’s all Qrow can do to not lose his balance, and Robyn (Who is also more than a bit happy herself) helps him stay on his feet as he approaches Clover. You can see in Qrow’s eyes that he’s wondering if this is a dream, or if he’s truly gone insane.
But no...something gets through to him that this is the real Clover Ebi.
Through the bars, forgetting everything and everyone else just for this moment, they hug, unashamed of everything that they mean to each other. Qrow might tear up a bit.
Clover is about to call over a guard to release them, but then remembers...Qrow was put under arrest for more than just his murder.
That’s when both of them (Plus Robyn) ask how this is even possible.
And then, James comes in.
He tells Clover that he brought him back because he is his most loyal aide, and then directs him out of the jail cell. Clover really doesn't want to leave -- not without Qrow -- but James refuses. Reluctantly, Clover complies with James’ wishes, but before that happens, once James has left the cell, he promises Qrow and Robyn he'll figure this out and convince James to free them.
Throughout the volume, Clover comes to realize how fucked up James' priorities are, but still thinks his mind can be changed. During this time, he also visits the prison once or twice to confer with Qrow and Robyn. It's during those visits that we learn just why Clover trusts James so much. My theory is that James never made Clover feel like he was just his semblance, and was useful for his skills and kind heart.
But then, he inadvertently finds out that James indeed did only revive Clover for his semblance. James is stoic once this truth comes to light, and alongside the doubts that had already been overwhelming Clover over James’ priorities, this convinces Clover to finally leave James’ company.
It's exciting, non?
AND there's more
@whipped4qrow helped me out with this one
Clover then goes to the jail to finally free Qrow and Robyn...but they aren't there (Think Zuko trying to rescue Iroh in “The Day of Black Sun” in ATLA).
That's right! The Happy Huntresses freed them!
But Clover knows where they're going, and this time, he’s staying on Qrow’s side until the bitter end.
We catch up with Qrow an episode later, and after leaving the Happy Huntresses to pursue another Grimm, Tyrian finds him, and the two are set up for another fight. 
However, Qrow's all alone, and after fighting a bunch of Grimm (Probably not even using Harbinger), Tyrian is FAR more equipped to take him on than vice versa. He has Qrow on the ropes, but suddenly, Tyrian is propelled backwards by his tail, screaming as he flies through the air.
Qrow is on the floor, and panics because snow dust covers his vision. He’s unsure of what will happen next. 
But then, he sees a hand through the dust, and takes it.
And as the dust clears, he sees Clover standing there, holding his hand, and smiling.
“Need some help?”
Qrow smiles back. 
“You bet I do.”
And together, they beat the SHIT outta Tyrian!
I don’t have any real predictions beyond that, but I think this companion theory gives way to complete Clover, James, Tyrian, and Qrow’s character arcs.
...That’s all, folks.
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prototypelq · 8 months
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DMC Questions Anon here!
Capcom has called to tell you they've put you in charge of the next DMC game. They left no instructions but one: the game focuses on Dante and Vergil after the events of DMC 5. How will you do the game? What will the plot be? How will you have their relationship progress throughout the game?
Hi, Ember! Your timing is, as always, suspiciously accurate
Just the day you sent this ask I saw a post with this screenshot and saved it to answer later
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Funny thing is, my answer to this post is disagreement with this point on a fundamental level.
I have an extremely hard time imagining anything for DMC6, and one of the reasons is story. Capcom did a great thing when they actually acknowledged their series-founding character aging. Dante is not getting younger, physically it's not really a problem for him, but emotionally? This man should have gotten a mental retire like, after dmc4. I mean it. He shouldn't get sucked into another Sparda legacy drama, please no. Same for Vergil, man needs a gramophone, his bro to retire with, a library card and some freakin knitting needles or smth.
DMC1 started with the second lowest low the twins relationship had ever been at, DMC3 showed the divide of their relationship, DMC4 was the ghost of it and DMC5 had been the fallout of 20+ years of not-cooing-with-trauma. 5 ends with a perfect ending the twins were gifted by Hideaki Itsuno (bless the man), there is nowhere meaningful to take them.
(This is where I would have ranted about Mundus and how HE should be the main boss of the series, but he was sealed off and manga says twins could have defeated him even in their twenties and capcom did not freakin retcon that)
Alas, this would have been my answer if you haven't added the mandatory twins rule xD (to be fair, it does sound like a rule executives force on a new game, cause how would they ever let go of idols like Dante&Vergil? the bois sell better than hot cookies)
This is where I go in reverse mode, because I think the post is actually onto something. A new game about twins conquering different regions/levels of Hell and fighting cool Hell Lords the entire time. It would also be a good opportunity for some worldbuilding overhaul I keep ranting about in every single ask!
The only gameplay feature I can imagine for the game, the one that was MUCH requested and so close to properly implemented in 5 should ABSOLUTELY return - proper coop. Not sure if splitscreen would work optimisation-wise, but they should freakin try. RE engine turned out to be surprisingly adaptable and works insanely well in 5.
Character abilities wise - DMC5 is a goddamn masterpiece of slasher, I have absolutely no idea how to make it better. Dante alone requires you to study in Combo University for four years, and Vergil would freakin make you meditate in a cave without food or water for another four.
If the narrative could take a double plotlines structure and Nero would have his own adventures in the human world, it would be nice to give him more attention as well. And an opportunity for some new devil hunter characters (Master Summoner Patty) !
If DMC6 ever happens then Mundus HAS to be the endgame come on, that is (1) plotline DMC has hanging and it would be EPIC to make.
