#and believed we could have finally have a game that is about the franchise and not the last 3 games

[randomnameless]

easy explaination of why most if not all the characters have ended up flanderized in FEH: it started as a gacha game for FE fans and now is a FE game for gacha fans. That's why Alphonse won over Sigurd or why Gullveig won last year's cyl with only 2 lines of dialogue too.

This is why I don't want the jugdral remakes to happen, bc look at engage, using FEH's mechanic and FEH using its ring mechanic in order to sell more lyn, camilla and marth alts. I don't want jugdral to end up with another silly gimmick that isn't necessary on the game or the story but can be sold as another gatcha powercreep thingy. As long as FEH is on service, the main franchise is going to be directyl affected by it.

2 lines of dialogue? You're charitable anon!

But... yeah, with time, FEH became its own thing and is apparently even considered a main FE Title given how Vero was added, albeit through a DLC, to Engage and I mean -

If Vero's writing is supposed to represent FEH, I have to inform you I found my new least liked FE game lol - which brings the main question : what is an FE game?

TBH, to me, FEH OCs are barely characters (Vero needed heavy retcons and ignoring elephants in the room which were there since book 1 to become remotely close to one) which makes me completely baffled at how they can even be "picked" for events like CYL, but if we are talking about popularity contests, then people will vote for their faves... aka the most recent characters they like or have seen - sure it doesn't help that Siggy'n'Leif are from jp only games, but CYL1 saw Roy being picked, even when his Smash Bros popularity dwindled. Can you imagine, in 2024 if Roy wasn't picked for CYL1, him competing with the non-entity that is Alfonse as "the most beloved FE characters voted in by the fans?".

I mean, I can get liking OCs in gacha/crossover games (I'm not pointing at someone in particular about Crestoria lol even if i prefered kanana to vicious) but I can bet you 2 kebabs that if a Tales gacha organised the equivalent of CYL, Leon and Yuri would be picked before any Male OC, and I'd bet 1 kebab about Alicia or even Milla being added before the Kanonos.

In FEH, Book 2 Vero (or was it 3?) was picked over... Elincia. Recency bias is a thing but... yep, it has been a long time now since FEH stopped being a gacha game for fans of FE, but became its own thing with sometimes FE characters being referenced.

I agree with your last remark though, as long as FEH exists, evil will - I mean, as long as FEH exists, it will have some sort of influence in the main games - even if I reiterate, FE15 managed to dodge its influence, only to fall in some other pitfalls.

Jugdral remakes can play like SoV, "additional" characters will be in a DLC and not have any relevance to the story, I mean, even if you can roll for Sharena on a NG+, she might not even have one line.

But, tbh, it's not the gacha aspects that worry me the most about Jugdral remakes, it's the state of the franchise/fandom post FE15 and especially post FE16, but I'll make a separate post about it.

[brighter-by-the-daly]

Rachel Daly x Millie Bright x Reader

No Fan of Ours

AN: to celebrate meeting @ac3may at the fa cup final next year, here’s a fic we brainstormed together months ago 🫶

It was the last England game before the girls left for the World Cup, the tie v Sweden was only announced a few days ago but the stadium was packed out with adoring fans nonetheless. In the lead up to the game your girlfriends had gifted you a shirt with ‘Daly Brightness’ on the back so you wouldn’t have to chose who’s name to wear at England games anymore. It wasn’t a secret that you three were dating but it certainly wasn’t shouted from the rooftops as you didn’t want to attract the wrong attention. Being with them both happened organically, Rachel and Millie were inseparable anyway - what started out as a flirtationship with one of them soon boiled over into the other and just like that you became a throuple. You didn’t announce it as such but their teammates could tell, always making jokes about you three being together all the time. You’d never heard a bad word from any of them about your relationship and everyone online believed you were just three best friends anyway.

You first met them at grass roots but football wasn’t your number one passion and as they went on to become professionals, you left the turf and cleats behind for more glamorous surroundings in a luxurious London tattoo parlour specifically designed by you for women. The passion of yours was born one evening when getting an upper thigh tattoo and being inappropriately touched during the process. The tattoo went on to be unfinished for nearly a decade until you were able to build your own franchise with the primary value of it being a safe environment for women. You took something awful and made it inspiring, people traveled far and wide to visit your parlour, your customers consisted of many female footballers who quickly spread the word around their clubs. They even donate their signed shirts to hang on your ‘Empowerment Wall of Fame’ for every celebrity that has visited. You’ve now got parlours up and down the country and are currently building to break into the rest of the world too.

That’s when Rach and Millie came back into your life, having heard about their old acquaintance’s new venture through friends they decided to pay you a visit for their newest matching tattoos and have had the pleasure of tattooing the both of them since. With every visit to the shop the more flirtatious your conversations became and it didn’t take long for your connection to develop beyond the workplace. Your relationship has been going strong for three years now and what started out as a fling was now something solid and for the long haul.

As this game was announced last minute, your friends and family couldn’t make it so you were sat alone for the first time at a national game. Nothing you haven’t done before but it’s usually at Villa games where the stadiums are anything but packed. Chelsea games were undoubtedly more busy but there seemed to always be a player injured or someone’s family to chat to during the matches.

The girls had just finished warm ups and had retreated back to the changing rooms. Playing on your phone and waiting for kick off you heard sneering comments coming from a group behind you, “oh my god look at her shirt, how pathetic”. These comments didn’t let up throughout the game as the group of girls mocked you continuously throughout the 90 minutes. The first half was insatiable, you’d been singing along with the crowd and shouting to the girls as usual, they were taking the piss out of everything you did making you incredibly uncomfortable. “What a joke, as if anyone would fancy her” their comments started to get louder. “Fucking embarrassing fans put this game to shame!” the loudest mouth of the gang shouted. During half time it only got worse, you wanted to go to the toilet but they had made you feel so small that you didn’t dare move. Of course you wanted to tell them to shut up but you’re not a big fan of conflict and would rather not give them the satisfaction of knowing they were getting to you. You’re used to people staring and making sly comments, you accepted that they were closed minded people and like to make digs at anyone that looks different. There was barely any space on your body for new inkings and you liked how they made you look tough but on inside you were just a soppy little woman that wanted to be loved and cared for. Clocking the wallpaper on your phone of Rach and Mills as you checked the time caused them to erupt into laughter, “they will never love you, what a munter!” they heckled. “She doesn’t even have any friends” throwing something in your direction. You continued to ignore the abuse that was being slung in your direction, just half hour more to go as you slipped your earphones in so you were unable to hear them any longer. As much as every comment tore you down little by little, it didn’t stop you from being yourself, singing and shouting for your team and the girls when required.

The ball went out of play close by to where you were and noticing Millie smiling at you as she jogged over to take the throw in made you feel a sense of comfort. Luckily she found herself in earshot of the disgusting comments being aimed your way. Pausing the throw in to display an intense and penetrative glare at the group with those gorgeous but intimidating eyes of hers. It shut them up for a second until play continued and she was gone. Her simple gesture made you feel at ease, as least she’d heard what you were up against and the second one of Sweden’s players went down you knew she was telling Rachel everything. With their hands covering their mouths, the side eye they were both throwing although incredibly sexy to you, had the capability of inflicting injury or bad karma on the person or people it was directed.

As soon as the final whistle blew Rachel and Millie came running over, ignoring the handshakes so they could get to you quicker. The group of teenagers immediately ran down the stairs when their idols approached, pushing you out of their way while declaring their love for both of them with their sickly sweet remarks like butter wouldn’t melt. Shoving phones and pens in their faces begging for photos and signatures which they declined politely yet with a sense of agitation. Rachel ignored their pleas and asked them calmly to move so she could get to you but they didn’t listen causing Millie to get impatient and raise her voice. “Move out the fucking way now!” she demanded as they wrapped one arm each around your petite body and lifted you over the barrier in one swift movement, resting their arms around your shoulders displaying their protectiveness of you. “Are you okay?” they fussed, straightening your T-shirt and brushing your hair back, holding your cheeks to analyse the emotions on your face. Once established you were fine now your princesses in shining armour had arrived they turned their attention back to the feral behaviour in the stands. “The way you’ve been talking about our girlfriend this entire game is fucking disgusting!” Rach shouted towards them as security approached. “Don’t expect to be at any of our games again!” Millie bellowed. You’d got the last laugh, thank goodness they had recognised they were giving you a hard time. The group were gobsmasked when they swooped you out of their toxic environment and had suddenly realised they had truly fucked up. “What were you saying about them never being in love with me? This came out of their wardrobe this morning” you remarked smugly tugging on your shirt. “Your attitudes are fucking disgusting” they shouted back to them as they lead you off the pitch. Telling security to ban them from all future national and WSL games before walking you off the pitch hand in hand. That’s one way to come out! They knew full well that the live stream was being aired to thousands of people at home and they still came to protect you. Announcing to the world that you three were an item at the same time.

[linderosse]

Hi there! Id like to ask a question.

I like your idea that the kingdoms Legend went off to adventure to (Holodrum, Labrynna, Hytopia and Lorule) are all in the same place or era rather haha, like they all coexist. Its rather genius!

But that makes me curious, do you have an idea where the kingdoms are located? I know Lorule is a whole other place entirely, but what about the others? Which kingdom is from the north? South? Etc. I'm just curious how far or near each kingdom is, and where Hyrule is between all of them. (Also am I missing other kingdoms?)

Thank you!!!

Yep— the five kingdoms currently entering an alliance in Legend and Fable’s era are Hyrule, Labrynna, Holodrum, Lorule, and Hytopia.

Technically, Legend (and sometimes Fable) have seen even more: Subrosia is a separate kingdom beneath Holodrum, past Labrynnans can visit the present with the Harp of Ages and have canonically traveled to other countries, and Koholint… was as real as a dream can be 🥲. And that’s not counting independently governed countries that are part of the larger conglomerates, like Hyrule’s river Zoras ruled by Queen Oren, or the Tokay island beside Labrynna.

So, background— as you may know, there are four types of non-Hyrule worlds in the Zelda franchise.

Independent government, but owes allegiance to Hyrule (Ex: Every Zora’s Domain and Gerudo Town in the series)

Actual, independent other country (Ex: Spirit!New Hyrule, Hyrule!Calatia (Calatia is not canon to the games, but is a popular fan-canon based on Link’s homeland in the Valiant Comics adaptation))

Parallel world (Ex: Time!Termina)

Dream world (Ex: Wind!Ocean King’s Realm)

The question is: which of these are each of the kingdoms Legend has visited, and if they’re physical, where are they located with relation to Hyrule?

Koholint is a dream world, and is therefore not in this alliance. However, I love Link’s Awakening too much to ignore it entirely in the Wisdomverse. What happened to Koholint will be addressed in The Secrets We Keep :).

As you said, Lorule’s different. No need to place it geographically; it’s a parallel world to Hyrule.

Hytopia seems to be confirmed North of Hyrule according to the (admittedly non-canon) Hyrule Encyclopedia. Apparently it’s also confirmed in ALBW? I don’t remember that, but it’s been a while since I’ve played ALBW so I believe it. According to the Encyclopedia, the Hytopians wear frilly clothing to brave the cold northern climates. That’s hilarious and I love it. I’m going with north for this one.

Hyrule is where Hyrule is :)

Finally, Holodrum and Labrynna are claimed by the Encyclopedia to be parallel worlds, but I disagree with this. The Encyclopedia is non-canon, and iirc also says Termina stopped existing after Time left, which I refuse to believe as well. Sure, it looks like Legend gets teleported to Holodrum/Labrynna by the Triforce in the beginning, but later, Impa, Fable, and a bunch of Hylian knights make it over there just fine and I doubt they did so using anything other than normal physical means. In the Hyrule Historia timeline (which I pretty much mostly follow), the Oracle games happen before Link’s Awakening, which means Legend sails home from Holodrum/Labrynna. But Legend is also pictured riding somewhere on a horse at the beginning. Therefore, we can deduce that perhaps one of the two countries borders Hyrule on land, and the other is a separate continent— or both are connected by land, but you could take a boat back to Hyrule if you wanted. My money’s on Labrynna being off to the West so far— the eastern Labrynnan forest border connects to Hyrule’s woods, and this leaves the southeast ocean of Labrynna open for Legend to sail back to Hyrule to, through the Sea of Storms where the storm at the beginning of Link’s Awakening seems like it could work (Legend has already shipwrecked there once before, but he’s totally the kind of guy to want to brave those waters again either as a test of strength, challenge, or punishment.) Jury’s still out on Holodrum!

I’m actually playing Oracle of Seasons for the first time right now (on Wednesdays and Fridays! 😇) and just finished Oracle of Ages last week— so I may update my views on Holodrum as I unlock more of the game’s map!

