#I enjoy the idea of some of their original colouring remaining just under the scales

[nonuggetshere]

Updated concept for my babygirl

Things I added and changed from the previous design:

Fluffy!!

Legs are more stylised to be like deer's because hot damn were they previously hard to draw

Now Extra Lanky™

More scales, like a wyrm

More of the light peeking through their scales (99% of them aren't visible unless under specific circumstances and angles, I just wanted to show them off, mostly it's just their ribs, shoulders and tail showing)

[x-ximenas]

Midnight (Pt. 3)

Prompt: Midnight - 5SOS. A bit of Stay - Post Malone and When You Walk Away - 5SOS

Pairing: Female!Reader/Roger Taylor

Warnings: Sad sad things, angst, alcohol consumption and my terrible grammar and punctuation remember English’s not my first language.

Word Count: 3,102 words

A/N: So sorry for taking this long to put this up, I was waiting for my proofreader to answer my e-mail but before I realised a long long LOOOONG time had passed, so I decided to just post it, I gotta admit it’s not my best work, but I hope the people that enjoyed the past few bits enjoy this one as well. If you liked this bit, I’d love to hear some comments! If you’d like to be added to a taglist for upcoming parts comment, dm me, ask me… just communicate with me!

A/N pt.2: Like most of the time, I took a few literary liberties, there are some movie things, there’s some real stuff, so… yeah.

A/N pt.3: If you’re looking to read some Brian stuff, I have a multipart story (pt. 1, pt. 2) -sadly not finished- but if you read it and like it, I’ll do my best to do something about it.

// Part 1 // Part 2 //

———————————————————————————————————–

The last few days had broken the cycle Y/N had remained in for the last few years, yet they remained monotonous all the same.

Quite in brand for the London life, the birds never came out to bask in the sun, for the sun never came, similarly to Y/N it had stayed hidden behind the grey coloured clouds too scared to face the outside. For tourist or newcomers, the clouds were a threat and an impediment when you desired to tell what time was it; you could barely distinguish when time passed, for the colour palette remained the same, a scale of greys that lightened or darkened as the hands of the clock advanced.

The bed Y/N laid on had never felt this cold and empty, she had lost the shield that protected her body from the incoming breeze that blew through the open windows; now, all she faced was an old scent that brought tears to her eyes, tears that ultimately fell, no matter how hard she tried to stop them from doing so -how stupid are you? she reprimanded herself with an unconvincing tone. Those tears were hot and burned the skin as they rolled down her face, they were tears fo anger and disgust, feelings not only directed towards herself but directed to Roger as well.

The route that travelled from her door to her room looked deserted because as of lately there were no clothes to pick up from the carpeted floors. Her skin had grown quickly unaccustomed to him, there were no ghosts of kisses and touches, she had even lost the few bruises his lips had painted on her skin. Not only did he walk out of her life -unwillingly so, for the note that he left behind didn't hint on his activities- he had left her body, but not her soul, never her soul, and that pained her.

A knock...

A single knock.

If Y/N could describe said knock the word that first crawled inside her mind would be undecisive, maybe hesitant, especially because there were no other knock following the first. To Y/N it was evident who was knocking on her door, she quickly discarded the thought of her friends checking on her for they had no decency and no respect for her personal space they tended to just walk in without an invitation, unlocking the door with the spare key Y/N had given them years ago; this person was Roger, she was certain of that, he always waited for her to open the door for him, to answer for his calls, but due to the recent situation he had placed them into she had no energy to answer the door for him, to look him in the eyes and not burst into tears of both anger and hurt.

Roger had come in search for her before and she never answered, he swore that once -a few days ago- she locked the door right before him rejecting his presence; other times he had heard her choke sobs, not quite prepared to talk to him. It broke him to pieces to hear her cry and not do anything to stop it, furthermore, he knew that he was the cause to her tears, her cries and her pain. He was well aware of his actions, but standing there, with only a wall separating the two of them he realised he never thought of the consequences they would bring.

"Y/N, please open the door, I really want to talk, I... I'm sorry" Roger's voice drawled out, a hint of exhaustion deep in his voice, annoyment was soon to find a home there too if Y/N kept on ignoring him. His usual raspy voice had lowered its tune a few semitones and the roughness of the rasp became more prominent, such tone made Y/N shiver and her heart ache. She wasn't ready, not quite, not yet.

Y/N's mind had been running in circles, more than ever before, she wasn't sure on what to do with the situation and herself, troubled when thinking about ways to explain her knotted up mind, how to get out the heartbreak in sentences and also explain her anger and all the strong emotions that ran through her body for people to understand -maybe even help herself understand. Every time she thought about what to do she came empty-handed, she had tried to prepare a speech that soon was going to be presented to the perpetrator of her afflictions, a speech that was supposedly helping to fully convey her feelings, a mirror where he could gaze into and turn into a person that understood, a song that he could resonate with, a painting that he could break apart to gaze at the full picture. She wanted for him to understand how troubled her mind had become, but her words trembled, the mirror broke every time, the song was offbeat and the painting was off frame.

She let time pass, she did reach the door but she never found the strength to open it, she just stood in front of it, leaning on the back of couch placed near, her back was arched forward as her arms crossed on her chest pulling the front of her sweater closer to her in hopes that it could aid with the coldness that she currently felt.

Their bodies were placed parallel to each other, the wall and door parallel as well. Roger was leaning on the door, his arm resting on the cold material, his head finding its place on top of it soon enough, his gaze was lowered, but his eyes were closed, he knew she wouldn't open the door, but he was going to die trying, hoping to make things right.

"Please..." he whispered, the sound blocked by the door, never reaching her ears.

Y/N was just waiting, she was expecting the sound of his steps indicating his departure. With a sigh Roger took his head off the wood, sparing one last look at the door before leaving, he was tired of coming, of calling but he had to leave things straight with her, she deserved as much, he made the mistake of not doing just that before, he had to at least do it now. His steps were slow and dragged out, not caring to pick up his feet as he went and with that Y/N empathizes, for she felt as tired as his steps sounded.

Y/N let a breath escape from between her lips as she felt herself unwind, her shoulders loosening as she finally sat down on the single sofa she was just leaning into. Her eyes stung and her throat felt tight and constricted, she felt like crying her eyes out, but the tears never came. Her eyes resembled the ever-threatening clouds that hovered over London, omnipresent and always grey, but not omnipotent, not always ready to rain down.

As Y/N stared out the window her mind divagated, ever since she caught Roger with Gina she did such thing more often, her mind was always active, always working on a memory or a thought, but mostly remembering. Her head was mostly filled with the poisonous memory of Roger holding someone else, causing pain to pull at her heart; other times she filled in the gap with memories that once upon a time she considered oh-so-joyful that even made her hopeful, that helped the threading of an unrealistic future with Roger, now all that they brought were pain and a strange feeling of incompetence.

Y/N shook her shoulders as if it could help to shake the venomous thoughts that constipated her head, pulling her hair from between her fingers she bit her lip, holding down a scream. She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees, reddening the skin around the pressure point, she felt stressed and sad, angry but lonely.

Her lip started to hurt badly, her teeth had been sinking into the soft skin far too long, but she took notice her lips weren't the only thing that stained, the palms of her hands' pounding and burning from how hard her nails had been digging there as well.

Y/N's emotions had been taking different directions and rightly so. She got sad and cold whenever Roger was near her when she could sense his presence from behind the thin walls; but just as soon as he left a sudden feeling of heat and anger boiled through her veins, the sadness and pity she felt dissipated whenever red clouded her view. Said red was quick to soften, but it never turned to pink, that colour had been long forgotten, only grey was left when the numbness and emptiness returned.

A huff escaped her lips as she stood up from the couch, a hand rubbing the right side of her face as she headed to the bathroom, despite her initial idea of not wanting to leave the house too afraid to even go near alcohol she finally decided against said original thought. Since the encounter at the café -if you could even call it that- she hadn't touched a single droplet of alcohol, she had tried her best to stay away from it, afraid that it would ultimately lead her to Roger and her spitting out her feelings the wrong way; but oh, did she crave the burn of the booze down her throat, she desired the warmth it provided, warmth that she lacked for she had no one resting by her side, just a ghost of a memory that she desired to get rid off with the daziness that alcohol provided.

In an automated way, Y/N prepared the shower for her liking and jumped under the water, the warmth it provided as well as the force it hit with quickly made her muscles lose some tension. Y/N finished showering soon enough, doing a quick job on drying her body before wrapping a towel around her chest and another around her hair.

Y/N headed to her room and as she passed her mirror she couldn't help but notice how red the skin around her eyes and nose had become from the constant crying and blowing off the nose; a groan left her mouth accompanied with a 'fuck', her demeanour quickly changing when she remembered that no one really cared. So with that same attitude, she headed towards her closet, pulling out a pair of bell-bottomed high-waisted jeans and a white blouse, pairing the whole outfit with a pair of dark brown boots.

As she stared at the mirror her hands travelled to her face, pressing her cold fingertips against the swollen skin. After she felt the tips of her fingers warming up she loosened the pressure, moving her hands upwards to her hair, teasing it slightly as she ran her fingers through the knotted up strands; then she picked up the strands in both of her hands, pulling it upwards in a high ponytail, and as she stared at her reflection she realised that her face was better off with all her hair being pulled away from the frame of her face, so she took the end of the makeshift ponytail and started twirling it around her fingers, laying the twist of hair on top of her head, keeping it in place with a series of hairpins and a rosé coloured ribbon.

Taking her purse from where she had hung it up by the door she headed out her cold flat and as she reached outside the building she lived in a gust of air hit her face, a few drops of leftover rain hit her skin leaving a refreshing feeling behind, she felt alive for a few seconds as she breathed in the familiar scent of petrichor a sigh of content naturally escaping from her.

The time she took in search of a cab was short and before she realised she was in her usual pub, Ben waving at her from the bar, wave she could barely reciprocate as her mind fogged up with even more images of Roger, images she hoped that alcohol will blackout soon enough.

