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neoyi · 3 years

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Continuing on from the last play session, this one covers Disney Castle/Timeless River, Port Royal, Agrabah, and Sora’s second return to Twilight Town.

*I’m fairly indifferent with Demyx, but I get why he was a fan favorite back in the days. He’s got personality: cowardly, lazy, and apathetic, Demyx probably mooches off the rest of the Organization XIII’s sweet pad, playing his sitar and doing weed, and never paying rent.

*Mickey Mouse Club was a horrifying choice to use as Disney Castle’s primary background music, it’s almost insidiously catchy.

*I love how little you actually need to fight within Disney Castle because Minnie’s holy powers mean she can fuck up a Heartless’ day anytime.

*Yeesh, I don’t miss Daisy’s portrayal as a Nagging Girlfriend at all, it's such a garbage characteristic. She’s so unreasonable here that it borders on parody.

*I feel like the writers had to squeeze in a small “We can’t mess with the timeflow here” in order to leave Timeless River as is. Er, was? Which, fine, time travel is a finicky thing, but it's especially a safety net because it prevents Sora and friends from trying to redeem Pete.

Like I think this is the only section in the game where we get any kind of sympathy for Pete, being so miserable working for Maleficent and longing for days gone by as a former sea captain. Sora and pals had no issue working with Past Pete to stop Current Pete, so one would think in another situation, they'd convince his retro self to stick with boats instead of any grand ambition of evil. It wouldn't be the first time Sora gave a shit about rules if it meant helping the greater good, but I guess he made an exception here or something.

*I'm also amused by Timeless River because the time traveling here is so innocuous and confined to this particular Disney World. I've heard the main plot in later games goes balls-off-the-walls apeshit with the time traveling in comparison and oh boy, I can’t wait till I get to those!

*I could see Disney telling Square Enix why Pirates of the Caribbean had to follow the movie’s plot beat-for-beat during game development, what with being the hottest shit at the time of the game’s release, but it means a hell of a lot more cutscenes than any of the previous Disney Worlds I’ve been in and the experience is poorer for it.

The Disney Worlds work best when they aren’t adapting its respective movie almost scene-by-scene, but utilizing their chief characters and setting that integrate with the bigger narrative while being self-contained (dear god, Kingdom Hearts is basically Disney Extended Universe.)

It’s stifling even for a game studio like Square-Enix and their notorious love affair with cinematic cutscenes, and an example of what happens when the game is restricted to playing an abridged version of its respective film.

*I will never understand why they censored the guns the pirates were holding. I get the characters are realistically designed and thus, might evoke a more visceral image of Characters Shooting Pistols In A Fictional Game For An All-Age Audience, but like Clayton from the first KH had a gun. Were they really concerned that Sora would get hurt from a bullet wound when they had no problem with Clayton shooting him in the face just because he looked more like a cartoon?

This problem also plagues Xigbar even though his guns are much more fanciful in design.

*My god, the models for the PoTC cast is still strikingly good even now. Square Enix had made a reputation as a studio that blew you away with incredible graphics that no one else was able to capture at the time. A lot of game companies has since caught up, but back then, they were on another level.

*Speaking of horrendous Disney executive meddling, this game also has the Chicken Little summon, a character who otherwise likely would never have appeared in the games because nobody goddamn loved that movie. Presumably, the little bastard got in because that was the latest Disney Animated Canon that was to arrive by the time KHII came out.

And man, Chicken Little is a wretched, wretched film.

*Bless James Arnold Taylor, he is a fine voice actor and he really tries, but he can’t capture Jack Sparrow.

*I was shocked the first time when they decided to adapt Return of Jafar. I assumed Disney sequels didn’t “count”, but lo and behold, there’s the Iago redemption arc.

*Kairi is only marginally better here than in KH1 by a significantly low bar. About roughly the halfway point of the game, she gets sick of waiting and when the first opportunity strikes, she decides fuck it, she’s gonna find Sora and Riku by herself. ...Then she promptly gets kidnapped by Axel minutes later. I mean, she tried.

*Pluto’s ability to just end up any goddamn place he wants with no rhyme or reason is the funniest reoccurring thing in the series. I love how he’s the first character to end up in the World That Never Was even though he’s just a dang dog.

*Kingdom Hearts is a game that you have to take at face value, otherwise questions start rising about the nature of an anime boy traveling with a sentient dog man and a disgruntled duck with no one in any world finding this strange.

Twilight Town is such a sleepy, ordinary town with local urban myths the closest to anything weird happening that in any other situation, would probably wonder just what is up with that kid, Sora, and his doofy traveling companions.

“hey guys are you also seeing a dark, magical floating portal with an axe symbol or is it just me?”

*The way Seifer just shoved the Struggle trophy into Sora’s (well, Goofy’s when Sora refused it) hands after the trio saved him and his friends from the Nobodies feels like a comical tsundere gesture (”J-Just take the trophy, baka!”)

*Sora being adorable again because he just missed Kairi in Twilight Town and he cannot stop thinking about her is wholesome as all get out.

*Twilight Town is established as A Normal Town that just happens to be a hot spot for weird multidimensional hoppers. So...what the fuck is Vivi?

In FF9, he's literally a sentient creature that was created (Black Mages being separate species in Gaia than just a class), but it's clear the FF characters in the KHverse are alternate universe takes on their prime counterparts. The implication is that Vivi is and has always been a resident of Twilight Town. But is he still a Black Mage? Or is he human, but his brimmed hat is so big it covers his entire face so it only gives the illusion that his face is shadowy?

(I know, I know, this definitely falls into overthinking territory.)

#Kingdom hearts #neoyi talks #kingdom hearts II

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frenchy-and-the-sea · 5 years

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FF - Promises, Promises

Sometimes an offhand comment in the middle of a session means nothing, and sometimes, it means everything. Val might have some issues that she needs to work out.

~1500 words

———–

“Did you mean what you said before?” Rona asked suddenly.

She walked at Val’s side down Marq’s cobbled streets, several feet behind where Amon was performing impetuous bows in Sarula’s direction as she blushed and swatted him away.

“About knighting Sarula?” Val asked, watching them with a distant grin. She squeezed the last little bit of steaming bathwater out of her hair and tossed it over her shoulder with a shrug. “I mean, if anyone besides that little beast in the Faewild recognizes the authority of ‘the Queen of the Sea’ then sure -”

“Not that,” said Rona, and something in her tone made Val’s heart plummet. She glanced down and found the halfling focused straight ahead, her mouth a hard, stubborn line. “I meant what you said to Dia.”

Val’s stomach sank to join her heart. Even looking away, Rona looked thoroughly, genuinely upset; a mirror of the expression she’d worn when Amon’s sister had all but threatened Val to keep an eye on him, and when Val had promised to die trying.

“Rona,” she said gently, “I was trying to reassure her, that’s all. I just meant that I’d make sure he came back -”

“That’s not what you said, though.”

They turned a corner and stepped into the shadow of the Tilted Towers, just as Amon and Sarula pulled the door open. Val cleared her throat and summoned an unsteady imitation of a smile as they turned to wait.

“You go ahead,” she said, waving them inside. “We’re, uh, going to get a drink.”

“A drink?” Amon stepped out of the path of the doorway and back towards them, incredulous. “We should have stayed at the afterparty, then! I thought you said that we shouldn’t -”

“Of course!” Sarula interrupted before he could go on, elbowing Amon hard enough in the ribs to make him flinch. He opened his mouth to protest again and was silenced as she snatched him by the shoulders. “Just let us know when you’re back! Have fun!”

Without waiting for a response, she swung him around and steered him back inside the inn, ignoring his increasing protests as the door fell shut behind them. Val turned back to Rona with a weak smile and shrugged.

“I hear there’s a good place to, uh, get a drink outside the night market?” she suggested, more question than statement. Rona just nodded, and followed her silently back into the street.

The night was not empty - port cities rarely ever were - but some of the hills that loomed down over the docks gave the appearance of it. Several minutes of silent trekking brought them to the crest of a hilltop tucked between a few sparsely decorated houses of flat white stone, all with decorated porches and decidedly unlit windows. From the street and from the cliffs above the city, they would be virtually invisible.

Rona took a seat in the grass and began toying absently with it, refusing to look up. Val watched in silent wonder as a halo of flowers - bright yellow ones, with big black centers - began to uncoil from the dirt around her. They appeared in rings, one right after the other, until Rona was seated in a small throne of flowers.

“You said that you’d die before he did,” she said finally. Val blinked awake, shaking off her momentary awe by the bitterness in Rona’s voice.

“Well, yes,” she said dumbly. “Yes, of course I did. Hells, Rona, that’s true for any of you. Don’t tell me that all of this is jealousy -”

“But why?” Rona clenched a fist and several of the beautiful little flowers wilted in an instant. “Why is that the first and only thing you think that you can do? Why can’t you just say that you’ll do your best and be fine with that?”

Val felt a little twinge of irritation rise in her chest. “It’s her brother, Rona. She’s only just found him again, after several years of not knowing that he even existed! You think that she’s going to be satisfied with just a little -”

“I don’t care!” The rest of the flowers began collapsing too now, curling back into dust with a fervor. “I don’t care if it’s not enough for her. I don’t care if it’s not enough for anybody! You don’t have to kill yourself over it, Val! You don’t have to promise your life!”

“I’m not!” Val snapped, bristling to match her tone. “But I promised to protect people, understand? And if we stumble across someone in danger, I’m not going to stand back and watch just because it might hurt me -”

“But that’s not what you said!”

Rona’s voice retreated into a near-whisper by the end of the word, shaking so hard that Val could see it rattling through her shoulders. She was standing in the center of the hilltop now, a circle of dead flowers coiled in a mass around her feet, staring up at Val from the height of her waist. It felt rather like she was ten feet tall, and staring down.

“You said that you would die before Amon did,” she said, almost too quietly to hear. “Not that you’d protect him no matter what. Not that you’d help whenever he needed it. You just promised to be the first thing to go. What was I supposed to think?”

Val opened her mouth to reply, but it was like her entire litany of Common had suddenly abandoned her all at once. Rona watched her gaping, silent, then sighed and sank slowly back into the grass again.

“I do admire that you try to protect people, Val. Honestly, I do. But don’t you know how much that scares us? Scares me? Do you think that you’re only worth something to us as a shield? Are we… am I not worth sticking around for?”

Her voice got very small then, and Val’s heart, which had relocated itself somewhere in the vicinity of her pelvis, suddenly felt like it had been torn in half. She sank down onto her knees and grabbed Rona’s hand as her words came back to her in a flurry.

“You are!” she said frantically. “Gods and all, Rona, of course you are! You - all of you, of course, but you especially - you’re the single best thing to have ever happened to me. I don’t know how I ended up with this life, or with our friends, or with you, but I’m fucking grateful, understand? Panic and near death aside, I’m happier here than I’ve been in years. I would give anything - everything - to keep it. That’s why I just…” She broke off with a shaky sigh and then slowly lowered her head to press her lips to the back of Rona’s hand. “I want you to be okay, always. I want to make sure that you’re safe. Damn everything else.“

A long silence fell behind her words. Then, slowly, the hand beneath her cheek turned to cup itself beneath her chin, and pull her up to face Rona’s weak little half-smile.

“That sounds like it’d be much easier to do when you’re alive, don’t you think?”

Val choked out a strangled laugh, as sincere as she could make it, and leaned into the hand that pulled her forward into a crushing hug. Rona’s lips pressed into the part of her hair just between her horns, and stayed there for a long, long time.

“I don’t want you to stop trying to help people, Val,” said Rona at last, her voice muffled by hair. “Also, I’m pretty sure that you would explode if you tried. I just… I don’t want you thinking that the only way you can do it is by being the first dam to break, okay? Your scars are very cool, but I would be just as happy to see you with less of them.”

“You just said that they’re cool, though,” Val muttered into the crook of Rona’s neck. “Shouldn’t I want more, then? How am I supposed to take that?”

Rona laughed and ruffled the still-damp hair that her hands were tangled into. "You’re supposed to listen to me, and not be contrary about it.”

“Now, that doesn’t seem fair.”

They sat for a long moment like that, giggling nervously and curled up in one another, trying to quell the lingering, rushing fear of their first argument. Then, finally, Val pulled away.

“I can’t guarantee any sort of calmness if there’s danger around,” she said, wrapping a hand over Rona’s, “but I’m going to try not to scare you anymore, okay? I'm… I’m going to be here, gods willing.”

“Fuck the gods,” Rona said, ignoring Val’s scandalized gasp. “You’re going to be here, you willing, okay? Gods be damned.”

“Alright,” said Val skeptically, “but it’s gonna be a lot harder to do that if you keep bad mouthing the guy who heals me, don’t you think?”

They left behind a fresh ring of wildflowers at Val’s insistence, and made their way back to the Tilted Towers in a much more companionable silence than when they’d left. And that night, curled up against one another in their meager inn bed, they slept with the smallest fingers of their hands crossed together, locked in a promise that they did not break once.

#my writing #d&d #dnd #fortune's favor #pile of idiots #val has some issues about self preservation that Rona is going to coax out of her come hell or high water I s2g #valrona

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ghostandblog · 5 years

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A Kiss From Diana

FF / AO3

Summary: Seven unconnected snippets of Diana kissing one of her friends.

Pairing: Diana x Akko, Lotte, Sucy, Hannah & Barbara, Amanda, Jasminka, Constanze

Word count: 1838

Akko

Diana feels weird looking at a shooting star from the ground knowing that once she stood in the middle of the stars in space.

A lot of things have been different these past weeks, even if things got relatively back to normal, but in subtle ways, the way that Diana saw the world around her was different too. It wasn’t something she could discuss with anyone, not only due to her usual closed nature but because she feared that no one else would understand her.

But Diana was thankful that there was someone else who she knew felt the same way, because she was with her during everything.

The stars would never look the same to her again.

“What did you wish for?”

Akko’s voice interrupts Diana’s thoughts.

“Good fortune and success in this new chapter of our lives. But mostly, prosperity for you and me, and for all of our friends and loved ones, too.” Diana smiles fondly while looking at the sky, then she turns to Akko. “And you?"

“Aww, man, now I feel silly.” Akko says while making a pout face. “I just wished for the new Nintendo Switch.”

Diana chuckles a little, then gives her a small kiss while caressing her check. “Well, hopefully, we can manage to get one very soon.”

Akko grins at her then holds her other hand.

“All my other wishes already came true. I honestly didn’t think of asking for something else.”

Diana just smiles, thinking how no other star could compare to the one in front of her.

Lotte

Diana likes the peacefulness of the schoolyard when it comes to studying, and she learned that Lotte likes it too.

She learned a lot of things about her these past days. The number of freckles that covered her nose and timidly disappeared over the rest of her face, how her glasses hid the expressive, vivid eyes that marveled her every time. Now, she was learning all about her most special interest.

Akko and Hannah warned her about this.

“So, do you like it? This chapter is one of my favorites! Also, the best to introduce people to the series!”

Diana gives another look to the page she was reading. Between the love triangle involving that Bella girl with a vampire and that one werewolf, plot twists involving long-lost relatives, annoying miscommunication between the main characters, and, for some reason, a side plot that included time travel and sky pirates, she was trying to make sense of one of Lotte’s favorite hobbies.

