#Ubisoft Forward spoilers

[fanworldbuildingfun]

First impressions from Mirage gameplay: they didn’t joke around when they said Basim will be quick. Almost looks like teleportation XD Granted, this particular part - only when he is doing chain assassination

Still pretty fast otherwise. And talkative! Might be the snippet they used, but Basim seems found of thinking aloud

[lulu2992]

My (spoiler-free) opinion on Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix

It was very good.

Seriously, I enjoyed it a lot! This “remix”, as the name suggests, is basically a big mashup of Ubisoft franchises, in a style that resembles Japanese animation (but by a French studio), and with a hint of arcade games. Some names, faces, or events may be familiar, but the story is set in 1992 in its own world with its own rules and people, so don’t expect anything or anyone to be exactly the same as what you’re used to.

For example, among the existing characters featured in Captain Laserhawk, we have Pagan Min, who still wears pink, has bleached hair and eyebrows, and is a villain, but isn’t a dictator, doesn’t seem to have the same backstory, and is more exuberant and carefree than he is in Far Cry 4 (he reminds me more of the young version of him we see in the Control DLC). Marcus Holloway, on the contrary, is older and more serious than his canonical Watch Dogs 2 self, but he’s still part of the series’ version of DedSec.

Visually speaking, it’s very rich, and the animation manages to be simultaneously “simple” (because of the low frame rate) and impressive. Sometimes, the show temporarily becomes a retro game, which I thought was really cool, not to mention a clever way to move the story forward. Not only are those “gameplay sequences” very well done and look like actual games, but various styles are also represented (platformers, shooters, even a dating simulator), so they really are a nice, original touch.

The soundtrack is reminiscent of the music we could hear in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and I don’t have much to say about it except that it was good and worked well!

As for the story, it was well-written and engaging; I watched the show in one sitting and never got bored. There’s at least one plot twist in each of the six episodes, and while the series is inspired by and references a lot of existing pieces of media, it still feels unique and manages not to fall into easy tropes and clichés. It’s funny, but it knows how to be sad. It’s colorful, but it can get really dark. It’s animated fiction, but it also tackles very real issues. Captain Laserhawk does it all, at it does it well. It’s made for an adult audience, so it contains violence, blood, drugs, vulgar language, nudity, and (implied) sex. That said, those mature elements, much like everything in the series, are well-dosed and don’t feel gratuitous, in my opinion. It’s appropriately inappropriate, I would say.

In general, I thought the actors were good and that the characters were compelling. My favorite is probably Bullfrog because he has some great scenes and I think he encompasses all aspects of the show: he’s here for comic relief but has solemn moments, he’s a cute cartoonish frog but also a skilled Assassin, etc. On a side note, as a French person, I really appreciate that his accent, although very strong, is real and not a caricatural imitation. Even when he lets out things like “ok, d’accord”, “et merde”, or even just “oui”, it sounds spontaneous and natural.

In conclusion, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is great. Both esthetically and narratively, it’s super creative, there’s always something happening, and you’re constantly surprised. This show is a lot but, strangely, it’s never too much. I think it’s obvious by now, but I recommend watching it (if you’re over 18... or just 16 in my country for some reason), even if you’ve never played a single Ubisoft game in your life and just want to see a good animated series. In the end, the thing I dislike most about it is that... there aren’t more episodes!

[letstalkassassinscreed]

Book Review - Assassin's Creed Daughter of No One

In this spoiler-free written review, co-host Declan gives his thoughts on the new Assassin's Creed novel Daughter of No One, written by Maria Lewis:

Before I start this spoiler-free review, I want to thank Aconyte Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read the book's review copy. Daughter of No One is due to be published around November 7th 2023, plenty of time to finish Mirage before you dive into this essential piece of reading.

Daughter of No One is an intriguing story filled with love, loss and deceit; your typical Assassin's Creed formula. However, continuing the recent trend of transmedia published by Aconyte Books, this story has enough new flair and take on the formula that it can draw you in and keep you invested from start to finish. This isn't an exaggeration. The start of the book throws you right into the deep end, and throughout the first chapter the author has managed to paint a vivid picture of the world that Roshan lives in. 

The book is also unique in the fact that it not only wants to give the reader a deeper understanding of all the trials and tribulations Roshan has faced, but also the current dilemma that has drawn her into the hidden conflict of the Hidden Ones. The way the author manages this was very clever. Instead of creating a single narrative that runs from 824CE, there is a second narrative that exists through a jump back in time to 819CE. The chapters flit between 819 and 824. What is interesting is that each time the author jumps back in time she also moves the past narrative forward, so that this past narrative from 819 to 824 ends just before the main narrative set in 824 begins in chapter 1, creating a very satisfying loop. By doing the story this way she can push the main 824 stories ahead with small callbacks to the past. To me this gave the author more room to play around with the main narrative without any worries that they had missed any details that would flesh out Roshan's past. I did enjoy this style of story as each time skip back dragged me more into Roshan's story and life, and I started to feel I understood the character on a deeper level. I am curious how this early read will impact how I see Roshan when Mirage launches in October.

The story we see in 824 is an odd Assassin's Creed story as it presents the idea that the Hidden Ones need something and they enlist Roshan's help, but that's where they stop. There are only 2 Hidden Ones mentioned, but after a few chapters they are no longer involved in the plot which was interesting because when I reached the end I started to get bad feelings about how this type of Brotherhood operates and it made me wonder if they have good intentions at heart. But even with the Hidden Ones missing from the later narrative Roshan makes up for it. She is a natural-born assassin with an inherited ability to see things that can't be seen by others, and her tenacious and hard-working nature has turned her into the perfect assassin, who is not only skilled in combat but also in movement. There were also a good few moments where we see Roshan's mental reflection on what Philo says of the Assassin's enemies and it sets up the idea that Roshan makes the perfect assassin.

Overall Daughter of No One is an essential read for all fans of Mirage, it felt more like a DLC story than a companion novel. and upon finding the book I had a lot of respect and admiration for her character and I hope we see her feature in more works. I was expecting it to be a little longer as there was a few things I would have liked to see but I do feel its pace and ending were great and made for a read that I just couldn't put down. I also like how Daughter of No One is the latest Aconyte book that not only creates a fun tie-in to the games but also helps reshape the transmedia into a world that Ubisoft should expand. I would love to see Daughter of No One and The Engines of History translated into a live-action mini-series or even animated.

[skxawngonearth]

Theories about the ikran in Frontiers (spoilers)

So what we know from the Ubisoft Forward panel, we’ll have to bond with an ikran during the game (guessing it’ll be mandatory for the main story). From both previous trailers and now the panel we can assume that the ikran will have a set colour (the green as seen below), although we seem to be able to name them personally.

However, from the panel as well as the pre-order editions we also know that there’ll be cosmetic options for the ikran (so far 1 unique and 1 cosmetic skin are confirmed by the Gold and Ultimate edition) 

My guess at this point: the blue skin is the unique skin (probably selectable through the game menu), while the headpiece/saddle is the cosmetic set from the Sarentu package. 

The one aspect I’m actually curious about now is how the co-op might change our apperance. Will player 2 to an entirely new character (possibly another Na’vi from the program?), or will we play as the same character?

From the first look footage it most likely seems like that the ikran might be changed (though I can imagine that’ll be if one of the players has the Gold or Ultimate edition). The character could also be just a cosmetic change, though with the picture quality I’m not entirely sure.

Note: I do realize the ikran in the final trailer are not 100% identical to the ones from the first trailer. But due to their striking similarity, I assume the current pair is the polished version (since they do have more detailes which probably were added after the initial trailer) 

Aside from that, I think the green rider might have the Sarentu cosmetics on, while the blue could be the “Child of two Worlds” skin.

Alas, I do hope that with future DLCs/Twitch drops we will get the chance to further customize our character/ikran (since we already got a token from the Forward stream via Twitch drop), and Ubisoft does still release skins for AC Valhalla

[rrrokamoka]

a short review on Assassin's Creed Mirage noone was asking for

so for starters: Ubisoft wasn't kidding when they said that they are aiming to return to the basics and create an homage to the first game. not only does this episode have very similar medieval arabic desert city vibes, the features are also great, there's hardly anything that would not have fit the first few games also

the story is interesting and surprising (even though we know very well where Basim finally ends up. (no worries, this is not a spoiler)), the characters are very well written, and what I also find rather important nowadays: the conversations, animation and voiceacting also feels rather lifelike in almost every scene

the codex again is not too much but still provides great context for this particular period of time and place in history

the setting is also very well chosen, with Islamic Golden Age Baghdad being a crossroad of worlds, a mixture of cultures, especially with the Zanj Rebellion also being in the center of the story. although I find it somewhat interesting that despite using very many arabic expressions in the game, the "God is great" sentence is never used in its arabic form (you can guess why)

there's no more insane levels of power, no god-challenging arsenal, armoury and skillset. no xp, you get skill points for missions and quests. and that too only sometimes! there is also really only a couple of swords, daggers and outfits, giving different bonuses to better fit your playstyle.

on the downside, the game is very short actually, I finished it completely in about 35 hours, so it's about the lenght of AC1, Brotherhood or Revelations, I think. but I'm reasonably certain there will be another 35 hours worth of DLCs in the next year or two. If you are looking to play more, you might want to wait a while and buy the season pass (or download the game. there's no online features, I think).

of course there's also the occasionally wonky controls, and I think the civilian and guard AI is not as detailed as was in Valhalla.

all in all, it is much simpler, shorter and cleaned down AC game compared to the last 2 episodes. but (or maybe "and because of this") it does indeed fit the vibes of the older titles very well

looking forward to future DLCs! ...and Codename Jade, god I want that so much. and Hexe!!!

bonus: The Young Eagle short quest made me tear up. i'm weak for this shit... (if you know, you know)

[newengland-alligator]

I played through the two newest free Assassin's Creed: Valhalla content today, so spoilers below for AC: Valhalla, The Raven And The Cuckoo and The Last Chapter.

