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neocatharsis · 2 years

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NCT 127 Defines What It Means To Be "Neo" And Highlights Their Charms At "2 Baddies" Press Conference

NCT 127 has finally made their highly-anticipated return with “2 Baddies”!

On September 16, NCT 127 held a press conference ahead of the release of their fourth studio album “2 Baddies” to talk about their comeback. JaeJae was the MC for the press conference, kicking off the press conference with great excitement. Following their energetic group greeting, the members took turns introducing their album and talking about their preparations for the album.

When asked how NCT 127 has spent the time since they released their third studio album “Sticker” last year, Johnny shared, “Since December, we’ve been holding our “Neo City : The Link” concerts, and we’ve been busy with our world tour.” Jaehyun also mentioned individual projects such as the NCTLAB project. For the new album, Doyoung expressed his excitement, saying, “I think a legendary album will be released.”

The members also highlighted some of their B-sides starting with “Faster.” Jaehyun introduced the song by sharing, “It’s a great song to start off the album,” commenting that it gives off the nervous excitement of standing at the starting line. The members also introduced “Time Lapse,” which is a song Mark and Taeyong worked on together, “Crash Landing,” which is a very NCT 127-like love song, and “1, 2, 7 (Time Stops),” which Taeil described as a fan song for NCTzens.

Regarding “1, 2, 7 (Time Stops),” Jungwoo commented, “I really like fan songs, and NCTzens also like them, so I wanted to showcase this song.” JaeJae wittily commented, “It has a lot of lucky numbers. I used to use 127 as my password too.”

On their title track “2 Baddies,” Taeyong shared that the song represents NCT 127 themselves, calling it very “Neo.” Doyoung said, “Like how [Jaehyun] introduced ‘Faster’ earlier, I personally think it would be good to listen to ‘2 Baddies’ right after.” He joked, “I recommend listening to it in the car while staying within the speed limit, and the song will make you feel good.”

The members also watched their performance video for “2 Baddies” for the very first time at the press conference. Taeyong shared, “I think when I watch my team perform, my heart becomes warm for some reason because all our members do such a great job. I think, ‘Wow, this is our team.’ Johnny added, “When we agreed to end our practice at 11 p.m. for example, I suggested we keep practicing just one more time. But the performance came out that much better.”

Johnny also revealed that NCT 127 will be headed to Los Angeles and Newark soon. Johnny shared, “We’re putting in effort to try something new since it’s our first time going back [to the United States] in two to three years. We hope NCTzens in the states look forward to it.”

Check out the members’ responses to more questions below:

Q: What are your ambitions for this comeback?

Taeyong: I always think about this a lot, but there’s something we say every time we promote, and it’s: let’s have a fun time. We have to have a good time so that the fans can also have a good time. Let’s also not get hurt, and let’s stay healthy.

Yuta: Rather than tell you our resolve, we’ll just show you through our performances going forward!

Q: How did you feel while preparing for this album?

Doyoung: Since it’s our first comeback in a while, and our fans have also waited a long time, rather than the results, we hope that our fans feel that this album and this team are worth the wait. Although results are important, above all, what matters the most is our fans thinking, “This is why I waited so long,” while listening to the album.

Q: What were your first thoughts when listening to the demo track?

Doyoung: There’s a reaction video of us first listening to “2 Baddies” while in the practice room for our Japanese tour. I’m not sure if that video will be released, but everyone felt the beat and danced, and it was a happy reaction without a doubt. It’s a song that really reflected our tastes, so I was really happy.

Q: Do you have specific goals for this album? How would you define what a “Neo-like” song is?

Johnny: Like we always say, we’re just happy if fans are satisfied. If we have to set a goal [for Billboard], I think it’s to hit No. 1. Anyone is happy to gain good results—it’s like having competitive spirit!

Taeyong: I think I remember we always did difficult concepts, and I was always concerned looking at the members’ makeup and outfits, wondering, “Will this be ok?” But now i think we’ve taken on that “Neo” style, and that style has become cool. Neo isn’t weird or unique, but it means to stand out.

Q: Where do you want to “speed” to? (Referring to the Korean title of their track “2 Baddies.”)

Jaehyun: [We hope] people speed forward without any regrets and let go of their stress.

Taeyong: I want us to be a team that lasts a long time… For the next 20 to 30 years, would you like to “speed forward” with us?

Q: How would you introduce your music to convert people into fans?

Taeyong: First, this is not because I’m the the team leader or a member of this team, but I think this team is so talented to the extent that I think there isn’t anything we can’t do. That is our charming point. We have very diverse colors, so you can’t help but fall more and more for the team…If we get to set records with this album, I’m really prepared to be happy.

Doyoung: NCT 127 is like malatang. Even just a few years ago, it wasn’t well known, but now its weird if you don’t eat it. In that sense, I think we’re making malatang-like music. Please become a fan of us us.

Q: What are your thoughts on Lee Soo Man potentially ending his contract early as executive producer?

Taeyong: We’ve been with Lee Soo Man since our trainee days, so we can’t really imagine SM without Lee Soo Man. He really loved “2 Baddies,” so we hope that this album won’t be the last that he produces.

Wrapping up the press conference, Mark talked about their growth as a group with the release of their fourth studio album and hinted at showcasing new tracks and performances for their upcoming concerts. On their reason for releasing the music video a day earlier than the album, Doyoung wittily remarked, “The music video came out really well, so we just wanted to showcase it early.” Mark added, “As a fan of NCT 127, I was really happy.”

#nct #nct 127 #2 baddies

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hopelesshawks · 3 years

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Official Accounts Part 27- Think Fast

Summary: (y/n) was perfectly happy remaining anonymous, even if her best friends were all pro heroes and she worked under THE Hawks. Handling the technical aspects of hero work from the background suited her just fine, thank you very much. That goes out the window when suddenly her twitter blows up thanks Denki and the famed no. 2 hero is asking her to run his own official twitter as a result

If you don’t want to see Official Accounts content blacklist #hopelessoa

Warnings for alcohol and recreational drug use

Masterlist

Hawks watches somewhat apprehensively as you put solo cups, mixers, and multiple handles of hard liquor out on your counter. “You look more terrified right now than I’ve ever seen you before facing a villain,” you point out. “I trained my whole life to fight villains. This is new. How many people did you invite?” He asks incredulously. “Just the Baddies,” you shrug. “All this is for just seven people?” “Technically all this and more, Kacchan’s bringing beer and Mina’s bringing white claws. Don’t worry we won’t finish it all!” you assure him before briefly pausing. “We probably won’t finish it all,” you correct yourself. At seeing the continued hesitation in Hawks’ face you stop your preparations for a moment and turn to him. “Hey I can call this whole thing off if you want,” you offer, but he shakes his head. “No, no don’t do that. Beneath the nerves I’m excited I promise. Plus what would people think if the great Hawks chickened out of a simple little party?” “I’m more worried about Keigo right now than Hawks.” “Keigo will also be fine.” “Ok, but you are more than welcome to stop drinking whenever. We won’t pressure you to get drunk if you don’t want to.” “I am older than you, yknow. You don’t have to baby me.” “Older yes but I, dear Keigo, am the more experienced and wiser one here.” “Well then, oh wise one, why don’t you show me the proper way to take tequila shots.” “I’ll grab the limes.”

You and Keigo might have gotten the tiniest bit carried away with your pregame so by the time the rest of your friends come knocking at your door you’ve already got a buzz going. As you swing the door open Denki and Mina are grinning back at you, Denki with an impressive bag of weed and Mina with the promised white claws, as the other three wave from behind them. “Let’s get fucking plus ultra in this bitch!” Mina yells and the rest of you reply with similar enthusiasm as you usher everyone inside. “Hawks and I already started so you guys have to catch up,” you tell them as you unlock your phone and toss it to Kirishima to pick the music.

At the start of the night you made a point to stick close to Keigo so he’d always have a familiar face to rely on if he got overwhelmed or didn’t feel like talking anymore, but as the drinks kept flowing you were delighted to find he seemed to be doing just fine on his own. In fact, Denki genuinely seemed keen on getting to know him more and the rest of your friends were just as welcoming. Soon it felt just like any of you all’s usual hangs and it wasn’t much longer after that that everyone was properly drunk. Soon Mina had somehow convinced Bakugo and Kirishima to back her up in an impromptu round of karaoke while Shinso and Hawks watched on from the sidelines. Denki sidles up next to you, throwing one arm around your shoulder while holding a perfectly rolled joint in his free hand. “Shall we head to the balcony?” he asks with a grin. You throw one more glance Hawks’ way to double check he’s doing well and when you see him burst into laughter as Bakugo and Mina fight over something inane, you feel something warm spark in your chest. “We shall,” you confirm before letting him guide you over to the glass door and opening it with a flourish.

There’s a chill in the air but the alcohol flowing through your veins means you barely feel it as you step onto the balcony and lean across the railing, Denki joining you as he pulls a lighter from his pocket. He places the joint in his mouth and then lights it with the kind of ease that comes from experience before taking a large hit and passing it to you. The two of you pass the joint back and forth a few times before Denki finally speaks up. “So how’s the little arrangement going so far?” he asks. “Better than expected to be honest.” “Have you guys talked about what happened yet?” “Not explicitly. He told me... a lot... about his past so I kinda get it now? but not about the night it went to shit.” Denki hums in acknowledgment. “How are you doing in general after everything that happened?” he asks. “I’m fine Denki.” “(Y/n)...” “I mean it. Don’t worry about little ol me.” “I’ll always worry about you.” “And I, you. Now stop killing the vibe. This is supposed to be a party remember?” Denki laughs at that as you move to sit on the railing of the balcony.

Keigo has to admit he’s pleasantly surprised by how tonight is going. He had worried about dropping into the middle of your friend group and spending the whole night feeling like an intruder but instead all of you have welcomed him with open arms in spite of everything. Between that and the alcohol he’s feeling more uninhibited now than he ever has his entire life. “I should’ve done this sooner,” he declares as he takes another sip from his solo cup. Next to him Shinso laughs, “damn right you should’ve.”

“Hey Kacchan!!” he suddenly hears you call. When he looks over he notices you sitting on the railing of the balcony. That can’t be safe, you have to be at least as drunk as he is and the joint you’d been sharing with Denki has burned pretty low so you’re definitely high too. “Think fast!” you shout and then you’re letting go and leaning backwards until you’re falling, the bright grin on your face never faltering. The blood in Hawks’ veins runs cold as he watches you disappear from sight. The muscles in his back twitch on instinct but barely any of his feathers have grown back yet so he. can’t. save. you. He can’t save you and he’s starting to panic when he notices Bakugo launching himself over the railing, the sound of explosions loud in the quiet night. Hawks jumps as he feels a hand land on his shoulder and turns to find Shinso giving him a reassuring smile. “Sorry should’ve warned you. She does that a lot, especially when she’s drunk,” Shinso tells him. “What? Falls off buildings?” “Yea pretty much.” “What?” “It’s a trust thing. The first time she did it was to prove a point. She knew he’d catch her. Now I think she just likes the feeling of falling while crossed.”

Bakugo reappears over the balcony with you giggling on his back completely unharmed and Hawks releases a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding. “That’s a lot of trust. When’d she start doing that?” Hawks asks. “I’m actually not sure,” Shinso replies, “yo Mina!” “What?” “What year did (y/n) start the whole ‘think fast’ thing? Second or third?” Mina walks over to join the conversation, plopping down next to Shinso. “Uhh I think it was third year after they started dating” she says. Shinso shoots her a look and elbows her but it’s too late. “They dated?” Hawks asks. Mina’s eyes widen in realization but it’s too late to take it back so she instead says “I’m gonna get more to drink!” and jets back off to the kitchen. Shinso rolls his eyes. “Yea, they did. In the end they decided they were better off as friends though, especially because Bakugo was a lot less mature then.” “That’s why she gets away with calling him Kacchan.” “Yea, probably. That was years ago now though, I don’t think anything’s happened between them since. I wouldn’t worry about it,” Shinso assures him before excusing himself to go talk to Denki.

Hawks knows it’s not his place but he can’t help but feel jealous now watching you tease Bakugo about getting slower as he lectures you on being an idiot. “I’m not an idiot!” you pout. “What else would you call someone that intentionally falls off a building?” he seethes. “Was there any chance you would have let me hit the ground?” “Obviously not, dumbass.” “Well there you go! Perfectly safe!” Bakugo sputters, his cheeks reddening, before finally grumbling “I’m getting another drink,” before walking away. This only makes you laugh harder. “Love you Kacchan,” you tease after him. “Fuck you!” he shouts back.

He’s one of your best friends. He’s one of your best friends. He’s one of your best friends. The phrase plays on a loop in Keigo’s head in a desperate attempt to quash the jealousy burning through his chest but he can’t help it. How long had the two of you dated? “Longer than the two of you did,” his brain unhelpfully supplies. His thoughts are interrupted when Kirishima drops down next to him with two beer cans in hand. “You look like you’re pretty deep in your head and (y/n) would kill me if I let you stay that way. Ever shotgunned a beer before?” Kirishima asks. “I didn’t realize I was that easy to read,” Hawks says as he takes one of the offered beers. “Typically you’re not. Watching you in action? You’re totally inscrutable dude, it’s super manly! But when you’re with friends you shouldn’t have to worry about that. Anyway, let’s not talk heavy shit man, am I teaching you to shotgun or not?” “Fuck it, why not.” “That’s the spirit!”

The party eventually reaches its natural conclusion as exhaustion starts to overtake even the effects of alcohol. Not to mention, your friends are keenly aware that unlike you and Hawks they actually have to get up and be out for work tomorrow. Hawks isn’t surprised when you give each of your friends a tight hug goodbye. He is surprised when the same offer is extended to him. It’s almost scary how perceptive your friends can be. When Mina’s hands get a little too close to where his wings should be he can’t help but flinch and immediately she adjusts. The rest of your friends make a point to avoid the area. Bakugo and Kirishima are the last to leave and it takes everything in Hawks not to let his jealousy show as you hug Bakugo goodbye. He’s once again shocked when Bakugo goes to hug him but he soon realizes that it’s not necessarily done to be friendly. “Take good fucking care of her bird brain. Cause if you don’t? I will,” he whispers harshly. As the two pull away from each other their eyes lock in a silent challenge until Kirishima calls from the hallway “Bakubro let’s go! Taxi’s here!” “I’m coming Shitty Hair relax!” he shouts back before finally breaking eye contact and heading out the door with one final wave in your direction.

