#war prize hiccup please and thank you<3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[autumndragon]

aaarghhh i just couldn't chooooose, they are all soooo good i'm so excited!!

Okay, here is the voting form for what prompts you want to see in the event! The form will be open for 1 week. (Post date: Sunday, March 2nd)

Try to pick 7 if you can! Prompts do not have to be interpreted literally.

[thesunicarusfellfor]

Your so great at writing omg- so could you do a part two of the yandere techno and philza?

And other idea for a different request!

Maybe ghostbur? 👀 With florist reader? And someone burned down there shop so they are very upset so ghostbur comforts them and helps build then a new one?

Again please take as long as you need.

- Your beloved Moosh ( platonically! :3)

Moosh, darling! Hello! How are you doing today? Part two of the yandere Tech and Phil chapter is up! Thank you for your requests, your ideas are just chefs kiss!

This is a tad bit short. I really really have to get out of the habit of writing 10k+ stories, because then I have no energy to write the other requests that have been waiting for a while <3

Also. This turned out to be angstier than I had hoped...

TW: Depression, emotion repression, large mentions of past Wilbur x Reader

Dead Blue Flowers (C!Ghostbur x GN!Depressed!Reader)

How...? How did this happen?

You tried so hard to remain neutral in this war, even going as far as to avoid telling people your opinions on things. Wasn't raising your tax weekly back when Schlatt was in control enough?

You just gave people flowers, for god's sake! Why did they have to burn the shop to nothing but cinders?!

Standing in front of the charred frame of your shop that had once been your prized possession. Every dollar you had raised, every smile that appeared on the faces of people you gave flowers to... You remembered the genuine smile on Wilbur's face when he gave you this plot of land to build whatever store you wanted...

Now it was all ashes that slipped through the cracks between your fingers...

"(Y/n)?" An echoing and airy voice echoed through your ears and you glanced up slightly to see a pair of shoes levitating a few inches off the ground, "What happened to your shop- Oh, you're crying, here. Take some blue. Calm yourself."

Crying?

While the levitating figure dug around, trying to find this so-called blue, you rose your hands up and touched your cheeks to find them slightly damp. When you pulled your hands away, a small cold pouch of blue dye was carefully placed in your hands, causing a small shiver to crawl down your spine, "Thanks, Bur..." You whispered softly, trying to smile to calm him down, but you just found your eyes welling up with more tears, so you put your head down in an attempt to hide them from your ghost friend.

"Did it not work? Perhaps that blue was broken..." Ghostbur reached into his small bag with his dye-stained fingers, digging around for a pouch of dye that wasn't 'broken'. You could feel a faint bit of panic in his voice as he mumbled about how blue always worked for him, so he didn't know why it wasn't working for you.

"No, Bur... It's just... I don't know what to do. My shop is gone. It was my pride and joy. Now I don't have anything left..." You murmured, holding the, now two, dye-filled packages in your cupped hands, "Even the cornflower seeds I used to make the blue flowers I gave you... They're nothing now... His mem- I'm nothing now..."

Ghostbur was panicking and the blue clutched in his hands was evident of that, "No, no! Don't say things like that! Come, come-" He gave a few coughs, his negative emotions seeming to affect him physically as well as emotionally.

You slowly pushed yourself up into a standing position, rubbing your eyes with your sleeves as your fingertips were tainted with dye. While you didn't feel much happier, despite Ghostbur's best efforts, you knew that emotionally he couldn't handle your sadness, "Thanks, Bur. I do feel much happier thanks to your blue. I'm gonna head home now." You gave him your best smile, watching as the sweater-wearing spirit studied your eyes to see if you were lying.

"Oh, okay!" The ghost perked up slightly, but his smile looked a tad bit hollow in your eyes. Guess you were in no place to judge, you did just give your best friend a smile to get him to stop panicking... Was this emotion suppression? Probably. Yeah. Ah well... As long as he's happy now. "I'm gonna go see Phil now, maybe you should come to visit sometime soon. He makes really good tea and biscuits."

"Yeah... I'll hop by his place sometime soon." You gave him the empty promise, knowing very well you didn't want anything to do with social interactions for quite a while until you found something else to put your time towards.

Over the next few days, Ghostbur would wait outside your house for you to come out and walk with you to your flower shop, but he then began to realize that you had nothing to walk to. Hell, you didn't have a reason to leave your house anymore... There was no point in coming outside. After standing under the awning above your front door for a few moments, he got an idea in his head, so he set off towards the house of Alivebur's father.

"Phiiiiiil?" He called softly, opening the front door to see the injured avian sitting in his chair in front of the fireplace, "Ah, Philza! Just the man I wanted to see!"

"Hey mate," The blond greeted softly, setting his cup of tea down on the table before getting up to properly interact with the ghost of his son, "What do ya' need from me?"

For a few seconds, hesitance filled Ghostbur's veins. He hadn't completely thought through this idea and didn't even know how you or Phil would react to it, "My ange- best friend, (Y/n)... Well, they were very very important to Alivebur, and I still have many happy memories of them... But they aren't happy now because someone burnt down their flower shop... They haven't left their house in a few days, and I'm getting a really bad feeling, Phil!" Despite the fact that a pouch of blue was tightly grasped in his hands, the ghost didn't seem to be feeling any calmer, ultimately chalking it up to the flowers he had made the dye out of must've been from a bad place.

Philza grabbed onto the ghost of his son, giving a faint hiss of pain at the icy buzz that attacked his palms, but ignored it and kept his hands on his son's shoulders. Or what was left of the son he killed, "Wil- Ghostbur. Calm down. I want you to go visit them and make sure they're still okay-"

"But I think they'll only be okay if their shop is built! I want to rebuild it for them!" Ghostbur whined softly, not exactly understanding why he felt so strongly towards you, "Alivebur really really cared about them, which means I care about them. And they're sad, even with the blue I gave them..."

Phil pursed his lips together, trying to keep quiet about exactly why Wilbur cared about you so much, "Okay, okay... I want you to go visit them and find the blueprints of their shop... If-If you can't, then I'm sure we can build something similar... Just please, make sure they're alive, eating and taking care of themselves..."

"Alive? Of course they're alive- right? right, Phil?" Ghostbur hiccuped slightly, bringing up his dye-stained fingers to his mouth in shock when the avian hesitated, "Phil?"

"Just, go check on them Wil... Please."

Without another word, the ghost hurried out the door and looked up at the rapidly darkening sky, as he floated towards the person his alive self adored so greatly. "(Y/n)... Why did Alivebur care for you so much? Why did he want you in his life so bad?" When the transparent male arrived at your door, he hurriedly pounded his fists on the door before pressing himself against it to hide under the awning as rain began to sprinkle down from the sky, "(Y/n)! Please, it's raining!" He cried, not wanting to melt.

There was a few seconds of silence before there was a rushing sound of footsteps coming from the inside of the house. Before the ghost could react, the door flew open, causing him to tumble onto the floor inside the house, "Bur! You should've checked the weather!"

He looked up at his saviour... And gave the softest smile he's ever worn. Even it had only been a few days, he began to realize just how much you meant to him as well, not just Alivebur. You were a guardian angel... A saviour from reality...

"Y-yeah, I know..." You murmured, trying to flatten down your unbrushed hair before shrinking away from your friend's gaze and into your oversized sweater that had once been Wilbur's, "I haven't really bothered to... Uhm... manage my appearance..."

"No worries, angel..." He blurted out, causing you to flinch as you stared at him. He didn't even know why he called you that to be completely honest, but he pushed himself off of your floor and dusted himself free of invisible dust, "Why haven't you been coming outside? I've been waiting outside for you every day... Phil was also worried about you losing a life in here alone!"

Pursing your lips together, you couldn't help but avoid the gaze of the ghost as you shut the door, "Sorry Bur, I've just been really tired..." You gave him a tired smile, but this time it didn't work on the poor ghost.

"I- I uhm... I know I'm forgetful, I know I'm an amnesiac, but I still feel this... I still feel things, and I try my best to make sure no one else feels it... But it's not working for helping you." He nervously grabbed onto a pouch of blue in his messenger bag, gritting his teeth together for a moment, "I figured out why that shop means so much to you... It's because it was a gift from Alivebur... Your lover... And now you feel like you have nothing left to hold his memory."

He watched as your eyes went wide and beginning to fill with tears before he went to his bag, going to grab some blue for you, but he paused upon seeing something else. A cornflower, one that never got turned into a dye, but it was withered and dead from being in the bag for so long, "Wil-Gho... Bur..." You hiccuped, trying to form words to create an apology, but your throat felt like it was tied in knots.