The Raven And The Cuckoo:

This free quest introduces the Hidden One character of Roshan to Eivor. It's a quick little quest where you help Roshan defeat an enemy that she and Eivor share.

I have mixed feelings on this quest. It's stealth based, which I enjoyed. And while I already like Roshan as a character and am excited to see more of her in AC Mirage, I'd rather either her not have shown up in ACV at all, or at least given her a scene or two with Hytham.

This is an Assassin's Creed game that's so bereft of actual assassin's in favor of playing a Viking simulator that is get frustrating when the few Hidden Ones characters you do get, barley have any meaningful scenes together.

Like Roshan was Basim's mentor when he joined the Hidden Ones, and by this time in-game Basim is canonically presumed "dead" in Norway. And Roshan has no dialogue about this? No anger at Eivor or even "wow sorry that happened"? Whatever. It's a minor complaint and honestly, fits in with the emotional trend (and by trend I mean lack of emotion) we were already getting in ACV. Moving on now.

The Last Chapter:

Classic Ubisoft. This is a short, mostly emotionless fetch quest that feels incredibly rushed. It serves as more of an intro to the events occurring in the next game, AC Mirage by setting up William Miles reliving Basim's memories of becoming a Hidden One and realized Sage of Loki. Presumably to convince Miles that he and Basim are on the same side (Which they are...kinda. Basim is loyal to the Creed, but still wants to unite his lost family)?

While I am very happy to get more Basim content, and more Hytham content, that's about the only positive thing I have to say for The Last Chapter.

Like most of ACV, Eivor is confused emotionally and is written to have conflicting characterization to the point where you just have them figured out, than Ubi changes their mind and writes Eivor differently.

By the end of ACV, Eivor is written to finally be at peace with themselves, no longer seeking glory, and has refused to acknowledge their past life as Havi. Fast forward to The Last Chapter, and suddenly Eivor is acting like their scared 20 year old self seeking Havi's knowledge, and not the 40+ Jarl we left them as.

It would have been one thing if Ubi wrote them to be slowly loosing themselves in their past life's memories like Halfdan did, but instead we got...this very lukewarm Eivor deciding to drop their responsibility to go to Vinland and have their past life teach them what a "solar flare is".

I know a lot of people have already shared posts about Darby discussing the choice that Gunnar's wedding was "Eivor's goodbye to the clan" to explain why they don't say goodbye to anyone from Ravensthorpe besides Hytham, and having gone straight from the wedding to this quest yeah I can see it. But it doesn't negate the fact it's been two years, with three DLCs, and yes there should have been a better goodbye scene.

I would have like a scene where Eivor stood in front of the clan and officially steps down, handing the Jarldom to Randvi, then goes on to give private goodbyes to Hytham, Sunniva, Randvi and Gunnar. I actually like the goodbyes with Alfred and Guthrom. Not so much with Harald, it felt a little out of the way.

I am not going to touch on the gender discourse except to say that like the romance system, Ubi wanted to have their cake and eat it to. I personally loved the ability to switch gender whenever I wanted, and I play Eivor as non-binary. But that doesn't mean that yes, Eivor is canonically a woman and marketing-wise was screwed over by Ubi marketing only the "male Eivor".

It was the same with the romance options. Ubi pushed for no canonical romance but did so in a way that left nobody happy. Instead of the organic feel of Kassandra/Alexios free-loving their way through Ancient Greece, we had Randvi who was used as a cheap way to betray Sigurd, and a bunch of other romance options that were... incredibly stale (Hytham should have been the main romance, I say even though I wish we got a scene with Basim like we got with Aspasia).

Anyway, I'll wrap this up before I get more rambley by saying "more meh than disappointed, but not surprised". As much as I enjoy this franchise (ACV was my intro to the series!) Ubisoft is a company rife with with horrible business practices and work environments, and I hope desperately that AC Mirage is not a complete shit show. Sorry ACV, we really could of had something with this game, but Ubi would rather take our money for the bear minimum.

[pocketbelt]

I already posted it on Twitter but I may as well here too

Armored Core VI Chapter 4 boss spoilers in there, it's just for visual reference; forgive the colouring and blur, it's a recording of clips captured by the PS5, then shoved through Youtube compression (and I have no idea how HDR footage plays with OBS)

Armored Core VI and Immortals of Aveum coming out the same week is the most blatant the gap between Western AAA development and literally everyone else (not just Japanese AAA development) has been ever, I think. Like big budget Western games have sucked for ages but lately they've been spiralling even worse than usual, and Immortals of Aveum is like the apex of it. I've had a stream of Immortals on in the background as I play ACVI, checking in when the streamers audibly die inside.

Years of hundreds of people's time and tens or hundreds of millions of dollars spent to make a horrible, plodding FPS desperately aping the aesthetics and dialogue of F-tier Marvel products like The Eternals, and after all that, it doesn't even work properly half the time. And then you stack that against Armored Core VI, a fast, relentless and invigorating mech shooter with actual equipment mechanics and complexity and actual fight design and gorgeous visual and art design (that has no glitches or bugs I've seen, either!), and you wonder how EA (and Ubisoft, and Activision Blizzard, and hell all of Microsoft's lot) are considered competitors to anyone.

It really is just "for what end?" at this point. Like, this feels like the point of no return, if this thing could get out there, the apex of corporate checklist sludge, there really is no turning back for any of them.

It really is just the big ones, too, Baldur's Gate 3 is the prime example of smaller studios doing just fine, or more than fine in that case. Right as BG3 is hailed for its writing and characters and how much of a dense RPG it is, EA fires 50 staff from Bioware, including the writers of the most beloved parts of their 7th gen and earlier work, then say "look forward to Dragon Age 4".

I've said before that I doubt Ubisoft will survive past 2030; EA might have the sheer cash reserve to tank past that line but I think we're genuinely going to see the extinction of AAA Western development outside of Sony and Microsoft studios. It's just withering, rotting from the inside out. And hell, Microsoft's got the same rot, they just have the infinite money to keep cranking out disasters; Sony hope to field 12 live-service games over the next 3 years, so they're threatening to enter a death spiral.

And honestly? Good. Feed the fire. Let the last cinders burn.

[coffeestainedcamera]

Gradually playing through Gotham Knights on PC and yeah, it's a 7/10 game if you get lucky with tech issues. I love everything the writers are doing with the character relationships and my fave villains of the Scott Snyder era, but they're absolutely getting dragged back by the Ubisoft-ied game design. It's not as eyeroll-worthy as the collectible overload of Assassin's Creed Unity or the explosive square footage of maps that plagued the series since IV, but moments like the fast travel point unlock process sure bring it to mind.

Still, there's enough affection for Gotham stories packed in to fully grab my interest, even with that tired design philosophy. So far, I got a Man-Bat plot twist that felt designed to mess with comics readers' expectations, Harley as a self-sufficient villain with a Goop-esque podcast, a nod to the Black Canary mini from 2015... Kind of unfortunate that we've also gotten references to the Lobdell decade, but I've been having a grand old time in spite of that infestation. Still, this decision feels rather contradictory to the inclusive energy we get in the room from the writers actually remembering Babs' supporting cast and working Tim's post-2020 arc in (even though it was all published well into the development process).

And while I've got an endless supply of jokes about Jason's frat douche look, I actually think that the character design work here has been an overall step-up from Rocksteady era. Its issues can be summed up by Poison Ivy's Arkham Knight look, which looks like someone was trying to style a 2010's Victoria's Secret shoot and only belatedly remembered that hey, she's got a thing for plants. The camera angles in cutscenes that were trying too hard to sell the femme fatale didn't help.

And I feel like if still handled by Rocksteady, Talia's appearances probably would have been a similar trainwreck. But no, she's allowed to have a pretty sensible outfit for a dangerous lady on the run from a society of assassins under Warner Montreal. And the cutscene direction thus far actually focuses on her face. Truly revolutionary, slow clap. Harley's on-screen evolution into a pretty menacing villain also was delightful, but I'm not going into it due to spoilers.

Another thing that charmed me was the consideration to accessibility this time around. There's an entire menu that I don't seem to remember encountering in the 2010's games, and it actually features an extensive section for physical accessibility. And it lets me toggle off the button-mashing QTEs, which normally aggravate pain from my old wrist injury! It's definitely not as extensive as accessibility menus in some of Sony's latest exclusives, but it already meant that I could tackle a certain rather cold villain's boss fight much more comfortably than if we were still in the 2010's.

So, several steps forward, several steps back. I do love what the WBM crew pulled together in spite of COVID and the Ubisoft school of game design, though. Here's to hoping they get to work on a less messy project next.

[wintcore]

The expanse reading order

#The expanse reading order full

#The expanse reading order simulator

The title is a reference to the similar biblical phrase "Sins of the father" from Exodus, of how the consequences of sin can pass or be inherited from one generation to another over time.

