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crown-anon · 4 years ago

Note

aah i thought of a req!!!!! could i maybe request one shots or hcs (separate) w dream, sapnap, n wilbur with a s/o (preferred he/him!!) who draws a whole lot,, n one day they catch him drawing him?? tysm :]

@ghcstbnr asked

gn i just realized i made a typo i meant cc catching reader drawing them- but ty again :)

of course! it's kind of long, sorry about that

I took a little creative liberty with the notion of "catching you drawing." also Sapnap's looks kind of long but it's also dialogue heavy. if you want me to redo it, I will. hope you like it 💗

& a note to everyone else, I don't write for Wilbur yet! I only write for the dream team at this time. sorry about that! this will probably change in the future, though, so look out 👀

CW: swearing

format: one-shot

people: dreamwastaken, Sapnap

pronouns: dreamwastaken's piece is ambiguous, Sapnap's piece uses he/him

edited 27 April 2021

—

dreamwastaken

since he doesn't use his camera, you find yourself with your boyfriend in the studio more often than not. when he's gaming casually, you play together, or one of you will cheer the other one on. when he's streaming, sometimes you interact with the viewers, or read donations for him; sometimes you just sit next to him, soaking up his energy and warmth. when he's working long days and long nights to edit videos, you're content with just relaxing together in the same space. at times you have to drag him out to the kitchen to eat, or help him to bed if he passes out, but…he's really cute when he's focused. (and you're starting to think he does it on purpose just so you can dote on him.)

today is a little different. he's recording for a manhunt that's meant to drop in a couple days. you're quiet, trying to avoid disrupting them. you're perched up on the loveseat, staring fondly at him across the room. he's so animated, the way his eyes shine when he talks to his friends, how he tears up when he laughs…

Patches mews at you from the arm of the couch, as if to say, disapprovingly, I cannot believe how sickeningly sweet your inner monologue is.

and you try to understand where she's coming from, you really do, but the sun's starting to set, and the gentle rays slotting through the blinds are shifting from white to gold.

he looks so divine, you decide. it's unfair. how could I not love him? he's seriously pretty. and before you can stop yourself, you're sketching him out on your tablet. you glance up at him fast to get the details right, and look away just as quickly. he never meets your eyes. soon your whole page is covered in little Clays, capturing the way he feels, the way he acts, the way you feel about him. Patches jumps off the chair, with all the moving. and before you know it, you've drawn up a whole page of concept art of your unfairly beautiful boyfriend. Patches was right about me, you muse to yourself.

fuck. Patches. the same Patches who's been meowing at you for the better part of an hour, now sitting patiently at the door? there's no way Clay didn't pick up on all that noise, you fret. but he's still playing, looking intense as ever. relief washes over you, replacing the guilt.

come here, girl, you think to yourself, knowing Patches wouldn't have even understood you if you spoke. sorry to keep you waiting. and you rise, slipping quietly out the door with his cat in your train.

—

you're coming back to the studio. Patches, fed and sated, is napping in another room. opening the door, you have to stop yourself, you freeze. your boyfriend's kneeling on the ground, sitting on his heels, right next to the door—you'd have hit him if it opened any further.

"baby, what are you…" the words die on your tongue.

my book. my sketchbook. my sketchbook full of drawings of him. shit, he's gonna think I'm such a simp! the embarrassment, the shame, the fear, it's overwhelming you.

you hear your voice break. "…what happened to recording…?"

"finished half an hour ago," he says simply.

and that was that. for the first time in ages, the silence hanging between you was thick and heavy with tension. you wait. and wait. and wait. you wait for the criticism, the hate, the argument that never comes.

suddenly, he seems content with what he's seen, when he looks up at you adoringly, and takes one of your hands, giving it a soft squeeze. "is that…me?"

you've lost your voice, all you can do is nod.

"you…you think I'm beautiful?" he glows.

ah, I suppose I did write that, somewhere in there. you look away. all the things I've said…

he brings your hand up to his lips and leaves kisses on your knuckles.

you sound small. "do I not tell you that enough?" you pause. "that you're beautiful? that I love you?"

and just like that, his nervousness dissolves into euphoria. you both start laughing at the same time.

"oh my god—" he wheezes. "—you're so sappy."

"only for you," you blurt out, and start laughing harder. but he quiets, he hesitates.

"only for me," he repeats.

you sink down onto the floor next to him. he's staring so fondly at you, you can't help but smile back.

"only for you," you affirm.

he rests his hands on your knees, pulling himself closer to you. he's so close to you, you can feel his blush. you let your eyes close, softly.

but the kiss never comes. instead, you're met with a "then what about all those drawings of Patches?"

laying on the floor, tangled up in each other, in hysterics, you distantly think I hope he remembered to leave the call from recording earlier.

—

over dinner, you meet his gaze, and he gives you that look. that stupid, handsome look; the one with the smile and the danger behind his eyes. he makes a point of pausing mid-bite, but it takes you a minute to notice that he's stopped eating.

"what's up, honey?" you ask, sounding a little more concerned than you should have been.

he shrugs dramatically. "oh, nothing…just figured you'd appreciate a muse." there it was. the teasing. you knew it would happen eventually. but the tone, it's kind, it's tempting; gentle, unlike a serious jab.

so all you do is roll your eyes, but you can't help the way your mouth quirks into a smile. "you're so dumb," you murmur with affection, and shake your head at nothing in particular.

Patches curls her tail around your ankle as she passes you by.

—

on the couch hours later for movie night, you're the last one up. Patches is curled up in Clay's lap, purring. Clay, in turn, sleeps soundly in your lap. (you think if he could purr, he would, but he settles for humming softly when you play with his hair.) you might think it's funny looking back on it later, but it feels so tender and vulnerable now. you like calm evenings like this one. Studio Ghibli plays quietly on the flatscreen; you don't know which one, you're not really paying attention anymore.

you're busy tracing the contours of Clay's skin, feeling more than seeing his shape in the dark room. mapping him out in your mind, learning his figure like you're seeing him for the first time again. you think you understand him a little bit better, every day you spend together. and with confidence, you make your first stroke, illuminated by the moon.

—

Sapnap

you only barely stop yourself from drawing a big "X" across your paper. exhale, and start erasing furiously. don't rip the paper—well, we didn't need that sheet anyway. ball it up and throw it at the dark, cobwebbed corner of the room. along with the rest of your mistakes.

you're trying. you're really trying. but those lips. his fucking lips. fuck.

your boyfriend smiles at the camera as he gets a donation with a sweet message on it. it should be so easy. he's right there. right here.

you check the time. it's been an hour. you've been trying, and miserably failing, to get his lips right for an entire hour. today, at least. you scoff at yourself, your misery, and pinch the bridge of your nose. it isn't fair.

his camera's on, and he's live, so you know you can't be in there with him. nobody knows you're together, and you don't want know what kind of backlash to expect if people found out. so you've been avoiding his streams…the whole room where he streams, really.

you've kept yourself busy by drawing. and you've cycled through many subjects in your life, and eventually, been able to draw whatever you put your mind to with enough time and effort. the problem is, your sights have been set on Sapnap, even for months before you got together. okay, maybe that isn't the problem. the actual problem is that you fucking suck at drawing him.

you get going, start it out, do an okay job, but midway through screw it all up somehow. to make things worse, your reference is his 2D image. he doesn't…know that you draw him. you're terrified to say. so you can't use the real life Sapnap as a reference, like you would prefer.

ugh, and this one's ruined too. you rip it up and throw it at your growing pile of paper balls, but being tiny confetti-sized pieces of paper, they don't make it very far. great, something else to clean up later, you huff at your own thoughts. it isn't fair.

—

"[name]?" he calls for you. you're one step ahead, already opening the door. you can't remember when you got here and decided to brood outside his room.

"hey, do you think you can—" he tears his eyes from his camera, his waiting audience, to look up at you expectantly. when he sees you he stops immediately, looking concerned, standing to meet you.

"what is it?" your voice is flat.

out of view of the camera, he mouths, are you okay? you only shrug and avert your eyes.

he falters, contemplates, sits back down at his desk and starts to talk to his viewers. "hey guys, I'm sorry for the short notice, but I gotta cut this stream short. my…" he glances at you for approval, only to see you motioning with your hands as if to say, no, don't.

(you yourself don't really know what for. no, don't end the stream for me? no, don't out us like this?)

he looks back. "…my friend…something came up with my friend. I have to take care of it. it's really important." you can tell he has trouble finding the right words. you can tell it throws him off, he's acting out of character for his internet personality. do you blame him? isn't this your fault? "sorry again. bye guys!"

the second he made the last click, he gets up and pulls you into a hug. it's unexpected, it knocks the wind out of you. you're certain he feels the tension.

"babe…what's wrong?" it's muffled by your neck and the sweater you're wearing. you just hold him, saying nothing.

he pulls away and holds you by the shoulders. "look at me. what's wrong?"

you feel all the more embarrassed. it's so silly to be upset about. "I…I…well, it's a lot."

he shakes his head, to say I'm not going anywhere, but his expression softens, his grip loosens. "do you want to talk about it?"

you sigh. "it started as 'I can't draw for shit', then it became 'why am I afraid of asking you for help?', and finally, worst of all, 'why the fuck can't we be seen together?' it isn't fair. it's never been fair. I'm sorry."

he thinks about it for a second. "okay, what makes you feel like we can't be seen together?"

"are you joking?" you snap. "we're two fucking boyfriends. in this society." he didn't look hurt by the outburst, but the guilt crept in anyway. "…I'm sorry."

he shakes his head, "do you really think I'd let that happen? I wouldn't ever let anyone hurt you, darling. remember that."

"I know, I know…" you don't know what to say. "it's easy to forget, I guess."

"what are you afraid to ask me for help about?"

"I…" shit, you guess you have to tell him. close your eyes, breathe, "I've been drawing you. trying to draw you. but I can't, it never turns out right."

you peek, and he's red in the face, stuttering. "me? you draw me? of all the hot people out there?"

you furrow your eyebrows at him. "don't give me that shit. you know you're cute."

he shakes his head incredulously. "are we talking about the same person here?"

"dude, your smile is literally the most radiant fucking force of nature I have ever seen."

"you're hot too! why are you coming after me?"

"I'm not 'coming after you', you're being defensive about your looks, when you shouldn't be! you're gorgeous, baby."

you're both giggling like girls at a sleepover, the anger and frustration long forgotten. now it's a war of who can be more grossly in-love with the other.

"what part of me," he manages between laughs. "are you having trouble drawing?"

"oh god," you groan, remembering yourself and your dilemma. "your lips."

"my fucking lips? you would think that—"

"no," you warn. "shut up. don't say it. don't you dare say it."

he leans in close, his hands have moved up to cup your face. you shiver.

"don't worry," he grins. "I won't."

the kiss is long and sweet, nothing like the ones you've shared in the past. he takes his time, you savor each other. you feel time stop ticking, you feel your heart stop beating, you feel the way he tilts his head. you grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him in. and when you part, you're breathing heavy, in tandem.

"thanks," you manage. "but I needed to see your lips, not kiss you into next saturday."

"nah," he laughs. "I think you needed that too."

you choose your words thoughtfully. "do you need me, too?"

he hums, and—

ding!

dreamwastaken donated $69!

you could die. you could really, seriously die.

the response is instant. you don't even see Sapnap move from you to the PC, flushed down to his neck, apologizing, apologizing, and apologizing again. "change of plans, guys, we're doing an art stream!"

the chat is filled with "huh?"s and "what?"s.

"huh? what?" you didn't have the time to process what just happened.

karljacobs: I thought we were doing a make-out-with-our-secret-boyfriends stream :(

he smiled warmly at you. "yeah. my lovely boyfriend is going to draw me! he's been wanting to for a really long time, and his art is really good. let's go get your stuff."

you're in so much shock that he makes it past you and out of the room, while you stand there waiting. after a pause much longer than you intended, you hurry after him.

—

down the hall, in your room, he's got your sketchbook tucked under his arm, closed. you're sure you left it open when you came out.

you only barely get the words out. "um, did you…go through it? please don't laugh."

your heart sinks when he laughs heartily, but he grabs your hand, resting it on your book, about to hand it off. but he holds you there for a second. "of course not. I respect your privacy." he ponders for a moment. "I respect you."

you can feel the sigh of relief when you let it out. "I…love you."

your holding your book now, as he moves to collect the boxes containing your pens and pencils and colors. he gets them all together, but before he picks them up to head back, he turns around to face you. "is this too much?"

you absently reach for a hand, tracing over the lines on his palms. and you think about it. am I okay? is this too much?

"I don't think so. not with you. I'm okay."

he moves to open the door and grab the rest of your things. "well then, let's not keep them waiting!"

—

edited 27 April 2021

#dreamwastaken x reader #dream x reader #clay x reader #sapnap x reader

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steve0discusses · 4 years ago

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Yugioh Ep33 S4 pt 2: The Best Storyboarder Came Back Just so They Could Draw Tristan Getting Hit in the Nuts

OK lets just get to the good stuff.

God bless you, storyboarder.

(read more under the cut)

The team has entered the Atlantis lair of Dartz, which is also accessible through Paradius in San Fransisco, but youknow...we don’t have magic so it’s not like we could’ve skipped like 10 minutes and just done that instead of the helicopter escape, the Military moment, and the ride through a hurricane.

Oh wait, we do have magic, that’s right...well...for now, pretend we don’t.

Enjoy the snakes.

Strangely, Kaiba does not feel comfortable with the snakes, when snakes really just a smaller and cuter dragon. I love snakes. Never owned one...but I trust em.

Dartz has the Yugioh “old guy” aesthetic of “We just really like yellowed sandstone”

I get that they want this place (and also Yami’s house) to look like a tomb so there won’t be any paint on the wall but this is just a pet peeve of mine that Ancient times freakin loved garish colors on the wall in layers and layers of patterns and yet in fiction we never show that.

But...it doesn’t go with the vibe. I’ll let it go because it would absolutely ruin the vibe to have a bunch of swirly stuff in neon orange and green.

Before we have a chance to grab a step stool and just kinda yoink Yugi Muto, Dartz shows up, and this shot happens.

I couldn’t not grab a cap of that. I mean...look at it. It is SO HARD to foreshorten hands so it looks right and then bam they just did that. It’s just...

...I’ve been breaking down foreshortening in Yugioh shots for a while now trying to figure out why when I do it, it looks like a busted huge hand, but when they do it, it looks really good, and I’m starting to realize that maybe it’s more than just stacking but also...the composition?

