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rebeccalouisaferguson · 5 months

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Please note: There are major spoilers for both “Silo” and the “Dune” series in this interview.

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The Playlist: Congratulations on all the great projects released over the past year. After working on “Mission: Impossible” movies and “Dune” movies, is it hard to show up and have a production set actually impress you?

Rebecca Ferguson: [Laughs.] Yeah.

Did “Silo” impress you?

Yes, but there are two different things. There’s a scale of a set. When you’re, for example, with “Mission,” there’s nothing impressive over the sets because the sets are nature. So, it’s more the fact that you get to act in the environment and Tom’s doing a helicopter stunt. Like, the action is impressive. It’s not the sets and it’s not the environment in that sense because it’s natural, right? It’s beautiful. With “Silo,” the scope and scale of the sets, they’re so huge. And the fact that we actually have the staircase, then you can run maybe two, or three floors. And the visual effects guys, Paul Bongiovanni and Daniel Rauchwerger, and the team, knowing what they create, the collaboration with the set design and the visual effects is phenomenal. It’s absolutely phenomenal. I might have stolen a couple of props from the set, but I also steal by saying, “By the way, I’ve put a couple of props in my bag. You have one minute to take them back.” And if not, they are mine. Because they’re so beautiful. I have so many pictures of things on set. I just walk around.

I love how you give them one minute because that’s not enough time to really think about it.

One minute, that’s all they get.

When the project came to you, had you heard about the book? What was your reaction to it?

Nope. So when “Silo” came, I was given the first six episodes, and I read them, and I really liked it, but there was a little thing I [needed] changed. I got stuck in something. So I was like, “No, this is not the project for me.” So, I’m only telling this story [because] I’ve heard Graham Yost tell it. I would never have told a story that I’ve turned something down that I’m doing. But there was something that I didn’t really grasp in one of the episodes, and it was too big. It was a bit of an issue. And then they came back, and they were like, “Well, what is this issue?”And I was like, “Well, this is the issue.”And they were like, “O.K.” And then they came back, and they had addressed the issue, and I was like, “Oh, huh, interesting.” And then, when they did that, I thought, “Oh, I’m more interested in this.” And then I started the books, and then I was like, “Oh, I’m actually really into this world, but what else?” And then Graham was like, “What if you can become an [Executive Producer] and learn the process of making it and actually have insight into making a TV show?” And I was like, “Next to you, the best producer showrunner, “I mean, and that’s kind of how it came to life. And then I read all of the books and I was deep in it.

But when they sent you the first six episodes, had they told you what the ending of the first season was? I mean, because it’s seemingly very faithful to the book.

No, I think, and I might be lying, but I’m going to go with it. I read the first six episodes and I was caught on the journey up until the moment when I was like, “This isn’t great. This isn’t very good.” And then kind the other episode had to kind of correct itself and it was just a bit of distraction. So. I wasn’t that intrigued when that happened. But then, the second time, it really opened up my interest, and that’s why I was like, “What happens?” I mean, when you start going, “What happens after six? Do you have seven? Do you have eight? What’s going on here?” That’s a good sign.

I have a lot of questions about Juliette, especially the final episode. There’s a great scene where she is shown the video before George’s death. And he sort of sends her a message by looking at the video camera. He knows where the video camera is, and Juliette has a very emotional moment in that scene. Did you get to see the actual footage of him for that, or were you just looking at a green screen and imagining?

I asked for that to play, so I wanted to act against Ferdinand Kingsley‘s scene. So no, no, that was me in the room, and on all of these displays, they put it up. So, I actually saw what I would’ve been looking at.

For many people in Juliette’s situation, that moment might have crushed them, made them not want to keep fighting, and made them want to maybe just sort of accept their fate. But when she gets sentenced to go clean, she seems so confident. She seems so reassured. Which by the way, even if the world out there was all green, it’s still hard, who knows how you’re going to survive? Why do you think she still has that confidence?

I don’t. That is not how I saw it. For me, there’s a moment I think, in people’s lives where enough is enough and there’s a moment where there’s a form of surrender. And when she says, “I’m not afraid,” I think she has never been more afraid. I think that’s how I felt it. I felt “I am afraid. I’m so terrified. But it’s a broken system that I can’t solve here, and this is the next step for me. I agree this is what’s going to happen. I can’t fight this.” So, it’s like nearly a person who’s going to have given up, but you never give up. There’s a little tiny bit of hope, there might be a possibility of surviving. There’s so much in it. It’s not just, “I’m ready, bring it.” She’s petrified.

Do you also feel she’s petrified when she sees what the world actually looks like?

I think at that moment, it’s what everyone feels their own intuitive emotion towards it. But I think for me, in life, we’re telling a story. So we want to tell the grandiosity of what she sees and the impact. Well, when walking over taking those extra steps. But to be honest, I think for her, the fact that she’s taking one step after the other is an achievement and a realization, and it’s a gradual incline of safety. And then boom, there’s new information. That’s the whole journey with Juliette. It’s like a problem-solving, problem-solving, problem. That’s the entire world of “Silo” and the change of character throughout. She starts off as quite selfish. She wants to solve some issues around her own feelings, but that opens up a bigger can of worms. “Oh, there are bigger lies. There are bigger things. Wait, what is the truth? Oh, this is not just about me. I want to give up.” Walker says, “It’s not just about giving up.” “Oh s**t, yeah, this is bigger. Maybe I need to care. Maybe it’s not just about fixing machinery because machinery needs to work, but it needs to actually give life to people. Oh, there’s a symbiosis going on here.” All of this is a gradual incline for Juliette’s character to where we end and where we get to in season two.

At that moment though, at the end, she’s up on the edge of the hill, and she turns around. She’s already discovered that it really is a wasteland out there. She doesn’t jump up and down. She doesn’t do a death sign. She doesn’t do anything to communicate back to the people still in the silo. Did you ask Graham? Did you ask the directors why they didn’t want that? Why do you think she doesn’t try to communicate something to them?

I think she doesn’t because she’s in a new space. I think when you are still absolutely petrified, there is no jumping up and my suit can fucking shred. This is all I have. You are still careful. You are observing. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I mean, what are they going to do? I’m going to jump up and down and they’re going to go, “Oh, come on back in.”? It’s clearly not a system that wants her inside, not to give away too much. So what is she going to do? Save herself by going, “It’s all good.” [Laughs.] Maybe. Look, I’ve walked this far. It’s kind of, there’s not much more to do. It’s more the connection of, “O.K., there you are. I don’t know what I’m looking at, but I’m going to focus. What the f**k is this? Oh, this is out of mind. What the f**k is happening in front of me?”

I don’t know how much you’re on social media in terms of seeing how people react to projects you are a part of, but there is a super passionate fan base for this show, and we were super excited about it. Have you gotten any feedback about that?

I know that a lot of people like it because I know that people are watching it. So, I get digits and numbers, not too much because digits and numbers are important to keep secret, but I know that people love it. And I do see pictures of people from Comic Cons dressed up as Juliette, and I love all of that. But no, I’m terrified of going out on those things because I’m scared I have failed something. Or they’ll ask questions that I’m not intelligent enough to answer.

I don’t want you to give any spoilers, but you had just mentioned when you initially got the scripts for season one you thought changes were needed. Were you pleasantly surprised when the season two scripts arrived?

Yeah. I was like, “I what? And this happens. How are we going to shoot this? Oh my God, does Apple know how much this is going to cost them?” [Laughs.]

One last thing about season two. I know you shot before the strike happened and then you had to go back and finish up afterward, right? Was that a tough transition?

To be honest, it’s like when COVID happened, people were like, “Was it hard for you?” And I think, “No, no, it’s hard for people who actually died and people who had people [who died].” For me, we had to stop because the cause was for a reason. It was for writers, and it was for actors, and things needed to be solved. The fact is, I’m one of the luckiest fortunate ones who can still live during a strike and also take care of the people around me who need help. There was no complaining. I mean, emotionally, did I have to pause a little bit? I mean, yeah, so what, do you know what I mean? We run with it and are grateful for it. But I think what was tricky was…hmmm…so, season two, season two might be filmed in two different locations. We might, right? I’m not going to go into it because I wouldn’t, which means that we could shoot a lot of people out who were in one location. So, the only things left to shoot were me and whatever my world entailed, which meant I was in every scene for the next three months with no break and no one having a scene in between. And I’ve never done that. So, that was tricky. I was from morning to evening, every scene. Every day.

Exhausting.

It was challenging but also fun because you were really in it.

Before I let you go, your “Dune” director, Mr. Villeneuve, after doing so many interviews, said, “I don’t know if I’ll do a third movie. Maybe I’ll do a third movie,” well, now, it’s sort of been revealed he’s writing the third movie, and it will clearly happen. When you were on set, were there any hints there about a third chapter? Did you guys conjecture anything about what the third movie might entail?

I just manipulate. I manipulate I just, whenever I can. Y’know those Coca-Cola commercials, back in the day when they just went Coca-Cola, big pictures, and “Fight Club”? That’s me with Denis. I just whispered little weird things in his ears that I wanted to do. He was like, “Oh, stop it.” Oh, to be honest, it’s completely out of my hands. He has clearly made a spectacular world…

Absolutely, 100%.

And it is banking and people are loving it, and it has the most phenomenal cast in it. Of course, there would be a third one, but it’s a lot of pressure on Denis. It’s a lot of pressure to continue. And when do you make the creative decision? Do you go when it is at the best, or do you make one that could fail and not be as good? It’s a really tricky conversation. It depends on the script; it depends on the money. It depends on all of the actors that have not got a deal for the third film. That’s a lot going on there. So there’s a lot to take into consideration before just writing a third script, you know?

Well, I do think people are excited about it because that third novel is so different, and he’ll have to go in some interesting directions to tie it into maybe the other two.

I mean, I haven’t read it, so I literally dunno. So what happens? Go on.

Oh, I don’t know if we have time to go into all the details. [Laughs.] But, it has been hinted that your character’s son may not be the Messiah that they think he is.

Oh, yeah. I know.

You know that part.

I mean, come on. Clearly, we’re not going to be that close to the book. That’s ridiculous. Although I would love to see Timothee turn into a worm. As long as my character doesn’t go and sit [somewhere] hot and covered in fabrics, I’m happy.

Oh, was it super hot shooting the second film?

No, no, no. But I think in the book she goes away and disappears for a bit and sits. Y’know, she’s Reverend Mothering underneath all of it. [Laughs.]

I can’t imagine she isn’t around more than that. Something tells me that the themes of the first two movies suggest to me at least that she’d be part of it.

I hope so; I mean, I’ll be a teapot.

#interview #rebecca ferguson #silo interview #dune interview #juliette nichols #lady jessica #dune #dune messiah

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teegeewrites · 2 months

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The new fic is here! This was one of the most fun fics I've ever written, and I hope whoever reads it enjoys as well!

Scent of Revenge - AO3

Mario was no stranger when it came to hard battles, which included a muscular gorilla obsessed with his ex-girlfriend and toys of his likeness as well as a powerful turtle-dragon king who repeatedly kidnaps the Mushroom Kingdom’s benevolent ruler and desires to rule over said kingdom. Every time, the plumber emerged victorious against them. However, this trial, while not as arduous as squaring off against mighty beings, presented its own challenge.

Physically, the opponent in question posed no threat, so Mario didn’t have to worry about any bruises or any other external aches. However, it tested him in a different way, even if it lacked the sentience to realize it.

It not so innocently sat in the middle of the round table. It had the shape and size of a standard vinyl record. Ripe red Yoshi berries smothered in thick syrup of the same hue spread across the off-white primary section. A golden-brown layer of graham cracker crust lay beneath it to complete its tantalizing image.

Although Mario has seen and eaten his fair share of cheesecake in his life, none had him as transfixed as the one in his presence. Unfortunately, his sight wasn’t the only sense titillated by the dessert’s elegant presentation. The sweet aroma it emitted, especially the berries, pleasantly tickled his nostrils and caused him to involuntarily sniff quite a few times. This potent assault on his senses made his mouth drool and stomach grumble in anticipation. He was certain the accursed thing would’ve blown a raspberry at him if it had a tongue.

Mario chuckled to himself as he thought about how he was reacting. Princess Peach’s confectionary creations always had this effect on him, so he’d like to think he’d be used to them by now. Nonetheless, here he was in awe of yet another sugary concoction. When she invited him to the castle to sample her latest endeavor, he could’ve rivaled Sonic with how fast he arrived. Now, here he sat, exerting as much self-control as he could muster while awaiting her return. If he were Wario, the whole thing would already be sitting pretty in his stomach. However, he would never consider doing such a thing to Peach. No matter how tempted he was, he wouldn’t lay a finger on the cheesecake until she came back.

Fortunately, the wait wasn’t long as she appeared with some plates, utensils, and a large knife. He smiled as she cut two generous slices with the knife and placed them on their plates. He internally celebrated his victory against the strong temptation, for his tenuous patience was about to pay off. However, he would have to wait a little longer because of his self-imposed rule of waiting until the princess finished her first bite before even thinking about picking up his fork.

Peach smiled genteelly at him before cutting a piece of her slice with a fork and elegantly wrapping her peach-colored lips around it. She placed her free hand on her cheek after swallowing the piece and moaned softly as a blissful close-eyed smile formed on her face.

“I’ve never been one to toot my own horn, but I think this is delicious,” Peach opened her eyes and smiled softly towards Mario. “However, I am more interested in what you think of it, Mario.”

Not needing to be told twice, Mario nodded before cutting a large portion of his slice. He made sure to grab a berry because he wanted to taste everything. He smiled at Peach before placing his fork in his mouth. His eyes widened in awe as he swallowed the portion. He marveled at how creamy and dense the cheesecake was. It had the right amount of tartness he believed a cheesecake should have, and the sweetness of the berries and syrup provided a delicate yet effective balance. In other words, this cheesecake was divine.

“I must say, Princess, this has to be the best cheesecake I have ever tasted!” Mario grinned. “You may have outdone yourself with this one!”

Peach’s cheeks gradually took on the same hue as her dress as she unsuccessfully tried to prevent a smile from forming on her face. “Why, thank you, Mario. To be honest, this endeavor intimidated me. I heard how difficult making a cheesecake can be, so I was afraid it would be a disaster. The Toads who tasted my first attempt thought it was good; however, I know they would praise anything I made, even if it was a rock boiled in water. Hearing you laud my effort, however, means a lot to me.”

Mario’s cheeks gradually warmed at Peach’s comments as he briefly looked down at his lap. He lifted his head as soon as he felt his face return to normal and grinned. “Thank you for the kind words, Princess. You are the best baker I know outside of my nonna and mama, so I knew I was in for a treat when you invited me over to try your cheesecake. Trust me, I know how frustrating making one of these things is! I burned my first attempt and never tried to make another one again. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said this is the best cheesecake I’ve had the pleasure of eating. In fact, I'm already looking forward to seconds!”

