#Also felt like this was the weirdest argument in history

[loupgaroualejardin]

Yk, We always thought the double talk was weird that people were like "If you don't want to talk to doubles you're comparing them to their source!!!" And, like??

I personally do like doubles, but, we have quite a bit in system who doesn't and we always thought was that not wanting to see doubles is not wanting to see a carbon copy of yourself? And, I don't mean personality wise.

I mean, like, You walk out on the street one day and see basically a clone to yourself in appearance, because that's how we visualize doubles in our head, as someone who looks exactly like us, and, like, can understand how that'd be a bit creepy to people.

Also, I feel like, also, saying that not wanting to meet a double is comparing them to source, and, like, what? Idk. Can you not like the idea of not wanting to meet someone who's like you? Like, there are people that aren't even introjects or kins that don't like that idea. So, I don't know. I feel like it's a weird thing to be upset abt tbh.

[ladyloveandjustice]

ok I do have to talk about it I guess

but I saw a incredibly funny post tag diving that claimed Ed and Al operated on protagonist centered morality in the manga and "didn't face consequences for their actions" and that has to be the weirdest claim ever when the title of Fullmetal Alchemist might as well be "Ed and Al Face Consequences for Their Actions".

If you're annoyed about Ed forcing his personal morality about killing on others, good news, Ed literally gets stabbed completely though his body, is out of action for six months, and has to sacrifice part of his lifespan to heal because he recklessly interferes with a military operation to follow his moral code. He literally says "there are the consequences for my actions" afterwards. Ed is constantly eating the consequences of his actions. His character arc is that he needs to let go of his pride, and he does so in the end by sacrificing his alchemy. I dunno how much more clearly it could be spelled out.

some quibbling about the specifics of the post and differences between versions under the cut and then I'm back to never mentioning this again.

In my quick glance I think the main argument is in 2003 there's this moment where Scar calls out Ed on letting the military interfere with Liore because in 03 canon the people of Liore are a minority similar to Ishvalans so of course the miltary slaughtered them. (From my memory Ed is sad about it but then he continues comfortably blaming Scar for everything and it never ever comes up again, but I haven't seen 03 for a long time so I could be wrong, also I watched the dub back then and the sub might have had him self reflect more, and also the point is moot anyway- he did get called out and that's all that matters. )

The reason that doesn't happen in the manga isn't because Arakawa isn't afraid to question Ed, but because Liore is not a city populated mostly by a minority people related to Ishvalans in the manga. It was a mix of ethnicities just like every other city in Amestris in the manga, and it was 03 that decided to make it connected to Ishval. 2003 Ed did do something kind of bad, because he should have known based on his military's history of genocide that yeah, the military isn't going to be helpful to these people who are specifically minorities, maybe keep an eye on that.

But manga Ed's crime is...not knowing there were evil immortals who would use the confusion to cause a riot and would thus draw the military to kill everyone because actually there's a secret government conspiracy to cause bloodshed at certain points in Amestris? ??? Dude, literally nobody knew that! So it makes no sense for Ed to be "punished" by the narrative specifically for the sin of not knowing that. The homunculi would have fucked up Liore regardless of whether Ed exposed the local cult leader or not, and exposing a cult leader is not a bad thing someone needs to atone for. If Rose or someone had blamed Ed for what happened, they would have looked pretty unreasonable. I do agree that the positivity about rebuilding in the manga can easily rub people the wrong way, and I would have liked it to reflect the messy emotions that come in the aftermath of violence more too, but there was no narrative purpose in making Ed and Al carry guilt for it, and it would have felt forced.

The manga and 2003 had different aims with how they executed their plotlines. Liore in the manga and 2003 are different. Before you blame one for not ending up like the other, you have to consider whether that would have even made any sense. Anyway that's my last word, might delete this later.

[luckyspike]

Spike's 2024 Reading List

So today (June 21) I was thinking to myself a little lamentation about how little I read compared to when I was a kid. But then I thought, hey, I listen to audiobooks, so actually I read quite a bit more than I think, I just rarely sit down and read a physical book. So I decided to make a list.

And then I thought, it'd be a good idea to put that list somewhere I can find it again, and maybe even write a few sentences about how I felt about each of the books.

And Ked said it was a good idea, so here goes. In rough chronological order, because to be honest I can't remember which order I finished some of these in earlier this year, but I'll try to be more diligent about it moving forward:

Murder on the Links, Agatha Christie - what is there to say? It's a Poirot book. I am a lot like Hastings reading these, trying to figure things out as we go and getting it woefully wrong before the end. The book equivalent of a warm cup of cocoa at bedtime for those who like this kind of thing. 6/10

The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe - I love two things in literature: murder and adventure. This book definitely favored the latter (no one got murdered although some people did die), and was a fascinating look into the selection of the original astronauts. I did this one on audiobook, and Dennis Quaid read it; not my favorite narrator but he did well. 7/10

The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, and the Dawn of American Aviation, John Lancaster - This scratched the adventure itch, and if you're looking for a lighter read that is ABSOLUTELY WILD look no further. 7/10

Light From Uncommon Stars, Ryka Aoki - I'm sure this book is enjoyable for somebody, but that somebody isn't me. A series of baffling decisions made by the author and characters from beginning to end, punctuated with the most saccharine ending possible. 1/10

Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World, Matt Parker - Do you like math? Do you think you can stomach an entire chapter about how people misuse Microsoft Excel? I did this on audiobook and if it weren't for the author's infectious enthusiasm as he read I don't think I would have made it through the Excel chapter to be honest. Otherwise an interesting read, though. 4/10

Everybody in My Family Has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson - I LOVE THIS BOOK. I love a murder mystery, the characters were all awful and fascinating in their own way, you couldn't help but feel bad for the main character at every turn, and all in all I couldn't put it down. 10/10

A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson - Exactly what the title says, and although I wouldn't call it a light read it was a nice way to spend my long commutes. The audiobook narrator was very good on this one, and I enjoyed it quite a lot - it also gave me some ideas of books to read next! 7/10

The Body, Bill Bryson - Coming hot off enjoying his other book, I downloaded the audiobook for this right away. And it was ... fine. Interesting, even. But whereas the other book was read by some Shakesperean-actor-sounding British guy, this one was read by the author who has the weirdest accent ever. It was honestly distracting at times. Plus, it ran more on the dry side, with less information about people's petty arguments than the other book. 5/10

Raising Steam, Terry Pratchett - No, although I am a Pratchett superfan I had not read this one yet. It was my last one, and until this year I wasn't ready. And it was good, in a sort of bittersweet way: Pratchett in my opinion was not writing like himself in this book, and the character of Moist seemed a little off at times to me. But I loved it all the same, and nestled it right into the space I have saved for it on my shelf of favorites. 6/10

Midnight in Chernobyl, Adam Higginbotham - Do you love nuclear accidents? Do you love learning about the tiny human mistakes that snowball into a catastrophe? Then this is the book for you! It's a long one, but it gripped me from beginning to end - even though you know what happens, reading about it unfolding step by step is so fascinating. This was an audiobook, and the narrator did a great job as well. 8/10

Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks, Andrea Lankford - So out the gate I will say that I really, really enjoyed this book, but I got it on audiobook, and for some reason the narrator decided the tone to go with for this book about Park rangers was sultry. Honestly I loved the book, but the narration was so incongruous at times as to be distracting. Still, I will not deduct points for this, because I'm just judging the book. Also, I sobbed like a baby listening to the end while driving to a restaurant to meet my family for my brother's birthday dinner, and it really freaked them all out. 8/10

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing - When it says incredible, it means incredible. Like holy shit. I listened to this on audiobook, the narrator was on point, and even though I knew sort of what happened during the Shackleton expedition I could not stop listening. Amazing book, I will not say more because honestly just read it. 10/10

Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver, Jill Heinerth - I am not usually one to read memoirs, but on a whim I pulled this one after Audible suggested it based on my prior books. I enjoyed it - Heinerth is a good writer, and her stories about diving and her life are truly fascinating. From actual cave diving (scary), to confronting a burglar (scary), to facing harsh criticism as a female in a male-dominated endeavor (also scary) Heinerth is a strong woman and a great storyteller, and her book was an enjoyable read. 6/10

No Shortcuts to The Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks, Ed Viesturs - Again, I am not really a memoir person, but damn if Viesturs doesn't have a hell of a story to tell. Mountaineering has always interested me, and this book was mentioned in a Reddit thread about good books dealing with that subject. Viesturs recounts his journey to becoming the first American to summit all 14 of the world's 8000m+ peaks, and without oxygen to boot, and he does it in grand style. There were parts of the book where I was holding my breath along with the text, waiting to see if he would make it out, or if his partners would. Overall an incredible read, and I'm looking forward to reading his second book about K2 and the history of it later this year! 8/10

Poirot Investigates, Agatha Christie - It's Poirot again! Back with his idiot friend Hastings for a delightful compilation of short mysteries. I have long-since accepted that I am just as stupid as Hastings and incapable of using my little grey cells, and so I get to follow along with Poirot's logic with wonder. Poirot books are what they are: cozy old mysteries with twists and turns and a weird little detective in a snazzy suit, and this book delivered plenty of little bite-sized morsels that I was able to enjoy piecemeal. 7/10

[khaleesiofalicante]

9,11,& 19 for Micheal Wayland and Robert lightwood fluff story please?

*bats eyelashes*

“You’re in love with her” + “We could get arrested for this” + “I’ve missed this” - Robert Lightwood and Michael Wayland

“This is probably your worst idea yet,” Robert pointed out. “I want it to be noted that I highly disapprove of this whole thing.”

“You sound too calm and relaxed for someone who is in a state of high disapproval,” his parabatai pointed out, and Robert could hear the smile in his voice. 

He was calm. He was relaxed. Those were not moods that Robert was familiar with on a regular basis - at least not since he had joined the academy. 

But as always, Michael made it better. He always made things better than they actually seemed. This included Robert himself. 

“We should do this more often,” Michael said after a moment. “I wonder why people aren’t doing this all the time.”

“Because it’s illegal,” Robert added dryly. “We could get arrested for this.”

“I could get arrested for worse,” Michael said quietly. 

Robert wondered what on earth that meant. He knew his Parabatai better than anyone. Michael wasn’t much of a rule breaker. But then again, they were breaking rules right now. Maybe he didn’t know Michael as much as he thought. 

“We are just two brothers relaxing in a river,” Michael tried to reassure him. “Nothing to worry about.”

But there was always something to worry about. Robert didn’t know how to explain it. But there was this feeling in chest that something could go wrong any minute.

“Do you know mundanes call this skinny dipping?” Michael asked, because he hated awkward silences. Robert didn’t mind them much. He never understood people who preferred to talk when they could be quiet. 

“Mundanes are the weirdest little creatures,” Robert chuckled. “Skinny dipping. What a name!”

“What about the other ones?” Michael asked, his voice low but carrying far enough. “The Downworlders. Do you think they are weird too? Do you agree with the others? Shouldn’t we believe their arguments and their side of the history?” 

Robert was quiet. 

“Are they wrong?” Michael asked again. 

Robert decided not to answer that immediately. Of course, he could trust Michael with his life. But one had to be careful of the opinions they shared about the shadow world - especially if one wanted to end higher up in the Clave.

“I don’t know if they are wrong,”  Robert replied after a moment of thinking. “But I do know that Valentine is right.”

Michael hummed, as if he had expected this exact answer from Robert. Maybe Michael knew him better than he knew the other man. It didn’t bother him. Robert almost found that thought comforting.

“What about the others?” Michael asked now. “Lucian? Stephen? Jocelyn?”

“Lucian sickens me with his infatuation with Jocelyn,” Robert winced. “It’s honestly quite depressing.”

“He is in love! There is nothing sickening or depressing about that,” Michael replied. 

He sounded a little offended. Why? Was he good friends with Lucian? When did that happen? What else didn’t Robert know?

“It’s just…” Robert looked for the words but he couldn’t find them anywhere. 

He wanted to say that it just didn’t make sense to him. He wanted to say that he couldn’t relate to.mBut somehow every single word felt and sounded wrong. 

“It’s just…We shouldn’t be focusing on love and romance when we have a duty to fulfil,” Robert said instead. “And Jocelyn and Stephen are not any better. Pining over Valentine and Amatis. Honestly, what is wrong with all of them?”

“They are teenagers,” Michael chuckled. “And so are we.”

Robert rolled his eyes and hoped Michael could sense it. He also wished Michael could sense his frustration. His confusion. His fear. His loneliness. 

“Whatever it is you feel,” Michael said then. “It’s alright.”

Robert turned around, only to see Michael smiling at him. So he did feel his frustration and his loneliness and confusion and everything else that came with it. 

They were Parabatai after all. 

He stared at the other boy’s bare chest, where the Parabatai rune stood out in his pale skin. Robert had always found it odd that Michael had got his rune on chest. But he hadn’t questioned it. It had been hard enough to make friends back then - let alone make a Parabatai. He wasn’t going to go around asking questions and making things worse. 

“You know the circle isn’t so bad,” Robert said then, because he wanted to change the subject.

“You are talking about her,” Michael said, his voice sounding suddenly unfamiliar. 

Wrong subject. Wrong subject. 

Robert decided to stay quiet. His father had taught him that sometimes it was best not to comment than to give a comment at all. Robert couldn’t have agreed more with his philosophy. 

“You’re in love with her,” Michael said after a minute.

It was weird - because it sounded like both a question and a statement at the same time. 

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Robert replied since he couldn’t help it. “I hardly know her.”

“But you would like to get to know her.”

“Honestly, Michael! Are you making a statement or asking a question?” Robert laughed. “And…I don’t know..Maybe I do…Although getting to know people is exhausting!”

And Michael laughed. Robert had always liked the sound do that. It carried even better in the water. 

He felt the water around him shift and noticed Michael swimming towards him. 

“I’ve missed this,” his Parabatai said. 

“Swimming naked in Lake Lyn and sullying a sacred place?” Robert laughed.

“No, this,” he stressed now. “Us. We haven’t had time to…time to talk or just be with ourselves…Not since the Circle.”

“Well then we’ll make sure to find the time from now on,” Robert smiled at him. “Maybe we could make this a regular habit. I hate to admit it but it is oddly calming to float around in Lake Lyn at dawn.”

“Told you so,” Michael grinned. “Next week?”

“Maybe we could bring some wine and cheese next time?” Robert grinned back.

“And have a picnic?” Michael chuckled. “Robert Lightwood! I knew those rebellious Lightwood genes would show up someday! I am glad it’s over skinny-dipping and fine dining.”

“We are a family of exquisite standards,” Robert said proudly. 

“Except it for when it comes to underwear,” Michael laughed. “I can see the penguins from here.”

“If I knew we were going skinny dipping, I wouldn’t have worn them!” Robert splashed him suddenly.”

“So you do wear them on other occasions then,” Michael continued to laugh and Robert kept splashing him. 

When the laughter and splashing and banter and ridiculousness had stopped, they were floating around again. The sun was starting to come up and Robert realized it was the calmest he had ever felt. 

“I’ve missed this,” Michael said again. 

Teasing me about my choice of unswear? Robert wanted to ask. But his heart felt too light. Too good. Too alive. 

“Me too,” he said. 

[princess-sengoku]

I have a request for the Ultimate OTP Questions list, if you don't mind: Zhao Yun/Lu Bu

(Alright i got it. Sorry about a bit of a wait.)

Zhao Yun x Lu Bu OTP questions

Who is most affectionate?

Zhao Yun

Most common argument?

Probably what their strengths can be used for. Zhao Yun is for his lords and Lu Bu is for himself

Who apologizes first?

Zhao Yun

Favorite non-sexual activity to do together?

Riding red hare together or training.

Who drives and who rides shotgun?

Zhao Yun drives and Lu Bu will take the missle launcher (shotgun)

Who is most likely to carry the other?

Lu Bu will carry Zhao Yun in anyway he wants.

Nicknames(this took me a while)

Zhao Yun to Lu Bu: big bruiser, machoman, strongest warrior alive

Lu Bu to Zhao Yun: Hero, warrior

Who Proposes?

Zhao Yun

Who sings along with the radio?

Zhao Yun but really depends on the music.

Who worries the most?

Zhao Yun. He knows Lu Bu is strong, but he can do some incredibly dumb decisions that threaten his life. He's also concerned about Chen Gong, Lu Bu's strategist, for putting him in precarious situations and just feeling that he may have other intentions.

Who wants to take selfies with the other?

Zhao Yun

Who likes to playfully tease the other?

I think Lu Bu might do it more. (If Zhao Yun does it, it might cause the next DW opening in Xiapi again)

Weirdest taste in music?

Lu Bu

Who remembers what the other orders in a restaurant?

Lu Bu

Who is embarrassed to take off their clothes in front of the other?

Zhao Yun

Who tops?

Lu Bu. Not surprised

Who initiates kisses?

Lu Bu

Who reaches for the other hand first?

Zhao Yun

Who kisses the hardest?

Lu Bu

Who is the most ticklish?

Zhao Yun

Who brings an animal they found home?

Zhao Yun. Lu Bu allowed it only because Lu Lingqi found the animal cute.

Who holds the umbrella for the other when it's raining?

Lu Bu, he's taller and can find a big umbrella for the both of them.

Who tries to playfully embarrass the other in public?

Zhao Yun. At least it's outside with other warriors around, still he doesn't do it often.

Who kills the scary bugs?

Both but Lu Bu will do it more often.

Who asks the wierd questions at random in the middle of the night?

Lu Bu

Who hogs the blankets?

Zhao Yun

Who wakes up first?

Zhao Yun

Who wants to stay in bed longer?

Lu Bu

Who always makes coffee for the other each morning?

Lu Bu. He doesn't want to give too much coffee though as Zhao Yun will musou attack out the window.

Who cries during certain films or reading sad books?

Zhao Yun

Who gets scared of horror films?

