#i prefer Starry over sprite

[blippis-pickle]

This is totally me when I uh uhhhh idk

anyway here is MORE GREENY WEENY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[exiledelle]

so ever since i saw undertale yellows merciless route, ive been having a thought about it:

which is also helped by me having had a big interest in undertale aus back in the day dfhjkg

UNDERTALE YELLOW MERCILESS SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

what would happen afterward in that timeline? what happens to the underground after asgore is killed, and theyre shot back to square one?

what would happen if frisk still fell down in that timeline?

so if youll excuse my still-practicing pixel art (i did end up grabbing the hat and pistol off a clover spritesheet on spriters resource though, and the pose and poncho were built off a couple kris sprites), a small sprite edit, and a maybe-meh teen clover design:

for right now im calling this Vengeance AU for a lack of a better name that wouldnt just be [blank]tale or under[blank], with or without a "yellow" attached

also i made clover a teen just to set this version of them apart, plus a blue, starry poncho instead of their usual bandana, and spurs on their boots

(IF ANYONE PICKS THIS AU UP FOR ANTHING, CLOVER AND FRISK (and chara, if included) USE THEY/THEM PRONOUNS!!)

an au where after the events of yellows merciless run, frisk still falls down mt ebott, whether because of clover, or their own reason,

but clover, who once made the climb themself to get vengeance for the other 5 fallen humans, isnt about to let yet another go missing under their watch, and decides to chase after them, and bring them back home. by force, if necessary.

so it ends up with frisks journey through the underground being constantly chased by clover. and while clover doesnt want to intentionally hurt frisk, since their motivation is the "protection" of humankind, it would still no doubt be terrifying for frisk, and clover WILL hurt the monsters.

ruins end up being mostly the same, minus clovers pursuit. toriel, still locked in the ruins, probably wouldnt have heard about asgores death, and would only realize upon seeing clover, grown up, covered in dust, and detached from the world around them.

outside though, things would take a much more bleak turn.

the royal guard is more present after a surge of recruitment, monsters have mostly accepted that theyre stuck down there for eternity, some making the most of it and trying to live happily, others not so much. and when it comes to humans, monsterkind is just a little more on-edge.

papyrus also ends up being recruited, however hes only a lookout/watchman, and not a fully-fledged guardsman, due to undynes biases. she WOULD have preferred he wasnt hired at all, but the guard was desperate, and didnt have many other volunteers

also due to hotlands evacuation at the time, martlets final stand is mostly forgotten, only seen as a rumor with little ground. the only thing people know of is that there was a strange withered flower on the roof of the apartments, but no one thinks anything of it. there is, however, still a lingering resentment in the air around it that makes monsters uneasy, but also weirdly enough, like theres someone watching over all of them

other than that, im not too sure where this au would go, how frisk would end up dealing with clover by the end, or even if frisk would end up in places like the dunes or steamworks, or if theyd stick to roughly the same areas.

i mostly just thought itd be interesting to start to imagine how different things would be, and considering clovers personality and motivations in merciless, i thought itd be interesting if they became an antagonist, following frisk down to drag them back

i might think more on this and add stuff onto it in the future, but for right now this is all there is, but people are free to build on it in their own ways, if they like!! (and/or send an ask and i can TRY to think of an answer, but knowing myself i cant promise anything)

[iricathel]

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER!

[Thank u so much for the Tag! @mino-diabolik , @seishinbyo-no-atisuto & @kindan-no-kanojo (I'll pretend we are unknown ig)]

Favorite Color: I can't choose just one, but the color that I prefer over everything else are blue, purple and black. I like blue and purple in any shade, from pastels or neons to the darkest; I don't know why tho, they are the only ones that I always choose from the full range of colors. And black? Bitch it's fancy, elegant, misterious... Fits with everything.

Last Series: The Walking Dead, Izombie, Big Mouth and Why Women Kill. You can see that green/silly comedy and "horror" are my favs 😔. Highly recommend all of them but the 2 Season of Why Women Kill is shit as fuck ngl.

Currently Reading: Do Wattpad books count? 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏼‍♀️

Last Movie: Jurassic World (The last movie, shit af if I'm honest. The first and second were better)

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Everything 😩 I really like flavors and I also have a sweet tooth... But I have to admit that although I really like spicy, I try not to push my limits.

Currently Working On: Zazu's new sprites, Irina's second debug outfit, replies to rp & asks, more information of the characters & clan, and a drawing request. I should start with Irina's drawing for her birthday soon too. (Let's ignore that I need to start preparing Irina's route too)

🏷 @korisuu @besnella @kirua9 @yui--komori @sunny-flower-spot @starry-nocturne @metsu-san @kauze-bridgerton @princesscrownprince

[autolenaphilia]

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

Gabriel Knight: Sins of The Fathers is a classic point-and-click adventure game, written and designed by Jane Jensen. It was first released in 1993 by Sierra as both studio and publisher. In 2014 it got a remake led by Jensen and her development studio Pinkerton Road.

It’s a mystery-horror story, featuring a failed writer and used bookstore owner named Gabriel Knight in New Orleans. He gets interested in “The Voodoo murders”, a series of killings with a Voodoo aspect and decides to solve them. And soon he gets entangled in a complex plot involving cults, a conspiracy and his own family heritage as a “Schattenjäger”.

The gameplay is fairly typical of early 90s point-and-clicks, complete with having to choose between verb commands and all. There is even a score of points you get, including for optional actions. There is as you might expect a fair bit of pixel-hunting, there is no indication when your cursor is over a hotspot. Although the puzzles are mostly sensible. There are some unwinnable states, but way less than is typical of earlier Sierra titles. From reading online, I think it’s only in the final chapter where you really can easily screw yourself. Which again is much better than most earlier Sierra titles, which often seemed to be striving for arcane ways to fuck over the player.