He grabbed his fork and devoured the rest of his slice in record time, which elicited the bell-sounding tone of Peach’s laughter. After finishing their second slices and engaging in some conversation, Peach placed a hand over mouth as she poorly tried to contain a giggle.

“Is something funny, Princess?” Mario asked with confusion.

“You have some crumbs in your mustache,” Peach giggled.

“Oh, is that so?” Mario smiled playfully as he reached for a napkin. “I guess I better take care of that real quick!”

“Mario, wait! Allow me to wipe them off,” Peach volunteered as she rose from her seat with a napkin in hand. She approached Mario and meticulously wiped away the offending crumbs from his mustache. A rush of blood trickled towards Mario’s face during the cleaning, and he released a held breath after Peach was finished.

“There, crisis averted! The hero’s mustache is all clean!” Peach grinned cheekily.

Mario chuckled in response, which made Peach chuckle in return. Peach’s face, however, became more serious as she gazed into his eyes before grabbing his cheeks. Mario’s heartrate picked up its pace as he returned the gaze. Mario then thought he was hallucinating because it appeared that Peach’s eyes gradually shifted down towards his lips. The next thing he knew, her face inched towards his, causing a bunch of alarms to sound off in his head.

“Um, Princess,” Mario gulped, causing Peach to stop for the time being, “not that I’m being ungrateful or anything, but what are you doing?”

Peach grinned with seductive playfulness, making him gulp even louder. “Don’t worry, Mario. Your question wasn’t rude at all. To answer it, I believe my hero deserves a second treat. I guarantee this one will be just as sweet if not sweeter than the cheesecake.” She closed her eyes and puckered her lips before continuing to inch closer to his face.

Peach’s insinuation did not fly over Mario’s head, and that caused his heart to act like an unruly prisoner trying to break out of its cell. His face rapidly heated up, and beads of sweat danced on his forehead. He had conflicting feelings about the predicament he found himself in because while he sat frozen in his chair in nervous anticipation, this was also something he dreamed of happening ever since he met the princess. He eventually relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes while awaiting his second dessert…

~~~

“OWWW!”

Mario woke up to something slapping his cheek hard. He massaged the tender spot and glared in the direction from which the sharp blow came. There sat Luigi, slumped on the couch snoring away with an arm flailing loosely. Mario shook his head in disbelief while chuckling to himself knowing who the culprit was, for this was far from the first time Luigi inadvertently struck him while asleep.

Speaking of sleep, Mario realized the interaction with Peach in the garden was merely a dream. He was annoyed and disappointed at first, but that quickly gave way to a lamentable smile forming on his lips.

“This always happens at the best part,” he murmured humorously to himself. “I can’t even get lucky in my dreams.”

After laughing about his poorly timed luck, he recognized the television was still on airing an infomercial. He smiled as he remembered that he and Luigi were watching a movie together and must have fallen asleep at some point. He rose from the couch and turned off the TV before reclaiming his spot next as the dream replayed in his mind.

“Hee-hee, cut it out, Daisy! That tickles!” Luigi’s groggy voice brought Mario back to reality. His brother was clearly dreaming about Princess Daisy and from the smile on his face, it was certainly a happy one.

“At least I’m not the only one dreaming about a princess,” Mario laughed quietly to himself as Luigi continued to talk about Daisy in his sleep.

As Mario continued to be amused by his dozing brother, he noticed something peculiar on Luigi’s face. He had an idea what it was at first but leaned closer to get a better look. There was no mistake about it: Luigi’s face was covered with orange kiss prints, with his nose having the most.

It took Mario a herculean effort not to laugh out loud as not to wake Luigi up from his slumber. He knew only one person who painted her lips orange and from that deduced who did this to his brother. He quickly placed a hand over his mouth to stifle another bit of incoming laughter that threatened to escape.

A quick glance at his hand upon removing it made him furrow his brow in confusion. A few pink spots were on his fingers, and a pink smudge sat in the middle of his palm since it was the same hand he rubbed his cheek with earlier. He had a notion what the pink marks were; however, he wanted to confirm them first. He raced to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, there were multiple pink kiss prints all over his face, including a few smudged ones from his earlier actions, causing him to smirk at his reflection. Unlike Luigi’s, however, the ones on his face were placed in a delicate heart pattern, excluding the one dead smack in the middle of his nose. He was disappointed at first that one wasn’t on his lips but smiled in relief since he wanted to be awake should that moment ever come. He chuckled heartily, knowing how meticulous and graceful the person responsible was, before leaving.

Luigi was still blissfully dozing away when Mario returned to the living room. As much as he regretted doing so, he roughly shook Luigi’s shoulder to wake him up. Luigi reacted by groaning then stretching and yawning before staring at Mario with his eyes halfway open.

“Mario, what’s going on?” Luigi moaned irritably. “I was getting to the best part of…”

Luigi’s voice trailed off as his sleepy eyes fully widened. Any traces of sleep vanished from his face, and his eyebrows almost disappeared under his tousled hair.

“Um, Mario. Pardon me for asking, but why do you have a bunch of kiss marks on your face?” Luigi chuckled as his lips stretched into a smug smirk. “Did the princess visit and the two of you make out while I was asleep?”

Mario flinched as his face burned at Luigi’s teasing inquiry. He certainly wouldn’t object to such a thing happening, but it wasn’t true. A quick look at the orange kiss marks on Luigi’s face helped him recover, and he returned the smug smirk.

“I wouldn’t be talking if I were you,” Mario teased. “You should worry about your own face before commenting on mine.”

Luigi cocked an eyebrow. “Mario, what are you talking about?”

“Go look in the mirror, and you’ll see!” Mario chuckled.

Luigi’s brow furrowed before he shrugged and made his way to the bathroom. An astonished shout echoed throughout the house a few seconds later, causing Mario to laugh so hard he nearly hit the floor as he plopped on the couch. Tears flew from his eyes as his laughter continued when Luigi returned.

“Go ahead, chuck it up!” Luigi stood with his hands on his hips before joining Mario on the couch. He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

Mario placed a hand on Luigi’s shoulder after his laughing fit ended. “Well, Luigi. It appears we had some visitors while we were asleep.”

“I didn’t know Daisy was in the Mushroom Kingdom,” Luigi shook his head.

“Did you forget that the princess told us Daisy was visiting for a week? She arrived yesterday.”

“It must have slipped my mind,” Luigi rubbed the back of his head. “I would’ve looked forward to seeing her again. Back to the topic at hand, I can’t believe they did this to us! They could’ve at least woken us up so we could enjoy it!”

“Yeah,” Mario nodded in agreement. “I bet you anything this was Daisy’s idea! I doubt the princess would come up with something like this on her own.”

“Well, she has kissed you a few times while you rested after rescuing her,” Luigi grinned, making Mario’s cheeks burn some. “But they were just once and out of gratitude. They were nothing like this! With that said, I completely agree this is something Daisy would come up with!”

“We’re not going to sit back and let this slide are we, little brother?”

“Definitely not, but how are we going to get them back?!”

“Good question,” Mario rubbed his chin. “One thing’s for sure: leaving kiss marks on their faces while they’re asleep is out of the question.” The brothers shared a laugh over that.

A few minutes later after flipping through some scenarios in his brain, Mario’s eyes lit up as a light bulb turned on in his head. He smiled widely as a clear picture of his idea formed in his mind.

“I take it you came up with something?” Luigi chuckled with a smile of his own.

“You know me too well, Luigi!” Mario returned the chuckle.

“So, spill the beans! I need to know what it is!”

Mario laughed at Luigi’s excited anticipation. “Don’t worry, little brother. I’ll tell you in due time. I even know when to put the plan into action.”

Luigi’s eyebrows popped. “When would that be?”

“I just remembered something,” Mario smiled. “The princess told me that she, Daisy, and Toadette will be spending all day in Bubblaine tomorrow for a girl’s getaway. That means they won’t be in the castle during that time. Surely, we can do something then, can’t we?”

“Now I’m even more interested!” Luigi rubbed his hands together with a mischievous smile. “At least give me a hint at what you have in mind.”

Mario placed a hand on Luigi’s shoulder. “First, we’re going to pay Minh T. a visit…”

~~~

After wiping the kiss prints from their faces, much to Luigi’s displeasure, Mario and Luigi left their house on their way to visit Minh T. During their trek, Mario filled Luigi in on his plan to avenge the princesses' prank, making Luigi’s eyes widen a few times.

“Mario,” Luigi began with concern in his voice, “not that I’m doubting you or anything, but are you sure we’ll be able to pull something like this off?”

“I want to say absolutely,” Mario answered truthfully. “However, we’ll get our answer after speaking to Minh T.”

Luigi looked at the sky with a furrowed brow. “Even if Minh T. says she could do what we’re going to ask her, you know Toadsworth won’t approve of such a thing.”

Mario skidded to a sudden stop at Toadsworth being mentioned. “Mamma mia, I forgot about him!”

Luigi was right that there was zero chance the royal advisor would allow what they had in mind. Not only would he admonish them for considering such a thing, but he would also reacquaint them with his cane a few times for good measure. Although Mario has been hit by harder and more powerful attacks, he has unpleasant memories about that cane striking him, and it was something he didn’t want to experience again if he could help it.

Mario rubbed his chin as he mulled over how they would execute their plan without Toadsworth being the wiser of it. It was something he overlooked while thinking up this plot. He breathed in relief as a smile gradually stretched his lips, for he recalled something about what Toadsworth would be doing tomorrow. His relaxing posture did not go undetected by Luigi.

“So,” Luigi began with a curious gaze, “you have an idea on how we’re going to sneak this past Toadsworth?”

Mario’s smile grew wider as he addressed his brother. “Luigi, we won’t have to worry about Toadsworth after all!”

“Why not?”

“Because he won’t be at the castle, either! He’ll be visiting Little Fungitown assisting the Toads who live there with something.”

“Whew, that’s a relief!” Luigi rubbed his forehead. He then frowned. “Still, the council Toads will certainly object.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about them,” Mario assured Luigi. “They hold us in high reverence and know we would never do anything that would deliberately harm the princess.”

“If you say so,” Luigi sighed. “I guess our main concern is Minh T.”

“Yeah,” Mario nodded his head in agreement. “Let’s find out if she’ll be able to help us.”

The brothers resumed their trek towards the little garden area across the street from the post office where Minh T. usually hangs out. Fortunately, she was there, watering the flowers surrounding the Flower Fields gateway while cheerfully humming to herself.

“Hey there, Minh T.!” Mario waved as he and Luigi approached her.

Minh T. flinched before turning her head and seeing the Mario brothers approaching. A bright cheery smile lit up her face as she rose to greet them. “Hey there, Mario and Luigi! How are you two doing?!”

“Splendid!” Mario matched her energetic spirit.

Minh T. nodded in acknowledgement. “So, what brings you two here?”

“Well,” Mario began, “Luigi and I want to know if you can help us with something.”

“Mario, you know I’ll try to help any way I can! After all, you’re the one responsible for making my dream of having these beautiful flowers bloom here a reality! So, what do you need from me?”

“Well,” Mario rubbed the back of his head as he felt his cheeks get warm from Minh T.’s compliment, “it’s a huge request, so I understand if you’re unable to do it.”

“Tell me what you need, and I’ll see what I can do,” Minh T. encouraged Mario with a small smile.

Mario sighed as he told her what he needed from her and asked if it was possible. The Toad furrowed her brow as if she were in deep thought, clearly taking in everything he told her. He gulped nervously, wondering if his request was too much. A minute passed before she addressed the Mario brothers.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Mario. What you ask of me is not something that will be easy to do, especially in such a short time frame.”

Mario nodded in somber understanding. Maybe it was presumptuous for him to think he could pull something like this off in one day. Luigi placed a hand on his shoulder with an understanding smile, which he returned. It was worth a shot, but he saw his plan to pay the princesses back evaporating faster than the steam from Princess Peach’s teapots. He would have to think of another idea, one more feasible. He was about to thank Minh T. and return home when a huge smile formed on the Toad’s face.

“However, it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible! This will certainly need assistance from Wise Wisterwood and the other flowers in Flower Fields. I’ll ask them if they can help us. Wait right here; I’ll be right back!” She then entered the gateway to Flower Fields, the door closing immediately afterwards.

“Hey, Mario,” Luigi nervously rubbed his hands together, “do you think Minh T. can convince Wise Wisterwood and the others to help us out? This is a rather ambitious request.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Mario replied with cautious optimism as he placed a hand on Luigi’s back.

A few agonizing minutes later, Minh T. emerged from the gateway with a neutral expression on her face. His fists clenched in nervous anticipation, Mario wasn’t sure if it meant she returned with good news or not. He didn’t want to jump to gun so to speak, so he waited to hear what the Toad had to say. His nerves began to ease when her lips stretched into an assuring smile.

“Great news, guys!” Minh T. beamed. “They’ll be able to help you! Wise Wisterwood immediately accepted when I told him it was a favor for you! He said it was the least he could do after you defeated Huff N. Puff and helped restore peace to Flower Fields.”

“Woo-hoo!” Mario jumped with enthusiasm, making Luigi and Minh T. chuckle. “Thank you so much, Minh T.! We owe you big time for this!”

Minh T. rubbed the back of her head as her cheeks turned a light pink. “Aww, it’s nothing, guys. As I said earlier, you helped me bring this garden to life, so consider us even. He told me he and the flowers will have everything ready by tomorrow morning. Come around by then, and everything should be prepared.”

Mario nodded before bending down and giving Minh T. a grateful hug, causing her entire face to match the color of Peach’s dress. “We’ll be here by then! Once again, thank you so much!”

“Again, you’re welcome, Mario!” Minh T. returned the hug.

“Well, Luigi,” Mario addressed his brother after he and Minh T. broke their hug. “It looks like everything worked out, after all!”

“I guess it did,” Luigi nodded. His tummy then started growling, which made Mario and Minh T. snicker. Luigi chuckled in embarrassment when Mario’s abdomen made loud rumbling sounds of its own. “It appears I’m not the only one hungry here,” he teased his older brother.

“Yeah, yeah,” Mario feigned irritation as he rubbed his midsection while trying to fight off a chuckle. “So, what are we eating? I want to try out that burger joint that recently opened at Toad Town Mall.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Luigi smiled. He turned his attention to Minh T. “Do you want us to bring you back anything, Minh T.?”

“No, I’m fine,” Minh T. replied. “I made my own lunch today. Thank you for offering, though.”

Mario placed a hand on Luigi’s shoulder, which Luigi imitated. “In that case, I guess we’re off. See you tomorrow morning, Minh T.!”

“Sure thing!” Minh T. smiled brightly.