You can’t really look at this picture as a whole. The hand is such a strong focal point that you must start there, and then follow down the arm to the face. I think when I do these foreshortening shots I make the hand the same weight as the face, and that’s my downfall. You gotta let the composition force the viewer to slow down and take time in order for the optical illusion to happen...maybe? I’m like over 30 now, you’d think I’d figure this out by now.

Whatever, that’s another post.

So like...what happened to those two people who used to be there????

And now prepare thyself for my lazy math. I know this math is bad. For people out there who feel like working out the geometric growth and calculate just how many souls Dartz slurps up--feel free to tell me. If I like the explanation, I will adjust the Death Count to match it. It’s just too 2020 for me to do more than multiplication at the moment.

Did I count how many people would have existed 10,000 years ago? no. Did I account for plagues? No. Like this math of 4 a day is bad...but eh it’s all I got right now in my mental ammunition.

Something that we did think about was...

Why not slurp up the Pharaoh soul when Yami was still alive? Like we assume the puzzle existed in the past but like...did Yami not get superpowered until Yugi woke him up? Was he in fact useless until he got a little bit of a battery charge during Season Zero when he was dumping people off of bell towers?

And like I get not knowing about the underground Ishtars, and not being able to get a hold of Shadi because Shadi is a lazy ghost, but Bakura was RIGHT THERE. You can’t munch up Pegasus off screen and then say “eh but Bakura’s kinda low tier” we know for a fact that Bakura is not...so like...there must have been some copyright situation where they couldn’t use certain characters. This is a filler arc--but it would have been nice to have at least some explanation as to why it took Dartz so long to finally murder the hell out of Pharaoh.

Which is me expecting way too much out of this show. Just something I was really hoping would get addressed but leave it for the headcanon.

It’s at this point that Mokuba realized he’s standing on top of people.

A crypt made out of human souls! Crazy, usually we’re in a crypt made out of one single human soul....and both of these crypts have Yugi in it.

In Raphael’s storyline, he’s been busy just cleaning up after everyone else. It’s supposed to come off as very serious but I was totally busting up when he’s just dropping bodies into the back of this jeep.

And in the Kaiba Corp plotline, Roland is anxiously wondering if he should be a Dad and save the kids or if he should be a dog and stay in the plane.

He stays in the plane.

Strangely this was the right call. (And this is why Roland has never died)

So they start throwing around cards, as you do, and Dartz puts down his Orichalcos, has he does, when suddenly...they started seeing stuff again. Can’t have a single card game without it.

So the Orichalcos is just a backstory device? For reals?

Something I alluded to quite a few episodes back with Valon was just...wondering why the hell the Orichalcos crew had so much freakin magic as to make all these visions during duels. Turns out...it’s just a thing to occasionally trip on Oricalchos juice. I’m not sure why we never had a vision with Mai, Weevil, Rex, or Gurimo, but at least we now know that Raphael and Valon weren’t as magical as I thought they were.

So we’re in like...outer space. Kind of the last place you’d expect out of ancient Atlantis and Dartz isn’t having ANY OF IT.

And honestly that makes sense. Imagine giving someone 10,000 years ago the run down on outer space. They’d freak. They’d definitely think you’re talking about demons.

If space is an elaborate analogy, we don’t know that yet. For how this is presented, it’s just an old man hootin and hollerin about how much space sucks, and I love that.

PS how anime is this shot of the earth behind the orichalcos symbol and the dude in the middle with the ass length blue hair--really damn anime, right?

Like at least one of you has this wall hanging, right?

For those that are too tired to look it up, Pangea was 280-230 million years ago.

THAT REALLY CHANGES MY MATH.

AND I’M TOO TIRED.

So my thoughts are...either the math is wrong and I’ll fix it eventually in post, depending on my mood come next Wednesday, OR...humanity was deleted and then came back later??? (because the dawn of mankind was 7 million years ago)

OR...

They just felt like drawing Pangea 10 million years ago. Maybe that’s all. Maybe I don’t have to fix anything. I dunno.

Maybe this isn’t Earth.

Maybe Yugioh Earth never had Loma Preita because it isn’t actually Earth. And, like a Final Fantasy situation, is a second planet on a parallel plane of our own?

Either way, I’m not redoing the math because I actually don’t know how to change it anymore. I’m v undecided of the timeline now......maybe the next episode will tell us more? (I doubt this very much)

RIP deathcount.

Yo Atlantis!

I have a lot of questions!

About Atlantis!

And the purpose of the aqueduct going the wrong direction.

Is that in fact the poop shoot?

But wtv it looks neat.

So anyway, that’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed my bad math, and I hope you enjoy your Halloween. Ours is a whole lot of nothing. I’ll be watching lots of Phasmaphobia streams while eating Butterfingers that I legally can’t give to children because it’s an epidemic (butterfingers is like the last candy that my old 30 yo ass can handle without passing out or gagging. Weird how getting older makes me hate all the good things I couldn’t eat when I was younger because I was too young to be allowed to eat them.) and that’s about it.

WHY did Halloween finally fall on a Saturday DURING an epidemic? I only get so many Saturday Halloweens in my youth...just why.

(and here’s a link to read these in chrono order)

#ygo #yugioh #recap #photo recap #humor #atlantis #yami #seto kaiba #mokuba #dartz #tristan taylor #getting hit in the nuts #roland #hallucinating while playing cards who knew?#S4 #Ep33

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atlafan · 5 years ago

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Take it Slow - Part Forty-Seven

a/n: okay this is my first shot at a harry:y/n fic, and it will be multiple parts. y/n had a bad experience with an ex over a year ago, and finally accepts her coworker and good friend Niall’s invitation to go on a blind date with his friend Harry.

Warnings: Smut and Fluff. TW: Mention of Past Abuse.

Masterpost (all previous parts can be found in the masterpost)

“No offense, Y/N, but you look terrible.” Niall says handing you your coffee.

“I know, I woke up late.” You take a sip of it. “Mm, thank you.” He chuckles.

“Were you up late?”

“Mhm, sort of.” He raises an eyebrow at you. “Harry sort of…wore me out…but that’s all I’m saying.”

“You’re not used to him yet?” He smirks.

“He always finds a way to surprise me, that’s for sure.”

Your morning goes by pretty quickly. A lot of people were talking about the party tomorrow. You, Harry, Niall, and Sarah were all going together. You remember that Harry was home working for the day, and you have the brilliant idea to go home for lunch.

Harry was working at his desk at home. He was having a much calmer day only having to communicate with everyone over email. He hears the jingle of keys and hears your footsteps. He turns his body towards the hallway.

“Surprise!” You say kicking your shoes off.

“What are ya doin’ home?” He gets up and hugs you.

“I remembered you were home today so I thought I’d come here for lunch.” You were wearing jeans and a blazer.

“You were thinkin’ of me?”

“I always think of you baby.” His heart flutters. He kisses you all over your face and you giggle.

“Right, well, since you’re home, how ‘bout a shag?” You burst out laughing and press your forehead into his chest.

“A shag?” He pulls you tighter to him.

“A shag, a romp, a fuck, all the same thing. How ‘bout it?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Really?”

“Mhm.” You start to take your blazer off and undo your pants. “Well come on, I don’t have all afternoon.”

You had to redo your makeup and put your hair up after your shag with Harry. He fucked you so good, like he always did. All you wanted to do was stay in your nice warm bed, but you had to get back to work.

You found your mind to keep slipping to Harry. You really didn’t like it when you couldn’t cuddle after having sex. You were shy enough after as it was. You needed that time to just feel his skin on your skin. Niall comes in to see you towards the end of the day.

“Excited for tomorrow?”

“Mhm.”

“Your cheeks are kind of flushed, are you feelin’ okay?”

“Yeah! I feel great.”

“What did you do for lunch today?”

“Oh, I went home…Harry was working from home today.” He smirks at you. “Stop.”

“I didn’t say anythin’.”

“But I know what you’re thinking.”

“I’m just happy he makes you happy.” You both laugh.

“Me too.”

Harry was playing Madden when you got home. He had a head set on and was talking to someone. He smiles at you when you walk in. You needed him to hold you, you felt like you were going to collapse in on yourself. You crawl into his lap and wrap your arms around him.

“Oi, I gotta go mate. Yeah, my girl’s home. Later.” He takes his headset off and saves his game. “Hi baby.” He wraps his arms around your back.

“You could’ve kept playing, I just wanna cuddle.”

“Nope, you deserve my fullest attention.” You make a whiny noise into his neck. He chuckles at you. “What is it sweetheart?”

“You’re just so cute.”

“Why don’t you go put some comfy clothes on and we can snuggle for a bit before dinner, hm?”

“Okay.”

You get up and pad into the bedroom. You put on a pair of his sweatpants and one of his long sleeve shirts. He’s stretched out on the sofa waiting for you.

“Um, do you think you could lay on top of me?” You just wanted to feel his weight on you.

“Sure.” He gets up and you take his spot. He lays his head on your chest and gets settled between your legs. You hug him close to you and sigh happily.

“I wish we had saved some time for this earlier. I felt weird all afternoon.”

“Weird?” He tilts his head up to look at you.

“I can’t explain it. It was like I was extra shy or something.” You wrap your legs around his waist. “I feel much better now.”

Harry had come to the realization when you two first got together that you were someone that needed aftercare. Even though you both hadn’t done anything too wild, you were putting your body through things that had been on pause for over a year. He could see it when you’d slip into a subspace, or even when you were being more dominant, you were still the one that needed the aftercare. It was like you’d become this entirely different person, and you’d snap out of it eventually. He also realized you had no idea what any of this was because you had never dabbled in the more intense stuff like he had.

He snuggles further into your chest. You loved having his full weight on you. There was truly nothing better. You kiss the top of his head.

“We can’t fall asleep babe or we won’t sleep well tonight.” He says.

“I know.” You play with his hair and you feel him smile against you. “Maybe after dinner we can try that thing in the mirror like you suggested.”

“Alright.”

After a nice snuggle you and Harry make a quick dinner. Just a simple stirfry, nothing fancy. You both keep all your clothes on as you stand in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Harry wraps his arms around you and kisses the top of your head. You take a deep breath.

“Okay, let me bend a bit.” You press your palms against the bathroom counter, and stick your butt out.

Harry puts his hands on your hips and positions himself behind you. You close your eyes when you feel him press against you. You feel your heart race.

“Baby, open your eyes.” He coos. You slowly open them and look at him through his reflection. “See? Just me, love.” You smile at him. You feel a tear roll down your cheek and you start laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“This is just so silly.” You continue laughing and stand up straight. You turn to look at him. “I’m so messed up, it’s crazy.”

“It’s not silly, and you’re not messed up. I think it’s really brave of you to take these small steps.”

“But we’re not always going to have a mirror around.”

“True, but there’s no rush. So maybe by the time it happens you’ll be fine.”

“Why are you always so understanding?”

“Don’t know how else to be.”

“Let’s, um, try it again.”

You turn back around and get back into the position. Harry keeps one hand on your hip, and slides the other up your back to soothe you. He presses a little harder against you. You suck in a breath and close your eyes.

“C’mon, Y/N, gotta keep your eyes open.” He says gently. You snap them back open and look at him. “You’re completely safe with me.”

You nod your head in understanding. You rest your elbows on the counter and push back against him. You feel him grow hard against you as he pushes back. Your face starts to flush and you look at yourself.

“Is this how I always look?”

“What do you mean?”

“When I’m…I mean my face always turns this color?”

“You have a bit of a tell, yeah.” He smirks. “But I love it.”

“That’s so embarrassing.” You turn around and hide your face in your hands. Harry gently pries them away.

“You’re literally the most beautiful woman in the world, it’s not embarrassing. It’s cute.”

“Harry, stop.” You pout. “I’m all flustered now.” He backs you up against the counter and presses his front to yours.

“Hmm, what could we do about that?” You giggle.

“Do you mind if we just have a nice snuggle?”

“Not at all. I’m proud of you, you know?” He gives you a light kiss on the lips.

You couldn’t remember the last time you went to bed so early on a Friday night. Harry was in the middle of reading to you when you thought of something. There had been mornings where you were perfectly fine grinding your butt against his morning wood. Maybe when things happened more naturally it wasn’t as scary? Why did it scare you sometimes but not all the time?

“Harry?”

“Yes?” He takes his glasses off to look at you.

“I wanna try something.”

“You’re not too tuckered out?”

“No, we need to keep doing things.” You reach below the covers and take your panties off.

“What exactly are we tryin’?”

“I’m going to get into position. You can leave your boxers on. And you can press against me.”

“Are you sure you wanna do this now?”

“Yes.” You still had his long sleeve shirt on from earlier, and you were keeping it on.

You get on your elbows and knees while Harry gets behind you. The sight of you from this angle made his cock twitch, but he was trying to keep himself calm. He moves your hips up closer to him, and presses against you. You look back at him and give him a weak smile. His hands spread you apart more.

“Babe?” He asks.

“Yeah?”

“Doin’ alright?”

“Think so.”

“Good.” You looked good enough to eat from this angle. He was trying so hard to control himself, but he couldn’t help himself from getting hard against you. “Sorry, I’m not doin’ that on purpose.” You can’t help but giggle.

“It’s okay. What is it about a woman’s asshole that turns a guy on so much?”

“I don’t know, but it’s workin’ f’me, I can tell ya that.” You both start laughing.

“Okay, okay, what if we try, like…you pressed against me skin to skin.”

“You sure?”

“Let’s just try it.” You feel the bed shift as Harry takes his boxers off. He grips himself.

“So you want me to just press against you?”

“Yeah.”

He tilts your hips up slightly higher. He bites his bottom lip when he sees that you’re getting wet. He spreads your cheeks apart and presses against you. You flinch slightly.

“Just me baby, I’m right here.”

“I feel scared, Harry.” You feel tears welling up.

“Okay, let me back up.”

“No, stay, I need to push through this.”

“Babe…” He sits back on his heels. You turn yourself around to look at him. “This was plenty for tonight.”

“But, I-“

“I can’t have ya cryin’.” He wipes a tear away with his thumb. “You did so well, tryin’ all tha’ out. Next time we can try more.”

“You’re not…frustrated with me?” His face falls.

“Not in the slightest.” He pulls you in and hugs you to his chest. You cry into his chest, but you take a deep breath and kiss him on the cheek.

“Let’s, um, go to sleep.”

He nods and gets back under the covers with you. You lay on his chest with a leg strung over his. He keeps you as close as he possibly can to soothe you. You were making progress, and he really was proud of you. He just didn’t want you pushing yourself for him.

The next morning you wake up fully on top of Harry. How the tables have turned. His arms were wrapped around you with his hands clasped. You felt like a little baby sleeping on him like this, and you were slightly embarrassed. You wondered if he was able to sleep comfortably. You shift to move off him, but his grip on you was too tight.