Plopping down on the uncomfortable seat of the bar stool Y/N's eyes met with Ben's and without the need of words, he kept himself busy making her a drink, he could tell by how the corners of her eyes sloped downwards and how her teeth pulled on the inside of her cheek that something had happened and he was willing to listen to whatever she had to say.

He placed the tall glass in front of her as he leaned in her direction, making her huff through her nose and twist her neck to face him, a dark look crossing her eyes, a strange combination of anger and maybe even grief, sadness and hatred, but not towards Ben; he knew that look well enough, having been in the receiving end of it many times, but never the recipient of the feelings, he was aware of the fact that she needed more alcohol to even get her tongue loose enough to start spilling out whatever was pulling at her severely hurt heart.

It was drink after drink, Ben obviously had to keep count of them but numbers never crossed Y/N's mind, she just needed for the number to grow enough for her eyes to blur from the intoxication and not from tears. A sad trembling sigh escaped Y/N's lips making Ben's head shoot up, it was his queue, she was ready to talk.

"Is it my fault?" Y/N said, her voice hoarse from the lack of use.

"What did I do? What does she have that I don't? Did I arrive at the wrong time? Did I meet him at the wrong time? Because I don't know how to explain any of this, was it me? Did I feel too much? Did I do too much? Was I too much?" Y/N's eyes met Ben's as her words slipped from her lips constant but shaky all the same. Tears had started to pool yet they stayed static on the rims of her eyes, threatening to fall on the wooden bar. Her breathing was accelerated, heaving and she looked as if she was starting to have a hard time doing it.

Ben's hands held hers, tenderly rubbing circles on the soft skin of the back of her hand "Breathe with me -inhale, exhale- and tell me what happened that made you question yourself like this, you're not making any sense, love."

"He has someone else, Ben, he's been fucking someone else and he's been seeing her in public, he holds her hand, he kisses her in the street... It's- It's like someone crawled inside my head and decided to fuck with me, this someone hates me! Th-they decided to give me the most beautiful wings I have ever seen, they knew I wanted to-to fly! But -Y/N inhaled quickly, her hands moving from side to side as pain controlled her words and motions, then she proceeded- as I was ready to flutter away to-to the stars, the sun in search of my desired reality they f-fucking ripped the wings off, they brunt them even when they were still attached to my body and made me watch it all, they laughed in my face... This someone cut my brain open and realised what I feared the most and made my harshest insecurities a reality" Y/N's words were poetic sounding, the use of allegories and metaphors were nothing new for Ben, quite used to the way Y/N expressed herself.

As Ben was ready to tell her some reassuring words that might or might not help ease the pain that burnt through Y/N's body, she interrupted him. "It was such a foul move, I felt betrayed Ben... Does destiny, God or fucking- ugh! I don't know, who hates me that much? Why after the night we had did I have to see that? Why did I have to fucking see him walking into the café he knows I love with another girl? Why? Why couldn't he just tell me he had someone else? Why does he make it seem as if I was nothing to him? As if I meant nothing? Why does he make it seem so easy to just not care? -then Y/N's voice lowered to a mumble- Why did he call me his? Why did he say he was mine when he clearly isn't? Why think about a future that doesn't exist?" Said that she pulled out the crumpled up note he had left on her on the countertop of her kitchen, the paper felt heavy on her hands it burned her skin and as her eyes skimmed past the last few words left on the note -'A future for the two of us'- her eyes burned too.

Ben was left with his mouth agape, so many tiny revelations pushed in a single statement that made his heart hurt for the poor girl in front of him. He looked at her -no, he observed- her hands were in fists and he could swear that he had caught a glimpse of a crescent-shaped figure on her palm when she unflexed her fingers; her eyes were red and the skin looked irritated from the constant brushing of the tissues and other fabrics she used to wipe away the tears, tears were constantly invading her eyes they were almost intermittent, never quite falling but always present; her posture that usually shifted between trying to look confident and relaxed was tense, she was hunched over herself, some people might describe the posture as a shame and insecurity ridden posture and it felt so strange on her.

Y/N sniffed and stood up from the stool, pulling her purse up to her chest, attempting to pull out enough money to pay for the alcohol she had drank; she wasn't sure how much money she had handed Ben, but she trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't have added drinks that she hadn't actually drunk to her bill so with a tired smile she finally decided that it was time to tap out.

Waling outside the pub she was met once again with the familiar weather, humid with a light wind, she breathed in as if to help her ease herself before hailing a cab. A black car stopped in front of the pub and as Y/N sat down on the leather seats of the cab she offered the driver a kind smile.

"Where to?" He asked, but Y/N's heart spoke before her head did and so, she found herself heading to Roger's place.

[clauderiegan]

Change the Future [Byleth x Claude, pre-relationship]

A/N: This falls half under ‘general Golden Deer fic’ and half under ‘ship’ since there’s no romance yet, idk  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ No romance ‘til time skip.  also I recruited Annette into Golden Deers because I love her

Teachers weren't supposed to have favourites, but then again Byleth had never even planned on being one. She'd been content with cutting down rogues and feral wild animals with her father, living day by day in whatever part of the world they'd settled down in for the time being. She was still adjusting to her new position of authority and truth be told...

She was adjusting to being around one Claude von Riegan.

The majority of men who spent time around her and her father were older, grizzly warriors; the type to give her a friendly roughhousing and an offer of ale when they'd succeeded in pulling off a well-paying job. She was hardly accustomed to charming smiles from someone her age, hand kissing and whispered secrets in her ears. It was all a bit much - Claude was as bright as his house colour in both intellect and charm. She could easily see why so many had gathered to his side - even Lorenz with his snide comments couldn't resist the leader's sway for too long. 

Still she tried to maintain a healthy distance as nothing good would come of a mercenary's daughter turned teacher becoming too close with the literal golden boy of the Leicester Alliance. She gave all of her students equal attention, enjoying the vast personalities and heritages of her charges. Some of them were already more skilled then her in certain areas; in particular she feared the strength of Hilda's axe swinging, a happy smile on the twintailed girl's face as she aced her axe exam with a flourish of the massive weapon. 

And if her cheeks blushed ever so slightly when a certain lord joined her for tea one sunny weekend, it was her problem alone. One she could lock away and happily ignore, continuing to work at improving her newfound profession. It would cause nothing but trouble; she would be better devoting herself to the path of the sword.

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

She was glad she had done all of that training.

A fairly routine battle had gone south so far Byleth wasn't even certain how it happened - one minute they were cleaning up the last of a pathetic lot of bandits, the next dealing with some mass abomination of which she'd never seen the likes of. No one in the Golden Deers was sure of its origin, but whatever had brought the creature to them was now their problem. It was a beast of some kind, but far beyond the usual fare of bears or wolves; its silver scales were impossible to penetrate with regular weapons. It was definitely not a simple creature of the woods; Byleth feared something darker at stake when looking at its bizarre anatomy. Lorenz had found out the hard way when he charged forward to strike, only his lance had pathetically bounced off the beast's hide.

He also found out how sharp the beast's claws were when they grazed his chest... not that he remembered presently. Byleth had instantly fired off a Divine Pulse, heart pounding as the familiar sensation of light had wrapped around her body and Lorenz, wiping his bloody gash clean before her eyes. Her reaction had been so fast that he had no idea that anything had even happened - she simply instructed him not to attack and he had complied, obliviously evading a potentially serious injury.

If only it was that simple to snap her fingers and erase her mistakes as easily.

The truth was that every Divine Pulse drained her and she had already used three of them - one to save Lorenz, one to direct Annette away from a falling branch that would land on her (it would break one of her legs and they needed her mobile) and one to direct her students away from an area of the forest that would go up in flames from the breath attacks of the creature. The Deers were used to her powers now and were unfazed by her sudden instructions to avoid seemingly safe parts of the field. Sothis had advised her many times that pushing past three would be unwise and she felt the truth of it in her aching body as she and the others continued to circle and slowly chip away at the beast's scales. Byleth had managed to keep up a steady balance of keeping her distance and striking the beast with the long range of her sword, but she could feel the intensity of her strikes fading with each hit. She was trying her best not to let it show, but she could do little to hide her strained, heavy breathing at this point. It was up to her to keep a calm face, to be the moral center of the group and prevent them from becoming too scared to continue onwards.

Still, she was considering the option of instructing them all to flee; it would be cowardly and if the beast waylaid the nearby town behind them, the blame would fall onto the Golden Deers (onto Claude, her mind unhelpfully supplied). Still, she'd much rather her students face consequences from the Church than be killed in some nameless forest, their bodies staining the grass red.

"Thinking of running?"

Byleth turned, marveling slightly at his reliable ability to read her thoughts all too easily. Claude smiled next to her, tired but still putting on a show of strength despite his singed armor and sweaty face. Even the almost ever-present volley of arrows he had been firing off were weakening as the battle had raged on. He too was faced with the burden of reassuring the others; if the Deers saw Claude still confident, they believed that any fight, no matter how grueling, could be turned into a victory. Still, it was not victory she had in mind currently and Claude's judgement was something she had need of right now.

"Yes. We're outmatched and I'd rather us face whatever consequences befall us than to lose any Deers here. Your thoughts?"

"We're on the same wavelength, as usual" he replied, somehow having the energy to wink at her.

"Truly?"

"We're only delaying this creature momentarily - it may be weakened as of now but we don't have the resources to put it down. And I don't particularly plan on such a pathetic end for the Golden Deers!" he assured her, tone steady and full of conviction.

Though they seemed to have momentarily tired the beast out as it had stopped approaching, it was eyeing them with malice from the spot it was resting. She nodded at his reasoning, relieved. The two of them could face whatever problems that arose with not immediately defeating the beast once they returned to the Monastery. Still, there was one remaining issue; the area they had been currently circling the beast around was far too wide and flat for an easy escape - it was a fair distance to the nearest copse of trees that was too thickly forested for the beast to easily follow.

