#i imagine this as the lead up to the final boss of a video game you know the one where you die five times before you turn the difficulty
Text
Things Are About To Get Significantly Fucking Worse
#sketchbook#artists on tumblr#illustration#acrylic painting#drawing#colour pencil#painting#my art#i imagine this as the lead up to the final boss of a video game you know the one where you die five times before you turn the difficulty#down to easy and then still die twice more#i may just be Bad At Video Games#also this sketchbook sucks to scan without the big boi scanners we had at uni it's all bent and i have to fix each one in photoshop. lame.#promise not to do any more ones with Foreign titles too guess that's a turn off#i taught myself to draw motorbikes for a project in 2013 and oh boy have i not retained that knowledge baby
178 notes
·
View notes
Text
EXCLUSIVE: One year ago we told you that a second season of John le Carré adaptation The Night Manager was quietly being developed under the codename Steelworks.
Now, Deadline can reveal that the BBC and new co-pro partner Amazon have gone big on a supercharged two-season order of the thriller, with Tom Hiddleston returning to lead, Hugh Laurie coming back as EP and with a new director in I Hate Suzie’s Georgi Banks-Davies. A third season has also been greenlit. David Farr returns as writer and Stephen Garrett is showrunner.
The Night Manager Season 2 will begin filming later this year and will pick up with Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine eight years after the explosive finale of Season 1, going beyond the original book, which was written by the celebrated British writer in 1993. Additional plot details are being kept under wraps and there is not yet confirmation as to whether EP Laurie’s Richard Roper, who was last seen in the back of a paddy wagon driven by arms buyers who were not best pleased with him, will return to star. Hiddleston will also EP and will discuss in more depth on tonight’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Produced by The Ink Factory in association with Character 7, Demarest Films and 127 Wall, and in co-production with Spanish partner Nostromo Pictures, The Night Manager Season 2 was sold to Amazon by Fifth Season. The first was co-produced with AMC.
New director Banks-Davies, a BAFTA-nominee who takes over from Susanne Bier, has credits including I Hate Suzie, Garfield and upcoming Netflix series Kaos.
The Night Manager Season 1 was a huge success, watched by millions and winning multiple BAFTAs, Emmys and Golden Globes including best actor for Hiddleston. Also starring Tom Hollander, Olivia Colman and Elizabeth Debicki, it followed Pine – who ran a luxury hotel in Cairo – as he attempted to infiltrate the inner circle of Roper’s crime syndicate after being hired by Foreign Office task force manager Angela Burr.
The first season was commissioned more than 10 years ago and the show has since been remade in India, lapping the UK version by swiftly having a Season 2 greenlit for Disney+ Hotstar in May last year.
Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell, le Carré’s sons who run The Ink Factory, said Season 1 proved “a landmark moment for the golden era of television – uniting on-screen and behind-the-camera talent at the top of their game – and an audience reception which was beyond our wildest imagining.”
They added: “Revisiting the story of Pine also means going beyond the events of John le Carré’s original work: that is a decision we have not taken lightly, but his compelling characters and the vision David has for their next chapter were irresistible.”
Amazon MGM Studios Head of Television Vernon Sanders said: “We are elated to bring additional seasons of The Night Manager to our Prime Video customers. The combination of terrific source material, the wonderful team at The Ink Factory, a great writer in David Farr, an award-winning director in Georgi Banks-Davies, as well as the talented cast truly make the series the full package.”
Hiddleston said: “The first series of The Night Manager was one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I have ever worked on. The depth, range and complexity of Jonathan Pine was, and remains, a thrilling prospect.”
BBC content boss Charlotte Moore added: “After years of fervent speculation I’m incredibly excited to confirm that The Night Manager is returning to the BBC for two more series.”
The Night Manager series two is created and executive produced by Farr, based on the characters created by le Carré. Additional executive producers include Garrett for Character 7, Banks-Davies, Laurie and Hiddleston; Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang for 127 Wall; Stephen and Simon Cornwell, Michele Wolkoff, and Tessa Inkelaar for The Ink Factory; Adrián Guerra for Nostromo Pictures; William D. Johnson for Demarest Films, Nick Cornwell, Susanne Bier, Chris Rice for Fifth Season and Gaynor Holmes for the BBC.
#tom hiddleston#the night manager#seasons 2 and 3#official#jonathan pine#hugh laurie#booked and busy
97 notes
·
View notes
Text
haikyuu!! boys finding out you're a big 'ol nerd
hello i once again return with some headcanons no one asked for B)
what if some nerdy boys found out that you were also a nerd?? I feel like when I tell people I like manga or video games it somehow changes their perspective of me so I tried writing it :)
cw: fluff, mention of bugs, gn reader
characters: kenma, tendou, tsukishima
wc: 700+
kozume kenma
when he hears you’re a gamer, he lights up so fast; like a cat when you open a can of food
if you’re talking to someone else, he’ll pretend he didn’t overhear, but really he’s hanging on to every word you say
if you’re talking to him, he’ll begin asking you your favorite games with a sparkle in his eye
if you ask to swap friend codes he’ll gladly oblige
once you accept his friend request he’s immediately scanning through your library to see what you’ve played
if he sees that you play a lot of games that he plays as well, he’ll get butterflies 💕
in the future he’ll definitely be more open and trusting towards you, since you’re a fellow nerd
will send you video game news and announcements through text, asking if you’re going to get the new game or whatever
he definitely loves it when you send memes or geek out about a game, no matter how much you may spam him he’s reading all of it!!
if you ask him to put his minecraft bed next to yours (even as a joke) he might malfunction for a bit
congrats you now have a high level friend that can carry you on all the hard bosses
he’s also the type to give you a bunch of high level items and money when you play an online game together (because he's absolutely enamored 😳)
kuroo points it out and is totally dramatic about it
“damn, you’ve never given me that much stuff when I play. I almost feel hurt, do you like them more than me now?”
“no comment.”
tendou satori
if you tell him you read shounen jump he’ll probably fall in love on the spot
ok maybe not that fast, but he’s definitely excited to finally have someone to talk to about weekly chapters
he’ll ask to swap numbers too so you can send each other memes and theories about the mangas being serialized
sends a “good morning!” and “goodnight!” everyday to you with a meme or cool fanart related to the manga you’ve been discussing
he absolutely loves it when you ramble about characters, storytelling techniques, how the good the anime adaption is, and other extremely niche nerdy details
if you cry when your favorite character dies, he’ll think it’s so cute and endearing
he’ll tease you at first, but will comfort you nonetheless without being condescending or judging you
he will subtly try to act like characters that you simp for
tendou worries that your reputation might take a hit if you’re seen hanging out with him all the time, so he asks you if it’s okay
“of course it’s fine, talking to you makes my day more fun! plus, who else would I cry to about fictional characters?”
he’s frozen for a moment before bursting out into laughter with heated cheeks
if he hadn’t fallen for you already, he definitely knew this was the final nail in the coffin 💘
tsukishima kei
ok i’m imagining a gecko or bug that accidentally got into the classroom and no one wants to touch it because they think it’s gross
tsukishima would, but he doesn’t want to attract any unnecessary attention so he just sits back and watches his classmates scramble about
until you show up and gracefully scoop up the lil guy with tenderness and adoration, carefully heading towards the door to release it outside
he probably already thought you were cute, but now he has a reason to talk to you that doesn’t seem forced
he stops you before you get out the door, asking to see the creature in your hands
you ask if he wants to hold it, he’s a little surprised but will say yes
when your hand brushes his, adrenaline explodes in his body but he makes no outward indication about how nervous he really is
you excitedly ask if he likes creatures too, which leads to a wonderful conversation about how bugs and stuff are actually really cool
until you both remember that he still has a bug in his hands that needs to be outside
you continue chatting while heading towards the door and it might seem like he’s not listening; responding with one word answers and nods, but he’s just trying to keep his cool
if you exchange numbers, he’ll send you pictures of bugs or reptiles he finds outside that he thinks you might like
if you have any pets that require tanks (fish, bugs, reptiles, amphibians etc) he’ll subtly ask to come over so he can check them out
“hey, we should study at your place sometime.”
“you know you can just ask me if you wanna see my pets lol”
"...hmpf"
#haikyuu headcanons#haikyuu!! headcanons#my work#haikyuu x reader#kenma x reader#tendou x reader#tsukishima x reader#haikyuu hcs#sfw#haikyuu#kenma fluff#tendou fluff#tsukishima fluff#kozume kenma#tendou satori#tsukishima kei#gn reader#haikyuu!! x reader#haikyuu!! hcs
983 notes
·
View notes
Text
I think if I had any issues with GOW:Ragnarok is 5 things.
No mention that Thor killed his mother. In GOW 2018, Mimir tells the tale of Fjörgyn, Thor's mother and one of Odin's great loves. It is implied that Thor killed her. It would give depth to why Odin is abusive towards Thor, his hatred of Atreus, self-loathing(aside from failing his sons) and explain why Faye went nuclear against Thor. Also? This would give context to why Thor is the way he is.
Odin doesn't use Kratos actions of murdering his family in turning Atreus against Kratos. I'm sure Kratos tells Atreus off screen, but does he? You'd think he would've told Atreus in the last game's ending or somewhere in Ragnarok. As far as we know all he told Atreus is killing Zeus and "I've killed many who were deserving and many who were not" implied, but never said. Kratos telling Freya was an important moment for them to understand each other. I don't think Kratos told him and considering how much of an abusive manipulative gaslighting prick that Odin is, it just felt like a missed opportunity not to have Odin use that to turn Atreus against his father and also a missed opportunity to have Kratos struggle to tell Atreus from his perspective on what he did.
Atreus darker personality never returned. I had this theory that Atreus "We're gods, we can do anything we want" phase would return as his Loki personality. Atreus quest to prevent Kratos' death would lead him down a dark path and lead his Loki personality to return. He would play both sides only to let Asgard burn in Ragnarok. There would be a boss battle between Atreus and his Loki side and Atreus personality would win and remain dominant. What we got was great, but I feel like Atreus' darker personality returning was a missed opportunity.
Kratos and Thor's final fight seemed tame. When I envisioned Kratos and Thor's final battle. I imagined this bombastic battle that would realm shift throughout the Nine Realms and would be the climax of Ragnarok. What we got was great. but I strongly feel like their final fight was underwhelming and it could've been more. I get the game was trying to show Thor is more than what the lore of the Norse saga and Ragnarok as a whole is showing us, but Kratos and Thor's final fight SHOULD HAVE been more.
