#gate ece

[omgkalyppso]

looking at each other like 🌠

[tin-y-tina]

Kinsidering gretel from tgv....

[starryeyed-seer]

Oooh Varchaasi fashion!! Really really like your ideas on it : D

I have an oc who is half Varchaasi and raised in London, and I've been wanting to dream up some Varchas style for her for ages.... I have a draft on this blog still of when I went looking at canon text and then got frustrated by the fact Varchas is aesthetically and semi implied to be related to Angkor Wat— but fashion and culturally doesn't seem at all Cambodian. Hardly the only place FL (especially older lore) lifts the tough idea of a real thing but nothing else, but a bit frustrating.

Turns out I'm not done. Still trying to puzzle out her face.

[a-magpie-in-gravesfield]

I imagined Philip's quarters have a little area where he can sit by the widow to watch the rain, even if it's not the same as in the human realm, and his bed would be in the room next to it. I think he also has a bigger personal library with (probably banned books on wild magic he studied lol) and a larger fire place with a much bigger couch too I also imagined that the entrance to his quarters would be kinda like the way the cave opened with glyphs, so it looks like a blank wall and only he can get in with the right combo he probably also has a spell put on the window (like an illusion maybe) so he can see the outside but people can't see inside his room from outside he probably has a bathroom towards the left too so like an en suite bathroom in his bedroom I think tho all of his really secret stuff aren't kept in his quarters, like the collector's tablet and the Grimwalker are are all separate from the castle entirely in the Titan's skull. I think he probably has some semi personal stuff in his quarters like maybe a journal or books he would considered banned books but he'd be careful to keep anything truly incriminating in the Titan's skull area behind the big gates

I've looked up so many refs from the show 😂 like I went to find how they designed drawer knobs in different rooms looool the kind of details literally no one else is gonna notice but I need it to be accurate 😂 these are the main refs I was looking at

(I know the second one is from the ship but it's still EC themed so I figured I could still have a look at the furniture and stuff for inspiration)

[tagedeszorns]

SPOILERS for "Fulgrim - The Perfect Son"

You were warned - Spoilers ahaed!

Okay, so it finally has happened. Pigs are flying, dogs are walking backwards and I am admitting that I'd rather read a Fulgrim-novel written by Graham McNeill than this one.

But to get to this point ... let me take the long route!

First - imagine a novel about a Primarch. Let's say Guilliman, because the Ultramarines are the example for everything. Let's say he returns. (Bear with me, I am not talking about how it actually happened for him!) And it is not explained at all, why he's back. What's his motivation. How? Don't ask stupid questions! Anyways. He's back. Now, what about his Legion? What about Calgar? Sicarius? His Librarius? Well, never mind, they don't matter, because (galaxy brain moment here!) - they don't exist! Instead they are replaced with a cast of new characters you never heard of before, but you are supposed to take as "have always been his favourites". And those characters are as generic as they come. Absolutely bland. Plus, Guilliman isn't even there most of the time. Also, apparently the Emperor is no longer a factor for anything.

That's the setting Jude Reid throws at the reader, just with Emperor's Children.

Okay. Okay. I can live with new characters. But maybe at least tie them with the rich history of the third? With all its glory and trauma? Harmony? Canticle City? The Phoenix Conclave? Anything? No?

Well. Then give them a gratious amount of Sex, Drugs and Rock'nRoll, because that's what they do in 40k? No? A bit? So Noise Marines aren't Slaanesh's sledgehammers any longer? Maybe remember how cool Eidolon and his Kakophonii screamed that White Scars ship to rubble or how Ramos tore down the Medean Gate on Luna? No? And the drugs are just some kind of better stims now? Like the stuff Lance Armstrong takes on a daily basis?

Well. Okay. No History, none of the cool guys ... maybe some Dark Prince-fuckery? No? Oh. The word "Slaanesh" is two times in the whole book and it's with sorcery, not normal EC or Fulgrim? And Dark Prince or She Who Thrirsts ... ah, nevermind. So, no Youngest God at all.

Well, Fulgrim is the mightiest servant of Slaanesh and he's the title character of the novel, so it's okay. Enough slaaneshi shenanigans for everyone! No? Fulgrim is there for about 5% of the novel and we never get his POV? Oh. Okay. Well.

Yes, I am disappointed. After Marc Collins gave us the great new Eidolon novel, I had high hopes Games Workshop wanting to bring out the coolness in the third Legion again.

But instead we got the most generic Chaos (not really) stuff ever. You could replace everybody with Red Corsairs and Fulgrim with the Tyrant and nobody would notice any difference.

And now I am back to the beginning. Why McNeill's EC may be horrible but way better than Reid's.

Because they are over the top. Because they are the superlative of extra. Because they are divas. Because they are trying to be cool AF. Because they are mean fuckers.

Reid's EC are what I always thought I wanted (my Midas-moment, if you will): Swordsmen. Duelists. But it turns out, that it is possible to fall to Slaanesh and hate excess (yes, Tamaris, the main char, is very offended by excess). Damn, girl! Take a page out of Ian StMartin's book and look up what excessive swordsmanship does for Lucius!

So, taking everything slaaneshi from the EC didn't do them any good. Apparently they are now Chaos Undivided, swear by "Gods" instead of their chosen patron God and such. Much generic. Wow. Sacrificing like they are the Word Bearers we have at home.

The ideal solution would be a mix of both: McNeill's extra queerness (because Reid's chars are giving off the most cis-het vibes I ever got from anything Warhammer! Even the Chaos Sorcerer reminiscing fucking Fulgrim is as sterilised as possible. I bet Reddit-Warhammer loves this book, because none of them pesky gays and their sexytimes!) and excessiveness and Reid letting them keep their beauty and dignity. It's very telling that the most erotic moment of the book is the main character kissing the guy he just killed.

Because that's the GREAT plus of this book. Finally! Beautiful Emperor's Children! Beautiful Fulgrim! Plaese, give me more of this! And they are (mostly) honourable! Awww, yiss! Yes, Reid is falling back into the way too familiar "uglyness and betrayal"-trope soon enough, but an effort was made.

But that's not enough to work as saving grace.

The novel is very clearly what @paniwarhamauser called "saturday morning cartoons to sell toys", because every buyable unit is mentioned and described very clearly.

But what this book is lacking, is a soul. An understanding for the EC's (and Fulgrim's - but the Phoenician barely features in the novel, so I will leave him out on this) unique tragedy, drama, history and power.

I am glad we got the great "Auric Hammer"-book (please let Marc Collins write more for EC! He gets them! Raging Eidolon gives me life!). And we still have Josh Reynold's superb Fulgrim-novel. But this new one is not for me.

I mean, we EC-fans have a lot of great novels and stories, compared to other Legions (poor Raven Guard for example). So I really shouldn't complain.

Well, rant over, I am calm and collected again and will continue reading the pleasant Alpha Legion-stuff I have left for the Fulgrim novel (may contain traces of Fulgrim). 😁

[junplusone]

seventeen as engineering majors

notes: hi i have nothing to say for myself except this is partially @imujings's fault and also my self indulgence so here we go (can you tell what my major is..... lol)

warnings: ehh swearing, i namedrop companies, eng jargon

-

CHOI SEUNGCHEOL - civil engineering

if you know, you know

is very proud of his program despite all the jokes (he shouldn't be) sorry im biased

"we're better than the meches"

never had to take dynamics in his LIFE omg

100% has a poster of the golden gate bridge on his wall and gets made fun of for it

is convinced one day when he's making bank and jeonghan is jobless he'll finally be vindicated

YOON JEONGHAN - mechanical engineering

did have to take dynamics & almost failed it

(he's smart, he was just too lazy to submit any of the homework that was also worth 60% of his grade)

gets salty at career fairs when most of the employers are construction companies

competing with the 24853874534 other meches for class sections

leaning into the "jack of all trades master of ????"

