#like genuinely was the way plane acted with A good? no! but i was expecting something so intesne and it just... wasn't | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

12amphantasm · 2 months

Text

People always meet you with reverence, “Father Andrew!”, they greet when you walk past, admiration heavy in their voices. They love you for how pious you are, friendly and loving, your patience and generosity.

And you love them, too. Just like the place you have stayed in for nearly twenty years, the huge complex composed of a humble yet luxurious church, the boarding school for troubled youths, the small but very warm house for the elderly, and the nearby university of theology - together known as The Hillset Private Conservatory.

God loves it all, every flower, every human, and whatever it might be that’s walking through these halls. __

The game is 18+ and meant for an adult audience.

Although the romance is strictly MxM, sexuality is relevant only for the romantic routes and the game can be played without engaging in intimate relationships, but at the expense of background information the player won’t be able to get in other ways. __

The game will be uploaded in parts, starting at least with 10k words. Planed release: Late April/early May 2024 ___

Written by a gay man, the romance is MxM only and stays true to reality, portraying genuine gay relationships, without stereotypes and harmful tropes.

“We Are God’s Most Beloved” is an old-school text-heavy interactive fiction novel and recommended to those who love reading.

Choices are meaningful instead of flavour and used only when they have an actual impact, this means there are long passages of text, which requires the reader to keep track of the story – just like they would with a novel. There is a lot to explore, attentive readers might find more game in this interactive fiction than one would expect.

The main genre is horror, even if nothing is outrageously explicit and often handled with a focus on the absurd, it contains horror-typical themes and tropes such as blood, body horror, surreal imaginary, and other commonly used elements.

In addition, mental illness, dysfunctional familial relationships, and physical assault play an important role depending on which route is chosen.

Hillset Private Conservatory, build in 1802, despite its long history, is a name few people know or have ever heard, and if one is aware of its existence, it’s rarely for good reasons.

Rumours have it that the owner was a paranoid man and the gigantic complex created solely to have a spacious cage for his family, namely his eight children, only for all of them to find an untimely death on this very property.

"It's haunted!", some say. "It's evil!", some claim.

Of course, nothing of that is true, the many teachers, counsellors, nuns, and priest can attest to that, and so would many of their students. At least a good portion of them. Maybe some, at least.

Now summer vacation has ended, and a new batch of fosterlings is about to arrive; frightened, misguided, and troubled teens in need of loving care, education, and a new chance at life.

Father Andrew, the only acting priest, will do his best, like always, to show them God’s brilliance and create a warm home out of these century old walls.

No railroading, no hand-holding

Life is full of choices, you have to make your own and live with them, ultimately missing out on certain things, or ending up utterly regretting what you did. There is no right or wrong, no road I, more or less sneakily, force you to take, choices are all equally valid and accounted for. ___

A fixed protagonist

Father Andrew is a fixed character, with his own likes, dislikes, appearance, and convictions. But how he navigates the world, how he reacts, who he becomes fond of or rather avoids, his interactions and how he lives his life, and, of course, what you learn about him, is up to you. ___

One end to rule them all

There are no bad endings or early finishes, all choices lead to the same endpoint, but how it looks like… is on you alone. ___

No stats

“We Are God’s Most Beloved” doesn’t require you to master stats, the story changes based on your choices, how you interact with the world and characters determines the options you will have, who likes or hates you, and how the story will play out. ___

Explicit - Yes or No?

You can choose to either read explicit sexual interactions or go for fade-to-black. ___

Romance

Three romantic interests are waiting to meet you, but you can play the whole story without romancing anyone, at the expense of sexual moments, additional plot-points centred around these characters, and potentially interesting background information.

No indicators are used, you have to find your own way, going by what you know about a character, evaluating the current situation, and acting accordingly.

Use the relationship stats to figure out what you did right or wrong, you have successfully entered a romantic route with a RO when the percentage reaches 50% and will deepen, or lessen, the relationship from then on.

There are no poly routes, entering one will lock you out of the others, and while you can’t lose a route once entered, how the couple ends up is based on your actions.

Keep in mind that “love” comes in many forms and players might find it worthwhile to forge bonds with other characters.

Profiles - Here

Father Andrew

Thirty-three years old, he was admitted to Hillset boarding school for troubled youths at the tender age of fourteen and hasn’t left the complex since. He’s very out of touch with the outside, basing his worldview, manners and morals on the old nuns and priests that raised him, often colliding with the new students’ modern ways. Friendly, polite and helpful, he’s easy to get along with on first glance but hard to truly get to know, which leaves him without friends and often rather lonely. __

Sister Lucia

Thirty-five years old, she’s one of the younger nuns but the strictness with which she loves doesn’t pale in comparison. She’s very fond of Father Andrew, who is her inspiration and has warped the image of how a priest should be until it became unrecognisable. Her hobbies are flower-arrangements, cooking things no one who loves their life should eat, taking care of the children in their school, and writing in her journal. __

Ẻ̶̛̬̲̀͋͑v̷̟̫̌̄͂ẻ̵͙̆̎͐l̸̨̙̠̻̜̐͌̓̂ͅͅy̵̡̲̼̔̑̾̀̀͐n̶̻̰̬͛͂͊̏̕͜͠

They might or might not be human. --

Moby

They definitely aren’t human, but God loves them anyway.

The love interests

Ryan Harris

Twenty-four years old and a student of Theology, he’s a graduate from the boarding school for troubled youths. While not overly intelligent, he’s diligent, curious, and not afraid of hardships. Father Andrew’s liturgy is his favourite part of the week and helping out something he takes pride in, as he does in his paintings that are full of creative flair and appreciated only by those with strong artistic sense. __

Connor Price

Thirty-one years old, he has been teaching English for eight years at a famous school and will do so from now on at Hillset - even if only because other schools refused to take him. He doesn’t like the enormous complex, dated appearance, long, dark halls, how everyone is just too nice, and Father Andrew, who somehow gives him the creeps. Connor spends his time reading, avoiding coworkers, and having long talks with the elderly in their care. __

You have to find that out on your own.

#interactive fiction #text-based game #twine game #game wip #if wip

75 notes · View notes

the-ace-with-spades · 2 months

Text

Random ass idea that came just as I laid down to sleep (I'm on night duty now, don't be alarmed by the timing fellow Europeans):

Hangster Soulmates AU but slightly to the left.

Soulmates aren't found, they're made — your soulmark (symbol, picture, text, names, there's lots of theories what each type of a soulmark means, etc) show up only after you meet someone and make the effort to build a relationship.

Jake had always been fixated on finding his soulmate (either because his parents were perfect for each other and were soulmates or because they were terrible for each other and weren't, you pick). Bradley had a slightly less romanticised idea about soulmates, having grown up with his mom being less than a full person after Goose died, never stopping grieving, and with Mav and Ice, still very taboo as same-sex soulmates (I imagine Mav and Ice got their soulmarks straight after Layton, still on the carrier). He, however, always thought it'd be effortless in sense that it'll come naturally and even the hardships will seem easy once he meets his soulmate.

The first time Jake and Bradley are together, the soulmarks don't show. First year passes, second year passes, and third year passes and nothing.

The longer they're together, the more logical it is to say they aren't each other's soulmates.

There are couples who aren't soulmates and live long happy lives together, but this isn't something neither Jake or Bradley want. Jake tells himself that if by the fourth year there's no soulmark, they will break up. Bradley is in sort of a limbo, because his relationship with Jake had been easy and natural, and he genuinely thought they would turn out to be soulmates. He decides he doesn't care that much after all and wants their lives to be entangled even without the soulmark. In the meantime, as the time goes, Jake becomes more and more distant.

Jake gets a soulmark a week before their anniversary (two planes and a sunset in the background, travelling up the space between his shoulder blades), expecting Bradley to tell him on the anniversary that he got his too. It doesn't happen because Bradley doesn't have a soulmark at all.

The day of their fourth anniversary, Bradley wants to talk about their plans for the future, but Jake breaks up with him before, telling him he's not going to settle for less than his soulmate and they obviously would know by then if they're soulmates by now.

Things turn bitter, they're still in the same squadron, Bradley saying a little too much and then leaves for a different base without ever taking them back.

When they meet during the return to Top Gun, Jake is still bitter, both because of the stuff Bradley said and because they had something good and he broke up with him to find something better with his soulmate and still hasn't found them.

Bradley is bitter, but in a sad way, feeling like he's never going to be enough, especially with Mav as a second reminder hovering around.

Post-mission, things get better, they apologize to each other and start spending time together again (mostly in group/work settings).

Bradley can feel that something is happening between them again but tries to seem oblivious to all of Jake's flirty demeanor because he knows Jake is still obsessed with finding his soulmate and he obviously isn't them. Jake wasn't acting like this on purpose at the beginning, it just showed up naturally when he and Bradley started talking in a friendly manner again, but the more it happened, the more he wanted it to happen — his soulmate wasn't there and Bradley was and he alread knows how good they could be together.

This goes on for some time until Bradley snaps and tells him to stop giving him hope and mixed signals with his behavior and that he's not up for being around as a second best option just until Jake finds his soulmate.

Obviously, Jake needs to decide what he wants — and he decides he wants Bradley.

It takes 3 months together for the soulmark to show up on Bradley (two planes with a sunset as a background travelling down the space of over his sternum).

#i could also go on with the angsty drama #re: bradley thinking jake is only staying with him now because they're soulmates etc etc #but lets leave it here #hangster #tgm #bradley rooster bradshaw #jake hangman seresin

67 notes · View notes

punk4ndisorderly · 1 year

Text

light on

The one where Y/N is the daughter of a legendary Team USA coach and used to attend the development program with the boys. 8 years after they last saw each other in person, a reunion brings Jack and Y/N back into each other’s lives... and hearts.

if you leave the light on, i'll leave the light on

II III - america's suitehearts IV

Cole and Alex hadn’t stopped laughing since they had climbed into the car, the blond one doing the best he could to control his breathing. Y/N gave them a stern look, ignoring their jesters as she zoned out.

Thinking about it, she didn’t remember ever seeing Jack that flustered, and she had known him since they were angsty teens living and breathing hockey. What had gotten into him? He looked really good in a suit, though. If she were to be honest, he looked good in almost everything.

“Poor Rowdy, I could’ve sworn his heart stopped beating for a second.” Alex said in between breaths.

“Even I had to get it together after I took a look at Y/N's boobs in that dress. Respectfully, Junior... Damn!” Cole agreed.

“You’re all very funny, I get it. Can you stop making fun of the poor guy now? He’s clearly hurting and you’re being mean spirited.”

“What do you mean, ‘mean spirited’? Haven’t you heard of the saying 'the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else´, or something like that?”

“You did not just say that, Turc.”

“Oh, but he did, princess.” Cole chuckled, not even flinching at the sight of the death glare Y/N sent his way.

 Inside the main gym, the prospects and their the ones tjey gave their spare tickets to were already filling up their seats at the different tables scattered across it, waiting for the alumni to arrive.

Jack was the first one to climb out of the car, unbuttoning his suit jacket and taking a minute to get over the embarrassing moment he had just experienced back in the hotel.

Walking through the door, he was left stunned yet again by the way she looked. The vivid image of Y/N Y/L/N in a red dress that was still burning in his brain did not do her justice. She walked up to him, a worried look on her face.

“Are you okay?” the doctor inquired, her beautiful eyes filled with genuine concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry.” he waved it off, quickly changing the subject. “Didn’t I tell you you would look great?”

“Thank you.” she smiled, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. “You don’t look half bad yourself.”

