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forever-rogue · 4 years

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All Hallows Eve (In Name Only)

A/N: Alright, alright, it’s spooky time in Dorne! This is set in the series universe, but can be read as a standalone. Obviously, it will make a little but more sense in context, but I hope you enjoy either way! This takes place after Oberyn and Sunshine return to Sunspear, but not necessarily at a specific time. I hope you guys like it and have a safe and spooky Halloween! 👻🦇🎃🧟 As always, feedback and comments are welcome, and if you’d like to be tagged, let me know. xx

Pairing: Oberyn Martell x Reader

Word Count: 7k

Warnings: None

IN NAME ONLY SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

»»————-　♡　————-««

"My love?" your voice carried softly throughout your private quarters as you kept an eye out for Oberyn. Before you could say anything else, he appeared in the room, sporting only a pair of clean trousers, his curls wet from being freshly washed. He offered you his typical dazzling smile before sauntering over you, "oh, my moon and stars! I didn't mean to interrupt."

"My sunshine," he grinned as he wrapped his arms around your waist before pulling you towards him. You leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I was just going to look for you."

"Hmm," you beamed as you nuzzled your nose against his, "and to what do I owe the pleasure of your almost search?"

"Nothing in particular," he promised, his lips lingering over yours as you reached up and played with his damp curls, grinning at the one in particular that always seemed to lighten to a soft gold unlike the rest of his unruly mop, "I missed you."

"You flatter me so, my prince," you teased before pulling away and playfully swatting his chest, "but you've just seen me. I believe we spent the night together, broke our fast together, and then parted ways for the most minute bit of time."

"I still missed you," he insisted as you tossed him a new clean tunic, "for what is this prince without his sunshine?"

“I’m going to assume that this prince can survive but a short time apart from me,” you teased as you walked over to the tall, gilded looking glass, adjusting the beautiful golden necklace that Oberyn had recently gifted you. It ended just perfectly above the swell of your breast, and you hadn’t taken it off since he presented it to you.

“Either way,” he came up behind you and wrapped his arms around waist and silently held you for a few moments. It was such a small, but comforting, gesture and if it was up to you, you’d have stayed in his arms forever. Oberyn pressed a kiss to your neck before whispering against your skin, “to what do I owe the pleasure of your search?”

“I fear it’s nothing terribly important...”

“If it’s important to you, it’s important to me,” he promised, “now go on, tell me.”

“You know what’s coming up in a few weeks, right?” you asked as he met your eyes in the mirror, confusion etched on his face as he tried to figure out what you were talking about. You couldn’t help but laugh at the confusion on his face as you turned to look at him, “really, my prince? Its All Hallows Eve!”

“All Hallows Eve?” he repeated slowly as your eyes widened in surprise, “I’m not quite sure I follow...it’s not much of a big deal is it? It never has been here in Dorne. It’s more stories that have been passed down through generations.”

“Oh my love,” you reached up and grabbed his face, cradling it gently in your hands, “we still have so much to learn from each other, to teach one another...”

“I should be honored to have you teach me more about this apparently important holiday,” he grinned as you nodded before kissing him. He took your hand and led you towards the bed, motioning for you to get in. You eagerly complied as you crawled atop the soft blankets and pillows, laying down on his side as you relished in his scent that always seemed to linger. Oberyn laid down next to you, pulling you into his arms, as you rested your head on his chest, “tell me more.”

“Well, there’s so much to tell. Growing up in the Reach where there are always plentiful and bountiful harvests, we celebrated every autumn. I can remember it even from when I was a little girl,” you remembered particularly how fond your father was of the holiday, always making Honeyholt the center of festivities, “it always signaled the ending of summer - the harvest, and the coming of the new season.”

“Of course,” he agreed, “as is only natural in a place where you have more varied seasons.”

“Not only that,” you continued, “but a lot of people believed it was when the veil between our world and world of the deceased is the thinnest. People would wear costumes as they celebrated, especially around big bonfires, to scare and ward off the dark spirits and try to honor ancestors that had passed. Doing so was to ensure that winter would be successful and not too harsh.”

“I’ve never heard all of this before,” he admitted as you nodded excitedly, “it sounds like fun.”

“Oh it is,” you agreed, “getting to dress up and have big parties with bonfires? It’s amazing! Now that I’m older, I realize a lot of people just like the festivities because it gave them an excuse to drink copious amounts of honeyed wine and ale...but I still like it. It’s tradition, and it has good roots. Plus, children, ones that would dress up, would go from home to home, bringing some of their harvest to others and exchanging them for things they did not have. A little bit of give and take, but it ensures that no one would go hungry during the harshest of the winter months.”

“Who knew the Lords of the North had hearts after all?” he teased as you snorted with laughter, “while I did not know your father, I know he was a good man. I am not surprised he would take it upon himself to do such things, and you’re just like him, always trying your best to give back.”

“It’s the right thing to do,” you insisted, “we have so much and need so little, while others work so hard and have almost nothing. No deserves that - are not all lives created equal and therefore deserving of such things? It was hardly the position of the other Lords of the Reach to think in such a manner. It was often commoners that keep things alive, which I do believe is very telling. But I always liked it, feeling I was helping with something.”

“You help with more than you know,” he took your hands and brought it to his lips, gently placing a kiss to your knuckles, “never doubt that. You are nothing like them.”

“You flatter me so,” you sighed contently, pressing a kiss to the bit of exposed chest that peeked out from under his tunic, “but I love you either way.”

“And I you,” he promised. You laid there in silence for him time before he spoke up again, “would you like to start a new tradition in Dorne?”

“Hmm?”

“All Hallows Eve,” he stated, “perhaps its time we start celebrating it here as well. We have much to be thankful for, and it would be a good way to make sure everyone is set up with what they need for the coming months...”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, you sat up straight, looking at him with eager eyes, glittering with excitement. It was enough to bring the biggest of grins to his own face as you placed your legs on either side of his and planted yourself on his waist.

“Do you mean, my moon and stars?” you asked softly as only nodded in response, his hands finding purchase on your waist, “truly? I-I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want, or have it feel like I’m thrusting this upon you.”

“It would never, and I want to do this,” he promised, as your heart melted at him, “I mean it, if it’s something that’s important and matters to you, then it matters to me as well. Besides, this will be fun, and I think it will be a great opportunity to get to know more of our people. What do you say?”

“Me?” you asked with a gentle laugh as you leaned down and kissed him, “yes. Yes. Of course it’s a million times yes. Thank you so much, my love. I promise you will not be disappointed. It’s going to be so much fun! We’ll have to have all the girls come, and Ellaria and Quentyn and everyone else!”

“I’m already looking forward to it,” he promised, “we’ll make it welcome to everyone. When Exactly is it?”

“October 31st,” you told him excitedly, your mind already buzzing with all sorts of different ideas, “oh...that’s only a few weeks away. I better get planning!”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked softly as you shook your head, “nothing at all?”

“Nope,” you insisted before leaning down and kissing him deeply, “all you have to do is worry about a costume and leave the rest to me. I..thank you for this, Oberyn. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about how fortunate I am to have you as my husband. I love you.”

“And I love,” he promised gently, pulling you down so you were laying on top of him, “I would do anything for you, sunshine. My sunshine.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

The next few weeks were spent in a rush and a blur as you attempted to plan the biggest and best All Hallows Eve celebration that anyone had ever seen. Luckily, much to your delight, the people of Dorne really wouldn't have much to compare it to, so if it ended up a total disaster at least in your book, no one would know. All they knew were legends and stories of old, but you still wanted to make sure everyone had a good time and was able to get any things they needed for the autumn and winter.

You hadn't experienced this time of year in Dorne yet, and despite the desert-like nature of the region, you were positive the cooler months would bring a similar harshness. You vowed to make sure that no one would be left hunger or forgotten, even if that meant trekking through Dorne with foods and goods yourself.

"A most kind and generous princess," one of the farmers had complimented you as you arranged for him to provide his grain at the big fest. You took his hand and clutched it within yours, thanking him for his kindness and generosity.

"I am no princess sir," you insisted gently, but firmly, "I just want to make sure everyone has what they need."

"But you're married to the prince-"

"Yes, my husband is the Prince," you agreed, "but that does not mean I am just the princess. I am just like everyone else."

"Whatever you say, Princess Martell," he shot you a cheeky wink before heading out with a smile, "I will send you soon the required grain."

"Thank you," you watched him go with a small laugh. Princess Martell. You couldn't deny that you liked the sound of that.

»»————-　♡　————-««

You were humming to yourself as you moved things about the garden, trying to arrange everything perfectly so that the big bonfire would be able to go in the middle of the large courtyard. The big day was coming in a few days, and you were busy finishing up the last minute preparations. You’d gotten help from seemingly everyone in Sunspear to help make sure the celebration would go smoothly and be a memorable one.

You’d been so busy running around that you hadn’t even had that much time to spend with Oberyn, which he assured was fine a multitude of times. But still, you missed getting to be around him all the time, something you vowed to correct that when this was all over.

“Hello my love,” almost as if he could hear your thoughts, Oberyn was sauntering towards you, his long arms outstretched as you dropped everything in your hands to rush over to him. He was quick to wrap you up in his arms, and spin you around, pressing soft kisses to the side of your head, “oh, how I’ve missed you, my sweetest girl.”

“And I you, my prince,” you promised as he set you back down, “I thought you were going away with Doran on business today?”

“I was...but then I received the most exciting of news,” he admitted as your eyes grew wide with excitement, “and I thought I had to share them with you.”

“Oh? Pray tell what could have been so important that you’ve left all the duties to Doran?” you teased but quickly stopped as you hear the soft pitter patter of wild footsteps on the warm till of the palace floor. Oberyn’s smile widened as you looked past him to find two little blurs running towards you. It was only a few seconds before you were almost knocked over as two little figures tightly hugged your legs.

You automatically knew who they were and bent to hug onto them tightly as they twittered about excitedly. Once they calmed down you pulled back and ruffled their dark hair before offering each of them a kiss on the top of the leads, “hello my sweet ones! How I’ve missed you both.”

Dorea and Loreza gave you eager grins before taking a moment to hug their father. A warm happiness overtook you as spied Elia and Obella following closely behind, along with Elliara. Deciding not to wait for them, you ran over and wrapped them all up in a tight hug, murmuring about how happy you were to see them again. You were - it felt like your little family was completely again. Now all you needed were his older girls and then you’d be all together again. Just like you knew you were all meant to be.

“I’ve missed you all loads,” you told them softly, “I’m so glad you’re all here, and could join us for this.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Ellaria promised you as she gently touched your cheek, “it’s important that we honor the things you love and hold dear as well. And it’s important to take care of our people.”

“Indeed it is,” you agreed, “we take care of all people, because we are all one and the same.”

“You are wise beyond your years, young one,” she said softly, “you look well - happy.”

“I am,” you promised, stealing a quick peek back over at Oberyn, who currently had one girl in each arm as he showed all the flowers that the two of you had planted. Your little gaze over was not lost on her, “I am very happy. Beyond what I can put into words.”

“Good,” she beamed at you, “you deserve it. Both of you. Now, please tell us how we can help. Whatever we can do, we shall be more than glad to do it.”

“Thank you,” you beamed at her, “but first tell me, what are you all dressing up as?”

“I’m going as the Stranger,” Obella chirped excitedly, “to honor death and those that have died for us.”

“I’m going as Elia,” none other than her current namesake said excitedly, “to honor her, Papa, and our family. I have one of her old dresses that I’m going to wear. Uncle Doran said I looked just like her.”

“I’m sure she’d be very proud to see you in it,” you told her gently, brushing a few of her dark locks out of her face. You’d heard all the stores about Elia, how just, kind, and caring she was. Oberyn hadn’t brought her up much, only a few times in passing, and while you were curious to know more, you didn’t want to pry and disrespect his boundaries. Maybe one day he’d tell you more about her, “you are a great namesake to her, my sweet girl.”

“And we are going to be warriors” Dorea bounded back over to, practically bouncing on her feet in excitement as Loreza nodded in agreement, “warriors fight and keep everyone safe. Just Like Papa!”

“And two wonderful little warriors you will make,” you grinned at them, “I can’t wait to see all of your costumes!”

“And what will you be?” Obella asked excitedly as you shrugged lightly. You’d been so busy trying to throw everything together that you hadn’t given much thought to your own costume. But you were sure that you could throw something together and have it be decent enough.

“I don’t know that,” you admitted, “perhaps I shall go as a star or the moon. I shall have to think about it.”

“Whatever you decide, it will be wonderful,” Ellaria gave your shoulder a squeeze before rounding up her little flock, “now come you four, we have to unpack and then we shall help wherever we are now. But for now, it’s best we stay out of the way.”

“We shall see you at dinner,” you said softly as you took Oberyn’s hand in yours. They all waved you off excitedly as you turned back to your husband, offering him a soft smile, “this was the exciting news?”

“Indeed,” he said fondly as he kissed your knuckles, “I dare hope you are not too disappointed.”

“On the contrary,” you insisted, “I am beyond happy. I’m happy to have you by my side, happy to have them all here...everything.”

“Good,” he sighed contently, “now, tell me what I can do for you? To help...although I daresay you seem to have handled everything well. The place looks beautiful and everyone is buzzing with excitement. You will put all other festivities to shame, I daresay.”

“I like to think I’ve got some decent organizational skills, maybe one of the few things I’ve gotten from my mother, But I do also have a love of parties and festivals,” you mused, “definitely a trait from my father. But there is one thing you could do for me…”

You brought a hand to his face, touching his cheek before delicately tracing over his nose and jaw before running a handsome through his dark curls. He made a small sound as he closed his eyes and keened into your touch. You leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, lingering against him.

“Tell me,” he whispered softly, his hands going to your waist, their grip firm, but delicate as ever as he held onto you, “tell me what you want, sunshine, and you shall it.”

“You,” you whispered against his lips, “I want you, Oberyn. I’ve missed you. I need you. Your kisses, your touch - all of you.”

“What a shame,” he smirked against your lips, “it appears my afternoon is already booked up.”

“Oh?’ you raised an eyebrow at him, “and just what could be so occupying of your time?”

“Spending the afternoon with my queen,” he explained as he took your face in his hands before pressing kisses to the apple of your cheeks, “giving her whatever she should desire, however she should desire.”

“And just who would I be to turn down an offer like that?” you asked as you already felt the heat pooling low in your belly, “I am many things, but I am no fool.”

“Then we have no time to waste.”

»»————-　♡　————-««

The evening of All Hallows Eve came faster than you had anticipated, but you were excited to see it come nonetheless. As you were milling about your quarters, slowly attempting to get ready and slip on your costume, you went out onto the balcony. The sun was rapidly setting and the familiar night time glow was setting over Dorne, and you could see bonfires lit everywhere as far as the eye could see. A small smile crossed your lips at the thought that all of that was due to you. You hoped that everyone would enjoy themselves and get what they needed.

"It looks wonderful out there," Oberyn beamed as he found and stood next to you, looking out over his kingdom as he placed a kiss to the side of your head, "you've done a wonderful job, my love. Everyone is buzzing with excitement and I've heard nothing but good things, and have already seen some costumes roaming about the halls."

"I'm sure they'll all be just grand," you agreed as you turned to go back inside, "and just what are you going to be, my love? You haven't told me yet."

"I am going to be the sun, of course," he said as though it was the most obvious thing. You made a small sound of amusement as you found clothes of brilliant, bright gold laid on the bed. You told a hand over, admiring how soft and delicate they were before turning back to him, "would golden glitter everywhere be too much?"

"Not enough I think," you snorted as you spied the golden paint and glitter on the bureau. He was going to be a sight to be marveled at, "it suits you, you know."

"What does?"

"The gold," you took some of the paint and dipped your fingertips in, turning around and swiping some of it on his bare shoulder, "the sun. Everything. You spread sunshine everywhere you go."