Author’s Note: The party was honestly pretty built around the “think fast” scene. Once that idea came to mind it refused to leave. The Bakugo stuff well 👀 what can I say I like ✨drama✨ also I felt a little bad that Bird Boy stole the fic I was gonna write for Bakugo from him. Originally I was gonna have Hawks’ jealousy be unfounded but then I saw an opportunity and decided to run with it oops

Taglist [open]: @cathy8taffy @katzurras @grumpyfroggies @captaincyberqueen @itskindofafairything @420-uwu @someweirdshitman @oliviasslut @the-adzukibean @a-fucking-sero-kinnie @ladyzayismultifandom

#hopelessoa #hawks #wing hero hawks #hawks x reader #hawks x y/n #hawks smau

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anthemxix · 3 years

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whumpay bonus: deleted scenes

my final offering to you for the month~ :)

there were some prompts i started to write but didn't finish, and a few instances where i began a prompt, decided it wasn't working, and then completely started over. i have no idea if these scraps will interest anyone, but it seemed like a shame for them to go to waste. so i hope you enjoy :) thank you <3 <3 <3

day 4, part 2 (fire) - first attempt

“Can I just say again that I really don’t like this plan?”

Wind groaned. “We know, Captain. You’ve been saying that every five minutes.”

“Because it’s a terrible plan!”

Scowling, Wind shuffled back from the impossibly massive archway he’d been peering through. “Look, we decided on the plan hours ago, so just give it a rest already.”

Sky cleared his throat. “Well. I’d like to say that I don’t like this plan either.”

“Oh, how nice of you to contribute that, Sky,” Warriors growled, rounding on him. “Couldn’t have said anything before the literal last minute?”

“Hey, I’ve dissented to this idea the whole time,” Sky retorted, holding his hands up defensively. “Not just because it’s dangerous, but because it’s not our place to meddle in local political affairs.”

“Agreed,” Warriors said. “We’re putting that whole town at risk. It’s not too late to turn back.”

“Since when do you run away from a fight?” Wind goaded.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Time said. Five heads turned his way, expectant, tense, and he sighed in resignation. “The Sailor is correct. We discussed the merits and drawbacks this morning. We’re committed to this plan now. I’m sorry, Captain.”

Wind smirked triumphantly despite Warriors’ heavy frown. “Great. I’ll see you all later then.”

He offered a sloppy salute and turned towards the archway, only for Warriors to grab his arm and spin him back around.

“Ugh, now what?” Wind griped. “You heard the Old Man! The plan is a go!”

The Captain grasped both of Wind’s shoulders and ducked to his eye level, his expression all hard lines. “Listen. At the first sign of danger, you get out of there. This is not worth sacrificing your life over.”

Wind defiantly tried (and failed) to wiggle out of his iron grip. “I’m gonna be fine, Wars! Why don’t you trust me? I’m the most skilled thief we’ve got!”

“I do trust you, and I don’t doubt your skills in the least,” Warriors said. “It’s just…” He hesitated, swallowed. “Tell me you’ll get out of there as soon as there’s trouble. Don’t be reckless.”

The somberness and sincerity (and was that fear?) in Warriors’ tone was sobering, and Wind finally conceded, “I will. I’ll be careful. Promise.”

Warriors’ hands lingered on his shoulders a moment longer, and Wind was surprised to find he missed their weight when they were gone. He didn’t dwell on it, though, nor did he look back as he deftly slipped through the stone archway and disappeared over the ledge.

The Captain crossed his arms, not bothering to conceal his concern as he watched Wind go, and Legend murmured to him, “Hey. You don’t do anything reckless either. Got it?”

“Of course.”

They all knew he was lying.

---

The chamber Wind had entered was more astronomical than any he’d ever seen—it must have filled the entire berth of the mountain, he thought—and even more wondrous still, it was jam-packed with mound upon mound of shimmering rupees, jewels, armor, weapons, vases…treasure. The most extensive treasure trove in this or any era, surely.

Wind grinned to himself. Tetra and her crew would never believe this. Maybe he could smuggle out a shiny little gift for them.

He picked his way across the hills of treasure, disturbing them as little as possible, and stopped near a colossal column. Steadying himself on it, Wind peered around the enormous chamber, and, for the first time since they’d departed the lakeside town that morning, felt a flicker of dismay. He had, of course, expected that locating one specific gemstone in a vast hoard of treasure would be difficult, but he’d underestimated the task. Like kind of, really, severely underestimated the task.

Well, no matter. He didn’t make it this far in his adventures by shying away from impossible odds. Besides, he felt he was graced with the goddesses’ favor today. He and the others had climbed up the mountain, strongarmed their way into the mines, and navigated the maze of corridors without one blip of trouble—and, best of all, there was no sign of the one major threat they’d been warned about again and again.

Wind smiled as he continued across the treasure trove, pausing to sift through some of it now and again. He just needed to be patient and deliberate and quiet, and then he could sneak back over to where the others were waiting and prove to them what a capable hero he was. Warriors said he didn’t doubt Wind’s skills, but he must, at least a little, or he wouldn’t have been so reluctant to let Wind do this.

The Sailor peered across the chamber towards the archway he’d come through. It was well above him now, as he’d descended from the peak of a treasure mound, although he was nowhere near the floor yet. The candle chandeliers suspended from the cavern’s apex offered a fair amount of light, which reflected brilliantly from all the gold rupees and splendid diamonds, but it was not sufficient to see any of his friends.

All the better, he thought as he continued his hunt. If he couldn’t see them, then neither could their enemy, whose other senses outweighed its sight—as he’d been repeatedly reminded by the others, who had all info-dumped him on this particular foe, as if he hadn’t dealt with any himself before.

Wind really did not understand what all the fuss was about. What made this different than any other dungeon, or any other enemy therein? Yes, this particular mission was complicated by the fact that they were helping restore some fallen regent and give him access to this treasure hoard without having all the details on the guy. Wind regularly operated without having all the details, even on missions as significant as this, and he suspected the others did as well, so he wasn’t too concerned about that.

But what was the big deal with the enemy? He understood that provoking this monster put the proximal town at risk, but didn’t that happen with every big baddie they faced? What was so different about this—?

Wind froze, thoughts cut off as he tuned in to the nearby jingle of tumbling rupees. He slowly turned his head, hand on the Phantom Sword’s hilt, expecting to see some stalfos or something emerging from the depths. There had to be someone guarding this treasure, after all.

He was not anticipating a stream of treasure would part to reveal the snout of a dragon sighing in its sleep.

Panic jangled Wind’s nerves, and suddenly he felt like he understood Warriors’ reluctance very clearly.

The tip of this dragon’s muzzle was utterly massive, with yellow, jagged teeth as tall as Wind protruding from its mouth. The rest of it, still concealed by treasure, must have been unimaginably gargantuan. Its steady breaths smelled ominously ashy.

Wind backed up a step, rupees clinking beneath his foot, and held his breath. Perhaps it was time to return to his friends…

As he began to creep back towards the archway, leaving the dragon’s snout a considerable berth, Wind felt a tug of magic. It wasn’t a variety of magic he recognized, but the sensation was unmistakable. His eyes darted around, scanning, until they landed on a strikingly sparkly gemstone, iridescent and oval-shaped and nearly the size of his head.

Dumbfounded, Wind blinked. That. That was the stone! It had to be!

It wasn’t too far from him, but it was downhill, i.e., in the opposite direction of his destination. But he was so close. He couldn’t give up now.

Wind threw a cursory look at the dragon snout before switching course and tiptoeing down towards the stone.

There was another rattling jangle behind him, and Wind paled as treasure shifted to reveal some of the dragon’s tail, ridiculously far from where the snout lie. He tried not to let this bother him as he reached the stone and carefully tucked it into his bag.

Acquiring the target item filled him with some relief, and he started the long trek up the treasure mountains to reach the archway, choosing his footholds cautiously.

He was halfway there when he slipped, smacking face-first into the rupee pile and backsliding several meters with an insufferably loud clanking from the treasure.

He froze, breath bated, heart slowed, as he gazed over at the dragon.

It didn’t move.

Releasing a soft sigh, he straightened up, prepared to resume his ascent, when the dragon snorted.

With dreadful slowness, it lifted its head from its beloved treasure, amber eyes flitting around its chamber as it swiveled its long neck around, searching.

Then it slowly rose, gems and gold cascading from its back, as its enormous, folded wings appeared.

Wide-eyed, Wind didn’t move. He couldn’t. This was, by far, the largest creature he’d ever seen.

The dragon inhaled a great snuff of air, sniffing, then another. Forked tongue flickered between menacing teeth.

And then it spoke, its baritone voice echoing off the mountain walls as it dragged out each syllable.

“Where—are—you?”

Wind couldn’t help the involuntary twitch of his hands. Some coins jingled, and the dragon gazed in Wind’s general direction. It didn’t see him.

“I know you’re here,” the dragon drawled. “I can smell you. I can hear your breathing.”

One massive, clawed foot rose from the treasure depths, smacking down on top of a pile.

Swallowing, Wind shakily began to climb again, with painstaking slowness, on his hands and knees. He was good at stealth. He could do this. Absolutely.

“I can sense your fear. Little thief.”

He faltered, hand twitching, but continued. Slow. Steady. Come on. You can do it.

The dragon lifted another foot, and its third and fourth, until it was fully free of the treasure, its tail swishing in its wake. It grazed against the high chandeliers, causing them to quiver and shoot strange fluttering shadows across the room.

“I do not have much patience for foolish little thieves.” The dragon drew a deep, rumbling breath, its chest beginning to glow a burning orange. Smoke began to filter from its nostrils. “Come out.”

Wind looked up. The archway was still so far away. He tried to move more quickly while staying as noiseless as possible. He had to hurry. He was running out of time. As soon as he got there, they could escape unseen—

“If you come out now, little thief, I won’t kill your friends quite so painfully.”

Wind tripped again, setting off a mini-avalanche of treasure.

The dragon’s head snapped in his direction, its eyes narrowing and lipless mouth curling as if in a smirk. It took a step towards him, and another, its claws clinking as the dangerous orange glow built up along its neck, up its throat, more smoke churning from its snout.

“Are you over there, little thief? I’ll give you one more chance. Come out. Now.”

Wind scrabbled, slipping again, sending more treasure tumbling, and when the dragon opened its mouth, its internal flame heating the room significantly, he lost all caution and tried to run.

---

When the dragon lifted its head, Legend wrapped his hand firmly around Warriors’ elbow.

As more and more of the dragon emerged from the depths, Four said quietly, “I think we need to prepare.”

There was a murmur of agreement, and Legend frowned. Reluctantly, he released Warriors’ arm and muttered, “Old Man, keep an eye on him.”

Time nodded, eyes already on the Captain, and Legend, Sky, and Four headed out for their destination.

Time pulled out his Biggoron Sword, watching the dragon take a step, its booming threats resounding around the chamber. He picked out Wind among the mountains of treasure.

“I need you to know,” the Captain started, drawing Time’s attention, “that I cannot live with myself if he…”

Time nodded, even though Warriors wasn’t looking at him.

“If he goes down, I’m going to save him or die trying,” Warriors said. “Those are the only options.”

“I know.”

Warriors looked at him grimly. “It’s been an honor fighting by your side again.”

Time put a hand on Warriors’ shoulder, and left it there until the dragon opened its mouth, and Warriors jumped down into the pit of gold without another word.

---

Warriors aimed for the dragon’s amber eye, but hit its cheek instead. The arrow bounced uselessly off the impenetrable scales, and Warriors doubted the beast could even feel it; yet the dragon, to his relief, turned towards him.

Warriors nocked another arrow and shot again for the eye, but the dragon simply lowered its head, bringing it close to the Captain, heat radiating from it.

“Another little Hylian,” drawled the dragon. “Where did all your little friends scurry off to, hm?”

day 10 (screaming/silence) - unfinished

Distinguishing night from day is impossible in these woods; the opaque fog that consumes them occludes both sun- and moonlight, perpetually casting a bland grey pall across the trees. It’s disorienting, and Time has entirely lost his grip on the passage of his namesake. He has no conception of how long he and Sky have been wandering around this forest, searching for an exit, and that disconnect disturbs him, prickles beneath his skin.

When Time spots an x carved into a tree trunk, he stops and drags his hand through his hair with a sigh.

Lagging several paces behind him, Sky, too, pauses. “What is it?”

Time points to the marking. “We’ve been here before.”

It takes Sky a moment to register what he’s being told, and then he visibly wilts like an underwatered flower. “Great. That’s great.”

“I can’t keep track of this place,” Time confesses. “It’s as if it’s…shifting.”

“Or we’re getting shifted,” Sky says. “Wild said the fog in his Lost Woods can move him.”

“That’s…unsettling, to say the least.” Time glances skyward out of habit and frowns in annoyance as he’s reminded that he can’t see the sun here. “How long do you think we’ve been walking?”

“I…I really don’t know.”

The elder hero side-eyes Sky, who, alarmingly, appears considerably more ill than he did before. Some time ago, the two of them had stopped to sleep, certain they’d meandered the day away, and Sky woke up dizzy and pale. He insisted he was fine to continue—for what other option did they have?—but he had been growing more and more sluggish as they walked. Now he grips his sailcloth, pulling it tight around his shoulders like a blanket, and looks as colorless as the fog, swaying slightly where he stands.

“Do you need to rest?” Time asks.

Immediately, Sky shakes his head. “I’m fine.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I just want to get out of here.” Sky releases his sailcloth to scratch behind his ear, something Time has observed him doing on multiple occasions today (tonight?).

“You keep scratching,” Time says, gesturing towards his own ear.

“What?”

“Your ear. You keep scratching there.”

“Oh…” Sky removes his hand and clutches his sailcloth again. “I dunno. It really itches for some reason. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Time steps towards him and brushes Sky’s hair aside to see a small but very red bump. “Looks like an insect bite. You should leave it alone.”

Sky hums in acknowledgement. “Let’s keep moving.”