The Mario brothers waved goodbye to Minh T. as they made their way towards Toad Town Mall, with the Toad returning the wave. Mario couldn’t keep the huge grin from his face during the trek, even when Luigi constantly teased him about it. He was looking forward to tomorrow.

~~~

Mario sat up in his bed with a jolt in the wee hours of the following morning thanks to a text notification from his phone. He rubbed his heavy eyelids before grabbing the phone and reading the message. It was from Peach letting him know that she, Daisy, and Toadette were on their way to Bubblaine. He texted her back wishing her safe travels and hoped they enjoyed themselves. She instantly replied with a thank you as well as a pink heart and a winking kiss face emoji, which made his cheeks warm as he put the phone down back on his nightstand.

Since he found it difficult to go back to sleep, he hopped out of bed and gently opened the blinds to peek outside. He grumbled to himself as the sun was nowhere in sight. Despite his copious energy, Mario was never much of an early riser, so he fought off the irritation threatening to explode from his body. He figured a cup of coffee, and a quick bite would improve his mood; hence, he traveled to the kitchen to prepare his light breakfast. He thought about waking Luigi up but although his brother was definitely the morning person between them, he decided to let him sleep for a little longer.

A couple of hours later while watching TV, he received another text message. He opened his phone and saw that this one was from Minh T., informing him that his packages were ready for pick up. His lips curled into a huge smile as replied to the text, telling her he and Luigi would be there shortly. As soon as he sent the message, he hopped off the couch and raced upstairs to Luigi’s bed.

“Luigi, get up!” Mario heavily shook Luigi’s shoulders. “Our packages are ready! We have to go get ‘em!”

Luigi groaned as he opened his eyes. “Ugh, give me a moment, Mario.” He slowly sat up as he blinked himself awake. “I’ll be dressed in a few minutes.”

Mario nodded before returning downstairs. Since Luigi was slower than him when it came to getting ready, he figured it would be at least a half hour before they left. That would give him enough time to watch at least one more show, so he sat in his previous spot on the couch and returned his attention to the TV. As soon as the show concluded, Luigi dashed downstairs and grabbed a piece of toast Mario had made earlier from the kitchen table.

“OK, Mario. I’m ready!” Luigi uttered in between bites of toast.

Mario smiled as he turned off the TV and rose from the couch. He and Luigi grabbed their hats from the rack next to the door and left to meet up with Minh T.

The image of Minh T. standing in front of two boxes that rivaled the size of the average Toad house with a jubilant smile on her face greeted the brothers upon arrival. She waved them over, which caused them to put more pep in their steps.

“Hey guys!” she welcomed them. “So, what do you think?!”

“Minh T., this is absolutely perfect!” Mario beamed with a huge smile. “You’re the best!”

“Aww, shucks!” Minh T. blushed. “I’m happy I could be of help.”

Mario placed a hand on her head in appreciation, making her blush deeper. He immediately removed it upon noticing her reaction, and his cheeks warmed. He chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh-heh, sorry about that! I guess that’s a habit I got from the princess.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Minh T. assured him. “Speaking of the princess, I’m sure she and Princess Daisy will be thrilled with their gifts!”

Mario and Luigi chuckled from guilt, for they knew they didn’t tell her the whole truth about what the items inside the boxes are for. “Yeah, they’ll be surprised, that’s for sure!” Mario said. “Well, we’ll be taking these out of your hands now. Give our thanks to Wise Wisterwood and the others!”

After equipping the Shrink Badge, Mario gently leapt on the two boxes so as not to crush them, shrinking them down to a manageable size. He and Luigi picked them up and waved goodbye to Minh T. before carrying them towards the castle.

Upon reaching the castle’s main door, they let the guards know they were delivering a surprise present for the princesses. The guards acknowledge the reason for their visit before opening the doors for them. They checked the boxes in the main lobby to make sure they had the right ones before heading towards the princesses’ rooms.

Mario was fortunate to run into a maid who was about to lock Peach’s room. He stopped her and let her know he was dropping off something for the princess. The maid was apprehensive at first since she had strict orders not to let anyone in the room without permission from either Toadsworth or Peach herself. Mario, however, convinced her to grant him this privilege this one time. Since he was the Mushroom Kingdom hero and a close friend of the princess, the maid acquiesced and allowed him to do what he needed to do.

Minutes later, Luigi met Mario at the center of the lobby and grinned mischievously while giving Mario a thumbs up.

“Well, mission accomplished!” Mario laughed. “I would love to be a fly on the wall when they come back tomorrow!”

“Hopefully, they won’t treat us like bugs and try to squash us!” Luigi echoed the laughter. “So, what you want to do now?”

Mario thought for a moment before an idea sprang to mind. “Remember Tayce T. asked us to replace her kitchen faucet when we bumped into her at Toad Town Mall yesterday?”

“Now that I think about it, I sure do,” Luigi affirmed.

“Great, that’s settled!” Mario smiled. “We better head home and get our tools first.”

The brothers nodded at each other before leaving the castle. Mario didn’t know what awaited him when the girls came back from their outing, but he was proud to return the favor for what they did to him and Luigi twenty-four hours earlier.

---

“Man, that was a lot of fun!” Peach exclaimed happily as she, Daisy, and Toadette entered the castle lobby. “It’s been a long time since I remember feeling this refreshed!”

“Tell me about it, sister!” Daisy beamed. “Those spas in Bubblaine are elite! Heck, they give the ones in Sarasaland a run for their money! Our skin and hair have never looked or felt better!”

“Let’s not forget about the food!” Toadette chipped in. “I heard great things about the Luncheon Kingdom, but the dishes in Bubblaine have a great reputation for a reason, especially their seafood!”

“No kidding!” Daisy agreed while rubbing her stomach, making Peach and Toadette laugh. “I think I put on at least fifteen pounds alone from this trip!”

“Considering that you ate more than Toadette and me combined, it wouldn’t be surprising at all,” Peach smirked.

Daisy fake pouted before crossing her arms and turning her head. “Gee, thanks for the words of encouragement, Peach!” However, her pout quickly gave way to laughter, which made Peach and Toadette join her.

“As fun as this outing was, I’m exhausted!” Toadette yawned. “I think I’ll head home and try to get some rest. Thanks for inviting me, Peach and Daisy!”

Peach kneeled down and hugged the pink Toad. “Anytime, sweetie! Thank you for coming with us.”

“No problem, Peach! I’ll see y’all later!” Toadette received a crushing hug from Daisy after Peach finished hers. She quickly re-orientated herself before leaving the castle, causing Peach to smirk teasingly at Daisy.

“Don’t say a word,” Daisy returned the smirk. The princesses then giggled together before Peach unsuccessfully tried to smother a yawn with her hand.

“Toadette had the right idea,” she said. “I think I’ll get some rest too. The trip back takes a lot out of you.”

“I’m right there with you,” Daisy agreed. “As much as I want to give Mario and Luigi their souvenirs, I’m ready to catch some Z’s. Besides, it is late, so we can give them their gifts tomorrow.”

Peach nodded her head. “Well, I guess this is goodnight then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Same here. Goodnight, Peach,” Daisy yawned. The princesses hugged each other before retreating to their rooms.

Despite the signs of sleep becoming more prominent in her body, Peach was still in an upbeat mood. As much as she loves running the Mushroom Kingdom and adores her people, she was glad to get away from her duties for at least one day. Spending quality time with two of her best friends only made everything better. She frowned a little knowing she would have to return to her responsibilities tomorrow, but she wouldn’t change anything for the world.

A tired smile formed on her face as she finally reached her bedroom. After absentmindedly running a hand through her purse, she grabbed her keys and unlocked the doors. What she witnessed made her eyes and mouth widen vastly and place a hand over her thumping heart.

Atop her four-poster bed stood a mountain of carnation pink roses stacked to the upper panel. Not a single inch went uncovered, and there appeared to be no threat of a single flower falling out of place. Despite the inconvenient sight, Peach was impressed by the creativity and structure, and a smile crept on her face in spite of her attempts to resist it.

“PEEEAAACH!” a loud familiar voice shrieked from the hall, snapping her back to reality. She turned around to see Daisy leaning at her door, huffing as if she ran the Yoshi Island marathon. Somehow, Peach held the laughter that threatened to escape from her lips in check.

“You won’t believe what’s…” Daisy began but stopped at noticing Peach’s bed. A smirk formed on her lips. “It looks like you were victimized as well.”

“Wait, you mean…” Peach started.

“Yep,” Daisy cut her off while chuckling. “I have a huge mountain of flowers on my bed as well, except mine are yellow daises.”

The laughter that Peach originally imprisoned broke from captivity and incredulously filled her room. Daisy placed a hand on her shoulder and added her laughter to the mix.

“Wanna guess who’s responsible?” Peach offered between laughs.

“Girl, we already know who did this!” Daisy hacked before regaining her composure. “Besides, I found this next to a vase of daisies on my desk. This clearly gives them away.”

She handed Peach an orange card with some writing inside. Peach read the card aloud:

Violets are blue, roses are red

Enjoy the daisies on your bed

My headstrong flower, best take heed

‘Fore on my face you plant your seed

- Luigi <3

Peach chuckled after returning the card to Daisy. “Well, at least it flowed nicely.”

“That’s my Weegee for ya!” Daisy said with some pride as she hugged the card. “With that said, let’s see if Mario left you something as well.”

Peach nodded as she turned her attention to her desk. Sitting right in the center was a pink vase filled with a few roses and a pink card leaning on the front. She immediately picked the card up and opened it. As with Daisy’s, she orated the writing, which was much sloppier than Luigi’s:

Ah princess, the sweetest fruit

I admit your prank was cute

But I return from the brink

To stack your bed with roses of pink

- Mario <3

“Did Luigi help him write that?” Daisy chuckled wryly.

“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Peach returned the chuckle. “Well, this was obviously payback for what we did to them yesterday.”

Daisy crossed her arms and huffed. “You’d think they appreciate it more. Most guys would repeatedly have Thwomps cave their heads in to receive what we gave those ungrateful jerks!”

“Now, now, Daisy,” Peach placed a hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “You have to admit we deserved this. Besides, I think it’s kind of sweet.”

“Oh Peach, I’m only kidding!” Daisy laughed. “We absolutely had this coming. I agree with you that it’s very sweet, all things considered. At least it was our favorite flowers.”

“True,” Peach agreed.

“However,” Daisy grinned impishly, “that doesn’t mean they will get away with this.”

Peach shook her head. “Oh, Daisy. We got them, they got us. We’re even now. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” Daisy conceded with a sigh. “With that said, we can still have some fun with them.”

Peach cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

Daisy shared her idea with Peach, and Peach found herself agreeing with it. The princesses giggled among themselves after Daisy finished.

“It should be fun!” Peach said before returning her attention to her bed. Her brow furrowed at the roses. “Well, it looks like we won’t be sleeping in our beds tonight at least.”

“Hmm,” Daisy nodded. “So, what are we going to do?”

Peach pondered about their conundrum for a moment before a solution formed in her mind. “You know the furniture in entertainment center have pop-out beds, right? We can sleep there tonight and have the flowers removed tomorrow.”

“Great idea, Peach!” Daisy beamed. “That settles it! We can even watch a movie and pop some popcorn while we’re down there! I’m going back to my room and grab my sleepwear. I’ll meet you there!” She rushed out of the room with as much gusto as she entered.

Peach shook her head in amusement at her friend before going to her wardrobe to grab her nightgown. As she grabbed the soft pink fabric, she remembered something that gave her pause. Her fellow princess makes Bowser sound like a cat purring contently while visiting Slumberland. Her mind flashed back to when she thought an illegal kart drag race was occurring outside of her castle the last time she and Daisy slept in the same room. Chuckling to herself, she grabbed a couple boxes of earplugs before heading to the entertainment center.

---

Two days later…

“Luigi, you ready?!” Mario called upstairs.

“Almost, Mario! I need to grab one more thing!”

Mario sighed as he shook his head. Yesterday afternoon, Peach invited him and Luigi to a picnic with her and Daisy via letter. The brothers accepted the invitation, of course, but one thing that troubled him was there was no mention of the flowers he and Luigi left in their rooms. He wasn’t sure if the princesses were trying to get them back for it, so he planned to be on full alert in case they had anything plotted.

A minute later, Luigi emerged from their room and met Mario downstairs. Instead of his usual green shirt and cap and blue overalls, he wore a green short-sleeved buttoned shirt with white Bloopers spread across it over a white T-shirt, a pair of khaki shorts, a green visor with a green ‘L’ encased in a white circle, white high socks, and a pair of green sneakers. In his hand were a pair of green sunglasses.

“Looking good, little brother!” Mario pointed finger guns at him with a grin.

“The same can be said for you, big bro!” Luigi returned the gesture.

Mario looked down to check his attire, which was similar to Luigi’s except his colors were red instead of green, and his shirt had white mushroom power-ups instead of Bloopers. His sunglasses were perched atop his visor, which had a red ‘M’ in the middle.

“Hey Mario,” Luigi began, “where are we going to meet the princesses? Do they want us to pick them up from the castle?”

Mario shook his head. “The princess texted me a few minutes ago and asked us to meet them at the park. They reserved a section for us ahead of time.”

Luigi nodded, “OK, that means we can head straight there. Let me grab the macaroni salad and drinks real quick!”

~~~

Mario and Luigi kept their eyes peeled for the princesses upon entering the park. Mario smiled at the Toads and friendly Goombas and Koopa Troopas enjoying themselves. There were even three Toad families celebrating birthdays with some festivities. He was happy the weather was ideal for any outdoor activity.

“Mario! Luigi! We’re over here!”

A familiar voice broke Mario out of his appreciative gaze as he looked in the direction from which it came. Princess Peach was waving at him from a picnic area. Mario tapped Luigi on the shoulder and pointed where Peach and Daisy were. The brothers shared a quick nod before racing towards the table. Luigi had to be more cautious since he was carrying the bowl with the macaroni salad. They stopped a few feet short of the area, and Mario’s jaw dropped in appreciation of what awaited him.

Peach was wearing a soft pink sleeveless mini dress with a low neckline. The dress also showcased her long slender legs and hugged her body as if were an additional layer of skin. It was similar to her tennis outfit but more revealing; it appeared one can slightly see-through the fabric, which was some of a shock since Rosalina was the only woman who was more modest than Peach regarding their clothing. That didn’t mean Peach was afraid to show any skin, however. Completing the ensemble was a white sunhat with a pink ribbon around it over her ponytailed hair, gold dangling bracelets from her wrists, and a pair of pink wedge heel platform sandals.

After he returned to normal, Mario quickly checked on Luigi, only to see he was just as mesmerized as him, except his focus was mostly on Daisy. The Sarasaland princess wore an orange sleeveless crisscross blouse that displayed a healthy portion of her flat toned abs, a pair of white shorts that stopped at just above mid-thigh, an orange ribbon around her hair, and a pair of orange wedge heel platform sandals. Mario thought he saw drool form on the corner of Luigi’s lips, and he couldn’t blame him. Daisy was certainly showing more skin than Peach, which was nothing out of the norm for the girls.