#The expanse reading order full

Filip recognizes the eventual impact of the shifting of allegiances within the group and acts, with full awareness of the consequences of his actions. An internal power struggle within the settlers also threatens the settlement in a more subtle way. With the free-to-play platform fighter MultiVersus blowing up the internet lately, it also wouldn't surprise us if we got a sneak peek at some upcoming MultiVersus characters.“It kills monsters” - Spoilers for The Sins of Our Fathers follow.Īfter the collapse of the Ring network, a settlement of 436 people on the planet Jannah, including Filip Nagata, fight to protect themselves from the native creatures that threaten the settlement. Warner Bros.īeyond the appearances of Hogwarts Legacy and Gotham Knights that we know are coming during the major Gamescom 2022 showcases, we might get a look at the upcoming Suicide Squad game expected to release in 2023. We wouldn't be surprised to see the One Piece Odyssey RPG, the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle remake, or the multiplayer survival game Dragon Ball: Tie Breakers. We're begging Bandai Namco to tease some Elden Ring DLC this Gamescom - we want more reasons to dive back into what is easily one of the best Xbox games ever made - but even if that doesn't happen, the publisher likely still has some good stuff in store.

#The expanse reading order simulator

11, and looks at Goat Simulator 3 and Payday 3, both of which are releasing in 2023. We may also see The Chant, a third-person horror game set to release on Nov. 23 - the same day that the festival begins. The game everyone expects PLAION (formerly known as Koch Media) to spotlight at Gamescom is the Saint's Row (2022) reboot, which is slated to launch on Aug. Attendees will be able to play demos of these titles, though it's unclear if fans will get to see them during a stream. THQ Nordic has confirmed it's showing a wide variety of new games at Gamescom, including the Alone in the Dark reboot, Outcast 2, Wreckreation, Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, SpellForce: Conquest of Eo, The Valiant, Tempest Rising, and AEW: Fight Forever. We could see Miasma Chronicles as well, which is a brand new turn-based exploration RPG set in the near-future. In addition to the FPS roguelike Gunfire Reborn that the publisher is showing during the Xbox Booth Live stream, we also expect to see the Eiyuden Chronicles RPG and Among the Trolls, a survival action-adventure title set in a Finnish forest. 505 Gamesĥ05 Games has announced it's bringing an "amazing line up" to Gamescom 2022. In the biggest stretch, we may also catch a glimpse of the new BioShock game 2K confirmed was coming in 2019. We'll also likely see footage from the upcoming New Tales from the Borderlands game (details leaked earlier this week on Amazon) or the recently-delayed superhero title Marvel's Midnight Suns. It's very likely that 2K Games will have some DLC for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands to show off, especially since we haven't heard anything about the planned "Glutton's Gamble" release since developer Gearbox revealed the game's roadmap alongside the Coiled Captors DLC in April 2022. If the stars align, Beyond Good and Evil 2 could appear, although rumors say that game is still a ways out. We'll also likely see Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, the Splinter Cell remake, or the free-to-play shooter The Division Heartland. In any event, we may see more from games like Skull and Bones or the ambitious Assassin's Creed Infinity. The studio may not host an event since it has a Ubisoft Forward show planned for early September (opens in new tab), though we won't know for sure until Ubisoft provides some details. Ubisoft is one huge developer and publisher that has confirmed it will be at Gamescom. (Image credit: Deep Silver Volition)īoth in and outside of the big livestreams mentioned above, we expect to get closer looks at several games coming from some of the industry's biggest publishers. There's a good chance Koch Media will show off Saint's Row (2022) during Gamescom.

[eivor-basim]

"something tells me eivor is not done with odin yet"

[maddiethecanadianassassin]

We got some more updates about the next possible AAA title coming to the franchise, focusing on Basim! This will contain spoilers for those who have yet to learn of Basim’s full story in Valhalla.

- The official release name will be Assassin’s Creed Mirage, with an estimated release date window of May-June 2023.

- Game will take place in the year 860-870 in Baghdad, following Basim in his youth starting out as a thief and meeting the Hidden Ones for the first time.

-Over the course of the game, we will learn how Loki manifests and take control of Basim’s body, seeing visions of the God of Mischief.

- Similar to the older AC games, will be able to visit multiple cities and there will be a return of the older and original game mechanics with little to no RPG elements in this instalment, such as the return of the OG eagle vision.

- With RPG elements being removed, that means Mirage won’t have a leveling system, dialogue choice, and no gender choice as Basim will be the main protagonist.

- Basim’s signature weapon will be a String Dagger.

- With all these new and returning assets, there’s been rumours circulating that these developments are also helping to get the blueprint down for an official remaster of AC1 with Altair!

- AC1 remake will be integrated the season pass for Mirage, including a DLC of Basim and Sigurd meeting for the first time.

- Ubisoft is set to announce this and much more in September 10th during the Ubisoft Forward event.

[olwrathie]

Help Me. -Faith

Chapter Two: The Time has Come For Judgment

Chp 1

***Warnings: spoilers for Far Cry 5 campaign, vulgar language, depictions of violence, and some descriptions of abuse and manipulation.

Word Count: ~2,950+

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Far Cry 5, they belong to Ubisoft. The only characters that are my own are Eve and my OC Deputy. Aside from in-game dialogue, all writing is my own. Unless otherwise stated, pictures are my own.

   It didn’t take long for all hell to break loose once the doors of the church peeled open, revealing the cuffed Joseph to his flock. The ambient chatter of his followers, the tires of an approaching truck squealing to a stop, some dogs barking in the distance, all of these noises filled the small church. The voices of the cultists sounded irritated as they chatted amongst themselves in the background. However, they were soon filtered out as Deputy Hudson approached the group. 

     “We gotta get the fuck outta here,” Hudson exclaimed, her voice soft. Her anxiety was evident in the tone of her voice, as well as her hand that rested on her holstered pistol. 

     “Marshal, you take point.” Whitehorse ordered. 

     “On it.” Marshal stated with eagerness, and with no hesitation as he stepped forward to guide the group. 

  Eve couldn’t hear any of the conversation that took place right next to her. Faded blue eyes remained focused on the men and women that were staring at the group of officers. They all had looks of betrayal on their faces, and it broke Eve’s heart. Despite everything, Eve still found herself caring for Joseph’s followers, and she continued to feel protective of them. So to see them looking at her with such distrust and sorrow, it was too much.

     “Stay close to me,” Whitehorse whispered in Eve’s ear, gently pulling her closer to him. Eve responded with a small nod.

   The group started to walk through the compound. The voices of the cult members surrounding the officers grew louder as the tension began to grow. Eve kept her eyes on the ground, unable to look up at the people surrounding them. She struggled to keep pace with the group. Especially with Joseph’s eyes burning a hole in the back of her head, which only made her even more nervous and caused her breath hitched in her throat. Whitehorse picked up on this discomfort, hugging her closer and resting a hand on the small of her back. A simple, yet mildly protective gesture that aided in calming Eve’s nerves. Albeit slightly. 

     “Stay on the path, Rookie.” Whitehorse called to the officer behind him, in reference to the path the Marshal had taken. And perhaps something else. 

   Eve tried her best to ignore the cries of Joseph’s followers as they were guided to the helicopter. Most of them were focused on Joseph, dropping to their knees as they cried out in anger and anguish as their leader and savior was led away in cuffs. But there were a few hidden cries for Faith. Her supporters watched in sorrow as she willingly walked away from them and the Project with her old coworkers. 

     “Back up, back up,” Burke exclaimed as he rounded the corner. He swiftly shoved one of the bystanders when they got too close to him. 

     “Burke!” Whitehorse shouted, glancing down at the person the Marshal gave not even a second glance at. 

     “Everyone, keep back!” Burke exclaimed, seemingly unphased by the Sheriff’s tone, nor the crowd that was getting increasingly agitated. 

     “Rookie, keep up.” Hudson urged, a quick glance over her shoulder revealed her anxious eyes to the Rookie Deputy. 

     “I am a Federal Marshal! I am ordering you to stand back!” Burke exclaimed.

  Eve glanced up from the ground as the helicopter came into view.  A gasp escaped Eve as the Marshal staggered, having been hit by a rock thrown by one of Joseph’s followers. Burke quickly regained his composure, but the commotion had already begun. Each of the officers, aside from the Rookie, moved to grab their weapons. 

     “Burke!” Earl exclaimed, “Weapons out, weapons out!” 

   Whitehorse pulled Eve behind him as he unholstered his pistol. He turned his back to the chopper,  holding the girl behind him as he turned to face the rowdy crowd. Hudson quickly stepped in as Whitehorse and Burke swapped places. Hudson tugged Eve to her chest, holding her head down as she guided her friend to the helicopter. Trying to get her out of the way of the riot that was forming. 

   Eve flinched, ducking down when two loud gunshots sounded behind her. However, she wasn’t given a chance to recover as Hudson grabbed Eve’s bicep and pushed her up into the back of the helicopter Eve sat down in the middle seat, her hands trembling as she desperately tried to buckle her seatbelt. A normally simple task made difficult as Eve attempted to drown out the screaming and gunshots in the background. 

   The anxiety Eve currently felt made her feelings from 15 minutes ago feel like nothing. This feeling was unlike anything she had experienced before. She couldn’t focus on anything anyone was saying. Their words entered her ears, she could hear them. But the words were trapped by an invisible barrier as they entered her brain, making them sound like the speaker was mumbling a foreign language.

