#i also am not sure who our 'voice of the hero' analogue would be -

[knockknockitsnickels]

"Sacrifice the Yourself" (title pending), the hip new slay the princess swap AU, in which you and the girlies must decide if you're gonna let a giant bird stab you (and maybe.... find love?!)

[shobogan]

Doctor Who: Combat Magicks

I finally read a Thirteen book, so here are some of my favourite bits! No major spoilers, I promise.

“Gaul? What’s that?” “It’s a place, mate,” Graham told him. “Asterix came from there. In the comic strip.” Yaz and Ryan looked at each other blankly, and Graham frowned. “You must know! Asterix the Gaul, feisty fighting little hero by Goscinny and...thingy?” Ryan shook his head. “I was Goscinny and Uderzo’s inspiration, you know.” The Doctor pulled her hair over her lip to make a blond moustache and winked at Graham. “Almost definitely.”

    As one, the trio took their eyes from the sky, saw death charging them down, opened their mouths and screamed. He pulled back his sword-arm to silence all three cries in one great blow. But in a blur, another woman, pale and lithe, had pushed past his targets to stand before them. There was steel in her eyes and a rainbow blazed across her chest.     “Oi,” she said. “No.”     The word was like an axe thrown at Bittenmane, who reared up, turned and threw his rider.

    The Doctor crossed to where Bleda’s horse - a stocky, short-limbed animals with a head big enough to break down doors - stood at the edge of a small clearing. [...] She began to apply the gel from her little jar to the cuts and gashes scored into the horse’s scruffy hide.

    The Doctor finished up with the injured horse, patted him gently. “What’s his name?”     Bleda grunted. “Bittenmane.”     “Aww, that’s sweet,” she deadpanned.

    He wasn’t sure how long it stayed dark but suddenly there was noise and movement at his ear, and something was carving a path through the feathered mass, helping him up. Ryan wiped at his eyes.     Graham’s face - pale, scratched and concerned - was up in his own. “It’s OK, mate. Cuts and scrapes, but you’ll be all right.”    “You came after me?”    “Course I did! Thought I’d lost you.”

    Bleda watched the Doctor beadily. “You belong to the Huns now.”     “The sonic. Where’s my sonic?”     “Your magick rods also belong to the Huns.”     “Well, that’s a comfort. I always wanted the best for them.”

    Yasmin shook her head. “He thinks we’re witches. Well, you’re the full-on witch, and I’m magic too.”     “Course you are. I thought you looked familiar.” The Doctor grinned. “As in witch’s familiar. Yeah?”     Yaz forced a grin for her friend’s benefit. “Look, here’s my familiar grin.”      “Then things aren’t all bad.”

    She patted her mount on the back and made stirrup with her hands. “Quickly! Climb on board!”     “Um, I can’t,” Ryan said quickly. “I’ll fall straight off.”     “So, be careful.”     “You don’t get it. I have a bit of a problem with balance.” He paused, recalled the well-worn words his doctor used to say, licked his lips. “There’s a difference between how well I could do something, and how well I can actually do it.”     Licinia raised an eyebrow. “If only all men were as honest as you, Ryan, I might not be as bitterly disappointed as I’ve turned out.”

    The Doctor crossed to another house and threw open the door to reveal the rooms inside similarly rammed with the walking dead. “My guess is that these poor remnants want to fight alongside you in real battle so they get another shot at a living enemy.”     “That will never happen.” Chokona’s face was a dark twist of fury. “These ghouls are idiot shades of the men they were. They have no place on the battlefield.”      “No place?” the Doctor thundered. “In this world of yours, right now, you’re all dead men standing. You think they’re idiots? Wrong. They’re just bound to a certain purpose, like these Strava, I imagine: to add to the numbers fighting, to make the slaughter even worse.”

    Yaz placed a finger to her mouth. “Listen to them. Alp and the others, they’re all saying the same thing: ‘All together in the Great Pit’���. She looked at the Doctor. “The Pit’s another word for hell, isn’t it?”     “Right now, so is Catalaunum - and it’s a hell of your own making.” She glared at Attila, the whispering of the dead like a hopeless lullaby beneath her words. “You agreed to dance with the devil. Are you really so surprised to find she’s been calling the tune all along?”

    A meeting with Aetius! The final great leader of the Roman empire in the west. Treat him like a regular bloke, Graham told himself. He still wipes his bum like the rest of us. Well, maybe with a sponge on a stick instead of paper, but...

    “I would like to hear you explain,” said Aetius slowly, “how a medic from Britannia knows of such uncommonly dangerous things.”     Graham managed a smile of apology. “Mostly from trying to avoid them.”     “Would that we could. But time presses and you must help me resolve a delicate situation. The future of Rome and all the civilised world may hang in the balance.” The General’s blue eyes were untouched by the twitch of a smile on his face. “No pressure.”

    The Doctor strode forward, grinning like this was afternoon tea in a country house, and held out her hand to shake. “Sorry, not been introduced. I’m the Doctor, Mr. Hun’s new attorney. I’d like to go over the terms of this settlement...”     Inkri ignored her entirely, but Attila didn’t. “Doctor, this is a matter for me alone,” he warned, “you will be silent.”     “I will? Nah, can’t see that happening.”

    The Doctor turned to face Inkri, and found the Tenctrama had moved silently, was standing just behind her. She didn’t flinch. “Let Yasmin go.”     “In time,” said Inkri.     “Am I supposed to be impressed by your powers? Should I gasp, or swoon?” The Doctor affected a fainting spell, fell into a chair, swung up her legs and plonked them on Attila’s council table.

    Inkri lowered her voice to a menacing whisper. “I think you care very much for the three friends you brought with you.”     “Is that your guess? Well done. Not just warm, but boiling hot. Like the water you’ll find yourself in if you mess with any of my friends again.”

    “Well, Bial, I bet the shamans had their noses out of joint when the Tenctrama came along, eh?” The Doctor nudged him. “You should tell them the hags have been booted out. They’ll be back out here in no time, sharing the wisdom of your ancestors instead of sulking in their tents.”     Bial shook his head. “The shamans meditate.”     “Meditation, right. Yeah, I pretend sulking is that, sometimes.”

