#probably too early for me to say zombie is least popular but we’ll see. I think ghost IS most popular tho

[octoooo]

Splatoween is upon us 👻💀🧟

Guess what team I chose

Also uhhhh

(Yuki: I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be full of bones)

[melodyalanaroster]

All I Want For Christmas Is You

When Halloween ended, it didn’t take long for the people in the Black Tower to begin their holiday preparations. The Senior Staff were already discussing what acts of good will they would commit during the season, and Alana had begun overseeing the decoration of her family home. “Why are you doing this so early?” Nora asked her. “You know its one of the only times that the family home is full. So, I want to make it to where my family won’t need to do much of the decorating. As Agatha and I are the ones closest, she and I will decorate the tree on Black Friday.” Alana replied. “It’s good that your family follows traditions like that.” Nora grinned. “I’m very thankful that The Red Death allowed me to continue that tradition even during my ascent to power. He didn’t have to do that.” Alana commented. “Because The Red Death still has a soul.” Nora stated. Alana shook her head. “Not just that. He still has his heart.”

★

Throughout the days leading up to November twenty-seventh, the Senior Staff gathered together in the main Recuperation Room. “I think we should give to local homeless shelters!”, “I think we should donate toys to needy kids!”, “Let’s take care of the bills for a few families this month!”, the ideas for acts of kindness poured out from the various members like a waterfall. Alana was deep in thought as everyone else talked. “What do you think Melody?” The Red Death asked. “I think we should make a list of all the needy families in the area, each of us choose at least a couple of them, then provide them with relief and goods this month. I also think that we should get the children more than just toys, but clothes, shoes and books as well. Perhaps, for every child on our list, we get them an outfit, pair of shoes, new book, and a toy. We can even take in to effect the non Christian population and still provide to them, simply for an act of goodwill. That way, everyone gets help, and needy children get a little cheer. They are a lot less fortunate than us, we should give them a bit of what they need and want. Oh, and let’s not forget the children in the hospitals around the area. At least one toy for each of them, and a meal sent to their families.” She suggested. “Do we have the budget for that, sir?” Veronica asked. The Red Death looked at Veronica with an eyebrow raised. He grabbed a tablet, tapped on it for a couple of minutes and handed it to her. “I see. We have more than enough.” Veronica replied. “I think it’s a fantastic idea!” Renee called. “We can even get the Paladins in on this! That way, we can help more people!” Nora cheered. “I’m in.” Derek chimed in. “Here here!”, “Let’s do this!”, “Huzzah!”, the room boomed with approval. “So, it’s unanimous. Melody’s idea wins.” The Red Death chuckled. “We deal with so much death, this is a lovely idea that can help people across the board, even if it is just for a little bit.” Lyra stated. 

After much more discussion, each member of the Senior Staff was given a family to spoil. As they left the Recuperation Room to begin their missions, The Red Death held Alana back. “I know you’re going home for Christmas. When will you be leaving here?” He asked. “Probably the morning of Christmas Eve. Sam and Ken will get to the house the night before, and Mom and Nate are set to come home that day as well. Don’t worry... I’ll be back the day after Boxing Day.” She replied. “You know you don’t need to worry about when you’ll be back. I just want you to have fun.” He grinned. “Thanks for this. Although, I know that, if I’m not back in time for the New Year’s Party, all hell will break loose.” She chuckled. “When it comes to your missions, just buy the stuff for the kids. I’ll buy the food and deliver everything. After all, you are the only person in this tower who is leaving it for the holidays.” He ordered. She looked at him, puzzled. “Are Brandon and Jack not having Nora over?” She asked. “They’ve decided to spend the day here.” He replied. “Ah.” She nodded.

★

“Melody are you ready? It’s time to decorate the tree!” Agatha called from the living room in the main Roster family home. The family matriarch, Margaret, sat in the rocking chair next to a big box of ornaments. Alana dashed into the room. “Sorry, I was working on something.” She huffed. “You’re always working on something. It’s time to have fun!” Margaret stated. “I know, but Oma, you know I’m a busy woman.” Alana explained as she stood next to her grandmother. “I know, but, you need to slow down a bit.” Margaret replied. “I’ve been saying that for over a year, Mom, but she won’t listen.” Agatha commented as she turned on Christmas music. “Sweetie, you can’t be running all the time. Sometimes, you have to sit back and enjoy the view.” Margaret smiled as she held Alana’s arm. “But the view I want to see is almost within my sight! I’m almost to my ultimate goal!” Alana excitedly protested. “It’s not good for you to always be running. Even Nathaniel has been saying that.” Agatha stated. “I know... But still...” Alana sighed. “Alright, let’s get to the tree!” Margaret ordered.

As the three women took decorations and ornaments out of boxes and put them on the tree, they talked about memories. Margaret picks up a purple heart ornament with a pink decoration on it. Agatha: “Awe! Mels! It’s your Hannah Montana ornament! Remember your pop star phase?” Alana: “I’m trying to forget about it...” Margaret: “I don’t see why. You have a lovely singing voice.”

Margaret picks up an ornament that looks like a playing card. Margaret: “Sam’s card ornament! What game was that that she was so obsessed with?” Alana: “YuGiOh! That’s her Blue-Eyes White Dragon. She put it in a card protector and turned it into an ornament for safe keeping.” Agatha: “I thought you all were in to Pokemon...” Alana: “We are. But, we all prefer the games and anime over the cards.”

Margaret picks up an ornament that looks like Merida. Alana: “Mom’s Brave ornament!” Margaret: “We were singing “Noble Maiden Fair” before Disney popularized it.” Margaret picks up a metal ornament that’s in the shape of a cat. Margaret: “Sylvester’s ornament.” Alana, who tears up and begins to sniffle: “I miss him...”

★

“Mels! This is a wonderful idea! I’m glad the R.D.R is doing this! I wanna take part! If there’s a family that I can do that to, let me know!” Severina cheered. “Well, there are a couple of families that are on the list that the Senior Staff and I can’t get to... I’ll send you the details later today.” Alana smiled as they walked around the shops. “Fantastic! I can’t wait to put a smile on their faces!” Severina beamed. “Have you finished your shopping?” Alana asked. “Not yet. I haven’t quite decided on what to get you. Do you know what you want?” Severina asked. Alana shook her head. “The item I want most is on its way... I hope.” She replied. “That book you’ve been talking about for months? What was it called again? The Toll?” Severina asked. “No. The Toll is a book I’m still waiting on. It’s The Living that is on its way. I’ve waited two years for that book. I preordered it when Isaac Marion said that it was available. It’ll be a signed, hardcover, first edition, fresh off the press, copy. It’s that zombie book I’ve been waiting for.” Alana replied.

As they went through the shops and Alana purchased the items for the needy kids on her list, Severina kept talking about how great the holidays were gonna be. “We’ll play games and eat ourselves sick!” She cheered. “And your dad will get mad like he always does.” Alana commented. Severina stuck her tongue out at her. “This year, I don’t care if my father gets angry with me! I wanna enjoy myself!” She scoffed. Alana smiled. “Not to mention, how, if everything goes well, you won’t have to deal with your father any more soon.” She added. Severina hugged her. “Yeah! After that’s all over, my father won’t have any power in my mom’s and my life! I still don’t see why this investigation is taking months to do....” She replied. “Because you and your mom need time to build up your lives so you two won’t fail after he’s gone. I’ve told you that for weeks. Make it to where there is no way that you two will ever need him. During this time, the police and I are getting every ounce of evidence we need to lock your father away for good.” Alana explained.

A few minutes later, they had wandered into a bookstore. “Are we gonna have a snowball fight?” Severina asked. “Probably.” Alana grinned as she looked over the books. Suddenly, a book on a shelf in the book caught her eye. She walked over to the shelf and gazed at the book. It was an old detective novel by Agatha Christie. She picked the book up, looked closer at it, and smiled. A first edition. “I’m sure he has a copy of this one, but he doesn’t have a copy like this.” She thought. She took the book to the counter. “Either you’re a hardcore Agatha Christie fan, or you’re a fan of rare books.” The girl commented. “The man I love is a major fan of Hercule Poirot. I’m sure he has a copy of this one, but it’s not a first edition. This will be a perfect Christmas present.” Alana explained. “Would you like it gift wrapped?” The girl asked, smiling as she rang the book up. Alana shook her head. “No, I like wrapping presents myself.” She grinned as she slid her card in the card reader. “That’s so sweet. I hope he likes it.” The girl handed her the book in a bag with her receipt. “I hope so too. Thank you.” Alana took the bag, looked at it hopefully and began looking for Severina. “Have a great day! Merry Christmas!” the girl called as Alana walked off. “So, find anything good?” Severina asked. “Yeah, Nathaniel’s Christmas present.” Alana replied.

