#or just completely avoid the atla mcs?

[frozen-mars]

I think I'm settled on what elements everyone would have. Settled it on their vibe and the balance of each group numbers.

[abugwritesstuff]

this isn’t related to anything but i have this headcanon that mc’s magic actually runs both directions- not just the manipulation of space and time backwards, or just replenishing magical stores, but also moving space and time forward or stealing away magical stores. like, once she has a grasp on it well enough to avoid people being able to touch her and immediately be glowing, i wonder if that possibility will ever come up- like, can she kill people with this shit? or remove someone’s thaumaturge status (a la the end of ATLA where aang takes away ozai’s bending)? idk it’s just an interesting idea to me.

i like the idea of her just having a completely terrifying amount of power lol. and i think it’d be satisfying if she could turn the tables on one of the awful characters that are trying to manipulate her for her magic, like mateus in fenn’s book 2. like you thought i was some infinite battery?? nah, get fucked

[dinobilly425]

Pinned post [read this]

Howdy, im billy he/him

Idk what im supposed to put here so feel free to suggest stuff

Feel free to hit me up about/ tag me in anything

Also if im doing something fucked let me know

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If your an rp y wondering why I followed you, its cause im also rp

Rotomblr

Jacob

Prof-pecan

wizardblr

Conjur-wolfin

(Idk why the link is like that)

Less important stuff under the cut

Tag directory

Useful - posts i deem might be useful for future reference, needs to be subcategorised

Writing - a mix of writing tips y interesting concepts

Og post - my posts

Polls - polls, mostly with my votes in tags

Scheduled - posts I scheduled likely for comedic effect

Quizzes - typically uquizzes, but basically for any q/a type thing that isn’t directly a poll

Draw - drawing tips y prompts

Reading list - interesting stories to check out later, currently being subcategorized into read y unread

Art prompt - the monthly prompts that i lied to myself about completing

Ask games - mostly rotomblr prompts to avoid ooc, however if you would like to ask them on main feel free, but specify the character/franchise

All the ocs have tags that are just thier first name

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Oc masterlist

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Things i need to draw so might as well make em public

1. The ocs without refs (spider-man, skylander, both dc ocs, the other pvz one, rieka i guess, prof pecan (pokemon), hodge(fortnite), vesteria, minecraft

2. Wanda, pietro, y bucky going to the parker house for hanukkah

3. The dozen or so art prompts i have saved

4. Updated hodge look

5. Midoriya getting the tech

6. Tech!peter

7. Mob boss meeting (penguin, black mask, y redhood)

8. Rainbow endevour saying hes a very supportive person

Feel free to bully me about these

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Please send drawing prompts i can’t promise they’ll be good but ill do em

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Fandoms -

Fortnite

Dc (mostly batfam)

Minecraft

Mcyt (mainly hermitcraft y related series)(feel free to suggest series)

Pvz

Pokemon

Vesteria

Sims 4

Skyrim

Atla/tlok

Skylanders

Mha

Slugterra

Dimension 20 (i dont have dropout tho so im surviving off of youtube clips)

Dndorks

Httyd

Cookie run kingdom

God of war (post 2018)

SCP

Dunmeshi

- probably incomplete but so feel free to ask about something not on this list

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Join hibiscus mc please (its java only sadly)

[aro-aizawa]

it’s weird how im completely scrapping the main character for my original work i’ve been working on haltingly for the last 4-5 years. but here i am, doing exactly that. and not regretting it in the slightest.

[skinandscales-if]

I've been itching to know, because it's one of my favourite tropes, but: ROs reaction to having to take an injured MC home? Or vice versa, their reaction to MC coming to save the day when they're losing a fight?

Oooo yes good trope good trope! I’m going to have to be kind of vague about this one since its something I can definitely see myself writing LOL

As for taking home an injured MC…

Atlas: He is doing everything in his power not to panic. Maybe lecturing MC a little too hard, frustratingly pointing out that they shouldn’t have run in blindly, but it’s all out of love. And a bit of panic. Okay a lot of panic. When the time comes though, he’s going to put all of the focus in the world into making them comfortable and properly treating their wounds with expert precision.

Puck: Very worried, but reverts to a very professional demeanor. Is rather quiet and focused, making sure MC gets home safe and following up with their wounds to make sure they won’t make things worse. They’re a lot more serious about this then usual, and are so focused on making sure MC is okay that they narrow in on their work completely. Can get a little too focused to the point of whiting everything else out.

Skye: Trying not to panic, and reacts very much how she knows she’d like to be treated in the same situation. A lot of comforting words and touches, though she’s not as talented at patching someone up. She’d ask for help certainly, but put her foot down and make sure she’s there for MC through as much of the process as she can. Just wants them to know they’re being looked after.

Reese: When MC is injured and must be taken care of, Reese takes control of the situation loosely. He knows enough to patch up MC, but ultimately tries acting like none of it is too serious, regardless of the wounds. Cracking a joke here and there can’t really be avoided, but he’d back off a little if MC was visibly upset by it. Tries to offer a presence more than anything- MC can consider it comforting or just something to fill in the space, whatever it takes to get their mind off of it.

[imagines-for-the-unpopular]

Protect you

Pairing: Obispo ‘Bishop’ Losa x f!Reader

Warnings: none

Request: nope

Prompt: 12. You should have run away from me the second we met.

Word count: 714

A/N: Page breaker at the end made by @solari-writes-things​.  Gif is mine.

The life of those in the Mayans MC were threatened. What is worse not only the members, but their families too. A lockdown was the only solution. You were used to the script, being el presidente’s wife, this wasn’t your first lockdown and probably not the last. Yet this time something was different. The guys seemed to be more worried than ever.

You were nervously waiting for templo to end. You sat at one of the tables, sipping your beer, your thoughts running a thousand miles per minute. What is that made them so terrified? You could see how odd everybody was acting, especially Bishop, you new something really bad must have happened. Your anxiety was spiraling downwards, when finally templo was over.

You jumped up as soon as you saw the guys leaving the meeting. All of them wearing solemn faces. Tranq was the last to leave, he put his hand on your shoulder nodding back to templo, where Bishop still sat at the table, looking grave.

“You should talk to him” said Hank, leaving you there with a small reassuring smile. Tranq’s smile didn’t help you ease your nervousness, but you felt a bit better, maybe it wasn’t that bad as you first thought. With a big sigh you stepped in to templo, closing the door behind you.

You slowly approached your husband, worry coming back to you at the state he was in. Elbows on the table and his head buried in his hands, Bishop looked like Atlas, holding the whole world’s problems on his shoulders. You crouched down next to him.

“Mi amor” you softly started, reaching for his hand so you could see his face “What happened?” Bishop leaned back in his chair, not looking at you.

“You should have run away from me the second we met.” Was all he said as he tried to avoid your gaze. You were confused and shocked after his words, anger bubbled up inside you.

“What are you talking about Obispo?” you asked, but there was no answer to your question, so you tried again this time even more furiously “What the hell are you talking about Obispo Losa?” you stood up, stepping back from the table, you couldn’t believe your eyes that he still refused to look at you.

“I am sorry, y/n” he finally broke the silence, but you could hear his voice quiver. Bishop looked up at you and you could see tears shine in his eyes. “I should have never bring you into this life. What if I can’t protect you anymore?”

“Oh, mi amor” your anger evaporated after seeing his tears, you quickly pulled him up from his chair so you could hug him to yourself. “Please, talk to me. What happened?” Bishop gently caressed your cheek as he gathered himself to answer you, properly this time.

“It’s an another MC, they have power on the street, and they threatened us, but this time not just us, even the old ladies and our families. Mi reina, I don’t care about me getting hurt, but what happens if you get hurt? I couldn’t… I can’t even think about that. How could I protect you? I can’t be everywhere, but they could be. I …”

“Obispo” you cut him off “Mi amor, I trust you, I trust the MC, I know you can protect me, no matter what. I choose you, and I would choose you every time over and over again. I love you, Obispo, and nothing can change that.” you looked up at Bishop lovingly. He smiled back at you, the air already feeling lighter in the room.

“But what if we are not there? What if the MC can’t protect you?” he voiced the last of his worries, his eyes never leaving yours.

“You know, I can take care of myself if I have to” you chuckled slightly, the tension completely disappearing.

“Oh, yeah, I know, mi reina.” Bishop laughed with you, his worry lifting off of him at last. “I love you, y/n.”

“I love you too, Obispo” you said as you leaned closer and kissed him. You were with the love of your life and nothing could scare away you. You made sure he knew it, pouring all of your emotions into that kiss.