“Hey boys!” Daisy approached and greeted them with a hug. Mario returned the hug with little issue. The same couldn’t be said for Luigi, however. It took him a few seconds before he returned Daisy’s hug.

His brain must have short-circuited seeing Daisy’s outfit, Mario snickered to himself. He shook his head from hypocritically thinking that because he had nearly the same reaction when he laid eyes on Peach.

Speaking of whom, she also approached and hugged him and Luigi. Mario was enthralled by her hair's strawberry aroma and the floral scent of her perfume. He complained inwardly when they broke the hug, for he wanted to get lost in her pleasant scents for a little while longer.

“Nice to see the two of you make it!” Peach flashed a huge bright smile, the one that never failed to make Mario weak in the knees. “You guys look great!”

“T-Thanks,” Mario stammered. “So you do two!” He mentally kicked himself for acting like a shy schoolboy talking to his crush for the first time. Luigi was the one who usually behaved in such a manner. Speaking of his brother, his snickers did not escape Mario’s ears, which made Mario chuckle to himself. He would get his revenge on him some time in the near future.

“Glad you seem to think so!” Daisy winked as she struck a flirty pose, causing her blouse to rise some. From the corner of his eye, Mario could’ve sworn he saw a trickle of blood threatening to drop from Luigi’s nose. The poor guy would be gushing a red geyser if Daisy kept this up all day.

“Oh, is that for the picnic?” Peach asked Luigi upon seeing the bowl he was holding. Luigi could only nod weakly in response before stretching his arms towards her. Peach took the bowl with an appreciative close-eyed smile and placed it on the table before returning. She did the same with the drinks Mario forgot he was holding.

“Again, I’m happy you two accepted my invitation to join Daisy and me on this picnic,” Peach addressed the brothers. Her smile then became perter. “We’ll start eating soon but before we do that, however, you know Daisy, Toadette, and I visited Bubblaine two days ago, right?”

Mario gulped heavily, for he figured this was the part where the princesses exact their revenge for the floral surprise that he and Luigi left them. Unable to speak at the moment because of his throat rapidly going dry, he only nodded his head in response.

“Well,” Peach continued, the smile never leaving her face, “during our time there we came across something that we thought both of you would enjoy, so Daisy and I purchased them and wish to give them to you now.”

Mario was caught off-guard since he thought Peach would mention their prank. However, fought off a smile when she told them she and Daisy got them something.

“Oh, you didn’t have to, you know,” Mario nervously rubbed the back of his head.

“You’re right, we didn’t have to,” Daisy interjected, making Mario frown. She then flashed a comforting smile towards the brothers. “But we did anyway because you two are very special to us. As much as Peach and I would love to bless you with them, you two have to shut your eyes first.”

“Wait, do we have to?” Luigi asked in a nearly whiny matter.

“No,” Daisy answered with a small smile. “but Peach and I want to surprise you.” Peach nodded in agreement. “So, unless there are any more questions, could you both please close your eyes for us?”

Mario blinked at the request and was about to raise an objection. When Peach and Daisy flirtatiously batted their eyelashes towards him and Luigi, however, he knew he didn’t stand a chance. Luigi already had his eyes closed, so Mario followed suit, chuckling along the way.

No sooner than he did, he felt something being placed around his neck. The next thing he knew, his visor was removed from his head and replaced with what felt like a round thing that perfectly fit his head shape. This item rubbed gently against his forehead, and a familiar fragrance entered his senses.

“OK, you can open your eyes now!” Peach’s voice sang perkily.

Mario didn’t need to be told twice as his eyes reacquainted themselves with the surrounding sights. He glanced down to see a wide oval-shape necklace made of large pebbles whose polished surfaces glinted prettily under the sun. He turned to face Luigi, who had a similar necklace around his collar, except his pebbles were green. However, something else made his eyes expand curiously. A well-crafted crown of daisies adorned his brother’s head in lieu of his green visor. Seeing Luigi wearing such a thing gave Mario a good notion of what was on his own head, and the thought made him grin despite himself.

“So,” Peach addressed the brothers, “what do you think?”

“Princess, these necklaces are wonderful!” Mario answered happily, with Luigi nodding in agreement. “It’s easy to tell a lot of care was placed in crafting these.”

Peach nodded in confirmation. “We discovered these beautiful multi-colored pebbles at the beach. A friendly Bubblainian noticed and offered to make jewelry from them. We were skeptical at first, but to gain our trust he created this gorgeous pendant from one of the pebbles right in front of us! That was enough for us to want to have some jewelry made. Daisy, Toadette, and I each had pendants made for ourselves, then we decided to have something created for you two.”

“Well, we certainly appreciate you keeping us in mind during your getaway,” Mario smiled. “By the way, I have a feeling I already know the answer, but how was it?”

“It was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken!” Daisy gushed as she leaped in the air. “This was my first time visiting the Seaside Kingdom, and I’ve read a lot of rave reviews about the place. Let me tell you, those reviews did not do it justice! There was so much to do, and the residents there were some of the nicest people you could ever come across. In fact, I’m ready to go back again. Say, why don’t the four of us schedule a future date to visit?”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Peach jumped in. “Mario, Luigi, what do you think?”

Mario shared a nod and grin with Luigi before returning his attention to Peach. “You know we’re down to go anywhere with you two, except Isle Delfino!” Everyone chuckled at Mario’s comments.

“Great!” Peach exclaimed happily. “I’ll have to check the calendar and see which date works the best for us!”

“Sounds good, Princess,” Luigi smiled. “I’m happy you two had a great time. Both of you deserve to get away once in a while.”

“Thanks, Weegee!” Daisy grinned cheerfully. However, her grin became gradually more impish. “Speaking of deserving, did you two notice the other thing we gave you?”

Sweat began to decorate Mario’s forehead because he knew this was where the hammer was about to come down. There was zero chance he and Luigi could deny their deed since they left enough evidence for the princesses to ascertain who was responsible.

“Y-Yeah,” Mario blurted out unconfidently.

“Peach and I have to admit your prank was clever,” Daisy stared, the grin never leaving her face. “To do it while we were away even more ingenious. Did you know how long it took us to clean everything up?” Mario and Luigi could only shake their heads.

“I’ll tell you,” Daisy continued, “it took us quite a while. Oh yeah, I should tell you Toadsworth was not too fond of your prank. It took all of Star Haven to stop him from marching to your home and greeting you with his cane upside your heads!”

“Hehe, thanks,” Mario chuckled nervously. “We appreciate that.”

Peach nodded before chiming in, “it wasn’t a total waste, however. We didn’t want to throw those beautiful flowers away, so we came up with ways to preserve them. Some were planted in the castle garden. Others were given away to the people. Also, we helped Minh T. plant a lot of them around the kingdom. We kept some for ourselves. Lastly, we created those crowns for you with the few remaining.”

“T-That’s nice to hear,” Luigi stammered.

“Although we couldn’t sleep in our beds that night thanks to you two, despite us admittedly earning it for what we did to you,” Daisy said, the last part of the sentence spoken quietly, “we like you so much we gave you two gifts instead of the one. Thank your lucky stars Peach and I aren’t completely vindictive!”

Mario and Luigi did nothing but nod. Daisy grinned again with a mischievous glint in her eye as she sauntered towards Luigi, making the younger Mario brother gulp. Her grin spread wider before honking his nose.

“Hey, what…”

A peck on the tip of his nose, leaving an orange kiss mark in the process, instantly silenced what was sure to be a protest from Luigi’s lips. Luigi’s face rapidly became crimson as a droopy-eyed grin spread across his face.

“You’re lucky you’re cute!” Daisy grinned huskily, to which Luigi could only weakly nod.

Mario shook his head while chuckling as Daisy gave Luigi a small hug. He continued to watch them when a pair of hands firmly placed on his shoulders turned him around. Before he could properly react to what was happening, those same hands gently cuffed his cheeks, followed immediately by the softest lips he’s ever felt quickly pressing themselves on the edge of his nose. His face felt like a volcano on the verge of erupting as his eyelids traveled halfway over his eyes.

“Although it was revenge for our actions, it was still a sweet gesture,” Peach spoke softly as her long silky soft fingers tenderly stroked Mario’s cheeks. A bright mirthful grin then flashed on her face. “It looks like we’re even now.”

Mario, like Luigi, only nodded feebly as he remained in a blissful state. If there was one weakness he and Luigi had, it was having their noses kissed, no matter how big or small the pecks. Both princesses knew this, and they weren’t above taking advantage of it when they felt like it. Nonetheless, Mario never complained, for he would never reject nor grow weary of such a thing. Besides, he knew the princesses loved them as well.

“Time for a group selfie!” Daisy’s energetic voice rang in the air as she disrupted the intimacy between Mario and Peach by grabbing their hands. The two of them shared a laugh as they along with Daisy and Luigi posed in front of Daisy’s phone being held by a selfie stick.

“Everyone, give me your brightest smiles! I don’t want to see anyone frowning!” Daisy jokingly admonished. “Ready?! Three…two…one!” A quick light flashed from the phone, indicating the picture being taken.

“OK, one more!” Daisy exclaimed cheerfully. She counted from three again before snapping another picture. This time around, a loud gasp filled the air during the flash.

“I’m sending everyone the pictures now!” Daisy informed everyone.

As soon as she pressed the send button, the familiar chime of the original Super Mario Brothers theme sounded on Mario’s phone. He took it out and opened the attachments from Daisy. The first picture had everyone smiling widely, and Mario chuckled when he saw he had a kiss print in the middle of his nose as well, except his was pink of course. A glance at the second picture had him trying his best not to sound like a hyena. What had him reacting this way was Daisy smooching a red-faced Luigi on the cheek and Luigi leaping with his eyes and mouth open as wide as humanly possible. He knew where the gasp came from at least.

“Did everyone get the pictures?” Daisy asked. The other three confirmed they did with a nod. “Good, because I’m starving! Let’s eat!” She then wrapped an arm around Luigi’s shoulder, making him blush again.

“Come on, sweetie! I hear you make a mean macaroni salad. I want to try it out!”

“Hold on, Daisy! No need to be so eager!” Luigi cried out as Daisy dragged him by the hand towards the picnic table, his heels skidding in the grass.

“That's one battle Luigi will never win!” Mario laughed to himself. A familiar pair of soft hands intimately grabbed his arm, causing him to almost get lost in Peach’s baby blue eyes.

“I’m feeling a little hungry myself,” Peach batted her eyes. “Will you care to accompany me to the table?”

Mario good-naturedly rubbed his chin. “Let me think about it for a second. You know I will, Princess!”

A soft mellifluous laugh flowed from Peach’s lips before she flashed Mario another bright smile that he thought could stand toe-to-toe with the sun. “Well then, let’s-a go before Daisy really gets going!”

“No need to tell me twice, Princess!” Mario laughed as he and Peach walked towards the table holding hands.

Mario reflected on the past few days up to the picnic. While there was a mini prank war between the battle of the sexes, it was all in good nature as neither side went out of their way to deliberately hurt each other. In fact, both pranks showed the respect and admiration each side had for one another. In the end, it could be argued that he and Luigi strengthened their bonds with the princesses when it’s all said and done.

He didn’t know what the future held, but he was going to live in the present and enjoy this moment with his brother and the princesses.

#new fic #sequel to “Leaving Their Marks Behind”#posted on ao3 #Mario #Luigi #Princess Peach #Princess Daisy #Minh T.#Toadette #Mareach #Luaisy #mario fanfiction #tee's writing

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 8 months

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I haven't done one of the Chortle roundup posts in a while, mainly because I just haven't seen that many headlines on there that have particularly grabbed my attention. But when I opened the website yesterday, the two at the top seemed worth a screenshot.

What a combination. I have to admit I've dropped off from following The News Quiz lately, for the first time since I first got into it in about 2009, back in the Toksvig days. Followed it through the Miles Jupp days and into the Zaltzman days.

So you'd think I'd have gotten more obsessed with it as I became increasingly obsessed with Andy Zaltzman due to The Bugle, but it sort of had the opposite effect. The News Quiz feels like a somewhat watered down version of Andy Zaltzman, where I can hear him make a lot of the same jokes he makes on The Bugle that week (not that I blame him, he can't be expected to turn over two sets of material every week), but with certain parts cut, for time and/or BBC radio rules and/or format points. I'd rather hear him in the format where he's allowed to go on as much as he wants with fewer restrictions. And most News Quiz guests who are all that great get invited onto The Bugle anyway, so I hear them there.

In early 2023, I started skipping News Quiz episodes if they featured a TERF or a Tory. By mid-2023, I was noticing how often I skipped episodes, and realizing just how frequently they feature one of those was souring the program in my mind. It's worth noting that zero of the TERF or Tory guests have ever turned up on The Bugle, meaning it's not Andy's choice to have them on The News Quiz, I assume it's a BBC balance thing.

The final straw of a long loosening of that show's grip on me came when those quotes about Graham Linehan's book came out and we were all disappointed (but not, like, completely and utterly shocked) in Richard Ayoade, but Simon Evans had added a supportive quote as well. Simon Evans is one of the Tory comedians who turns up on The News Quiz fairly regularly, and I'd thought of him as someone who will make me skip an episode, but not that bad really, I disagree with him but he's not one of those really hardline right-wing horrible people. Is how I thought of him, until I read that he'd thrown his lot in with the absolute worst of them in the Linehan quote, and then I decided that his regular inclusion on The News Quiz is enough to make me not just skip his episodes, but not want much to do with the show anymore. Like I said, I don't blame Zaltzman at all (if Simon Evans turns up on The Bugle that's a different story, but I can't imagine that happening). It's a BBC thing.

Cancel culture, I know. Sorry, right wing. I'm personally canceling all of you by not wanting to take the horrible viewpoints I listen to every day in serious news and then hear them in my entertainment as well.

Anyway, that all makes that Chortle headline extra hilarious. Picking The News Quiz as their example of anti-right wing bias. I was about to write several paragraphs here about why that is bullshit, but actually it's 6 AM and I have to get up for work soon and I cannot be bothered. Everyone reading this already knows why that is bullshit, and I'm at a point in my life where if anyone doesn't know, I don't want to waste energy explaining it, I just want to not hang out with them. Cancel culture, I know. I'm a big fan of cancel culture these days.

Having said all that, that second headline is really worth a look. This is a bit of a ridiculous thing to say given the subjective nature of the genre, but that stand-up show - the tour that Nish Kumar's just announced (via his mailing list that the Chortle article pretty much just copy-pasted, everyone should get on his mailing list so you can get your comedy news from correctly spelled sources, usual disclaimer that I reserve the right to make fun of Chortle misspelling things even though my Tumblr blog misspells things because no one pays me for my Tumblr blog) - might be the best stand-up show. Like. Of all stand-up shows out there. It might be the best one. Nish might do his tour in late 2024 (following an Edinburgh run, that I desperately hope will include dates in the first week of the festival because I would love to see the finished show live) and then everyone might be able to just pack and up and say "Well, it's okay that the world's ending, because at least stand-up comedy has been done to perfection. We can all move on now." (I mean, except some people on some comedy message boards whom I'm pretty sure won't like him no matter what he does, and also I guess the Daily Mail won't like him no matter what he does for very different reasons, sorry he's not Fin Taylor and some people stand for something, also sorry for dedicating a sentence of my Tumblr post to responding to a message board post I saw last week for which no one on this website has context, I'd say about 5% of my posts these days are doing that.)