"That's also why you call me Bur... Because you don't want to accept that Aliv-... Wilbur... Is now a ghost..." He walked closer to you and put his hand on your arms, thankfully you were wearing a sweater to prevent frostbite from attacking your skin, "And that's okay! It's okay, (Y/n), you loved him... And he loved you, which means I love you... but I know you need time to cope with Al- Wilbur's... Death..." He carefully reached up and took your wrist, bringing your hand up into view so he could press the dead cold cornflower into your palm, "Until then, I'll stay by your side as your best friend..."

You slowly reached up and put your hand against his cheek, even though the contact burned your fingertips and he hardly felt solid... He was there... "Thank you... Ghostbur." You lowered your hand and smiled down at the dead flower in your palm.

"Now, come on, let's get you cleaned up! Me and Phil will help you rebuild your flower shop... When the rain lets up of course!"

[vickyskpopkingdom]

ATEEZ - From The Wonderland Pt.1

this story is based on ATEEZ' performance of wonderland on Kingdom: Legendary War. while i was writing it got a little out of hand and i wrote way more than anticipated so please keep an eye out for pt.2 and possibly pt.3. they well be up in a few days!

if you haven't you should definitely check all of the performances out, the link to ATEEZ' performance is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uDitNeFO-I&t=183s&ab_channel=MnetK-POP so please do check it out, it is amazing.

pt.1 pt.2 pt.3

warnings: guns, swords, drinking and fighting

2k words

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While the ships in the harbor swam quietly above the water, swaying to the rhythm of the waves crashing on the stone walls of the dock, the inside of the bar was much more loud and chaotic. The pirates took care of their ships but not so much of themselves. Beer, rum and wine seemed to flow endlessly, the bar staff barely keeping up with their customers.

This was a usual development of the evenings in the city. Pirates everywhere knew that they would be safe here, the town flourished thanks to them spending their money on alcohol, women and repairs for their ships. It never took long for the alcohol to take over, resulting in bar fights and various other showdowns or show-offs.

Two men sitting directly in front of the bar downed a shot of pure rum, before falling back into their previous conversation.

"The Kraken is a legend. Nothing more, nothing less. Probably made up by some pirate some centuries ago to make sure no one sails there to steal his treasure", the younger of the two said, his voice slightly cracking because of the amounts of alcohol already running through his body.

The other, slightly older but equally as drunk, shook his head, grabbing the wood of the bar to steady his swaying body. "Then tell me why no one who sailed there came back? I don't trust that part of the sea one bit, you hear me? Not one bit!"

A hiccup escaped his throat, as he called for a bartender with his hand. "We would like another round please", he ordered as the woman approached them. Then he looked back to his previous discussion partner. "It is real. And there is no one out there that could defeat The Kraken."

"It's a myth! Crafted to keep cowards like you away from what could be a huge treasure.", he other retorted.

Two small glasses were put down on the counter in front of them, the sound of glass hitting wood disrupting their conversation. "Both of you are wrong", the female bartender scoffed, "The Kraken was real and it was defeated."

Both men stopped their movements to look at her. The younger grinning from one ear to another, seemingly amused by the previous statement, while the older one eyed the bartender up and down. "And how would you know, lady?"

"What? Have you never heard of ATEEZ?", she asked back, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth now, "They slayed The Kraken."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hongjoong sat inside his most prized possession, his ship 'Wonderland', as he waited for the final object needed on his quest to arrive. Above him on the deck of the ship he could hear his crewmates running around, making finishing touches for departure. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of sailing out with his crew again, finally getting back on the sea after a break on land.

As the noises calmed down a little, Hongjoong could already tell that the supplier had arrived. His hunch turned out to be true, as the door to his private room opened and a man dressed in all black stepped inside. This was not their first meeting and as it also wouldn't be their last Hongjoong had already gotten used to the large black hat the person opposite to him wore that covered the most part of his face.

To say that he was curious to see that face would be an understatement. And yet he had never asked to see it. Hongjoong knew that sometimes secret had to be kept. Besides he certainly did not want to taint this relationship. It was way to beneficial.

Without a word spoken the man in black set down the object on Hongjoongs desk: an hourglass, held in a circle made of gold. The words 'Symphony No.9' were engraved on the circle, almost invisible to those who didn't know about their existence. Pearly white sand flowing freely from one side to another if turned right. It was beautiful, breathtaking even, to finally see the ominous hourglass on his own ship.

"Thank you. I appreciate your work", Hongjoon said, as he pulled a small leather bag from one of the drawers in his desk. Coins rattled against each other as the bag got exchanged form Hongjoongs hand to the gloved hand of the quiet man. "I will let you know, when I am searching for new objects."

At this the man in black nodded, tipped the brim of his hat at the Captain and left.

Hongjoong looked at the hourglass, smiling as he turned it over. The white sand started flowing down. "Show us the way, Symphony Number Nine."

As the Captain stepped out of his cabin, he could already see his crew ready on deck. The only thing they were waiting for was his 'go' and they would start sailing in an instant. By the atmosphere surrounding them, Hongjoong could already tell that they were just as excited as he was to see for themselves if the legendary treasure, the 'Symphony', was real. The legends surrounding its existence described it as one of the largest treasures out there. Shimmering gold coins, fiery red rubies and the finest silver swords were only few of the objects rumored to be part of the Symphony.

Hongjoong could feel the eyes of his crewmates on him. He couldn't hide his smile anymore as he finally said: "Let us start our journey, ATEEZ!"

Excited yells were the answer and everyone got to work. Soon the ship was leaving the harbor behind, the wind being on their side today.

As the captain, Hongjoong usually didn't have much to do with the actual sailing. He was more into planning their journey, making sure they had enough food and water and ordered his crew to stop at a nearby harbor to fill up their supplies if necessary. Today however he stood on deck with everyone else, breathing in the fresh air of the sea while trying to calm down his beating heart. It had been quite some time since him and his crew went on such a mysterious journey.

"Bring all of this below deck!", Hongjoong could hear Seonghwa ordering some of the lower ranked members of their crew. He turned around to see his right-hand man standing tall between the other crewmates, overlooking the whole process. Seonghwa was a reliable partner to Hongjoong, his right hand, who always kept his cool. Which was more than necessary because Hongjoong held intense pride for everything he did and could get into heated arguments with other pirates from time to time.

As if he had sensed something Seonghwa turned to look at Hongjoong. "You are still out here today? Don't you trust us, Captain?" His voice was calm, as always but Hongjoong could hear the teasing undertone.

"I trust all of you wholeheartedly. Just didn't want to miss our departure", he answered nonetheless. Seonghwa smiled warmly at him before walking over to Wooyoung who had called out for him.

Hongjoong let his eyes wander a little more over the deck, spotting Yunho who was currently training his sword-skills. Or at least he tried to do as much as he could with the limited resources he had to fight against. His enemy of choice were some thick ropes spun between the masts of the ship. The Captain had told Yunho countless times already that he was a skilled fighter especially with a sword, but Yunho always strived to do better.

"Don't tire yourself out too much, Yunho", Hongjoong finally spoke up as he approached the younger man, "We can not tell when we will arrive and I need you to be ready if we actually have to fight someone... or something."

Yunho cut through the centre of the ropes with a final strike. "Fine, fine. I'll tone it down a little." He smiled brightly at the captain before collecting the now cut ropes and knotting them to the masts again.

Sometimes Hongjoong felt as if he had adopted a puppy into his crew and not a 22 year old man.

"Hongjoong!", someone called for the Captain. He of course knew, that this voice belonged to San. His eyes found San and his bright pink hair standing at the ship's wheel as he was responsible for steering it. He waved for Hongjoong to come over.

On his way over to San, Hongjoong passed by Seonghwa once more who was now with Wooyoung. Similar to Yunho they were training. Well Wooyoung was training with a gun while Seonghwa gave him advice on the angle, the stance and the technique. Somehow the vice-captain had an incredible aim and a steady hand. Hongjoong would trust Seonghwa to shoot an apple off of his head.

Wooyoung wasn't quite there yet, he still had a long way to go to reach Seonghwas level of skill, but he was eager to learn and had improved highly ever since he started training his aim.

"You two as well? I guess, you can join Yunho in wasting your energy", Hongjoong sighed at them.

Seonghwa shrugged, pointing to Wooyoung. "It was his idea, not mine."

Wooyoung fired a shot at the makeshift target and almost hit the bullseye. "Ah~ so close! Did you see that Seonghwa? Was that one good? It was good, right?"

"Sorry, Woo. I was talking to Hongjoong and didn't pay attention to you."

"What? Oh my god Seonghwa, you are so mean!"

Hongjoong left the two to bicker among themselves and finally reached San. "Whats up?", he asked.

