#least favorite means i still gave it 3 stars. like the standard there is much higher than for Warhammer books in general

[rinzi]

[Image Text: The supreme fear of the Imperial Fists, if they could admit to a fear at all, is to be outplayed by unpredictable variables. Not to know.] - The Horus Heresy: The Siege of Terra, The End and the Death: Volume I by Dan Abnett, chapter 2:xi

ultramarines: know no fear

imperial fists: no know = fear

[girlwholikestoread]

My least favorite to My favorite books I read in 2023

24. May The Best Man Win by Z.R. Ellor: I wanted to like this book so badly, I really did but this is probably the only book I read this year that I didn’t like. The story is about Jeremy Harkisis who is a transgender cheerleader and his ex-boyfriend Lukas who is the all-star football player; the two exes are both trying to earn the title of Homecoming King. Honestly I loved the idea of this story just wasn’t a fan of the direction. First I did like Jeremy for most of the book, honestly his attitude towards Lukas in the beginning of the book made me not want to root for them and he just seems so mean and selfish, I understand that was the point and usually I don’t mind reading about characters who are mean and selfish but learns their lesson at the end but, Jermey was just so unnecessary cruel to his friends despite all of them showing him support and kindness. I liked Lukas a lot and honestly he was the only reason I had any motivation to finish this book and I thought the ending was cute. Overall a big let down and Lukas deserve so much better.

23. Radiant Black, Vol. 3: Rogues’s Gallery: It was the first book I read this year because my brother insisted I read it. It was fine, I’m personally not a huge fan of the series but I think the story is pretty good. Overall I gave it 3 stars on GoodReads so not bad.

22. Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham: So this book was different…not in a bad way. I actually really liked this book but this went in a direction I did not expect. So the story about Tony Price who is a popular high school track star and a quiet boy named Eli Hirsch who has a chronic autoimmune disorder become unlikely friends. Seems like your standard romance, except it’s not. Eli has a special ability to see ghosts and most recently he’s been seeing a ghost of a fisherman, while that happens Tony gets bitten by a werewolf-like creator which turns him into one. The story was alright, I was a bit confused at times but I still mostly enjoyed it. The romance was also lacking. Tony and Eli have a few cute moments together but I wish there were more, and I wished there were more interactions between the side characters and the main character. Overall Loved the spooky art style, I would recommend this for Halloween.

21. The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta: I Devoured this book, I couldn’t put this down because I was so invested. The story is about our main character Micheal who throughout the book will grow up and start questioning his sexuality, gender expression, and his relationships. The story is formatted like a poem which I really liked. Seeing Micheal throughout his life from his adolescent years to his adult years, seeing him grow and form meaningful relationships was such a great reading experience. Overall beautifully written story, I hope Micheal and Kieran ended up together.

20. Husband Material by Alexis Hall: This book was great. I loved Boyfriend Material and immediately bought Husband Material once I finished the first book because I needed to know what was next for Luc and Oliver. This book did great continuing the story of all the couples from the first book, and showing that Luc and Oliver were made for each other. I especially liked Luc's shitty ex-boyfriend from college. I really wanted more information about that relationship and seeing Oliver stand up for his parents was so satisfying…but then the ending happened. Honestly I liked the ending, I thought it fit Luc and Oliver who always has an unconventional relationship so them deciding marriage isn’t for them makes sense, I just wasn’t a fan of the execution of them making that decision. Overall much like Sherk 2 perfect squeal.

19. The Princess and the Grilled Sandwich by Deya Muniz: This book is so fucking cute! I loved the characters, I loved the artstyle, I loved the cheese pun, I loved everything! This book is about Lady Camembert and how her before she passed wanted her to marry so she can get her inheritance and rights to her father kingdom, which could only be given to a man and he only had one daughter; she decided to disguise herself as a man and inherent everything but is forced to live a low-profile in order to not lose everything. However she breaks this rule and goes to a ball hosted by Princess Bri, they form a friendship and slowly start falling for each other; the only issue is that Bri believes that Camembert is a man. This story was cute, fun, engaging, and the ending was perfect! Overall I devoured this book like a grilled cheese sandwich.

18. Sorry Bro by Taleen Voskuni: This book was so good! This book is about Nareh who after ending her relationship with her boyfriend who, while wasn’t a bad person just wasn’t for her, decided she wants to explore her options dating with both men and women. During this she meets Erebuni and she becomes her wingwoman and helps her find a new guy or girl. However during this they both start following each other, with Nareh falling hard first. The book was great, it was a bit slow and I personally didn’t find her issues at work a compelling subplot but thought everything else great. I loved Erebuni and thought she was so sweet and understanding and like Nareh and her mom talk after she came out. Overall Sweet and Sapphic

17. I wish you all the best by Mason Deaver: This was the first book I read with a Non-Binary MC. We follow Ben De Backer who on Christmas day decides to come out to their parents as Non-Binary, this however doesn’t go as planned and they end up kicked out of their home on Christmas and have to call their estranged sister Hannah and her husband Thomas who they haven’t met yet. This leads to them having to live with her and start a new school where they meet Nathan Allan and start a friendship. This book made me cry a few times. Ben goes through a lot in a short period of time. Building a relationship with their sister, trying to make new friends, and figure out how they feel about their parents. This book is amazing and Ben and Nathan's relationship is so pure and it’s hard to find sweet innocent romantic connections in books nowadays but Ben and Nathan were so sweet. Overall this book felt like a hug on paper.

16. I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Mason Deaver: We loved a Christmas squeal! This takes place once Ben and Nathan have graduated and Nathan is attending college while Ben is taking time off school and living with roommates. Ben flys to Hannah house for Christmas Eve and plans to bring a surprise for Nathan by bringing his dog back home. Unfortunately their perfect gift plan ended up blowing up in their face when it snowed in and flights started being canceled. This short story is very sweet and does a great job showing us how Nathan and Ben are now. Ben’s determination to bring Nathan his beloved dog was so sweet and the ending was the perfect ending. Overall Ben and Nathan are a couple goals.

15. Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell: I loved space adventures with a hint of romance, it’s one of my favorite combos. This book was written by the same author of Winter Orbit and it takes place in the same universe, however this isn’t a sequel since Kiem and Jainan aren’t mentioned and we have new main characters. In this book we follow Tennal, an absolut flirt who is constantly getting himself in trouble and Surit a Lieutenant who is very by-the-book. After Tennal gets himself in trouble yet again he’s forced to join the military where he meets Surit and they are forced to work together and forced to sync; and syncing is a type of merging of the minds. However Surit doesn’t want to sync because Tennal has made it clear he doesn’t want to be controlled. This leads to them coming up with a plan to get Tennal out of the military while keeping Surit rank. While this is happening they start slowing noticing a power struggle within the military. This book had me on the edge of my seats and I couldn’t stop listening, the romance wasn’t much which is fine because the overall plot was so intriguing it made up for the lack of romance. Overall Space politics are confusing but in a fun way.

14. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall: This is the funniest book I read all year. Hands down. Boyfriend Material is about Luc O’Donnell who is the child of two retired rockstars and because of this he’s constantly in the spotlight and usually for all the wrong reasons. Wanting to clear his image he needs to find a perfect boyfriend, which he does with a successful educated man named Oliver Blackwood. They enter a fake dating situation which benefits them both. Luc and Oliver's relationship moved along so naturally and Luc is so funny. All the side characters were great too and while I knew what the ending was gonna be I was still surprised on how it ended. Overall UK comedy is undefeated.

13. She Gets the Girl by Racheal Lippincott, Alyson Derrick: Sapphic slow-burns are perfect for the summer. In this story we follow Alex Blackwood who has lots of issues both in her family and her dating life and Molly who has a close relationship with her family but never had a real date or relationship. The two are polar opposites but come together to help each other out, Alex helps Molly get with her long time crush Cora Myers and it helps Alex prove to her ex that she’s a better person. Molly and Alex are so cute together, Alex encouraging Molly to come out of her shell was really sweet, and I related to Molly a lot. Overall Sweet, Sapphic, and I want to learn how to roller skate

12. Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli: This book was so cute. In this we follow Imogen Scott who is a huge Ally and very involved in queer media. She visits her best friend Lili who’s thriving in college making new queer friends and everything is great…except Lili told a small lie saying that her and Imogen are ex’s and that Imogen is bi. Not wanting to make her friend seem like a liar she plays along, however while doing that she starts falling for Tessa, who is one of Lili's new friends. Imogen is such a sweetheart and one of my favorite main characters, The cover is also one of my favorites this year. Overall “I’m not homophobic, I’m an Ally”

11. A Mark on My Soul by Jordon Greene: This is the only book I read that didn’t have a happy ending. In this we follow Noah who decides to come out as gay to his friends, family, and publically online. When this happens he gets a message from a “secret admirer” which turns out to be his best friend Parker who’s in the closet. This book ripped my heart in half and ended up sobbing my eyes out. I already knew how Parker's story ended because I accidentally spoiled the ending for myself but despite that I grew so attached to Parker and wanted him to be happy. This book was a hard read for me but I loved it so much. Overall Parker deserves better!

10. The Long Run by James Acker: Ngl I almost DNF this book. I didn’t like the first 3 chapters and since I was listening to this book on audible I also wasn’t a big fan of Sandro’s VA, but chapter 4 is where I truly got invested and I’m so glad I keep reading because I ended up loving this book. In this story we follow Bash and Sandro, who are both finishing their last year of High School and after kissing at a Party they form a friendship. This is a true slowburn because even though they kissed in the beginning they stay mostly platonic and do “dude-bro” stuff. I also love that Bash never makes the fact he’s Bi a big deal, he just accepts that he fell for a guy and doesn’t care. Sandro and Bash are so cute together and I loved them so much. Overall Bash the Flash and the Italian Yeti are my OTP

9. Time Out by Sean Hayes, Todd Milliner, Carlyn Greenwald: I found out a lot of people don’t like this book and it honestly breaks my heart. In this we follow Barclay who's basically a sport legend in his school, at least he was until he decided to come out very publicly and the reception wasn’t what he was anticipating, because of this he leaves the Basketball team and help his friend Amy with school related politics where he also meets Christopher and together they help the voiceless have a voice. Barclay and Christopher's relationship is so sweet and wholesome I loved reading about them watching movies and kissing goodnight. I love non-sexual intimacy. Barclay is also great, he’s really kind and understanding given the circumstances of everything that happened to him. Overall everyone on GoodReads is wrong.

8. Snowflake Kisses by Jordon Greenee, Yayira Dzames: Skylar and Jacob are back! In this book we follow Skylar and Jacob who are spending their first Christmas together. Honestly this book is just vibes, no big conflicts, no third act breakup, no Jacbo’s dad, just pure sugary vibes. Seeing Skylar and Jacob have snowfighters, cuddle in the car, and get each other thoughtful gifts, everything was just so nice. Skylar's parents were also great and seeing them treat Jacob like family made my heart skip a beat. Plus I loved art. Yayira Dzames did an amazing job capturing the characters. Overall My favorite Christmas comic.

7. Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date by Ashley Herring Blake: Small confession, I wasn’t a big fan of Iris in the first two books (Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail). However I ended up liking her a lot at the end of this book. In this we follow Iris who has given up on dating and sticking to casual hook-ups after her two failed relationships. Unfortunately for Iris who’s a romance author she suffered from writer's block and needed to find inspiration. We also follow Stevie, a struggling actress with anxiety issues trying to get her big break while helping her ex keep her community theater studio open. When Stevie finds herself in a web of lies her and Iris start a fake relationship, this helps Stevie prove to her friends that she doesn’t need her feeling protected and helps Iris find inspiration for her needed book; they of course start actually falling for each other. Iris and Stevie have amazing chemistry throughout the book and I loved how patient Iris is with Stevie when it comes to sex and intimacy. The consent checks and making sure they both enjoyed each other was so hot. Stevie such as sweetheart and I related to her when it comes to how she views sex and her anxiety and Iris is great too. Overall Stevie has my whole heart.

6. The Sun and Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure by Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro: Fun fact I didn’t read any Percy Jackson books before this but I liked this anyways. We follow Nico di Angelo the son of Hades and his boyfriend Will Solace the son of Apollo as they travel through the underworld to find their friend Bob who was left behind in Hades Realm. Despite not reading anything Percy Jackson related I loved his adventure, Nico and Will bounce off each other perfectly and I wish there were more books where the main couple are already together because seeing these boyfriends act like boyfriends made my heart flutter. It was such a fun ride from beginning to end and I enjoyed it so much. Overall I should read Percy Jackson.

5. The First to Die at the End by Adam Slivera: This book destroyed me…so 5 stars. This is a prequel of They Both Die at the End, in this book we follow the first ever Decker and see Death-Cast go live for the first time. In this we follow Orion Pagan who lost his parents young and suffers from a deadly heart condition and while he has big dreams for his future he doesn’t see himself living long enough to achieve those dreams and we also follow Valentino Prince who moves to New York with his twin sister to start his molding career, however that’s cut short when he gets the call at midnight. I cried like 4 times reading this book, it was amazing. All the side characters were great and I love multiple POV’s in books. Overall I need more Death-Cast books.

4. Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake: Jordan Everwood is hands down my favorite character. This is the second book in the Bright Falls series and I couldn’t wait to read this one. We follow Astrid who just ended her engagement and is trying to focus on work, we also follow Jordan who helps her grandmother renovate her inn to avoid having to sell. After a not so great first interaction they find themselves working together to fix the inn for a reality tv show. As they work together they start to get to know each other and open up to each other about their family, relationships, and jobs. I loved Astrid in the first book and was so excited to see her story continue and I loved her and Jordan's connection. Overall “You deserve a destiny Jordan Everwood”.

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: This book was so good! In this we follow Monique who has just been assigned to write the autobiography about famous Hollywood Icon Evelyn Hugo and her glamorous and scandalous life. Evelyn is probably the most complex character I’ve read this year, out of all the characters she felt the most human, she made mistakes and did things she regretted but also had moments of kindness and had to make really tough choices. I liked Monique however if I had to change anything I wish we focused on her more, but what we have is great. Overall I need this to be a movie.

2. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo: This book has amazing writing, I stayed engaged the whole time and couldn’t stop listening. We follow Lily Hu who is a seventeen year old Chinese American living in ChinaTown. This story takes place in 1954 when the red-scare was a big threat for Chinese Americans. Due to this Lily faces many problems, her father may be deported, her friend group is changing, and she starts developing feelings for other women especially her friend Kath. She and Kath start going to an underground lesbian club called the Telegraph Club. This book was so good, I can barely put it into words. Overall Speechless

1. The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas: I loved this book! I knew this was gonna be number one because this was the only book I’ve ever dreamt about after reading. In this we follow Teo, a seventeen year old trans son of Quetzal who finds himself in a century old battle to the death. Teo has no training and is convinced he will not make it out alive. I adore everything about this book, the comedy, the characters, the world building, and the plot twist left me speechless. I cannot wait for part 2! Overall I already miss Teo, Niya, Sol, and Aurelio.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Have you sean any Shonda shows aside from Bridgerton? I'm tempted to watch but I'm told they get bad after a few seasons

I have seen... most Shonda shows aside from Bridgerton, I'm afraid lol.

