#soh save

[arcanewonder]

<< [ ♥ ] >>

[cottage-fr0g]

You ever think about the fact that Rayman has a killcount?

It’s not a big killcount but still

oh definitely. in a funny way all protags have a kill count. (chris pratt va) stompin… koopas.

[werewolf-cuddles]

So, after playing through some of Ocarina of Time on an emulator, I've found that there are a few downsides to playing the Wii version through Dolphin.

For one thing, the Stone of Agony just straight up doesn't work. It's supposed to make the controller vibrate when you're near a secret, but it broke in the Wii version, so I have to use a guide to find the right spot.

The emulation also isn't perfect. Occasionally Dolphin will stutter or lag a little.

And of course, I'm stuck with pretty much all of the original game's issues with no option to get around them.

So, now I'm wondering. Would it be worth trying to get Ship of Harkinian working again so I can play the game with various quality of life tweaks?

The downside to that of course would be that I've already put several hours into the game, and it'd suck to lose all that progress just so I can play what a lot of people generally consider to be the best way to play Ocarina of Time.

[mmavverickk]

The way the fandom somehow forgets that the only reason Iapetus became Bob is because he was straight up trying to kill Percy. Percy didn’t actually have an obligation to the murderous Titan he memory-wiped to save his life and his two cousins. The only he thought about Bob after SOH was probably something along the lines of “one less Titan to fight” and nothing else, because again, he tried to kill Percy. This doesn’t even touch on the fact that Hades would not allow Percy to visit the Underworld to visit Bob; the very next time Percy comes to the Underworld, he gets locked in a cell. Like, nice of Nico to talk to Bob and all, but Percy had no reason to think this was occurring or to ever think about what was going on with that one Titan who almost killed him. I beg of some of y’all to think about context

bestie i love Bob but i could list reasons why Percy has no obligation to him, and vice versa.

Bob came into being because Iapetus was trying to kill Percy. he was borne from a fight to the death that Percy only survived because he was smart enough to use his surroundings to his advantage. Percy could have left him alone, confused, and empty on the banks of the Lethe. it would have been well within his rights as a kid who'd just almost died at this being's hand. instead, he took him to Hades, who would, if not take care of him, at least keep him safe. any obligation Percy may have had to the titan ended there.

and Bob? he didn't have to go down to Tartarus for Percy. that he did just shows how kind Iapetus could be, at his base, with no memories interfering with his loyalties. Bob remembers Percy saying they were friends, and that's it. nothing more from him. he goes to help because Nico told Bob how good a friend Percy could be. and once he gets to Tartarus? Percy immediately starts manipulating him again. rather than 'this is who you are,' it's 'this is what to do' and it's subtle enough that it can be disguised as a friend helping a friend! and Percy may even think of Bob as a friend, but that's not what he is first and foremost. first and foremost, he's a titan who needs to be kept in check.

gosh i love their dynamic. it's so intricate.

[shepherds-of-haven]

Me: omg I love the SoH ROs so much all I wanna do is daydream about them

Me, daydreaming about them: what if they almost died... What if they're bleeding out... What if the MC is bleeding out...

Unfortunately they're all blorbos now, which means I want them to suffer (affectionate)

Which brings the question, in a near death situation, which one of the ROs goes for a dramatic one liner and which one tries to actually say something meaningful?

Blade: he isn't one for drama so I feel like he just wouldn't really think, "i'm dying so this may be my last chance to say something," and would just be like "you... need to get out of here..." (always thinking of the other person), but if he did think he was dying, he'd try to say something meaningful!

Trouble: I don't think Trouble thinks he can be killed for real so he'd probably not even notice the severity of his own wounds, like "I'm fine, stop fussing over me and help [someone else wounded] or get after the enemy or etc.!!!" Not necessarily being nobly selfless like Blade, just sort of not aware how close he is to death and so isn't thinking about it/taking it seriously

Tallys: if she actually thinks she has a real shot of dying, she's staying calm and composed for the other person's sake and is going to fade away with quiet dignity, but she's definitely going to exchange some of the most heartfelt, gut-wrenching, meaningful words anyone's ever heard in their life on her hypothetical deathbed

Shery: I think she'd be sort of panicking and hysterical and trying to think of something meaningful to say, but it'd probably come off as menial, like "Make sure to look after Caine, and... please look after my plants..." Like frantically trying to go down a checklist and sort of being confused and panicky rather than having the wherewithal to actually say what she'd want to say in that kind of situation!

Riel: he'd be extremely calm and would be dishing out instructions on how it's going to go down and what's going to happen next. Basically getting his affairs in order in an efficient and tidy way as he's like literally bleeding out lol, by his composure alone you wouldn't think he was wounded! Basically the exact opposite of Shery, and it would only be in the final few moments of consciousness that he could stop being totally "logical" and he'd get quiet and be like, oh. this could actually be the end. In which case he'd try to sneak in something heartfelt and striking and poignant, but he'd probably have expended all his energy on the first part and would lose consciousness halfway through, so no one would know what he was going to say, and he "wouldn't remember" when he woke up lol

Chase: I think it really depends on the situation... he's been in so many near-death scenarios that he's gotten out of perfectly fine that it's a bit hum-drum for him now, so if it's a simple matter of "oh no i've been shot and i'm bleeding out" he'd probably go for the quip or the dramatic one-liner purely to put the people around him at ease or get them to crack a smile, but if it's like a "oh I'm already dead and there's no way anyone's going to save me except by literal intervention of the gods", maybe he'd say something more meaningful?? It really depends on who's with him and how lucid he is, though!

