#ash is still bad at understanding romance

[torchiccakes]

Is that what you call this Ash?

Being off in their own world,

“a friendship of the fists,”

while surrounded by hearts.

Is that what no-homo platonic buddy pals do?

I think Goh would say otherwise.

[atierrorian]

| Glad it's you | — R.H

PARING: Rook Hunt x Deaf!reader

SYNOPSIS: All your entire life, you knew silence. But—it isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Because even with your biggest flaw, he still chose you.

˗ˏˋGENRE ´ˎ˗ — Romance, fluff, angst/comfort

˗ˏˋCW ´ˎ˗ — Rook is already a warning. Ooc, mentions of bullying, stalking(It's Rook, duh) horrible poetry.

˗ˏˋNOTES ´ˎ˗ — Wow! It has been a while and I am so sorry for not making anything in quite some time, I've become so busy nowadays that writing has barely crossed my mind, so I'll make most of my free time writing this!

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♡ "Are you really willing to accept me?" ♡ "I've accepted you a long time ago."

People always pitied you for as long as you can remember now. Frequently assuming it must be hard not being able to hear. And yeah, sometimes—but it isn't as bad as they make it out to be, if anything, you find solace in the silent world you have lived in all your life. Sure, there were times when it was hard to understand people, especially if they didn't know sign language.

Luckily, you mostly used poems to interact with them. Though, it was amusing to see them struggle to grasp your poems—that's what makes it fun anyway.

And so, making use of your skills, you swiftly wrote down another poem for a certain hunter. He's one of the few people you've known who could actually decipher what your poems meant. And it's not to say each and every time you show him your masterpiece, he always seems to be on your level when it came to writing back to you.

It always makes you feel giddy inside when he writes back to you. Re-reading every syllable. Caressing the ink that was clearly carefully written with such consideration with each word he used, you couldn't help but feel as though he was hinting to you about something.

You scoffed; shaking the thought away. Who were you trying to fool? This was the Rook Hunt you were thinking about! He's like this with everyone. Besides—why would he go for someone who had a defect? To say the least, you weren't insecure with your disability but, thinking about the blonde hunter who seemed to always cross your mind whenever you wrote—you couldn't help but feel your heart tightening in your chest from such thoughts.

In the end, why would he choose you? You're nothing special, far from it anyway. You're just someone who could never hear and someone who just writes to communicate. But, even then, you were still wrapped around his fingertips. And besides—it doesn't hurt to hope, right?

You felt a hand placed on your shoulder, you froze. You had never stayed still like a statue so fast in your entire life until now. What? Millions of thoughts were racing through your mind right now—was it another of the students who were here to once again chuck balled up papers again? Take your poems away from you and ripped them to pieces or flames it until there's nothing left but ashes?

"Awww, what's this? Another one of your silly stories?"

"Look! It's another one of their love poems!"

"Pathetic if you ask me."

You didn't focused on them, you never even knew what they were saying, and you could care less what insults or degrading comments they were spewing from their filthy mouth. Your knees on the ground while clutching onto what was remains of the paper you once cherished. And they tore it all up like it was nothing.

Shuddering from the memory, you closed your eyes and continued to look at your lap; prepared for whatever torture they were gonna do to you again. Tore your poems? Throw paper at you? Mocking at you while you cry in tears because they had nearly killed you? What else did they had in store for you?

You gripped the paper even harder, shutting your eyelids even tighter if that was even possible. You were scared.

Huh.

You felt a piece of paper slid onto your lap, hesitantly, bit by bit, you forced your eyes to open to see what it was. Was it an insult written in a letter? If so, then you're surprised that they were even intelligent enough to finally realized that you had a hearing disability instead of using their vocals to try and insult you.

But no, it was not anything you expected or thought. Instead, your vision was blessed with a familiar handwriting. Subconsciously, you read what was was written on the white letter that graced your sight, and goodness it always doesn't fail to make your blood rushing through your face. By the sevens, how does he always make you feel this way?

Why such a blue face? You don't need to be ashamed of such a heartache; If you need someone to wipe your tears, my heart will gladly volunteer; What you consider flaws, is what I consider perfection —

Mon Cherie, you are the belle of my dairy heart, You, sweetheart, have me wrapped around your fingertips; I will never let go of the string that wraps around my wrist; That connects me, to you.

My heart beats loudly; even you could hear it— If your heart longs for anything, Mon cherie, just write to me; And tell me all your silly sorrows. -Rook Hunt

Though it was short and simple, you couldn't help but re-read the words every now and then. You smiled seeing the words written on the paper. How could you not? His words sweet like candy, it was addicting in a way even you were worried you wouldn't get enough of it. Or maybe it's too late for you.

Your heart started racing so fast you thought even you could hear it. The more you examined the poem the more it started to look like a love confession. But it couldn't be that, could it? You so badly wanted to hope that you had a chance but you didn't want to get your hopes up.

You, sweetheart, have me wrapped around your fingertips.

Those lines, shit, you couldn't help but swoon over them. Clutching the poem, you finally gazed at the author with wonders and hope. He smiled at you and signed those three words you've been waiting to see.

"I love you."

Was it even possible for your heart to be beating faster than it was before? You held the poem closer to your beating heart, trying to conceal it; worried he might hear it. It felt like your heart was about to leap out of your chest. You sighed dreamily and thanked your heart for choosing him.

Meanwhile, Rook chuckled seeing your flustered expression. He found beauty in all things whether it was considered good or bad to others. But he found you the most beautiful of them all. He won't lie, he fell for you hard when he saw you. Because even when he learnt about your flaw, it didn't matter to him; you were still the fairest of them all. You weren't able to hear his words—but that's alright; he'll gladly write thousands or more letters if it meant to show you just how much he loves you.

He'd gladly and happily dance in hot and burning shoes if it meant to show you his devotion to you, just to show how much he cares for you. And if anyone were to make you doubt? Let's just say they wouldn't be coming closer to you anymore if they caused you pain. But before that, he'd come and comfort you, with words written on paper just so all your worries would go away.

Even if his fingers start to go numb and bruises appear, he won't stop until he finally sees you smile. He's glad that his heart chose you.

END

Wow! Uhm, heyy ik it's been awhile but I finally found enough inspiration to make this! Again sorry it's been awhile I've been so busy that I barely found any time to write at all, but I do hope you guys liked this!

[vendetta-if]

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!

the ash confession scene was so cute 🥺 and i choose to read it because it's the only hangout we have so far, and i wanted to see how it was going to go but because it was really pretty it's going to hurt me so bad to turn him down because in my main route my mc romances only rin........ omg it's going to hurt isn't? 😭😭😭😭😭

As long as you don't flirt with them, keeping their hopes up and stringing them along... Then they'd definitely understand MC rejecting them 🥺 Sure, it would still sting and they couldn't help but be disappointed, but they'd get over it in no time--at least the initial hurt.

Also, I suppose it helps that if you've always treated them like a friend, then they already kinda have quite low expectation that MC reciprocates. They really just need to get the confession out because they just can't hold it much longer and the time feels right enough for them. Keeping their feelings inside has been eating at them.

[jackdaw-kraai]

The thing I think isn't talked about enough in all these conversations about "AI art" is how, even if you work out all the kinks, even if you get it to the point that it works perfectly according to the most lofty goals set, even if all that came true... AI will still disappoint when set next to even just a moderately skilled human artist. Not because of any technical flaws with the product, but because of its fundamental limitations as a tool.

AI, as we understand it right now, without all the grandstanding and doomsday predictions and near-mythological qualities we ascribe to it, works on binary. Down to its core, stripped to its studs, it works on binary code, and you see that reflected in the design. Every choice it makes, every result it produces, is a result of a million, billion "yes or no" questions asked of it that chain together into a coherent response. Endless amounts of "TRUE or FALSE" results spat out when data is fed into it, that string together to form a conversation, or an essay, or a painting, or a comic. At least, when trained on enough data to weigh the odds in favor of what the creators want it to do.

If you ask ChatGPT to tell you something about romance, it filters its endless data banks for what that training data it was given matches your request and what results in those tests were rewarded by its programmers and which were discouraged and based on all that, it begins making TRUE or FALSE choices with the odds weighed by that data. That's how all AI we currently have fundamentally work, and that, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. It's a tool, and tools are hard pressed to be evil. What it is, however, is vastly inferior to the process of a human writer for one simple fact: when asked a question, we have more options than to answer it TRUE or FALSE.

If you ask a human writer to tell you about romance, they too will draw upon all the memories they have stored away of what they know about romance and base an answer off of that. But they will also draw up all the knowledge they have on astronomy, to compare the feeling it creates inside to that of hydrogen fusing, and that of medicine, because it burns so bright inside that it feels like your rib cage feels like it should be alight from the inside until it looks like an inverted x-ray image. A human writer will visualize the way love feels and draw connections an AI couldn't fathom, because it was never trained to do so. And more than that, if a human writer tells you about romance, they won't tell you just about romance.

They will tell you about how romance happens.

They will tell you about what romance between a young Polish woman and a young Polish man living in what would one day be the powiat of Bieszczadzki on the border with Ukraine, but for now are just the Bieszczadzki mountains, in the spring of 1914 would have looked like. And they will tell you about how it looked like all the months afterwards as the young man is drafted into the army and their home is ravaged by WWI as the Bieszczadzki mountains become one of the most bitterly contested regions in the Eastern Front during the war. They will tell you about how romance, how the love blooming from it, cannot fix the damage wrought by senseless battles fought by powers so much greater than the two of them, but how it carries them through the war nonetheless.

And what's more, they will know enough about the history of Poland to parallel the growing love between these two young people with the growing, not-yet-formed modern state of Poland that will once again rise from the ashes of the war after having previously been partitioned by greater powers into non-existence.

A human writer will not only have the knowledge to do that, they will have the skills and manner of thinking necessary to form the thoughts that will lead to such a story and make it into something incredible. An AI, no matter how well you train it, no matter how good you make it at emulating a writer's style, will not be able to form the same thought process. Not because it is flawed, but because it simply isn't built for that.

An AI cannot experience nationalism or patriotism for a country, an AI cannot reason out how people might have lived in the absence of credible historic evidence when it runs up against a gap in its data, an AI will not understand the link between fragile, young love blooming in adversity and a country struggling to be reborn in spite of the greater nations around it that wish it would remain dead. It cannot do this, because it isn't based in "TRUE or FALSE" questions. It's based in the painfully human experience of complicated emotions, difficult thoughts, and yes, even deeply flawed ways of looking at the world that nonetheless are beautiful exactly for having those flaws.

An AI, at its core, with where the technology is right now, is a machine of averages. Even if we polish it to peak performance, that will not change. At peak performance, it will still give you an average of all the possible answers it could give, it will be technically flawless, and it will never be anything even close to a fraction of the lightning in a bottle that a writer with categorically shit technique can capture if their heart and mind are put into it.

And let's be honest here and step a foot outside of the bubble of speculation, just for a bit: AI will never, ever, give you an answer or story that pushes boundaries or makes you think like even the most technically incompetent but passionate authors are able to.

Because in order to push boundaries, in order to deliver a message, you have to be willing to make people uncomfortable. You have to be willing to be messy and raw to the point that your story bleeds. And even if we polished AI to perfection, even if, by some miracle of a completely new and fresh coding base, it could do all those things... the humans pulling the strings of the machine would never allow it to do so. Because if their machine produces stories that push boundaries, that have things to say, that make people uncomfortable, it's not going to be profitable. It's not going to be advertiser-friendly. It's not going to please the stock market. And let's be honest here, in the end, that's what matters to those people.

AI cannot write the stories that people want it to, that they truly want it to, because in the end, the stories we want to hear are not the stories it can tell. The stories we want to hear are, in the end, painfully human, in all the best and worst ways possible. And if you want a human story, if you want to have something like that lightning in a bottle, AI can never be more than a tool in making them instead of the maker itself. A potentially useful and innovative tool, but nothing more than that.