I realize this is a weird thing to say about a tour that hasn't started yet, and a show that hasn't been completed yet. But I've heard some of the WIP material, and if you put all that material together, and wrap it around some structure and stuff - which is what I assume Nish Kumar intends to do before touring it as a full hour - I'm pretty sure that's a recipe for the best stand-up comedy show I've ever heard. Absolutely everyone who has the ability to do so should check this show out. I think Nish Kumar's at his best ever right now, and that means a hell of a lot when you consider how much I've venerated his previous stuff. He keeps improving on perfection and I think everyone should just stop bothering making comedy after this one. After I get the chance to gaze upon the eighth wonder of the world in Edinburgh 2024, that is.

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theheelerbooklifereads · 8 months

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Thanks, Book Club Favorites and Simon + Schuster, for the free book!

📚

⁉️ 𝚀𝙾𝚃𝙳: 𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛. 𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚏𝚊𝚛𝚎?

✨ AOTD: Mhmm, I could handle being Gigi from The Graham Effect, except for the scenes involving hockey. I'm accident-prone, so that would be disastrous. As for the fantasy novels I'm reading, let's just be honest about how I would likely not survive or how I may even put the world in danger.

📚

I'm back after a break from social media due to being sick.

I received Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton from Simon & Schuster sometime around January. I've been looking forward to reading this book for a while now as I think it's something I would highly enjoy.

📚

Here in Avalon follows two sisters named Rose and Cecilia.

Rose is responsible while Cecilia is irresponsible.

Cecilia craves adventure, and Rose craves stability.

Cecilia surprises her sister by settling down in New York.

Rose is relieved until she discovers that Cecilia has joined a mysterious underground cabaret troupe that operates only at night and that many people have gone missing after getting involved.

Searching for her sister, Rose must enter Avalon and navigate through the magic and charm.

Instead, she begins to question everything she knows.

📚

IG: @theheelerbooklife

#bookstagram #book review #booklover #bookworm #bibliophile #booklr #bookish #books #must read books #book #book mail #simon and schuster #bookblog #bookblr

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riley-summers · 6 months

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Christening My Blog With Shameless Self Promotion

Okayyy so I'm going to make a masterlist of all my Riley content (all ships, as long as Riley x Someone is the main ship. Not gonna list all the stuff with background Riley x Whoever. You can scroll through my account it you want that lol). I'll sort by pairing and put the Briley stuff at the top of the list. Not sure how much I'll actually update this list... anyhow. Things are sorted by paring and are labelled with a rating (for tags/summaries/warnings see the actual work). Drabbles are labeled. Most of these are on my AO3, though there's at least one Briley + Spike poly fic on Sunnydale After Dark.

Buffy x Riley

[Drabble] Ratting Bones, G

[Drabble] Hallucinations, T

Experimental Group, M

Buffy x Riley x Spike

Lover's Universe, PG-13 (Note that I recommend reading With Grit and Pain and Heaven, If There's a Star for Us first. But Lover's Universe is the only one of the three that's actually shippy).

Riley x Spike

And There Will Be No Tenderness, E

Lush, E

My Blood is Boiling, E

You Suck! (So Passionately), E

Riley x Angel

I Don't Think I Like You Much, E

[Drabble] Atonement, T

Until the Morning Sun Has Risen, M

Riley x Spike x Angel

Three's a Charm , E

Lights Out, E [technically a WIP but very plotless. Might add more in the future.]

They Know Exactly What We're Here For, E [WIP, updates weekly as it is completed, but sometimes I forget.] [contains significant Buffy x Willow]

Riley x Kendra Young

[drabble] Enter the Darkness, G

Riley x Graham x Faith

[drabble] Side Effects, T

#masterlist #my writing #btvs #riley btvs

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strings0fcontrol · 1 year

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Hannigram – Post-Fall (19)

Will drew in a sharp breath and took a determined step forward, moving toward the next memory. He cast a fleeting glance up at Miu before extending his hand to commence the scene.

With no alternative left, Will found himself ensconced within the confines of Lecter's office, a realm dominated by towering bookshelves that had undoubtedly been intended as Graham's vantage point, while Lecter paced gracefully below. It was a frail attempt to create a physical chasm, a desperate bid to regain his footing after the doctor's earlier psychological conquest in Jack's office. The library's volumes provided a semblance of sanctuary, a refuge behind which he could momentarily obscure himself from the looming presence of the psychiatrist. But even when he hid at the farthest corner in the room, the highest point up, Hannibal was coming towards him. In the backdrop, his doppelgängers engaged in whispered discourse, compelling Will to sweep his gaze across the room in search of Miu's elusive presence. Yet, it remained cunningly concealed until his scrutiny fell upon the audacious choice of 'candy cane' curtains adorning Hannibal's office. From within the garish drapery, Miu seemed to materialize, draped in a matching red and gray color that sent an unsettling chill down Will's spine. A candy cane demon, what a delight. It was a vision that promised to infiltrate his nightmares, as if the peculiar choice of curtains hadn't already achieved its disquieting effect. The ability to change color, Will mused. Great. That was a notable addition to the burgeoning list of observations he had been mentally compiling about the entity. It was clearly a breed apart from the other spectral manifestations he had encountered. Not undead—yet, since he hadn't succeeded in dispatching it. The fact that it appeared to possess a mind of its own was the most disconcerting aspect of all. This creature was proving to be vastly more intricate and multifaceted than any of his prior encounters. It was as if his demons were undergoing an evolution of sorts, or perhaps, his own psyche had finally snapped entirely.

He half-heartedly clapped his hands together, pivoting his body towards the unfolding scene, his demeanor exuding the enthusiasm of someone who yearned desperately to be anywhere else. Grudgingly, he allowed himself to observe.

"What’s that?" He could hear his own voice calling from above, while Hannibal slid a paper onto the table.

"Your psychological evaluation," he spoke softly, but loudly enough for Will to hear, while his gaze ascended to him, before it descended upon the paper, reading his own writing. "You are totally functional and more or less sane." Then he paused, his gaze smugly ascending. "Well done." The doctor’s gaze lowered to the paper, and he carefully placed it back onto the small glass table with precision. Displeased, Will tilted his head in a disapproving manner, his steps measured and deliberate as he moved towards Hannibal from above, his penetrating gaze fixed firmly upon the man below.

"Did you just rubber-stamp me?"

"Yes. Jack Crawford may lay his weary head to rest knowing he didn’t break you and our conversation can proceed unobstructed by paperwork," Hannibal replied, his voice devoid of notable inflection. However, his hand, in an intriguing display, initially retreated into his pocket, as if harboring a secret, only to be abruptly revealed as it casually hung at his side. All the while, his gaze followed Will.

Hannibal’s keen interest lay in the prospect of further dissecting Will's psyche. At that moment, the state of Will's mind held little actual importance for him. Once more, Will could feel a bubble of anger pop, oozing like pus from an infected wound. "Jack thinks that I need therapy," Will enunciated each word deliberately, his measured steps guiding him with caution around the folded ladder obstructing his path to the enigmatic black books adorned with colored dots, nestled toward the room's center. Unquestionably, these volumes contained Hannibal's notes on his patients, all meticulously handwritten, impeccably organized, categorized, and cataloged. "What you need is a way out of dark places when Jack sends you there," Hannibal remarked, and at those words, Will abruptly turned to fixate his gaze on Miu. It was almost as if his expression silently conveyed, ‘Did you catch that?’ His eyes widened, a sarcastic smile tugging at his lips.

"Last time he sent me into a dark place, I brought something back," Will's voice filtered into the scene from above, and once more, Graham shot another glance at Miu. Yep, he could definitely check that off his list.

"A surrogate daughter?" Hannibal's gaze descended, measured and deliberate, as if he were dissecting Will's emotional landscape. His choice of words were highly peculiar. The psychiatrist approached the desk with an unhurried grace, his fingers adjusting a slender tome while he seemed poised for Will's inevitable response. However, no response was given.

"You saved Abigail Hobbs' life. You also orphaned her. That comes with certain emotional obligations, regardless of empathy disorders." The implications were clear, heavy with gravity. And there he stood, prodding at Will's vulnerabilities with the finesse of a seasoned manipulator.

Will's eyes narrowed. 'You also orphaned her,' he mentally repeated, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips. How cunning, he mused, the art of psychological manipulation displayed before him in all its glory.

"You were there," Will’s shadow replied, his voice steady, his stance stalwart. His eyes shifted from the books to Hannibal's face, a challenge gleaming within their depths. "You saved her life too. Do you feel obligated?"

Hannibal, in response, straightened his posture. The stack of papers on the desk ceased to hold his interest. His wide, penetrating gaze locked onto Will's, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

"Yes," Lecter replied, his voice a soft, measured cadence that hung in the air like a weighty secret. He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to settle before he continued, his words quickening once more. "I feel a staggering amount of obligation." Another pause, his gaze unblinking, yet subtly shifting away from Will, as if seeking refuge in the shadows of the room. "I feel responsibility." There was a tremor in the word 'responsibility,' a fracture in his composure, a discordance that betrayed his inner turmoil. "I've fantasized about scenarios where my actions may have allowed a different fate for Abigail Hobbs." Oh, this line from Hannibal had just been gifted with a new layer of meaning. Will's lips curled into a smile, though it bore no resemblance to mirth; it was the expression of simmering fury.

Perhaps, if he hadn't placed that accursed call—

"Jack thinks Abigail Hobbs helped her dad kill those girls," his previous self persisted, and Will's gaze abruptly swiveled, colliding with the unassailable truth that Jack had been correct all along, right from the very start, and how resolutely he had shielded his eyes from that reality.

Hannibal regarded Will with a curious intensity. His countenance remained enigmatic, but it was the subtle, inquisitive flicker in his ever-moving eyes that spoke volumes.

"How does that make you feel?" The psychiatrist probed, swift but composed in his utterance.

"How does it make you feel?" Will deflected, his eyebrows arching, his eyes widening in an exaggerated display of curiosity. With a defiant flair, he couldn't resist the opportunity to be sassy, sending the message right back to its sender.

And then it dawned on him, that Hannibal must have taken a liking to him. Otherwise, his sass would have likely earned him an immediate spot on the menu, a culinary retribution for his audacious behavior, a punishment inflicted for little more than his disdain for therapy, his resentment toward Jack for sending him here, and his utter abhorrence for Dr. Lecter, that insufferably pretentious, know-it-all, infuriating doctor. Such insolence couldn't have been aimed at just any therapist trying to make a modest living. No, it was aimed squarely at Lecter, who had irked him from the very beginning, and he was hurling his spiteful disdain right into the face of the man like a brazen cat marking territory by peeing on a carpet.

It struck him with a pang of remorse, making him acutely conscious of the unkindness he had exhibited. He realized the pain he must have inflicted, dismissing Lecter as uninteresting when, in truth, all Lecter desired was Will's attention, to be truly seen by someone capable of comprehending the depths of his being. The sting of that realization cut deep.

How many lives might have been spared had he refrained from incessantly provoking Lecter?

If only he could turn back the hands of time, begin anew from that very first encounter, and mold their relationship in a different way. In an alternate universe, perhaps, he had been gentler, more considerate, and far kinder to Hannibal.

Miu observed with a sharp curiosity, its eyes tracing the subtle shifts in Graham's expression. It then made a slight adjustment in its gaze, maintaining an attentive watch as the scene unfolded before it.

"I find it vulgar," Hannibal replied, averting his gaze, his fingers lightly twitching with faint agitation. It wasn't the response he had anticipated. He resembled a perplexed cat, earning little more than indifference from its owner after recklessly knocking a vase from the edge of the table.

"Me too," Will agreed absentmindedly, his sense of indignation solidifying, and with it, a sense of security that unwittingly paved the way for Hannibal's next subtle strike. "And entirely possible," Lecter added suddenly. Oh, there was a sharp curve right there, and it appeared that everyone else had seen it coming, except for Will.

"It's not what happened." Will nearly snapped, the words tinged with frustration. It was precisely what he fervently wished had never occurred. He averted his gaze from Hannibal, hands thrust into his pockets, his entire being recoiling from the painful reality of that possibility.

"Jack will ask her when she wakes up, or he’ll have one of us ask her," Hannibal added with a seemingly innocuous statement, deftly redirecting Will's emotions toward Jack and compelling Will to deflect yet another emotional strike.

"Is this therapy, or a support group?" Graham's tone betrayed a trace of defensiveness, and Hannibal continued to observe him with the same enchanted curiosity one might have while watching the moon's orbit. Will's defense amused him; it was a shrewd maneuver. It prompted Hannibal to once again adapt his approach.

“It's whatever you need it to be," Lecter responded, caught in a delicate dance between awe, amusement, and a trace of melancholy. His lips curved into a subtle smile, and his eyes bore witness to something he found beautiful. Fixated upon Will Graham, utterly entranced.

Will had almost found solace in the unexpected silence, anticipating the session's conclusion. However, Hannibal, ever the maestro of parting words, refused to yield the final act.

"And, Will," Hannibal commenced, capturing Graham's attention once more. "... the mirrors in your mind can reflect the best of yourself," Lecter paused for emphasis. "Not the worst of someone else."

In fact, this realization prompted a momentary mental pause as the scene froze in place. The mirrors in his mind could reflect the best of him, not the worst of someone else. His gaze instinctively shifted to Miu. Was that the ‘best of him’? The entity possessed a formidable presence, akin to the cosmic terrors like Cthulhu and other eldritch monstrosities. It left scant room for hope that anything a human could muster would inflict harm upon it. However, from whatever abyss it had emerged, it did not appear to showcase his ‘best.’

Guarding his crotch with a makeshift shield formed by his hands, he ventured forth with an elongated, near-parodic stride toward the feline. Every nuance of his body language was exaggerated, as if he were a performer on a surreal stage. This bewildering display momentarily disarmed the creature, rendering it temporarily transfixed. Its gaze narrowed ever so slightly, a subtle ripple of curiosity and wariness coursing through its visage. Seeking refuge in sarcasm, a well-worn armor of denial and evasion—yes, this was a tactic the cat recognized all too well. It suggested that Will was in a battle with his own emotions, most likely grappling with his guilt. He wielded every defense in his arsenal to deflect the assault on his composure. As he adorned the mask of nonchalance, humor, and brusqueness, Miu responded with a subtle yet telling exhale, a sound that seemed to escape the confines of its chest, causing its once expansive demeanor to subtly deflate, much like the sagging of weary shoulders. It could discern the vulnerability that Will was concealing.

