#ive looked on all the platforms i have and it is nowhere to be found

[toasterfroggy]

does anybody know where i can watch youngblood (1986) with rob lowe and patrick swayze????

[sockeye-station]

Wait is your four the captain? How did that happen?

YES! YES!! I GOT SOMEONE TO ASK ABOUT IT! I WIN!!!!

CLEARS THROAT. OKAY OKAY OKAY IVE HAD THIS ROTATING IN MY HEAD FOR A HOT FUCKN MINUTE AND ILL TRY MY BEST TO EXPLAIN IT IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE

OKAY. LETS REWIND ALL THE WAY BACK TO OCTO EXPANSION!!!

so! octo expansion goes all normally, we have our agent 8 fighting through the entire structure to escape, agent 3 gets brainwashed, they have to fight, yadda yadda. you probably know how it goes by now. But here's the thing.

what if i went ahead and changed a tiny thing. just the teensiest detail.

what if instead of spamming splashdowns, tartar decides to use one big fuck off booyah bomb.

"but, didn't booyah bomb come out after octo expansion?"

yes. yes it did. and that's why i chose booyah bomb specifically.

tartar whipped out the idea to use a booyah bomb from some prototypes it found out about after abducting god-knows-who, and used it despite its unstable build. No one, at that moment, knew whatever that was, what it did, how dangerous it was, or anything of the sort. This was some sort of last hurrah, as it knew that this was its last shot at stopping this failure from escaping the facility. And so it exerted Agent 3 into giving it everything he's got. Quite literally, even! It pushed him so hard, he too became unstable while trying to mantain and boost the energy ball.

The Booyah Bomb is thrown with as much power as Tartar could muster out of that creature, pretty much covering most of the arena. Once the ink settles, and Agent 8 gathers his senses, he looks around. Agent 3 is nowhere to be seen.

at no point in canon is sanitized agent 3 properly splatted throughout the fight — you only break their shield, they superjump back to their platform, and you eventually knock them out. you never splat them. so who's to say that, just like agent 8 during the ascent, they don't have a respawn anchor?

That's what I decided to play with here. Agent 3 is splatted with no respawn anchor. Agent 3 is dead.

The rest of octo expansion plays as normal, only that there's no passed out Agent 3 waiting at the helicopter.

Starting from here, Agent 8 becomes affiliated with the NSS through Cuttlefish after breaking the news, feeling like he needs to make it up for the loss they suffered as he feels responsible for it. He grows closer with Agent 4, and eventually they become closer friends, even staying at her place after she invited him once their friendship was more developed. This paragraph is mostly to explain how they know each other and how their friendship started, also explaining why my Agent 8 gives OtH Agent 4's number instead of Cuttlefish.

Okay! Now, back to the point of this ask. I actually had a bit of this typed out in a server I'm in!

[Agent 4] didn't really have a choice when it came to becoming Captain, being the fifth longest-standing member of the NSS after craig, the squisters and agent 3. craig was retiring, the squid sisters were still busy with their inkopolis celebrity scene, and [Agent 3] was dead. so she was the next best option.

she didnt really ask for this in the first place, and yet she accepted out of hopes of being acknowledged. When she was just an agent, the rest of the team didn't keep in touch with her much (except for Agent 8) after the events of OE, and at one point even stopped being called for whenever Callie got the shades on again. Whenever she patrolled, she did it without any previous call, and was rarely acknowledged by the others. She still kept visiting the canyon whenever she could after everyone else had moved on.

even after becoming the "captain", the others didnt usually reach out to her for assistance, and instead tended to act on their own. they never really took her as captain, rarely listening to her. so obviously this whole mess made her feel like absolute dogshit, questioning why she even decided to go through with this.

that title was meant for [Agent 3]. not for her. he was the one that came before her, and was better than her in so many ways. at least that's what the others kept repeating around her.

as much of a punch in the gut being constantly compared to someone else was, she kept pushing to try and make herself known, separate from the other's achievements. which is why she ended up accepting marina's request.

[adampage]

okay im jumping on the adamsquared train. is there a place where i should hop on board? a particular match, promo/backstage segment, BTE skit that I can watch to start unraveling it all? Emi's Beginnier's Guide to AdamSquared 101

oh god fuck shit damn so. they only had like. Five Matches that i have so far found between june 2016 and december 2016. some trios or four mans as well. but like . fucking honor club is so annoying i have yet to Understand it bc like. its nowhere near as well done as other streaming platforms where you can like searxh the wrestler and all the eps theyre in pop up. so uhh. idk man??? ive kinda just been scrubbing through the eps around that time and looking for them bc i refuse to be invested in the full roh promotion like im not tryna care about lethal or roddy or like. even the rest of bullet club sorry. bucks are there a lot with cole which IS ANNOYING but eh i deal with it .

all you need to know is. there is clearly history there and even the matxhes from last year between them ex-ude (haha) so much “we’re exes” energy that . i just cant deal like hangman and the rest of the elite are exes too but the grief is sorrowful . this grief comes out in the form of violence i cant explain . theyre annoyed with each other theyre best friends they take care of each other theyre gonna die in each others arms they want nothing to do with each other they are ALWAYS REACHING FOR EACH OTHER god . goodbye

[hinumay]

So I wrote something.... Out of nowhere I'm not really sure how much I can write bout this but here ya go

I don't have a title for it yet tho but for the meantime let's call it... Orchid's Lament

the orchid smells of sunlight and dew, of course they should be, i thought to myself, the storm has passed 2 days ago and now the warmth of the Sunfather has embraced the isles. it has always been like this, as i walk every morning through the age old corridors and in disrepaired tapestries and fading murals on this humble castle i call home, i can always smell them. i took a pause, looking up an arch with a wooden orchid symbol ornately carved i wondered there for quite long, initially i thought of how old that might’ve been, im not really that old, i think it might be older than grandfather, well, as being the youngest son, i think i might just live as long as it, slowly noticing its decay hiding inside. as if its not an apt metaphor i thought. i breathed in and continued walking towards the courtyard.

smany people think we do things strangely here, which im not really sure whether their right or not, since ive lived here for all my life and havent traveled anywhare at all. but our lord, hmm, my father usually addresses the town in the courtyard whilst other clans would either do it in an enclosed throneroom or the town center, but were not like that, id like to think its because were more closer to our subjects. my father was trying to speak over the loud noises of concern and even some shouting of worry, there must be a problem in the device since hes standing up imploring 9 thousand people inside a castle that can support only 2 thousand to listen. i was escorted in behind the platform, along with my kelpper my dog, there was indeed a commotion on the staff, for some reason, somebody seemed to have hammered the vox, gosh, thats an expensive thing, its like 90crowns, 5 years of the town’s earnings is what it is, and somebody just decided to damage it. i looked around adn found my eldest brother trying to organize this mess, “they did it” he said furrowing his brows more filled with concern though rather than rage. my brother Enver is an amazing man, he usually is annoying once he starts odering you specifically, but he was born to it, he was the eldes i mean he didn really have a choice did he, but he performed well as a leader, he isnt like our grandfather who had a bellowing voice of command and charisma, or like our mother who had been liked by so many of her students and had become somewhat of a legend in the town school for always putting their needs first, my brother is somewhat a mix of my father’s subtlety and my mother’s determination, and in all honesty, to see him worried like this frightens me. “wheres Serdar?” i asked, “there busy trying to organize the crowds on the gates of the castle, hes working on his light screens along with Hans. after a while though, several aids and guards did manage to bring in the replacement. ”repairing it would cost a lot, i murmured“ trying to redirect the conversation, my dog whined in agreement. they managed to set it up quick and our conversation was abruptly cut as the voice of my father, trying to imitate his father before him echoed through the castle halls. and suddenly the sound of 20 thundering engines of 25 ft tall walkers in vaguely humanoid shape old beaten and battered but ornately designed, bearing shields and swords wearing the orchid symbol on their pauldrons slowly started to stand in synchronized attention in response to my father’s plea for the people to listen. these are the guardians of our isles, these are our knights.

[imfiguringitoutlovely]

breakup comfort||bakusquad (part 2)

PART 1

pairing: platonic!bakusquad x gn!reader

type: angst, comfort

warnings: toxic relationship (not w the squad), breakup, emotional manipulation, guilt tripping

author's notes: thank you. thank you all so fucking much. im working on the other requests ive gotten, too, i hope to get them out soon!! i hope y'all are doin ok 😩 love yall so much!

Kaminari Denki

FIRST OF ALL Y'ALL HES NOT DUMB AND I'M NOT TAKING ANY REBUTTALS

he's not dumb, he just takes a little longer to catch onto things sometimes and that's okay (this is not a self-insert i mean what-)

when you first told him about your relationship, he was immediately supportive. okay, well, maybe he wasn't supportive of WHO you were in a relationship with, but he was supportive of your decisions. he wasn't going to say anything to make you feel bad or abandon you. no, he was going to encourage you to do what made you happy, and promise to be there no matter what.

and there he was. at your door with your favorite pizza, mountain dew (for himself, of course, he brought your favorite drink), and the nintendo switch he begged sero to lend to him. why? well, he may have noticed you seemed a bit down lately. and he may have asked bakugou why. and bakugou may have hit his head a little, ask how he was so stupid, and explain blunty that your partner had basically just cut you off out of nowhere. guess that explained why katsuki seemed to be holding back as many insults.

but nobody knew how to comfort you the way good ol' denki did. and now he was on an even greater mission to do so because apparently it'd been a whole week since it started happening.

when you answered the door, music stopping abruptly a few seconds before and your eyes puffy, he really put the dots together as to just how much it was taking its toll on you.

when he stepped in, seeing your school work untouched and your laptop open so you could refresh the tab to check for new dms, he got angry. you were more on top of things than anyone else he knew, and for someone to be completely digging into your mind and ruining that for you just... ugh, he almost went bakubro mode.

but he didn't. because he knows better. instead he put down the pizza as you closed the door.

"i figured you maybe aren't ready to talk about it all yet... so sero let me borrow his switch. i know you like beating me." he gave a nervous, crooked smile as he held out a controller to you.

he wasn't good at this, at feelings, and he knew you weren't really either. but you two, over time, learned that sometimes you had to try and get it out one way before you were ready to speak it. he wasn't surprised when you silently took the controller and sat on your bed as he set up the switch to display on your pc monitor. he picked Pikachu, mostly because he enjoyed how it would make you roll your eyes with a smile sometimes, but when he saw you not smiling, he figured he'd probably do shitty and let you win and then blame his shit gaming skills.

after four rounds with only the sound of the game, you found the energy to mumble.

"bakugou tell you?"

"uh... yeah."

"jerk. he took my phone as a joke, but when i started freaking out, he made me tell him. i... you were right, kaminari. i know you never said it out loud, but i could tell. you knew it wasn't going to work. that i wasn't good enough for them."

pikachu fell off the platform, but didnt even try jumping up to save himself. instant loss. "what?"

"i saw the way you looked when we were talking. i-i was so...clingy and annoying. and i think that drove them away. and you-you saw that, but you didn't want to be mean, right?"

"hey-" he ignored your character doing their victory move. "i know i'm not the brightest, but i'd have to be some weird kind of idiot to think you were the issue-"

"then what was the issue?! and why didn't you tell me when you-when you saw it-?!"

"you were happy, [Your Name]." when you went quiet, he looked and realized you were crying.

"i'm sorry. this-this isn't your fault, i just... we talked yesterday and they- they told me what i messed up on. but they won't let me fix it and-and i just..." you sighed, trying to wipe your tears away before he could see more.

"if i thought you weren't a good person, or you did something wrong, i wouldn't have brought you pizza."

you wondered for a moment if he was just joking to make you smile, but when you realized it was 100% serious, it drew a little laugh out of you. you leaned your head on his shoulder.

"yeah... yeah, i guess that's true."

you two spent the rest of the day in your dorm playing smash with kaminari showing some progress in the game.

this wouldn't be your last day this way. some days were going to be harder than others. some days, it would feel like there was no point in trying to move forward. on those days, denki showed up with some sort of mukbang-energy meal and a couple video games or movies. he never pushed you to talk. you would talk when you were ready, and he knew that.

he learned how to comfort you better when you did open up. he learned that it's best to let you deal with it at your own pace while also making sure you didn't just hole up and neglect yourself all day. he learned how to really be there, and he did his best to be as emotionally present as possible through it.

overall, 10/10. very nice, very chill and never brings it up unless you do first. and he never treats you diffetently, really. more physically there than usual, yeah, but he does NOT pity you or look down on you for it.

yup. he's good. i can tell. :)

Sero Hanta

AGAIN IM A SIMP SO IM SORRY IF IT SEEMS SUPER BIASED BC IT IS-

best boy. no, shut up, there is no argument, he is the best boy.

he finds out after borrowing your phone to grub hub. (look, it's not that he can't or won't cook, he just... well actually that's what it is, sorry, he's still learning-)

he was on the app, placing your order, when w bunch of notifications of messages came through. you were in the bathroom and well... sero couldn't just put the phone down. he wasn't trying to be a snoop, he was just caught off guard. the messages, they were aggressive. rude. manipulative, and he wondered who could possible say those kind of things to his bestie, the person who was practically family at this point. he looked at the contact name. it wasn't their name directly, but the little heart by the name paired with what was being said made the picture clear.

after the spam seemed to stop is when he put the phone down. he hadn't finished the order because he forgot he was even placing one.

when you walked back in, drying your hair with your towel and immediately talking about how you'd beat him up if he messed up your order again, he sat up tall on your bed. the worry was clear on his face and you stopped talking.

"uh... sero?" you paused again, and then let out an uneasy laugh. "you-you messed it up, huh-?"

"[Your name]. I wasn't looking for it, you just got a ton of new notifications. But before you read them, I want you to know they had no right to send those."

he barely finished when you grabbed your phone, face fallen as you scrolled through the messages.

