#I replayed the game a few months ago and I was honestly a little surprised at just how well the hw designs and visuals held up

[blue-likethebird]

Hyrule warriors Ganondorf is more attractive than totk Ganondorf and I can’t pretend otherwise

[tigirl-and-co]

20. A boss you think is really cool

Hmmm... that's an interesting one! I'm gonna answer with a few different bosses, bc 'cool' could mean a lot of different things

Cool design + concept: Blizzeta from Twilight Princess (her 2nd form also has what's probably my 2nd fave boss theme of all time)! I also like the in-story context for her boss battle so much! (spoilers for Twilight Princess) We know already that the mirror shards are a corrupting force, and earlier we see that the Goron Chief was corrupted by the Fused Shadows. But here we see, via freaky ass cutscene, a character we liked get corrupted in front of us- it's no longer a generic 'beat the bad guy' boss fight, it's a 'saving the innocent' battle with personal stakes! and the cutscene that initiates her battle? Iconic. Everyone in the fandom knew NOT. TAKE. MIRROR. I also have an attachment to her for very personal reasons haha. But yeah her design fucks hard, I wish the combat was as interesting as the rest of her schtick.

Cool (I admire them): Cynthia from pokemon gen 4 are u kidding me I wanted to be her SO BAD as a kid. She wiped the floor with me so many times. I made a sprite edit using her as a base when I was like 12 and used it for an avatar. If I can remember the name of my old forums I'll post it.

Cool as in 'has stuck with me': Honestly a lot of the OG Luigi's Mansion ghosts are cool bc they're like... just people, and it's real wild that the first boss of this nintendo game is somebody's dead mom. But Bogmire stands out for being kind of surprise creepy. I think about it a lot. What's its deal. Yeah it's the personification of the house's misery or whatever, but what does that MEAN. I was like 5 or 6, playing this game, and I go to a hidden graveyard and knock on a big cool gravestone and initiate this battle. For little me, it was the right mix of creepy but engaging. I was nervous but not terrified. I would buy a Bogmire plushie.

Cool as in 'I look forward to it when I play the game': The darknut minibosses from both Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Yeah the Wind Waker one isn't that tough now that I have a big grown up brain, but it's still neat, and WW Darknuts are my literal all time favourite enemies to fight in any game ever. I never pass up the chance.

The Twilight Princess one, though? Holy shit. I replayed the game like 2 years ago, and that bitch STILL kinda freaked me out! YEAH you can cheese him with the bomb arrows if ur a little bitch, but if you do a genuine bona fide sword fight? That shit's fun as hell. There's this unnameable dread when you first enter that room. You can feel in your BONES that that suit of armor is going to come to life and whoop your ass.

Cool as in most badass/dramatic: oh yeah it's gotta be the Wind Waker final battle. Everything about it RULES. (SPOILERS) You're having a desperate sword fight for your life, a 10 year old kid who left home a month ago vs an ancient warlock who was so powerful the gods themselves had to seal him away.

He won, btw. Like Ganondorf literally wins in WW. It takes KoRL stepping in to DROWN BOTH HIMSELF AND GANONDORF to prevent Ganondorf from getting his wish. So you're trapped in a room, water pouring in on all sides, against a man who... doesn't even hate you. He's just doing what must be done. He could have killed Zelda, but he doesn't. He puts his sword away and backhands her instead of running her through. He's 100% just playing out his destiny. You aren't the one who defeated him the first time, you're just some kid who was dragged into this by a ghost.

And when you kill him BY STABBING YOUR GODDAMN SWORD INTO HIS HEAD, he laughs quietly before delivering one of the most iconic lines in Zelda history. Like that whole battle, from opening cutscene to the final, is so intense. So fucking intense. I'm convinced they couldn't have gotten away with half the shit they do if the game wasn't so cutesy. Easy Teen rating.

Cool as in Best: WW Molgera is 10/10. The fight itself is fun and satisfying! Molgera has a KICK ASS design! It's a fantastic and mood-setting opening cutscene! The sound design on the boss is freaky in all the right ways! It's a UNIQUE boss battle! She's got the greatest boss battle theme in the whole goddamn series and I'll DIE on this hill! She was so scary I cried while watching my dad play when I was little, and once I got to her battle on my own I not only remembered her, it took me two days to work up the courage to face her, and I felt like an absolute fucking badass once I did! In that moment, I fell well and truly in love with video games. I was Link, a child facing down an ancient wyrm, terrified but pressing on.

Also, in the original GCN version of the game, the hitbox on her tongue doesn't go away when she starts flying, so you can hookshot it and force her back into the sand.

Thank you for the ask, doubly so if you actually read all of this haha <333

[everydaydg]

Buncha used video games ive gotten recently!!

Been going to my local game store a good bit as of late.

All their used games are 13 bucks with tax, so hey! Why not add some fun games to my collection!

Heres a few pictures of games ive picked up recently!

Virtua Fighter 5 ONLINE - Xbox 360 - 2007

Ive been a bit of a virtua fighter fan for a few years now! While im far from good at any of them, ive always found the games really fun.

I got really into 5 Ultimate Showdown arround 2021 and ever since then I wondered about having VF5 physically.

God damm was I surprised when I saw the 360 ver at the store! Quite happy to have this arround now! No matter the revision, VF5 is VF5

Donkey Kong Country Returns - Wii - 2010

DKCR is a game I go back to often. Ive had it on 3DS for a good while and have replayed it a bunch of times.

Took me till last year to try the wii version, tho... I sat down and blasted through it on Dolphin in a single sitting.

It was as fun as ever! The motion controls didnt detract much from the experience! Its still an amazing game.

I wasnt really going to pick it up physically but... a few funny things happened.

Oookay so where do I start... I bought prototype on the 360 instead of this.

Why would I do that when I could have gotten it on PC with little trouble and could have picked up any other game arround? ... well... idk man it looked cool.

I like having my games physically if its possible and buying wii games was (and still is) a bit of a gamble for me.

I dont have a set of AV cables atm. (had to borrow em from a friend to test the game)

So its a choise between a game I can actually play or a game ill be able to play in 2 months when I get arround to buying the cables...

So I got the game... Turns out the disc was cooked. My 360 read it as a DVD several times and when it loaded the logo it promptly showed a warning that the disc was unreadable.

Took it back to the store and they let me pick another game free of charge (I apreciate the flexible refund policy they have).

I decided "ah why not" and picked up DKCR for Wii

Honestly... it feels nice having both versions.

Frogger: Helmet Chaos - DS - 2005

Yes... I did see the nitro rad video...

Yknow I never played too much frogger, been a bit interested on the series despite that

and after seeing the vid a good while ago... I can't say I wasnt mildly interested in playing it for myself.

Soooo I stumbled into a copy of it after I coudnt buy phantasy star universe and soooo here we are!! Im having alot of fun with it atm!! Would be an interesting review to write.

Overall! man ive gotten some fun stuff out of that store. Its nice getting back to collecting games again!

Hopefully in the future ill pick up some other fun titles!

[love-beyond-space-war]

A/N: I've been replaying some Gears 3 because my Cloud Save for Gears 5 wasn't working due to my internet going out. Someone awhile ago had requested a fic where Marcus gets jealous of you during your time on the Sovereign. So, this'll take place on the boat from the start of Gears 3, but before the Lambent Leviathan attacked. I hope you enjoy! I've been wanting to write more for Gears and Halo to take a break from my darker content on my other blogs, lol. They're such fun games. 😄

A Tale from the Sovereign

Jealous! Marcus Fenix (Gears 3) x Female! Reader

Summary: Marcus Fenix has fallen for a fellow COG soldier on the Sovereign. But if these feelings are left unchecked, disaster could happen. Although, sometimes, there are risks you must be willing to take.

Marcus Fenix was never that good with affection. That or anything in the romantic field. He knew his feelings towards you were normal, but they would inevitably get in the way.

Even now on the Sovereign he knew he can't allow his feelings to make him act up. He enjoyed your company, but tried to keep it at that. For your sake if not his.

Unfortunately, while trying to suffocate his attraction towards you, he has come across some complications.

Such as a slight envy towards others when they're able to speak with you so freely. Marcus has tried to distance himself to prevent any issues.

Yet it appears to have caused more.

You seem so happy talking to Dom or Jace, even getting along fantastic with Anya if not for a few issues of your own. But towards him, you're nervous. Like you want to reach out but just can't.

He should've known having such an attraction towards you would cause problems. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, it only seemed to grow stronger when he noticed the connections you had to his fellow soldiers.

"You can at least try to speak with her a little more. She's told me she wanted to speak with you but you're always so cold." Dom says to his fellow Delta Squad member. Marcus, in return, huffs.

"I have my own risks and reasons. She doesn't need to be so attached to me." Marcus tries to excuse his behavior. Dom only frowns at the stubbornly cold sergeant.

"(Y/N)'s a fellow COG, just like us. The least you could do is try and speak with her. Unless, you have personal reasons...?" Dom hints, Marcus's gaze narrowing.

"I don't like what you're implying. I advise you put a stop to that now."

"Alright, fine. Just, try at some point, alright?"

Dom makes one final remark before leaving Marcus's quarters. Most likely to go tend to the crops growing on the Sovereign. The sergeant snorts to himself. Dom and his radishes....

After some silent encouragement to himself, Marcus manages to get himself out of his room. People were still working to keep the boat in commission, even though before Jacinto they were supposed to scrap it. Which means maintenance was common.

Before he went to his assigned post, laughing was heard coming from the upper deck. He recognized that laughter. The same laughter that made him feel so complicated for the past few months you've both been on this ship.

He'd be lying if he denied the fact his pace quickened to see what was up. Only to find his mood slightly soured when he saw Jace speaking with you about something mundane.

"You two." Marcus says sternly, causing the two soldiers to turn and greet him.

"Good day, Sergeant Fenix." Jace greets.

"Marcus... I mean, Hey, Sergeant Fenix." You greet soon after, slipping up and cursing to yourself. Marcus is honestly surprised by your behavior.

"What are you two doing?"

"Just chatting, we had downtime." Jace smiles, standing close to you. Marcus almost found himself grimacing. Envy twisted in his gut but he knew better than to let it get to him.

"Get to your post. We all have a job to do." Marcus says sternly before turning to you. "(Y/N), care to help me out?"

Softly you nod before following the Sergeant. Marcus decided he should pay attention to Dom's words. If that'll help him with his envy then it was worth a shot.

Although, in the beginning, it was a rather rough start. As you two worked along the Sovereign, Marcus had attempted to start conversation.

The first few times you were hesitant before getting used to him. He couldn't blame you. He was originally pushing you away before suddenly talking. It was a change you needed to get used to.

Admittedly, you talking and smiling to him even made the envious feeling falter. Something he wished he could get used to....

"Dom was speaking to me earlier..." You start, Marcus stopping what he was doing. Dom better have not....

"Really? What about?" Marcus almost didn't want the answer.

"You look so deep in thought when I talk to him or Jace. Is there a problem?"

Marcus refuses to answer. If he wanted to keep this whole thing a secret he needed to find a way disarm the situation.

But it seems you understood before he could defend himself.

"You're upset I get along with the others and not you, huh?"

Marcus felt himself tighten. It was now or never, huh?

"Not one more word in public. Come here."

You feel yourself sweating before Marcus drags you to his quarters, shutting the door with a sigh. Your heart is beating fast when he turns around.

You know what this means...

You know that there's consequences...

But you were wiling to risk it.

"What are you getting at, (Y/N)?"

You smile softly before making your way over slowly. At this point, between you, it was obvious.

"You care for me but don't want to make a scene." You explain before stopping in front of him. "Honestly? I feel the same."

Marcus is silent in front of you. His eyes only looking you over. You both were considering the risks in this.

It's all sealed once he, almost desperately, pulls you in. Rough lips clash against your own. It feels exciting and relieving. A confirmation you both adore one another.

It feels like ages when you pull away. You clinging tightly to the man in front of you.

"This needs to stay secret." Marcus warns, rubbing your back. "Tell no one about this between us."

You look up eagerly and lovingly at the man in front of you. A soft smile on your face.

"My lips are sealed, Marcus."

For once within Marcus, the envious feeling had left. Leaving him and the woman in front of him in a calming bliss.

[the-only-ace]

Can you do a TaeminxReader where both the reader and Taemin are on The Knowing brothers and Heechul continuously flirts with the reader.

hello there~ i honestly don’t know if you still remember requesting this but here you go! i am so sorry for answering after such a long loooong hiatus. also, i am not really familiar with all the segments for the knowing brothers so i apologize in advance if some of them do not make sense. hope you still enjoy it nevertheless!

taemin scenario: just add jealousy

pairing: taemin x reader

word count: 2.3k

summary: taemin and reader have been liking each other for quite a while now and promoting as a duo together makes their relationship even more complicated. maybe a sprinkle of jealousy would finally ignite the sparks between them.

warnings: none

send in your requests here!

taemin plopped down on a seat and loosened the black necktie he was wearing for the knowing brothers recording. he reached over the table to grab a new bottle of water and contently chugged down its contents. the shoot just wrapped up and the cold drink was refreshing especially after participating in a lot of the activities today. he already spent more than a decade doing variety shows but this one made him extra tired. maybe it comes with age? who was he kidding, twenty-seven is not yet considered as old. he can perform and dance for hours and gladly do it again the next day. comparing to that, a tv show guesting should be a piece of cake but why does he feel more than relief to wrap it up earlier than expected.

with a long heavy sigh, taemin tilted his head backward and close his eyes. he knows exactly the reason why he feels exhausted and also annoyed. it was because of his certain senior called kim heechul. 

a frown quickly formed across his forehead as the events a while ago replayed on his mind.

exhibit a:

“with your great chemistry on stage, fans keep on speculating if something is going on between you two. is there something we should know?” heechul asked as the cast talks about your debut single.

honestly, you were not that surprised with the question since it was quite a buzz across social media already. the other members of your girl group practically shoved their phones to your face whenever they saw comments regarding your performance. of course, their loud teasing comes next as if they were a package deal of some sort–which you don’t remember purchasing at all.

“no, we’re both just good friends.” you answered confidently with a chuckle. “i think my chemistry with taemin only comes from how much effort and passion we have put in our every performance. seeing such reactions from our audience makes both of us happy since it means that we did something great up there on stage.”

taemin was nodding silently beside you like a cute little puppy dog as he listened to your answer. he was quite proud of how well you handled the question on your own.

“so does that mean you’re still single?” the super junior member continued to ask.

“um… yeah, pretty much.” you laughed as you nod.

“then i can ask you out?” well, that one caught you off guard.

“hey, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” taemin can’t help but interrupt your conversation.

“why is that?” the older guy snapped back and sounded a bit offended.

“because…” okay, taemin did not really think this through but thanks to his variety show experience, he was able to blurt out an entertaining response. “aren’t you a bit too old for her? wouldn’t that put you to… i don’t know, jail?” the comment earned laughs and more insults from the other members.

“look here, mister! she’s of legal age so what do you mean jail?” heechul stood up from his seat and started to point his index finger towards his junior.  "also, don’t you guys think it’s up to y/n to decide?“ he directed his look to you and raised an eyebrow. “so, what do think?” he tried to pull off a flirty look.

“well, they do say age doesn’t matter in love.” you shrugged as you went with the flow.

taemin knew that you’re also good on variety shows especially on how open you are to any situations that were thrown in your way. you always have the best responses and reactions. that is why people from the industry love to invite you over to shoot an episode with them. however, he kind of hoped that you have let go of the idea of flirting back.

exhibit b:

heechul pulled out the empty chair beside him and patted it, indicating for you to sit beside him. you removed the black backpack you were wearing and placed it on top of the desk as you gladly sat down next to him.

“so where should i take you for our first date?” his sudden proposal caused you to scoff and let out an amused laugh.

“well… i do love eating expensive steak in a fancy restaurant where i can wear a beautiful dress that you bought while thinking of me.” you teased with a sweet smile.