Tl;dr: Fable’s got a whole intricate mess of a chronospatial geopolitical situation to deal with here. Mad respect to our diplomat Zelda <3

[fate-motif]

list of saw characters criminally underdiscussed by fans

daniel rigg: one of the few actually likable cop protagonists in the franchise even though he has a penchant for police brutality more than once! because we see the one heroic (though detached from reality) facet of police work through him: his desire to save people from harm. the fact that hoffmann’s test for him is made to try and scrub what little humanity rigg has left for him to become the ultimate cop, ie jigsaw, by making him let go of the idea that people deserve to be saved? poetic. strahm’s offer to join hoffmann could never honestly.

brit and mallick: i’m a huge fan of the fatal five trap because it’s the only trap that could have been solved with minimal bloodshed up to the end and i find the way brit was going “we won” at the end of her game like… CHILLING victim falling for the jigsaw philosophy. one of those rare examples of characters that could have actually made logical and interesting apprentices. here we have two guys capable of doing messed up things, were punished for it, got the emotional rush of “atoning” for it but their moral flaw was literally not addressed because how the hell is torture supposed to fix that! so of course they would believe in the jigsaw philosophy at the end of it all!

simone: literally the one person in the franchise to directly call out jigsaw’s fucked up philosophy to jigsaw himself and to other victims when they foolishly try to give their suffering meaning only to end up falling back on jigsaw’s trash personal responsibility philosophy. queen.

bobby dagen: can we talk about how jigsaw’s philosophy is dangerously similar to bankable self help industry bullshit about personal responsibility that throws people in vulnerable circumstances (such as addicts, poor people and abuse victims) under the bus? oh, you mean there was a character we could have used to talk about it and we’re NOT TALKING ABOUT IT??? HELLO???

matt gibson: the pinnacle of the mainline saw franchise’s subtle discussions on police brutality exemplified and i am in love with it. we found THE single cop that saw police brutality, reported it, got demoted, was expected to save a horrible woman that let countless crimes happened and still saw she had the right to be protected from being murdered, and then failed to save her and everyone. because cops can’t save anyone. policing doesn’t save anyone. the end. the grisly tragedy of it all…

brad and ryan: honestly hilarious these two dipshits were the final accomplices with lawrence considering brit and mallick were right there but i am 99% sure lawrence hooked them in with some incel bullshit talking points after his wife left him and these chucklefucks were furious to find out how dina played them. which only goes to show how deep the rot in jigsaw’s philosophy goes. so many avenues of exploration.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Across the Spiderverse rewrite

Said i would do this in a few hours.ALMOST THREE MONTHS AGO.I am sorry,i'm so gods fuckdamn stupid💔💔💔

So a bit of Itsv first:It's an almost perfect movie so not much changed but i'm a firm believer in trans girl Miles so the franchise is called 'Spidergirl:Spiderverse' instead and Gwen cracked her egg in Into,Gwen is black/white mixed latina(dominican),Miles reveals her new name as 'Mirasol' as her last spoken line in it and Peni is shoujo themed instead of the moefication bullshit

The reason for Gwen and Mirasol's cosmic connection in Across is their transfemininity and being eachother's first ever trans girl friend and Mirasol is the reason Gwen managed to finally befriend other black girls in The Mary Janes and they're like sisters.Mirasol's been transitioning for 1 year but no meds were needed as her spider bite gave her her ideal apperance within a few months as it does all Spiderpeople and is pretty much radioactive gender affarming surgeries and hrt

The first few Ghostflower scenes play out mostly the same minus the romantic undertones but Hobie and Margo literally swing in on their city scene because they saw Gwen was gone and got worried so they sneaked off too so they could find her.Mirasol and Gwen nearly fall but Hobie and Margo catch them and then the roof talking scene is Mirasol getting to know the other two-they're The Core Four of the Spiderband and Hobie's first line is also the first thing he says to Mirasol:"Ay,Tinkerbell,you run out of faith and trust?You need a lil pixie dust?"

When they all go back to the Morales residence for Jefferson's party,it's revealed Mirasol did a small fib of Gwen being a 'friend from the web' i.e an online friend who she met and helped her realize she's trans,Margo is passed off as a school friend pretty easily and Hobie dosen't get a label put on him but Jefferson and Rio both think he's a secret boyfriend Mirasol's been hiding and this is why Jefferson dosen't like him rather than because he's a cop(househusband Jefferson au ftw)and why Rio DOES like him because she's so glad her Mija has taste instead of liking altie white boys.So she teases them about it and Hobie dosen't react too much and Mirasol is mostly just embarrased but subtly.There's a short montage of them demonstrating their powers to eachother as they take down random villains after sneaking off again and Gwen and Hobie show off to impress Margo and Mirasol

Straight after this,Peni arrives to tell them about the 50101 sitch and she's shifted to shonen like her world has-It's canon event(Spidergeddon)literally changed the and her structure.She went from sunshine to emo as per canon but it's explored in detail instead of a one-off shot and completely offscreen character development and i'll expand in a bit.When they're on Gayatri and Pavitr's dimension,there's actually no Spiderman yet and we're given a red herring that it's Pavitr but the one who gets bitten is Gayatri to reinforce 'Gwen Stacy dosen't have to be a fridged woman' and 'canon events are bullshit'.65 Gwen has a lot of feelings on this but tries to not make them Gayatri's problem and Pavitr is Spiderladdoo(Spiderwoman!Gayatri)'s guy in the chair.She calls him that after the mission is complete and he says 'I'm her guy in the chair' in a dreamy voice and with a goofy down bad grin on his face like she just called him her boyfriend

We then get to Earth 22191,Margo's dimension that's VR based and has secret post-apocalyptic origins like Hobie's only she knows about and it's a hidden trauma she carries that's revealed to the Spiderband who comfort her,but not before they have lots of gamer fun,including food and dressup game shenanigans,them playing as Gwen is so distracted flirting with Margo that she scores 0 points while Margo scores 200 flirting back and an Animal Crossing knockoff bit where Miausol(Meows)is confirmed and Hobie makes a quip about loving girls who're like cats.14512 is next up and things take a darker turn in tone as they work hard to bring it back to it's former glory with drop ins of japanese-american culture for representation and end up getting the first step to it and Peni violently glitches between artstyles as a magical girl transformation and shonen power up fusion and so she's a literal perfect inbetween inside AND out

And finally:Earth 138,Hobie's more or less home.We get to meet the comics Spiderband and there's lots of fun interactions between all of them as they get an adventure interesting enough to fill a 30 minute cartoon episode,including the reveal Hobie's dad is a deadbeat who bailed as soon as his mom divorced him but kept coming back to cause problems and Hobie dosen't care about him at all because his mom raised so well he dosen't need him but also believes she's been dead since he was 12 and it's revealed she's actually alive and this shocks him to his core with Mirasol being the only able to snap him out of it and he frantically says they have to find her and she promises him to while kissing him so close to his mouth you can't tell it's a cheek kiss at first look and he leans into while shaking as she says,"Hey,hey,hey,it's okay,Peter Pan-We'll get you your Neverland back."Both of Hobie's bands watch these scene wanting to join in but Riri tells them not to,saying 'I think Hobie's wants only one girl.Bout time,never thought he'd find more than zero'

At last:They arrive at Spider Society.Peter B(ft.Mayday)and Jessica greet them at the entrance after the grand reveal scene and there's a comical mix between scolding and wholesome moments and there were also some cutbacks to the Spiderparents between the Spiderkids to see what they got going on normally nowadays and included in this is an explanation of canon events and other Spiderlore that happens at the same time as the Spiderband's as intergenerational juxtaposition.Miguel's anger and reasonings have big buildup and we get to see more of Jessica and Peter B both by themselves,with eachother and with him and the Spiderman 2099 and Spiderwoman casts also get animated debuts in flashbacks.It's made clear Miguel dosen't hate Mirasol,he's just scared of all Anomalies she's causing and his words to her aren't nearly as harsh thanks to this but the fight still happens and he DOES use the word 'Anomaly' to describe her because it's too important in-universe and in a meta sense to the story's point to remove

Gwen also dosen't make up with George as character development but still 'betrays(not really)' Mirasol with the rest of the Spiderband not knowing about it either and that causes tension between her and them,Hobie the most but they still agree to follow her to Earth 42 because they love Mirasol that much.And a description given is 'This movie is for the forgotten Spiderpeople.This movie is also a love story between Mirasol and Hobie and i think that really brings it full circle'

[gurenmonster]

I keep thinking about Knuckles possibly having Iblis sealed inside him in the movie-verse and how they could work with this to bring Silver for a posible 4th and final movie?

Hear me out:

First of all, if Knuckles does literally posses the Flames of Disaster (Iblis is sealed inside him), then in the movies Sonic can very much still be the Trigger. Think about it, the reason why Sonic is deemed the Trigger in 06 is because his death causes Elise to cry, which releases Iblis.

The concept of Sonic being the Trigger can be boiled down to one specific aspect: someone close to Sonic has Iblis sealed inside them, and Sonic's actions, intentional or not, causes them to release it.

So, if this were to be adapted to the movies, then you have Knuckles: someone close to Sonic who has (presumably) Iblis sealed inside of him.

In 06, Elise can't cry, or else Iblis would be released. Knuckles however is an interesting case because it seems he has more control over the Flames, using them in battle to add onto his power. This made me think that maybe, if he's pushed to the edge enough, forced to use too much of the Flames in battle, then maybe that could eventually release Iblis? Or, knowing how hot headed Knuckles can be (even though movie Knux is definitely less hot headed than game Knux), maybe all Sonic has to do is push him just enough to make him literally burst in rage. (though to me this isn't as likely, since I don't believe Sonic would ever push anyone's buttons hard enough to cause something like that)

Either way, we got all the necessary things to make a certain time traveler worried enough to jump back in time to stop that from happening.

The Knuckles Backstory Rock Opera sequence has caused a lot of discussion. I personally believe that it was important, in a way, and not just a silly way to tell a story we already know.

Think about it: why would they go through all that trouble of making puppets and sets, plan choreography and costumes, just to retell a story we all already know?

Yes, you could argue it's most likely for the people who just walked into the show not knowing a whole lot about Knuckles. But even then, the addition of Iblis is simultaneously very random and specific, that I feel like all that was missing was a sign saying "Hey pay attention now! We added this new bit to Knuckles's backstory!"

They could've picked a random boss from any game, but they chose Iblis... a creature with A LOT of story behind it. A creature from a VERY specific and memorable game in this franchise. Mostly everyone who watched it knew what it was, we all collectively reacted to it. I seriously don't think this was something they randomly decided to add just to make a reference...

Before this, I was happy with the idea of having the 3rd movie be the last. But if they manage to shape this whole Knuckles-Iblis thing and fit it to make a movie version of 06's story, then I can maybe see a decent 4th and last movie in the future. I feel like it would be nice to end the movies with the past-present-future hedgehog trio.

Anyways! If you read all this then wow, thanks? I'm just a big Silver and Knuckles fan lol

[erraticalart]

Saw Fortress II

Well, is this what you've been waiting for?

So, as some of you may or may not know, Saw is getting a new movie, Saw X, in two days and I'm so excited for it to come out! I decided to pay tribute to this movie by making a crossover between Saw and, of course, Team Fortress 2. I've been getting interested and invested in the Saw franchise, from its story to the characters and especially the creative but deadly traps. Took me about 22 days to create as I had classes and needed to take breaks every once in a while, but I finally finished it and presented it to my brother as a birthday gift (as well as an official Fallout cookbook).

Now, for the fans of both Saw and TF2, I'll explain the reason why I chose the characters and their designated roles. It's time to play a game.

Character Comparison and Roles

Warning: Spoilers for the Saw franchise

RED Engineer: John Kramer aka Jigsaw - Well it's pretty much obvious why. They're both engineers. They both are talented in creating many different unique contraptions that are beneficial, but deadly and dangerous. Engie also has his morals, although it's way different from John's. Let's not forget that Engie can be somewhat a little sadistic and loves seeing his enemies go down, although John hates sadistic people despite the irony in his traps. Also, are we gonna ignore his Gunslinger taunt kill and his sinister, evil laugh? I'm not sure if Engie should have the Gunslinger with him, but I think it would be pretty cool to have it on him. Maybe in this version when he attempts to commit suicide and fails, but all he's left is a completely maimed hand, he cuts it off entirely and replaces it. It would be a pretty cool backstory as to why he has it and would make a really cool reveal to show to the audience. I wonder what Engie sounds like saying the iconic line "Game Over"?

BLU Medic: Dr. Lawrence Gordon - It's also pretty obvious why. He's a doctor. (Can you guess the reference?) Dr. Gordon is my favorite character in the series, and I love seeing the change and progress in his character from a doctor and trap victim in the first Saw film to John's favorable accomplice and in his words, "My greatest asset" in Saw 3D/Saw: The Final Chapter/ Saw VII (Yeah, I can't believe that movie has multiple names). In a way, it makes sense to have Medic as Dr. Gordon because just like how it was shown at the end of Saw VII that he and John worked great together, Medic and Engie are also seen working together in Expiration Date as lab partners. They both would work great as an amazing sadistic duo. Also, I think it's kind of cute to have Engie give Medic a prosthetic foot after he too cuts it off entirely. Not only would it make sense because Engie knows a thing or two about prosthetics, but it would show that Medic and Engie both have something in common: cut off what's unnecessary to help with your survival. Medic would also try to justify and reason Engie's actions. Also, I love Dr. Gordon's "Game Over" line, it's soooooo good!!! It's my personal favorite (Of course nothing beats John's iconic classic version). I could totally imagine how great Medic would sound saying that line!

