#it’s literally the last step I need there’s just. SO MUCH EXP NEEDED.

[regallibellbright]

*Looks at my 2,919,000 EXP, and how far this nonetheless is from the FIVE MILLION needed to hit level 40.*

Someday, Shiny Mew. Someday we will be friends.

[krcdgamedev]

Time for EXP and leveling system

For the demo project I'm going to do something simple, and a bit different from teh Pokeymans. Every level will require 100 EXP, but the EXP you get from a mon decreases as the level gap increases (like gen V). Each mon tracks which of your mons has participated in its downfall. How this is done varies by Pokemon game- if your opponent switches mons, in some games this resets the tracking and in some games it doesn't. There's literally no trainers or AI at the moment sooo let's just add it to the battlecomp object (the in-battle companion object thing… I still need a better name for that). Probably any tracking of an entire trainer's team worth of participation would be handled by the battle engine object and thus on a game-by-game basis, at the user's disgression. Just have a dictionary to throw it in to. Anyway, the thing will be a simple array of booleans, indexed into by the mon's spot in your party, max size equal to the max party size (which could be defined game-by-game but I'll put that together later). For fainted mons, their bool will be set to false before EXP is calculated and distributed. Individual species also need a base EXP yield, but let's assume they're all the same for now.

I'll start building the system from an example. Say your mon is level 5, you beat a level 5 mon one-on-one (no EXP split between other members)… let's say it should take like 2-3 of those to level up. So like 50-33 EXP. As you level up and keep fighting the same mons, let's say it should take one more mon each level to level up. So, EXP gain goes to 33-25, 25-20, 20-16… Basically, 100/(level gap + ~2.5). Now that introduces the little problem of division by zero… actually, wait, no it doesn't, because you're adding a .5 to an int value. But that's not ideal either, dividing 100 by .5 gives you 200 which is probably too much. And if it goes negative, so does the EXP yield. So, if you're lower level than the opponent, let's have an EXP curve that starts at a bit over 50 and approaches 100 without exceeding it. Something like 100*n/n+1 where n is the gap. n=1 is exactly 50, n=2 is 2/3rds of 100 which is ~67… That's good enough. The main thing is just to have an equation that takes in all the relevant numbers and gives a value that properly scales. Maybe n+.9 as the denominator to shift it upwards a bit. For splitting EXP between participants I'd like it to be a bit more than 1/n each. Maybe for two mons they each get 2/3rds, then 3 or more it's 1/(n-1). These functions will be handled by the battle engine object so users can easily customise them, as is already done with damage calculation. On opponent faint, it'll go like- create an array of floats (rounding should be the last step; although it's not like the initial array type really matters in GDscript shrug). Calculate the base division of EXP (eg, count the trues in the participant array, divide the fainted opponent's base EXP by that number and plop that into the float array slots of the mons in question), then go through each value and apply mon-specific modifiers (level gap, if the mon is holding a Lucky Egg or equivalent, if the mon is from another trainer, what have you). If EXP share is involved do the same thing for whoever's affected by that (non-fainted non-participants, plus participants who were holding the EXP share get that amount added to their total or however you want to handle that). Finally, apply EXP gain to each mon.

It always kind of bugged me that a level 1 mon in Gen V would get such a huge bonus to their EXP gain the whole way through, even though they level up in the process of… uh, levelling up. I'd have to think about how to deal with that- something like, at each level gained, recalculate the remaining EXP with that level, and if it's then under the amount to level up, give that much and stop. (Don't want to recursively apply the decrease for higher levels) But that could also be dealt with by curbing the EXP boost better for higher level gaps.

This system will be a lot easier to work on with the ability to check a mons current EXP, so maybe it's time to get the menu working. Also, this would be a good time to start working with project-specific monster class/objects inheriting from the default one.

A problem people had with the Gen V EXP formula was that grinding to level 100 was a pain- there's no wild Pokemon that high, and for flavor reasons there probably shouldn't be. I'm not going to implement it in the demo project because there's no progression in that at all, but an idea I had to fix this was, instead of decreasing EXP when your mon is a higher level, have a progression-based level cap, and have EXP decrease based on that. So, once you clear the game, there's no debuff on Pokemon gaining EXP as they approach level 100. There's a few other benefits too- for example, traded Pokemon won't overlevel and become disobedient due to the trade EXP boost, so disobedience is just a measure to keep ypu from trading in a high-level mon and sweeping the game, not something that makes a traded mon harder to use in general. Also, this helps address overleveling due to forced always-on EXP share without forcing you to let your favorite mons rot in the box, I hate Shigeru Ohmori… This sounds similar to what some challenge runs have as a restriction, to keep your mons under the gym leader's level, or some fangames that implement a hard cap and you stop gaining EXP at all past that, but I'd like to make it less… blunt. I envision a "soft" cap past which your EXP is cut for every level over it (so basically the level gap cut, but based on a set level rather than your opponent's level). This way, you're discouraged from going over the level cap and are unlikely to go over it by accident, but if you really need to you can do some extra grinding. Also, there's no need to tie it directly to gym badges. Flavor it as the player character having an epiphany and understanding their Pokemon better, and you can have it tied to any event- for example in X and Y there's a large gap between the first two gym leaders, so you might tie the second cap raise to the first encounter with Flare instead.

So I've begun implementing it.

Yeah that's probably right. I haven't actually put in gaining the EXP yet- like I said that's waiting for menu and class updates- but basic calculation and distribution seems to be working.

[claire-starsword]

The Guardiana Magic School Run - Part 11.5

Here we are indeed. This is Narsha's final interlude before she catches up with our force.

The first time I played this game, I moved Narsha a bit and was rushed by four ghost, dying in one turn. Perhaps because of that I have a warped perspective of the difficulty here. Of course, this time I have a much beefier Narsha here, so things might not be as bad. Depends on how much damage these ghosts do.

Staying where we start, the two first ghosts can rush Narsha anyway, so I'm moving a bit without getting in range of the other ones. Obviously I'm also casting Attack on Narsha as usual, that's the only strat in these interludes.

Look at how easily these things swarm you, I might have messed up. Perhaps casting Step would be better to try and avoid some of these guys. Especially since I already have absurd attack due to getting the Heavy Mace. Uh oh. Only one strat in the interludes huh, shut up me.

Most spots get me swarmed by four ghosts as I predicted, this gets me swarmed by only three. yay.

I guess I'm casting Step now anyway in case its useful later.

oh

lol

never mind my worries then let's have fun.

also you can see now why I said in my rules that it would be hard to keep Zuika and Mawlock fully uninvolved in this challenge, there's way too many ghosts swarming in too quickly, and I can't stop Zuika from countering.

What I didn't expect when writing the rules was that this would actually be a downside, he's literally just taking exp away from Narsha, I love you man, but she doesn't need the help today.

Oh well. That issue didn't last long.

Unfortunately, Narsha does not have Max's epic counterattacks, so she has to dispatch one ghost per turn, and even 1 damages pile up after so many turns. I have already used up Aura to heal once, and will have to use the Healing Seed as well since I have no herbs, thanks Kraken. If I need healing later on it will have to be the Shower Cures, which are a big waste on a single character. I do wanna see her solo this though, so let's go.

Except for the boss, the remaining enemies are spellcasters, which is not a big deal for Narsha's godly magic resistance, but should still be more than 1 damage. So that sucks as well.

Thankfully they don't seem to come all at once, so I can try driving them away while getting to the chests in this area as well. I think both contain Shower Cures.

oof that's damage. also I was not supposed to put myself in range, mistake.

Thankfully, these guys only have MP for a single spell, so as long as I oneshot the one that didn't attack I should be fine.

I do that, and the remaining one's physical attack is as impressive as you can expect of a spectre. Unfortunately more of their friends came forward. And unlike these things, Wizari has plenty of MP.

Let's see if they give up or something I guess.

They in fact do not, and things are getting quite stupid. I'm feeling that casting Step earlier on is gonna save me here, but it will require some brains. They all have bad movement so I should manage to get out of some of their ranges at some point.

I head to the top right corner and the enemies give up, but don't return to their previous position, so that's not helpful.

This sweet spot however gets only Wizari on range to attack me, so that's nice. She has 20 HP, so I'm not sure Narsha can oneshot, but I'm not underestimating the queen either.

>:D

Now I should be in range of a single Wisp.

And that's it baby! With these smart gaming moments I get to wipe out the Wisps taking only one more spell. Narsha is still pretty battered so I'll have to waste a Shower Cure anyway, but that's fine. I might wait a bit for it though since I don't think the remaining Wizari can do all this damage at once

(also i've already said this before i bet but it's so weird that they brought a character from Soul 2 as a generic enemy like, I guess she could do projections of herself but. Still weird. The other enemies are a fun reference but this is just weird)

Anyway. I grab the last chest and projection or not, Wizari is dumb enough to come forth despite me not being in range. So waiting to heal was not even necessary. I'm gonna heal anyway for safety since I don't know how much the Soul Eater does, and then get very sad if that turns out to be unnecessary as well.

Also let me say, I love the effect for Shower Cure/Aura 4 in this game, it's very cool.

yeah it was unnecessary. Alas.

We get the kill (is this thing even alive??), get 1000, a level up, and Step level 2 for our troubles. Another excellent job from Narsha, and it was actually challenging in terms of positioning and stuff. Man I'm so happy with how she's going.

Yes you will!! I can't wait!!

Losses: 0 Deaths: 2 The expected deaths on Narsha interludes: 0/3!!!

[viscountessevie]

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE BRIDGERTON FANDOM

Okay so context for why I decided to write this: I had started drafting the last two Salty Asks since I got them yesterday but the fandom drama and fighting really has reared such an ugly head. It's just awful the language and hostility on both sides - especially to those on anon. Just because you can hide behind the screen and anonymity to throw such terrible rhetorics that are just straight up being racist and misogynistic, doesn't mean you should do it.

That being said I don't think posting my answers for those questions are going to be productive or create positive content in the fandom tags and spaces no matter how funny or in jest I make it. So I'll refrain from posting them and if the anons who sent them would still like to know my answers, you can hit me up again via asks off-anon so I can reply privately or even drop me a DM if you're feeling comfortable enough to do so. I promise I don't bite! For reference these were the questions the last two anons asked:

Anon 1 - 15 (Show/Books Unpopular Opinion) , 26 & 27 (Most & Least Shippable Char) Anon 2 - 7 (NoTPs in fandom) , 11 (Unpopular Char I like) , 14 (Unpopular Opinion About the Fandom)

Now to the Main Part of this post. I would really appreciate it if EVERYONE could read this. Like literally if you don't wanna read the first two paragraphs fine, just scroll and:

EVERYONE PLEASE READ FROM THIS POINT ON

I initially wrote this part as an answer to the asks and was going to post it last to close out the Salty Asks because it felt like a good way to end out everything that had been answered and make it clear how to maintain fandom boundaries and just be civil and nice. Here it is as I wrote it last night and just added a section about the language and 'defences' used on anon but are really attacks on the blog user:

We all need to take a breather and cool off - even me I'll admit. We need to stop clutching our pearls every time our faves get criticised.

Across the board and depending on the ship/story, it's a scale of "Yes, he's trash but he's my trash <3 what about it?" (Me about Anthony tbh) to "HOW DARE YOU INSULT THEM - THEY CAN DO NO WRONG" (this goes without saying which stans defend their characters like this). It's the doubling down on awful actions that get to me. And now I'm seeing that once these toxic people (I'm not even going to dignify calling them fans - if you were fans you wouldn't spend all day harassing other blogs about their ships) hiding behind anons run out of defences for why their ship is superior and should be liked by everyone, they start attacking other ships. Especially if the blog that they are sending anons to like this particular ship. This point is very much an observation of what I saw unfold last night and it was absolutely vile:

I do not understand how discourse on Promogate (coined by my brilliant friend 🔔) had devolved to toxic people who claim to be Polin fans slinging mud at Francesca and Franchel? Like Francesca has literally done nothing and isn't even around and THEY ARE USING THAT??? against her. Like please guys Frannie is the least problematic Bridgerton, why single her out?

Like I mentioned earlier, once the toxic anons run out of any semblance of a defence to 'protect' their faves, they either start attacking bloggers themselves or reduce to being petty and going after the blogger's ships in hopes to make them feel as bad as they clearly feel to lash out like this.

Then of course, going straight to the root of the problem and the original reason that I disliked Show!Penelope was how her storyline with Marina concluded. That was fully on the writers and CVD's shoulders. They should have never written it like that or at least taken a step back to evaluate the racial implications of Penelope lashing out at Marina in such a vitriol and public manner, leading to Marina almost dying after being publicly humiliated and outcast from society. And instead of toxic anons using some critical thinking for once in their lives we get shit like this:

I'm not even going to explain why these comments are horrible and let the obvious racism and misogyny that jumped out tell it for you.

Like Jesus Christ, I know they are fictional characters. But think about why you (toxic anon) have such a deep rage about a black woman being chosen and loved by a Bridgerton, and why you feel the need to throw awful words and comments like this at her. And yes, Marina is fictional and this won't affect her but the BIPOC fans and people who follow the tags will see these comments. I can tell you as a WOC myself, it fucking hurts to see these kind of asks. It shows us there are people in the fandom who do not give a shit about us or view us as humans beings, probably see us as disposable and find our opinions and concerns about these storylines as irrelevant.

The main takeaway from this is that if someone - especially a person from the targeted community - tells you why these characters' actions are hurtful/disgusting/ problematic, LISTEN. As a whole fandom, we have forgotten to listen and take into account of other voices. Especially within our fandom, the biggest problem I would say is not listening to minority group's voices - be people of colour or the queer community.

[Examples include: Black fans about the treatment of Marina, the Desi community about the Sharmas and the unnecessary India plotline and backstory as well as the Queer community with the Benedict Being Bi/Lesbian Eloise discourse. LISTEN to us when we talk about these issues and try to see it from our point of view.]

On the flip side, the fictional 'crimes' (I use this term loosely and I mean the bad problematic behaviour/actions) aside, I think snarking on characters you dislike is fine but don't go around attacking people who like them just stay in your own corner of the fandom.

You can stay in your lane by: unfollowing/blocking, tagging posts accordingly like let's say you often reblog snarky comments and posts about a certain character, just tag it as '[Character] Critical' and then if you have a follower who likes the character they can just block that tag. And stay out of ask boxs if you're going to be overtly mean and not offering any constructive criticism.

This is a lesson I learnt personally as well over the last year being in the fandom. I'll admit I snark a lot on a couple of characters I just cannot stand but I'm trying to do better to minimise the snarking from now on. I also know there are groups of people who like them and view the tag. We are all real people behind our screens, so I respect their preferences and them as a person. It's not like I am running a hate blog about these characters and sending death threats via anon. There's just that line between snark and being cruel and we should be mindful of it.

This is the first and last time I'll ever laid it all out in a post like this but that does not mean I will stop calling out bad behaviour should it come to my blog. If not, I'm going to follow my own advice and block tags.

If none of you read any of that, here's a TDLR:

1) Racist/sexist/homophobic and generally hateful anon asks are not it!

2) Listen to the minorities groups within the fandom when we bring up valid issues and concerns with problematic storylines/promo/character actions

3) Just be civil and respect fellow fans - we are all in the same fandom at the end of the day and have to co-exist.

4) Carve out your own fandom space on your blog and curate your fandom experience via unfollowing/blocking and tagging posts accordingly if you want to keep away from different parts of the fandom.

[Note: I will be keeping my ask box open for constructive discussions but the moment I catch any whiff of hate or distasteful comments about me or any characters, I will block you and turn off anons. As my personal rules goes: if you have something rude to say or want to shit talk me, say it to my face.]

[going-dead]

Phasmophobia

Danny was very sick of tourists coming to explore Amity park. Like very sick of them, especially the ‘ghost hunter’ ones. In the end they just caused more problems than the actual ghosts, getting in the way of the fights causing Danny more stress and injuries than normal. Not to mention they sucked at their so called jobs. He was pretty sure even a single elementary schooler of Amity was a better ghost fighter than all of the tourists combined.

But at the moment it was the dead of winter and probably one of the coldest weeks of the year. So only the stupidest of self proclaimed ghost hunters would venture out to hunt ghosts in weather like this. While it was nice not having to worry about danger prone tourists Danny still was miserable, he could deal with the cold just fine in fact he preferred the cold. The problem was that It was the holiday season, the worst time of the year. At least the ghost attacks were less frequent as they all prepared for the Christmas truce party.

Still he supposed it could be worse. His parents weren’t fighting as much this year, though that was probably due to the fact they were still treating him like he was made of glass half of the time after he told them about the whole half dead thing. Danny figured that was due to the fact they blamed themselves for the portal incident, causing them to coddle him to an almost tortuous degree. It was as if they expected him to disappear if he was so much as bumped in the wrong way. It had gotten a bit better at this point at least, if things continued as it did at the beginning Danny was pretty sure he’d rather have them still be shooting at him. Now they only tensed up when he left the house instead of not so subtly stalking him all day.

At the moment Danny was sitting on the counter in the kitchen with his mom while she was cooking dinner. “Danny dear get off the counter that’s where the food goes not you.” Maddie said shooing him off the counter with a spatula.

Danny floated off in a huff, “This is ghostphobic mom. The counter is a perfect seat.”

Maddie rolled her eyes, “The term would be phasmophobic, and no it’s not it’s; I don’t want your butt all over where I’m making our dinner-phobic.”

“Fine transphobic then.”

“How about asking you to set the table? What would that be?”

Danny mulled it over for a few seconds. “A reasonable request I suppose.” He phased his hands though the cabinets grabbing the plates. Honestly he could have just as easily grabbed them normally but he was still trying to get his parents used to him having powers. “Oh by the way Sam, Tucker, and I are hanging out tomorrow to celebrate winter break starting and school being out for two whole weeks.” “Alright sweetie, but be safe okay?”

“Of course I will be mom.”

“I mean it Danny, please.”

Danny sighed “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to text you regularly to let you know I’m safe. I’ll be fine and stay out of trouble, I promise” Maddie nodded seemingly plated at least for the time being.

The next day Danny was really regretting making that promise. The day started out so well too. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were walking along the park trail. Danny was walking a few steps in front of the other two, subtly making the path easier with his powers. The only people out insane enough to bear the cold were people who had to go to work and teens who were bored out of their minds.

“All I’m saying Danny is that if you want to choose that class you should choose a race other than human for once. Hellspawn would be the best option in your case.” Tucker argued.

“Says the dude playing the race for furries.” Danny shot back turning his head to look back at his friend.

“Hey! The beastmen race is a perfect fit for my class, they have an exp boost for trickery and magic skills  it’s the best for playing a character who mains in ambushing with traps.

“Boys boys stop arguing. Danny will be fine playing as a human he’s just gonna have to spend more time grinding. Also he’s right, beastmen are so the furry option.” Sam cut in.

“Whatever, I just don’t understand why he always plays the most boring race in every game he plays. I mean why would you want to play as a human when you could be a fantasy race like an elf or something.”

“Well that’s easy for you and Sam to say you both are still hum-,” Danny was cut off mid sentence by his ghost sense and a glowing red circle surrounding the group. He hardly had a chance to go ghost before being fully enveloped by the light.

When Danny was finally oriented enough to open his eyes he vowed to never complain about getting motion sick while his dad was driving again if it meant he would never have to go through that awful experience again. It felt like getting sucked into the Fenton Thermos if it was the size of a straw and being spun in a blender all at the same time. He looked around seeing if his friends were brought along with him. And just his luck, of course they got pulled through whatever the hell that was too.

“Ugh, you guys okay?” He closed his eyes again and focused on stabilizing his core and getting the last of the nausea to leave.

