#i am currently a game potato | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

autumnslance · 5 months

Text

Benchmark Tech Notes

Running the Benchmark

If your Benchmark isn't opening, it's an issue with the executable file, and something not completing properly on either download, or extracting the Zip file. The Benchmark is designed to run and give you scores for your potato computer, I promise.

I actually saved my Benchmark to my external drive, and it still pulls and saves data and runs as it should. Make sure you allowed the download to complete before extracting the zip.

Resolution

Check your Settings; in Display, it may be defaulting your monitor Resolution to something than you might otherwise use if you aren't on standard 1920x1080.

To check your monitor Resolution, minimize everything on your screen and right click anywhere on your Desktop. Go to Display Settings and scroll down to find Resolution and what it's set at.

You can set the Graphic Settings 1 tab to Maximum, or to Import your game settings. Display Settings tab is where you set it to be Windowed, Bordered, or Full Screen, as well as select Resolution to match your monitor in the dropdown (or customize it if needed). I speak on Resolution as some folks in my FC noted it changed how their characters looked.

The Other tab in Settings is where you can change the text output, or even check a box to disable the logo and score; I do this on subsequent plays, once I have my scores at various settings, to get the clean screenshots.

@calico-heart has a post about fixing graphics settings, with screenshots of the settings tab. Basically, change graphics upscaling from AMD to NVIDIA, and/or uncheck Enable Dynamic Resolution. Also check the Framerate Threshold dropdown.

Screenshots

The benchmark auto-saves 5 screens each playthrough. In the Benchmark folder there is a Screenshots folder to find the auto-images taken of your characters.

Character Appearance

If you want to get your current in game appearance, including non-standard hairstyles, make sure to load up the live game, right click and "Save Character Settings."

Then go to Documents/My Games/Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (this is the default in Windows 10 so mileage varies). The file will have the date you last updated their settings and be named FFXIV_CHARA_01.dat (or however many saves you have/made).

Grab those newly updated DAT files for your character(s) and copy them, then in the same base folder, go to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Benchmark).

Paste the copied DAT files in there, and rename to FFXIV_CHARA_BENCH01.dat (the number doesn't matter, and you may have more).

When running Benchmark Character Creation, use the dropdown menu.

If you do Create a Custom Character and Load Appearance Data, it will give you default hairstyles again. Meteor's Dawntrail hairstyle is a new default.

In Char Gen I am finding that a very pale hrothgal reflects the green scenery around her, giving her white skin/fur a green tinge. The other zones do not have this problem, or at least not to the same degree.

They added a Midday vs Evening setting in outdoor areas as well to test lighting. The lighting in the Gridanian innroom is better; not as bright as outdoors, to be expected, but not completely useless.

New voice type icons to clarifying the sounds you make.

Remember we're getting a free fantasia with the expansion, so some tweaking may be needed; Iyna I felt like I needed to adjust her jaw. Other colors--skin, hair, eyes, tattoos, etc--are showing differently in the various kinds of lighting.

Uncertain if the limit on hairstyles for the Hrothgals so far is just a Benchmark thing; they do have set styles for different head options. Everyone gets Meteor's hair though, so it may be a temporary/Benchmark limit. But which clan and face you choose drastically alters what hair and facial feature options you have access to.

Check your settings, tweak them a bit, play around with chargen, and remember this is still a Benchmark; they always strike me as a little less polished than the finished game, but so far I'm actually pretty pleased with having defined fingers and toes, the irises in the eyes, scars looking cut into the skin, and other improvements.

#final fantasy xiv #Benchmark #Dawntrail #Settings #Graphics #Options #Characters

172 notes · View notes

m1ssunderstanding · 8 months

Text

Get Back Rewatch 55 Years On: Day 15

The beautiful mess that would’ve been The Beatles plus Yoko Ono plus Billy Preston plus Bob Dylan plus whoever else. Although I guess that is sort of what George went on to do. He really did just want a group of friends that cared more about each other than the product, and that’s what he created for himself.

John: And the dream I had was you. The camera: zooms in on Paul’s wounded puppy eyes. John: *staring at Paul* d’you get my meaning? Imagine doing that to literally any other human being. I would not be that intimate with my best friend, my husband, my sister . . . anyone. Let alone my ex, (not literally, you all get what I mean) in front of my current SO and multiple cameras. This kind of thing really makes me wonder what kind of insane shit he must’ve said/done when they were alone, especially in happier times.

George painted his own psychedelic guitar, and it looks gorg. Who painted Paul’s. Anyone know?

How can I Not assume “Stand By Me” is *meaningful* if, firstly, this is the second time you’ve sung it at each other during this project, and secondly, if you look at each other like This while singing it? Then again, when are they not uncomfortably intense when singing together?

“Oh, help me, Daddy. I don’t even know how this thing works.” He says about the instrument he plays in the most successful band of all time. Paul can play whatever he needs to to get what he wants out of someone, and that includes dumb.

John’s little “Ookaay.” At Paul’s weird carrying-on about his insecurities with his bass playing. It just screams, “You’re delusional and I’m not getting into this right now.” Which is 1000% valid. Imagine being Paul McCartney and second-guessing your bass skills. Reminds me of that quote where John’s like, “He’s an egomaniac about everything else, but he’s coy about his bass playing. Which is stupid because he’s one of the most innovative bass players . . .”

John and Paul nail the harmony on “HoooooohOoOoOme.” And the LOOKs, you guys.

But also the nonverbal vocal communication! It’s one of my favorite parts about them, really. One of the things that reminds me of how special their relationship is. John makes a face. Paul goes, “brroop”. John replies with a beaming, “Yeah!” To which Paul adds another “brrrrip” as they simultaneously continue the song. It’s just unreal. Nobody does that. They are magical and they were right to think they had special telecommunicative powers.

The lunch orders today are everything you need to know about the Beatles. John: Sparrow on toast. Paul: Boiled testicle. George: Uh, Mal? So, we’ll have whatever the vegetables are, and if they’ve got any cheese sauce for the cauliflower. Ringo: Mashed potato. That’s it. That’s them.

“Then there’s another one,” says Paul, doing a shit job of pretending he hasn’t rehearsed this to sound like some accidental discovery. “Don’t let me down. Oh, darling,” sung suddenly, and forcefully, directly at John, “I’ll never let you down.”

John, beaming like the star quarterback just told him he looked pretty, tucks his hair behind his ears and says, barely hovering in the safety of a joking tone, “Yeah, it’s like you and me are lovers.”

John has of course taken Paul’s game of gay chicken an arm’s reach farther than Paul’s comfortable with, at least in front of cameras, so he can only nod, and brush his own hair back. Stiff, expressionless. "Yeah."

(Of course, Peter Jackson cuts out what eventually evolves into John and Paul singing “we’re a couple of queers” and talking about wearing skirts for the performance)

Am I the only one getting the vibe that John genuinely dislikes Teddy Boy? Not because he thinks it sucks or anything but because he doesn’t like the obvious similarities to his relationship with Julia? Personally, I love it. It was my anxiety song a few years back.

The original lyric to “fancy me chances” was Not “frock” I absolutely guarantee.

Love Paul checking on Billy. Love that they're all, even with everything they've got going, making sure he's set up and taken care of.

Sorry not sorry that I’m so thirsty over literally every woman in this show, but. Hello, Pattie! She just walks in, ignores everyone else, kisses him Like That, whispers something, and gets out to go live her own life. Queen. Gorgeous. Obsessed.

George Martin praising his children for "working so well together." I love that he refused to produce them after the white album, not because they were being disrespectful to him or anything, but because they weren't getting along. And that, although he's not producing, technically, he can't stop himself coming in to make sure they're okay. He's such a good dad, literally.

John over here being emo af by himself, playing “I Feel Fine,” because he definitely does Not feel fine and he’s just as nostalgic as Paul, which is way too fucking nostalgic. Poor baby.

#paul mccartney #the beatles #john lennon #mclennon #ringo starr #george harrison #get back

168 notes · View notes

unseemingowl · 5 months

Text

Saga Anderson, and Nordic rep in Alan Wake 2

Early on in Saga Anderson’s exploration in Alan Wake 2, she runs into Ilmo Koskela. Fiercely proud of his Finnish heritage, Ilmo gregariously makes note of Saga’s Nordic sounding name and the familiar design of her knitted sweater. Perhaps a fellow Finn?

Alas no, Saga’s mom is Swedish she informs him. Immediately Ilmo’s face falls. I’m not sure if it’s actually just the animated character defaulting to his resting face, but either way the timing is too perfect. Cue uproarious laughter from me. People in the Nordics are on friendly terms of course, but we gotta have the tiniest bit of… scornfor each other. All in good fun of course. It’s traditional.

Now, I’m Danish, not Finnish, but still, I feel right at home in the towns of Bright Falls and Watery in Alan Wake 2. All of the little nods to Nordic culture and mindset feel so wonderfully familiar to me. The melancholia, the irreverent sense of humor, the affection for the Finnish and Swedish quirks of the characters. The game feels all the stronger in tone and narrative for Remedy embracing the Finnish roots of the studio.

Which is exactly why it sucks that I almost immediately saw the charm of those narrative decisions weaponised against Saga.

I first watched the scene between Ilmo and Saga on a lets play when I was trying to figure out if I should finally dip my toes into survival horror and buy the game. Delighted by the writing I took a look into the comments to see if people were vibing as hard with it as I was. They were. But I also saw a comment that made me frown.

Paraphrasing, it basically went, come on, like hell a guy like Ilmo would make the assumption that a black woman is Finnish. There are a multitude of reasons why I think that person was wrong, mainly that Nordic people love it when we run into each other in other countries, but it also just made me sad.

Saga being black does not negate her Swedish heritage. Formally, she is American, sure (I assume, not sure how that works in the US), but she’s raised by her single Swedish mom, of course she’s going to identify heavily with that part of her herself. It’s a profound and essential part of who she is.

But hey, I’m a white potato Dane, so I’m not gonna argue that I know much about the experience of being biracial. I’m gonna stick to what I know, which is that Saga is a very moving and beautiful example of something that I’m actually not used to seeing much of - a story about connecting with your Nordic heritage and roots. And it’s part of why I love her so much.

When Nordic people show up in big, international productions, it’s usually as Vikings, and sure, it’s fun to see our wild ancestors, but contemporary questions of Nordic identity and heritage is not something I often see explored. Not even in our own productions.

So much of Saga’s story is about family. Fighting for her current one, Logan and Casey (and sure, David too, lol), and rediscovering her first one. Tor and Odin.

Her discovering her ties to Tor and Odin is profoundly moving and made me teary-eyed several times over. And sure, a lot of those ties are fantastical in nature, but they still feel very much grounded - and what makes us Nordic if not the ties to our myths and legends that Tor and Odin have made themselves the living avatars of.