Twins-relationship wise I expect a Lot of banter. It would be awesome to have the second twin be AI piloted around the level with you.
As for bonding? Mixed feelings. Twins will have lots of time to learn to work together again, but I am not sure they can actually heal while in Hell. Hell trip is a constant run from and into violence, demon horders, hunting and being pursued in a maddening never-ending circle untill the twins are able to escape. This is not the best situation for healing, honest conversations, or supportive moments. Plus, the twins entire lives revolve around violence, I can only wish one day they can settle in a calm environment to learn to live without it too.
btw the last two sentences are like, the premise of Raven's @stashoflostsouls newest Take a trip or two awesome fic, definitely check it and her other works out if you liked the previous paragraph
So yeah, I believe the twins will progress a lot during their escapades, but the reforging of their brotherhood can only fully happen outside the violence they are regularly thrown into, and a retirement plot doesn't really sound like a good idea for a slasher game, does it.
as always, the rambles got the best of me.
tldr: Personally, I think the twins' story is done and they should be allowed to happily retire, but if the story continuing to revolve around them is the mandatory rule then my best guess is a cool slasher in Hell. Still, it wouldn't fully mend the twins relationship, even if the game would probably be very satisfying to play
(have you seen the coop mod videos online? those clips are insane)
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setsureadsshit · 4 years
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Lost At Sea: A List of WIP’s I am finally letting go of [ Part 2 ]
[ Part 1 ]
Exactly what it says on the tin.
Very Sincerely Yours by semaphoredrivethru
Summary: Terrified at the prospect of humiliating himself in front of the ton and completely ruining his first season with his crippling shyness, omega Stiles Stilinski does the only thing he can; he invents a sweetheart away at war. A completely fictitious and utterly gorgeous captain, a gentlemanly paragon of romance and adoration, an alpha with whom Stiles spends years "exchanging" letters.Years later, an angry, war-battered Derek Hale shows up at Stiles's door. He's no gentleman, and vehemently denies the existence of anything remotely resembling romance. He's received every last letter and has come to collect on Stiles's promises of home and marriage, no matter what.
Last Updated: 2018
Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek
Personal Notes: AHHHHH, THERE’S NOTHING I LIKE MORE THAN A GOOD REGENCY BODICE RIPPER AU. HOW UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS ONE NEVER GOT FINISHED. IT WAS SUCH A GOOD START TOO, I AM SO DISAPPOINTED. AHHHHHHH SO SAD.
Sold by onlyastoryteller
Summary: The government has passed two significant acts that eliminate the rights of convicted felons. When Peter Burke learns that Neal Caffrey's Work Contract has been purchased by a private citizen, he springs into action.
Last Update: 2018
Fandom & Main Pairing: White Collar ; Baffery
Personal Notes: While this fic is amazing and it hasn’t been THAT long since it was last updated (trust me, I’ve held on to fics for over 5 years on the hope it’d get updated lmao), this fandom and pairing just doesn’t interest me anymore; mostly because The Bullshit Season really turned me off from the show.
Sypha’s Boys by ShifterCat
Summary: “Back in the tomb under Greşit, Alucard asked you about that prophecy involving him. And… you blushed.”“O-oh.” That brought her up short. “Yes. That.” Sypha glanced away, gathering herself, then looked back decisively. “‘The Hunter, the Scholar, the Sleeping Soldier: they shall travel together. They shall defeat great evil together. They shall… love together.’”Trevor blinked a few times, allowing that to sink in. Then: “Your prophecy says we’re going to fuck?”
Last Update: 2019
Fandom & Main Pairing: Castlevania ; Syvorcard
Personal Notes: I mean, it says what it is on the tin - it’s just a collection of smut vignettes and after the first 5 chapters the sex kinda just gets old and I start to crave actual plot. That isn’t to say it’s not well written and I didn’t enjoy it but..you know *hand waves* 
Partners by wordswehavesaid
Summary: In which Barry Allen is the Starling City Police Department's forensics assistant. Yes, Starling.
Last Update: 2015
Fandom & Main Pairing: The Flash/Arrow ; Flarrow
Personal Notes: I love love love love LOVE this fic. I love it SO MUCH and it physically PAINS ME to let it go but it’s time. Still, at 25 hefty chapters, it’s not really a bad deal to put your time into it.
Take My Body by paraselenewoman
Summary: Derek and Jordan are Alphas. Stiles is their newly obtained omega. Everything is pretty terrifying.If given the chance, though, Stiles probably wouldn't change a thing.
Last Update: 2015
Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Derek x Stiles x Parish
Personal Notes: ......okay listen. I never said I was proud of all of my fic reading choices okay BUT SOMETIMES. SOMETIMES A BITCH JUST NEEDS SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED A/B/O Dom/sub DYNAMICS IN THEIR LIFE OKAY. YOU CAN’T SHAME ME - but I am a little embarrassed to admit it so let’s head to the next fic.
That Which Binds Them by Flarrow
Summary: Everyone is born with a mark shared by their soulmate, located somewhere around their shoulder blade. They say the mark burns upon meeting one's soulmate. Oliver knows what his is, but doesn't believe in the system. Barry doesn't know what his looks like, but he wants it to be a surprise.Set in The Flash and Arrow universes, but AU in the sense that I'm not sticking to the storyline laid out in either series, though I may borrow elements when they work for the story. Barry and Oliver are still The Flash and Arrow. Idea of the mark's location was inspired by the brand Oliver received in “The Fallen.”