★

“Get in assholes, we’re going light looking!” Alana cheered as Castiel, Priya, and Nathaniel stood before a van. “Why do I have to drive?” Nora asked. “Because it will be good for you.” Alana replied. “Why are we doing this?” Nathaniel asked. “Because! Light Looking is a fun holiday event! We get hot chocolate, fast food, blankets and pillows and listen to Christmas music while we drive around and look at everyone’s light displays! Come on guys! Please?” Alana cheered. Nathaniel, Castiel and Priya looked around at each other and sighed. “Alright, if it’ll make you happy.” Nathaniel slightly grinned as he got into the van. “And why are we here?” Priya asked. Alana looked at them blankly. “Because its more fun with more people and you guys are my friends.” She stated. Priya looked at Castiel, shrugged, and got into the van. Castiel looked at Alana and smiled. “Is this what you really want?” He asked. “Yes.” Alana cheerfully cooed. “Alright, I’ll do it.” He chuckled as he got in the van. “Fantastic!” Alana cheered as she got in.

“Does your family decorate the outside of the main house in Weathering at this time of year?” Priya asked as they drove through the suburban sections of the city, listening to Christmas music, eating snacks and drinking hot cocoa. “Yeah. It’s tradition that the closest family members are required to do it. This year, Agatha and I had that task. There are lights in the trees and along the fence. We even have metal Santa hats for the dragons on the gate and the mailbox. Its not much, but people like it. We used to always get comments from local kids and our postmen before mom, Sam and I moved.” Alana explained. “Why don’t you stop, now that you don’t live there anymore?” Priya asked. “Because that house has been in our family for several generations. It’s been my family’s primary home since my great, great, grandmother bought it when my great, grandmother was a child. Typically, the next head of the family inherits it. It’s going to mom. Then, even though I’m mom’s successor, it will be going to Sam. Decorating it is a tradition that my family follows because, at it’s core, even though most of us don’t live there anymore, it is still home to us.” Alana continued to explain. “That’s really sweet.” Priya cooed.

As they drove through the city they saw many beautiful displays. Lights, music, beloved characters, it all made them feel warm. “Are you all gonna see family this season?” Nora, innocently, asked. Nathaniel and Castiel looked down. “I’ll be seeing my parents, but only for a couple of days.” Priya piped up. Alana put her hand on Nathaniel’s arm. “You could spend the holiday with me. I’m sure my family will happily welcome you.” She whispered into his ear. “I’m not ready for that. Besides, I’ll spend part of that day with Amber.” He whispered back. “Oh.” Alana looked down. “Thank you for the offer.” Nathaniel whispered, lovingly.

★

“Calm down, everyone!” Rayan called as he stood before his class. When the class became silent, he gave everyone a grin. “Now, I know that some of you will be starting your winter break after this, but I want you all to remember, learning does not stop at that door. Take in the beauty of the season, and appreciate the art that comes with it. Have a good break.” He announced as the class ended. Alana walked up to the podium. “You gonna watch the BBC’s rerun marathon of all the Doctor Who Christmas specials during the break?” She asked. “Maybe. You know Christmas isn’t my favorite time of year.” He replied, a hint of sadness in his voice. Alana looked down and attempted to be cheery. “I get that. But, hopefully, something will help you feel better.” She replied as she took a package out of her backpack and set it on the podium. “Merry Christmas Rayan.” She smiled as she walked out of the auditorium.

Rayan looked at the package, curiously, and began to open it. Inside was a DVD copy of Matt Smith’s era of Doctor Who, a Deadpool comic, a set of Batman shaped chocolate, and a note. 

“From one geek to another. I hope this adds some cheer during this season.

                                     - Melody Alana Roster”

He read the note and smiled. “Thanks Alana.”

★

The hustle and bustle throughout the Black Tower became more celebratory. The Jewish members celebrated Hanukkah and invited Alana to join in on their fun. She took part in at least one night of the celebrations. “If you ever wanna join in on our holiday, please feel free to!” The girl who invited her smiled. “Yes, thank you so much for giving us some of your time!” a boy beamed. “Thank you for the invite! It was a lot of fun!” Alana smiled as she left the room. The other members of the Senior Staff were continuing their work on their missions. Alana had dropped off her mission purchases in the Red Death’s office.

“Severina talked to me about the mission. I gave her three families to help out and she went above and beyond. I’m impressed.” The Red Death commented. “She really wanted to help and she loved our mission.” Alana smiled. “That’s amazing. I’ll be sure to give her credit for all the work she’s done.” He replied. “Thank you, sir.” Alana bowed. “Alright, go get ready for your holiday.” He ordered.

★ 

The morning of Christmas Eve, Alana had been walking through the city, getting the last items she needed before she had to leave for Weathering. “Alright, got the treats from that local bakery that I like. Got all the presents loaded into my Mini Cooper, the Tower won’t fall into ruin while I’m gone. Nathaniel and everyone here know when I’ll be back. Sam and Ken got to the house last night. Mom and Nate should be getting there right about now. The shops should all be closing in the next couple of hours. I even got myself some yummy treats for breakfast! I’m still waiting on The Living to come in.” She thought out loud as she made her way back to the Black Tower.

When she got back to Death’s Domain, she saw Nathaniel standing outside her door. “My, my!! It really is Christmas. It’s just a damn shame I don’t have any mistletoe around!” She cheered when she saw him. “I wanted to see you before you leave.” He said, nervously. “I’ll only be gone a few days. I promise I’ll be home in time for New Years.” She cooed as she opened the door and let him in. “Would you like something to eat? I guarantee I bought too much for myself.” She offered as she set her purchases on the table. “Are you sure?” He asked. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t sure. Come on, let’s eat.” She insisted as she pulled out the food and a couple of plates. “Thanks, Alana.” He smiled as he sat down. Alana noticed him placing a package on the ground next to him. “What’s that?” She asked. He looked at her and nervously blushed. “I-I got you something.” He muttered. Her heart skipped a beat. “That’s really sweet! I’ve got something for you too.” She mused. He looked surprised for a second. “Really?” He asked. Alana got up from the table, walked over to the Christmas tree, picked up a present, brought it over to the table and sat down. “Do you wanna do this, then eat? Or do you wanna eat first?” She asked, lovingly. Nathaniel looked at the gift, then at the food, and his stomach growled. “Can we eat first?”

After eating their meal, Alana cleared the table, took the present she had gotten for Nathaniel to the couch, sat down and motioned for him to follow in her stead. He picked up the present at his feet, walked over to her and sat down. He sat the package on the table next to hers. She picked up the small package and handed it to him. “You first.” She beamed. He took it in his hands and began to open it. When all of the paper was off the book, he looked at it. “Its a first edition. Where did you find this?” He asked, shocked, a smile making it’s way onto his face. “There’s a bookshop in the more aristocratic part of the city. I was there with Severina one day and I found it in the back on a shelf.” She explained. “Thank you Alana. I love it.” He blushed. Nathaniel laid the book on the couch next to him, picked up the remaining present and handed it to her. She unwrapped the present, opened the box and looked at the item in shock. “Nathaniel, you remembered!” She choked as she pulled out a blue and white teddy bear. Nathaniel put his hand on his neck and nervously looked away. “Amber dragged me to the mall one day... I saw that in that bear building store and thought of you...” He explained. The bear was a deep blue with white spots all over it, resembling snow. It had yellow pajama’s and a deep blue robe on. On it’s wrist was a large plush bell. Hanging from it’s ear was a tag that looked like a golden train ticket. “Nathaniel, you didn’t have to get me anything...” Alana smiled. “I know, but I wanted to.” He replied. She set the bear down on the coffee table, got closer to him and kissed his cheek, sweetly. “Thank you so much Nath. It means the world to me.” She cooed. He scooted away from her, nervously, and his blush became more prominent. “M-Merry C-Christmas A-Alana.” He stuttered as he grabbed the book. She chuckled, grabbed the bear and stood up. “Merry Christmas Nathaniel.”