    The muddy, bloody water was churning; then suddenly, impossibly, the figure of a Tenctrama was rising from the tub; like he’s planted a magic bean in the water and this nightmare was growing from it. Gore and filth dripped from her matted hair and dribbled down her face as she stared at Graham, constellations of gold floating in her dark eyes.     He managed to find his voice. “Needed a bath, did you?”

    The Doctor loved building things, all kinds of things - from time-flow analogues out of kitchen bits to dry stone walls, from Arthur C. Clarke’s designs for a digital lawnmower to proper challenges like assembling flatpacked Ikea wardrobes. She didn’t normally mind being watched - what good was being brilliant if you had no one to boggle and applaud? - but the dead crow eyeing her coldly from its perch on the table beside her was putting her off her game. Golden skeins flitted across the dark, beady eyes: eyes of the Tenctrama.     “Give the poor thing some dignity, let her go,” the Doctor said, staring straight  into the crow’s head. “You can see I’m recharging the force field generator.” [...]     The crow held silent and still. Then it pushed out its wings and flew up at the Doctor’s face. She recoiled and it flapped past, hit the canvas wall and fell with a heap on top of the other dead birds the Tenctrama had sent to spy on her. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured, crossing to the crow and stroking its burning hot head. The optic link blazed through their little brains, they couldn’t last long. The Doctor swallowed back her anger - there would be a time for anger, soon - and flicked on her sonic, and returned to the job at hand.

    The Doctor smiled as she recognised one of the horses standing inside. “Bittenmane!” He came out to see her, snorted and pressed his head against her shoulder. “Hello, boy. I won’t ask why the long face, because we both know you’re a horse.” 

    Inkri hobbled closer. The Doctor cried out as pain and pressure built up inside her head. Her vision began to blur but she could not blink. Inkri’s fingertips pressed against her temples and began to burn.     The Doctor gasped, and Inkri’s face bobbed closer. She whispered, “Are you going to scream, Doctor?”     “I’m...going to...whistle.”

    Yaz clung on tighter. “Why does everyone care about this stupid hill so much?”     “High ground makes it harder for the enemy to out-flank you.” Just as the Doctor spoke, the Roman hordes swarmed over the top of the hill. [...] “Mounts and monsters move faster downhill, while arrows strike harder, so possession of the kill could prove decisive...”     “For someone who hates war you know a lot about it!”     “Never hate something until you can understand it.”

    Yaz couldn’t even hear her any more. The assault on her senses was too much. Rolling to their right, the Hun avalanche was set to engulf them, barely a hundred metres away. This is where it ends, she thought, water whipped from her eyes by the wind as they galloped on, but I’m not going to die crying, I’m just going to hold on to the Doctor and...

    The Doctor put her head against Bittenmane’s. “You saved our lives, you clever horse. Thank you. Now you have to go.” She slapped the horse on his rump, whistled, and with a bob of his head he turned and galloped away. “That’s it, run!”     Liss was staring. “That horse really seemed to understand!”     The Doctor smiled. ”Well, I happen to be fluent in several equine dialects...”

    “All right, Ryan,” Yaz called. She stood so calm and in control between these two giants of the ancient world, it was awesome; like they were just a couple of drunk-and-disorderlies she’d picked up outside the Millenium Gallery. But he knew how much doubt she hid behind that calm expression, and felt all the more impressed.

    Ryan was running full-pelt through the gloomy catacombs behind Liss. Twice, he’d fallen over his own feet and sworn his butt off. Dyspraxics were meant to stick to long-distance running, slow and steady, but if he didn’t speed up -      He fell over again. “Dammit!”     Liss turn, panting, came back for him. “It’s all right, Ryan.”     “It’s not!” he shouted. “Keep going. I’m slowing you down. You have to get back, our people need us.”     “But what about - ?”     “Go, will you!”

    The Doctor was quiet, sat on a cart like the one that had carried them to the Hun camp only yesterday. Her bounce was subdued, clothes blackened and skin sticky with burns. She’d spent all that day in a deep sleep, like a coma, close to death.     Don’t let us lose you too, Yaz had thought, holding her friend’s hand as tightly as she could. Don’t ever let us lose you.     “She’s gonna thank you for the broken fingers when she wakes up,”  Ryan said. He’d been holding the other hand.     It had only been at the sound of Graham’s voice - or at a question only she was smart enough to answer - that the Doctor revived.

    “War never determines who is right. Only who is left.” The Doctor jumped down from the cart, a little more her old Tigger self. “Bertrand Russell said that. Over tea and scones. It’s good, isn’t it?”

[broomballkraken]

Title: Summer Lovin’

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses/Fire Emblem Heroes

Pairing(s): Sylvain/Lorenz, Dorothea/Ingrid

Word count: 5550

Warnings: N/A

Summary: College AU. With the spring semester of his first year of college finally over, Sylvain is excited to have a fun and relaxing summer, especially since his busy schedule had kept him from spending an adequate amount of time with his boyfriend, Lorenz. During a double-date at the beach on perfectly hot and sunny day, Sylvain realizes that he really does feel something special for his once insufferable roommate.

The harsh rays of the summer sun beat down on Sylvain, and he lifted his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the blinding light. Normally he’d hate this kind of heat, having been raised in a rather cold climate, but that was not the case today. He stood on a beautiful sandy beach, and he couldn’t wait to take a dip in the crystal-clear water. Sylvain had a feeling that this was going to be a perfect day for an overdue date with his boyfriend.

“Hey, Sylvain!”

“Where’s your man at?”

Er, well, it was a double-date, actually.

Sylvain turned and waved as Ingrid and Dorothea walked hand-in-hand up to him. They were already in their bathing suits, and carried a couple of beach bags as well as a beach umbrella with them. Sylvain shrugged as he slung his own bag over one shoulder. “He’s getting changed. He should be out soon.”