Just like the other crewmates San seemed to be filled to the brim with excitement. Which wasn't exactly something new or unusual. San, together with Yunho Wooyoung and Yeosang, whom Hongjoong had yet to spot on their big ship, were always giving high energy especially when they were all together.

"Just wanted to confirm our current route with you", San answered, gesturing towards the small table next to she steering wheel. On the wooden surface San had laid out a map covering most of the sea and of course the hourglass, which would lead their way. None of them knew exactly how it worked, but i seemed as if the sand inside the glass was drawn into a specific direction as long as it flowed down.

Hongjoong took a look at the white sand, comparing its flow with the direction of their ship and nodded. "Seems good to me. I think, you can work it out by yourself just fine, San."

San shrugged. "Better safe than sorry, right Captain?"

"Right, San", Hongjoong said, smiling. He knew that San worked hard to reach the level of skill he had now. No map was too complicated, too old, too ripped for San, somehow he was able to read them all. San had always gotten them to their destination safely and yet he still liked to check in with the Captain, making sure they were on the right path.

With a friendly pat on the head, after which San smiled proudly and most pleased, Hongjoong made his way down to the main deck again. Once more his eyes landed upon Yunho, who had stopped wielding his sword. Instead he was now bend over a black cloth. Next to him were the last two main crewmates, which Hongjoong had not yet seen after their departure: Jongho and Yeosang. Seeing those two and the mysterious black cloth reminded Hongjoong of something that he had entrusted them with. As he walked over to them he wondered, if they were already finished with their task.

"And what are you three plotting?", he greeted them as he arrived at their current position.

"Nothing much", said Yeosang, "Just showing Yunho our new flag."

So they were finished with their task. Hongjoong couldn't help but smile. Their old flag had been ripped during their last quest. Of course that wasn't something to stop ATEEZ from continuing, but Hongjoong had noticed that his crew's motivation had been higher while they were still in possession of their flag, their symbol, the sign which let others know that they were dealing with ATEEZ. And because of that he had asked Jongho and Yeosang to think about a new flag.

Hongjoong scanned the new flag. Similar to the previous one the background was black, appropriate for a pirateship, but this time Yeosang and Jongho had decided to paint the lettering, the word ATEEZ, in a fiery red. But there was something else that caught Hongjoon's eye: "Is that fire above our name?"

"Yes, but also no", Jongho started to explain, "It's supposed to resemble a crown that is on fire... or made out of fire. Whatever floats your boat, you know?"

To say that Hongjoong was impressed would be an understatement. He had always known that his members were creative, always thinking about what to do next and most importantly what would benefit their crew. There was a tight-knitted bond between the members of the core-crew, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Wooyoung, Jongho and Hongjoong himself, forged by their adventures on the sea. Somehow he felt as if the new logo, the fire, the crown, their name in red, combined all of their characters perfectly.

"It's time to hoist this new flag up, guys", Hongjoong ordered, "Let's show everyone who they're messing with."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hongjoong was awoken by someone slamming his door open. By the dim light coming in from the outside of his room, he assumed that it was early morning, around five am maybe.

"Captain, I think we're here!", San's clear voice resonated into the room. There wouldn't be another crewmate up at this time of day anyways. At least up until now. During the last few days on their journey all of the crew had gotten more and more restless. Nobody could tell why, since there were no changes in their surrounding, but somehow they all were getting sure that their destination was close by.

Their intuition had not been wrong Hongjoong thought as he stepped out on deck and saw an island coming closer and closer to the ship with every second. His members stood by his side as they all watched the island draw closer. With a quick glance Hongjoong was pleased to see, that they were just as ready as him to step off the ship and get to finding the treasure. They were all dressed accordingly and Yunho and Seonghwa even had their weapons with them.

They couldn't help but feel an ominous feeling wash over them as Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Wooyoung and Jongho landed on the island with a small boat. They had decided to leave the rest of their crew on board of the 'Wonderland'. Too many men could potentially be more dangerous and just the seven of them going alone. Besides that they were skilled and could handle fights by themselves, as they had proved countless times already.

They didn't regret this decision even as the dark forest loomed over them on the island, they never regretted a decision they had made. But neither of them could deny that a little more company would have felt more comfortable.

Hongjoong adjusted his long fur coat. It was a piece of clothing many deemed unfitting for such an adventure but Hongjoong felt most comfortable in it. He was the captain, he was talented, he was the leader, the brain. The fur coat wouldn't be an obstacle in whatever situation he had to face. "Let's find that damn treasure, ATEEZ!", he said as he took the first step towards the densely wooded forest. His crew followed suit.

A shiver creeped up on Wooyungs back as the trees started to surround them. During the first few minutes his mind was busy to figure out what was so confusing about this forest. Something was off, wrong almost but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Then finally it clicked: There were no noises. No birds singing, not any other animal making a sound. No wind flowing through the leaves. Even the sound of their shoes on the forest floor seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness around them.

Of course they had heard rumors about this island. And there were many. One talked about the treasure being cursed, bringing the finder only harm and misfortune. Another said that the treasure was being guarded by a giant kraken. And the most popular of them all of course told them that no one who stepped a foot on this island was able to return back home. All of these rumors could be true Wooyoung now realized. This was definitely the right place to hide a cursed treasure guarded by a kraken with a preference for humans.

Wooyung realized that his friends must have felt the same way. None of them dared to talk. Every single spoken word would have felt too loud in this forest. But on the other hand there was no denying that this was the right place to hide a treasure! And up until now they had always been successful on their adventures. Their teamwork was outstanding, no one could compare. They had risen in ranks ever since they started sailing. There was no way that this would be their breaking point.

The cracking sound of a stick made Wooyoung flinch. He was a little ashamed but was instantly less embarrassed when he saw how Yunho clutched at San's biceps. Just as he was about to point this out though, Seonghwa hissed a "Someones's coming" to no one in particular. Wooyoung could see how the older already laid a hand on his sniper.

Without talking the pirates stood in a circle, their backs to each other. It was quiet again, somehow the silence felt even more heavy than before.

Suddenly even more tree branches cracked, Wooyoung could even hear footsteps approaching them. This time he didn't need Seonghwa to tell him that someone was on their way. He could hear them himself, loud and clear. Someone was coming. They were fast. And they were many.

People started breaking through the trees attacking ATEEZ on sight. As he ducked under a thrown fist Wooyoung made a mental note to thank Hongjoong and Seonghwa later for training them so hard in hand-to-hand combat before they started sailing all those years ago. He was able to avoid another punch and in turn could kick his enemy off of his feet, making them fall to the ground with thud and, Wooyoung noticed in horror, an extremely loud cracking noise. Now that his sole focus wasn't on dodging he was able to get a good look at their enemies. They were around the same height as him and his friends but there was no flesh, no hair, no skin, not even eyes in their sockets. They were fighting a bunch of skeletons. The one Wooyoung had previously thrown on the ground was no longer moving. It seemed to had landed on a rock of some sort and cracked its spine.

As he looked around Wooyoung noticed that breaking their bones seemed to be the only way of getting them to stop fighting. His crewmates were struggling with the skeletons because simply pushing them back or slicing into the bones wasn't enough to keep them back. They didn't feel pain.

"Break their spine or their legs!", Wooyoung called out, while trying to escape the boney hands of another skeleton approaching him, "They need to be unable to move."

At this exclamation San aimed a swift kick at the head of his enemy. The skull made an ugly noise as it dislocated from the rest of the body and landed on the ground. The skeleton stopped moving before falling collapsing.

"Yeah, I guess the head works too", Wooyoung commented.

"You should concentrate!", Seonghwa barked back, but even he couldn't help a small grin making its way onto his lips.

As it turned out his call to focus wasn't without reason. Wooyoung struggled more and more with every punch, with every kick. He was getting exhausted, feeling the hits the skeletons were able to land on him while his enemies remained unbothered at anything that wasn't cracking them in half. He could hear Jongho's heavy breathing behind him and saw Yeosang limping. This was not going well. Not at all.

He wanted to help his friends but he was equally beat up. Still Yeosang definitely needed help. Wooyoung took a step towards his friend and felt a hand closing around his arm. Slender bones held him in his current spot, as another set of bones wrapped around both of his legs. How could these people only made out of bones be so strong?

A yelp escaped his lips as more and more hands got hold of his body. Yeosang, who Wooyoung wanted to originally help, turned around. He realized what was happening to Wooyoung and started to run towards him but it was too late. The skeletons dragged Wooyung with them. Yeosang was still struggling with his limp, unable to follow them.