Grey's Anatomy--Obviously has been on for a million years, I have been watching with some off and on periods (currently off but I check in) since... season 2. Grey's Anatomy is a BEAST. It's obviously her biggest show (Bridgerton stans I'm sorry baby but y'all can and probably never will stand up to the cultural BEHEMOTH that is Grey's, which has been on for ALMOST. TWENTY. YEARS. Ugh choke me.) In a lot of ways, Grey's is a standard medical soap, much like E.R. In other ways, it is both better and worse. I will not lie--the DRAMA of the early seasons is amazing. Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy is kinda legendary. Season 1 ending on "and you must be the woman who's screwing my husband?"

Like, whatever you feel about Meredith and McDreamy (they are... something............) the Meredith/Derek/Addison love triangle is something I don't think a lot of shows would attempt today because everything is boring and Cheating Is Evil, which means all of the people in that triangle are Evil and Bad and We Can't Like EvilBad People. Addison is one of my favorite characters on TV, which is why I also watched the entirety of the spinoff, Private Practice, which isn't anything to write home about and they kinda botched Addie at points, but she gets her HEA and I'm good with that part. It has some really emotional moments.

Also, the Denny Duquette arc in season 2 is kind of the sort of TV that everyone should at least watch for like, the history of it all. Cristina Yang is one of the greatest TV characters of all time, imo. (Cristina and Burke... whatever Isaiah Washington is irl, Cristina and Burke were a VERY compelling ship to me back in the day lol. She was his mentee??? He was her boss???? They were both kinda cool operators except they fell in love? It was toxic but it was good.

Scandal is... again, iconic TV, but damn did it fall off. I mean lol, the first two seasons were incredibly compelling TV. I'd watch them again. High drama. I hate Olitz as a couple, but I mean. There was some weird stuff happening in that show, and I did kinda eat it up. B6-13 was weird, but it did bring me Papa Pope, and I loved that nutjob. THE SMARTEST GUY IN THE ROOM. EVIL DAD.

Still Star-Crossed is bad, don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you otherwise, it should've been cancelled when it was lol.

I hate Inventing Anna. I'm glad that the Julia Garner hype seems to be dying a bit, I do not see it for her as this Great Talent at all lol.

How to Get Away with Murder.... Not something she wrote, but it has Shonda all over it. Viola Davis gives the type of performance that like, took the innovation of Olivia Pope to another level. Both were obviously something we really didn't see a lot of on mainstream primetime TV before this, and I think Shondaland does deserve props for making it prominent--the true Black antiheroine, and honestly in both Olivia and Annalise's cases, borderline villainous heroines. Also, it gave me Wes, who I love so much, and Alfie Enoch was so good in this role, and Wes and Annalise's relationship was so like... pseud-maternal/filial, but I also felt like they could kiss at any moment? The kind of dynamic usually reserved for white characters with an older man/younger woman. Season 3 really uhhhh screwed me lol, but the first two seasons, especially the season 1 arc? OOOH COMPELLING.

[doom-nerdo-666]

When thinking of writing a post about why people tend to dislike Midnight, i had a bit of a thought: Just like SgtMarkIV/Brutal Doom, the hate can come from people that are usually uninformed.

A way to see Midnight is that he's more of a "side effect" and represents things that aren't unique to him (Specially if you look at other Doom related channels and see similarities).

I've seen him compared to MrBossFTW as if Midnight is the Doom equivalent to that.

He seems like a clickbait channel trying to exploit people that know less about Doom than he already does.

A recent example being him doing a video about Lilith PK3 and how his observation (If it's legit) can be comparable to that of how game journos (The group that Doom fans supposedly hate) talk about Doom mods.

(Because i don't think he even knows about the weird drama about that mod at all)

It's why DoomKid making a video correcting Midnight was a bit of a shocker: Both could be seen as representing opposite sides related to "Doom fandom".

But in general, a way to better understand this is by looking at 3 big points:

The Doom community and its history

I already made certain points in different posts, like differences between older and newer fans or aspects of certain activities etc.

You can read some of it here:

Random observations about the Doom community.

A specific Brutal Doom post.

Things that may've not exist if not for the fans.

Nerd/geek/fandom/whatever-you-call-it culture

I'm sure people are aware of nerd stereotypes in pop culture: The smart but socially awkward skinny guy with glasses with weird speech patterns and interests in pop culture, that gets bullied.

While they are exaggerated, they do have some truth in them (To the point some even say this outcast nerd aspect is what inspired Peter Parker, Spiderman).

So the "Funko Pop crowd" image seems different from nerds that get picky over how their favorite media is handled.

Might come from a place of what if means to love something so much: 100% blind love that you like anything associated with it or wanting "the best" for it that you tend to have standards like a parent wishing their kids get a better future and don't throw it all away.

Of course, some nerds will still have silly complaints over stuff but it also seems like some people find it easier to be nerdy in the "blind loyalty" way than making interesting stuff out of their passion.

Some also argue whether or not "nerd culture" is that obscure because something like Star Wars was always massive.

But it's still interesting to learn how subcultures change because it's not just a matter of newcomers but even the old guard can change too.

Internet content

When people discuss why "content creator" is a bad term, they usually include the angle from the corporations: How they treat artists and their art.

Be it corporations labelling different art forms as "content" or treating it badly even if the art itself is good and gave them some revenue.

But there's at least 2 angles we shouldn't forget:

The "creators" themselves because for all the talented people that deserve better, there's always those with crappy stuff or zero talent that somehow get to win at times.

And the audiences because some people tend to have really bad taste and in massive scales.

Youtube is a good example when you look at its popular videos and "personalities": A bunch of people with no actual talent or charisma "gamefying"/taking advantage of a system and the clueless audiences that watch them because they don't know better.

It reminds me of why a medium like animation got less popular:

First, there's specific rules from Youtube such as the 10 minute mark and how it relates to income, which was something animators barely could handle.

Then there's the fact that people like to play videos while they do something else as if they're background noise (This doesn't apply to just podcasts or commentaries).

It's probably not a surprise that some people who worked on more creative mediums end up doing podcasts or LP channels.

And then you have smaller channels doing the "don't forget to like, subscribe and hit the bell" etc part because YT essentially became a race of success and less about passion or effort into quality content.

Some say YT became more about personalities than content but even then, you can tell that James Rolfe still has a more interesting personality than Logan Paul.

One can argue that some people do rely on YT for the sake of money so "clickbait is needed" but i also assume that anyone who's super into Doom could just discover content on their own.

Another thing about modern internet is chasing trends or when everyone has to talk about what's currently popular, leaving little room for novel topics or creativity.

Anyway

Each of these 3 sections could've been better but i brought up some points that serve as food for thought, so any more interesting observations/opinions/even trivia could be reached from reading this, hopefully.

I doubt Midnight would ever find this blog and read this post... but at least he'd have more interesting material to use for his videos i guess.

[athetos]

thoughts on the progression of the Paper Mario series? my friend said Origami King was the first in a while to return to the "classic" paper mario vibe, but I have zero idea what that means

I’ve only played the first 4 games, I’ve heard origami king was a lot better but still missing the charms of the original, it’s a step in the right direction but lacking that classic feel.

Paper Mario n64 - second best game in the series, and easily a 9/10 game at least. Even today the game is still hilarious, the combat is fun, and the environments are wonderful. The boss fights in particular are a blast. Toad town is one of my favorite hubs in any game ever, with so many npcs and attractions that open up as you progress. Keeping leveling up simple, by only offering to upgrade one of 3 stats, leads to way more strategies than you’d think. A lot of brand new species were made for this game, and the enemies have so much variety and flavor. And the soundtrack is wonderful, with many different variations of each tune (toad town has so many changes in instrumentation depending where you are in it). The premise is pretty standard but it makes for one of the best showdowns with bowser. The peach interludes were also a nice change of pace and gave her such personality… and of course the partners were true stars, it was always exciting to find the right character for the right job.

The thousand year door - the best in the series, a true 10/10 game. Everything I said about paper Mario 1 is still true - rogueport is such a darker and “edgier” hub that leads to no small amount of comedy, the partners are equally fun, a lot of the dialogue still makes me laugh out loud, and the npcs are goofy and cool. Perhaps the best part about this game is that it really leans into the paper motif! You can turn sideways to slip through cracks, turn into a paper airplane, roll up into a tube, etc. it’s just… it’s so GOOD. And the plot takes things up a notch, being much more fascinating with more peach interludes that can even feel tense. The Glitzville tournaments, the train murder mystery, the shadow sisters… so many amazing moments. And that’s not even including the sinister final boss fight that did irreparable damage to my sexuality as a 10 year old.

Super paper Mario - the first game to move away from the core formula, changing partners to pixls that while full of personality were less interesting, and to move from turn based battles to platforming. That said, while being a significant departure it’s a blast due to the insanely good story. This game could have been a phenomenal visual novel. For real! The plot had a big impact on me and my storytelling, and many of my friends also agree. I cried. It went to a lot of unexpected places too, such as a G-rated version of Hell of all things, fighting a weeaboo fedora-wearing chameleon guy, and even exploring outer space. It’s a game that’s hard to revisit solely because I find the actual gameplay a bit underwhelming, I love watching videos to see the dialogue and cutscenes.

Sticker star - most disappointing game I’ve ever played, most likely. Chuggaconroy on YouTube has a multi part series talking about why this game sucks, that’s really informative and puts a lot of frustrations into words. But to sum it up, the battle system is changed so drastically that it actively discourages you from battling; there’s so much backtracking because the game’s clues are obtuse and the puzzles make little to no sense; the levels are uninspired; many things are never communicated to the player; the npcs are generic species with zero charm; and kersti is perhaps the most annoying support character in anything ever. It’s not just that they removed the rpg elements, or the partners, or the more “open” world. They literally made the game utterly insufferable.

[theclockworkmonk]

Out of the Mouths of Babes — Chapter 4

Read on AO3

Read on FFNet

Chapter 1 on Tumblr

Chapter 2 on Tumblr

Chapter 3 on Tumblr

Written for Hinny Ficfest 2021

Prompt: “Uncle Ron said something about Harry knocking Ginny up, but I don’t know what he means,” Teddy said.

*******

Ginny had disappeared, dragged through the kitchen door, before Harry could come up with an excuse to keep her by his side. He sighed and took a long gulp from his glass of firewhiskey, welcoming the burning sensation down his throat. Whatever his family was so wound up about, Harry knew he wasn't in danger here, so he hoped the drink would dull his overactive auror instincts so he could enjoy the evening.

"So...how's the shop?" asked Harry, choosing to focus on George, "any accidental new body parts I can't see?"

"Harry, I'll have you know that we ascribe to only the highest of safety standards at Weasley Wizard Wheezes," said George with his nose in the air, "We strictly adhere to a dual-fault system to make sure a trained wizard is on-site to intervene in case of emergency."

"By that he means that he doesn't try any weird shit on himself without me there to rush him to St. Mungo's," said Ron with his mouth full, wincing as his mother smacked him in the back of the head with a wooden spoon for his language.

Harry's eyes narrowed at his best friend. "So you two are already partners now? Really wasting no time on bailing on me, aren't you?"

"Don't be a prat!" grumbled Ron. "No, like I said, it was just a thought that I had. You know, the kind of thought you would hope you could share with your best mate without him jumping down your throat?"

"Well I think it's a marvelous idea," Mrs. Weasley announced loudly from her place at the stove."

George's eyebrows shot up. "Who are you and what have you done with my mother? You're glad that another one of your sons is considering wasting his life at this silly business, instead of a respectable job at the Ministry?"

"Well, if said Ministry job involves chasing after Death Eaters every day," huffed Mrs. Weasley, "Then I suppose my nerves will take any alternative."

She sent a stern look towards Harry and pointed a threatening spoon at him, making him jump back. "You could do well to learn from Ron in that regard, Harry."

Ron was grinning ear to ear, bouncing in his seat from being the favorite child of the moment.

"There's nothing wrong with Ron doing the responsible thing." she lowered her voice to a grumble so Harry barely heard, "at least someone is."

Harry surveyed the tense atmosphere in the room again.

"Okay, what's got everyone in such a mood?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"No one's in a mood!" said Mrs. Weasley quickly.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley spoke up for the first time, and his voice too was less assuring than Harry usually found it. "I'm having trouble with a fascinating new muggle device I've discovered, would you mind giving me a hand out in the shed?"

"Oh. Sure," said Harry easily. Mr. Weasley got up from the table and led Harry outside. They entered the man's infamous tool shed, and Harry noticed new mechanical and electronic devices in various states of disassembly. Mr. Weasley gestured to his work table, where a VCR sat.

"I've heard that muggles use this to see recorded images, like a pensieve, but I've put in those black blocks, and nothing happens."

"Oh, well," said Harry, trying not to laugh, "You need to attach it to a television. It can't just work on its—"

He was interrupted by the door opening again, and Harry was surprised to see Mrs. Weasley entering the shed which he always knew her to avoid, wanting nothing to do with her husband's "nonsense" tinkering.

"Molly, what are you doing here?" Mr. Weasley asked crossly, "We agreed we wouldn't. The boys—"

"I told them I was getting apples from the orchard," his wife said dismissively. She crossed the shed and looked beseechingly at a very surprised Harry.

"Harry, dear, you know how we think of you as a part of this family. We've been wanting to say….we hope that you don't think that has changed because of you and Ginny's relationship. We know young men have trepidation about 'the girlfriend's parents,' but you're not just our daughter's boyfriend to us, you're one of our own."

Harry was as touched as he was confused. "Th-Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," he said softly. "I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"And one reason we had no objection to you and Ginny dating," Mr. Weasley continued, "is that we trust you to always do right by Ginny. To always do what's best for her."

Harry looked back and forth between them, their expressions pointed and expecting.

"Well — ehem — I'll remember that. I promise to never do anything to hurt her." He meant it.

There was another moment of silence before Mrs. Weasley spoke up again.

"Sooooo…." she prompted. "We just want you to be aware that….should you decide to propose…you wouldn't have to worry—"

"What!?" Harry's heart leapt into his throat and he knew his face had turned scarlet. "Oh, no no," he said, putting his hands up. "I'm glad to have your blessing, but we're not ready to think about that yet."

Harry rubbed his neck nervously. It was only a half-lie. In truth, Harry was ready to think about that. He thought about proposing to Ginny damn near every day, in fact. But he was fairly certain that Ginny was still years away from being ready. She was fiercely proud of her independence and she was still dealing with the papers referring to her as "Harry Potter's girlfriend" before "star Harpies Chaser," even without marriage.

Mr. Weasley sighed in what seemed like disappointment and Mrs. Weasley's mouth thinned and her expression turned sour.

"Well...the roast should be done, we should all head back inside."

The Weasleys led the way out of the shed and Harry cautiously followed them. When they arrived back in the kitchen, Harry saw Bill shoot his father a stern, questioning look, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Mr. Weasley shake his head grimly, and Bill and Charlie gave Harry a glare that would make Mad-Eye Moody quake in his boots.

Harry froze and all the breath left his body. It suddenly all made sense. He was the thing that the Weasleys were so on edge about. Ginny's parents inquiring about him marrying her.