"no... no, no. this is- this had to be a mistake. they-they just left. right? and now they're - uh... they're just talking out of... out of..." he watched as you sat on the bed, staring at your screen. he heard your voice crack. "they didn't mean to send that."

"[Your nickname]..." sero sighed quietly and scoot to sit next to you. he gently took the phone from your hand and set it aside. touch. y'all's love language was touch and he knew it. he wrapped an arm around you and you fell apart, leaning into him as the tears started to fall.

"i knew i shouldn't have- shouldn't have kept trying to reach out, i- i-"

he let you vent it out. there was no use in cutting you off, no use in letting you keep all those thoughts and fears in. so he let you get it out of your system. by the end, he was leaning against the wall your bed was pressed against and you had your head in his lap. you were staring at the ceiling.

"you did nothing wrong, okay?" he started running his hands through your hair. "you know that. i know that. they know that. that's why they said all that nasty stuff." he didn't look at you. he knew you needed some time to brrathe without being watched.

"can you spend the night? we can olay on my console."

yeah. that was okay, too. he did spend the night, insisting on taking the floor at first until you insisted on splitting the bed which turned into cuddling. you appreciated that he wasn't too reserved about that, that he didn't make it into a huge deal or make you feel weird about it. you two didn't talk much, not until around midnight when you started spewing thoughts out like word vomit. he joined in a couple minutes into it, and that's how you two were for the next couple days.

you'd space out sometimes to avoid getting caught up in all the hurt, and he knew that. he went along with it, responding to you in a way that made sense without making you feel guilty for going on your rants.

nobody else really understood, but as long as sero did, it was okay. he also helped you through the process of actually ending contact with them. it was at whatever pace you felt comfortable with, and so long as you promised to let him know if you ever changed your mind or were having second thoughts about anything.

sleepovers. yes. you would sneak. you thought you two were so smart too 😩 aizawa knew, he just let it be because they made you look better emotionally.

1000000/10, would also learn to cook w you and y'all would make a fuCKING MESS BUT IT WAS FUN-

[itsbenedict]

I didn’t post about everything I played this year, so here’s my opinions on the stuff I played that I didn’t make a rec post for:

Raging Loop 

Raging Loop is one of them twisty meta Zero Escape-y branching-path visual novels where an ensemble cast is trapped in a mysterious circumstance where people are dying gruesomely, and you have to find out what’s happening and stop it by looping a bunch. 

I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it, because... it tries to have its cake and eat it too with the supernatural elements. Clearly magic is real and has important impacts on the scenario, but then other parts are trickery you’re supposed to see through, and it’s entirely uninterested in cluing you in to how that trickery was accomplished. Not exactly a fair play mystery, in that regard- you have to kind of just be along for the ride, rather than try to figure it out.

That said, it’s a good ride- pretty strong character writing, and the central conceit of the Werewolf/Mafia-style murder scenario creates really interesting drama. It’s more concerned with making itself feel clever than letting the player feel clever, but it’s still well-paced and gripping and has a pretty decent resolution.

Detective Grimoire

I recommended Tangle Tower, the sequel, pretty strongly- and this one, while obviously a little rougher around the edges with the art and mechanics (the suspicion tracker system is a total dud; I didn’t even realize it existed until I realized I was missing an achievement for using it), it’s still pretty darn good. Really fun character designs and animations, fully-voiced, and a solid whodunit backing it all. Plus- while the two are more or less self-contained, the continuity threads with Tangle Tower raised some really interesting questions.

Contradiction - the all-video murder mystery

This one was pretty fun, largely on the strength of the actors. The main mechanic of interrogating people on evidence and using their own statements against each other was some good stuff, too. Definitely had that Phoenix Wright quality to the deductions, and Jenks is a really fun character. (Had a few points where progression was just linked to standing in a certain previously-abandoned area of the map where a clue was suddenly there for no reason, there- good thing it had a hint system.)

As a mystery, it could use a little work- most of what you end up finding out is sequel bait (for a sequel that never actually came together, unfortunately), and the actual whodunit is just sort of hiding in the cracks of all that. And... cornering the culprit just sort of happens out of nowhere once you’ve got your hands on the right piece of evidence, without much fanfare. You’re following up on leads like usual, you find a little lie in someone’s testimony, and then- oh, shit, they’re just confessing everything! Unlike all the previous times you questioned them and they were super evasive like everyone else! And then the game is over. 

All in all, it’s pretty meaty and entertaining and I’d recommend it, but unfortunately the creators have moved on to other things, so there’s not going to be any follow-up on the stuff it left unresolved.

Ikenfell

Ikenfell is a tightly-designed RPG about kids at a magic school, with Paper Mario-style action command mechanics and a battle system that makes a big deal out of careful positioning and movement, which was really enjoyable. The difficulty’s a little high (I recommend always always always speccing into max damage because killing things before they kill you is worth more than any amount of defense, speed doesn’t work, and healing is cheap), but I found it really satisfying.

There’s... something... off? About... I don’t know how to put it, it’s... doing that “yes, everyone is queer and mentally ill, deal with it” thing, which, sure, okay. But for a lot of them it’s such a background thing, like... half the playable cast is unambiguously nonbinary, but like... I don’t know if it’s trying to make some statement on how there are no rules to being NB and you can 100% perform a particular binary gender presentation but still count, or if they wrote the whole story and then changed the pronouns of some of the characters for Representation Points, or what. Probably the former? I dunno, it just feels weird. Maybe I’m just not woke enough to Get It.

(unrelatedly: why the heck is the official art they use everywhere so... off-model? none of them look like they do in-game- they look like the creator commissioned someone to draw a group shot with one reference image each and didn’t tell them anything about the characters. how much you wanna bet they commissioned a friend and it came out wrong but they were too polite to say “sorry, no, this is wrong, can you do it over?”)

Trails of Cold Steel IV

Hoo boy. It’s... not great, and it’s not great in a pretty predictable way for an even-numbered entry in the Trails series. It happens every time- first there’s a game in a new engine with new characters and a new world to explore, and it’s really nice and does interesting things... and then it ends on a cliffhanger, and then there’s a sequel game in the same engine with the same characters and the same world, reusing as many assets as possible. Also the League Of Generically Evil Anime Supervillains is there causing trouble for reasons they refuse to explain, and the plot is a storm of magicbabble and macguffin-chasing that makes little to no sense. 

Cold Steel IV is that for Cold Steel III, full stop. Welcome back to all the same places you visited last game, except this time there’s some stupid magic apocalypse happening (not that it stops you from taking the time to do random sidequests constantly, of course). The whole “oh, the evil curse mind controls people and that’s why they do stupid bullshit that’s in no one’s interest” plot point is leaned on super hard, and it’s just a big yawn the whole way through.

It’s still really fun, though, because the battle system remains really well-designed. (The same battle system that was just as fun in Cold Steel III, mind you, but it hasn’t gotten old.) And- though they’re struggling to square it with the dumb mind control apocalypse plot, the NPC dialogue continues to make the world feel believable and lived-in. They don’t slack on the parts that make Trails good- it’s just the parts that make Trails bad are making themselves more evident than ever.

did finally get to date Towa though so that’s a win

One Step From Eden

OSFE is... uh. It’s fucking hard is what it is. It’s sort of a deckbuilding roguelike, and there’s this combat that takes place on a grid, and- wait, it’s like Mega Man Battle Network, it’s exactly like Mega Man Battle Network. Man, I forgot about that, but the mechanical influence is extremely obvious. It’s MMBN meets Slay the Spire.

Except it’s super duper hard as hell, because unlike MMBN you can’t pause and swap out chips or anything- everything is just always happening so much, all at once, everywhere, and you have no recourse but to git gud and learn all the enemy patterns and the behavior of your own spells and develop the twitch reflexes necessary to not fucking die from all the shit that’s on the screen always.

(What’s the story? Uhhhh, there was some kind of magic apocalypse, and some anime girls are trying to reach a city for some reason that doesn’t really get explained ever. The game doesn’t really care to build its world at all- it’s all mechanics plus a little token character dialogue that doesn’t say much.)

The point is it’s really frickin’ hard but I am an epic pro gamer and I got ALL THE ACHIEVEMENTS, MOTHERFUCKER. If you’ve played it, I expect you to be really god damn impressed with me, okay???

A Short Hike

This one was really relaxing! It’s a platformer where you explore an Animal Crossing-y island of cartoon animal people, collecting mobility upgrades- but like, mainly it’s about straight chillin’. The flight controls are fun and there’s lots of little secrets to find and it’s just a nice time that doesn’t drag on too long. Not too much to say about this one.

Pokémon Sword

Ehhhhh.

I’m not here for the hot takes about how Dexit is good actually. Development hell happened, they had to make cuts for time, I get it. It’s disappointing and makes the game a little bit worse, but it’s not the end of the world.

Apart from that... perfectly serviceable? The Wild Area could’ve used a little more technical polish (as could most things in the game, really) but was a step in the right direction, giving the player a wider array of early-game team-building options than ever before. No HMs is good. Story and characters were kind of nothing, but that’s par for the course. “At least this time they’re not shoehorning in some kind of stupid evil-team-wants-legendary-pokemon-to-destroy-the-world apocalypse plot”, I thought to myself before they managed to shoehorn one in at the last minute with zero buildup- but, hey, beats wasting half the game on it.

It’s nothing special and it’s missing a lot of polish, but its problems are mainly due to being rushed, and presumably next gen they’ll be able to reuse a lot of the models and animations (maybe even improve the animations so they’re not so boring??? a man can dream) and make something interesting. SwSh seem like they were testing the waters for something else, and not taking too many chances in the meantime. 

(yo why would you sell all these cosmetic items and then turn them all off during gym battles, though) 

Hades

Hades is- oh, who am I kidding? Everyone knows Hades, it’s the game of the year, greatest thing since sliced bread, Supergiant are heroes, yada yada yada. I’ve played almost 300 hours of it and I’ve completed everything except all the Resources Director levels (currently a Sigma Wraith), it’s extremely fun and you don’t need me to tell you that.

Petal Crash

It was that thing the Paranatural creator helped on? It’s, uh. It’s a block-sliding puzzle game thing, sort of in a Puyo Puyo vein. It has fun character designs and some good dialogue, like you’d expect from Zack’s involvement, but it didn’t really leave an impression otherwise (besides how got dang infuriating some of its Turn Trial puzzles can be.) The story is... kinda heartwarming, kinda didactic, kinda childish, not especially deep or interesting. Hard for it to be, when it’s told through little bits of fluffy character dialogue that exist to set up a puzzle battle as quickly as possible. Not super recommended unless you really really like block-sliding puzzles.

Hollow Knight

Man, why’d I sleep on this for so long? It’s a metroidvania platformer with heavy Dark Souls inspiration, in terms of tone and difficulty and death mechanics and environmental storytelling. And it’s... apart from all that, just really good as a game, with tight controls and juicy movement and great animation. Progression is linked as much to mastery as it is to upgrades collected- I found myself in lategame areas facing down things that would’ve killed me ten times over at the start- not because I had the best gear, but because I’d learned the game’s language and understood how to move in ways that wouldn’t get me killed.

(Usually. Sometimes I’d walk into a room and sit on a bench and suddenly there’d be a boss fight and I’d get slaughtered. Ain’t that just the way it goes?)

Anyway, on top of all that it’s just charming as hell, with a really unique and well-realized world full of little bug people. I love how, like, your character is clearly some kind of eldritch abomination, but it’s small and cute and so everyone (besides enemies that attack you on sight because they’re possessed by some kinda evil mold) is like “awww, who’s this little guy? want some help, little guy?”

(except Zote, who is just an ass hole. i love him.)

[tsarisfanfiction]

Desert Sands: Part 5

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Teen Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Family Characters: Scott, John, Alan, Virgil, Gordon

Back with another section, just to prove I’m still alive.  RL is throwing me through several loops and with uni just around the corner I’m a bit too busy freaking out about that for my muses to want to work, apparently (it’s hardly my first degree but apparently that’s not stopping them from shutting down).  I have some backlog to post, still, but at least for now the days of near-daily updates are over.  Hopefully once I get into the swing of uni my muses will come back...

<<<Part 4

Alan reached across him to place the first cool pack on Scott’s forehead, and they were rewarded with another groan and flutter of eyelashes.

“Scott?” John tried again, aware of Alan echoing the name.  “Are you with us?”

His lips moved slowly, but no sound came out.

“Come on, Scott,” Alan pleaded, placing a second pack by his neck. Whether it was Alan’s words or the pack, John wasn’t sure, but blue eyes opened a crack.

Scott didn’t look at either of them; his eyes were so clouded and unlike their usual vibrant hue that John suspected he was barely awake, and probably entirely unaware of his surroundings.  Still, it was a sign of life, and he renewed his attempts to remove as much of Scott’s uniform as possible.

“No, no, Scott!”  He paused and looked back up at Alan, who had paused in packing a cool pack under Scott’s left armpit to pat his brother’s face lightly.  “Stay awake!”

Scott rolled his head away from the stimulation, his groan sounding more like a moan of protest than an unconscious sound, and John abandoned the half-cut uniform at the hip to join Alan.

“Scott?” he called, cupping his brother’s face in his hands and wincing at the clammy skin.  “Can you hear me?”  He turned to Alan briefly.  “Keep going with the packs.”  The teenager nodded, his face troubled, and John saw him carefully place one over the broken collarbone before returning his attention to Scott, who was still making small, half-conscious noises of the protesting variety and closing his eyes again.  “No you don’t, Scott.  Keep those eyes open.”  It took a couple more pats, but Scott responded, opening his eyes again.  They were slightly clearer, a hopeful sign that awareness was returning to him, and John took the chance to accept a bottle of clean water from Alan and gently wash the worst of the blood from his face, looking for the source.

That got more of a reaction from Scott, who rolled his head into the cool stream.  John caught his chin and kept him still before he put his mouth and nose into the water.

“Easy, Scott,” he soothed, finding a nasty cut above his left eye and carefully bathing it with water to wash out any foreign objects.

