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floatingcatacombs · 1 year ago

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It’s the Tar Taking Over That Came Unexpected

12 Days of Aniblogging 2023, Day 2

Back when it was a frustratingly rare Wii exclusive, I braved a storm to hunt down a used copy of Xenoblade Chronicles, and it still surpassed my every expectation. So finally sinking my teeth into Xenoblade Chronicles X earlier this year felt right.

This was a Wii U game and it’s still nuts that this was a Wii U game. The only change I made when emulating it was bumping up the internal rendering resolution, and it’s crazy how good it still looks. The highest-fidelity games I play are FromSoft so my frame of reference is busted, but even still, it’s frequently breathtaking. Monolith Soft has always had a reputation for building impressive open worlds on underpowered hardware, and their first foray into HD might be their greatest feat. Or maybe I’m just easily impressed by pretty skies. Emulated at 1080p 60FPS, the experience really clicks, with snappy menus, fast loading times, and the ability to alt-tab to the map on the gamepad. For once I didn't feel like I was missing out at all by not playing on original hardware.

After starting a new game you're immediately dumped into a character creation screen, which means I already have to navigate an old stupid censorship debate. See, there was a whole internet shitstorm back in 2015 when this game released stateside because the English version removed the bust slider from the character creator. This was the era of GamerGate and “localization versus translation” and Fire Emblem Fates taking out a waifu-touching minigame and everything surrounding Tokyo Mirage Sessions – things got really heated for a second! In hindsight, it was weird mixture of niche game publishers misreading their target audiences and hypervigilant right-wing provocateurs gearing up for larger culture wars, using titty games as a nexus for radicalizing nerds.

Things have cooled down a lot since then, as Japanese games generally release unaltered these days, rendering it a non-issue. When controversies do happen, it’s not in Nintendo's court anymore, it’s usually Valve removing Japanese visual novels from their store page in an act of laughable double standards. Anyways, thanks to the wonders of PC emulation and memory editors, I was able to restore the boob slider to Xenoblade Chronicles X, and valiantly used it to make my character flat.

XCX’s design sensibilities are a pretty sharp contrast from the direction the series went afterwards, instead dealing in guns, gritty sci-fi, and a more realistic color palette. The storms and forlorn mecha on the box art tell you all you need to know. It’s all very western, with the designers definitely taking cues from Halo and Mass Effect in a lot of places. The hub city is also based on Los Angeles, further cementing the American influence in everything but the mechas.

Ultimately, I think this all worked out well. The original Wii release of Xenoblade Chronicles isn’t particularly “anime”, after all. Its aesthetic sensibilities are closer to Final Fantasy X than, say, any given Tales. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and 3, as well as the Switch remake of the first game, hew much closer to games like Genshin in terms of colors and character proportions, but Xenoblade X takes the original’s artstyle and places it in a more serious context. I’m glad the series didn’t commit to this direction (it would have gotten bland fast), but it’s cool that we got it exactly once. Despite the more western stylings though, this is still fundamentally a niche anime game, much more so than the first Xenoblade. There’s titty armor and fanservice outfits as quest rewards, a young moe girl in the main cast, and the occasional pervy sidequest. A lot of the localization conflict may have been Nintendo attempting to clean up Xenoblade X in order to pitch it as a mainstream release at a time when the Wii U really needed a hit. While it’s a solid game, it was never going to be able to appeal to a very large audience.

Also, the story’s a bit of a mess. The tone is all over the place, with both comic relief and serious moments frequently failing to land. What starts off as a surprisingly grimdark sci-fi about the last remaining humans trying to survive on an alien planet as their crashed generation ship-city runs out of power quickly morphs into Star Wars levels of goofy aliens. Plot twist after plot twist ensues, defusing a lot of the tension because you know that they’re just going to pull something even crazier out next. Though the main story struggles, the emergent narrative of New Los Angeles is actually pretty good. A lot of the player’s side questing is dedicated to resolving interpersonal conflicts and helping make the city feel like a real home for everyone. Gradually, NLA begins taking on alien immigrants and the mutual fish-out-of-water situation between human and alien refugees leads to some funny moments and the occasional surprisingly thoughtful quest about cultural tolerance.

But for the most part, the story takes a backseat to exploring planet Mira. Through the gameplay loop I’ve come to understand Xenoblade X as something of a single-player MMO. The combat system is based around positioning, auto-attacks, skills that go on cooldown, and extremely customizable character classes. There’s a nightmarish amount of skill trees to keep track off, to the point where I’d forget about them alone until I was having trouble with a fight, and then remember an entire system I’d forgotten to take advantage of. There are item collections to fill out and side quests of all flavors and secret areas and difficult raid bosses yada yada yada…

Okay I can’t hold off from discussing the music any longer. The combat theme for Xenoblade X is the stuff of legends. Terrible, terrible legends.

Putting vocals in your RPG’s regular battle music is a bold move. You really have to make sure you knocked it out of the park, because singing is going to grate on the player far more quickly than any instrumental. Because of this, the battle themes of Persona 5, The World Ends With You, and Get In The Car, Loser! are all something of a flex. Black Tar is not that. I’m just going to link the song, because it really has to heard to be understood.

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Xenoblade X’s battle theme starts off strong, the grim sci-fi tone clearly communicated through the moody synths. Soon enough the guitars come crashing in, giving way to a distinctly nu metal sound. That stylistic choice alone pissed people off in 2015, to which I say grow up, it’s great. But if you let the battle run on for 50 seconds, someone starts rapping.

Black Tar has some of the most nonsensical lyrics ever put to pen, delivered in the jankiest way possible, with words just kind of crammed in without any regard to flow. It’s not even a case of “non-proficient English speaker comes up with shoddy lyrics” as occasionally happens with Japanese songs. Every single word of this is an act of malicious fluency, and if I singled out all the lines I had questions about, I’d be here all day. Opening the first verse with “We’re stuck on a whole different planet” tricks the listener into thinking that the lyrics will to tie into the game’s events and setting, but this is a fool’s errand. The titular tar has no in-game corollary, so to make any sense of it you have to go metaphorical and claim that maybe it stands for losing your squadmates and giving up hope. That's still pretty flimsy! Maybe it really is just be about heroin.

Eventually though, we reach the chorus, and it’s actually a great hook! Except for the fact that it’s sung by a Japanese singer in English. The lyrics were clearly written with no regard for which syllables he’d have difficulty with, and making this guy utter the phrase “Black tar’lll” was an open act of cruelty.

In a 2015 interview, Black Tar rapper and lyricist David Whittaker brings up that the he wrote the words for his first video game song in about two hours, going for “just foolishness”. I imagine his work here was a similar situation.

It’s so, so easy to harp on Black Tar. Everyone did at release, and everyone who hasn’t played the game still does. The thing is, it’s impossible to keep that antagonism up when you’ve got an 80-hour game ahead of you where this is the standard battle theme the whole way through. For the sake of your own sanity, you have to learn to love Black Tar, and pretty much everyone who finishes the game comes around to it. Much to the chagrin of my girlfriend, I quote Black Tar constantly, with less of a sense of irony each time. Eventually, you too will find yourself shouting along with David Whittaker as he raps about being on a sea of dark matter. And of course, the instrumental was always a banger if you weren’t a coward. The theme for New LA also gets a lot of flak for its gibberish vocal samples and St. Anger snares, but I’ve always been a fan and think it holds up great as an endless-looping hub area theme. It’s so…. Sawano zeitgeisty.

The entire soundtrack is actually a Hiroyuki Sawano joint, and he does a pretty good job. It very much all sounds like the kind of music he’s known for, with the exception of the overworld themes, which instead try to mimic the compositions of the first Xenoblade Chronicles. Primordia’s theme is an excellent response to the first game’s Gaur Plain, with a more techy and ominous tone that nevertheless still evokes the sense of grand exploration ahead.

The edgy atmosphere, the washed out palette, the Sawano tunes….Xenoblade Chronicles X is extremely of its time, in a way that comes across as deeply charming 8 years later. It’s kind of terrifying that something can already be an early 2010s period piece! The Sawano music alone will shoot you back to the days of Kill La Kill and Aldnoah Zero, when Gen Urobuchi was absolutely everywhere and the default crap anime genre was magic school instead of isekai. The mere idea of early 2010s nostalgia sets off alarms in my head, but it’s definitely real, and will only become more of a thing in the next few years. Brace yourselves for the flow of time.

Last, but certainly not least, the mechas! They’re one of the main reasons I tried the game out in the first place. Giant robots are often part of Xenoblade worldbuilding, but they don’t really factor into the gameplay. X is the exception. From the first preview trailers to the title screen to their first step into New LA, the player is made to want a Skell. They’re so cute! The Skells were designed by Takayuki Yanase, one of the people who worked on Gundam 00, and I can see the similarities in the combination of curves and blocky elements. There’s quite a few mecha otaku who work at the NLA hangar out of love for the Skells. Most of them are women, a detail that made me really happy!

Adding even more to the player’s desire is the fact that Xenoblade X withholds Skells for a very long time. You have to make it more than halfway through the story and substantially explore the first three continents on foot before receiving your piloting license. And it’s Xenoblade, so these places are massive. Even with an extremely generous jump, you’ll run into countless clifftops out of reach. They really make you work for it, but at least the core gameplay loop of exploring to setting up waypoints and mining devices is a lot of fun on its own (I was curious if the plot would ever get around to problematizing the resource-extraction gameplay loop, but no dice).

party members next to the Skell for scale purposes

When you finally get a Skell about forty hours into the game, everything changes. One of the major challenges facing mecha games is getting the scale right –it’s pretty easy for the giant robot to feel human-sized if all the player is ever doing is piloting. Xenoblade X avoids this by making your human pace painfully clear before giving you a ten-meter robot to traverse those same landscapes. It’s night and day how much more quickly you can navigate. Skells are also wildly stronger than characters on the ground, and being able to take on behemoth creatures as well as pulverize the human-scale enemies you’ve been fighting all this time keeps the scale relevant. It provides a real power fantasy and makes them feel believable in-setting. Being able to get in and out of your Skell at will goes a long way towards making it truly feel like yours, and this mechanic also acts as something of an on-the-fly difficulty modifier for the remainder of the game. A few chapters later you get a flight pack for your Skell, and the world opens up all over again.

not pictured: the j-pop earworm that plays every time you start flying

After spending so much time hanging out with the mecha pervert mechanic girlies in the NLA hangar, the back half of Xenoblade Chronicles X finally lets you be one of the mecha pervert girlies. Customization is on the lighter side, as you can’t mix and match body parts like in Armored Core, but there’s still plenty of color customization and weapons fine-tuning to do. I totally fell in love with my robots, and that alone makes it a victory of a mecha game.

A new song plays during Skell combat, and it’s…. more verses of Black Tar!! There truly is no escape. The backing has more of an EDM sound to it, and the lyrics are even more laughable than before. “Shoot them with your guns” still gets me every time. And yet, I would be lying if I said I’ve never headbanged to the part about being stuck on a different planet. You learn to love these things.

So that’s Xenoblade X. It’s a weird-ass game, a real triumph but also absolutely the wrong thing for Nintendo to have to put out in 2015. It’s easily the most impressive Wii U exclusive and I’m glad Monolith Soft took this detour. You’d be disappointed in it if you went in with purely the expectation of a mecha game, but as a Xenoblade fan who’s been gradually falling deeper into mecha, it was a great genre blend. Xenoblade X’s servers will shut down next year, and while I didn’t partake in any of that (the multiplayer elements seem fairly minor anyways), it will be the end of an era for sure. Just in time to start fondly reminiscing.