Tag list: @everyhowlmarksthedead​

[yooleestruck]

in which lee rambles about how great writers are

I don’t really know what this is. I don’t know if now is the right time to do this, or a really bad time, or if it makes any sense, but I want to talk about it! I feel like a broken record saying ‘the writing matters most, the writing matters most’ but maybe I need to show what I mean by that? So, here is an attempt. 

I’m sorry not all of these are the same length and not everyone is here, because every time I see that someone is a writer I do try to follow but I don’t always know/remember! Also I am weird about this sort of thing and don’t want to tag people in a monster-long post, so I’m just going to link. I also don’t want to make this a producers vs writers thing, it’s not, it’s just, when I say I notice writer-stuff, an explanation of what, specifically, I mean. 

Writers have a style fingerprint. I’m sure someone with an actual creative writing or English background could describe it all academic-ly, but my ex-chemist ass is just going to call it a fingerprint. 

My first game in Lovestruck was Starship Promise - I love Firefly, I’m a bisexual disaster scientist by education, it fit. But I had been REALLY put off by GIL when it first came out (this was back when they released stories in parts? And the heroine, which I will get to) and though I’d glanced at AFK, I mistrusted it after GIL and Medusa, who was who I was interested in, wasn’t out yet. So I resisted a LONG time.  I finally picked up LS and SP and played it explicitly because a friend said, you need to give this another chance, for a list of specific reasons. 

And when Atlas’s route came out, I read it a stupid number of times. I must have re-read his season 1 & 2 at least eight times apiece (he is still my most read route, despite the fact I have not read his last season because I want to leave the story open-ended)  so when I read Neil Dresner’s route, I recognized the fingerprint. Not only that, when I was reading Jett and the episodes with the paint scene (YOU KNOW THE SCENE) came out, my breath caught with how lovely it was, a particular in-between moment and touch, and even though it wasn’t a phrase I had seen, the style of it, had me re-reading (because it was gorgeous) again and again from the log for like five minutes and I thought, “I bet Melissa wrote this” AND SHE DID. 

Physical touch! (& in-betweens)

Melissa-grey has a particular way of writing about physical touch in very emotional moments that is very real and grounded and ironically the effect is just magical. It creates these so skillful “in between” moments, those little things that aren’t dialogue and aren’t metaphor but SHOW you that this closed off person is cracking for their little ray of sunshine. They are SO subtle and so beautiful, like, the heroine noticing the scent of a pillow, or a softening of an aborted hand movement.  She sets up and executes these moments of physical touch as a conduit for emotional touch with characters who aren’t ready to admit he latter and it’s DELICIOUS. Those little in-betweens are what I live for in story - and it includes all the supporting cast moments, who swell up to make the world feel lived in, and balanced (I loathe love stories where no one else exists! That’s a recipe for disaster, people need networks) I noticed when she stopped writing, and because I missed it, I went and bought the entire Midnight Girl series, as well as Rated (I hope that is flattering and not creepy!) and that style of writing is so unique, that without KNOWING, I picked it up in four separate routes (noticed in Sev’s s1, too!) 

Pacing (& friggen heartache)

Another fingerprint! Ripping your heart out! Arthoure has had me in tears, MULTIPLE TIMES and I get very grouchy about it every time because I am the least sentimental and romantic person that I know (I once MOVED STATES to avoid an ‘I love you’ conversation. I once said ‘yikes’ in response to an ‘I love you’ and I once broke up with someone because I thought he was going to propose. I’m a bitch) but I think it’s because of pacing! I know that producers play a role in that, but that actually makes it more impressive, because making each bit of story feel like it fits precisely the amount of space it needs when you don’t really get a say in how much space that is has got to take a MASSIVE amount of effort. Every little hint, every emotional beat, every character tell, they drop at a consistent build so the emotional payoff is just brutal (in a good, cathartic way?) every time a route makes me cry I wait and see and YEAH ITS ALWAYS ARTHOURE. The sweep and sentiment of Remy’s season 2 is unparalleled. Across Time is gutwrenching, and I actually stopped reading Renzei at one point because I was so emotional over it I had to like, LEGIT TAKE A BREAK to recover. Pacing and heartache. I have to stop and wonder - is it because the routes themselves are so gut-punching? OR is it because she knows how to wring every last emotional drop out of whatever story framework is handed to her? Because, Ezekiel’s villain costume is a bit silly (there I said it, it is) I get the cobra helmet shape in theory but in practice, ooof, but POINT BEING despite being skeptical I’d be able to take his story seriously as a result, I was hiccuping from crying so much (and I am gosh darn adult, in my thirties, with three degrees and a high-stress job at pretty major company. I DON’T CRY EASY)

 Dialogue (& heroines!)

Xekstrin is the gosh damn master of dialogue. Clever, witty banter that doesn’t go where you expect it to, meandering but natural topic changes that are delightful to follow and feel real, and--special shoutout for this, okay--the navigation of viscerally important topics like consent, kink, self-worth, power in relationships, self-sacrifice, and apologies in a way that is not stilted or forced at all (listen, I know Viv & Lyris are the most recent and they are amazing but I remember this first hit me when I was reading Astraeus, and I spent half the route with my jaw on the floor going, oh shit,  oh shit. The communication! The navigation of the complexity of emotion going on, chef’s kiss! Casual isn’t the right word, but, natural, maybe?). I don’t actually take that many screenshots of the app--it’s usually single lines that get me--but when I do, they are almost always conversations from one of her routes, because they’re so damn good, and often so unexpected, and yet always make such perfect sense for the characters involved. Dialogue is SO HARD OKAY. Actually try and transcribe a conversation sometime, it’s nuts how people talk vs how most people write people talking. Xekstrin also writes some of my absolute favorite MCs, and going back to fingerprints, I was reading Lyris s1 and right there in the first tavern scene, as we were following along with the heroine’s thoughts I went, ah, yes, I know who you belong to and I am SO EXCITED. Being able to give the heroine unique thoughts and quirks, to make her genuinely relatable, without overriding the necessary template of the genre dictates, is a skill all of its own. But I love her MCs! There is a beautiful balance of compassion, competence, and dash of bratty, wild, fun mischief. I can actually cheer for them. I can actually get behind them. I WANT the love interest to flop at their feet for who they are, not just because the story says so. And that comes from how the heroine’s thoughts are written, from her phrasing in conversations, how she sees situations, not just a producer saying ‘she is a strong lead who is self conscious about her ears and she’s nervous in the council meeting’ or whatever. I AM REALLY STRUGGLING to articulate this if you can’t tell from how long I have been blathering. Maybe this - the heroine is the same across every route, presumably, yes? Everyone has the same base. I NEVER question, when xekstrin is writing, why the love interest falls in love with her. Side note - I had hard written off GIL after a bad experience with the standalone app. I only read Aurora BECAUSE I learned she wrote it, and I would have SO MISSED OUT otherwise.

A complete aside in which Lee grumbles about heroines and not writers!

(Complete side vent: Often, the heroine is, if not a blank slate, a sort of collection of assigned traits, and she often remains so unless the story demands she become otherwise. Which is fine! I don’t personally, but I know a lot of folks self-insert, and so erring towards that makes sense. Almost all the otome I’ve played were originally written for a Japanese audience. When I played original Voltage games, starting back in 2014, I always had to remind myself - different culture, different culture, different culture, and it was not possible for me to relate to most of the heroines. I still enjoyed the stories, but I rarely cheered for the heroine’s romance, especially in some of the slice of life stories. I understood her, but I rarely wanted her to get with the love interest, I wanted her success to come in other ways! Another game company, Cybird, tried to ‘Americanize’ their heroine to IMO disastrous effect - it was such a stereotype, and made no sense since they didn’t also Americanize the context, so she come across as, frankly, ridiculous. And frankly, Voltage’s GIL heroine REEKED OF THAT. When they first posted her on social media I was legitimately annoyed about it, like could you lean into this more? I think not. So when I talk about being able to relate to and cheer for the heroine, it’s a big deal, because my blatant mistrust of Voltage and their ability to craft a heroine I could tolerate was a BIG factor in how long it took me to give Lovestruck a try. I was willing to tolerate it in translated stories, I was so skeptical of -en only ones.) 

