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emotionalsupportbun-chan · 3 years

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dani sent me a text without punctuation, which i then interpreted as a very specific fic request

this became so much more than I thought it was going to be and *i guess* there’ll have to be more

so anyway here’s afab Zhao

nsfw, obv.

Almost, Almost. Kasuga said it was close. An empty building, still unsold, still draining a dead man’s bank account. It was technically squatting, but no one would think to look for them there and none of them could quite handle a bar right now.

They leaned on each other, stumbling down the narrow alleys of the Red Light district, the support both physical and emotional. Saeko shouldered more of Kasuga’s weight than Zhao had assumed she could. Themself and Joon-Gi embraced like drunkards on a dance floor, each a load-bearing wall to the other. Just focus. One step after another, one foot in front of the other, until the gaudy facade of an abandoned soapland came into view.

The door was unlocked. That should have been reason for concern, but “preoccupied” was an understatement. The interior was quiet nonetheless, air stagnant, dank from the lingering moisture of the establishment’s past. A layer of dust covered the front desk, the phone, the pictures of the smiling girls that still adorned the walls. The scattering of bubbly brunettes, headshots subtly retouched, greeted them in the absence of their late boss as the party silently trudged up the stairs, each one picking a room. Zhao went straight down to the end of the hall to a room they knew was still fully stocked with a variety of therapeutic oils and herbs. With the finish line in sight, each step became a battle of its own; each one highlighting a new ache, a yet undiscovered cut, a deep bruise. Their legs felt like jelly, like the bones could slide out onto the floor at any moment. After an eternity, they hit the threshold, not so much opening the door as letting the weight of their body fling it to the side. Inside, they found the room not entirely as expected.

“Oh…?” Surprise, disappointment, irritation. A great cacophony of feelings arose at the sight of another person in the room, and somehow they all fit neatly into that one word.

“Huh?” The figure rose from their crouched position in front of the sliding doors of the storage closet. It was a woman - inky black hair cut short, face unadorned by makeup aside from striking oxblood lipstick, athletic outfit both fashionable and utilitarian. “Fuckin’ hell, ya look like ya tried to fist-fight a wreckin’ ball.”

Ignoring the surprisingly accurate comment, Zhao tried to slip into the old Scary Gang Boss performance. They didn’t know who this woman was, but they were fairly certain she didn’t belong here. “Hey! You…” But the energy quickly faded, intensity falling from their voice. “Just get out.” They hoped that tone could carry the rest of the message as the words failed to come. I have a lot of questions, but no drive to ask them right now.

“I’m serious, ya got fucked up.” There was genuine concern in this stranger’s voice. “Come sit down before ya fall over an’ hit yer head ’r somethin’.” She approached, guiding Zhao to a rickety chair in the corner. “Didn’t mean to cause any problems, I thought this place was abandoned,” she said, resuming her search through some boxes stacked at the bottom of the closet.

Zhao sank into the seat and watched her, trying not to concentrate on the throb of torn muscle. More questions came and were dismissed, deemed not worth the effort of speech. They couldn’t help but notice how well her ass filled out her athletic leggings, though.

“Is that so?” They took a breath, gathering the will to continue the conversation-slash-interrogation. “Strange, I didn’t know Kansai thieves came in such pretty packages.” They wanted the comment to be something more aggressive, but the flirtation was instinct; the quip slipped out before they even thought to stop it. It was met with a sharp jab to the side by a single manicured nail.

“A comedian, huh? Very funny.” She upended another small box. “Damn…”

“But really, who are you? What are you doing here?” They let their voice go quiet and calm, an almost-threat, Serious Business Zhao. Great ass aside, an intruder was an intruder. And sure, they didn’t have the strength to put up much of a fight, if it came to that, but Quiet Menacing usually did the trick.