has a superiority complex over the aeros

HONG JOSHUA - computer engineering

should have just been a cs major tbh

compe is the bottom of the engineering food chain

but nobody has the heart to tell him that bc he's too kind

hangs out with the likes of yoon jeonghan but still never skips class

wants to create his own video game

probably got an internship at a fortune 100 company

has hella connections and WILL ask them to nepo you too bc he's that nice

WEN JUNHUI - aerospace engineering

has had enough of the lockheed martin jokes

does NOT !!! wanna work in defense he's a sustainable fuel guy

spacecraft development companies pleaseeee hire him

lets the meches have beef w him bc he dgaf what they think, but gets annoyed when they start competing w him for jobs

sidequest king (double minor in math & ecology AND he wants to try his hand at law school???? wtf)

locks in so freaking hard when he has to but is just silly otherwise - he's that student you never see studying but then they ace the exam

KWON SOONYOUNG - chemical engineering

is the one making lockheed martin jokes in front of junhui

but definitely picked cheme because someone told him he can make bombs

had to retake orgo twice but then passed inorganic chemistry with flying colors

academic wild card #1

always ends up with 8:30s bc he never wakes up on time for class registration

#1 merck worshipper pls hire him omg

LEE JIHOON - computer engineering

is at the bottom of the engineering food chain, but unlike joshua he knows & owns it

is a cs minor so it's slightly more excusable

probably has hella shit on github

definitely following more companies on linkedin than he has connections

double major in music production & plays clarinet in the pep band

you will never see him without his headphones on

JEON WONWOO - electrical engineering

actually very strongly dislikes that electrical & comp are grouped together as ece

likes the versatility of his major

probably never had a single morning class in his life

def came into college proficient in a bunch of programming languages

sits at the back of the lecture hall

never ever studies outside of his dorm bc he likes using his huge desk monitor

KIM MINGYU - biomedical engineering

so sick of every single person he meets assuming he's a premed student

has definitely accidentally broken flasks in his bio lab

was so elated when he found out orgo isn't a graduation requirement

always ALWAYS studies w a whiteboard

is one of the only guys in bme

you can always find him cooking up some food in the dorm's communal kitchen, he's always down for a conversation

LEE SEOKMIN - environmental engineering

minor in sustainability, he's an environmentally conscious sweetie pie!

the dream project groupmate

is one of like 15 people in his graduating class

wants to research water treatment technologies

"did you know using chatgpt is harmful to the environment?"

and he's right !!!!

took organic chemistry for fun and aced it even though mingyu warned him it would tank his gpa

XU MINGHAO - chemical engineering

really wants to work in the fragrance industry

always smells good, you'll never catch him lacking

another one of those people where you don't see them study ever but they still coast through classes

gets distracted when he's drawing out chemical compounds bc he tries too hard to get the lines perfect

and then starts sketching something else

second most nastiest side eye

BOO SEUNGKWAN - industrial & systems engineering

y'all know this man did not wanna do any work (jk i love my ise majors)

business admin double major & he's reaaaally good at it

everyone's jealous of the way he charms all the employers at the career fair how do u even do that like???

very intelligent but hated every calc class he had to take

always studies in the business building

nastiest side eye EVERRRRRR do not say anything stupid in front of him please he will vaporize you

CHWE HANSOL - materials science & engineering

walter white in the making

declared a chemistry minor and then never took the required classes

really enjoyed crystal chem

profs have a hard time grading his hw cause his handwriting lowkey looks like chicken scratches

the absolute chillest during finals week but nobody knows if it's because he studied way in advance or because he didn't study at all

academic wild card #2

such an 'it is what it is' guy tbh...

LEE CHAN - packaging engineering

ppl look confused when he tells them his major

is in it for the near 100% job placement

has a great time in all of his classes because they're so fun and the class size is like 8 kids

doesn't fully know what he wants to do later in life but he'll figure it out later

carpe diem kinda guy

wants to intern at a cosmetics company really really bad so he can take sample products home to his mom

let me know if u enjoyed this hehe :)

[fokrons-art-hell]

The full local group for my iterator ocs, smiles and grins :]. Every single one of these losers has issues and problems.

From left to right: Reason for Faith (she/her gen2), Unyielding Iron Gates (he/she gen2), Endless Celebrations (they/them gen4), Nine Promises (they/them gen3), Chasing Light (he/him gen3), and Reflections on Rippling Water (he/they gen1)

More detail tidbits below the cut...

RFF: self proclaimed only 'normal one' of the group. introverted, snippy, sarcastic, but unfortunately does actually give a damn about the rest of her group. has a complex for not causing problems and being self-sufficient, which bites her in the ass later once the ancients are gone.

UIG: rule-stickler and responsibility-driven. Serious yet easily flustered. Volunteered to be acting group senior despite being the second oldest after RORW had a mental break. Gates often feels in over her head with tasks/responsbilities, but enjoys being helpful. Secondary purpose of his structure is his city was designed to house/train the ancient's military and manufacture/store munitions.

EC: youngest of the group. Structure was created for a similar secondary purpose to Nine Promises (as an entertainment/tourism hub) so Nine Promises serves as a mentor role to them. 9P and EC also were made by the same ancient. (EC was actually made to replace 9P for reasons but... neither of them know this initially </3). Excitable, fun-loving, and maybe a bit too forgiving, EC is a people-pleasing and easily pushed around

NP: my favorite freak who the whole plotline is central towards frankly. Cheery jokester of their local group, who has more of a cynical, grim side they tend to hide… drives the rule stickler, responsibility-driven acting senior of their group (Unyielding Iron Gates) crazy. as mentioned previously, NP's structure was designed to be a entertainment/tourism hub! they love parties + playing pranks + socializing with others, and get lonely quickly when nothing is going on... especially since ancients have been visiting their structure less and less of late... Tho NP's fickle and unhinged behavior tends to either charm or anger most other iterators, their stubborn cheer has held the local group through many hardships.

CL: was created as an emotional and structural support for RORW after RORW attempted self-sabotage and self-shut down of their own structure. Very perceptive of others emotions and generally anxiety-ridden himself. Quiet, compassionate, but with a sarcastic side that only occasionally leaps out. With the right topic, CL is very talkative.

RORW: ex-acting senior of the local group, and the eldest of the group. Was always rather disillusioned by the great problem, and as their bitterness towards their place and resentment for the ancients grew... had a mental break where they attempted self-shut-down. This was stopped by the ancients, who had invested waaaayyyy too many resources and individuals into RORW's structure+city to let him do that. post this event, pretty much demands whatever they want of the ancients to give them under threat of 'well I'm gonna KMS if u don't lol'. CL was built very close to RORW as a failsafe/secondary storage and as motivation for RORW not to self-sabotage, as doing so would also affect CL. RORW has a love for plants and fashion, and is a jokester to a lesser degree than NP, but definitely enjoys some drama/creating problems. Demeanor is sarcastic and grim with a great amount of morbid humour. RORW is generally extroverted, at least when it comes to other iterators, and is the type of guy who enjoys arguing for the sake of arguing.

[freedelusionshere]

This season has to be all about Syd

S3 and S4 of The Bear are technically one season broken into two parts. Part 1 was obviously about Carmy hitting rock bottom and Part 2 should be about Syd's struggles during all of this. Most of the back half of S3 was filmed last year, I don't see why they'd change anything or do reshoots. S4 is really S5, etc. Otherwise, why put the Part 1 title at the end of S3?

And because Syd's been bottling everything, and we have yet to see her interior life portrayed, we're not really getting to fully explore her journey emotionally yet in S3 Part 1. But the setup is that we will, and the show must. The show has set up Carmy and Syd as mirroring each other and being two halves of a whole.

All the questions that are left on the table are about Syd and what she will do. Carmy has done all he can as an EC and failed. At the end of S3/P1 Carmy is getting unstuck and the review drops. A negative or even mixed review impacts their ability to get a star first and foremost. Which Syd wants and is her dream (which, I'm with Carmy, it's a trap). Carmy spent all of S3/P1 trying to convince himself this is what he is doing all of this for. The review is not only about The Bear's financial future (which Carmy didn't seem all that concerned about in Apologies) but is also wrapped up in his desire to give more of what he thinks/hopes/prays Syd wants which he's been doing like clockwork since S1.