“Is…certainly a unique story. I can’t say I’ve read anything like this before.”

As an attempt to change the subject, she gives her a kiss on her temple while playing with her messy orange hair.

Now she learns that it only takes a kiss on the forehead to make Lotte blush.

Sucy

When her lips meet Sucy’s she expects her to throw some poison, snakes, or poison-covered snakes at her. To Diana’s surprise, she doesn’t do anything like that, but she makes sure to keep her expression as stoic as possible.

Is Sucy the one that looks surprised. As surprised as she can look, Diana thinks. But the tone of her voice gets a little shakier.

“What… what the hell was that.”

Diana just crosses her arms.

"Akko mentioned to me how she tried to kiss you one time. Twice, if I recall correctly.” Diana tries to make something of the other girl’s red face, if it’s embarrassment or something else. “Just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

Sucy blinks, seemingly annoyed, then tries to look away.

“So? What did you think?”

Diana licks her lips, looking down. She turns to Sucy with an amused expression.

“Mushroom-flavored lip balm? Seriously?”

Hannah and Barbara

A serving tray with a cup of Diana’s favorite tea, a plate of pancakes in the shape of a heart, and a small box of chocolates with a rose laying on top of it. Very subtle.

Diana stretches her arms.

“Breakfast on bed? May I ask what’s the occasion?”

“Does it there needs to be an occasion to show how much we appreciate our best friend?” Hannah questioned loudly and frantically.

“Yes, we only want you to know, like, how much you mean to us, Diana!” Barbara continued, nervously.

Probably nothing to do with that copy of “How To Confess To Your Roommate for Dummies” that Diana found under Hannah and Barbara’s desk. Not at all.

Very very subtle. But she would be lying if she said their antics weren’t endearing.

“You two mean a lot for me, too.” Diana says while getting up from her bed. “Unfortunately, you have chosen a bad time for this. I already promised Headmistress Holbrook that I would assist her in some chores for our school, and I’m afraid I need to leave as soon as possible if I want to arrive on time.”

Their expression turns to disappointment almost in sync.

“But I’ll make it up for you.” Diana says as she walks to the bathroom, stopping to the side of the two girls. “I’ll get back by tea time, and then I’ll bake something just for the three of us.” She kisses Barbara’s right check and Hannah’s left chek much to their surprise.

She keeps her pace, Barbara still freezing, Hannah the only one able to speak.

“D-Diana! You don’t need to!”

Amanda

“Let’s start with chapter two, shall we? Seems to be the one you have the most trouble with. The History of Transmutation in-“

“Yaaaaawn.” Amanda’s exaggeratedly prolonged yawn interrupted Diana.

A study session with Luna Nova’s top student would be an important opportunity for any other classmate, but to Amanda, it was just another boring chore.

“I will let you know that I’m not exactly thrilled to spend my afternoon helping study someone who doesn’t seem to care to improve her grades, but as you know, your roommates were so concerned that you wouldn’t pass your classes that they asked me about it.” Diana expected that stating the obvious would change Amanda’s demeanor. “Because you do know that they care about you, right, O’Neill?”

Diana’s attempt at guilt-tripping makes Amanda roll her eyes. Of course she knows. What she doesn’t know is why it was such a big deal for everyone. Amanda already had ideas to keep in touch with their friends In Case Anything Happens, as she said.

“It’s just…it’s hard to give it my all you know? Don’t really care for grades, don’t really care for this school. Of course I care about my friends, Cavendish. But when it comes to this place…I don’t feel like there is something worth making me stay in here, alright?”

Diana sighs, gets up from her seat and advances closer to Amanda, who isn’t sure why she decided to come near her if she’s gonna give her another speech about responsibility, tradition, duty or whatever.

Before Amanda can complain, she feels Diana’s hand on her chin, tilting up her startled face a little. She gives her a kiss. Quicky, yet gently at the same time.

And before Amanda can reciprocate, Diana pulls away, keeping the serious expression on her face.

“Would that suffice?”, Diana says before returning to her seat.

She thinks is cute how the red in Amanda’s face doesn’t quite match her hair.

“Geez, Cavendish, you sure had gotten better at pep talks, I’ll tell you that.”

Amanda bashfully reopens her book, half looking at the text, half grinning.

“Alright then, chapter two, wasn’t it? The History of Transmutation in Modern Witch Society..”

Jasminka

The smiling girl stands in front of the blue team’s dorm room door, offering one of the cornflakes from the bag she’s carrying.

Diana accepts one. She is not hungry, neither is in the mood that kind of food, but she doesn’t want to be seen as uncourteous.

“Sorry to bother. Is just that the cakes you brought for Akko’s flying practice the other day were just so delicious Diana. I couldn’t help but wonder if you may have more with you, or even the recipe?”

Diana eats the single cornflake she took, then inspects Jasminka’s apparently-closed eyes, who patiently waits for her answer.

"I’m afraid I don’t have anymore, Antoneko. But I was thinking of preparing another batch for our picnic with all our teams together, next week. If you are interested, perhaps you would like to assist me.”

“Really? Oh, thank you so much! I can’t wait!”

Diana feels the scents of candy near her, specifically strawberry and cinnamon. Before she realizes it, Jasminka is giving her a kiss on the check.

Was this typical Russian customary or just Jasminka being herself? Either way, again, Diana doesn’t want to be seen as uncourteous.

She approaches her timidly and gives her a small kiss on the right check. She takes her time, to see if she can catch the scent of cinnamon again.

When she turns back, Diana can see a visible red on the other girl’s face and her smile getting even wider. For a brief second, she can’t help but think how adorable she looks.

Then she figures it out. It was just Jasminka being herself.

Constanze

“No no, no, I can’t open the door! You go open it!”

Amanda’s loud tone isn’t that of her typical laziness, as Diana can hear it from the other side of the door. Is more akin to the one she uses whenever she has a scheme going on.

Terrific. She braces herself for the worst.

To her surprise, there is nothing out of the ordinary when the door is opened. Just Constanze with a questioning expression on her face.

“Greetings, Von Braunschbank.” Diana wasn’t sure if it was customary to say her entire surname, but she hoped that wasn’t the case. “O’Neill summoned me here, saying it was important for me to come to your team’s room and that she would inform me why once I was here… but I can already tell there is an ulterior reason for that, isn’t that right?” she says while glancing at the American girl grinning at them from her bed.

“You betcha.” With a movement of her wand, she reveals a previously invisible tiny object hanging at the top of the door, above the two girls who look up at the same time. “Mistletoe! And you know what that means, you two!”

Constanze blinks then covers her face.

Diana sighs while closing her eyes.

“Yes, I know what it means at a certain time of the year. You do realize that Christmas was two months ago, right, O'Neill?”

“Awww, c’ mon! Don’t be so lame!”

Amanda can’t decide which of the two girls looking at her has the most stern, unamused look in their eyes. Constanze’s furrowed eyebrows certainly make it look like is hers.

They quickly raise from their position, accompanied with wide eyes blinking at high speed, when Diana stoops a little and gives her a peck on the check anyway.

Amanda just laughs.

(this is gonna get kinda dated when nintendo releases a new console, isn’t it?)

Diana is one of my favorite characters on the show, but I’m not sure if I write her properly. So this is mostly an exercise to see how well I do in that regard.

Sucy’s part of the story is a little shorter than the rest because as I was writing the original idea I had, I found myself expanding it more and more to the point that it didn’t count as a snippet anymore. So I decided to leave that one for another fic. I think it may be worth a try.

Thank you for reading!

#Little Witch Academia #lwa #diana cavendish #diakko #diamanda #atsuko kagari #Sucy Manbavaran #hannah england #Barbara Parker #amanda o'neill #constanze amalie von braunschbank albrechtsberger #jasminka antonenko

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gryffindormischief · 5 years

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gattara - part 2/2

A/N: MUCH DELAYED PART 2! Checking this off the list of WIPs that I really should not keep adding to. I'm a mess, but hopefully this is not. :) Thank you to all who read/helped with this. I tried to consult some cat experts but I am not one so...if Toothless does anything weird lets pretend he’s a magical cat.

Part 1 here

Also available on FF and Ao3

By the time exams end, Harry’s ready to cocoon himself in one of Sirius’ ‘de-stressing’ knit blankets. Though it’s hard to figure out what Sirius has ever been stressed about; he’s in a perpetual state of occasionally excessive chill. Maybe the knitting works .

Regardless, Harry hungry and so tired he can’t even sleep.

Toothless wanders over, nosing at Harry’s hand until he lifts his palm cup around his little furry head. He earns a purr in reward and he’s not afraid to admit it’s quite gratifying.

Maybe he should be more hesitant to admit that, but he doesn’t see people much these days. Except other zombie-like students wandering between wherever they sleep (or don’t sleep) and their next exam. Including one impatient, cat-whisperer neighbor whose schedule seemed the exact opposite of his own. Every time he was heading out into the fray, ready to batter his brain with another three hour session of terror, she was slipping onto the lift to study or maybe grab a few minutes of shut eye.

They’d exchanged a few casual words, he asked about her studies, she asked about his ‘houseguest’, and then they parted ways. When Harry’s mind managed to fight through the exhaustion, it summoned up a phantom Ginny in his dreams, mostly doing things like making fun of him and then in the best ones, ending the teases with some other teasing.

He’s somewhat hopeful, that maybe sometime after they’re both less dead on their feet, this little will-they-won’t-they will become a firm will they.

For now, he’s going to satisfy his other appetites with an overabundance of Chinese takeaway delivered from his favorite spot and an evening of Netflix and chill with his favorite tripod.

He’s barely fired up his laptop when there’s a knock at the door. It’s as if the frequency of Harry’s orders has created some sort of telepathic bond and a near ability to transcend space and time to deliver his double order of Kung Pao and all the fixings.

Stomach rumbling, Harry pads toward the door and it’s with mixed emotions that he finds it’s the usual the minimally interactive deliveryman with his brown bag full of deliciousness. Normally, Harry feels a strong sense of elation at the arrival of his order, but his mind unintentionally flitted to someone else he wants to also call delicious, but moderately feels it should be filed under the ‘true but creepy’ thoughts category of his brain.

This whole internal questioning process takes long enough that the delivery man raises his hand and raps on the door a second time before fiddling with his cap. Harry tugs the door open and fumbles for the bills laid out his entryway table.

They do that awkward little dance where food and payment are exchanged and give each other little grunts in farewell and Harry’s stepping back inside when a wry, disembodied voice sounds. “Little cheap for such quick service.”

Harry shuffles the bag more firmly in his arms. “What the - did you bug my flat or something?”

Neighbor Ginny peers around her door jamb messy braid dangling and cheeks flush with exertion. “Nah, these walls are just super thin.”

“ Or you’re super nosy.”

“Or you’re super loud,” she shoots back, brows twitching up in challenge.

Harry eyes her for a moment, in an impressively calculating and non-attraction related manner. Her gaze dips down to the bag in his arms more than once, and her nostrils flare as if taking a subtle whiff of the aromas emanating from the parcel. “If you’re that hungry I could be persuaded to share.”

Eyes widening, Ginny straightens and steps out into the hall slightly, “I will give you one chance to take that offer back.”

In a surprisingly suave moment of inspiration and execution, Harry winks and shoots a quick, “See you in a few,” over his shoulder before disappearing back inside.”

Ignoring the slight tremble in his hands as he unpacks the veritable feast neatly packed away for delivery, Harry then retrieves a couple of plates, assesses the beverage situation (two mismatched beers, half a bottle of ginger ale, and some sports drinks). There’s another knock at the door and Toothless emerges from his impromptu nap, yawning widely and winding between Harry’s legs as he moves to admit Ginny.

Once Ginny’s inside, she grins at him for a moment before immediately dropping to the floor and lifting Toothless into her arms. Because of course the damn cat likes her more than him.

Though it’s hard to blame him.

“So what’s for dinner?”

“Take your pick, but I get at least half of the dumplings.”

Ginny’s laying on her back now, Toothless nuzzling his nose against hers, when she smirks. “You know, I’d make fun of you for acting like I would eat twelve dumplings, but it’s actually a pretty accurate assumption. I’m impressed.”

“Rest assured I like you a lot if I’m surrendering half,” Harry says, realizing about three seconds later how very clear he’s made his feelings. Her eyes dart over to his and her lips part, which leaves her vulnerable to a cat paw in the mouth, but she keeps the connection and Harry feels as if his heart will pound out of his chest. So he does the brave thing and completely changes the subject. “So how were exams? I uh - was pretty zombie like so I may have hallucinated seeing you in the lifts.”

Ginny blinks and sits up, letting Toothless go (Harry’s fairly certain he gets a distinct look of disappointment from the feline) and accepts the plate Harry passes her way. As she scoops a few spoonfuls of fried rice onto her plate, Ginny goes along with the subject change and sketches her last two weeks in broad strokes. With special little commiseration themed asides for added humor.

Harry’s just finished bemoaning his professor who enjoys telling his students half the exam will be ‘multiple choice’ and then foisting twenty options per question on poor, unsuspecting zombies just looking for a degree.

Sighing, Ginny spears a piece of Kung Pao chicken with one of her chopsticks and pops it into her mouth. “I was so tired after my last exam I couldn’t even sleep. I watched half of the BBC Pride and Prejudice series and drank about two litres of chamomile before my heartbeat even dropped to a reasonable rate.”

Harry scoops up a fork full of rice and swallows it down. “Never seen it.”

With a gasp, Ginny droops back in her seat with an air of drama and says, “You should be forcibly removed from England.”

“My school assigned Emma instead,” Harry answers with a shrug, “I’ve been exposed to Austen.”

“Yes, but has Austen been exposed to you ?”

He takes a gulp of Gatorade and makes his best attempt at a flirtatious grin. “Now that’s a very personal question Weasley.”

“Guess we know what you’re doing over break.”

“Which is?”

“Maybe your brain did turn to mush at the end of term,” Ginny drawls, gesturing toward Harry with the neck of her bottle, “You cannot enter a new school year with such a deficiency on your record. You can borrow my copy. Copies . Read the book, watch the series, then the movie with Keira . Make sure you have a complete and informed education.”

Toothless reminds them of his presence by butting up against Harry’s shin and mewing pitifully until Ginny lifts him into her lap. “Anyway, I’ll be around to protect my investment and supervise your studies.”

Wincing, Harry droops in his chair. “Ugh, no studying. That’s a banned word in this home.”

He gets a slow blink in response before Ginny keeps the conversation moving, something innocuous about campus events over the break and that one dryer in the basement laundry room that eats t-shirts.

Harry meanwhile, takes the opportunity to mentally berate himself for his completely idiotic response to something he really hopes was a little bit of a flirty come-on. Toothless seems equally disappointed. Really, Harry’s never considered just how much mortification a cat could pack into a single expression, but he’s quickly learning it’s a lot.

Honestly, he can’t blame the judgmental little thing.

It’s just past two when Harry arrives home from a leisurely lunch with his parents (lots of cheek from dad and a probing questions from mom) for an afternoon of being a human blob with cat sidekick.

But when Harry pushes the door open, there’s no triped whining loudly for attention and an early dinner, and it’s an immediate red flag. Toothless is predictable in at least one aspect - his complete and all-consuming need for attention at all times. It’s a good thing he’s so adorable.