As if on cue, the tell-tale squeaking of the changing room door opening hit Sylvain’s ears, and he turned to find a blushing Lorenz taking a nervous step out of the room. Sylvain’s eyes widened with surprise as he peaked over his sunglasses to take in the tantalizing view of his boyfriend’s unusually exposed body. Huh, he never would have guessed that Lorenz was the kind of person to don a speedo of all things, but the color perfectly matched his striking purple hair, and the red rose printed on it was rather fitting. Lorenz self-consciously tugged at his shirt, which also had a rose pinned on it, and that made Sylvain smile; his boyfriend’s affinity for roses had always been incredibly endearing, but that didn’t stop Sylvain from wanting to tease him a bit.

“Damn Lorenz, I didn’t take you for a speedo guy at all.”

“D-Do I really not pull it off?” Lorenz’s brow furrowed as he scoffed. “Oh, and I thought the colors complimented my hair and style perfectly when I picked it out-”

“Whoa, hold up there, I never said that.” Sylvain chuckled as he grabbed one of Lorenz’s hands, entwining their fingers together. “It looks sexy on you, babe. I personally love the roses.” He sealed the deal by placing a kiss on Lorenz’s cheek, and Sylvain snickered when Lorenz’s face flushed a deep red.

"And I won't even ask if you like my swimsuit, I'll just say... you're welcome." Sylvain winked as Lorenz just let out an exasperated groan.

“Do you always have to be so...insufferably cocky?” Lorenz asked, and Sylvain chuckled as he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

“But of course! It fits me, as someone who has such a huge c-”

“Ugh, get a room already!” Dorothea interrupted, rolling her eyes, but Sylvain caught a knowing smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she turned and began walking down the beach with a chuckling Ingrid. “I know a really nice spot that’s usually not too crowded. Try to keep up, boys.” Lorenz and Sylvain shared a glance and smiled before following the girls, their hands clasped tightly together.

Sylvain knew that they were an odd couple, he and Lorenz, and if someone would have told him when they first met that they would eventually end up together, Sylvain would have laughed in their face. It was still a bit surreal, having fallen for his roommate that he didn’t get along with for almost the entire first semester of their college careers. They clashed in many ways; Sylvain was a typical, flirty jock on the surface, who majored in kinesiology, played hockey, and flitted from one girl to the next as he breezed through his first semester classes with ease. Lorenz was also a shameless flirt, but that seemed like the only thing Sylvain had in common with the history/political science major who loved horseback riding, collecting and drinking exotic teas, and writing flowery poetry.

As that first semester came to a close, however, Sylvain and Lorenz had learned a lot about each other, and realized that they did have more in common than they both initially realized. Mainly, they both had some pretty heavy family issues that stemmed from some serious homophobia. Lorenz had been immediately kicked out by his dad when he was sixteen after being caught kissing another boy, while a 12-year-old Sylvain watched as his trans brother, soon after coming out to their parents, was also kicked out and never heard from again, leading to Sylvain desperately trying to deny his attraction to men out of fear of the same thing happening to him. After a night of deep conversation and passing a bottle of strong whiskey between them, they had moved on from a mutual dislike of each other to the beginning of a strong friendship.

“Here we are! Oh, and it looks like we’re the only ones on this section of the beach,” Dorothea said, a satisfied grin crossing her face as she set down her bag and helped Ingrid set up their umbrella.

“This is a really nice spot, how’d you find this place, Doro?” Sylvain asked as he and Lorenz began setting up their spot.

Dorothea giggled and winked as she shook her head. “Oh no, my dear Sylvain. A lady never reveals her secrets.” Sylvain let out a defeated sigh and shrugged.

“Fine, fine, keep your secrets.”

“I always do.”

The group finished unpacking their things, and eventually Dorothea and Ingrid were sunbathing on their beach chairs, while Sylvain sprawled out on a towel and Lorenz settled down next to him, but in the shade of their umbrella.

“You don’t wanna lay in the sun, babe?” Sylvain asked, raising an eyebrow as he lay back with his arms crossed over his head. Lorenz shrugged as he pulled out a notebook.

“Not really. I burn very easily,” Lorenz said, and Sylvain rolled his eyes and sat up. He rummaged around in his bag for a moment and pulled out some sunscreen.

“Well, let me help you out with that. A little bit of vitamin D is good for you,” Sylvain said, squirting a decent amount onto his hand, “Plus, a little color might make you look less like a ghost.”

Sylvain laughed when Lorenz glared and pouted at him, but he did not resist when Sylvain moved behind him and slipped Lorenz’s shirt from his shoulders. “I guess I could use some sun. I don’t tan very well, though.”

“Hmm, I think you’d look pretty sexy with a nice tan.” Sylvain snickered when Lorenz sputtered in response; Sylvain thought it was adorable how easy it was to fluster his normally very prim-and-proper boyfriend. He decided to ease up on the teasing (at least for now) as he rubbed a generous amount of sunscreen over Lorenz’s back and shoulders, and a smile crossed his face when Lorenz sighed and Sylvain felt him relax.

It had been a busy and difficult spring semester for the both of them, and thus they hadn’t had much time to relax and spend time together as a couple for the first few months of their relationship. Sure, they were roommates, but between Sylvain traveling a lot for hockey and both of them spending late nights in the library with different study groups, they counted themselves lucky the few times that they weren’t too exhausted for brief moments of intimacy. But with summer break finally here, Sylvain was looking forward to many fun dates like this one.

After Lorenz took a turn rubbing sunscreen on Sylvain, they fell into a comfortable silence as Sylvain basked in the sun, while Lorenz stayed in the shade and wrote in his notebook. As Sylvain listened to the calming sound of Lorenz’s pen scraping across the paper, his curiosity at what Lorenz was writing was growing and growing. Cracking one eye open, Sylvain watched Lorenz’s face. His eyebrows were furrowed thoughtfully, and he would sometimes chew on his lower lip or poke his tongue out as his concentration deepened. Sylvain thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Eventually, Sylvain’s curiosity got the better of him, and he sat up, his elbows propping up on his knees as his chin fell to rest in his hands. “What’cha writing?”