Unsatisfied, Time chooses a direction for them to proceed in. He thinks they’ve taken a different turn than the last time they crossed paths with this tree, but he can’t be certain. Before they leave the area, he pulls out a knife and marks the trunk with a second x.

Time has no idea how long it takes, but eventually, they wind up back at the same damn tree.

His eye twitches as he scrubs a hand over his face. “Okay. We need a new plan bec—”

“Uh, Time?”

He looks behind him to see Sky holding one hand out, blood smudged across his fingers. “What—?” Then he spots the blood trickling down Sky’s neck, staining his hair.

Time moves closer and brushes Sky’s hair aside again, causing the knight to jump a little. “What are you doing?”

Substantially more inflamed, the insect bite behind Sky’s ear has split open. Worse, now that Time is up close, he can see that Sky’s hands are shaking and his pallid cheeks are blemished with feverish pink blooms. “You scratched the bite so much that it’s bleeding… Let’s clean it up.”

He steers Sky beneath the contemptible tree and sets to work washing the bite. It’s worryingly hot to the touch, but what really dismays Time is that the bump, which he expected to feel malleable, is hard, as if there’s a stone beneath Sky’s skin.

“Sky, are you allergic to insect bites?”

“No… I don’t think so? I don’t know, really.”

As soon as Time finishes bandaging the bite, Sky is reaching up to scratch it. Time grabs his hand. “Sky. It is imperative that you do not touch that.”

“But it—” He makes a throaty, frustrated sound. “It itches so badly.”

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do about that.” Time looks around, as if he’ll magically spy an exit from the woods that he somehow missed before.

“Okay. Okay.” Sky grits his teeth and clenches his sailcloth until his knuckles turn white.

day 17 (phobia) - first attempt

For half an hour, rain had been falling in a steady, serene drizzle so light that Sky hardly noticed it until a stray droplet snaked beneath his tunic collar, slithering cold and uncomfortable down his spine. Absently, he scratched at his collar, as if that would alleviate the remarkably unsettling sensation, just as the rainfall picked up.

He blinked up at the sky, which brimmed with plump, grey clouds, promising wet weather for the remainder of the afternoon.

“Guess there’s no point in waiting out the rain,” he commented over the downpour’s soothing heartbeat.

Beside him, Legend swept his damp hair away from his eyes, minutely scowling. “Yeah, let’s just keep going. The sooner we meet up with the others, the sooner we can track down some suitable shelter for the night.”

Sky hummed his agreement, hoping that in scouting this new area they’d been dropped in, some of the others had found a town. He and Legend had discovered an overgrown trail and followed it for most of the morning, but their efforts were fruitless, as the path seemed to stretch endlessly through uninhabited wilderness.

Minutes later, a resonant boom of thunder rolled across the sky, followed swiftly by a flickering tongue of lightning in the near-distance. All of Sky’s muscles locked up so suddenly that he awkwardly stumbled, only staying upright because Legend’s hand shot out to catch him.

“You okay there, bird boy?” Legend asked, eyebrows arched.

“Yeah, of course,” Sky murmured. “Tripped. That’s all.”

He reached back and grabbed a handful of his sailcloth, pinching and rubbing the silken fabric as he tried to ignore Legend’s scrutinizing stare boring into his temple.

day 25 (goodbye) - unfinished

Dinner is eaten, the dishes washed and packed, and the campfire doused, all in dreary silence. As the last of the fire’s smoke dissipates, Wind speaks. “What happens if we don't go through them? Will they disappear?”

No one answers for a moment. Eventually, Legend says, “We have to go through, small fry.”

“I— I know,” Wind stammers. “I’m just asking, like...what if we didn’t? What would happen?”

“Hypothetically,” Hryule offers.

“Yeah! It’s hypothetical.”

“There’s no reason to consider hypotheticals,” Legend says.

“There’s not,” Wild agrees bitterly. “Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

He stands, gathering his belongings with a scowl as he adds, “As a matter of fact, we should get this over with.”

“Wait!” Wind jumps up, practically vaults across the now-damp firewood to grasp Wild’s arm.

“No, there's no point in stalling any longer,” Wild says, even as he involuntarily leans into Wind’s touch.

“Of course there is,” Wind argues, eyes wet. “Any more time I can have with you guys is worth it. Even just one extra minute.”

Wild looks away from him as he lightly pulls out of Wind’s hold.

Legend stands now, too, eyes averted. “You’re just making this harder, kid.”

“Goodbyes are always hard,” Four says quietly.

Another moment of silence lapses, until Time stands, plates of his armor shifting.

day 29 (lies/terrible truth) - first attempt

In the lean privacy of a secluded clearing, Twilight offered his confession without pretense or embellishment, a simple statement of facts. He didn’t appear nervous as he spoke, like someone who had been caught off-guard might; rather, he seemed resigned, his words rehearsed, as if he’d known this conversation was an inevitability.

Wild expected—hoped—he would glimpse some relief on Twilight’s face when the confession was done, but that wasn’t the case. He seemed sorrowful, ailing, but not relieved to be rid of the heavy secret he’d burdened himself with. Not remorseful for his wrongdoing.

The oddest thing about this moment, Wild thought as Twilight looked squarely into his eyes, was the quietness. How could the moment feel so still and calm, even as it decimated him? Even as it violently impressed its place into his personal history as a pivotal event? Even as it cleaved his life into a clear before and after?

Through Wild’s cluttered, confused thoughts floated a memory. Not a century-old, faded memory, the kind that abruptly flickered to life in the deepest fathoms of his subconscious and dragged him into catatonia. No, this memory was recent, crisp, bright. He could still feel this memory, could still smell its scents and hear its sounds. It replayed over and over, an inescapable loop, as he stared at the man who only minutes before had his unshakeable trust, his highest admiration, his purest love.

Wild broke eye contact and shook his head, trying to clear it. “You’re lying. You have to be. This makes no sense.”

He only looked back to Twilight when he heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being drawn. He came face-to-face with Twilight’s blade and reflexively jumped back, hand flying to the hilt on his back.

#i save nearly everything i write #i have a doc for 'scraps'#stuff that i've discarded for whatever reason #but that i like enough to save #and it's got 15k+ words atm #not counting this whumpay stuff #and i've considered sharing some #but i didn't know if anyone would be interested #so i guess we'll see how this post does lol #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu #fanfiction #fanfic #my writing #whumpay2021

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ri-ahhh · 4 years

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desert secrets: pt 2

A continuation of desert secrets, written with it originally but I decided not to post it with pt 1 because it seemed like it toed the line in how realistic it would be, but I’m gonna post it now anyways. Take it as you will.

warnings: all smut

***

She leads him by the hand to the tent entrance, grateful to past MJ for already setting out the sleeping bag and oversized blanket. Tossing her phone on the ground, she watches Grayson do the same to his flashlight as she plops rather ungracefully to the canvas floor and kicks off her shoes. Once she had the lantern turned on, illuminating the confined space of the tent in bright, artificial light, she grabs his forearm to drag him down with her. They share a heated look before he lays her back and meets her lips with his once again.

MJ moans softly and wraps one arm around his neck, the other around his back as they settle on the sleeping bag, her on her back and him on his side. One of his legs slips between hers and his left arm pillows the back of her head while his right hand makes broad strokes over her waist, up to brush the side of her breast, and back down to squeeze her ass. This earns him another sweet moan even as his tongue plunders her mouth with expert ease. She doesn't want to think about how much practice the kid has probably had in his not-so-distant earlier years.

Unfortunately, she’s thinking about it now, and a surge of irrational jealousy and possessiveness charges through her. She hitches the leg laying atop his higher up his hip and grinds down on the erection she hadn't even noticed until this moment. Grayson huffs out breathlessly at the contact, and she grins against his lips, emboldened by the effect she has on him. That ‘fuck it’ thought comes over her — quite literally — and, again, she chooses to follow it instinctively.

“Can we have sex?” she whispers, slipping her hand under his shirt and dragging her long, manicured nails down the smooth skin of his back, rubbing her center against the hard ridge of him once again. MJ takes full responsibility for the fact that she’s so intentionally manipulating his horny, 20 year-old man hormones, but she thinks if she doesn’t have him, she’s going to explode — and not in the way she wants to.

He looks at her, shock written clearly on his face. The fact that he seems to genuinely not have expected to fuck, even while she’s rocking steadily on his dick, endears him to her even more now.

“Y-yeah. Are you sure?” he asks, aiding her motions with the hand resting on her ass. The layers between them are thin, and she smiles when his eyes flutter as his hand makes the heat of her pussy even more palpable against him.

MJ nods. “I’ve got condoms in my bag.” Grayson opens his eyes and looks at her amusedly. She laughs, pinching his side playfully. “Don’t judge. A girl should always be prepared.”

“Hey, I’m not judging. In fact, I’m pretty damn thankful,” he says with a grin. She watches him like a hawk as he sits up and — she can practically hear the angels singing — lifts his t-shirt up and over his head.

“Dude, what is your body? I look like an actual marshmallow next to you,” she marvels incredulously. She works hard at the gym and in the kitchen so she knows she isn’t necessarily flabby by any means, but she definitely has some natural hips, tits, and ass, as well as the thighs that come with them. Still, she’s no Kardashian or anything, while he’s serving all the Chris Evans/Captain America vibes.

Grayson scoffs and drags his hoodie over her head before toying with the hem of her tank, eyeing her questioningly. She lifts her arms in answer and he smirks. “Not unless ‘marshmallow’ also means ‘in-shape, slim-thick baddie,’” he says before peeling away the thin fabric.

Her cheeks flush at his compliment, and it gives her the confidence to wiggle out of her strappy sports bra right then as well, hoping she doesn’t look too ridiculous struggling out of the tight, confining material. Luckily, her movements must cause her tits to jiggle in just the right way, because Grayson is already groaning at the sight by the time she tosses the garment across the tent.

“So, next secret about me,” he offers, cupping one of the pliable mounds in his warm hand and brushing her rosy nipple lightly with his thumb, “I’m 100% a boob man.”

MJ grins and threads her fingers through the back of his hair, guiding his mouth to her chest. She moans softly when his lips suction around the erect bud while his other hand massages the opposite breast, her supple flesh spilling out between his thick, calloused fingers. “So you’re saying they could be any old tits and you’d be happy?”

Grayson hums and shakes his head, releasing her with a small pop. “I’m saying you have amazing tits,” he corrects, trailing his tongue to her other nipple. “Soft and round…” he flicks his tongue lightly over it, and her eyes nearly roll back at the sensation. “Perky…” he contrasts the barely-there touch of his tongue with a harsh suck, causing her to arch off the sleeping bag. “34D?”

MJ lets out a breathless little laugh. “Yes, actually. That’s kind of gross,” she remarks, tugging on his hair.

Grayson laughs too and raises his head to devour her in a deep kiss. MJ sighs and wraps her arms around him as he continues to squeeze and massage her tits tenderly. She lifts her hips in an effort to make contact with his again, and Grayson thankfully takes her cues at once. He lowers himself to his forearms, grinding into her deliciously, but with their skin still separated by the pesky clothing covering their bottom halves.

She pushes back on his solid chest, a string of their mixed saliva snapping between their lips as he hovers over her. She admires his beautiful flushed face, his heaving abdomen, and the large erection that’s not hidden in the slightest by his red athletic shorts.

“Fuck,” she breathes out, amazed that she’s somehow got this sculpture-worthy man all to herself. “Get naked, please.”

He grins widely at her and obeys without hesitation. MJ shucks her own shorts and soaked panties, grateful for the fact that she had just gotten fully waxed only a couple of days ago. As she watches him strip, she can’t stop her hand from trailing down to her pussy, tracing her embarrassingly wet folds delicately. She definitely shouldn't be this aroused just from some heavy petting and amazing kisses; the realization hits that he hasn't even touched her clit yet, and the anticipation in her pussy for him to actually get his hands on her becomes ten-fold.

Grayson watches her with dark eyes and growls at the sight before him. She had shoved her free arm under her pillow, which enunciates the amazing curves of her hourglass figure. Her slim fingers lightly trace her smooth pussy, teasing herself gently. MJ knows he can see how wet she is even as he kicks off his shoes and socks and drags his shorts down his tattooed legs, desperate to feel her heat around him. When he drops to his knees with a groan, MJ eyes his black Calvin Klein boxer briefs that still cover his bottom half with disdain.

“Hey,” she pouts at him, breath hitching when his hands trail down her inner thighs to spread her open wider and make room for himself. She swallows hard, her skin tingling and pussy flooding even more at his touch. “Underwear. Off.”

“In a minute,” he mutters, his hand dipping between her legs experimentally, watching her face for clues of what she likes. “I need to touch you.”

MJ immediately squeaks and clutches at the blanket by her side, waiting not-so-patiently for him to light upon her clit or slip a thick finger inside her. “Grayson, please…”

At her begging, she gets the latter. Her back arches and a satisfied moan leaves her lips when he pumps it in and out slowly, her breath hitching in her chest. “More,” she instructs on a whimper, dragging him to her for a kiss.

He follows the pressure of her hand on the back of his neck, but right before he meets her lips with his, Grayson diverts his mouth directly to her ear. “I didn't hear a ‘please’ there, MJ.”

His hot breath sends delicious shivers down her spine that meet with those created by his finger, and she shudders, grinning. “More, please,” she corrects, looking him in the eye with a seductive smile. He returns it as he adds another finger to her center and presses his thumb to her clit as well. “Fuck, yes, Grayson.”

“You like that?” he murmurs hotly. She can’t look away from him, watching him watch her face contort beautifully under his ministrations. He groans himself and drops wet, open-mouthed kisses on her collar bone, working them up her neck to sink his teeth into the delicate pulse point there. His voice vibrates against her sensitive skin when he speaks again. “You wish it was my dick fucking your sweet little pussy?”

MJ whines her affirmation and grips the muscular forearm that supports him as he brings her closer and closer to the precipice of what promises to be an amazing orgasm. She can’t even bring herself to be embarrassed by the sloppy wet sounds coming from her pussy. Grayson smirks and, sensing how close she is, presses more firmly on her clit and curls his fingers inside her.