Killing off Thor and Odin too soon. To me it's unsatisfying that Odin and Thor are killed off so soon. Thor has this great character arc and Odin was built up as this master manipulator and schemer and they die in the second game in this trilogy. Imagine how unsatisfying it would be if Luke Skywalker killed Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back and the Rebels killed the Emperor in the second act of the trilogy. Yeah that would've been so disappointing, wouldn't it? The story they told was great and I trust SMS. But it still feels like to me that they should have done a sort of cliffhanger ending. After Brok is killed, Kratos follows Odin, Thor and Odin kills Kratos. Kratos is sent into the realm into the tear, basically the realm where the dead gods go who cannot come back. He'd see Magni and Modi and Baulder and finally Faye and Faye sends Kratos back. Then it ends with Kratos pledging to lead Ragnarok and burn Asgard. For more in depth to this idea, watch the video down below. Point is I strongly feel like it was a mistake to kill off Odin and Thor in the second act of the Norse trilogy.
youtube
Bonus 1:Atreus not even looking into the tear with the mask was just bad. All they had to do was Atreus sees into the void, one minute later he takes the mask off, breaks it and tosses it into the void
Bonus 2. Odin's design. Thor's design is perfect, but part of me feels like he should have had armor
Compared to the stories Mimir told, I imagined Odin looking something like this down below. The story for Odin is great, but imo the final fight should have been more. Like, King of the Aesir should have been more. The contrast between him and Zeus is he is the master manipulator, but Odin in Norse Mythology is the strongest of the gods and this game didn't show it. He had powerful magic to display but it didn't feel like this grand final boss of the Norse saga, like Thor it could have been more.
Bonus 3. The Ragnarok itself is disappointing. Ragnarok was so built up to, but it honestly felt like the mission to actually get Surtr on-side was longer than the mission for Ragnarok. We saw nothing of the actual battle, Fenrir wasn’t there, and we didn’t even see the Army of the Dead! We could've gotten the Elves, army of the dead, the Dwarves lead by Sindri & Durlin, Vanir and even an army of Vikings/Raiders to represent Midgard. But we didn't. Plus in myth, Ragnarok was largely a battle between the Gods and the Jotnar - and yet the latter weren’t even present. I was fully expecting after heading to Muspel that Atreus would tell Kratos about the secret giants with Angrboda; that would have been an element of surprise that Odin didn’t know about! I’d been hoping to fight Thor on the back of Jormungandr or something, and for Fenrir to be involved in fighting Odin. So yeah. The Ragnarok in the game called God Of War:Ragnarok is disappointing.
#God Of War#God Of War Ragnarok#Kratos#Atreus#Odin#Odin Allfather#Thor#Thor Odinson#GOW Thor#GOW Odin#Youtube
40 notes
·
View notes
Note
Okay, your Kurogiri was just sad. Like, reasonable and realistic and great, but now I'm sad. 😭
How about his son, Shigaraki? How is he as a lee/ler?
I'm so sorryyyy, I wanted to make it realistic TvT
Also, Shiggyyy!
Warning for mentions of abuse and PTSD
Shigaraki Tickle Headcanons
Growing up in an abusive household didn't leave room for tickling as an experience
If any tickling were to happen, it would have been very brief and rare, likely between him and his sister
Since his villain arc literally began when he was still a child, he grew up without ever experiencing it to its fullest, and is extremely touch starved as a result
As an adult, he would think of being ticklish as a weakness
His skin is so dry from his constant scratching, so he's not as ticklish as he could be, but he is still quite ticklish
Circumstances would eventually lead to the League finding out that his worst spots are the tops of his knees, his thighs, ribs, and armpits
His armpits are especially ticklish because they never got scratched much throughout his life
Any other area is most affected by being squeezed and kneaded
His laughter is low and raspy, but gets squeaky (and still raspy) when you tickle his bad spots
He's touch starved, but very scared of physical affection
If anyone even tries to touch him, he recoils and gets aggressive
This is likely a reflex from the trauma caused by his father always hitting him
Naturally, he would hate the idea of being tickled, but I imagine he would open up to it over time
It would take a long time, but he could grow to like being tickled
It could be a way to help him cope with his fear of being touched
Some experimenting would lead the League to find out that a medicated lotion helps bring some life and sensitivity back to his skin
He would start keeping a small bottle of lotion on him at all times after that
He was never really given much praise as a child, either, so praising teases would fluster him so bad
Just gentle praising along with gentle tickles would destroy him
As a ler, he's very inexperienced
Any tickling from his childhood would have resulted on him being on the receiving end, so he's never actually tickled someone
He doesn't want to accidentally decay one of the League members, so he's never thought to try
He started wearing two-fingered gloves around the hideout so he could live without worrying about decaying anything
He wouldn't be open to tickling anyone immediately, but when he did, he would start with light pokes and jabs to his fellow members
He'd be confused and very embarrassed at first, but would grow more experienced over time
He likes to use light strokes of his fingers the most
He would get an extreme feeling of power at seeing someone beneath him going crazy with laughter, so that would help him feel more relaxed and open to the idea
A lot of his teases would be video game related
"Get comfortable, cuz this run has only just started~"
"I'm not even the final boss, and you're already running out of stamina?"
"If only you had a way to nerf how ticklish you are~"
His lees would think his teasing is so corny and laugh more as a result
#mha shigaraki#mha shigaraki tickle headcanons#shigaraki tickle headcanons#mha tickle headcanons#bnha tickle headcanons#bnha shigaraki tickle headcanons#bnha shigaraki#lee!shigaraki#ler!shigaraki#shigaraki tickle#sfw tickling community#mha sfw tickling#tickle headcanons
51 notes
·
View notes
Text
TSSM Pokemon Au Part 4
I watched some Pokemon videos and decided to give TSSM characters Pokemon for fun! This is also going off of @hermesserpent-stuff ‘s Spider Nephew Au. Also, there might be some people with the same Pokemon for different reasons; either they fit two people, or it’s to match with someone. I also base some of these Pokemon in different ways, from types, aesthetics, Pokedex Entries, jobs, powers, and backstories. I also won’t mind explaining my reasoning because I did a lot of research for them. Also, I tried o make sure they had diverse types, but some people might have more than 1 of the same type. Another thing is that I like to imagine that Peter and the other villains have 3 Pokemon for their civilian image and then the other 3 for their hero/villain work.
The last thing is that I have only played up to Generation 8, and I have yet to play the other games. So my bad, if there is another Pokemon that suits them better.(let me know plz)
I will highlight their starter and their strongest. Red is their strongest, and blue is their starter. Purple is both. Any that has a * are their secret team.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
L. Thompson Lincoln/Tombstone
(Shiny) Glaceon (Ice)
Lucario (Fighting/Steel) *
Haxorus (Dragon)
Golisopod (Bug/Water) *
Bisharp (Dark/Steel) *
Nidoqueen (Poison/Ground)
Tombstone was bullied as a child as he looked different than other kids. One day, he hid from others so he wouldn't get beaten up. When the bush he was hiding in started moving. He was met with a shiny Eevee hiding from its siblings for the same reason. Lonnie took it home to heal it but had to hide it from other people. When the other kids found out, they were jealous that he had found a shiny pokemon. They bullied him about it even more for different reasons (that he didn’t deserve a shiny pokemon or that he managed to find a weird Pokemon like him). Eevee was his only true friend for a while (He also thought that Robbie was his only human friend). Next, he found a Wimpod who was also hiding from others for being weak. He decided to take care of it, too. When he was walking with Robbie Roberton, they found some Nidorans, both female and male. Robbie suggested catching them since he knows they would be strong Pokemon when they evolve (Lonnie got the female one since he liked blue more. Also, Robbie just wanted another Pokemon for Lonnie so he can be more protected from those bullies). He knew he had to be tougher so others would leave him alone. He caught a Riolu to start training himself to be a better fighter. So when he got older, no one messed with him anymore. He did get shady jobs and eventually went into crime but thought of nothing of what he wanted to do in the future. It wasn’t until he was thinking about enemy gangs that he had to deal with and wishing there was a way to stop them. He then watches a Bisharp leading a group of Pawniards to hunt and gets the idea of being a mob boss. He eventually catches a Pawniard and rises in ranks. When he was almost to the top, he knew he needed one more strong Pokemon. When his men revealed some stolen Pokemon another gang had, he watched how Fraxure never backed down. He decided to keep that one and evolved it for his image as a strong trainer as a mask for L Thompson Lincoln.
Hammerhead
Bastiodon (Rock/Steel)
Rampardos (Rock)
Grandbull (Fairy)
Garchomp (Dragon/Ground)
Sharpedo (Water/Dark)
Mawile (Steel/Fairy)
Hammerhead had a tough childhood since his father was the one who controlled the house, and he couldn’t really get any Pokemon for a while without him approving it. When his father finally let him, they were all dog Pokemon, mostly Growlithe and Houndor. Until he found a Snubull that he liked. His father was going to order him to leave the Snubull because of its look until the breeder showed him what it evolves to and said it was okay to keep it. He caught different Pokemon, but his father never approved any of them except for Gibble. When he finally had enough, he fought his father when both of his Pokemon evolved and ran away. He later joined a gang. Somewhere, he caught a Sharpedo. As he was fighting a rival gang, he got hurt really badly and was taken by a scientist. He gave him his steel skull, including a Sheildon and Cranidos, since the scientist already tested the two pokemon for their skulls and didn’t need them anymore. He joined Silvermane’s gang for a while. He and Silver Sable were dating at one point as she managed to get them to have the same pokemon since she thought it would be cute. So they both have a Malwile. They ended up breaking up, but Hammerhead kept his Malwile. Now, he works for Tombstone.
Sable Manfredi/Silver Sable
Mawile (Steel/Fairy)
Skarmory (Steel/Flying)
Weavile (Dark/Ice)
Beautifly (Bug/Flying)
Gorebyss (Water)
Lurantis (Grass)
Sable got any Pokemon she wanted from her dad. As a child, her first pokemon was a Wurmple because her mother had a Beautifly, and she wanted one, too. Her father asked if she wanted fully evolved pokemon so she could have it, but she wanted to evolve them herself, so he let her. Later she she managed to get a Clampearl and a Formantis as a teen. She still didn’t know what other pokemon to get later. At one point, she dated Hammerhead a few years later. She thought it would be cute to have the same pokemon together. They both caught a Malwile. Eventually, they broke up, but Sable kept her Malwile. Later, Sable was trying to figure out what to do with herself while her father was in prison. She started training and trying to figure out what she could use. She caught a Weavile for offense. Then, a Skarmory for aerial attacks and a getaway ride.