Last Update: 2016
Fandom & Main Pairing: The Flash/Arrow ; Flarrow
Personal Notes: I read this a while back but I do remember it being a really good story. At 18 chapters, I didn’t feel like giving it the full re-read treatment since I’m currently on a role but I DID take the liberty of reading the very last chapter and I can say you’ll leave this fic satisfied if you do read it, even though it’s unfinished.
Steve Rogers and the Tri-Wizard Tournament by gryffindor17
Summary: There’s not a person who walks the halls of Hogwarts who doesn’t know Steve Rogers: the boy with the righteous streak, hot temper, and massive crush on the Romanian Longhorns’ star Chaser, Bucky Barnes. But Bucky exists to Steve only on the front page of The Daily Prophet. He has long since resigned himself to admiring from afar, catching games when he can or otherwise following Barnes’s crusade against injustice through printed page.Until the man himself walks into the Great Hall on the first night of their Seventh Year.Bucky’s life outside of the spotlight is hardly worthy of a footnote, never mind a headline, but no one wants to read about Bucky Barnes being found face-down and fast asleep between the shelves of Durmstrang’s impressive library. Between his studies and the Quidditch Finals looming around the corner, the last thing Bucky needs is something like the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He knows Headmaster Pierce is expecting him to volunteer, but all Bucky really wants is to pass his N.E.W.T.S. and maybe twist The Minister’s arm into passing the bill about guaranteed pay for House Elves.That is until he spots Merlin’s gift to man sitting at the Gryffindor table.Then things get complicated.
Last Update: 2016
Fandom & Main Pairing: Captain America (MCU) ; Stucky
Personal Notes: It’s rare that I actually enjoy Hogwarts AU’s and I’ve kinda dropped out of the Captain American fandom so, while this IS really well done, I’m just not interested in it anymore.
Part Of Your World by Jenetica
Summary: Derek's a werewolf. Stiles is a merman. They're not supposed to work.Luckily, they're both determined to prove that particular fact false.Sequel to "Sea Foam and Sunshine."
Last Update: 2014
Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek
Personal Notes: This is the second part in a series and you should def read the first one it’s fucking great. The second one is also good but...you know. Not gonna be finished ever so.
Knot Your Playmate by Halzbarry
Summary: He quickly closed his laptop and laid back on his bed. Somehow he’d convinced himself to not only sign up for an online ABO hookup website, but to also meet up with not one, but two alphas to potentially sleep with and get him through his heat. AU where Stiles is an omega, and has to sign up for an online ABO dating website to find an alpha to bring him through his heat, and possibly be a match so he doesn't flunk out of high school and get sent to remedial school because of Harris. What he doesn't expect is to find two mated alphas looking for an omega, and for feelings to start getting involved. Notice: Fic is on indefinite hiatus and is no longer being worked on.
Last Update: 2015
Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Derek x Stiles x Parish
Personal Notes: .......LISTEN. IT’s GOOD OKAY????
Last To Know by Never_Says_Die
Summary: Kink meme fill in which every werewolf and shapeshifter in Beacon Hills is aware that Stiles is pregnant before he is. And apparently the first baby!werewolf being born into the pack (their Alpha's, no less) is a big freakin' deal and excuse enough for everyone to lose their damn minds. When Stiles figures out why everyone's been acting so weird around him, he's not amused. 
Last Update: 2013
Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek
Personal Notes: This one is basically finished, like, it’s 21 of 22 chapters but the 22nd chapter would have mostly been just putting a bow on it, it’s already wrapped you know? It’s a really good fic I really love it, I should honestly just reblog it in it’s own right but I’ve already gone through the trouble of formating it so fuck it.
Lonely Road by CranApplePye
Summary: Stiles is running from things he doesn't want to face. Derek is running from a past he cannot leave behind. Their paths collide on a lonely stretch of road when Stiles' car breaks down and Derek is the only mechanic on hand. An unexpected closeness develops, but both men are harboring secrets and Stiles may have just found the one person whose luck runs worse than his own. When the past catches up with the future, it may be one collision that neither of them can survive, and it may end up pulling everyone they love down with them.As everything begins to unravel, choices must be made. Stiles must decide how far he's able to go to protect the people he cares about, and what he'll do when he hits his breaking point. Derek must decide whether he can overcome a lifetime of betrayal enough to trust in someone again, and what he's willing to sacrifice if he is. And Scott and Allison must decide what it means to stand by your friends, and what price they are each willing to pay to do what is right.
Last Update: 2015
Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek
Personal Notes: I AM REALLY MAD THIS NEVER GOT FINISHED. SUCH A COMPELLING STORY. SUCH A FRESH TAKE ON WHAT THE CANON COULD HAVE BEEN. AAAAAAAAAAAAH.
Lost In The Flood by Skaboom
Summary: When social services finally barges in and takes Isaac away from his father, granting custody to his aunt, Isaac gets the first good night's sleep he's had since his mother died, but that doesn't mean that everything is easy from there on out. There's a lot of lingering damage, and with everyone gossiping about him at school, it's hard to find someone to turn to, but with the help of a caring Aunt, a great therapist, and an unexpected friendship with Stiles, a kid on his lacrosse team, Isaac might finally be on the right path.
Last Update: 2017
Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Stisaac
Personal Notes: Another sad goodbye, there has never been enough Stisaac fic in this fandom for me so seeing what few good fics there were go unfinished is particularly bitter to me.
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fangirlingweirdo · 4 years
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TWT analysis - spoiler alert!
First of all, I just wanna start off by saying that this is heavily based on my opinions and just my personal review about the movie. I’ll try categorize them into different parts and make it brief as possible.
