#actually here's something about this new playthrough. before i started i sat down and asked myself what this harry would be like

[mihotose]

what orange kim. lmao

[tttinytrash]

A prompt from the legendary Shy! I decided to go with this one first because the most ideas to fill in the framework they so kindly provided sprung to mind immediately, but expect the other two they sent along at some point soon. I took the liberty of picking Classic and Underfell Sans for the cast, but the nicknames will probably have made that clear anyhow. I tried to change it up and made the prey brave rather than the nervous wreck I often default to, so hopefully that pans out. Enjoy!

Nerds really do have more fun.

You’re not entirely sure how your socially inept self had made friends as good as these two, but your life had definitely improved exponentially after their addition to it. Red and Classic were both skeletons, but that was immaterial to your friendship with the two.

For the moment you three were tinkering away in the lab the university provided for your research. You were attempting to make a version of the monsters’ inventories that was more accessible for humans, or a TARDIS pocket as Classic had taken to calling the project. You couldn’t argue the accuracy of the comparison, though the name would sadly have to change for copyright purposes at some point. The idea was to make a pocket that was larger on the inside, thereby vastly increasing storage capabilities for the denizens of the world without magical capabilities.

Classic was at the far workbench, going over the calculations yet again while you and Red were closer to the machine actually intended to form the dimensional pockets. The burned scraps of a grocery tote bag, the cremated remains of your latest failed attempt, hung in place in the machine for now despite the machine not being active. Red was shoulders deep in the thing, checking that the soldering on the wires were holding after another failed test. You were busy removing the latest scorches from the machine’s plating when you heard the dull hum start. 

You glanced over at saw the machine had started trying to form another rift, without any kind of vessel and without any of you having activated it. Worse, two thirds of the team was not even remotely beyond the safety perimeter! You didn’t even think, you just grabbed Red by the pelvis and dragged him out of the machine. You didn’t even process what he was saying, nor his angry tone as you bundled him up bridal style and bolted from the danger zone. 

You were almost in the clear when you heard the explosion behind you and felt the searing heat on your back. Well, as least you’d gotten your more sturdy human body between your 1HP monster companion and the blast, you had time to think. 

The pain ebbed as quickly as it came and you felt like you were in freefall...

-----

Red really didn’t know what the hell had just happened. 

He’d felt the human yank him out of the maintenance hatch, and the glow and crackling of building energy he could get from over their shoulder as they ran clued him in roughly and mollified his annoyance in favor of concern. Then there was heat and he felt his body fall to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Classic had been far enough away from the blast to be unharmed, and therefore was free to rush over to where Red lay. 

He groaned as the unharmed skeleton arrived, not missing the other’s visual sweep of his body for injury or dust. 

“are you ok? where’s y/n?” Classic asked.

Red’s skull whipped back, not finding the human on the floor with him as he’d expected. “i-i dunno! y/n?!”

“Here...” came the weak reply. 

Both skeletons homed in on the source quickly, which was oddly Red’s chest.

A tiny human lay on Red’s sternum sprawled as if having fallen. Y/n was severely reduced in size and dazed, but awake an aware much to both skeletons’ visible relief. Red scooped the sluggish human into his hands and did a Check on them. Their HP had definitely taken a hit, but they weren’t in the red. (Heh, nickname pun.)

The trio was collectively baffled, but the relief that everyone was ok for the most part was palpable. They now had the fun task of figuring out how to reverse this change. Oh. And the machine was smoldering, so that probably should be addressed too. This to do list was quickly looking very not fun.

-----

It was agreed upon (more like accepted, really) that a shrunken human really couldn’t live on their own in a house without any adaptations for such a small person. In the long term (Delta forbid this persisted long enough to need a long term solution) adjustments to your house could be arranged. In the short term, the skeleton pair would take turns hosting their human friend at their houses. 

Classic took the first night, as he and Vanilla (his brother) had a place closer than Red and his bro, Edge. At the moment, Vanilla was out of the house at a sleepover (arranged before the incident) with Undyne. This left Classic and the human alone, and eventually watching TV together. 

You had been set up with a fluffy hand towel for a blanket and set atop a pillow. Your pillow was on the couch cushion besides Classic, who sprawled with the grace of a sack of potatoes on his corner of the couch as he watched the cheesy sci-fi flick on screen. You were both making jokes throughout the movie, but as the night drew on and the ambient temperature dropped, you found your towel wasn’t quite warm enough. 

You were waiting for a break in dialogue to ask for another towel, but Classic beat you to it. He looked over as if he were about to crack a joke at the expense of the movie again, noticed your huddled posture, and paused the movie. “you cold, kiddo?”

“Yeah, a bit. Are there any more towels I could pile on, maybe?”

“i’ll do ya one better, c’mere.” He offered a flat palm, waiting patiently for you to board.

You didn’t really have to hesitate, trusting the guy already and curiosity spurred you on as well. He gently lifted you and your towel, dumped the pillow on the floor absently, and moved to sprawl flat over the whole couch instead. This left his chest as a flat plane, on which you were gently deposited.

You sat there, surprised at the new level of contact. Sure, you three nerds had crammed yourselves onto the loveseat at your place to watch TV or game together and ended up with hips mildly wedged against each other and shoulders bumping, but that was the closest you’d ever been. To now be seated on Classic’s sternum was new territory. 

“go ahead, get comfy and lay down. i don’t mind.” he encouraged. 

You took his advice, curling on your side facing the TV, towel still tented around you. Classic increased the warmth his body offered even more by taking the liberty to partially zip his ever-present blue jacket up to the point that your body was zipped in, but your head was outside the confines of the giant garment.

“better?” he asked.

“Yeah, much warmer.” You could easily affirm. 

While this was new territory, his casual attitude towards the whole thing dissipated the awkwardness you were feeling. Without that feeling, you really found you couldn’t complain. You liked cuddling anyhow, so finding a friend was also up for that was a boon in your book. 

The movie resumed without further incident, though you may or may not have totally fallen asleep on your friend. Eh, he didn’t seem to mind.

-----

It’d been a couple of weeks since the incident at the lab, and today was Red’s day for hosting y/n. Red was playing a campaign in a very story based game, with the human watching from their perch on his shoulder while Classic lounged on the other side of the couch. Playthroughs of games like this were common with their group, and the three would usually switch off who had the controller each session with the other two chipping in and offering advice. 

The biggest difference now was that y/n couldn’t take their turn with the controller, but they seemed content to snuggle into the fluff of Red’s hood, relishing in the warmth of their position by his cervical vertebrae. Ever since becoming small, they hadn’t been able to maintain their heat as well once the sun went down.

“I think I saw something on your left.” they offered. 

Red panned the camera that way to find an enemy, which was swiftly dealt with.

“thanks, pipsqueak.” Red said as he collected the dropped loot.

“No problem. Hey, do you think you could get the bathroom door for me?”

“oh, sure.” he paused the game and crossed over to the bathroom. He gently cupped the human into his hands and gingerly set them on the floor just before the threshold. Inside there was a bathroom setup of bitty furniture, an investment that had been made early on for each of the skeletons’ houses. Once they went inside, he closed the door without catching the latch so they could push it open once they were done. 

In the meantime, he approached the couch again where he saw Classic grinning at him.

“the hell you looking at?” Red groused.

Classic chuckled “a softy.”

Red felt the light blush on his face, much to his chagrin “shut the hell up. s’not like you aint doing the same damn thing.”

“well yeah, but i don’t try to claim i’m not a softy.”

Red groaned as he flopped petulantly onto the couch. “can’t help it, they’re just so small. plus, this is all my fault anyhow.”

“woah, what?” Classic sat up straighter, humor gone from his voice. “what do you mean, your fault?”

“i was fucking with the wiring when the machine started up. it had to be something i did that caused it to go haywire and blast them. least i can do is help em out when they need it.”

Classic was about to address the mountain of guilt Red had built upon himself, but was cut off by a growl from Red’s stomach.

“you hungry?” Classic asked, though Red knew he already had the answer to that question based on the tone. 

Red buried his face in his hands, responding “no, and the human aint gonna believe the ‘i just need a snack’ lie forever. i just wanna protect them so damn bad.”

“yeah, they’re too smart for us. plus, i’ve been using the same lie.”

Red unburied his face, asking “instinct is cropping up for you too, eh?”

“yeah. especially since they get so cold at night. it went downhill fast as soon as i realized we had an easy fix.”

“tell me about it. they were so uncomfortable when they first changed, i didn’t wanna add to the discomfort by asking them about it.”

“well, the machine is back in one piece now so we can start working to reverse this mess come monday when the university lets us back in.”

“yeah, thank delta for that.”

Neither one realized that the human had heard some of their conversation from the bathroom, nor that they refused to accept their friends were apparently hiding something from them. 

The human became determined to confront this issue that very night.

-----

Classic had gone home by now and you were settled in your bed, more of a nest of towels and an electric heated blanket than a real bed. Nest was probably a better term. 

Red hadn’t come into the room yet (you slept in the same room as him so he could help you off the desk and to the bathroom if you needed to make a trip in the middle of the night) so you instead thought about what you’d overheard and what you were going to say. You’d caught only snippets due to distance, knowing something about an instinct they were both trying to hide from you, and you’d also heard “all my fault” and desperately wanted to address that if it was regarding you, which the conversation had seemed to.

Your planning was cut short when he entered, in a loose black muscle tank and flannel PJ bottoms pattered with jolly roger flags flying over a grey background. He flopped onto the bed without ceremony amongst his tangled blankets and immediately started scrolling on his phone. 

You steeled yourself a moment before calling for his attention, leaving your nest behind on the beside table to approach the skeleton closer. “Hey, Red?”

He put down his phone, looking at you with a questioning grunt.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I heard you and Classic earlier...”

Red looked mildly alarmed “what exactly did you hear?”

“Enough to know you guys are hiding things from me, and it sounded like it was about me. And something about this being ‘all your fault’?”

Red sat up leaving his face a little higher than you, and only a foot of distance from your perch to his shoulder. “yeah, well it is my fault. since i was the one tinkering, the machine had to have been fucked up by me. and now...” he gestured limply at you. “i’m gonna do my damndest to fix it, but i hate that i did this at all.”

“Cut the crap.”

Red looked as if he’d been slapped. He instantly went from hunched and quiet, reluctant to open up to you at all (probably only caving so early knowing you would keep badgering), to sitting straight up, eyes locked on you in obvious shock.

“This was an accident. No one is at fault.” you stated emphatically.

He looked ready to protest, eyebrows tilting down almost as if angry.

You cut him off again. “You never intended for this to happen. I don’t hold you responsible, or anyone else for that matter. But that doesn’t even matter. You just said you were going to fix it. That matters way more than fretting over the past we can’t change. No more self pity. Not allowed. Got it, mister?” You wagged a finger at him, refusing to be the one to break eye contact.

Red’s expression had mollified during your response, and he was the one who lost the game of eye contact chicken when he changed focus onto his folded hands in his lap. “forgot how much spunk you have, looks like the size change didn’t touch that.” he laughed a little.

“You mean you forgot what made us become friends in the first place? I’m hurt, Red.” You feigned pain, placing your hands over your heart.

His laugh was stronger this time “sorry, pipsqueak. won’t make that mistake again.” He ruffled your hair with a two fingers, which got you laughing too as you batted his invading phalanges away.

“you win. i’ll try to focus on fixing, not shitting on myself. fair deal?”

“Sounds good to me, bud.”

You two lapsed into silence.

You felt accomplished, but only half of your mystery had been solved. you decided to risk it and push farther. You’d back off if he resisted though, as you knew opening up at all was asking a lot of your somewhat emotionally constipated friend. “So... what was the instinct you two kept referring to?”

“damn, you’re relentless tonight!” he laughed again, flopping back onto his pillow.

“Well it’s got my two best friends in a twist over it, I wanna know what the hell is going on!” you defend, happy to keep up the more teasing tone.

“fine, fine. but you asked for it.”

“Yeah, yeah, lay it on me!”

He barked a laugh, “alright, pipsqueak. there’s a protective instinct that can rear up among monsters who’re less flesh based. it’s been triggered by your small size and our desire to help, but basically we wanna take you in.”

“Ya lost me right at the end, there.”

“figured i would. skeletons, and some other races of monsters, have the ability to take other creatures inside their own body harmlessly. more specifically, it’d be me and classic fighting the urge to eat you, but safely.”

“Safely.... eat?” The humor left your tone completely.

The humor was gone in his too, saying “yeah, that’s why we didn’t say anything. that reaction right there. but yes, basically eat minus the chewing bit. it’s safe and you’d be let out later, but the idea is to put us between you and danger. pretty damn literally. but a fleshbag like you wouldn’t be a fan and we both knew that going in. now ya know.” he looked away again, not so much looking at anything but apparently not wanting to look at you.

You thought back to all the times you’d caught either of them trying to sneak stomach growls past you or how oddly often they’d been claiming they’d needed a snack, or even that one time Red had tried (and failed) to play off getting caught wiping drool away. It all clicked into place and made so much more sense. But far more importantly, you didn’t like the resigned tone in his voice. 

You took a moment to process the new information in stifling silence, then asked “So... you thought I wouldn’t trust you?”

“what?” Red’s skull whipped around to fix you with a baffled look. “that’s not even close to what i said. i just meant it’d be pretty fuckin’ weird to you.”

“Yeah, well I went and made friends with two monsters after having shit luck with humans. I’d say I’m pretty open to new and weird.”

Red just blinked at you.

“If you want to, I’m unopposed. Go for it. You said it was triggered by a desire to help, and that it was safe. I trust you.”

Red’s brows were knit, sockets squinted a bit at you as he sat up. He stared you down like that, feeling like he was looking for the “gotcha” or any fear. You stared right back with nothing to hide, you weren’t afraid and didn’t want to take back what you’d said.

“yer sure?” he asked, sounding suspicious. 

“Yep.” You popped the P for emphasis.

“alright. i’ll let you out when you change your mind.” he shrugged, holding a hand out for you to board. 

You took that comment as a challenge and sat on his metacarpals confidently.

He brought you up toward his face while his free hand reached up from behind you, wrapping around your ribs under the arms. Using the new grip, he lifted you over his upturned face with your bare feet dangling in thin air over his opening mouth.

Ok, maybe your confidence had left a little. Your legs tucked up a bit in instinct, but you didn’t struggle when he guided your lower limbs into his mouth. You fought the urge to cringe away at the odd slick feeling of your feet sliding along his thick red tongue, or even more so at the feeling of his throat around your lower legs. 

You still trusted Red, that wasn’t the issue, so you decided to fight your instincts just as your friends had been fighting theirs and refused to show any fear. 

You pulled your arms in close to your chest when his grasping fingers left, and looked upwards as the world was sealed off by a wall of sharp teeth. Thankfully Red didn’t leave you waiting long, as a wet gulping sound drew your upper legs down with a surprisingly strong force. You clenched your teeth at that, barely keeping in the yelp of surprise. Another two gulps followed in quick succession, drawing your whole body into his waiting throat. The tissue around you pressed in, pushing you ever downward. 

For a brief moment during your decent, you felt a warm tingling sensation akin to the light buzz you felt the few times you’d come into contact with a magical construct (Red had lobbed a bone attack at you when you’d be particularly snarky a time or two, usually blue so you didn’t get hurt.) This tingle was much stronger, and you couldn’t describe it any better than saying it felt like Red. ...was that his soul? 

Your musing was cut off shortly after the buzz of magic left and you found yourself kicking a little in surprise when your legs had room to move. The rest of you spilled into the open space a moment later. 

You felt a bit dazed as you just sat there a moment. You were somewhat pulled back down to earth as you felt a pressure coming from outside. It was immediately obvious the pressure was his hand pressing in at you, and the hand started moving, rubbing you from outside in soothing circles, slowly moving up and down your back. Even if you were out of it, you had the wherewithal to realize that was incredibly cute. 

“alright, buyer’s remorse set in?” he asked.

“No...” you breathed, not quite done processing your current situation.

“you ok in there?” his tone was more concerned, the rubbing stopped but the pressure of his hand remained.

“Y-yeah!” You shook your head as if that would help clear the fog, clicking back into reality. “I’m ok. Wow, this is just... a lot.”

“sure you don’t want out?”

“Do you want me out?”

“...didn’t say that...” he mumbled.

You laughed, which earned you a half hearted growl.

“Hey, is it ok if I move around a little? I really want to, uh, check the place out now that I’m here if that’s cool.”

“oh, sure. i don’t care.”

He removed his hand, which left you free to experiment. Call it childish if you wanted, but you really wanted to feel out your new surroundings in an exceedingly literal sense.

-----

Holy shit this went so much better than he’d ever thought it’d go. The human was inside, no panic, and their soul had settled from the anxiety he’d been feeling during their decent. Guess they’d gone and proven him and Classic wrong. Again. Maybe he should expect that by now.

For now he laid back, feeling them slide back to the new lowest point as he got comfortable. He also very much heard their tiny squeak when they startled at the movement, which brought out a smile on him. He felt them quickly readjust, then felt a small point of pressure pushing outwards. A tiny moving bump raised in his shirt, showing where their small hands were pushing out. He didn’t protest, finding this all quite amusing.

On a whim, he used two fingers to push at that little raised bump. He heard them laugh, and then the bump showed up on a new spot, disappeared, and showed up again in yet another. This was a bizarre version of whack a mole, but he did play along until they ended the game with a breathy giggle. 

They were moving again, probably trying to stand given the two distinct points of pressure. They slowly wobbled a few steps before he distinctly felt the impact of them falling over. 

He laughed aloud at the “I’m good!” they called out.

Their movements inside were calm, but distinctly curious. It was all highly endearing on top of feeling good. The quieting of the protective instinct at last was also a welcome absence, leaving him feeling comfortable and secure. He didn’t really try all that hard to stifle his subsequent yawn. 

The responding, smaller yawn from inside was a bit of a surprise.

“tired?”

“We were getting ready for bed, dingus.”

“fair point. we turning this into a sleepover or you going back to your own bed?”

There was a pause, then “Fuck it, sleepover.”

“fine by me, pipsqueak. g’night.”

“Goodnight, bonehead.”

He felt their weight settle, then relax as they slipped into sleep. He decided to follow them, hands folded over his stomach to protect the precious cargo inside.

[strangerays]

Nothing in Particular Update #2

It’s the Nothing and Particular and Everything update part two: the electric booglaloo. This one is long, so strap in.

It’s been a while since I wrote an update for this story. To be honest, this one gave me a lot of stress, but here I am! Writing this story feels like it is going very slow. I keep telling myself I’ve made a lot of progress (which is true, I have) but for some reason it doesn’t feel like I have? This is likely just my own insecurity. To be frank, I can’t believe I’m still writing this story. If you had told me in February that I’d still be writing this when the weather got warm, I would have laughed.

I am SO excited that I will finally be able to focus on writing now that I’m out of school. I’m afraid to speak the rough deadline that I’ve given myself for this story (the end of August-early September) but now that I’ve spoken it into existence, I hope I can finish! (I hope I can stop watching dumb videogame playthroughs and listening to The Magnus Archives and get something done)

Here is a link to the story introduction and previous update!

TAGLIST (ask to be +/-); @wannabeauthorzofija @a-completely-normal-writer @baguettethebooklover​ @corkytheguar @writeherewaiting

STORY CHANGES/THOUGHTS/IDEAS: 

Here is a big one: I’ve been trying to write this story for myself. I started writing Ray’s story from a place that was personal to me, but I feel like, as that part of myself has begun to heal, I’ve started to think about what a reader would want out of the story. I’m realizing that this is my story so it has to be what I want. Drafts are drafts for a reason, so I’m going to try to get better at letting myself explore what is fun to me.

I always thought I was a discovery writer (I still sort of think I am) but as I’ve finished small sections of the story, I am finding that it’s very helpful to do a rough outline of scenes in upcoming chapters. (I also recommend turning to this if something doesn’t work and you need to retrace your steps!) Just helps me feel more organized!