Right now though, that adorable little feline is MIA and Harry is not happy about it. Aside from whatever worry the average pet owner normally has when confronted with this type of situation, it’s compounded by the knowledge that if anyone but Harry finds the little escapee, it’s going to mean blackmail or finding a new place.

Because Harry’s not operating under the mistaken impression that he is in any position to give up the little furball. So he searches the entire flat from top to bottom, even going so far as to upend each and every cushion, book, and anything else not nailed down.

He’s just finished searching the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen, rifling through spare chopsticks like somehow Toothless will be hidden between the packets when it clicks. There is one other person who can help.

After Harry’s knocked on the door three separate times, he’s once again angry at himself that his failure to procure Ginny Weasley’s phone number. Though this time it’s not the whole ‘I’m sad and lonely and she’s beautiful’ motive.

Harry drops his forehead against the door, dejected, when it opens and nearly sends him sprawling. As he regains his footing, Harry takes a few seconds to get his first look at Ginny and she’s...rumpled. Hair piled in a messy bun with escaped tendrils curling around her flushed face, overlarge men’s t-shirt barely hitting halfway down her freckled thighs, feet bare and - oh god.

“Are you - uh,” Harry flushes and feels like he’s about to sick up because first Toothless and now Ginny probably has some strapping six-foot-something man in her bedroom… “I interrupted.”

She pushes her hair back from her face and Harry’s about three seconds away from a self pity abyss, when he remembers why he came and steps closer, voice barely above a hiss. “ He’s missing .”

She takes barely a moment to catch on and grabs for a pair of beat up trainers piled against the wall. As Ginny’s pulling the door closed, Harry stutters out, “Do you - do you need to tell your uh. Guest. That you’re leaving?”

Ginny quirks her brow, unimpressed with his not-so-subtle attempt at snooping. “Well since I didn’t have a ‘guest’ and I just finished my yoga session, I think we’re good to go,” she drops her voice, “Now when did you see him last?”

Together, they manage a full search of the entire floor, the stairwells, and the hallways above and below with no success and Harry’s beginning to truly believe he’s lost Toothless. Listless, Harry leans against the wall next to his door and surrenders his keys to Ginny.

She squeezes his hand gently and unlocks the flat, prodding Harry until he slumps inside.

On auto-pilot, Harry wanders into the living room and drops onto the couch while Ginny putters in the kitchen, presumably putting the kettle on. He settles there in a daze, barely aware when Ginny presses a warm mug into his palms and perches on the windowsill where a light breeze spills in through the window. The open window. Shite.

It seems Ginny’s mind has followed the same train of thought and she’s pushing up the window and clambering out onto the fire escape in a matter of seconds. By the time Harry’s crossed the room, Ginny’s slipping back inside, a small black and white bundle in her arms. “I can’t believe you left the bloody window open and didn’t check the fire escape.”

But Harry’s too caught up, relieved, and overjoyed to put much thought into defense and somehow ends up gathering Toothless, and consequently Ginny, into his chest.

It’s all a bit overwhelming, the happiness, Ginny’s slight body against his, the scent of her wrapping around him. Apparently terror and relief brings out the poet in him.

Toothless yowls, apparently unhappy with his current identity as the filling in a Harry and Ginny sandwich, so Ginny steps away, only just barely, and Harry presses a kiss to the top of his little arsehole cat’s head. “You can’t just come and go as you please young man.”

If cats can roll their eyes, Toothless just did it.

Crouching down just enough, Harry lets Toothless free, this time perch atop the sofa back like a lion surveying his kingdom. When Harry stands, Ginny’s still very close. But if she’s okay with it, he’s not going to argue.

Still, he’s not a Potter if he doesn’t manage some level of adorable awkwardness when confronted with someone he’s very attracted to. So he ruffles his hair, nearly elbows Ginny in the face, and then whispers, “Thanks for helping me.”

Matching his tone and holding her ground, Ginny murmurs, “I’m just here for the cat.”

Harry laughs and suddenly is highly aware of his hands. “Yeah. He is the best.”

They’re quiet for a few breaths and Ginny drops her gaze to the left with a sigh. “You really don’t pick up hints.”

A weight drops in Harry’s chest as he reviews the last few minutes and takes a large step back, “I uh - sorry I was too close - ”

Her laugh is abrupt, almost like it surprised her too. “Oh my God.”

Now, feeling as if he’s really stepped in it, Harry’s trying to figure out what he stepped in and how his life suddenly went so far off the rails. Not even two hours ago he was sipping lemon water and fighting his Dad for the last breadstick. And now, he’s lost and recovered a cat and somewhere in the process, ticked off his lovely neighbor.

She’s smiling a bit, tongue running over her teeth as she considers him, and Harry’s fairly certain he’s about to be destroyed. And then, he is. But in a much more enjoyable way than he would have guessed.

Because Ginny Weasley of flat 11G is stepping closer and her nose is brushing his and Harry might be thick, but not enough to miss this. So he closes the miniscule distance that remains and slants his lips over hers, too caught up to think about the usual things - have I put on enough deodorant, is my breath tolerable, are my lips chapped. And any time his sinapses start to fire enough that he might get close to such considerations, Ginny Weasley does this thing (that will now be forever known as The Thing in Harry’s mind) with her tongue that comes dangerously close to making him utterly weak-kneed.

Finally, he knows what to do with his hands, his arms banding around her middle and dragging her to him so there really isn’t any space left between them. Hers rise to his shoulders, fingers knitting through his hair and scratching just so at his scalp.

She rises on tiptoe, her front dragging over his slowly and he walks them a few fumbling steps until her back is pressed against the wall. Ginny’s hands drop from his hair, grasping at his shoulders and he’s just on sensory overload of her . But he doesn’t quite trust his judgment at the moment and he’s fairly certain anything she did would feel utterly brilliant, so he can’t help but pull away. “You’re - this is ok?”

Ginny’s breathless, eyes blown wide, and more than a little irritated. “God, Harry, do I need to dip myself in honey and lay across your bed like the damn snack that I am?”

There’s a smile tickling at her kiss-swollen lips and Harry’s hand rises to cup her jaw, thumb stroking along her freckled cheek. “I mean I wouldn’t object.”

She rolls her eyes and Harry laughs quietly. “So after finals?”

“You mean when I practically invited myself in for dinner and volunteered to spend over eight hours in a row with you and you still didn’t ask me out?”

Harry flushes and Ginny’s about to answer, likely with more teasing (but if she kisses it better, he’ll take it) when she starts to laugh. He’s confused for a moment, swiping at his face, when she prods his shoulder and gestures toward the kitchen table.

Apparently, at some point during their little interlude, Toothless took his rightful place as king of the flat and perched himself atop the stack of textbooks piled on the far end of Harry’s table. He gives them a slow once over, which again, Harry was not aware cats could be this smug, and then leaps from the table to saunter toward his coat-closet haven, tail in the air.

Ginny drops her forehead against Harry’s shoulder, finishing out the last of her chuckles, and presses a kiss to the side of his neck. “You’re lucky your cat has more game than you.”

#blarg writes things #blarg writes gattara #hinny au fic #hinny au #hinny #Author #harry x ginny #harry potter x ginny weasley #college au #hinny college au #hinny muggle au #muggle au #hinny fic #read a hinny fic

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itsblissfuloblivion · 6 years

Text

Kindle - Chapter 4

A/N: It’s here! Happy Monday! We hope you enjoy :) Let us know what you think <3

Also available on FF and Ao3!

Harry grinds his teeth and dials Ron’s phone number. The day has been a real pain even without Teddy to watch over and he blames it all on his fun little dream session from the night before. Still, it’s been awhile since he allowed himself to say bugger, grab his keys and wallet, throw on some random t-shirt and jeans, and just go out with the boys. Well, technically, it is the boy. The other part of their young adults complaining about life gang was stuck in her office - by choice, if he might add. Hermione never missed an opportunity for some extra studying, so working as a lawyer meant exactly that. Sometimes, he thinks Ron is the only one with a smart and successful career path.

He sighs and waits for the line to connect. On the other side, his mate’s sleepy voice forms a barely distinguishable “Hullo?” and Harry wonders how can someone be sound asleep at nine in the evening. Precisely because, yes, unlike himself, this someone is the only one with a smart and successful career path. Working when he wants and how he wants, Harry thinks with a trickle of envy fuelled by roughly ten liters of coffee and a couple of sleepless nights hunched over his desk.

“Wake up, we’re going out. Rosmerta’s pub down on Abbey Road,” Harry utters strict instructions.

“Hello to you too, you nutcase. Who phones a bloke in the middle of the night on a Saturday and commands him out his bed with no shame?” Ron complains, but nevertheless rolls out of his sheets to put some clothes on and swiftly brush his teeth.

“First of all, it is nine, which means there are three more hours until the middle of the night,” his old sass comes out as he impatiently explains.

“And second of all?”

“There is no second of all,” Harry drawls as if Ron just asked why two plus two do not equal three, but four.

“You can’t say ‘first of all’ if you don’t plan on following with a ‘second of all’, mate,” the ginger haired man points out matter-of-factly.

“Ron, I reckon spending all that time with Hermione has permanently damaged you,” Harry shakes his head and checks the time on his old battered watch. “Just meet me there in forty, alright?” He addresses the question in a rather harassed tone and slams the phone’s lid shut. Grabbing a pair of sneakers and mentally thanking his parents for agreeing to look after Teddy for the night even in the midst of another crazed packing session, he makes his way towards the hall and closes the apartment door behind him.

“So the reason you summoned me at an ungodly hour is?” Ron raises a ginger eyebrow as his best mate makes his way back clad with two pints filled to the brim.

“Ungo-Nevermind that,” Harry clicks his tongue and takes a seat opposite Ron. “I needed a break,” he shrugs and takes a long sip to get through the annoying foam left on top by the bartender. Not his day, it seems.

“Right,” Ron nods and mirrors his friend, lifting the pint to his lips. “But why?”

Harry ruffles his hair in frustration, searching for a way to phrase his answer. “Teddy - I reckon I’m all he’s got left and I can’t abandon him, I can’t!”

Apparently the expression on his face alarms Ron, because he bends over the lager stained table and pats Harry on the shoulder twice, whispering something close to “breathe” and “let it all out.” Harry has a hunch that this might be another of Hermione’s tips and tricks, but chooses to shut up, for the moment at least.

“I’m fine,” he huffs.

“Of course you are,” Ron replies, seeming unable to decide if he should repeat the shoulder patting or not.

“Listen to me, I only need a break! Or, at least, a break once in awhile, particularly when I’m working under a deadline from hell and so far my best option is not sleeping for at least a week,” he adds, conscious that he’s sounding a wee bit dramatic, but it’s not really the time to care. He did call his friend out of bed to complain, so complain he will.

“What about James and Lily?” Ron asks, wiping his mouth with the back of his palm. Briefly, Harry is reminded of another person with a freckle just above her upper lip, but nearly faints when he realises that he’s projecting those thoughts on Ron, the person he’s having the conversation with, and not his sister, who is probably out with some tall dark and handsome good-for-nothing at a fancy place or whatnot. He has a feeling this small detail, unconsciously burned into his brain, might have been the coal which fired his imagination into overdrive last night.

“They’re moving, along with Sirius,” Harry says with a sigh, “Yeah, the whole gang is packing as we speak and will soon move overseas, to New York no less.” He knows the lack of enthusiasm for his parents’ progress careerwise does him no honour, but it’s not really the time to start feeling self conscious. Sirius always did say that there are mornings specially designed for that, so where was the rush?

“Oh. Good for them,” Ron pipes up and lifts his pint in cheers. “Right. How about Ginny?”

Harry feels beer flooding his nostrils as he starts coughing wildly. Ginny? Ginny Weasley aka the girl he’d been thinking about mostly every second of his existence after that glorious day at the bakery? The girl that has haunted every one of his dreams, adult content included? Well, that seems like a mighty fine idea! Why not invite her to his home on a regular basis and just smack his head against the wall every time he wants to gawk at her? Yes, why not?

“Look, you don’t have to make a decision right now, but I’ll give you her number just in case,” the young man flips open his phone and punches the keys to find his baby sister’s number and sends it via text to Harry - who feels the urge to caress the bleeping screen that now shows the five letters forming her name. He blinks as he reads the name and the digits next to it for the sixth time, feeling like he’d just been told one of the best guarded secrets of humankind.

Ron tosses a peanut into his mouth with the same expert accuracy he honed in their school days and glances at Harry, “I know I do the whole sibling bit with Ginny, but she really is good with kids. Fleur even picks her over Gabrielle - which is a big deal since Ginny doesn’t know how to bake an adequate souffle, which is apparently considered a legitimate concern in that household.”

“I don’t know, mate. I reckon it might do me good to have a helping hand with Teddy while I work,” he ponders, tracing the brim of the pint with one finger. “My department head did put my name up for that big grant, by the way,” Harry suddenly grins and lifts up his gaze to meet Ron’s, leaving out the fact that he’d also signed him up for a burnout the size of an elephant in a mission impossible three months race to the finish line. There was time to commiserate about that later.

“Bloody brilliant,” Ron chimes and clinks his glass to Harry’s. Although his eyes sparkle with genuine enthusiasm for his best mate, Harry can’t help but wonder whether there has been any moment of regret for Ron, for giving up on his academic career when family took first place. The thought makes Harry’s stomach shrink and he’s filled with a wave of compassion for the man standing opposite him.

“You’re an amazing friend, you know that, right?” Harry speaks his mind on impulse, but is surprised to find that he does not regret it. Expressing emotion and feelings is not his strongest point, that much he knows.

“Aw, you’re not so bad yourself,” Ron grins toothily as his ears color a faint shade of pink and then coughs to hide his obvious glee at being complimented. “Now about Ginny,” he swiftly changes the subject, “I reckon she’d say yes, if you gave her a call.”

“W-Why is that?” Harry stammers and his heart wildly beats to an ever-increasing pace.

“Just a guess,” Ron replies and Harry thinks he might have even winked, but can’t be certain it’s not his tired mind playing tricks. “You seemed to have a good time the other day,” he cocks an eyebrow, studying the dark-haired man who is currently looking intently at his fingernails.

“Yeah, she’s nice,” he mumbles pathetically.

“Mhm,” Ron sips his drink slowly, “Right.” Harry believes his mate left something unsaid, but doesn’t feel bold enough to ask what. Looking down at the screen of his phone once more, a brief vision of Ginny laughing and spinning Teddy around in his living room plays before his eyes and he feels mollified. He gets an idea.

“But what will her boyfriend think about her spending all her time in another bloke’s house?” He asks smugly and Ron nearly asphyxiates himself with beer.

“Blimey,” he sighs, “I’ll be gentle with you and just say that she’s recently become single, but, mate, I need to add this - and it’s only as a favour to you, because I care about you, okay? If you want to have an actual date this century, bring up your charm game.”

“Said the man who wouldn’t have noticed that Hermione was in love with him even if she danced naked in his face and shouted it herself,” Harry comments, visibly incensed.