So it’s fairly reasonable by Sierra standards, but the original game is still frustrating at times. I actually started playing the original, but after a few chapters/days I decided to switch over to the remake. And that was solely because of the pixel-hunting. The remake fixes it by having a “highlight all interactable hotspots by pressing the spacebar” feature which is common in modern adventure games, and it is common for a reason. It makes the experience of playing the game so much more less frustrating by removing the pixel-hunting. The remake also has other improvements. The remakes simplified the verb commands, so clicking on a thing brings up a menu with what you can do with the thing. And there is even a built-in hint system, so you don’t even have to go to UHS if you get stuck.

So if you have less patience for the faults of early 90s adventure game design, the remake is definitely the way to go.

It’s a bit of a pity, because I do prefer the presentation of the original. The pixel art is excellently made and at this point look charmingly retro rather than aged. This kind of pixel artstyle is so often used in modern adventure games like the Blackwell games that the original Gabriel Knight don’t even look old at this point.

The remake’s graphics in comparison has lost some of the charm and atmosphere of the original. Not to be too harsh on the remake, which actually looks good overall. The 2d backgrounds are gorgeously detailed. And I appreciate the overall aesthetic which feels inspired by mid to late 00s adventure games that I have a soft spot for, like Lost Horizon. But like Lost Horizon, the 3d character models are the weakest point of the game’s aesthetic. They look kinda rough yet don’t have the charm of the original’s sprites.

The remake also by necessity replaced the voice actors, which is a shame, because the original had great voice casting. It had an unusually starry cast for a video game in 1993. Tim Curry as Gabriel (doing a charming but dubious Louisana accent), Mark Hamill as Gabriel’s cop friend detective Mosely, a pre-fame Leah Remini as Gabriel’s shop assistant Grace and Michael Dorn as Dr. John. And the stars actually deliver, especially as Curry and Hamill are not just live-action movie actors but have extensive voice acting experience. Also I must single out Virginia Capers as the narrator for praise. She does most of the game’s descriptions and she is great at it and makes this game stand out.

The voice cast of the remake lack all these starry names. They are fine, but its obviously a step-down. After playing both the original and the remake, it’s obvious that most of the remake’s actors just imitate the original voice performances. They are good at doing it, but it naturally makes their performances seem like just shadows of the original.

The music is still great though. Robert Holmes did the music for both the original and the remake, and both soundtracks are great. Holmes did some great music for the original, and those tunes are still great in the remake.

So the remake is a mixed bag compared to the original. The gameplay is better than the original, while the presentation is inferior. I have played this game twice for that reason, first finishing the remake and then finishing my playthrough of the original.

The story is basically the same in both games, right down to the majority of the dialogue. And I think it is pretty great. It’s well-written, unfolding a complex mystery plot in a way that keeps up the suspense. The story just plain appeals to my aesthetic preferences, I love occult detectives investigating gory murders with a supernatural connection.

While there is humour, it’s primarily a dark and serious story. And that probably made it stand out in the adventure game genre of the time. Like the majority of previous titles from both Sierra and Lucasarts were primarily humorous. There were exceptions like Loom and Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis but King’s Quest and Monkey Island did set the tone in 1993. Gabriel Knight however was a serious thriller, and had voice acting from major names. I can see why this game made such an impact, there was almost nothing like it. And you can see its influence in later adventure games like Broken Sword.

I have mixed feelings about Gabriel as a character. He walks a very fine line with how he is written, as this womanizer who is ultimately a loveable rogue, hiding a heart of gold beneath a bastard exterior. There is a character development arc to Gabriel, as he genuinely falls in love with Malia Gedde and strives to uphold his family legacy of being a heroic “schattenjäger” who battles supernatural evil. And he is called out on his womanizing and sexist ways during that process. Gabriel’s arc is ultimately this fantasy of the handsome bad boy womanizer falling in love and becoming a better person.

But there is a fine line between writing a bad boy and a creep, and the writing does step over it with his dialogue with Grace. He makes repeated flirty comments to her, despite she being his employee and her voicing her disgust repeatedly. It’s basically verbal sexual harassment. And it’s something the game expects us to be okay with, because it writes Gabriel as never crossing the line of (physical) sexual consent and because Grace is a strong woman who throws Gabriel’s shit back at him and is mostly annoyed at it.

I didn’t hate Gabriel and even enjoyed most of his writing. I get the intent with him and most of the writing for him works to fulfil that. But his banter with Grace is a major misjudgement, redeemed by Grace being such a great and likeable character.

On the subject of problematic things, I’m also a bit dubious about what the game is trying to say regarding race and colonialism. I think it tries to be more progressive than earlier stories dealing with these tropes, but ends up affirming the racism of such stories in a serious way. But it’s difficult to talk about without spoilers, and I think this game does such a good job of slowly revealing its mystery plot that you should experience it for yourself. I’m going to put some spoilery story thoughts beneath a read-more.

Ultimately I enjoyed the game a lot. You should play it, especially if you love a good occult horror murder mystery and point-and-click adventure games. If you have a high enough tolerance for old adventure game nonsense like pixel-hunting to see the game’s good side, you should play the original. The great pixel art and voice acting of the original are probably the best way to enjoy the story. The remake’s presentation is not bad however, just inferior to the original, and there are some massive gameplay improvements that makes it the far more user-friendly version.

Spoilery thoughts beneath the cut

Again, I have to reiterate how much I loved GK1’s story. An occult detective, bookshops and libraries, evil cults, supernatural evil, conspiracies, gory murders. There is even a German castle with hidden rooms and an adventure to an African temple with living mummy/zombies that rip your heart out. I love this shit, especially as part of a well-written mystery plot as GK1 is.

The racial themes are uncomfortable at best though. The villains is a voodoo cult basically, who practices human sacrifice and organized crime. It’s a portrayal of black religious practices of African origin like Vodun and voodoo as evil and “savage”. Like there is no other word for it, the cult practices human and animal sacrifice and has wild half-naked dances wearing animal skins and masks around bonfires. The leaders of the cult, Malia Gedde and Dr John are black, and they are the only black characters of any importance. The association of them also doing organized crime is icing on the cake. The cult is also portrayed as a conspiracy that controls New Orleans, including the police. So there are elements of the “reverse colonialization” fantasy going on, where those subjugated by European colonialism have used supernatural means to in turn control Europeans.