Jude’s character has got to be one of the most difficult personalities I’ve ever written. Putting her beside Ray just makes it harder. Where Ray is secretive and keeps to herself, Jude is ready to unpack her entire life’s story to anyone. I find that I really have to slow down when writing their interactions. I know this is going to be nowhere near perfect in the first draft, but I think it is a main contributor to my slow writing.

I really like this little narrative I’ve created in the background of the main plot with Ray and Lonan. I love writing these scenes because it’s a way for me to use Lonan when he’s not actively with Ray and to show why Ray is predetermined about things at certain points. Also I love their friendship so much <3

CONGRATULATIONS TO ME on starting to read again because I forgot how much of a help reading other people’s stories can be when you’re struggling with your own oml

I now have a set timeline for the story! Takes place ~4-5 months.

I did that thing where you write a letter from the characters’ perspectives and that was kind of fun

Also just for fun I thought I’d add in that I spent an hour and a half last week filling up a page in my sketchbook with diagrams of the plot. It feels good to be a mad scientist

EXCERPTS UNDER THE CUT!

*At this point, I’m only sharing writing that I am really proud of in order not to spoil the story! This is because I am unsure whether I want to publish this story someday. With that said, that does NOT give you permission to steal my ideas!

CHAPTER: NIGHT CRIES

#1

In the last week of summer, I did everything I could to avoid post-vacation blues. I rode my bike along the gravel roads with no destination, wore my dark sunglasses to people-watch, and fed salami to the minnows that floated on the cusps of boulders. Usually, I sat still for so long that my elbows turned a deep shade of red and the blood in my toes buzzed.

New pockets seemed to open up in Point Blink every day. And with them, came new people. Most of them were older – a middle aged woman who caked her lipstick on, an uncle estranged from his brother, a couple who had miscarried. I hadn’t forgotten about the kids at Mothouse. It was impossible not to think about them. It wasn’t just that I’d never seen them before.

#2

The girl’s limp cigarette bled a trail of smoke that seeped into my Vans. My shirt folded like skin over my bed post. Haunted the room – foiled my mauve sheets and teased my locks. Swept the curtains apart and heated the oak floor. Beams of moonlight leapt to my bookcases; highlighted the posters from various podcasts and bands that I listened to. Wind whistled when I was too still. She forced me to look outside, onto the dark cul-de-sac lit by the reflections of forming rain puddles. No matter whether I sat at my desk or burrowed under my sheets, I felt out of place. She made my bedroom louder. She made my bedroom quieter.

I decided it would probably be best if I never saw her again.

To be honest, I don’t remember much about writing this chapter because it was over a month ago (sorry) but I’m still quite happy with the prose! This comes in after Ray sees Jude for the first time at Mothouse. Based on a first impression, decides that she might want be friends with Jude.

CHAPTER: SORRY

#1 

If you spend any long amount of time with someone, you’ll become a thief to their behaviors. If I stared long enough, trees began to replace all of the people we’d ever seen. Oaks had roots that serpentined the ground like children splashing in the bay, pines with needles like spindly old hands, maples with hollows like watchful eyes – all things Lonan had taught me to observe.

CHAPTER: GHOSTS

Then there was the sea – violent and knowing as it romped within bays and alcoves. She had eaten me many times before, both my father and Lonan too. Gulped them as if they were shining plastic wrappings left behind after a meal. I spited her for inviting me once again. I reached up again to grapple with the next rung. It twisted and offered a low whistle.

In these two chapters, Ray is on a photography trip with her class. This is the first time she’s been on this annual trip without Lonan. She left that morning with a goal of being independent and learning to get on with one of the only people she has felt close to. I realize now that the Ghost excerpt sort of sounds like her dad and Lonan have drowned?? Which was not my intention??

CHAPTER: A DIVINE INTERVENTION

#1

“Do you believe in ghosts?” A raspy voice teased from behind me. Cigarette smoke tickled the words, like they were stuck together with jelly inside of her. The question wasn’t particularly calming, but it strengthened my grip on reality. As if the foiled leaves, bark, and dandelions had sprung from the ground and begun to float, they came crashing back down.

I was made of stone.

“I’m not a ghost,” Jude said. “If I was, a ladder would be a pretty counteractive way to outrun me. I could just float up there and haunt you.”

“Maybe you’re a ghost,” she asked, her voice distant.

I shifted my grasp up and down the sides of the ladder. “What?”

“Don’t you believe in ghosts?”

I was reading back some of Ray and Jude’s conversation and there are so many snippets of dialogue that make me laugh because I totally forgot I wrote them... but UGhhH I don’t know if I want to share them because I don’t know whether or not I want to try and publish the story someday. Speaking of that, it’s sort of because it’s so personal to me? I don’t know (this is for future me to pursue) Honestly though, reading these back has made me really happy :)

#2

I wanted to shake her by the shoulders. She acted as though Point Blink could breathe – as though corpses in the cemetery might pull the grass away like dead skin, neighbors would draw blades, and blood-salt would stain her clothes rather than that from the sea. “Trust me, they’ll forgive you. But, I’m just saying, most people around here don’t care nearly as much as you think so. Most of them are way older anyways, so they’re tired of us.”

“Is that you complimenting yourself?” Jude asked.

“Not intentionally,” I said, “but I will take it.”

She laughed. “You shouldn’t be so nice to strangers.”

I wasn’t trying to be. I just didn’t think I wanted her to dislike me.

#3

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing or a good thing,” Jude said. “Being good gets you tucked into a thousand different memories. Being good makes you live a lifetime.”

I almost laughed, but then I wondered what I was to her now. “I don’t talk to lots of people.”

“Sometimes there aren’t many people to talk to. But I thought you would have loads of friends.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to that. “I thought you would too.”

Alarm like grief lit her eyes, but she laughed. I did too.

“You hardly know me,” she said quietly.

Then the girls explore some old newspapers and letters in a fire tower! Spooky fun!

CHAPTER: YOU LET THIS HAPPEN

This isn’t a major spoiler as it’s literally in the blurb I wrote, but Ray and Jude are caught (targeted..??)  in a fire. Ray is brought back to a field where she is questioned.

CHAPTER: NOTHING HAPPENS

He was quiet for several moments while he painted a picture with what little details I had given him, then said, “It’s unfair. I think that’s why it hurts.”

“Because we almost got hurt?”

“No. Because it came true.”

His gentle, ragged voice made me think I could tell him anything. Sometimes, I think that, even then, he knew I left something out.

Ray talks to Lonan after the fire... She’s being a bit dishonest about what actually happened.

CHAPTER: WHY NOT

I remember how the barest amount of red light glared across Lonan’s entire scalp and washed his boyish curls magenta from the roots out. When Jude leaned back on the counter, she melded into the darkness.

This chapter is just part of the narrative that I created with Ray and Lonan’s friendship. There isn’t much I want to spoil from it, but I liked this paragraph!

CHAPTER: INEVITABLE

“We didn’t do anything,” I said.        

“Someone did. Why won’t you believe me?”

 “I think I would remember whether or not someone was there with us,” I said, “even if we didn’t have the picture.”

This was untrue. I hung lots of photos in my room. A long time would pass before I went to a restaurant again, or a specific coven on one of the beaches, or an outfit that I wore, and I would look into one of my pictures and remember it, and then I would be quite angry with myself that I had almost forgotten that thing forever.

“I don’t think you understand what I mean,” Jude said. I didn’t like the way she’d lowered her voice. She sounded different every time I saw her. She reached out her arm so our photos were side by side and our fingers were almost touching. “I don’t think you want to.”

Ray finds herself alone in the school’s dark room with Jude. Based on the contents of one of her photos, she tries to convince Ray that there is more to the fire than what meets the eye.

CHAPTER: (this one is untitled)

I didn’t mind that he followed me everywhere. Even when he was quiet, I didn’t find it strange to be around him. We sat silently through films and went on walks. Once, he had fallen asleep while watching The Iron Giant in my bed. I didn’t know if I should wake him up once it ended. I tried not to stare at him. He’d rolled onto his side and bundled himself in one of my blankets covered in stars up to his shoulders so only his small face poked out like a baby owl’s. His soft breath messed his dirty gold coils. They were at their longest. Except for the ebbing light from a candle on my desk, my house was asleep – Lonan needed to go home.

For the first time, I wondered if anyone cared where he was.

Another small part of the little friendship narrative! (This really is the part of the story where I get nostalgic for my childhood, isn’t it) Ray starts to discover more about Lonan’s home life in this part of the story, but there’s not much that I think I want to reveal about that for now.

CHAPTER: THE CRUX OF IT

Why did I feel so paranoid? I found myself staring out the window, into the film of blue that the late sun shown onto the grass and trying to remember what summer felt like.

My main problem was that I didn’t know how to talk to Jude unless it was about Sugarfell. I ran from the hush of cigarette smoke behind closing doors and heard her loud voice in conversations. Even though there might have still been a part of me that wanted to be friends with her, I didn’t have much to base that feeling off of. I could have spent hours clicking the little pieces of her that I had together, but the crux of it was that I would never know Jude unless I forced myself to.

For some reason, that really scared me.

I spent all week trying to think of what to say to her. By Friday afternoon, I still had nothing.

I left off writing with Ray actively avoiding Jude’s little investigation into the arsonist. Ray doesn’t want to be involved in this because she feels that it will throw her sense of normalcy off course. She really just wants to learn how to adapt to a life without her best friend. (It doesn’t help that she’s got fresh trauma)

What will Ray decide? I don’t know. We shall see. (just kidding I know)

Sorry this update was longer! I think I would like to start updating more often than once a month just because they would be shorter and those of you reading this won’t forget what happened in the last update. There are thousands and thousands of words that didn’t show up in this update because - like I said - I don’t know whether I want to publish this story ever?? I’ll probably talk more about this in a separate update.

Thank you so much to those of you who read about my story! I hope you enjoy it!

:)

p.s. btw I now have a myWriteClub account! You can check it out here and stalk me as I tragically fail my writing goals!

[fangirl-sansa]

Youtuber MC - Part 1

Summary: Mc and the demon brothers find out they are in a game, they gain the access to watch a YouTuber's (who is MC) gameplay of the game. This basically allows the bros to hear MC’s true thoughts through their gameplay commentary

MC: This MC is based on my gameplay of the game and my thoughts. Although the MC is based on me I will be writing them with gender-neutral pronouns for all readers to enjoy :).  

Warnings: Eventually spoilers

The in-game text will be marked by italics.  

-

The inhabitants of Devildom had had their reality flipped upside down. The demon brothers had found out that they are in fact in a game. A game called “Obey Me.” Their shock was beyond anything they had ever experienced. Levi was the first to discover that not only are they in a game but “real-life MC” is actually a popular YouTuber who did a playthrough of “Obey Me.”  After coming to terms with their new reality the brothers decided it would be quite fun to watch MC’s playthrough of their little game. MC remembers a particular smirk Satan wore before stating

“Wouldn’t that translate to basically hearing MC’s thoughts?”

After that, all the other brothers were on board, and to MC’s discomfort Diavolo, Barbatos, and the other exchange students felt inclined to join too.

Everyone was gathered in the living room of The House of Lamentation. MC sat nervously on one of the couches. Belphie laid strewn on their lap already fast asleep. They were still confused by the whole situation and weren’t quite sure that this “MC” was actually them. And if they were would everyone really get to read their thoughts like Satan said? They recalled a few unkind and... inappropriate thoughts they had had in the past. Their thoughts were interrupted as Mammon began shouting at Belphie

“Oi Belphie whaddya think you’re doing laying on my human?”

Belphie was unmoved by Mammon’s shouts but had clearly been awakened from his slumber.

“Hey! Stop ignoring me,” continued Mammon

“Maaammmooonnn!”

And with one word Lucifer had quieted The Great Mammon. Soon enough everyone settled down and prepared to watch the series. Belphie was still laying on MC’s lap, with one hand snug around their waist the other running gently up and down MC’s legs. Levi sat at their feet tweeting out a live feed of the events unfolding. To their left was Mammon who was quick to secure his spot next to his favorite human. He was pushed up against MC by Beezlebub and Asmo who was basically sitting in Beel’s lap. On the other couch sat Lucifer, Diavolo, and Barbatos who were all sitting upright properly, except Diavolo who crossed his legs and threw an arm around an obviously uncomfortable Lucifer. Satan sat in a recliner catching up on some light reading while he waited. Solomon, Simeon, and Luke were on the floor sharing a blanket.

“Everyone ready,” asked Levi. Everyone murmured in agreement and Levi started the first episode.

“Hello, world! It’s MC here and today we will be playing a game called “Obey Me.” Many of you guys in the comments have been begging me to play this game and today I will make all your dreams come true.”

As the MC on-screen rattled off their introduction everyone noticed the uncanny similarities of their MC and the MC on screen. From voice inflection to general appearance it was obvious this was the same person.

After the MC on-screen rambled on more about promotions and sponsors they finally started the game.

“Okay, guys it seems we’ve been sent a letter? It says: ‘Congratulations, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Royal Academy of Diavolo’ the royal academy? what’s that? ‘please return this letter with your sign to confirm your participation. We are looking forward to accepting you as a part of our new exchange program. Yours, sincerely’ An exchange program? Oooh, fun.”

The onscreen MC clicked to the first lesson and the game and continued.

Where am I...?

“Yeah, good question, where am I?”

Welcome to the Devildom, MC. Oh...pardon me. Feeling a bit shocked, are we? Well, that’s understandable. You’ve only just arrived, after all.

“Who is this dude? Also devildom? is that like hell or something? Okay so my three responses are ‘is this a dream...?’ ‘The Devildom...?’ or just being silent so I'mma pick ‘The Devildom...?’’

Yes the Devildom, I see you catch on quickly. I should introduce myself, I’m Diavolo. I am the ruler of all demons, all here know of me. And someday soon, I will be crowned king of the Devildom.

“Okay, okay we got Mr. Princey here. So he mentioned ruling all demons, so this is hell or like close to it?”

As Diavolo continued to explain Devildom and RAD the onscreen MC remained silent until a certain dark-haired demon appeared.

MC, this is Lucifer. He is a demon and the avatar of Pride.

“Oh my god do we get to fuck Lucifer?”

At this Diavolo burst out a hearty laugh while MC offscreen blushed profusely. Lucifer sat there unaffected, except a smug smile had appeared on his face. Luke’s jaw fell straight to the floor in shock as Simeon and Solomon just smiled. Mammon grew incredibly flustered while the rest silently smirked and giggled to themselves.

Onscreen MC continued through the first lesson and tutorial and everyone was quiet again.

“Okay, guys I think that will be all I play for today. I must say so far this game seems pretty interesting. So we’re in an exchange program in hell and so far we know Diavolo, prince of hell, Lucifer, Diavolo’s right-hand man, and bestie? And our “guardian” Mammon, who we haven’t actually met yet. I’m excited guys, thank you for suggesting this. Don’t forget to subscribe, drop a like and comment, and I will see you guys next time. Peace out!”

As onscreen MC wrapped up their video everyone turned to MC who was completely embarrassed. Lucifer, in particular, was staring holes into them sporting his signature condescending smirk.

“I didn’t realize I made such a good first impression with you, MC,” smiled Lucifer

“Let’s just start the next episode please,” exclaimed MC and she took the remote from Levi.

-

To be continued. This is my first attempt at fanfiction, would you guys like to see more of this?

Also made a new account to post only fanfics right here!

[fedeipox]

The Way of Time (Rdr2 fanfic) - Chapter 4 (1/3)

There are a tons of hidden or very rare missions I’ve never found during the THREE playthrough I made. This was one. I found it absolutely by accident the third time and now thanks to YouTube I know there is also a continue to it that I’ve never done -.-

Previously on TWoT: Emily begins to understand how things work in camp, she gets familiar with hierarchy, roles, personalities, and most important, she starts building friendships. Now it’s time to discover how life outside camp is.

Chapter 4 (1/3) - City girl, country life

Words: 2,3k

“Are you sure about this?” asked Emily as Mary-Beth and Tilly helped her with the boots.

“Yeah, don’t worry. See? They fit you perfectly” answered Mary-Beth pulling the laces.

She had lend her her black boots, while Tilly had given her her light blue shirt. They had found out they had the same size. 

Emily felt like an idiot, she felt ridiculous, she couldn’t wait to wear something new, something more normal, but she was aware that wasn’t going to be possible. How could it be that in 1899 women still dressed in that way? She thought that puffed sleeves and lacework were already outdated, but apparently not. Besides, the idea of that shirt on her skin was making her shiver, and even though both Tilly and Mary-Beth had assured her it was clean and unused, it took a little to convince her to wear it.

“What is this?” asked Mary-Beth when Emily removed her hoodie and t-shirt so that she was wearing only her bra.

“Don’t you have it?” she asked in turn.

They both shook their heads.

“And how do you hold your breasts up?”

“Why you need to hold them up? Are you afraid they’d fall?” asked Karen’s sarcastic voice.

She shouldn’t have been there, Emily didn’t want her there, and the feeling was mutual, but they needed someone who checked no-one would come close as she was changing her clothes, and no-one was better than Karen for that kind of job.

“So you wear nothing?” asked Emily.

“Not usually. Society women wear corsets. Miss O’Shea’s got one” answered Mary-Beth.

“Who’s Miss O’Shea?”

“The redhead with the princess attitude” replied Tilly.

“Oh, you mean Molly. Yeah, I’ve met her.”

“So you already call her by her name. You’ll be great friends, no doubt” said Karen.

Emily huffed and rolled her eyes.

“So, this… bra, you all wear it in the future?” asked Mary-Beth.

Karen scoffed.

“Yes. Every woman has one, or more than one.”

“When were they invented? Or, when will they be invented?”

“I have no idea. I thought in the middle 1800’s, but it seems not.”

“No, still too early apparently.” Emily liked talking with Mary-Beth. Among the girls she was the most open-minded and seemed not to question her provenience from the future. Talk with her was easy. Karen didn’t believe her one bit, but Emily didn’t expect less, while Tilly was still skeptic, but maybe not impossible to convince.

“I wish I could come with you” said Mary-Beth with disappointment.

“Why don’t you? You can advise me on clothes” replied Emily with a new flush of excitement. 

“I can’t. Miss Grimshaw will get angry.”

“But… I don’t understand. Is she some kind of camp tyrant? You all keep telling me how horrible she is.”

“Because she is” said Karen.

“No, she’s not. Not the way you make her sound” Tilly addressed her.

“And you have your freedom. She can’t force you to stay here” added Emily as she wore Tilly’s shirt.

“Oh, yes she can” murmured Mary-Beth.

Emily frowned at those words. 

“Well then… I’ll ask her. Kindly” she said.

“Kindness don’t work with Grimshaw” chuckled Karen.

“We’ll sneak out, then.”

“You can try, but when she’ll find out and hit you, remember my words” Karen advised her.

“Hit me?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time” added Tilly.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. From the way they were describing her, this woman seemed a monster. 

“Hey hey, where you think you’re going?” Emily heard Karen saying with a menacing voice.

“We need to go. Is she ready?” asked Lenny.

“Yes, I’m coming” Emily said.

Then, she turned to look at Mary-Beth’s disappointed face again. She wanted to go with her and Emily wanted it too, even if that meant risking Miss Grimshaw’s wrath.

“Come with me. I’ll take all the responsibility” Emily assured her and took her by her hand as she walked around the wagon and reached Lenny.

“She’s coming too” she said to the boy.

“Alright, let’s go.” They walked to the other side of camp from where their tent was and from the distance Emily spotted Mr. Arthur tiding a couple of horses to a wagon very similar to the one she was on the day before, maybe exactly the same. 

“Come quick, before she sees us” Emily whispered to Mary-Beth. 

“Morning, ladies. You joining us?” Mr. Morgan asked to Mary-Beth.

“Yes, I want her to come. She’ll be my advisor” replied Emily.

“Does Miss Grimshaw know?”

The two girls exchanged a look.

“Okay, hop on. Quick” whispered Mr. Arthur, walking fast towards the front of the wagon.