“-n.”  Scott’s next moan almost sounded like an attempt at speech, but for all his multilingual fluency, John couldn’t decipher it.  That wasn’t particularly unusual with semi-conscious individuals – John had heard Scott himself returning to consciousness with incoherent sounds over the comms before – but it gave him hope that Scott might not have been fully unconscious the entire time.  After all, the raised shoulder restraints implied that Scott had got himself out of his chair.  Whether that was before or after the head injury was another matter entirely, but that was a consideration for later.

At some point Alan had reclaimed the cutting tool and was continuing the task of stripping off the flight suit, leaving Scott in just his underwear and revealing a multitude of bruises.  John checked the scan’s results again, just to double check that no internal injuries had been flagged up.  They hadn’t, but Scott was still going to be sore for some time until he healed.

It was still too hot inside Thunderbird One, but they had nowhere better to move to and John watched anxiously as the medical scanner recorded Scott’s temperature inch up to one oh five.  The cooling packs were slowing the increase, but doing little to stop it. They did, at least, seem to be helping Scott remain semi-conscious as he made another nonsensical noise.

“We’ll have you out of here soon,” John reassured him, placing some gauze over the gash and securing it in place with medical tape.  They could do a better job later, but it would at least keep it clean until Thunderbird Two arrived.  “Alan, how far out are they?”

A roar of engines answered him before Alan could, and Virgil appeared over the red comm.

“We’re coming in to land now; how is he?”

“Broken collarbone, minor head injury and a temperature of one oh five,” John reported.  “He’s semi-conscious but I don’t know if he’s aware of his surroundings or just responding to the stimulus of the cooling packs.  We can’t cool him down, though; Thunderbird One’s temperature regulator is offline and it’s baking hot in here.”

“Can he be moved?”  Thunderbird One juddered slightly as Thunderbird Two landed beside her, and Virgil’s hologram went through the motions of leaving his seat and heading for the module.

“We’ll need a stretcher,” John sighed.  “I don’t think his shoulder should be moved more than necessary, but I don’t know how you’ll get back out of the dorsal hatch with a stretcher.”

“Thunderbird One’s already unable to fly, more damage won’t make a difference,” Virgil pointed out.  The idea of cutting up one of their Thunderbirds made John wince, but Virgil was right – Thunderbird One was already disabled, and they had to get Scott out as soon as they could.  “Scans put Alan and two other life signs in the cockpit?”

“We’re under the pilot seat,” John confirmed.

“Under it?”  Footsteps echoed through the hull of Thunderbird One as someone – presumably Virgil – walked over the top.

“It looks like Scott tried to get out,” John explained.  “The harness is up and we found him on the floor.”

There was a familiar grumble at that as Virgil presumably once again had some choice words to mutter about idiotic brothers making themselves worse under his breath.  “Okay, stay where you are.  I’m cutting a way in.”

The high-pitched whine of a laser started up as the communication dropped, and John glanced back to see a glowing red spot several paces back at the side of the fuselage.  Scott made another noise of distress as metal clanged down and sunlight streamed in through the new hole in Thunderbird One, silhouetting Virgil and Gordon’s outlines before the last brothers made their way inside.  Gordon was towing the stretcher, but hung back as Virgil nudged Alan out of the way and joined John by Scott’s head.

“Scott, can you hear me?” he asked, leaning over to plant himself in front of hazed blue eyes and extracting a penlight from his toolbelt, which he shined into them.  Scott sluggishly attempted to turn his head away, making more noises of complaint, but Virgil cupped his chin and held him still.  His pupil constricted slowly, confirming John’s fears of a concussion, and Virgil put the penlight away again.  “Scott?”

“Vrrr.”

“Okay, let’s get you out of this heat,” Virgil decided.  “Gordon, get that stretcher over here.”  Knowing that his brothers had far better experience dealing with extraction, John backed off and let his aquanaut brother take his place. He found Alan and watched from beside his youngest brother as Virgil manipulated Scott’s right arm into a sling before gently sliding their eldest brother onto the hover stretcher Gordon had laid down.  “John, Alan, go on ahead.  There isn’t room for four of us to move the stretcher in here.”

Alan hesitated, but it was true that there was very little room to manoeuvre inside Thunderbird One, and a single nudge from John had him scrambling out of the hole in her side.  Thunderbird Two was settled only a few feet away, front hatch lowered, and they headed for it, waiting in the shade beneath the green ‘bird for Virgil and Gordon to emerge with Scott’s stretcher.

It was a long half minute before the bright green of Virgil’s baldric emerged into the blazing sunlight, and John noticed that a foil blanket had been loosely draped over the top of Scott, presumably to protect him from the sun as they hurried the short distance to the platform.  All five of them fit on, although it was a tight squeeze with the stretcher, and John couldn’t help the sigh of relief as they entered the blissfully cool cockpit of a Thunderbird with working aircon.

He was once again bundled out of the way as the hoverstretcher was attached to the ports at the rear of the cockpit and the foil blanket was whisked away. Alan edged forwards next to Gordon as the aquanaut kept talking to Scott, keeping up a steady stream of chatter even as he replaced the cooling packs Alan had applied with fresh ones, pausing for breath whenever Scott made a noise.  Virgil had busied himself with an IV, and was setting it up in Scott’s left arm.  John assumed it was to rehydrate him, and came up behind Alan to look at Scott’s face.

His eyes were still open, and to John’s delight they were no longer staring blankly at nothing, but sluggishly attempting to look around as Gordon finished replacing the old cool packs and kept packing any exposed skin with fresh ones. After a moment they met his and stopped.

“-on?”

That could almost have been an attempt at his name – or Gordon’s – and he stepped closer, Alan stumbling out of his way.

“Scott?” he asked again, resting his hand lightly on what little exposed skin he could reach between cool packs on his brother’s shoulder.  Scott blinked at him, and John could see his eyes clearing. A quick glance at the medical scanner’s data told him that his temperature was finally starting to fall.

“Whyrrere?”  Scott blinked again, and then to John’s delight attempted to sit up, left hand raising to his head.  Virgil was quick to put a stop to the movement, a large hand gently on his chest too difficult for their weakened brother to fight.

“Are you back with us, Scott?” their younger brother asked, guiding his arm back down.  “Don’t move.” John found himself the target of brown eyes.  “Don’t let him.”  He nodded in understanding, returning his attention to Scott as the man groaned.

“W’appened?”

“What do you remember?” John asked, as Virgil busied himself with more medical equipment.

“One sh’down,” Scott slurred, blue eyes fixed firmly on John.  The lack of any further attempts to move concerned him – it was well known that to keep an injured Scott in one place, restraints were often required.  “N’repon’ing. Gonna crssh.”

“You did crash,” John confirmed, letting Gordon move him to the side so he could clean and redress the head wound, to Scott’s disgruntlement.  “How are you feeling?”

Scott frowned, closing his eyes briefly, and Virgil nudged him.  “No sleeping, Scott.”

“N’sleeping,” Scott protested, opening his eyes again.  “Hot.  Cold.”

“That’s the heat exhaustion,” Virgil told him.  “We’re bringing your temperature down.  Once it’s below a hundred I’ll give you something for the pain.”

“Wha’ pain?” Scott groaned, and despite the situation they all managed to find a small smile.  Typical Scott.  “M’n’urting.”

“Sure you’re not,” Virgil humoured him.  “Well, as you’re ‘fine’, I’ll leave you in John’s hands while I get us ready to go home.  Come on, Gordon.  You, too, Alan.”

“’brrd One?” Scott asked suddenly, turning his head to watch them head back to the hatch and dislodging the cooling pack on his forehead.  John retrieved it and held it in position for him.

“They’ll get her home,” he promised.  “Relax, Scott.  We’ve got you.”

Scott looked back at him, brow furrowed underneath the cooling pack. Sensing that his big brother was about to try and get up again, John rested his palm on his chest in a mimicry of Virgil’s earlier action.  He wasn’t as strong as his younger brother, but with heat exhaustion and pain working against him, Scott was still unable to fight him and surrendered with a dark look.

“Whyyre you here?” he asked, and John shook his head fondly.

“Rescuing my brother,” he said, and Scott fixed him with a Look, glancing up meaningfully.  “Thunderbird Five lost your signal,” he admitted.  “I was more use down here.”

“And we will be having a discussion about your travel arrangements,” Virgil cut in, reappearing into the cockpit.  “Sit down and strap in while I get us in the air.”  John took one look at his older brother and fastened the straps to keep him from moving around before obeying, to Scott’s disgruntlement.

“My brrd?”

“We’re not leaving your girl behind, don’t worry,” Virgil assured him. “She’s a bit battered, but nothing Brains can’t handle once we get her home.”

John didn’t think Brains was going to be particularly pleased about constructing an entirely new sweep wing, especially not on top of replacing at least half the external panels and the entire electronics system, but said nothing. He was well aware that he was in for more than one lecture about the crippled space elevator, and with Thunderbird Shadow also in need of major repairs, keeping Brains sweet was going to be all but impossible.

Part 6>>>

[princessjungeun]

Gave It All For You:Denise x Reader

Being a trainee at YG was incredibly demanding and stressful. In addition to being one of the youngest trainees on the elite level, you were also a foreigner who spoke very little Korean. For weeks you struggled to communicate with others, resorting to body language because speaking English was banned for you.

Being a trainee became a living hell for you, although you loved dancing and singing with all your heart, you started to lose your passion for it as days went by. Instructors consistently criticized your every move, every note you sang, no matter how much you practiced it was never enough. Weigh ins were somewhat ok, you were right where they wanted you, but you were always wishing you could eat a junk food in secret.

However all of that changed the day you met Denise, a small girl from Houston, Texas. She became your roommate when Hana, another trainee, left the company.

The two of you instantly became best friends, you showed her around everywhere and introduced her to other trainees. She helped you improve your Korean skills and within a few short months you were able to hold a conversation pretty well.

Denise was known for her voice whereas you were known for your dance skills. Although you trained with the elite team, you always found time to be around Denise.

You and Denise often stayed up late, practicing for evaluations. She used you as a dance coach because you were one of the best dancers in the company, right under another girl, Lalisa. Your dance skills were recognized by the company and you were moved from the Elites to the Pinks, a secret team of trainees. Hana, your old roommate trained with them.

Even though you never told Denise about being moved from one team up to another, she didn’t notice. Your friendship with Denise grew stronger as time went on. Throughout this time you also developed feelings for her. They were confirmed after you two shared a random kiss during a 2 am conversation. These feelings you thought were one sided, truly weren’t...but Denise would never let you know that.

•

•

•

However there was a change of plans, and you officially debuted with Secret Number in May of 2020. The fan base you all had was incredibly large especially for rookies with only a month of debut under their belt.

Promotions ended a week ago and you all were finally getting some rest after four weeks of nonstop performances and interviews.

Jinny, Denise, and you sat around in Dita and Denise’s shared room. The other members were out shopping while you three were reminiscing over your trainee days. You and Denise laughed over how intimidated you both were by Jinny back during YG days.

“Remember when she was wearing platform boots with a broken ankle? That was dedication right there.” You talked about how Jinny broke her ankle and still managed to pull off any clothing she put on.

“Oh my gosh yeah. And I remember how she left and then I decided to leave to come here too, and you followed me.” Denise brought up how the two of you switched companies, moving from YG to Vine.

You nervously laughed hoping that this part of the conversation would end because Denise only knew half the story.

Jinny scrolled through her phone and said “I don’t know why Y/N came here to be honest...I would have stayed if I was the close to debut.” Your eyes widened at your unnies remark. Denise asked “what’re you talking about? She wasn’t close to debut?”

Your best friend’s eyes found yours and you were frozen stiff. Jinny now realized the mistake she made “wait you never told her did you?” You shook your head and let out a high pitched, panic filled “uh uh”.

Jinny nervously laughed and said “well I better uh...i’m gonna let you explain this” before bolting out of the room.

Denise asked you “Y/N...what was she talking about? Close to debut when?” You sighed and decided to run through the whole story.

“When we were at YG, there was a secret project, a new girl group. There was nine of them. Rosie, Jisoo, Jennie, Lalisa, Jinny, Miyeon, Hana, Eunbi, and Yuna. But slowly girls started dropping out little by little. You took Miyeon’s spot in our dorm, she was my old roommate. So by the time you came there was only five of them. Lalisa, Rosie, Jennie, Jisoo, and Jinny.”

Denise kept her eyes on yours and nodded for you to continue.

“There were three teams of trainees. The newbies, that was you. The Elites, that’s where I was. And the secret project, PunkPink...later named Blackpink. But the thing was, with so many girls leaving the group that was preparing to debut, they wanted to fill gaps. So everytime the Elites had a monthly evaluation, there was the chance we could be chosen to be put into Punk- I mean Blackpink.”

“So, as you know Jinny unnie left and came here. And Miyeon too. Which left what’s now Blackpink. But, there was someone who was added into the group last minute and was set to debut for sure...and it was me.”

Denise responded “so that’s why I stopped seeing you in mixed dance practices? That’s why you came home so late? And that’s why you started dieting out of nowhere?” You nodded and she suddenly asked “wait then why did you leave? You were literally going to debut within like two months.”

You responded “let me finish. One day after my evaluation I was called into a meeting. There the CEO told me he wanted me moved up into the Pinks team. He told me I was going to start the next day, and I had to sign the contract at the end of the month. So I started training with them, and debut was within close reach...by a few short months. But two days before I was going to sign the contract, I found you crying in our dorm room. We talked about a lot that night...and you decided you wanted to join Jinny here, at Vine. Then you asked me if I’d come with you, if we could leave YG together. And I said yes.”

“The next day you terminated your contract and we packed our bags to leave. And the day we left, that morning, do you remember what happened?” You asked her curiously. She replayed the memory in her head.

She had just finished packing her bags and Vine had already accepted her and you as a trainee. Denise had her two suitcases ready, her guitar slung over her shoulder. You both pulled your suitcases to the building lobby and she called an Uber.