BLU Spy: Detective Lieutenant Mark Hoffman - Ok, this is where things start to get a little interesting. Hoffman became John's accomplice after replicating his ideas and making his own traps that John never made himself. In a way, he's becoming Jigsaw. Just like how Spy can become and replicate any class, Hoffman also became more mysterious and secretive to his fellow colleagues and tried to frame Special Agent Peter Strahm as Jigsaw. In the end, when he gets caught, he goes against everyone and executes them, so the secret never comes out. Also, another reason why Spy is Hoffman and please tell me if I'm not the only one here who thought this when watching Saw: Did anyone else get Hoffman and Strahm mixed up because they almost look like the same person and it's always confusing when there's a scene that focuses on one of them but it's actually the other? I decided to have two Spies in the story with the BLU Spy as Hoffman and the RED Spy as Strahm since they look the same minus the color.

Miss Pauling: Amanda Young - You're probably thinking, "Why her? Is it because she just so happens to be female and I just filled her in that role?" Well yes, but actually no. It's because Amanda was very loyal to John, looking up to him, defending him constantly, and was very close to him. Miss Pauling fits that role when it comes to the Administrator, but here she's loyal to Engie. I feel like she likes Engie the most out of any other class, so she would definitely help him out as well as get advice from him. She also can get shit done when being asked to accomplish a task. Sadly, we know what's to come for Amanda. Just like how in the comics Miss Pauling fails to bring the Australium, Amanda fails in John's tasks as he reveals to her that she's part of another game. I do feel like Miss Pauling was stuck playing around in the Administrator's game and it was also implied that every year the Administrator sends people to assassinate her to see if she succeeds as if it's an employee review. So, yeah, Miss Pauling and Amanda both are stuck in pretty tight situations.

RED Pyro: Billy the Puppet - Ah, yes, who could we ever forget? The main icon of the series. Both Pyro and Billy have terrifying appearances that'll leave you quivering on sleepless nights. I used to fear Billy as a kid, but now I see him as endearing and strangely, but freakishly, adorable. Pyro is freaky-looking, but he's such an adorable bundle of flames. I could definitely imagine seeing Pyro riding on Billy's iconic tricycle. That would be so funny, cute, and scary. As for Pyro's voice, since Billy is voiced by John (and Hoffman, I think? Idk), I'm not sure if Engie (or Spy) should voice Pyro since Pyro speaks in muffles. Maybe they should, idk. I also don't know if Pyro should speak in mumbles from time to time or whether he should have the ability to move and just walk around or just remain seated. And, of course, I don't know if Pyro should do his iconic laugh (maybe sometimes, idk). What I do know however is that Pyro should definitely have the iconic Billy laugh.

RED Balloonicorn/The Combustible Cutie Cosmetic (Yeah, I know it's pink, but it's the RED team's version which is why it's pink): Pighead Mask - Oink! Or in this case, Neigh! The mask that John and his accomplices dress up as with the iconic robe (though I'm not sure if this robe should remain red and black or pink and black, maybe the first option should be for Engie since he's the leader while the accomplices get the latter, or not, maybe they should match Engie, idk). At first, I chose Balloonicorn since it's related to Pyro and I know he'll love seeing everyone dress up as one, but then I remembered that there's a cosmetic for Pyro as a mask called "The Combustible Cutie" that resembles Balloonicorn, and boy does that mask look freaking scary!!! It's really fitting for both Saw and TF2 as a whole! It's pretty funny and scary to imagine getting kidnapped by a herd of pink unicorns all because you've been very naughty.

I hope fans of Saw and Team Fortress 2 enjoy this lovely piece of fanart as this has become one of my all-time favorites to create. I was also listening to the Saw soundtrack specifically the Zepp/Main Saw Themes. My favorite being, of course, "Hello Zepp". It fits Engie and John's character theme even though it's Zepp's (although you can argue that it IS John's since it's his perspective since he's saying hello, which I agree). But my actual favorite is "Zepp Overture" because to me it sounds like a holy church. I especially like the way the string instruments sound. Yeah, I know you can argue that Dr. Gordon has a theme at the end of Saw VII called "Dr. Gordon Montage" and "The Final Zepp" but to me, I think this theme fits Medic the best because, y'know, he replicates that sound by playing an actual saw when you taunt which is both funny and adorable. And it really fits his character to be seen as a holier-than-thou and especially a God. This might also fit Spy, but idk. I'm not sure which themes work for Spy and Miss Pauling or even Pyro (if you want Pyro and Engie to share the same theme, then that's fine by me). I might need to go back and listen to all of them depending on the movies that Hoffman and Amanda appear in. Maybe some of you can suggest one. But anyway, please go listen to the Saw soundtrack, especially the Zepp/Main Saw Themes, it's soooooo good!!! I might as well argue that it's one of, if not, THE best horror themes out there!!!

Here's a link to listen to it while you look at the art or whether you are interested in the Saw series and its music:

Welp, like I said before, I hope you fans enjoy it!!! I just can't' wait for Saw X to come out soon on September 29!!! I just hope and pray the movie is good though. Well, let's just wait and see. But until then,

GAME OVER!

[captainremmington-13]

A Night on the Town

A Bellova x Coriolanus One-Shot

DISCLAIMER: I don’t own The Hunger Games franchise, the images above, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or any of the characters in this fic other than Bellova and the made-up places I included. I also do not condone the beliefs or actions of Coriolanus or Bellova.

SUMMARY: After drinking more than they initially planned during a night out with friends, Bellova and Coriolanus exchange secrets and promises.

⚠️Warnings⚠️: swearing, alcohol consumption, mentions of violence and assault, Festus being creepy, slight angst

A/n: This takes place the school year before TBOSAS occurs, so during the equivalent of their junior year of high school. Also, I HIGHLY recommend you catch up on my series, A Lady Made of Snow, before reading this.

“I am so glad that’s over with,” Festus Creed grumbled.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Lysistrata Vickers said as the group of students exited Professor Demigloss’s classroom and started down the staircase to the dining hall. 

Persephone Price nodded in agreement. “I found it to be a pretty straightforward exam, all things considered.”

Festus snorted. “Maybe for you, but for me, it felt like reading another language.”

“I thought it was easy. You’re just an idiot, Festus,” Arachne Crane said smugly. 

Festus opened his mouth to argue, but shut it when he noticed Bellova Reginelle had joined their group.

“Is Festus complaining about the exam?” she asked, giving the boy a teasing smirk. Lysistrata nodded. “I’m starting to believe you’ll flunk Demigloss’s class, Creed.”

He scowled. “I won’t, I’ll pass with flying colors, you just wait and see.”

Bellova laughed. “Keep telling yourself that and maybe it will come true.”

Bellova, like most of the students in her class, had been worried about Demigloss’s exam for the past few days. She and her study group had studied vigorously, but the stress kept mounting. The tension had put her on edge, and she’d lost her temper while bickering with a certain blonde boy. 

Thankfully, the test was not nearly as difficult as she had expected it to be. She found that she had time to spare at the end of the period, which she spent passing notes back-and-forth with Persephone. They both agreed that their friend group should spent some time together outside of school to celebrate the completion of Demigloss’s exam. However, they weren’t sure what to do. They could visit someone’s penthouse or go shopping, but they’d done that several times already. Doing something new and exciting would give them all a chance to let loose a bit.

The group, consisting of Festus, the Ring twins, Arachne, Lysistrata, Persephone, Felix, and Bellova, sat at their usual lunch table. They were soon joined by Sejanus Plinth, to the chagrin of several people. Bellova ignored their silent attempts to shoo him away, and allowed Sejanus to sit next to her.

After chatting lightheartedly about some mundane gossip for awhile, Bellova cleared her throat, silencing the group.

“Persephone and I,” she began. “Were thinking that we should all go out tonight. But we weren’t sure what we should do.”

The group exchanged glances, waiting for someone to suggest something.

Finally, Sejanus spoke up.

“My Ma told me that there’s some kind of show happening at the Odysseus Theatre. You know, the one on Aleona Street? We could get dinner beforehand and go to that.”

Miraculously, the group seemed to like Sejanus’s idea. Festus added that it was an illusionist show reserved for the Capitol’s elite, and that unlimited drinks would be provided during the performance. 

Lysistrata frowned. “Festus, some of us have never had alcohol before. What if someone gets sick?”

He shrugged. “Then that’s their problem.” 

Bellova gave Festus a look. “Anyways,” she continued. “Are we all in favor of that plan?”

“Excuse me, what plan are you all forming without me?”

Bellova rolled her eyes when she heard the voice or Coriolanus Snow behind her. 

He took a seat next to Sejanus, and gestured for Bellova to speak.

She sighed. “If you must know, we are thinking of going out tonight to destress and have some fun. Sejanus suggested going out to dinner and then going to a show. I was about to ask how everyone felt about it before you so rudely interrupted me.”

Coriolanus scoffed. “You’re so sensitive.”

“You’re one to talk about sensitivity, Mr. I throw a tantrum when I don’t get a perfect grade.”

“Guys,” Sejanus said, preventing them from continuing to bicker. 

Bellova gave Coriolanus one last scathing look before turning to the rest of the group. “All in favor of the plan raise your hand.”

Everyone raised their hand, including Coriolanus. She raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Bold of you to assume you’re invited.”

“Bellova, don’t be mean,” Persephone said, frowning. “Of course you can come, Coryo.” 

Coriolanus smiled charmingly. “Wonderful.”

Bellova glared at him, but didn’t object. “Fine. Let’s meet at The Ambience on Heirloom Avenue at five o’clock. And make sure to wear something nice, we are going to an exclusive event after all.”

Everyone nodded and went back to talking as normal, except for Bellova. She was watching Coriolanus carefully, observing the way his body had tensed when she mentioned dressing formally. 

‘How odd,’ she thought.

Little did she know that Coriolanus was internally panicking, wondering how the hell he was going to find something to wear that his classmates wouldn’t look down upon.

______________________________________________

“There she is! Oh, you look so gorgeous!” Diana Ring gushed, waving Bellova over.

Bellova smiled as she stepped out of her limousine, walking towards her friends who were standing outside of the restaurant. Sejanus greeted her with a warm hug, which Bellova generously accepted. She gave Lysistrata and Diana a friendly kiss on the cheek, and nodded politely at the others.

“Nice dress,” Arachne said, not even trying to hide her jealousy. She wore a dark green velvet dress, which Bellova thought was pretty but overall unimpressive, especially compared to her own outfit. 

The sheer, glimmering material of her form-fitting silver dress made her look like a diamond personified. Her matching heels wrapped around her ankles, the straps resembling silver snakes. On top of her dress was a white fur shawl, which protected her from the chill of the evening air. 

“Thank you, Arachne,” Bellova responded. “That shade of green really brings out your eyes.” 

Arachne grinned proudly at the compliment. Festus, who was standing next to her, was obviously fixated on the bare skin revealed by the shortness of her dress.

“Festus,” Bellova snapped. “Stop ogling or I’ll rip your eyes out.” 

The boy smirked. “Fine, fine. But it’s hard not to stare when you’re so…exposed.” 

Lysistrata smacked him on the arm. “Stop it, Felix! You’re embarrassing yourself.” 

“Damn right you are,” Bellova agreed, rolling her eyes. “Alright, are we ready to go in now?”

“We’re still missing Coriolanus,” Sejanus spoke up. 

She huffed impatiently. “If he doesn’t show up in the next thirty seconds, we’re ditching him.”

“You’re out of luck then, Bellova.”

Bellova scowled as she saw the Snow heir approach the group. “I was hoping you’d get hit by a car on your way here so we could all enjoy our evening.”

“Guys please,” Apollo Ring said hastily. “Let’s not argue now. We should head inside, our table is waiting for us.”

The group of students filed into The Ambience restaurant, chatting amongst each other as usual. Bellova linked arms with Persephone, complimenting her outfit. She had chosen a less flashy dress than Bellova’s, which made sense given her more reserved personality, but still looked gorgeous. 

They all took their seats around a circular table, which had been reserved by Felix’s father for the occasion. Unfortunately, Bellova ended up sitting between Arachne and Coriolanus. 

So much for a relaxing evening. 

She hoped that some alcohol would mellow the two out, but knowing them, it was safe to assume that wasn’t likely. But she had never been around them while they were intoxicated, so perhaps they were entirely different people while they were drunk.

As expected, waiters soon came to place small glasses of sparkling wine in front of each of them. Festus eagerly took a sip and immediately shuddered, making the group laugh.