"They have Wooyoung!", he cried out, panic clearly audible in his voice. If he wasn't used to one thing it was seeing Wooyoung like this; helpless, alone, frightened. Normally Yeosang would not have distracted his other friends from their own fights like that but this situation was different. All of the rumors they had heard before came back to his mind at once, his worry for Wooyoung only increasing.

Hongjoong broke from their circle and sprinted into the woods, following the skeletons who had captured Wooyoung.

"San, no!", Seonghwa's voice resonated over their heads. Yeosang turned around to see San, who was also trying to leave into the same direction.

"He can't fight them all alone, Seonghwa!", San called back.

"They are leaving...", Jongho panted. He made a sweeping gesture around them. Their attention diverted to their surroundings. The youngest had been right. The skeletons retreated back into the forest, using different directions as they ran.

"Then it should be fine for me to go find Hongjoong and Wooyoung", San stated, already starting to walk again.

Seonghwa opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by someone-- something screeching.

All of them froze. That was a noise they had never heard before and Yeosang was more than sure that he never wanted to hear it ever again. It sounded angry, it shook him to his core. Yunho and Jongho seemed to have the same reaction as him, while San was still staring towards the part of the forest, that he suspected their other two crewmates in. Seonghwa on the other hand had a grim look on his face.

"I guess, that rumor about a kraken wasn't just a rumor after all."

Before one of them could react to his statement in any way, Seonghwa looked at Yeosang. "Are you able to walk?"

Yeosang tried to put weight on his right foot. It hurt but it seemed to be endurable. "I don't think I can run, but walking should be fine."

"Then we will all follow Hongjoong and Wooyoung. Don't try running off on your own, San, do you hear me?"

San didn't answer Seonghwa, he only kept on looking into the forest.

"Did you hear what I just said, San?", Seonghwa asked again, sounding even more stern this time.

"Yes, I did. And I won't run off."

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that concludes part 1 of this story, hope you enjoyed it so far & will come back to read the rest!

sorry for not including mingi but as he is not part of the performance i would have found it very difficult to add him as well. i already feel bad because i gave the members different "screentime" in this story (my program tells me i wrote "wooyoung" 21 times, followed by "seonghwa" with 12 times and "hongjoong" and "yeosang" with 10 times each).

[theonewiththefanfics]

Stronger Than You Know (part 1)

Synopsis: For two years the Elvenking has been able to live in bliss after centuries of sorrow with his now-wife Y/N- a strongwilled human woman who is regarded as one of the most stubborn people anyone has ever met. But when darkness invades her heart to what measures will the people that love her go to, just to see the bright girl brought back to light once more?

Pairing: Thranduil x Reader

Genre: this is so full of fluff you’ll get cavities

Warnings: some sexy time implications

Word count: 4627

Part 2

Part 3- END

Thranduil couldn’t help himself as his slender fingers traced the outline of his wife's soft facial features. The sleek arch of her eyebrow, smoothly gliding over to her still closed eyelids that hid mesmerising Y/E/C pools. Over her nose lingering on the tip of it, right down to her cupid's bow as his thumb softly ghosted over the lips he got lost in every night, morning and throughout the day. He grazed her jawline and cheekbone before his fingers lightly touched her round ear, so different from his pointy elven one.    Yes, the Woodland King himself had fallen for a human. A woman bestowed with immortality, but a human nonetheless.    When they had first met she was accompanying Bard to a council meeting. Thranduil didn’t even notice her upon their greeting, not until a quarrel had started while discussing some strategy for another upcoming war.    “How dare you treat me with such disrespect, firen?” he hissed the words to the girl. But to his surprise, she was not intimidated by the elf at all.    “My respect needs to be earned and you haven’t done so. Show some to me and I shall grant some in return.”    “Y/N,” Bard had gently grabbed her hand underneath the table, to try and tame the fire that threatened to spew over the lips of the woman.    Thranduil’s eyes had widened at the statement. He couldn’t believe she would talk back to him like that. A mere mortal would disgrace him! But in the pit of his stomach and the back of his mind, something that had been slumbering for a long time had awoken and an incredible need to find out more about the fearless girl emerged.