Metaphors (& balance)

literacouture writes beautiful metaphors for connection between humans! I’m really bad at keeping track of who writes what, but I purposefully kept an eye out on tumblr after reading Cal’s route, because there were some lines that were pure poetry, and I wanted to keep an eye out for more. It is HARD to spin metaphors prettily without delving into trite, painful, purple prose cringe territory, and it’s navigated beautifully in Cal’s route. There’s a balance between those spin-out moments and things that are tangible and anchoring and make it feel authentic and unique to the two characters involved, instead of just ‘I am trying to make this sound romantic and this is a romantic phrase so here it is’. That balance is really necessary. You NEED the mundane alongside the metaphor or it doesn’t feel authentic. Also. Trying really hard to write this without throwing any authors or producers under the bus, but...listen. I love Sin with Me. But the world logic (or LACK THEREOF) drives me up a wall. I don’t read Cal because of his character traits or sprite or (sigh) his story. I read him because literacouture writes a beautiful romance.

 So anyway...

There are more! When I am less tired and don’t have meetings, I will try and write them up (Please know there are so many routes I love, and so many things I do recognize across chapters! I don’t even HAVE words for what theivorytowercrumbles accomplished with Helena’s story not to mention how much I adore Cyprin,  SummerLightning’s handling of Onyx’s past relationship was so deftly done when it could have so quickly become ‘milk abuse for plot’ and joidecombat gave Sev a fresh, mischievous energy and navigated the dream/reality line with SUCH skill, and so on and so on.)

I’ve written a lot of reviews. And I try to give nods where I feel they’re due - sometimes, it really is obvious that the whole team’s work came together to makes something great, the world, the plot, the arc, the art, the words, and the music all fit into place in a  well-crafted tour de force. And sometimes one piece or another is lacking, and I’ll admit I’ve left some...less than kind reviews to that end (I try and soften it, because I know there are humans on the other side of everything, but I’ve been harsh more than once with my opinions).  I’ve read routes with plots that made me want to tear my hair out because I DO value consistency and logic to a degree, even if I’m going to accept at face value that, say, space travel is a thing or demons turn to sand when stabbed. 

In the end, these are romance stories. So I will let a lot slide when it comes to plot. What sells a story are the words - not the outline.

And if Voltage doesn’t believe that - just remember that Hamlet existed long, long before Shakespeare wrote it. His was the version that lasted, because the people liked it best. The plot, the world, the characters, they all existed a hundred times over. Even just look at fan translations of manga. Why do people keep translating, even if someone else has? Because the words someone else picked don’t do the story justice. 

I don’t know. I’m talking in circles because I don’t know my own thesis! 

Maybe it’s just - the worlds these stories in are nice. But when I say I’m a fan of something, the premise is like. 10%. The rest is the writing. 

[miss-smrxtiee]

-Forgetfulness-

Ch.2- The Forgotten and the Lost.

The Elementalists AU

Beckett Harrington x f!MC (Ellie Valentine)

Summary: An incident causes Ellie to loose her memory, what lengths will Beckett and the Pend Pals go to to ensure her saftey?

Warnings: none really, memory loss and “kidnappin’”

A/N: Memory loss AU

Tag list:

@vampireblissblog @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @holystxne @oofchoices @kinkypot @choicesstan1 @sophie-and-shizuku @herarmoredheart if you would like to be added just lmk!

I unfortunately do not own these characters I only own Ellie, my MC.

Masterlist -series masterlist there as well.

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Beckett’s POV.

Panic settles as Beckett frantically searches the room, not even Alma and/or The Dean are here.

W-what?!? Where did she go? Did they take her? They promised not to keep secrets but this doesn’t seem okay...

Becket speed walks to the desk and asks the nurse about the situation.

“I’m sorry sir but we can’t give out information unless you are specifically in her emergency contact list.” The nurse replied. Beckett sighed, running a hand through his hair before nodding and going back to the lounge room where the Pend Pals where waiting for updates.

“Sh-she’s gone.” Beckett says, panting from running up the stairs. They all look at him with confused looks.

“Whose gone?” Atlas asks standing up narrowing her eyes.

“...Ellie?” She guessed. Beckett could only nod.

“Where the hell is she?!?” Zeph said, putting the ping pong paddles that he and Griffin where playing with away.

“I just knocked on the door and I heard nothing and walked in to absolutely nobody there, the lights where on and the covers where thrown over so something must’ve taken her.” Beckett explained, still in shock himself. He ran a hand through his hair again before speaking.

“I asked the nurse and she said only emergency contacts could be given information.” He explained further while Atlas perked up.

“I’m on the list, she had me put on during the summer.” Atlas quickly said before walking out to the stairwell. The others just shrug and follow behind.

They reach the desk and the nurse turns her attention to the group.

“Hello, how can I help you?” The nurse politely asked.

“Can you tell me any news on my sister? I’m on the emergency list.” Atlas said briefly before the nurse checked and nodded.

“It looks like Ms. Valentine was admitted roughly an hour and a half ago and the Dean requested the equipment for their procedure” the nurse flipped the chart, her eyes scanning over the page before continuing. “And ithe Dean requested more equipment once again about 10 minutes before she was discharged. but it’s strange, it’s not the equipment they would use for the spell the Dean informed us on. They had no help from the nurses per request.”

That’s not strange at all.... Beckett sarcastically said in his head.

“Did they say where they where going?” Atlas’ brows furrowed and you could tell she was starting to get worried.

“I’m afraid not, they didn’t leave through the doors though, they walked to our mirror room down the hall with her over that strange ladies’ shoulder. They also called a code Blue. During that 10 minutes before hand but it seems as though they had it under control.”The nurse answered before resting the chart down.

Wait... code blue? Beckett thought back to that chart in the hallway.

Life Threatening?!?!?

“Did that lady have a red cloak and short brown hair?” Atlas asked tapping her fingers against the flat surface of the front desk.

The nurse nodded and Atlas thanked her before walking away, clearly lost in thought.

“Should we go to the mirror room? Surly you know a spell that could track their magick.” Griffin said while walking up next to her.

“Usually I would say yes but these mirrors are more commonly used by doctors and paitents and it would be harder to track because the magick would be drowned out.” Atlas answered tapping her chin in thought.

Everyone looked up at Beckett who was practically shaking from worry.

“Man, you okay?” Zeph asked clapping his hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah, you look like you need a spa day.” Shreya said checking her nails.

Beckett couldn’t believe how calm they where about everything. “Code blue means life threatening! Something could’ve happened to her!” Beckett said. They all looked at him with worried expressions.

“ Alma and Swan rolled her out and discharged her then that means she’s okay.” Griffin stated gesturing to the mirror room.

“How are you guys not worried about this?!? Ellie could be in danger! And how could we trust Sawn after last years ‘incident’ where she didn’t tell us anything for our ‘saftey’” Beckett wasn’t pleased with his friends way of looking at the situation.

“Swan promised us she wouldn’t play anymore games since the whole Raife thing, and she wouldn’t let Alma do anything.” Atlas says back.

“Well wouldn’t they tell us that they where taking us?”

Before any of them could respond...

“ribbit.”

“What was that?”

“blorg.”

Suddenly, Zeph feels a cold goo settle into is scalp and they look to find Tim contently lying atop his head.

“Wait... why isn’t Tim with Ellie?”Shreya asked walking over to stroke the frogs back.

“I’m not sure...” Atlas said deep in thought.

“Maybe Tim can bring us to Ellie!” Beckett said and walked up lifting the slimey pet into his hand

“hey bud, can you find Ellie for us?” Beckett asked the Gorge.

“blug” the frog blinked slowly at the student and looked at him with confusion.

“Here lemmie try and get him to go to the either to find her.” Griffin replied taking Beckett’s place with the frog in his own hand this time.

“Come on little guy, can you go to the either to check on Ellie for us?” Griffin asked

The only response they got was...

“Blurged” Tim’s eyes slowly flutter asleep and they all sigh.

Every instinct in Beckett’s body told him something was wrong but he couldn’t tell what. Ellie was with Alma and the Dean and they all knew they could trust them.

They where on her side after all.

Atlas takes Tim in her hand and starts to examine him and Beckett notices Tim isn’t like himself. He’s more stoic and he’s usually very cheery and bubbly like Ellie but something was off.

“We should go to Professor Kontos...” She says briefly, only to be met by confused faces.

“Why? Professor Kontos doesn’t have anything to do with this.” Shreya exclaimed, clearly starting to worry more.

“Professor Kontos’ class is where Ellie got Tim, right?”

They all nod.

“Well Tim isn’t being himself and if anyone knows how to figure out what’s wrong, it’s him.”

“She has a point” Beckett said tapping his chin and the others agree it was a solid plan and walk towards his office.

Atlas frantically knocks on the greenhouse door to the Professor’s office and the door swings open.

“What on earth is wrong here Ms. Erndhart?” He looks around at your group before turning back to Atlas.