“Where do ya think you’re goin’?” He asks without opening his eyes and you giggle.

“I need to pee.”

“Likely story.” He opens one eye to look at you.

“No I really do.”

He rolls you both over so he’s on top of you. He presses his hand down on your bladder.

“Harry!” He starts laughing into your neck. “What do you want me to do, pee the bed?”

“Course not, go ‘head.” He lifts up and you slip from under him to use the toilet. You come back at out and shake your head at him. “Please come back to bed.”

“I wanna work out and get some stuff done before we’re gone all night.”

“Babe, pleaasseeeee.” He whines.

“Oh alright, but only for a little while.”

You crawl back into bed with him and snuggle up close. He sighs happily.

“Did I sleep like that on you all night?”

“Don’t know. I sorta woke up and you were like that.”

“And you were still able to sleep?”

“You’re not that heavy, love. Didn’t bother me.” You smile at him and kiss him on the nose.

After staying in bed for another hour, having light pillow talk and small kisses, you both get up. You go to the gym and get a good workout in. When you come back Harry has lunch waiting for you. You take a quick shower and wash your hair. You blow it out and curl your whole head. You wanted to create an updo for the party. You grab your laptop off your little desk and bring it into the bathroom with you so you can find a YouTube video that suits you. You find a cute bun video to follow. Harry comes into the bedroom to figure out what suit he wanted to wear. You’d be able to check into the hotel before the party.

“We don’t need to be changed beforehand right?” He starts laughing at you. Your eyebrows were furrowed, and your hair was all over the place.

“Can you please let me be? This takes a lot of concentration.” You’re trying to pin a braid back.

“Sorry.”

“To answer your question, no we don’t need to be dressed beforehand. What suit are you going to wear?”

“Well that’s what I wanted to ask. I have a green suit the exact color of your dress. Did you want me to match?”

“That would be so cute! I know Sarah is having Niall wear a pink shirt with his blue suit since her dress is pink. I’d love it if we matched.”

“Alright.” He smiles. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

“Thanks.” You giggle and get back to your hair.

Once you finish, and get the low bun to look the way you want you take a step back and add some hairspray. It was a really cute bun. Two little braids, some hair left out in the front to frame your face, and you were able to get it to look big and loose in the back. You do your makeup next. You always did your eyes first. You decided to have a little fun and use some liquid liner over your eyeshadow. You take out some false lashes that you really only use for occasions like this. They weren’t huge, but they added that little extra pop you were looking for. Next you added your foundation and contoured your face. You take out the red lipstick Harry loves so much and put it on. You spritz some finishing spray on and clean everything up. You start to pack what you’ll need for your evening away and grab your dress from your closet. You decide on wearing your white strappy heels with it. You grab a white shall from your closet. You thought it would make the dress look even more elegant.

You come out to the living room with all your things. Harry was ready to go, of course. He looked up at you and did a double take.

“Wow.” He rubs the back of his neck.

“Just wait until the dress goes on.” You wink.

Harry drives to Niall’s to pick him and Sarah up. Sarah did the same as you by just having hair and makeup done. You and Niall talk about how great the food is. You explain that they play a large variety of music since the generations of people who work for the company at large varies. Niall explains the various other departments and areas the company exists in. There would be people coming from all over the country.

You each check into your rooms and continue getting ready. You slide your dress on, and wobble over to Harry to have him help you zip it.

“Oh Harry, your suit looks so nice!”

“You look stunning.” He rubs his hands on his shoulders.

“I’m not done yet.”

You pull out a necklace and slide the jewel off it and stick it back in your bag. You take the rose ring off your middle finger and slide it onto the chain. You hold it up and back up to Harry.

“Help me clasp this? I can never do it on my own. Probably why I never wear necklaces.” He chuckles and helps you. You turn around. “How’s it look? It’s such a nice ring I thought this would look nice tonight.”

“Looks great.” He takes it between his fingers. “Cute.”

“Then when everyone asks me where I got it I can say my boyfriend gave it to me.”

You slip your heels on and hear a knock on the door. Sarah and Niall were all dressed up. Sarah had a bottle of tequila in her hand.

“We ready to pregame?”

“Yes! Come in.” Harry looked at Niall confused.

“Didn’t realize we were drinkin’ beforehand…” Harry said.

“Trust me, you’ll want to. Niall and I always get stuck with boring people at our dinner table.”

Everyone does a shot or two before heading down to the ballroom. Harry keeps a hand on the small of your back the entire time. You find your names and what table you’ll be sitting at.

“Good they put is near the dance floor.” Niall says.

“Probably learned from last year.” You giggle.

“Isn’t this hotel nice, Harry?” Sarah asks him.

“Yeah! It’s incredible. Ever stay at a place like this before?”

“Never! Dating Niall sure has its perks.” She nudges him and they both laugh.

“You look really nice tonight by the way.”

“Oh, thanks. Rachel helped us both pick out our dresses. She really should’ve gone to a fashion school.”

You all find your table and decide on what seats you wanted to take. No one else was there yet. You and Niall decide to sit on the two outer seats and let Harry and Sarah next to each other so they wouldn’t have to talk to any random people.

“Niall tells me you might have someone you want to set Rach up with?”

“Yeah, my coworker Mariah. Hopin’ next month t’get ‘em together.” Sarah looks back at Niall and he winks at her.

“Oh gross, don’t even fucking tell me.” You say after taking a sip of water.

“What?” Harry asks.

“Niall, look who’s coming over here.”

“Jesus, we got stuck with the frat guys again?” He groans.

“Frat guys?” Sarah asks.

“We got stuck with these idiots last year.”

Four seemingly attractive men walk over to the table. They recognize you and Niall. Niall gets up to shake their hands.

“Didn’t you two come here together last year?” One of them jokes.

“We came as friends.” Niall clears up. “This is my girlfriend Sarah.”

“Nice to meet all of you. Where are you coming from?”

“New York.” Another says. He darts his eyes at you. “Nice to see you again, Y/N.” You blush, but not in a good way. He sits next to you.

“Hi Mark.” You reach to grab Harry’s hand, and you squeeze it. “Mark this is my boyfriend Harry. Harry, Mark does the same exact job as me, just in New York.”

“Nice to meet ya mate.” Harry extends his hand out to shake Mark’s. Mark sees Harry’s green and black nail polish.

“Wouldn’t say we do the exact same job.” He winks at you.

“Suppose not anymore. Just got a bump up.” You twist the ring on your neck.

“Hm, good for you.” You give him a fake smile.

Harry leans in to speak in your ear.

“So, you don’t like that guy?” You shake your head no.

“I’ll tell you later.” You whisper.

It was Bill, James, Chris, and Mark who had joined you at the table. They all acted like they were better than everyone just because they worked in New York City. You weren’t jealous in the slightest. You were thankful you didn’t work on a team of only men, you’d go bananas.

“You look really nice by the way.” Mark says to you.

“Thanks.” You scan over the room and see a photo booth. You look at Harry. “Babe, look!” You point over to it. “We have to do that tonight.”

“Oh my god!” Sarah says excitedly. “We’re going to take so many cute pics tonight.”

“We have no choice!” You say to her.

“Glad we took a few upstairs before we all get sweaty.” Niall says.

Harry drapes an arm around your shoulders. He didn’t like that the guys at the table kept stealing glances of you.

“Y/N, wanna come up to the bar with me?” Sarah asks.

“Sure! You want anything?” You ask Harry.

“Gin and tonic?”

“You got it.”

You and Sarah get up to make your way over. Harry notices all of the guys watch you walk away. He rolls his eyes and gets up, signaling to Niall that they should go with them. Niall nods and follows Harry.

“I could’ve gotten it.” You say to him, walking back to the table.

“I know.” He smiles at you. “We’re not gonna get like wasted tonight are we?”

“God no, I still work with these people.”

The four of you decide to walk around and mingle for a bit since you knew where you were sitting already. You introduce Harry to a lot of people. Most importantly, you finally introduce him to your supervisor.

“Did you see that guy’s nails?” Mark says to Chris.

“Yeah…not who I’d expect Y/N to bring with her.”

“I was hoping she’d still be single. She’s so hot.” He looks over at you. You were throwing your head back at something funny Harry said to your supervisor.

“Excuse me, I know we’re all having fun.” A woman at the podium says. “But if everyone could take their seats, we’re going to start soon.”

The four of you make your way back to the table. Harry pushes your seat in for you like always. Him and Niall take their suit jackets off and drape them on the chairs. A couple of the guys notice Harry’s tattoos peak through the white material. He was an enigma to them, truly.

“Thank you everyone.” You lean to whisper to Harry.

“That’s the CEO’s wife.” He nods.

“I’d like to start by saying it was another incredible year for us. We wouldn’t be able to produce the incredible work without each and every one of you. So please, give yourselves a round of applause.” The entire room erupts with clapping. “Without further ado, I’d like to introduce my amazing wife and partner, Lauren Parker.” The clapping ensues when Lauren takes the stage.

“Thank you sweetie. I get to do so many fun things all year, but tonight is always the most fun. I love having the even here in my home of Boston, sorry to you folks traveling from warmer weather, it is what it is. We really did have an exceptional year. I need to shout out our Boston division, and not just because they’re the Boson division.” The room laughs. “Where are Niall and Y/N?” She peers out. You and Niall choke on your drinks. You both raise your hands and wave. “Ah! Hi kids! Those two managed to secure a five year contract with our most particular clients. These clients happen to pay the big bucks, and clinching this contract was integral to our sustainability, so well done.”

She starts clapping and the whole room does too. You and Niall look at each other, then you look up to Harry. She goes on to shout out other divisions and their excellent work.

“Now, tonight is all about fun, so I expect to see lots of people hit the dance floor after our extraordinary meal, alright?”

She leaves the stage and a ton of waiters start coming around with soup and bread for the table. You take a whiff of the soup and it smells heavenly.

“Niall, it’s that butternut squash soup again!”

“I know!”

“You’ll love this Harry, it’s so good.”

You gracefully dive into the soup. You all pass the bread around.

“Great work by the way.” Mark says to you. “Must be nice that she knows you by name.”

“I’ve never met her. The work must speak for itself.” You shrug. You take another bite of soup. “Mm, this is so good.” You moan. “Do you like it Harry?”

“It’s really good, love.”

The waiters come around to clear your dirty dishes, and before you know it the main course is coming around. You had put in vegetarian options for your and Harry, so you both get a plate of ratatouille and mushroom risotto.

“Think the judges on Chopped would approve of this?” He asks you.

“Let’s find out.” You giggle. You each take a bite. “Damn, that’s good. What did you guys get?” You ask Sarah and Niall.

“We got the fish. Didn’t think either of you would much appreciate the steak.” Niall says. You look over at the meat sitting on Mark’s plate and want to gag.

“Appreciate that.” You say.

Harry offers to grab more drinks about halfway through the meal. He kisses the top of your head before he goes up.

“So, how long you two been together?” Mark asks.

“A little over five months.”

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“Mhm.”

“They live together.” Sarah says with a smile, sensing your discomfort with Mark. “They’re the cutest couple I’ve ever seen, honestly.”

“Yeah, super cute. I actually set ‘em up.” Niall chimes in. Mark tries to ignore them.

“That’s a lovely necklace.”

“Thanks, this is actually one of Harry’s rings. He wanted me to have it, sort of like a promise ring type thing.”

Harry comes back over with the drinks.

“Thank you sweetie.” You kiss him on the cheek, living your lipstick behind. “Shit, sorry.” You go to dab you napkin in your water, but he stops you.

“Leave it, s’fine.” He winks at you and you giggle.

A lot of people had started moving from their seats to mingle again. The CEO has been making her way around, and gets over to you.

“Y/N?” She says warmly.

“Oh, his Mrs. Parker.”

“Please call me Lauren.” You stand up to give her a hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Your work has been so impressive. When does your class start?”

“Oh thank you so much. It starts Monday actually. Thank you again for the opportunity.”

“Don’t mention it. I truly believe supporting our employees is the best thing a good business owner can do. Tell me, who’s with you tonight?”

“This is my boyfriend, Harry.” He also stands to shake her hand.

“How nice to meet you. Your girlfriend is destined for great things.”

“She’s pretty great.”

“What do you do Harry?��

“I’m a photographer. I work for Plant Geo on the other side of town. I freelance as well.”

“Oh, I know Plant Geo’s work very well. That’s good to know.” She smiles at the both of you. “Enjoy the evening.”

She moves to speak with Niall and Sarah next.

“That was really nice of her to stop by.” Harry says.

“Yeah! My supervisor gets to skype with her quite a bit, she’s really nice.”

“She knows you and Niall by name, that’s a big deal.” He nuzzles his nose against your and you giggle.

More waiters come around and bring dessert to your table. Just a simple slice of cheesecake and coffee. You loved cheesecake. It wasn’t something you had often because of the dairy, but fuck it, it was in front of you. You stick your fork in, and take a bite. It’s the greatest thing you’ve tasted in a long time.

“Oh my fucking god, that’s good.” You close your eyes from the euphoria of it all. Harry looks at you. You open your eyes back up slowly and look at him. “You’re not eating yours?”

“I don’t really like cheesecake.” You gasp.

“Harry, this is like gourmet. You have to at least try it.”

“I don’t much like it either, and even I think this tastes good.” Sarah says.

“Don’t know what you’re missin’, mate.”

“I’ll just take your word for it. Feel free to eat mine.”

“God, one piece is plenty.” You say. You stick your fork back in and take another bite, closing your eyes again. You lick your lips and put your fork down. “God damn, that is just sinful.” You push the rest away from yourself. You didn’t want to risk having an upset stomach.

“Y/N, look people are starting to dance, will you go up with me?” Sarah asks.

“Yeah!”

You and Sarah hit the dance floor among many others. Niall shifts over to sit to Harry.

“Havin’ fun so far?” Niall asks him.

“Yeah, actually. Havin’ an open bar and not havin’ t’drive is really nice.”

“People party all night at this thing. Those heels aren’t gonna stay on their feet very long.”

“With any luck, nothin’s gonna stay on long.” Niall nudges him and they both have a chuckle. “So, you lads gonna try to meet anyone tonight?”

“I’m actually seeing someone, she just decided to stay home this weekend…she’s a little too pregnant for an event like this.” Bill says.

“Oh! Congrats mate.”

“Thanks.” He smiles.

“Actually, Chris and Mark are the only single ones.”

“You’re really lucky Harry, Y/N is something else.” Mark says.

“How well do you know her, exactly?” Harry asks.

“I’ve known her since she started. We’ve had to collaborate a couple times on some larger projects. So you set the two of them up?” He asks Niall.

“Sure did.”

“Isn’t that weird since you two dated?”

