#protag cared That much about n in the short time they knew him

[claitea]

i wish they'd started giving the protags their own personality ingame sooner like can you imagine if bw had the same kind of dialogue options for n as there are for kieran. "he's a friend!" vs "he's... a friend" something as simple as that Destroyed me in indigo disk i dont know what it would have done to me if it was in bw

[artmunstudios]

What's 2 similarities & 2 differences U have noticed between Ozpin & Oscar?

Aaahh I was wondering if you were going to ask me! I’ve been seeing you around asking this question and the answers have all been interesting! So I’ll take on a response that people aren’t taking on then, yes? This will be a long post, so if anyone is interested in reading past the first analysis just click the ‘read more’!

Their Origins

Ozpin is at the core based off of two characters. One of those characters, Oscar is also connected to. There are obviously more characters and whatnot they reference, but for the sake of simplicity, I will only be addressing their clear initial inspiration. Ozpin is based off of The Wizard of Oz, also known as Professor Oz primarily in the Oz Book Series; but his full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, which he abbreviated to Ozpin Head. (Thank you @immortal-green-snom for this tidbit!!!) In the book series, after he had left in the air balloon in an attempt to help Dorothy get home, Professor Oz was revealed to have done a lot of slimy and heinous things to keep the throne of the Emerald City, and by extension, the Land of Oz itself. While he does get better in the latter books he reappears in, he was portrayed as being manipulative, a bit pathetic, but extremely intelligent and a master of illusions. I wouldn't be surprised if the writers of RWBY were trying to get that across in Ozpin's traits, but to be quite honest, they kinda failed at making him even a morally grey character, as a lot (not all, he isn't guitless, but again, a lot) of the arguments used in-show, and the FNDM itself, are all about things that were either not in his control, or something that was painted as being his fault/harmful, but was actually the opposite of the situation. The biggest example of this is Raven trying to trick Yang and Weiss into believing Ozpin had forced her and Qrow to become birds/have the ability to do so. In a lot of ways, Ozpin and Professor Oz are actually opposites of one another in terms of personalities, which may have in actuality been the overall intention CRWBY had, but we can only speculate. Professor Oz is extremely selfish, while Ozpin is selfless, even to a point where it actually becomes harmful to others. Professor Oz would have done anything to be in power, while Ozpin has done everything to relinquish himself of a position of power, which I find very interesting. This may be due to him even trying to somehow relinquish the burden the God of Light has placed on Oz as a whole, but is ultimately unable to give up that specific task. Even though, truthfully, he needed to relinquish that particular stronghold all along. Professor Oz is clearly a leader, and despite his negative traits, is actually a very good one. Ozpin...as much as I love him as a character, is not the greatest leader. He is, however, an excellent advisor/second-in-command. Professor Oz is only a mere mortal man pretending to be something more, while Ozpin is something bigger than a mortal man, but is pretending to be nothing but a man. Expanding upon this, they also are desperate to be the opposite of what they are. Professor Oz wants to be what he portrayed himself as, and for Ozpin, it's very much the same situation. There is a lot more I could say, but let's move on to Oscar!

Oscar Pine, like Ozpin, is based off of two characters at the core. Again, it is likely that he represents more than two, but for the sake of simplicity, let's discuss only the two. From the moment I saw Oscar, I knew right away that he was based off of my favorite character from the Oz Book Series...Tip. Tip, short for Tippetarius, was too a farmboy who longed for much more, who knew that there was more out there, despite being notably content in their lifestyle. The only difference was that Tip was a slave to an evil witch, but he escapes her in the second chapter with a companion. He is described as being just like any boy; rugged, mischievous, playful, and a lover of all things fun while still being quite shrewd. Unlike Ozpin and Professor Oz, Tip and Oscar are, in fact, extremely alike. Even down to their colors and appearance. Despite how Tip is colored, he actually has light brown skin (though considering the time period, we all know why this fact was dismissed), and black hair. And his treasured beanie cap was green and orange. His clothes also had a primary color scheme of brown, and were dirty due to the work he had done on the farm. Oscar and Tip have the exact same personalities, which was what affirmed to me that Oscar was meant to be his primary parallel. What got me the most was their sarcasm. Tip is still the most sarcastic and genuinely street-smart protagonists in the Oz Books. Not to say there were no other protags like that, but there was something to be said about how Tip was one of the few protagonists to actually act as a leader in the traveling group. Just like Oscar, Tip is also quite emotional, and they both have a sharp temper that they express not in loud outbursts, but by quips that you know could be quite hurtful if they wanted them to be. However, between the two, Tip is the loudest, should you put them in the same room. However, I suspect that as time goes on, Oscar might start becoming quite vocal when he doesn't like something, as I've noticed that the more he develops, the more he acts like Tip. Their behaviors are similar as well; when something personal is going on between two parties who clearly knew each other before him, both Oscar and Tip have a tendency to hang back and simply let the moment play out. They both start out as being sort of bystanders, just going with the flow while occassionally giving very good advice/strategies, but they start to become more of a leader as time goes on. In fact, leadership seems to be in their blood. There is actually a reason for this.

Ozma of Oz

There is a single thread that connects both Oscar and Ozpin, and that is the second primary character they represent. That character is the infamous Princess/Queen Ozma of Oz. Ozma, in many ways, is a lot like both Ozpin and Oscar; and may be the kind of person they become once the merging is complete. She is shrewd, but gentle. Sarcastic and blunt, but very elegant and fun-loving. They have a particular grace in how they handle their politics, but she admittedly gets into more trouble than rulers of kingdoms should. She is, ultimately, the perfect archetype of a ruler. And had completely reformed The Emerald City to be an environment that is very much like Vale's open-mindedness, with the advanced technology and efficiency of Atlas. Ozma, in the books, was actually revealed to be Tip; or rather, Tip was Ozma. After being transformed into a boy as a baby by a witch under Professor Oz's command, they were whisked away by said witch, and had been working under that witch until they had escaped as a young boy. Many speculate that Ozma was meant to represent the transgender community, and I know many transgenders see Ozma as an icon. Frank Baum was the type of guy that wrote things that were ahead of his time, and seen as very controversial by the few who could actually read the metaphors planned out. It was even implied in the later books that Ozma and Dorothy get married, and there were many illustrations made from the original novel illustrators of Ozma and Dorothy looking like a couple. What's even greater is that despite the change of gender from Tip to Ozma, she still very much contains her boyish traits despite the frills and queenly garb. As stated in one of the last lines in the second Oz Book;

"I hope none of you will care for me less than you did before. I am still the same Tip you know..."

When I realized Oscar was Tip, I knew Ozma was going to be put into the equation. I just,,,, wasn't expecting..... t h a t.

Oscar and Ozpin

Time to actually answer the question I was asked JSDJFDKDFKFK--

Oscar and Ozpin are different in one particular way: Trust. Ozpin trusts nobody. Truthfully, he doesn't even trust himself, I don't think, and that is likely why he didn't have much of a plan these days. He doesn't trust himself to be competent enough to complete the task assigned to him, he doesn't trust humanity to pass, hell, I don't think he even trusts the Gods to be capable of taking care of humanity considering the shit job they did in the past, and how poorly they have handled Ozma and Salem. In simple terms, Ozpin trusts too little. Oscar, on the other hand, trusts...a little too much. There, I said it. And I'm willing to say it again. Oscar trusts too much. Whether or not that will change after the end of V7 and what happened in V8 is left for debate. Oscar seems almost incapable of seeing the downside in some situations, like, for example, confronting a General who has completely gone off the deep end, unarmed and alone. And he trusted a man who needlessly beat the shit out of him for something that nobody, not even Salem, were truly at fault for. And while that trust paid off, unlike how it did in the past, it is a bit of an alarming trait that I genuinely think will simmer down either after all that happened in V8, or it will eventually when that trust truly bites him in the ass.