“I need you to check on Tim, he doesn’t seem like himself and I’m worried.” Atlas replied.

“Where is Ellie? It’s her Familiar after al-“

A gasp escapes his mouth before he could finish his sentence.

“What?” They all say in usion as he continues to search the small animal.

He motions you with his finger to join him inside, not breaking his gaze from the frog.

You all walk inside to the various plants and herbs growing inside.

“...Do you mind telling me where Ellie is.”

“She’s uh... with the Dean right now.” Shreya replied trying to avoid the plant that’s attempting to sniff her hair.

“That’s strange...”

“What?”

“It seems as though Ellie has completely lost her emotional and spiritual connection to Tim.”

What??!! Beckett’s confusion and worry skyrocket as he explains.

“This sort of thing only happens if the Owner loses any recognition of the familiar or...”

“Or what?” Griffin demands.

“...or the owner is dead.” He finishes.

“Are you kidding me?!? Ellie isn’t dead, we know that much.” Zeph said walking up and taking Tim to pet his cold skin.

“I’m terribly sorry, but if you so desire, one of you can take Tim as your own until if or when Ellie is able to regain her connection with him.”

“I will.” Beckett said without hesitation.

I will?!

Zeph hands Tim to Beckett and he just stares up at him.

“Blurh.”

Don’t worry buddy, we’ll get Ellie back very soon.

A few minutes prior

Alma & Swan

“Hurry!”

“I’m trying!!”

Alma rushes The Dean to carry Ellie out of her room. Ellie was still unconscious and was completely limp as Swan struggled to carry her.

“Oh here I’ll do it.” Alma doesn’t wait for a response and picks up Ellie and lifts her over her shoulder and starts walking towards the mirror room of the hospital.

“Ok then..” Swan follows, still nervous and clammy. She didn’t know how the Pend Pals would react to this. Alma had convinced her this was for her safety but she didn’t know how this would effect her happiness. The amount of growth she saw in Ellie from the first day to now was a sight for sore eyes. She watched Ellie make wonderful friends and save the world, she didn’t want to make Ellie leave that all but Alma said otherwise. They had preformed that spell last minute and quickly rushed to cover it up. Alma apparently had a plan and now Swan would have to tell everyone a lie to also cover it up.

And who am I to go up against the source of all Blood Magick...

“Evelyn? Did you hear me?” Alma said quirking an eyebrow at her as they stood in front of the mirror.

“Huh?!” She snapped her head towards Alma. “Oh sorry, can you repeat that?”

She sighed.

“I need you to use metal magick to open this to Ellie’s childhood home, I know you’ve been there to check on her as a kid so you should have no problem.” She said.

“Oh, okay.” She answered, to afraid to go against her orders.

Swan walks up to the mirror and starts making small hand gestures to conjure the metal magick into the mirror. Her hands softly glow with a faint grey shine to them as the mirror starts to turn into a picture of Ellie’s bedroom. Swan tests the mirror by placing her index finger on the surface of it. Her finger slightly sinks into it and she nods at Alma before walking through.

The room was quite nice, it had fairy lights hung around the room and the bed laid neatly made in the center of the room with a nice window and desk off to the side. The walls where a pale yellow and there where several pictures and plants decorated around the room. Alma swiftly walks over to the bed and lays Ellie down while Swan closes the mirror.

“Whose there?!” They heard Ellie’s foster mother, Mrs. Valentine calling from outside her door.

“It’s Evelyn.” She answered not wanting to scare her. Swan and Ellie’s foster mother where mutual friends through Theia during their college years and became closer when she and her husband took Ellie in. “We have Ellie in here on her bed and her, uh... friend accompanied us.” She added as Ellie’s foster mother walked in.

“Oh my!” She said at the sight of Ellie. “What happened?!”

“Well, you see Ellie was at a tea par-“

“She got hurt during battle and lost her memory, we need you to keep her here and treat her as if she never went to Pendergast. If she starts to remember things, tell Evelyn.” Alma briefly said.

“Way to be subtle about it...” Swan murmured to Alma while Ms. Valentine looks sadly at her daughter.

“What? She’ll remember us right?” They nodded. “Why can’t you retrieve her memories?? There has to be something!” Mrs. Valentine said walking over to sit on the bed and stroke Ellie’s hair.

“We could, but it would take a week or so for her to fully recover from the side effects and the effects of the spell she was attacked with. That’s why I need her here to heal.” She replied.

“Evelyn?” Her mother quirked a brow at her trying to get a second opinion.

“Uh. Yes, she’s right. It’s for the best.”

The group goes over more details of what she needs to do while Ellie is there and to contact them when she wakes up and how she is feeling. Ms. Valentine nods sadly and they open the mirror to walk back to the hospital.

“What will we tell Atlas and the rest of the group?” Swan questions trying to keep up with Alma’s brisk pace.

“Simply tell them she’s recovering and that they don’t need to worry, it’s none of their business anyway.”

“No you don’t understand, Atlas especially won’t stop there. The rest of her friends are just as concerned to and they won’t stop at ‘it’s not their business.’”

Alma sighed.

“Just figure it out, I blocked the mirrors in Ellie’s house and area after we left so they can’t find her, just tell them she’s safe and don’t say another word.” Alma replied.

Guess I can do that.

“Even though I won’t tell them anything I’m going to avoid them so I-“

“Swan!!” She heard Atlas yell from behind her.

Just lovely...

Beckett, Zeph, And Atlas jog up to the pair with worried expressions.

“Where’s Ellie?” Zeph asked.

“Yeah, you left!” Atlas added.

“Is Ellie safe?” Beckett’s forehead creased as he looked at them.

“I’m uh- I just- she!- I mean.” Swan stutterd

Oh boy, this is gonna be a lot harder than I thought...

Phew! Thank you for reading this weeks chapter, I was in writers block for a few days but it’s here and I’ve started on the next chapter for my mini series Vacationing With Distance so I hope you guys enjoy that as well!

-Sol💖

[mortemersgf]

pink cheeks

choices april challenge DAY 8: pink

@choicesaprilchallenge

THE ELEMENTALISTS: beckett harrington x f!mc (eden russell)

summary: eden and beckett spend a night at the library.

warnings: lowkey nsfw (making out)

note: this takes place in book 1. enjoy!

“And this brings us to our new project, class!” Professor Englund claps his hands together and plasters an enthusiastic smile on his face.

Several students flinch awake at his booming voice, including Eden. It’s Monday at Penderghast. Eden sits in Spellwork 1B class next to Beckett, trying her best to take in what Professor Englund is rambling about. She straightens up in her seat, blinking rapidly to avoid dozing off again.

Beckett nudges her, a small smile on his face. “Were you too engrossed in the Penderghast Compendium I let you borrow last night?”

Eden snorts, propping her chin in her palm. “Right. That is exactly why I barely slept.”

“So, what were you actually doing, then?”

“Training with Atlas. She said something about... being more stealthy, so we snuck around campus all night. Fun stuff.” Eden mumbles through a yawn.

“... which is why we will be doing a week long research project based on a spell I’ve taught you. Create a presentation detailing its origin, purpose, and such. The packet will explain the requirements further. Remember, it’s partner work!” Professor Englund announces. He whisks up an air spell and a thick stack of packets sitting on the podium begin passing themselves out to each student.

Eden turns to face Beckett. “Wanna do the Locator spell?”

He nods, a faint smile on his lips. “Certainly. Can you meet at the library tonight?”

“Does nine work for you?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t it?”

With a teasing smile on her face, Eden says, “Well, I would hate to disturb you from your nerd activities.”

“Don’t be absurd. You could never disturb me, Eden,” Beckett says. His cheeks turn pink immediately. Clearing his throat, he adds, “See you at nine.”

He turns to leave, but Eden takes him by the arm, tiptoes, and plants a kiss on his cheek. “See you at nine, Beckett.”

His cheeks darken with color as he struggles to come up with a response. “I, yes, uh, nine. See you then.”

She watches as he speeds toward the door, chuckling to herself at how easy he flushes.

—☽

A couple of hours after the sun has set, Eden sets out for the campus library. Upon entering, she sees several students struggling to shelve the flying books and shudders at the memory of her doing the same. Never again, she thinks to herself.

She notices Beckett sitting at a table near the three headed snake statue and quickly wanders over. “Hey, Beckett. What’ve you found so far?” she says, plopping down on a seat across from him.

The table that Beckett claimed is littered with various textbooks, biographies, and even newspaper clippings. His laptop sits on a thin piece of newspaper. It casts shadows on his face, making his features sharper.