Cicero pulling the funding is also really an immediate issue for Syd because she is the one who will be hit hardest out of the gate. She's already on deferred pay, she's single, her credit is in ruins, and she will potentially be forced to go work somewhere else immediately. Syd didn't sign the partnership agreement, and Carmy knows something is up and the clock is ticking. It's why she's considering Shapiro's offer, and it makes her literally feel sick to have to do it.

Syd just signed a lease. We still don't know who helped her get that lease, landlords typically don't give leases to people with bad credit without a guarantor, I still say it's likely Carmy, because they intentionally tied it to her dad's general disapproval of Carmy (the thin walls like the thin partnership agreement). It's not financially sustainable for things to continue as they have (Carmy's doing, but also enablement by her and his family). Other characters will be impacted as well, but there is an immediacy here with Syd, who is making jokes about still not having health insurance.

Then there is the matter of Carmy being a bad boss as a reason for Syd to leave, which the show directly pointed out and tied it directly to Carmy's treatment of Syd and he knows he has hurt her and their relationship. Shapiro isn't going to be any better, they've already given plenty of hints about that. Carmy is a pain in the ass, but he doesn't lie or hide what he is (the opposite, for better or worse). The issue now is Carmy having to prove to Syd through his actions (no more apologies) that he can be a good partner. But that comes with Syd also having to make it clear what that looks like to her. Because he's repeatedly asked her to tell him when he's screwing up. He wants her to tell him what she wants, and she avoids having to do that. We know she's not afraid of him, because she stood up to him easily in S1. It's something about herself holding her back.

Even Richie writing about Carmy in his little black book, and about Syd, Luca, and Carmy. Carmy is to Syd as Luca was to Carmy. Carmy is the one who needs to change his ways and follow Syd's lead. But Richie doesn't really know what's going on inside Syd's head either, because she always plays it cool. Syd was even being somewhat evasive when Luca asked her at Ever if anyone else looked out for her besides her dad. She obviously was avoiding answering. She could've said her good friend Marcus. I mean, Luca knows Marcus. But no, she's thinking about Carmy there and of course that conversation gets interrupted by Shapiro, foreshadowing.

I could be wrong about all of this, of course, but I don't want them reshooting stuff. I want to see Syd get to be messy and all her dreams and ambitions and backstory and her crushing defeats. She is the yin to Carmy's yang. That way when they come together and crush it, they will have earned it narratively and it will feel like a huge victory and tie it all together.

Of course I want to see more Sweeps, Ebra, and Angel and Manny stuff as well. I want to see Luca and Marcus together. But the main driver of S3/P2 should be Sydney!

[cyn-write]

Prompt: The Heartsyble Boys walking in on yuu’s baking catastroph-Education!

Pairings: GN!Yuu (reader) x Riddle, Trey, Carter, Ace, and Deuce (Separately)

Warnings: None other than tooth-rotting fluff!!

Notes: This is a request! I have a few in my log that I’m working through as I get them! Thank you anonymous for the request and I hope you enjoy it! If you would like to read more, check out my Masterlist!

Sweetheart’s Sweet Tooth

Riddle was on his was at Ramshackle's gate when he heard the explosion. He saw smoke come out of the open windows, and the worst ran through his head. Riddle ran into Ramshackle with little concern for proper house rules or his life as the most horrible situations ran through his head.

He ran into the kitchen, smoke fading out, post-its and notebooks spewed across the counter, flour all over the floor, chocolate dripped across the counter, and Yuu covered in batter and looking sadly at a pan of... something?

"YUU! WHAT IN THE SEVENS' SAKE HAPPENED?" Riddle's face was growing red with a mix of anger and worry, "I CAME IN AND-AND SMOKE AND BOOM AND-AND ITS A MESS AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING??"

Yuu looked up at Riddle with puppy dog eyes and sad face, "my cake blew up..."

"Y-your what?" Riddle asked calming down.

"I wanted to make you a cake... for winning your club tournament..." Yuu looked at the bowl on the counter, "I finally got the frosting right but the cake blew up in the oven..."

Riddle was embarrassed and touched at the same time. He kneeled next to Yuu, took out his handkerchief, and started to wipe off their face. "Well... at least you're alright," Riddle said, "and the frosting is okay... how about this? We clean up the kitchen, make some tea, and try again... together?"

Yuu smiled and nodded, "We can be baking study buddies!"

Riddle chuckled at the suggestion, "I am lacking in home ec, let's do it."

Later that evening, Trey got a call from a distressed Yuu... they needed his assistance on the third try.

Trey left the Heartsyble kitchen for an hour to attend to the Flamingo's and returned to a mess. Brownie batter was everywhere, papers all over the ground, the oven beeping, and Yuu battling the hand blender.

Trey ran over, turned off the oven, and unplugged the blender. Yuu was covered in white frosting, and so was the counter.

Yuu looked at him in relief, "Thanks, I couldn't stop it."

"Yuu, what happened?" Trey asked, voice filled with concern.

Yuu put the bowl of frosting down and wiped off her notebook, "I wanted to suprise you," they said, blush rising to their cheeks, "I've been trying to learn how to bake so I could make you something instead of the other way around... I had it, but the stupid blender overpowered me and the Oven was yelling at me and- THE BROWNIES!"

Yuu ran over to the oven and frowned, "No... they burnt." She was about to grab the pan bare handed but Trey stopped her.

"If you wanted to learn, why didn't you ask me? I'd love to teach you," He said as he grabbed an oven mitt and took out the burnt brownies.

"I didn't want to bother you," they said, defeated. "You're so busy already, and I wanted to do something nice for you..."

Trey smiled and shook his head, "You could never bother me. Especially when it comes to this" He picked up the recipe and smiled, "I can teach you a better recipie, one i know by heart," he swipped some frosting off of Yuu's cheek and tasted it, "The frosting is good, a little over-whipped but good, so we have a bit of a base to work with. Put it in the fridge while we clean and make some coffee. You have most of the ingredients out already, we just need-"

"Wait," Yuu said and held up their hands, "You mean it? You'll teach me?"

Trey kissed the Yuu's forhead and said, "My mother always said, food tastes better when you make it with someone you love~"

Cater has been seeing a lot of baking hacks on his magicam feed and decided to try one, except Yuu got to it first. He walked to the kitchen with his equipment in hand, ready to film, but when he got there, Yuu was putting the finishing touches on their donuts.

"Cater!" Yuu was very excited as they picked up their plate of freshly made donuts, "I saw this donut recipe on Magicam and thought you would like it!"

Cater smiled at his S/o and ruffled their hair with his free hand, "You read my mind! I was on my way to make them!"

He looked down at the slightly mishappend donuts and picked on up, "You know what? We can do a live reaction vid on my magicam! This is perfect!!" Cater started to set up his phone stand when he saw Yuu's notes and mess on the table, as well as a pile of burnt and underdone donuts. There were piles of flour and powdered sugar all over the notes.

Yuu's smile had fallen, and they looked nervous, "c-could we not? I-i'm still learning a-and am not sure about the flavor or the texture s-so can we not film this live?"

Cater could see how nervous their partner was and nodded, "I bet they taste amazing, but we don't have to film if you don't want to." He reached out and picked up one of the donuts on top. He tried it, and it was a little overcooked, but overall, it tasted pretty good! It wasn't too sweet, had a cakey flavor, and wasn't too dense. Cater smiled and popped the rest in his mouth. "This is really good!" He said, licking the powdered sugar off his fingers, "How long did it take you to make them?"

Yuu couldn't hold back their smile, "Really!? You like them?!" They put the plate down and dusted off their hands, "5th time is the charm!"

"5 times?" Cater was shocked, he didn't think the hack was that difficult.

"Well, yeah," Yuu rubbed the back of their neck and looked down at the donuts, "I wanted them to be perfect for you, so I found a recipe that wasn't too sweet. But because of that, the baking time was different, so I had to experiment to get the right recipe."

Cater felt his heart warm. "You did this all for me?"

"Of course," Yuu said and grabbed their notebook, wiping off some powdered sugar from the page, "I know you're not a fan of sweets, so I have been trying to learn some more... Cater-friendly treats that you could substitute at unbirthday parties and events." They flipped through the notebook and scanned the recipies, "I have successfully made 5 so far counting the donuts, but I didn't want to show you till they were perfect."