"I believe that is better suited for you," he chuckled as he grabbed his costume, "perhaps I should have let you be the sun. Just what have you decided to go as? I'm afraid you've been just as secretive."

"Well, I'm terribly afraid it's nothing exciting so do not get your hopes up," you shrugged as you flaunted over to the wardrobe. You looked over your shoulder to make sure he watched you before unlocking it and slowly pulling out a stunning gown of pale yellow, draped and framed with glittering and dazzling beads and jewels. The skirt was thick and full with silver tulle and lace giving it an almost ethereal appearance, "what do you think?"

"Its beautiful," he agreed, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up into a smile, "and will look even more beautiful once worn by you. The moon? A very smart choice. Though perhaps we would have been more apt to switch costumes."

"I disagree, my moon and stars," you took the gown and walked over to him, kissing the tip of his nose, "I think we have made very good choices. Apparently we are very much on the same page."

"It is true that the sun and moon need each other," he insisted and he helped to strip off your garments, letting them hit the floor before placing kisses on your bare shoulders and collarbones, "one cannot exist without the other."

"A true poet," you praised as you stepped into the gown, letting him help to pull it up and tie it into the back, "although it is true. I do not know what I would be without you, my love."

"Quite fine I am sure," he insisted as he grabbed your jewels from their place in the bedside table. The sun bracelet was placed delicately around your wrist, followed by the necklace that Oberyn had made for you, "I believe it is I that would be far worse off."

"You are a fool of a man if you believe that," you chided softly before pausing to kiss him properly, "but I adore you beyond measure regardless. Now, on with your costume so we can get going. Otherwise people will think we've decided to bunk off."

"Normally you try to get my garments off, not on," he teased as he started to slip his own items on. You'd gone back to the looking glass to adorn yourself with the headpiece you'd had prepared, not unlike a crown, and put some make up onto your features. Oberyn caught your eye and shot you a cheeky wink, "but I suppose that can wait for later."

"I'm afraid it will have to wait, my prince," you agreed, feeling warmth flush all over your face, "besides, I am almost ready and you still need to paint yourself."

"Help me?" he asked innocently as you slowly nodded.

"Of course," you painted your lips in a frosted pale gold before rejoining him, pushing him slowly back on the bed, "what made you choose the sun?"

"The sun brings life, new things, prosperity," he said as you took the golden glitter and brought it down his arms and shoulders, "we cannot survive without the sun. And with it, it brings hope and happiness. I figured it was a good way to honor the ancestors and to ask for a bountiful winter."

"Very good indeed," you agreed, taking some of the excessive glitter and running it through the curls you loved you loved so much, "and gold? It suits you perfectly, although I fear we might have glitter everywhere for some time. But then again, there are worse things in life."

"Indeed there are," he agreed, "besides, I quite like the thought of you covered solely in glitter."

"You just like the idea of me, I'm starting to see," you teased as you brought the paint down the expanse of the exposed parts of his chest.

"What is there not to want?" he insisted as you just laughed, "what made you choose the moon?"

"Well, the moon signals the passage of another day and ushering in of a new one - life, rebirth, a new day," you explained, "I figured it was a good way to bring in a new season and say goodbye to the old."

"How very fitting," he responded as he pulled you into his lap, causing you to giggle wildly, "this is brilliant, all of it."

"I like to think so too," you agreed, making it a point not to touch the last bits of still drying painting on his body, "now be careful, or we'll both be covered in golden glitter!"

"I think it suits you too," he took some of the leftover paint, more glitter by now than pigment or anything else and swiped across the apples of your cheeks and tip of your nose, "a golden beauty. Just as a Martell should be."

"Hmm," you hummed in delight as you slowly climbed off of his lap, "Indeed. And now, we are set and should get going. Otherwise we will be late."

"Fashionably late," he suggested as he went to grab both of your shoes, "but then again, a prince is never late, even else is simply early."

"Well, I do not happen to be a prince, so I do not get that excuse," you pulled on your sandals, "so I prefer to be on time."

"Ahh, but you are my wife," he reminded you,"therefore whatever rules apply to me, apply to you. But then again, if we are already on the verge of being late, perhaps we could just remain absent..."

"Your ploys to keep me in bed will not work," you jokingly scolded with a smile, "besides, we will have plenty of time for that tomorrow. Tomorrow is a day of rest."

"Only if you promise," he offered you his hand after straightening his belt. You took his hand with a nod before pressing a kiss to his cheek, "now shall we grace them with our presence?"

"Indeed we shall, my prince."

»»————-　♡　————-««

"Wow," Oberyn's eyes lit up as he looked around the large courtyard. There was a large bonfire in the center, and carved pumpkins scattered around, illuminated everything in a beautifully haunting way. People were already filing in, chatting and laughing merrily as they ate and drank. Luckily, most people seemed to have come in costume, "you did all of this."

"I mean I had a lot of help," you said as he took your hand in his, lacing your fingers together, "I couldn't have done it without everyone else's help. It was a collective effort, truly."

"Either way," he beamed at you, pressing a kiss to the side of your head, "this is wonderful. I like the lanterns too, are they all done by hand?"

"Yes," you grinned, taking him over to one you'd carved that very morning. It was a simple little thing, caringly made with a smile and eyes, "the girls have been helping me. They've been so great, and it was fun for all of us. We just cut the tops off and scoop out the innards and then carve into faces, and then the candle goes inside. Its supposed to ward off evil spirits."

"Very cute," he said as he studied intently, his thumb stroking the back of your hand.

"And dual purpose," you said excitedly, "the insides were used to make pies and the seeds were saved to plant a new crop come spring."

"Look at you," he shook his amusement, "always thinking about everything. One of the many things I love about you."

"You're just enchanted by the magic of the evening," you insisted, feeling flustered by his compliment all while relishing into it, "what I've done is nothing special."

"But it is," he promised, waving at the some of the townspeople that had shown up and were eagerly calling out your names, "you've brought a whole new tradition to Dorne."

"Dorne is my home now," you reminded him, "and it is also an honor for me to have everyone embrace it so."

"They love you," he insisted as a few people you passed by stared at your gilded gown in awe, "you're their princess now."

"I should hardly think so," you said shyly as you spotted Ellaria and her girls, who waved excitedly at the two of you, "I'm just here, still the same me as always. I do however have a wonderful and large family now, which I believe is far more than I deserve."

"You deserve the world," he promised as the girls ran over to you. They eagerly hugged you both before twirling around and showing you their costumes.

"Very beautiful," you promised each of them, feeling an almost overwhelmed sense of pride and love in how much effort they put into everything. They really were so much more supportive than you have ever dreamed. Family. They were family, "I hope you all have lots of fun this evening!"

"We've already gotten lots of sweets and cakes," Dorea grinned excitedly as Loreza nodded, "but don't tell Mama."

"Its between us," you winked at her as Obella rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Mama knows," she insisted as Ellaria came over, "and at this rate, we'll never be allowed sweets again."

"I can be more forgiving than you think," she promised her girls with a laugh, "now go and take some sweets and share them with others. Make sure everyone gets some."

"Yes Mama," they echoed as the older two took their younger sister's hands and they walked off to help pass out treats.

"You two look stunning as ever," she grinned as your face flushed with warmth, "the sun and the moon. How very fitting."

"And to think, we didn't even know what the other was planning," Oberyn's arm wrapped your waist as he gave her arm a squeeze, "thank you for coming."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she insisted, "this will be a wonderful tradition to start in Dorne. But let me not occupy you any longer, I'm sure everyone is eager for a glimpse of the pair of you."

"We shall see you soon," he promised as you nodded. You were so thankful for her presence; she had a way of making you feel warm and cared for. It was a far cry from how you had felt in the beginning after your first meeting.

As you continued your jaunt about the courtyard and gardens, you pointed out everything to him and explained the significance and meaning behind the traditions and symbolism. He was enraptured, almost as if by magic, as he listened to you speak. There was something about you that always made him feel so calm and at peace, as though his heart and slow were at home.

At one point you spotted his older girls, all decked out like their younger sisters, helping out and getting boxes of goods that would hold for the winter to take those who needed them. Kindness, you decided, was definitely a Martell trait, and you hoped that none of them, or whatever possible future children of sorts you had, would ever lose that spark.

You had mentioned to him, more in passing than anything else that you had often gone around Honeyholt, passing around pies and treats to families nearby. A part of you knew that he would remember, but you hadn't expected him to want to commit to such a thing.

"What do you think?" he asked with a gentle in the direction of a full cart near the entrance to the kitchens. You looked back at him with wide, gleaming eyes, as you eagerly nodded.

"Seriously?" you asked as you grabbed his hand, holding it tightly between your own, "Oberyn, I would love to. It will be so nice to give a little something back."

"Then we shall do it," he promised, "come on, sweetest of honeys."

And that's you ended up with Oberyn at your side, each of you using one hand to pull a full cart of goods, your others hands entwined together in the middle. It was, like so many other things with Oberyn, utterly wonderful and despite being a somewhat monotonous task was fun.

You told him about your childhood in Honeyholt and your favorite holiday traditions, and he told him yours. He was such a naughty child, a smart, bold little thing from the start. Knowing how smart and mischievous Dorea and Loreza were, you had no doubt that they were the spitting image of a young Oberyn.

"Would you like to do the honors?" he asked as you stopped at the first row of houses nearing the outskirts of the village. You took a load of pies and other goods in your arms and nodded, letting him help you to the door, knocking on it gently. It was a few moments before the door always opened. A young man stuck his head as he looked at the two of you suspiciously. It was only a moment before he realized who you were, after looking Oberyn up and down.

"Oh! I-I apologize," he opened the door and gave you each a look of awe, "your highness, Lady Martell! I didn't..."

"It is okay," you insisted with a big smile, "its All Hallows Eve today. We've come to bring you some treats and goods to usher in the new season!"

"For us?" he took the items from your hands as you beamed at him, "h-how could we ever thank you-"

"There's absolutely nothing to thank us for," Oberyn insisted as the young man appeared to be close to tears. While the Martells reigned over Dorne with a kind, gentle manner, this was still more than anyone expected.

"From our family to yours," you agreed, "and if you ever need anything, our home and help is open and extended to you."

"Thank you," he said as he shook each of your hands in turn, "thank you so much. I appreciate this more than words could express."

From there, the two of you went from house to house, giving people things from your cart until there was nothing felt. Others from your household were doing the same thing, all of you going to different parts of Sunspear. You'd asked the other noble families in the various parts of Dorne to do the same, hoping they would listen and follow your lead.

By the time you finished, it was late, later than you had thought, and you were worn out. Worn out, but happy and glad to have brought All Hallows Eve to Dorne.

When you returned to the palace, the fires were still burning bright, and people were milling about and having fun. The costumes you had seen were all wonderful, and you'd gotten to hear so many stories about people's family members that had passed away.

"Your father would be proud," Oberyn promised quietly as you sat near one of the bonfires, "he'd be so proud of the woman you are."

"Thank you," you turned to him with soft eyes, "he was...always my biggest supporter. I miss him, terribly sometimes, but its not as bad anymore."

"Why's that?" he asked as you leaned over to him, putting your hand gently on his cheeks as you stroked his soft skin.

"Because of you," you whispered softly, “and your, our, family. You love me, and have given me so much more love and kindness than I could ever dream of. You are my heart, my sweet prince."

"It is not common for me to be at a loss for words," he said softly, "and yet you continually leave me stunned."

"Its because you love me," you grinned with a kiss to the tip of his nose, laughing when some of the golden glitter got on your face, "and you are a silly fool when it comes to love."

"Neither of those are lies," he insisted, "I am a most weak hearted fool for my wife."

You hummed in content as you rested your head on his shoulder, looking into the fire as a sense of tiredness overwhelmed you. But at the same time, you had a question on your mind that you'd been curious about for some time. You figured now would be the perfect time to ask him, "Oberyn?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Your sister, Elia, what was she like?" you asked softly, "I...I'm sorry if that's out of turn, but I'm just curious. I've heard so many wonderful things about her...I would have loved to meet her."

"Its okay," he promised as you relaxed slightly, "she would have loved you and you would have loved her. She was the youngest out of the three of us. Every bit the opposite of me, she was fearless and kind, always going into everything with passion and open heart. She never made anyone feel inferior, she made everyone feel welcome and loved. She always wanted the best for her people, her husband, her children...she was one of the many people that met a cruel and wicked fate she did not deserve, nor her children. I've always...wanted to avenge her. I've come close, but luckily, I stopped before it was too late."

"In King's Landing...before the Purple Wedding..." you finished for him as you felt him nod. If even one decision had been made differently, you would not be sitting next to him, or calling him your husband, "whatever happened, I'm glad nothing happened to you."

"Ellaria was able to talk some sense into me," he admitted as you turned your head and kissed him, "as always."

"She is one of the smartest women for a reason," you agreed, "and one of the strongest if she was able to get you to see reason!"

"You wound me so," he laughed.

"You are stubborn, but I love you," you sighed as you took his hand and held it tightly in yours, "tonight we honor and celebrate her life and my father's. And those others who had left our worldly realm."

"Yes," he agreed, feeling himself get choked up, "to Elia and Haymitch."

"But you're wrong, you know," you said as you slowly stood up and reached for his hands.

"How so?"

"You're not the opposite of Elia," you insisted, "you're quite like her actually. Kind, brave, smart, loyal, handsome. You may not see it in yourself, my prince, but it is true."

"Have I told you that I love you?" he asked as he pulled you into his arms.

"I think so," you grinned at him, "but I'm not opposed to hearing it again."

"I shall repeat it until my dying breath - I love you."

"And I you," you played gently with some of the curls at the nape of his neck, "shall we retire for the evening, my love?"

»»————-　♡　————-««

"Help me?" you asked as you took off your jewelry and stood in front of the mirror. Oberyn was already stripped down to his britches, his skin still painted with golden glitter. He came up behind you, his hands going to your waist as he took the delicate circlet from the crown of your head, setting it down along with your necklace and bracelet. He kissed along your shoulder before burying his face into your neck, "Oberyn! I meant help me take this dress off!"

"I know," he grinned as he started to undo the back of your dress. He moved with deliberate slowness, making sure to touch every inch of your skin as it became bared to him, "is it horrible of me to say you look gorgeous in this dress, and even better without it?"

"Not at all, my prince," you grinned as the heavy fabric pooled at your feet, leaving in your simple undergarments. You turned to face him, wrapping your arms around his neck as you held him close. He kissed you gently as he slowly moved to finish undressing you, "you're going to cover me with glitter and gold!"

"You say it as though this is a bad thing," he teased as you moved to finish undressing him, "but if you want me to stop, I will gladly oblige you."

"Don't stop," you whispered against his lips, "make me as golden as you."

"You are already so golden, my love," he promised softly as he wrapped his arms tightly around you. It was such a tender, intimate act that it was enough to make you feel so safe and warm and at peace, "thank you for this."

"For this evening, bringing us a wonderful new tradition," he whispered, "for everything, my sunshine. I love you more than you could ever know."

"And I love you, my prince," you promised him, pressing kisses all over his face, "now I implore you to take me to bed and make me yours."

"Anything for you, my queen."

»»————-　♡　————-««

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#oberyn martell #oberyn martell x reader #oberyn x reader #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #got #in name only #fem reader #all hallows eve #prince oberyn #sunshine and her moon and stars

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hellreads · 3 years

Note

Hello, I just stumble on your blog. Seeing a comment from Wrienne which I also read on AO3, I wanted to ask if you also have AO3 recs..?

hi there darling, of course, I have some recs for you! since you didn’t ask for anything specific let me just share a few faves that you could only read/access on ao3 (I would also recommend you check my ficshelfs and use the ao3 filter to find stories exclusively posted there + i’ll still include wrienne’s works for other readers :3 ) | 🍒

OT7/MULTIPLE MEMBERS

❥ Right of Way by fringesofsanity ➴ Infidelity!AU | Jungkook x Reader x Jimin | Series ➴ In theory, things were simple: your best friend was Jungkook’s girlfriend while your boyfriend, Jimin, was Jungkook’s best friend. In reality, things weren’t always that simple. And mutually exclusive.

