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cocochannel00 · 4 years

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Only Wish (This Year)

All Y/n wants for Christmas this year was Harry to be home... so what happens when Harry can’t make it? (a part of the ‘Christmas song fic challenge’)

Word count: 3k Pairing: Harry Styles x reader

A/N: hello my loves! This is my submission for @goldenbluesuit’s christmas fic challenge, Christmas is literally my favorite holiday of the year and I’m so happy I got a chance to do my first fic writing challenge based on the absolute bop that is Britney Spear’s “Only Wish (This Year)”. If you want to read more great Christmas fics by some amazing writers checkout the Christmas Song Masterlist Here and if you want to read and more of my writing check out My Masterlist Here. I hope you enjoy!!

"Love I think the tree looks a little crooked"

"No, it's not! It looks fine," you grumbled as you tried to fluff one of the branches that was limping to the left a bit. You had just gone out with Anne yesterday to the Christmas tree farm to get it. The two of you spent nearly two hours walking around the field looking for the perfect tree to put in the living room and after your fingers and toes had officially gone completely numb the two of you gave up and settled for the lanky one in the corner of the field that no one wanted. The tree towered over you quite a bit and had a bit of a tilt, but it reminded you a bit of Harry and this Christmas that was what you wanted, him.

"The reindeer you just hung up is about to fall off, Love" he mumbled from the screen of your computer as he face-timed you from the studio in LA. Rushing over to the left side of the tree, you scooped up the ornament quickly just as it was beginning to slide off of the scrawny branch you had placed it on earlier. As you less than gracefully began to pick yourself off the ground, you heard a wolf whistle come from your husband.

"On second thought, if you keep bending down like that I think I might actually like this tree" Harry stated with a smirk as you gave him the middle finger. "Your mom and I picked it out yesterday cause we thought it looked like you. A little lanky, a little scrawny... looks like he just rolled out of bed" you replied with a laugh.

"I'm going to spare my ego and pretend you didn't just compare your beautiful, loving, and supportive husband to that sad drooping tree you have in the corner."

"(Y/n) is that Harry you're talking to in there? Tell him he better be making it home for Christmas Eve dinner or I'm going to be having a stern talking with Jeff" Anne shouted from the kitchen where she was finishing up some cookies for when Gemma and Michal' today.

You could see the color drain from Harry's face as he scratched the back of his neck. You and Harry have been married now for a little over a year but had been dating for well over three, so you know his every tick and giveaway and when Harry begins to scratch and rub at the back of his neck you know it's bad news.

"I've got this really good chorus started with Mitch, but were still trying to figure out whether-"

"Harry"

"We spent all of yesterday working through the tracklist and I think I've narrowed it down to-"

"Harry"

"I think I'm going to end the album with the song I wrote on our honeymoon. I tweaked the melody but it's still-"

"Harry" you whispered for the last time before he finally stopped his rambling. You could see him by the way he was avoiding your stare that he didn't want to say the words you both were dreading. He isn't coming home for Christmas. You both knew it was a possibility when he flew out to LA nearly five weeks ago to finish the album before the new year. Despite Harry's offer of having you come to LA with him, your job didn't allow you the luxury of taking off that much time especially during one of your busiest times of the year. You had held out hope that Kid Harpoon and Harry could tie up all of the loose ends ahead of time, but clearly, that wasn't going to happen.

"I tried baby, I really did. There are just too many little things that need to get done here. I promise I'll try and make it back next week, we can have our own little Christmas together in London" he stated trying the lighten his crushing words. This was supposed to be your first Christmas as a married couple together so to say you were disappointed would be an understatement, but you knew that if you let Harry know he would be on the first flight out to London.

"It's ok, we both knew this could happen. I'm sure Anne and I will spend way too much time fussing over Adelaide to even notice you're not here" you replied back trying to lighten the mood a bit more by mentioning Gemma's adorable two-year-old daughter.

"Stop rubbing it in" he joked as Jeff called his name in the background. "I need to get back in before they all have my head for keeping them here past midnight again. I'll try and sneak another call later tonight if you're still up"

"So good, H. I love you"

"I love you too, (Y/n). See you soon" Harry replied back as he hung up. You closed your laptop and continued your quest to finish decorating your slightly distorted Christmas tree. Securing the lights onto the tree had somehow become the hardest part of decorating the tree, so while you were wrapped in a mess of bulbs and strings you didn't even notice Anne come in with two cups of hot chocolate.

"Oh dear let me give you a hand" Anne muttered as she placed the mugs on the coffee table before rushing to your side, delicately untangling you from the lights while placing each string perfectly in its place. You gave her a quick thanks before you walked over to the couch to admire your work.

"He texted me to check up on you, that crazy son of mine. Swear I love him, but sometimes he's got just no sense of priorities. Leaving his wife all alone for the holidays, just not right" Anne said as she passed you a mug and sat down next to you.

"I appreciate you belittling your son on my behave, but reset assured that I am ok. I'm sad we won't be able to spend our first Christmas together as a married couple, but I'm sure we'll have our own little Christmas once he gets back. Besides, I still get the full week off of work and I get to spend time with you and baby Adelaide for the next couple of days and it will be great!"