While Saga’s mom, Freya, had good reasons for leaving the Anderson seer magics behind, seeing them as part of what made her family fucked up, she also cut Saga off from the fullness of her capabilities. It is only through Saga reforming her family, healing its scars and fully embracing the Anderson heritage that she becomes as powerful a parautilitarian as she is at the end of the game. That’s beautiful.

And in fact I think Saga being black only deepens the richness of those themes rather than negate them or make them irrelevant. Because yes, Saga’s story would have been moving if she was a white character too, but I am very well aware that a lot of biracial people of Nordic ancestry can feel alienated from that part of themselves. Not least because questions of who gets to claim a Nordic heritage can get pretty ugly around here. There are most definitely people who share the racist mindset of that commentator. It adds an extra dimension. Which is why seeing Tor and Odin’s eagerness to claim Saga as part of the Anderson heritage is all the more moving. Through her magics, she’s just so obviously an Anderson, and they’re so damn proud to call her theirs and fight alongside her. Because they all got that wild Viking blood in them. They’re part of her and she’s part of them.

Roger Ebert, the film critic once called movies empathy machines. I think games, when they’re at their best, can be an even more intense variation of that. Which is exactly why it baffles me that some people can play through Alan Wake 2 and still think Saga is a stunt-woke character rather than someone fully and beautifully integrated in the narrative. A narrative which, at its most basic level – in my opinion – is about the mystical bonds we form with each other and the rest of the world through art and love and blood and family and heritage. All the great horror doesn’t negate that either, it amplifies it. Kind of like that clicker.

#I really didn’t mean to write like… a fucking essay #so this is probably gonna flop #but I love Saga so much #and as a Scandinavian woman #I feel so seen by her #and I hate that people are being so vile about her character #Saga Anderson #Alan Wake 2

107 notes · View notes

hopeful-engineer · 11 months

Text

🌞 Self-care vs. self-indulgence vs. avoidance

Sometimes it may be a hard to swallow pill, but there's a difference between self-care and self-indulgence:

🍭 self-indulgence: spending too much money on stuff you want, but don't really need, like clothes you'll wear twice and then leave in your closet, where all they do is take up space, books you'll never read, subscriptions you'll forget about

✨ self-care: saving money; planning your budget; buying less, but better quality; thinking twice, before buying something you want, but don't need: "Will I really use it? Do I have enough money to buy it, without worrying, that I won't have enough to buy something more important? I want it now, but will I still want it tomorrow?" (note: I didn't write "don't buy anything except necessities" anywhere. Buy the stuff you want, but do it consciously, plan it and think before buying.)

🍭 self-indulgence: eating fast food and unhealthy snacks; drinking soda pop, energy drinks, tea with a lot of sugar, or too much coffee; adding sugar to everything; drinking too much alcohol

✨ self-care: eating as healthy as possible; learning to cook; avoiding fast food, sweets, potato chips and other unhealthy snacks; reducing your sugar intake; drinking water, fruit juices, tea without added sugar; planning your meals; buying natural food (note: It doesn't mean "never eat anything unhealthy again, never add sugar to anything, never drink alcohol". You can treat yourself with some pizza, or sweets, or beer sometimes, but it should be a treat, not part of your everyday meals.)

🍭 self-indulgence: staying up until 3 AM to watch films/series, play computer games, browse social media, chat with someone, or even to do something, that doesn't involve technology, for example draw or read books; sleeping until 11 AM, because you went to bed too late; sleeping 12 hours at the weekend, because you slept 4 hours a day during the week; hitting the snooze button; laying in the bed for too long after waking up

✨ self-care: fixing your sleep schedule; waking up earlier; going to bed earlier; sleeping 7 to 9 hours every day; avoiding all-nighters; having a fixed wake up time and a fixed bedtime, the same every day, including weekends; getting out of bed immediately when your alarm clock rings (note: I know there are circumstances, that can mąkę having a fixed sleep schedule is impossible, or next to impossible, I also know in some situations it's totally normal to stay up late, like you don't have to leave a party at 9 PM just because you want to stick to your sleep schedule, that would be unreasonable. Do it the best you can under your current life circumstances, and remember, this is about everyday life, not some rare exceptions.)

There's also a difference between self-care and avoidance:

😨 avoidance: staying home all the time; not going to any events, because meeting new people is stressful; always declinig your friends' invitations

✨ self-care: not going to that big, loud party, because it's too overwhelming, but going to a pub with a few friends instead; inviting your friends to your home, when going out feels too stressful; declinig some invitations, when you don't have time and/or energy, but accepting others, when you feel better and have more time; gradually increasing the number of social interactions you have, to be able to meet new people with less stress

😨 avoidance: having no plans for the future; thinking, that there's no point in having any goals in life; telling yourself, that ambitions are generally pointless and hence you don't have to do anything and be good at anything

✨ self-care: having specific, short-term goals and an overall vision od your long-term future; knowing, what you really want to do and what you're good at, and sticking to these things; consciously choosing, what to learn and what to give up on, based on if it's important to you, not to other people; not distracting yourself with too many side plans, when you have one main goal; knowing, what is your passion and what is your ambition; knowing, that you are ambitious mainly for yourself, and only secondly for the society; believing, that you are capable of achieving your goals

😨 avoidance: not studying at all, because it takes time and energy; procrastinating until the last moment before the exam/test/project deadline; always talking the easiest way possible with no ambition beyond barely passing the exam/test; having no plan, no study schedule; never asking for help, even if you're failing, because you think asking for help is a shame, or you're simply too shy; dropping out of school/college because it's stressful

✨ self-care: knowing that you're studying for yourself, your grades don't define you and that real knowledge and skills are more important, than grades; focusing on these topics, that are important to you for your future studies/career, and being the best you can in these areas; being good enough to pass at everything, that isn't important for your future plans; planning your studying and starting early; taking regular breaks to avoid burnout; asking for help if necessary, but trying to do as much as possible and reasonable on your own; acknowledging that, despite the education system being flawed in so many ways, it also gives you many opportunities;

Of course, self-care includes bubble baths, eating cake, listening to your favourite music and slowly drinking tea, while watching the rain outside through the window and letting your thoughts wander, but these aren't only forms od self-care and definetely not the most important ones. Of course, sometimes it includes staying home with your cat instead of going to the party, sleeping in, instead of studying for an exam, because you're exhausted, or giving up on something, instead of trying again and again, but this should happen in some, specific situations, not be your default response. Real self-care should focus on improving your life, not escaping it or avoiding it.

This post doesn't mean, I'm perfect at all of these things. Actually I struggle a lot with many of them. This is a piece of advice for me, too.

249 notes · View notes

n-o-eyes · 1 month

Text

I was tagged by @the-one-who-lambs (ty for tagging me <3)

Get to Know Me Game

rules: answer + tag six people u want to know

fav color: dark midnight blue, and i like to wear deep red clothes

last song: Roar - I Can't Handle Change. fitting

currently reading: book for class. its called Watsonville/Circle in the Dirt.

currently watching: i have not watched tv in a while but i got halfway through Nichijou. i should finish it sometime soon

currently craving: a burger with cheese and sweet potato fries and a chocolate milkshake bc i am an american and i had a terrible day

coffee or tea: both. i prefer iced black coffee and hot earl grey with milk

tagging: @lammydraws, @megsiepoo, @dipdoodlesamu, @poppy-purpura, @adairtrashart, and @cultoftheswag (you do not have to, nor do i expect any of you to)

anyone else who wants to join can as well i dont mind

#tag game #i know my main was tagged but i prefer to remain with this face u_u #to the folks i tagged: sorry

51 notes · View notes

yuri-is-online · 7 months

Note

Hey, remember the soulmate au by tiyoin(?) I recently read your post abt idia and Leona reacting to yuu being their mates, but I wanna take it a step further since I saw idias line abt the family curse (this has yandere implications so if it's not your cup of tea please feel free to just ignore, nothing is outright mentioned tho)

What if yuu has a family curse similar to the aishi family in yandere simulator? (It's been years since I touched the game so if the lore changed I'm basing it off of 2018 ish lore, just with my own twist) basically yes, yuu CAN feel emotions, they're just muted and barely there. Given the right conditions (like falling in love or spending time with friends) and/or antidepressants they'll basically be like any other person, without them it's like a less severe version of the aishi women pre-falling in love

So, afab ppl born in yuus family, once falling in love, start losing their sanities and adopt yandere like behavior (stalking, increasing rage and jealousy, willingness to murder, etc) unfortunately this means they usually die young (20s or 30s) how quickly/young they die is based on their willpower (resisting the urges) and when/if they fall in love (so someone falling in love for the first time in their 40s and having insane willpower, caving in 20 years later in their 60s has more luck than a 16 year old falling in love and caving in almost immediately). Unfortunately everyone is a carrier, men carry the gene and can pass it to their daughters, but it only presents in the women/afab ppl, so transfems won't be affected but transmascs will.

What if yuu fell in love already (in their own world) and has just been doing a really REALLY good job at Resisting The Urges™️. Like, sometimes they slip up and cave in to anger or get ridiculously jealous, but they try their hardest to tamp down the feelings. Yuu has sworn off falling in love (again) and has given up their dream of having a big family bc of the curse, they're even distancing themselves from their object of affection in an attempt to "be normal again" at the cost of their own sanity.

So yuu gets transported to twst, and without their darling, they have the chance to be normal again, assuming they can get past the initial panic frenzy. Then the soul bond is revealed and they just go "nope. Not this shit again" and spouts cryptic messages about a family curse and swearing off love. I'm pretty sure most of the boys would feel a bit hurt by that lmao

This is mostly made for idia since his segment is what sparked the idea in the first place, but which characters from most to least likely do you think would try to pursue mc and figure out the truth to leave them alone and try to move on? I personally can't see someone like kalim giving up on both but I think the octatrio would try to look for the truth but be 50/50 on pursuing yuu or dropping them like a hot potato. Idia I think would try to relate to yuu and try to pursue them, but I think he'd probably be a bit put off once yuu starts dropping hints about the curse (he's a weeb so it won't take long for him and maybe Ortho to put 2+2 together and figure out the curse)

tiyon's soulmate au can be found here, their first post inspired some asks, which led to my own soulbound au the rules of which can be found here. Please support tiyon and interact with their soulmate au! They're a very creative blog and deserve the attention~ give them some reblogs!

so. uh. I got this ask when I first woke up and 1) very happy to hear from you Rose, always lovely to get a new ask and 2) yandere? sim? has lore? I did not think people actually played the game? help. i've fallen and misplaced my life alert. As a rule I don't really write for a Yuu who is just x character from y game/anime (it is in my rules) so while I was at work realizing I might be old I was trying to think of a way to do this that wasn't just yan sim (I wanted something properly gn) and I think I've got something? I am currently beating away the desire to info dump on you about the myth of Sigurd and Brunhilde (i could scream about that for hours oh god oh please i have written an actual au for that but efkjbekjrgbjrthnytrh) So here is the basic idea:

Yuu ran afoul of a witch in their world and was appropriately cursed. Given the myth I was inspired by I don't think Yuu did anything bad, but they still made the witch mad so they got cursed to lose all reason should they ever fall in love.