Eden takes a second to marvel at his looks before he glances up from a dusty textbook, saying, “Almost everything. I can’t seem to find the first recorded usage of the spell, however…”

Eden nods toward the other end of the library. The lanterns get dimmer as the room stretches on, until it’s completely dark. “You think it’s worth a try?”

Beckett shrugs. “We can check. Would you like to go together?”

“Yes, I would.”

He quickly shelves some books before dusting his hands off and falling into stride with Eden.

“So, why is that side of the library, like… abandoned?” she asks.

Beckett shrugs. “I honestly have no idea. I’ve found some of the most enticing books down those aisles. I checked out this pearlblossom handbook the other day. Want me to lend it to you? I think you’ll find its medicinal properties useful.”

Eden smiles. “Maybe later. For now, let’s focus on digging up some Locator spell facts.” She studies their shadows as they stretch on before them, realizing that the lanterns are much dimmer now.

The two are walking so close together their fingers brush against each other. Eden sneaks a glance at Beckett to find him fighting to keep a straight face on. But his reddening ears give it away. She casually takes his warm hand in hers, humming to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she catches Beckett biting back a grin.

After a couple minutes of comfortable silence, Beckett clears his throat and says, “So… thank you for being my partner.”

Eden shoots him a surprised look, but by then, the two are surrounded by darkness, the entrance to the library seemingly a thousand smiles away. She isn’t sure if he caught it. “After everything we’ve been through, it’d be surprising if we didn't partner up.”

He slowly nods and looks down at his Pend Pals bracelet. “Working together to save you from imminent danger is good bonding, I suppose.”

“That, and we made out by the pond.”

Beckett’s cheeks tinge pink at the reminder. “Yes, well… that, too.”

To save him from further embarrassment, Eden drops his hand and gestures at a book behind him. “Oh! Does that say”— she squints—“Ancient Spells Still Used Today? We can check for the Locator spell.” She points to a red book sitting snugly on a tall shelf beyond her reach.

Beckett easily grabs the book and instead of handing it Eden, he holds it just out of her reach. He flashes her a challenging smile. “Say please.”

Eden ignores his request and jumps to swipe the book from him, but Beckett is quicker and holds it out of the way. The two of them laugh as she attempts another jump. They go back and forth until Eden steps on his shoe by accident, causing him to trip forward and press her against a tall, sturdy bookshelf.

“Hi there,” Eden grins, wrapping her arms around his neck. Despite the lack of lighting, she can see Beckett’s pink cheeks due to their close proximity. “You know... I like how easily your cheeks turn pink. It’s cute. Pink cheeks are your thing.”

Beckett’s breathing almost slows to a stop as his eyes trail from Eden’s eyes to her lips. The girl standing in front of him seems unreal. The way she can make him blush with just one comment, the way her eyes sparkle with interest whenever he rambles about a particular subject, and the way she sees him for who he really is… It makes Beckett weak in the knees.

He swallows. “Only you have that effect on me, Eden. Only you.”

His mind drifts back to the night by the pond. God, he’s been aching to continue where they left off.

Beckett drops the book and tugs her closer to him by the waist before pressing his lips to hers. Eden melts into the kiss instantly, threading her fingers in his soft, brown locks. Her stomach twists with butterflies as their mouths move against each other in perfect harmony. She feels Beckett smiling into the kiss as her hands slide under his buttoned shirt to feel along his lean muscles.

Eden laughs breathlessly when they finally break part to breathe. “Was this... your ulterior motive all along? Get me alone... and then make out?”

Beckett rolls his eyes playfully, pausing for a couple of seconds to catch his own breath. “You always manage to see right through me, Eden.”

“It’s a talent.”

Before he can respond, Eden surges forward and captures his lips in hers again. She shivers with delight as Beckett’s hand trails to her hips, his fingers skimming over her exposed sides. She lets out a small gasp as he loops his arms around her thighs, pressing her up against the bookshelf. The shelves dig into her back, but she’s too focused on Beckett to care.

“Someone’s extra eager tonight,” Eden chuckles. Her small laugh dissolves into a soft sigh as Beckett begins to trail kisses along her neck.

“Can you blame me?” he says.

“No, I suppose I can’t,” Eden laughs, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt.

Beckett’s breathing is ragged as he whispers, “Right here?”

“Yes, I want you now.”

In the middle of ridding Beckett of his top, the lanterns flare up with light, making the two of them hop apart. Mr. Korningshwip, the librarian, rounds a corner and comes bounding down the aisle, shelving books. He doesn’t acknowledge Eden and Beckett as he wheels a cart of books past them.

Eden holds back her laugh as she glances at Beckett’s red face. He quickly buttons up his shirt and rakes a hand through his tousled hair, a sheepish grin on his face nonetheless.

“Remind me to never get carried away in the library again,” he says, chuckling under his breath.

“No promises,” Eden responds, lacing her fingers through his. “Now… should we head back to your dorm?”

[oh-im-dying]

If I haven't asked already I'd love to see the answers to all the questions for the obey me mc questions!

HI! I’M SO SORRY I TOOK FOREVER TO ANSWER YOU. I finished answering the questions so long ago, but I wanted to wait until after I introduced Eden and Atlas first!

The original questions can be found here!

I’ll be answering the questions for BOTH of my OCs, so if you’re a little lost on the basic idea behind these two, go here!

THIS IS SUPERRRR LONG, SO ALL THE ANSWERS ARE UNDER THE CUT. THE ANSWERS ARE A LITTLE WORDY I’M SORRY-

1. Which of the Boys are they the most like? Eden’s similar to Levi in terms of what they’re interested in. She’s a weeb, and takes anime super seriously (to the point where she body-slammed Diavolo upon meeting him because he brought her down to the Devildom while she was in the middle of an anime episode). Personality wise though, she’s a mix of Satan, Belphie, and Mammon. She’s very cynical and hates most things, but most of it’s a facade as she learns to deal with her feelings. She can be sweet and caring, but only after she opens up to someone.

Atlas is your stereotypical otome game MC. Like Beel, she’s sweet and caring, and like Asmo, she’s pretty and enthusiastic. She’s adventurous and curious like Mammon too. But she’s not all that she seems to be on the surface.

2. Which of the Boys are they the least like? Asmo, probably. Eden hates being open about feelings, and generally dislikes getting all touchy feely with others. She’s not that big on fashion either. She likes wearing whatever’s comfortable. Asmo nearly had a stroke when she revealed that she didn't know what an exfoliator was.

Atlas is the opposite of Lucifer. He’s calm, collected, and responsible. While Atlas is good at keeping her grades up and tries to be a leader, she’s clumsy and ditzy. If a puppy were to become a person, that’s Atlas.

3. Who does your MC date? [If multiple, what order do they start dating each one?] Eden...has a lot to sort out. But, once everything’s said and done, she’ll probably be with Mammon, since he’s the only one (with how my plot’s going right now) that can see through her tough persona and reach out to her.

Atlas, being the person who was actually meant to be in the Devildom (Eden wasn’t going to be there, had Atlas not grabbed onto her), naturally draws the attention of the brothers. Her seemingly sweet and caring personality makes it almost impossible for them to hate her, and she very quickly gains their love and affection. But I don’t plan on having her date any of them. She’s...an interesting character because she likes the attention and love, but doesn’t return any of it.

4. How does your MC Sleep? [On their side, on their back, with a partner, etc., in PJs, etc.] Eden sleeps in an oversized hoodie and shorts. She doesn’t sleep a lot, since she’s usually up binging anime and lives off of coffee (I’m convinced she has caffeine in her blood), but when she DOES sleep, she sleeps like the dead. Nothing can wake her up. She can’t sleep unless she has something next to her, but since she hates people (at least initially), she usually has a pillow or something by her side.

Atlas sleeps like a starfish. Sprawled out and taking over the entire bed. Eden loves having sleepovers with her, but will NOT share a bed, since she’ll wake up with Atlas’s knee lodged in her face or something.

5. If you were to pick one song — and only one song — to describe your MC, what would it be and why? Eden: Handle With Care by RUNN Atlas: I couldn't really find a song that would suit how... intricate Atlas' character is, but for how others see her initially: Classic by MKTO

6. Did they come from a religious family/culture? Do they practice a religion?  Neither of them practice any religion. But Eden’s name is meant to reference the Garden of Eden, so her story will have a few references here and there about the garden (nothing too detailed though).