Red: he'd try to be bracing and good-hearted about it so as to not worry anyone or sabotage himself while he's down (he's of the mindset that if you embrace/accept death too preemptively, you're more likely to die, whereas if you act like it's going to be fine, there's a higher chance that, like, placebo effect will somehow help you pull through), so he'd be like, "Don't worry, haha, I've had worse..." *is bleeding out from a gut shot* "YOU HAVE??" "Well, no, but it hardly hurts..." I think if he genuinely thought it was too late for him, he'd say something meaningful, but it would take a lot for him to get to that point lol

Ayla: I feel like she'd just be pissed and not accepting the gravity of the situation, like, "Why are you all looking at me like that, I'm fine??? Blood replaces itself, you are being dramatic" So she probably wouldn't "waste time" on being sentimental when she can just WILL herself to get better, but if it got to the point where she thinks it's genuinely over, she'd abruptly get scared, emotional, tearful, and she'd probably choke out something vulnerable, like "I don't want to go like this..."

Briony: I think she'd be in shock and would behave similarly to Shery where she would just be saying whatever was racing through her mind, so it could possibly be meaningful and vulnerable, like "I always wanted to... [x]" or it could be somewhat nonsensical or brushing the whole thing off, like "It's just a scratch, I just need to rest, make sure that so-and-so is seen to because I saw that they were limping..." (thinking she's just going to pass out now)

Lavinet: I think she'd be very noble and dignified and graceful in near-death, like she'd arrange herself very beautifully and would be lying there in some infirmary bed with her hair spread out across the pillow as so-and-so clutches her hand and weeps and she murmurs to them to not to worry and tells them "her last words" in a delivery and meaningfulness straight from a dramatic novel

Halek: I think the first time he'd say something so flippant and stupid, like "Holy shit, getting shot is such a pain" -> 😵 (passes out) and if he had the luck of waking up again he'd be like "oh my god those could have been my last words" and he'd take it more seriously the next time and try to think of something more meaningful beforehand lol

[fearlessdevil17]

“Closeted Trauma” (Comic)

"Sometimes you could never escape your inner demons"

*Takes place after the Event's of SOH*

Part 1 || Part 2 (WIP)

"Based of my personal experiences of anxiety and panic attacks"

Edge Headcanon:

Edge has PTSD, but she was never taught anything about mental health and all that, so she didn’t understand what was happening to her. she doesn’t understand why she’s been having horrible nightmares, nor does she know what they even are. she's never had them while on the adventure because her mission to save the sparks was her only distraction. but now that she feels relaxed within the Mushroom Kingdom. nothing can keep her away from it.

And it wouldn't be long before she has a full blown panic attack out in public.

[kime11e]

Happy New Year to anyone who follows me on Tumblr! I'm an Australian who lives in Sydney, and LOVES all things Michael Sheen. It's 1:30am 1/1/2024, and I'm not particularly keen on crowds and loud noises so that's why you'll find me typing up this blog instead of celebrating 2024 I confess that if you follow blogs like @ingravinoveritas or @problematicwelshman, I am the Aussie Anon who happened to see Michael Sheen everyday for an entire month at my work. I would share my observations on MS while he was in Sydney to rehearse and perform Amadeus. I also have a selfie to prove it:

Yes I am under the emoji. I also saw Amadeus 3 times. My last time Anna Lundberg was sitting right behind me, where my friend was game enough to speak to her where I didn't. ANYWAY what brings me here, right now, in this instant on New Years is due to a pretty petty and possibly inane thing that Anna repeatedly did while she was in Sydney, and something she posted just now. She uses the New Zealand flag when referring to anything related to her, and her family's time in Australia. New Years last year:

Also her current Insta Story!

Look, I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of backlash for this, people saying who cares!? However Anna, as someone who is in a relationship with Michael Sheen who is a fierce and proud Welshman, and is the mother of 2 of his children. She should be delicate about using the CORRECT flag that represents a country. ESPECIALLY when in the same breath she mentions an Australian icon which is the Sydney Opera House. The SOH has been the home of Australian Art, Innovation and in a massive way Indigenous Representation (albeit the SOH was designed by a Dutch person) I don't see any excuse for using the wrong flag when referring to Australia. Especially in a world when we're learning more about expression of identity. I don't care if she has baby brain, or thought that New Zealand and Australia were one and the same because they're "Down Under". Or she thinks the flags look the same (they really don't) Or she has no time! It's no excuse to not Educate yourself! Ask questions! Yes we make mistakes but when you're representing yourself and your famous partner, you ought to take care! Yes you're human, and you have emotions, fallacies, but c'mon! You're letting yourself down!

I don't respect the Australian past of colonialism, and I wouldn't expect New Zealand to respect the same. But this flag represents us today as separate nations. Also in no way was Amadeus a duel nation production. I know the producer that's why I was able to see the show 3 times. I am losing so much respect for Anna Lundberg and I try sometimes to give her the benefit of the doubt, because let's be honest she ain't in a loving relationship save for her children, and I think Michael respects her as a friend, and mother, so it can't be easy. But it really begs me to question, how long can he tolerate the lack of self awareness? Lack of awareness in anything but beyond her bubble!? If any one responds to this please be diplomatic and tactful.

[anitoko-17294]

Stages of Healing au - Licorice Cookie/Luis Halandori

Most of Licorice's design in the SOH au is inspired by dark choco's after the events of episode 14 of world exploration, as well as some of Licorice's costumes in both CRK & Ovenbreak

Yes, I’ll make Affagato's appearance in this au as well, and for those who are wondering, he’s doing…somewhat well.

Back to Licorice though, the dude is basically the elephant in the room to the other dark cacao citizens, though he gets along pretty well with SOME of the dark cacaoians and most of the Ruby Cacaoians (Mainly Ruby Choco Cookie) and the other non-dark cacaoians in the Dark Cacao Kingdom, such as the local rice cake hound trainer, Choco Rice Cake Cookie.