"It's far too accurate with that breath attack. If our students ran off one-by-one or in a group, they'll be an easy target for its flames before they could escape through the trees. It hardly seems content to just let us leave... how can we get them out safely?" she asked, trying to keep the underlying fear out of her voice.

He hummed in thought, sharp green eyes scanning their position and the bedraggled appearances of their Golden Deers. She followed his gaze, wincing at the exhaustion and anxiety on her student's faces. Annette shot her a pained glance, her expression looking for reassurance from Byleth. She felt slightly hopeless; if only a more seasoned and older professor had been with them! She gripped her sword tighter, resolving to get them out safely no matter the cost to her own being.

"How do you feel about taking a risk with me?"

Byleth blinked, looking at the lord who had seemingly done scanning the field.

"Our current problem is that our big scaly friend here is going to flame whoever flees first if we leave it where it is. This thing's got a clear shot if it stays in that position-"

"So we go closer and distract the creature while the others run away?" she finished, eyes wide with understanding.

"Yep" he replied casually, lip popping the 'p' as if he'd suggested something completely casual.

"But when they do, they'll only be two of us left... and Claude, you shouldn't be putting yourself in danger like that!" she replied, tone beseeching as she kept an eye on the now increasingly restless beast.

"I made the plan, I'll take the risks. You feel the same anyway, right?" he shot back, tone still infuriatingly nonchalant as he readjusted out of his bow stance.

She sighed, knowing she had no better plan and that Claude's schemes usually were more successful than hers.

"Very well, we'll attempt to distract it until the others have left and then escape together. But if things get too dangerous, I want you to run while I hold it back. Promise me."

He paused, emerald eyes staring at her with a thoughtful expression while taking an arrow out of his quiver.

"That's a pretty selfish promise you know. Leave you to handle some crazy beast alone while I run?"

"Precisely, because you are a lord who is heir to an empire and I am in charge of your welfare" she stated, tone unflinching and stance rigid.

They had a brief staredown, eyes locked in a silent argument before Claude relented.

"Fine. But I'm planning on staying as long as possible, so don't expect me to turn tail at the first sight of trouble!"

She nodded, shoulders slumping as she readjusted the grip on her sword. Her arm was aching, but she still had some strength left in her for the last part of their plan.

"Golden Deers, to me!" Claude commanded, voice cutting loud and clear through the wide space.

The students ran over, relieved; they were counting on the two to deliver them out of the predicament safely. They'd managed to wound the beast at best and quickly realized they didn't have a chance of soundly defeating the creature. Byleth spied a large burn on Raphael's shoulder and winced. The sooner they got back to the monastery, the better. Claude explained the plan quickly, keeping one eye on the beast as it continued to slowly rouse itself. Most of the Deers initially rejected the idea, as they hated the idea of leaving their two most trusted members behind. However as the sounds of the beast rising from its brief respite grew louder, they slowly agreed to the objective and prepared themselves to run.

Nodding to each other, Claude sent out a particularly large and vicious volley of arrows; the beast immediately roared as they peppered its scaly head with small cuts.

"Let's advance" he gestured to Byleth, her nodding as she slowly moved towards the giant creature with her sword firmly in her hands.

Hearing her students slowly back away behind her, she sent out a lash upon its chin, leaving a slight red welt where it hit the beast. It was growing furious; steam was billowing out of its mouth and its eyes were red with rage. Fortunately, it was so angered with Claude and Byleth that it had not a glance to spare towards the other Deers; Byleth felt cool relief run through her system as the sound of increasingly distant footsteps running away from her position behind her. She sent out another lash but jumped back at the last second, only barely avoiding a small but potent fireball that singed the grass she had been standing on. Claude fired off more arrows; snarling the beast finally regained its footing on all fours and started towards him with heavy loud stomps. She whipped her sword out again, but the beast did not turn towards her like she had hoped, continuing to stomp towards the archer. Grimacing, she struck again and again, until the beast reared its head around; sensing an opportunity she aimed for one large eye and slammed her sword forward. As the beast recoiled, Claude caught onto her line of thought once more and aimed an arrow into the same eye, a perfect shot piercing the iris.

The beast shrieked in pain, throwing its large head back. She could see Claude use the brief distraction to back up, moving closer towards her while keeping his bow squarely trained on the beast's head. It was still making noise, eye dripping blood onto its' nostrils and chin. She felt a brief stab of relief; relief that was quickly short lived when the creature whipped its head around to stare down the two, one working red eyeball alight in anger.

She had forgotten something important; cornered animals were the most dangerous and a beast was no different.

It roared and with outstanding speed, trampled towards them with single-minded determination. They both barely managed to leap out of the way, cratered dirt where they had been standing. It roared again and turned, heading towards Claude's surprised form, fueled by nothing but bloodlust. Her heart pumping with fear, she desperately lashed out with her sword but the beast barely felt it. The creature had only missed Claude by an inch, but he been knocked off his legs and fallen-!

The beast turned once more. A claw the size of a horse, raised in the air above him.

"NO!"

A sickening crunch, a sharp yell of pain that trailed into a high gurgling whimper and then silence.

Byleth stared, uncomprehending. She saw the blood stained yellow of his uniform, slowly turning burgundy. She heard his cry of agony. And yet it felt like nothing was real; an abstract nightmare that kept her up on nights when she had consumed too much tea before bed. The scream from her own mouth felt like a line in a play.

The beast lowered his head and oh Gods, it was eating him, it was ripping apart Claude-

The sight of its red jaws made her feel like her blood had frozen in her veins. She was growing lightheaded at the grisly scene before her, but as she stared down unblinkingly at the clawed up body formerly known as Claude in front of her, one realization became increasingly clear.

Gods damn her, she was going to use one more Divine Pulse. She wasn't leaving without all her Deers and the most important one was not coming back to the monastery in a coffin. She couldn't leave him here.

She let the familiar feeling of the magic settle around her, even with her body and mind screaming in protest as the air around her seemed to be suffocating her from the outside. The lightheaded feeling turned quickly into nausea and increasingly severe pain, a stabbing headache seizing her as she closed her eyes. She felt awful, like her body was being torn away little pieces at a time, but the feeling in her heart of seeing Claude fall was even worse and spurred her onward. The pain was overwhelming but she could feel the magic slowly turn back the time; she closed her eyes in agony, gritting her teeth as she resolved to make it through long enough to save him as the world around her seemed to rewind.

She was adrift in a sea of pain and silence, until-

"RRRAGHH!"

The roar of the beast, screaming as Claude's arrow pierced its eye once again. Sweet relief shot through the pain; she had made it back! And she could still.... could still...

She couldn't move.

Her body collapsed under her, little stars shooting above her eyes. She screamed internally, willing herself to open her mouth and yell at him to run, move! But nothing came out, the Divine Pulse rendering her body useless and her mind aching in agony as she lay in the grass unable to move a muscle. She felt something run down her chin and realized with a groggy start that her nose was bleeding. She could barely think at all anymore, the view of the night sky on her back becoming hazy... she had to tell him... to run...

"Teach? Teacher, get up! BYLETH!"

'Get out of there, you fool...' is the last thing she thought, his worried face as he crouched above her fallen body fading in front of her heavy eyes.

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

"....-coming to! Thank the Gods, I thought she might never wake..."

"Give her some space, she doesn't look well..."

Byleth groaned weakly, familiar voices that she couldn't currently place far too loud in her ears. She cracked one sore eye open, wincing as voices around her bed cheered in relief. She blearily looked around, her whole body aching - she could see the blurry faces of students peering with concern at her, surrounding her on a sturdy medical cot.

"Professor! We t-thought the worst..." Marianne whispered weakly on her right, voice breaking in relief as she clutched her hands together.

"I told you! You can't keep our awesome teacher down!" Raphael said heartily, smiling down at her from where he was standing by the window.

She blinked a few times, taking the faces of her Deers in with increasing relief. They were spouting bandages of their own in various places, but thankfully none with any lasting damage.

"Everyone... I'm alright. Sore, but alright. What happened with the beast?" she rasped, voice cracking with disuse.

"Well we were running for it and made it back to the road to the monastery. Then Claude comes blitzing in behind us with you on your back! Said you collapsed or something, he was super out of breath. I took over from there and carried you back... hopefully you didn't get any extra bumps or bruises from me, Professor" Raphael explained, looking a bit sheepish.

"Thank you Raphael, you were very brave. You all did very well considering what happened" Byleth smiled weakly, slumping back in relief at the news that Claude had escaped without injury.

"The beast disappeared, though agents of the Church of Seiros are trying to track it down as we speak. Claude was at your bedside for quite some time, but had to leave to explain the situation to Archbishop Rhea. It sounds like neither of you will face harsh consequences as the situation was unprecedented" Lorenz stated, his clipped tones at odds with the relief on his face at seeing his professor awake.

Byleth wanted to ask more but words were starting to fail her; Annette seemed to notice and offered to grab her designated healer. Byleth nodded and the ginger-haired girl returned with a motherly looking mage in white robes, who peered down at Byleth in concern over her spectacles.

"I'm not sure how you managed to exhaust your magic so severely when you aren't a mage, but I am aware you have particular talents requiring spiritual energy. Nonetheless, I would recommend never doing such a thing again."

Byleth nodded to appease the older woman, though hearing that Claude had returned alive had convinced her she had made the right decision. A decision that made her whole body ache, but the right one in truth. She could never regret saving Lorenz from a bad injury despite his sharp tongue and poor Annette didn't deserve a broken leg. And Claude... even only half-awake and dazed, she could still hear the exact scream Claude made when he'd been crushed playing in her head like some horrible echo.

Still, she'd be saving a fourth Divine Pulse for emergencies only; she felt like the beast itself had trampled her into a flat pancake. The healer offered a spell to send her into a painless sleep for the afternoon, which would boost her recovery. Currently content that Claude and her Deers were alive at the very least, she agreed to the treatment. Her students gave their goodbyes and well-wishes (Marianne said nothing but gently squeezed her hand) and soon the older healer had sent her into a comfortable, dreamless doze. She smiled as she felt drowsy but relieved once again, bright green eyes on her mind as she slowly drifted off.