“Bleh I think I’m gonna hurl.” Sam groaned from beside him.

Danny heard Tucker shift beside him. “Yeah I’m good, I guess all that time staying up late playing VR games kinda helped against motion sickness. Landed on my arm though so definitely going to bruise later. Where are we anyway?”

That actually was a good question, Danny lifted himself off the ground literally, using legs to stand was lame anyway. The sight he was met with was both confusing and surprising. Looking down he saw that the three of them were in some sort of red magic circle or something, with candles lit around it. Looking past that was the part that was surprising. He was expecting this to be the work of a ghost but standing in a circle around the three of them were six  humans in different colored robes. He couldn’t recognize any of them though, they must have been from out of town or just total shut ins. He was pretty sure he recognized where they were though, it was the basement of an abandoned building next to the mall, Sam was super into urban exploring the year before and it was one of the first places she dragged the two boys to.

“Haha uhh hey didn’t know there was a costume party going on, I would have dressed up, looks like you got all the colored robe thing going on though. Would my hazmat suit work instead of a robe?” Danny looked at the group around him and cracked an uneasy smile. Maybe it was some sort of accidental ghost summoning or something, it wouldn’t be the first time. Though the fact it brought his friends along pointed to it either being on purpose or something much more powerful, or both.

The man in the black robe turned to a woman in a white one. “Why did the spell bring two kids along with it .”

Danny tried to ignore being called an ‘it’ not like his parents didn’t do it before they knew about his identity. “I’m not the murder clown and I do have a name you know.” But his words seemed to fall onto deaf ears.

“I did the calculations right if that’s what you’re trying to imply, as you can see the subject did appear in the circle as planned. We probably just underestimated how much power the sacrifice would provide with the addition of the solstice.” White robe snapped. Great, this was totally just what Danny needed at the start of his winter break. Not only did they seem like ghost hunters they were the crazy obsessed culty ones.

“Either way the goal was achieved in the end, we have the ghost boy.” Black robe pointed to two men, one in yellow and one in blue robes. “Take care of the two bystanders, but don’t kill them. After all we shouldn’t kill our soon to be followers.” Yeah that wasn’t concerning at all Danny thought.

The one in the yellow grabbed Sam and the one in the blue grabbed Tucker at the black robed man's command. Danny assumed that probably meant the black robed one was the one in charge here. “Hey! Get your hands off me you freaks!” Sam yelled, struggling against the man’s grip.

But Danny’s friends didn’t have a chance against people twice their size. Before either of them could struggle more the two men slammed their heads to the ground in almost unison, knocking them out almost instantly. It happened so fast all Danny would do is watch on in horror. He felt like he watched their now limp bodies for ages, their chests shallowly rising at least giving him the relief of knowing they were still alive. But the sight of small puddles of blood forming around their heads snapped him out of his horror and into a rage.

Danny placed his feet to the ground turning to look at the two in the black and white robes. “Why?” He seethed, “You said they were accidentally brought along when you were trying to get me here. Technically in a way this falls onto me. So tell me, why?”

The man in the black robe seemed taken aback from being confronted so suddenly. The woman in white didn’t seem to have the same problem, maybe they both were in charge? Honestly though Danny didn’t care at this point. “We will take over the little town you haunt. After we do that we will find out where all the ghosts are originating from and then make them into our soldiers so we can take over the country and then the world. To do that we obviously needed you out of the way since you seem to be the only one capable of combating the other ghosts that come into this world. Or you would just defeat our pawns before they could take true action. So we found a way to summon and trap ghosts, then brought you here so we could get you out of our way.”

Honestly Danny was disappointed hearing that more than anything, his rage almost completely disappeared after hearing the plan. “Hold up that is the stupidest plan I have ever heard.” And that was saying something seeing as he dealt with Vlad's plans on a weekly basis. “First off you do realize it would be very hard to get or even force ghosts into your service if you don’t offer them, anything in return. Not to mention how some ghosts have almost godlike powers and you expect to overpower them? Also I am not even close to the only one who can fight ghosts. Everyone in Amity Park has at least some know how when it comes to ghost fighting. They sell basic ghost protection equipment at the supermarket. I just happen to be better suited than everyone else because I y’know can like fly and go intangible when chasing them. Using ghosts to take over the world is so stupid do you even know how to properly catch a ghost? Seriously this is like next level dumb, not to mention how did you even know the summoning would work if it didn't you’d just all be standing in a darkly lit room looking dumber than you already do.”

That seemed to anger the white one a lot. Apparently she didn’t like her intelligence questioned. “Why you little-.” She stomped her foot. “This plan was thought through down to the smallest detail. You want to know how it worked huh? How about asking your friend over there. I wonder what happens when the dead are killed? You will find out soon enough.”

Danny looked over to where we gestured and his refound taunting attitude vanished. Laying over in the corner inside a smaller less complex looking circle was a ghost or the ectoplasmic remains of one at least, the core was completely destroyed. Judging by the fact that the ectoplasm was red it probably had a fire core before it was destroyed. From the lingering ecto signature Danny doubted the ghost was even sapient. It was most likely the remains of something like a blob ghost or the ghost of an animal or even a weaker ectopus. Still all he could do was stare at the remains in horror.

“Of course summoning you was harder so we used that thing for its ghost energy to help power the circle. Instead of chalk we used it’s ectoplasm to ensure the strength and longevity of the seal to hold you in the circle.” The woman smiled as if she achieved something great. Achieve something she did indeed, but it certainly was not what she intended.

The rage Danny felt before came back in full force. Before with his friends he at least knew they would recover, all three of them got injured fighting ghosts more often than they should. But to injure a ghost to the point where not even their core remained was something so taboo that only the most despicable ghosts would do. Even Skulker kept the cores of his prey stable enough not to fade away completely. A ghost's form could be completely destroyed but as long as their core remained they would reform back where they first formed in the Ghost Zone. The only ghosts Danny could think of who would go out of their way to destroy a core were some of the ancients like Pariah Dark or Nocturne.

Danny finally managed to tear his eyes away from the ghost's remains to lock eyes with the woman. She and the black robed man took a step back out of instinct. Looking into his eyes they felt the feeling every animal of prey felt when it knew it was being watched, being hunted. The temperature in the room dropped and frost started to crawl across the walls. Danny took a step towards the two leaders before pausing to reconsider and turning and starting towards the two men standing above his friends.

Then men in yellow and blue robes looked to the man in black for guidance, unsure of what action to take. He looked uncertain as well but shook his head. “There’s no way it can pass through the seal, we tested it.”

Danny's eyes flicked over to the man then back to the two who hurt his friends and gave them a predatory grin, his teeth now looking slightly sharper than usual. He made no sound as he stepped over the circle with ease closer and closer to the two men. They both reached for their weapons, small bats, apparently they were the muscle of the group, and swung at the approaching ghost. Danny simply went intangible causing the two to overswing and hit each other instead, knocking the wind out of them both and causing them to drop their bats. While they were catching their breath Danny grabbed them by their hair and knocked their heads together. Their bodies crumbled to the floor just a few inches from the teens they did the same to just minutes before.

The one who had yet to say or do anything, dressed in red, made her way towards Danny while his back was towards her. Just as she got within arms reach of him she slipped and fell. The temperature had dropped even more at this point causing the ground surrounding Danny to ice over. Danny hardly acknowledged the large thud behind him simply trapping the fallen woman up to her neck in ice as he walked past and headed towards his final two targets.

When first summoned by the group Danny could, within reason, probably be passed off as a weirdish looking human excluding the glow around him. But now as he stalked towards his prey that was no longer the case. His chest no longer moved like it was breathing. His feet made no sound as they made contact with the ground. His eyes, non-blinking, no longer had pupils or even whites to them just a void of endless ectoplasmic green. His ears were pointed almost bat like. The tips of which, along with his lips, were tinted blue. His hair, normally white like snow, now was just the white that came from complete absence of any color. The hair was defying gravity almost as if it was underwater while smoke like wisps trailed off from his hair as he moved. His mouth was twisted into an emotionless smile splitting through his cheeks showing needle like teeth all the way back to where his molars would have been, there was no tongue or throat behind them, just another endless green void. The skin of his neck that was showing past the hazmat suit was marked with lightning like scars. The glow around him seemed to absorb all the light in the room.

The man in the black robe looked between the approaching horror and his partner before running towards the exit. Danny moved so fast it was almost as if he materialized right in front of the man. The man stumbled back falling down in shock but still tried to scramble away from him crossing his chest as he did so. Just as Danny started to raise his arm towards the man he paused and lurched back.

He looked down at his chest where an ornate knife was now lodged. Holding onto the hilt was the woman, she gave the knife a final twist before letting go and herding her partner into the corner farthest away from Danny. Danny showed no pain as he grabbed the knife and pulled it out, the blade was dripping with ectoplasm, and dropped it on the ground. The wound in his chest already healing, filling with more ectoplasm to replace what was lost.

The smile that was marring Danny’s face was replaced with a scowl as he made his way towards the corner where the two were cowering. Placing a hand on their necks he lifted them both up against the wall and started slowly burning their skin with an ectoblast. He let them go, letting them fall to the ground only when their screams of pain turned silent as crushed vocal cords and burnt throat muscles took their toll. Both cult leaders looked up at him in horror faces pale. "What's wrong?" Danny smiled, "It looks like you've seen a ghost."

The woman looked at him in fear as she grasped at the raw skin of her throat, which now was covered in blisters and charred in some of the worst places. “Wha-, what, what are you?” She managed to rasp out before coughing up some blood.

Danny let out a dark chuckle, his voice echoed over itself. “I-,” he snarled, “am a Phantom .”

After Danny sent an anonymous tip to the police about the cult, he brought his friends back to his house. Of course his mom freaked out after he stopped responding to her texts and even more when he phased into the living room with an unconscious Sam and Tucker. He was pretty sure she was about to break out the BOOmerang if she didn’t hear from him for much longer. She was more than willing to take the two of them to the hospital to get them checked out.

Danny made a quick stop into the ghost zone to tell Clockwork to spread the word to other ghosts to be on alert and that there were humans that were trying to summon and capture ghosts. After telling Clockwork what happened, in much more detail than the briefest summary he gave his mom, including how he probably went a bit overboard with dealing with the cultists. He also admitted he didn't regret it even if he did go overboard. They hurt his friends and caused a ghost to completely fade, and in Danny’s opinion they deserve whatever came to them. The whole story caused Clockwork to also start fretting over him making sure to let Danny know that his reaction was a completely normal response to someone threatening something that falls within his obsession especially since it happened in his haunt of all places. Danny swore that his ghostly mentor could be worse than his own parents sometimes especially when it came to reassuring him about his more ghostly tendencies.  

Luckily after being released from the hospital it turned out the worst Sam and Tucker suffered were concussions that would heal in a decently short amount of time. That didn’t mean they weren’t complaining about it though.

“Stop laughing about my suffering Danny! I won’t be able to start playing Fantasy War Online VII until my two week tech restriction is lifted by my doctor. It was bad enough I had to go to a hospital but to be taken away from my lovely devices as well is just too much.” Tucker lamented.  

“Quit complaining and suck it up. I’m on the restriction too Tucker.” Sam pointed out.

Tucker huffed. “Yeah well you’ll probably manage to catch up to all the people who are getting it on release day easily, since you’re scarily good at MMO’s.” He flopped back onto Danny’s bed. “Hey at least this gives us more time to convince Danny to play something other than a human for once in his life. Like I said before the hellspawn is the perfect race for the build you’re going for.”

Danny just rolled his eyes. “And like I said before, I like being a human.” “Whatever dude just don’t complain when I utterly beat you if we end up fighting because you wanted to be the lamest most boring race ever.”

Danny shrugged. “Somehow I’ll cope, I just think it’s nice to be seen as normal and not scary.”

Sam laughed. “Danny you are the least scary person like to ever exist. The only things scary about you are your grades and your wacky parents. I doubt you could be scary if you tried.”

Danny looked out the window watching the stars as they started to appear in the sky. “...Yeah I guess you’re right.”

[totopopopo]

Sorry i may just be uneducated by why do you hate fatws so much? I thought it was fine /gen

because its very blatantly military propaganda and pro-American propaganda thats disguised as pseudo-woke bullshit. 

The villains are the Flag Smashers, who are *checks notes* a group of anti border, pro refugee, pro resistance, anti capitalists? Like that is their EXPLICIT mission statement, and their leader, Karli, is a young black woman. a lot of the things she’s said (especially the things that are painted as bad) come straight from anti-colonial anti-racist thinkers like fucking Fanon and Malcolm X. (also, their symbol is a red hand print across the face, which is the symbol used by indigenous activists to call attention to the horrific violence that is still being perpetrated against indigenous people, especially indigenous women. do you think that making that the symbol of the group sam and Bucky were against was a coincidence? hint: it wasn’t.) The show painted them in a vaguely sympathetic light AT TIMES, but time and time again, Bucky and Sam fought them, no hesitation, and condemned their violence (which was very fresh, given the military war crimes sam and Bucky both committed over the course of the entire show!), and at the end, Bucky and the new captain America work together to have the cops surround and arrest the flag smashers. even though sam praises them, he only does so after they are fucking incarcerated (and yes they escape in the end for a set up to s2 but he doesn't know that) and/or murdered. None of Bucky or Sam’s actions actually condemn OR help them until it’s much too late, and their primary goal is to dismantle the Flag Smashers. The Flag Smashers are the villains of the series. And that’s not okay.

oh yeah, also? Karli is murdered. like, a young black woman was fucking murdered during a police/military standoff in her attempt to fight for the marginalized, persecuted body of people she was a part of. If you don’t see why that’s violent, racist, and absolutely despicable, you need to take a step back. And only after she is murdered does Sam give his rousing pseudo-woke speech (this is an attack on the writers of the speech, not sam the character, who is not real) to the government. I’d remind you of the bullshit Pelosi pulled THANKING the police violence from last year (I'm not gonna name it explicitly bc I don't want this in the tags of a serious movement). this show is pulling the SAME bullshit as peloci’s sentiment: it martyrs black people who should be alive. Who would be alive otherwise. Who don’t deserve to be martyrs, who deserve to be alive. black people shouldn't have to DIE for movements to start or messages to be heard. Obviously, Karli is a fictional character, but the writers made the decision to kill her, to kill a black woman, for that exact purpose. that’s racism. (the show is also responsible for the black best friend trope, and also the black best friend who dies trope––the guy who was friends with the fake captain America.)

Speaking of fake captain America, he’s like, actively a terrible dude????? and he committed a full on warcrime and beat the head in of an activist in a brutal horrific way?????? and then,, he and Bucky and Sam work together in the end and he and bucket even have haha banter, because hey I guess defeating Antifa is more important than fighting this fucking Bad Apple of the military (that was sarcasm.) And then he becomes a superhero in his own right (and literally take’s Bucky’s captain America costume from the comics??????????????????? that’s literally Bucky’s costume on this dude!! what the fuck!!) he’s literally THEE most evil person on this show and it’s just like,, not addressed!!

Also, Isaiah. Isaiah, in the only not-bad episode of the show (the second to last episode), told sam quite correctly that he didn’t NEED a memorial. he didn’t WANT people to know his name, because after the fact acknowledgement of his past doesn't in any way make up for the violence he experienced as a black man in the carceral system. it doesn’t give that back. it’s meaningless, and it’s a false form of martyrism that erases the violence done to him (see how racist people in power treat MLK now by talking abt him as a hero as if they weren't the people who killed him / would have been the people who killed him if they’d been there). it’s performative, and it causes more harm than good. it accomplishes nothing. but then sam gets him that monument pat on the back tears etc because antiblack violence disguised as performative wokeness is the ONLY language marvel knows. that’s what sam’s whole speech was––it was we are all the same we are united as a country and I will work with the US government which is right and color doesn't exist but this is okay because these lines were put into a black man’s mouth and styled with woke words and empty sentiments. (also, guess what––the hard decisions of politicians doesn't actually give politicians ANY idea of what it’s like to be a black person in America. at all. that was a ridiculous bonkers line that ITSELF deserves its own fucking essay to unpack.) (ALSO sam being compared to MLK and Malcolm X by Isaiah after that bootlicking speech of compromise? FUCK that. I honestly can’t even enunciate how disrespectful that is.)

It was a bad show. It was a racist show. It was a pro-military, pro-imperialism, pro-US supremacy show. And that isn’t surprising or new. But it was a fucking very special and insidious kind of horrible because it dressed itself up as a revolutionary show, appropriating and hollowing out the words of the revolutionary movements like BLM in order to get away with it, and to appeal to a wider audience. It was a bad show. not in the “haha not really my cup of tea show” way, but in the “this show is harmful and dangerous and also was produced by a mega-corperation that actively hates you and also is supported by the fucking pentagon” way. Does that answer your question?

[dodo-begone]

ALRIGHTY! LOYAL HERE COMING IN WITH THE CIRCUS HAHAHA

Btw, I’m like 90% sure that I fell asleep while writing so it just stops. Like, there’s no ending/summary/whatever word I’m looking for but can’t think of at the moment and my bird is currently chewing on my phone case oh my god can she please stop—

__________________

I believe the concept of yanderes ft. a isekai-d reader has been mentioned by Shepard and her anons, tho it’s been mainly for Origins SMP. So, I come to you with ideas for the Dream SMP because that’s all I’m familiar with HAHAH—

Also, I apologize in advance because this thing is borderline an essay with how long it is. I’m so sorry—

For example *cue dramatic lighting and a cheesy flashback monologue thingie* oh my god I think I’m losing it, I’m so tired

Y/n and their younger sibling, Frisk, had just finished up another press conference regarding Monsters being back on the surface. All seems to be going well until the ground beneath their feet vanishes and they fall unconscious a few moments later. When they awaken, they notice they’re surrounded by humans—wait they aren’t all humans, what the fuck, since when are there hybrids? They knew everyone from the underground—by name, no less—and had never heard of any currently living hybrids. Only of ones from before the war. Besides, Monsters have been on the surface for a month at most, so there is no way for... oh boy, their head is spinning.

After some very...tense...introductions (“Hi, I never saw you guys Underground, nor have I heard of you, no offense. So, uh, which monsters are you guys related to?” “OI, I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT TUBBO IS NOT A MONSTER!”) they come to the realization that y/n is most definitely not from this world, or even this universe. Y/n’s adamant refusal to fight the “real monsters” that roam this land (“I did not spend countless timelines weeks putting my life on the line to befriend every monster, break the barrier that trapped them Underground, and defend them against my own god forsaken race just to turn my back on them.”) was a pretty big sign, after all. That, along with species of monsters that the SMP members have never heard of and how y/n talked about Souls as if they were a tangible thing.

It’s a rocky start before any sort of friendship is formed: y/n, wanting to be cautious, (and also not having Sans there to CHECK for them) decides to ask everyone what their LV is. It’s risky, and they had no way to prove if anyone is (or isn’t) telling the truth, but it was worth a shot. “Our levels?” A small goat hybrid asked, his head slightly tilting to the side. Everyone assumes that y/n is talking about enchantment levels. “I’m at 26! Ranboo, you’re at 30, right?” “I’m at 37 now, actually.” “Well, I’M at 58. Clearly I’m the superior one here. A real big man, a very manly man, aren’t I?” And a few others pipe in. Color drains from y/n’s face and they take a few steps back, hands shaking as their eyes dart between each person in the room and the exit. ‘How many lives have they each taken to make their LOVE so high? Why do they seem so proud of it?’ Yeah... that was an interesting experience.