They had somehow found out that he and Ginny were living together.

Harry suddenly felt like a sheep in a cage with several wolves.

"Hey mum," said Charlie, "while you were outside, Aunt Muriel floo-called and said that the gnomes are in her attic again. Apparently she's upset at the way dad tried to take care of it last time."

"Is she sure it's actually the gnomes, or is it the doxies nesting in her hair?" Mr. Weasley grumbled as his wife shooed him into their sitting room and through their fireplace. Harry's heart was thudding in his chest as the few Weasleys he could count on to not murder him due to this secret getting out abandoned him with the curse breaker, dragon tamer, master prankster, and Ministry power-broker.

Several murderous eyes turned towards Harry.

"Look...er…" Harry stammered. "I really thought that, after everything, we had all moved past the whole 'overprotective big brothers' routine."

"Yeah, we thought we had too," said Charlie darkly, "but mum and dad's diplomatic approach clearly didn't work, so the gloves are off. I guess we never figured that the savior of the bloody wizarding world would do this to our sister."

George snorted, still finding this whole thing quite amusing. "Sorry, do this to her? Harry's the real victim here. Ginny's a nightmare already, can you imagine what living with her will be like now?"

"What the hell are you lot talking about?" Ron cut in, looking around the room in confusion.

"I think your brothers have become aware of me and Ginny's...status change," said Harry.

"Oh, that is just so typical!" huffed Hermione, crossing her arms and adopting her lecturing pose. "Ginny is perfectly capable of handling her own life and she doesn't need a bunch of chest-beating men to defend an outdated notion of her 'honour!' I still can't believe how sexist magical society can be sometimes."

"Yes, Hermione, our world is sexist, whether we like it or not" said Bill, not backing down. "You can pontificate all you want about how it's not right, or a double standard, but once the public finds out about this — and sooner or later, they will," he shot another glare at Harry, as if he wrote to the papers about it himself, "then it will change how people see her. And since she's a Quidditch star, the way people see her matters."

"Yup, can see the headlines now," George sighed dramatically, "the ambitious social climber Ginevra Weasley, raised in a pauper's home, so she used her feminine wiles to land herself this sweet gig."

"Look, ultimately, it's none of our business — no, I'm serious!" Ron finished in response to his brothers' looks of betrayal. "Look, Bill, Charlie, you two were only around when Ginny was a little girl. You didn't go to school with her. You never saw first-hand what happens when you try to meddle in her life to defend her virtue, trust me." He shivered a bit, as he remembered the traumatic memory.

"I don't even understand why we have to meddle," said Percy, "I just don't understand your logic, Harry. There's no question you would be willing to throw yourself into mortal danger all over again to protect Ginny. What you're hesitating to do is comparatively easy."

"His reasons don't matter, he should have thought of that earlier," said Charlie, pointing a threatening finger at Harry. "I don't care if this makes me a hypocrite, but you're going to do the right thing and—"

Ginny suddenly burst into the room, causing every word to fall silent. Harry knew that Ginny always hated it when people were obviously talking about her, but as he started towards her, he was surprised when he saw that her eyes were watery with tears. Ignoring all of the eyes on her, she ran straight towards Hermione, throwing her arms around her friend.

"Erm, is something wrong?" asked Hermione. She threw a questioning look to Fleur as she followed Ginny into the kitchen, but the young mother looked just as confused as anyone as she took Victoire back from Bill.

Instead of answering Hermione's question, Ginny withdrew from the hug and smacked Ron upside the head.

"Ah! What the shit!" Ron cried, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ronald, language!" scolded Mrs. Weasley, re-entering the kitchen along with her husband, making the room quite crowded.

"That's your main concern?" asked Ron, "Not the unwarranted physical assault?"

"It's not unwarranted, it's for being a stupid, forgetful git!" barked Ginny

She walked up to Harry and took his glass of firewhiskey, still mostly intact.

"I need this more than you," she informed him, and began to raise the glass to her lips.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!"

Mrs. Weasley's ear-piercing shriek caused everyone in the room to wince, and Ginny momentarily jumped behind Harry for protection. "Merlin's balls, WHAT!?"

"Molly…" Mr. Weasley cautioned.

"DO NOT 'MOLLY' ME, ARTHUR!" his wife shouted back. She had a crazed look in her eye and she was pulling at her hair. She rounded on Harry and Ginny.

"We have tried to be respectful, but you two are clearly not ready for this kind of responsibility! I am so disappointed in you both for not taking this more seriously! You haven't even given a thought to how this will affect your careers!"

"Our careers?" asked Harry, confused. "How would that possibly—"

Suddenly, everything clicked into place. He had gotten it completely wrong about what the Weasleys were talking about. The talk about responsibility, their careers, affects to Ginny's public image.

Somehow, the family had gotten word about the "honour" bestowed upon Harry by the Wizengamot, and all the implications that had for his and Ginny's future together. He supposed it wasn't too surprising that Arthur or Percy had heard about it through their Ministry connections.

He looked sideways at Ginny, and from one look he knew that she had come to the same realization. Both their faces split into wide grins as relief flooded through them that all of this drama was over something so silly. Apparently, the family somehow had the absurd idea that Harry would keep the title and actually take the status, power, and responsibilities being offered to him.

Harry and Ginny cracked up into delirious laughter, leaning on each other for support, which did nothing to help the livid look on Mrs. Weasley's face.

"Oh Merlin's beard, is that what has you all concerned? Don't worry about that," laughed Harry, waving one hand dismissively and wrapping the other around Ginny's shoulder.

"I mean, come on, we're obviously not keeping it!"

There was a moment of silence, then the entire kitchen exploded.

[iamnightduchess]

ReinerxMikasa (ReiKasa) Extremely Kinky A to Z Ask Game (R20+) Headcanon #19

*Update: 24 March 2021

A continuation of this ask & inspired by this original post. Dedicated to @xrocketmanx for their amazing 💖 on my ko-fi page!

(A/N: ‼️WARNING‼️Graphic description of very explicit smut with potentially provocative images ⛔ Please don't click Keep Reading if you're below 20 🙅‍♀️ Sorry kiddos! To my more adult readers, please absorb this post's content with appropriate discretion & maturity)

(In complete Alphabetical Order)

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

People expect Reiner to be the one who would jump off the bed immediately soon after when they’re done but on the contrary, he just loves lying there and holding Mikasa in his arms post-coitus. Although, they do sleep with Mikasa lying on his chest most nights. Mikasa wasn’t used to be held intimately in the first few months of their relationship, so the first time they made love, Reiner gave her the space that she needed before, during and after. It was Mikasa who finally initiated their first cuddle post-coitus after the next several weeks.

B = Body part (Their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Reiner: Very confident of his physical appearance and in his skin. He really loves everything on and about Mikasa. He loves her body type the way she is - to him, hers is just perfect. But, his most favorite body part of hers he'd like to touch first every time he could is her hands. He just like holding her hands when he wakes up, winding down for the night & even when he's asleep.

Mikasa: This woman, despite having a bombshell athletic figure, still secretly feels insecure of the way she looks. She loves Reiner's biceps the most - at home, she'll sneak a quick peck or a nibble on his biceps when he's doing the dishes or making dinner. She also likes to snuggle up to him on the couch with his arm draped around her shoulders, sometimes until she falls asleep.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically… lol)

She...swallows? 🙈 (holy shizz i'm not so sure of this one. Can't think of a suitable answer without being cringey 🤣)

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Reiner & Mikasa once had a quickie inside the changing booth during a beach trip with their friends. Reiner had also went down on Mikasa after dinner at his mum's place, right in Karina's laundry room because he 'accidentally' spilt some wine on her dress & wanted to get her dress cleaned up. He ended up having her as dessert on top of the moving dryer & she left her underwear there by accident.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

They were both not each other’s first lovers but when they first got together, the experience is like being with no other. They discovered new parts & points of not only their significant other’s physical & spiritual strengths but also their own respective preferences as well. Reiner’s quite a ladies’ man during his early years in the military but after a while, he got bored of the game. Meeting Mikasa, he realised he wants to play the game again but this time to win it for good. Mikasa has only been with one boyfriend since college & being with Reiner opened her eyes up to vast possibilities.

F = Favourite Position (This goes without saying. Will probably include a visual)

No, Reiner doesn't do the Military Style despite being a military man 🤣 Missionary & Cow Girl are their standard starting positions. Despite Mikasa being very flexible, which gave them more advantage in attempting the more physically-challenging positions, but the following are their more favorite experimental ones:

Oasis

Basket

Watering Can

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

A little bit of both, no doubt. Reiner has a dorky sense of humor & Mikasa's odd humor makes for a good tension-breaking combination. Their foreplays always begin with a good laugh - with Reiner ghosting his teasing touches on her love handles. Gets her in the mood for some serious sexing every time.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

For both, the carpets matched the drapes. Mikasa tried Brazillian wax once and uhh...Reiner abstained for a week & a half because he prefers her au naturalé 🙈 He said it felt odd from what he's used to haha

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

There are days they’ll just have a quickie if they get in the mood while just chilling, watching TV together after dinner. Before the children came, they would always have slow, intense eye-gazing, tantric, unrushed lovemaking. After the twins came into the picture, they’ll be lucky if they can even have cuddle time together >D Mikasa doesn’t say “I love you” out-loud but showed it in the way she touches & kisses Reiner’s arm when he’s in the kitchen making dinner or when he’s giving the twins a bath.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Oooh...Reiner rarely does this after he dated Mikasa & married her. But he loves getting her to touch herself in the showers. While he watches.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Did i tell you about their muscle kink & how much they love each other’s muscles?? Roleplay :) They like to pretend they’re strangers meeting in a cafe or a hotel bar and later have a ‘pretend one-night stand’ with each other haha It keeps the flame burning! (i posted a oneshot on this.)

L = Location (Favourite places to do the do)

Home: bedroom, kitchen and in his home office. In the showers too!

They're not one to do it in public but they did have several outdoor trysts on the back of his 4WD while having a romantic night under the stars.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going) haha can't help not including this gif

When Mikasa rubs one of Reiner's thighs, rest assured that his gears will be running. Meanwhile when Reiner nuzzles her neck and started caressing her abs, oh it's an on for her alright.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

⛔ Backdoors are a big N.O ⛔

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

They're both amazing givers... You know what it means: 34 + 35 🤫 Reiner would sometimes initiates when Mikasa's already asleep. Remember that Zoom Conference & online gaming session? Mikasa likes to get back at Reiner when he least expects it.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Both depending on their moods...quickies are usually fast pounding yet not too rough, Reiner respects Mikasa too much to ever be at risk of hurting her. Usually their lovemaking would be sensual & soul-bonding at the same time.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Mikasa prefers to wear pants when they ever go for outings, movie trips, hiking trips. But, she wears skirts when they're visiting their families for a reason: smoother access for quickies. The moment she walks down the stairs in a beautiful dress before they head to his mum's or her aunts', Reiner already knows it. They be getting freaky with a quickie later 🙈

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Reiner & Mikasa are very experimental in the bedroom. Sure, they don’t have frequent lovemaking but when they’re in the mood, fireworks are a guarantee throughout with different new positions ;) Risk-taker? Let’s just say Reiner’s virility and Mikasa’s flexibility provided a lot of perks in their love lives together (and some pregnancy scares too! before they were ready to conceive) Mikasa once gave Reiner head while they're stuck in traffic heading into a road block. He'd finished just before the the car in front of them pass the inspection 🙈

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Ooh boy, all night haha Rounds: 2 max at one time. Duration: At least 1.5hours X) They both are super fit, athletic people so one can expect their staminas to be nothing less than subpar. *cough* In Canon AU: Max 4 times or 1/3 of the night *winks* because supernatural & acker powers!

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

No, they don't 🙈

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Goes without saying: a lot. Mikasa likes to wear Reiner's tshirts/ dress shirts at home to tease him. While Reiner likes to wear his reading glasses a lot at home because that is one of her biggest turn ons from him.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Mikasa's the quiet one between the two and the loudest she'd ever been was just a deep, heavy whimper. Reiner's the louder one that sometimes Mikasa would have to smother him when they're having a quickie 🤣

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

Even after more than 20 years together, Reiner and Mikasa still make out like they're teenagers - pretending to sneak around and grinding in hidden, cramped spaces away from their kids.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

Mikasa : Dynamite & powerful grip - thighs and you-know-what (even after 3 kids!)

Reiner : Thicc - ass & this man is packing. He has girth!

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest: 15 🤣 There's something about getting Mikasa to relax and laugh during their chill time, that just instantaneously revved up their engines at the same time. Reiner is a very tender, romantic person & Mikasa cannot resist it when he starts to tell her how much he loves her & appreciates her. He likes to kiss her hand when they're just hanging out even with friends. Everything Reiner does is genuine & that warms her heart everytime.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Reiner would be the first to go out like a light & Mikasa just likes to rest her head on his chest and hear his beating heart & relaxed breathing. Mikasa thinks Reiner's little snores are adorable. But when they're just cuddling on the couch, Mikasa would fall asleep first & Reiner would carry her to the bed.

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

A/N: I had a lot of fun with this & I hope you'll enjoy it too! Thank you so much for the support & love 💖 xoxo More asks to come!

[drops-of-moonlights]

What are your issues with S3 of Winx Club?

Okay, so. I am going to get long and ranty and annoyed overall on this post. I shouldn’t even have to preface this, half of the people that follow me have critical thinking skills I hope, but you can have whatever opinion on S3 and all the things I’m gonna touch on this post, I do not care and you should not either, live your life however the fuck you want yadda yadda yadda. Now:

The first thing that comes to mind is the pacing, and just how fucking terrible it is. Every single event takes so long and its so slow for the first 18-or-so episodes (a lot of situations really did not require two episodes), only to be suddenly kicked into high gear and have 7 different “final” battles one after another. It felt like it was just happening to end the season already and so they could keep working on SOTLK, and like I get you’re working on both and all but you COULD have afforded to at least PRETEND you gave a shit, Rainbow.

Next topic is Valtor, who is my absolute least favorite villain in the series, and yes, I am including the S5-S7 villains on this. This is where it’s not much a fault of the character itself (well. not ENTIRELY a fault of the character), but a fault of both the narrative and (and for this I am petty) the fanbase. Valtor, to me, is the most generic villain in the franchise, a different flavor than Darkar but by no means less bland - Valtor is your standard “hot” prettyboy villain who tries to charm the protagonist to his side with the empty promise of answers, and THAT COULD HAVE BEEN INTERESTING... if the show ever bothered to do anything with it other than Valtor creeping on a senior highschool student for 26 episodes. Because it’s all a farce, there’s not an actual connection between them outside of Valtor feeding her lies about her retconned parent’s backstory (we’ll talk about this more later) and both of them having God’s power inside them. My second point on Valtor is that he singlehandedly ruined the Trix’s characterization to simply be your standard evil henchwomen that thirst after Valtor’s dick because truly they all have terrible taste in men, and nothing else, and it’s annoying as all fuck, ESPECIALLY when you compare the Trix as Darkar’s lackeys a season earlier, where they stayed mostly the same personality-wise and only allied with the Phoenix out of necessity and survival. And the worst part? Valtor doesn’t do shit in the season! Like, at all! He only ever gets Chimera, Cassandra and Diaspro on his side, blinds Aisha and that’s literally it as far as confrontations with the Winx go - outside of fighting them when they get the Water Stars and the three last battles, he spends most of the show’s time fucking around random planets getting weird magic and sitting broodily on a chair, and apparently this makes him a good villain???? Okay, sure.