"You will be thine own destruction!" Cackles the witch and Yuu, who is actually normal unlike trey this person takes a deep breath and resigns themselves to researching a way to minimize the effects and maybe break it? They don't know they thought magic was fake until they thought they were just doing a favor for someone but turns out they pissed off Baba fucking Yaga.

They start to isolate themselves since they notice the curse starting to eat at them when they are around anyone the love; they consider going back to the witch and asking for further clarification but they can't seem to find them anywhere so they take some deep breaths and do their best to just be normal.

When they end up in Twisted Wonderland, and start feeling... weird. And it only gets worse when Crowley speculates that they might have been brought to Twisted Wonderland because they posses a soulbond.

And Yuu immediately freaks out because they don't want to kill anyone.

Now as for your question for who would try to pursue Yuu vs just leave them... well I don't really like writing un reciprocated feelings so I hesitate to say any of the cast would drop Yuu. In my au it isn't possible for soulbonds to not be reciprocated, and they are already sort of seen as a curse by mages so this... complication might not be normal but it isn't unexpected if that makes sense. Which would probably make Yuu swearing off love hurt even worse.

Kalim wouldn't want to abandon Yuu. Not ever, no matter how much of a danger they could be to him. Hell, he's willing to forgive people who are trying to poison him on the off chance they might regret it. But he is the heir of House Al-Asim, and I could see his dad paying someone to take Yuu out to keep his son safe. Something Jamil sees coming from a mile away and has to just keep quiet about. Something I can see Jamil feeling bad about, he might not like Kalim but you didn't ask for anything that happened to you. And yet the Asim's took your life from you anyway.

Have to disagree about the octatrio just a bit. Floyd would be into this. And so would Jade. But especially Floyd, oh hee hee ha ha his soul mate wants to kill him? Say less he is on his way to get his ass eat beat with an engagement ring in hand. Both he and Jade would be a little disappointed when the curse is broken and you aren't actively trying to kill him anymore... maybe you could try and poison him huh? Like old times?

I wrote 20 paper pages of soulbond au stuff for Azul so I will try to be brief here but... I don't think this situation would be one that made him try to break the bond. He has... complicated feelings about soulbonds already. If anything I could see him thinking he deserves this.

Now Idia. He's complicated. Pre-overblot he has given up on the concept of breaking his own curse, and I could see him feeling the same way about yours. Ortho on the other hand... even before he gets his soul he wants to help. After the overblot I can see Idia pursuing Yuu determined to find the truth and save them. Not that he wouldn't interact with them before that, he's a bit nihilistic so I can see him just making a bunch of jokes about the situation or promising to let Yuu kill him "after this next round." Or just straight up asking them to when he has to hit pity in one of his gachas. It's just cringe enough that it snaps Yuu out of the curse fog for long enough for the two of them to be normal around each other. And by normal I mean incredibly awkward

Anyway that's all I've got. Thank you for the ask ♡

#<3 asks #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #soulbound au #no clue what to call this version of ayuu uh #tw yandere #yandere twst #bonus idea: there was a magicless version of the twst boy in Yuu's world they had been dating and ended up killing due to the curse before #they realized what the witch meant #so yuu already knows that said boy is their soulmate they've held his heart in their hands before #literally c:

121 notes · View notes

songoftrillium · 8 months

Text

The release of Werewolf: the Apocalypse 5th Edition has evoked a sense of urgent inspiration in me. I found the news inspiring because it marks the launch of a new product that rings so close to the original game in which its new premises instantly evoke a lost-world setting perfect for new players to uncover through revelation. And with it, a sense of urgency that a large chunk of the game’s horror pathos and cultural representation will be lost in lieu of chronicles centered around direct action, high entertainment, and transactional resolution.

First and foremost, I applaud the efforts of anyone wanting to excise Werewolf: the Apocalypse, and it’s fandom, of it’s toxic player base that has festered far too long. Anyone taking that on isn’t blind to something that is both wonderful and incredibly problematic, and it requires a collaborative effort to address meaningfully. It means being willing to internalize hard and profoundly uncomfortable truths.

When I look at the prior editions, I consider its inherent value and feel that the things that made the original editions of Werewolf so special to me don’t entirely align with a large portion of it’s old player base. This is not for those players. In some ways my aim with this is small, with the understanding my target audience is also small, and this space exists for them.

Werewolf: the Essentials is a project culminating my 25 years of entertaining and horrifying players. This is a carefully curated gaming experience tailored to Queer tabletop audiences primarily, although I am confident it will resonate with many others as well. This started as something I was working on alone but quickly has grown to include a pack of other avid Players and Storytellers who have felt left behind by the current direction of the gameline. I am laying out every little trick, twist, and ounce of Storytelling experience I have acquired over the years. In many ways, this is the quintessence of my inclusive World of Darkness, and a passion project that I hope those who read this may too come to appreciate.

In the first and second editions of the various splats published across the World of Darkness, the Storytellers Handbook gave Storytellers the raw narrative tools to convey the world to their troupe of players. As time has progressed, the sourcebooks to follow have greatly expanded to include Garou society, their relationship to Gaia, and to each other. As the editions expanded what they made available to Storytellers and Players, some of the original content of earlier editions was left out. By the time the 20th Anniversary Edition was being written, many of the edits were made to cut back a bit on the roughage and “get to the meat and potatoes” of mechanics crunch. In that way, the edits were a complete success, but something important was lost.

The earlier ST guides laid out explicitly that the World of Darkness is first and foremost a horror game. Essays within their pages provide advice on using textural descriptions and different modes of storytelling to lure in players and make the hairs on the backs of their necks stand on end. These remarkable essays are now lost to those who don’t possess the older editions. They serve as a toolset that could be applied across any RPG, and not just Werewolf alone.

W20 fell short of delivering a fully serviceable RPG to it’s Storytellers, however well-intentioned. It had all of the main bones of the setting and stats but no guidance on how to turn it into a game for one’s players. Taking it a step further, some of the writing in this new edition only managed to alienate modern audiences.

The use of in-character narration to express setting information in prior editions seems an attempt to convey the horror and pathos of the world that would be difficult to get across in stats alone. The information contained in that first-person text is among the most important parts of the setting, but it often fails to convey the true horror of the world of Garou. In many ways the World of Darkness was intended by those who created it to be a place of genuine terror and horror, and not merely “savagery” for its own sake. Horror is a very complex basal guttural emotion that sits in the ganglia, ready to tug the emergency brakes on your body in the presence of what it believes to be a tangible threat. There are many complex higher emotions, but when it comes to the lizard brain, it takes considerable effort to trick it into getting spooked. Invoking a sense of horror in a horror chronicle is a complex enough endeavor that, by and large, these efforts fell short of delivering that experience.

Werewolf: the Essentials is to serve as a masterclass in using those old tools to introduce new players not just to Werewolf and the World of Darkness on the whole. It gives these important storytelling tools to new and future storytellers in any game, that they might continue genuinely terrifying their players for many more years to come. The passages found in this series can add narrative value to not just Werewolf, or even Vampire and other World of Darkness tables, but also horror writing on the whole. Furthermore, this project aims to streamline the availability of that information and provide guidelines for Storytellers wishing to conduct research using the labyrinthian older editions.

Every sourcebook in this series will grow with your tables, providing increasingly more powerful stats, guidelines for making more powerful NPCs and PCs, and serve as a continuation of the legacy games’ metaplot. Some elements you’ll be reading will, for older players, be surprising at times. Some historical events are shifted further in the past, and others eliminated entirely. This project aims to make the presentation of the game a little more timeless, so it’ll hold relevance to tables now, as much as it will 20 or 40 years from now. The World of Darkness is now something far too large for any one person to fully comprehend while providing enough tools for one to explore deep lore that holds the most relevance to their tables.

Werewolf: the Apocalypse has a long history of problematic and exclusionary elements, both in it’s fandom and, sadly, often in it’s published work. Despite this, I see more value in this game than the literature would have you believe at face value. This project is an attempt to increase the inclusivity in this game I love while also helping introduce new players and Storytellers to this world. This is a glimpse of something absolutely beautiful, horrifying, and unique, contributed to by a group of equally passionate artists and writers. Even if the best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the next best time is today. If you can listen critically, and take the lessons between these pages, then maybe you too can come to find the Glory, Honor, and Wisdom within the depths of our darkest fears.

Book 1: Cliath launches October 31st, 2024 on Storyteller's Vault

#world of darkness #werewolf: the apocalypse #werewolf the apocalypse #werewolves #werewolf #w5 #werewolf the essentials #wta #werewolftheapocalypse

123 notes · View notes

seishinnookami · 1 month

Text

chapter two; No way I’m doing this!

Twisted wonderland x Obey me crossover

Not a real timeline

perspective: second

disclamer; passing out, mention of kidnapping, crowded street

[Obey me perspective]

Mc, who was currently in Devildom’s new coffee shop, or at least, going there through the sea of other demons.

“OI! MC! Can’t you be faster?!”

The puffing voice of Mammon called out to them; making them roll their eyes.

“I’m coming!!”

They announced, struggling to keep up with his long legs. The unbothered demons pushing them around until Mammon notices and tried to play the hero.

“I’m coming you little human!”

He smirks, reaching out towards Mc.

Who in return, raises their hand to hold into his, wanting to get out of this crowd.

As they open their palm, the sound of horse’s shoes clicking on the ground could be heard, other sounds dulling out.

A hand from behind them grasping their hand before it could touch Mammon’s. They could see the surprise and fear reflected in the prince of greed’s eyes.

“MC!”

He called out turning into his demon form, but they couldn’t see anymore of what was happening;

The edges of their gaze hazing before everything goes black.

They feels weightless, almost like they was in the sea. They opens their eyes, seeing nothing but black, until a soft light appears before them. They reached their hands out towards the light, something floating before them.

A mirror…

It didn’t have their reflection, when soon a face has shown up.

“…”

It said nothing, just stare at the frightened Mc, it opened its mouth, yet its voice seemingly came from Mc’s mind.

They didn’t understand what it said, before it turned black again, this time, they was greeted by an annoying voice

“Oh? Human!! Wake up!!! What are you doing here?!”

They flinched, sun shining into their eyes. It soon settled, making them see the man? That stood above them.

“W-what?”

“Come, come! We don’t have time for this, you have to leave! I have been gracious enough to have one magicless student, I’m not gonna have two!”

“Magicless?”

They echoed, what? They has magic! What is this maniac talking about…

“Hmp! Come on!”

The weird masked man yapped, grabbing them by their hand.