He has a lot of guilt from all the shit he put Dark Cacao Cookie and his subjects through back in 2022 (IYKYK), and gets pretty damn pissed off when someone brings it up. He’s also pissed at the Cookies of Darkness (Save for Matcha, Butterroll, Poison Mushroom, Dark Choco, Red Velvet, and Choco Werehound Brute) for nearly screwing over both the dark cacao kingdom AND the Creme Republic.

He’s ESPECIALLY furious at Pomegranate Cookie for 4 reasons:

Just being an asshole in general

Using Dark Choco's trauma against him and using it as a punishment by tormenting him

Causing Dark Cacao to become the Ghoul and nearly getting everyone killed

She attempted to manipulate him into staying in the Cookies of Darkness after he made it known that he and Affogato were leaving

I’ll make a post on affogato cookie in this au at some point in the future

[thedragonagelesbian]

FOR THE SPOTS TO KISS PROMPT - 29. a kiss on the inside of the wrist.

Spots to Kiss

@omgkalyppso tyty both sm for the prompt-- i adore hand kissing so much..................... the of all time...........................................

29. a kiss on the inside of the wrist

(set vvv late act 3)

"It's spread so much..." Sosiel sat on Kyr's bed with a frown as he tried to rub some semblance of warmth into the winter witch's forearm. Of all the magic embedded in the dhampir's body, nothing concerned Sosiel more than this suppressor sigil. Tendrils of arcane ice etched into Kyr's skin to dampen the worst--the hungriest--of his nature. When they first met, it had been confined to his shoulder. Now, the frostbitten magic extended from the nape of his neck down to his wrist, reaching reaching reaching toward the tips of his fingers. "Are you sure about this?"

"About what?"

Sosiel's fingers trembled as they caressed Kyr's skin. Working, aching, praying for a miracle of shared body heat and friction. Kyr had assured him before that the cold did not bother him, but there was still the numbness, intermittent paralysis along the length of his left arm. And the pain each time Kyr poured more magic into the sigil, forcing it to expand.

And, worst of all, knowing why he kept doing it.

"About us. I love you, but," Sosiel bit his lip hard, "if I am too much of a burden--"

"I never said that." With his right hand, Kyr took Sosiel by the jaw and tilted his head back. His gaze--the Aeon's gaze--was singular, steady, blank... save for the slightest wrinkling in his forehead. "I would never say that."

"Forgive me," Sosiel said quickly, squirming until Kyr released his face. "I did not mean to imply that you had, but... Powerful emotions weaken the sigil, and every time you have to strengthen it again, it spreads, and so every time that we are together, either you are at risk of your appetites returning, or... or you have to hurt yourself to maintain control."

Struck by the fear and the conviction that this would be their last time so close to one another, Sosiel's grip on Kyr's forearm tightened. He should've let go. For Kyr's sake, no matter how much it shattered both their hearts, he should've pulled away.

Instead, he took Kyr's hand and pulled it up to his mouth, kissing the knuckles, thumb, palm, heel, the edges of frost etched into the inside of his wrist, where he lingered. Everything about Kyr's body was sharp, but tucked away here, lips between bones, was something almost soft like marrow.

"It is such terrible work," Sosiel murmured against his skin, "just to be with me."

"Sosiel..." He had gotten very good at detecting it: the minuscule warble and imperceptible hitch indicating the tidal wave of emotions that Kyr was holding back, never more pronounced than when he sighed Sosiel's name like that. Wax poured between the three syllables, soh-see-el, hot and smooth where the rest of him was cold and stiff. And Kyr tightened again as he swallowed and continued: "You say 'just' as if our relationship is trivial to me. It is not. Second to my duties as Aeon and Knight Commander, there is nothing in this life more important to me than you."

From Kyr, there was never any clumsy poetry or fumbling romantic gestures. Just a sincerity so painfully direct that it left Sosiel rubbed raw. Tender all over. And as much as he yearned to sink into that tenderness and banish all his doubts, he insisted, "But is it worth all this? This painful game you must play with your body? Am I..." his voice broke, "Am I worth it?"

"Yes." Kyr touched his face again-- the furrowed brow this time, smoothing away the wrinkles with his thumb, lips feather-light upon his forehead. "But you require more than that. I will explain myself. Feeling is inescapable in this life outside of my sire's lab, and so I must play this 'game' always. Forever. Whether it is the revulsion at the Worldwound or the bliss of setting it back to order, the joy of a bird's song in the morning or- or the fear that the sigil's magic will run out and you will see me for the ravenous monster that I am, it does not matter. Everything must be either tempered or compensated for to avoid becoming what I was.

"And if the specificity of the emotion does not matter, as the sigil will weaken anyway, and if being with you brings me more happiness than I ever thought myself capable of..."

Kyr shivered, and the ice in his skin began to splinter. Crack. Melt. Droplets of water budding underneath Sosiel's fingertips. He reached for a cloth to dry them, but Kyr caught him in a kiss instead. Whatever the vetala-born might have lacked in fangs, he made up for with sheer, bruising force. Direct. Sincere. Sosiel gasped into Kyr's mouth. All his breath stolen away, and with it all his worries. About Kyr, himself, the Worldwound and its horrors weighing so heavy on his soul.

And the longer he kissed Kyr, the longer it would be until those worries came back again.

"Of course you are worth it."