Cameleon
Ditto (Normal)
Zorark (Dark)
Mr. Mime (Psychic/Fairy)
Kecleon (Normal)
Castform (Normal) (Changes Types)
Oricorio (Flying) (Changes Types)
Dewpider (Water/Bug) (Abandoned)
Dmitri Nikolaievich Smerdyakov didn’t have the best childhood growing up. Living in the household of the Kravinoff family was tough, and one of the ways he tried to impress them was his acting skills by disguising himself as someone else, inspired by watching a Ditto that they let him keep but was the only one that was allowed to. Someone noticed his talents and asked if he wanted to join his brother’s group of impersonators. He also offered him a Zorua too, if he joined. Dmitri left the house, without anyone knowing, and began his criminal career. He eventually evolved Zorua to Zororark. Although he was very picky about which pokemon to get. He then decided that he wanted Pokemon that can transform or other performing types. He caught a Kecleon for its ability to turn invisible, easier for it to escape. Mr. Mime for Psychic moves to stop people/pokemon or when Zoroark is pretending to be something else, Mr. Mime tries to use psychic in some way that it looks like Zoroark is attacking them with the “correct” moves. Castform and Oricorio came later and used their switching types as an advantage. After a while of being alone, he heard about another criminal using theatre tricks. He hunted him down and found Quintin Beck and the Tinkerer. They decided to become a group. At one point, he managed to convince Quentin to get a Zorua (in reality he was the one who needed that Zorua and did this as an excuse because he always has one slot open when impersonating someone else and catching that pokemon just to release it.) When he wanted to impersonate Spiderman, Quentin caught him a Dewpider. When his plan failed, he told Quentin to get rid of it and decided to leave the other two to go solo.
Extra Stuff: Hammerhead and Sable’s Malwile are on good terms so they greet each other when they see each other. It annoys the other two when they are trying to battle.
But if Mysterio and Chameleon’s Zoroark see each other, they fight since Chameleon boasts that his pokemon is stronger.
Hammerhead’s Granbull might look tough, but when they are alone it turns into a big baby. Hammerhead believes he might have pampered it too much as a child, but he doesn’t complain that much…until it needs a bath.
Sable grabs onto Skarmary’s leg when they are flying but Beautifly likes to get out of her ball to join them.
Hammerhead’s pokemon likes to headbutt him for no reason (affectionate) other than they know he can take it. However, Malwile bites him even though he already told them to stop. (They won’t)
Tombstone’s Glaceon would sleep next to his desk but when it’s not wandering around it sits on his desk, watching him work.
Tombstone’s Glaceon is curious about Peter’s Eevee, since it’s been a long time since it has been near another Eevee, but gets too close to Eevee that it gets annoyed.
Not many people will train their own Pokemon by fighting them, but Tombstone likes to spar with his.
Nidoqueen is the Pokemon that is mostly concerned about Tombstone’s health. She makes sure he eats and sleeps. Since she did promise Robbie that she will take care of him.
#tssm#the spectacular spider man#tombstone#l tompson lincoln#lonnie lincoln#hammerhead#silver sable#chameleon#pokemon
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
First up for our Pride Month Event is Anna!
Anna, Author of Wayfarer
When your mercenary work backs you into a corner, you take the only option available and accept a contract: to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient artifact said to be blessed by the gods. Simple, right?
But Velantis holds more than you bargained for. Gathering a ragtag party of malcontents and renegades from across the city, you must navigate enemy factions, meddling guilds, and escalating political tensions. Your choices will ultimately determine the city’s fate – and the fate of every person who lives there.
Wayfarer is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. You play as a Wayfarer, a member of an order of warriors born with magical immunity in a world dominated by magic. It is currently in development. The full game will include three acts and a total of 14 chapters.
Read more about Wayfarer here.
Play the Demo here.
Anna's Patreon and Ko-fi.
[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]
Q1 - Please, introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your project!
I’m a playwright! After several years working in the theatre industry, I wanted to branch out into video game scriptwriting. Wayfarer actually started as a portfolio piece and grew into what it is today.
Wayfarer is a dark fantasy game. You play as a Wayfarer, a mercenary from an order of warriors immune to magic. When your last job backs you into a corner, you take a contract to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient relic… but of course, things do not turn out the way you expect.
Q2 - What or who are some of your biggest inspirations?
There’s quite a few! In terms of writing, I take a lot from the works of novelists like Brandon Sanderson, S.A. Chakraborty, and R.F. Kuang, as well as playwrights like Judith Thompson and Colleen Murphy. With game design and general worldbuilding, the Dragon Age series is Wayfarer’s main source of inspiration, alongside the Witcher 3, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, and D&D.
Q3- What excites you most about IF? What drew you to the medium?
Interactive fiction sits in a very special place because it’s text-based. I think sometimes we’re accustomed to thinking visual media as superior to text, but it’s not true. There’s power in prose, power in the reader’s imagination, that can push a game beyond the limitations of traditional video games.
Even just speaking narratively, you can do more with nonlinear storytelling in interactive fiction than you can elsewhere. I adore the concept of choice-based gameplay. I love pushing my game in different directions and crafting concrete consequences for the player’s actions. This ultimately results in a significant amount of branching. Episode 1’s boss fight has multiple versions depending on how you handle the events leading up to it, which is not something that would be possible in traditional gaming.
I also love interactive fiction because it has become an intrinsically queer space. Our stories and experiences are so often on the fringes, and interactive fiction is a gaming medium that pushes against the boundaries of the traditional. There is so much being done here to explore gender, sexuality, and personal identity. It’s nice to be able to play queer relationships without feeling like you’re the outlier or that the content was thrown in last minute.
Q4 - Are your characters influenced by your identity? How?
Absolutely. Wayfarer’s world is inherently queer. It is littered with queer characters (major companion characters and NPCs included), and gender expression is fluid and malleable. When I did the initial worldbuilding, I really wanted to separate it from societal constructs from the “real world.” It’s a fantasy, after all, and part of that fantasy is living in a world where being queer is about as remarkable as what you had for breakfast. Sometimes it’s nice to have a narrative where folks can live their lives without facing sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.
On a more personal level, Wayfarer’s romance system is shaped by my experiences as an asexual person. Romantic and sexual attraction are two very different things, and this is typically not addressed in most fiction. I wanted a system that acknowledged those differences, while also allowing the player to change things up when they felt it was in character. So, while there’s no “Select A to be Ace” option in the character creator, the player will always have agency when it comes to how they want their character to engage with either type of attraction—whether it be romantic, sexual, both, or none.
Q5 - What are you most excited about sharing related to your project?
I’m excited to share the kind of game that I love to play! Wayfarer has a vibrant world, rich lore, a huge cast of diverse and dynamic characters, and—most importantly—choices that really do matter. Every playthrough is different, and there’s always some new piece of the puzzle to uncover, even after multiple replays.
Q6 - What would you like to see more of in LGBT+ fiction/IF community?
More of everything! Human experience is so varied, so nuanced, it’s impossible to capture all of it in a single work. I think it would be a detriment to a story as a whole to squeeze every possible experience into one place (if you spread yourself too thin, you end up with shallow writing and characters). I’d love to see more LGBTQ+ fiction and games, full stop. That’s how we will get those varied, wide-ranging perspectives and experiences, while also having fulfilling stories and characters.
I’d also love to see more authors delve into the complexities of intimate relationships. I rarely see topics like romantic and sexual compatibility addressed. This is often a huge part of asexual relationships (if what you want doesn’t match what your partner wants, you need to address it), but I think it applies to so many other folks as well.
Q7- Lastly, what advice would you give to your creators and readers?
For developers, make the game you want to play. Don’t worry too much about following trends or popular staples of the medium. If you don’t vibe with a certain mechanic or idea, don’t feel pressured to add it to your game. Conversely, if you really love a popular mechanic or idea and are worried about doing the same thing everyone else is doing, go for it anyway! If you’re passionate about what you’re creating, you’ll find your niche. Interactive fiction games are at their best when the creator is having fun and making the material they themselves enjoy.
For players, indulge in the roleplaying! Every game has something different to offer. If you try to pre-determine your playthrough before you even start, you might end up with a good, but somewhat hollow experience. The fun of playing interactive fiction games, for me, is sticking to my character’s instincts and seeing where those choices take me—even if it doesn’t turn out the way I wanted it to.
158 notes
·
View notes
Text
I decided to touch back on a part of my old story and redesign it, so that it would be more coherent, as it’s a pretty old part without much thought put into it (I also wanted to do this for fun). For now, I’ll refer to this as The Neostopian Realm. I imagined it as acting like a video game, where you control a character and do what video game characters do in video games.
There are three main factions in The Neostopian Realm, each serving as varying levels of difficulty from easy to hard. The Yellow Faction is the easiest section, and the first one you come across. It’s members are very forgiving, and are more so training you for your journey ahead rather than hunting you down. I can’t say the same for the Blue and Red Factions, with the Blue Faction going out of its way to retrieve you, and the Red Faction merely intending to kill you and/or use you for themselves. The Blue Faction is of medium difficulty, and will appear every now and then to engage you in either a battle rush, a chase sequence, or a little bit of both. The Red Faction is the hardest in difficulty, and each member in it is their own little boss fight, essentially acting as a boss rush.
The leaders of the three factions are none other than Hatsune Miku, Akita Neru, and Kasane Teto. Neru is neutral in nature, and always tells you to get back up when you fall down. Hatsune Miku is constantly on your tail, arranging ambushes to catch you in your tracks and retrieve you by force. Kasane Teto sometimes sees you as an opportunity to take down a foreign faction member, and other times sees you as a potential new recruit. Either way, she will always be watching you on your journey.
At this point in my life, Heron wasn’t the guy he is today, and back then he was smaller and played a bigger role. He is the main character in The Neostopian Realm, where this realm is the result of what his brain is simulating while he is in a coma (I will not elaborate further). In this realm, he is referred to as The Rouge, and is constantly evading capture, as he apparently ran away from the Blue Faction for unknown reasons. An alter ego acts as a guide for him, helping Heron to go to where he needs to be, and telling him what choices should be made. If you go to the pause menu, the alter ego will appear on the side, and either give you tips or chat with you.
At the time I made this part in my old story, I had just gotten into vocal synthesizers and had ZERO knowledge of the various voicebanks. By the time I had lost interest in expanding upon the world of The Neostopian Realm, I managed to include 5 vocaloids, but never got to adding fanloids and utaus aside from Neru and Teto. I didn’t really think about whether different factions should have different synths, and just added a vocaloid to each faction as I was the most familiar with them (not really saying much), and didn’t want any group to be lonely. The other vocaloids aside from Miku I included are Kagamine Len, Kagamine Rin, Oliver, KAITO, and VFlower. The Kagamine Twins and KAITO are members of the Blue Faction, being led by Miku to go after you. Oliver is a member of the Yellow Faction, taken in by Neru and serves as your buddy during your time in the first act. VFlower is a member of the Red Faction, and is essentially a bounty hunter, hunting you down with silver and lead lining. Let’s just assume there’s more characters in these factions that aren’t mentioned, because this blorbo tank feels severely under stocked.