 “Look at them! They’re acting like a couple of middle school kids, I don’t get it.” Trevor huffed, watching the two of his friends interact.

“They’re good friends, Z. She has a daughter and he just got out of a long-term relationship. You can’t really expect them to jump into something new all of a sudden. The spark is definitely there and I teased them about it already, but if anything happens, it’s going to be on their terms.” Cole chimed in, taking a sip of the mocktail he had picked up from the refreshments table.

“When did you become Dr. Phil?”

“Olive kept me up crying for a week during that storm last year and all that was on at 4 am at home were reruns of Oprah and Dr. Phil… I picked up a thing or two.” he shrugged.

“Jacko!” they heard Alex call out from behind them and jogging to meet their friends, bursting their little bubble. “You are both cordially invited to the midnight ice cream run. Tonight. At, you know, midnight.”

The pair looked at each other, remembering the conversation they had earlier at the hotel.

“I think I’m going to pass, Turc. Sorry. Very early flight, long hours on a plane, dying to get some rest.” Y/N politely declined.

“Guess that’s just you, me and Z then, buddy!”

“Did you stop to consider the fact that I might actually want to sleep during the night?”

“What are you, ninety?” Alex stuck his tongue out at him, strutting off to check which table was the one he was assigned to.

“Sometimes I wonder why I surround myself with a bunch of five-year-olds.” the brunette man chuckled.

“Tell me about it.”

The room was buzzing in anticipation, longing for the prodigal alumni, especially Jack Hughes, to make their entrance. He could feel all eyes on him, which he could name as one of the things he disliked the most about his found stardom. The pro player greeted the teenagers sat at the table he was sitting in, making small conversation, looking over to where Y/N was instinctively.

He could feel the young girls' eyes on him and he assumed they were probably waiting for him to tell them something they probably already knew. Jack stopped chewing the small piece of bread he was eating, raising his eyebrow.

“Do I have something on my face?” he inquired, scratching his scruff.

They instantly shook their heads, a few giggles escaping their mouths as their boyfriends frowned beside them.

“They're waiting for you to spill the tea on the highly anticipated Jack-Y/N reunion. Your line is us boys about...Coach Y/L/N plays us the tape of you guys scrimmaging every year.” one of them, a redhead with freckles, explained.

“Oh.” he cleared his throat, straightening up in his chair. “It’s always cool to hang out with my linemate.” he winked. “It’s good to be back here and getting to meet you guys as well. Also, if you ever get your hands on that tape, promise me you’ll delete it.”

The group of young girls swooned over his ever-growing charm and playful smile, the boys equally as charmed.

* “Y/N, we found some pictures of the boys when they were little and we wanted to know if you could figure out who they are.” a blonde girl requested, avoiding meeting her eyes.

“Sure, I love a good throwback.” she smiled warmly, taking the phone the girl was holding out for her. “Oh, this one’s way too easy. Cole. Sophmore year trip to the Rocky Mountains. He had just gotten his braces and was adamant on not showing his teeth to anyone.

“You’re right.” the girl beamed, quickly letting go of his shyness. “You can swipe left, now.”

“Aw, that’s me! Really cool pigtails, hu?” she giggled, nudging one of the boys with her elbow. “Mmm… This is a good one… Is this… Z?”

The girls all nodded in unison, surprised she recognized them when all the pictures were at least twenty years old. Y/N felt quite proud of herself, swiping every time she got it right with a smirk. She stopped to look at the one that came up next with a little bit more attention, taking in the details. There stood an approximately five-year-old Jack, no front teeth, grinning mischievously and winking at the camera, making finger guns.

“Oh, it’s impossible not to know who it is! It’s sweet baby Jacky!” she chuckled, zooming in on his face. “Hey, Rowdy! Hughes! Jack!”

His head snapped up to where he heard his name being called from, seeing Y/N waving him over excitedly. He smiled at his dinner dates apologetically.

“If you’ll excuse me, I think my partner wants to have a word with me. I’ll be right back.” the brunette man said, standing up and walking up to Y/N's table. “What’s up?” he asked, trying to avert his eyes from her plunging neckline.

“Look at this! You look so cute in your little cowboy suit! Wasn’t this taken at the Halloween party back in first grade? When you tried to convince your mom to rent a pony?”

“You remember that?” he replied, surprised at how good her memory was.

“Of course I do, you adorable nerd, your mom's stories have always been incredibly memorable.” the doctor cooed, her smile only widening more as she looked at the picture again.

“That’s a really embarrassing photo… And memory.” Jack blushed, scratching the back of his head.

“Don’t forget Ellen posted pictures of you in a honeybee costume on social media.” Trevor pointed out from the table next to Y/N.

“Dude, seriously?” the Devils' player grumbled, much to his friend’s delight.

“I live to annoy the shit out of you, brother.” Trevor grinned before realizing what he had said and slapping his hand over his mouth. ”I’m sorry, kids. Swear words are bad words! Don't tell Coach."

The whole table laughed at their interaction, one of the girls speaking up before Aleksander went back to his table.

“We didn’t find those honeybee pictures online but we do have a very interesting photo of you as a newborn that is circulating around social media, we were just about to show it to Y/N.”

“Oh god, please don’t.” he begged, looking mortified.

The girls nodded, giggling, not wanting to go against the handsome man’s wishes.

“Hey! I want to see that picture!” Y/N pouted, standing up to face him, crossing her arms over her chest, accidentally making her breasts stand out even more.”

“Pouting isn’t going to cut it, sweetheart.” he sang, turning his back on her to avoid letting his eyes rake down her body again.

“Party pooper!” the doctor called out, earning a few amused looks from her old friends and the guests.

He chuckled, sitting back down at his table.

“So, where were we?”

He tensed up at her proximity, but quickly relaxed when he noticed how content she seemed to be while doing it, like she had many times before, during long hours studying tapes, back in the day.

“I still want to see the picture, you know…” she teased, looking up at him with puppy eyes.

“It’s awful.”

“I have some pretty embarrassing childhood pictures myself… Come on.”

“You’re not giving up, are you?”

“Nope.” she grinned sheepishly.

“Promise you won’t laugh.” Jack requested, dead serious.

“I won’t!” Y/N crossed her heart, turning on her seat, waiting expectantly for him to show her the dreaded photograph.

“Well…” he began, grabbing his phone from the pocket of his suit jacket and looking it up. “Here it is. A newborn Jack Hughes.”

“Oh… Wow.” the doctor stuttered, not knowing what else to say.

“I wasn’t turning heads back then, no sir.” the pro player solemnly declared, his words laced with humor.

“That’s a terrible thing to say about a baby!” Y/N swatted at his arm, struggling to keep a straight face. “Even when the baby…”

“Looks like an elderly alien?”

“At least you lived up to the name Rowden for once.”

They both burst into laughter, not being able to hold it in and earning themselves a few stares from their fellow alumni.

“We’re terrible people.” she joked, gently placing her hand on his shoulder as she used her other hand to wipe a single tear that had escaped her eyes and struggling to catch her breath.

Just then, Trevor walked past them, wearing a powder blue suit with a huge red stain on the crotch area. Jack looked at Y/N and they completely lost it again. Their friend stopped to look at the pair, bewildered by their sudden amusement.

“Assholes.” he mumbled, leaving them to find the nearest bathroom.

They made it to the hotel in twenty minutes, every single one of them going straight to their rooms after saying goodnight to each other.

Y/N managed to unzip her dress herself, after numerous attempts, and hung it up in the closet, taking another quick shower to relax and get ready for bed, putting on an old band t-shirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants. She brushed her teeth and let her hair down, running her hands through it, before texting her mom to kiss Joey goodnight for her and lying down to sleep.

As comfortable as the bed was, she struggled to fall asleep. She tossed and turned for at least two hours and a half, eventually deciding to just wait it out, staring at the ceiling with an arm over her head. The doctor used to suffer from a really bad case of insomnia back in camp and it seems like she was doomed to another sleepless night in Plymouth.

Annoyed and sleep deprived, Y/N did the only thing she could think of: getting up, picking up her room key and walking down the hall, mindlessly roaming around, hoping her eyes eventually grew heavy. At least that used to work.

As she was turning for yet another lap around the quiet floor, she bumped into someone.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!” she whispered, not trying to cause a commotion. “Jack?”

The brunette man rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, nodding in response.

“What are you doing out here at three o’clock in the morning?”

“I could ask you the exact same thing, Miss Y/L/N.”

“Plymouth induced insomnia.” Y/N shrugged.

“Oh… Same, I guess… Remember that one trip to Canada we went on when we stayed up walking around the halls until Coach caught us and tried to give us the sex talk?”

"Oh my god, that was so embarrassing! I can’t believe he thought we were hooking up! I was wearing my pink bunny pj’s and my retainer... Come on!” she laughed quietly, looking up at him.

“It was the first time we really talked one-on-one, no pads, no rink. I really enjoyed it.”

“Sleep deprivation sure did make great friends out of us.” she nudged his side. “My dad's not here though, he can’t keep us from fighting this together now.” the doctor winked. 

“This isn’t working, is it?” he sighed, desperate for a couple of hours of sleep.

“I don’t think so…” Y/N half-smiled, stopping in front of her door.

“Well… It was worth a try. Good night, Mess.”

“You can come in if you want, if we’re not getting any sleep at least we can be miserable together.” she offered. “It’s okay. Come on in.”

The doctor opened the door and stepped aside, letting him in. His tall frame towered over her as he walked past her. Jack was wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts that attracted attention to his (very) attractive backside. Y/N averted her eyes, shaking the thought of his sculpted body out of her head.

“I’ll turn on the tv, Cole told me we can stream shows here.” she said, climbing back into bed, and pointed to the other side of it, noting Jack awkwardly standing in the middle of the room. “You can lay here, the bed’s big enough for both of us. Hell, we could probably squeeze Z in here with us if we wanted.” she teased, a playful glint in her eyes.

Y/N looked at her, the woman who could pull off a sensual red dress and a band tee and no make-up in the same night without losing an ounce of her incredible sex-appeal, wondering what the Universe was trying to do to him.

“So… How I Met Your Mother?” her voice brought him back to reality.

“Mmm… Sure.”

They remained quiet for a while, watching the episode and occasionally letting out a chuckle or two, Jack finally felt like he could relax around her. It was Y/N after all. There was no reason for him to act like a sixteen-year-old with a crush.

“Barney’s pick-up lines would never work on anyone in real life.” she spoke up, ten minutes into the episode. “They only work in theory… And in really corny romantic comedies.”

“I’m afraid I have to disagree with you.”

“Excuse me?” the doctor pretended to be stunned by his ‘audacity’.

“I’ve got a good one and it kinda works.” Jack shrugged, not taking his eyes off the flat screen on the wall.

“It worked on who, exactly?” she snickered, crossing her arms over her chest.

“My last two girlfriends.”

“Mmm… Alright. Let’s hear it, then.” Y/N taunted him, muting the tv and turning to her side in order to look directly at him.

“Be careful, you might fall in love with me after I use it on you.” he warned, raising his eyebrow.

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Okay… Here it goes… How much does a polar bear weigh?”

“I have no idea.” Y/N replied, amused by the excited look on his face.

“Enough to break the ice. Hi, I’m Jack.” he smirked, extending his hand out for her to shake.

Y/N took his hand, struggling to hold in her laughter.

“You’re such a dork, Rowdy.”

“C’mon, it’s a good one!”

Jack had the cutest grin on his face, the one she loved to see adorning his features. It made her heart warm. No matter how much time had passed since they had last been together.