Story
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I’m just go out and say I freakin LOVE Trolls World Tour. The concept of the movie where each tribes of trolls is a combination of different genres of music was very uniquely established and it feels so clever. The amount of energy in this film is more fun and exciting than the first film as it kinda introduces different types of trolls and their types of music and culture, showing that there’s more than just pop trolls in the troll kingdom. The underlying themes where dreamworks introduces the ideas about cultural appropriation, colonialism and musical criticism has never been more relevant and more applicable in society’s issues. The message behind the movie is very clear and they executed that perfectly to the viewers, especially to the younger audiences teaching about diversity and that it’s okay to be different and that differences matters. Although I do noticed some inconsistencies in the movie like they have been given a very little time to introduce the different types of trolls and the rushed subplots of the film, Like Cooper having his own story arc where he found out he’s actually a funk troll, (a pop and funk troll) Though I hope they left all those details on Trollstopia.
Animation
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I could just let the movie speak for the animation itself and not give a review about it, but I just have to. The animation is a 10/10! periodt. from the visuals to the color to the character designs, you will never be disappointed. Dreamworks animation has a reputation for its good animation, and Trolls is definitely a game changer and the team outdid themselves with this one. Not only with the vibrant colors that stayed since the first film, but also the follow up included new visuals to overall enhance the look of the story, like with pop trolls and their combination of vibrant hues of colors and glitters, and with rock and their angsty mood and redish hues, and the other tribes of trolls that correlates with their type of genre.
Characters
I feel like this is gonna be longer than my other reviews for I do have a lotta bone to pick with this one. So WARNING, this ought to be long. You can skip and scroll it down if you want.
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let’s start off with Poppy. Little Queen Poppy. She now became the Queen of the pop trolls and it’s up to her how she’s gonna rule the trolls. (obviously) Then she found out that there’s this whole other world of trolls and she now.. suddenly wants to reunite all trolls and their music. She also got a side plot where she tries to be this epitome of a “good queen” that is kinda her motivation throughout film. At first you’ll think, what’s wrong with Poppy? Like she IS the main protagonist in the movie, so creators must’ve made her like the ‘hero’ in the film. Well... 👀 hmm I— I dunno bout that. let’s see.
I get that the film wants to give her an arc where she has to understand the differences between them (pop trolls) and these other kinds of trolls. And then in addition to her optimistic, bubbly personality, she wants to unite all trolls against the viewed villain in film Queen Barb who wants to destroy all music and make em under rock. Everything could’ve ended greatly if Poppy will just listen. (i get it. whole point of the film is poppy not listening) Her tunnel vision kinda made her annoying at this time around. Her overall ideology about pop being the superior music has made it hard for her to accept all the other types of trolls and their genres of music. In a scene in Lonesome Flats, she kinda just.. disregarded the whole idea of “music can be also sad cause life is sad sometimes” she thinks that music is suppose to make you happy, which is true in a sense but not disparaging the fact that music can also be about sadness and other things in life.
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Throughout the whole film, she’s only too focused on one thing and refuses to listen to any advice, especially given by Branch, Biggie, even from her own father. It just felt a bit out of character for me. I guess she might’ve thought her positive, optimistic ways that led the bergens to be their friends kinda checked out and saved the trolls so might as well do the same on this one, when clearly that’s NOT the case.
There was also that one scene where she kinda gets down on Branch for being a bad friend when he gave her constructive criticism and advice (in the raft), completely taking his words out of context assuming he doesn’t think of her as a good queen. (At this point, I wish he could’ve just said yes cuz honestly, it’s getting annoying lmao.) Which is.. why exactly? He’s with her throughout, supporting her despite all the warnings.. but anyways.
I guess the only thing I like about her is she did get the arc that she needed. I mean I thought her not listening has been her whole thing in the franchise like in the first film and Trolls Holiday. I kinda wanted her to realize the stubbornness she acted upon throughout the whole film and somehow it was executed quite nicely..? I sure wish this is the last time she won’t listen and that she learned from all these things. Overall, her character.. didn’t really work out for me this time unlike in the first film though her growth and development is enough. Hopefully they’ll work out on her character more in the future.
Now, Let’s go to Branch. Personally, I love him. He’s my favorite throughout the whole franchise. I’m just gonna say it now, but i’ll try not to look biased here. lol
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I love how branch is the sensible one this time. I get that he became like the voice of reason for Poppy and her consort. And let me just say the character development of Branch, from being reclusive, withdrawn type of troll now becoming more open and congenial, the personality growth has made his character so much fitting and I’m so glad to see that. His vulnerability made it easier for him to connect with other trolls, especially to Poppy. There was that one scene where he opened himself to Hickory about his feelings towards Poppy. Just minutes before that scene, he didn’t trust him. But then moments later, he became honest to him, showing a huge amount of growth in his character.
All those aspects really built Branch’s character more stronger. However, I couldn’t help but wish there’s more like an arc to him as well. I mean there has been a lot of injustices for his character. Like basically since the first film, no one’s ever listened to him, even with his warnings about the bergens returning to get them, which turns out he’s actually right by the way and yet no one acknowledges it and still same thing happened in the second film. It’s like a running gag now at this point, where no one listens to Branch and Poppy and the other trolls downplays Branch’s excessive preparedness for danger, then at the end he was actually right about his assumptions. I’m not saying that Branch is always right and that Poppy is wrong. I’m saying they could’ve at least find a balance between that, where Poppy would listen more to Branch and Branch would at least dial down the paranoia and acknowledge the positivity Poppy tries to show. (but then I realized if that happens, the show wouldn’t be as interesting anymore lol)
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His range of emotions and awareness is definitely not like other pop trolls. I saw this observation in where he claimed he liked the music of country trolls, sad and a bit gloomy not like the kind of music they are used to sing. And then I realized, he was actually the first troll to ever like a different genre of music. His flexibility and openness to different ideas and genres of other trolls has made him more unique from Poppy or any other pop troll, even blending in with the kpop and reggaton trolls. I just wished they didn’t just reduced his character as being the typical “love interest” of the main character, but making like an arc storyline for him as well (hopefully in future) in my opinion.