Because if you want human stories, no one but a human will be able to write them. And no one but a human will be able to read them and understand what's being said.

[mirageofadesert]

So I watched most of Luo Yunxi's (allegedly) mediocre filmography ... here are some thoughts.

⭕️Ashes of Love (dropped it, will come back for it later) ❤️ ✔️Princess Silver ❤️❤️ ✔️ And the Winner is Love ❤️ ✔️ Love is Sweet ❤️❤️❤️ ✔️ Broker ❤️❤️ ✔️Lie to Love ❤️ ✔️Light Chaser Rescue ❤️(❤️) ✔️Till the end of the moon ❤️❤️❤️ ❌ Immortality 🤡🤡🤡

First off, the words (allegedly) mediocre and "TTEOTM" or "Love is Sweet" are not allowed in the same sentence. That's why I wont discuss them here. These dramas are talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique ... next question.

As for the rest... I have some thoughts and I'm willing to share them:

First of all, I enjoyed all of them and that came as a surprise. I had seen fans joke about his filmography with one smiling and one crying eye, voicing that they hope he would soon be a position to pick better scripts. However, on paper I think the scripts weren't bad per se, but the execution is a bit questionable.

The kind of roles he picks ...

... are actually really great. He seem to gravitate towards deeply conflicted and complex characters, that allow emotional and nuanced portrayals. Non of them are perfect, but they try. Sometimes, the script or directing doesn't allow the characters to be as convincing, as they could be. In other cases, the actors he share a scene with, are utterly unconvincing in their performances.

I appreciate that all his chosen dramas have actual plot besides the romantic story and I didn't have to sit through something as boring as a pure romance without any substance (looking at you, Hidden Love). I also would guess, that he chooses his show based on the roles he plays, because those are often considerably better than the script overall.

Trapped by lackluster writing ...

... is a serious problem, especially when it involves cringey lines as well as wattpad level backstories. I think "Lie to Love" had the weakest script, "Broker" had some really over the top and cringe backstories, while "Lightchaser Rescue"'s biggest problem lies with the directing and production. "Princess Silver" was great overall and I wish he played a bigger role. I'm still not sure what went wrong with "And the winner is love", but I guess it's a combination of everything. Kudos to the actors, that pull off these bad or cringe lines with the same level of dedication and passion... I'm sorry, that I had to skip them anyway.

Acting circles around other actors...

... it's not a regular thing, but it tend to happens with some of his FL. It's not even that they are bad actresses per se, but often written with so little character, that there isn't much anyone can bounce off of. Su Xieyi (Cheng Xiao in "Lie to Love") and Chong Xuezhi (Yukee Chen/Chen Yuqi in "And the Winner is Love") are particularly guilty of this. It's also not something that can be blamed on lacking chemistry between the lead actors, as those two did not convey any chemistry with anyone in their perspective shows. A lot of the female characters in cdramas are hard to watch - and it's the main reason I have not been able to watch Ashes of Love yet.

I recently read a reddit post, that pointed out that Luo Yunxi always has good chemistry with his FL, but that those don't necessary give back the same energy. This leads to his characters always seeming more in love with their romantic partners. Luo Yunxi sells every love story... I really wish he would be paired up with more emotive actresses portraying well written characters.

His strengths ...

... lies in costume dramas for sure. He just looks like he came right out of a painting. This is also where his dance background shines the most. His wire and fight scenes are always excellent. However, I do understand that those are strenuous to shoot, particularly in the summer. In addition he excels in portraying suffering and a storm of conflicting emotions. He is a great actor, with exceptional facial expression and good voice acting. As an audience, you can feel his commitment to all of his roles. This becomes even more obvious, once you find out how often he was injured on set and still pulled through. I wont forget that one leaked clip of him doing wire stunts with his wheel chair waiting on the side ...

What I want to see him play in the future....

... is a more comedic costume drama. "Love is Sweet" but with long hair and fight scenes! I also would love to see him as a villain (again), but I guess he has outgrown these roles - at least in dramas. I also need another show similar to TTEOTM, that is more mature than most dramas of this genre and doesn't focus on the romance. Lastly, a 3rd drama with Bai Lu would be great!

What I learned from this going forward ...

... is to give less popular shows a try. So far, some rather popular or loved dramas (Hidden Love, Ashes of Love, Immortal Samsara etc) failed to impress me. I also learned that I need at least one character to latch onto, while starting a show or I will not get into it. A lot of shows sadly lack these convincing and obsession-worthy characters.

[synergysilhouette]

Brainstorming child units for some 3 Houses characters

I really enjoyed making child units for "Engage" characters, so I wanted to do the same for "3 Houses." These kids would be available as the game is now, though I like to imagine they live in a "golden route" world where the wars didn't result in the death of any of the students (Edelgard included). And I should clarify: in my universe, these children could be the oldest in their family; it's possible that their parents had more kids afterwards (besides the possible kids they can have via different pairings). And just because I didn't list a character here doesn't mean they don't have kids; I just listed a few people here. And this goes without saying, but these characters descriptions are reliant on the fact that the child units are not related to each other, otherwise they'd obviously be different.

Artiya, child of Byleth. Given Byleth's own mysterious childhood that still remains shrouded in mystery, they make sure to always keep their child Artiya close at hand, just as Jeralt did with them. Of course, they're grateful that Artiya happens to have a bit more emotion to them--though to Byleth's chagrin, this makes it easy for their opponents to manipulate them. As such, Byleth has decided to keep their child's ancestry a secret--though Seteth, Rheya, and Flayn are always close at hand, as their family.

Blue Lions

Albus, son of Dimitri. Despite making peace with his own demons, Dimitri's precocious son Albus was quick to read his mind, and just like his father, shouldered the burdens of his family, vowing to always protect them. Thankfully, Albus lacks Dimitri's killer instinct, but has regrettably inherited his bad dancing, making him easily flustered at social gatherings, and will frequently ask Matilda for assistance, and Dedue is more than happy to embarass himself if it means protecting Albus and Dimitri's honor.

Lonato, son of Ashe. When Lonato was born, Ashe knew immediately that he wanted to name him after the man who cared for him so deeply. As the new head of House Gaspard, he was expected to teach Lonato about the mannerisms of being a ruler, though Lonato--much to Ashe's pleasure--was more concerned about sincerity than charm, and vowed to become a knight and leader worthy of his father's legacy. Rumor has it that an archer in Faerghus looks identical to Lonato, and they occasionally swap lives out of Lonato's altruism and the archer's natural eloquence.

Felicity, daughter of Felix. Unlike her father, who has his own history with Dimitri, Felicity is quite proud to be the friend of Albus. It was mentioned once that when they sparred, they were like bolts of lightning in the sky--and that Felicity outmatched him and the prince developed an interest in magic instead of physical weapons. Ever the tactful one, she kept the prince's interest a secret and helped him to hone his craft in every physical weapon known to man. This inspired her to become a teacher herself, aiding youths in the kingdom who couldn't afford a formal education in the field of combat.

Johanna, daughter of Sylvain. Extremely beautiful, she was the exact opposite of her father in virtually every other way: she was studious, had chaste romances, and was more awkward than charming. Worried that she'd be raised to be seen as a bride-to-be similar to his own childhood, Sylvain taught her a great deal about self-worth and understanding that love should be earned, not bought with titles or prestige. Johanna took this to heart, being a sweet and kind friend to all those who needed it.

Black Eagles

Gisila, daughter of Edelgard. Raised as the heir to the empire, her life has been under strict supervision, whether she likes it or not. Despite Edelgard's best attempts to educate her about equality, Gisila's inborn talents and intelligence has made her believe all the more in a rigid hierarchy. She isn't afraid to use dirty tactics to reach her goals--namely manipulation, especially blackmail--but this isn't to say that she doesn't care about others. Those in the empire revere her as a goddess on earth, despite her mother's attempts to dissuade any future churches rising and becoming corrupt in the way she views Seiros.

Alaric, son of Hubert, is just as dangerous and sneaky as his father--only his social skills and deception are much better. He knows how to put a smile on your face before establishing the finishing blow, but unlike his father, has no issue letting the royal family do their own dirty work if they wish to. His upbringing revolves around the royals, and he has no problem with this, given that it brings him power and prestige. Ironically however, he has found himself to be a somewhat devout man, twisted as he may be, and has his own personal morals that he refuses to compromise.

Talia, daughter of Linhardt, is just as much a voracious reader (and insatiable sleeper) as her father, which has earned her the moniker "The Sleeping Scholar." However, she has mastered breathing techniques to make it difficult to tell when exactly she's asleep and when she's pretending. Just like her father, she desires an easy life and often tries to play neutral party--though this sometimes results in her having to be a double agent. Of course, in contrast to her father, she does have some feelings of respect for her house, though her power does more than enough as the next leader of House Hevring.

Wolfgang, son of Dorothea, is the most talented muscician in the realm. Trained expertly by Manuela and his mother, his voice has a siren-like quality, as well as having learned to play instrument he has been introduced to--though he has a fondness for the piano. He cares greatly for his image and prefers performing to studying, but despite his vapid first impression, he is shown to be quite capable and kind to others.

Orion, son of Petra, is a master of linguistics. Never truly forgiving Fodlan for having made his mother a political hostage in her youth, he generally stays in Brigid unless on a political mission. He doesn't have much to say, but know that he understands everything everyone else says!

Golden Deer

Matilda, daughter of Claude, is strangely even-tempered--most of the time. While she often conducts herself with grace and ease befitting her father, she does carry some of his troublesome traits. When she really gets in the mood, she carries out wild and seemingly self-destructive plans that risk a great deal. Even her father is worried by her recklessness. Of course, her schemes always turn out for the best, and she doesn't do them often, so most everyone lets them slide.

Gaston, son of Hilda, is the most handsome brute you'll ever find. However, he's a rose with sharp thorns; he'll only surround himself with those he views beneficial to his station, often trying to seduce nobles of higher rank than him. He doesn't have too many friends, but those who he chooses to befriend will have his undying loyalty--unless you come between him and his shallow goals, of course.

Helena, daughter of Lysithea, is...a disappointment. In contrast to her prodigy of a mother, Helena is completely average in her studies. Lysithea believes it's because she refuses to apply herself, but Helena always manages to divert her attention by having the servants make her something sweet--or cooking it herself. Hmm, perhaps Helena is exceptional, just in a different field than anyone could've foreseen.

Luther, son of Marianne, is just as quiet as his mother, albeit not as pessimistic. He's taken to the Church, having found solace in their divine teachings, and is a delight to be around. His softspoken voice makes him easy to approach, and as most don't know about his crest they feel comfortable being around him. He's noted as a great and wise friend, though some wish he was more outgoing.

Lorelai, daughter of Lorenz, the most fashionable woman in the realm. Inheriting her father's flair for the dramatic, she is seldom seen without a rose in her hair, similar to the rose he keeps clsoe to his chest. She always flaunts her status (though usually without malice), and embraces the hierarchy in Fodlan, though she often speaks out about the cruelty to those of a lower status. She and Gaston get along quite well.

3 Hopes

Dianthus, child of Shez, is about as different from their parent as you may expect. They abhorr their parent's mercenary past and are a stickler for the rules, leading to a strain in their relationship. However, due to Shez's protectiveness over them and Dianthus's compassion for others keeps them together. They place their comrades' safety at the priority, and has a somewhat naive look on life, putting them somewhat at odds with the world leaders.

Lemme know what you think! At some point, I'll probably add an Ashen Wolf child unit or two, or perhaps another member of the 3 main houses.

[zedpercyfan]

Pokeshipping Week '23 - Day 2 - Dancing

IDK I’ll Eventually put Something Here

(no, seriously, I can’t come up with one)

“YOU’RE inviting us a dance?” Ash asked Professor Oak in bemusement.

