#the beginning and the end of this game play so differently

[damagedintellect]

Fyodor x reader x Nikolai [Rich kids AU]

💌 Days of our Bungo : Part 1 💌  

Summary: All of your fathers made a pack that whenever they had kids they would marry each other. It sounded like a good idea at the time but when the Sigma family was the only family to have a girl, and everyone wanted a bloodborne heir, things seemed a little complicated. After many arguments it was decided they would wait to see which boy, she, would fall for. Everyone always ends up having a crush on their childhood friend right?

Notes: Guess who had another Bungo dream, it was me! This time around the dream sequence started in the middle and just kept going so ima just fill in the gaps and start from the top.

Tropes: Sigma is your twin, Fyodor x reader x Nikolai, Fyodor is endgame, royalty/rich kids, Childhood friends, Mutual pinning but reader thinks it's one-sided, Nikolai knows its unrequited but he still loves you & Fyodor, eventual 🍋

💌 Word count: 4,821 💌  You Are Here | Part 2 coming soon

At the age of five you and your brother were inseparable. You were twins after all, it would have been weird if you weren't close to some degree. Sigma kept his hair long to match you even though your hair colors were mirrored. Naturally your parents gave you matching outfits although with some alterations between skirts and dresses. Sometimes you and Sigma would try to swap outfits to see if they could tell the difference but your hair colors always gave you away. That's the first memory you could vividly remember. Right before your first big fight with each other. That's when your father knew it was the right time to call his friends. Your parents were always worried about your development since there were minor complications during your infant years.

You were playing in the garden when the maids called you into the foyer. Your father had arranged for you to meet someone. Well more than just someone, your father had many friends but only two of them had children your age. Apparently you've met them before but you don't remember them at all. You and Sigma had extremely finicky memories for your age. Which is why today was so important for the both of you in that regard.

These friends of papa were special, they were his super best friends and hopefully today you would also make a super best friend too. Sigma would always be your best friend but he was your brother first and foremost. That was like cheating to you so you were hoping to make a good impression on the two boys in front of you.

Fyodor Dostoevsky and Nikolai Gogol stood before you as you curtsied. The two couldn't be any more different than you imagined. One was quiet and stoic while the other was loud and energetic. They seemed like a packaged deal just like you and Sigma. They had been friends for over a year now bonding over music lessons and the fact that their manors were close to each other. As your fathers spoke you were sent off to play and get to know the boys. Their fathers looked excited over your very meeting but you weren’t sure why and you wouldn't figure it out until years down the line.

You watched as Sigma tried to play chess with Fyodor. Nikolai was commentating the game, making Sigma loose focus. Neither you nor Nikolai wanted to play after watching Sigma get destroyed like that. Fortunately Nikolai had seen the piano when he walked in and played the beginnings of a song. He was still working on getting all the notes right but it wasn’t bad for how many lessons he's had without sheet music no less. Apparently Fyodor played the cello and that's how they met at the academy. Sigma was going to start violin soon but you wanted to learn ballet. Ever since you saw the Nutcracker at Christmas it was all you could think about. Nikolai just enrolled recently because his family needed something for him to exhaust all his uncontrollable energy. At least you wouldn't be alone.

You dragged everyone out to the garden. Something you have always wanted to do with other kids your age was to play hide and seek. Normally some of the maids and butlers would indulge you every once in a while but there were only so many places they could hide. This would be fun. You decided to be “it”, choosing to make the gazebo your counting spot. You heard the pitter patter of feet run from you as you counted down. Although when you finally reached zero you immediately found Fyodor standing behind the bush at the base of the stairs.

“Found you!” You laughed and grabbed his hand pulling him along to find the others. He didn’t protest but he did look slightly uncomfortable being dragged along. It didn't take you long to find Sigma either, he likes to hide in the same spot every time but it did take you a while to find Nikolai. The entire time you realized you never once tried to let Fyodor's hand go. Fyodor gave your hand a gentle squeeze as he pointed up in the tree near the fountain.

Sure enough Nikolai waved from his spot as he stood up striking a victory pose. He nearly fell down while he was making his descent, accidentally kicking off one of his shoes in the process. With Nikolai being the winner he was now it. You made a break for it when he started counting but stopped when you saw Fyodor just standing there. It seemed like Fyodor didn't quite get the point of hide and seek. You ran back to him and once again dragged him away. 

You saw some of the maids making preparations for afternoon tea and in a spark of genius you crawled under the thick tablecloth hoping no one would think to look there. You and Fyodor sat for a long time. Definitely longer than it took for you to find Nikolai. With the excitement of the day you had gotten pretty tired from running around. You ended up slumping on Fyodor's shoulder being comfortable enough to fall asleep. While Fyodor contemplated what to do in this situation he overheard some of your waitstaff talking about you both.

“Have you seen the way young master Nikolai looks at our young lady?”