   Eve’s heart pounded, and she felt as though she could hear the blood that pumped through her veins. Her eyes darted around frantically, barely even registering that everyone had piled into the helicopter, and that it was slowly lifting off the ground. Only realizing it when she saw the three officers surrounding her feigning off the Peggies that were so desperately trying to reach herself and the man across from her. The man she did not dare look up at. 

   A loud thud, followed by the shrill beeping of the helicopter's controls were the first sounds Eve was able to comprehend.  They started muffled, and slowly became more and more clear. So much so that Eve brought her hands up to cover her ears to try and block the overwhelming sound. However, there was not much time for Eve to process these sounds, as the feeling of her stomach climbing into her throat distracted her. A feeling caused by the helicopter that was now spinning out toward the ground. 

Eve’s hands quickly came down and gripped the sides of her seat. The only reaction she had as the officers around her screamed as they plummeted. Eve, on the other hand, remained silent. As did Joseph. The two having finally made eye contact, and a new sense of dread swarmed Eve as she saw Joseph’s calm and smug demeanor. He wanted this. 

~~~

   Loud sobs filled the helicopter, reaching the ears of the semi-conscious officers as they slowly came too. The Rookie was the first to gain her bearings. However, her head was still pounding as blood rushed to it, but she still managed to carefully turn to face the source of the sobs. A frown pulling on her face at the sight. 

   Eve was beside herself, fumbling helplessly with her seatbelt. Wanting nothing more than to break free in time to escape the singing voice that was getting closer and closer by the second. No matter how feeble her attempts to escape were, the thought of ending up back in Joseph’s hands made her even more hysterical. She should have known this was too good to be true, that escaping Joseph’s clutches was impossible, and now she would have to face his wrath. 

   The Rookie couldn’t help but feel pity for Eve. She could see how desperate the girl was to escape, but that Eve was too hysterical to actually succeed. Even if she did break free of the makeshift bond that was the seatbelt, the approaching voice of Joseph Seed would surely catch her. But, in hopes to potentially save all of them, the Deputy found herself desperately reaching for the headset that dangled tauntingly in the middle of the helicopter. The frantic voice of the dispatcher only made the tension rise, especially as her voice pleaded with any of the officers to respond to her cries. 

     “Come in…this is Nancy, is everything okay? Over.” 

     “Please, are you there? Are you there? Are you there, Sheriff?” 

     “Deputy Hudson, if you’re there please pick up.” 

   Nancy, that was her name. The Rookie had met her briefly during her tour of the police precinct. A nice, middle-aged woman, but the deputy couldn’t remember too many details at the moment. She tried to focus hard on Nancy’s familiar voice, a feeble attempt to drown out Eve’s sobs and Joseph’s voice. The deputy tried even more feverently to grab at the headset, not even sure what she would say if she achieved her task. A simple help would do. And she was so close. But then again, so was Joseph. 

     “Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound…”

     “Deputy Pratt? Are you there? Are you there?”

   Nancy’s voice was a beacon of light, the only one the deputy could see. Unfortunately, that light was fading as Joseph’s voice became unmistakably closer. This was it, now or never. The deputy made one final stretch to grab the headset. A cry of joy almost escaped her as she finally grasped the headset in her hand. However, this hope was gone in an instant as Joseph’s hand latched around her wrist. His hand squeezed tightly, making the girl wince in pain as he pressed uncomfortably on the bone. The deputy released the headset, staring at her captor as the headset once more swung back and forth. Joseph’s eyes, covered by the now cracked yellow aviators, bore into hers. His gaze, as well as his singing slowing down so much that he spoke the words to the haunting song, it sent chills down the Deputy’s spine. 

     “That saved a wretch, like me.” 

   Eve’s sob’s increased. Even with Joseph so close, she was trying desperately to break free. Knowing the attempts were essentially useless, Eve wanted nothing more than to get out. But neither Joseph nor the Deputy acknowledged the girl or her attempts to escape, they only stared at each other. 

     “Earl, come in. Over,” Nancy’s voice broke as she begged someone to answer, “Please, are you there? Is somebody there? Please.” 

   The Deputy began to tug on her arm, and Joseph released her wrist as a result. The headset fell from her grasp and was left to swing back and forth behind Joseph. Still, Joseph was not ready to let the Deputy go. He reached his hand out and grasped her collar tightly. The two stared intently at each other as Joseph pulled the girl close. She could feel his breath on her face, which only further increased her urge to pull back. 

     “I told you that God wouldn’t let you take me.” Joseph whispered. His hot, stale breath hit the deputy’s face as he spoke. 

     “Please. I need to know what’s going on.” Nancy's voice exclaimed in the background. 

   Joseph kept his grip on the deputy’s collar as he turned to grab the headset. His surprisingly soft gaze turned back to the deputy as he brought the headset to his mouth. 

     “Dispatch,” Joseph spoke. 

     “Oh, God,” Nancy exclaimed. 

     “Everything is just fine here. No need to call anyone.” Joseph reassured. 

   The deputy felt as if she was going mad. Here she was, in a tipped over helicopter, having just been in an accident that happened as a direct result of the man she just arrested. And she still found herself almost believing the words he spoke. Even with his hand around her collar, his soft words and eyes made the deputy feel she could trust him, a thought she quickly shook from her thoughts.

     “Yes, Father. Praise be to you.” Nancy answered after a moment. 

   Joseph barely acknowledged this statement, almost as if he was expecting that answer from the dispatcher. His gaze remained fixated on the deputy as he released this headset. Once again, Joseph leaned in towards the girl, also tugging on her collar to ensure she couldn’t pull back. 

     “No one is coming to save you.” Joseph whispered. 

   The deputy watched in horror as Joseph released the grip on her collar. His piercing eyes finally broke the gaze, and the deputy found herself blinking a few times. When had she stopped blinking? Her eyes felt like sandpaper, watering slightly as she followed Joseph’s gaze. Joseph moved toward Eve, his gaze now on her. The deputy looked over at her, Eve’s eyes squeezed tight and knuckles white as she held tightly onto her seatbelt. 

   Eve’s eyes finally opened as Joseph tenderly brushed his knuckles over her tear-stained cheek. They were a bright shade of blue, which made Joseph frown and pull his hand back. The deputy noted how he pulled away with disgust, as if he had touched a dirty dish with crusty food. The deputy was shocked, and very much confused by this reaction. Joseph’s disgusted reaction was puzzling, all because Eve opened her eyes. 

     “No- please.” Eve sobbed as Joseph unbuckled her. 

   The Rookie watched as Joseph placed a hand on the back of Eve’s neck, with the other sliding behind her. The seat belt holding Eve in place eventually came loose, and Joseph caught her with ease. He held her tightly to his chest, carrying her bridal style out of the helicopter. As Joseph bent over to set Eve down, a truck came to a stop. A handful of Joseph’s followers piled out of the truck, grins on their faces as praises left their mouths, all due to the fact that their Father and their Faith were safe. 

   Eve didn’t feel safe. All Joseph’s flock saw was their Father beaming at them, as he rested a gentle hand on Faith’s neck. But what Eve felt was Joseph’s hand hidden beneath her hair, holding the scruff of her neck. A small sob fell from her lips as she realized she was once again trapped, and completely at the mercy of the man she just tried to run from for the second time. 

     “Enough, Faith. You are safe, it’ll be okay. Joseph stated, his voice soft as he attempted to save face. 

   Eve took in a deep breath in an attempt to stop her sobs. The Father’s voice was calming, and his flock was none the wiser. The grip Joseph had on Eve’s neck was meant to control her. A silent threat to her to behave and be silent, or she would face the consequences later. 

   After what felt like forever, Joseph finally let go. A red imprint left on the skin as he released it. The only reason Joseph let go was to address his flock. Stepping up onto the hood of the truck, Joseph’s gaze immediately fell on her. His intense stare was enough to scare the girl into complying. Even though the Bliss was pretty much gone from her system, and Eve was slowly regaining control. 

   Eve didn’t pay attention in the slightest to Joseph’s ranting. Her mind was elsewhere. To be exact, it was focused on the officers in the helicopter about 15 feet away. Joseph noticed her eyes continuously darting back and forth between him and the people stuck. She wanted so badly to help the officers, her friends, but she knew doing so would have consequences. Taking one last somber look, Eve turned her attention away from the helicopter, and focused on Joseph as he spoke to his followers. 

     “And these,” Joseph stated, pointing at the helicopter, “The harbingers of doom will see the truth. Begin the reaping!”  

   Chills shuddered down Eve’s spine at Joseph’s tone. Arm held above him as he commanded those around him to attack the officers in the helicopter. Eve bit her tongue, wanting to urge them to stop, and try and save her friends that were struggling to break free. Before she could think more on this, a firm hand wrapped around her biceps. And Eve found herself being tugged to Joseph’s bare chest. 

      “This,” Joseph paused as he whispered in her ear, “This is what happens when you disobey me. Your friends are being taken, and there is nothing you can do.” 

   Eve blinked back tears as she watched Joseph’s men drag her friends from the helicopter. Joey was first, twisting and kicking at the men who carried her. Next out was Earl, followed quickly by Staci. They were swiftly dragged away, all of them resisting their captors, but to no avail. As the men reached in to grab the last two remaining, the fire engulfed the entrance, pushing the two cultists back. 

     “Let them burn, this is God’s will,” Joseph called out to the men who glanced back at him, “This is their punishment.” 

   There was a moment of silence as the group watched the helicopter, Eve felt tears finally slid down her cheeks as she watched the helicopter burn. She prayed, wanting those trapped inside to survive, and hopefully escape. They didn’t deserve this fate. They weren’t sinners, they were just doing their jobs. It wasn’t their fault Joseph had an arrest warrant out on him. 

   After a few moments, a loud thud was heard, followed quickly by a second thud. Except this one was followed by a shadow disappearing into the forest. Eve recognized the back of the female rookie deputy, who had ducked down to dodge the bullets that began to whiz past her. Eve’s prayers had been answered. 

   Eve had to shove down her excitement at the deputy’s escape. Unfortunately, Joseph picked up on this and tightened his grip on her arm. As hismen took off into the woods in pursuit of the Deputy, Joseph pulled Eve’s arm and shoved her into the passenger seat of the truck. He reached across her, buckling her seat belt. This made Eve feel as though she was a child who just disobeyed her parent’s in the grocery store. And as Joseph leaned back, he cupped Eve’s chin with his hand and forced her gaze. 

      “Behave, and maybe I’ll consider being more forgiving for your actions today.” Joseph growled.

[lilatreus]

All of my thoughts on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla!

Of course there are major spoilers for the game and ending. I know it’s been out for like three months now but you never know so I’m putting it all under the cut. And yes this is pretty long. A summary is at the end of the entire text.

also pls don’t send me hate like y’all did for what I said about odyssey literally these are just my opinions on the game if u dont care for them pls just skip I have a lot to say about it and there is actually quite a few things that I really enjoyed when playing the game and if u do read it pls don’t hesitate to shoot me messages and talk to me about the game bc I really enjoy the franchise and I need some more people to talk to in this fandom.

What I enjoyed about the game!!

The blending in with the monks/prayers in the streets to get pass the guards!!!!! Dude!!!!! I know it’s like a really small detail but it just made me so happy because it reminded me of when you had to do that in the first assassin’s creed game. It’s a nice touch of nostalgia and really liked it.

The “glitches” (while some were annoying) I’m super super happy that they were kind of bringing back the glyphs from assassins creed two. I loved doing them because I loved trying to get the little movie. It was really nice of them to bring that back so we can get another little movie like the one from AC2 again.

I think we can all agree: Hytham was a great character. I wish he was more involved in the story than already but that’s just me. I really liked his character so much he’s my favorite from the game.

Desmond having some Easter eggs and basically coming back into the series again was great. It was also a nice touch to see the vault from assassins creed three (the place where des dies). It really makes me miss connor and his band of assassins. I miss assassins creed three :( I want more about Connor please put out some more comics with him in it or some easter eggs please I’m begging you. Also fuck u haytham kenway I hate u.

Shaun and Rebecca being back and now it’s canon that they’re together is fucking awesome. I’m actually really happy about that and I missed them so much. I’m glad they’re in the story again. (Rebecca dude I was so worried that she died like no fucking joke I was so upset I thought syndicate really killed her off).

The game itself actually did very well keeping with the lore we were given from assassins creed origins and was actually doing pretty well trying to connect it to the first assassin game.