Immediately she arches off the ground with a high-pitched squeal as she cums harder than she has in a really, really long time. “Gray-son,” she sighs, her eyes closed as she rides out the waves, her hips jerking a little in time with the aftershocks. “Shit…”

“Do you want another one?” he asks, not waiting for an answer as he withdraws his two fingers from inside her and instead used them to rub tight, quick circles over her swollen clit.

She has no idea how, considering how sensitive and satisfied she is from the first one, but somehow he is indeed already drawing another orgasm out of her. Words and sounds are non-existent as her mouth gapes open in sheer pleasure until she cums again, a guttural groan finally escaping her and filling the tent. She had no idea it’s possible to feel so overwhelmingly good, especially from a man; for the first time that she can remember, the vibrator in her underwear drawer at home is being given a run for its money.

“Okay, okay, I can’t!” she whines, grasping his wrist to stop his movements, unable to bear the sensation anymore. “Holy fucking shit.”

Grayson can’t resist trailing his fingers through her dripping slit as he pulls them out of her, and sucking them into his mouth, moaning wantonly at her taste. MJ watches him with heavy eyes and fights through the fatigue to surge up and suck his tongue into her mouth. They make out for a few minutes, letting her sensitivity fade some while still letting hands and lips roam all over each other, exploring new territory everywhere they go.

“Condoms are in the inside pocket of my backpack,” she eventually whispers into his ear, tugging on the lobe with her teeth. “And get those boxers off, now.”

“Yes ma’am,” he jokes, crawling to the corner of the tent where her backpack is and digging through the pockets until he finds the strip of foil squares.

He shucks his underwear as instructed and MJ has to bite back a moan at the sight of his last concealed body part, standing tall and hard between his tattooed thighs. She’s as pleased as she has been with the rest of him, to say the least.

“Let me,” she insists, reaching for the single square he had separated from the pack. Grayson obliges and sucks in a breath, releasing it on a masculine groan when her hand closes around his thick length and pumps him a few times reverently. As much as she would love to make him fall apart with her hand or mouth, she’s too selfish to wait for him to recover enough to fuck her. And she wants him to fuck her, desperately; she needs him to fuck her.

She rips open the prophylactic and rolls it down his dick, bringing him down for a deep kiss as he settles between her legs. Their hips grind together a few times, drawing deep moans out of both of them.

“Can I tell you one more secret?” she whispers after a few moments, pulling back just enough so that her lips still move against his.

“Of course,” he replies, grinning and nuzzling her cheek with his nose.

MJ bites her lip, those earlier insecurities creeping back up just enough to make her feel like she needs to voice them. The weight of everything comes crashing down on her, and she takes a moment to gather herself as best she can with both of their brains lust-fogged and ready to go.

“I just want you to know that I’ve never really done this before,” she says finally. She can’t hold back a bark of laughter at his abashed face, only realizing now how that sounds. “Not like that. I mean, I’ve never had sex on the first date, or whatever this is tonight. I don’t think I’ve even had a one-night stand, actually. I just don’t want you to think…bad of me, I guess. Or think that I have sex with random boys in the desert all the time. Or ever. Not that that would be a bad —”

Grayson sighs with relief and shakes his head with a little smile, tracing his index finger over her lips to cut off rambling. MJ blushes and stares up at him sheepishly. “Sorry.”

His eyes are soft and reassuring. “You just threw me off there for a second. But I’m not judging you either way, MJ, that’s the last thing on my mind. I thought I told you this wasn’t a game to me, right? You want this, I want this, and it feels right.”

MJ smiles happily and nods, then kisses him again. “In that case,” she says, reaching between them to line him up with her center, “can you fuck me now?”

The lighthearted chuckle he’s about to let out turns into a rough moan at the feel of the head of his dick slipping between the warm wetness of her pussy lips. It draws him in like a siren’s call, and he pushes his hips forward slowly, letting her stretch around him with only a little discomfort due to his steady, experienced movements.

“Oh fuck,” he whispers, once he’s fully seated within her.

“Mmm,” she hums in agreement, relishing in the sensation of being filled so completely. She takes a moment to let them both adjust to him being inside her before planting her feet on the ground and raising her pelvis in an attempt to get him to move. He moans and follows her canting hips right away. As soon as MJ feels his body respond, she continues to rock her hips to meet his steady thrusts, making her body sing as they work together in a synchronous rhythm.

“Grayson!” she cries when he hooks her knees over the crooks of his elbows and changes the angle. She grasps at his bulging biceps and he quickens the pace, leaving her unable to keep up with the deliciously unrelenting snap of his hips.

He growls and flits his heated gaze back and forth between her rosy face and bouncing tits. “So fucking hot, MJ,” he groans, dipping his head to suckle at the junction of her neck and shoulder, reaching even deeper inside of her; she can’t bring herself to care that he’ll definitely leave a mark. “Pussy’s so wet and tight.”

The combined sounds of her girlish moans, his heavy huffs of breath, and the slick noises of their bodies coming together fills the confined space of the tent, amplifying her pleasure that much more. Her nails, long but somewhat blunt from her manicure, move to scratch across his back and drag down his serratus, making him visibly shiver.

As good as this is, her mind and body scream for more, more, more. She finds her voice somehow, moving one hand to his cheek and slipping her thumb between his lips. Grayson moans and sucks the digit into his mouth, making her pussy throb.

“I want you from behind… please,” she makes sure to tack on at the end.

“Yes,” he agrees immediately with a growl, pulling out of her long enough for her to flip over onto her elbows and knees. She feels weirdly empty without him, even for the brief moment.

When he pushes back into her, MJ’s eyes roll back in her head, and her cheek drops to her forearms. From the spot his dick hit the moment he’s inside her in this position, she knows somehow that this boy is going to make her come for a third time tonight. Any and all inhibition is lost then.

Her hands find purchase with a tight grip in the sleeping bag, and she arches her back as deep as she can as his hips slam against her ass over and over again. His tongue licks a seductive trail up her spine while one hand toys with her breast roughly, the other gripping her shoulder for leverage.

“Gonna blow your back out, baby,” he promises directly into her ear, his voice dripping with lust and confidence and drawing raspy, breathless moans from her lips.

“Ohhh, fuck! Harder, harder…” she whines, her jaw slack. Grayson doesn’t argue about her lack of begging as he grabs her long, loosened ponytail and wraps it around his wrist, sucking another deep red mark into her shoulder while he pounds into her.

Normally by now she would drop a hand down to rub herself, but she likes it rough like this so much that she doesn’t need any stimulation on her clit; if she had any brainpower left in her, she would have thought to reach between them to play with his balls instead, but the pleasure clouding her brain is simply too much.

“Like that?” he asks brokenly into her hair as he tugs hard enough on the thick, dark brown strands to lift her head back and give him access to kiss her sloppily. They’re both losing control fast.

The added intimacy of his lips on hers was all she really needs, and she feels her swollen walls tighten around his dick. “Oh my god, Grayson…I’m gonna cum,” she sobs, falling over the edge the next moment. It’s so intense, she can’t support her weight as her legs shake uncontrollably from the force of her orgasm. She slips down on the slick material of the sleeping bag as Grayson continues to fuck her down into the ground, her hips digging into the hard surface with the force of his thrusts, but it’s nearly imperceptible to her.

The grunts and curses he’s huffing breathlessly into her ear let her know he’s close, too. Sure enough, it’s only moments later until he’s groaning, “Yes, MJ… fuck!”

MJ feels him swell almost imperceptibly inside her before he explodes, rocking his hips into her in time with the spurts of his cum and a long, drawn out moan of relief escaping his full lips. It’s by far the sexiest sound she’s ever heard.

When he’s done, he pulls out and rolls off of her with a sigh, taking care to not crush her with his weight. As he pulls the condom off and ties it, MJ grabs the blanket and throws it over the two of them, snuggling into his outstretched arms.

There’s comfortable silence as they both catch their breath before he breaks it with a laugh. “Holy fuck,” he says incredulously, shaking his head and pressing his lips to her sweaty hair in a brief kiss. “That might have been the best sex of my life.”

MJ flushes even more than she already is. “Of your life? I’m four years older than you and I’ve never had a guy make me come more than once, but you did it three times,” she counters. She can practically see his ego swell before her, and she smiles as he tips her chin up so he can kiss her lips lightly. “So, ah, did we fuck the magic out of the night?”

Grayson looks down at her like she’s absolutely crazy. “Hell no. In fact…” he smirks and turns on his side, propping his head up with his elbow and tracing the features of her face with the fingers of his other hand. “Wanna know one more secret?”

She nods, transfixed by the shade of green his eyes have turned post-coitus.

“I don’t know that you'll be able to get rid of me any time soon, Makenna Jean,” he admits quietly, dropping a kiss to her nose.

MJ grins back at him, his touch lulling her into an even deeper state of serenity. “Good thing I wasn't planning on it, Grayson…something.”

#dolan twins #grayson dolan #grayson dolan smut #grayson dolan oc #grayson mj

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finchsfinest · 4 years

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Fast & Furious (2001-2017)

Since I had never seen any of the Fast & Furious movies, I decided to take on a mission to watch them all in one week. That’s 8 action films in 7 days, from The Fast and The Furious (2001) to The Fate of the Furious (2017). And when the 9th film comes out, I’ll make sure to watch that too. I left out the Hobbs & Shaw spin-off because, you know, it’s just not the same. All I knew about the movies beforehand was that they are all starred by fast cars and Paul Walker. I had absolutely no clue about the plot or the characters when I started this marathon.

Disclaimer: Prepare yourself for spoilers.

The Fast and the Furious was extremely 2001 with the music, the outfits, the special effects and the humour. I thought that this movie was the world’s biggest group wank around cars. I was also surprised by the whole undercover cop aspect. I honestly thought the movies would be all about racing and nothing else, but I was happy to see that there was more to them.

During 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) I started wondering how many car accidents there were after people tried the stunts they saw in this movie. I got way too invested in the racing scenes, and the crazy tricks stressed me out real good. I liked it! Also, I found the humour to be better than in the first film.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) was an emotional roller coaster for me. I got frustrated, because I couldn’t care less about some high school drama, and because Lucas Black did NOT pass as an underage high school student (he was like 24 at the time the film came out, dude looked like he should’ve been playing a teacher instead of a student). 15 minutes into the movie I found myself thinking that it has nothing to do with Fast and Furious, and preparing a Bring Paul Walker Back protest in my head. The music wasn’t half bad, but the acting and the whole script was cringeworthy. Han’s death was the equivalent of a dog dying in a movie – very upsetting and unnecessary, just plain wrong. You have no idea how much joy seeing Vin Diesel’s face at the very end brought me. It made me feel like everything’s going to get better again.

Fast & Furious (2009) was a bit of a let down for me. The stunts were too fake, I wasn’t into it, and I wasn’t impressed. The plot was getting a bit old, and the only new thing seemed to be that they were now using GPS while driving.

Fast Five (2011) didn’t get much better. This is where The Rock comes in, and they also bring back some old favourites from previous movies. The film felt very Ocean’s-like, and even though I enjoy those movies a lot, I completely lost interest in the plot.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013) had a nice recap in the beginning. Now things got interesting, with Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez) possibly being alive, and the name ‘Shaw’ being mentioned for the first time. I got excited! The series started with a focus in fancy cars and street racing, and now it’s more about fighting criminals and fleeing from the police. I noticed they reused the line “You read the brochure. I am proud of you”, which was first heard in Tokyo Drift. It honestly felt a bit weird, since the characters saying the line have no connection to each other. Anyways, the film was good, I enjoyed it. Especially the ending was very wholesome, despite the fact that it was the end for Han (played by Sung Kang). Can’t wait to see what Statham’s deal is in the series.

Then comes Furious 7 (2015), the last movie Paul Walker was working on before he passed away. May he rest in peace, or rather fast and furiously. I didn’t really enjoy watching the extremely macho Statham doing macho things. I got a bit bored and started missing the real stunts. I don’t like movies where literally anyone can beat up a bunch of armed, professional security guards and survive all gunfights without a bruise. I get that these are action movies, but I still need some realistic touches in them in order to stay interested. I can’t imagine what it has been like to film the beach scene in the end without Walker. Damn, that hit me in the feels.

And finally, The Fate of the Furious. It immediately feels different without Walker. It starts nice though, with some old school street racing, and then something completely new comes up – Toretto seems to turn against his team. What could possibly make him do that! Toretto’s sudden change of heart feels very far-fetched, until in the end it becomes clear that he had a plan all along. The Rock is serving some quality content in this film, the baddies are not. They are trying too hard, and I just can’t take them seriously. I also find it too unbelievable that they could just hover over a city in their airplane without anyone interfering or questioning it. Or what about these people attacking a Russian military base without any issues? Nah, I ain’t buying it.

“I don't feel like I'm under arrest. How about you Brian?” “No, not a bit. Not even a little bit.”

I quite enjoyed watching the Fast and Furious movies in a row, instead of waiting for years between releases. Honestly, it makes sense to watch all of them instead of one here and there. Or if you’ve seen one of the newer ones, I recommend watching at least the ones that came before that. It brings so much insight to the story and to the characters. Vaya con Dios, amigos!

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obeyme-and-you · 4 years

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Lucifer Son of the Morning Star

Italics is Gabriel

Bold is Kimimela

Normal is Verses

Lucifer Son of the Morning Star

Uh, who exactly are ya?

*Spoilers for chapters 16 and onwards, especially after chapter 20. Minor spoilers for the Lamp and Baddies events and the Search For Self Devilgram.*

There’s a few key pieces of information that is important to note before diving into information about Lucifer, both biblically and Obey Me wise.

( https://bible.org/article/lucifer-devil-isaiah-1412-kjv-argument-against-modern-translations explains this more in depth, but for the TL;DR points these points are all from this website. It also explains that “Morning Star” is not synonymous with evil, it’s a descriptor)

The KJV of the bible, is a translation, of a translation. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, while The New Testament was written in Greek. Those were both translated into Latin by a scholar, and then that translation was translated into English, aka the KJV Bible. The translators knew Latin better than Greek and Hebrew, so when they didn’t know a word in Hebrew or Greek, they did their best with translating the Latin word. The word lucifer was similar to this but not quite.

Lucifer was not originally the name of The Devil/Satan/whoever, but a word that roughly meant “Morning Star”. The translators who were translating it into English, didn’t translate the word, and through the many years, it eventually became what people assume the name of the fallen angel was before his fall.