“I used to work here.” Another box, inspected and discarded. Finally, she fell back out of a squat, now sitting on the floor in a crab-like position, red faced with the effort of her frantic search. An errant strand of hair fell into her face and was blown away in a huff. She wore her frustration openly. It was cute as hell.

Oh, now you’ve done it. They tried to come out with something slick and witty. “Hi, ‘I used to work here’. I’m Zhao.” They threw a half-smile on for good measure. Nailed it.

That frustration gave way to something between second-hand embarrassment and disgust. “Really?”

She stood abruptly, gracefully. It seemed the athletic outfit wasn’t just for show. “As I was sayin’, I used to work here. Just got back in town and had to pick up some stuff I left behind. Looks like one of the other girls already got to it, though.” She paused, stretching. “Sucks about Nonomiya,” she added, the murder of her boss an afterthought.

With new found high ground, she looked down at Zhao, licked a thumb, and tried to smudge away a line of blood on their cheek. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“We, uh, wanted a bath.” They motioned toward the door, shifting uncomfortably through the strange woman’s fussing. “A friend of mine briefly worked for Nonomiya.”

“Huh.” She began to inspect their various cuts and contusions. “Ya know any first aid? This is gonna take more’n a Toughness to fix.”

“Not really.” Nothing more than the basics. Usually they’d just go see a Liumang doctor, but that wasn’t exactly an option anymore.

“Lemme fix ya up then, it’s the least I could do.” She chuckled to herself. “Ya looked like yer soul’d left yer body, seein’ me in here.” She turned and started the bath running, opening the jars and bottles that she’d pulled out of the closet. Zhao watched as she mixed a scoop of this or that into the rising water and popped open a still-sealed medical kit. She tore open and arranged packets of gauze and astringent pads as the bath filled, a mise-en-place that would satisfy even the pickiest nurse. She’d even produced a basic suturing kit. “Go on, get in! I’m doin’ ya a favor here.” She tugged at the collar of their jacket.

The transition to standing upright was not without pain. “Uh…” Sure, this might as well happen. “Yeah...ok, fine.” They carefully removed the leather jacket, the shorts, the shoes, folding them neatly and placing them on the chair Zhao had once occupied. Knowing my luck, I’d fall asleep and drown if I had to do it myself.

“Hurry up,” She waved a hand in their direction. “It’s not nothin’ I haven’t seen a million times before.” Unsatisfied with their pace, the woman began to rapidly, procedurally, unbutton Zhao’s shirt, deft fingers working more quickly than they’d assumed the nails would allow. “Oh!” She stopped about half way down as the shirt fell open to reveal the sturdy sports bra beneath it. “Sorry, guess I just assumed…”

“Don’t worry about it, easy mistake.” It wasn’t exactly a secret. Anyone who’d been in the Liumang long enough knew the old boss never had a son, but Zhao wasn’t going to stop any new blood from making convenient assumptions. They finished undressing themself as the woman stood in contemplation and slowly stepped into the bath, smiling at the stranger’s quiet nice. “If this changes anything…”

“Oh, no.” She settled onto a short stool behind Zhao’s back and rolled up the sleeves of her sweater. “If anything, my job just got easier. Don’t gotta worry about any wayward, uh, anatomy.” Her tone was cool, casual, but Zhao knew when their body was being appreciated. They had that effect on some people. Mostly girls. Men typically didn’t like someone they perceived as a woman having shoulders as broad and well-muscled as theirs.

Once they were settled, the stranger set to work. Whatever she mixed into the bath stung as it came into contact with the various cuts across Zhao’s body, but soothed sore muscles and joints better than any concoction they could have come up with. The initial inspection was thorough; the woman was unhesitant in picking up limbs and manipulating skin. She didn’t seem to find anything worth stitches - the few cuts that were a little more than just a scratch got spritzed with wound wash and treated with an antibiotic ointment. She rubbed some kind of cream over the larger bruises.