   That night they were holding a feast and of course, he expected who he know had learned was Y/N to attend. What he had not anticipated was the breath catching in his throat as she had descended the stairs. A dress made from the finest silks and fabrics clung to her every curve. Her gait and posture was almost ethereal as if hovering inches above the floor rather than walking upon it. If he hadn’t seen her non-pointed ears or had no inclination that she was a human, the girl could easily pass for an elleth.    Her face was split in a smile that stretched from her one human ear to the other as her Y/E/C eyes roamed over the mass of people- elven, dwarf and human alike- and they glinted as her gaze caught where her friends stood around, bellowing laughter coming from the small circle. Her laughter echoed in response, through the ginormous chamber and even though it was filled to the brim with guests, to Thranduil it felt like the first time life had once again sprung in his kingdom.    He watched her rush to her friends and throw her body onto Bard’s back.    “Of course, she would be courted by him,” the King thought to himself as he made his way through the crowd. That weird feeling once again arose, this time accompanied by something bitter and unpleasant.    Y/N bellowed another laugh and the King’s heart clenched with a longing he didn’t know could still overcome his body. It wasn’t jealousy of the happiness between Bard and the feisty girl, though it didn’t help in any shape or form. He had accepted the passing of his late Queen many centuries ago, even though the wound sometimes still bled, especially when he looked upon his son Legolas, the only thing she had left behind for him. No. This was his want to make the girl laugh like that, to grant her happiness with every step she took and make her worries disappear with every breath that went into her lungs.    How could a human capture his heart like that in a time that spanned less than a full day?    She was holding onto Bard’s shoulder, jumping up and down as they moved towards the large dining table where Thranduil himself had already sat down at the end of it. The crown of branches and berries atop his silver hair, the blue eyes turned into a steely gaze as he roamed over the girl’s body.    “Oh, shut it, Bard!” she exclaimed in joy and the man had a matching smile plastered on his face. “You know I’m the best archer there is. Just because you’re technically older doesn’t mean you can do better than I.”    “You have seen her shoot, Bard,” a dwarf that Thranduil’s memory recalled was named Kili, piped up. “And there is no one better than her with a sword."    A smug grin appeared on the woman’s face. “Thank you, Kili. At least someone can admit the truth.”    “All right,” the large man turned towards the girl. “You and me, tomorrow, when the sun dawns. One who hits the most targets wins.”    “And what is the prize?” the smugness was still all over her face and Thranduil couldn’t help himself but smile at the overconfident girl.    “The title of the best archer, of course.”    “Pff!” she rolled her eyes, taking a seat right next to Bard���s left, two seats away from the King. She was so close, Thranduil could smell the scent of lavender and rosemary- no doubt the oils that had been added to her bath. “That I can claim right here right now. I need something tangible.”    “Fine. When we get back to Dale I will take over cleaning your weapons for a week.”    “Make it a month and we have a deal,” she extended an arm towards the man.    “Prepare to lose,” his large palm clasped hers.    “Darling, I’ve already won.”    The feast had begun moments later, loud chatter quieting down as polite conversation eased throughout the room. The elven King couldn’t keep his eyes off the girl for long. She talked to everyone and anyone, but at the same time, when unpleasant comments about her or any of her companions grazed her ears… If looks could kill Thranduil suspected that the room would be on fire.    Not long after, the slow and calm strings of the violins picked up their pace and people made their way onto the dance floor. She, of course, Bard’s hand in grasp went to the centre of the room and danced the night away.    The King didn’t take off his gaze as the girl moved across the room, switching partners from humans to dwarves and to elves, a smile of pure content and happiness almost permanently carved onto the beautiful features.    But then like a flash of lightning she was gone. Thranduil roamed his eyes over the crowded room, but her figure that had moved like a petal caught in the wind was nowhere to be seen. His heart sunk at the thought that she had retired with Bard, because even the simple presence of the girl elated his mood, but then his ice-blue eyes caught Bard himself dancing with an elleth.    A gust of wind from an open balcony caught Thranduil’s attention, the almost see-through white curtains flapping in the gentle breeze and right there, away from the looks of everyone, her emerald green dress shone.    “Excuse me,” he murmured to Lord Elrond and his son who had fallen in a conversation. His feet moved without a sound and the only indication that there was someone approaching Y/N was his kaftan’s shuffling over the stone floor.    “Beautiful isn’t it,” he came to rest his elbows next to Y/N who was leaning on the intricately designed railing.    “Probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” it came out more like a sigh as her Y/E/C orbs soaked in the view that was his kingdom.    “I wanted to apologise for my words earlier,” it didn’t come easy for Thranduil to say that.    “Is the Thranduil, the mighty elven King, the fearless warrior apologising? To me? A human?” a smirk made its way onto her lips. Oh, how he wanted to wipe it away by pressing his own mouth to hers, but the elf restrained himself.    “Do not make me regret this decision,” he warned, but Y/N could hear the playful undertone and saw how he tried to hide a smile.    She chuckled and reverted her gaze back towards the night sky and the city below. “Like I said- my respect needs to be earned,” she smiled at the King and the beauty of it took his breath away, “and now you’re getting there.”    “Well, I’m pleased to hear I am in your good graces, Lady Y/N.”    “Good? Not really. More so acceptable.”    He snorted at that. He actually snorted, surprising himself with how at ease he felt around the girl.    “And I’m not a Lady. Never have, never will be.”    “Surely being Bard’s companion bestows the title upon you. He is the King of Dale, which means the Queen should be regarded no less than that.”    The wide-eyed girl looked at Thranduil as if he suddenly had sprouted an elk head before bursting into a fit of laughter. She fell to the floor, clutching her stomach as her body trembled and shook with the force, tears streaming down her cheeks.    “Oh- Gods,” she hiccuped trying to form a coherent sentence. “You,” hiccup, “think that I and B-Bard,” hiccup, “are together?”    Another fit of laughter overtook her body and she wiped away the tears. “Oh, this is the most amusing," hiccup, "thing I’ve heard in a while. Oh my, will Bard’s mood elate after I tell him this.”    Thranduil was utterly confused while looking at the woman. Her face was flushed red from laughing so hard and it looked like she was having trouble heaving herself up, hands clutching to the railing.    “We are nothing more than friends. I could call him a best friend, he’s been there for me every step of the way, he’s almost my family, but together, ohhh,” she wiped away a stray tear, and tried to compose herself. “Besides, he has his eyes set on another and she has my approval.”    “But,” the King was stammering for words. Never in his life had he been at a loss of them. “You act so familiarly with him, you act as if you two are man and wife.”    “We’re friends. Very good ones at that. With us, humans,” she gently nudged the king’s elbow, emphasising the last word, “it’s different. A touch, a hug, a kiss- all of it can have different meanings.”    “I know that,” he snapped exasperated, but at the same time a feeling of hope resurfaced.     “Do you?” there it was again. That teasing smile that he just wanted to wipe away with the touch of his lips. “Then how come you haven’t noticed he never leaned in for a kiss? Or never whispered sweet nothings in my ear? Or never did anything apart from a friendly hug or teasing glance, unlike our dear friends Arwen and Aragorn have been doing from the moment they sat down?”    Truth be told Thranduil had noticed those things, yet his mind immediately went to the conclusion that they must be married. He had seen how Bard looked at the girl, his eyes filled with love and pride, yet now, as he went over every second he’d seen the pair together, he couldn’t find any fragment, no bits or pieces where they would be acting as more than a brother and a sister.    “And even if he had feelings that are more than the love you give to a friend or a family member, I wouldn’t be able to reciprocate. I couldn’t fathom loving someone like that and then watching them slowly wither away, grow old, while I myself don’t change.” There was inexplicable sadness in her tone.    “What do you mean?”    “I mean,” she huffed out, the cheery mood completely gone from her, “I’m immortal. When I was born I was given this gift… or more so a curse upon me. I do not know why. My parents never told me. I don’t know who did it, nor do I have any clue as to how they did it. All I know is that when the time comes, my friends will grow old, their hair will turn grey and they will die... and I’ll have to watch all of it, unable to stop it while I myself remain just as I am now.”    Thranduil wanted to pull the girl close to him, to never let go, to whisper in her ear, that he’ll always be by her side if only she’d let him.    “That’s why I fight, you know. That’s why the only constant I can rely on in this life is the notion that there will always be a war to participate in. And I guess that sort of soothes me as well.”    Thranduil quirked a brow for Y/N to continue.    “It makes me feel better about my life. It gives me purpose rather than wallowing in self-pity. I can make the world the children of my friends will live in a better place and I can help them make it safer…”    The king reached out to pull Y/N’s palm into his own, to run his thumb over her smooth knuckles, but the moment was interrupted by an intoxicated Bifur yelling for Y/N to join them in the dance.    “I’ll be there in a minute, save a dance for me.”    Y/N chuckled as she watched her drunken friend waddle away. A small smile, that Thranduil saw was laced with sadness and longing played on her features. His pale fingers reached to brush away a strand of silky Y/H/C hair that was obscuring her face, but Y/N moved completely away from the balcony.    “I should get back to the company before they physically drag me back inside.”    Thranduil bowed to the girl, not just a simple incline of the head, but a full-on waist-deep bow. “It has been a pleasure to be in your company,” he smirked straightening up, “Lady Y/N.”    The girl opened her mouth but pressed it together in an amused smile. “My King,” she said inclining her head as she swivelled around, the emerald green dress billowing like a leaf caught in the wind behind her.    After that conversation, Thranduil set his mind to courting the spunky girl. The next morning after the feast she woke up to discover an incredible cerulean blue dress laid upon the end of the bed accompanied by an intricate Carnation wreath.    Her appointed handmaiden upon seeing the flower crown had squealed like a madman and then furiously blushed. The elleth helped Y/N pull on the gown and positioned the petals so that her hair perfectly framed her features. When the girl had walked in for breakfast, everyone had stopped talking, all eyes averted on her.    “Oh, don’t tell me I look that bad, I didn’t drink much,” she snickered making her way to the same seat she’d occupied at the time of the feast.    “No, it is absolutely not that,” it was Bard who spoke up, “you look breathtaking.”    A small blush rose to her cheeks as she started to pile food on her plate. “Yes, well all of that is thanks to a mysterious person who left this in my room.” She turned back to eating and slowly conversation once again started to echo through the hall.    When Thranduil saw Y/N in the dress he’d made one of the maids lay out upon her bed and that she was, in fact, wearing the flower crown, the King knew right then and there that he’d marry the girl.    The sleepless morning he’d spent trying to figure out what to do turned out to not be a bad thing at all. Only when the first light of the Sun glittered through the windows had Thranduil drifted off to dreams, where his late wife, the reason he started to dispel the idea of courting Y/N, had appeared.    “My love, why do you do this to yourself, why not allow happiness make its way into your life, but rather succumb to sorrow?” she gently stroked the cheek of the elf.    “I do not wish to betray you,” a tear rolled down his cheek and the beautiful elleth wiped it away.    “Betray me how? By being happy? By allowing the light she has brought into your life once again shine brightly on the both of you? I wish nothing more than for you and Legolas to be filled with joy, so if you think that I’d be angry with you and your choice to bring happiness back into your life, then you never really knew your wife.”    “But I couldn’t save you… how can I ever protect another when I wasn’t even able to come to your rescue?”    “That, Meleth nîn, is what love comes with. The fear of not being there when your love needs you the most... But would you rather allow your heart to leap with happiness, or see the future you could have slip through the cracks of your fingers?” She gently caressed his face. “You have a chance most do not receive,” the late Queen pressed a gentle kiss to Thranduil’s forehead, “do not let it pass you by.”    “Thank you,” Thranduil shuddered as he woke up, tears slipping down his cheeks. “Thank you, my love.”    But as the week progressed it started to seem to him, his feelings were not reciprocated. They had gone on many walks together and spent hours talking not only about the wars, but just about themselves, yet Thranduil couldn’t quite get the grasp of what Y/N felt towards him.    And right as the last day of their stay came by, which by then Thranduil had given up on the chance of having the girl by his side, she made her way into his study.    “Okay, what is going on?” with arms on her hips, she looked like a tiny angry elk. “Why does everyone when I pass them by either sneer at me and tell me I’d never be good enough or run off giggling. It has been happening for the past week and the looks intensify when I’m with you, so my inkling is that you have some fault in this, Thranduil.”    “Whatever do you mean?” he placed down the papers his eyes had been scanning moments before.    “I don’t know, you tell me!” exasperation rang through the room. “Oh, and why the hell is everyone bowing and calling me a Lady? They all know I am not royalty, so what the bloody hell is going on?”    And then it dawned on him. It wasn’t that Y/N didn’t have the same feelings, or he hoped that it wasn’t, she didn’t know the meaning behind the flower crowns she wore each day, specifically portraying a message of someone who courts another in the elven society. “Do you know what the flowers upon your head symbolise?”    “What does the flower crown have to do with it?”    “Everything,” the King took a deep breath as he moved closer to the girl, with each step explaining what the different crowns had meant. “The first day I gave you Carnations-“    “It was you?”    He simply nodded. “They symbolise the pledge of love and promise of marriage.”    Her breath hitched in her throat and Thranduil could only hope it was a good sign. “The next day,” he ebbed closer, “were Azaleas connoting for you to take care yourself for me.”    “Then came the third crown with sunlit Daffodils, to show my longing and hope for a new start. Fourth in line came the Gillyflower- to match and show your beauty. A crown of Gardenias adorned your head on the fifth day, to show my affections through them even though I wished nothing but to shout it from the tops of the mountains. Yesterday you put a wreath of white Dittanys that I hoped would whisper in your ear of the love I hold for you…”    They were now standing nose to nose. Y/N could feel his breath fanning over her face as she couldn’t stop looking into the eyes of the king. “And what does today mean?” It was barely a whisper.    “The Amaranth symbolise immortality of my love for you.”    The girl could only gulp as language escaped her mind.    “You have captured my heart Y/N,” his trembling fingers grasped hers. They never shook and yet here the mighty elven King was scared to death of hearing the answer to what he thought was expressed to the fullest extent. “And my only hope is that the feelings I hold for you are returned.”    She couldn't move, couldn’t speak only stare at the tall man above her.    His palm removed a strand of hair that had fallen out from the woven plait that weaved around the crown. “But I do understand if you do n-“    Thranduil didn’t get the chance to finish the sentence as the girl pressed her lips against his. The King’s body went rigid from the initial shock, but it took him no more than a second to grab onto her waist and pull her body flush against his.    Only when the pair was in dire need of air did they pull back from one another, their foreheads, however, remained together.    “Would that mean, if I asked you to stay here, in the Woodland realm, after today, you would say yes?”    “I don’t know,” a smirk crept upon her face, her eyes still closed, body relishing in the feeling of what just happened. “How do you say “maybe” with flowers?” that smirk grew as her Y/E/C met Thranduil’s blue ones. He smiled back at her and this time, he pressed his mouth to the girl’s, wiping the smile away like had wanted to do so many times.