And since I mentioned them, let’s get on the Water Stars for a bit, and while yes, this is the one part everyone agrees on that was weak as fuck, it still brings attention because WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT. All this time there was this antithetical force to the Dragon’s Flame, super-mega-ultra powerful little thingies that could douse the Flame’s power almost permanently, AND YOU ONLY BRING THEM TO ATTENTION NOW AGAINST VAMPIRE AESTHETIC. Do you have any idea how fucking useful they could have been against the Trix in S1???? If they had gotten the little squishy motherfuckers two seasons earlier the War of Magix would have been over quicker. And it’s not like Bloom would have been in much risk, she barely had any Flame left in her.

In a similar situation, we have Enchantix, which is my second most-hated form after Tynix for similar reasons. One, where in the fuck were all the Enchantix fairies during S1? Fairy Dust is supposed to be this OP magic, and could have also been very useful against the Army of Decay. Two, the way to earn Enchantix, for what is retroactively just the final base fairy form, is far too obtuse and complicated for the average fairy, not to mention incredibly limiting - you just have to hope someone from your realm is in a dangerous situation so you can fling yourself into danger and probably die, and all you get for it are some opera gloves and a pair of barefoot sandals. Like sure a super powerful magic upgrade also happens but still, it’s such a specific situation to find yourself in that it’s no wonder no one ever graduates Alfea, it’s literally borderline impossible unless you like traveling. My last point on the transformation, and this one is a bit YMMV, 3 of the 6 Winx did not actually earn Enchantix. Bloom counts for this, but it’s an actual plot point (though it was terribly handled) so I let it slide most of the time, but Musa and Tecna? Musa didn’t even get to sacrifice anything, she just suddenly got the form and that’s it, GALATEA was doing more of a sacrifice to let everyone leave the burning library without her than Musa was. Tecna also got Enchantix without saving anyone from Zenith, and before you even type it out, no, it was never said Tecna saved the entire universe by closing the Omega Portal. None of the three English dubs nor the original Italian ever say this. That’s entirely just fanon. I have headcanonned it away as “some of the prisoners were Zenithian” to justify it for myself, but overall it was very obviously just shoehorned in because as always, the writers don’t know what to do with Tecna.

“But Drops! What about Nabu???” I can already hear you type, and no, I do not like Nabu. I don’t hate him either, outside of the fact I reject the idea of Aisha being into men in any way, shape or form, but he is very much worshipped as the Golden Child in the fandom and I’m tired of it. You can see a better description on my feelings about Nabu (as well as how the fandom loves to demonize Sky for the shit he pulled in S1 but hold nothing against either Brandon or Nabu, who pulled the same shit) here.

There *is* a part of S3 I like, that being the Solaria Usurpation arc, but it’s the one sole thing that I legitimately enjoy in the season and I’m not gonna stick around the fuckton of episodes that interrupt the arc just for that.

But what I hate the most about S3, above all this, is how goddamn irrelevant it is. Outside of getting the Winx Enchantix, NOTHING about the season is remotely relevant lore-wise or plot-wise, and the show itself acknowledges this! Even SOTLK pretends S3 never happened and the girls just got Enchantix somehow! Because of the drive Rainbow had to end the franchise’s original arc with fancy shitty CGI, they ended up making the original last season of the show, what was supposed to be the best thing before the movie, into the biggest waste of time instead. You can really just watch the episodes each girl gets Enchantix and then the final episode and you wouldn’t miss anything at all.

So the TL;DR for all this is “I hate S3 because Valtor sucks, Enchantix sucks, the pacing is garbage and there’s really nothing nice in it outside of like 3 episodes”, and I refuse to rewatch it ever again.

[binniedeactivated]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫. || 𝐲𝐣🌪

Pt. 4 | m.list

─▸🖤 ❝ @[@𝐛𝐮𝐠𝐬𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠.. ]

✎𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐧 𝐱 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤!𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥

✎ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞

✎ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭; 3k

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐭. 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭.

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒; 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞

“winter! it’s nice to see you”.  Pd-nim greeted as she walked in, sarai immediately drops her things to run and hug yeonjun’s legs. “junnie!”. 

“hey, same here!”. winter replies, peering over at yeonjun and sarai who happened to be already talking about god knows what. 

“thank you so much for letting sarai record again. she such a cute and bright girl. everyone loved her”. 

winter nods and smiles, “I’m grateful that my baby has this opportunity”. 

“yes! so sarai’s hair and wardrobe stylist is here. we thought we’d give her an even brighter, cutesy look today. we’ll be helping her get settled, you can watch the recording session or you can come back and pick her up. it’s all up to you”.

it was evident that winter’s smile was gradually fading when she casts her eyes on yeonjun and in exchange yeonjun was casting his eyes on her. he had this sullen, sorrowful aura in his eyes whenever he looked at her. it was almost as if he was apologizing through them. 

but apologies don’t work that way, choi yeonjun. 

she hadn’t noticed PD-nim had already walked off and now it was yeonjun’s turn to approach her while sarai got ready for the recording. “hey,”. he greeted hesitantly. if only he knew about the flames he sparked whenever winter saw his face. 

yeonjun looks around before he says something else. “I’m grateful that you’re letting me do this. regardless of how you feel about me”.  

“I’m only doing this because I know it’ll break sarai’s heart if I don’t let her. none of this is for you. and it will never be”.

“winter--”. 

“I said I don’t want you talking to me. why are you still going?”. she grumbles before turning and walking off. she’d rather pick sarai up later. there was no way she could stay here in the same presence as yeonjun. 

“mommy will be back later to get you okay? be good i love you”. she plants a kiss on the girl’s forehead before leaving shortly. 

yeonjun sat at the table diligently like he was told. he didn’t know what the content of the video was going to be today. but the camera crew knew at least. he drums his fingers on the table, trying to think of ways he could apologize to winter. 

“junnie i’m done!”. 

sarai runs her little legs to the table beside yeonjun. yeonjun thought she looked so cute in her two big curly puff ponytails and bright pink ribbons wrapped around them both. she had a bright pink shirt and a tutu on,it was clear to see that yeonjun wasn’t the star of the show here.

but he didn’t mind.

“Woahhh look at you!”. He hypes. She smiles with her hands on her hips. “thank you! I like these colors”.

within moments the camera men layered a whole bunch of food on the table, mostly famous korean food. they then gave them both two high definition microphones, and it was there were yeonjun figured they were doing an ASMR mukbang.

“Recording in 3, 2, 1!”.

“Hiii I’m yeonjun from tomorrow by together!”.

“Hii im Sarai!”.

Yeonjun smiles, “and today we’re going to be doing—“.

“an ASMR mukbang!!”.

The both of them screeched with excitement. Yeonjun thought it was kind of funny. Especially since the both of them never really rehearsed a real script, they were just really happy about food. Which the camera crew playfully scolded them about considering the fact that it was an ASMR so they would have to be whispering.

yeonjun picks up a black and red packet of noodles and holds it up the camera. He puts it against his microphone and crinkles the plastic. Sarai laughs at his dramatic behavior. “Do you know what these are Sarai?”. He whispers.

“No!”.

“this is jjajangmyeon. Black bean paste noodles. Also one of Korea’s most favorite dishes”. he grabs the bowl of already-made jjajangmyeon and stirs it with chopsticks. He was sure to wrap the noodles around them both just before holding them to Sarai’s lips.

She hesitantly slurps them in the microphone, making things louder and messier than they were supposed to be. Leaving yeonjun laughing and wiping her lips shortly after.

“Mmm! Thats—how do you say delicious in korean junnie?”. She whispers.

“Mah-shi-seo-yo!”.

she gives the camera a thumbs up. “mah-shi-seo-yo!”.

Sarai then picks up a tray of sushi rolls, trying her hardest to read the name. “And this is gimbap! I have no clue what’s in it but I know it’s famous in korea! right junnie?”.

yeonjun laughs and then nods. “yes. It’s a seaweed wrapped—“. cutting him off was Sarai crinkling the plastic wrap into the mic after she took it off the tray. she grabs a pair of chopsticks and attempts to hold them like yeonjun taught her. she grabs a sushi roll and holds it to his lips.

he wasn’t expecting that of course but couldn’t help her cuteness so he ate it anyways, making sure to leave his munching for the microphone. Sarai leans over and plays with his cheeks while he was doing so. he chuckles a little,

“what are you doing?”.

“you have squishy cheeks!”.

“we’re supposed to be eating”. 

“you look like a chipmunk when you eat”. 

yeonjun laughs silently. “it’s your turn to try the gimbap”. he takes his chopsticks and swiftly picks one up and lets her bite into it. she chews weirdly trying to create a good review of the food. “it tastes funny”.

“you don’t like it?”.

“ummmm”. she hums kind of indecisive. she wanted to like it, it was just, the flavors were kind of new to her. 

“it’s okay if you don’t. just because you’re korean doesn’t mean you have to like all korean foods”. 

“well, what if people don’t think I’m korean because I don’t like gimbap?”. 

“that’s alright. you don’t have to care about what others say to you”. 

“but why not?”. 

“because you’re pretty, you’re funny, and you’re smart--you have to know who you are so when people say hurtful things it won’t hurt your feelings”.

sarai smiles a little and nods. she adored yeonjun so much. “my mommy says that. she says black is beautiful and that black is bold”. 

yeonjun scoots the bowl of bimbibap towards them. “it is. that’s one thing you should always be proud of before anything else. be proud of your skin color”. 

she laughs a little. “you should be proud of your skin color too junnie. even if you’re white”. 

he almost spit out his second serving of bimbibap. “hey! I’m not white it’s the makeup”. he harshly whispers. sarai continues her laughter. “in korea pale skin is the standard. so a lot of kpop stars wear lighter makeup”. 

“oh! so you’re light-skinned?”. 

yeonjun snorts and nods his head. “yes. yes I’m light skinned”.

“do the light-skinned face junnie!”. 

“light skinned face?”.

“yeah! squint your eyes together and make duck lips! like this”. she demonstrates, making yeonjun almost die laughing. he kept forgetting that this was supposed to be an asmr so they were supposed to be eating. but sarai was hilarious. 

“we have to eat now”. yeonjun encourages, forking his chopsticks through the bimbibap. sarai crosses her arms. “I’m not eating until you make the face”. 

yeonjun laughs, “but why?”. 

“because it’s funny!”.

“fine fine!”. yeonjun gives in. sarai sits on her knees in the chair anticipating it all. he quickly copies the face she was doing making her die laughing this time. not just her, but the camera crew and production team as well. yeonjun could only hope they were going to edit that out later if he looked as dumb as he thought he looked.

“and cut! good job!”. the crew claps and yeonjun claps as well. for sarai mainly, she almost ate everything in one sitting. 

“you full yet?”. yeonjun asks. she holds her stomach. “am I! I feel like i’m going to explode!”. 

he holds his hand up for her to smack, “good job today. I think people are going to really like this video. everyone loves you so much”.

she smacks it and purses her lips shortly after. she looks around, thinking a bit. it was hard to feel good about anything these days with those school kids on her mind. “i wish everyone at school loved me like you guys do”. she mumbles. 

“really? why don’t they love you?”. 

she fiddles with the ruffles on her tutu. “because i don’t have a dad”. 

yeonjun blinks. “people can’t just not like you because you don’t have a dad, that doesn’t make sense and it isn’t fair to you. plus it’s not that you don’t have one, you just don’t know him yet”. 

she adjusts herself in her chair. “try telling those kids that. as soon as i told them that just my mommy takes care of me they started making fun of me”. 

yeonjun sighs, he realized he hated seeing her sad. it broke his heart. he saw why winter often gave her what she wanted. 

“can I hug you?”. he asks, and she raises her arms up. he slides into them perfectly, hugging her and rubbing her back little while doing so. 

that must’ve been what it felt like, sarai thought. 

yeonjun had the dad hug she wanted to feel. one that was full of love and warmth, one that she didn’t want to let go from. he pulls back.

“don’t let those kids mess with you. everyone’s life isn’t perfect so they have no business making fun of yours. plus you’re a star. who cares about what they think”. 

“junnie?”. 

“yes?”. 

“if i get famous, do you promise you’ll still be my friend?”. 

winter stands at the doorway, overhearing them both. they hadn’t known she was even there. 

yeonjun holds up his pinky. “i promise I’ll always be your friend”. 

she loops her smaller one around his and smiles softly. “it’s a deal!”.

[lavendersblues]

Buddie + 3? I'm living vicariously through you and several others with this ship ^^;

Valentine’s day at the firehouse always sucked, in Buck’s humble opinion. His last few had been miserable (the date with Abby was nice, the impromptu tracheotomy not so much). And now that Bobby was married, suddenly Buck was one of the last single people on their shift.

“Oh cheer up, Buck,” Hen teased as she caught sight of his moping face. “You’re not the only single person in the firehouse this year.”

She then sent a significant glance towards Eddie’s back and Buck didn’t know whether or not to be sad or comforted. He settled on sad, giving Hen the briefest acknowledgement, before returning to staring at the back of Eddie’s LAFD shirt bearing his name.

The thing was bothering Buck most, however, was that he knew Eddie wasn’t supposed to be single.

Eddie was supposed to be spending this Valentine’s day with Shannon. But that option had been taken from him in the most tragic way. Not only had Shannon asked for a divorce, but she’d been hit by a car. Eddie hadn’t even had a chance to make things right before Shannon was gone. It wasn’t fair.

Before Buck could spiral further into his own thoughts of tragedy, self-pity, and sadness -- both for himself and for his best friend slash unrequited love -- Eddie turned and offered Buck a beaming smile that sunk right into his heart.

“Hey Buck,” Eddie greeted, slapping Buck on the shoulder with a hand and giving it a gentle squeeze -- an act reminiscent of a day in the not too distant past where Eddie had broken through the final lock on Buck’s heart. “Have any plans for today?”

Buck shrugged. “Oh, you know, pizza and Star Trek. It’s really just another day when you’re single.”

“True that!” Chimney called from the balcony, and a there was a swell of chuckles that followed. When the echoes died out, as they finished bouncing around the spacious concrete structure, Eddie turned back to Buck with those hyperfocused eyes.

“There’s nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you.”

“So why don’t you come over and do pizza and Star Trek with me and Christopher? We can make it a boy’s night. I’ll even spring for beers.”

Buck’s heart lurched in his chest and then quickly shifted into fluttering almost painfully as a tiny bubble of hope rose up. He tried desperately to quash it and play off his agreement with nonchalance. “Oh, yeah, sure! That sounds great. I’ll bring the pies.”

Eddie gave that heartwarming half smile that sent Buck’s heart into a tizzy as he clapped Buck’s shoulder one last time. “Sounds great. See you at six?”