“We’re definitely done with How I Met Your Mother for the night, I’m not taking the risk of having to suffer through another one of those.”

Y/N switched to MTV, turning up the volume, turning up the volume. Prince’s Kiss was playing and, as soon as she realized it, her eyes widened. She slapped his arm in excitement.

“Oh my god, this is our karaoke song!”

The brunette man smiled at the memory of the two of them singing that exact same song together after they won the juniors championship, happy and carefree.

 “Get up, we’re doing this.” she demanded, jumping out of the bed. “Want to be your fantasy, maybe you could be mine… You just leave it up to me, we could have a good time." Y/N sang, incredibly off-key, pointing at him. “Sing with me!” she pleaded, taking Jack's hands in hers and making him dance with her.

“You don’t have to be rich to be my girl, you don’t have to be cool to rule my world.” he followed her lead, in a high-pitched voice, making her giggle uncontrollably while he made her twirl. “Ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with, I just want your extra time and your…” Jack paused, realizing he was now standing unbelievably close to her. “Kiss.”

#jack hughes x reader #trevor zegras #jack hughes #cole caufield #quinn hughes #luke hughes #alex turcotte #fanfiction #hockey boys #team usa #hockey #blurb #jack hughes fanfiction #jack hughes blurb #y/n x jack hughes

163 notes · View notes

melisusthewee · 5 months

Text

youtube

In my ongoing attempt to convince people to watch this movie (because it is so fucking good you have no idea), I put together this list of reasons why you need to watch this film. Sorry, but I can't be normal about this:

None of the backgrounds or environments are CGI! Those mountains? Those are the Andes! That's the real Valley of Tears! While filming with the actors was done in a different location (I believed they filmed in the Sierra Nevadas?), location photography and filming was done in the Andes and then spliced accordingly into the film.

It's an ensemble piece! Until now, most movies/docs/books have (understandably) focused almost exclusively on Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa because of their 10 day trek through the mountains. But the group was more than just the two of them and this film shows that by emphasizing everyone's importance and roles in their survival.

Having said that, NANDO PARRADO IS THE FUCKING GOAT. This guy fractured his skull during the crash which caused his brain to swell. Everyone thought he was dead at first and only brought him back inside the plane when someone noticed he was still breathing. Even then, he wasn't expected to survive for very long so the others placed him where it was coldest which ended up saving his life as the cold temperature along with dehydration helped bring the swelling in his brain down. He was in a coma for three days, woke up to learn his mother was dead and his sister was dying, and decided, "Fuck this, I am getting off this mountain and you're all doing it with me." AND THEN HE DID, part of which involved hiking for 10 days across the Andes with NO GEAR.

The decision to make Numa Turcatti the narrator was brilliant. I cannot say more due to spoilers but iykyk.

Speaking of other films (looking at you, 1993's "Alive"), this movie cast exclusively Uruguayan (and some Argentinian) actors in order to give it proper authenticity.

This movie does not fuck around, with the crash happening within the first 15 minutes of the movie. And it is horrible in that it is probably one of the most accurate portrayals of a plane crash? I don't like flying, and I was incredibly anxious watching it to the point where I thought initially I might have to turn it off. But despite this, it never feels exploitive or anything. Just... real.

The entire movie was shot chronologically in order to give the make-up team an easier time with getting the actors to look increasingly gaunt and disheveled as well as adding a tighter consistency between shots and scenes. Many of the actors lost upwards of 50 lbs by the time filming was concluded.

For the avalanche scene, the actors were buried under nearly 8 inches of real snow. Because of this, the redness of their skin isn't the work of make-up or special effects but is very real.

Michael Giacchino's score. But even more importantly, his use of silence.

Honestly, this movie feels genuinely cold in a way that most movies and tv shows never quite capture. The sound of frozen clothing crunching, the frost that covers them, the clear impact of cold and frost on hair and skin, the shaking and shivering. It's really hard to describe, but like... it didn't feel like these were just actors on a set walking around. It felt genuinely cold.

The payada (rhyming/rap battle) was entirely improvised by the actors.

Enzo Vogrincic (Numa) looks like a young Adam Driver. You know you want to watch him stare soulfully into the camera for two hours. (But really, the acting in this movie is phenomenal.)

For Cold Boy fanciers, Gustavo Zerbino is basically the group's Goodsir - a cinnamon roll doing his best.

Fito Strauch's homemade sunglasses!

I could write an essay about the way the film confronts and portrays the cannibalism. Since I've rambled on long enough, let me just say here that it feels authentic in the way it's handled and not like you typically expect to see in stories like the Franklin Expedition, the Essex, or the Donner Party. (My only criticism is that it looks like they used raw chicken as the meat? And I unfortunately happen to know that human meat very much does not look like chicken.)

MOST IMPORTANTLY, this movie gives voices to those who didn't survive the mountains. And yes, it is a story about survival (and is a wonderful portrayal of positive masculinity) but it is really a story about love. Love for one's friends. Love for each other. And how love is the only way we survive.

#i am not normal about this film okay #sorry not sorry #but it's so crunchy and leaves you with so much to think about #i'm really sad it never got any theatrical showings near me #Youtube

38 notes · View notes

liquidstar · 9 months

Note

do u have any recs for folks newer to the yuri genre? I've never really read any manga other than shounen and some magical girl stuff

Omg i can totally give yuri recs. (And which ones to stay away from. Sakura Kiss has cousin shit in it, Citrus has stepsister dubcon, Dragon Maid has lolicon, Happy Sugar Life is also lolicon but it’s edgy about it and tries to act like this makes it deep, we can do better)

Anyway here’s my actual recs! I'm going to give details but if you don't wanna read them I bolded all the titles.

YuriKuma Arashi (By Ikuhara of Revolutionary Girl Utena fame), is about lesbian bears. But it’s actually a metaphor for the simultaneous objectification and demonization of lesbians, the expectation both for purity and predation. There are some nitpicks I have with it like the sexualization being a bit too much to bring the point home, but overall I do like its themes and its message. And I think the ending pulls everything together really nicely. There is both a manga and an anime, and I believe the anime came first. I’ve only seen the anime so I’m not sure if/how the manga deviates!!!!

Bloom Into You is an absolute must. Like, for real, I think it’s one of the best romances out there, yuri or otherwise. It gets really deep into both characters' respective psyches and the ways that they’re both Very Screwed Up when it comes to love and romance, or really just life in general. Giving details would be doing them a disservice honestly. Both characters are very messy but also do try their best to genuinely communicate, and what comes of that is a lot of teenage lesbian drama, but the growth they both experience though it TOGETHER is just great, and you can tell they care about each other so much.

Okay this one I’m not really recommending for the good writing, it’s more-so just really cool. Liberta (EXPLICIT) is a series about a vampire who can turn her body into guns and a human woman who is sick of being seen as lesser in her ordinary life. And then they fall in love and are vampires together. The artstyle and character designs are awesome and it has some really cool fight scenes. However it also has full blown barely censored sex scenes. A few of them. One of the women uses her tail at some point. If that’s not what your cup of tea is, give it a pass.

Anyway for something more wholesome you should check out The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All, which I’m actually not fully caught up on bc life, but has still been a super fun read so far. It’s about a girl who works at a music store, and her classmate who gets a crush on her while she’s at work. The classmate doesn’t realize that they’re the same person, due to her looking different at work, and thinks her worksona is a guy. Hijinks ensue.

Otherside Picnic is also highly recommended. Its manga adaptation is lagging behind the light novel, which I can’t find a translation of online (But if anyone can help me out w that 🙏). The story itself is about two college students who go on adventures to a parallel plane of reality, which contains cosmic horrors who can only communicate with humans through fear so intense it will make you go insane. They’re also looking for someone who went missing, and gain cool powers like Ghost Hand and Sans Eye. Yes this is still a yuri series and it’s also really really extremely fucking cool.

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, is a slice of life story about… Well exactly what it says. A woman with a passion for cooking, making lots of food and sharing it with her neighbor, and they end up bonding through this. It’s also like, cool to see a big butch woman for a change! The story itself is very straightforward but I love watching the relationship progress as well as the mc question her sexuality. This story will absolutely make you super hungry though.

Show Me Your Bust (EXPLICIT) is also exactly what it says on the tin, though it’s technically a webtoon. Again this is a series with explicit sex scenes, but it actually does have a story and actual depth to its characters. Honestly there’s a lot to unpack with all of them and a lot of the relationships aren’t totally healthy but it’s a drama so that’s the point.

A Monster Wants To Eat Me is actually hard to describe without spoilers. It’s about a girl who lives by the sea, meeting a mysterious girl with eyes that remind her of the ocean itself. The girl says that she’s actually been looking for the mc for a long time, and it’s revealed that….

And lastly I wanna mention Hanamonogatari, a story about an old widow who begins to regain confidence in herself as she experiments with make-up with the help of another old lady who works at a local cosmetic store. Honestly it’s very very very sweet, it’s rare to get romances like this of old women when so much of the focus of romances (yuri or otherwise) is often on the characters being attractive. I also really appreciate how the make-up is being used specifically to accentuate their wrinkles. Not hide them. Because aging is beautiful too. Sadly IVE ONLY READ TWO CHAPTERS BECAUSE I DONT THINK THE REST ARE TRANSLATED IF ANYONE OUT THERE CAN HELP ME PLEASE DO 🙏

63 notes · View notes

daphnefisherofficial · 9 months

Text

bugna: TAKIPSILIM | destiny's twilight

CHAPTER FOUR

Pairing: MCU Moon Knight System (Marc/Jake/Steven) x Avatar Fem!Reader

masterlist | previous | next chapter

CHAPTER FOUR - THE HOMECOMING.

Life sure has a funny way of reuniting people.

You never expected to see the mysterious man from the court again - he who had definitely left an indelible mark on your memory. But there he was, stowing his carry-on bag in the overhead compartment above your seat on the plane. As the fates would have it, you were seated side by side on a long-haul flight to London.

The encounter had been an unexpected twist in the narrative of your life, like a character from a dream reappearing in your reality. You watched him closely, your eyes trained to catch the smallest flicker of recognition in his gaze. But he gave no indication that he remembered you, and you decided it was best to keep it that way. You simply played it cool, acting as if you're just seeing him for the first time. After all, he didn't need to know that you remembered seeing him - that would be really creepy to think about.

As the plane cruised through the night sky, you found yourself at ease engaging him in conversation. It was in your nature to be very friendly and talkative, a by-product of your long life spent interacting with people from all walks of life as you fulfilled your role as Mayari's avatar. But something about talking to Marc Spector allowed you to express more of yourself: to be comfortable, honest, and even vulnerable in a good way.

But as much as you wished to talk to him all night, your eyes were already drooping from lack of sleep - a fact that Marc immediately noticed. With a knowing smile, he gently reminded you to take a nap for a few hours, promising that he would wake you up once you were back home in London.

"I definitely need some shut-eye," you agreed with a small yawn. "It's been wonderful meeting you, Marc. Wake me up when we're in London, okay?"

"I will," Marc assured you, his voice a soothing lullaby as you drifted into slumber.

You couldn't help but wonder why you felt such trust in Marc Spector. It was as though you'd known him for a lifetime, even though you'd only just met. Perhaps it was his soothing presence or the genuine kindness in his eyes. Whatever it was, it allowed you to rest peacefully on his shoulder.