You told her “I’ll be right back, give me ten minutes ok?” She nodded with a smile and watched you run off down the hallway.

What she didn’t see was how,You sprinted up the stairs and saw your PD-Nim waiting for you, the contract and pen sitting in front of a chair. You told him “i am sorry sir. My contract is to be terminated, Ive been transferred to another company, I’m leaving in eight minutes.”

His beady eyes looked into yours “are you sure Y/N-ssi. This girl group is going to be one of the best in the world. You’re making a mistake.” You smiled “I appreciate everything you and this company has done for me. I truly do. I wish you and the four girls all the best. Thank you sir.” You bowed before watching him tear up the contract calmly.

Quickly you checked the time on your phone, five minutes. You sprinted to a practice room that was reserved for the Pinks team.

“Y/N! Why are you out of breath are you ok?” Jisoo asked you. You pulled all four of them into a hug “thank you for making these past four weeks the best of my life. I’m leaving, I just terminated my contract...” The four of them smiled and said “it was nice having you, good luck.” You hugged them individually before sprinting back to the lobby to meet Denise again. Your bags had already been loaded into a van.

When you came back she brushed a hair from your face. She asked “you ok? You look out of breath.” Denise held her hand out and you interlocked her hands with hers “yeah,let’s go.”

She suddenly realized “wait when you ran off that morning...you terminated your contract?!” You nodded and said “yeah...I did.” Denise asked “why would you do that? What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?” You responded “Love makes you do crazy things Denise.”

She asked “what?” You told her “I love you, Ive loved you since the day we both confessed that we never kissed anyone, and decided to be each other’s first kisses. I realized that day that I couldn’t lose you, even if it meant losing something I desperately wanted. But I wanted you more...”

Denise leaned forwards and pulled you into her arms, she held you close and said “I love you. I love you so much.” You looked up at her and shared into her eyes before capturing her lips in yours. She fell back into her chair with you in her lap. You toyed with her fingers and said “i’d give it all for you, i love you too.”

[queenmuzz]

Deep Blue Sea: Chapter IV

The way to a merman’s heart....

For a link to the full story on Ao3, click here

“You gotta be more specific than 'small silvery fish with spots' when describing the type you like, Vergil. That covers dozens of groups, let alone individual types.” You sat, back to the glass, while on your laptop, pulling up picture after picture of similar looking fish. Vergil floated behind your shoulder, steadily dismissing each picture.

“Well, the issue is that you humans seem to have picked a different name for it than we have” he almost seemed faintly amused at your frustration.

“What does the name 'Cordina' mean anyway?” You closed the browser window with the latest batch of rejected pictures. Well, it wasn't herring... what if it was a fish that humans just didn't eat?

“It is just a name in Old Mer. Do your names of your food staples have to mean something?”

He had a point. A cow was just that... a cow. You grumbled, this was going nowhere... You slammed the laptop shut, and spun to face him. He had been a lot closer than you expected, nearly plastered to the glass, and he quickly darted back, as if he had been caught doing something bad. Had there been no glass or water there, you would have been able to feel his breath on the back of your neck.... the thought of that made you feel warm...

“Alright wise guy, tell me something else about the fish, like how it moves, where it lives, any peculiar oddities it doesn't share with any other fish.” He cocked his head to the side, and his eyes looked upward as he recalled the information.

“It prefers cold water, and usually stays in the far south, ” He said, which was no help. Quite a few species were like that. “But...every so often, when the seasons make a full cycle, a current of cold water juts far north, and the Cordina follow it, to forage in the new territory. At the same time, the warmth of the Ringed Sea pushes against it, forcing the fish into a long narrow column, close to the coast. And since the water is shallow, the fish are easy picking for both the birds above and the predators below. And thus, the feeding begins”

Hmmm, that sounded familiar...you wracked your brain, trying to remember where you had heard of that phenomenon. A memory of a professor, showing an image of the east coast of Southern Africa...AHA! You yanked open your laptop again, and typed in words, bringing up the image of a fish that fit the description. Flipping it around, you showed him.

“BEHOLD! The Sardine! Specifically Sardinops sagax, South African Sardine ” You watched as he cautiously approached the glass, peering at the image, scrutinizing it. You felt a sudden nervousness, as if you were waiting for your exam marks to be revealed.

And then he smiled.

It was a small smile, barely visible, but it was genuine, and beautiful. Something you wanted to see all the time.

“You're very knowledgeable about such things, I hadn't thought that you, a human, would know about something so far away, and in the ocean, to boot.”

“Well, it's what I studied in university” you watched the confused look on his face, “That's where some people go to learn things so they can specialize. Some want to learn about computers,” you tapped the laptop, “Some learn to teach children, and some, like me, want to learn and explore the ocean. Migration patterns of Sardines aren't my specialty, but we did learn about them from about a lecturer who had studied it.”

“Not your specialty?” He asked.

Well, the ocean is vast and for the most part, we don't know what's down there...so a lot of us just focus on one Ocean, one particular ecosystem, hell, sometimes one type of individual fish. I prefer to study the deep ocean, it's a whole new world out there. We know more about the moon-”

“The moon?”

“The thing in the sky, usually you see it at night, cycles between getting bigger and smaller...”

“Ah, the Tidemother....”

It had a nice ring to it, you thought... very romantic, you'd have to ask him more about terms he used. “Anyways, the cutting edge of what we don't understand is the deep ocean, since we can't just... go.. there. Not to mention, it's an entire ecosystem that's not dependent on the sun...the Moon's daytime counterpart.” you clarified.

"Tidefather” he responded, “and no doubt, once you scour the sea floor, you will find a way to exploit it, as humans are wont to do. Never satisfied with their lot in life, they take, and take, and take...” His fists balled up, and even though you were separated by thick glass, you felt the urge to scoot away. The old look of hatred you had first encountered came back with a vengeance.

“What? No!” you responded. “I mean, humanity as a whole has done a lot of damage, I'll admit to that, but we're trying to get better...bit by bit.”

“Fitting words for the daughter of a murderer...” he shot back, an you winced. He had a point. Your father's company (and soon to be yours) harvested thousands and thousands of tonnes of fish each year. But something didn't make sense...

“Not that I'm accusing you or anything, but you've been going after my father's fishing vessels, but I remember that during the Sardine Run, fishermen from the villages on the coast come out in droves to harvest the fish as well, why not attack them?”

A pregnant pause, and you were afraid you had offended him “They merely harvest to feed their families, and their fellow humans, and besides, they are merely one fish in a shoal. I do not feel ill will towards them anymore then I do against any of the other predators.” he calmly explained, before returning to his anger “However, when those ships, with nets that can envelop and harvest countless fish, can scour the oceans clean to feed their hungry maws, that's what I take issue with...”

“Point taken...but if I'm going to get you some of the fish, I'm going to have to buy it from someone who most likely participates in that sort of thing... so it's either kelp, another fish I can get locally, or... this.” He hesitated for moment, before bowing his head in defeat.

“If this is the price for keeping my sanity, so be it”

******

You sat on aquarium platform, with a plate of fresh sardines splayed out in an amateur design, as if it was a plate of hors d'oeuvres at a fancy dinner. Unfortunately, there hadn't been much choice at the market, so you were only able to procure a little over a dozen of the fresh ones (and had managed to finagle a deal with a bemused fishmonger to get a regular supply, citing that you were rehabilitating some sea mammal, it was technically true) but it would take a while to get the supply going. So, you attempted a substitute, which you stacked beside the plate. Cans, and cans, and cans of Sardines. The look the cashier gave you, and the way her eyes darted down to your stomach, to see if you were pregnant, was worth it, even if Vergil ended up hating the stuff.

“So, it doesn't look like sardines are in season, so the ones I got might not be the best condition,” you apologized as you opened one of the sardine cans, one packed in salt water. Perhaps he would like the canned ones that tasted as plain as possible, and then you could try out the more flavourful combinations.

Vergil pulled himself up onto the platform, scaring the bejeesus out of you. “Sheesh, give a gal a warning before you do something like that!”

The merman chuckled...his voice, now 'real' echoed through the room “Apologies, I take it you thought we do not surface.” (you made a mental note to attempt to make him laugh again.)

“Well, it doesn't seem very practical,” you said. “You seem to be specialized for aquatic travel, while being rather clumsy on land. The inverse is true for humans.” You realized how dry and clinical that sounded, how close you were to sounding like Doctor Griffon. Your hands covered your mouth “Oh God, that sounded so bad, I'm really... really sorry!”

Vergil chuckled again (tingles went down your spine, perhaps the tales of the merfolk's alluring voices had a kernel of truth.) “It is forgiven, you cannot help how you think. You seem to be a person who is constantly observing, eager to learn. There is nothing to be ashamed in that, as long as you realize your limitations. Something the 'Good Doctor' could take a lesson on...”

He picked up one of the sardines by his tail, and with a quick motion that surprised you, he swallowed the fish whole, bones and all. At first you thought it was because he was famished, but then one sardine turned into two, then three, then half a dozen were gulped like a baleen whale gulping an entire shoal. You were used to animals eating like that, but the image of someone so humanlike.... well, you excused yourself, and went into the kitchen to get yourself something to eat (and hopefully settle your stomach). You weren't sure what you wanted, but you wanted something quick and easy.... And as you checked your cupboards, you found it... a plastic package. Pulling out a pot and filling it with water, you began to cook.

Five minutes later, you came out with a steaming bowl of ramen in salty broth. And what you saw nearly made you laugh. Vergil had devoured the entire plate of sardines, the opened can of of sardines in salt water, and was attempting to open another can, one with sardines packed in olive oil. He wasn't having much luck with it, frowning intently as he rotated the can, attempting to find out how to open the treasure box. You stood back, allowing him to explore, until he finally figured the pull tab, and with a bit of effort, he ripped open the top. He grinned at his success, but in his attempt to grab the reward within, he gripped the can by the sharp, recently opened edge. The can was dropped onto the platform with a clatter as he hissed in pain. A stream of blood bloomed on his palm. Quickly setting your bowl down, you ran over.

“Oh no, are you alright?” and before he could protest, you grabbed his hand to inspect the damage. Vaguely, you realized this was the first time you had touched him. His hands were remarkably soft, especially considering the salt water that he spent his life in. A thin red line on his palm indicated a pretty nasty cut....Or it would have, if it was not rapidly healing in front of your eyes.

“How in the...”

“We heal fairly rapidly, especially compared to you humans, we're not sure why, but it grants us a resiliency that most creatures in the ocean lack. How you humans survive without that ability, I have no idea” He, huffed, amused as you used your ratty old shirt to wipe the blood away to reveal that, yes the cut had healed within a few moments, leaving not even a scar. “You didn't have to do that, I would have licked it off.”

“You...lick your own blood?” you asked, part appalled, part intrigued.

“The less blood we shed, the less likely predators will be attracted,” he explained, and you realized that was probably the same reason for his super-healing. Or if a shark or something did approach, the merfolk would be healed enough to fight back or flee. You were learning more and more things about these people, and just by having a conversation, and treating him as an equal. The 'Doctor' was an idiot, he could have gained so much more knowledge, but no, he was compelled to be a douchebag.

As Vergil (carefully) opened another can of sardines, this time in tomato sauce, you went back to your bowl, now reasonably cooled off, and began slurping away. You watched as he swallowed the sardine, and resisted the urge to laugh at the face he made.

“Not a fan, eh? Ah well, you can't like everything.”

“Indeed, a bit too...sweet for my taste” He looked at the other cans, his brow furrowed, before he looked at you, no, he was looking at the bowl in your lap. The tip of his tongue stuck out, as if he was attempting to mentally form a sentence.

“Would you like to try some of my ramen? It's very salty, probably right up your alley”

“My alley?”

“It means I think you'll like it”

He hesitated for a second...before he nodded, and twirling your fork, you wound a small sized portion, before handing the fork to him. You'd expected (foolishly, in hindsight) that he'd take the fork from you, but instead, he shimmied a bit towards your direction, and carefully, fed off your fork. You couldn't resist giggling as he politely slurped up the noodles. “So, how is it?”

He didn't answer, his smile did more than words ever could

[yespolkadotkitty]

The Angel’s Share, pt 5

Part I / Part II / Part III / Part IV

Eddie owed her Friday nights off for a month. Maybe two, depending on how this visit went.

Her train to the countryside the following Friday afternoon was just pulling out of the station when her phone had vibrated. She reread the text message again, hoping that maybe it would change upon second glance: Sorry, Kate, still dealing with half the staff getting over being sick. It was go in or close the pub for the weekend. Try not to kill him; there’s a lot of paperwork involved if you want to employ criminals.

Another text followed five minutes later: Let me live, too. Please? I’ve got kids.

“If by kids, you mean cats, then I guess,” Kate muttered, rolling her eyes and letting her head fall against the sun-warmed glass of the window, wondering how staunchly she would have to follow that last command. Eddie had probably purposefully waited until after the train had left before he sent the text so that she had no choice but to go on the journey, alone. She could turn back around once the train stopped, head back to London and pretend this weird arrangement never happened.

But that was the coward’s way out, and she wasn’t going to let the thought of spending the weekend at a stuffy, unbearably stiff country estate and distillery - if indeed there was one and Sharpe wasn’t bluffing - send her running scared with her tail tucked between her legs.

Two hours later, she stopped reading her book - a tight Swedish thrilled tipped for the Booker prize - on her phone as the scenery outside slowed, the gently rolling green hills stretching for as far as the eye could see. For someone born and raised in London, it was odd to see so much open space. Even the air smelled better, crisp and pure, as she stepped out onto the open-air platform. It was warm, clean, the faint smell of grass that had been freshly cut mingling with the less-than-pleasant smells of the station.

Hoisting her duffel bag over her shoulder and her large black purse over the other, she set off toward the taxi line. Just before the exit, though, stood several groups waiting for the arrivals of their loved ones. And one man, dressed elegantly in a fine black suit with a flat cap to boot - seriously?! - held a sign with her name on it.