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Now I bleed Broppy. I definitely love the subplot of the movie where Branch tries to confess his love for Poppy, which at first I thought “didn’t we already do this in the first film though?” but then I guess it wasn’t really official. Basically the story kinda revolves around them and how they teamed up to discover all these new types of music and trolls. It’s almost like a nostalgic feeling for the older viewers when they first headed out to an adventure in the first film. Only difference is Branch is harboring strong romantic feelings for Poppy, whom may also feel the same but totally oblivious to it. The subtle interactions between the two of them brings different energies in the movie, and those interactions are just what we need. Like with affirmations they give each other, and the cheeky smile exchanges. You can really feel the romantic tension between the two, which really vibes with the atmosphere of the show, especially given the chemistry between them in the first film.
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The third act breakup of Branch and Poppy was definitely relevant to the story and their different personalities having to give them space for a re-evaluation of their friendship. Honestly that was totally necessary for their relationship, considering how different they are together, especially with Branch who wants to take their relationship in the next level (and that applies for Poppy as well whom I’m sure also feels the same way) So it’s reasonable they had to split for a while, not to ultimately close the chance of them being friends again because of being different but the fact that despite their differences, their love and care for each other will always be stronger, and that will help them find a way to make up again, which is what the message of the main plot tries to exhibit. I do wished they put like a moment for them where they just apologize for their actions (talking to you poppy. ahem)
Overall Branch’s character has left me half satisfied and somehow craving for more development and revelations about his background. The overall growth of his character since the first film is definitely something worth treasuring.
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Now with Queen Barb. Well, She’s something else huh? 😆 With the movie running low on time to introduce these whole new characters, they definitely put enough time for us to get to know Barb. Her character as villain was introduced quite nicely. Although rock genre being shown as the villain, isn’t that a little overdone now at this point? But anyways..
Her plan was to unite all strings and make all trolls from different genres become a rock troll or rock zombie. Basically she just despises other genres of music so she forcefully took all different strings to destroy all music except rock. Kinda like what Poppy wants..? Now here me out. It’s like when Barb said she and Poppy are the same. Both of them wants to unite all trolls. Only difference is their mindsets about music. Barb thinks all other genres music are awful except for rock, and Poppy thinks pop music is the right music. There is one who thinks that other music are distasteful and one who thinks their music is the superior. If anything, Barb has a more reasonable point in trying to dominate the troll kingdom. Barb acknowledges the differences between them and the other trolls, and it may not be the right way to do it, she just wants to unite all trolls because she thinks music is what divides them. While Poppy wants to unite all trolls despite their differences, it’s almost like forcing them to give up their own music to follow what Poppy thinks is the right music. Either way, their interpretation of music isn’t really helping with what they want to achieve.
The only hole in her story I guess is that as she tries to dominate the troll kingdom, she didn’t seem to realize that her motives to destroy all music is almost the same as what the ancestors of pop trolls did, making her look like a hypocrite even though totally despising the pop trolls after what their ancestors did in the past.
Overall her character is very well executed as the villain of the film. Although you can easily sympathize with her. Unlike with the Chef in the first film, I can’t show any sympathizing emotions towards her. All throughout you’ll only be feeling mad toward the Chef. While with Barb, I honestly even had a hard time picturing her as an antagonist. For me she’s just a queen, who wants to unite all trolls. I guess her twisted ideologies made her look like the bad guy, but despite that, she’s doesn’t really look like the villain in the film. Now she had a change of heart, I am very excited to see more of her in the future.
Others
Like I said, with a short amount of time given in the film, there’s really not enough space for the creators to introduce these other trolls and their background like the Classical, Techno, Funk, and Country trolls. Though I had a little problem with TWT. I am such a fan of classical music, and I think they had the most brief screen time throughout the film. I was excited to see them in the trailer tho, and they had shortest amount of time in the film. lol but that ain’t important. I’m just saying, there’s a lot more to see and learn about these new introduced trolls. Now i’m not gonna lie though, as adorable as it looks, there are those characters that are only made for merchandise. (*ahem* tiny diamond *ahem*)
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The musical numbers are definitely a feast in the eyes. Although very much consuming all the time in the movie and didn’t leave enough space for character development, I still love the music. I feel like the TWT soundtrack is so underrated though. For the whole week since I’ve first watched the film, I cannot stop bopping along with Don’t Slack. 😆
The new casts are adorable! Anderson Paak was there, Sam Rockwell was there, Heck Ozzy Osbourne was even there! I cannot stop watching the behind the scenes of the movie. They are all great!
Conclusion
Overall, the whole theme of the movie and all the underlying messages behind it was definitely well executed in the movie. The line that pretty much sums up the whole movie would be “denying our differences is denying who we are” has a powerful impact, and the message behind it is very relevant till this day. It also teaches the viewers about having to respect one’s preferences of their taste in music. From the storyline to animation to character developments, although there’s still a lot of inconsistencies in the film, they still managed to make the movie worth watching and worth recommending.
I’ve been thinking about these things now and I just feel like I need to let it out here lol. If you guys have any thoughts, feel free to tell me! 😄
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nellie-elizabeth · 4 years
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The Good Place: Whenever You're Ready (4x13/14)
Okay yeah I cried cried cried. That was powerful.