And that's how you found yourself waking up a few hours later, your head carefully deposited on Marc's shoulder as you used him as an unwitting pillow. Your initial reaction was embarrassment at sleeping in a complete stranger’s arm, but you couldn't bring yourself to pull away. His presence felt strangely comforting, as if your heart was silently screaming your place was right there with him. You decided to feign sleep once more, however, as you felt him stirring awake at your side.

If he noticed your current position, he didn’t comment on it. His soft breaths, however, fanned your face as you felt him getting closer a mere few inches away from your own facade. You were stirred awake by the sensation of a thumb brushing gently over your cheek, his rough, calloused hand framing your face delicately as he tucked a stray strand of blonde hair under your ear.

"Hey," he whispered, his voice a comforting murmur. "Time to wake up"

You slowly opened your eyes and met his kind gaze, feeling a bit disoriented from the nap. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, you inched your head away from his shoulder before slowly sitting up and readjusted your posture.

"Thanks for letting me rest," you murmured gratefully, feeling a blush creep onto your cheeks.

Marc's pleasure at your gratitude was evident as his lips curled into a faint smile, and you couldn't help but smile back. "Don’t mention it”, he responded.

As the pilot announced the plane's descent to London, both of you got ready to depart. You stood up once more to let Marc pass you as a courtesy. But as you were about to open the overhead compartment to grab your belongings, Marc took the liberty of grabbing both your carry-on bags to your great surprise.

“Marc, really”, you protested, trying to reach for your briefcase but Marc immediately swayed his body out of arm’s distance. "You don't have to do that. I mean, they must weigh a ton"

“All the more reason why I should carry our bags”, he chuckled, trying to ignore the butterflies he and Steven felt when your arms brushed and briefly wrapped around their midsection. "Besides, consider this a token of my appreciation for the company."

You shook your head at him, allowing yourself a hearty chuckle as you started to walk after him when the pilot finally told the passengers to start descending off the plane. After passing through the immigration line together, you both waited at the airport baggage drop for your respective suitcases.

“Will Steven come pick you up here at the airport?” you asked while watching the array of luggages come through the baggage transport machine.

“Unfortunately, no”, Marc said almost immediately. “He’s currently applying for jobs and attending interviews, so we’ll probably see each other at home”

“Oh, that’s cool”, you nodded, smiling serenely at the image of Marc’s twin co-living with his older brother. “It must be nice living together”

“Can’t say it’s nice to have him as a roommate, though”, Marc shook his head, chuckling to himself. “That man lives and thrives in a fricking mess”

Oy, that’s rich coming from you, lad. Steven reprimanded in their shared headspace.

“Hey, don’t diss your brother like that”, you can’t help but laugh at his remark. “I mean, he can’t even defend himself”

“I’m telling the truth, I swear”, Marc’s eyes widened, raising his hands in mock surrender. “If you see his room, you’ll see what I mean”

“Fine, send a picture then”, you grinned, mischievous eyes twinkling at your friendly banter in Steven Grant’s defense. “It’ll last longer”

You both laughed at the same time, almost not realizing that your luggages had finally arrived. If not for Marc’s quick spot of the familiar brown luggage beside your black one, you may have well ended up missing it.

“Oooh, before I forget”, you smiled enthusiastically while opening your luggage momentarily, seating yourselves down in a nearby airport cafe. “You and Steven have to try these!”

An assortment of sweets and snacks from your home country greeted Marc’s vision. You grabbed a few packets of dried mangoes, otap and polvoron, thrusting them into Marc's hands with an enthusiastic grin.

"You have to try these”, you said excitedly, not being able to resist the urge to share a taste of your home country with him.

Marc raised an eyebrow, his amusement evident. "This is too much, Mira”, he remarked, slightly shaking his head to politely decline. “I couldn’t possibly accept these”

“Pretty please?” you pouted slightly, your eyes blinking rapidly as your lips started to extend to a playful grin. “Besides, Filipino delicacies are the best! Trust me, you won’t regret it"

Marc chuckled, clearly taken aback by your enthusiasm. "Alright, I'll give them a try. But only because you asked so nicely."

“See? That wasn’t so hard”, you flashed him a grateful smile, your heart warming at his willingness to indulge you. Your eyes then widened with pure excitement as you slipped more native goodies in his arms - a bag of coffee beans (which from the smell might become his personal favorite), and a jar of homemade strawberry jam. Marc merely sighed in defeat as he accepted your gesture of goodwill, chuckling to himself. He couldn't possibly refuse the cute, endearing expression that played out in your face (which Steven Grant found rather adorable).

Your butler, William Jones, was already stationed at the arrival area of the London airport. Bill was precisely on schedule, holding a placard with your name on it as he patiently waited for your arrival. When he saw you and Marc Spector emerging from the sea of people arriving, he waved politely to gain your attention, his expression schooled to a neutral one as his eyes wandered over your new companion.

"Welcome back, Lady Carter," Bill said with his usual air of professionalism. “I hope you've had a pleasant journey."

You smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Bill. It was quite enjoyable."

Bill's gaze lingered on Marc which didn’t escape your notice, silently realizing that introductions are now in order. “This is Marc Spector, he was on the same flight as me”, you introduced, gesturing towards the man beside you. “Marc, this is William Jones, my butler”

“Please call me Bill”, Bill nodded politely at Marc as he extended his hand towards him for a handshake. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Spector”

"Likewise," Marc replied as he shook Bill’s outstretched hand with a friendly nod.

Bill’s eyes held a trace of curiosity as he observed Marc. He had been with your family for years, and he was well-versed in the art of discretion. He knew better than to pry into your personal affairs, but he couldn't help but wonder about this unexpected addition to your company.

Your butler started to escort you and Marc to your Ford Puma car, making sure to stow your luggage in the trunk. As you prepared to leave, you turned to Marc.

"We’ll drop by the British Museum for a few errands before I go home”, you said, not entirely sure about Marc Spector’s transport arrangements so you offered. “If you live around Soho, we can give you a ride”

"I wouldn’t want to impose –”, Marc started to say, thinking of ways to politely decline your invitation. But one knowing look from your eyes elicited a small laughter from his lungs, his eyes crinkling with inexplicable warmth. “ I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“What can I say?” you shrugged, letting out your signature smile. “I’m charming like that. Get in, Bill will drive us to London”

An hour’s drive later, you found yourself at Trafalgar Square which is only a few steps away from the National Art Gallery where Marc Spector told you and Bill to drop him off. He finally got out of the car, popping your truck open to get his luggage. Bill, on the other hand, stayed behind the wheel to find a parking spot for your vehicle nearby.

“I’m good here”, Marc smiled, a hint of warmth in his eyes as you two seated yourselves by the cement bench overlooking the fountains in the square. “Thanks for keeping me company, you didn’t have to”

“Of course”, you merely nodded, your heart sinking at the fact that after today, you will have to part ways. Your time at the airplane apparently hasn’t been long enough.

“I’ll be in touch”, Marc reassured, his smile warm and genuine as it made your heart skip a beat. “Besides, I will tell Steven later about the tour guide job at the British Museum. He’s going to be absolutely thrilled”

"I look forward to meeting him this Saturday then", you laughed softly. “With you, of course”

“I’m afraid not”, Marc sighed at his current predicament. “I already have prior commitments on that day”

“Oh, I see”, you then sighed, feeling dejected at the prospect of not seeing him again. Marc, on the other hand, immediately saw your sad look and knew he couldn’t bear to be at the receiving end of it. He realized then that he hates to disappoint you.

“But I’m free on Sunday”, Marc blurted out, prompting your eyes to widen as you turned to face him. “If you are up for it, we can grab a cup of coffee. My treat this time”

“Sure, I have no plans on that day”, your lips slowly extended into a relieved smile, putting Marc at ease. “You have my calling card, so feel free to shoot me a text”

“I will”, Marc chuckled, his eyes sparkling with slight amusement at your jest. “I hope I’m not keeping you from your errands”

“Oh, right!” you chuckled, abruptly standing up as you remembered the reason you were in London in the first place. “Duty calls, I’ll see you this weekend”

“Yeah, see you around”, Marc raised his hand in a small wave, prompting an angelic smile to grace from your facade one more time. He could get used to seeing that wonderful expression on your face.

We’re divorced, he said. Steven snickered from their shared headspace, the reflection in the fountain water smirking knowingly at him. If it wasn’t painstakingly obvious already, we’re smitten.

Shut up, Marc snapped amidst his headmate’s low chuckle. In the dark recesses of Marc's mind, however, someone else watched the ongoing exchange silently.

Jake Lockley definitely remembered who you were, thanks to Khonshu retaining his memories of the fateful night of his second life (his rebirth from the Duat technically being his third). He has been looking for you ever since he surfaced and served primarily as Khonshu’s avatar for almost a month’s worth. And you proved very difficult to find, thanks to the Philippine moon goddess’s protection spell over your place of residence.

As the system’s protector, he is well aware of heavily owing Mayari’s avatar a life debt. Khonshu’s wishes aside, Jake is determined to have your paths cross once again whatever and however long it takes.

In the meantime, patience is going to be his strongest virtue.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR.

masterlist | previous | next chapter

43 notes · View notes

hearteyes-for-killmonger · 8 months

Text

-7- Prima Ballerina

Once Dawn awoke in the bed of the Birnan Zanan hospital, she was immediately burdened with a flood of questions. Those who did not speak English prodded others to ask: How did you survive? How deep did you go? Were the legends true? What did you see? How did you find your way? How are you alive after your body's trauma? Your organs should have failed. Your leg was recently broken. Were you alone?"

She told them of the hell of being lost and alone in a deep rainforest with venomous creatures, aggressive beasts, slippery mud, deep waters, cliffs, and trees. It wasn't a fairytale, and there was no curse! She hadn't seen anyone but opportunists! THEY murdered her fellow dancers. THEY were the issue.

Some of the smells in the hospital triggered her. She could smell the blood from neighboring rooms. She tucked her robe tightly around herself and folded her arms when the vivid images of hanging men being bled and torn with blood-covered faces returned. They were burned into her memory, as were the ruby red eyes of the stoic prince and the brooding regality of the royal court. She'd never return to a life of blissful ignorance, for she now knew that some legends were real. What else was real? Werewolves? Leprechauns? El Chupacabra? There were people in those woods with unparalleled senses, unrivalved beauty, and immortality. They lived a strange, secluded, and lackluster life that went on even when everyone they loved had died, and they were all stuck in a bubble together for better or worse. Dawn felt Julip's words in her soul. She truly would rather die than live in eternal Hell and servitude.

Fortunately, that part of her life had passed. She recovered faster, stronger, and sturdier than expected by the doctors, and she was able to go back home to New York where her dance company had written her off as dead or missing along with Sam and Makae. They froze when she appeared. It was as if they'd seen a ghost when she arrived to warm up, stretching her long legs at the barre. She'd grown more limber and athletic since Wakanda. Her skin was a little more tight and smooth.

"Missed the plane," she joked to ease the tension, but they wanted answers from A to Z. It took strength to relive the details aloud, moving through traumatic flashbacks explaining how the others were gunned down in the woods. They'd also lost their tour guide in the violence, and Dawn had no clue if he survived. "Makae went quickly," she paused, seeing it happen again. "I don't think she felt too much pain, but Sam," Dawn hesitated. "I was holding onto her."

A hush came as Dawn was met with solemn expressions and some awkward tears, but the most heartbreaking part was explaining the events again to Sam and Makae's families and seeing their pained faces. They needed to know, and they needed the closure, but Dawn felt like the bearer of bad news, shelling out grief. They would have to put their loved ones to rest without bodies to bury, only worn pointe shoes and momentos stuck into the caskets. The only other offering of peace Dawn could provide was through a dance with the company at their respective funerals out of respect for their lives and craft. Her heart was genuine each time, although she never knew the girls well. She meant every good word spoken, but still, it would never hit her like it hit the families who'd lost two very loved people.