“Hey, that’s a different story, alright?” Ron blushes and slightly pouts, while Harry chuckles and gets up to order another round. Counting the empty pints piling up on their table, he realises they’ve already downed five each and immediately knows this is not his best idea yet. The young man braces himself for misery and regrets in the morning, but being so far away from the imminent moment, he chooses not to spend another second lingering on such an irksome thought.

Hours later, he’s violently woken up by a massive headache and has to fight his way out of the tangled sheets strangling him and run to the loo to hurl his stomach out. Eyes turned to slits because of the searing pain, Harry fumbles for the medicine cabinet and retrieves one ibuprofen, his cure of choice for the scarce mornings when he experiences the effects of an intense hangover. Chugging a full glass of water in one go, Harry notices his phone bleeping and flips it open. To his stupor, a text message from one “Gin” pops on the screen and Harry is a hundred percent positive he’s about to receive permanent brain damage from the shock.

Gin: Did u know the first time the concept of carpe diem was written down was in the Epic of Gilgamesh?

Sweating, Harry punches the keys to get to the sent folder and see what drunk slurrings he’d written in his state of inebriety and overconfidence. Bloody hell, he swears hard under his breath as the text “there are no messages left” appears on the screen. Apparently, at one point during his fun night he considered deleting all his sent messages to be a brilliant idea. And, to spice things a little, he’d also saved her number as “Gin”. We’re not even dating and I already came up with pet names, how efficient of me, he thinks, mentally kicking himself.

“Darn it,” he curses again, hitting one of Teddy’s strewn toys to blow off the steam. “The first time in a long time I get a girl’s number and it’s from her brother, for babysitting. And even then I somehow manage to scare her away by getting pissed drunk and generally being allowed to carry a phone with me,” he continues his annoyed musings, plopping down on the couch with his arms crossed.

Still, the message has been there for a while, so he at least needs to figure out some damage control.

Harry: I confess I did not.

He pockets his phone with shaky hands and pulls it out every other second to look at it. Feeling stressed out, he ruffles his hair and makes his way for the shower to at least attempt to relax.

Squeezing more shower gel than usual and massaging it into his muscles, Harry closes his eyes and tries to forget the whole text message fiasco. However, it’s no use as his mind goes haywire, delving into scenarios of disaster built around multiple ideas of what he could have written. Prayers are being sent to the heavens so that it won’t turn out that he’d acted like a total creep and promises to never lay lips on alcohol are being made to whatever deity is watching over him. Minutes later, he gives up and exits the shower to towel himself thoroughly and find his glasses.

Just as he reaches for his phone to call his parents and see what they’re up to and if they can come by and drop Teddy - there’s no way he’s leaving the house this hungover, the small device starts to buzz.

Gin: Ah, then that kinda kills my well prepared seize the moment joke :(

A smile creeps on Harry’s face and his deft fingers immediately start pressing keys. Oh thank God she’s not scared yet, he gushes inside his head.

Harry: Sorry? Can I ever make up for my disgusting lack of knowledge?

Feeling smug at his own wickedness and creativity, Harry throws the phone over his shoulder on the couch cushions only to dive after it three seconds later, for fear that she might respond and he might not hear the sweet beeping sound announcing it. To his utter pleasure, three dots appear on the screen, signifying that she’s composing yet another reply. Harry starts breathing hard under the pressure.

Gin: For this and for asking me to give up my only free Sunday to watch little Teddy ;) You’ve got a lot of making up to do, mister.

He’s mortified and would gladly dig himself a hole and hide there for the rest of his life. At this point, drunk texting her that she’s beautiful and sexy would have been a million times better than requesting that she sacrifice her weekends for his sake.

“Oh God, tell me that at least I asked nicely,” he breathes and falls back on the couch, shoving off his glasses and covering his eyes with the back of his palm.

Gin: Jk, don’t panic. See you at five, right?

Contrary to her request, Harry does panic. Why are they meeting at five? What did he say? Time for damage control suddenly became a thing of the past. Great job, Potter, you sly seducer of women.

Harry: Sure thing, but why?

Smooth. Real smooth. He thinks that if he’s going to make a mess out of the situation, might as well go in head first.

Gin: Erm you invited me to come for a test drive, see if Teddy and I would get along. Or was it some kind of joke? Because I cleared my schedule for the evening and let me tell you that I do not appreciate having to be that flexible when my thesis deadline is basically knocking at my door.

She sends in a harassed looking emoji after the long text and Harry is filled with new found hope. He did not invite her out on a date, did not offend her with drunken flirting (hopefully) and, most importantly, was sane enough to formulate a proposal that Ginny would accept. He mentally hifives himself and works up the nerve to respond.

Harry: I have tripped, fallen down the stairs, rolled down to basement level and have since been experimenting momentary lapses of memory and reason. Does this qualify as an acceptable answer?

Gin: Lol no

Gin: I’ve just run into my brother being very much hungover. No need to explain anymore

Gin: Psheesh boys

Harry: Oops busted! But I will make up for it, pinky promise

Gin: Now you have three things to make up for, I’m counting ;)

Harry: ughhh do I get off one or two if I say I’m terrible at maths?

Gin: Nope. See you later

Gin: Btw I like going wild with cheese toppings on pizza

Harry blushes. Did he just have the most amazing written conversation with a girl ever? Yes, yes he did. And it came so naturally, he didn’t even have to think it through. Grinning madly, he skips back to his bedroom to put some house clothes on and whistles as he starts tidying up and inspecting the premises to hide anything embarrassing.

#itsblissfuloblivion writes #kindle chapter 4 #hinny fic #hinny au fic #harry x ginny #read-a-hinny-fic #ron weasley #teddy lupin #Harry Potter x ginny weasley #hinny modern au #hinny muggle au #hinny au #gryffindormischief #fightfortherightsofhouseelves

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jendarknight-blog · 6 years

Text

Bakudeku FFT AU, Version One

Because I think this is a more complete version than the other one. This also is wildly different from version two, especially as far as timelines go, so just bear with me.

To whet your appetite, things that are included in this version: -Bakudeku (OBVIOUSLY) -Unconventional class dynamics -Dealing with PTSD and war and re-acclimating to normal society -Bakugou eating the humble pie. He eats a lot of it. -Deku does not go to Ivalice. He sees the aftermath of Baku’s adventures. And he’s. Confused. To say the least. -Physical age gap romance and crossover ships -Deku getting smacked with a healing staff when he gets hurt.

This will be in a note format, taken directly from my notebooks (with some edits), so forgive the haphazard mess. First, though, I’ll give a short description of Bakugou’s Skillset, because YES I ACTUALLY DID GIVE HIM A FFT-STYLE SKILL LOADOUT DO NOT JUDGE ME.

He has multiple loadouts in this AU, but let’s first go over the classes he’s mastered: Calculator / Arithmetician - The user uses math to cast learned spells in specific areas against particular enemies at no MP cost. This is a great way to combine magic with a melee class.

Black Mage - What it says on the tin.

Chemist - Brews potions in order to cure ailments. Throws potions at allies on the battlefield.

White Mage - Again, what it says on the tin.

Dragoon / Lancer - Uses “Jump” skills and fights with a spear.

Summoner - Summons creatures to assist in battle.

Bard - sings songs to help allies. In the AU, this was mastered entirely in a bout of pettiness, due to one of his allies being an absolute shit. Skill Loadouts: Melee: Class: Lancer / Calculator Main Skill: Jump Subskill: Math Skill Reactive Skill: Counter Magic (when hit with magic, counter with the same.) Supplemental skill: Magic Attack UP Movement Skill: Ignore Height (can jump to any height) Attack Magic Class: Summoner/Black Mage Main Skill: Summon Subskill: Black Magic Reactive Skill: Counter Magic Supplemental Skill: Half of MP (uses magic at half the MP Cost) Movement Skill: Ignore Height Healing (Pure) Class: White Mage / Chemist Main Skill: White Magic Subskill: Item Reactive Skill: Regenerator (when hit, cast a spell that slowly recovers HP over time) Supplemental Skill: Half of MP Movement Skill: Ignore Height Healing and Damage This setup is the same as the attack magic setup, except the main class is White mage and the sub-class is Summoner. Ignore Height is a direct reference to his quirk, since he can use explosions to reach great heights in a way that most normal people can’t. He uses this to supplement his magic and physical attacks in a full-on fight. Now let’s go into the notes:

-If this turns into a fic, the main action will take place after the main plot of FFT, so Baku has already gone through the main plot and is sent back home disoriented and a shadow of the little shit that he used to be. -Katsuki shows up in Ivalice when he was 14. He stayed there, unaging, for several years. While he participated in the main plot of FFT (specifically a multilayered war that was both a war of succession and a fight against literal Gods trying to overthrow the world), time stood still in his world. Nobody even knew that he was gone. -Deku was the only one who noticed the change. It was simultaneously subtle and blatant; especially to someone who grew up with Kacchan and followed him so closely. Katsuki seems calmer, more mature, and far more commanding when he gets back. -His Japanese also has an accent when he gets back. Ramza and his sister, Alma, end up going back with him. -Katsuki arrived in Ivalice post-sludge villain, so Deku does, in fact, get OFA. In the FFT timeline, he shows up during Chapter 2, and is accidentally summoned by Princess Ovelia (the damsel du jour) when she messes with the Dimensional Summoning device that I can’t believe actually exists in canon. Normally, this device is used by Ramza in Chapter 3 by sticking a Zodiac Stone in it, so yeah, I’m messing with the timeline. -Ramza and Baku have a mutual attraction to each other, though there’s a huge age gap, at least physically. When Ramza’s physically 20 when they end up in Japan, Baku is physically 14 (mentally 18). Not a huge deal to someone in Ivalice, but it’s not exactly normal and kosher to someone from Baku’s world. -They still kiss in Ivalice, though, and end up having sex before the final battle. They both think they’re going to die, since they’re literally going to be fighting a deranged God in a pocket dimension, so they figure they have nothing to lose. Even if I write this in a fic, it will never be explicit, only implied. -The original notes imply that this will end in OT3. If I wrote this as a fic I’m STILL not sure if I’d have it end up like that. -Even while in Ivalice, living out a nerdlord’s fantasy, the Nerd keeps coming to mind. He doesn’t mean to, but he’ll pop in Bakugou’s head every now and then, with his thoughts sometimes moving to, without realizing it: “I wish the Nerd could see this.” He berates himself for it. -Bakugou’s chocobo -- a rare green breed, and a hardy bird skilled in mountain traversal -- is nervous but adoring, following him everywhere he goes. He, without hesitation, names him Izuku. -He misses his home. Badly. Even when he realizes the low likelihood of ever going back, and notes how he considers Ivalice home, he still wants, and tries, to find a way home (to his family and Izuku, but he never admits that out loud). -When he sees Deku again, he hugs him. Hard. He’s gone through literal hell and seen friends come and go, people die, and has nearly died himself multiple times -- he doesn’t give a fuck if he looks like a pussy holding him like this. He’s long realized he did him dirty, and through learning what friendship and companionship is in Ivalice, he doesn’t want to waste the time that he has. He also apologizes. Because he’s realized that Deku probably hadn’t been looking down on him at all back then (though there’s that doubt that’s still there), but he’s the closest thing to a friend he had in this shitty small town. -This freaks Izuku out. A lot. Last week Katsuki told him to kill himself by throwing himself off a roof, and now--this? His muscles are bigger, his skin is darker, and his hands are calloused and scarred. It’s like he vanished, spent a few years in a war zone, and then came back. -He asks Katsuki questions to prove he’s Kacchan, and to see if this isn’t just--something. Once he proves himself, he just--he doesn’t know what to think. Also, why the hell is he speaking with an accent? -Initially, Japanese is hard for Katsuki to read after coming back, since he hasn’t really used it in...uh. A few years. He manages okay, but...speaking and responding in his native language almost feels foreign to him. Nobody but Izuku, Inko, and Bakugou’s parents really seem to notice. -He even is kinder to his mother, and calls her Mom, because again, he realizes just how much he missed everyone. -Izuku sees Katsuki talk to Ramza in Ivalice tongue, and he isn’t sure what to think. He finds the newfound courage to ask, but he gets some really weird (but true, in hindsight) answers. -Katsuki is very reluctant to tell Deku about Ivalice, less for distrust reasons, and more for ‘I’m not sure if he’ll laugh or stalk me and I kinda don’t want to find out’ reasons. -Katsuki is still salty that he wasn’t able to kill one of the minor FFT villains, who was a canon rapist (no really; one of your party members was raped by this dude) before one of the other FFT villains did it for him. Yeah, he knows that heroes don’t kill, but it’s hard not to get his brain out of the old Ivalice mindset -- kill or be killed. Trusting strangers is hard for this reason (well, that and anyone could be a Church spy, and when you’re fighting the Church...). Deku is easy, Ramza is easy, Alma is easy. His classmates? Not so much. He has to learn to trust them over time. -Ramza and Alma both end up having to acclimate to civilian life in Japan, learning Japanese under Baku and blaming an errant quirk for their arrival. Dimensional travel wouldn’t exactly be out of the question considering the nature of quirks, but the truth of their existence (and magic) is kept very hush-hush. Out of the UA staff, only Recovery Girl and All Might really knows that Baku can use magic, and that’s because they caught him healing Deku after his fight with Todoroki during the sports’ festival. To utilize their particular talents, Alma ends up working in support and Ramza ends up training to be a Pro-Hero, becoming a sidekick midway through Baku’s first year at UA. -Deku is admittedly super suspicious of Ramza at first. Not just because he appeared out of the blue (he’s close to Kacchan, but he’s never heard of him? He’s known him all his life!), but because he’s a grown-ass man who is clearly throwing longing looks at a minor. He can’t prove his suspicions, but he thinks the situation is pretty sketch, and tends to follow them when he sees them alone together in hopes to catch Ramza in the act if he does something unsavory.

-During one of these spy sessions, he realizes that the two have serious history. And speak a shared language. But what is going on between them, Deku doesn’t know. So he tries to...investigate. A little. It proves fruitless. At first.