“I suppose we’ll see how well Creed over here handles his wine,” Apollo joked. 

“I bet he’ll be a mess by the third refill,” Arachne added, smirking.

“I disagree,” Bellova chimes in. “He’ll be a mess by the second.” 

She saw Coriolanus grin at that, which gave her a strange sense of pride. 

Felix raised his glass, indicating that he was about to make a toast. “To us, for surviving Demigloss’s exam.”

The rest of them raised their drinks. “To us.”

A chorus of clinking glass followed, as well as the sound of many of them coughing as the liquid burned their throats. Bellova, who had become familiar with the drink recently, had no trouble downing half of it in one go. 

Coriolanus nudged her, making her cringe in surprise. “Someone’s been indulging themselves with alcohol recently, hm?”

She scoffed. “None of your business, Snow.”

“Easy there, I’m not judging you.”

“You judge me every fucking day, so forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

Coriolanus smirked. “Fair enough. But I feel like actually having some fun tonight, so I’ll try not to agitate you, regardless of how amusing I find your angry expressions to be.”

Bellova rolled her eyes. “How kind of you.”

“I know, my generosity is quite admirable.”

Bellova couldn’t help but laugh, making Coriolanus smile. She could tell it was a genuine one. He rarely gave those out, especially to her. 

She secretly hoped she could elicit a few more before the night came to an end.

______________________________________________

By the time the group left the restaurant, several of them were quite tipsy. Bellova, as well as Sejanus, Lysistrata, Persephone, and Coriolanus stayed unaffected, thanks to either their higher alcohol tolerance or their choice to only have a glass or two of wine. 

While waiting line to enter the Odysseus Theatre, Bellova listened to her friends chatter excitedly, speculating about who would be at the show. Apparently, there was some famous television star attending, but she wasn’t particularly interested in that. She decided to focus her attention towards Sejanus and Coriolanus, who were having a hushed conversation.

“What are you two conspiring about?” she asked, pulling a compact out of her purse to re-apply her lip gloss. 

“We’re just talking about Festus,” Sejanus murmured. 

Bellova looked over at the Creed heir, who was trying and failing to subtly steal glances at her.  She gave him a cold stare, making him turn away quickly. “What about him?”

“He’s being a creep,” Sejanus said. “Looking at you like that.”

“I know,” she agreed. “If he keeps it up, he’ll be dead by the time midnight rolls around.”

Sejanus sighed. “You should talk to him and get him to stop before it gets to that point.”

Bellova huffed. “Fine, but don’t make me do it alone. He gets angry when he doesn’t get his way. And I don’t want things to get physical.” 

Coriolanus laughed. “That’s a first.”

“Shut the fuck up, Snow.”

Sejanus ignored their exchange. “Coriolanus and I will be by your side to make sure Creed doesn’t try anything funny, okay?”

“Hey,” Coriolanus protested, pouting slightly. “Why am I getting dragged into this?”

Sejanus sighed. “I don’t want to see Bellova get harassed any more, and she wants some silent support while confronting him.”

The young Snow looked at Bellova, clearly annoyed. “Fine,” he relented after a moment.

“Thank you, boys,” Bellova said. “I appreciate it.

The group was allowed into the theatre without any trouble after showing a man their ID’s. Many of the Capitol’s richest were socializing loudly with one another, glasses of posca in hand. 

They made their way through the crowd, eventually finding their way to their reserved area. Felix’s father, being the president and all, had ensured they had the best view possible. 

“I want to sit next to Felix,” Arachne said obnoxiously, latching onto the arm of the president’s son. 

“Relax, Arachne, nobody is going to steal him from you,” Diana teased, sitting down next to her twin brother. Arachne gave her a look before taking a seat as well, still holding onto Felix’s arm.

Noticing Festus move to sit next to Bellova, Sejanus quickly took the seat before he could. Coriolanus followed suit, sitting on the other side of his rival. Scowling, Festus reluctantly chose the seat next to Sejanus, and began chatting with Apollo.

“Creed!” Bellova said sharply. He turned back around, his eyes going straight to her cleavage. She scowled, covering herself with her shawl. “If you keep eyeing me like I’m a piece of meat, I’ll ensure that you end up like one: cut into pieces and served on a pretty platter.”

Festus gulped. “U-Understood.” 

Bellova gave him a sickly sweet smile. “Lovely.”

She picked up the flute of posca set before her. After finishing the drink, she started to feel slightly warm, the effects of the alcohol beginning to set in. She folded her shawl on her lap, resting her hands on top of it.

Sejanus smiled at her. “You didn’t need our help after all.”

She shrugged. “It was nice to know that you two had my back. Or at least you did.”

Coriolanus frowned at her, setting down his empty glass. “Do you really think I’d let Creed assault someone and get away with it?”

She pursed her lips. “If it was me he was after, then maybe.”

He shook his head. “Bellova, I would never let harm come to one of my friends.”

“Hmm” was her only response. 

Loud music began to play over the speakers, causing the chatter around them to quiet down. The lights dimmed, and the stage was illuminated a moment later, revealing a group of performers with sequin-covered costumes. 

The illusionists were brilliant. They made white doves appear as if they vanished into thin air, and re-appear in a cloud of purple flame. The crowd was enthralled, gasping and applauding loudly. Avoxes walked through the room, keeping the guest’s glasses full of posca. 

After the third glass, Bellova was definitely intoxicated. She felt slightly dizzy, and was trying desperately not to say anything that would embarrass her later. 

While the performers were setting up their next elaborate trick, Bellova glanced at the two boys sitting next to her. Sejanus was in a dark blue suit that complimented his chocolate brown eyes. Coriolanus, on the other hand, wore a black long-sleeved dress shirt that he had rolled up to his elbows, paired with matching dress pants and black leather boots. There was a silver watch on his slender wrist that was engraved with the Snow family crest.

He looked like he was attending a funeral, but he looked as handsome as ever.

She giggled. “I’m in a Snow and Plinth sandwich.” Sejanus chuckled, making her eyes widen. “D-Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, you did,” Coriolanus said, smirking. She sighed, rubbing her temples gently.

“I’ve got to stop drinking after this glass,” she murmured. “I’m going to keep saying stupid shit like that if I keep this up.” 

Two more refills later, Bellova and Coriolanus were completely, utterly drunk.

Bellova had no idea that Coriolanus was the slightly giggly, honest type of drunk. She expected him to be meaner while intoxicated, not more pleasant. He was more boyish and cheerful, and had an almost goofy smile on his face. 

Bellova looked at him, her eyes glassy and a bit unfocused. “What’s making you so happy?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. I just am.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yes it does.”

“No it doesn’t!”

Coriolanus pouted, crossing his arms. “You’re so mean all the time. Why can’t you cut me some slack?”

Bellova smirked back. “I would if you weren’t such a cunt on a daily basis.”

“Watch your language, we’re in public.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

“Stop giving me attitude,” Coriolanus said, glaring at her.

“You’re one to talk about attitude, Coryo,” Bellova muttered.

He suddenly placed a hand on hers, making her shudder slightly. His hands were cold, which was fitting, given his last name. 

“What’s this for?” she asked, confused.

“You would be so much nicer looking if you weren’t always glaring. You have a pretty face, you shouldn’t waste it by scowling at me all the time.” 

Bellova was too intoxicated to stop herself from blushing slightly. “You think I’m pretty?”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s an objective fact that you’re gorgeous. Everyone with eyes thinks so. You should hear what the older boys at the Academy say about you.”

Bellova winced. “I don’t want to know. They’ve harassed me before, have I ever told you that?”

“No, you haven’t,” he said, his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Okay, well I don’t want to talk about it,” she snapped, suddenly feeling tense. 

“Why?”

“Because,” she said, biting her lip. “It’ll…make me upset.”

“Why?”

“Coriolanus, I had to stab three boys in the arm to escape being forcibly stripped,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears that she hastily wiped away. “That was why I almost got expelled last year. I would’ve been if the boys hadn’t been threatened to confess by my father.”

Coriolanus stared at her in silence for a moment.

“That’s awful,” he said quietly. “I had no idea. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s in the past now. Just…don’t mention it to anyone. I don’t want the drama to start up again.”

He nodded. “I won’t, I swear.” 

“Good,” she replied, giving him a small smile. She saw him yawn, covering his mouth with his hand. “Tired?”

Coriolanus nodded. “Exhausted. I was up late last night.”

“How come?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Nightmares.”

Bellova frowned. “What about?”

“My mother. And the night she died. You know I was supposed to have a little sister? She died minutes after being born.”

Bellova felt her heart tighten. Coriolanus’s baby blue eyes were watery, and he looked more vulnerable than she’d ever seen him. He was still holding onto her hand, his grasp tightening slightly. 

“I’m sure that your mother was a lovely woman,” she said softly. He nodded. 

“She was. I keep her old compact by my bedside when I need to calm my nerves. There’s still rose-scented powder in it, and it makes me feel as if she’s in the room with me.”

Bellova gave him a soft smile. “That’s sweet.”

“I suppose,” Coriolanus said, his eyelids beginning to droop slightly. To Bellova’s surprise, he let his head rest on her shoulder. His golden curls brushed against her bare skin, making a warm feeling bloom in her chest. 

Sejanus looked over at Bellova to see how she was doing, and his jaw fell open when he saw Coriolanus resting comfortably on his fiercest rival. 

‘What the hell is going on?’ Sejanus mouthed at her.

Bellova gave him a dazed smile. ‘No clue,’ she mouthed back.

She felt as if she’d fallen into an alternate reality. This felt so odd, having Coriolanus cuddled up at her side and holding her hand while half-asleep.

But she wasn’t complaining. Not in the slightest. 

______________________________________________

With a good amount of difficulty, Sejanus managed to convince Coriolanus and Bellova to accept his offer to call a cab to take them home. 

Both were almost unconscious, and had forgotten to call their drivers to ask them to pick them up. Sejanus knew they both needed to be at home in bed soon, or they’d regret it in the morning.

In the back of the cab, the two academic rivals sat on opposite sides of the back seat. Bellova assumed Coriolanus had finally fallen asleep, as his head was resting against the window. 

Her head was still swimming, the posca affecting her thoughts greatly. She had urges she’d never have while sober, such as the urge to run her hands through Coriolanus’s curls. They looked so soft, almost like a kitten’s fur. 

She turned away to look out the window, staring at the pristine Capitol buildings in the distance. One day, she’d have one all to herself.

“Bellova?”

Coriolanus’s raspy voice startled her out of her fantasies, making her sit up. “Yes?”

“Maybe…” he said slowly. “Maybe we should stop being mean to each other.”

Bellova sighed. “Maybe. But it’s part of our relationship. It’s fucked up, but that’s how it’s been for years.”

“I don’t always enjoy fighting. It’s stressful and frustrating,” Coriolanus said. “And it gets tiring.”

“What exactly is your point, Coryo?”

“Let’s make a pact,” he said, his glazed eyes looking into hers. “An agreement to stop arguing for no reason. Maybe we’d be happier if we work together instead of against each other.” 

Bellova hummed. She supposed he was right, bickering with him could get exhausting. It would be hard to stop trying to get under his skin on purpose, as it had become a habit. But was worth a try.

She extended her hand. “Okay. Let’s do it. No more pointless fighting.” 

He grasped her hand, giving it a firm shake. “Promise?”

“I promise.” 

When the cab driver reached Bellova’s estate, Coriolanus gave her a parting kiss on the hand, making her giggle loudly. She blew a kiss back to him before one of her guards escorted her through the gates, putting an official end to her night out. 

______________________________________________

The next morning, Bellova and Coriolanus both woke up in their own beds, their hangovers giving them splitting headaches. 

Coriolanus ended up vomiting in the bathroom, worrying Tigris immensely. He assured her he was fine, but she insisted on making him a cup of tea and coaxed him back into bed. 

Bellova was prepared for the hangover, and took some medicine she had in her bedside cabinet in order to quell the pounding in her head. It was the weekend, so she had no obligations. After her headache had lessened, she slipped back into sleep.

Neither of them realized they had blacked out the previous evening. They didn’t remember anything after having their fifth glasses of posca. 

Along with forgetting the deep conversation they had at the show, the promise they made to each other was forever lost in the recesses of their minds. They would continue to fight over the most mundane things, and do whatever they could to get a rise out of the other.

Until, of course, the conflict came to an end once and for all on that fateful October day.

✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊ ❆ ‧ ₊ ⊹˚✧ ‧˚₊

TAGLIST: @daenerysqueenofhearts, @squidscottjeans, @euphemiaamillais, @gracieroxzy, @effectwalker, @mystargirl-interlude

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments! I really loved writing this one-shot, and I may write more for these characters in the future in order to expand upon their backstory. If you have any one-shot ideas, pls leave a comment below or send something to my inbox!

Also, let me know if you want to be added to the tag list!

[mortal-kombat-1]

what is your opinion on johnny cage's character?