She had to go forward and let go.

On the Koch theatre stage, under the designer lights, Dawn's thinning arms undulated in a way that was unduplicable. Her gestures were dynamic and sharp. Her moves expressed great flexibility and vitality. Her effortless storytelling evoked a silencing awe from the packed full house, and by the end of the first act, all were mesmerized.

In act two, flashes of green forestry appeared. She was running without a destination, afraid. She should have died many times, but she didn't. She was lucky to still be alive. Her vision cleared to see the dancers on stage around her. In fact, she felt better than she'd ever felt. She'd never danced this well. No one in her company had.

Dawn stood out as the lead, lost completely in the tragedy of a perplexed woman called Victoria. Victoria was torn between a life of numbing comfort with an older man and a life of fast-paced danger with the man she loved.

Every time she laid eyes on her counterpart to show love through dance, the prince's keen red eyes filled her mind as if he were right there. It was jarring to suddenly see him so clearly. It didn't feel like an illusion. The contour of his bearded jaw, thick neck, and trap muscles under the tunic's blood and water-soaked collar were vivid. Even the feel of the wind on her face felt absolutely real. It unlocked hidden memories of him pulling her from the stream and whisking her away from would-be abductors. The number of times he'd saved her kept adding in her mind as she started to recall things that were previously fuzzy in her mind . They were clear now.

She was amazed. Even her memory was better. She was remembering the most minute details. And yet again, as she was lifted into the air, without her trying, she couldn't help but picture the face of the prince. This was more than trauma. This was an inexplicable connection, messing with her body and mind. She was bound to him by blood, and that connection was beginning to materialize in her every thought and action.

Her counterpart on stage returned her feet to the ground and by the end of act three, the final act, the audience was on their feet making thunderous applause and throwing tall stalks of roses onto the Koch stage. She received an arrangement of them that were half her size. The tragically beautiful story of danger and desire told through her dance had come to a bitter end in a Shakesperean style death, and there was no dry eye, not even on the company dancers.

The role as principal dancer was permanently Dawn's. All who'd been witness to the flawless performance agreed that not one could do it better.

Night after night following, Dawn romanticized her bad experience, almost completely forgetting the hell she'd experienced. She continued to see open sky, beautiful free flying birds, and tall green forest trees instead of the dancers on stage. She was flying and lying in the grass with Deanna and Julip. When her feet were on the floor, she was running in the castle garden's wildflowers, not a stage. Instead of a sold-out crowd, there was only one face before her. Prince N'Jadaka. He was waiting for her with his hand extended, saying, "Come to me." She was enticed. The direction of her thoughts was jarring. Never had he given her any inclination that he liked her. Or had he? She didn't know what was real anymore. The forest was haunting her and drawing her back in. Even in her apartment, she could feel the grass in her hands and on her skin. She'd blank out for nearly an hour at a time. She couldn't stop it, and what REALLY surprised her was that a big part of her didn't want to.

It took a year for her impulses to take over, and without realizing when or how she got there, Dawn found herself mechanically sitting on another international flight arriving in The Golden City, travel bag in tow. It felt somewhat involuntary, like being on autopilot. She picked up a few necessities, including a machete, and snuck past the forest guides, running into the cover of the trees in search of the bear cave that Julip mentioned in his previous directions. She wasn't the same Dawn that left those woods. She was sharper, stronger, and faster. Inexplicably, the impulse to locate Prince N'Jadaka had become stronger than anything else within her. She needed to find him for her sanity.

Dawn wore black rubber boots tall enough to protect her long lithe legs from bites. Her sleeves were long and thin. Her hair was returned to its low naturally kinky bun, protected in a bonnet. Her buttery skin was slathered in sunscreen and repellant.

The lime green birds were there as she'd seen in her mind. Dawn looked up at the sound of flapping and rustling from the tops of the trees flowing in the wind, and it was as though they were calling to her specifically to follow. She followed them, moving quickly but cautiously. The way they flew was not the way she remembered coming or going, but it all looked the same. She couldn't tell what from where.

She remembered once more via flashback being carried away with the wind in a feeling of floating to the edge of the forest. She'd seen the build of his face up close, felt the hardness of his solid body, and his gentle hold.

The memories of being lost in the forest overcame her. She knew she'd been through trauma, but it wasn't hitting her. All the bad feelings were numbed nearly out of existence. As clear as her memories had become, there was a trade-off. Only the good stood out to remain.

There was a swamp ahead that she had to cross quickly, remaining weary of the sitting alligators. The blue heron and the mudfrogs were seemingly harmless, as was the large snapping turtle that ignored her. She trusted the parrots with her life apparently. Onward, she trekked as they led her from high above.

@dashhoney25 @lettidarawest @soufcakmistress @ljstraightnochaser @princessstevens-blog @eye-raq @thiccdaddy-mbaku @destinio1 @iamrheaspeaks @hidden-treasures21 @bidibidibombaclaat @forbeautyandlife @blowmymbackout @misspooh @thotyana-in-this-hoe @purplehairgawdess @thegucciwaffle @goddessofthundathighs @theegoldenchild @thadelightfulone @sultanabby @mysticalblackhottie @baekhyunbabybunni @fd-writes @richonne4life @goldieccentric @thehomierobbstark @capswife @blackpinup22 @harleycativy @lishabaybeee-blog @playgurlxoxo @beaut1fulone-blog @blackerthings @syndrlla97 @ladymac82 @browngirldominion @prettyisasprettydoes1306 @uzumaki-rebellion

#original #erik killmonger #killmonger #erik stevens #erik killmonger fanfiction #black panther killmonger #black panther fanfiction #black fanfic writer

20 notes · View notes

moodymisty · 2 years

Note

Thank you for the Din headcanons I couldn’t stop smiling while reading them😊. It’s been on my mind recently but how would The Bad Batch teach the Reader how to do what they were made to? Would they make good teachers? Would they want to teach the Reader at all? I have my own ideas but I’d love to know your opinions as well. Enjoy the rest of your day/evening!

Author's note: I'm glad you liked them! I was going to finish some fics ive had baking, but it seems my brain wanted to do this right away so, enjoy!

I hope someone likes my very specific characterizations of these boys lol

Hunter, Crosshair, Tech, Echo and Wrecker x Gn!Reader

✦ Tech ✦

Tech I feel like is the type of person who really, genuinely enjoys teaching people. He loves nothing more than to blab about something, and almost vibrates into another plane of existence at the idea of someone being interested in something he's interested in enough to actually want to learn from him.

It's just the way he teaches that sometimes ends up raising problems.

He tends to gloss over smaller steps he deems trivial assuming you know them, or goes far too fast for the average person to keep up with. But after he ends up becoming closer to you, Omega, or both of you, he begins to realize that no one else is wired the way he is and he needs to slow his brain down one or two notches.

It's admittedly hard for him to do; And it’s often the reason his brothers try to avoid getting stuck in that sort of situation with him. He's trying his best, just bear with him a bit and please don’t leave, because he’s really enjoying this.

He just sometimes forgets that not everyone knows the most efficient layout for a motherboard's electrical path, and glossed over that part. But if you stick with him you'll probably end up sitting around for hours chatting and working on something together.

He also tends to get extremely lovey dovey in these moments, so expect plenty of kisses to the temple and cheek when you do something right.

✦ Crosshair ✦

Depending on your preferred learning style, Crosshair would probably be the best, or worst teacher you could possibly have. And this is providing he even accepts your half joking request anyways; As for the first while you know him, the answer will undoubtedly be no.

It just takes a bit for him to warm up to the idea of you, like some sort of pouty, borderline feral loth cat. Once he is, he's more apt to the idea. And if anything, he may come to you, under the guise of showing off or sating your curiosity.

If you're someone who just wants someone to show you what to do, and then step back while you learn from your mistakes, he's your man.

He doesn't hover, but he'll point out if the butt of the rifle is not against your shoulder right so you don't get a nasty bruise. If you don’t listen, he’ll get a good chuckle out of it.

He largely sees trying to teach you something as an opportunity for you to be alone together, and to show you something he's good at. He just enjoys the act of actually having something to talk about he knows well, like the back of his hand. He secretly gets a little happy if you enjoy it too, but he doesn't exactly show it.

✦ Wrecker ✦

Wrecker has the best intentions, but sometimes they don’t turn out perfectly. He'd love nothing more than to teach you, but often times it turns from 'teaching' to 'lets do something fun that'll probably get us both in trouble'.

Working out turns into messing around and someone breaking something, bomb wiring turns into a situation where there's -for a split second- a fear you might blow everyone up; And loading the Marauder turns into you climbing around the storage compartments like a stowaway loth cat until you’re stuck and someone more lithe like Tech or Hunter has to help you out.

So while in theory Wrecker has a ton of things he'd love to show you, teach you, and do with you, most of the time that ends up not happening.

If anything it kind of works out in it's own way; You end up learning by doing and in the progress, Wrecker gets his own little explosive enthusiast who also looks adorable when there’s soot you accidentally rubbed on your face, and he tries to rub it off but only makes it worse.

✦ Hunter ✦

Hunter is honestly probably the best all-around teacher. He is patient enough and helpful, and provided it's not anything too dangerous (he’s already busted you and Wrecker trying to build flashbangs not once, not twice, but three times) he'll show you.

But while you'll never be able to do things on the level that he can thanks to his incredible senses, he can teach you all the little tricks he's learned; And ends up making you one hell of a tracker in the process. It ends up being a helpful set of skills to have, especially post Order-66.

He enjoys the walks in nature he takes with you while teaching you, listening to animals or tracking footprints, trying to learn the way animals(and people) move and the habits they have.

And, Hunter can't exactly help being a little prideful when he sees you are getting damn good at it, and know that he's the one that taught you.

✦ Echo ✦

Echo's someone who refuses your notion at teaching you at first under the pretense he thinks he would be an awful teacher.

This is something that's particularly true if he sees you as a gentler soul than he is; He's got that ARC Trooper discipline, and doesn't want to end up hurting your feelings.

He ends up finding a middle ground of you watching him, and injecting a bit of conversation every now and again.

But as time passes, Echo ends up slowly over time teaching you how to help with his cybernetics; And thus you end up learning about cybernetics in general.

It's normally Tech that does it, particularly any sort of upgrade and while Tech is great; There's something about you that’s much more soothing. Tech is, clinical to say the least, and working with particularly his legs is traumatic at times. He prefers teaching you how to do it, and feeling your more gentle touch and voice.

And as a side effect you end up getting quite good with the stuff, particularly problem solving; As Echo's enhancements are far from standard. And as such eventually Tech (abit grumpily) allows you to just handle everything for Echo apart from any emergencies or critical things.

And something that was once pretty hard for Echo actually turns into a bit of a teaching moment, as he points and guides your hands around masses of wires and metal.

'You're a great teacher' You say at one point, and then quickly laugh at how his face noticeably heats up.

#mywriting #tbb x reader #the bad batch x reader #hunter x reader #crosshair x reader #tech x reader #wrecker x reader #echo x reader

168 notes · View notes

powdermelonkeg · 7 months

Note

relationships? mind spoiling some of them, or do we have to wait and see, lol

I don't mind a handful!

Lucien and Gale get along like oil and a matchstick. Amateur wizard from another plane and former Archwizard out of his element? Both completely erudite? Yes please.