“isn’t that too much for a high school student?” he mumbled to himself before reaching out to brush the stray hair on your forehead. “okay, oppa will do it for you.”

you placed both of your hands underneath your cheeks and looked at him cutely. “thank you, oppa!”

“oppa? more like samchon if you ask me.” taemin looked back from his seat in front of you two.

“alright, what the hell is your problem today? did i do something wrong?” heechul replied incredulously with his eyes wide.

“he’s just probably jealous. he wants some steak too.” you playfully stuck your tongue out before pushing taemin’s head so he would look in front once again.

exhibit c:

all of you are now playing the whisper challenge and it was yours and heechul’s turn. he was the one guessing and you were the one mouthing out the words. both of you are going at it for a while now and it makes you a bit frustrated on the inside. you can feel the sore throat creeping in as you blatantly repeated the same phrase over and over. he’s great at a lot of games but this one is definitely 100-percent not his forte.

“ah… ah ah, i know it now!” he finally said confidently with his right first up in the air. “i love you…”

his answer made you cover your face and burst out into fits of laughter before waving your hands in front of you indicating that he guessed the phrase wrong.

“i love you!” he repeated with more conviction.

“no, that’s not the word!” you shook your head while giggling.

“yeah, i know that’s not the word. i just want to say it to you.” he nodded before giving you finger hearts which you immediately reciprocate.

both of you are playfully flirting for most of the recording but this one got to be the cheesiness lines you heard today. 

taemin was pulled out from his train of thoughts when he heard you snickering loudly from across the room and his head hastily snapped in your direction. there you were, wearing a high school uniform that matches his and he was not going to lie, he was stunned when he saw you wearing it the first time this morning. you look bright and youthful with the red checkered bow around your neck. your high-waisted skirt emphasizes your curves. your pair of black thigh-high socks were the perfect length to make your legs look longer. your hair was pulled up on a half ponytail which he doesn’t usually see on you so it was a sight for him to remember. there was a soft blush on your cheeks and across the bridge of your nose. the gloss on your lips was also mesmerizing as it catches the light every time you speak. that didn’t help at all given the fact that he often caught himself staring at your lips too much lately.

seeing you made him think that if you both met as high school students, he would have undeniably confessed to you in an empty classroom after class. he chuckled at the thought. he was not quite sure if you would have liked him back in high school since he was not confident in himself back then.

his daydreaming was cut short when he realized who you were talking to. it was none other than the kim heechul. he can’t help but observe as the two of you conversed animatedly with each other. he knew that heechul was a funny guy but he’s not that hilarous for you to laugh that hard. while listening to whatever story he has been conjuring, you were pulling your hair up in a quick messy bun since the studio was quite hot with all the lights around. 

what happened next almost made taemin fell down from his seat. a scowl immediately appeared on his face as he watched heechul casually wiping the sweat on your nape with his handkerchief. not that taemin was counting but that was the 9th time he flirted with you today and not to mention that it was already after the show.

he bitterly watched as you both bid your goodbyes and now you were walking towards him. he cleared his throat and took another gulp from his water bottle.

“what’s with the long face?” you asked in fluent english as you sat down on the desk in front of him.

“what?” he looked up with a confused face.

“i thought you were taking english classes?” you mocked him–this time in korean. you nonchalantly reach out for his drink and took a sip.

you and taemin knew each other for quite a while now, almost 4 years to be exact. you were on friendly terms with him even before debuting as a duo but after spending these past few months preparing together, you have gotten much closer with him. too close that it became complicated for both of you. it was quite obvious that you two were acting more than friends but no one clearly expressed their feelings yet. the tension between you and him when you were alone became heavier and heavier as the days went by. you always have this urge to bring up the situation you two are in but everytime you were about to speak out, taemin would suddenly open up a conversation about a whole different topic.

“so what were you and heechul-hyung talking about a while ago?” yep, lee taemin always has awful timing.

“he just wanted to make sure that he didn’t make me feel uncomfortable during the recording a while ago.” you shrugged.

“oh, how sweet of him.” taemin scoffed and straighten up from his seat. “he even has to wipe your sweat for you.” he muttured under his breath.

“what was that?” you already heard what he said but it was too faint and you just wanted to make sure.

“nothing.” of course he would deny it. what did you expect?

“so… are you like jealous of heechul or something?” you were only joking, well half-joking. you used this opportunity to slowly open up the topic and to finally know where do you stand in his life.

he held your gaze for a few seconds before crossing his arms across his chest. you were not fully prepared for his serious stare and for what he said next. “and what if i am?”

“huh?” your dumbfounded voice was a couple of notes higher than usual.

“i said,” he leaned forward and looked up to you under his lashes. “what if i am jealous?”

you sat there frozen. you helplessly stared back at his eyes and looked for any signs that he was just fooling around. except it was clear as day, he meant what he said. you always have waited for this. you imagined all the possible scenarios. you even prepared what you would say once this was brought up but why were you speechless now? why do you feel all clammy and nervous? why can’t you calm down your frantic heartbeats?

you took a deep breath and forced yourself to bring back the confidence you once had. “then why don’t you ask me out already so you don’t have to feel threatened with every guy out there.”

“you know what?” he stood up and suddenly he was now towering over you. his scent wrapped all around you and it made you overheat even more. “i might just do that.”

“then i might just say yes.” you crossed your arms and hoped that it can disguise your slight shaking. whether it was from excitement or not, you do not know anymore. everything was happening so fast that you were not sure if you were comprehending them properly. you felt light-headed as you waited in silence.

“so we’re doing this?” his low voice broke the stillness.

“yes!” you responded a little too enthusiastically for your liking. you’re a mess right now, you ain’t denying that.

taemin chuckled softly before discreetly slipping his fingers under yours. 

oh, god. you felt a shock and then a shiver from his touch. it was not like it was your first time to have skin-to-skin contact but this one was quite different. you can feel the tension slowly rising along with the heat on your cheeks. you can feel the frustrations that were build up every time you wanted to touch him in a not-so-friendly manner. you were willing to bet your life that he was currently feeling the same as you when you witnessed his eyes dilate and darken.

“look, as much as i want to make out with you right now. we can’t.” he took a step back and put his hands in the pockets of his black slacks.

you felt both relief and disappointment when he widened the distance between you two. you can now catch a breather at last.

“i mean we can’t… here.” he suggestively added before turning away. “i’ll be waiting in my dressing room.”

there goes your breath again. 

it took you a minute to recover after hearing his inviting words. you looked around while you fan your warm face with your hands as if it helped with cooling yourself off. you closed your eyes and relaxed yourself for who knows how many times already. you then hopped down the desk and made your way to the place you can’t wait to go to.

if this was what jealousy does to taemin, you absolutely cannot wait to see more of it.

[solarwonux]

10.  “I still remember the way you taste.”

31.  “Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”

villain!wonwoo x superhero!f!reader

w.c: 2.6k (it was mistake okay I got carried away we should know this by now)

warnings: fluff, talks of death, ghosts, torture if you squint, graveyards, digging up graves (don’t do that yall), angst a little, it’s hinted that the reader can communicate with ghosts. (if you’re uncomfortable with any of these themes this one is not for you)

note: I CAN EXPLAIN OKAY I KNOW YOU WANTED JOKER WONWOO BUT LIKE IT STARTED OFF THAT WAY AND THEN I GOT SOFT. Enjoy let know your thoughts please, they mean so much to me. 

Also i will answer asks at some point, school is just keeping me super busy, BUT IM NOT IGNORING THEM THEY MAKE ME SMILE EVERY TIME I SEE THEM.

masterlist || drabble game

Wonwoo wiped the sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand, panting slightly as he stared down at the empty grave. “Remind me again why we’re doing this?” Vernon asked, digging his shovel into the ground with the heel of his boot. He rested his forearm against the handle looking at Wonwoo through his sweaty bangs. 

“There is no reason, I was just bored.” Wonwoo shrugged, his cheeks were dusted with dirt and his white dress shirt was anything but white. The truth was he had a reason, he needed a way to meet you halfway and causing chaos was the only way to get you out of that shiny tower in the middle of the city where all the heroes resided. But his reasoning would never be voiced out loud, especially not to Vernon and so he lied like it was second nature to him. 

Wonwoo missed you, He missed getting under your skin with his snarky remarks and idiotic plans to take over the world. Or at least the city. The world was his end goal, but in order to do that he needed to succeed at taking over the city first and so far he had failed. Mainly, do to you and your teammates interrupting his plans. Though along the way something unexpected happened. He had undoubtedly fallen truly, madly, deeply in love with you. It had annoyed him at first, his mind was constantly enveloped with thoughts of you. Interrupting everything he spent years working on. 

It took him months to come to terms with his unwanted feelings and if he hadn’t snuck into the masked ball held every year at the tower; he probably wouldn’t have. But the second he saw you come down the grand staircase of the ballroom wearing a dress so blue, it put the night sky to shame; he kissed you before he could stop himself. Despite the mask he was wearing you had spotted him in the crowd and led him down an empty hallway when his urges got the best of him causing him to sin. When he pulled away he was shocked just as you were, but he was definitely floored when you had cut his apology short and kissed him again. 

“So you decided to dig up an empty grave for fun?” Vernon pushed his dirt stained hand through his hand, leaving behind little specks of dirt in its wake. “How did you even know this grave would be empty?” 

“It’s mine...well used to be mine. Obviously I’m not dead.” Wonwoo’s nonchalant tone sent shivers up Vernon’s back. Once again he found himself wondering why the hell he always found himself going along with Wonwoo’s schemes. He knew there was a reason. Wonwoo never did anything without calculating all his moves beforehand, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the true reason, more so if he was going to find out soon anyway. His suspicions were confirmed when he caught sight of you. He should’ve known that this was just another one of Wonwoo’s ways to get to you. 

Vernon didn’t understand your relationship with Wonwoo, scientifically it didn’t make sense. In simple terms Wonwoo was hated by everyone and you on the other hand were not. But the two of you had snuck around for years up until the accident five months ago. Ever since then Wonwoo’s spirits were low and he was going mad. If he wasn’t holed up in his tiny room at the apartment he was bent over a desk mumbling to himself, trying to come up with ways in which he could see you again. All of Wonwoo’s attempts before this one had failed and to say he wasn’t surprised to see you sit down, legs hanging over the edge of the grave while looking down at Wonwoo lovingly, he would be lying. Though, he supposed it had to do with the fact that Wonwoo’s grave was dug up. 

“You guys having fun there?” Wonwoo jumped. He rapidly smoothed down his shirt, leaving behind streaks of dirt, and fixed his hair before turning around. A smug smile adorning his features. Vernon shook his head and rolled his eyes. Sometimes he missed the days in which Wonwoo wasn’t in love. 

“Princess what brings you here?” He winked. His clammy hands grew more wet as he leaned against the shovel, before it failed underneath his weight causing him to trip. Seeing you again was like a breath of fresh air, the pictures he kept of you and looked at every night did you no justice. For you shined brighter than the stars in the night sky and it always made Wonwoo’s heart skip a beat. 

“Cut the shit Wonwoo, I know you’ve been turning this city upside down at least once a week to get under my skin.” 

“Well, what was I supposed to do? You haven’t been answering my calls, texts or emails.” Wonwoo threw his hands up in disbelief and you rolled your eyes at his ignorance. 

“Apologize, that’s all you had to do and you wouldn’t be here digging your own grave...literally.” You huffed crossing your arms in front of you, ripping your eyes away from his. Suddenly the memory of the accident came lingering back. You knew, given his nature, Wonwoo was calculated. He used his powers to affiliate pain on his victims without moving a muscle to get what he wanted. Though, he had never used it on you, until that night. 

He had been blinded by rage and pain and you had never seen him use so much power in your years of knowing him. It scared you and when you had tried to coax him out of whatever state he was in. He did the one thing he promised he would never do. 

He used his abilities on you. 

Wonwoo sighed before hosting himself out of the hole and taking the empty seat next you. “I wanted to do it in person, but you never showed up.” He looked down at his hands playing with his fingers, twirling the ring on his pinky. His body was consumed with guilt as your screams of agony replayed in his head. Just like they did every night. He had never once felt anything but satisfaction and bliss whenever he used his powers on someone. In fact he loved the way his victims begged him to stop, that was until you were on the receiving end of his torture. 

“You know where I live. It’s a big shiny tower in the center of town. Pretty hard to miss honestly.” The airy playfulness of your voice made his stomach swirl. He truly missed you and not just on nights when the two of you gently explored each other's bodies, but just in general. 

“I know but you know how much I hate the others, especially Joshua. He always has to stick his nose into matters that don’t concern him.” He huffed, flicking a tiny spec of dirt off of his trousers. “And I was scared.” He confessed lowly, shocking Vernon who had now taken it upon himself to sit on the soil filled ground to watch the spectacle in front of him. Wonwoo never admitted his fears and though Vernon sometimes could feel them radiating off him. It was different hearing it come from his friend's mouth. 

“Of Joshua? Dude’s only got super strength and-”

“No of you. I was scared to see you suffer and to turn me away. I was scared that if I did show up putting aside indifference for your friends just to hear you say that you didn’t love me anymore.” Wonwoo let out a deep sigh at the ending of his words. He dropped his shoulders feeling the weight being lifted off them. He felt your body shake next to him and it confused him greatly, even more so when it was followed by your laugh. Though he loved it and missed it greatly. He couldn’t deny the anger he felt towards you as you laughed at his vulnerability. 

Slowly, he felt his heart close up again and brought himself up to his feet faster than he could blink. His feet moved faster than the doubt racing through his veins and your laughter came to a stop. 

He now remembered why he swore to never love again all those years ago. 

“Wonwoo, wait come back.” You hurried to your feet, smoothing down the creases on your leggings. Vernon copied your movements. He could sense the fear coming from your body, and it overwhelmed his senses. Behind his soft eyes he quietly told you to hurry before Wonwoo did something he wasn’t supposed to. Even though Wonwoo always did without planning ahead of time, there were a few instances where he didn’t care and acted carelessly. And he found himself fearing more for your heart rather than his friend's safety. 

You sighed tugging on the sleeves of your sweatshirt before turning around and ran after the only man you had ever loved. You passed many tombstones, silently paying your respects until you stopped in the middle of a small clearing, home to one familiar tombstone and Wonwoo. His hands in his pocket, eyebrows furrowed and his teeth chewing down on his teeth. 

“After she died, I promised her I wouldn’t love anyone again.” He whispered, “but then you came along and ruined it.” He turned his head, his eyes glossy with wanted tears. “Do you know how much I beat myself up every day for what I did to her. For what I did to you. I hate myself for it, I hate that I can inflict pain on everyone else but myself because I’m not one that should be suffering, not everyone else.” 

By now he had finally let his tears go. They raced down his cheeks rapidly and it shattered your heart. 

“It hurts me that you think that way about yourself. She didn’t die because of you, you tried to save her and-”

“I was too late.” Wonwoo snorted and rolled his eyes. He stared intently at the tombstone in front of him, reading his little sister’s name over and over again, letting it burn feverishly inside his mind. He missed her dearly and sometimes he wondered why you never told him anything about the conversations you would have with her whenever she visited you. But you had told him that it was a family secret between the two of you and he never questioned you again because you had used the word family and it made him feel all giddy inside.

“Let me talk Wonwoo.” You said closing the gap between you and Wonwoo. You grabbed his face in your hands and wiped away his tears with the pad of your thumb. He had always been there to comfort you on your lowest days. His sweet words and warmth grounded you back onto the Earth, but you had never gotten the opportunity to do the same to him. He always kept himself closed off and reserved. It had taken almost a year into your secret, not so secret relationship for him to tell you about his sister’s unfortunate death and a few more months after that for him to say that he loved you. Despite all those small passing moments of vulnerability he had never once cried in front of you. 