- even though they have been reassured multiple times that the monsters of this world are nothing like the ones from their home, y/n still refuses to kill a single one, as I had mentioned earlier. They also refuse to kill animals. It takes a couple tries at explaining LV or LOVE—Level Of ViolencE—along with EXP—EXecution Points—but eventually everyone is on the same page

- Y/n is hesitant to bring out their SOUL when asked. First off, though they’re now friends with those from the Underground, they can’t help but be reminded of every spear, knife, bone, petal, gaster blaster, and fireball that has been aimed at them with the intent to kill whenever their SOUL was drawn into an encounter back then. Second of all, showing your SOUL is something you do with those you trust with your life—after all, you’re literally putting your lifeline out on display when you do so. There are so many different ways that the SMP members can see it

- Perhaps a monster appears

- Eggpire or Dream attack

- Someone forces y/n into an encounter because everyone is too curious to just let this opportunity slip by

- When y/n discovers that the people of this land have more than one life, they’re confused. There is no way that all of these people have SOULS of Determination, and there’d definitely be some issues if people kept rewinding time to their last save point. Besides, only one Determination SOUL—the strongest one—should be able to respawn. Then again, they only know what Frisk had explained to them. They were never able to see the save stars that Frisk would interact with in the different sections of the Underground. So they only have so much to go off of.

- Battle for them is completely different. Despite being in a different world, the mechanics from their world still apply. They can FIGHT, ACT, use an ITEM or show MERCY.

- They use Frisk’s tactic and flirt their way out of a fight or two. They never understood why Frisk did it until now... ‘I mean, I...wow. That was actually effective.’ They’re impressed.

- Oh no, maybe that wasn’t the best idea...they might have some yanderes after them bc of it...

- They probably have accidentally called Philza ‘Asgore’ and Tubbo ‘Asriel’ because both hybrids remind her of the two males from her world. Similar personalities AND Tubbo is a goat hybrid. The poor child is going to be so confused

- If Tubbo’s a yandere oh boy it’s going to be so easy for him. Y/n will probably be constantly at his side and telling him stories about the first fallen child and how they were adopted by the royal family, who are goat monsters! And just explaining the history of the underground and how important the goat family is. Talks about Asriel a lot as well. Probably makes him butterscotch cinnamon pie and tries to recreate golden flower tea to share with him as well. Or, they do that and he’s not yandere and it’s just wholesome.

- If we follow the headcanons that some fans have made, perhaps Frisk (and/or y/n) gave up half of their SOUL to give to either (or both) Chara or Asriel so they’d have another chance at life

- Not only does y/n refuse to kill, which leaves them vulnerable, they also only have half a SOUL, which means they’re incredibly weak. Someone needs to protect them, someone needs to keep them safe, someone needs to—

- Y/n is incredibly agile thanks to all the battles they’ve faced Underground. With their SOUL always out in the open during an encounter and the fact that they refuse to harm anyone, it’s required. I’m imagining them moving like a dancer, using jumps and spins to help them avoid any weapons swung at them.

- This is gonna be annoying for any yandere that wishes to lock y/n up. Even if they won’t physically hurt someone, they WILL put up a fight and make it as hard as they possibly can to be dragged into isolation or imprisonment

- When it comes to who goes yandere, I believe what color of SOUL y/n has (their personality, in summary) would play a big role. Here’s a few of my ideas, feel free to move people around or add to it, I’m really tired and can’t think of many characters LOL

- Red (determination): Wilbur, Technoblade

- Orange (bravery): Technoblade, Dream, Tommy

- Yellow (justice): Sam, Technoblade

- Green (kindness): the kids of the server, Fundy, and Ghostbur

- Cyan (patience): Ranboo, Ghostbur, Karl

- Dark blue (integrity): Tubbo, Philza, Sam

- Purple (perseverance): Dream—this man would love to see how long it would take for your perseverance to run out. I wouldn’t be surprised if your perseverance is the only reason he’s interested.

__________________

From what I saw of the end of what I wrote, it is DEFINITELY cut short. At least I mentioned every SOUL type lolol.

Also, I found a whole other note that’s a continuation of this concept but for y/n being from another game what the hell was I doing—

Expect that to come in another ask once I eat dinner

Sorry i took so long to answer!! I kept getting distracted!

That stuff is so pog man!!!! Puffy might be called “Toriel” once in a while because mom energy and she sheep,,, close to goat!

Gosh all the flirting will bring in so many yanderes or make ppl like “yo wtf??” And there’s a very small amount that are inbetween.

OKAY BUT WITH THE MONSTER STUFF ON THE DSMP- they’d keep the monsters in their house. They’d give them food and everything. Some def become very friendly and will defend. Haha giant spider go prrrrrr

I’d write more but there is so much amazing stuff I don’t think I could add to some of them anyways!!! Plus my mind is just racing other places rn haha

[pizzazz-party]

Ring Analysis Part 1: Synchronizing— How It Works and What It Tells Us About Ring

...As well as the world he lives in. Our buddy Ring may explain very little about himself, but he doesn’t need to if you’re paying—obsessive—attention to detail.

(Gameplay spoilers up to World 20 under the cut.)

For a mechanic that’s important enough to merit a cutscene, and then goes on to envelop every part of the game, “synchronizing” gets a handful of lines before it’s never explicitly brought up again.

So let’s go over this scene.

“Synchronizing” is, at first glance, a simple exchange of traits. That’s not entirely wrong. Trainee does physically take on characteristics specific to Ring, like the flaming hair, and Ring does gain access to her heartbeat reading, sort of like a living stethoscope.

But what syncing actually is, is a symbiotic relationship. It’s both participants “recalibrating” themselves to the other as best as each of them are able. For a flesh-and-blood partner that’s not built for syncing, this means physically changing to become something a little closer to Ring. (More on that later.) For Ring, a magical being designed with the extra sensory input in mind, it invisibly grants him access to the other’s most invaluable resource: their exercise energy.

Like synchronizing, “exercise energy” is another lovely concept that was mentioned once and then never again. So much so that I’ve been accidentally calling it “fitness energy” for weeks and am still trying to correct my reflexes.

But exercise energy is everything. If all it takes is a simple read of a heartbeat to jumpstart a sync bond, exercise energy is the glue that cements it together. Because Ring and Trainee don’t stop being synced whenever they’re not physically touching. They separate all the time. They can put a little distance between themselves and still be at the height of synchronization, even. But let’s take a step back for a moment, and talk about that “physically changing to become something a little closer to Ring” aspect.

Say that Trainee is doing a leg move at peak performance. Her hair is flaring up. Her legs are glowing that same yellowish hue—because they’re full of exercise energy. That’s what that is. That’s what it must be. It’s what Ring himself is partially made of, seeing as the same stuff flows through his veinlike tubes. Seriously. Look at this. It’s the same goddamn color.

I can’t understate how incredibly important exercise energy is. To synchronizing, to Ring, and to literally everything else. Exercise energy is a type of life energy. In the world of Ring Fit, it’s in everything, everywhere—in varying levels of purity and concentration. When Trainee is performing a fit skill, she almost seems to absorb a mystical...something... from the open air around her, as she charges up a skill. Thin lines of light streak towards her as she lights up, not away. See for yourself.

Trainee isn’t a normal inhabitant of “Planet Fitness.” She doesn’t know how to manipulate exercise energy very well on her own. It looks like being synced with Ring has made her somewhat biologically closer to being made of exercise energy herself, and with that? The slight ability to absorb it from the air around her. It’s a really small thing, likely just a tiny boost of power she’s drawing in from her surroundings (and returning right back after a move is complete). But it’s there. It’s visibly happening. With one exception, this doesn’t occur outside of a fit battle. And that makes sense. A fit skill taking more energy than an air blast is very reasonable. Those crates littering the place are a lot less hardy than...whatever you would classify Monsters as. 

I mentioned an exception. Here it is:

Victory posing is such an odd little tradition, isn’t it? It’s unskippable; Ring always insists on it. And at first glance, his instructions are weird. “Pull in energy from the ground” sounds a bit like nonsense...except in this shot, Trainee is actually standing on a glowing platform full of Exercise Energy. (Yes, that’s what that is.) The moment she’s done charging her squat power, thin lines of light streak upwards— some into Trainee. And when she raises her arms, she expels all that excess energy into the open air. You can watch the process here.

And that’s where most of the EXP from victory posing comes from—from the well of exercise energy humming beneath her feet.

Exercise energy is life energy in constant motion. It’s created (for a lack of a better word) constantly as the body moves and burns calories. It’s also expelled constantly, and this is most visible when Trainee works out. It is not, under any circumstances, meant to be trapped in the body forever. But the act of having possessed any of it at all gives Trainee EXP, a byproduct, which can be kept forever.

———

Ring says in the initial cutscene, “The more you exercise, the more synchronized we’ll be!” The more Trainee exercises, the more exercise energy her body holds at time. The more exercise energy she holds, the more alike she and Ring are in that very moment. The more alike they are—the more in sync they are.

———

The two way connection created by synchronizing is closer to a metaphysical fusion of both participants than a simple trade off. Ring’s powers are (almost but not quite) Trainee’s powers. Trainee’s body is (almost but not quite) Ring’s body. It’s both easy and hard to see where one’s work stops and the other’s begins. So let’s lay down some quick facts.

One! In terms of powers—everything Ring and Trainee can do together, Ring can do alone. It’ll be weaker. But he can do it. He’s got his own supply of exercise energy and he’s a master at manipulating it. Ring is not helpless; you are.

Two! The glowing limbs you fight with in a fit battle belong to Ring—not Trainee. Here are even some screen caps of Ring vaguely referring to them both. (It’s even in all-important blue text.)

Three! Ring is always actively contributing to your fit battles. He is never just counting reps or giving tips. As Trainee charges up a fit skill, Ring is constantly channeling the resulting energy into powering up his battle constructs. He is actively aiming said constructs for you, always.

In the case of specific fit skills, where Ring’s battle constructs immediately appear as buff as can be—it’s because Trainee is helping. A lot of what these instances have in common is the fact that the fit skills in question are less... involved?

Imagine being Trainee, and trying to keep a good aim on the enemy as you do the Mountain Climber move. (Or even squats. I do too many of those and I start disconnecting from reality.) The Ring Raise move, on the other hand, is gentler and gives Trainee a clear, unobstructed view of the enemy throughout the whole exercise. It gives her the wiggle room to try her hand at manipulating her own exercise energy directly.

With Ring and Trainee working together, the charge-up effect is therefore instantaneous.

Four! Canonically, despite the two of them being synced, Ring can shut off Trainee’s access to his powers at any time. That’s because, for them to work in the first place, Ring must be consciously activating them. In some animations at the start of a course, Trainee stretches by pulling on him at both ends. This should summon a suction vortex. But it doesn’t. Because Ring knows Trainee is just doing a pre-run stretch.

It explains why you can’t summon a Mega Ab Guard whenever you feel like it; only when Ring suggests it. Or why you can’t just suck up tokens in mini games like Dreadmill (Ring is too honest to help you cheat). Yes, it’s a game mechanic thing. But it’s a mechanic that Ring canonically controls. Trainee absolutely cannot use any of his abilities without his explicit consent. And that’s probably why she hasn’t accidentally killed somebody in combat yet—Ring is super careful. (He’s a professional, you know.)

———

Now that we have a better understanding of what exercise energy is and a better grasp on how Ring works—let’s circle back one more time to that “physically changing to become something a little closer to Ring” aspect. Because there’s one last insane thing we skipped over.

Trainee is initially the baseline in our understanding of what exercise energy looks like in a human being. Her yellow-orange flames are our constant companion—and therefore we get misled, because Trainee is an outlier. She is synced to Ring, and Ring is extraordinary. So she’s not a good example of the average person.

But in this case, despite being a literal master, Guru Andma is.

Guru Andma, “the balance master,” is the only other human character we see using attacks consisting of all three muscle groups. Her fight is a wealth of knowledge in of itself. When she flexes her arms, they fill with RED energy. When she flexes her abdomen, it fills with YELLOW energy. When she flexes her leg, it fills with BLUE energy. This is the standard for human beings. This is normal.

What this implies then, is that synchronizing with Ring has overwritten Trainee’s original energy signature. Ring’s energy is decidedly NOT human. It’s not even fit-skill yellow; it looks close, but it’s really something else entirely. Ring of course can convert Trainee’s energy into traditional reds, yellows, and blues for a fight. (Or at least, he can fake it if he doesn’t have his Color Coding ability. He once mimicked the flames of Dark Influence early on in the game; some superficial color editing is not above him.)

But yeah. Trainee’s energy is now definitely abnormal.

And yet the process didn’t seem to put her in any physical pain? I really doubt Ring would have sprung that on her if it did. (I mean, he still should have asked for permission first.) I’d wager the effects of syncing, as deep as are, aren’t permanent once the bond is dissolved. What Ring is doing—“synchronizing”—is somehow, simultaneously, extremely mystical and yet completely natural.

———

Last segment, before I let you go.

For a long time, I wondered: what are the prerequisites, that denote syncing potential? Not impressive muscles, I’m sure; it’s heavily implied Dragaux once synced with Ring, and he was infamously skinny. Could the general attitude of a person play a role, if Ring’s energy is pure positive exercise energy? Or could it be genetic? Maybe even entirely random?

I wasn’t sure until I fought the four masters, and especially after fighting Guru Andma.

I’ll bet you anything that there’s something inherently flexible about Trainee, for a human. Something more malleable, and therefore more amenable to undergoing the dramatic changes of a sync bond. And I’ll bet you further that it has something to do with the fact that Trainee had zero previous experience wielding exercise energy at the start of the game.

Because Ring tells Trainee she has potential right after identifying that she’s new.

(The less developed a person is initially, the easier it could be to sync with Ring. Whereas a person with more intensive training would be incompatible.)

And if you’re still convinced that Ring was just impressed with her muscles—please remember that Ring is not human, and does not experience life through the same lens. It’s implied he can “see” energy with more than just his eyes. It’s how you can drop him in a new temple in an unfamiliar land and he’ll still be able to tell Trainee when she’s close to the finish line. (He forgot what static stretching was that one time. He does not have these floor plans memorized.) To him, those glowing wells at the end are like straight up beacons.

He was absolutely examining her energy.

———

To Ring, syncing probably isn’t worth writing an entire essay about. It’s natural to him, instinctive. It’s Ring making a promise to watch over someone, and to have their back as they will have his. And I think that’s beautiful. Frustrating to my curiosity, but beautiful.

———

TLDR; Synchronizing is a metaphysical bond sustained through Exercise Energy, a substance mentioned once in World 1 that encompasses the whole game. It exists everywhere in everything, in different variations of intensity and purity. Ring especially is partially made of exercise energy. It’s the glowing stuff in his tubes. There’s more, but that’s the gist of it. DISCLAIMER: This is for fun! I just wanted to try my hand at explaining how the magical sentient Pilates ring works. I feel pretty strongly about my conclusions, but I’ll go back and edit this if/when/where applicable. Thank you for reading.

———

EDIT (June 20, 2021): Updated header image. Also added a link to Ring mimicking DI.

EDIT (August 12, 2021): Added links to part 2 and 3.

———

RING ANALYSIS

Part 1: Synchronizing— How it Works and What It Tells Us About Ring

Part 2: Ring’s Powers—And What They All Have In Common

Part 3: Ring’s Biology and Possible Origins

[illdothehotvoice]

Why Papyrus doesn’t hate puns (A small ramble to not be taken seriously by me :-) )

Okay okay. So before I start I wanted to say really quick this started as a post about Papyrus being autistic coded and then I started rambling WAY too much about this subject so I VERY quickly want to point out: I saw the interpretation that Papyrus hates puns because he takes them very literally and has trouble understanding them. THIS? Is EXTREMELY valid and I actually REALLY enjoy this interpretation even if it doesn’t align with my own that well. I just wanted to point it out because it’s neat and just wanted to say it’s safe from this post.

Anyways Papyrus. Puns. I’m just gonna say it right off the bat, it’s 12am and this is gonna be SUPER incoherent but main gist is, Papyrus doesn’t hate puns or even Sans’ specifically, he just doesn’t like BAD puns (or at least ones he personally thinks are bad cause he too makes some pretty awful ones).

For instance, Papyrus’ 3rd piece of in game dialogue was literally him making a skeleton pun. He was the first to make a pun out of the skelebros and this thought blows my fucking mind. He says this after Sans says they’re in the demo so technically, they never make their entrance (this is at the end of the Undertale Demo if you get through the Ruins without gaining any exp ^^ will post all of it later like promised just been busy).

This isn’t even the only pun he makes in game! (I was going through all of his phone calls and marking down every time he makes or enjoys a pun and it’s a lot of work so I haven’t finished yet but take a couple examples from that ^^)

(Said after calling him in that one room with the ice in snowdin near the snowman if called twice).

(This one is pretty self explanatory).

(I also don’t want to look for the screenshot but he mentions somewhere his station is made of “Cardboardhydrates”. Also his whole “I’m sure you’ll find it quite SHOCKING >:-))))!!!” line. I could go on and on about puns he specifically makes. Also on a completely different note I need you all to know that Papyrus literally doesn’t know how to solve the X’s and O’s puzzles he just steps over the spikes and says “The solution is to be tall and handsome” he even says he just jumps over the gap on the big ice one, like this is a common theme throughout most puzzles. I am begging y’all to read all the phone calls and the ones with Undyne they’re so good qwq).

Side ramble aside: Papyrus is even shown to get upset at his OWN puns when he finds them particularly bad (ignore the youtube progress bar)

He says this when you’re in the dump in Waterfall btw.

Okay okay so Papyrus makes puns cool. But there’s more. In fact Papyrus even goes as far as to site Undyne’s Cool Shed-Based puns as why they’re friends. (Again it’s 12 am (going on 1am now) and if the screenshots aren’t readily available I’m not digging for them just trust me on this one. If you want to look for it examine Papyrus’ shed in Snowdin after befriending Undyne twice and he’ll say the line I’m talking about).

And finally just to prove it’s not specifically Sans’ puns he dislikes, here’s an instance of him enjoying Sans’ pun!

I love the little fake out here too qwq. Like you really think he’s about to get upset about it. Papyrus actually immediately follows this with a pun of his own if you call again:

Anyways conclusion: Papyrus doesn’t hate puns, in fact every time I look into this subject I find more puns that he himself makes. He just has standards like he does with everything else. Goodnight gamers.

EDIT: I do quickly want to say you could totally interpret the web ones as Papyrus not getting the joke (or in his own case not realizing the irony in what he’s saying, especially because later in this interaction he acts as is he was just stating a fact and not trying to make a joke) but I think Papyrus immediately making the fangs pun after clearly as a joke shows otherwise. But that’s just how I interpret it based on the timing of the lines. The fact still remains he makes puns of his own dhfjkdg.

EDIT...2!! (cause I thought of one last thing in regards to that line): I also want to point out the way he says website as “web-site” implies that that too is a pun but I ALSO want to point out he says online like “on-line” so I think it’s both a pun and a quirky little speech pattern of his. It typically only happens when he’s speaking about the internet and I think there’s definitely something to be said about that.

[scoutception]

Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand review

The SNES was a console with many great RPGs. From popular classics like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Earthbound, to hidden gems like Live A Live, Terranigma, Secret of Evermore, and Shadowrun, it’s a library with a lot of enjoyment to offer. Of course, not every RPG on the system fared so well, with quite a few mediocre and forgettable games scattered about, and unfortunately, Ys V, Falcom’s second attempt at revamping their classic series, after Ys IV backtracked to using the original bump combat system, is among these. Even today, about the only notable thing about Ys V to a modern fan is the current lack of any remake, unlike IV, or the similarly flawed Ys III, which was enough to rouse my curiosity and drive me to give it a fair playthrough. While I did have some fun with it, there’s certainly a reason there were no new Ys games for nearly a decade afterwards, and the specifics on why that is is what we’ll be looking at today. Note that while Ys V was never released outside of Japan, it does have an English translation patch, courtesy of Aeon Genesis, in what was apparently one of their most difficult hacking jobs ever.