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

Byleth yawned, slowly waking up from the sleep she had been placed in the day earlier as birds chirped alongside the rising sun through the window. Already she felt a little stronger, though she likely had to face bed rest for the next few days judging by her aching muscles. Gods knows how Sothis would react to her recklessness next time they talked...

She yawned again, blearily rubbing at her eyes.

"Hey, teach."

She started, eyes slowly tracking towards the familiar voice. Claude stood in the doorway, a sad smile on his face as he looked over her tired frame in the bed.

"Claude...!" she said weakly, her heart lightening upon seeing him alive and well.

She'd been told this by the Golden Deers of course, but it was hard to fully believe with the awful memory of his death echoing through her brain on repeat. Now as he made his way towards her bed, sunlight running across his spotless uniform, the full weight of the grisly scene was finally unburdened. His slightly ruffled bed head, his searching green eyes, everything was so alive and warm.

"You look surprised to see me alive and kicking. It's a little offensive!" he teased gently, coming to lean up against her bed with his arms crossed facing her.

"I'm more surprised I made it out. Raphael said you managed to carry me?" she inquired, confused.

"You scared me, seriously. I was so worried and full of adrenaline, I'd gotten halfway through the trees with you on my back before I realized I had done it" he said, smiling softly.

"Interesting Plan B, that one" she joked quietly, glad to see him teasing her like nothing had happened in the first place.

"Well, my plan B didn't include you collapsing..." he trailed off, eyebrows raised in clear expectation of an answer.

She paused, good mood rapidly disappearing. It was little use hiding things from Claude; he'd already proven to be a master at reading her face. She was not in the least surprised when he continued.

"You used that ability of yours, didn't you? But you shouldn't have" he questioned softly, smile gone from his face.

She slowly shook her head.

"No. I knew I was overusing it at the time, but... I..."

"Did I get injured?" he pressed, leaning slightly forward.

She pursed her lips, keeping deathly silent. He chewed his lip, looking pensive.

"Then... I died. Didn't I?"

Byleth swallowed. She tried to keep a straight fact but it was already too late; Claude leaned back, looking thoughtful once again.

"It's pretty pathetic that I died in the first place. Sorry you had to endanger yourself for my carelessness" he said calmly, casual tone suddenly infuriating her.

"Don't say that. You were brave and I didn't do enough, I had to watch as-"

She shut her mouth, embarrassed by her outburst and the sudden onset of tears pricking her eyes. Claude immediately looked guilty, hands twisting together.

"I-I didn't mean to joke! I'm sorry, truly. Please don't get upset over my idiocy" he soothed, leaning forward to wipe a tear away.

She nodded, supremely embarrassed at her emotional state. It wasn't like her to get overly weepy around others, although the stress of the past days was slowly catching up to her. Claude noticed this and stepped away from her bedside, looking regretful.

"I'm sorry for making light of the situation and riling you up when you're tired, Professor. I-"

He stopped for a moment to think, then continued on.

"I'm casual around a lot of people because I... I don't truly trust that many people in my life. Friends I have many of, but few true confidants. But please believe me as sincere when I say I trust you. And I owe you for this."

Byleth smiled, touched at the admission.

"Thank you for trusting me Claude. And you can pay me back by getting the highest mark on the next Fodlan history exam" she replied with a smile, giggling softly at his laugh.

"Then I better get started on my readings of Fodlan History Volume IV, huh? Thank you again, teach. Make sure you get some well-deserved rest. You're an irreplaceable part of the Deers, so get better soon!" he replied, gently patting her shoulder before leaving the medical room with a smile.

She sighed happily, feeling bone tired but satisfied that the ordeal of the last few days was finally beginning to close. Even as she fell back into a half-conscious state against her pillow, lesson plans and tactics drills were floating in the back of her mind.

No more sacrifices; they were going to lead the Golden Deers to success together.

[ellaskitchenquest-blog]

(PACK + 1/2 OF BUTTER) ROAST CHICKEN 

On Sunday I made a roast chicken with BITS. Here’s a rough recipe and their sources.

Herby butter slathered chicken:

Unsure where I got this recipe from originally but it’s how I usually roast my birds. 

- roughly 150g unsalted butter

- 1tsp fresh chopped parsley

- 1tsp fresh chopped thyme

- zest of 1 lemon

- salt + pepper

- one chicken (mine was ~1.5kg so scale your butter+herb quantities for different sizes)

1. Get a bowl and put all the ingredients in it (minus the chicken, ha)

2. Mix them all together. I have no mixer or handheld anything so I used the OG hands method. 

3. Get handfuls of butter and stick them in between the skin and flesh of the chicken (demonstrated by yours truly on the instagram post). Try and spread the butter evenly under the skin for maximum butteriness. 

4. Sprinkle salt atop of the chicken for crispy skin.

5. Cook it (best according to details on the packaging).

Fondant potatoes:

Delicious. Though what else do you expect when you cook potato in butter?

Recipe taken from https://chezlerevefrancais.com/french-fondant-potatoes/

Also definitely, definitely save the buttery stock left over. I used it in an asparagus risotto during the week and it was heavenly. 

Cauliflower cheese:

- 1 small cauliflower (mine was a teeny tiny chou-fleur) 

- 30g unsalted butter

- 30g plain flour

- 300ml whole milk

- 1/2 tbsp wholegrain mustard

- Mix of cheddar, grated mozzarella and parmesan (~200g in total - tbh I have no idea how I put in but probably a big handful and a half in total)

- 50g breadcrumbs (panko/normal)

- pinch of nutmeg

- pepper

Pre-1. Preheat oven to 200ºC

1. Cut up your cauliflower put into a saucepan of cold water. Bring up to the boil and cook for no more than 5 mins (you’re blanching baby) and drain. Disclaimer: I was worried about overdoing my cauliflower and did not blanche enough so my cauliflower cheese had a crunch.

2. In another saucepan, melt your butter over a medium/low heat. 

3. Add your flour and mix until you have a paste. 

4. Remove from the heat (like just move your saucepan, we’re only here for a minute) and add your milk bit by bit. Stir until smooth each time. This will ensure a smooth and creamy roux!

5. Put back onto the heat and stir constantly until the sauce has thickened.

6. Add (almost all) the cheese and stir until melted. If your sauce is a bit thick then just thin it out with a bit more milk. 

7. Add your mustard, nutmeg and some pepper (up to your personal preference).

8. Put your cauliflower into a baking dish. Size is dependant on your cauliflower cheese preference. Like a crispy top? Use a wide and shallow dish. Like a gooey sauce? Use a deep dish!

9. Pour the white sauce over and give it a little mix to spread around the cauliflower. 

10. Mix the rest of your cheese with the breadcrumbs and spread across the top of your cauliflower. 

11. Put in the oven for 20-30 minutes. I stuck my grill setting on for the last 10 minutes too to get that crispy top. 

Sage + onion croquettes:

A fairly successful experiment though we’re still eating croquettes with most of our meals this week. The croquette base was taken from Great British Chefs (https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/croquettes-recipe).

- 1 chopped yellow onion

- 45g unsalted butter

- 45g plain flour

- 250ml whole milk

- 1 egg, beaten

- ~10g fresh sage (1/2 a packet)

- veg oil

- breadcrumbs

- plain flour

- eggs

1. Fill a small saucepan with enough oil to reach 1/2 inch up the sides and allow to heat up until the oil shimmers.

2. Add the sage leaves and allow to fry until darkened in colour and crispy, 2-3 minutes.

3. Remove to a plate/wherever covered with kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil, then roughly chop.

4. In a pan, heat the butter and fry off the onions until soft-ish. 

5. Add the flour and mix till a paste forms. 

6. Add the milk, little by little so the sauce remains smooth. Stir until sauce thickens. Add a pinch of salt.

7. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly (5 mins or so) and then slowly add the egg until fully mixed. 

8. Add the chopped sage, cover and leave to chill in the fridge for ~ 2 hours (until set). 

9. When ready, set up 3 bowls - 1 with flour, 1 with breadcrumbs and the last with a beaten egg. I don’t know how much of each you need if you made all the croquette mixture. I probably used ~ 50g each of flour and breadcrumbs and one egg for 8 croquettes. 

10. Set up your oil frying saucepan or whatever you’re using and let your veg oil come up to 180ºC. 

11. Scoop out a big tbsp worth of croquette mix and roll into a croquette shape. Roll in flour, then egg, THEN breadcrumb. And repeat again if you like a crispy crunch.  

12. Drop your croquette into the oil and fry till gold and crispy!! Maybe 3 minutes.

Veggies:

UP TO YOU!! I like carrots and tenderstem broccoli is in season.

- 4 sweet kingdom carrots

- 200g purple tenderstem broccoli

- butter or olive oil

1. Add your carrots to your chicken pan ~25 minutes before serving. Drizzle with olive oil or toss with butter and season before serving.

2. Steam broccoli for 4 minutes before serving. Drizzle with olive oil or toss with butter and season before serving.

GRAVY:

I ran out of motivation to make a real chicken gravy from scratch so got a packet of proper veg stock from the cupboard, mixed with the chicken tray juices and thickened with cornflour. 

Enjoy your buttery roast chicken dinner!

[amuseoffyre]

Crossing Paths - 377AD - Teotihuacan

Been a couple of days, but finally got back to this :) And yes, I know the city wouldn’t have been called that when it was still a functioning place and was only given that name after it collapsed, but since we don’t know the original name, I’m working with what I have.

377AD - Teotihuacan

Aziraphale ducked under a trailing branch.

It wasn’t done to disobey orders, especially when they came directly from Gabriel himself, but why he was the one chosen to go and ‘take care of a hellish monster’ that was causing problems in Teotihuacan was beyond him. Sandalphon was far more accomplished at smiting than Aziraphale and certainly enjoyed it a lot more.

The local people had been quite pleased to see him, though he suspected it was more because they would prefer to see some bold – or foolish – outsider deal with the monster, rather than risk more of their own people.