[queen-of-the-avengers]

Captain Marvel: Final Part

Pairing: Carol Danvers x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.2k

Warnings: canon violence and angst

Author’s Note: For the sake of the rewrite, Howard and Maria Stark dies on December 16, 1997 instead of 1991. Tony is 23 when they die.

x

With the Skrulls now saved from the Kree, at least for right now, you and Carol met Maria and Fury back at Maria's house for a last-dinner kind of thing. Most of the Skrulls decided to go back to Mar-Vell's lab to prepare to move again while Talos, Soren, and their child join you back at Maria's house. She did a really good job flying the plane to avoid whatever Kree was on her ass, and Fury won't let her forget it.

"That's some nifty flying you did out there. SHIELD could always use a good pilot like you."

"I'll consider it, as long as you don't call my flying nifty again."

Fury's eye is all scratched that you assume came from Goose.

"How's your eye?" you question the agent.

"Getting better every second. I'll be fine."

"Is it true that Goose scratched your eye?"

"I will neither deny nor confirm the details of that story."

"She did. I saw it happen," Maria confesses, making you cackle.

"Just so I'm clear, you were Soh-Larr and the SHIELD agent?" Carol asks Talos.

"Yeah, he tied my boss up and stole his identity," Fury interjects, ignoring your teasing remarks about how a cat got the better of him.

"I borrowed his likeness. I'm no thief."

"It's a little like a thief," Soren shrugs.

"Whose side are you on?"

"You're good to go here until you recover, but you and your family will need a new look."

"I could go back to being your boss."

"Please don't."

"Come on. I love sporting his beautiful blue eyes."

"I'll help you find a home and finish what Mar-Vell started," Carol offers.

You open your mouth to agree but nothing comes out of it. First, you think about Bucky and Steve and how you left this planet to get away from the pain it caused you, but then you think about how you promised yourself that this would be your new home away from Xenia and Markus. You fled once, you can't do this to Earth again. It needs protecting, and who will protect it if you leave?

"They can stay here with us, can't they, Mom?" Monica asks from the stairs where she and Talos' daughter are.

"They won't be safe here, baby. Auntie Carol is right. They need their own home."

"I'll be back before you know it," she says.

"Excuse me," you whisper.

You grab your plate of unfinished food and walk into the kitchen to do the dishes. Carol and Fury look at each other before getting up and doing the same. Leaving Carol behind and staying on Earth hurts differently than when you lost Bucky. Bucky died and you didn't have a choice but to move on with your life. You're deciding to leave even though it hurts you to do so.

"Are you okay?" Carol asks.

"Yeah."

"Let me help you with that," Fury offers and takes the wet dishes to dry.

He notices dry tears on your cheeks and gestures to Carol to talk to you.

"We beat the Kree and Ronan. What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I can go with you when you leave," you whisper.

This is a conversation to have privately so she puts it on the back burner for now. She rubs your back in a comforting way and takes out the pager that she took from Fury. She's modified it a bit so that he can always contact her whenever she may be.

"Here, there is something I want you to have. Plus, I need you to keep the Tesseract hidden here on Earth." She hands him the pager. "I upgraded it. The range should be a couple of galaxies, at least. For emergencies only."

"What? Do you think I'm gonna crank call you?"

"For emergencies only. From the looks of it, you'll have Y/N in case something goes wrong."

"Well, if you're ever passing back through this galaxy, be sure to give a brother a shout," he says. "I can finish up here. You two can take off."

"Come on."

Carol takes you outside to have a private conversation with you. She knows what you're going to say but lets you say it anyways.

"As much as I want to go with you, I can't leave Earth. The universe needs you, Carol but Earth needs me. The Tesseract is here, so someone is going to come for it sooner or later. She'll need someone to protect it."

"I agree."

"I'd be too selfish if I kept you from everyone else," you sigh sadly, "but I don't want to leave you. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'm not asking you to choose but I do have to leave. I can't stay on this planet knowing wars are going on out there that I can help fight."

"I know."

She pulls you in for a hug and allows you to cry on her shoulder for however long you need. 

"This doesn't change anything between us. I want you to live your life. I don't know when I'll be back, but I don't want you to be lonely. I want you to meet someone, fall in love, and live your life. You'll always have a special place in my heart."

"So will you," you sniffle and pull away from her.

"If we are meant to be, we'll find our way back to each other. I can guarantee that."

"I should go, then. I wish you the best of luck, my love."

"Same here."

You kiss her one last time knowing this will be the last in a while. If you stay any longer, you're going to cry so you pull away from her and take off toad the sky. With no viable threat over your life, you can pick a place and settle down. You haven't had a home for at least fifty years.

New York has too many painful memories and London reminds you of Bucky. When you first came to Earth with Carol, you landed in Northern California. The beaches there are beautiful so maybe living in that state won't be such a bad thing. You can get a place along the beach and enjoy your life by yourself.

Malibu is nice this time of year, and you settle in quicker than you thought you were. You have a bit of money saved from the 40s that you never got to spend, so you use it to buy yourself a house on the beach. The town of Malibu is compact and busy but you don't mind being surrounded by this many people. It gives you an opportunity to learn about humans from what you missed over the years.

It takes a week after moving in to explore the town, so you're walking along the coast when you pass by a tall man sporting white hair and a mustache and a shorter woman with blonde hair.

"Y/N?" 

You stop and face the couple with a confused look on your face.

"Yes. Do I know you?"

"It's me. Howard Stark."

"Howard? Wow, you've grown."

"You stayed exactly the same."

Hearing him say this makes you a bit sad knowing you'll probably never grow old. You'll always be the same age as you were when you first injected Markus' serum.

"Well, you know..."

"Wait, I thought you died. I thought you and Steve died when the plane went down. We searched for you two for months after the wreck."

"Steve died. I left Earth for fifty years."

"She's the one you were talking about?" Howard's wife says. "She's the Avatar?"