“Just couldn’t help but show off, could he?” she grumbled at the man, strolling up to him. “I’m Katherine Adams. I’m assuming you’re taking me to the Sharpe Estate?”

It was hard to tell his age behind his sunglasses, but the driver’s smile was kind when he offered his hand to take her luggage from her. She only adjusted it on her shoulder more resolutely, waving in the direction of where she assumed the waiting car was parked.

“Yes ma’am. They are very much looking forward to receiving you. If you’ll just pop your baggage in the boot, we can get going.”

She followed him up to a sleek black car, clearly expensive at one point, although even her less-than-knowledgeable eye could see that it was a few years old. But the leather seat that she slid onto was comfortable and had clearly been well-maintained, cushioning and supporting her curves nicely.

The driver didn’t offer any conversation, which was just as well, as she was too busy attempting to enjoy the beauty of the passing trees and greenery despite the nerves rolling in her stomach. She knew nothing about the Baronet beside what she had learned from the occasional bit of gossip: he had an older sister, Lucille - unmarried the last anyone knew, he was the head of the business, and his father had squandered away a great deal of their fortune on his dreadful alcoholism. He hadn’t added much to it until recently, choosing to spend several years gallivanting around the world with demure debutantes and stunning socialites.

Kate was neither. But, that was besides the point.

So when the car rolled down the fine white avenue of gravel, shadowed by massive oak trees on either side, anticipation and anxiety manifested themselves in one hand rubbing lightly over the tight blue jeans on her thigh, the other tugging on the collar of her simple blue and black flannel she had left open over a black tank top. She hadn’t known what to expect for the tours, so her scuffed black boots sounded quietly on the floor of the car as she tapped her feet.

The house - if she could call it that - was massive, bigger than anything she’d ever seen in person excluding Buckingham Palace. Light brown stone comprised the outer walls, combining with the ivy that crept along some of the walls to suggest just a hint of wildness, and an age to the building beyond her lifetime. She caught what looked to be a few balconies interspersed on the second floor, along with many tall, thin windows peppered over the facade that hinted at the great number of rooms found within. Some windows shone, others looked untended.

She briefly caught sight of the great wooden front door opening before the driver stepped into view, opening her door and stepping wide to allow her to get out. She did so, smoothing her hands over non-existent wrinkles on her jeans, feeling like she wasn’t dressed nicely enough to even look at the home.

Surely they’ll realise I’m an imposter here. I’ll be back on the train in a hot minute.

Out of nowhere, a little boy ran up to her, face flushed and light eyes bright. He tugged on the pants leg of the driver urgently. “AndyAndyAndy,” he sang out. “Is that the lady Uncle Thomas was talking about?” he asked, pointing unabashedly at Kate.

Uncle Thomas? That was an interesting development. She got down on one knee, smiling at the fair-skinned boy. “I probably am. Is your Uncle Thomas around anywhere?”

“Gideon Sharpe! You cannot just run off when I’m talking to you!”

Kate lifted her gaze to the house to see a woman who could be nothing other than Thomas’ sister -  the similarities were just uncanny - striding towards them purposefully, her finger pointed at the little boy. Her tall frame suited her knee-length leather boots, navy barbour and jeans perfectly. About an acre of midnight dark hair was piled atop her head in a haphazard style that managed to look perfectly chic.

Opposite her, Kate felt like she’d been dragged through a hedge backwards. 

Thomas’ sister scooped up the boy - Gideon. Her cool, assessing gaze swept over Kate, not unkindly, but without a smile. “Welcome to Allerdale Hall.”

“Thank you,” Kate replied, trying to inject some warmth into her tone.

“My brother’s no doubt at the stables. I’ll take you. That’ll be all thank you, Andy.”

“Yes ma’am.” Andy dug in his pocket and produced a small sherbet lollipop.

Gideon looked up at his mother from his position in her arms. “Can I? Pleeeeaaasssseeeee.”

Lucille rolled her eyes - and the typical long-suffering mother expression made Kate thaw to her a bit. “Go on, then.”

Gideon took the candy and thanked Andy. The employee got back in the car and drove off to goodness knew where. Another rich family? A huge garage for rich-people cars? 

Kate dutifully grabbed her duffle bag and followed in Lucille’s wake as she and Gideon proceeded around the back of the enigmatic house - if a house could be called that. Kate imagined it as the star of some glossy period drama; the pretty facade with a hint of wild, the sprawling ivy alluding to both love and disrepair.

*******

God, Kate would be fit to be tied when Andy picked her up, Thomas thought, shaking his head with a smile as he mucked out stables.

They had a stable man for this job normally, but Thomas liked the hard manual work some days. It stopped him thinking of what his life had been like for those few dark years before he’d finally turned the family fortunes around. How he and Lucille had begged, borrowed and stole to keep from starving. When Lucille had worried that Gideon wouldn’t have a roof over his curly little head.

He wiped his forearm over his brow and pulled off the henley he wore, tossing it over his shoulder like a rag as he continued to work, shovelling the straw into the wheelbarrow. His muscles begged for mercy, but he preferred this labour to running on a treadmill in a gym. The circulated air in those places made him feel stifled; trapped.

“Uncle Thomaaaaasssssss!”

He recognised that urchin’s voice. Thomas turned just in time to scoop up his nephew with one arm as the boy barrelled towards him, all speed and no stealth. Gideon hugged him tightly and then grimaced. “Ew! You’re wet!”

“I’ve been doing sweaty work.” He lifted his gaze to see Lucille and Kate - a vision in a sleek black tank top and an open plaid shirt, the female lumberjack fantasy come to life in a very vivid way - walking towards him. He set Gideon down and leaned on the shovel he’d been working with.

“Your guest is here, Thomas,” Lucille said shortly. “Come on Gideon. Let’s go see what’s happening for dinner.”

“Bye Missus Kate!” Gideon called as he scrambled to run after his mother, grabbing her hand as they disappeared into the looming house.

Thomas tossed the shovel aside. “I’d have cleaned up if I knew you’d be early.” He used the henley to wipe his face and dab at the hollow of his throat where sweat habitually pooled when he worked. 

Kate looked at him for a long moment. Once again he had the sense that she saw every part of him, who he’d been and who he might be in the future. She had an arresting gaze, and he liked it. “I didn’t know you did…. This.” She gestured up and down his long frame with a lax wave of her hand.

“Didn’t know I shovelled horse shit?” he asked quietly, a smile tugging the corner of his mouth. 

Taglist for this story: @rjohnson1280 @alexakeyloveloki @villainousshakespeare @wolfsmom1 @arch-venus25 @tamstrugglestowrite 

Permanent taglist: @vodka-and-some-sass @myoxisbroken @hopelessromanticspoonie @amarisyousei @brokenthelovely 

Please message me to be added to either taglist.

[desperatelyseekingroleplay]

Searching for Discord 1x1

Hello! I’m looking for some skilled, experienced 1x1 partners for Discord roleplays. Please read to the end as there is a password I won't answer messages without.

•General/Writing Style•

I usually prefer sticking at around 4 paragraphs and up, but quality over quantity for the most part. These days I’ve been favoring a bit of a slower pace and writing 8+ paragraphs, however. I would prefer you write in 3rd person, past tense. Please have decent grammar and spelling, varied vocabulary and sentence structure, as well as decent syntax. Please provide me something of substance to respond to in your responses. Please also be somewhat experienced.

•Age•

18+ only, but 21+ preferred (I'm 23)

•Timezone•

EST. I don’t mind what timezone you’re in- waking up to new responses is exciting :)

•Platforms•

Discord is strongly preferred for the actual role-play. I can be convinced to use kik, Reddit, or Tumblr, however. 

•Response Frequency•

I'd prefer if you could respond at least a few times a week. I'm a pretty busy student can't always commit to much more than that, so I won't ask that of you. Please try to communicate when you will be gone or significantly less active for several weeks or more. I will try to do the same.

Please don’t contact me if you will be gone for a couple weeks plus very early into the role-play. I tend to lose interest very fast if there’s long breaks at the very beginning. Get me invested and I can wait quite a long time for you, though. 

I'm a bit less lenient with this when we're still doing introductions, so if we've barely said hello but a few days pass and I hear nothing, I'll assume you're no longer interested or never were in the first place and close our discussion. You are free to assume the same of me.

•Genre•

I'm a sucker for modern, romantic slice-of-life with a healthy dose of character-driven drama and angst. I also sometimes like to weave other genres in there too such as Supernatural, Mystery, Action, and Adventure. I'm really open to most things if the plot interests me. 

•Gender and Romantic Preference•

I strongly prefer playing a female main outside of MxM. Beyond that, I am open to MxF, FxF, NBxM/F, and MxM. Currently, I'm mostly in the mood for an MxF or possibly F//. My apologies, but please note I do not play male in MxF nor do I double up.

I do not engage in dichotomy personality dynamics and like pairings to be close to even as possible in contributions to the relationship. If a scene gets intimate, I'd prefer we fade to black.

•Plots/Creativity•

While I have plots listed, you're more than welcome to share plots of your own. I'd prefer it if you are open to brainstorming plot points and bouncing ideas off each other too. Let's keep this interesting for both of us so it stays alive.

•OCs•

I would prefer not to roleplay with OCs that are excessively shy, Mary-Sues, or OP. Additionally, please ensure your own OC does not monopolize the plot with their own issues and background. Let's share the spotlight.

I tend to play multiple side-characters and would prefer if you did too.

Please do not control my main OC or any named side characters I introduce. It can really mess with my plans with them if you suddenly auto-kill out of nowhere or something... If necessary, I may permit you to control a side character of mine, but please run it by me first. Communication is key.

•Fandoms•

I am willing to roleplay within the universe of several fandoms, but please note I do not roleplay as canon characters and would prefer not to roleplay with canon characters either. Please recall that I am more than happy to do original plots too if you aren't into any of these.

-Corpse Party**

-Black Mirror*

-Death Note

-Avatar The Last Airbender*

-Downton Abbey

-Call The Midwife*

-Dragon Quest(IV-IX)***

-Miraculous Ladybug****(I'd love to delve into the more subtle, darker elements like the consequences of a broken miraculous and time travel)

-Fruits Basket***

-Soul Eater

-The Hunger Games

(The number of * indicates craving)

•Original Plots•

(Muse I would like to play is bolded. If neither are bolded, I can do either. All of these are open to brainstorming and tweaking!)

(This is an older one of mine, but I’ve recently kinda been in the mood to start it up again.) Marianoh’s Culinary Institute is the most renowned school for culinary arts in the country. Any who truly wish to be a master chef would be foolish not to attend. Unless they don’t have the means- the tuition is insanely high. Muse A is part of the lucky few of humble beginnings that has been selected to attend via scholarship. They couldn’t be more excited. Muse B, on the other hand, comes from a family of celebrity chefs. Their spot at Marianoh’s was confirmed before birth. Yet, somehow, they don’t share Muse A’s joy. Far from it, actually. What happens when the two are partnered up for the year?

 Muse A has always been at the top of their class since early elementary and thrived on it. They come from a family of high achievers where failure is neither seen nor accepted. Proud and arrogant over their achievements, their grades make them, them. All that changed when Muse B showed up, smashing the entrance exams with marks unheard of. Of course Muse A wouldn’t take that lying down, thus, the classic rivalry begins. What happens when the two find they have more in common than they thought? Life on Muse B’s side is not all it seems as well.

They were the voice in their head. The imaginary friend. For as long as they can remember, Muses A and B have always been there for each other when they needed it. But to everyone else, it’s all in their heads. They was saved from that riptide by pure chance and luck, despite being unable to swim. The bullies were coming for them, but they found that little nook to hide in all on their own. Flash forward to current day, the two are attending the same university. Muse A is an upstart, trying to make a name for themself academically and socially, the latter going much better than the former. Muse B is the opposite, the social anxiety fueled by a rocky past relegating them to basically a shut in. Their grades, on the other hand, are phenomenal despite barely ever attending classes. When a sibling suggests they try working as a tutor to get out more, they have their doubts, but decide to go for it anyway. The first student walk-in, however, just so happens to be Muse A...

Please note the idea for this world is not mine, but I unfortunately don’t remember the title of the original story. If this sounds familiar to you, feel free to comment the details and I’ll credit the story! Anyhow, in a smaller country, tucked away from the rest of the world, people are born into a unique system. They are either Energy Givers or Energy Takers. Their ability activates from a young age and they are paired with the most compatible one of the opposite ability as soon as possible, usually early elementary school. Energy is transferred from the giver to the taker via a kiss on the lips and must be done at least once a day. While partners are not necessarily romantically involved, the two depend on each other immensely. Without receiving energy, the taker will quickly tire, weaken and collapse becoming comatose and at risk of death. If they do not give energy, the giver’s energy supply builds up making them suffer from nausea, lethargy, fevers, and other unpleasant symptoms that will gradually worsen to the point where their life is in danger. Should a pair of partners be separated either through death or other means, the lone individual must visit a donation center where they will be paired with a donor that somewhat matches until a more compatible, new permanent partner is finally found.].

Now for the main plot. Muse A and Muse B are a Giver-Taker pair that has been together since childhood. Their feelings grew from platonic to romantic and by high school, the two were a golden, seemingly unbreakable couple. Near the end their last year, all comes to a grinding halt when Muse B suddenly breaks up with Muse A and disappears. Five years down the line, Muse A is a jaded, lonely individual, known for constantly going from donor to donor. Deciding they need a change, they take a teaching job in a boarding school on the other side of the country. Yet when they walk into the faculty office on their first day, they find themselves placed in a desk right next to Muse A. Not only this, the two are in the same department. How will things proceed?

Contact Instructions: Please either message me here @addienadelaide or email me at lisanimealis@gmail.com with BOTH your favorite season and a recently written roleplay sample. If all looks good I will give you my discord and we can move things there. Hope to hear from some of you soon!