Emily smiled at Mary-Beth: they had his complicity. The two of them climbed on the back and sat one facing the other, right next to the big deer Charles Smith had hunted that morning. That would have made them earn a couple of dollars and with that little they had been able to pick up around camp, it should have been enough to buy supplies and provide food for more than twenty people.

Arthur and Lenny took the leading places and they started to move, passing through the trees that covered the clearing with the camp and reaching the path, all without talking. Fearing a travel full of an embarrassing silence, Emily knew she had to find a topic of conversation and thinking about Mary-Beth and what she had understood about her in that couple of days, she thought that books would be a good start. 

“So, I’ve seen you read a lot. What kind of books do you like?” she asked.

“Well, mostly novels about female heroines and their adventures” Mary-Beth replied with some uneasiness, just like she was ashamed of that.

“Oh, so you’re the type who loves romantic stories. In my time you’d probably love Twilight.”

“What is it?”

“A love story between a girl and a vampire.”

Mary-Beth’s eyes widened.

“Vampires? You mean those monsters who suck people’s blood?”

“Actually, in the book the vampires are handsome.”

“Oh for God’s sake” Emily heard Mr. Morgan complain, but she pretended she didn’t.

“Yes. You would definitely adore it. But maybe it’s better if we talk about something you’d now. What about erm… Jane Austen, have you read something of hers?”

Mary-Beth shook her head.

“Oh you must, she’s great. What about… the Bronte sisters?”

Again, Mary-Beth had no idea.

“Well, I guess my first present to you will be a book.”

“Why would you buy me a present?”

Emily frowned. She thought Mary-Beth had already understood what kind of relationship she wanted to built with her, but apparently she had not.

“Because… we’re friends. I mean, I want to be friend with you.”

“But you don’t know me.”

“That’s why I want to be friend with you, to know you.”

Mr. Morgan chuckled again and looking at him for a second Emily saw him shaking his head. Again, she tried not to mind him.

“So, what do you like to do, besides reading?”

Mary-Beth seemed suddenly uncomfortable, just like she had asked her an impossible question.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Come on, there must be something. I like music, for example. What do you like?”

“I-I… I write, from time to time.”

“Hey that’s great! Do you write love adventures?”

“M-more or less.”

“And do you think you’ll publish them someday?”

“N-no, I don’t think so.” “Why?”

“Well, Karen always says my dream of becoming a writer is stupid and I…”

“Why would she say something like that?”

“I think you’ll soon find out Karen is a little too… practical sometimes” said Lenny from the front.

“But, isn’t she your friend?” Emily asked to Mary-Beth.

“Of course, that’s why she says these things, to save me from some delusion. At least, that’s what she tells me”

“I understand being down to earth is important, but you don’t have to give up on your dream, Mary-Beth. Dreams are important, they give us hope.”

“Oh please!” exclaimed Mr. Arthur from the front.

Emily looked again at his back, annoyed by his constant complaining. If he didn’t like the things she was saying, he could have said it to her face, not make grimaces behind her back like children do. 

“Why it gives me the impression you don’t like what I’m saying, Mr. Morgan?” she asked.

“Because I don’t. It’s all bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit, it’s my opinion.”

“Well then, your opinion is bullshit. And you Mary-Beth, don’t let her put them stupid ideas in your mind.”

“I’m not putting any idea in her mind, and she’s not a child, she’s a woman, she perfectly knows how to think by herself and decide what is bullshit and what’s not.”

“I’m just saying writing is no job. It’s just a way to spend time.”

“Like you do, right Arthur? Don’t you have a little journal of your own?” asked Mary-Beth.

When Emily looked at her, she saw she had a little crooked smile on her face and they exchanged a complicity look. Sweet Mary-Beth had an evil side after all, and Emily liked it.

“Ah is that so? You scribble on a journal like a thirteen year old girl, Mr. Morgan?” Emily asked with a mellifluous tone.

“I just keep note of the important events, that’s all” he replied, but his voice betrayed some embarrassment, he’d got defensive.

“And the drawings are part of the important events, too?” asked Mary-Beth creeping in like a treacherous snake. 

“So, you truly are a thirteen year old girl with her little secret diary. Any more embarrassing things I should know about you?” joked Emily.

“At least I’m not the one who tells stories about blood sucking people!”

“You should listen to yourselves! I thought to be the youngest here, but it seems we have two children Mary-Beth!” laughed Lenny. 

“Hey, I’m not the one who started it!”

“Shut up, Arthur.”

...

Silence fell as Arthur felt ashamed for being called child by someone way younger than him. He whipped the horses and made them cross the train trails: they were close to town. Soon they would have found civilization! What a thrill…

“What about you Lenny? What do you like to do?” asked the new girl.

Arthur grunted, but soon tried to hide it with a cough. He didn’t want to sound as childish as they blamed him to be.

“I truly don’t know” replied Lenny.

“You don’t know how you spend time in camp?” asked the girl.

“Most of the time I spend trying to teach Sean how to read” he giggled.

Him and Arthur looked at each other and then they looked away as a veil of sadness fell on them all.

“Isn’t Sean one of those captured after Blackwater?” asked Emily.

Mary-Beth nodded and for some time they all stayed quiet.

Even though Lenny didn’t show it a lot, Sean’ absence was painful for him, he liked him and he missed him and the fact that they didn’t know where he was or if he was alive, made everything worse. He tried to focus the attention on something else.

“What are we going to do in Valentine?” he asked to Arthur.

“Just what we are supposed to. Go to the general store, buy supplies and come back right away.”

“We can’t go back so soon. I need to do something” said the new girl.

“What is it?” asked Arthur, but he already new the answer, she had told him the day before.

“I need to find some kind of job, something that could help us gain some money. And then I have to buy some clothes, so that I don’t have to borrow other people things. And then… I have to take a bath, I really do.”

“We’re going to stay all day” joked Lenny. 

“No, we are not. We’ll split up, so we’ll take care of more things at a time” said Arthur, who had no intention to spend all day in town.

“I’ll go with Emily for the clothes and the bath” said Mary-Beth smiling at her.

Even if at the beginning she wanted to go with them to Valentine only to keep an eye on her, just like Miss Grimshaw had told her to do, she couldn’t deny Emily was funny and smart and sweet, everything that could make her a really good friend, and Mary-Beth knew how much she wanted a good friend.

Valentine was nothing but mud, sheep, and probably morons, just like Hosea had told them. As he led the wagon across the slimy street, Arthur looked around, studying the people faces, the buildings, the kind of movements that town had, and for a moment he doubted they were going to actually find something in that place, some opportunities. He stopped the wagon right in front of the general store so that it would be easier for them to load the supplies on the back.

“Alright folks, let’s get to work” he said jumping down.

“Ooh shit!” he heard the new girl’s voice saying and walking around the wagon he found her standing there with her feet among the mud and a disgusted face.

“What?” he asked.

She raised her eyes to look at him with the same angry expression he had seen on her the night before, with those thick blonde eyebrows curled on her big sparkling eyes.

“I’m covered in mud!” she squeaked.

She really wasn’t, there were a couple of mud drops on her legs, but nothing more, she had no idea of what the sentence “covered in mud” meant, and this annoyed Arthur, making him think how silly that girl was. 

“Come, as you said you have to buy some new, right?” he said taking her arm and pushing her towards the general store entrance. 

[smolbeandrabbles]

Video Games - Nolan Sorrento x Reader (Ready Player One)

GIF CREDIT: X

Author’s Note: Well this was one scene long until I listened to this song. So, you’re welcome!

I always come back to this end scene for Nolan, and in all honesty it’s one of my favourite things to think about, so thank you @primadonna-girl23​ for finally giving me a reason to write it! I hope you enjoy!  Thank you for your request! 💙💜

Video Games - Lana Del Rey

Disclaimer: RPO characters not mine / gifs not mine / lyrics not mine.  I tend to like writing Nolan like this, and I will live and die by it!

Premise: There’s nothing you love more than playing video games with Nolan. But hes good, and he doesn’t lose. All you vow is one day someones gonna beat him, even if you have to wait for another generation to do it for you...

Words: 2771

Warnings: Small swears / insulin warning

_______

Swinging in the backyard Pull up in your fast car whistling my name Open up a beer And you say get over here and play a video game I'm in his favorite sun dress Watching me get undressed take that body downtown I say you the bestest Lean in for a big kiss put his favorite perfume on Go play your video game

Singing in the old bars Living for the fame Kissing in the blue dark, playing pool and wild darts Video games He holds me in his big arms, drunk and I am seeing stars This is all I think of This is my idea of fun Playing video games

It's you, it's you, it's all for you Everything I do I tell you all the time Heaven is a place on earth where you Tell me all the things you want to do I heard that you like the bad girls honey, is that true? It's better than I ever even knew They say that the world was built for two Only worth living if somebody is loving you Baby now you do 

 ---

 This may well have been one of your favourite past times.  Sure, you were dating Nolan Sorrento, who at any point in time – as the CEO of IOI and with the millions he made – could whisk you down town in one of the many sports cars he owned to a bar, or a club, or restaurant, where all the stars hung out, or on some expensive getaway to anywhere in the world; heck, Nolan and his money could get you anything, and often did… But there was really nothing better than sitting in his living room trying to kick his ass at retro video games. You failed more times than you won, and sometimes you thought he let you win just because of the pout on your face, but you didn’t see how you could enjoy anything as much as this. With the sometimes God awful graphics, and the very most the consoles could really do was occasionally vibrate the controller (which made you shriek and him cackle the first time it happened) these games were a far cry from the OASIS – and yet you preferred them. These old restored gaming systems and the various disks and cartridges that came with them, along with movies from years gone by, were Nolan’s pride and joy. The 90s into early 2000s were his vary favourites; staples from his childhood. But he had right through until the latest editions – just before this type of gaming became nearly obsolete. You could play them in the OASIS, of course, but Nolan didn’t see the point when you could get the real experience by putting your mind to fixing things. Essentially his only past time before he’d become CEO – and now he didn’t have a lot of time for things like that, but he could escape to play them. Sometimes you just liked to watch him on single player go through something a little more strategic – but he’d let you pick out what his character looked like, or maybe who they would side with, or the conversational track that he’d go with. And you liked the times Nolan would go quiet for just a moment and then almost shudder, and say something like, “Oh my god the soundtrack!” which made you focus on it for the remainder of his playthrough.

But on occasion Nolan would put in a multiplayer game and throw you a controller; and you’d either get to help him, or try to beat him. And it was fun to lie back on the sofa between his legs, head on his chest – tongue stuck out in concentration and yell expletives every time he beat you. “You can do better than that!” He laughed again and you smacked his leg, “You’re infuriating!” He gave you nothing more than a teasing grin; “Oh, I’m trying very hard I assure you!” “OH! SHUT UP!” But you were good humoured about it, and Nolan still laughed when you resorted to cheating, attempting to block his view or distract him from time to time. Which he used to say would serve you right if you still lost; sometimes he’d pin you between or under his legs so you couldn’t move, and you thought he was doing a little too much Kegel. Sometimes Nolan would even beat you with one arm around your waist, holding you close to him as you balanced on his knees so he was playing one handed, just to prove he could – or he’d give you a ten second head start. You had to admit that he was good, but he was also an expert – Nolan knew these consoles inside out, and he’d grown up doing this. So, no surprises there either. Today this wasn’t the plan, you were supposed to be going out on a date – judging by the fact you were wearing a sundress, and he was in a nice shirt and pants. But on the drive out of town Nolan had started telling you about games he’d been reprogramming, and fixing up and some new ones he’d managed to get hold of. That information didn’t come with a price tag, but you could imagine the expense – and before long you found that more interesting and you were on your way back home. But this was a little more casual, and after getting bored of losing to him for the umpteenth time, Nolan let you play it for yourself. “Y-You sure!?” “Mhm…” He popped the cap on his beer, “I’ll help you out!” You smiled sweetly; “Don’t you want to play it first?” “No…” He gave a shrug taking a sip, “I played it enough as a kid – you don’t even know what this game is, time I taught you. It’s one of my very favourites…” And so he did help you navigate around – or point out little hidden pieces of game play or items you would have surely missed, occasionally he’d take your hands and the controller in his to assist with some of the harder stuff where you insisted you didn’t have enough fingers to work it all out at once – but Nolan watched that smile on your face grow every time he did so, and felt that maybe you were asking for his help on purpose. Eventually you sighed gently; “I love doing this with you…” “What? Hanging out on my couch playing retro games and skipping dates?” Nolan chuckled, taking another swig of beer – he was surprised there was any left considering your practice of taking it from him when you thought he wouldn’t notice. “Don’t say it like that…” you tipped your head back to catch the amusement on his face; “This is nice and relaxed… And we’re together, how is it not a date?” He tilted his head both ways; “I dunno, I guess I kinda like taking you out…” Nolan paused thoughtfully, “I’m not saying you’re wrong though, this is… I could get used to it.” “Get used to it?” You paused the game and rolled over to face him, “Careful what you wish for Nolan Sorrento!” But he still laughed; “That doesn’t sound like it bodes well for me. Ah, I think I could put up with you for a while.” “Thanks!” But you were laughing along, until you bit your lips together, “I…Think I could probably get used to this too.” He stared at you for a little while, almost in adoration, before he leant forward, touching his nose to yours before kissing you. You closed your eyes to him, content, before wrapping your arms around him and deepening the kiss. Sorrento eventually broke it, arms still around you – before chuckling nervously, a faint shade of pink dusting his cheeks; “Aha… Okay, before we get a little too used to this… I say we don’t waste that beautiful dress, and you let me take you out for dinner?” You giggled, stealing another kiss – “Okay! Dinner it is!”

 ***

That feeling never changed, not through dating moving from months to years, or moving in with him, or getting engaged… then married… and not even the stage you were at now. You were getting better; you could actually beat him at these games now – and Nolan was only ever impressed. He enjoyed it when you won as much as you did, because of how happy you were that you’d actually beat him – and the excitement on your face; the way you’d start screaming sentences when you were nearly there. Or how he’d manage to reign it back (even if you still won), and you’d scream “NO!” so loud he thought eventually someone might knock on the front door to see if you were okay. Luckily it’d never happened. Right now you were supposed to be helping him on a campaign, but you were much more interested in watching what he was doing and snacking. “Are you actually gonna help, or…? Cuz I can go back to single player if you’d rather.” “No.” You said through a mouthful of Chex, “I’ll help, just give me a second.” He chuckled, and you held up the bag to offer him one, which he thanked you for. Truth was at 7 months pregnant you’d rather sit here quietly, head in his lap and watch him. Whilst you were sitting eating and watching Nolan do all he could in the mission solo, you’d balanced the controller on your stomach and every so often, as your baby moved, the controller wiggled around on its precarious balance. But that only made you laugh. This position was at least comfortable for you; and usually you sat like this to watch movies too – where Nolan would cuddle you close and rest his hands over yours on your stomach; where his face became a lot more interesting than whatever you were watching. Nothing really compared to the way he lit up when your baby made a noticeable movement, and would pretend he wasn’t welling up – but you knew Nolan was, he couldn’t hide that from you – though he tried. However Sorrento accidently ran himself into the levels boss fight before you were ready; and to let you know something important was about to happen, the controller vibrated. “AH-!” You gasped which caused Nolan to jump, “Shit! Sorry!” But you laughed harder; “Not only was the vibration kinda startling…Ooh-! Okay! I don’t like you right now!” You took his hand and placed it over your stomach as you were given a third little kick; “Ooops!” He laughed, “And I’ve got you into a boss fight!” “Oops-!?” You folded your arms, “I should just let you die!! If this continues all night-!” Nolan cringed, “I’d really rather I didn’t die – besides if you get attacked that controller is only gonna vibrate more, you realise that-!?” Well, that made you pick it up pretty quick. “You are okay though, right?” “Yeah. I guess.” You grumbled, “If I can’t beat you, the baby will!” Nolan chuckled before scoffing; “Yeah, that I’d like to see-!” *** “THAT’S NOT FAIR!!” “Come on its two against one how is that not fair?” “THE COMPUTER IS HELPING YOU!” “Yeah and it’s pretty useless! You two should have this-!” “BUT IT ISN’T FAIIIIIIIIIIIR---!!” “What, you think I’m gonna let you win-!?” “REMATCH! PLAY FAIR THIS TIME!” “You’re on!” You were sorting a few things out in the upstairs bedrooms when you were met with yelling from the living room. You laughed to yourself; this was the kind of argument that had transferred from you and your husband, to your husband and your children. And Nolan was still the one winning. You walked out onto the landing; balcony overlooking the living room to watch them. Your two eldest boys were sitting on the floor, having clearly just lost another match, arms folded and sulking as they threw glares at your husband, sitting cross legged on the couch with your little girl – your youngest – curled up in his lap silently watching the whole thing. You couldn’t help but smile at the scene; just another weekend in the Sorrento household… “What are you guys doing!?” They all looked up at you “Dad’s cheating!” “What-!? I’m hardly even trying-!” That made both the boys gasp and look back to him; Nolan laughed like he’d just said something he shouldn’t have and grinned at you. You rolled your eyes, smiling, and made for the stairs, “Alright hold on I’m coming…” By the time you were downstairs they were seemingly settled again into another round, although even as you padded over you could see Nolan was probably going to get himself another win. There was a smile on his face that had only appeared since you’d had children, and his laugh this time was absentminded as they both ganged up on his character. For that he turned immediately to your daughter, and indicated to her which buttons to press to help him with the powered-up finishing move. Which had the boys yelling about cheating again and Nolan and her laughing at them. And for a minute you stood back, heart full watching them all. But especially Nolan – things had been hard at IOI for him lately, and it wasn’t exactly going as planned. But when he sat here with his children, it was like everything else was forgotten; he was laughing and happy, and you didn’t think you’d ever seen him this happy – not for a while – and he was relaxed. Today he was dad, not Sir, no matter how exasperatedly anyone was saying it. Your eldest spotted you in the corner and called you over; “Moooom! Can you beat him for us!?” They had heard of the famed times when you’d managed it, but it’d been a while. Nolan’s head swivelled and his eyes narrowed at you; “Oh! If you DARE--!!” You held your hands up; “Hey, I’m not taking sides-!” Nolan clapped as your boys groaned; “Ha! That’s my girl!” “Okay, Dad, one more round.” “Oh god, no, don’t you get sick of me beating you? I’m getting too old for this-!” Nolan chuckled, then he exited back to the games’ main menu to set up a multiplayer quest, handing the controller over to your daughter as you settled onto the sofa next to him. His voice lowered as he lifted her from his lap onto the floor; “Go on sweetheart – show ‘em how it’s done.” The controller was a little big in her hands but she beamed, “Play nice boys!” But he knew they would, as they lay on their fronts waiting for the game to load up again for them. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek gently; “I love you daddy!” “I love you too…” She ran off to join her brothers and he watched her go – that smile somehow bigger. You tsked “Such a daddy’s girl.” Nolan scoffed, but then agreed; “Yeah. Probably.” He held his arms out for you, watching the boys help their little sister with the controls for a moment with pride. You snuggled into him, head on his chest and he kissed your forehead – “I mean, of course I love you.” You giggled as he continued pressing kisses into your skin; “Oh that was never in doubt Nolan Sorrento!” You sat in silence for a moment – Nolan was watching the game play, and every so often would suggest strategy, as he’d used to do with you. You instead watched your kids help each other out on the floor, everyone content with life for now. Exactly how it should be, before you voiced your question, looking back to your husbands blue eyes; “Why don’t you let them win?” His smile was mysterious for a moment as he looked back to you; “Because one day they’ll beat me, and I’ll never win again!” then he grinned, “Besides, I like that they’re kinda in awe of me at the moment, and as long as I can keep that up and help them in the harder levels, I’d love to.” He placed his hand to his forehead to a moment; “…God, I’m dreading the day that don’t need me…” You shook your head, before placing a gentle kiss to his cheek; “Don’t say such silly things, they’ll always need you – you’re their father.” That smile was back, and Nolan pulled you closer to him for another kiss, before you heard the kids all cheering at beating another level and had to both laugh. Yes, for now all was right, and long may that continue.