“I love you and you’re stupid for thinking that I would love you any less because of what happ-”

“I hurt you though,” Wonwoo cut you off, earning a ground shattering glare from you that sent shivers up his spine. “Sorry you can continue.” He whispered. 

“Thank you.” You smirked and wrapped your arms around his neck, making him freeze. You were the strangest person he had ever had the pleasure in knowing because normal people would never be as comfortable as you were in his presence. “I know the kind of person you are Wonwoo, through this cold exterior there is the most loving and sensible person I have ever known. I mean, baby, you spent a whole day sulking because you forgot to water your plant.” 

“You gave me that plant for my birthday, therefore he’s our child.” 

“This is exactly my point, you have the biggest of anyone I have ever known. Unfortunately, you have been dealt a bad hand in life and I really don’t understand your obsession with taking over the world. But you’re not a monster.” 

“I hurt people though, sometimes for fun.” He whispered against your skin. In the midst of your speech he had given in and circled his arms around your waist before burying his face into the crook of your neck. Leaving the two of you in an awkward and uncomfortable position. 

“And who are those people?”

“Bad people.”

“Exactly baby, they’re the scum of the Earth and you have helped stop them.” 

“Okay, but that doesn’t make me a hero. I’m just doing what you guys can’t do. On top of that Joshua’s super strength is useless, he only gets praised because he’s hot.” Wonwoo finished and raised his head, smirking. He sent you a playful wink, tears long forgotten, causing you to roll your eyes. 

“Mingyu takes forever to get ready, but that’s besides the point. You’re not a monster so stop treating yourself like one.” 

“Does that mean you forgive me?” He pouted batting his eyelashes at you. 

“Yes you big idiot.” 

“Then...why haven’t you kissed me yet?” He puckered his lips and made kissing noises, making you laugh. “Hey I’m waiting and you know I’m impatient.” He spoke through pouted lips as he leaned in closer, his lips hovered over yours teasingly until you finally caved and kissed him. He sighed happily against your mouth and deepened the kiss. He had spent five months without the feeling of your touch and it scared him that he would forget how it felt. Yet, now as he kissed you with everything in him he realized he hadn’t and it overjoyed him to the point in which he accidentally let out a moan; making you pull away quickly and eyeing him down. 

“Control yourself, your sister, her friends and Vernon are here.” You scolded making him pout. 

“I’m sorry, i just...I still remember the way you taste, and I got excited.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Before he could plant his lips on yours again he was met with your hand pushing him away. He whined as you tore his arms away from your waist, his body growing cold. “Nooo, one more kiss.” He reached out making grabby hands at you like a child. Instead of giving into what he wanted you turned and started walking away, “Wait, where are you going?” He stumbled against his own feet before following you. 

“Home.” You looked over at him and stuffed your hands into the front pocket of your hoodie. “You have a grave to cover up with Vernon.” 

“But I haven’t seen you in five months, just give me five more minutes please.” 

“Wonwoo you just didn’t look hard enough baby.” You said giving him a knowing smirk before leaning over, giving him a chaste kiss on his cheek. He felt his eyes grow in realization as everything started to click in his head. If what you had hinted was the truth and you had shown up to every single sight he had caused trouble in, then he had to give it to you. You were a lot more clever than you led on. “Don’t think about it too hard, I’ll leave my window open for you.” You smiled widely giving his cheek a pat and disappeared through the trees. 

“You live on the twenty fourth floor.” He yelled after you, his hands falling down at his side in defeat. He heard someone snort next to him and suddenly he remembered that Vernon was there silently observing everything, just like always did. 

“Figure it out baby, you always do.”

[marybethsjournal]

Always

Summary: Molly has hit a wall with Dutch and doesn’t know what to do; she feels completely lost. Not to mention that she has started to have complicated feeling towards another gang member.

Pairing(s): Dutch Van Der Linde x Molly O’Shea, Molly O’Shea x Sadie Adler (strongly implied)

Word Count: 1903

A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29265912

It was barely noon and the girls were day drinking yet again. This didn’t impress Molly much, but she had come to realize that nobody, not even Dutch cared about what she thought. Molly pushed the thought away. If she thought about how Dutch had been shutting her out and treating her badly in general, she would be driven to drink just like these harlots. And then she would be no better than them, which seemed to be the most humiliating thought possible at the time.

Molly was not surprised that Karen was leading the drinking charge of the day. That’s all the wench knew how to do, that and seduce men. She tried not to blame Karen too hard for that, though, because everyone knew Dutch was strongly encouraging her to put herself out there and if Molly verbalized her bias against working women, she’d have to implicate Dutch in the whole thing and she didn’t feel like doing that. Anything to exonerate her man from wrongdoing. What did surprise Molly was that that girl, Sadie, had joined the women for once. And not in the way Abigail had, coming over to get one drink and then gone back to her business (Molly didn’t blame her, she deserved a drink, especially since Jack had asked about 50 questions today already and the Marston man had tried to pants Bill and got a fist in his face in return). Sadie was downing the drinks faster than anyone else; she seemed to have no shame. Molly supposed that maybe she shouldn’t have been so surprised. Sadie had gone through a significant transformation over the past few months. When Sadie had been brought in by Dutch, Micah, and Arthur, she seemed weak and quiet. She had worn dresses and otherwise modest garments, although nothing too fancy. Now, she had the audacity to yell at the men and one day, when out on the town with Arthur, she had bought a shirt and pants and she hadn’t taken them off since. Quite offensive, in Molly’s opinion, but Sadie objectively pulled it off quite well. Molly had noticed herself staring at Sadie quite often, observing the woman. She couldn’t pinpoint quite why, but she assumed it was normal. Sadie was pushing boundaries and was overall quite an interesting woman, more interesting than herself. Not to mention, Sadie was very beautiful. Anyone could see that, it wasn’t an odd thing for her to think.

Molly found herself in the same situation yet again. She was staring at Sadie, who was downing another drink and laughing at some joke Tilly (or maybe it was Karen??? Molly wasn’t doing a very good job focusing on anything other than Sadie at the moment) made. Molly smiled, seeing Sadie throw her head back in laughter. Her smile was so huge and genuine. It was only recently that she had started smiling again. Sadie had taken it rough, just like any woman would, when her husband died. Molly knew the pain hadn’t gone away, but Sadie seemed to finally be letting herself enjoy life with little guilt. She thought about Sadie’s smile a little longer than she probably should have and her mind ended up drifting to a few nights ago when she and Sadie had danced. The whole camp was ambient with laughter and music, coming both from the gramophone and Javier’s guitar. Everyone seemed to have found a partner and was dancing: Mary Beth with Arthur, Jack with Uncle (their form of dancing was far different than everyone else’s slow dancing, the pair were waving their arms wildly and running in circles together), Karen with Sean, Tilly with Lenny. Hell, even Abigail and that fool John had put aside their differences for the night and were dancing up on each other, a bit too provocatively for Molly’s liking. Molly had actually been really excited about the spontaneous party that night. She felt the distance growing between her and Dutch the past few weeks and she was convinced that that night could make it all better. She had put on her finest dress, fixed her hair, and perfected before asking him. But to her surprise, he told her that he was too tired and maybe they could try another time. Her surprise had turned to horror when she later saw Dutch dancing with Susan. The worst part was, Dutch didn’t even seem to care when Molly noticed. It was like he didn’t even care about her feelings.

Molly had run into the nearby forest to cry. She knew her makeup would smudge and usually she would refrain from crying to the best of her ability, but she didn’t care anymore. It only took a few minutes before Sadie had snuck up behind her and asked her what was wrong. She had been sitting on a rock nearby, not in a party mood, when she had heard Molly crying, she explained. How embarrassing.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened so I can fight a bitch?” 

Molly, despite her sadness, laughed. “It’s not really a bitch. It’s Dutch. Wouldn’t dance with me but he sure is dancing with Susan right now.”

“That old fart? Ah you can do better than him.” Sadie seemed to get an idea and clapped her hands together. “In fact, let’s show him what he’s missing. I’ll dance with ya.”

Molly was taken aback by Sadie’s proposal. 

“I’m not too sure that’ll make him jealous. Maybe if I danced with Charles or something…”

“Oh come on! Sorry I’m not Charles.” Sadie grabbed Molly’s hand and drug her back into camp

Molly was confused as to why Sadie seemed so insistent to dance with her, but she was certainly pleased by the attention. She rarely got attention from this gang.

The dance went wonderfully; Molly almost felt something resembling butterflies in her stomach, which she dismissed as simple indigestion. It was perfect until Molly apparently got too close to Sadie and she asked, “Miss O’Shea, do you expect me to kiss you or what?”

Molly was horrified. She gave some phony excuse and ran away from the situation as fast as she could, ignoring Sadie calling after her. Things had been pretty awkward between them since then.

Molly was startled out her daydreaming when Karen yelled at her, “Hey Molly, what are you looking at? You wanna drink or something?” Oh great, Molly thought after realizing she had been staring this entire time.

Molly walked over to where Karen was and for just a brief moment, allowed herself to look at Sadie again. Unfortunately, Sadie seemed to have the same idea. Their eyes locked and Sadie subsequently excused herself to go talk to Abigail. 

“What the Hell is her problem? Anyway, wanna drink? I’ll share mine. It’s the good kind of whiskey.” Karen offered some strong whiskey to Molly. There’s nothing Molly wanted less than to drink after Karen.

“I try not to drink outside of social settings.” Molly informed Karen, politely declining.

“Then WHY were you looking at me earlier?”

“I wasn’t.” Molly responded curtly.

“Then you were looking at Sadie. Cause I know you weren’t looking at these here two fools.” Karen made rude gestures at Mary Beth and Tilly. 

“I wasn’t looking at anything, Karen. Just thinking.” Molly couldn’t find it within herself to look anywhere besides her feet.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to offend you. You two, get out of here. I need to talk to Miss O’Shea alone.” Molly tried desperately to get the other two girls to stay but Karen insisted they leave. Apparently, Karen had much more pull among the other women than Molly did. That wasn’t one bit surprising, but it still seemed wrong.

“Wow, you really don’t wanna talk to me. My feelings are so hurt.” Karen took another swig of her drink before continuing. “Listen Molly, you know just as well as everyone else that I think you’re lazy and entitled. Just all around a nasty person.”

Molly nodded. Karen generally was straightforward and rude when she wanted to me, but it still seemed the drink must be doing a number on her for her to be able to say what she just had said.

“But for some reason my the dumb bitch in me has started to care. I didn’t think I had an angel on my shoulder, but here she is, annoying as ever, telling me, ‘Karen, you have to warn Molly. You don’t wanna see her get hurt.’ And then I tell them back that I don’t care if you get hurt but I still feel like I do care afterwards.”

It didn’t take much of an intellectual to make the observation that Karen had had too much to drink. Molly honestly couldn’t understand what she was saying: it sounded like a whole bunch of incoherent rambling in which she said a whole bunch, yet nothing at all at the same time.

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You don’t have a heart of gold like myself. But at least you do have a heart. Listen, I just wanted to let you know Dutch don't care about you.”

‘“Leave me alone, Karen. You’re drunk and I won’t hear anymore.”

“See, you know it’s true! He sees you as a toy more than anything. You’re gonna end up hurt and he’s not going to care one bit.”

“If you think he’s so bad, why are you still running with him?”

“A lot of us don’t have a choice, miss society lady. Besides, I know better to get involved with him.”

“Sure, Karen. Thanks, I guess.”

Molly had walked away and pretended like she hadn’t cared but even days later, the short conversation haunted her at every turn. Even late at night, lying in bed next to Dutch, she replayed the whole ordeal over and over again in her mind. She hated to admit it, but Karen was right. The man lying next to her didn’t feel much for her anymore, if he ever had in the first place. It was just cold lying next to him. Like sleeping with a complete stranger.

She had spent several consecutive nights not being able to sleep out of worry. Late into the night, she would search Dutch’s face for any sort of sign that maybe he cared about something, maybe not even her. She always came up with nothing.

It had become all too much for Molly. She found herself crying yet again. She had never known herself to be this emotional. Part of her wanted Dutch to wake up and see her in pain, but she knew in her heart that he wouldn’t care. He would just be irritated that someone interrupted his beauty sleep.

One night when Molly couldn’t control her crying any longer, she left their tent so as not to disturb Dutch. She walked towards the rock that she usually sat on while she read a book during the day. On her way, she noticed that Sadie was sitting on another rock on the other side of camp. What was she doing out this late. She supposed she would have to find out. Now was her chance to finally talk to Sadie and apologize for whatever had happened between them.

“Can I sit here with you?” Molly asked Sadie when she approached her.

“Always.” Sadie smiled at her.

“That would be nice.”

[dizzydancingdreamer]

The Friday Night Fight | Reggie Mantle

Hey Lovelies, here’s the first fic I’m moving from my Wattpad! I went through an entire Reggie Mantle phase and this is one of my favourite imagines! I hope you all enjoy!

Description: Y/n and Reggie are best friends and they get into a fight after she falls asleep and forgets they have plans.

Pairing: Reggie Mantle x Not-Quite-Platonic!Female!Reader

Warnings: Angst (not really)

Word count: 1.7k

Tags: angst, FLUFF, just overall an easy read

(not my gif! Also hello I want to do this)

You and Reggie have been best friends since you were born, always next to one another whether that be when causing trouble in Riverdale or taking the accompanying punishment. Partners in crime, that's what the two of you are. It really is the strongest kind of bond. They say there's no honour among thieves but you think it's the exact opposite. There is way more honour among trouble makers than rule followers.

Well, there’s more honour when both trouble makers remember to tell each other when they cancel plans, that is.

So you've been a little busy these days, big deal, right? Pop's has you working overtime for the upcoming town jubilee and your parents are on your heels to keep you grades maintained. You're an excellent student for someone who goes mailbox smashing on occasion! That mixed with the constant hounding from your other friends to loosen up and to hang out with them more almost always leaves you swamped.

All in all, you were tired and honestly forgot to tell Reggie that you wouldn't be able to join him at the drive-in tonight. It’s not that you didn’t want to go, you just fell asleep as soon as your head had hit your pillow, your phone discarded on your dresser. Now look where that landed you.

                                         *     *     *     *     *

"Dude, where are you? I've been waiting for you for like an hour and a half!" 

This is the first thing you hear when you stumble to your phone and pick it up. You aren't even fully awake and someone's already yelling at you.

"What?" Is your only audible response, besides a few swear words that tumble from your tired lips.

You hear an angry sigh from the other end of the phone, "Y/n, we were supposed to go to the drive-in tonight, remember? It's me, Reggie. You know, your best friend? We've been planning this for months, it was the James Bond marathon! I can't believe you forgot. You always do this!"

Now it's your turn to get angry. Where the hell did all of that come from, you always bailing on him? As if! He's the one who's never around because of football! You never complain when he hangs with the guys after promising to go to Pop's or Sweetwater River with you. Where does he come off thinking he's entitled to your time but you aren't entitled to his?

"What the hell, Mantle? As if you never fucking leave me hanging! At least I have a good reason unlike you. 'Sorry, Archie wants to play video games' yeah whatever! So yeah, best friend, I forgot. At least I didn't fucking cancel on you for nothing!" 

You'll regret these words eventually but, thankfully, that time is not now. However, the angry tears pooling in your eyes tell you other wise. You can't believe he would accuse you of ditching him, you've never ditched Reggie! You've been attached at the hip since birth and then later, when he grew taller than you, attached at the hip and stomach.

"So, Reggie, I should go seeing as you obviously don't want to see me because I bail on all our plans." You spit the words into the phone, dragging a hand through your hair and tugging hard.

"Wait, y/n, I didn't mean-"

"Bye."

With that you collapse back onto your bed and quite plainly just cry. Your best friend, the boy you've spent your entire life with and then some, has officially crossed a line. He doesn't do that often. In fact, before this moment, he hasn't done it at all. The two of you rarely fight and when you do it's about nothing. You could almost scream right now!