❥ The Hills by minlouvre ➴ Vacation/Exes!AU | Yoongi x Reader x Hoseok | Series ➴ A ski trip with old friends sounds like a fun time, right?

when your ex-boyfriend (who you hate but somehow always end up in bed with) and your stepbrother (who you are harboring not-so-secret feelings for) tag along at the last minute, you have a feeling it won’t be an uneventful weekend.

but fun? debatable. that remains to be seen. ❥ A Hundred Percent Human by Wrienne ➴ Hybrid!AU | OT7 x Reader | Series ➴ In which you (reader) are forced to take care of seven hybrids in a twist of fate.

After your estranged mother passes away, you're left with an unwanted will and the heavy burden of responsibility. Although you're desperate not to stray from the familiar path you thought was laid out in front of you with a fully human boyfriend who loves you more than anything, your life is thrown upside down once more after another unfortunate incident (that may or may not have to do with said boyfriend) occurs.

Drunk and down on life, you finally decide to deal with the house and the unsavory business your mother left behind. However, to your shock, you find that seven very different hybrids are included with both the house - and the business. Seven hybrids you never even met before - even less agreed to take care of.

❥ Dead Leaves by Wrienne ➴ Detective/Exes!AU | Yoongi x Reader x Jimin | Series ➴ In which you (reader) are a homicide detective about to face the biggest hurdle both of your career and life.

Married to probably the kindest but most boring man you’ve ever met and living in a town where nothing ever seems to happen means life for you is dull. Dull enough to drive you crazy with boredom and dissatisfaction. However, life changes abruptly when your old boss retires and a new man takes his place - a man you used to love (and sleep very regularly with) more than a decade ago. Especially when your husband comes home smelling of perfume, you’re unable to resist your more carnal urges and dead women start showing up across the city with unnerving frequency. ❥ See Both Sides Like Chanel by minlouvre ➴ FWB/Rich Kids!AU | Namjoon x Reader x Hoseok | One-Shot ➴ You, Namjoon, and Hoseok are inseparable.

Three best friends that grew up together since you were all in diapers.But lately, Namjoon has been drifting away…

So on his birthday, you and Hoseok remind him just how inseparable the three of you really are.

⤷ or alternatively: a little less twenty-one candles, a little more “touch me”

❥ Love Is A Dog From Hell by yourlocalhoney ➴ FWB/Lovers!AU | Yoongi x Reader x Jungkook | Series ➴ You and Yoongi agreed on being good friends, co-workers, and friends who help each other out under the sheets. What you never agreed on was to catch feelings for each other.

Enter, accidental feelings.

Enter, Jeon Jungkook.

❥ The Uncanny by Sinsirella ➴ Arranged Marriage!AU | Jungkook x Reader x Seokjin x Jimin | Series ➴ (Y/N) is a young girl whose Life turns upside down. One day her mother surprises her with news of her arranged husband, forcing her into her new chaotic lifestyle. Join her journey and experience her new life through her eyes. Will she get along with her husband? Or someone else? What are they hiding? ❥ Seven Deadly Sins by mintedmango ➴ Hell!AU | OT7 x Reader | Series ➴ You stood suddenly, chair being pushed away by the backs of your legs, the rest of the sins standing with you as you looked around in panic. All except Sloth who was out cold in the corner.

“Oh, little pet, indeed, I am still hungry.”

❥ Walk Through The Fire by shellflower ➴ Supernatural!AU | Taehyung x Reader x Jungkook | Series ➴ In a world of supernatural beings, a normal human like yourself always found attraction and wonder towards these creatures. It was your kind heart that led you to become a doctor to treat such people. And it was your kind heart that led you into the arms of a young Alpha wolf who will accidentally force you down a path you were never meant to follow... ❥ Into Temptation by coconutty ➴ Demon!AU | Taehyung x Reader x Jungkook | Two-Shot ➴ It was just a dare...

❥ Won’t Be Nice by coconutty ➴ Lovers/Poly!AU | Taehyung x Reader x Hoseok | One-Shot ➴ A night by the pool just got interesting...

KIM NAMJOON

❥ Covenant by fringesofsanity ➴ Arranged Marriage!AU | Namjoon x Reader | Series ➴ You are betrothed to Kim Namjoon, the heir of a real estate mogul. To say that it was a fairytale romance would be erroneous. You’re instead loped in the sad tale of the rich and melancholy.

❥ Read You Like A Book by coconutty ➴ University!AU | Namjoon x Reader | One-Shot ➴ Come get an attitude adjustment in the library, courtesy of Namjoon.

KIM SEOKJIN

❥ Éffleurer by @sugaurora / sugalights ➴ Office!AU | Seokjin x Reader | Series ➴ There were always whispers in your office about what secrets Seokjin hid behind his clean image. Now, you knew at least one of them. ❥ The City Comes Alive by minlouvre ➴ Musician/S2L!AU | Seokjin x Reader | Series ➴ Seokjin is a street performer who falls for a girl who is always passing him by. ❥ Seaside Sabbatical by dark_muse_iris ➴ Working Man!AU | Seokjin x Reader | One-Shot ➴ After an accountant in your firm is sent to prison, you are assigned to clean up the mess he left behind. Sorting out your clients’ disastrous business records proves beneficial when you meet the fisherman who teaches you the value of taking a break. ❥ Cake by yeyeniejjung ➴ Yandere/Killer!AU | Seokjin x Reader | Series ➴ "I was always hungry for your love. Just once, I wanted to know what is was like to get my fill of it. I wanted to be fed so much love that I couldn't take it anymore, just once." ❥ The Lord Taketh Away by dark_muse_iris ➴ Medieval/Werewolf!AU | Seokjin x Reader | One-Shot ➴ Every autumn, the dwindling harvest summons fears for the impending winter and its promise of scarcity. For Seokjin and his wife, faith lies in God and their local lord’s generosity to provide what their ailing son needs to survive another year. With each season, however, the lord grows cold-hearted and greedy, squeezing the young family to the brink of despair.

MIN YOONGI

❥ Zelus by SugaAconcept ➴ Lovers/Sugar Daddy!AU | Yoongi x Reader | One-Shot ➴ Yoongi becomes jealous when your close friend Jungkook puts his hands all over you right infront of his face. So, Yoongi decides to make sure you know who you really belong to. ❥ Carpe Diem by fringesofsanity ➴ Idol/Lovers!AU | Yoongi x Reader | Series ➴ Working for the UN, you are tasked to handle the poverty reduction campaign of a certain boy band. A certain rapper from the group however decides to mix business with pleasure.

JUNG HOSEOK

❥ Feel You From The Inside by coconutty ➴ Idol/Staff!AU | Hoseok x Reader | One-Shot ➴ You've been watching him for months, little did you know, he's been watching you.

❥ As You Are by fringesofsanity ➴ Lovers!AU | Hoseok x Reader | One-Shot ➴ You're not the girl for Jung Hoseok. Him - who was sunshine and daisies and fireworks. You - who were back-alley darkness and used needles and burnt cigarettes. But he doesn't care. And you fucking hate yourself for it.

❥ The Thin Blue Line by bluesxde ➴ Pregnancy/E2L!AU | Hoseok x Reader | Series ➴ One badly-judged fling with Jung Hoseok, the son of a company-rival, leaves you with a little surprise.

PARK JIMIN

❥ His Throne by hseoks ➴ Royalty!AU | Jimin x Reader | Series ➴ You, a maid for the royal family, have sex with the irresistible Prince Park Jimin on his throne.

❥ Ineffable by fringesofsanity ➴ FWB!AU | Jimin x Reader | One-Shot ➴ You’ve only shared your body to Jimin, mostly silent after the act. The one time you decide to bare so much more, you find yourself baring your soul to him, far more than you bargained for.

❥ Blue Side by hoseokiehopie ➴ Ghost/Lovers!AU | Jimin x Reader | One-Shot ➴ You’re all too familiar with the legend that says the dead can walk freely on Halloween. It’s a secret you hold deeply within yourself. When a classmate starts to break down the walls you built so strongly after your boyfriend’s passing, you have to decide if you’re going to remain in the past with the dead, or live among the living.

KIM TAEHYUNG

❥ Effervescence by fringesofsanity ➴ Idol/Fling!AU | Taehyung x Reader | Series ➴ Just like the fizz of a cola on a hot summer’s day, your encounter with Taehyung is short but sparkly sweet.

OR Getting married in three months, you and your girls attend Ultra Miami to cap your single life, a final hurrah of some sort. What you didn’t expect is meeting a beguiling boy with a boxy smile who gives you a festival you’ll forever reminisce.

❥ Minutiae by coconutty ➴ Stalker!AU | Taehyung x Reader | Series ➴ Y/N meets a mysterious and alluring photographer and wants to interview him. Along the way things start getting a bit strange. What happens when you draw the attention of someone who always gets what they want?

❥ Flower Arrangements by iq_biased ➴ Pregnancy/Lovers!AU | Taehyung x Reader | One-Shot ➴ From the moment you met Taehyung, his flourish for life drew you in completely. It wasn’t long before you fell head over heals for the tattoo artist who was so wrong for you, it felt right. But your story hasn’t always been an easy one, and just recently it’s become a whole lot more complicated…

❥ Freaks Forever by yeyeniejjung ➴ Criminal/Psych!AU | Taehyung x Reader | Series ➴ "So tell me, Mister Kim, what's your ideal evening?"

"Ah..full moon, sex and drugs all night."

You are the psychologist to the world's most dangerous criminal, Kim Taehyung. Kim Taehyung is the man solely responsible for some of the most horrific crimes that the world has ever seen, from burglary, drug possession, sexual assaults, to brutal homicides of a total of 37 victims, though there are suspicions that there are more, that range from children to the elderly; both male and female. The two of you form an odd bond between your weekly sessions, causing you to somehow completely miss his blatant manipulation that soon controlled you in every aspect; resulting in his escape from prison and his bloodthirsty ways and eyes to be immediately turned onto you..but will he spare you in the end of the torturous time he keeps you or will your fate be the same as any other past victim of his?

❥ Slow Burn by fringesofsanity ➴ Idol/F2L!AU | Taehyung x Reader | Series ➴ He was just supposed to be one of those clients. But then he gives you a night you’ll never forget. ❥ Noona by yuu14045 ➴ Neighbors/Lovers!AU | Taehyung x Reader | Series ➴ Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin lives in same apartment building. One day Taehyung received a mail for another Kim. She turned out to be Jimin's new neighbor.

❥ Snapped by Kpopyandere ➴ Yandere!AU | Taehyung x Reader | Series ➴ Your relationship with your boyfriend hasn't been going well lately. His twin, Kim Taehyung, decides to take advantage of this.

JEON JUNGKOOK

❥ If You’re Struggling Like I Am by @btssavedmylifeblr / bts_ruined_my_life ➴ Idol/Lovers!AU | Jungkook x Reader | Series ➴ You are hired as a makeup artist for BigHit working with BTS. You are older than all of them, yet, despite your best efforts, you find yourself slowing falling in love with the youngest member.

❥ My Cheating Amnesic Fiancé by Wrienne ➴ Idol/Arranged Marriage!AU | Jungkook x Reader | Series ➴ A series set in our world featuring Reader, the sole heiress of a multibillion-dollar company, and the Bangtan Boys' Golden Maknae - Jeon Jungkook. Mainly a romance, though doused with angst, drama and the twisted ways of fate. ❥ Return by Kpopyandere ➴ Yandere!AU | Jungkook x Reader | Series ➴ As Seokjin's girlfriend, you're off-limits, but Jungkook doesn't see it that way

#answered #tete-a-tete #anon #recs from hell #rfh:ot7 #rfh:knj #rfh:ksj #rfh:myg #rfh:jhs #rfh:pjm #rfh:kth #rfh:jjk #i have more but i don't have the time to browse through my phone maybe i'll share them another day someday sjagfhjgashdfjkas

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tandemunicycle · 3 years

Text

Farming Sims: an exercise in futility, and the one that got it right

tl/dr: The only good farming game is Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life and I will die on this hill.

Before I begin I would just like to say; I have not done extensive research into the actual logistics of these games or the opinions of goals of their creators, this is based purely on my own experience and opinions.

So first off, some loose education for those who are not indoctrinated, a farming sim is short for a farming simulator, basically a game that, well, simulates farming. The levels of scrutiny in the simulation vary, with some having aspects of fantasy while others delving into the specifics of crop growth and animal management. In many of these farming sims, however, the farming itself is not so much the focus of the game as is the life of a farmer, especially one living in a small town. Growing relationships, fixing up the town, getting married, getting a better farm, all of these common gameplay features of popular farming games such as Stardew Valley and Rune Factory.

There comes a time, however, that many players of these kinds of games become quickly familiar with. It can come early, or later in gameplay as your farm and daily chores become more and more automated, and the daily habit of farm chores become chores to the player as well. I'll just refer to it as the slump, as I don’t know if other gamers actually have a phrase for this.

You see, in these types of games it's all about A. resource management and B. upgrades to living conditions. You chop lots of wood to get a bigger house so you can cook better food and better food lets you farm longer and better tools let you farm even longer than that. These are not inherently slump-inducing, but you soon come to realize as you progress that there is no end. No goal. Sure you may make your farm the biggest or the richest or improve your town to the max but… then what? The years go by and nothing changes. You do chores to what, get a better fishing rod? Romance all the people you can in town just to see what they say? You’re an immortal god in a sandbox full of turnips and although there is no end, most likely you’ll just start over again, because the game wasn’t about the town or the people or you, but about all the shit you could collect and do.

Farming sims induce a strange sort of depression in me. A monotonous day to day that only changes on the surface. Kind of dramatic, but I think it’s true.

Now let me tell you about Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life.

This game is not beautiful. It’s 2003 GameCube graphics with low polygons, the music is often repetitive and lulling, the writing and translations are choppy at best and confusing at worst, some aspects of the game like any farming sim are painfully repetitive and slow, and I think to have fun sometimes you need to plug in a podcast and play mindlessly. But this game does something no other game of its breed had the bravery to do. And it starts quick.

After the first year you have to marry one of the Bachelorettes (or bachelors if you’re playing the Another Wonderful Life version, which I may mention some details from, but generally follows the same formula), and the next chapter (Chapters start with being a year long, then time between them increases, except in Another Wonderful Life where they remain one year long. It is implied that several years had passed in between chapters) you live in a larger home with your wife and toddler son. What has changed other than the size of your home and family? Well, Nina, a kindly old woman who lived with her husband Galan, has died. Galan, now sullen and nearly speechless, has moved to the hill where Nina's grave is, while a new family has moved into the home they once had together.

This immediately breaks the standard set by its predecessors and its successors. Change in farming sims usually only happens when the player initiates it, acting as a sandbox for farming and ranching and dating random hicks, but as you play Harvest Moon you start to realize this isn’t just a farming sim, this is a life sim.

The changes with time don’t stop there. As the years go by the player character and all of the people around them grow and change. Galan after a while (and helped if the player befriends him and keeps him company) comes back out of his shell as a friendly townsfolk again, only to die a chapter later. The player character, as well as other adult characters around you, slowly grow grey hairs and wrinkles. Some faster than others. Your son grows up, and in what I think is a stroke of video game genius, your son's future career path is affected not only by you and what toys you give him, but by who you befriend, what you do, and how you run your farm.

And in the final chapter, chapter 6, when you are old and grey and your son a surly teenager and all the people around you different, some new, some there since the beginning. How does this final chapter end?

You die. And that's the end.