Its lower lids quivered in contemplative scrutiny, observing Will with a measured and attentive gaze.

This time, the scene refused to dissolve, and Miu's gaze ensnared Hannibal with a stern intensity. Then, it gifted Will with the smallest inclination of its head, an ephemeral gesture that carried a fleeting touch of solace.

Will's gaze ascended with a deliberate slowness, capturing the feline in his scrutiny. It was as though he sought to penetrate the obscure depths of its intent, grappling with the question of whether it was toying with his vulnerability or genuinely extending a hand of comfort. Suspicion hung in the air like an ominous storm cloud.

His eyes, dark pools of contemplation, darted from the icy visage of Hannibal Lecter to Miu, the provocateur who wielded its inquisitive gaze like a weapon. Will felt the currents of his turbulent emotions ebb and flow, a tempestuous sea churning within him. The icy veneer of his composure began to crack, revealing the smoldering fury lurking beneath.

He approached the chillingly lively image of Hannibal, that fiendish cannibal who had danced on the precipice of his sanity for far too long. Did he desire to strike down this grotesque phantom of his past, or was there an inexplicable yearning, a perverse craving, to embrace it all once more?

A sardonic smirk slithered onto his lips, a wry manifestation of the tumultuous battle raging within his psyche. Miu, the astute puppeteer of his innermost conflicts, seemed to take pleasure in the discord it had meticulously sown, didn't it? It had sensed his momentary lapse, that fleeting instant of vulnerability when he almost succumbed to the lure of his own demons. As his gaze shifted towards the cat, his countenance bore a smugness that suggested he had detected the trap long before it was sprung, an expression of one who believed himself to be one step ahead. However, that self-satisfied look was abruptly erased when he met the gentle gaze in Miu's eyes. It was a gaze that possessed a softness that completely disarmed Will, as though it had reached right into his core and slapped the defensiveness out of him. In that instant, he felt a pang of remorse, a bitter acknowledgment of his own unwarranted skepticism. Congratulations to Miu for achieving that remarkable feat.

He swiftly averted his gaze, fixing his blank stare upon Hannibal.

Will drew his cheeks inward, a subtle contraction of his countenance, as he pursed his lips. Was the feline truly toying with him, or was his own paranoia weaving illusions of deceit?

Goddammit.

At this point, he just wanted to lay face-first on the floor and scream. With one hand raised, his lips forming a taut, inscrutable line, the outcome of the internal struggle within his mind remained shrouded in ambiguity. He slapped his palm upon Hannibal's chest, a hesitant gesture caught in the midst of conflicting emotions. But as he made contact with the living warmth beneath his hand, he felt his fingers curling into Lecter's shirt, an instinctual response that betrayed him. Will was acutely aware that he was losing the battle on both fronts.

His fingers encountered the tie, and for a fleeting moment, he entertained the thought of yanking it with enough force to choke the life out of the image of Hannibal before him, as if punishing this spectral apparition could somehow alleviate his inner turmoil. Even though this frozen visage felt astonishingly lifelike, he understood that it was merely a vestige of his memory, not a tangible reality. Nevertheless, it exerted the same eerie magnetic pull that gradually drew him nearer.

Will couldn't ignore the fatigue that had enveloped his defenses, how they yearned to crumble under the weight of his emotional exhaustion. He sensed an irresistible tug, an unrelenting force pulling him toward Hannibal's image. He felt it, the overwhelming desire to surrender, to melt into the phantom’s embrace and be held tightly, if only for a fleeting moment of solace.

Even the act of breathing had become arduous, and the longer his gaze remained fixed upon the haunting image of Lecter, the more he sensed himself succumbing to its allure. He was acutely aware of the peril that lurked within this enchanting illusion, yet despite his better judgment, he found himself inching closer, drawn in by the seductive danger it represented.

He relented partially, finding a precarious balance by leaning against Hannibal's side rather than fully embracing him. However, even this limited contact delivered a devastating blow to his fragile defenses. As he caught a waft of the psychiatrist’s distinctive scent and basked in the comforting warmth it exuded, Will's resolve wavered, and he began to sway, teetering on the edge of losing his footing in the whirlwind of emotions that had engulfed him. He yearned for it to be real with an intensity that bordered on desperation, and it was precisely that perilous notion, akin to a tiny droplet of water hitting the taut surface of a barrel poised to burst and overflow, which delivered the fatal blow to his tenuous resistance.

His fingers curled, almost claw-like, as they clung to Hannibal's form, and his once-resolute expression fractured, trembling like fragile glass, as tears welled up and streamed down his face, marking the dissolution of his crumbling composure.

He had half-anticipated Miu to swiftly seize the advantage, extracting his emotions with merciless efficiency. Yet, to his surprise, the feline simply observed, a faint crease between its eyes conveying the message that it, too, was silently sharing in his suffering.

Its eyes gleamed with an uncanny brilliance, yet they remained dry, steadfastly unyielding as Will's own tears flowed freely, and he succumbed to further emotional fracture. Miu retained its unwavering facade, a stoic mask that betrayed no hint of vulnerability. Monsters, by their nature, don't shed tears; they mete out suffering.

However, Will wasn't deceived. Beneath that enigmatic countenance, he sensed the palpable anguish that Miu concealed. It didn't appear to thrive on pain in its raw form. Instead, it drew sustenance from the wellsprings of anger and hatred, but sorrow seemed to leave it untouched.

Extracting himself from Hannibal's warmth was an agony in itself, but the force compelling him toward the feline eclipsed the pain. So he took those steps toward Miu, a decision that left the creature visibly bewildered, its typical inscrutability momentarily shattered. The confusion deepened as it felt Will's arms enveloping its tall form, marking the first overt sign of perplexity he had ever witnessed in Miu. It was a victory, though not one he intended to flaunt before the entity.

Overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events, Miu tensed, its gaze darting frantically as it searched for an escape route or a suitable response. Just as Will had suspected, it seemed entirely unaccustomed to the idea of positive emotions or receiving comfort. After all, who would embrace their demons with a hug? Its eyes, the largest Will had ever witnessed, seemed to undergo several transformations. The pupils oscillated, alternately constricting into slits and then expanding, as if its entire consciousness were caught in a glitching loop of confusion.

Its twitching visage struggled to reconcile the myriad emotions and thoughts swirling within its mind, unable to find a common denominator. Affection, it appeared, was akin to a virulent contagion, and Miu found itself progressively succumbing to its grip, much like falling prey to a cold, gradually withering under Will's tender touch.

Its design was a testament to its intent: to annihilate and remain impervious. With raw intellect to command the battlefield and emotional acumen to manipulate, it was a formidable adversary. Yet, in its creation, a chink in its armor had been left unattended—its vulnerability to positive emotions, a weakness ripe for exploitation.

To master manipulation, it delved deep into emotions, immersing itself intensely. However, this very immersion left the door ajar for external influence to seep through.

All of its formidable might, all its malevolence, would be nullified when poisoned with the elixir of love.

There was something vaguely amusing about the situation, but Will chose to savor the moment in silence, his hold around Miu growing firmer. Over time, the creature abandoned its futile search for an escape and begrudgingly surrendered to its fate. It tentatively lifted its arms, allowing them to encircle Will in return, forming an unexpected and cautious embrace.

It marked the first tender contact he had experienced in an eternity, and despite its origin in a possible adversary, it stirred an unfamiliar yet comforting sensation within him.

Indeed, this whole situation was undeniably strange. Nevertheless, the entity decided against vocalizing any complaints and instead opted to endure the unusual gesture, tolerating this newfound intimacy.

The scene underwent a transition, transporting them back to the confines of the memory palace. Miu glanced down at Will, half-expecting that the moment called for them to part ways. However, as Will's grip remained unyielding, it found itself once more ensnared by confusion. If he persisted in embracing it so tightly, he might just catch a cold from its frigid skin. It observed him shiver, yet he refused to release his grip. In an attempt to convey the notion that Graham should release his grip, the entity made a subtle attempt to wriggle free, but this only seemed to spur him to tighten his embrace further. Miu's ears perked forward, and from its elevated vantage point, it observed the situation with a curious fascination. Will held it with a force that could have easily crushed mortal bones, a fact that didn't perturb Miu in the least; rather, it found this display of strength to be utterly interesting.

One of its colossal hands slowly ascended, its elongated claws quivering, and Will observed it from the corner of his eye, stalwart in his determination to hold on, even if the entity chose to lash out. Yet, when he sensed the gentle caress of its palm, he released a trembling breath, his apprehensions momentarily quelled. With a gentle head pat, it resigned itself to its current predicament once more. As its gaze wandered over Will's abundant locks, it couldn't help but feel a sense of curiosity. Its fingers carefully combed through the curly strands, savoring the surprisingly soft texture and finding a strange delight in the experience. It endeavored to reciprocate the gesture. Awkwardly.

This, he realized, would be his strategic opening.

Will followed his instincts, mirroring the way cats enjoyed being scratched at the base of their tails. Although the great feline lacked a tail, he knew precisely where to find that spot – the one where nerves were especially sensitive – and he gently lowered his hand to scratch it. In an unguarded moment, a soft purr slipped from Miu's throat, causing its entire body to vibrate momentarily. However, just as swiftly as the sound had escaped, it retracted, sucked back in, as if the purr had never occurred, leaving behind a facade of composure. He could sense the many claws on his head, acutely aware of their tension, as if they were poised on the brink of embedding themselves deep into his skull at the slightest hint of a too-loud breath. Graham found himself momentarily frozen in that charged silence. Though he yearned to say something, he sensed the piercing intensity of the gaze from above, a gaze that seared into his neck, and he wisely refrained from provoking it further or daring to glance upward.

Naturally, there remained but one unequivocal course of action.

In an audaciously defiant moment, verging on reckless, he resolutely scratched the sensitive spot once more, provoking a sharp tremor that rippled up the cat's spine. He could almost perceive the internal turmoil wracking Miu's form, as its body writhed in a desperate struggle to smother the urge to vocalize, waging a seemingly futile war against its own impulses. He could also discern the reflexive contractions in its throat, as if it were striving to stifle both the sound and its very self before anything could slip free. Preferring self-imposed strangulation over surrendering to the temptation to purr. How quintessentially and diabolically demonic of it.

At least, that would offer a revealing test of its lung capacity, Will mused inwardly, his lips curving into a sly smile that he struggled to contain. With great effort, he refrained from succumbing to outright giggles of his own. He continued to lavish more scratches upon Miu, who writhed and contorted as if in the throes of electrical shock.

Finally, after an excruciatingly long stretch, Miu summoned the concentration necessary to teleport to safety. It reappeared several meters away, well out of Will's scratching reach, its feline features etched with an unmistakable blend of righteous indignation and offense. Yet, it was precisely that expression that pushed Will past the brink, and his laughter spluttered forth uncontrollably. His frame leaned over, consumed by the sheer hilarity of the moment. He had valiantly endeavored to stifle it, but that amusement had erupted reflexively, leaving him gasping for breath and tears streaming down his face from the sheer intensity of his mirth.

The demon was ticklish. HAH!

Miu, in the midst of its silent contemplation of a myriad of methods for murder and the art of human flesh preparation, couldn't help but feel certain that if Will persisted in his current fit of wheezing, he might just manage to do himself in.

Yet, it marked the first time in a long while that he had genuinely laughed. Even though it came at the expense of the demon, despite the outward display of offense and aggression it projected, deep down, there was a sense of satisfaction in witnessing him finally find some laughter. The casually tilted head and the slight slouch of his shoulders gave it away, and for a fleeting moment, he could have sworn he detected the faintest hint of a smile, almost imperceptible.

Nonetheless, Miu was still a cat at heart. It indignantly turned its back to him, pouting as it settled into a seated position. Although it lacked a physical tail, there was an unmistakable sense of an invisible appendage impatiently tapping against the ground.

Will approached cautiously, his gaze sweeping up and down its form, a faint quiver of amusement playing upon his lips.

"Will you enlighten me, Miu, as to why you've chosen to reveal my memories?" he inquired, earning a sharp, sidelong glance from the feline before it averted its gaze.

In that case, he concluded, he would need to apply a touch more torment. Instead of offering an apology, Graham opted for a swift jackknife dive toward Miu's rear, promptly resuming his teasing scratches. But when the feline reacted, it was akin to a nuclear explosion in both speed and intensity. The man instinctively ducked, his hair nearly grazing the force that surged past him. A moment later, he heard a distant rumble, akin to a colossal structure collapsing somewhere far off. Both Miu and Will found themselves staring at each other in mutual astonishment, the cat’s outstretched palm suspended midair. It became abundantly clear that backhands from Miu were nothing short of lethal and possessed the power to topple entire buildings. A valuable lesson, indeed. Will rolled onto his back, his hands raised in surrender, as though held at gunpoint.

"I yield," he declared.

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rachelkaser · 1 year

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Resident Evil 4 Remake: 4 characters who were improved, and 2 who were ignored

After several weeks and multiple playthroughs of Resident Evil 4 Remake, I’ve finally made up my mind on which topic I wanted to write about. Believe me, there was a lot of ground to cover -- if you want an overview of what I think of the game generally, go read my review on GamesBeat. But here I wanted to keep it to one specific thing about the game: The characters.

More specifically, I want to go over which characters I think were improved in the remake, at least with regards to their overall writing and story arcs. I mean no disrespect to the original game, but the characters there, such as they were, were parodies and stock figures more so than people.

I’ll talk about four character that I think got an upgrade, in terms of character or (to a lesser extent) gameplay. I’ll also talk about two characters who could have used an upgrade, but were not given one -- and it might not be the ones you think.

I think it goes without saying, but just to be clear, there are going to be SPOILERS for Resident Evil 4 Remake in this post. If you haven’t played it yet, read at your own risk.

Character Improved: Ashley Graham

The original Ashley Graham has become the poster child for “annoying video game NPC” especially under the subcategory “escort missions.” Granted, I doubt I would have done much better than she did were I dropped into an infested foreign village as a college student. But even so, her grating voice and personality were not built to endear her to the player. As with everything else on this list, don’t mistake what I say as being a criticism of the original game. The original Ashley was deliberately written that way for maximum comedic effect.

Everything in RE4 was campy and exaggerated. Leon was a parody of a slick action hero. Ada was a stereotypical vamp in an impractical dress. The villains all spoke their evil monologues in self-indulgent drawls. Unfortunately, Ashley’s archetype, the damsel in distress, was also exaggerated -- and the exaggerated damsel is, by necessity, kind of shrill and needy. Gamers became fonder of her over time, if begrudgingly in many cases, but let’s not pretend the devs didn’t know how annoying she was when they made her.