And finally, I just want to say that this section of my old story is NOT CANON to the new story that I am currently with. It has no opportunity to exist in the new story, and it was already confusing and pointless enough in the old story, bringing up inconsistencies with characters and unanswered questions.
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
I’m thinking about Dissidia. My PSP is busted so i can’t play my copy of 012, but the game was just...so good on so many levels. A series wide crossover where the main heroes and villains duke it out? A robust and fun system where you can choose what moves you want to use to suit your opponant? The final, main villain of the whole game being voiced by Keith goddamned David? It was so great on every level. Too bad there were only two games...oh well!
Anyway one of the coolest things in Dissidia was the the final boss, Chaos, was actually pretty well characterized for what was essentially a crossover fighting game boss. And those don’t really have to do anything other than be really tough and look cool. Chaos was all of that and he had a lot of personality. He even got a personal opening quote for every single character! If you look up a video of them you’ll see a bunch of people making up more quotes for him for other characters, final fantasy or otherwise, in the comments because its actually really fun to think about....so im gonna do that; (only for vii x xii and xiii because those are the ones i played...plus a couple of quick “just for me” bonuses) (for added impact imagine these in the deep booming voice Keith uses for chaos )
VII:
Barret: “You will die, along this world you so cherish!”
Yuffie: “Reckless child, you will steal no victory here!”
Cid: “The stars are forever lost to you...”
Aerith: “Destiny’s chain binds you, you have no escape!”
Vincent: “Corpse with no future, I will grant you release.”
Cait Sith: “You wish to buy redemption with a toy?”
Red XIII: “Your line, your blood, ends with me.”
Zack: “Nothing but a forgotten memory, vanish.”
Angeal: “Come, monster, I shall free you from your misery!”
Genesis: “You were born nothing and you shall forever be nothing.”
X:
Rikku: “You have no home to return to, thief.”
Wakka: “Your faith will protect nothing!”
Lulu: “Your failures have come to collect you, mage.”
Kimahri: “Hornless whelp! Know your place!”
Auron: “Your oath means nothing, and will save nothing.”
Seymour: “The world’s despair is nothing before the yawning chaos!”
Paine: “Foolish girl, you have nowhere else to run.”
XII:
Penelo: “Give in! Your war is finished!”
Ashe: “Your kingdom is lost, and so are you.”
Basch: “Soldier with no battlefield, drown in the abyss!”
Baltheir: “The final act! And no more beyond.”
Fran: “Come, pirate, perish certain that she hates.”
Larsa: “Come child! I shall you give you your bloodied crown!”
Cid: “Your research avails you not, all for nothing.”
Vayne: “The reins of history are beyond your power to grasp!”
XIII:
Snow: “Your back is heavy with the weight of your failures.”
Sazh: “Your despair, your fear, it all lead you to me.”
Hope: “You will never have the strength to forge the world you desire.”
Vanille: “Beast of ruin! Do not deny your purpose!”
Fang: “Struggle all you will, your hands will never hold her again.”
Sarah: “Your time had ended long ago, now comes your destiny.”
Noel: “You shall fail! Again and again! For eternity!”
Orphan: “Foolish worm, you overreach.”
Caius: “There is no respite, no redemption, suffer eternal.”
Bhunivelze: “All shall end! Even I! And even you!”
Bonus (because, if this post hasn’t told you already, i am a nerd):
Izuku: “You will save no one boy.”
Bakugou: “Your noise shall be swallowed within the abyss!”
Naruto: “You can’t hide your fangs forever, beast.”
Sasuke: “Your hatred shall forever be lacking.”
Ichigo: “You are but a ghost, vanish into the wind!”
Luffy: “Your freedom, is but a fleeting illusion.”
Ragna: “Beast of darkness! Fall before Chaos!”
Jin: “I shall shatter your empty heart of ice.”
Taokaka: “Die in ignorance, die in bliss.”
Terumi: “Laugh serpent, laugh as you fall into the abyss!”
Sol: “Your corrupt flame shall flicker and fade.”
Ky: “Your kingdom is beyond your ability to save.”
Dizzy: “The power you fear within you is nothing compared to me!”
Anji: “Dance until every light finally goes out!”
Baiken: “Drown in the blood you have spilt!”
I-No: “Your tomorrow is forever beyond your reach.”
Justice: “There is no justice, there is only me.”
Happy Chaos: “I shall provide you with all the drama you could ever desire...”
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
28 October, 2022
I can perfectly imagine SO many AMV (animated music videos, NOT anime, with MY oc’s) to many songs, I’ll probably make a list when I listen to the songs again!!!
* U Got That (Little V Mix.), heavy lore dump focusing on hard gorey (like a punch going through an enemy’s torso?) moments of violence and combat.
* Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Tears for Fears / Lorde combo), sad and melancholic moments in lore, focusing on relationships such as Mitra and Rómina, Danny and Jimena, Val and their whole previous world. Idk bro sad vibes, inspired by that one video of Tekken lore from my Argent-SZ Tumblr I tagged as “fave”
* I Expect You To Die (Scheller Games), gameplay secret, instead of escaping the deadly trap while the antagonist sings on a giant screen far in the background, if you stay put for the reminder of the song you can trigger secret dialogue that gives you a secret story route, you would need to be playing as Danny though, since one of his idle animations is to observe the background and the general landscape, he’ll watch the performance and it would go somewhat like this: (song finishes) ... Antagonist: ...you didn’t tried to escape? Danny: well at first I thought to do so, but somewhere in the lyrics you were making it seem like you were offering me a deal or something, besides I wanted to record the song! Antagonist: I have... I can’t believe... Stay where you are.
* There’s an specific scenario that keeps reappearing in my mind: after following enough leads, the gang find themselves in a music nightclub. I keep imagining the 3 doing a beat-‘em-up style combat to reach da boss of the place. The songs are Blood Flows, Get Your Body Beat, WTF Is Wrong With you, etc.
* You Spin Me Round (3TEETH), this is one of those “opening scene chase sequences” kind of deal, with maybe Mitra doing the chasing in a motorcycle, face full of anger, going up in the highway towards a neon city, is it chasing or getting there in time?
* My Way (Frank Sinatra), it’s one of those songs that I would put a montage of destructive defeats, hopelessness with a hint of, well, hope. Kinda like the end of the Bardock movie! One vision I keep having is a shot of Rómina’s back, she’s facing multiple blasts from robots before she is able to use her detonator to wipe them all out, framing similar to how future Gohan’s end was portrayed in the DBZ Kakarot video game. Rómina’s story at the end is a prequel to the main lore of Mitra and Val, if it hadn’t been for Rómina blowing the mother base ship core thing... nobody would be alive... I imagine the start of this sequence as Rómina starting to record one last audio log for Mitra to listen at a later date, she clicks on record and leaves the tape recorder on the floor, the camera zooming on it slowly as when she hesitates to let go of it, she then leaps out of the frame attacking the robots, distant explosions and pain grunts of fury as the song keeps playing, the wall on the back getting Blood splattered the red emergency lights come in and her shadow can be seen in that same wall, she holds her torso with one arm as she pulls a gun with the other hand, the lights flashing and more and more robots burst into the room, before the camera finally cutting to her back, the song climaxing as she falls in slow motion...
0 notes
Note
if the last chapter of bbac isn't titled "Begone (Nor)Thot" I'm gonna be pretty disappointed ngl
THERE’S SO MUCH I WANT TO SAY TO YOU, ANON. SO FUCKING MUCH.
please resend this to me at the end of chapter 26. (chapter 27 will be the last chapter of the main story. epilogue will come later.)
(thankfully, we have the themes of the last few chapters figured out, even if we don’t have specific titles. next up, demons...!)
#i'm trying not to say The Thing but GOOD GOD do i want to#maybe i'll say it in the tags#i'm trying to weigh the pros and the cons here#i mean i've outright said a few other things... and some are by implication...#there are a lot of asks i've been sitting on because of spoilers or i'm waiting for a funny response#but this one i had to respond to because i'm gonna chew my fingers off if i have to look at it#you don't even KNOW anon#you can probably guess but you don't even KNOW#(you don't even know that there are more things to come than northot...................)#i'm gonna flee into the sunset#but listen if you think of bbac as a video game#(which i do because it's fun to think about)#and if the finale is the super long cutscene + battles leading up to the Final Boss#actually you know what just think of this all as the final battle from persona 3#that thing takes you two and a half goddamn hours because of cutscenes and gimmicks#that sounds apt#northot is nyx avatar#which means we still have an egg to go don't we?#actually please imagine most of the finale of bbac to that awesome nyx avatar battle theme because that shit is great#anonymous#ask
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
The 30 Best GBA Games (Game Boy Advance) of All Time 2021
The 30 Best GBA Games (Game Boy Advance) of All Time 2021
1. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
The Icon of Zelda: The Minish Cover shirts our checklist for a variety of motives: Never-ending allure, fantastic overworld and dungeon layout, clever puzzles as well as wiser challenge aspects. The Minish Cap told the backstory of Vaati, the leading antagonist and important shape in A number of Swords. Right after Vaati petrified Princess Zelda, Hyperlink rescued a wonder sentient head wear using a bird go that, when donned, lets him get smaller into a minute dimensions just like the{Buzrush.com} Minish, the small beings who have did the trick tirelessly to aid take out darkness coming from the planet. The head wear, the game’s central quirk, was designed exploring Hyrule a lot differently than before. It opened up new locations and available new viewpoints, illuminating just how stunning the field of Hyrule actually is. The Minish Limit obtained all the prominent features of a successful Zelda online game, from excellent dungeons to whimsical townspeople for the absolute satisfaction given when launching a jewel chest. And were you aware The Minish Cap was designed by Capcom, not Nintendo? It remains to be one of the better Zelda video games of all time.
2. Golden Sunshine
Camelot Application Organizing, known for Glowing Power and Mario athletics titles, shocked every person with 2001’s Wonderful Direct sunlight, a valiant attempt at providing a unique Final Fantasy-style encounter to your hand-held foundation. And the child performed Camelot at any time to be successful. Wonderful Sunlight starred Isaac and a few other adventurers inside their quest to save the concept {Buzrush.com}of Weyard. It possessed most of the trappings of an Ultimate Fantasy online game - a help save-the-world storyline, random convert-structured battles, and summons - but it also had a good variety of overworld puzzles and much more intense tale owing to a great deal of exposition and dialogue. Its sequel, Wonderful Sunshine: The Shed Grow older, shared the tale with the perspective of the antagonists. The original is not only the best GBA RPG ever; it’s one of the best turn-based RPGs released to this day, even though both games are excellent in their own right. If you missed out on Golden Sun, find a way to play it, such as through the Wii U. A sequel called Gold Direct sunlight: If you want even more Golden Sun in your life, Dark Dawn also came to DS, as well.
3. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
The final and third GBA Castlevania video game, Aria of Sorrow, revealed that it had been possible for the collection to attain the level of effectiveness displayed in Symphony in the Nights. That is ideal. First, we said Metroid Fusion was better than Super Metroid, and now we’re putting Aria of Sorrow on the same pedestal{Buzrush.com} as Symphony of the Night. In contrast to its predecessors, Aria of Sorrow got the vampiric sequence into the long term, setting customers within the boots of Soma Cruz, a teen with occult energy who could produce the reincarnation of Dracula. Aria of Sorrow has got the low-linear research of SotN, meaningful RPG mechanics, a handful of great weapons, and a series of daunting but incredible boss struggles. Throw in the Strategic Souls technician, which adjusts gameplay and data by beating foes, and Aria of Sorrow was the richest entrance in the collection currently. It holds right now as one of the greatest Castlevania games, and for a flavor of a related design activity, try Bloodstained: Routine of your Nighttime on Change.
4. Metroid Fusion
It’s no great surprise Metroid Fusion was developed via the similar team that manufactured Extremely Metroid. Fusion almost looked like an not related sequel if this started in 2002. Combination showcased in a similar fashion extended {Buzrush.com}open-society to learn, allowing gamers to review and reveal ways and secrets ahead at their own speed. The team at Nintendo R&D1 highly processed the fight from Awesome Metroid and released several new power-mechanics and ups at the same time. Metroid Fusion is not just one of the best games on GBA; it’s the best 2D Metroid ever made, even though it may be blasphemous to say.
5. The Story of Zelda: A Web Link to the Earlier and A number of Swords
Not much has to be stated regarding a Url to the Past, the common top notch-lower Zelda trip for the SNES. The GBA dock helped bring the mesmerizing Dark and Light Worlds of Hyrule to hand-held correctly. The port also introduced a new element, however, named A number of Swords. This supportive mode allows a 2 to 4{Buzrush.com} player workforce to approximately get rid of puzzles and defeat baddies in dungeons. However the primary strategy is exactly what eventually earns The Link to the Earlier an increased identity within this collection, adding A number of Swords created the GBA version the definitive solution to enjoy one of the greatest games ever, even when compared to Nintendo Change On the internet type available by using a subscription.
6. Upfront Wars
Smart Techniques, the recording studio behind Fire Emblem, have also been powering the greatest transform-based method video game on GBA: Advance Wars. The idea was simple: A glowing blue army face looked out against a reddish army, every single one composed of tanks, infantrymen, and artillery. Boasting difficult proper gameplay, a deep promotion, as well as a chart creator, Progress Competitions got all the things a technique enthusiast could want. Like Fireplace Logo, Advance Conflicts originated from{Buzrush.com} a Japanese exceptional collection named Famicom Conflicts, so we are rather lucky to get it in Canada And America. The GBA also got a sequel in Advance Competitions 2: Black colored Pit Escalating. Whilst great, it observed more like add more-on information due to the actually powerful forerunner, as well as the DS sequels weren’t as vintage since the initial. For your similar practical experience, look at Wargroove on Nintendo Swap.
7. Metroid: Zero Goal
Exactly what do you get if you mix the atmosphere and nostalgia in the authentic Metroid with current mechanics? Properly, a darn great sport. Metroid: No Vision, a reimagining of your 1986 classic, retold the storyline of Samus Aran’s initial venture together with the enhanced fight evident in Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. {Buzrush.com}Beautiful to view and even far better to engage in, Zero Objective manufactured going back to World Zebes feels fully unique again.
8. WarioWare: Twisted!
Established from the frantic “microgame” formula of WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! , WarioWare: Twisted! included drive comments - certainly one of only two GBA game titles to possess the feature - and also a gyro sensing unit. The outcome? An event unlike another for the hand held. Microgames are necessary competitors to complete speedy-flame activities within minutes. None of the games were particularly complex, but all of them were entertaining. Also the plan, which associated Wario getting{Buzrush.com}mad with a game on GBA and flinging the handheld at the wall structure, fell completely in line with the game’s irreverent development. If you played it in public, ferociously twisting and turning your GBA like a madman, on a scale of sheer “fun value,” you’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying GBA game, especially. Some of the games can also be found in the 3DS generate WarioWare Yellow gold, in conjunction with microgames from the other collection.
9. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga kicked off of one among Nintendo’s best Mario games and spin off selection. Despite the fact that starting off within the familiarized Mushroom Empire, the video game speedily transitions to Beanbean Kingdom, a substantial world how the bros should traverse to recover Princess Peach’s speech. Split{Buzrush.com} up to the core concept, Superstar Saga had been a flip-dependent part-playing activity. But Nintendo and today-defunct programmer AlphaDream layered the combat by adding timing-structured maneuvers that nodded to Mario’s platforming origins. Controlling Mario and Luigi all at once also contributed to the game’s many fun spot puzzles. Superstar Saga stands apart today as the GBA’s ideal RPGs.
10. Closing Imagination VI
Closing Fantasy VI did not arrive at Game Child Upfront in America till 2007, greater than two year period after the Nintendo DS started. Often, it is introduced like a “thank you” to Activity Boy followers for his or her lengthy-standing help and support. Final Fantasy VI was a pitch-perfect port that brought the epic story, strategic {Buzrush.com}gameplay, and wondrous soundtrack to a handheld device for the first time, as one of the best entries in the long-running role-playing series. Final Fantasy VI rightfully earns a spot on our list, even though the GBA also received great ports of Final Fantasy I & II, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy V. It is merely the most effective RPGs ever produced and one of many top Closing Imagination game titles in recent history.
More Info-
https://www.buzrush.com/the-30-best-gba-games-game-boy-advance-of-all-time-2021/
https://sites.google.com/view/best-gba-games/home
142 notes
·
View notes
Text
So. Season 2 of Netflix's The Witcher, huh. I was disappointed.
What I liked:
- Jaskier's singing 💜
- proper screen time and lines of dialogue for the bruxa as well as Nivellen's confession that he raped the priestess being served as a gut punch at the end rather than being either omitted or admitted off the bat
- the dynamic between Geralt and Ciri is genuinely heartwarming
- I like the thought behind getting a more expansive look at Nilfgaard and what kind of person Fringilla is and what exactly the elves are up to. The execution was... meh, but I appreciate the effort.
- Fringilla paralizing and killing those guys in the dining hall
All the things I disliked:
- What I wanted was a plotline involving Yennefer that would deepen her character. What I got was bullshit. What was the fucking point of her losing her magic and running around like a headless chicken for the entire season leading up to her flimsy "betrayal" of Ciri to basically not matter and just be used as an excuse for another cheap action setpiece for the season finale. Was the Yen & Cahir Roadtrip really worth the screen time only for the audience to not even really learn any new information about Yen or Cahir in the process in the end. I also thought it was useless to spend so much time on Tissaia and Geralt believing Yen to be dead when we know the entire time that of course she isn't
- With Yennefer apparently on the run now, is the show going to adapt the coup without Yen and Geralt attending the ball?
- Vilgefortz and Tissaia... why? What does this add?
- it is baffling to me that the show had Jaskier and Cahir meet now, kind of? Is Jaskier just going to do a double take and side-eye him extra hard when he shows up in Baptism of Fire and joins the gang on the Road Trip To Find Ciri? Are they not going to recognize each other? "Hey Geralt, don't worry about the man who haunts Ciri's worst nightmares, I saw him travelling with Yen not too long ago, he's not that bad"?
- the (non-book-canon) 'conflict' of "Do Yen and Geralt only fake love each other because of djinn magic?" remains unresolved/is swept under the rug, not to mention the extremely lazy Geralt and Jaskier friendship reunion (resulting from yet another non-book-canon conflict)
- the sheer amount of (at times really cheap-looking) huge monsters that Geralt fights made them feel like video game quest boss battles and this got stale and tiring and boring real fucking fast. And not once was there a great battle sequence with Ciri and Geralt properly fighting together
- Not enough Philippa Eilhart content considering just how many times her owl form was shown
- With all this focus on the elves, where the FUCK are the Scoia'tael and why have they never even been referred to by name yet?
- What a waste of potential to have Ciri only stay at Melitele's temple for a few hours instead of getting the book plot of her actually getting an education there and slowly forming a bond with Yennefer on her own without Geralt being present. As cute as the instant-family bond of the show was starting from Ciri walking in on Yen and Geralt, it didn't quite feel earned.
- Falka's introduction to the show's lore was badly done. Also, no one wanted or needed extended Stregebor screen time, I am sure of it
- The half-hearted adaptations of the book monologues that Triss directs at Geralt (and the other witchers) fell sadly flat
- Why WAS Ciri constantly training by mindlessly beating the shit out of a. thin air, and b. an unmoving straw dummy. That's not fight training, that's dance choreography. I wanted to like the "parkour training course" more, I imagined it to be more complex and longer than it was
- Justice for Eskel. I also don't know how Netflix could possibly expect me to care about the deaths of some of the witchers when they barely got referred to by name and had no real space to develop personalities or a bond with Ciri.
I am not that much of a book snob that I am just crying about any and all book changes. In fact, I have a personal laundry list of Book Canon that I would love to have never happened or be changed beyond the point of recognition. It's just that with a character dynamic like that of Yennefer and Ciri it is baffling to me how anyone could look at the season two finale and think it was an improvement in comparison to the source material. Seemingly done just because the show needed flashy action scenes for the finale which, yeah, admittedly, isn't really found in Blood of Elves.
#the witcher spoilers#wiedźmin#the witcher#lauren I trusted you to get the books right and then your (co-)written eps are my least favorites :(
18 notes
·
View notes
Text
OMORI’s poor writing (Part 2)
Once again, if you are a big fan of OMORI, this review is not for you. Treasure this game, love it, recommend it, make fan art, buy the merch, do what you will with it. I am not here to take OMORI away from anyone. Based on the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, I know that my opinion is in the minority.
However, just as the fans have the right to praise the game, I have the right to examine it, criticize it, and explain why it failed to provide a compelling experience. This is second part of my review where I will tackle OMORI’s problematic themes and disrespectful appropriation of mental health.
[ See Part 1: Plot Writing Lies ]
(Note: I use “OMORI” in all-caps for the game title, and “Omori” in title case for the character name.)