Another polarization between Oscar and Ozpin: faith. This ties in a little bit with the trust theme, but there is enough to talk about on its own. While Ozpin does believe that humanity is overall good, I think he has lost faith in their capability to work together long enough for there to be any sort of permanent peace. And, admittedly, he isn't wrong to think that. I think you would have to be very foolish if you genuinely think there will ever be a point where humanity will stop fighting amongst themselves; in other words, Ozpin is fully aware that the God of Light's task is genuinely impossible. And honestly? I think the GoL knows it is, too. Oscar has faith as well, but he views the dire circumstance in a different way that may be the key to solve the seemingly unending puzzle of Salem and their task. He gets faith in humanity not through the overall picture, but in the smallest things. Oscar likely believes that it doesn't matter if all of humanity is united, because he too knows that will never happen. But, he is certain that there is a lot more power in the smallest of unions and actions; a racist woman reforming and helping to comfort a faunaus child. A woman who helped a group of people tear down a kingdom realize the fault of their actions, and try to save another kingdom's people. A man who, while being genuinely wise, was so blinded by rage that he could not see past his own nose, change in order to save what little good has sprouted from something so terrible that he helped sow. The little things matter so much more, and unlike Ozpin, he doesn't think that they need to grow any further than that.

So, what makes them similar? Two distinct things. They both are very personal. Even if it is in different forms of expressing, Oscar and Ozpin are quite personal, especially when it comes to their advice. But they also really feel for the person they are talking to. And while Ozpin felt Hazel was too far gone, he felt for him and understood and even agreed with his anger. Their empathy is truly something else; and it is also their weakest point. Not to say that having empathy is bad, but their empathy leads into another trait that they have in common... They let people walk all over them. All. The. Time. To a point where it is actually very frustrating, and it even hinders their development as characters. Ozpin let Ironwood walk all over him, and never spoke in defense for himself. Ozpin let the council walk all over him, and never defended himself. Ozpin allowed for so much of the blame to be placed on his own shoulders, that it is extremely unhealthy, and something I wish the show would address, but have come to accept that it won't. Especially when this trait is reflected in Oscar as well. He blamed himself for failing to convince Ironwood, he allowed for Jaune to verbally and physically attack him, and outright refused to let Jaune apologize. They both brush off their wellbeing so often, that watching Oscar do the same only confirms to me the suspicions I had as to why everyone was genuinely so blind to figure out what was going on in their heads and when they were struggling. Because both Oscar and Ozpin refuse to acknowledge their own struggles and shortcomings.

But, to be frank, that is more of a writing issue than a character reflection, in my personal opinion. And I'll continue to see it that way until the show actively acknowledges that unhealthy behavior.

There ya go! My very very long analysis of Oscar and Ozpin; I hope I brought something unique among the batch of this question!

[wildgoose97]

In Your Dreams

Fandom- Blush Blush

Genre- Angsty

Pairing- Seth X Male Protag/Marshmallow

Words- 930

Note- I meant to write smut but OOPS!!! All Angst.  If your wondering why my writing is weirder than usaul, I wrote it in ‘Blush Blush’ style....cuz that’s the only way I can explain ‘Horny warm’.

Also yes I gave the Protag the name ‘Marshmallow’ instead of ‘Y/N’ Still technically a reader insert.

Marshmallow gave a tired yawn as they stared up at the ceiling. The week had been tiring, all their jobs, hobbies, and boyfriends were starting to become to much work for him, don’t get him wrong, he still absolutely loved all his boyfriends...he just didn’t have much time by himself anymore. Lucky for him he only had one animal boy left, then maybe he could go back to working one job and actually get proper nights of sleep.

He glanced at the clock on his bedside table…4 AM, he sighed, he had to get up for his barista job at 6 AM. He only had 2 hours to get some sleep, it was better than none. His eyes slid closed as he let today’s sleepiness engulf him. 

---

His dreams were usually filled with thoughts of the manamals, usually nightmares. These nightmares stemmed from him fearing he won’t find all the manamals. Sometimes he dreamed that he had never saved the others, that he had failed them, that he had ruined their lives. Nimh being a rabbit significantly shortening his already short life span, Volks living forever alone in the woods...which he probably didn’t mind, Kelby not being able to play basketball due having hocks instead of hands, Eli not being able to fit into his favorite pair of pants- Ugh he didn’t even want to think of those dreams.

Those dreams made him toss and turn to the point that when he woke up he felt as if he hadn’t slept at all. Tonight though… felt different, his body was engulfed in some type of warmness...not the comforting type of warm...the horny type of warm.

Is this…? Is this...uh….what did they call it in school? OH! Is this a wet dream? He had never had one of these before! He wondered who the subject will be? Not like he cared that much, anything was better than those horrid nightmares. ...Nightmares...despite the warmness he felt himself getting sad again.

Finally, an arm wrapped around his torso, the other wrapping around the near his butt area. The arms pulled him forward into a nice...warm body. Like really warm, like the horny warm. His face landing in the arm’s owner’s chest, smearing tears into the cloth of their jacket. ...Jacket...he knew many people who wore jackets...but combined with this overwhelming warmness…”Seth?” Marshmallow questioned as he opened his eyes, tears still falling down his cheeks, Seth was smiling down at him...well until he spotted the tears on the other boy's face.

Seth angled his head up, “Hm, what’s wrong?” He asked, his smile disappearing as he noticed the tears sliding down the other’s face. Those two words broke Marshmallow, maybe it was the year of held back emotions, or maybe it because no one had ever asked him those words. More and more tears streamed down his face as he buried his face into Seth’s shoulder.

But what was wrong, “I-I’m so tired,” He cried, “I’m scared,” he gasped, “I-I’m so scared.”

Seth just looked confusingly down at the boy, “Scared of what?”

Marshmallow shedded more tears, “I’m scared I’m going to fail. I know I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail them!” He sobbed.

Seth was quiet as Marshmallow spoke.

“I’m such an idiot! I ruined so many lives over such a stupid mistake!” 

…

“I’m such a failure!”

…

“I’m not going to find him! And even If I do I’m not going to be able to make him fall for me!” He cried.

…Seth sighed, “You’re wrong.”

Marshmallow looked up from Seth’s shoulder, “Huh?”

“You’re not a failure, you’re going to find that guy, and you’ll get him to fall for you,” Seth stated as he smiled down at the boy and patted his back.

Marshmallow continued to cry, “How do you know?”

…

…

“You got a demon to fall for you, I’m sure you can get any human being to fall for you,” He said matter of factly.

....

...

“Oh...yeah,” Marshmallow spoke awkwardly, feeling embarrassed that he had completely forgotten that point.

...

They stood in awkward silence for a couple of moments as Marshmallow tried to calm himself, then Marshmallow got a sudden thought “Um...how did you even get here?” He asked.

Seth just shrugged, “Just made some deals with Belphegor, you know the usual.”

Did he make a deal with a demon prince just to see Marshmallow? “...Why?”

“I wanted to ravish you, but as you can see I ended up having to comfort you,” Seth sighed.

Marshmallow giggled awkwardly into Seth’s shoulder through his tears, “S-sorry.”

Seth shook his head, “No need for apologies, I’ll get you one day.”

Marshmallow wiped his tears and looked up to Seth, smiling, “Doubt it.”