Cons:
I don't really have the heart to nitpick and critique this finale. It was as good an ending to a TV show as I've seen in a very long time.
I guess... I wish it was longer?
Pros:
Just conceptually, this version of the afterlife is so freakin' gorgeous and ideal and even though I'm an atheist and don't think there's an afterlife, I... hope this is what the afterlife is like?
It just... works, on every conceivable level. Think about it. You die, and then you get to go through simulations where you learn about yourself, where you learn to improve and be a kinder, better person. And then after that, you get to go to a fun place where you can live whatever kind of life you want with absolutely no worries - the conventional dream of Heaven. You can be peaceful, or you can learn new things, you can achieve goals, you can repair relationships with people from your life on Earth. You can do whatever you want, for as long as you want. But after that, you go into the great unknown, and are finally, fully, at rest. We even see a hint of what these souls do when they're at rest - they linger within humanity, inspiring people to do better, to be better, thus continuing the cycle.
How... perfect. It's an afterlife built around the thought that effort is important. That trying is what really matters. We see all of the different ways it can manifest. We see that some people take forever, we see a snippet of Brent still trying to learn and grow but not there yet... but other characters, like Tahani's sister and parents, eventually do improve and heal through the program, and get to have a meaningful reconciliation, their family complete at last.
And then there's the paradise part, where we see different goals and dreams coming to life. Tahani spends her afterlife in self-improvement, learning new skills. I like that she doesn't have a shoe-horned romance, and that hers is a life that is fulfilled without the necessity of a single life/afterlife companion. And she doesn't go into that great beyond. We don't get to learn Tahani's "ultimate" fate. She becomes an Architect and spends at least a part of her eternity helping other people to improve, thus fulfilling the purpose she pretended to have on Earth. I like that her story feels unfinished, in a way. Maybe someday she goes through the final door. Maybe she doesn't. It's okay that we don't know.
Jason plays a perfect game of Madden, he gets to hang out with his dad and the rest of his dance crew, he gets to have a meaningful and loving relationship with Janet. And then, after letting his thoughts go blank and spending several Jeremy Bearimys alone with his thoughts (like a monk), he goes through the final doorway, off to bring encouragement to some soul back on Earth.
I loved the fake-out, where Jason is the first to leave, but then it turns out he hung around to give Janet the necklace he made for her. He was ready to leave, but he also didn't mind sticking around. Eternity means there's no harm in waiting. And it was such a fun callback for him to achieve the spiritual peace of being a monk, when that was a part of his deception and fear during season one.
Chidi's section of the episode is the part that made me bawl. See, the thing is, this show never really gave me "feels" about the characters in the way that other shows do... but that's because it gave me more... conceptual feels. I loved watching... love happen on the screen in front of me, more so than I was invested in the specifics of Chidi and Eleanor's romance. But this - the very concept of this - Chidi being ready to move on, but sticking around for Eleanor. Eleanor selfishly holding on to that love, and then learning that she owes it to Chidi to let go. And then... Chidi sharing with Eleanor a Buddhist idea of death - that life is like a wave, and death is returning to the ocean. The wave was just... a different way for the water to be, for a while.
God, I don't know what it was, but that thought... it soothed something in me. It touched me, spiritually, because of the journey we've watched these characters go on for so long. They got to have as much of an eternity as they wanted. They got to be fulfilled in every way that they wanted to be, and then they got to return to the ocean, from whence they came.
I'm also obsessed with Michael's ending. He begins to feel unfulfilled as an Architect, and so the next logical step is for him to become a human, and go through the system like anyone else. I particularly loved that Eleanor pointed out to him that there's no guarantee - the system has been working, but what if Shawn changes it? What if something goes wrong? Michael has to make that leap of faith, and as he reminds Eleanor, the very fact of his unknowing is an essential part of being human. We see him living his life on Earth. Good days, bad days, days in between. And we don't get to watch him live out the remainder of his life, die, go through the system, get his eternity, and walk through the final door. But we can have faith that that's what happens, and that faith is enough.
Janet isn't a human, and she doesn't want to be a human, so we've got another ambiguous/unfulfilled ending with her. I like the moment early on, when she talks about how she experiences time differently from humans. For her, she's everywhere and every time at once. So there's not really any tragedy to the thought of her existing on in perpetuity, befriending and existing among humans forever more. She formed really meaningful bonds with Jason and the others in the Soul Squad, so she'll do it again. She'll grow and love and continue to be not a girl, not a robot. It's lovely.
Sometimes show finales can feel like curtain calls, and this episode certainly had a lot of guest appearances from characters we've gotten to know over the years. Each one felt intentional and worthy of inclusion. I loved seeing Simone again, and John, albeit briefly. I loved seeing Mindy, and knowing that she too goes through the process for self-improvement. Her parallels with Eleanor helped to show how much our protagonist has grown as well. Derek was hilarious. Tahani's family was great. We got mentions of Eleanor and Chidi's mothers, too. Vicky was there. The Judge. Shawn. The list goes on.
And then Eleanor. Her journey is so stunning. There's something so relatable about the fact that she's the last to be ready to move on. And that she's not sure what she needs to do to feel fulfilled. I... felt that. I understood it on some deep level. It meant so much to me that Eleanor's fulfillment wasn't any one thing, any more than Tahani's or Chidi's. Living an eternity with Chidi wasn't it. Helping Mindy wasn't it. Helping Michael... that was the thing that finally tipped it for her, but it wasn't just that alone. It was a combination of all of those things.