"That's me," you shrug.

"What are you doing here?"

"I bought a place on the beach. I spent the last sixty years fighting in wars I shouldn't have been fighting in. I figured what harm will it do if I take a few years to myself. What have you been up to?"

"I'm retired now. I have a few billion dollars to my name. I got married and had a son. Would you like to meet him?"

"Of course."

Howard and his wife, Maria, take you back to their house where their young adult son is.

"Tony? Come down here. There's someone I want you to meet." Tony comes down the stairs with a bored expression on his face. "Tony, this is Y/N."

Tony's heard the stories his father used to tell about a righteous man with super strength and a woman who can control the elements. He didn't think those stories were true until he sees you. There are very few pictures of Howard back in the day, but some of them contain you and Steve.

"Is this the same Y/N that you worked with back then? The one with Steve?"

If you're going to be in Tony's life, then he has a right to know exactly who you are.

"Yes, it is." You stick your hand out for him to shake, and you give him a polite smile. "It's very nice to meet you, Tony."

x

Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[arcanewonder]

<< [ ♥ ] >>

[aylish91]

WIP Title Game

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! then tag as many people as you have WIPS.

Thank you @naturaldreamer and @imtrashraccoon for posting and sharing this fun game! Your lists were very interesting! My wip folders are spread all over the place, so I will share my most recent "Undertale" wip folder. haha! I'll answer any questions on any of them~

Shattered - leviathan

Baby mer

Orphan and the sharks

Betrayals Regret

SOH 9

Zombie ch. 2

SOH Spicy

Swapfell Suggestive

UF Pap accidental bond

Saving Passive

Ophidian

Lost Souls and Mobster Goals

Alien AU

Death god stories

dancing with shadows

If anyone else likes/wants to play, tag me so I can see your lists too!

[hostess-of-horror]

Imagine Phantom seeing Peach in her own theatrical adventure and dressing up in all these costumes!

I want to headcanon that this game takes place between KB and SoH and that he was possessed by passion and yearning when he heard about this... maybe even a major distraction when he was already dating Bea...

Ooooh, so THIS was the big thing that's happening on Tumblr and Discord right now! And also where that one masked lady came from...

(I'm really out of the loop when it comes to Nintendo Switch and gaming news, so forgive me)

And YES. 100%. Absolutely. Phantom would be falling for Peach all over again, seeing her performing on a stage, the spotlight shining upon her beauty. He would never admit this to Bea, for obvious reasons, but he finds Peach as a swordfighter extremely and irresistibly hot.

No joke, I actually had a scenario running through my head ever since I starting shipping Phantom x Peach, and it was a swordfight between the two. More specifically, the final scene from the Phantom of the Opera Broadway musical but with Peach, Phantom, and Mario... and swordfighting. Peach challenges Phantom to a duel in order to save Mario, to which Phantom is like, "Ah, no! Princess, please, I cannot fight you! I refuse to harm you! My precious rose, please, put the sword down...!"

Alsoitwaskindaspicy,butinasubtlewaythroughthetensionoftheduel,andPhantomisconflictedbecausehe'llhurtherbutatthesametimeheiSSOTURNEDON

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: To Be or NOT to Be...?

PREVIOUS POST

In Many More Heroes, after OMT!Tails and Pana managed to bait LM!Sonic into the Quill Society meeting room, he was quickly detained by one of Zonic's rings.

Zonic: Hold it there, LM.

EV!Sonic: What's the worry?

OMT!Tails: I found this stuff in LM!Sonic's dorm you might wanna look at.

OMT!Tails passed him the files.

EV!Sonic: Way to go, little dude!

Milly: So with this, we need an explanation as to what LM's been hiding from us.

Zonic inserted the claimed disc into E-21 while LM!Sonic simply looked on.

Zonic: Right. To begin with, E-21, explain the thing.

E-21: What thing?

Zonic: What do you mean what-?! The universal-explainy thing!

E-21: Ah, right!

She activated a hologram.

(Keep in mind that this isn't all the people in the room at the time.)

The panels under the meeting room began to activate as a circle formed around them.

OMT!Tails: What is this?

Zonic: This... is everything.

The circle lit up the meeting room to show many different video clips.

OMT!Tails: Is it okay if you specify further?

Zonic: Right, sorry. The molecule-like connectors with dots around? This is all of us. All of our lives woven together, in a wonderful link to life and destiny.

OMT!Tails (in awe): The SEGAVerse...

Zonic: "SEGAVerse"? Huh, that's... not its name. It's called the Special-Extravagant-Galactic-spAce Vast Multiverse.

Everyone looked at him in confusion about it.

Zonic: ...which honestly isn't the best name I thought up, honestly.

Sunky and Tlels took notice of the nodes on the hologram between the links.

Tlels: And those nodes where those lines converge?

LM!Sonic: They're typical canon points. Chapters that are part of a hero's story quite a lot of times. Some good...

Holograms are shown of SoH!Sonic getting his super speed, the Sonic 2 opening cutscene from Sonic Origins, and SatAM Sonic and Sally sharing a kiss.

LM!Sonic: ...some bad...

Some more holograms are shown of Scorched fighting Prowler, which concerns Milly, frustrates Sunky and Tlels and confuses Blitz!Tails, a Sonic struggling to find air in Labyrinth Zone, and Archie Mina taking the bullet for her Sonic and Sally. Milly is quick to realise the implications of the third one.

Milly: ...What if I can't make it work...? EV!Sonic: Hey, I'm sure you still can.

Zonic: And some... *sigh* REALLY bad...

Maria Robotnik's death from Project: Shadow is shown on a seventh hologram, to the horror of Movie Shadow. LM!Sonic gestured over to an eighth hologram that came in front of him as EV!Sonic kept an eye on him, ensuring he wasn't going to hide THAT one especially.