And the cult is literally fuelled by revenge for the African slave trade, at least partially. Not just because voodoo has partial African origins, but because the leading force is the loa Tetelo. She is the vengeful evil spirit of an enslaved black woman who died three hundred years ago. She once led the voodoo cult and murdered the slavers on the slave ship that brought her to America. Tetelo has regularly possessed her female descendants ever since and now possesses Malia during the cult’s rituals.

Tetelo descendants the Gedde family have immense magical power due to Tetelo taking a magical talisman from Günter that was the source of the Ritter family’s magical power. They have used this magical power to become rich and influential. So the story is very much a case of reverse colonialism. Grace even suggests in the original game’s ending that the Geddes caused the slave revolt in Haiti, which is so tasteless that it reminds me of the animated Anastasia and its portrayal of the Russian revolution.

The cult does try to sacrifice a damsel in distress in the game’s finale of course. She is not white at least, but the Japanese-American Grace Nakimura. But still, the game’s story is a full-on dive into pop cultural tropes about evil non-white cults.

Still, I don’t think Jane Jensen intended to write a racist text. Like the game does discuss racism. Malia mentions she is ostracized because of her skin color and the story acknowledges the evil of slavery. The game sympathizes with both Tetelo and Malia, who are not portrayed as entirely evil. Tetelo’s anger at being enslaved is portrayed as understandable and as a human being, she is said to have been a sympathetic woman who truly loved Gabriel’s ancestor Günter. It’s only when she became a vengeful loa that she became irredeemably evil.

Malia is portrayed as an ultimately reluctant villain, who only becomes evil when she is possessed by Tetelo and who when she is herself, truly loves Gabriel (the relationship between Gabriel/Malia and Günter/Tetelo deliberately mirror each other). The voodoo cult in the present also chooses serious criminals as victims for their sacrifices, possibly implied to be because of Malia’s benign influence. Grace suggest in the game’s ending that the true horror were those many generations of young women in the Gedde family who were forced to live under Tetelo’s overbearing influence.

The white hero fighting against the evil “pagan” cult is an old story in popular horror and adventure fiction. And I think Jensen wanted to tell that kind of story, have fun with pop fiction tropes about human sacrifice and voodoo. But she wanted to tell it with more nuance about race and more sympathy for the black characters than that genre is known for.

But I don’t think it really works. Like the intent is clearly there, but the black characters are still antagonists at best. Malia is sympathetic, but she must still commit suicide in the end to stop the evil of the Gedde line from going on. Her second in command Dr John becomes just a big scary black man. And Tetelo might have been human once, but becomes just a purely evil spirit that must be destroyed. There is not enough subversion of the evil non-white cult story for it to truly matter.

There is a theme of ancestry and heritage, the game’s subtitle is literally Sins of the Fathers. Both Gabriel and Malia have heritages that decide their fate. AndGabriel’s white german heritage enables him to become a hero, Malia’s black African heritage makes her into a villain and destroys her. So no, this game is still racist, even if it tries not to be.

[askaceattorney]

(Pictures in Letter)

Dear Trearoos,

Co-Mod: My preferred method is to group Mod letters together and post them when there’s a large enough number of them (or when it’s been a long time since they were posted), while posting letters to characters from the queue, which takes roughly a month.  You can let us know if you’d rather have us answer either kind of letter at a specific time, of course.

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: It depends -- if we’re talking about the ones who committed murder, I’d go with Ini Miney.  Her motive -- keeping the illusion that she was her deceased sister going -- was one of the most tragic ones I can imagine.  However, if we’re just talking about those involved in crimes, I’d definitely go with Tahrust Inmee.  Sympathizing with someone who was willing to frame Maya for murder (who’s already been through that three times) isn’t easy, but he saw it as the only way to protect his wife and unborn child, even sacrificing his own life in the process.  I doubt if I’d have made the same decision if I were in his situation (and hopefully I’ll never find out), but I do have to admire that level of commitment to one’s family.

Mod Kristoph: Probably Geiru from Spirit of Justice. Simply because of her traumatic problems. Plus, it’s sad to see a cute person like her fall from grace.

Dear skibot99,

Co-Mod: That gag was started here on the blog, with this letter.  Like Phoenix said, American euphemisms go way over her head.

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: I’m with you there.  I’m sure she can take it, but she’s a human being like the rest of us, so let’s treat her with some respect, shall we?

Plus I’m running out of witty retorts for her.

(Previous Letter)

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: Mostly because Mod Maya used them, and she hasn’t been on the blog for a while.  I prefer to stick with the regular-sized 3D sprites.

(Previous Post)

Dear M.,

Co-Mod: What can I say?  Love’s a strange thing, and Ace Attorney’s full of strange people.

Mod Kristoph: You know what they say.

Dear skibot99 again,

Co-Mod: Thanks for your concern, but what’s so horrible about getting the lore wrong every now and then?  When that happens, we just make some quick fixes, then let it go and move on.  No big deal.

Dear Starry,

Co-Mod: Thanks a bunch, and right back at you!

I loved Turnabout Revolution myself, for a number of reasons: it introduced us to Apollo’s father (and his biological father, for a few brief moments), it gave us one of the most clever plot twists in the series (Dhurke being dead and channeled by Maya from the episode’s beginning), and it gave Apollo a chance to become a hero who brings down a cartoonishly evil dictator and serve up some justice, Apollo-style.  Not to mention it pitted two of the series’ most iconic characters against each other in a court of law.

Speaking of which, while I enjoyed seeing the first civil trial in an Ace Attorney game, I felt like it did the same thing as The Stolen Turnabout in T&T -- it starts out being about something other than murder, buuuuut somebody ends up getting killed anyway.  And in this case, it was all because of a selfish politician who didn’t get what he wanted.  I mean, seriously?