There’s only one verse in the KJV that uses the name Lucifer, there are other passages that do use “Morning Star” and other variations of this.

Lucifer did not originally mean The Devil, and is not synonymous with evil, so because of this, there are verses that use “Morning Star” while referencing Jesus.

So what does this mean and why is this important?

Lucifer Morningstar means Morningstar Morningstar and therefore should be bullied for it

It’s important to note because there are instances of “Morning Star” not actually talking about The Devil, there will only be 2-3 verses used that use the term when explaining Lucifer from Obey Me. The NASB version never uses the word lucifer, and only uses variations of “morning star” throughout the texts. And one last thing to note, typically (but not always, it’s dependent on some factors) The Devil/Satan/Lucifer/etc. are talked about as one figure, but for the sake of Obey Me, they will be thought as completely different entities. (One passage (the king of Tyre) that will be used is not universally accepted as a story about Lucifer, but will still be used because there are plenty of people who use it when talking about Lucifer and The Fall)

(Who are we talking about again?)

Okay let’s try this again

(Again they say)

Lucifer Son of the Morning Star

Who are ya?

(You want a real answer or a sarcastic one?)

There are two important passages needed to understand Lucifer as a character, and some possible foreshadowing further into the story of Obey Me. The book of Isaiah (specifically chapter 14) and Ezekiel 28 (The King of Tyre).

Isaiah 14

“When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and rule over their oppressors.

And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service which you have been enslaved,

that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the oppressor has ceased, And how fury has ceased!

“The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers

Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes, Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.

“The whole earth is at resent and is quiet; they break forth into shouts of joy.

“Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes against us.’

“Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

“They will all respond and say to you, ‘Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us.

‘Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.’

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

“But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself the Most High.’

“Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

“Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,

Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’

“All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb.

“But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse.

“You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.

“Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the inquiry of their fathers. They may not rise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities.”

“I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity,” declares the LORD.

“I will make also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts.”

I included this chapter because I do believe it is very important, but I do not have an entire explanation for this chapter and how it pertains to Obey Me. It should be noted though, verse 12 (“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!”) is the only verse in KJV that mentions the word Lucifer.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

There is some information that can be taken from this chapter and applied to Obey Me’s story, but until future information within the story is released it won’t be a verse by verse explanation. Once more is learned within the story, this will be further broken down if it turns out to be important information, but it will be mostly unexplained and theorized until said information is presented.

Verses 1-11 could be used for something that has yet to happen within the story of Obey Me, because it involves MC. (Flash backs maybe? Maybe there is Devilgrams we need to read?)

“1) When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.”

When the exchange program became in effect, strangers did come into each of the realms. MC, Solomon, Simeon, and Luke all came to the Devildom as exchange students, but the demons did know who Solomon, Simeon, and Luke were before the program began. Solomon was famous for having 72 demon pacts and being a very powerful warlock, and Simeon and Luke were angels that the brothers already knew personally. MC on the other hand is considered a stranger in their eyes because they never knew them.

“2) The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and rule over their oppressors.”

The demons brought MC to live with them as a roommate at the House of Lamentation, and each of the demons there do have their own way of saying they “own” MC. Mammon is most notable in this aspect, by his consistent insistence to MC and his brothers that he was MC’s “first” and therefore has more power and privilege when it comes to anything involving MC. Lucifer tells MC after they make a pact with them “As of this moment, (MC), you are mine.” (chapter 20-14) But all of the brothers have shown jealousy or possessiveness when involving MC. (Beels Devilgram ‘Queen of jealousy’ shows a possessive side to a boy i thought was pretty laid back for the most part) MC, even though not technically a servant, has been tasked to help the brothers many times by the brothers, and is charged with helping cook and such at the House of Lamentation. While, neither the brothers or MC can truly be considered captors or oppressors in a literal sense, the brothers are MC’s “captors” in the sense that MC didn’t really have a choice in living there and MC does end up having power over them through the pacts. It will more than likely have to deal with something in the future, specifically with Diavolo if this passage was in fact used as inspiration for Obey Me. (<_< Spoiler chapter unknown)

V 3-9 sounds like foreshadowing for something we have yet to get foreshadowing for within the game. (galaxy brain)

"10) They will all respond and say to you, ‘Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us."

This has happened once to Lucifer when he and Satan switched bodies. Lucifer, in Satan's body, was unable to punish Mammon because he was in a body weaker to Mammon's. Mammon ridiculed him and constantly made fun of him for it, while Satan told him that now he's stronger so Lucifer has to listen to him. This is possible foreshadowing that all the demon brothers will have this happen to them in some form or another later into the story. (Beel and Asmo also swapped in a side story)

"12) How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!"

This is in reference to The Fall. The civil war between the angels would have weakened the Celestial Realm, and could have affected both the Earthly Realm and the Devildom if they were stuck in the crossfires/participated. It would have weakened the link (politically) between all the realms, because of the resentment towards humans, and the fact that angels fell into the Devildom. (The fact that Lilith was mortally injured in the process as well)

“13) But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

14) “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself the Most High.’”

Biblically, one of the big reasons why Lucifer rebelled against God and the other angels, is because he wanted to, essentially, dethrone God. Lucifer was full of pride and wrath and wanted to be on top. We have yet to learn all the events that transpired for the demon brothers to rebel and fall from heaven, but it’s safe to assume that one possibility is he thought he would be a better leader, or at least wanted the power that came with being God. Even though a non-canon side story, we can look at the Lamp event and see some insight into Lucifer’s personality. In the event, Diavolo is an oracle and says that whoever marries the MC is the person who will rule the world. Lucifer is very adamant about marrying MC because he wishes to rule everything, and when Satan comes up with a plan that all the brothers will marry MC, he agrees to it, saying that he doesn’t need to marry MC in order to rule the world. (I’m sure we got told more when Satan was giving us a history lesson but noooooo)

“15) “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”

When he lost the civil war, he was cast out of the Celestial Realm, down into the Devildom. (Sheol is not technically hell but a place spirits go when they die but like a transition point)

“16) “Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms,

17) Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’”

When Simeon comes down to the Devildom and sees Lucifer for the first time since the Celestial War, he seems surprised by his appearance and both him and Diavolo talk about Lucifer and his beauty, and how he hasn’t changed much while Lucifer asks them to stop.

“18) “All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb.

19) “But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse.

20) “You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.

21)“Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter Because of the inquiry of their fathers. They may not rise and take possession of the earth And fill the face of the world with cities.”

We do know that angels can die, because Lilith was going to die until Diavolo made his deal with Lucifer, and the fact that there are tombs in the Devildom (which is where the grimoire is located) it can be assumed that demons can die too. Lucifer attacked his country (the Celestial Realm) (or at the very least a fighting retreat) and caused a civil war which could have partially ruined the Celestial Realm, at least for a short period of time. Knowing that angels can die, it is very possible that Lucifer killed angels that fought against him. “May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.” could be either about the demon brothers, because they are the “offspring” of their former angel selves, or it could be about MC because MC is the offspring of Lilith (a few thousand years down the line) and in the eyes of God, and the Celestial Realm, evil because she interfered with the life of a human, something considered very bad. Verse 21 could be foreshadowing further down the line.Another thing to mention, “You will not be united with them in burial” could be in reference to Lilith, because they didn’t get to be with her in the end.

22) “I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity,” declares the LORD.

23) “I will make also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts.”

These verses are possible foreshadowing.

“I will rise up against them,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity,” declares the LORD.” This could be specifically against MC, because if the Celestial Realm learns about Lucifer and Diavolo’s deal, and that Lilith was reincarnated as a human, and that MC is offspring of her, could cause a war. There’s a possibility that MC will be put to death for Lilith’s crimes. (Spoilers? Glad we didn’t meet Michael)

“I will make also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of hosts.” If a war were to break out between The Celestial Realm and The Devildom, God may order the complete destruction of the Devildom.

Ezekiel 28 is debated on whether the passage is talking about Lucifer or not but it is used to talk about him and The Fall even though not everyone agrees on it. In the case of Obey Me, it would mostly be about him but it will talk minimally about others.

Part 2 HERE: Lucifer Son of the Morning Part 2

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 4 years

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Episode 139: Lars of the Stars

“Bingo Bongo.”

On Saturday, January 22, 2011, a character from the webcomic Homestuck was suddenly killed. On Sunday, the scene continued, and in a string of wordless panels, another beloved character prepared to take revenge for this murder. On Monday, this character was also killed, and the murderer escaped. (I didn’t remember those dates on the top of my head, Homestuck has a very well-maintained archive, but I do at least remember that it was my first weekend back at William and Mary after my junior year’s winter break.)

To this day, that one-two punch remains my go-to example of a nameless phenomenon in serialized storytelling that fascinates me to no end: when reading Homestuck in real time, these deaths are two discrete events that happened days apart, but when reading it literally any time the after full string of updates concluded, both deaths are one big event. The gap between published segments of a serial have a tremendous effect on how the audience takes in a story, but once the story is complete, that effect can’t be felt again by new audiences.

Lars of the Stars aired just over seven months after Lars’s Head, and as someone who watched Steven Universe live since the pilot first dropped, it felt like the momentous return of the Off Colors. An ultra-early preview of the episode piled on the hype for the fanbase (I personally avoided discussion of it, not wanting to spoil myself), and the Breakup Arc made the divide seem even greater. But if you’re watching all the episodes in a row, the gap between Lars’s last appearance and this one is just 66 minutes; for context, that’s shorter than the time between Spinel landing on Earth and leaving it with the Diamonds.

I see Lars of the Stars as a very different episode today than I did when it debuted, and that’s fully because of the release schedule. Because while it remains a fresh, fun new direction after dwelling on the Breakup Arc for a few months and waiting on Lars to come back for even longer, watching it without the hiatus makes it clear that this isn’t just the start of a new chapter. It’s also an epilogue.

The fourteen episodes between Doug Out and Kevin Party pile on so much tension that we need a follow-up that feels like a break, which Lars of the Stars is happy to provide. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate how far our characters have come during that chunk of episodes, and that’s exactly what happens here. Part 1 of the big stretch ends with Steven leaving everyone behind as he goes to space, and now we get an episode about him returning to space but including Connie in the way he should have from the start. Part 2 of the big stretch ends with the Off Colors trapped on Homeworld with little hope in sight, and now we get an episode about their freewheeling lives among the stars. And Part 3 of the big stretch ends with Steven and Connie establishing a new understanding of their relationship, and now we get an episode where they share what they’ve learned with the class.

In our last episode, Connie showed an ability to socialize without Steven. While this makes him worry that she might only be at Kevin’s titular party to have a good time rather than reconnect, the furthest he goes in terms of dark thoughts is that she doesn’t wanna hang out with him anymore. Meanwhile, Lars takes Sadie’s similar ability so socialize without him as a personal insult: his instinct is to assume she’s hanging out with the Cool Kids as an act of revenge, because it turns out people don’t just flip personalities after major life events, and despite some tremendous changes Lars still has work to do. (This is something that happens more and more as the show goes on, it’s almost as if the perpetual need to work on yourself is a major theme of the latter-day series or something.)

Stevonnie’s ability to help Lars out works in any episode, because Stevonnie embodies close relationships and Lars could use some tips on that front. But the fact that their defense of Sadie in this situation is what causes Steven and Connie to fuse in the first place gains new power when this it comes right after watching Kevin Party, because feeling uncertain about a friend/love interest’s new friends is something they just experienced both sides of. And as one last reflection of the kids as individuals, Steven reacts to Lars’s concerns with a thoughtful monologue about his feelings, but only after Connie chews him out for being such a dingus.

It’s lousy to be possessive and self-absorbed, but for all my criticism of Lars in the past, it’s not as if he’s the only teenager to be possessive or self-absorbed in the world (or space). That doesn’t make the behavior great, but it’s more a sign of adolescent insecurity than any deeper failing at this stage of his life; if he doesn’t grow out of it then that’s a whole other story, but his negative impulses are outweighed by his ability to take criticism of those impulses and reexamine his outlook. And as part of a show that teaches big lessons to kids, I love that his poor reaction to Sadie’s happiness is presented not as some angsty relationship hurdle, but as comically pathetic. Matthew Moy has a blast playing a version of the character who’s finally confident, but he hasn’t forgotten how to tap into Lars’s whiny grouch.

Thankfully that confidence defines the rest of the episode (which itself lends power to the stark return to his old personality). I don’t just say “thankfully” because I’m glad he’s got some self-esteem, but because like I just said, Matthew Moy has a blast. This is the goofiest episode we’ve had since The New Crystal Gems, and while I’m sure it’s even better for anime fans out there (Space Pirate Captain Harlock being the clearest influence) it still works for scrubs like me without that reference pool. Which is critical, as I doubt many members of the youth audience are all caught up on their late seventies anime.

Excellent pacing helps the fun hit for maximum impact, pivoting us from Kevin Party to space with a brisk opening scene and reintroducing characters not through exposition (which takes time) but on-screen text (which is faster and also magnificently cheesy; Lamar Abrams practiced this in Restaurant Wars). We use space jargon and references to old adventures to throw us in the middle of Lars’s journey in a quick and believable way, all the while building up the camaraderie between the Off Colors. His miniature breakdown would normally be a third act affair, allowing for its resolution to conclude the story, but instead it’s smack in the middle of the episode and we get a bunch more fun after it: it’s an important part of the story that informs Lars’s final gambit, but it’s not the main set piece.

(And, of course, the music remains as on point as ever: Aivi and Surasshu give the Sun Incinerator a punchy theme that complements those introductions perfectly, and revisit the motif heard in the Love Like You reprise, Holly Blue Agate’s scenes, and the drone attacks from Off Colors during this new foray into space. I don’t think it’s even possible for these two to disappoint.)

Confident Lars is marvel to behold, because it’s the real deal. His insecurities are still there, but rather than patching them up with a superiority complex (which so often is the case when insecure folks go too hard in building themselves up) he doesn’t feel the need to put on a front anymore. He’s cocky, but he loves his crew for who they are and is never as mean to them as he was to Steven, even as a joke. His exaggerated anime poses aren’t just dopey and delightful for the sake of being dopey and delightful, but show a newfound ability to have fun without being crippled by self-consciousness. And his zany schemes, shouted about by Emerald at first but then seen in action, actually work! He comes into his own as a space pirate, and as neat as it is to see him become a baker when he returns to Earth, Lars of the Stars makes a strong case for a life in space.