#12 days of anime #xenoblade x #xenoblade chronicles x

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blackhairedjjun · 1 year ago

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flowers of every color | writer's behind the scenes!

some stuff about my writing process for the fic! be warned that if you haven't caught up yet, there are spoilers

tagging people who liked and/or replied my interest check post: @agustdiv1ne @mazeinthemoon @txtistheloml @kyaneosprincess @teletubbiesssss @banggyu0308

these are pretty long so i'm putting them behind a read-more hehe

story planning:

while we've gotten plenty of yeonjun in prince outfits over the years, the main inspiration for this fic is yeonjun's opening outfit in act: sweet mirage! i saw that and was like "oh man he would be SO DASHING as a prince 😍" and just went from there

if you've been here from the start, you might know that i didn't originally plan make a series! i just word-vomited the first chapter (well, what became the first chapter) directly into tumblr's post editor because the thought of prince!yeonjun wouldn't leave me alone, especially after seeing a few other prince/commoner and prince/servant fics floating around lol. chapter 1 is also the only chapter made using tumblr's legacy editor rather than their new one (which is also why the cover pics are one big edited photo and not 3 separate photos, i couldn't figure out how to get 3 photos to line up in the legacy editor).

i honestly did not expect people to read chapter 1 but they did!! and they liked the idea!! plus even after writing chapter 1 i STILL couldn't get the idea out of my head so i decided to write it as a full story. i've written plenty of oneshots before under my (non-kpop) ao3 account, but this is my first multichapter series! so i opened google docs and made a quick outline of the story's main events.

the original outline for foec had 6 chapters + 2 endings, but as i wrote the story, i realized that more detail and scenes were needed than what i initially outlined! chapters 3 and 4 (ball preparations + the ball / gazebo dance scene) were supposed to be one chapter. chapters 5 and 6 (y/n hanging out with the chois + getting caught + punishment + intro of arranged marriage) were also supposed to be one chapter. chapters 7-9 (end of friendship, reconciling with soogyu, y/n & beomgyu talk) were also supposed to be one chapter!

i actually started writing the bad ending first before the good ending -- my reasoning was that if i were the reader, i would want to save the good ending for last so that i could end the series on a positive note. i was very surprised when people voted for the good ending first in the poll LMAO also as far as i'm concerned, both endings are canon in a "branching timeline" kind of way. they are both the real ending! i do have a soft spot for the good ending but also i love angst too much to not write a bad ending haha.

honestly most of the story beats from my original outline made it into the final fic! the biggest change has to do with queen hwayoung's and princess ajin's roles in the story (more on that below).

character notes:

when i was first brainstorming i really wanted to include both taehyun and hueningkai in the story as well, but i struggle with writing ensemble casts and choi line + y/n (+ the supporting characters in the castle) were already enough for me to handle. soobin and beomgyu were the easiest for me to incorporate into the story since they have the same last name and i could go "oh in this universe they're part of the same royal house hence the same last name" HAHA. i do imagine that the house of choi princes are also friends with tyunning (kai does get alluded to in chapter 9), but they're off doing their own adventures.

some of little moments in the fic were inspired by actual things txt have done in variety shows! yeonjun, y/n, soobin, and beomgyu playing cards in chapter 5 is based off to do ep. 53 where they also play cards. soogyu playing badminton in chapter 8 is inspired by gbgb era idol human theater where they played a little badminton by the pool. and there are a lot more small character quirks that are inspired by gifs or fancams i've seen of them haha.

queen hwayoung and princess ajin were originally not supposed to be part of the story! my original idea was the have the arranged marriage subplot be heard secondhand by through advisers so that it feels like an invisible force pulling yeonjun away from y/n. but i needed to make the threat of the arranged marriage stronger and ended up writing the scene with queen hwayoung in it for chapter 6.

princess ajin especially was a late addition -- originally she was never supposed to appear at all, never visiting the castle and only speaking through her mom / royal advisors, so there was that threat of yeonjun being married off to someone he's never even met. but after looking through the feedback of chapter 6 i realized that i kinda-sorta accidentally made setup for her oops. people were wondering what she'd be like, and it would feel too anticlimactic to never have her appear in the story, so i wrote her in. which i don't regret because i did enjoy writing her big scene in chapter 10!

speaking of which: a friend of mine asked what happens to princess ajin, and honestly i wanted to give her proper closure too! but i couldn't find a way to fit it into the story in a way that felt natural. if you ask me though, she gains some level of political independence from her mom (represented by her visiting the castle in the good ending). she still marries for political reasons, to a prince or nobleman who is also in it for the politics, and at first they treat their marriage as a business partnership. eventually they grow close and form a devoted "i'd do anything for you" bond -- not necessarily romantic in nature, but caring in its own way. (i'm describing a queerplatonic relationship basically)

tbh i don't have the energy to write another multichapter right now, but i would love to see spinoff fics for soobin and beomgyu or even taehyun and kai as princes in their own kingdoms! so if you're reading this and you want to do it, you have my blessing <3

flower notes:

while some chapter titles were planned around a specific flower representing the events & progression of the story, others were not (because of the chapter splits i talked about earlier) and i just chose whatever flower was in it lol. the planned chapter title flowers are: yellow roses (ch2), pink roses (ch4), sunflowers (ch5), striped carnations (ch7) , purple hyacinths (ch9), red roses (ch10), daffodils (GE), and white lilies (BE). the unplanned title flowers are: irises (ch1), lilies of the valley (ch3), red and purple zinnias (ch6), sweet peas (ch8).

i mostly used this website as a reference for the language of flowers, BUT i also double check with one or two other websites to make sure i'm getting an established flower meaning and not something made up! when i started fic planning i made a list of flowers with meanings that fit the main story beats and character progressions, then picked the ones with the most established meanings (i.e. supported by multiple "language of flowers" websites) and/or the ones that were appropriate for the growing season.

even though i wrote a disclaimer not to pay attention to botanical accuracy re: seasonal flowering times, i originally envisioned the fic to take place over the spring. then when it got longer, i imagined it taking place over spring and summer, so i tried (keyword: tried) to choose seasonally appropriate flowers or flowers that bloom year-round. this is hard for me because i live in a tropical country. i have never seen a lot of these flowers in person because they don't grow in the climate here, and i have no idea what a four-season year feels like. so i decided not to put time-of-year markers in the fic and leave the season ambiguous, and added that disclaimer about the flowers' accuracy.

an example of this: chapter 9 is named after purple hyacinths. i first decided on this back when the story was only supposed to take place during the spring, since hyacinths are a spring flower. i considered naming it after hydrangeas because they mean something like "thank you for understanding" (i.e. y/n going "thank you for understanding what a hard position i'm in" to yeonjun), and also because they're one of my favorite flowers. but i wasn't sure about their seasonal appropriateness since some sources said that they bloom during early summer so i changed it to hyacinths. BUT THEN the fic got long and i started imagining that the later chapters take place in the summer SO the hyacinths ended up being seasonally inappropriate after all! and hydrangeas would have been more appropriate! especially since txt literally has a song called hydrangea love out aarghhh noooo but anyway it is what it is

other flowers that didn't make the cut + their meanings: sweet william (gallantry), alstroemeria (friendship or devotion), freesia (friendship, thoughtfulness), white tulips (forgiveness, consideration, respect), thyme (courage, strength)

other notes:

the key lime pie in chapter 6 is based on a real pie that i ate at my friend's house when i visited her there and i thought it was the most delicious thing i have ever eaten. in the original draft it was a lemon tart!

i wanted to keep this series strictly sfw, but i did consider making both the good and bad endings have suggestive, fade-to-black scenes. for the good ending, the suggestive part would have involved y/n in yeonjun's room the night after their speech / before waking up together. for the bad ending, it would have happened when yeonjun visits y/n's quarters. i didn't write them bc i... am not good with anything suggestive or nsfw klsadjfklasjd

I COMPLETELY FORGOT BUT Y/N'S FATHER WAS ALSO IN THE AUDIENCE FOR THEIR SPEECH IN THE GOOD ENDING... i have no excuse for not writing him in other than I Forgot. i am so sorry but please imagine he was there

that's all i can think of for now! if you have other questions about foec or my writing process please please feel free to reply to this post or send an ask <3

#fic:flowers of every color #violet talks

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bakersstreetirregulars · 10 months ago

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CROB Headline, March 2023 - Special Season: Lights, Camera, Action!

This month, we’re going to the movies for CROB’s first Special Season and to see the production of Butter Squid Cookie’s newest movie!

Dates: 2/28 - (TBD)

Title Event: Ready, Cookie, Action!

Tragedy strikes again as Popcorn Cookie, the winner of a recent Golden Ticket contest held by the promotional committee of Jellywood, visits the filming site of the newest movie directed by Jellywood’s own Butter Squid Cookie. The movie’s lead actress was said to have declared unable to shoot for unknown reasons, bringing production to a standstill. In response, Butter Squid Cookie is said to have considered Choco Bar Cookie- the lead’s stunt double- as a replacement for the missing actress, but it’s currently unknown if she’ll accept the role.

⚙️ This event is inferred to be a template rerun of the title events held since November 2023. A proposal for a standardized guide has been approved for future publication.

Seasonal Modes

Friendly Run Buddies

Guild Run - Lights, Camera, Action!

Raid Run - Desert Highwaymantis Season 3 (?)

Trophy Survival (Ends ~3/6)

Team Fight (Early March)

Random Breakout Challenge - Lustrous Longan Palace (Coming Late March)

Cookie & Gacha Features

🎬🍫 Choco Bar Cookie (Epic Cookie)

The lead’s stunt double for Butter Squid Cookie’s latest movie. Press Jump -> Slide or double-tap Slide to perform a stunt that destroys obstacles and scores points. Her Magic Candy adds a finishing move to her stunts, creating Nutty Choco Bar Fragment Jellies

Nougat Wound-Aid (Epic Pet)

Choco Bar Cookie’s Pet since her days in stunt school. This Pet creates Bandages that score points and restore Energy.

Munch-Munch Popcorn (Epic Treasure)

A staple of every in-theatre movie! This Treasure periodically creates Popcorn Mix Jellies.

Choco Bar Cookie’s “Gunfight at the O.Cake Corral” (Super Epic Costume)

The stunt double’s outfit for Western-style movie scenes during a film shoot at the O.Cake Corral. It wouldn’t be a surprise if you thought she was the sheriff after seeing her ride across the pastures atop a Choco Horse!

Shine Muscat Cookie’s “Icon of the Age” (Epic Costume)

Director Q’s “A Fan’s Perspective” (Epic Costume)

Shine Muscat Cookie’s movies always seem to outdo her previous works. Paparazzi and magazine interviewers seem to follow these two wherever they go…!

Habanero Cookie’s “Cheese Mine Dwarf” (Rare Gem Costume)

Flamebeak Robin’s “On-set Dynamo” (Rare Gem Costume)

Blue Slushy Cookie’s “Dessert Forest Elf” (Rare Gem Costume)

Icy Birdie’s “Cinematic Songster” (Rare Gem Costume)

Fellowship of the Jelly Lobby Design

Behold, the latest promotional material for the latest rendition of the first episode of the “The Lord of the Jellies” series: “The Fellowship of the Jelly” featuring Habanero Cookie, Blue Slushy Cookie, their pets, and even the stage! Buy them in the Gem Exchange Center!

“Keep Running, Keep Going” Jelly Shape Set (Epic Jelly Shapes)

The cast and crew of Action Bear Jellies striving for the perfect take!

—————————— Part 2 ⬇️

🎞️🧈 Butter Squid Cookie (Epic Cookie)

The director of a new Jellywood movie held back by production delays.

Popcorn Cookie’s “Sprinkle Pop-Pop Land” (Super Epic Costume)

A special outfit Popcorn Cookie arranged for her trip to Jellywood, where dreams come true!

“Gleam of Love” Jelly Set (Legendary? Jelly Set)

Would it pair well with Sugar Swan Cookie’s new Costume?

Major Update Features

New Breakout Mode - Solo play at your leisure

Run through every Breakout Episode released so far in order (Escape From the Oven -> City of the Millennial Tree -> Black Sugar Pirate Ship -> Sands of Yogurca -> City of Wizards -> Lost City of Sugarteara -> Spooky Spider Mansion -> Fragrant Lotus Paradise -> Lustrous Longan Palace -> Sands of Yogurca II: Secrets of Mirage Village -> Deep Sea City Wandercrab)

Use a different level-capped combi in each stage

Reach a score objective to unlock the next stage

Completions will often reward Gold Gems, Cookies, and Pets

Some stages grant keys to open special chests or locked books (see the City of Wizards) for greater rewards

Finishing certain episodes will add a rank to your profile

Does not reset weekly, so play at your pace

Main and Special Episodes will stay where they are after the update

Random Challenges will be moved to a separate heading on the mode selection screen

New Special Episode: Jellywood - Go through the various stages of Jellywood and collect Coins in four different movie genres!

Special Episodes from here onward will be recast as Coin Episodes

Remember Black Sugar Pirate Ship and Spooky Spider Mansion? It’s that kind of Coin Episode.

Special Coin items like the Coin Party (which turns coins into Star Coins worth more points and coins) will appear starting with this Episode

Bonus Events

Special Draw Returns! Open boxes by playing the game and get lots of free stuff!

Now Featuring the Surprise Exchange Shop, where past cosmetics are in stock and ready to sell!

Buddy Event Part III: Buttercream Choco Cookie’s Return

Earn Buddy Points by playing in an event to get Buttercream Choco Cookie, Coffee Cookie, Rainbow Cubes, and much more!

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boltlightning · 1 year ago

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Okay what assassin's Creed you love and which you hate and why and why are we in the same fandoms!

it's because we have excellent taste goo <3 i wish i could ever answer your questions succinctly, but here is your long answer anyway:

i have things i love and hate about every mainline game! i wouldn't say i outright hate any of them. i find each game really fun to play for their own reasons (excepting v.alhalla, which i have not played, because o.rigins/o.dyssey burned me out so fucking bad on open world games i can't play them anymore. and i haven't played mirage yet either)

in general, and this is not a hot take in the least, i have a lot of qualms with the modern/isu plot. obviously yes, as a period drama person i am more interested in the historical plots, but even approaching the other side in good faith, i don't think it lends itself at all to the themes of the stories? the assassin-templar dichotomy is fascinating and has a lot to say about who writes history and how we cannot help but walk the footsteps of our forefathers, as much as we try otherwise. human conflict is inherently interesting; the historical stories and especially the modern stories don't need the alien-artifacts-as-drama-and-worldbuilding side of the story at all. we are literally reliving history every time we enter the animus, and is that not exciting enough?

it made sense for the first few games, but overall, i don't think it adds much outside of being the defining A.ssassin's Creed™ thing that they do in every game. it has the nasty side effect of turning every story into an assassin good/templar bad plots by virtue of who holds onto the plot devices, and it's immensely frustrating. ac3 was incredible mostly because haytham and connor both don't really care about the artifacts?? they're fighting the same war on the same side for opposite reasons and actually care about changing the world for the better in their own ways??????? i don't know. there is so much potential in the series and it so often breaks under its own weight.

anyway. more to the point of your question, the only game i think is genuinely bad and poorly researched overall is u.nity, which is unfortunate because it has my favorite gameplay, outfits, and setting hands down. i adore the phantom blades and i'll never get over walking around my favorite cathedrals. damn shame about the broken multiplayer aspect and checks notes fundamentally misunderstanding the f.rench revolution. the napoleon dlc was SO good! it could have just been the whole game!!