Spoilers and criticism below.
Part 2: OMORI’s message is mishandled and distasteful
OMORI provides a warning that it depicts scenes of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Because the game includes these scenes, I assumed these mental health issues are presented in a way that is meaningful and respectful.
However, that is not the case.
Despite having depictions of such, this game is not really about depression, anxiety, or even suicide. It’s about committing a horrible crime, lying about it, and getting over the guilt.
1. Suicide as a game mechanic
Suicidal thoughts are intrusive, terrifying, and painful. As well as ending the victim's life, suicide wreaks havoc on the lives of those who once knew them. It is often a taboo topic, but discussing such matters is an important step to understanding and preventing it. Video games are a medium well suited to approaching such dark topics.
Unfortunately, OMORI does not handle the topic of suicide well at all.
First, suicide is written as a unavoidable game mechanic that seems to have been included for shallow reasons such as aesthetic and shock value. To leave Sunny’s headspace and wake up, you--as a player--must direct him to stab himself in the stomach.
But why? It’s not like waking up involves some sort of major sacrifice. In fact, waking up is something that is more or less unavoidable. Reality should be something that snatches Sunny away from his headspace against his will, perhaps as an encroaching darkness that Sunny can run from, but never truly escape. But instead, facing reality is something you are forced to opt into in the most needlessly violent way possible.
Forcing you--as a player--to literally commit suicide just to wake up from a dream is a pointless, distasteful, and disrespectful action that sets a precedent for suicide not being taken seriously in this game. (And it isn’t.)
In the black space, Omori is pressured to kill a cat. In that scene, regardless of your choice, you are forced to kill yourself. However, the act of stabbing yourself has been seen so many times at that point that it has completely lost any impact. Who cares about suicide when it’s been reduced to just a means of travel?
Lastly, if you fail to defeat the final boss, Sunny commits suicide in the real world. However, this is not a cutscene, it is once again something that you--as a player--are forced to do to progress. Putting these actions in the hands of a player is not as meaningful as the writer seems to believe, because there are no other options to progress. Any weight in making that decision is lost to resignation; a frustrated sigh of “Well, okay, fine. I guess I have to click Z here.” You are then rewarded with a SLAPPING pop song and a psychedelic cutscene of Sunny falling to his death. It’s tasteless to its core and appropriates the deaths of every suicidal person as a quirky, shallow “bad end.”
(Seriously, this is how the writer decided to depict a child taking his own life.)
youtube
2. Sunny/Omori is a poor presentation of depression
Sunny/Omori does not smile. Even in past photographs before The Incident, he still is not smiling. The contrast between Sunny and his friends stands out like a sore thumb, so I assumed this was the writer’s attempt to show that Sunny is dealing with depression, where he can’t be happy even in happy situations.
Of course, if that were the case it would be inaccurate since depressed people do smile and do hide their true feelings. They are often dismissed with, “You can’t be depressed, I saw you smiling once.” However, I was willing to let Sunny’s chronic frown slide because sometimes you have to oversimplify an idea to get your point across.
Much to my surprise, there is NO evidence of Sunny having depression before The Incident and there is very little indication of him having depression throughout the game either. The evidence of this is that while looking at a family portrait, Sunny comments that he's never liked to smile. Since he's a a baby in this portrait, this goes to show that his not smiling is simply a preference -- a quirky character trait that makes him stand out so that you feel an emotion during the true ending when he finally smiles.
Everything in the game seems to point to him being pretty happy and well adjusted up until he killed Mari. Then, even after he killed Mari, he pretty much looks and behaves the same way. Wouldn’t it be more jarring and tragic if you saw Sunny was happy in the past, but depressed now?
Which leads me to my next point...
3. Sunny and Basil are not depressed, they’re guilty (and for good reason)
In the book I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t), Brené Brown explains the difference between feeling guilt and shame.
Guilt means: “I did something bad.”
Shame means: “I am something bad.”
Guilt, when attributed to bad behavior, is actually a healthy emotion. It means that you have a sense of right and wrong, that you empathize with those you’ve hurt, and it motivates you to make things right.
Shame is an unhealthy emotion. It arrests growth, destroys self-esteem, causes poor decision making, isolates you from your loved ones, and is directly correlated with anxiety and depression.
OMORI should be a game about overcoming shame. All the right set pieces are there. Sunny’s walled himself off, his sister (allegedly) committed suicide, and he seems to be struggling with lifelong depression. However, this all falls apart, when it’s revealed that he killed his sister and staged her death as a suicide to escape blame (with Basil’s help). He DID do something bad. It’s not shame, it’s literally guilt.
All at once, OMORI stops being a game about recovering from grief and depression and becomes a game that demands the player to sympathize with a killer and liar who is hiding from his crimes. Because he and Basil feel bad about what they did, Sunny and Basil are presented as greater victims than their actual victim.
4. OMORI asks you empathize with villains (with ZERO self awareness)
Games where you are playing a character with a guilty conscience has been told before, but where OMORI really fails is that Sunny is not truly held accountable for what he did to others. Instead, the game focuses on HIS pain: since killing his sister he’s been isolated, he’s having nightmares, and he’s suicidal.
The plot of the game is focused on helping Sunny forgive himself for ruining other people’s lives. The writing barely acknowledges how his friends/family feel about what he did. When his victims’ pain IS addressed, it’s either used to further victimize Sunny (ie: isn’t it sad for him that he made his friends so sad?) or it’s used to reassure the player that Sunny’s victims have forgiven him (or will forgive him).
In fact, the game holds Mari responsible for her own death, citing that her "perfectionism" must have been what pushed Sunny to attack her. OMORI presents Mari, through headspace, as someone who accepted death gracefully and wants Sunny to live a happy life. She is never given her own voice and nothing in the game suggests she is capable of feeling bitter over her death and postmortem desecration. She plays the role of the Madonna archetype--and the perfect victim--allowing the player to empathize entirely with Sunny while accepting that Mari brought everything on herself.
[Mari suggesting that Sunny acting out his aggression on her was her fault.]
The climax of this game is NOT Sunny telling the truth to his friends. The climax is Sunny defeating his guilt and forgiving himself. We know this because the story does not even show how his friends respond to his confession, because-- once again-- what’s most important thing is resolving Sunny’s pain, not the pain he has caused others. (Though the game does heavily imply that his friends will forgive him.)
[Pictured: the boys shedding their guilt is the true happy ending ]
Imagine, for a moment, if this game was about an abuser, who caused immense pain to someone and got away with it. Then, the whole game was about how they felt bad for the abuse they caused, and-- as a player-- you help them forgive THEMSELF for their past abuse. Then, in the last few seconds of the game, they either apologize to their victim or kill themself. The victim’s response is not shown because it is not important.
This is the plot of OMORI, except with a bunch of excuses thrown on top to make it more palatable. Sunny and Basil are just soooo cute and sad. Killing Mari was an accident. Stringing her body up like a piñata was a juvenile mistake. The boys feel SO BAD that they want to kill themselves. And because suicide is so tragic, you-- as an audience-- are manipulated into empathizing them.
5. In OMORI, suicide is used as a cheap ploy for sympathy
As I mentioned before, suicide is horrible and tragic. People struggling with suicidal ideation need help, support, and respect. That said, let’s make one thing clear: being suicidal does not automatically make someone a good person. There are plenty of examples of criminals who kill themselves to escape the penalty or guilt for something they did. It is so common in the news that I don’t think I have to list out examples.
In bad endings, Sunny and Basil’s suicides are 100% motivated by guilt for their very real crimes. Now, it should be stated, Sunny and Basil do not deserve to die. And because suicide is such an extreme, permanent end for those two boys, we-- as players-- are invested in preventing that tragic end at all costs.
However, the looming threat of suicide is used as leverage to force the audience to dismiss the severity of what Sunny and Basil did. As I’ve said before, the plot of the game is about soothing and alleviating Sunny’s guilt and stopping him from killing himself as opposed to making things right.
The worst thing is, this tactic actually works. The threat of suicide is so strong, it has distracted many players from the truth that this story is about sympathizing with a boy who has killed his sister, with little regard for those his actions have affected (see point #4).
It’s terrible because suicide is such a serious topic worthy of discussion, but when used as little more than pity-bait, it twists your perception of what the characters did and silences those who try to criticize how this game handles such topics.
6. Mari's suicide being fake is a terrible twist
Lastly, by revealing Mari’s “suicide” as an accidental death, OMORI misses an opportunity to tell a much more powerful story. In the first half of this game, when Mari is thought to have committed suicide at the young age of 15, is a sobering moment. That tragedy is something very real.
If Mari had killed herself as opposed to being killed, Sunny isolating himself after his sister takes her own life is realistic. Mari’s death coming as a surprise is also realistic; how often have we heard people saying that they never knew someone was suffering? That they seemed like such a happy person?
Losing a loved one to suicide does not just cause horrible grief, but crippling shame as well. Those left behind will blame themselves, tormented by thoughts of how they could have saved them, how they would do anything to get them back. That shame can follow you forever, haunting you like a ghost, threatening you with the same fate. Overcoming that grief and shame is no simple task, and I truly thought OMORI was going to be about grappling with grief and letting go of survivor guilt.
Instead, Mari didn’t commit suicide, her life was cut short by her brother. Then, her body was staged as a suicide, forever changing how her family and friends perceived her. Her hanging body did not represent a devastating loss of life and horror of teen depression, but instead is a cheap twist that represents Sunny’s guilt for killing her and tampering with her corpse.
Conclusion:
As I’ve mentioned before OMORI has a lot of potential. The set pieces of a depressed kid who escapes to a dream world to cope with his unresolved trauma is one that had the makings to be very meaningful. However, it fumbles these issues, creating a sloppy plot that results in a problematic message. It’s baffling that this even happened, especially considering the length of time this was in development.
#omori#omori hate#review#words#the more I analyze it the worse this game gets#suicide cw#omori spoilers
179 notes
·
View notes
Text
Re-contextualizing Angel Dust: Charlie was not ready for this...
And for the sake of warning Hazbin Hotel is an adult cartoon containing heavy dark subject matter (such as rape and drug abuse, that maybe trigger to views so please tread carefully. Warning out of the way on with the post! I also just wanna get this out there older post my analysis of Val and Angel people kept commenting “what Angel Dust isn’t in love with Valentino” and my rebuttal was “no no that’s a past Angel Dust a younger one who didn’t reach that level of abuse just yet” while their argument was “no it’s the current Angel Dust” which can’t be the case. To prove my point I would like to refer back to the comics and the music video and looking at it with the context of the show. And please read my previous post if you want more explanation on Addict.