Lorenz seemed startled by his voice, and Sylvain raised an eyebrow when his boyfriend almost dropped his pen as he flailed slightly. “Er, uh, it’s really nothing…”

“Bullshit.” A devious grin crossed his face as he snatched the notebook from Lorenz with lightning speed. “I bet you’re writing something lewd.”

“S-Sylvian, please!” Lorenz tried reaching over to take the book back, but Sylvain placed a hand over his face, effectively keeping Lorenz away as he held the book in his free hand.

Clearing his throat, Sylvain fought back the urge to laugh at the mortified look on Lorenz’s face as he began to read from the book. “Ahem, ‘To find the analogue of your beauty in nature, I look only to the anemone.’” Sylvain barely managed to get the words out before he burst out laughing so hard that tears started falling down his face. When he recovered from his laughing fit, he looked up to find a pouting, red-faced Lorenz glaring at him, who quickly snatched the book out of Sylvain’s hands.

“I am well aware that it’s terrible, thank you,” Lorenz grumbled as he stuffed the book back into his bag before crossing his arms over his chest.

Sylvain laughed and wrapped his arms around his moody boyfriend, pulling him onto his lap. “C’mon, babe, I’m just teasing you. Anemone’s are pretty cool to look at.” Lorenz averted his gaze and huffed, and Sylvain placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

“Besides, the rest of your poetry is fucking fantastic,” Sylvain added, and he grinned when a sheepish smile crossed Lorenz’s face. Sylvain certainly wasn’t lying about that; Lorenz was a phenomenal writer. Sylvain had been skeptical, at first, when he found out that his roommate, who, in addition to his double-major, was also getting a minor in creative writing of all things. Sylvain’s skepticism was replaced with sheer awe when he had snuck a curious peek at Lorenz’s writing while he was in the bathroom.

The flowery yet fitting descriptions, the way each line flowed perfectly to the next, the intensity of the imagery and emotion invoked...Sylvain had been floored by what he read. At the time, he would never have asked Lorenz outright to read his work, so Sylvain continued to occasionally sneak glances at his roommate’s writing whenever he happened to leave it out in the open.

There was one specific time that Sylvain had done this that had been a key event that eventually led to their relationship. It was after he and Lorenz had overcome their differences and finally became friends, and very shortly after Sylvain had developed a crush on him. Sylvain had just returned from a shower after a tough hockey practice and was ready to immediately pass out for the night. However, he spotted Lorenz’s notebook on his desk, left unattended again, and Sylvain couldn’t resist the familiar temptation to read it.

As his eyes skimmed over the most recent poem, Sylvain’s face had heated up and his jaw dropped with shock at the words. ‘My heart strays ever-towards a man of tangerine hair and the most beautiful, amber eyes; Alas, the unforgiving bite of longing eats away at one’s aching heart so bitterly…’ That description sounded too much like Sylvain to just be coincidence, and the very idea that Lorenz might actually feel the same way about him gave Sylvain the confidence he needed to confess his feelings only a few days later. And wouldn’t you know it, Lorenz indeed admitted to having mutual feelings, and they’ve been together ever since.

“Hey guys, come join us in the water!”

Sylvain was pulled from his trip down memory lane when Dorothea and Ingrid walked up to them, pool noodles in hand, and Sylvain nodded as he stood up.

“Alright. I was just getting a bit too hot anyway. C’mon babe.” Sylvain offered his hand to Lorenz, who smiled as he took it. They started towards the shoreline, but Lorenz suddenly stepped in front of Sylvain.

“Sylvain, dear,” Lorenz said, frowning as he lifted a hand to Sylvain’s chest, “You should probably take this off; I hate for you to lose it.”

Sylvain’s hand moved to mirror Lorenz’s, and his fingers brushed over the necklace that hung from his neck. Ah, right. He had almost forgotten about it. This necklace had been a gift from Lorenz, shortly after they had started dating. Lorenz had said that it caught his eye while he was out shopping with Hilda, and he thought that it would suit Sylvain well. Sylvain was very touched that his boyfriend had just up and gotten a gift for him out of the blue, and Sylvain had not taken off the necklace since, except for when he showered or slept.

“Ah, right. Thanks, Lorenz. Definitely don’t wanna lose one of my favorite accessories.” Sylvain grinned when Lorenz cleared his throat to try and unsuccessfully hide the blush on his face, and Sylvain safely stored the precious piece of jewelry in his bag along with his sunglasses before they rushed off to join Dorothea and Ingrid.

The two couples eagerly made their way into the water, and Sylvain shivered as his hot skin was struck by the very cold, but refreshing waves. Lorenz waded in up to his knees, and his face was scrunched up when Sylvain turned to look back at him.

“What’s up, babe?”

“It’s...really cold…”

“Aw, c’mon, it’ll be fine once you’re in!”

“B-But…”

Sylvain didn’t give Lorenz time to complain anymore, as he rushed up to him and hoisted him over his shoulder with ease. Yelping, Lorenz struggled in vain to escape his boyfriend’s hold.

“L-Let go of me, Sylvain!”

“Hehe, you better hold your breath, Lorenz!”

Lorenz’s shriek of protest fell on deaf ears, as Sylvain took a few large strides into deeper water, before sucking in a deep breath and plunging the both of them underwater. It was really cold at first, but Sylvain rather enjoyed lower temperatures, and he got used to it quickly. When he broke the surface again, Sylvain snorted before bursting out laughing when he saw the state his boyfriend was in.

“That was not funny.” If looks could kill, then Sylvain would have been dead and gone long before he knew what hit him. Lorenz was absolutely seething, his soaked hair sticking to his face as he shivered where he stood. Sylvain got his laughter under control and wrapped his arm around Lorenz before he could escape.

“Let go of me,” Lorenz grumbled, struggling against Sylvain’s hold halfheartedly, but Sylvain shook his head and tightened his grip.