Which finally woke them up, they grabbed the man’s clothes by his chest, yanking him and kicking his stomach, which flew him over them, landing in the grass with a tud.

Huh.. it looks like what Lucifer taught them didn’t go to waste!

They scramble onto their feet, looking around. This was a weird place, nothing was familiar.

“Ouch..”

The man on the ground grunted, making Mc’s attention snap back to him.

They raised a hand, quickly trying to summon Lucifer.

“Hear me, denizens of darkness, you who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it. Hear me and do as I command! I, MC, call upon you to send forth one of your number! I summon the Avatar of Wrath, Lucifer!”

They waited for that soft burn on their pact mark, to see Lucifer’s demon wings from behind.. but nothing came.

“What?”

They mumbled, completely caught off guard.

“I’m done playing games! I’m oh so kind to not leave you here by your self!”

The strange man said, grabbing them and throwing them onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“OI! LET GO OF ME YOU BIRD- THING- UH!”

They screamed, hitting his back. They really should have really listened when Levi was cursing them out..

"Denizens of darkness, awaken! Hear me I am MC the master of Beelzebub avatar of Gluttony I call upon you to lend your powers to this demon"

They tried again, hoping to get Beel’s strength to wiggle out of the man’s hold. But once again, nothing happened.

“Quit squirming, and let me help you! I’m truly too kind!”

The man with the weird hat laughed, bringing Mc into a strange looking hall, where they was met with the same mirror that appeared before them!

“Oh hell nah!”

They yelped when they were dropped before the mirror, glaring up at the man while he talked to the mirror.

About sending them home? Huh?

After trying to make sense of what is happening, they caught the last thing that the mirror said.

“I can’t send them home. There is no home for them.”

“WHAT?!”

They screamed, making the man jump back.

“HAHAHA! No! No way I’m redoing all this!”

They freaked out, there was no way they was going to going through all that again. They wanted to go back to the brothers, to talk with Solomon again, spend time with the angles! No way they was going to leave them behind!! They still had to tease Luke for being short!!

Meanwhile they started pacing, cursing out the mirror while rambling to themselves, the weird man had snook out the door.

Mc patted themselves over, trying to find anything useful, they was panicking; wanting to see Diavolo’s calming smile again! They had to get famous on devilgram with Asmo!

“No! I did not survive those troublesome demons to get dragged kidnapped AGAIN?! Haha! No way! I’m not going to start a new school, leave all things behind again?! I’m not going through that, AGAIN!”

They huffed, stopping as they started to feel dizzy. Mc sighed, out of breath, turned towards the stupid bird man who dragged them inside.

Their eyes land on Yuu.

“… Yuu?”

They whispered, eyes widened. How.. how were they here?!

Mc stared at Yuu, eyes wide with tears starting to gather in them. All those nights, spent in tears and sleepless turning. All those moments where they knew they couldn’t stop because they had to find their sibling…

And now Yuu was before them.

But how?!

How was Yuu in this world?

They didn’t look much different from when they saw each other last. Mc’s could help but step closer to the two, cheeks drenched in salty tears.

“I’m sorry.. do i know you?”

Their step falters, eyes wide as they fall onto their knees. It seemed like the world was falling apart around them, shattering like glass.

“W-what?”

They sound lost, breathless and confused.

“Yuu? This isn’t funny!”

Yuu looks apologetic. Looking at Mc with a small frown.

“Yuu! It’s me, (om)y/n!”

They cried out, hoping this was all just a cruel joke.

“I-i am truly sorry, but I don’t know you.”

Yuu repeated, their voice sounding empty in the air against the cries of Mc. They didn’t believe this day could get worse. So many things happened all at once. He wanted to go home, HOME home, back in the normal world and with Yuu and their parents..

the soft steps of Yuu’s shoe could be heard as it echoed through the hall. It danced with the echo of the stranger’s sobs, almost like a dark lullaby, trying to lull someone to eternal sleep.

“I may not know you…”

they whispered, kneeling down before the broken looking body of trembling sobs . Who looked up at them with- lashes sticking together from their tears. (-their skin sparkling with the salty, sad liquid) [< for those who don’t have hair]

“But.. could you tell me who you are? To me?”

“I’m your sibling..”

They answered softly, as their eyes met, the same eyes Mc had missed every day. When they looked in the mirror and Yuu’s smile faced them..

“… I’m sorry for not remembering you…”

“Why?… Why don’t you remember?”

They questioned whether this was even real, finding their sibling, only for them to not remember. This had to be a nightmare, for sure! Or maybe one of the demon’s playing a trick on them!

“I don’t remember anything that happened before coming here..”

Yuu revealed, sighing as they was about to explain, bird man’s loud voice cut throughout the soft, broken atmosphere that settled on the two siblings.

“You can all talk this out at Ramshackle!”

he decided, grabbing both, which earned him a slap on the hand from MC. Giving him a glare that said “touch me and i’ll bite off your hand.”

The man quickly backed off, not liking this more feral version of Yuu.

He cleared his throat, putting a hand over his chest, the other onto his hip.

“Because i’m so kind, i’ll let you, an another magicless human stay here! Aren’t I just the best?”

He laughed, turning around and walking away while singing praises to himself. Mc’s eye twitched, the strange man reminding him of Mammon’s cocky behaviour.

“Yeah, the best at being the worse… He’s like a worse version of Mammon…”

Mc mumbles, making Yuu chuckle softly.

“You’ll get used to it after a while. C’mon, i’ll being you to your dormitory.. if you can call it that.”

“Oh dear…”

Yuu chuckled, standing up and offering a hand down to them.

“Shall we?”

they looked at their hand, a soft smile edging onto their lips.

“You haven’t changed a bit..”

they chuckle, putting their hand into Yuu’s palm.

“We shall.”

29 notes · View notes

kafus · 9 months

Text

why 100%ing the pokeathlon in HGSS is one of the longest challenges in all of pokemon

ok so the pokeathlon right. the fun minigame collection in HGSS that is sort of but not really a replacement for sinnoh contests. one of the achievements you have to get to upgrade the HGSS trainer card to 5 stars is beating all 10 preset records for each minigame in the pokeathlon, and this is probably what it's most known for outside of just being a fun minigame collection. i think most people beat all the records if they're going for completion and call it a day but despite how easy it is to get that trainer card level, it's actually barely scraping the surface of what this game expects out of you for 100% completion. i genuinely think it's one of the most insane pokemon challenges in terms of the amount of grinding and for WHAT??? WHAT WERE THEY THINKING AAAAA

okay deep breath hear me out. all of the images in this post are pictures of one of my own HGSS files that i have been slowly working on 100% completing the pokeathlon in. i am not done yet and you will soon see why

in the basement of the pokeathlon, there are four rooms that get progressively unlocked as you play. the first one ("solidarity room") is there at default, then you unlock the "trust room" by winning a medal in all five courses at least once, then you unlock the "potential room" by winning a medal for all five courses on the same pokemon (AKA what is called a "medalist pokemon"), and then lastly you unlock the "friendship room" by beating all the preset 1st records, which also gets you the aforementioned trainer card level. each of these rooms is there to display various pokeathlon achievements and holy shit there are a lot of them that just get more crazy as you go further back in the rooms so BUCKLE UP

this is the solidarity room, aka the first room. very easy stuff, the only records down here are in the glass case and they show your highest collective score in each of the five pokeathlon courses. for 100% completion of this room you need to get a score of at least 450 in each course and you can tell you've done this when there are two trophy icons filled in next to each on the right hand side. a couple examples:

the only one in particular that took me more than one or two attempts to get the score i needed was the jump course for some reason and i have no idea why honestly, i think i just suck at lamp jump. on the other hand the skill course is extremely easy entirely because snow throw can be cheesed (video of me doing this here)

next up is the trust room. mainly it features the glass case that shows off every pokemon you've ever received a medal on and also totals how many full medalist pokemon you have, as shown below (i don't currently have any pokemon who AREN'T medalists here, but medalist pokemon are given the red ribbon on the bottom screen, so any non-medalist pokemon won't have that icon):

yes i have 73 medalist pokemon at the time of writing this post. don't worry about the trophies right now, we're going to talk about it later

despite the glass case being the main thing here, the flag, jersey, and golden shoes on the back wall aren't actually there at first. they show up for accomplishing certain things. from left to right you have to switch 200 times in any minigame that requires swapping mons, join the pokeathlon (not necessarily win) 50 times, and dash in any minigame where you flick the stylus to dash 5000 times. these numbers might sound kind of high but it's potatoes compared to later and if you're trying to 100% the pokeathlon these will just naturally show up here eventually without you even thinking about it

amusingly after you get them and interact with them, it doesn't actually tell you what you did to get them there lol. it's just like wow! those are yours! crazy!

next up, the potential room: yet another glass case and a couple of tables on the back for more golden items that appear as you achieve stuff. the glass case this time contains all the records for each individual minigame, including those 1st records you have to beat as i've mentioned a few times.

here are some of my records that i am not so subtly taking the opportunity to show off here lol. i have played so much pokeathlon that all of the 1st records are completely gone from the list, i've overwritten the entire list from each event LOL. on the bottom screen, 1st records you've beaten get a little ribbon on the event icon... but hold on, there's trophies too!

yes there's actually two records to beat for each event, the one that gives you the little trophy is called the mastery record and some of them, unlike the 1st records, are actually pretty damn difficult to achieve. circle push requires 60 points for example, which requires you to get a score of at least 60 - and the theoretical highest score you can get, aka a perfect score, is 66!! that's only 6 points off from perfect!! and don't even get me started on pennant capture, imo it's by far the hardest mastery record, it requires you to pick up 50 entire flags in one game and for a variety of reasons this is very difficult and required me to soft reset over and over doing attempts for multiple hours lol. the mastery records are really where i'm like, damn as a kid with undeveloped motor skills this would make me fucking explode (and it did when i was a child. it almost did even as an adult. fuck pennant capture)

oh yeah btw that "Link" button in the top right is specifically for local wireless playing pokeathlon with friends and there are zero achievements related to it, there's no preset records and no local play is required for completion. figured i'd mention lol

anyway as for the two things in the back, the first with the golden pokegear is for 100 first place wins overall and the one i don't have on the right side is for winning each individual minigame/event in first place... 50 times. 50 times each. there's 10 individual minigames, and some of them don't repeat on any other course, so you can start imagining just how many pokeathlon playthroughs this takes. this is getting ridiculous considering the amount of time investment needed but it Gets Worse!