---

Thank you for requesting! Thank you for reading!  😘💜

@3134045126​​ @happyskywhale​ @wltz-bby​ #MendoTagSquad

[momorabu]

Code Realize ~Wintertide Miracles~ Playthrough - Alternate Story - First Christmas Fran -

Warning: Spoilers. Image heavy post.

Please read Fran’s route on the original Code Realize’s playthrough before procceeding.

Sorry that this was yet another blog post that took a long time to be completed ><” Was planning on finishing this sooner but work and health problems recently made me tired and reluctant to write for a long time D: But my love for Fran had finally made me pull through, so enjoy!

In this alternate timeline, the story started off summarizing abit on the terrorist plan that was created by Isaac, Cardia’s father, and after the group had managed to stop the plan, Fran decided to leave the government and become a doctor. Cardia had managed to save her brother, Finis, and now both of them stayed at Wales, in this beautiful mansion.

The story changed over to Fran’s point of view, where he had opened a clinic for a few months already, and with his reputation growing, he gradually gets more and more patients every day. The patient he’s seeing today was a mafia boss, Darius, who may look tough on the outside but was suffering a backache. (His expression here is quite funny XD)

Shirley, his daughter asked him to take it easy, alongside with her bodyguard, Passy. (Though it’s definitely not a good thing to diss that your boss is getting on age, Passy =w=“)

Darius was the head of the Gordon family, and with the family selling affordable medicine to Van, he was able to keep his rates low for his customers and that was a big help to the residents since most of them were usually too poor to visit a doctor. Darius wondered why Van had decided to open a clinic in such a neighbourhood rather than heading back to Royal Society, but even though he could help the country by creating new medicine and saving those that suffer from incurable diseases, Van felt that it will be important for him to understand the things that he creates will bring upon the people in the end.

Shirley asked Fran on Cardia’s situation, to which Fran replied that Cardia was doing well, and Finis and her would come over for checkups from time to time. 

(It’s great that Cardia had actually made a female friend here on this alternate storyline ^^ Shirley looks pretty cute~)

(These characters are pretty interesting, I think more information regarding them are found on Finis’s Route in Code Realize ~Future Blessings~? Shall play that next time to figure it out~)

When the Gordon Family had left, Fran wondered what the rest of the gang was doing now. Lupin and Impey had left for France to look for someone, Van and Dora-chan had went off to search for other surviving vampires, and Saint would appear unexpectedly at times, with Fran only knew that he was affiliated with a secret society and was quite busy. Cardia and Finis had reunited and were now living peacefully in Wales. Thinking about them made Fran felt lonely as Cardia filled his mind again. (Awww~)

Even after the clinic had closed, Fran still needed to check his supplies, prepare his medicine for tomorrow’s examinations and working on his research for new medicine. When all his tasks were finally done, he sat down and looked through his mail and found a letter addressed to him from his mother. 

Fran initially lived in Switzerland but had left several years ago in order to follow his path on alchemy. But when he ended up being on the wanted list and was on the run, he wasn’t able to write to his parents and guessed that his circumstances back then. His mother had told Fran to think about settling down now that he’s a grown man, and Fran was thinking about writing his usual response when he wondered if it’s okay if he wrote about Cardia in his letter, and started writing. When he was done, he flustered as he realised that he was pretty much bragging about Cardia in his letter, but ultimately still decided to send it out since what he had written was true and Cardia was indeed important to him. 

(I do like Fran’s indoor outfit here, he looks even cuter when he blushed >/////<)

Later on, Fran found himself dreaming, a dream where he and Cardia had their last walk in London before Cardia heads back to Wales. He wondered whether Cardia and he would have a different future if he had said something different back then... But ultimately, he still encouraged her to be happy with Finis now that they are normal siblings, and that they should live together to make up for their lost time. 

(Cardia looked so adorable here and Fran was so dependable as always~ ^^)

Fran had noticed that Cardia had shown a lonely face, he assured her that she can always come back for checkups frequently so it’s not like they can’t see each other again. Cardia continued to look at Fran intensely as if she had wanted to say something, however, in the end, she decided not to say anything, and left for Wales. Actually, at that time, Fran had another desire in his heart, but he had pushed it away since he knew that it’s best for Cardia to be with her family. He pondered what if he did something different back then, and had the courage to ask her to stay, will things be different between then now...?

When Fran awoke, he found himself in Watson’s house. Apparently, Fran had decided to stay at Watson’s house the night before. Fran and Watson had met when Fran was helping the victims injured by the Nautilus bombings, and from then the two had became great colleagues and friends. Watson was worried about Fran’s health, telling him that it would be bad if the doctor himself had fainted with exhaustion while consulting a patient.

Even though Fran had felt fulfilled being a doctor and treating patients, he still experiences loneliness, to the point that he kept dreaming the above heartbreaking dream every night. (Wow... that sounds like Fran really misses Cardia very much ><”) Watson mentioned that he had heard Fran’s sleeptalk and he was repeating a single name multiple times, which led to Fran blurting out about Cardia. In the end, Fran had no choice but to let Watson know about his feelings about Cardia. He had regretted about missing the opportunity to speak openly before they parted ways, and wondered if a new path may appear before him if he had chose to say his thoughts back then. Watson suggested Fran go and meet Cardia instead rather than waiting for her to come back to London, which somehow seems to convince Fran.

When Fran was heading home later on, he met Leonhardt, who praised him that he’s like a real doctor now, and tried to convince him to come back to the Royal Alchemy. But Fran refused Leonhardt once again, saying that his mind was set on that he wanted to help people’s lives directly by treating them in the clinic, rather than staying in the lab. Leonhardt was satisfied with Fran’s answer and told him that he would be rooting for him ^^ He also told Fran that the government had managed to locate the Zicterium from the document they had retrieved from Twilight, and Queen Victoria had decided to seal it to prevent it being used as a weapon again. In the end, Fran asked for a small sample for Cardia, and requested for the rest of them to be destroyed.

(This is the first time I see Fran in such an outfit~ He really looks quite different in terms of aura when compared to his original outfit~ >////<)

On the way home, Fran came across the Tower Bridge, he remembered the day he had gone on his last walk with Cardia, and wondered what Cardia had tried to tell him on that day. He also wondered what happens if he had said the below to Cardia, but thought that he might have troubled her instead...

When Fran finally reached, he found a letter from his mother again, surprised to see a reply so soon. Turned out that Fran’s parents were glad to hear about Cardia, and had mistaken that Fran was dating her. They wanted to meet Cardia, and decided to come over to London during Christmas, asking Fran to plan accordingly. (Yikes! Here comes trouble~!)

The story then continued on in Cardia’s point of view. Fran had written to her and she was surprised that he was coming to visit them rather than them going over to London this time. Cardia’s impression of Fran was that he was the one who had helped her more than the others, since he was the only one who could examine her and Finis. Cardia remembered that Fran had reassured her countless times that she’s a normal girl, giving her strength with his words. She realised that Fran was an important person to her that even now, just thinking about him makes her heart throb. She thought about her last walk in London with Fran, and was actually expecting Fran to tell her to stay with him at that time. (Awww~ >////<) She had suspected the words were there, just waiting to come out on that day, and had thought that Fran had thought of her in a very special way too. But she also wondered what would happen, if she was the one who had told Fran that she didn’t want to leave on that day... would things be different now?

Now that Fran was arriving soon, Cardia made sure that she was dressed up and even wanted to put on the lipstick she had bought with Shirley last time. But Finis spotted her actions and started dissing her that she was smiling creepily at the mirror ^^; He had baked some cookies, ready to serve them together with some tea to Fran when he arrived. Cardia smiled, noticing that Finis’s attitude towards Fran was much better than the other guys since he was ready to chase the others like Saint or Impey when they come visiting. 

(Finis’s words of approval of Fran~ He’s indeed the most acceptable, or say, least craziest among the group XD)

(Finis looked quite cute now with his two buns on the head XDD)

Fran soon arrived and started looking around Cardia’s room, remarking that it’s cute and that it’s charmingly feminine, and his compliments made Cardia embarrassed. Fran noticed that Cardia was blushing, and wanted to take a look at her if she’s not feeling well. Cardia explained that she was just feeling restless and nervous since this was the first time she was showing Fran her room here and her reaction ended up making Fran felt abit restless too and started blushing.

(These two are both blushing which makes the situation awkwardly adorable~ >////<)

Realising the situation was too awkward at the moment, Cardia decided to leave the room, offering to call Finis. But Fran grabbed her arm to stop from heading out, since he wanted to talk to Cardia alone.

There was something important that Fran had wanted to tell Cardia that he needed to tell her in person, even though he felt that it might be really embarrassing. Asking Cardia to listen to him carefully, Fran asked her to become his significant other. (Fran finally confessed~! Yeah~~)

These words were what Cardia had been waiting for, though she wondered whether she is enough for him. However, Fran’s words later on crushed her fantasy, telling her that she doesn’t have to be his “real” significant other. She’s confused, wondered what had he meant by that. (Excuse me, Fran?!)

Fran noticed that Cardia looked confused and tried to explain in a hurry. Long story short, he needed Cardia to pretend to be his significant other. Cardia’s mood turned sour, demanding Fran to stay in the room while she left to get some tea. 

(Cardia was indeed quite pissed off if she had such thought OWO”)

When Cardia returned, Fran decided to give her a proper explanation, saying that he had written to his parents about her being a girl that he was interested in, but his parents had mistaken and thought that they were engaged, and had planned to come over during Christmas to visit. Thus, Fran needed Cardia’s help during Christmas to act as a couple together. Cardia still felt upset, but realised that she was upset about herself misunderstanding the situation from earlier on. TWT Though she knew that Fran was very troubled, she actually felt exremely opposed to it, and thus wanted a reason to reject this proposal.

(Yikes, I didn’t know which option I should choose honestly, so I just chose a random one seriously D:)

Cardia answered that she won’t be a very good actor and suggested getting Finis or Lupin to disguise and act as her instead, but Fran opposed to it frantically. He blushed as he admitted that he had written alot of details regarding her to his parents, like how adorable she was, the places they had been through together and...

(Seriously, that’s wayyyyy too much information out there, Fran =////=“)

(I know how embarrassing it is, Cardia XD)

With Fran begging like this, Cardia can’t bear to reject him in the end, though she had a special condition for accepting this proposal...

(I just love this part where Cardia played a joke on Fran, pretending to reject him to make him panic for a moment XD Look at Fran’s face of doom XDD)

The story changed to Fran’s point of view as it continues. Cardia had accepted his request, so all he had to do now was to make sure his clinic’s matter was well organised and explain the current situation to the rest of the gang, since Lupin and the others will be coming over to London to celebrate Christmas together. However, rather than Cardia arriving on the morning of Christmas, Finis and her had arrived at the train station, whom Fran had went to fetch.

(Cardia’s and Finis’s winter outfit are so beautiful and cute~ >////<)

Suddenly, a man appeared mysteriously before them, whom Finis identified him from Idea. The man reintroduced him as Hansel, asking Finis to remember his name since they’re friends. Hansel explained that he’s here to check up on them since “mother” was worried, but assured them everything’s fine. 

Finis was shocked when Hansel suddenly grabbed him, whining to put him down. Hansel reminded Finis that the latter had wanted to go somewhere in the south since the weather was cold here, though Finis had said that casually and didn’t really mean it. Hansel still wanted to keep his promise though and forcefully brought Finis away, leaving just Cardia and Fran to themselves.

(Both of them looks compatible here in the winter outfit~ ^^)

Fran proposed that they head back to the clinic to put away their luggage, and as he was about to head away, Cardia held onto his sleeve, reminding him to fulfil his condition. What follows was a short flashback to Cardia proposing her two conditions on helping Fran - (1) Fran was to act as her significant other and cares for her as well,  (2) Cardia wanted as much practice as possible with Fran before she met his parents, and came to London a few days earlier than Christmas for that. 

Since Fran had to fulfil his condition, he had to start their practice, by putting his arm around Cardia. The two of them head off, with Cardia being amazed to see snow for the first time in her life. 

(At this moment I actually get an option screen, when I’m in Fran’s POV?! This feels like I’m getting Cardia’s affection up rather than Fran, in an otome game =w=“)

Fran accidentally revealed his true thoughts, which made both Cardia and him blushed like crazy XDDD But Cardia thought he was acting when he said that actually. Fran wanted to tell Cardia that he didn’t want to act (since he wanted to be an actual significant other), but missed the chance to do so, since he was afraid of destroying Cardia’s happiness.  (*disappointed TWT*)

Anyway, they’ve completed their first mission of walking in London together as a couple. Their next mission on the next day was to tell their friends that they’re a couple~!

Turns out that Fran was the one who’s all embarrassed to tell them, but Cardia encouraged him, saying that if he can’t even tell his friends this, it’s going to be harder when facing his parents later on. 

When Cardia and Fran entered the mansion where the gang used to gather, they’re first greeted by Impey, who was glad to see his angel. But he made a weird face when he noticed something...

Fran had wanted to announce that Cardia and him were a couple as soon as they stepped in initially, but the others soon turned out and everyone was caught up in greetings and catching up... until Impey finally pointed out that Cardia and Fran were linking arms together XD

(Feels abit bad for Impey that his angel Cardia was snatched away~~~)

Now that Impey had brought it up, Fran finally had the chance to announce Cardia as his~ 

(I love this line of his so much XDDD)

The rest of the gang didn’t seems shocked and accept it easily, much to the dismay of Impey (I bet he wanted others to object to Fran and Cardia dating, but oh well....). Van remarked that it seems natural and normal to him that Fran and Cardia are together~ (Van gave his thumb of approval? XD) 

Fran and Cardia decided to explain everything in the end when the commotion had settled. Realising that Fran’s parents would be visiting on 24th December which was the same day the gang was having their party, Lupin “demanded” Fran to spend the entire day with his parents, and they would postpone the party to another day, even encouraging Cardia and Fran to have more “practice” and leave the preparations for the party to the rest of the gang. 

(Impey was glad that all of this was an act though he was crying about it earlier on ^^; You definitely thought that was real just now XD)

(I just realised this now and reading this made me a little sad...)

Even though both Fran and Cardia wanted to spend as much time as possible practising to be a couple and going on dates, Fran still had to run his clinic, and Cardia decided to help him out. The patient had noticed her and teased Fran, remarking that he’s married. 

(Fran’s explanation is so cute and definitely doesn’t stop the patient from continuing on teasing him XD)

They closed the clinic after the morning on December 23, and decided to spend the afternoon walking around the town as a couple. Along the way, they stopped by a cafe for a tea break, but the couple menu offered to them was full of dishes’ names that were embarrassing for one to say it out loud ^^;

(What follows was pretty much the humiliation of Fran X3, since you can select from three different dishes for him to order >/////< Yep, I’ve selected all of them just to listen to him saying it XD)

Cardia felt embarrassed to the point that she looked away from him, to which he complained that he’s the one who felt more embarrassed since he was the one who ordered it XD Cardia wondered if they looked like a real couple seeing that the waiter offered them the couple’s menu when they entered the cafe, to which Fran mummered whether it would be wrong if they’re a real couple. (Sounds like he wanted them to be an actual couple rather than for act, same like Cardia, but no one is taking another step in confirming their relationship TWT) 

Fran later proposed that they shall try to do everything couples do, and brought her to this beautiful place...

There was an ice rink available there, and thus Fran decided to teach Cardia how to ice skate. Cardia can’t help but feel abit pissed on how good Fran at ice-skating since she had thought of him as one who isn’t so athletic. Fran smiled and answered that since he had been skating pretty much his entire life in his hometown, he’s proud of his skating skills when compared to Lupin or Van. 

(It’s refreshing to see that Fran had his childish / boyish side as well~ ^////^)

Just then, Fran pulled Cardia away from the fence that she was holding on, making her all flustered and holding tightly to his hand, while being aware of the close distance between them. When Fran suggested whether he should let go of her arm so she could try to skate on her own, Cardia told him not to let go of her, and he replied that he won’t let go of her anymore. (In a different sense, but awww~ this part is sweet~ >////<)

Even though Cardia cherished these moments she had with Fran, she can’t help but think that Fran was doing all these with her as part of their practices and them being a couple was just temporary. Finally, on December 24, Christmas Eve, it was planned that they would welcome Fran’s parents who would arrive by train in the evening. Cardia felt that it would be hard to let go of Fran when the act comes to an end, wondering whether she would be able to refrain herself from making any sad expressions. 

They went for a walk together, talking about how they’ve felt these few days that they’ve been through together. Cardia had noticed that Fran seems to let himself free to the point that she felt that he wasn’t even acting when he looked at her with such gentle expression, leading her to be deceived that they were really a couple. 

When they arrived at the train station, Fran asked Cardia to come closer to him since he’s afraid that she would get a cold, and wrapped his arms around her. Even though Cardia tried to create a conversation with him, she found herself unable to do so and end up crying instead. 

(This part was so heart-breaking at that moment T////T) 

In reply to Fran, Cardia finally decided to let out her true feelings, she had fun for the past few days, but felt painful too, knowing that all of this would come to an end, and revealed that she didn’t want them being a couple to be a lie. She told Fran that she would keep a good act until the very end even though she’s sad, to which Fran replied that she’s very strong, even stronger than him. He told Cardia that he didn’t want both of them to be liars, nor he wanted to live with any more regrets in his life, and thus proposed a way for them to turn their lie into the truth.

(I’ve been waiting for this moment since the start of the route T////T You guys took way too long to get together! T////T )

Seeing that Cardia might now believe his words and thought that he was saying all this as part of their act, he decided to turn his feelings into actions... by kissing Cardia on the lips.

With that, Cardia believed him and both of them became a couple at last~ ^////^ Cardia was interested to know what Fran’s parents were like, since they could be her family one day. (Wow, the pace is moving towards marriage now?! O////O) Fran laughed and replied that they’re very normal, and that they loved Fran very much. (Sounds like Fran really did grew up in a loving family ^^)

When Fran’s parents arrived, Fran greeted them warmly and introduced Cardia to them, which they were curious to know since Fran had written so much about her in the letter XD

(Cardia’s reply when Fran’s parents asked her to take good care of him is just too adorable >/////<)

What Cardia and Fran would have to worry will be to explain their relationship status to their friends later on, and she looked forward to the near future where Fran’s family will become part of her family too, with Fran vowing that he will cherish every moment that they spend together, and their future was just beginning.

Final Thoughts / Ramblings:

And~ it’s the end~ Welp, I actually felt this was short (it seems even shorter than the last FD) since it feels like their sweet moments were about to start but it ended T////T Fran’s route sure likes to feed me bitter and sweet moments T/////T Overall I still enjoyed them very much since it’s “Fran”, but a part of me sure do craves for more sweet moments with him since even after two fan discs of Fran’s moment, I didn’t felt it was enough >/////< Fran is really such a great character for me that he seriously jumped up to my top favourites of guys after so many years of otome-gaming ^/////^

I realised that there was still the triangle date but I shall not play that part yet until I’m done with another character’s route~ You guys might know whose route I’m going for next in the main game seeing how I’ve put up the banner on the blog, so see you guys on the next route~!

[of-thoughts-and-phobias]

  Of Thoughts And Phobias

Part 4: Under Wraps

Edited by @a-faithful-fanartist

First : Prev

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  "Robin!" Sean cheered when he came through the door. 

"Hey hey!" He dropped his bag on the floor and brought Sean into a hug.

"Haha, welcome to the mess. How was the trip, man?"

"Ugh, don't get me started. Seems like anything that could've gone wrong did at the same time. It's like something didn't want me to come here or something."

    He tiredly walked over to the couch, Sean making sure to stay in between him and the shattered counter. 

"Just don't wake me up and we'll be fine," he said, flopping face-first on the couch. 

"Y'good man?"

    A muffled confirmation came from the cushions closely followed by snoring.

"Been a long day for both of us, I guess."

Sean grabbed a pillow and blanket from the closet and carefully draped it over him.

"Goodnight, dude," he sighed, switching off the lights. 