“I’m sorry, babe. Let me warm you up.” Sylvain prevented Lorenz from complaining by covering his lips with his own. Sylvain didn’t know if Lorenz was starting to feel warm, but he sure was. Sylvain had kissed a lot - a lot - of people before Lorenz, but no one he had kissed before made Sylvain’s heart race and his mind go pleasantly fuzzy quite like Lorenz.

Sylvain’s heart managed to race even faster when he felt Lorenz smile against his lips, something that Sylvain had never experienced with anyone else before. It was an incredible feeling, knowing that just kissing him made Lorenz happy, and Sylvain’s lips also curled upwards.

“Hey, lover-boys! Do you really have to suck face in front of us?” Dorothea yelled, followed by an exasperated sigh from Ingrid. Sylvain laughed when he pulled away from Lorenz, who flushed a bright red as he hid his face against Sylvain’s shoulder. Chuckling, Sylvain placed a quick kiss on the top of Lorenz’s head before grabbing his hand again and they waded over to the ladies.

“C’mon, don’t be jealous now!” Sylvain grinned when Dorothea burst out laughing.

“Oh please. How could I be jealous when I’m dating the most beautiful woman around?” Dorothea said, draping an arm over Ingrid’s shoulders and placing a kiss on her cheek. Ingrid giggled as she returned the kiss, and Sylvain couldn’t help but smile. Ingrid and Dorothea had hit it off really well as soon as they met, and absolutely no one was surprised when they started dating shortly after. They really made a good-looking couple.

“So, fellas,” Dorothea said, a sly smirk crossing her face, “how about we play a little game of chicken? Losers have to go and buy drinks for the winners.”

“Oh sick! I’m totally in!” Sylvain said, grinning at Lorenz, who chuckled and confidently placed a hand on one hip.

“Well, I was never one to back down from a challenge, so I’m in too.”

“Alright, you’re on!” Ingrid said, and soon the two couples were ready for their match, with Dorothea on Ingrid’s shoulders and Lorenz on Sylvain’s, with each of them armed with a pool noodle.

“Ready...Go!” Dorothea yelled, and the game was on. Dorothea was relentless with her attacks from the start, and Lorenz had to take a defensive stance for a bit. But he was patient, and with Sylvain as a very sturdy base, Lorenz managed to get in a few good hits at Dorothea, and eventually he sent her tumbling from Ingrid’s shoulders.

“Yes! Way to go, babe!” Sylvain shouted, letting Lorenz down from his shoulder and giving him a celebratory kiss. Lorenz ran a hand through his hair and chuckled.

“But of course this should happen! Against the combined might of Sylvain Gautier and Lorenz Gloucester, no one stands a chance!”

“You got that right!”

“Alright, alright, we get it. God, you two are insufferable.” Dorothea rolled her eyes, but a smile soon crossed her face and she sighed. “I guess we’ll go and grab you some drinks after we dry off.”

After spending a bit more time in the water, the four eventually returned to shore and basked in the sun to dry off. When Dorothea left to go get the drinks, Lorenz went with her, as he was curious to see what the rest of the beach looked like. As Sylvain watched his boyfriend walk off, Ingrid sat down next to him on his towel.

“So,” she started, smiling as she raised a curious eyebrow, “How are you and Lorenz doing?” Sylvain smiled at her as he leaned back and propped himself up on his elbows.

“Great, actually. I’m...really surprised at how well everything is going,” Sylvain answered honestly. Ingrid had been his best friend for as long as he could remember. Because of that, she had been the person that he confided in when he first realized that he had feelings for Lorenz. She had been shocked, unsurprisingly, but also wholeheartedly supportive and had played a big role in giving Sylvain the confidence needed to tell Lorenz how he felt.

“That’s so awesome. I’m really happy for you!” Ingrid smiled, but it faded slightly as her brow furrowed. “Do...your parents know?”

“Oh hell no,” Sylvain blurted out immediately, his face paling slightly at the very thought. Sylvain was very thankful that his parents had never really been interested in the internet or social media, or they would have found out about his relationship rather quickly. Sylvain was also careful to block anyone who was close with his parents that also was not a trusted friend. The less they knew, for now, the better.

Ingrid winced as she placed a hand on Sylvain’s arm. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Sylvain shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

“Nah, it’s cool. Just a...touchy subject.”

“Yeah…”

They were silent for a moment, before Ingrid continued. “I’m happy you guys get to finally spend some time together and go on some actual dates.”

“Same. Don’t get me wrong, the sex is great and all, but it’s always good to do some innocent couple things too.” Sylvain laughed when Ingrid groaned and smacked his arm.

“Ugh, that’s way too much information, Sylvain!”

“Heh, sorry!”

“No you’re not!”

“You’re right.” Sylvain managed to dodge Ingrid’s attempted smack this time and they both laughed. When they composed themselves, Sylvain’s expression turned oddly serious.

“Hey, Ingrid…” Sylvain said, pausing for a moment as he chewed on his bottom lip, “You...love Dorothea, right?”

“Well, yeah.” Ingrid watched Sylvain with curious eyes, and he averted his gaze as he rubbed nervously at his arms.

“When did you know that you loved her?”

“Uh…” Ingrid went quiet, her brow scrunching up in thought as she gazed down at her lap. After a moment, Ingrid looked back up at Sylvain with a bright smile on her face.

“It’s kinda hard to explain, I guess I just...felt it?” Ingrid shrugged and let out a sheepish laugh. “It was, like, three months after we started dating. We were walking home from a party, just a little bit tipsy, and we stopped to look at the stars along the river.”

Ingrid giggled, a wistful smile crossing her face as her cheeks turned pink. “Dorothea looked really pretty that night, and I dunno...I just knew then that she was even more special that I had realized. And I told her I loved her.”

“And? What did she say?”

“Well, she said she loved me too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Ingrid said, “In fact, she said that she was also thinking about saying it too, but I beat her to it.” Sylvain smiled at that, and he placed a hand on Ingrid’s shoulder.