“Yes, my boy,” replied the Professor.  “The International Pokémon Research Core was asked by various Leagues if we were interested in hosting a celebration in honor of all the strides made in researching Mega Evolution.  Dancing is just part of the festivities.”

“I mean, sure, absolutely!  Why not?  It’d be a nice change.”

“I can only imagine after all that chaos in Alola with these Ultra Beasts, evil teams, and so on.”

Ash nodded in agreement.

***

The girls were rather excited at the prospect of the dance.  Brock tried to reason with Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles, but all three were rather resistant to getting all worked up.

“Dull idea, if you ask me,” concluded Sophocles.

“Unless it’s to do with one of our Alolan traditions, I can’t really get excited about it,” muttered Kiawe.

“I’m happy to participate, but it’s not really that big of a deal,” added Ash.

“Agreed.”

“Yeah.”

“You guys…” sighed Brock.  “Mm,” he went on, imitating a certain small green creature in a movie series, “much romance I see not, in your futures.”

Brock needn’t have worried, however, for it was a mere few seconds that the girls suddenly came crowding around the boys.  Kiawe and Sophocles instantly backed away but Ash clearly still hadn’t learned from the shopping trip incident.

Mallow and Misty instantly surrounded Ash with the green-haired girl once again grabbing his shoulder with a hand.  “Ash, you are most definitely going to dance with us girls!” said Mallow.

“You’re kinda surrounded on this,” chuckled Misty.

“Uh, okay, sure,” replied Ash flatly.  He knew there was no way of getting out of it, though their reactions were comical.

Both girls blinked, Mallow in surprise yet disappointment, Misty in slightly total shock.  Both knew what the other thought: that wasn’t the reaction they were expecting.

Ash cocked his head to the side.  “What?”

“Wasn’t expecting you to want to dance,” said Mallow.

“Yeah, never took you as the type,” agreed Misty.

“Bit judgmental, you two” said Ash, offended.  He walked away without another word.

The girls exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

***

The weekend of the celebration soon arrived.  Speeches were held and hints pertaining to the contents of the numerous Professors’ works were given.  The formal dance soon took place.

At first Misty had to be content dancing with someone else whilst Mallow had her turn with Ash but it wasn’t long before the twin tailed girl came alongside.  “My turn at last, ey?”

To Misty’s consternation, Mallow’s expression was blank.  “Yeah, your turn,” she said in a daze.  “You’re not gonna believe it, though…”

Misty gulped, her only conclusion was that Ash’s moves were really that bad.

“Jeez, Ash Ketchum, what did you do that shocked Mallow that bad?”

He scoffed and held out his hand.  “How ‘bout you find out?”

She accepted it.  “Hmph.”  Ash didn’t meet her rise and simply took a step back, raising his right hand before raising his left, holding her hand without hesitation.

“You’re very good at this,” said Misty, stunned as she twirled around.

“Thank you.”  When she stopped in place, Ash moved his right hand to hold her waist to continue the dance.

As the song continued, Misty found her words, now understanding Mallow’s shock.  “Huh, I’m honestly surprised you’re capable of this.”

“Well I don’t consider myself that bad at- wait, that wasn’t a compliment, now was it?” replied Ash as he let her go so he could twirl her again.

Misty rolled her eyes at him as she stopped.  “Took ya long enough,” she replied as she went back into his embrace.

“Very funny,” came the dry reply.  “Why’s my ability to do this so shocking to you?”

“I’m sorry.  Just…being abrasive for no reason,” said Misty, struggling to find a reason beyond being judgmental.  “So…where’d you learn to dance?”

“A famous star in Kalos who took sympathy on me when she saw me fumbling around at a ball.”

“Oh really.”  Misty’s eye lowered to a glare.  “I suppose you liked dancing with her?”

Ash was about to answer but some sort of fight-or-flight sense kicked in and he was now very aware that his answer was one to walk on eggshells with.  “I guess it was but it’s you I’m dancing with right now.”

At that point the music changed which indicated a partner change, but Ash didn’t let her go.

“Ash?”

He paused and considered.  “Not everyone’s changing partners,” he replied.  “I’d rather you stay here.”

“Oh…”  Misty’s face flushed red hot but was made to relax the moment Ash began moving again.  “You’re sure you don’t want to change partners…?”  Not that she was complaining but she did wonder what was going on inside Ash’s head.

“Lana and Lillie have other partners they can dance with.”

“But…why me?”

“Because I want to,” said Ash, staring into her eyes.  Her cerulean eyes fascinated him.  “I’m kinda enjoying this whole dancing thing.  I want to do more stuff like this with you.”

“Thanks, that…that means a lot to me.  But why just dance with me?  Not that I’m saying I don’t want to dance I jus-”

“It’s all for you,” replied Ash softly.  “Because…I like you, Misty.”

That did the trick.  Misty’s heart completely melted and she pushed up on her toes and gave Ash a light kiss.

“Uh…Mist,” said Ash quietly.

“Just a peck,” she replied.  “We are in public.”

“True.”

“Let’s just keep dancing since it’s what everyone else is doing.  We can discuss us more in detail later.  Oh…um…I love you too.”

Ash didn’t reply and just hugged her even tighter.

***

Author’s Note: I originally wanted this to be a two-for-one deal with the latest Left Behind chapter but unfortunately between some external issues in my personal life – Mom got had a sick episode and then I was having job application problems – that LB chapter is still a WIP.  C’est la vie.

[endlesslystarlitskies]

Lost and Found- Part 7

A/N: Here is the next chapter! I’m not getting a lot of engagement on these posts, but I am still loving writing the story so I’m going to keep posting. This is a shorter chapter, but I might post another one again later. Who knows! I think this story is going to end up being 13 chapters long, so there’s that. Please let me know what you think!

Genre: Horror, action, adventure, Romance, Slow-Burn,  

Pairing: Leon Kennedy x Named Reader (Named but not Described)

Summary: Ella was one of the missing hikers who was kidnapped by the villagers. She narrowly escaped being sacrificed, but her friends weren’t so lucky. Managing to survive out in the woods with her previous skills and knowledge, she runs into Leon, and that meeting begins the longest, most dangerous adventure of her life as she tries to help him save the girl she saw being taken into the church. What will happen along the way? Only one way to find out.  

Warnings: Canon typical violence and gore, Death, Murder, Monsters, Suicidal ideations mentioned, Ella has little regard for her own life and is dealing with the loss of someone closest to her while also fighting to survive with waning self-preservation instincts. Please be cautious if that triggers you.

Word Count: 4,838

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Story Masterlist

xXx

Leon had told Ashely to get into the locker when the two women with chainsaws made themselves known, wanting her safe and out of the way so he and Ella could handle them quickly.

However, Ella’s absence was quickly noted, and Leon could only assume she got held up with some villagers, which meant he had to take them on himself. It wasn’t a real problem, as he could handle them and the few villagers coming through the hole they had created, but he couldn’t help but be concerned that Ella wasn’t right behind them. He couldn’t worry about it now, having to dodge the chainsaw coming towards his head and take care of the issue right in front of him. xXx

Ashley left the locker when the coast was clear, and Leon picked up the lever they had needed to get through the gate. He took a moment to listen for the sound of gunshots or the footsteps of Ella returning, but it was quiet, a bad feeling settling in his gut. “Did you see where Ella went?” He asked Ashley, who had noticed Ella’s absence and wore a look of concern. “No, I thought she was right behind us.” Leon had thought that too. 

He grit his teeth as the bad feeling grew, and they left the wooden building before taking the hill back up to where they had last been when she was with them, but there was no sign of her. 

“Leon, look!” Ashley called, standing by the corner of one of the shacks, and Leon moved over quickly, the sight confirming his fears. All of her gear was thrown half haphazardly in the corner, discarded. “Where is she?” Ashley asked in panicked worry, not understanding how she could just disappear like this. Leon recalled the moment he had thought he’d seen the glint of a gold necklace, and he became frustrated with himself that he didn’t realize what it had meant before. The man had taken her once more, and Leon had a feeling he knew where. xXx Ella slowly felt her senses come back to her as she blinked her eyes open, it taking a moment for her to register that she was being carried by someone, a shoulder pressing into her stomach uncomfortably. Her mind was fuzzy, and Ella had to squeeze her eyes shut to clear the remaining disorientation, before she tried to look up and take in her surroundings. Robes. She was surrounded by people in robes. This scene was starting to look eerily familiar. Panic and fear filled her being like ice water, and she immediately began struggling in the grip of the large man holding her. The shock of her sudden movement and the elbow to the chest forced the villager to release her, Ella falling to the ground and immediately scrambling to her feet, moving away from the man in robes to create distance. She reached for her gun, but her heart dropped when she realized it wasn’t there. None of her weapons, or even her pouch, was on her person anymore. Of course they had taken them. She cursed, realizing she had only one choice. Fight. She had to once again put her self-defense skills to good use- only this time, she had to win if she wanted to live, as she knew they wouldn’t make the same mistake they did last time in not keeping an eye on her. She immediately raised her leg to kick the man running towards her in the kneecap, hearing the sickening crunch as the bone broke under the force, and she kneed him right in the face when he went down, taking care of him for the moment. She had no time to breathe as she spun, ducking under the arms that tried to grab her, before she swept the feet of the female cultist out from under her. She wanted to stomp on her elbow and break her arm, but she had to immediately defend against another man who came at her with a knife, barely moving out of the way in time as he tried to stab her in the shoulder. 

She needed that knife, and she knew it. It would be much better than nothing, and she could use the skills Leon taught her to get herself out of this situation. 

However, before she could think up a quick plan of action, the cultists who had been surrounding her suddenly parted, and the leader in the decorated robe and the golden necklace calmly walked up to her. 

Ella raised her arms, getting in a defensive stance as she readied to take him on, having to push away the fear that tried to grip her heart at the sight of him. She had told him he couldn’t take her by surprise anymore, and she was proven wrong. Even with all the weapons and Leon right there, he had grabbed her the moment the opportunity presented itself, and there was nothing Ella could do about it. 

Despite that, Ella refused to let him win without a fight, and when he was within range, she threw a punch, which the man easily dodged, but she wasn’t done. She spun, trying to catch him in the face with her elbow, but he had moved faster than she had been ready for, his hand darting out as he sliced her in the stomach with a knife. Ella hissed as she stumbled back, looking to the tear in her shirt. It wasn’t deep whatsoever, being just a shallow cut, but it burned, as if the knife had been glowing red hot when it cut her. Ella immediately felt her body become weak, the trembling no longer being from the fear as she fell to her knees. “What did you-” She tried to breathe, but the pain was intense, and she couldn’t get the words out as her vision blurred. The realization was slow to come to her fogging mind. Poison. There had been poison on his blade.

“It is such a shame. This fighting spirit of yours is what piqued my interest. . .” She heard him sigh. “You would have been the perfect servant and solution to our problem.” Disappointment was heavy in his tone.

It wasn’t long before a ringing sounded in her ears, drowning out anything else for a moment, though it lessened just a bit. She wasn’t passing out, but everything around her became muted and unfocused, Ella being unable to defend herself as one of the robed men picked her up once again. “Do not worry child, the poison is slow acting. It won’t kill you before we get the chance to perform the ritual.” The ritual. The altar. The very place she had escaped once, but would be unable to escape again, the poison flowing through her blood incapacitating her and leaving her helpless.

xXx

The rain was coming down hard, putting some of the candles around them out as Ella was laid down on the stone altar. Her hands were now tied behind her back and a dirty cloth was placed between her teeth to muffle her whimpers, the symbol once again painted in blood on her face, just like Alice. “It was so nice of you to clear off the altar for me. It made this go so much more smoothly.” Ella wanted to feel anger at his words. She wanted to feel rage and spiteful defiance, but all she could feel was utter terror. All she could think about was the stupid fight she and Leon had. ‘If you wanted to die, then you wouldn’t have fought to survive in those woods for four days straight. You wouldn’t be here right now.’ He was right. She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live. She wanted to make sure Ashley got home safe. She wanted to tell Alice’s parents what happened to her, so they didn’t have to live the rest of their lives wondering why their baby girl never came home. She wanted to make sure that whatever was going on in this village was stopped, so no one was ever hurt by them again. She wanted to apologize to Leon, and tell him he was right. To get the chance to thank him for saving her life before she got herself killed in her moments of sorrow and grief. She had refused to apologize even though she knew she had been in the wrong. She had been so worried about coming to terms with the fact that she wanted to live because of what it meant, wanting to give herself time that she should have known she wouldn’t have. Now she was forced to accept that she wanted to live, moments before she was about to die. She couldn’t save herself this time, and Leon wouldn’t be there to save her either. 