7. What do they think about the whole angel/demon stuff?  Eden’s not all that phased by it. She has the stereotypical Gen-Z attitude of “I can’t tell the waitress that she got my order wrong, but I can and WILL bodyslam a demon”. (unrelated note: she HAS body slammed Diavolo before). So she’s not bothered by the idea of being around angels and demons. She’s more angry that she’s been dragged down to hell without dying. Eden comes from a long line of witches too, so she's heard about angels and demons for a while.

Atlas though… Atlas is ‘terrified’ once she lands in the Devildom. She’s a “sweet babey” that loves doing all things innocent and good in the world, and one day she’s in Hell. Surrounded by demons. She’s not happy about it at all… But as soon as she hears it’s an exchange program and that she isn’t in any danger at the moment, her attitude switches immediately...

8. What’s your MC’s relationship with their family? Eden lives with her mom. Her mom's a relatively sweet woman, and while being a witch, tries her hardest to keep Eden away from using any. Eden and her mom have a cute relationship. They annoy one another sometimes, but overall, they care about eachother a lot. Her dad's alive. It's just that in a magical mishap with his own mother (Eden's grandma), he was turned into a frog and now lives in their livingroom in a little tank. Eden, however, has no idea that the frog is her father and thought that "Dad" was just a really weird name for the amphibian.

Atlas seems to live a perfect life. She has both parents, and being the only child, has been babied since day one. Of course, that's just what the public sees her family as.

9. What are your MC’s chances of survival if they got lost in the levels of Devildom that take you to the surface [aka the layers of Hell]? Eden’s basically a human compass. She can find her way around anywhere. BUT, there are days where she’s either overwhelmed or super out of it and will get lost. She won’t stay lost for too long, but when she is, she’ll probably start a fight with every dang demon that comes near her. Will she win? ….probably not. But she's sure as hell taking a couple of them down with her.

Atlas can get lost in her own neighborhood. If she gets lost by herself in the layers of Hell, she’s hopeless. Very much dead. BUT. The brothers and Eden all adore her (annoyingly), so they’ll find her, no matter what.

10. Is your MC jealous/upset about not being able to use magic? Do they learn? Eden comes from a family of witches. She has the ability to use magic, but since her mom's been hiding the fact that she's a witch, Eden never believed in it. She didn't think that witches existed at all, so when she eventually finds out, she doesn't have any control over her powers.

Atlas technically can’t use magic, but she’s not that upset about not being able to use it. SPOILER FOR LESSON 16: Atlas is, however, the “true” MC, so she’s the descendent of Lilith. So she's just like the in game MC in not being able to use magic like Solomon, but having a lot of power.

11. What was your MC’s first impression of the demon boys? Atlas’s initial reaction to everyone is the same: “Wow you’re good looking”

Lucifer “Why is he so TALL” After arriving to the Devildom alongside Atlas, Eden ends up body slamming Diavolo for getting near them. Lucifer does NOT like that, and tries to kill her. Diavolo, however, thought that Eden was just giving him a really weird hug, so he stopped Lucifer from turning her into soot. Diavolo actually ends up finding Eden interesting and spends more and more time with her.

Mammon “This smug little piece of sh-” Mammon and Eden’s personalities clash a lot in the beginning. They don’t get along, and Mammon liked Atlas better at the start because she was sweet and kind to him.

Leviathan “Ah yes, a man of culture.” Weeb gang. Need I say more?

Satan “...I don’t trust you.” Satan is similar to Eden when it comes to dangerous smiles and being cunning. Eden recognizes this and doesn’t trust him.

Asmo “Go to horny jail.” Eden and Asmo are pretty different from one another. But they don’t quite hate one another, surprisingly. Just not sure how to interact with one another.

Beelzebub “He better not come near my candy.” Eden has this thing where she constantly has candy. She almost always has a lollipop, since she can’t focus well without a sweet. So her utmost priority lies with hiding her candy stash from Beel. Will it work? Eh, not really.

Belphegor “Damn bitch you live like this?” First time meeting him was in the attic, after Eden and Atlas made it up the stairs without Lucifer knowing. Atlas is full of pity for him, but Eden’s shook that he’s been in the attic for so long without going nuts.

Diavolo “Don’t come near me or I’ll flip you.” I don’t really need to say anything else. Eden body slammed the Demon Prince 3 minutes after landing in the Devildom. Diavolo finds her interesting though, since it's the first time he's met someone that's talked to him without thinking about his role as the future king of the Devildom.

Barbatos “What’s going on with your bangs.” Eden doesn’t trust Barbatos either, but they both naturally seem to avoid provoking the other. So they only ever see one another whenever Diavolo is talking to Eden. Eden wants to know what’s up with his bangs though.

12. First impression of the Angels & Solomon? Simeon “He reminds me of someone…” Eden has “guardians” from both the Devildom and the Celestial Realm. Almost like a guardian angel, except there’s one angel and one demon. She hasn’t met with them in a long time though, and has almost completely forgotten about them. Simeon's sweet yet somewhat confusing personality reminds her of the guardian angel.

Luke “He’s so loud...and for what-” Eden thinks Luke’s like a chihuahua. Small, loud, and annoying.

Solomon “THIS MOTHERFUCKER DROPPED MY CORNDOG.” They first met in the human world, when Eden was at the mall with Atlas. Solomon and Eden bumped into one another, and Eden ended up dropping her corndog. She’s been petty and angry over her lost corndog for years. Solomon, naturally, remembers none of this.

13. What is a skill your MC has that the Boys would be surprised by? They would be shocked to see that Eden has really good aim. She’s great at hitting things from a far distance. Though, they don’t realize that from guns or anything like that. No, they realize this when Eden slips off her shoe and manages to chuck it at Mammon successfully from the opposite side of the dining room.

Atlas can play the harp really well.

14. Do they own a secret place for their most prized possessions? Eden hides her sweets in several spots in her room. She hides smaller candies in pockets, shelves, and drawers. Lollipops are more important to her, so she hides them in [ Eden has requested this information remain top secret ].

Atlas is… crafty. She doesn’t hide things often, but when she does, it’s almost like the item vanished.

15. What’s the most important thing they own? Eden: She protects her lollipops with her life, but the most important thing she owns is a polaroid of her and Atlas, taken after they had first become friends back when they were 5. Atlas: Atlas values everything. She doesn't have one single item that she holds above others. She lives life just loving everything.

16. Do they eat the strange demon food? There’s a good chance that eating the demon food might kill humans. Eden, knowing this, has no problems trying to eat anything. The brothers have to go through a lot of trouble to keep her away from anything poisonous/bad for humans. Satan needs to do a lot of research on humans for this. Not that any of them would be too phased by her dying. It's more because Diavolo likes hanging out with Eden and it would be a disaster to tell him that she died.

Atlas… doesn’t need to worry much. The brothers pamper her and try their hardest to make sure she only eats things that are safe for her to have.

17. What’s their favourite part of being in Devildom? Eden’s just vibing. She likes the lack of sun though.

Atlas likes everything. She finds anything new interesting and exciting.

18. What does your MC miss most about the human world? Eden doesn’t miss the human world. But she doesn’t want to be in the Devildom either. She’s just there.

Atlas sees all of this as an adventure and takes it enthusiastically. She’s happy in the Devildom, but she misses being able to feel the sun on her face.

19. What does MC spend most of their time doing/with who? Eden spends the majority of her time with Levi, playing games or watching anime. He teaches her about TSL, and she teaches him about Seven Deadly Sins. They’ve definitely played Mystic Messenger and DDLC together.

Atlas...is always surrounded by everyone. She radiates “main character” energy. Even Eden thinks Atlas is the main character of her (Eden's) life. Atlas is always with one of the brothers. But overall, Atlas and Eden have spent the most time together. They’re childhood friends, after all.

20. How does MC wear the RAD uniform? [If they do.] Eden barely wears it. She wasn’t supposed to be in the Devildom anyway, so there wasn't a uniform prepared for her. So, she took online classes with Levi for a while. But even after getting the uniform, she manages to forget to wear it at least 3 times a week. She usually ends up calling Mammon to help grab it for her, only to be turned down. Mammon will then get a shoe to the face whenever she sees him.

Atlas is the model student. She works hard, and never forgets her uniform. She "tries her hardest" to wear the RAD uniform correctly, but she usually ends up buttoning it up wrong somehow. Either the brothers or Eden need to help her out every morning.

[cococrazies]

Lovestruck Series Review: Starship Promise (Season 1)

Personal playing order: Orion - Jaxon - Antares - Nova - Atlas

Warning! Minor spoilers ahead for Antares’s/Nova’s/Atlas’s routes, as well as CGs under the cut.