This is the genius of Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. Change doesn’t just happen because of you, it happens to you. People grow old and die and move away and move in and change and stay the same and when you’re old, you know what? You die too. That is so beautiful. Sure the writing can be flat and sure the characters aren’t as deep as some games, but it also has that unique feel that you can only have in Japanese games that everything going on isn’t said. Some things are just left for you to feel.

For a long time I didn’t understand why other farming games just felt off. Bland and flat and soulless, and I realized after thinking about Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, that games before and after it had a completely different philosophy to them. They were collector and builder games, about getting the best farm and chopping wood and completing the town museum and fishing all the fish and making the town and land cute and cool and efficient. Those kinds of things aren't bad, but I felt so incomplete with them. They felt hollow.

So I kept looking, for a long time, for something that could compare. Stardew Valley is a great game, but I came into the realization that I would just be doing this, forever with the same people no matter if I played for 3 in game years or a hundred. Other Harvest Moon games, or Story of Seasons games as they’re called in the future, are just painful to play. I got the most recent to come out, Pioneers of Olive Town, and it nearly made me cry in frustration at the pretty graphics and freedom of customization at the sacrifice of everything that gives a game soul.

Repetitive chores and boring characters are kind of a given for the farming sim genre, but I don’t think any other game of its breed will ever live up to Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life and Harvest Moon: Another Wonderful Life until the people who make these games are brave enough to give the story a satisfying conclusion and make them more than just sandboxes to play in.

So, if you have some time, and some patience, and want to try something a little different, get *COUGH*emulate*COUGH**COUGH* Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (or the special edition version since it shortens the chapter time because DEAR GOD THOSE GET LONG AND DULL), and tell me what you think, because while I talked about some of the gameplay aspects, I have not even mentioned the half of it and its characters.

#talkies #long post #harvest moon #harvest moon: a wonderful life #hm awl #harvest moon: another wonderful life #story of seasons #stardew valley

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peaceandlove26 · 3 years

Note

i literally would die for ur aus so sorry for the barrage of questions haha

basic au- i hecking adore the idea of starswirl becoming a villain? how does this happen, whats his motive??

time travel au,, i love twilight’s design,, i would love 2 hear more abt this one,,

STARRYVERSE AUU!! what are the other mane six like?? what are the other pairings/ships?? villains?? im obsessed w this one

1. BASICALLY IT WOULD HAVE TO DO WITH LIKE… starswirl realizes how powerful the pony of shadows was so he starts intentionally seeking out vulnerable ponies and driving them into deeper despair to corrupt them and create these powerful shadow monsters

2. THANK U!! UM AND i dont know what to say specifically so heres a Fun Fact abt the au: applejack is the first pony to start helping twilight free luna! the apple family’s ancestors learned to harvest the rare zap apples with the help of (very young) luna, who knew about them since theyre like. a magical fruit that only grows at night (in this universe anyway. honestly i cant remember how they actually work) SO! the apple family has passed down stories about a kind moon princess. aj recognizes this as twilight’s luna and decides to help her

3. IM WORKING ON A DESIGN SHEET OF ALL OF THEM BUT HERES BASIC INFO ON EACH MANE 6 MEMBER AND THEIR PAIRINGS:

twilight twinkle: ive already writtwn abt her… has a crush on rosie pie for like. the first season or smthn and they start dating in the second season

rosie pie: also wrote abt her already! cute bubbly twinkle eyed pony! her best friend is her cousin apple cider

apple cider: hardworking farm pony who struggles balancing work and friends. pretty closed off emotionally for a while!! she has to deal with a pesky kirin named maple blaze who keeps breaking into the barn and setting fire to trees… though it doesnt seem like maple is doing it on purpose, so maybe cider should just talk to her…

double rainbow: wrote a bunch about her in her own post! super creative and impulsive pegasus! she gets a stupid crush on princess equinox eventually

aurora: seapony who takes the form of a unicorn! she runs a small business making clothes and accessories using shells and gems. she struggles with being a little self-absorbed but she really does love her friends. shes especially close to rainbow, as they share a love of art, although sometimes their artistic visions clash. she wears lots of eccentric outfits for every occasion. shes absolutely infatuated with rosie’s sister moonstone pie (maud) and showers her with attention whenever she can

meadowbrook: ill go more in depth in a dofferent ask but basically hes a very shy and anxious bat pony. his only friend initially is double rainbow, who he has known since childhood. hes dating rosies brother obsidian pie, who often writes flowery emo love poems for meadow

3. VILLAINS.. ok so first of all, queen solstice is the first major villain. next is discord, whos more of an unknowable eldritch entity here. theres also chrysalis (who does get reformed!) and lots of other Classic Villains.. i can go into detail abt any of em if u want

#long post #my aus #starryverse #time travel

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jake-marshall · 3 years

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writer interview game

tagged by @beck-a-leck Tagging: jesus idk, anyone who feels like doing this? Names: well my writer handle on ao3 is copernicusjones and has been since I made the account in 2015. I wanted something that wasn’t fandom specific even though I’ve come to find out Copernicus Jones is the name of a comic about a robot of the same name. idfk. I just picked it because it was a dumb inside joke with a coworker at the time. Fandoms: Well, most recently I’ve written predominantly for the Tarantino films Inglourious Basterds and Reservoir Dogs, but my old standby is Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons (and I guess Rune Factory, too), and the fandom I have the most fics for is Ace Attorney (which I recently came back to while playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles). I guess you could count Harry Potter too since I’ve written a couple fics about Percy Weasley. Two-Shots: fdjajsf;kj There’s my Miego fic Spilling the Truth and my Blackbright fic Price of Admission as well as my Rune Factory 4 Leon/Xiao Pai fic No Time Like the Present Most Popular Multi-Chapter Fic: That would be my Blackbright fic The Road Less Traveled Actual worst part about writing: I love editing as I go but editing the whole thing after I’ve completed a piece and before I post it is just draining. How you choose your titles: Usually a play on words/idiom or song lyrics. Sometimes a reference to the source material (like “Business is Booming” or “You’re My Light”) Do you outline? Very much so. I have no idea how or why people “Pants” their way through fics, just the thought of it makes me anxious and lock up. Ideas you'll probably never get around to, but wouldn't it be nice? Percy and Audrey Weasley’s epic love story. Spicy tangential opinions: Uhhh, what’s considered spicy nowadays? Idk something that’s always peeved me that I wish people would Shut Up About is, there’s people willing to write a 5 page essay about why they “don’t comment” but then can’t write a one-word sentence telling the author “Hey this is great, I really loved it!” Not that I think authors are entitled to feedback and that people’s reasonings aren’t valid, but a lot of it seems to be “I don’t know what to say” and then they sure do know what to say about why they don’t know what to say. ??? Callouts @ me: Can’t commit to a project, even less so to a fandom. Overuses commas and the em dash. Best writing traits: I know I’m great at dialogue and humor - I get complimented a lot on characters sounding very IC when I write their dialogue. I mean I think I’m pretty skilled in all facets but dialogue is one of my strongest suits.

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kalendraashtar · 5 years

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Fanfiction - Dark Shines

Friday 13th and a Harvest Moon call for witches and crime stories! This chapter debuts an incredible new moodboard, made with love by the amazing @sassy-sassenach and lovingly accepted by this author. Thank you so much! ❤

Part I, Part II

Dark Shines

Part III – Tasseography

Behind the ash wood door was a spacious room, substantially darker than the inside of the Beauchamp’s Cup front store. Still, that diffuseness didn’t feel like the dimness of depraved things, but more like the controlled atmosphere meant to protect old books and antique items.

Jamie could identify hundreds of glass jars and wooden boxes, made of a myriad of different colours and shapes. There were also books aplenty, some neatly stored in a massive bookcase against the back of the space, others – probably the ones more frequently used – stacked in piles between the two worktables and the imponent desk. The writing table was built from a beautiful white wood with an almost invisible grain, ivory-like, that Jamie eventually identified as holly, one of the sacred trees of the old druids.

There were also other objects scattered around the surfaces, stranger and somehow more disturbing in their simplicity – a small silver bell, a pendulum, several knives in different sizes, candles and a totally black tea-set, with seven delicate-looking cups and a robust teapot, which sparkled like an onyx stone would under the intense gaze of the moon.

“Tea first, I think.” Claire said amiably, pointing him in the direction of a plush burgundy armchair in front of her desk. Jamie nodded and tried not to stare openly around him, half-expecting her to go for the wicked looking set of porcelain. Instead, she retrieved a fairly common pair of tea-cups from a sideboard, reassuringly white with the rim simply embellished with soft pink lilies. “Do you have a preference?”

“Whichever ye’re having is fine.” The criminal profiler answered, studying the tea-maker as she prepared the infusion with the measured practice and solemnness of a ritual. After she offered him a cup, pungent with the fragrancy of mint and lemon verbena, Jamie thought he had endured enough politeness for the time being. “So, will ye tell me about the true nature of yer relationship with Morag MacKenzie and Mary Hawkins, Miss Beauchamp?”

The rumoured-witch sipped her tea placidly, blowing softly against the rim of the cup, a magnetic movement of her lips that drew gooseflesh on his arms. “They were faithful clients, almost since I founded the company a couple years back.” She nodded to herself, seemingly content either with the taste of the brewing or with the progress of the conversation. “And they were...curious, about other subjects. Sympathizers, one might say.”

“Do ye mean that they were some kind of witch-groupies?” The man raised a brow, mechanically stirring the liquid with an odd-looking small teaspoon, the point carved like a coiled snake.

“I’m not a member of the Beatles, Agent Fraser.” Claire rolled her eyes, scrunching her perfectly perky nose. “They weren’t groupies. They were interested in some aspects of power and the barriers that stop most people from using it.”

“Were they yer version of Muggles, then?” James Fraser smiled bitterly, silently reprehending himself for letting his own perspective on the subject so abundantly clear. He needed her help, as much as he was convinced that she was a blatant schemer. “I gather from what ye’re sharing that they didn’t have any…power of their own.”

Claire’s eyes fixed on his face, with an intensity that was almost predatory, and then they slowly descended to his upper leg, where he felt her gaze like the two gunshots that had once pierced his flesh, hot and devastating like speeding bullets. It was strange to be once again close to people who knew part of his story, even though they couldn’t possible fathom him.

When her lips moved, it felt like being underwater listening to the secrets of a siren, that he could never accurately reproduce. “Everyone has power. Maybe not what we’d prefer - but some. You won’t find any magical wands here, Mister Fraser, but there are still instruments – conduits, if you’d like – that one might use to do…what I do.”

“And what is that, exactly?” He raised his brow, his tone lowering to a not-too-subtle provocation. Jamie was trying to draw her out, to force her to show more of herself openly - most people revealed plenty with the simplest behaviours, like a choice of recurrent words or hand mannerism, but Claire Beauchamp was undecipherable.

“More tea would be nice, wouldn’t it?” She didn’t wait for his answer, diligently grabbing his cup to refill it from the steaming teapot. Claire squinted at the bottom of his empty cup and then smiled, a lopsided movement of lips that was the true portrait of light-heartedness.

“Found something amusing there?” Jamie asked, annoyed at the growing feeling of rawness, of extreme and unwanted exposure. “I dinna believe in fortune-telling or in the reading of tea leaves, so spare me the telling of some grand adventure in my future, aye?”

“You put too much sugar in your tea.” She revealed cheerfully, deliberately ignoring his borderline-rude remarks. “I don’t need to resort to tasseography to realize that you’ve already experienced too much bitterness in your life.” With ease, she returned him the teacup refilled with a second helping of the hot beverage. “Besides, there’s always more of someone’s past at the bottom of a cup than of the future. That’s the nature of the leaves themselves – they are the tea’s past.”

Jamie offered her a narrow and cold indigo look, retrieving a pen from his pocket to scribble down some notes. “Do people really fall for these tricks?”

“Do people really fall for the brooding and intimidating approach?” She quirked her lips as if she was about to laugh aloud and with a strange twitch his pen fell from his hand, as if it had acquired a life of its own. The policeman bent down haphazardly to catch it, furrowing his brow. “I’m guessing there was something else you needed from me, Agent Fraser, if you chose to come here in the first place. What brought you around, before I volunteered the information that I knew two of the victims?”

“I’m the one who should ask the questions here, Miss Beauchamp.” He clenched his jaw and, before he could continue, his pen – which had been innocently resting on the table, after a stalled first attempt at escaping his possession – slid from the edge of the table and rolled happily away.

“Must be an air draft. Edinburgh and old buildings, you know?” Claire sipped another generous gulp of her tea, her grin barely hidden behind the cup. “Ask away, Agent Fraser. I’ll be on my very best behaviour.”

Before Jamie could explain the mysterious symbols that had led him to her door, and show her some of the illustrating crime scene photos, his phone vibrated inside his pocket.

“Fraser.” John said, with a hint of excitement and consternation in his voice. “We have a fifth victim. Uniforms responded to a call from neighbours complaining of a dog who wouldn’t stop barking, and found another atrocious scene. Meet me there?”

“Aye. Text me the location.” Jamie said shortly and ended the call, when in all truth he wanted to yell a wholehearted “Fuck!”. “Miss Beauchamp, I’m afraid our interview will have to be postponed. I might come by tomorrow for some further inquiries.”

“Of course.” She raised from her chair, the dove around her neck seemingly flapping her wings for a short fraction of time, that left Jamie wondering about the true contents of his afternoon tea. “I’m not always here, so I’ll give you my home’s address in case you need to reach me.” She politely walked him to the door, the very impersonation of an impeccably mannered hostess.

“I’ll be in touch.” Jamie said; it was meant as a farewell, but somehow it sounded like a threat. Claire shrugged and waved him off as he closed the door behind him with more firmness than usual.

Only when the young, yet seasoned, criminal profiler reached his car did he realize that he couldn’t really remember the details of Claire Beauchamp’s face – only her striking eyes. It was as if she had hidden herself behind a curtain of undisturbed mist.

***

The scene in front of them was oddly, but not at all reassuringly, similar to the ones they had witnessed, either in first-hand or by way of photographs.

“Another woman. But I guess that’s not surprising.” John said in a murmur, shaking his blonde head. He was paler than usual, and a few wrinkles in his usually impeccable shirt denounced a bone-deep tiredness. “So far the forensic team couldn’t find any signs of forced entry. Again.”

Jamie nodded in agreement, their train of thought synchronized like a flock of birds during murmuration. “These women know the unsub. There’s no way around it, really. They willingly opened the door to let him in, probably entertained him for a while before things took a verra gruesome turn. They didn’t foresee any danger coming from that person.”

“But while they seem to know him, he doesn’t show any classical signs of regret or guilt, does he?” John pursed his lips in concentration. “The unsub didn’t cover her bodies or place them in any comfortable or nurturing position. Didn’t leave any tokens to show respect, as well.”

“Aye.” Jamie sighed and crouched down, his eyes slowly trailing down the cold body of the most recent victim, as if her skin could whisper the name of the perpetrator through its pores. “But this also isna sexual. He doesn’t engage in sexual intercourse with them perimortem, even if all of them were young and bonny. No evidence that he wanks in the scene or that he takes anything other than the forefinger to fantasize later.” His eyes searched for his companion’s. “This doesn’t seem like a true-born serial killer to me, to be honest. More like a hitman, eliminating specific targets for a very earthily reason.”

“I don’t know many hitmen that make such a spectacle of their killings, though.” They walked to the threshold of the room, watching as Denzel gave instructions to some uniformed officers to collect statements with the neighbours. “Usually a revolver or a good piece of sturdy nylon around the neck. This scene took time and intention.”

“Maybe all the production around the murder is the most important part of why he does it.” The redheaded profiler theorized. “It can all be about the ritual.”

“We’re still waiting on her ID.” John brushed his forehead. “But plenty of pictures around.” He pointed towards a large frame with his pen, where a photo of the victim surrounded by other women dwelled. She was abundantly black-haired, with a unique white streak in her bangs, and warm and sapient brown eyes. All the faces depicted were either smiling broadly or making funny faces, as they sat around a presumable beach bonfire.