Oh boy, this took me a good bit to think on and type out, lmao. Like, would have it all ready to post then think of something else to add. Thank you draft option 🙏

Overall, I think he's more complex than a lot of folks make him out to be. Yeah, its really easy to just think he's the comedic relief only when the game(s) kinda lead you to believe that. You can't really judge him based on one timeline since the plots/stories keep changing with each game (even if you add in the comics and movies). There's no connecting the dots when it comes to MK lore, lol. You gotta be fairly new to the franchise to think otherwise if I'm being very honest.

But given this blog is primarily MK1 Johnny, that's the timeline/version I'll jot my thoughts out for.

He's obviously not a parent in this timeline unlike 10 and 11, so we can scratch even mentioning that. But, he's once again married, not to Sonya but to Cris. Even so, his ego, money spending and his need to be the prime center of attention gets the better of him causing things to sour in his marriage. Of course ending in divorce. I won't stick up for him, he has his flaws, Cris was definitely in the right to divorce 'em. She deserved to be treated better. I'm not saying the man didn't care for her, it was pretty damn obvious that he did. He's very protective and regrets how he's done her -- he made that clear in a couple of intro's. I really felt like he got into the movie business not only because it was something he always wanted to do, but to make a better life for the both of them at some point, but I think he kinda let it all get to his head and let slip away the reason he was initially doing it all for. So in short: He's gotta take responsibility for his own actions. Nobody else is to blame but himself. But even with that being said, he struggled, obviously an alcoholic -- he's mentioned recovery to Ashrah in one of their intro's; though I'm really convinced he started drinking to forget about certain details of his past... and maybe stress because Hollywood. We don't really get enough information on his childhood other than whats mentioned in intro's with other characters. And even then, they never really seem good nor happy. So I like to think his need to be a people pleaser really stems from his parents. That is in no way me trying to make an excuse for his character, though. The man isn't a child/teen, and I've seen people on here and elsewhere, thinking he's in his 20's or early 30's. And after going through some of the files in the game, a lot of the things he's won or collected were from the 90's -- awards being more specific. So I tend to say he's in his early 40's at the youngest. Also, he's mentioned getting someone younger to take on his role so yeah.

I like how even though others might find his tactics and odd sense of humor (which happens 99% at the wrong time) annoying, they still want him there. And he knows that, the damn smirking gives it away. Does he mature in any way in this timeline -- eventually, but I wouldn't say he's changed completely or he wouldn't be Johnny Cage. I'd say he finally realized there's more to life than money and fame when you got the right people surrounding you, and he gets that by the time the game ends.

Also, that damn boopable nose... they ever change that I'm gonna riot.

I could keep going on about this idiot, but I gotta stop there or I will never shut up sdfghjkl;. It's one of those "I see so much of myself in this character and I'm gonna glue myself to them" type of thing.

[idollandhero]

I think in a year we'll look back at our time with Idol Land and think of it like a weird dream. A time when there wasn't a Pretty Series show announced and everything was in limbo. A time where King of Prism was a dead franchise. A time when songs were performed at Pretty Series live shows that wouldn't premier in the anime for years. The game teaser in every single Pretty Series announcement only for it to be delayed again. The YEARS long gap between episodes 2 and 3. The DISASTROUS launch. When we realized it was just a reskinned version of the switch game. Or when we discovered that it was mostly made by some unrelated dev who had only made one failed mobile otome game before Idol Land.

The Pretty Series' pivot to focusing on AiPri & KinPri instead of Idol Land & DanPri makes the past few years of Idol Land content, and the past less than a year of Idol Land actually being out, feel like an illusion.

It's frustrating because the concept of a PriPara mobile game sounds fantastic! When I play games like SIF2 or Idolish7 or whatever I think about what could have been. Was it money problems? or time problems? Or some combination of both. Regardless I can't help but yearn for a game with a budget that this franchise deserves.

And the web anime was great! But only 12 episodes, and its own budget problems, plus the games delay keeping it finished and in limbo for 2 years! (+ the lack of any western fansubs picking it up, seriously how is do we still only have subs for up to episode 6) meant that it never got the place in the spotlight it deserved. Some people speculated that it was meant to air on TV because the episodes are formatted as such, but with AiPri starting in that slot the same month the show is ending that doesn't seem to be true.

It's hard to say where PriPara is going from here. It's the series 10th anniversary and the arcade game is being shuttered to push players towards AiPri Verse instead. Idol Land's anime finale is going to air to little applause because it's stuck on an app with less than 20,000 active users, and in the same month as the launch of the new series that's slated to be a real PreCure competitor.

Idol Land's EOS hasn't been announced yet, but the missing Nino birthday coord, the April monthly update with entirely rerun coords, and the fact that Idol Land is getting very VERY close to running out of content from the switch game. Well, if not EOS I expect this game to go into maintenance mode pretty soon.

Yeah idk what my point here was exactly, but man Idol Land really was a blur. Sometimes I think we understate exactly how inexperienced the devs really were. The game doesn't have any type of Google Play integration, and when the game launched the account recovery only lasted 15 minutes. I have a newer phone and the game isn't compatible with my hole punch front camera. There's just a black bar there. I only have this problem with older games, anything made in the last 4 years doesn't have this problem except for Idol Land. I honestly think the lack of region locking is because the dev doesn't know how to turn it on. Someone on discord reported that they've been buying gold, and then contacting Google and asking for a Play Store refund. It's worked multiple times and they are not banned. How is a ban for chargebacks not something they implemented day one. Also this game doesn't have any deals or discounts, ever. It's hard to believe that, like every game I've ever played has a buy two and get 50% off the second one bundle. But it's like the devs don't know how to implement anything past basic gacha mechanics. I could also ramble about how expensive the prices are, but I've done it before I won't do it again. Also the photo room, it's implemented pretty badly. You upload a photo for the background and it crops it weird and squishes it and makes it blurry. I didn't know this at launch because it was a paid feature for like six months. The pass itself was a horrible value unless you were buying it specifically to get the episodes early, you got exactly how the amount of gold you paid for. Why not just buy the gold then. But they either realized that, or were preparing for end of service; because they took it down. I'm rambling about things the devs messed up but I haven't even mentioned the first three months of the game. There's been so many points in this game's history where playing a promise was borderline impossible for one reason or another. This game didn't feel finished until that November update that included immediate promises. God there's so much more. The photo competitions just being about editing for some reason. Also they went away, so clearly those didn't work. The amount of coords they've implemented that were broken in some way. Sometimes it was the wrong coord entirely, sometimes the cylume didn't work. It's like the dev team is so small that there's no QA people. Also on that note, Open Dream Land was just fixed in the mid March update. The game went more than 6 months where one of its two unique charts was off sync. Also remember the voice bug, that lasted forever.

I'm sorry I just started rambling lmao. This is the problem when I write posts with speech to text, I say way too much. Ultimately I enjoyed my time with Idol Land, but it's existence feels surreal. Especially because 80% of the features from this game I can turn on my switch after end of service and play, and it's free because I already paid once and never have to pay again. I even have Waku Waku O'Clock on Switch. One day, probably soon from the way things are going, I'm going to wake up and not be able to play Idol Land on my phone ever again. But instead of reminiscing of this game, I will think about the game that could have been if Idol Land got as much love as Prism Rush did.

KASHIKOMA ✌️

[dekuhotnugget]

Zelink Relationship in Breath of the Wild

In early 2022, I started playing Breath of the Wild and to this day, this game manages to win me over in a way I never imagined in a game of the franchise. One of the things that fascinates me about the game, beyond the whole world and exploration, is the relationship between Zelda and Link.

Notes:

This analysis is based on Zelda and Link's Diary cited in Breath of The Wild. Link's diary is quite subtle because, of the game's English translation but, I'll explain how it works.

In the game, there is a quest called "Captured Memories" where you have to go to various locations in Hyrule to recover your memories with Zelda from 100 years ago, which I will also use in the analysis.

The memories and the diaries in BOTW are crucial in deciphering the sentiment between Link and Zelda.

Part 1: Zelda's Feelings and Thoughts about Link

First Impressions of Link

First, let's talk about Zelda's feelings based on what we have in BotW. In BotW, precisely in Hyrule Castle, in Princess Zelda's room, it is possible to find Zelda's diary, where she expresses about how it was to meet the champions and about went to researched the ancient technology and below that she wrote "P.S. Tomorrow , my father is assigning HIM as my appointed knight..." and this "HIM", she refers to Link.

In the first memory of the game, we can see that Zelda wasn't happy with the idea of being followed and watched by Link.

Zelda also brings up the fact that Link spends most of his time in silence, writing this in his diary:

"And still, not a word passes his lips. I never know what he's thinking! It makes my imagination run wild, guessing at what he is thinking but will not say. What does the boy chosen by the sword that seals the darkness think of me? Will I ever truly know? Then, I suppose it's simple. A daughter of Hyrule's Royal family yet unable to use sealing power...He must despise me."

In one of the memories, Zelda is angry to discover that Link has followed her, going so far as to yell at him and with that, she adds in her diary "He seemed confused by my anger."

From that point on, this is where I believe her first impressions of Link were wrong because, after that memory comes another one where we see Zelda being chased by the Yiga Clan, then Link appears to save her.

After that incident, she writes in her diary:

"I am unsure how to put today's events into words. Words so often evade me lately, and now more than ever. He saved me. Without a thougth for his own life, he protected me from the ruthless blades of the Yiga Clan . Though I've been cold to him all this time...taking my selfish and childish anger out on him at every turn... Still, he was there for me. I won't ever forget that. Tomorrow, I shall apologize for all that has transpired between us. And then...I will try talking to him. To Link. It's a worth a shot."

The beginning of a big friendship and love

This diary entry starts to make more sense with the next memory we see Zelda worrying about Link's safety while still berating him, after defeating several strong enemies.

From that point on, Zelda begins to treat Link in a more friendly manner and shows concern for him as well and we can see this in the memory where they are both riding a horse, while Zelda thanks Link for his advice.

After that, returning to her diary, Zelda writes the following:

"Bit by bit, I've gotten Link to open up to me."

"When I finally got around to asking why he's so quite all the time, I could tell it was difficult for him to say. But he did. With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden. A feeling I know all too well... For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings. I always believed him to be simply a gifted person who had never faced a day of hardship. How wrong I was..."

and then, in the last sentences:

"I wish to talk with him more and to see what lies beneath those calm waters, to hear him speak freely and openly...And perhaps I, too, will be able to bare my soul to him and share the demons that have plagued me all the years."

And with that quote in her diary, we found out that yes, Link can talk in the game and that's quite interesting to add. Another very interesting thing to add is how Zelda talks about how one day she will give her soul to him. I looked it up and it means to tell someone tell your secret thoughts and feelings.

For all these years, Zelda has been pretending to be a person that her father (the King of Hyrule in BotW) wants him to be and even, she tried to open up to her father and this happens in one of the memories too, when he found out that she was taking a break from her training to try to awaken the sealed power but, instead of acting like a father, he acts rudely, saying that she should focus on her training instead of wasting time on silly things.

If we go to her father's diary entries, he says:

"The reason her sacred powers still won't awaken is because, she's speding all her efforts playing at being a scholar!"

With that, we realize that Zelda during those years was pressured by her father and was never able to open up to anyone. During two memories, we discover that she was unable to contact two of the goddesses, the goddesses of power and courage. With that, she also mentions that she will go to Mount Lanayru, in hopes of being able to speak with the Goddess of Wisdom but, once again, she is unsuccessful and we see this in the memory, where she returns with Link from Mount Lanayru.

This is where things start to get interesting. Still in the same memory, Mipha speaks "If I may...I thought you...Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words...I'm actually quite embarrased to say it. But I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing. You know, what usually goes through my mind...It helps when I think-when I think about-"

Unfortunately, she isn't able to finish the sentence due to the Calamity Ganon waking up at the exact moment but, I strongly believe she meant "It helps when I think about..." (the person I deeply care about/love).

Skiping now to the last memory of the game, we see Link surrounded by several guardians while protecting Zelda. She begged him to run away and leave her to save himself but, Link wouldn't. About to die for the guardian, Zelda gets in front of Link to protect him and finally, after years without success, she finally manages to awaken her power.

Zelda ends up saving Link, sending him to the Shrine of Resurrection. 100 years later, when Link was fully healed, she aided him throughout Hyrule and helped him to defeat Ganon.

After having sent Link to the Shrine of Resurrection, in other memorie, Zelda goes to Korok Forest with the Master Sword to the Great Deku Tree. During this they have a conversation and in this, Zelda says:

"Great Deku Tree, I ask you, when he return, can you please give this message...Tell him I-"

"Now, then...Words intended for him would sound much better in the tones of your voice, don't you think?"

"Yes."