Auri and Shadowheart wind up close friends with a casual side relationship; both of them don't have qualms about, as Shadowheart puts it, "short-term amusements," and both of them have religious ties that greater society tends to shun.

Astarion and Taliesin are both particularly catty with each other. It's hard to tell whether they like or hate each other early on, especially when it comes to Tally's puns and Astarion's vampirism, but as they both open up, they would (and shall!) kill for each other.

If you're looking for romantic relationships, these are the ones I'm 100% sure I'm going for (I have other ideas, but I'm not putting them in until I'm sure I want to add the companions that'd be part of it):

Astarion and Wyll. Astarion uses everyone to his advantage, but Wyll is so earnest and genuine that he's the one Astarion would actually feel bad about doing that to (leading to the Act II confession: "you deserve something real." Because Wyll DOES). There's something particularly well worth exploring between an unapologetically selfish man and a man who'd give everything of himself; Wyll is kind to Astarion in a way no one else has been in his life, Astarion demands Wyll keep something of himself for himself. I've got so much invested in it. It's a really good contrast.

Lucien and Karlach. This one is partly based in canon: Karlach daydreams about Dammon if she's not romancing anyone else in her origin playthrough, and the both her and Lucien are happy-go-lucky and glad to be alive. I feel like they'd play off each other's silliness and sweetness well; besides that, him being willing to fix her engine and her being willing to protect him from just about anything really hits well for me.

Gale and Taliesin. They fall somewhere in the middle between "sweet similarity" and "spicy contrast" for me, both loving cats, both being curious about the world, both having a bit of a love for bad puns, but entirely different in home life and approach to combat. Moving into it: Gale is a man who's prepared to beg for you not to let him die when he asks for magical artifacts; if you agree right off the bat, he has to take a moment to reorganize what he was about to say. And as Tally's author said, no matter how dangerous it is to travel with his companion, he's wholly dedicated to staying by their side. That kind of devotion is something Gale does not expect. And on the other end, if you talk to Tally about himself, he mentions how at one point, his father made him loathe himself so much that he hated his own body. Compare that to Gale being the only companion to not change his opinion of you if you become a mind flayer. He still wants to marry you, the thought of leaving you never even crossing his mind. Gale's love language is soul-crushing devotion. He gives all of himself to his partner, no matter what. And that's something that would totally WRECK Taliesin.

Also, Tally 100% has to meet Morena Dekarios and get spoiled. I demand it.

9 notes · View notes

iamnotawomanimagod · 1 year

Note

top 5 yellowjackets characters

Thank you my friend! <3

1 - Natalie

I've always had a serious soft spot for tragic burnout addicts, and Natalie is no exception to that rule. The way she arrives in the wilderness a bit more fucked-up than everyone else (having witnessed her dad's death,) and with all this baggage surrounding being an impoverished addict at such a young age. You'd expect that she'd unravel first and hardest, but instead, we see Nat take up a role of responsibility in the group. She hunts for food. She comforts Travis when no one else will. She tries not to take her emotions and reactions out on other people.

Even with everything she's been through, how seemingly broken she is in civilization, she ends up being one of the strongest and most capable of the plane crash survivors. And I love that for her.

2 - Misty

I often find myself repeating Adult Natalie's first on-screen words to Adult Misty - "Misty, you crazy fucking bitch." Because she truly is THAT crazy fucking bitch, and I absolutely adore her for it. She does the most insane shit, the most selfish and ruthless things, and yet I love her more and more for it with each increasingly unhinged act. It is so compelling to see someone who is genuinely very caring, considerate, and concerned about others take that to the absolute worst extreme, where compassion becomes control and adoration becomes obsession. She put a spy camera in your motel room because she cares, Natalie!! She can't leave you alone or stop being in love with you because knows you need help, Ben!! She just wanted everyone to have a fun Doomcoming, group-of-people-who-just-unknowingly-did-shrooms!!

I've rarely seen a character be so lovable and also so utterly awful at the same time. I was sure I'd hate her after her first scene as an adult (denying that old woman her pain meds) so I was very surprised that she became one of my favorites. She keeps things interesting, and her motivations are both painfully simple and maniacally complex.

3 - Taissa

Tai's storyline is probably my favorite. I really love the dramatic irony of this straight-laced, logically driven, pragmatic girl losing her mind in the most obvious and dangerous way out of everyone else (so far.) Her backstory reveal - the Man with No Eyes, her grandmother's terrified final words - does so much work in explaining why Taissa is so stubbornly refusing to accept help, to accept an explanation, or to seek answers. She just wants to be able to ignore it all until it goes away, which is a very heartbreaking thing for such a seemingly mature character to experience. I think her adult storyline is the closest to true horror that this show has done, and I'm very eager to see where it all continues to go - especially since it finally looks like Tai and Van will reunite as adults next week.

But that contrast between someone who's about to explode while trying to keep the tightest lid on it all - that's compelling. She killed her freaking dog and I still love her. This show has that effect.

4 - Lottie

Seeing more of Lottie in s2 has made me appreciate her character that much more. I'm so glad she's a bitch, lmao. Having her survive the wilderness, I definitely needed her to make it through with as many problems as all the others. And she definitely has them. I'm not sure if she's crazy, or a prophet, or both, or if it even matters. She's such an interesting character to bring into this narrative, and although we've only really just begun with it, I'm excited to see her descent into cult leader madness in its entirety. I do think she's one of the more compassionate and caring girls in the wilderness, and that she truly does want to help them all, and believes she's helping them all.

I think Adult Lottie has herself convinced she's still the same, but it's so easy to see how power-hungry she is, how much she likes being followed and believed, and how good she is at controlling people. I'm very keen on seeing how this all unfolds for her, and how she finds her way back to a leadership role after all the therapy and psych treatment.

5 - Shauna

Shauna is my least favorite of the main cast, but I do still like her. I just found her adultery storyline boring. But if I separate her from the Adam Martin of it all, she's definitely a super fascinating character. Her dynamic with Jackie is obviously the most interesting thing about her, and I think she's the most compelling candidate for the "teenage girls always cannibalize each other" metaphorical argument that so much of this fandom likes to make (which I'm otherwise a bit iffy on.) I'm a big fan of dynamics between teenage girls which explore that tender, tragic line between love and resentment. And Shauna brings a really fucked-up, dark edge to that dynamic. What I'm really liking about Shauna is that, out of all the girls/women, she seems the least bothered by violence, and the most willing to commit it. Killing the rabbit, killing Adam, threatening the car thief - Shauna is willing to take a life if it means she can get her way, and there's a part of herself, however deep down she tries to push it, that really enjoys violence and blood.

And that sets her apart from the others. They're all crazy, but the one who actually gives me the biggest Serial Killer vibes is Shauna, especially as an adult.

Thanks again, Lau! I love talking about this show. I'll answer your other questions soon!!

#asks #laufire #fave mutuals #lau tag #yellowjackets #yellowjackets spoilers

18 notes · View notes

lordbhreanna · 9 months

Text

I need to YELL about this because I am feeling not just the BG3 brainrot, but the Tav/Dream Visitor brainrot happening.

Some Act 2 spoilers and stuff about the DV's real identity. And a lot of fangirling and nonsensical squealing.

Let me preface this by saying that I did get spoiled about the DV's identity. I know he's a mindflayer, and The Emperor at that. I don't know anything else about why he's inside the Astral Prism, what his title entails, or how he got the dirt of Vlaakith or anything about his role in the story with the Absolute cult and such.

And me being me, that makes me ship them *EVEN MORE*. Seriously, the dynamic between them speaks to me in a way I can't describe yet, I find it so fascinating and I can't put into words why yet. Maybe it's the "he's in your head and visits you in dreams, and seems to have chosen you in a way", the phenomenal performance, the small bits of intimacy. But IDK, there are just a lot of checked boxes.

Also Larian letting you choose his appearance??? Galactic brain move!!! Brilliant, geniuses!! It works perfectly because it allows for you, the player, be swayed more easily because your DV directly caters to you and what you may find attractive/trusting.

One thing I find very compelling about the relationship is that the shadow of doubt is ever present, but he truly comes off as an honest ally that is trying to help you. It's probably gonna be something along the lines of Solas Dragonage, in that he's keeping a big secret from you and "lying" but not overtly, and whatever he's planned it's NOT GOOD and it involves a certain deal of treachery, but it does seem that he... cares? Genuinely? AM I FOOLING MYSELF?

But seriously, when you meet him in the Astral Plane he sounds so sad believing you have accepted Vlaakith's orders and are going to kill him 😩

Is this the face of a oniric presence in your brain that it's just manipulating you? (This might come back to me in the ass later on). It broke me a little.

I am so looking forward to more interactions. I know they are fewer than actual companions, because I have seen some fans asking Larian for more, and even though I have still a long way to finish my first playthrough, I hope they listen!!

Seriously, there is so much untapped potential here!!!

I am loving every minute of the Astarion romance, and I love him as a character, and how everything is unfolding, and he checks a LOT of boxes on what I like in a romance story/character development - but... I think I'm gonna be partially a mindflayer girl by the end of this game because I won't be strong enough not to smooch the Emperor, tentacles and all, when the option shows up.

The fact that he's monster romance material sparkled with a lot of interesting dynamic is just too appealing and I am weak. We're not given this chance that often.

Like!! He get on his KNEES TO HAND YOU THE SWORD SO YOU CAN KILL HIM!!!

I am also expecting this to be a minor ship in the fandom, which... I'll be honest, may drive me more to do fanart/fic when I finish the game. I hope so, at least, because I need that hyperfixation kick to get more creative.

#baldur's gate 3 #dream visitor #bg3 spoilers #baldur's gate #bhrea plays bg3 #bg3: morgana #my posts

12 notes · View notes

warsofasoiaf · 9 months

Note

I know you're a big Baldur's Gate fan. Did you play Baldur's Gate 3?

I did, yes.

For a long time, I didn't want to play Baldur's Gate 3. For me, Baldur's Gate was the tale of Gorion's Ward, the Bhaalspawn, and it was decisively concluded in Throne of Bhaal. You either ascended to the Throne of Bhaal as a god, or forsook the power, and that's it - the story was over. Initially, hearing about a Baldur's Gate 3 felt like desperation: we don't have a good enough idea to stand on its own so we're going to cleave back to the old success story's brand and hope that you buy it. I also don't go for Early Access games as a general rule even among highly-regarded publishers like Larian. They're janky. But I finished it up, and I can tell you what I think. Spoilers below the cut.

For the most part, I enjoyed myself in Baldur's Gate 3. I found it a great way to introduce people to 5e D&D and found the amount of content and rewards for creativity to be quite gratifying. You were genuinely rewarded for thinking outside the box, exploring the map, and using untraditional uses of spells. Protecting characters in fights so they could provide bonuses or become party members was likewise gratifying, it added a risk/reward ratio that made it *harder* to play a hero. That's rewarding in video games because the game is tying the psychological thrill of beating an encounter to a material reward over and above continued play. Sometimes that could be aggravating - the AI could sometimes do really stupid crap, and sometimes you got screwed on initiative and it seemed like your NPC allies died before you could do anything.

The opening felt a little too gonzo at first. Big illithid invasion where you plane-hop to the Nine Hells is a bit much especially for someone not really well-versed in D&D lore, but I understand what it was going for. It tried to create a main story arc that every character regardless of alignment or personal backstory wants to fulfill - staying alive lest you turn into a nasty squid-creature. By saddling you with a cast of characters with the same ticking clock over their heads (and the mystery of why you haven't converted already), it gets you stoked into going out and digging into the main quest. The hand-waive of the delayed conversion is clearly meant to also provide a Watsonian reason why your character can long rest and spend time dicking around on sidequests like any good RPG, but the actual lore reasons service the story far more than Bethseda's "Find Your Missing Family Member But Also Do Literally Everything in the Wasteland" main plot of their Fallout entries.