“A mhic an diabhoil!” Jamie’s jaw dropped, as he slowly approached the image and almost touched one of the women’s faces. “I think that’s the woman I’ve just met at the teashop.”

#Dark Shines #Part III #Tasseography #Outlander fanfiction #Modern AU #Jamie and Claire #dark mood #Criminal Profiler vs. Witch

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kelleah-meah · 4 years

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Celebrating Samhain + Blue Full Moon + Halloween weekend

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had some pretty detailed plans for celebrating Halloween, Samhain and the blue full moon this weekend. Although we’re still technically in the weekend as I type this, I wanted to share the difference of what I had planned versus what I’ve actually done so far.

I’ve said before that one of my biggest issues I have is that I often plan to do too much or put too much pressure on myself by trying to fill every moment with something worthwhile. I’m learning to do less of that, but it’s still a process.

So keep that in mind as I share what I’ve been up to. I also had to work on Friday and Saturday, so that too affected how much time I had to do the things I had planned.

On Thursday, after returning home from work, I got started on my holiday weekend dessert to mark the final harvest: an apple crumble. Although this was before the weekend started, I knew it was better to get the dessert out of the way before the first night of the full moon.

That’s 11 Gala apples + 3 apples gifted to me from my bosses who went apple picking in Upstate New York last weekend peeled and sliced.

It’s not the best photo, but this is the apple crumble after it was all finished. I added foil to the pan to help make it easier to clean, but it would’ve probably looked more appetizing if I hadn’t. It still tasted delicious.

On Friday, I sort of did the same thing by cooking the Samhain Stew recipe I found so I didn’t have to feel pressured to get it done in time for Saturday evening. It turned out OK. I made a few substitutions that I probably wouldn’t make next time, but overall, I’m glad I tried something new.

After I cooked the stew, I actually made myself a pizza (store bought) and watched my first movie in my Halloween cinematic celebration: The Dead Don’t Die. My mother recommended it to me, but it wasn’t very good unfortunately. It’s one of those films where a lot of actors you like may be in it, but the story just isn’t very good. I’m not a big fan of zombie movies, but I really liked the cast. Oh well. It doesn’t hurt to give something new and different a chance. Here’s what one of the posters for the movie looked like:

The day of Samhain/Halloween/the full Blue Moon began with more meditation and a tarot reading. This time, I did this Blue Moon Tarot Spread by @kikicauldron.

And here was the reading of my result:

1. Your uniqueness and personal power

Death/Rebirth

2. A blessing in your life to reflect on

The Wheel

3. A goal to develop this blue moon

8 of Wands

4. A lesson that will reveal itself this blue moon

9 of Swords

5. A wish that will come true this blue moon

2 of Pentacles

6. A message from divinity about your spiritual evolution

4 of Cups

It was rather insightful, and gave me a lot to think about.

Then I got ready for work, which thankfully I got to do from home instead of going into the office. Around 3pm, I took a break from work and went for a walk in the park near my house. Here are a few photos of that trip.

I especially love this shot of a ray of sunlight that my camera managed to capture when I paused to take in the open field.

And check out this capture of the Samhain sun.

The gift of fall is so beautiful, isn’t it?

On the way back to my flat, I passed this house doing their best to keep trick or treating alive during the pandemic.

That’s a PVC pipe from the top step of the porch that leads down to a small candy bucket for the sweets to land in when trick or treaters come by. Isn’t that cute?

Once I was back in the house, I finished up one more task that I needed to finish for work, then I officially begin my celebration. Although I meant to create an ancestral altar earlier in the month, I didn’t make one until the day of Samhain. It’s my first attempt at an altar, but it’s not too bad I think.

I had to clear off the space and clean it before adding all the things I wanted to lay out. As I mentioned, it’s my first attempt, so I know it’s rather basic. It’s an altar to honor my grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Although now that I look at this, I realized that in each photo, each woman is holding one of my younger cousins and maybe I shouldn’t use these images.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any other photos of them. Dang. I read you weren’t supposed to include any images of living relatives, and now I’m worried. OK. I’m going to change that tonight.

In the meantime, the deck of cards are for my grandmother who played cards all the time, and was even the bookkeeper for her bi-weekly card-playing women’s club, which used to organize events in the community and offer weekend trips out of town to gambling boats for all the other women in their circle who wanted a weekend getaway from their husbands and kids. :-D

I didn’t really have anything to offer to my great-grandmother or great-great-grandmother. Maybe next year, I can offer them something specific. I remember my great-great-grandmother loved those candy pieces that look like orange slices. I could probably find some in time for next year. My great-grandmother will be a little more difficult to come up with something for an offering. I could’ve left her a pack of cigarettes, but since she died of lung cancer after smoking for 40+ years, that felt in poor taste. I’ll think of something in time for next year.

The rose quartz crystal is just to symbolize my love for all 3 of these amazing women who affected my life. The apple is just a food offering and the water is something for them to drink. Like I said, pretty basic. The jade plant, is there to represent Earth energy as they were all a major connection to my foundation who defining what it means to stand strong in the face of adversity and a literal connection to my ancestral roots, plus jade represents a connection to luck and well wishes.

I bought white tealights for my candle holder, and I picked 3 tarot cards from my new True Heart Intuitive Tarot Deck (by Rachel True) to add to the altar. Each card represents one of the women in the photos: my grandmother - Queen of Pentacles, my great-grandmother - Queen of Swords, and my great-great-grandmother - Judgment.

I’m going to refresh the water tonight, remove the photos for now until I can find images of them by themselves, and light the candles for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.

After I finished the altar on Saturday, I lit my candles (for the altar and the white candle in the windowsill for spirits passing through), I sat down to eat my Samhain Stew and watch Arsenic and Old Lace for the evening. I rented the movie on YouTube for $4, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I remembered after all these years. (I haven’t watched it in at least 5 years so some of the details were fuzzy.) After dinner, I ate some of my apple crumble dessert, and felt myself drifting off to sleep.

Out of fear that I might cause a fire or that my cat might knock over some of the candle holders while I was sleeping, I made myself blow out all the candles before going to bed. I don’t know if that’s how the tradition was meant to go, but my fear for my own safety and the others in my apartment building won out.

Today (Sunday), I haven’t done much, but that’s been the plan. I slept in, finished my book, ate the last of my Samhain stew for lunch, and started my day-long Ghostbusters movie marathon.

I also cleaned around the house a bit more, dusted a few shelves, washed dishes, re-organized a couple of things, while enjoying the movies and preparing for this evening.

Maybe I’ll be back after I’ve completed what I have left on my list and share with you how I finished this 3-day celebration of the season’s final harvest and my first attempt at honoring special occasion. Until then ...

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queenmuzz · 5 years

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Deep Blue Sea: Chapter IV

The way to a merman’s heart....

For a link to the full story on Ao3, click here

“You gotta be more specific than 'small silvery fish with spots' when describing the type you like, Vergil. That covers dozens of groups, let alone individual types.” You sat, back to the glass, while on your laptop, pulling up picture after picture of similar looking fish. Vergil floated behind your shoulder, steadily dismissing each picture.

“Well, the issue is that you humans seem to have picked a different name for it than we have” he almost seemed faintly amused at your frustration.

“What does the name 'Cordina' mean anyway?” You closed the browser window with the latest batch of rejected pictures. Well, it wasn't herring... what if it was a fish that humans just didn't eat?

“It is just a name in Old Mer. Do your names of your food staples have to mean something?”

He had a point. A cow was just that... a cow. You grumbled, this was going nowhere... You slammed the laptop shut, and spun to face him. He had been a lot closer than you expected, nearly plastered to the glass, and he quickly darted back, as if he had been caught doing something bad. Had there been no glass or water there, you would have been able to feel his breath on the back of your neck.... the thought of that made you feel warm...

“Alright wise guy, tell me something else about the fish, like how it moves, where it lives, any peculiar oddities it doesn't share with any other fish.” He cocked his head to the side, and his eyes looked upward as he recalled the information.

“It prefers cold water, and usually stays in the far south, ” He said, which was no help. Quite a few species were like that. “But...every so often, when the seasons make a full cycle, a current of cold water juts far north, and the Cordina follow it, to forage in the new territory. At the same time, the warmth of the Ringed Sea pushes against it, forcing the fish into a long narrow column, close to the coast. And since the water is shallow, the fish are easy picking for both the birds above and the predators below. And thus, the feeding begins”

Hmmm, that sounded familiar...you wracked your brain, trying to remember where you had heard of that phenomenon. A memory of a professor, showing an image of the east coast of Southern Africa...AHA! You yanked open your laptop again, and typed in words, bringing up the image of a fish that fit the description. Flipping it around, you showed him.

“BEHOLD! The Sardine! Specifically Sardinops sagax, South African Sardine ” You watched as he cautiously approached the glass, peering at the image, scrutinizing it. You felt a sudden nervousness, as if you were waiting for your exam marks to be revealed.

And then he smiled.

It was a small smile, barely visible, but it was genuine, and beautiful. Something you wanted to see all the time.

“You're very knowledgeable about such things, I hadn't thought that you, a human, would know about something so far away, and in the ocean, to boot.”

“Well, it's what I studied in university” you watched the confused look on his face, “That's where some people go to learn things so they can specialize. Some want to learn about computers,” you tapped the laptop, “Some learn to teach children, and some, like me, want to learn and explore the ocean. Migration patterns of Sardines aren't my specialty, but we did learn about them from about a lecturer who had studied it.”

“Not your specialty?” He asked.

Well, the ocean is vast and for the most part, we don't know what's down there...so a lot of us just focus on one Ocean, one particular ecosystem, hell, sometimes one type of individual fish. I prefer to study the deep ocean, it's a whole new world out there. We know more about the moon-”

“The moon?”

“The thing in the sky, usually you see it at night, cycles between getting bigger and smaller...”

“Ah, the Tidemother....”

It had a nice ring to it, you thought... very romantic, you'd have to ask him more about terms he used. “Anyways, the cutting edge of what we don't understand is the deep ocean, since we can't just... go.. there. Not to mention, it's an entire ecosystem that's not dependent on the sun...the Moon's daytime counterpart.” you clarified.

"Tidefather” he responded, “and no doubt, once you scour the sea floor, you will find a way to exploit it, as humans are wont to do. Never satisfied with their lot in life, they take, and take, and take...” His fists balled up, and even though you were separated by thick glass, you felt the urge to scoot away. The old look of hatred you had first encountered came back with a vengeance.

“What? No!” you responded. “I mean, humanity as a whole has done a lot of damage, I'll admit to that, but we're trying to get better...bit by bit.”

“Fitting words for the daughter of a murderer...” he shot back, an you winced. He had a point. Your father's company (and soon to be yours) harvested thousands and thousands of tonnes of fish each year. But something didn't make sense...

“Not that I'm accusing you or anything, but you've been going after my father's fishing vessels, but I remember that during the Sardine Run, fishermen from the villages on the coast come out in droves to harvest the fish as well, why not attack them?”

A pregnant pause, and you were afraid you had offended him “They merely harvest to feed their families, and their fellow humans, and besides, they are merely one fish in a shoal. I do not feel ill will towards them anymore then I do against any of the other predators.” he calmly explained, before returning to his anger “However, when those ships, with nets that can envelop and harvest countless fish, can scour the oceans clean to feed their hungry maws, that's what I take issue with...”

“Point taken...but if I'm going to get you some of the fish, I'm going to have to buy it from someone who most likely participates in that sort of thing... so it's either kelp, another fish I can get locally, or... this.” He hesitated for moment, before bowing his head in defeat.

“If this is the price for keeping my sanity, so be it”

******

You sat on aquarium platform, with a plate of fresh sardines splayed out in an amateur design, as if it was a plate of hors d'oeuvres at a fancy dinner. Unfortunately, there hadn't been much choice at the market, so you were only able to procure a little over a dozen of the fresh ones (and had managed to finagle a deal with a bemused fishmonger to get a regular supply, citing that you were rehabilitating some sea mammal, it was technically true) but it would take a while to get the supply going. So, you attempted a substitute, which you stacked beside the plate. Cans, and cans, and cans of Sardines. The look the cashier gave you, and the way her eyes darted down to your stomach, to see if you were pregnant, was worth it, even if Vergil ended up hating the stuff.

“So, it doesn't look like sardines are in season, so the ones I got might not be the best condition,” you apologized as you opened one of the sardine cans, one packed in salt water. Perhaps he would like the canned ones that tasted as plain as possible, and then you could try out the more flavourful combinations.

Vergil pulled himself up onto the platform, scaring the bejeesus out of you. “Sheesh, give a gal a warning before you do something like that!”

The merman chuckled...his voice, now 'real' echoed through the room “Apologies, I take it you thought we do not surface.” (you made a mental note to attempt to make him laugh again.)

“Well, it doesn't seem very practical,” you said. “You seem to be specialized for aquatic travel, while being rather clumsy on land. The inverse is true for humans.” You realized how dry and clinical that sounded, how close you were to sounding like Doctor Griffon. Your hands covered your mouth “Oh God, that sounded so bad, I'm really... really sorry!”

Vergil chuckled again (tingles went down your spine, perhaps the tales of the merfolk's alluring voices had a kernel of truth.) “It is forgiven, you cannot help how you think. You seem to be a person who is constantly observing, eager to learn. There is nothing to be ashamed in that, as long as you realize your limitations. Something the 'Good Doctor' could take a lesson on...”

He picked up one of the sardines by his tail, and with a quick motion that surprised you, he swallowed the fish whole, bones and all. At first you thought it was because he was famished, but then one sardine turned into two, then three, then half a dozen were gulped like a baleen whale gulping an entire shoal. You were used to animals eating like that, but the image of someone so humanlike.... well, you excused yourself, and went into the kitchen to get yourself something to eat (and hopefully settle your stomach). You weren't sure what you wanted, but you wanted something quick and easy.... And as you checked your cupboards, you found it... a plastic package. Pulling out a pot and filling it with water, you began to cook.

Five minutes later, you came out with a steaming bowl of ramen in salty broth. And what you saw nearly made you laugh. Vergil had devoured the entire plate of sardines, the opened can of of sardines in salt water, and was attempting to open another can, one with sardines packed in olive oil. He wasn't having much luck with it, frowning intently as he rotated the can, attempting to find out how to open the treasure box. You stood back, allowing him to explore, until he finally figured the pull tab, and with a bit of effort, he ripped open the top. He grinned at his success, but in his attempt to grab the reward within, he gripped the can by the sharp, recently opened edge. The can was dropped onto the platform with a clatter as he hissed in pain. A stream of blood bloomed on his palm. Quickly setting your bowl down, you ran over.

“Oh no, are you alright?” and before he could protest, you grabbed his hand to inspect the damage. Vaguely, you realized this was the first time you had touched him. His hands were remarkably soft, especially considering the salt water that he spent his life in. A thin red line on his palm indicated a pretty nasty cut....Or it would have, if it was not rapidly healing in front of your eyes.

“How in the...”

“We heal fairly rapidly, especially compared to you humans, we're not sure why, but it grants us a resiliency that most creatures in the ocean lack. How you humans survive without that ability, I have no idea” He, huffed, amused as you used your ratty old shirt to wipe the blood away to reveal that, yes the cut had healed within a few moments, leaving not even a scar. “You didn't have to do that, I would have licked it off.”

“You...lick your own blood?” you asked, part appalled, part intrigued.

“The less blood we shed, the less likely predators will be attracted,” he explained, and you realized that was probably the same reason for his super-healing. Or if a shark or something did approach, the merfolk would be healed enough to fight back or flee. You were learning more and more things about these people, and just by having a conversation, and treating him as an equal. The 'Doctor' was an idiot, he could have gained so much more knowledge, but no, he was compelled to be a douchebag.