I just want to start off with explaining his relations to Cherri, needless to say Cherri is someone who Angel sees as a true friend and confines in her. And she is there for him as he is for her even willing to fight for her knowing well that he will get in trouble for it. Though one has to wonder why is there such this deep love and care for each other. Looking back to Addict, where we have Cherri singing her “Yeah you fell in love and you fell deeper in this pit...” and several times we have an unknown character pop up during her part of the song. With the little snip bits of info we get from the sequence we can tell that Cherri is in the line of work because of someone who’s over her head. And what they have over is an emotional hold over her if we want to lean in on what the lyrics it might in a romantic sense be we still don’t know who it is tho. So what makes this so important to Angel Dust.
This is because she herself is in the similar situation as Angel as in the both of us are trapped in the holes we dug ourselves into. Giving Angel someone who can understand the stuff he’s going through. Cherri knows why he’s acting out because he’s just trying to hide how hurt he really is cause” hey so does she”. And knows she doesn’t have to say anything but just be there; and takes him out on a night out with her when he’s down. That’s why Cherri is so important to him she’s someone he know that’s not going to look down on him or patronize him on his actions. And his number 1# go to person; which is why he probably reveal to her that he wants to get clean because hey that’s what binds them together... This connects why he broke streak and his stopped his sobriety.
During the opening scene of the show we have Valentino texting Angel to do work right after the extermination. Which I also have to point out that Val showing a lack of care for Angel safety after the extermination. He clearly wants his money and is making Angel put himself out there for work. And what does he do after he’s done with the job; he falls back on drugs. Now this is important to note... remember during the News broadcast Charlie confirmed that Angel was clean for 2 weeks before all of this happened! He was doing so well what could have possibly made him break his streak-Valentino.
People were theorizing Val gave drugs to his employees meaning Val isn’t only his pimp but supplier as well! Giving the reason why Angel stayed with Val for so long; when I did my analysis of the music video Addict I said Val maybe the first one to find Angel when he first came to hell. Manipulating Angel in a weakened state to view him as a sort of savior and made him forget his sorrows and how did this happen you may ask... “drugs” using sweet words to mask his hidden agenda. So Val basically trained hims like a dog on a leash in a sense of “you’ll get a love & affection with a treat” which translates to “if you do this job for me I’ll give you all the love you were denied when you were alive as along with the drugs you’ve been craving”. I will argue that Val made Angel even more dependent on drugs; because he made it his number one coping method he’s the enabler. After Angel was assaulted and raped by Valentino probably made it even worse for him because Val’s his boss, he goes to work he has to see him... triggering him to fall back on to drugs. That’s why Angel needs his drugs and needs to numb himself, so him breaking his streak clean after taking a job from Val wasn’t coincidence back then.
“he’a been behaved, clean and out of trouble for 2 weeks now” until Val got to him...
This makes Val even more dangerous to Angel’s road to recovery than we could have ever imagined. No only that but it makes it difficult to tell someone about it as well Angel is afraid of him and has to stay in contact with him since he’s his employer. This would be good time to bring up my rebuttal for my case of Addict: I get. I identified that the Angel Dust in the beginning of the music video is a younger one that still has some love for before figured out he was using him and he stood up to Val (pre-trauma). And the Angel Dust at the end credits of the music video and the one in the comic is the current Angel Dust and show (post-trauma). When you look at the interactions with Val (via comic vs music video) they are clearly different hence the two different Angel Dusts!
I will be referring to the comics in this section so if you haven’t read them please do.
When Angel is in the limo with Val he’s trying to make it very apparent that he’s upset that he’s not getting any attention from Val. Being very huffy and puffy not even looking at him as Val’ counting his money, forgetting that he’s right there. This is very important because Angel doesn’t hesitate to hide his emotions, this Angel is willing to show discontentment in front of Val being angry and annoyed at him which leads up to why he doesn’t kiss want him and outright rejects him. He shows he’s willing to fight back against Val’s mistreatment and neglect of him, becoming more aware of it. In my earlier post I deduced this scene is where Angel first time he’s disobeyed Val and finally gets the full picture he understands he doesn’t mean anything to Val and he’s using him. He’s no longer willing to put up with his mind games anymore and probably would have left Val that night... which is why he raped him to gain control over Angel.
Music video vs. Comic scene
Now looking at the interactions Angel Dust has with Val are completely different he’s submissive to Valentino when we see his conversation in the limo. Not only that but it shows why Angel Dust went on that drug deal for Val; to show him he can do something else other than being a sex-worker. Angel wants out and this was his way of giving himself another option but Val shuts it down completely! Even before he entires, he’s holding his arm in fear and discomfort, even when he’s trying to plead his case he is terrified. He’s no longer willing to fight back because of what Val did to him. And Val reminds him constantly that he could do it again if he wanted to by reminding him of that night! He does this by grabs Angel face when he tries to explain himself, like he did when he forced Angel to kiss. Val forces him to smiles when he leaves the limo he wants him to never show any form of disagreement or disobedience like the last time because that’s what got him in trouble last. To add more salt in the wound he makes him Angel call him “Mister Valentino” reminding him he’s in control! The man is practical holding a gun over Angel saying “the same thing will happen, if you disobey me again...” AND THAT IS SADISTIC AS HELL! It making me hate Val even more and after he leaves the limo all he can do is let out his anger in silence as when he smokes similar to when we see him smoke at the end credits to Addict this Angel is our current Angel Dust. This is his way of expressing his sorrow in silence why he’s an addict.
So you maybe asking how does Cherri bomb come into play, well I don’t think after the initial incident with Val who does Angel confine to Cherri and destroy a bar together. You see the pattern; Angel has a break down, uses his drugs comes off of the high, he goes to Cherri and in turn go out, and have fun well her kind of destructive fun! And it has been confirmed that he learn all about weapons from Cherri so basically this is the reason why! He wasn’t breaking his clean streak “to do his girl buddy a solid” he went because he wanted to be with the only person who could understand him at that time. And she just happened to be in a fight and he jumped in thinking “oh my home girl’s in trouble I gotta help her out...” and that’s probably did out of instinct to protect Cherri. Charlie and Vaggie cut in... now things start to get a little dicey I’m not trying to attack them but they didn’t handle it this best way. They didn’t know anything, and before know Angels story a lot of people are upset with Angel’s action but now that we have context they’re (Charlie & Vaggie) in the wrong.
These are the points of why Angel cannot confine to Charlie or Vaggie, I will also argue that they pushed Angel further from them. Angel is someone who’s very prideful and isn’t going to tell someone that he’s hurt. Unless they figure it out for themselves or feels safe with them (Cherri). Looking back Vaggie & Charlie made a huge “No-No...” and this scene is incredibly painful to watch. Let’s cut to Vaggie how does she address Angel by scolding him for his actions she goes right to the blame game, which is the last thing she should be doing if they really want to help Angel. They don’t even take the chance to ask him why he did it; unintentionally isolating him from help.
What bother me is that Vaggie is quick to call Angel’s actions are a result of being “selfish” which is not the case now that we have context. And probably why Angel just kept trying to piss off Vaggie because he knows that his actions weren’t out of wanting be “selfish”... and makes it clear that he still wants to go clean. It probably actually really hurt him to when she said that and I’d like to point out that people who struggle with addiction it’s not easy to stay clean and people can relapse. Basically what Vaggie did was shamed Angel for relapsing which is not okay and paints him as a bad guy immediately! To say he ruined the image of the hotel ... it made me furious at Vaggie putting all the blame on Angel. And we know that’s not the case even before the fight was broad casted the demons and sinners in Hell were already laughing at Charlie’s idea and let’s be honest it was reasonable. Because WE DON’T KNOW IF IT’S POSSIBLE YET so putting all the blame on Angel Dust was uncalled if anything it’s just the cherry on top. I’m not trying to attack Charlie but she really doesn’t know what she’s doing she doesn’t know how to send a soul into heaven. Is it irresponsible to broadcast a client before they are proven successful, not only that but it puts a lot of pressure on Angel to prove theory that we’re not sure is true yet.
And let’s be honest did Charlie really believe Vaggie’s word’s wouldn’t but hurtful they didn’t even take the time to ask him why he did it; immediately writing him off when clearly somethings going on now she’s painting the image that they don’t care about him, they just care about the hotel, and that they just wanted to use him as a poster boy! Hmm... now who has used Angel Dust in the past for their own personal agenda... oh yeah VALENTINO! Which is why he goes on saying “I made you look sad and pathetic...” he chooses those words not to just make Vaggie mad but that’s probably what he was really feeling on the inside. Angel really did want to apologize to Charlie but after what Vaggie said to him it probably made him feel like his apology meant nothing and leaves these actions carry on into Addict. This is where naivety is her biggest downfall she rushed into it thinking just keeping Angel clean is gonna redeem him she was so not ready to broad cast the hotel. She makes it sound easy but it so much harder than that!
THIS WAS A 100% CALLED FOR! AND SHE DOESN”T EVEN REALIZE IT!
This is why Angel flips off Charlie and doesn’t want to talk to her, he’s basically doing cause “Why should I tell you about my problems you don’t really care you just care about your hotel...” that’s why this is so important to highlight. They already gave him that impression, that they think little of him and that they aren’t going sympathize with him but scold him. And Charlie should have stopped Vaggie yelling when she had the chance. Vaggie sabotaged her chance to understand Angel Dust and help him. And did she really think her temperamental girlfriend was the one to help sympathize and redeem sinners. If she really wants to help Angel Dust she needs to stop thinking it’s gonna be a cupcake walk, people have reasons why they fall to these bad habits; people have issues, relationships, traumas, that they need to navigate before they can heal. Which makes me believe that Charlie isn’t the one who’s going to get Angel Dust to open up to them about his trauma. Vaggie’s out of the question if not then who...
HUSKER
Yup our favorite flying poker kitty... I’ll do a separate post on that because it deserves it’s own explanation! (Side note I really do love Vaggie we don’t know her story so don’t hate her) Hope you guys enjoy the post~
#hazbin hotel#angel dust#valentino#hazbin hotel charlie#vaggie#Cherri Bomb#huskerdust#husker#hazbin husk#hazbin hotel addict#vivziepop
509 notes
·
View notes
Note
lister/rimmer for “Oh no, I feel bad- SYKE, no I don’t.” pretty please
“You’re being weirdly helpful today. What do you want?”