Act I serves to both flesh out the world and later conflicts and recreate the exploration-based feeling of early Baldur's Gate. Faerun is a place with its own specific lore, and while Bioware might have expected many people that played Baldur's Gate to know about the Forgotten Realms (although given its hit status, they were probably delighted to be wrong about that), Larian knows that gaming is far more mainstream over two decades later and so needs to spend some time immersing the players in the unique cosmology of Faerun itself. Little things like "hyenas can worship the demon lord Yeeonghu and give birth to gnolls" is a nice fascinating piece of horrible lore that is visually presented well on the screen. Auntie Ethel was a delightful little sidequest that was acted well. The Underdark is a bit too overexposed, but the questing and map design were fine, including a fun little puzzle boss in the Adamantine Forge. There's a good blend of quests from puzzles like the Arcane Tower. The main quest is fairly binary good-and-evil, but that's standard fare for D&D. The tiefling refugees are clearly the morally right thing to do, and it's only really secret Shadow Druid Kagha that makes things only slightly grey. Pretty much everyone in the goblin camp is a piece of garbage, only the Priest of Loviatar redeems himself primarily by being hilarious.

Where the moral ambiguity comes to is in the companion characters. In Baldur's Gate I, the many party members were almost completely interchangeable save for some light flavor dialogue. Khalid and Jaheira mattered to the main story, as did Imoen, but you didn't need to take them if you didn't want to. Baldur's Gate II learned from this, every character has their own companion quest that usually ties in with one of the major stronghold-type quests. This isn't the case in Baldur's Gate 3, Larian has clearly invested effort to building these characters, from the morally-upstanding to the callous and practical. Each of the characters have their own opinion, but spend time doing their quests and they generally seem to warm up to you. All of the origin characters have their own long-form quests, while the other characters that join later have quests they're involved with and quests you need to do in order to recruit them (cleaning the Shade-Touched lands, not getting Jaheira killed by the Cult of the Absolute). For the most part, the characters are a little cliché but well done and well-voice acted. Shadowheart acts as a nice little introduction to Selune and Shar, another fun piece of Forgotten Realms cosmology that essentially asks if you're playing good or evil. Astarion's quest is "do the obviously extremely evil ritual or not." Wyll angsts a little too much about the cost of dealing with devils when everyone knows that when you do deal with them, they fuck you over. His lack of regret is honestly more refreshing than when he does feel the sting, I would have liked for Wyll to play that part up a bit more before starting the painful consequences later on; having someone know the other shoe is coming but not have it show up for a third of the game would have been pretty refreshing. Karliah is just a big old sweetheart, a normal trope but an enthusiastic one, solid barbarian trope all around. Lae'zel takes a bit of working to get to know her, but since any good illithid story would deal with the githyanki, having her along is a welcome change of pace, especially when you dissect her story and realize that she's putting on a front - she's a kid trying to act tough because she's a kid that knows she's facing doom, which then segues nicely into shattering the illusion of just how awful Vlaakith is - when Lae'zel finds out she is crushed but shows spirit enough to save the githyanki instead of wallow. Gale at first seems annoying and flippant along with eating my magic items, but eventually you learn about Karsus's folly, the nature of arcane magic, and the fickleness of Mystra.

The other characters aren't as well-developed, which is a pity. Halsin seems like a decent enough chap, just a guy trying to do the best he can. The two characters I found the weakest were ironically enough, supposed to be the strongest because they already were established: Minsc and Jaheira. Jaheira just doesn't seem like herself, there are no good roasts like the classic: "You are amusing, in a 'what the hell is wrong with you' kind of way," like there was in Baldur's Gate. Jaheira in Baldur's Gate faced down dragons and gods, yet she's comparatively fragile (and her own epilogue was ignored). Minsc is shallow, the humor in Minsc is that he's a bit of a punchline, whereas here it's just referential humor regarding Boo. Other returning characters get it even worse: Sarevok and Viconia are specifically brought back to show how much they've regressed, undoing some of Baldur's Gate's best writing. Sarevok was a tormented soul, unsure of what to do after coming back, but he goes back to his old tricks regardless of what I did, which just feels...careless. Sarevok was more than just a glowing-eyed spiky boss monster that he was in BG1, to have him returned to that was dull and uninspired. Viconia had some hints of her self in her regrets for destroying the previous Sharran enclave, but is still happy to be a boss battle for no other reason than to conclude Shadowheart's questline.

Whereas Act I was a bit scattershot, Act II benefitted from incredibly tight focus. JK Simmons did a phenomenal job as Ketheric, and the pacing and threat within the Shade-Cursed Lands is well-earned. You have clear objectives, the antagonists are always properly menacing, and there's still enough time to explore the Monastery and the githyanki creche. You have to do so anyway to start learning more about the Astral Prism, but the githyanki questline comes into its own with Lae'zel's betrayal at the hands of Vlaakith, they actually feel like part of the story and they begin to set up Prince Orpheus's later introduction into the story. It can be a bit jarring going from handling the Nightsong to immediately storming the Moonrise Towers, but it allows Shadowheart's midpoint arc to handle itself. The fight against Z'rell on the bottom layer isn't bad, although the Harper AI keeps doing its best to have Jaheira kill herself. The fight with Ketheric is great from a mechanical standpoint, the avatar of Myrkul fight is a bit easy given it's supposedly an avatar of a god, but Simmons sells Ketheric.

The surprise twist that the Dead Three have enslaved an Elder Brain has me thinking: "Alright, this is a decent enough plan." The Absolute's war creates plenty of death that empowers Myrkul, cults of murder spring up to empower Bhaal, and Gortash takes control of the city and subjects those within it to Bane's tyranny, exporting Bane's power after his success and creating an empire to super-charge Bane. By implanting worshippers of other gods, they deny souls and petitioners due to D&D cosmology which weakens them. That's fine, except all three of their Chosen are looking to betray each other, which would destabilize the Crown's control over the Netherbrain. Gortash at least tries to adjust to his plan falling apart by allying with the player character, grabbing Orin's Netherstone and reuniting the Three to reassert control over the Elder Brain. Orin, however, seems largely to fall into Stupid Evil territory, just happy to murder people for no reason. The revelation that the Dark Urge was the original Chosen of Bhaal actually makes this work since according to the lore, even with the Dark Urge's murderous impulses, they kept them in check. It further cements that the Dark Urge is the canon main character, and it ties neatly back to Baldur's Gate, when you find out in Throne of Bhaal that the Bhaalspawn do have an instinct to kill - one that wasn't expressed mechanically in the game save for the fact that you will easily have a four-figure body count when all's said and done. But that introduces a further wrinkle, Orin was unstable, and if they needed this plan to succeed, they should have opted for Sarevok, not Orin who can't think ahead.

Act III suffers from rushed execution. Several of the climatic moments in the final act are undercut either by bad programming or poor encounter design. Gortash's confrontation is shockingly easy, if you grab the grenades you get free attacks - it's so easy it's almost confusing. Orin's confrontation as the Dark Urge is narratively satisfying but a single Luck of the Far Realms attack can positively melt her health. This isn't the case for all of the fights - when the encounters are good they are really good. The House of Hope was an incredible level from start to finish, capping off in a great fight against Raphael that combines handling the cambions, burning down the pillars, and trying to survive against Raphael (at least until you find out that he has a crappy Wisdom and the game become keep him under Otto's Irresistible Dance or Hold Person), but even that works out well narratively after confronting his incubus lover and realizing that Raphael is a hedonist and thus would have a lower will save.

The final climax of the Emperor vs. Orpheus suffers from incredibly bad writing. The Emperor already has massive lore problems, such as *somehow* miraculously getting off the Island of Balduran so he can become a mindflayer in the Moonrise Towers, without even the barest acknowledgement why, or how. He says: "I never lied to you," except that he *always* lies to you, and when you call him out on it, he basically says: "no, that's just illusion. Not the same thing." At the finale, he's just stupid though. The Emperor has been positioned this entire time as wanting to avoid the slavery of the illithid hive mind, and yet in the final confrontation, if you opt to free Orpheus, he immediately decides to side with the Netherbrain and willingly consign himself to slavery. No chance to see if Orpheus will side with you, not even the ability to say "look, if he doesn't play ball, you can snack on his brain at your heart's content." Nope, he sides with the guy he's been specifically dreading this entire time, something he was so terrified of that he stopped at nothing to stop it. It only makes sense as a binary choice for a video game, to pick which faction rather than actually rewarding the creativity you were previously celebrated for all game.

The mandatory ceremorphosis was likewise stupid. "Somebody's gotta squid up, don't ask questions, it just has to be done. Netherbrain is too smart." For a game that has been giving you creativity this whole time, the entire point is "welp, someone has to make a sacrifice," is just an arbitrary shoe-horned thing to make, to up the stakes for dramatic tension. Why we simply can't use Omelum if we rescue him from the Iron Throne, despite the fact that he has acknowledged teleportation powers? No that's simply foolish, it undercuts the dramatic flair of the ending, I guess. We have to have our tragic ending, but a mandatory tragedy *isn't* tragic, especially when it's railroaded like this. It feels like the Mass Effect 3 ending, a rushed mess out of nowhere. At least Cyberpunk 2077's ending has you trying to fix the problem, only to find that you probably can't, and at best the Nomads might be able to help you or you sell your soul to Arasaka. That actually has some tragedy - do the safe thing and survive, or try to find a solution even if it might not work, and it ends with you wistfully looking out into the horizon. To add to the shoddy nature of it, when you reach your allies, they treat you as if it was you that did it, regardless if Karliah took the bullet to save herself from the Infernal Engine. So much promise and potential, ruined by the rush to get it out the door.

So overall it was a solid game, hampered by a lackluster ending.

Thanks for the question, Anon.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

#baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate iii #video game reviews

17 notes · View notes

rickie-the-storyteller · 2 months

Text

Snippet of a brand new project!

Enjoy!

Hope Kamani never fails to get on my last nerve.

I can’t stand her entitled little princess act, her incessant chatter about trivial crap, her impeccably flawless appearance that seems to mock anyone else's attempt at looking decent. Don’t even get me started on her so-called "confidence." It's like she's compensating for something, always strutting around like she's better than everyone else. She parades around like she's the absolute epitome of poise and grace. Constantly trying to fill some void within herself by projecting this facade of self-assurance onto the world, because nobody is genuinely that self-assured. Not really. Her confidence, the way I see it, seems about as genuine as a cubic zirconia – shiny on the surface, but lacking any real substance beneath. Sure, she walks with her head held high with a perfect posture and speaks with unwavering conviction. Sure, she’s pretty and popular. Sure, she’s good at getting others to like her. But that’s not what true confidence is. It’s not about the validation you get from others. Confidence isn't measured by how loudly you proclaim your greatness; it's measured by how you carry yourself when nobody's watching. Would Hope be as smug as she was if she wasn’t showered with adoration 24/7? Who knows…

(More below!)