    He swapped into some pajamas and fell onto his bed. It was impossible trying to get comfortable. His mind was just so active and awake that even blinking was a traitorous act. His brain was shouting at him all the possibilities of what was happening to him. He couldn't hide for long. He knew that. There was no way that this would end well. He groaned. 

Sleep didn't come for a while.

~~

    Waking up felt even harder than falling asleep. He struggled to keep his eyes opened as he felt around for his phone.

He fell ungracefully out of bed and landed with an "oomf".

 As he got up, he saw a quick flash of bright red from under his bed. He didn't want to think about it.

    He was interrupted by a loud snore coming from the other room. He forgot he wasn't alone. Sean poked his head out into the living room to find a bundled- up figure on the couch, snoring loudly. Only his feet and hair were visible. He chuckled and went back to his room to get ready.

    Getting dressed was a chore when running on a few hours of sleep, but Sean pushed past it. He fixed his hair, brushed his teeth, and went to check on Robin again. 

"So I was thinking we could start by recording-" He walked into the living room to be greeted by a Robin who was still out cold.

"Uh. Hello?" He tried. 

"Earth to Pixlpit? Roooooobiin, come 'ooon man. We have thiiiings to do," nothing. 

"Geez," he backed off into the kitchen, where he remembered his shopping list. He had forgotten all about it and yep, the only thing he could find food wise was the junk in the fridge and an old box of spaghetti noodles. 

"Whoops," he said. That won't do.

    He snatched a sheet of printer paper and a sharpie and scribbled down a note for Robin when he woke up. After grabbing his phone and placing the note lovingly on Robin's face, Sean left once more. 

     It only took him about an hour to get groceries and come back. Robin was up by the time he came back, sitting at the table.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty! How was the couch?"

Robin chuckled.

"It was fine, but I woke up with this hanging out of my mouth," he held up the note.

    "Had to put it somewhere you could see it," he shrugged slyly, slacking the grocery bags off his arms. He turned on the coffee maker and started to put the food away. 

    "So, I was thinking we could start with the Reading Your Comments and then go into the challenge vids," Sean explained, pulling out eggs and milk to put in the fridge.

    "And tomorrow we can get some playthroughs done before we get started on editing," Robin added from behind his mug.

    "Exactly. Sorry about the lack of food, want me to whip something up before we get started?"

"That sounds awesome," he laughed.

    Everything was alright.

He smashed a few eggs unexpectedly and startled Robin by cracking the counter a bit when he accidentally gripped it too hard, but it was nothing he couldn't brush off.

It's fine. 

~~

    Spending time with Robin almost made Sean forget about everything. It all just seemed to fade back into reality after he fell through crazy town. Recording felt... normal. And he needed that. He needed something ordinary.

That left the two of them walking down town to a cafe that Sean had recommended. They had gotten quite a lot of work done and decided to take a lunch break.

    "No way," he continued, "there is no way the remake was better than the original."

    “I’m telling you man! The plot line was more realistic and they fixed multiple plot holes in it!” Sean followed alongside him. The door dinged behind them.

“There was nothing wrong with the plot, you just couldn’t wrap your small head around it!”

Sean gasped dramatically.

“Insulted. By my best friend! For shame, Robin, for shame.”

They both laughed and sat down at a booth.

    It was a nice place, quiet and homey, and it always smelled like coffee and chips. Relaxed chatter from other customers filled the room. Music played overhead and the TV in the corner murmured away about sports, and it all blended together into a pleasant white noise.

“Wait ‘till you try the bread, man. They make it from scratch!”

“Is that why we walked five blocks to get here?” Robin laughed again.

“Yes,” he deadpanned.

They continued talking until their food came.

"Thank you, miss. Oh, more chips, please?" Sean asked as the waitress walked away. 

He dove into the fresh batch of chips.

    It took him a moment to realize that Robin had stopped talking. He looked up and saw him staring back with a concerned look. 

"What's wrong?" He tried. 

"Dude are you alright? That's the sixth plate of chips you've ordered."

    Oh. He didn't realize. He vaguely recalled something similar happening the other day at the pizza restaurant. Did it have something to do with his new.. predicament? Probably, seeing as he was still hungry.

"Um, told ya?" Robin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 

"Best chips in town!" He laughed nervously. 

"Right. Maybe next time you'll actually let me try some," he was smiling but the worry was still visible in his eyes. 

"You'll just have to beat me to it!" 

Stupid.

They continued to eat in silence until the waitress brought them a check.

"Let me," said Robin, "you've al--" 

   

 Sean knew Robin was talking but he couldn't hear him. His eyes were attached to the screen nearest to them. It was a news reporter, discussing reports on stuff that happened throughout the day. But the video that was playing in the corner...

Oh no.

"It really is an odd sight," the reporter stated, "This anonymous clip shows what appears to be a bolt of green lightning flashing in the sky. The same lighting was also spotted a second time not long after, a few miles away. That's not the weirdest part, though. If you pay attention, it almost sounds like someone screaming.-" 

The TV was turned down as to not interrupt the patrons but Sean heard it clear as day.

They found him. 

    "Some call it a joke, just a gag someone sent us to get on the news. Others say that the footage shown is real, unmodified and definitely something to be wary of. What are your thoughts, Jim?"

It switched to another anchorman, appearing next to the videos.

The clips shown showed a bright flash in the sky, appearing above an airplane. It disappeared shortly after that. 

Oh no no no.

"Well I don't know about you, but I think they look very convincing-"

No, no no no no no no no no-

"Sean!" 

He snapped back. Robin was looking at him, concern all over his face. He swallowed down the knot in his throat. 

"You good, man? You zoned out pretty hard there. What're you even looking at?" He started turning around. Sean quickly grabbed his arm, forcing him back. 

"No," he whispered.

Robin shook his arm out of his grip. "Why? what's wrong, my hair messed up or something?" 

"Don't," he tried again. "Please." Why did everything have to be so loud? Tears pulled at his eyes. 

"Can we go home?"

Robin nodded knowingly. "Yeah man, let's get you home."

Sean was silent on the walk back. Robin didn't think to mention it. 

~~

Sean fell down face first onto the couch.

"Oomph."

Robin pushed his legs off so he could sit down instead. He tapped Sean on the shoulder. 

"Hey, are you feeling better?"

A muffled noise came from the cushions, then Sean pushed himself up so he was sitting too. 

"Yeah. I.. sorry," he sighed.

"No no," Robin interrupted. "It's normal dude, it looked like it was just an anxiety attack. Those aren't a joke."

Sean nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He tried. 

"No, Robin," he grumbled "I'm fine. 'S just anxiety, I'm fine."

He got up from the couch and started towards his room.

"Sorry. I think I'll just take a nap or something. You alright with that?"

Robin sighed.

"You know where to find me man."

"Thanks Robin."

"Any time."

    Sean closed the door behind him and fell down against it. Small bursts of light shakily pulsated all down his arms. He decided to focus on that instead. 

He wasn't even sure why he was panicking. Sure they *caught* him on camera but they didn't *know* that it was him. He watched the neon colors trickle down his arms like water. What would he do if they did find out? What would he do if Robin did? He didn't want to think about it. But what if?

Losing it won't do anything, Sean, he told himself. You need to calm down.

He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs completely before exhaling.

In.

And out.

In.

And out.

Come on, Jackieboy, you got this. 

    He stayed there for a while, contemplating whether he should get up to go to bed. The thought was interrupted by the bright red peeking out from under his bed.

He could hear Robin outside furiously working on his laptop. Knowing him, he wouldn't move for hours.

He supposed sleep could wait.

Taglist

@septilover3 @obsidiancreates @cookiethedevil @chains-that-bind-this-roulette-of-mine

@caori-azarath @tinykitty252 @reverseblackholeofwords @fairyofsomething

Ask to be tagged!

That wraps up the prologue!! Three years in the making and we're finally getting to the good stuff! Buckle up, bitches it's only getting worse from here!

[ericsonclan]

I’m a Punk Rock Pork Chop

Notes: In celebration of Lesbian Visibility Day (just under the wire, lol) I wanted to share a special series I wrote about Violet. A while back I was watching the playthrough of TFS on TWDG Definitive Edition with commentary from Gideon Adlon, Violet’s voice actress. She said soooo many funny things during the playthrough that I just had to find a way to put in Violet’s mouth. The best way to do that? Give Violet a concussion of course! XD Hope you guys enjoy!

Read on A03:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

It started out like any other ordinary day. Everyone was running around doing their daily chores. Prisha and Clementine were preparing the fish they caught for dinner while Louis and Ruby organized the vegetables they’d harvested from the garden that morning. Violet was on watch duty. Omar had gone off to the pasture with A.J. to feed Molly the horse. Aasim was writing in his journal. Beside him, Willy was trying to get Garbage fitted into his latest invention. Suddenly, they all heard a loud cracking noise and a dull thud. They looked up to see Violet sprawled out upon the ground, splintered wood scattered about her. A huge hole in the watchtower could be seen above her. “Violet!” Prisha screamed. Everyone rushed over in a panic. As Prisha gently guided Violet’s head to rest in her lap, the rest of the Ericson clan circled around her. Ruby pushed her way to the front, kneeling beside Prisha and Violet. Miraculously, her glasses had been undamaged by the fall, but from her dazed expression it was clear that she’d taken a hit to the head. Ruby handed the glasses to Aasim, then turned back to Violet. “Violet, honey, can you hear me? Blink once for yes,” Violet stared aimlessly past her, a look of confusion on her face. Louis was wringing his hands in agony. “Vi, please, say something!” A faint whistle left Violet’s mouth as she tried to move her lips. Everyone leaned forward, trying to hear what she was saying. Finally, her voice gained strength. “I’m a punk rock pork chop,” Then her voice faded back into a low gurgling moan. They all looked at each in confusion. “What did she just say?” Clem asked. Aasim shrugged. “I swear it sounded like ‘I’m a punk rock pork chop’, but that can’t possibly be right,”’

Prisha was cradling Violet’s face, trying to get her to look at her. “Listen to me, Violet, it’s gonna be OK! I’m right here!” “I think she can hear ya, Sug,” Ruby said gently, placing a comforting hand on Prisha’s shoulder. “She took a pretty hard fall there, and she’s got a goose egg on her noggin’ the size of Texas, but I think she’s just dazed. Everybody just give her some space. I’m sure she’ll be just fine in a few minutes,” The group reluctantly dispersed, watching Violet closely from a distance as she was guided to sit down at the picnic table where Prisha and Clementine were working. Prisha was utterly distraught, stroking Violet’s hair as she observed her anxiously. Louis took her place at dinner prep, picking up a knife and sitting beside Clementine. “I can’t believe it. For the watchtower to just fall apart like that… ten years and we’ve never had a problem with it,” Clementine shook her head. “Things wear out. None of us even considered that it might be in need of repairs. And after all that rain we’ve had in the last month, I bet the wood had soaked it all up and rotted on the inside. Looking back, I’m surprised something didn’t happen sooner,” The four of them sat together for the next hour or so. Violet hands had been fidgeting all over the table. They couldn’t figure out what she wanted, so she was handed a potato to hold and sat there in calm silence for the rest of dinner prep while her friends watched her nervously. Once it was dinnertime and the others began gathering for dinner, Violet became a bit more animated, looking around with an inquisitive look on her face. She smiled as A.J. took a seat beside her. “Hey, shitbird,” Everyone stared at her in shock. Then A.J. started giggling. “Right back atcha, shitbird!” “A.J.!” Clementine hissed. “What?” A.J. shrugged. “She said it first. It’s funny,” Violet pointed a finger over at Louis’ bowl. “Gimme,” “OK….” Louis cautiously slid the bowl of stew over toward Violet. “Careful. It’s hot,” “Thanks, shitbird,” Violet replied. She started to chow down as everyone stared at her in confusion. “Violet…” Prisha placed a hand on her arm. “Are you feeling OK?” “Mhm,” Violet nodded. She leaned over and placed a kiss on Prisha’s cheek. “Love ya, shitbird,” Prisha was utterly baffled. “This can’t be normal! Ruby, what’s wrong with her?” “I’m sorry, Prish, but I don’t know. Head injuries are tricky. She has all the signs of a concussion, but there’s not much we can do for that except make sure she rests and heals. Whatever sort of weird quirks she has right now are sure to pass with time,” “How much time?” “A few days?” “Days?” Prisha’s voice cracked. “You’re telling me she’s going to be like this for days and there’s nothing we can do about it?” “Hey,” Willy raised his hand. “Isn’t it true that people with concussions aren’t allowed to fall asleep, otherwise they’ll slip into a coma and die?” Everyone at the table erupted. “Hey, bud, let’s not get too hasty throwing out ideas like that!” Louis cautioned, waving his arms for silence. “There’s no medical evidence for that, is there, Ruby?” Ruby paused before answering. “I’m gonna have to look into that. I think Violet should be able to hold an actual conversation before we let her sleep,” “So you’re saying she has to stay up all night?” “I think that’s wise until Aasim and I find evidence sayin’ otherwise. We’ll look through the medical books as soon as dinner’s done,”

In the end, it was decided that they should err on the side of caution and try to keep Violet awake for the night. That seemed fine with Violet, as she had no apparent desire to sleep, wandering around the school and fiddling with anything she could get her hands on. Clementine and Louis could hear her scampering through the hall as they settled down for the night, Prisha’s footsteps following quickly after hers. The sound of breaking glass and a frantic “Violet, no!” caused them to sit up straight in their beds, but a quick “Everything’s fine, no injuries!” kept them from rushing out into the hall. “Maybe I should go out there myself and help Prisha out,” Louis mused. Clementine shook her head. “You already offered. Prisha was pretty insistent that she’s got it handled,” Louis looked unconvinced. “How about this? Get a few hours of sleep. When I get up for watch I’ll wake you too and you can offer your assistance again. Maybe Prisha will be more open to taking it then,” Louis rolled over in bed to face Clementine. “You’re not going anywhere near that watchtower, right? I swear, the second it’s light out we’re tearing that thing to the ground and burning it. We’ll build a new one from scratch,” “Don’t worry,” Clem leaned forward to place a kiss on his nose. “I’ll sit on the wall, right where Willy is now. Not gonna take any chances,” From the hallway, the sound of Violet making engine sounds could be clearly heard, then the quick rhythm of running feet. “Violet, no running!” Prisha’s voice was clearly desperate. Louis and Clementine shared a look. “I’m gonna go ahead and ask her again if she wants help,” “Good idea,” With that, Louis slipped out of bed and put his coat back on before exiting the room. Clementine tucked a few spare pillows beside her. They were all in for a long night.

[breezy-cheezy]

Mmmmmkay I have to rant about Nier: Automata for a bit; I accidentally triggered the end of the game (playthrough 2, ending B) last night and stayed up till 2:00 trying to finish the stupid “not allowed to save” phase. But y’aLL IT’S SO GOOD??????? AND 3RD PLAYTHROUGH ISN’T ANOTHER RE-RUN OF THE SAME STORY WE GET MORE STORY AAAAAAAAA

(more under the cut because there is ALOT for those who care;;;;;)

- OK SO THE MUSIC IS AMAZING??? I love LOVE that the music dynamics build in instruments and intensity as you progress towards danger/plot, but also softens again for quieter moments and just...musical storytelling is so sooooo my jam I love it. Also that the music goes 8 bit when 9S hacks stuff, it’s actually kinda cute X’D

- ON THE SUBJECT of 9S being able to hack into enemies and you getting to play that as a little teeny ship shooting down viruses and barriers and whatnot. Genius???? That added SO MUCG to the story on the second playthrough as 9S. Particularly discovering the fact that all of humanity?? Is actually extinct?? ...even BEFORE the aliens/machines attacked earth?? WH A T?????? WHAT THE HECK ARE ANDROIDS FIGHTING FOR THEN????? *every time an android salutes and says “glory to mankind” now* GLORY MY FOOT THEY ALL DEAD MOVE ON--

-  I realize it probably has alot to do with the lore of previous nier games and I’ll probably have to trawl through Wiki pages soon here. Emil himself really broke my heart aaaaaah baby...his side quest is so sad. I also looked at arts and he was a really cute kid?? Before he was turned int the freaky moon skeleton thing...?? Oh my goodness......

-  The secret lunar tear flower room is gorgeous. I just sat there for awhile to soak it all in...the music is so nostalgic and I’ve never heard that song bfore how do y’all DO THAT--

- Emil’s shop is pretty cute. He just drives around the ruins and sells stuff if you shoot him and he’ll stop X’’’D It did ruin alot of serious moments tho. *Engels, talking about how he’d sinned for killing so many androids and choosing death--* “S-A-L-E SAAAALLLEEE~~!! EVERY SALE’S A WIIIINNNNNN~~~~!!!! LALALaaaaaa~~~...” Me: *facepalm* 

- ...I just realized the little tune he sings is a cheerful rendition of the music in the flower room. H E C K

- ANYWAY. Onto the actual game. I really really enjoyed playing as 9S for obvious reasons (bABY) but it really did add so soooo much to the pretty much surface level story when you first play as 2B. Which sums them up pretty well...2B, Battle unit 2, pushes on relentlessly, avoids thinking too hard about things and what she’s doing because oh dear, EMOTION might get in the way...9S, Scanner unit 9, on the other hand, cannot stop his curiosity. He asks questions, he sticks his nose in way further than he should to some dangerous stuff. I think he realized Machines were sentient and had feelings long before 2B, but was in denial for a good while. You learn so much more about what you’re fighting as 9S, because he scans. He observes, searches, discovers. Heck, some hacking caused him to experience empathy for the poor things, to his horror...

- Actually, there are alot of scenes where either 2B or 9S questions why a machine they’re killing is screaming for help, of crying for lost family, or loudly proclaiming loyalty to a king they’ll give their lives for...they stop for a moment, but the other quickly jumps in and reminds them that it’s just imitation. It’s not real, it’s fake, machines can’t feel, yadda yadda...it was odd to me they kept switching off on reminding, but...I think they both know, deep down, what they’re doing. But denial. Because if machines DO have feelings, if they are sentient...what does that mean for all they’ve killed...? Just...hoo BOY the moral dellimas in this game?? Scary good. The quests get that across alot.

- I don’t like the theme of hopelessness in most of the side quests?? I do see many of them as cautionary tales though. We watch many characters lose hope and the will to live after their thing/person they’re living FOR is gone. It makes me worry alot about 2B, who is a soldier through and through. 9S actually does have hopes and dreams for things outside of the war, which I love ;7; they definitely lean on each other alot emotionally on this respect though...I don’t know quite what to make of the themes of the game this far in yet;;;; 

- The love between 9S and 2B is of course my favorite thing. Familial, romantic, idk. I, being me, see it as more platonic, “You’re my rock in this storm” only friend/sister/brother vibe, but as more of a fan of platonic relationships, that is what I tend to do. But 9s following 2B around like a lost puppy and trying to do all he can to help and do his job but also getting bored with said job and trying to make the most of things, asking all the “why” questions, 2B acting irritated but also always keeps him close and makes sure he’s safe....going ballistic when someone hurts her boy ;;v;; I love...2 kids. Their operators and pods are such fun dynamics too~~ 

- As far as endings A and B...DANG. It hit worse because you get backstory on the giant ocean machine (that 9S just hit with a giant missle, which he also had to ride to keep it on the right path...DX NO SELF PRESERVATION) he just...wanted his mama......;;A;;

- Also it’s not fair. 9S is so injured by that missle attack, then I guess Adam finds him and is like “HM. *sticks the lil boy impaled on a wall* Perfect. *proceeds to emotionally and mentally torture said child*“ like YO ADAM THAT’S NOT HOW YOU DO THINGS. Then 2B proceeds to kick down walls for her boy and kills Adam and walks off carrying 9S bridal style into the sunset. Lovely. I have a comic idea for this part, lol.

- Oh I don’t like Adan very much, he is pretty tho?? There was alot of blood though...how do machines bleed?? How do the androids bleed?? What??? I question this alot. 