   The King smiled at the feeling of the memory, as his eyes once again roaming over the body of the girl who had become his wife not long after the confession. He leaned in closer, pressing a kiss to Y/N’s collarbone where a love bite already sat, marks of the activities they’d taken part last night.    “Nooooo,” she groaned and turned her back to Thranduil, “too early. Back… sleep… need… go… to.”    He couldn’t help but chuckle at his wife's behaviour. Truth be told, he knew that a day spent in bed was the least she deserved when his eyes caught the sight of the blue and pink camellia crown sitting on the bedside table. The same one he’d placed upon her head when she, Legolas and more guards went into the woods.    The darkness had spread and so had the infectious spiders. Thranduil didn’t want Y/N to go, with how dangerous the forests had become, but he also knew, that she was an incredible fighter, rivalling the best of his kin.    “I will come back, I promise,” she pressed a passion-filled kiss to his lips, “you can’t get rid of me that easy. It’ll take more than a few eight-legged beasts to do that.”    “Stubborn are we?” he smiled down at the armour clad girl.    “The most.”    And know, after a week of cleaning out the woods, killing as many spiders as possible she was once again in his arms. Well, technically not anymore. Y/N had hogged the blanket moving to the furthest side of the bed, covering herself with the soft material so Thranduil could only see the top of her Y/H/C hair.    “Meleth, it’s time to wake up, the Sun is already above the ground.”    Her response was a string of incoherent words.    “Petal, please,” he moved closer, removing the duvet and kissing another mark he’d left on her shoulder, a twin to the ones that were littered over her back and chest.    “Sleep… you… now… me… kill… you… care,” those were the only words he could decipher that weren’t muffled by the pillow she had shoved her face in.    “I have a whole day planned for us, Meleth nin. Just us, together.”    With a groan Y/N turned to face her husband, one eye open, slightly squinting, trying to adjust to the morning light. “Then why can’t we spend it together… in bed… asleep?”    Her warm palm roamed over Thranduil’s broad chest, resting upon where his heart beat a steady beat.    “Because I wish to enjoy this beautiful day with my Queen by my side,” he murmured in the crook of her neck, pressing gentle kisses.    “Hmm,” her fingers wove through the silvery hair that tickled her skin, “sometimes I curse the cruel fate, that made me marry you.”    “Is that so?” his lips moved to glide across her jaw, “then why did you marry me?”    “You know. Riches beyond belief, status as a Queen, a comfortable life,” her eyes opened fully to look at her husband, placing a strand of blond hair behind the pointy ear, “and you’re pretty nice to look at.”    “So,” he kissed the girl on the lips, “you married me,” he accentuated every word with a press of his lips on hers, “just so you could be rich and have something pretty to wake up to in the morning.”    “Yeah,” she let her tongue intertwine with his, “can’t seem to find any other reason as to why I’d marry someone who clearly has no regard for other people and their need for sleep.”    “Mhmm,” they continued the lazy movements for some time before both of them needed to get a proper breath of air. “So,” he brushed his nose against hers, “breakfast?”    “Uggghhhh,” Y/N groaned once again and buried herself in his chest. “Give me fifteen more minutes and I’ll be ready.’    “I’ll take your word for it,” Thranduil kissed his wife once more before getting up and pulling a simple pair of night-pants on, “or you’ll have to wait until lunch before we can stop and eat.”    His own eyes now finally saw the similar markings Y/N had left on his chest, a deep laugh reverberating through his large body.    “Yeah, fine,” she snuggled into his pillow.    Thranduil removed a piece of hair from her back and pressed his lips to her shoulder blade. “I’ll be waiting for you, Melethen.” A soft snore was the only response he got.    With a huff of laughter, he pulled on a robe and ventured down to where they would break fast. But unbeknownst to him, a darkness had found its way into their kingdom and it had nothing but evil intentions. Like a pine seed in the air, swished by the winds, the dark mass moved across the sky, gliding against the buildings and blending into the shadows. Once it came upon the open balcony doors of the royal chambers it seeped into the room and before Y/N could reach for her blade, eyes open with shock, it plunged into her body, making her succumb to the blackness.

A/N: I have fallen into a hole that is Lee Pace and I can’t get out!! help!!! omg I love him so much, like uuuugggghhhhhhhh!!! Desperately need season 3 of Pushing Daisies even though I know it’ll never happen, just need the perfection that he is in my life

This is gonna be a quite short series, I’m thinking 3-4 parts all together, but I needed to get this out of my brain, cause I can’t work on anything else if I don’t.

I know I’m supposed to put the last part to The One That Got Away and I apologise to those who are waiting and I haven’t done so, just my brain wouldn’t cooperate if I didn’t do this first. I promise it’s coming

P.S. if you wanna be tagged or have any requests drop a message

P.S.S. feedback is always appreciated :)

P.S.S.S. please don’t repost without credits 

Translations of some words/ phrases/ flower meanings: 

Meleth nîn; melethen- my love

Firen- human

Blue and pink camellia- (blue) you are the flame of my heart; (pink) longing for you- I long for your touch

[williamsjoan]

DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Awards — God of War Takes Home the Gold

Welcome back, everyone, to DualShockers’ annual Game of the Year awards selection! We are all one year wiser, and one year more excited than we were in 2017. Thankfully, 2018 has been a rather contentious year with mega-hits like God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Monster Hunter: World having a strong showing — we are in no shortage of amazing hits to choose from.

To begin, a quick shoutout to everyone who has checked out DualShockers through the year. As we approach our tenth anniversary as a site, there is nothing that we appreciate more than the active community willing to read our hot takes, reviews, and uncut excitement. Even better, we appreciate the participation that everyone put in with helping decide the Readers’ Choice Game of the Year and Readers’ Choice Most Anticipated Game of 2019! As always, our community has impeccable taste, and we are looking forward to one of the strongest years in gaming.

As a quick note, for more information on the popular votes and how everything was determined, please check out the respective posts for GOTY and Most Anticipated. You can also listen to our own extended discussion where we determined our own staff Game of the Year in our new episode of Drop In/Drop Out.

Without further ado, here are DualShockers’ Game of the Year Awards for 2018!

DualShockers Game of the Year 2018: God of War

For the past two years, we’ve coincidentally shared a tradition of agreeing with our readers on what Game of the Year is, with 2016 going to Final Fantasy XV and 2017 going to Persona 5. We’re happy to report that this happened again this year, with Sony Santa Monica’s God of War winning both DualShockers Game of the Year Award and our Readers’ Choice Game of the Year Award.

While there were many games in 2018 that will likely go down as some of the best of the generation, God of War was able to stand above the rest thanks to the masterful character building, a clever and engaging twist on an older franchise, and some of the tightest controls we have seen within the action-adventure genre.

In addition to DualShockers Game of the Year 2018 and Readers’ Choice Game of the Year Awards, God of War also manages to bring home the following: Best First Party Game of the Year, Best PlayStation 4 Game, Best Action Adventure Game, Best Narrative, and Best Soundtrack. If you haven’t read it yet, take a moment to read our review of the game where DualShockers awarded it a perfect score.