Neither? Zhao Yun is too courageous for that and Lu Bu is Lu Bu.

Who cuts the other's hair?

Lu Bu.

Who says "I Love you" first?

Zhao Yun

Who tells their friends and family about their relationship first?

Lu Bu

What does their friends and family think about the relationship?

Lu Lingqi: She would be happy. She prefers Zhao Yun over Diaochan because at least he didn't keep him away from her while she was growing up.

Diaochan: She would be a bit surprised but accepting. She seemed to have feelings for Lu Bu, but will stay out of it unless Zhao Yun breaks his heart.

Chen Gong: He would think this is a good thing for Lu Bu. Anyone that can keep Lu Bu from any unnecessary killing sprees is great for him. Plus he would use this as a offer to ally themselves with Shu

Zhang Liao: He would be fine with it. He just hopes Zhao Yun would make a nice opponent for him to train sometime

Liu Bei: He would be a bit concerned (who wouldn't after they got kicked out of Xiapi in history) but the benevolence in his heart would at least let go of the grudge and accept it for one of his favorite officer's sake.

Liu Shan: He's fine with it. He just wants peace.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: Guan Yu wouldn't like it personally because Lu Bu messed with his sworn brother's dream and Zhang Fei wants to drink so hard to forget this relationship exists. While Guan Yu tries not to let Zhang Fei drink himself to death, he tells Zhao Yun to be careful at least

Ma Chao (and Ma Dai): Ma Chao wants to vanquish the injusticable creature that took Zhao Yun away. Ma Dai stops his cousin and ties him up on the horse. He silently says that he's fine with it but Ma Chao is going to take some time and get a clearer head for it. He tips his hat like a silent apology and rides off.

Who is more likely to ask the other to dance with them?

Zhao Yun. Just a night at one of the karaoke bars.

Who cooks the best?

Lu Bu, especially when it's meats.

Who wears the other's jacket?

Zhao Yun

Who uses cheesy pick up lines?

Zhao Yun

Who whispers inappropriate things in the other's ear at inappropriate times?

Lu Bu. He would be so awkward with it though. at least Zhao Yun blushes easily.

Who makes the other laugh the most?

Lu Bu

Who needs more reassurance?

Zhao Yun

Who would have to bail the other out of Jail?

Zhao Yun has to bail Lu Bu out

What is their Theme song?

This. It doesn't have the guitar riff that Dynasty Warriors tracks have (it isn't from a dynasty warriors game anyway), but i can see them battling to this together.

Who would sing their child back to sleep?

Lu Bu. It calms down Lu Lingqi faster.

What do they do when they are away from each other?

Zhao Yun would probably go to train and see what's happening in the south (Nanman). Lu Bu would be bored and ask Chen Gong where's the Wei forces. That is his training for today at least.

A headcanon about them that stabs your feels

One day when Zhao Yun shows up in Xiapi castle, he noticed something was wrong. Dead soldiers of Lu Bu's army laid on the castle walls and among the grounds. Zhao Yun grasped his spear tightly as he rushed inside. Along the way, he saw a Shu flag. Did something happen without Liu Bei knowing and to Lu Bu? He got to the throne room and Zhang Fei, visibly drunk, was there with blood on his pike. Chen Gong was no where to be found, neither was Lingqi, Zhang Liao, or Lu Bu. "Master Zhang Fei? What did you do!?" Zhao Yun would ask in increasing anger. Zhang Fei, still out of it, only acknowledged Zhao Yun with an "ugh" and threw Lu Bu's headpiece back to him. The headpiece was also tainted with blood. Zhao Yun started to cry. Lu Bu... He can't be gone... How did this happen? He wanted to kill Zhang Fei. He didn't care about how his lords felt or what it would do to his position, he killed his love out of spite and drunkeness! Before he could get his spear off of the ground, he was knocked out by Zhang Fei, an ache in his head too great by a clean headbutt.

A headcanon that mends the previous one?

Zhao Yun woke up in what looks to him like a hideaway, the birds tweeting outside in harmony. He didn't want to get up from the bed, one Lu Bu was dead to him and two it hurts to move. He noticed he still held the headpiece Lu Bu wore and placed it on the table next to him. He wasn't fully awake but when he came to, he felt someone big and strong next to him in the bed. It sounded like a bear but calmer. As he turned, Lu Bu was alive and in bandages from the wounds he had gotten. Zhao Yun also found bandages on himself. He was so happy they were alive. Liu Bei, Chen Gong and Lu Lingqi came in as well from the outside. Liu Bei had apologized to Lu Bu and Zhao Yun that he didn't know Zhang Fei was attacking them and he didn't know about the incident til Chen Gong and Lingqi explained to him about it. Zhang Fei would be in Jail for it and shouldn't be bothered at all. Chen Gong felt regretful about the situation that he never saw it coming. After their worries were quelled and apologies was given and accepted, they left Lu Bu and Zhao Yun alone to heal. They cuddled comfortably in bed, Lu Bu silently wishing that Zhang Fei would be executed but he's fine with both alive to do battles again.

[loveactualharry]

December 1997. (Part 2)

Hello lovely people!

Just wanted to share with you Part 2 of December,1997 (Teacher!Harry).

You can read Part 1 here as well. 

Please, let me know what you think and if you want, like andreblog, it would mean a lot to me. Enjoy!

Warning: smut. Word count: 1217 words. Overview: Harry is a young, shy History teacher at Cambridge in 1997. When he meets Anna, his world turns upside down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 14th , 1997.

Days went on, weeks went on and his love for his job grew bigger, too. He loved what he was doing; he was glad to have to chance to do what he loved for a living and he was also glad he was doing it in the best way he could. Actually, it wasn’t just his job making him happy. He refused to admit it to himself as well, but his interest in that girl had grown stronger day after day, and he honestly did not know what to do with it. Moreover, he did not know if he felt guiltier about that more than how horny he felt about her.

“So, what’s with this girl?”

“Mh?” he raised his eyes from the book in his hands to look at his roommate and best friend Louis, who was smoking a cigarette, sitting on the orange armchair in front of his fireplace.

“The girl, the one in your History class, the one you constantly talk about, Harold. What’s with her?” he clarified, giving him a distracted look.

“What’s the question Louis?” he sighed, remaining in the same position, with a book in his hands and his glasses still on.

“Did you fuck her?”

He widened his green eyes and instantly blushed, pretending to bring his attention back to the page of his book. “I did not…do it with her, Louis.”

“Well, when are you going to fuck her?” his blue-eyed friend asked, letting a puff of smoke come out of his lips. Harry hated the smell of smoke, and he had told Louis several times, but he was stubborn as hell, so he had grown used to that, somehow.

“I am not going to bed with my students, Louis.” He murmured slowly, turning the yellow page with his long, thick finger.

“Whaaat?” Louis looked at him as if he had just told him the weirdest theory on earth. “What are you talking about?! How old are you, fifty?!”

He raised his eyes from his book once again, now sitting straight to face his friend and look into his eyes.“No, I am not fifty, Louis, but I am twenty-seven and she is nineteen and she is also a student, while I am a teacher.” He said, looking dead serious, with his eyebrows furrowed and his glasses still on.

“So what? It’s not like she’s fifteen. She is nineteen and I am sure she wants to have a good fuck with the teacher too.” He counterstroke, as if they were having a tennis match with words.

“I am a teacher, Louis. This is my job, it would be against my ethics and I could get fired and what if-”

“What if, what if” Louis said, imitating his deep, raspy voice, as he rose from his armchair, holding the cigarette in his hand. “Fuck ethics, Harold, fuck all the ‘what ifs’. You worry too much about every little thing and that is probably the reason why you’re so shy, and, still a virgin, too! You need to relax and take things as they come!”

“I worry too much? You do not worry at all, Louis! Do you even think about consequences sometimes? Do you have any idea of what could happen if…If I did it and someone found out?” he rose from the couch as well, furiously throwing his book on it.

“It’s not like you’re gonna have to write it on the fucking wall, Styles! You need to relax and stop jerking off in your room thinking about her!” Louis said cheekily, before taking one more drag from his cigarette.

He widened his eyes and opened his mouth in shock, his words almost coming out as a little whimper, despite his low, deep voice “I do NOT-”

“Oh, please, Harry! These walls are thin and you are loud.” he finally said, shaking his head with an insolent smile on his face.

Blushing, he looked at him for a few more seconds before clenching his fists. “Fuck off, Tomlinson.” He murmured, letting out a nervous sigh as he turned and slammed the door of his bedroom after getting in it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Arguing with Louis had always been among the things that put him in a bad mood the most. Not only because he was his best friend but also because, most of the times, the things he said during the arguments, were right. It’s not like Harry didn’t know he was right, it was just that, most of the times, we struggle with admitting things to ourselves more than how we struggle to admit things to everyone else. However, things were not always so easy and straightforward, and mostly not so easy to deal with. Not from his point of view, at least. Louis had always been more easy going, while he had been the shy one, concerned about everyone and everything. Maybe he was right, though. Maybe he needed to relax and let things go the way they should, without trying to keep an obsessive amount of control on every little situation. But for Harry, it was not that easy, especially because this situation could have had some serious consequences and, moreover, he couldn’t go to her and tell her he had had a major crush on her since day one.

That night, his head was heavy and aching from all the thoughts going around it, and he needed some relief. And not only because he was thinking too much but also because the bulge in his pants had become extremely visible and so painful that it was hard to ignore it anymore. Ever since he had met her, he had been thinking about her every night, slowly sliding his hands in his boxers, wrapping it around his cock and stroking it till he came hard, moaning her name. That night was no exception. Often, he would think about her sitting on top of him, riding him till they both came, moaning each other’s name. This had been his most frequent fantasy ever since she had spoken about her theory about powerful women and their effects on men. She was right; he thought: most men were afraid of powerful women, mostly because they knew how easy it was for them to take control and blow them away. He had always been fascinated by powerful and clever women, and the fact that this young girl had basically given him a half speech about that on his first day as a teacher, had turned him on in such a way that he couldn’t keep his hands off his cock for too long without being ridiculously horny.

“Oh, Fuck. Fuck me…” he whispered, biting his bottom lip as his hand moved furiously on his painfully hard cock, before reaching his third orgasm that night, thinking about her riding him. His cum came out in several white spurts, making a mess on his shirt, as he let his head rest on his pillow. He closed his eyes and sighed.

He really needed to do something about it. But how could he? It was so wrong so…not him. Furthermore, he had never been with a woman before and the thought of being with her both scared and excited him more than anything else in the entire world.

[runawaymarbles]

Good omens fic rec

A Letter from “Crawly” to Azirapil by mostlydeadlanguages | 500 Words | G

This remarkable letter of unknown provenance surfaced recently in the cuneiform collection of the University of West Wessex. Addressed to Azirapil from a Mr. “Crawly,” it appears to be begging for the other’s return to Ur from a western journey with another individual, Abiraham. The relationship between the two (brothers? business partners? friends?) is unknown.

404 Email Not Found by Dacelin | 700 words | G

The first the Metatron knew about Armageddon was when Aziraphale contacted him to beg for it to be called off. Being a professional, the Metatron murmured soothing things about it all being part of the plan and rerouted the call elsewhere instead of admitting he had no idea what the principality was talking about.

my black eye casts no shadow by gyzym | 1.5k | Not Rated, probably M 

If you cut humanity to the quick, split it open, found its soul, it would have dark red hair and bright wild eyes.

So You Need To Get Into A.Z. Fell & Co.; Now What? (A Guide For Unfortunate Bookworms) by arkhamcycle | 1.8k | G

London’s antique enthusiasts and rare lit nerds alike know that if you’re looking for a specific vintage or antique book, you have a good chance of ending up in A.Z. Fell & Co. as a last resort. And if you’ve ever been in (or are currently in) this predicament, you know how much of an absolute nightmare it is trying to even get in the door. Luckily, this handy guide, the fruit of a months-long collaborative effort to create the perfect formula for gaming the A.Z. Fell system, will tell you everything you need to know, complete with a comprehensive breakdown of what, exactly, the opening hours are. Compiled by pageknight and inky of the Rare Antique Forums.

Quiet Light by drawlight | 2k | T |

There are rules. The trouble with hearts is that they play by none of them.

between the shadow and the soul by absopositivelutely | 2k | NR

(alternatively: it takes 6000 years for crowley to realize that aziraphale could love him too.)

i just happen to like apples (i am not afraid of snakes) by gyzym | 2k | Not Rated

Written for the following prompt: "Someone write me Crowley the bitter lesbian who only gave Eve the apple because she thought feminism should be there from day one." As such, please be warned that this story contains some fairly radical reinterpretations of Biblical stories and themes; if that sort of thing is not for you, please give this tale a pass.

Secret Agent Man by Emamel | 2.3k | G | 

Edward was very good at two things: noticing things, and not being noticed in return. It was the sort of qualities that made you a good spy. These two never got the memo.

Ten Fathoms Deep On the Road to Hell by BuggreAlleThis | 2.5k | G

Aziraphale is given an assignment as a Captain in the Royal Navy and finds life at sea miserable. Crowley, on the other hand, is having plenty of fun as the Captain of a motley pirate crew.

Untitled Goose Fic by rattatatosk | 3k | T

It's a lovely week in the South Downs, and Crowley is at war with a Horrible Goose.

Anthony J. Crowley, Retired Demon and Airbnb Superhost by TheOldAquarian | 3k | G 

What are you supposed to do when you've been fired from your sweet job in Hell for thwarting the schemes of Satan, you've got a swanky flat in Mayfair, and you're looking for an excuse to spend all your time in someone else's bookshop? Obviously, you turn to the dubious world of short-term vacation rentals. The resulting Airbnb property has been variously described as "an instagram trap," "a vampire den but make it botanical," and "the weirdest bed and breakfast in the shared history of beds and breakfasting."

Salinity (And Other Measurements of Brackish Water) by drawlight | 3k | T | 

It's an odd thing, getting on after the End of the World. Crowley takes to sea-watching.

Stopgap by RC_McLachlan | 3k | T | 

"Can you imagine ruining something so frustratingly perfect just to get a leg up with Management?" Crowley then remembers who he's talking to and why he's here in the first place. "Sorry, bad example, of course you can." A missing scene from Episode 6.

Wednesdays Are for This by magpiespirit | 3k | T

"D'you think we should have sex," he asks idly, pressing post on his addition to the exclusive How to Summon and Bind Demons forum. This one, he's sure, will both give Hell several annoying headaches and make a dent in the problem of demonology rising in the incel community. Bless, he loves having free time. "I think," Aziraphale replies frankly, giving Crowley a really, now look over the rims of his stupid glasses and the top of a first edition of something that probably uses a hundred words to say what could be said in five, "that should is a word best left to Heaven and Hell." And Crowley, who was only looking to fluster the angel a little, belatedly remembers that he's gotten commendations for Aziraphale's temptations.

build me a city, call it jerusalem by gyzym | 3.5k | T | 

Man begets man begets The Tales of Men, and there's nothing godly in that; Those Above and Them Below haven't any need for the stories humans have been hungry for since the snake and the Angel with the flaming sword.

The Plantom Menace by theinkwell33 | 3.6k | G 

There is an urban legend well known in this area regarding The Plant Man. Footage exists, blurry and ill-lit, of the trespassing fiend, but it never provides a good look at his face. He exists only as a rumor; a giggled whisper in someone’s ear at the pub, an inside joke at uni, and a viral sensation. None of these things mean he is not real. That being said, the only person who can corroborate the truth about the Plant Man is the man himself. And unfortunately, Anthony J. Crowley has no idea that it’s him.

get religion quick (cause you're looking divine) by brinnanza | 4k | G |

So it was fine. Even if Crowley couldn’t love him, he clearly liked him well enough, and that was almost the same thing. It no doubt would have continued to be fine, or at least fine-adjacent, were it not for a narrowly averted apocalypse and several bottles of a really quite nice Riesling Aziraphale had found in the back room of his newly restored bookshop.

to carthage then i came by Lvslie | 4k | T | 

‘You’re difficult to follow sometimes.’ ‘Difficult?’ Crowley echoes, feeling hollow. ‘Am I too fast? Am I going—’ And just like that, there’s something new in the silence between them, a tightening. The glass almost slips from his grasp, sliding from between languid fingers. His vision clouds. —too fast for you?’

Snakes and Stones (Never Broke My Bones) by DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee | 4.5k | G

No one wants to say it, but the residents of Dorm A, floor 3, are collectively convinced Aziraphale Fell’s boyfriend does not exist. This is their story.

as the poets say by nikkiRA | 4.6k | T

Crowley takes a long drink of his wine and then says, before he can chicken out, “Aziraphale, I have always been sure about you.”

Re-Recalled by Jennistar | 5k | T |

Halfway through an argument, Aziraphale gets accidentally discorporated and doesn't come back. Crowley does the sensible thing and panics.

the bookshop nemesis witch by FlipSpring | 5k | G

The life and times of Nicole Percival Castings, Witch. Featuring: her ongoing love/rivalry with a particular magical bookstore, an Eccentric(TM) shopkeeper who keeps a huge snake in aforementioned bookstore, finding oneself and one's magical power, the cyclicality of life.

your smile speaks books to me by laiqualaurelote | 5k | T 

Aziraphale's bookshop becomes accidentally famous on Instagram, to his great distress. Since Crowley invented Instagram, it's also his problem.

it's a new craze by attheborder | 5.5k | G | 

CROWLEY: I try not to make a habit of gratitude, but I must give our appreciation to everyone out there who’s been listening and subscribing to The Ineffable Plan. AZIRAPHALE: Ooh, yes, we’ve become quite popular, haven’t we?CROWLEY: Yeah, just hit number eight on the advice charts … No advertising at all.  AZIRAPHALE: Mm. How … miraculous. CROWLEY: … Aziraphale. You did not.

your apple-eating heathen by katarzi | G | 5.7k

History is written without them, and Crowley’s no lady.

the blues have run the game by indigostohelit | 6k | NC-17 (more of an M)

Halfway between the Beginning and the Apocalypse, Crowley visits the court of King Saul, and runs into a prince, a war camp, and a songbook. 

the earth has never felt this old by brawlite | 6k | T

Crowley has a long history with holy places.