Orion: I’m torn on this one. I really enjoyed the story -- a lot more than I thought I would, given my lack of enthusiasm for the series concept -- and Orion himself. (If anyone ever wanted Shang from Mulan but in outer space, this is it.) The writing also had a very natural cadence and flow; it pulled me in easily, never getting too heavy-handed with sudden plot twists and cliffhangers... except for one instance, but more on that below.

And the MC! She was a pleasant surprise. I hadn’t been too impressed by her in the first-ep sneak peeks we get in each route, but she’s really cute -- she can be a bit of a space cadet at times (sorry, bad pun intended), but she isn’t dumb. Furthermore, she really develops over the course of the route, which is impressive given everything else stuffed into these mere 12 episodes.

So now to the things I didn’t like about this route: for one, the romantic development. It seemed really sudden and almost shoehorned-in as a result of the route length, which was jarring given how well-paced everything else had been up to that point. 

Also, the Antares plot twist; it felt cliché and gimmicky, especially since I could see it coming from a mile away. I think I would’ve preferred for it to be a Season 2 reveal, or at least presented to us right from the start -- as it was, it just seemed like it was there for the “shock factor” + to forcibly give us a reason to care about the antagonist if we didn’t already. But since this was a pilot season, I guess I can understand how they wanted to tease at an intriguing backstory as early as possible to get players invested.

Overall, they still did succeed with the latter, because now I’m pretty curious about where they’re going with this. And also because I need more Orion/MC in my life; rushed or not, those two are simply way too cute.

Jaxon: Whoa, this story was jam-packed with action scenes and chemistry between the OTP. The pace is hella fast, but you never get the sense that we’re skipping past important details; the writing makes the most of every episode it has got. Not a single scene is wasted or filler-like.

Jaxon himself is a bit of a harder sell. His gargantuan ego, jokester personality, and YOLO take on everything make him one of those characters that you either love or hate -- although for me, he fell somewhere near the middle of the spectrum. I like his concept and find him a refreshing addition to Lovestruck’s character lineup, but he’s not really my type as far as romance goes; and sometimes he toes the line for being near annoying.

(The fact that I constantly seemed to make the wrong choices -- at least judging by the sheer amount of weird looks or lukewarm responses he gave me after 90% of my choices -- didn’t help. Heads-up: don’t try to play it cool. This MC really, really can’t do cool. I had several near-death experiences from sheer secondhand embarrassment while playing this route.)

That aside, he makes a surprisingly good team with MC. Except from some cringey non-heart options (which were brutal this route, by the way), they naturally eased into working as a combo. I like how they both are able to pull each other out of their respective emotional ruts, as well as complement the other’s shortcomings. Jaxon’s character turnaround near the end felt a little sudden, but I like the teased insight on his past, and am looking forward to learn more about it.

Antares: Oh, MC. Trust me, I of all people totally understand crushing on the hot, mysterious, and possibly noble anti-hero holding you captive for unknown reasons, but even so. Being constantly unable to focus on anything but your attration to him -- and using it as a basis for your foundation to trust him almost straight away despite how he works for the Big Bad, and is literally using you as a tool(-fixer) for whatever evil purposes the Empire has in mind for the galaxy -- is like a whole new level of uncool.

(Also, how is a sheltered colony girl’s reaction to seeing a military leader telling his troops not to leave a single ship standing “swoon, he’s so charismatic” instead of “holy shit, he kills people”? Priorities, MC.)

Beyond that, Antares’s route was very intriguing to me. Out of Lovestruck’s villain routes so far this is the one that has done the least to paint the love interest as less of an antagonist, or the side he sympathizes with as more morally grey. I also appreciated seeing another side of Antares himself that actually knows the definition of the word chill  isn’t perpetually dressed in bunny-ear mecha armor  that’s not completely absorbed by his thirst for vengeance against his brother.

Similar to Orion’s route, the romantic development also dropped on us out of the blue here... but strangely, I didn’t mind. In a way, it seemed to make sense for Antares’s emotionally dysfunctional personality (to the point that it gave me Chance S1 in GiL flashbacks). I think I almost preferred this to him doing a sudden 180 and going all mushy on MC when any potential romantic build-up outside of premium choices has been minimal. I’m holding my thumbs now for a gradual turnaround -- much like Chance got -- in his future seasons.

Nova: I keep going back and forth re: how I feel about this route. To again start with the positive -- I’d been worried that Nova would be a Space Medusa 2.0, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that she wasn’t. For all the kuu in her kuudere demeanor, Nova still spends a fair amount of the route bonding with MC through actual conversation, and unlike Orion’s/Antares’s routes this season the romance didn’t even seem that rushed. Furthermore, I was intrigued by Nova’s backstory (not to mention that she’s hot as hell).

But to be entirely honest, this story is also the most formulaic, “typical otome”-esque route I’ve read so far in Lovestruck -- not so much in concept as in execution. It reminds me of one of those Voltage JP fantasy routes where we spend the first 1/3 of the route with semi-slice-of-life scenes interspersed with action, the middle 1/3 of this route discovering the LI’s angsty past and them distancing themselves to protect MC, and the final 1/3 with MC dissolving into hysterics/apocalyptic depression, stupidly running after LI alone, and declaring their undying love for them after having known them for a couple of days in the middle of a life-or-death situation.

Since I do play Voltage JP games I’m not saying it’s necessarily a terrible thing, just... jarring. I might seem like I’m awfully hard on Lovestruck’s writing a lot of the time, but that’s because I have high expectations of it. In a sea of near-identical mobile otome clones Lovestruck stands out with a more Westernized and creative take on standard otome tropes, hence often avoiding common pitfalls associated with the genre. The writing in general is a cut above what I expect from mobile games as well, hence all my criticisms; I don’t balk (as much) at LIs doing sudden 180s or MCs being stupid in a Solmare game, but I do with Lovestruck because I know -- and have seen firsthand -- that they can do better.

So this route was confusing to me. Because, if I were to go for my usual standard from what I would expect run-of-the-mill Voltage JP route, for example, or a Shall We Date? one -- then I’d think it’s fine. Or even good. But for Lovestruck? I don’t know. I wouldn’t say it’s bad, just not... good. (The GiL-esque Pokémon-battle narration for action scenes -- yes, this is my official pet peeve now -- didn’t help.)

With all that said though, I didn’t dislike Nova’s route. (Hence the confusion.) And definitely not Nova herself. I just don’t really know how I feel about its writing direction, and how it measures against my expectations of a Lovestruck route.

Atlas: I fell head over heels for this route. Seriously, this was Astraeus-in-season-3-of-AFK level instant love, except without the devastating angst and with a decent helping of fluffy feels on top. Not that it was all fluff -- we had our share of prospective angst here too, if less literally earth-shattering. And hell of a lot of action, character development, and tons of other goodies tightly stuffed in a 12-episode-package of awesome.

Similar to my review for Astraeus, I don’t even know where to begin talking about this route’s good points. The prose, for one -- there were just so many beautifully worded narrative transitions, and the dialogue didn’t lose out in that aspect, either. The sass, sarcasm, and the humor were well-timed, but didn’t go overboard/seem out of character for MC or the rest of the cast.

Then there’s Atlas himself. Breaking down tsunderes is one of my favorite otome pastimes, and doing exactly that to our resident grouchy pilot was no different. First of all, I love that he maintains a healthy balance between insults that are obviously all bark and no bite, and genuinely worded criticism that should logically be voiced. In fact, there’s so little unnecessary tsun here that he could almost pass for a kuudere. 

Regardless of whatever mold he’d better fit into, finally crumbling down that cranky demeanor of his and seeing him dere was a sweet, sweet reward. (I actually caved and went premium twice despite my agonizing wallet because I couldn’t resist seeing more of it.)

Or heck, even the platonic moments building up to that were great. Because the romance with Atlas was really well-paced; I love how we went from almost-hate (my favorite trope!) to begrudging respect, then to friendly equals/teammates, and finally something more -- all the while there was obvious chemistry between him and MC interlacing every interaction. I was kind of worried whether we’d get some last-minute romantic confession slapped on near the end, but thankfully we got a development that, for all its unrealistic corniness, still had me squealing. Especially with that cliffhanger; dammit, how am I even supposed to emotionally last until I get to his second season?

The main plot was really interesting, too -- probably my favorite premise out of the ones we’ve been offered so far. Even though it starts out similarly with MC on the run, I like how 1) we see the Union as evil right from the bat, avoiding having another MC-gets-out-of-her-naïve-colony-girl-mindset mini-arc; 2) rather than being perpetrated for some valuable information/artifact that the Starship crew might benefit from, MC is in a situation where they actually have no reason to keep her around, adding more tension to the intro; and 3) how all of this tied into Atlas’s own personal character arc. (Not that I minded how the other premises played out, it just made for a fresh change of pace.)