“I told you earlier, we came as friends.”

“She said you two were together, and she didn’t leave your side all night.”

“She probably said that because she didn’t want anyone hittin’ on her and makin’ her feel uncomfortable.” Harry says. “Really sucks when a guy just can’t take a hint.”

Harry stands up and gestures for Niall to follow him. They meet the two of you on the dance floor. A slower song was just start starting. You wrap your arms around Harry’s neck, and his hands find your hips.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” You say, slightly buzzed.

“Me too.”

“Have I told you how handsome you look tonight? Cause you look really handsome.” You pinch one of his cheeks and he smiles, making his dimples really show.

“Thanks baby. You look so beauti-“ You connect your lips to his. He desperately wanted to just take you up to your room quick and just absolutely fuck you up, but he had to wait.

#take it slow #harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles y/n #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles angst #harry styles smut fic #harry styles fluff fic #harry styles imagine #do yall when i just end it like that?#lmao

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common-blackbird · 4 years ago

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it’s time... for a dragon age 2 playthrough post. scroll on!

The things i loved most:

1) the frame of the game - Cassandra interrogating Varric.

What a great way to get hook the player. Like, the opening of guards dragging this poor dwarf with cuts of the title, and then Cassandra demanding answers... Whoaaa! I have no idea if that’s usually done in games or not, but it’s definitely such an amazing intro with characters introducing themselves as well as the story so perfectly, it captivates instantly. The tutorial has a charm to it bc varric is messing around. Which serves to show more of his character. Cassandra’s personality was pretty much blank here but her presence is so powerful. Something happened, something huge and they know and i was about to find out. I can’t describe how excited that intro made me feel. Each time the scene cut to the interrogation scenes, my eyes were glued more than ever. Just GREAT.

Also it makes for a very convenient scapegoat for every plothole ever with the argument “it’s just his version of the story”.

2) The story.

It’s tragic. It’s amazing! The further you play, the more you can see that no matter what you do, everything leads to a disaster. Hawke doesn’t want to take sides, tries to mediate, does not want to get involved, but just can’t stop it. For every thing gained, Hawke loses two more. Your friends come with packages that get you involved in terrible stuff. Your good intentions result in disasters. The whole game you spent time climbing the social ladder not only to reach the top hauntingly alone after losing all of your family, but also losing even that empty title and watching as the city you started to find your place in fall apart in blood. UGH! GAH! FEELS!

3) Kirkwall.

“ But, I beg you my dear readers, never forget that, no matter the subject of any story that might ever be explored between the cliffs of Kirkwall, She will find a way to steal the thunder of the protagonist. Or become the antagonist. Kirkwall is never a mere background. We could even understand it so: the challenge for you dear readers is to prevail against the smokescreens and observe to what extent our characters are players or played by the merciless black souled stone giant. Enjoy playing the dare of the ages between the lines of these humble memoirs. “

Memoirs from the Downfall - Act I. Mirage by Pfefferminze on ao3 (fic rec!)

This paragraph summs up what Kirkwall is better than I ever could. This shrouded mystery that surrounds Kirkwall keeps you on toes. From the first intro when Varric describes it (paraphrasing from memory) “Kirkwall. The city of chains. It is a free city - keeping in mind i use the the word loosely”. You already start seeing how dark Kirkwall gets. The name, that derives from its black walls (interestingly, the walls in the game aren’t black...), the history of slavery etched into every corner of that city and its surroundings - the names (The Gallows, the Bone Pit, the Wounded Coast, the pub The Hanged Man), the scenery (sculptures of slaves, the sunken ships by the Wounded Coast, slums and underground of the Lowtown and the Darktown).

I was really digging the History of Kirkwall and it loved it. Kirkwall has a history of violence, from the times of slavery of the Tevinter Imperium, to Qunari conquests and liberation from Orlais. Many revolts and uprising. And though free now, it’s suggested that, seeing that the Templars hold the most influence, Kirkwall is in the hands of the Chantry.

It’s full of cultures mixing together. I love how not one of your companions is a native to Kirkwall, and it feels like a crossroads to every character’s life. a very tragic crossroads in their life, seeing there’s nothing ever good waiting for you in Kirkwall.

Also there’s these codex entries you look for about the Enigma of Kirkwall. It was when i started digging that up that i fell in love with the city and all. Combined with the History of Kirkwall and every codex entry for every place in and out of Kirkwall, I was pulling my hair out reading about the Enigma. I..i’m still not quite sure what happened. Did the magisters use blood of thousands upon thousands slaves to unbound a forgotten one? if so, is that corypheus? And around what time did that happen?? I get that part (or all?) of Kirkwall’s mysterious violent agency is owed to corypheus slumbering relatively close to the city, but is that all? or is there something more? In either case, the Band of Tree are my heroes.

4) The characters.

I’ll talk more about them later, but in general, i just love how they oppose each other, how complex they are, and there is just not pleasing everyone. They feel genuine. They are all deeply flawed. They all have a solid background that makes their beliefs and actions convincing. The friendship/rivalry points are shaky though, and sometimes really don’t fit the character, but i guess there must be someone hating/loving your bad choices for the sake of the game regardless of characterisation. But all in all, i really appreciated each and every character, and loved how their viewpoints challenged me.

First i want a disclaimer: i love each and every character in the game, whatever i say against them doesn’t diminish my liking of them. My issues really aren’t significant. Also, i might and probably will say smth wrong bc i’ve only played it once. I’m a baby.

let’s start with Family:

Mama Hawke:

i really loved mama hawke. after reading her codex entry and an excerpt of some book on this site, i really feel for her. I mean, imagine going back to your home city where you only remember being respected and wealthy only to find out everything you remember is gone, you are forced to live in poverty, your kids are doing dangerous jobs and you can’t stop them bc you do need that money, you write letters trying to get the old connections but keep failing (at least it was implied?), it’s really been hard for her. I get why she was so obsessed with her legacy. She wanted her childhood home back. She can’t feel like Kirkwall is her home until she is home.

Also loved her antagonism towards Hawke. It seems she can no longer treat him like a child, so she criticises him instead. and honestly, hawke is doing some crazy things so he defintiely deserves some criticism. And stopping Hawke from taking carver with him is just logical to me, idk. since she knows she can’t stop Hawke from going, she will at least attempt to prevent the last kid from going into mortal danger. I’d do the same. AND AFTER HAVING CARVER DYING IN DEEP ROADS I AGREE WITH HER

All in all, i don’t think she’s a perfect mom, but there is no perfect mom, and Leandra does care a lot for her kids. The All that remains killed me too :’(

Bethany

RIP :(

Her codex is not long, but i guess she wasn’t happy with her magic :(

CARVER

My favouritest bestest bro in the game. A secondary character with an inferiority complex towards his sibling, with no sense of humour, blaming everyone else for his inability to get a life? I see a lot of myself in him. He is sooo bitter, but doesn’t even realise (or at least doesn’t admit) that he’s his biggest obstacle. He feels like it’s Hawke’s fault for Carver not getting his place in the sun, but honestly, it’s Carver’s devotion to Hawke that keeps him from getting a life. He’s just tied with that responsibility and can’t break from it unless forced to.

His interactions with other characters are so funny. Either he’s bitter or he’s awkward, i die every time ;;__;;

Anyways, he became a templar in my game and i thought it fits better thematically (throughout the game the grey wardens felt more like a fanservice material since they really aren’t connected to the story), but after reading that meta about carver and seeing the striking difference between warden!carver and templar!carver i wanna reload and redo everything ;;__;;

i mean... carver isn’t exactly a templar material. The codex entry for templars says that the wanted characteristics of templars are strong faith and utmost obedience, none of which carver really has... . But that moment when he stands up against meredith was *chefs kiss* worth it. I’m just wondering what happens after, is he still a templar? is he with hawke? is he in Kirkwall or if not, where did he go?? so many questions ;A;

Uncle Gamlen

I feel bad for him. Mostly he’s mean but i like to think it’s bc he’s so ashamed that his sister sees what he’s become. And he’s bitter about his own life. I was so happy when i realised he has a personal mission ;__; I feel bad that he didn’t come to live in the hawke estate tho, especially since Hawke is also alone there :(

COMPANIONS!

Varric

There are no words that can properly convey the amount of love for this guy. He is simply flawless. He’s a charming godfather of the dwarven mafia. I wanna have a charming godfather of the dwarven mafia in my life... He already becomes interesting with the intro, and i gotta say, out of all ~storyteller~ types of characters, he is the best. he puts a disclaimer at the beginning with that game tutorial, and during the whole interrogation he’s like “well, how do you know i’m not lying? i could be.” Also, his voice is the second best voice in the game.

As for his personal missions, oh wow, that thing with his big bro really hurt. I also gave him the red lyrium... was that a mistake? will i regret it? ;__; I know the true friend would prevent him, but i also trust that varric knows how to handle dangerous stuff...

On a side note, since i’ve read the comics (no self control whatsoever), i loved the beginning of the Until We Sleep, where varric mentions it’s easier to imagine all the people he had to kill were evil than to face the fact that those were normal people just doing their job or trying to survive. Man, it hurts TAT

*garret hawke’s voice when he looks a certain way at the family crest in the hawke estate* ISABELA!

Ok ok, so, i love Carver bc i relate, i love Varric because he’s simply perfect. But I love Isabela because she’s the most intriguing.

She just crashed in Kirkwall and really didn’t sign up for all the trouble she got. She never likes to have deep conversations, she is always downgrading herself and you just wonder, what is it that happened in her life, and you know her past mistakes haunt her, and she’s doing her best to move on. Her arc was i think my favourite. I think the comic Those Who Speak really adds a lot to her arc in DA2 and makes some of her choices more understandable. Her whole story is about her internal conflict of whether to survive or do the right thing. Her story about freeing the slaves got her ship wrecked is great and all for making her be a pirate with a golden heart, but that story about her drowning all the slaves few years previous make this freeing of slaves a big character moment for her. She finally did the right thing. And she got for it was more trouble, because she’s a pirate which means she can’t afford to just do the right thing. And throughout the game, that same story is going back and forth. She runs off with the Relic bc she’s done the right thing before and it got her nowhere, so now she decided to put her own survival as a priority, but comes back bc she’s too kind to just leave Hawke standing like that. And again, with the slaver papers, it’s the same reasoning: it’s her or the higher cause. She needs that ship. She chooses herself. It’s her biggest flaw. But hey, between pros and antis in your party, it was really refreshing to have someone who, along with varric, just gives you a break with moral high-grounds.

I only wish we actually got to see her more as a captain in power in the game or that she showed me that amazing hat she saw in lowtown. It’s cool that it’s implied that her crew doesn’t like her and she also lost most of them during the crash while the others probably left her after.

I love it when she says she goes sometimes to the docks just to watch the ships. That there is no feeling like sailing. I just want a spin-off with captain isabela’s terrible adventures (´A`)

Also, isabela’s VA is my fave, she really did an amazing job. she voices so smoothly, i wouldn’t know if i was playing a game or watching a movie. And has such a pretty way of talking...

Aveline

I’m really neutral towards Aveline. I like her personality and i like that she’s found herself a purpose and advanced in the guards, and she’s always looking out for everybody. I just wish her personal missions went in the vein of the one in act 1... i feel it would have been more interesting to see her having trouble in her position and that you can’t just waltz into Kirkwall and take command. It’s implied she’s being pressured, so i guess she’s just dealing with it herself, but i just... eh. She’s ok.

Merrill

Merrill actually has one of the if not the most tragic story-line that really challenges you both morally and emotionally.

Her cheerful and cute personality is dampened by her constant dark leitmotif of willingly practicing blood magic. And i think her story really showed well the indirect consequences of it.

Not in one instance was Merrill’s practice of blood magic an active culprit for all tragedy that surrounds her. First, it seems that blood magic is practiced in the clan, seeing there is no freeing Flemeth without it, but i’m guessing it’s seldom practiced and with great caution. So Merrill wasn’t in any danger of being prosecuted for her blood magic. It’s actually her wish to study it further with the help of the demon that makes her an outcast. That and the magic mirror that apparently is forgotten for a reason. Also, it’s made quite clear that Merrill would be welcomed back no questions asked if she at any point decided to ditch the demon and live without the study of magic mirror. She, on the other side, is driven by the higher cause, the idea that figuring out the forgotten purpose of some evil mirror might help her clan, and is willing to be an outcast if it means reaching her goal and helping her clan. Fast foward to act 3, the clan is still there when they should have moved away, and it’s only when you face the demon possessed Keeper, you realise why. She knew Merrill would sooner or later bargain with the demon again. And she sacrificed herself, trapping the demon within her, as to prevent it. And i think that is why the clan stayed so long there. She waited for Merrill because she wanted Merrill to kill her, and hopefully with her the demon. It didn’t go as planned, obviously, but i really think she had good intentions. When Merrill does manage to kill the Keeper she’s forced to face the clan and i chose the wrong option of telling the truth which resulted in a massacre. Merrill gets back and regrets everything. She, however resolves to help the alienage.

The thing is, there is no one to blame Everyone had the best intentions. Everyone is working for the safety of the clan. it’s a story of sacrifice and when sacrifice feels like the wrong choice (whether it truly is or isn’t depends on your worldview) and it’s really done well.

But here are my issues with Merrill. I love her as a character, but i don’t agree with her decisions. It’s a personal issue. Merrill is giving up everything as to help her clan by learning history of the evil mirror. And while this is a game where old things are important and significant, her mission is always explained as this duty of preserving history. And while i agree that preserving history is very important, there is a limit to it. you should never put history before the present. If your research endangers the present, you give up on that line. The other is that you need to make peace with the fact that many, many things are forgotten and will be forgotten. It’s sad, but you gotta make peace with the fact that some things are just gone.

And Merrill, who is a magic historian, fails to see that. So that kinda irks my historian moral codex. And in the end, as far as i know, Merrill doesn’t succeed in reviving the evil mirror and dedicates herself to help the alienage. It was a terrible way to learn that some things aren’t worth it.

The other, less personal issue, is that none of this had to happen. I mean, the keeper obviously didn’t think Merrill was experienced enough to actually deal with demons and therefore distrusted her and warned the clan about it. So, if Merrill was a little bit more patient she could have just studied normally under the keeper, and when she herself becomes the keeper, she could have fraternize with that demon however she wanted without much complications. So yeah... i guess youth is made of idealism.

But as i said, minor issues. Her story is really, really great.

Fenris

Fenris and Anders are my “i love you but i am soo annoyed by you but i still love you” characters. Half of the time they’re just there to make you feel guilty for being a neutral party. Which sometimes has me rolling my eyes. If Fenris and Anders actually got along with each other, slavery and mage oppression would have ended in 2 days. Which makes it all the more frustrating that they do not.