Tears stream down your face, reddening your nose and staining your cheeks. You miss him, that's the problem with having a best friend whom sneaks into your room every night. You probably won't be able to fall asleep without Reggie's body next to yours. You don't feel weak for missing him minutes after a bad phone call, you crossed that bridge when you got the flu the entire summer and he didn't leave your side once.

You hear a rumble outside your window and roll over, trying to get a better look from your bed. Headlights shine through the glass, bathing your bedroom in an eerie glow. You hear a vehicle door slam and the lights die, leaving you in darkness to watch a sturdy, shadowy figure make its way towards you. You don't need to look at said figure for more than two seconds before you make out Reggie storming towards your window.

Now, you could say that this is all unexpected. That you had absolutely no idea that Reggie would come over in a heated fury. But that would be lying. Reggie and you have never been the type of people to sit on raw emotion and not do anything about it. If you have a problem, you deal with it. You knew as soon as you had hung up that it would only be a matter of time before you saw him. You're just surprised he only took half an hour.

You hear a tap on the glass, "Y/n, let me in."

He wears a leather jacket, the one you got him for his birthday last year. From a distance it looks black but, when you look closer, it's actually a midnight blue. It's fitting now, to wear such a manipulative piece of clothing in the dead of night.

"Why should I, asshole?"

You play with the worn bracelet on your arm; the friendship bracelet he made you five years ago. It's sun faded, your favourite colours having been dulled from years of running all over Riverdale with him. You would bet all the money in your wallet that Reggie has his on right now too. On his left hand, yours on the right, so that when you hold hands the bracelets touch.

"Because we have to talk, sleeping beauty," he puts his left hand against the glass, the equally faded blue and yellow strings peeking out from his cuff. 

You kind of wish you had bet on it now, you would have twenty extra dollars right now.

You grumble at his logic and slide the window open for him to step in through, turning on your bedside lamp to lighten the room up. When you turn back to him you stare at his chest instead of his chocolate eyes. You're not ready for that yet.

"Well talk then, Reg."

"I'm sorry, okay," he reaches a calloused hand out to tilt your head, "I'm sorry for being jerky. I know you don't bail on me dude, I was just jealous. I thought you bailed on me for Archie."

Archie? As in Archie Andrews? You can't stand the red head, especially since he's become the renowned guitar-hero of Riverdale! As if he wasn't bad enough before as the next Jason Blossom, now he carries a song book wherever he goes and sometimes even asks you to listen to one of them. No, Archibald Andrews, you don't want to listen to your newest sappy song. Besides, he isn't exactly a commendable comrade after the whole Betty and Veronica incident.

You sigh quietly, "Reggie, I very strongly dislike Archie. You know that. What's really wrong?"

You finally peer up into his eyes, staring straight into bloodshot pools of regret. Fuck.

"Oh, Reg, what's the matter? If this is because of me yelling at you, you know I can never stay mad at you," you throw your arms around his shoulders which, for the record, isn't easy and he scoops you into him. 

You've always hugged like this, it's comfortable and personal. You wrap your legs around his waist, leaning your head on his shoulder and playing with his hair. Warmth spreads through with ease and you close your eyes.

He started picking you up like this when he was eleven. Other kids were teasing him, calling him weak or something. You can’t quite remember. You knew it was a lie, though, so you told him to pick you up. It was odd timing, especially in the middle of science class, but he did it nonetheless. The two of you played it off like you needed reach something on a tall shelf but Reggie didn't even question you when you asked so it worked out pretty well. As a bonus the other kids in the class were jealous that Reggie Mantle was picking you up.

"Yeah, well, same, but that's not it. I guess I'm just worried that you're gonna find a new me and then I'll just be here and you'll be with the new me. You do realise that I would probably die without you, right?"

You giggle, the events from earlier slowly fading away because of the truth to his statement. Without you he would have gotten in too many accidents to count. That includes that one time in seventh grade when you talked him out of going down the twisty slide on a lunch tray. You had probably spared him a broken leg.

"Yeah but you've saved me from some pretty stupid things as well so don't mention it," namely the tree house incident, the Sweetwater River incident, and that day at Pop's where you almost choked from stuffing too many French fries in your mouth. 

Thank god Reggie's mother made him take CPR courses.

"Still, I'm sorry Y/n."

You squeeze your arms tighter around his football sculpted shoulders, "I forgive you, Reginald."

And with that, the two of you are back to normal. He scoffs and sets you back on your feet, pushing you jokingly and falling onto your bed. You’re heart stutters for just a second as you watch him examine a stuffed bear on your bed. You shake your head quickly. 

"Say, Reg," an idea pops into you head as fast as lightning, "I bet all the money in my wallet Jughead will replay the Bond movies for us!"

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #427

“don’t pray for me when you’re the one enslaved”

Your ex taps you on the shoulder and says, “I still love you.” You say? I wouldn't say anything, I'm pretty sure I'd just break down. Do you play video games? Not really anymore. :/ I probably would, though, if I had the appropriate consoles for games I want. You can only replay PS2 games but so many times before you're tired of them. Do you spend a lot of time with family? No, honestly. Is your house more than two stories tall? It only has one floor. Have you ever hit your significant other? Has he/she ever hit you? I'm not in a relationship, but I have most certainly never hit an s/o, and they've never hit me. I wouldn't tolerate that shit. What makes you an attractive person? (Talk about your personality too!) I'm not. What color is your hairbrush/comb? White. What snacks do you have available in your household atm? Hm. Just some fruity grain and oats bars, as well as cashew ones. We try to keep sweets out of the house. Has anyone recently told you that they like you, or find you attractive? No. Are you attracted to the last person you Facebook messaged? Holy fuck yes, she's drop-dead gorgeous. Do you care about anyone that doesn’t care about you? Ha, I'm sure. Was your last Facebook friend requests from a male or female? Some random middle-aged man, like who are you sir. Which one of your relatives is most likely to embarrass you? My dad. He can be so rude to people sometimes. When was the last time you ate a bar of chocolate? Not sure. It's been quite a while. Do you play any games on Facebook? No. What would you like to get a degree in? It'd be nice to get a degree in Arts, but yeah... I'm never going back to school. Do you wake up a lot in the middle of the night? Pretty much every night. Would you prefer to read a book, watch a movie or TV show, or play a video game? Play a video game. Do you usually get popcorn or soda at the movie theater? Almost without fail. You've got to, it's part of the experience. What genre of films do you like the best? Horror. How many bank accounts do you have? None, actually. Have you ever had the flu? No, thankfully. What is your goal for the next few months? To start getting in shape/losing weight. I seriously hope this gym routine works out. Have you ever had some kind of sleep-disorder? How did it affect your life? I have seveeeere sleep apnea. It's shocking, I never would've guessed it, though, so the diagnosis (I had a sleep study, so yes, it's legit) was an extreme surprise. I don't snore at all, nor do I like pass out in the middle of something, but I stop breathing A LOT. For a year or two (no, that is not an exaggeration), it caused consistent, horrible, and violent nightmares/terrors. It made sleep frightening to me, and I was never getting a truly restful sleep. Now, I have an APAP mask (like a less extreme version of a CPAP mask) that helps me greatly. I only very rarely am surprised by a more subtle nightmare now. Have you ever had food poisoning before? Describe the experience. No, thankfully. What are two things that you have no problem paying full price for? Quality tattoos, for one. And maybe uhhh... idk. We're the kind of family that buys off-brand foods and drinks all the time because it's cheaper, so I can't say that. Maybe health care? Like I wouldn't want service from a sketchy dentist or something. Funny, charming, cute, romantic, smart - choose only 2 for the opposite sex. Charming and romantic. Have you ever let somebody use you? Why did you do it? No. You can go back in time & change something in your mom’s past - what is it? That's hard for me to say. She doesn't seem to like talking about her past very much, because I know it's turbulent with her mother. I would say her being disowned, but I don't know how that *actually* affected her. Maybe it was for the better she wasn't under her mom's authority anymore. Do you know anybody who is around the exact same size as you? Who? I guess my mom, but she's actually smaller than me now. She's lost a lot of weight and is still going at it. Ever been to a haunted house? How scared were you? Not a house, but rather hay rides and those places you just walk through and experience different stuff. They don't scare me at all; I love 'em. Been on any websites today you wouldn’t want your parents to see? No. Which is worse: dusting or mopping? Ugh, mopping. I don't mind dusting. Would you marry somebody who was intensely religious? No. Did you pull a senior prank? No. That shit is so dumb. Did you graduate? High school, yes. Have you ever been unfaithful in a serious relationship? No, and I never would. What was the last song you listened to? I'm listening to Lauren Babic and Halocene's cover of "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park right now. It's great. Are you one of those lucky people with 20/20 vision? Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell no. Is fashion one of your interests? No. Do you think you’ll eventually find that special someone? Hell if I know. Do you care what people think? Way, way more than I should. Is acting something you enjoy? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I feel so stupid. What was the last thing you broke/sprained? I tore a ligament badly in my foot maybe a year and a half ago. I was SO sure it was broken. My mom had to help me walk everywhere, and even when she did, I'd be whimpering and seething. Have you ever fought with a friend because of their boyfriend/girlfriend? Because of yours? No. Has a stranger ever yelled at you for your language? No. Whose house, other than yours and your families', are you most comfortable at? If we're excluding all family, I suppose Sara's? Has any of your friends’ family ever yelled at you? Probably at some point as a kid. Did you ever play a sport as a little kid? Did you enjoy it? I played a lot. The only two I really didn't like were soccer and cheerleading. Did you ever watch the show Full House? Hell yeah, I loved it as a kid. Is there a celebrity you are just DETERMINED to marry? Ha ha y'all know I joke about it, but no, not legitimately. It's not like I know him personally at all, and I'm not chasing him to California either. Just let me dream still lmao. Have you ever burned someone’s picture? No, but I've actually heard it's truly therapeutic and not just for dramatic effect, so I wouldn't be opposed to doing so if you handed me a picture of him and a lighter. What’s the longest hike you’ve ever been on? I've never hiked before. Would you ever get a lip tattoo? Uh, no. Who is the first person of the opposite sex that pops into your head? Jason. Do your parents smoke cigarettes? My dad smokes like a chimney and is 100% going to end up with cancer because of it. You should hear his cough. Mom smoked for a very, very brief period before I was born. What does one of your T-shirts have written on it? "Equal in our bones" is on my favorite shirt. Name a pet you definitely wouldn’t want. Certain inverts people are wild enough to get, like giant African centipedes in particular. Would you prefer your partner smaller or taller? Can't say I care. do you enjoy going through old pictures? Sometimes. Other times, it's too painful. It also depends on the era of the pictures. Do you believe people when they say they don’t judge people? Ha, no. We all have natural first impressions and things like that that just... happen. What did you love the most about the town you grew up in? Nothing, really... besides just childhood memories that inevitably came. My hometown was dangerous. What’s a movie that you laughed the hardest during? I'm not sure. What’s a movie you cried the hardest during? I want to say Old Yeller, but I'm not sure. What’s your favorite restaurant? Olive Garden and The Cheesecake Factory. Is there a dessert you don’t like? Yeah; I don't like pie, strawberry shortcake, and I know there're others. Favorite album? Ozzy's Black Rain. It was my introduction to metal, so there's nostalgic value there, but I also just LOVE every single song. What’s a book that you read because everyone else was reading it? None. I don't read books for that reason. Underwater or outer space? Both kinda frighten me to a degree, but I find outer space to be way cooler. So many colorrrrrrs. Dogs or cats? Cats. Kittens or puppies? Ugh, both are so cute, but I gotta hand it to kittens. Bird watching or whale watching? Whale watching would blow me away. Whales are such magnificent, awe-inspiring animals. What is your spirit animal? Probably a deer. Skittish, shy, and quiet. What was your best subject in school? English. What was your worst subject in school? Math. What is one thing you wish you knew in high school? You and Jason aren't going to last, hunty. Who is your fashion icon? I don't have one. I wear what I want/what's comfortable. Diamonds or pearls? I think diamonds are a lot prettier. What color dress did you wear to prom? First one was maroon, last one was black. What’s your favorite plot-twist? Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. My jaw actually dropped. Honestly, are you jealous of someone right now? Yes. Honestly, what’s the worst thing you’ve done when you were mad? Said things I shouldn't. Honestly, ever made anyone cry when you were mad? Yes. Honestly, when was the last time you REALLY cried your heart out? Two weeks ago or something like that. Ever pop someone else’s pimple? OH MY GOD NO alskdfa;wekrwer; Do you need to return anyone’s phone call? No. Who are you closest to? My mom. Have you ever had a bad concert experience? No. Are you currently sad about anything? A number of things. Have you had any form of exercise today? No, but tomorrow is day #2 at the gym! Can you handle blood? Yeah, np. Has any place hired you underage for a job? No. Have you ever carried a concealed weapon? No sir=ee. Are you currently searching for a job? Not anymore, at least not actively. I was going to after TMS, but I'm just... still not ready. Right now, I'm focusing on the gym and getting healthy again, but if the seemingly perfect job comes along, I'm not opposed to taking it up. Does eating breakfast make you sick? No, I've got to have breakfast or else THEN I feel awful.

[shielddrake]

Psychonauts: Setup and Payoff Done Well (If Not Perfectly)

So about a year ago I posted a long lecture about how Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 had major problems in the story department when it came to setup and payoff. I basically said that Final Fantasy XV had lots of scenes with payoff that were not set up very well and Kingdom Hearts 3 had some excellent moments that set up story elements but never followed through on them. And while I think some of those issues have been addressed with some of the DLC released for both games (I reserve my right to be a little salty Episodes Aranea, Luna, and Noctis were canceled) I still stand by my statement that these games have big problems with this.

 During the past year, I have received a couple of comments regarding my position on this, ranging from “Can you give a good example of setup and payoff?” to “Well, if you’re so smart, why don’t you come up with a better example?” And I thought, well, what kind of game would be a good example of excellent use of setup and payoff? What game or series would I say does the job so much better than any writer has or does, video game or otherwise?

 And then, the middle of a repeat playthrough I always do before a game’s sequel comes out, it came to me:

 Now Psychonauts has been out since 2005, so a spoiler warning might seem a little silly here, but I think a lot of gamers have been playing it for the first time since the sequel was announced, so just in case: Major spoilers for the original Psychonauts game under the cut.

 Whenever someone tries to argue whether or not video games can be considered art, one of the first games that comes to my mind is Psychonauts, and not just because of its amazing aesthetics. It has some of the best storytelling, script writing, level design, music, voice acting, and art direction I have ever seen. This game is possibly one of the best video games I have every played, despite the flaws that it does have (I’m looking at you, Meat Circus), and it is easily on my list of top ten favorite video games.  Is it really any surprise that Psychonauts 2 reached its crowd-funding goal of over $3,000,000 in about a month? And yes, I admit that I am one of those backers, just to put out there any bias I know I have.

 But this isn’t meant to be a review of Psychonauts.

 I replayed Psychonauts a few months ago with the idea of the first game being fresh in my mind when the sequel comes out, which is supposed to be sometime this year of 2020. I was absolutely inundated with examples of effective setup and payoff as I played, so it seemed like the obvious choice to go over how this story-telling technique can be used not only well, but also to the point where it’s almost like there are far too many examples.

 Honestly, I could go on and on and on about setup and payoff in Psychonauts’ story, but for our purposes here most of the focus is going to be on just three big things that are really important to the main storyline: Linda the Lungfish, bunnies and meat, and Raz’s dad.

 One thing about setup and payoff is that the setup has to actually happen in a way that the audience, in this case the player, can’t miss it.  There are several moments in the game that Linda is mentioned, the first time being in the opening cutscene, where Bobby teases Dogen about the monster at the bottom of the lake.  You can’t miss the setup when it is thrown in your face that way.