A couple of hours later, the gate at the main Roster family home in Weathering opened and Alana’s car pulled into the driveway. Sam opened the door as Alana got out of her car. “Welcome home, asshole!” Sam called as she walked towards the car. “Merry Christmas jackass!” Alana called as she started pulling stuff out of the car. “Good to see you, sis.” Sam patted Alana on the back. “You too, Sam.” Alana smiled. “Mom and Nate aren’t home yet. A package was sent here for you. The Red Death directed it to come here.” Sam explained as they walked into the manor. They walked to the kitchen and sat the goodies on the counter. “Mom and Nate will be home this evening. As for what he sent here, I’m not sure what it is.” Alana replied. “Well, he’s not the type to send gifts like that, is he? He typically gives you guys stuff directly, or sends messengers, right?” Sam asked. “Typically... Unless...” Alana began as her eyes shot up and she bolted to her room.

Alana threw open the door, ran to the bed, pulled out a knife and opened the package. “FINALLY! TWO YEARS OF WAITING AND IT’S FINALLY HERE!” She called as she picked up the book. Two years of waiting patiently, watching out for Isaac Marion’s email updates, a hint of despair when one update said that it might not get finished, hope when the emails began talking about the looming completion, and utter joy when preorders became available had all lead up to this. She opened the book and smelled the pages. “Ahhh... Freshly printed!” She sighed. She turned to the title page and saw the signature. She closed the book, looked in the box, pulled out the two packets and smiled. “The signed bonus stories!” She cheered. She quickly placed the book on the bed, sat down, and delved into the stories. After a few minutes, she placed the packets on her desk. “Those were lovely.” She sighed as she grabbed the book and went back downstairs. 

“He must have seen that it would come in while I’m here!” Alana cheered as she walked into the living room and held up her book for Sam and Ken to see. “Isn’t that the book you’ve been waiting on for a while?” Ken asked. “Two years, yes.” Alana confirmed. “Well then, good for the Red Death. Although, you’d better understand, you can’t tear into that book the entire time. I know you’ve been waiting forever for it, but you need to stay in our world for a bit.” Sam chuckled. Alana rolled her eyes. “I know. I’ll just read in my free time.” She sighed. “Good. Mom texted me, she’ll be home in a couple of hours.” Sam announced.

Hours later, while Sam, Ken, Margaret and Alana were in the kitchen preparing the meal for the following day, the front door flew open, allowing some of the snow to come in to the manor. “Mom!” Sam and Alana cheered in unison as they sauntered towards the entryway. “We’re home!” Lynne announced as she and Nate walked into the entryway and shook off the snow. “Welcome home mom.” Alana smiled as she hugged her mother. “Hey Nate.” She cheered as she hugged her step-father. “Welcome back guys.” Sam smiled as she hugged them. “My babies! I’ve missed you two so much!” Lynne cheered as she looked at her daughters. “Is Nathaniel not with you?” She asked Alana. “No. I invited him, but he’s spending tomorrow with his sister. He came to Death’s Domain this morning and we ate breakfast and did our gift exchange.” Alana clarified. “What did he give you?” Nate asked. “The Polar Express bear from the bear building shop.” Alana blushed. “Awe, he must have remembered your favorite Christmas movie!” Lynne smiled.

It didn’t take long for everyone to eat dinner and get settled into the living room. The Christmas Eve movie that was chosen was Hogfather. As the movie progressed, and Death did the Hogfather’s job, Alana couldn’t help but be reminded of why she chose the Grim Reaper as her R.D.R avatar. It was, of course, an homage to her favorite incarnation of him. She never got over the part of him saving the little match girl in Hogfather. The scene in the movie was playing. “You’re not supposed to do that.” Alfred said as Death refilled the little match girl’s hourglass.  "The Hogfather gives presents. There's no better present than a future." Death pointed out as he picked the little girl up off the street. Terry Pratchett’s version of the Grim Reaper was what she wanted to resemble when doing her job.

After the movie was over, and everyone had gone to bed, Alana made sure to leave a pork pie and a glass of sherry for Santa with a note saying “The Hogfather likes this, maybe you’ll appreciate something different.”. She knew that no one would come for it, but she giggled at the principle of the thing. She went back to her room, put the bear Nathaniel gave her in her lap, texted Nathaniel “Goodnight”, and began reading her book. “I’ll just read a couple of chapters, then I’ll go to sleep.” She mused as she read.

★

The morning of Christmas Day was always a fun one. With no little kids waking up early to make a ruckus, it was up to Sam and Alana to wake up and begin the festivities. As Alana descended the stairs in her pajamas, she smelled bacon being cooked in the kitchen. “Merry Christmas fuckface!” Sam cheered as she stood over the stovetop. “Merry Christmas you overdeveloped cum shot!” Alana mused as she walked into the kitchen, pulled out a griddle and began preparing pancakes. As the pancakes cooked, Alana pulled out her phone and sent a “Merry Christmas” message to Nathaniel. He quickly came back with a “Merry Christmas” message. As the smell of the girls’ cooking became stronger, Ken, Lynne and Nate wandered into the room. “Smells delicious!” Lynne mused. “Can I have some?” Nate asked. “We’re eating good today!” Ken cheered.

Not long after breakfast, there was a knock on the door. Everyone had gotten dressed and was beginning to work on the next preparations for the evening feast. “They’re here early.” Sam smiled. “At this rate, they might as well spend the night here!” Alana commented as she went to open the door. “MELS!” Severina cheered as she threw her arms around her. “Hey Rini!” Alana mused as she hugged Severina. She looked at the people behind Severina. “Hey Viktor, aunt Verity!” She called. Viktor came into the manor holding a large stack of gifts. “Hey Mels!” He smiled as he did his best to balance the stack in his arms. “Do you need help?” Alana asked. “I’d appreciate it.” He sighed. She chuckled and took some of the packages away from him. “Thanks.” He smiled as they walked to the living room and set the presents around the tree.

Throughout the day, the manor filled with the Roster clan and close friends. Agatha, Seraphina, Kirk, Kai and Ravenna had all shown up. As soon as Kai had entered the living room, he was met with sharp glares from Viktor, Severina, Ken, Sam and Alana. “Already judging, I see.” Kai commented as he sat down in a chair in the corner. “If you weren’t so disrespectful, you wouldn’t be receiving this treatment.” Sam spat. “The least you can do is be a good little boy and remain silent.” Severina shot. “Oh, and don’t forget to thank OUR FAMILY for making sure your daughter doesn’t turn into a wretched disgrace like you!” Alana added. Ken and Viktor looked at each other, then shot Kai disgusted looks. “Come on? Nothing from you two?” Kai asked them. “The girls have got it covered.” Viktor stated as Ken nodded in agreeance. Kai then scoffed and left the room. He could be heard muttering the phrases “fucking assholes” and “no respect” as he walked out. A minute later, Ravenna ran into the room, Seraphina following suit. “MELS! SAMI! RINI! KEN! VIKY!” Ravenna cheered as she made her way around the room, giving everyone hugs. “Hey kiddo.”, “Hey Kid.”, “Merry Christmas Ravenna.”, “Good afternoon little one.” they all greeted. “Hey kids.” Seraphina smiled. “Hey Sera.” Alana grinned. “I see you’ve all instantly jumped on Kai.” Seraphina commented. “I know Christmas is about “Peace on Earth” and “Good will towards men”, but he’s been an insufferable prick the past few years, so, we’ll ignore peace and good will in an effort to show him that.” Sam explained. “Not to mention how he’s disrespected mom, Sam and me A LOT over the past few years!” Alana commented. “Sera, he has become a selfish, self centered, overly entitled, fool.” Severina stated. “Okay, I get it. But, can we please tone that down for the holiday? I’ll tell him to do the same.” Seraphina requested. Sam and Alana rolled their eyes. “Fine, I guess.” Sam sighed. “Whatever.” Alana shot.