I loved this finale so very much. It was powerful in a way I don't know how to describe. I've often found that finales of TV shows can either be astoundingly good, or incredibly disappointing. They are very rarely somewhere in the middle. This one was astoundingly good, and I'm so happy.
10/10
I have to review this show as a whole. Sure, I can think of things I would have changed, ways it could have been stronger, more exactly my own cup of tea. I could have used more queer representation. I could have used less memory wipes and re-sets in seasons two and three. But these things don't change the fact that this show had a very clear message. A very powerful philosophy. And it made a very persuasive argument for the ideas it espoused. I want the world to work like this. I want humanity to work like this. I want people to have the chance to grow, and change, and I want to acknowledge that it's not always easy, that it often involves a lot of time, and that it requires help from others. I'm so happy I watched this show. I'll definitely be recommending it to people for a very long time.
My over-all rating is...
9.5/10
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corescorner · 4 years
Text
Deadicated Chapter One.
A dark comedy zombie apocalypse Sanders Sides fic.
AO3
Word count: 2100
The outbreak started in the middle of winter. It was an icy day outside, too much so that Remus almost breaks his neck multiple times while running to his apartment. But run he had to; zombies littered the streets.
Getting into his apartment foyer and unlocking the door into the main hall to get to the elevator was an ordeal.
The ice might have sucked for him to run on, but it at least didn’t make things easy for the zombies either.
He paces in the elevator as it ascends to the top floor where he lives with his brother and his brothers boyfriend/his best friend.
The elevator door opens and Remus steps out slowly looking both ways before rushing to his door, then stops.
What if they’re zombies? He’s going to have to kill his brother and best friend!
He slowly turns the handle and peeks inside, the television is playing some Disney movie, Roman and Damien are seemingly asleep on the couch.
Remus slowly and silently creeps into the room and then hurriedly goes into hisroom to get his morning star (he got it at a ren fair a couple years ago to everyone’s dismay, but who’s gonna be laughing now when he beats zombie ass with it huh?)
He sneaks back into the living room, morning star at the ready. He whistles loudly to get the two (hopefully not zombies) to wake up.
Both jump awake, Roman falling to the floor with a squawk.
“What the hell Re?!” Roman shouts rubbing his nose in pain.
Dee is staring at him, wary and amused.
“I think your brother has finally snapped.”
Roman looks at his boyfriend “what are you talking-“ he looks at Remus “-abOUT REMUS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
“Oh good” Remus sighs and lowers his weapon “you’re not zombies.”
The boyfriends look at each other with twin looks of confusion then to Remus in concern.
Roman gets up slowly, walking towards Remus like he’s a startled animal, they don’t have time for this they need to make plans and think about the freakin zombie apocalypse!
“Remus, are you alright?” Roman slowly asks, Remus rolls his eyes.
“Uh, yea but we won’t be soon” he gestures to the window.
“What do you mean by that?” Dee asks.
“Zombies! Why do you think I have my morning star? I was making sure you’re not zombies!” He throws his hands up in the air, taking the morning star with the motion and making the other two flinch away.
“Okay, okay just be carful with that thing!” Roman shouts.
Dee gets up and moves to the window, Roman puts his hands on his hips.
“You’re seriously not going to entertain the idea of this zombie thing are you?” He directs at his boyfriend.
Dee just stares wide eyed at the scene before him.
It’s a ridiculous notion, that zombies would actually exist, and yet here Damien is staring out of his fourth floor apartment at a small cluster of what has to be zombies (cause what else would they be?)slip on the icy road outside.
Roman and Remus are arguing in the background.
“Seriously, put that thing away before you hurt someone!”
“Um! I’m gonna be hurting zombies!”
“Zombies do not exist!”
“Look outside dipshit!”
“I’m not going to be fooled into one of you’re tricks.”
“Roman” Dee whispers, neither brother hears.
“Uuugh! I’m not fucking with you this time!”
“Okay sure, you just want me to believe that zombies are roaming the streets right now?”
“Yes! Cause it’s true!”
“Roman!” Dee says louder and both brothers look towards him. His face must convey the horror he feels cause Roman falls silent, his own face contorts to something Remus can’t put an emotion to.
Roman slowly walks to the window to stare out at the chaos. He shakes his head wildly, backing up and bumping into Remus, he jumps in fright and whirls on his twin with a manic look in his eyes.
He’s speechless, what is there to say about this situation?
Dee comes up to him slowly and wraps Roman in a hug.
“Don’t wanna say I told ya so, buuuuut like” Remus shrugs and motions to the window again.
“No, no no, this is a bad dream. This can not be happening, zombies aren’t a thing!”
Dee hums a soothing tone in Roman’s ear, Roman doesn’t take kindly to it.
He breaks himself out of the embrace, starts to pace and then turns to the other two, he feels like he’s about to explode! How are they so calm about this? Their world just changed! There are zombies for fucks sake!
“Why are you not freaking out with me?!” Roman yells.
Remus scowls, Dee just sighs.
“Roman, Starlight, Darling-” Dee starts as he walks towards a shaking Roman “-there’s nothing to do about it, yes it’s more than not ideal, but it’s a thing that has now happened and we need to deal with it as such.”
Roman scoffs “Yes, Okay sure! But can we not have a little freak out moment here! Everything has just changed and I don’t know if we can survive something like this!”
Remus has had enough of this, he goes to his room and rummages through his closet, he pulls out his large camping backpack and gets to work on making a getaway bag.
He moves around the apartment to gather up supplies, when he passes the living room to get to the kitchen he sees Roman shaking in Dee’s arms, he stops and rustles his bag.