  But that’s not the only time we get references to some sort of lake monster. Before going into Basic Braining, the first official level of the game, if Raz talks to Mikhail, the adorable Russian psychic mentions a “giant, hairless bear” in the woods, asking if Raz has seen it and wanting to wrestle with it. Now, it’s not said for certain if Mikhail is talking about Linda or if he’s just referring to the telekinetic bears you meet later on, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it’s supposed to be the former.

  The first time the player heads for the lake, Elton will run up to Raz and mention the “brain-eating fish” that supposedly lives there. Well, now we’ve got both a mention of the lake monster and the fact that it goes after brains.  Hmm, sound familiar in retrospect?

  Optionally, Raz can also talk to Elton about the fish being spooked by something in the lake.

  Although only the first lake interaction with Elton is mandatory (whether it’s when you go to see Milla or before then), both of these moments act as reminders of the setup of the lake monster established in the opening cutscene.  

 And then there’s the scene in the woods between Raz and Lili on the way to Sasha Nein’s Secret Lab. Raz says that something was watching him, a shadowy being that smelled like pond scum.

  I absolutely love Lili’s face in this scene, by the way.

 We kind of get distracted by their interactions and Lili basically trolling Raz, but that’s part of what makes good writing. The scene is foreshadowing something without making it overly overt…not that the game is subtle every time, but the point still stands. This game does a great mix of the obvious and the subtle.

 The game also has optional dialogue with Coach Oleander and Raz reporting on a UPE (Unidentified Paranormal Entity), which he suspects is aquatic in nature. And Oleander seems oddly insistent that the lake monster does not exist, that it’s just a camp fable.

 Finally we get to the Brain Tumbler Experiment. Needless to say, it’s in this level that a lot of the elements come together. We come across a demon in the form of a big, shadowy figure that spits out a diving helmet. Again, does that sound familiar at all?

  There is a minor mention of the lake monster in the mental vault below the spooky thorn tower (more on that near the end of this post), but other than that there’s a break in the game where the lake monster isn’t mentioned for a while. We don’t get another explicit scene about it until Raz and Lili meet Linda properly at the edge of Lake Oblongata…where Lili gets kidnapped, we go through the boss sequence under the lake, and enter Linda’s brain of Lungfishopolis.  And the final payoff occurs with the Hideous Hulking Lungfish transporting us to Thorney Towers and giving Raz her real name, Linda.

  Now would any of that be nearly as rewarding if we had never heard of the Hideous Hulking Lungfish of Lake Oblongata prior to her official appearance? Every single player would just have visible question marks hanging over their heads if Linda just showed up out of nowhere. Deus Ex Lungfish, anyone? But that’s not what the developers did.  They spent plenty of time building up to Linda, making her reveal not only make sense but also weaving her into the story so that her reveal is more than satisfying.

 There is just one thing I’ve always been curious about, a sort of chicken-and-egg scenario. Did the legend of the lake monster start because genetically-altered Linda showed up and starting attacking campers?  Or did the legend already exist and Oleander used it as an excuse to write off any “sightings” of the monster? Any ideas?

 Moving on from Linda, we come to the imagery of meat and bunnies.

 Without knowing the full ending of the game, most players would think that it’s a bit strange I would stick meat and bunnies together in the same category. Sadly, the connection between these things is a bit on the morose side, and they are actually first introduced at the same time as well.

 When I first played Psychonauts, the first time I actively thought about bunnies and meat being related somehow was during the Brain Tumbler Experiment, but that’s actually not the first time the game introduces these. Anyone else notice that Basic Braining has figments of meat cleavers, butcher knives, a pig, a duck, and a fox? I could logic that a meat cleaver and butcher knife fit with the whole army theme, but a pig, duck and fox?

  Kind of odd animals would be included in all this, especially animals that are either butchered or hunted. At least that’s what I thought at first.

 It is in Oleander’s mind that we first see the “meaty plant” that Lili saves from being squashed by Raz. It’s also here that we see bunnies hopping around the snowfield with the Gatling gun. This early in the game, is this important or just set dressing?  I’m ashamed to admit, but I thought it was just weird set dressing when I first played, but it makes more sense as the story goes on.

  Turns out it’s important all right, since the next time we see both meat and bunnies is in the Brain Tumbler Experiment. “Mr. Bun” seems like a rather random animal to have in Raz’s brain, but then again bunnies showed up in Basic Braining as well.  Is there a connection somehow? Sasha tells Raz that an animal may represent a primal fear or memory.

 He’s right on the latter, although a player going through the game for the first time might not know why (and I admit, on my first playthrough, I didn’t). And there’s more meat and meaty plants here. Raz doesn’t directly mention these (at least he didn’t during my most recent playthrough, to my recollection) but they are pretty obvious, to say the least.

 So that’s two things connecting the Brain Tumbler Experiment and Basic Braining.  Is this a normal occurrence? Maybe these things just show up in brains? Lili does mention she had been dreaming of meat plants, after all, both in Basic Braining and in the cutscene before Raz enters Milla’s mind. Maybe it’s a primal need for meat? Don’t tell the vegans I said that. The Vegan Police would be very unhappy with the final level of this game.

 After the Brain Tumbler Experiment is finished, we know that the brain interference was coming from Oleander, but it’s not explained why there are meat and bunny references up until that point.  There’s actually no mention of either at all in the subsequent levels until the last.  Lungfishopolis, The Milkman Conspiracy, Gloria’s Theater, Waterloo World, and Black Velvetopia are devoid of all meat or bunnies, which possibly leads the player to forget about the whole thing for a while (and when I say “the player,” I really mean me).

 In fact, we don’t see any sign of either until the final level of the game, Meat Circus. And, oh boy, Meat Circus.

  Yeah, it should come as no surprise that I hate this level. I hated it so much that on my first playthrough of this game in 2005, I rage quit and didn’t look at Psychonauts for several days. I eventually went back to it and beat it, but let’s say I was more than a little relieved that they lowered the difficulty for it in subsequent releases.

 But I digress.

 We reach Meat Circus, the combined consciousness of Raz and Little Oly, and the payoff of all the meat and bunny stuff we’ve seen thus far. We have Frankenstein-esque meat bunnies, platforms made of steaks, rail grinding on bones, trapeze and trampolines of bones and skin, and of course the dark versions of both Raz’s and Oleander’s fathers, who not only are evil but also become a giant two-headed monster.  When Sasha said that problems seem larger in your head than in real life, I should have known it would be taken more literally in this game.

  I mean, is it really any shock that Oleander is carrying some trauma after seeing his bunny friend be decapitated by his own father? It’s never said how old Little Oly is, but considering his behavior he is clearly younger than Raz, so this happened when he was in the single digits of age. That’s really not something a little kid should see. That’s just asking for PTSD.

 Anyway, back to setup and payoff, which is pretty obvious at this point. We have plenty of mentions of both bunnies and meat throughout the game, leading to the final boss that is both creepy and downright terrifying. Not only does this boss conclude Oleander’s trauma with his father being a butcher and killing his favorite bunny, but it also allows Raz to defeat his inaccurate mental image of his own father.  Both of them are able to move forward from that point on. Defeating this monstrosity acts as the ultimate payoff and conclusion for both Raz and Oleander.

  Speaking of Raz’s dad…

 Raz’s relationship with his father at the start of the game is strained, to say the least. When Raz goes to learn Levitation from Milla, the very mention of his father showing up to take him home from the camp makes him nervous. Not the best sign here, and his other comments regarding his dad don’t make it much better.

 Once Raz reaches cadet ranks ten and twenty, we get cutscenes of Raz talking with Cruller in tutorials for Pyrokinesis and Telekinesis. During Pyrokinesis, Raz first mentions that his father, Augustus, hates psychics and trained Raz in acrobatics to the point where Raz worried his dad was trying to kill him. During Telekinesis, Raz reveals his suspicions that his father is psychic as well. The memory vault we see of Raz running away from home only reinforces Raz’s perspective.

  We’re led to believe that Raz’s statements are the truth, which is a logical conclusion since he’s the game’s protagonist, but the end of the game shows otherwise. At first I thought this meant Raz was simply an unreliable narrator, but that turns out to not be the whole story. While Raz is an unreliable narrator in that there are a lot of things he just doesn’t know, it’s not malicious in any way. Raz simply doesn’t know that he father really does care about him. That’s the magic of using the third-person limited point of view.

 Up to this point, we’re led to believe that Augustus is a neglectful father at best, but it turns out that Augustus does love his son. He’s just apparently really bad at showing it. The very fact that he is the only one able to break into Raz’s “hard to penetrate skull” shows that there is a deeper relationship between them.  And Augustus is clearly distraught that his own son sees him as a monster in his mind. Poor Augustus.

  I think that a lot of the interactions between father and son in this game was cut out due to both budget and time constraints, because I feel like there is more to be said with these two than what we get in the final product. (I’m thinking we’re going to get more of that in the sequel, but that is up in the air at this time.) This doesn’t bother me too much though, since we do get effective enough setup and payoff that it doesn’t seem like it comes out of nowhere.  They do finally talk to each other and express their concerns, mending their relationship…in the middle of a battle with a two-headed father monster.

  Clearly these two have communication issues. The morale of this story is that it’s important to talk to one each other.

 And this is certainly paid off in the end cutscene of the game.  When Sasha says they want Raz to come along to rescue Truman Zanotto, Raz doesn’t just run off with them again.  He turns around and gives his father puppy-dog eyes, clearly asking for permission to go this time. And Augustus not only gives it, he gives Raz his blessing and encourages him to “show them all.” Contrast this to the backstory of the game, where Augustus flat out forbids Raz from having anything to do with the Psychonauts and Raz running away in secret.

  And if that’s not satisfying use of setup and payoff, I don’t know what is.

 That’s not to say that all of the setup and payoff in Psychonauts is perfect. To be fair, there are times when the setup can be missed, and therefore the payoff that comes later can be confusing. The most obvious example of this is the nightmare that attacks you in The Milkman Conspiracy. When I first played the game all those years ago, my first thought was, “What in the world? What is this thing and where did it come from?”

  Of course, on subsequent playthroughs, I did find the demon room in Milla’s mind, showing the same nightmares she had caged away. This is the difference between a sane mind and an insane one.  Milla has all her demons under control (although notice that they have not gone away) while Boyd’s run amok because he has no way of mentally dealing with them, since his brain is a little bit busy with this, well, milkman conspiracy.  The nightmares that attack in Boyd’s brain make more sense after I saw the ones in Milla’s brain. In this case, the payoff wasn’t bad since the nightmare miniboss wasn’t a bad fight, but context in the form of the setup made the payoff better.

  Other times the setup can be missed?  The other big one is the resolution of all the campers’ storylines. Unless the player spends time going around camp throughout the game and seeing the interactions the other campers have with each other, the little scene you have with each one once they are re-brained won’t make a lot of sense. The love triangle between J.T., Elka and Nils? J.T. and Chops having conflict about J.T. abandoning his best friend for his new girlfriend? Crystal and Clem attempting suicide to become more powerful? Chloe thinking she’s an alien? Maloof basically becoming a mob leader with Mikhail as his right-hand man? Elton and Milka’s blossoming love? …Just to name a few? Yeah, the context of all that is missed if the player doesn’t bother to talk to the other campers throughout the game, but I attribute that more to the player than the game.  The developers accounted for this in the story, so it’s more the player didn’t look for the setup rather than Double Fine just not bothering to include it.

  That’s just some examples of setup and payoff that I feel are probably the most important to the main storyline of Psychonauts.  They are far from the only examples. Really far from it. Oh boy, could I go on about the scenarios of setup and payoff that happen in this game.

 Dogen talking to the squirrels, who tell him that the short man is going to kill everyone, only for them to really be talking about Oleander?

 Elton saying that Oleander’s recruiting office in Basic Braining resembles a dentist office, only to find out that one of the main antagonists, Dr. Loboto, is in fact a dentist?

  Oleander having a mental vault trapped behind some mental cobwebs? Well, he has something to hide, despite him saying he doesn’t when you first play through Basic Braining. Of course, getting angry at Raz for snooping around a room with a curtain doesn’t give off the idea that Oleander has something to hide. Nope. Not suspicious at all.

 Agent Crueller having all the different personalities around the camp, hinting as his unstable mental state?

 The Hand of Galochio appearing in the lake as a reference to Raz’s family having a curse to die in water, and said curse just so happens to show up not only as a gameplay element but as a story element during Meat Circus?

 Raz being able to read Lili’s thoughts when she doesn’t mean for him to, then for him to do it two more times near the end of the game?

 How Lili’s cold stops her from sneezing out her own brain?

 Sasha’s hatred of tacky lamps having to do with his past working in a tacky lamp factory? Or the shoeboxes indicating his father was a cobbler? Or the bed as the location of where his mother was horribly ill and died?

 Raz needing to climb the “creepy thorn tower” in the Brain Tumbler Experiment, only to later need to climb Thorney Towers Home for the Disturbed?

 The mention of the town of Shaky Claim on the giant tree stump at the camp entrance referring to the sunken town that is (somewhat) explored during the boss sequence under the lake?

 Raz talking about being back in high school in Black Velvetopia despite being ten years old? Not to mention the stories the dogs tell about Lana/Lampita and Dean/Dingo?

 Lastly, do I really need to mention the incredibly weird and seemingly out of place mental vault below the creepy thorn tower? A brain chicken hatches out of an egg, meets a fish in water, goes to a circus, gets placed in a teacup, and blasts people to death? Kind of a summation of Raz coming out of the egg in the Brain Tumbler Experiment, meeting Linda at Lake Oblongata, entering the Meat Circus, and getting placed in a brain tank and defeating two people? Was the mental vault a foreshadowing of the main plot of Psychonauts? I don’t know.  What do you think?

  *Takes a deep breath.* See what I mean when I say I could really go on and on about setup and payoff in Psychonauts? There are so many examples that it’s kind of ridiculous. It could be said that there’s too much of this kind of storytelling in the game, but I fail to see how that is a problem.  There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, but when it comes to setup and payoff, Psychonauts is not it.

    Credits 

Screenshots courtesy of the following:

Comic Foil, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN-Y6XDe0oWyhgjcGunJqGw

 Global Gaming, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pjsxNSwSSA

 StoryGamer, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXZ1vDFp_dw&t=139s

 ThatNotSoAznKid, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ford0MGvWIc

[sabineelectricheart]

Just a Friend, Practically a Sister

Summary: Jamie is in love with Derek. Derek is in love with Miranda.

Rating: K - Intended for general audience 5 years and older. Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.

Words: 1700

Notes: Eh, not the best, but I wanted to flex these muscles. I hope you like it all the same.

“Jamie?” He asks, almost shocked someone could ever make such a preposterous claim. “Don’t worry about that, babe. She’s just a friend. She’s practically a sister to me.”

*_*_*_*_*

It was one hug.

One hug that happened weeks ago, yet it was all that Jamie could think about. It crept into her mind when she was least expecting it, catching her off guard and making her blush, worrying in case somebody saw her smiling at herself. Even so, she replayed it over and over again in her head. It was clear as day, for anyone who set their eyes on her, what was up.

It all happened one night, the State Championship game in Thousand Oaks. Jamie had begged her mom to go, despite being three hours on the Amtrack, just because she wanted to see her friend on the height of his high school career. After their victory, the whole team was celebrating on their way to the changing rooms and Derek had pulled her in for a sweaty, uncomfortable hug.

They had hugged loads of times, of course. They were best friends and she liked to express her appreciation on a physical form, too, but this time it felt different for Jamie. It felt different than every other time she had hugged him because she could not get it off of her mind. It plagued her day in and day out for weeks and she does not even know whether or not she liked it.

She could not have a crush on Derek, surely. He was one of her oldest and best friends and that was stepping into dangerous territory. Lest she wanted was to splinter him off from their friend group, God knows he needed more friends and less teammates and groupies.

Now, Summer was upon them. The teen girl knew that Derek would be away on training camp sometime in July, but until then, their little posse was spending their days on the beach and enjoying youth.