Speaking of lore I do think they did the best they could to expand upon the not so well liked lore from odyssey and try and fix it but also it did feel a little confusing but I guess that’s just because i didn’t finish the Asgard missions yet so who knows.

The scenery was very very beautiful and I throughly enjoyed walking around and just admiring the view no matter where I was on the map.

Reda just becoming immortal is so funny and the fact that he was just sitting there telling stories about Aya and Bayek.. please my heart. I love them so so much. The letter Bayek wrote??? Soulmates I’m telling you.

Also I did like that they fixed their plot hole for why Bayek and Aya aren’t known for anything history wise in the story (or mainly why Bayek isn’t in the assassin’s history books and Aya, as Amunet, is really the only one written down). I’m very glad that they explained it and I really think I’m just super happy that Bayek was brought back for some easter eggs within the game.

Basim is very handsome and I liked him but I don’t know how to feel about the ending with him. Yes I do love his character and it was super cool to hang around him and do a couple of missions with him but also it felt weird that now you’re technically playing as the bad guy.

Eivor was really cool to play as. I enjoyed running around as them and doing missions. I like the fact that Eivor was basically like “yo you guys [ pointing to the brotherhood ] are fucking crazy but you guys [ pointing to the templars/order of ancients ] are really fucking crazy and weird.” I really loved basically being an assassin and using the hidden blade again. (Yeah I know they technically aren’t an assassin but yknow just an honorary one).

The Canterbury Tales!! The fucking pardoner’s tale!! That was super cool to do I loved those stories and being able to do them in the game made me super happy. I know it doesn’t actually fit the timeline given it wasnt written until like centuries after the game took place but I just thought that side mission was neat!

Fulke was a very cool templar and I thought her character was really really interesting. I wish they did more with her honestly.

What I didn’t like about the game:

So! Speaking of templars! Boy oh boy I have a lot to say for that subject. So for “the order of ancients”:

— I think my biggest problem with this game (as well as odyssey) is that the templars (“OOA”) aren’t actually important to the game anymore. They’re barely in the story now like out of all 20 or so people you have to kill within their order only like 5 or 6 are actually important to the storyline and that’s my biggest problem with it, because now killing the templars is just like a “well since you’re in the area you can kill this dude” and I really hate it. I truly believe that’s why I didn’t like odyssey that much solely bc they made doing the most core part of the video game series a damn side mission and that also goes for Valhalla.

— Also so many of the templar stories, like scenes we get after you kill them, were just so bland. They don’t make them like they used to and that’s another big core part of the series lost.

— They’re straying very far from the main plot of the series and that’s why these last two games didn’t feel anything like an assassin’s creed game. (And you can’t say that “it’s just different because they’re taking place in a time way before the templars were called templars” bc assassins creed origins did very well to changing their game and how they play but also keeping the main goal from previous games: To be an assassin and kill the templars.)

— Also they need to not show us the outline of who the templars are because I could tell who “the father” was as soon as I was able to see the order tab. Please Ubisoft do better.

I know I said this before however the fucking Beowulf mission. My God Did I Hate That. I was really looking forward to the dlc and to see what they did with the story sucked. In Odyssey we got actual Greek monsters and gods and I expected to be given that in Valhalla for the norse deities. And it didn’t happen. (As of right now I can’t comment on the Asgard missions because I haven’t finished them but I’ll probably edit the post and put them in later)

As of right now with the ending and lore shit I’m really kind of indifferent with it. On one hand they are trying to fix the lore that they kind of fucked up in Odyssey by adding more things to explain it better but also that means they added on unnecessary stuff that makes no sense. On the other hand I really hate that Layla is now technically canonically dead because shes now in the grey and basim now has the one thing that would’ve kept her alive. I really wanted them to do more with her like they did with Desmond. I genuinely enjoyed her as a main protagonist and it sucks that she is now dead. Layla deserves so much better honestly!!!!

Also on des: While I don’t want to smack away a fan service gift that includes desmond; it did kind of feel weird that he’s back in the series. Honestly I don’t know how to go about this. I’m super excited that technically desmond is back in a way but on the other hand I wanted them to focus on Layla more and :( Idk man it’s complicated. They have to stop changing the story’s main protagonists Layla deserved to be in more games and hopefully she will be because her “death” felt so cheap. I also wish they explained what happened with her during the year apart from odyssey and Valhalla.

The side missions I have no problem with except for the fact that the little side mission icon just stayed in the place you first show up to to get the mission. I miss the old side mission mechanic bc this new one felt really really confusing and it made me get lost quite a few times.

This one might just be me but I guess they’re expanding more on the gods reincarnating but they’re not focusing on the sages anymore? Like when will Elijah Miles (the newest sage) be shown?? Odyssey fucked up that lore bit but now they’re not even talking about it because any isu god can reincarnate or can take ahold of anyone if they interact with a piece of eden or something. Idk this one little bit is super confusing for me right now and I don’t like that it’s confusing so I will be doing more research on the isu (again) to understand what the fuck is going on with this damn part of the lore.

I know that this is a game where you kill people but this whole game felt so gore-y that I like had to drop it for a bit. Like dude I didn’t really expect that. This one I really feel like is just me. I did not expect to like hear bones breaking when I played it.

The storyline felt kind of all over the place like yes I could understand the big part of the story but also it was all over the fucking place. I just miss the old plot I really do that had a system that was so good it caused several games to follow it’s lead. (I miss AC1 please remaster that damn game)

Also maybe it’s just me but the story felt so slow at the beginning when ur going to England. Literally I hate to say this bc I love this whole series but I was more happy about finally finishing the main storyline than I was while playing the game.

All in all: I did like the game. I did have fun even though some parts were rough. I’m super glad that they got rid/fixed the ship mechanic because I hated every fucking naval battle in assassins creed and that’s something I was worried about doing when I saw that we had longships in the story. The game was enjoyable and it had a lot of great side characters like Hytham, Gunnar, and Yanli. Basim was a treat, though I hope they explain more about him bc I’m going to be honest he’s a bit confusing with this whole loki thing. But yeah this is all I have so far on the game. If you actually read all the way down here comment or like shoot me message to talk about it bc I really really want to talk about the game. Pls pls pls.

[belliesandburps]

Non-Kink:  Top 12 Best Stealth Action Games

I was inspired by my dear pal, @twistedtummies2, to share a lil bit of non-kink related stuff about myself with’chall.  One thing to know about me is I’m a huge lover of video games.  I may not have as much time to PLAY ‘em much these days, but dammit if they aren’t one of my biggest joys beyond writing and the great outdoors. 

And my favorite genre in all of gaming is the stealth action genre.  Anyone who knows me knows that I adore the Metal Gear Solid series, but I also love a whole bunch of other stealth action games because, to me, this genre is the one with the most meat to come back to.  Stealth action done right is you being put in a room or outpost or whatever with a bunch of bad guys, and trying to carry out an objective without engaging with the enemies.  OR, it’s picking off the bad guys one by one, quickly and quietly.  Oooooor it’s you try to be sneaky, get caught, say fuck it, and wage war with an armada of Russians because isn’t it always Russians.  XD

I love that so many stealth action games can play out so many different ways.  And the feeling of escalation, like trying to be sneaky, and being overwhelmed when you’re caught and having to escape a hectic situation?  That, to me, is more thrilling than ANY set piece or scripted, linear mission from any game I’ve ever played.  It’s why I’ve replayed many of these games time and time again, and haven’t even THOUGHT about most of the biggest AAA blockbusters upon beating them.

Now, this list is subject to change.  I have a few games I need to play and they may beat out a few on this list.  But for now, here’s my Top 12 Best Stealth Action games because on top of being a thirsty old bastard, I loves me some espionage and bandana action.  :P

12) Batman: Arkham Origins (2013)

This game gets a lot of flak, but believe it or not, it’s actually my favorite in the Arkham series.  It’s City with a new coat of paint and a few more bugs, but City was still awesome, and so is this game.  It had plenty of clever predator stealth sequences, with more enemy variety to shake things up, that always made wiping out the bad guys swiftly and silently deeply rewarding.  AND it had more stealth action boss fights.  City had Mr. Freeze and a single predator fight rehashed twice with Two Face and Harley.  Origins had Mr. Freeze again, but with new additional options, and a pre-fight stage where you had to stay outta sight.  It also had Deadshot, the best of the three basic “predator boss” types, as well as TN-1 Bane as the final boss, and damn if it wasn’t intense.  With more gadgets and clever ways to mix and match, I think this game would be higher, but it’s still a great one for lovers of more approachable stealth action paired up with excellent brawler combat.

11) Assassin's Creed (2007)

The other AC games may be better, but AC1 is the only game in the series to stay consistent and simple with its design philosophy.  Here are targets for you to assassinate, here are bolstering crowds with beautiful cities to Parkour across or hide within, and at every turn, there are hiding spots but also enemies, making situations escalate organically and entertainingly with each assassination.  Hence why, despite most people regarding AC1 as the weakest entry, it's my personal favorite.  It's the one I replay the most and the one that just stays consistent with what it advertises.  No more, no less. 10) Hitman (2016)

I've yet to play the other Hitman games, and by accounts, each sequel is better than the last.  But you've seen the Jackie boy vids.  What more need be said?  :P

9) Death Stranding (2019)

Death Stranding's kind of a jack of all trades in the stealth action.  On one hand, you have conventional stealth action where you're infiltrating enemy camps and can either pick off all the bad guys one by one or go nuts and fight everybody head on.  On the other hand, you have BT's, whom you sneak around by holding your breath and moving slowly, lest these ghostly monsters drag you out to a tarpit for a boss fight.  The stealth is fairly simplistic but functional.  Combat as is would be fairly shallow, were it not for the sheer quantity of options you have in any given battle.  Seriously, you have a sticky gun that lets you snatch cargo straight off a bad guys back then immediately bludgeon him unconscious with it, and snatch HIS cargo to smash his BUDDY out cold with that in one fell swoop.  The way situations can organically just bleed from stealth to action and give you options for both makes it a blast.  And the boss fights against Cliff and Higgs are almost all I could ask for from stealth action battles. 8) Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020)

I DO wish the game had some stealth action boss fights, but far as superhero games are concerned, no game has better stealth action than Miles Morales.  It hits fast and is deeply gratifying.  You have corridors with as much as twenty plus bad guys, and you can clean it out in minutes thanks to being able to hide in plain sight through invisibility.  Venom Takedowns with let you wipe out a chain succession of enemies all at once.  Corridors have TONS of environmental advantages to wipe out a bunch of bad guys with one move.  And unlike Spider-Man or Arkham, if you're caught, just go invisible, flee, and go right back to picking off baddies in seconds.  It's like playing a predator sequence in an Arkham game on steroids...and in fast forward.  And the sheer volume of enemies you're often up against keeps it from feeling too easy. 7) Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (2019)

This game SUCKED at launch.  Like, it was actual trash that became a chore to finish when it first came out.  But fair's fair, Ubisoft stuck with it and the end result is one of the most customizable experiences I've ever had in gaming.  Like, this game is straight up now designed to let you change the entire experience simply by pausing the game and flipping a new options on and off and have it immediately go into effect.

I hated the injury mechanics of the first game because it slowed you down and led to a lot of random, unfair deaths because you could never predict which attacks would be critical and which wouldn’t.  So now, I can turn them off.  I thought bad guys were brain-dead.  So I can make them smarter.  I thought constantly slowing down when I'm running from bullets was detrimental, so now, I can make stamina limitless. 

I thought some areas had way too many guards to viably take out without co-op buddies...soooo I can activate an entire squad of AI partners all throughout the game with me and there's a lot of coordination you can do with your team for really covert missions...and you can even customize their look to create a team that looks as cool or goofy as you want.  It’s a really dorky thing, but I LOVE customization in shooters and being able to fully customize, not just yourself, but your team to look however you want in missions is really fun.