We never learn what her next words were but, with that scene and for me, it's the last detail that proves that Zelda didn't have a reason to find the power inside her but, when she did find a reason, protecting the person who she cared/loved about, she was finally able to accept who she was and with that, she finally awakens her power and in the end, saves Hyrule from the Ganon Calamity. Until now, Zelda's feelings for Link were just a theory but, I discovered more solid evidence which clearly shows that Zelda is in love with Link. After you complete the game, in the village of Rito, you will meet Kass and he will tell you about his master, who was part of the Sheikah Tribe and who was in love with the princess, better known as Zelda, however, Kass himself mentions that "But the princess herself only had eyes for her escort, her own knight attendant."

More evidence, in the lyrics of the game's ending song it says "An ancient hero, a Calamity appears, Now resurrected after 10,000 years. Her appointed knight gives his life, Shields her figure, and pays the price. The princess's love for her fallen knight awakens her power. And within the castle, the Calamity is forced to cower" and with that, i say checkmate.

Part 2: Link's Feelings and Thoughts about Zelda

Intro

BotW world is an absolutely huge and expansive one that contains many secrets. Some of them may be obvious and can even be found in the game itself but, there are others that only you will be able to find if you do research outside the game.

Unlike the other diaries of the characters in the game, Link's diary is not found in any location in Hyrule but, in the side quests themselves but, this diary is only exclusive to the Japanese version. In other words, the version translated from Japanese to English, they decided to change and put the translation of the side quests in 3rd person but, in the original version, the Japanese one, the game presents the sides quests in the 1st person, that is, in the Japanese version of the game, the side quests are told from Link's own perspective and not the player's, thus creating a sort of Link's diary. blowing minds

But first, before talking about what Link thinks about Zelda, I think it's important to talk a little more about the character itself. In Hyrules Warriors: Age of Calamity, 100 years before the events of BotW, Link is introduced to us as a Silent Knight and Skilled Swordman who is renowned for his figthing skills courage and his devotion to the Royal family of Hyrule. Slowly but surely, Link is becoming much more expressive with his emotions as time progresses. In BotW, there is a cutscene where we see Zelda and Link riding their horses together. At this moment, Zelda thanks Link for his advice on how create a bond with her horse. This means that some point, Link must have shared his expertise on horses with Zelda, in order to help her to do that he needs to speak or at least, write it down for her, although we don't see this in game. It's very possible that Link directly spoke with Zelda here so, it's not like Link is incapable of speaking or of any communication at all, is just that he chooses not do but why? Well, the answer is in Zelda's own diary. In her diary, Zelda says the following:

"With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden. A feeling I know all too well... For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings"

Link tells Zelda that the reason he doesn't speak is because, he feels it's necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burder so actually, our beloved protagonist has fell strong emotions all along, he had just decided to keep them all bottled to himself in order to appear reliable and strong to Zelda. What else can we find out about Link? What does he really think of Zelda? Well, Link actually has an extensive character description in BotW. We can find the answers to these questions and more as Zelda and the King of Hyrule aren't the only ones with diaries. Link has written a diary of his own.

Link's Diary

So, Link's diary where is it? Well, as I mentioned before, Link's diary is hidden in the side quests of the Japanese version of the game. In japanese version however the answer becomes clear all of the entries in the adventure log are entries that Link has written himself to keep track of his own adventure. The English version of the game, the journal entries are written in 3rd person and refer to the reader as you but, upon loading up the japanese version, instead of being written in 3rd person, the journal entries are written in 1st person from Link's prespective. All of the entries in the journal were written by Link but, the surprises aren't just limited to this in his diary. Link doesn't just record his current objetive, he also has written down some of his own thoughts and feelings. With a lot of views and yours in comparasion the same quest "Captured Memories", in the Japanese version can be translated to something like this:

"I've acquired the legendary Master Sword, the legendary blade of evil's bane. Somehow, I get the feeling that the sword itself is delighted that I've come to retritive it.

Zelda is still battling to supress the evil Ganon at this very moment...She believes that I will defintely come for her!

I wonder if...As I am now...Am I really strong enough to save her?"

While in the English version of the game, the quest is described like this:

"You've visited all 13 of the locations shown in the old pictures and recovered the associated memories of your days with Princess Zelda.

In your memories, Princess Zelda always seemed burdened by her task...

Go and save her as quickly as you can to finally ease that burden."

The quest text in the Japanese version essentially reintroduces Link to us as someone who has normal human emotions rather that the silent knight or silent hero decipted through the games knowing that the adventure log belongs to Link as his diary. Suddenly, the seemingly trivial text reveals more hidden sides to our hero, especially the last part "see her smile again with my own eyes". They completely omitted this from the English version it's words like these that add so much more to Link's character. After Link has conquered the lost woods by not getting lost, he reaches the inner sanctum of the forest where he meets the Deku Tree who has been guarding the Master Sword, legendary sword of evil spain. When Link has regained enough of his former strength, he pours the Master Sword from his pedestal. Once more, after he obtains the Master Sword, the adventure quest text for heroes in English versions, reads:

"You've acquired the legendary Master Sword, that which seals the darkness. You feel that the sword itself delights to be in your possession...

Even at this moment, Princess Zelda is within Hyrule Castle, figthing to suppress the Calamity. She endures, believing you will come for her...

Will you be able to save her as you are now?"

When comparing it to the Japanese version is quite similar apart from one word which points towards more evidence of Link being the author. A Japanese word can mean "myself" or "yourself" and it changes the text a first person's narrative. This means that the text would read something like:

"I've acquired the legendary Master Sword, the legendary blade of evil's bane. Somehow, I get the feeling that the sword itself is delighted that I've come to retritive it.

Zelda is still battling to supress the evil Ganon at this very moment...She believes that I will defintely come for her!

I wonder if...As I am now...Am I really strong enough to save her?"

With that, we can really get a feel for how strongly Link wants the power to be able to save Zelda. In the quest "Destroy Ganon", the last section in English is written:

"The ghost of King Rhoam told you that Hyrule is on the brink of annihilation.

Princess Zelda is currently fighting to contain Calamity Ganon inside Hyrule Castle, but her power cannot keep him at bay forever. Eventually, Ganon will regain his full strength and destroy the world.

Your ultimate task is to aid Princess Zelda in defeating Ganon before that can happen."

But, in the Japanese version is written:

"The spirit of the King of Hyrule has told me that the land is on the verge of being obliterated.

It won't be long until Princess Zelda reaches her limit in containing the destructive power of Ganon at Hyrule Castle. When she does, Ganon will completely regain his power and everything will come to an end.

I really hope I'll be able to save Princess Zelda before that happens..."

Link really wants to believe that he can stop Ganon, stop his power in time and puts an end to everthing. After falling once already, it's no surprise that he may have some doubt in his ability.

Happiness

I was given a bunch of gems from Hudson as a sign of his gratitude for everything that I've done for them so far.

After Link has helped Hudson's establish Tarrey Town and after Hudson's and Rhondson are married in the quest "From the Ground Up", Link shows us his warm-hearted side, he is glad for other people's happiness as a conclusion to from the ground up and in Japanese version, he writes:

"Hudson's and Rhondson's wedding ceremony has concluded and Tarrey Town is really prospering.

I wish those two can live in happiness together forever."

The English version like the others is again written in third person and is directed at telling you the player that you wish the couple eternal happiness rather than Link.

In the quest "Test of Will", Link is challenged by three Gorons to train his tolerance to extreme heat in an endurance contest. After besting the Gorons at their challenge, he records the events in his diary, adding a little of his own humor into the mix in his recorded entry, Link mimics the way Gorons speak by attaching Goro to the end of his sentences:

"Ah! Is that all I'm getting out of you, Kabeta brother Goro? That's too bad, Goro..."

While in the English version, it says:

"Oh, that's all from Kabetta? That's too bad, brother..."

Else, does Link think about Zelda? Well, he thinks her voice is really pretty. In the quest "Follow the Sheikah Slate", which Link recieves at the benning of the game, he seems to quite like Zelda's voice. The last part of the quest text, in English simply reads:

"From Hyrule Castle, off in the distance, you hear the woman's voice speaking to you again..."

In comparasion to the Japanese version, goes a little like this:

"From the top of that giant tower, I could once again hear a girls beautiful voice coming from the castle that looks so far away."

"Follow the Sheikah Slate" is another one of those quests that has had parts submitted in. It's English version counterpart the original is much more descriptive and it allows us to finally connect with Link and his feelings.

Thoughts of a Failed Hero

In BotW, Zelda and Link's relationship is quite the dynamic one. In the very first memory, we see Link who has been appointed as Zelda's knight by King Rhoam. In this cutscene/memory, Link is already welding the Master Sword with the weighty responsibility of being Zelda's personal knight as well being chosen as the hero by the Master Sword itself. There is no doubt that Link is under immense pressure and expectation here. Zelda and the others conduct the ceremony of legend to celebrate Link in fulfilling his destiny despite being a huge step towards spending off the Calamity. Zelda, as mentioned before, doesn't seems too enthusiactic and the whole thing feels tainted with despair. Zelda's resentment towards Link continues to worsen as her insecurities and fear of being unable to awaken her powers.

Urbosa points out that Zelda's, Link is a living reminder of her own failures. Like Link, Zelda is also under immense pressure and responsibility to protect Hyrule. Link dedicated himself to his nightly duties and was able to fulfill his destiny and wield the Master Sword. Whereas Zelda was always told that because she was born into the Royal family, she had to dedicate herself in awakening her powers. Urbosa tells Link that every time Zelda sees him, reminds her how she still hasn't achieved her own destiny.

Zelda and Link's relationship hits a turning point when Link saves Zelda from the Yiga Clan. Zelda and Link begin to develop a genuine bond, Zelda realizes that she is not the only one with doubts, she had originally thougth that Link's silent and stiff behavior was a result of him not liking her but actually, as mentioned earlier, it's because he feels it's necessary to stay strong and silently bear any burden. Zelda's thought that Link's sucess was purely out of natural talent. In her diary, Zelda's says:

"When I finally got around to asking why he's so quite all the time, I could tell it was difficult for him to say. But he did. With so much at stake, and so many eyes upon him, he feels it necessary to stay strong and to silently bear any burden. A feeling I know all too well... For him, it has caused him to stop outwardly expressing his thoughts and feelings. I always believed him to be simply a gifted person who had never faced a day of hardship. How wrong I was..."

Zelda feels guilty for how she had been treating Link so, she tries to talk to him which results in a significant improvement in their relationship. In part 1, we've seen all about what Zelda thinks about Link, but what about Link himself? What does he think of all this?

Still determined to get stronger, Link once again visits the Deku Tree in the Lost Woods. Link returns the Master Sword to his pedestal and is thrown into "The Trial of the Sword" quest where he must survive an onslaught of enemies, starting with none of his own equipament. After finally conquering all 51 merciless levels and making it through to the very end, Link is rewarded with a full powered Master Sword. After he has awakened the Master Sword's full potential, the quest text for try of the Master Sword, in English version reads like this:

"You conquered the merciless Trial of the Sword!

You now have the physical and mental strenght necessary to use the Master Sword to its full potential.

Princess Zelda is no doubt quite happy with your achievement."

But, in Japanese version is a little different:

"I've conquered the relentless Trial of the Sword.

I've obtained the physical and mental strenght necessary to control the full power of the Master Sword.

I'm sure that Princess Zelda would also paise me for how much I've grown."

After enjoying countless hardships and striving to get stronger for so long, it is not until this quest that Link is finally pround of himself and has enough confidence in his ability to face Zelda.

In one of the memories, we see both Zelda and Link running, through the rain, fleeing Hyrule Castle. Meanwhile, Zelda ends up slipping her hand from Link's and ends up tripping. This scene is further proof that Link has feelings for her and that he clearly cares about her. After Zelda says that death of the Champions, her father, the Divine Beasts was her fault, it cuts to this scene where, you clearly get the sad expression on Link's face. If he didn't like her, I don't think he'd stop running to hear her.

With all this vent, Zelda simply surrenders in Link's arms, who accepts her without hesitation or thinking twice.

Then, after defeating Ganon and at the end of the game, Zelda finally granted Link's greatest wish, giving a beautiful smile to Link.

Thanks for reading this far. 😊 Really, it was one of the longest and most laborious analyses I've ever done so far but, it was worth it because, it made me love this ship more and see Zelink in other perspective.

[mortispoxi]

After taking the time to really sit and process the roller coaster of information that was the recent People Make Games video about the drama surrounding Studio ZA/UM, I wanted to make this post to go over some of my thoughts that I had about the video. If you have not watched the video but are curious what people are saying about it or you have and you want to read someone else’s perspective, then I invite you to read through as I babble incoherently.

Overall, I thought it provided an interesting, in-depth look at the timeline of events leading up to Kurvitz, Rostov, and Hindpere’s dismissals while also giving us a proper inside scoop to the interpersonal relationships of both the former and current Studio ZA/UM employees. However, I do think the video has a couple of problems specifically with the way some of the information is presented on top of the fact that it loses focus partway through from the real issue which is the alleged fraud that took place by the investors to acquire the majority share within the company.