-He notices things, though. A white-and-red cloak (for non FF fans, this is the typical garb a white mage wears) in his gym bag. A white staff that vibrates softly when he touches it, also in his gym bag. The occasional weird calls to Recovery Girl with said gym bag after afternoon training. -There was also that time when, while fighting alongside Baku during an exam, he starts healing rapidly without warning (Regen was cast on him). -He finally puts two-and-two together...on accident, really. Initially, he sees Fairy (the only summon that Baku can even try doing without raising suspicion) as she fluttered above him to speed up his healing. She was muttering something about a “Master Katsuki” under her breath. He thinks he’s dreaming at first, but when he talks to Uraraka about it, Kacchan visibly stiffens up in the desk in front of him. He’s suspicious, but he’s figured it out now. -Once he figures it out, Deku won’t stop with the questions. I mean, holy hell Kacchan, when could you do any of that, how did he do it, and why did he have to smack him with that staff whenever he did something reckless (even if his wounds somehow healed afterwards)? He learns the truth, and always asks to hear stories about his adventures. At first, Baku says no, but relents after some stubborn insisting. At first, he only tells the far less bad stories. The funny ones (like the petty rivalry he had with Mustadio -- a major character in FFT proper -- over who was the better shot, or the time he and Ramza played wingman for him so he could score a date with the lovely Holy Knight they were partied with). As their school career moved on, he started telling the darker stories. -Also it’s nice that Deku knows he can use magic, because now if he mutters too much, Katsuki can cast a silence spell on him to shut the nerd up. Even though he’s grown, he can still be a petty little shit. -The two don’t become a proper couple until post-UA, after someone in Ivalice ends up summoning Ramza, Alma, Deku, and himself to Ivalice in an attempt to re-gather the Zodiac Stones to finish what the Church started. Katsuki had the Aries stone, he gave Deku the Cancer stone during their time at UA, and Ramza and Alma had the rest. -Deku is not well-acclimated to Ivalice. He has to get a crash-course on the language, learn how to not get his shit stolen or get them killed, and have his trusting nature curbed at every turn. He’s still a reckless shit, so he throws himself into bad situations all the time to save others, which nearly gets them killed more than once. -He ends up taming a red chocobo, though he is awful at riding them. If Baku had a gil for every time Deku fell off the poor bird when he was learning how to ride him, he’d be the richest fuck in all of Ivalice. -Deku and Ramza both order milk at the pubs they go to. Katsuki finds this hilarious, and sticks with his trusted honey mead. -Meeting the old friends that Kacchan had told stories about but he’d never met in person was a trip and a half, and made him more than a little jealous at how casual they were with each other. AND THIS IS ALL I HAVE OF THIS SO FAR. This is what I do in my spare time people. *sobs into the void* I hope you guys find it interesting, though! Thanks for reading!

#Jen's AU stuff #Bakudeku FFT AU

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tokendoodles · 6 years

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Day 21 of Inktober and I ended up getting wayyyyyyyyyyy too overboard and using a lot of marker. Good thing i got a really big one though.

So this is an illustration of a very interesting DnD session my friends and I did where me (playing as my birdboi Errand) and two others (a bloodthirsty camel-centaur thing whose name shall not be fucking spoken ffs, and an old warscarred turtleborn wizard named Wython) explore a desert ruin which was a long staircase going downwards. To hell? You're half right.

Nah, this was a lair of cultists that devoted their servitude to the God of Murder, Bhaal. Basically child dragonkin cultists have been kidnapping people and sacrificing them to their god in an alter.

2/3rds we're like, "Cool". And I specifically said somerhing along the lines of "Hey if we can't manage to defeat the Dragon Maiden (the main goal of the campaign is to stop HER cult; Bhaal has nothing to do with our objective) maybe we can sacrifice people so we can summon this guy or some shit." Clearly the turtle easn't up for it 'cause he has a good alignment or something, so I told him it's just going to be a last resort plan.

Out of the three of us, the centaur is most likely gonna do that and possess whatever the god gives him. Mostly because he likes being on a murder spree that's for sure. Also, his name is Alexander Camelton. Yep.

#inktober #inktober 2018 #inktober day 21 #dnd #dnd art #dnd characters #dungeons and dragons #dungeon #aarokocra #centaur #turtle #skull #bhaal #illustration #traditional drawing #ink drawing #drawing

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an-upset-librarian · 7 years

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Stardust & Fire -- Chapter Thirteen

I bring you, after a short hiatus, the next chapter in this series! I had some writer’s block issues, but now everything is back on track! I know updating at 2am is not the best plan but whatever.

Please enjoy this brief preview of this chapter (a 6300 word monster) the full one is on one of the links below. Thanks for reading!

FFN AO3

Lucy wiped her brow and breathed in deep, filling her lungs with fresh air. Another bead of sweat rolled down her temple and a shudder pulsed down her spine.

“Good Lucy, concentrate.” Capricorn’s voice said. She gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her task.

Capricorn, her most recent spirit acquisition, had been very agreeable in joining her and helping her train and learning how to contain her Stardust. She had to pay a hefty sum for his key at the shop in Basta, but it was more than worth it. Capricorn had told her some old stories of her mother, and was more knowledgeable in Starchildren than anyone else, or any book she’d found.

“Your magic is a part of you, but it is also born from a fallen star. A part of that star wants to return to the heavens, but you are the one in control, remember that,” Capricorn said. Wincing, Lucy nodded. Her first training lesson was all about keeping her magic under control, so there would be no more glowstick explosions. To do this, she was keeping her aura exposed and making herself glow at a steady rate for as long as she could.

Oh, just keep glowing, it’ll be easy. Don’t worry. Lucy bit her lip. Bullshit. She was drenched in sweat, and every single muscle in her body was quivering from exertion. She must have been keeping her aura ‘on’ for hours. She was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, with the curtains drawn in the hopes that no humans would see her shining through the window from the street.

“Concentrate, you’re losing control,” Capricorn said in his calm and monotonous voice. She bit her lower lip and tried to reign her thoughts back under control. Another droplet of sweat rolled down her back, bringing goosebumps rising along with it. Her skin felt like it was burning, and her magic was aching to run free and shine brighter. She reminded herself to think calm thoughts, and not about a nice warm bath to soothe her aching muscles. Or food. Or water for her aching throat.

“Lucy, focus,” Capricorn repeated. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She was focused. Sort of. He told her that she could last a few more minutes, and she tried her hardest to keep up with his demands. Her magic bubbled beneath her skin in protest, the Starlight trying to tempt her into bursting free to dance across the sky.

With a wild curse, she lost the hold on her magic and there was a blaze of golden light before the room went dark. Ears ringing, Lucy hesitantly opened her eyes, one at a time, to assess the damage. Luckily there were no more burns on the carpet, or the drapes, but the light in her ceiling was blown out. Sunlight drifted through the taupe curtains, casting a warm glow over the quiet room.

“Well done for your first try.” Capricorn rose to his feet and straightened his sunglasses, despite the low lighting. Lucy rolled onto her back and splayed her limbs out like a starfish with a tired groan.

“My entire body hurts. My brain hurts. How long did I last?” She asked. Capricorn cleared his throat and answered, “Three minutes and forty-two seconds.”

She leapt to her feet with a cry of surprise. “No way it was only three measly minutes!”

He just shrugged. Cursing, she pulled at her hair and groaned again. And here she thought she was doing well, all things considered. Exhaustion pulled at her eyes and the all too familiar chill of magic depletion near her heart grew.

“Considering you kept me summoned during that time, I’d say you did quite well. But yes, there is a rapid need for improvement,” Her spirit commented. Sighing, Lucy thanked Capricorn for his help and promised to summon him again tomorrow for another session, then sent him back to the Celestial Spirit realm.

“I think I deserve a nice, warm, calming bath,” she mumbled to empty air. Maybe she should get a house plant to keep her company. She hoped Capricorn’s teachings would help her catch up to the skill levels of her team mates, having felt left out and weak during their last couple of jobs. Erza could always finish off any enemy in one or two strikes, Gray was always thinking ahead with his spells, and Natsu had enough raw destructive power and enthusiasm for the three of them. Even Happy had a bigger role than she did, able to scout ahead and swoop down to scoop up Natsu and carry him off into danger.

She drew her bath while she mused, eager to spend the next hour or so encased in warmth and relaxation. She poured in a special bath salt Wendy cooked up for her, letting the herbal scent fill the air. The salts were imbued with Wendy’s healing magic, and meant to help replenish one’s magic aura, and help soothe aches and pains. Despite only having a small jar of the miracle stuff, Lucy decided she deserved to use them after her brutal three minutes of agony.

-ooooo-

“Luckily this job is in Magnolia, so Natsu, you won’t have to deal with any transportation,” Erza said, casting the gleeful fire drakon a smile, “however, we will need to be careful of exposure to humans.”

Lucy nodded and straightened her ponytail. Their job today was simple, but dangerous. The Magic Council shared confidential information with Makarov of a deadly dark guild alliance, known as the Balam Alliance. The combined forces of numerous powerful dark guilds were causing chaos and raising the possibility of the exposure of magic to the human world.

Makarov instructed their team to go out and find a lower level dark guild involved in this alliance and capture them for questioning.

“Remember, it is vital that none of our targets escape and warn other guilds of our attack, understood?” Erza said sternly, fixing every member of their team with a deadly glare.

“Are we sure that Happy has to stay here?” Natsu asked. Erza responded with a stiff nod, then started to march towards the portal. Gray followed their fierce Valkyrie, and Lucy pulled Natsu along by his arm.

“Don’t worry about Happy, he’ll be fine with Wendy and Charle,” she said with a smile. Natsu huffed but followed her through the portal and into Magnolia. She smiled as the warm sun lit her skin, complimented by a nice cool breeze. It was already October and the seasons were beginning to change, cool air replacing the sweltering heat of summer and the leaves beginning to change color. She was looking forward to the famous Fall Festival in a couple weeks, during the last days of October. Magnolia was well known for three things: Rainbow Sakura trees, the Cardia cathedral, and the Fall Festival. The entire city would celebrate the days of the last harvest with a parade and parties that lasted days and nights. Feasts would be shared as the last sun festival came to a close and the city began it’s winter preparations.

Erza quickly reequipped out of her armor and into a simple white blouse and blue skirt to blend in with the human population. Lucy was dressed in a plain t-shirt and a pair of white shorts, with a baseball cap on her head to try and hide her pointed ears. Natsu and Gray had their usual clothes on, each sticking out like a sore thumb no matter what.

The group marched through the bustling streets of Magnolia and she had to try very hard not to get distracted as they passed through the market district, full of pretty shops and delicious food. Natsu, unsurprisingly, was distracted by the sweet scents filling the air and the tempting calls of food vendors lining the streets. Luckily, Erza kept them on track as they trudged through the crowds, at least until they passed a cake shop and they stopped inside so the fierce Valkyrie could purchase a slice of sweet strawberry cake.

Lucy had to admit, she was no longer used to being around so many humans. She was incredibly self-aware, always adjusting her cap and her hair and trying her best to keep her aura disguised. She even had to focus on not moving too fast, especially after she accidentally bumped into a tall, wide set man with no regards for those in his path and sent him sprawling on the ground on accident. From a near brush against her shoulder.

While in the guild, surrounded by her friends and colleagues, she could let a little bit of her light shine through, leaving her skin and hair with a faint glow. It was strange to keep her power so subdued and bottled up inside. How she survived nearly twenty years without it astounded her.

“Weird, isn’t it?” Natsu commented, bumping her out of her thoughts with his shoulder. She tilted her head in confusion. “Being around normal humans again and havin to keep your magic all bottled up.”

Nodding, she let loose a deep sigh. He slung his arm over her shoulder and said, “No worries, Luce, cheer up! We all suck at fitting in with the humans.”

Smiling, Lucy had to agree. Erza stuck out with her fierce personality and tendency towards violence, Gray was always losing his clothes, and Natsu had his pink hair and draconic attributes to draw attention.

“You’re right. I think I fit in the most out of all of you,” she teased, looping her arm around his waist. Natsu just rolled his eyes and dragged her along beside him. They soon left the busy market behind and the further they walked, the less people they saw. The buildings became more rundown, each looking more abandoned than the next. After the last experience she had in a similar neighborhood, Lucy was glad to be surrounded by her friends and to have Natsu next to her, sharing another one of his ridiculous stories.

“Oi, lovebirds,” Gray called, “we’re getting close.” Lucy nodded, choosing to ignore the flush creeping up her neck at his comment, and stepped out of Natsu’s arm to reach down and grab Virgo’s key. Out of most of her spirits, Virgo and Leo were the only ones that could pass for human, but Virgo’s talents were less flashy. She separated from Natsu’s side and jogged down into a deserted alley and away from any prying eyes to summon her spirit.

“Would you like to punish me, princess?” Virgo asked the moment she appeared. Lucy rolled her eyes.

“I need you to scout out towards that dark guild’s hiding place and make sure nobody leaves. Use your pitfalls to contain them until we can get there,” she explained. Virgo bowed, then tunneled into the ground and disappeared.

She returned to her companions and relayed what she told Virgo. Erza complimented her on her strategy, and quietly reequipped a pair of daggers into her hands. Gray tossed his shirt aside and cracked his knuckles, sending a wave of frost through the air.

“I’m all fired up!” Natsu said, smoke curling out from behind his sharp canines. Lucy glanced around, making sure the few people lingering on the street had gone, and quickly summoned her short sword made of Stardust. The blade hummed, and flecks of light fell around the sword, burning the air and the concrete. She prepared for the drain of having a golden gate open and her sword summoned, but it didn’t come. Maybe those few minutes of training over the past week were working after all.

The dark guild had taken over a small cluster of crumbling warehouses in the abandoned corner of Magnolia. They could hear the ambiance of laughing and talking, and as the sun began to set, strung lacrima crystals lit the walls leading closer to the heart of the dark guild’s camp, each bobbing softly in the air, casting a soft glow along the stone and concrete as the sunlight faded away. Her sword sung as the stars began to appear in the darkening blue sky, each light twinkling as though to answer her sword’s calling. She saw Erza take a curious glance towards her weapon, the Valkyrie no doubt able to sense the power her sword summoned through her gifts.

Lucy bit her lip to hide the smile threatening to creep along her features. Excitement for the fight ahead bubbled within her, bringing her magic to the surface of her skin, the Starlight desperate to break free and remind the world of where it came from. She breathed in the smoky scent of Natsu’s fire and reminded her Starlight that they had other more important matters at hand, and no one would be returning to the heavens anytime soon.

Natsu’s grin was unhidden, his canines bared. Erza motioned for Gray to join her in going around the main warehouse to attack from the left flank and gestured for she and Natsu to attack from the right. The Valkyrie’s fierce warning about letting any of the mages escape echoed in her bright stare. Grinning like a fox with its prey caught in its trap, Natsu lunged ahead, leaving Lucy to leap after him while Gray and Erza disappeared into the darkness.

She understood why Erza left Natsu to attack the main corridor and draw the attention of the force within. The drakon was anything but subtle. The moment his feet passed into the lighted path cast by the floating lacrima’s, all hope for a secret attack was lost. He sent a bursting spiral of flame cascading through the hall, spiking down into the side rooms and alerting the dark guild to their presence.

Howling, he burst through the remnants of his fiery attack, smoke curling from his snarl and fire burning in his eyes. Lucy was happy to let her partner draw the majority of their enemy’s attention. She crept into the side rooms along the main corridor leading into the main hangar of the warehouse- which likely held the main gathering hall for the guild- and dispatched any lingering foes hiding away.

She dodged a blast of dark energy from a fierce looking mage with swirling black tattoos covering their entire body, parried the next blow with her sword, somehow knowing the magic within the blade was enough to counter the attack. The bolt of dark magic rebounded off her blade and struck the ceiling above the caster, cracking the old concrete and sending it crashing down upon the unsuspecting mage below. She quickly used one of the rope charms gifted to her by Levy to tie the assailant up, then continued her path down towards the bursting arcs of flame and the laughter.

Lucy ran into chaos. One half of the hangar was covered in ice and the other swarming with flame. Erza soared above the crowd in her Heaven’s Wheel armor, sending volleys of swords down upon the guild. A few brave souls dared to join the redhead in her domain above, but quickly learned why that was the worst possible idea they could have come up with.