“Morning, Jamie!” Derek cheerily greeted, slipping into the seat next to her at breakfast, Cove taking his place on her other side.

Since Derek lived far away and still depended on the rides his father offered, he would always come by early. So, Jamie took upon herself on making and offering him, and Cove, who would come by lured by the smell of pancakes, some breakfast first thing in the morning.

“Morning, you two.” Jamie smiled at them and the Latino boy grinned back at her.

God above, that smile. What she would not give to have him smile at her like that every day?

As the days passed them by, it only got worse. She kept noticing more and more things about him that she had never noticed before. As they had lunch on the beach, they sat on a chequered blanket on the sand and the sun was shining on Derek’s face. It made his hair glow as the light shone through it, and she also noticed how he had a few freckles dotted across his nose, how when he was laughing really hard at something, a bit of his tongue would poke out of his mouth.

In the evening, when they were studying in her living room, Jamie noticed how the dim lighting above them made his long eyelashes cast crescent-moon shaped shadows down onto his cheeks. How, when he stretched, his shirt would ride up a little bit, revealing a bit of his stomach.

It was driving her crazy about how much he was on her mind. It went on like this for weeks, until she was sure that if she were asked, she could produce a perfect description of Derek Suarez, including all his habits, likes and personality.

As it is often the case, the teen girl had not been as discreet as she thought she were. One day, Cove has had quite enough of this puppy love and cornered Jamie in the sidewalk, just as they finish saying their goodbyes to the jock.

“You like him.” The boy was categoric.

“What are you on about, Cove?” She yawned.

“Derek.” The surfer rolled his eyes, despising obtuse behaviour. “It’s so obvious, I’m surprised he’s not noticed himself yet.”

“I don’t…” The girl tried to intercede.

“I’ve seen the way you look at him, Jamie.” Cove cut her off. “It’s the same exact look I give my little fellas at the aquarium.”

“You’re sick.” She said, straight faced. “Look, please don’t say anything, Cove, I’m honestly just trying to forget about it.”

“If you wish, it’s as good as I’ve never noticed a thing.” The boy smiled kindly, trying to ease her nerves. “But if you want me to put a good word in for you then I can. I’m a good wingman.”

“I’m fine. Honestly.” Jamie smiled a little bit. “It’s just a little crush anyway, it’ll be gone in a few days.”

She was wrong. A month had passed since her conversation with Cove and every time she looked at Derek a smile would creep onto her face. Cove caught her doing this many times and would just wink.

“C’mon, Jamie!” Cove pestered, as they sat in front of his father’s store. “It’s been ages now, please just tell him that you like him, already. I’m sick of playing cupid now.”

“You’re hardly playing cupid, seafoam head.” She laughed. “All you’ve done is switch seats with me during meals so we’re sitting next to each other.”

“Well, I’m sorry for trying to get you two together!” He feigned being hurt. “If you want me to have a word then I said that I…”

“Have a word with who?” Derek has suddenly appeared behind them.

“Oh, er, Miranda.” Cove improvised. “She said she would like to join an NGO this summer, I thought I’d give her some pointers.”

“I’m on my way up to the mall to meet her now, actually. I can pass on the message?” Derek offered, looking at Jamie, who now looked rather pale.

“Nah, it’s okay. It’s a bit long. I’ll have a chat with her later.” He lied.

Derek smiled and walked off, leaving Jamie and Cove alone on the sidewalk.

“How about we go for a walk on the mall ourselves and we can talk about how you’re going to confess your feelings to Derek?” The boy offered.

Jamie rolled her eyes but followed him, nevertheless.

“I wonder what he’s going to meet Miranda for…” She said.

“Why? Getting jealous, are you?” Cove joked, poking her playfully. “It must be something about her work at the store, probably. I don’t think they have any other common interests. Strange how he’s not mentioned it to me, though.”

They talk animatedly on their way down the street, as they leisurely walk to the mall. They stop on a few stores once there, buying some necessities and checking out the new wares on their local temple to consumption.

Finally, they reached the food court. Once there, amongst the lean patronage of a late lunch, sat two well-known figures.

“So,” One of the voices spoke. “How about a drive to LA on Saturday? My dad’s lending me the car.”

“Like a date?” Miranda asks, confused.

“Of course!” Derek confirms, enthused. “I like you, babe. I want to go out with you.”

Jamie stopped dead in her tracks, Cove lingering behind her.

“But what about Jamie?” The round-faced girl asks, concerned. “I’m sure she fancies you.”

“Jamie?” He asks, almost shocked someone could ever make such a preposterous claim. “Don’t worry about that, babe. She’s just a friend. She’s practically a sister to me.”

Derek, then, leaned down and kissed the girl on the lips. Jamie’s eyes were stinging. It felt like she had been punched in the stomach, like all the breath had been stolen out of her lungs.

She turned round quickly, pushing Cove out of the way and ran out of the food court. With no idea where she was actually running to, moments later she found herself at the wired gate through which they came inside.

She threw herself down against one of the barbed walls and looked up at the summer sky. Tears streamed down her face. She drew her knees up against her chest and buried her head in her arms. The girl did not even notice that someone was stood in front of her until she lifted her head to wipe her eyes with the hem of her t-shirt.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Cove took a seat next to her and she sniffed in response.

A moment of silence hangs between them.

“I love him, I really do, but he’s a downright idiot, sometimes, my friend.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“It’s not his fault.” Jamie croaked, her throat sore from the crying. “He isn’t obligated to like me back. I should’ve just told him how I felt, though, so he could just turn me down easy.”

“I know, I know.” Cove comforted her.

“It just hurts, you know?” She sniffled. “Knowing that all we’ll ever be is friends,”

It did hurt. Over the next few months, even as the boy left for his training camp, she had to watch Derek and Miranda’s love grow. He would call her daily and visit whenever possible, though he never again step foot in Sunset Bird.

As the season changes, Jamie watched how much the girl made him smile, how he would bring her stupid gifts to their outings on weekends, how she would sometimes catch them falling behind the group, all cuddled up and completely separated from the others, lost in their own little world.

It hurt because Derek would never know how Jamie felt about him, how much it hurt her when he had referred to her as “just a friend”. Even though it hurt, she decided that it was much better to have Derek in her life, just as a friend, than to not have him in her life at all. To have a small piece, even if she could not have it all.

Someday, it would all be behind her. She would find someone else to love. Until then, it just hurts to be another friend.

*_*_*_*_*

Our Life Masterlist

[reverienne]

Sooo you've finished the first Ace Attorney game, right? What case was your fave? Were there twists and turns that you totally didn't see coming? Who's your favourite character till now? I'm so so curious about your opinions 😁

Hi. Thanks for reaching out! I've finished the first game last month and though I haven't started the second one just yet, I've grown to like the series a lot so I'm always down for a chat. <3

My brain tells me that my favourite case was "Turnabout Goodbyes" (which, imho, feels the most poignant and the most well-written of them all, not to mention wildly interesting - both in terms of the plot, the characters' interactions and development), but my heart chimes in that my actual favourite is probably "Turnabout Samurai" (not because I find "Turnabout Goodbyes" lacking in any way, but this particular case makes very emotional and I'm not always feeling up to that - in the terms of sheer enjoyment and replayability, "Turnabout Samurai" is the clear winner, especially as I love its music theme so much).

My least favourite case is... I really want to say that it's "Rise from the Ashes". It has taken me ages to go through this case, it was such a drudgery, and I've found Ema annoying, not endearing, the whole time. While I appreciate the contrast this case provides to "Turnabout Goodbyes", while I like bits and pieces of it, and while I actually got a bit teary-eyed at the finale, it's still one of the cases I wouldn't want to replay in the nearest future. That being said, if there's this one case I'd rather not revisit at all, it would be "Turnabout Sisters". Not because I find it bad in any way! I've just latched onto Mia the second I saw her, I was pretty sure we'll get at least one more case with her as Phoenix's mentor and when she got attacked in "Turnabout Sisters", I genuinely wished her to recover... so when she didn't, I became so salty as to write my own AU in which Mia survives but ends up incapacitated for a while and Phoenix and Maya face a slightly different set of trials.

I was making many theories during each and every case so, predictably, I had my share of wrong guesses. I think that my biggest surprise was "Turnabout Samurai" because I've always pegged the case as a sort of deliberate murder? Or just half accidental, half deliberate murder but never a pure accident. I was also a bit surprised that I would laugh and cheer so much at the finale of "Turnabout Goodbyes" - honestly, to this day I can't think about a metal detector with a straight face... As for some other surprises, I was pleasantly surprised by Phoenix's sense of humor! It's amazing and I wish I got to hear his remarks about things more often. I also never expected for Angel Starr, Neil Marshall and Bruce Goodman to win so much of my respect or to just... feel for Lana and Ema! Though I guess that my biggest surprise was the Lana/Mia spree I went on a few weeks ago. They've got a single line of content (and I never ship like that, I always require a ton of canon build-up which is a bit of a fallacy of mine) but somehow they've became as canon to me as Miles/Phoenix and ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

My favourite character is - to no one's surprise - Miles Edgeworth. I've just had a type since junior high and he fits the bill perfectly. He's such a nuanced character with a lot of development still ahead, and I find him very interesting. Not to mention that his relationships with other characters have such a wide range, going through wild (Larry), sweet (Gumshoe), sweet and heartwrenching (Phoenix, Gregory Edgeworth), and sad and heartwrenching (Manfred von Karma, Lana) that it's just... impossible not to find something there that you wouldn't like? Honestly, having him in such a major role was the hook that made me keep playing through "Rise from the Ashes" even when my motivation was low. Seeing him and Phoenix work as a team almost made up for certain things I didn't enjoy. My second favourite, almost ex aequo with Miles, is, of course, Maya! I missed her dearly in "Rise from the Ashes" and my negativity towards Ema was surely a bit fueled by my fears that they wanted to replace her. She is such a good bean and such a fun character as well! The best little sister that Phoenix could hope for and I genuinely can't wait to see their reunion. The third place is probably still Mia's because I'm being petty, but maybe things will change once Franziska comes over? I'm very curious about her. Though a more probable scenario is that I'll keep Mia on the third place and Franziska's introduction will either made her replace Phoenix on the fourth (I like him a lot, I swear!) or possibly end up after him.

As for my least favourite character - so far I only dislike Ema, though I must admit that she got my respect once I learned of her ties to the DL-6 case and I realize that I should've cut her some slack even before that. She is a child, after all, even if the one-year age difference between her and Maya makes me look at her in a bit harsher light than I normally would. I can't help it, though, her comments have been grating on my nerves throughout 80% of the case so... yeah. My unpopular character opinion.

Anyway, what are your favourite cases? Your favourite characters? I would love to read your opinions. :D

[haileyrhodcs]

𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖒𝖊

Who: Hailey Baldwin & Demi Lovato ( @dmetriaadvonne )

Location: Demi’s studio

Time frame: October 17, 2020

Description: Heavy heart? Let music do the talking.

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘: Long blonde locks of hair cascaded down and over the model's shoulders, the air from the open driver's window whipping through Range Rover. Her fingertips tapped on the driver's wheel while she sped down the interstate, singing along to the rap song blasting over her speakers. The last few weeks was packed with photoshoots for Levi's, BareMinerals, and a new magazine issue with Vogue and although she loved working with all of those companies, she wanted some days off. Hailey cleared her schedule for the last remaining weeks in October and with that, she began to clear her mind off of Justin. When they called off the engagement and the wedding, Hailey couldn't wrap her mind around it, she swore this would take months or even years for her to recover from. She spiraled into a never-ending self-sabotage battle with alcohol and manipulating her support circle around her into thinking she was perfectly okay, just a little heartbroken. Demi kept her company during the days when she felt like she couldn't be alone, when her thoughts and darkest hours became too heavy on her chest. But sometimes, it wasn't enough. She needed to forget her pain and her vice quickly became a dangerous game, but Hailey couldn't bring herself to care. 

Until he came along... again. Shawn. Ugh, why was her stomach doing flips at the thought of his name? Knock it off. This was so school-girl like of her, yuck! He bought her to her senses, bought Hailey back to her carefree self when she was absolutely adamant that side was gone to the point of no return. The blonde caught herself checking her phone for his messages several times within an hour or less, craving the positive aura and light he bought back to her. She had a lighter skip in her step, smiled easier, and radiated the energy she lost when she was with Justin. Pulling up to the parking lot of the condo where Demi's studio was, Hailey wanted to surprise Demi with her favorite lunch and spend some time with her best friend. Quickly unlocking the door with the key she had, she heard a gorgeous instrumental and peered up. She had been writing poems for the last few weeks, and for some reason.. Hailey felt super inspired.

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈:  demi needed her outlet, music; she was being drowed by the PR between her and max and it was becoming unbarable now with him in her life. it made her want to drink more than she should because of the stress of having to carry his dead weight around. with all eyes looking in, she needed to escape which is where she found herself at her studio more than usual. jessie was back or well he was around and it made demi on her toes, he was someone she always wanted but lost touch with her husband after she over dosed. she had wrote so many songs during that two year period, about him about them, about being lonely and finding herself again. her fingers knew what she wanted to play, pressing into the white wood and ivory. demi had her foot on the peddle as she was messing around and had at least the first verse down, but she was having trouble coming up with the rest of the song. her eyes trained back and forth on the keys before closing them slowly and letting her hands do the talking for once, letting herself go.

"I'm a mess and i'm still broken..." she sang slowly as she played. "but i'm finding my way back....." her voice wavered off slowly. her foot and her fingers playing at the same time. "and it feels like someone's stolen..." pausing again with a few chords. "all the light i ever had..." it's the same lyrics she was singing the whole three hours trying to to do more than that. opening her eyes she started the chords over as she pressed into them with her note book splayed up on top of the piano, her scribbles of notes filling it with empty lyrics under it.

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘: The blonde could hear Demi's melodious voice break through the silence of the instrumental, pausing to peer into the small room and was greeted by the sight of Demi losing herself to her music. Leaning her head against the doorframe, Hailey watched her brunette powerhouse of a best friend sing, the lyrics hitting her hard. Hailey felt like it was bringing her back to her darkest times, wanting to shed it off but she had no idea how to. She refrained from taking another step, letting Demi fall into her music but as soon as the lyrics flowed, they stopped. 

Watching as Demi replayed the chords, the blonde mustered a small smile and knocked slightly. "Need some help...?" she wondered, walking over and setting the bag down on the small coffee table. Hugging her best friend by wrapping her arms over her shoulders while she remained seated, the model nodded over to the notebook. "What are you writing about?" she asked before finding a seat next to her on the bench.

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈:  replaying them it almost was repetitive for the third hour but she couldn't help it honestly, she wanted to write but all that was coming out was the piano right now. hearing the knocking she looked back to see the blonde and a smile spread across her lips. "very much so..how much did you hear?" asking the woman before she still sat there and placed her hands on the womans arms as she hugged her back. she loved having her best friend around and right now she could definately use her help with all of this. "oh god...my overdose...the PR...how i feel in it.." shaking her head gently as she looked over at the woman. "it's making me want to drink more than i do..max...i just want to make a song that says that at the end of the day i'm here, i'm still me...that those things wont consume me.." saying to the blonde. 

her head looked towards her notebook before she placed her hands on the piano and started to play the chords all over again. "and all i got is the first verse..which i'm sure you heard" demi laughed lightly as she kept playing. looking over to her best friend she bumped her a bit with her arm as she continued to play. "got anything you wanna say?? write it in the book..i'll keep playing if you wanna..help me write the song??"

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘: The lyrics resonated with Hailey, her teeth digging into her bottom lip in concentration. She wondered if the poem she wrote a few months ago after finding Justin with Sofie would match to Demi's overall message, but held back from searching in her notes on her phone. A light chuckle fell from her lips, shaking her head while she sat beside Demi and glanced down at the piano keys before peering up at her again. Resting her chin in the palm of her hand, she listened intently because she couldn't imagine how Demi felt with the stress she had on her shoulders from the PR stunt to dealing with conquering her own demons. If anything, Hailey admired her strength and how she continued to share her truth without being afraid to fight through them. "And you shouldn't let them consume you.." the blonde confirmed, a proud smile spreading over her lips. 