As Vergil (carefully) opened another can of sardines, this time in tomato sauce, you went back to your bowl, now reasonably cooled off, and began slurping away. You watched as he swallowed the sardine, and resisted the urge to laugh at the face he made.

“Not a fan, eh? Ah well, you can't like everything.”

“Indeed, a bit too...sweet for my taste” He looked at the other cans, his brow furrowed, before he looked at you, no, he was looking at the bowl in your lap. The tip of his tongue stuck out, as if he was attempting to mentally form a sentence.

“Would you like to try some of my ramen? It's very salty, probably right up your alley”

“My alley?”

“It means I think you'll like it”

He hesitated for a second...before he nodded, and twirling your fork, you wound a small sized portion, before handing the fork to him. You'd expected (foolishly, in hindsight) that he'd take the fork from you, but instead, he shimmied a bit towards your direction, and carefully, fed off your fork. You couldn't resist giggling as he politely slurped up the noodles. “So, how is it?”

He didn't answer, his smile did more than words ever could

#Devil may cry #Merfolk AU #Vergil #Mergil #Vergill #vergil x reader #DON'T JUDGE READER FOR EATING RAMEN WITH A FORK!

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glazeery · 5 years

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Greek Mythology Sims 4 Legacy

Hi guys! So I am quite a fan of Greek Mythology and I was looking for a legacy challenge involving the Greek Gods.

So first a couple of things, this is not based on the family tree of the Greek Gods. Since it's quite a difficult family tree. I based the characters mostly on what I knew and could find. As well as they are based slightly on the characters from a webtoon called Lure Olympus.

Further more it's like wanting to create Olympus. So you pick a neighborhood and everyone of the Olympus family lives there, unless stated other wise.If the neighborhood is full, you can of course kick some people out, some generations have loads of kids...

Also a thing that I thought I would let you know, you don't have to make every god or goddess the gender they are supposed to be. Since I prefer to have female heirs in a legacy, I will mostly have female characters. But if you prefer more guys, be my guest and even if you wanna keep to the genders, it's all up to you!As for the stories as well, I do have some specific things, but you can make it all your own!

I didn't keep it basegame friendly, I am sorry. I think I used most of the packs, but if you don't have packs I use, you can defenitly decide for yourself what to do with the gen. For the ones who find it difficult to think of something, there is someone who made the challenge a little easier and mostly basegame friendly, so you can check her out. You can also send me a message and I would be happy to help out!

Since this is my first legacy and I have not tried it yet, I am working on it! I would love to see what you make of it, share it with me on #GlazeeryGreekLegacy

Please give me some feedback and let me know of it's actually do-able...

I will be trying my own legacy with you guys, I’ll be posting it over here. I don’t know how many posts and how many times a week, but we will see!

Now what actually is the challenge? First of you can start how ever you want. You wanna do it like a legit legacy be my guest. You wanna start of with a house and some money, sure thing.You can also decide for yourself if you allow cheating. For me I do cheat preganancy to make sure I have a female heir and I start of with a home. Thats it for cheating on my part.

Cheating the sims aspiration, skills or job is NOT allowed. Since that is part of each generations challenge.

The appearance doesn't matter, I put colors next to the generations since I like berry sims and I bet more people do. In the Webtoon the greek gods all have a colorfull appearance, so I wanted to give people the change to give their sims that colorfull vibe as well.You have to complete each generations aspiration and career, unless stated otherwise.Life span can be set on whatever you feel would be best.

I think thats about it for the rules? Help me out if you know some more, thanks!

On to the generations! For now it's a 10 generation challenge. I do wanna give people a change to continue their story, so if you want me to add specific gods, let me know. I would love to add more!

Generation One

Zeus - Purple

God of the sky and weather and King of the Gods

You have been a fighter all your life and you have fought for many things, like your freedom. Now that you finally have it you start planning out your own life. You fall in love, but as you love your spous. You can't help but feel attracted to other sims.

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Traits: Romantic, hot-headed & Ambitious

Career: Astronaut

Max out the logic skill and fitness skill

Have a weather machine, since you are the god of the weather

Be the leader of a club, have a meeting every so often

Get married early on in your life

Have at least two children with spouse

Have many affairs and have children with them

Have twins with bestfriend of your spouse. Have affaire and twins send of far away from your neighborhood

You can decide if you stay together with spouse

You can decide what you do with the children from your affairs

Your Legacy continues with one of you and your spouses childrens

Generation Two

Poseidon - Green

God of the sea

You have always felt misunderstood. Like you didn't belong. You always felt a strong desire for the ocean, which nobody in your family really had. So you decide to find out what it is.

Aspiration: Angeling Ace

Traits: Child of the Ocean, hot-headed & Self-Assured

Career: Diver or Fisherman

Max out fishing skill and charisma skill

Become a mermaid/merman by eating mermadic kelp

Like your father you can't resist the beautiful sims who walk around olympus. Have many relationships.

Marry a mermaid/merman.

Have an open relationship

Have at least four children with your spouse

Have a swimming pool (unless you live in Sulani)

Make a dolphin friend.

Generation Three

Hades - Blue

God of wealth and the underworld

You and your siblings were very close, but something was a little different with you. You got into lots of fights and people thought you were mean. As you grew older, you believed what they said, and acted it out.

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Traits: Evil, Materialistic & Loner

Career: Business

You don't have to complete the aspiration, but you can try!

Max out the mischief skill and logic skill

Have one or more dogs

Have a graveyard, you can put deceased family members in it. If you want a big collection, you can collect some more

Have a failed relationship with someone who is also evil

Keep a sim captive, needs to be opposite of you

Marry the sim you keep captive and start a family with that sim

Generation Four

Aphrodite - Lavender

Goddes of love

You grew up in a loving family and got all you could ask for. You lived your best life. But once you where on your own, you couldn't find the love you desired.

Aspiration: Soulmate

Traits: Romantic, Self Absorbed & Jealous

Career: None or babysitter until you find the one

Max out wellness skill

Max out baking skill

Take a lot of care for your appearance, since you are the most attractive god/goddes

You date many different sims, but all relationships fail.

Having kids with failed relationships is optional.

You always help people out with their bad relationships.

Once you find the one, marry as soon as possible.

You become a stay at home mom/dad to take care of the house and you (future) children.

Have a maximum of seven children with spouse

Generation Five

Demeter - Purple/Green

Goddes of harvest

You love being outside and you love nature as it is. You always wanted to have a garden where you could grow all your favorite vegetables and fruits.

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Traits: Loves the outdoors, Perfectionist & Vegetarian

Career: Gardener

Max out the gardening skill and cooking skill

Have a big garden where you get most of your food from

Marry at an early age

Get divorced as an adult

Have four children, one set of twins

You care a lot about your children, maybe a little too much...

Prepare lunches for you children to take to school

Have family activities every season

Generation Six

Hera - Yellow

Goddes of family and marriage

You had an amazing childhood and a great mom to take care of you. You aspire to be as good, if not even a better parent then her.

Aspiration: Super Parent

Traits: Family Oriented, Jealous & Romantic

Career: none

Max out the charismatic skill

Get the weather machine from gen 1, as you can control it as well

Marry as soon as you become a young adult to your childhood bestfriend. But do it in secret.

Have one child as you always wanted your own little family

Have a love/hate relationship with spouse

Re-marry in public and invite as many people as you can.

Have three more children after re-marrying - one set of twins

Have spouse cheat on you, but stay together through it all

Generation Seven

Apollo or Artemis - The Twins

Artemis - Purple

Goddes of the moon and hunting

You are not interested in love, as you saw your parents relationship, you decided it would be best to stay alone.

Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast

Traits: Loves the outdoors, hot-headed & dog lover

Career: scout as child & teen, take on odd jobs as YA

Max out herbalism skill

Have a dog with the hunter trait. Let the dog hunt for you

Go camping every season, except for winter

Be super close to twin

Never marry and adopt a child

Apollo - Purple

God of the sun and music

You see your parents as role models. You love them and want to be just like them. You love attention and sims know it.

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Traits: Music lover, hot-headed & snob

Career: Entertainer (music branch)

Master two instruments

Love meeting new sims, especially very beautiful sims

This sim can be famous, if you have get famous! Or the road to fame mod

Be super close to your twin

Have many relationships

Marry when you find the one

Have three children, they don't have to be from spouse

Generation Eight

Eros - Pink

God of love

You always were very cheerfull and excited about loads of things. But mostly you loved the idea of love.

Aspiration: Soulmate

Traits: Cheefull, Romantic & Family-Oriented

Career: Style Influencer

Have a close and strong relationship with your mother

If you picked Apollo as last gen, be close to one sibling

Come short of love as a child/teen

You fall in love with someone your mother hates

Run away from home with the one you love get married to the one

Your mother has a change of heart and turns out to be happy for you

Have at least two children

Generation Nine

Athena - Orange

Goddes of war, art and wisdom

You always wanted to learn as much as you can and do as much as you can. You love to learn and create.

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Traits: Genius, Art Lover & Ambitious

Career: Militairy

Max out the painting skill and logic skill, plus two other skills of your choice

Get an accidental pregnancy - only have one child

Mentor your child

Never get married

Since you have been busy with learning, you don't have many friends

Final Generation

Peresphone - Pink

Goddess of spring and the underworld

You have had a great childhood and you thought you were ready to go out in the big world of Olympus, but you were wrong.

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist - can be changed after marriage

Traits: Outgoing, loves the outdoors & ambitious - outgoing can be changed after marriage

Career: none

You wanted to live on your own early one, so you moved in with a family friend as a teen.

Get "kidnapped" as a YA

You start to fall in love with the person who kidnapped you

Marry your kidnapper

Have two children

Once married, you can do whatever you desire

That’s it for now! Let me know what you think of it and share your stories with me! As I said this is my first legacy challenge I made, so if you can, help me out!

Hope you guys like it and try it out!

#legacy gameplay #legacy #sims 4 #sims 4 challenge #legacy challenge #greek legacy #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 story #sims #berry sims

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worldbuildingworkshop · 6 years

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Worldbuilding Tutorial #10: Example World A

Intro Starting with this set of example tutorials, I am going to continue to tighten my focus to a handful of regions in each world. Which regions these are may shift a little depending on which ones are most useful to demonstrate a given tutorial; likely it will probably tend to be a core few.

As a reminder (the “going over notes” step): the primary supernatural forces underlying this world are the world’s magical core; magic itself derived from emotion and instinct; the strong presence of Fate; the strength of Chance as fate’s counterbalance; and the presence of fey in the world. The actual post on it can be found here, if you would like a more detailed reminder.

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Region #3: Humans There are two primary influences on this region in terms of the supernatural. The first is the farming culture, and thus the way the culture in this region is heavily influenced by the seasons; the second is that it shares its only border with the region filled with Seelie Fey. The other influence comes in the way that magic works in this world; in that humans, because they are on the higher end of the food chain, have a difficult time with direct magic and must rely on indirect methods to practice magic at all. Because of the structure of this region - many independent villages that don’t rely on one another to make decisions or live under the influence of one overarching ruler - the actual religions and magical practices will vary some between villages. However, there are a few core ideas that permeate through most of them, and that’s what I’ll cover here.

The first is a sense of order and structure in the world. Most humans in this region do not have an overarching sense of fate being a major influence in their lives, per se; but they understand that there are structures in terms of the seasons, and in terms of the phases of the moon, and in terms of the constellations in the night sky - and that these things are inevitable and cannot be changed by mortal hands. Many villages in this region have rites that celebrate and acknowledge the passing of the seasons or other milestones such as the harvest. These tend to involve the entire village and take the form of giving gifts to the world - the best grain, the slaughter of a cow, etc - in hope for mercy during the upcoming seasons in return. These celebrations are usually led by the head of the village, sometimes in concert with the village caster.

Some regions may mark these celebrations by passing of the stars, sun, and moon; others may mark them by the first frost or the first blooming flowers - but the core of the celebration is the same. In nearly all cases, there is no concept of a god or goddess or any deity with a particular will; there is no figure of worship, merely the world. Its will is perceived as being diffuse and not embodied in any particular person or place.

Many people, however, worship the Fey. Because of the fey’s ability to perform magic - and because the Seelie Fey tend to be kind - it is very common for people in this region to leave out gifts for fey too, especially in places they are known to frequent; and to ask for help or advice in return. Fey are not seen as deities, but rather powerful beings with capabilities far beyond humanity’s. Some humans may build relationships with particular fey, and may come to know them more as people; this is particularly common with traders who trade for resources that they fey have with the few who understand that concept as humans see it.

Lastly, magic: it is common for a given village to have a single practitioner of magic. Most of this magic comes in the form of herblore and alchemy; as such, this person tends to also be the village healer, particularly since the set of tools to do so is the same. This is passed down through long apprenticeships with a chosen successor, and is a highly respected position within a village. It is very uncommon for a village practitioner to also be the head of the village: rather, they are often seen as a legitimate counter to the village head when it is needed. Any other particular requirements of the person - age, sex, rites of passage, etc - vary highly village to village, as does the name of the position.

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Region #4: Humans This region has many of the same primary influences as Region #3. The primary difference is that, because of the climate, this region has very little farming - and thus not the same attachment to the seasons as a force of order in the world. Instead, most of the region relies on fishing, hunting, and herding - and as such, the primary sense of order in the world comes from death, and from the duality of long winter nights and long summer days. As such, there are few seasonal markers or celebrations; some regions may have practices that mark the longest day or longest night of the year, but no more than that.

Instead, the primary form of worship comes in the form of sacrifice - usually in the form of sacrifice of livestock, sometimes in the form of performances simulating human sacrifice (actual human sacrifice is extraordinarily rare and generally taboo), and sometimes the form of ceremonial hunts performed in honor of a particular occasion. These occasions tend to be community events: marriages or partnering, death of a community member, birth of a child, adulthood ride of passage, and so on. These people, too, also perform rites to try to placate the elements; but it is less likely to be tied to season and more likely to be tied to weather and necessity.

The people in this region also do not have or worship deities; however, they may embody certain forces - storms, darkness, the ocean, etc - into various beings. Many of these started as stories - the kind of stories you tell children so they won’t go wandering off at night - that grew somewhat beyond the bounds of story; many of these beings do not exist at all, except for those that are based off of encounters with particular Fey. People in this region are somewhat more wary of the fey than people in region #3, and are less likely to have a direct relationship with them; most relationships are based off of interacting with these storied beings and attempts to placate or to ward them away from a village’s bounds.

Lastly, there is magic. Because plants do not grow well here, there is little magic done with herbalism; instead, most of it is done with stone. Most of this involves stacking stones or creating stone structures using particular types, shapes, etc; or making charms and talismans out of particular stones to lend properties to the wearer. Magic is treated with suspicion in this region, and fewer people practice it; it is common not to have a magic-worker at all living in one’s village, and people who do practice it are generally distrusted on the premise that they may be evil. This comes partly with people’s experience with fey being less direct and more as dangerous and hostile beings; and partly with the experience of a harsher world to contend with in general.

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Region #6: Elves This region in particular has a curious intersection of influences on their beliefs in the supernatural. Part of this comes from their mixed fey-human heritage, which gives them much easier access to magic than humans but much more limited abilities than fey; part of this comes from their longer lifespans, which allow them to see the ebb and flow of Fate and Chance in the world more clearly; and part of it comes from their cultural relationship to their heritage - which is to say, a heavy rejection of humanity and fey both.

I have stated previously that amongst elves, magic is viewed like any other tool: useful in the right hands, but dangerous if used improperly. Those who practice magic are often not fully trusted by others; however, it is also a skill that can be mastered, and a masterful practitioner can gain a great deal of respect from other elves as well. Not all elves are capable of performing magic equally; those elves who have more fey in their bloodlines tend to have more powerful magic.