Seth rolled his eyes, “We’ll see.” He then leaned down and pressed his lips against Marshmallow’s. He smiled against the other boy’s lips and said, “I will get that soul of yours.”

Marshmallow’s eyes snapped open...was that a dream?

He ran his fingers over his lips, they still felt warm, as if they had just been pushed against another’s. He looked over at the clock, 6 AM, he felt so rested despite the 2 short hours. Then he noticed his phone screen lit up, a notification had just popped onto the screen, a text message...from Seth. He grabbed the phone thinking it was a strange coincidence that Seth had texted him after he had just dreamed about him. He picked up the phone and unlocked it.

He looked surprised down at his phone as he read the text: “I’ll get you tonight.”

[fvaleraye]

Unexpected Reunions

ayyyyyy, another Scintillam chapter! This time, we introduce another of our protags, who happens to be a uh... old friend of Leona’s. whom she bumps into again in one of ur typical fantasy towns after a few months apart ASDFLKJN oh yeah, and we also finally get to learn the name of the continent they’re on, so there’s that too-

hope y’all enjoy reading  ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

The road was long, most were. Magna Terra was not exactly a small continent. There were often miles upon miles between towns. So much space spanning the entirety of the continent, and most of it was empty. There were only so many people who lived there, they only needed so much of the space. They would expand their towns at times, yes, but rarely would they need to go out and make new ones. Though, it would probably make travel easier if they did. A few of the more industrious cities, however, name the Iron City and the Bronze City, have started to make an effort to make such things easier, by placing little checkpoints and resting stops for stagecoaches and carriages along the main roads and trade routes. Though that project was still in its very early stages. And carriages were generally not available to the general public yet, as most of your average people had little reason to travel so far.

For adventurers however, who traveled near and far for a living, it was a colossal pain the ass.

Leona bemoaned not having the funds for the stagecoach to the next town. She would have, if she were travelling alone, but carrying Great Beasts incurred a rather exorbitant extra fee depending on the size of them. Which... was sort of understandable, given that one person and a Great Wolf would leave no room for other passengers, but she still felt cheated. At least she had Artemis to carry her some of the distance, but both of them would have preferred at least a short rest for their weary legs. They had left the Great Forests behind them hours ago, and had stepped out into the Great Plains, the most open natural expanse in the land. The sun shined brightly down on the ocean of grass, while the winds stirring the expansive greenery, not a tree in front of them for miles. But the nearest town was thankfully within reach. Maybe not within sight, but within reach. They would ideally reach it before they both passed out from exhaustion. The human was much closer to that point than her animal companion. Great Beasts typically had amazing stamina. Their pace was slow, but steady. Better to keep up a slow pace and get to the destination later than to try and rush there and risk passing out before you can get there. The exhausted knight started to perk up a bit as the first roof came into view over the horizon.

"Oh thank whatever gods are listening, there's Springford..." She said, sounding as tired as she felt. "Oooooh I can't wait to get into a real fucking bed, good gods..." She leaned over, and gave her great steed a big hug, burying her face in her fur. "... not that you aren't comfy, Arte, but... just... bed..."

The wolf just gave a little huff. It wasn't obvious if it was one of agreement, but if one knew about her track record of breaking beds she tried to sleep on, they could probably make a guess. She was still just as eager for some rest, though.

As the two started getting closer to the town, it was easy to tell that it wasn't exactly a big town. It was barely big enough to be considered a town, honestly. It was small, and they could see it in its entirety from the little hill they were coming down from. Most of the buildings were houses, there were some shops and a single inn on the edges of the town, all of wooden construction, with some of the bigger buildings having stone foundations, and one could see a few farms not far, fenced roads leading back and forth between them. A sign on one of the crossroads leading up to the town pointed to the east, with the sign reading "lake". That was probably where they got most of their their water, and most likely some fish. There was also a well in the town square, as well. It reminded the knight of her old childhood village, to be quite honest. The only things missing were the trees in every direction and the old runestones. ... she missed that old village... She missed a lot of things. But, for now, they were at their stop. The Outlands were another week's journey from here, so they had to rest, resupply, and gear up while they could. They would stay for a day or two... or three.

The duo approached the inn first, of course. It was a sizable building, and it had a fair bit more stone construction than most of the other buildings, but it was still primarily wood. A sign over the door, swaying and creaking gently in the wind, read "The Mossy Stone Inn". Not the most creative name, but they had seen worse. Leona stepped down from Artemis' back, and gave her a few pats on the head and scratches behind the ear. "You stay out here, I'll get us set up, yeah?" She gave her a little smooch on the nose, prompting the wolf to let out a sneeze. "Be right back."

She pushed the doors open and stepped inside, chainmail clinking against iron plate meshing with wood creaking as she strode to the bar. She quickly got herself seated, giving the bartender a small glance, prompting him to come over.

"What can I getcha?" He said, his voice mild, if a bit gravely.

"Is the innkeeper... uh, in?"

"Oh, she's out of town, I'm taking care of the inn stuff right now."

"Ah, okay." She gave a small sigh, before reaching into her pockets. "You got an empty room...?"

"A couple, actually." He replied, giving a welcoming little smile.

She glanced around for a moment, before letting out another sigh, and drawing her gaze back to the bartender. "... do you take Great Wolves?"

There was a bit of a silence, as he stared at her, then at the stairs leading up to the rooms, and then back to her. Eventually, an answer came. "... how big's it?"

She pointed at the window behind her, where the animal in question was clearly visible.

He just let out a sigh. "... s'long as it doesn't break anythin', it can come in."

"I promise she'll be on her best behavior."

He grabbed a glass, and poured a bit of... what was probably rum into it, before sliding it over to a patron at the far end of the counter. "Thirty gold per night."

"... that's a little steep isn't it...?"

"We charge extra for animals."

"... that's fair. I guess." She gave one last sigh, and stepped back out of the inn. She gave a glare behind her as the door shut. "... who doesn't charge extra for animals..." She took the wolf by her snout for a moment, gently pulling her head down to eye level. "Okay Arte, you need to be on your best behavior, okay? If you break anything, I'm gonna get in trouble." A small grimace came across her face. "... so, no sleeping on the bed."

Artemis just nodded. She knew the drill by now. She was a smart wolf.

"Okay, good girl..." She let out a tired huff. "Lets go take a fucking nap..."

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

The girls stayed in their room for a good few hours, enough that the afternoon had nearly passed, and the sun was beginning to set over the fields. It wasn't the comfiest bed she had ever slept in, but it was better than another night camping. As much as she felt at home camping in the woods, a warm bed, clean sheets, and soft blankets were still greatly appreciated every once in a while. The Great Wolf couldn't really share the sentiment, as the forests were quite literally her home, she did seem to prefer the warmth of an inn after long treks like this. Leona pushed herself out of her bed, giving a sleepy glance around the room as she tried to finish waking up from her nap. She let out a big yawn, running a hand through her messy bedhead. Her eyes eventually fell on the door. "... need to... get some food n'... water... n' other shit for the rest of the trip, before this fuckin'... inn... bleeds me fuckin' dry..." She mumbled, taking a moment to step into the bathroom and splash a little bit of water on her face. Just needed to wake herself up a bit more. Her companion was still sleeping soundly on the floor. She would leave her be for now. If either of them got into any trouble, the other would be able to tell. Benefits of the special little bond they shared. She stepped out of the room, dressed a little more casually than when she came in. Just a normal brown cotton shirt, some baggy pants, and a pair of boots. The bartender gave her a small glance as she came down the stairs.

"... look like you just crawled outta bed." He observed, currently cleaning a glass.