Once satisfied with the state of their wounds, she started working the shoulders and neck. First gentle, but firm, presses of knuckles to loosen the knots. Then she really set in, putting her full weight behind an elbow, working just under the base of their neck. It hurt at first, and Zhao almost called it quits, but after a minute or so the tension gave way and their legs - their whole body, for that matter - turned to jelly once again. They had a brief spike of worry - they were helpless under her hands; this would be a perfect opportunity for an assassin - but the thought left as quickly as it came as she moved lower down their back, pushing the heels of her hands into their spine and hitting each vertebra one by one. “Relax, relax. I’m not gonna hurt ya.” She must have felt the moment of tension. Zhao tried to respond, but the words that came devolved immediately into a low moan at the return of the elbow. No use; resistance was futile. They were putty.

Eventually - unfortunately - the massage ended. As the woman pulled her arms out of the water, Zhao could have sworn they felt the barely-there sensation of her fingers trailing the outline of the phoenix inked across their back. Before they could say anything, she leaned in, pressing the side of her face against theirs. “All better?” she said, lips grazing the bit of neck just below the ear. Not even a kiss, just a whisper of heat. Her voice had changed, becoming something saccharine and syrup-dipped, dripping with anticipated carnality. Oh, a full service experience? Zhao didn’t anticipate this being part of the deal, but who could turn down such a skilled professional? The woman was a master of her art. The hands soon returned, this time settling low on the hips, drifting slowly around to the front of their body. Her chest plastered against their back, chin nestled in the crook of their neck, the first finger slipped between their legs...

A voice sounded, somewhere down the hall, barely squeezing through a quickly narrowing tunnel of desire. Something about Survive and karaoke and Joon-gi said he’ll sing this time, are you done yet?

Without warning, the warmth of her body pressed against them disappeared as the woman pulled away and snatched a bag off the floor, leaving Zhao red-faced and stupefied. “Looks like it’s time for me to scram.” Back to business. No more Sexy Soapland Girl. “Put this on yer bruises ‘til they go away,” she said, dropping a tube of cream onto the stool as she hurried toward the door.

“Wait, who - “ Zhao tried to hoist themself out of the bath only to find their legs still shaky as a foal’s. They slipped back in with a wet plunk, sloshing water over the edge and onto the floor. By the time they’d righted themself, the woman was long gone and Kasuga had come wandering in with a towel to hassle them about their bathing habits. After a moment of teasing, they were left to dry, and dress, and try to pretend they weren’t wet in more ways than one.

It would be hours until they realized they didn’t remember seeing the woman’s face among the portraits over in the waiting room.

#lordt im rusty #og content

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tapatapreview · 4 years

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November 04, 2020 at 06:30PM https://ift.tt/3l12HQb Gaming

After the conclusion of the sequence’ earlier anthology with Yakuza 6, there have been large Kiryu-sized sneakers to fill. As our new protagonist Kasuga Ichiban steps into the highlight for Yakuza: Like a Dragon, developer RGG Studio proves it could nonetheless seize its signature mix of gripping melodrama and absurdist humor whereas creating one thing genuinely recent for the long-running franchise. The reinvention is not simply within the transition from action-brawler to turn-based fight, which is a good tackle conventional RPG battles. It’s that the celebration dynamic in Like a Dragon permits a brand new form of storytelling that the sequence hasn’t explored earlier than, one which focuses on the ability of embracing friendship and combating collectively each step of the way in which.

Like a Dragon begins anew, offering an entry level for individuals who have by no means performed a Yakuza recreation earlier than. But it would not be a correct sequence entry with out the core tenets that outline Yakuza–things like charming exposition-heavy cutscenes, thrilling over-the-top fights, and a wealth of aspect actions that flood the streets of a lifelike Japanese metropolis. In true Yakuza style, the tangled net of alliances, betrayals, secrets and techniques, and shifts in energy throughout totally different organizations function the muse for a lot of its character-driven story. And it is as candy as ever right here.