It wasn’t long before the ham was in it’s final hours of cooking and everyone could gather in the living room to open presents. “Did you get something from Nathaniel?” Severina asked. “Yeah, that Polar Express bear that just came out.” Alana replied. “Awe! He remembered!” Severina cooed. Lynne began passing the presents out to everyone. Ravenna had gotten a bunch of toys from various genres. Superheroes from Alana, Anime from Sam and Ken, Sci-Fi from Lynne and Nate, and Princesses from everyone else. “Looks like her villains are up a creek without a paddle!” Alana joked. “Oh yeah! They won’t know what hit them!” Ravenna cheered. “Mels? Sam? Did you two not get Kai anything?” Seraphina asked. “Nope.” Alana replied. “Why would I?” Sam asked. Seraphina, and Lynne sighed. Kai opened the three presents he received. “Thanks guys.” He sheepishly grinned. Ken, Viktor, Agatha, Seraphina, Kirk, Margaret, Harold, Nate, Lynne and Verity opened their presents. “Thanks everyone.”, “This is so sweet!”, “You all know me!”, “This is lovely!”, “Thanks fam!”, “This is amazing!”, “So cute!”, “Fantastic!”, “I love it!”, “Divine!” they all cheered as they put the trash in the bag. Severina began to open her presents. “Oh my gosh! These are amazing!” She cheered. Alana had gotten her a collection of all of the Pokemon movies. Sam had gotten her a bunch of Sailor Moon items. Viktor had gotten her Disney stuff. The family got her various other things that was on her wish list. Sam opened her presents. The pile of items around Sam looked like an explosion of Batman. “This was awesome!” She beamed. Alana began to open her presents. Agatha gave her filaments for her 3D printer. Margaret gave her a Sailor Moon plush. Seraphina gave her a set of Stewart Semple’s paints. Lynne gave her figures of Death from the Discworld Emporium. Nate gave her Doctor Who items. Verity gave her a black, Doctor Who, long coat. Viktor gave her a Rowlet plush from Pokemon. Severina gave her a set of Sailor Moon Funko Pops. Then came Sam’s presents to her... Alana unwrapped the gift and instantly became awestruck. “Sam, this is a Hong Kong exclusive.” She commented. “Yeah, I got a contact to get it to me.” Sam replied. Alana picked up the item and showed everyone. In Alana’s hand was a portable power bank shaped like the Cosmic Heart compact from Sailor Moon. “There’s more in that box.” Sam smiled. Alana pulled out a Spiral Heart Rod selfie stick and a Cosmic Heart popcorn bucket from Universal Studios Japan. “See, it matches the Crystal Star and Cutie Moon Rod stuff I got for Rini!” Sam beamed. Tears came to Alana’s eyes. “Sam.” She sputtered. “Awe, come on! You know I love you!” Sam chuckled. “Awe!” A bunch of people smiled. 

After the trash from the presents had been cleared away, and all members who didn’t live in the house had put their presents in boxes and bags, Sam, Ken, Lynne, Seraphina, Agatha, Viktor and Alana put the food on the table. The dinner consisted of a massive brown sugar glazed ham, turkey, two different dressings, green bean casserole, yams, mashed potatoes, white gravy, cranberry sauce, carrots, croissants and rolls. The desert table was covered in beautiful snacks brought by several members of the family. Several Christmas themed cakes, snickerdoodles, several variations of sugar cookie, shortbread cookies, gingerbread cookies, divinity, home made hard candy, truffles, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, candy canes, and cheesecake. “I see the feast is a little extra cheery this year!” Verity beamed as everyone sat down. “Yes, this is a major year for our clan! We must celebrate it properly!” Seraphina smiled. “Let’s hope that the table will have more next year!” Agatha cheered. Alana smiled. “Hopefully, it will!” She cooed. Margaret whispered something to Lynne and Lynne stood up. Everyone turned their attention to Lynne. “Family, dear friends, each Christmas, our clan celebrates another year of love, life, and the pursuit of happiness. As the stories tell, this season is for “Peace on Earth” and “Good will towards men”. Our family is no different. The past few years, we have been through many hardships, and, while I know the hardships have yet to end, and I can say that, this past year has brought us many victories. That being said, this is a time to be thankful for what we have, and look forward for what’s to come. I know you all are working hard to achieve your dreams, just as I have. Thank you all for everything you are, and everything you do! Merry Christmas!” Everyone raised their glasses and toasted to Lynne’s speech. “Merry Christmas!” They all cheered.

When dinner ended, they cleaned everything up, got everyone’s “to go” boxes ready and the kids went into the living room. “Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros.?” Sam asked. “Either way, someone is getting their ass kicked!” Alana cheered. “Let’s play Mario Kart! We played Smash last year!” Severina suggested. “I’m in.” Viktor cheered. “I’m out, I’m too full. I’ll sit and watch.” Ken sighed as he laid on the couch. Viktor, Severina, Sam and Alana proceeded to play video games for a couple of hours. Each match ending in cheers, someone groaning, and plenty of jokes and laughter.

Alana’s head had begun to hurt from the games, even with her glasses activated to “videogame mode”. “I’m gonna go to bed.” She yawned. “Okay, do you need help upstairs?” Viktor asked. “Nah, I’ll leave my presents down here, I’m just gonna go to sleep.” Alana smiled as she left the party and went to her room. Suddenly, her phone was vibrating. She took it out of her pocket, looked at it, and answered the call. Alana: “Good Evening Nathaniel.” Nathaniel: “Hey, Alana.” Alana: “I get a present and an evening phone call? It really is the most wonderful time of the year!” Nathaniel: “You sound like you’ve had fun.” Alana: “It would have been more fun if you had been here.” Alana put Nathaniel on speaker phone while she got changed into her pajamas. Nathaniel: “Alana....” Alana: “I know, I know.... You’re not ready for this yet. It’s a big thing to come to the Roster Family Christmas. Especially considering you’d be meeting Viktor, Severina and my aunt Verity. Oh, and we’re not officially back together yet.” Nathaniel: “You know...” Alana: “I know, it’s dangerous. You keep telling me that. But, you’re worth the danger. Not to mention, I’m me. I’ll survive.” Nathaniel: ... Alana took the call off of speaker phone and got into bed. Alana: “So? How was your holiday?” Nathaniel: “It was alright. I hung out with Amber for a while, then she had to spend time with our parents.” Alana: “So, for the most part, you just spent Christmas with Blanche?” Nathaniel: “Yeah.” Alana: “Well, next year, how about you spend Christmas with me?” Nathaniel: “Next year?” Alana: “Yeah. Amber can come too. We can even bring Blanche!” Nathaniel: -chuckles- “Maybe. When we get closer to that point.” Alana told Nathaniel how her Christmas went. Nathaniel: “Wow, you did have a lot of fun!” Alana: “It’s always a bit of a party around here at Christmas!” Nathaniel: “Would your family be okay if I came next year?” Alana: “Mom asked me why you didn’t come this year. Don’t worry, I told her that you and I aren’t fully official yet, and that you’re not comfortable.” Nathaniel: “Thanks Alana.” Alana: -yawns- “Of course. Hey, I’m really tired, I’m gonna go to sleep. Goodnight Nathaniel. Merry Christmas!” Nathaniel: “Okay. Goodnight and sweet dreams my Melody. Merry Christmas.” Alana ended the phone call, put her phone on the charger on her bedside table, grabbed the bear Nathaniel gave her, and curled up in bed. Viktor and Severina lightly knocked on her door, telling her that they’re staying the night and they’ll see her in the morning. Slow, calm, Christmas music rang through the house. Sam knocked on the door. “Mels! Don’t forget! We’re all having a snowball fight tomorrow! Rest up and prepare for battle!” She called. “’Night Mels!” Ken called. A couple of minutes later, Nate and Lynne called through her door. “Goodnight kiddo!”, “Sweet dreams sweetie!”. When the only thing that could be heard from outside her bedroom door was the Christmas music, Alana rolled over and muttered to herself. “He called me “his Melody”. She smiled.

As the calm took over the Roster Estate, the area felt an air of peace. The snow was still falling, the music was soothing, and everyone in the home felt warm and cozy. Sam and Ken snuggled up in their bed. Nate and Lynne cuddled in theirs. Kirk picked Ravenna up off the floor and took the child to bed. Harold had fallen asleep in a chair in the living room. Seraphina told Kai to quit complaining and go to bed, before having a cup of tea with Agatha and Margaret. Verity, Severina and Viktor took refuge in guest rooms. And Alana fell asleep without the fear of her nightmares waking her up in the middle of the night. Just as it should on Christmas, peace and love won, and for one night, all was well.