“I suggest you two do the same thing, we have enough to survive here for a little while longer and we can go on runs to the store down the street if we absolutely need to but we should all have a getaway bag just in case.”
Dee nods while rubbing Roman’s back, the actor isn’t crying but he is shaking violently.
Roman stares at Remus like he’s seeing him for the first time.
“Re, how can you be so nonchalant about this?”
Remus sighs, moving towards his brother and hugging him.
“Look, Ro. Do you remember when we were kids and we were playing that silly game and you insisted you wanted to be the prince and since you were older you got to have the title?”
Roman nods, so Remus continues.
“Well, I said if I can’t be the prince I’ll just be your knight instead? Even though I so totally could have just as well stayed as duke?”
Roman nods again.
“That’s what I’m doing here, I’m stepping down a rank to be the knight until you can get your shit together.”
Roman lets out a small laugh “yea, okay. I’ll be back as the prince soon enough... just let me process a little longer?”
Remus nods “yea sure, we’ll rule again once you feel up for it Broman.”
“It’s a good thing we’re on the top floor” Dee points out.
The brothers look at him.
“What? I’m just saying, the poor shmucks on the bottom floor must be having a really bad time right about now.”
Remus laughs at that and Roman just scrunches his face a bit.
“Should we check the floor?” Roman asks in a whisper.
Remus hums “mmm, probably, we might get some supplies from looting” he says offhandedly then perks up a little bit, in a more joyful tone he says: “looting! I’ve always wanted to loot things in an apocalypse scenario!”
Dee chuckles “silver linings I suppose.”
~
As Dee gets together his bag, Roman following his lead, he jerks up like he just remembered something.
“I have to call our father!” Roman yells.
Remus, from the other room groans.
They haven’t spoken to Romulus in years, he doesn’t see why this should be any different, it’s not like they can get to him from where he’s probably all the way at the other end of the earth doing who knows what.
“No point Ro, he’s probably on some secluded island right now!” Remus yells.
Roman sighs, he supposes Remus is right. It’s not like he’d do the same for them. He hasn’t really been there for them much.
Dee picks up his own phone with a sick look on his face.
“Oh god, I hope Thomas is okay” he says lowly dialling his brothers number.
It rings once. Twice. Three times. Come on Thomas! Four times, the line picks up before Dee can hurl his phone across the room.
“Heya short stuff! Thomas is in the shower what can I do ya for?”
Dee sighs in relief.
“Remy, you and my brother need to not go outside, but scope out your place, please just trust me when I tell you the next thing I know it’s going to sound crazy but you need to trust me okay?” He rushes out.
“Sure thing Dee, what’s wrong?”
“Well, there’s no easy way to say this... the zombie apocalypse has come” he waits a beat for a response, but none comes. “Rem? Are you there?”
“Listen, that is like, super not cool to spring on a guy.”
“Remy, please you have to believe me” He pleas with his brother in law.
He hears noise on the other side, a sliding door opening he realizes.
“Remington! I swear to god if you become a zombie and kill my brother I’m going to find a way to bring you back and kill you myself!”
Remy laughs a little bit “chill babe, there’s a fence around the house.”
He hears Thomas’ voice faintly “who you calling babe on myphone?”
“Just your little bro” Remy answers and he hears Thomas fake gasp in shock.
“You’re cheating on me with my brother! Well, I’m sure Roman would gladly take me instead after both of us gets our hearts broken.”
Dee sighs, as much as he enjoys these moments and who knows when they’ll get more like this he needs them to take this seriously right now.
“Remy! Zombie! Apocalypse! Happening right now!” He shouts.
“Oh, right. Sure. Thomas your brother says a zombie apocalypse is happening.”
Good, Thomas will believe him.
He hears scuffling then the phone jostles and Thomas is on the line.
“Dee, are you sure?” He asks
“Yes” he hisses “of course I am, I’m watching them fumble around on the ice as we speak!”
When they were younger, they had a zombie movie marathon, both of them got unabashedly terrified of the prospect of it actually happening so they made a secret pact with each other, if one ever actually happens they have to tell the other and they’d believe them no matter what. It was a silly promise between children but both of them took it seriously, even in adulthood.
“Damien you have to come to Florida. I have a bunker we can stay there for however long we need, bring Roman and his brother too!”
Dee laughs out loud “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. But you have a bunker? Since when?”
“We have a bunker?” He hears Remy exclaim in the background.
“Uh, yea my paranoia got the best of me there, but! It’s a good thing it did cause I can sustain at least ten people for about five years in that thing!”
“I’ll talk to the twins” he says, Thomas let’s out a sigh of relief.
“Okay, I don’t know how long we’ll be able to stay in touch for. Please be carful Damien, I cant loose you.”
“Nor I you” Dee says back, both brothers hang up at the same time.
Thomas starts to gather up all that he can to bring it to the shed out back, which houses the bunkers secret entryway.
Remy follows his instructions without complaint, he kinda enjoys when Thomas gets all authoritative anyway.
When Dee turns around after his call, he sees Roman and Remus staring at him.
“We’re going to Florida” he simply says.
“I’m guessing Thomas is okay then?” Roman asks.
“Yes, and crazy as it may be he has a pretty well stocked bunker.”
“Sweet.” Remus comments.
“It’s not going to be easy to get to Florida” Roman says.
“No, but I’m sure we can do it” Dee says, semi lying. He does think it will be hard to do and he’s not sure that they’re going to be able to do it unscathed, but they have to try and they need their spirits up, so Dee will lie as much as he can to make them not loose hope. Cause really, all they have right now is hope.
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