- HHHHHHH THE BECOME AS GODS CHAPTER SCARED ME I DON’T EVER WANNA DO THAT AGAIN DANG SUICIDAL ROBOTS SCARED ME SO BAD

- Fighting Eve was...annoying but still heartbreaking. He misses his brother so much....even though Adam is a butthead and couldn’t care less he left his little brother behind DX just everything about that fight was Tragic. Also Eve developing more self awareness and realizing “Eve” is a girl’s name and being a bit miffed LOL that’s what y’all get when your first book is the bible kiddos...I realize they’re technically like what? 2 weeks old still???

- The ENDING. From 9S’s perspective is especially scary....the corruption transforming him, 2B coming in to kill him to stop the pain, he BEGGED her to, just....hhhhhhh babies ;;A;; 2B’s soft broken crying over him as she’s forced to strangle her only friend to death just aaaaaAAAAAAAA I DIE ;;;;;;;;~;;;;;;;;;

- I was actually able to cry over it this time coz. It was 2 am. No parent awkwardly watching over my shoulder. Because the pose for this scene is...........super awkward..........like......really........their clothes are super torn up and uh. The first time I was just hoping my parents wouldn’t mistake it for a sex scene or something hhhhhghhhhh;;;;;; I really really REALLY wish the pose was different, the game does need to give the fanservice a rest, at LEAST for a scene this serious DX I’m able to ignore it but when someone else is watching I don’t wanna have to explain;;;;

- That IS a big gripe I have with the game. The fanservice. Just. Why. How is 2B’s outfit practical?? Self destruct mode???? REALLY???? Get this girl battle shorts or something please.....I guess if I looked at it more as a ballet outfit?? I might make some edits when I draw her because GEEZ.

- 9S gets some of this too. Self destruct mode, his shorts are blown off???? WHAT THE HECK???? Welp, never using that again. also why is he the only yorha boy android??????????? X’’’’D They never explain that!!

- BACK TO ENDING STUFF why were there random data hologram girls standing there, watching 2B strangle 9S?? Just...silently there...they weren’t there in the first playthrough?? I’ve seen them a couple times but they’re NEVER mentioned?? WHAT ARE THEY-- is it a glitch?? Wha--

- Teeny 9S being able to dump his consciousness into a giant machine robot guy and cradling 2B in his hand ;;~;; he’s fine y’all I’m so GLAD (I wanna draw something for this scene.... I wanna draw alot of things) 

- I love Pascal. He should adopt all the sad people to his happy peace village. He already started that...what a good egg. 

- The accessories option is lovely. I’ve been running around with 9S with a blue bow in his hair forever now ;7; replaced with the flower in his hair because BOYS AND FLOWERS I LOVE but I think I might give the flower to 2B because she’d look lovely with it and....I miss the blue bow X’D

 - Also the AMOUNT of things this could line up with a KH universe....as far as how androids work, hearts (black boxes), memories making you...you, being able to transfer “hearts” to new bodies when the old is destroyed, POWER OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP...there’s alot. I dunno what to do with this info...

Anyway, I have alOT of thoughts and feelings on this game, it’s like...a very cool book. I’ve had trouble putting down. These aren’t even all of them but idk who I can actually rant to so here it is for the Void

I’m so interested to see where it goes! 

[star-going-supernova]

Okay, real talk though, can we please just have a meeting of the Henry club? Like all of your Henry's just hanging out for juice and cookies to discuss what Joey has screwed up this week and laugh about it?

This… is a month late. And it also got out of hand. But I had a lot of fun cooking this one up, so thank you so much for the idea! I hope you guys enjoy, and, as a warning: some of this might make no sense if you don’t know some of the works these guys are from. 

note: this does not contain spoilers for Chapter 5. It’s mentioned, and something from it is mentioned, but nothing is spoiled. Also: I went through and counted. Not including the mess that Infinite Worlds is, I have 23 different versions of Henry. Frick. 

Also also: I’d love to hear your guys’ actual opinions on the thing Star asks the Henrys about.  :)

“We are gathered here today,” Star said, looking around the large circular table, “because—actually, can anyone tell if you’re all here or not? There are so many of you at this point that I can’t even keep track.” 

She watched all the different Henrys—Henries?—look around and mutter to each other, asking if this or that Henry was present. 

While she waited for them to figure it out, Star looked at the Henry on her right. He was her first Henry, one so full of determination and kindness that the world she’d created around him had slowly but surely bent to his will. 

Star loved every last Henry she’d ever made, but this one would always hold a special place in her heart. He grinned at her when he noticed her staring, raising his cup of coffee in cheers. 

A nudge on her left had her turning to a Henry quite a bit like her. With horns curling out of his head and a blindfold covering his eyes, the first demon Henry she’d woven into existence nodded out at the rest of the group. 

“I think they’re done,” he told her. “Sounds like everyone’s here.” 

“Excellent.” Star stood up and started over. “We are gathered here today because Chapter 5 recently came out and I’m retconning all of you.”

There were several shouts and gasps, at least two instances of spit-takes, and one of them—it looked like the Henry that she’d sent time traveling—fell out of his chair. 

Before anyone could riot against her, Star held up her hands, laughing. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. You’re all wonderful and the update isn’t going to change how I write any of you.” 

The sigh of relief was unanimous, a sea of Henrys—seriously which was it?—relaxing in their chairs, some going so far as to slump over the table. 

“Yeah, sorry, couldn’t help it,” Star said, beaming at the Henry who’d faced off against the Bendy animatronic. He glared back. 

Once everyone had settled down, Star opened her mouth to get to the true nature of their meeting, but paused. Her supernova eyes slid over the different versions of Henry that she’d thought up over the year, each and every one brought into a world of their own with so much care. 

She’d been so cruel to some of them. So kind to others. Star glanced down at her first Henry, and thought of how she was about to put him through the wringer for a second time. There was another room in this not-building that existed in her mind where there was a Henry or two that hadn’t seen the world yet. 

One of them was young, younger than she was now. His story still lingered in her head, but Star had to wonder if she’d ever get around to writing it. Another was old, poised at the start of Chapter 5’s plot, ready to take it on in his own way. And there were others too. So many that sometimes, she forgot about some of them. 

For all her powers, even she couldn’t remember them all. 

“I just…” Star cleared her throat, pretending like she wasn’t a little choked up. “I just wanted to thank all of you. I know it’s not always sunshine and rainbows in the stories I write, but… I do my best by you. All of you. I wouldn’t be here without you guys, so. Yeah.” 

Star clapped her hands and ignored the way some of the Henrys looked a little teary-eyed. “Anyway, I really just wanted to get your opinion on your last name. I’ve been using Ross since the beginning—and frankly, I’m pretty attached to it at this point—but if you think I should use the name from Chapter 5, I will for future Henrys.” 

Peeking at the demon Henry at her left, she told him, “I’ll have to keep using Ross for you, though, since your story is on-going. For a few others of you as well, if I’m not mistaken.��� 

The Henry who’d been murdered by Bendy several times before reconciling with the Ink Demon raised his hand. “Yeah,” he said, “you still need to finish the second chapter of Renewal.” 

Star visibly winced. “Ah, yes. I, uh, will get right on that.” 

He rolled his eyes, but his smile was kind. They understood. 

“I guess there’s nothing else to say, really. If you all could sit on the last name issue for a day or two and get back to me on that, I’d appreciate it.” Star gathered up her laptop, and moved towards the exit. “Oh—one last thing.”

The cosmos stretched across her skin glittered with her excitement as they all turned to her. 

Smiling, she told them, “It won’t be long until you’re joined by a new Henry. Have a good day, everyone.” 

• • • • •

Once the door closed behind Star, several conversations sprung up around the table. 

“I wonder if it’ll be an AU Henry,” the Henry from A Creator’s Heart said. “Or if he’ll have something to do with the new chapter.” 

“Probably the new chapter,” the Henry who’d been chased by an animatronic Bendy said. “You know she’s been particularly vocal about it.” 

The only Henry among them to be considered villainous chuckled. “She was thinking up new ideas before she’d even finished watching a playthrough of Chapter 5. Of course it will have something to do with it.” 

“Regardless of what sort of story this Henry will come from, I’ll just be glad not to one of the newest anymore,” the wingless of the two angel Henrys said. Though the first chapter of Consequences had come out a while ago, it’d only just recently been completed. 

Henry the time-traveler nodded. “I’ll drink to that.” They both raised their coffee mugs up clinked them together. 

On the other side of the table, a couple Henrys were comparing their Joeys against each others. 

“Look at me,” After said, gesturing at the tiny body he shared with Before. “My Joey literally sacrificed me and wiped my memory. I didn’t even have a name for years. Imagine! The only method of identifying myself was as After!” 

“That’s fair,” a Henry wearing a partially untied straitjacket said, “but at least you got away from your Joey. Mine’s probably going to hold me captive for the rest of my life.” He shuddered. “I’m just glad Star ended my story where she did. Based on the direction it was going, I have no desire to see what happens next.” 

The second demon Henry in the group nodded glumly. “Mine summoned me into the studio, tried to forcibly bond me to him like a slave, and now I’m stuck running from all sorts of monsters who want me dead. And I’m trying to protect my kids—I mean, the toons—while on the smallest amount of demonic reserves possible.” 

As one, the three of them turned to look at the fourth Henry in their group. He smiled apologetically. “Sorry,” he said, “but I’m engaged to my Joey, and all it takes to keep him under control is threatening him with the couch for a week.” 

While they were moaning and groaning about their sad, Joey-related fates, the first demon Henry, from the ever-expanding world of Inky Eyes, Gold Heart, silently eyed the eldest Henry of them all. 

The Henry from The Art of Being Alive not only had the privilege of being Star’s first, but he also had one of the most extensive and complex stories out of any of them. 

“So,” demon Henry quietly said, “Star’s brought you back out of her memory.” 

Henry—The Henry, the first, the original, the eldest—nodded. “Chapter One is up. She posted it on the anniversary of Art too.” 

Demon Henry waited, but when nothing else was forthcoming, he asked, “And how do you feel about it? I mean, you had your happy end, everything was over—and now, what? Joey’s back or something?” 

“Maybe he is,” Henry said, calm and steady. “But I like to think I’ve been around Star long enough to know that she’s always got some sort of trick up her sleeve. So maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. No matter what happens, though, I’ll be ready.” 

A little shiver passed through demon Henry’s spine. Oh sure, he had great powers and all, but this Henry… he was a little bit terrifying. 

The moment passed, and Henry continued, “I’m excited, honestly. It’s been so long since I was active. Maybe she’ll put me through trials even worse than last time, but I trust Star to make the pain worth something.” He smiled, surveying the others. “She treats us well, even when she’s giving us a hard time of it.”

Demon Henry couldn’t help but agree. 

Henry breathed deeply, leaning back in his chair, the picture of relaxation despite having some idea of what their Creator had in store for him. “Do you ever wonder,” he asked slowly, “what it would be like, to have a mind like hers?”

It took a lot of effort, but demon Henry swallowed down the joke he wanted to make about how weren’t they supposed to be Creators in their own rights? “I bet she’s never lonely in there,” he said instead.

Gratifyingly, Henry laughed. “I’m sure you’re right,” he said. “And I can’t help but think… a mind full of wondrous worlds, so many of which will never see the light of day… that perhaps, what it’s like on the inside has bled into the outside.” 

Elsewhere, so close and so far, covered in stars and light and color, their Creator sat, laptop in hand. And from the stardust on her fingertips, something new was born. 

[that-one-obsessed-weirdo]

20 Million Memories

So @dashingten had a really cool idea where we post our favorite memories of being in this community! And as many special memories as I have of being here, I’ve narrowed it down to two favorites:

My first favorite is actually my first memory of being a part of this community. I had watched Jack’s Undertale playthrough with @spittinginsanity in early 2016 (and loved it, of course!) but I only really ever watched him when we hung out. That is, until October of 2016, aka one of the best Halloween’s I’ve ever had.

@spittinginsanity had already explained and showed me all the Anti stuff that was occurring earlier that month, and I seriously thought it was so cool that someone was taking something his community created and making it canon. It only really “clicked” for me though 3 days before Anti’s official debut. I was spending the night at @spittinginsanity and she was catching me up on all the chaos of the past week’s videos. We ended up watching the whole first episode of Layers of Fear, and I suddenly felt a whole new feeling of investment in his channel, and not to mention an underlying excitement for what might occur in a few days. No surprise, I only fell harder as we watched a few more videos, and as soon as I got home the next day, I subscribed to the channel.

The following two days leading up to Halloween were an absolute joy! It had been a while since I had been a part of any fandom or community, so I practically threw myself into the current hype of this community. It was honestly refreshing, energizing, and I had yet to even realize how open and welcoming this community was. I remember after we both finally watched Anti’s debut, @spittinginsanity asked me if I was gonna move on now, thinking I had just gotten into the hype of the whole thing. With how I can be, that could’ve easily been the case, but I already knew better after those few days. So I told her without a doubt that I was here to stay, and almost two years later, I’m so, SO glad that it all happened. @spittinginsanity and I have been so much closer because of this, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. ❤️

My other favorite memory comes less than a year later, when Jack announced the test run dates and locations for the HDWGH tour. When @spittinginsanity messaged me and told me he was coming near us and that her parents would drive us if we got tickets, I was in total shock. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t even been in the community for a year at that point and was already going to see my idol in person. That was then followed by tears of joy, no doubt. :’D

Fast forward to a month later when we were in Milwaukee to finally see it. At this point, I was pretty involved with my school’s musical (School of Rock! 🤘), and college applications were on my mind. I’ll explain that in more detail later.

I remember very specifically the first time I saw Jack in person, before the Qn A. He was getting off the elevator and as soon as I saw him, my brain went from “oh hey, it’s Jack :D” to “oh waIT ITS JACK. LIKE THATS REALLY HIM HOLY SHIT.” And the we just sat their in our shock and excitement until the QnA started. (Thankfully it wasn’t quite as overwhelming to see him on stage the second time then...xD)

Then we saw the actual show, and although I had my suspicions, I didn’t realize that it would stay with me so much in the following year. Jack said something that really spoke to me that night, beyond all the fun and humor of the show (which is a treat just as well!) “You can overcome any obstacle if you put your mind to it.” I thought of that quote as we were walking out of the venue, and I immediately felt WAY less scared about all the college decision making that was happening. Motivation was high after that, especially when it came to my musical rehearsals. The day after the show, I still managed to bring myself to school on whatever sleep I had got the night before. We ran through our music that night, and when it came to my solo, it was like something suddenly just clicked because it sounded so much more confident than it had before. I kinda sat there and just thought about the show from the night before, how it could’ve been the reason why, and how it would be on my mind until those final bows a month or so later. And God, was I right. My experience being in School of Rock was already so insane, but something about remembering that show all the way through made it seem like so much more. More than anything, it motivated me on another level, even just knowing that my idol had experience being on the stage now too. Yet it was still so much more than that though; I don’t know how to explain it but...I know I will never forget that time in my life, from the initial knowledge we were seeing Jack on tour, to the show itself, and then to the musical that changed me even more.

I could talk on and on just about these memories alone, but I think I’m already rambling as it is so I’ll just stop here. xD The point is though, being in this community has given me so many good memories. I’ve met friends, gotten closer to friends I already had. I’ve been drawing more because of it. More than anything, it’s opened and enhanced so many experiences for me over the past two years. I’m actually feeling shocked just thinking about it.

I know I’m not the only one feeling that way. I’m among soon to be 20 million others who feel this way too, who also share in these experiences. I have no clue how to truly thank you for that, @therealjacksepticeye, but know that what you have given us and allowed us to do and to be is so, so special to me, and to the whole community. You are a truly amazing human being. 💚

And of course, thank you @spittinginsanity for bringing Jack into my life in the first place. I honestly don’t know where I would be or where we would be without him, but I know I don’t want it any different. I love you so much!! ❤️

So many good memories lay in this community, so here’s to 20 million of them, and then to 20 million more!

—

Okay, wow, this got long. Like, really long...If you’re still reading this, kudos to you. And also sorry. 😂

(Uh...okay, I should probably go to bed now like I said I was going to an hour ago. 😂😂 Night dudes!)

[chimpdinnerlive]

- dear Nintendo I'm done. I'm just I'm done .sometimes you hold hope in your heart. to .help you get from. day to day. you have to hold. on to that hope but after a while .you reach a point where that hope can .only hurt you. and all you. can do is let go. and move on it's better to simply accept. that there is no hope so. that you can start to heal Nintendo you just announced Paper Mario Color Splash. and the hope for. a real Paper Mario sequel that. I've been holding. on to for. over. a decade I'm letting. it go a lot of. people will tell. me not. to. judge the game based on .this short clip and we won't know until the. game's out but I'm. not playing the whole game. I know what this. is I know what. I'm seeing when. I watch this and it's basically sticker star - I see no partners no RPG elements no interesting enemies or environments or characters. I just I see sticker star. - with all due respect Nintendo. I don't think you have any. idea how much the first two games .mean to us you just don't get it you .don't understand the depth of. our love for. them for the characters the excellent battle. system the awesome stories the worlds you gave us to explore that made the Mario universe .seems so rich and alive I've never been able. to quite. put my finger on what made those games so darn good but. it was .something and it's clearer than ever that you. simply do not understand that for. starters if you understood you would .have never announced the game in such a casual. way when I think of a new Paper Mario coming. I imagine a reveal as grand as one you would get. for Zelda and Metroid. some sort of exciting trailer .maybe starting. with a little teaser. than .revealing that yes this is a brand new Paper Mario game but you didn't do. that .bill came on with a goofy little. paint joke and was just. sort. of like hey. look here's some new. Paper Mario you get to paint and there are cards and it's kind of cool anyway. pokken tournament and I was like what. the fact that Paper Mario has become such a casual little amusement. to you speaks loads. about the disconnect .between you and fans of. the series but that's all. probably the least of. it if you really how much we. love Paper Mario. you would have never removed the refined. addictive turn-based combat and replaced it with substandard 2d platforming. and a 2d 3d mechanic. that never lives up and if you understood. you most certainly would. have never even. dreamed of. not only removing all experience points in RPG elements turning battle into something that's better to avoid. but stripping the series of any sort of plot or delightful characters or interesting cohesive environments or most egregiously any .Bowser humor look you simplified Mario's main games and I. get that I totally do you tried having hub worlds and stories .and adventury stuff and you decided you .know what. Mario is just about simple platforming. and nothing else. I didn't exactly. like that decision but. I understand it. and most people are fine with. it so cool but would you take the .next zelda game for. instance and remove its story would. you break the world into small isolated. areas accessed via world map. remove items and. Epona and just have sword fighting. but it's okay. because there's all these. silly swords you can get and they all do. different. stuff would you. do that to such a beloved. and deep. series because there was a time when I thought similar treatment of Paper Mario would be. impossible. the first Paper Mario was called Mario story in Japan for pete's sake. that game and thousand-year door were epic quests through huge lands with. the sequel building incredibly on every single .aspect of its predecessor this series was the. perfect companion to the other Mario. games which were and still are more about just picking. up and playing for. a bit of jump. and fun one has to wonder why on earth. you would. be unsatisfied with. this. perfect. setup of story. Mario and platforming. Mario now I do have a theory. when the first. Mario and Luigi came out. naturally I was like whoa it's like Paper Mario on my gameboy .it had most of the same mechanics but with a bit more. action in the combat in a much sillier. field .I imagine. that over time you started to be like. why do we have to separate Mario RPG series. we wouldn't have. two slightly .different. Mario. Golf or Mario Party series running. concurrently. so you figured that Mario Luigi could be the official RPG series. and Paper Mario could. be more about whatever papery mechanics you could come up. with in a form. that. doesn't necessarily. have to match any sort. of set style. that's why you then tried to. make the game about platforming and perspective. and you know what Super Paper. Mario was definitely enjoyable if just. for one playthrough do you know why it. was still fun though for me personally it was the. fact. that it still had an epic story and a fun cast of interesting and often. hilarious characters. half of what I loved had been .replaced with stuff that. was okay. but that story. still made it worth it but you weren't done experimenting you sat on. the series for several years then released sticker star. a game that just .broke my spirit here was a game that was .just oozing with. style. just exploding with. it the visuals were amazing the paper aesthetic was finally. perfected and collecting. and. using stickers was so darn. much fun and turn-based battles were back. but like I said earlier battling when you didn't have. to just wasted your stickers. and that nearly .ruined the whole. game by itself but then there were still. no partners and in fact barely any characters at all there was no plot. oh no Bowser stole. the .whatever sticker and we had to go get .him plot synopsis. over there was no overworld to explore there were no towns .just dots on a world map. Super Paper Mario. at least had half of what I loved about. the first two games sticker star .had like 10% the rest was dumbed down .stripped away turned into more of a shallow. pick-up-and-play experience and that brings us back. to. Color Splash. yeah I don't know. everything about the game yet. I'm jumping. to conclusions yadda .yadda yadda but. I know what it's not and hey I'll even. admit just like the sticker mechanic painting stuff looks .like fun if they fix the XP problem they might have a. little adventure like game that's enjoyable. in its own way totally but why does it. have to be this way. why are we. just not allowed to have the .Paper Mario we want take the style of the. original games and add the sticker or paint mechanics. and you would have incredible experiences each one would be fresh while still being exactly. what we want. we. love. it when. you try. new things Nintendo we really do but not when those new things replace nearly every old thing that. we love. you know what I know what we're asking. for is kind. of a lot those first two games were. probably way harder to. develop than the other games good plots are hard. writing is. hard big connected. over worlds are hard. it's hard to make a grand. adventure that has .a lot to it but you've done. it. before .you used to do it. all. the time and on much weaker. hardware you used to be ambitious. you used to want to. improve on .your work. make. it. better every time and that's what we want now. don't be the company. that aims only for simple fun and sacrifices everything. else experiment. keep using new ideas but make sure. they're supported. by a complete .experience that we. want to return. to .again and again. and this doesn't just .apply to Paper Mario Mario and Luigi the series that. effectively replaced it has been. getting stripped and simplified in terms of plot. and world building in every. title that comes after bowser's Inside Story. it has to stop. please just take. a moment. to actually. listen to what .your ravenous fans want go anywhere. on the. Internet and. tell me what the vast .majority. of. people are saying that kind of response is not normal it's not healthy you. absolutely cannot deny that .nearly every Paper Mario fan was .extremely saddened by the. disturbingly casual announcement of. this game then when you're done reading angry. tweets. go and check out some. of. the many fan games or go and see just how absolutely. crazy we all. are about the idea of. using. all .sorts of Mario races as partners the idea of further expanding this world that you've already started creating. we want a real sequel to thousand-year door and we want. it. so badly there's nothing more I can. say Nintendo. except please please make the Paper Mario game. I know you're more. than capable of making that .we've been waiting so long for make it .silly and creative and charming with some cool new mechanic that. brings something. fresh. to the series but also .make it Paper Mario well thanks for. watching this .20-somethings heartfelt plea for a storybook themed baby came and just. in case I did get. the attention. of someone at Nintendo please let Pikmin. 4 have a level editor .please oh please oh please oh please oh please