#footnote: haytham cares about the artifacts in the novel but it's obvious the author had to toss that in there to appease the game canon #i don't think it's justified very well. it's a very strange and out-of-character aside in a transition chapter #and to clarify: i do really like desmond and his story. i wish it were in a better game #god i hate ac so fucking much i think about it constantly i love it to death #everything that sucks about it is what makes it ac. it is a cruel double-edged sword <3 #replies #hailey if you read this i'm sorry. i do love arno and elise in their own fucked up ways

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letstalkassassinscreed · 1 year ago

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Back to the Routes? (A spoiler-free review of Assassin's Creed Mirage)

Thanks to the amazing people at Ubisoft I got a chance to play Mirage early, and after a few days, I am still playing with a huge smile. Because this game is such a joy to play and experience.

The game kicks off with an amazing intro that is up there with Bayek's opening speech In Origins, and then drops you into Basim's shoes and the game begins. And within the few moments of playing you can see how this world is built for parkour and stealth. There are a lot of NPCs milling about making plenty of options to blend but also creating a sense that this world is alive and thriving. There are also a lot of obstacles for the player to use to help them reach the rooftops, and with Basim's light and faster feel chaining parkour routes has never felt so fun.

I am now 10 hours into the story and it is one I'm heavily invested in because it's smaller and more linear, and it's a very good story, one full of mystery and suspense, and even with Basim's fate already set with Valhalla the writers still have managed to create dramatic moments for the character.

The only reservation I had when I started playing was the Back to the Roots marketing and how the team was going to make the game feel back to the roots. And I am happy with what they have achieved because to me it's not the 1:1 Assassin's Creed 1 gameplay that I associate with the series roots, instead the developers have taken the best parts of the recent RPG games and combined them with the best parts of the older titles, to create a perfect blend of old and new. With a sense of nostalgia in the gameplay I would love to see more games in this style.

I do feel there are a lot of positives about this title, from how the world encourages stealth and parkour and the amazing detailed world of Baghdad. But I do feel at some moments this game is let down by its over-challenging combat. For example, in my gameplay, I came to an area that was heavily fortified and my only tool was a throwing knife. At first, planning the route to stealth was exciting and fun, but when I tried to ledge assassinate a guard no matter how many whistles he never walked to the ledge. So I had to chance a combat encounter, which resulted in me being swarmed by 2 agile guards that are easy to pary which triggers an instant kill option like older titles. But there was also an armored guard who could only be damaged from behind. So trying to doge 3 attackers on low stamina with outfits that don't have damage reduction systems became difficult as 4 hits and game over. With more tools at your disposal, the challenging combat becomes a way to force players into navigating more stealthy and pre-planning tools and routes. I feel this approach is clever and can be great, but In early areas where your tools are limited to what you have unlocked combat becomes more of a chore than a fun mechanic to get you to play more stealthy.

Overall even with the challenging combat, there is more to this game that overshadows the combat. Mirage is a world begging to be explored, bright vibrant, and alive. The urban areas are filled with parkour routes or places to blend in making you feel more like a stealthy assassin. This is a game I would recommend to both newer and older fans, and I do hope Ubisoft attempts to make these types of games again.

#assassins creed #assassins creed mirage #mirage #basim #ubisoft

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pendinghope · 6 months ago

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Games I enjoy. I’ll try to keep this mostly spoiler free. :3

Tokyo mirage sessions. Fire emblem. Encore.

- I love this game. The art, the colors, the songs. All of it just works well for me. The combat grinding isn’t that bad and it’s fairly easy to level up characters. Although I played on easy mode cause I kept dying on normal so our playing experience will definitely vary. I even unlocked friendly mode from dying so often TvT. I play for story more than combat. A lot of the enemy characters are sleazeballs though so that can be off-putting. I enjoy the story and friendships throughout the game. The side stories are easy to follow and flow nicely for me. I enjoy the character developments and the interpersonal connections. The maps were a bit confusing for me so some of it was just me running around hoping I pulled the right levers. Overall, this game was a lovely experience for me.

Fire emblem three houses

- I love this game. Though when I played I went in blind. This will include spoilers for game content, not specific storyline stuff. This game has romance options. Gender locked romance options. I was unaware of this going in so I was unable to swoon the person I fell for. Essentially, the gender of the main character chosen will affect who you can romance. I forgot that happens in games. Anyway, I love the world building and characters in this game. As the name suggests there are three main houses in this game. I’m golden deer for life. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve played through so far. The friendships are awesome. However the grinding for supports takes forever and some supports unlock secret quests that can have major impacts on the story.

- three hopes. Shez is awesome. Not as cool as byleth but just a fun character in general. They have a wonderful and funny personality. Though their connection to the houses, especially the house leaders, is a lot different than in three houses. If you’re looking to get close to the house leader or have them have greater character development then I say play three houses. While this game doesn’t have romance (s supports), some characters do essentially propose to the main character in this game. While I haven’t finished the main storyline I am enjoying this game.

- engage. You know, for a game called engage you’d think it would have a romance option. While heavily censored for the western audience when it comes to s supports, you can still get the gist of what originally would be said by watching the character sprites. The colors are all so vibrant and the music is wonderful. Alear is a chill main character just trying to deal with everything. The characters all have varying personalities and their interactions with the main character are all fun. However it’s really hard to get money in this game so be careful on how you spend.

Xenoblade chronicles

- the first game has a nice sense of community and friends. I like how the characters interact and the way different cultures are shown. Though I haven’t finished the game just yet. The character customization is nice though a lot of the women outfits are revealing. Now revealing outfits aren’t particularly a big deal but for there to be so few pants without a cut in the back is a bit ridiculous. Otherwise, I enjoy the game. I like the chart of all the characters interactions in the communities. Do be careful with rare materials and make sure to check which ones you can trade for beforehand. It can be a bit of a pain to realize you can’t complete a quest without a certain rare material.

- I started the third game of the series recently. It doesn’t have the same vibes so far. The characters are nice but it’s lacking the sense of community and varying cultures the first one had. The cutscenes are super long and there’s less interaction with the world so far. The first game felt more immersive for me. The cutscenes give kingdom heart cutscenes a run for their money when it comes to their length. Not necessarily bad but it makes it less immersive for me so far. I’m still going to continue it and I’ll update my view of it the further I get in game. The characters personalities are fun so far so I hope I can get pulled into the story a bit more.

Legend of Zelda breath of the wild

- I like this game. The environment, animals, and world building are all nice. Link’s characterization is just so fun. His love for food and hatred of social interaction. The side quests and world building in this game are enjoyable and immersive. I find this game to be more about the journey than the ending of the main storyline in the game. So just take your time and enjoy all the beautiful graphics.

- tears of the kingdom. I haven’t finished this game yet. So far it’s been very fun. The weapon breaking doesn’t matter as much since you can combine materials. While some of the world building from the first game is lost in this one. Certain npc interactions don’t travel over and some characters don’t remember you. Which I find a bit ridiculous. I worked so hard on my house just to have someone else claim it as theirs? How does this town not even remember me? That aside, I do so love this game. I find having an endless supply of plant bombs ever so useful. And make sure to always test out the abilities you have in this game. They are far more versatile than expected! The developers really integrated them well. Spoiler warning! This next part will spoil parts of the game so please skip the rest of this ramble if you don’t want to be spoiled. I like to think that the astral projections of our friends can see what is going on with link. Like Prince Sidon going about his day wondering what link is doing and seeing him jump in front of a hydra (dragon) with just a handful of bombs and no armor. Or a lynel. It is funny how so few characters recognize link and yet everyone recognizes Zelda. Like sure she’s been missing for a hundred years but eh, who’s this guy with the same name as her knight? No one of importance just a random reporter.

Digimon story cybersleuth, complete edition.

- I highly enjoyed this game. I like the character dynamics and storyline. While the grinding for leveling up digimon is not my thing I enjoyed seeing the different types of digimon. The main character is fun and nice. Random civilian turned detective due to uh certain circumstances. I think the game has an online feature where you can battle other players but it’s never worked for me so I’m uncertain. Now I’ve only done the cybersleuth storyline so far. I’ve yet to finish the hacker storyline so I can’t say anything on that part. I started it a bit ago and the environment/community seems fun. Though I’m sure the storyline has a going to pull at my heartstrings.

Well that’s enough for now. I’ll talk more about games later. Have an amazing day!

#pendinggames

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mellylari · 1 year ago

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Hello! I’m here today to tell you why I think you should vote for Iris Lovefeather from Tales of the Rays: Recollections! This might get long, so I’ll shove everything under the read more:

Now then, before we start I need to give you a bit of prior information:

What is tales of the rays?

Tales of the Rays is a mobile game that came out in early 2017, and follows in the footsteps of games like Tales of Link(Which another competitor, Sara, is from!) and Tales of Asteria.

(Image ID: Early art for tales of the rays. Ix and Mileena are closest to the screen, while an array of protagonists from previous mainline tales games stand behind them.)

The story features Ix Nieves and Mileena Weiss, two Mirrists who, after the destruction of their town, are tasked with restoring their world(Tir Na Nog) by building off of what’s left and replacing what can’t be saved. In order to do this they use their powers(creation, illusion, fusion) to recreate the land once destroyed. They do so via ‘exoflection’, a process where Ix will use his power(amplified by the kingdoms own machinery) to mimic and reimagine sections of other worlds to add to theirs! Through this process, a person known as a nexus will form. A nexus is any notable individual in that world, like, for instance, the main protagonists/antagonists of one of the mainline games within the tales series.

(Image ID: Yuri [far left] and Repede [far right] defending main character Ix [center] from a pack of monsters. The scene takes place in a forest.)

Once the land is exoflected, it’s up to Mileena and Ix to find the Nexuses, and get them to safety before an opposing organization, known as the Salvation Front, get to them first and take advantage of them! How does this tie into Iris, you ask? Well, 4 arcs later and Ix and Mileena’s stories have finally wrapped up, leading to Rays introducing a new set of main characters: Iris being one of them!

(Image ID: Official art for the current story arc of Tales of the Rays: Recollections. Ix and Mileena in their arc 3 and 4 outfits stand in the front, with larger shots of recollections protagonists, Kodama and Haze, are behind them.)

This story takes place a couple hundred years after the final arc of the original story, where the world Ix and Mileena touch so hard to save has been destroyed and taken over by creatures known as ‘wraiths’. Due to this destruction, only one true city remains within the world, only able to survive through a magic barrier that had been placed around it. While there are other, smaller, civilizations on the outside, they’re in much more danger, and are often looked down upon by those living within the barrier. This new story follows Kodama Atwood and his group, as they try to locate and destroy the source of these wraiths by working as the Reaper Knights, people trained to fight off the Wraiths, alongside the Immortal Queen Haze.

What about Iris?

As mentioned before, Iris is a part of this group, and thus, is also a Reaper Knight alongside Kodama. She also doubles as a songstress and performer, though her voice itself is synthetic.

(Image ID: Iris’ mirage arte. She’s in battle with a horde of monsters. One hand holds her megaphone as she shouts through it. The other holds her hammer.)

When she was younger, she and her grandfather were attacked by a wraith, leading to her grandfather’s death, and her losing her voice. Her grandfather had always been someone who loved beautiful things, and when he was still alive, would tell Iris her voice was very beautiful. While she’s not fond of her synthetic voice, she continues to use it in honor of her grandfather, using that voice to sing for the people in need and around her, to help lift their spirits.

(Image ID: Iris’ basic mirage arte. She’s smiling at the screen, with one arm extended towards it, megaphone in hand. Her hammer is directed away from the screen.)

So please vote for Iris! While there’s still not much to her yet- her story’s only just starting! And with a new chapter coming sometime soon, I may just have more information to give you by the time the next matches come around!

Pink Hair Swag Tourney, Round Two, Part One

#poll #polls #tales of the rays #Iris lovefeather #got it out in time!!!#so excited to talk about her!!!#especially because she’s sort of the reason I got back into tales of the rays #so I could talk about her more accurately in these polls #I know I’m mostly an a3 blog nowadays but I’d appreciate if you guys could show her some support!

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banqanas · 2 years ago

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MUSIC VIDEO PRODUCTION FOR 9 REVICE SONGS

Some making shots from the Revice website

1. Go with the Flo

The Igarashi siblings dancing and there was an accident where Hyuga-kun and Imoto-san spilled their coffee

2. Mirage Mirror

3. Without You

Maeda Kentaro and Komatsu Junya wearing outfits never before seen in the series and another specialty, with guitars!