Tilting her head as she remembered the lyrics again, she closed her eyes and nodded when Demi asked for her to help and write the song. "Yeah.. keep playing.. I'm gonna just look through.." she mumbled, picking up her phone to unlock it and scroll through the notes. Tapping on the one she was hunting for, Hailey's fingertips ran over her chin thoughtfully. While the melody played, she hummed along in between the notes. Her eyes looked up at Demi as if to see if she was vibing along and then glanced to the poem on her phone again. "Like the world disappeared... And... I'm laying right here while the silence is piercing," she sang. "And it hurts to breathe..." Pausing, she tilted her head to her best friend as if she had an idea. "I don't have much.. but at least I still... have me?" 

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈: demi smiled at her best friend and nodded to her. "i don't plan on it.." she knew hailey was having a hard time with justin still coming into her life, she wished the man would just leave the woman alone, she deserved to be left alone and left to deal with everything without him trying to come in and trying to fuck her up again, she hated it when she saw hailey broken, it broke her heart because the blonde was so pure and loving and that some monster would do this to her. leaning over she kissed her best friends cheek cutily. nodding as hailey said to keep playing, and she did just that.

her head moved slowly as she hummed along with the chords and hailey combined. hearing hailey singing she smiled listening to the lyrics, they were flowing perfect as she needed hailey in on this song writing and lyrically. her fingers kept playing as she was trying to find the words to match to go right after. humming along slowly. "and that's all i need.." thinking quick she came up with the next. "so take my faith but at least i still believe" she sang hard, feeling it. "i still believe! and that's all i need" demi could feel herself getting emotional because honestly all these lyrics and the poem was hitting her. reaching her high notes just by sitting there and playing. repeating the next lyrics from hailey's poem. "i don't have much.. but at least i have me" her fingers kept playing slowly.

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘: The blonde couldn't help but feel insecure about her words, furrowing her brows. She was only writing her thoughts on paper to get her emotions out, she was nowhere close to a songwriter. Now that she was next to Demi, she anxiously peered from her best friend's facial expressions to the piano keys and then back. She was expecting rejection, until... Demi completely ran with it. Hailey smiled shyly, but then admired the strong lyrics that flowed so beautifully. They were both dealing with struggles, but they were overcoming them together even with writing this song. "Wow.." she chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "I love this.. we need this out there..." she sighed. 

Peering over at the studio equipment, she reached for Demi's Mac and fiddled around Garage Band.. nodding her head in encouragement to Demi as to tell her to continue to play. "Hold on.. let's add this drum beat.." she murmured, knowing a few tricks from Justin's studio sessions. Matching the speed to Demi's piano notes, she couldn't help but smile to herself while repeating the chorus they created. Tapping her best friend's shoulder excitedly, she kept it playing so they could find the perfect verse to add the drum beat. "Everything around me shattered, all the highs are now just low..." If there was anything she despised about Justin, Hailey couldn't break free from him. He wouldn't leave her alone, first he consumed her texts and now, she had to work hard to keep him out of her mind. "But it doesn't even matter, 'cause I'd rather be alone.." she sang.

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈: demi laughed gently as she looked over at her best friend, she needed this. she NEEDED this with hailey. "start writing this all down..oh it's gonna be out there, and you're gonna be on this record with me, god dammit i didn't know you wrote poems.." she was shocked, impressed all about it when all that emotion came out of the phone she had it written in. the brunette knew she needed this song, this is what she was going through, and seeing hailey letting go and singing, she musician knew the model needed this too. "i want you on this, you need to be on this song with me hails, we can get you a writing alias or put your name i just...i need you on this with me, it's our song" saying to her, being completely serious with her. 

seeing the mac being picked up she tilted her head as her hands stilled on the piano. demi watched as hailey nodded to keep going so she started back up again, watching how the blonde knew her way around garage band somewhat, her head nodded saying that she liked the beat along with the piano. "oh yes..okay perfect, i love that" musing. demi hadn't felt this excited about writing with someone else right now and it was thrilling because this was going to be something to them, and she was releasing it no matter what anyone said. not taking no for an answer. listening to the next lyrics hailey was writing now with her voice she was playing and trying to think of the next. the sadness was dripping from hailey's voice as her eyes peered over at her best friend. "all my love disappeared, and i'm laying right here..." taking the part hailey wrote and rewriting the first line of it. "while the silence is piercing and it hurts to breathe" demi kept playing as she looked to the model. "this is fucking me up already" saying with a laugh as she placed her hands over her eyes to clear her head a bit.  pulling her book down she wrote the rest of the chords as she leaned her head onto hailey's shoulder as she did this. they were stronger together.

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘: Looking over at the chords and Demi's lyrics, Hailey began piecing together the song in her notes, smiling as it all came together so quickly. Writing was an outlet for her, but it always took the form of being done in a poem. Maybe they weren't so broken. Maybe Hailey didn't need saving, but she could save herself. She could save herself from traveling down a dark path again if she finally accepted that she needed to close her chapter with Justin. He had no significance to her anymore, much like it was crystal clear that the blonde had no significance or importance to Justin. He could no longer steal the light within her to inflict loneliness and darkness. Hailey owed it to herself to finally say goodbye to him, but now.. it will be on her terms. Singing this song with Demi and writing felt so freeing, which is why she nodded eagerly when her best friend mentioned she needed to be on this. "It's our song.." she repeated, confidently. 

 Watching as Demi sang the next verse, Hailey shot her a playful look as she re-wrote her lyrics but it sounded perfect. Typing it into her phone, she added the chorus afterwards and then peered up with  a chuckle when Demi said it was fucking her up already. Nodding in agreement, Hailey turned to look down at the chords Demi wrote into her notebook. "The notes are beautiful..." she admitted, leaning her head on her best friend's. "Hmm.. do we want the drums? I'm thinking the second verse is too early..." she mused, singing the lyrics to herself. "I do love how the hums sound though.."

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈: at the end of the day, demi had herself and that was the only person who was going to be able to repair herself from the damage of her OD still left, the damage max was doing to her, and she needed to repair what she really wanted was with back with her husband for real this time, not sneaking around anymore, she was tired of that. demi needed to heal before she got into all of it and this song was putting it all out. demi was seeing something new in hailey, seeing a confidence in the woman that she hadn't seen in a while. it was radiant, it was strong too. "this is our anthem and we're not letting anyone bring us down" 

demi just kept playing her piano as she watched hailey write everything into her phone and she laughed with a nod. "yeah?? i've had the chords, but not much after the first verse..i say the drums yet but maybe once the second chorus comes in, like the piano and the hums build it up and then we bring in the drums" saying as she mused to how this track should be mixed. "i can definitely do some runs too for back vocals..so that will go with the drums and the piano.." she let her hands just dance hovering over the keys. "i would like you to sing back on the chorus if you're up for it?"

𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐘: Demi’s struggles were not ones to be taken lightly, Hailey learned that through the nights they spent confiding and having heart to hearts whenever they couldn’t sleep or their minds kept one half of the best friends up. She knew the overdose and recovering from it was a difficult journey but then add the PR? Hailey had no idea how Demi powered through, her strength and perseverance was immaculate. Hailey didn’t back down either, even though she needed time to come back around... she was ready to put more work in to make sure she got whatever she deserved when she worked hard enough. She pondered the idea of adding drums later on, as Demi suggested and agreed. It would build up the song, just like they built themselves up to fight again. 

“I think that’ll work... we can start mixing today.. I don’t have anywhere to be,” Hailey suggested, shrugging her shoulders. Playing a few random keys while they shot ideas back and forth, Hailey was taken aback when Demi asked for her to sing on the backing vocals. “Me...?” she stammered, furrowing her brows in confusion. Was she sure?? “I can... don’t use too much auto tune on me,” she joked.

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈: "yeah no lets get this whole track done, lets work on it all night babes..we can get postmates, i'm not leaving till we're done" demi was serious as she rubbed her best friends back slightly as she nodded, it was set, the two were gonna work on this track together. "yes you, there's no one else here.." demi was positive on all of this as she raised an eyebrow at her. "oh my god, i won't use anything.." she laughed as she told hailey to finish the song and repeat the pre chorus and the chorus to finish off the song. the two ordered postmates and coffee as demi and her started fully mixing to lay down the track first before demi could get into the booth and start singing, then she'd layer hailey in. 

this three hour dry spell quickly became her favorite day as the two best friends worked on this track. demi would release it soon as she kept telling hailey she would, and she always kept her word. getting up as the two of them shared laughs before demi stepped into the booth and placed the headphones over her ears as she had hailey start the button for playback. slowly history between the two was being made and this was demi's favorite song for many reasons than just one. 

[dangan-ronpa-imagines]

Happy October! Guess who’s back?

Helloooo DRI fam!! So uh, life kinda happened, and with the shit that went down a few months ago, I admit it did put a damper on my motivation and outlook of the fandom for awhile. So my apologies on bein’ MIA for a minute.

BUT I’M BACK! AND GUESS WHAT?!?! IT’S THE FIRST DAY OF HALLOWEEN!. SPOOPY TIME! And that means it’s Goretober prompts! Now I admit, we may miss a few, just bein’ honest. With school, work, life, and well, time zones, it can get a little hectic, but I’ll do my best, and I know the gang will be awesome! I mean, I am about 2 hours late of October 1st, on this specific prompt, but at least it’s done.

BEHOLD: 

DRI’S GORETOBER 2018! Thanks to Mod Oddish’s sexy stylin’ calendar and everyone’s ideas, it’s happening! Les do dis.

~ Mod Panda

Goretober prompt day 1

8:04 p.m.

You look at the ominous clock looming above the cafeteria as you stumble in. You yawn and have no energy, still drained from the previous execution. You replay the scene as it’s burned into your eyeballs, living again and again in the back of your skull as you witness Mondo turn into butter in mere seconds. It still felt….unreal. It stilll feels like a sick prank, but the fact that Mondo wasn’t there, watching Kiyotaka fall apart, and Chihiro’s bloody body pierced into your memory...it’s all too real.

8:42 p.m.

You didn’t realise you were zoning out for that long; in fact, you didn’t even realise a pair of red fierce eyes were staring straight into yours across the table, wearing a small smile as her hands were neatly folded on the surface with her teacup aside.

“Holy fuckin’ Jesus Christ Celeste!” you yelp, finally noticing her presence. You lower your voice into a whisper. “How long have you been sittin’ in front of me?!”

Celeste’s eyes turn into a mischievous crimson red as she smiles and chuckles, covering her mouth in a ladylike manner. Her pale long fingers reached for her dainty cup as she starts to trace her dark grey fingernail around the rim.

“Fancy seeing you come back to life, (y/n). You should honestly be cautious of your surroundings,” she hums. As she picks up her dainty cup, right before she takes a sip, she casually answers, “You’re in grave danger as you should know; this is a killing game.”

You stare at her for a few moments, watching her pale lips sip the milky brown tea from her cup; the aroma of milk and vanilla black tea wafts in the air. Her right pinky is up as she tilts the cup for more, eyes closed as if she’s savoring the flavor. You raise your eyebrow as your thoughts are still stuck on the last thing she told you: This is a killing game. Again, reality hits you harder as you groan and throw your head back, slumping into your seat. You exhale dramatically, racking your brain to find something simple to calm your nerves, then straighten back up. You squint at Celeste’s cup; the aroma of her tea still hangs in the air, soothing your nerves.

“Tea.”

Her eyes open abruptly and her ears perked up. “I beg your pardon?”

“Tea,” you murmur. “I need tea.”

You slide out of your chair swiftly and make your way to the kitchen, as you frantically swing open cupboard after cupboard until you find an assortment of teas. Peppermint, green, oolong, hibiscus, chamomile, earl grey, peach. No sign of black vanilla. *sigh, earl grey it is.* As you grab your cup and heat the water, you stare at the tiles of the kitchen wall. The empty spot on the knife rack from Sayaka’s attempted murder, the water bottles lined up against the sink, a butter knife near a tub of butter...butter in general just made you shudder ever since Mondo was churned. There’s no reason to talk yourself out of believing it’s a prank anymore; the feelings, the people gone, it’s all real. As you dip your teabag into the cup, you slowly make your way back into the cafeteria, seeing Celeste has yet to move from her spot. Placing your teacup in your previous spot, you sit down and inhale the smell of your tea. Bergamot and black tea. You frown, still unhappy.

“Celeste, did you have to take the last of the vanilla tea?” you complain. She opens her eyes and flashes you a smile.

“Survival of the fittest,” she sings. It makes you think when the next killing will happen. What can go wrong, and other possibilities. You can’t help but be on edge and you’ve taken refuge in your hot cup. How can anyone be so calm after these last few killings? Who’s next? You take a sip of your tea to try to calm down.

“Fuck,” you gasp. You burn your lip. You turn your attention away from your burn and quickly walked to the fridge. You dig through the fridge for a moment to find milk, a delicious way to cool off your drink. You cradle it in your arms as you walk back to the table and pour enough to make it cloudy and warm.

“Ahh, a London fog,” Celeste marvels. “Spectacular choice.”

You smile to yourself for a second as you mix it and took a long, slow sip as it warms your tired bones and clears your mind, even for a mere few seconds. You close your eyes as your hands take to the warmth of the cup.

“Celeste, is this how you unwind in these situations? ‘Cuz you make it look easy,” you admit.

You slowly open your eyes, watching her finish her tea as she casually mentions, “Whoever can adapt to any situation will be the survivor. That’s how you win. Sometimes, you just need to step away from it just to re-adjust before you do anything irrational.”

Noted. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Tonight, I bid you adieu,” she announces. Celeste then stands up to push her seat in, then curtsies to you as she walks away. You just nod your head and awkwardly bow in your seat as you and the clock are the only ones left in the cafeteria.

9:44 p.m.

The clock ticks loudly as you realise it’s almost time for you to make your way back to safety: your room. You stretch in your seat as you sigh, staring into your cup one more time before you finish. As you stand up, your head starts to spin. You shake your head, maybe it was just me getting up to quickly. You open your eyes again, but they feel heavy. Everything is spinning faster. Your breath quickens as your chest becomes heavy.

What the fuck is happening?

You panic. You start to run, yet your strides are sloppy. Your body betrays you; your legs give out and you fall onto the floor. You attempt to cover your face with your arms, but your arms also betray you as they don’t move they way you want them to. BAM! Your face hits the floor. Your breath hardens, your mouth hangs open. You can’t close it. You feel drool drip from the side of your face as you taste blood on your tongue. You gasp like a fish out of water, trying with all of your might to get back up. Your eyelids become heavy as you grunt loudly, desperately trying to get somebody’s attention that you’re out in the open, that you need help. Your mind is racing and you quickly run out of ideas to plead for help. You breathe as deeply as you can, and with all of your strength, you let out a blood curdling shriek. Unfortunately, for you, it was cut short. Your eyes were covered suddenly and without a doubt, a knock on the head immediately cut your scream a little too short.

???

You wake up, face covered up. You feel your hands tied and legs tied together as your body is in an awkward position. You’re...kneeling? Your breathing is still labored, and with that, the only other sound in the room is the ticking of a clock.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. TICK. TOCK.

It sounds louder and louder with each second. You then feel wind blowing softly on your face, hearing a swoosh sound in between each tick you heard. What...what was that sound? What’s that from? Where am I?