Unlike humans, elves are capable of casting magic directly - and thus do not rely on indirect tools like plants and stones, but can do much more creative and flexible work when given reason. The source through which they access magic is through the strength of their emotions and intuition; many have also learned methods to increase their abilities by meditating or performing other rituals on stone outcroppings (either natural or built specifically for this purpose). These rituals are not religious, but practical only.

Elves do not practice any religion, and in fact tend to actively reject the notion of it. They prefer to take matters into their own hands; part of their emphasis on creating skilled individuals comes from actively leaning into chance and the possibility that any given person might have a chance to change things and to defy fate (which they see most often as cruel, if necessary - another piece of baggage from their rejection of both fey and humans). One role that elves have which neither humans nor fey do is that of prophet: those who hone their skills towards predicting the ebb and flow of fate and writing down prophecies of what is to come. Some do this through skill, and others through magic; in either case, this skill is highly valued amongst elves, as is the foresight that it brings.

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Region #2: Seelie Fey Last, but not least: the interaction between fey culture and the supernatural. This one is interesting because fey are, to the other inhabitants of this world, one of the supernatural elements in it; and some of the below deals not with just how fey view the world, but also how they respond to how the world views them.

Fey, as stated before, have an intimate relationship with magic: they live and breathe it, and rely on consuming magical energy in place of food and other forms of sustenance. They can cast magic on a whim - often literally - which is drawn from impulse and deep emotions. There are no rules when it comes to casting magic, nor customs: fey do whatever they please, much in the same way that any person in the real world has a particular laugh or a walk unique to them - the variations are as many as there are individual fey.

Seelie Fey, because they consider themselves caretakers of the world, tend to use their magic in ways that they see as beneficial to both the world (and the current flow of fate) and to the things living in it. This may take forms that seem odd to us: for example, mesmerizing a deer so that the wolf hunting it can nab it without chase - and return later to feed it to her cubs. Seelie Fey also often try to work beneficial magic for humans (and, at times, elves - though they encounter them less often and this is generally much subtler), particularly those in Region #3 - though this is, of course, much easier when they are moved to do so out of pity for the humans’s situation. Of course, this beneficial magic takes the form of what the fey feel will be beneficial - whether asked for or not, and whether they understand the situation or not. Many mishaps come from this kind of misunderstanding, and it is the source of many of the conflicts that arise between fey and other beings.

Seelie Fey do not have religion, nor enduring traditions surrounding magic, because of their highly individual nature. Many dislike the way that Unseelie Fey practice magic, this does not develop into codified practices or dogma. There are no other supernatural beings, and they do not believe in any; Fey, Seelie or not, are the the group that sees the world most accurately for what it is, because of the way their nature is intrinsically tied to it.

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Because of the nature of this world, practices around the supernatural are highly variable even within regions; and, all in all, tend to be very simple with few concrete rules. This also comes from the complexity of the societies it is drawn from: because these societies tend to be simpler and smaller-scale, so do their supernatural practices.

That’s all for this one - as always, World B will be very different in each of these regards.

#worldbuilding #world building tutorial 10 #world building example 10 #world a #supernatural #magic #fate #chance #culture #religion #religious practices #magical practices #magic and culture #religion and culture

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mellowfilmmaker · 7 years

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30 Best Mellow Frames (Part 3)

30-21

20-11

Sorry for the delay, here are the top ten Mellow Frames:

10. Steven Universe Characters React to Edgy Theories 3:

Remember the Steven Universe Edgy Theory Generator? It was an online generator that came up with absurd theories for Steven Universe. It was popular with the fandom awhile ago. I made three comics that were about if these theories were true. These comics were fun to make because I didn't have to waste time on set up or anything like that, I could get to the jokes quicker. The most popular seems to be the third one. The joke at end seems to be the popular favorite, which surprised me because I was very unsure about making the joke. However people did find it funny so I guess it did work. Raven Molisee, a writer and story boarder for Steven Universe, liked this post so I guess this is Crewniverse approved. Neat.

9. Just a Few Questions:

This is easily my most popular Mellow Frames as well as the most controversial. I do admit that I do have a few questions that could've been reworded ( "Where are my Limb Enhancers" should be " Am I ever going to get my limb enhancers back", " Did Rose have any humans before Greg" should be " Who were the humans that Rose had before Greg and what happened to them") Also there were some questions I should have asked like " Will Greg ever move on", " what did Peridot 'mean by Harvest me'", “Who owns the Big Donut”, and " where are the cops in Beach City?".

With that said I do think some of the complaints are funny. I literally said it was a metaphor, but so many people took it literally. I've seen a few post complaining about this comic specifically saying this is how ridiculous SU Crits are. That makes me a little proud. Many believe that this comic is anti filler, but really my intention was to point out that there is a lot of possibilities for interesting stories, but season 4 wasn't taking advantage of that. Though not all the questions were like that.

Honestly most of the people did like this comic and I'm proud of it. It's just not higher because I prefer the ones where I am telling more of a story.

8. Fuse, Marry, Kill:

Here's an oldie, but a goodie. It's just about the gems playing fuse, marry, kill (though in hindsight it should have been fuse, marry, shatter or fuse, marry, bubble), but Pearl is giving eyebrow raising answers. This is pretty much the birth of the character we call Problematic Pearl. Problematic Pearl is pretty much Pearl, but is blatantly unapologetic and her flaws have been ramped up. This comic did become a slight meme as I've seen people on Tumblr and Reddit reference it. I believe this one is all right.

7. Problematic Pearl: Pokémon Go:

For those who don't know, I have a secondary account called Ask Problematic Pearl. It's an account where I have people ask questions towards Problematic Pearl, which is the Mellow Frames version of Pearl. This is easily my most popular post on that account and I understand why. I feel like this one isn't cheating to put on here since it's done in a Mellow Frames sort of format. The ask I got for this came months before I answered. I waited so long to finally make this comic because I wanted to play the game for awhile so I can get the references right. I feel like it paid off. Also this is the only Pokémon Go meme I found that isn't either condescending to players or about team stereotypes.

6. Are You the People I’m Suppose to Kidnap:

I'm a little surprised that this one is as popular as it is, I guess people like Garnet drawing boobs. In hindsight it is pretty funny and the boobs did look better than I expected (I can't draw, but I know how to use Illustrator). Here's a fun fact about what seems to be everyone favorite line "I hope not", It was originally going to be said by Lars. I was thinking about doing a Mellow Frames on the Good Lars, where Sadie and Steven decide to get baked instead of helping Lars bake. While they're high in the basement, Aquamarine and Topaz come in and kidnap Lars. Aquamarine asked Lars " Are you my dad?" to which Lars replied with " I hope not." I ended up scrapping the idea because of time restraint ( and it not being that funny) so I gave the line to Connie. In hindsight, having Connie say it is a lot funnier.

5. The Lust Boat:

Well this one certainly has an erotic title, though it still accurately describes this comic. Not only is Jasper thirsty, but we have an added subplot about Pearl sailing out to hit on Jasper. I had quite a few people tell me that they hated this episode, but this comic made them feel a lot better. That makes feel a lot better.

4. Aether Foundation is Suspicious as Fuck:

I can't believe how right this comic was. Not only was I right, the game didn't even hide it. For a while this was actually the Mellow Frames with the most views, which is surprising because usually only the SU stuff gets notes (aside: I really need to start making Pokémon comics again since Ultra Sun/Moon are coming out). There was even a well-made dub of this comic made by Ravens Dub. They did a pretty good job on it.

3. Miss Problematic Pearl:

Mr. Greg was for me the episode that saved Pearl's character, however that's not very funny. What is funny is to put Problematic Pearl in the episode. So this comic is pretty much the episode except with Problematic Pearl and no musical numbers. This is probably one of the few Mellow Frames where I was laughing while making it.

2. Do You Mind, I’m Full of Education:

My best comics happen to be the ones on the episodes I like (people would think it would be the other way around). Mindful Education is one of my favorite episodes so Do You Mind I'm Full of Education is one of my favorite Mellow Frames. Despite the episode being so good, I still have a lot material especially with bitter misused Garnet. It seems people's favorite part is when Garnet asked Stevonnie the uncomfortable question. I was very worried about that moment since Garnet used an arguably offensive (some people told me the word wasn't as much offensive as it was archaic. With that said, I never use the word unless in relation to a famous trope), but nobody got offended. Fun fact: that scene has also inspired an original film that I'm currently writing. This one is just one I love reading and I hope you do too.

1. Peridot’s Hidden Escape Pods:

And here’s #1, it was #1 the last list and it’s #1 her too. This one asks an important question, what if Peridot planted escape pods throughout the ship. It really doesn’t work out. People love seeing villains fail, and it’s usually funny to see it done by their own volition. What makes this comic the best one is that it works even if you haven’t seen what it’s parodying. I showed this comic to my little sister who hasn’t even seen Steven Universe, and she laughed hard. I also liked the interactions between Japer and Peridot, which wasn’t really that different from the show. Until “Aether Foundation is Suspicious as Fuck” and “Just a Few Questions” this was the Mellow Frames with the most notes, and it really deserves it. Like the Aether Foundation comic this too has a dub that you should check out (I’m linking to my reblog because the dubber deactivated their account). Honestly this one is still the funniest in my opinion.

And that was my top 30 Mellow Frames. I would like to thank you all for following my Mellow Frames and supporting them too. Making these have been a lot of fun despite the lack of financial returns. Now I’m going to tell you all a little secret. So many people have asked me to do an abridged series of these frames, and I’ve usually said no. Now I’m going to tell you that I actually really want to, and I probably will eventually. Right now I’m trying to get financially independent, but after I accomplish that I’m thinking about making the SU comics into videos. I just need to learn how to edit an abridge series (though it’s not exactly an abridge series) and get voice actors since I can’t voice act (though I know a few people would be perfect voices). So it probably won’t happen this year, but eventually I would like these Mellow Frames to not just be comics anymore.

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greyliliy · 7 years

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Hey, I saw your recent harvest moon SOS post! I was wondering, if you don't mind, what do you think about the romance aspect of the newer HM games? I'd like to give them a shot, but I admit I largely play the bokumono series for the romance part and

Games like sos and rune factory 4 have really raised my standards. To help, would you say it’s pretty good or a bit lacking or kind of simplistic like looking back on older HM games?

I haven’t played The Lost Valley or Seeds of Memories, but I can talk about Skytree Village. :D

(Trio of Towns is exactly like the other SoS & BokuMono games, so that’s par for the course if that’s the one you were interested in. XD)

It’s a fair question. The romance is a big part of those games, and a lot of people tend to dislike the Natsume games from the get-go for various reasons. *nod nod* I think for the scale of the games & their focus, the romance is pretty okay. Since Skytree Village only has three major locations (The small town, the HUGE farm, and the mines), things like events have sort of a limited scope.

So before I go any further, I’d like to mention that Skytree Village has a heavy focus on farming, animals, & mining. Terraforming & mutation growing, as well as hoarding all your animal crops and mining spoils, is a huge part of fulfilling requests and storylines, so it’s where most of the gameplay is centered.

Whether you decide to try out the game for romance or not, I highly recommend:

1) Getting a really good guide to mutations & start on getting those early. I also recommend hoarding your mutated crops until you actually have enough to unlock their seeds (aka, if you get Scallions, save them until you get the 30 you need to unlock their seeds and then sell them. Ditto for things that require 50 to unlock).

2) Hoard everything. Everything. The RNG in this game is not kind. So if you can’t buy a seed for it, save it until you need it for a request. That goes for animal furs & wools, animal products like milk (do not sell anything with Miracle in it, you need those for events and buying house stuff), mining items, and fishing (save for things like carp that you can get all year).

3) Fertilize Your Plants & Abuse your Harvest Sprites. Plants have invisible “Health” that decides if they’ll mutate or turn into Great crops depending on if it’s their peak season (any crop will grow in any season, but some favor certain ones over others – its’ something really unique to the Natsume games that I like). The higher the health, the better shot you have of getting mutations. Rowan acts like a second fertilizer for your crops, so use him! :D

4) Talk to the Harvest Goddess often. She’s the one who grants you your tool upgrades when you level up. Not the blacksmith. The Harvest Goddess. If you farm a lot, you can get to the 5x5 tools pretty quick.

If you can do those things, it’ll cut down on a lot of the game’s more frustrating aspects, so you can really enjoy the villagers and their little story events.

So let’s get back to the romance! I really like the family system in this game. It’s simple, it’s cute, and it makes me smile. It’s not as complex as the BokuMono games, but it’s got its own charm that’s a tiny step above the older classic games. So it’s a bit of a mix between the two.

I will also say the romance is easier in Skytree Village though. All you need to do is Raise the person of choice’s chemistry by doing their requests (There are 8 Main Requests, before they start with repeatable seasonal requests–there’s no gift giving in this game, so requests are your best way to raise affection), and it’ll trigger events as you go into their houses or enter areas they like to be in frequently. The events themselves are usually pretty simple, but I thought they were all cute and they all fit the personalities of the characters you’re talking with. I was genuinely fond of all the bachelors & bachelorettes by the end of the game (including the DLC ones).

(Now granted, I like the characters in this game anyway. Some people tend to dislike their like cliche & overboard accents for characters like Cyrus, and think that they’re all too simple. So it’s going to be to each their own, because I thought they were all very endearing. But I also realize this game seems aimed at a slightly younger audience than the BokuMono games, so it’s not that surprising to me they’re not all super complex characters.

You can also see everyone’s events, since most of them double has friendship ones and only the later ones tend to be more romantic (I triggered someone else’s “date/romance” event while I was engaged to someone else, so you can definitely see all of them if you want). Well, for the most part. The ‘date’ events stop after you get married. XD

But you are pretty locked in on a candidate after you get engaged. I got a reverse proposal in game, so you know, I couldn’t have asked someone different if I wanted to after I got the blue feather. There are two very specific “Go ask your someone special to hang out with you on romance night” events, so make sure you pick the candidate you want. Because I believe those are the events that tie you down to someone.

Marriage itself is an in game, major story event, however. It’s not like the BokuMono games where if you do ‘this, this, and this, you can get married.” You can not get married until you save the town & unlock all the Skytrees.

HOWEVER! You can finish that first Skytree storyline by Fall of Year 1 if you play things right with raising chemistry, and if you hoarded properly, you have a good chance of buying your house upgrades & the crib when the Marriage event triggers, you can get married by early year 2 fairly easily.

After you get married, your spouse moves into the house. I bought my crib before I even got married, so I hit the pregnancy event like a day after the Wedding. So there’s a tip if you want to get to the kid quick.

Anyway, end point: I married Gabriel & I thought his events were cute, I like how shy he is, and I like that his family makes comments about us being married. I really like the child system in this game, too.

I really love the dating and marriage systems in the BokuMono games, but sometimes I like something simpler. So Skytree Village worked well for that. But it’s not so simple that it doesn’t matter who you marry, if you know what I mean? The characters are all still unique, and have their own personalities, so it’s all good.

Anyway, if you decide to pick it up, I hope you enjoy the game! :D

#Ask Liliy #Harvest Moon #Harvest Moon Skytree Village

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dreamsofharvestmoon · 7 years

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SoS Tips

A mini-guide covering the original Story of Seasons. 100% original, wrought from my own experiences. If you have questions, please ask! (I will post another guide for Trio of Towns once I’ve played it more, unless I get specific questions.)

|| Year 1 ||

Make LOTS of G!

SAVE: 5 turnip seeds, bricks, iron, any gems, weeds, twigs, branches, pebbles, stones. Also save at least one produce from every crop you harvest in order to make them into seeds later.

SHIP: You want to ship everything you forage (excluding the items you should save, of course). You can always get more later. The trading depot opens at 8:00 and closes at 21:00, so you can make several trips back and forth within a day.

About Recommended Shipping: If you take a look at it with Jonas, it will tell you what will earn you the most money. There’s Mountain Crops, Seasonal Crops, Fish, Materials, Cooking, Products, Dairy/Eggs, Grains, Wine, Flowers, Objects, Tools, Tea, Spices, Furniture, and Wardrobe. So always check to see what’s selling for the most money before 21:00, in case you left anything at home.