Story: About 4 years after the events of Ys I & II, Adol Christin, or, as he’s come to be known, Adol the Red, arrives at the port town of Xandria on the continent of Afroca (yes, literally just fantasy Alexandria and Africa), rather suspiciously without his constant companion Dogi, and on an intact ship, at that. The normally aimless Adol has been lured to Xandria by rumors of a mysterious Phantom City, said to contain amazing riches. After being contacted by a wealthy merchant named Dorman, however, Adol is given the truth: the so called Phantom City is actually the lost city of Kefin, a prosperous nation that wielded tremendous power five hundred years ago through the power of alchemy. Recently, the Kefin desert has been expanding, consuming many towns within the area, and monsters have become numerous and aggressive, leaving Xandria at threat of becoming a barren waste. Wishing to gain access to the secrets of Kefin’s alchemy in order to halt this desertification, Dorman hires Adol to find six elemental crystals that are said to have the power to unlock the way to Kefin. Unfortunately for Adol, he really has his work cut out for him this time; many of Afroca’s citizens are fearful of him, due to ancient legends telling of a red haired man that will bring great havoc upon his arrival, and he’s harassed by a band of thieves called the Ibur Gang, who are out to take all the crystals for themselves. Though Adol makes several allies as well, such as Niena, the adopted daughter of the great adventurer Stein, who disappeared three years ago looking for the crystals himself, Massea, a woman who possesses knowledge of alchemy matched by few others, and Stoker, the spirit of a man who lived five hundred years ago, he also comes to find that several other forces are conspiring to use Kefin’s alchemy for their own destructive purposes, and that his client may be less trustworthy than he initially seems.

While most of the classic Ys games had quite cliche stories, if understandably considering their age, Ys V is actually a fair bit more original, with some pretty decent moments toward the end of the game. Unfortunately, before that point, most of the story just consists of just wandering around finding all the crystals, with the random interferences Adol encounters being the only things spicing it up, such as being forced to undergo a series of trials, or being blown off a raft by a sandstorm and washing up in a different town, keeping the tradition of boating accidents in Ys alive and well. Despite the amount of important supporting characters around, most of them barely even show up for most of the story, which makes for a pretty underdeveloped and forgettable cast, with only Terra of the Ibur Gang sticking out thanks to reappearing in Ys VI. It also just feels very disconnected from the rest of the series, with Dogi completely missing, and a lot of plot elements that feel out of place for Ys. According to the book Ys Complete Works, a lot of plot elements had to be left out of V, which certainly explains why it feels so underbaked, and leaves a lot of potential for improvement if a remake ever materializes, but until then, while a neat step forward for the writing of the series, Ys V’s story ultimately just doesn’t fare very well overall.

Gameplay: Here’s where things really start falling apart. The bump combat system is gone once and for all now, with Ys V using a dedicated attack button like Ys III, a system that remains in place even today. Unlike Ys III, however, the general gameplay is still much more similar to the other titles, overhead perspective and all, with the change in combat instead feeling a lot more like the 2D Zelda titles. Along with swing his sword, Adol can also now use his shield to actively block attacks. There’s also a jump button, though there’s not much platforming to be done. In theory, this isn’t a bad change at all, but in practice, combat is extremely stiff and awkward feeling. Unlike in Zelda, where Link always swings with a nice, wide arc, Adol is stuck jabbing things for most of the game instead. Each sword has a different range, with exactly one that actually has a proper swing, and the ones you’ll use the most, the second and last swords, only being capable of stabs. Annoying as this is, it wouldn’t quite be a deal breaker, if it wasn’t for how frustratingly precise you need to be when attacking. If you’re even slightly off center, you’ll just whiff. Meanwhile, attacks from enemies are given far more leniency, and even using the shield, you need that same level of precision in order to block anything. Needless to say, this gets very frustrating.

Aside from just attacking physically, magic, or to be more accurate, alchemy, is also available, with spells being made by collecting elemental stones and having an alchemist combine three at a time, with six different elements and eighteen possible spells, which can then be attached to Adol’s weapon and slowly charged up until the magic meter reaches 100, at which point attacking will cast the spell and drain MP and spell charge. While a neat idea in concept, in practice, almost everything you can make is downright awful. Not only are many spells nearly identical to each other, but most of them are just really, really bad, with absurdly long casting animations, during which enemies are free to continue moving around and out of the spell’s range, wasting both your time and MP. About the only useful spells are the ones that hit everything on screen, which take an absurd amount of MP, and the basic fireball, which has no casting animation, and is mandatory to get anyway. Several enemies will also just absorb magic entirely and gain HP, so using it can often be an outright detriment. Even worse, the game basically forces you to use magic by separating EXP into two different types: physical EXP, obtained from defeating enemies with the sword, or from bosses, which boosts physical power and defense and magic EXP, which is gained from killing enemies with magic, and boosts magic power and defense, meaning if you ignore magic, any enemy using magic attacks will quickly wreck you. The stones needed to make the spells, along with a few other items like coins to be sold, are also mostly hidden across the different areas, and can only be found by rubbing up against every wall and object in sight, which is really annoying, and you really can’t afford to miss any of them if you want to make most of the available spells.

Bosses are pretty dumb too, with a lot of them just coming down to standing in one places and stabbing until they die, chugging heal potions until they die, and considering the most basic healing item heals 60% of Adol’s HP, it’s not hard to do, either. In general, the game is overly forgiving. While still pretty annoying, the level system means it is pretty easy to end up overleveled with physical and magic levels combined, and rather than just dropping a set amount of gold, enemies instead drop gems, which can be sold to merchants for varying amounts. While this wouldn’t make much of a difference on paper, the gems are worth so much, and certain merchants have high enough exchange rates, that you can make a lot of money pretty easily, and considering the third and second best weapons in the game are sold in the first two towns, it’s even easier to break the game wide open. Most areas are also really short, with several dungeons literally just consisting of three or four small rooms, so you’re rarely ever in serious danger traversing them, with most of their length just coming from forced backtracking. While an improvement from how grind heavy most of the early Ys games were, the easiness just makes the experience even less engaging, to the point Falcom had to make a second version of the game, titled Ys V Expert, due to complaints.

Graphics: The visuals of Ys V, to put it bluntly, barely even resemble the rest of the series, to the point it’s basically indistinguishable from any other SNES RPG. It doesn’t look outright bad, but whereas Ys usually uses a super deformed style with lots of colors, Ys V uses a more realistically proportioned style with really dark, dull colors, to the point that Adol’s usual distinctive bright red hair looks more brown than anything. Most areas are pretty forgettable, with pretty generic caves and ruins, but there are a few neat areas, like the rainy marshlands, which actually carry a pretty strong atmosphere, and the bosses look kinda cool, if a bit samey. You also get to customize Adol a bit, being able to change the color of his clothes and armor in the menu, along with his hair color, if you find a hidden NPC fairly late in the game, with the default option actually giving him his usual hair color. Overall, though, the visuals are still pretty unspectacular.

Music: In yet another change from series tradition, Ys V forgoes the usual rock style of the soundtrack, and instead takes a much more orchestral approach, again making it stand out even less from its competition, only retaining a few traditions like the item collection music and the Theme of Adol. In this case, however, I can’t complain that much about the change, because the resulting soundtrack, in usual Falcom fashion, is still fantastic. From the peaceful Foresta Village, to the melancholy Misty Lake, to the mysterious Oasis, to the dark Sand Castle, to the adventurous Wilderness, there are a lot of great tracks to be found, and it’s absolutely worth looking up the soundtrack even if the rest of the game would drive you away.

Conclusion: Overall, Ys V is not recommended. It’s not an outright bad game, and can still be decently fun. It’s short enough that it’s not much of an investment to play through, and it was still an important step that allowed Ys VI to fully modernize the gameplay of the series. As a whole though, it’s still a pretty underwhelming and clunky experience that’s almost completely divorced from the rest of the series. You’re not missing much by leaving it alone, and perhaps with the release of Ys IX, a remake of V could be next on the schedule. Either way, that’s about all I can even say about this game. Till next time. -Scout

[cosmiciaria]

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order review! (Spoiler free)

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (SWJFO) appeared out of fricking nowhere and to everyone's surprise, it was a striking success? How? But… EA was so bad at making SW games!! I don't see micro transactions and… is this… actual… plot… with actual… good characters?? I'm shooketh.

So, yes, SWJFO is a good game! It's not perfect, it has its flaws, yes, but considering where we come from… Battlefront II I'm looking at you.

The game takes place between Episode III and Episode IV. I won't say it's a "bridge" between those two Episodes because it isn't, and some may argue that talking about Jedi in the middle of those two pieces of media doesn't take you anywhere, since we all know what happens next, but let me explain to you: the story fits so well. So well.

We follow Cal Kestis, your average ginger Good Boi, who's a padawan in disguise. It's been five years since Order 66 and he's been hiding all this time in Bracca, a junkyard, where he works mostly enslaved by the Empire. His good pal Prauf tells him he should go outside and explore the galaxy, since he's young and cute probably, but Cal is so scared of being found and he's suffering such a huge survivor's guilt that he doesn't take any action to leave that planet.

It all seemed to be like another ordinary day of work, dismembering old ships and searching for useful parts, when the wing that Cal and Prauf were working on suddenly falls from the body of the ship, and Cal, who hasn't been using his Force since the execution of the Jedi, is forced (pun intended) to save his friend from falling to his death. Prauf understands the stakes, and swears to keep the secret.

However, destiny seems to hate him, because the Inquisitors (the Second and Ninth Sisters to be more precise), an order of Jedi-turned-to-dark-side that serves the Empire, arrive at Bracca, looking for a remaining Force-wielder who hides among the workers. Prauf steps up for his comrade, only to be impaled quite literally in front of Cal. Cal loses his composure and snaps at the Second Sister, revealing his nature as Jedi, and so the hunt begins.

Cal faces the Second Sister, who menacingly swings her lightsaber with red emitters, but he's too weak to defeat her. Just when we thought that everything is lost, a new spaceship arrives: the Mantis, and a woman reaches out from the main gate, asking us to jump. Cal doesn't think twice, bids farewell to a very angry Second Sister and jumps into safety.

Inside the Mantis, Cal meets his saviors: Cere, a former jedi who purposely cut her link with the Force, and Greez, a lateros who is the owner and driver of the ship. Cere goes straight to the point: she's been looking for Cal (or any other Force-sensitive to be honest) for years now, because she has a clear plan: to rebuild the Jedi Order.

From here onward, the game opens up. You'll be visiting Bogano first, which is the sanctuary more or less of Cordova, a dead character that will have a great impact on the whole story. Cordova was Cere's master, and he's worked and compiled information about the Zeffo sages and other interesting mythos from around the galaxy. Cordova swears that in the ancestral chamber in Bogano, sealed by ancient technology created by the Zeffo, lies the Holocron: a cubic thingy only readable for Jedi, that holds key information about the names of the kids who are Force-sensitives. With this list of names, Cere plans to bring back the Jedi and strike back at the Empire.

So the main objective is to get this Holocron, but to get there, you'll have to go to many planets and explore many nooks and crannies. I won't spoil it for you, because I try to never spoil in my reviews, and like I said before, it may sound like this goal doesn't make any sense since we know they don't succeed in rebuilding the Order (hell, not even with Rey and it's been a whole generation since then), but hear me out: the story still fits so well! PLEASE TRUST ME IN THIS ONE

So instead of talking about the plot, let's talk about the characters!

Cal will be your main character. I read that some people think he's boring, ok, I can take that. The reality is that there's so much more to him than just his dashing appearance (alright, maybe I am biased, since I love red hairs) and his kindness and good-boy-ness. Cal is deeply regretful by his actions during Order 66 and he can't forget nor forgive what happened to his master. He feels remorseful and blames himself for the outcome of the purge. He has a scar on his face that constantly reminds him of it. He's a clear case of survivor's guilt syndrome, and it doesn't take one much to see it. I won't say when or the context, but there's a moment in which he has to ride a escape pod, and he looks around, nervously, as if he's going to suffocate, because it reminds him of the purge – man, there's a lot not said that really touches you. I don't need a character to tell me that he's sad. He can show it to me and that's exemplarily well done with him.

Another example of a sad character, more in-your-face this time, is Cere. A former master, now devoid of the Force, Cere wanders the galaxy with a clear goal in mind. But in her past, she hides torture and some too-close-for-comfort connection with the dark side. She wants to redeem herself and she trusts that this sacred mission will, not wipe out, but compensate for her mistakes. Cere is a great north in this game and she always supports Cal in everything. Her unconditional trust may seem overwhelming at first, but she's careful and she knows with what they're all dealing with. Besides she's badass af.

Greez is a less warrior character but much funnier than the rest of the cast. As the owner of the Mantis, he takes care of this ship as if it were his daughter. He has a knack for cooking and even though he tries to hide it, he does have a soft spot for Cal. Maybe his past of gambler and addiction makes him come across as the one who doesn't give a damn of what's going on, but if that were truly the case, he wouldn't be here, trying to rebuild the Order as well. He has by far the best lines in the script, and he's so unintentionally funny. There was this scene, out of context, where Cere and Cal were having an argument while eating, and he was sitting in between, in the background, adding peppermint or whatever spice to his dish, but the thing is, he never stopped throwing peppermint to his dish because he was watching them argue. Damn. I love him.

Merrin is introduced later in the game, but she does play a large role in the story. Born and raised in Dathomir, Merrin is a Nightsister, an order of 'witches' let's call them that have twisted the Force and use it in a different way than the Jedi. After General Grievous (as much as we assume, because he's mentioned as "armored man wielding lightsabers") wiped out all the life in Dathomir, Merrin remained as the sole survivor of her planet, roaming around the corpses of her sisters with no goal whatsoever. She resents the Jedi and has sworn to fight them even if it cost her life. This led her to get in with a bad crowd… but she'll find a better purpose after she meets Cal (And if you ask me, this SHIP HAS SAAAAAIIILLLLEEED).

And last but not least, the Second Sister, who, as I said before, was a former Jedi who was forced into the dark side, now hunts the remaining Force-sensitive that have escaped from the purge. She seems your ordinary villain at the start of the story, but slowly the plot will be unfolding a lot of details about her past and how she became an Inquisitor, making her as much, if not more than, important like the rest of the cast.

If there's thread connecting all these characters, is their broken pasts. These are all broken characters who now must face the consequences of their decisions, however much they don't want to look that way. They have to reconcile with their pasts and overcome their fears. They have all suffered, but in this suffering they found strength. And each other.

And I cannot not mention BD-1, your companion droid. He has personality, you can't deny it. Every time Cal went like "How is it going, BD-1?" and the droid threw his "Boops-beeps", please, they're having a profound conversation DON'T INTERRUPT THEM.

As far as gameplay goes, this game borrows from other great creations of the PS4 era: Uncharted (you'll be climbing and doing parkour a lot), Tomb Raider (sliding down and tomb raiding, yes), Dark Souls (meditation/save points where you can level up your skills and also whenever you die you lose your exp gained, but not the ability points. You can recover that exp though), and Sekiro (parry. Parry a lot). This may seem to all of you like the game lacks originality, and while it's debatable, I still think that it has a lot new and original gameplay to offer, specially when it comes to Force wielding and lightsabers. Oh, yes, you're a Jedi (padawan, actually), you'll be using the Force! The game tries really hard to integrate the Force not only in combat, but also while you explore and while you solve puzzles. The more you level up, the more powerful your abilities become, and it comes a point when you feel unstoppable. The Stormtroopers might sound cocky at first, but when you start pushing and pulling, oh, yes, fear the Jedi! So yes, the game may look like a copycat of previous works in the gaming industry, but it does make a good use of all those mechanics, while still throwing something new elements into the mix.

The level design is ASTOUNDING, sometimes I turned around one corner and appeared somewhere I thought it was like miles away from my place, and I was marveled at how well everything interconnects with everything. The level of detail also is so meticulous and well crafted, like there are so many little things that if you stop to stare and pay attention you'll be so mesmerized by them. Some of the places are so eye candy, even Dathomir with their "I AM DEATH" vibes has such a beautiful color palette, that I couldn't help but take a thousand screenshots. This game looks gorgeous, and it shows. You know, when a game has a photo mode, you know the devs are convinced of its beauty.

But, like I said earlier, the game isn't without flaws. While I praised the intricate level design, there's also one thing I hate a lot: backtracking. Yes, in these huge maps, there are no fast travels. You can create shortcuts and such, but, if you want to get to that 2% that was left unexplored in that particular area, you must return to it by foot. This is a huge let down for me. I did the game with a guide, so I grabbed most of the collectibles during my first time in each planet, but still there were some things that I missed, and I had to go all the way there to revisit places with the only purpose of grabbing that stupid chest or filling that small percentage of the map, while trying to survive against the enemies, since everything in this game, everything, wants to actively kill you. Damn, Cal was wanted.

Another huge drawback for me that it normally doesn't bother me much were the low framerates. I played it on normal PS4, not the Pro, and the rendition of the game wasn't good. I wasn't even fighting or doing a lot of stuff on screen, I was just climbing and chilling, and still the framerates would fall like under 20. When there a lot of things going on screen, the game suffers from it and it makes you know that the play station is giving its all to make it function. I believe this isn't a problem for those who have a nice computer and play it with the highest specs, but as I know that there are people out there who really care about the performance, I had to at least mention this.

Also, do not come here thinking that this is an open world game. Yes, granted, you can travel from planet to planet with no real rush and take things with time, but the maps are mostly linear (except for the interconnections between each area), and once you explored or got all chests, that's all there's to it. Now that I have completed the game and platinumed it, the planets feel barren, empty, like there's no real life breathing through the leaves or the rooms. And I think I know what this game could've benefited a lot from: sidequests. There are no NPC's here, except for some Wookies at that moment in the story or your crew members, so there's no one to give you a sidequest. But even without NPC's, they could've thrown sidequests from the different collectibles that you come across in your path, or maybe when on arriving at a certain place. There's like one thing that gets close to a sidequest and it's exploring a crashed Venator in the planet Zeffo, but that's all there's to it: more of the same killing, climbing and cutting ropes. If you're a rookie collector, then yes, this game got you covered, for there are over 200 collectibles (I think over 300 actually, considering echoes and chests and scans), but it's not like there's anything in between these, except for enemies. No banter with your crew members while you walk around, some occasional beep boops from BD-1 only.

I think those are my main complaints, but all in all I believe that the good compensates the bad. The last "mission" is reaaaaally good, and they did something I really like, which I won't spoil. I'm just going to say that I'm so glad with the decisions they took. The relationships between the characters grow vividly before our eyes, and we see Cal develop from a frightened fugitive into a fighter. There are moments in the story and in the gameplay where the game made me go like "whoa", I was truly amazed by what was going on. The acting is flawless, the music gets under your skin and the vistas are just dreamy. There so many easter eggs to appease even the most hardcore SW fan! They could polish all the things I said, but if there's another SW game developed by Respawn and with that writing team, I'll be there to buy it.

It's not perfect, but it's good. Give Cal a chance!

[artesesarthouse]

My Pokemon Shield team!

Decided to use my Friends OC as the character I play in Shield because she's british and well this IS the british region so it fits.

So I've beaten pokemon Shield, finished about 90% of the Dex, and have gotten about a third of the way through Sword, and for the most part, I'm having fun with it. I say, despite the bad news that kept pouring over the last few weeks, it has enough good things to keep it fun and fresh. That said, there are some issues because not everything is perfect, and I'll detail the pros and cons I find with most of the important things about the game. Keep in mind I'm not a professional in the industry. I'm a casual fan who likes to collect Pokemon and a fan of the creature design. That said, let's get into it.