[st33d]

Sandman

I’ve tried a lot of sandbox games over the past year. Mostly driven by acquiring a PC and leaving my Mac to its scheduled obsolescence. Playing games on a Mac is like playing Doom on a calculator. You celebrate that it works, it actually works, but it usually fails to be more than a proof of concept. When I switched back to a PC I discovered an entirely new realm of stubborn design. At least it wasn’t getting slower with each update and it deigned to play all manner of toys. Being quite turgid for roleplaying games I set about catching up with every RPG the Mac had denied me and checked out some more for good measure.

A common feature I discovered in many of these games is what I call the Back Breaker. You lift the game up high, then crash it down over your knee, broken. You are now free to explore the game how you choose - all of its secrets are laid bare. A lot of people get very upset at the inclusion of Back Breakers in what they hope will be a game with an ever ascending skill requirement. The notion that the audience is primarily there to explore is an insult - where, they ask, is the game? Personally I like this feature, I like that the end game is to become a god. This is why a lot of you will disagree with my assessments.

Skyrim

The sticking point for many people with this one is the combat. It’s dour grey-brown landscape invites a comparison to Dark Souls (I’ll get to that one in a bit) so people like Matt Lees will remark that Skyrim is an inferior counterpart. If you’re looking for tight combat in Skyrim, then like a 1st edition iPhone 5, you’re holding it wrong.

It insists you take it seriously over an unskippable introduction to the most tired hook that any roleplaying game can throw - the prison break. After shaking your screen as hard as it can with an assault by a dragon you are thrown into a scant and confusing interface in a land of ugly robotic people who are super fussy about what time they’re willing to sell things. On my 1st playthrough it got dark, so dark I couldn’t loot the mages I was killing for their expensive robes. I quit and rerolled a khajiit, purely because the wiki told me they had nightvision. It wasn’t until much later I discovered that there were many means of creating light, some of them causing fantastic AI behaviour (I nicknamed the spell Magelight; aggro-ball). Some short way into the terrible main quest line I thought, “sod this”, and went in search of the mage college to learn how to blow things up like some of the monsters were doing. This haphazard adventure was some of the best gameplay I’d ever encountered. A scared lowly girl-cat, picking her way through a hostile landscape in hope of learning real magic. Typical that when I finally arrived at the college I encountered the first blatant design wall in the shape of an unclimbable pillar that the college sat on. I barely had the mana to cast the spell that would prove me worthy to train there. A few hours later I was the archmage of the college. It would take many more hours before I mastered glitch-riding: taking the cereal box collision space of my horse and rubbing it against the prettiest parts of the scenery until it yielded to let me ride vertical. Out of the many hours of play the only real low point was getting turned into a vampire, I had to look up a wiki on how to cure it and reload many times because the quest to stop vampirism is broken.

There are many Back Breakers in Skyrim - I chose twin dremora lords that I chain-summoned to lock up the AI. But truly it is Skyrim’s pretty mountains and their unresolvable collision meshes that are the best. Only after hours of play does one develop an art for sniffing out details that defy edge-case-programming. Skyrim is a perfect mess. I know why they keep re-releasing it, they got lucky. One need only play the Dragonborn DLC to see Skyrim at its worst. It is a hard game to recommend, for it is not really a game, it is a thing both ugly and beautiful.

% out of 10

The Witcher 3

“Stick with it”, they say. Few games deserve such an epithet as this one. The controls are fiddly. One’s inventory is so dense with options that I didn’t realise that my potions refilled themselves until I’d nearly finished the game. After which my character sported full-body-priapism as I quaffed every decoction available. The turning point from hating this game to loving it was a side quest where a character caught Geralt off guard when being subject to the witcher’s advice - the townsfolk declared him a freak not because he was like Geralt, but because they were intolerant of homosexuals. I then got drawn further into the man’s drama. Every single story this game presents is trying to be Not So Simple. It’s a manifesto that leaks into the game’s bestiary that tells you not only what a monster likes for dinner, but your best tactics for killing it. But then, it’s Not So Simple as killing a monster, there is always another layer to each story.

It took at least three score hours of gameplay before I started skipping some of the many cutscenes. One of them was the infamous sex-on-a-stuffed-unicorn. It was a fault of the main storyline being so lackluster. I never really cared for Ciri, I found her even more fiddly to control than her tutor. But the extra layers that surround it: the Bloody Baron, stupidly shagging Keira Metz, the numerous detective scenes - they all carry this game. It is a shame it takes a few hours for it to reveal itself.

I must commend the map design for being sensible enough to be broken into several parts. You first explore a tutorial village before moving into war torn Velen and its haunting soundtrack. Here you work until you can gain passage to the north, the islands, and your home. Many sandboxes simply give you one map to conquer and contort it to stop you wandering into the final challenge. It’s refreshing to move on to a clean map, full of new challenges and surprises.

I couldn’t be arsed to play Gwent.

Trophy out of Archgriffin

Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This game has three stages: Delight, Depression, and Exploration.

Delight

Oh wow, there’s so many things to do. And so many things interact with one another. The sense of discovery comes not only from reaching new locations, but also finding new ways for elements to interact. Of course wood burns. Of course burning creates an updraft. Of course metal conducts electricity. Even after many hours of play there are still new things to find. So strange that the game is as dense as it is... empty.

Depression

Ugh, I don’t have a horse and I’m in yet another blank area. Ugh, I lack just enough stamina to climb this mountain, I’ll have to start all over again. Ugh, I can’t stay in this area because I take damage and the food I eat to stop it only lasts ten minutes. Ugh, I complained about all of this online and everyone keeps saying, “I don’t have a problem, the game works fine for me, Git Gud.” As often as I meet people who have played this game in excess of 100 hours, I also meet people who have played it for less than 10. If you are unlucky, if you don’t make the right connections, if you don’t stumble upon the right thing, this game is truly depressing. Made more so by the amount of people who cannot fathom why anyone would have trouble with the game. And yet there are many that do. It is not really that they need to be better at games, it is merely because they have not found the Back Breakers. Or worse, they do not appreciate them.

Exploration

After needless hours of collecting (grinding) you find yourself in possession of armour. You upgrade the armour again and again and suddenly the cloud of depression is lifted (if it was ever there). You are free to explore any edge of the island, you simply need to wear the right threads. At this stage of the game you have found many secrets but still keep finding more. Korok seeds, the OCD baiting puzzles, become a delight to find. It’s hard to remember the game ever being frustrating, but it remains in the back of my mind. Zelda BotW has a hump, a hump that some people will feel very aggrieved to surmount. Do not be surprised when you hear of someone bouncing off this game - it really is torture for people with precious little play time or patience.

Perhaps I should say something about the shrine dungeons or the 4 beast dungeons. They exist. There, I said it.

96 out of 120

Path of Exile

I tried this many years ago on my Mac using some sort of Windows executable wrapper. It did not work. I tried again when I got my new PC, I was underwhelmed. I tried yet again two weeks ago - holy shit this is the best action RPG I’ve ever played. The fact that it’s also free is sort of a weird blessing. You can only buy cosmetics and extra slots, so it even has a total lack of pay-to-win going for it. At least they get to keep expanding and updating it, which is probably why my recent play through was so smooth.

Diablo 2 is one of my all time favourites. It’s a concise loop of murder, loot, sell. But not without flaws. It has cruft, tedium, and imbalance in spades.

Path of Exile shuffles the formula and bets the whole thing on loot. Skills are loot. Money is loot (you pay with scrolls and item modifying tools, no gold). Equipment is loot. Yet playing it like Diablo is quite a silly thing to do - you get almost nothing from items you try to sell to vendors, so you no longer make trips back and forth with junk items. Leveling up is spent on a massive passive skill tree shared by all the classes, so the game sees no need to forestall leveling because it’s not the gatekeeper of mechanics. The items are. This occurs by way of gems that you socket into items, a bit like Diablo 2 and 3, but instead of boring damage bonuses you get entirely new mechanics. If you play with several characters in the same league they can share these items as well (providing they are strong enough to wield them). A mere ten levels into the game I had a full on rave of undead surrounding my witch character like she was the hottest new DJ at a halloween party.

I refrained from playing on hardcore because the game is online only and my internet sucks, but the game does boast a challenge that is mandatory hardcore. A multi-part dungeon that rewards you with a new section for your skill tree. Complete it without dying and you get to specialise. This is further complicated by deadly treasure rooms you must salvage keys from in order to unlock the many chests at the end. This was quite an exciting challenge with real stakes and real swearing when I let my greed get the better of me.

So what of its flaws? It takes a few goes to shake off the Diablo conditioning, so it’s not until you hit act 2 and try again from scratch that you figure out a strategy for building a character. The passive skill tree has a handy search feature and after I typed “minion” into it I was determined to carve a path through the best parts. If you don’t plan your route, you miss out on your mana rocketing back to full, your health restoring, or in my case: zombie disco. It’s online only and if you insist on playing over the weekend it can be a very choppy experience. The chat is a sewage pipe, a stream of edgelord douchebaggery. Go into the options and turn it off. I’ve yet to meet anyone that wants to form a party and every time I look at it I’m certain I don’t want to. There’s little to say of the story, it’s not bad though. I appreciate that it doesn’t try to get in the way like Diablo 3′s did. Perhaps if they had taken their loot thesis a step further they could have buried it in the game’s items. Then all this hoarding would have expanded into something like an archaeology dig. A missed opportunity.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O out of Shiny Armour

Shadow of Mordor

It’s quite cool and exciting to begin with. We’re in Mordor with lots of grim orcs and cool cutscenes, and... is that a bush? Oh okay, it just popped into existence. Nevermind. Well at least sneaking around is fun... my finger hurts a lot though because they want me to hold down the trigger button for ages. Yeah, ganking orcs is cool, it’s real fun shooting them in the head... oh, I have to do these crappy sword fights where I only press two buttons throughout the whole thing.

This game is like someone who seems fascinating and pretty from afar, but soon as you talk to them at length you begin to realise that they’re quite boring. They just say the same thing over and over. It’s a sausage party that gets slowly more off putting as I play. The developers don’t even seem to know that women exist outside of being trophies or reasons to be angry about stuff. The main draw in this game is apparently the battles with the orc leaders, which I found to be the most boring part of the game. I hated the sword combat and it kept dragging me back to it. After doing every arrow and dagger challenge I could find on the map I left the game and never played it again.

Gollum out of Mordor

Dark Souls

in my game Ending I structured the second level so that the player would step forward and get a slap to the face in the shape of an unfair death. This was my opening salvo, death is your education. So after persisting with Dark Souls I’m somewhat nonplussed. I get it. By repeatedly killing the player they form a mental map of the area. By repeatedly killing the player they encourage experimentation.

Except that this doesn’t always work. There has to be some investment on the behalf of the player or this magic completely fails. If the player feels like they can walk away, they will. And they do. It’s why I believe Dark Souls is such a hit with game reviewers, they are beholden to persist, and in doing so the game makes a believer of them.

I on the other hand couldn’t care less. A tedious march through the same janky fights to get to the same boss I still don’t understand is nothing more than that. I tried a variety of combat techniques, from trying to interrupt attacks, to blocking, to evading, all of it very unsatisfying. What little progress I made illuminated the premise, to internalise the map and hone my skills, but I was not impressed. I enjoyed not one second of it, I only endured. I experimented and I explored, but never was I delighted.

The very worst thing that Dark Souls has given us is complacency towards killing the player. I have heard designers remark that it didn’t matter that the player died in that spot in their game because Dark Souls kills the player all the time. It makes me want to shake them. Dark Souls does not kill you all the time, it kills you for a specific reason. See, I get it, I get Dark Souls, I just don’t enjoy the combat.

Soul out of Estus

Divinity Original Sin 2

I had the worst time with Divinity Original Sin. My two characters insisted on bickering and ruining every conversation - no matter how many times I reloaded a scene they would find a way to trash it. I eventually found myself locked out of every quest in the game and unable to fight my way past monsters higher than my level. I was playing the game to forget about a failed relationship where my ex would find excuses to start arguments. It was about as bad an experience playing a game I could ever hope for.

To say the sequel is an improvement is true. To a point. Somehow I’ve done it again and gotten trapped in an area with no quests to advance and monsters too powerful to fight past. I’ve muddled my way past some really irritating quests with obtuse requirements that I’m told can be solved in many ways. Except that when you fail to chase a particular lead it’s really frustrating to have to try a dozen different tactics to shake out a solution. It feels like I’ve picked up my PC and I’m rattling it over my head until the game agrees to let me move on. People keep telling me I can solve situations in dozens of ways, but all of them seem very specific and very intent on being a dick about it.

The combat is as amazing as it is chaotic. Environmental effects are at the fore, making it feel very D&D-like as you slow people down with oil and then ignite the oil and so on. The story I felt was okay, but the tone is all over the place, making it impossible to give a shit. Some nice touches with elves gaining visions from eating flesh and anyone can choose perks for talking to animals - but I found it more infuriating than cute after searching an entire island to solve a riddle, only to have a rat explain to me that I had to talk to some NPC again in order to shake, shake, shake out the solution. For every ounce of fun I got two ounces of frustration and misery.

1 out of 2

Dungeon World

Out of all the table top roleplaying games I’ve tried, this one was the most robust for casual play. Especially seeing as roleplayers are the most unreliable people on the planet. The resolution system it employs forces a plot twist every time you use it, so it’s impossible to plan anything. It’s not for everyone, you end up with a very gonzo story without the fiddly depth that other roleplaying games manage. On the other hand it’s a dream to be the Games Master and watch a story unfold instead of meticulously planning it and seeing a conclusion land that tears apart your ideas instead of adding to them. I wrote a full guide of how I run this game over here. The campaign is effectively a sandbox, I let people explore and fill in the map as we go - which is why I mention it. I’d like a computer game that approached it this way, not like Dwarf Fortress where a randomly generated overworld is dumped on you. Instead I’d like a piecemeal discovery of the world, one that reacts to the tensions you’ve created. Perhaps I’ll have to do it myself.

Story out of Players

[mr-beebleboose]

UNDERTALE FANFIC/NOVEL/THING

Adventurer by Name, Adventurer by Nature - Chapter 1

A/N: So this is basically an interpretation of the True Pacifist Route of Undertale, based on @therealjacksepticeye ’s playthrough of the game. The protagonist is my own character, not Frisk (no offence to them, I love the smol bean) but it follows the events of Jack’s playthrough and the dialogue is a word for word transcript from Jack’s videos. I started writing this about a year ago, if not longer, and I think it’s finally time to share it. If people like it, I’ll continue to upload it as I write it. This is just chapter 1, ending just before you enter the ruins, after your encounter with Flowey. In my word document, the characters’ dialogue is actually in the Undertale font but it doesn’t translate over to Tumblr so you’ll just have to imagine it’s in that awesome font. 

SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE OF THE TRUE PACIFIST ROUTE OF THE GAME ‘UNDERTALE’ BY TOBY FOX. I DON’T OWN THE PLOT OR THE DIALOGUE IN BOLD OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT THE PROTAGONIST, KIT. I AM NOT MAKING ANY PROFIT FROM THIS.

They zipped up their jacket, laced their shoes and donned their backpack before grabbing the rope and harness.

Approaching the cliff edge, Kit Ross stared down into the deep, dark depths of Mount Ebott.

Legend has it that, hundreds of years ago, the village had been inhabited by a coven of witches and warlocks who had taken a drastic step in the monster vs human war, banishing the monsters underneath the mountain with a magic spell.

It was rarely taught in history classes, though, so it’s more like a myth. Either way, Kit was going to find out soon enough: they’d gotten bored and decided to go camping in the caves for a few nights.

They secured the rope around a boulder and clipped their harness to it. After a double check, they turned on their headlamp and climbed down into the abyss.

Wait, wasn’t it supposed to be getting darker the further they descended…? Yet, the cavern was strangely light at the bottom. Kit turned their head round to try and get a better look at whatever was emitting the mysterious glow: big mistake. In taking their eyes off the rock face before them, they failed to notice a particularly sharp, jagged rock that jutted out from the wall. It snagged on their rope and, before they knew it, snapped the rope and sent them plummeting to the rocky floor below.

Heart in their mouth, Kit squeezed their eyes shut and braced themselves for the painful impact of their body on the ground. Luckily for them, the rope had snapped just short of a dozen or so feet from the floor, meaning they landed with a heavy thud and a bump to the head, but otherwise relatively unscathed.

Sitting up and brushing off the dust from their clothes, Kit noticed that they had landed in a luminous bed of golden flowers. Odd; there was no one down here to tend for them.

Gingerly rubbing their head, they removed their abseiling gear and packed it into their bag. Walking for a bit, they inspected the nearby area (just rocks and darkness, nothing of interest) before stopping to pull out a water bottle from their bag. Just as they unzipped the rucksack, they heard a voice:

“Howdy!”

Instincts fuelled Kit and they turned, quickly withdrawing their pocket knife. Then it registered- they were stood in front of a yellow-petaled flower…with a face. That apparently just talked.