“I wish someone would stare at me like that. Although did you notice the young lady holding young master Fyodor's hand? She must have taken a liking to him.”

“That's adorable. I wonder if she will be betrothed to young master Fyodor instead?”

“I heard that they plan on waiting until she's eighteen to decide who she'll be promised too. They're all still so young, nowadays it's customary to wait to make the announcement.”

Fyodor looked back at your sleeping face. You were going to marry him someday? He rolled his eyes. At least now he understood why his father made such a fuss about being a gentleman before he left the manor. As if he'd conduct himself in any other fashion but given his only acquaintance is Nikolai, Fyodor can see his fathers reserve. He doesn't like the idea of his future marriage being arranged especially since he'd just met you but it was reassuring that in the end it seemed like you'd have a say about who you'd end up with. Fyodor didn’t understand why it was so important to his father but maybe he'd understand with time. Speaking of time Nikolai abruptly pulled the tablecloth off the table to reveal the two of you crouched underneath. While Fyodor was originally indifferent about the game he couldn't help but frown upon being caught.

You were startled awake by the noise of tea cups clattering in place. All the maids had a heart attack for a moment before they saw the white haired boy perfectly displace the cloth from underneath the dishes. You clutched your head where it made contact with the underside of the table. Fyodor let out a soft laugh at your misfortune causing you to stare at him in awe as Sigma helped you stand. The genuine spark in his eyes left you blushing as Nikolai was boasting about his table trick. You all sat down for tea as your father's plan to become friends worked like a charm.

___

After that you all would get together at least once a week to play around before you started attending the academy. Sigma was taking violin lessons while you and Nikolai started taking ballet. You thought he was crazy for doing both piano lessons and dance at the same time but Fyodor had commented that if anyone could pull it off it would be Nikolai. The boy seemed to be able to teleport around the academy as is. Not to mention the fact that Nikolai seemed to know everyone. His best friend on the other hand was the exact opposite. Fyodor was, annoyingly, always practicing even outside of lessons. Nikolai seemed to be the only one capable of dragging him out of the practice rooms to meet up with the rest of you. Sometimes he would even fight you all and practice during lunch. It was sad because you very much enjoyed the Russian's company.

Besides that, ballet wasn’t exactly everything you'd hoped it would be. You wanted to learn how to dance on your toes like Clara did in the Nutcracker but apparently girls don't go on pointe until at least the age of seven. Although recently there had been talk that the school was in the process of changing that due to safety concerns. Nikolai had thrown a fit that men should be allowed to go on pointe too but it wouldn’t matter because neither of you were technically prepared for pointe work anyways. That's all you hear day after day, technique. It was boring learning proper placement, posture and turnout. You wanted to skip steps and just dance but apparently it was extremely important to your training to practice at the barre. Which was lame, you liked centerwork way more than being at the barre.

Even after a few years you still liked working in the center better than being stuck at the barre. Although now the years of technique classes had really paid off. This past year had been more focused on prepointe and pas de deux compared to past years. You had partnered with Nikolai whenever you needed to partner up for anything. Nikolai would make a scene if he wasn't your partner to go across the floor or for stretching so you weren’t that surprised when he became your official pas de deux partner. The teachers must have been observing the two of you since you enrolled in the academy. When you were finally put on pointe Nikolai was extremely jealous until you let him put your shoes on. He nearly fell over going on relevé at the barre, claiming that they were actually torture devices and he was no longer envious of you for being on pointe. 

A few more years had passed and you started noticing that you and Nikolai were the artistic director’s favorites. They must have seen something in you both. For the end of year showcase you would be performing the pas de deux from Cinderella. Which was going to be their summer production that you could audition for. This appeared to be your audition for the role. You both were ecstatic. Nikolai was obviously a shoe in for the prince but you had a lot of competition for Cinderella. It didn’t bother you much, you were just here to dance and do your best. You heard a lot of gossip in passing though, “(Y/N) is only good because she gets to partner with Nikolai.”

“They’re only looking at (Y/N) because she dances with Nikolai, I dance better.”

“Her pointe work is so sloppy I bet you her father pays the school to get better parts.”

Nikolai has told you to tune them out but the feeling was hard to shake. Nikolai was a freaking prodigy at everything he did. So was Fyodor. Even Sigma to some degree but you get to see the behind the scenes of his genius. His anxiety sometimes rubs off on you too. At the moment your class was let out early so you were bothering Sigma and Fyodor in one of the practice rooms. 

For their showcase they were both given Ravel’s "Pavane for a dead princess". Which was an interesting choice given that it was originally written to be a piano solo. It can be done as a duet with a piano and violin or cello but it was weird that they had been practicing it as a violin and cello piece. Nikolai was playing the piano as they were taking turns practicing their parts. Again it baffled you that Nikolai knows this piece by heart. When the lad had time to practice this was beyond you. Sigma had been practicing this at home most nights but this was the first time you’ve heard it with the cello accompaniment. 