She had told him not to come for her if something happened. She had harshly insulted him and then practically ignored him in the last couple of hours. He had a very important job to do. One he couldn’t get distracted from because she stupidly got herself taken, again. She wouldn’t come for her if she was him. And that was assuming he even knew what happened to her.

“I want you to know that I fought hard to keep you around. I saw your potential for greatness.” THe man brushed his dirtied, disgusting knuckles against her cheek, and Ella had enough strength in her to jerk her head, shoving his hand off, his touch making nausea swirl in her stomach. In the next moment, a large hand suddenly pressed down hard on her head, Ella gritting her teeth against the cloth at the pressure on her skull. “But Lord Saddler has determined you to be too much of a risk and nuisance, and I must follow my master's orders.” 

Ella couldn’t help but feel indignation at his words, as she didn’t see Leon lying on this table about to be sacrificed. What did she do to be so damn special?  She knew it didn’t really matter. It was her who was lying on the stone, and Ella could see the shadow of the executioner's arm raise above his head, the shape of the ax sending a sharp pang through her heart as she squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to watch as it came down to end her life. The chants of the cultists surrounding them echoed in her still ringing ears, the man in the gold necklace’s voice joining them, louder than the rest. Ella was sure it would be the last thing she would hear before her death, and that she would still hear it echo forever wherever she ended up after, the words being harshly ingrained into her mind. She waited for the pain of the ax lodging into her neck to come, but in the next moment, just as the executioner started to bring it down, gunshots cut off the chanting of the villagers, the executioner stumbling back and dropping the weapon as the pressure on her head was removed. Ella’s eyes shot open as fast as they could to see Leon vault over the back of the circular fence, his gun raised as he opened fire on the men surrounding her. Relief and shock filled Ella’s body as Leon made quick work of the cult members, though she didn’t miss the shadow of the leader slink into the background before disappearing completely. She honestly didn’t care at that moment, too relieved to worry about him as the last of the cultists fell to the ground, dead. Leon ran over to her, removing the cloth from her mouth as his eyes quickly scanned for any wounds.

“You okay? Talk to me.” There was a slight panic in Leon’s voice she had never heard before, or maybe that was a poison induced hallucination. She didn’t know, and at that moment, it didn’t matter.

“‘M fine.” She murmured as Leon cut her hands free, Ella bringing them in front of her to help push her up off the stone. “I thought you wouldn’t come.” She told him honestly, and if it weren’t for the poison in her system, she could cry and hug him.

“Yeah, well you called it from the beginning. I don’t leave people behind.” Leon told her firmly, now standing in front of her and using her wet flannel shirt to wipe the marking off of her face. His touch was gentle, his hand having come up to take her chin between his fingers and tilt her head back just a bit so he could use the rain to his advantage. 

Ella appreciated the gesture immensely, as Leon didn’t have to take the time to remove the symbol, but he did. Maybe he couldn’t stand to see it there as much as Ella couldn’t stand to know it was there. Whatever his reasoning, she was relieved he was doing it.

Once the blood was gone, Leon looked into her eyes, not missing how unfocused and clouded over they were. He brought his now free hand up, pressing it against her cheek and feeling how unnaturally warm her skin was, indicating she had a fever. 

“What did they do to you?” He asked her, the Merchant’s tip coming to his mind. He hadn’t seen a wound on her, but it was possible he had missed it, having done a quick glance over her in his worry.

“P-Poison.” She murmured, a shaky hand moving to push her flannel to the side, exposing the tear in her shirt Leon couldn’t see before. 

“Shit.” He cursed under his breath, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a container of crushed red and yellow leaves.

Ella had never seen a yellow herb before, wondering where he had gotten that. She couldn’t find the strength to ask, however. Especially when he pressed on her shoulder to have her lie back on the stone again, panic flowing through her. In a surprisingly quick movement, she grabbed his shirt, gripping it as tightly as she could as she leaned forward into his chest and away from the stone.

“What are you doing?” She breathed weakly, not wanting to lie back on the altar and not understanding why he was trying to make her with the poison clouding her common sense. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Leon soothed in a surprisingly gentle voice, his breath tickling her ear. “I just need to see the cut and treat it, alright?” His hands moved to her shoulders, resting on them as he waited for her to let him go. She knew if Leon wanted, he could easily overpower her and force her back onto the stone, but she knew he would never do that, even if she was being a bit unreasonable at the moment.   

Despite knowing that, Ella still hesitated, her head resting against his chest as she thought over what he wanted from her. She just couldn’t shake the anxiety at the thought of lying back down after everything that had occurred on this altar. She was about to ask if he could just move her to the ground, not understanding why she had to be on this stone any longer, but his soft voice cut through the fear in her mind. 

“You’ve gotta trust me, Ella.” Ella felt his hand gently cover the one holding onto his shirt, the warmth of his touch helping to calm her panic slightly. Ella wondered then if she trusted him, and surprisingly, the answer to that was pretty easy to accept considering everything they had been through. Leon had never given her a reason not to trust him, and he had proven multiple times that he would do whatever it took to keep them safe. He had even put his mission on hold to come save her, and if that didn’t prove that she could trust him, Ella didn’t know what did. 

Taking a deep, shaky breath, she nodded, finally releasing his shirt and allowing him to push her back onto the altar despite her anxiety flaring up once more.

Leon moved quickly as he lifted her shirt, revealing the angry red and pus filled shallow cut on the left side of her abdomen. Shaking the crushed leaves into his palm, he pressed them into the wound, Ella whimpering through her teeth at the burning sensation that immediately followed. She knew that meant it was working, but that didn’t change the fact that it hurt.

Leon then wrapped the cut in a bandage, keeping the leaves there and letting the cloth hold them in place so they could continue to take care of the poison in her system. Once he was done, he lowered her shirt and helped her sit back up. He knew she couldn’t stand, let alone walk, so without a word he grabbed the outsides of her thighs, turning and pulling her to where her legs were hanging over the side of the altar. 

Ella hadn’t been expecting it, a light gasp escaping her lips at the sudden movement. He had done it with such ease, his fingers pressing into her thighs sending the strangest feeling along her skin and up her spine, distracting her from the pain at her stomach for a moment. She promptly ignored it, which was easy to do with how out of it she was, and she watched as Leon removed the shotgun from its place on his back, setting it out of the way before he turned to face away from her. Understanding what he was going to do, Ella had to push the embarrassment that immediately filled her away, knowing she couldn’t walk on her own even if she hated acknowledging the fact. 

She tried as hard as she could to assist Leon in pulling her onto his back, Ella wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands found her thighs once more, Leon securing her in place and making sure she wouldn’t fall. “Try to hold on, okay?” He instructed, and Ella nodded, tightening her grip as much as possible as Leon grabbed his shotgun and kept it in hand as they left the ritual area. He tried to move quickly, but he also wanted to be careful of alerting any possible enemies that could have appeared along their path. Ella was quiet, but her expression had relaxed as the burning pain slowly subsided bit by bit, her mind a little less foggy.

“Where’s Ashley?” She asked, hoping Leon hadn’t left her vulnerable to come and save her. She felt bad enough as it was. She knew her hope was in vain, as clearly the young girl wasn’t here with them. Not being beside Leon left her vulnerable, and Ella knew she’d be beating herself up over this for a while. 

“She’s safe, don’t worry.” He promised, but Ella wouldn’t be able to not worry until she could see Ashley herself. If something happened to Ashley because Leon had to come save her, Ella would never forgive herself. “Where did you get that yellow herb?” She hummed another question tiredly, though it wasn’t really what she wanted to say and she knew she was stalling on her apology. “The Merchant gave it to me. He said the Priest liked to use poison.” He explained, his voice low and quiet. Ella took that in, assuming the Priest was the title of the man with the necklace, before scoffing lightly. “He’s so strange.” She murmured, referring to the Merchant, and Leon gave a small breathy chuckle, to her pleasant surprise. “I’d have to agree.” It was quiet once more after that as Ella contemplated what she was going to say next. Maybe it wasn’t the time or place, but she didn’t know when her next chance would be, and she had to say what was on her mind. “I’m sorry.” She finally started. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, and I’m sorry for making you come all this way to get me.” She had told him she wouldn’t get in his way, and here she was. “Ella-” Leon tried, but she didn’t let him finish. “You were right, and I was so caught up in grief and self-loathing that I didn’t want to hear it.” Her voice was a little stronger now as the herb worked its magic, and Ella was prepared to lay it out all on the table. “I. . .I feel responsible for Alice and my friends.” She admitted softly. “And I don’t. . .I don’t know why I got to survive and they didn’t.” She had been questioning it over and over in her head when she couldn’t keep the thoughts away, and she could never come up with an answer. Only more reasons as to why it was her fault. 

“I know.” Leon responded gently, having guessed she was experiencing survivor’s guilt. He understood it more than she knew, and he knew that telling her it wasn’t her fault wouldn’t help her. It was something she would have to come to terms with on her own. “I-I know I’m just dealing with survivor's guilt, but knowing that doesn’t make it go away.” A lump formed in her throat, and Ella had to swallow it and push her emotions down. “Even so, I shouldn’t have taken that out on you when all you’ve been trying to do is help, and I’m sorry.” Leon didn’t protest this time, and she took that as his way of accepting her apology. “And I’m sorry you put your mission on hold because I got captured again. I’ve been trying really hard to not get in your way and make myself as useful as possible.” “You don’t have to do th-” “Yes, I do. Ashley needs as much attention as possible. She’s a kid who should be having the time of her life in college right now, her biggest stressor being how she’s going to turn in a 25-page essay on time. Not dealing with this shitty situation and fighting for her life.” She told him firmly, lifting her head up and looking at him. “Besides, I’m also doing it for myself. I have to do for Ashley what I couldn’t do for Alice, Leon. I just have to.” The resolve was back in her tone despite her still weakened voice. She needed him to understand how important this was for her. Not only that, but Leon was included in her personal mission. She didn’t say it, but it was implied behind her words. She couldn’t let another person she cared about down. She refused. 

“Alright, I hear you. But you have to be more careful. You can’t help Ashley if you get yourself killed.” He relented, accepting her apology, but making sure she knew he was serious.

“Hey, no argument there. I’ve learned my lesson, and I promise to do my best.” She assured. She couldn’t promise that she wouldn’t throw herself in harm's way to save either him or Ashley, but she would do her best to be as careful as possible and not get herself killed.

With most of what she needed to say off of her chest, she let out a breath, leaning her head on his shoulder and taking a moment to let the burning subside some more. “You’re not useless by the way.” She hadn’t expected him to say anything more, looking back at him. “You’ve already saved my life a couple of times. I don’t know if I would have gotten this far without you.” The poison must still be affecting Ella more than she previously thought, because she found it hard to believe he had just said that, giving him a suspicious look. “Yes you would have.” She pointed out, and he paused. “Yeah, you’re right.” She was about to roll her eyes, but he continued on. “But it’s definitely been easier thanks to you.” Her halfhearted annoyance faded, and she smiled softly, his words helping make her feel a little less guilty for the trouble she’d put him through. Letting out a sigh, she once again rested her head on his shoulder, exhaustion hitting her as her body recovered from the poison. The warmth emitting from Leon was comforting, and it made it hard for her to stay awake, though she tried her best. At least her mind had quieted now that she said what she needed to say- well, mostly.