Kasuga, Number One

Ichiban has a well-known background: born from nothing, scraping by in Kamurocho till a father determine with yakuza ties digs him out of significant hassle. Ichiban’s life revolves round that man, Masumi Arakawa, and he ultimately follows in his footsteps by pledging himself to the Tojo Clan. Much of what propels Like a Dragon is the connection these two share–from Ichiban taking the autumn for a household crime to uncovering why he’d been left for useless in one other metropolis after his 18-year jail sentence. Things change in time, and that good-natured child who grew up loving Dragon Quest (actually in-lore) and doing innocent errands for the gang now has loads to study in regards to the felony underworld as he re-enters society.

Loud, goofy, naive, however all the time well-meaning, Ichiban typically lets his immaturity get the very best of him. Others are there to assist him study and develop, and he by no means wavers in his dedication to the folks round him. It rubs off on his companions, whose circumstances unite every of them as you unravel the thriller behind Ichiban’s exile to Ijincho, Yokohama (the place a lot of the recreation takes place). Your core squad of Adachi, Nanba, and Saeko enter the scene for their very own reasons–Adachi is the ex-detective whose aim is tied to yours, Nanba is the homeless man who saved your life and has extra to him than he lets on, and Saeko is the barmaid who reciprocates the unconditional assist she will get from the crew after a private tragedy.

The Friends You Make Along The Way

Sometimes their motivations for sticking round for Ichiban’s messy yakuza enterprise aren’t all the time convincing, however over time, the friendships they kind develop into all of the conviction they want. The acquainted theme of deep emotional bonds is what Like a Dragon makes use of to deliver one thing new to the sequence’ sturdy, established type of storytelling–the celebration system is not simply an excuse to give you a group through the RPG fight. Throughout the story, the solid will get into hassle, fights their method out, drinks, and celebrates collectively, they usually carry one another to the tip. Much of the Yakuza sequence to this point was in regards to the struggles of Kazuma Kiryu, a person who has a coronary heart of gold, but all the time stored everybody at arm’s size. Like a Dragon, nonetheless, flips the script and explores the ability of letting folks in, and it embraces the uplifting social dynamic its characters create.

Each principal solid member has their very own life tales to inform and will get a little bit of the highlight with Ichiban all through the principle marketing campaign. But a number of the extra private moments come via in what are referred to as Drink Links–basically Persona-style social hyperlink situations the place celebration members open up about their private lives over glasses of whiskey at their house bar referred to as Survive Bar. You improve a bond ranking with them, enhance social stats, and unlock fight perks alongside the way in which; extra importantly, you actually get to know the characters who’re combating alongside one another.

The Drama Of Yokohama

That normal sentiment can be utilized to the Ijin Three, the trio of gangs that uphold a fragile steadiness in Yokohama–it consists of the Japanese Seiryu Clan, the Korean Geomijul, and the Chinese Liumang. The unnerving pressure between them enriches the narrative, as these organizations develop into vital for chasing the reality. Just a few of their members (who I will not reveal for spoiler causes) are nice standouts because the story develops, and likewise deliver out a little bit of Asian range, giving Korean and Chinese characters extra nuanced portrayals than in earlier Yakuza video games. In Like a Dragon, your enemies at present could possibly be your dearest allies tomorrow, and vice versa.

Internal rifts and philosophical variations will all the time destroy organizations from the within. When one group dedicates itself to good deeds to assist the much less lucky, others see it as an opportunity to prey on the helpless and seize energy. It’s an ever-evolving recreation of 4D chess you may see play out, and it instills an eagerness to see what occurs chapter after chapter. Another piece of the larger image is right-wing nationalism, portrayed by a bunch referred to as Bleach Japan. While Like a Dragon’s climactic political drama leans on the outlandish villainy of a power-hungry few, it takes narrative alternatives to precise clear opposition to anti-immigration, anti-sex work, and anti-poor politics in key story beats, and these themes additionally develop into a part of what drives Ichiban and firm.