"I did." She replied, giving him a tired glare. She just stepped out into the town, wincing as the setting sun beating down harshly on her tired eyes. She started to glance around the town, looking for a sign or... something that would point her in the direction of the nearest shop. As she did though, her gaze caught something... unusual, on the roof of the inn. There was a person sitting on top of the roof. Writing in a journal. She squinted at them from the ground, trying to get a better look at them. Something in her clicked as she looked at them. "... 's that who I think it is...?" She mumbled, before going around the back of the inn. There weren't necessarily stairs up there, but apparently whoever was up there brought a ladder. Helpful. She slowly climbed up, one hand over the other, and, once she found her balance on the roof, walked over to the front of the roof where the other person was. She sat down next to them, legs dangling over the side, and gave them a small tap on the shoulder. It made them jump, and let out a little squeak, nearly fumbling their journal over the edge in their surprise.

"... is that you, Velda?" The knight asked, her expression showing hints of confusion, and pleasant surprise.

"... Leona...?" She replied, quietly, shakily setting down her journal. She was quite pale, and had an athletic, lithe build, black hair mostly tied up in a blue bandanna covering most of her head, her bangs spilling out the front, and a braided ponytail coming out the back. She had a small pair of glasses on her face, covering eyes that were a deep blue, and... strangely slitted. She fidgeted with the bottom of her tunic, which was blue and embroidered with white silk in so many intricate patterns, mostly flowers, with her sleeves tied up just above her elbows. Black gloves went up to her shoulders. She also had a pair of tall, knee height brown boots, and black shorts that ended just above her knees. She had a quiver at her hip, and a lovingly carved bow over her shoulder.

"Yeah!" She took the other girls hand, and gave a wide smile. "Oh man, Velda, it's been so long! How've you been???"

Velda shrank a bit under Leaon's enthusiasm. "O-oh, y'know... a-around." She said, her tone quiet and sheepish.

Without another moment's hesitation, she wrapped her arms around her in a great big embrace, making the other look, and feel, rather small and... twig-like, compared to her knightly build. She tensed up in the hug, but didn't make any moves to actually dissuade her from continuing. After a moment, she released her, and gave her a good look over. "You look great! Where'd you get those clothes? They look pretty, and... eeeellllvish...?"

"Y-yeah, they're elvish clothes." She replied, starting to straighten out said clothes, now that they were a bit ruffled from the hug. "It's. Very comfortable."

"I bet!" She let out a sigh, and leaned back onto the roof, setting her hands behind her head. She briefly patted the roof, inviting the other to lay down as well. She did so, after a moment. "How've you been?"

"Okay. You?"

"Could be better, just got done with the week long walk here from Rosevale, gonna make the next week long walk to Crystalbarrow..."

"... that's a lot of walking."

She gave a little laugh. "... and you still don't do a lot of talking."

"... I'm sorry..." She mumbled, meekly. “I-I haven’t talked to anybody in a... a-a bit...”

"N-no! It's fine! You talk however much or however little you need to!" Silence settled for a moment, the sounds of the townsfolk going about their evenings being the only things breaking it. Even the wind had quieted down to a whisper. The knight was the first to officially break it, of course. "... so was I right? Are you an elf?"

The answer didn't come for a few moments, but it did come. "... no." She took a slow, deep breath, and let out an equally deep sigh. "Checked with the elven scholars a few weeks ago, and there's... no records of any kind of elf that's really. Like me. A-and they said that I don't have the... the same kind of... spark... as an elf... so I... c-can't be one..." She slowly took the bandanna from her head, letting her hair flow out, and her... rather pointed ears show. "So... back to square one." She gave another sigh, before glancing over at the other. "... at least they gave me these clothes... that was nice of them..."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, V."

"... yeah..."

Silence fell over the roof again. Leona's eyes turned towards the sky, while Velda's were fixed firmly on her own fidgeting hands. Surprisingly, the archer was the one to break the silence this time.

"... h-hey, Leona...?"

"... hm?"

She opened her mouth to speak, showing of the little fangs that lined it, but it took a few moments for anything to come out. "... are... a-are we still... g-good...?"

There wasn't an answer, at first. She took her eyes off the sky, and turned them to the other. She fidgeted and shrank her her gaze, but she returned it, anxious as it may be. Then she gave a soft smile, slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and gently pulled her closer. "... yeah..." She said, her tone soft. Content. "... I think we're good..."

The archer was tense at first, of course, but she quickly loosened up a bit, and curled up closer to the knight. She wrapped her arms around her, and the other pulled her closer with her other free arm in return. "... I'm sorry I didn't go with you before..."

"It's okay... you had your own stuff to deal with."

"... I'm... I'm uh... actually headed to the Outlands, and... C-crystalbarrow is uh... a-actually on the way to where I'm headed..."

"Oh? Where you going?"

"... a-a cave, that uh... I've heard. M-might. Have some stuff that could help me find the information I'm looking for."

"I see... we'll, I'm just heading to Crystalbarrow to talk to an old friend of my dad's. I can go with you into this cave, if you want."

"... thank you..."

"Hey, it's no problem."

The two laid there on the roof, eyes on the darkening skies, or each other. It had been quite a while since they were like this. So close. Together. After a moment, Leona decided to speak up again. "Hey, I uh... I got a room in this inn. Only one bed, but... it's. Uh. Got room." She started to blush more and more as she went on. "And I'm sure you can get in the window, with your ladder."

"... you wanna cheat the innkeeper by sneaking me into your room instead of paying for another person?"

"He's the one cheating me with his prices." She retorted, giving a huff. "And I don't wanna cheat anybody, I just want to spend the night with you, and... um. Y'know."

"...?"

"You know."

"Mmmmmm...?"

"I-I just want you in my b-bed with me, okay? I... I haven't seen you in. M-months. I missed you. Okay?"

Velda considered her words for a moment, a sly little smile on her face, but no less blush. "... I think that sounds nice..."

The two smiled, and the knight scooped the archer up in her arms, giving her a little smooch on the cheek, and... started to. Scooch towards the edge???

"I- wh- Leona what are you doing???"

"Uuuuuh, getting down...?"

"You're going to break your fucking legs, take the ladder you maniac-"

"It's not that tall!"

"LADDER."

"Okay! Fine! Jeez!" With a disgruntled huff, she stood up, girl still firmly in her arms, and started to walk back towards the ladder. Why she thought it would be a good idea to jump from the roof of the inn was anybody's guess. Probably a heat of the moment thing. She set her down when they were by the ladder, and she climbed down to the bottom, while her new guest climbed through the window into her room. She probably would have climbed in with her, but the window was just a smidgen to small for her. She didn't want to get stuck. That would be really awkward. She made her way back to her room rather quickly, not even bothering giving the innkeeper the time of day as she passed by again. By the time she got back, her new guest was busy petting Artemis, who had evidently woken up while she was gone.

"-you are! You're the best girl Arte, yes you are!" She said, in a baby-talk voice, giving her all sorts of pets and scritches. Artemis was clearly not amused by the baby-talk, but she was letting her have her fun.

She just gave a small laugh at the sight. "I see you and Arte still get along great."

"Yeah! I-I'm glad we do! Arte's the only... the only animal wh-who uh... y'know... likes me..."

She gave a sigh in response to the last statement, and nodded. Yeah, for whatever reason, Velda was just... never big with animals. They usually avoided her altogether, some even growled at her, even if they were perfectly tame. The only ones that really liked her were Great Beasts. They assumed it was because of her... weird spark.

She stood up after a moment, giving the wolf one more little pat as she did, and flopped right onto the bed. "This is a nice room."