“Thanks for not listening to me by the way.” She hummed as she closed her eyes. “You don’t have to thank me. I rarely do that anyway.” If she wasn’t so grateful he had saved her life, she would have smacked him upside the head. xXx

“Ella!” Ashley called in relief as Leon carried Ella into the shelter where the Merchant was still sitting, having watched over Ashley this entire time. It hadn’t been only Ella who had noticed that the villagers kept away from the Merchant’s area.

“She’s asleep. The poison hit her hard.” Leon explained as he laid her down gently against a cloth sack, before lifting her shirt and beginning to remove the leaves and change the bandage. The cut was no longer red and full of pus, looking relatively normal, and Leon let out a small breath of relief. He had guessed the Priest wouldn’t use a strong poison considering he had wanted to do the ritual, but Leon had still been worried he was wrong. “But she’s okay?” Ashley had to ask, having already grown attached to the woman. Not only was she fighting to protect her, but she provided comfort and reassurance where Leon struggled to. “Yeah, she’s okay.” Leon assured her as he applied the antiseptic spray and wrapped the new bandage more securely. “Wonderful! Then I can look forward to you three getting out of my area pretty soon, eh?” The Merchant grinned, and Ashley rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He wouldn’t stop talking while you were gone. I think he needed the company.” The Merchant laughed at that, but didn’t deny it. Leon stocked up on the ammo he had used up, before looking at Ashley. “I’m going to go search the villages for anything we might have missed. Stay here.” He ordered her gently. “Right.” Ashley nodded, watching as Leon left before she turned to Ella, moving over and taking a seat next to her. She took in the peaceful expression on her face, letting her tense body relax as the worry and anxiety she had been feeling faded away completely. 

xXx

Ella stirred awake maybe a half hour later, looking to her side and seeing Ashley sitting beside her as she realized she had fallen asleep. 

That had been the last thing she had wanted, as she had already taken up enough time as it was. “How long was I out?” She questioned, sitting up and grimacing slightly at the pain in her stomach. It was nothing compared to what she had felt before, however, and it passed quickly. “About thirty minutes.” It was Leon who answered, Ella not originally seeing him sitting on the wooden table in the back, and she cringed. “Sorry.” She felt bad she had held them up even more, and she wished they had woken her. “Hey don’t be, you needed the rest, and besides, I don’t think the world ending could have woken you up.” Ashley giggled, and Ella felt a bit sheepish, quickly thinking up a way to divert the attention from herself. “Hey, at least I wasn’t out for three hours, right?” She knew Leon would know what she meant, the blonde shooting her a look while Ashley was confused. “Yeah, well get going. If you’re not buying, you need to get out of my area.” Ella looked to the Merchant, her brows raising. He hadn’t actually sounded upset. In fact, he seemed amused if anything, and Ella grinned at him, not buying the act he was trying to sell. “You know you love us.” She teased, and he scoffed. “You mean I love your money.” He corrected with a laugh, and Ella shook her head, not expecting anything less from the man. “Sure.” She chuckled, before getting up. “Thank you by the way.” She told him, not forgetting how he had sold Leon the yellow herb. He didn’t respond out loud, just giving her a wink, and she smiled. “Alright enough sitting around, let’s get moving yeah?” She focused back on the task at hand. Leon watched her closely, making sure she was really okay, before he grabbed her gear, bringing it over to her. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.” She gave him an appreciative smile. It was time to get Ashley home and finish this.

xXx

“My lord, I beg you to please reconsider! He abandoned his mission to come for her! This means he cares for her! She can still be of great use to us if you would allow me to continue pursuing my goal!” The Priest bowed respectfully in front of Lord Saddler as he pleaded his case, desperate for the chance to impress him. It was quiet a few moments before the hooded man spoke. “Very well. But if she falls to our forces, then let this foolish goal go.” The Priest was grateful for the permission of his Lord, and he wouldn’t fail him. He’d prove to him that his creation would be useful to their goal.

[rpgchoices]

2022 WRAP UP: Games played this year - useless recs list (with small review, and in vague order of my personal enjoyment):

01. Enderal: It climbed up to become one of my favourite games ever. I played it twice in a row (still finishing the second playthrough), really enjoyed the story, fell in love with the characters and definitely cried. I am reading the novel now.

02. Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous: I love this series of games, Kingmaker is still my favourite, but I loved the story of Wrath so much more. The mystery, the paths, the customizations! The only thing I missed was romance, I still have to find a romance I like and reply is hard because of how long the game is.

03. The Forgotten City: Beautiful adventure game recommended by lairofsentinel, great (basically) detective story. Interesting characters and definitely had a lot of fun trying to find out what the hell was going on.

04. Mass Effect Andromeda: For all the bad rep this game gets, I expected worse? I actually really really enjoy it. The story was nothing too exciting, and many quests were just fetch quests, but I still liked the characters a lot. The feeling of found family? Yes please. Jaal romance? Bring it on.

05. Gamedec: Among the new games that came out in recent years, this has to be one of my favs. The overall story was quite interesting, and the investigation really makes you feel like a detective. My only criticism is that there is little to no customization as by the end of the game you end up levelling up all skills, basically. Still enjoyable and good characters too.

06. Spellforce 3: Soul Harvest: I am at the very last mission. This game is adorable, even if the rpg element is a bit linear. I think, from what I understand, the dialogue choices do not have much impact. Basically, only the romance choice change the plot. Still, the art is very beautiful, the companions lovely and they are also all voiced. The plot was nothing special tho, kinda boring, but I had fun playing minimal Age of Empire tactics alongside the fighting.

07. Hatoful Boyfriend: WHAT TO SAY - this game is a big joke - not in a bad way, just in a "oh my god what am I playing" way. I would definitely recommend it. Do not take the romances seriously, the characters are just parody of usual visual novel romances - but the murder mystery is so eery and absurd!

08. Ash of Gods: I think this game is the better version of Banner Saga. The characters feels more like characters, and the story is a bit less linear and even if sometimes confusing, still enjoyable. For personal enjoyment, I would choose this over other games most times - and I did, I played it three times in a row. I am liking some of the characters so much that I am actually thinking of writing fanfics.

09. Tower of Time: If the ending had been different, this game would be in the top 3. I really enjoyed the plot, the mystery, the way you can explore this fantastical tower - the orcs!! I loved the orcs subplot! But it all comes to a big nothing that left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. So - well, fun but disappointing.

10. Boyfriend Dungeon: HEAR ME OUT - this game is a visual novel with hack and slash fighting. The visual novel part is a bit... meh, and the plot is kind of absurd, but I enjoyed the idea of increasing your romance with character by using them to fight. In general I actually enjoyed it even if I won't ever play it again.

11. The Banner Saga: Interesting story, that gets a bit better the more you play. Some characters are pretty good - but generally they are not the main driver of this game. Still, I liked the gameplay enough that I will probably play 2nd and 3rd, even if the plot really did not leave a big impression on me... I barely remember it.

12. The Talos Principle: This game is amazing. The story is so well crafted... my problem is that I am bad at puzzles and easily frustrated. If you like puzzle games, I recommend this one because discovering the plot/lore of the world is amazing.

13. Hades: Okay, this game is great, just not for me. I am not a fan of hack and slash, and I get frustrated pretty easily, so playing the full game multiple times to reach the ending - it gets boring a bit too easily for me.

14. Black Geyser: A classic isometric rpg. I really did want to like it, but somehow... the plot is okay, but the characters are so flat. I felt no real connection to any of them, even the companions who join you end up joining you in such random ways and the ending seemed abrupt. Still if you want an isometric game to play, go for it.

15. Gods will be watching: I am still playing this one and I am eternally confused. The plot is quite interesting and the way the playthrough is incorporated is too, but it also looks quite random - as in there is no exact rule on how to pass every level, but a big level of randomization.

16. A golden wake: I love Wadjet Eye Games and A Golden Wake was one of their older ones that I wanted to play. It was a nice good combination of puzzle and characters, but I did not enjoy the setting too much. I won't probably replay it.

17. Seven: I just started it so I have no opinion yet - a part for the fact that I am somehow very bad at it!

19. Starfighter Eclipse: This is a very very short visual novel/dating sim - the plot is minimal and the romances non existent. It is basically a very short predictable event that allow you to get sex scenes in cut scenes and that is it.

Other games played from Itch.io and in random order:

Brassica: A Marry Tale: Cute AMAZING visual novel, with wlw and mlm content. Unfortunately it is unfinished... but it will be finished! I will wait for the next chapters.

One Night Stand: HORRIBLE. I HATE this game with a passion, because everything in this game seemed to led to crime (you wake up from a one night stand and can't remember anything, and the consent was so iffy, but somehow the game is supposed to be about humans connecting??)

Speed Dating for Ghosts: Beautiful small indie game about meeting different ghosts and going on "dates", mainly dealing with their deaths. I cried at least three times.

A Short Hike: Currently one of my favourite non rpg games. This game was beautiful and so calming. I loved everything about it, and cried a couple of times too. There is so much humor too. I definitely recommend it.

Overland: Fun game where you have to escape zombies. Sad that the characters are not really characters

Arcade Spirits: I am still playing this, sadly I am not big on visual novels. The characters are all interesting so I might try to finish this one.

The corner of SHAME: Games I never finished and never will (maybe).

Greedfall - this game is one of the most boring well packaged game I have ever played Hard West - I did not even... understand the plot Stardew Valley - not for me Wasteland 2 - I expected something completely different and was disappointed Fallout New Vegas - I will definitely play it because of the great recs, but I usually do not like action games of this type Danganronpa Happy Trigger Havoc - not for me

[vendetta-if]

I know you've mentioned before Rin is aware of Takashi's crush on Viktor, but have they ever doubted his relationship with their mom because of it? Thinking stuff like does their dad actually love their mom or did he marry her and have kids because that's what he was supposed to/expected to do. We can even go one step further, has Rin ever doubted even for a second maybe Takashi doesn't really love them or their sister because they're part of a life not with Viktor? And on his attempted matchmaking to MC... does Rin think Takashi's trying to live vicariously through them? Thanks for your time, hope you're having a good day!

Really good questions, anon 😁 And I hope you have a good day too! ❤️

They have or at least sometimes the thought crossed their mind when they were younger, but they really tried not to think or worry too much about it; they really love their father and they believe in him not to cheat on their mother (and Takashi really doesn’t).

As for your second question, as they grew up, they quickly learnt that it was indeed because of duty that their father and mother were first married. Although overtime, especially after Viktor died, both Takashi’s and Azami’s relationship with each other start to get better and closer.

Even though Azami still get the feeling that no one would ever be able to truly replace Viktor’s position in his heart, especially since he was Takashi’s first love. But she has long made her peace with that. She’s just grateful enough that her relationship can actually get better. And Takashi is actually a good father and a loving and caring husband, which is already more than she first expected from the arranged marriage.

As for Rin, they don’t really begrudge their father for marrying their mother because of duty. They understand the importance and have accepted that maybe one day, they would have to do the same too, for the good of their family.

As for whether Rin has ever doubted that Takashi truly loves them and their siblings, the answer is no, not even for a second. Takashi really loves Rin and the twins with all his heart and to the death, just like Viktor loved MC 🥺 And Rin knows this too and they really love him back too.

And for your last question, yes… Rin can read through his father’s intention like an open book, especially once they know about their father’s crush on Viktor, all the puzzle pieces just fall in place. Although it can be exasperating for Rin sometimes, they also kinda get it and just mostly feel pity for their father. And they sincerely hope that they won’t ever fall in love that hard; that’d be… bothersome, to feel so strongly for someone else.