LM!Sonic: This one, Event ASM-91? A close companion to a hero dies trying to stop a personal villain of that hero.

The hologram showed footage of a younger Movie Sonic trying to go back for Longclaw, then ART sacrificing himself for Underground Sonic and his siblings to escape (which saddened UG!Sonic), and finally Mobiverse Sonic giving himself up to save Antho from Mammoth Mogul.

OMT!Tails: Did that happen to several of you guys, too...?

Sarah Henderson: In all honesty? Yeah...

D-Sides Mighty: And... what of it?

LM!Sonic: These are how the story's supposed to go.

Other holograms fly around them depicting other "canon events"; Deja vu about the Soleanna events, Shadow sacrificing his life for Sonic, and a couple of other cases.

LM!Sonic: I know EV doesn't believe what I'm saying, but canon events are the connections that bind our lives together. Yet, those connections can end up broken. It's why anomalies are so dangerous...

A hologram flashing back to OMT!Tails saving the little girl, BK!Sonic helping stop a train bound to crash, and BK!Amy rescuing Merlina from an ambush a few hours earlier.

LM!Sonic: Merlina's death was MEANT to be a canon event, and you, Tails, weren't supposed to be there or give BK time to save her! That's why Mina tried to stop you.

A flashback to the three-way rescue sequence is shown, with OMT!Mina grabbing OMT!Tails's arm doing the rush to save the kid.

Past OMT!Mina: Tails!

OMT!Tails: You what? I... I thought you were trying to save me, Mina.

OMT!Mina: I was, Tails, I... I was doing both.

LM!Sonic: And now, Prower, because you changed the story, BK!Amy's universe will most likely unravel! If we're lucky, we can stop it from happening, but we haven't always been lucky.

OMT!Tails: Hey, that wasn't me! That was Crimtake!

EV!Sonic: Yeah, like I just told you!

LM!Sonic: It's what happens when you break the canon!

EV!Sonic: Oh, boy... Here we go...

OMT!Tails: How would you know that?!

LM!Sonic: ...Because I broke it once myself, after that scumbag Eggman murdered two of my friends. I found another world where I was actually happy. At least, another variant of me was. And that version of myself was killed by Mephiles, so I replaced him.

Images are shown of LM!Sonic living a happier life in an alternate dimension, his past smile disappearing to his present-day scowl.

LM!Sonic: I thought it was harmless... but I was completely wrong.

Further images show that dimension collapsing, akin to Sonic '06's End of the World, several members of the Quill Society trying and failing to save others. LM!Sonic was running through the streets of Soleanna, Elise in his arms.

Elise: S-Sonic! Get me to the Aquatic Base! You need to put this right!

She was dying fast in LM!Sonic's arms as he raced there at top-speed.

LM!Sonic: Elise, CR? Isn't that right?

CR!Sonic: Y-Yeah...

The destruction played out in full, holographic shards flying past OMT!Tails in the aftermath.

LM!Sonic: You break enough canon, you keep doing the wrong thing... and we could end up losing it all.

The central hologram faded away as EV!Sonic and Tekno turned back.

Tekno: Look, is it really down to you breaching that world's intentions? Because it could've been another force at play!

Zonic: Honestly, I agree. Some other creep might've caused that mess just to watch you suffer.

SS!Amy: Mhm. It's like trying to claim me and my friends were "destined" to die when Finitevus erased our old home!

During this, OMT!Tails remembered from earlier.

OMT!Tails: ...Crimtake's planned target...

Crimtake: I’m going to claim what’s left of your ‘family’, Prower. Try and stop me if you can, ‘hero’!

OMT!Tails: And if Crimtake claims Cream... When does this happen?

LM!Sonic remained silent.

OMT!Tails (angered): I said WHEN DOES THIS HAPPEN?!

LM!Sonic: In 12 hours, while she's asleep.

E-21: It's... what LM!Sonic's data says.

LM!Sonic: Look, I'm sorry, kid.

OMT!Tails: I need to get moving!

SS!Amy: Yeah! I'm coming with you!

LM!Sonic: I can't let you do that, Tails. Not now.

OMT!Tails: Then what am I supposed to do?! Just let my only remaining family DIE?!

LM!Sonic just nodded as OMT!Tails turned to OMT!Mina.

OMT!Tails: What about your band? They were close to you, right?

OMT!Mina: Yeah...

OMT!Tails: And you're not gonna do anything if they end up in danger?! Okay, what about Uncle Chuck?

He looked over to CR!Sonic, who looked back wordlessly.

OMT!Tails: Would that have been okay if you knew, and you just... let a villain murder your family?!

CR!Sonic: If not for Chuck, a good handful of us wouldn't even be here, Tails.

He showed some more holograms of big portrayals of Chuck in media, the most prominent being in the aftermath of XE!Sonic leaving XE!Jules for dead.

CR!Sonic: And all the good that we did, it... It wouldn't have been done.

UG!Sonic recalled moments that his brother complained about.

UG!Manic: It's just, well... [Hits a drum] I've been thinking... everything we beat, Butt-nik rebuilds. What's the point? Past UG!Sonic: Hey, we just munched a solid-fuel installation. That's not too shabby. UG!Manic: Yeah, I guess. [Sighs] Seems like nothing really changes.

Manic: Yes, but my question is when? For all we know, it could happen twenty years from now. Why bother?!

Back in the present...

UG!Sonic: So what?! So... In this context LM is trying to enforce, we're just supposed to let people close to us die, just because some ALGORITHM-

E-21 (panicked): Woah, woah!

UG!Sonic: -says that's supposed to happen?! What in the world's wrong with you?!