Speaking of Emerald, while I’m sure a lot of folks who hyped themselves up on Lars of the Stars were disappointed that this is all we see of her (especially because emeralds are big-name gemstones in the real world), I think her single appearance makes the episode even more of a hoot. This is not Steven’s story, so we get very little frame of reference for what the Off Colors have been up to: it feels like a crossover episode with a nonexistent spinoff. Having a small glimpse into the greater journey was a great call, because this is just one of many tales from the Sun Incinerator’s sterling crew, and it keeps up the thread of Steven being out of the loop on Lars and Sadie’s lives.

It also lets Jinkx Monsoon ham it up even harder than Moy without getting bogged down by character complexity. This is a ridiculous space adventure, and that tone is heightened by a baddie who doesn’t chew so much as gorge herself on the scenery. I mean, this is still Steven Universe, so even someone as over the top as Emerald gets a tiny arc: Lars seems to be the instigator of their rivalry, and while we side with the Off Colors because they’re the underdogs escaping persecution, Emerald has legitimate reasons to see herself as the wronged party. And Lars’s realization that she would never fire on her own ship doesn’t just work as a conclusion to his story, showing that he learned a lesson from his bitterness towards Sadie, but for Emerald’s, showing that while she wants her revenge she more just wants her stuff back. But this is still an opponent who we only see screaming from a screen, and that’s exactly what this episode needs.

The Off Color Gems stick to the characterization that defined them in their debut, but they’ve all let their guard down in a way that suggests both familiarity with Lars and relief from the unending pressure of a lifetime of hiding on Homeworld. We get a few good jokes from their roles on the ship, but their competence is never undermined. It’s funny that Padparadscha is a technical advisor, considering she only offers insight on events that already happened, but she ends up being able to foresee Emerald’s intent as well, which certainly has its uses. It’s funny that Fluorite is the chief engineer, considering her meandering nature doesn’t mesh with the tight time windows of keeping a speedy starship afloat, but despite her slowness she manages to keep pace. It’s funny that Rhodonite is head of strategic operations, considering her usual strategy is to panic at the most minor setback, but her constant worry about what could go wrong helps balance out Lars’s recklessness. While while the Rutile Twins’ natures aren’t at odds with their role as pilot, they’ve grown out of their quirk more than anyone else on the team: the sisters have branched out from their repetitive dialogue, with each head now expressing separate thoughts on a regular basis. They don’t just summarize each other anymore. They aren’t redundant anymore either.

Steven and Connie are largely around to observe and comment, even after fusing into Stevonnie, until they take over for the final action sequence. And that’s just fine, because it turns out AJ Michalka nails supporting role as well as nails lead: Stevonnie’s blithe “Whuzzat” is the perfect punchline to the Off Colors’ fear of the melodramatic "that,” but nothing tops the sincere adulation of “Wow Lars I missed you.” And because they don’t steal Lars’s spotlight in his big moment, it’s that much more exciting when they take the Star Skipper out for a drive, ending the episode with a brilliant action scene and a cliffhanger that promises further adventure, like any good space serial should. Steven Universe has the occasional incomplete first half of a two-parter, one that works fine in context but not as well on its own. Lars of the Stars does not have this problem, working so well as a genre piece that the lack of a conclusion is the only viable conclusion.

Finally, Lars of the Stars doesn’t just celebrate the end of Act III’s fourteen-episode sweep: this is the last episode from Jesse Zuke, who came out swinging with Chille Tid and maintained an unbelievable batting average over the course of their twenty episodes. There’s only one episode Zuke had a hand in that I’m not huge on, Know Your Fusion, and even that is funny as hell if you’re into that style of meta humor. Alongside Hilary Florido, Zuke gave us two of the show’s greatest instances of characters just hanging out in Beta and Last Stop Out of Beach CIty, and the pair laid and reinforced the foundation for Peridot’s post-villain characterization in Catch and Release, Too Far, Log Date 7 15 2, Barn Mates, Too Short to Ride, the aforementioned Beta, Gem Harvest, and Room for Ruby. But on top of being a master of comedy, Zuke could also do horror (Chille Tid and Are You My Dad) and drama (Beach City Drift, Steven vs. Amethyst, Gemcation), and had a good enough understanding of Steven and Lars to earn solo boarding credit on Stuck Together. I would’ve loved to see what else Zuke might’ve brought to Steven Universe, but that makes their unbelievable consistency that much more of a gift while it lasted. Bingo Bongo, Jesse.

Future Vision!

This is the first time we hear Sadie Killer and the Suspects by name, and it thankfully won’t be the last.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It speaks to the range of Steven Universe that teen drama Kevin Party can stand alongside Lars of the Stars in my list of favorites. Granted, my top five also speaks to this range, but it’s nuts that the last two episodes are back-to-back and it not only works but benefits from this viewing order despite their wildly different tones.

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Lars of the Stars

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Back to the Kindergarten

Steven’s Dream

Kevin Party

When It Rains

The Good Lars

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Doug Out

Are You My Dad?

I Am My Mom

Stuck Together

The Trial

Off Colors

Lars’s Head

Gemcation

Raising the Barn

Sadie Killer

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Dewey Wins

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

6. Horror Club 5. Fusion Cuisine 4. House Guest 3. Onion Gang 2. Sadie’s Song 1. Island Adventure

#lars of the stars #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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redisriding · 4 years

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King of Scars - Review

I have just finished reading King of Scars and let me tell you, I have some THOUGHTS™

I don’t want to spoil anyone though, so read below the fold at your own discretion…

(Also contains spoilers of the Shadow and Bone Trilogy and the Six of Crows Duology, but it is unlikely that one has not read those books but has read King of Scars).

Nb. I word vomited this onto the page so apologies for any typos/misspellings/incomplete trains of thought!

Okay so, let me start by stating my position in respect of the other Grisha Verse books. I enjoyed the Shadow and Bone Trilogy. I really liked the first one, thought the second one did nothing but elongate the story, but found the third one redeeming. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the two main characters/love interest as I found both Alina and Mal annoying in parts, but I have to remind myself that I am in my mid-20s reading YA books so maybe I can’t be too critical of the behaviour of teenagers(?!). I am however a sucker for when the female lead chooses the good boy they grew up with over the mysterious creepy stranger, so yeah I shipped them. What made this trilogy for me was the amazingly vivid universe that was created – the Grisha Verse – and the absolute romp of supporting characters. So, not wanting to leave the world behind just yet I read the Six of Crows duology and I LOVED THESE BOOKS. Not only did we get to delve deeper into the Grisha Verse, but the storyline is fantastic, the characters are brilliantly painted, and the dialogue is some of the most witty, most wonderful dialogue I have ever read (Jesper anyone?). Plus, the Nina x Matthias dynamic is my absolute favourite romance trope!!! With honourable mentions to Kaz and Inej of course.

Going into King of Scars I was hopeful for a thrilling adventure across the Grisha Verse I have come to know so well, with some excellent characters and cracking banter.

Was that what I found?

In short, no.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate this book. It was an enjoyable read. However, I do think the King of Scars is Leigh Bardugo’s weakest work. Now, I don’t know whether she was writing under pressure from her publishers, fans etc., if there was something going on in her life perhaps to throw her off her game, or if the King of Scars was genuinely the direction she wanted to take this series/story/universe. The characterisation was good as always, I enjoyed learning more about Nikolai and Zoya’s respective backstories, and yeah, I ship them hard, but there wasn’t as much witty banter as I had hoped. Particularly from a character like Nikolai who gave so much in previous books. Sure, the argument can be made that this book is about him battling his own demons, so fair enough if he was somewhat off his game. I think however this book fell down in two key ways, (1) the universe and (2) the story itself.

What do I mean in respect of not liking the “universe” as conceptualised in King of Scars? This might sound a little strange, but in the Shadow and Bone trilogy and Six of Crows duology the “magic” that the Grisha possess appears very “real” (if magic can indeed be real). There are rules about how Grisha power works and thus seems plausible to me. I feel like King of Scars departed from this. I don’t mean the Zoya/Dragon story line. I actually quite enjoyed the exploration of “but aren’t we all things” and the blurring of the lines between different Grisha powers. I think that will make an interesting development in the story. What is less clear in how magic works in the Grisha Verse is (1) the demon that possesses Nikolai (but sure I can get on board with it for the purpose of the story and to be quite honest I don’t REALLY care about a lot of the minute details about the world’s in fantasy books operate), and (2) the whole mid-section of the book where Nikolai and Zoya are sucked into this Twilight Zone/Alice in Wonderland alternative dimension that emerges in the fold. This is where the book lost me. I didn’t totally understand what was going on, and I think the writing fell down here. It was like even Leigh Bardugo didn’t have a clear idea as to what was happening. Trying to make sense of it was a bit like trying to look through fog. Dragons, bees, three-headed bears, a big rock that became a palace, thorns??? I was totally baffled by it all. Where they in the fold or the Unsea? How did they just suddenly disappear? Where did that pilgrimage camp go? Was any of that real or just an illusion to trap Nikolai and Zoya there? Even at the end I’m unsure as to how much Yuri knew, how much he was leading them knowing what was going to happen or was he just a hapless buffoon that got caught up in the whole thing? How exactly did Zoya defeat the bee witch queen? What happened with Nikolai and his demon? Is it is half defeated? Is the demon the Darkling himself rather than a residue of the Darkling’s monster? Does that mean that the Darkling lives half within Nikolai and half within Yuri? Maybe some of this is deliberately vague and will be cleared up in the next book, but I honestly think that a lot of it has to do with the writing because there are parts that are perfectly clear and I do understand what is happening, for example when Zoya slays the dragon. Perhaps this was because I had read the previous books and I understood what it meant to kill a creature to create an amplifier, but equally, I believe that Leigh Bardugo wrote this section clearer because she had written the previous books!

Essentially, I felt that I had a good grasp of the Grisha Verse but this whole section is too off the wall for it to be believable to me and just doesn’t feel like it “fits” with the universe that had been created/developed in the other books.

The second thing I dislike is the story. Yes, see previous thoughts above in respect of the whole mid-section of the book, but this whole story was just angling to bring the Darkling back? Nah, I don’t like it. Not because the Darkling is a baddie and the thought of him being back can only mean bad things, but because I think its lazy writing. There is already so much conflict, or potential for conflict, in these books with Nikolai becoming King and trying to save Ravka that there was no need for the Darkling to return. For one, I think it undermines everything that happened in the Shadow and Bone series for him to return and presumably be defeated in the next book?. Mal sacrificed himself for Alina to destroy him, only for her to lose her power afterwards. It doesn’t seem right that he went on “living” in this alternative universe. The whole body swap thing was just bizarre, and again, lazy writing. I’m not a fan of people suddenly appearing back from the dead as a trope anyway, but this was particularly sloppily done. (Yes, I know Mal came back from the dead too but there was some explanation as to have him having two souls/lives inside him and as I say I was an Alana/Mal shipper so I was prepared to overlook it). I just felt that the Alina/Mal/Darkling storyline was wrapped up so nicely at the end of the Shadow and Bone trilogy that is doesn’t seem right to bring the Darkling back as the villain in a Nikolai/Zoya story. The final line in the Shadow and Bone series about Alina and Mal living a normal life if a life with love could ever be such a thing absolutely destroyed me (I wept for the evening after reading that – it’s my catnip), but that story felt complete. I don’t see how the Darkling can come back within at least Alina being involved again, and she doesn’t have her powers anymore which were the only things that defeated the Darkling. I think what my uneasiness boils down to is, presumably Nikolai and Zoya are going to defeat him in the next book, but no matter how comprehensively they do so, I’m never going to believe that he is actually dead, or that death in the Grisha Verse really exists. That at any time, anyone, not matter how long they have been dead for could just reappear with some absolutely insane story of how they managed to remain living even though they were totally, utterly, completely, without a doubt dead.

I think the crux of my disappointment with King of Scars can be summed up as follows:-

Will I be reading the sequel?

Yeah...probably.

Will I be thinking about what is happening to these characters every day until that book is released?

No.

#king of scars #leigh Bardugo #book review #Grishaverse

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worldofblade · 6 years

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Head Assassin Ch 4

BTS Fanfic: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | (T-1) | (T-2) | 5 | 6 | (T-3) | 7 | (T-4) |

Warnings: DARK!!, Mention of non-con elements, Mention of child abuse, violence/gore, mention of torture, dark!namjoon, dark!bts, forced marriage, mention of mental abuse, hybrid fic, au fic.

Beta: None

Rating: R

Summary: General Kim Namjoon was going to get what he wanted, no matter what.