Rimmer opens his eyes parodically wide, fingers splayed against his sternum in an elaborate moi? gesture. It is an appearance of surprise and hurt so manufactured that Lister almost wants to applaud the performance, bow at their audience of stars, and abandon the bastard to his machinations. But unfortunately, Lister has been granted prophetic visions of the future and knows with deep and terrible certainty that, were he to do so, he would spend two minutes wandering the empty decks, trip over Kryten’s best mop, slide on one of Cat’s abandoned silk cravats, and go and find Rimmer to bitch about it and hope that he’s doing something more interesting. So, given that interstellar travel is remarkably exhausting, it’s far better to cut out the middleman and instead lie here on the sofa and watch Rimmer direct scutters to haphazardly clean the living quarters inch by mind-numbing inch. They’ve even got little white glove-fingers on their claws, so that Rimmer can demand that they swipe something to test for cleanliness and then bawl them out for miniscule specks no-one else can see. Once, Rimmer had conjured up a white glove for himself and gone round doing the same thing, but when Lister had pointed out that he couldn’t pick up dust and therefore was imagining things, Rimmer had only doubled down harder - so hard that he’d worked himself into a real tizzy about going video-blind, or being permanently stuck with dust on his finger for all eternity, or dying, again, and had needed to go and have a lie down in the dark for a bit. So this is - debatably - an improvement.
Normally, Lister wouldn’t give a toss about Rimmer bossing the scutters about on yet another mad powertrip, but he’s going too far. He’s thrown out all Lister’s mouldering dishes, professing concern for Lister’s health but probably just trying to irritate him, and he’s cleared out the space in the corner of the bunkroom that Lister had hesitantly earmarked for the crib - and in doing so, had thrown out Lister’s third-worst t-shirt, the one with the curry stain vaguely resembling Maggie Thatcher, and which he likes to keep around in order to spit at it every now and then. The final straw, however, had been when Rimmer had nasally informed him that he was getting in the way of the scutters’ gruelling floor-cleaning regime, and that he had better go and put his feet up instead - to keep out of their way, of course.
“When have I ever tried to manipulate you to get what I want?” Rimmer says with a voice which he probably thinks is sweet and just makes him sound like a particularly jammy and unpleasant used-car salesman trying to get off with the seventeen-year-old girls coming in for their first Fiat 500.
Lister narrows his eyes. “Do you want that alphabetised or chronological?”
Rimmer blinks at him balefully, still very much putting it on. “Can’t I just do something nice without an ulterior motive?”
He considers this. “A person could, even if they never have before. You, though, I genuinely think the shock of it would kill you.” Lister spreads his hands invitingly, obligingly lifting one foot out of the way of a scutter before letting it once more dangle over the side of the sofa. “So, out with it.”
Rimmer shifts nervously from one foot to the other, inventing something at speed as though he never expected Lister to call him out on this - in which case, he’s a moron. More so than usual. “I don’t want the twins sleeping in our room,” he blurts out all in one rushed go, and Lister raises an eyebrow. “They’ll - they’ll cry, and keep me up, and I’m not giving up my Learn Esperanto discs for rodent-sized versions of you.”
Lister makes a game show-style incorrect noise and blows a raspberry, just to watch the left side of Rimmer’s face twitch in irritation. “Nope, not happening. They’ll cry so’s I know they need me, so I gotta be here to hear ‘em. Anyway, I wouldn’t make you give up your Esperanto discs - they’ll be better at it than you in a few months.”
Rimmer makes a sucked-lemon face at him. “Your spawn is not piggybacking my learning, the little parasites,” he says sternly.
Lister cups a hand around his ear exaggeratedly. “What was that, little-Listers? Ni estas tre lertaj? Yes,” he says to his still flat stomach in a very gooey voice that makes Rimmer clench and unclench his fists like a prize fighter, “you are very clever!”
Rimmer wrenches one hand up and points at him viciously, the other fingers curled in so tightly that his knuckles go white. “I forbid it.”
Lister sticks his tongue out. “Move out. Anyway, that’s not the reason - you cleared the space for their beds yourself. So, what is it?”
Rimmer narrows his eyes. The scutters start inching towards the door and effecting their escape. “I want to pick the film tonight, and it won’t be Fast and 14ious again,” he says carefully, feeling his way into the lie.
Lister pulls a sympathetic face and makes his game show noise again. “Oh, too bad,” he says, “you know well it’s Cat’s shout tonight so helping me won’t do anything. Anyway, 14ious is the best one.”
“It’s scratched to hell,” Rimmer points out. “We have to make up our own dialogue for the entire second act - last time, Kryten had the central car chase pivot around a shipment of mopheads and got disturbingly into the sex scene immediately following.”
Lister winces briefly at the recollection, but shrugs. “Exactly, it’s the best one. Right, contestant, last chance, remembering that you still have your lifelines: ask the audience, fifty-fifty, phone a friend-”
Predictably, Rimmer frowns. “Phone a friend?”
Internally, Lister pumps his fist. “Sorry contestant, that’s wrong too - you don’t have any friends.” Rimmer offers him a truly poisonous look and Lister nearly falls off the sofa snorting with laughter.
Rimmer folds his arms. “Well, if you know so much,” he sneers. “Work it out for yourself.”
“Nah, ‘cause you’ll just say yes to anything in the hope I’ll shut my gob,” Lister says without taking offence, and Rimmer looks vaguely exhausted. “Come on,” he wheedles, “tell me what’s eating you.”
“Nothing!” Rimmer snaps, unfolding his arms in a jerky motion and stalking off to fold himself into his bunk so that Lister has to awkwardly lean his head over the back of the sofa to see him. “Maybe I just want to live somewhere with basic standards of cleanliness.”
“Yeah,” Lister allows, watching Rimmer rub at the webbing between thumb and forefinger obsessively, as though seeking comfort. “But usually you yell at me until I do it. This,” he says, gesturing at the hard work of the scutters, “could be interpreted as nice, Rimmer, so you’d better do something selfish before the Playboy cover designers get in touch and make you every Miss July for the next century, or something else equally unlikely happens.”
“You’re an unbearable goit with all the standards and appeal of a mangy, leg-humping jack russell.”
“That’s the spirit. Now, explain yourself, you uptight lunatic.”
Rimmer makes a face at his own knees, then looks up, sees Lister watching him, and makes an even unhappier face. “Well,” he says, and then Lister has to wait and listen to nothing but the noise of deep space and Red Dwarf slowly falling apart around them for a good minute. “We ought to be ready for the babies, when they arrive,” he says suddenly, addressing the starched creases in his trousers.
“Which will be in about seven months,” Lister prompts gently, turning around to lean his chest against the back of the sofa and watch Rimmer better. He rubs the back of his neck carefully, tugging at the baby hair under his dreads. It’s not that he doesn’t want to be prepared, but - seven months is a long time, in the depths of space with sod all else to occupy them. Rimmer seems oddly hung up on it. The thought occurs to him like a lead weight in his stomach. “Look, man, I know we never asked for ‘em, but they are coming, so even if you don’t want them around you’ve-”
“No!” Rimmer says sharply, and when he meets Lister’s eyes he knows Rimmer is entirely serious, even though he still doesn’t understand literally anything else about the situation. “It’s not-” he waves a hand at Lister dismissively. Then he fixes his gaze on his hands, and addresses his remarks to those. “Pregnant people are supposed to rest,” he says sternly, “and be undisturbed by - by mess, and noise, and small children.”
Lister feels a frown settle on his brows, and a worry settle in his gut. Rimmer swallows hard, adam’s apple moving like a yo-yo. “Why’s that?” he murmurs gently, as if - if he could only be quiet enough - the question wouldn’t spook Rimmer out of his honesty.
Rimmer shrugs one shoulder. “Stops the baby growing up strong,” he recites oddly. “Mummy said she’d spent so much time running after my brothers that she was worn out with me, and that’s why I was slow.” He sniffs. He looks horribly lonely, and a hundred thousand miles away, and it’s like there’s a fist around Lister’s heart slowly constricting. “And that she might as well keep focussing on them, since I was never going to catch up.”
Lister shakes his head slowly. “Rimmer,” he says, “you’ve got more hang-ups than Elton John’s feather boa rack. I’m not raising the kids like your parents did you, and I’m not going to lie on the sofa for the next seven months doing sod all.”
“Whereas normally you’re such a ball of energy,” Rimmer snipes, but his heart’s not in it.
“Yeah,” Lister agrees calmly, “I’ve a strict schedule of slobbing about in different places and I’m gonna stick to it. Rimmer.” Rimmer flicks his head up guiltily and Lister offers him an exhausted look. “You can’t just decide to only care about my health when it suits your trauma and really annoys me, alright?”
Rimmer frowns. “Why not?” he whinges - which is a surprise, because Lister was anticipating him latching onto the caring thing, and not getting much further.
Lister spreads his hands. “All or nothing, baby,” he says firmly and with cheer, and then shoots Rimmer a wink - which reminds him of the aforementioned caring thing, and sets him off sputtering.
“And - and I don’t care,” he manages in the end. “Watch me not caring, you odious toad.”
“Uh-huh,” Lister says, and then, when Rimmer chances a glance his way, blows him a kiss to make him go all red and cross. It’s really ridiculously endearing.
“This,” Rimmer says, pointing at him, “is a manifestation of my dreadful upbringing, and, and Stockholm syndrome, anyway.”
Lister manages a grin, and lets it go. As he slumps back into the sofa, he can’t help but wish that Rimmer wasn’t probably right - and not just because the man is obnoxious and intolerable on a good day, when he’s wrong - and failing that, that this Stockholm syndrome, this resolute and unbending care that humans apparently manifest for one another despite literally everything when there is nothing else in the universe except a few creeping lifeforms and the persistent love they put out like radiation from a life-destroying nuclear incident, touching everything and making it all complicated - he cannot help but wish that it wasn’t there, or that it was there more, or something. That Lister loved him less, or that Rimmer loved him more, or that there was anything, anything at all, that Lister could do to change that.
But there isn’t, and he hasn’t got a hope in hell of Rimmer ever acknowledging affection without yelling got you afterwards, so he’d better just - stop bothering, really. Lister sighs, and smoothes his shirt over his stomach. He doesn’t care that Rimmer doesn’t want to care. He’s fine about it.
He hears his own brain make the game show noise. In a fit of pique, he removes one vile sock and throws it into the cleared space designed for the cots, and tries not to think about the hair-pulling sense of satisfaction he gets from listening to Rimmer yell at him.
#apologies for the delay! as ever i am working on it all slowly#thanks for the prompt anon! hope u enjoy this slightly loose interpretation thereof#red dwarf#rimster#this is your captain speaking
32 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
teletubbiepills
Temizlik ve Diğer Hizmetler için Uzman Deposunu Ziyaret Edin
ishipeveryship
Where My Ships Come Home...
resonancewitness
a witness of resonance
swiftsgorgeousreputation
Zey loves Taylor |fan acc
roswellnmsource
ROSWELL, NM SOURCE