Of course, the DualShockers staff was incredibly split on the decision — though our other votes were handled through a voting system, we chose to make our cases for all of our favorites of 2018 in a recorded debate. If you want to hear what that sounds like, make sure to check in on the latest episode of Drop In/Drop Out: GOTY 2018 podcast.

As for the Readers’ Choice award, turnout heavily favored God of War with it nabbing over 50% of the votes — the largest win we’ve had in a Readers’ Choice award ever. Coming in second was Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 with over 10% of the readers’ vote.

Outside of the top two games, Insomniac Games’ Marvel’s Spider-Man takes the third place with Square Enix’s Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age in fourth place and Capcom’s Monster Hunter World in fifth.

Below you can see a pie chart with the vote split, and the indication of the games that receive the most nods from our readers. Congratulations to Sony Santa Monica and God of War for reaching DualShockers’ top honor for 2018!

Most Anticipated Game of 2019: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

There were a lot of great looking games that were revealed at E3 2018, but none really captured our hopes as much as FromSoftwares Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. There are a lot of buzzwords and marketing spin that hits home for us — there are no microtransactions and the game will be similar in size to both Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne. More important to us, our E3 preview felt like everything we wanted from a Souls-like game but evolved.

Most Anticipated Game of 2019 (Readers’ Choice): Kingdom Hearts III

In a funny enough twist, Kingdom Hearts III is taking home the same prize it won in 2017: Readers’ Choice Most Anticipated Game of 2019. Pushed from its Winter 2018 release slot in an early-E3 announcement, it’s no wonder why people are so hyped for the game. It’s been over a decade since the last mainline series title, so do yourself a favor and keep well away from potential spoilers.

With that said, there was pretty hefty competition for every game that wasn’t Kingdom Hearts III with a broad range of diversity. Next on the list is Capcom’s Devil May Cry 5, a game similarly with a prestigious background and one set to blow away expectations.

Following that, readers on the site are similarly interested in the remaster of Resident Evil 2 that continues to look oh-so-juicy in trailers and screenshots. Rounding out the top four is FromSoftware’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, ultimately meshing well with the staff pick for Most Anticipated of 2019.

If you are interested in the breakdown from votes, check out the quick infographic below:

Hardware of the Year: Xbox Adaptive Controller

While this year was devoid of any major console hardware releases, there was still a ton of competition within this category. And while headphones, capture cards, and laptops blew us away, the easy choice among staff was to award Hardware of the Year to the Xbox Adaptive Controller.

Announced and released this year, the Xbox Adaptive Controller is an ambitious and inclusive project that brings many differently abled gamers into the fold, allowing them to play more games than ever before. Even better, Microsoft decided to keep the hardware accessible to anyone who is able to develop it further for more interesting ideas. The collaborative mindset behind this, as well as the message behind it, gives Microsoft and the Xbox Adaptive Controller the nod as the best gaming hardware out this year.

Indie Game of the Year: Celeste

While there is a good chance that Celeste may get a cold eye from other publications due to the fact it was one of the first games released this year, it is an indie game that demands your attention. With all of the sweet platforming mechanics of Super Meat Boy and the heart and wit of puzzle platformers like Braid, Celeste is an unmistakable achievement in the already-competitive platforming and indie scene.

In addition to Best Indie Game of 2018, Celeste also takes home the prize for Best Platformer Game. If this game slipped under your radar, feel free to check out the review from earlier this year.

Best Online Game: Monster Hunter: World

The Monster Hunter series has always been a powerhouse in the East, but never before has it had so much sway globally as it did in 2018. With the release of Monster Hunter: World the once dense and impenetrable meta of Monster Hunter opened its doors to the world, presenting a masterful online experience that required determination, cooperation, and strategy to overcome. With a good group of friends, this is the best time online you will have all year.

While there may be a few hiccups of the PC version of the game, don’t miss our original review of the PS4 version of Monster Hunter: World.

Best Developer: Santa Monica Studios

This may be no surprise given the awards that Santa Monica Studios received from us on God of War. However, this goes further than that.

While Santa Monica Studios has been helping and collaborating on a collection of Sony titles over the year like The Order: 1886 and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, we haven’t seen a fully-internally developed game for five years. Specifically, God of War: Ascension which released on the PlayStation 3.

Since that time, Santa Monica Studios (led by Shannon Studstill and key figures like Cory Barlog) have honed their crafts — arguably giving them the slot of Sony’s best first party studio. Time will tell how competitive that spot is with major releases next year, but Santa Monica Studio has cemented itself as more relevant than ever in 2018. We can only look forward to their next project.

Best Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

While it is easy enough to heap praise on Santa Monica Studios, it’s important to note that Sony Interactive Entertainment went above and beyond as a publisher this year. This year alone we got God of War, Detroit: Become Human, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Shadow of the Colossus. And that is ignoring the VR space — Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Firewall: Zero Hour are amazing in their own right. As a publisher, there is no company that has been more consistent with high-quality releases.

Best PlayStation 4 Game: God of War

Best Xbox One Game: Forza Horizon 4

While the Xbox One was rather light on console exclusives this year, Forza Horizon 4 remains a gold star among the racing genre. In fact, we go as far as saying it is one of the best racing games this generation of consoles has to offer.

Along with Best Xbox One Game, Forza Horizon 4 picks up Best Racing Game this year. Feel free to check out our review of the game where we awarded it a 9.0 out of 10.

Best Nintendo Switch Game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Meanwhile, on the relatively new Nintendo Switch, we saw a bit of a slower year for Nintendo compared to 2017 which produced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. Even with that said, the late-2018 release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the complete package. While other fighting games are looking to tweak, tune, and find a new hook to keep everyone and everything interesting, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate does exactly what it needs — adds everything from the series in. Add an eventual Persona 5 character and we are in the money.

Along with Best Nintendo Switch Game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes home Best Fighting Game. We won’t dive into the deep conversation on whether Smash Bros. series is a “fighting game” — there was plenty of disagreement among staff. However, make sure you check out the new review that went up earlier this week for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Best PC Game: Hitman 2

Best PC game was a rather elusive mistress, with plenty of titles in hot contention. However, IO Interactive’s Hitman 2 takes the prize by offering one of the most satisfying gameplay loops that gaming has to offer. Even better, the Hitman series evolving into more of a “platform”-type release gives us a lot to look forward to moving into 2019.

If you haven’t read it yet, check out our review of Hitman 2 — a game that was so good that the writer couldn’t get it off his mind while writing it.

Best PlayStation Vita Game: Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight // Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight

The PlayStation Vita is starting to get long in the tooth, with the releases slowly waning in the West. And while that is something the whole DualShockers staff is mourning on, the dual release of Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight are the must-grab games for Persona and PlayStation Vita fans this year. Make sure you check out our dual reviews on the game to see if they are games you can groove to.

Best Nintendo 3DS Game: WarioWare Gold

Similar to the PlayStation Vita, it seems like the Nintendo 3DS is starting to finally slow down from a long reign of releases. Even still, WarioWare Gold was able to offer a short-but-sweet experience packed with the series’ signature style, humor, and quick reflexes. If you have been keeping your Nintendo 3DS somewhere collecting dust, check out our review of the game and consider picking it back up for a brand new outing.

Best Mobile Game: Donut County

Another console that had a shining year was the mobile platform, including mobile ports of games like Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to flesh out the market. Even still, we come down that Ben Esposito’s Donut County is the Best Mobile Game of 2018. The hook of the game is charming and straightforward, but just as satisfying to pick up and play in short bursts as it is on consoles. Even if you typically avoid mobile games, check out our review for Donut County.

Best Action-Adventure Game: God of War

Best Battle Royale of 2018: Fortnite

Unlike other genre categories, Best Battle Royale of 2018 isn’t limited to games that release this year. Instead, we are looking at the meta development, evolving gameplay, and fanbase of the different Battle Royale games to choose the winner. With this in mind, Epic Games’ increasingly popular Fortnite takes home the gold, proving time and time again that they remain popular not just because of the excellent game design and free-to-play model, but also their approach to development and interacting with the community.

Alongside Best Battle Royale Game of 2018, Fortnite also takes home the Best Ongoing Game award.

Best DLC or Expansion: Destiny 2: Forsaken

Destiny has been on the scene for many a year now, and developer Bungie has really gotten around to perfecting the art of annualized releases. This year’s addition, Destiny 2: Forsaken is one of the best the series has ever seen and our choice for the best expansion of the year. The pièce de résistance is the newly-added Gambit Mode, a mixed cooperative and competitive multiplayer mode that really tests the bounds of what Destiny 2 does that other games simply can’t.