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

I have been wanting to write this one for a couple of years now. It was originally going to be a lot like the first Christmas event for MCLUL, but I ended up taking a lot of liberties.

Oh, for context.... Kai gets a lot of harsh treatment in this one... You might wanna read the Cousin Mels specials.... You’ll find out why the girls can’t stand him. He’s an entitled asshole. But, hey, every family has one of those.

Credit: @candysweetposts for Lynne’s sprite, and most of the components used to make Sam’s and Severina’s sprites. andanguyen for the background of the Roster Family Home

[lxveille]

What about on a crowded street at 9 with Jihoon for the flash fics~

title: impulseword count: ~ 1770warnings: jihoon struggling with zombie instincts (so, like, technically cannibalism ???) but Everything is Fine i promisea/n: zombie!au. technically a sequel to caveat but probably understandable on its own.

Jihoon is dead.

Kind of.

Undead is the closest word Jihoon uses himself, as he fumbles at trying to explain how he actually survived the car wreck. He’s not sure what the term is for ‘divine intervention’ when it’s coming from a witch. 

You prefer re-alive. Though ever search engine comes back saying you should use reanimated instead. Unless were curious about some poorly reviewed sci-fi film. The trouble is there’s a lot of films that come up no matter what keywords you enter. You’re beginning to suspect that the wave of zombies in popular media might actually be some kind of elaborate scheme to bury any results that point towards it happening in real life. The query ‘real life zombie’ isn’t much use either; pulling up science articles on parasites with zingy titles. 

So you’re left on your own with a difficult question.

It’s the last question you thought to have to answer in your lifetime:

Would you date someone even if they had to feast on living flesh to survive?

The only thing odder, really, is how quickly the answer occurs to you once you finally close out the internet and sit down with yourself. 

There is a strange pros and cons list that gets written that night. Admittedly, you’re not sure what to make of ‘murder??’ and ‘what happens the next time he eats you out’ on the con list – but ‘you love him’ turns out to be a pretty powerful pro. 

You wonder if Jihoon had made any kind of list when he was deciding whether or not to try to stay with you after his change. It’s the kind of question that would make him scrunch up his shoulders and blush if you asked him. Or, it would have made him blush back his blood still pumped. 

It’s a lot to process. But you and Jihoon find a rhythm that seems to work. Affection weaves itself back into your lives carefully. Friends see it as him finally opening back up to you after a traumatic event. To be fair, it’s not that far off. Though it underestimates exactly how much adjusting it truly required of you both. 

And as the two of you patch together a new version of your relationship, others take it as a cue to start inviting you both out with them again

Jihoon can still eat the same meals as before, but it’s only for a cover of normalcy. In all the bustle around the table, your friends don’t seem to notice exactly how little time lets any meat rest on the grill for. Amidst the two to three conversations crossing through the large group, your eyes catch his with sympathy. He manages a small smile back, and you aren’t sure what to make of the twist in your throat. Tonight was meant to be a return to normalcy. Instead, it feels now more than ever that the secret is burning on your tongue. 

When the meal has ended and everything is paid for, you find yourself letting out a sigh of relief unintentionally. 

“Tired already?” Seungkwan asks as he pulls on his jacket. “It’s only just nine.”

“Yeah, well, you know,” you fumble with filler words, “It’s been a long week.” 

“That’s the whole reason for going out,” Mimi jumps in on the conversation, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “You’ll wake up if you get to the bar,” she suggests with a grin. You protest only for Seungkwan to second her idea. 

“I think we were both planning on an early night, guys,” Jihoon comments without looking up from double-checking he has everything in his wallet. At his voice, Mimi’s look shifts to one of condolence. You wonder how long everyone will drop questions out of pity for what they think he’s gone through. You wonder what looks they’d give if they knew what really happened.

“If you guys change your mind you can always text us,” Seungkwan relents as well.

Mimi doesn’t unwind her arm from you until the group of you have exited the restaurant. With the sun down, the autumn chill is all the heavier in the air. “Let me know if you need anything,” she says to you privately before saying goodbye. With a wave back at you, she joins the others in heading down the crowded sidewalk. 

You drift to Jihoon’s side, and take a moment to glance between him and the group of familiar backs heading further and further away. “Maybe you ought to tell them you’re trying a raw diet, or something,” you comment, only a fraction serious with the idea. 

He lets out a dry chuckle. “Then they’d just invite us to some trendy salad place instead,” he responds. He doesn’t look your way; eyes following the paths of random strangers as they pass by.

“A nightmare,” you joke, and slip a hand into his. His skin in cold, and it takes him a moment to react at all to your contact. When his fingers do intertwine with yours, they do so with more pressure than you anticipate. It feels as if he’d rather be forming a fist. You tilt your head to try to get a better look at his expression without moving in front of him. His jaw is tense, and his lips don’t match with the laugh he’d given moment before. 

“Jihoon?” you prompt, trying not to summon too much worry. “Are you okay?” 

That question seems to knock something into his head, and he nearly snaps his head as he turns to look at you. “Yeah.” His tone is not convincing, though his hold loosens a bit. As if he’d only just realized how tightly he’d grasped back. “Let’s just go home.” 

You nod. You imagine he means his apartment, but there’s every chance he means both of you parting ways. Even with the truth out, there’s still times he recedes into himself. Admittedly, part of you is grateful that there’s parts he wants to keep from you. You’d walked on him halfway through satiating his hunger once, and it wasn’t a sight you were keen on seeing again. 

Conversation doesn’t come easily as the two of you start down the sidewalk. It doubles down on the sense that he’d been less than honest when he claimed to be fine. You listen in on halves of sentences of passersby, half hoping to overhear something funny that could be used to break the odd tension settling between you and Jihoon. 

Halfway down the third block, someone’s side knocks against Jihoon’s shoulder in the shuffle of it all. It’s the kind of thing to make either one of you scoff or complain. He doesn’t do either. He jerks to a halt instead, catching you off guard. His fingers dig in against the back of your hand, forcing your fingers to flex. His head is turned away from you, seeming to watch the accidental offender carry on their way. 

“Come on,” you say, and try to give an encouraging tug. His arm stays stiff. Nerves boil up inside you, searing with the thought that something is wrong. “You wanna go home, right, Jihoon?” 

He looks to you. The expression he has makes you want to pull your hand free and run. In the movies, zombies eyes become red, or the veins on their faces run dark in warning. There’s nothing nearly as obvious on Jihoon’s face. But you can see it all the same: an angry hungry, pulling at him like mad dogs at the ends of short leases. 

You don’t run. You take a few steps, fingers still linked with his. “It’s okay,” you tell him. He follows your lead without a word. Once you reach the corner, you take a quick look in each direction before heading down towards the least populated street. Your path sways towards the inside of the pavement, drawing to a stop with the two of you underneath the awning of some store already closed for the night. 

He releases your hand and nearly throws himself against the wall. His fingers curl at the brickwork, looking ready to claw the building to dust. “I’m sorry.” You watch him carefully, keeping an eye out for anyone else coming down the road. “Would it be easier if we got a taxi, or…?”

Jihoon turns around, shoulders pressing tight against the wall and eyes screwed shut. His hands are in his hair now, nails at his scalp. “I don’t know.” 

It hurts to see him in this state. Hurts enough to dim the fear that should be taking hold of your heart. You step closer to him, desperate to console him. “It’s alright. We’ll figure it out. We’ll get back to your place and…” you begin, reaching out for one of his arms. 

In an instant, his grip is around your wrist instead. His eyes on you, sharp and dark and restrained. “You shouldn’t,” Jihoon warns. What of is not entirely clear. 

“You don’t have to deal with this on your own,” you manage out the flurry of words. It’s the reasoning that makes accepting what he is now easier. It comes out like a default, still convinced he’s the one who needs help in this instant. 

His hand pulls you closer slowly. Before you can process what’s happening, your hand is by his face, the tip of your thumb between his lips. His gaze is steady on your face as your nail scrapes against his bottom teeth. Incisors press down against the fleshy underside. A pinching feeling hits your brain and has you tugging your arm away from the sensation. Jihoon is stronger than you, and it isn’t until he lets go that you can pull your hand to your chest. 