I’ve made it fairly clear that I’m a sucker for Yakuza’s melodrama. However, I’m prepared to confess that Like a Dragon has one too many easy plot twists, which might come throughout as a approach to elongate the principle story. Perhaps it bites off greater than it could chew on the tail-end the place plot factors are launched as shortly as they’re resolved. They’re not unhealthy story beats per se, however they will really feel overbearing when there’s already sufficient engaging narrative established.

Regardless, Yakuza has constructed a repute on charming drama and robust characterizations, and it is these expectations that its video games will probably be judged by. With that standards in thoughts, Like a Dragon hardly misses.

Like A Dragon Quest

Ichiban’s eccentric character is a power of nature, and it is even what fuels the fight system. His creativeness runs wild, and in his thoughts, he sees himself and his pals because the heroes of the day, identical to in Dragon Quest (Ichiban’s phrases, not mine). Enemies remodel into possessed beings or extraordinarily foolish delinquents like aggressive cooks, unhinged nudists, or simply unhealthy dudes with glowing crimson eyes–some with punny names like “capitalist punisher” for evil salarymen or “hands catcher” for evil baseball gamers. And your individual celebration members remodel into their outfitted jobs with typically ridiculous costume modifications.

His reverence for Dragon Quest is charming, and exhibits that he actually is a child at coronary heart; it is a part of what fills him with the dedication to maintain combating, even in probably the most dire of conditions. Like a Dragon asks you to droop your disbelief extra so than earlier Yakuza video games to accommodate Ichiban’s child-like creativeness, and you recognize what? I’m right here for it.

Like a Dragon makes use of a fairly simple turn-based fight system with commonplace assaults, particular strikes (typically enhanced by easy QTE button prompts), and spells of various affinities and standing results. Managing your celebration’s varied capabilities and strategizing to dispatch enemies in good methods is on the core of the enjoyable. How you deal with your turns in relation to the enemies you face in any given battle presents a well-known however partaking puzzle-like problem of devising the very best plan of action. When you barrel down consecutive fights in dungeon-like situations, fight maintains a gentle, gratifying circulate, whereas the larger set-piece boss fights take a look at your command of the system. What was used really comes collectively remarkably effectively for Yakuza’s personal RPG debut.

Combat can also be a chance for the sport to crank up Yakuza’s custom of ridiculous over-the-top strikes, and it is a large purpose why fight is thrilling to have interaction with. The spirit of the sequence’ wild warmth actions comes via within the abilities you may study, like summoning aggressive followers by performing a musical act or leaping via the air to spit literal hearth upon your enemies. The intricacies of fight are pushed by the job system, which is basically a set of swappable character courses that play otherwise with their very own distinctive talents. And so long as you construct up a very good number of therapeutic, buffs, and robust assault sorts, you may be in good condition.

Like a Dragon is not with out its faults, nonetheless. It’s fairly obvious in the previous couple of chapters that the sport started to depend on lengthy drawn-out fights. I nonetheless needed to keep sharp and maximize harm with every flip or use heals and buffs at opportune occasions to remain alive, however a few of these moments boiled all the way down to a warfare of attrition. Although I really like that Like a Dragon could be actually difficult, somewhat grinding is required to even survive towards some bosses. Thankfully, there is a late-game fight area aspect exercise that gives a ton of EXP and helpful gadgets, however the necessity of it breaks a number of the momentum as you heard in direction of the conclusion. (And beware that there’s a level within the story the place you are required to have a number of cash, and if you have not invested time to earn cash, effectively you higher get on it.)

There’s More To Life Than Fisticuffs

It’s not all drama, combating, and foolish superpowers, although. While the situation of Kamurocho has develop into a type of character itself, the a lot bigger Ijincho (a mashup of the actual Yokohama) does provide its personal distinct vibe. Compared to Kamurocho, it seems like taking a deep breath of recent air if you stroll via the open areas of Hamakita Park, purchasing retailers on Isezaki Road, and the streets of Chinatown. Even the alleyways and homeless camps of the lower-class areas breathe life into Ijincho in equal measure. The metropolis is bustling with issues to do exterior of the principle story, as is Yakuza custom.