To wrap this gigantic word-vomit ramble up, I’d just like to conclude by gushing one last time how fantastic this route is -- I’d warmly recommend it to anyone interested in giving Starship a chance, because after this, the series personally had me hook, line, and sinker.

Final character ranking: Atlas > Orion > Jaxon > Antares > Nova

....This got a little longer than I intended it to be, oops. Kudos to anyone who has made it to the end of this season review. (I’ll try to be a little more concise in my next one, i.e. GiL S7.)  You can follow my tag #coco reviews lovestruck for more reviews of Lovestruck games, or check out the ones I’ve done so far on this list.

[cometthespacechinchilla]

Fluff 7 for Atlas. I'm sorry, I have a thirst that can't be quenched 😂

MC = Maalari

So what have you been doing today, Leah? Screaming, that’s what I’ve done.

The heat was out on the Promise. Again. Probably due to some interference from Comet. But he was too comfortable and exhausted to be bothered to do anything about it in the present moment. He could deal with Jaxon’s bitching in the morning if it meant he could get more sleep.

Unfortunately, what had woken him in the first place was his bedmate.

He had agreed to share his bed, mostly to get Jaxon to stop bothering him about it. Even under torture, he’d hold to that reason and that alone. And he supposed there were worse options than Maalari. He remembered one old buddy who shared his cabin that snored like a fighter engine. 

She wasn’t quite awake, but she was shivering so hard her teeth were chattering together, and he wondered how she managed to not wake up from the impact. The covers had slipped off her shoulder, so he pulled them back up. Somehow that managed to rouse her, as she turned to him, bleary eyed, as he settled himself in again.

“Mmm,” she mumbled. “Whatsit?”

“Heater’s out,” he said, trying not to growl at having to have a conversation this late at night. “We’ll deal with it in the morning.”

“Oh,” she whispered, sleep starting to fade away. A beat. “Hey, Atlas?”

“What, kid?” he asked, not quite able to hide his frustration. He just wanted to sleep.

“I’m...” she hesitated. “Do you mind me stealing some of your body heat? I’m not good at keeping myself warm.”

He weighed the options in his mind. She probably wouldn’t sleep if she didn’t warm up and he needed her alert for repairs. Not to mention it would probably keep him up, with her practically vibrating with cold.

“All right,” he said. She smiled slightly as she shuffled forward until she was pressed against his side. He could sense she was stiff as a board and given her touchy nature she was probably repressing her instinct to latch on to him. He sighed. “Ok, kid, if we’re lifting the touching rule you might as well not be shy. But only for tonight,” he added, growling.

Tentatively, her arm snaked over his torso and she pulled herself flush against him (more flushed than she already was, at least). To avoid his arm being trapped, he was forced to put it behind her, his hand cradling between her shoulder blades. She had to lift her head so that it was now resting on his bicep. 

This was probably a mistake, but you’ve dug your grave now. He didn’t want to admit, even to himself, that there was a small, practically insignificant part of him that enjoyed the contact.

Maalari sighed in contentment, burrowing in even further. He wasn’t sure how she managed that trick, but she did. “Thank you,” she murmured. “Night, Atlas.”

“Night, Maalari.”

Already halfway to sleep, he almost missed her hushed, “I like it when you say my name.” And then she was completely out of it.

He groaned, though kept it quiet enough to not wake her again. His free hand rubbed at his face, feeling frustration growing. She was a stowaway and a magnet for trouble. A pain in his ass. And it wasn’t like he was a great influence. Despite his words, most sane pilots did not keep whiskey near their chair. He kept his distance for both their sanities, even if they were in close contact most of the day.

He sighed heavily. Despite his best efforts, somehow Maalari had wormed her way past his better sense and he was starting to second guess if keeping her at arms length was really worth it.

At the moment, with her arm pulling him into a surprisingly firm embrace, he could already see the battle was lost.

Shit.

[stellisae]

First Time Valentine’s (Orion x MC)

Book: Starship Promise

Pairing: Orion x MC (Juliette)

Word Count: 989

Prompt: “Why do I need one day to tell you I love you? That should be everyday.” / “That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for not getting me chocolates.”

Of all the things I expected from Orion, being a stickler for Valentine’s day wasn’t one of them. I didn’t think he was planning anything, so I didn’t either. I was content to let the day pass as it had every other year of my life with no Valentine to speak of. Come to find out, Orion had some surprises up his sleeve.

He’d woken me up that morning with a bouquet full of gorgeous alien plants and a stuffed blue whale. At first I’d thrown myself on him, completely moved by the level of romanticism he’d put into the day, especially with it being the first Valentine’s I’d ever had someone to celebrate with.

After I’d properly shown him my appreciation I’d come to the horrifying realization that I hadn’t gotten him anything.

Swallowing my pride I’d rushed to Atlas as soon as I could without raising any suspicion and to my surprise he’d actually agreed to help me. But we were too far away from any colony to get there in time, and Orion would question docking anywhere that he and Atlas hadn’t already discussed. So we called in Nova and Jaxon to concoct some kind of plan for how I was going to surprise Orion.

And that’s when he’d walked in on our conversation.

And that’s how we got here with Orion sulking on the bridge and me scrambling to salvage the day.

“Why do I need one day to tell you I love you? That should be everyday!” I knew it was just an excuse but still I rambled on, trying to get myself out of the hole I hadn’t even noticed I’d been digging. Orion huffed from where he sat at the Captain’s chair, distinctly avoiding looking at me. “That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for not getting me chocolates,” he grumbled out. The rest of the crew immediately burst out laughing and I felt my face grew red-hot.

Winding up my arm I hurled the stuffed whale he’d gotten me, feeling a small sense of pride when it smacked against the side of his head. “That’s what this is about? Chocolates? You’ve been pouting because I didn’t get you chocolates?” I shouted at him across the bridge. “Orion I could get you chocolates any day! You don’t have to secretly pine for Valentine’s day to get them!” I knew the man loved chocolate but I couldn’t help feeling exasperated that he’d spent the whole day grouchy because he thought today was his excuse to get them without asking.

Without waiting for his response I turn and march off the bridge. At first I head for our room when an idea suddenly strikes me and I shift toward the kitchen, already grinning madly. I always kept a secret stash of chocolate on hand for Orion once I started getting some of my own pocket money and I thought we had to have fruit around here somewhere.

Too bad I couldn’t have had this idea earlier, before this all happened.

I round up all of the chocolate I have along with some sliced strawberries and sneak off to our room, breathing a sigh of relief when I find it still empty. I set out the bowl of fruit on the table by our couch and pour the chocolate into the warming contraption I didn’t even know we had until I found it in the kitchen. Leave it to Orion to have all the makings for chocolate fondue on board.

Once the chocolate is melted enough I strip down to my underwear, and lay out across the cushions, willing myself into the sexiest pose I can manage. Before my nerves can get the best of me I send a message off to Orion asking him to meet me in our room. I wait with baited breath and fingers crossed that he’ll be pleased until the door slides open across from me and Orion freezes in the doorway, my whale dangling loosely from his hand.

“What...are you doing?” he manages to ask, his voice suddenly tight and my eyes dip down to see that his pants are quickly following.

The way his eyes rake up and down my body gives me enough of a confidence boost to embrace the sultriness I wanted to emulate. Without answering his question I hook a finger at him and he obeys, walking over to join me on the couch. I push him back against the cushions and dip a strawberry slice into the chocolate before throwing a leg over his to straddle his hips. Orion’s blue eyes watch me with anticipation while I feed him the chocolate-dipped strawberry.

“I’m saving Valentine’s day,” I answer, and my chest swells with warmth at the way his eyes light up. As we steadily make our way through his “gift” Orion occasionally starts to protest and I cut him off with another slice of fruit, grinning when his resistance leads to the chocolate ending up around his mouth instead of in it.

Once we’ve finished off all the strawberries I lift a hand to wipe off a smear of chocolate he’d managed to get on his chin and he catches my hand with one of his. A flush of heat floods my body when he proceeds to lick the chocolate off my finger, his eyes never leaving mine. A breath passes between us and then we’re both on each other again.

I tug his shirt up over his head and once it’s gone his hands grip my hips while I grind against his. “Am I...off the hook...now?” my words comes out in gasps while his teeth nip softly at the skin of my neck. He doesn’t answer with words but the smirk he gives me when he pulls back tells me I very much am. With that we waste no more time before diving into a second round of Valentine’s sex.