"You did this all... for me?" Cater looked at the notebook, and his expression changed from his usual "happy" face to a genuine smile. He leaned down and kissed Yuu's forehead before turning to a pudding recipe that caught his eye, "Ya know what... can you teach me to make this? Not for magicam, just for us?"

Yuu smiled and nodded, "I-I would love to!"

Deuce just wanted a glass of water, but he was face with a batter filled kitchen and a trey full of cookies. Yuu was grinning from ear to ear as they held out the trey. They had been working on them while Deuce finished his homework. They wanted to reward him for getting an "A-" on his recent Professor Trien assignment with a sleepover and some cookies.

"Suprise!" Yuu said as they held out the try, "I've been working on them all day! They finally didn't burn!"

Deuce smiled at his partner and ruffed their hair, “They smell delicious, Yuu.”

He picked up one of the cookies and it started to go limp in his hand. It felt weird in his hands, but Yuu worked really hard on these so he forced a smile and took a bite of the cookie. To say it was underdone was an understatement. The cookie turned to mush in his mouth and tasted more like sugar than anything else. The overwhelming taste of sugar made him want to gag, but he held it back to the best of his ability for the sake of Yuu. They watched him with anticipation as they held out the cookies.

Deuce forced a smile through the taste and gave them a thumbs up, “Delicious… mmmm.”

Yuu’s expression fell, they saw past it, “Don’t lie… what’s wrong? Are they undercooked? did I manage to overcook them again?” They were listing off reason after reason and Deuce felt awful.

“Nonono! I love them! They taste amazing! See!” Deuce shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth and proceeded to shove the rest of the sugar-rotten, mushy cookies into his mouth. His stomach was revolting, and his tastebuds were throwing a hissy fit, but he wasn’t going to let any of Yuu's hard work go to waste.

"Deuce!! What are you doing!?" Yuu exclaimed and pulled the trey away from him. "You're going to make yourself sick!!"

Deuce shoved the last of the cookies into his mouth, and he felt like he was going to puke. But he smiled through the pain. "See... told you.. they were... good..."

He swallowed down the nausea and held onto the counter. He saw their notes on the counter and felt worse. They have been working so hard to do this for him.

"Deuce..." Yuu rubbed his back and said, "You idiot, sit down. I'll get some water and meds."

They turned to grab the stuff, but before they did, Yuu kissed Deuce's cheek and said, "Thank you, Deuce."

Deuce smiled for real now and turned to his partner, "You worked so hard on them, it's the least I can do," then a rare stroke of brilliance hit Duece like a freight train, "I-If you want to learn to bake, wanna call my Mom and Grams? They make really good cookies and would be happy to help, plus we can do it together!!"

A bright smile graced Yuu's face, and they nodded vigorously, "I would love to! We can learn together!"

The next weekend, Duece and Yuu made cookies with the help of his family on call. Ms. Sade and Nana Spade also made some remarks that left the couple red and speechless!

Ace smelled something off-putting when he entered Ramshackle. At first, he thought it was him that smelled seeing as he just got out of basketball, but he showered and stole some of Jamil's deodorant, so he actually smelled decent. He walked further into the dilapidated dorm and realized it was coming from the kitchen.

He entered and saw chaos. It gave Ace flashbacks to when Trey went on strike and didn't bake for an unbirthday party. There were ingredients everywhere, notes everywhere, and in the center of the chaos was Yuu, pulling a cake out of the oven.

“Ace! You’re just in time!” Yuu exclaimed when they spotted him.

“Just in time for what exactly?” Ace asked as scents assaulted his nose and his stomach churned at the sight.

“To taste test!” Yuu placed the cake on the one clean spot on the counter. Next to them was a bowl of frosting and a bowl of strawberries. They pulled out two plates, a knife, a spoon, and two forks. “Trey gave me this lemon cake recipe to start with, and a simple strawberry-compote and frosting recipes to go with it. He said once I mastered this he would give me something more complicated-“

“Woah, woah, woah, hold up for a sec. Trey gave you a recipe?” Ace asked, “For what?”

“Just to learn,” Yuu said cutting the cake, “I’ve always wanted to learn how to bake and Trey said that if I helped out with unbirthday parties, he would be happy to tutor.” They placed a piece of cake in front of Ace with a smile, they then grabbed their notebook and a pen “So, taste test 01, Lemon Cake with whipped frosting and strawberry compote. Taste testers Ace and Yuu.”

Yuu put the pen down, used the spoon to scoop frosting and compote on to each plate then handed Ace a fork. Ace smiled and took the fork, “Best kind of test I’ve had in weeks!” He took a big bite of the cake, frosting, and compote. It tasted good at first, the smooth frosting and strawberries went well with the lemony cake. Then he tasted something salty, really salty. Like… soy sauce?

Yuu must’ve also tasted the soy sauce as their face also skewed. “Is it suppose to be salty?”

Yuu shook their head and looked at the recipe. “I-I did everything to a T! What hap…. They soy sauce was the dud.”

Ace looked at them confused, “the what?”

“The dud! Remember! Trey always puts a dud ingredient in so no one can steal his recipes.” Yuu put their hands on their heads in anguish. They were really upset, “I’m such an idiot! Why would soy sauce be in a LEMON cake, Ugggh its ruined!”

Ace put the fork down and awkwardly placed his hand on their back in comfort, “Hey, it doesn’t taste that bad. If ya lather on the strawberries and the frosting, you can hardly taste it.”

Yuu looked up at Ace with an exasperated look, “hardly taste it. Really. No snarky comments on how it taste more like take out than desserts?”

Ace winced. His reputation proceeded him. But he wanted to be better for his partner, “Look Yuu, the cake doesn’t taste great, but it ain’t awful. And the strawberries and frosting are good. So we grab some gram crackers. Eat them with strawberries and frosting. Save the cake for Deuce, Jack, Epel, Trey, and the others. Then this weekend, we send Grim out with Deucy so you and I can try making this again? Sound Good?”

Yuu looked at Ace with the hint of a smile, then hugged him, “You’re the best Ace.”

“I know, I’m a genius,” Ace said, “If only you listened to me more often~”

“Don’t push it Ace,” Yuu said and was about to put the cake in the oven when Deuce, Jack, Epel, Sebek, and Grim entered Ramshackle.

“Ah! Our first victims!”

The rest of the Week, Ace and Yuu enjoyed pranking their friends with the lemon-soy sauce cake, until the weekend when they had a fun and messy baking-date.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note: Please Like, Reblog, and Follow for more! If you are interested in seeing more characters in this scenario or these characters in different scenarios, please let me know! (Do not Steal)

[ameliathornromance]

Are you the Final Girl?

Slasher!Orc X Reader

Chapter 8

Masterlist <--- Full list of TWS. For this Chapter: Talk of murder, we finally get a good look at the killer.

The darkness of the night had settled in a lot faster than you would have liked that evening.

Just like this morning, the evening had clouded over with fog, making the street lamps glow eerily like ghosts waiting for a chance to do their unfinished business.

After you’d finished your classes, you’d headed straight back to your accommodation and waited there for 7pm to arrive.

As you watched your digital clock flick from one number to another, you couldn’t get out of your head that connection between the killer and Malike.

You’d tried to ignore it when you first realised; because what is the likelihood that Malike really was the one behind the murders?

But the more you tried to push the thoughts away, the more they came back to you, with more and more evidence.

Malike knew Jennifer before they even got to University, and she treated him really badly after he asked you out. The same went for Sydney, and look what happened to both of them.

The other side of you that wanted to believe in Malike’s innocence, told you that the only connection you could make between the deaths and Malike, was the killers physical appearance.

You had questioned it at first. When you saw the killer, it was late at night and difficult to see. You were sleep deprived and in the midst of a panic over whether or not your friend was alive. There was a huge chance that you were just freaked out and that made everything you saw feel one hundred times worse.

When 7pm finally rolled around, you grabbed your hoodie and coat, keys and a small knife from your shared kitchen and made for the front doors.

Even though everything told you otherwise about Malike’s theory, the fear itched at you from the back of your mind, making you even more cautious over the possibility that Jack could be the killer too.