I also couldn’t help but wonder how Phoenix got roped into to doing things against his will just to protect Maya again.  True, he’d just rescued her from being convicted of murder, but could he not at least be honest with his most trusted subordinate instead of facing him in court without an explanation?  I might be overthinking it, but it seemed a little far-fetched to me.

The second case was also enjoyable because of how much hinged on it -- the Defiant Dragons’ cause, Dhurke’s reputation, Rayfa’s self-confidence, Nahyuta’s conscience, the fate of a whole nation, etc.  And how could it get any better than an exposing a monarch for the delusional dictator she is?

Not to mention it was the first time Apollo and Phoenix had to do their jobs at gunpoint.  Even after playing through every other game before SoJ, I still wasn’t prepared to see that happen.

But in any case (no pun intended), I thoroughly enjoyed how Turnabout Revolution progressed, and how it brought Apollo’s unofficial trilogy to a satisfying conclusion.

Apart from him being separated from the WAA, that is.  That was just too sad.

And finally, as you may have guessed if you know anything about my thoughts toward Athena, I’m with you all the way on having a little more story for her in a future game.  I understand her playing a smaller part in a game that centers on Apollo’s growth as a lawyer, but the girl’s got some serious potential.

Dear Christianthepupbot,

Co-Mod: You know, that’s a great idea.  Generally speaking, your best bet is to send holiday-themed letters at least 2 months in advance of the holiday.  I wish I could be more specific, but that should guarantee your letter being answered in time for the holiday.  Also, as mentioned above, you can always request that your letter be answered on a specific day, and we’ll try to squeeze it in on that day.

Hey, that means it’s a great time to send Easter-themed letters, doesn’t it?

Dear Vera Long,

Co-Mod: Thanks for letting us know!  It’s a big help knowing which letter is being referenced instead of having to guess.  And thank you for contributing with your letters to the Ace Attorney crew!

Dear Ali S. Fakenamington,

Co-Mod: Nah, that’s a legitimate complaint.  I just decided to answer them all in a row since it’s pretty rare that someone sends that many at once (plus I have to admit I’m kind of partial to those comics).  I’ll spread them out a little next time so we can have some more variety within a single day.  Thanks for asking!

-The Mods

[stylinsonlibrary]

VALENTINE’S DAY FIC REC

Pal-entine's Day by kiwikero (1k)

When Louis gets dumped shortly before Valentine's Day, his best friend Harry decides to do something about it.

Just... not the something Louis was hoping for.

Let me have a bite by notasawrap (2k)

"The universe doesn't allow me to raise your ego," Louis says dramatically, causing Harry to chuckle. A loving, contemplative smile appears on Louis' face and certainly no one can blame him. Louis hoists himself up to kiss the corner of Harry's mouth and hugs him harder. The way Harry's hands tighten around him might be a sign of how much Harry missed Louis, but what does he know; he is nothing but a mortal in love.

or It's Louis and Harry first San Valentine's Day as a married couple and since Louis' hasn't seeing his boy for the last month or so, he thought he could do something special and give Harry what he's been asking for.

'til the poets run out of rhymes by braverygasm (3k)

louis hates candy hearts. harry didn't celebrate his birthday.

(feat. niall as their spritely waiter, zayn as the enigmatic graffiti artist, and liam as the compassionately gullible police officer)

Cupids & Love by InkedwithLove (4k)

"Kiss would be enough...On the lips," Harry's face resembled the morning sun, radiant and blushing.

They were in the middle of a busy flower shop, flying over noisy people but Louis seemed to hear nothing but static.

"Harry...Where did you get that idea?" Louis was thinking too fast. They were Cupids! They don't kiss. They make other people kiss and fall in love. Wait, where did love come from? Louis mentally slapped himself.

Or Harry and Louis were trying to help Zayn and Liam get together. They have been doing it for a long time, so it should be easy. Except, it was the first time Harry asked Louis for a kiss. What can he say, they are Cupids and Love is in the air.

trust me to take you home by hattalove (4k)

“I made breakfast,” says Harry, and Louis can feel him smile where his face is smushed against Louis’s shoulder blade. “Full English. All for you.”

Louis finally opens his eyes, and blinks. “What about the others?”

“Asleep,” Harry whispers, “it’s five in the morning.”

or, a clichéd tale of two boys in love and their first valentine's day together.

hold this rope and i'll pull you in by clicheanna (4k)

Amidst last-minute preparations for Liam’s annual Valentine’s Day party, Harry forgets one crucial thing. His and Louis’ anniversary.

Like A Box Of Chocolates by literlarry_real (4k)

If somebody had told Harry a year ago that he would have a reminder set on his phone to buy discounted Valentine’s day chocolate on the 15th of February, he would have outright laughed at them. 365 days ago, he would have never considered being that desperate for chocolate and being this lonely the day after the holiday that celebrated love. But, here he is, a year later, being reminded by his phone that he is supposed to go on a hunt for the best chocolate deals. Woohoo, university life! Some might deem it ridiculous or sad even, but it really isn’t. Not to Harry at least. Yes, he may have spent Valentine’s Day alone in the library studying, calling his mum, and skyping his sister, but there’s a reason for the reminder. Even if the reason is as insignificant as “My chocolate drawer is as empty as Voldemort’s heart“.

or Harry runs into Louis while stocking up on favourite chocolates the day after Valentine’s day. The banter that follows is only the beginning of something just as sweet as chocolate.

One Day You'll Say These Words I've Thought But Never Said by LouisBlue (5k)

"Did you just quote Harry Potter?" Harry giggles in the doorway, covering his mouth with his fingers. Louis has never seen something so beautiful.

"Listen you little ladybug, don't make me get up out of this bed. You will be sorry you ever mocked me!"

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lou." Harry says and walks the rest of the way out the door.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bug."

Or: Going on three years has been way too long, and at the risk of making himself look like a fool, Louis decides to tell Harry how he feels. On Valentine's day.