4. Volcano

Hachijoin is the choreographer for this MV

#kamen rider revice #I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE MVS AAAAAA #finally get to see the siblings having fun together

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heart-eye-harrington · 5 years ago

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the last midnight ~ chapter three

(gif by @harringtown, thank you for letting me steal it <3)

Summary: Every aspect of Prince Steve’s life is mapped out with one objective in mind: become king when the time comes. The day of the ball has arrived, and everyone from the castle and village are making preparations. You and Steve find help from very different places.

Word Count: 3.2k

Warnings: brief mentions of grief

Author’s Note: Hi! I hope you’re doing well! I’m very excited for this chapter and for the rest of the series as a whole! Thank you for your continued support! ♡

read the last part here

⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★

The day of the ball had arrived, and the castle’s inhabitants were in a fussing frenzy. The servant’s usual buzzing seemed to be amplified to rumbling thunder. Their words roll in through the open door of Steve’s bed chamber and begin bombarding his ears. Things such as the astronomical size of the guest list, the work being done in the ballroom, and the preparations on the royal family’s outfits only amplify the booming cacophony of dread.

Steve does his best to ignore how it goes straight to his pounding heart, hastily throwing on his lounging clothes and combing his fingers through his hair, enjoying the time he has to not be a perfect polished prince. He knows the stylists will come around later in the day to mold him in that image, but for now, he can get away with wild hair and loose flowy blouses.

He looks at himself in the mirror and for a moment, things are okay. He’s just a boy. He’s not a future king, no royal title attached to his name. The weight of the world is lifted from his shoulders, because why should it be there? He’s just a boy.

The anxious cloud slowly rolls in once again, the muffled conversation between guards stationed outside his door dashing the mirage.

“Hard to imagine the prince will choose a bride tonight. Part of me feels bad for the boy. Sure, a princess may grow to like him, but never love. How could they, when their love life is a bargaining chip? He may never know real love.”

Their words were the lightning strike. A menacing storm had been gradually collecting discomfort provoked by talks of this evening, but life could continue despite it. This was the danger that could not be ignored. The pounding heartbeat in Steve’s ears fizzled away, only leaving him with the realization he’d been pushing down for years.

Love was never in the cards for him. It never fit into his parents’ plan. Kings don’t need love, they need power. The only time they need a person beside them is to strengthen that power. To his parents, a queen was nothing more than another piece in the puzzle. They would make the kingdom look more secure, gain allies and resources, and produce an heir, and the vicious cycle continues.

“He may never know real love”

It bounces around his head before eventually sinking to his heart, dragging it down to his stomach. His huge room seems to shrink around him, his feet dragging him out into the corridor before the walls suffocate him. Steve only gets a moment of relief before he meets the guard’s worried eyes emphasized with raised eyebrows. The act of being seen, not merely looked at, is so alarmingly out of place he feels the bile in his stomach turn. He needs to go, and there’s only one place where he feels safe in the castle.

The familiar sounds of clinking metal and hearty laughter lets him know the room’s usual inhabitants are inside. Peaking through the cracked door he sees Robin and her father, both in full practice uniforms, chasing one another around with blunt practice swords at the ready. The sounds of padded running echos throughout the large gymnasium.

The sight before Steve is a break in the downpour, a ray of light through the dark clouds. They were what made this room safe, for in these walls he was just a boy with a friend, a teacher, and a sword. Part of him doesn’t want to disturb them, but any chance of that is dashed when Robin spots the gleam in his eyes through the cracked door.

“Father, I think we may have an intruder” her tone airy and playful. The captain quickly catches on, joining in on her fun. “Oh, well, we can’t have that, now can we? They’ll have to fight there way out of this”

In one fell swoop, he pulls open the door to reveal a giddy Steve and throws him his sword. Steve’s surprised he reflexes are quick enough to catch it before it hits the marble floor. The celebration doesn’t linger, Robin already taking her stance for their battle. Once Steve folds an arm behind his back and extends his sword, mirroring Robin, the fight is on. Robin’s father ducks out fo the room with a sweet goodbye, knowing they don’t need supervision and that this would not be ending soon.

The teens go back and forth, lunging and dodging with expert timing, only fitting for the hours they’ve spent in these walls. As relentless as the fight is, Steve can’t keep his mind from wandering. Dodging Robin’s blade dislodged his guard’s words from the hiding place his mind shoved then into.

As much as he’s come to terms with never finding love, he can’t help but imagine it. Someone laughing at his jokes because they find him funny, not out of courtesy or because they want to impress him. Someone that would look for him first in a crowded room, no matter the crowd’s wealth, power, or charm.

Someone that would reach for his hand instinctively, whether for comfort, out of overwhelming joy, or anywhere in between. With their hand in his everything in the world would be okay, because the person standing beside him is the world now, and they’re so good.

He wanted someone he would miss deeply even if it were just the first day they had been apart since meeting.

Steve keeps finding himself back in the village, kids weaving around him to sit by the fountain. His mind replays the first moment he saw you. The way the sun caught your eyes like they were precious jewels deserving nothing less than to be shown off. Your smile was contagious, not being able to be contained on your face, spilling to everyone who laid eyes on you. The rising sun behind you softened any edges, as if your personality weren’t inviting enough.

One part of your story sticks out.

Before fear grips the prince, the princess holds his hand. In that moment, he knows she’s his true love, and that he would fight any creature to keep her safe, for the touch of a hand cannot be altered by magic. No magic spell can mask or mimic the way a person’s hand makes you feel.

He’s pulled abruptly from his thoughts when he feels Robin’s blade resting against his collar. She’s clearly won the fight, laughing in his face in celebration. Steve pouts, head nodding back and pursuing his lips.

“Wake up your royal highness, you’re in a daze” Robin made sure to emphasize his title, knowing he hates it.

“I’m sorry” his response breathy, almost dream-like. She knows he was distracted, he never let her win this easily. She traces back to the last time they fought last time, and realizes it was before their escape to the town. A mischievous grin pulls her lips as her mind makes the correlation.

“You’ve been off since our adventure” a smug suggestive smile on her lips. Suddenly her gaze is too much for Steve, who turns to the table stationed at the opposite end of the room, stacked with towels for sweat. After hearing her footsteps behind him, he knows there’s no escape, so he gushes.

“It’s the person we saw at the fountain, the one who was telling the stories to the children. I can’t stop thinking about them.”

“Well, there are plenty of people out there.” Robin winks, but Steve is having none of it

“Ah, but their spirit, their goodness.” He can feel the smile creep on to his face just thinking about them.

“You don’t suppose they have a sister, do they?” Robin raises a brow, and Steve can’t help but chuckle, “I don’t know. I don’t know anything about them.”

“Well, hopefully, your mystery stranger may come to the ball. That is why you threw the doors open, is it not?” They both laugh at the memory of his portrait painting and confrontation with his parents.

“Robin, it was for the benefit of the people.”

She raises her hands defensively “Oh, of course. How shallow of me”

After a beat, Steve thinks aloud “And if they come, then what?” Robin mulls it over for a moment, “then you tell them that you’re a prince, and a prince may take whatever partner he wishes.”

“Ha” sarcasm drips from the single syllable.

“Ha?” Robin questions,

“Yes, ha. You know my parents will only have me marry a princess.” Steve groans.

Robin hums, fully aware of their royal highness’s stupid rules, but caring more about her friend. “Well if this stranger from the village is as charming as you say, they may change your parents’ minds. They are a fairy godmother in training. A flick of their wand and boom, problem solved.”

“Hm, problem solved.” A sad smile tugs his lips. If only it were that easy.

“You never know. You know what my father says, words are your greatest weapon. You saw what they can do to those kids in the village, I’m sure they can charm your parents.” She gives a playful nudge but instead of pushing back, he succumbs to it, allowing the soft push to move him. A smile still plays his lips, but he feels numb, as if shielding himself from what’s to come. Hope, he’s learned, is a strong gift. It’s one he’s barely received, ripped from his hands as soon as he’s united the ribbon.

Robin’s quick to wrap her arms around him in an awkward side hug, resting her head on his arm. Neither of them are good at showing affection, their platonic love language shown in jokes and jabs, but how could she not hug him? Steve leans down a bit to rest his head on top of hers, his hands coming up to clutch her arm.

They stay like that, two people who have been thrown into extraordinary circumstances who were able to find one another. They each thanked their lucky stars every night that they had found each other.

A knock comes to the door, and a messenger peeks through. “Sorry to disturb you, your highness, but the style team is ready for you.”

With one last squeeze to Robin’s arm, he nods to the messenger, acknowledging it’s time to go. As he begins to walk away, Robin runs behind him and rustles his hair, “good luck Prince Charming.”

“Thanks, Robin. Can’t wait to see what they put you into.” He jokes, knowing how much Robin hates formal events and the guard’s formal uniforms.

“Oh, it won’t be half as beautiful as yours. I’m sure you’ll knock’em dead.” She sends him off with a wink and a wave. Steve shakes his head, returning the gesture. As he finds himself being passed from hairstylist to seamstress, he thinks of Robin. Not only has she given him friendship, but the gift of hope, and he can practically feel the silk ribbon it’s tied in. With each stitch of a button and comb of his hair, he can’t help but smile, for with each step he’s one step closer to you.

He hoped to see you again soon.

⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★⋆★

Your shoes click against the cobblestone streets as you rush back to the bakery. With the prince’s open invitation to the village to attend the ball came a glimmer of hope that you would see Steve the apprentice again. To say you were enormously excited would be an understatement.

You rush through the door, practically skipping as you tell your father the news. He dusts the flour from his hands, placing them on his hips as you ramble on and on.

“Do we have any of mother’s old clothes? I know she had the most beautiful dresses and fabrics, I could easily make something for tonight. It wouldn’t cost much, you know how expensive Esmerelda the seamstress is, especially with such little notice. Oh, father, I can just picture it! I’d have sleeves like this-” as you begin ghosting your fingers over your arms, imagining what you’d look like this evening, your father stops you.

“Sweet pea, we don’t have any of that.” he looks to you with sad eyes, that if you look hard enough you could see his heart breaking behind them.

“W-what?” you don’t want to believe him.

“I know it was wrong, but I couldn’t bear to look at them. I sold all your mother’s dresses and fabrics years ago, right after she passed. Sweet pea, I am so sorry.” his voice a fragile glass, moments away from breaking.

Your first instinct is anger. How could he? She was his wife, but she was your mother. He may have had no use for the clothes and fabrics, but how could he know you wouldn’t? You could grow into them, wear them to keep her close to you. Then you realize what that would do to your father. Seeing his child, the spitting image of his lost wife wearing her clothes. It’d be like seeing her ghost, haunting him. You could never understand his pain or why he did it, as he could never understand yours, but you could try.

“I know father, it’s ok.” you sniffle, quickly trying to hide it with a wipe of your nose. You smile through the stinging in your eyes.

Not another word is exchanged the rest of the day, your father too filled with regret, leaving you to mourn. You mourn your mother and the dream of seeing Steve again. You owned nothing nearly nice enough to attend the ball and would never be able to scramble up enough money to buy something new. So you were left to work the bakery, conversing with excited customers and gazing out the window. You look for any hooded figures with wild hair and curious eyes, but your apprentice friend is nowhere to be found.

With dusk quickly approaching, you know you can’t keep putting off the trip to the waterfall. The thought of walking the same path you had with Steve, but this time without him here, hurt more than you could imagine. You miss deeply, despite having just met him yesterday. It was only the first day you’d been apart since meeting, but it felt like a lifetime.

The forest is beautiful at this time of day. Birds sing love songs, your footsteps on the soft grass adding muffled percussion. Golden orange light breaks through the tree canopy, dancing on the rich green of the forest floor. Soon you hear the distance padding of water upon the rocks, reassuring that you weren’t far from your destination.

Through the trees, you hear a muted cry for help. The voice is weak, urging your feet to run to it faster.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” you yell as you run, equal parts hoping that they’ll answer so you can better find them and alerting them that someone is coming to help.

“Right here, sweetpea.” The use of the nickname makes your stomach twist, but still allowing you to find whoever needs help. You’re able to spot them, at the base of a nearby tree sits an elderly woman. You’re quickly kneeling by her side and asking if she needs any help.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any spare food, would you?” without hesitation you reach into the pocket of your apron where you’d stuffed a blueberry scone for your dinner. You offer it to her with a smile.

“Oh, but my dear, this is your dinner.”

“Please, I hope you’ll take it. You need it more than me.” You fold it into her hand and within seconds she’s gnawing on the pastry. Through the crumbs in her mouth, she laughs.

“Hope, hm. What a powerful word.” You give her a perplexed but kind nod, not expecting such an ominous statement. The scone is quickly devoured, the only signs it was here are the crumbs on the woman’s dress and a burp.

“Now, sweet pea, we don’t have much time.” There’s the nickname again.

“Only my father calls me that. My apologies, but do I know you?” your question innocent.

“Who am I? I’d have thought you’d have worked that one out, seeing as the town considers you my apprentice.” A wicked smile pulls her lips thin. You’re left utterly lost. “I’m your fairy godmother, sweet pea.”