That’s what the knife was for. Defence, if at all necessary. It was also just a good idea to have just incase the killer was someone else entirely and you needed to defend yourself, if they just so happened to be out on the prowl at night.

Using the lamps lights as a guide, you darted through the streets, as swiftly as you could.

While you knew that no one was chasing after you, the urgency to find other people to be made you think otherwise.

You had to look twice at trees that leered out from the foggy darkness, their long branches reaching out to you as if they may grab and take you away into the fog, never to be seen again.

Upon reaching the campus, you found yourself a lot more relaxed. Some lights were still on in the main buildings, no doubt some lecturers and Professors were still on the clock, marking assignments and setting up lessons for the coming weeks.

Lowering your head, pulling your hood up, you took off to the engineering block.

It was the furtherest away from the main campus, probably to try and deter anyone who may want a sharp object from taking it out of the class. They’d be caught immediately if they were seen in broad daylight and everything was locked away behind iron gates at night, so breaking in was going to be a difficult task too.

Essentially, it wasn’t worth the risk.

But as you peered out from the Home Ec block, you realised that the lights inside the engineering block were on.

Squinting through the fog, you realised that there was a person standing at the glass doors, arms crossed.

You pulled out your phone and dialled Jack’s phone number. As the tone rang in your ear, you watched the figure fumble around his trousers and then pull out his phone.

“(Y/N)? Where are you?” Jack asked.

“Sorry, just wanted to make sure it was you in the block.” You said, starting to make your way over. “Some of the teachers are still here, I didn’t want to get caught.”

“You weren’t seen by anyone, were you?” He asked.

“No.” You confirmed.

Once you’d reached the engineering classroom, you hung up the phone and Jack let you inside.

Since he was an engineering student, Jack would have full access to all the tools and materials inside the classrooms. You’d heard him talk about classes and what happens in them, but the interior of the room surprised you.

Work benches had hacksaws discarded lazily on them, along with bits of ply wood and some soldering equipment as well.

By the back of the classroom, was a giant wood saw. The blade on it was jagged and rusted from use and clearly needed replacing.

“What did you want to tell me?” You asked Jack as he locked the door behind him. “It’s dangerous to come out here at night, you know.”

“I wanted to make sure that no one else would overhear.” Jack said. He rubbed his hands together. “I think it’s best that you and I skip town.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “What?”

“We need to go, now really.” Jack said, “the killer is after all of us, he got Jennifer and Sydney and then it’ll be me next.” He looked over his shoulder at the door.

“How can you be so sure?” You leaned against one of the work benches, folding your arms across your body.

“Because,” Jack looked back at you, “the killer is Malike.”

You wanted to roll your eyes. Tell Jack that he was wrong about your Orc friend, that he would never do anything to hurt anyone. But now, you weren’t so sure.

“Jack,” your last attempt at trying to prove Malike’s innocence. God give you anything to disprove what you thought. “Do you have any evidence that Malike is the killer? Apart from a hunch.”

Jack stared at you as if you had just sprouted six heads. “Are you kidding? It’s obvious it’s him! Look, the motive is that he was mad that you wouldn’t go out with him and then that got Jennifer and everyone else angry, so he wanted revenge and decided to kill me, Jennifer and Sydney!” He looked over his shoulder again, at the door.

“I’m not trying to be stupid about this, the more I think about it, it adds up.” You reasoned, “but if there’s no hard evidence, then how do we know it’s actually him doing any of this?”

Jack let out a bark of incredulous laughter. “You’re still defending him! Do we need hard evidence? The motive lines up, and he clearly still likes you and Orcs are violent, so of course-”

“Is that all you’ve got?!” You snapped at him. “Just because Malike has a motive doesn’t mean-”

The glass door from behind Jack smashed, a rock striking him right in the back of the head and sending him flying forwards onto you.

The two of you fell to the ground, Jack landing on top of you as blood splattered across your face from where the rock had impacted him.

Instantly, you and Jack scrambled to face what was once the door.

Out of the foggy darkness, stepped in the same tall, muscular man you’d seen on the night of Jennifer’s murder.

His hair was still greasy and long, his clothes were black, blending him into the night. But his face had to be the most horrifying thing about it all.

Pasty white, with over exaggerated brows and bright yellow eyes with black dots in the middle of them, stared down at the pair of you.

The mouth of the mask curved upward, allowing room for two long, white tusks to stick out of it’s mouth.

The glass crackled between the killers feet as he approached you and Jack, machete humming as he raised it high and swung.

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[fool-tarnished]

"Remember me" - Chapter 2 - Yamato/Tenzo x F!Reader

Synopsis : Born in Konoha, [Y/N] wasn't necessarily known as the most impressive or powerful ninja, but rather for her kindness and compassion. She became like an older sister to Naruto and a loyal, faithful friend to many ninjas in Konoha. Without even realizing it, she had earned a special place in the heart of one particular ninja with brown hair. But everything changed the day the Third Hokage entrusted her with a mission from which she would not return unscathed. Pairing : Yamato/Tenzo x Female!Reader

If you want to read Kakashi's version, you can find it here.

Warnings : Memory loss

List : Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // ...

Inspiration : Remember me - d4vd

Words : ~ 4000 A/N : Hello there ! Here's the second chapter. It might not follow the same exact timeline and events as the books but i still hope you will enjoy it. And sorry for the mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker.

________________________________________

"[Y/N]?"

From atop the roof, Tenzo watched your figure as you moved through the street below. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming, a mirage brought on by his own longing. He was so focused on the distant image of you that he no longer heard the voices of his colleagues around him.

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his daze.

"She’s not reacting. Are you sure it’s her, Captain? Is this really the one the ninja at the gate described?"

The ANBU operative nodded silently, torn between the shock of seeing you again and the confusion consuming him.

“We’ll go down in pairs—two of us will block her from the front, two from the rear,” he instructed, his voice as steady as he could muster given the circumstances.

With that, he descended from his perch alongside a teammate, while two others moved into position behind you to cut off any escape route.

Tenzo took another brief moment to steady his breath and regain his composure, though the sight of your face after all this time made that nearly impossible. He had prepared himself for the worst: to find you injured, lifeless, or worse—to never find you at all and continue chasing the ghost of the woman he had grown to care for so deeply.

“I don’t know what you want from me, but I don’t have anything,” you said nervously, lifting your hands slightly in a gesture of surrender.

Your words jolted him back to the harsh reality of the moment. Did you truly not recognize him? Surely, you would know the mask he wore, the insignia of the ANBU you had once worked alongside for years. You had shared so many moments together. Was this some kind of cruel joke?

Yet there you stood, with no sign of recognition in your expression. Meanwhile, he hadn’t forgotten a single detail of your face—your [Y/EC] eyes he had so often lost himself in, your [Y/HC] hair that he had touched only on rare occasions, the softness of which lingered in his memory. But one thing was missing now: the smile that had been etched into his mind since the day you left.

“Don’t you recognize me, [Y/N]?” he finally asked, though his voice cracked under the weight of his emotions.

You tilted your head slightly, confusion evident on your face as you took a small step back. His heart sank as the realization hit him harder than he expected. Still, he moved closer cautiously, clinging to a desperate hope that perhaps, just perhaps, you’d remember him. Deep down, he longed for you to close the distance between you and embrace him as you once had.

But a darker truth gnawed at his heart: something was wrong. Something had changed. You no longer radiated the warmth he had known, and it left him adrift.

“You must be mistaken… I’m not [Y/N],” you replied, shaking your head.

“We’ve been searching for you for months,” he countered directly, his tone unyielding.

“I… Why? I’m just here to care for the elderly woman I live with. I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I don’t know you.”

A teammate approached him, speaking in hushed tones.

“Captain, are you absolutely certain it’s her? She doesn’t seem to recognize us. Is there another way to get through to her?”

If Tenzo hadn’t been wearing a mask, his face would have betrayed the storm of emotions raging within him: heartbreak, confusion, and pain. The mask, in that moment, was a shield he desperately needed. He knew he wouldn’t remove it—not now. But if you wouldn’t remember him, there was someone else he knew you couldn’t forget: Naruto Uzumaki.

“Did you decide to desert? And Naruto? Why are you hiding here?” he pressed, his voice sharper now.