"Yeah, not worth thirty gold a night though."

Her expression shifted to a shocked grimace. "Oh- really? Thirty gold??? I mean, it might be worth... like, fifty silver a night, but thirty gold??? Jeez..."

"Yyyyyyyep."

"I suddenly no longer feel guilt for sneaking in here." She said, with a smirk.

"Good." She replied, with a little chuckle. She stepped over to the bed, and laid down next to the other. There we go.

"... it's been a bit since we've been in a bed together, huh..." She had a certain... tone, to her voice.

"Yeah, it really has..." She didn't seem to notice the others. Tone. Or pretended she didn't.

"... soooooo..." She slid closer, getting her slender arms around the knight. Her knight. "What were you thinkin' when you said you wanted me in your bed...?"

"I j-just wanted to. Y'know. Cuddle, V."

"Suuuuurrrrrrrre..."

"Why does your head need to be in the gutter."

"I think a better question is, why isn't yours~? It’s pretty fun in the gutter~"

Before another word could be spoken, Leona just. Quickly rolled right off the side of the bed and into the floor with a dull thud. Well then. "Ow- fuck-"

Velda snickered as she sat up and looked at her from the edge of the bed, sprawled out on the floor. Eventually she burst into a little fit of giggles, taking a moment to rein it in so she could speak again. "C-calm down Le, I'm just fucking with you."

"pLEASE DON'T WORD IT LIKE THAT-"

She just started to snicker again. "C-c'mon Leona, like you said when we first got together, what is a girlfriend if not someone to tease mercilessly~?"

“I never teased you that hard-” She let out a small groan as she started to sit up, face still red as a beet. "Why do you gotta be like this?"

"... only with you, Le." She said, smiling. And blushing. "Only got the nerve to be like this with you. Because I'm comfortable around you. I've known you for... ever. And. I love you."

"... I love you too, V."

"Now!" She flopped back onto her back, rolled over to the side of the bed she was on before, and patted it. "Get back up here, and we can catch up. I'm sure we've both been up to a lot since we last talked... and I promise I won't make you throw yourself from the bed again."

"You better not." With a sigh, she got to her feet, and back onto the bed. There wasn't a whole lot of room. But there was enough for the two of them. "... gonna get you back for that..."

"Sure you w-will...”

“... sooooo... you first, what've you been up to? Besides the elf thing?"

"... well..."

[dw-writes]

Ghost Protag 3

Hi everyone!! Ahaha, I’m working on things, I promise. For now, enjoy this chapter.

First Part/Second Part

Warning: this story deals heavily with the topics of depression and suicide. Please, if this makes you uncomfortable, avoid reading. Thank you.

Okay so, a ghost, a vampire, and a….Paloma walk into a bar. Although, it’s not a bar, it’s a café and…I don’t know what Paloma is. I squinted at her and asked as we sat down in a booth in the corner.

“Why?” she shot back.

“I need to know for personal reasons,” I answered. Not because of some inner joke in my brain.

Paloma stared at Pancho. “Where did you find her?” she asked. Pancho just lifted his hands. Now there was a prime…supe answer. Paloma leaned into the table. “I’m a shape shifter,” she said ever so softly.

I, too, leaned into the table. “What’s a shape shifter?” I asked.

“You live in the twenty-first century and you’re asking me what a shape shifter is?” she snapped.

I guess that was the punch line? I sat back and shrugged. “Okay, that was dumb of me,” I admitted. “What kind of shape shifter?” I asked.

“I’m a bird.” Those were the three sharpest words I had ever heard in my life.

Pancho I’ve-Only-Known-This-Girl-For-Twenty-Four-Hours Zapata said, “Don’t you say it.”

“Are you a pretty bird?” I asked.

She preened like only a bird in human form could. “I am the prettiest fucking bird in the tristate area,” she answered. I never knew birds could have Big Dick Energy until today. No, I take that back. Swans. You don’t fuck with swans. Swans are equivalent to BDE. What if she turned into a swan? Anyway, Paloma drummed her manicured nails on the table. “But that’s besides the point,” she said. Her voice dropped, “We stick together and you need help. So we help.”

A ghost, a vampire, and a bird walk into a café together and leave as a superhero trio.

A girl in a navy blue apron walked over to the table with a notebook and pen. “What can I get for y’all?” she asked. She had the thickest Southern accent I had ever heard. Paloma ordered. Pancho ordered. The girl looked at me. “And you?” she asked.

I managed to say hot chocolate. She nodded and left. I must have looked shocked because Paloma said that the place was filled with supes. When I looked around, all I saw were people. This was Nuts, with a capital N. My mind whirled. I pressed my palms into my eyes. At least, this time, Ghost Time didn’t take away the night. I heard the clink of glasses on a table and looked up. The waitress was just leaving.

Paloma picked up a spoon and poured honey into her cup. I couldn’t remember what she’d ordered. Pancho took a long swig of his mug and set it down. I glanced over. There was a red ring around the top. I didn’t ask.

“I didn’t get a chance to ask last night, but what happened?” he asked me. I stared at the powdered chocolate across the top of my drink and said nothing. “Do you remember?” he asked, voice softer.

I took a deep breath that seemed to stretch my chest out. “I remember books,” I said. My voice was shaky. I thought hard. “I remember…glasses. Sitting in my apartment.” My fingers shook as I picked up the round blue cup and took a sip of my drink. It was so warm. “And then I was standing at the end of my coffin.”

“We have to ask,” Paloma’s voice hesitated on the word, “Did you…”

I stared. “Did I kill myself?” I offered. I laughed a little. It was delirious. “No. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about it plenty of times. Like ‘well, it would just be easier to stop instead of doing all this hard work’ or ‘would anyone actually care if you disappeared?’ or, my favorite, ‘you’re not actually sick you’re just lazy’.” I rolled my eyes. I thought I would cry again. “But I realized it was me being sick and that I needed help and so I got help and I got meds and…” My chin shook. “I thought I was okay.”

Pancho’s hand rubbed across my shoulders. I covered my eyes with one hand while Paloma took the other between hers. I felt my eyes water. Pancho kissed my hair. “When I was younger, still human, anyway, my mother – que en paz decanse – told me I was going to burn in Hell.” His hand carded through the knots in my hair and pulled them free. “Specifically, she said sodomites deserve to burn and if I decided to be one, than I should burn.”

I fucking knew it. Ping. Ping. Mother. Fucker. I almost laughed. It came all choked and sad and stuff instead.

Pancho sighed wistfully and leaned back into the booth bench. “I mean, maybe she was right, in some sense. Eternity is Hell. I’m just not burning.” I heard a thud and felt him wince. Paloma must have kicked him. “What?” he whined. His hand lifted away from my head. “The pendejo she found me sucking off is the one that turned me, anyway. At least it was fun.” His voice was full of mirth. I sniffed and laughed and wiped my eyes with my sleeve. His kissed my head with a loud and obnoxious sound. “Welcome to the dead club, hun,” he murmured.

“Thanks,” I managed to say.

Paloma squeezed my hand. “We can figure this out,” she said. “Palomo here studies criminal justice. I’m finishing my investigative journalism classes. I think we can put all our big brains together and figure out what happened.”

I smiled, well attempted to. “I don’t know enough Spanish to know what you said,” I admitted, “I’m whiter than white rice.”

Paloma patted my hand. “Don’t worry about. Just…don’t go calling him that, okay?” I nodded. “For now, just…relax.” I nodded again.

Pancho’s arm came from around me and he downed what was in his coffee cup. “I’m going to grab more things from your place, Piper,” he said. He stood and the plastic of the booth creaked. “Luckily, you lived in a shit neighborhood.” He dusted off his hands as he spoke. “Any requests.”