“You can’t be.” You laugh lightly to yourself. “They don’t exist. They’re just made up for children.”

“Didn’t your own mother believe in them?” her words take the breath from your lungs. How did she know your mother? As your mind begins racing, the woman stands and pulls a wand from her sleeve. With a simple wave, she’s transformed into a beautiful young woman in an enormous ballgown. Stacked ruffles cascade down the sides of the full skirt, each layer a shade darker than the one above.

“Now, my dear, you can’t go to the ball in that” she gestures to your clothes with her wand. “Let’s get you into something more suitable.”

With a flick of her wrist, a poof of blue dust flicks from the end of her wand and dances toward you. It covers your clothes and begins to glow, expanding, stretching, and fluffing the worn cotton on your body. You can’t help but twirl, laughing as the magic transforms you. When the dust settles, you’re left in a beautiful blue fabric that shines in the glow of the setting sun. The icing on the cake comes when you look at your feet, finding your shoes are made of glass.

“Oh, it’s wonderful. Thank you, thank you.” You know your voice could never convey just how thankful you were. When you meet her eyes you swear you see a bit a sadness, possibly regret, but it’s gone in a flash.

“Now, I just need to whip up a coach and you’ll be on your way.” Another flick of her wrist and a golden coach sits in the meadow. “Now sweet pea, this is a magic coach that doesn’t require horses or footmen. A spell from my spell-book…” She stops herself, catching the slip, “trick I’ve learned in my lovely, beautiful cottage.” All you can do is nod, and follow her as she leads you to the coach.

“Now, sweet pea, all magic comes with a price.” A sudden coldness fills her words and expression. “With the last echo of the last bell of the last stroke of midnight, the spell will be broken and all will return to what it was before.”

“That’s more than enough time. Thank you.” With a final flick of her wand, the coach is moving. You sit back and gaze out the window. With each roll of the wheels and bridge that you’ve crossed, you can’t help but smile, for with each step you’re one step closer to Steve.

You hoped to see him again soon.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington agnst #the last midnight au

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immaturegzb · 5 years ago

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kpop masterlist (bts, exo, svt)

BTS

you cry during a fight (maknae ver) // (hyung ver)

he has something to say about your outfit

he finds out you bias someone from a diff group

a member of txt has a crush on you

ours (hyung line)

ours (maknae line)

colors (maknae line)

reaction to you using safe word

when another idol flirts w/ you (hyung) // (maknae)

accidentally cumming inside

thy cup runeth over

Mafia!BTS masterlist

another member likes you

they have a nightmare and you aren't there

they think you like a diff member

jealous of your guy friends

JIN

I waited for you

in which he's thinking about kids

the pretenders

pillows are over rated

bobsy-die

missed you

NAMJOON

dark horse

impreg kink

all aboard

a stranger’s gift

needy

needy on his birthday

in heat

heart over mind

blood bound

rumor has it / drabble

playtime

let the villain win

obligated

let me hold them ft jk

there was a bug

the stand-in

trivia love

a little longer

free delivery not included

welcome to seoul land

make up sex

a very personal assistant

librarian

mad passion

the take home test

hammer it home // totally screwed // a wrench in the plan

to tame a fox

studio sex

jealous 01 // 02

bad day

lost in the funhouse

pleading for mercy

mr. president

here, now

don't care about the presents

two hours

boiling point

attitude

thigh riding

morning sex

the good girl

there's a first time for everything

try again

borrow you ft maknae line

lessons ft jk (s)

naked

homie hopper ft jk,jh

YOONGI

jealous Yoongi

home

what’s wrong? your nipples are sore? too bad

infidelity

nine months from now

bubbles

oblivious

needy

steam ft jk / mist / murk / blur / vapor

polaroids

my bf’s are pornstars ft namjoon

HOSEOK

mine

I need your help

where is my mind

gone wild

friskiness under control

feral

defanged

guide me

homie hopper ft jk,rm

JIMIN

one year

bloodline

you weren't supposed to hear that

venus

suck and blow ft jjk

you're still my girl, yeah?

dark side of the moon // 1 // 2 // 3

TAEHYUNG

heatwave // heatwave drabble: like a best friend // heatwave drabble: sucker for u

play with me

pretty babies

made for each other (series)

in the couch

night terrors

fever // rapture

pieces

ravenous

in which he hates that she's clueless

the text

seamed tights

consequences

impreg kink / #

sugar daddy

belong (series)

supernova

misunderstanding

father in law / 2

JUNGKOOK

I've got is so bad for this man, he needs his own list

EXO

don't

dance

a mirage by any other name (kai)

hero (pcy)

the morning after (pcy)

lonely (kw)

i have never once been jealous of park chanyeol in my entire life 1 // 2 // 3

SEVENTEEN

MINGYU

better left unsaid / promises

2:14 am

promising young woman

king sized bed ft jk

beach boobs babes / ice cream(ed)

twin bed (s/f)

3:38 AM (s)

good to me (s)

#masterlist #kpop masterlist #gzb masterlist #bts masterlist #svt masterlist #exo masterlist

14 notes · View notes

starlight-ascension · 4 years ago

Text

My friend who live sent the reactions to Fresh PreCure is now watching Heartcatch (part Had To DO iT tO eM)

Reaction Highlights

Episode 39

She commented on Coffret hanging upside down, Erika going crazy, and then sent “wait, transformation time already?” and then on the henshin being interrupted. [interesting way to start an episode...]

She wanted Erika to succeed at this attempt just to see what would happen

“Not So Above It All, are you Coffret”

"I'm taking a walk." “...You're hovering in the air”

she responded to the sliding down the roof like a playground slide with “not even gonna say whee”

when the idea of the Sunackies taking on the precure by themselves came up, she found that thought hilarious

“He slip. He trip.”

She yelled “BAD MONKEY. BAD BAD MONKEY” at the Sunacky in capslock

“NO! WE DO NOT PULL FAIRIES' TAILS!”

There was 15 “ =~D “ emoticons when Erika showed up

“WOOOOOO FLYING MONKEYS- wait. wait frick i just realized that would be a Wizard of Oz reference kdsjfklah”

She keysmashed in capslock when the Sunacky tried to use the tact

*sings* “IT'S RAINING MONKEYS!!!! I can't decide whether to sing that to the tune of It's Raining Tacos or It's Raining Sunshine”

“YESSS GOT THE TACT! OH NO GOT HIS TAIL!”

She asked the giant Sunacky what it was still doing there after the fight

Episode 40

Right off the bat there was cheering over the actiony start.

"That was dangerous."/"But what is this warm feeling?" “Ooooh, it seem she didn't escape quite soon enough... :-} this is gonna be GOOOOD”

during this episode’s movie promo, she commented on the kid’s hair turning blue and how it caused her to flashback to her fave movie. i responded with a link to Chiyu’s henshin sequence

“Oh, you can't fight this Sasorina. Once it's begun it's already too late. Still, kind of an oof seeing her teammates turn on her like this”

"But they put a great strain on your body."

*EAS REDEMPTION ARC FLASHBACKS*

*toes fidget and grip tightens on seat* [this made me picture setsuna watching heartcatch and getting to this episode.]

Wh...why is it glowing.. Holy FRICK she turned an entire BUILDING into a Desertrian :-O

“Don't use those things, Sasorina, DON'T...”

She put on a captain obvious hat

149-character-long “YEAH” during the fight

“Wha--? What was that red-and-black lightning fizzles...on the bracelet...” *Eas arc flashbacks intensify*

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAH!-FRICK”

[begin direct copy-paste]

"This is the end!" No it's not! There's still like eight episodes left!

wha... 0_0

*EAS FLASHBACKS INTENSIFY*

Yes! Yes!! Heartcatch Mirage! Go!

(*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NFJKSGBNERGIUBERUOGBROGIRWNGKLENGJKLRGNEROIGNERIOGEHNGIERJEIO

(*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*)

(*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) (*O*) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BGWOUIRWBGUIBRGUIBWUIBNUHJWHTJHWRUIHTUIHBGUISBNGJBNSGUBEUBWRUBGWUBGUIRWOHUWRHURWHIRUHUJRHJRUNGIUERBRUWIBGWRIOUGBRWUIGBHRWIUGBRWIUGNRWIUNRSJKGERBHIUERHNGIURWHGIRUHIRWUNRJKSBNSRIUGBWIUGTEWIJTGJHKNSFJIGFNSIUGNSOIGNREIUGNRWUIGBRWGJKRBSNUGIRENGIURWNGJKNJUGBERUIBGRWIUGBNROJGNDJKBGJKSBGREIUBGIWUBGRIJKGNRJKGBREJGHERIGOHERIUGNREIJGHNEHIUGTBREUIGBWPONGEGHREUOGE

HGRIOEHRWIHGOUIRWHGOIRWHGOJFMGKERHNIGORWHGOIRWHNGIORWGJNIWORJNRIOWJNGKLDFNGJKRNGREOINTROEHGJKLREHJTKLGJKLGMNFKLMDKLMNFKGNFDGLKNROIGRNEOIGNEIGOEGHEIHIOGNKRJGMEORGIMNRKITENGIOERNKLJDKLJKEJRKOOE

YHJTRIOJTRIOJGIRJOKSJKRWENJENTIURBGUIBNSJKSNGIJRNREIUHGJUNUHBTIHUTHRNGUHRIUTHWUHRUEHOTENTJGHJHGJHGURHTURHTUEHIRWETIOEHRIOHTGJKDSHGJHGFJDGDNMBGNMBGJKDSBIJGNOISHNGOHNGIRHNGJHNEJ

Sasorina?

"She has fought bravely. We shall let her go." "You're too kind."

NBFSHJKBGDFSJKEGHRIUBGRUIGBHRWUGIHNRWGUHRLIUGHERLIUGHRWIUGHRUIGBWIUGHRWBIUGREHBIUGRHBEGURBNGHJERBGHJRSBGSUHGIRSUGHREIUGHRIUGHIRUGBRISUBGIRSUGBREIUGBIUGBREIUGRETGHEWUITHRWUIOTHRUOGHRIOSGJSDJKLNDSJKFDSNBGUBGIURYGEWRISHGIUAHGUJGHRUBIUGSDBUFJKSBGDHJSBFSDJUBHRUGRWUGISRGKYWEYUIGTWREIUYOBRISUHBGSIDUFBNDSJKNBFDSJKBFDSUHBGUSIGBUOGNRGBRSJKGBSGUBIUGBROGBRUGNFSJKGNS

Sasorina lying there unconscious in the arms of one of her teammates with the other standing over her...

:-o

She hands them back and...smiles?

....THANK you...?

:-o :-o :-o :-o

JDBHFIOHNFIOERHFGOUERHGERJUHGRJOSHGEROUGHER =~O =~O =~O =~O !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SDHFUIOERWHIGUOREWHIGOWHGIOURWHGUORHGUIWRHGUIRWHGOURWHGURWGHWRUOIHJRHFUOWHJRWOHGRWIGHRWUOIGHRWIOGHJRWIHRWIOGHRWIUGHWUGHUOGHRWUGORW

JWKLFNRWOIHNRHGJRWHUHUWHUHUOGHOGHWOIHOUHUHRUIOHIOEHOIHOUGRHIERHGUREHGRUHGWJHNRUIGHRNGUUGRWBNIRWBFNJUBFNERJKBGRWJUGBWUJGBRWIOGBRWOUGBRWIOGBWOUGBRWOIGRNWIGJHRNJGUHRGURWHGRWOGRWHOUGRWHUOGRHUOGWRHGUORHGRJUHFUOWRGHUJHNGWRIHGNUJGNJU

That's...that's her...heart flower...

Sadness and jealousy?

And it rockets off into the sky...=~O

I mean...can't help thinking it's nice they seem to genuinely care for their teammates in a way...

Did it just come back down? And land...where...

=~O !!1*!

"I feel like I've been trapped in a bad dream for a very long time." =~O =~O

A birby <3

=~O =~O =~O

Well the inside of the school is a train wreck now

Oh heyyy, he's already helping clean up! :-)

Twerk-and-poop time

And it's yellow. ...Like Sasorina's outfit...

"The Desert Messengers have hearts too."

"Kumojacky and Cobraja will be even tougher." Yep, seems so

[end direct copy-paste]

Episode 41

She laughed at the cardboard scribble kumojacky

She related on a spiritual level to that one kid in the corner doing his own thing

She sent an XD in response to “I’ll defeat you and become the True Orange King!”