Your headache flared, intensifying as emotions you couldn’t explain swirled within you. His voice—it was so familiar, yet so distant. It struck a chord deep within you, something indescribable and ungraspable. The haze that separated you from whatever truth lay buried in your heart grew thicker by the second.

“I-I don’t understand… What are you talking about?”

Your vision began to blur, darkening at the edges, and each breath came harder than the last. A chilling sensation crept over your chest as the figures before you faded further into a haze.

Tenzo saw your knees buckle and your body falter. He rushed forward just in time to catch you before you collapsed completely. For a moment too long, he stood frozen, gazing at your unconscious face, torn between heartbreak and relief.

“Captain, we can’t linger here,” one of his teammates reminded him firmly.

Snapping back to reality, Tenzo nodded and stood.

“Let’s take her home. We’ll resume the other mission later,” he ordered.

None of the team questioned him. Together, they moved swiftly, carrying you away into the night. ________________________________________

"Do you want me to take over, [Y/N]? You look exhausted."

Startled, you turned abruptly. The darkness of the night made it difficult to discern your surroundings, but the cold seeped into your bones, and your exhaustion was almost overwhelming. Before you could respond, a figure moved to sit beside you. A brief silence hung in the air as you struggled to make out the details of the face near yours. But no matter how hard you tried, everything remained blurry, foggy, unchanging.

"You worry too much about him. Don’t. He’s with Kakashi."

Kakashi? Who was Kakashi? Who was this person even talking about?

Though the topic of conversation was entirely alien to you, the voice sparked a faint recognition. You had heard it just hours earlier, while wandering the streets of Kumo—or at least, you thought you had been in Kumo. Had that even been real? And why were you here now?

"I should have been more vigilant earlier. I didn’t want you putting yourself in danger to help me," the figure said softly.

Frowning, you rubbed your eyes, hoping it would help clear your vision. But it was futile. Everything remained shrouded in that same frustrating haze. You tried to speak, but your voice seemed trapped in your throat, blocked by some unseen force. Your gaze returned to his face. Though the features remained indistinct, you noticed his short, brown hair and a headband with a rather unusual design.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, a gentle, reassuring laugh escaping his lips. "From the way you’re staring, you’d think we hadn’t seen each other in years."

Suddenly, the surroundings around you began to fade. Now, there was only him, sitting next to you, still shrouded in a maddening blur.

"Or… is it that you simply don’t remember me anymore?" he asked, his tone suddenly colder, sharper.

The warmth of his presence dissipated, leaving a suffocating darkness in its wake.

"So, [Y/N]? Have you already forgotten me? I always knew you’d leave me behind eventually, but so soon..."

A chilling laugh echoed from him, devoid of the softness it once carried. It sent a shiver down your spine.

"I knew you weren’t trustworthy. Weak, too."

Eyes wide, you instinctively recoiled. His form began to distort, shifting and twisting as though it were no longer entirely human. Still blurred, his silhouette now resembled a flickering mirage.

"Show me what a former ANBU is really capable of, will you? Make yourself useful."

His face morphed into something grotesque, resembling a spiraling vortex. The pitch-black void around you was suddenly pierced by flashes of vibrant color, swirling and distorting into shapes.

"Bring me the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki" he commanded.

With those words, the scene around you grew sharper, clearer. You could finally make out the figure: a tall man wearing a mask tinged in orange. Only one eyehole broke its surface, and from within it, a vivid red eye stared back at you, its intensity chilling you to the core.

Before you could react, his hand shot out, pressing firmly against your face. The pressure mounted as you finally managed to scream.

You woke abruptly, gasping for air, your chest heaving as your wide eyes darted frantically around the room.

To your right, Tsunade jolted, startled by the violence of your awakening. Quickly regaining her composure, she sat in the chair beside your bed and placed a hand gently on your arm.

The speed and force with which you yanked your arm away left her momentarily speechless. She let out a slow sigh.

"You’re back in Konoha, [Y/N]. You’re safe now," she assured you.

During the long days you’d spent in a deep sleep, the Hokage had performed numerous medical examinations. She had identified the head trauma you had sustained and had been waiting for you to wake up to determine the extent of the damage. She had also noticed something else—something unusual during her tests.

Your gaze, lost and confused, met hers.

"What am I doing here? Who are you?" you asked hurriedly.

"What do you remember?" Tsunade responded calmly, her tone steady despite the doubts forming in her mind about your possible memory loss.

Hesitantly, you recounted what little you could recall: Kumo, the strange days spent with Yubaba, and the fragments of events you didn’t fully understand. Tsunade listened intently.

Her attention drifted to a small vial resting on the table beside your bed. You hadn’t even noticed it until she picked it up, holding it out for you to see.

"This woman you mentioned—Yubaba. She gave you tea to help, didn’t she?"

"For my headaches," you replied simply.

"Mm. We’ll start you on a new treatment. Whatever she was giving you doesn’t seem to be effective anymore."

"Where is Yubaba?" you demanded abruptly, your voice sharp and cold.

"She passed away a few days ago in Kumo. She had lived a long life," Tsunade explained as she slipped the vial into her pocket and stood.

"I’ll check on you later. If anything comes back to you, I’ve left a notebook and pen on the table beside you. Write it all down."

With that, she exited the room.

Your eyes wandered to the notebook she had mentioned, sitting quietly by your bed. Why did she want you to write? Yubaba had passed away days ago?

How long had you been asleep here? ________________________________________

The Hokage had taken the time to summon Kakashi, Kurenai, Iruka, Asuma, Gai, and Genma to brief them on the situation. The meeting was meant to be short: she needed to inform them about your condition and, more importantly, urge them to stay vigilant, especially regarding Naruto, and to keep an eye on you.

"The ANBU team brought [Y/N] back to Konoha. I conducted numerous medical tests while she was unconscious, and I’ve concluded that she suffered severe head trauma—I fear she’s completely lost her memory," she began, eliciting surprised reactions from the assembled ninjas.

"You mean she doesn’t remember anything?" Kurenai asked, her concern evident.

"I’m afraid that everything before her accident is a total blank. And that’s not the only issue troubling me," the Hokage added gravely.

At her words, the group exchanged uneasy glances. Tsunade retrieved a small vial from her pocket and held it up for everyone to see.

"She was poisoned over several months. This concoction not only caused her persistent headaches but also weakened her physically. She couldn’t even attempt to use her chakra to relieve her pain... or for anything else, for that matter."

Kakashi sighed, breaking the silence that followed.

"Hmm. The real question is: who did this, and why?"

"Exactly," Tsunade confirmed. "I don’t believe the elderly woman she was living with would have randomly decided to poison her like this... and it seems highly unlikely that her sudden death in Kumo is a coincidence, either. [Y/N] returns to Konoha, and then the woman dies abruptly. Do you see where I’m going with this?"

"Do we have specific enemies in the Land of Lightning?" Iruka inquired.

"It could be a diversion," Asuma suggested, exchanging a glance with Kakashi.

Nodding, the Copy Ninja turned to the Hokage.

"We’ll need to be particularly vigilant, on all fronts—including with her."

"Exactly. As for Naruto and your students, they are not to be informed just yet. I’d prefer to wait before letting this news spread. Additionally, I’d like you all to evaluate her in the field once she’s recovered. Her chakra has changed significantly as well."

As the ninjas began to leave the room, Tsunade rose and gestured for Kakashi to remain behind. Once they were alone, she approached him.

"Tenzo is currently on a mission, but you can inform him when he returns. In the meantime, I’ll do everything I can to improve the situation."

Kakashi nodded, exhaling softly.

"He hasn’t reached out to me in a long time. I understand now why he’s isolated himself."

"She likely didn’t recognize him when he went to retrieve her. I think knowing the truth would help ease his pain, even if just a little."

________________________________________

A few weeks later, as Kakashi stood atop one of Konoha’s rooftops, enjoying the gift Naruto had given him, a certain ANBU operative appeared nearby.

"Hmm, I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up anymore, Tenzo," Kakashi remarked without looking up from his book.

"Missions have been piling up, Senpai," the ANBU replied simply, removing his mask before sitting down beside the Copy Ninja.