A big problem that I had with the video was the way in which Kurvitz behavior and final statement are disproportionately framed in the narrative. Now I am not about to go on a lengthy rant to dismiss everything Robert Kurvitz did to his friends during his time at the studio. In fact, the thing that I really liked about this video was how Chris Bratt, the writer and interviewer, holds no punches when it comes to the accusations of misconduct we heard from current Studio ZA/UM employees against him. Instead, I think it needs to be addressed that Bratt left out background context, whether intentionally or unintentionally I do not want to speculate, that could potentially explain what happened to everyone leading up to the expulsions to make Kurvitz appear far worse than how he might’ve been. I fully believe every word Argo Tuulik, Kaspar Tamsula, and Petteri Sulonen has said about working under Kurvitz and his inner circle so by piecing together all their statements to create a timeline of events the investors start to look far less innocent than how they portray themselves to be in the video.

It’s abundantly clear that Kurvitz was notoriously hard to work with. However, what’s also clear was the tremendous amount of stress everyone was under while also still being in the throes of burnout after working on the game nonstop for months. I think the investors (Kender, Haavel, and Kompus) purposefully set the team up for failure by creating impossible deadlines without informing the writers, approving Kurvitz and his inner circle to take time off while disallowing the others from taking theirs, and attempting to restructure the company in preparation to franchise Disco Elysium against Kurvitz wishes and thus he felt scared enough to push for his role to be de facto creative leader anywhere he could. What seems to be three full years of forcing everyone to crunch, miscommunicating when important deadlines were, setting impossible work standards to meet, and readying themselves to snatch more power within the company may have helped sow the seeds of animosity the writers began growing towards one another.

All of this is nothing new for those of us who have been keeping an eye on the drama from the start. We were told long in advance by the likes of Martin Luiga, who although left the project early on has been friends and worked alongside him for the better part of two decades, that Kurvitz possesses less than stellar leadership skills and that there was no merit in what the investors would end up accusing him of doing to warrant his dismissal. That confirmation was given long before the release of the PMG video and cements the idea in my mind that perhaps Kurvitz erratic behavior that was described by the current Studio ZA/UM employees was not the cause but rather a symptom of a much larger problem happening around him (i.e. a toxic work environment brought on by the investors using manipulation tactics to further stress and cause resentment amongst the collective). Yes, Kurvitz was at times uncooperative and dismissive towards his fellow employees, but this aspect of his character and the situation was played up to be a far greater problem in the PMG video than what the context suggests. I’m also inclined to believe this interpretation because Argo Tuulik, despite having legitimate, unresolved issues with his friend, does still regard Kurvitz very highly and even believes that he should still have artistic access to Elysium.  

When you think about it from this perspective, it makes perfect sense as to why Kurvitz was acting erratically around his fellow coworkers who eventually lashed out at him. On top of Kurvitz’s subpar leadership skills, he clearly was rapidly losing control of the situation which caused a great amount of stress for everybody involved as he scrambled in every which way to hold onto his position within the studio. It does not surprise me when it’s admitted by Sulonen that Kurvitz was thinking of taking the source code to potentially start over with a newly founded company since the situation was rapidly deteriorating and everyone was getting more and more frustrated with him and his inner circle. The impossible working conditions they found themselves in was a pressure cooker for the animosity and resentment building within the disillusioned group. Clearly the investors made their workers run themselves ragged in order to divide everyone and make it easier for them to take advantage of Kurvitz’s now frequent outbursts to finally push him out of their way.

Everything that I’ve said above can easily be discerned from the context clues found in the interviews from the current and former ZA/UM members. Which if you think about it is an unfortunate statement because Bratt does not seem to register the complaints of mismanagement by the hands of the investors from either side and instead only points the spotlight at Kurvitz’s past transgressions. What I am describing is one of the major issues I have with the PMG video. The video talking about the ongoing legal battle to determine if corporate fraud took place seemed to disproportionately focus on the problems Kurvitz and his inner circle had with other team members and not issuing a public apology to his former colleagues. Now that doesn’t sound all too bad on paper, right? If Kurvitz apologized, it could help begin the healing process and make for a good closer for the video. Well, that’s where the problem comes into play because Kurvitz response to Bratt’s request for comment regarding what Tuulik, Tamsalu, and Sulonen said about his poor conduct should not come as a surprise to anyone who had been paying attention. In the video, Bratt hails the email Kurvitz sent back to him as arrogant and dismissive which he then uses to accuse him of not standing with his fellow workers in solidarity and not taking accountability for his actions. However, right at the start of his interview, Kurvitz informs Bratt that at the behest of his lawyers he does not want the full interview to be published as they are worried Studio ZA/UM might take something he said as an admission of guilt and use it against him in a court of law. Therefore, when asked to comment about what his former colleagues said about him, he fires back an email that basically says that he wants the focus to be on the thing that really matters, the lawsuits and the shady activities of the investors. Bratt, clearly not liking his response, decided to attack his statement even though had Kurvitz given PMG what they wanted he could potentially be incriminating himself. Whether he denies or fully understands that his actions hurt others, the way he responded is 100% justified and did not deserve the level of vitriol he got from both Bratt and the public. It seems like a double standard that Ilmar Kompus can deny answering a question by claiming he cannot comment due to the ongoing lawsuit during his interview but when Kurvitz does it for the exact same reasons he is attacked. Again, Kurvitz is fully responsible to rectify the hurt he caused others but legally he’s in the clear and Bratt seemed to purposely neglect that aspect of the ongoing narrative.

Now, I’m not about to pull a whole reddit conspiracy in my write up. I do believe Chris Bratt, who directed this video, went into this with the very best of intentions to tell the full story with an emphasis on the workers who were affected by the situation. However, the problems that I’ve listed above make me worry what will be the takeaway from someone who is only a casual observer of the ZA/UM situation. Personally, I have been following this from the beginning so I’ve had a lot of time to develop my own insight into things but that’s usually not the case for most people. What I’m concerned about is whether Bratt may have unintentionally furthered the investors narrative by pushing people’s focus away from themselves and onto Kurvitz who has largely had the support of fans and outside viewers up until this point. Studio ZA/UM as it stands is desperate for a leg up in the PR battle it’s had with Kurvitz since October 1st, 2022. They lost so much support once the announcement was made that Kurvitz and his inner circle had been terminated, and lost even more upon the release of collage mode, that it makes logical sense that they want more people to be on their side so when the time comes for the studio to announce another game their reviews and sales numbers won’t immediately be tanked by angry fans. So, the fact that this video seemingly only held its focus on the misgivings of Kurvitz closing statement and personality instead of what is actually being fought over, alleged corporate fraud and theft of IP, may have unwittingly handed the investors that distraction that they have been looking for. Since the release of this video, I’ve seen an unfortunate mix of people arguing over the ethics of the situation, those switching sides to now support the studio, and outright calling for Kurvitz to lose the right to access his life’s work. This is not the outcome me and many other like minded fans want to see from this mess. At the end of the day, Elysium is Robert Kurvitz’s life work, and he deserves a chance to legally regain those rights even if he is a prideful and arrogant person. His personality should not dictate whether he is allowed to prove in a court of law that the investors took something that isn’t theirs. Bratt’s well-meaning but deeply misguided efforts to report on the ZA/UM situation may have done more harm than good. I consider this to be the biggest flaw of the video and the reason why the contents ultimately did not sit right with me despite the accuracy and importance of the reporting.  

Just as a quick reminder for those who aren’t entirely up to speed or want a refresher, the reason why Kurvitz and Studio ZA/UM are fighting over the IP rights in the first place started when Kurvitz was promised by the investors that if he signed over the rights to Elysium and his book he would eventually be able to buy back a portion of the shares to the company and upon release of the sequel buy back even more. At no point was anyone supposed to possess a majority percent of the shares in the company to remain equitable amongst all participants. So, Kurvitz signed this contract under the assumption that the investors would hold up their end of the bargain while in the short term he would get the funding needed to complete the rest of the game. Unfortunately, when Margus Linnamäe left his position within the company, Ilmar Kompus agreed to buy him out of his share allegedly using the money intended to produce the sequel thus acquiring the majority share which tipped the balance of power. Now, the IP rights are currently held by the company YESSIRNOSIR Ltd. which no one holds shares of but is still owned and controlled by sources within Studio ZA/UM. The lawsuit itself is Kurvitz claiming that the way Kompus bought into the majority share of the company was done illegally and should he be able to prove in a court of law that fraud took place it would immediately delegitimize and invalidate Kompus’s control which would then give Kurvitz and Rostov a chance to reclaim power along with all the subsidiaries of the company which includes YESSIRNOSIR Ltd.

From the way I saw it, it certainly felt like Bratt went out of his way to put blame on the deteriorating work environment and splintering of a two-decade old artist collective squarely on Robert Kurvitz shoulders. If I were to speculate, I think in his anger after not receiving the conclusion he had been hoping for from his interviewee, Bratt refused to acknowledge the very real fact that his hands are legally tied with the things that he can publicly talk about which had the unintentional consequence of villainizing Kurvitz. Bratt is still correct in his assessment that Kurvitz is arrogant and people were hurt by his actions but whether intentional or not misrepresenting how much Kurvitz and his inner circle was responsible for the strife while neglecting to even acknowledge the amount of meddling the investors were doing behind the scenes only detracts from his argument and puts into question who he’s really representing in his video.

[leonstoenailunderhisbed]

RE Villains and my psychological opinion (+mini history lesson hehe.)

I really like the way CAPCOM writes their villains. Everyone talks about the main protagonist(s) such as Chris, Leon, Jill, Claire, etc. I think we should definitely give some credit to the evil guys of the franchise. I have my own two favorite villains, Lord Saddler (RE4/RE4R), and Svetlana (Damnation). I wish I could write about ALL the characters but that would almost be a book's length.

(I am no expert in psychology, i barely survived my spring semester lol. I am not licensed and i most certainly am not a doctor. The history part is true, but the psychology is just me being hyper fixated on the minor details. Once again, take this lightly. Also, i have my psych final soon and I'm so ready to kick ass.)

There's just something so alluring to me about the obsession with one being known as a God or God's messenger. Lord Saddler really got me thinking about how easy it is for a narcissist to make a cult about, essentially, themselves. Everyone knows the story about Narcissus, the mythological Greek God, and how he fell in love with his own reflection and basically starved himself to death. Hence why the term narcissism derived from the myth of Narcissus. Narcissism goes deeper than just one being self-centered. A narcissist is much more evil- they lack empathy and exploit others for their own goals/achievements. I would like to believe that Lord Saddler definitely has a narcissistic disorder because he took it upon himself to become, and as I like to call it, The God of Plaga. I mean, the dude literally created his own "bible" and his own insignia. He, like James in RE0, believe that they can conquer the world using the parasite. But the psychology behind it, or least in my humble knowledge, is really just a narcissist playing God. Saddler's psychological disorder is being projected onto religion, maybe in a response to a traumatic event. Freudian theory states that projection is a psychological defense mechanism where an individual projects unwanted thoughts, feelings, and motives on another person/group. I'd like to think that Saddler is a narcissist that projects his own motives as defense mechanism using religious methods.

I'm no expert on modern religion but I do like to think myself as someone well versed in BCE and CE religion. As i played through the game, I couldn't help but notice some similarities between Saddler and his cult and some ancient religious beliefs. Ancient civilizations often believed that their God's power was absolute, thus making religion an important part of their culture. The village in which the game takes place obviously contains a small church and then a castle- followed by the peasant village in the beginning of the game. We know that this is a remote location in Spain and since Spain was known as Hispania during the Roman Empire, it would be safe to say that maybe MAYBE CAPCOM was inspired by the history of the country that had followed all the way to CE. I'd like to believe that Saddler was probably inspired by the ruling of the Roman Empire after Emperor Theodosius (who declared Christianity as the state religion of the empire.) Saddler, much like Theodosius, created his own religion but it was considered a minority. Once Saddler had recruited more people, his "empire" expanded, much like Christianity all across Europe in CE. His plan was obviously to expand his domain and control the world with Las Plagas. Of course, this is just my own theories and observations.

I really loved Svetlana's character as a villain. She's cunning, diplomatic, and very goal oriented. It fascinated me the way she handled situations, as if she already knew everything from the start (except the temporary unification of Russia and the US). We know she used to be a combat instructor, or still is maybe. To me, she's the definition of a wolf in a sheep's disguise. Which again brings to my point on my analysis on Saddler- a narcissistic will do anything to make sure they accomplish their goals, regardless of whose lives are at risk. Svetlana, unlike Saddler, has international support and can manipulate ambassadors to be in her favor. She already has control over her republic as president, she only needs a little more help from her international supporters. This is not only a trait from a businessperson but also someone who is very smart and probably knows how to use people at their expense. But that's every politician, in my opinion. Greed and money are basically what sugar is to kids for politicians and government officials. The way she smirked and basically declared her victory when she was talking to Buddy through the barrier was literally so evil of her part, but it made sense. At the end of the day, I'd like to think that she really just had this urge of not messing up the country since she probably faced a lot of pressure from being the first female president of the country.