ah yes the last room. the friendship room. it's cute, it has a statue of you and the last three pokemon you won the pokeathlon with, so you can go in with a team of 3 pokemon you care about and take a photo of your screen surrounded by statues of your favorite guys. here the mons are just random though lol

however there's more to this room and this is where the true insanity of the pokeathlon reveals itself. if you interact with your statue, you get this screen:

as you can see, all of the trophies from the previous rooms are totaled here! the collective trophies are the ones from getting a good score on each course from the solidarity room, the trust trophies are from the amount of medalist pokemon you have shown off in the trust room, the potential trophies are from all the 1st records and mastery records you've beaten in the trust room, and the friendship trophies... well those are actually obtained from the big point score on the top screen, of which you need a minimum of 4500 to get the 10th and final friendship trophy. this total is made up of the sum of all five course high scores, the highest score from each individual minigame (after converting to athlete points, AKA the currency earned), and one point per each medal shown off in the trust room, so five points for each medalist pokemon.

and that's the issue. medalist pokemon. you may have noticed that despite me having a whopping 73 medalist pokemon at the moment as well as getting every other trophy in the pokeathlon, i only have 6 of the 10 trust trophies. do you know how many medalist pokemon you need to 100% the pokeathlon and get that last trust trophy? 200 OF THEM.

let me break down why this is fucking ridiculous. so first of all i've been waiting to mention this until now, but medalist pokemon aren't actually logged by individual pokemon, they're logged by species. this means if you go in with a cyndaquil, and then go in with a different cyndaquil, winning medals on both cyndaquils does not count as more medals after you've already gotten them on that first cyndaquil once. this means that to even attempt getting 200 medalist pokemon, you have to OWN 200 individual pokemon species - as of gen 4 there were 493 pokemon in the national dex including mythicals and stuff; that's a little under half the entire fucking pokedex!! think of it this way, there's 30 pokemon per PC box, and assuming no duplicates, you would need to fill 6 and 2/3 PC boxes with different pokemon species.

pokedex requirement aside, let's break down how many times you have to play the pokeathlon minigames MINIMUM assuming you win first place every single time and don't ever bring repeat species on accident. it's math time babey

you need 200 medalist pokemon but you join the pokeathlon with a team of 3 pokemon at a time, so let's divide that by three and round upwards. 200 / 3 = 67 full medalist runs. for each medalist, you have to beat all 5 courses, so let's multiply 67 by 5 to get 335 total pokeathlon wins. but wait, each course has three minigames! so the total amount of minigames you have to play MINIMUM to get 200 medalist pokemon is 1005. and again, that's at minimum assuming you don't fuck anything up!! these minigames aren't exactly short either, they last 1-2 minutes each and this doesn't count spamming A through dialogue and menus, picking your pokemon each time before each course, watching the cutscene of points getting totaled at the end... 1-2 minutes might sound short but even if we take out all that time menuing and assuming every course is JUST 1 minute for math's sake, that's 1005 minutes - that's 16 hours and 45 minutes of JUST pokeathlon gameplay, and that is absolutely an underestimate.

as you can imagine as a person with chronic pain these minigames are kind of painful after a while and so i'm definitely going slow with this grind but i intend to have every trust trophy eventually. i'm not the first to do it but i've seen very few people online who have even wanted to make the attempt and i want to be able to look at that friendship trophy screen and feel accomplished. (i'm also going to get that last achievement in the potential room but if i don't have it somehow at the end of getting all these medalists i'll worry about it then)

side note i think it's really funny how there's something called the Supreme Cup which is just pokeathlon but harder and the only thing worth doing it for is extra athlete points for winning (300 instead of 100), there's literally 0 achievements tied to it lol

oh, and an aside about how ridiculous the pokeathlon is - the data cards. despite all my rambling here about all these different rooms with various achievements, there's actually even more pokeathlon data that is accessible... for a price.

the lady behind the counter here will sell you data cards for athlete points which let you view more personal pokeathlon data on the computer screen right next to her. the issue is some of these are really expensive, most of them 1000 points or more, which is a minimum of two full pokeathlon courses probably won at first place each. and there's also one card that costs 9999 for some fucking reason, it's the one that shows your total pokeathlon playtime, which i think is really funny. you also can't buy it right away, you have to buy most of the prior ones first. they really said ok here's your reward for grinding enough AP to buy all those data cards including this 9999 one: checking how much time you've wasted on getting here! in total getting all the data cards costs 39499 AP. just to view all your data!! if you get an average of 500 AP per pokeathlon course, that's a minimum of like 79 pokeathlon wins!!

i assume most people have never bought a data card much less all of them, like most people are going to use all that AP for purchasing evolution stones and heart scales from the main shop on the right, but it's kind of nutty how much data the pokeathlon actually saves. very minute stuff. since i've bought all of them, here's my current stats at the time of writing this:

anyways don't do this unless you have a lot of time on your hands to tediously replay the same minigames hundreds of times, and if you do for the love of god rest your wrists btw. these minigames were not built for my bones and they probably weren't for you eitherSFDKSFD

#pokemon #hgss #pokemon hgss #pokemon heartgold #pokemon soulsilver #pokeathlon #kiki was here #kiki.txt #kiki plays games #long post

115 notes · View notes

sketchy-potato · 3 months

Text

Intro post

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

➛ Welcome to my blog, Feel free to look around, I mostly reblog random things I find funny or fandom things

➛ I will not reblog political posts, if I do it is probably because the post is more funny than political, I will tag political posts with #politics #tw: politics and #us politics (if it's us politics) Feel free to block those tags If you don't want to see them!

➛ Current Status: Alive and Tired (constantly)

➛ Time zone: UTC -4 or Eastern standard Time

➛ Current hyper fixations: Writing, Reading (mostly fantasy books), Tumblr, Sleeping, Whumptober, Watching Mario Odyssey streams (the brain wants what it wants), and Linked Universe (my beloved)

➛ Things I am in: Robotics, Programming, Archery, Advanced Math, Advanced ELA, Spanish one, Band (Clarinet), and a choir (Tenor)

➛ Name: Just call me a form of my url, usually potato or a form of it

➛ Personally Info: I tis be a minor and I am the rare breed of aroace (it's actually not that rare tbh)

➛ Pronouns: Call me whatever, I don't care (just don't actually call me, that's a tad creepy)

➛ Gender: Don't know, Don't care enough to question

➛ AO3: AllwaysWildChild (mostly Lu fic's there)

➛ Religion: Christian and if I see anyone post anything about disrespecting any religion or anyone, I will block you. I really don't want that negativity here.

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

Sideblogs:

Linked Universe: @allwayswildchild

Original Works: @sketchy-patat

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

Anyways have fun and (Try to) be kind! Feel free to browse my blog and talk to me! I love making friends! Also don't be shy, If you literally send me an ask asking how my day was, I'll probably consider you my friend <3

Under the cut is Fandoms I am in or my interests!

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

Fandoms:

Linked Universe

Keeper of the lost cities

Pjo and all the other series

One Piece

My hero academia

Lego Ninjago

My little pony

The owl house

Hamilton

Ouran Highschool Host Club

Hunter x Hunter

Avatar The Last Air Bender

The Amazing Digital Circus

Hazbin Hotel

Across the Spiderverse

Nimona

Death note

Saki K

ALEC BENJAMIN <3

Spy x Family

Gravity Falls

Mystreet

Will add to when I remember more!

Minecraft diaries

The Inheritance Games (Still reading)

36 notes · View notes

its-in-the-woods · 3 months

Text

Coyote Head - Part 4 - Dinner with Family

master list

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Pairing: Cooper Howard x Lucy Maclean

Alternative Universe where I make things up cause I can

Synopsis: Sit down at a family dinner, and sleeping in are good for Lucy for now

MINOR GET OUT. Rating/Warning: Animal/people death, blOod/G0re, nightmares, Alternative Universe, Slow Burn, Death, Aging, Family Feuding, Eventually: Older Man/Younger Woman, Horror themes, long form fic,

Note: that I will not be spoiling any of the reading. So you have been warned. I will keep my tags relevant without spoiling what is happening in the story.

The gravel crunches under the tires as they all pull in, kids in the back jumping over seats as Lucy and Cooper open the doors. Old trucks parked in the drive, besides Margie’s new SUV. One thing about Harris: he always made sure Margie had exactly what she wanted.

The sprawling log home stands proudly among a mix of pine, poplar, and spruce trees. The home had been built from the trees on the property, a red tin roof on top. Big wrap-around porch that had equally as large windows on each side. The place was a carefully crafted piece of art that the Maclean’s had built many years ago. Long before the land was farmed, logged, and changed to what it currently was. The Maclean was an old family, and many of the log homes in the area were built by the family. It made Lucy miss the log home she had grown up in.

Inside the home, a smell of fresh bread, and chatter of laughter echoed in the living room. Margie standing in the kitchen popping bread onto metal racks. Two large dishes of lasagna sat out, a big caesar salad in the middle. Lucy’s second cousins Tracy and Bert were over with their spouses Reg and Stephanie respectively. Their six kids hang out in the big living room with Cooper’s two. Some elaborate game of cards was going on, what the rules were was anyone’s guess. Seeing the kids laugh and giggle at their made-up game made Lucy’s heart swell. She had never thought of herself as a Mom, life and whatnot; but something about being around the littles always made her wonder about the ‘what if’s’.

“How can I help, Aunty,” Lucy asked as Cooper went and started putting plates out on the dining table. She watched the man move, he was both graceful and room-filling.

“Well don’t touch any of the cooking, 'cause we want it to be edible,” Margie jokes, Lucy smiles. She’d never been much of a cook. Lucy, Norm, and their Grandparents had lived off many frozen meals during planting and harvesting. Shirley could cook fine, but her cooking took time and a whole lot of cutting. In the winter it was stew, roast squash, baked potatoes, and local corn. Lucy had never had much time to learn to cook.

“Well now that I am round more, maybe you can teach me a few things,” Lucy smiles at her Aunt helping her to place each dish on the big dining table.

“Better make sure I got the ‘tinguisher on hand, maybe a few extra blankets,” Margie jokes some more, winking at Lucy. She meant no harm, Lucy had burnt just as much food as she had undercooked it in her time.

Lucy chuckled, grabbing glasses and a few pitchers of juice. The place was set up, some budded willows graced the center of the table. Getting the kids to sit was another matter, but the promise of haskap pie and ice cream had them in their places. Harris said grace as was a custom, Lucy noticed that Cooper, who had sat beside her, didn’t repeat the words. She didn’t have much thoughts on religion, Grandpa Tim had always read the bible before bed, usually sitting at his dining table flipping through the rice paper thin pages, while he jotted down notes in a big notebook. You’d never see him at church. Nor would you see him preaching to anyone. He never even really talked about it with her either. She couldn’t remember Grandma Shirley mentioning it either. On bad days she would sit with a rosary, light a candle or two. Lucy had never really thought it odd till now. Their whole family had always gone to church, but not them.