Just to clarify: When I say “improved,” what I mean is that the character was changed in a way that made them better fit the world. Resident Evil 4 was never meant to be a compelling yarn but an action-packed good time. Resident Evil 4 Remake had ambitions to be both, and that meant the characters, Ashley included, had to change. As such, the new Ashley has been rewritten to be far more likeable and helpful. It sounds like an oxymoron, but she comes across as both younger and smarter.

In her first scene, the new Ashley attempts to defend herself when Leon enters her room, already making her a bit more competent than her previous iteration. She bolts out of the open door the first chance she gets, not listening to Leon. You later find out this is because she was abducted by Krauser, an American agent she probably thought she could trust. Therefore, she’s less inclined to blindly obey an agent she doesn’t know until the approaching Ganado leave her no choice.

She gets more conversations with Leon, commenting when he startles her throwing out a grenade or when he does something ridiculous like swing from a chandelier. Hints of her personality outside the crisis occasionally shine through, such as when she tells Leon she wants to be an agent and save the world with him. She helps in gameplay without having to be asked, dropping a Regenerator down a chasm of her own accord should it get too close to her. I feel that change alone has to have endeared her to most RE4R players.

The fact that she’s more proactive in the story also helps. She’s the one who cures Leon of his Plaga, figuring it out on her own despite having been too out of it to see him start the process on her. She helps Leon escape Mendez’s burning boss arena by smashing a window with a chair. She even leaps at the chance to drive the wrecking ball machine (and her apologies should she accidentally smack Leon with it are adorable). One of my favorite changes in RE4R is that she acknowledges Luis’s help and shows some emotion when Leon tells her about his death.

There’s one change that improves both her and Leon: The fact that she’s infested with a Plaga and has been for some time is far more important in the remake. The encroaching parasite absolutely terrifies her, and she nearly has a panic attack when Saddler remotely mind-controls her during the castle section. I appreciate that the game treats her like the vulnerable young woman she is rather than like the brunt of a game-long joke. She isn’t subject to Leon and Luis’s inappropriate teasing, and they’re quicker to reassure her that they’re friendly and want to help her.

I want to praise the new version of Ashley’s chapter, which is the only part of RE4R that puts the “horror” into “survival horror.” Granted, if I’m being really honest, there’s slightly less context for this section than there was in the original -- in the original, the enemies were cultists combing the castle looking for her; in the remake, they’re random, Plaga-infested suits of armor that are hanging out in the library. But I’m not inclined to criticize that because the whole Ashley section already felt like an out-of-body experience.

But alongside the tougher and nastier enemies, Ashley is more determined and courageous in this section. She’s unarmed and terrified, but she perseveres because she has to, and her pluck had me grinning ear to ear. My favorite moment was when she has to crawl under several immobilized Armaduras and pleads with them to behave themselves. The new Ashley isn’t completely free of the original’s annoying characteristics, but it’s a whole lot more excusable than it was the first time around.

Character Improved: Luis Serra Navarro

Let’s face it: Leon S. Kennedy is not the greatest judge of character in the world. His longest-lasting and most meaningful relationship in the whole series is with a woman who either can’t or won’t give him the time of day. It’s rare to see him get a meaningful moment of camaraderie with another character. So to see his relationship with Luis Sera -- here rechristened as Luis Serra Navarro -- go from a tentative détente to an actual friendship where they help each other feels rare and glorious.

Luis was always a bit of a wild card in the original game. It wasn’t exactly clear where he came from or what his deal was. We knew he had some kind of connection to the village, but not exactly what. He claims at various times to be a former police officer from Madrid or a researcher who worked on Las Plagas. How much of it is true, Leon never discovers. There are various points in the story where it seems Luis is going to give Leon and Ashley some answers, but he never gets around to it before Saddler impales him.

Luis in RE4R, on the other hand, is far more forthcoming and amiable. While he doesn’t disclose everything to Leon -- he conceals that he was once an Umbrella researcher -- he tells the heavily armed American stranger everything he needs to know to escape the situation safely. As the game progresses and he and Leon learn more about each other, he shares his reasons for helping them: He feels guilty about assisting Los Illuminados and wants to undo some of the damage he’s done.

Capcom knew not to fix what wasn’t broken, as Luis’s best moment from the original game, the cabin battle, is brought into the remake almost completely unchanged. He still helps Leon in combat, tossing him ammo when he gets low and attacking enemies that are giving him trouble. Sure, he’s still got a bit of a cheeky attitude, but the scene where it’s most prominently displayed is also the scene where he tells Leon where he can find Ashley, so I think we can forgive him that one.

Luis is much more compassionate in the remake. He explains to a scared Ashley what’s wrong with her and promises to help, and goes out of his way to get the suppressant to Leon. Given that his deal with Ada was for the Amber and he’s the only one who knows where it’s hidden, he could easily grab it and bail, but he doesn’t. And speaking of Ada, Luis is much more hesitant about contacting her, knowing that whomever she’s working for could be just as bad as Saddler, if not worse.

If the original’s backstory wasn’t explained to my satisfaction, two parts of it are expanded in the remake. First, his connection to the village. RE4R doesn’t precisely spell it out, but anyone who’s even slightly paying attention can piece together that Luis was originally raised in the village by his grandfather. Leon finds his grandfather’s diary, where the old man effuses about his grandson’s brilliance and how he’s wasted in a small town. I like to imagine the Red 9 Luis wields is actually his grandfather’s.

Another element is his work with Umbrella. In the original, it’s not explained where Luis’s scientific bonafides came from (not that we really required explanation), just that he was a researcher who balked at Saddler’s plans for world domination. In this one, we discover that not only was Luis part of Umbrella, he was in part responsible for the Nemesis, having been part of the European team that created it all the way back in the original RE3. Considering they don’t address that in the RE3 Remake, that’s a pretty deep cut (and it makes sense, given Luis’s history with the Plaga and how tentacle-y Nemmy is, though I’m not sure which one came first).

Of course, I’ve not yet addressed the biggest change to Luis -- namely, that he dies much later in the remake than he does in the original. Here he accompanies Leon through the entire mine level, including the outrageous mine cart chase and the Novistador infestation. He gets a more interesting (if less ostentatious) death, being knifed in the back by Krauser and surviving just long enough to shoot the knife out of his killer’s hands at a critical moment (taking Ada’s place in that scene, which doesn’t bother me).

Also, maybe I’m the only one who noticed or cared about this, but I appreciate that he’s more Spanish in this one. Far be it for lil ol’ American me to judge someone for not being an adequate representation of their country, but the original Luis always sounded like someone trying on a vague approximation of the right accent. Not only does Luis have a better voice this time, but he now has an appropriately Spanish name. Perhaps it’s a touch stereotypical to have him be so obsessed with Don Quixote, but hey, I’m obsessed with it and I’m not remotely Spanish.

Character Ignored: Ingrid Hunnigan

This one was a disappointment. I loved Hunnigan in the original game. In RE4′s world of hammy lunacy, she was the grounded character, the one who let you know that there was order and safety for Leon outside of his mission. Someone had to be the straight man, and Leon only plays the part intermittently. Ingrid Hunnigan, Leon’s handler, was the voice of order in the chaotic, fast-paced world of RE4, and we all loved her for that.

The version of her that appears in RE4R doesn’t play as much of a role in the plot, if only because Leon doesn’t need quite the same level of moral support. The two of them end up getting cut off from each other early in the castle level -- around the same place the villains hijacked Leon’s radio signal in the original game. So it’s not that we have less Hunnigan in the remake, per se. But it’s more that they completely whiffed the chance to give her more attention than they did in the original game.

The version we have in RE4R is . . . passable. Given that the remake doesn’t really need someone to play straight man as often, it makes sense that Hunnigan’s role in the game would be somewhat muted. I don’t mind that she’s no longer subject to Leon’s ridiculously un-smooth flirtation attempts. That was cute before, but this new, more serious Leon would give us all even more secondhand cringe than the original did.

Now that I think of it, since Salazar and Saddler didn’t hijack Leon’s communications in the remake, there’s not much of an explanation given for why he’s cut off from her? If it were just an interference issue, wouldn’t that clear up at least slightly on the way to the island? Regardless, I think there was still room for Hunnigan to play Leon’s tether to reality -- not necessarily because the villains are so cartoonish, but because Leon’s kinda losing his grip thanks in part to his parasite hitchhiker.

The remake makes the plot point about Leon and Ashley having Las Plagas implanted in their bodies more important and uses it to add a sense of urgency to the story. One of my favorite new additions is a lengthy sequence in which Leon has to fight off Plaga-induced visions in the final stretch to reach the cure. Wouldn’t it be trippy as hell if we heard Hunnigan’s voice during these sequences, sliding in and out as Leon starts to lose it? In-game, he just kinda snaps out of it and unlocks the door to the lab with no explanation -- wouldn’t it be great if, instead, it was Hunnigan’s desperate attempts to reach him that woke him up?

Here’s an alternate scenario: Maybe Hunnigan could have been a secondary antagonist? I don’t mean a villain, but someone who begins working against Leon as the mission goes sideways. I’m not the first one to point it out, but once Leon was certain Ashley was in the village, he should not have been the only law enforcement officer on the spot. You could make the case that everything happening in a night could have stymied backup, but I think that leaves open a new possibility to make the mission more hectic and time-sensitive.

To that end, maybe Hunnigan could have tried to call in the Spanish authorities and/or a backup Interpol squad, but each time Leon keeps trying to reassure her that this wouldn’t be helpful and he’s got the situation under control -- perhaps because he’s fearful of having another Raccoon City, where every police officer besides him got absolutely mauled. The game keeps hinting Leon has leftover guilt from that incident -- perhaps that would have been a way to exacerbate it?

The player might be tempted to think she has a point, given that Ashley slips out of Leon’s grasp like a greased cat. This would have made Mike the Helicopter Pilot’s death more interesting. Mike is Hunnigan’s way of trying to help, compromising with Leon’s lone wolf attitude while still providing what, from her perspective, is much-needed firepower. And Mike is helpful, at first. Then he gets killed by the Novistadors, proving that Los Illuminados are able to fend off a military assault and that Leon is right to be going this alone. Also, Mike the Helicopter Pilot? One of my favorite things about the remake.

Character Improved: Ada Wong

I think this might be a more controversial take -- especially considering I criticized this depiction of Ada in my official review. And don’t get me wrong, I’m still not really a fan . . . though, I will say that anyone who might have used my critique of Lily Gao’s performance as an excuse to harass her should go flog themselves, because that is unacceptable. While I have my reservations about Ada’s interactions with other characters (which might still be improved in the inevitable Separate Ways DLC), I still appreciate this updated take on her. Let me explain.

Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 4 (the originals, that is) felt like they were from entirely different planets. If I were to put them in front of a person who knew nothing about games, I’m willing to bet money they would never peg them as being from the same franchise. That’s not a criticism, by the way -- just an observation of the generational differences that affected the series.

Resident Evil 4 had a vastly different tone from RE2. The original RE2 was, while a little corny, intended to be a sober horror game. So it makes sense that Ada in that game is more of a dark femme fatale, beautiful and beguiling to the naïve Leon but still a ruthless and efficient spy who is willing to kill to accomplish her goals. Ada in RE4, on the other hand, is a more openly sexy and flirtatious character, less serious and more flamboyant. Again, this completely fits the tone of the game, as everyone is less serious and more flamboyant in RE4.

I like to use her outfits as a point of comparison. Ada in RE2 wore a short red dress, black leggings, and ballet flats -- not the most practical outfit for a zombie-infested city, but it fit her cover story of being a civilian looking for her boyfriend, and one could make the case that Ada didn’t know exactly how big a mess Raccoon City was. In RE4, on the other hand, she wore a stylish red cheongsam and black heels -- not because it fit her cover story, or because she didn’t know the seriousness of her mission, but apparently because that’s just what she wanted to wear.

The remakes, on the other hand, are more or less homogenizing the major games in the series. These new games are more consistent in tone, gameplay, and story. Your mileage may vary on whether you enjoy that, but I look at it as simply a different artistic directive -- not good or bad. One of the major sources of that consistency is the characters. In 2005, it beggared belief that the flippy, quippy government agent was the same baby-faced cop from Raccoon City. In RE4R, I can completely believe it’s the same person.

To keep to that more consistent sense of tone and character, Ada can no longer be that stylishly appointed nor that overtly flirtatious. It wouldn’t be in keeping with her RE2R design. But she is still stylishly dressed and flirty, just in a more restrained sense. I appreciate as well that they give Ada a sense of agency I felt she lacked with regards to the original game’s ending. Ada’s always walked the line between good and bad, but at least in RE4R she doesn’t just blithely ride into the sunset with the BBEG’s key to world domination in her pocket.

So yes, while I do love both versions of Ada, I like that this one is written to be more in-line with her portrayal in RE2R, the same as with Leon. RE4R does pay homage to the original in the sense that she’s still dressed far sexier than I would think practical for the setting -- a skin-tight turtleneck sweater dress with thigh-high boots. But at least you could make the argument that it’s workable for a mission on what appears to be a chilly weekend in Europe.

Character Improved: Jack Krauser

As with all the characters on this list, I would never dream of suggesting the hardass military officer from the original game wasn’t a perfectly adequate specimen for the time. Quite the opposite. But let’s be honest with ourselves -- he was as much of a cheesy parody of action movie BS as Leon himself was. I love him dearly for that, but that kind of character wasn’t going to work in the remake.

Out of all the villains of the game, Krauser’s undergone perhaps the biggest facelift. Like all of them, he gets a general threat upgrade and has had most of his sillier affectations removed. Krauser is also changed from a former comrade-in-arms of Leon’s fallen from grace to his former drill instructor. He still has his flare for the dramatic, but here it’s less dark Rambo and more Lt. Col. Kilgore. I’ve heard some gamers aren’t huge fans of his new voice, but I think it’s at least of comparable quality to the original.

Leon establishes almost as soon as he sees Krauser that the new version was always an asshole, but he at least had some kind of a code of honor. It’s a little more clear in the remake that Krauser is a cautionary tale of a good soldier going bad thanks to ill fortune and a lack of faith in his superiors. Even in his final moments, he encourages Leon to finish him and complete his mission. I actually kind of hope he’s not in the Separate Ways DLC because I like his big finish in the main game.

This change extends beyond the original game and into The Darkside Chronicles, to my surprise. They keep one element of Krauser’s backstory consistent: Namely, that he and Leon were both involved in Operation Javier, which left him psychologically scarred and with a massive chip on his shoulder. However, they’ve altered this somewhat to imply that Operation Javier was some kind of government screw-up that was covered up, and Krauser was left to die. This is not Operation Javier as we were shown in Darkside Chronicles.

I can only see this as a good thing because one of the big disappointments of Darkside Chronicles was the reveal of why Krauser became a villain in the first place. I wasn’t exactly expecting a Shakespearean tragedy of a fallen hero, but let’s just say that the reason he betrayed his friend and country was way pettier than RE4 implies. So RE4R retroactively creates a better backstory for Krauser, if only in a read-between-the-lines kind of way.