Also, they gotta admit, marrying MC, even only for duty, doesn’t sound so bad and will actually benefit their family a lot. After all, MC (and Ash) are the only other people outside of their family that they consider to be close to since they’ve actually spent time together since they were all children.

Well, all of these thoughts are before MC actually romance them, of course 😉😏🤭

[mejomonster]

some reasons Love Between Fairy and Devil is good:

the music. we got a lovely opening/theme song, a Liu Yuning secondary song, and a nice mix of traditional romance xianxia sounding stuff (think Eternal Love soundtrack etc) and rock music (which I personally love when xianxia do this - Love and Redemption and Men with Sword did this, and The Untamed did this with Meng Yao’s theme song). Just overall a solid soundtrack

the looks. while still distinctly fitting the usual romance xianxia aesthetic (think Love and Redemption, Eternal Love, Ashes of Love), its also got some individuality. Its partly taking some western fantasy elf aesthetics, which may be why it reminds me of Ice Fantasy so much (Ice Fantasy’s costumes felt very much like xianxia and western fantasy mixing with the design choices). As a result, some outfits really uniquely stand out, different locations have more distinct looks both set and Clothing wise (and its nice to see different regions have their own distinct looking culture and identity to a degree). Haishi city, Cangyan Sea, Shuiyuntian, and Lucheng all look like their own places with their own clothing. Stand out costumes are worn by our boy Qingcang who has some very cool horn-wood-piece looking crowns, and the Shuiyuntian headpieces remind me in a good way of Ice Fantasy a Lot. This show looks distinct enough to have its own identity.

the writing. consistent, straightforward, with meaning. While the meaning isn’t particularly deep, very much like Love and Redemption the main love is partly attractive because he respects consent (which when its lacking in a romance xianxia i tend to hate it - however the second love interest is also fairly nice in this, in contrast to Love and Redemption’s quite horrifying Bai Lin). Consent and abuse are definitely themes in this - just look at Dongfang Qingcang’s dad and him. Also, themes of compassion. While Love and Redemption really hammered home you should figure out right and wrong for yourself, and make your own fate? This show goes with similar themes but in a much different way. Destiny is much more set in this show - and YET we open early on with Lanhua purposely going against Fate to go save Changheng, so her entire relationship with Qingcang is a result of her breaking fate. While that hasn’t come back to bite her yet, it definitely puts her on a path outside fate - despite fate seeming much move inevitable in this show. Likewise, in the mortal arc, both Lanhua and Qingcang immediately change the ‘necessary fate’ of the people they’re trying to keep ON fate’s path. So I imagine this isn’t the last fate versus personal choice will get highlighted. Meanwhile goodness is somewhat critiqued in the sense of hypocrites (like Love and Redemption). But instead, its more like there’s genuine goodness to all the regions populations, and genuine suffering they’ve all been through. While showcasing all areas as equally capable of good and evil is very Love and Redemption, the way this show does it is more on a level that reminds me a bit of Goodbye My Princess. We get to know each area, care about them, and see why its so hard for the characters to decide what to do that would be best for their people and the world at large. Its not so simple as LaR - the god of war Changheng is genuinely good and kind, with good goals (unlike Bai Lin in LaR), meanwhile Qingcang’s father was awful to him, but the ultimate goal his dad (and he has) to help their Cangyan Sea is understandable and also an attempt to help their people. 

the romance. 1. absolutely love the acting (and they did great doing body swap scenes!) 2. the romance setup of ‘Big Bad’ guy as romantic lead i LOVE, of the commoner fairy who isn’t particularly strong and is not the ‘right noble class’ i LOVE (she might turn out to have some Important Identity but for the bulk of this story she’s very low power and treated as a nobody which I really like). They get along in a very nice way, its very “how do these characters interact” rather than feeling like tropes are forcing them together. The setup is literally just: orchid fairy accidentally saves Big Bad Type Character, and then Big Bad type due to a spell feels what she feels and more importantly HURTS if she hurts, so Big Bad has to care about her/help her for a little while. A very cool set up that reminds me of some big bad being forced to care for spiritual pet and learn life lessons as a result. But he’s not that bad, and she’s not threatening to him despite her control-option over him, so for the vast majority of time they just seem to have become ‘friends’ who mainly are caring about each other.  I just. I can’t express how cute they are, how they just Work together. I am real picky about my xianxia, and my romance, and my Romance Xianxia, so all i can say is if I like it then they are doing a Lot right in how they write the characters.

the characters. Like Love and Redemption this show is doing some new stuff with some character types, although less in a ‘lets subvert these obvious expectations’ and more in a ‘lets keep what parts of the types we liked and leave the rest.’ which is very cool. I can see elements in these characters that i’ve seen in other xianxia, and also unique bits special to them in particular. The god of war has some characteristics i expect (he reminds me a bit of God of War in Eternal Love) but then he’s also a younger brother, also very emotional and kind, just very individual. Meanwhile the original God of War reminds me of Xuanji-god-of-war in Love and Redemption (but without the abuse and trauma making her) again but with some very unique characteristics. Orchid reminds me a bit of the lead heroine in Love and Destiny, but Orchid is very genuine in a way that almost feels down-to-earth Everyday person in a way xianxia heroines don’t always feel. She really does feel like a Nobody in her realm, instead of someone Somehow Most Beautiful and Talented and Amazing. Our ‘big bad type’ mold is not so mean at all, on paper he’s fulfilling the ‘Devil/Demon Emperor’ mold, but he’s also genuinely emotionless to start like Xuanji in Love and Redemption (just emotionless but does care for his people and want to do the Right thing as best as he understands), and like Xuanji he is gradually getting his feelings back. In part I think this show reminds me of Ice Fantasy to such a degree, because the realms and characters do feel a bit more individual and less perfect maps onto the usual molds i expect in romance xianxia (and even Love and Redemption, while very much subverting and flipping molds, used a lot of expected Traits to comment on the molds in the first place - whereas in this show they just don’t really neatly fit the mold Ever). 

pacing. i just... cannot tolerate slow pacing for more than like 4 episodes max... and usually i give up if a cdrama gets paced slow for more than 2 eps. this show is so well paced im flying through it and never bored, which is always great in cdramaland where some dramas just Tend to Have a slow period of 5-10 eps at some point. 

[pearblossommina]

ToG Read-A-Long, Kingdom of Ash, day 5

Ch 35

Oh, my god, the Rowaelin reunion. YOU GUYS. I love him. 🥺

“And if Maeve meant to bring that army to Terrasen, to either unite with Erawan or simply be another force battering their kingdom, to strike when they were weakest, they had to hurry. Had to get back. Immediately. His mate's eves shone with the same understanding and dread.”

Yeah. What IS she planning? She wants to take over the world, right? Not with Erawan. She wants to rule on her own, and she likes this world, the delights of it, vs Erawan who is all doom and gloom and bent on conquering and making the world terrible. Not saying Maeve isn’t a vile and awful monster - who needs to be dealt with - but as far as the two of them go, Erawan is the bigger threat to their lives and the planet as a whole. Maeve can kinda just chill on a continent across the sea and rule as if she’s a fae queen and be on her own for a thousand years.

Ch 36

Slow boat ride through a dark cavern with glow worm lanterns and spooky little folk as your guides

Elide! When are you gonna make up with Lorcan, he said he was sorry. He’s atoned. C’mon.

Ch 37

“He clenched his teeth. This was where they'd have it out, then. "How much longer am I supposed to atone?"”

Lol it’s just like I said!!! I mean, Elide, c’mon! It’s fine to break up if you don’t actually want to be together. But I see no sense in drawing out this fight! You’re all together now, you’re in this with the good guys, and he cares about you, and you care about him, and why are we fighting? There are bigger things at play, here.

Aww www the scene with the wedding rings. How perfectly Rowaelin. I love how he wanted to wear the ring with the emerald. Rowan you’re the cutest.

Ch 38

Have you ever played Undertale! The “stars” that are actually glow worms and a reflection on black water deeply reminds me of the Waterfall level in Undertale

Ch 39

So I wanna know. Is Father Westfall gonna turn out to be a good dude? He seems kinda like he might be working on trying to redeem himself. I CAN’T TELL ANYMORE, lol, who’s still bad?

Yrene take your contraceptive tea you dummy! So irresponsible, smh (I guess it’s too late now)(but it’s such a bad time for an unplanned pregnancy NOW when the whole world is at stake and there’s nothing but battle and war and sadness on the horizon!) (and your LIFE FORCE is tied to HIS LIFE FORCE) (lol girl - I wish you had thought ahead at all) (I mean I guess Chaol is also partially to blame here) (god you two are both so irresponsible - how could you)

Ch 40

Idk what’s going on with these two.

Like, yeah, sure, Manon, you should really try and turn all the Ironteeth witches to your side, but you’ve been kinda ruthless IN THIS BOOK even, and y’know… just be careful, I guess. I guess I want to see her do it - but I’m not sure.

And then there’s Dorian, ugh, what the heck are you doing??? Is every romance just gonna break up, I’m just…. Frustrated, lol. I get it. Wyrdkeys are *also important* and you are *also capable* but you don’t gotta do everything by yourself.

I’m just frustrated in general right now. This book’s really long. I can’t figure out where we are in the structure of the story. I still feel like not…. Much…. Has happened, yet. And I’m growing anxious, because I feel like super big things need to happen before the end… yeah, idk!

I believe in you, Dorian. I know you can do it. I believe in you, Manon. I know you can do it too! I just don’t have time for this breakup, lol.

Ch 41

*sigh* I just love Rowaelin. They went through a lot to get here. My heart is so full.

Ch 42

You guys think Aedion is gonna be happy when he sees Aelin again - or is he gonna be righteously angry because she came home with two brand new blood oaths when she promised to make a blood path with him

(I think he’s probably over it, lol, he’ll probably just be happy that she’s not dead) (but idk, he can be kinda a pain in the butt about random things) (we love you Aedion)

I’m still struggling lol but hey I made it before midnight, so this is still technically day 5

(Gonna try to get my reading done earlier in the day tomorrow)

(No promises)

(Life - ya know!)

[cursedalthoughts]

Thoughts on Sirens becoming a playable/romanceable faction?

i actually think that would be bad.

now, i understand the lust of having sirens be playable and by extension oathable - only god knows what i would do to The Tower XVI if i could. however, gameplay wise the game would have to change a lot to accomodate them since a single Arbiter could absolutely manhandle most of the AL fleet if that were her directives (instead of containing the Ashes), as we've seen in The Fool's Scales; and they would break the whole meta. narrative-wise, having them be playable would defeat their purpose i think. yes, they're not the actual true evil of the game (there's multiple hints of something greater the Sirens were originally made to fight against), but they're still too entrenched as enemies of literally the whole world now, and the times shipgirls have allied with them the deal has been massively stacked in favor of the Sirens.

that said, i can see them doing a one-off where a low-ranking Siren model gets hacked by Helena META so hard she becomes a blank slate and then we get her as a playable unit. i wouldnt like that, but i think it's possible.

[eyes-of-mischief]

weekly fic recs | 34

fandoms: bsd, dbh, hq, tgcf, svsss

bsd

Who Needs Money Anyway? (Spoiler Alert: It’s Us) by fandomsandshit

Their funding has been cut.

Akiko stares blankly at the sheet Haruno is holding out to her, hands sweaty and shaky, and resists the urge to scream.

It’s been a long time coming. As much as she hates to admit it, Akiko is honestly surprised it took this long for them to lose some of it; what with the monthly shootings, consistent suicide attempts and general shenanigans of the Agency members.

But how on earth are they going to make enough money now?