“Yeah,” Buck dry swallowed. “Six.”

As Eddie’s retreating back disappeared out of sight, Buck heard a faint clicking. He turned to his left and saw Chim and Hen with their arms crossed, Hen with her head bowed as she shook it back and forth, clicking her tongue.

“Boys,” she muttered with heavy exasperation. 

Chimney nodded sagely at her side. “You said it.”

---

Buck pulled up to Eddie’s house at 6:03 PM after having showered and shaved (slightly), with piping hot pizza from Giovanni’s, the small local restaurant that was only ten minutes from Eddie’s place and was an immediate favorite of Christopher’s. There were two boxes -- one, a standard combination pizza for Eddie and Buck, and a smaller pepperoni and mushroom pizza for Christopher.

Knocking once for an air of politeness, Buck shouldered open the door with a practiced ease. “I’ve got pizza!” he called into the apartment. There was an immediate flurry of noise as Christopher came barreling down the hall as fast as his crutches would carry him before he collided hard with Buck’s midriff.

“Buck!” Christopher was chanting, hugging Buck tightly. “Buck! Buck! Buck!”

“Hey, buddy!” Buck slid the pizza boxes onto Eddie’s counters before reaching down to envelop his favorite kid in a tight, protective hug. One hand landed on the back of Christopher’s head the way it had when he’d pulled Christopher from the water all those months ago. All Buck wanted to do was wrap Christopher up in his arms and keep him safe forever, but experience had taught him that you couldn’t wrap up kids in bubble wrap.

“Buck! It’s boy’s night!” Christopher crowed happily before detaching himself from Buck and moving back into the living room. “Gonna watch Star Trek with us, Buck?”

“You know it!” Buck grinned, glancing up as Eddie entered from the hallway with a soft smile. Buck’s heart did a backflip. Eddie’s hair was damp, and so was the collar of his shirt -- he must have just gotten out of the shower. He looked so clean he was almost glowing (but Buck was almost positive that Eddie glowed even after a four-alarm fire with his hair sweat matted and his face smeared with soot).

“Thanks for coming Buck,” Eddie said softly as he went for the pizza, using the disposable plates Giovanni’s had provided. “Beer’s in the fridge. I’ll get the disk loaded up in the DVD player.”

Buck grabbed two beers and a bottle of IBC Root Beer for Christopher (Eddie’s way to help Christopher feel included when the adults had their ‘grown-up drinks’). He popped the tops and set them on the coasters spread across the coffee table. Christopher had plopped himself into a special ‘movie theater’ seat that Eddie had bought off eBay. It had a cup holder and it reclined like the fancy new seats that were sweeping the nation, but it was miniature and just the right size for an eager seven-year old to use as he ate his pizza from the coffee table.

“So, what episodes are we watching?” Buck asked curiously from the couch where he had unceremoniously thrown himself, leaving just enough space for Eddie who shoved his legs out of the way before sitting.

“Wait, you actually meant the TV show?” Eddie asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “What happened to the Buck who didn’t care about anything that was made before you were born?”

Buck felt his face heat as he grew flustered. “Well, I just knew it was Christopher’s favorite show that he shared with you so I started watching it. I’m not very far -- I fall asleep a lot when it’s on. But I think I’m in Season 2?”

Eddie looked gobsmacked. It took a second but he shook his head, seeming to regain his composure. “We’re actually watching the 2009 movie with Chris Pine. Lots of explosions and action sequences. We thought it was more your style.”

“And sky-diving!” Chris piped up from the floor. “They go sky-diving!”

Both Eddie and Buck laughed, and Eddie took that moment to hit play on the menu screen before he settled in with his pizza, nestled just close enough to Buck to be absolutely maddening. Buck watched the film with moderate interest -- he’d seen it when it had first hit the theaters with his friends back in Pennsylvania but he hadn’t been super interested in the sci-fi genre at the time.

But now he wanted to watch and appreciate the film for what it stood for as a representation of his growing closeness with Eddie and Christopher.

It was just damn hard with Eddie’s leg burning a brand into his knee through the entire two and a half hour film.

Buck was so screwed.

---

After the film ended, Buck hung around on the couch as Eddie got Christopher ready for bed. He laughed as Christopher kept trying to convince his dad to let them watch at least one episode of the original Star Trek series before bed, but Eddie wasn’t swayed.

“It might be Valentine’s and you might have had too much candy at school, but it’s still a school night and that means bedtime is at 8:30. We’re already late on getting you into pajamas and teeth brushing!”

“But dad! Buck hasn’t seen Tribbles!”

“Tribbles can wait until the next boy’s night, okay?” Buck called down the hall, craning his neck around the corner to see Christopher, half in his pajamas and partially in the doorway of the bathroom where he was standing toe to toe with Eddie. At Buck’s words, however, Christopher gave in, allowing Eddie to usher him back into the bathroom with a grateful smile sent back down the hall to Buck.

After that it took no time at all to get Christopher tucked into bed with one final, “Good night, Buck,” followed by a warm hug and the soft sounds of Eddie telling his son one last story before the door to Christopher’s bedroom shut with a muted click.

Eddie’s feet dragged down the hallway with soft heavy padding noises before the frazzled father himself rounded the corner and he collapsed onto the couch, his head nearly in Buck’s lap. Eddie stared at the ceiling for a long moment and Buck took that moment to stare at Eddie.

“Thanks for coming over tonight Buck,” Eddie sighed, his eyes drifting shut for a few long moments. “We both really needed this.”

“Yeah,” Buck replied, desperately trying to keep his voice from cracking with all of the emotion behind it. He failed. “Anytime.”

Buck paused, then continued -- “And it’s not like I had anyone that wanted to spend Valentine’s day with me anyway.”

From his position on the couch, Eddie stiffened, his eyes still remaining shut -- though now with some apparent effort. After a few moments of deliberation, Eddie sat up turning to face Buck with a heavy expression.

“I wanted to spend Valentine’s day with you, Buck. That’s why I invited you.”

It was like a punch to the solar plexus and Buck reeled backwards. “But -- but I thought you only offered because my whole plan for the day sounded pathetic.”

Eddie’s hand was on his shoulder again, warm and solid and strong.

“I was the one who asked you what you were doing today, Buck. I wanted to invite you over. I just thought your plans would be fun with the three of us.”

Buck’s heart tripped and he felt short of breath. “Wait, so -- so it’s Valentine’s day, and you wanted -- you wanted -- but it’s not like -- I mean you’re not -- you haven’t been flirting with me or anything!” he sputtered, stumbling over his words.

Where Buck was flustered and buzzing, Eddie was calm and steady.

“Buck, I’m flirting with you. I have been since the day I met you.”

“But you -- Christopher -- I don’t -- wait --,” Buck’s breaths were coming in hard and heavy and he suddenly found himself with nearly a lap full of Eddie Diaz as Eddie’s hands cupped his face and the other man drew himself closer.

“Buck, Buck,” Eddie stressed, pointing Buck’s face towards his own, “look at me Buck. Deep breaths. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have… I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Or to break your trust, but I --”

Whatever apologies or retractions Eddie had set to spill from his lips were silenced as Buck leaned forward quickly and pressed his lips against Eddie’s. Buck didn’t want the apologies or retractions or the ‘We can pretend this never happened’. He wanted this. He wanted nights watching cheesy sci-fi remake films and eating pizza and hugging Christopher good night. He wanted Eddie Diaz pressed next to him from shoulder to ankle, warm and real. He wanted all of this -- but he’d just been too afraid to say so.

Buck pulled away from Eddie’s soft and incredibly willing lips with a soft smack, feeling Eddie’s exhale brush gently against his skin. Eddie’s thumbs brushed over his cheekbones softly and sent a thrill up Buck’s spine.

“I’ve been flirting with you too,” Buck said softly, through a smile that he thought might actually break his face.

Eddie grinned then, that same bright indulgent smile that seemed to be reserved only for Buck. He pecked Buck on the lips quickly before pulling away, their smiles making it difficult to do much more.

“You’re incredible, you know that right?”

Buck couldn’t help the smirk that creeped onto his face. “So I’ve been told.”

“Shut up.”

Eddie shouldered Buck hard, sending Buck rocking back away towards the other end of the couch -- laughing all the way. But it was worth it, seeing Eddie’s pink tinged cheeks as he rolled his eyes, taking one final swig from his beer.

Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley was in love with his best friend, and it turned out that when your best friend loved you back? Valentines Day didn’t suck as bad after all.

[ask-the-party-god]

SIEG! His name was sieg, I just remembered. -HNK Anon

hi hnk anon! im using this second ask of yours because its shorter, and putting your other one under the readmore to answer more extensively! X)

Okay. So I just got through the prologue, and I have a few things to say.

1. I’ve only had mash kyrielight for a day and a half, but if anything happened to her I would kill everyone in this and then myself!

youre absolutely RIGHT shes such a good girl! i love her and she only gets better and better as the same goes on! speaking of ‘better’ as it goes on, the game starts kind of slow? okay, so- the company that started fgo unsupervised, and they were making a cash-grabby game with less effort than it deserved... around the fourth singularity, though, nasu, the owner of the ip, saw the state of the game, stepped in and went like “nope, youre making this good, or youre not making it, period”, so... yeah he stepped in, put quality standards, lowered the saint quartz cost, added third skills to a lot of lower-star servants that didnt have them, reworked some other servants... also every milestone they include a quality of life change! earlier this year they increased the saint quartz you got from daily missions, then a retroactive change to interludes that gave me like, 100 pieces of it all of sudden... its good, i actually really appreciate them for that X)

2. The leveling up is a bit confusing for me.

yeah, the levelling up is, gacha levelling up, it was a bit weird at first, buuuut:

there are a few different things with exp in the game! you have your mystic code (your clothes, which have special skills), and your master level, both of which increase by just, doing any quest at all! master level determines your ap point limit, how many friends you can have, how many servants and ces you can have in your team at a time, etc... the mystic code level increases the effectivity of your mystic codes skills

theres bond level! this is how ‘close’ you are with your servant, and you raise it by fighting with those servants in your team! levels 1 through 5 unlock new information about them and new flavor text while theyre in your room! levels 6 through 9 give you rewards, like extra saint quartz, apples, etc... and if you get to level 10, you get a specific craft essence! some are like, “as long as the servant has it equipped, everyone in the team gets a buster buff”, but theres specific effects like, heracles gets a stack of 3 guts- which is insaaaaane

theres craft essences! theyre basically ‘buffs’, and levelling them up gives you some extra hp or attack, but ultimately theyre proooobably the least like, necessary thing to level up? still, you get spare craft essences out the wazoo so you probably want to feed the ones with effects you use a lot... anything with default np charge is GREAT for example, as it lets you charge up nukes all that much easier

and finally we get to servants! so you have the normal servant level up, THIS is what youd consider the classic ‘rpg level up’, but instead of levelling them up by fighting, you need items! specially, embers... feeding a servant embers and other spare servants you dont want (low rarity, pls dont feed people gold servants-), you level them up! this is a basic increase of all stats, but theres a level LIMIT! once they reach the level limit, you can ‘ascend them’ to their next stage, usually accompanied with unlocking new skills, and new cool outfits! you can ascend them up to four times, and once theyre at max ascension and max level, you CAN technically feed them holy grails (palingenesis), to break that max level limit to eventually reach 100... this is mostly unnecessary? but if theres a lower-rarity servant you REALLY like, that can put them on par with 4-stars, for example, or giving them a well needed extra boost to hp and attack

finally you have np and skills! skills are just that, servant-specific abilities! evades, healing, debuffs, buffs... levelling up skills reduces their cooldown at level 6 and 10, and generally increases their effect! np level up needs you to have multiple copies of the same servant, you can boost their np to be more damaging or to give you stronger buffs, depending on what it is

so basically, fighting will increase your master and mystic code exp, and your bond level! to actually level up servants, you have to feed them embers (you can farm them in the chaldea gate quests, or simply get them from story missions and free rolls)! to ascend them or level up their skills, you need special materials, which can drop in some free quests in singularities, be sold/drop during events, or drop from other chaldea gate free quests! not all materials are available from the beginning, so i suggest just, going through the story and upgrading your characters as you can, rather than obsessively farming to get them super high up before continuing with it

3. What’s the deal with the unregistered spirit origin currency? Because they are blocking me from getting the servants I want. That leads me to—

oh yeah no, dont worry about that, you are never, ever EVER going to use that X) basically, if you get 5 copies of the SAME 5-star, that is, if you get them to np level 5, and you get a SIXTH copy, which, again... insane odds? you will be given an unregistered spirit origin currency! basically its the way the game has of saying “sorry you keep getting this same servant so much, here, you can CHOOSE which one you want instead”

basically, insurance so you can never get a useless extra 5-star after fully upgrading a previous version of them

you gotta roll the gacha to get servants! its random! there is NO ensuring which one you will get, you just gotta try! well- there ARE occasionally events, like, twice a year, where you get to PICK a free 4-star actually

4. There are currently six servants that I want, everyone else doesn’t matter at the moment. The first is mash (so that’s one down) the second is artotia, third is Jeanne d'ark. Fourth is Jeanne alter, and firth Lancelot! And sixth- I SAW A MAID ALTER WITH A SNIPER RIFLE- WHAT? THATS COOL/FUNNY AS SHIT! I WANT THAT! (Maybe astolfo and uhhh... what was his name with the gray hair, he’s a caster- but that’s for later, the ones I listed are top priority,

lets see, six servants you want! believe me, you WILL get attached to more, but...

mash is obviously in your possession!

artoria is always, by default, in the summoning pool! theres occasionally ‘rate up’ banners, which give certain characters more weight, but ultimately, every saint quartz roll you do always has a chance of summoning her... specially right now, the more of the game you complete, the more servants you will unlock in the summoning pool, so technically shes at her highest drop rate right now

same with jeanne, shes part of the default summoning pool

jeanne ALTER is limited though! she does not appear normally, she can only be summoned when shes on a rate-up banner! i am not sure if she will be on rate-up before this, but the next banner i know she will for SURE be in is in may! oh! but- if you dont get her, there IS a 4-star, summer version that will be FREE this next summer, if you complete the summer event!

i think lancelot is also in the default summon pool!

maid alter is the summer outfit version of artoria X) i am unsure when she is available again honestly :o we had her event rerun not that long ago, so she may not be available for a while...

astolfo is in the default summoning pool AND theyre going to get a 5-star version this next year i believe! so, double stolfo!

sieg is, the free servant you get for the apocrypha event! it happened earlier this year, so i think that means theres a rerun of it still pending! eventually though, they will add a thing where you can replay events you missed and get the free servants from them, so while ideally youd wanna be playing while the event is up, theres a contingency in case you missed someone you REALLY want!