He had spoken with the leaders of the city, who had directed him to the Chief Priest, who had spoken heatedly about unholy interloper who had claimed to be one of the teteoh – their spiritual equivalent to Gods as far as Aziraphale understood – and urged them to invade Yax Mutal, another powerful city to the south east. They had driven the monster off, but it had taken refuge in the ruins near the city.

Unfortunately, some of their young warriors had listened too eagerly to the false-teotl and now, the Priest said, trouble was brewing. They were talking about seeking him and following his guidance, which was why the demon had to be slain.

It was a very stupid demon who faked divinity, especially around a pious priest.

And so, Aziraphale was pushing his way through dense undergrowth, on his way to the ruins where the wounded beast was allegedly hiding.

It would have been fine if he still had his sword. Demons and humans quailed before it. But he didn’t and the only thing he had to hand was a good, solid stick. It had a polished knob on the end, which was decorated with blessed iron. It wasn’t a sword, but to be frank, he’d never felt comfortable with weapons.

The forest opened up around the remains of a long-abandoned, overgrown building. Wary, Aziraphale edged out into the clearing, stick raised in his hands, then he paused as he caught a whiff of an awfully familiar scent.

“Oh no…” He hurried towards the building, peering in the half-collapsed doorway. “Hello?”

From the gloomy depths of the building, there was a low groan. “Go away.”

Aziraphale glanced back, then ducked under the crumbling lintel. A snap of his fingers illuminated the dirt- and leaf-matted floor and the steps that led down deeper into the building. He held his hand aloft, hurrying down the staircase and almost tripped over the demon at the bottom.

Crowley was sprawled on the floor, his shoulders propped against the wall. His clothes were in tatters, but it was clear they had been decorated and colourful, pieces of shell and beads strung around his neck. His skin was more scaly than usual, but the parts that weren’t were bruised and criss-crossed with bloody stripes. He gave Aziraphale a baleful look. “Don’t even say it.”

Aziraphale sighed, looking down at him. “Are you surprised? Dressing up as one of their Gods?”

With visible effort, the demon scooted himself up into a sitting position. “I just did what I was told,” he grumbled, wincing and clutching his ribs. “Seeds of discord and what have you.”

The angel crouched down beside him, his loose robes fanning around his knees. “Why didn’t you just heal yourself?” he asked, frowning.

The demon gave him a look. “Funny thing about humans,” he said. “Doesn’t matter who they believe in, as long as they believe in something. And if they believe hard enough…” He winced, cracking his neck. “That Priest, he really believed he had a holy flail.”

“Ah.” Aziraphale winced. Some of the cuts looked quite deep and were rimmed with blisters. “May I?”

The demon made a face, but didn’t pull away when Aziraphale passed his hand over the worst of the injuries. Bruises paled and faded away and the deepest cuts closed up, leaving only traces of blood on Crowley’s skin and clothing.

“There,” the angel said, pleased. “That’s better.”

Crowley sat up against the wall, checking himself over. “You sure you won’t get in trouble for that?” he asked doubtfully.

Aziraphale shook his head at once. “I was sent to take care of a monster. They didn’t specify how I was to take care of it.”

Crowley snorted, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck again. “Nice loophole.”

“You really need to be more careful,” Aziraphale said, sitting down on the moss-covered floor beside him.

“What are you? My mother?”

Aziraphale gave him a reproachful look. “I might not have been the one they sent,” he reminded him mildly. “Would you prefer Sandalphon? Or perhaps Uriel?”

Crowley winced. “Yeah. No. Point taken.” He turned over his bare arms, examining the newly-healed skin. “Humans are funny things. Don’t even believe in the one we call the Almighty, but still have enough faith in them to whack right through my scales.”

“Well, you did deserve it,” Aziraphale said. “Really, you know better than dressing up as a higher power. Don’t you remember that incident in Imet?”

A vague look crossed Crowley’s face, then he grimaced. “Oh, yeah. I’d forgotten about that.” He raised a finger. “In my defence, they did decide that fire-breathing thing was a good trick.”

“You set the Pharaoh’s wig on fire!”

“It made them stop stabbing me! And anyway, they made it one of Wadjet’s specialist skills after that so I think it was a good thing.”

“Hm.” Aziraphale tried to look disapproving. “That’s hardly a measure of success.”

“No one died, did they?”

Aziraphale stared at him in disbelief. “You were stabbed!”

“Lightly stabbed. Only a little bit.”

“And you still did it again!”

“Mm.” The demon picked a piece of black fluff out of his hair. The fluff, it transpired, was a black feather. “Had to pluck an eagle to get the look right. It wasn’t very pleased about that.”

Aziraphale almost laughed at the mental image. “I see. Very… authentic of you.”

“It’s a feathered serpent!” Crowley said heatedly. “What was I meant to do?”

Aziraphale met his eyes with an incredulous look. “You have wings.”

Crowley blinked at him. “Oh. Right. Damn it!” He groaned, sagging back against the wall. “Stupid idea anyway. Didn’t work.”

Aziraphale thought of the Priest’s words. Better to keep that information from Crowley, in case he decided to fan the flames a little more. “You’ll know better than to try again next time.”

The demon gave him a look. “Isn’t that exactly what you said in Egypt?”

Aziraphale nodded, pressing his lips to keep from laughing. “Maybe this time, the lesson will stick.”

Crowley snorted and smiled crookedly at him. “Wouldn’t bet on it.” He cocked his head, studying Aziraphale. “You going to go back and tell them you vanquished the demon?”

“Mm.” Aziraphale wrinkled his nose. “I suppose I ought to.”

“Coming back alive and without your enemy’s head?” Crowley clicked his tongue. “They won’t believe you.” He reached up and lifted the rattling string of beads and shells – still spattered with blood – from around his neck. “This’ll help. Priesty fella was trying to grab it off me.”

Aziraphale took it gratefully. “Thank–”

“S’that or my head,” Crowley interrupted. “Personally, I like my head where it is.”

“Maybe try using it, next time?” Aziraphale said more tartly than he intended.

Crowley snickered, grinning up at him. “Look at you, being all sarcastic, angel. Anyone would think you didn’t like vanquishing an evil demon.”

Aziraphale got to his feet haughtily, brushing moss from his robe. “Do shut up.”

The demon tapped his fingertips to his brow in a salute. “Look forward to being vanquished by you again some time.”

Aziraphale pressed his lips into a line and if he accidentally stepped on the demon’s leg – quite hard, actually – he didn’t even bother to apologise as he stamped back out into daylight.

[antiques-for-geeks]

Games of Christmas Past : Quest for the Rings

Philips (Magnavox) / 1982 / G7000 (Odyssey²) / Originally £19.95

Yes, the Christmas spirit has even managed to permeate AfG towers and in the last editorial meeting those memories of games from Christmas past came flooding back. The good, the bad, the ugly, the over-priced, the cheap and the ones purchased by Grandma because the nice man in the shop said it was the one that all the kids were playing. So naturally, the team were asked to find one game each to write about.

First up, Pop...

When we were asked to write a piece about a game which held strong Christmas memories it took me a while to decide on a single title to tackle. There are so many to choose from! As a kid, Christmas was often the best (sometimes only) chance to get something to play on our gaming machines, and even when I was earning a paycheck I still enjoyed the ritual of making my purchase of a newly released games console or computer during the festive season. 

As a terminal man-baby I still enjoy that ritual; when I finally cracked and bought a Nintendo Switch I needlessly made sure I was unwrapping it as a Christmas gift to myself.

There are a few standouts amongst the many. The year I got a SNES with Street Fighter 2, Pilotwings and the distilled awesomeness that was Zelda 3. The Christmas after I started my first job when I was happily unwrapping an N64 with Goldeneye and celebrating the peace on earth and goodwill to all men with festive long distance sniper head-shots on unfortunate guards.

I honestly wasn’t intending to review this, the last significant G7000 game of my childhood on AFG. That’s certainly not because it isn’t worth remembering; I just have a preference for writing about games that I can actually do justice to by playing them in something like their original form ...if not always on the original hardware. My G7000 is long gone, but I felt the reviews of system classics Satellite Attack and Pick Axe Pete were justifiable because they are simple enough games to get the measure of when played via emulation. Quest for the Rings is a very different story for reasons that will become apparent.

“ You are about to become a legend in your own time and enter an alternate world where dreams (and nightmares) come true with fire-breathing reality. Special microcomputer circuitry will generate the alternate time frequencies and dimension warps necessary for finite control and monitoring of your alter-presence via television - while you remain physically secure in the relative safety of your home dimension. ”

Billed as a part of the Phillips ‘Master Strategy’ series, Quest for the Rings is a very basic game by today’s standards. You and another player travel across the kingdom to try and gather up the 10 rings of power before time runs out and the evil ringmaster plunges the world into darkness (or some Tolkien inspired guff to that effect!). 

There was obviously no way the primitive G7000 was going to produce a credible role playing experience, so most of the richness of the game is generated with a printed game board, counters and a set of written rules. 

That’s right... this is basically one great big board / video game hybrid. That may sound awesomely crummy to you, the sophisticated gamer of 2019, but back in the early 80’s this was very clever stuff. It allowed the designers to deliver scale, complexity, tension and surprise, all while working within the restrictions of a machine that could draw you a few lines and stick people, and sound out with some tuneless beeps and burps.

A box of delights!

This was a game that required collaboration (2 to 5 players!), communication (working together to outwit the enemies!) and imagination (shite graphics!) to get you over the line. That, my friends, is why it’s one of my most fond Christmas retrogaming memories.

Ideally played with 3 people, one takes the part of the nefarious Ringmaster, while the other players choose one of the 4 hero classes:

Warrior: a stick man with a sword! The sword is useful, in that it can actually kill some of the enemies! It’s really short range though, and can only be slashed horizontally.

Wizard: a stick man that can fire asterisks! Not just any asterisks, these are magic asterisks! These confuse some of the enemies, making them spin for a while, and they travel horizontally across the screen for as long as the action button is held. The effect is only temporary.