Svetlana is very smart. She resigned of her position right after the civil war ended because she knew the consequences of basically breeding Nemesis’s cousins (LOL) A narcissist is never dumb and if they are then they aren’t narcissists. Narcissists are extremely smart and extremely manipulative with no sense of guilt.

I would like to talk more about James and then deeper in Resident Evil Village bc that game is literally so well written I’m like 😍🫶🏼

[toffeelights]

falling into sonic again..

no i grew up watching those epic sprite animations and sonic final fantasies, sonic paradox even. The games I played were heroes and a few more like unleashed and mega collection and i adored black knights transformation sequence i would play it in the car repeatedly ( i never owned a wii). I watched all the sonic gameplay I could. My favourite characters being sonic and shadow. I, however grew up and believed sonic was not "famous" and was niche, jealous of the only sonic merch being the boys underwear in the superstore :(,

i didnt like boom or even lost world. it wasn't "sonic" to me, so i fell out, come forces and im burned, never touching this franchise again in my mid teens. I looked at how it was doing, would watch dubs and enjoy animations but eh that was it for me.

then.. comes 2023 and the thing that drags me back into this franchise, the thing that fucking pulls me in and keeps me buried... is those same two fucking hedgehogs but this time... their fucking ship. I suppose i can blame the art that took me here in the first place but holy shit. if you told me when i was 5 years old that i would come to adore sonadow and that would be the sole reason for my staying to the sonic franchise and all i would draw would be fucking sonadow, i would think you were fucking stupid and then go on word and make sonic comics of him running and pissing on eggman. no its the fucking fact, that now its come to a point where the dynamic of sonic and shadow genuinely have shifted my entire brain chemistry, they are everything, romantic subtext or not, they have literally shaped my interest for the past half year.

the fucking SYMBOLISM sega hints around them??!! them being stars, fated, destined to meet, mirror images, understanding eachother the most yet causing the most frustration. Sonic, is the one character that can get so, so personal to shadow, challenge him in a way and intrigue him in the most bizzarest of ways he never understands yet finds equal annoyance as much as admiration, sonic is a shift to his core. Shadow also does care quite a bit, just as much as he gets irritated at his presence, i find it funny how in sonic 06, the two characters saving sonic are amy and Fucking SHADOW the hedgehog. (albeit you dont see this alot erm due to segas insistence of making characters.. boring? but anyways)

their TRUST.. in eachother, the sonic x shadow generations descriptions do it so well (esp in jp).

in sa2 when they.. worked together for the first time in space and.. he called him the ultimate life form.. and sonic and shadow.. just in that moment.. were together as one. and oh man..

I could talk about prime but uh my favourite interactions in there are mostly when one of the other was uncouncious or in a state of unawareness (youd be suprised how much this happened). like sonic holding shadow and saving him, he seems to get really, REALLY emotional when it comes to shadow than anybody else.. for some reason... and shadow' reaction when sonic almost died. OWee that was done so well. the way.. he held him.. tight.. when sonic was dying.. oh my gosh. bride style. oahy.. im not too fond on talking about prime since in terms of the "sonic and shadow" dynamic it sort of slaps you in the face but hey I appreciate some sonadow anytime, if that was their actual only canon dyamic i dont think I'd care for it as much but its more of an add on to one of the most insane PASSIONATE.. crazy mutually charged dynamics ive seen in my life... like why are they like that.. can they STOP.. those two.. my brain will explode if we actually like actually like ACTUALLY see them togteher and if its anything like "them" with their subtetly and bizzare unique tensions, i think i will lose my sanity and just not function anymore. good fucking bye if i see a mention towards emerl or the ending of sa2 i will lose my absolute shit and you random person seeing this will see me go through it. my sketchbook would probably be overwhelmed by the amount of incoherent sonadow mess dear lord why..

ignore this i have an exam tomorrow and ended up going on a crazy rant about tbese two hedgehogs that have carried me through senior year, shout out to sonadow.. gotta be the only thing dragging me towards a degree.

[williamafton2030]

Fazbear Entertainment and their role as a villain

When we talk about Fnaf villains we usually think of William, Eleanor or Mimic because of how important they are to the franchise. On the one hand, William was the one who started the tragedies with the objective of being immortal, experimenting and killing children in the process. While on the other Eleanor killed in cold blood, enjoying such a heinous act and causing the souls of her victims to be trapped in an agonizing loop, wanting them to be like this so he could feed on her suffering. Finally there is Mimic, who is ironically the most "human" of all since at the beginning he was not bad but Edwin's bad learning and mistreatment of him made him become a being that kills in horrible ways but at the same time remembers. from his past and wants to start a family.

But we rarely stop to reflect that this company is also a villain and that its actions are just as bad as the others. That's why I decided to make this post to rate all this and give theories about this company.

From the first moment the foundation was laid for us that it was a company that did not take care of its employees in the mythical call of Fnaf 1. In addition to establishing its second peculiarity: its love for money conquers everything. From underpaying his employees to reopening after children disappeared in his restaurant. Apart from wanting to cover up everything by saying that nothing happens when it really does.

In the next games we would see more examples of these traits but the strong part comes after Fnaf 6. Regardless of whether people like it or thought it was nonsense (this is said now that it is known that Henry's plan did not work), We cannot deny the great weight that this game has. Henry wanted to put an end to all the suffering that William had generated and, although he did not succeed, he did set the pieces for William to end up dead in the Fazbear Frights. Everything was already over, there would be no more deaths but those from Fazbear Entertainment arrived and they did not want to leave everything like this, causing the plan to fail.

Help Wanted is without a doubt one of the worst things they did and they literally laughed at all the misfortunes of the past. They tried to hire Steve to design the games, and when he refused, they forced him into an illusion, which is completely unethical. The next thing they did was "report" him for defamation so that people would believe that what he says in his games is false and thus be able to clean up his image and finally they created Help Wanted itself. This virtual reality game was the cause of the death of one of the workers and the mental control of another.

First, it should be said that Fazbear really wanted to release the game, so they put pressure on the first development team who had to work tirelessly to get it done in a very short time. To speed up the process, Fazbear would give them circuit boards to scan, one of which was from Mimic. The first team was totally unaware of how dangerous it was, but Fazbear was very knowledgeable about this and gave them absolutely the same. We know that they know this because it is not the first time they have done something like this with this program since they had previously used it to create a version of Mimic 1 called Mimic 2 that would save them a lot of work since by imitating the behavior of the other animatronics They wouldn't have to program them. This project was a failure but that didn't stop them from using it a second time.

This program was implemented bringing back a dangerous villain again, Mimic who now had the appearance of a rabbit and would be called Glitchtrap. Jeremy, who was the game's beta teaser at the time, would be the one who encountered it and began to suffer the consequences of being exposed to this virus. Leaving aside how bad he had it during all his test sessions, we have that Fazbear Entertainment was the cause of his death. Well, not exactly. It wasn't them who killed him but Glitchtrap but there is a possibility that Jeremy would have become another follower of Mimic if it hadn't been for Fazbear's threat of dismissal. Mimic was smart and instead of letting him go and alert his companions, he finished him off in a horrible way.

A curious fact is the fact that tape girl said that she was not going to fire him because of his poor performance or anything like that but because he saw something. This totally confirms that Fazbear was aware of Glitchtrap's existence (I highlight this because it is never mentioned that Fazbear knows that this is Mimic's appearance, or well, maybe they knew and it was even worse since he had created an independent entity to the that the programmers used to make the models and on top of that it now seemed to be able to move and act in a dangerous way, so much so that it was considered a virus)

Who knows. What we can say is that they knew perfectly well about this and did nothing and on top of that they tried to fire Jeremy to silence him in some way.

After Jeremy's death and Tape Girl's failure to put an end to the virus, Vanessa would arrive, who this time would be controlled by it. It is also worth noting that in the terms of conditions that they barely let you read it says that they are not responsible for any accidental transfer of digital consciousness, again pointing out that they knew how dangerous it was and that they wanted to clean their hands of this.

Already at the Pizzaplex you can highlight several things they did. One of the most serious was once again the cover-up of all the deaths that occurred during the years that the shopping center was open. Or there is also the fact that in the story Pressure Fazbear creates an attraction that recreates Fnaf 3, which is a complete spit on the anguish that Hudson felt in What we found. Or well, the fact that in Security Breach there are no human workers but Staff bots that replace them when there were before. The latter was done to save all the salaries that had to be paid to the employees. This did not happen overnight and the first indication of this was seen in The Storyteller when Burrows wants to use that attraction to save the salary of those who invented the stories that were then told to the public. Which was a big mistake because Mimic would end up taking complete control of the Pizzaplex.

But what I think is the most serious thing they did for me is build the Pizzaplex on top of Fnaf 6 and try to make a museum of that place. As I have said before Fnaf 6, whether you like it or not, has a great weight and feeling and that they used that as a museum signifying what the place means is simply despicable.

Finally, mention something that is more of a theory and that is that it is believed that Fazbear Entertainment has taken over William's research and uses it for its own benefit. This may be backed up by the scooper that we see in Ruin and that has the company logo or simply the fact that the story Dittophoboia is in the Tales from The Pizzaplex when it has nothing to do with this place. His reason for being in this saga is to give a clue that Fazbear is using what was seen in this story in the story Help Wanted to cause those hallucinations in Steve.

That's it for this post pointing out everything that Fazbear Entertainment has done and why that makes them another villain. Before I leave, I say that what has been said here is my opinion and that if you don't share it, nothing happens, we each have our own opinion and that's okay. In addition to saying that I did not include stories of the Fazbear Frights since I do not believe that the deaths in these are the fault of the company but rather Eleanor's.

[akimojo]

man it bothers me so much when people feel the need to reduce our perception of vanille and fang’s relationship as romantic to “just a headcanon” when there’s so much more to it than that 

obviously we’re all aware that they’ve never been confirmed as a canon couple, and NO we are NOT trying to devalue dion and terence’s relationship just because we don’t personally see them as the FIRST gay rep in final fantasy (every bit of representation matters ffs). when we talk about fanille being the “real” first gay couple we’re not trying to take away from the fact that ff FINALLY has confirmed queer rep, it’s just a half-joking way to point out that homoromantic SUBTEXT has been around in the franchise for longer than people think, and we believe fang and vanille are the most prominent example of that 

the reason why we see them as having a romantic relationship is because their actions can easily be interpreted as such solely from what we’ve seen in canon, without the need for headcanons or made-up scenarios to piece it together. square could’ve literally made them kiss at any moment in the games out of nowhere and we’d just be like “yeah, that seems about right” because the build-up is there

it’s not about whether the writers actually intended for them to be a couple. frankly, the fact that fang was originally going to be a man, but was changed into a woman just so their relationship wouldn’t be mistaken as romantic, says volumes about how difficult it must’ve been to try and write their bond WITHOUT romantic connotations. they had no problem making noel and yeul share a more sibling-like bond (you could see them as having romantic subtext as well, but nowhere near to the same extent, and with much less support from their canon interactions), and yet they struggled so much with fang and vanille that they had to take (heteronormative) measures in an attempt to stick to their original intentions? would a good writer not accept that that’s the natural direction of the relationship dynamic they themselves came up with? 

part of our reasons for thinking of fang and vanille as canon lesbians, even without confirmation from the creators, is essentially a big ol “fuck you” to heteronormativity.... but also, there’s nothing sisterly to us about clutching your homegirl’s hands, pulling them to her chest as you hug her from behind, and whispering in her ear about how not even death can take her from you, but i digress

using square enix’s description of them as having a sister-like bond to prove they’re not a couple rings hollow to a lot of us because homophobia and heteronormativity has muddled any potential queer rep in games for decades, even in this case where the writers themselves have essentially admitted that it was next to impossible for them to write their relationship without romantic undertones. whether that says more about their ability to write a platonic relationship than it does about fang and vanille is up to you, of course

it’s also worth pointing out some hypocrisy among the ff fanbase. take tifa and cloud, and aerith and cloud, for example. neither ship has been confirmed as canon in any of the games, but (despite the ship wars lmao) the vast majority of the fandom can agree that both of these relationships were written with romantic undertones, whether intentionally or not, and that viewing them as “canon” is perfectly valid because of that. and yet when we view fang and vanille as a couple it’s outrageous unless we specifically call it a headcanon and denounce any and all possibilities of it holding any weight in canon. i don’t want to make any accusations as for why, but it’s worth noting 

i also just want to clarify that the main theme of the final fantasy xiii trilogy IS family, and it makes perfect sense to see fang and vanille as sisters if you choose to interpret their relationship via more traditional family values, but it also includes found family (a group of people that are as close as family, but don’t adhere to conventional family roles and values, and usually consists of outcasts of some kind), which is not inherently romantic, but is also not strictly platonic, and is a trope that is especially important and relatable to the LGBTQ+ community, so of course we’re going to interpret these things in a different light compared to how people outside of the community would