“One wonders if these guys will meet the same fate that Sasorina did soon enough”

There was a loud whisper of “gaaaaaay” when Itsuki and Tsubomi slept leaning on each other

She brought up how the puppet desertrian was turned into an actual desertrian

when the kids ran out asking where their teacher was, the reaction was “;o;ToT ToT ToT ToT <3 <3 <3 <3ToT </3 <3 ToT </3 <3 ToT </3 <3 ToT </3 <3 ToT ToT toT </3 </3 </3 <3 <3 <3 </3 <3 </3 <3 ToT ToT ToT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

and during the fight... “YEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAYEAYEAYEAYEAYEAYEA WOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YEAAAAAAAAAAAAHWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO” [this is the reaction to basically every battle scene]

[begin direct copy-paste]

THIS IS FRICKING AMAZING

YES MIRAGE YES

FJSOIUGHNRSUGHRWNIUGERHNGIURWNGSRJKBGRJBGRUIGBRWUGOWRBGOJBNGJKSHGJKSHJSKHJSHFUHGUREHBGUIERHBGUIERHJRHGRIUG'

HUIRDGUIERBHGIUBRWIUGBRUGIBRNDSUBHJDSBFUIDSBGUOSDBGROJGNREBGURUJBSRUJRSBGUSBNUHRSNIJUBGERUJBGREIOGBEROIGBHROGUHNRUGRBGUHBRUBGRJKSBGSJKBSIUBRUGBROUGBWOUGBGJKSRNGJKRSGBSJKGSRHFIUEWBGWRUINGRWJK

MN,DSJKFBSIUBRUGBRWIUBWUBIUBRUGBRUGRBUIEWNJKSHBJUBRUEHNREUIBNJKGNJGNDSIJNSIUGBRUIGBEIUBERBWIBNREJKBRJKGBRJBREUIBREWUIGBREIGTBERUIGBRGIJNRIUGRBEIURNJRKNIURWBNRTWJNGRJEGNREJGNJKGNDJKGSNGRNGISNGJRNGIORENGOEJGNREOIGNEROTGJERITJERIJTERIGOJETROGTNGJRKNGJRGHGNEJ

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHWOOWOOWOOWOOWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

She's back!

;o; ToT <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT ToT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FULL-CLASS HUG

Tolerance. Hmm. Nice.

Twerk-and-poop time. Wonder how many heart seeds of each color there are in this whole series

Bubbly reddish-purplish liquid... Dark precure?

0_0

=~o

Yeah I'm not gonna watch this ending theme

#if it gives you flashbacks to setsuna's arc you know that's some good stuff

2 notes · View notes

courage-a-word-of-justice · 5 years ago

Text

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works 1 - 25 (FINAL) | Waver OVA

Much like the Fate/Zero post, this is mostly a set of notes which has already been released and is preserved here because of the difference editing makes. There was one completely insensitive, uninformed note and a note which I was writing down to be “more in character” which I’ve removed in all instances of the notes, though - it’s better you not know what was being said there.

F/SN UBW 1 (Prologue)

Now that’s the Rin I know from fandom whispers.

Turns out this is ep. 0 and there’s actually 12 eps…

This brunette reminds me of Maiya.

This wavy haired guy’s a Matou? Geesh, he somehow reminds me of the Great B*stard Archer.

Miss Fujimura’s a bit of a non-sequitur…

If I remember the fan whispers right, his name is Issei Hyoudou…? (Or is that the High School DxD guy?) Update: Issei Hyoudou is the High School DxD guy, this is Issei Ryuudou.

If people die when they are killed, then machines should, too.

I already know from checking up previous info that UBW is for the 5th Holy Grail War and Shiro Emiya is part of it.

The button says “voicemail”…well, it’s actually rusu, where rusuban denwa = answering machine (denwa = phone, so rusu means something like “protecting the house (while you’re gone)”). The best way to translate it would be “voicemail” though.

Fuyuki Church (Kyoukai)? Rin has them on her voicemail???

I seem to remembr reading that this white-haired character is an alternate universe Shiro Emiya…but I guess we’ll find out later, huh?

Hmm…I’ve seen this Command Seal before. I think it might be Dewbond’s profile pic, in fact…which tells me that he likes Rin.

The compulsion the guy is talking about reminds me of Steph from NGNL and how she was forced to fall in love with Sora.

Rin’s treating this like a gacha game…LOL.

Pride vs. pride, huh? Anyways, I think the really entertaining thing of putting me under the pump like this is that I have such an incomplete understanding of how the Fate/ universe works that the outcomes of everything create enough entertainment for those who’ve committed to said universe. The things that I do know might be really late-game though – such as the white-haired Servant being an alternate Shiro – so I have my own surprises to confirm.

“The Archer class really is made up of archers!” - …and people die if they are killed, y’know? (<- I know this from the memes. I won’t cover Deen/Stay Night, people don’t normally recommend it.)

Why is a cup omnipotent, anyway? Cups don’t have the ability to have knowledge. By the way, I bet Rin’s acquaintance will have something to do with this.

Rin’s Holy Grail War work reminds me of my own experience with piano. Basically, I grew up doing it, so I never questioned it until I thought about what I really wanted to do. I expect Rin will be the same way.

Hmm…Sakura and…the Great B*stard?

Rin says all of this about “crude garbage”, so all I can focus on is the bin off to the side…LOL.

Oooooooh…so this appearance of Sakura is why people put F/Z before this.

Saber…the reason she’s so popular is because she appears in so many incarnations of Fate/ that she’s basically become a poster girl for it.

F/SN UBW 2

There’s something that pisses me off about Sakura. It’s probably because she’s fairly submissive, like a girl who was written to be a guy’s fantasy.

The OP and ED was subbed the first time, so the fact this isn’t is interesting.

I think I’ve seen these scenes before…probably because they look exactly like the setup for Today’s Menu for Emiya Family.

Hypoxia.

Sakura’s boobs jiggled…urgh…

This episode feels a lot more like a VN intro.

Some of these scenes were from a different perspective in the prologue, so I’ll try to skip them.

Stove = heater, if you didn’t catch on.

Oh hey, Emiya isn’t part of the archery club anymore…but there’s some evidence that an alternate Emiya became that Archer Rin has.

That’s Ilya, isn’t it…?

Emiya’s magic incompetence reminds me of Waver.

Shinji is Sakura’s older bro??? I never heard of this…? Step-bro, maybe?

I read one of the labels on the machine – makanai setto – and turns out it’s a [meal] set for staff (teachers).

This series’s messages are like anvils…even more so than F/Z.

Where does Emiya work…? (For some reason, I call Kiritsugu that but Shirou “Emiya”.)

Archer’s not in white…not that much, anyway.

“…I really nearly was killed.” – Yes, and people die when they are killed, Emiya. You said so yourself in Deen/Stay Night.

I know this iconic scene where Emiya stares at Saber! I’ve seen it in all the screenshots and everything.

F/SN UBW 3

The blindfolded woman in the OP is apparently Medea. I think I mentioned her offhandedly in one of the WP posts I did, so I didn’t expect to see her so soon.

Most of this ep is explaining this stuff to beginners. I can skip that.

I don’t get the appeal of Rin, but then again, I’m neutral at best on tsunderes.

Shoten Books? Like, Bookseller Books? How redundant…

“[G]enuine fake priest” - …LOL wut?

Why is Kirei giving me Equilibrium vibes…? Oh, it’s because he has silly hair that reminds me of Christian Bale. That’s why.

Most of this episode was recap from F/Z, so I skipped it.

F/SN UBW 4

I’m laughing – this new Berserker reminds me of Tsukasa (Dr Stone).

Ah, same old Gilgamesh. He’s just in different clothes.

Kiritsugu felt like he actually was a character. Emiya? Just a blank slate, really.

Welp, that was over fast…

F/SN UBW 5

I’m getting sick of Rin’s tsundereness, fast.

Okay, crash course in types of Servants. I needed this.

*Saber reveals the outfit is from Rin* - Ooh, Shiro, don’t go judgin’ Rin like that…

Oh-hoh, Sakura does archery, huh?

I bet Kuzuki actually is a mage. That’s how these things always turn out, no?

Actually, I think Emiya might be a better match for my piano experience. There’s this one person who played at a higher level of piano than I did, but they kept telling me that I was way better than them at piano (although I don’t know if that was self-deprecation and/or inflating my ego). As I mentioned in my relation to Rin, I forcibly cut it out of my life because my parents chose it for me – in short, no desire to hit the target, in one way of speaking.

I can see why Fate/ needed a cooking spinoff now…LOL.

Shinto = New City, with a particular combo of kanji.

Are these Touken Ranbu enemies, Rin…? (They’re called Historical Revisionists, technically, and I specifically refer to enemy wakizashi.)

I seem to remember from somewhere Sakura is Caster’s master…hmm. Another thing to confirm.

F/SN UBW 6

That Rin reaction face! I’ve seen it before!

LOL, that “I haven’t been sleeping lately” is relatable.

Medea is one of the only Servants that was originally a woman, so…it’s interesting to see she’s been given a chain as a method to keep up (but also vaguely annoying to see her have such a short skirt). A chain weapon seems to be the sort of weapon for an agile user, with possible sexual overtones (if you want to interpret it that way), so it seems like it came straight from a male fantasy of a woman.

Rin is the sort that places a lot of stock into obligations, I see.

F/SN UBW 7

I learnt how to read the word “mirage” in Japanese somewhat recently (in comparison to the basics, which I learnt through a CD-ROM maybe…15 or so years ago?). It’s shinkirou.

I find it interesting that these eps. are marked as Fate/Stay Night and the series is Fate/Stay Night UBW, because Deen/Stay Night (as I’ve been referring to the Deen version of F/SN) looks pretty different to Ufotable’s F/SN, judging by that “People die when they are killed” meme.

The subbers spelt “specialty” wrong…

Well, Emiya, being in a room with a girl…alone…you really are a typical VN lead, aren’t you?

LOL! I knew Kojiro was also part of this series and I think I knew he was an Assassin, but s***! He’s an absolute looker!

…and *sigh* Caster is using her sensuality against men. A regular Fujiko Mine, she is.

I think my heart did something when Archer gave that intense stare at Caster, too. This is no time for a reverse harem!

F/SN UBW 8

Ahh! Kojiro Sasaki’s (this Assassin’s) so hot! I love it!

The only person who can beat Saber is another swordsperson, huh? Logic checks out.

That blue ring looks like the one at the start of Shinchou Yuusha’s OP.

F/SN UBW 9

I thought Shinji was gonna barf, but that was actually laughing…that’s what happens when you don’t have the volume on.

This replacement Gilgamesh (Shinji) sucks…

Just squinting at Caster’s chest…boobs do not work that way, people. Fabric goes over things like that, it doesn’t tuck itself so neatly around them.

I think Rin’s a real idiot for ignoring that Shinji is a Master and a mage…

I almost thought Shiro was gonna kiss Sakura for a second there. Apparently you should approach an unconscious person from behind and tap them on the shoulder (as opposed to going from the front to listen for breath), in case they try to punch your lights out.

Watching Eizouken, which doesn’t have girly runs for the girls, and then watching this makes you aware even Rin is capable of girly running…(LOL?)

Gee whiz, I was so sure this purple lady with the whip was Medea and a Caster-class Servant. So she’s a Rider??? Update: So it was Caster, masquerading as Rider…is that how it goes…?

So is this a locked-room – or locked-school – mystery…?

F/SN UBW 10

This is basically “You wanna go?” from Saber.

Considering the coronavirus, these words (about people getting out of the attack completely healthy) seem sort of weird…

Samosan? Seppa seppa? What dialect is this???

*Emiya asks Issei to strip* - Ooh…this is why Fate is popular with women…*thinks of the fact this was a male-oriented VN first* Maybe.

I still think the Great B*stard kinda looks like Kyo from Fruits Basket (…not that I ever mentioned it earlier).

I just realised Taiga’s shirt is striped orange/black…like a tiger.

The amount of still frames in this episode, in comparison to the usual number, is significantly higher.

F/SN UBW 11

I just realised Kinoko Nasu means “mushroom” and “eggplant” if not exactly written the way it is…what a name…

*something about being useful to others* - U-Uwaaaaah…Emiya! Stop reminding me of all the things I’ve done at the cost of myself!

Hmm? I googled Rin’s birthday and I thought she was a Leo – she’s an Aquarius (Feb. 3rd).

Rin absolutely steamrolled Emiya, LOL.

I get the feeling Archer is saying “Only you can save yourself”.

F/SN UBW 12

Randomly, there is a Volkswagen.

*something about Emiya photosynsthesising* - Rin, that’s not how people work…

Batting centre? How can girls go there in skirts without flashing anyone? That’s taking into consideration how short Rin’s skirt is, y’know…(Practicality comes first at all times, people…well, not for Saber, who’s wearing stockings, but I worry about Rin, as you can see.)

People find blushing tsunderes cute…I kinda get it for male tsunderes, but for Rin…not really.

Ack! Another double episode!

Why does this ominous vibe on a bus remind me of Harry Potter…? (Then again, the first things I remember of the movies were a shrunken head and a bus that could squeeze through gaps, which might explain things.)

Hmm? So what is Kuzuki’s place in Caster’s life, huh? Who’s controlling the puppet?

Come to think of it, who is Assassin’s real Master? If Caster has control of him, that means he belonged to someone else before that, right?

I feel sorry for Assassin. I mean, he has to keep talking to Caster with his body torn open like that…

“Princess of Colchis” – So Caster is Medea! Maybe Scott (who said I was wrong about that) was thinking I was referring to Rider. Rider and Caster do look awfully similar…but wait, so what was the real identity of Rider, then? Update: Reading over the notes, I was mistakenly referring to Rider as Caster, hence the comment.

Wolverine!Kirei strikes again, it seems.

Lel, I forgot about Lancer…and Berserker, now that I think of it.