Also, this relieves Krauser of the responsibility of being the one to tie the story to Umbrella. In the original game, that part came as a non sequitur that Krauser blurts out. The remake shifting that responsibility to Luis is not exactly contextualized much better, but it at least feels a bit less like something the devs threw in at the eleventh hour when they remembered they were making a Resident Evil game.

This makes his role in Los Illuminados clearer. In the original, he was Wesker’s infiltrator who became a little too enamored with having his own Plaga, which is why Wesker sent Ada to finish his original mission. It makes a bit more sense that Los Illuminados would proactively reach out to and convert a government agent, rather than happily accepting one who just happened to turn up at their door.

And I’m not the first one to say it, but his new boss battles are so much fun. The parrying mechanic feels like it was created specifically for the Krauser fight, replacing the QTEs of the original. While Leon shares some boss fight banter with all of the big bads, the stuff he has with Krauser feels way more personal and nasty. The game may not exactly spell out what kind of history the two of them have together, but you can definitely feel it in the way they insult each other.

I’m not saying the new Krauser is perfect, mind you -- I still think it's too much of coincidence that a random American soldier Leon knows is one of the final bosses of the game. But at least I understand who he is, what he wants, and why he’s so mad at Leon a little bit better. And Leon having a more personal connection to one of the bads was a fun element of the original that’s given a bit more emotional weight in the remake.

Character Ignored: Osmund Saddler

Ah, here he is: The big bad of the game, or at least the final one. Saddler is the leader of Los Illuminados and the mastermind behind Ashley’s kidnapping, so him keeping his position as the final enemy Leon must destroy is fitting -- but it feels like the RE4R devs missed an opportunity to flesh him out even more. All of Saddler’s lieutenants get a bit more meat on their figurative bones: Mendez’s history as leader of the village is explored; Salazar’s lineage is expanded on; and Krauser’s military record is completely overhauled. But Saddler himself? Not so much.

Saddler had a presence through the whole of the original game. In the remake, we don’t meet him in the flesh until the last few hours of the game, when he confronts Leon and Ashley as they’re almost to Luis’s cure machine. Granted, he makes quite an impression, mind-controlling Ashley and forcing her to shoot Leon. But considering we’ve seen Mendez, Salazar, and Krauser (making his earlier-than-before appearance in the castle section) already, Saddler feels almost like an afterthought in this adaptation.

Unlike Hunnigan, who gets the same amount of screentime as the original but feels less necessary, Saddler straight up gets deprived of screentime for the majority of the game. In the original title, he appears in both the village and castle segments of the game and talks to Leon over the radio. None of that happens in the remake, and Leon only “sees” him via flashes across the Plaga hivemind after he’s infected. So by the time the two actually interact, it feels like too little, too late.

I understand that some changes needed to be made to Saddler -- he was by far the campiest villain in the original, with his oh-so-slimy voice and jabs at Leon’s American-ness. He implied more than once that he wasn’t so much a devout cult leader as a con artist trying to use Las Plagas to gain wealth and power. In the remake, he fully believes in his cause and intends to use Ashley to infect as many people as possible, seeming to care little for wealth.

The fact that he’s in so little of the game comparatively feels like a huge missed opportunity. His new motives and possible loss of identity to the will of the Plaga would make for a great new villain arc, and his aesthetic has only gotten creepier with the graphical upgrade. And granted, there are hints of a richer backstory for him, as Leon finds evidence on the island that Saddler’s ancestors have been involved with Las Plagas for a long time.

But again -- and I hate to repeat myself -- it’s not enough to make up for his dearth of actual screentime. The trippy visions of him over the hivemind are cool, but lack any sort of context. Leon doesn’t discuss seeing these things with Ashley or comment on the mysterious man’s identity. By the time Saddler starts to explain himself, Leon is so thoroughly done with this shit that he just shoots him before he can say anything. He and Ada repeat this before the boss fight, so Saddler never has a chance to explain his new motives.

The one positive I will add is that RE4R explains why Saddler is so resistant to Leon rescuing Ashley. Given that his plan in both versions involves Ashley going back home and infecting her father, the President, with Las Plagas, he sure is cavalier about her safety. In the remake, it’s implied that he’s waiting until her Plaga has fully matured and she’s not capable of fighting it off anymore. If she goes back with enough willpower to inform someone that something is wrong, Saddler’s plan is scuppered, so he’d probably rather she die than for the plan to go off half-cocked.

As with Hunnigan, let me propose an alternate scenario: If we must keep Saddler confined to the hivemind visions, I would like to see him deliberately induce those visions for Leon. Throughout most of the game, Leon seems to see him mostly by accident, like he’s tapping Saddler’s telepathic phone. I would like to see Saddler turn to the camera and tell Leon (and the player) that he knows the American is listening, that he knows Leon is aware of his plans, and that there’s nothing Leon can do to stop him.

As it is, it feels like we missed a chance to get a really threatening and badass version of Saddler. The remake expands on his non-existent backstory to reveal that he and his family have been steadily working on restoring Las Plagas for centuries -- you’d think Saddler would have more to say to Leon and Ashley, the instruments of his plan’s completion. Mendez, Salazar, and Krauser all got their moments to shine in the remake, while Saddler himself is confined to RE4R’s final hour.

That’s my take on the characters in Resident Evil 4 Remake. If you think differently -- or heck, if you think I put too much thought into it -- feel free to drop me a line letting me know.

#midweek madness #resident evil 4 remake #resident evil 4 #leon s kennedy #ada wong #ashley graham #capcom #video games

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entropicquilibriumofchaos · 2 years

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nfwmb

Imprinting: any kind of phase-sensitive learning (learning occurring at a particular age or a particular life stage) that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behavior.

Leda Darling was abducted at age 18. The only person she saw for what felt like ages was her abductor until a new face peered through the darkness and reached out. Nine years after being kidnapped, she is rescued by a curious FBI profiler, Will Graham. With Hannibal Lecter overseeing her return to society and Will Graham there to protect her from any threats, Leda's life seems to have turned for the better.

But some people are not who they seem, even to those who know them best.

Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter/Original Female Character

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Chapter 1

Chapter 2 - Sunlight

The home that Leda was staying in was alien to her. Her family’s house had been cozy and lived in; trinkets and photographs everywhere. The kitchen was outdated, but everything worked well enough and her dad was an adamant follower of the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” mindset. This house was newly furnished with brand-new appliances and furniture. It felt almost sterile; like it was for display only.

The hardwood floor was cold under Leda’s feet as she made her way to the couch and wrapped herself up in a blanket. It was comfortable and for a second, she could hide away in a cocoon of warmth and forget everything that had happened to her. Hiding wouldn’t help her get better though, so she sighed and grabbed the notebook that Dr. Lecter had given her.

Jack had dropped her off and left two other agents to guard her safehouse; a constant reminder that her abductor was still out there. Since they had yet to figure out the motive behind her kidnapping, Jack decided that it would be best to keep Leda in an FBI safehouse with guards at all times. The agents were quiet. They talked between themselves more than they talked to her; not that she minded. She kept herself busy by writing down the different thoughts in her head. She thought it would help with her anxiety to get her thoughts into words on paper. She also wanted to get more comfortable writing again so she could speak to Dr. Lecter more effectively. For some reason, she wanted to prove herself to him; to show him that she wanted to get better.

It was around nine o’clock when there was a knock on the door. One of the agents, Greggory as he had introduced himself, put a hand up to her and made his way slowly to the door. Leda tensed and brought the blanket closer to her, trying to sink further into the couch. After looking discreetly through the door he sighed. “It’s Will Graham.”

The door opened and sure enough, Will Graham was on the other side, holding a box of some sort. His curly hair was wet from the autumn rain, sticking to his forehead like it was holding on for dear life.

“Thanks, Greg. Sorry if I startled you,” he apologized, setting the box on the kitchen island before taking his jacket off and hanging it on the coat rack nearby to dry. “Hannibal made dinner and asked me to bring Leda some of the leftovers.” Leda watched intently as he avoided eye contact with the agent. Even so, the two agents seemed to respect him.

Greggory nodded to Will before he and the other agent went out onto the porch. Leda had noticed that the other agent, Sam, was a smoker and she wasn’t surprised when she could smell the faint, acrid odor seeping beneath the door and into the house.

Leda stayed where she was on the couch, still startled by the sudden intrusion. Will opened the box and took out a plate of food, which he brought to the microwave. As he heated the food up, he looked back at her.

“I was going to call, but my phone died. Hannibal was worried that you weren’t getting proper food so he sent me over. Please, come eat,” he coaxed, “Hannibal is a surprisingly good cook.”

As much as she wanted to stay curled up in her blanket cocoon, the smell of the food heating up in the microwave was mouthwatering. And she was starving.

She slowly got up, wrapping the plush blanket around herself as Will grabbed a glass of water and set it down on the island for her. She sat down on the stool and watched as he set the plate of food in front of her with a fork and knife. It was some kind of roasted meat with potatoes and small green vegetables that she didn’t recognize.

“Leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary paired with roasted potatoes and sauteed fiddleheads.” Will read from a card that had been tied to the box he had brought in.

“Thank you,” Leda wrote on her notepad, before delicately cutting into the meat.

He read the note and placed it back by her plate as she worked on her dinner. He had eaten with Hannibal back at his house, so he was perfectly content just watching over her as she enjoyed her meal.

Leda put a piece of the lamb in her mouth and instantly relaxed. It was tender and flavorful, and she had never experienced anything like it. She ate the meal slowly, savoring every bite as if it might be her last.

Will watched her reverently. He could see her restraining herself and he wondered how often she was fed when she was in the cellar. Not nearly enough, he thought, as he looked at how the blanket fell over her gaunt frame. She was deliberate with every move she made, her delicate hands holding the silverware gently. “You should drink some water too,” he instructed, pushing the water glass closer to her. She did as he asked.

“Are you comfortable here?” he asked as she finished the last of the food in front of her.

She nodded, setting the fork and knife down onto the plate before Will grabbed it and set it in the sink to wash later.

“Good,” Will responded, turning back to Leda. She had wrapped the blanket around herself once more and was looking towards the front door. He leaned on the island counter and asked, “Do you feel safe?”

Leda hesitated this time, looking to where the two agents had left and gone outside. They were confident that Will would keep an eye on her, and she appreciated not having to be watched over like a child. The agents were doing their best to make her feel safe, but knowing that the man who abducted her was still out there made it hard for her to let her guard down. She pursed her lips slightly and nodded again. The FBI had already given her two bodyguards to protect her; she didn’t want to be any more of a burden. But Will caught on.

“Is there anything I can do to help you feel safer?” he asked, pushing himself off of the counter and moving around the table to sit on the stool next to her.

The way Will made eye contact was different from Dr. Lecter, or even Agent Crawford. Their gazes were inquisitory; always wanting to dig deeper into her psyche. However, while there was nothing but questions behind Agent Crawford’s eyes, Hannibal’s gaze was different. She remembered how he had put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her soul at the end of their meeting, sending shivers down her spine retroactively. Looking into Hannibal Lecter’s eyes was like staring down a hungry wolf. But Will was different. His eyes were soft; the dark circles underneath contrasted the bright green of his irises. Being under his gaze was like being in the sun; it made her feel like a real person again. He looked at her as she was, not as a piece of evidence.

After a moment to make up her mind and summon the confidence to do so, she grabbed the pen and paper. “Stay for a bit longer?”

“Of course,” Will nodded and moved to the living room with her.

With a sigh of relief, Leda sat down on the couch and sat next to her. “I can stay for a while, but I’ve gotta feed my dogs so I can’t stay too late.”

She perked up at his explanation and he smiled at her. She loved dogs; she loved all animals in general, but dogs were near and dear to her heart. They were so pure and gentle, uncorrupted.

“You like dogs?” Will asked.

Leda smiled widely and nodded fervently.

Will chuckled. It was the first time he had seen her actually smile, and he instantly knew he would be addicted. “I’ll ask Jack if you can come out and meet them soon. They love meeting new people.”

It was an odd feeling for Leda, to look forward to something. For the first time in nine years, she was looking toward her future.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Will asked, grabbing the remote for the TV off of the coffee table in front of them.

Leda shrugged her shoulders in a way to say “sure”, and Will nodded. They flipped through Netflix for a couple of minutes before Leda put her hand on Will’s arm and motioned to the one he had stopped on.

“Brother Bear?” he confirmed with a smile. He knew the movie; he had watched it when he was younger. It was a kid's movie, but that didn’t bother him. He could see the joy in her eyes as she nodded to him and curled into the couch. He pressed play on the movie and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table.

There was something about Will that made Leda feel safe. She couldn’t explain it, but being with him was like coming home. He felt like a warm campfire on a cold winter day or the cool shade of a large oak tree. After years of being alone, it felt nice to feel a warm body by her side.

The way Leda slowly moved closer to Will made his heart ache. He couldn’t resist putting his arm around her and guiding her head to rest on her shoulder. It was as if she was melting into him. The feeling was intoxicating; better than any drug that existed. He knew as she slowly fell asleep on his shoulder that he would do anything to protect her and give her the closure that she needed. No matter what happened.

Will stayed until the end of the movie, even though Leda had fallen asleep about halfway through. He wanted nothing more than to stay on that couch forever, with Leda resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his thigh. He ran his fingers through her short hair absentmindedly, thinking about everything she hadn’t experienced because of her abduction. Just the thought of someone inconveniencing the woman in his arms was enough to make him seethe, let alone hurt her. He looked down at her sleeping face and studied it intently, not wanting to forget any detail. Her cheeks were slightly sunken in and her lips were scarred from years of starvation and dehydration. He traced the line of her nose and jaw with his eyes, carving it into his memory. Her blonde hair was soft and fine, sliding through his fingers like silk.

When they had found her, it had been so long and matted that it needed to be cut short to inspect for any head injuries. He wondered if she missed her long hair or if she was relieved to be free of it.

He wondered a lot about her, but now wasn’t the time to pry. She needed to heal first, but in time Will decided he wanted to know her more. He wanted to learn her deepest secrets, her darkest fears, her highest highs, and her lowest lows. He wanted to be there to show her the things she never got to experience. He wanted to give her every last bit of his attention and never take it away. His scarred and broken heart was in his hands for this woman who he barely knew, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Will sighed quietly before gathering her up and carrying her bridal style to her bedroom. He laid her down gently in her bed and covered her up with the large puffy duvet.

At this moment, Will could forget what had happened to the both of them. He was just a guy and she was just a girl. In another world, this could’ve happened after a date or maybe they had been lifelong friends. But this was the real world, and nothing about the situation was ideal.

Trying not to dwell on the what-ifs, he brushed her hair out of her face. He smiled as her eyes fluttered open momentarily.

“Thank you for staying,” she said, her voice hoarse and gravelly from disuse.

Will smiled before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “Anytime, Ms. Darling.”

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