You couldn’t help yourself; it seemed like your body was moving on its own. You were so entranced by Fyodor’s playing that you got up and danced. To you it was such a beautiful piece. Most people called it melancholic but it was beautiful. You weren’t paying attention and Nikolai was pretty sure he was the only one who noticed but Fyodor slipped up slightly. Nikolai glanced at his friend to see what happened when he noticed that the Russian's hands were on autopilot. Fyodor was watching you dance. Nikolai’s hands stopped as well, completely encapsulated by your movement. This had to be what true freedom looked like.

You didn't even realize when they had finished playing. You were too busy living in your own little world. Fyodor smiled as you continued to glide around the room. You made it look effortless. Both of them were breathless. You only stopped when Sigma cleared his throat.

“So is it my turn now?”

___

Sure enough when the auditions rolled around for Cinderella you and Nikolai were casted at the leads. It would be your first time dancing a principal role. The only problem was the animosity of your peers. It constantly felt as though someone was out to get you. It was a feeling that kept you looking over your shoulder with caution. There were more whispers lately and it only continued your bad feeling. Of course you had an understudy in the event you couldn't dance the part and you noticed how she would glare daggers at you while ogling Nikolai.

You had just finished rehearsal waiting for Nikolai to finish changing out when foreign arms grabbed you from behind and your world went dark.

Your limbs were heavy and everything was starting to slow down. The commotion at the door of the cheap motel didn’t even reach your ears. Everything was muffled compared to the steadiness of your breathing. That was until Fyodor and Nikolai burst through the door. What they were doing here was beyond you. Why not the police? This had you confused but if anyone could track and take down some random ransom kidnapper it would be them. 

Ever since Fyodor took his first computer engineering and programming courses you had expected that he took to being quite the hacker but you never called him out on it. Aided with Nikolai’s weird obsession with carnival tricks like throwing knives, hatchets and the occasional lock picking, this seemed like a normal day. Maybe it was whatever the guy slipped you that made this seem like normal behavior. For all you knew, your brain could be trying to piece together logical connections for things that weren’t really happening just to preserve whatever mental stability you had left. In other words this could all be a dream that you wished was happening.

Fyodor knelt down in front of you. Piercing violet eyes assessed your condition. You could get lost in his eyes, if he would let you. His lips were moving much too fast for you to keep up. None of the sound registered to you. You've never seen him this expressive before. When he realized you were not listening he took off his uniform blazer and draped it around your nearly naked shoulders. You hadn’t even noticed that the two had taken off your restraints. Nikolai was searching for your discarded clothes as Fyodor started explaining again, but slower this time. 

“Sigma is outside dealing with our private police force. Nikolai’s father only let us come with them under the pretense we would not, personally, get involved but Nikolai threatened the chief to let us handle it.” 

Nikolai came back with your skirt but when you just stared down at the article of clothing they both gave each other a look and helped you redress. It was only when they tried to remove Fyodor’s coat did you finally snap out of your stupor and throw yourself into Fyodor's arms. Your breath was ragged and you were shaking. It seemed like your body was just now catching up to speed. The grip you had on his shirt only tightened as he wrapped his arms around you. The feeling in your limbs were weird, it took so much effort to move them freely and when you did, they felt like they were moving on their own accord. Right now you were safe and that’s all that mattered. Fyodor always made you feel safe.

“T-t…” 

The words couldn’t leave your mouth but then again you didn’t know what to say. You didn’t even realize you had started silently crying until Fyodor pulled away to wipe away your tears. By that time Sigma ran up to you making you fall back on the bed. 

“I WAS WORRIED SICK! If Fyodor didn’t hack into “Eyes of God”, who knows what would have happened!” 

Sigma was crying more than you were. You tried to smile but your face was too heavy to turn up the corners of your lips. “Do you know how hard it was to prevent Nikolai from killing anyone? The moment we found out you were taken, those two were completely different people!” Sigma shook you for emphasis “It was terrifying!”

You wanted to answer him so badly but your mouth only opened without making a sound. It only took a beat for Fyodor to express that you’ve probably been sedated. Once Sigma got your shirt and Fyodor’s jacket back on your person, Nikolai carried you out and held you while you were in the car. Being your pas de deux partner for a few years now meant he could carry your weight near effortlessly. You leaned your head into his chest. Your eyelids were feeling extra heavy as they slid shut. You didn't notice his grip on you tightening, pulling you closer to his chest. If you were paying more attention you might have even caught the light kiss he pressed to your forehead.

___

You never got the full story but you could assume that Fyodor was able to trace the kidnapper back to your understudy because she was never seen at the academy again. You didn't stop dancing per se but you tried other forms of performance. Singing and acting have always interested you. So when you entered the high-school division you decided to give the acting thing a try. Nikolai always followed you around like an eccentric puppy and it didn’t surprise you in the slightest when once again you both were casted as the leads. Although this time there was one glaring oversight on your part.