And if you think the enemies are too easy to take down?  Turn on Terminator mode and have T-800's storming the place.  Yeah, freakin’ Terminators.  XD

The game gives you literally all the options you could ask for to have an experience perfectly tuned to what you WANT to have.  And the options you have make it so the game can feel like an entirely different, borderline strategy game instead of a solid third person shooter.  You can activate a drone now to coordinate your three AI buddies to stop and go where you want, mark targets for them to eliminate and have your eye on the entire battlefield.  It's honestly staggering how many options this game has.  And were the missions not so boilerplate and were the boss fights actual boss fights and not just reskins of basic enemies, this would be one of the best games ever.  As is, it's a genuinely impressive comeback story!  6) Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016)

Mankind Divided is the game Cyberpunk WISHES it was (Spoiler Alert: Cyberpunk isn’t very fun or responsive yet).  It's a game with some spectacular level design where there are dozens of ways around any given enemy and tons of options for any mission.  You have a wide assortment of augmentations to let you sneak or fight your way through any scenario and they give you the tools to use your robot powers in really clever ways for navigation purposes.  This is a game where even the simplest side mission has about a dozen different outcomes, and most of them are wholly organic.  What it needed was more...well, GAME.  After all, MD is a third of the game it was meant to be.  But it IS a marvel of stealth action goodness. 5) The Last of Us: Part 2 (2020)

I have a BUNCH of issues with this game, but on the subject of stealth action, TLOU2 is one of the best in the genre.  Every single encounter is highly difficult, but has dozens of variations.  The levels are all designed with tons of varied cover spots and hidden paths to let you navigate as you either pick off the bad guys one by one, or sneak past them.  The enemies range in their weaponry, but possess self preservation, so they aren't just standing around shooting aimlessly. 

And on top of that, combat is brutal.  Every bullet counts, and you feel the impact of every shot fired.  The melee system is simple but complements gunplay fantastically.  So if you wanna save bullets, you can shoot someone in the leg, and as they stagger, you can bumrush them, grab a hammer or brick you find on the ground as you're running and bludgeon them to death to save bullets.  The game also has a great lil "MGS4 Battlefield Stealth" system.  Several encounters have humans and infected, and you can pit the two against one another and either sneak around the carnage or use it to pick off the harder enemies.

The game also has a FAR better predator fight that's basically David's fight in the first game, but with way better mechanics.  The boss increasingly upgrades their weapon each time you attack them, the environment is perfect for this fight, and if you're caught, you aren't just dead, you have a means to escape a hairy situation.  TLOU2 may have been deeply polarizing, story-wise, but as a GAME, it's terrific.  And best yet, once you beat the main game, there's an encounter mode that lets you skip all the BS and just jump right into every single stealth action encounter and boss fight throughout the whole game risk free.  What's not to love about that? 4) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD (2004 / 2010)

MGS3 is the first really great linear MGS game.  It ditches that terrible fixed camera, simplifies the controls, and has more than ten rooms where you do any sneaking.  Its best moments are proto-MGSV outposts, where you have an area with tons of guards and multiple paths to your objective, and a whole lot of opportunities to get creative.  It was also the first MGS game that made combat just as viable as stealth.  You CAN actually just punch your way through the bad guys now, and the end result is shockingly fun thanks to all the weapons and more intuitive controls.  But the real star is the boss battles.  MGS3 has some of the best bosses of any video game I've ever played in my life.  And MOST of them incorporate stealth beautifully.  To the point where you can eliminate half the bosses with any of 'em ever even knowing your location, and giving you a plethora of variety in the bosses themselves AND the means in which you fight them.

3) Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013)

Splinter Cell's an odd series.  The story is nonsense yet also pretty drab and simplistic.  Sam Fisher REALLY isn't an interesting character, none of the characters are except the villain and anti-hero scumbag.  But as a VIDEO GAME, Blacklist is the peak of linear stealth action.  MGS3 had boss fights, and THAT was the biggest mark for the game.  And Blacklist only has a single boss fight, which is basically a slightly elongated version of Deadshot's "fight" in City. 

But the moment-to-moment gameplay is out of this world good.  You have brilliant level design that makes sneaking from A to B deeply gratifying, but you also have insane mobility that makes you feel like the biggest badass when you play.  There can be a room full of guards.  And like a game of chess, with the right moves, you can end them in seconds, which requires skill to pull off, rushing the first guy and taking him down, shooting his buddy, then using execute to auto-kill up to three guards you've marked who were in range.  It's about using the systems the game gives you to maximize efficiency on the field.  And you can pick off bad guys using your environment, or climbing a plethora of terrain. 

The game almost plays like Arkham half the times when you're climbing walls or pipes and dropping down on bad guys or shooting them from overhead.  It has a huge variety of gadgets to aide you as well, and combat is incredibly difficult but doable.  Sam can only take a few hits before he's dead, but the means to shake off enemies is fair, and recovering from a slip-up is more fun than it is frustrating.  The campaign has several excellent missions which would satisfy a person as is.  But it also comes with over a dozen bonus missions you can access from your allies, each one taking place in entirely new settings with new enemies and storylines, each one with simpler and more streamlined objectives (perfect stealth, predator missions where you kill all the enemies, and survival waves where you have to fend off increasingly harder enemies).  AND it has the best kind of co-op.  Like Peace Walker, you can play any side mission with buddies.  But it also has missions exclusive to co-op, designed to be fully embraced with a buddy you can play with on the couch or online.  It's a game with tons of content, and all of it is mostly excellent. 2) Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

MGSV is the best game I've played.  That's because it's a game that hits all of my buttons.  The outposts are examples of perfect level design.  Each one is designed with a huge array of cover spots and multiple paths, direct or secret, to an objective area.  As a result, every mission allows you to get in, carry out your objective, and get out without raising a stink.  And when you screw up, it doesn't feel like punishment, because the combat of this game is fantastic. 

Everything is highly responsive, so your inputs happen with no delays.  You can go from diving to shooting from the ground in a tenth of a second.  And combat lets you seamlessly go from shooting, snatching guns from bad guys and blowing away with it, to taking breathers behind cover or with a human shield.  The enemy AI is the best the series has ever had.  They have way more self preservation, they're liberal with grenades, have way more variety in their weapons, and actually use turret guns and mortar cannons now. 

The missions themselves can be resolved tons of different ways.  Assassination missions play out like small-scale Hitman missions, without the frustration of screwing up and restarting because missions are so short, you just roll with the punches.  And the overall feel of a mission changes dramatically, depending on your loadout, the paths you choose in the level, your playstyle, and the time of day you select when you start a mission. 

There are only a few major downsides to the gameplay.  The bosses lack variety, like, I REALLY wish MGSV had more XOF assassins like Quiet to confront along with the Skulls and MoF.  Some missions are a bit too samey, and there aren't enough larger scale outposts.  Some more enemy variety wouldn't have been remiss.  And finally, the open world itself is pretty lifeless.  It works to complement the missions, like giving you a whole stretch of land to carry out ambushes or battle the Skulls anywhere you please.  But open world games are best when they have more to react to and engage with, or secrets to find.  Oh yeah, and the main villain should've had a boss fight, a stealth action shootout at that because that’s what the OG plan was until Kojima decided to be slightly more pretentious than usual. 

But beyond that, this game is a freakin' masterpiece.

So why is number 2 on the list even if it's the best game I've ever played?

Because this game exists... 1) Deus Ex (2000)

Deus Ex isn't as mechanically good as MGSV.  It's even that good mechanically, like, playing it now, it feels pretty clunky and not the least bit smooth.  Still fun, but you feel the age.  So why is it number 1?  Simple.  Deus Ex is the most open-ended video game ever made.  It's a stealth action RPG where every, and I mean, EVERY single level has dozens upon dozens of different paths to choose and make your own.  It has class specialization, meaning the build you create gives you a whole ton of new paths and strategies to use for hacking or flexibility. 

Every single mission takes place in a sprawling area.  You have an objective, obstructions blocking your way, and a whole bunch of guards.  You can blaze right to a solution, resolving a situation in minutes.  Or, you can take your time and find any number of different paths to your goal.  And all throughout each mission, there's tons of things to find as you explore.  There's entire other side missions with their own plethora of options.  Lots of really clever flavor text.  Upgrades to bolster your augmentations.  And really ominous messages you can find that'll come into play later. 

The bosses may lack variety but each one is a perfect stealth action battle where you can choose any number of options against the bosses, right down to running away from them and the game outright acknowledging that the boss enemies weren't killed.  Best yet, it's a game designed to be broken.  Unlike Human Revolution, all the bosses are recurring characters you spend plenty of time with.  But you can outright blow them away WELL in advance and the game will acknowledge their deaths and keep going anyway.  If you engage in a boss battle during a designated boss fight, but avoid them or run away, then that boss will turn up again for a rematch later. 

This is a game where you can create your own cover spots or platforms by gathering vending machines and dumpsters and piling them on top of each other.  Where specialization changes the entire feel of the campaign and incentivizes repeat playthroughs just to come up with different builds and experience missions in whole new ways.  And best yet, this is a game where when you're in a hub, whatever you see around you, you can interact with.  If you see buildings in the distance, you'll be able to go in and explore, and there's always something to find. Deus Ex is number one because there will never be another game like it.  It's debatable that no other game will ever be as FUN as MGSV, but no other game will ever be as open ended as Deus Ex because it's literally impossible.  The game is clunky and cheap looking because the engine it was built on was a low-memory one.  They traded in graphics fidelity and more impressive flow for the sake of creating a vast video game with an impossible amount of content to constantly stumble upon.  And unlike all the other games on this list, that open endedness actually DOES translate into the story, giving you dozens of different branching paths to the story, and sadly, only three fairly weak endings, but damn, if the journey up ain't a blast.  

I have a whole slew of other lists I’ve been meaning to post for the better part of two years, and honestly, they’re fun to write.  So, who knows?  Don’t worry though, they won’t get in the way of bellies or burp content either.  XD

[liviethewriter]

Melody || Arno Dorian x Reader

Fandom: Assassin’s Creed Type: One Shot  Requester: None Warnings: An Adorable Arno, SPOILERS for Assassin’s Creed: Unity Note: Assassin’s Creed: Unity and its characters do not belong to me. Rights to the game go to Ubisoft who did an excellent job on it. You are your own person. The only thing that belongs to me is the fan fiction. Also, this is my first fan fiction. Why not write one with my favorite assassin? Hope you like it! -Livie

Arno huffed in annoyance as he walked through the Café Théâtre, trying to keep it at a leisurely stroll. He was having a rough day so far, and he looked rather irritable. He’d just gotten back from a mission and had gotten little sleep. On top of that, he had just lost one of his best singers as she had decided to retire with her husband into the countryside. 

Arno was happy for them, but it stressed him out that she was leaving them. So, he thought a little stroll around Paris would help. No. Such. Luck. And, now here he was frustrated and ready to do a leap of faith out onto a bare street. 

He trudged up to his room, passing the occasional staff-member. Upon seeing the steward of the building, they steered clear, recognizing that he most certainly wasn’t in the mood for idle chat in the hall. He strode into his room, shutting the room behind himself and taking a deep breath. 

Elise’s death was still fresh in his mind, though it’d only happened a few months ago. Arno was still troubled by the suddenness of her death. His heart ached every time he thought to go see her, only to remember that she was no longer of this world. 

Feeling empty at the thought of Elise, Arno decided that a little rest would help him relax and get it mind off of the sudden lump in his throat. He undressed down to his trousers and undershirt, his fingers numb as he blinked a little. Taking a deep breath, he laid down on his bed, sinking into the covers comfortably. 

Maybe if he rested his eyes for a little while... 