Pairing: Kim Namjoon/Female OC

Notes: Thanks so much for the love. Yoongi gets super dark in here. Be warned. I now have lots of little stories rolling around in my head about all the hybrids, I don’t know if I will give them their own stories or what.

~~~

“Such a low-quality party…”

“What do you expect from a family that forces a marriage to rise up in the world….”

“…. the General isn’t even here, shows what he thinks….”

“Ghastly family, from the beginning….”

Ji-Soo took a deep breath and counted to ten for what felt like the millionth time. It was getting harder to ignore the group of women in the corner. Forcing herself not to glance over, she continued her directions to the staff on placement of center pieces. The women from the Jeon House, had shown up, making sure everyone in the room heard that they were “here to help”; then proceeded to sit at the far side of the room, calling for food and water while making ugly comments that were getting progressively louder. Ji-Soo knew she shouldn’t have been surprised, the Jeon family had always had a special type of hatred for the Lee family; but today they seemed especially harsh.

“The Jeons’ are in top form, I see.” Ji-Soo’s mother said, giving her daughter a smile. “Don’t let them see you get angry. It is what they want.”

“How have you managed to deal with them for all these years?” Ji-Soo asked, following her mother as she checked the tables.

“Truthfully it hasn’t been this bad before. They usually would throw a few harsh barbs my way at gatherings, but then move on to bigger fish. The problem now is that, with your marriage, we are the biggest fish.”

“Yes, my illustrious marriage.” Ji-Soo said, while the two shared a sad smile. Ji-Soo’s mother squeezed her hand, before they both turned toward the youngest daughter of the Song House, who was timidly making her way to them.

“The flowers are exactly how you asked for them,” the girl said, “What else can I help you with?”

“Thank you, Ga-Yoon. You’ve been a life-safer today.” Ji-Soo said, giving her the warmest smile she could manage. It pained her when she thought about the Song House. They, out of all the Houses, probably got the worst deal. Their household had not produced a viable Hybrid for many years, so after the war the government assigned a Hybrid to them. The only people who knew exactly what happened on the night that Taehyung came to claim the Song House, were not talking. Ji-Soo hoped the rumors were exaggerated, but feared that it had probably been worse than anyone could even guess. All the men had been killed, the women had not been touched; at least not physically. Ga-Yoon and her mother’s mental strain was clearly evident in how they jumped at every noise, and had an almost manic need to be as helpful as they possibly could. The forced cheerfulness seemed ghoulish, and Ji-Soo just wanted to hug both women and not let them go. The only thing really known about Taehyung was that the House who had bred him, was one of the lesser noble Houses from the countryside and that they had been obliterated during the war.

Seeing the girl stiffen, and the hush that fell over the room; Ji-Soo assumed that the Hybrids were here. Turning, she watched with the others as six men walked into the room. It truly was a sight to behold. Six devastatingly handsome men, who everyone knew could kill them in an instant. Ji-Soo pushed aside the little thought, that wondered where her own handsome killer was. Squaring her shoulders, she walked towards the group, very grateful when her mother fell in beside her.

“The final preparations are done, Gentlemen.” Ji-Soo’s mother said.

“I am sure that when the General gets here, he will be pleased.” Jin said as he looked around the room. “The journalists and photographers will be here soon, and the Generals ETA is about 5 minutes.”

Awkward silence fell after Jin finished speaking, and the Hybrids made their way over to where the members of their respective Houses were. Ji-Soo couldn’t help but watch the Songs’ while Taehyung approached. They seemed to shrink in on themselves, and hurried over to where the Park family was congregating. Taehyung stood next to Jimin, looking up at the ceiling and quietly humming, seeming to have no interest in what the other man was telling everyone. Catching her staring, Taehyung smiled, and gave her a quick wink.

Jerking her eyes away from him, Ji-Soo felt her face heat up and a small shiver go down her spine. She found herself feeling grateful that she only had to deal with Namjoon. Just then, the door opened and the man himself was walking into the room. He was impeccably dressed in a black tux; and Ji-Soo found herself taking note of how attractive he looked. Pushing that annoying thought aside, she went to meet him.

“Are you ready to smile for the camera, and spend the night acting like you are proud and happy to be a part of the Kim House?” Namjoon asked, and then looked around the room. “Everything seems in order.”

“If that is your way of saying things look nice, thank you.” Ji-Soo said, forcing herself not to roll her eyes. “I won’t start blubbering to the journalists about how I was forced to marry you, don’t worry. I know what is expected of me.”

“Shall we, then?” Namjoon placed his hand at her back, as they both walked to their place by her mother. Ji-Soo cursed her damn heart for kicking up a notch at the warmth that his hand created. Coming to their designated place, Namjoon got a nod from each of the other heads of house, before he gave the signal for the main doors to be opened.

A night of smiling, bowing, and forced laughing was beginning. Ji-Soo reminded herself that this was truly for a good cause, and even if it also pushed through the new governments agenda, at least the Hospital would get the money and supplies it desperately needed. Plastering a smile on her face, she started welcoming the swarm that was making its way into the room.

```

“I need to speak with you, General.” Yoongi quietly said. Namjoon excused himself from speaking with a hospital administrator and followed his second in command into another room. The initial photos and interviews were done, and now was the tedious small-talk part of the night. Namjoon hated small talk.

“What do you have to report?” Namjoon asked.

“Nothing whatsoever.” Yoongi said with a small smile. “I figured you could use a break before you started telling all those bastards what you truly thought. All though, that could be fun to see.”

Sighing, Namjoon rolled his shoulders back, releasing some of the tension he had been carrying. “Would you have ever thought that we would be at a party with the very people who felt that how you and I were made and trained was a good idea?”

Shrugging, Yoongi leaned against the wall. “I wanted to kill everyone and go down in a blaze of glory. The powers that be wanted to kill the main baddies, and then force everyone else to bend to their will. After being at this party, I say my idea was the better one.”.

Chuckling, Namjoon felt himself relax a bit. Yoongi was an Intel Hybrid. He was made to be silent. To blend into the background. To lull people into a false sense of security. He was the face you couldn’t exactly recall, and then were shocked when you realized you had just told him all your deep dark secrets. He seemed to move slowly, be lazy, and not as strong as the other hybrids. It was a well-developed camouflage. Intels were a force to be reckoned with and had no problem using any means necessary to get the information they were sent in to find. Yoongi was an especially good Intel. Even Namjoon would be terrified if Yoongi was sent in to get information out of him. Intels and B Hybrids were made to work well together. Both highly intelligent and even though the B was always the leader, the Intel was the right-hand man who could guide the B down the right path when needed. In training, Namjoon had been placed with another Intel, but had always gravitated to Yoongi.

“What is the news on the reports of the rebel fractions?” Namjoon asked.

“You really want to go into that here?” Yoongi asked, rolling his eyes. “General, this is a party. You should be out there mingling with the snobs and smiling at your beautiful wife.”

“Yoongi-“

“Fine, fine.” Yoongi laughed, amused at Namjoon’s discomfort when Ji-Soo was mentioned. “The rebels are still well hidden. They seem to be one step ahead of us.” At that, Yoongi lost his lazy facade and Namjoon could see the anger.

“In other words,” Namjoon said, “we have a mole.”

```

Ji-Soo was drunk. The benefit had been an amazing success, and she celebrated. She did it after she got home, so that those snooty Jeons’ wouldn’t have more ammunition to use against her. Stepping out onto the balcony, she looked towards Namjoon’s room. The light was on. Without really thinking about the consequences, Ji-Soo went and tapped on his door with her glass.

“You know you’re a son of a bitch, right?”

Namjoon just raised one eyebrow, and then stepped out of his room. Ji-Soo plopped down in one of the chairs taking another sip of her drink.

“Well?” Ji-Soo asked.

“You want me to answer if I know I am a son of a bitch?” Namjoon asked, a small smile on his lips.

“Yes! No. Oh, hell I don’t know. I’m drunk.” Ji-Soo finished her glass and placed it on the floor, then motioned for Namjoon to sit down next to her. After only a second of hesitation, he sat.

“Other than your truly interesting question, is there another reason you knocked on my door?” Namjoon asked.

“I was a success, you know!” Ji-Soo jumped up and made her way to the railing. Turning, she gave Namjoon a huge smile. “Finally, I did something that my mother could feel proud of. Something that can shut up those Jeon Hags!” Stumbling slightly, she came back towards the chairs, and stood in front of Namjoon. “Except, it really wasn’t me. It was you. You and your murderous bunch of male models.” Leaning in, she steadied herself with one hand on his shoulder, and then used the other to poke his chest. “That ticks me off! The only reason the benefit was any good was because of you. I don’t like you, but now I feel like I have to thank you.”

Namjoon was truly smiling now.

Ji-Soo took a step back and stumbled. Before she could hit the ground, Namjoon stood and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her flush with his body.

“Your eyes don’t look so mean and dead tonight.” Ji-Soo whispered, tucking her head to his chest.

Namjoon knew that she was going to be embarrassed as hell in the morning, if she even remembered this at all, but he was thoroughly enjoying her cuddling into him at the moment. His body wanted to take it to the next level, but he wouldn’t. Not like this.

“Ji-Soo, you need to go to bed.” Namjoon whispered, hating that she was pulling away from his grasp.

Mumbling what sounded like “dimpled devil”, Ji-Soo gave him a weird little salute and then made her way back to her room. Namjoon stood for a little while, listening to her run into things and swear, before he went into his own room and used the intercom to call for a servant to help Ji-Soo get settled for the night. After a while, he finally saw the light go off in her room.

In bed, he found himself chuckling at the things Ji-Soo said. Even though they were not very flattering, he liked how honest she was. In fact, he was pretty sure she would have said all the unflattering things to him without the help of alcohol. It was the other little things that she wouldn’t have said to him. Letting him know that she was thankful. Letting him know that she has worried about her mother all these years. In a round about way, letting him know that she thought he was good-looking. Then the random comment about his dimples. These all lead him to believe that she didn’t only see him as a monster. That thought, and the memory of how his wife felt snuggling into his chest helped him have the first nightmare free sleep in years.