You purse your lips and attempt to scream, only greeted with pain surrounding your entire lip and mouth area. It’s a piercing pain and it was agonizing. Your breathing quickens as your heart beats harder; you start shaking your head, attempting to shake off this bag off of your head, hopelessly trying to figure out what’s happening. You grunt and scream through closed lips as you suddenly feel the bag being pulled off, only to be greeted by a horrific view. The lips, sewn shut as it still bled down the neck. The face, smeared with bloody hand prints all around the bruised neck and cheeks. The right eye, swollen from what may have been a hard hit to the head. The left side of the skull, bleeding, slightly cracked and pulsing. Hair knotted up with a mixture of blood and saliva. The body is kneeling over a wooden stand, hands tied to the chest, as if it were a prayer, and feet and legs bound together as the weight rested on the bruised knees. You breathe and panic, only realising that the gruesome view was your own reflection.

You try to scream as you thrash your body around, desperately clutching to your life as you need a way out. The mirror falls over flat, and behind it, you witness a guillotine swinging like a pendulum. That breeze. The swooshing sound….that was the source of the calm before the storm. Your eyes tear up as the knot in your throat starts to form wildly, fearing for what will come next. You focus on the sound of the clock as validation that this is all very real. You close your eyes and tears streaming down your cheeks. Then suddenly...the scent of vanilla black tea invades your senses.

You snap your head back as you look around the darkness. You can’t call out to her, but you know that scent, grunting in an attempt to call her name.

“Ho ho ho ho,” she chuckles. “So you figured out it was me?”

More tears stream down your face, but they’re hot and angry.

“Like I told you earlier, adaptation is survival of the fittest, and the only way to do that is to play the game, “she bellows wickedly. “No hard feelings, I really liked you. But I want to survive and get out. I’m surprised the GHB didn’t kick in sooner; your nerves must have really gotten to you if it took that long.”

Another waft of the vanilla black tea  aroma consumes the space. You can barely see, but with the hint of light, you notice...she’s sipping on tea as she watches you suffer. She laughs again, followed by a sigh. The tea, you thought. She spiked my tea...

“How do you like my new toy?” she marvels. You stare at the swinging pendulum blade. It puts you on edge. It’s so close to your face, and it won’t stop swinging. Noticing how uncomfortable you are, she coos, “Ohh don’t worry, this won’t be used on you, dear….now….look up.”

Without missing a beat, you look up, only to see a slanted blade 5 feet away from you. Your body shakes as your eyes grow wide and tears become more adequate. You shake your head maniacally, begging for a way out. You watch her fingers reach out and grip an intricately carved handle and a glint of her smile. You groan and make animalistic sounds, begging for your life. Yet she doesn’t budge. She laughs wickedly as her breath quickens with every word.

“My name is Celestia Ludenburg, and I bid you, (y/n)....ADIEU!”

She forcefully pulls the handle as the blade drops rapidly onto your exposed neck. A crunch echos in the room as tears fall from your clenched eyes once again. As you open them, you see your body, slumped and bloody, on the guillotine bench. Your vision rolls over to Celeste as her wild, dilated red eyes are focused on yours; she wears a wicked smile as she curtsies to you once more before your brain realises it’s completely detached from your lifeless body.

~Mod Panda

[poploppege-turn]

Tagged by: @majorxbennyxboy​ (thank u dude ´･ᴗ･`)

name: Jessica

nickname/s: everyone calls me jess so i’ll just go with that. also have been called jessie and poppy

height: short. short even by gay standards

nationality: american

favorite fruit: pomegranate!! seriously if i was Persephone i would be stuck in hell for 300 out of the 12 months. oranges are another honorable mention

favorite season: spring or summer! i love being warm

favorite scents: i have 2 favorite scents: vanilla and apple

favorite color/s: my favorite color is red, followed by a yellowy-green (thats my blog background)

favorite animals: god i love cats. little kitties, big kitties, small kitties fat kitties. i also have a fondness for rabbits

tea, coffee, hot cocoa: honestly? none

average hours of sleep: 7-8, if im not actively sabotaging my sleep schedule

when my blog was created: oh man i cant remember.... it must have been about a year ago

# of followers: 262!

random fact: i’ll be honest with you guys. i hate chocolate

favorite food:a tie between lasagna and spaghetti. a really good cake is also up there

favorite tv shows: im a lazytown fan first, always. i also like Turn: washington’s spies, clearly. but thats really about it honestly

favorite movie: this one is hard, because i dont watch many movies. but if held at gunpoint i would choose mozart l’opera rock probably

favorite vine: i dont watch vines, never have, never will. but i will give my favorite to the yeet vine for changing our modern world

sexuality: lesbian. god i love girls

pronouns: she/her (also dont tell anyone but i might be considering they/them. hush hush)

favorite book series: i haven’t read very many book series, but i think i’ll give this one to the gentlemans guide to vice and virtue and the ladies guide to petticoats and piracy. 

favorite video game/s:  surprise surprise i dont play video games very much either, mostly i just play online ones. i cant decide which is my favorite but im going to name elephant quest and LOOT the game for being such great games to replay

favorite subject: i dunno man. math is pretty fun

guys or girls: both, i dont care about gender, i mostly care about what the person is like. but ive found 

last time i cried:  like, a few days ago. depression be like that

hair colour: brown

what i should be doing: working on a debate project in my history class. its open in another tab though i promise i’ll do it

favorite fandoms: i dont know. i love the turn fandom and the lazytown fandom for the most part (there’ll always be those dark corners of messed up people in every fandom). i’d also like the i made america fandom IF IT EXISTED

tagging:@lucieischilling @comp-lady @onemoreiguess @cupric-solution and anyone else who wants to do it just day that i tagged you ^-^

[weirdponytail]

“The Lucas Problem” pt 1 (Huntik Fanfiction, SnT drabble)

(A/N: Part one of that Lucas drabble I’ve been bashing out. Everyone is a little OoC, Lucas is a rude and grumpy jerk, and Zhalia sets him straight about toying with the Fears brothers abandonment issues. Dante is just as protective of the brothers as his girlfriend is, and Lok and Sophie take their roles as ‘big happy family don’t mess with us’ quite seriously. Feel free to critique the parts with the Casterwill team, I’m still very shaky on how to write them. :3 cheers!)

THE LUCAS PROBLEM

It was a rather crowded week at the Venice Casterwill Townhouse.

See, there had been a bit of emergency remodeling at Dante’s house. The various attempts by Blood Spirals to break his home defenses had, in a final cosmic act of petty vengeances after their defeat, managed to collapse the shields two weeks after the defeat of the Betrayer.

And it also collapsed part of the plumbing. So until further notice, Dante and Lok were crashing at Sophie’s place.

To make it even more crowded, not to mention slightly awkward for Harrison, Zhalia had appeared with the Fears boys. She had an order from Foundation HQ to move out of her apartment because of multiple threats on her and Harrison’s lives. Due to a few being anonymously sent from what appeared to be low tier Casterwills and even a few Foundation foot soldiers, not to mention the remaining Blood Spirals, the former spy thought it best to take refuge with the actual Casterwill leader.

With Sophie’s influence and protection, Zhalia would actually sleep a little better than in a hotel, knowing that any carried out threats from Casterwills would be met with something they feared worse than death: Excommunication. Harrison would be safe with the team and Zhalia watching him until they found a suitable apartment that would quickly be rendered safely invisible via ‘Does Not Exist’ Foundation blacklisting.

Then Lucas showed up, Dellix and Lane at his heels. “Family time,” he had said. Though honestly, it looked as if one of the other Casterwill elders had pinched his ear and told him to get to know his sister a little better now that they weren’t in danger of being shot at every few minutes. Seeing as Sophie hadn’t heard a word from her brother since the final conflict, it came as quite the surprise.

The team had all groaned a bit when they heard that Lucas was going to be around. Sure, he was a little more tolerable than when they first met, and everyone was quite fine with Dellix and Lane hanging out, but Lucas was still just a tick below insufferable in his high and mighty attitude. Even Sophie was nearly fed up with him by the third day of his visit, biting back some rather unladylike language she had learned from Zhalia whenever her brother sneered or commented on how LeBlanche’s way of cooking wasn’t exactly how a ‘proper Casterwill’ would have done it.

Poor Harrison and Den caught the brunt of the young man’s rudeness. Just bordering the edge of statements that the original Huntik team could justifiably call him out for, Lucas took nearly every opportunity he saw when around the boys to make snide comments about traitors and his team’s successes in hunting down the remaining Blood Spirals. Once he learned that they had grown up in an orphanage, instead of eliciting empathy as someone who had also lost both parents, Lucas seemed to view them with even more disgust than before.

Dellix and Lane, on the other hand, were near perfect houseguests. They helped with meals, joined in on any group activities the Huntik team happened to have going on, and were all around funny and enjoyable to have in the Townhouse.

‘The Lucas Problem,’ as LeBlanche had stiffly called it in a private conversation with Sophie one evening, reached a head by day four.

It was nearly lunchtime, and LeBlanche and Cherit had offered to make a refreshing summer meal for the group. Everyone else was gathered in one of the Townhouse’s split reading and media rooms. Dante and Zhalia were at one of the tables, scrolling through various activity reports and mission offers on their Holotome and Technomicon respectively. The younger two-thirds of the Huntik team was playing low volume video games on the massive TV that graced the wall above the fireplace. Dellix and Lane had taken the last remaining seats at opposite ends of the couch, cheering on whoever struck their fancy as they waited for a chance to swap in.

Lucas had decided to grace everyone with his presence half an hour ago, taking up one of the armchairs that tilted away from the television to read one of the Casterwill manuscripts he had dug up from the library shelves. Lok, ever good natured even to wet towels like Sophie’s brother, had invited Lucas to join them for a round but had been shot down more harshly than even Zhalia had managed before her betrayal. Dellix and Lane had quietly apologized, and soon it was all forgotten as the next match got underway.

Forgotten, that is, until it was time to pick a new game.

After three hours of Left 4 Dead co-op and verses, the play style was getting a little stale. Sophie opened up the cabinet filled to bursting with games for various consoles– all bought after much pestering from Lok and then Den later on– for them to peruse and was immediately mobbed by the Fears brothers.

“Smash Bros Brawl!” Den crowed, snatching the case from the shelf. “This’ll be great!”

Harrison shoulder checked his elder twin to the side, an impressive feat for such a boney boy. “No way! You know all the exploits!” He picked up the battered Game Cube case for the earlier version of the classic game. “Smash Bros Melee!”

Den’s eyes narrowed as he straightened from where Harrison had shoved him. “Brawl.”

Harrison bristled right back. “Melee!”

“Oh dear.” Sophie sighed. Lok grinned widely and patted the empty space on the couch beside him. “Here they go again.” The Casterwill heiress sat beside her boyfriend and leaned against his side. “You’d think they would have let go of this sort of thing after nearly killing each other.”

“Sophie, I gotta tell you.” The mirth was evident in Lok’s voice as the growled stand off between the twins grew to shouting. “When you actually grow up with a sibling…sometimes you don’t ever grow out of this kind of thing.”

“Hey.” Zhalia didn’t even look up from her Technomicon. It was nearly three weeks after the final battle with the Betrayer now, and she had learned to let Den and Harrison settle their differences in whatever way they saw fit. Taking sides or shutting their arguments down just led to miniature replays of the night the two had been separated, and brought up feelings of abandonment and betrayal. Letting the boys duke it out to vent their emotions over the trauma of the previous months ended up being the healthiest option she and Dante had found so far. “Keep it to an unpowered level, guys. I’m not cleaning up another busted window with you two.”

The twins grunted in acknowledgement and had the respect to place their argued game cases in the moderate safety of the cupboard…before launching at each other and ending up in a scrabbling knot of limbs and teeth and nails as they viciously wrestled on the rug in front of the fireplace.

Dellix and Lane had become used to the occasional spat between the two brothers during their visit. They sat back with Lok and Sophie on the couch, watching with amusement as the boys used every dirty trick available to them in attempts to gain the upper hand. The noise level increased exponentially, echoing down the halls and filling the room with mangled hybrid sentences of English and Dutch swearing.

All of a sudden, Lucas’s voice cut through the din.

“If you two don’t be quiet and act like civilized human beings, that woman is going to take you back to where she found you and bloody leave you there! I’m trying to concentrate!”

Lucas looked rather smugly satisfied at the abrupt silence his words had brought.

If he had taken the time to glance up from his musty old book he would have seen what a massive mistake he just made.

Den and Harrison had both frozen in place, wide eyes locked together in a look of shock and deeply ingrained fear of losing their home again. Sophie and Lok were both on their feet, and despite Lok holding Sophie back with a hand on her shoulder as she shook with tight lipped rage, the Lambert boy had blue sparks flicking off his clenched fist.

Dante’s glare was literally as powerful as fire. No one had noticed, but a tiny flame had burst to life on the table, which he had quickly smothered with his palm before turning his smoldering gaze to the elder Casterwill.

Even Dellix and Lane knew that their commander had crossed a line. The dark skinned swordsman subconsciously moved his hand to the sheath that rested against his knee, feeling the tension in the air thicken to a nearly unbearable level. Lane shifted uneasily as her fingers drifted to the amulet at her neck, ready to call Wildwood Druid at a moment’s notice if things seemed out of hand for her larger counterpart.

Zhalia had stopped at the sound of Lucas’s words, finger hovering over the final keycode rune to unlock the database entry she needed. If Dante seemed angry, then the woman across from him was at a level well beyond rage. She was at a point that surpassed any outward betrayal of the emotion, face deadpan as she slowly closed the lid of her Technomicon and stood.

Her voice, low and just barely containing the pure feral wrath that only Dante could feel rolling off her in heart crushing pulses, cut through the heavy silence like a razor bladed knife.

“Lucas. Sparing match. Outside. Now.”

Lucas waved her off, still engrossed in his book. The very idea of fighting Zhalia seemed to bore him. “I’m in the middle of a manuscript. Maybe later.”

The Casterwill elder let out a yell of surprise when an unknown assailant grabbed a fistful of his shirt on each shoulder and roughly yanked him over the back of the armchair, manuscript flipping from his hands and sliding across a nearby table. Dante wrenched the younger man around to bring him eye to eye, moving his grip to clench bunches of fabric so tight under his throat that it forced the Casterwill to lift his chin so he could keep breathing normally.

In an icy wave of realization, Lucas had the distinct feeling that he was looking a very angry, very protective, and very deadly lion in the eye.

And all that anger was focused on him.

“It’s rude to turn down a dance from a lady.” Dante growled. “But at any rate, she wasn’t asking, Lucas.”

A white steel sword suddenly appeared at Dante’s throat. In a flash Zhalia was at her partner’s side, and put herself between the bristling Dellix and seething Dante. Unafraid, she pushed the back of her hand against the flat of the blade, ready to deflect any ill-advised movement against her boyfriend’s neck.

“You had better put this away before I make you eat it, Dellix.” Zhalia’s soft voice held the fine edge of what was very much not an idle threat. “I’ve got nothing against you or Lane. I just want a chance to give your little leader a lesson in manners on the sparring field.”

“Oh, he’ll fight you alright.” The locked together foursome looked over when Sophie cut in. “Lucas, you went too far. This match isn’t a suggestion, it’s an order. From me.” Her green eyes flashed. “Dellix, Lane. Stand down. Zhalia and Lucas, you both have ten minutes to prepare. Meet in the courtyard and we’ll discuss the rules of the match. Dante’s referee.”

At the Casterwill leader’s command, Dellix stepped back and sheathed his blade, though a little reluctantly. Dante kept his gaze on Lucas for a long, tense second before shoving the young man back and letting go of his shirt.

As the Huntik team gathered itself up to head downstairs, Zhalia took a moment to slip past Lucas, getting very much in his personal space.

“I’m going to mop the floor with you, kid.”

Lucas was sure the woman had hissed those words in his ear as she passed, but hadn’t even glimpsed her lips moving. Despite the disturbing finality the statement had, he straightened his shirt and marched off to retrieve his amulets.

He was a Casterwill, after all. And no one would defeat him on his own ground.

(posting this on ff.net tomorrow morning because my eyeball is trying to explode. Friggin migraines, man...)