Fenris.. his voice. What a nice voice colour. So elegant, but kinda rough, sometimes he talks like he’s 80 years old, sometimes like he’s a teenager. I love it.

As for the rest, i mean, i don’t agree with his methods, but very often, the guy’s got a point. I get his experience with mages colours his view on them, so while i symphatise, it’s really hard to have him on my “free mages” missions when he’s my best tank and i want him to be on friendly terms with Hawke so this makes things... difficult. That aside, it’s interesting that fenris doesn’t see mages as evil per se, but rather victims who, in his experience, will always, always going to succumb to a demon. It’s an inevitable reality to him. And this makes me wonder if he ultimately, despite being his friend or lover, is just waiting for the day he will be forced to kill Hawke too :(

As for his missions, they were ok, it led up to culmination and i didn’t let him kill his sister bc Hawke has just lost his mom, don’t do smth you’ll regret ;__;

also, somewhere around the end of act 2 i decided to romance fenris bc i love to suffer, so i worked the whole act 3 trying to get more aproval points and also wondering why are there no romance options when i talk to him... turns out that one night stand with isabela romanced her and canceled fenris. But i never even finished the romance with her so i’m just ??? about it all.

I wish it was more explained about the tattoos fenris has? I just thought the tattoos would play a big role somewhere in the game and it just never happened. There was a banter with Merrill about how his tattoos are similar to valaslin, so i thought, hmm, interesting, maybe the two are connected. But nah they just glow in the dark and make you pass through walls. Whatevs.

also dude just goes and kills without a second thought, i’m just “mate, you gotta calm down”. But that’s his thing. He’s constantly bitter and is very bad at anger management. I can’t blame him, considering he lacks around 10- 20 years of experience due to amnesia.

He’s the only one who left me when Hawke sided with mages, and i was like, “ok i getcha, it’s been nice knowing you”, but then when i asked him to join me 5 minutes later he just went “ok changed my mind” which was so funny, like, where did all that integrity dissappear??? It would have been more impactful if the dialogue went in the line of “i want to stand by my principals but you’re a living breathing proof that not all mages are weak to succumb to demons so i’ll join you in the end” (and then side-eye “i told you so” when orsino turns into a demon)

And i wanna read the fenris comic now bc my question for every character here is what is their fate after kirkwall. I only know that isabela & varric are working for alistair and merrill wants to help the alienage. Aveline is i guess either dismissed from her job or got a pass after cullen took the command. But Carver?? Fenris?? Anders?? They never talked about long term plans...

Anders

ooh boy, here we go. there are many questions i have for him and am generally just hmmmm. First, as for his pro-mage rights - it’s like opposite fenris so i just have the same feelings: you mean well, i don’t agree with your methods, your experiences define your worldview so i let some things slide, but other things i will not agree with. Though, question: in how many circles has Anders been? He knows the kirkwall circle, he knows the fereldan circle. Seeing he has excaped 7 times, did they send him to a different circle each time or was the fereldan the last one? or the first one? Or maybe it was his boyfriend they transferred? did i miss something?

I’ll just whisper: awakening!Anders >>> da2!Anders. I just miss the old anders. Which says a lot bc during the awakening i was just “shut up anders”. I miss his bad jokes, his terrible attempts at flirting, his enjoyment of freedom, nagging all the time, and generally being more moderate in pro-mage rights. Like, in awakening, because it was not the only thing he talked about, it felt more personal and intense. Here mage-rights are the only thing he ever talks about + justice. I mean, please correct me if i’m wrong, this was just general impression. But to defend da2!Anders here, it makes sense that merging with mixed both of their personality, and i like that they did that. It’s also very sad.

The thing is, when i’m thinking about anders, i love his story and character. Just as it’s terrible that Fenris, having no memory from before being Fenris, Anders can never go back to being just Anders. And this, people, is why you don’t fraternize with spirits. He’s obviously afraid of how justice is affecting him and there are some bare traces of his old personality and i guess he wouldn’t be as radical if he didn’t have justice personality that can’t stand the injustice. And in combination with anders quite selfish personality (form awakening, and i say that lovingly), it makes him do things that justice wouldn’t condone. Anders is literally a walking bomb.

Again, same problem as with fenris, i really thought that the justice glow would have a incredibly significant culmination, and it didn’t, it was just to show that anders and justice are very bitter. Eh, ok.

Also, i let anders join after he blew up the chantry, bc he started it, so might as well follow it through.

Some minor characters that i remember

Senechal Bran for the next Viscount! He hated hawke so much but still put up with him.

Feynriel is the coolest mage in Kirkwall. I think his missions were my favourite. Dude goes from “oh no i’m a mage” to “i will just dreamwalk to tevinter and learn control the reality” to “i dream-killed bad people from thousands of miles away”. Does he appear in the next game? I want him on my side. He’s so cool.

I think the Maker is sending Cullen signs to quit being a templar. First job: evil mages that tortured you. Instead of “this job will kill you” h took it as a “never trusting mages again, got it”. Second job: your boss is evil possessed paranoid maniac. Man, talk about bad luck.

What is the story of the Lady Elegant?

Flemeth had that big great talk at the beginning of the game and i thought by the end of the game i’d realise what it meant, but nope, still no clue.

Ok so I defeated Corypheus, but there was this looong shot of Larius walking away. Corypheus possessed larius, didn’t he? He’s out there. In a madman’s body. I know he appears in inquisition.

Many thoughts

I gotta say, in Kirkwall, at least, it didn’t feel like much of a challenge to pick a side. Like, there was no mage who said “hey i actually really like it here in the circle, the templars aren’t so bad”, and having templars actually smuggling mages from the circle says a lot to say the least. Every time a mage talks to you, unless you go with “oh they’re 100% lying”, their stories invoke sympathy and of course you want to help them. And then in 99% cases they turn to blood magic bc there was no other way. Except that dude who always hanged out with the wrong people, he only did blood magic to save Carver. But yeah, that turning to blood magic was like having Fenris side-eye me with an unspoken “i told you so” bc every mage, whether in desperation or hunger for power, will turn sooner or later into a demon. Regardless, blood magic was always in the act of desperation and self-defense. The only times where magic was actually evil was the slavers and the serial killer, who is a madman.

When i was reading the Enigma of Kirkwall, there was a part that talks of a blood-mage conspiracy and i was all, oh shit, there is a reason why templars are mean to mages! maybe the conspirators are framing innocent mages on blood magic crimes that they actually commit, maybe Meredith is actually on trail of the conspirators, maybe there is a reason for animosity on both sides. After all, Kirkwall was known for having a bigger number of apostates, a bigger number of blood magic cases and far more ruthless templars. It added up.Thinking back now, i never even got any specific reason why meredith was so intensely anti-mage, other than going mad.

But yeah, no conspirators. Just sad mages and mean templars, and good templars that get screwed by desperate and mean mages.

While in Kirkwall it’s easy to be a pro-mage, i was thinking a lot about mage-rights in general so let me indulge myself: there are circles, but the mages aren’t oppressed. Rather, the circles would be educational centres and society in every larger city where one learns how to properly handle magic bc magic is dangerous. You can leave when you pass the final exam and also come back anytime to hang out with mages who decide to live there since the institution would support mages.

Also, when one gets possessed, i’d invest more into “walk into their head and free them of demons” specialists. It’d be cool if you could have a dreamer who does that bc no lyrium spent. Honestly, why don’t they ever do that? How did the keeper do that rite for Feynriel? Was it blood magic?

I guess, you’d still have to answer for your crimes, tho no death punishment and degradation allowed. Blood magic wouldn’t be punishable by death, but rather have specialists who study it, but practice with extreme caution and use of another person’s blood is strictly prohibited.

Templars would still exist but completely reformed. No more “mages are all potential disasters”, but i’d rather make it that mages can too be templars, since they both have abilities that prevents the others from casting magic. This way the control system would be much like the dalish: if the keeper(mage) is possessed, the clan (which means the non-mages and the first(mage)) need to kill them. You could argue that you don’t need templars as non-mages, since mages can do it too, but seeing that in general people fear magic and feel inferior to it (since there’s a collective memory of the great tevinter imperium), having non-magic specialists would make them feel like on equal ground. The extra-reformed templars would be under Circle, not under direct command of the chantry, and circle, depending of whether chantry is reformed, might or might not be under chantry.

(a side note, i was thinking about templars recently and i can’t recall an instance where it says who had the clever idea to chew lyrium first? i just wanna know)

I know that DA2 wasn’t about grey wardens and therefore not about darkspawn, but seeing as in legacy we get corypheus being... an evil version of the Architect(??), i was only wondering do we get more answers about the darkspawn? is there hope for them? is the Architect still alive?

And oh, to turn to the Anders question:

Is he a terrorist, or was that just activism? I mean, i don’t see why those two can’t go together. blasting a building with a symbolic significance killing and harming many innocent people to get a message of your radical activism across belongs into a schoolbook of terrorism. Does he have a good cause? He sure believes so, and i, too, agree that mages should not be oppressed for just being mages. But does that mean this is the right way to do it? Personally, i do not condone any act of violence in service of a political or religious cause. I know it’s sometimes inevitable, but i like to believe there are more diplomatic ways, or at least not including an attack on civilians.

That aside, the moment where anders goes in front and just announces that the church was gonna blow up in a minute was the best anders moment for me. Until that point i more or less just viewed his activism as a hobby since he just did it in his free time, but now he put his money where his mouth is and freaking went all out. Cool character moment. And incredibly heartwrenching. He was aware of how many innocents he killed, but just didn’t see other way to get the point across.

I still don’t agree with his idea of blowing up the church tho. Maybe if he told Hawke, they could have done something to empty the church previously and further people away from it and then blow it up?

But still, blowing up religious buildings isn’t the answer. If i was the radical mage activist, i would have gone for the open assassination. Seeing it worked in WW1, i don’t see why it couldn’t start a fantasy war.

Some random things i liked:

uniportant but lovable interractions in the house: it starts innocently with gamlen’s house, to see how you’re doing, and becomes really fun during act 2 when you see your friends have been here and left you things. In act 3, however, it feels melancholic. no more family to come back to, just ghosts of friends that have visited, Bodahn and Sandal being there for you, Orana still not getting some sunlight and your dog at the fireplace. The Hawke Family Suite is playing, and you feel older than you are, lonlier than you should be. just... ouch. I hope Bodahn adopted Orana and took her out of Kirkwall :(

t i named the dog “Maker” which is very funny to me bc every time i summon the dog i just imagine Hawke yelling “Maker help us”. Carver hates the name bc he needs to chase the dog often in the streets. Mama Hawke never ever calls the dog Maker, but she never has to call the dog anything: he’s super obedient towards her.

Fighting wasn’t as hard as in origins, i like that.

The haunted house mission was so cool.

When random people greet aveline in Hightown.

And that’s i think about it. There are probably plenty more things i loved, but i think this is already enough. if somebody told me i’d be playing so much this year, i’d laugh, but I already want to play the next game ;;___;;

#don't klick keep reading if you aren't ready to scroll endlessly #a very long post #in which i:#love everything #stan carver #cry over fictional characters #need a romance manual #form political opinions in a fictional game #give a random fic rec that is so worth your time #if you've read this you're a hero and i'm sorry #da2 #spoilers for those who plan to play #it took me a week to write this god

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out-of-jams · 5 years ago

Text

Airplane Mode | Track 02: Daydream | jhs

Summary: In a world where a bruise marks the first touch of your soulmate, time is the only thing that matters. The marks take hours to appear, sometimes even days if you're really unlucky. Once First Touch is initiated, both parties only have a few weeks to find the other. From then on, the body begins to reject any form of sustenance other than the touch of the other. If one fails to find their soulmate in time, they starve to death. So what happens when your soulmate is a world famous idol?And you're just one fan in a sea of many who can't even speak the same language?

Pairing: Hoseok x Fem Character

Word Count: 3.2k

Genre: Fluff. Angst. Idol!au. Smut. Soulmate!au. Explicit language.

Warnings: This chapter contains swearing.

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The soft click of a laptop closing reminded Eunjae of the top of a casket being nailed shut. Stretching her short legs out from their criss-crossed position, she slid the laptop from her lap to the mattress of the unmade bed.

She’d just finished sending out emails to her college professors to explain that she would not be in class for a few days. Well, at least she hoped it would only be a few days. Eunjae certainly couldn’t go out in public with three-fourths of her face bruised to hell and back. Seeing as how the bruises of First Touch remained on the skin until the touch of a soulmate healed the marks, Eunjae wasn’t exactly sure when she’d be able to show her face. Literally.

She didn’t know a whole lot about the biological side of how soulmates worked, but somehow the touch of the other not only provided sustenance, but it had healing properties too. Everyone, at least from what Eunjae had experienced with the public school system growing up, were taught the very basics of soulmate science.

Those who found their soulmate were automatically graced with a longer lifespan. The longest soulmate pair ever recorded had made it to the ripe old age of 210 years old. Since the touch of a soulmate provided the exact vitamins and nutrients that the body required to stay healthy, it also doubled to prevent sickness and disease. It was rumored to even be able to take away the feeling of pain as well.

That’s a perk, at least. Eunjae thought as she examined the backs of her hands. Miles’ apartment was quiet. He’d left not too long after talking her down from the panic attack she’d had in his bathroom, to run to the bodega two blocks down to pick up breakfast.

“You gotta eat good while you can.” He’d said as he tied up the laces of his shoes. “And it doesn’t get any better than a bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel. ”

He hadn’t been gone long, but Eunjae already felt empty without his warmth. Back sliding down the wooden headboard, she buried herself into his fluffy comforter, letting the calming scent of him wash over her. The silk sheets that she’d convinced him to splurge half a paycheck on tickled the skin exposed at the bottom of her rolled up sweatpants.

Eunjae and Miles had been pretty much inseparable ever since they’d met in second grade. She could remember that day almost perfectly. Eunjae had been surprisingly shy as a child, but Miles had shoved himself into the chair next to hers and declared them as friends. From that day on, they longest they’d ever spent away from each other had been when his family had forced him on a vacation to Florida for a whole summer.

So much for inseparable, huh? Eunjae clenched her jaw around the sob threatening to escape her throat. Now we’ll be a literal world’s apart.

The fear of being abandoned by her best friend turned the tears on her tongue to ashes.

Jung Hoseok’s attention wavered from Sejin’s disappearing back, to the doorway as he swiveled back and forth in his leather chair. Fingers tapping a nervous rhythm on the hardwood surface of the table in front of him, he pursed his heart-shaped lips. The rest of his members sat scattered around the long table of their hotel’s conference room.