Won't You Please Come Around by allwaswell16 (5k)

Harry has lived in London for a month, and so far the only friend he's made is his sister's cat, Mr. Whiskers. When the lock on the window breaks, Mr. Whiskers begins exploring his new neighbourhood a bit too thoroughly and brings back mementos of his escapes.

Or a Valentine's Day story where Harry has a really fit neighbour, and his cat is a thief.

their lips are lying only real is real by vanillabeanniall (5k)

“We have a special deal for couples through the next two months,” she was saying. “A free 48-hour movie rental of anything in this redbox, as long as your purchase is $10 or more. And, I have to say, you two are one of the cutest couples I’ve seen throughout this whole sale.”

Louis smiled politely and glanced behind him, opening his mouth to say that he and this stranger weren’t together. Then the words died in his throat. Louis abruptly grabbed the boy’s hand and turned back to the saleswoman, smiling widely.

“Thanks, yeah, we’ve been together for three years.”

The salesperson grinned and started selling the movie thing. Louis could practically feel the waves of confusion rolling off of Tall Fit Banana Boy, so he turned to him and whispered, “Just go with it, they have my favorite movie.”

Or, the one where Louis and Harry pretend they're in love to get a few free movies until suddenly they stop pretending.

Gotta Have You by styleandsin (6k)

“I’m glad I married someone that’s still down with having sex in the laundry room while our kid is in the middle of a movie and there’s ten minutes left until the dinosaur chicken nuggets have to come out of the oven,” Louis says, voice serious but a small smile on his face.

“Me too,” Harry says with a laugh before getting back to his food.

Louis laughs along with him until he looks down at Harry’s plate, “are you really using a fork and knife for chicken nuggets?”

Harry looks up at him and the genuine judgement on his face makes him giggle.

“I’m trying to be fancy! We were supposed to be going to a really nice restaurant Lou, I’m just trying to recreate the experience.” He then dips the chicken nugget into his ketchup with his fork.

Or, an AU where Valentine’s Day doesn’t go according to plan but possibly turns out even more romantic.

Call It Puppy Love (6k)

She has huge, green eyes, curly brown hair, and a little pink tongue that hangs out the side of her mouth as she looks up adoringly from beside Louis' feet.

“Oh, alright - but only because you're so cute,” he relents and scoops the puppy into his arms. Louis is not the type to get all soppy over animals, okay - he's not - but the little poodle mix might be an exception to the rule.

Or, Louis gets Harry a surprise puppy for Valentine’s Day. Things don't go exactly as planned.

Dancing in the Dark by rainbowslovehl (7k)

“Did you do all of this on your own?” 

“Yes,” Louis said with only a slight hesitation. “All by myself. All for you. I love you.”

Louis plans a big thing for his first official Valentine's day with Harry and he has a little help in making it the perfect night.

Be Mine, Little Valentine by FullOnLarrie (7k)

All Louis wants is to find someone who'll love all of him. There's just one tiny complication.

Be My Forever by rainbowslovehl (7k)

Harry Styles want everything to go perfect. Too bad that fate has other plans.

Or a Valentine's Day Marriage Proposal AU.

through reds and pinks by CrazyLaughter (8k)

"So, you propose to me at every restaurant we go to? And you'll have it recorded?"

Said out loud like that, it sounded bad- it sounded scary. Like something that was determined to go wrong.

or Harry and Louis go through a series of fake proposals on Valentine's day for Louis's vlog.

in bloom by sky_reid (10k)

louis delivers flowers. harry is not liam. (he's also not a florist.)

your heart is glowing (and i'm crashing into you) by anyadisee (11k)

If this were a fairytale, maybe even a Young Adult novel or a chick flick, this would be the moment where Louis would stare right into his soul and whisper, “You. It’s you, Harry,” before pulling him in for a kiss right there and then in the middle of the sidewalk. They’d confess their never-ending love for each other then hold hands for the rest of the walk home, and then they’d go to uni together and become the ultimate power couple of their campus. They’d start a family together a few years after they graduate, find a large house somewhere nice and preferably warm, get two pet dogs and five cats, and then adopt enough children to start a football team. If only men could get pregnant as well, Harry thinks wistfully. He’d love to carry Louis’ babies given the chance.

But. This isn’t a fairytale, nor is it a movie based off the latest YA bestseller. This is real life.

(harry is in love with love, volunteers to hand out valentine gifts for a week, and somehow becomes the football captain's secret admirer.)

Kiss From A Rose by lovelarry10 (15k)

Harry is the quiet one in the office no one ever notices. Until Louis does, that is. When notes start appearing on Harry’s desk, he ponders who is behind the kind words, oblivious to Louis’ attempts to get his attention...

Brave Love by angelichl (17k)

Harry breaks up with his boyfriend a day before Valentine's Day and Louis tries to cheer him up.

happily ever after by theneverending (18k)

"It’s the Peter Pan that I work with most days. Harry got placed with us today and it’s really quite funny to watch him make starry eyes at Peter Pan from behind his camera. As if that would hide anything,” Niall claims with an eye roll, causing Harry to blush even harder.

“I didn’t think you’d notice,” Harry responds lamely, suddenly becoming interested in his food again.

“Harry, when you like someone, it’s written all over your face. You just kept staring at him.”

“That’s my job, I have to stare at him to make sure the photos come out nice.”

“You wouldn’t be getting defensive if I wasn’t right,” Niall rebukes, and Harry really can’t argue with that, so he lets Niall have the last word.

or, the one where louis and harry work at walt disney world, louis is a character performer for peter pan, and harry's the photographer that sometimes gets to work with him.

I Would Bleed the Colors of the Evening Stars by peanutbutterapple (20k)

Louis needs a fake boyfriend and Harry wants to know why he doesn't pick him.

And Stand By Me by otfuckingp (29k)

Louis didn't hate Valentine's Day, per se. It wasn't a particular source of irritation to him that it was only just after Christmas. He wasn't personally offended, like some of his friends were. He just didn't really care, is the thing.