Phantom: a stick man that can walk though most walls! But not walls of fire! When you’re in the wall enemies can't get you, but they’ll stand around waiting for you to come out, and when you do you’re toast…

Changeling: a stick man that can turn invisible! Invisible stick man cannot be seen by enemies, though he can still be killed by touching enemies. He’s invisible to you too, dear player, which is a pain.

Our bitter experience was that while all the hero classes had their moments you really needed at least 1 warrior on the crew to avoid getting mobbed by the smaller enemies.

The green warrior has a quick slash against the dungeon wall.

The Ringmaster has the important task of setting up the game board. This is done by hiding monster tokens and the 10 ring tokens under location pieces and placing them around the map.

Once this is complete, the players have a limited number of turns to move around the map, entering the locations to gather the rings. The contents of each location is hidden until turned over; the combination of dungeon type and monster type are entered using the G7000 keyboard (keyboard overlay included!). This is one of the few games on the machine that makes real use of that keyboard. Finally the 2 heroes attempting the dungeon are chosen and the next bit is played out in living colour on your TV screen.

There are 4 types of single screen locations the heroes will be met with;

Dungeons: some black blocks randomly spread around the screen! You can’t go through them unless you’re the Phantom. These places are a breeze compared to the rest.

Infernos: some red blocks randomly spread around the screen! Touch ‘em and you die! The phantom is almost entirely useless here. 

Crystal Caverns: some invisible blocks randomly spread around the screen! Like dungeons, but you can’t see the walls until you touch them. A real pain in the ass.

Shifting halls: some black blocks randomly spread around the screen! They shift to the right at regular intervals. You and the monsters can get trapped inside the walls until they move again. A REAL pain in the ass.

The locations are usually populated by the standard bad guys - orcs and firewraths; basically just white and red stick men that shuffle slowly toward you and will kill on touch. However… the crafty Ringmaster can protect his rings with one of two extra perils!

A location with spydroths and doomwinged bloodthirsts will come with a few spider and winged elephant things scattered about. These cannot be killed, can jump at you when in range and are all in all pretty deadly.

A location with a dragon will have a clear band running right across the middle of the screen where a nicely drawn (for the ‘7000 that is) dragon patrols from left to right. If you enter this band he will rush you, shooting deadly fireballs, and will gobble you up upon reaching your burning corpse. The dragon is a real headache; the further away he is when you start crossing open ground the better, and another player running distraction helps too.

The dragon will mess you up... again and again...

Your goal in any location is to reach a ring or an exit. Both players have 1 life per dungeon, and failure means you have to try the location again on the next turn.

There’s one extra twist if you’re playing the game with a third person as Ringmaster; they have a small number of possession tokens that can be played on any location. When that happens the Ringmaster takes over one of the players and can annoy the other player by blocking or attacking them. A simple idea, but great fun!

Having fairly slated the crummy graphics, I’ll just take a paragraph or two to wax lyrical about how good the rest of the presentation was for this game. It came in a sturdy cardboard case that opened out like a jewelry box. Inside sat a beautifully illustrated board and manual, and a plastic tray full of nice solid counters and tokens.

The artwork was top-notch throughout, and really helped our imaginations fill in the massive gaps left behind by the pitiful graphics.

...also, the cartridge had a GOLDEN LABEL! It was beautiful, and I will never forgive myself for selling off my pristine copy a few years back…

Excluding the board-game aspect to Quest for the Rings, I can’t honestly find enough to recommend playing it today. It’s slow paced, and can be in turn frustrating and confusing. What I can’t deny is that it brings back pure waves of nostalgia - much more so than the other games we owned for the G7000. I think this is due to the social nature of the gameplay; though you could mess about in a dungeon by yourself, it really came alive with the full complement of players. Having enough people to play properly was a special occasion in its own right.

So picture the scene: the tree is lit, you’re all stuffed with the first of many turkey dinners. Your cousins are visiting, and you’ve spent the day in a state of hyper-active near meltdown. 007 Moonraker has just finished on the television, and you’re still chuckling about that awesome bit where a pigeon does a double take when Bond takes to the Venetian streets in a hovercraft-gondola. What better way to end an 80’s Christmas evening than to set up a monster 5 player game of Quest for the Rings? 

Score card

Presentation 10/10

The game itself has as much detail as you could ever expect to find in a game for the Philips G7000. Where this really scores is in the packaging, manual and board-game elements, all of which are of the highest quality.  As far as I’m concerned, there are few games of any era that were better presented.

Originality 9/10

The machine was packed with games inspired by arcade hits of the day, but this is a wholly original effort. The bit you actually play on the console is really quite basic, but the way it’s blended with simple board game mechanics made it fairly unique for the time.

Graphics 4/10

It’s a G7000 game, so stick men and blocks abound. The generous 4 is all down to the the dragon, which is pretty spectacular given the general standard on the machine. 

Hookability 5/10

This isn’t a ‘hooky’ game. You have to read the manual and have enough players for a start! Once you had the hang of it the game became a very engrossing challenge, but still some way off a pick-up-and-play title.

Sound 2/10

Very sparse, with some some grating high pitched tones thrown in for things like the Wizards’ spell. No music, unless you count the atonal ear-bleeding loop that plays after you’ve selected your characters that is.

Lastability 8/10

Pretty damn deep for a game from 1982, especially because the unpredictable human factor is built in. If you had at least 3 willing participants this could very well be dusted off regularly for years.

Value for Money 8/10

More expensive than a standard G7000 game, but you could really see where that money went.

Overall 8/10

This score is doubtless tainted by nostalgia, and since I can’t actually play the game any more you should take it with a pinch of salt. One thing I can say for sure is that playing games with other people in the same room as you, either on a board or on a TV screen will never cease to be fun. That remains true no matter how good technology gets at allowing us to physically avoid each other.

Merry Christmas everyone! Stay in school! Try your best not to do drugs!

[kazliin]

not gonna lie, I would so read that mermaid au that you wrote the summary of

That was one of the ones I just couldn’t get out of my head so here’s some random extracts and concept writing.

Disclaimer - this is a fake au fic from the Rivals series. In universe it would be written by a Viktuuri fan and so is based on how that fans see umfb!viktor and Yuuri not as they actually are. It was also written as a joke on my phone in half an hour so please don’t take this as serious writing!

Original concept - no.12 of the ‘15 most popular fics in the Rivals universe alternate AO3’ - Original post here

Title : what would I pay, to stay here beside you

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: M/M

Fandom: Figure Skating RPF

Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Viktor Nikiforov

Characters: Katsuki Yuuri, Viktor Nikiforov, Phichit Chulanont, Christophe Giacometti, Yuri Plisetsky, Otabek Altin, Georgi Popovich, Mila Babicheva, Celestino Cialdini, Yakov Feltsman

Additional tags: Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion (original), Mermaid!Viktor, Prince!Yuuri, Happy Ending

Summary: Viktor has always been fascinated by the human world and especially one human in particular, a man he once saved from drowning one stormy night after a shipwreck. A dashing prince with a beautiful laugh, kind and beloved by all who know him. After loving him from afar for years Viktor makes a deal with the sea-witch, in exchange for his silver hair he has one month to make the prince fall in love and marry him or he will lose his life and be turned to nothing but foam on the sea. Known by all as impulsive and rash, Viktor takes the deal without a second thought and begins a life on land with the intention of wooing the prince and finding his happily ever after.

The one problem? The Prince hates him on sight.

Working against the clock, Viktor has one month to uncover the mystery of the Prince’s past and discover why he is so hated by the other man. And not only that but he must also convince the prince to fall in love and marry him, least he be lost to the sea forever.

Random snippet part 1 - extract from chapter 1 of 8

The human was beautiful, with soft dark hair and wide brown eyes, although those had fallen shut many hours ago and hadn’t opened since. Viktor might have been concerned that the human had died somewhere between the shipwreck and the shore if not for the gentle rise and fall of the man’s chest that signaled there was still life in his body.

Viktor dragged the limp figure further up the sandy beach, gritting his teeth as the coarse sand dug into his scales but determined to move the human fully out of the water that had almost taken his life.

The sun beat down on his back and he could feel his tail beginning to dry even after just a few minutes out of the water. The sea might have almost killed the human he had just saved but the land would kill him almost as quickly if he remained out of the water for much longer.

Reluctantly Viktor turned away, running his fingers over the human’s sleeping face one last time before he crawled back to the water and plunged gratefully back beneath the waves, allowing the cool water to soothe his body as he swam back further out into it’s depths.

Unwilling to leave just yet he turned around as soon as he was far enough out to be out of sight from land, resurfacing behind a clump of rocks and raising his torso above the waves to get a better look at the human where he was still lying prone on the beach. Viktor had chosen a spot that he knew was popular with the other humans who lived around the area, the man he had saved would surely be found soon.

A shout from across the beach confirmed his theory as another human appeared on the horizon, spotting the figure lying unconscious on the sand and running over to help, frantically waving over another group of humans who had just appeared in the distance. Viktor ducked behind the rocks as they drew closer, staying out of sight but wanting to make sure the man he rescued had fallen into good hands.

After a few minutes the group of humans picked up the unconscious man and carried him away, taking care not to hurt him as they held his prone body. Satisfied, Viktor ducked back beneath the waves, knowing that the human was safe.

Something about the man had fascinated him and Viktor hoped that maybe one day he would see him again.

Random snippet 2 - extract from chapter 2 of 8

“You’re disgusting, you know that don’t you?” Yuri growled, angrily splashing Viktor with his tail where they were both floating lazily in the shallows a few hundred meters away from the beach, concealed from view. Viktor ignored him, continuing to gaze at the beach where his human, Yuuri, was laughing and running with his dog by his side.

It had been two years since he had first laid eyes on the human, a prince he had later discovered, and since then his fascination with the man had only grown, much to his young protégée’s disgust and indignation. He visited the beach regularly, loving to watch as Yuuri played with his dog or laughed with his friends or simply sat on the warm sand with his feet bare and enjoyed the feeling of the ocean as it lapped gently at his toes. Occasionally he went swimming and on those times Viktor came as close as he dared, weaving deep beneath the water under the human’s feet, just out of sight but closer than he had ever been before.