```

The man walked down a trash strewn alley, and rapped on a door. Codes were exchanged. Money switched hands. After the man was gone, a group talked about how they were going to take down the hybrids and their government. Starting with Kim Namjoon, the Head Assassin. It was interesting to them, that his new wife was more than just a power play to gobble up Noble Houses.

```

In a brightly lit room, the pounding music abruptly came to a stop. The door creaked open, and the prisoner watched, through the one good eye he had left, as Yoongi sauntered into the room.

“Went to a party tonight, before coming to see you.” Yoongi smiled as he leaned against the desk that was across from the bound man. You know, I have a reluctant respect for you, my friend. You are one strong man.” Yoongi pulled out a photo from the desk drawer. Bringing it closer to the prisoner, he could see him tense. He even started trying to pull at his bindings, something the prisoner hadn’t done for days now. “Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to find your lover? Not smart to have someone close to you. Lets you have a weakness.” Tapping the photo against his thigh, Yoongi went back to the desk. “I wonder if In-Sook will be as strong as you? I’m afraid I might just have to find out, unless you start talking about how the rebels are getting information.”

#kpopwonderlandtag #bts hybrid fic #bts fic #bts dark fic #dark namjoon #bts namjoon #kim namjoon fic #dark bts #bts au fanfic #bts #kpop #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #kpop fic #kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction #head assassin #fic by worldofblade #namjoonxoc

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pixelgrotto · 6 years

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The horrific Resident Evil playthrough, part seven

Resident Evil 4 is where the series began for a lot of people. It’s also where the series ended for a lot of people, because while the franchise had occasionally focused more on action rather than horror in the past - I first started noticing this in RE3 - Resident Evil 4 doesn’t hesitate in letting you know from the onset that this is a “STRAP IN, WE GONNA BLOW SOME ASSHOLES UP” kind of game. Goodbye to fixed camera angles, hello to a new behind-the-shoulder perspective designed to emphasize gunplay. Goodbye to a teeny tiny inventory that forces you to think about which items you really need, hello to an expandable briefcase that might still be limited, but is practically gargantuan compared to what you had to deal with in the old games. Goodbye to the Leon Kennedy of Resident Evil 2, who was still a rookie in the Raccoon City Police Department and went through the latter half of the game with a bandaged chest after a bullet temporarily put him out of commission. Hello to Leon Kennedy the Secret Service Action Star, who barely takes a scratch over the course of his 20 hour adventure to rescue the president’s daughter and can even take enemies to Suplex City when you’re in close quarters and presented with a big button prompt that reads SUPLEX!

It’s all a lot to take in at first, especially for someone like me who’s playing the Resident Evils in chronological order and really got used to the methodical, conservative play style that the series had cultivated until now. But once I stopped laughing at the fact that Leon could now kick enemy heads off, I began to appreciate Resident Evil 4′s ultra tight pacing, where nary a moment is wasted and you’re constantly rushing from extravagant set piece to set piece, leaving oodles of bullet shells in your wake. Let me reiterate that the pacing is just so good - you never feel bored, because one minute you’ll be fending off a mutated salamander in a lake, the next you’ll be fighting a giant monster that looks like the Lord of the Rings cave troll, and then you’ll suddenly be confronted with an army of Ganados - Spanish cult members who’ve been taken over by parasitic chestbusters and serve as the replacement zombies of this game - all intent on tossing pitchforks through your spleen. There’s never a moment to rest (I mean that in a good way) and no unnecessary filler distractions, aside from an amusing shooting gallery mini-game that’s available at occasional intervals thanks to Resident Evil 4′s mysterious Merchant, a masked dude with a Cockney accent who always just happens to be around to sell Leon new guns and seems to be above the giant conflict involving cultists that rages around him. (Seriously, who is this guy? He looks like a Ganado but he’s totally chill! Is he an arms dealer manipulating the cultists for profit? Is he Chris Redfield in disguise, watching everything from the sidelines and doing his best My Fair Lady impression as he makes sure that Leon’s in tip-top shape to perform all those suplexes? Is he a representation of GOD?!)

Resident Evil 4 might be 13 years old at this point, but it still holds up, which is perhaps a reason why this game has been ported to damn near everything, even the goshdarned only-available-in-Latin America Zeebo. In fact, it might even be more refreshing to play today than it was in 2005, since nowadays big budget action titles are infected with so much bloat, kind of like the Las Plagas parasites that have infested the Ganados in this game. If Resident Evil 4 were released in this day and age, you can be sure it’d be some sort of open world thing with dozens of side missions and collectible doodads spread all over the map, kind of like the Tomb Raider reboot games, which share a similar vibe of intense action but lack the perfect pacing due to their excessive modern design. At the very least, the extra modes that are unlocked upon completing the main scenario, including two where you play as Ada Wong (who, like Leon, has undergone an action movie evolution from regular spy in Resident Evil 2 to SUPER SEXY CATWOMAN SPY) would most certainly be sold as extra DLC now for 10 bucks each. So for me at least, Resident Evil 4 lived up to the hype and even gained a few bonus points for being a breath of fresh air in 2018. However, while I’m perfectly prepared to accept Resident Evil as an action-orientated franchise from this point forward, I wouldn’t put myself in the camp of people who say the series began with this title, because the old games are still darn good, just different. Nor would I include myself in the group who argue that RE4 killed Resident Evil. The game can’t really be classified as “horror” aside from a few scenes where you’re confronted by Regeneradors, creepy baddies who make disturbing sounds and can regrow their limbs unless you shoot the Las Plagas outta their bodies via infrared scope. (In fact, a lot of RE4 is actually darn goofy, especially Leon’s radio conversations, which are right out of Metal Gear.) But I think the “survival” aspect is still there, just present in a slightly different way. Instead of having to ration out your supplies and avoid zombies hiding around obscured corners, RE4 emphasizes the need to survive by overwhelming you with wave after wave of Ganados, who launch at you from all angles. Turn left, turn right, watch out behind you or else you’ll be grabbed - its all visceral as hell, and once you’ve cleared a room full of foes, you’ll breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you survived.

While the old Resident Evil games created a sense of fear and anticipation, in other words, RE4 creates a sense of thrill and commotion that finally gives way to relief when it’s all over. It’s still a survival game, just of a different breed, and personally, I don’t mind a shift in type as long as it’s done as well as it was here.

All screenshots taken by me. For more, check out this Twitter thread showing my step-by-step progress through the game.

#pixel grotto #video games #now playing #resident evil #biohazard #resident evil 4 #leon kennedy #capcom

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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His Dark Materials Season 2 Episode 1 Review: The City of Magpies

https://ift.tt/2JzsrW3

This His Dark Materials review contains spoilers. Here’s our spoiler-free review.

In our world, it’s been almost a year since Lyra and Pan stepped through the hole Lord Asriel tore in the sky. And what a year. If ever the prospect of turning your back on one reality and escaping to another were attractive, it’s now. In lieu of Asriel’s scientific equipment and what might be termed broad-minded attitude towards the moral taboo of child murder, this is our hole in the sky: courtesy of the BBC and HBO, a seven-episode trip out of here.

In episode one, His Dark Materials takes us to Cittàgazze, the city glimpsed by Asriel in the Northern Lights, where Lyra and Pan find themselves after crossing over. New world, new rules. Just when we had a grasp on one fantasy realm (human souls as talking animals, magical know-it-all gadget, ruling class of creepy church dudes…) we step into another with its own logic (no adults, no daemons, soul-sucking fog of evil, al fresco courtyard dining…). Usefully for us, the newly met Lyra and Will needed things explaining too, so we can learn at the same time.

The city turned Marie Celeste after its adults came under attack by Spectres, or floating smoke-monsters who drain grown-ups of humanity and leave them wandering, empty husks, very like the post-incision children of Bolvangar. Spectres feed only on the post-pubescent and can’t be seen by children, so, much in the style of UK tabloid newspapers, they invisibly stalk kids on the cusp, waiting for the precise moment they tip over into adulthood and become fair game. That’s where the episode one cliff-hanger left Will – pursued by a soul-sucker biding its time.

Before the monsters arrived, Lyra and Will’s scenes in Cittàgazze were a rare interlude of warmth in this chilly, cerebral story. The beautifully realised Mediterranean-style city was a picturesque backdrop for the kids’ meet-cute. Until that roiling squirm of smoke intestines showed up to remind us they were in mortal peril, for a time, there was peace. Will fixed the stand-up bath and made an ‘om-lat’, Lyra stole his bed and served him cooked eggshell (as a ward of Jordan College, she’s been waited on her whole life so doesn’t know a frying pan from a cheese grater). It was – briefly – gentle and sweet, two things in short supply elsewhere in this tale.

That’s evidenced by the continuing, twisted adventures of Mrs Coulter and the Magisterium. The sole woman among a bunch of men, Mrs Coulter is the Magisterium’s Smurfette, if that is, Smurfette had understood the heady and intoxicating power of her alien female sexuality and used it to manipulate Papa Smurf to perform her evil bidding, which, of course she did. Why else do you think she wore those shoes.

His Dark Materials Season One Recap: Dust, Daemons and Betrayal

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Mrs Coulter’s manipulation of the god squad is deliciously twisted. Dressed in siren-red, with her Hedy Lamarr glamour, she has a devil’s instinct for temptation. To the priests she doesn’t stun into terrified silence by her presence alone, she pantomimes faux-subservience while clearly giving them (apologies for baseness while discussing a family show but hey, I didn’t script that ring-kissing scene) the under-the-cassock excitement of their lives.

The submarine setting gave it all more than a touch of WWII noir thriller. As dark as Cittàgazze was light, it made Mrs Coulter a Gestapo villain. Such evil. Ruth Wilson, of course, wrapped herself in those scenes like they were a Dalmatian-fur coat. She’s never channelled the role of classic baddy so fully as when slowly and deliberately removing her jewellery in preparation to torture a prisoner until they begged for death.

Death arrived in the form of the no-messing witch queen Ruta Skadi (Jade Anouka), who may have failed to convince her sisters to join her attack on The Magisterium but succeeded in both keeping the prophecy about Lyra from her mother, and making an impression on us. That was a rock-star entrance, flying through the storm, releasing Mrs Coulter’s victim from her pain, and cutting a swathe through Magisterium security before sticking one right in the Cardinal’s chest. Now Mrs Coulter’s going to finish him off – somebody add priest-murder to that woman’s ever-growing list of sins.

His Dark Materials’ witches are at their best in battle. Standing around on clifftops discussing witch admin like the even more humourless relations of The Lord of the Rings’ elves, they’re less exciting. That council of witches scene was beautiful – I mean, look at those ladies, look at those dresses – but compared to other characters, their high fantasy formality drains them of life. Now that Lee Scoresby (Lin Manuel Miranda) has his magic flower and a side mission off in search of a magical protective doohickey, let’s hope the witches only show up to dish out more high-speed ass-kickings.

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Overall, ‘The City of Magpies’ is a confident opener on an impressive scale. It keeps the momentum of the finale going while leaving enough space around Lyra and Will’s first meeting to let us get close to them before they’re swept up by the plot. Outside, the storm clouds of Destiny, a Mighty Battle, and all that capital letter fantasy stuff are swirling, but the cautiously developing intimacy of those two gives us that all-important emotional reason to take their side in the fight to come.

The post His Dark Materials Season 2 Episode 1 Review: The City of Magpies appeared first on Den of Geek.

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geekysweetie · 6 years

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Top 2018 PS4 Games For Girls

I did a lot of research for this list. So the 40 2018 PS4 Games below are not ranked in any particular order.

If I had to pick a few favorites it’d be Detroit Become Human, Kingdom Hearts 3, Shenmue 3, Stein’s Gate Elite, Atelier Lydie & Suelle, Yakuza 6, Your Four Knights Princess Training Story, Shining Resonance Refrain, A Way Out, FF7, and Ni No Kuni 2.

This is not a full release list for the PS4 in 2018, but instead a collection of games I thought would appeal to other gamers such as myself based either on story, anime graphics, cuteness, or gameplay mechanics.

Leave me a comment below and let me know what games you’re looking forward to on PS4 this year!

40+ PS4 Games for Girls Releasing in 2018

1.) Moss

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A virtual reality game that features a mouse who knows sign language. The environment is beautiful and the characters are adorable.

2.) Ni No Kuni 2 Revenant Kingdom

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Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch is one of my favorite PS3 games. So it’s no surprise that I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel from Studio Ghibli and Level 5 on the PS4 in 2018.

3.) Red Dead Redemption 2

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It’s not often that I enjoy a shooting game; however, I am quite fond of the original back on the 360. I enjoy the open world environment, myriad of quests, and choice and consequence system. The horseback riding was also fun.

4.) Detroit: Become Human

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I think above any other title on my list, I’m most excited about this PS4 Exclusive from the makers of Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls. It’s a story driven game where the player must make choices at various points which will fork the story down different branches resulting in different endings.

5.) Shenmue 3

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Shenmue 3 broke records when it debuted on kickstarter 2 years ago. Finally the wait is over as the title will launch in mid 2018. In case you missed the first two games, rumors abound about an HD remaster that will include both Shenmue 1 and 2 also arriving on PS4 in 2018.

6.) Knights and Bikes

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This quirky cute co-op game aims to recapture the feelings of childhood innocence and fun. You can explore a colorful island, fight baddies with water balloons or race your friends on your bicycles.

7.) Bloodstained Ritual of the Night

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This is basically a Castlevania game, except since Kojima left Konami, he’s not allowed to use the name Castlevania anymore. I’m also digging the anime style characters as opposed to the more photo realistic characters the series has been using recently.

8.) Final Fantasy 7 Remake

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The wait is almost over for the Final Fantasy Remake with new stories, new visuals, and new combat systems. This is more than just an “HD Port” this is a reworking of the game from scratch, using the same characters, world, and story, but improving upon it in many ways.

9.) The Last Of Us Part 2

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This story driven post-apocalyptic action game is finally getting a sequel.

10.) Death Stranding

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Kojima’s answer to Konami cancelling his Silent Hills game. It looks creepy AF. So if horror is your thing, check this one out. I’ll be picking it up but I know I won’t be able to play it alone in the dark.

11.) Beyond Good and Evil 2

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Fans have been begging for this sequel for years, and now finally, the wait is almost over. This quirky series is best known for its anthropomorphic animals and charming worlds.

12.) Kingdom Hearts 3

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I am currently preparing for Kingdom Hearts 3 by playing the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 HD Remix which combines like 8 of the Kingdom Hearts games. I was a big fan of Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 when it first came out on PS2, and am excited to revisit the worlds of Kingdom Hearts again in KH3.

13.) Monster Hunter World

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Open world RPG adventure game with huge monsters and a variety of weapons and equipment.

14.) Concrete Genie

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Your graffiti creations come to life in this PS4 exclusive.

15.) Anamorphine

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Another PS4 VR game. This virtual reality game puts you in the role of a young man trying to recover his memories and make sense of the world around him. The story is about his relationship and his wife’s depression.

16.) Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory

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This prequel will reveal the events leading up to Digimon Cyber Sleuth as you play as Keisuke, a young man accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He must join a team of hackers to uncover the truth. Over 320 Digimon to discover.

17.) Iconoclasts

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This game is full of intricate puzzles and a deeply moving story about faith, purpose, and the challenge of helping people.

18.) Dissidia: Final Fantasy NT

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The characters from various final fantasy games return for this fun crossover fighting game.

19.) Past Cure

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This story driven stealth game will let players use a variety of skills that blend dreams and reality as they try to help the main character master his new found powers while escaping from frightening horrors.

20.) Shadow of the Colossus

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A story of a boy trying to find his lost love. Armed with only a bow and arrow you must battle fearsome giants.

21.) The Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia

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Based on the hit Netflix anime, this beautiful looking brawler features all of your favorite characters in a brand new storyline.

22.) Under Night In-Birth EXE:Late[ST]

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This new fighting game from the creators of Melty Blood and Tsukihime features not only great anime artwork, but an excellent story in campaign mode as well. The game blends story and fighting sequences in a similar fashion as Blazblue

23.) Crossing Souls

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This colorful adventure game takes place in the 1980s in California. It features puzzle solving and fighting.

24.) Kingdom Come Deliverance

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Kingdom Come Deliverance is an open world first person action RPG with non-linear story and stunning graphics.

25.) Secret of Mana

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This gorgeous remake of the SNES classic will launch in February 2018.

26.) Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet

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Based on the popular Sword Art Online Anime. This new title features gun-based combat and 4 player co-op or vs modes.

27.) Frantics

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Cute animal characters star in this 4 player party game where you must bluff, battle, or negotiate your way to victory.

28.) Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

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Yakuza is a spin off of the Shenmue Series. It features a deep lengthy storyline, intriguing characters, and of course crazy, fun, zany minigames, all in an open world. New to Yakuza 6 is the cat cafe and spear fishing just to name a few.

29.) A Way Out

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A narrative game that can only be played with 2 players. Don’t worry if you don’t have any friends, you can play online as well as local co-op. The story revolves around 2 men trying to break out of prison. To do so you must make decisions in the story that will help build trust and friendship between the two inmates.

30.) Dollhouse

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An interesting game that lets you create your own maps and stories. It seems to be about artificial intelligence. The multiplayer mode says you are fighting for control to be the “dominant mind”.

31.) The Lost Child

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The Lost Child is an anime RPG in which you are able to collect over 50 different gods from various mythologies and train over 250 different skills. It includes both English and Japanese voice overs.

32.) The Witch and The Hundred Knight 2

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This cute anime RPG lets you craft new weapons and items as well as recruit minions to fight for you.

33.) Gintama Rumble

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This fighting game is based on the hit anime and manga. It will launch in January 2018.

34.) Fist of the North Star

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From the developer of Yakuza, this action brawler is based on the hit retro anime and manga by the same name.

35.) Stein’s Gate Elite

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This is a remastered version of the original Stein’s Gate game using animation taken directly from the anime based on the first game plus new animation created for this game. The goal was to create a fully animated visual novel (as opposed to still images). The developers are said to have been inspired from Yarudora, a series of fully animated visual novels from the 90s. I would also compare it to School Days HQ which is also fully animated. (and that animation style is why it ranks among our top 10 games for girls). I reviewed the original Stein’s Gate here. I highly recommend it. And since the first and second Stein’s Gate games have both been released in North America, I’d say there’s a good chance we will see an English release for Stein’s Gate Elite as well.

36.) Your Four Knights Princess Training Story

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A “Raising Sim” similar to games such as Princess Maker and Graduation 95. Gematsu has an excellent article detailing how you will train your princess. Basically it involves scolding or praising your princess at various times, for example during conversations or while exploring dungeons. The story and characters change based on your decisions and how you raise your princess. The princesses each have various parameters that you can train to unlock new skills or increase their stats to help them in battle.

37.) Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists & the Mysterious Paintings

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Atelier games focus on gathering ingredients and crafting new items. As you can see from the trailer, they feature beautiful anime graphics, and deep stories. Their gameplay is often long, and at times it can get tedious, however, for those who love crafting and exploring, Atelier offers the ultimate crafting system.

38.) Super Robot Wars X

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Gematsu indicates that there will be a southeast asian version of this game with English subtitles. For fans wanting to play these games in English you should be able to import the game from Play Asia. It appears to be a compilation of many different retro Super Robot War titles, better known as Gundamn in North America.

39.) OK K.O. Let’s Play Heroes

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This colorful brawler game from Cartoon Network arrives in early 2018.

40.) Shining Resonance Refrain

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This is a remaster of the PS3 Shining Resonance Game, part of Sega’s Shining Force/Shining Wisdom game series. The PS3 version was never released in North America. Perhaps the new PS4 remake will find its way overseas. In addition to new graphics, this version includes new story scenarios and gameplay modes.

Top 2018 PS4 Games For Girls was originally published on GeekySweetie.com - Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

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