TLDR: Pokemon SWSH is good; its good on the things it improves on and adds to make the game more helpful to the grind, but it has many short cuts that make certain features tedious and time-consuming. Buy the game for the new mons and quality of life improvements. Don't buy if you expect everything to carry over from previous titles.

The Dex:

Of course, I have to talk about this as it was the biggest thing that started to change people's minds about SWSH and is a controversy that continued till release. For me, when I heard it, I didn't care because, for me, the only Pokemon I care about are the new ones. My team for each game is only the new Pokemon (including the alola and galar forms). But I do understand why people are upset because once pokemon home comes around, no doubt pokemon bank will close and you'll HAVE to switch them over and thus not be able to use Pokemon you've had for a while until they get added in future games. Which could be years. But let's switch gears and talk about what was added. Then just over 80 new pokemon, not including galarian forms. Now, this isn't the smallest amount of new mons we've had. XY had the least, but it still disappointing that there aren't that many new ones. BUT the new mons we got are fun and creative. I have many new favs, and GOD do I love that they brought back regional forms and made them better! obstagoon isn't the only one that got a region-based evolution, and I LOVE that they brought more. I think one of the unique things about Pokemon from most other monster catcher type shows and games is evolution and a big disappointment for me is whenever there is a pokemon with no evolutions because it feels like there's no potential and it's boring, and yes there is no-evolution pokemon among the new mons. My final note, though, is that there are more new evolution gimmicks, and I am not a fan, stones? Okay, friendship? Annoying but with berries, it can help. Trade? It can be annoying if you don't have friends, but you can use the GTS (OH WAIT :( ILL GET INTO THAT LATER), but making it, so yanmask needs 49+ damage AND can only evolve in a specific spot? FOR SHAME.

Wild area and Dynamax dens:

The one thing that was advertised the most, the thing that was in basically every trailer and hammered to death, the wild are. SO how is it after all this hyper? It's okay.

Pros:

It's big, way bigger then I thought, I thought it was just that beginning area in front of motorstroke but nope! Way bigger.

The wild area is split up into sections that each has their spawns and weather separate from the rest. This allows you to build a variety of teams early on; you don't have to wait till the end of the game to get an Ice-type or Dragon-type. If it's snowing in one section, there will be plenty of Ice-type mons.

The Dynamax dens are a great way to help the grind that pokemon games tend to have. Not only do you have a chance to get rare mons, but you get EXP candies which help level up your mons from 100 exp to 100,000 exp, so you can use those to level up mons you don't plan to use but need the evolutions for their Pokedex entries! It helps simplify the grind and tediousness of the grind.

Cons:

It's very tiresome to travel around, there are many hills and slopes you can't move through and have to take the path around it, which gets annoying very quickly, especially if you are trying to get into the water, but you can only access it from a lower level, what would've been nice is a rock climbing upgrade for the bike so you can traverse up the cliffs and cut downtime.

Overworld pokemon aggro too much and get in the way. They are a lot of Pokemon that can only be caught in grass, and the way you have to trigger a grass pokemon is by moving in the tall grass, the problem is the Pokemon that some pokemon that wander around will notice and charge at you, stopping your progress until you end the fight. It gets in the way, and from I've seen, there's no item to make them ignore you.

Weather spawns, one worry I had when I heard about the changing weather feature was that some pokemon are locked into only appearing during particular weather, and sadly I was right, but it's even worse! Not only is that true, BUT some mons can only be gotten in individual sections too! So there's an even smaller chance at getting them! Weather also is daily, and every section can get nearly every single weather effect, so it could be literal weeks until you get the one weather effect you need in that one section for your damn Pokedex.

GMAX raids are too infrequent, one of the big things that made people get on the side of Dynamaxing was the introduction of Gigantamaxing, which is just mega evolution with extra steps, but you can only get them from raids. Except for Charizard, Eevee, Pikachu, and Meowth. And they are a very low chance even with the event going on that increases some of the spawns.

The Wild area is a good idea which they will hopefully explore and improve in future games, but only time will tell.

Pokemon Camp:

The new substitute after Pokemon refresh. And it's okay, leaning towards Tedious.

Pros:

It's fun to see the Pokemon interact and run along and even play fetch with them, Cute and fun,

Cooking curry increases their EXP, friendship, and restores their health. So it's very convenient if you don't want to use potions or don't even have them.

Cons:

No way to level up affection quickly, in Pokemon Amie, you had those special cupcakes, and in Refresh, you had the rainbow beans. Not in this one, though, it's all involves the two toys you get. And it's slow and tedious after the 500th stick wiggle.

Getting berries for curry is tedious; this is part of the wild area problem, but there is no way to farm berries you need for specific curry, or in general, SM and USUM had the poke pelago which was a great addition especially the berry farm. But there is nothing to help with that in this game, so you have to resort to being lucky to get the berry you need from a tree and not be attacked by the squirrel.

No clear way of how to get the best rating for curry. It warns you about speed before your first curry session, but there are nothings to indicate how fast or slow you need to be for each section, additionally if you are using a controller, you can't stir as quickly as using each Switch controller separately.

Pokemon camp feels like a simplified pokemon refresh with a few improvements but not enough to streamline the process.

The starters:

Now about a week or so before the release, the whole Pokedex was leaked, including the starters, which stirred up controversy due to how they look compared to most other gens. I think they're fine. Each has its positives and negatives like every other gen. For me, Rillaboom is the best because it has a freaking drum set and is a big hunky boy. Then why did I not choose it as my starter for the pic above? Because of my complaint about the starters. They aren't dual-type, So they had no guarantee they could learn other move types from their base type, which for the most part, is true unless you use TMS or TRS. So it was either Intelleon or Cinderace because grass-type has so many weaknesses. I went with Intelleon because Cinderace just looked the most boring to me? It looks like a rabbit wearing pants, not that I don't get the theme, which is Cinderace as a soccer player, but still, it was engaging to me. Intelleon stirred up controversy due to its smug look and big hands, but I saw someone explain why he might be like that which helped warm me up to him, It's based on a lizard that is long and lean with big hands, and most likely is based on a spy theme. Especially with that official art of it doing a dodge with a finger gun attack (which it has in the game), so that made him more interesting to me. I think the biggest problem with Intelleon was that is has nothing to do with sobble's gimmick. Scorbunny kicks? Turns into a soccer player. Grookey using a stick to hit things? Turns into a drummer. Sobble cries a lot? Turns...into...a spy? Like the crying thing doesn't play into his final form at all, and that is probably why people were so off-put by the idea. Honestly, I say some of Drizzles design should've been for sobble. That way, it could help learn into the edgy lizard design. But I think the BIGGEST problem with the starters is that WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE THEM BEFORE RELEASE. I'm okay with not showing all Pokemon, but the starters are NEEDED. It's the first Pokemon we get and will spend hours leveling up. I honestly think the leaks helped save the game because if we didn't know the final evolves before the release and found out after, many more people would have been upset. The leaks helped give people a week to process and get used to them.

That's enough about the Pokemon, let's get into the story elements.

Rivals:

This game has three Rivals, and each represents the arch-type of Rival we have gotten over the years. Hop represents the friendly Rival who fights to get to know you and become strong with his Pokemon. Marnie represents the Rivals who are kind and respectful to you but also battle to be competitive and prove themselves. Bede represents the asshole Rivals, the ones who, no matter how much you beat them, they think they're better than you and won't shut up about it, but they might have a tragic past that makes up for them being jerks. My favorite is Hop, mostly because he gets the most development and because I like the friendly Rivals. It started for me in XY actually, when you got that group of friends it was nice because ironically in a game about companionship with pocket monsters, you're very alone. You only see your Mons when you fight or use Amie, Refresh, and Camp. So having a friend come around every once in a while feels nice and helps that feeling of loneliness. Anyways Bede and Marnie are nice but don't get enough time, but they serve their purpose.

Gym battles:

I love what they've done with the gyms; they are spectacles thanks to the crowd, the music (by toby fox C:), and Dynamxing makes each gym battle feel as epic as it should be. The pre-gym fight challenges and activities range from okay too annoying (looking at you pinball and collapsing trap puzzles), but they serve their purpose for getting more EXP before the final fight.

There is no Elite four, which makes sense since the game builds up Lee as the champion. Even without the Elite four, I do like the tournament aspect, it makes sense for the region, and you still fight four powerful trainers.

The antagonists:

Spoilers alert, if most of what I said isn't already a spoiler. Team yell felt disappointing; they weren't involved that much unless to block off an area until you beat a gym or something. But I did like Piers and Marnie's relationship that developed from around the team. Rose and Oleanna were great because Rose had charisma and was generally kind, so you can see why he gained the respect of the region. And his plan makes sense, but he went about it the wrong way by rushing and imprisoning a pokemon that caused a significant problem years ago. Oleanna was a treat because of how dedicated and stone-cold she was, and when she battled you, her expressions were priceless. Sordward and Shielbert were total jerks, and it was satisfying enough to beat them. The antagonists are alright, I say the plan from Rose came in a bit last minute, but it was still a good threat.

The story:

Now Pokemon stories aren't complicated; You want to become champion, you get a Rival, the evil team gets in your way, so you get dragged into a major conspiracy, you beat them along your journey and then become champion. There can be things to read into, and development for some characters that make them exciting and put simply, SWSH follows the same formula. I think the best part is Hop's journey, and seeing Sonia grow as well, most of the other major players don't change all that much till the end of the game. So it's not a bad story, just the same formula as before. It IS a kid's game so that I wouldn't expect anything complicated anyway.

The end game story:

This is where Sordward and Shielbert are introduced, and they fill the role of villains who only care about themselves if you didn't like what they did with Rose. Sadly they weren't introduced or even mentioned throughout the game, so it's not as fulfilling to beat them due to them just appearing out of nowhere. My only problem is that we have to go to every gym to fight dynamaxed Pokemon, but we don't get to capture them, and its a long road till we get to catch the game legendary finally.

The story offers new aspects, but for the most part, follows a formula, so don't expect something complicated or nuanced. Now on to the technicals.

Improvements:

They have made quite a few quality of life improvements that have helped make things tighter and more comfortable to access.

In battle, they made it so you can press X to go to pokeballs quickly for easy catching.

The PC link box. You no longer have to travel back and forth between poke centers to get Pokemon from the box so you can level and evolve them, now you can access it on your person anywhere which is convenient and handy.

The name rater, move reminder, and deleter is all the same person and in every poke-center at no additional cost too!

From SM-Lets go, there were ride Pokemon that took up the task of the bike and the Hm moves, which was great! No more annoying Hm moves you couldn't get rid of and had to have to move around the world. Now it's improved further with the bike being able to slip between land and seas without any menus, you get the ability to fly very early, AND there's nothing for strength, cut or flash. Less tediousness and more easy-to-access features, thank you.

You can organize the menus to your preferred order. The bag is easier to understand, and you can favorite things and organize it by favorites so you'll always be able to see them. There are more options in the settings to help skip through dialogue-heavy parts and make the game more accessible to get through if you want.

Bad advertising:

I think one of the things that hurt the game pre-release is that the advertising was crap, barely any of the improvements were shown outside of the wild area and Dynamaxing. I mentioned before how stupid it was that we didn't get to see the evolutions for the damn starters. I don't mind that we didn't get to see all the new Pokemon, I like the surprise, but we should've seen at least the other exclusives, so help people decided what to buy. I do say you shouldn't show everything, but the starters and exclusives are necessary for people to decided what to buy and who they are going to choose.

The worst thing about the game:

Now I can see the problem with Dexit, and I can see the problem with the battle animations, BUT I believe the worst part about the game is the Ycomm feature. It's the replacement for the multiplayer menu from the DS games, and it brought over the worst feature from let's go. No Global trade System. So if you're looking for exclusives or low percentage chance pokemon well you're on your own, there's nothing to help you find the Pokemon you need. There's link trade and surprise trade and no way to specify what you want if you have a friend who got the other game, then your lucky. If you don't have any friends? Well, your fucked, sucks for you, you friendless loser lol lol. That's not it, though, and there's no friends list either. You have to use a four-digit link code, which by the way a random can also use it as well. But you know what they do have? League card trading section, League cards are fun and cute but a section to getting them from randoms when it means nothing? Pointless, that slow should've been for the GTS or at least a friend list section. They do have a way to search through stamps so you can find battles or trades and even Dynamax dens, though! Oh wait... the list barely updates frequently enough until the person searching for a raid team has either quit or started anyway, but the game won't tell you that until you attempt to join!

Pokemon Sword and Shield is a good game with shortcuts and flaws that are tedious and frustrating, but the improvements and good things that were added make up for its shortcomings. Heres hoping next year's game will carry over the good changes and improve on SWSH faults.

[exosmutfactory]

Six Phases 001

Who knew it nearly took 6 months to win your heart, and 6 phases for Baekhyun to lose his mind.

A/N:  Here’s part 1!  I do warn you it’s 5.8k+ long (baekhyun’s fault as always) 👉🏼👈🏼 hope you like it, let me know in my ask box if you want 🌹 Enjoy ♡ ♡

[ contains: romance, fluff, angst & smut (later on) ]

Part 1 ✓ | Part 2 | Part 3 P(1) | P(2) | Part 4 P(1) P(2) |  Part 5 P(1) P(2) | Part 6

•⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •

Track 03

Being the new girl on campus is never easy, nor the one in town. And because of a certain situation that occurred a month before high school graduation, the summer following it was spent getting over the traumatizing affair… And the following 9 months.

Don’t worry, the lesson from it all has been learned well.

“Damn this place is huge.” I squint, shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand. For the weather to be a mere 78 degrees it sure doesn’t keep the bright star from bearing down on me. Spotting a building that has “Dormitory” written clearly on the side I push my glasses farther up my nose and pull my suitcase along.

Receiving the directions and details to my room goes smoothly, but just as I’m turning to the elevators I slam into someone else.

“Fu–” I sigh, rubbing the tip of my nose as I step back. “Sorry,” I mumble already feeling the embarrassment on my cheeks as I lift my head only to be met by a broad chest.

Lifting my chin farther I’m met with friendly, sparkly brown eyes and a dashing smile. “It’s alright.”

I blink, nodding silently as my heart skips a beat. Curly brown hair; puppy eyes; thin yet pouty lips. I shift my eyes away before I get even more caught up in his smile, or worse, checking him out.

“Do you need any help?” His voice rings again. A melodic sound I’m quickly finding myself liking more and more.

Meeting his eyes again his gaze sweeps over the suitcase in my hand along with the full backpack on my back before completing the eye contact. I try not to blush farther, “No, I’m alright.”

He nods, shoving his hands in the pockets of his ripped jeans. “Don’t freak out if the elevator stops working.” He calls as I pass by him. “If it stops moving wait a few seconds before pressing the floor you want again.”

Looking back his way I forget our height difference until all I see is his white t-shirt and long neck. I nod once attempting to send him a small smile that he quickly returns. “Thanks.”

He smiles even more, waving a little as I step through the dreaded metal doors and tap Floor 3 with my knuckles.

His friendly gestures stay on my mind until I trip over nothing trying to step out onto my floor. Making a noise in embarrassment I check to make sure no one else saw before taking out the directions to my room. 304

Carefully discovering the left side of the hall has all the even room numbers I slowly made my way down. The desired dorm is 3 doors away from the staircase. Reading back over the paper my roommate’s name is Jenny.

Gathering myself I give a little mental pep talk, knocking politely on the door as the sound of laughter reaches my ears.

“Oh, hold on.” Comes muffled through the door. The next second a click is heard before vibrant blue hair and light blue eyes peek out. “Hello, how may I help you?”

“Um..” Blinking at the welcoming smile on her face I quietly hold up my paper in fear of squeaking in reply.

Her eyes drift over the document. “Oh!” She smiles even more, opening the door fully. “Come in! I didn’t expect you to get here so soon.” She continues sheepishly as I step over the threshold, taking in the state of the room. One side is obviously occupied; clothes spewed all over the bed.

“It’s okay.” I softly reply slowly shrugging off my backpack. “So!” She begins as I set it on the floor. “I’m Jenny as you already know.“ She jokes. "What’s your name? Where are you from?”

Looking her way she’s perched on her bed, eyes focused completely towards me. I shift my eyes away after a few moments, quietly mumbling my name.

“Riley?" She tilts her head, smiling again as I nod. "Your name is pretty.”

“Thank you." Fishing through my pocket I pull out my phone, taking if off airplane-mode.

"I haven’t seen you around before, are you a freshman?”

“Yes." Briefly checking my notifications and sending an ‘I made it’ to mom I put my phone back. "I’m nearly 19 but I took a gap year so.." I peek at her, "Here I am.”

She nods, looking intrigued as I start unpacking my suitcase. “Did you live close by or from out of state?”

I smirk, carefully tucking my folded clothes into the empty dresser. “I’m from a boring town down south.”

“Ah," She blinks, "Well that’s cool! I hope you like it here." Her face turns serious. "We just met but if anyone gives you problems, you let me know, okay?”

Taking in her expression I nod.

Another smile spreads on Jenny’s face. “Now show me your timetable.”

/////

The first-week breezes by relatively fast, assignment after assignment of due dates coming from left and right. Luckily I was smart enough to research every possible way to study over my year out of school. Traveling to new countries and places during a gap year? Haha yeah. Not me.

“So Riley,” I’m greeted with the second I walk into my dorm room. I carefully set down my stack of textbooks and tablet on the desk before turning to Jenny with a quirked brow.

“I know you just got here,” She begins, perched on the edge of her bed. “But there’s a party this weekend–”

“You mean tomorrow?” I blink as it is quite literally the late afternoon of Friday.

Jenny smiles sheepishly, “Do you want to go?” Seeing the look on my face she adds, “I swear I’ll stay with you the whole night.”

Yeah, where have I heard that before. “I’ll think about it,” Checking the time I look back at her. “I’m going out and will stop for food on the way back. Want anything?”

Her eyes light up at the mention of food, nodding and excitedly telling me what she would like.

As I exit the small safe space once again my lips quirk into a smirk. Time to go shopping.

A little more than 24 hours later I find myself trying to relax in the passenger’s seat of Jenny’s small convertible; nervously fiddling with the thin straps of my dress.

“I’m surprised you agreed honestly,” She starts eyes focused entirely on the road. “And that dress.” Her eyes flicker over at me, “Forest green and backless? Damn you’re brave. And gorgeous.”

Thankfully the early night is just dark enough to hide my burning cheeks, “Thank you.”

She smiles knowingly, steering the wheel with both hands. “Lucky me I have to keep boys off you all night.”

I laugh heartily at that catching the teasing smile on her face. “I don’t know about all that.” I joke watching as the street lights flow by, “I’m pretty good at holding my own.”

“Brave, gorgeous and independent.” She pulls the car to a stop looking over at me. “Oh honey, they are going to drool over you.”

Giggling as she looks in the rearview mirror, I take a look around at the giant house up ahead. Cars lined along the street as dozens of party-goers head towards the booming bass of music.

“Riley, does my eyeshadow look okay?”

Turning back to her I take in the perfect spread and shiny golden glitter over her eyes; nodding, “Damn near perfect.”

She smiles, “Now you’re speaking my language.” With a sigh she turns fully to me, smoothing the front of her black A-line dress. “Ready?”

Nodding we both step out the car feeling the late summer night breeze rolling in. Closing the door I follow after Jenny as he heads up the hill, our respective heels clicking loudly against the concrete.

“I swear I’m filled with regret every time I face this sidewalk.” She pants sending me into another fit of laughter. “Oh shut it Miss 3 Inches, You’re one to laugh!”