I hate how she never stops talking. She’s always got something to say. I hate her sharp tongue. Her motor mouth. It's like she's on a constant mission to verbally eviscerate anyone who dares to cross her path. There's no filter, no hesitation, just a relentless stream of cutting remarks and biting sarcasm that leaves you reeling in her wake. She wields words like a weapon, slicing through the air with surgical precision, leaving no room for rebuttal (even though I’ll always try regardless. I’m an idiot like that). I despise her inexplicable need to correct everyone's grammar, her constant barrage of sarcasm that she probably thinks passes for wit. Some people really aren’t as funny or as smart as they believe they are. Hope Kamani definitely believes that she is funny. And smart. And I hate that about her.

Partially because it’s sort of true. She is smart. I hate how smart she is… I also hate how her smarts seem to go unnoticed, even to her. It's like she's walking around in her own little bubble of obliviousness, completely unaware of the awe and envy she inspires in everyone around her. She outshines everyone with ease, to the point where she’s blinded by her own light. Don't even think about trying to engage her in a debate; she'll slice you to pieces with her logic and wit before you can even stutter out a response. It's like she's on a mission to prove to the world that she's the queen of intellect, leaving the rest of us scrambling to keep up. She, on the other hand, is great at keeping up. It’s like her superpower. If she finds herself lagging behind, best believe she’ll surpass you before the finish line. She has the enduring strength of relentless waves crashing against the shore, wearing down even the sturdiest of obstacles in her path. She doesn't just keep up; she surges forward with an unstoppable momentum that leaves everyone else trailing in her wake. It's like she's powered by some unseen force, some insatiable drive to excel and surpass all expectations.

Her mind is like a galaxy unto itself, swirling with ideas and thoughts that mere mortals can only dream of grasping. Tapped into a reservoir of knowledge and imagination that transcends the mundane boundaries of everyday existence. It's as if she exists on a different plane of reality, where the rules of logic and reason bend to her will and the possibilities are limited only by the confines of her own boundless imagination. Why can’t she see that she’s light-years ahead? She’s a million miles away even as she’s right beside you. I hate that about her even more.

I’m sick of her insufferable attitude. I hate the way she carries herself all the time. She has this constant aura of superiority, as if the world owes her something just for existing. It’s not like she’s ever said that aloud, but you don’t need to say something out loud to think or believe it. And I bet she does. Her presence, her actions, the way she simply enters a room - it all demands this respect. This level of reverence and authority. I hate how effective it is, how she always ends up being the center of everyone’s attention. I hate how hard it is to say no to her. How I always kind of want to give her what she wants, even though she rarely deserves it. It's infuriating how she exudes this air of invincibility, as if she's somehow immune to the trials and tribulations of ordinary life.

More than anything else, though, the one thing I can’t stand about Hope is her face. Her stupid face. Her condescending smirk that suggests she's somehow superior to everyone else around her. It's like she revels in making me feel small, always ready with a quip or a sarcastic remark to cut me down to size. She does it all - every verbal jab, insult, tease - with this infuriating smirk, like she's reveling in the chaos she creates. As if she's privy to some cosmic joke that the rest of us are too dense to understand. It's enough to make you wonder if she takes pleasure in seeing the pain she inflicts, if she gets some sick thrill out of reducing people to rubble with nothing more than her words.

I can’t stand that face she makes when she knows she’s got the upper hand. It holds this bizarrely impressive power to make me want to scream into a pillow out of nowhere. It makes my heart and my mind race at a million miles an hour like I’m in a frantic relay race with no finish line in sight (and I hate running). I bet she practices it in the mirror or something - she seems to have perfected it over the years. The smirk, the way her eyebrows kind of arch slightly… It works every single time without fail.

No, I don't care how fit Hope Kamani thinks she looks with that arched eyebrow and smirk - it never fails to make me mad. But despite my best efforts to avoid her pulling me down with her… Kamani-ness, you already know I'll be back at her place at the end of the week. I can’t help but look forward to going to her house.

#I think we all know someone like this lol #their relationship goes through a ton of ups and downs in the story #it has been very fun to write so far lol #but yeah #hope you guys enjoyed this one #it almost gives lacy vibes lol #you know the Olivia Rodrigo song?#it reminds me of that #writerblr #writing #original content

2 notes · View notes

sepyana · 2 months

Text

Noir 2001 Ep. 11-18 Thoughs

This is around the time when Noir's plot starts to pick up.

Some general things first:

The sountrack of Noir is really damn good. I wanted to listen to is some more so I searched it up on Youtube. Turns out it's composed by Yuki Kajiura, which is a name I instantly recognized because she is responsible for the soundtrack of Madoka Magica, one of my favourite anime soundtracks ever. Explains the pmmm vibes I got for sure.

I will say though, she did improve between the osts. I like the Noir soundtrack a lot but there are a few janky bits the pmmm ost doesn't struggle with.

I had a lot of fun watching these episodes, the plot is interesting and the more "episodic" segments don't feel jarring to watch. I'm starting to like Kirika and Mireille a lot.

But the biggest reason for my interest is Chloe. I can't explain why, she doesn't get to do much yet. I dunno, she is just really charming to me.

Onto the episode by episode notes:

Ep. 11

This episode sets up the whole grand retour plotline, we see Atlena is planning something that Soldats is not too happy about. Also we get to know more about the book the photocopies are coming from.

I really like Chloe, I like that we get to see a show of her wardrobe only for her to pick the same wack ass outfit every time. Also the fact that she asks Kirika if she can keep the fork. What a weird little critter honestly.

The whole time her and Kirika are talking all Mireille could think is "What the fuck are these kids doing". She ends up giving in in the end.

Ep. 12

This episode is a oddity in that Kirika and Mireille don't appear at all. It's just Chloe and Atlena. It's a nice episode, we get to see a little bit of their dynamic. She does seem to care about her but Chloe might just be a tool for her too. It's a bit early to tell.

She is... I don't wanna say unmotivated but she is uninterested in the missions she is given. She cares about the integrity of it but she isn't interested in why she is given them. She isn't like "How dare you betray our organization bla bla"

Chloe's loyalties lie in Atlena only. She doesn't seem to care about Soldats, but she is interested in the Grand Retour, since the plan involves her.

Ep. 13

I wrote my thoughts in a seperate post like this:

I expected the painter to be one of Noir's targets or something because that's what happens with anyone who Kirika interacts positively with, thus why Mireille told her not to talk to him. But when he got shot I realized it was so he wouldn't get caught up in their mess and die. It's genuinely sad, you can tell at the end she is saying that from experience. Kirika was really happy to spend time with him, her face lights up. Something like picking up hobbies and making friends would mean a lot, especially to someone who doesn't have any idea who they are. Really nice episode overall

It was always present but after this episode you become on edge every time Mireille or Kirika i teract with a friend, expecting them to die. It does happen with George later on.

Ep. 14

There is some nice writing in this episode. Mireille denies her uncle could lie to her only for her to lie to him after. If she has things she would keep a secret surely her uncle must too.

There is definitely symbolism with the flowers but I am not smart enough to figure it out.

Ep. 15-16

Wild to me that Mireille and Kirika actually listened to Soldats. What if they hijack tour plane on your way to Vietnam or something? I don't think it's worth the risk.

The combat in this show is really lackluster. Maybe I am just not getting it. The henchmen are a joke, beating them is not fun to watch for me. And it drags on for so long too. I do like the shorter action sequences though.

It's funny that they say the poison the killer lady uses is "lethal to normal humans" and do not elaborate on that. Is she not human. What does this mean.

These episodes make me think Atlena does care for Chloe and isn't just putting on an act. Otherwise it makes no sense she would be fond of her in her inner dialogue and watch over her. She won't see that so why bother acting?

Ep. 17

The reveal that Mireille's parents were killed by Soldats was not surprising but I wasn't expexting them to be part of Soldats. We get to learn a lot about Mireille and Kirika's past but I don't have anything particularly interesting to say so I will skip that.

Apparently, her parents betrayed Soldats to protect her. But she had a brother didn't she, who got killed with her parents. Does that mean there is something special about Mireille?

Ep. 18

In every story with a duo protagonist there comes a time where the duo "breaks up". I wouldn't call this an arc since it's the span of an episode but yknow.

Losing my shit at crying Kirika she looks so much like the crying cat image here. How can you be so horrible to a face like that Mireille.

I get the sense Chloe doesn't give two shits about Mireille and only decided to tell Kirika about her because her dying would make Kirika upset. In a similar way to how Homura treats Sayaka, I guess. And she is right that it would make her upset. She is dependent on Mireille since she is the only person she actually knows. And I don't think Mireille realises that until the end.

The end of the episode was really cute. I am really starting to get attached to these two.

And that's the end! I decided to do a little sketch of Chloe at the end here for those who read this whole thing

There is a significant lack of Noir content and I want to change that so I might post some art on my art blog (^o^)v

#noir 2001 #sepya watches noir #↪ posts

3 notes · View notes

sorcerous-caress · 6 months

Note

Semi-related to the bob debacle I really hate pepole that label the companions as ayersexual/tavsexual they are all queer individuals! That shouldn’t be erased and ignored but it especially egregiously for poor Bob who canonically has male love interest.

Especially when it's people who never paid attention to his dialogue or done his romance who claim that bobtarion isn't queer with a clear preference for men.

People can't deal with bi/pan characters fr. They either claim he never liked men bc they didn't see it, so it must have never happened! So he is straight in their views.

Or people who ignore the word "preference" and instead run to the hills with the rest of the sentence, claiming he is strickly gay and any bobtarion ships with women and non-men are homophobic.

I'm literally bi with clear preference for men, yet I've mostly dated women. Being bi with preference isn't hetro/gay with extra spice.

Like I genuinely believe that even in a world where playersexual wasn't the norm, bobtarion would still be queer and like all genders.

The playersexual thing started as a good thing in games, especially with their accidental inclusiveity by making everyone and their grandma bi or pan. But now people are using it as a cheap excuse to erease character's queerness?

Saying the company is just pandering to the audience and not actually being inclusive so you should definitely believe their headcanon when they tell you this character is straight/gay and ignore the canon.

Like fuck dude why are you walking backwards? Even if that theory was correct, why erease the accidental queer representation??? Why force this biphobia on something because the company may not have had the purest intentions.

Also just so we are clear, Larian doesn't do playersexual, not until Divinity 2 and Baldur's Gate 3. All their old games besides it had a romance restriction based on gender.

So I genuinely believe they actually meant it in a queer way when they made the characters attracted to all genders. Because they never did it before in any other Baldur's Gate game! They had no reason or expectation to do it now. They're not in it just for the money either because Baldur's Gate was a cult classic rather than a known title like Assassin's creed. The game in early access flew under the radar for so many years! And all characters were queer since day fucking one!

And each character expresses some of their queerness in their own way. The most vocal about it is bobtarion, so it's so fucking wild to me how people go "actually it's problematic of you to assume he is queer just bc he is flamboyant" my brother in christ what plane of existence do you live on? Did we play the same game?? When did him being flamboyant or feminine ever come up in this conversation of his queerness? I swear half these people didn't even bother playing the game, and the other half never did his romance.

No one is "headcanoning" bobtarion as bi and queer bc we saw a hint of eyeliner on his upperlid. We literally know he is queer bc he metaphorically is screaming it at the top of his lungs during all of the acts. He literally flirts with Wyll and Gale during Act 1 so many times.

Shadowheart hits on Karlach! Which is besides the point, but I felt like bringing it up because she too gets treated as "fanon lesbian but canon hetro" character when she is so fucking bi/pan in canon.

People are so used to companies never including queer characters that they are ereasing actual queer representation by lumping it as merely "playersexual pandering" and belitting their queerness by claiming it's just headcanons when it is in the fucking game in canon.

#♡bob #♡bob slander

4 notes · View notes