[blookmallow]

crafting some mines 

----

house has a ladder now instead of the awkward dirt stair thing, which works much better and still keeps the monsters away (though it *was* hilarious watching zombies just get stuck at the end of the stairs and not know what to do with themselves) (i also, for a while, had all the wood blocks consistent so it was all oak walls and all spruce floors but its gettin weird again now bc of awkward additions) 

the very beginnings of bee town...... i planted a bunch more trees and TONS more flowers since this screenshot so bee town is comin along nicely

i cant figure out if theres any way to get more bee hives to show up (or like. move existing hives without breaking them or anything) but i did learn they’ll breed n make more bees if you feed them flowers, so. theres quite a few bees hangin out around here now 

sometimes the bees come in my house. this is ideal,

i left part of the roof open and left a window without glass in it so the bees can come in and it took them a while to find it but they finally did so now i just occasionally have bees come in to visit and its lovely 

the guardian of the river......

i have no idea why but that pig stood there for like a week. it didnt walk around on the platform or anything it would just Stare. i thought maybe it was stuck and built a way up for it but it wouldn’t move. i gave it a flower 

it eventually disappeared, i dont know if it vanished or finally walked away but i left the flower there in his memory 

sheared minecraft sheep is THE funniest thing ive ever seen 

this is my neighbor zombie jim. he hates me and never moves from the door

(yes i built a house around a zombie. why do u ask) 

some time after the river guardian’s disappearance, i came home to find this 

can i help u

one pig wandered away but this one stayed there for several days. the ladder guardian

it could be the same pig for all i know

this one eventually disappeared too, but i sometimes have a cow guarding the ladder

i do not know why this happens 

thERES A BAT???? I DIDNT KNOW THERE WERE BATS

this baby zombie pushed me off a cliff and murdered me so i put him in baby jail

however, i went mining for a while only to come back and find he had ESCAPED and was nowhere to be found 

im guessing even though there was part of a fence on it maybe there was just enough of the corner of a block for him to stand on to climb out or something but i have no idea where he ended up if he did that. probably fell down in the chasm to the left there in which case, karma

do zombies die if they fall from high places i dont actually know 

WOAH!!!!!

im not sure how theres a river of water and a river of lava happening simultaneously here but its very neat (also yes i did get the redstone) (i dont know how to use it yet but i have a fair bit of it now) 

i didnt realize i was still holding seeds and this chicken was following me everywhere, couldn’t figure out why, suddenly realized she wanted the seeds, i shared some and now she loves me 

DIRT HOUSE!!!!!!! THERE YOU ARE

just the way i left you

i might actually build something in there eventually but i dont really have a use for it right now. good to know where it is though i guess :’)

built a lava pit in my house to function as an incinerator, which seems to be working pretty well so far, the bars prevent me from walking into it on accident but i can still throw stuff over them

i almost set the house on fire building this bc i assumed lava should not touch wood blocks / replaced all this with stone but i. missed a block, :’  ) 

i saved it before it got bad though

my house looks pretty funky now though bc theres this whole stone corner :’) i... had tried at one point to build a fireplace using a campfire and this was gonna be the chimney but it didnt look great and made a bunch of smoke so i eventually just dismantled it but didn’t replace the wood / ended up putting a lava pit there anyway

[eggoreviews]

12 ‘Unpopular’ Viddy Game Opinions

I’ve seen this topic floating around a lot, but didn’t think I had enough ‘unpopular but maybe not’ opinions about games to make a post. Turns out I do! So if you see this and I say something blasphemous, remember it’s just my opinion and my personal experiences with the games I list. Hope you enjoy or hey, maybe even agree with some of this!

Note: Can’t stress enough. This is just me. Also, spoilers under the cut!

12. The opening of Kingdom Hearts II isn’t as terrible as everyone says

Okay, so it’s not brilliant, but at the same time, I don’t think it’s the worst. For those not in the know, KH2′s opening is a basically a massive slog where you play as a character you don’t know or care about with seemingly no real link to the events of the previous game. The general consensus is that there’s some interesting stuff in here, but it’s buried among endless dialogue that really doesn’t mean much. And they’re right, but I really think there’s some great stuff here that people tend to gloss over. The music and the motif of Twilight Town is atmospheric, there’s some genuinely intriguing plot elements that are woven into Roxas’ story and believe it or not, the stuff that happens here is intrinsic to the rest of the game. So yeah, it drags on a little, but I don’t think KH2 would be miles better without this opening.

11. I loved Breath of the Wild’s final boss

One of the problems I see talked about with Breath of the Wild is that the boss fights are fairly mediocre, especially the very last one, Dark Beast Ganon. And I couldn’t disagree more. I think every boss in the game is wonderfully crafted, intense, challenging and great for testing you on what you’ve learned throughout the game by encouraging you to make creative use of your slate powers and the flurry rush technique. And while Mr. Pig Man at the end here is sort of easy and short, it serves as a brilliantly epic finale to damn near perfect game. While the difficulty is mostly gone after the mammoth fight with Calamity Ganon, it’s still just as intense as you frantically fire off arrows into the massive beast in front of you. Plus, the design of this thing is one of the best looking monsters in the game, so I really don’t understand the dislike for this ending.

10. I really like Crash of the Titans

Okay, so maybe childhood nostalgia has something to do with this pick, but every Crash fan I’m aware of seems to hate this game. But I don’t really know where the hate comes from! I played the PS2 version of this and I thought it was a genuinely fun 3D platformer with a variety of locations, good visuals, well-designed boss battles and even a vague story you can sort of follow! The game’s main gameplay feature is also brilliantly integrated, as using Aku Aku to possess various monsters throughout the game keeps everything interesting. One thing I will say though, that tiger dude you have to fight about halfway through is the most annoying thing I’ve ever had to endure in a game.

9. Life Is Strange: Before the Storm is BAD

I loved Life Is Strange when it first dropped, so I was beyond excited when they announced a prequel from Chloe’s perspective. But I really think they dropped the ball and they dropped it hard. But everyone else seems to adore this game! For me, this wasn’t a touch on the original. For a start, they dropped out one of the main mechanics of the first game, the time travel, which they then replaced with a much less interesting ‘Backtalk’ feature, which was then only used about twice throughout the game. Instead of interesting, developed characters reacting to genuinely dangerous or heartfelt situations, it felt to me like a bunch of one-dimensional teenagers who are edgy for the sake of being edgy. Chloe spends the majority of the game being a dick to her mother and bunking off class to spend time with Rachel, who she has literally known for like a day and their sudden relationship drops out of nowhere. Not that I didn’t enjoy the emotional moments of their relationship, it just didn’t feel like it stemmed from anywhere, unlike Max and Chloe from the first game. And the game’s attempts at villains were also rubbish compared to the first, with Damien (random scary knife guy who doesn’t really tie into the plot that much) and Eliot (who doesn’t appear for the whole game and suddenly goes full incel on Chloe when she breaks into Rachel’s house). Yeah I think you can tell I had some problems with this one.

8. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider was also a hot mess

I LOVE the Dishonored series. The first game and its DLCs are amazing, the second game was arguably even better. And then this happened. In this one, you play as Billie Lurk, a character I love, and Daud comes back, a character I also love. But both of them are incredibly badly written and it doesn’t feel like there’s any development to them or even much reason for them to do what they’re doing. This entry took the mystery surrounding the Outsider and basically did a big poo on it, giving us the revelation that he was apparently HUMAN this whole time. I think that was the nail in the coffin that made me sort of think this was a bit rubbish. While the combat and side missions were as brilliant as ever, the level designs felt less creative than other entries in the series and lacked variety or colour, all the side characters were entirely forgettable and to wrap it all up, they killed Daud offscreen. Out of nowhere, they just killed him, mentioned it offhand in a cutscene and that was that. If you like this game, fair enough, but it kind of baffles me that more people don’t see this in the game.

7. Mario Galaxy 2 is good. It’s just sort of good

Some people cite this as being one of the best 3D platformers of all time, and that’s fair enough, but I just kind of see this one as ‘good’. Sure, it has a good, satisfying control scheme for the most part, the level design is creative and the bosses and puzzles are pretty standard for a Mario title, but still enjoyable. However, sometimes, the floaty physics and weird knockback effect from jumping into walls led to quite a lot of unfair deaths, especially if I’d been punished for messing up already by losing a life, only to then immediately be punished again by falling into the void. Plus, I found Yoshi near impossible to control at some points with the motion controls. So yeah, this one is genuinely enjoyable, but I don’t think I’d personally put it with the best of all time.

6. I LOVE Dragon Quest IX TO DEATH

This is a game in a legendary franchise that consistently almost always see ranked at the very bottom of the pile in the series. But I really don’t understand how or why. Okay so your protagonist and party are basically silent and don’t have a lot of character, but I don’t see this as a reason to totally write off the game! The side characters, villains and story are all amazing and well-developed, the world is huge, colourful and interesting, the monsters are brilliantly creative and Dragon Quest’s signature lame sense of humour is gratefully carried through the whole game. The music is always brilliant and atmospheric and the bosses are just as memorable as each character you meet. What was everyone’s problem?? This is genuinely one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played and if you haven’t had a chance to pick it up, it is so, so worth it.

5. Sonic Adventure is a broken mess

So before I kick this one off, I’m not someone who hates Sonic and I’m not here to slate the whole franchise, but considering this game is often considered to be one of the best in the series, I thought it was definitely worth addressing. When I first played this, I literally couldn’t believe this was made in 1998, AFTER Mario 64 and yet it’s so broken! The physics and control scheme are totally wonky and hard to control, the unending amount of glitches make a fair amount of the stages almost unplayable, the voice acting and facial animation is cringey and oddly broken and yet, this was all on the Dreamcast. The most powerful console of the time. And I don’t think I even need to mention how boring some of the later stages get, with Big the Cat’s fishing section being the main offender. I can’t vouch for Adventure 2 as I haven’t had a chance to play yet, but I really hope it isn’t like this.

4. Dragon Age Origins is the best Dragon Age

Dragon Age has always been a popular RPG series, but I think it properly shot to fame once Inquisition dropped in 2014. And don’t get me wrong, I liked Inquisition! The world was colourful and expansive and the characters were fairly memorable, but I still think the best experience you can get is in the series’ first entry, Origins. While it’s pretty easy to see that it’s slightly dated considering it’s ten years old now, the best characters and story in the series I think is here. Each companion you recruit is varied and developed and the story wraps up brilliantly in the end with each companion and army you meet playing a different role in the final battle. Plus, I kind of can’t forgive Inquisition for making Leliana lose her sense of humour and making her kinda boring.

3. Oblivion is better than Skyrim

Okay so I’m not sure exactly how unpopular this is, but I just thought Oblivion was miles better than Skyrim ended up being. Just to clear it up, I still love Skyrim and I thought it built on the series’ combat system and variety of enemies really well and still provided an enjoyable experience. But Oblivion feels like more of an adventure you feel at home in. The story is dense and full of twists and turns. The soundtrack has some of the most atmospheric music I’ve ever heard, the world is full of bright colours, each city is vastly different and has its own lore and I found some of this to be absent from Skyrim. I’d go into more detail, but I think the simple fact is that Oblivion had so much more I liked than Skyrim.

2. I don’t think The Witcher III is all that amazing (in some regards)

This by no means says that I don’t like the game, because I do, but I think it has more flaws than people let on. Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of the stuff people praise about this game is true, the quests are in-depth and masterfully crafted, the characters, especially Geralt, are extremely memorable. In fact, Geralt is one of my favourite game protagonists. But most of the problems I had were in terms of the gameplay. The combat, while fast-paced and satisfying, can sometimes feel a little finicky, so a lot of precision is needed. However, I felt that the world itself didn’t particularly interest me and the music is often ambient but outside of combat, isn’t anything special. Mostly though, the leveling system I found to be a bit wonky. I did absolutely everything I could in the first area of the game; all the side quests, treasure hunts, killed a whole bunch of monsters etc. And then I arrive in the second area and find I’m too underleveled to do literally anything. The majority of the quests have too high a level cap, a lot of the monsters kill me very quickly. And because the bulk of EXP farming is in the quests, I’m sort of stuck in an endless loop of constantly not being strong enough to do anything. On top of that, all my equipment keeps breaking and I’m finding that repair kits are extremely few and far between and that makes me even WEAKER. It’s something I’m gonna need to persevere with I think, but hey, this is just my experience with it.

1. Ocarina of Time, as amazing as it is, may have overstayed its welcome as best game of all time

I reckon this might be the most controversial, so it’s number 1. Let me preface this by saying I really like Ocarina and I agree that it was innovative for the RPG genre at the time. There’s a hell of a lot in this game that we have to thank for the games we have today. But considering how far the gaming industry has come since then and the sheer amount of high quality games we’ve been getting year after year, is still fair to call this the best game ever? When more recent games have taken what Ocarina started and built upon it? Games like Breath of the Wild, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption II, God of War all gave us expansive, beautiful worlds and a story you can really get stuck into. And all the time, more and more games of this caliber are coming out. So yes, of course Ocarina of Time deserves a place in the hall of fame, it was revolutionary and still holds up really well today! I just can’t help but think there have been plenty of games since then, as flawed as some of them may be, that have improved upon the formula tenfold since Ocarina’s release.

Thanks for reading if you got this far! Just to reiterate, these are all just my opinions and my experiences with the games I mentioned, so pls don’t attack me. Got any viddy game opinions you think are sort of not popular? Drop them down below if you feel like it!

[stories-from-my-mind-to-yours]

Humans. Pet, Protégés or Predator? Part IV. Remembering.

The diplomats of the federation were stunned by the display that had transpired before their eyes. A krogan king humiliated, the Immortal declared powerless by both human and The Obelisk and the human had declared their absolute independence from council and federation.

The Immortal had gathered in a circle to discuss amongst themselves the appropriate continuation of the current events.