“If you keep going like this you’re going to get caught.” Yuri snapped at him, sounding angry. “And you know what happens to our kind when we get caught. The rules about staying hidden from the humans exist for a reason you know!”

Viktor sighed, trying to block out the sound of the younger merman’s voice. He knew the rules as well as any other but he had never been any good at following them. Ever since he had been young he had always been drawn to the world above the sea and now that Yuuri existed in his life the draw was only growing more powerful by the day.

“You might as well give it up now Viktor.” Yuri continued. “It’s never going to happen between you two anyway. You’re two different species for fucks sake. What are you going to do, become a human?

Now, there was an idea.

Random snippet 3 - extract from chapter 5 of 8

Viktor sat on the balcony with his legs dangling over the edge of the drop, the cool breeze of the evening dancing over the bare skin of his feet. Even after three weeks on land he still hadn’t quite gotten used to the feeling of the strange new limbs, so different from the elegant tail that had once been in their place.

But he wouldn’t give up his legs, not for anything in the world. His time on land might not have gone exactly as he had expected and his relationship with Yuuri might have gotten off to a very rocky start but they had finally achieved peace between them, a peace that was day by day steadily turning into something more. Viktor knew that his time was starting to run out but after what had happened between him and Yuuri the day before he was confident that everything would finally go to plan.

As he thought he hummed a tune, a simple melody from his childhood about the joys of the sea. After the first few notes he changed from humming to singing softly, the words carrying across the silence of the evening.

“You sing very beautifully.”

Viktor startled at the noise but smiled when he turned around and recognised Yuuri standing behind him, face illuminated in the last dying light of the sun.

“Everyone can, where I come from.” Viktor replied automatically, without thinking about the words. While it was true his singing was considered especially beautiful among the merfolk, everyone one of them had a voice more beautiful than any human. There was a reason there were tales of bewitching merpeople luring sailors to their deaths with their siren song, tales that were not entirely unfounded. Just another reason for the tension between the two races and another reason that Viktor could never tell Yuuri who he really was.

“Where you come from?” Yuuri smiled. “The mysterious place that you never seem to talk about?”

“It’s far away.” Viktor countered, hoping that Yuuri would drop the subject without pressing to far. “And very small. You wouldn’t have heard of it.”

“A mysterious far away land full of beautiful singers.” Yuuri replied, eyes looking wistful. Viktor knew how much Yuuri longed for adventure, a life outside his role as a prince for his country and all the responsibility that came with it. But his sense of duty was far too strong for him to ever run away for the adventure he so desperately craved. “I would love to visit someday.”

Viktor almost responded that he would love to take Yuuri, as impossible as that desire was, but he was stopped when a hand reached out to grasp a strand of his hair, rolling the silky strands between gentle fingers.

“Do all the people from your homeland have such strangely coloured hair as you too?” Yuuri asked as he gazed at Viktor.

“Not all of us.” Viktor replied. “But some.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Yuuri told him. “It’s what made me notice you the first time we met, at the marketplace. Like slivers of silver.”

“It used to be longer.” Viktor confessed, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of Yuuri’s fingers as he grew bolder, running more freely though his hair and tugging on it gently. “All the way down to my waist. ”

“What happened to it?” Yuuri asked and Viktor had a sudden flashback to the knife slicing through strands, the pain that rocked through his body as it felt like he was being split in half, torn into pieces as every part of his being remoulded itself into something new under the greedy eye of the sea witch, still clutching his hair in her hands.

Viktor blinked out of the memory and turned back to Yuuri, beautiful in the light of the setting sun and finally close enough to touch.

“I traded it for something better.”

Random snippet 4 - extract from chapter 6 of 8

With only four days left to go, Viktor knew it was time to act. He loved Yuuri with all his heart and he was sure that Yuuri must feel the same. But his deal with the sea witch hadn’t just hinged on love. He had to convince Yuuri to marry him before the sun set on the final day or he would be lost forever.

He was planning on asking Yuuri that night, after they had shared dinner together as they had done every night before. They had never done any more than hold hands, had never even kissed but Viktor was sure that it was just Yuuri’s princely chivalry holding him back. The way Yuuri looked at him was enough for him to be sure that the other man would agree. He might be banned from telling Yuuri why he needed the marriage to happen so rapidly he wasn’t concerned of a rejection.

The door beside him opened and Yuuri emerged, looking resigned. Viktor caught a quick glimpse of the kind and queen, stern faced and regal, before the door swung shut again behind him.

“You didn’t have to wait for me.” Yuuri told him but the small smile on his face showed that he appreciated the gesture all the same.

“I wanted to.” Viktor replied, returning the smile. “What was it they wanted to talk to you about.”

Yuuri’s face fell again and he turned away, averting his eyes.

“Marriage.” he said bluntly and Viktor’s heart leapt in his chest. If Yuuri’s parents were pushing for their son to finally marry it would be even easier to convince Yuuri to rush their wedding.

“They told me it’s time. They let Phichit and I put it off for years but they’re getting older and so is his father and they want us to do it within the year.”

Viktor froze, every part of his body suddenly turning to ice like the arctic waters he had swam in only once.

“Phichit?” he asked and his voice sounded surprisingly calm even to himself, none of his inner turmoil showing on the surface.

“Yes.” Yuuri stopped walking for a minute, turning to Viktor and looking confused. “You’ve met him Viktor, he was here just last week.”

Of course Viktor knew who Phichit was, Yuuri had introduced them enthusiastically and the two of them had gotten along well. Phichit was bright and bubbly and he and Yuuri were very close. But they had never shown any romantic inclination towards each other during any of the time that Phichit had been there, on a diplomatic visit with his kingly father.

“But why would you marry Phichit?” Viktor asked and he could hear a slight hint of desperation begin to creep into his voice. “I thought you were just friends.”

“We are.” Yuuri was still staring at Viktor, looking confused. “He’s the best friend I’ve ever had. But we’ve been betrothed since we were both children. We were both hoping to delay the actual wedding for a few more years but our families are finally putting their foot down.”

“But you don’t love him?” Viktor said, still trying to comprehend the enormity of what he had just discovered, something that would ruin everything. “Why would you marry someone if not for love.”

“I’m a prince Viktor.” Yuuri signed and he sounded resigned again. “The second child of royalty. I was always going to have to marry politically. I’m just lucky Phichit and I became such good friends. We might not be in love and never will be but we have a lot more than most arranged marriages do. I was happy to go through with it when I was older before…”

Yuuri’s sentence trailed off and his eyes flickered to Viktor’s face and then away again in an instant, so quickly Viktor thought he might have imagined it. Then Yuuri’s gaze returned and he was looking puzzled again.

“But why are you sounding so surprised about this Viktor. It’s common knowledge that Phichit and I are betrothed. I thought you knew?”

Random snippet 5 - extract from chapter 6 of 8

Viktor sat by the water’s edge, gazing out into the ocean and allowing the tears to fall silently down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe how quickly everything had come tumbling down, all his dreams crushed in a few short words.

Viktor loved Yuuri and he was sure that Yuuri must love him back. But Yuuri was betrothed, soon to be married and had been for years. His sense of duty to his kingdom and his people outweighed anything else and he wouldn’t break off that proposal for anything, Viktor was sure of that. Not even for love.

It was Viktor’s own fault, for falling in love with a human and trading his life away for what he thought would be a happily ever after. His father had called him rash and impulsive many times before but Viktor had always laughed it off. Until now, when it was finally time to face the consequences of his decisions, choices he had made without ever really considering the consequences.

He had made a deal with the sea witch, a human life and one month to make Yuuri fall in love and marry him, or lose his life and be turned to foam on the sea. He might have succeeded at one part but he had failed spectacularly at the other, had never considered the human he had fallen for might already be promised to someone else. And now suddenly it all made sense, the way Yuuri always seemed to keep a careful distance between them even as he seemed to want to come closer, the way they had never kissed even if Yuuri sometimes gazed at his mouth like his desperately wanted to.

Gazing out at the sea Viktor wondered if he would ever get the chance to see his home and family again before the end. There were only three days left and the last light of the sun of the third day was already rapidly fading away. He didn’t have enough time and even if he had wanted to, he had no way of contacting his family nor of returning to his home. He was trapped on land, waiting as the last of his time trickled swiftly away.

A splash from the water in front of him made him jump and he startled when a head appeared from the waves, a familiar face surrounded by wet blond hair glaring at him angrily.

“I heard that you fucked up and your precious prince is all set to marry someone else.” Yuri told him, ignoring Viktor’s look of shock.

“I told you it was a bad idea to fall in love with a human and I was right. So now maybe you should try listening to me for once.”

“It’s too late to change anything.” Viktor replied, closing his eyes, unwilling to look his ex-student in the face.

“No it’s not.” Yuri said and his voice was hard and cold. “I have a plan.”

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #360

Top Ten Favourite Things About the Xbox 360

Well wouldja lookit that. Three hundred and sixty of these silly top tens (tops ten?). I actually had a whole other list lined up, one that chimed with some relatively-recent news, but I've decided to bump it as I feel the synchronicity of 360 cannot go unnoticed. Sadly because the next two weeks are earmarked for other date-relevant lists, this means my once-contemporary tenner will be old news by the time all of you (both of you) get to read it.

But wait! What is this synchronicity of which I speak, that means “three sixty” must be secured for a specific ten of tops? Could it be erstwhile ITV post production facility, threesixty media, whose services I utilised for a decade whilst at CITV?

No, it’s the Xbox. It even says so at the top of the page.

Yes, the Xbox 360. In many ways probably my favourite console. Sure, it had its faults - I went through three of them due to red-ring meltdowns, and the beast was noisier than a rhino in a blender – but it was gorgeous, and for a little while there totally represented gaming for me.