“That’s so cute, I might just throw up.” Sylvain laughed when Ingrid rolled her eyes and flicked his nose.

“Whatever, lover-boy Why the sudden serious question, though?” Sylvain felt his face heat up as Ingrid stared at him, a knowing smile on her face that told him that she already knew the answer.

“I…” Sylvain swallowed thickly and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I think I love Lorenz. Like, I really love him.” The words felt weird to finally say, after the thought had been festering at the back of his mind for a week or so by now. Sylvain had tossed the word ‘love’ around haphazardly before, not really thinking too much about his words hurting anyone or if he even actually was in love.

This time was totally different, though. This wasn’t just throwing out the word like nothing. This was a deep feeling, one that Sylvain felt every time he gazed into Lorenz’s beautiful eyes, or held his hand in his, or cried his name during sex, or any multitude of seemingly mundane things that they did together. And that list only grew as time went on, until Sylvain was forced to consider the fact that this could be what it really felt like to be in love.

“Oh my god,” Ingrid blurted out, trying and failing to suppress the excited squeal that escaped from her, “That’s so exciting! Has Lorenz told you he loves you yet?”

“Ah, no…” Sylvain’s face fell as he worried his lip between his teeth. “Do you think it’s too soon? Should I wait for him to say it first? What if he doesn’t-”

“Sylvain.” Ingrid interrupted him, a soft smile crossing her face as she gently took his hands. “Tell him. He might say it back, or he might not be ready, but I really think that being completely honest with your feelings as soon as possible would be your best bet.” A smile slowly spread across Sylvain’s face again and he let out a relieved sigh.

“Alright...I think I can do that,” he said, and Ingrid nodded in agreement.

“Just remember, I’m always rooting for you!”

“Thanks, Ingrid.” Sylvain wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, and Ingrid gladly hugged him in return.

“We’re back!”

Sylvain let go of Ingrid as Dorothea and Lorenz returned, with some rather tasty-looking drinks in their hands. Ingrid stood up to head back to her and Dorothea’s spot, glancing briefly over her shoulder to give Sylvain a wink of encouragement, which he greatly appreciated.

“Hey, say cheese, lover-boys!” Dorothea held up her phone, and Sylvain immediately pulled Lorenz to his side, pressing a kiss to his cheek as Dorothea took a picture.

“Damn, you guys take a really cute couple’s pic.” Dorothea giggled as she showed them the picture, and Sylvain’s eyes lit up. Lorenz just looked...so happy. His face was lit up with a close-eyed, toothy smile as Sylvain’s lips touched his slightly flushed cheek. God damn, Sylvain felt like a really lucky guy right now.

“Ah, here Sylvain, they were having a special at the bar.” Lorenz said, and Sylvain shifted closer to Lorenz and placed another kiss on his cheek.

“Thanks, babe! It looks pretty good.” Sylvain took the fancy glass that Lorenz offered him and examined the contents. The green-blue liquid was pretty to look at, and the heaping scoop of ice cream that topped it off looked absolutely delicious, especially paired with the bright red edible flowers and cherries that surrounded it.

Sylvain couldn’t wait to taste it, so he brought the straw to his lips and took a sip, a pleased hum rumbling through his chest as the deliciously cool drink hit his tongue. Sylvain guessed that it was made with some kind of melon liquor, and maybe some blue raspberry schnapps? Whatever it was, Sylvain wholeheartedly approved of it.

“Damn, this is great!” Sylvain said, sucking down a few more gulps.

“Really? I guess I should try it, then.”

“Yeah, you’ll really like it-” Sylvain turned his head towards Lorenz, but the rest of his words were swallowed up when Lorenz suddenly pressed his lips to his own. Sylvain's shocked squeak was muffled, and he felt his face flush when Lorenz’s tongue shoved its way into his mouth and brushed against his own. When Lorenz pulled away, Sylvain’s jaw went slack and his brain felt a bit like it had turned to mush.

“Hmm,” Lorenz hummed as his tongue poked out and swiped over his lips, and Sylvain’s heart hammered hard in his chest at the rare, mischievous glint in his boyfriend’s eyes, “My my, this might actually be the most delicious thing that I’ve ever tasted.” Lorenz’s voice dropped low as he spoke, and Sylvain could only stare pathetically at him in response.

Chuckling softly, Lorenz gently took a hold of Sylvain’s chin and carefully examined his face. “It’s quite rare to see you so flustered, Sylvain, but it’s really a sight that I enjoy a lot.” Plucking a flower from his glass, Lorenz gently slipped it behind Sylvain’s ear, somehow causing his face to heat up even more than it already had. Sylvain finally snapped back to his senses and pouted as Lorenz laughed again.

“Geez, you’re the worst…” Sylvain grumbled, but he couldn’t help but snicker, and soon he was laughing along with Lorenz. Damn, Sylvain really did love him, huh? It was so, so obvious now.

“Hey, Lorenz, I-” Sylvain leaned over to get closer, but he accidentally bumped Lorenz’s arm that held his drink, and half of it spilled all over Lorenz.

“Whoops, sorry!” Sylvain cringed and moved to wipe up the mess with his towel. Lorenz shivered and pursed his lips.

“Eugh, I’m all sticky now…” Lorenz complained, and Sylvain snorted.

“Heh, that’s what she said.”

“Oh my god, fuck off.”

Sylvain burst out laughing as Lorenz just groaned and rolled his eyes. When Sylvain recovered, he eyed Lorenz for a moment and shrugged.

“Well, I guess I better help you clean that sticky mess off.”

“What are you-”

Lorenz was cut off as he yelped when Sylvain hoisted him over his shoulder and started sprinting off towards the water. Ignoring his startled yelling, Sylvain quickly made it to deep water and wasted no time in pulling Lorenz under with him.