I gave him a list: cat toys, the stuffed marshmallow on my bed, more of my own clothes, and the electronics in my apartment. Those were the important things. He left and the chatter of the café filled the silence between me and Paloma. I asked her where we were.

“Romantic Wicca,” she said. She pushed my cup towards me with one finger. “You should drink more. It’ll help.”

I had never heard of the place. But I drank, as she said, and enjoyed the smooth feeling of milk chocolate rolling down my throat. Again, I wondered if ghosts actually drank and ate and shit, but I wouldn’t think too hard on it. My chest warmed and my stomach warmed and it actually felt like my body was relaxing into the booth.

“It’s a place the community comes to be themselves,” she said. I wondered which community. She pinged my radar, too. “You only find it if you need to, and can only come with someone who has already been.”

“So like a secret society thing,” I asked when I finished my drink. The waitress came and set another down in front of me. Same blue cup. Same chocolate powder. I stared at it as the milk wiggled from the movement. I was almost compelled to drink it. But, the longer I stared, the less I felt I needed to. The waitress returned and scooped the cup away, replacing it with a tall glass of water. I looked up. She was already gone.

“The barista’s are sisters. There’s three of them,” Paloma explained. She stirred her own drink, the tea, which seemed to have been refilled. “There’s a million stories about them. But all you need to know is that, when you come in, they know exactly what you need.” I didn’t think she was talking about the drinks. “You’ve stopped crying,” she pointed out.

I touched my face. I hadn’t noticed. As she sipped her tea, I twisted around to look at the café floor. It was…much larger than it looked like from the outside. What looked like twenty booths spanned just our side of the wall. There were another twenty across the room. And dozens of tables. There were too many things happening at once: a couple sitting in a booth had removed their jackets to reveal iridescent feathered wings; a man sat by the door, stout and wide, and tusks poked over his top lip; a girl with short cropped hair sat at a table and pulled off her hat, showing off stubby horns that had started to curl around her head. There were so many different people in the café.

The waitress came back with our check and I looked up. I almost screamed. She had no face. Her cheeks twitched like she was smiling and she rolled away on navy blue roller skates. Paloma was pulling me off the booth seat and out of the café in a heartbeat. When I looked back at the table, I saw she had left a handful of bright green feathers on top of the check. She pulled me through the door and I realized there was no bar to get the drinks from: the café stretched back until I couldn’t see anything anymore.

We walked for a long while before we were somewhere I recognized. The buildings of downtown were very familiar: I lived down here.

Used to live down here.

I took the lead and turned left at one corner, than right at another. We found Pancho far down the street with bags of stuff. Two were physical bags, the rest were trash bags. I jogged until I was standing near him. “How much did you get?” I asked.

“Anything I thought you might need and then some,” he answered. He motioned to the street with his foot. “Called a cab, too. Figured you were done with walking.”

“Lazy,” Paloma called. I didn’t mind. I peeked into the cab to see who would be okay with someone loading trash bags into their taxi. There was no one there but a bright pink bubble gum bubble blew and popped and was swallowed by nothing.

“Huh.” I don’t know what I expected, honestly. Paloma waved at the invisible driver. “So where are we going?” I asked.

“Back to my place,” Pancho answered. He had finished loading everything into the trunk and shut it with one hand. I squinted at him. When. Did. He. Move.

Paloma climbed into the front seat and rolled down the window. “Lets go, it’s getting late.”

I was a little more aware of the Ghost Time. I kind of figured out what it was. As I sat in the back seat, it was like I completely zoned. Not quite disassociation zone. I was way too familiar with that. No, this was like I was on autopilot and literally everything stopped registering.

Okay, maybe it was Disassociation. I like Ghost Time better. It sounds so much cooler. I only remembered the buildings. I couldn’t tell you which ones we past, just that some didn’t belong there. I rubbed my eyes at one point and turned to look at one through the back window. It glowed.

The cab stopped in front of Pancho’s apartment building and I heard the pop of gum again. “Newbie?” said a high pitched voice. I felt eyes on me.

“Yeah?” I answered to the empty front seat.

“Bummer,” was the reply. There was a drawl to it, very much boho surf bro. Pancho nudged me with his knee and I climbed out. Paloma reached into the pockets of her dress – where did she get a dress with pockets? – and produced what looked like a giant quarter. She leaned into the car and dropped it into the cupholder. I heard the clink of coins. “No change?” asked the voice.

“No change,” both Paloma and Pancho answered.

“Totally awesome,” said the voice around a blowing bubble. The window rolled up and the cab pulled away.

Pancho had unloaded everything. I wordlessly pointed at the cab as it disappeared around a corner. He sucked on his teeth, a rattling ‘tch’ sound in the silence of the neighborhood. “Ferrymen Cab and Limo Service,” he answered. He waved a hand towards the cab and lifted the bags with both hands. “Pain in the ass to call, but the quickest way to get anywhere.”

“They only take Coin,” Paloma said. I must have looked confused because she patted my arm. “We’ll explain. Don’t worry. You’re not in this alone.”

Thank fuck.

They talked to me until sunrise, both of them sitting on my bed as I unpacked everything. They took it slow, though. They explained Romantic Wicca – a café for the wayward to provide necessary boosts to its customers – and Ferrymen Cab and Limo Service – yeah, they were THE ferrymen, and they only took THE coins. It made me really nervous. They explained some creatures we had run into – satyrs, trolls, noppera-bō – I was so confused until they told me that’s who the waitress with no face was. I sat on the floor, petting Anna and Cracker Jacks, staring at my friends.

My gay vampire friend and the bird shapeshifter. And me, the ghost. “I need a notebook,” I said.

Pancho almost choked on his drink as he leaned forward towards a bag. “I packed your laptop. Take notes there.”

“Noted,” I said.

Pancho snorted. Paloma groaned. She patted Pancho’s thigh and stood. “It’s almost morning,” she pointed out, “Which means bed.”

Pancho drained his martini glass and stood. “You should also sleep,” he said as he looked me up and down. I barely registered Paloma leaving the room as she waved. I heard the window open and nothing else. “You haven’t slept since I found you.”

“Thanks, Papa Pancho, I’ll remember to rest my little stray head,” I replied.

He shrugged. “I’m just trying to be nice. I don’t feel like dealing with a cranky ass ghost tomorrow,” he pointed out. He left with a wave and I peaked out of the room. Paloma was gone and Pancho was closing the window she left out of.

He had a point, though. I yawned as I stood and flopped face first onto my bed. I felt Cracker Jacks climb between my legs and Anna Banana crawl under my arm. And then, nothing.

I slept like the dead.

Hah.

[shsl-shipper-gamer-fangirl]

A/N HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BELOVED CHILD, CHIAKI.

Games-Giving - wherein Nanami gives out games to the rest of the sdr2 kids

Somewhere in between the crammed spaces was a logical explanation as to why everyone was packed into Nanami's already condensed cottage.

Initially, she wanted to bring her stuff with her to the lobby where it's much more spacious but looking back at her hoards of console she knew that it would take too many trips and by then someone would have walked in and ruined the surprise for the rest. Besides, wasn't this a surprise in its own way? Granted there's barely enough room for them to breathe and much less to play but it would have to do. Once everyone had settled in as much as they could possibly have, Nanami started handing out the games and necessary consoles.

"Hanamura, you're getting Cooking Mama." She says and before he could be offended at a cheap knock-off of real cooking, she explains her choice. "I know how much you miss your mom... I know that the mama here isn't exactly like yours, maybe. But I figured it might help with the homesickness hopefully."