Louis really didn't care about Valentine's day, not at all. Which is why, when he burst into tears at Tesco at nearly midnight on February 13th, it was because he stubbed his toe against the shelf, not because of the piles of candy and flowers and chocolates on display at the front of the store. Really. He didn't care about any of that; he knew he was loved with or without candy. With or without a boyfriend to tell him so. It was fine.

(In which Louis is recovering from a bad breakup, Harry is the delivery boy who brings him endless takeout, and the reappearance of an ex-boyfriend leads to some shenanigans).

[ahumanintraining]

after

When the war is over, they return to Earth. —shallura. post-Zarkon. achronological. // also on ao3.

fifty words, fifty scenes — adopted from a list that @dragonshost challenged me to way back when. (i don’t have the link anymore, haha.) 

the exercise was to write a single sentence containing each word, and i attempt to make a haphazard achronological story out of each sentence, and then an entire world out of fifty of those.

Nothing means frisky more to him than when she waltzes into the kitchen as he’s making breakfast, wearing nothing but her thin nightgown and a mischievous smile that stretches past the magenta marks of her eyes. She comes forward to kiss him good morning and he’s not sure if his heart jumps because of the sudden pop of the toaster or because of her wandering hands.

Ever the natural athlete, Allura quickly picks up all the sports that Earth can offer her — easily throwing the furthest pass, scoring a goal from the most acute angle, finishing a marathon with barely a sweat — but Shiro still thinks she’s best at catching his eye.

Shiro thought she would have a natural affinity for cats after spending ages with the Lions, but ten scratches and four bites later, he decides — as he wraps a bandaid around her finger — that maybe his plan to adopt the stray cat isn’t such a great idea after all.

She still misses her planet dearly — the pink-tinted sunrise of the second sun rising over the fuchsia horizon of blooming juniberry flowers — but when the soft white Earth sunlight stirs him quietly awake, the first thing he sees is her brilliant smile, and she thinks she can see the same morning in the rose of his cheeks.

She’s never been consistent about doing laundry and she is guilt free when it comes to borrowing his shirts after she runs out of clean clothes to wear. The extra-large white cotton v-neck with the coffee-stained hem is her favorite, and while that is the softest top he owns, he doesn’t mind because he loves how one of her shoulders sticks out from its wide collar.

The blaring morning five-thirty alarm makes them groan audibly, reminding them that they still have to get out of bed on weekday mornings to go teach at the Academy — even if they are retired heroes of the universe. The workday spares no one.

At first, it’s annoying to introduce herself since Earthlings aren’t familiar with the blend of consonants and vowels in Altean names like her own, but now it’s become a routine when they ask her to spell her name: He tells them, “You know, alluring — spelled just like how she looks.”

The hardest thing is keeping his lips off her flawless skin — especially as she slips between the sheets after a warm clean shower. He allows himself just a goodnight embrace and a kiss on the lips. Anything more and they would not get sleep.

This day is the hardest. And while with every passing year, his heart grows denser, growing small enough to hold easier in his chest, he still struggles to wear pride on his uniform in the face of the gravestones of two other men that should have earned the same badge of honor. She embraces him until his tears dry.

“Growing old together” seems romantic until even Allura’s nightly back massages aren’t enough for his lower back pain and Shiro admits to himself he needs extra foam for his side of his mattress to appease his aging body.

She never believed she would ever smile the way she smiled before her youth was stolen by the Galrans but it’s the littlest things — the melted chocolate on the tip of his nose, the way he can never not burn his toast in the morning, the sneeze that makes him spill water all over his shirt — that make her laugh and make her a believer.

He’s not a good dancer at all, but she’s doesn’t mind taking his hand and guiding him now, as how he held her hand and stayed alongside her when they were traveling across galaxies.

Perched on the eastern horizon are the constellations that he knows best. Tonight, he holds her hand up against the black night, add the new sparkle on her ring finger to the starry skies.

His obsession with her hair shows the most when she wakes in the morning and finds his nose buried into the back of her neck and the ends of her silver strands curled around his fingers.

She has a gift for getting the two of them out of work early and perhaps he could be a little jealous knowing she uses her brilliant smile and seductive wink on others aside from him, but he knows once they’re both pardoned to go home, she turns an even wittier smile and playful wink to only him.

Plaid shirts don’t suit him. She prefers his clothes on the floor.

Her skin is weak to the cold, and she insulates herself with an extra sheet, one extra sweater, and of course, his arm around her waist.

His judgement of time is always a little off when he’s with her — and when he rushes into his morning meetings and apologizes for his tardiness, his coworkers try not to mention that there’s still a deep maroon lip print over his left cheek.

Inequality didn’t end with Zarkon. The fight for more pay for her doesn’t come easy. They excuse the unequal salary to their combined investment through marriage but he briskly reminds them she deserves just as much, if not more than him.

The monarchy is long gone but he still treats her like a queen. But there are nights she asks him to take her like she doesn’t wear a crown on her head, and it’s these nights she appreciates his cold fingers and rough lips the most.

The purple pulse of his mechanical arm still makes curious noises in the middle of the night but she’s grown rather fond of the soft whirs of the gears that match the twitches of the rest of his body while he dreams.

Their firstborn crawls earlier than expected for the average human child, and it’s really only now when Shiro starts to ponder exactly how much Altean blood their kid has inherited.

Honestly the only foreseeable grievance he carries against Allura is that she always draped her towel over his bathroom hook and… well… he’s just a bit particular about where he leaves his towels.

A rebel at heart, Allura has no qualms about eating breakfast for dinner, and well, thank god because Shiro doesn’t know how to cook much beyond scrambled eggs or other variants of the dish.

The bedroom light makes her long hair shimmer like rivers of silver — his favorite, but even now as she climbs into bed to give him a kiss, her hair recently cut short, the ends of her clipped hair feather over his skin in ways that he can’t complain about at all.