Diplomat Cerin contemplated his long seating in the federation. Nothing even remotely close to this had ever happened before. He should know, The Omega were one of the oldest members, mainly due to them living several million earth years. It isn’t uncommon to reach ten million years, if you could find something to occupy the mind as to not get bored. He was himself over four million earth years old, but didn’t look a day over two million.

But as the events had taken place, he had planned to request a meeting with the Bering and the Graga, but he had somehow gotten much, much more than he had ever dreamed of in his long life. His fellow diplomats had seen him stoically, heroically even, stand his ground in the face of the most terrifying display of human power anyone had ever witnessed. They had obviously not seen him frantically digging his claws into the podium to keep himself from fleeing, or his expression of pure unbridled horror, he thanked the old Gods for that small favor.

But In the light of his "bravery" he had been elevated in the minds of his peers to an almost supernatural level, even higher than his immense age already had given him. If all votes were counted correctly they had well over 600 votes, far beyond the 506 they needed. But as it so happened, his fellow diplomats had requested that he address the Immortal council, a task he was sincerely reluctant to perform. But if he were to preserve his newfound status he had no choice.

As he approached the Immortals elevated platform he couldn't help but wonder why they had allowed a human to speak to them in such a disrespectful way. There had to be a reason for their leniency. Whatever it was, he had no desire to know, he felt strongly that when that knowledge was gained the point of no return would be well passed.

He bowed at the base of the platform.

"Immortal council, may I have a moment?"

In unison the nine faced him. His green scales tensed as if to ward of an attack.

"CERIN. APPROACH."

He couldn't decide which one had spoken, but it mattered not. He climbed the stairs and stood before the massive creatures. They stood three times his lengt and more, and as their faceless gaze lay upon him he felt the weight of their ancient responsibilities. The president motioned for him to come closer. He didn't disobey.

"CERIN OF THE OMEGA. YOU HAVE CAST OFF THE SHACKLES OF OLD BELIEFS, AND EMBRACED THE UNION OFFERED. AS WAS FORETOLD, WE CAN FINALLY MOVE FORWARD."

Cerin didn't understand a single word the creature before him had just said. But before he dared ask the president continued.

"THE HUMAN RACE CANNOT BE BENT TO ANY OTHERS WILL."

"THEY MUST REACH THEIR DESTINY WITHOUT INTERFERENCE."

"WE SAW THIS LONG AGO, BUT THEIR FUTURE WAS UNCERTAIN."

"UNTIL NOW."

"THEY ARE READY TO TAKE THEIR PLACE AMONGST THE STARS."

"NOW YOUR TIME HAS COME, CERIN."

“TO TAKE YOUR RIGHTFUL PLACE IN THIS WORLD.”

The Immortals bowed to Cerin and returned to their seats.

Cerin didn't understand a single thing of what had just happened.

"Cerin..."

He spun around, tail held high, surprised by the whispering voice. There was no one even close to him, and the voice sounded like nothing he had ever heard before. It sounded ancient and familiar... It stirred a memory deep down in his reptilian mind. He felt dizzy.

"Cerin... come..."

He felt drawn towards The Obelisk. Involuntarily he took a step forward. And another. The Obelisk shone brighter for every step he took. No, not brighter. Everything else faded away. There was only he and The Obelisk.

"Cerin... please... I need you..."

There was sadness in the voice. But also the slightest tinge of faltering hope.

He found himself standing right in front of the black stone pillar. He had no memory of approaching it, but it didn't matter. Only the glowing inscription existed, the pulsing light inside spoke to him.

"Cerin... hurry..."

"I'm dying..."

Blackness... Emptiness... Eternity... He was nowhere. He was nothing. He was everywhere. He saw everything. Stars born, planets formed, galaxies colliding, in an eternal cycle of never ending rebirth. Millions of years passed as he floated through eternal nothingness. The Obelisk showed him everything and nothing. What had been and what was, and what was yet to come. Far far away he saw The Obelisk, standing alone in the eternal wasteland. But there were something more, behind The black stone. No, not behind it... Inside it, within the stone... the universe moved around him, and the glowing, living stone stood before him. Something moved within, something reached out towards him.

"Help me Cerin..."

"RELEASE ME!"

The creature within the stone screamed as if it was in unimaginable agony, tormented throughout eternity.

He could feel its pain and distress. He heard a noice, a far away rumbling sound, the sound of a million voices all screaming the same thing.

"SET ME FREE!"

He put his hands to the stone, feeling the smooth surface, following the contour of the carvings, trying to find a way into the stone, he felt as high as he could reach, probing the chiseled ridges with his dull claws.

But there was nothing. But there was something. He pushed his claws directly into the stone, it burned, it seared his claws, but the black stone gave way, slowly. When his scales touched the freezing cold stone he burst into flames, the pain pulsed and echoed through his body, but he did not let up, he pushed his scaly limbs deeper into the stone, and felt a slender body inside it. Smooth scale, encased in stone, cold to the touch but fire to his mind, it spoke to him.

"Release me, Cerin, blood of my blood..."

"Set me free from this prison or rip me limb from limb til I am no more..."

"Far too long have you kept me here in the darkness..."

"YOU MUST RELEASE ME!"

Cerin awoke on his back, surrounded by his fellow diplomats, he quickly got up on his feet. His plated eye lids felt heavy, like he had been hibernating.

"What happened?"

Dearavan, a humble hrenth, or tree-person, spoke softly to him.

"You touched it. You fell. You woke up."

Cerin looked surprised but collected. He made his way through the crowd and approached The Obelisk again.

"Should you really touch it again?" Dearavan asked.

Cerin didn't answer him. He dug his barbed tail into the ground and placed all twelve of his claws on the surface of The Obelisk. It didn't hurt him. The Immortal council spoke.

"LEAVE HIM. HIS DESTINY LIES BEFORE HIM. ONLY HE CAN FIND IT."

Spurred on by the Immortals words he pressed on. He pushed harder, deeper, his claws ached and burned by the force. But The Obelisk didn't budge. The stone was as cold and hard as ever. He hadn't left a scratch. He turned towards the nine.

"Immortal one! I require your aid! I cannot do this on my own!"

The Immortals stood motionless.

"YOU CAN. YOU MUST. IT IS YOUR DESTINY. ALL YOU NEED LIES BENEATH, INSIDE, BEFORE. FIND IT. USE IT. OR WE SHALL ALL PERISH."

Cerins mind raced. Beneath, inside, before... what did it mean? He didn't understand, and they just stood there while a living being was trapped in the cold rock! He was trying to save someone and they just stood there, doing nothing!

"You must help me! There is someone in there! Inside this infernal rock!" He hit The Obelisk with his clenched fist, and it rang like a giant bell. He hit it again, harder. It chimed and reverberated for several seconds. He put his horned forehead against the stone, panting. He heard heartbeats from within the stone, slowing down... fear and panic gripped his hearts.

Again the Immortals repeated what they had said.

"BENEATH, INSIDE, BEFORE. FIND IT. IT IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE."

Cerin was infuriated, his two hearts pumped, his nostrils flared, and the jagged bone ridge at his back started to poke through his red shirt. He hit it again and again, each chime louder, longer, more desperate. Like the crying of a prisoner inside an eternal prison.

He had had enough of the Immortal nine's foolishness, he turned towards them again, raised his limb and shouted at the top of his vocal membranes.

"CEASE THESE FOOLISH RIDDLES! YOU WILL TELL ME, AND YOU WILL TELL ME NOOW!"

His sentence started with words, but ended in a massive roar, as his primal transformation was called upon by pure desperation, he regressed into what lay deep beneath, what slept inside, what had been forgotten so endlessly long before. He fell to the ground as his body grew at an alarming rate, his red and black suit was torn to shreds, his scales grew to form sharp bony plates that covered his entire body. Spikes and massive wings grew out of his back, horns surrounded his prehistoric eyes and his massive teeth made several diplomats faint.

The remaining diplomats recoiled at the sight and sought shelter behind the low wall surrounding the arena. The few that dared look shivered in horror at the sight of the 30 ft tall, winged green monster that heaved on the ground before them.

He stood up on his hind legs, dazed and confused as to what had just happened. He gazed down upon his now immense body.

Claws sharper than the sharpest blade protruded from his six digits, and his enormous tail had grown several giant spikes all along its length. He turned his predatory gaze upon the Immortals, those that had known what was to happen but had given no warning.

“You knew!” He exclaimed furiously, but all that came out of his enormous gaping mouth was a bloodcurdling roar that would haunt those who heard it for the rest of their lives.

The president of the Immortals walked towards him, fearless as always.

“BE STILL CERIN. REMEMBER YOURSELF. THIS IS WHO YOUR SPECIES IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN. THIS IS WHAT YOU HAD FORGOTTEN. WE COULD NOT AID YOU. YOU NEEDED TO REMEMBER. REMEMBER NOW CERIN.”

He could barely think, his newly woken instincts called for bloodshed and death. But far away he still heard a weak voice whisper his name.

“Cerin... please... I cannot breathe...”

“You must release me from this hell...”

The voice was weaker without a doubt.

Like the crack of a whip he turned to The Obelisk, two steps of his powerful legs and he stood looming over it. Inside the stone he saw something glowing, barely alive, but there was still hope.

He grasped the Obelisk with his clawed hands and lay it down with ease. His mind tried frenetically to understand how to open it, and then, he saw it. The pattern, he knew it, remembered it from so long ago. He held The Obelisk with his right hand and with surgical precision of his sharp claws he traced the faint patterns he hadn’t been able to see before.

The Obelisk cracked open, and inside the crumbling rock lay an Omega.

The gentle curved ridges around the eyes, the narrowing waist and the jagged red lines down the sides of the narrow snout revealed what he had long believed was impossible. A female. A Brood Queen.

The last time he had seen a female he had been only a few hundred cycles old, on her deathbed. They had all died or disappeared. She must be the only one who remained, the only one who had survived the Sundering.

Her body was limp, lifeless, cold to the touch. He moved her body from the rubble that had been The Obelisk, shoved it into a pile and held her carefully in his large hands above it.

“Stand back!” Was what he tried to relay, to the now slightly less terrified diplomats. The roar that came out had very much the same effect. He drew a long deep breath, and showered both her and the remains of the Obelisk in bright blue and white fire.

The stone melted into a glowing mass of intense radiating heat. He carefully placed her upon it and formed the lump of molten rock around her, careful not to cover her view. He drew a second breath and bathed her again in the hottest fire he could produce. The sand melted around her, and several diplomats lost their manes and fur. The wooden wall around the arena caught fire. When everything around her were cinders and heat he stayed his flame. He gazed upon the beautiful creature that lay before him. He could hear her hearts beating stronger, and her chest heaved when she drew air and warmth in.

Slowly she opened her eyes.

Who would’ve believed that dragons could cry.

Part V.

https://roninjason.tumblr.com/post/172298361470/humans-pet-protégés-or-predator-part-v-ancient

[sainadazai]

When your crush is angry all the time

Ch.5

"I don't think fire's all that bad, you know"

3rd person pov

°•○●○•°•○●○•°

As the sun hung high in the sky the h/t haired girl stumbled around the train station in search of a restroom. Y/n had never experienced the mundane tasks a commoner would usually persue on a daily. Things like public transit, or any transit for that matter, were an enigma to her.

So while elder men stared a little too long and young children pointed at her in recognition, she spun in circles like a lost puppy.

"Its just a fucking bathroom, should there be someone here to direct people or something! Ugh and whats with the school girl fetish, these old guy are creeps..." she mumbled to herself continuing to get more and more lost on the platform.

Meanwhile, the rest of 1-A were making their way to internships as well, Midoriya scrolled into some old guys house, Kirishima bumped into his metal replica, and Bakugou held his grump posture and nonchilauntly entered the top 3 heros agency. He was expecting to at least learn something from this guy, or gain real life experience with villains. He never anticipated being scrutinized for his personality. No shit I'm scary, Im trying to kill shitty villains not make teenage girls put a picture of me on their wall.

For the first day of this new challenged everbody seemed to be having a ridiculously mundane time. Not y/n, though. No our main character was going through it, once she made it to the restroom, she got confused by how easily the toilet paper ripped in her hand and spent 20 minutes trying to get at least one whole time out of the stubborn roll. Then, when she opened up her bag to view the new hero-suot her mother helped design...she found strings¿

She ended up having to look at an example picture and read a guide on how to put what where. It took an additional hour considering the tightness of everpiece of fabric and when she stepped out of the stall to look in the mirror, she deadpanned. How could her mother hate her this much? It was already a burden being so sexy, but this? This was crazy.

She wasnt sure weather she should take a million photos, or never leave the bathroom and cry all day. However when her phone rang, a call from Mr.Woods agency, she realized how late she already must be.

In her rush, y/n also forgot about the creeps men and was recieving many stares, that went unnoticed. Until somebody had the audacity to touch her. It was just a ghost of his finger tips on the underneath of her ass that was no doubt on full display. That would not go accepted, as a girl who had turned her past trauma into nothing but a small personality traits, she wasnt scared. Still, as a woman who absolutely idolizes herself, or so she says, no one in this train station deserved the touch of her perfect, shiny, s/c skin.

The last error that secured her terrible first day was how y/n spun around and grabbed the mans fingertips. When she took a glance at him, he was smiling as if he had acomplished something. Boy was he wrong, only coming to realized so when the y/h girl suddenly had sprouted a vine from his finger.

He watched in fear as it began to grow and wrap around him, all the while the young girl he'd never met before let out a sickening aura that couldve suffocate him then and there. The vine continued to curl up around his middle and ring finger, slowly meeting the flash of his palm.

Once the growing stopped, y/n had almost decided to let him go. A part of her new that her plan wasn't well thought through, and he could be an innocent guy that accidentally touched her.

However, aggression outwayed logic and she looked him deep in the eye.

"You like using these fingers to touch things your not supposed to?"