"There’s something you need to know."

A brief silence settled between them as Tenzo stared into the distance, his expression more somber than when he arrived.

"She lost her memory after a head trauma."

At those words, Tenzo turned to his friend, his eyes wide with shock. His gaze was filled with unspoken questions as Kakashi calmly closed his book and tucked it into his pocket.

"The Hokage is working to help her recover her memories, but she was poisoned for months—likely to keep her disoriented and compliant."

"Who would do something like that?"

"That’s the question we still don’t have an answer to. But for now, there’s little we can do about it. I know it’s hard, Tenzo, but... maybe you should go see her. Without the mask this time."

Kakashi knew he was treading on sensitive ground. Even though Tenzo would do his best to hide his emotions, the Copy Ninja wasn’t fooled. He’d long since noticed, through subtle yet telling reactions—both from Tenzo and from you before your mission—that something had been developing between you two, whether or not either of you realized it.

"Senpai… I don’t know. I don’t think she needs me anymore."

Kakashi stood up, letting out a soft sigh of disapproval.

"That’s where you’re wrong, Tenzo. If anyone can help her, it’s you. But it’s a decision only you can make."

Tenzo remained seated, his gaze fixed on the horizon as the Copy Ninja prepared to descend from the rooftop.

"I’m afraid she’ll never remember me," Tenzo murmured quietly.

________________________________________

After weeks of working with and caring for you, Tsunade had at least managed to make you less hostile and more smiley. As for your memories, that was another matter entirely. You hadn’t spoken to her about what you had seen during your sleep, after you lost consciousness in the Land of Lightning. Something told you that it wasn’t the right time to talk about it, and it might be better to piece everything together on your own before sharing those fragments of memory.

Still in the same small room as when you first arrived, the Hokage had done her best to provide you with things to occupy your time and help you reacquaint yourself with Konoha. You had spoken a few times with an Iruka, who had mentioned a certain Naruto—a name you had already heard before your arrival—and described him as particularly energetic. You had also had a few visits from a woman who was especially kind and gentle, someone with whom you felt strangely at ease. Her name was Kurenai, and her calm presence was greatly appreciated given the long, tiring days you had.

Aside from them, you hadn’t received any other visitors—at least, not until this evening.

The sun had slowly set over the village, and despite the growing fatigue, you couldn’t help but glance at the photos your visitors had brought. Some showed Naruto and his friends, while others featured people whose names you hadn’t fully retained.

The feeling of having seen them before, yet being certain you had never crossed paths with them, gnawed at you. The more you looked at the photos, the more you wondered if this was the key to unlocking the huge black hole that had haunted you for months.

A few knocks on the door pulled you from your thoughts, and you lifted your head toward it. "Uh? Yes?"

The door slowly creaked open, letting in the light from the hallway and revealing a silhouette. The figure approached your bed, and you recognized the uniform of the ninjas who had come to retrieve you from Kumo. However, his demeanor didn’t suggest anything ominous—on the contrary, he gave off a pleasant, reassuring aura. Another strange feeling surfaced, but you decided not to dwell on it for now. Instead, you focused on understanding who this man was and what he was doing here.

His eyes were downcast, and he looked tired and, above all, worried. After studying him for a moment, the color of his hair and the headband he wore strangely reminded you of the dream—or rather, nightmare—you had experienced upon arriving here. But as for his face, you couldn’t say for certain whether it was the same.

"May I?" he asked in a calm, hesitant voice, pointing to the chair beside your bed.

You hadn’t even noticed that he was holding a small box in his left hand, but you nodded nonetheless, curious. He finally sat down, as if your approval had lifted a weight from his shoulders. He seemed particularly stressed as he scratched the back of his head with his right hand.

"Are you one of the ninjas who came to get me from Kumo?" you finally asked, as he stopped scratching his head abruptly and met your gaze.

"I—Uh, yes. I’m sorry about that." After a short pause, he continued. "I just wanted to bring you something."

Your face softened as time passed, and deep down, the ANBU felt relieved to see you again. The road ahead would be long, but maybe Kakashi was right. Maybe, with time and effort, you would eventually remember him—and whatever it was you might have shared together. He gently extended the wooden box toward you, and you took it delicately, brushing your hand lightly against his in the process. Surprised, he pulled his hand back a little too quickly and looked away.

"What is this?" you asked after studying the box for a moment without opening it.

"Things that might help you, hopefully."

His voice was filled with both hope and reluctance: his intentions were sincere, but he didn’t seem completely sure of his actions.

"Can I know your name?"

The question caught him off guard, although he knew it was bound to come sooner or later. The first decision he had to make was whether or not to visit you, and now another one was upon him. Should he give you his name now? Or would it be better to wait until you remembered a little more before revealing anything?

Was he ready for a casual reaction?

No.

He wasn’t ready for that.

He stood up and made his way to the door, his hand hovering over it. His face turned toward you, showing the same sadness he had concealed during your reunion.

"Remember yours first, and then I’ll give you mine."

[tactical-mode]

Well so much for a break XD

(Remember to turn on CC for the dialogue!)

This episode starts with a combat sequence, telling y’all that if you're eager for the next story bit, you can skip right ahead. This episode does include a short scene featuring a guy who 'are' sick, but as this was an optional bit of town dialogue, it is integrated into this slum/town showcase instead.

The correct Plate comes to us from the only non-essential mod in this episode: Skybox Switcher by Altezein. In addition to this, the

bright and sunny nature of the slums in general has been tempered by a slight darkening and lowered contrast of the picture. The effect makes everything kind of sad and gross, and that is intentional.

For music, we’re using the OG version of Underneath the Rotting Pizza. It is still the best version of it. The EC version comes close but has a totally bodacious turntable effect. 7R adds a string section and changes the sound of that funky bass synth. No fan remaster has come close to getting it to sound like this, although I would sell my own mother for the same track with a live steel guitar instead of the canned PS1 samples. Ah well, you can’t have everything.

[Chapter 08] Scenes 24-25

Sadly, the hedgehog pie enemy (who appeared in the church in OG and in these sections in 7R) was not included. The hedgehog pie is relegated to graffiti in scene 49. But here's some screens, just for the blog:

The gorger enemies (featured in this episode) aren’t found here in OG either, they’ve been swapped in and the OG enemies (thieves) have been moved to their location later.

Aerith doesn’t use her quarterstaff like a quarterstaff in 7R, she uses it like a marching baton crossed with a magic wand. To get us back to a “bo-staff fighter” look, I turned particle effects off and had to constantly throw her into the middle of enemy groups, as she constantly retreats to back-line position to fling her magic. I like how they have made her staff retractable, and I set up some shots to showcase her extending and retracting it

Scene 32

Love the addition of enormous gates protecting the town from the slum monsters here. The dialogue is an amalgamation of various small chatterings in Remake.

The town itself is full of character, both in OG and Remake. I definitely wanted to include the camper van turned into a weapon shop, and the big screen. The newscast on the screen shows the blown up bridge where we fought Airbuster; that video goes on to introduce a minor villain - Scarlet! We’ll wait to introduce her where the OG does, so snip snip.

Scene 49

Yes, over 15 scenes from 7R were cut, mostly busy work and side-quests. Here we have Pipe Man, or Mr. No. 2, or “The This Guy Are Sick Guy”. He is not in his pipe, but he ARE sick, and his tattoo is on lovely display. So is Skybox Switcher!

The moment where he touches Cloud and Cloud has a little freak-out is a meaningful change from OG! (7R goes even further by having Mr. 2 appear to Cloud as Sephiroth and do a little song and dance, snip snip). In OG, any connection between this weirdo and whatever is going on with Cloud is nonexistent (at least... as far as we are led to believe). Connecting these two dots this early is a bold departure for our story. In the OG, he's not even in black!!

As it is the only animation we have of getting from the ground to our feet, it is part of the scene. Not thrilled about it but here we are. Despite this, a lot of change was done to try and preserve the OG scene as closely as possible. In these shots, for instance, Aerith holds Cloud hand to calm him down out of his freak-out.

And this shot - originally another super-close up of her mouth -- has been moved to include her whole face.