I shrug smiling so much it nearly hurts, “Your silver stilettos make your legs look great, Jen.”

“Oh, now you’re just trying to butter me up.” She rolls her eyes until they widen; suddenly she stops making me freeze mid-step to not bump into her. “Hey Riley, look.” Whispering she discreetly points somewhere farther ahead.

Being as inconspicuous as possible I crane my neck while pretending to shake out my skater skirt, eyeing the group moving towards the house.

“Those guys.” She continues, “Are bad news. Make sure you stay away from them, okay?”

Just as she finishes her sentence I spot a head of silver hair, the shine of it catching in the dim glow of a streetlight. My heart quickens in unease as I nod in front of her concerned eyes. “Okay.”

Like always a smile finds its way to her face, “Good.” Grabbing my hand she starts walking again, “Let’s go have fun!”

I chuckle following her lead. The house is a lovely mansion with clean-cut hedges and a stone walkway leading up to the white, front double doors. Held open as people stream in past two men seemingly standing guard. One noticeably shorter than the other with a close-cut haircut and big eyes. The taller sporting a burgundy suit with no shirt underneath; a teasing smirk that I can guess is usually placed on his pouty lips.

“On door duty again, huh?” Jenny teases. “How much are they paying you this time Kyungsoo.”

“Not nearly enough.” The shorter replies. His lips are nicely shaped, I bet..

“Daydreaming about Soo’s heart-shaped lips, eh?”

I flinch back from the taller, tensing at the feeling of his breath fanning over my ear.

“No need to glare at me Dollface.” He chuckles holding his hands up in surrender. “Who’s the cutie, Jenny?”

“No one you need to know.” She mutters pushing me protectively behind her away from his hungry gaze.

“Well then.” He mumbles not even surprised, gesturing to the open doors. “Guess I’ll have to find out on my own–” He flinches back as Kyungsoo lifts a fist in his direction.

“Please excuse him.” He sighs. “Come on in.”

Jenny’s smile is bright as he reaches in for a hug, “Thank you Soo~” Looking back at me she grabs my wrist and pulls me ahead, shooting one last glare at the tall man as she urges me to walk inside first.

Stepping carefully into the house I make quick work of analyzing my surroundings. Makeshift dance floor to the left; expensive in-home-bar to the right. Grand stairs leading up to the second floor right ahead and surely plenty of bathrooms scattered around the whole place.

“So, what do you wanna do first?” I jump at Jenny’s voice in my ear, blinking back at her as she smiles innocently. My eyes drift to the dancefloor and she immediately shakes her head, “Here. You’ll want a drink or two before you start mingling with those idiots.” She sends me a pointed look. “Trust me.”

Before I even nod in agreement she is leading the way to the bar, keeping a reassuring grip on my wrist as we bump into careless strangers standing in the middle of the room. “Minseok!”

A handsome man with black hair and cat-like eyes looks up from shining a glass behind the bar, a friendly smile forming on his lips. “Jenny, what can I get you and your friend?” His eyes peek curiously at me.

Realizing I’m hiding behind Jenny like a little lost cub I step closer to the bar, feeling her eyes on me. “Do you perhaps have Gin?” He nods. “Brandy? Vodka?” Nodding once again, I rest my chin on my palm, quirking my lips into a half-smirk. “Dr Pepper?”

He returns the expression. “Maybe.”

“Hmm.” Grinning I finally settle on, “Vodka and Dr Pepper…Mostly the pepper, please.”

His laugh can’t be heard well over the booming music but I can tell he means well by the understanding look in his eyes. “Coming right up, Beautiful.”

Flushing I discreetly fan my cheeks with my hand, looking away as Jenny tells him her order as well. Instantly I feel a pair of eyes on me. Leaning my elbows back on the bar I lazily sweep my gaze across the room.

There. Just at the edge of the dancefloor. Adoring an all-black outfit consisting of a silk shirt, waist-length silver button jacket, and tight-fitting leather pants. Leather two-inch heeled boots and partially slicked-back silver hair completing the look. With a start in my chest, I realize it’s the same guy I bumped into at the beginning of the week. His once-friendly gaze and welcoming smile traded in for a piercing, hungry stare. The longer I continue the eye contact the hotter it gets in the room.

“Here you go.” Minseok’s voice brings me back to the present. The heated spell put over me by the handsome stranger broken as I turn to my full glass seated on the bar. Taking a tentative sip of the concoction I licked my lips, smiling at the flavor.

“How is it?” He asks. Jenny even turns to see my reaction.

“Perfect.” I nearly purr, throwing it back to chug the rest.

“Whoa!” Jenny exclaims, her beer held carefully in hand as I licked my lips again. “Damn girl, if I didn’t know any better I’d be envious.”

“I’m a lightweight,” I mumble, kindly asking Minseok for another.

“I can tell.”

Sending a weak glare her way she just shrugs in return, smiling unapologetically.

That same feeling of a stare never quite goes away as I take time to savor my next drink.

“So, you like your drinks heavily diluted, huh?” Jenny inquires.

“I don’t like the burn…” I start wrinkling my nose, “It’s starting to set in.”

She giggles at my misery. “What a baby you are.”

Nodding in agreement I down the rest of the tasty drink neatly placing the glass back on the bar. “Thank you, Minseok.”

He nods smiling as he picks it up, “Have fun on the floor.” He quirks a brow, “Be careful.”

Smiling politely I glance at Jenny before twirling around, making my way to the crowd of grinding bodies. Not surprisingly there is a clear empty space right in the middle of the floor.

Being extra I sway my hips as I walk to the dead center already feeling a handful of eyes on me. Ignoring them I let the beat of a familiar song take me over.

“I don’t hate it. You tell me. I’m nervous.”

Slowly body rolling sensually from side to side to the time of the song I walk forward with one foot in front of the other, praising myself for deciding to let my hair down in loose beach waves for the evening. Once the bass kicks in I speed up the tempo, running a hand through my hair and down my body with a smile on my face.

“She’s so selfish, but I like it.”

Letting the song take complete control, I let loose. Dancing my best as my skirt swishes around; spinning on my heels as the alcoholic buzz finally makes me feel warm all over. Or maybe it’s the curious heads turning. Surprisingly no one dares to approach. Their dance partners near slapping them every time they slow down to look my way.

Shrugging inwardly I twirl around as if no one else is in the room, busting out my favorite dance moves and teases memorized from countless youtube videos and dancer dvds.

Just as the second chorus hits a pair of hands land on my hips. Smirking I keep my back to them enjoying the feel of smooth silky material on my bare skin as they move closer.

“Betcha. We were destiny. I’m gonna getcha.”

Reaching my arm up to wrap around the back of their neck I can’t help giggling at the feel of their grip tightening on my hips; digging my fingers into their soft strands. Feeling their lips brush against my neck I decided that it’s time to turn around, my eyes widening at the familiar pair of brown eyes and smirking lips.

Backing away as the music slows down I take a good look at him, his outfit looking even more stunning up close. We circle around each other like predator and prey, not daring to take that first step closer to the other. Not quite ready to go in for the kill.

He licks his lips as his eyeliner eyes meet mine again, showing off his own moves as the beat kicks back in. I stand there awestruck at the art of broad shoulders and thick thighs moving about before starting back up on my own groove; him being quick enough to compliment my movements.

We draw in closer and closer to each other until the chorus hits again. I dance around him as he watches with an amused smirk, my cheeks flushing as I notice his hard stare set on me.

“You’re gonna be mine, I. Oh baby in time, I.”

“Betcha. It’s something certain ma girl I meet ya.”

As the last of the song plays he pulls me in, holding my hand up and gripping my waist with the other before whispering the final words in my ear, “You’re gonna be mine.”

Looking into his warm brown eyes I glance down at the mole above his pretty lips, licking my own subconsciously before I can stop it. His own orbs shoot down to capture the action, slowly leaning in until the rambunctious noise of drunk people cheering breaks the atmosphere.

Snapping out of my daze I step out of his arms, blinking at him in shock from a safe distance as he keeps his eyes on me a frown beginning to form on his lips.

“Riley!”

Gulping with a headache coming on I spin around to a mad looking Jenny. “J-Jen–”

She shakes her head, grabbing my wrist, “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” She throws a glare over my shoulder, quickly making way back out of the crowd of grinding bodies.

I can’t help shooting one last look back myself as a familiar Grande song plays, not missing the daring smirk and challenging quirk of brow on his handsome face.

“Jenny.” I begin as she practically drags me back to the bar. “Jenny, who is he?”

She wordlessly points at a barstool and I take a seat, accepting the water bottle she hands me.

She sighs running a hand through her short, faded blue hair. “He is Byun Baekhyun.” Sending me a pointed look she continues with distaste clear in her voice. “The notorious playboy on campus.”

Remembering the feel of his hands on my hips and lips on my neck I blush in realization; turning near scarlet as Jenny crosses her arms with a knowing look on her face. “Oh.”

She sighs as my eyes flicker to a brunet man coming up behind her. “Yeah, so drink a bit of that and we’ll head on out–” Gasping a look of pure shock and a flash of fear crosses her face as he wraps his arms around her. She turns around on the spot, “J-Jongdae?”

The man with light-brown hair grins lazily, “Hey babe.”

Judging by his sluggish movements and her stiff expression he is shit-faced drunk and she knows it. Sighing once again she pats his chest, glancing over at me. “Let me help you get to your room, Dae.” Barely responding he lets her drape his arm over her shoulder, her tiny form managing to stand them both up.

I stand up to assist but she just shook her head, sending me one last apologetic look before slowly walking him in the direction of the stairs.

Minseok even shoots me a sympathetic look as I notice a man approaching out of the corner of my eye. Sipping steadily I ignore him as he leans across the counter most likely ordering a drink. My eyes seem to naturally drift over to where I last saw the infamous Byun Baekhyun. A twinge of disappointment pricking my chest when I see no silver hair insight.

“Hey,” A voice whispering in my ear has me jumping back, looking at the stranger with furrowed brows. It’s the same guy I saw walking up earlier.

“You come here often?” He continues his eyes lazily gazing over my form. If it wasn’t for his obviously reeking breath just from his unstable stance alone everyone in the room can see he’s drunk.

Feeling like I’ve had enough social interaction for the night—which I have—I turn back to my water, nearly downing the rest of the bottle. A hard nudge to my ribs has me wincing full-on glaring at the obnoxious person. “Want me to get you a drink?” He tries a smirk growing on his face as he stares at mine.

“No.” I pointedly say through gritted teeth; crushing the empty water bottle in my hand.

He chuckles at the sight brushing badly dyed blonde hair out of his eyes. “Oh well, your loss cutie.”

Leaning over to share farewells with Minseok I slowly relax my grip on the squeezed plastic, swiftly walking away from the bar. Realizing yet again that Jenny is busy and my ride I sigh venturing farther into the house. “The bathrooms have to be somewhere,” I mumble listening close to every door before daring to touch the knob. No matter how loud the music is out front people really don’t know how to tone it down on the pornographic noises. I lean away from the last door on the main left hallway with a deep sigh and heavy bladder.

Noticing a shorter darker hallway adjoined to it I peek my head around the corner. No noise seems to come from this part of the house. I have the sudden urge to bring out my phone as a guide until I remember how easy it’ll be to drop it in my state. With a shake of my head, I carefully listen through the first door; deeming it safe and opening to a nicely decorated bathroom.

Before I get the chance to enter I’m roughly yanked back and spun around, finding myself pressed up to the wall by that fucking douchebag from earlier.

“Gotcha.” He chuckles breath even more disgusting than last time.

“I don’t know what the fuck you think you’re doing,” My brows raise more with my voice. “But if you don’t back the fuck up we’re going to have a prob-”

He slaps a hand over my mouth, my eye twitching at the feel of sweat and god knows what else contaminating my skin. “The only problem,” He begins scarily calm, the humor fading from his face as he tightens his grip. “Is your fucking mouth.”

My eyes widened in disbelief before narrowing, using all my strength to push him off. Unfortunately, the man seems to be made of steel rather than muscle as he doesn’t move an inch beside the bruising grip on my wrist. I flinch pressing my back as close to the wall as possible as he leans in with a cruel chuckle shaking his head. Sighing at the turn of events I put on a fearful look hiding the hate in my eyes as he looks into mine, sickly satisfied.

“Now this,” He drags a hand down my waist, grossly chapped lips growing closer to mine, “Is more like it-”

Before I can stomp with all my might on his foot, he’s falling over with a yelp. Another figure just behind him with a textbook in his hands. “What have I fucking told you about showing your face around here, Lee?” His voice is calm with a cutting edge underneath.

I stay pressed to the wall slowly inching away as he goes to stand over the whimpering man on the floor. “What about not bringing your sick fucking ass around did you not understand?” He kicks him hard in the ribs, “Drinking my alcohol and harassing my guests.”

“I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry-”

“Hey you.” The mystery man calls out. Noting that we are the only ones in the hall, I freeze.

He takes a peek over at me before crouching in front of the pathetically crying man, although come to think of it if someone slammed my head with a book I’d be sobbing too. “I’ll deal with you later.” He moves to slowly stand, and with a new sense of adrenaline; I bolt. Barely making it around the corner when a pair of arms wrap around me.

“Hey.” He mumbles picking me up with strength as I thrash in his arms. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.” He sighs, squeezing his unfairly strong arms around me. I growl in frustration, cursing the male population as I lay limp, staring up at the ceiling in a daze as he carries me to who knows where. Closing my eyes in a stressed manner I tense at the feeling of climbing upstairs.

“Relax.” He says again, kicking a door open and setting me down on a bed like a child. When he moves away I quickly sit up prepared to jump back onto my feet even as the room starts to spin. He’s already closing the door; locking it before turning back to me with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re staying here.”

“Excuse me.” I aim to snap only for it to come out as a pathetic wavering reply. He uncrosses his arms as I take a closer look at him; my brain taking a second to register the silver hair on his head. It’s in a fluffy more boyish state over his forehead than it was earlier out on the floor. Byun Baekhyun. He takes a step closer and I back away on instinct, heart nearly racing out my chest as he stands before me.

He crouches down to my level, cupping my face in his large hand. For some reason, I don’t flinch back at the warm contact; lost in his eyes that turn concerned as he brushes his thumb over my cheek. “You’re crying.” He mumbles a frown on his face.

I am? I blink a few times, reaching up to wipe the blur from my eyes but freezing again as he does it for me; gently brushing my tears aside.

“Jenny is going to kill me.” He sighs hand dropping as he stands back up to his full height. Taking him in once again, I notice the absence of his waist jacket; it is draped over the back of a desk chair in the corner of the room.

“Alright, lay back.” He says running a hand through his hair.

My heart drops below my feet as my face burns scarlet. “W-What?”

“I’m tucking you in.” His brows raise meaningfully as he reaches down for my boots; carefully unbuckling and zipping with nimble fingers.

Suddenly hit with all the events of the evening all at once, from the drinking to dancing to panic to this, with tear-filled eyes I blurt out an “I-I need to go…bathroom.”

He looks up at me midway through pulling off the first boot. “Let’s get these off first, okay?”

All I can do is nod as he keeps his eyes on me, gently rubbing my ankle. After my shoes are off he picks me up again even though my legs are perfectly fine just to set me down in front of his personal bathroom two feet away from the bed.

Taking a few minutes to use the bathroom and get myself together, I clumsily walk back out into the room. This time he guides me back to bed with a hand resting respectfully on my waist. Everything after that is a blur. Only a sense of comfort and the smell of vanilla before my head hits the pillow.

  Even the slightest headache after a night of partying puts me in an unpleasant mood for the rest of the day. I can already feel one coming on as I nuzzle deeper into my pillow, surprisingly soft as a baby’s blanket with a hint of vanilla-

Opening my eyes they nearly pop out at the unfamiliar surroundings and even more so at the large t-shirt covering my chest. I sit up in a rush and pull at the loose white material feeling a little silly at the thought that I have seen this same shirt once before. Looking back at the pillow it is indeed covered with a blue baby’s blanket; the material fluffy and warm to the touch. I flush at the obvious hint of wetness on it. First I sleep in another person’s bed and then I drool!?

Can the ground just open up and swallow me whole.

Burying my face in my hands I sigh deeply, working my nerve before leaping out of the unfairly comfortable bed. Mansion. I conclude taking note of the grand windows and elegant doors. Peeking out of the bedroom I tug down on the bottom of my shirt. The material nearly brushing the back of my knees bringing me comfort as I make my way down the hall; holding the wall with my hand on my forehead as I search for the stairs. Luckily they’re not hard to find.

Moving down each step as slow and quiet as possible, my sock-clad feet silently glide across the wooden ground floor.

“You get lucky last night, Byun?” A barely familiar voice teases. I look towards an open area recognizing it as the side I didn’t venture through last night.

My eyes widen in realization; all of last night’s events flooding my mind. Oh god. I run quietly to lean my back against the wall behind the bar.

“Yes,” Baekhyun replies after a short pause, “But not…quite in the way you’d expect.”

“What does that even mean?” The other voices my thoughts, the twinkle of silverware sliding across a glass plate filling the silence.

“..I-”

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop, is it?”

Flinching away from the unfamiliar deep voice I look up at a tall man with big eyes and oddly adorable ears to match. Though the serious expression on his face is not one to mess with. Filled with a sense of guilt and dread I nervously lick my lips,“I-”

“Do you not know the rules?” He squints looking me over scrutinizingly with a condescending hum. “You must be new, so I’ll tell you this.”

Already guessing where this is going as the situation at hand continues to dawn on me, I blink back at him with a blank face.

“You are supposed to leave the house as soon as you are finished or to be gone the next day.” His eyes run over me in disapproval. “Not in Baekhyun’s clothes intruding on breakfast. However..” He licks his lips a smirk forming. “You’re pretty cute.”

I lean back as he crowds my space, bracing his hand on the wall next to my head. “How ‘bout this…” He whispers into my ear. “Wait up in my room and we can forget this ever happened.” He pulls back to smirk down at me, “You don’t want to lose Baekhyun’s favor, do you-”

“Park Chanyeol!”

The loud clang of metal against something solid echoes in the air, ‘Chanyeol’ groaning loudly as he steps to the side. “Baek what the fuck.” He hisses clutching the back of his head.

A body steps in between us; familiar broad shoulders decked in a leather jacket with a cap on their head. “Stay away from her.” Baekhyun mutters a frying pan in his hands.

“What do you mean you didn’t get laid, Baekhy-" A familiar brunet freezes soon after rounding the corner, eyeing all of us warily. "Do I even want to know?

Baekhyun clenches his jaw. "This,” He gestures to me, “Is Jenny’s friend.”

Both men drop their jaws at the same time. “Oh fuck.”

20 minutes later I’m back in my dress seated between a timid Jongdae and tense Baekhyun at a glass dining table.

“So… Riley was it?” Chanyeol clears his throat awkwardly.

“Yeah.” I can’t help wincing at the atmosphere. The combination of his fearful tone, Jongdae’s curious stare, and Baekhyun’s arms crossed over his chest adding onto my anxiety.

The giant turns around, walking by a watchful Baekhyun to slide the scrambled eggs onto my plate. “I’m sorry about earlier.” He mumbles rubbing the back of his neck, “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

I quickly shake my head feeling 3 sets of eyes on me. “No no, no need, it’s all good.” Cracking a small smile I focus on his chest only concealed by a tacky baby pink apron. The sight making me chuckle internally. “And thank you for the eggs.”

He shakes his head fluffy blonde locks bouncing at the action, “No problem.” With an equally small smile, he walks off with the pan in the direction of what I presume is the kitchen.

“So…” Jongdae breaks the silence, a mug of coffee between his palms. “How did you and Baekhyun meet?”