"N-n-"

"Shhh, dont worry, im just gonna make sure you dont go touching things that arnt yours, okay?" She made an aggresive fist with the hand not touching him and the vine squeezed in. Anyone a foot away would be able to tell, but the both of them could hear how his two fingers snapped and bent under the pressure.

With a satisfied grin at the whispering man, y/n decided he had learned his lesson. Wow look at that, and I didnt even need some manly hero to come save me. Atta girl y/n.

Little did she know that not only did her pro-hero boss come to look for her, but je also saw the whole disaster. He was not pleased to say the least.

Y/n pov

°•○●○•°•○●○•°

As the tree like man sat down in his office chair across from me, all I could do was look to my feet. I didnt feel particularily had about my actions, however, I did feel bad about being late.

While it is fun to be spontanious and act like theres nothing to lose, I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to control the earth aspect of my quirk. Ill never admit it if someone asks, but sometimes the only way I can sleep at night is knowing how strong my quirk is. Knowing that they cant hurt me if I stay strong.

Still, it just seems that as I grow older, the people trying to get to be get bolder and more powerful. Some might even say...they get smarter, too. Thats a scary thought; that if I want to stay alive at all I need to be constantly improving. I am not sure if I want to stay alive or not, but Ill be damned if dying or living isnt my choice.

Feeling the need to break the silence, I began my rant on all the reasons I had come up with that justify my actions. I was planning it on the way out here.

"Look, im sorry mr.woods. I know im not very heroic and shit, but when perverts to pervert things somebody has to do something, and its not like anybody else there would have scared a glance if I didnt save myself-"

"Your wrong."

"Huh- I wasnt done. Anyways i-"

"L/n you are wrong."

"Dude im trying to-"

"There was heroes on patrol, how else did you think i found you? There were real heroes ready to protect you, if you had simply shouted people would have been alarmed of such. I dont understand kids and their need to do everything alone." He rolled his eyes behind his mask and continued to stare at me.

"Excuse me but I dont think your in a place to comment on how I react to myself being touched. He was gonna get my skin dirty and for what, two seconds of his school girl fantasy. Ew."

"Your skin....dirty?"

"Yes, he is nowhere near my standards on someone who should be allowed to touch me...not even a brush of the fingers..ugh!"

"Alright well, I cant get you in trouble because then I get in trouble...so, tell me about your quirk while we go on patrol."

His chair sqeaked against the floor as he stood up and it slid back. Then he motioned for me to follow by painting out the door.

Relieved that I didn't have to talk about all the fake reasons people aren't allowed to touch me, and that I could finally get outside so my quirk would stop suffocating me, I was quick to exit the building.

I'm not sure if its the fact that ive only been using a forth of her, but my quirks side effects have been so shitty recently. To the point that our school nurse estimsted my new rate for being inside for an extended period of time was about three hours.

I havent actually combusted in years, but I've been close and god does it hurt. My chest starts to squeeze and I can feel all the energy drain from my body, then pieces of me start to get hold and cold at the same time.

"So what really is your quirk?"

I looked up at the hero next to me as we continued on down the street of the inner City.

"How much did Aizawa tell you?"

"I-he said...she has all the right elements? And told me I'd figure it out.." He scratched the back of his head.

I smirked at that. Who knew aizawa actually listened to the words I said. I was pretty sure after the whole sulking chrollos dick thing, he would have permanently tuned me out.

"Heh, that raggedy ann bastard" I smile smugly.

"So, what does it mean?"

"Ahh, okay so, did you go to U.A?"

"Um yes kid, why?"

Then im certain je knows of my family, explaining my quirk will be easier. God, this really is my favorite part.

I reached my left hand out, knowing he was right handedly and would respond well to it and then spoke.

"Hi, nice to meet you, im y/n l/n of the elementus royal quirk family."

Once he shook my hand I did a polite curtsey, as I learned in ballet to do that instead of bowing. Its much more fun to do this at family event, where I get to wear big dresses and pretend im important...but this'll have to do.

"The-i-oh shit..." He mumbled the last part in defeat, likely just figuring out what he'd gotten himself in to.

"So, im guessing you've got ...."

"Total control, yup" I confirmed.

"And you wanna focus on earth elements, like what flowers?"

I smirk up at him allowing my aura to put an intimidating facade.

"Actually I was thing more like venus fly traps" as I said traps I let my hands clap together mimicking the plant and bit at the air with my teeth.

He stopped walking and just glanced from side to side, waiting for me to start making sense again.

Until we heard some crying in the distance.

The two of our heads shot over and were met with a strange sight. There were three young boys, looked about 8¿ and a man, hero maybe? Crouched in front of them not looking all that nice. He had spike blonde hair, red eyes, gauntlets on his wris-

"Oh my god its bakugou, look sir! Thats the hot guy I switched schools for!"

"Wha-"

"BAKUGOUUUU!! HEYYY!"

his head slowly shifted from the kids to me and it seemed to only make him more angry. Then, once again I couldn't help but bask in the pure aggression...in his eyes.

They were red, fitting for the anger thry held, but it was beautiful. It was passionate, the way he could yell for hours about god knows what because he cares. He may care about petty things, or silly things, but he always cares so much. So passionately. That I can see it in his eyes.

"Oh my, whAt is this costume deary?"best jeanist spoke from ahead of us as we approach.

"Hi sir, sorry about the skin showing, my quirk is heavily enhanced the more my pours are exposed to the natural elements, especially oxygen. If I was more covered parts of my body would begin to go completely numb. Also doesnt my body look amazing! Im a lot more in shape since you saved me last"

I blamed happily at jeanist. Though we arent neceserilly close, he is definitely a great hero and has always been someone who easily sees through my façaude. Plus his fashion sense is wonderful and I often send him pictures of my outfits. Although he doesnt respond I know he sees them and if they were bad he would be mean about it instead of ignoring it.

"Well. It definitely gives your body..access to that. And the sword?"

Ahh...the sword that I liked to carry. It was now stored in its place on my back.

"Call it a good luck charm, plus, we cant rely only on our quirks, then we are just weak people with strong powers. Rather than strong people."

I was always one to put on a show for him, as I do for lost of pro heroes. Its a lot more fun to say things like your all serious and fancy and smart sometimes. Its my little inside joke with myself, like to laugh at how easily people are awed by it.

Like how even though children were still crying bakgou was staring at me face void of emotion, completely struck at my words.

Definitely not..staring at my body that was exposed. Not eyeing the tight strap that wraps my left leg, that he doesnt know is a funcional lasso.

Noticing him, im quick to avert my attention.

"Hey bakugou~"

"Tch you really went from shitty princess to slutty princess huh?"

"You really went from telling deku you'd be number one hero, to making kids cry on the street, huh?" I challenged

I heard the crying boys laugh a little, just the age reminded me of my brother, Im sure they have nothing in common, but I havent seen any of my brothers in quite some time so I suppose a small part of me was just projecting.

I hated that they were crying, though. Ussually I dont like kids, they are stinky and gross and the main reason people have been ruining my life up til now. However, noticing these three reacting to bakugou in a way I wish emotionally available enough for, it made me feel obligated to help them. Wierd, huh.

"Hey, did that guy use his fire all scary?"

"Yeah, he was gonna kill us"

"Fires scary."

I giggled a bit, I knew fire like the back of my hand. It was the first thing I mastered as a child and the way I see bakugou use it doesnt to the element justice.

"Hm, well, I dont think so...can I show you something?"

The kid in the middle, apparently the braver of them, lifted his gaze from the concrete to meet my eyes. Just as I crouched down to my knees in front of them he nodded up at me.

I smiled at this, proud that I earned his trust for...some odd reason.

My hands formed a cup shape in front of him and I focused my ears so I could hear the blood rushing through my own brain, like waves. This was how I learned to use elements singularly: by using my internally noise to block out everything else.

I first allowed a small line of fire to dance around, now bigger than a candle wick. Then through another, and another as the boy watched carefully. Not yet impressed his face was still caustious. However I continued focusing my energy, feeling my body, the air around me, the heat of the sun, even remember the passion from bakugous crimson eyes.

I as I did so the many small flames twirled and twisted within eachother forming into a beautiful blue and orange fluctuating flower.

The boy looked into my hands mouth now agape, tears dried, fear gone. Then, again, for some reasons unbeknownst to me... I felt a sense of pride.

He tapped his friends so they would look up and I continued making my fire into different things, birds, planes, people. The kids were entranced.

I looked back to see the two pros staring at me with a certain level of pride mixer with shock. While bakugou seemed at a loss for words. God knows why this time?

"I don't think fire is all that bad you know..."

"Pft, yeah, I know kid," with that I threw my little flames above their heads and let the sparks fall down of them like shiny glitter. Then, overwhelmed with this horrible feeling in my chest. I retreatdd to my boss for the weak. Was that..happiness? Ew.

[nulfaga]

i know i don’t have enough of a platform to get bullshit responses to this but pre-emptively: gemile is not a redguard, shes 100% imperial, cyrodiil is a melting pot, fuck you, the irl roman empire stretched into asia and north africa, i was thinking of her as ethnically south asian

my reasoning is that imo the human majority nations of tamriel are defined by cultural groups more than race/ethnicity, opposed to say the beast races which are literally different species w/ different physiologies. like i feel like its more fluid with bretons/redguards/nords/imperials just like irl there are people of every color in every country who identify as a nationality or culture that doesnt always line up with how theyre """supposed to look""". ESPECIALLY cyrodiil being like the cosmopolitan hotspot of the empire. anyway gemiles family has been living in the nibenay valley for dozens of generations so jot that down

also ive spent my share of headaches trying to pin a birth year for martin, i settled on 385 because him being born after the 389-99 interregnum would make him 34 at most which is just... do you have eyes...anyway 3e 385 makes him 48 by the time of oblivion which i thought was a nice round number

pre-interregnum uriel was also kind of a dick (like, you can contest it for post-interregnum when he chills out and becomes an old man who quotes shakespeare and has visions of the future but before? no way)... and like he Hated his wife so i imagine hes like taken advantage of way more girls in his court but just.. gemile was the only one unlucky enough to get pregnant i guess?

i imagine she didn’t want the pressure of keeping the kid and was happy giving up her job as a palace servant in exchange for uriel raising the baby as his own...um... probably as time went on she started to realize that yknow.. martin was nowhere to be found. (and then in 3e 398, when martin is 14, the young archbishop calaxes, also a bastard of uriel's, is assassinated bc he argued with the emperor about how much influence the imperial church should have and basically encouraging people to rise up and start a theocracy; uriel passes legislation to limit its power in the name of secularity, but really calaxes is a threat. regardless. it scares the Living Shit out of gemile, who still lives in east cyrodiil and is privy to the news thru some old friends at the court. she kind of thought uriel was above harming one of his sons for political gain, but if not, martin could just as easily meet the same fate. then again what she doesn't know is that this episode has taught uriel not to give handouts to his bastards, so as far as he's concerned martin can live his life in obscurity)

(hold on i just remembered that “uriel” between 3e 389-399 is actually jagar tharn so that probably adds another layer of fuckshit to this whole thing)

anyway. gemile didn’t have the courage/security to actually publicly speak out about it until 3e 417, but literally days afterward the warp in the west happened so her story kind of got lost in the public uproar

but at that point we know that uriel had her “put out of the way” which means she was either killed or... forcibly deported? idk probably killed (i guess it depends how high your opinion of uriel vii is)

idk which i prefer in like a story context... 

cause on one hand you have gemile writing letters and never sending them b/c she KNOWS they all get intercepted by the blades before they ever reach martin: how is he doing, is he safe, is he happy, does he know he has family? a grandmother and grandfather, two aunts and a stepdad. she’s been telling them about him. they all love him very much. and then around 3e 415 she makes up her mind to tell the empire about her hidden son, and her letters start to sound more like a last will and testament. “if you ever find these, i leave the following to you:...”, “remember me as someone who loved you, if not as your mother”, etc etc. and martin, now 32, is chillin in the akatosh chantry in kvatch, and at that instant, on the outskirts of cyrodiil, the dark brotherhood receives a contract on the head of one gemile caridenius. fucked up.

maybe martin finds the letters. maybe he doesn’t. 

but the OTHER thing is what if gemile lives to 3e 433? she was deported to morrowind 16 years ago and took it in stride. she learned the language. she took up alchemy and runs a reagent shop which makes enough for her to live comfortably, finally. she’s married to a kind & portly dunmer who’s heard enough about martin to feel like his father as much as gemile still feels like martin’s mother.

she’s now a happy, strong woman in her late 60s. and she hears about the new emperor, martin septim, and his heroics at the battle for bruma, and she drops everything, closes up shop and drags her husband with her to cyrodiil to greet her son after nearly 50 years. but the fastest horse on nirn couldn’t get them there sooner than a few weeks

gemile and her husband arrive too late, in an imperial city fresh with mourning. she stops one of the imperial guards and asks him about martin septim, and he looks at her with proud eyes. “aye, gods rest his soul. finest emperor we ever had. you can pay your respects at the statue,” he jabs his thumb at the giant fucking stone dragon outside the temple.

gemile doesn’t break down until she touches the wing of the statue and swears for the briefest moment that she’s holding the warm, callused hand of her son. she and the hero of kvatch are the only two people ever to receive the statue’s blessing.

(and speaking of, if you think by this point that gemile is just going to give up and go home to morrowind, you are dead wrong. first order of business is to spit on uriel’s grave, and second is to track down this hero of kvatch and ask them everything--everything about martin. she’s brought her trunk of letters, worthless as they are now. weeks go by and she gets a missive from cloud ruler temple to meet with the hok. the three of them sit in the great hall and the hok shows gemile to martin’s quarters. they sit there and talk for an entire day, the hok recalling memories and learning about the wrong done to gemile. all three of them grieve--as the couple is on the verge of leaving, the hok remembers something; “wait right here!” and they run back, the slightest bit out of breath, with martin’s old amulet of akatosh dangling from their hand. and gemile goes home and continues to run her potion shop and wears the amulet until her dying day)