Whenever you had any issues you couldn't sort out yourself you always sought out Fyodor for advice. You had inconspicuously invited the russian over for one of your sleepovers that hadn't stopped when you were children. The only thing that was remotely off was the lack of Nikolai’s presence. As the boys were about to retire for the night you finally mustered up the courage to speak.

“Actually um,” You reached for his sleeve “Do you think you could sleep in my room tonight?” 

You couldn’t look him in the eyes. Both Sigma and Fyodor raised an eyebrow at you. When you were kids he slept in your room all the time and none of your parents ever said anything about it. Sigma shrugged, he trusts that Fyodor wouldn’t do anything. He would have said something if it was Nikolai since he’s constantly physically affectionate as a person but if anything Fyodor has stricter physical boundaries compared to you. He'll allow it, not that he was going to try and stop you.

You couldn’t believe you were doing this but it was necessary. If you didn’t Nikolai would tease you relentlessly in front of the rest of the cast and you wanted to avoid that as much as possible. You were already freaking out that you had to kiss Nikolai of all people. He’s always felt like a brother to you and ever since that incident during Cinderella you were traumatized at the potential for that to happen again. Sure you were older now but that thought would always be in the back of your mind. You were aware of his ever growing fanclub and while after that incident they stopped bullying you completely you never know.

The moment you got to your room you motioned for him to sit on your bed. You were fidgeting with the hem of your sleeves. Like always Fyodor seemed to read you like a book, sighing softly while giving you a reassuring smile. 

“Are you really that worried about kissing Nikolai that you need to practice?”

You groaned, hiding your face as you threw yourself on your pile of pillows. “Let it be known I hate when you do that!” You curled up into a ball peeking at the russian while hugging your safety pillow. You really didn't and Fyodor knows that, otherwise he would have stopped predicting your words a long time ago but it didn't make it any less embarrassing. He knows you a little too well.

“Yes, I’m worried about kissing Nikolai! I have to practically make out with him and I’ve never kissed anyone before.” Kicking your feet in frustration you sat up in a huff. “I don’t want my first kiss to be because I have to. I always thought my first kiss would be a special private moment. Something romantic you know? And now everyone’s going to watch me make out with Nikolai! I didn’t think I’d actually be Juliet. I thought I’d have more time.” Your face was hot and your heart was racing. You couldn’t bring yourself to look at Fyodor; he probably thought you were being ridiculous. Auditioning knowing that this was a possibility. It was your first time auditioning for a show that didn't have any proper dancing in it. You had just wanted the acting experience.

“There is no problem with wanting something to be special, (Y/N).” He put his hand on your cheek and guided your eyes to meet his. “If it puts you more at ease, I would be giving you my first kiss as well.”

Your breath hitched at the contact. He'd be giving his first kiss to you. You didn't actually think about that, although you should have known that was the case. He’s never had an interest in such things but he was willing for your sake.

He was sitting so close to you. When did he move from the otherside of the bed? Your head was spinning and nothing even happened yet. Neither of you initiated the kiss and his expression grew uncertain. This was awkward but you’d be figuring it out together at least. To be honest you didn't think he would entertain such an idea. You assumed he would talk you through being less anxious about it or perhaps give you a kiss on the cheek since he’s never been fond of physical contact if he could help it. That goes to show you Fyodor was a good friend, putting his comfort aside for your sake.

You closed your eyes mustering up enough courage to lean forward, gently touching his lips to yours. A flutter ran through your stomach as every thought in your head melted away. It was only one kiss but this already left you breathless and you were expected to do this on stage with everyone watching you? You became lightheaded as Fyodor pulled away first, resting his forehead on your shoulder. It felt warm to the touch which contrasted how cold he normally was. You moved to touch your lips with your hands. They still felt tingly.

Fyodor let out a shaky breath as he recited one of Nikolai’s lines. It almost didn't occur to you what he was doing until he sat upright with his eyes trained on your lips. He was caressing you just like Nikolai would in rehearsal. You don't even remember if you said the right line as Fyodor crashed your lips together. Again you were caught by surprise that he was taking this so seriously. You hummed as you melted into the kiss. Moving your lips against Fyodor's was making you dizzy. You couldn't help sighing softly under your breath. You were too enthralled with your personal bliss you didn't realize when Fyodor moved you to lay on your back. You were currently lying down with Fyodor looming over your smaller figure. Your hands gripped the front of your dress as your heart hammered away in your chest. You felt Fyodor pulling back again. His expression was unreadable but his face was flush. You were both panting looking at each other through half lidded eyes. You had the urge to pull him in for more. You really wanted to be greedy.

“Will that suffice?” He spoke as smooth and unwavering as ever, sounding unbothered like he wasn't also out of breath. You on the other hand could barely form words. “I-I believe so.” You were embarrassed and wanted nothing more than to continue where you left off but it was a self-indulgent thought. 