That stare I’m growing way too familiar with falls on me again as I pick at my food. “Well,” Subconsciously looking around I spot an unopened Dr. Pepper bottle across the table. Before I think too much on it, I reach over to grab it; stretching farther when it barely grazes my fingertips.

A slender hand grabs it easily, placing it in front of me as my heart picks up. Barely sparing Baekhyun a glance, I open the bottle and take a swig with slightly flushed cheeks. “We met on the floor last night-”

“Really?” Jongdae blinks a bit of disbelief in his voice. “Huh. Usually the bi-” He takes a peek behind me and stops with a cough, bring his mug to his lips. “Women Baekhyun meets end up in his bed by the end of the night." 

Lifting a brow I ignore the obviously glaring man behind me. "I’m not one of those women.”

Jongdae throws his head back in laughter, coffee forgotten as his rambunctious noise fills the air. “Right.” He chuckles. “That’s what they all say till they’re shoving his cock in their mouth.”

Overcome with rage and embarrassment, I throw my napkin onto my cold eggs standing up so fast my chair screeches in protest.

Baekhyun gets up as well as I pointedly march out into the front of the house.

“Riley… Riley!”

I yank my wrist from his hold breathing deeply as he grabs it again, pulling me to face him. “What.”

He looks me over, messy silver hair flopped onto his forehead as I wonder what state my own is in. “I’m sorry, Jongdae is just-”

“Is he right?” I cut him off staring him down even as I have to keep my head tilted up. “Is he right to assume those things about me? About you?”

All Baekhyun has to offer is an unreadable stare. I pull away from his hold and walk back out the double doors I regret ever entering in the first place.

•⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •⇔♦ •

Part 1 ✓ | Part 2 | Part 3 P(1) | P(2) | Part 4 P(1) P(2) | Part 5 P(1) P(2) | Part 6

[klarolincs]

too busy being yours.

Momo Yaoyorozu and Shouto Todoroki's perfect relationship becomes strained when Shouto's suddenly strange behavior makes Momo start doubting their love.

Todomomo + brief/implied Huwumi |oneshot • rated T • 4.2k|

Everything had been perfect in their life together until suddenly it wasn’t.

It all started with a crash, literally.

ao3

The living room was quiet. Momo had dozed off on their red couch, having failed her midnight vigil, when Shouto struck the tea table with enough force to push it a few inches forward and swore loudly. With the quick reflexes expected from a top Pro Hero, Momo instantly jolted up from her sleep, turned on the lamp beside her, and looked up, weapon at the ready.

After her eyes adapted properly to the light, she realized it was only Shouto and immediately relaxed her stance.

He was crouched over the table, wincing in pain. He pulled himself together, face settling back into its usual blank expression. Shouto returned the table to its original place and approached his girlfriend.

“Mo, I didn’t see you there,’’ he stated. Looking at anything but her eyes, he fixed a stray red hair behind his ear in an instinctive movement. “I thought you were… on patrol.’’

She looked up at him, arching her brow slightly. He knew her schedule perfectly. Shouto looked at her face and bent down over the couch, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, so unlike their usual slow kisses that she would’ve thought she had imagined it, were it not for the soft expression on his face. As he stepped back and straightened up, Momo couldn’t help but think he looked immensely skittish for someone that was usually so composed. She frowned, realizing he was hiding something.

She cleared her throat. “Where are you going? I had thought that—er… you know, since we haven’t been able to see each other often as of late, we could have a night to ourselves. Dinner perhaps, or a movie night—or… or both. But since that hasn’t panned out, maybe we can just cuddle for a bit instead?’’

Shouto frowned at her words, a sad expression taking over his face that he hid quickly. “Oh, it’s… I can’t.’’ He cleared his throat, still avoiding the eyes. “I’m going out with the—er... guys, yes.’’ A thoughtful expression overtook his face for a moment. Then he added in a firm tone, “Izuku needs some advice.’’

Momo pursed her lips. Shouto Todoroki loved cuddling, and he had never before rejected an offer to cuddle. In fact, he was the one to suggest it more often than not.

For someone with an infamously stoic demeanor, Shouto Todoroki was an awful liar. His stance was stiff, his words didn’t sound right, and she noticed a thin layer of frost appearing on his right hand. Everything indicated he was nervous about something.

Momo opened her mouth to talk, but she was stopped by the soft almost smile he reserved just for her. Instead, he said, “I hope you can forgive me. But Tenya said it was imperative for me to go, as Izuku’s really in need of our…’’ He struggled to find the word. “Guidance. We can spend time together another day. I can take a day off,’’ Shouto offered, his lips tightening.

Momo’s expression clouded with concern. “It’s okay, my love. I understand,’’ she said, eyes briefly downcast in evident disappointment.

Shouto, usually very keen on his girlfriend’s emotions, failed to recognize her disappointment; instead, he was still looking everywhere but at her face. He crouched down and, with a soft sigh, kissed the top of her head before leaving the house as quickly as he had come.

His appeasement did nothing to calm her in the aftermath of his hasty departure. A dreadful sensation took root in her, growing like a vine from the pit of her stomach through her torso to finally settle roughly inside her chest. Her hand touched her navel with some pressure as stray malicious thoughts won over her rational side. Why had Shouto been lying? Was he mad? Why was he so eager to get out of their house? He hadn’t even said goodbye properly.

Momo’s stomach churned at the thought that he was deliberately avoiding her. Was he bored with their quiet nights in? Why had it seemed like he was sneaking out? Insecurity she had kept deeply hidden for a long time suddenly overwhelmed her. Worst still, was he really going out to see Izuku-kun and Tenya-kun?

He wouldn’t lie to her about that, surely? He loved their nights in. He had said as much multiple times, even to Izuku-kun and Natsuo-kun. His brother had even teased her about it— “Momo-san, I have to say, it doesn’t even surprise me anymore when my brother cancels our nights out with ‘Yumi because you invited him to cuddle!’’

She tried her best to stop her thoughts from spiraling out of control, but she couldn’t forget them completely.

Getting up from the couch, she walked towards their room, determined to sleep and forget about her insecurity.

Yet, Momo was unable to sleep, her head too full of the image of Shouto lying to her.

It was many hours later that Shouto finally entered the room and got into their bed. When he hugged her from behind, nuzzling her hair, and immediately fell asleep after kissing the side of her head, she couldn’t help but notice how he smelled faintly different.

Slowly, a tear slipped from her eye, then another and another. Her sadness continued through the night until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

In the morning, Momo went to her scheduled patrol as usual, which gave her a much-needed distraction from her personal issues. She loved Hero's work and usually tackled her duties with intense focus.

A few hours later, everything had been sorted out, leaving Momo with only paperwork to complete. Mid-way through finishing her reports, she found herself thinking back on how it had all begun.

Four years ago, Momo had been offered numerous internships just after graduation. One of the most intriguing offers she had came from Hawks’ Hero Agency. They wanted her specifically due to her incredible record at UA and, as Hawks himself said, the fierce determination in her eyes when he saw her TV Commercial with Uwabami. It turned out that, after a conversation with Majestic, who had always vouched strongly for her ability in each one of the Hero Galas, Hawks had made up his mind. He offered her an internship to work for him in person. At that time, Shouto, too, had been offered an internship by Hawks and had accepted to spite his father.

Having known each other since UA, they naturally gravitated towards each other. The secret soft spot they had for one another gradually developed into a closer relationship that ended up with them sharing an apartment close to Hawks’ Agency. Inevitably, their closeness and chemistry led to a romantic relationship.

She shook her head in the midst of remembering their first years after graduation. A good Hero couldn’t allow personal issues to interfere with their job performance. The mere fact that Momo was in a relationship with Shouto was already a complication for the Human Resources Department. Furthermore, allowing this issue to interfere with her work would be an insult to Hawks, who had been very kind to allow their relationship in the workplace; he very well could’ve fired one or both of them.

(“I was always a sucker for both of you together! Though, it was very distracting to see your pining. I’ll allow it.’’ The Wing Hero winked at them.

“We didn’t ask your opinion, though,’’ answered Shouto, stoic-faced.

“Shouto!’’ Momo reproached gently.

Hawks just laughed loudly.)

She couldn’t betray Hawks’ confidence by allowing her issue to interfere with her work. She pushed all thoughts of Shouto blatantly lying to her to the back of her mind.

A few hours later, she finished all the paperwork from her morning patrol and prepared to go home. Shouto would be ending his scheduled patrol soon. Momo was thinking about how they could finally spend some time together when a ping came from her phone.

Momo unlocked it to see a text from her boyfriend.

(19:30) Shou: I won’t be able to come home early. Got caught up on patrol, something went wrong and Hawks asked for my help afterward. Don’t wait up, Mo.

Momo frowned after reading it but immediately texted back.

(19:31) Momo: It’s okay, Shou. Be careful, please. I love you.

(19:32) Shou: I love you too.

Trying to put any doubt she had about her relationship aside, she locked the door to her office and turned to come face-to-face with Fuyumi-san.

Upon noticing her presence, the white-haired Todoroki approached her and gave her a hug in greeting. They both pulled back with smiles on their faces.

“Hello, Fuyumi-san.’’

“Momo-chan! I saw you were still here and decided to say hi. Would you like to eat something with me at the coffee shop down the street?” In seeing the smile that so strongly resembled Shouto’s on his sister’s face, Momo was once again reminded of her favorite Todoroki. “Only if you’re free, though. I can’t forget how selfish my brother can be with his Momo-chan time,’’ she teased.

“It’s alright. He’s patrolling right now with Hawks,’’ Momo assured. At Fuyumi’s confused expression, she clarified, “they... got caught up in something, and Hawks needed his help.’’

Fuyumi’s usually serene expression changed to a deep frown. “But I was just with Hawks. I left him because he had pape—paperwork to do...“ she said as a blush covered her cheeks, “But I can assure you that he wasn’t with Shouto, much less at a patrol gone wrong.’’

The awful feeling from last night came back and hit Momo with full force.

Forcing the negative thoughts away, Momo smiled and suggested helplessly, “Maybe he’s with Izuku-kun and Tenya-kun. Sometimes they find each other and get carried away.’’ After saying that, a sudden thought came to her mind, “Though, he was with them yesterday until very late at night…’’

Her thoughts were interrupted by Fuyumi-san’s confused voice, “Momo-chan, Iida-kun and Midoriya-kun were at my house yesterday for tea with Natsuo.’’ She immediately looked at Momo and upon seeing her concerned demeanor, calmed her expression. “But he must’ve seen them afterward. They left my house earlier than usual,’’ she added, giving Momo a reassuring smile.

Despite Fuyumi’s assurances, disappointment filled her. So, it was true, then, everything she had been thinking and trying naively to deny. When he said ‘he was going out with the guys’, he had been lying.

Momo stood unmoving and felt incredibly numb for a moment. Unbidden tears started streaming down her face, and Momo, without a word, ran from Fuyumi straight towards the door. Hastily grabbing her coat from the rack, she left the agency.

“Momo-chan, wait!’’ Fuyumi called after her, but she was already gone.

Back in his office, Hawks looked up from the paperwork as his phone pinged.

(19:55) Fuyumi♡: Are you with Shou? He told Momo-chan he was with you on patrol. I may have told her you weren’t with him :o. He also told her he was with Midoriya-kun and Iida-kun yesterday...

Hawks rubbed his chin thoughtfully, contemplating the strangeness of Fuyumi’s text. Even though he was sure he’d scheduled someone else for patrol duty that day, he double-checked for the youngest Todoroki’s name.

He hadn’t assigned Shouto to patrol that evening.

(19:56) Hawks: Shouto’s patrol ended at 19:00. And I’m pretty sure Midoriya and Iida were having tea with your other brother at our home yesterday.

(19:57) Fuyumi♡: Why would he lie? He’s such a very bad liar. And he MUST know that. Every Todoroki is, even Father.

(19:57) Hawks: I don’t honestly know what’s on his mind. But why would he lie to Yaoyorozu-san?

Kyouka Jirou had been writing a new song she had stuck in her head for quite some time when there was a frantic knocking on the door. She got up and opened it immediately.

Opening the door, she rolled her eyes at the impatience. “Hey, I’m opening. Jesus Christ, sto—,’’ she interrupted herself upon looking up and seeing Momo’s tear-stained face, ’’What’s wrong, Momo?’’

Yaoyorozu sobbed. “Do you thi—’’ she cleared her throat lightly, fighting through her tears, “—think Shouto would be seeing another person, Kyouka-chan? Am I too boring? Am I not enough?’’

Kyouka’s lips pursed, and she ushered her friend into her house. It was disheartening to see her friend looking so lost. Kyouka guided her to the couch, where Momo immediately sat down and hugged the Hearing Hero for comfort.

With her friend settled, Kyouka Jirou finally processed Momo’s question. At first, the idea seemed preposterous. She took pride in her perspicacity. She’d always been very keen on matters of the heart, and she’d noticed the undeniable attraction between Shouto and Momo since their UA years. As Momo’s best friend, Kyouka had seen their relationship progress from awkward mutual pining to even more awkward flirting in the workplace to disgustingly cute dating, until they’d finally reached a relationship so domestic that they were practically a married couple in all but name.

Ashido Mina, their mutual friend from UA, had been an avid enthusiast of Momo and Shouto’s relationship, even daring to call them actual soulmates. Despite her usual skepticism, Kyouka couldn’t say she disagreed with the sentiment. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Shouto and Momo were made for each other.

Even though Todoroki Shouto had never been very social, Kyouka developed a soft spot for him after seeing just how much he loved her friend. And she couldn’t possibly imagine him cheating on his precious Momo.

Kyouka cleared her throat. “I don’t think Todoroki-kun would cheat, Mo. What made you believe he would?’’

Momo relayed everything that had happened in the past two days: his awfully skittish behavior, late-night excursions, and blatant lies.

Kyouka’s expression turned sour after hearing all that the tear-stained Momo told her about the Half and Half Hero’s strange behavior. They hugged each other until Kyouka pulled back and cleared her throat.

“I don’t know what possessed Shouto-kun to lie like this, Mo. But I can’t deny it’s obvious that he loves you a lot. It’s ridiculously plain to see, even though he’s not exactly the most expressive person,’’ Kyouka said truthfully.

Momo just sobbed at her friend’s word. She had been very sure of that too until two days ago. And she couldn’t deny that she’d always been plagued by insecurity.

That night, she slept over at Kyouka’s house. 

In the morning, she created an extra set of clothes for work with her quirk. Before leaving Kyouka’s house, she told Ochako and Mina over the group chat about her suspicions. They had echoed what Kyouka had initially told her, and Momo wished, more than anything, that her friends were correct.

When she arrived at the Agency for her evening patrol, Shouto was already there. He saw her enter her office and went over to her immediately to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Hey, Mo,’’ he said softly, a slight smile on his face, “sorry for not greeting you before... I didn’t want to wake you. You seemed so peaceful.’’

Tears threatened to spill past the dam she’d locked her worries behind. She hadn’t slept at their house. Why was he lying this way?

She forced a smile onto her face. “It’s fine, Shou.’’

At that moment, Hawks walked past her office, and Shouto briefly kissed her cheek once more before catching up to the Wing Hero to talk to him.

Momo, still at her desk, watched the two of them walk off. So Shouto hadn’t come home last night, and he had lied about it. Was he truly cheating on her? She had always prided herself on her intellect and deductive skills, but for once, she wished she’d been wrong.

Suddenly feeling utterly alone, she turned to her friends for comfort.

(14:00) Momo: He’s cheating. He just lied straight to my face. He said he didn’t wake me up because I looked peaceful. And I didn’t sleep at our place, I slept at Kyouka’s.

A response came immediately.

(14:00) Kyouka: I can’t believe this! Momo, you deserve better than some lying little... mess.

(14:01) Mina: Why would he do that? Todomomo is… I can’t even say it. I don’t believe in love anymore! :’(

(!4:03) Kyouka: Mina, be serious. He’s a lying mess.

(14:03) Mina: I'm very serious, Kyouka-chan. I'm the Queen of Seriousness right now. I can’t believe in love anymore after this...

(14:04) Ochako: i never thought shou-kun would do something like dis :(.

(14:06) Momo: It's... I will give him an out. He doesn’t have to be with someone he doesn’t love anymore.

Momo dreaded the inevitable. After a week, Shouto still acted as if everything were normal, but he still came home late, acted very suspiciously, and was very obviously lying all the time.

On Sunday, it all reached its breaking point when Momo came home late to find their home empty. The dam holding back her tears broke. All the hope she had been carrying for salvaging their relationship came crashing down all of a sudden and thus she prepared to confront him about his lies.

Shouto Todoroki had always been the most capable student in class. Not only was he an excellent person, with an extremely powerful quirk, he was also very popular amongst people—even crowned the Hottest Male Hero Of The Year two years in a row, much to Bakugou-kun’s utter outrage—and one of the most beloved heroes despite his aloof personality. Meanwhile, Momo Yaoyorozu had always just been… Momo Yaoyorozu, weak and easily beaten. She had only her academics and nothing else; even that wasn’t enough, seeing how quickly she lost in the UA Festival.

Social media only served to heighten her insecurities. They echoed her sentiments: Why would the number 5 hero even think of being with Creati when he could have anyone in the world?

So when the door opened at almost 01:00 AM, and he came into their home, Momo approached him before he could say anything.

She cleared her throat to get his full attention. “I love you, Shouto, I truly love you very much.” Shouto opened his mouth to talk but she continued, “Just… let me finish, please.’’

He frowned but agreed all the same, gesturing for her to continue. 

“I’ve loved you since we were 17. I love you too much to continue tainting the memory of our love like this.’’ A sob escaped her as she, for the first time since this debacle started, cried in front of Shouto. His expression was now full of worry once he registered Momo’s words. He reached his hand to touch her shoulder, only for her to pull away from him. “If someone else makes you happier, you should be with them. My heart really can’t take all these lies anymore.”

Shouto blinked. Shock hit him at that moment. Momo thought he was lying... because he was... cheating on her? Fuyumi’s advice suddenly resurfaced in his mind: Little brother, lies, and deceit do more harm than good. And us, Todorokis, are very bad at hiding the truth. So it’s better if you avoid lying as much as you possibly can. It’s not good for you, nor the people around you. Keep that in mind, please.

“What? He blinked, perplexed. “How could you think there would be someone else, Momo?’’ Shouto asked, confusion noticeable in his tone, “I’m just… I was just…’’ He passed his hand over his face, conflicted about what to tell her exactly. He had been lying, yes, but the reason behind it was not what she assumed. Upon noticing her defeated expression at his prolonged silence, he decided to just forget about hiding the truth. “Fuck, I was…’’ he hesitated again, thinking about all his nights with Izuku and Tenya rehearsing what to tell her when the moment came. But looking at her now, the dread so present on her usually calm and happy face, he decided that forgoing all his carefully thought-out plans was a small price to pay to relieve her doubts. “You know what? It doesn’t matter how it happens,’’ he stated, resolution clear on his face.

He got down on one knee, brought out a little box from his pocket, and opened it to her.

She gasped. Set within the small velvet box was a diamond ring. It finally sunk in: he had been planning a proposal and choosing an engagement ring.

Shock gave way to relief, and she laughed at the absurdity of it all. Soon, her giggle evolved into a full laugh. He was just ring-shopping. He didn’t want to leave her. He wasn’t cheating. He just wanted to marry her. Shouto wanted to marry her. Her. 

Taking her laughter as a good sign, Shouto smiled.