You look for damage, and find nothing more than a sheen of saliva on the end of your thumb. You know, though, that the whole of that damp skin could be gone now if he hadn’t been holding back. 

Still, he’s hissing curses regretfully.

You stay back this time as you try again, “Please. If we get a car you can get back to yours and eat faster.”

“Why won’t you go?” he asks. The frustration in his voice stings, even if you believe it isn’t truly meant for you. A lingering ache in your fingertip keeps you from closing the space between you. 

“I already told you.”

Jihoon closes his eyes again and takes a few slow, shaky breaths. “You’re so dumb,” he mutters towards the cement. When he looks up at you, though, there’s something like relief in his gaze. 

“I’ll get us a cab.”

[swordsandparasols]

One interesting thing about Hwayugi is that it takes the literally forced romantic set up-one half is magically compelled to love and protect the other, while the other half is unable to reject them-to use other tropes and “romantic” figures of speech and give them literal interpretations, often to highlight the toxicness of some romantic tropes.

 “The love of a good woman will control and redeem a bad man” not being a real thing was a heavy focus of this weekend’s episodes.

 He’s only “doing good” because she’s in danger.  It’s hollow and isn’t real.  Son Oh Gong’s only interest is in keeping Seon Mi alive.  The easiest allegory for their situation is that Son Oh Gong is a dog on a leash.  But he isn’t a dog that’s behaving. He’s pees on all the trees and grabbing the purses of old ladies and ripping them apart with his teeth and biting heels.  He’s restrained but he isn’t being good, and he doesn’t want to be restrained.  He is literally lashing out at everyone over this, concocting cruel plans as an outlet.

 Son Oh Gong’s love is shallow and selfish.  If you love someone you don’t want to love, you’re miserable and make everyone else miserable.  Son Oh Gong is forced to love Seon Mi by the Geumganggo.  He knows the love isn’t real, and he tells her that every chance he gets, usually in the same breath as professing his love.  He’s both completely sincere and wholly insincere at the same time.  Seon Mi doesn’t want his love, but she can’t reject his love or she will very literally die. All consuming love is horrible. Loving someone you don’t want to love is horrible.  Being loved by someone you don’t want to love is horrible.  The unwanted “love” isn’t romantic, it isn’t swoony, it isn’t love winning out against all odds.  It’s unhappy and toxic and misery inducing.  (Son Oh Gong deserves all the misery and suffering the show cares to throw at him because he’s earned it, but Seon Mi deserves no misery at all.  Ever.)

 A conversation early in episode 5 lays out the selfishness of his love, and also sets up the probable final conflict for Son Oh Gong;

  Seon Mi: “But still, this world I love shouldn’t be destroyed.”

Son Oh Gong: “What you love isn’t important.  The only thing that’s important is that I love you.

 And there it is.  At some point in time, Son Oh Gong will have to choose between what he wants (Seon Mi, though for real by that point, as opposed to because of magical compulsion) and what Seon Mi would want him to do, and what will make her happy (saving the world and the people in it).

 And then to drive the point home, we have the tail end of the episode.  Variations of “he’ll burn it all down if she gets hurt” are a popular figure of speech, but here it gets quite literal when the “he” in question is a chaotic trickster god who got kicked out of heaven.  Son Oh Gong literally burns an entire world (a sort of pocket world that exists within a 1930s film) into nothing when Seon Mi is hurt in it.  Mind you, he doesn’t do this to save her-he could have easily extracted Seon Mi and left everything intact-but to destroy it for hurting her.  It’s visually striking (many of the special effects in the show are deliberately-and sometimes less deliberately-goofy, but this wasn’t one of those times) but portrayed as frightening rather than romantic. It isn’t proof of love, it’s evidence of how dangerous he is.  (ETA:  Someone pointed out that he burned the 1930s world into nothing to erase what had happened there so that she’d no longer ever been shot.  My bad.)

 Among all the misery, though, there’s also hope.  We saw last week that Seon Mi has started to get used to and expect Son Oh Gong’s company. She’s lonely and isolated, and the only real human connection we know of that she has is her assistant, Han Joo, who is a far cry from a confidant.  And then a good looking guy starts hanging around, one who already knows her secrets and issues, and who she doesn’t have to worry about confiding in.  He’s also completely honest about his intentions, both good and bad, and comes with the added bonus of showing up to kill evil spirits that threaten her.  Of course she’s going to start to want to rely on him and start anticipating his company. Except she doesn’t really want to, because she knows it’s fake.  She’s still only one magic bracelet away from being lunch, and she tells him that she doesn’t want to like him, and liking him is bad for her.  It’s a sort of honesty that many dramas, regardless of country of origin, often don’t allow their female leads with their designated love interests.  Son Oh Gong, for his part, has accidentally started to be interested in her as a person, even though he doesn’t realize it yet.  He’s learning about her interests and going out of his way to do things, even if they are minor, that make her happy.  He’s also opening up to her, taking her to his actual home (which I did not realize was actually a house and not somewhere in Ma Wang’s building until now)  and letting her have some of the wine and beer he’s been saving up for years for when his restrictions against being able to drink alcohol are lifted. He also appears to be somewhat paying attention to what Han Joo is up to when Seon Mi isn’t around, something he doesn’t really have any reason to do except that Seon Mi will be upset if Han Joo is hurt.  These are fairly minor things, but definite progress for a completely amoral being. On the less minor front, he’s also starting to sabotage his own attempts to be free of the Geumganggo.

 Will the Hong sisters be able to successfully transfer this setup to a convincing romance?   I don’t know.  Based on what we’ve seen so far, I think they can, and as I said in this post , I think there’s enormous narrative potential for it all around, along with a lot of hilarity.  (Did I mention Song Oh Gong deserves every hilarious moment of misery and torment? Did I mention that Seon Mi deserves no misery or torment ever?)  My history with the Hong Sisters is both limited and mixed.  I’ve seen three of their shows and enjoyed all at the time, but only one (Master’s Sun) that I can say with certainty that I’d still adore today. Their other shows have either been shows that didn’t sound good, or (more frequently) shows that sounded perfectly decent, but didn’t interest me.

 This week also sees the introduction of a second potential love interest for Seon Mi.  Given the show so far, it would not surprise me at all if this guy’s company is called “Dragon Studio” because he is, in fact, an actual dragon, but we’ll see how that goes.  An actual love triangle isn’t really something this show needs, or has much room for, so hopefully it’ll work, or at least not be too intrusive if it doesn’t.  We also have Pal Gye accidentally having a case of feelings for our resident adorable zombie girl (Romantic?  Fraternal?  Favorite new pet?  Who knows.) which promises t put a kink into the plans of some other characters, as well as more development of Ma Wang as a more conventional tragic romantic figure, without actually making him a tragic romantic figure.  Related:  I knew Hwarang did Kim See Joo no favors with that dress and hairstyle meant for a character half the age of her character, but I didn’t realize how much so until I saw her with clothing and hair that actually suited her.

[boy-banders-writings]

First timer’s luck - E’Dawn [Hyojong] (Pentagon)

Group: Pentagon Member: E’Dawn aka Hyojong aka little shit Genre: fluff (because if it’s not fluff it’s angst which I’ll get to) You just couldn’t resist trying Hyojong’s new game, turns out you’re not that bad.

Spending the weekend with Hyojong meant two things, lots of physical affection and skinship, and playing games or napping the weekend away. Not that you minded, you loved spending the rare weekend with Hyojong. Between his job as a DJ at one of the more popular clubs in the city and his college classes during the day he was always busy.

You were the same though, except you worked from early in the morning till the afternoon and all of your classes were either online or night classes. Your dumbass chose to double major and even though you’re almost done with both, you’re plate is full. So getting to just lay around the living room your legs tangled together was melting away the stress from the last two weeks.

Just like the last Saturday the two of you spent doing almost nothing, Hyojong was reclined back he feet resting on the edge of the coffee table with a game controller in hand. Some of your mutual friends had gotten him into this multiplayer-RPG-Zombie-Apocalypse game (damn Hui and Shinwon) and he’s been obsessed with it since. He was up before you were today, which is insanely unlike him. When you rolled out of bed at 9:30 unable to sleep anymore he said had been playing for at least an hour an a half.