You can check out our review of Destiny 2: Forsaken where we go into more detail on those points.

Best Family Game: Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! // Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

The Family Game genre had a relatively light year, though Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! are standouts. Not only does it remain a terrific way for you to introduce younger kids to Pokémon, but it shows the initial promise of what a Nintendo Switch core Pokémon RPG will look like in 2019. Our review of the game is available here if you were looking to grab a kid-friendly holiday game for Christmas.

Best Fighting Game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Best Horror Game: State of Decay 2

Love it or hate it, State of Decay 2 can really do something right: catch you by surprise. While the world is filled with zombies, some of the best jumpscares you may get all year can come from Undead Labs’ third-person zombie survival game — whether it was intentional or not. Check out the review of State of Decay 2 for more info on the sequelized horror title.

Best Interactive Story Game: Detroit: Become Human

In a relatively bleak year for interactive story games (following the closure of Telltale Games), Quantic Dreams’ Detroit: Become Human is a standout in terms of the studios’ prior games and complex storytelling. With some of the best acting the industry has to offer and a terrific story, we go as far to say it is Quantic Dreams’ masterpiece.

If you are looking for a spoiler-free review of the game, DualShockers has you covered.

Best Metroidvania: Dead Cells

While Dead Cells has been a game everyone was talking about in Early Access, we finally saw the official release of the game this year. And it certainly lived up to the hype. Mixing equal points platformer, Metroidvania, and rogue-likes, Dead Cells is a complete pick-up and play package that should be giving you Spelunky vibes. Add in a lot of customization, and this is a game that was heavily vying for Indie Game of 2018. For more information on what you may be missing, check out our review on the game.

Best Platformer: Celeste

Best Puzzle Game: Tetris Effect

Tetris is a game series nearly as old as gaming itself, and it’s almost hard to believe that they can improve on the formula even more. Well… think again. This time placed within a VR space, developer Monstars Inc. and Resonair have molded Tetris VR into a must-buy experience for the PlayStation VR. This is a game with near-universal appeal thanks to the simplicity of the puzzle, stunning visuals, and hypnotic beats; all things perfect for virtual reality.

Along with Best Puzzle Game, Tetris Effect also wins the award for Best Virtual Reality Game. Make sure to check out our review of the game.

Best Racing Game: Forza Horizon 4

Best Remake or Remaster: Shadow of the Colossus

While there were many amazing remakes and remasters that came out in 2018, developer Bluepoint Games did something magical with Shadow of the Colossus. Feel free to check out the video above showing off the comparisons, but the new remaster of the game is a ground-up improvement of everything: textures, gameplay, framerate. It breathes life into one of the most important games in history and immediately makes me yearn for a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remaster.

Feel free to check out our review, where we called the game “one of the best remakes ever.”

Best Role-Playing Game: Octopath Traveler

2018 was host to many premium JPRG’s — games like the Eastern Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom and the Western Kingdom Come: Deliverance. However, our pick of the year is developer Acquire and Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler. Not only is it a terrific game in its own right, but it shows how the traditional top-down JPRG can be evolved from both a storytelling and visual perspective. With definite room to grow, we hope the ambition that was thrown into this project will influence games both within and outside the RPG genre. For more takes on the game, check out our review where we noted it was “a new look for the legendary genre.”

Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

For all the grief that Call of Duty gets as a series, it is undeniable that the game has one solid foundation: unmistakably tight shooting mechanics. This year’s iteration, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, is no exception, eeking ahead of games like Far Cry 5 for best shooter. Once again, if you missed our review in the busy Fall release schedule, you can check it out here.

Best Sports Game: Mario Tennis Aces

Sure, it may not be your “traditional” sports title like your FIFA’s or Madden, but Mario Tennis Aces is still at heart a sports game — and one that approaches tennis in a way no other game in the past few years has been able to do. With a (somehow) constantly evolving meta and frequent updates, it’s hard not to be impressed with what Nintendo is able to do with sports games. Now bring back Mario Superstar Baseball!

For a more detailed explanation on why Mario Tennis Aces had such a strong showing, check out our full review on the game.

Best Strategy Game: Valkyria Chronicles 4

One of our few contenders for Game of the Year 2018, Valkyria Chronicles 4 managed to be everything the fanbase wanted — and there were a lot of expectations. However, developer SEGA SC3 was able to show that the company is getting back in the game; SEGA is not to be messed with in 2018, or the upcoming years. If you were ever looking to jump into the Valkyria Chronicles series, there is no better time. For more information, check out the full review.

Best Virtual Reality Game: Tetris Effect

Best Art Direction: Return of the Obra Dinn

Leading the technical awards is The Return of the Obra Dinn, developer Lucas Pope’s adventure puzzle game. Without a major PR budget, this is a game that may have entirely sneaked by you in 2018. However, if you have any doubts in your head on why the game deserves the award for Best Art Direction, check out the video above and note the unique 1-bit aesthetic that the entire game is based in. In a world of bleeding edge graphics and experimentation, The Return of the Obra Dinn takes the gold.

Best Audio Design: Red Dead Redemption 2

Appearing for the first time on the list so far, Red Dead Redemption 2 is a technical marvel unparalleled within the industry — a fact that everyone at DualShockers agrees with. Whether we are talking graphics or audio direction, or the art of building a living, breathing world in-game, Red Dead Redemption 2 has raised the bar on game development in ways unseen since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Alongside Best Audio Design, Red Dead Redemption 2 also wins Best Graphics and Best Open World. For a deep-dive into what makes Red Dead Redemption 2 so special, check out our review of the game.

Best Character: Kratos (God of War)

Kratos has been with gamers for over a decade, making his original appearance on the PlayStation 2 with the initial God of War. Thirteen years later, we see an evolved Kratos — one touched by misery, loss, and the grief of his burdens. Better yet, he is a father, yearning to develop his son into a better person– err… god, than he could ever hope to be. Since his last appearance, Kratos has evolved into a character that can evoke more than just anger — thanks to the intricate development of God of War‘s story, it is hard not to award him Best Character.

Best Graphics: Red Dead Redemption 2

Best Narrative: God of War

Best Open World: Red Dead Redemption 2

Best Ongoing Game: Fortnite

Best Performance: Christopher Judge (Kratos, God of War)

Christopher Judge isn’t Kratos’ first voice actor, but he is the one who is able to give the most depth to the god of war. With each “Boy!” or angry growl, there was a nuance that only Judge is able to add to the equation. Judge is a leader in the industry, showing how the voice acting work can play equal parts in developing a story and character — if not more so — than the script itself.

Best Soundtrack: God of War

If you are interested in listening to the Norse-inspired soundtrack of God of War, check out the spotify playlist below:

Biggest Shocker of 2018: Sony is Skipping E3?

Leading our two superlative awards, the Biggest Shocker or 2018 was the official announcement that Sony will be skipping out on E3 next year. Sure, Nintendo has done something similar in the past opting for Nintendo Directs instead of a major press conference. While we think this is far from an E3 killer, having the biggest game publisher step away from the biggest gaming conference is no small announcement and took us entirely by surprise.

Worst Game of 2018: Fallout 76

Meanwhile, Fallout 76 is managing to “win” our Worst Game of 2018 award. While there are more than a few big games that could have stolen this honor from Bethesda, little had as much promise or fan build-up behind it to propel it to the top. Even worse, the first few weeks of the game felt nearly-unplayable, even compared it Fallout 4.

On the bright side, Fallout 76 is another title meant to be a game as a service. Hopefully, we will see a big year for Fallout 76 in 2019 to win back a jaded community.

And there you have it! Those are the official picks for DualShockers’ 2018 Game of the Year Awards.

Over the next week or two, each individual staff member, editor, and community manager will be listing out their Top 10 games of 2018 — make sure to tune in to see where you fall in comparison. And as always, let us know how we did in the comments below.

Top 10 of 2018 Schedule:

December 18: Lou Contaldi, Editor in Chief // Logan Moore, Reviews Editor December 19: Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor // Tomas Franzese, News Editor December 20: Scott Meaney, Community Director December 21: Reinhold Hoffmann, Community Manager // Ben Bayliss, Staff Writer December 22: Ben Walker, Staff Writer // Chris Compendio, Staff Writer December 23: Eoghan Murphy, Staff Writer // Grant Huff, Staff Writer December 26: Iyane Agossah, Staff Writer // Jordan Boyd, Staff Writer December 27: Max Roberts, Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Staff Writer  December 28: Noah Buttner, Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Staff Writer  December 29: Steven Santana, Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer December 30: Travis Verbil, Staff Writer // Zack Potter, Staff Writer

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