My private favourite of karaoke is again. The rhythm minigame presents one other avenue for the characters to precise themselves in an particularly charming style. Nanba brings again the traditional “Baka Mitai,” and Adachi belts out his personal efficiency of “Machine Gun Kiss.” Saeko’s friendship anthem “Spring Breeze” warms my coronary heart as she performs the piano whereas the remainder of the gang enthusiastically cheers her on. And Ichiban’s personal music, “The Future I Dreamed Of,” showcases his personal inspirations as he displays on his upbringing. When a number of different characters be part of the celebration, the karaoke playlist grows. Having it again at Survive Bar, the place everybody meets up and drinks collectively, actually creates a homelike ambiance for Like a Dragon.

One of the very vital money-making minigames is Ichiban Confections, the enterprise administration simulator. You assist a household enterprise develop from promoting sweets at a hole-in-the-wall store to turning into C-suite executives with a number of ventures featured in commercials. It’s goofy as hell however fairly concerned, as you must handle staff, assign jobs, and make funding selections. You additionally must play a separate and hilarious minigame the place you frantically argue with shareholders to earn their assist. There’s additionally Dragon Kart, which is a whole kart-racing minigame with its personal ridiculous aspect story and tournament-style challenges. The final one I’ll point out is the quiz minigame, which exists beneath the guise of an grownup college the place Ichiban learns about historical past and tradition (and even has its personal Sega-themed quizzes), serving to him enhance social stats. These actions are vigorous and rewarding in their very own small methods, whether or not it is cash, perks, gear, or genuinely humorous aspect tales that construct up the wild lifetime of Kasuga Ichiban.

Even after spending 40 hours with Yakuza: Like a Dragon to finish its principal story and expertise an honest chunk of optionally available content material, there’s nonetheless extra to see and do with substories and conclusions to optionally available quests.

The Future Is Bright For Yakuza

As the sport executes on a melodramatic, multi-faceted conclusion typical of a Yakuza recreation, you are inspired to mirror on the hardships and tragedies Ichiban needed to endure. It’s uncommon, nonetheless, to additionally see the protagonist of a Yakuza recreation additionally do the identical. You can see the journey, the struggles, the challenges, the expansion, and the friendships worn plainly on his face. Yakuza has a penchant for exaggeration, this recreation actually goes for it, and it really works. Ichiban is an expressive character, typically to the purpose of parody, however it’s endearing and infrequently inspiring. Ichiban is an idealist and a bit naive, however he is additionally what his pals have made him via their very own personalities and their sense of justice: a hero.

At so many moments, I stood up screaming at my TV in absolute pleasure (and shed a number of tears right here and there), seeing how Ichiban develops, and the way Like a Dragon ties again into the broader Yakuza lore for long-time followers. Ichiban stands tall among the many legends that the Yakuza video games have created, and Like a Dragon is not shy about drawing from that effectively once more. Maybe it is a bit on the nostril, however for me, I can not assist however really feel a reinvigorated ardour for the franchise.

For RGG Studio’s first crack at an RPG, it is a rattling fantastic outcome. It delivers what I really like most about Yakuza and introduces new concepts that largely repay. Ichiban is not doing it alone, both. He has pals and mentors, ones who’ve helped him struggle and overcome private tragedies. It was an absolute thrill to look at him develop, and that is what’s most vital for a recreation so targeted on its characters. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a passing of the torch, and a incredible entry in a beloved franchise that proves that it is in good arms with Kasuga Ichiban.

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The post Yakuza: Like A Dragon Review – The Power Of Friendship appeared first on TapaTap Review.

#November 04 #2020 at 06:30PM

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