The wooden house was full of loud voices, laughter, and the click of knives and forks. It was the most lively Lucy had felt in a long time. Even despite the little to no sleep she had gotten. Cooper was telling stories of wrangling cattle and bison in the south. Harris was talking about fighting fires in the north, running machinery right into blazes to save houses. The large meal of lasagne and fresh bread was mostly picked over. Some vanilla ice cream and fresh pie are being served now. Tracy was bugging Margie about getting the recipe from her. Her Mom teased about how it was nothing but store-bought. Everyone at the table knew that was a whole load of scabbie potatoes.

“So what did you all see along the forest line,” Harris asked, wringing his hand, as coffee and tea were placed on the table.

Cooper and Lucy had scooted down the table to sit closer to Harris. Lucy’s cousin doing the same so that all the adults were more huddled for any story.

“Ahh well we saw a few things out there,” Cooper says, voice strained, looking back at Lucy for input.

Lucy put her spoon down a little louder than she intended, the adults turning to look at her. She felt like a bird caught in a cage, trying to find its way out.

“Sorry,” Lucy said, “We only got about half of the place looked at before we came.” Lucy wondered how she could explain what they had seen. “There was a stump stripped of all its barks and -” She looked to make sure the kids couldn’t hear,” There was a fresh coyote head sitting on top of it.”

Silence fell at the last words, the others exchanging looks. Lucy’s stomach-turning, the image of the poor critter’s head on a slab was not a favorite. Her mind wandering back to the shadows she had seen less than twenty-four hours ago. Was it all connected somehow?

“We didn’t get close to it. So we kept walking to where the ATV trails are and, umm, we saw some tracks or maybe an animal digging” Lucy looks over at Cooper, hoping he could maybe explain what they had seen a bit better than she did.

Cooper digs his phone out, “Yeah these,” He flips open his camera and pulls up the photos. The phone is passed around to each person. Uncle Harris pulls out his reading glasses zooming in on the picture.

“How big are these tracks?” Harris asks, looking up over his glasses. Concern filling everyone in the room as they looked back at the two.

Cooper looks at the man, furrowing his brow as he thinks, “Maybe a foot and a bit? Maybe less”

Lucy nods, “Center is probably twice the size of my fist, and at least as long as my forearm and hand. Maybe a little wider where the three points are.”

Stephanie looks it over, her eyebrows raised. “Can you send me this Cooper? I know a few folks in fish and wildlife that can take a look. Maybe come out and look at the head?”

“Yeah, I can send the photos,” Cooper replies, turning his phone off and putting it in front of him.

“If y’all want to come over that’s fine, the place is a little bit of a mess.” Lucy sighed, fiddling with her fingers, “But, if you think you might have an idea what it is, I am all ears.”

Stephanie looked over at Bert, who had gone to pick up a very sleepy-looking toddler, “What do you think honey?”

Bert smiles, clearly not having heard much of what has been said, “I am sure we can figure something out, maybe we should talk to–” He ponders for a moment, looking for the name, “ Betty, right?”

“Yes, Betty would know. She’s been around her longer than the dirt,” Stephanie grins back at Bert grabbing the little one out of his arms. “Unfortunately I think we got to get our kiddlets back home. Lisa here is exhausted, and Thomas has school in the morning.”

Margie is up out of her chair, “Let me grab a pie for tomorrow,”

Tracy has come back from putting on some cartoons for the kids, some ridiculous jingle now covering up their conversation. Reg rubs her back as she sits down,

Bert comes out of the living room with another sleeping child, an older boy who has drool and snot running down his face. “Lucy, make sure to get our numbers from Harris. So we can keep in touch.”

Lucy nods, “Yeah that’s a great idea, I will keep you updated if anything pops up.”

Bert and Stephanie wave goodbye as they make their way to the front door with a large bag of various foods from Margie. Margie coming back into the kitchen, she goes into a cabinet and pulls out a bottle of whisky along with several glasses.

Tracey clears her throat, “Do you think it could have been a person? Maybe? Trying to scare you off the land or some such thing?”

Sighing Lucy happily accepts the glass of whisky from her Aunt, “Besides those tracks, and the coyote head. Everything is pointing that way.”

“Maybe there is a reason Uncle Tim didn’t want the forest around his land messed with,” Tracy added her hand covering Reg’s hand, as she looks at Lucy, an unreadable expression on her face.

Harris coughing at the head of the table, everyone turning to look at him.“I doubt Lucy would mess with anything Tim had.”

“Nope, haven’t really ventured into the forest much at all. But that might have to change. Make sure no one has been coming onto the land without my knowledge.” Lucy spoke, it was always in the back of her mind that someone could be hiding in the woods without her knowledge. The place was mostly fenced, but would only stop honest people.

“Do you think someone is camping on the land?” Tracy asks, looking at her relatives. Taking her glass from Margie and sipping on it.

“Don’t know about that, didn’t see any signs of anyone walking around.” Lucy sighs, looking over at Coop when his thigh touches her. She pushes back against it, letting a small amount of comfort in.”Know that Henry was not happy about me getting the land. None of them were happy actually.”

“Henry has the money. Probably hiring someone to scare you off,” Margie added, her brows knitted together, as she brought some tea to her lips.

“Well he can do what he likes, not much is gonna stop me stayin’ there,” Lucy says, her fingers rubbing over the rim of the glass. If someone had asked her that question several hours ago, she may have had a different answer; but right now, in the safety of her Uncle’s home, she felt confident she could say.

“Besides you got us, we'll make sure that no one will mess with ya,” Cooper adds, rubbing one hand over her shoulder. Lucy really wishes he would keep his hand on her.

Lucy nods her head, it was reassuring to know that she had all of them on her side. The table going silent for a moment as they sip their drinks. The sun was nearly down, bathing the room in a soft golden light. Lucy trying her best not to let her mind run over the whole day again. She could feel her own exhaustion tugging at her mind.

Reg let out a yawn, Tracy rubbing his arm. “We should probably get our own rugrats, go to school, and all that.”

Tracy nodded, “Have Sunday dinner this weekend? You both should come over too,” She nods to Cooper and Lucy.

Lucy, put her cup down, nodding her head, “Yeah, I would like that, be nice to have regular get-togethers.”

“That would be wonderful,” Reg says, scooping one of his kids up. “Maybe once things have calmed down we can come by. The kids always loved Uncle Tim’s farm.”

“Uncle Tim’s dead,” Reg's son spoke from behind his leg. The little guy peering up at Lucy. The kid had silver blue eyes, and nearly white-blonde hair, standing just below his Dad’s hips in height. His eyes were wide as he blinked a few times, tears forming.

Cooper ducks down beside him, “Hey, Kiddo. It’s okay.” The little man let out a muffled sob as Cooper scoops him up, the little kid hanging off the adult.

“Oh sweet Freddy. Got all the big emotions and nowhere to put him.” Tracey coes, before offering to take him out of Cooper’s arms. “Time for sleep.”

Lucy felt her stomach turn as she watches the family of six walk towards the front door. It was hard to see the little guy upset over the loss. It made her uncomfortable not knowing how to help him. Little Freddy was still crying against his Mom’s hair, the three older girls filing behind. They all had brown hair, and brown eyes, all looking to be a few years apart. The older two could have almost been twins. Hugs were traded and promises of Sunday dinner were planned before the clan took off into the night.

Coop comes over, covering his two kiddos with a blanket and turning down the cartoon jingling away. He came back, his hand running over Lucy’s shoulder before sitting down.

“Probably should be going soon too,” Cooper sighs, having another sip of his drink, “Make sure Mom and Dad are okay.”

“How are your folks doing?” Margie asks, adding a bit more to his glass and Lucy’s.

“Dad’s rough, Mom-” Cooper shifts in his seat, looking down at his glass, the dark look crossing his face again. “She’s doing the best she can considering. Doctor says maybe a year or two.”

Harris rubs at his eyes a little, Lucy watching him compose himself before speaking, “Whatever you need, you let us know." His voice shook a bit as he spoke, "I know your family is tight, but we all need to look after each other. We are all family here, okay?”

Cooper nods a tight smile on his face, “Thank you, Sir. I really appreciate it. We can use all the help we can get.”

Lucy reaches over and squeezes his hand, “ Like you said we are just a phone call away.”

***

Waking up soaked in sweat was the last thing that Lucy wanted to do. She was bolt upright in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, with the fading nightmare of headless corpses hanging from trees dancing in her vision. Deep ragging breaths echoed in the small space, and the familiar sound of frogs and crickets echoed outside the open window.

“You are in your Aunt and Uncle's house,” Lucy breathed out, closing her eyes and taking a sharp inhale. “It was just a dream, there is nothing coming to get you.”

Flipping a layer off the bed Lucy felt around for her phone, it was four-thirty in the morning. In a few more hours the sun would be up, and the world would have light again. She grabbed a sip of water, turning off her phone, and trying to get comfortable. As her eyes closed the visions of the bodies danced into her mind again, like some kind of horror dance party. Groaning, she rolled over, willing the images out of her mind.

“Happy thoughts, Lucy. We cannot lose any more sleep over this,” Lucy murmured, trying to come up with something more soothing. An image of Cooper staring at her, popping into Lucy’s head. Her eyes shot open, her face going pink. "How old are you, Lucy."

She thought about it for a moment, was it really the worst thing that she could think of? Yes, the man was older than her, had kids, and had lost his wife. Lucy cringed at the last thought, she rubbed her forehead. What was she doing, lying here thinking about a man she barely knew? Who had flown to her aid, and stood beside her despite the dead animal head in her backyard.

Rubbing her eyes Lucy debates getting up or letting her half-asleep ass dream about someone who wasn’t interested in her. Remembering how he had leaned his knee against her, rubbed her shoulder, and let her hold his hand as he talked about his father.

“Ugh, stop. No more death. At least for this instant,” Lucy mumbles quietly into the empty room, trying not to let her thoughts spiral out of control.

Closing her eyes she decides to indulge herself a little, after the mess she had gone through what was a little fantasy. Letting herself think about them walking through a not haunted forest, maybe holding hands, going camping with the kids. She didn't hold back the smile as she let herself drift, after all, it was only a dream.

***

A knock on the door awoke Lucy out of a dead sleep, she blinked at the light shining around the window. Her fuzzy brain trying to put two and two together, remembering where she was. How she’d gotten there and why someone would be waking her up.

“Lucy, sorry to wake you,” Aunt Margie calls, her voice just loud enough to hear through the wooden door.

Grabbing her phone she realized it was past ten in the morning. She cussed, upset that she hadn't set an alarm last night. Normally she would have been up at the latest eight, groaning as she sat up, swinging herself onto the edge of the bed.

“I will be out in a few Aunt Margie!” Lucy calls out, grabbing her clothes. Once again shaking her head at forgetting something fresh. Oh well, she'd have to change at home, and a good shower too. The thought of hot water spurred her on, as she groaned, body stiff from the long sleep. Setting the bed, she grabs her phone and races out the door. Margie stands at the counter, a fresh pot of coffee in hand.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” The woman smiles at her, handing her a cup of hot coffee. Before going over to the stove. “I got coffee and put on a couple eggs for you.”