Fyodor curtly got up to turn the lights off and situated his side of the bed. As he turned away from you he said his goodnight. You were left mildly hot and indefinitely bothered beyond compare. How could he just kiss you with all the passion in the world and then go to sleep? Maybe Fyodor should have been the actor out of your group. You've never seen his eyes so vibrant before. You laid there lost in thought replaying that last kiss in your head. Fyodor was always there for you but you hate that no matter how close the two of you are you will never be more than friends. Over the years he's never had any interest in romance and If his actions after the kiss were any indication, he couldn't even look at you. You turned away from him trying to ease the rejection but your head was still reeling from the kiss. You would never forget what love should feel like, even if Fyodor would not return the feeling.

Fyodor was eerily still, listening for your breathing to even out. He doesn't know what came over him, the moment his lips touched yours a fire was lit throughout his body. He prided himself with his immaculate self control and his body threw it all down the drain. If he didn't stop when he did he would have just embarrassed himself in front of you. He felt the blood rush down his abdomen. That's why he was adamant about turning the lights off as fast as possible. Fyodor tried to will it away but the memory of how you looked up at him blissfully dazed was driving him mad. He agreed to help for purely selfish reasons and he almost feels bad about manipulating you but it was worth it to best Nikolai, in that you choose Fyodor to be your first kiss. 

He's watched the two of you only grow closer as the years passed and Fyodor feels like he's been left behind. Even though you've expressed that your feelings for Nikolai is that of brotherly love, he can't help but feel it's something more when he sees the two of you together. It would truly pain him to lose your affection to Nikolai but in the end if that's what you desired he's prepared to step aside for your happiness. At least that's what he tells himself, it's far too easy for him to be selfish for what he wants. In fact he's known of your love for him for years now but he doesn't press the matter because such infatuation would only distract from your studies and the last thing he needs is to have both of your father’s disapproval.

The next day you tried your best to mask your weary expression as Nikolai leaned in to kiss you. You were expecting to be met with the same overwhelming warmth that you had with Fyodor the night prior but your mind was clear of the fog. As you pulled away you waited for Nikolai’s next line but it never came. You gave him a quizzical look but he was still staring at you in awe. He gave it a beat before he broke character.

“Ah, sorry that was my first kiss.”

Your director was laughing as the rest of your cast exploded in conversation. Nikolai was always the utmost professional performer; this was the first time you think he’s ever slipped up and broke character for any reason. His face was a light shade of pink as he avoided your gaze.

___

Part 2 coming soon, 3 parts total

[rubyroboticalt]

Minecrafters grab your pickaxes, and catch up on the QBLR QUATERLY!

That's right, due to the holiday there's a double feature today! We've got pages of new stuff to go over, so let me learn you a thing about all the events and mishaps that happened on the server this week!

Party in the Toxic Cave! That's a very safe place to have no protective equipment whatsoever.

A safer place is the brand new Playground! Mozzarella opens up a playground for creatures and carers to play in, complete with a treehouse and a conveyer belt rollercoaster! The rollercoaster is 100% safe, and child-tested.

The Void Sanctum held its initiation ceremony, welcoming Brie, Gem, Soup, Bombom, Jinx, and Pip into its folds. Experience the Void.

Following that was a White Baby attack! The Baby has learned some new moves, while swarms of Nightmare Stalkers are still in its arsenal it uses a cloud of slideshow!

At least, slideshow for those of us with lower-end PCs who have particles turned on. The News, while produced on a PC older than Five Nights at Freddy's, has particles off. Get on my level, scrub.

Next up, a series of screenshots all captioned "the cutest baby on the server!", none of which feature the same creature twice. Yes, these creatures are all cute and very baby, but to make claims like that we'll have to have a proper creature pageant. Everyone go catch up on Toddlers and Tiaras!

New builds pop up around the server, with many players building new and adventurous structures. Slanted rooves, windmills and towers, oh my! Unlike most architectural ventures, the people here think about wheelchair users when making bathrooms! This one is big enough for any power chair to fit.

The void begins to encroach on peoples' homes, though not through the sanctum this time. Despite a Tiny render distance enforced, chunkloading with an average of 50 players is difficult.

A community barbecue was held! Plenty of food and drinks for everyone, and plenty of fun games. Of course, a party can only hold off the angst for so Hima and Snowball make some devoted sacrifices. After this, Snowball celebrates a birthday! A lighthearted end to a long day.

Another white baby attack. These are becoming routine on the server, something that is horrifying when you think about it. Violent attacks by a seemingly immortal creature are normalizing. Christ alive. Residents have different ways of destressing after these attacks. Hanging out on rooves is a popular one.

Deep sea exploration sees an explosion of interest! Submersibles and whales and dive suits abound. Fancy clothes and gourmet foods are made, including some questionable rich-folk eats. A picnic is held at the pergola. Attendees bond over food and a lovely sunny day.