---------- (modern-ish au where the ada causes too much property damage for proper funding, and so yosano leads them into the wonderful world of twitch streaming to make money)

A Study in Mafia Black by eluvion

If he’s being honest, good and bad don’t matter so much to Ranpo as truth does. Good and bad are subjective, clouded with human error, and honestly, they’re quite boring. Mystery has always been more interesting than morality with the way each string weaves together, creating a tapestry of crime, blood and ash writing their own story. Dazai is still as much of a mystery as he was at first glance, and Ranpo is just as ready to pick apart the truth from whatever plays behind those eyes.

Or; a friendship, of sorts, between the two smartest members of the Armed Detective Agency.

dbh

preconstruct by aworus

(graphic depictions of violence)

Connor’s preconstruction software is activating much more often than he’d like. Who knew an android problem could actually be so human?

(Five times Connor has intrusive thoughts and one time he tells someone about it.)

hq

a dictionary definition by shoutowo

“Well, yeah!” Bokuto says. “When I say stuff like ‘the world’, sometimes, like, in my head, I’m really only imagining one person.”

The interviewer looks like she hit the jackpot. Bokuto doesn’t notice. “Can we get a name?”

-

or, Akaashi is Bokuto's world. This creates more problems than it solves.

tgcf

centuries since paradise by parsnipit

Xie Lian has spent long enough around sirens to have some grasp of their communication, and some of it is even a little similar to mer noises. This sound, for example, is like the one podmates use to call for each other—curious, beckoning. He suspects it means much the same thing for sirens. Has this siren lost someone, maybe? Hopefully it will find its lost someone soon, so Xie Lian can go back to sleep. Then, because nothing good can ever happen to Xie Lian, the siren peeks beneath the overhang. It hangs its head over the jut of stone, its hair billowing like a crown of ink and the yellow sclera of its eye bright against the black. That singular eye catches on his, its pupil dilating, and Xie Lian stiffens.

Windmaster's Heavenly Confections by IceEckos12

Eight years after a personal tragedy derailed his life, Xie Lian is hired to work at the local candy shop, Windmaster's Heavenly Confections.

He has no idea what he's just gotten himself into.

Including: cooking disasters, reunions with old friends, and the sweetest possibility of romance.

A Wolf’s Snare by UmbraSoleil

(explicit)

By all accounts, Hua Chengzhu is a terrifying, wicked king. But, as much as Hua Cheng is feared, he is also favored.

So then why would such a man request to marry him—the prince of a kingdom in decline? Xie Lian did not think he would ever be able to understand.

Then, during Xie Lian’s escort to his betrothed, a peculiar spirit tethers itself to him; a youth who calls himself San Lang.

-

“You’ve kept me waiting for a very long time.”

svsss

Into This Wild Abyss by Lbhs_left_tiddie (HungryPoet)

(explicit) (graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con)

Shen Qingqiu stood at the edge of the cliff, his back lit up by the fiery light of the Endless Abyss. The blood from the wound on his chest spilled out between his fingers, splattering onto the shattered remains of Xiu Ya laying at his feet. When he looked up, his expression was half-wild with the heat of battle, shoulders heaving with his ragged breaths, and his eyes, which were normally like green jade, glowed blood red-

-The very same red shining from the demon mark etched onto his forehead.

Or: Shen Qingqiu is the protagonist of PIDW

[onelastfic]

Can we get some cutesy couple headcanons for Ash and Nenet since they didn’t get the Halloween commission 👉👈

Nenet and Ash have told each that if they ever need a break from their Ghost Zone/Earth duties they have a free pass to visit each other.

Whenever Ash has a particularly bad dragon transformation, Nenet lets Ash rest his head in her lap. Sometimes she’ll even sing him a song to calm his nerves.

Ash and Nenet have a tendency to lose track of time when talking to each other. Often times they can go to lunches that turn into late dinners because they lose track of time.

Though Ash and Nenet do have feelings for each after, even after realizing it they wouldn’t act on it because of their hang ups. They keep listening to their heads then what’s in their hearts. It probably takes a lot of convincing from those they trusted to actually get them to muster up the courage to confess.

People have noticed that after meeting each other that Ash and Nenet have been more mellow. Ash isn’t as uppity about rules and isn’t as hard on Qira. While Nenet seems calmer and less destructive than how she usually is.

They like to have cozy movie nights, complete with popcorn and blankets. Nenet has a whole mental list of tv shows and films she wants to introduce Ash to. So far, they’ve just been binging Game of Thrones.

Ash likes to whisper sweet, poetic compliments and declarations of love in Nenet's ear, making her feel cherished and adored. It makes Nenet so flustered and embarrassed mess but she doesn’t hate it. Chivalrous knight prince has some moves.

They continue to take their relationship at a slow, comfortable pace. Ash never pushes Nenet into anything she's not ready for and respects her boundaries, ensuring she feels in control of the relationship's progression. Ash repeatedly reminds Nenet that he's in this for the long haul, and there's no rush. His unwavering patience and understanding become a constant source of reassurance for her.

The first time Nenet met Ash’s mom, Queen Envie, it was honestly a horrible experience. Extremely embarrassing, extremely awkward, and so extremely mortifying that Nenet just wants to block it out of her mind sometimes.

Ash occasionally surprises Nenet with small, meaningful gestures that don't overwhelm her but still convey his love and affection. These gestures gradually help Nenet become more comfortable with romance.

[theangrypokemaniac]

Part Two

Best enjoyed with a cup of tea and some biscuits.

What I've explained so far is merely the intellectual portion of my hatred.

I don't think it's too much to ask for something to make sense and respect the history and laws of its own universe.

I haven't even started talking about my emotional reaction, which is somehow even more volcanic.

Little T.A.P. had what's known euphemistically as 'the artistic temperament' (nutter) and as such, was the most hardline, take-no-prisoners Rocketshipping extremist you'd ever have the misfortune to meet.

Worse than everyone on Tumblr, combined.

If anyone reading this considers themselves an obsessive, then no, mate, you're not.

You ain't seen nothing compared to my psychotic prime.

Glorious, it was.

I, but a simple, unassuming child, had a clear vision in life:

I will kill anyone who comes between you.

And I wasn't one o' these wishy-washy 'Oh there's nothing there now but it has potential' dishcloths, I was the Real Deal.

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! IT IS UNSPEAKABLY BEAUTIFUL TRUE LOVE OF MYTH AND POETS AND SONGS AND DREAMS!!!!!!

As far as I was concerned, it deserved to ranked alongside the great romances of history and legend.

• Romeo and Juliet

• Lancelot and Guinevere

• Anthony and Cleopatra

• Tristan and Isolde

• Victoria and Albert

• Orpheus and Eurydice

• Nicholas and Alexandra

• Hero and Leander

• Heloise and Abelard

• Pyramus and Thisbe

But, you know, without the death.

Besides which, I had no internet, and no friends who liked Pokémon, so I sincerely believed I was the only Rocketshipper in the world, and felt it more intensely on top of the rest as compensation.

And if you watch the early Indigo League in the view that Jessie and James aren't just destined to be in the future, but a fully-fledged, when-can-we-be-married legitimate couple, but it's never mentioned much because it's not relevant to the main story of Ash's quest, then it bloody works!

Suddenly you start thinking that maybe they want that one big heist so badly so they have enough to retire on and set up home together.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See talking about brings it all the bastard memories back and how they all died and led to nothing and now I want to sit in the corner and cry for the love that never lived.

Imagine me, in such a state, watching this utter abomination, matching Jessie with a man, and it's not James, and thinking I would ever take it well.

I don't understand how anyone could.

The best (THE BEST!) explanation I have is that these writers, now needing to string it out until the final moments of Johto, realized they'd taken the romance too far and wanted to hold back, but did it in the most cack-handed, clod-hopping fashion, undermining it so the whole ship collapsed about their ears, from which it's never really recovered.

This team, after all, thought Tracey was a good idea, so how much could we ever expect?

I'm not saying it died that day, as I still found things (the second film, by Shudo), but this was the first inkling I got that, well maybe it won't end happily after all.

And that hurt.

I should've seen it in Bad to the Bone, but this decision made the uneven writing far too plain, so how could I ever put my faith in it all turning out alright, if it's so dependent on an individual writer's whims?

What if the last-ever-episode was written by the wrong person, and it was left to his decision?

I dunno. Maybe the success of Pokémon went to their heads and drove 'em doolally, thinking they could coast serving up any old tripe.

Or they never wanted Rocketshipping to be so big, and deliberately set about a sabotage to put people off.

After all, the dearth of shipping content come Hoenn, the first region after Shudo left, can't really be explained otherwise.

And everything beyond that is the most paltry, blink-and-you'll-miss-it table scraps, like Jessie touches James back for half a second and the fandom flies out of its mind about it because they're so deprived of proper nourishment.

Then the supposed big stuff always comes with a catch that yet again chips away at their formerly established personalities, giving with one hand but robbing with the other.

I once heard someone defend XY063 (AND DON'T START ME ON THAT!!!) with talk of how:

For something shippy to happen, something anti-shippy needs to happen first.

We can't take one step forward before we've took a step back, so nothing ever moves.

In the present anyway. The canon gets ripped to ribbons.

Well who says it should?

'Cause I don't remember any price paid in the golden age of Rocketshipping. Back then it was just allowed to happen.

So what changed?

It can't only be they cut down on the romance to give it greater appeal to children, thus turning a bigger profit, as what do they think we were?

But here is where you start to see the almost brainless willingness to ignore all that's gone before.

Anything to keep it going, eh?

The entire reason Jessie and James was special is because it's two kids adrift from the worlds they were born into where no one understood them...until they met.

You go by the original canon, and it's them chancing upon their soulmate, realizing it, and never parting from that day.

They was only ever going to be the other in their lives, and they knew, and IT WAS SO BLOODY BEAUTIFUL!!!

The idea there's one person for everyone is the magic material woven into all the highest dreams of humanity, and it made Little T.A.P.'s tender heart sing hosannahs to its holiness.

Oh, but yer can forget that now, 'cause it's all gone to shit.

Turns out Jessie DID have one of them connections (honest!), but it was some other random knobhead named Darren who sniffs glue round the back of Netto.

Oh-ho, I bet Keats, Byron and Shelley are dusting off their immortal quills as we speak, keen as mustard to commit these wholesome snippets to paranormal paper.

Get this: she, apparently, knew Darren practically from the maternity ward, and spent her whole life with him, which is longer than her own parents lasted (supposing that bit of her past stayed the same, and I'm not sure it did, but anyway) meaning he's the biggest relationship of any kind she ever had, the one constant source of emotional support and companionship throughout her younger years, twinned with her as no one else ever could be (PFFT!!!) but he's never been bloody mentioned before!

And he's never seen again!

And he's got No Fookin' Eyes!

He's SO important, but he also doesn't matter at all, as them writers don't care no more.

James not only isn't The One, he ain't even The Two after Osstin got invented, and The Three is Darren part two, for Jessie's slummin' it for sloppy seconds.

James is well down the rankings of First Ever Love Evah in the modern configuration, which is nice.

And they just keep twisting the knife!

Pokémon Tech. is a school for Trainers, so first-year pupils must be at least ten, therefore I surmised that's how old Jessie and James were at their fateful encounter.

BUT she's evidently younger than ten here, so not only have they killed off her joint history with him, they've gotta mock it too by making out it couldn't even come close to the depth of dependency she had on ding-dong-merrily-on-high Daz, since they go way back!

As I said, Jessie's established past is oblitered by this scene, but so too is James's, and now he didn't abscond from school to join a bike gang, and I don't know where he comes from either because Holy Matrimony! is out too.

If I'm generous however, and overlook that, presuming the 'rich kid' theme still applies, there's no telling why, when or how he ran away, but I'll guess he was ten when he did, for that's the traditional age of majority here.

As the Training Daze version of events now takes precedent with everyone who isn't me, and those lauding it want to hammer yer into submission about how Duh Twenny Fyve, this makes a fifteen-year gap from James leaving home to swanning up at HQ, which is just an enormous black hole of cold emptiness.