“You are too kind to me, Aunt Margie,” Lucy replies, eagerly grabbing the hot cup of coffee. “I am so sorry that I slept in. Usually, my alarm goes off automatically.”

Her Aunt waves a hand, scooping eggs and toast onto a plate for her. “Nonsense, I am so glad you were able to sleep in.” She hands Lucy the plate. Going around the counter with her cup of coffee to sit at the makeshift bar. “I have a feeling you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Lucy sat down using her toast to break the egg yolk and dip it in. “Oh boy, that would be an understatement. I don't really know why, but, I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night.”

Margie sat down beside her, eating her own toast with jam. “Nightmares?”

Lucy nods as she works on swallowing her food, “Yes, actually, how’d you know?”

Margie hums for a moment taking a sip of her tea, looking out towards the tree line outside. “Oh you know, new house, moving back from the city. Can take a little getting used to is all.”

Something twinging in Lucy, as she watches her Aunt. She sips on more of her coffee, trying to will the feeling away, why would her Aunt not be honest with her?

“Yeah, I am sure that’s it,” Lucy says with a fake smile, as she finishes up her food. “I should probably be on my way-” The realization that she didn’t have a vehicle hitting her. “Oh, I didn’t bring my own car.”

“Oh, Cooper said he’d come by and pick you up,” Margie says, somehow the tension is leaving between the two of them.

Lucy blinks a few times, wondering if she could possibly walk back home. “Oh, he didn’t need to do that.”

“I think he was looking forward to it if I am honest Lucy.” Margie winks at her, “The man has been alone, with his kids and dying Father for six years. I am sure he enjoys getting to spend some time with another adult that isn't family.”

Trying to choke down some more coffee to hide her face, it is most certainly bright pink. “Yeah, I don’t mind the company.”

Margie gives Lucy a knowing look, raised eyebrows and all. She goes to speak when a knock on the door stops her. She squeezes Lucy’s shoulder as she goes to get it. Lucy sitting a little straighter in her chair as she hears Cooper’s voice.

“Hey,” Cooper says, he almost looks nervous, fiddling with his hat in his hand. “Was wondering, if you’d be okay if we went to check on the cows this morning before I bring yah home of course.”

Lucy smiles back, she can’t help herself. Getting him all flustered was going to be a new favorite pastime of hers. “Yah, pretty sure I owe you on that one.”

Part 5

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

** If you enjoyed the fic let me know! Likes, reblogs and comments are always appreciated.

** Want to be on the tag list let me know

** Most of my fics will be updated once a weekish possibly more often depending on how much writing I can get done! Want to keep the quality and make sure I am putting out my best work.

46 notes · View notes

exhausted-archivist · 2 months

Text

Informal Thoughts on Universal Pantry Staples in Thedas

Yes, I'm thinking about food again. So, part of what I’m working on for the Thedosian food project I have is figuring out universal pantry staples for Thedas. I am largely working from canon, but I am also working from a watsonian perspective on what isn’t named canon. Which can be really hard because I have to look at BioWare and not try to explain why a tropical environment would not have an abundance of cherries, or how certain foods don't ship well even in modern terms and thus, no, Ferelden likely shouldn't have access to tomatoes. But hey, I'm working on the suspension of disbelief and trying to figure out how it could work in a world with magic, but where magic is feared and typically reserved for luxuries.

I also didn't include things that would spoil easy, such as: cherries, grapes, lemons, oranges, plums, tomatoes, ect. Essentially anything with a high water content that would spoil easy. But are also super common around Thedas. Mostly because when I think pantry, I think long term storage. I also tried to keep out dairy products and eggs. But there is a way to keep butter for prolonged periods of time, so it got in by a slim technicality.

A quick note: when entering the suggested or speculated portion of these listings, this is not accounting for all economic levels because to do so would mean next to nothing was universal.

Additionally, when it comes to spices, we know that the Avvar value "lowland" spices heavily and use them for special occasions. However, because they aren't staples I was hesitant to include them in these list but opted to do so for no other reason than an idea that if they can get to the Avvar, they are likely commonly available else where. So spices are marked with a *

The canonically stated staples

These are actually pretty sparse. They aren't typically directly called out, but these few are, and so they have their own little section. Outside of that, well it is mostly suggestion.

Barley (At times mentioned to be specifically Fereldan)

Elfroot

Grease

Lentils

Onions

Wheat

Some canonically suggested universal pantry staples due to their common appearance in recipes, use in abundance, use in hard times/as rations, and seen prolifically in-game:

Allspice*

Almonds

Apples

Basil (dried or fresh)

Bay Leaves*

Black Pepper* (Coarse and finely ground)

Butter (typically goat, but cows as well)

Cabbage

Carrots

Cheese

Chocolate

Cinnamon* (ground, whole stick, ect)

Cloves*

Cumin* (crushed, ground, grated, ect)

Dill Seeds*

Dried Beans

Dried Berries (currants, cranberries, raisins, ect.)

Dried Meat

Dried Peas

Fennel Seed*

Flour (typically wheat)

Garlic

Ginger

Ham

Honey

Jam

Leeks

Mace

Mint

Mustard Seed*

Nutmeg*

Oil (not specified)

Oregano (dried or fresh)

Parsley/Mild green herb

Pickled Vegetables

Potatoes

Salt (historically Orlesians in the highlands salted a dragon worth of meat on an annual basis)

Salted Meat

Squashes (Pumpkin and others)

Sugar (typically from sugar cane)

Thyme

Turnips

Vanilla

Vinegar

Wine (Most common seems to be red wine)

If you think I missed anything or have any recommendations or thoughts of your own, please do share! I would love to hear any thoughts on what you think would likely be staples in the pantries of Thedas. If you need to know what is available, you can check out this post I have listing all the flora currently mentioned in Thedas.

#dragon age #food cw #food lore #thedosian food #dragon age meta #my meta #long post #Please talk food with me haha

24 notes · View notes

cwritesforfun · 10 months

Text

Finnick Odair x Fem!Reader: Home

You were best friends with Finnick in District 4 growing up until your parents got jobs in the Capitol. You didn't stay in touch and didn't hear anything from him until you saw that he won the Hunger Games.

This will take place after he's been in the Capitol for a few years and his body has already been sold to the Capitol. For story purposes, your last name in the Capitol is Petit. Y/N = Your Name

** I don't own any of the characters, except for Y/N** Y/N = Your Name **

Finnick's POV

I am currently driving to Miss Petit's house. Who knows what's in store for me tonight? Will she want to have sex, a kiss, and/or dinner? I've never heard of her at all until she called me, which is rare in the Capitol. I usually know way more than I want to know about who I go spend the night with. I just hope she has some good secrets to share.

I arrive and climb out of my car. The house is beautiful. It reminds me of home, which I never knew the Capitol could remind me of.

I knock on the door and it opens to reveal an interesting-looking woman. She has bright pink hair in braids, lots of vibrant make-up, and an outfit that reminds me of a carpet. It's not the weirdest outfit I've seen, but it's up there.

The woman extends her hand and exclaims, "Finnick Odair, welcome to my house. Please come in." I bow, kiss her hand, and ask, "And you must be the lovely Miss Petit. Thank you for inviting me." She smiles and nods.

I follow her inside the house where she asks, "May I get you something to drink with dinner? I finished dinner just before you arrived and it is still warm, so we can serve ourselves if you're hungry." Serve ourselves ... this woman is fascinating. Most people I meet here have butlers, maids, and cooks. She seems to have none based on her answering the door, cooking the dinner, and serving herself. Unless this is all a lie and the staff left just before you arrived, in which case, I applaud her for the performance.

I hear, "Mr. Odair, you seem lost in thought. Is something the matter? If you need to leave, we can always reschedule this for another night." I realize then that we are in the kitchen. I notice cooked salmon, salad, potatoes, and a fancy cake. I exclaim, "Please call me Finnick. I will stay for tonight. This meal looks too wonderful to pass up. I do apologize for being quiet. It won't happen again." She replies, "It's no problem, Finnick. You can call me Y/N by the way." Y/N Petit? Hmmm it fits. But why does she sound familiar?

We serve ourselves food and we each get a glass of wine.

When we sit down at the table, I exclaim, "This meal looks lovely, Y/N. Thank you." She answers, "Thank you, Finnick. I hope you enjoy it. I thought I would cook something from District 4 because that is your true home and I know how hard it is to be away from your home." I ask, "I have to ask, have we met before? You seem familiar." She asks, "You don't recognize me?" I look back at her and shake my head. She says, "Let me grab something real quick. I think you'll find that home is not as far away as you think." I can't imagine what she means.

When she returns, she's holding a paper in her hands and she hands it to me. My jaw drops and I ask, "Holy sh**! Y/N? Is that you?" She laughs and answers, "Yeah, it's me with some changes. I have to fit in to keep my job. I don't really mind the pink hair, to be honest, but the clothes are atrocious." I reply, "I ... I never thought I would see you again after you left District 4 when we were kids." She replies, "I meant to return when I got a job here and found stability, but work keeps me busy. When I saw you win the Hunger Games and heard you lived in the Capitol, I knew I had to invite you over to see you again. I've truly missed you so much." I reply, "You have no idea how I've been dreading coming to this. But now that it's you, it all makes sense and I'm so happy to see you. I hadn't heard anything about you before this and it was making me nervous." She replies, "Oh well I keep my side of the street clean and it's managed to work out for me." :)

The rest of dinner involves us catching up on our lives. I must say she has lived an interesting and exciting life here in the Capitol. But living in the Capitol doesn't mean her brain has turned to mush, she manages to keep in touch with people who like her want change in the city. Eventually, we take our conversation to Y/N's bedroom where we sit in front of a lit fireplace.

Y/N stops talking, stands up, and walks to the window. She closes the blinds and the curtains then walks back over to me. I ask, "What was out there?" She answers, "Creepy men, men with cameras, and fans. I suppose they are looking for us and want to know what is happening. I just didn't want to deal with them, so I closed my blinds and curtains. They can think whatever they want to think because I know what happened tonight and they can't ruin me." I ask, "Is it too much to ask if I can stay here tonight?" She answers, "No it's not. I have a guest bedroom, my bedroom, and a couch downstairs. You can sleep wherever you feel most comfortable." I reply, "Thank you."

We both end up taking showers separately before we decide to go to bed.

I'm staying in Y/N's room with her because her bed is big and when we were younger, we even did this. We never thought anything about it. One difference between then and now is that I am attracted to her. When we were little, I had a bit of a crush on her, but it was nothing serious. It was just me thinking about how cute she was. But then she moved and I moved on to Annie Cresta. She, however, cheated on me on accident as she claimed. I don't believe her. She knew what she was doing. The man even told me so :/ Y/N is beautiful, kind, intelligent, and the dream girl.