Before she had another moment to observe, a man with glowing daggers came roaring towards her at unbelievable speed. She noted his pointed ears beneath the russet curls that identified him as demi-fae and swung her sword up to deflect his first blow. His first blade bounced off the Starlight with a piercing ring, but the second swung from below towards her gut. With a growl, she twisted her hand and blocked that attack, but before she could even think about taking the offensive, his second blade slid past her defenses and sliced her upper arm.

She bit back the scream in her throat as the magic within the blade burned her. It was not a hot burn, but rather the burn of something that was too cold. Her left arm went numb as the freezing magic swam down her blood and she reached for her Stardust to keep the poison from reaching the rest of her body.

#nalu #stardust and fire #my writing #my fanfic #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail #ft fanfiction #levy mcgarden #erza scarlet #gray fullbuster #team natsu #fanfiction #reblog pls #i beg of you #if you've made it this far #i believe you can do it

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a-scribbling-intruder · 8 years

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Fanfic Recs pt.1

Soo this was long overdue. I don’t really read fanfic that often, and when I do it is mostly things other people have reccomended to me. So i’ve always wanted to create my own rec list to return the favour, but somehow never got around to it. So yay years later, here’s at least a start. Will probably sort it better if i update it. Anyways if fanfic and any of these fandoms are your cup of tea, enjoy. Mostly gen and either humour or horror, it think. Fandoms included: Harry Potter, Death Note, MCU, LOTR, Sherlock Holmes, Original Fiction and weirdly, Samurai Champloo

Harry Potter (and Crossovers with Harry Potter)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9238861/1/Applied-Cultural-Anthropology-or Applied Cultural Anthropology (Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the Cruciatus) (Hermione/Tom Riddle) Really well done, pairing is not the main focus (they’re not even together yet), instead hermione being her usual brilliant self but being sorted into slytherin. She isn’t just suddenly evil, she’s still righteous and wants to better the world. But exactly this (with a little help of a unassuming black diary) leads her down a slippery slope. (Ongoing.)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11160991/1/0800-Rent-A-Hero 0800-Rent-A-Hero. Harry has finally gotten rid of snake-face and settled down with Teddy and Andromeda. Cue inter-dimensional space vortex opening in his living room. Summoned from his finally peaceful life by Dumbledore and the Order to solve their voldemort problem, Harry is less than pleased. But can he truly just ignore them? Grudgingly „Harry White“ accepts the free post as divination teacher at hogwarts and starts befriending his female interdimensional counterpart, Iris Potter, all while wanting to get revenge on Dumbledore and trying not to get too involved with Tonks… The beginning is a bit grizzly but overall it is definitely more on the humorous side, and also poking fun at so many fandom chliches! (Last updated 6 months ago, so there is still hope…)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10954546/1/Framed-Fractured Framed and fractured. During the fiendfyre-incident in the Room of Requirement Harry barely escapes through some kind of black hole. Now he’s stuck as a painting in the RoR, with a surprisingly sane, young and healthy looking Tom Riddle as the only visitor. The painting only decipts a bleak room, the door is shut and strange shadows lurk in the 4th wall whenever the RoR is not used. There is also an old diary there, speaking of monsters just outside of the room… – very interesting start, tom and harry haven’t really interacted yet but the descriptions of the timelessness in the painting and the “unexplained horror” vibe are fab. (Ongoing.)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10136762/21/ The Case of the Man who was wanted. (Harry Potter x Sherlock crossover) Harry Potter lives as a fugitive after being accused and imprisoned of a string of murders after the defeat of voldemort. Sherlock gets called to solve the case of the mysterious death of the Dursley couple in Surrey and finds known terrorist and fugitive Harry Potter inside, who, unexpectedly, claims to be innocent. Sherlock gets involved in not only the world of witchcraft and wizardry, but also in a strange man who seems kind of hollow and has many well-kept secrets… (Again, the kind of lovecraftian creepy horror vibe i love. Ongoing.)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11115934/1/The-Shadow-of-Angmar The Shadow of Angmar. (HP x LOTR crossover) Harry gets summoned by the witch king as „the master of Death“. Broken and battered, he starts searching for a way home in an unknown world where his magic doesn’t work. Has FANTASTIC world building and a very bitter and world-weary Harry. (Ongoing)

Marvel Cinematic Universe

http://archiveofourown.org/chapters/425428 The Calculator by katsu. THIS IS MY FAVORITE FANFIC IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. Just imagine Good Omens but more superheroes-and-supervillain themed. Loki is not going full villain like in the thor movie, but instead is more of a chaotic-neutral kind of guy more keeping the supervillainery for appearance’s sake and the occasional meddling to aleviate the boredom. But then he takes the meddling a bit too far, and karme comes to bite him in the butt. Big time. I really don’t want to say more about the plot bc it is so brilliant and original. Just read it. Also, have a quote (this is only a footnote, actually, so imagine what the real fic mus be like): “yes, he had filled several little leather-bound diaries with childish scrawls of red ink that read things like, “Die Thor” and “You never really accepted me!” And then he’d attended a few sessions of primal scream therapy and taken a modern dance course at the local community college. Between finding a constructive way to express his anger and making some lovely friends that he still had tea with every Wednesday afternoon while they chatted manicures, fashion, and lap dogs, he felt much more comfortable in his own skin these days. All it had really taken was escaping the poisonously macho atmosphere of Asgard, which according to Kevin was something like living in Omaha and not being interested in Football.“

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5460221 Genesis by teaberryblue. Reluctant to make the truth about their secret weapon known, the American Government tells the world that Captain America is a man named Steve Rogers. According to public record, he died, tragically, in 1945, and he became legend.In 1998, the Avengers find a body trapped in ice. She’s alive. Her name is Eve. She has Captain America’s shield. Featuring a slightly different cast as the Avengers and brilliant discussion of gender issues, kinda whimsical-poetical writing style. (Oneshot, completed.)

Death Note

http://archiveofourown.org/works/461685 Murmur in the Shell. Light Yagami’s dead, L is dead. Yet the idea of them stays in the world, embodied by black notebooks that always will fall. History repeats, even if nobody wants to be a part of it. After all, there will always be new players. (Near, new!Kira. Really nice, jus a short ficlet about the roles we sometimes must play and the ideas of dead men we pick up along the way.) (Oneshot, completed).

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9380249/2/ Rationalising Death. Light Yagami finds the Death Note, we know the rest. But in this story, light talks all his steps through with his inner voices (like „Test It“ aka „Death“, Moral which everyone kinda ignores and also could be called Caution, or Practice). Its less cracky than it sounds now, i promise. Rather, it’s a very interesting character study bc it doesn’t just paint Kira as a sociopath with a god-complex (well, that too -) but explains his actions as being very, very human (while not excusing them). Seems to be dead at 10 chapters but i still would recommend reading it bc its brilliant, the style is a bit like hpmor’s. It explains the thought processes of everyone (L, Light, Misa, Ryuk, all that jazz)) very thoroughly and is also quite amusing (light comparing hinself to batman consantly, e.g.). But the best part is probably Misa’s characterisation (i’m not gonna spoil it for you but omg) –> https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10580913/1/Rationalising-Fiction Rationalising Fiction also check out this nice lil’ timestamp (recursive ff?) of another author wherein Misa realises she is a fictional character. Very meta, very lovely.

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/8415898/1/God-of-the-Machine God of the Machine by The Carnivourous Muffin. The OC/SI Anna Jones suddenly appears in Light Yagami’s bedroom. When you read about fictional characters they can fall kind of flat, not that they’re not interesting but you always know they’re not really like you. Light seems less scary, L less creepy and Misa… well Misa always seems insane, even in the Manga. So Anna Jones is fucking terrified, curses herself for not paying better attention to the details in the manga and has to consider her survival and the prices she’s willing to pay. (Yes, this is the Self-Insert Trope but played so well. Also very philosophical. Ongoing. Also, go read everything by this author while you’re at it.)

Other

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9915682/5/ The Last Christmas. A industrial engineer takes up the mantle of santa claus and gets some dangerous ideas about the true meaning of Christmas… (No fandom, or is that like the mythology fandom?, anyways, it’s creepy and give’s you some food for thought, although the story itself isn’t that polished. Very interesting and original take on santa claus!) (Completed.)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/2865379/1/Nenju Nenju. Samurai Champloo. Because no anime has ever kindled a bigger need for a love triangle. This one’s fairly good and really long, with a nice dose of angst but a happy ending. (Mugen/Fuu, Jin/Fuu, Mugen/Yanusha)

#fanfic rec #fic rec #death note fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #rec list #if anyone ever reads this enjoy #how do i put a cut in this srsly #typos in abundance bc mobile #also bc english tbh #sorry for that

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entergamingxp · 5 years

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Final Fantasy VII Remake is Like Coming Home to Discover a Whole New World

March 2, 2020 4:00 AM EST

Does Final Fantasy VII Remake truly stack up to the legendary original? Tough to say, but this upcoming remake is off to a very strong start.

I’ll admit, I’m a turn-based JRPG purist; I believe in the depth of strategy that is unmatched in a traditional role-playing game. Very few action RPGs can match, especially considering Square Enix’s last forays into the genre were…less than exemplary. Naturally I was disappointed when Square decided to forgo my beloved ATB gauge system for the allure of fast-paced flashy action. But coming in to try out Final Fantasy VII Remake, I put that bias aside and tackled the game with fresh eyes.

And my verdict? This game has almost completely convinced me of its merit — in both its very existence and why the genre shift was justified.

A quick synopsis of the start of the plot for those who may not be familiar with the original: the game’s story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization named AVALANCHE to stop the world-controlling megacorporation Shinra from using the planet’s life essence as an energy source.

“This game has almost completely convinced me of its merit — in both its very existence and why the genre shift was justified.”

As this is an action RPG, enemies are scattered throughout the environment and you immediately engage with them once you’re in range. Basic combos are executed using the Square button and holding it down lets off attacks that hit multiple opponents. You also can target groups of enemies or sections on a single enemy for more precision by using R3 to lock on.

There are special abilities that each party member possesses, which are accessed through the Triangle button. For instance, Cloud can use Triangle to switch between his Punisher and Operator stances; the latter is great for its fast movement and attack speed while the former is much slower yet capable of extremely powerful blows. Other examples are Barret’s Overcharge, Tifa’s Uppercut, and Aerith’s Tempest.

Remember how I said that Square did away with ATB gauges? Well, that’s not exactly accurate. Each party member has at least two empty ATB gauges, which fill as you attack and take damage. These gauges, much like in the original Final Fantasy VII, are your lifeblood. You cannot take any action other than Attack or Limit if there is not at least one gauge filled. Therefore, one of the biggest and most pulse pounding aspects of combat is the constant switching between characters to utilize these gauges as they fill up.

Once at least one gauge fills, you can enter Tactical Mode, which lets you choose between Abilities, Spells, and Items as well as later options such as Summons and Limit Breaks (though Limits behave a bit differently). Abilities are where a variety of powerful attacks are located, each with its own unique effect. Choosing which Ability to use at the right moment and figuring out how to mitigate each one’s ATB cost is one of the keys to victory.

Next are Spells, which is magic derived from orbs of coalesced lifestream (the lifeblood of the planet Gaia) called Materia. Each Spell uses one gauge and are extremely important in combat since they can bypass a high physical defense and deal major damage. Many enemies also have elemental weaknesses and casting the right spell lets you take full advantage of that. For instance, mech enemies are weak to Thunder, so casting that Spell deals bonus damage. The Items option lets you use items collected or purchased during battle and they basically have no charge time, making them extremely useful in a pinch.

“These gauges, much like in the original Final Fantasy VII, are your lifeblood.”

Summons make their return in this game and unlike in vanilla Final Fantasy VII, they play a much deeper role in battle. You use all your ATB gauges to Summon and then your summoned ally stays for a set period of time, denoted by a special gauge that drains over time. They automatically attack enemies when summoned, though you can set certain patterns for them. When the gauge expires, they leave after casting one final Summon Spell on the enemy.

Limit Breaks return as well, and they’re just as flashy as you remember. Each character has a unique Limit with its own range and effect. Unlike any other move, you can use Limits no matter what. And also unlike the original game, Limits do not replace the Attack option, meaning you can actually save them until you need to break them out during a key moment.

Materia as mentioned before in relation to Spells, is the main mechanic of Final Fantasy VII Remake as it serves as the magic system. In order to use a Materia it must be equipped to a piece of equipment, which has a set amount of Materia slots: some linked, and others unlinked. Just as in the original FFVII, the majority of Materia Spells that can be used in combat are attack spells (such as Fire or Thunder), buff spells (like Protect), and healing spells (like Cure) among other types. There’s also a special type called Support Materia that is used to augment the effects of battle usable Spells and can do so through linked Materia slots. For instance, if you link a support spell that raises magic damage dealt with a Fire attack Materia, that will enhance the power of that Fire. However if you simply equip those same two Materia into unlinked slots, the support one will have no effect.

A brand new game mechanic, which seems to be inspired from later Final Fantasy games (particularly Final Fantasy XIII), is called Staggered. During a sortie, each enemy has a Pressured Gauge underneath their HP Gauge. As you attack enemies that gauge slowly fills, with some Abilities having the effect of greatly increasing it. Once it fills up, the opponent is Staggered and they topple over completely unguarded, leaving them wide open to critical damage. It’s an excellent system that’s perfectly crafted to handle stronger enemies and bosses and is absolutely essential for defeating them in Final Fantasy VII Remake.

As I adapted to the genre shift and learned the ins and outs of combat through trial and error, it occurred to me how well-suited this change to action-style gameplay was to Remake. Allowing characters to move freely around the battlefield and attack at will adds this sort of frenetic pacing to combat. Coupled with the fun and often funny dialogue between characters during and post-battle, it makes the whole game feel more alive and exhilarating. For new players, this means they can jump right into the fray without having to adjust to turn-based combat that slows downs the pacing of the missions. And for the returning players, it better represents how the game felt to us when we first played it, versus how it would actually play if they remained completely faithful to the classic ATB turn-based system.

One other concern was alleviated for me as well, which was the difficulty of each sortie. Many action RPGs are notorious for brain AI reducing the game to a mind numbing button-mash fest. While there is a scale of weak to strong enemies in any given group, Final Fantasy VII Remake does an excellent job mixing up the red-shirts with some truly challenging combatants that force you to carefully consider each move, lest you be cut down prematurely. It’s refreshing to play such a strategic action title, an experience I haven’t felt since my last foray into the Tale of franchise.

“Final Fantasy VII Remake does an excellent job mixing up the red-shirts with some truly challenging combatants that force you to carefully consider each move.”

During my extended session with Final Fantasy VII Remake, I was able to play through the entirety of Chapter One, and sections of Chapter Two, Seven, and Ten. Chapter One covers the famous Sector 7 Mako Reactor opening mission, which opens in the same pulse pounding fanfare that fans of the original game will fondly remember. The entire firstchapter is paced perfectly as you learn the ropes of combat and fight off waves of enemies.

The AVALANCHE members are all brimming with charm and personality in every single interaction (especially Jessie!), but the banter between Cloud and Barret cannot be understated as the two play off each other very well. Easily one of my favorite moments is when Barret needs to walk between Cloud and Jessie but makes the extra effort of pushing Cloud to the side with his gun arm. Even when Barret isn’t constantly questioning Cloud’s integrity, he still manages to convey his hostility through body language cues, and I live for that kind of character storytelling, folks.