"Well if you ever need me to put him in his place you let me know, ok sweetheart? Can't have my favorite daughter-in-law feeling upset" she said as she wrapped her arms around you.

"Thanks, Anne" you replied as you gave her a tight squeeze, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Anytime dear. Now quick, turn on channel Hollywood Gossip before Gemma shows up, she never lets me watch this show. I heard Lily James was spotted with an ex-boyfriend again"

The two of you spend the next hour catching up on some gossip and making lists of everything that still needed to be done before Christmas in two days. If there was one thing you were certain about, it was that you were going to make the most of your situation and try and have the best Christmas possible

**********

It was Christmas eve and you had spent the entire morning cooking and prepping for the large family meal you and Anne were hosting for Gemma and Michal and a couple of close friends. The two of you had been absolutely buzzing and Christmas tunes had been playing throughout the house since you both woke up bright and earlier at 7 am. You had scoured your suitcase for the perfect Christmas outfit but after spending 20 minutes trying on outfits in the and had settled for one of Harry's red cardigans and some dark washed jeans. The smell of the vanilla candle that smelt just like Harry that Anne had left in your room last night made you miss him even more as you finished getting yourself ready just in time to hear the doorbell ring downstairs.

You peeked out the window and saw Gemma and Michal standing at the door with little Adelaide at their feet and quickly ran to the door to greet them. Once you opened the front door a pair of small arms wrapped themselves around your legs as Adalaide screamed your name.

"Well hello, my sweet girl. I missed you so much! Did you miss me?" you asked as she nodded quickly. You picked her up carefully and smothered her face in kisses just as Anne came over to greet everyone. The five of you made your way out of the foyer and into the kitchen as Gemma wrapped her arms tightly around you and dragged you to the far end of the kitchen.

"Good afternoon my favorite sister. How is the married life treating you? Any surprises I should be worried about this Christmas?" she asked as she stole a Christmas cookie off of one of Anne's various dessert displays.

"It's been very nice, thank you. I don't think you'll be having any surprises from me this Christmas"

"Pitty I was hoping they be able to be in the same class as their cousin could go to school together," she said nonchalantly smirking at you as you stood there confused.

'What do you mean cousins? Adelaide already in day-care and I don't-- Oh my gosh Gemma are you -"

"Shh don't say it out loud, but yes. About eight weeks along, but we haven't told anyone yet. I'm telling you because last time I told you everything went well, so I think you're my good luck charm... and I need you to drink all of the shots Chloe tries to feed me tonight" She mumbled as you laugh and give her a big hug.

"Well congratulations Gem, I wish you both the best. Hey Adelaide, did you know what special person is going to be joining you really soon?" you asked the little girl in your arms as she played with the butterfly necklace Harry had gotten you for your second anniversary together.

"Santa"

"You're right baby Santa is coming tonight. Why don't you help me and Nana Anne finish decorating these last cookies before everyone gets here"

**********

The night was fantastic. After all of the guests had arrived, you all sat down to eat the wonderful roast Anne had been making all day. The room was filled with laughter and smiles as people recounted their most embarrassing Christmas stories. Your favorite was Michal's who as a child got so excited about seeing Santa at the mall that he actually peed on Santa's lap while telling him what he wanted for Christmas. Gemma discreetly slid her shot glass to you numerous times throughout the night and despite the questioning looks coming from Chloe, no one questioned Gemma's excuse of being the designated driver this year. Overall it was by far one of your favorite holiday meals to be a part of, you only wish Harry could have been there to share it with you.

"Me pants are about to explode, but does anyone fancy a little Christmas Eve stroll outside?" Michal asked as he cuddled a sleeping Adelaide to his chest.

There was a chorus of agreements and your large group slowly began to clean up their placemats and prepare themselves for the trek out in the snow. You helped Gemma load the dishwasher as Anne distributed Tupperware for everyone to take leftovers home with them before running upstairs to grab your winter jacket and boots. After everyone was all bundled up, you all headed outside into the snow, Gemma, and Michal leading the way as walked along the sidewalk. You watched the way Gemma placed a snowflake on Adelaide's nose and waited for the little girl to giggle before quickly wiping it off just to do it all over again. You continued to watch the interaction with a yearning in your heart at the thought of having your own kids with Harry and being able to take them on walks and show them ordinary things like snowflakes. Just as you had begun to drift off into your subconscious world Anne came up next to you and wrapped her arms with yours.

"That will be you someday, I can just feel it" Anne stated as she squeezed your hand tight. You gave her a small smile and nodded your head.

"I hope so. Just have to get your son to stay in one spot long enough" you joked as you rubbed your hands together for warmth.

"That man worships the grown you walk on, Love. If you tell him you want kids right now he'll drop everything"

"Hopefully when I get him back next week we can talk about it all a bit more" you replied as Anne nodded her head.