He looks at a loss for words. "This is... a wonderful choice." And before he could get sappy, old habits kick in. "I'll have you know that you are an exquisite choice yourself. You don't need to flatter me with gifts if you want to spend a good time with me."

She listens quietly, unresponsive. And then stoically turns to her next recipient. "I got you Fat Princess. It reminded me a lot of you while I was playing. It has food and strategy, I thought you'd like it... I guess."

Twogami chuckles and it is a genuine heartfelt laughter. He's more than happy to know that he was thought of especially by his one defining character trait. "It's a worthy recommendation. I shall hold back my judgement until I finish it in all of its glory."

She takes that as a sign that he likes it so she turns to meet the curious stare of a redhead. "I got you Life is Strange. It's about this photography student but it's less about taking photos and more of time travel I think... The protag is a girl with short hair and her freckles reminded me of you coincidentally."

"Oh, wow that's some... weirdly specific coincidences." Koizumi admits it's not quite the game she was expecting. She expected a typical point and shoot (with a camera) game but definitely not time traveling.

"Her name's Max so I guess you both have names starting with M." Nanami adds and then tilts her head in inquiry. "Are you okay with this? I can get you something else."

"And miss out on time powers? I think not." Koizumi just shakes her head. Sure, why not? It'd be a nice experience to see in someone else's viewfinder for a change of perspective. "Besides, where else am I going to find a game that stars a girl and photography?"

She nods in agreement. Before Nanami could move on to whom she had planned for next, Saionji beats her to the punch as she unceremoniously jumps onto her. "Me! What about me? What did big sis Nanami get for me?"

She hands her the game with an excited smile. "I think you'll like this one... Bully is an open world with the usual freedom of Rockstar games."

"You had me at bully." Saionji grins deviously.

Nanami shakes her head. "It's not exactly that kind of game..."

"But I still get to do the stuff I like, right?" She smirks and breaks into childish cheer. "Yay! Thank you so much for this! I'll play it to my heart's content!"

She then turns to the nurse who jumps at the sudden attention. "Mikan, I got you Trauma Center. I know it's far from the actual thing but I'm not exactly sure how... different it is." There's a certain genteleness in the way she hands out the game. And shyly, she asks, "Is it alright if I ask for your feedback on this?"

Mikan is still shocked from the experience of affection that it takes her a beat or two to stammer back, "T-Thank you! I'll cherish this forever!!" She cries as she holds onto the game tightly to her chest. "You can count on me! I'll be sure to point out all the inaccuracies."

"Thank you, too." Nanami then turns to the more if not the most excited member of the group. She smiles as she gestures to the whole setup behind her. "Ibuki, you get rockband... The full set."

"Awesome! Ibuki has always wanted to play on these!" Ibuki hollers and she's already at the drums while holding both the guitar and the bass. She looks just about ready to play all instruments at the same time. "The frets on the guitar are buttons! Kyaaah! How wild is that!"

Nanami can't help but get carried along with Ibuki's energy. She's still smiling when she turns to Pekoyama. "If it's sword slashing precision then the best I have is Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. You'll probably appreciate the free slicing blade mode rather than the button mashing on most games... I think."

Pekoyama gratefully accepts the gift with a bow. "This is quite thoughtful of you. Thank you. I will try my best to master the fighting style here."

"And when you get bored of that, take a break and play this instead..." She hands her a portable console this time and when Pekoyama opens it, the game is already on and it's absolutely adorable. "It's Nintendogs. Now those fluffballs won't run away from you... probably."

"I..." Pekoyama's speechless but that's mostly because she's distracted by the puppies hounding at her screen. No animal has ever approached her with such zeal that it catches her off-guard. It's a surprise that she's more than willing to welcome. She locks eyes with Nanami and her lips tug slightly into a sincere smile. "I will remember to return this goodwill of yours."

It doesn't go past Kuzuryuu who watched the whole exchange. When Nanami turned to him, he was caught unaware and so his defenses shot up. "Heh, so you're giving away games based on what we do? Don't tell me you got me one of those dumb trying hard yakuza themed games."

She shook her head. "I don't think you'll like Yakuza that much so I suggest Mafia as a better alternative..." She innocently tilts her head. "Then maybe it's better when you think it's a different culture?"

"Ha! You got a lot of nerve thinking I'll play crap like that." He scoffs at her.

"I'm not. I think you're more respectable than that... maybe." She says not quite sure what she wants to mean. She gives him a different game instead. "This is Undertale. I think you'll like the Fight or Mercy mechanics. You'll choose well, probably."

"Hmph, whatever." He crosses his arms but his expression softens. She got him a game with a pacifist route and he appreciates the gesture. He murmurs, "But thanks anyways. I guess I'll give it a try when I've got nothing else to do."

"I'm sure you'll love it... I think." Nanami crosses the room to the other half of the class and Sonia catches her eyes first. "I was trying to find a game where the protag is a princess but it was hard so... I just went for the game with an... intense female main character. Tomb Raider's a classic and you're pretty hardcore like Lara Croft."

Sonia reads through the summary at the back with sparkling eyes. "Oh, I have always wanted to go on my own expeditions without royal guards hounding me!" She claps her hands in her excitement. "I think this is just a lovely game filled with action and adventure! Thank you!"

"Ah, Gundam." She moved on to the next person on her list. "I know you don't like games about breeding animals since you consider them..." She squints as she tries to find the exact words that he used. "An insult to the actual gods?"

"That is correct!" Gundam agrees with a scowl. "Those are outright blasphemy! Why waste time on fakes when there are actual gods among us? If I were not such a forgiving Dark Lord then I would have rained judgement on all of those atrocities!"

"But is it okay as long as it's not based on actual animals?" She asks with uncertainty. She didn't want to offend Gundam but she's not sure how well he'll take this suggestion of hers. "Monster Rancher is a classic for your type. You get to learn about raising a whole bunch of new species that are literally out of this world... Here, look."

Gundam inspects the game with a snarl at first but as he goes through the monsters, he finds himself more intrigued rather than disgusted. A whole new world to conquer, huh? He breaks out into raucous laughter. "Feast your eyes on these poor lost souls! The time has come for the Tanaka Kingdom to recruit yet more unearthly races! Cower in fear as our strength increases right before your eyes! Bwahaha!"

"Oi, do your delusions more quietly! Nobody cares!" Souda shouts but it falls onto deaf ears since Gundam is already absorbed in raising his first monster. He doesn't want to accept being ignored but then he remembers that he hasn't gotten his game yet and so he turns to Nanami with expectant eyes. "Man, looks like everyone's getting good picks. So what do I get? Is it cool? It's definitely cooler than dork lord's over there, right?"

Nanami's smile is playful. This one was trickier to find but it was an achievement to finally get it. She pulls out a box and brings out its contents. There's the game and console and... a mini-robot. "Meet R.O.B., he's your partner for playing Gyromite."

"This is..." He gapes over the robot and his hands roam over across the plastic, he's already picking it apart in his mind and deciphering how it works. He expected a game but he did not expect it to come with its own mini-robot. His eyes are shining and he almost looks in love. "This is fricking sweet."

Even Nanami thought it was cool and she's sure that Souda thinks of it a tenfold more. While Souda was busy mooning over his new toy, she sets up Owari's. "I couldn't find anything close to your ideal but... Wii Sports is close enough, maybe. As long as you strap on the remote and keep your distance, you can play boxing to your heart's content."

"So I basically beat people up by actually beating them up?" She shouts a battle cry and gets fired up on the spot. "Yosh! I'm game for this!"