Perched in his own chair next to him, Namjoon scrolled through the phone clutched in one of his hands. His rectangular glasses reflected the dim light of the screen as his eyes examined whatever webcomic it was that he was reading. Yoongi lounged back in his seat across from Hoseok, the green straw of an iced Americano from the Starbucks downstairs pressed between his lips. His catlike eyes were closed in exhaustion, long eyelashes brushing his pale cheeks. Hoseok wasn’t sure if the strong grip that Yoongi had on the plastic cup was to keep himself awake or to prevent a bratty Jungkook from stealing it.

Squishing himself between the elder rapper and Taehyung, Jungkook rested his chin on the singer’s arm to peer over his shoulder. Taehyung’s long fingers tapped vigorously across the screen of his phone, the sounds of some game they were taking turns playing echoing through the room. Seokjin and Jimin had left with their other manager, Hobeom, some time ago to find somewhere to scavenge breakfast from. Food, however, was the last thing on Jung Hoseok’s mind.

Hands spreading out on the surface of the table, palm up, Hoseok’s thoughts were racing. He’d woken up this morning to find his hands completely covered in bruises. The center of his palms were an ugly, dark fuschia and spread out into a greenish-yellow color around the heels of his hands and the tips of his fingers.

Hoseok had thought nothing of it at first, simply chalking it up to the results of a rough dance practice. It wasn’t totally uncommon for the man to come back from rehearsal with a few bruises after some vigorous floorwork. It took him a minute after waking up, however, to remember where exactly he was. Sometimes they traveled so much in such a short period of time that he couldn’t keep up with their schedule. It wasn’t until he’d glanced out the window of his hotel room and saw the spire of the Empire State building that he remembered where he was.

It was here that Hoseok realized that it’d been a few days since the last dance practice.

He’d been confused after that. Maybe he’d fallen at some point and just couldn’t remember? His body was so wracked with exhaustion that it wouldn’t have even surprised him. They were all worn-out from preparing for their upcoming comeback, and were still in the midst of promotion. So something as simple as accidentally bruising himself would be just a tiny blimp on his radar.

Taehyung was still asleep in his own bed, his soft snores cutting out as Hoseok shut the bathroom door. He’d pushed the thought from his mind as he stepped under the warm spray of the shower. The tired, aching muscles of his body relaxed under the steam and he took his time to enjoy a rare moment alone.

Hoseok loved what he did: making music, traveling, performing in front of an audience--his fans. If someone hit a redo button on his life, he knew that he wouldn’t change anything about it. With the adrenaline rush of being on stage and having a platform to spread love and positivity; Hoseok was living the dream.

However, once he stepped out of the foggy bathroom dressed only in a pair of whitewashed jeans, he got brought down into a harsh reality.

“Hyung, what are those bruises from?” Taehyung’s deep voice pulled Hoseok’s attention away from his grumbling stomach. Running a soft towel through his drenched hair, Hoseok squinted at Taehyung through waterlogged lashes.

“What?” He attributed his slow brain to the fact that he was still half asleep and therefore not as energetic as usual.

Taehyung shuffled away from his open duffle bag on the room’s table and over to Hoseok, blond hair a birds nest atop his head. Gesturing to the rapper’s hands holding the towel, he answered, “on your hands.”

Hoseok blinked in confusion and draped the damp towel around his shoulders. He held his hands in front of his face, exhausted brain taking a moment to process what was going on.

“Oh.” He shrugged before dropping to sit on the edge of his bed. Crossing one leg over the other, he waved his hands around. “I think I fell or something. I woke up with them like this.”

“Those look a lot like something I’ve seen before.” Taehyung fished one of the rapper’s hands out of the air to examine it more closely. He spoke like what he’d just said was not at all cryptic.

Letting out a laugh, Hoseok wiggled his trapped fingers playfully. He was used to Taehyung’s sometimes odd way of speaking, so he wasn’t at all phased. “With the rate that Namjoonie hurts himself, I’m not surprised. He’s always covered in bruises.”

“No, no.” Taehyung pressed, delicately poking a finger to the palm of Hoseok’s hand. “Online.”

“You look up bruises online often?” Hoseok asked in amusement.

Ignoring the rapper’s words, the corners of V’s lips turned up as he nodded to himself at whatever thought was going through his head. Brow raising in curiosity, Hoseok watched as his donsaeng’s eyes lit up.

“Hyung,” a sudden boxy smile spread across his face, voice raising slightly in pitch with excitement. “I’ve seen pictures of bruises like this online before. They’re not normal. It’s from First Touch.”

Hoseok’s stomach dropped in shock at the words, eyes widening and lips parting. He could vaguely remember reading a couple of news articles with that same phrase. Whatever leftover jetlag that he’d been feeling evaporated into the steamy air billowing out from the bathroom. One of the dimples in his cheek popped into existence as a smile slowly stretched across his face.

“Are you saying that--”

“I think you met your soulmate, hyung!”

The sound of a door opening snapped Hoseok out of his thoughts, bringing the present back into focus. Looking up from the spot on the table that he’d apparently been staring at while he zoned out, the rapper watched as Jimin strode through the open doorway. The handles of two large paper bags were held between his ringed fingers and Hoseok’s stomach rumbled when the smell of pancakes filled the air.

“Finally!” Jungkook groaned, throwing his head back against his leather chair in relief. “It took you long enough.”

“Yah,” Seokjin berated humorously as he entered the room behind Jimin. He waved around one of the drink trays held in his hands. “Get it yourself next time if you want quicker service.”

Yoongi snorted, deeming the moment important enough to open his eyes. He stirred the combination of melting ice cubes and bitter espresso in his plastic cup as he eyed the food being placed on the table hungrily. “Maybe if we starve him, he’ll finally contribute to buying.”

“Good idea.” Seokjin hummed as he seated himself in the open chair next to Hoseok. He watched as Jungkook ignored them to dig into the steaming bags of food. “It’s been how long since he’s actually paid for something?”

The elder didn’t wait for a response before turning in his chair to examine Hoseok. “How you holding up?”

“I don’t know about you,” Jimin interrupted before the rapper could answer, dropping into the seat next to Yoongi. His chair rolled back on the carpet, knocking into Yoongi mid-sip. That earned him a sleepy glare, which he ignored. “But I’m kind of excited. What do you think she’s like?”

“Why do you assume it’s a girl?” Yoongi questioned, using the sleeve of his black hoodie to wipe up the tiny drops of spilled coffee from the table.

“Well assuming that he met them at the fanmeet,” Namjoon finally spoke up without pulling his attention from whatever he was reading on his phone. “The likelihood of it being a girl are greater. There were some fanboys there yesterday, but not a whole lot.”

Giving up on beating Jungkook’s highscore, Taehyung dropped his phone onto the table and finally tuned into the conversation. Chin propped in his hands, he asked a very important question. “Well hyung, how many people did you touch yesterday?”

“That makes it sound dirty.” Hoseok huffed a laugh before leaning back in his chair. He hummed in thought, brow pinched as he thought back. Fanmeets tended to all blend into one another until the faces of each fan blurred around the edges. Sigh leaving his lips, he shrugged. “I don’t know. I touched a lot of fans yesterday.”

Jungkook snorted around the giant forkful of pancakes he stuffed into his mouth. Seokjin wrinkled his nose in disgust at the syrup dripping carelessly onto the table. “Wow hyung, so dirty.”

Rolling his eyes, Hoseok playfully kicked the maknae’s shin from underneath the table. Judging by the lack or response though, it must not have been hard enough.

“Sejin still on the phone with Bang PD-nim?” Jimin asked as he stabbed a straw through his to-go cup of coke. The earrings dangling from his pierced lobes tapped against his cheeks as he leaned forward to take a sip.

Namjoon nodded his head towards the door at the far end of the room. That one lead to a smaller, more private room that the manager had disappeared into almost an hour ago. “He’s still in there.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to find them?”

All eyes turned to a serious looking Taehyung. He stared down unblinkingly at the plastic container of food in front of him, fork hanging limply between his fingers. As if feeling all eyes on him, he looked up and spoke the words that had been at the back of each of their minds. “What if we can’t?”

“We’ll find them.” Namjoon reassured as he finally locked his phone. “Besides, we have plenty of time. It takes weeks for the side effects of First Touch to even kick in.”

“What about that one case, though?” Jimin questioned, blinking as attention focused on him. “The one a few years ago where that girl almost starved to death after just three days?”

The sudden silence in the room was thick.

Letting out a chuckle that sounded half-hearted to everyone in the room, Hoeseok attempted to diffuse the tension. “We’d better find her fast then.”

“So you assume it’s a girl too, then?” Ever the perceptionist, Seokjin cracked a joke to assist. He was rewarded with a roll of Yoongi’s eyes and a smile teasing the edge of Taehyung’s lips.

The door at the far side of the room opened, and out stepped a flustered Sejin. Attention focused on the phone he was slipping into the pocket of his pants, he stopped in his tracks when he looked up to see seven pairs of eyes staring back.

“How did it go?” Namjoon questioned, the anticipation in the room skyrocketing.

Sejin ran a hand through his black hair before straightening, staring back at the members through the lenses of his rounded glasses. He let the silence linger for a beat longer than necessary before a warm smile spread across his face. That was all it took for the tense postures in the room to relax.

“Good news.” His eyes met Hoseok’s worried gaze. “We found her.”

The room exploded in cheers and each of the members stretched around to slap a grinning Hoseok in congratulations. The rapper couldn’t help the bubbling anticipation and nerves mixing a cocktail in his stomach. He was relieved that the possibility of either of them starving to death was eliminated. Not only that, but he was elated at the thought of meeting the one person in the whole world that was destined for him. However, one nervous thought kept playing on a loop in his head.

I hope she likes me.

“I knew it was a girl!” Jimin slammed his fists against the table in victory. Yoongi rolled his eyes and pretended to be annoyed when the silver haired singer stuck his tongue out at him playfully. But the gummy smile on the rapper’s face gave himself away.

“Do you know her name?” Hoseok couldn’t help but ask.

“Wait a second.” Jungkook interrupted before Sejin could answer, raising his hand in the air like he was a kid in class waiting to be called on.

“Yes, Kook-ah?” Seokjin played along, waving his plastic fork at the maknae.

“If she met hyung at a fanmeet here in America, do you think she speaks Korean?”

The room descended into silence once again, each of them shocked at the fact that they hadn’t even thought of that. Mouth parting in surprise, Hoseok felt his eyes widen.

“That could be a problem.”

“If I move, I’ll die.” Eunjae groaned, limbs starfished on the shag carpet of Miles’ living room. Empty styrofoam containers littered the coffee table, crumbs spilling out onto the floor. Miles was spread out on the couch, one leg thrown over the back in a position that looked very uncomfortable.

“I think that was the best meal I’ve ever eaten.”

“You really shouldn’t have bought so much.” Eunjae mumbled, throwing an arm over her face to try and quell the nausea. After stuffing her face with two giant bacon, egg and cheese bagels and one can of Arizona tea, she felt ready to explode.

Miles had returned shortly after leaving, only to find Eunjae breaking down under the covers of his bed. He’d ended up dragging her out of bed and gently wiping the water from her cheeks, claiming that he had the perfect cure for her tears: breakfast. Eunjae had always found a strange comfort in greasy food, so she’d latched onto the distraction readily.

Now, however, she was starting to have some regrets.

“Don’t act all high and mighty.” Miles shot back, dangling an arm off the couch to knock into her shoulder. “You ate that food like a woman on death row.”

“Well,” Eunjae gave a small, sad smile that he wasn’t able to see. “I just might be one.”

Grunting with effort, Miles rolled onto his side so that he could stare down at her seriously. “Don’t even joke like that.”

“I’m sorry.” And she was. Eunjae wasn’t the type of person to let the sad thoughts that sometimes plagued her mind to show. But at moments like those, it was difficult. “I’ll stop.”

The sound of a phone vibrating cut through the tense atmosphere threatening to drown her, and Eunjae floundered for her cellphone with a feeling of relief. Her hand skimmed the carpet a few times before finally feeling the glossy phone case under her fingers. Bringing the vibrating phone to her face, Eunjae’s eyes narrowed in confusion at the unknown number on the screen. Shrugging, she hit the reject button before dropping it back to the carpet.

“What are you doing?” Miles all but screamed in her ear. Wincing, Eunjae turned her head to glare up at him.

“Why are you yelling?”

“Why did you reject the call?”

Brows raised, she scoffed. “Who actually answers calls from unknown numbers?”

“You idiot!” The boy smacked her on the arm at her stupidity. “That could have been him! Or his management. Or something! And you just rejected the call!”

Eunjae’s eyes widened at the realization and she smacked herself on the forehead. She vaguely remembered having to fill out her contact information on the virtual ticket she entered into the fanmeet lottery. “Oh my, God. I didn’t even think about that.”

“Obviously, you--” The phone went off again, vibrations jolting her ribs from where it lay face down on the carpet. Hand snatching it up, she scanned the number calling.

“It’s the same number.” She whispered, eyes still trained on the glass screen.

“Answer it!” Miles screeched.

Rushing to obey, Eunjae took a deep breath before pressing the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

#bts #bts soulmate au #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #hoseok

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inikavulpixelreviews · 5 years ago

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Let’s Talk About Pokemon - Gen 8 Retrospective

This Generational recap itself might be a bit on the shorter side, since I already said my peace on the games themselves and their less than stellar impact on the fandom before I even started them. (Not that there isn’t a lot I’m talking about here today though, hoo boy.) Though just know between a repeat playthrough and my opinion on the Pokemon dropping as I've analyzed them more, I'd say my final verdict is that they're a decent enough swan song to the way Pokemon games used to be that made Gym battles feel special again but lacked in a lot of other areas. 6/10 overall.

Though obviously Gen 8 isn't done yet. Since DLC is on the way, as I've said several times already. My general thoughts on the concept of Pokemon DLC replacing the traditional “Third Version” is good. For one thing I'd much rather pay $30 for access to new content immediately over paying another $60 for a “Pokemon Armor” version that had most of its new content back-loaded in the postgame. $30 is still steep... but it's better. And of course, the prospect of releasing more new Pokemon via DLC is a good one too. Hopefully releasing DLC rather than a full game every year will relinquish some of the workload off Gamefreak... so perhaps we can get smaller batches of new Pokemon released mid-generation to help mitigate just how many Pokemon felt like they didn't get finished in time. But also hopefully it'll mean Gen 9 will be all the better when we get there... Gamefreak has stated they're really challenging themselves with the next major Pokemon games so hopefully they're taking the more level-headed criticism to heart and it's not all talk but we'll have to see.