The mission culminates in the game’s first boss battle against the Scorpion Sentinel and the fight pulls no punches (and don’t worry vets, Cloud doesn’t give you completely wrong advice about when to attack it). The battle also serves as an effective way to test your skills so far, whether you understand Materia, the ATB Gauge system, how to use each characters’ strengths effectively during battle, and other hallmarks from the original game

This chapter really sets in what to expect from Remake. While newcomers will have the chance to fall in love with the characters, story, and gameplay, returning veterans can look forward to plenty of surprises and new expansions to the plot’s presentation.

Chapter Two starts right after the Mako Reactor 7 blows up as AVALANCHE splits up to meet back at their base of operations. Taking control of Cloud again, I was tasked with navigating through the rubble of the area immediately surrounding the reactor. As I played through this section, I recalled what scenarist Kazushige Nojima said about how the presentation differs in the remake version versus the original, the latter which required players to use their imagination to supplement the graphical limitations of the PlayStation.

This approach to Remake’s presentation permeates every aspect of the game. As Cloud passes by civilians, you hear their frightened conversations as they worry for their safety and their loved ones. A couple pieces of dialogue really stood out to me in particular: a man fretting about his son who lives mere blocks away from the destroyed area around the reactor, and a now displaced family worrying about where they’ll go next.

Between moments like these and certain other events that I won’t spoil here, human elements are extremely pervasive in Final Fantasy VII Remake and serve to add an almost intimate touch to these large scale events. It’s a reminder that they have a huge impact on everyday people and that impact is extremely important — you can’t, and shouldn’t, turn a blind eye to it.

That said, in terms of gameplay, this section is the weakest. Though there are some great skirmishes, a standout for me being the tense and strategic fights with the Huntsman enemies, this section feels like it’s padded out a bit too much. What really makes it so noticeable is that Cloud is alone, so there’s no banter to distract you from wave after wave of enemies.

“Human elements are extremely pervasive in Final Fantasy VII Remake and serve to add an almost intimate touch to these large scale events.”

The next portion I played was Chapter Seven, which is the Sector 5 Mako Reactor mission starring Cloud, Barret, and newcomer Tifa. Immediately I noticed a substantial difference in the way Cloud and Barret interacted, the two being far more relaxed and comfortable around each other. Aiding that is Tifa, whose naturally soothing yet no nonsense presence balances well with the gruff men.

Early on the party is made aware of a new super combat mech, called the Air Buster, and quickly comes across a way to sabotage it before their inevitable clash. There are several rooms that contain a key card. One key card can be exchanged for a debuff on Air Buster (it takes away a component and sends it to the disposal room) and there are a few choices available: M Units that give the party items during the fight, AI Programming which slows down the mech’s finger beams and general speed, and the Big Bomber Shells that reduces the amount of times it can use its strongest attack.

Later on the team encountered two rooms, one that lead to the boss and the other to the disposal room. They’re both blocked by locks on the door that use a lever system to unlock. In other words: a mini-game! And even something as simple as a lever puzzle had tons of dialogue variation and banter to keep you entertained long after you finish.

As an aside, somewhere located in one of these rooms is a vending machine called “Potions and Music,” which lets players purchase a variety of battle items as well as soundtracks from the game to listen to on the side. The aesthetic of the kiosk is just great, with this funky sort of jazzy music that plays while you shop, and it’s a simple yet useful quality of life feature to be able to replenish items in combat zones.

The main attraction, the Air Buster, really is as grand and powerful as you’d expect. The entire fight is crafted to be difficult with a variety of attacks and sequences that force you to switch between characters and best use their abilities once again, as well as constantly heal, use Limits, Spells, or even Summons. There are so many strategic options at play and it’s exhilarating to figure out what works best for you in the heat of battle.

The final segment I played, which comes from Chapter Ten, was relatively short. It starts with Cloud waking up to find both Tifa and Aerith still knocked out. You then have the choice to approach one of the two ladies and wake them up. This is mere conjecture at this point, but I believe that the scene is related to affection points. For those not in the know, these are hidden point values that determine how certain events unfold later on between parties members.

After that came the Abzu boss, the first non-mech one I fought in this section and it was quite the challenge. Its high physical attack allowed it to deal massive damage to anyone close by. But Aerith is a great counter for this boss, as she both attacks from a distance and has high magic which compliments her healing Spells well. As I fought Abzu I noticed how differently it moved from the mech bosses; because it was a flesh and blood foe, it moved much faster and way more erratically. This was by far the hardest boss I battled in this play session, but that made my victory all the more satisfying once I eventually defeated it.

“This is a remake that will impress both newcomers and veterans in equal measures — a task very few games of its kind are able to pull off.”

As I played, I soaked in the gorgeous graphics and luscious details of each environment in Final Fantasy VII Remake, admiring how they lovingly reflect the aesthetics of the original while adding a depth that only current-gen technology could pull off. However, because of how far graphics have come since those days, much less is left to the player’s imagination, which means much more care and thought had to be given to how the story elements and character animations would be presented.

I mentioned before about one of my favorite scenes involving Barret pushing Cloud out the way with his gun arm. Such a scene was never present in vanilla FFVII; we only had his words to reflect his hostility towards Cloud. And believe me, the dialogue in this remake is fantastic. But the inclusion of non-verbal moments like that, that convey how characters feel about each other and the broader happenings of the events unfolding around them, shows that the development team considered the best approach to portraying things that now must be explicitly shown. Seeing that level of attention to detail given to some of my favorite characters in gaming made me that much more appreciative of what Remake has to offer.

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Despite those few moments of obvious padding, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a game full of life and details. It takes the fond memories and rich world building that made the original Final Fantasy VII so beloved and manages to improve upon it in nearly every aspect, while still making the protagonists, villains, Midgar and its denizens feel fresh and exciting. This is a remake that will impress both newcomers and veterans in equal measures — a task very few games of its kind are able to pull off.

Final Fantasy VII Remake will release for PS4 on April 10, 2020. For more on the game, check out why Final Fantasy VII Remake may have won over our Features Editor Ryan Meitzler, and why Staff Writer Cameron Hawkins believes it looks to be the biggest achievement for JRPGs in over a decade.

March 2, 2020 4:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/03/final-fantasy-vii-remake-is-like-coming-home-to-discover-a-whole-new-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=final-fantasy-vii-remake-is-like-coming-home-to-discover-a-whole-new-world

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gamerszone2019-blog · 5 years

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The Best Couples in Video Games

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/the-best-couples-in-video-games/

The Best Couples in Video Games

A few years ago, we wrote about all of our absolute favorite couples in video games, but in a span of five years, a lot of things can change. So we’ve updated our list to include more of our favorite couples, from casual games to more serious RPGs, and to celebrate the growing representation of interractial and LGBTQ+ representation. Flip through our gallery below to check out all the couples we love, or keep scrolling to read.

Gaming’s Greatest Romances

Player’s romantic choice isn’t a new thing to RPGs, but it was for Assassin’s Creed, which up until Odyssey had consistently presented players with heteronormative protagonists (with the exception of Jacob Frye, who was revealed as bisexual in Syndicate’s DLC) and predetermined relationships. Like its Greecian roots, Odyssey celebrated the ability to love anyone no matter the main character’s assigned gender, letting players decide if they wanted their Kassandra or Alexios to be heteronormative, gay or bisexual/pansexual. It’s been done before in plenty of other games, but Odyssey’s special in that, well, it doesn’t hide its influences and allows players to get on with literally everyone. Random philosopher? A shipbuilder? Really important supporting lead? We ship it all. – Aiden Strawhun

Athena and Janey Springs – Borderlands: Pre-Sequel

If there’s anything Borderlands is not, it’s subtle. In Borderlands: The pre-sequel by Telltale, Janey literally introduces Athena as her girlfriend. One demeaning, poorly-timed and derogatory joke later, the two are schmoozing through the title and Tales from the Borderlands together. Borderlands has always been unapologetic and flamboyant, and its roster of characters have always matched those themes, but these two, in particular, fit the bill to a near-perfect degree. – Aiden Strawhun

Eddie and Ophelia – Brutal Legend

Sexy goth girl Ophelia is rock roadie Eddie Riggs’ fighting ally and love interest in Tim Schafer’s Brutal Legend. He meets her when they both wind up looking for the same giant axe, then Ophelia introduces Eddie to her gang and their romance blossoms. However, the path of true love never did run smooth, and it gets more than a little bumpy when Eddie is told that Ophelia is a traitor. Ophelia, heartbroken that Eddie doesn’t trust her and believing him to be the real traitor, decides to throw herself in the Sea of Black Tears. In the end, it turns out that there was an evil Ophelia — an imposter – who was doing all the bad things. If you return to the iron cross-shaped rock after you have beaten the game, you can see Ophelia again and have one last snogging session. – Emma Boyes

Isaac and Nicole – Dead Space 2

The year is 2508 and Isaac Clarke is one of a team of miners that boards the USG Ishimura after receiving a distress call from the vessel. It turns out no good turn goes unpunished, as the ship is teeming with the undead. That’s especially bad news, as Isaac’s girlfriend Nicole Brennan is one of the ship’s crew. However, sees her and she appears to be ok, although they don’t have any time to chat and catch up. Later in the game, she appears again to help him out by recalling the shuttle that government agent Kendra has commandeered after she tries to leave without him. Towards the end of the game, Isaac sees the original distress transmission, which shows that Nicole committed suicide by lethal injection before Isaac ever boarded the ship. The Nicole he saw was just a vision created by the Marker artefact to try and trick him into bringing it back to the planet Aegis VII. Love hurts. – Emma Boyes

You and All The Daddies – Dream Daddy

It’s becoming less rare to see queer couples of all sorts in video games, mainstream and independent, but it’s still somewhat of a rarity to see wholesome, meaningful representation of gay men in gaming. Dream Daddy goes a place many games have yet to go, and not only provides an incredible dating sim, but one that truly scratches an itch for the queer community while tackling themes of parenting and male-presenting body positivity simultaneously. Big daddies, little daddies, daddies of color–the player gets to choose whatever kind of daddy they want to pursue in this game, and do so in a way that is lighthearted but doesn’t make light of its material. For that, we have to make a spot for this game in our list of legendary loves in gaming because it does what so many other games haven’t dared to do just yet. – Aiden Strawhun

Cloud and Aerith – Final Fantasy VII

Sometimes video games genuinely shock you – and Aerith’s untimely death was one of those moments. The game seemed to be setting her up to be hero Cloud Strife’s main love interest, and then suddenly (before even the end of the first disc, for heaven’s sake) she’s dead, just like that. Aerith Gainsborough is a young flower seller who hires Cloud as her bodyguard in exchange for one date. When she ventures into the Forgotten City alone, the game’s antagonist, Sephiroth, kills her by impaling her through the torso with his sword while a helpless Cloud can do nothing but watch. The game goes on, but the loss stays with you, making you determined to get even with the evil Sephiroth on Cloud’s behalf. – Emma Boyes

Squall and Rinoa – Final Fantasy VIII

Squall Leonheart and Rinoa Heartily meet at his graduation ceremony when she pulls him on to the dance floor and they share a moment. Seems like romance should blossom there and then, but there’s a problem. Rinoa is dating Seifer, Squall’s arch-nemesis and all-round bad guy. Rinoa and Squall meet again on a mission – she hires him to help her liberate Timber as part of the resistance movement that she secretly heads. The two grow closer as the game goes on, ignoring minor problems like her turning into a sorceress and being imprisoned in a space station. At the beginning of the game, Squall is an unlikeable, self-centered teenager, but by the time the end credits roll, his relationship with Rinoa has turned him into a far better human being. – Emma Boyes

Tidus and Yuna – Final Fantasy X

Tidus is a professional blitzball (an aquatic sport kind of a cross between soccer and water polo) player from Zanarkand who somehow becomes transported to another world – Spira. With no idea of how to get back home, he joins up with a rag tag group of guardians who are accompanying the beautiful Yuna on a pilgrimage across the land. Yuna has chosen to become a summoner – if successful, she will defeat the destructive force called Sin that plagues her world. However, as she nears the end of her quest, it becomes clear that defeating Sin isn’t as simple as it seems, and doing so could mean her own death or that of Tidus, who may not even be real. One of the most heart-breaking endings ever seen in any media, whatever you think of Tidus and Yuna, you can’t fail to be moved at the way their story ends. – Emma Boyes

Serah and Snow – Final Fantasy XIII

Who doesn’t love a romance that spans numerous timelines? Seems to be a theme throughout the Fabula Nova Chrystalis saga. Serah is the younger sister of FFXIII heroine Lighting and fiance of hot-headed blonde bombshell Snow Villers. In the first game, she’s cursed with a task from the alien masters of the planet Pulse, the Fal’Cie, to bring her sister, fiance and a number of others to receive their own curse and become the pawns of the Fal’Cie, which are called l’cie, themselves. After completing the task, she then turns to crystal, setting off the journey her sister and Snow go on to save her from her eternal slumber. But of course, her tangled web of platonic and romantic love doesn’t end there. The tables turn in FF XIII-2 when Serah takes the leading role of her own journey to save both her sister and her fiance, of which are stuck in different timelines and states of godhood. Casual. So not only do these two lovebirds topple monster and deity alike for one another, but they also, quite literally, withstand the test of time for one another. Whoever said love is easy was very, very mistaken. – Aiden Strawhun

Luna and Noctis – Final Fantasy XV

Luna being completely out of Noctis’s league can’t be ignored, but these two betrothed rulers to-be really do have something special between them. Maybe for Luna it’s her dedication to her role in Noctis’s succession and to her people, but it’s easy to see Noctis’s feelings in his innocent, awkward and somewhat childish reactions when she’s brought into the conversation. But of course, no good romance in Final Fantasy can’t end in tragedy, or hop through a couple of different timelines, and while we don’t get to see much of these two lovebirds develop their relationship in-game, we do at least get to see them topple monsters, summon a god and reunite at the end of their long journeys. Supportive relationships are ones we like to see, and these two certainly fit that bill to a T. – Aiden Strawhun

Dom and Maria – Gears of War 2

Gear soldier Dominic Santiago lost both his children on Emergence Day, and after their deaths, his wife Maria sank into a deep depression. Nothing seemed to help her feel better, and one day she just goes out for a walk and never comes back. Dom is heartbroken, and can be seen in the game looking at the photo he keeps of the two of them in his wallet. When he’s not fighting the locust horde, he’s tirelessly trying to track her down. Tragically, when he does eventually find her, she’s been tortured so badly and partly lobotomised and in such a bad way that she doesn’t even recognise him. Deciding that the Maria that she used to be wouldn’t want to live like that, he tells her he loves her and then puts her out of her misery. – Emma Boyes

Sam and Lonnie – Gone Home

While we never explicitly see Sam and Lonnie in the flesh, Gone Home tells the story of a younger sister who’s run away from home to be with the young woman she’s fallen head over heels for. Gone Home is played from the perspective of Sam’s sister Katie, who’s come home from an extended time away. It’s an exploration game, where the story only really comes together at the end after all the little pieces Sam has left behind finally come together. Through letters and belongings and photos and strange codes, Sam quietly comes out to her sister in an unexpected, but not terribly uncommon way. The twist of the truth of Sam and Lonnie’s story is why we’ve got them here–it’s a queer love story that gets it right and has also had a left us with a very bittersweet, lasting memory about young love, acceptance and coming into one’s own. – Aiden Strawhun