Yeah, there was lots to love, and the protracted nature of the last console generation meant that it saw a lot of evolution in its lifetime. And, really, gaming in general changed quite a bit in the noughties, and the Xbox 360 was at the forefront of that in a lot of ways. Resurgent indie gaming, online, casual, micropayments, DLC, achievements, annual release schedules for triple-A franchises... the list goes on. Microsoft didn’t lead the way in all of those areas, but for most of the last generation they were light on their feet and quick to exploit shifting trends, and the 360 strongly benefited as a result (also Sony faceplanted pre-launch with the tone and price of the PlayStation 3, which also benefited Xbox hugely; how weird that the tables turned so utterly come the launches of PS4 and Xbox One). It felt like a landmark generation and the 360 was a landmark console and I loved it.

Anyway, here are my favourite things about it. Ten of then, not three hundred and sixty. That’d be daft.

The Look: at a time when the prevailing trend for consoles seemed to be fairly inoffensive black or grey lumps (the delightfully purple GameCube notwithstanding), Xbox 360 bucked the trend with a sleek and sexy white design, complete with subtle curves that echoed throughout the interface, and a natty chrome trim to the disc tray. It was different, it felt new, it felt simultaneously cool and friendly. It was more of a piece with Apple’s then-recent iMac redesign than anything you’d expect from as utilitarian a company as Microsoft. It made the 360 stand out from the crowd, and also helped differentiate it from the huge black number that was (eventually) the PS3.

The Controller: Halo: Combat Evolved was the original Xbox launch game, and it sold a lot of Xboxes. It was really the first game that made first-person shooters really work on console. Part of this was down to the beautifully handled sticks and triggers of the original Xbox pad. The controller was subsequently redesigned and evolved into what became the 360 pad: better trigger placement; shoulder buttons; even nicer sticks; a much-improved d-pad; and the famous Guide button, that with a press brought up a nifty UI overlay that allowed for chatting, achievement checking, and all manner of things, across all games. It was probably the best game controller of all time, and although it’s been refined and, I’d argue, improved by the Xbox One controller, there’s something revolutionary about the 360 design that always makes it feel stand-out.

Achievements: ah, yes. I mentioned them in passing just now, but really, the concept of cross-title points and awards might not necessarily have been Microsoft’s (I’m hazy on the details) but their implementation was a game-changer. Suddenly people were clamouring to find secrets, to beat the top scores, to better themselves in the games, because there was now a tangible reward, an icon, bragging rights associated with it. It fostered competition and – in the best cases – encouraged repeated playthroughs. I know that, for me, I set myself goals in certain games based on the achievements. It’s something to work towards beyond “just” playing the game, and it’s something I still do to this day, even after the lustre of Gamerscore glory has faded somewhat with time.

Gamertags: of course, Achievements would be nothing without your associated Gamertag. Obviously the idea of having a “handle” online was not new, but I know that when I played Quake III Arena or Counter-Strike on PC, I didn’t always keep to the same tag (I usually did, mind, as “britesparc” had been my default online identity for a while). But a persistent username, across all titles, with an associated score, rewards, settings (I’m still baffled as to how and why the Xbox One lost the ability to set a default controller preference for all games across your profile – now I have to invert look on each individual title, and it’s a massive pain!). This would be a strategy eventually adopted across the whole industry, and although I guess it’s fair to say that Steam had already sort-of got there, and even Microsoft themselves (as Gamertags were necessary in the early, OG Xbox-days of Xbox Live), your profile’s implementation on Xbox 360 was a massive step-up.

Xbox Live: what is an Xbox without Xbox Live? Again, it’s something that premiered on the original Xbox (although I never took advantage of it; I don’t think I had a broadband connection back then, to be honest) but it really came to fruition with the 360. A fully-integrated online environment with matchmaking and voice-chat built into the console itself, it offered the best of PC gaming in a convenient form-factor that slid under the telly. I played online much more on my 360 than on the PC, simply because it was a lot easier and more user-friendly. And that’s before we begin to factor in the creative decisions made when you knew your audience was always online: downloading patches, DLC, online-only games, a digital storefront… the fact that you automatically got access to all of that with the free “Silver” subscription was like a gateway drug to the actual “Gold” multiplayer bonus. The decision to charge for multiplayer access, whereas it was free on PS3, was a touch controversial, but the money was funnelled into better, faster matchmaking services, meaning the 360 became the go-to console for online gaming. Eventually Sony, and even Nintendo, followed suit.

Xbox Live Arcade: speaking of downloading… the idea of small, indie downloadable games – games that weren’t the usual full-3D physics-fests filled with explosions coloured lights and deformable terrain – was quietly revolutionary. Sure, the indie movement was already in full swing on PC, but here it was delivered, curated, advertised, cheap to purchase and ready to enjoy in bite-size chunks, on your telly-box. At the time I just wasn’t really aware of the scale of indie, retro, and homebrew gaming efforts, and it totally blew me away. It gave new developers a fantastic opportunity to showcase their wares, and – eventually – it offered a new lease of life to older games. Braid probably remains the big XBLA success story – both critically adored and financially hugely successful – but from ‘Splosion Man to Trials HD to Limbo to Castle Crashers, it was a jumping-off point for a bevvy of new franchises and developers. The fact that Hexic HD came pre-installed was a masterstroke: a brilliant game, of course, but also a terrific proof-of-concept for just what XBLA was.

Keeping it Casual: Microsoft, as usual, had its eye on Sony, and in many ways the 360 stole the PlayStation 2’s crown. What Microsoft didn’t bank on, however, was a resurgent Nintendo, who had one of their biggest successes ever with the Wii. It brought new audiences into the gaming fold (I’m still overjoyed at the memory of how angry my brother got when our dad totally trounced him at Bowling in Wii Sports; “But he doesn’t even like games!”). Microsoft leant into this, and whilst it’s arguable that they went too far and began to take their core audience for granted, they did a great job in making the Xbox 360 family-friendly. From some genuinely very good and user-friendly content settings to the raft of all-ages XBLA titles, right from the start the 360 was a good all-round console for the whole family. Games like Scene It? and Lips attempted to do for Xbox what Buzz! and SingStar did for PlayStation. But it was when they went full-tilt after the Wii market that they scored their biggest success and sowed the seeds for their biggest failure: Kinect. Billed as revolutionary, in truth it was mostly a very fun gimmick that struggled to fit inside mainstream gaming (nowhere near as comprehensively as Nintendo’s motion control did, at least); but all the same it was impressive tech for what it was, and some Kinect games – notably Rare’s Kinect Sports, but also Dance Central and the child-focused Sesame Street TV – did great things with the camera and were fun to play. I’d say that Microsoft’s commitment to casual and family gaming continues, but to be honest I feel like it’s become entrenched industry-wide now, and that remains a very good thing.

The Games: I guess this should be the top reason, shouldn’t it? But all consoles have good games. However, the 360 had some absolute belters. Halo 3 is probably, on balance, the best Halo. Fable II is one of my favourite games of all time. Crackdown is a delightful and wildly original blast. From solid blockbusters like the Gears of War trilogy to delightful curios like Viva Pinata, the depth of the Xbox 360’s library is phenomenal. And that’s before we get to the multi-format games like the Mass Effect trilogy, BioShock, the first two Batman: Arkham games, Red Dead Redemption, and many more… most of which performed better or felt otherwise “definitive” on Microsoft’s machine. The last generation was just incredible in terms of solid-gold masterpieces, and that’s before we mention the exclusives on other platforms (hello, Super Mario Galaxy). Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, there were some great games on the Xbox 360.

The Apps: as the 360 aged, more and more non-game applications became available for it. there were flirtations with things like Twitter, but really it was the media apps – Netflix, Amazon Video, Sky Go – that established the machine as a viable home entertainment hub. During its lifespan, the 360 went from “games machine” to “centre of the living room” as we evolved from consumers of scheduled entertainment to people who could pick and choose their media. As broadband speeds increased (during the time I had a 360 we went from a 1mb connection to 20mb) streaming became commonplace, and I seem to recall that by the time of the Xbox One’s release more people were using the 360 to watch Netflix than to play games. Amazing, really, when you think how noisy the bloody thing was. All the same, the non-game content on the 360 was a harbinger of things to come and a flower in Microsoft’s cap. Too bad that, like with Kinect, they misread the tea leaves and bet the farm on a gesture-controlled multimedia future.

The Evolution: the Xbox 360 in 2005 was markedly different from the Xbox 360 in 2013, when its successor console was released. Not just physically, although two hardware revisions meant it looked very different too; but software-wise, operationally, it was practically a new machine. The beloved “blades” interface – the UI mirroring the curves of the machine – had been replaced by the so-called “New Xbox Experience”, which brought friend management and multimedia apps to the foreground, as well as showcasing the new Xbox Avatars. These Avatars were somewhat controversial, but gave the 360 a refreshing and friendly kick up the bum, adding a degree of spice to games where you could now play “as you” (A Kingdom for Keflings, Joyride Turbo, etc), as well as offering new unlockable rewards or purchasable items in the form of Avatar clothes or accessories. The interface would then be further refined one more time before the console’s retirement, but this evolution was representative of Microsoft’s philosophy with Xbox at the time. they entered the generation as an also-ran; the OG Xbox was certainly powerful, and surprised many with the quality of its games, but it was almost a proof-of-concept console. They wanted the 360 to win, and although the broadside of the Wii meant it never managed to be market leader, it still – just about – beat PS3 into second place. They did this by changing with the times, nimbly adapting to an evolving market; offering increased casual focus, new control methods, peripherals, multimedia functionality… Microsoft did a great job of continuing to make the 360 feel relevant, to feel like an essential console, despite the technical superiority of the PS3 or the absolute juggernaut that was the Wii. Again, it’s true that their ability to divine the market abandoned them come the design and release of the Xbox One, but throughout its life the Xbox 360 remained a fantastic, ever-changing yet thoroughly constant console.

So there we go. Ten reasons why, to this day, I adore the Xbox 360. My relationship with console gaming came of age, and really it’s that generation where I moved from being a PC gamer to a console gamer (apart from Civilization, pretty much). So bravo, 360; we may never see your like again.