The water was incredibly clear, so Sylvain easily opened his eyes so that he could locate Lorenz. When he did, he swam up beside him, trying his best not to laugh at the sour look on his face and waste his breath. Sylvain thought that he looked beautiful, with his flawless skin shimmering in the refracted light, and his purple hair floating lazily around him. Sylvain reached out and brushed his fingers gently over Lorenz’s cheek, and the smile that crossed his face made Sylvain’s heart skip a beat.

Wrapping one hand around Lorenz’s waist to pull him close, and grabbing his hand with the other, their lips met in a tender, underwater kiss. Sylvain had never kissed someone underwater before, and it was a pretty thrilling experience. Careful not to instinctively breath through his nose, Sylvain deepened the kiss, and their legs tangled together as they both clumsily tread water. Sylvain kinda wished that they could stay like this forever.

Unfortunately, both Sylvain and Lorenz could not breath underwater, so they eventually had to part and go up for air. Sylvain took a few, deep breaths when he resurfaced, and he immediately reached out to grab Lorenz and pull him close.

“Hey, Lorenz?” Sylvain asked, and he waited patiently until Lorenz had caught his breath and turned to look at him.

“Yes?” Sylvain sucked in a calming breath as he steeled himself for what he was about to say, and he brought his face close to Lorenz’s, his amber eyes staring deep into those beautiful amethyst ones.

“I...I love you, Lorenz.”

Sylvain watched with bated breath as Lorenz just stared at him for a moment, before his face flushed pink and he sputtered for a moment. Sylvain had to snort to keep from laughing outright at the sight.

“You mean-Are you-Y-You...love me?” Lorenz stammered, and Sylvain smiled softly as he nodded, bringing a hand up to cup his face.

“Yep, I really do.” Sylvain’s voice dropped to a whisper, and the bright smile that crossed Lorenz’s face took his breath away.

“I...wow,” Lorenz said, his jaw hanging open as he blinked rapidly a few times, “Oh god, I’ve never been this nervous before, I just, ah…”

“You’re a mess, babe,” Sylvain said bluntly, and he couldn’t help but laugh this time as Lorenz pouted at him.

Lorenz took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, before a serious look appeared in his eyes and they locked with Sylvain’s. “I am...really happy to hear that, Sylvain, because, well, I love you too.”

“Really?” Sylvain was honestly surprised at that; he didn’t really expect Lorenz to have fallen that fast for him. Sylvain averted his gaze for a moment as he thought back to his conversation with Ingrid.

“You don’t...have to say it if you don’t feel it yet, I just, well, wanted to be honest with you…” Sylvain mumbled, but Lorenz just laughed and shook his head. He reached over to cup Sylvain’s face, and he placed a gentle kiss on his lips, pressing his forehead against Sylvain’s when he pulled away.

“Sylvain, dear, I wouldn’t just say that to anyone,” Lorenz began, his arms falling from Sylvain’s face so that he could snake his arms around his neck, “Honestly, I have felt this way for a bit now, and I was just waiting for the right moment to tell you.”

Sylvain beamed at that; it was true that Lorenz didn’t seem like the type to just throw that powerful, four letter word about all willy-nilly, unlike he himself had done in the past. Sylvain breathed out a sigh of relief and kissed Lorenz again, and again, and a couple more times, until Lorenz was laughing against his lips.

“Geez, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relieved before.” Sylvain smirked when Lorenz rolled his eyes.

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Nope! I might have just up and died if you didn’t say you loved me back!”

“Ugh, you drama king.”

“Psh, you’re one to talk.”

They both burst out laughing at that, and Sylvain wrapped his arms around Lorenz, still laughing as he rest his chin on his shoulder. Lorenz returned the hug, and Sylvain closed his eyes when he felt his slender fingers running through his hair.

“I love you.” The words seemed to come so easily now, as Sylvain whispered them into Lorenz’s ear, “You really are unlike anyone I’ve ever met before. I just...god, I just love you.”

Lorenz’s arms tightened around him as he pulled away slightly, enough so that he was gazing fondly upon Sylvain’s face as he caressed his cheek with the back of his hand. “I love you too. You really are one of a kind, Sylvain.

“That’s so fucking cheesy.”

“...Shut up.”

“Hey, lover-boys! You’re gonna get wrinkly if you stay in the water for too long!”

Dorothea’s voice snapped said lover-boys out of their own little world, and they snickered as they started making their way to shore. Cheesy or not, Sylvain had never felt such an overwhelming happiness before, and it was all thanks to his once-insufferable roommate, who was quickly turning out to be the love of his life. It was quite funny how things worked out sometimes, and Sylvain was looking forward to a summer full of fun alongside the man that he loved.

[thehallofgame]

Review: Star Ocean: First Departue

Release: 2008 (Original, Japan only, 1996)

My Rating: 7.5

              Though now developer Tri-Ace’s flagship property, the first Star Ocean game didn’t leave Japan until more than 10 years after its original release. Announced in tandem with the PSP remaster of Star Ocean 2, Star Ocean: First Departure is a PSP remake of the classic, and at the time revolutionary, original game. The remake sees some brand new anime-style cutscenes, full voice acting and new party members all in addition to the game being totally remade with Star Ocean 2’s engine and control scheme. Of course, unless you’re fluent in Japanese or were devoted enough to track down a fan translation, you’d have nothing to compare the updates to.

              This game seems as of two minds about itself as I am about it. That is to say that, in many ways, it feels and plays like contemporaries of its day. Chrono Trigger in particular often comes to mind. Yet, though many of its ideas feel played out and repetitive, from a 2017 point of view, it still manages to intrigue enough to keep one playing.

              The first few hours of the game are pure, unpredictable insanity as it feels like the game begins a traditional medieval fantasy and then someone spins some wheel covered in possible settings and the player suddenly loses all context for the plot. Ultimately, the story settles into a discernable path… but only after several hours of dialogue and gameplay amounting to little more than moving the characters from checkpoint to checkpoint.