And now, the autistic minecraft behaviors

A beautiful little bakery opens up! Sweet treats abound here. And, of course, more base work from the residents. Some bases are incredibly ambitious, and all are beautiful. All bases! Yup, all of them. All… bases. Guys please. This is just the backrooms now. The broadcast has to end here.

[fallout-lou-begas]

What is very interesting about the difference in Agnes Sands's and Murderfreak's in-game builds is that Agnes is high-intelligence with pretty poor direct martial skills and Murderfreak is low intelligence with almost exclusively high direct martial skills, but they both have absolutely terrible social skills (Charisma generally and Speech particularly, and in Murderfreak's case, also Barter). And so the result is that Agnes gets pretty good at a lot of things whereas Murderfreak gets exceptionally good at one specific thing (murdering, but also to the freak's credit, Survival crafting), but neither of them are good at settling anything diplomatically. It makes for a very dynamic dichotomy between the two of them as characters that I am playing as in the video game:

Agnes is significantly outmatched in most direct gunfights to where even just one guy with the drop on her is a disaster, and when outright aversion ("I am not fucking doing that") isn't an option, she has to sneak and skulk around for her life, being very careful about starting any kind of fights at all, praying that she doesn't piss any faction off enough to get hit squads sent after her, and relying primarily on lockpick, pickpocket, craftiness, exploration, terminal hacking, or big chunks of her personal finances to get out of trouble. As a result of resource scarcity, Agnes has to plan every excursion out of major settlements very carefully, and keep exceptional track of her food and water, and even has to straight up steal from people just to survive. And she has to do this very carefully, because getting caught stealing and attacked, or shunned by a community, is a great way to make things even fucking harder. However, since Agnes isn't much of a fighter, weapons barely take up any space in her inventory, so she can carry a lot of food, water, and medicine at least.

Murderfreak, meanwhile, can only thrive in direct combat engagements. Sneaking is just a means to an end, a matter of optimal positioning before combat begins. Murderfreak thinks of hit squads as random supply drops and food delivery. Murderfreak's primary method of forced entry is breaking through doors and containers with whatever melee weapons her most recent victims were carrying. Murderfreak does not "make" things, Murderfreak is a exclusively a destroyer. Murderfreak does not "hack" terminals but can get them open sometimes in four random guesses if the luck's there. Murderfreak does not carry money because Murderfreak simply doesn't need it. Murderfreak gets most of their food and healing from being a cannibal, but with all the weaponry in her inventory, they can only carry so much water, and it runs out fast.

And I love this. RPG gameplay tends to be split into roughly three distinct pillars of "Combat," "Stealth (or Exploration)," and "Speech," and the way that both Agnes and Murderfreak are complete ass at that last pillar both heightens their specializations into each of the first two pillars, and exaggerates the friction that manifests when they're forced to interface with the other ones. Neither of them have a "get out of jail free" card, ever. They handle the same situation in completely different ways by necessity, but it's a constant loop of emergent gameplay for the both of them: the stakes are constantly very high, I am constantly confronting obstacles that I am simply Not Built For, and the only way around those obstacles is either sheer ingenuity (strategy, attentive preparation, and resource management), or a mixture of good luck and brute force. Agnes is roleplay as a cunning but frail prey animal and Murderfreak is roleplay as a big dumb apex predator that's just barreling through the Mojave in a single-minded quest for more food. What I don't like as much about "Speech" (in FNV) is that it makes all of my most important gameplay decisions happen in dialogue menus, as opposed to in the moment, in the action, in my own inventory, or in the environment.

So, yeah, I'm having a lot of fun playing New Vegas again

[carolmaclaine]

hopping into new game plus immediately after finishing your first run of deadspace is terrible because you keep forgetting you dont have kinesis

[kjzx]

Nas'hrah I believe somewhere at the museum mentions The Girl and he says something along the lines of "--that kid, whatever her name was,--" which implies that she Did have a name, which makes sense (pretty much everyone but Enki would give her a name and he very explicitly was not the one who led her to ending A), but it's nice to have a canon confirmation she did have a name

If NAS'HRAH vaguely remembers her having a name I damn bet everyone was calling her by it

[randomnameless]

Sorry for this ask being a little out-of-nowhere, but in regards to Ryoma being jealous of Corrin's leadership skills, i do think there's more evidence in favor of Corrin being decently old when they were kidnapped than against; the afterlife section at the end of Conquest confirms that Corrin and Ryoma used to have full-on sparring matches together, meaning that Corrin was being constantly trained in how to fight while living in Hoshido, which would very likely only happen when they were in their early-to-mid-teens at the youngest, given how there's no implication anywhere in the game that Hoshidan soldiers start their training at a very young age.