“…what the fu-”

“I’m Flowey! Flowey the Flower!” exclaimed the plant in a disgustingly sweet voice.

“I… I can see you’re a flower…”

‘How hard did I bang my head?’ they thought, holding the knife tightly.

“Hmm, you’re new to the underground, aren’t ya? Golly, you must be so confused!” cried the shrill voice with a shit-eating grin.

“Yeah, no kidding…” Kit mumbled. They kept the knife raised as they inched closer.

“Someone ought to tell you how things work around here!” Kit rolled their eyes, already sensing the craziness of the situation.

“I guess little old me will have to do! Ready?” Kit nodded hesitantly. “Here we go!”

Suddenly, the room went dark and two spotlights fell upon Kit and ‘Flowey’.

“See that heart?” asked the flower. Kit felt a heavy weight on their chest and looked down to see a red, heart-shaped pendant hanging from their neck on a gold chain. “That’s your soul; the very culmination of your being!”

Yeah, Kit was calling bullshit on this so hard. Nevertheless, they politely signalled for the yellow flower to continue.

“Your soul starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV!”

Kit glanced down and noticed the pendant was surrounded by a mere layer of glass. They frowned.

“LV?”

“What’s LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course!” the flower cried.

Kit resisted the urge to cringe.

“You want some love, don’t you?”

“Uhh…” Kit didn’t think so, anyway.

“Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you!” the flower winked and five…blobs appeared around it. Kit’s eyes widened in shock as they started to question life and their sanity.

They were dreaming, right? This couldn’t be real…they pinched themselves just to make sure, but nothing happened.

“Down here, love is shared through little white ‘friendliness pellets’.”

Okay, that definitely sounded fake; “friendliness pellets”? For a split second, Kit could have sworn that the flower’s face switched into a malicious grin, if only for a mere moment, but it could’ve just been a trick of the light. When they blinked, it was smiling, just as before.

“Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!” Suddenly, the white ‘friendliness pellets’ were moving towards Kit.

Now, Kit didn’t make a deliberate move to grab them, but curiosity got the better of them and they didn’t move away from one headed for their arm.

They didn’t know what they expected to happen, but searing hot pain and an open, bleeding wound certainly wasn’t it.

They cried out and grabbed their arm before noticing the flower’s face: a terrifying evil grin.

“You idiot,” came the distorted voice. “In this world, it’s kill or BE killed.”

Kit sneered at the two-faced dick of a plant before them.

“Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?!” The face turned into a smug smile as the five orbs multiplied into hundreds and encircled Kit, leaving no gap for escape, except…

“DIE,” screeched the monster-plant, and the trap started to close in on Kit slowly. Unfortunately for ‘Flowey’, it wasn’t a very well thought out trap; the orbs hovered at Kit’s waist level, which just happened to be about 3 feet above the ground.

They brandished their knife and, in a very Indiana Jones style move, rolled forward under the bullets. They stabbed the blade through an exposed leaf, pinning it to the floor. The plant released a high-pitched shriek as the trap faded into nothingness.

“I don’t know what the fuck just happened or what the hell you are, but you leave me alone y’hear?!” Kit demanded angrily. ‘Flowey’ nodded (if plants can nod…) and tried to retreat underground again but was hindered by Kit’s knife.

They removed it mercifully, letting the flower go: they never were the one for killing. It quickly disappeared back into the soft earth with a squawk of fear, leaving the cave silent.

Kit sat back, staring at the bleeding wound on their arm. They put the pen-knife back in their bag and went to stand up when they came face to face with a purple fabric and a white insignia, surrounded by white fur. Shocked, they fell back and landed on their arm, inhaling sharply in shock and pain.

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…” came a soft, warm voice from above them.

Kit scrambled back, getting to their feet and pulling their knife out again. They were certainly more scared now; there was no adrenaline, no fear or pain fuelling them now. This was a…a creature at least 3 times larger than Kit, not just some stupid plant. God knew the damage that could be done to them in this moment.

“D-Don’t come too close, I’m not afraid to use this!” they stammered unconvincingly, pen-knife trembling in their hand. This…being…was at least 6 foot tall, if not taller, and resembled some sort of bull or goat. It had small horns on its head and wore a purple…dress? Soft white fur encompassed its whole body, and although it didn’t appear threatening, Kit was extremely on edge.

“Ah, do not be afraid, my child,” said the being, kneeling down to match Kit’s height more, smiling a sincere smile. “I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins.” It gestured to the surrounding cave that was a lot less scary in the presence of this…woman? It appeared female, but who was Kit to judge someone’s gender…do animal-monsters even have genders? Either way, this being was no more threatening than a bumble bee bumping into a window on a hot, summer’s day.

“I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down,” she continued, standing up again. She had to be nearly 7 foot in height, towering over Kit’s tiny 5’6” frame.

“I came here to camp,” they explained, realising how dumb that sounded compared to the fact that the monsters from the legends actually exist. “I was abseiling down when my rope snapped and then I ran into that…thing,” they said, pointing at where the plant had appeared. “I didn’t…expect anyone to be down here,” they admitted, looking back up at the goat-woman-being.

“You are the first human to come here in a long time.”

“Makes sense,” nodded Kit. “No one believes in the myths and legends: they just think this is a normal mountain. When that kid fell down here and was never seen again, people started to avoid it like the plague. Now it…sort of makes sense.” Kit put the knife away in their pocket for easy access and hissed as their burnt arm flexed. As they looked down, they saw something odd – the heart pendant had a small crack in it and was glowing a little less brightly than it had been before. “Huh…guess that weed was right,” they mumbled, fingering it curiously. But…how could a simple necklace actually represent their soul? Kit hadn’t even been aware that souls existed until now.

Toriel gasped when she saw the wound, putting a gentle hand-thing on Kit’s uninjured shoulder. “Come! I will guide you through the catacombs,” she said, leading Kit to a purple archway that they hadn’t spotted before. It appeared to be made of marble, consisting of two huge pillars and a curved segment joining them at the top. Within the curved arch was a strange symbol that sort of looked like wings, in Kit’s eyes.

“This way.”

Kit grabbed their bag and shouldered it, Toriel leading the way further and further into the mountain…

[addicted-to-ragehappy]

Another Stay Heart [Chapter 2] [Platonic AH OT6]

Title: Another Stray Heart

Pairing: Friendship AH OT6

Rating: K+

Genre: AU/General

Words: 2789

Prompt/Summary: The world can be a cruel place, for some more than others. This is the story of how six very different kids came together to face the troubles of everyday life. This is the story of how six kids found belonging within one another.

A/N: Chapter 2 is here! Sorry for the long wait! ~No One

–

“Holy shit, Geoff. You look terrible.”

Geoff simply grunted in response, keeping his head low as he passed through the hallway. His normally bright blue eyes were dull, even more lidded-over than they usually were. “Thanks, asshole. You’d look like shit too if your grandmother was even half as psychotic as my mom is.”

“What did she do now?” Jack tilted his head. “I mean, messy office aside. Do you need to crash at my place for a few days to get away from her?”

“I don’t know anymore, dude.” Geoff sighed heavily. “My mom has been dumb as dicks lately, and I just don’t know how to handle it. Last night when she got home from her friend’s house, she just started breaking things. She grabbed whatever she could reach from the moment she walked in the door and just started throwing it at the walls and on the floor. My stepfather tried calming her down, but she chased him out. He hasn’t been home since.”

The slightly scruffy male shook his head. He knew things were getting bad, but this was a new low. “Are you okay? I mean, did she hurt you at all?”

“Well, I mean… Here, I’ll show you.” Looking around to make sure no teachers were in sight, Geoff pulled Jack into the private bathroom and locked the door. Setting his things down, he took off his black t-shirt, revealing a fresh, poorly-bandaged wound on his shoulder. “To be fair, I don’t think she actually meant to hit me with the bottle she threw. I think she was just trying to scare me upstairs.”

Jack’s eyes widened. The white bandages were stained a dark red, though it looked dry. “Geoff, you have to tell someone about this. Your mom could kill herself or you at the rate she’s going now!”

Geoff shook his head quickly. “I can’t do it, Jack. She’s psycho, but she’s still my mom. And I don’t want my stepdad to get mad at me for turning her in. He may be getting the abuse too, but he loves her. And I do too.”

Though Jack so desperately wanted to shake some sense into Geoff, he knew he wouldn’t be able to, so he temporarily gave up. “I understand. It’s hard. But if you want to get out for a few days, my door is always open.”

“Dude, you have no idea how happy I am right now.”

--

As Michael woke the next morning to a rain-soaked landscape, he silently thanked himself for accepting Ray’s offer the night before. Though the day was clear now, and the moisture would soon be dried, the relentless rain would have soaked the poor child to the bone. Not to mention he was now able to avoid an awkward conversation with the principal, who already had suspicions about Michael’s situation. But he pushed the darker thoughts aside as he hopped off the bus, Ray following closely behind.

“The Halo tournament we had last night was awesome!” Ray bragged, pushing past a few bigger kids to keep up with Michael.

“Yeah, for you maybe.” Michael huffed in slight annoyance, but Ray could sense the underlying tone of teasing. “You beat me every. Single. Round.” The redhead let out a large yawn. “And it was really late when we got to bed!”

Ray shrugged and ducked into the library, sneaking into the corner where he’d meet Michael every morning. “Sorry. Mama didn’t come home last night and tell me to go to bed like she usually does. She must’ve been busy.”

“You’re a dummy, Ray. You know that?” Michael sat down on the floor next to his friend, silently thankful that the librarian hadn’t arrived to kick them out yet. He spaced out into his own thoughts, blocking out Ray’s continued gloating about their Halo playthrough. He hadn’t had such a good night in a long time, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to give it up so soon. “Hey, Ray?”

“-and then I-” Ray stopped at Michael’s interruption, and then laughed. “Oh, sorry. Got carried away. What is it?”

The redhead offered him a sheepish smile. “I don’t like asking, but do you want company again tonight? If I was too much trouble last night, I understand.”

Ray’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “You’re never any trouble. There’s always room at my house for you!”

“Thank you, that’s-”

“Boys! Get to the playground or the cafeteria with the rest of the students!”

Jumping at the sound of the Librarian’s voice, they both stood quickly and scrambled to the door, plunging themselves into the warm and sticky Austin morning.

--

Ryan had never been more grateful for the rain; after his dumpster dive, he had been left smelling rather unpleasant, and the rain had helped wash it away. Though his set of clothes would be worse for wear, he set them at the bottom of his bag and changed into some cleaner ones. He was currently sat on a swing on the older side of the playground, watching the other kids play. Through the corner of his eye, he saw the kid he helped the previous night run out into the playground with his friend, and was glad to see that the curly-haired boy was doing okay. I should go say hi, but I did just leave without warning. He probably won’t want to talk to me.

Ryan’s attention was soon forced from his thoughts when he heard a commotion by the door. He couldn’t see well from where he was sitting; just a group of older kids a fair distance away, all standing around something. Upon further investigation, which required him to get off the swing and sneak closer, he saw that the older kids were surrounding a younger kid. The kid didn’t look any older than nine or ten. Deciding that he wanted to see what was going on, Ryan remained in the background, keeping himself neutral for the time being.

“Please, just give it back…” the child pleaded.

“Aww, wittle Gavvy-wavvy wants his pwecious kitty plush back,” one of the kids teased. Ryan recognized the voice. Joel Heyman. “Why don’t you just get mommy and daddy to buy you another one?”

The kid, who Ryan now knew as Gavin, looked like he was about to cry. However, he remained strong. “I-I said please… I really want her back, so, uh… please give her back?”

Joel snorted. “It’s a her? How cute.” He looked over to one of the others in the circle. Burnie Burns, a kid in Ryan’s class. “How about we make it disappear, Burns?”

“No, please!”

“Hey, leave the kid alone, Joel.” Ryan had heard enough, and he pushed through the layer of kids so he was standing between Burnie, Joel, and Gavin. He held out his hand. “Just give him his toy back. You don’t need it, and he wants it.”

“That stupid rich brat can get another one if he asks for it! He doesn’t need this one!” Burnie snatched the stuffed animal from Joel and pulled at a weak spot in the already-worn seam. The tearing sound was quiet, but it was enough to emit a whine from Gavin.

Ryan felt his patience grow thin. “Grow up, Burnie. You stole a stuffed animal from a nine-year-old boy. It’s probably special to him, so quit being a jerk and give it back before I make you.” His eyes were hard. “I mean it.”

“Fine. I didn’t want it anyway.” Scoffing, Burnie threw it in the dirt. “Stupid kid.” With a huff, he grabbed Joel by the collar of his shirt and stormed away, instantly disbanding the circle. Some of the kids followed Joel and Burnie, while others resumed what they were doing before Burnie caused a scene.

Sighing in relief, Ryan picked the stuffed animal up and handed it back to Gavin. “Be more careful with your things, buddy. Those guys are jerks and like to pick on the younger kids. And I can’t be getting in trouble for beating up bullies.”

“T-thank you, I will…” Gavin held the stuffed cat tightly, afraid to let go. “Who are you?”

“I’m Ryan.”

“Cool! I’m Gavin!” The small child looked extremely happy for some reason. “Hey, Ryan?”

“Yeah?”

“You seem really nice, and no one’s ever really been nice to me… Plus, you scared away mean Burnie! Can we be friends?”

The dirty blonde smiled. Though he and Gavin were a few years apart in age, and they’d only just met, he felt as though he and Gavin had a connection. So he nodded. “Sure, Gavin. I’ll be your friend.”

Gavin squealed in delight. “I’ve never had a proper friend before. This will be top!” He giggled before turning away. “I’m gonna go put my kitty away before class. Bye Ryan!”

“Bye, Gavin!” Ryan watched the young boy run back inside, and he felt warm. Not only had he helped Gavin out, but he’d also made a friend. Looking up at the bright blue sky, he knew it would be a good day.

--

Ray had been thrilled when Michael had asked to stay over for another night. Normally, he was arguing with his friend to have him come over just for dinner, so the inquiry had been unexpected, but welcome nonetheless. He would be less lonely for one more night.

But Ray couldn’t find his best friend anywhere.

Though he and Michael had walked outside together, the crowd of seventh graders had plowed through the pair, and gotten them separated in the process. He’d initially considered waiting for Michael by the rock where they’d first met, but after seeing the older kids surrounding it, he knew Michael wouldn’t go over there.

“Michael?” Ray called in distress. “Where did you go?” He’d never found himself lost on a school playground before, but it was as if the kids on the playground had multiplied suddenly. I guess breakfast was gross today.

He was about to give up his hunt and head inside when he bumped – quite literally – into someone much taller than him. “Sorry!” he squeaked, looking up at the student he ran into. The man was tall, and had a bit of curly facial hair. Most of the older boys were bare-faced, so he was fairly easy to pick out.

“It’s okay.” The older boy smiled at him. “Why aren’t you with your friends?”

“Well, I, uh…” Ray looked at the ground in shame. “I… Kinda lost him when the big kids came out, and I can’t find him.” Suddenly, he got an idea. “I know! Can you help me find him?”

To Ray’s surprise, he nodded. “Sure, why not. My name is Jack, what’s yours?”

“Ray.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Ray. Maybe you can help me find my friend Geoff. I seem to have lost him as well.”

Ray nodded. “Deal. Let’s go!”

--

Geoff grumbled loudly, pushing through the sea of students as he looked for Jack. After hearing a noise, Geoff had looked away for a moment, and when he’d looked back, Jack had disappeared. Stupid Jack. Running off to check out every noise he hears. What is he, six? Geoff shook his head. How do you even lose a five-foot-eight guy with a beard?! He had decided to turn back and head to class early when he spotted a redheaded kid in the crowd, looking as though he was trying to find something. Hey, kids are good at finding things. “Hey, kid!”

The curly-haired child turned around and glared at Geoff. “My name is Michael, stupid!”

Oh great. He’s friendly. “Fine, sorry. Hey, Michael, can you help me with something?”

“Wait! You didn’t even tell me your name!” Michael turned away. “You’re not very polite, are you?”

Geoff had to suppress the world’s biggest eye roll as he kept himself level-headed. Michael was more difficult than he anticipated. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. My name is Geoff.”

“Better.” Michael snorted. “But why do you need my help? You’re bigger than me!”

“I lost a friend of mine, and I could use your help finding him. He’s tall – taller than me – and has some hair on his face.” Geoff snickered at Michael’s blank expression. “Do you think you could give me a hand?”

The redhead was silent for a moment, and then nodded. “Sure, I guess so. Maybe I’ll find Ray while we look.”

“Great, thanks!” Geoff allowed Michael to latch himself to his pant leg as he walked at a slow pace, looking for Jack and Michael’s friend. “Hey, Michael. You’re not scared of heights, are you?”

“Not me! I’m the great Mogar! I’m not afraid of anything!” Michael crossed his arms. “Why?”

Geoff said nothing in response; instead, he lifted Michael onto his shoulders so he could see above the crowd. “Okay, now do you see either of them? Jack’s kind of a big guy.”

Michael squinted as he searched the crowd, before he grinned. “If he’s the stupid-looking one with the big head, then yeah! I think I see Ray with him, too!”

“Perfect.” Geoff lowered Michael back onto the ground. “Lead me towards them, oh great Mogar!” He laughed as he was pulled through the crowd until he was face-to-face with Jack. “How the hell did you get lost, stupid?”

“I’m not stupid! I knew where I was!” Jack huffed. “It’s not my fault you- Oh, it looks like you found a small companion as well.”

Geoff watched Michael as he detached from his arm and ran over to his friend. “Yeah, his name is Michael. He’s got more attitude than anyone I know, but he seems to be a good kid.”

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but his words were lost as the first bell rang. “Crud, time to go inside.” He hung his head and started for the door, Geoff following behind closely. He heard Michael and Ray talking to each other, and suddenly caught the question “I wonder if we’re friends now?” from Ray. “Hey, Geoff, you hear that?”

“Yeah.” Geoff chuckled and turned to the two younger boys. “Sure, guys. We’re friends now.”

--

School had passed by slowly for Gavin, but thanks to Ryan, Burnie and Joel had left him alone for the rest of the day. He scanned the torn spot in his stuffed cat, deeming it ripped enough to be fixed, but not damaged enough to be replaced. I’m so glad Ryan stopped him.

When school let out, Gavin tried spotting his new friend, but his search ended with inconclusive results. He must’ve left already, Gavin decided. Instead of taking the bus home, Gavin opted to walk, wanting to embrace the warm spring afternoon. Though he didn’t walk often, it didn’t take him long to arrive to his large estate, but he was surprised to spot his parents’ expensive cars still sitting out front.

“Oh, Gavin’s home, gotta go.” was what Gavin heard upon entering his home. “Gavin, you’re late.”

“Sorry Mum, I walked home today.” But Gavin smiled. “Something amazing happened to me today! I got attacked by these bullies but then this other kid got up in their faces and told them to leave me alone and then we-”

His mother waved him off easily. “That’s nice, sweetie. Your father and I are leaving for a trip. We’ll be gone for a few days, but we called Barbara to watch you, since I know she’s your favorite.”

Gavin’s energetic demeanor dropped when he realized his mother didn’t want to hear about his day. With a drop of his shoulders, he nodded. “Okay, Mum.”

“That’s a good boy. Now, Barbara won’t be here for another hour, but I know you’ll be all right by yourself for a bit. Be good, now!” His mother just waved to him as she walked out the door, and he heard his parents start their cars. Gavin walked over to the window and watched as the two shiny cars pulled out of the driveway and sped off.

I don’t understand. Why doesn’t Mum spend time with me anymore? Gavin missed the days that he lived in England, before his parents got rich. His mother gave him hugs and kisses every day, and his father would try – and fail – to teach him how to play sports. Those days ended when they moved to the US.

But at least I had a friend now. The reminder of his new mate brightened up his mood a bit, and he went out to the back patio to wait for Barbara. Though his parents weren’t in his life as much as they used to be, he at least had Barbara and Ryan to talk to. Perhaps, Gavin thought, he’d be okay.