She turns off her lights and says, "Goodnight Finnick." I whisper, "Goodnight Y/N."

2 years later... Y/N's POV

I wake up to the smell of food cooking downstairs in the kitchen and I skip downstairs.

I see Finnick cooking breakfast and I exclaim, "Aww babe, I can't believe you're making breakfast." He replies, "I mean why wouldn't I?" I answer, "You got back a day ago from mentoring the recent games. I would've thought you would need some rest from the emotional rollercoaster it was." He smirks and answers, "Anything for my girl." :)

Finnick & I started dating shortly after we met 2 years ago. We had to convince President Snow that Finnick wasn't going to be using his body anymore and he eventually agreed after we agreed to attend all his parties + I have to work for him. I mean not the best situation but also not the worst. I just have to tolerate President Snow and I get the love of my life.

The rest of the morning is spent lounging and enjoying our HOME.

................................................................................... THANKS FOR READING!!

I love Finnick Odair. Like wow hehe... Also the Battle Of Songbirds And Snakes ... AMAZING! lmk who else is should write for ...

#the hunger games #thg series #thg #finnick odair #finnick x reader #thg finnick #finnick x you #finnick imagine #finnick x y/n #tbosas

61 notes · View notes

inherstars · 3 months

Text

Prospect | Learning Curve

I can't believe I made a "general audiences" version of this, there's something fucking wrong with me. Short, fluffy follow-up to Ten Questions (More or Less), which I may or may not end up posting on Ao3, I don't know.

Ezra still wasn’t fully recovered, but he was on the upswing.

He slept less often, and more deeply, and the spates of fever were both fewer and not quite so alarmingly high. Cee already had her fill of walking in to find him staring into space, silent and glass-eyed. There was something deeply unsettling about the man when he didn’t have anything at all to say.

The chest congestion eventually cleared up, which was another relief, although by the flat tone of his voice it had only migrated up into his head.

“We’re in the home stretch now,” he promised, taking some comfort from the gradual evolution of it from awful to tolerable.

“I can’t believe you’re happy about being sick.”

“I wouldn’t go so far as all that. But… let us just say I am satisfied it’s moving upward, and not in the opposite-- and infinitely less pleasant--downward direction.”

That could have meant so many things, and she didn’t want to think about any of them.

But the stir-craziness was getting to them both. Cee managed to keep him occupied with Streamer Girl for a little while -- some of which he read on his own, some of which she read to him -- but it only went so far. When he started talking about coordinating games of Knucklebones or Crown and Anchor with some of the other passengers she told him to get dressed, because they were going out to eat.

If she could just take the edge off, they might actually get through this.

Cee purposely selected an hour when the ship’s mess would still be open, but near enough to curfew that rubberneckers wouldn’t be as much of a problem. Not to mention, in his current state she doubted anyone wanted to sit too close to him.

As she’d hoped, the mess hall was -- while not deserted -- nowhere near the usual crowded, elbow-to-elbow logjam of passengers. They had their pick of entire swathes of cafeteria-style dining tables, and no one at all ahead of them in line.

Cee offered to get food for them both, but Ezra was adamant he could hold himself together long enough to get through the entire process without falling apart.

She must have looked dubious, because he added emphatically, “An iron will, will prevail.”

He did… passably. Iron will or not, there was still a very-nearly-cataclysmic moment when they got to the last of the surly cafeteria servers, a scoop of reconstituted mashed potatoes poised in a comically large spoon over his tray.

Ezra started to say something -- started -- then got visibly caught up in the concerted effort not to sneeze. He was in a battle for his life for several seconds before -- with a final, audible exhale that was pure, withering relief -- he stuttered out, “French fries, please.”

To his credit, they got their drinks, paid for their meals, and were well on their way to an empty table before Ezra finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He nearly lost his tray from the sudden, wild imbalance of the sneeze… but only nearly. Immediately afterwards, the smallest and weakest of triumphant laughs warbled his voice.

“You see? Good reflexes.”

“That was luck,” Cee corrected.

Another sniffle, deep and ragged. He sighed out, “Reflexes.”

They situated themselves to either side of a long table, and he raided one of the tabletop dispensers of as many tiny paper napkins as he could without making a scene. He rotated on the seat, putting his back to her as he blew his nose. Though, judging by the vicious curses he muttered between attempts, not easily. There was a learning curve to doing more things one-handed than he realized.

He looked exhausted and defeated when he turned back around.

“You’re getting better at that,” she encouraged. He looked at her with those melted-chocolate, sad-puppy eyes, probably completely unaware of just how affecting he could be when he was feeling pathetic.

“Conversely, you are not any better at lying.”

Cee stabbed a few of her french fries with the tines of her fork, a technique he looked at with immediate offense.

“We can take the food back to the berth,” she offered.

“No, you were quite right in your assessment, I was in dire need of a break from our quarters. Comfortable as they are, a man can only stare at the same four walls for so long.”

He picked up his fork, looked at it. Looked at her. Placed it very deliberately back down in his tray, and then began eating his fries by hand. Making eye contact all the while.

“As God intended,” he said while chewing, apropos of nothing else. Cee’s shoulders trembled, biting down on a small, crooked grin, but she said nothing.

Ezra was not a man who could say nothing, however, so as he ate he did the opposite.

“I’m about halfway through that book of yours.”

She perked a look at him. “Already?”

“I was drawn back to it while you were out at the shower rooms this morning.” His brows furrowed, gaze fixed on his tray as he ate. “While I’m enjoying the narrative, I’ll confess to being confounded by the motivations of one of the characters. Who is it, again, the boy who’s always making allusions to birds?”

“Sydney,” she said immediately. Then wrinkled her nose. “Oh. I know what you’re going to say.”

He looked at her, frustrated. “When he takes the key--”

“I know.”

“They have spent all this long while, some two hundred pages already, setting him up as this uncompromising, uncompromisable pillar of morality, a steadfast do-gooder, and then--”

“Yeah. It didn’t make any sense to me either.”

It was a more reassuring and vindicating conversation than she ever could have expected or even explained to him. Damon’s disinterest had been so deep as to be discouraging, and yet Ezra -- whether or not he was truly as invested as he seemed -- was ever ready to engage with her on about something she held so dear. Their conversations, of late, had even spurred her to spin ever more elaborate and daring tales of her own, inspired by his sometimes meandering but poignant insights.

“You’ll get to a point,” she promised. “Where the story kind of justifies it. But.”

“Don’t tell me,” he held up his hand soberly. “I would like to be surprised.”

This might have actually given him something to think about, and for a time they sat in companionable quiet.

All the same, it was hard not to notice Ezra’s thoughtless but vaguely endearing effort to stave off another inevitable sneeze, helped not at all by the preoccupation of his only available hand. She watched him scrunch and itch his nose with the back of his wrist, and--ineffectively--on what was left of his shoulder. All subtlety was completely lost.

“What are you doing?” she blurted finally, baffled.

“Hm? What have I done now?”

“The faces you’re making?”

Ezra’s hand was half-extended to his styrofoam cup -- surely a chocolate milkshake would cure all that ailed him -- but her question made him stop. He pinned her with a look from the corners of his eyes.

“...what faces?”

Her eyes widened slightly, bemused, and she circled a french fry around her whole face. This whole thing. Still he stared, looking slightly nervous now.

Cee said, “You can’t tell me you don’t know you’re making them.”

By his look, he apparently did not. He slurped noisily for a long second, then put down his cup.

“Call it force of habit.”

She reached for her own cup. Also a milkshake. But strawberry, because fuck yeah strawberry.

“But why?”

He shrugged his good shoulder. “By necessity I have spent a great deal of time in an enviro-suit, and if there’s anything I dislike about the experience, it’s sneezing in the god-damned helmet, and then having to stare through the undignified evidence of my own personal failings until the opportunity presents itself to take it off and clean it.”

She couldn’t help it. She fucking lost it.

It was the first time Ezra had seen her laugh -- really laugh, in snorting unselfconsciousness, and it gave him sudden, profound pause. He didn’t know the first thing about sixteen year old girls or their proclivities, but if there was anything they should be doing on the regular, it was laughing. He aimed to see her do it more.

“I should be offended that you are taking such pleasure in my obvious discomfort,” he accused, not bothering to hide his smirk.

“I can’t help it,” she mewled, thumbing the tears from beneath her eyes. “You’re just…”

“The most dashing and handsome?”

“No, try again.’

“Bitingly clever? A veritable silver-tongued devil?”

“Still no.”

“A fashion plate,” he revised. “Turning heads wherever I go.”

Cee broke with another, more giggling laugh, looking him dubiously up and down.

“Really?”

“Little bird, I am running short on superlatives, and am dipping into the waters of mild offense. Pray, how were you going to finish that sentence?”

“I’m pretty sure I was going to use the word ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous? If you were so keen to wound me, you could have just cut off the other arm.”

She cackled without reservation, and Ezra softened to a small, satisfied smile.

This was good. He’d been thinking lately about where they should go next, how they should make their way and their fortune, but this? Here? Making her laugh over cafeteria fries and milkshakes? This was what he wanted to spend the better part of his time doing. This was good medicine.

Ezra let her recompose, then nodded at the scattered fries left on her otherwise emptied tray.

“Are you quite finished? Or need you commit more atrocities against the potato.”

“I’m finished.”

“Good.” He stretched, gathering the last few fries like pick-up sticks, and fed them to himself. He began stacking everything awkwardly to carry it off, but Cee intervened, swatting his hand away and taking over.

“Let me do it.”

“Now, I do need to learn how to do these things. Leastwise until I’m able to secure a…” he looked briefly down at his stump. “...replacement part.”

“You will. Learn to let somebody take care of you, first.”

“Excuse you, I need no one’s help.”

Cee stopped, fixing him with a look, and he cleared his throat as he straightened.

“...that is a blatant abuse of the truth, and I apologize immediately.”

She disposed of their emptied cups, carrying the stacked trays and utensils to the return window and feeding them all through the hissing, humid slot. She returned to find Ezra relieving two more napkin dispensers of their bounty.

“They’re going to make you pay for those,” she said.

“Price of doing business,” he defended. “I only need two or three. Thousand.”

He stuffed his pockets with half, then awkwardly reached around himself to try and stash the rest in the opposite pocket. When this proved too difficult, Cee took the entire handful from him, tucking them into place. He accepted the assistance gracefully.

“I do turn heads, though. This you must admit.”

She took brief inventory of the cafeteria’s scattered patrons, most of them now throwing leery stares after the walking disaster and his little blond companion. The mashed potato lady looked like she had an unfulfilled personal vendetta.

“Oh yeah.” Cee fell in alongside him. “I’ll give you that one.”

#prospect #prospect 2018 #ezra and cee #cee and ezra #my writing

18 notes · View notes