              Our hero is Roddick, a young man from the planet of Roak a few hundred years in our future. All the natives of Roak have animal ears and tails and commonly use magic. Everything is peaceful until a mysterious disease strikes the planet, and while on a mission to gather medicinal herbs Roddick and friends encounter a team of humans investigating the crisis. As it turns out the plague was caused by extraterrestrials and the disease had been harvested from a creature native to their planet several hundred years previously. Unfortunately said creature is currently only a legend. But! There’s a mysterious device that allows for time travel. And so Roddick and Millie of Roak, as well as Ronyx and Illia of Earth, make a daring trip back in time in order to harvest the original host of the virus in hope of making a cure for the future. At this point the game turns back into a familiar medieval fantasy, though with some scifi flavor thrown in at the edges of the world to keep the player enticed.

              It’s a quirky setting, and while it doesn’t provide the planet hopping one might hope, it does a decent job of creating a space opera that feels player driven. The goals of the game are usually simple, amounting to traveling across the world map to the next city. It is the characters along the way that provide the interest that holds the story up. The four time travelers take up only half of the eight slots for party members, the rest must be recruited as the story goes. However, there are nine possible characters for these four slots. And in all but one case there is no way to remove a character once they’ve been accepted into the party. Not only that, but which characters the player accepts change the story as well as which other possible recruits the player will meet or be available to recruit.

              This is simultaneously brilliant and frustrating because, while it lends great replayability and makes every playthrough at least slightly different, it also means the player must play multiple times to meet everyone. Some characters are simple to find, others require obscure steps and several specific party members to gain. And these people are just about evenly spread throughout the game. It can be tempting to fill out ranks early in the game but that might mean missing out on opportunities or powerful party members later.

              Each of these characters have their own affiliations and stories in the world. Sometimes these will be unveiled as part of the story, but most often occur during the awkwardly named ‘private action’. These events are activated outside of towns and will cause the party to enter and scatter into various locations in the town. They can then each be tracked down and spoken to. Sometimes this reveals short scenes and produces significant moments of character development. The implementation is a little sticky though because if a private action is used the party cannot rest at a inn, go to a port to travel or even complete quests until the player exits the town and reenters it.

              Backtracking turns out to be the order of the day in Star Ocean as multiple quest threads happily send the player right back the way they came over and over. Even merely travelling between adjacent towns can easily take hours due to very frequent random encounters. There’s supposed to be a skill tree devoted just to controlling the random encounter rate, but even when maxed out I found it didn’t do much more than give the player a false sense of control over the monotonous grinding. Rewards for these battles is limited to boot. Cash gain and level growths are steady and consistent, which is the one saving grace as there are few varieties of enemies and loot they can drop. The party can carry only 20 of each item, anyway, so it doesn’t matter how many healing potions the enemy drops because it doesn’t take long to top out the inventory.

              Combat itself, however, isn’t that bad and would even be fun if there was less of it. Star Ocean pioneered a system of real-time action RPG combat that still feels pretty solid. The party can field four people at a time, but the player can only control one designated leader. The other members are guided by a set of tactics parameters assigned to them outside of battle in a sub-menu. This system is pretty rudimentary, but it gets the job done better than many more recent iterations of this idea. While there’s no nuance the player can be sure that if they toggle characters between saving action/magic points or using their strongest abilities that is what will happen.

              The player’s party and the enemy will spawn at opposite ends of a large rectangular map and charge at each other. At this point the player uses the analogue stick to move their leader unit around the map towards enemies, away from danger or into a flanking position. The player can even do absolutely nothing and the battle will probably go fine. Units who rely on physical attacks need to close to the appropriate range at which point pressing the x button will launch an attack. Doing so will result in up to two follow up attacks in a chain, while hitting either of the bumpers will spend magic points to activate a powerful special attack. Meanwhile, however, the enemy is also free to attack in real time and needs to be watched lest it stagger the player and keep them from attacking, rather than the other way around. The circle button allows the player to switch the character controlled in battle. The triangle button opens a menu which, presuming the battle/game itself decides the party member ‘can’ do so at the present moment, allows use of consumable items, spells, changing assigned tactics and an option to try to escape a battle that’s going poorly.

              There’s no tutorial, so between combat tactics and the necessary mastery of the many sub menus to get the party set up, tactics decided and special attacks assigned, there can be a slightly frustrating learning curve.

              I mentioned previously that items, even healing items, may only be stacked to twenty like items. This means that in the field and long dungeon crawls the party need to rely on the crafting system. Much like other Star Ocean features this system is at once fun and a royal pain.

              Each party member gains some skill points upon level up which can be shunted into dozens of possible skills with ten levels of mastery apiece. These skills are more or less split into combat and crafting skills. Skills are sold to the party in stores before they can be learned, in sets of ten or so skills. These provide several skills which vary from easy to understand descriptions of combat skills to extremely vague creative skills. Translation in this game can be a little spotty, and this is one of the areas it shows most, where a subjective and quite possibly culturally significant implication just doesn’t make it across in a coherent statement. A character will need points in multiple skills to develop a specialization. If multiple party members have the same specialization they can unlock a super-specialization which either allows stronger versions of talents or better crafting results. It can be utterly vague what’s needed to unlock which specialization, however. This leads both to pleasant surprises and ineffective point wasting trying to figure out how to do the one thing you need. The best items in the game are all locked behind this wall, though luckily they’re not needed to complete the story. They’re pretty handy for the optional dungeons though, many of which contain the world’s secrets.

              Star Ocean becomes a game of peaks and valleys, often highs and lows are intimately related and inextricable. For example, the music is excellent but the voice acting is, on-average, mediocre but sounds like it was recorded on sub-par equipment. The whole game is like this, fifty percent enticement and fifty percent disappointment. The tug and pull between boredom and the memory of a last tantalizing tidbit of world-building is constant.

              Ultimately I find that these highs and lows even out to a mediocre game, but more than most a player’s experience with Star Ocean will be utterly subjective. One person’s grind will be another person’s epic fight sequence and one person’s disgust at the party’s constant crushes on and jealously over one another will be another’s great time. There are great ideas in here, and a great world, the problem is that they’re buried pretty deep and it’s hard to say whether it’s worth the effort of digging long enough to find them.