TwoFish by Grindylowe | 6k | T | 

A love story about angels and demons. Also, fish

A Nice and Accurate Lesbian Herstory Archive by badwig | T | 6.6k

More or less just the opening montage from 'Hard Times' but they're lesbians - a series of vignettes from the Garden to now.

parable of shepherds by Lvslie | 6k | T |

‘Aziraphale, you need to stop telling that goddamned story to everyone we stumble upon,’ she hisses. ‘I’m serious. You keep it up much longer, everyone’s gonna think we’ve gone and murdered that alleged husband of mine. ‘Crowley,’ Aziraphale says blithely, a serene smile plastered to her face as a familiar-looking man passes by, ‘Dear. That’s what I want them to think.’

Nothing Like The Sun by mirawonderfulstar | 6k | T |

One tended to go through a number bodies in six thousand years, even if one was as cautious or sturdy as Aziraphale. Crowley, who was neither cautious nor sturdy, had gone through a large number. He’d changed appearance so many times that in Aziraphale’s memory he was often just his eyes, for no matter if Crowley was tall or short, lithe or stocky, blond or raven-haired, his eyes stayed the same. 

Blessed/Cursed Retirement by DictionaryWrites | 7k | T

Liam Buttersby, a very normal, nine-year-old boy, makes a friend in the retiree who has recently moved to his village in the South Downs. The retiree in question claims to hate it, and is a liar.

the technology is neutral by Deputychairman | 7k | NC-17 | 

“Stand up?” he echoed, incredulous but too undone by sensation to express the full force of his disbelief. “I can barely even remember my own name after that, and you want me to stand up?” “Your name is Anthony J Crowley, apparently, although you never did tell me what the J stood for so I can’t help you there,” he said, not hiding his smile. “Do stand up, I promise you’ll like it.”

Part of the Plan by HardlyFair | 7k | T |

In which things do not return to the exact way they were Before.

Where Thou Art by Mottlemoth | 7.5k | M | 

A late-night bus to London, a few human comforts, and a long overdue confession... nothing will ever be the same for an angel and his demon.

The Ark by rfsmiley | 7k | T 

We’ve all been assuming that it takes them 6,000 years to figure it out, but what if it takes 6,300?

Or: the ineffable husbands evacuate a dying Earth.

Ad Astra by drawlight | 8K | NC-17

Some things can only be said in the dark.

except you enthrall me, never shall be free by curtaincall | 8k | T

It's a classic story: Angel meets knight. Angel volunteers to get beheaded by knight. Knight turns out to be angel's demon frenemy. Somehow, there is kissing. Based on the Middle English ballad Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Falling Rain by Aria | 8k | T |

Once upon a time, an angel and a demon hitched a ride on the Ark.

such surpassing brightness by Handful_of_Silence | 8k | G | 

The revelation that Aziraphale might have been in love with him for thousands of years is surprising. The fact that literal books have been written on the subject comes as even more of a shock.

Without Creativity by htebazytook | 8k | NC-17 |

Another Crowley and Aziraphale through the ages fic, with some heavy symbolism thrown in for good measure.

Exit Wounds by racketghost | 8k | T

“At least they were together for a time,” Crowley says, staring at the lit end of his cigarette, “maybe that’s enough.”

On The Matter Of Touch by Somedrunkpirate | 9k | T

“On the matter of touch,” Crowley begins, waving his teaspoon in what he hopes passes for idle curiosity. “Thoughts?”

and, so on by PaintedVanilla | 9k | M | 

Crowley doesn’t remember heaven, but Aziraphale remembers him.

Going Home by Daegaer | 9k | G | 

Aziraphale is recalled to Heaven, Crowley isn't impressed.

The future's going to break through by nieded | 10k | T

My take on South Downs: Aziraphale and Crowley decide to become professors. This is inspired by the headcanon that Crowley has 20 different degrees. He is the Serpent of the Tree of Knowledge after all.

Wings and How to Hide Them by triedunture | M | 10k 

Crowley's been annoyingly in love for six thousand years. What's another lifetime between friends? Or: Aziraphale definitely fucks and isn't that just perfect?

The Gospel of Crowley by gutterandthestars | 10k | T

Crowley tempts Jesus in the wilderness! Turns out Jesus gives as good as he gets. Also Crowley pines over Aziraphale and has Big Gay Angsty Feelings because, well. Because Crowley.

A Nanny? In MY Summoning Circle? by pukner | 10k | Not Rated

(it's more likely than you think) Warlock "Lockie" Dowling summons a demon. Or, he buys a book off a suspiciously familiar bookseller and is convinced into demon summoning. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

damn.nation, now available on itunes by antistar_e (kaikamahine) | 10k | T

When lowly tempt-pusher Amphora (formerly of Stairwell 7B North, before she Fell,) gets the notice that end times are nigh, she gleefully quits her job and cancels her Netflix subscription and takes her place among the legions of hell. This, it turns out, was a bad plan.

Lie Back And Think Of Dinner by jessthereckless | 11k | M |

"Crowley, this is a disaster. This is everything I ever wanted. We’re in love. And there’s a picnic. And we don’t seem to be able to get…amorous without causing earthquakes.” Aziraphale attempts subterfuge. Crowley sees right through him.

Something to do with these sacred words by Solshine | 11k | T

Crowley confesses early, and Crowley confesses often. Aziraphale never knows quite what to say.

A Resurrection of Whales, and Other Omens of Varying Goodness by Margo_Kim | 11k | WIP | T

After the end of the world doesn't end anything, Heaven and Hell send replacements to Earth while the old representatives try to figure out their new normal.

Serpentine by sergeant_smudge | 11k | G |

Five ways in which Crowley is a snake. *And one more thing.

what's to come by PepperPrints, restlesslikeme | 11k | T 

Post-Apocalyptic AU. Even without the Antichrist, both Heaven and Hell insist on Armageddon. Aziraphale is missing and Crowley sets out to find him, driving through a scorched Earth with a witch in his passenger seat.

Basking by bomberqueen17 | 15k | NC-17

Crowley is extremely confused about how or whether celestial beings can experience physical sexual desire. He's also not fantastic at using his words. Things go all... snake-shaped.

Nanny Knows Best by DictionaryWrites | 17k | M

Being a nanny, that should be simple. Simple. Easy as pie. Crowley wished that were true.

One Night In Bangor (And the World's Your Oyster) by Atalan | 17k | NC-17

"All right, I know I'm going to regret asking this," Aziraphale says. "What exactly does this wager entail?” Crowley grins like the cat that not only got the cream but has absconded with the entire cow. He grabs the bottle and swigs straight from it despite Aziraphale's tut of disapproval. "The pot goes to whichever demon can get an angel into bed by the end of the evening."

Soft (A Love Story in Three Bites) by mia_ugly | 18.3k | NC-17

Crowley was an angel, once. Before she fell. Aziraphale was a warrior (she fell too. It just took a little longer.)

The Persephone Clause by Zetared | 20k | T |

When Crowley is forcibly recalled to home office, Aziraphale conspires with a denounced saint and strikes a deal with the agents of Hell to get him back.

in search of the wind by drawlight | 27k | NC-17

After the World Doesn't End, Aziraphale is not returned to his body. Crowley tries to find a way to get to Heaven's fast-shut gates. Aziraphale tries to find his way back from the sky (and back in time).

And So We Come Full Circle by Hekateras | 30k | T | 

"Angel. You know it's gonna be really bad, this time around," Crowley says slowly. "When the times comes, I want you to-"

Mirror, Mirror by ImprobableDreams900 | 44k | T

Adam, Eve, and Crawly flee Eden through the Western Gate, and it turns out that that simple decision makes all the difference in the world...

Slow Show by mia_ugly | 90k | NC-17

In which temptations are accomplished, grand romantic gestures are made, and two ineffable co-stars only take four seasons of an award-winning television program to realize they’re on their own side (at last, at last.)

Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach by Nnm | 100k | T

What Aubrey Thyme, a professional, thought, upon first seeing her new client was: you’re going to be a fun one, aren’t you?

Eden!verse by ImprobableDreams900 | 550k | T-M

When Crowley gets captured by angels and dragged up to Heaven, Aziraphale knows he has to rescue him—no matter the consequences.

[coinofstone]

2x02 The Once and Future Queen

Not entirely sure about this convenient excuse for an assassin to be sent after Arthur but ok. We find out later that it was like, a thing where Odin's son challenged Arthur to a fight to the death or something and Arthur didn't wanna fight him but couldn't really do anything in the moment to stop it - I don't remember the exact details but it bothers me that this is something we're told instead of shown. For one thing it's a pretty significant event that you'd expect to be depicted on screen, otherwise it seems like this happened pre-series and in that case, why does Odin wait so long? It's just a sloppy storyline, imo.

I do love that the cloak which is supposed to mask Arthur's identity and allow him to blend in to the crowd actually just makes him stick out like the most suspicious sore thumb in all of human history.

WHY does Gwen's house only have one bed? She was living there with her father, he's not been dead that long - and even still why would she get rid of his bed? So much going on in this episode is so forced, it's only the second episode of the season what possible reason could there be to force things forward this early in the season?

Love the comedy with Alex Price, the fake Sir William. This is quality entertainment, the entire bit.

I also love that the assassin is literally the only person in Camelot to question why Merlin is working for a visiting knight at the tournament while Arthur is off hunting a beast terrorizing the northern territories.

Merlin the OG millennial. Overworked underpaid and entirely unappreciated.

Nobody notices that the guy on the horse is like 3 inches shorter than sir William

Who HASN'T had that argument about a man not pulling their weight around the house amirite

Gwen and Arthur's first kiss is really cinematically beautiful.

Nobody questions Gwen going to Sir William either

Arthur's got the weirdest sling going on in the final scenes.

Love that they end it with the high comedy leech gag 😂

Commentary by Angel and Tony

Is Tony being a little bit protective of Uther's reign there? It was all very lighthearted and joking, when Angel says she's 'the once and future queen', Tony goes 'alright let's not get ahead of ourselves' and it was very cute. They're great together.

Apparently Colin plays an Irish drum quite well, that's interesting.

I'm starting to think Tony has a mortal fear of cold water.

Tony doing funny voices is the best thing.

He's said they cut scenes of Morgana both in 2x01 and 2x02. It certainly feels like she's been left out, but apparently it was an intentional thing done to her storyline. Kinda fucked up, that.

They said at the beginning that the entire jousting tournament was done because the stunt horse people came to the producers and were just like, you know, fyi, jousting is a thing we do if you wanna use that. Let that be a lesson kids: you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, and it never hurts to ask. (Unless you poked with a fake lance in the wrong spot on your plastic armor, which may result in a broken rib, which does hurt.)

Angel and Tony have absolutely lost their shit laughing at the weird choir music thing going on during the final joust and honestly I felt the same way watching it originally.

[seolcs]

           °✧｡× :  (   moon  gayoung  +  cis  female  +  she  /  her  )   ───   welcome  to  roselake  village  ,  SEOLA  LIM  !   oh  ,  well  ,  i  suppose  you’ve  been  here  for  ALL  YOUR  LIFE  ,   so  perhaps  you  already  know  your  way  around  the  town  .   well  ,   you  are  the  TWENTY  THREE  year  old  LIBRARIAN  ,  though  ,  right  ?  the  harvest  sprites  told  me  about  you  !  they  said  you  DO  believe  in  the  harvest  goddess  .  oh  ,  my  .  well  ,  that  explains  why  they  also  said  you’re  quite  BEWITCHING  and  SEDULOUS  ,  but  can  also  be  a  bit  ENIGMATIC  and  MERCURIAL  .  either  way  ,  you  should  be  a  wonderful  addition  to  our  island  !  i  guess  i’ll  leave  you  to  it  now  ,  but  if  i  need  you  ,  i  suppose  i’ll  just  look  for  you  at  THE  MAGIC  SHOP ,  yeah  ?  we  hope  you  love  it  here  as  much  as  we  do  !  oh  ,  and  remember  not  to  go  into  the  tulsy  woods  !  the  distorted  hum  of  opera  music  just  out  of  reach  ,  dirt  caked  underneath  fingernails  ,  eyes  that  know  more  than  lips  tell  !  ✧ 

━  ˙ ˖  ☆     QUICK  STATS  !

full  name  :  seola  lim  .

nickname(s)  :  lala  (  yea  like  the  teletubby ...  it  was  a  childhood  nickname  </3  )

zodiac  :  pisces  sun  ,  virgo  moon  (  click   !  )

sexuality  :  bisexual  . 

occupation  :  librarian  &  witch  .

birthplace  :  roselake  village  ,  maine  .

current residence  :  roselake  village  ,  maine  . 

━  ˙ ˖  ☆     BACKSTORY  !  (  tw  :   vague  mentions  of  an  accident   )

she’s  a  fraternal  twin  <3  if  u  read  julie’s  intro  u  know  ,  but  seola  and  sora  are  the  daughters  of  roselake’s  mayor  !   she  was  born  a  whole  ten  minutes  after  her  sister  so  she  takes  pride  in  not  being  the  hag  ...  sora  is  so  brave  for  her  sacrifice  

so  their  dad  is  the  mayor  !  he’s  been  roselake’s  mayor  for  a  while  now  ,  keeps  getting  reelected  bc  why  fix  something  that  seems  to  be  working  right  ..  aha  more  about  that  later  ...  &  their  mom  is  a  witch  !  only  on  the  down  low  though  ,  she’s  not  open  about  practicing  magic  &  is  much  better  known  for  and  adored  for  her  philanthropy  around  roselake  !  both  sora  and  seola  have  the  ability  to  use  magic  ,  but  while  the  gift  seemed  to  come  naturally  to  sora  ,  seola  high  key  struggled  with  it  /:

their  mom  was  a  very  patient  teacher  but  that  didn’t  stop  seola  from  feeling  inferior  to  both  her  sister  as  well  as  her  powers  in  general  .  she  very  much  felt  like  a  big  flop  ,  and  as  a  kid  &  preteen  she  struggled  a  lot  with  jealousy  and  frustration  and  just  feeling  second  best  in  a  sense  ?  basically  she  really  felt  like  she  was  letting  everyone  down  when  in  reality  the  only  person  who  was  putting  pressure  on  her  was  herself 

in  good  old  2010  ...  13  year  old  seola  &  sora  snuck  into  tulsy  woods  (  even  though  their  dad  always  said  never  to  go  in  there  )  to  play  around  with  their  magic  ,  got  into  an  argument  ,  and  that’s  when  seola  accidentally  ended  up  hurting  sora  really  really  badly  ): 

after  the  accident  seola  wanted  to  give  up  magic  forever  ,  but  her  mom  convinced  her  that  the  best  way  for  her  to  get  over  her  fear  of  ever  hurting  someone  again  was  to  practice  .  so  while  sora  got  closer  to  their  father  ,  who  had  covered  up  the  accident  in  the  woods  and  used  it  to  spread  his  own  agenda  ,  seola  got  much  closer  with  their  mom  

determined  to  get  better  at  controlling  her  abilities  and  also  super  terrified  that  she’d  hurt  someone  like  she’d  hurt  her  sister  if  she  didn’t  ,  seola  practiced  and  practiced  ...  then  she  practiced  some  more  .  while  most  people  her  age  were  going  through  high  school  focused  on  going  to  college  afterwards  ,  seola  was  counting  down  the  days  til  she’d  be  free  to  do  nothing  but  learn  as  much  as  she  could  about  being  a  witch  

it  was  around  this  time  she  also  started  to  get  ...  suspicious  about  her  dad  and  his  intentions  .  she  was  grateful  that  he  didn’t  tell  the  truth  about  the  accident  ,  scared  ppl  would  have  viewed  her  as  a  monster  if  they  knew  what  really  happened  ,  but  the  way  her  dad  was  acting  about  tulsy  woods  was  super  suspicious  especially  with  everything  happening  with  the  harvest  goddess  and  the  sprites .  basically  ...  seola  suspects  he  might  have  something  to  do  with  whatever’s  going  on  in  the  woods  ... 👁️👁️

after  high  school  seola  stayed  in  roselake  !  she  didn’t  go  to  college  like  sora  ,  much  to  her  dad’s  dismay  ,  but  she  did  take  some  online  classes  here  &  there  (  mysticism  and  rituals  ,  alchemy  ,  some  history  ones  ,  as  well  as  a  medieval  monsters  literature  class  ...  just  for  fun  <3  )  she  also  snagged  a  job  at  subtext  as  a librarian  ,  mainly  for  that  sneaky  access  to  all  the secret garden  books  

initially  she’d  just  been  curious  about  her  own  magic  ,  since  she  knows  it  doesn’t  come  from  the  harvest  goddess  like  a  sprite’s  magic  does ,  but  with  everything  going  on  she’s  extended  her  research   to  include  both  the  goddess  &  the  sprites  to  see  if  maybe  she  can  understand  whatever  her  dad  is  trying  to  do  in  roselake  

━  ˙ ˖  ☆     PERSONALITY  +  TIDBITS  !