Clearing his throat, he stated, plainly and simply, “I want to marry you, Momo.’’ Shouto sighed and continued, “I… want everything with you. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done that caused you to doubt my love. It’s all my fault. I must have neglected you because I didn’t know how to do this properly. I’ve never been very good at talking. I asked Izuku and Tenya to help me prepare a proposal, pick out a ring, and look for a cat, which I’ve known you’ve wanted for a long time. I’m truly sorry for the harm I’ve caused you,’’ he apologized and she nodded, “But the point is… I truly want everything with you. I want to have a family together. I want to have children and—I know I didn’t have a good example of what a father should do, but I truly want to do good by you and by our children, should you want any. I promise to try my best and make sure you never have to doubt how much I love you. Because I truly do, Mo. I love you so much.’’

Shouto stopped talking when he heard a soft laugh coming from Momo. Looking at her, he noticed an unbelievably happy expression on her face—so different from her previously sorrowful appearance—which gave him immediate relief.

Shouto cleared his throat and continued, “I, too, have loved you since we were 17, and I will keep loving you for the rest of my life if you’ll allow me. Momo Yaoyorozu, would you do me the honor of becoming my beloved wife?’’

Momo nodded, too overwhelmed by happiness to speak. With a smile on his face, he rose from the ground and carefully slipped the ring onto her finger.

At the sight of her smile, he felt an irresistible urge to kiss her. His lips descended on hers and Momo sighed, parting her lips and allowing his tongue to delve into her mouth as he deepened the kiss.

His right hand entangled in her hair while hers slid to his neck as they pulled each other closer. Shouto could still taste the now-dried tears on Momo’s face. His left hand cradled her face softly as he kissed away her tears. When she smiled, he reclaimed her lips, their tongues tangling for a moment as they languidly explored each others’ mouth until Momo pulled back slowly.

Her lips curved into a playful smile. “I accept becoming your wife, Shou. Would you do me the honor of becoming my dear husband?’’ She looked at him in the eyes.

Shouto nodded, kissing her once more on the cheek. “Of course I accept.” He smiled softly at her, then groaned.“Izuku and Tenya will be so disappointed in me that I managed to mess this up. Not only was all our planning completely useless, I even made my fiancé believe I was cheating on her.’’

Momo shook her head. “No, it was perfect, Shou. Because in the end, I’m marrying you, the love of my life,’’ she said with a blush.

She kissed his cheek again and chuckled at the bliss written over his face. Taking him by the hand, she guided him into their bedroom as he turned the living room’s light off behind her.

(03:00) Shouto: So...

(03:10) Tenya: Shouto-kun, it’s 3 AM.

(03:08): Izuku: ‘So’ what? How did it go?

(03:10) Shouto: Remember what I mentioned about this plan being complicated because I'm a bad liar? Momo thought I was cheating on her all this time...

(03:11) Izuku: …

(03:11) Izuku: WHAT?

(03:12) Izuku: SHE THOUGHT WHA—WHAT? HOW BADLY DID YOU  MESS THINGS UP, SHOUTO?

(03:13) Tenya: As one of your oldest friends, I must say I had faith for a minute in our plan, and I shouldn’t have. I didn’t think it would go this badly.

(03:14) Shouto: I told you I had trouble hiding my plan to her. She knows me too well.

(03:14) Izuku: WOW, I suddenly can’t believe Momo Todoroki will be the only Todoroki we respect in this household (I mean, hopefully… Did she say YES though?)

(03:16) Shouto: Bold of you to assume she will be Momo Todoroki when I'm planning to be Shouto Yaoyorozu instead. Indeed, she said yes.

(03:17) Tenya: Then it wasn’t such a bad plan indeed. Nevertheless, I will make sure to apologize to Yaoyorozu-chan for encouraging the lies in the proposal, we should’ve been better. Congratulations Shouto-kun!

[aithrauniverse]

Chapter 20-Aithne

As I pulled away from Father, Evan cheered from behind me, “She’s alive!” Turning around, I saw the two angels squatting next to Astra. Before my eyes, she stirred, rubbing her eyes and sitting upright with much effort.

“Well, looks like Sleeping Beauty’s finally awake,” Laila cracked a grin.

“What were you thinking, you fool?!” I dashed forward and wrapped my arms around her, my emotions a mix of relief, concern and pure frustration. (Probably a bad idea to hug her really tightly when she was injured and all, but hey. I missed her.) “You could have killed yourself!”

“Ow-Aithne, my bones - that beast was like rock-” Astra winced, then smiled faintly. “Yeah, yeah, I’m glad to see you too.”

“Did you think I was just gonna let you die on us?!”

Astra sighed. “Of course not.”

As I fussed and fumed over her scrapes and injuries (I insisted on tying a tourniquet, using seven sheets of gauze and I-stopped-counting-after-a-thousand Band-Aids, but of course, she said no), Evan pointed out something so obvious, I slapped myself for forgetting about it. Literally.

“Guys, shouldn’t we be getting back to Almoria High? I mean...we’ve left without informing them. Won’t they be... uh...?”

“Oh. Um,” Laila muttered, “We’re so dead.”

And as it turned out, yes, we were.

Father insisted on creating a portal to bring us back, instead of letting Astra do one of her light tricks. (“Your guardian angel friend might still be too weak, and I don’t want my little girls-and boy-to be late,” he pointed out, ignoring Astra’s soft protests of “I’m fine, I swear!”) He clapped, and a swirling, ruby-red portal shimmered, beckoning us in. Evan went first, jumping in confidently. Laila followed suit, taking a deep breath before heading in. Astra went third, still a little shaky after her encounter with the dragon. When the last of her dissolved into the vortex, I stepped forward. Placing my palm into the glowing mass, I turned back. “Thank you, Father, for all you’ve done.”

“You’re welcome, my dear child,” the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Now, see forth, and do me proud. I’ll be waiting at home.”

As I stepped out, I faced a familiar sight— Almoria High’s hall, the place I had known for four years of my life. There was just one thing-I was on the stage, the others next to me in a tight circle, and a mob of students facing us below, an identical look of glee on their faces, clearly wanting to enjoy the show as Mr. Grouchy delivered the blow.

Laila opened her mouth, but just then, Mr. Grouchy made his dramatic appearance. He poofed (is that a verb?) onstage, gesturing towards us.

“And here we have our four delinquents, ready to be expelled,” he grinned, baring his hideous fangs. (Gross. He really needed to get his fangs brushed-and flossed.)

Wait a minute-expelled?!

Evan voiced out my thoughts. “Expelled?! But Mr. Brunt, I mean, we left for a good cause! To save Almoria!”

“And why would I trust you?” he sneered. “For all I know, you may be weaving elaborate lies. Proof.” He beckoned with his hand. “If I didn’t see it, it didn’t happen,” he said in a singsong voice. Astra’s face turned even paler. Laila fidgeted with her hands behind her back, her head down and eyes shut. I looked down at the numerous pairs of eyes, all of them staring back at us. Right now, it felt like my nightmares were coming alive. But this wasn’t a dream I could just wake up and stop. I was helpless, forced to see what happened next.

“Come on, I know you have at least one shred of evidence,” he smirked. “No? Okay, then. I, Brunt Michael Everglow, hereby declare these students expe-”

“No. These young students shall not be expelled. I stand by their cause, and defend them at my own will.” Ms. Farrell stepped forward. A ripple of gasps passed through the hall. “Now, tell us, why did you have to leave the school?”

Astra stepped forward, explaining everything, with occasional inputs from me, Laila and Evan respectively. When it came to Endra, she seemed unable to speak, so I took over instead. Towards the end, Astra reached into her pocket, and pulled out the opal (thankfully without the fire), holding it up for everyone to see. “And that’s how Almoria was saved,” Evan concluded, stepping back.

“Lies! Deceit! I tell you, Farrell, these-these ruffians, they’re merely making this up-” Mr. Brunt spluttered, but Ms. Farrell held a hand up, shutting his trap instantly.

“No. I have faith in them, and know their intentions are nothing but pure.” Ms. Farrell smiled at the four of us. “I’ve been watching you, you know. I have my ways.” It did make sense, actually. Sometimes, I had noticed a lone eagle cruise through the sky. Maybe that was Mdm. Danton reporting to her...wait, did that mean she had seen me litter?! Oops.

“Instead of expelling them, I believe they should be honored,” Ms. Farrell continued.  “So they will be admitted back into the school, and given the prestigious opportunity of being the first group of student leaders.” The hall exploded into cheers, welcoming us back once more, and the four of us formed a group hug, Evan included.

“Guys, I’m just so glad we did it,” Laila smiled.

“Yeah, Astra, you really kicked butt,” Evan grinned. “I didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”

Astra didn’t reply. She seemed preoccupied with something, her gaze drifting into the air.

“Hey - you okay?” I spoke, loud enough for only Astra to hear.

Her reply was short and sharp, but enough to snap me out of my bliss. “I’m going.”

[hyruledrift]

The Brilliance of Giorno Giovanna

Before I go ahead and write my review of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Vento Aureo written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki, I wanted to somehow put into writing why I think that it’s main protagonist, Giorno Giovanna, is truly a brilliant character. There is one more thing I’d like to prefix this character analysis with, and that is how I experienced Vento Aureo.

Vento Aureo was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from November 20, 1995 to April 5, 1999. The anime first premiered in October of 2018 and ran through July 2019. So, I devoted the past couple weeks to both WATCH and read Vento Aureo. Reading the manga, and then watching the episodes that covered the volume(s) I previously read. So I really got to soak in the entire story. I also live tweeted my entire “Readwatch” but thats besides the point. I’m a bit late to the party in terms of covering the series but this is also my first time ever doing something like this, and I thought that there’d be no better place to start rather than breaking down one of my favourite characters across all mediums of fiction, Giorno Giovanna. Needless to say, this character analysis will divulge into spoilers of Vento Aureo.

Giorno Giovanna, born Haruno Shiobana, in Vento Aureo is age 15. He is half Japanese, Half Italian. Giorno as we know is the bastard son of DIO, the Joestar lineage’s sworn enemy across time. Giorno’s stand is Gold Experience, named after the Prince album The Gold Experience. Gold Experience is a close-range Stand, with a range of 2 meters from its user. Gold Experience has many different abilities. The first one being Life Giver. Life Giver gives Gold Experience the ability to endow anything its fists touch with life, which translates into a variety of different effects. It’s second ability is Life Shot. Gold Experience's ability can also be applied to living individuals, causing their thought processes to greatly accelerate. Life Shot basically makes Giorno’s opponent experience a psychedelic trip in the middle of combat. Gold Experience also has the ability to recreate Flesh and Organs. Inspired by Baby Face's ability to transform body parts into inert cubes, Giorno discovered that he could do the reverse and create singular body parts and organs out of inorganic matter. Thus he is able to heal gruesome wounds through various means. Gold Experience also has one more ability, Life Sensor. When he [Giorno/Gold Experience] touches someone or something, he can sense other lifeforms from within, allowing him to check if someone is alive or even determine how many souls there may be inside a given vessel. (Below is a picture of Giorno and Gold Experience)

But the interesting part about Giorno is not only is he the son of DIO, its also the fact that he is also considered a Joestar as he was conceived with Jonathan Joestar’s body, with DIO controlling it (after killing Jonathan Joestar, DIO took over his body to become the ultimate life form 100 years before Stardust Crusaders took place.) 

We don’t get to see the signature Joestar Star Birthmark on Giorno often, but we do get to catch a glimpse of it in the first episode of the anime and the second chapter of the manga during his fight with Leaky Eye Luca. Which cements him as being the 5th main Joestar in Araki’s story. 

Because of his lineage, we know he’s destined to be a special character from the get-go. Inheriting traits and skills from both DIO and Jonathan. Now, I could spend all day pointing out what Giorno has done in the series that he got from DIO, and things he’s done because of the Jonathan in him. But instead of that, I’d rather point out the more notable things he’s done that he’s taken from both his fathers.

We know that DIO was rotten to the core. He had a similar upbringing to Giorno in the sense that their parents neglected him. Dario (DIO’s father) constantly abused DIO calling him both physically and mentally. Whereas, Giorno’s mother neglected him and his step father abused Giorno to no end. Both DIO and Giorno are portrayed to be very smart in their groups. Giorno somehow always knew what animal or insect he’d have to give life to depending on the situation to help him overcome the conflict he was in. For example, in the fight against Man In The Mirror, Giorno also was faced with the issue of Fugo’s stand, Purple Haze and its ability, (A virus that quickly kills you if you inhale it or if your skin comes into contact with it. It also has no cure. Purple Haze is so powerful, that Araki had to write Fugo out of the story.) So to overcome this, Giorno used Gold Experience’s ability Life Giver to give life to an inanimate object (In this case, turning a brick into a Snake - Read left to right i took panels from different pages for the sake of my point)

Also, Both DIO and Giorno are natural leaders, wherever DIO went, be it in Phantom Blood or in Stardust Crusaders, he had followers do his bidding for him. Giorno inherited DIO’s natural ability to lead as later on in Vento Aureo, we all see the team members, inspeseficallfy Guido Mista, in his internal monologue after their battle with White Album, that he sees Giorno being more of a leader than Bruno Bucciarati, the actual leader of the gang at the time. Another attribute that Giorno inherited from DIO, is the need to make his opponent feel powerless. During Giorno’s beatdowns, he is known to shout “MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA” with Muda being a direct translation from Japanese to English meaning “Useless”, something that DIO was known for, in his fight with Jotaro in Stardust Crusaders. Giorno also uses the “WRYYYYYYY” battle cry a couple times in Vento Aureo. Also, Giorno’s hair used to be black, similar to the other Joestars before him, but when Gold Experience awoken in him, it caused his hair to change to the golden yellow colour we see him as throughout the series. One more thing to point out in Giorno that is reminiscent of DIO that separates him further from the rest of the Joestar lineage, is that Giorno ignited his own change. Giorno had a dream that he wanted to see through, whereas the other Joestars reacted to things happening to ones the hold dear to them that made them want to save others. Jonathan reacted to DIO killing his father, Joseph reacted to the Pillar Men awaking, Jotaro reacted to his mother falling ill because of DIO’s awakening, Josuke reacted to Angelo killing his grandfather, so on and so forth. It was Giorno who kicked the events off of Vento Aureo by himself, persuading Bucciarati to take down the Boss of Passione (Diavolo).  

The traits and attributes that Giorno inherited from Jonathan consists of Jonathan’s heart of gold that ultimately guided Giorno down the path he took to heroism, infiltrating Passione and taking down Diavolo. Jonathan’s selflessness also passed onto Giorno. Throughout Vento Aureo, Giorno was willing to sacrifice himself/his body for the benefit of the group despite. Cutting his nose off to spite his face. A great example of this is when Giorno and the gang was on their way to Sardinia. On the flight to Sardinia, they encountered the undead stand named after the world’s biggest rapper at the time, Notorious B.I.G. Giorno deduced how B.I.G was tracking them despite being dead, and it was motion. B.I.G reacted to any and all motion around it, causing the stand to automatically hunt down, attach itself, and attempt to kill whatever surface around it that was the fastest. So, while on the airplane, Giorno selflessly lured B.I.G onto the only arm he had left (Giorno had already lost an arm to B.I.G earlier in the fight and had not used Gold Experience to make himself a new arm) 

Giorno knew it was a gamble, he had cut both arms off to save the team. Naturally, this incapacitated Giorno for the rest of the fight. But before he could cut his arm off, he turned one of his ladybug brooches into a his own hand, which carried the power of Gold Experience. Thanks to this, after the fight was over, he was able to accomplish two things. First, He helped Trish mature as B.I.G came back and Trish ultimately defeated the stand by awakening to her stand, Spice Girl. The other thing that Giorno was able to accomplish was that he was still able to heal himself and the team using the brooch that Trish worked to protect from B.I.G.

Just as Giorno had a similar upbringing to DIO, he also had parts of his childhood that Jonathan went through as well. Giorno was always the kid that got bullied by the other kids, much like Jonathan. But that all changed when he met the man he came to idolize. 

Giorno saved the life of this unknown Gangster, so in return, this Gangster protected Giorno from his abusive step-father, the kids that bullied him, and made sure that young Giorno didn’t go unfed.

Because of the unknown gangster, Giorno was inspired to protect the little guy. In a world of corrupt government and crime, Giorno had a dream of being a GANG-STAR. Instead of using power to benefit himself, he wanted to use his power both literally and figuratively to make sure that nobody would have to go through the same kind of upbringing he had to go through.

Giorno truly is all the best parts of both DIO and Jonathan rolled into one character.

In Giorno’s bio page in the second last chapter in Vento Aureo, it is said that “What Giorno desires most is hope. He has faith that he can reach any destination, as long as he has hope.” This bio page also states that the source of Giorno’s hope and justice was the unknown gangster.

You can argue that his hope was able to manifest itself and what ultimately turned Gold Experience into Gold Experience Requiem (GER) in the final confrontation with Diavolo. Giorno literally becomes unbeatable with GER. GER’s PASSIVE ABILITY is that any hostility directed toward Giorno gets nullified and all action and intent of the attack gets set back to zero, preventing any attack that is directed to him from becoming “real”. (Pictured below is Giorno and Gold Experience Requiem)

You can say that Giorno has hope and faith in himself that nobody will be able to stand in the way of his dream. So Requiem literally makes it so that nobody can harm him.

Giorno’s whole life, he had struggled with finding his own self worth and managed to find self satisfaction in saving a stranger which made him realize what he enjoyed doing in life. Helping others, putting himself in danger to make his own dream come a reality. Giorno’s admiration, spirit, pride, and willpower to fight is contagious and quickly spreads throughout the entire cast of characters in Vento Aureo.

One of the most important characters to Giorno’s development is his right hand man, Bruno Bucciarati who has done even more selfless acts than Giorno has done for the sake of others. 

From the moment they met, they both realized that each other were special people. Bruno from a young age was infatuated with assisting others, easing the burdens of others just to make them happy, much like Giorno, which is what makes their relationship so special.

During the turning point of Vento Aureo, Bucciarati died in his fight with King Crimson. Giorno was going as fast as he could to save Bucciarati from his mortal wounds but it was too late. Or so he thought. In that moment where Giorno healed Bucciarati’s body, his soul had already left his body and was on his way to the after life. However, Bucciarati knew that the job was unfinished. His determination, and sheer willpower to see Giorno’s dream come to fruition kept his body alive for the rest of the series until their fated encounter with Diavolo and King Crimson in Rome. Where Bucciarati was finally able to see that Giorno was capable to finish the job himself.

This steeled Giorno’s resolve in his fight against the brutal, merciless, and thoughtless Diavolo, who killed for his own personal gain, not caring for his victims. Diavolo’s ideals and morals are severely distorted and blatantly evil. He thought that he was the one chosen by god to carry out his will to reign over humans as their king. He believed that he was supposed to be the one to judge humans if they should live or not, killing anyone he didn’t see fit into his plan. His mafia also contributed to his heinous crimes as the main reason that Giorno and Bucciarati connected, was their hatred for the boss’ policy of who the mafia sold drugs to. Passione often sold cocaine to women and children, which led to Bucciarati’s father’s murder, and Giorno’s abuse from his father and the bullies.

The abilities that Gold Experience granted him, let him see his dream come to fruition. That mixed with the attributes that he unconsciously inherited from his two fathers, Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando in combination with Giorno’s will and resolve that was demonstrated to be contagious throughout the events of Vento Aureo. It ultimately affected me on a personal level, which is why I wrote this analysis. I personally deeply admire Giorno and his just dream. Doing anything it takes to see his just dream come true to benefit others despite all his shortcomings in his childhood, and everyone that wronged him in his life. Giorno still believed that he could ignite the change and illuminate the path of those around him to believe his golden dream. Giving others hope, that everything will be alright in the end. 

That, is why Giorno Giovanna is brilliant.