5. Please tell me how the start system works- I’m very new to this and I wanna be invested. Please help-

-HNK Anon

i think thats pretty much all there is! you get saint quartz through the story, by doing interludes, bond-levelling servants, through rewards, etc, as well as summon tickets, and you use those to roll the gacha! free friend currency only gives 3-star and under servants, while saint quartz can give you pretty much anything

theres almost always a ‘banner’ up, which offers ‘rate-up’ servants! the normal summoning pool has all the default servants and the story-locked ones you have unlocked, but the rate-ups can bypass the locks entirely! some servants are limited, so if they seem cool in a banner, you may wanna try to roll!

even if you dont get the servants you want- and believe me... it WILL happen... you WILL get more and more and more cool servants so, dont worry about that X) also a lot of lower-rarity servants are actually really good and can be used for a lot of things, so if you have a favorite, do not be afraid to level them up!

but yeah thats kind of the loop? you do stuff, get sq... roll the gacha for characters you like, level them up, do events... i honestly play mostly for the story, the main story gets really good, and the events are all charming and nice, but id be lying if i said i didnt want some specific servants... most of which are alter egos-

yeah sorry im rambling X) just... ask me anything else you may need! :D

[charlottemadison42]

Happy Snek Day!

~It’s still Snek Day for 3 more minutes in my time zone, so I managed a short lil fic!

++++++++++++++

Exile from the Emerald Isle - by CharlotteMadison, rated T, ~2300 words. CW: slightly snexy snake demon, disordered eating / religious fasting. Here on AO3

From Wikipedia: The more familiar version of the legend is given by Jocelyn of Furness, who says that the snakes had all been banished by Patrick chasing them into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast he was undertaking on top of a hill.

"Wonderful work here, Aziraphale," trumpeted Gabriel with an intolerable smile. "Just what we'd hoped for."

"Just following orders," said the principality pleasantly, through gritted teeth.

Gabriel looked up into the misting rain and miracled himself a small canopy. He left Aziraphale outside of it. "We're really looking forward to all the good Patrick will accomplish, as foreseen. With your divine help and guidance, of course. Well!" The archangel clapped his hands together like a game show host and nodded as if to conclude their business.

"Ehm, if I may --" Aziraphale ventured. "Can we -- can he end his fast yet? The poor man can barely move."

They looked together across the stony windswept hilltop to where young Pátraic lay on his side, drenched, laconic and lifeless.

"Anhhhhhhh, he'll be fine," Gabriel said with a dismissive handwave. "Self-discipline is the path to sainthood! And we have very high expectations for this one. They accomplish so much more when they stop worrying about all that food and sleep and comfort and --" here Gabriel shuddered. "...Sex."

"Right, quite right. It's just that...he's not accomplishing much, at the moment, is he?"

"I don't see a problem. Joshua lasted forty days, why shouldn't that be the gold standard? Anyway. I'm off to see the Pope about a few things. This Vulgate project -- very exciting."

"It is indeed." Aziraphale nodded fervently.

"Stay dry now!" Gabriel smiled his brilliant empty smile once more, and vanished at last.

Aziraphale sat heavily on a mossy wet rock and wilted.

It was only day thirty-two and Pátraic could only wake up and move in tiny bursts. He drank water but could no longer get up to relieve himself, so his guardian angel kept him clean and moved between soft mossy spots. The wet and the chill were now clearly getting to the future saint in addition to the hunger, and he coughed when he had the strength to.

It was horrible.

Aziraphale kept fantasizing about taking him to a warm dry inn, tucking him in, spoon-feeding him broth until he was strong enough to take meat. It would happen any day now. Pátraic would make it. He was destined to. But what in Heaven's name was the point of all this --

"Sssss he gone?" whispered a familiar voice.

Aziraphale shut his eyes tight in exasperation. "Yes, Crowley. You can come out now."

Crowley had adopted a mid-sized presentation today, perhaps twelve feet in length. He gleamed black and red with golden eyes, brilliant against the emerald green hills. Raindrops beaded on his scales like stars or sea foam.

"Ssssso. A sssaint, is he? Going to do ever ssso much good?"

"He's a person of exceptional faith and charity," Aziraphale said, rubbing his temples. "I'm to watch over him for now."

"What if I'm sent to make him ssstumble?" Crowley circled the angel's rock slowly, reared up so they were nearly of a height.

"I'm rather more inclined to think you're supposed to be doing something elsewhere and you've come here to play upon my nerves."

"Who, me? Never."

Crowley's tail snuck through the strap of the knapsack lying on the ground and tugged it over. Its contents spilled out onto the ground: apples, jerked mutton, a round of cheese, a skin of wine. The cheese rolled several feet downhill before it settled in a muddy spot.

"Oopssssie," said the demon in a tone that made it clear he was doing exactly what he wanted to.

"Vile worm," grumbled Aziraphale. "What did the cheese ever do to you?"

"Tetchy, aren't we?" observed Crowley. "Is someone's corporation getting hungry too?"

Aziraphale snorted. "Not in the least. We don't need to eat. Why should I be hungry?" And he did a very fine job suppressing the tears of frustration that threatened to spill over at the smell of the poor chese in the mud.

Heaven gave him commendations for converting heathen chieftains who didn't really seem to need converting, especially at swordpoint -- but they should be giving him a commendation for keeping a straight face now.

"Sssso you're not hungry?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"As the last man you tempted during a lengthy fast told you: we do not live on bread alone, but on Her Word."

"And this is living, is it? What he's doing?" asked Crowley pointedly, sneaking up to eye level and fixing the angel with his golden gaze.

"What do you want, foul fiend?" Aziraphale summoned all his ferocity and held the demon's gaze unblinking. Crowley undulated hypnotically without looking away.

"Well. If you want the saint to ssstarve for another eight days, I suppose I want him to eat sssomething, don't I? I don't have direct orders but it would follow that I should try to feed him."

Aziraphale wished for a moment that Crowley would stop teasing him and present as a human again, both because he wanted to read his expression and because his lovely hair had been styled in such elaborate braids since he traveled east --

But he stopped his own chain of thought there. "Lovely" was not a word to be thinking about one's adversary's hair, no matter how it shone or flounced when he tossed it. And Crowley tended to take his serpentine form after he'd had a particularly difficult time of things. He did look marvelous as a snake. And he always seemed to fall back into his favorite tricks from way back In The Beginning.

"I know what you're trying to do, tempter of Eden, and it won't work. It is already decided that he will survive this trial."

"But will you? I haven't seen you so grumpy since you stained your favorite cloak in Kiev. You said ssssome rather unangelic things if I recall."

Unfortunately, having-had-a-difficult-time-of-things-recently also usually meant the demon was eager to spread the misery. So Crowley spent much of his time in serpent form poking at Aziraphale like a lamb on a spit. Presumably to forget whatever had lately frustrated and traumatized Crowley.

"That cloak was a gift from Aléxandros ho Mégas three hundred years before! I try to keep my things in good condition. It's another way of being frugal."

"Or vain." Crowley had no eyelids and very little in the way of cheek muscles, but he could still convey a smirk somehow.

"Do you want me to smite you, Serpent?" Aziraphale threatened, but he knew Crowley knew he wouldn't. He was a pathetic angel; all handwringing indignation, not a hint of divine firey rage.

Crowley hissed and backed away, and a moment later he stood there on two legs with copper hair, human (or at least human-shaped) in all his glory.

Glory? No, of course not, he was Fallen; this was the updated version of whatever his glory used to be -- splendor? magnificence? Ah, Aziraphale was spending entirely too much time hunting down the right words to describe his dearest enemy.

Crowley tossed his hair defiantly. Shine. Flounce.

"You understand what I'm proposing, angel?" he said, and his voice sounded different now, throaty, full. "Whatever you may want for the poor sod, you have to keep him starving til head office says when. I am obliged to counter you. I could do the opposite."

Aziraphale swallowed hard. He was thinking of Pátraic but he was thinking harder about Crowley's eyes. "Could you, then?"

"I would do the opposite. If you wanted me to." Crowley stepped a little closer and leaned down to eye level, just where he'd hovered before. Aziraphale's stomach protested nearly four weeks of hunger and the rest of his body resonated with the feeling.

"I'd -- I'd have to -- resist you. Try to thwart you," said Aziraphale.

"Ah yes, you'd put up quite the struggle no doubt," Crowley concurred, nearly purring.

"I'm stronger than you, you know."

"Perhaps. Depends what you...want. What we both want."

Aziraphale blinked rapidly and looked down at his feet. Starvation was muddling his thoughts. Crowley's burning eyes were muddling them more. "How could we want the same thing? We can't possibly. It goes against the order of creation."

"Angel," said Crowley, in a tone dripping with honey and wine. "You can't tell me you agree with Gabriel that self-discipline means eight more days of this?"

He gestured to the starving men before him.

A small whimper escaped Aziraphale's throat. Why was Crowley so close?

"You -- you'd have to...overpower me," murmured Aziraphale, mermerized now by Crowley's eyes.

"Overpower you?"

"I -- yes."

"I could."

"You could not. I'm stronger."

"Oh angel, I could." Crowley's eyes flared, sparked faintly, and shifted, just a bit -- he was a snake again. His tongue wavered up and down just an inch from the angel's nose, and then he retreated down into the heather and moss to gather his powerful coils together.

The next bit happened very fast, which helped Aziraphale forgive himself later for not doing something. Because (Heaven help him) he should have done something. He should have done something --

The Serpent wrapped the finest bit of his tail around Aziraphale's ankle, and then with a dash almost too fast to witness, he dove through the scrubby grass behind the angel's calves and bound his legs together with solid muscle and fluid spine. He circled ever so slowly, drawing his scales in a tight loop around both legs -- and then he darted between the rock and the angel again, redoubling his grip,  sliding slowly and smoothly in and out of a double coil that practically enveloped Aziraphale from the arch of his foot to his knee.

Apparently the angel's advantage when it came to corporeal strength was matched when Crowley took his original earthly form. No matter how Aziraphale flexed and struggled -- and the more he did, the more a strange tightness gathered low in his belly -- the unyielding weight of the black snake held him fast. They never touched. Never. And now he was feeling the demon's entire length beneath his heel, over his crossed shins. Crowley was never quite still, his scales always sliding, sliding slowly around Aziraphale's legs, rubbing in the hollows around his ankle bones and under his knees.

His corporation began to shake, and it didn't feel good but it didn't feel bad, and he wasn't clear on exactly what was happening but he hoped it wouldn't stop until he sorted it out.

Crowley rose to eye level again, still slithering ever so slowly around Aziraphale's legs in an unending lemniscate drag.

"We could cooperate, you know," said the serpent. "Momentssss like thessse."

"Never," gasped Aziraphale, but his voice trembled.

"Nobody would ever know."

"We would."

"But we might want the same thing."

"We -- we can't. Crowley, we can't."

"Sssso I should run away and let the saint lie in agony for eight days, then," whispered the serpent.

Aziraphale flinched. "You know I don't want that. You know I want --"

"What do you want?"

Aziraphale inhaled audibly and closed his eyes against the amber fire of Crowley's. "I want to resist you."

"Well then." Crowley tugged his coils a little tighter and stopped his relentless slide. "Shall I let you go?" he asked. "Or shall we struggle? Or do you yield?"

Aziraphale imagined himself looking up. Imagined struggling. Imagined yielding. What would it mean? What would happen? Hunger twisted his stomach. The muscles in his legs all tightened until he shook even harder.

But before he could answer:

"Palladius!" called Pátraic. "With whom do you speak?"

The poor starving evangelist, the former slave, the true believer, was trying to roll over and look at Aziraphale. But he could only really flail and flop at this point. Crowley released the angel, quick as a thought, when the emaciated young man laid eyes on them.

Pátraic's eyes went wide as saucers. With a surge of adrenaline he pushed himself up on his knees and pointed.

"Dragon! There's a dragon! Palladius, what unholy monster has you in thrall?"

"Oh dear. I don't suppose he's ever seen a snake before," muttered Aziraphale.

Pátraic lurched forward in an unsteady desperate lunge. He reached out toward them and seemed to focus his delirious expression, conjure a kind of energy at his fingertips.

"Jesus fucking Christ," shouted Crowley, backing away. "Can he do that?!"

Aziraphale stood up. "Wait -- wait, Pátraic -- it's all right, this is just a creature you're unfamiliar with, he won't harm us --"

"He spoke in the tongues of men! And he blasphemes! He is a foul demon from the very pit!" screamed the saint.

Aziraphale and Crowley shared a Look.

"I charge ye to leave this place --" Pátraic began, hand shaking, his voice a steady practiced chant.

"Can he -- can he -- can a human --" stammered Crowley, gathering all his length nervously as if tugging at petticoats.

"I don't rightly know," snapped Aziraphale, unaccountably nervous. "He has been communing directly with Her for several weeks now."

The exhausted saint was still reciting his furious exorcism, voice rising to a shout. "-- And go back from whence ye came, returning no more!"

With a small pop and the smell of ozone, Crowley vanished into thin air. Aziraphale jumped.

Pátraic collapsed into the springy heather as if dead. Aziraphale knew he had to tend to the poor man, but he couldn't help stamping his foot irritably with his first step.

It would be ages until he saw Crowley again. Simply ages. And who knew how long before he was a snake again, so much more comfortable tempting, so much more comfortable touching.

And what would they possibly have to say then?

[writer-and-artist27]

A Happy Homunculus

Note: Inspired by the story ending of the Apocrypha: Inheritance of Glory Event in FGO and my feelings that came after a certain homunculus reached the limits of his power. Because as much as Apocrypha as an anime was flawed, it portrayed one of my favorite Grail Wars in the Fate franchise to date and the characters are very dear to me. 

This takes place a bit after the first oneshot that starred my main front-line Riders in Chaldea. You don’t have to read that first one for context, but it at least adds to continuity. 

A song I’ll recommend as one last note? Kazoku, the first original composition done by YouTuber and pianist Theishter. Feel free to check out his work. :) 

Now then. Feel free to enjoy this little peek into my Chaldea.

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“Master, you don’t have to do this…” The tingling in his chest was indicative of embarrassment Sieg was still getting used to as he was slowly pushed into the magic circle. Despite her short stature, Vy was surprisingly adamant, brown hair flopping forward past her shoulders as she continued pushing him. “There are other Servants you can level up first…”

“That doesn’t mean neglecting you, Sieg,” Vy muttered vehemently, shaking her head enough to tilt her glasses down the bridge of her nose, exposing brown eyes that were staring at no one but him. “With all the work that comes with Singularities, more help would be appreciated. And besides,” she beamed up at him from over his shoulder, “We have all the materials and you’re worth it!”

Sieg could feel his cheeks start to burn.

Nearby in a corner, Sieg could hear Rider laugh. Achilles was snickering too, and if not for Chiron lightly tapping one of his hooves against the tile of the Enhancement Center as a chiding gesture, the laughter would probably be louder. “Go with it, Sieg!” Astolfo called after them, grinning to expose his fangs. “You’ll be great!”

“R-Rider…” Sieg said pitifully.

“You’ll be fine,” Da Vinci called from over the speakers, humming cheerily. “You’ve been through this three times already, former Custodian. And besides, this is how Vy works around here.” There was a pause before Da Vinci clicked her tongue, just in time for Vy to finish pushing Sieg into the center of the magic circle. “Well, when she’s not tired anyways.”

“Oh, ha ha, I love you too, Da Vinci,” Vy deadpanned loudly, brushing dust off the skirt of her Chaldea Standard uniform as she stepped back. Sieg gave her a single glance, and she merely smiled. “If you don’t mind, Sieg-kun.” She reached into her back pocket, pulling out a single brown leaf. The bloodstains were faded on the leaf, probably from age, but Sieg could recognize the traces anywhere. “Ready?” 