not  2  be  cliche  but  she  really  is  a  mysterious  girl  SJDBWJBDJW  since  she’s  haunted  by  the  idea  that  she’s  essentially  always  on  the  brink  of  losing  control  and  hurting  someone  again  like  she  did  with  her  sister  ,  she’s  got  a  very  elusive  personality  .  she  tries  her  best  not  to  get  too  close  with  anyone  ,  but  unfortunately  for  her  it’s  the  kind  of  cool  and  detached  air  about  her  that  usually  makes  people  curious  to  know  her  ,  especially  since  her  twin  sister  is  so  seemingly  open  &  very  focused  on  her  reputation  in  roselake  .  seola’s  always  tells  herself  stuff  like  oh  to  be  a  fly  on  the  wall  ...  😔  but  the  reality  is  she  doesn’t  want  to  be  invisible  to  people  at  all  ,  she’s  just  traumatized  from  the  accident  in  tulsy  woods  /: 

so  you  have  her  enigmatic  persona ... versus  her  deep  desire  to  be  understood  and  loved  despite  whatever  dangerous  and  uninhibited  thing  she’s  convinced  lurks  around  inside  her .  yeah  ...  she’s  not  so  good  at  following  her  own  don’t  get  too  close  with  people  rule  SJDBWJDJW  most  of  the  time  what  ends  up  happening  is  her  pushing  those  who  are  already  close  away  ,  only  to  reach  for  them  again  later  ,  only  to push  them  away  ...  you  get  it  .  it’s  easy  to  write  her  off  as  a  moody  rich  girl  if  you’re  not  in  her  circle  ,  but  it’s  deeper  than  that 

she’s  got  a  bad  habit  of  fixating  on  things  and  then  letting  them  consume  her  .  sometimes  it  works  to  her  benefit  ,  like  focusing  so  hard  on  practicing  her  magic  and  finally  becoming  good  at  it .  most  of  the  time  ,  though  ,  her  curiosity  morphs  into  obsession  ,  and  it’s  very  easy  for  her  to  get  overwhelmed  and  feel  lost 

she  has  a  big  old  soft  spot  for  creepy  or  spooky  things  and  people  ,  100%  believing  that  more  often  than  not  the  stuff  we’re  afraid  of  is  stuff  we  just  don’t  understand  .  sometimes  ,  though  ,  her  attraction  to  the  “  dark  ”  is  a  manifestation  of  her  own  internalized  belief  that  there’s  something  wrong with  her  &  that  she’s just  as  capable  of  bad  as  she  is  good  ... cannot  believe  freud  just  possessed  my  body  like  that  😳 

if  she  was  an  animal  she’d  for  sure  be  a  cat  JSBDJWBDJW  comes  &  goes  as  she  pleases  ...  affectionate  &  warm  on  her  own  terms  ...  sometimes  she  brings  people  weird  gifts  that  are  only  really  gifts  in  her  eyes  ...  yea  <3  

high  key  has  a  huge  guilt  complex  bc  of  that  juicy  unresolved  childhood trauma  !  that  and  the  fact  that  she’s  pretty  sure  her  family  is responsible  for  hurting  so  many  other’s  in  roselake  ...  it’s  a  lot  .  so  even  though  she’s  not  as  warm  and  friendly  as  sora  is  ,  she’s  just  as  kind  ...  maybe even  too  kind  sometimes  ,  she  just  feels  like  she  has  a  lot  to  prove  &  make  up  for  yk  

voted  most  likely  to  dump  you  &  say  it’s  not  you  ,  it’s  me  ):  

big  fan  of  creating  ambiance  she’s  all about  turning  of  the  big  lights  and  turning  on  a  lamp  ... maybe  lighting  some  candles  if  she’s  feeling  crazy  idk ... 

if  you  don’t  know  she’s  a  witch  you  probably  think  seola’s  about  to  drop  the  hottest  skincare  line  of  2020  because  she  do  be  collecting  those  herbs  and  oils 

━  ˙ ˖  ☆     WANTED  CONNECTIONS  !  (  all  open  to  all  genders  )

BEST FRIENDS  :  technically  sora  is  always  gonna  be  her  number  one  best  friend  🥺  but  i  would  really  love  for  seola  to  have  at  least  one  person  who  really  truly  knows  her  ,  someone  she’d  drop  anything  for  to  help  them  if  they  needed  &  vice  versa  !   

CHILDHOOD /  FAMILY FRIENDS : open  to  muses  that  grew  up  in  roselake  !  maybe  their  parents  are  friends  ,  or  maybe  they  were  just  neighbors  or  in  the  same  classes  in  elementary  school  .  i  have  ...  lots  of  ideas  for  this  trope  hehe  <3  give  me  someone  who  seola  pushed  off  the  swings  when  they  were  tiny  and  now  they’re  still  sworn  enemies  to  this  day  ...  childhood  friends  that  stayed  close  ,  but  after  the  accident  in  tulsy  woods  seola  distanced  herself ,  someone  who  was  technically  her  first  love  who  she  probably  had  a   little  wedding  ceremony  with  when  they  were  like  five  with  candy  rings  ,  childhood  friends  that  grew  apart  and  now  it’s  sad  and  awkward  ,  childhood  friends  that  stayed  close  and  have  embarrassing  stories  to  tell  about  each  other  ...  i’ll  stop  here  JSDBJWD    

CONFIDANTS  :  the  one  person  seola  keeps  finding  herself  talking   to  about  the  things  she  usually  keeps  inside  &  they  do  the  same  with  her  .  i  think  it’d  be  funny  if  both  of  them  find  it  weird  to  do  things  like  go  out  to  lunch  or  shop  together  because  that’s  not  what  they’re  used  to 

SUBTEXT  :  people  who  know  her  from  the  library  !  maybe  your  muse  spends  a  lot  of  time  there  so  they  recognize  seola  (  or  maybe  they  even  go  just  to  see  her  )  ,  maybe  your  muse  needed  help  finding  something  once  and  seola  helped  them  out  &  now  they’re  kinda  pals  ,  or  maybe  your  muse  is  someone  seola’s  requited  to  help  her  out  with  her  own  research  with  the  secret  garden  books    

FRIENDS  THAT  DATED  :  maybe  things  just  ended  amiably  between  them  ,  or  maybe  it’s  like  an  “  everyone  told  us  we  should  date  so  we  tried  it  and  boy  was  that  the  weirdest  thing  we  ever  did  ”  situation  .  either  way  the  outcome  is  they’e  still  friends  <3

CAHOOTS :  what  is  this  you  might  ask  ?  someone  seola  can  be  in  cahoots  with  .  she  has  a  possibly  dangerous  idea  that  no  one  else  is  likely  to  say  yes  to  ?  she  goes  to  your  muse  .  your  muse  has  an  idea  no  one  in  their  right  mind  would  say  yes  to  ?  they  go  to  seola  .  these  two  are  in  cahoots  !  

BAD  INFLUENCE  :  i’d  love  for  someone  who’s  trying  to  get  seola  to  dabble  into  darker  magic  /  abandon  her  quest  to  figure  out  what’s  going  on  in  the  woods  and  save  the  harvest  goddess .  she’s  pretty  hard  to  sway  if  she  thinks  she’s  doing  the  right  thing  ,  so  bonus  points  if  your  muse  is  good  at  manipulation  and  has  a  convincing  case  that’s  more  than  just  oooh  be  bad  ;)  

SPRITES  &  MAGICAL  BEINGS  :  sorry  human  muses  ...  these  are  not  for  you  </3  i  would  love  if  any  of  the  other  witches  /  wizards  helped  seola  on  her  journey  to  practice  her  magic  and  get  better  at  it  !  maybe  someone  who  knows  what  really  happened  with  sora  in  the  woods  but  still  decided  to  help  her  /  not  judge  her  ,  OR  maybe  someone  who  knows  what  she  did  and  is  now  scared  of  her  /  doesn’t  think  she  should  be  doing  magic  still  at  all  .  as  for  sprites  i  think  seola  would  be  super  curious  about  them  &  the  harvest  goddess  ,  so  maybe  some  sprites  who  are  willing  to  talk  about  their  abilities  with  her  and  their  connection  to  the  goddess with  her  &  are  maybe  even  working  with  her  to  try  and  figure  out  what’s  going  on  in  roselake  .  then  on  the  reverse  of  that  maybe  sprites  who  think  seola’s  too  nosy  for  her  own  good  ,  or  who  don’t  trust  her  because  they’re  also  starting  to  get  suspicious  about  the  mayor  ,  or  maybe  they  just  don’t  trust  any  magic  that  doesn’t  come  from  the  harvest  goddess  

MAYOR LIM  :  if  you’re  trying  to  get  to  her  father  for  whatever  reason  ,  sora’s  definitely  the  easier  ticket  in  ,  but  maybe  your  muse  is  trying  to  be  less obvious  about  it  so  they  try  through  seola  !  i  would  also  ...  really  love  someone  she  can  sneak  off  with  during  town  events  where  her  dad  is  involved  when  she’s  supposed  to  be  with  her  family  promoting  that  shiny  lim  reputation  hehe 

SISTER  SISTER  :  connections  through  sora  !  this  is  ...  always  the  best  part  of  having  a  sibling  in  the  same  rp  you  get  to  make  connections  through  them  so  give  me  all  sorts  of  stuff  it  could  be  dramatic  like  your  muse  hurt  sora  &  now  seola  hates  them  or  it  could  be  wholesome  too  !  not  2  be  cliche  but  ...  love  triangle  anyone  ...  just  kidding  ...  unless  ?  ��  

THE  BIG  EX  :  seola’s  first  real  relationship  ,  and  first  real  heartbreak .  everyone  before  them  had  been  an  unofficial  thing  ,  but  your  muse  was  the  real  deal  .  maybe  one  or  both  of  them  ruined  it  by  being  too  scared  of  their  feelings  to  stick  around  ,  maybe  secrets  and  insecurities  got  the  best  of  them  ,  maybe  one  of  them  was  willing  to  try  but  the  other  wasn’t  .  either  way  it  ended  badly  ,  and  whether  those  feelings  are  resolved  or  not  ...  the  world  is  our  oyster  baby  !  

HOOKUPS  :  friends  with  benefits  and  it’s  not  awkward  between  them  ,  friends  with  benefits  and  it’s  super  weird  between  them  because  they  may  be  crossing  over  into  real  feeling  territory  ,  one  night  stands  /  hookups  that  were  huge  mistakes  ,  one  night  stands  or  hookups  that  were  or  are  being  kept  secret  for whatever reason  ,  someone  who  leads  seola  on  but  never  gets  serious  about  her  ,  or  someone  she  leads  on  but  she  never  gets  serious  about  because  every time  they  get  close  to  anything  real  she’s  pushing  them  away  

WILL  THEY  WON’T  THEY  :  a  friendship  that  always  teeters  on  the  line  of  something  romantic  !  maybe  they’re  both  oblivious  to  the  chemistry  /  tension  or  maybe  they’re  aware  of  it  because  they  get  jealous  when  they  hear  about  the  other  being  with  someone  else  …  maybe  they  refuse  to  do  anything  about  it  because  they  don’t  want  to  complicate  things  or  maybe  they  purposefully  cross  lines  when  they  feel  that  jealousy … could  be  more  angsty  or  it  could  be  more  wholesome  depending  on  which  way  it  goes  😈

i  wont  lie  to  u  ive  been  writing  this  all  day  ...  but  we  finally  made  it  baby  😭😭😭  im  sosososo sorry  for  the  length  &  the  wait  ...  also  i  feel  like  my  charas  always  change  a lil  once  i  actually  start  plotting  &  writing  so  sorry  again  if  u  see  me  finally  writing  as  seola  on  the  dash  and  ur  like  lit  rally  who  is  that  ... JSDBWJBDWBDJ  please come message me on discord to plot  ! @ seulgi ily ʕ´• ᴥ•̥`ʔ#8172  maybe ...  give  this  a  like  if  u  wanna  …  do  that  ?  thank  u  for  reading  all  this  ur  so  brave  for  that  stay  sexy  stan  loona x  

[durzarya]

HP x Good Omens crossover part 2

So here is part two as I promised

You can find part one here: (1)

So Harry goes home, and he has so many things to say, because yeah he wrote letters, but it’s not the same

He starts to tell everything about the whole mystery, about the Stone and how he faced Voldemort again, how he killed a man, and how he might be responsible for another two deaths, and dad please save them please

After the first panic, because their son’s life was in danger, Crowley realizes that he actually knows the Flamels, but like from the 15th century, they were one of the few people who know about him being a demon, he never wanted them to die

And apparently they invented immortality, which is, what even are humans, and now they are dieing, angel we are doing something

This is how a couple around their 50s move into the house next door. Dumbledore baffled by their choice comes to visit. Aziraphale being a good neighbor invites them for tea, Crowley does not want the headmaster in his house, because he couldn’t protect his son, but loses the argument

Aziraphale: “It’s nice to have so many young people at the house!” Nicholas: “You are doing quite well for you age too!”

Dumbledore is so confused, Crowley never loved more his bastard of am angel

It should be a gloomy summer, because it’s supposed to be the last, but Adam wants sun and fun, and the world listens to him as always

the Flamels start making another stone, the Them want to hear everything about Hogwarts and sometimes Hermione and the Weasleys come over for fun (Draco too, but never at the same time as the others, he has an image)

Ginny still has a crush on Harry, it goes away quickly after an afternoon with Pepper

They become friends, it’s terrifying

Soon it’s time for Harry’s and Adam’s birthday and all of their friends are staying over the house (even Draco, come on it’s important!)

It’s a two-day celebration, as usual and the second day arrives Dog, the hellhound and the whispering starts

Crowley and Aziraphale are worried for Adam and Harry of course, they would let the world burn if it would mean the two would live

But this time Adam knows, that he is the Antichrist, he knows what the voices want, and he knows what he wants and he could rebuild a world from the ashes, but he likes this one. They already have plans how to make it better (at least Pepper and Wensleydale knows, and Brian likes helping people, and he would do anything for them, for his own little paradise here)

Anathema moves into the cottage and starts searching for the young Beast and the lesser Beast, instead she finds a bunch of weird people and a handful of sweet kids, she accidentally leaves her book in the Crowley-Fell house (the four immortal read it on a single night)

The first time they hear about her, there is a debate between the kids if Anathema is a witch, a witch or a witch (the first one being a someone without any actual powers just knowledge about things others don’t, the second being someone with power but not the same as Harry has, and the third one being a normal Hogwarts student)

Soon they start talking about the history of witch burning and how many innocents were executed end up with how higher authorities manipulate education

This is the first time Anathema meets and promptly invites them to her newly rented cottage, brilliant young minds need to be cared for, after all

It’s almost the same, but this time Adam doesn’t go mad, Anathema gets her book back sooner and slightly more people face off the combined forces of heaven and hell (the Bentley still ends up in fire and three still ride the sky as two)

The Them face off the horsemen Beelzebub and Gabriel arrive and there is a bunch of people they never met, and they aren’t afraid until the Flamels start threatening with immortality (humans never dieing, this way heaven and hell won’t have their soul)

They summon Lucifer too, and he is angry up until the point his son calls the Serpent of Eden father, and now he is intrigued, still a little scare never hurt anyone

The Devil firmly back in hell, or at least for now, angels and demons terrified and humanity alive Adam and the Them finally get their Hogwarts letters

Dumbledore delivers them personally again this time with Severus at his side, because a) neither were on the list until today and b) he needs to know what’s happening with this family

“No Albus he is not Lily’s brother!” “I could be, professssor.”

Crowley loves causing chaos, thank you very much

They go to the Diagon Alley again and Adam receives a black talking diary, with Draco frantically singing behind his back not to write in it

He doesn’t listen, because there is something tugging at him, instinct telling him to do it, he wouldn’t do it, but they are not the same voices that asked for the world ending, it’s more like him knowing he would get a dog

Tom Denem is fifteen and half a soul and he is delighted he finally has someone both to talk and manipulate, fifty years is long time alone

He tries to take Adam’s magic, a tiny bit, just enough to give him a way for later, for possessing for taking more

Except he is Adam, and he is powerful and protected and he ignored voices more powerful than a whisper, so when he takes a tiny bit of his magic… he pops into existence

The following family meeting is awkward, especially after they figure out that the boy is Voldemort, the man who killed Harry’s parents and tried it again a few months ago

And yeah he is Voldemort, or he is going to be, for now he is a power hungry fifteen year old horcrux made by both accident and opportunity, he didn’t commit all those horrible things

Adam has an idea, if he is half a soul, why shouldn’t he make it whole again? He knows what he feels like, he can wish the other pieces here

This is the point where the rest of the them arrive so while he does his thing there is another round do explanation

Pepper threatens the former/future dark lord with death by fire if he hurts anyone she loves, Tom decides this is the weirdest thing ever happened to him, and he found out he was heir of Slytherin

Adam summons all the pieces except for the one that is Voldemort’s ghost, and everyone has a fright when a shiny snakelike child comes from Harry wailing and crying (it’s Aziraphale who calms it down with a shushing parseltongue)

Tom has the other half of his soul laid out on the table, and the strange, powerful boy is inspecting it. He tries not to feel judged

Adam is confused, all these little parts and they don’t seem to fit together, and he can make souls and bodies from nothing, Atlantis and his father is living example for that, but repairing something is harder than making it new even if it’s worth it

He can’t make these for, but the soul that matters not the thing that holds it. It doesn’t take long for all the parts to transform into little puzzle pieces

It’s a 3D one with 128 parts and finally he can do this

The Them help too and it’s weird, because it’s something obscure with no help or instructions, but they can know where the parts supposed to go

And every time Brian puts a piece to it’s place, Tom can feel his thoughts becoming clearer, when Wensleydale does it, the power hunger in him eases and Pepper makes him feel at peace and Adam gives him a will to be alive not just live until the end of the times

It’s almost done, his soul is now in four pieces, but one is missing, the same one that holds ghost Voldemort and that’s the most important one

Because taking the soul apart is dark, but not random, even when it happens spontaneously the magic chops down a part of the soul (every time taking something from you), but the core remains, and Tom doesn’t have that

But Adam is the Antichrist, he can make souls and bodies and reality bends for him, this will be more difficult because the piece needs to fit, to hold the four part together

And he can do many things, he invents the best games and he doesn’t listens to authority. Imagination and free will, all human traits

But Adam also loves

He loves strong enough to stand up against the combined forces of heaven and hell and choose earth. All the love he ever felt he learned from his family, from this tiny village and friends

Tom has imagination and free will, but Adam has seen his soul and he couldn’t find an ounce of love here. So maybe if he shares his it will be strong enough to hold a soul, to heal one really

And suddenly the last puzzle piece is there fitting perfectly and Tom doesn’t know this warm fierce feeling, but he knows he won’t be able to ever give it up

Everyone is exhausted and after tucking the children in (“Yes Tom, you too!”) an angel and a demon decide they can have another kid

The next day Tom Fell officially arrives, after his father’s early departure from the living

Two days later Dumbledore shows up again with another surprise letter this time for a fifth year student (all of the other letters were sent already, why do magical people just keep popping up in this place??)