~~~

Arno grumbled a little, awakening. He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He was feeling a bit better, but his muscles still felt pretty sore. He had done a lot of fighting on that mission. Of course, he’d just recently resumed his duties among the Brotherhood, so it made sense that he still felt exhausted. Even after a nice long nap. 

Arno was suddenly alert. He knew what had woken him up. 

A melody.

A song. 

A voice. 

Arno widened his eyes, hearing the soft voice singing softly. Their voice sent chills down his back but... in a good way. Curious, the Assassin got to his feet and quietly left his room. He followed their voice, the soft sounds soothing. 

As he entered the main hall, Arno took note of the pale moonlight filtering through the windows and into the empty room. He had not noticed it back in his room, as drowsy as he’d been. So it was well after hours. No one should be in here save for any staff working late. He entered the salon, eyes mistrustfully looking about.

But Arno’s breath caught in his throat seeing... her. She was a lone soul, sitting on the edge of the stage and singing idly but beautifully. Arno blinked a little, eyes wide. She was beautiful and seeming to be perfection incarnate. The way her (e/c) irises flitted around the room in admiration of the interior design of the salon and her coiffed hair framed her elegant face. 

Arno placed a hand over his heart, hoping she couldn’t hear how hard it was pounding. She was... lovely. He was transfixed on her irises, the depth and beautiful color that they were. They were full of emotion as she sang softly. Arno nearly lost himself, transfixed on her eyes and hypnotized by her soft voice. 

He was so lost in the moment that he didn’t notice when her eyes landed on him. 

It was only when her eyes widened in fear that Arno snapped out of his daze and blinked rapidly. The woman squeaked in surprise and fear before quickly scrabbling off of the stage and towards the exit. Arno widened his eyes. 