OMT!Tails: Yeah! You three do realise how outright messed up that sounds, right?!

Zonic: *sigh* Alright, let's all take a moment here. So, think about this, in a way. You've heard HIS talk about a supposed way of doing things, right? Now, you have a choice. A choice between saving someone truly special to you, or saving a world. EVERY world if we're talking on a grander scale. Now, look, I'm not trying to force you to choose here. Nobody can. But what would you personally prioritise, if forced into it?

Almost everyone in the room: Both!

OMT!Tails: I can do BOTH of those things! A hero of Mobius always-!

CR!Sonic: Not... "always".

LM!Sonic: You can't have it all, child. Being the hero of Mobius is a sacrifice. That's the job, the job you signed up for.

Fiona: *sigh* Tails...

LM!Sonic's lot gather around OMT!Tails, with SS!Amy stepping between them.

OMT!Tails: Fiona...? What is this? Are you trying to intervene in my heroics?!

Turbo: We know it's hard, but it's still the truth, Tails.

OMT!Tails: Is that why you're gathering around me and Amy now? To let us down easy?

EV!Sonic: You lot, give them room!

OMT!Tails: It worked last time. Why not run it back, huh?

CR!Sonic: H-Hey, hold on there!

OMT!Tails (glaring at OMT!Mina): You were right, Mina. You should NEVER have gotten me involved in this brainwashed freak's game to begin with! You said yourself that you've no interest in professional work, yet that sorry excuse of a "hero" forced you to work with him anyway!

CR!Sonic: Kid, look at me.

OMT!Tails: Stop calling me that!

Pana: And here we go...

Antho: Yeah. Screw that guy.

D-Sides Mighty: Agreed.

Fiona: Pana, Antho, Mighty, you aren't helping.

Antho, Pana and D-Sides Mighty: Good.

OMT!Tails flashed a smile to those three and the kinder Quill Society members.

CR!Sonic: Please understand-!

OMT!Tails: You CAN'T ask me not to save Cream! My life is meaningless without her!

SS!Amy: Yeah! You can't ask him to play by your rules!

LM!Sonic: I'm not asking you.

LM!Sonic used an energy field to restrain OMT!Tails, which shocked everyone except for LM!Sonic's group. CR!Sonic and OMT!Mina quickly backed off seeing this, reconsidering their words.

OMT!Mina (genuinely scared for OMT!Tails): Stop that!

LM!Sonic: If I let him leave, he'll only cause MORE damage. You both know that!

CR!Sonic: No, man! This is going too far!

CR!Sonia: Yeah, you big meanie! That's enough!

CR!Manik nodded, pulling an angry raspberry at LM!Sonic. Antho, though, had a plan, using a hand gesture to remind Tails to absorb that energy from the sphere.

Antho (quietly): Like this, little dude.

LM!Sonic: We just need to hold you for a few hours! Sorry it had to end like this, kid-.

He heard the charging behind him, turning around in shock.

OMT!Tails: I said not to call me that!

Tails's vision darted around, pinning at LM!Sonic and Turbo, and triggering a blast that knocked them backwards.

UG!Sonic: Woo! Nice one, man!

Antho chuckled in approval.

D-Sides Mighty: That paid off nicely!

Milly: What do we do now?

EV!Sonic: Tails, SS, hurry over to the Transport Hub in Sector 30, and use it to bolt after Crimtake and stop him! Everyone else, be ready to cover them!

LM!Sonic got up, his temper having reached his limit.

LM!Sonic: MILES PROWER!

He leapt at the fox, with SS!Amy promptly hitting him back into the wall before he bolted off.

Antho: If he gets to that Hub first, we're in big trouble!

Tekno: Right! On your way there, Tails, send out a red alert to everyone on the planet to stop LM! And ensure he's baited over to the Terminal Velocity spot at Sector 19. That should buy you both enough distance to reach the Hub first.

OMT!Tails: Right! Come on, Amy!

SS!Amy: Right!

The two dashed off, with Turbo and Fiona in pursuit.

EV!Sonic: Everyone else, dispatch! Apprehend LM through any means necessary!

Sarah (through a communicator to Sonic.RAW): RAW? It's Sarah. I need you to get your gear ready. We've got a rogue to apprehend!

Sonic.RAW: On it right now, ma'am!

Every Quill Society member in the room headed out.

CR!Sonic: Alright.

CR!Manik: Should we help Tails out, dad?

CR!Sonic: Yeah. Sorry I'm doing this to you both... This is definitely bad parenting... Just hang tight!

CR!Sonia: You got it!

The three left.

Pana: ...And just for the record, I quit trying to bother with LM.

NEXT POST

[pocketseizure]

Best Wells in Tears of the Kingdom #3

The Rikoka Hills Well is located in a ruined village nestled in the foothills south of the Lanayru Wetlands. If you look down onto the flooded plains from the elevated graveyard of Kakariko Village, you can see a column of smoke rising from the well, which is the location of Moza’s Hideaway Restaurant.

The mighty Moza, equipped for battle with a pot lid and a soup ladle, will turn the Dubious Food in Link’s inventory into Monster Stew, a violently purple dish that uses Monster Extract as its key ingredient. Moza’s Monster Stew only restores five hearts, which arguably isn’t worth the ten rupees she charges. The main benefit of the transaction isn’t Moza’s food, however. Rather, it’s the colorful language she uses to express her disdain for Link’s culinary misadventures.

This is ironic, as Moza has no great skill at the cooking pot herself. In Breath of the Wild, the aspiring chef could be found at Ishto Soh Shrine in the foothills of the mountains east of the Gerudo Desert. This shrine was surrounded by towering piles of garbage buzzing with flies. The origin of these heaps of raw organic garbage was a mystery, but they served as a suitable backdrop for Moza’s misguided quest to create the ultimate dish with unsavory ingredients such a wood, rocks, and monster guts.