He almost has a heart attack when he sees Tom Riddle sitting at the breakfast table eating cereal

After an accusation, a dressing down and an apology (“How dare you, headmaster! That’s my cousin, he just lost his only living parent!”), Dumbledore leaves more confused than before

Everyone still speaks parseltongue in the family

Tom can’t wait for the upcoming year

Yeah I think I will finish here, and I will add some random headcanons later, because there are some more but nothing like this

[docholligay]

Happy Father’s Day, Senator Hino!

A commission for @keyofjetwolf , who asked for the Bar AU, which can all be found under the tag “scenes from the red high heel” and Rei beiing pissy with her dad. I HOPE I DELIVERED. roughly 2700 words. 

Makoto Kino did not know much about her coworkers, at least not much in the way of their personal histories. She knew that Mina and Haruka lived in the small apartment above the bar. She knew that Haruka gratefully and happily ate any leftover Mako happened to bring to work. She knew that Mina loved men, women, and the unaffiliated with either, but nothing so much as the sound of her own voice. She knew that Rei was irrepressibly grumpy and forceful, and that the bar was a kingdom of her own making, a place she could be queen.

“I signed you up for two community college classes.” Rei nodded at Haruka, who set the box of glasses on the bar in a thud. “The schedule’s worked so you have the time off and the textbooks on the stairs.”

Haruka shook her head. “I didn’t want to sign up for classes.”

“I didn’t ask you if you wanted to.” Rei turned her back and started setting glasses behind the bar. “It’s just basic history and reading. You won’t die.”

Haruka huffed, but Mako knew another thing, that Haruka seemed to also know: The matter was settled.

“What about me, Rei, you got any,” she popped a cherry in her mouth. “Skills, I need to learn?”

Rei looked at her a moment, scowl on her face.

Mina’s tongue popped out of her mouth, revealing a perfectly tied cherry stem.

“There’s no hope for you.” Rei walked off toward the office in the back, cell phone in hand. “You start Tuesday, Haruka!”

“You know you’re right!” Mina yelled at her. “Everything I’m good at, the law says I’m not allowed to do anymore, so I guess you’re stuck with me!” She looked over at Haruka. “You could still get  out though.”

“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Lots of shops lining up to hire me.”

That was the other thing Mako knew. Both Haruka and Mina had been in prison. For what, Mako didn’t know, and there had never been a good time she thought to ask Haruka, as they’d sat under the buzzing neon out front.

“What are you doing for Father’s Day?” She asked Mina, in a way that seemed safe enough to her. “I wish Rei would get a kitchen. We could make a brunch.”

“Oh, my folks don’t talk to me so much since the whole prison thing.” She grabbed a few lemons out of the fridge, readying them for the night. “You?”

“Mine are dead.” Mako said quietly, suddenly regretting she’d brought the whole thing up at all, wishing she’d picked a date on the calendar that was less loaded. Haruka set another box of clean glasses on the counter, and Mako looked over at her, not wanting to leave her out, even wishing the conversation was finished. “You?”

“Dad? My mom didn’t think that was important for me to know.” She said, walking away, back toward the safety of the dishwasher.

Mina chuckled. “Well, aren’t we a bunch of fucking Disney Princesses. Don’t worry, the bar’ll be full of girls with daddy issues that weekend, bring a net.”

Mako scowled at her. Mina could be so cavalier about people, and it bothered her sometimes. “What about Rei?”

Mina pointed her knife at Mako. “You like your job? Like not getting yelled at? Like Rei not finding a reason to to yell at the rest of us? Don’t ask.”

Mako shrugged and kept wiping down the bar.

“Yes, I’ll see you then. Goodbye.” Rei walked out of the office and took a look over the place appraisingly. “I need you three here late tonight or early tomorrow. This place has to sparkle.”

It could not be said of Rei that she normally ran an unclean bar, and she often walked through proudly just before open and rearranged chairs and brought forward the bottles in a perfect line, chewing on her pen as she reviewed cocktail menus and daydreamed about knocking into the tiny vacant space next door, just enough to expand her kingdom.

“My father is coming in tomorrow morning.” Rei answered the silent question as if it didn’t matter, and Mako looked over at Mina with irritation.

But Mina’s mouth was too busy hanging open to notice. “Your father Senator Hino your father?”

“Your Dad is Senator Hino?!” Mako nearly dropped the chairs she was holding.

“Well, her last name’s Hino.” Haruka looked up from the table she was wiping down, as if she had just explained to Mako that the earth moves around the sun.

“I forgot you were related to a Formula One driver and an idol.” Mina laughed as she leaned across the bar toward Rei. “Miss Tenoh.”

Haruka scowled at her, but found herself unable to raise an argument over the more-famous people who shared her name but not, so far as she knew, any sort of bloodline.

“It’s all right, muffin,” she blew a kiss to Haruka. “You’re the most famous Tenoh to me.” She touched Rei’s arm. “Can I ask why you’re inviting a man you hate, even more than an ordinary man, into your bar, which is only for women, because you hate men, but especially your father.” She looked around the room. “I mean, this is weird, right? C’mon.”

Mako also knew that these three had known each other for a long time, and was always a little annoyed when they acted as if she should have the entire story of their lives memorized.

Rei opened the safe under the bar and took out a fine linen envelope. “I have a present for him.”

She walked away from the three girls, who stood staring as she retreated into her office,  some of them knowing the past, all of them knowing the present, and none of them knowing the future.

Mina called after her.

“Is the present being murdered?”

___

Senator Hino was a serious man, and Mako would have said that his bearing reminded him of Rei’s, the way he commanded the room, and probably every room, as if he owned it, and it was your own foolishness if you weren’t aware of that.

However, Mako had recently added ‘don’t talk about Rei’s father’ to the list of things she knew.

Rei extended a hand out to him stiffly, and they shook in the way that is half formality and half feat of strength.

Mako looked over to Mina and Haruka, who said nothing, their eyes darting around the room, seemingly waiting for the shot to go off, and Mako found herself more ill at ease than she had felt in all her months here. It was one thing, to deal with the drunk men who tried to slither through the door, she knew what the rules were and how far she could bend them. But to stand still as you waited to see what developed, knowing you were only allowed to watch--that was the greatest difficulty to Mako.

And it must have been similar to Haruka, who faithlessly grabbed the box of empty bottles and hurried out toward the alleyway, leaving Mina and Mako to watch.

“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.” Rei had dressed for the occasion in a fine navy suit, with a red silk blouse that perfectly matched her red high heels.

“Business partners often must.”

Rei pressed her lips together tightly,  but managed a smile. “Of course. My office?”

The heels clicked down the hallway like every beat of her heart, louder and faster, waiting for this moment as she’d waited since the day they had opened. Rei had meant so many things for this bar, for it to be a community and to contribute to it, and she meant to make them happen, now that she was done socking away money for her first great goal, in all her life’s grand goals.

She pulled out the chair for him to sit, happily poured him a glass of water, and extended her gift with both hands.

“Happy Father’s Day.” She put the envelope in his hands, so formal in its fine paper, his name in neat, dark, calligraphy on the outside.

He smiled at her as he opened it. “Oh Rei, I didn’t expect--” he stopped, looking at the bills in the envelope. “What’s this?”

“My last payment on the loan you gave me to open the bar.” She set down a piece of paper in front of him. “The deed to the building, ready to be fully signed over to me.” She turned at yelled toward the door. “Mako!”

He looked at her with a mix of surprise and dismissiveness, that look that had defined so many of their exchanges, when he could be bothered to exchange with her at all.

He’d given her that look, and nothing else, the day her mother died.

The rage burned and melted through her like lava, wanting to explode, wanting to let ash rain down over everything. But she was the queen here, and she held command, and so she did not need to fight, wasn’t that true? And to be queen was to be calm.

He looked at the envelope, and the deed sitting on the table, and back at Rei, saying nothing, just watching, appraising, his political rival and not his daughter. He rifled through the bills again, and smiled up at Rei.

“Five years early.” He opened his suit jacket and pulled a sleek Mont Blanc out of the inner pocket, pulling the deed closer to him. “Dedicated, practical. You do take after me.”

Rei snorted. “If I took after you, this bar would be open to whoever wanted to pay me.”

Mako walked in the door and shut it behind her with a firm slam, ready to fight. They stared at her, mirrored faces of anger and determination aimed like two beams, and Mako’s anger turned to confusion.

“Heyyyy…” she waved awkwardly.

“I don’t owe you anything now.” She towered over him, the table between them like a safety fence. “Sign it.”

She walked over to her desk and pulled out Mako’s notary stamp, which she had made a paid-for condition of Mako’s employment. Mako had thought it odd, at the time, but wondered if maybe a lesbian bar had the occasional call to solemnize legal documents, in much the way that a shipping store often sold money orders.

It hadn’t made much sense to her girlfriend, but Mako had faith Rei must have had some business reason for doing so.

Business can be a difficult word to define.

“Is this why you had me become a notary? Just for this moment?” She stared at the stamp. “Why not Haruka or Mina?”

Rei did not look to Mako, just kept her arms crossed and stared at her father. “They’re felons, they can’t be bonded. Stamp the deed.”

“This is the weirdest job I’ve ever had…” But she did not see fit to argue with Rei, any more than she felt a compulsion to tell the wind not to blow, and stamped the paper.

“Felons?” He chuckled. “Interesting choice of partners, my little Rei.”

“Right, I forgot if I work with criminals, they should steal millions, instead of a car.”

Mako was a straightforward woman, and she often struggled with the smaller emotional nuances and sarcasms that Rei and Mina battered back and forth. That teal haired girl who came in and stared at Haruka may as well be speaking Greek.

But she could, from time to time, take the emotional temperature of the room, and if there was a place Rei was going to be angry, she knew something else: It was better not to be there.

She would tell the story a bit more gallantly, later, but the truth of the matter was, she whipped out of the room, suddenly very excited about the prospect of cleaning the front window.

“You’ll leave this bar, because it’s my bar,” She picked up the deed. “And I don’t want you in it.”

“After all I’ve done for you--”

“This loan was the first and last thing you ever did for me that wasn’t a show!” She did not mean to allow the explosion, but the ash and ember felt clean and pure on her lips, fire burning everything that was rotted and ugly to the ground.

In truth, she did not even know that he had truly done it for her. In this one fact of life, she had remained ignorant. There were a dozen reasons at least he could have done it--shoring up the gay constituency without having to do anything for them, looking to be seen supporting women’s businesses, showing his political mates that he was a good father.

It may have been foolish, and Rei would never breathe it aloud, but she needed to believe that at least this one thing had not been a show. She did not, and would not, believe that he was a good man, or had ever been. But she needed to believe that on one moment of one day, he had loved her for herself.

Her father stood, buttoning his suit coat. “You know nothing about being a parent. Or in politics.”

“Maybe I will someday!” She snapped, and she saw the confetti of flame on the air, the one that defined her from the time she was small.

He laughed. “You, with a child?”

“Me, running against you for office.”

There was a flicker of fear in his eyes then, a candle wobbling in the wind, and Rei tasted his worry and it felt sweet in her mouth. She could win, and if not win, then challenge his authority in such a way that would break the back of his political supremacy.

He chuckled, but it was weak, more mist than smoke. “You’ll just waste your time.”

“That’s what you said about the bar. Get out,” She swung open the door. “And get ready, because I’m coming for you someday.”

He turned on his heel, fists balled, and stomped the straight line from the office of the bar to its entrance, where Mako studiously scrubbed the window, and Haruka pulled a few tables apart to wash.

Mina called out as he steamed through the door.

“Thanks, don’t came again, we hate men!”

The only response was a slam so hard it shook the plate glass window, as Rei stormed out of the office. She did not say a word, simply walked over to the bar, slammed a glass down on the counter, and pulled a bottle of smoked whiskey off the top shelf, pouring it roughly into the glass.

“You know usually that’s taken over ice.” Mina deadpanned. “As a recommended serving from the mixologist.”

Rei put the glass to her lips and took a deep drink.

Haruka stood up straight from the table she was cleaning, twisting the rag in her hands awkwardly. “Do you want me to go kick his ass? I can still catch him.”

Mako nodded, crossing her arms and ready for the first piece of logic she’d seen today. She was not sure, and less sure that she ever would be, why Rei and her father were at odds. But after a few months in this job, there were other things Mako knew: She trusted Rei’s instincts, and considered Rei one of the more decent bosses she’d ever had, and when Mako decided she liked you, her fists could come to your aid fairly swiftly.

Rei drained the glass and shook her head, tossing back her hair. “The Red High Heel is mine now. He’s out.”

Mina put her hand on Rei’s leg. “Do you need someone to call Daddy? Because I’m availa--OW”

Rei smiled as she withdrew the cocktail fork from the back of Mina’s hand.

“Mako, I was thinking about expanding to give us a kitchen.”

Mako smiled brightly. “You know I’ve always wanted--”

“You start culinary school coursework next Monday. I signed you up for the restaurant courses across town. There’s a bus pass, and apron, and knives in your locker in the back.” She set the glass in the sink behind her, smiled, and clicked her way back to her office, the footsteps sounding lighter on the old wood.

The girls looked at each other. Rei was Rei, and Rei was queen, and nothing could stop her now.

Mina put her hands on her hips, and yelled back to the office.

“You know I know that you’re only ignoring my development so I can be your trophy wife, right?!”

[psychokai1972]

The Boss- Part 10

The Boss- Masterlist

Part 9

CEO!Sebastian Stan x CEO!Reader

Word Count: 2701

Warnings:  Romanian, fluff, angst

Summary: Y/N and Sebastian are co-CEOs of a successful company. Their relationship is not the best. It’s more a competition than anything. But eventually they’ll have to learn to cope with each other.

A/N: God, already part 10...can’t believe it and honestly don’t know how much more this will keep going on.

Sebastian took the object in his hands, inspecting the thing as if it was the weirdest gadget he had ever laid eyes on. He knew about them, but never actually had he seen one in real life or been close to one.  Sebastian took the breast shield, positioning it on his pectoral above his shirt; on his free hand was the motor, buttoning it to make it work he realized that it would not start functioning until he put some batteries in it.

“Sebastian!What are you doing? Put that down.” Her demand came in the form of a powerful whisper, her eyes moving around them to make sure no one on the store was paying attention to them. 

Sebastian immediately left the breast pump model on it’s shelve, feeling as if a little kid  that got caught by his mom doing something he was not supposed to.

“Are we going to get one of those?” He asked gripping the shopping cart’s handle and giving one last glance at the milk sucking object.

Y/N rolled her eyes, grabbing one of the breast pumps and throwing it gently inside the metallic cart. “Yes, we are getting one of these and I hope you don’t start toying with it at  home.” She warned, walking ahead of him. 

Sebastian followed behind her, pushing the cart and waiting for her to make the next stop. The romanian’s blue eyes rested on her figure, his  gaze noticing her curves standing out in those tight black jeans. He bit his lower lip at the thought of the round ass that was under them, desiring to squeeze that soft flesh between the rough palms of his hands.

“Come here.” Y/N said to him. Sebastian’s mind left his horny side to concentrate on the moment. Leaving the cart, he moved beside her his eyes resting on the same spot hers were. They where surrounded by numerous cribs. “We need two.” 

“Two?Why two?” He asked utterly confused by her words. Y/N turned to him, his body already facing her waiting for an answer.

“We need a smaller one for the first months to keep the baby in my room, and a bigger one for when  James is big enough to be in the nursery.” Sebastian nodded, her words actually making sense. 

“ But James can stay in my room for the first months.” But as every time, his nature provoked him to argue with her.  His hands went into his front pockets, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh sorry, I didn't know that you could suddenly breast feed.” She sighed, resting a hand on his shoulder and looking up at him with mocking eyes.

“I can’t, but that’s what the breast pump is for, right?” Sebastian moved closer to her, mimicking her movements he rested his own hand on her shoulder. He had a good argument, but she was not going to give up on it.

“Yeah, and while we are at it, why don’t we have a shared custody, dropping James every week in each others room.” Her tone was bitter, eyes moving to his touch taking the hand off her.

“Okay, I have a solution to keep all of us happy.” Sebastian’s hands clasped together, his index fingers digging into his chin slightly. “I move to your room, that way we can both be with James at night and he does not have to be with the absence of a parent.” He delivered his idea like if it was the best suggestion he had ever had.

“Unbelievable.” The woman said under her breath. “How did your mind even thought that it would make me happy?.” She asked him, not really waiting for an answer just as a method to show him that she was not convinced with his proposition nor will she accept it.

Her legs made their way to one of the cribs, it was gray with white bars. The hudson crib could be transformed into a toddler bed once the baby was no longer in need of bars for protection. She smiled, her palms slipping the smooth surface of the edge. Y/N decided she wanted that one, being perfect for when James was not only a baby but a toddler too; and that way she could also save up some money. Because, having big amounts of money didn't mean having the need to spend it all. That point of viewing the way of handling her financial receives was something she had from her childhood. It was true, she did have a more than good financial position, but her nature was humble; preferring spending her money on actual useful things that in a new car every time she got tired of her old one, even though it still works perfectly. Y/N at first did not understand those people that had ten cars and kept going on buying them; but then, with the passing years working with that kind of people she understood: they liked showing to the world the power money had given them, in a way screaming that they were more than an ordinary civilian.