Sieg steeled his heart and nodded. “Go ahead.”

Vy gently placed the leaf near the outer rim of the circle before taking a few more steps back, swiveling her head up towards the speakers. “Da Vinci? Dr. Roman? Everything ready?”

“Just about, Vy-chan,” Romani called back, the room lights fading in exchange for letting the magic circle take the stage with its blue glow. “We’ll begin in 3, 2…”

Vy took the chance to gently throw some recently gathered embers into the circle, doing her best to avoid Sieg’s legs.

“And 1. Now beginning Ascension and Enhancement!”

Sieg felt his feet slowly leave the ground as he rose, the power flooding into him as the magic circle glowed with the energy from Chaldea’s systems. The bright flash of light flooding his eyes made Sieg look away, but once the humming in his ears faded, he belatedly realized his feet were back on the ground and his Master was inclining her head at him. The other Servants seemed to be waiting in anticipation too, considering no one else was saying anything.

“…Sieg?” Vy said hesitantly, peering up at him with nervous brown eyes past her glasses. “Are you okay?”

For the first time in a while, Sieg felt himself smile. “I’m fine, Master.”

Vy lurched back with clear surprise on her face just as Da Vinci happily called over the speakers, “Ascension Complete!” 

The lights slowly turned back on in the room just as Astolfo jumped up to cheer. “Woo! Another Fully Ascended Servant! WOO! Less work for me!”

“That’s what you cheer for?” Atalante said in astonishment, tail swishing in time with the other Servants starting to applaud. “We haven’t finished saving humanity, Rider.”

“Eh, I can cheer for something!” Astolfo was still jumping around the room, red cape and all, and if not for the person in front of him right now, Sieg would’ve been sure he would’ve been staring after his former Servant. “Let’s enjoy this!” 

Vy took a step closer, her lips pursued in a thin line as she looked up at him. “Sieg-kun?” 

Oh, right. He hadn’t said anything since the Ascension process ended. 

Sieg gently bowed his head towards Vy with the same smile, being unable to deny the warmth in his chest. Even when his Master started to squeak from the same surprise from before, he opened his mouth and spoke honestly. “I… I never imagined you would go so far for me. I don’t know what to do other than to show my appreciation. Anyway, Master… thank you.”

Vy went silent at that, a confused noise stuck in her throat.

Sieg raised his head to give her a wider smile. It felt somewhat strange for a homunculus like him to feel so human, but, maybe, maybe, with someone like her as his Master… “Thank you, Vy. My friend. You’ve made this homunculus the happiest person on Earth.”

The last thing Sieg expected was for Vy to start crying.

The tears were slow in forming. But once they were budding in the corners of her eyes and falling to the floor of Chaldea’s Enhancement Center, all the Servant banter stopped. 

“Master?” Marie Antoinette said softly.

Vy sniffled and covered her eyes with her hands, the motion enough to jostle her glasses and snap everyone out of whatever stupor they were in. 

“M-Master?!” Sieg said, feeling the smile drop off his face. “Did I say something—”

“You silly Servant!” Vy cried loudly, and before Sieg knew it, she was ducking her head and barrelling into him, for lack of better words. Sieg barely felt the pain, but the tears starting to soak into the shoulder of his suit was unmistakable. “Th-Thank you… thank you… I-I…I never heard anyone say that b-before, so,” a sob cut off Vy’s words as she hid herself in Sieg’s front. “I really h-hope I-I can keep making you h-h-happy…” 

Sieg could barely move his arms as Vy wound hers around his waist. “Master…”

“Oh, senpai,” Mash said suddenly, tears in her eyes too as she ran over to join the hug. Her weight was barely noticeable as she draped an arm around Vy’s shoulders, shaking her head. “Don’t c-cry. You’ve always made everyone here happy.”

“H-Have I, Mash?” Vy squeaked out from Sieg’s shirt, and by then, Sieg could feel the other Servants start to move around, whether it was barking out orders to EMIYA for Vy’s favorites in the kitchen, others scurrying around for blankets, something. “I-I sleep in a lot, I can’t farm materials all the time, my head hurts when we go out into Singularities, and a lot of Servants are still at their first Ascensions…! I-I need to work harder, if just to please the King in Babylonia, to s-save everybody, a-and…”

Before Sieg could say anything, Rider was suddenly there, smiling brighter than anyone else and jumping on his back to add, “Take it easy, Master! We got time! We Servants can wait, so let’s enjoy this!”

“A-Astolfo…” Vy then devolved into sniffling.

Sieg meanwhile could barely complain about the weight when it was Rider saying such things. Take it upon his old companion to say things without care. 

A pause.

Marie Antoinette nearby nudged someone and it was enough to prompt something. “…I may have asked you to be faster on your feet than me in our first meeting, but that does not mean over-exhausting yourself, Master.” Atalante’s voice was cool when striding over and joining into the group hug, arms wrapping around Vy’s back and brushing past Mash’s grip. “It wouldn’t help us if we lost you.” 

Vy looked up at the Huntress and whimpered, eyes watering faster with the sentiment. “A-Atalante-saaaaaan…” 

Atalante hummed, closing her eyes and tightening the hug as her tail gently swayed back and forth behind her skirt in a swishing motion.

Soon enough, Achilles of all people was the last one to join in, wrapping his arms around Sieg and with one small, “Oof,” he then somehow lifted everyone present into the air. 

This was surprising.

“A-Achilles?!” Mash squealed, hanging onto Vy for dear life. Vy let out a noise akin to “Awawawaaaaah,” a stark contrast to Astolfo’s cheerful “Weeeeee!” Chiron meanwhile crossed his arms in the same corner nearby, still tapping his hoof, this time in tune with Marie’s giggling, surprisingly. It would’ve appeared to Sieg (no thanks to being stuck) that Chiron was somewhat irritated if not for the fond and exasperated smile that was showing on his face towards the Rider in question. 

“Trust Ane-san, Master~” Achilles cooed in Vy’s direction, a wide grin on his face. Sieg could’ve sworn it looked teasing with how much Mash was flailing from the shock. Not to mention how everyone’s legs were left dangling in the air as Achilles gently swayed them back and forth, his gold armor sparkling in the room’s lighting as he did. “We’ll be in your care for as long as you need us, and besides! If you can bring us to Full Ascension when you’re running on Gold Apples, who says you can’t do everyone else!” Achilles puffed his chest out enough to make everyone feel the gesture from the hug. Then his smile turned soft. “We’ll be here for you, now and forever.”

“A-A-Achilles…” Vy’s glasses were getting stained with all the tear drops, barely showing her wide brown eyes as a result, but even when carrying more than five people, the Hero of the Trojan War merely shook his head, wearing that same grin. 

“C’mon, Master, quit crying. We can wait. You take what responsibility you can and we’ll be with you all the way. You’re our Master after all.”

To no one’s surprise but Mash, Vy started crying harder. Sieg slowly raised a hand to his friend’s hair to pat it in sympathy just as Atalante leaned into the group hug, a comforting purr rumbling in her throat. Her lion ears twitched in time with Astolfo’s reassuring laughter. 

“Oh, senpai,” Mash said softly. “It’s okay.” 

“Let us down, Rider,” Atalante said after a moment, still hanging onto Vy as Achilles started taking a few steps back in what looked like the beginning of a strength maneuver. “We have to visit the kitchens now.”

Sieg just smiled and took the tears with all the strength he could provide as a homunculus.

Maybe this was what Rider called a “family” way back in the Great Holy Grail War. Maybe.

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

[Image Description: A screenshot of a team setup in Fate Grand Order, with Servants going from left to right: Achilles, Atalante, Chiron, Sieg, and Astolfo. End Description.]

I couldn’t go end this post without showing off my current Apocrypha team lineup. Let it be said that the Apocrypha event is now, without debate, my favorite event so far in FGO proper. Loving characters that didn’t get as much chance to shine in the original anime was amazing, and I can only hope in my heart that my Servants understand that I appreciate them for getting me through it all. Hopefully, they know. I’d like to think that they do.

[yanak324]

1. Favorite hobby? 2. New Gendrya fics that you like? 3. What makes you smile? I'm a huge fan of yours!

Ahh! This is a fun one. Thank you, anon for this and for the sweet words

1. Favorite hobby? 

Aside from writing, my favorite hobby is definitely live music. Ever since I can remember, music has been a comfort of mine. I can turn to it when I’m sad and it will cheer me up, I can turn to it when I’m happy and it’ll pump me up. I can turn to it when I feel nothing at all and it will, without fail, invoke some sort of emotion. Nothing feeds my soul like concerts. Specifically, outdoor music festivals. I am fortunate enough to go to one at least once a year and every time, it feels like therapy to me. So yea, I’d say live music is absolutely my fave thing I find joy in!

2. New Gendrya fics.

Okay, so this just gives me a perfect opportunity to flail about some incredible stories I’ve read recently that absolutely need more hits. I’ve tried to keep these limited to stories that *I’ve* recently discovered, so they could have been written a while ago. I’ll stop rambling now.

A Stag in an Ill-Fitting Coat by quenchycactusjuice

I am so glad I gave this story a chance. A post-canon au that thrusts Gendry right in the middle of it all. One of the best Gendry centric stories I’ve read in this fandom, and let’s face it, there aren’t enough of them. Also features amazing fight scenes, his absolute grumpy self, and of course, Arya Stark being a BAMF as usual. Check it out. You won’t regret it.

rewrite the stars by @anupturnedboat

Okay, this is one of my favorite AUs. Set during the Reconstruction Era in the U.S., it’s basically a different take on how Arya and Gendry could still cross paths and be some version of a traveling family. It’s mainly Gendry POV and it’s just...sigh, so well written. My rec does not do this story justice, because some of the descriptions in this still take my breath away days, weeks after I’ve read them. If you’re in the mood for something a little different that still has perfect characterizations, this is the story for you.

Consonant by InuChanFan

This story simply does not have enough hits/comments/kudos for how incredible it is. It’s a bit of a canon divergence post-S7 but it still does such a remarkable job maintaining that theme of “oh shit we gotta prepare, the dead are coming” while also highlighting the absolute purity of Arya and Gendry’s relationship. I mean...yeah, it’s one of those fics that makes you simmer at how stupidly everything was handled in S8, but also gives you hope, because you know it’s going to be done so well in this fanfic. Definitely a must read if you miss good canon and need a Gendrya pick me up. Bonus: Gendry POV again. I’m sensing a pattern haha.

for whatever its worth by @necromantiaes

I’ve ranted about this story before, but I cannot tell you how much I love it. It makes me grin like an idiot everytime I think about it for two reasons. 1. It’s a slightly different modern au fwb take, and i won’t spoil why exactly, other the fact that A and G don’t actually know each other’s true identities in it. and 2. It has hands down some of the best Gendrya banter I’ve ever read. I would argue it’s the gold standard of Gendrya banter and anyone who loves that, will absolutely melt into a huge puddle reading this. Also, there’s such a hot sex scene in this (two actually!) that make me want to write smut, and that happens very rarely. So yeah, three reasons to read this. Doooo it.

Unbless You by my absolute muffin @ohnoshefell

Nobody does fluff like my lady here, but what’s more surprising about this is how much *tension* there is in this story. Gendry is really struggling between his feelings for Arya and doing the right thing here, while Arya struggles with accepting that she may never see her family again. It’s a beautiful Brotherhood AU and I absolutely admire the hell out of how she balances all the other side characters. It really made me miss the books!

switch by @watersandwolves

Reading the update to this late last night made me go to sleep with a smile on my face! There’s a beautiful paragraph in this latest chapter where Arya comes to certain realizations about her feelings for a certain someone and it’s just...sigh, reminds me of why I read fanfiction!! Also, bonus for everyone having sexual fluidity and being open about it AND Podrick being an absolute genius and playing matchmaker with our fave pair. No spoilers but GO READ THIS SEXINESS.

3. What makes me smile?

I’m pretty sure my extensive rant above proves that good writing makes me smile...and it does! But also kind words from anons like you, because let me tell you, without the support of some peeps in this fandom, I would still be staring a blank laptop screen unable to write a single word of a story that’s now up to 75K and shows no signs of slowing down. Finding a community of likeminded peeps has really made a difference for me, and why I sport a huge grin on my face most days

[lucarioisinthevoid]

Oh god, oh fuck, what did you ask, why did you ask this, this is instantly growing out of hand- I legally have to put it behind a “read more”. Sorry, but this gets really long for no good reason. I’m so sorry, when it’s about music, I just lose it-

- Mike scoffed. “This ask was clearly asked by someone who doesn’t listen to music. Asking for a favorite songs as though there is ANYONE on this fucking world who would go “ah yes, I have ONE song for every event that I ALWAYS want to listen to, no matter my mood.” That is absolutely ridi-“ “FREDBEAR AND FRIENDS THEME SONG!” Jeremy instantly screamed, a big smile on his face. “It’s so cute! So happy! I love it so much!” I’ll be your friend, right to the end! Join the party! Don’t be afraid, we’ll find a way! Join the party! Follow the pack, we’ll have a blast! Join the party! I’m here for you, we’ll make it through! JOIN THE PARTY!

Irritated Mike glared at him. “Is that even a song? Technically speaking? It’s a fucking INTRO.” This disagreement was quickly dismissed by Jeremy. “No, it is a song that I love very much.” There was an annoyed sigh, but not much pushback. “… fine. I have a SHITTON of songs I like, but… I think my currently favorite song is… ULTRAnumb by Blue Stahli. I don’t know. It hits just right.” VIOLATED! SO DEGRADED! The show has just begun! (Three, two, one!) DOMINATED BY ALL YOU HATED! This will make you ULTRANUMB!

Phone Guy seemed a bit embarrassed. “U-uhm… I don’t, uh, listen to much music. I really like the stuff they put in the background of documentaries is actually pretty impressive stuff. I like that, but I can’t really… access that? I mean, I don’t know how to. But I like having something calming in the background.” So… soundtracks, huh? There are pretty good soundtracks, like “Winds over Neo Tokyo” from the movie Akira- “I think though as a SONG, I really like… a bit dumb probably, but “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz? It’s probably pretty standard… but, uh. I like the light distortion. Makes it easy to sing along. And I kinda, uh- relate to the feeling of hopelessness in it…” Windmill, windmill for the land… Turn forever hand in hand! Take it all in on your stride, It is ticking, falling down Love forever, love has free, Let’s turn forever you and me! Windmill, windmill for the land Is everybody in…? “Uh- I know the song is probably about something completely else, but I just-“ Scratching the back of his neck, Phone Guy looked away. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Materializing out of thin air, Nemo proceeded to T-pose. “YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT MUSIC. YES. MY TIME HAS COME. I have the best taste from everyone here. I have the EDGY music.” Getting out his MP3-player, he began searching through the music library. “Ah, there we go. This one. “Arrested Youth” – The Kid I Used To Know. That the one!” Life is a voyage some people try to avoid it- I seek to try and destroy it, I swear I feel like a toilet bowl, Shitting on everything I’ve ever said or I’ve done You told me this should be fun! Thanks for the talk, are we done?! This is my masterpiece, a tragedy, I wrote it myself, It’s full of irony and blasphemy, it’s practically hell, But the perfect part about it is it’s all that I’ve got! I’m over wasting time in life trying to be something I’m not!