F/SN UBW 13

So this is Brave Shine, huh? It doesn’t sound familiar at all…

…aaaaaaaaand of course Saber is in a fancy white dress. It’ll sell a lot of figures – in fact, I think I’ve actually seen Saber figures with that outfit while browsing for Nendoroids and other merch as of late.

F/SN UBW 14

Well, this blonde guy’s hair is nice…but he’s basically Shou Tucker all over again. (I haven’t even completed Fullmetal Alchemist in any form – I just know what the guy did because the fans talk about it a lot.)

Gosh, evil begets nothing but more evil, huh? (re: Kirei and blondie here)

I gotta facepalm - this blonde dude really shouldn’t have maltreated Medea. She has a reputation for a reason.

It took me a few tries and the brightening of my screen to figure it out, but Caster spotted Kuzuki.

Gilgamesh, what the f*** did you do to those poor maids?! (Even if they were homunculi…)

The subbers appear to have spelt “homunculus” slightly wrong…

F/SN UBW 15

“Going through the front door would be a bad idea.” – Yeah, and people die when they are killed.

I really respect Illya now…and can see why she got her own spinoff.

This snowy mountain makes me realise exactly why they chose Ufotable for Demon Slayer.

F/SN UBW 16

I was wondering what Gilgamesh had torn out of Illya…ew.

I was watching Shazam the other day and a piece of advice the titular superhero gives is “Look out for number one.” (i.e. yourself) Rin has much the same mentality.

I seriously facepalmed when they tried to protect each other. One person should learn to stand down in the relationship for that to work.

Hmm…so this means Lancer’s Master is male, huh? (Why is that Master still a mystery anyway…?)

I facepalmed the third time (the second was soon after the first) when Emiya thought he could seriously protect Rin from Lancer. Knowing who Lancer’s Master is a much bigger priority right now, man – this isn’t a romcom!

I like Lancer’s sideways gaze, LOL.

*Archer comes in* - Well, hasn’t it been a while since we saw this guy? (voice drips with sarcasm)

“druther” – Hmm? I’ve never heard of this word before. Apparently, it means (when used as “If I had my druthers…”) “If I had my way…”.

Hmm? What’s this? There are two pendants instead of one…?

F/SN UBW 17

There’s a lot of shots centring around Lancer’s butt…LOL. (Or is that just the female gaze I’m forcing on to this?) Even still, because Lancer has an outfit like that, it’s kinda hard not to see that he does have a fine one.

“You have a lack of pride in your sword skills.” – Uhhhhhhh…I guess that’s why he’s Archer…?

I never seem to know who the Lancers are…geesh. Like, I could pick one from a crowd of Servants, but not their real names. Update: As it turns out, Karna (the one Indian Servant I had my eye on from Apocrypha) is a Lancer in Fate/Grand Order.

Apparently, Gungnir is the spear of Odin.

Kuzuki is a Master…of the Naruto run. (LOL)

Noting “sieben” and stuff, I think Rin’s magic is German in nature.

Why does Medea have elven ears, anyway…?

F/SN UBW 18

The subs suddenly turned yellow! What the heck?! (Prior to this, subs were white.) Update: Come to think of it, only Aniplex shows have yellow subs, while Funimation ones have white subs (although HiDive let you choose between white and black, the standard is white on the hardsubs). This might mean a switchover between who’s responsible for the show happened while this anime was airing.

“…within your grasp?”

Ooh, this I didn’t expect! Saber joined forces with Rin!

“…your wish was a mistake.”

*Shiro fights swords with more swords* - For some reason, I feel like I need to play some Daft Punk right now. (I don’t even like them as an artist, even though I’m meant to be the EDM expert around here…)

This all but confirms Archer is actually a Shiro Emiya from a distant future.

I just imagined an Archer whose body was made of swords. What a compelling image – a literal human weapon.

Those hand gestures…Shinji is a massive creep.

Huh? I’ve been skipping the post-credits segments for previous episodes because I’m binging, but there’s a post-credits segment here…

Hmm…this next-ep preview had a rook (or a king? I’m no good at identifying chess pieces by their appearance) with a red glowing symbol on it facing what appeared to be the symbol of the Saber class. What an interesting representation of the upcoming inevitable faceoff.

F/SN UBW 19

Wouldn’t it not make sense for future!Shirou to kill present!Shirou? I mean, you know the time travel paradox…if you kill the present guy, the future guy doesn’t exist.

“Sorry about that, punk.” – LOL. Lancer’s great.

Hey, wasn’t Kirei dea-oh right. In fiction, when there is no corpse, you can’t have assumed the character died. They probably skedaddled off somewhere, heavily bleeding and/or on the edge of death…and I’m assuming that was how Kirei got out of his scuffle too.

All this talk about ideals makes me wanna play Odd Future for some reason, LOL. (Well, the first line of that song is “I keep my ideals”, no?)

“…it is you who is disobeying orders.”

A eunuch, huh? Rin, you do know that a eunuch has his *erhem erhem* cut off…right?

Okay, people. Why must women be the source of the Holy Grail? This is only the 2nd time I’ve gotten to this point and you’ve got enough men to fuel the Grail instead. Why not use them??? Update: It’s safe to say I get my wish later.

“You’ve been removed from the bounds of time.” Subbers, I know you’re under pressure to produce subs, but please proofread…? Pretty please? Update: I should proofread too. My E key is a bit dodgy at the moment.

I predicted, a few seconds before it appeared on my screen, that Shirou wasn’t the type to do things he regretted. Yyyyyyyyyyup. That’s Shirou, alright.

F/SN UBW 20

Okayyyyyy. That was not an episode title that needed to be subbed.

Oh, gosh. Can you please just knee Shinji where it hurts, Rin…? I know you’re being choked, but you could still do something lik that.

…(lol)…What the heck, Shinji’s such a self-preserving prick!

So how many times did Lancer actually die and how many times was he faking it out?

“Dying because of some order that comes with being a hero.”

So who’s Gilgamesh’s Master now…?

Hmm…I thought by saving Rin and Saber, Shirou was already a hero. Maybe it’s just a perception thing.

H-Hey, Shirou…you keep saying redundant things…

F/SN UBW 21

Why is Saber just standing there, anyway…? (Well, Shirou did say it was his fight, but…she can do something…)

Okay, whose idea was it to cut after “However…”?! That’s terrible pacing.

This series peaked quite a few episodes ago. Now it’s just stretching for time.

Um, hey. Random question. Didn’t King Arthur draw Excalibur from the sword in the stone? Is that a stone or a tree stump? It’s hard to tell since the zoom quality is funny, but…if it’s a tree stump, someone got a crucial detail wrong. Update: Nup, it’s a stone. Forget I told you.

Having sacrificed myself for over a year for other people’s sake, I can’t say I agree that giving yourself up for others is a beautiful thing. This is speaking as someone who volunteers at a not-for-profit (the charity store). In fact, having thought long and hard about the fact I’ve completely gone down the wrong path from having taken this one opportunity I was given (note I did get rejected from a similar place before I got the position I did), I’ve thought, occasionally, that sort of thing is disgusting.

Did the Great B*stard even age 10 years while waiting for this new war…?

“…left off 10 years ago.”

Uh-oh. I don’t like Shinji – you can clearly tell that from the way I’ve been reacting to him – but there’s no way you’d use him as a Grail vessel…right?

F/SN UBW 22

If I understand the pink box correctly, it says kayumino-ru which is…*checks that up* itch cream(?) Another of the boxes says either iburon or ipuron, but it seems to be some kind of medicine (although I can’t figure out what it does).

“…flashy gold jerk…” – Yup, that’s why he’s the Great B*stard. The most narcisstic of all b*stards –so narcisstic he survived a Holy Grail War without being the victor.

Lemme guess, Rin…if I know my visual novels right, then the way to establish the mana link is either kissing or sexual intercourse, right? Update: Oh well, transplantation of a Magic Crest will work too. With the way Rin was reacting, I thought it was gonna be really intimate, but…nup. It’s just them taking off their shirts for one another…*whistles and pretends to walk away*

The reason I don’t like tsunderes is that whenever they want to be romantic, you can’t tell whether they’re giving mixed signals or not. Then again, you could argue I count as one, so…uh…*sweatdrop*

Shirou, why are you so concerned for the pillow?!

F/SN UBW 23

You can barely recognise the guy (Shinji)…huh.

H-Hey? You couldn’t mean Assassin’s back, right? Update: Y-Yep, that’s Assassin, alright. At least I can gaze upon his handsome face again…(lol) (<- If you’re wondering, there’s a difference between “lol” (or “small LOL”), “lel” and “LOL”. That’s the order they’re meant to be in, going from smallest to biggest laugh.)

Had to check Wikipedia, but Monohoshizao is the pole (?) wielded by Kojiro Sasaki…well, the correct term is nodachi (which I know better as ootachi from Touken Ranbu), but it’s referred to as a pole. To add something interesting to that, the ootachi I like the most (my beloved Taroutachi) is said to be 221 cm (throwing that into a converter, about 7.25 feet) and 4.5 kg (converting again, about 9.92 pounds)...which is basically something no human should be able to use, so if the pole is anything like Taroutachi...I have immense respect for this Assassin as well.

Assassin’s treatment here reminds me of Tora from Juuni Taisen…in a sense, they got what they wanted.

F/SN UBW 24

Cue the law of equivalent exchange from Fullmetal Alchemist, hahaha.

How can you be so sure you’ll beat the Great B*stard, Shirou???

Well, that Grail’s Holey, alright…(I bet you’re groaning at my joke, yes?)

I thought Archer was dead?! How did he fling a weapon at the last moment?!

Archer, you’re disappearing! This is no time for monologuing!

Why do I get the feeling I’ve seen Rin give the thumbs-up before as well…?

F/SN UBW 25 (FINAL)

Eyyyyyy? London…? Update: Oh, it’s the Clock Tower! That OVA is starting to make sense now! (Although I will watch it next, so there’s no need to muse over it.)

Tohsaka without pigtails is…weird.

Sherou (?)

Oh, romantic infighting (voice dripping in sarcasm)…That’s not what I’m here for. This is not a harem.

Ponytail Rin. This just gets weirder and weirder. Also, she kinda looks like Ishtar from Babylonia like that.

Tiny Pigtail Rin…it gets even weirder.

*yells* See?! It is London after all!!!

Update: Prior to this point, I had Silhouettes (by Avicii) playing in my head on occasion, notably when Archer was meeting his end. When Shirou came face-to-face with Saber’s grave, it switched to So Amazing by Luther Vandross. Although I normally don’t mention what I have on my mental playlist in notes like these, I just want to make note of that because it reflects the switch in mood. (Also, this is basically an extended transition into El-Melloi’s Case Files.)

Hmph. Yeah, nothing like hindsight to make something huge look small.

Sakura and Shinji’s relationship…it reminds me of a grumpy old man and his young daughter…(LOL?)

Ryudou’s reaction to romance reminds me of Tenya (from BnHA) in his more crazy moments.

All this talk about the Clock Tower is making me think that older!Waver will show up at any moment now…

…wa-hey? Well, *spits out some held-back laughter* whaddaya know? That’s the older Waver right there!

Ufotable’s older!Waver and Troyca’s older!Waver look fairly different. Ufotable’s isn’t as attractive because his hair has an artificial sheen to it and the man’s face looks more like a snake’s head in shape, so he looks a bit dumb. Update: Certainly Troyca’s Waver has a more egg-shaped head, but at least that makes his hair look nicer, no?

Post-credits segment. Keep watching.

Huh…that segment wasn’t very substantial. Maybe Hoshiai no Sora spoilt me on that front.

Waver OVA (REWATCH)

*yells* I still think Flat Escardos is a terrible name!

LOL, I think Waver just called out a bunch of political writers right there.

So who are these old people??? (Lennon Glasses and Old Lady here) I still don’t know. Update: You do find out later – Inorai is the old lady and Rocco is the old man.

Okay, so apparently the set of characters used for “Rail Zeppelin” is literally translated to Demon Eyes Collection Train...sounds like something out of Demon Slayer.

If Kayneth is the OG Lord and this Reines girl is the new one, how did Waver become gen. 2? *rewinds a little* She’s el-Melloi Archisorte, meaning that somehow she and Kayneth are blood-related (also note Monkey D Luffy = Luffy is his first name and Monkey is the last name with D being a middle initial, so Reines could have her names around the wrong way as well). Still doesn’t answer the Waver part of the question, though. Update: The character page of the official website says Reines is the rightful heir to the name “Lord (Lady?) El-Melloi”, but she appointed Waver to be the Lord while she waited to become of age and take the position.

As you know, I gotta question the guy’s (Waver) age. In Fate/Zero he was 19 and he looks much the same ten years later, so his approximate age range is 19 – 29 here. Wikipedia (which I linked earlier) says the anime this OVA is attached to occurs between the Grail Wars, meaning I might not be able to get an exact age. Update: “[A]lmost 10 years”, so I’d wager he’s on the back end of the age range (24 – 29).

Ooh, another good boy (Bram). I forgot he existed…and that’s kinda nasty that he’s got the bloodline of Sola-Ui in him. Update: Oh! Younger sister! That is nasty!