But not her, she never would be like that.

“This one.” She said loud enough for Sebastian to hear, letting their previous conversation to get lost. But Sebastian already had an answer for her previous question and did not want to leave the subject behind.

“I thought  that among all the people you could have ended up having a baby with and fake engaged to,  you were happy  it is me.” He whispered into her ear, with a smirk forming at the end of the reveal.

Sebastian’s words got caught up in her brain, reliving the moment she had decided to let that confession slip out of her mouth to his sleeping figure and now regretting it. Y/N was unable to make words come out of her mouth, her heart racing inside of her as a warning. Mind wondering why didn't he say anything until that moment, it had been three weeks since she thought her secret was safe with the dark of the night.

“Spune-mi draga mea, de ce esti fericită că sunt eu? (tell me darling, why are you happy that it’s me?).” He kept his closeness to her frame, harsh but gentle hands rubbing her sides, not caring about the people around them; for the public it would just look like a couple in love enjoying each others company.

Leaving that surprise which had took over her body, she regained her composure, slowly turning to face her -fake- fiancé. Y/N moved her arms to his shoulders, resting them there and playing with the hair on the back of his head. Giving people the impression that maybe the couple was talking about the different cribs, which one would look better on the baby’s nursery. She took advantage of it, her words coming out of her lips in his own native language, making sure no one would know what they were actually talking about.

“ Pentru că noi avem o istorie împreună, pentru că te cunosc și stiu cum esti. (Because we have a history together, because I know you and know how you are.)” Her words and external expression were steady, but her insides were shaking with rage and fear. She feared that he would take advantage of it, so she needed to make it seem as if it was nothing. “ Don’t take yourself over the moon, It is just because you are the only person that I actually know deep down to the bones, dragă.” 

A wining smile formed on her lips when she saw Sebastian swallowing dry and moving his eyes away from her with an annoyed and somehow hurt smirk; although, despite her words, he didn't believe her fully. He believed that she was glad it was him because of their past together,because she knew him all to well; but just as she knew him, he knew her. Because of that, he could read through her, seeing there was something more than what her surface and statements let out to the world.

Choosing to leave the matter alone, he followed her lead.

As a last action, she rested a kiss on his cheek and pulled away from him. “This crib, what do you think about it?” She acted like nothing was wrong. 

Sebastian cleared his throat, moved to the crib and stood with his head high. “It looks good.” He said resting his hand on the wooden material and smiling at her. 

With the cart full of baby clothes, a breast pump, diapers, pacifiers, baby bottles and many other things they both found relevant for the baby; the CEOs waited outside the store for a worker of the shop to come out with their crib and baby carriage. They had reached an agreement of buying just one crib and putting James’ nursery between their rooms, that way none of them would get to spend more or less time with the baby at night.

Sebastian took one of the little pairs of baby shoes, putting them on two of his fingers and staring to play around with them.

“ But look how cute these are.” His voice was full with amazement; moving his fingers in front of her as if they were puppets. 

She rolled her eyes for what felt as the millionth time in the last hours, Sebastian had been toying with almost every baby stuff he found cute or amusing in the store.

“Are you training my patience for when the baby arrives,Seb?” She asked rhetorically shaking her head, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her moving up and forming a small smile that she quickly tried hiding. “Wait, hold the shoes next to your face and smile.” Y/N said taking her phone out of her purse and opening the camera.

Sebastian did as told, pulling out the best smile he could. “ How sweet, you want memories of us shopping for the baby!” He said throwing the shoes in the cart and moving to her, gripping her cheeks as if she was an infant. 

“No.” She said grabbing his hands and moving them from her face. “I want a picture to put it on instagram, that’s what people do right? Share their lives on the internet; we need to seem as a real couple on every area.” The CEO caressed the spot where his fingers had previously been, feeling them still hot from his gripping.

Sebastian crossed his arms on his chest resting his body on his car behind him, he saw two employees coming out of the shop’s warehouse with their now belongings. The romanian gave Y/N the car keys, she opened the car’s trunk seeing Sebastian approach the workers and helping them get the crib and baby carriage on the car. They said their thank yous to the workers and left the place.

“The board has me on my nerves.” Y/N annoyingly said rubbing her temples and sinking her body more into the comfortable couch. “They always complain that we have to keep up with your father’s ideas and they are so old and have this way of thinking that keeps making us fall backwards. I hate them, can’t we just fire them?”

Sebastian from the other end of the long furniture turned his gaze from the TV to her. Y/N had one of the light gray pillows on her holding, pressing it against her chest and chin resting on it.

“No we can’t, because they are part of the reason we are where we are Y/N.” The mother of his child sighed at his words and playfully threw the pillow at him. He caught it in the air, preventing it from hitting him. “I find it enervating too. We should do something to make it clear that we are the ones that rule the company now, not my father.” 

It was hard for them to keep the board happy, they were so loyal to his father and the initial project he had for the company; but those days had passed and they still put up a fight every time Sebastian and Y/N came up with new suggestions because  the two CEOs were young and had  modern minded points of view.

She moved from her laying position and rested her body weight on her knees. “ Sebastian that is brilliant!” She said with excitement thinking of something to make the company’s name remind people of them and not of Mr. Stan. 

The bulb lighted up inside her brain. “We should create a charity, give a percentage of our incomes to people in need, help kids all over the world get an education and prevent people from starving.” Her eyes connected with his ocean like ones, interviewing her hands as if she was praying waiting for him to say yes.

Sebastian smiled at her, finding her idea appealing he nodded, agreeing with it. “ The charity would not just help people, it will help the company too.” The man said standing up from the couch. “We should also turn some aspect of the business environmentally friendly, it would bring to us new companies to work with and our benefits and names will go up.” It took him so much not to jump in the spot as a little kid from excitement.

She was about to say something when she felt a sudden pressure in her belly. Her eyebrows frowning in confusion and her gaze going down to the spot not realizing what was happening. Y/N saw a part of her belly outstanding from it’s round shape and felt the pushing. 

“Oh my god.” She gasped unbelievingly, tears rushing out of her eyes.

Sebastian’s gaze met her figure, alarmed by her words and tears run to her and rested his hands on her shoulders.

“Y/N, are you okay? It’s the baby okay?” He asked worried briefly looking down and her belly and then back again at her beautiful features. 

She just nodded, lifting her eyes from her body to meet with his and trying to make the words come out of her lips to calm him down. Sebastian was breathing heavily, concerned for her health and the baby's.

“It’s kicking...” She said faintly, her voice recovering from the sudden joyful surprise. “The baby, James’ kicking, Seb.” Y/N finally managed to say between warm tears.

Her words took some moments to reach Sebastian’s mind and comprehend them, small ‘whats’ coming out of his throat. Realization hit him when she lifted her shirt over her belly and took his hand in hers resting it on her naked growing bump. Sebastian felt it, the strong kick of his son through her skin.

“I-I think he liked our ideas.” Y/n said with happiness on her tone and giggles escaping her mouth. 

Sebastian’s eyes made their way continuously between the spot where both their hands rested and her eyes. He smiled resting a kiss on her cheek and lowered his head to her stomach caressing the smooth skin.

“Hey James, it’s your dad. We gave you a name since the last time I talked to you. I think I should talk to you more often, so you know me, what do you think, buddy?”  Sebastian waited to see if something would happen, and his expectations were fulfilled, James kicked again. They both smiled. Y/N looked down at him, realizing that she would never get used to seeing Sebastian talk to her belly, to the baby inside her. “ Listen, we bought you some clothes, they are the cutest.” She laughed at his words. “Talk to you later, bud.I love you.” He softly whispered into her skin, kissing the spot where their son had previously pushed.

“You dork.” Y/N smirked pulling her shirt back down. Sebastian sat beside her, arm  wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her body closer to his. She found herself resting her head on his shoulder letting his free hand rub her bump.

“It appears that we have the approval of our son, what else do we need to make our position clear?” It melted her hear every time she head him talking about James as their son. Every thing in the last  months was about them, not him and her separately, just them as one. She oddly found comfort in it.

“It’s damn time to make it ours.” She solemnly said hiding her face in the crook of his neck and letting his cologne drown her.

Part 11

MASTERLIST

Taglist is open:

@starkxpotts @ssweet-empowerment @ohmybuckybarnes @faakelanadelrey @cheekygeek05 @mizz-kraziii @crazybutconfidentaf @imagine-inc @sellulii @lowkeysebby @moonlightbae14 @p3nny4urth0ught5 @fandom-addict-aesthetics @projectxhappiness @sayernita @kapolisradomthoughts @cuddlysteven @chanandlerphalangesparkles @flopmalum @a-kiddo-with-a-doggo @lucille-lovely @myfuturisticallysteadycollector @missrandomista  @ria132love @sgfghemmo96 @thewhinersoldier @harryisbae101 @justmesadgirl  @sebbystanlover-vk

[ikesenlemonadestandstories]

Born In A Storm

Hey there Fam Bam, so this would be Part 2 to the ‘Retrograde Spell’ series find the Prologue Here. For links to all my other Ikesen stories check out my Master List.

As luck would have it I was feeling a bit creative and there wasn’t anything to do at work (like literally nothing..I got paid to write this today) so I just got to sit and pluck along at this. I figured out the main squeeze, so I hope you all enjoy :) It’s mostly under the cut...cuz I definitely got carried away. 

[YN]

“That wasn’t so bad” you said blinking at your sister.

“Not so bad…? You’re just saying that because there was only one grunt to fight…” Kanna looked at you arching an eyebrow.

“And? He was a really big dude!!”

She pinched the bridge of her nose 

“If one ‘really big dude’ is that much of a problem maybe we should reconsider who my partner is. Besides you almost sent him straight through a wall...I know you’re strong but could we watch how much damage we cause. I really don’t like dealing with your messes” she sighed

You felt your feathers ruffle immediately, but you knew better than to get in a verbal argument with your sister. You would never win. So you puffed up your cheeks and crossed your arms. “Whatever. At least they were still able to release that new phone...”

You were walking towards the rendezvous point, Honnoji, when your brother Yuuto came over the communication system. “Do you guys seriously have to bicker…when they told me I’d help keep the peace I didn’t realize it was going to be between you two.”

You shared a laugh and your sister turned off her armor stowing it in her necklace as she broke through the tree cover. You were about to do the same when you saw a young man standing in front of the monument you were about to use, scribbling frantically in a notebook. “Hang on a second Yuuto...there’s somebody there.”

Kanna stood next to him hoping that by standing there he may get bored of the crowd and walk somewhere else. Instead he paused making conversation “Good afternoon. Are you history enthusiasts?”

Letting her take the lead you remained silent in the background. “You could say that.”

“Ah well then you must check out the the far side of the temple grounds. I would hurry over before they close.”

Speaking into your piece “Does it feel like he’s trying to shoo you away?”

She simply nodded. The only acknowledgment you received for your question.

*Ching~* 

The warning signal on you choker discreetly went off glowing a dull purple.

“Uh guys, we have a problem.” Yuuto was back on the line.

Kanna froze.

“Someone is trying to kill off Uesugi Kenshin, Takeda Shingen, and Oda Nobunaga in the 27th dimension, you know, the one where they’re not supposed to die...”

Your brother hadn’t even sent coordinates when the sky opened above the monument and in a flash of gray twisting smoke you sister was disappearing. You ran for the portal without thinking. The last thing you heard was your brother screaming at you.

“No! (YN)! I didn’t open that gate!”

…

[Yukimura]

Sasuke and Kanna had to be the weirdest people I had ever met. Four years ago they basically fell from the sky on the outskirts of our camp. Shingen was obviously taken with Kanna’s looks but he wouldn’t take no for an answer, after she almost skewered Kenshin, he was way too excited to bring her on board.

The woman was insane, she was great with a sword, she had been training with Kenshin to keep him occupied, and she was the only person I knew who could out mouth Shingen in every word game he tried to play. She was the main topic of discussion between Sasuke and I, and while a large majority of her was a mystery, I’m certain neither Kenshin or Shingen would be alive right now without whatever odd voodoo she and Sasuke had worked.

“Why are we here again?” I asked

“Well Yuki, when our top strangest requests we make leave for Honnoji we do as she says. Or would you rather we left you at home?” Shingen sneered

“No...I’m safer with her than you idiots anyway…” that made her laugh. She had looked so serious all day. Those ruby red eyes laser focused on...something.

I remember when they arrived Sasuke had mentioned something about multiple universes and how he came from one, she another, and both were totally different from the one we were in now. That she was trying to preserve this one but her sister had gone missing, and every bit of that sounded insane until moments like this, moments when you see her poised to strike, blade half sheathed in armor that definitely wasn’t there before. Wait. What the hell. Where did that even come from? Before I could voice my questions the sky broke open a ways off, conveniently, in the direction we were headed. She turned.

“Sasuke, stay here. Nobody move. I’ll be back soon...something's...come up...Or...down rather”

The sound of a bell could be heard, something like a wind chime on a summer afternoon. She looked panicked then in no time at all she was gone. I had a bad feeling about this. Looking at Sasuke all he could manage was

“She lied...her armor is totally like that…”

“Sasuke...that’s the vaguest thing you’ve ever said...and that’s saying something.”

…

[YN]

It was gray, then black, in no time at all there was a crash and you were falling. Holy shit you’re falling!! You landed hard in the dirt. A clear indent where you had landed, thank god for your armor and its ability to absorb and displace kinetic energy...otherwise you’d be toast a million times over. Standing you pressed you hand to the communication system around your neck.

“OK so I’m through, I think I’m in Japan, and it looks like where I just came from...but less...modern.”

You brother came screaming into the system “(YN)! Is that you?”

“Um yea..? Who else would it be?” Voicing your confusion.

“What do you mean who else...what happened...you’ve been MIA for four years.”

“What!?” You practically roared

“You followed me into the QA’s wormhole. It was a trap, they knew we’d be there and they planned to separate us and finish us off individually. I was spit out to the correct coordinates, we couldn’t pick up your tracker after that and all communication ceased.” A voice you recognized as Kanna’s was on the line now.

“Shit...four years? Really? It’s like I blinked and here I am.”

You heard her voice echo behind you as it played in your ear. Turning you found yourself face to face your mirror image...a twin.

“I can see that…you haven’t aged a day.” She looked at me with hard yet familiar red eyes. “Show me your mark. Yuuto do a scan.”

“Not a problem,” deactivating your armor to expose the beautiful tattoo covering the expanse of your back. “But I want to see yours too, especially since you look nothing like I remember.”

“Maybe.” You received a hard stare and a long silence then your brother reported back.

“If she has the marking it’s (YN)” your brother had just confirmed your existence. Sheathing her sword she ran to you.

“(YN)” she whispered your name stopping just shy of your now drawn blade.

“Markings...now” she blinked at your response “if I’ve really been in there for four years that means my sister I have no real idea what my sister looks like right now... and while it's clear you're acting like her how can i be sure this isn't another trap? Prove you’re her.”

She was your spitting image the only visible difference now was her bright cardinal colored eyes, and a tattoo mirroring your own markings; It was definitely Kanna “So are we technically twins now?” you asked to anyone listening.

Yuuto laughed and Kanna just smiled at you “Technically no...but also yes? The longer this goes on the more I find I don’t like to think about how the universe works…”

You had both re-equipped and were preparing your next move when you heard the bang.

“QA’s on the move Honnoji temple is on fire!” Yuuto gave directions.

…

[Mitsunari]

There was a crack of thunder and before I knew it the acrid smell of smoke filled the air. Hideyoshi looked disturbed and as if out of nowhere we were surrounded by ghastly looking men. Every one of them pale and disfigured, swords drawn they came at us. Masamune went for the first kill of the night, sword slicing straight through the man's midsection, which shouldn’t have been possible thanks to his massive build but here we were. Actually. What is going on. Realizing the attacker Masamune should have just halved was still on his feet I observed that not a single one of them had been injured by our blades.

“Great...now how do we get to Nobunaga?” Hideyoshi grumbled.

“Any ideas in that brain of your Mitsunari?” Masamune screamed over the chaos

We had been fighting non-stop for a good while and I finally found an opening, giving the signal to Hideyoshi I charged off in the direction of the burning temple. Eventually he would follow leaving Masamune and his men to clean up the mess here, but for now I was to get to Nobunaga as fast as possible.

Arriving at the temple two silhouettes could be seen escaping the burning building hand in hand. The larger of the two was clearly Nobunaga-sama but who was that leading him. I watched for a moment before urging my horse forward, as I got closer it looked as if they were arguing.

“A wonderful name.” Nobunaga grinned down at what i could suss out was a female.

Hearing my approach she turned in my direction, she was breathtaking. Though she was wearing a scorched pink kimono, her skin shined like the moon while her eyes danced amber the color of the embers flying off the fire behind us.

My concentration was broken by Nobunaga’s questioning my being there. I informed him that Hideyoshi had gotten wind of this assasination attempt and we had left Azuchi to investigate. Unfortunately these findings weren’t unfounded and he would be following soon behind me.

“I am just happy you are unharmed. Might I inquire who this is?” I pointed to the young woman who seemed to jolt when attention was brought back to her. She visibly ruffled when he commanded her to present herself, she fired back a spirited response and sensing a fight I stepped in to calm the situation.

Her clothing had been destroyed saving our lord so I offered to take her back to our camp to get her something fresh to wear. It’s the least we could do to reward her bravery since she was so bent on not getting one.

She cleaned up well. Her slick black hair now loose around her waist, shined in the moonlight adding to her luminescent features. While we were trying to figure out where she came from Lord Mitsuhide strode into the camp. Odd I wasn’t aware he was supposed to be in the area. He fell into a steady conversation with Nobunaga but I stayed watching Karasu-san, since arriving in the camp her eyes had been working constantly looking for a way out. It was clear she was uncomfortable.