Final Thoughts

Between 70-140 minutes have been cut down to under 4. Pretty efficient! In Final Fantasy VII this sequence is entirely player-controlled, even allowing you to walk past that sick guy entirely. What you get in a video game in an explorable town with shops and people to chat with. Translating that into webisode format was an interesting challenge. Glad to be moving on to something a little more straightforward.

[altocat]

I seriously doubt Hojo let Gast solely raise Sephiroth for so long if they are pushing this narrative that Glenn was the first one to treat Sephiroth like a child and not tell him to push himself to his limit. Sephiroth also quotes Hojo constantly. I’m sure Gast was a kind face that slipped in and taught Sephiroth some things, but EC is doubling down on Hojo being his caretaker and Glenn being a different voice.

Yeah, that's what I'm starting to believe. I still think Gast was a semi-prominent figure in Sephiroth's life. But it's looking more and more like he wasn't an emotionally present figure who actually gave Sephiroth the necessary emotional tools to become a complete person, especially during his formative years.

Which isn't to say that Sephiroth is outright sociopathic pre-Glenn in First Soldier. We see that him hurting the child soldiers/elders genuinely upset him. He has SOME moral compass, it's just that he's been conditioned/indoctrinated to a degree where he feels he has to discard vulnerability as a means of survival, only for Glenn to help him question his own personal brand of ethics. I think Gast might have had SOME hand in preventing Sephiroth from just being a complete monster right out of the gate. But the actual warmth, comforting contact, friendship stuff? That was probably Glenn. Idk it's so messy.

[simplegenius042]

Late OCs as Horror Themes/Tropes, Ships as Tarot Cards, and 15 Lines or Less Tag

Tagged by @nightbloodbix @aceghosts @inafieldofdaisies @voidika @direwombat and @g0dspeeed

Tagging @socially-awkward-skeleton @softtidesworld @strafethesesinners @strangefable @adelaidedrubman @wrathfulrook @corvosattano @cassietrn @derelictheretic @shellibisshe @florbelles @cloudofbutterflies92 @starsandskies @onehornedbeast @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @afarcryfrommymain @megraen @turbo-virgins @minilev @carlosoliveiraa @shallow-gravy @titiagls @thewanderer-000 @snake-in-the-garden @purplehairsecretlair @chazz-anova @ladyoriza @la-grosse-patate @skoll-sun-eater @yokobai @bitchofedensgate @deputyash @ec-10 @foofygoldfish @gaeadene @henbased @vampireninjabunnies-blog and @trashcatsnark

You can find the OCs as Horror Themes/Tropes quiz here and the Ships as Tarot Cards quiz here. One OC for the first quiz, Two Ships for the second quiz, and three OCs for five lines each for the 15. The results and lines are below the cut:

DISCORD, THE MAD KIN OF CARNAGE (A Radioactive Calamity Of Love, Bombs & Gore and the Unnamed Original Works Trilogy)

Discord was a second-generation reality bender (or more commonly known as "Kin"), and one of the most devastatingly powerful as well. His very presence was capable of reverting anything and everything around him back to its basic essential form/s (until it became rusted, rotten, and/or dust and eventually nothing at all). Had technically been killed during the Extermination Purge War, however, Arcane Urias' Chapter of the Occult, a group of warlocks, liches and dark magic users that aimed to preserve ancient magic (regardless if it was forbidden or destructive) and bring back the Old Kin (which mostly consist of the extinct first, second and third generations, as well as some fourth) to rule over the Multiverse once again, had found a way to bring back Discord, in a universe where Earth had been ravaged by nuclear war. NOTE: This result kind of describes how Discord's second death more-or-less is like.

THE BAPTIST AND THE QUOKKA [JOHN SEED X NADI SINCLAIR] (Far Cry The Silver Chronicles)

While Nadi and John have this "loyally serving the other while yearning for each others love but beating around the bush due to bad timings and stuff and still caring and possessive of the other to an obsessively unhealthy degree"... I will have to say that Nadi's affection isn't John's only priority; Joseph and his family plus the project is John's focus and is probably what he would choose over Nadi. Nadi though views John as the person who gave her something to believe in again, to put her skill and faith in (especially after losing faith in the military and governments after the events of Call To Arms), so to her, Eden's Gate' faith is personified by John. But if either lose each one another, it will greatly impact the other's life.

HAOYU ANABUKI X ICARUS GALATOS (Life, Despair & Monsters)

Ah yes, another main LGBTQ+ couple I made to add to my collection alongside Sonya and Jennifer. Haoyu (Non-Binary, 25) and Icarus (Male, 23) fit each other well. At first both thought the other was a jerk. However, both got to know each other, related about their experiences with distant, long-lost and/or found family (Haoyu with their father, mother and Monika plus the Literature Club, and Icarus with his parents, siblings, alters and the Dupain-Cheng Family), coming to terms with their personal lives (Haoyu with their ability to open portals and travel through reality breaches, and Icarus plus his alters with the ability to switch dimensions with this magic fungus dude named Hatter whom one of the alters had eaten inadvertently on a dare), as well as near-death experiences (Haoyu with the Ruins of the Midnight Rise, and Icarus with Evermond Scowlzka trying to dissect him and his alters to get Hatter) plus their encounters with Sir Enigma Malvolio (Haoyu is Malvolio's foil and therefore targeted as a rival, and Icarus, while never meeting Malvolio until much later, had seen the aftereffects of Malvolio putting the essence of the Court King into a close friend of his, Marinette Dupain-Cheng). They also manage to work through each other's flaws; Icarus was reserved and arrogant but self-sacrificing (hence the requirement for his alters, Hatsukami Hinode and Xavier Tulip), and Haoyu was bold and selfish yet unambitious. Icarus teaches Haoyu how to be driven, pointing them towards a goal beneficial to not only them, but everyone, while Haoyu taught Icarus how to listen and take care of himself more, as well as be open-minded. Wherever they end up after the fight with the Ruins of the Midnight Rise, know that they're both at least together.

15 LINES, 5 EACH FOR 3 OCS IN THE UNTITLEDVERSE

Calvin Darling (The Perfect Storm saga)

"Ah, back in this shit again?" He grumbles, getting up.

"Haven't you learned by now? "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before the fall"," Calvin quoted, "Try to checkmate that, you pompous dick."

"I need a drink," Calvin pauses, reminding himself of another task, "But first I shall pray."

"Mario! I'm a cartoonist, not a mechanic."

"...I'm simultaneously impressed by how smart you can be but also disappointed in how stupid you are."

Rick Thompson (The Omniscience Rule saga and The Ender saga)

6. "I don't remember hunting down clowns to be part of the initiative...?" 7. "My dream came true Ma... I am IN a Musical." 8. "Ms Darling, if I may compliment outside of regulations, you're stunning beauty is increased tenfold by the stellar addition of grime and demons blood." 9. "I may be an agent, but I'm no where near professional." 10. "Ian Graveheart is the kind of man Pa described as the worst combination you can give a loaded weapon without safety on... legs and batshit insanity."

Urijah Calaghan (The UnTitled Stories (from The Omniscience Rule saga) and The UnTitled Ventures saga)

11. "You don't matter. Nothing matters. Nothing except this mission." 12. "How cruel are our lives where we must live out a path hostile to our treading feet as the unknown entities above and beyond mock and degrade us? And what fate awaits us then? Release? Freedom? Death? A second round for your soul to enter the world again and go right back into the cosmic mechanism that grinds us down again and again and again like a broken carousel? Or a decrepit record stuck spinning on the same tune? But that's only if you're lucky enough to die." 13. "My mission is to release us, painlessly and mercifully, from the one who holds onto us; the Hand at Fate's Table, one abhorrently callous and cruel enough to take pleasure in the suffering he puts us through." 14. "You must find this tiring. For a man to commit himself against an endless stream of challenges for what is ultimately a short speck of time in our universes must come at a great unnecessary cost to your body. Do you not wish to rest, Joaquin? Wouldn't it be best to live the final minutes of your life resting? Taking a moment to hold your family one last time before our Peace?" Urijah softly questioned. 15. "That doesn't matter," Urijah softly breathes out with a smile, hot air colliding against the cold breeze as the countdown reaches its conclusion.