"Nidai, I got you FIFA Manager among other coaching games... I couldn't decide which one would be your favorite." She adds that last part shyly but he takes them with a smile as always.

"I'm the best at managing my players! I'll even be the best in these games of yours!" Nidai lets out a hearty laugh. "I'd watch out for your highscore if I were you."

"I'll take that as a challenge." She then turns to the last two of her list.

Komaeda is already wearing his trademark lopsided smile and is eager to see what new hope would be born out of this. "I'm grateful that you would even consider giving me a game- the embodiment of your hope- when I'm trash undeserving of such greatness. I feel bad that you bothered thinking about me when I'm worthless."

Nanami lets out a sigh and her hands are on Komaeda's face in a heartbeat. "Stop talking like that or you won't get yours."

"But I don't-"

"Stop." She puffs her cheeks while she pinches his.

"Ow! Okay, okay. I concede." He chuckles and even raises his hands in a show of defeat. "I'm still new to this whole thing about people thinking I'm worth more than I really am."

She stares at him for a long time, judgingly, taking his words into careful consideration. She huffs again and releases him. "Close enough."

"Well you do inspire me to try, you know." He smiles and there's laughter dancing on his lips. "The truth is I've never been this excited in my life! Oh, aside from that time I received my acceptance letter to Hope's Peak Academy that is."

Somehow he always brings back the conversation to hope. She shakes her head and there's a small smile forming. "Here. Try this."

He takes the phone in his hand with the camera on and it surprises him slightly when something else appears on the screen. "Uh, Nanami? Is there supposed to be a creature here?"

Her hand quickly swipes the phone out from his grip and her face practically beams. "A Lapras! As expected from Komaeda's luck!" She flicks her finger a few times and by the fifth pokeball, she catches it with a triumphant smile. "I've been looking everywhere for her. Thanks for helping me out."

"No problem." He chuckles and then inquires, "So I'm guessing that wasn't actually my game."

She smiles shyly and then hands him his true gift. "That's Legend of Mana and it's legendary for its unique luck system. Almost the whole game is rigged on luck... I think."

"I see. Then it is fitting for me." He smiles broadly. "As expected from the ultimate gamer. Instead of bringing me the usual games, you hand me an excellent rpg. I will not let you down and maximize my luck just as much as your hope inspires me!"

"As long as you have fun." She giggles and there's a cough behind her. When she turns around, she sees the only person who has yet received a game from her. She smiles wider. "Hello there, Hinata."

"Uh, hi." He flushes and then straightens himself after a shaky breath. He fidgets from being too tense for his own good. He's nervous even though he has no reason to be. He looks like the only person who's afraid of what he's about to get. "I know I don't have any talent and all... so I'm sure you had a hard time finding a game for me."

"Oh, not really." She objects readily and she makes sure that her voice comes out as reassuring as possible. She finds his worries odd especially when there's no trouble at all. "Actually... I picked out yours first."

"What?" He shoots her a look of confusion. And when he holds the game in his hands, he feels absolutely lost. "Danganronpa...?"

"I feel like it's life-and-death important for you to be good at this." Nanami says in a tone that's too serious to be talking about just games. And then in the next moment, she's back to her laidback self. "By the way, it's a series and I've already finished the latest one: New Danganronpa V3 or ndrv3 for short."

"Um..." He's still staring at the game and trying hard to read its hidden meaning but he comes up with nothing. He feels that there's a joke somewhere in there that he's missing. "Wait, so how did you end up picking this out for me?"

"Just an important feeling... probably." She casually shrugs. There's something cryptic underneath her words but he doesn't have the code to decipher them and so he just loads the game with skepticism and caution. She nods at him approvingly. "When you're done with that one, I'll lend you the second one. I'm sure you'll find the sequel more... interesting, I think."

Nanami pulls out her own portable console and continues the minigame she left off. Every now and then she looks up to check on her classmates if they needed any help but they're too engrossed with their own games, some more loudly than others. Playing games with everyone here is different from her usual peaceful solitude but it's a good kind of different. It's nice, she thinks.

And in this crammed cottage of Nanami's where everyone is busy having fun, she thinks that everything is as it should be.

[elkian]

So I beat Act 4.

Spoilers obvs

I’m in Act 5 (THIS DUNGEON NEEDS MORE SAVE-ABLE AREAS JFC)

What. What happened with Celica’s... everything? She’s more naiive than she was at the start. Lemme repeat that: endgame(ish) Celica is more naiive after literal months of traveling with at least 2 savvy and world-weary mercenaries, after weeks or months of fighting various pirates.

Celica’s short skirt went from annoying to creepy in the sacrifice scene, good fucking job designers. You made it look like the goddamn GOD that was eating her was looking up her miniskirt the whole time, not to mention Jedah.

Listen. Celica should have told Jedah “No fuck you Imma find Mila on my own”. She should not be that dense, I don’t care about your goddamn plot needs.

Speaking of plot needs, Alm and Celica knew each other for like 3 weeks back before they hit double digits. I’m not saying they shouldn’t care about each other, but you know what? The split would have been a great time for one or both to say “Hey this person I built up in my head based on sepia-toned nostalgic memories is actually a human being with flaws and shit and I didn’t know them half as well as I thought.”       The argument isn’t infeasible, but, and I can’t believe I’m saying this because the game is stupid wordy in places it has no right to be - there should have been more build-up.       Let them spend some time together - cutscene time, fighting bandits, what have you - then Plot interrupts and sparks the argument and Split they’ve been keeping at bay til now.

I’m annoyed that the writing has so much extra dialogue that serves literally no purpose, and then has absolutely no possible side commentary from optional recruits. Hell, since I killed Sonya, Genny has no supports and thus no fucking lines since I recruited her, except for in village/shrine areas. This is especially annoying when Alm gets like 4 supports and we have Nomah, but she can’t even support with him. Or Boey! Boey has one support! Give the optional recruits some love, I am begging here.

Also, the commentary post Act-4 is apparently never updated based on what I’ve heard, or at least not for all characters, so Gray will be saying “well, we’re finally in Rigel” til the credits roll.

Also, Duma Dungeon or whatever looks like the insides of a giant creature and is v unsettling, good job.

We need a place to deposit all these rings n shit, my inventory is starting to clog on both sides -_-’’

Jedah and most of the villains are pretty decently written, I gotta say.

So between Mathilda’s recruitment (CG scene with her kneeling for no reason, arms squishing her cleavage together, down-angle shot from behind a guy who was Not-Hitting-On-Her from the other side of the bars), Celica’s characterization being blanked back to Compassion-To-A-Literal-Fault naiivety seen in many, many RPG female protags, and Rinea’s sacrifice -> transformation to a nude fire monster while Berkut just gets an aura (and recall that Rinea has exactly 1 character trait, which is Loves-Male-Antagonist), I’m getting a little burnt out on the writing. Celica damsel-in-distressing at this point is just bullshit, tbh. Why does Alm get conviction and she gets sobbing for her friends to forgive her sacrifice that shouldn’t happen because she should be smarter than this argh

I get that blank slates are easier to project on but Celica’s literally lost some characterization at this point, as if to offset Alm gaining 1% of a new/intensified character trait.

Now, all this said, I’m still really enjoying the game, but someone dropped the fucking ball writing here. Remember when (spoilers for Awakening) your tactician can refuse to give in to Grima and will say “You’ll just kill my friends anyway”? Even though it literally has no effect on the plot or gameplay or anything, it’s miles above what’s happening here. Hell, Corrin in Fates starts out less naiive than Celica ends up, and Corrin’s whole thing was being naiive.