As if he could sense Mitsuhide’s presence Hideyoshi strode into the tent. Immediately firing question after question in every direction. He was bristling at Mitsuhide’s vague responses, and while I couldn’t deny they were suspicious the young lady spoke up against Hideyoshi’s accusation that it had been Mitsuhide who had attempted to take our lord's life.

“It wasn’t him. I caught a glimpse of the man in the room and his robes were completely different. Besides he smells like soba...if it had been him you’d still smell the fire on him.”

“Quiet you, we’ll settle things later.” Hideyoshi spit out

“Excuse me.” In a rush she stood eyes burning like they had been earlier.

“Why should we trust some unknown woman who conveniently places herself in a position right next to our lord...and one with a sword no less?” Hideyoshi’s tone was dripping with venom, and for once it was being used on someone other than Mitsuhide.

As soon as his thoughts were out in the open a new fire roared in her gaze. I was sensing a conflict but before it could escalate Nobunaga sent us all outside the tent. There was an odd silence before Mitsuhide spoke up.

“I’m surprised you left our lord in there with an armed woman...she is threatening.”

His voice dripping with a familiar sarcasm meant to egg on Hideyoshi’s temper, before anyone could say anything more her voice rang out from inside the tent.

“Absolutely not! What is wrong with you? Like I said before...I have to go!”

Before anyone could stop her she was bolting out of the camp toward the forest, disappearing into the night. Nobunaga came out of the tent laughing, a look of glee in his expression.

“Quite the spirit. Mitsuhide, take a horse and go find her. Bring her back with you to Azuchi I would like to speak with her again.”

“Bring who back?” Masamune rode up looking frustrated.

“Ah perfect timing Masamune, go with Mitsuhide and find the woman who saved me. You should be able to get details about her from him.” He gestured to Mitsuhide. “I doubt she got very far on foot.”

…

[YN]

Heaven help you, what was wrong with that man! If you had known saving him would have resulted in that mess you would have ditched him at the entrance immediately….gods. Kanna was currently embroiled in a battle near the cliff a bit further south of the temple, taking care of a few loose stings around honnoji, and here I was listening to grown men bicker...I really needed to get out of here, not just for her but for them. One more word of obvious disrespect and I may take an arm or two. Is that really how you treat a commanding officer. The only one with any shred of respect was the man name Mitsunari.

You should have known he was up to something when Nobunaga had shooed everyone from the tent before coiling an arm around your waist. Oh hell no. 

“I would like to reward you. How would you like to rule the world at my side.” without a second thought I pushed away from his grip, grabbing my sword as I responded making for the exit.

“Absolutely not! What is wrong with you? Like I said before...I have to go!” I made haste to Kanna.

When I arrived she had the last of the abominations in a stalemate. She had her two swords locked against the one striking down at her. Crouching to get the best push you could, you burst through the trees in her direction, drawing your blade as you ran.

“SWITCH!” you called out.

She knew what to do. Ducking down she dropped back letting the monster’s weapons come down around her, leaving me an opening so I could drive my blade through its chest. It vanished in a swirl of black and purple smoke leaving no trace of its existence.

“What the hell took you so long? All you had to do was get Nobunaga out of that temple...are you really that out of shape?”

“Um...I’m offended...I’ve only been out of it for like twenty minutes...and no it’s clear you needed me for that last kill. If you must know, he is surrounded by the most ridiculously doting group of men I’ve ever encountered. Like they give Dad’s retainers a run for their money.”

Her eye twitched and a choked laugh escaped remembering your father's vassals...just before you brother came on the com again. “I’m telling him you said that.”

As you formulated your response you sister froze, eyes locking with something in the trees beyond.

“Sasuke come out.” she sighed when the man we had seen standing in front of the temple the day all hell broke loose removed his cover. “Didn’t I tell you to stay with the others?”

“You did. But the others were worried, especially after we were ambushed. They sent me to find you.” he looked me over “Am I to assume you found your sister?”

What was going on here. Why was he here...and why wasn’t he freaking out?

“(YN),” Yuuto broke in. “I’ll explain it all to you when you ride back to Azuchi, for now company is coming and we need you to go with them.”

“Why just me?”

Kanna turned to you. “We’re sort of with the Uesugi-Takeda forces already. It wouldn’t be a good idea to go with you. I’ll keep in touch.”

Suiting up she grabbed Sasuke, as they were making their way to the nearby treetops you heard him ask. “I didn’t think the two of you were twins.”

To which she replied, “We weren’t, but it appears space time had different ideas.”  and they disappeared as the sound of rapid hoof-beats approached.

…

[Mitsunari]

Mitsuhide had sent word that they found Karasu-san and they were on their way back with her. Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, and I  were waiting to greet them at the castle gates and to nobody’s surprise they barreled in on Masamune’s horse, though she looked completely un-phased. Odd, most people don’t enjoy riding with him...although the look on her face isn’t exactly telling of excitement. Her eyes were still the captivating amber I remembered from the other night but the energy in them seemed to hum much lower.

“Ieyasu check the lass out for me would ya? Her sword was drawn when we found her in the forest and she’s got a few scratches here and there.” Masamune leapt from his horse offering her a hand that she promptly refused. Dismounting swiftly on her own.

“Ieyasu can look at her later, Nobunaga requests her presence in the main hall.” Hideyoshi wasted no time giving out orders.

“I just came to see what type of woman was capable of such grand feats...not to give medical attention.” Ieyasu replied sharply, through anyone that knows him, would understand he doesn’t say what he means.

She bristled, eyes darkening to a burnt orange, pupils dilating as if she was sizing him up. “I never asked for help anyway...what are you so sour for?” focusing her attention on me “You’re Ishida-san right? What does he want me for.” she completely ignored Hideyoshi and I felt electricity spark in the air between the two. Giving me orders to take her to the main hall I heard Mitsuhide and Masamune choke behind us. I hope they are alright, it’s a good thing Ieyasu is with them.

We were gathered in our mini war counsel, just the six who knew Karasu-san was in the castle and herself. She looked less than pleased and there was no amount of planning I could have done to prevent the uproar that occurred.

“You will stay here as my lucky-charm.” Nobunaga stated, with unwavering eyes she responded.

“With all due respect, no. I kindly refuse.”

“How dare you go against Lord Nobunaga.”

“Sit down Hideyoshi,” he commanded of him. “You will remain here as a princess of the Oda, feel free to fill your time with whatever girly things your heart desires.”

Her hand twitched, not a single eye missed the threat in her movements. 

“I said no. How dare you think you can reduce the head military commander of the Karasu Clan to the title of a mere princess. Sit around and do ‘girly things.’ What absolute rubbish.” She was standing in front a Hideyoshi who had placed himself between him and our lord, hand now on the hilt of his sword. I was stuck on her words, she definitely carried herself like a commanding officer.

“I think we’ve taken this a little too far,” Masamune had jumped up behind Hideyoshi and placed a firm hand on his arm “Lass calm down a little. We have no idea who you are...besides you’d be so much easier on the eyes if your expression was a little softer like it had been earlier.”

A thunderstorm was raging behind her eyes, they were dark, clouded and full of malice but all too magnificent for me to feel anything but intrigued. I should have been trying to plan how to de-escalate this situation but I couldn’t tear my eyes from here.

“Unfortunately for you, I’m not the slightest bit interested in being easy on the eyes. I want you to flinch, and think twice before you reach out with a hand to bruise or use your calloused words to maim. I hope to be a constant reminder to you,” she paused sweeping her gaze locking with everyone in the main hall “that not everything and everyone is yours for the taking.” before storming out.

I jumped to my feet “I’ll follow her and make sure she gets to her room safely.” to which Nobunaga nodded, a bemused smile gracing his face.

Tagging @little-mini-me-world. Here it is!! 

[aion-rsa]

25 Best Nintendo 64 Games Ever Made

https://ift.tt/2UHBAkX

There’s a lot to be said about the Nintendo 64’s accomplishments, shortcomings, and legacy, but when most people think back on their time with the console, it’s hardly a surprise that they tend to focus on its best games.

While you could certainly make the argument that the PlayStation had the stronger overall library of games (or at least a greater diversity of experiences in its top 100 games), the N64 is rightfully remembered as the home of an elite group of titles that changed gaming forever as they stole the hearts of a generation who love them for their innovations, charm, and, ability to bring friends together for multiplayer memories that would last a lifetime.

Those are the games we’re paying tribute to today. These are the 25 best N64 games ever made:

25. Mario Party 2

Choosing which N64 Mario Party game to highlight is really a toss-up, but in case you’re wondering, the quality of Mario Party 2’s minigames ultimately put it over the top.

In any case, Mario Party 2 remains one of gaming’s greatest digital board game experiences. Equally capable of making or breaking friendships, Mario Party 2 is one of the riskiest dice rolls when it comes to game night selections. Thta’s honestly a big part of the reason it’s so easy to love.

24. Wave Race 64

You don’t hear many people talk about Wave Race 64 these days, which is quite surprising. Not only was it one of the best of the arcade-style console racing games of its era, but it’s one of the games that helped showcase the power and potential of the N64.

Wave Race 64’s visuals won’t blow any minds these days, but this game’s amazing track designs and incredible controls make it shockingly easy to pick up, play, and enjoy even if you are a graphics snob. It’s a testament to the quality of the N64’s other racing games that this isn’t higher.

23.  Jet Force Gemini

I completely understand if Jet Force Gemini’s strange structure and mechanical issues make it hard for you to enjoy the game today. Even at the time of its release, this one rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

Yet, there’s something about Jet Force Gemini’s bizarre blend of gameplay styles that’s impossible to not at least be a little fascinated by. This was Rare at their most experimental, which makes it that much more of a shame that they (or really anyone else for that matter) never made another game quite like this one. 

22. Turok 2: Seeds of Evil

Granted, this probably isn’t the FPS you think of when you think of the most famous N64 FPS titles, but it’s always been a shame that this game has struggled to escape the shadow of some considerable competition.

Turok 2’s incredible graphics and phenomenal sound design rightfully stole the show at the time of its release, but years later, it’s the game’s labyrinth levels and unique weapons that feel like a breath of fresh air. Turok 2‘s multiplayer has even aged surprisingly well. 

21. Super Smash Bros.

The Super Smash Bros. series didn’t reveal its full potential until Melee, but it’s impossible to talk about the best N64 games without giving the original at least a little love.

What should have been a gimmick turned out to be one of the N64’s most surprising hits. Anyone could hop in and enjoy playing this fighting game with friends, and most of us had the privilege of doing just that and forging some great gaming memories in the process.

20. 1080º Snowboarding

Fun fact: this spot was going to go to the N64 version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2, but then I remembered that port’s butchered soundtrack. It’s hard to look past that…thing.

So instead, 1080º Snowboarding gets the nod that it’s too often denied. Before every extreme sports game tried to be THPS, 1080 offered a unique and fundamentally enjoyable snowboarding experience that emphasized technique without sacrificing pick-up-and-play fun.

19. Diddy Kong Racing

I still can’t believe that Rare had the guts to challenge Mario Kart in an arena that franchise pretty much built, but it has to be said that Diddy Kong Racing came closer to dethroning the king than anyone thought was possible.

Diddy Kong Racing’s incredible courses and the way they forced you to utilize different vehicles is undoubtedly one of the game’s highlights, but as an N64 gamer that didn’t constantly have someone else to play with, I’ve also always appreciated how this title featured a single-player campaign that was so much more than racing against bots.

18. Pokémon Snap

Throughout this list, you’re going to hear the word “creativity” (or some version of it) quite a bit. Nintendo has never been afraid to get weird with it, but something about this console’s hardware and the experimental nature of game design at the time made the N64 the home of games we’ve rarely seen before or since.

Even though it eventually got its long-overdue follow-up, Pokémon Snap has to be one of the best examples of the N64 at its weirdest. A game about taking pictures of Pokémon while on a kind of glorified safari? Sure, why not. Just make sure to make it magical while you’re at it. 

17. Excitebike 64

You know, I might owe Excitebike 64 an apology for leaving it off a recent list of the hardest N64 games. This was a truly difficult racing game that even veterans at the time struggled to master.

It’s also one of the deepest and most bountiful racing games of the arguable golden era of the genre. Somewhere between an extreme sports arcade game and a sim, Excitebike 64’s gameplay was just approachable enough to keep you glued to the action but deep enough to ensure you were constantly challenging yourself to do better.

16. Sin and Punishment

Even if Sin and Punishment wasn’t a pretty weird game that featured one of the strangest control schemes in N64 history (which, given the controller we’re talking about, is really saying something), its late in the game November 2000 Japan-only release date would have been enough to ensure most people didn’t play this one. 

That’s a shame, because this fast-paced and beautiful on-rails shooter may just be developer Treasure’s masterpiece. Sure, this is a bit of a hipster pick, but it’s hard to walk away from Sin and Punishment and not feel your hands vibrating as your mind tries to process the intensity of what you just experienced.

15. Banjo-Kazooie

Rare’s incredible run of N64 games is arguably best remembered for that one shooter you just know we’re going to talk about soon and the studio’s 3D platforming titles. So far as the latter category goes, this might just be their masterpiece.

Before Rare arguably lost its way a bit by becoming a little too obsessed with the “collect-a-thon” format, Banjo-Kazooie offered one of the most visually creative and genuinely fun 3D platforming experiences of this era. It’s no surprise many collectible-obsessed gamers can trace their addictions back to this true classic.

14. Conker’s Bad Fur Day

You don’t have to try too hard to find the design flaws in Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and you certainly don’t have to try too hard to point out the many ways this game’s edgy humor loses some of its potency once you’ve passed the age of 15 or so. 

Even still, there’s something wonderful about Conker’s Bad Fur Day that’s just as hard to overlook. This was essentially Rare throwing everything they had at the wall (and then some) in order to say goodbye to the N64, and you just have to love how much they ultimately packed into this game and how much fun so much of it still is.

13. Blast Corps

It shouldn’t surprise you that Rare and Nintendo dominate this list, but it might surprise you to see just how high Blast Corps ranks among the greatest N64 games ever made.

What Blast Corps lacks in mechanical fluidity, it more than makes up for in design ambition and adrenaline. There’s never been another puzzle game built around clearing a path for a runaway nuclear weapon, and even if that was somehow the most popular subgenre today, Blast Corps would likely still be the king of it.

Read more

Games

Why the N64 Controller Design Was So Weird

By Matthew Byrd

Games

15 Hardest N64 Games of All-Time

By Matthew Byrd

12. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron

There were actually a few great Star Wars games on the N64, which makes it that much more impressive that Rogue Squadron finds itself cleanly atop that particular pack.

I’d call Rogue Squadron’s sci-fi spaceship battles “simple,” but the fact that so few games have been able to replicate their brilliance means that there’s more to this one than meets the eye. While this game’s loving embrace of the Star Wars universe may just be its X-factor, I feel it’s ultimately Rogue Squadron‘s surprisingly deep missions and incredible controls that make this game so hard to top.

11. Resident Evil 2

There are a few logistical reasons you won’t find a lot of multiplatform games on this list, but even if more notable third-party games were ported to the N64, it’s doubtful they would have been able to steal the spotlight from this one. 

Considered by some analysts to be one of the most technologically impressive N64 games ever made, the N64 version of Resident Evil 2 did things that shouldn’t have been possible. You could make the argument that it was the best way to experience Resident Evil 2, which means it’s one of the best ways to experience one of the best games ever made. 

10. Star Fox 64

If I’m being honest, I’ve always felt that the original Star Fox was more of an impressive technological demonstration than a truly great game. It was a lot of fun, but it was also pretty clear that there was a better game at its core just waiting to burst free.

Star Fox 64 was that game. You could push aside the fact that Star Fox 64 changed gaming forever with its rumble pack support, and you’d still be left with this classic’s visually stunning action, blissful combat, incredible multiplayer modes, and brilliant controls. This is just a complete N64 experience and one of Nintendo’s best games of the era. 

9. F-Zero X

One of the main reasons why Nintendo hasn’t released any F-Zero games in years is that they reportedly feel like they’ve really done everything with this series they aspired to accomplish.  While the GameCube’s brilliant F-Zero GX probably has a lot to do with that belief, it has to be said that F-Zero X for the N64 arguably perfected the entire F-Zero concept.

This fast, furious, and shockingly difficult racing game left nearly every other racing game in the dust at the time when it came to pure speed. Honestly, it’s faster and more intense than most of the racing games that have been released since. With the possible exception of its successor, I don’t know if there’s ever been another arcade-style racing game that just feels as good as this one.

8. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Again, Nintendo has never been afraid of doing things differently, but Majora’s Mask still stands as one of the company’s wildest, and potentially dangerous, ideas.

Long before time loops became a popular storytelling genre, Nintendo fans everywhere wondered why the studio was making a sequel to one of the most beloved games of all time that seemingly borrowed its core premise from the movie Groundhog Day. Not everyone loves the results, but how can you possibly deny this game the credit it deserves for ambition alone? Even if this was a more traditional Zelda game, it would be one of the best. 

7. GoldenEye 007

Some say that your love of the N64 is directly related to how many people you were able to regularly play N64 games with. In the case of GoldenEye’s legendary multiplayer, there’s obviously some truth in that statement. 

You know what, though? Even if GoldenEye was just its campaign, unlockables, technological achievements, and James Bond trappings, I think it might still have made this list. At a time when licensed games were mostly a joke and console FPS games were certainly a laughing matter, GoldenEye 007 felt like a bolt of lightning long before you ever discovered the joy of fragging friends until you watched the sun rise.

6. Paper Mario

To tell you the truth, I was also a little surprised to watch Paper Mario climb this high up this list. I mean, just look at some of the games it’s ahead of and standing shoulder to shoulder with. I know it’s the best RPG on N64, but was it really that good?

Well, you obviously know my answer to that question. Like Super Mario RPG before it, Paper Mario proves that the RPGs you’ll willfully commit hours of your life to don’t have to be the most complicated or “hardcore.” What Paper Mario adds to that game’s formula is its beautiful art style and quite a bit of that incredible humor we’d eventually see more of in the Mario & Luigi series. It’s more than worthy of being considered one of the best. 