Beach days are some of Shiro’s favorite — a long day of nothing but the sun, the ocean, making sandcastle-ships with his toddler, and Allura in a swimsuit.

It’s his cryptic answers to her incessant questions that gives it away — he’s planning something for their fifth anniversary, for sure.

He still wakes up in the middle of the night, dazed and confused, but she gives him a kiss to clear him from the disorientation and remind him that indeed, they are on Earth and that yes, everything is over.

One day on a whim, they decide to go underwater scuba diving, and for a moment while swimming through the colorful coral reefs and among schools of fish and exploring the aquatic underworld, it feels a little bit like they’re back on Voltron, discovering new worlds all over again.

While unpacking the rest of Shiro’s boxes into their new home, Allura discovers a mysterious small square dark-colored box with a ring in it — and it’s not until he’s down on one knee and she recalls a brief paragraph from her readings about American customs that she finally puts two and two together. Either way, she’s surprised.

As mischievous as Allura is, Shiro can always tell if when she has a scheme planned out in her head, but Allura is confident that there is there no way he can predict the surprise birthday party he has coming for him — not when Hunk and Pidge are the ones organizing it.

There’s a small valley between the mountains just a few miles north of where they live, where one day they looked at how beautifully the sun dipped below the horizon and decided that this is where they would choose to bury themselves when their time is up.

Allura returns home from a long day at work, only to find Shiro knocked out on the couch, having lost the battle against sleep while waiting for her to come home, the pale moonlight trickling in from the window making the white tuft over his forehead glow a dull gray.

She tries to remain cheerful when she sees the new stray cat that Shiro picked up off the streets, but memories of a destroyed closet — her clothes inside shredded to bits — and many broken dishes — including their kid’s favorite plate — from a past adoption keeps her smile tense.

Shiro has never fallen so deep into opposition with Allura — even with all those years in the same castle-ship — as he is now, trying to figure out what color white to paint the walls of their house. He insists an ivory white would be the best to match with the rest of their haphazardly acquired furniture, but she’s more a fan of the warm honey white. And neither of them are giving way.

Sometimes he thinks everything is so perfect that he must be living in a daydream… and then a cry from the crib stirs him back to reality.

Every now and then — and especially when Shiro comes by her workplace for a surprise visit — Allura’s powers slip out from under her control, causing a small brief gust of wind or a rapid burst of droplets from the water fountain, but Allura continues to insist that the mishappenings are just nearby sprites haunting the company building.

How can they be anything but heartbroken when they realize their secret stash of leftover Halloween candy was discovered by their very hungry, very voracious toddler?

Shiro can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy whenever he realizes that by the end of the week, their daughter has spent more time with her mother than with him, but his attempts to make up for lost father-daughter time are to no avail — their daughter simply does not appreciate baseball.

Their daughter’s first birthmark, a set of wings under her eyes in the same shape as her mother’s markings, appears just a few days after she is born — Allura sighs and presses a kiss to their daughter’s forehead, remarking to Shiro with a small smile that the color matched that of her late father.

On the fourth moon of their daughter’s birth, as per Altean custom, Allura drapes an amulet around their newborn’s neck — with a deep blue jewel inset that reminds Shiro of his wife’s eyes.

Sometimes after long business trips, they miss each other so much that when they kiss, they knock their lips clumsily into each other and Shiro ends up with a metallic taste on his tongue.

The nights are never long enough to spend as much time as they want in each other’s arms but she hopes that her goodbye kisses in the morning before they part for work imprint long enough on his skin to last for the entire day.

She teases him whenever his cheeks grow rosy from even the softest of alcoholic drinks, but quickly the harsh aftertaste of margarita salt in his mouth is replaced by her sweet kiss.

Allura’s first attempt at cooking Earth cuisine looked like a hybrid of Coran’s space goo and Lance’s last attempt at baking — except worse. It’s only after Shiro takes a courageous bite of her prepared meal when he finally admits that maybe, just maybe, he should stick to kitchen duty.

When Allura comes down with a case of the “space sneezies,” Shiro offers her honey ginger lemon tea exactly the way she likes it, even if it’s more honey than ginger, lemon, or tea.

It’s too bad that Shiro knows how strong Allura’s love for the bittersweet taste of dark chocolate is — she’s ended up going to all too many company mixers with him ever since.

They plant a small oak tree in their backyard when they move into their new home — it’s a bit far from the city where their children work, but just close enough for them to visit their grandchildren.

Their favorite version of their love story to tell is the one where Allura, with her dangerous Altean powers, bewitches him and they end up living happily ever after together — of course, that’s a lie, but the two of them always think it funny to see how strangers react.

After a long lazy afternoon rolling around in the green grass field, they end in each other’s arms. The buzz of excitement brings his inhibitions down, and Shiro asks if she wants to stay on Earth with him. She doesn’t tell him an answer — instead laughing at the clump of grass that’s stuck in his hair — but there’s a smile on her face that’s so genuine that he doesn’t need the words to know her answer.

[inloveandwords]

In light of my recent eBook haul, I thought it would be fun to share all the audiobooks I hauled last month.

Thankfully, Audible Escape lets you view your borrow history now, which makes this even easier!

I subscribe to a bunch of audiobook services, so I’ve broken up this list by each service.

If you’d like to watch the video version of this post, head over to my BookTube channel:

  Audible Credits

I used my precious monthly credit on House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas. This is SJM’s first adult book. It’s an urban high fantasy with all sorts of magical creatures including angels, fae, demons, shifters, and sprites. I read the first half of the physical book and listened to the rest on audio to give my hands a break from the weight of that hefty book.

Goodreads

  I purchased a couple of extra credits and ended up using one of them on The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez. This is the second book in The Friend Zone series. I adored The Friend Zone even though some think the ending is problematic. In fact, I liked it more than this one, just a bit. It’s about a grieving woman who finds the hero’s lost dog and takes care of him while he is on vacation. If you like dogs, you’ll like this series.