“Wait, s'il vous plaît (please)!” Arno sped after her, urging his sore muscles into action once more. 

The woman didn’t stop, looking scared as she raced towards the exit. Arno swiftly caught her but didn’t try to force her down as anyone else would’ve done. He merely took a hold on her wrist, keeping her from running. 

“Wait... please,” Arno murmured, his voice soft. 

The woman was shaking, her eyes wide and shoulders drawn taut and close. She had clenched her eyes shut tight, awaiting a beating. 

“I won’t hurt you,” Arno continued softly. “Please, I only wish to speak to you.” 

The woman lost some of the tension in her shoulders as she glanced back Arno, her eyes wide with fright. “You... You aren’t going to kill me for being here after hours...?” 

Arno looked a little surprised. “Kill you for practicing your singing in the perfect spot without an audience? Never, ma chérie (my dear).” He offered a comforting little smile.

The woman still looked a little frightened, but she eased up some, turning to face Arno as he released her wrist. The Assassin smiled warmly at her. “I must say, your singing is exquisitely divine.” 

It was the woman’s turn to look surprised. “Wait... R... Really?” 

Arno nodded, his chocolate colored irises softening. “Your voice captivated me and lured me from my dreams. It led me to find you, a beautiful woman just as beautiful as her voice.” 

The woman blushed softly, her hypnotizing irises looking up at the man. “Thank you... That means a lot.” Then she realized something. “I never quite caught your name?” 

“Arno. Arno Dorian. I’m the steward of this grand place,” Arno said, a proud little smile gracing his features. 

“Y/N... My name is Y/N L/N,” the woman, known as Y/N, smiled softly up at Arno. 

“I... I don’t suppose you’ll be coming back now that I’ve discovered your secret, Chère (Dear) Y/N?” Arno appeared to be disappointed at this prospect. He didn’t want this to be a one time thing. He wanted to hear her voice again, to see her face again. She was the first thing to actually make him feel something genuine other than sorrow and cynicism. 

Y/N giggled a little, grinning. “Of course, I’ll come back, Monsieur Dorian. I’d be delighted to see you again.” 

“Please, just call me Arno.” Arno took her hand, bowing and kissing her knuckles sweetly. 

Y/N felt the blood rush to her cheeks, her gaze locking with Arno’s as he rose to stand to his full height once more. He definitely intrigued her, and she was more than ready to spend more time with him. He was the first kind soul she’d seen in a while. 

“I should probably get going before it gets too late...” Y/N said after a moment, pink tinting her face. 

Arno dipped his head in understanding. “Would you like me to walk you home?”

“No, no... I can handle myself. I’ll be back tomorrow night, Arno. See you then?” Y/N looked hopeful. 

Arno nodded, his brown eyes bright. “Of course,  ma chérie (my dear).” 

Y/N kissed his stubbled cheek before leaving swiftly. Arno felt his face redden a little. Reaching up, his fingers brushed the spot her soft, plush lips had pressed against. He smiled warmly, looking forward to seeing Y/N again tomorrow. He was all too eager to hear her soft melody again.

[dovahgarbage]

Thots on Far Cry New Dawn

ok so. imma put some of this under the cut because i dont want to spoil it for you’s who are still playing through it. but uhhhh gotta say. i was a bit underwhelmed by it over all.

ok so firstly i try not to judge a series of games based on previous installments because it doesnt feel fair to compare apples and oranges. but... this game was so obsessed with what happened in fc5 that it only feels fair that i’m allowed to look back as well.

So first and foremost, the game has a large emotional disconnect between Cap and citizens of hope county. All we really know about cap is that they are working for Thomas Rush to rebuild settlements across America.  So they aren’t even from hope county and they have no context for anything that waits for them there. I was excited to see an outside perspective on the events of fc5, hear stories about the deputy that brought on the end of the world. I learned v quickly that this was a fool’s dream. See the problem with relaying the events of fc5 to a character like cap is they have next to no reason to be invested in the past of this area except “hey there’s fresh water here” or “hey this is a defensible position right”. Any emotional weight is shrugged off by Cap having no context of the history of these people or their struggles with each other. WE as players know everything. We’ve seen the horrors of Eden’s gate, we’ve seen the destruction the Seeds brought to hope county. We know what the fuck is going on. But cap has NO idea. And honestly isn’t really given a reason to try and find out more about it. Everything cap is doing is in an effort to bring down the highway men and build up settlements. (well. Settlement. All we have are outposts) why the hell would they care about who was who. What the fuck is a boomer. Who is this deputy everyone vaguely mentions and why do I give a shit?

And this gets to be a more noticeable problem as we interact with Joseph Seed. Big Daddy Greasy Jesus himself. I hate joseph as a person, love him as a villain. But… seeing him in this game, being forced to work with him as a player (KNOWING what he’s done and the countless lives he’s ruined) and the whole while the only person cap sees is some yoda motherfucker with meth apples that help you hulk out like… once.

That moment when joseph asks you to kill him? It made No Sense as to why cap would shoot him?? In their eyes, joseph has done nothing wrong. Ok maybe he wasn’t an A+ parent but nothing worth killing him over. This moment that is supposed to hold so much weight and meant to be a sort of catharsis for us as players and it just feels… hollow.

Lets discuss the Deputy. Because I have. Many feelings.

I honestly don’t understand why they weren’t the player character again. The narrative wouldn’t have had this huge emotional canyon to be filled between the county and cap. Coming across old guns for hire and friends would actually have… meant something. Revisiting old locations only to see them crumbled and over grown. Any interaction between them and joseph seed would have been charged with tension and held more water. Not to mention it would have made that decision in killing him potentially rewarding and not just “ehh I guess, you dick.”

Instead, the Judge is just kinda… there. In fact everyone is just kinda… there. But I got a laundry list of how Ubisoft did our baby Rook dirty.

[if !supportLists]1.     [endif]Your efforts in the first game feel invalidated. Not just because you “lost” but because of how brushed under the rug the Deputy is. Only a few companions from the first game even Address the Judge. And even then, its no where near the emotional closure we would have liked.

[if !supportLists]2.     [endif]Sharky doesn’t even speak to the judge. Nor does Grace. Nick has one throw away line. 0/10

[if !supportLists]3.     [endif]Only Jerome and Carmina come close to giving any validation as far as showing a connection to Judge. Even then Jerome was more on the side of “I’m disappointed in you for having changed into this.” Hurk just makes jokes. Albeit funny jokes but still.

[if !supportLists]4.     [endif]Also wasn’t the identity of the judge supposed to be a secret? Why the hell does everyone else know and new eden doesn’t?

[if !supportLists]5.     [endif]The judge has NO reaction to either ending. None. Joseph lives or dies, it is the same. Silence.

[if !supportLists]6.     [endif]Also why the hell does Cap get to kill him when the Deputy has suffered infinitely more at the hands of that lunatic? How am I supposed to feel like this is a rewarding decision to make?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I was very attached to my deputy. She wasn’t just a shell I inhabited as I played fc5. I wanted to know what happened to her after she escaped the bunker with joseph and I wanted her to find peace and closure after all she had sacrificed and suffered. The Junior Deputy deserved better!

Ok, so I’m moving on to the Twins. Honestly, they should have had their own game. Their potential as well rounded and fun far cry villains is wasted here.

The actresses did a wonderful job in making them charismatic and I loved the way their actions synced up and how one would finish the sentence of the other. It was very unified and the connection between them was very clear.  

But I couldn’t connect with them as far as feeling threatened on screen. You could say it’s because we inherently don’t find women as scary as men in media and that’s entirely possible but narratively speaking, the Twins aren’t as threatening to me as villains because they lack something very vital – direction and purpose.

Mind you, all the far cry villains are so over the top and their motives don’t always make sense but I cannot wrap my head around the Twins motives? They’re here to have a good time and I guess they like to party but?? Why the hell would they want hurk’s baby, yknow? Why do they talk about problem solvers and problem makers when objectively, they HAVE to know they create more problems than they solve.

They TRY to give Mickey some depth with their mother and her making mickey promise to be better. But like… there’s not a lot of indication of growth or change or even regret in the end. After Lou’s death is only when mickey acknowledges that they only tore things down and never bothered making the world better but… lol where the hell did that conclusion come from? Why now? Why are you bringing this up now? (again cap has no context as to the significance of Mickey’s promise to her mother about protecting lou or trying to be better) At least with the Seeds they had a very clear purpose (prepare for the end of the world and horde as much shit as possible). Pagan Min had a purpose (crush the resistance that threatened his rule). Even Vaas as crazy and chaotic as he was still had a purpose in furthering Hoyt’s empire of drugs and slavery.

Also, the Twins are sort of in the backseat because of Joseph’s presence. It’s like ubisoft didn’t trust them to carry the series forward and instead chose to try and get a previous villain to anchor on. It diminishes their presence and importance and really just adds to the jumbled mess that is this game.

I personally blame rushed writing. Far Cry has a problem with putting out games fast and half baked. Far cry primal received a lot of flack for being a reused map of fc4. And I think given enough time and drafts this game could have been something better. Not perfect by any means. But definitely its own game.

All in all, I probably wont play it again. It doesn’t appeal to me anymore and has too many shortcomings for me to actually enjoy it. Day two of me playing it felt like just a confused slogging mess and I just zoomed through so I wouldn’t see spoilers on tumblr.