5. WWF No Mercy

Am I outing myself as a lifelong wrestling fan with this selection? Possibly, but No Mercy is still the best wrestling game in a console library that happens to include many of the best wrestling games ever made.

More importantly, this is still the game that modern games are trying to live up to. You could argue that some wrestling games released since No Mercy have come close, but the fact that this is still the measuring stick for an entire genre two decades after its release is an accomplishment that only a couple of other N64 games could possibly claim to match.

4. Mario Kart 64

The Mario Kart series has this way of charming people who don’t even like video games much less racing games. It’s one of the best-selling Nintendo franchises ever, and, to be honest with you, so much of what makes this series an almost otherworldly success can be traced back to Mario Kart 64.

The original Mario Kart was obviously great, but Mario Kart 64 spun it out at the starting line with its wonderful 3D courses (which are still among the best in franchise history), incredible controls, and a multiplayer mode that might just be the best on a console that’s kind of known for them. You could still play this game today and not feel the miles it has accrued. 

3. Perfect Dark

It’s hard to deny the ways that GoldenEye 007 has aged over the years, and a lot of those retrospective shortcomings can certainly be applied to Perfect Dark. Whereas some of GoldenEye’s brilliance hasn’t necessarily stood the test of time, though, there are elements of Perfect Dark that I’d argue few FPS games released since have rivaled.

Said elements include Perfect Dark’s amazing AI, truly innovative weapon design, wonderful levels, complicated campaign, and a multiplayer mode bursting with customization options. Call it Rare’s victory lap if you want, but I see Perfect Dark as a case of Rare trying to hand the baton off to the next generation but finding that few were ready to really take it and run.

2. Super Mario 64

I feel like you could justify Super Mario 64’s high place atop any list of great games by saying that it did for 3D games what Super Mario Bros. did for 2D games. That is to say that it’s the most innovative and important 3D game ever made.

However, it’s almost cruel to boil this game down to its technological accomplishments. The thing that glued people to Super Mario 64 in 1996 is the same thing that makes the game so great now: its heart. This is a love letter to the very idea of gaming that so happens to be on the shortlist of titles that you’d put in a video game time capsule.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Much like Super Mario 64, it’s hardly controversial to name Ocarina of Time one of the best (or, in this case, the best) N64 games of all time. Both were entries into beloved franchises that changed game design forever and still arguably stand tall as the best in their respective series. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

So what separates Ocarina of Time? It comes down to dreams fulfilled and expectations exceeded. There’s a degree to which Ocarina of Time was the sweeping epic we dreamt of whenever someone made big promises about the future of 3D gaming. However, only the wildest dreams dared imagine an adventure this grand, this confident, and, strangely enough, this accessible. Nobody was immune to how they felt the first time they saw Ocarina of TIme. Over twenty years later, the game still possesses that ability to stun, excite, and make you fall in love with gaming all over again.

The post 25 Best Nintendo 64 Games Ever Made appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3h2H1Cu

[alia-turin]

Time for more Cor @corleonisweek . I love him so much, I’m totally trying to write somethng for each day, will see how that goes.

Fic Title: The Immortal Week day/Theme: Day 2, Trail of Gilgamesh Rating: G  Characters: Cor, Clarus, Regis, Cid Summary: Cor just lost his fight with Gilgamesh and struggles to accept the fact that he lost. He went trough the challenges with pure stubbornness and arrogance and now neither of these can help him to get over his defeat. 

Tagging: @birdsandivory @jojopitcher @lazarustrashpit @yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy @themissimmortal @ladychocoberry @theyearofdiamonddogs @kairakara101

“You failed, boy.” A voice echoed in the darkness, Cor looked around trying to identify the direction, but it was coming from everywhere. He made a step forward, then another one, it was all the same, nothingness. Nothing ahead of him, nothing behind him. Was he dead? If that was the afterlife it was damn boring.

“You are weak.” That same voice echoed again and Cor waved his sword at random direction.

“Why don’t you come and tell me that in my face.” He decided that if he walked ahead, he would reach somewhere or something.  He tried to remember how he got to that nothingness but couldn’t. He remembered going through Gilgamesh’s trails, he remembered meeting Gilgamesh and then…that’s right he cut off his arm. That was sweet. Then things were becoming a bit blurrier. Did he kill Gilgamesh? No, no something else happened. What happened?

“Your arrogance is your weakness, kid.” The voice continued.

“Don’t call me kid.” No response followed.

Didn’t Gilgamesh say that as well? That he was arrogant. Yeah, he did. And Cor had attack and he had attacked again and again, Gilgamesh blocking each attack. Was he injured? He looked at himself, but he couldn’t see any wounds, nor he could feel pain anywhere. Strange, he remembered Gilgamesh getting to him several times. Certainly, he recalled a very nasty injury just below his chest and his arm bleeding so bad that the grip of his sword was all sticky with blood. There was no trace of that.

“Am I dead?” Cor asked the nothingness, but no answer came. He couldn’t be dead. He was Cor Leonis, the youngest member of the Crownsguard. He might have not been gifted with much in life, but he was gifted with sword skill and he couldn’t just die.

“Arrogant boy.” The voice echoed again.  

“Are you reading my mind?” Cor shouted but only laughter answered his words. “Show yourself! I’m the best swordsman on this star, I will make you eat your own words!”

“Best swordsman?” The voice laughed again. “You are only as good as your last battle. Your last battle didn’t end very well.”

“Lies!” Cor shouted. “I chopped off Gilgamesh’s arm, I killed Gilgamesh.”

“Did you now?” A shape appeared in the darkness surrounded by pale blue light. Cor’s eyes were already used to the darkness and hurt as the light appeared but shortly after the shape made sense to him. It was Gilgamesh, looking like a ghost, almost transparent, his arm still attached.

“I killed you!” truth was, he didn’t remember what happened. He wanted it to be truth, but last thing he remembered was fighting and then this darkness he was stuck in. “Am I dead?” his mind was starting to fill with doubt.

“No. I was merciful.” Gilgamesh wasn’t laughing anymore, his voice was flat.

“I don’t want your mercy. Fight me again and kill me or I will kill you.” Cor rushed towards the blue light and tried to slash at Gilgamesh but his sword cut through thin air. He tried again and again until his body eventually collapsed on the ground.

 “He is coming back to it.” Familiar voice spoke as Cor was opening his eyes. Too much light, too bright. “Hey, kid, look at me.” Something hit his cheek. “Cor, look at me.”

Cor finally managed to fully open his eyes, Clarus was staring at him, there were two other people in the room that he didn’t recognize.

“Where is Gilgamesh, I need to…” Cor tried to get up but his body refused to obey. He was in so much pain. Everything hurt.

“Easy, kid.” Clarus placed a hand on his shoulder gently forcing him to stay put. “You have three broken ribs, your shoulder is dislocated, you have multiple injuries all over your body and you have lost way too much blood and they could transfer only as much from mine in you.”

Cor’s memory was starting to come back to him. He fought Gilgamesh. He did good, but not good enough. He chopped off Gilgamesh’s arm and thought he had him but that didn’t even slow down his enemy. He fought until his legs couldn’t keep him standing anymore and then he lost consciousness.

“Did you go in the cave?” Cor remembered his argument with Clarus before he undertook the trails. Clarus telling him that he has nothing to prove, that his place is by the king…he also remembered calling the older man a coward. Who was the coward now? The man who had the brain to fulfill his duty or the arrogant brat that got his ass kicked.

“No. We found you at the entrance two days ago.” Clarus explained.

“Two days ago…” Cor repeated as if trying to remember something.

“We found that.” Clarus showed him a sword that certainly wasn’t Cor’s. “Don’t know what happened with your sword.”

Memories started rushing to his mind. That was right. He fought Gilgamesh and then Gilgamesh took his sword, and Cor sealed the cave. He sealed the cave so he could come back later, so nobody else could fight Gilgamesh. That bastard took his sword.

Cor wanted to turn his back toward Clarus, but his body refused. Instead he just turned his head in the opposite direction.

“What happened in the cave, Cor?” the older man asked but Cor didn’t answer. He stared at the wall and pretended he was alone in the room.

 Days passed, nurses and doctors came to check on him. One of the doctors said he needed physio for his shoulder but Cor just barked at him and send him out. He needed no physio, he failed, he was good for nothing. Clarus came to see him few more times so did Regis and Cid and Weskham. He didn’t talk to any of them. He just looked in the nothingness of the hospital room and thought about his failure. Cor knew how failure tasted, it wasn’t that he never failed at anything. He failed at school, he failed to fulfil his parents’ expectations at times, but he had never failed with the sword. He knew he was the best with a sword and no one could match him. Until now. He wasn’t special anymore. He was just another kid in the Crownsguard. Good for nothing.

“Stop sulking.” Clarus told him. That was visit number three for this week and Cor hasn’t said a word beside shout at a nurse who came to give him painkillers. He didn’t need painkillers he needed his pain to remind him how pathetic he was. “And apologize to the nurse she was cute.”

“You can go after her and apologize with your dick.” Cor didn’t say that very loud, but Clarus heard it. The man grabbed him by the collar of his t-shirt and pulled him up forcing him to sit on the bed.

“What has gotten into you? Someone spanked you and you are even more insufferable than you used to be.” Cor tried to turn his head away, he couldn’t look at Clarus but the older man grabbed his face and forced him to look at him. “I’m talking to you. What’s your issue? Take it out and be done.”

“I don’t have an issue. I just wish…” he felt something wet around his eyes. He was crying. That was how weak he was, he was crying like some little kid. “I wish I was dead.” He said between two sobs.

“Why?” Clarus asked him as if that was the weirdest thing in the word but it seemed so natural to Cor. Dying is what he deserved. “Because you got your ass kicked? There will be always a better fighter than you, Cor. There will be always someone stronger. There will be always someone better.”

“But I am the best! There is nobody better.” He shouted so loud aq nurse had to check on them but Clarus made her a sign to leave. “I was somebody, I was going to be undefeated, greatest swordsman in history, hero of Insomnia. Now I’m nothing.”

“Kid, you have two modes, don’t you?” Clarus wasn’t holding him anymore and the expression on his face had softened. “Cor ‘Fight me’ Leonis and Cor ‘I failed’ Leonis. You need to use your experience to learn something. Learn to lose, learn to see where you went wrong and correct it. Is that all you got out of that cave? The fact that you failed? Look.” Clarus threw something at him and with great effort Cor managed to lift it. It was a newspaper. The title page was reading ‘Cor the Immortal’. The article went on and on how he was the strongest and braves man in the Crownsguard, how he was the first man to survive encounter with Gilgamesh. He started turning the pages, there were different articles written by different people, some discussing Cor’s background, current condition and if he really was immortal.

“Cor the Immortal.” He repeated out loud. “I hate it.”

“You might hate it, but these people see more in you, than you see in yourself. You didn’t fail, Cor. You learned a lesson.” Clarus took the newspaper from his hands and walked towards the door. “I will check on that nurse. I will see you tomorrow.”

Cor thought of saying thank you, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. He was puzzled how everyone saw success in his failure. Then again there was a good argument in favour of considering being alive as success. Gilgamesh had changed him and he could feel it. It has been a week since their encounter and Cor had never felt so miserable. It was completely new feeling. Self-hate and self-doubt were also destroying him from the inside, but again those were new feelings. Gilgamesh was right, Cor was weak, but he began to understand now what sort of weakness he was talking about. It wasn’t physical weakness, it was weakness in his mind. His stubbornness and arrogance made him weak. Clarus was also right, and he had laughed in the man’s face for being an adult. Clarus had told him he doesn’t want to throw his life away, his life was dedicated to protecting Regis, and Cor called him a coward. Now Cor could see it wasn’t cowardice that stopped Clarus, but duty. He wanted to build an argument for himself that it was duty that send him in that cave, but he had to be honest with himself. It wasn’t duty, it was pride and that same pride landed him on his ass beaten. He was going to learn. He was going to become better man and then show Gilgamesh.

[lilianrogers]

January Books

The thirteenth month of 2020 is coming to close and I managed to read yet another book about a global pandemic (Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim), dip my newbie toes into Henry VIII’s love life (Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel), experience the weird weird weird world of Jeff VanderMeer (in Dead Astronauts), and pick up a self-published collection by two local - but not residing in Singapore - academics, Cherian George and Donald Low (PAP v. PAP). 

For my thoughts in video form check out my YouTube video: https://youtu.be/MdG8O81QPYQ

Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim

Somehow I managed to read four books set during a global flu-like pandemic over the past several months. I finally figured out that this is not because authors are suddenly gripped by the subject, but that these books always existed and are now coming to the fore. I was eager to pick this one up because it's written by a Singaporean-Canadian author and it was mentioned to me by my friend Daryl.

Ocean of Minutes turned out to be the most depressing of the flu books I’ve read, with the main character Polly never catching a break. Polly has time traveled to the future in a kind of indentured servitude to work for the company that will also provide the treatment for her boyfriend Frank who has caught the flu and must remain behind. They pick a meet up location for when Frank’s timeline has caught up to Polly’s.

Lim uses this premise to critique the treatment of workers under capitalism, and the callousness of the immigration system in the US. It’s also a neat vessel for reflections on love, and whether Frank and Polly’s young romance can stand the test of time, and their struggles apart from each other. Highs for me included the tender and realistic depiction of the early days of Frank and Polly’s relationship. Lows included the hamfisted manner in which Lim critiques the systems that strip us of our humanity (these scenes of despair mostly served to move the plot along rather than build an organic sense of indignation), and the frustrating naiveté (borderline cluelessness) of Polly. 

Rating: 3.5/5 

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

I am very late to the game on this one. Everyone, including both of my parents, read Wolf Hall when it first came out in 2009 (to critical acclaim). This first book of Mantel’s trilogy is a dramaticized history of 1500-1535 England through the lens of Thomas Cromwell, a well known advisor to English archbishop and Catholic cardinal, Thomas Wolsey, and later to Henry VIII. Key events covered include: Wolsey’s downfall, Henry’s infatuation with Anne Boleyn (and her maneuverings to become Queen), and the many executions of heretics, traitors, and fallen politicians. 

Thomas Cromwell really comes alive as a cosmopolitan and industrious man, and there is some gut wrenching writing from Mandel, but I think you need to already have a relationship with this history in order to really fall in love with this book. Every mega fan I know is British, and someone in my book club summed it up perfectly by calling Wolf Hall the “Hamilton: An American Musical” for Brits. To have history that you’ve known all your life, but only in a superficial way, sketched out with such detail and drama is a kind of drug. Unfortunately I didn’t even know Henry VIII had six wives until reading this book, so I remained mostly immune. My early 16th century European history is quite up to snuff now though, so feel free to quiz me. 

Rating: 3.8/5

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer

This is the weirdest book I’ve read in ages. Dead Astronauts is book two of VanderMeer’s Bourne trilogy (which I did not realize until later). I picked it up from my local library because I liked the cover and because the first book of VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, Annihilation, gave me literal goosebumps. 

I still have no idea what I read, and there’s not really a plot in this book so much as a bunch of snapshots with recurring characters, which include anthropomorphized animals and the three dead astronauts (only one of which is human, I think). The only thread I can confidently say I understood is that there is an evil Company that has destroyed the natural Earth with terrifying biological experiments that produce Hieronymus Bosch-like creatures. There are multiple realities and universes, and the astronauts are working towards some kind of common goal (but I couldn’t tell you what that is). 

But the point of this book is definitely not plot. It’s a book that is meant to creep you out, and leave you bewildered by a slew of environmental horrors (Jeff VanderMeer’s specialty). Through this kaleidoscope of weirdness you get a solidified feeling of the cruelty of humans and the brutality of environmental degradation. The form is also totally unconventional with the use of different fonts, multiple pages of the same words repeated over and over, and passages that read like spoken word. I didn’t really know what was going on most of the time, but sometimes it’s okay to have a book where you’re just along for the ride.

Rating: 3.5/5

PAP v. PAP by Cherian George and Donald Low

I am a Cherian George fangirl and really felt my Singapore politico identity come to fruition when I ordered this self-published collection hot off the presses. The main argument of this volume of short essays by the two academics is that the PAP is here to stay (at least another 15 years) and true reform must come from within the party itself, rather than from external forces or the Opposition. I am not fully convinced this is possible, but if there is any political party enlightened enough to overcome the kryptonite of control maybe it’s Lee Kuan Yew’s. 

This was a fun read because it is so recently published and includes all of the events of the most recent General Election that took place in July 2020, but in general I felt that it skimmed the surface (either providing a too-basic overview of issues like economic distribution and democratic accountability, or rehashing well-known arguments). I much prefer George’s Singapore Incomplete, which feels both snappier and better thought through. 

Maybe George and Low might have been better served by writing a book solely focused on the case for why reform must come from within (and how, whether that’s possible or even likely, and in-depth examples from other countries), instead of providing short overviews of many different issues. The chapter that offered the freshest view and food for thought was the last one, “Riding the populist tiger,” which dissects how the recent wave of populist nationalism in the world has provided the PAP with a political advantage, but is also a poison that could threaten Singapore’s longer term stability.

I also agreed with George and Low’s appeal for a “PAP that wants to lead not just to rule”. They argue that the PAP must be bold in describing a positive vision for Singapore, rather than continuing to position itself as a protector of Singapore from “its inherent vulnerabilities”. The PAP should be proud of the material success and stability Singapore has been able to accrue since independence, but George and Low are right in saying gone are the days when the PAP can simply rest on these laurels. PAP leaders should address the issues of the day with the confidence and creativity of a dominant party.   

Finally, the status and treatment of foreign workers in Singapore received widespread public attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, and I am looking forward to an in-depth treatment of this topic, which George and Low mention only in passing in this book. 

Rating: 3.5/5