The only thing that implies they do is Hinoka stating in her support with Camilla that she was 6 years old when she first started training to rescue Corrin (meaning the latter would also have to be 6 at the oldest due to being younger than her), but that line is a mistranslation; JP!Hinoka just states that she's been training to rescue Corrin for a long time.

No worries!

I know I ranted about FE16's lolcalisation, but FE14 takes the cake though - every single piece of intel seems to have been lolcalised.

With FE16 you can safely assume anything regarding Supreme Leader/Rhea was lolcalised to make one worse than she should to prop the other, but with FE14? Why the fuck did they need to lolcalise Corrin's age, which in turn creates this weird line from lolcalised!Ryoma ?

Corrin being older than what the loc implied would make more sense regarding the events that happened - granted, afair, FE14 doesn't reveal character ages or something?

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

"Fenris is hard to friend with a pro-mage Hawke" to YOU. Liam gets him though

[jessaerys]

(tlou2 spoilers) i know a criticism of hbo's tlou retelling of the story (from what i understand) is that in the game it was narratively important that joel and ellie were not similar. i can see how that could be a jarring / irreconcileable difference for some long time fans (who amongst us does not resent change) but as someone who's not a videogame person and is meeting these characters for the first time through the show i personally love the cosmic/fated/meant-to-be/two-birds-of-a-feather-flock-together / whatever-is-wrong-with-you-is-also-wrong-with-me / whatever-our-souls-are-made-of-yours-and-mine-are-the-same lens through which the show spins us the yarn of ellie and joel (and listening to the podcast + the reasoning behind the changes, i'd dare say it elevates the source material. but i can't yet back up my controversial statements until i play the game)

the beating heart of the story of the show is that they sense this something within each other, this thread of familiarity. that they are foils but also mirrors is both the greatest joy of their lives and itself the catalyst that leads to their tragedy. that it's not only a found family story but a story about recognition of the self through the other

the poetics of filling not only a father and daughter-shaped hole in each other but also guardian and protegee, mentor and mentee, best friends, platonic soulmates, that that iself is intrinsically indivisible from the tragedy of how their story ends, that it's two sides of the same coin. the pain was real and so was the joy. there's no tragedy without recognition, that to avoid the tragedy is to avoid the love altogether. am i making sense?

to be joel and ellie is to walk together towards that ultimate painful end, that what makes their love for each other is the choices they make and those choices are themselves fanned by the exhilaration of their similarity, like how grasshoppers can be grasshoppers all their lives but if they swarm they unlock this higher plane of being alive by turning into locusts, even if being a locust means disaster, means desolation (it is, after all, a story about the terrible things people will do out of love). it's still better to have been a locust than to never have met others like you at all

that there was never going to be another way things could end, but to avoid that end (to avoid the tragedy) is to never have been joel and ellie at all. basically:

[coffeebanana]

Rules: post the first lines of your last 10 fics posted to ao3. if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics.

Oooooh this is a fun one!! Thanks for the tag @saiikavon!! Idk if first line specifically means only first sentence, but I'm restricting myself that so this doesn't get stupidly long LOL. (Technically I suppose this is last ten updated, but I'm not going to hunt down initial posting dates ahaha.)

Feet buried in the sand, Marinette watched as a drop of watermelon juice dribbled down Adrien’s chin. -- from What Else Did You Imagine?

The ceiling above Adrien’s sofa was far from captivating, but if he stared long enough it was easy to let his vision go blurry. -- from missing person (at the window)

Ladybug didn’t mean to crash-land on Adrien’s balcony. -- from Probably Not The Best Idea

Adrien sat in a director’s chair, watching the photographer take a few test shots to check the studio’s lighting. -- from It Feels Like Fate

Soft sunlight filtered through the sheer hotel curtains when Adrien came to, but he felt none of its warmth. -- from Say Something

“Let me see…” -- from This Distance Between Us

Adrien’s heart pounded as he walked into the locker room, his fencing helmet tucked under one arm. -- from Sweater Weather

“I still can’t believe I wasn’t funny,” Adrien mumbled as he finally emerged from the bathroom, thankfully wearing the pyjama pants Nino had sent him in with. -- from A Little Less Wise

“Hey!” Marinette shouted as Alya swiped the phone right out of her hand. “Give it back!” -- from Because It's You

“You should be more careful,” Kagami said as she slowly wrapped a bandage around Marinette’s wrist. -- from Of Lavender, Chamomile, and Miscommunication

No pressure tags for @ck2k18, @wackus-bonkus-maximus, @heartfulselkie, @redundant-lava, @celestialtitania, @kasienda, @thelibraryloser and anyone else who wants to participate!!

[wereh0gz]

As much as I love Frontiers, in retrospect there are some parts of it that feel GLARINGLY unfinished. I mean there's the obvious lack of polish and the pop-in issue but the more I think about it the more Rhea Island sticks out to me as unfinished.