Gordon and Alyx – Half-Life 2

After the Black Mesa Incident and the subsequent alien occupation of our planet, a suppression field was placed around the Earth, making humans infertile. The population grows old, but no children are being born to replace them as they die. This is the world where Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance live. Their relationship is never explicitly stated, but it’s insinuated on many occasions throughout the game and the sequels, particularly by Alyx’s father, Eli, who badgers the pair for grandchildren as soon as the suppression field has been taken down. Gordon is actually around 20 years older than Alyx, making him a dirty old man, but since he spent those two decades in stasis they’re technically the same age, so we’ll let him off. – Emma Boyes

Ico and Yorda – ICO

Ico is a young boy who has been considered an unlucky omen for his village – so the villagers cast him out and lock him inside a sarcophagus in a nearby castle. An earthquake frees him from his prison and he starts to explore. Along the way he meets a young girl called Yorda, and although they don’t speak the same language, the pair form a bond and journey through the castle’s many rooms, looking for a way out. They hold hands as they explore together, and Ico helps the less agile Yorda get around, clearing the way so she can follow him. The Queen of the castle, who also turns out to be Yorda’s mother, isn’t too happy about their trying to escape and turns Yorda to stone. Ico rescues his princess and they finally leave the castle, waking up on a nearby shore together, to presumably live happily ever after. – Emma Boyes

Sora and Kairi – Kingdom Hearts 3

The universe has been shipping Sora and Kairi since 2002. We don’t make the rules. But it wasn’t until its latest iteration, Kingdom Hearts 3, that we really got to see the depth of feelings the pair has for one another, before, of course, being separated once again. After time and time again of saving each other, and giving one another a purpose to keep moving forward in their incredibly deranged and twisted universe, we really just hope these kids are going to be ok. After all, having your heart stolen multiple times, and then returned, is no small feat, and while the intention may be to keep these two platonic, their innocent and child-like admiration of one another is one of the purest and sweetest romances we’ve seen in games in a good, long while. – Aiden Strawhun

Link and Zelda – Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Link and Zelda may not be a true item in this iteration of the Zelda series, but it’s difficult to not see Zelda’s literal heart eyes at Link in his memories. In this version, Link awakens 100 years after Ganon takes over Hyrule and he must save the kingdom once again by finding the modern-day descendants of Zelda’s once-legendary team and piecing together his own past as Zelda’s personal knight. Link’s a man of few words, but even though he can only grunt and yell, it’s enough to tell that he’s devoted to this princess. – Aiden Strawhun

Link and Zelda – Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The story of Link and Zelda is retold in every game with different characters in a different world. In every story Zelda is kidnapped, and Link sets off on an adventure to save her. In Skyward Sword, for the first time, Zelda’s not a princess, but the daughter of the local headmaster. Link is her childhood friend, and she’s not just sitting around helplessly waiting to be rescued, she has her own quests and important role in the story. The pair live on Skyloft, a village in the clouds and have never ventured to the world believed to be below them. When Zelda is swept away by demonic forces, Link follows her to the land below the clouds, solving puzzles, battling frightening monsters and tracking down items to find his favourite girl again. – Emma Boyes

Chloe and Rachel – Life is Strange

Rachel played more of a passive role in the first game, but in the prequel title, Before the Storm, we got to see Chloe and Rachel’s chaotic love develop. Chloe, a troubled, grieving teen, finds solace in the wild and carefree Rachel. She’s everything Chloe has never been and takes her on adventure after adventure–and gets her into a fair share of trouble. But their tumultuous relationship and friendship is the perfect example of everyone’s first love and the clumsy imperfection that comes along with it. And that inkling so many of us who’ve experienced trauma and grief seek in finding a way to run away and start anew. – Aiden Strawhun

Max and Mona – Max Payne 2

Max Payne and Mona Sax meet when she pours him a drink – a good start, but it turns out she’s laced it with a sedative and is a hitman for hire – and she seemed like such a nice girl. She’s presumed dead at the end of the first game, but it’s revealed in Max Payne 2 that reports of her death were greatly exaggerated. She reappears as a suspect in the murder of Senator Gate and, for reasons best known to himself, Max agrees to work with her. It turns out Mona’s working for Vladimir Lem and she’s ordered to kill Max. Since they’ve danced the two-backed beast, the femme fatale can’t do it and so Vladimir turns his gun on her and shoots her instead. Although, let’s be honest, even if it hadn’t come to that, it was just never going to work out. – Emma Boyes

Snake and Meryl – Metal Gear Solid

Solid Snake and Meryl Silverburgh’s romance follows a rocky road indeed in the first episode in the Metal Gear Solid series. The first time they meet, Meryl mistakes Solid Snake for his identical clone, the evil Liquid Snake, and then, after she realises her mistake, has her mind taken over by Psycho Mantis and tries to kill him. Luckily, Snake realises she’s not quite herself, and manages to knock her out rather than killing her. The two bond in a nuclear warhead storage building before she’s captured by Sniper Wolf. She’s then wired to a nuclear bomb. If any couple deserves a happy ending it’s these two, and if you play your cards right, in the end, they get it, driving off in a snowmobile together into the sunset. – Emma Boyes

Gregg and Angus – Night in the Woods

Gregg needs an Angus. They might be just anthropomorphic characters in a fictional world, but their laid-back story is one that hits closer to home than expected. Gregg and Angus have been close since high school, and are said to be the only gay couple in the entirety of Possum Springs (but they aren’t the only queer residents). And as is the dream for many small-towners, the pair is planning on skipping town once they’ve got enough money to leave. But what makes these two special isn’t that they’re part of a minority, but that their relationship carries an air of authenticity and vulnerability many games can’t quite get right. From their casual flirting, proclamations of love, occasional squabbles and gushy nicknames, their relationship feels real and tangible–not forced or faked. Yes, they love each other, but they’re also best friends, and the deep sense of trust the two have in one another permeates throughout the entire game. – Aiden Strawhun

The Prince and Farah – Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

The Prince of Persia and Princess Farah team up in Sands of Time to track down the magical Hourglass of Time. They find themselves trapped together in the catacombs, and with nothing much else to do, they fall in love and er, get to know each other a bit better. Farah tells the Prince of a secret word her mother told her – Kakolookiyam – which she should say if she was ever alone and afraid, as it would make a door appear. While the prince is sleeping, she then abandons him and sets off alone on the mission – believing she has a better chance of completing it solo — but is killed. The Prince arrives too late to save her, so in his grief, uses his powers to rewind time to prevent her from dying. However, as he changes history, the two are never trapped in the catacombs together and never fall in love, so when he tries to kiss her, she rejects him. Before he leaves, she asks him his name, and he replies ‘Kakolookiyam’ before vanishing into the night. – Emma Boyes

Guybrush and Elaine – Secret of Monkey Island

Possibly the silliest name in video games, Guybrush Threepwood has a big crush on the sexy island governor, Elaine Marley, although it’s quite clear to everyone except him that she’s out of his league. Elaine is constantly being kidnapped by undead pirate LeChuck, who fancies her too, and Guy takes it upon himself to always try to rescue her, even though she’s quite capable of doing that on her own. Somewhere along the line, Elaine actually falls for Guybrush, and the two are married at the end of The Curse of Monkey Island. We bet Guybrush still can’t believe his luck and pinches himself every time he wakes up next to her. – Emma Boyes

Yuri and Alice – Shadow Hearts

Shadow Hearts is a criminally underrated Japanese RPG series. One of the main characters, Alice Elliot, has the ability to hear the voices of the dead and uses her creepy talents to work as an exorcist. When her father is killed by the evil warlock Roger Bacon (seriously, what kind of name is that for an evil warlock?) she crosses paths with Yuri Hyuga, who has been hearing voices in his head telling him to find and rescue her. Meeting Alice changes Yuri – he goes from being a character called ‘the Rude Hero’ to caring about others and the fate of the world. When Alice dies at the end of the game to save his soul, he is heartbroken. In the sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, in his grief he attempts a ritual to bring her back from the dead, but is unsuccessful. At the end of the game, if you get the ‘good’ ending, Yuri dies and the voiceover says that now he and Alice will be together forever. – Emma Boyes

Mono and Wander – Shadow of the Colossus

The spiritual sequel to ICO, in Shadow of the Colossus, the game starts with a young man – Wander – carrying a young woman – Mono. Wordlessly, he places her dead body on an altar. She was killed as a sacrifice as she was believed to be cursed, although beyond that, nothing much is known. Wander journeys to the Forbidden Land to speak with an entity called Dormin, who has the power to bring the dead back to life. Dormin agrees to his request to resurrect Mono on one condition – he must find and kill sixteen huge, lumbering creatures called Colossi. Wander agrees, but alas, a happy ever after for the pair was never meant to be as, having completed his mission, he is killed before he can get back to Mono. However, Dormin keeps his word, and she is brought back to life, alone. – Emma Boyes

Casey and Beatrix – Slime Rancher

We never get to meet Casey in Slime Rancher physically, but rather, through a series of letters and notes scattered about the ranch for the Slime Wrangler herself, Beatrix, to discover. Their relationship is clear, but Casey’s gender identity isn’t so obvious unless you’re paying attention. Casey is an androgynous name, but, in some letters, is addressed with she/her pronouns, making her and Beatrix queer characters. We love Slime Rancher for its casual, goofy and generally wholesome atmosphere, but this sort of subtle characterization and storytelling is what we love the most about it, especially since Beatrix, a woman of color, is front and center. – Aiden Strawhun

Jackie and Jenny – The Darkness

Jackie Estacado and Jenny Romano are childhood sweethearts that grew up together in an orphanage. They’ve been dating for years, but Jenny has no idea what Jackie really does for a living. He’s never quite got up the courage to tell his sweet, law-abiding missus that he’s actually a contract killer for mafia don Uncle Paulie. At the beginning of the game, you hang out with Jenny at her place, chatting about the usual things couples chat about and then snuggling up to watch a movie together on the sofa. You can watch the whole movie, if you like. Inevitably, when Paulie and Jackie fall out, Jenny sadly ends up being collateral damage, something that haunts Jackie through the rest of the game and its sequel. – Emma Boyes

Ellie and Riley – The Last of Us: Left Behind

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us won our hearts for a multitude of reasons–from great gameplay and design and fabulous characterization in the base game alone. It shines even more in the title’s DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind, which is played from Ellie’s perspective as she tries to save Joel after a battle. She ends up running into an old friend named Riley, who is excited to see her and tell her about how she’s joined the Fireflies. It’s clear from the start that these girls have a deep bond, but their friendship goes even deeper than that when Ellie takes a moment to share a kiss with Riley. Ellie and Riley are young, and awkward, and dealing with situations that go far beyond themselves, but their kiss showed gaming that even in the worst of circumstances, intimacy and self-discovery can still exist. – Aiden Strawhun

Aya and Kyle – The Third Birthday

Aya Brea is an FBI agent and Kyle Madigan is a private investigator, and the pair meet in PlayStation 2 game Parasite Eve 2. By the time of The Third Birthday (effectively Parasite Eve 3), they’ve made plans to get married, but events overtake them and the wedding is never to be. It turns out that this game’s Aya is actually her sister Eve, who did a very un-sisterly thing and took over her body. When Aya finally gets a chance to return to her own bod she finds that Kyle is dead and, not wanting to live without him, asks Eve to kill her. Instead, Eve kills herself so that time can reset. At the end of the game, Kyle is shown leaving, saying he is going to search for ‘eternity’, to try and find his Aya again. We hope there’s a sequel and he does. – Emma Boyes

Zachary and Jonas – The Walking Dead: Michonne

Telltale’s always been one for player-guided narratives but has never shied away from putting queer characters front and center. In The Walking Dead: Michonne, Jonas and Zachary’s fate can go one of two ways, as goes for many of the characters in The Walking Dead universe. But if the two survive, their relationship is one that is similar to that of Riley and Ellie’s in The Last of Us–that these two gay men, despite being handed an awful set of cards in a terrible world, were able to find comfort and stability in one another. They’re hardly the first couple in this particular series, but they’re one of the most memorable, despite playing supporting roles, because they’re part of the world around them rather than being tokens as so many gay couples are typically treated within entertainment. – Aiden Strawhun

Johnny and River – To the Moon

Johnny is an elderly man near the end of his life in a future where doctors can grant you one last wish before you die. They do this by using a special machine to enter your memories and shuffle things around so that you get to live out the life you always wanted – in your head, at least – and die happy. Enter Dr. Eva Rosalene and Dr. Neil Watts, who was called by Johnny’s caretaker. Johnny’s last wish is to go to the moon, something he never got around to doing in real life. His wife, River died a few years before, and as we journey backwards through his memories we see their good times and bad times, culminating in the sweet moment when as kids, they meet for the first time. Their relationship feels utterly believable and real and their devotion to each other is touching to watch. To The Moon is essentially a love story, and since it’s a story first and a game second, we don’t really want to spoil it for you by saying any more. – Emma Boyes

Elena and Nathan – Uncharted

Elena Fisher is a TV journalist and Nathan Drake is a treasure hunter. At first Drake sees Elena solely as a meal ticket – he’s cons her into paying for an expedition to find and recover the coffin of Sir Francis Drake – knowing full well the coffin is empty. Then their boat blows up and sinks and once back on dry land, Nathan abandons her, believing she will jeopardize his real mission – to find El Dorado. However, you can’t get rid of Elena that easily and when some debt collectors come for Nate, they run into each other again. Several adventures later, after a game’s worth of sexual tension, they finally kiss. The game ends with Drake promising Elena he’ll finally make good on his promise to give her a good story for her show. – Emma Boyes

Geralt and Triss – The Witcher 3

Redheads are pretty hard to forget. Triss has had a prominent role throughout The Witcher series, playing a very big role in The Witcher 2, and an even larger one in The Witcher 3. Of course, she’s one of the many romanceable characters in The Witcher, but she and Geralt’s romance is one for the books. Aside from being a literal fireball, Triss has an air of generosity and care that her more mysterious, and equally alluring, counterpart Yennefer doesn’t always have. She’s stubborn and sharp as a whip, but kind and nurturing. She makes a good foil to Geralt’s cold and hard demeanor, and is one of those ladies who just brings out that inner softie in him. – Aiden Strawhun

Geralt and Yennefer – The Witcher 3

It only took several books and three video games for Geralt to find his legendary sorceress lover, but nevertheless, he finally found her in The Witcher 3. The Witcher 3 its self is too big of a monster to sum up easily, but these two are particularly memorable because of the bond they share–which was initially because of a djinn. A side mission forces that bond to be broken, and well, their feelings just don’t change. And if that isn’t the test of true love, especially when your love is quite the playboy, then we don’t really know what is. Like Triss, she brings out the good, softer qualities in Geralt, but unlike Triss, she challenges him and allows him autonomy Triss’s personality doesn’t seem capable of doing. – Aiden Strawhun

Did we get your favorite couple in here? Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments below.

Source : IGN

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