Cooking: The kitchen is pretty easy to build (except for the iron), it’s buying the blueprints that is hard. The materials needed: Small Lumber (x6); Lumber (x4); Small Stone (x6); Stone (x4); Iron (x3). The blueprint costs 3k, and you buy it from Silk Country. Luckily, Silk Country is already unlocked, but saving up that much money and getting the iron is difficult when you’re starting out.

Stamina Cheats!

BEST foods for replenishing: Cooked dishes are always the best, but if you don’t have a kitchen, this isn’t an option. So, what are the best foods to eat? Fish and crops. Fish is the easiest and smartest option, since you can stockpile and pull it out to eat. (Maurice, Otmar and Marian also like fish as gifts!) mountain crops and your own crops are also a great way to replenish. DO NOT make the mistake of drinking your milk or eating your eggs. Unlike older Harvest Moon games, this doesn’t replenish your stamina, no matter how many stars it has (my 5 star milk for example). Cheese, omelets and pudding will replenish your stamina, their ingredients won’t.

Watering: Many of you will know this by now, but you can water crops twice a day. If you water in the morning, you have to water again later because the soil dries. This may not sound like a cheat, but you can skip paying for food (restaurant closes at 21:30) simply by waiting to water your crops before you end the day. Make sure you get everything done, especially if it’s a shipping day, and then water. Of course, if you plant seeds that day or do other labor, you will have to replenish.

Trees & Stones: You know this, but it takes several tries to cut a tree or hammer a stone. If you do it once a day, this is a great way to avoid using too much stamina. It takes patience, of course. The other way is to just do it in one sitting, and have a cooked meal in your bag to replenish.

Hoeing it up: With your drab hoe, it takes a lot of stamina to till the fields. If you want to plant lots of seeds, simply till once each day before ending your day. This means you use minimal amount of stamina for planting lots of seeds. Of course, if your impatient, you can just carry food around or spend money at the restaurant.

Rental Fields!

WIN: This is where your hoarded gems come in handy. If you do this early in the year (after the renting option is unlocked), you will win easily. If you've lost rental challenges before, I recommend using fish, crops, and materials as well. Don't be discouraged if you lose; you will get the chance again, and you'll have plenty of time to hoard!

DO: Challenge for any field that has expired. There's always a message after you wake up saying when a field's lease has expired. It doesn't matter if you don't know or have the seeds that plant in the field.

DON'T: Wait until you have the proper seeds, or until the field you want is open. It will get harder to win the fields later in the game, so get them ASAP.

LOOK OUT: If you're lease is about to expire, watch the days until it does. When it does, go straight to the guild and rent it again (it closes at 17:00, so better be careful to get there on time). Festival days don't count.

Should I get the Seed Maker or Sewing Studio first?

Sewing Studio: Costs 40k. Small Lumber (x10); Lumber (x15); Iron (x5); Wool (x5). (Obviously, you’ll need a sheep before you can get this.) You can make accessories from the gems you find, mine and may have saved. The sale price for these are at least 92k, so this is definitely a money maker.

Seed Maker: Costs 40k. Small Lumber (x10); Lumber (x15); Brick (x5); Turnip Seeds (x5). (Remember those seeds I told you to save?) A Seed Maker will enable you to make your own fertilizer! Of course, you can also use it to make seeds from any crop you have, which is handy if you are rewarded a crop that you don't have, can't afford the seeds of, or is of higher quality than the one you have. This, of course, means more/better crops to sell or cook with, which makes LOTS of money.

WHICH ONE?! So, you now know the specifics of the makers. But I haven’t told you which one to get FIRST!!! I play two profiles. I concluded that it’s more beneficial to get the Sewing Studio first. The Sewing Studio equals more money more quickly. That’s me, personally. Before you decide, consider how you play. If you care a lot about your crops, definitely get the Seed Maker asap. If you want more clothes, or to get married, get the Sewing Studio. It’s up to you, and what you want to pursue.

CONCLUSION

So that brings my mini-guide to a close. If you have any questions or anything to add, please message me! I appreciate any reblogs or notes<3 Look forward to my Trio of Towns guide in the future~

#story of seasons #story of seasons guide #guide

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foxmanlyman · 7 years

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Top 10 Games I Will Forever Adore

Ever since I was a little kid, I gamed. From small little flash games on Neopets to popular MMOs, to mobile games and old CD Roms, I believe that games will always be a part of my life. However, just like the changing of seasons, games come and go. However, no matter how long it will be, I will never forget these following games.

No spoilers, and also this list won’t go in-depth really. It’s more of a personal journey if nothing else.

10 - Legend Of Zelda: Windwaker

Windwaker was an amazing game back in the days of the Gamecube era. It was released in 2002 December 13th in Japan originally and I was only around 4 years old at the time. My Uncle began to show me games that he was excited to see, so when it came out in late March in 2003, he bought it ASAP.

At first, I wasn’t interested in the game and shrugged it off, but my Uncle insisted that I at least watch him play. And so, I did and became almost mesmerized by the cel-shaded graphics, the toony characters, and the whole environment of the game.

I could never get into the original games because I never saw the point of following a character who can't kill chickens and was just a dungeon crawler (to me at the time), but this game was an excellent introduction into what the Zelda games were about - Adventure, fighting, sometimes stealth, and action! I partially blame this game for my obsession with adventure games now.

Still to this day, I have my save and the game, and go back on it from time to time just to enjoy the game as it were. I haven't gotten the HD remake still, but I might once my disc starts to nope out on me.

9 - Ar:PieL

Releasing around 2015, this game was a dungeon crawler with a quirk: The characters resembled real-life animals, and it had very nice character models that looked very interesting.

If it wasn't for the game below this one, I probably wouldn't of bat an eye at it, but I'm glad I did. The powers each character had felt fluid in battle, and whether it be a difficult boss or just mobs, there was always fast-paced combat and also unique enemies to look at. Each NPC felt very unique with characteristics of animals or other things (like the nurse which looked to be similar to a marionette).

I know, I keep saying that everything looks unique, but it really does. It has a fairy tale vibe to it, it's bright and colorful and chooses to have their darker moments when it does. It's one of those games that makes me want to learn Korean just to read what is going on in the story.

Currently, the game is only out for Korea and Japan, but I hope it does come to NA one day or other places because it's a nice gem in dungeon crawling games.

8 - Rusty Hearts

Before I even poked Dungeon Fighters Online, I looked at Rusty Hearts that came out in 2011 due to the style of the game. Honestly, I don’t remember much from the game except the dark environment and fun fighting, grinding room through room and eagerly waiting to see the next step in the story.

Unfortunately, it closed down 2014, but some people are bringing it back potentially soon. I can't wait until it comes back to feel the nostalgia and the game that began my love for dungeon crawling games in the first place, because for such a long time I just didn't like them and never gave them much a chance.

7 - Momodora Series

Created by r_rdein , The Momodora series in most cases begins in a similar scenario: things are going down and a sacrificial maiden must come to the rescue and save the day in a nutshell. Before it was more pixel-ly, but in the newest game, the graphics are a huge step up.

Combat is simple, but you need to know when to dodge and when to strike or it could cost your life in the game. Each game has something a bit different, but as you play through each one, you can see the quality of games going up relatively well. The difficulty and world-building in the newer game were a nice sight to see, and the earlier games were very difficult but fun and left me a sense of accomplishment with every victory.

Each story was very fun to go through, and I hope there will be more added in the Momodora series, or maybe even a remake of the older ones in the style of Reverie Under The Moonlight. The game’s story and the premise was so simple, but at the same time said so much.

6 - Animal Crossing Series

Oh boy, this takes me back. When this came out in 2001, my Uncle got this and said we could live in a town together when I grow up. Fast forward to 2004, where my Uncle was preparing this town and basically getting a bunch of Bells, almost everything in the town was spic and span. After realizing how much I was getting into adventure games and cartoony games like Windwaker in 2003, he decided it was time to show me this bad boy.

At first, I'm going to be honest. I didn't see the point of the game. It was boring, just planting flowers, working for Nook, and designing your house and clothes and whatnot. However, I kept playing it because my Uncle said it was a relaxing game. When I was upset, I went on and calmed myself down, and suddenly I started getting invested into the characters and environment. When people moved out, I got sad and promised to write them, and I grinded to get weeds out of the town. When the new additions came after, and my Uncle and I played the next one on the DS, it was so cool to catch butterflies and fish and just have a relaxing session from the usual violence or fighting.

But then it would be the last Animal Crossing game I would play with my Uncle. I still go to the original game still and fix the town like my Uncle fixed it back then, and in the DS game I fix both towns. My 3DS game was stolen (along with the 3DS), so I need to get that game again, but this game will always be bittersweet and make me happy to be living a simple and happy life... Until Resetti yells at me for forgetting to save.

5 - Harvest Moon + Story of Seasons/Stardew Valley

As I got into more life-based games, Harvest Moon came to the rescue and allowed me to make my own farm and eventually raise a family. The town was filled with a lot of memorable people - specifically the goddess and also the mayors in the games. Each day was tasking and balancing everyday work and social life felt almost as hard as real life!

The sprites were so adorable, and I loved when they helped out on the farm, but as the later editions of the Harvest Moon franchise came out, the towns began to feel...Emptier... The NPCs a little less memorable. This is where Story of Seasons and Stardew Valley came along, and brought what I remembered and loved about Harvest Moon. In Stardew Valley, it felt a tad more depressing, but both games were a breath of fresh air with their own quirks to stand out and also be fun.

I hope Harvest Moon brings back the feelings that I felt before, because I still like to play the games - whether they be 3D or Pixellated.

4 - Silent Hill 1-3 (3 Specifically)

Showing up in 2003 was a beautiful game I wasn't allowed to play until I was 8 years old. Everyone will tell you most likely about Silent Hill 2 being the best game in the Franchise. I agree, the second one was amazing, but my personal preference favors the third game specifically because of how it connects Silent Hill 1 to their game. As I said up there, I won't spoil, but the imagery and the whole feeling is genuinely frightening and scary, and emits a true sense of danger and paranoia with it's soundtrack, monsters, and even grim cutscenes. The endings are very nicely made along with bosses in the game.

Silent Hill 2 was a great game as well, but the issue with it was that I didn't see an outright connection with the first game. Where the first game told a narrative that was finding your daughter (I'll leave it at that), the second felt more like a question of morality while having self-discovery. Maybe it's just me, but how Silent Hill 3 tied in to the first game is almost seamless after you play through and realize what's truly going on.

The graphics to this day look great, and will forever inspire the horror enthusiast inside of me. As for the HD remake of the game... Er... I don't like to talk about that. It didn't exist guys, mmmkay?

3 - Nier Automata

Woah, a 2017 game on this list? Why so recent?

The Nier series and mixed two of my favorite things: hack-and-slash combat and bullet hell elements. In the newest game, NieR: Automata, it just improves upon that and with the many things I can't give away because everything I want to say spoils a lot of it. It feels like a true steam/cyberpunk game and I don't feel awkward going through hacking games and hack-and-slash combat. The world is small, but is also dynamic and changes so much.

You grow a connection to the world it built, and it questions morality and duty and a lot more regarding humanity, individuality, fear, companionship... Oh, so much I want to tell you about this game but can't. Many will get turned off by the bullet hell mechanics, as well as the style and the appearance of the characters. If you give this game a try though, it's such a trip and I can't wait for the DLC that’s coming out soon~

Why I put this game instead of the original Nier here is solely due to how many questions it put on my morality and humanity, and I felt so much of a connection to this one more than the previous game.

2 - Phantasy Star Online 2 (And other Phantasy Star Games)

Here’s to a game that will never come out in NA! With SEA's server closing down and NA's continuously being delayed, it's more than likely this will never come out officially for us. However, the JP game is there and a tweaker to give us the ability to play and understand most of the game is almost like a breath of fresh air.

The game originally game out in 2012, and what got me so immersed in it was how beautiful the game looked to me. A lot would argue that the game looks outdated compared to games that came out now, especially with hands not having bones or animations really, but you can make a truly different and special character and switch your class at anytime. You aren't bound at all to a class, and there are so many emotes and powers to use. Each weapon is a different playstyle, and you can achieve weapons you can use even if the class isn't your main.

Add to the fact the game is literally an alternate reality and more things story-wise I can't go into right now, it's like a dream game for me. Bosses are immense and tough, and just recently they released level 80 to get to, and the way to uncap yourself from the level before is rather challenging.

In the other games, like PSP, I enjoyed the lore and going to other planets, acting like a galactic pirate CAST (a robot). You can design your room, listen to music, and there's so many collabs and fashion to douse yourself in, now a battle arena, challenge miles, and just a lot to sink your teeth in for a F2P game.

Runner Ups:

Black Desert Online-

A beautiful but heavily grindy game. The combat is probably the best thing about this game, but a lot of things that has happened still leaves me slightly cautious about the publishers/devs.

ArcheAge-

Very original and a great class system, and you could make your own music and sail. My favorite was the ocean creatures lurking in the depths of the sea and surpising you! Similar to BDO, the publishers and devs made me cautious about the game and their business practices left me saddened.

Dark Cloud 2-

A forgotten gem to many, but got me so interested into time travel and effects from past-to-future events. The story and characters were so different at the time too, and was a trip for me.

Touhou-

What got me originally into bullet hell games. The characters are enjoyable to see, the graphics don’t kill my eyes as they spray bullets into my face, and the best girl was in that game: Cirno!

and Amazing Island-

It’s super mario party mixed with pokemon and you could make a lot of variations in the monster creation. I appreciated the game a lot and hope it pops up as a PC port similar to Jet Set Radio.

1 - Mabinogi

What? How is a game from 2008 in first place you ask?

The year was probably one of the worst years for me in my entire life, but still I was drawn to this game. It was early 2009, and I came across this weird game called "Mabinogi." I had no idea what it was about, but someone from Talesrunner suggested it to me. Just at the character creation I felt excited and began my story for my character: An adventurer to save Erinn from all the evil-do-ers. Bear with me, I was a kid at the time. It began with a small roleplaying adventure, but suddenly grew into more than that. Almost like a second life.

As the years continued on, they added so much to the game like guns, ninja gear, a battle bard, things that wouldn't fit anywhere but fit in this game, and you weren't limited to a class. You could learn and do almost anything, and customization kept getting better as well. A large heap of my friends came from this game, and I could never find something to fill the gap that Mabinogi leaves in me every time I try to quit. It keeps bringing me back because of how different the game felt. The story went from cute to intense to weird to a... Shakespeare play? (Yes, that was a thing) There was just so much packed into this game.

When Mabi 2, or Vindictus was announced, I was hoping a revamped version of Mabinogi. Instead, we got... Well, what you know of Vindictus: dungeon crawling fighting game.... A good game, but not at all like the Mabinogi I know and love.

At the moment, a game named Peria Chronicles looks to be the game that might be similar to Mabinogi in some ways, but I'm not truly sure. I genuinely hope that a game like Mabinogi, or a revamp of the game with new-gen graphics shows up and brings the same amazement that Mabinogi brought to both the child and adult me, and I will forever love this game, as it has me in such a tight grasp.

Well, that was my list for my top 10 games I will forever adore. Thanks for reading! This was genuinely so hard to make, because there's so many games I wanted to include into this list (like Portal, for example, or even Nights). However, these games mostly made it to the list because it made a deep personal connection and helped shape me or make me question myself, and I'm happy to be playing these games. I hope that more beautiful games come out, and that there will be more games that will influence and shape me even more.

Do you guys have any games that imprinted on you so much?

#top 10 #personal #little blog post #games #online #offline #gamecube era #pc games #ps4 #old #new #kitsu289 #ps2 #nintendo 64 #2000s

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