‘Cause fuck that shit! Yeah, I don’t want be that kid. No, I’m not going to hang my head, And be another accident!

So long to the kid that I used to know! So long to the place that I used to go! I’m not an R.I.P. I’m not another sick, sad tragedy! “The song is great, I absolutely relate to it.” The teen laughed. “Especially the tone of the singer. Really fits me. I could imagine writing songs like that myself!” A bit too excited, he began oversharing. “I always wanted to write songs. And I did! A lot, kept them in a little book.” His expression broke a bit. “… then I lost it. At home. Somehow.” He turned a bit bitter. “Yeah. Asked mom. She didn’t see it. Asked dad. Of course, he had NO idea. Anyways.” He threw his bitterness away with a shrug. “Now you know the reason why I’m actually not rich and famous yet. I lost like… 3 years of absolute riches to that setback and I feel stolen from. The world OWES me and castle and I WILL get it. But until then, I guess I listen to other artists like me!”

Dave was jumping up and down excited. “Oh, oh, Anon Sport, you don’t even KNOW how many I have! Like everything Sportsy whistles! And Rasputin- that one- oh, oh, no, in one car I stole there was a CD- and they had a group- Royal Republic? Funky songs, pal, lemme tell ya. Listen to it while rushing down the highway, it made it some of my favorites! The best is “Good to be Bad” though, no contest!” Oh lord come help me die! I can’t believe my eye! I’m not the same that I was when I got here! I´ve made a dirty mess, My lord I do confess, I know I’ve been bad, So bad! I’m not the only one! I’m not the bastard-son! The other kids made me do things that I don’t usually do… Misunderstood, I’m the plague of the neighborhood! And it feels so good! So good! “Seein’ Sporty making a flip in the running car while this was playin’ was somethin’ MAGICAL!”

Marion scoffed. Was he even included in “the gang”? Well, if Jeremy was, so was he. “Seeing as I never had much choice in listening to the music I could like, I don’t really have a taste. Everything that isn’t nursery rhymes made into songs is GREAT. Especially if it has nothing to do with music boxes.” It still calmed him down to hear music like that, but he developed a bit of a grudge against it. Sure, he and Jeremy were working on that, but he really couldn’t call it his favorite kind of music. “… well, Dave oftentimes played the CD he just mentioned while transporting me. I guess I liked a few songs from there? Somewhat? “Everybody Wants to Be an Astronaut” was pretty good.” I can feel my body shiver, the lights are everywhere! They marvel at my heartbeats inside the atmosphere… And I’m looking at the world, in a way you never could! I knew I’d be a traveling man, but I misunderstood… So tell me, why is it we’re never happy?

‘Cause everybody wants to be an astronaut! And take the long tall trail into the stars! Everybody wants to show a brother what they got! Everybody wants to be an astronaut! Marion looked away. What he kept for himself was that he really disliked the last line. Everybody wants to be a superstar! No. None of the kids wanted to be a superstar. … ‘cause everybody’s happy when they’re playing the guitar! Everybody but them. Everybody. But them. So tell me, why is it we’re never happy?

Old Sport smiled, for a moment a bit sadly. “Oh, it used to be “Not too late” by Lemaitre.” Not Too Late my friend! Take it up and try again! I’ll stand right here… While you walk to face the end, As the skys clear up again I’ll disappear- And have a go again… Snapping out of his emotional side, he laughed. “But now I actually have TASTE, thus it’s TAYLOR SWIFT’S “Look what you made me do”, RIGHT MIKEY-“ “YOU HATE THAT SONG TOO, ADMIT TO IT. YOU FUCKING HATE IT. ESPECIALLY THE REFRAIN. IT’S ALL SUCH UTTER SHIT, YOU ONLY PUT IT ON TO FUCKING TORMENT ME. FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!” “Like clockwork. It’s a thing of beauty.” He laughed until Mike quieted down from the back, then looked back at the Anon. “But seriously, why did you even include me. You know what it is! THE CLASSICS! “All Star” and “Never Gonna Give You Up”! Well, maybe with a dash on “We are number one” for good measure. You know, the songs people with TASTE listen to.”

Ethan was sitting in the back, looking at the golden guard badge he had received for signing up with the company. Quietly he sung. “Sven Korner was in the newspapers this Monday Big picture from a time he danced the waltz Yes, he took the life of Victoria Come home, explain to Christiania “Come here, officer, here are thousand bucks I’ve saved” And give me Korner, and give me him soon!” He closed his hands around the badge. “It’s a song by Kaizers Orcherstra. I just happened to stumble over it- originally it’s in the Norwegian language- I do not even know how I found the translation. But I like it a lot. It helps me work.” He hadn’t found her. He wasn’t even quite sure in what kind of afterlife he was. But it gave him great satisfaction to know the man who did this to his daughter was in a far, far worse place. “I know what’s in store for you… I know what it is you’re hoping for, I know what’s in store for you.

Oh, you have a tune you think everybody will follow! But I wouldn’t follow that tune, not on my life! We’re playing poker with a revolver, Having no respect for Fredrik Meltzer… Now you shall dance to our tune 'till you bleed! You shall dance Ompa 'till you Die!

Think about it, Sven, how good it will be in Heaven… I hope you fold your hands before you go to bed… Cause it can get hot down here. It can be hot down here. Sven, it can get hot as hell down here!” -

Henry leaned back bemused. “The best thing about this ask is certainly that everyone now knows what a horrible taste you have.” Says the guy who has his head so far up his ass that he basically only listens to classic. “Oh, no. I listen to everything. But at least I acknowledge that everything I hear has some form of merit, even if it is not my taste. You however, do not, thus you can be shamed for your taste.” Screw you.

[saranghanuuu]

LOVE LASTS FOREVER JDRAMA REVIEW ♡

Love Lasts Forever / An Incurable Case Of Love (Koi Wa Tsuzuku yo Dokomade mo) is a 2020 romance-comedy-medical Japanese drama based on Maki Enjōji’s 2016 manga series of the same name. It stars Takeru Satoh playing the role of Dr. Tendo Kairi and Kamishiraishi Mone as Sakura Nanase.

PLOT SUMMARY

Love Lasts Forever / An Incurable Case Of Love (Koi Wa Tsuzuku yo Dokomade mo) tells the story of Sakura Nanase who accidentally (or should I say, fatefully) encounters cardiologist Tendo Kairi after an old woman collapsed on the street due to vasospasm. Sakura is greatly impressed on how Dr. Tendo handled the matter at hand and falls in love with him at first sight. After Dr. Tendo complimented Sakura for playing a key role of screaming for help for the old woman, she then realized her desire to become a nurse for a chance to meet him again.

Five years later, she was admitted as a nurse trainee at Hiura General Hospital where Dr. Tendo works. Sakura confessed to him on her first day of work, only to receive a blunt rejection. Unbeknownst to her, Dr. Tendo is dubbed as a “devil” at work for being a perfectionist and for criticizing other doctors and nurses. Sakura earned the title “hero” in the cardiology ward because of that daring confession, but Dr. Tendo sees her as nothing but a “boulder” hindering his job due to her clumsiness. However perhaps with love and patience, nothing is impossible. Sakura continued to pursue the seemingly cold-hearted Dr. Tendo, especially after she was placed under his team. She now aims to receive his validation both at work and in love. Will Sakura be able to succeed in this sweet ordeal?

MY TWO CENTS

I haven’t seen a Japanese drama in a while and it’s highly unlikely for me to watch one as my hands are full of Korean dramas these days (I am currently watching 3 ongoing and 4 finished series). But then I happen to see a fan-made video again circulating in Facebook about Love Lasts Forever. The FMV is so well-done that I was fascinated - covering all the meaty parts from start to finish. That’s when I decided I should gamble my time for this. It appears to be just an easy-going series, I thought, which will be a good catch since everything’s so complex recently. I started it with low expectations... And I unexpectedly loved it so much than I can handle!

WARNING: I suggest you not watching this if you are tired of this kind of plot, OR you prefer complicated stories, OR you expect this to focus on the medical aspect than romance. I want to save this drama from your disappointment. On the other hand, this drama suits best for hopeless romantics who fairly need a breather from the intricacies of life.

Since I never once reckon Love Lasts Forever to be a perfect drama, I am setting aside my criticisms. Instead, I am listing the things that made me fall for this series:

Kamishiraishi Mone is sooo KAWAII! Yes, this is the first reason HAHAHA😁 The way she speaks is very cute that it made me an instant fan. Of course it followed that I researched about her and found far more interesting things! She is a singer and the voice actress behind Mitsuha Miyamizu of Japanese anime film Your Name at that! She even sang an OST of Your Name entitled Nandemonaiya. Whoa~ So impressive, this girl.

Right on acting. I am well aware that Japanese series tend to be OA and loud. This one is no different, but more of on the entertaining side than cringeworthy.

Clichè theme, yes, but the kind you will never get tired of. Admit it or not, your heart still flutters on stories of a tsundere male lead falling head over heels with a clumsy but bright female lead

Similarity with Itazura Na Kiss - anyone who watched this drama will be able to tell, I suppose. Itazura Na Kiss is evidently one of my most loved stories that I made several posts about it here in my blog. But I guess Love Lasts Forever stood out in a way that it's more relaxed and less toxic (just like what a user commented on my previous post).

Love Lasts Forever showed justification behind Dr. Tendo's strict and aloof personality, which brought more excitement as Sakura slowly breaks down the walls on Dr. Tendo's heart. It is thrilling when they do this in a drama really. Dr. Tendo initially drew a line between him and Sakura, so him growing as an expressive character is one for the record! He gave so many reassurances to Sakura that he loves her, that it was never a mistake that he chose to be with her.

Kiss kiss kiss overload!

In my standard at least, Takeru Satoh is not handsome (sorry hah~), but I must admit he's oozing with sex appeal. He's a good kisser too and I love it🙈 And since we're already talking about kissing, Kamishiraishi Mone's responses to kissing scenes are really good too. It's not awkward and will indeed make you feel the tension.

Feel-good OST! This is on repeat in my playlist nowadays and everytime I listen to it, it brings back all the heart-fluttering memories in the drama.

Every episode has a distinct story to tell.

Hilarious side characters! And second and third couples that are likewise lovable - Dr. Kisugi x Sakai and Nishi x Ryuko

My happily ever after ideal ending - a marriage.

FUN FACTS/TRIVIAS ABOUT THIS DRAMA (Compiled from Blitzfansub)

Dr. Tendo is your stereotypical “Do-S” character (literally translated to “Super-S”) where normally the “S” stands for sadistic. Because they just say Do-S, the running joke is that he can be both super stoic and super sadistic at the same time.

It is part of Japanese politeness to describe *every* *single* *action* the nurse takes. And every time they touch the patient, or get too close to them, they literally say “pardon me”. It doesn’t sound natural in English, but not translating those lines will also be unnatural. The cultural difference is that in US, the nurses try to keep a conversation with you to distract you from the discomfort. In Japan, they tell you everything about it so you don’t get uncomfortable.

Team Tendo or Team Kisugi is of course, a double entendre. It means a doctor-nurse assignment as they described in the show, but they hint at it as also being “a fan of…” Tendo or Kisugi.

You may have noticed Dr. Tendo’s favorite phrase is “baka” and while it can translated to any one of stupid, idiot, retard, there is a distinction based on context. When he’s calling her “baka” at work, he’s insulting her lack of experience, and not necessarily her lack of intelligence. That’s why “retard” was used. In Episode 3 when Sakura mimicked Dr. Tendo in self-deprecating way, she said “idiot” and he defended himself saying he wasn’t that harsh. At the end of this episode, when she called him out, the baka he used was a very endearing kind, so the word “stupid” was used.

The scene where Dr. Tendo pretends to fall asleep after Sakura gets out of the shower may be seen as “cruel” in American culture but it’s a classic “gentleman move” in Japanese romance plots. He’s worried that she feels too pressured if he’s awake, so he pretends to be asleep and alleviate the pressure to have sex. I hope you can all appreciate his kindness!

A line from Episode 8 that literally says “It’s all your fault for making this weird kid be attracted to you” is such a hard line to sub. Like, who says that?! I mean, never mind that it sounds awkward. Nobody I know thinks like this (that it’s her fault he’s attracted to her). So translating isn’t just about replacing Japanese words with English words, but it’s also about placing it in the correct context. In this case, such a scenario would never happen in America because no guy says this in a lovable/jealous manner. Every guy that says this is a psychopath!! So what do you do in this case? The translator took a stab at the possible context and rephrased it to sound a bit more normal. If the context turns out to be different, the translator probably have to rephrase it significantly. Just a little “behind-the-scene” on how subtitling works!

Difference from Manga: In episode 6, Miori is supposed to be the younger sister of Minori. Most people assume they are twins because that was the setting in the manga. However, the drama never explicitly mention them being twins. But if you check TBS’ website… it mistakenly shows Miori as 33 and Minori as 26 even though Minori is suppose to be older. And furthermore if you read the description for Miori, it says “Minori’s twin sister” so… in conclusion, the TBS website is a hot mess!

The amusement park Dr. Tendo and Sakura went to was filmed at Tokyo Dome City.

Takeru Satoh gave a “behind the scene” talk where he said that removing Sakura’s hair tie in the living room scene of Episode 8 was ad-libbed. He thought of it on the spot because the drama has used hair tie as a symbolism for “focused career-mode Sakura”, and untying her hair there showed that he’s treating her as a woman.

Another behind the scene talk regarding last scene of Episode 8: The editors were going to start the I love… song at the point where Dr. Tendo shows up, but the editors said “it’s probably obvious that he’s going to show up, so might as well start the song early and match Dr. Tendo’s appearance with the crescendo.”

Bath culture is big in Japan. People don’t normally just take showers. That’s why when Sakura’s mom realized her house is not fit for a guest to take a bath, she sent the whole family to a public bath (called sento).

In a scene where Sakura’s trying to act cute in Episode 9, Dr. Tendo literally says “Did you eat something spoiled?” because there’s a reference that you act out of character when you eat something bad. This reference doesn’t work in English, so instead, “hitting yourself in the head” is used.

In the scene on Episode 10 where Nishi is introducing himself to Dr. Tendo, he actually calls Dr. Tendo “younger brother.” This is because even if he is younger than Dr. Tendo, if he marries his older sister, Nishi automatically becomes the “older brother-in-law” in turn making Dr. Tendo the “younger brother-in-law”.

In Japan, the “best man” of the wedding is usually the groom’s boss.

Apparently this series was so popular it crashed Paravi (TBS streaming site) few hours after EP10 release!

Not long ago, I was afflicted by an emotional disturbance that lasted for two months. It affected my everyday living so much that I had a hard time sleeping. After watching this drama, it faded away, to my surprise. I owe my happiness these days to this show. Maybe that's how I can sum up the fun of watching this. I hope the same goes to you!