After making something quick for breakfast that the two of you munched on, you curled into his side as he played. You put a relaxing playlist composed of both of your favorite songs to play in the background. You had planned to read ahead for class so you grabbed one of your text books from the table and started.

Maybe ten minutes and six pages of text later you hear someone screaming from the headphones around Hyojong’s neck and his cute little snores. You put the bookmark back in your textbook and sat forward to see what was going on. Hyojong’s character was standing in a house like structure in a closet, not moving while whoever he was playing with was screaming for him to do something.

You gently removed his headphones and put them on, adjusting the mic closer to your mouth.

“Why are you screaming so loud?”

“Hyung? You sound so girly!” A familiar voice teased.

“That’s because it’s not Hyojong.” You rolled your eyes, picking up the controller Hyojong had dropped onto his lap. 

“ARE YOU A MURDERER PLAYING IN HYUNG’S SPOT?!”

“It’s (Y/N) dumbass.” You winced from the yelling.

“Oh, hi it’s Wooseok!”

“You play too?”

“Yea, Hui hyung got me into it. It’s alot of fun.”

“Why am I not surprised.”

“Be nice, I’m here too (Y/N).”

“Hi Hui, who else is here?”

“Shinwon, Jinho hyung and Yanan. Hyojong was suppose to be playing but he...?”

“Fell asleep.” You started messing with the controls trying to figure things out. “He got home from work about 3:30-ish. I figured he’d sleep all day but he was up before I was.”

“Wow, you’re an earlier bird too noona.” Wookseok chirped.

“I know, imagine my surprise. Do you guys always have play dates?” You picked, hitting a button causing the character on the screen to shoot the door. “Oops.”

“Sometimes, we were all suppose to play later today when Hongseok has to work all day to cover for someone and I have a tutoring session I forgot about.” Shinwon chimed in, “and hello noona.”

“Ah, okay. Makes sense. How’s my favorite chinese kid?” You mused, knowing Yanan probably wasn’t full functioning yet.

“He is good, just tired noona. How are you?” Yanan giggled out a yawn.

“I was going to be a good student and read ahead for class but you guys are really distracting.” 

“I can kick Hyojong out if you’d like.” Jinho popped in, “Sorry, I was getting something to eat. Hello (Y/N).”

“No, it’s fine. I was actually curious, I want to learn to play.” You had figured out how to roam the house, pick up items, reload the character’s gun and open doors and such. The moving around part wasn’t too bad. “Morning Oppa!”

“Really? We can give you a run down if you’d like.” Jinho offered.

“Why do you only call hyung oppa?” Wooseok whined. “Do you even call Hyojong oppa?”

“We’re the same age, so no. I call Hui oppa sometimes.” You shrugged before realizing they couldn’t see you. “Look are you losers going to teach me to play or should I just leave?”

“Can you imagine Hyung’s reaction to Noona kicking his ass later?” You could hear the evil smirk in Yanan’s voice. “I’ll help.”

“That would be funny.” Hui admitted. “Where are you?”

“In some house, wherever you left him from earlier.”

“We’ll come get you.” Shinwon cheered.

About an hour later you were holding your own in the game. Your aim wasn’t that good but you had eyes like a hawk. You were on watch duty from somewhere a little higher than the rest of the guys as everyone searched and worked to kill all the zombies. The only hard part was the moving fight zone. After a zone was cleared the players only had a few minutes to move to the next zone. That’s what was getting your team.

The six of you had cleared five zones already, were working on the sixth when shit hit the fan. To clear a zone you had to eliminate all the zombies within the zone. As you moved the next zone things got harder and this was the hardest yet. The screen said there was 80+ zombies lurking in the 3mile radius of the map. You and Jinho were going off towards the north to plow through the zombies there, Yanan and Wooseok had taken the South and Shinwon and Hui had headed East. The West had the most so the plan was to take that on together.

Separating seemed like a bad idea after the South got ambushed and Shinwon and Hui both died within minutes seconds of each other. Yanan and Wooseok got separated going to take care of the South after Shinwon and Hui died. Just as you and Jinho were finishing clearing up the North a screech from Yanan made you throw the headphones off. On the screen his username popped up saying he was eating alive. In less than five minutes the team had dropped by half.

When you jumped and let out a surprised shriek Hyojong stirred. After a moment, he jostled awake when you jumped again, a zombie barely missing you. He watched you for a few minutes as he woke up and joined the world of the conscious. He smiled to himself, seeing you beside him cross legged and so into the game he loved.

He was impressed by how well you were handling things. It took him a few seconds to check your stats on the side. You were low on ammo and your health was below half but you were playing well. He noticed that Jinho and Wooseok were the only other players still alive. As he watched you play he noticed how well you were actually doing. You had copied some things he’d done before, like luring zombies into a building and throwing in a molotov, or moving up as high as you could and taking the zombies out one by one with a sniper. He was very impressed.

He continued to watch you play until Wooseok died and you panicked, then Jinho was ambushed and killed in the next zone. He could faintly hear the guys giving you tips on what to do and where to go for a supply drop. You had done the best out of their team of six. This was your first time every playing this game, at least to Hyojong’s knowledge, and you were dominating. He sneakily grabbed his phone and sent a few texts to Hui bragging about how well you were doing.

“Ah! Goddamnit!” You yelled, frustration clouding you judgement for a solid three seconds before you whip around to see if you woke up your boyfriend to find a dumb grin on his face. “Ah, morning... again.”

“HOW DID SHE LAST SO LONG?”

“Why do you phrase things so weirdly Wooseok?” Jinho grumbled at his younger friend. “That’s borderline weird.”

“SHE LITERALLY LIVED LONGER THAN ANY OF US AND SHE’S NEVRE PLAYED BEFORE.”

“BECAUSE NOONA’S A BADASS!” Yanan yelled back.

“I’d say I’m surprised but she lives with Hyojong, she can’t have spent all that time with him and not picked up some skills.” Hui reasoned.

A flood of praises came in complimenting you on your game play and how well you did. They kept saying they made it as far as they did with your help, they had never made it past the zone before you died. The last zone you played in alone was new territory. Hyojong sat there a huge grin on his face as he listened to his best friends praise his girlfriend’s skills.

“You might even give Hyojong a run for his money.” Hui picked.

“We’ll have to see later. I have a Saturday to spend with my amazing gamer girlfriend, say bye.”

“Bye Noona! Talk to you later!” Wooseok and Yanan chimed at the same time.

“We have to play again sometime!” Shinwon gushed, “Bye you two!”

Jinho and Hui both said goodbye as Hyojong was turning off the game console. You watched him take the headset and controller from you before setting them on the table.

“What happened to reading ahead?” He sat on the coffee table to face you.

“You fell asleep, someone had to play.” You shrugged. “I didn’t want to wake you up.” You hand moved to his cheek. “You’ve been putting in extra hours at work and I know you’ve got homework out your ass. You need all the sleep you could get. Besides Wooseok was yelling about something. I was going to tell him to shut up, but you look like you have so much fun playing I wanted to try.”

“And what’d you think?” He leaned into her hand.

“After some practice I could kick your ass. They said you were the best player so far, I can totally take that spot.”

He threw himself on you, trapping you underneath him on the couch.

“We can play together later if you think you’re up for it.” He nuzzled his nose into your neck. “Thank you. For letting me sleep. I wanted to sleep later, wake up after you like normal. But we scheduled and early game because the guys will be busy later.”

“They told me.” You threaded your fingers through his hair. “I get it, it’s fun. Just take care of yourself okay?”

“Always. Now, let’s take a nap.”

“But you just woke up Jong.”

“And?”

“Okay, then we can have lunch and play some more.”

“Sounds like the perfect Saturday.” He mumbled into your neck, his sentence already fading into sleep.

“Definitely does.” You couldn’t keep your eyes open much longer between the comfortable position and his body warmth. So you followed him into dreamland, awaiting you time to play together.

[myupdatesystems-blog]

PS3 VS XBOX 360

New Post has been published on https://myupdatesystems.com/2017/04/05/ps3-vs-xbox-360/

PS3 VS XBOX 360

The reign of the Xbox is almost over. As of late the PS3 has been looking better and better. Looks like 2008 will be the year of the PlayStation. PlayStation 3 has many big name titles coming out this year and if the all games from the list are all actually released this year, all we can say is WOW. Note: The following list in no way represents the entire list of exclusive titles for each console. However, it gives us a pretty good idea of the games rumored to be released this year.