Yeah, that's about all I have to say about the state of Pokemon as of right now, neverminding my multiple rants and tangents since I've already gone to great lengths to state that Gen 8 isn't as good as I might've initially thought. I still like it overall, and it's probably still not my least favorite Gen... but it's very much like Gen 4 with an EXTREMELY mixed bag. Certainly felt like for every excellently designed Pokemon they had below-average flunky that feels like it should've gone back to the drawing board once or twice. But even all that aside, one of my more annoying sticking points with Gen 8 is the severe lack of new animals.

So in place of my usual ramblings on my thoughts on a generation as a whole, let's do a little Compare and Contrast. Let's look at the past few Generations and see just how noticeable this flood of species redo's is. Green checks are significantly new enough animals, Red crosses are for animal origins that have been done before, Yellow slashes for Pokemon with vague or heavily mixed taxonomic origins, and Grey circles for Pokemon that are disqualified for being Objectmon, since we've yet to get repeats of those. (Also disqualifying Gen 8's regional evos other than Obstagoon since it's not necessarily their fault that they're repeats.)

Are there arbitration in places? Probably. But I feel like the point still stands that Gen 8 was waaaaay too reliant on touching up on animals already covered in Pokemon before. Especially when there's still so many animals that have yet to get a Pokemon to their name. The one plus Gen 8 does have in this regard is that it has a few more “taxonomically vague” Pokemon than usual. But repeating animals in and of itself isn't all that bad, if you make the repeat different enough to be interesting in its own right. The one thing you could do wrong in that regard is to just make your monster notably more “normal” compared to the Pokemon it's repeating. So how does that hold up?

As much as I've established that one's a crow and the other's a raven, the two animals are still very much similar creatures. But I do feel like Murkrow and Corviknight are differentiated enough while both still being a “fantasy” creature in their own way. Murkrow is very much a gangly, cartoony crow while Corviknight covers the more majestic side of corvids.

Another one that's pretty blatant is that we now have two regions with a Ladybird as the common bug. Orbeetle does however get to be more accurate to the Ladybird life cycle, starting out with a larvae and ending with the beetle. Again, Ledian and Orbeetle are very different flavors of the same creature, Orbeetle not skimping out on any outlandish elements. In fact, it's more visibly outlandish than Ledian was.

This is where things start to get hazy. I've stated that Nickit and Thievul are sadly my least favorite fox Pokemon to date, simply because it has the least to offer imaginatively than all the other foxes that accompany it. Ninetales has the kitsune thing going on, while its Alolan variant covers Arctic Foxes. Zorua is a fantastical take on the tricky nature of foxes by combining aspects of shapeshifting kitsunes or tanookies while throwing in a bit of Kabuki. And Fennekin grows up to be more of a wizard. Thievul is very much a stereotypical red fox while having the trickster nature of foxes that's not only been done by Zorua before, but also in a much more stereotypical thieving way like a Swiper the Fox sort of thing.

Wooloo always struck me as odd ever since it turned out it wasn't the region's common Normal-type. I can excuse plainness in the common woodland animal since they're rather uniformly not terribly interesting (and arguably are like that by design). So it turns out it's more of a common early-game fodder just like Mareep is, but Mareep is just a smidge more interesting by being elemental, and also it turns into Ampharos, a weird little bipedal lamb with little flippers for some reason. Which is reasonably more imaginative than a Pokemon that's mostly just a sheep.

Sandaconda is another one that feels significantly fantastical and unique compared to its previous serpentine cousins. The only snake Pokemon beforehand that was hugely different from the template of what a snake usually is was Snivy. Sandaconda is even unique as far as cobra monsters go, with its “hood” being a big ol' sac that it keeps its projectile Anakin-repelent in.

Centiskorch is a little iffy. It's cool that they turned a real centipede's grappling maneuver and turned it into an even more effective weapon via its heat spots. But in terms of body shape it's significantly more normal looking for a centipede than Scolipede's almost horse-like proportions, isn't it?

Another iffy comparison since they're both fairly “regular” looking Octopus monsters. But even so, I'd count it as a point against Gen 8 since there's been more than plenty of time to come up with a cool and unique body type for an octopus.

That's better! Eiscue, while normal-looking if you only count the penguin body, is still a funny and imaginative take on a penguin monster that is a completely different flavor from Empoleon's stern look to boot.

Another dodgy one to justify. There's neat theming in there, but there's hardly any denying that an elephant that rolls up into a wheel and rolls around is notably a much weirder take on an elephant that Copperajah going by an elephant's body shape to a T.

Had they gone for a look more purposefully weirdly geometric like they SEEM to be going for, I probably would've given it a hand-wave, but even with that in mind, Copperajah is pretty vanilla in terms of Elephant monsters. Especially compared to Donphan.

...So even then, it's pretty mixed in that regard. Some Pokemon feel like worthwhile additions to the biodiversity, but others I can't help but wonder what the point was. Did Wooloo really need to exist in a series that already had Mareep? Couldn't they push Copperajah's concept further to better contrast with Donphan? Having repeats isn’t BAD, pretty sure every Gen past the 2nd has done them. But it’s hard to find sticking points on Gen 6 and 7′s repeats. Aurorus is totally different from Meganium. Vikavolt, while being much more close to realism in body structure compared to Pinsir, is still a vastly different fantasy creature just on account of having a gun for a face. And the whole Goomy line is almost nothing like Magcargo. And all that is WHILE still bringing in plenty of new animals to play with.

So yeah, I hope all that can help with understanding why I was a little harsh on Gen 8. It's still not my least favorite, cause we still got a ton of good out of it, and I would much rather have a mixed Gen of “Some Really Good, Some Not So Great” over Gen 2 and 4's “Some are good but the rest are really plain and boring.” But of course, as per usual, we gotta do the lists...

Top 10 Favorites of Gen 8:

Like I said, the new Pokemon that are good are REALLY good. Still struggled to make a Top 10, for good reason!

Top 10 Favorites Overall:

That said, there wasn’t a ton of impact on my Top 10. Top 50 maybe, but not here.

Bottom 10 Least Favorites of Gen 8:

Sadly there was plenty I was just plain not a fan of. Has there ever been a Gen where I just straight up dislike the whole Bottom 10? Hmm...

Bottom 10 Least Favorites Overall:

And tragically, this Gen did make a pretty deep cut into my least favorites, oof. It is an unholy image to not see Gallade be all the way to the left up there.

The Cutest:

The Coolest:

The Prettiest:

Corviknight and Eternatus aren’t just there because I ran out of traditionally pretty ones, just so you know. There’s something about a sleek, nearly all-black design that is genuinely gorgeous-looking to me.

The Spookiest:

Most Creative:

Weirdest/Most Unique:

Most Forgettable:

Most Personality:

At least there were still plenty of personality-driven designs! Look at all these adorable little charmers and smug little shits.

Most Under-Appreciated:

Best Regional Variants:

I’ve probably said it already but I am legitimately ecstatic with Regional Variation being a mainstay feature now. There is INFINITE potential with the concept and totally didn’t deserve to get ditched after a single use just in Alola. In fact I think it’d be rad if they do any more remakes they retroactively made “Sinnohan” or “Hoenn” forms of Pokemon. I thought they might’ve made some “Kantonian” forms for Pokemon in Let’s Go and redesigned a few modern Pokemon to look a bit like they were designed back in the 90s... but sadly that didn’t happen. Despite how cool it would’ve been. But Kanto is sacred ground that cannot ever be changed, I guess...

Best Ultra Beasts: (????????????????)

Best G-Maxes:

I still love the concept of G-Maxes, and we’ll probably get a few more before Gen 8 is done entirely. But it does stink that the concept in the end felt a little half-baked. Speaking of which...

Pokemon That SHOULD'VE Gotten G-Maxes:

Because G-Maxes wound up being locked to only be for Gen 1 or 8 Pokemon, with only a handful of exceptions. MAYBE they’ll stretch into other Gens in the DLC, but until then lemme just make a personal wishlist of SQUANDERED potential. Though I’ll limit myself to Pokemon that are only in the current Galardex as to not be here all day.

I’m sure if you pay attention to the Fakemon scene at all, you’ve already seen a few G-Max Dhelmises where the seaweed has grown so massive that it’s now able to possess an entire haunted ship. And they are CORRECT to make such a thing because GOD what were they thinking NOT doing that?!? It’s right there under your noses!!!

Still bummed there was never a Mega Vanilluxe... but this could easily make up for it! A towering snowing mountain of ice cream is a super cool idea for a kaiju-size ice cream monster, maybe even ditching the icicle shaped cone in favor of having it rest in a “bowl” of ice!

Like??? Hello????? Are you telling me you’re making Kaijumon over here and you’re NOT gonna make a giant mecha?????????????????

Because a giant living beehive deploying swarms upon swarms of Combee is a badass concept just by itself.

Like c’mon this one was REALLY staring you in the face. A region set in Poke-England and you’re not gonna make a funny giant Zeppelin?

Just trying to imagine a colossal haunted chandelier is giving me chills by itself. Especially if you were to make it look elaborately regal and all that.

I’ve not got a specific idea, you’d just think they’d compensate for the lack of a Mega form.

G-Max Rillaboom has me feeling like this one’s likely to not happen, since I imagined a cool idea for a G-Max Trevenant was to make it a giant Deku-Tree looking haunted tree with a colossal trunk and even bigger canopy.

I guess Butterfree already had the spot taken for “Mothra stand-in”, but I feel like Frosmoth has just as much cool potential for a G-Max form as Butterfree did. Especially with the powdery snow scales it has.

Perfect opportunity to give Goodra a giant, more monstrous slug-like form. But no dice there either. Maybe next form gimmick...

Okay, C’MON. We KNOW they weren’t that bothered about giving G-Max forms out to Pokemon that already had Megas. This is the most obvious one of all! ESPECIALLY since its defacto-Mecha Godzilla got a G-Max but it didn’t.

Most “Unfinished” Feeling:

Since “least favorite” doesn't necessarily meant “unfinished.” (As much as I dislike Toxel, it doesn't really strike me as “not done.”) Not that I have clairvoyance on Gamefreak's internal workings, but some of these Pokemon definitely feel like they're not up to scratch with the series's usual quality standard.

My Disappointment is Immeasurable and My Day is Ruined:

To pick on Gen 8 one last time... and since it was a running gag anyway, here's the Pokemon that just crush my dreams the most. Except Appletun, mostly. It's good enough to be let off the hook. The rest? They were things that were on my wishlist of things and animals I would've LOVED to see get turned into Pokemon, only for my hopes and dreams to sink faster than the Titanic. Considering a majority of concepts within Pokemon don't come back, if not for a very long time, these Pokemon mean that I have to reluctantly strike a cake monster, a snowman, a coal monster, a train monster, a sea urchin, a pie monster, and some fresh Lapras attention off my wishlist. Sigh.

With two rounds of DLC coming, the main Pokemon review series probably won't be back until the tail end of this year shortly after Crowned Tundra is released. I am excited to get to talk about some of what they've shown so far, but I'd rather wait until the content is released and we know everything about the new Pokemon and Regionals. There will however be at least one more little bonus article about Gen 8 and the future of the series, but I wouldn't expect it to be out for a while. Before the DLC is out probably, but still a long ways off.

[Archive]

#Pokemon #Gen 8 #Sword and Shield #Pokemon Sword and Shield #Pokemon Reviews

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strigital · 5 years ago

Note

Hey! So I love your Miraak and it kind of inspired me to make my own. Only problem is that I can’t freaking figure out how to mod him. I’d be super grateful if you could give me some tips!

hello there! sorry it took me like a million years to reply. my life’s been heckin’ wild these past few days. anyways, let’s talk about modding the miraakulous ass.

first of all i am in no way a modder, this small little .esp that affects the face and body of a follower from another mod is the first and only working mod i’ve ever made. second - my main sources of info were these two vids (i followed the first one to the T in order to make my miraak fully standalone, i. e. not dependant on any cosmetic mods that, if suddenly removed, would mess up my boi’s face):

youtube

this second one mostly helped me to understand NifSkope and NifMerge.

so uhhh... yeah. i basically just followed these two tutorials in order to make my miraak have a unique face and body meshes and textures. anyways, i made this mod mostly by just trial and error, lots of loading and reloading, redoing stuff, changing stuff. so imma just tell you the short version of my process (which hopefully i still remember correctly, it’s been a while).

first thing first - get yourself some tools:

creation kit (how else ya gonna make miraak’s face, ya dummy?)

nifskope if you need to know each and every texture your man is using on his face

nifmerge in order to slap your desired textures onto a ck generated miraak’s facegen

install racemenu in your skyrim. just do it

cosmetic mods of your desire, such as mods for custom hair, brows, beard, eyes, skin, scars, warpaints and tattoos

and now... LET US BEGIN THE MAGIC!!1

step one: launch skyrim and create a miraak of your dreams.

i just loaded my latest Nim’s save, created another save, typed showracemenu 14 in the console and went to town with sliders. i race changed my gorl into a Nord (another race may cause some unseen bugs so better choose Nord), sex changed her into a dude and just... made myself a miraak.

once done i used Racemenu to save his face as a preset for future use and then exported it using a name like MIR_FACE_NEW or something like that (refer to the second video to know where the exported face file is kept).

then i pressed done, confirmed his name as Test Miraak, opened console again and typed savenpcface miraakface.

now, with these two files, we’re ready to go into the ck and do some magic.

step two: open ck and make your .esp file and do some modding magic

if ya wanna make your miraak standalone, refer to the videos i linked to learn how to do that. i followed the first video and was able to succesfully make my miraak have his own body and face textures (gotta love that dragon tattoo on the back!).

remember to save often and to have multiple copies of your .esp file! ck crashes like a motherfucker, just as todd howard intended.

when you’re ready to edit miraak follower, load your mod as an active file with miraakfollower.esp also enabled, go to the actors tab, search for miraak. note: all things added by the miraak follower mod will have letters MF in their names. find miraak follower, you’ll know it’s him by the potentialfollowerfaction faction addedd to him as well as some 30+ users in the users tab. now, listen up. idk what’s the matter with ck or what the hell are users, but by the love of talos make sure the number of users for miraak remains the same! if you see that users are now 0, exit ck without saving, reload your .esp and check if number of users is back to being something over 30. if not, reload an older .esp version, even if it means redoing a lot of stuff. why you should care about users? i don’t know, but i noticed that if users are 0, then the mod won’t work, your miraak will be pure vanilla and won’t use any of your modifications. complicated stuff, i know, just keep those pesky users above 0 and miraak shall work as intended.