Goodreads

  The other credit I used to get the second book in the Hard Hitters series by Nalini Singh – Rebel Hard. Unfortunately, I DNF’d this one. I just wasn’t feeling it, but I might try it again. This is a contemporary romance with an arranged marriage trope.

Goodreads

  Audible Escape Borrows

  Inappropriate by Vi Keeland I liked this one more than I expected! I gave it 4 stars. It’s about a girl who gets fired for having inappropriate content on her private social media and ends up calling her boss’s boss in a drunken rage. It’s their romance and it was really good!

Goodreads

  Better When It Hurts by Skye Warren This is a super short gritty stripper romance novella that I read for Smutathon. It was ok. I gave it 3 stars.

Goodreads

  Pipe Dreams (Brooklyn Bruisers # ) by Sarina Bowen This is a contemporary hockey romance series that I’ve been reading and enjoying! I gave this book   stars.

Goodreads

  Assigned a Mate by Grace Goodwin This is a slightly ridiculous alien mail order bride super short, smutty book I read during Spring Break. It was OK for what it is and I gave it 3 stars.

Goodreads

  Fighting for Everything by Laura Kaye This is an emotional friends-to-lovers military romance where the hero is dealing with some serious PTSD. I enjoyed everything in this book except the romance and considering this is a romance, I only gave it 3 stars.

Goodreads

  The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen This is a friends-to-lovers new adult sports romance with disability rep. Our heroine is recently wheelchair-bound after a hockey incident. I loved seeing her journey, but the romance wasn’t believable – I would’ve preferred the two just stay friends and I didn’t agree with the hero’s choices. 3 stars.

Goodreads

    Menace by JM Darhower This is a dark scarred hero mafia romance that just had a weird tone to it that threw me off. I also didn’t really care too much about the characters or the story in general and ended up giving it 3 stars.

Goodreads

  Hard Hitter (Brooklyn Bruisers # 2) by Sarina Bowen This is another book in the Brooklyn Bruisers contemporary hockey romance series that I’ve been enjoying.

Goodreads

  Jock Row by Sarah Ney I DNF’d this one because the heroine was so annoying. It’s about a girl who is kicked out of a frat party for being … annoying … she refuses to leave because her friends are there (even though her friends didn’t care about her), so the hero is charged with guarding her from coming in the house and somehow ends up falling for her even though she’s the worst. I think she was supposed to be funny, but she wasn’t. It would appear this author is not for me because I didn’t like How to Date a Douchebag either.

Goodreads

  I Dare You by Ilsa Madden This was OK. It fell a little flat for me despite having a cute premise. It’s new adult unknown number sports romance and the two of them dare each other to do things. 3 stars.

Goodreads

  The entire Pucked series by Helena Hunting This was a reread for me – I love this series! I fell even more in love with Book 6 than I did the first time I read it!

Goodreads

  January by Audrey Carlan This was a short read for Smutathon and it was dumb. We have our stereotypical “I’m not like other girls” heroine that made me roll my eyes more often than not. The hero wasn’t well developed either. 2 stars.

Goodreads

  Brooklynaire (Brooklyn Bruisers #4) by Sarina Bowen NEW FAVORITE! I adore this book so freaking much! 5 million stars! It’s about the quirky owner of the hockey team who also happened to build a tech company from the ground up and the girl he has cared about for years – his assistant who has no idea.

Goodreads

  Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh This has one of my favorite heroes and a super fun second meet cute. It’s about a girl who gets publicly dumped at a party in college and the younger guy who has liked her since then.

Goodreads

  Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett I read this book during Spring Break and really enjoyed it. It had all the elements I like in a YA. It’s a friends to lovers to enemies to lovers, forced togetherness romance that takes place in the wilderness for the majority of the book.

Goodreads

  Misconduct by Penelope Douglas This was a really good forbidden romance between a teacher and her student’s father with a great meet cute.

Goodreads

  The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han I love this author’s To All the Boys series and I was hoping I’d like this one just as much, but I ended up DNFing this one.

Goodreads

  Art & Soul by Brittainy C Cherry BCC has yet to let me down so far. This is a sweet romance between a musician and an pregnant artist in high school who have to work together on a school project.

Goodreads

  Try by Ella Frank I did not like this one at all. The main character was pushy and made me super uncomfortable. I ended up DNFing this one.

Goodreads

  The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott This was a rec from a subscriber and I absolutely loved it. It’s about a tattoo artist with a troubled past who has dreams of publishing a graphic novel and ends up moving in with a guy she just met in a one bedroom apartment. This is so swoony and the hero is amazing.

Goodreads

  Fire in His Blood by Ruby Dixon This is the author of the Ice Planet Barbarians series that I really enjoyed. This book is a post-apocolypic dragon shifter romance. This was just ok for me. I gave it 3 stars.

Goodreads

  Audible Sale Purchases

Audible had a $5 sale and I picked up a couple of exciting books!

Wolfsong by TJ Klune This was my favorite read of April. I absolutely adored this book because of the epic romance and the all around fantastic story. It’s a slowburn M/M shifter romance.

Goodreads

  Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa I bought this blindly simply because of the author, but since then I found out that a lot of people really enjoy this book. I believe it is a fantasy romance with fae.

Goodreads

    Libro.FM Credits

This is my new favorite audiobook service because all purchases benefit independent bookstores! They have a great selection. It works just like Audible. You can get your first month free with my link!

Docile by KM Szpara This seems to be a pretty polarizing read and the premise sounds interesting to me. It’s takes place in a world where family debt can be erased in exchanged for slavery for the rest of your life. If you choose to do that, you get injected with a drug called Docile which makes you complient. This is the story of a man who decides to do this without the drug.

Goodreads

  Sick Kids in Love by Hanna Moskowitz This is a YA romance between two teens with chronic illnesses. I’m here for the chronic illness rep.

Goodreads

April Audiobook Haul In light of my recent eBook haul, I thought it would be fun to share all the audiobooks I hauled last month.