The word shisho (師匠), if I’m guessing the right characters, means “instructor” (or “teacher” if you wanna bend it that way). “Sir” is Waver’s title…I’m guessing that translatio choice is because he’s not a professor in title, assuming professor titles in this are given like they are in real life.

There’s something quite cute about Waver making such an indignant face…then again, he does have permanent worry lines on his face, so maybe not.

Like, whose bright idea was it to crush on the loli? Ravioli, ravioli, don’t crush on the loli! (Then again, I’m probaby worse, chasing after older men…)

Come to think of it, Ufotable is good at action motion (see exhibit A: Demon Slayer), but not free-flowing comedic motion like Waver falling over like this. That’s probably why the show jumped studios to Troyca (aside from divvying up the work of the Fate/ universe – Ei Aoki did F/Z, after all, so it makes sense he’d have some ability to take dibs on whatever works best for his studio…although he wasn’t too involved with this, I don’t think). Update: He was supervisor and storyboarder for this OVA.

Waver: Official butt monkey of the Clock Tower. Calling it now.

Troyca animates F/Z (however briefly)…I must say, they did a good job imitating Ufotable.

All I really remember from the first time around is the car chase, which really shows my priorities in anime…heh heh.

Troyca’s CGI is more noticeable than Ufotable’s, but they’re still on of the best studios for CGI, I think. That’s why they’re on my favourites list over Ufotable (since Ufotable, by general consensus, does better work but I think it looks more artificial in parts – case in point, Waver’s hair).

Setting up a mystery, like all stories, is very much about setting up the boundaries that you’re allowed to play in later. The only thing is that mysteries get more stringently judged for logic.

Hey, whaddaya know? Waver can fit Rider’s old shirt now! (Or maybe it’s the smaller version Waver implied was given to him during F/Z.)

“[W]hydunit” (in English) – LOL? There’s “whodunit”, but not “whydunit” – stick to “motive” or “modus operandi”, people.

#Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files #lord el-melloi ii sei no jikenbo: rail zeppelin grace note #Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: A Gravekeeper A Cat and A Mage #Lord El-Melloi II-sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace note - Hakamori to Neko to Majutsu-shi

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theimaginesyouneveraskedfor · 6 years ago

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Not Him (6)

Okay, so here’s another chapter from our readers POV. So for anyone uncomfortable with it or precluded by age, this is a lemony good chapter (smut) and so do not read if you don’t like that sort of content. So the plot in this one is limited to Bucky and the reader but next chapter should be a Loki chapter, so I thank you for your patience. Please leave comments and feedback. Just a reply saying you read helps keep me going, tbh. Thank you! <3 Enjoy.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

It had been two weeks since your first proper date with Bucky and you were still walking on clouds. You had opted to keep the relationship as secret as you could among the team. You didn’t need the added pressure, especially as the shadow of Loki still loomed in your mind. And in reality.

You couldn’t be certain, but the green flashes at the edge of your vision, the heat of his gaze quickly torn away when you turned to him, the muttering under his breath when you and Bucky shared any sort of interaction. Admittedly, there had been few opportunities to confirm your suspicions but as he had involved himself thus far, you couldn’t so easily forget what he had done. And you wouldn’t mention it either. You didn’t need to think about it more than you already did and Bucky didn’t need to know.

You wanted to enjoy your last night with him before his latest mission. He hadn’t told you much and you hadn’t asked. In your job, you had become comfortable with confidentiality. Sometimes the less you knew, the better. Besides, you and Bucky tried not to talk about work. You were to him what he was to you; a step back from business. The one part of your life where you didn’t have to be professional. It was a startlingly easy transition. You had fallen into each others’ company and you hadn’t yet hit the ground.

You were sat in Bucky’s room, binge watching the latest Netflix series, but not paying much attention. You had yet to welcome him to your own room as you couldn’t help but reminded of the first you had. When it hadn’t actually been him. Your legs were over his, your head nestled into his shoulder as you cuddled atop his bed. In between small kisses, and more sloppy ones, you managed to check in on the plot. It wasn’t all that interesting, hence the distraction of the man beside you.

“I don’t wanna go,” He said as he pulled you onto his lap. You turned, straddling him, and kissed him square on the lips.

You parted reluctantly. “Don’t let me get in your way,” Your voice was low, weak. You didn’t want him to go either but you didn’t want to say it. “Sometimes, the best part of a relationship is being apart.”

“Relationship?” His hand was on your hip. “Is that what this is?”

This was as close as you had ever been. Both of you treading with caution around the other. You didn’t want to rush him; he was from an era when that sort of thing was ideally reserved for marriage. And to be honest, you weren’t sure you were ready. Sometimes, when you were making out, you caught yourself thinking of Loki and that night he had tricked you. The thought of pulling away only to find the trickster staring back, yet the feel of his lips had been just as sweet.

“What do you mean?” You asked.

“Well, dating’s changed a lot since my time. I didn’t know if, well, this was something more casual.” He explained shyly.

“Is it?” You countered, your hands on his chest, bracing for disappointment.

“I’m all in,” He smiled, tilting his head back.

“Me too,” You breathed as you leaned down to kiss him again. This one was longer as you lingered in his touch. You didn’t know when he would return and you wanted to make the most of your time with him. “You come back with that arm in one piece.” You warned as you sat up. “I mean it. I have too much work to be fixing that damned thing all the time.”

“I’m sure you’ll find the time,” He chuckled, “It should be fine. Easy mission with a bigger team. Me, Steve, Sam, Thor...and Loki. I forgot about him. Tony’s covered all the bases.”

Loki? You tried to hide the foreboding in stirring in your stomach. What were you so anxious about? Surely he wouldn’t harm Bucky. He was an ass, but not entirely heartless. Your only reassurance was that neither of them were overly talkative beyond their closest companions; Bucky with Steve, and Thor with Loki. A little repressed animosity on the part of a single Asgardian wouldn’t hurt that much.

“So maybe it’ll be a quick trip,” You said hopefully.

“Maybe,” He brought his hand up, cupping your cheek, “The quicker I’m back here, the better.”

“And maybe…” You bit your lip shyly, “When you get back, we can...I don’t know...commit to this relationship.”

“Y/N?” He tilted his head, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, “Do you mean…?”

“I don’t know,” You glanced away coyly, “I’ll surprise you. Maybe it’ll just be dinner or a movie--”

“Don’t you tease me,” He tickled your waist, a stream of giggles spilling from you. As you collapsed into him, he rolled you over, pinning you to the bed. “Yes.” He kissed you deeply, fingers grazing along the belt of your jeans, “When I get back.”

It was only a week before the team returned. You were overjoyed when Bucky appeared at your window and knocked, waving at you from the other side. You smiled and set aside your microscope as he entered.

“Look,” He flexed his vibranium arm, “Completely in tact. Not a scratch on it.”

“Oh wow,” You exaggerated and stood to kiss him, “It's almost as if you're expecting some sort of reward…”

“Not so much expecting as hoping for,” He wrapped you in his arms, swaying you in place. “Is it still a maybe?”

“It's a yes…” His eyes sparked, “But I have to finish my work first.” His gaze dimmed in disappointment, “Come to my room at nine. I'll be waiting.”

“Yes, ma'am,” He purred, “So you missed me then?”

“Hmm,” You played with the collar of his jacket, stained with the sweat of his mission, “A little. Did you miss me?”

“Too much,” He said, leaning in to kiss you again.

The intensity of his lips almost made you forget the project waiting unfinished on your desk not feet away. Mustering all your strength, you parted, your vision caught by a dark fleck in the glass behind him. As you glanced over his shoulder you found only an empty hallway.

“You okay?” Bucky asked, drawing your attention back to him.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” You shrugged off the mirage, “I just need to get this work done. I promised Tony.”

“Damn Stark, always ruining my fun.” He kidded, “I can take a hint. I'll go.” He gave you one last peck and released you, walking backwards to the door, “Nine o'clock.” He reminded you, “On the dot.”

To be honest, you had been counting the days since Bucky had left. On your rare day off, you had ventured into the city streets and awkwardly dared to grace the aisles of a lingerie boutique. You had never really worn such a scanty ensemble, but it wasn't to say you were inexperienced. It had just been a while.

You had relented after an hour walking around the shop and accepted the saleswoman’s help. ‘Try this lilac number with the lace bodice. Subtle but sexy.’ You had raised an eyebrow and taken the hanger, trying the corset and picking some panties to match.

Looking in the mirror in your bathroom, your stomach filled with flutters. This was it. What if Bucky saw you and laughed? You looked ridiculous, didn't you? Ugh, just take it off and change back into your regular clothes.

A knock sounded at the door. Too late. You took a deep breath and one last look in the mirror. Bucky liked you...right?

You made yourself leave the washroom. Your room was awash in violet light, a scarf draped over the lamp. You crossed to the door, squeezing the handle before willing yourself to open it. You kept hidden behind it, careful not to reveal your surprise.

“Come in,” You welcomed Bucky in. He all too eagerly accepted.

“Time could not have gone slo--” His voice died in his throat as you closed the door and turned to him. “Wow.” His mouth hung open.

“Is that a good ‘wow’?” You asked.

“An amazing wow,” He smiled dumbly, “Y/N, uh, wow.” He repeated and you giggled.

You neared him, trying to seem somewhat casual but you probably looked like a jitterbug. You ran your hands up his arms and he softly touched your hips. You stood on tiptoes and he leaned down to meet your kiss. At first, you were shy, overly conscious of your outfit, but it quickly turned ravenous. You wanted him so bad you forgot all insecurity.

You edged him towards the bed until the mattress hit the back of his knees and forced him down. He tumbled down onto it and you stood straight before him, running your fingers through his hair.

You let your hands trail down his shoulders and chest, along his firmly muscled stomach. You bunched the hem of his shirt in your fingers and slowly drew it upward. He lifted his arms and let you pull it over his head, shaking out his hair as he was freed from the plain cotton tee. You tossed it away from you and he gave a low growl.

You touched his bare chest, admiring the lines of his muscles. You shivered and kissed him, crushing your lips against him. You slid onto his lap and he held you to him, his hands exploring your bodice. You felt his arousal and it fueled your own.

You rocked in his lap, grinding against him. He moaned into your mouth and you parted from him. You stood and he followed, hastily unbuckling his belt. You helped him out of his jeans, dragging his shoes and socks with them. His briefs were tented from his excitement and a rush of heat flushed over you. You collided with him in your sudden lust, pushing him back onto the bed. He took you with him as he wriggled higher up on the mattress.

You were insatiable. Suddenly overtaken by your long restrained desire. You couldn't recall why you had been so anxious. You sat back so that you straddled him. He reached behind you and fought to help you unclasp your corset. As it loosened you tugged it upward, wrestling with the lace until you were free. It joined Bucky's clothes at the bottom of the bed.

He drank in the sight of your chest, teasing your nipples as he admired them. His mouth took the place of his hands and you twitched at the sensation it stoked in your pelvis. You hugged his head to your chest, desperate to pull him closer but he couldn't possibly be more so. You hummed and hung your head back, once more grinding in his lap the fabric of your panties and his briefs dangerously thin and yet too thick.

You separated from him and rose as he pulled at the lace panties, rolling them down to your ankles and you lowered yourself beside him. He lifted his middle from the bed and wriggled out of his briefs, releasing himself with a sigh. He settled in next to you and drew you to him, once more kissing you as his member pressed against your thigh. You reached down and stroked it, eliciting a surprised grunt from him.

He kissed along your neck, once more plying himself to your chest. His hand wandered further down and traced the vee of your pelvis. His finger slipped between your lips, gliding easily over your swollen clit. He rubbed it delicately at first adding more pressure as you arched into him. He was leaned over you, pressing you on your back as he played with you, your own hand working his hard shaft.

You parted your legs further, welcomed him, begged for more. Your orgasm was sharp and unexpected, you pulled your lips from his, turn your chin up as you cried out. You lost your grip on his cock, writhing in ecstasy.

He climbed over you, holding himself up with one arm. The head of his member pressed against your sex, he reached down to rub it along your clit, sending afterwaves up your spine. He paused as his cock slipped down to your entrance, pushing your hair out of your face as he gazed into your eyes.

“You sure?” He asked and you nodded hungrily, unable to think of actual words.

Slowly he pushed into you. He felt even bigger than he looked. You bent your legs around him and exhaled as he brought himself to his limit. He pulled back, his first thrust careful and doting. Again, again, he worked against you, his speed building at a pace which had you pleading for more.

“Bucky, please,” You said in his ear, clawing at his shoulders. His metal arm resisted your nails but you did not notice the pain. “More. More.”

He obliged, this time his thrust was hard and fast, his grunts breaking loose. He buried his face against your neck, kissing you, nibbling at your flesh, moaning your name.

He suddenly turned frantic and withdrew from you, stroking himself across the finish line into his hand. His muscles glistened with sweat as he panted, looking down at you with fiery eyes. You sunk into the bed, trying to catch your own breath.

“Wow,” You gasped.

“Is that a good wow?” He asked.

“An amazing wow,” You smiled, “Wow.”

#bucky barnes #fic #series #part 6 #lemon #mcu #marvel #not him

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