now, double click ya boi and with the help of the videos i linked edit his face meshes and textures. if you also created custom body textures (how to do that - refer to the beginning of first video where you’re shown how to create them) you should apply them at the very first tab, the same tab that also gives you the ability to edit his scale and weight. me being hellbent on the fact that atmorans were huge folk, i edited his scale to be something like 1.2, just a tad bigger that an average Nord (note: if you edit his scale you’ll notice a lot of shrinking and expanding whenever he’ll be using various animation markers around the world, such as a smelter, a stool, a wall to lean against... that’s normal, just a bit silly).

anyways, when you’re done editing his face in that window, save the changes (or apply, i forgot what the button says) and press ctrl+f4, twice for good measure. why? it’ll export your new miraak’s facegen, don’t know what it is but it’s hella important! check again if users are above 0, if yes then save your .esp and close ck. refer to the second video to learn how to use nifmerge in order to make your miraak use custom make up and warpaint textures.

once all that is done, place your .esp file after miraakfollower.esp, disable any other miraak face mods to avoid conflicts and load your game. now... at this moment many things may go wrong or refuse to work, idk why. :\

if you have the ability, load a save before the game spawns miraak follower in if you edited his weight. if not, load any save with him at your side. why? that’s because npc’s weight is baked onto a save and it will not change to match your mod’s. however, the neck of the npc will morph to match the weight you set in the ck and thus miraak may have a permanent gap between his body and neck. loading a save before the miraak follower mod’s quest sends you to get some sleep at raven rock and then check his temple is best in such case, because then the game will spawn miraak in with body weight modded and thus no neck gap!

once loaded, locate your miraak follower, click him in the console, use the unequipall command to get him naked, maybe even toggleai to keep him still. take a look at your homeboi. no grey face? body textures loaded as intended? he looks like you expected? good. dress him up again and go kill some bandits. or use some Other Type of mod to enjoy that new face and body. but if no, click him in the console again and type disable then enable a few times. eventually he should pop into his new textures. it took me quite a few resurrect commands before his grey face bug disappeared.

and... that’s it. really. i dind’t explain much, because these two vids is all you need to know how to make a custom face and body for miraak. they do a really amazing job at explaining, plus the first vid has a doc file in the describtion that you can download and use in the future. it’s very easy to follow step by step.

all i can add from myself is that don’t despair if shit doesn’t work for quite some time. it took me like a dozen attempts before my miraak .esp began working as intended and even to this moment i worry that something might break. just try again, make a fresh clean .esp, reinstall miraak follower mod if something got overwritten. look for more tutorials online. if you feel like making him standalone is way too hard, make him dependant on cosmetic mods, you won’t have to create custom texture files, but in case any of these mods get deleted, your miraak might end up bald or without eyes XD

TL;DR

i just used these two vids for the entire process, exept i didn’t create a follower, i edited an existing one from miraak follower mod.

#ask #the-lone-maverick #the elder scrolls #tesv #tes5 #skyrim #dragonborn #miraak #bethesda #modding #miraak follower #ck #custom follower

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salty-dracon · 5 years ago

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YTTD Theories- Chapter 3-1A

Okay I’ve gone through a lot of chapter 3-1A, and I’ve got some thoughts. Theories under the cut.

Ranmaru mentions that “a human from Asunaro” is among the main cast. I believe that’s Sara. However, I also believe that the Sara we see in game (taking the events of Your Time to Shine as canon) is actually a fake, possibly a doll. There’s a real Sara that’s carefully orchestrating all of these events, for some unknown purpose. So this might nullify this theory if Sara isn’t technically human. One or the other, really.

Like some other characters, Gin probably knows something Sara doesn’t. There have been several incidents of characters knowing more than they should with regards to the Death Game. Sou knew about the role cards before they were explained. Keiji knows about the incident that the Death Game mirrors. Q-Taro had that weird first trial, and there’s a scene where Kai and Joe talk with each other, despite presumably not knowing each other. Somehow, Gin knew about the secret passageway to the kitchen in the first floor, and managed to get down there and back up without anyone noticing. We also know that even though the first floor was shut down, Miley could access it, and she has some jurisdiction over the rest of the game as evidenced by her informing Gashu of his transgression.

From a more “meta” sense, Gin’s the only character to not get any deeper development yet, besides Sara and Joe, which most of the characters had before they died. Even Mishima! This is even a staple of the Danganronpa series- the meta rule is “the next character to get character development is the next one to die”. However, while Keiji is in the middle of his arc (he’s gotta sock Midori in the face at some point) Gin’s hasn’t even started yet, besides his cheering on of Sara while she was dealing with trauma.

Regarding Joe-ko Enoshima, I think the theory still has some merit. If Sou dies, we get closure on Joe, and he isn’t brought up again. If Kanna dies instead, Sara seemingly forgets about Joe due to Sou’s traumatic video. However, his figure still appears in game in mini hallucinations. Sara says she’s forgetting something in regards to him, implying he’s somehow still important. Furthermore, if you start up from Chapter 3 directly, in the bookbag, you can find Joe’s little doggy keychain- or a facsimile of it. Whether or not it’s the real deal might be confirmed by whether or not Sara picked it up in Chapter 2. I don’t have time to redo the game myself to figure this one out, but it would sure be an interesting twist- and prove that either Joe is still alive or someone somehow transported the keychain to the fifth floor. Once again, that might be Gin, who managed to sneak into a place that was still accessible by Miley. Also, meta-wise, Joe hasn’t gotten his character development yet, meaning there’s still something left in store for him.

Another random crack theory I had is that the real Joe’s disguised as Midori. Wouldn’t that be a twist.

Regarding the kid of the policeman that Keiji met and later killed... I seriously have no idea who it could be. Someone had a theory that it could be Joe’s dad, as it would explain why Joe was so suspicious of Keiji and questioned whether or not he was a policeman. Q-taro has the same hair color, almost, which might also be related. We also know Sara’s dad isn’t her biological dad. Basically, there’s a lot of possibilities, and I can’t come to a conclusion on the matter.

If Gin really is on the side of Asunaro, Mishima might be too. It’s mentioned that Gin was close to Mishima and traveled with him on the first floor. Mishima might have been told fake rules for the practice round of the Main Game- such as a rule that “whoever got 0 votes would be executed”. That would explain why he asked Nao to vote for him, as Nao is a non-candidate. Killing her off would mean one less “problem” for the Death Game. But Mishima got offed instead, to his surprise.

Who do I suspect will die this chapter? Considering the cast size has more or less just doubled, it wouldn’t surprise me if, besides the Dummies dying, we didn’t have any other main cast deaths. But the game probably won’t let us off that nicely. My actual guess is Keiji. Midori seems to have it out for him, as evidenced by the gun and the final battle of section A. Plus, at the very beginning of the chapter, Midori fucks with us by saying the target’s Keiji. Though he mentions wishing he could have killed Sou if Kanna lives, he just kind of deals with it if Sou lives. For some reason messing with Sou isn’t as high of a priority.

TL:DR- I’m super suspicious of Gin. I hope to god I’m wrong. Actually, I’m suspicious of everyone. Also Midori’s an asshole and I love him.

#your turn to die #kimi ga shine

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shipping-receiving · 5 years ago

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Fictober 2019 Day 28: “Enough! I heard enough.”

Rating: T | Word Count: 1477 Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones Relationship: Jaime Lannister / Brienne of Tarth Tags: Alternate Universe – High School

(read on AO3)

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Brienne doesn’t think it’s very difficult to understand the concept of keeping your voice down in a library. It’s really just the considerate thing to do. People need some peace and quiet to read and write and study. She’s understood this concept since she was four years old. She’s sixteen now, and she expects the other students at this high school to understand this concept too.

And yet she is standing in an aisle, barely able to remember the title of the book she was looking for, because of a very distracting conversation happening in the next aisle over. They’re trying to whisper, but it’s the pointless kind of whispering that’s so harsh they’d probably be better off just talking at a normal volume.

“How many girls have asked you already?”

Of course it’s a conversation about prom. Prom is this Saturday. Everyone is talking about prom.

“Nine. Or possibly twelve? Some of them were so nervous about it I couldn’t tell if they were actually asking me.”

Oh. It’s Jaime Lannister. Jaime is the most popular boy in school. Jaime might also, somehow, be her friend. Her. Brienne Tarth. She still has no clue how that even happened. He started off insulting her appearance, which was all old news to her even at fourteen-going-on-fifteen. By the second week of it she’d gotten this feeling he was almost performing those insults for his friends or something. It sounds like he’s talking to Addam, though—Addam’s cool.

“Twelve. You know how lucky you are, Jaime?”

Brienne is still trying to focus on looking for her book, trying not to listen in on Jaime’s conversation, which is really quite difficult when her mind was already on Jaime anyway. She finds that she thinks about Jaime a lot of the time. They had a couple classes together last year—she skipped a year, he had to redo those subjects—and suddenly she found herself helping him with schoolwork. And then they became friends, she thinks? But the real reason she’s been thinking about him a lot of the time is that recently he’s been saying weird things like, “You know, Tarth, you’re very good at sports.” Or, “You have really nice handwriting.” Okay? She knows this? She doesn’t need Jaime Lannister to tell her things she already knows. Especially not if he still insists on calling her by her last name.

“I don’t feel very lucky, Addam.”

Hells. Of course he doesn’t. Twelve girls have asked him to prom and he isn’t pleased? Maybe he isn’t satisfied. Maybe he’ll only be satisfied with thirty.

Brienne is very happy to notice that she’s found the book she’s looking for, at the exact same point in time that she’s desperately wanting to be very far away from this conversation. Unfortunately, in order to get very far away and borrow this book in the process, she also has to walk by that very same aisle where Jaime and Addam are pointlessly whispering about prom. She strides past the aisle in one step—thank the Gods for her the length of her legs—but she hears Jaime say, “Was that Tarth?”

She walks even faster.

Once she’s made her escape, she heads straight for her regular spot, a forgotten table and bench at some secluded but surprisingly well-lit corner of the school. It’s her next best option after the library for some quiet reading time, with no one to bother her.

Except she forgot that she used to bring Jaime here back when she was helping him with his assignments.

He’s walking over to her right now.

When he arrives at her side, he greets her with: “Tarth.”

She returns his greeting with: “Jaime.”

He sits himself down beside her, back leaning against the table. “Did I see you in the library earlier?

“No,” she lies.

“Are you sure? Because I’m pretty sure I saw a very tall girl with hair the exact colour of yours walk by.” He tilts his head to look at the cover of her book. “Also, you’re reading a library book.”

She slams it shut and shoves it in her bag. “Okay. I might have been in the library.”

“Why didn’t you say hi then?”

“Do I have to say hi every single time I see you?” she replies, a little too harshly.

“That’s social convention, yes.”

“Well, I’ve never been conventional, have I?”

“I suppose you haven’t. But you were just in the next aisle, weren’t you? And we hadn’t seen each other all day today.” He nudges her lightly as he says this, and Brienne instinctively brings her arms closer into herself.

“You were busy,” she replies, firmly. “I didn’t want to intrude.”

“It was just Addam.”

“You were busy with Addam, then.”

“It wasn’t that important.”

“Really? I thought you’d care a bit more about prom.”

Oh hells.

“Ha!” He turns sharply towards her. “So you were eavesdropping.”

“I wasn’t—I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Brienne hisses. “I was looking for a book in the aisle next to yours and you weren’t keeping your voices down, like you’re supposed to do in a library.”

“So, how much did you hear?”

“I just said I wasn’t eavesdropping.”

“How much did you hear, Tarth?” Why is he leaning in so close?

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?” Jaime is very close. “Are you absolutely sure about that, Brienne?”

Why is he even more annoying when he calls me by my first name?

“Enough!” Brienne shoots back, and grabs her bag so she can sandwich it between them. “I heard enough.”

“And what exactly is ‘enough’?” Jaime drawls.

“You’re—you’re in very high demand for prom,” she replies. She’s determined not to engage beyond that point.

He’s taking her bag now and putting it behind him where she can’t reach it. “That’s it?”

“That isn’t enough? Personally, I think it is. I don’t find it all that interesting.”

Brienne winces inwardly at the tone of her voice. She has never been very good at affecting nonchalance.

“I think you missed the most interesting part of the conversation,” Jaime says.

“Oh really? So you do know who you’re taking to prom then?” Why is she asking him this? She doesn’t want to know this. And yet— “Pray tell, I’m so very interested.”

“I know who I’d like to take to prom.” Jaime props one of his elbows on the table, rests his head on it and looks at her. “But I haven’t asked her yet.”

Brienne swings her legs over the bench and stands up. “Gods, haven’t enough of them put their name in the running?”

Jaime stands up too, tries to block her from getting her bag. “I’ve said no to all of them.”

“Oh gods, please tell me you’re not bringing your sister.” She really wouldn’t put it past the Lannister twins to do something like that, if Cersei gets that idea in her head.

“I’m not—hells, Brienne. Will you stop for a second?”

His hand is on her arm. Why is his hand on her arm? “Why does this whole conversation even concern me?”

“Because I’m trying to ask you, you idiot.”

Is this a joke? Brienne shrugs her arm out of his hand. “You’re the idiot.” She’s really more eloquent than this, usually. “And no you’re not.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure I am,” Jaime insists.

“You can’t be.”

“‘Will you go to prom with me, Brienne?’ There, I just did.” He folds his arms and smirks at her. This is a joke.

“If this is a joke, Jaime, I’m punching you in the face right now.”

Jaime’s smirk turns into alarm. “It’s not a joke, and I’d like to not go to prom with a bruise on my face, thank you. I’d like to go with you.”

Brienne stops, takes a breath, closes her eyes. Very slowly, she says: “You’re absolutely, one-hundred-percent, swear-on-the-Lannister-family-name serious?”

“Yes. Brienne.” Again with the first name. “I’m serious.”

“Okay then.” She opens her eyes, looks straight into his. “Fine.” If this is a joke, she can still punch him in the face later, and then some.

“Fine?”

“Fine.”

“Great. I’ll be at your house at 6.”

“Fine.”

“Wear blue. I’ll wear blue.”

“Fine.” She’d have clocked him on the head for daring to dictate their colour scheme, if he hadn’t already told her before that blue goes well with her eyes. One of the weird things he’s been saying recently. Or maybe not so weird, in light of even more recent events.

“Okay then.” Jaime rubs the back of his head, shifts his weight from foot to foot. “Gotta go to class.”

“Fine.” She brushes past him to get her bag.

“See you later, Brienne.”

Brienne.

Before she knows it, Jaime’s gone. She looks down the hallway, sees him just turn the corner.

Fine. So she’s going to prom with Jaime Lannister.

Fine. This is fine.

Everything is going to be fine.

#fictober19 #jaime x brienne #braime #my fic #i DID get this done in 2 hours #holy shit!

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