I have to admit that I go back and forth on how I feel about the main plots of the Legend of Zelda games, which can sometimes feel overblown and silly. What I never fail to appreciate about these games are their smaller stories, which show what Hyrule looks like in the eyes of the people who aren’t trying to save it. Does Moza care about floating castles and missing princesses? Probably not, but that doesn’t stop her from living her best life and enjoying everything Hyrule has to offer an adventurous explorer.

[blackjackkent]

All right. Sort of found Minsc last night, but hopefully tonight we find him for realsies!

To the sewers! Show me how excited you are about going back to the sewers, Hector.

That's what I thought.

I stole some fancy new armor for Jaheira out of the back of the secure vault from a box with a DC-30 SoH check; I savescummed it, yes, but I feel no guilt from an RP level bc it was not labeled as an item that would be considered theft. XD So I'm choosing to believe Glitterbeard gave this to us as thanks for saving his hide.

It looks pretty dope on her.

We have to be somewhat careful here because (I have been informed by @aloptext) the game actually isn't kidding about Florrick only having five days to live. So if I want to get Minsc and then save her we need to be fairly judicious with our long rests. So for now we'll go straight to Minsc and try and avoid getting caught in any other trouble in the meantime.

...

...

I wrote the above and was IMMEDIATELY accosted by a woman in the street out of nowhere. It actually startled me a little.

"You! The gods-damned disease of the Gate! Lady Mizora told me everything - how you and the Blade of Frontiers slaughtered his own father, how he craves ultimate power, how he means to make the city bow to him and him alone! First I finish you! Then I finish the duke's traitorous son!"

...Mizora, you motherfucker. >:|

I guess we should have expected this. Hector's pretty upset about it; they already had Orin doing her best to smear his reputation in the city. He doesn't need Mizora doing it too.

The woman's anger seems sincere, though; he suspects she is a decent, honorable person being misled by Mizora's lies but doing what she believes is the right thing. And-- I recognize her name!

"Cordula Eltan." Almost certainly related to Duke Eltan, founder of the Flaming Fist, who was present at Caden's adventures in BG1.

We have the option to address her with recognition, as her family has "a storied history" in the city, but Hector has a history check he can take instead, nerd boy that he is.

[HISTORY] A relevant thread of knowledge pokes at your mind. Explore it.

Narrator: You remember the stories of Elturel's fall. The city was dragged into the Hells at Zariel's behest - and Ravengard along with it.

Ooh. I actually forgot that Ravengard was apparently involved in the original fall of Elturel. It's not super clear if the implication here is supposed to be that Mizora is shooting for revenge against him for escaping Zariel's grasp, but that certainly seems to be the line Hector is trying to take.

"Zariel's stunt destroyed countless lives," he says soberly. "Mizora is her minion. You can't trust her."

Eltan hesitates... then sheathes her blades. Hector gets the distinct impression she was already thinking this in the back of her mind and he has merely forced her to confront it.

"Stand down," she mutters. "I believe you, the Battle Lord help me. What darkness has fallen upon us..." A slight pause; she looks Hector up and down consideringly, then seems to come to a decision.

"Listen. There's something Wyll should know," she says earnestly, her voice softening. "On his way from Elturel, Ravengard sent a messenger with word of the cult. He knew about the Absolute. I thought little of it at first - but he realized the danger before anyone else did. He understood that if the cult were successful in raising an army, Baldur's Gate would be doomed."

Her eyes narrow. "And he knew that to protect the city, one trained in the ways of the great champions would have to rouse the wyrm living beneath. If I'm not mistaken, that would be Wyll."

Wait.

What?

Hector blinks rapidly, thrown by this unexpected pivot in the conversation. "Do you mean there's a *dragon* living under the city?" he asks, bewildered.

"A bronze dragon, to be precise," Eltan answers gravely. "Sleeping beneath us. The wyrm goes by many names. Ansur. The Waiting Storm. The Heart of the Gate. He made Balduran a binding promise to protect the city when its need was greatest."

...Interesting. (Especially interesting that the Emperor didn't feel like bringing this up when it mentioned we need to look for allies. Seems like the sort of thing that would be valuable information.)

"The city's survived countless threats," Eltan goes on. "But Ravengard knew its walls would fall to the cult. With him gone and the city near ruin, your call is to unleash the Heart of the Gate." She hands him a curled scroll of paper; he feels the fragility of it, the age of the paper. "'The Legend of Ansur.' The bards call it a tall tale. But every last word is true. Follow its path to the wyrm." She scowls tightly. "Or do not, and let the Coast be drowned in blood."

Hector considers the woman in silence for a moment. He has heard of this story obliquely in some reading or other - but not as something seriously considered fact. But this woman seems quite lucid in all other regards so he is hesitant to call her mad in this one. And if it's true...

They need allies. And, to be honest, Wyll needs something to give him a sense of purpose in the wake of the terrible sacrifice he's had to make.

"Your faith in us is well-founded," Hector says, matching the younger woman's serious tone. "We will seek the wyrm and ask for his help."

Eltan nods crisply. "I was right to lay down my arms, Foehammer be praised. I should go, gather allies. We'll join you in your hour of need. Free the wyrm, and may his thunderous wind drive the Absolute from the Coast."

-----

Well, that was unexpected. XD Hector's days continue to get weirder.

The written tale she gave us is fun because it has notes from Wyll's dad written in the margins.

I guess we'll go look into that after we've gotten Minsc, Florrick, and potentially Ravengard himself to safety.