There's so much space, so many little details and bits of ruins everywhere, but the lack of platforming structures like the ones on the other islands makes it all look really empty in comparison. There's only a few platforming sections (mostly rails) between the towers to get you from one tower to the next faster, and that's pretty much it.

It really feels like there was meant to be much more going on with that area, yet the only thing you do is go from tower to tower, have a bit of plot happen, and immediately move on to Ouranos. You aren't made to explore at all despite the ruins and such scattered about and the very important plot stuff happening. That combined with how the whole thing with Sonic's cyber corruption was resolved makes that whole section of the game feel rushed.

I just can't help but wonder what could've been, had Sonic Team not been under time constraints. It's kind of sad honestly, knowing that there could've been more planned for that area that we never got to see because of the deadlines they had to meet.

Man fuck crunch culture fuck holiday releases I want my game out when it's done dammit

[my-current-obsession]

I see a lot of people saying that the royals (mostly Alfred, but I’ve seen a fair bit of complaining about all the others too) are statistically bad in Engage. I have to wonder, what difficulty is this based off of? On my Hard playthrough most of the royals were my best units, and Alfred in particular was amazing. Ivy and Celine were probably the weakest two - Ivy due to being a bit slow and having AWFUL dex and luck, and Celine just lacking power due to splitting her attention between strength and magic.

Is it just Maddening that they’re specifically bad for? I have not (and will not) played that mode in any FE but my impression is very much that Maddening mode is a different experience and you’re basically forced to play a certain way to win. That’s probably even more true here since fixed growths are in play, so you can’t count on RNG to give you good units. You have to find the ones that the game wants you to use, and stick with them.

For me, one of the biggest joys of FE has always been the RNG of it all - I love the random growths meaning different characters shine (and suck) each run, which encourages you to give different units a try. I love that, at least on Normal and Hard, you have enough breathing room to basically play how you want - favor the units of your choice, reclass whoever into whichever classes you fancy, etc - and doing so MIGHT make your life harder but probably won’t doom your entire run. The versatility and random nature of your units growths makes strategy & combat in this game infinitely more appealing and adds to its replayability.

Like I LOVE Persona games and Stella Glow (which gameplay wise is fairly similar to FE) but in those games the characters are what they are, and the stats on level-up are set in stone. Once you’ve done ONE run and know what works, Complacent Gaming kicks in and you repeat the exact same steps in future runs. In FE even if you use the same characters in the same classes, their performance WILL vary based on how blessed or cursed the RNG has been for them.

If Maddening IS as difficult and particular as I’m assuming, and basically every unit’s viability is determined from the moment you get them and you HAVE to play a specific way to win... is it really right to judge units based on that specific difficulty? Like, sure, so-and-so SUCKS on Maddening, but so does EVERYONE except this specific handful of units and if you use anyone else you’re just hurting yourself.

I feel like we should be judging characters based off a difficulty where everyone is at least VIABLE from the beginning, but judging how likely they are to REMAIN that way based on their growths/classes/personal skills/etc.

To put it another way, what would a tier list of a Maddening run look like? My impression is that it has two, maybe 3 categories of who you can actually use, who gets benched immediately, and MAYBE a middle category of who exists to fill a spot on the team and take a few hits/deal a smidge of damage for just a little while until someone better comes along to replace them. Meanwhile on Normal and Hard you can have a full spectrum of who on average is statistically the best through the worst, with everything in between. And considering several “unusable” units on Maddening are at least GOOD or even better on a normal or hard run, can you really call them bad? At the very least CLARIFY you mean they’re bad on Maddening specifically instead of in general.

[chrismcshell]

in this epic reimagining of a beloved survival horror classic... our hero faces off against his greatest enemy yet..... a fucked up old car he found in the woods

[bibiana112]

Finished Danganronpa Lapse and tbh nobody gets it like I do because every review I've seen wasn't made by someone who's played zero escape Why did Echo do that? ZTD shifting strats that's why! Lyle's canonically a zero escape nerd who brings up the morphogenetic field as a quick joke and is introduced arguing about the funyarinpa, do I think all these references get in the way and that it's a bit underwhelming when this comes unexplained out of nowhere? Absolutely! But it's so clearly an element the creator was inspired by and wanted to include and play with rather than a lazy last minute deal to fix 'plot holes'

[deadbeatdadjokes]

“your choices don’t matter”

yeah ok sure maybe this is true as far as the end result is concerned, like whether Lancer sided with his friends and let them seal the fountain which sustained the only world he really knew or sided with his father to allow the world to then be slowly engulfed in darkness-both options result in the ‘end’ of that world (meaning the dark world in the classroom). He made the choice himself and yet the ‘end’ came anyways.

But I’m like 90% confident if you asked him I’d know which timeline he’d rather be in.

[the-soul-of-wit]

That’s it, more of you need to play Spiritfarer. This game is hitting every emotion I own

[noriakicatkyoin]

Diversity win! Guy i dont like no longer kins kakyoin