Has there ever (EVER) been an episode dealing with what happened to him then, who he met, what jobs he had, how he survived?

NO!

With Indigo canon binned (apart from the following, apparently, which is convenient), I'm supposed to accept that James, who wasn't just a small boy, but a preened, pampered only child and precious son and heir, fêted and catered to by a household full of servants, with no life skills or survival instincts to speak of, somehow scraped by on the streets on his own FOR FIFTEEN YEARS, with no Jessie to take care of him, or Chopper, or Tyra, or any kindly biker?

As if! He'd have been dead within hours!

Of course, he caught no Pokémon during this period either (being most of his life) and consequently had no form of self-defence to hand, but this colossal plot hole doesn't seem to trouble anyone.

Who knows, maybe in this timeline he stayed home until the night before Giovanni snapped him up, which I suppose makes Jessibelle his own personal Darren in significance.

Except people never mind if, by default, every new Jessie backstory comes replete with endless gobshite wasters queueing up to give her Forgotten Major Trauma, but if James has another woman, and it's Jessibelle, there's hell to pay.

Well no wonder she's miffed, staying with him for decades only to watch him walk out the door as soon as she slipped on the veil.

I reckon it's only the good humour of Vileplume that keeps her from tipping into full Miss Havisham mode.

Whilst I'm at it, the art style of Training Daze is a bit...off, and doesn't resemble the rest of Hoenn.

I suspect it's an imitation of how they looked in their earliest scenes, in fact the above screenshot is suspiciously like this one, even if they haven't bothered fixing the colours.

See? They can draw better. They just won't.

My theory is the crew knew retconning the past was playing with fire, so deliberately designed 'em as close as they could to early Kanto, thereby easing fans into accepting it, as if now it's obvious Indigo Jessie and James really went through the prequel, and were originally invented with this past in mind.

Yeah. Not that it makes sense, for if the Kanto style was that important to anyone they'd still be going by its canon backstories come what may, and certainly wouldn't have rolled over blithely accepting the mushed-up faces on 'em recently, but then, who really cares about coherent thinking?

It's so overrated.

And I can't deny it worked. People tie themselves in all sorts of weird knots insisting Training Daze ackshully does fit with canon...if you just shut up and stop noticing.

Once that got through, in their view we'd swallow anything, so why even try making it match?

Who is this supposed to be, man? 'Cause it don't resemble any Jess I remember.

If this picture had gone round labelled as 'Young Nurse Joy' before Sinnoh, no one would've doubted it.

What's wrong with yer bloody eyes, love? They ain't even the right shape!

How can I believe a backstory that happened to someone else?

Now I, being a calm, mild-mannered sort of soul, don't ask for much in life.

But he should die.

Incidentally, years after the fact I skimmed a Cori Falls story where Darren knocked Jessie about, and although I would never once suggest that happened (but it did) I can't say I have a single ounce of sympathy for him.

I mean, if he didn't want that sort of representation, he shouldn't have bloody turned up.

Please understand, I haven't relentlessly insulted him merely from a shipping perspective (die), but also with a fine artistic sensibility.

Firstly, he has No Bloody Eyes, which, logically, constitutes some sort of Shadow Dæmon, but more importantly, and much worse, is the brown hair.

Brown hair.

You're in an anime, and yer got brown hair.

...

YOU COULD HAVE ANY COLOUR IN THE WORLD AND YER PICK BROWN???!!!

Even worse ('cause it's personal now), it ain't even arranged in some ker-razy spiky display as compensation.

Oh no. He's too good for that. Instead Darren's got his barnet all nice and smooth, like a human haircut.

...

See what I'm saying?

He comes swaggering in here, throwing his weight around and upsetting everyone, and hasn't even got the decency to look the part.

Not even an inch of sideburns on this oaf.

I wouldn't mind nearly so much if we were dealing with some ultra-cool world-class titan, the sort of shining star suited to front any other anime, where you could understand Jess taking an interest, but I am not putting up with sticking this bog-standard, penny-pinching tow-rope, with his all-over even wood finish and cow lick, into her past without so much as a by-your-leave, and thereby casting aspersions on her character.

Just consider the insult:

You're telling me Jess has gone from bagging herself James, who's not only young, good-looking, carrying the classic anime style, AND actually matters in the grand scheme with a massive fan following, because he's well-designed and interesting enough to pull a crowd (plus, let's not forget, HE'S FOOKIN' LOADED, MAN!!!) to settling (and come on, it's settling) for eyeless, bland background filler, who wouldn't even pass muster as a one-time guest character?

Yer can piss off!

Indigo Jess had some flamin' standards and wasn't gonna compromise 'em, but Orange Jess apparently has no taste whatsoever, and is just bloody grateful when any old slobbering air thief shows interest.

And I'm not 'avin it!

See that's why she's on the floor. He hit 'er.

All I said about Darren being Jessie's main source of stability also applies in reverse, as she is that to him.

And still he effed off.

Arsehole. Complete arsehole.

What a classy moral-of-the-story routine this was for the romantically-inclined Little T.A.P.

'Used t'be Jessie crossed paths with her everlasting soulmate (James) and stuck it out through thick and thin.

Message: True love is real, kids!

Together forever!

No matter how long!

From now until the end of time!

Now? Oh yeah, she had a thing once, and thought it was the proper stuff, but...meh.

'Cause even after years together you just can't trust 'em not to leave.

Message: Never feel secure!

Not for one second!

You don't know what he's plotting!

Oh, kill the dream, why don't yer?

Let's not aim for something higher anymore, trying to convey the soaring ideals of love, so that, despite their misery and poverty, Jessie and James have a little beauty to cling on to through the darkness.

Nah, mate, kick 'em when they're down!

Thus Darren departs continuity, oversized coat and guide dog in hand, as Orange Jess sinks to her knees, pleading for his return.

Have some bloody self-respect, Jess!

You're so invested in a walking Cuprinol advert you're actually begging him not to go?

You like minimum-effort mediocrity THAT much?

And you're STILL sorry it didn't last?!

Fuxake, woman!

For if I accept it, I think less of her.

There once was a time when our Jess pictured herself as an earthbound goddess served devotedly by adoring slave boys.

Ooooh. Some of them lads have brown hair.

They've all got curtains, perms and mullets, man!

That's the default setting of anime!

Being mere fantasy figures, they don't really exist in this universe, and thus I'm cutting 'em some slack, given this whimsy never buggered up canon.

They know their place.

But watching her debase herself like this, crawling across the scratchy nylon carpet, clutching at the tan polyester seams of Darren's best waterproof ensemble, really got my goat, as that ain't the Jess I loved and idolised.

Old Indigo Jess wouldn't have stood for any of that nonsense, as her lovely little speech in The Ghost of Maiden's Peak makes plain.

Oooh, but she's just trying to save face because of what she did in the past.

A. You're only saying that in hindsight, wanting to believe Pokémon has a solid continuity where both Barren Darren and Austin Powers fit, even when it's impossible.

B. Where's the evidence for this in original canon?

C. There's nothing wrong with learning from others' mistakes instead of going there yourself.

D. Orange Jess evidently doesn't regret it, what with telling us all about sinking so low she's hankered after Spirits From The Nether Realm, and giving it good woe-is-me in the aftermath.

Back in the first series, all the fellas Jessie wanted waiting upon her had James's lean physique, with the majority sporting some variation on his hair colour.

Is it really just a coincidence that since then, none of her supposed beaus look remotely like him?

Each one has either brown or dark grey hair, making 'em as boring as possible:

• Darren

• Aston Villa

• Dr. Shite

• Speccy in the Lucario film.

• Him from Mewtwo Returns, whatever his name is, the sub says Penicillin.

So the art department's going out of its way to tell us:

1. James is NOT Jessie's type.

2. She has really low standards, yet he STILL doesn't meet 'em.

Now Darren doesn't really matter too much, since everyone else who hasn't been nursing a grudge for two decades forgets him.

Even I don't care until he comes up in screen shots.

Osstin however is the real shithouse.

He gets an entire bloody episode nurturing his canon balls.

See here's where the slippery slope knocks yer down:

• Make Team Rocket look Indigo for Training Daze.

Once accepted, don't bother letting Jess resemble herself in Crossing Paths!

• Introduce other men in a minor flashback.

Now the past is broken, have whole episodes pissing on its memory.

And how the quality has sunk in the meantime.

Darren, whilst a massive step down from James, is at least reasonably masculine, and probably as attractive as shape-shifters get.

Osstin meanwhile...

I'm gonna ignore the brown barnet, being a tangle of jagged edges, evidently over-compensating for what lies beneath.

'Cause he is ugly, man.

Jessie's tastes have degraded so badly they've slipped into the perverse, juvenile blood throbbing at the sight of a squeaky, short-arsed four-eyes barely bigger than herself.

Why, God? Why do you curse me?

James was a wealthy effeminate fop, in his day, Darren was a normal, middle-of-the-road incubus, in his day, both of which are a sight load better than whatever this is supposed to be.

You want me to believe Jessie's gone from either of them to a squinting, emasculated and vertically challenged dweeb, fogging up at the mere sniff of Reddit and SY-UNCE, and truly hideous to behold?

She left Darren for him, did she?

Takin' liberties here!

Remember it, tho?

Back when she was taking expensive dance classes in an unspecified region paid for by her indulgent moneybags parents with those familiar best friends of hers?

You know, that pair we keep seeing on the road.

Never not on our screens, are they?

I'm sick of hearing about 'em.

It's always Jessie getting dumped, you notice. Never her kicking the useless sod to the kerb, realizing she can do better.

Nope. Only James is low enough for that.

But do they really expect me to still love and admire Jessie, look up to her even, as I once did, when now I'm told she's so pathetic even nerds don't want her?

Bastards!

Oh, you're sorry this didn't work out, are yer Jess?

You're crying because you didn't marry the gormless incel and birth a dozen bi-focal babies?

Just look at yerself, girl!

Worse, Darren left her when they were reasonably grown-up, about the age she was in the Orange League, meaning if it happened (which it didn't) it had to be not long before Kanto began, so I might understand her still being upset over a man she'd known since childhood, supposing I did believe it.

BUT Osstin buggered off when she was at best, about bloody eleven, and so they had no romance in the first place, yet she's still moaning about The Geck That Got Away well into Sinnoh, meaning she regrets losing him more than Darren!

You're rapidly going down in my estimation, Jess!

Of course, the irony is James morphing into said revolting breed of 'male' in the later eras, so by rights Jessie ought to be on him like a pigeon on Monster Munch.

I marvel at anyone who kept their Rocketshipping hopes up this long, given just how many warning signals the writers put out over the years.

Nothing blatant, obviously. They're not stupid.

Even the quote above quietly kills off any hint of Jessie and James's then-relationship, and as usual with retcons, once said, you're expected to apply them to the past and pretend it was always this way.

No one loves Jess, kids!

And certainly not James!

All that Indigo evidence was just in your head!

There's never a positive reflection of her being glad she met James and Meowth, that these various conflicting pasts led to them, and so it all worked out in the end.

Every time she bemoans a 'lost love', it's a tacit admission she wishes she was anywhere but here, and with anyone but them.

Anyone but James, in truth.

Oh, that's cheered me right up.

How miserable she looks.

If nothing else proves Holy Matrimony! is out of continuity (barring bits of it, when useful), it's that her Orange League whining come after this scene.

And this one.

And this one...

...When she is plainly in a relationship with him.

Jessie's first action after staring into James's eyes for an unnecessarily long period of time is to move closer and wrap her arms about his neck, for one of those entirely platonic embraces, no doubt, both so captivated by the moment they've forgotten Meowth exists.

But it never happened, did it?

They've always been Just Friends, haven't they?

See when I rule the world (it won't be long now), and people ask why I did all them war crimes, I'm gonna point 'em to THIS for setting me off.

The End