PS3:

Resistance 2 (PS3)

Guaranteed success. While the first was a great game and fairly big success, it was still just a launch title. Imagine what they can do after a couple years and games under their belt. 8 player Co-Op! Expect big things from this game.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3)

Another guaranteed success. Anyone who plays Gran Turismo will grab this game. If you’re a fan, you’re a fan. The visuals continue to improve, HD replays, ’nuff said!

Haze (PS3)

Hopefully the game will finally end it’s long series of delays this year. This game promises some intense action, including 4-player co-op, drop-in, drop-out, split-screen, online, or local multiplayer options. The game continues to impress visually, with not only the quality of graphics, but the very cool, unique design elements.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Who doesn’t know about this game? The game is still months away and is already epic. If any game could live up to the hype this game has garnered, leave it to Solid Snake, old or young. Like most of the games on this list, the visuals are amazing. The game looks to pack in an enormous amount of story and gameplay. The game features a immense arsenal of weapons and combat/stealth moves. If you own a PS3, you are almost required to buy this. You know you will.

SOCOM: Confrontation (PS3)

Still early on this title, few details have been released. The game will support up to 32 players online. Customizable weapons much like SOCOM 3. Also like the previous SOCOM games, the focus will be online multiplayer. Early word says this one will go the way of Warhawk, offering online only possibly with a bluetooth headset and all. After all, the original SOCOM kind of pioneered headset use on consoles.

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Possibly one of the most innovative, cute, and anticipated games of the year. Little Big Planet looks to expand the PS3 audience with this “build-your-own-game” game. Eat your heart out Nintendo Miis, this game looks great. The shear level of creativity allowed is staggering. The game also supports 4-player co-op and versus. Plus, it’s kid friendly without being offensively cute.

God of War III (PS3)

The PS2 went out with a bang (though it’s still hanging in there) with the original God of War, and most recently it’s sequel, still on the aging console. People have been waiting for a true “next-gen” God of War experience and it looks as though 2008 is gonna be your year, possibly. Not much is know as of yet, however, the games creator, David Jaffe, is no longer working on the series so we’ll just have to wait and see how everything turns out.

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) – Final Fantasy Versus XIII (PS3)

You’re either a fan, or you’re not, though, you’ve got to recognize the scale of the Final Fantasy franchise. The games continue to set graphical standards with every release. The next, XIII, looks to make good on their reputation. Not only are they again improving every visual, and storytelling aspect of the game, they are overhauling the combat as well. The combat in Final Fantasy XIII promises the speed up and intensify the battles.

MotorStorm 2 (PS3) [Teaser Trailer]

Another sequel to a previous PS3 exclusive, MotorStorm 2 hasn’t revealed much, but from the trailer we can expect yet another pre-rendered bar set too high for them to reach with in-game graphics. Don’t get me wrong, the original looked great, but the video they showed a year earlier looked 10-times better. This was the prettiest of all the racers for a while, but we’ll see how the sequel compares to the likes of Gran Turismo 5 HD later this year. Some of the improvements include new cars/trucks/motorcycles, tracks, and best of all, a much needed 4-player split-screen mode. The game’s also said to include 16-player online support.

Killzone 2 (PS3)

So, video and screenshots have shown just how good the game really looks in action. But what about gameplay? The original was not exactly praised by critics, though I quite enjoyed it (minus the large number of glitches). It definitely wasn’t the “Halo Killer” it was touted as. The sequel will have to really prove itself in such a crowded shooter market. Guerrilla Games has yet to reveal any real details on gameplay, i.e. co-op, multiplayer, customization? The game sure does look good though. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

XBOX 360:

Ninja Gaiden II (360)

Finally on to the Xbox 360, I thought we’d never get here. Ninja Gaiden II, the first official, true sequel, promises to up everything that made the original so popular. More action, more bad guys, more blood (almost too much), and more speed. The game’s creators have also addressed the difficulty issues some (many) had with the other games. They’ve said that without dumbing it down, they will be changing the controls in order to improve and lessen the frustration to newcomers. They’re also adding new weapons to the game and a ton of new character animations to keep the visuals fresh.

Too Human (360)

An epic in the making, Too Human is already set to be part of a trilogy. Everyone loves a trilogy. They’ve created an enormous world with a unique technology and organic design. The game is built on story, including a very ambitious new dynamic camera system that’s supposed to always give you the best view of the action during gameplay. The game also features a plethora of RPG elements to keep you interested. As with most RPGs you can upgrade almost everything, from weapons, to armor, to special abilities that extend your combat. The game also features a unique combat system, using the right analog stick for both melee and ranged attacks.

Fable 2 (360)

Sequel to a game that was a giant leap in artificial intelligence, Fable 2 looks to surpass it’s predecessor in every way. The ultimate choice between good and evil. This time your options are even greater. Similar to another Lionhead game, Black & White, the player will be given a pet in order to help you throughout the game, and also as a friend you can bond with. Peter Molyneux, the games creator has said he wants the game to get the player emotionally involved. Just a guess, but you can probably expect that your dog will eventually die. In addition to a game with conscience, the game is one of the first games to introduce money into the game before it’s release. That’s right, you can begin earning gold to spend in Fable 2 before the game ever hits store shelve, thanks to downloadable arcade games on Xbox Live.

Banjo-Kazooie 3 (360)

Very little is know of Bajo-Kazooie 3, if that is in fact it’s name. Rare, the company developing the game, released a short teaser trailer back in September 2006. It really didn’t show any gameplay, however, it did show a new boxy art style you can see in the screenshots above. You can expect the regular Bajo-Kazooie platform elements, collect everything in sight, teamwork to reach different areas and beat different enemies, and large open worlds. The Xbox 360 isn’t exactly known for having many platformers, so this will be a welcome addition. The last time we had a Banjo game was back on the N64.

Gears of War 2 (360)

Do I really have to say anything? Gears of War 2. You knew they would make it. The first was such a huge success, it actually beat Halo for top online multiplayer game, if only because it was the last-gen Halo 2. The game features everything new the Unreal Engine 3 has to offer. More enemies on screen, more destruction, more realistic lighting, and more chainsawing action. Another emergence day awaits us this fall.

Halo Wars

Halo isn’t dead! At least the Halo universe isn’t. Halo Wars is the first Halo game that isn’t a Halo game. It’s a real-time strategy. While the game isn’t being developed solely over at Bungie, it is being developed from the ground up for the Xbox 360 and console gameplay. Meaning they’ve supposedly solved some of the problems that plague many real-time strategy games on consoles. Did you know that Halo was originally a real-time strategy game being developed for the Mac? It’s true.

Splinter Cell: Conviction (360)

The next step for Sam Fisher looks remarkably similar to a Bourne Identity type game. That said, it still looks great. They’ve dropped the green eyed goggles in exchange for a man bag (ala Jack Bauer), hoodie, and beard, and they’ve got a stripped down and dirty, raw, Splinter Cell game where you’re now a fugitive from the law. The new game looks to change more than Sam’s fashion, focusing on what Ubisoft is calling “All new improvisation-based gameplay”. Where your inventory is actually the world around you, pick up and throw chairs, etc. Use crowds to your advantage, similar to Assassin’s Creed. This could be a great way to freshen up the series, or it could go too far from it’s roots and lose fans.

Left 4 Dead (360)

Zombies, Co-Op, Valve, Source, ’nuff said. The “43 in Left 4 Dead actually means something, it’s not just l337 speak. That’s right, 4-player co-op for a zombie first person shooter. A lot of people have high expectations for this one, and it looks like it could live up to them. Not a fan of being human, well they’ve got you covered. You can choose to play as a zombie, or “infected” as they’re called in the game. There are a number of different types of zombies each with different strengths and weaknesses. The brain eating should commence around October.

Alan Wake (360)

Do you like psychological thrillers? Alan Wake is a presented as more of a “movie” like game than a traditional action game. They’re officially calling it a “psychological action thriller”. The game has been in development for a while now (it won GameSpy’s Best of E3 2005) and claims to have a 2008 release date, we’ll see. It looks beautiful, the developer’s have spent a lot of time on really capturing the mood of a thriller. They’ve included full realtime day-to-night lighting and weather effects.