Your walk lasted about a half-hour until Adelaide began to cry saying she was tired and wanted to go to bed. You all preceded to head back into Anne's home for a bit to warm up before everyone would drive back to their respective homes to continue to celebrate their Christmases. Being the busy body that you were, you began to make tea for everyone in the hope of avoiding the dreaded interrogation about Harry and your's relationship that always came towards the end of these gatherings, but it never came. You think Anne must have warned them that you were feeling somewhat sad about Harry not being there because they managed to avoid the topic throughout the rest of the night. Just as the clock struck midnight everyone slowly began to say their goodbyes and exchanging any last-minute gifts that needed to be given. You helped Anne gather everyone's things and waved your last goodbyes before heading into the living room to relax a bit.

"I'm a bit wiped out dear so I think I'm going to head to bed early. Will you be ok here by yourself?" Anne asked cautiously as you scrolled through some pictures Harry had sent you the other day of him at the studio.

"Yes, I think I'll be ok. Have a good night Anne and thank you for a wonderful Christmas"

"No thanks needed dear, you're family now and always will be. I'll see you in the morning".

You waved a quick goodbye as Anne left upstairs to her room. The silence downstairs was only making your feelings of missing Harry worse so you decided to put on the TV and watch a Christmas movie to lift your spirits a bit as you cuddled Harry's picture to your chest. You know he was having Christmas Eve dinner with Jeff's family now and you didn't want to bother him so you decided that you would suck it up and wait until tomorrow to call him and tell him how much you really miss him. All you wanted this Christmas was to have him sitting next to you, sipping on a couple of hot chocolate and making fun of your weirdly patterned socks.

You hoped that flipping through the tv channels would help distract you but the minute you started channel surfing and Love Actually popped up on the screen in front of you, the waterworks began. You cried because you missed Harry. You cried because you didn't get to share all of your happy memories of today with him. You cried because you could cuddle him to sleep and wake up to his delicious scent. There you sat in his childhood home wrapped in a fuzzy blanket crying. You sobbed into the blanket as quietly as you could in the hopes of not waking up Anne and after what felt like an eternity, you finally fell asleep on the couch

*********

You were peacefully asleep on the couch until the sound of music blasting from the kitchen speaker startled you awake.

“I signed my letter that I sealed with a kiss I sent it off, and just said this...”

"Oh, fucking shit. Stupid fucking Tom calling me at..." you heard as a crash came from the kitchen.

You jumped from your curled up position on the couch and turned around to see where the noise was coming from. As you sank deeper into the couch hoping not to be seen, you saw a silhouette moving around the kitchen searching the drawers. Your pulse began to race as you start to run all of the potential ways in which this intruder could kill you right now. Just as you were about to reach for your phone to call 999, the intruder turned on the light and you saw a familiar head of curly hair.

"Jesus fucking christ Harry nearly gave me a heart attack" you stated as Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.

The two of you stared at each other for a while before you finally processed what was going on. Harry was here. Harry had made it. He was here for Christmas. He came. You all but sprinted off of the couch and launched yourself at him, hearing release gasp as you latched on to his body like a koala.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack there, love" he stated as he wrapped his arms around you and ran his hands through your hair.

"I could say the same thing. Who comes home after midnight and doesn't say anything, especially when said person said many times that they weren't going to be to make it home"

"Wasn't supposed to be home but then mom said you looked upset after our call yesterday so I told Jeff I would finish the rest in the London studio and zoom call any last-minute details. Excited to have me home?" he asked with a smirk.

"No" you stated trying to hide your excitement.

"Come on Love, don't lie to me. I'm excited to be home. Get to spend Christmas with my beautiful, smart, kind, amazing wife. Get to shower her with gifts. Best Christmas ever"

"Definitely best Christmas ever" you mumbled back as you leaned in and kissed him, savoring the taste of his lips after so long.

"I have one more surprise for you that I think you'll like" he stated as he broke away from the kiss.

"What" you whined as he laughed at you.

"Told Columbia that I'd make the record, but that I'm not releasing it till the end of next year. Want to settle down a bit more, gain more stability in case..." he trailed off as he cheeks turned pink.

"In case what?" you asked innocently even though you knew exactly what he was insinuating.

"In case you want to try for a baby like we talked about on our honeymoon. Said you wanted more stability from me before we started trying so this me giving you that. Don't want to pressure you or anything and this is your choice and I don't- "

"Yes," you whispered.

"Yes?" he questioned before you nodded your head and wrapped your arms around his neck.

Tears appeared in his eyes as he spun you around the kitchen. You laughed as he chanted "baby baby baby" quietly as to not wake Anne but the joy in his expression spoke volumes. You were both ready for this next chapter in your life and whatever happens next, as long as you were together, you knew everything would be ok.

“Hey babe” you whispered as Harry continued to cheer quielty.

“Yes, Love?”

“Is Britney Spears your ringtone?”

“Maybe... It’s festive!” he defended as you laughed

“Ok love, whatever you say”

Hope you all enjoyed and happy early Christmas to all who celebrate and a Happy Holidays everyone!!

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles blurb #harry styles masterlist #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #Christmas #harry styles x fluff

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0stentatia · 3 years

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A “Riz & Adaine being lowkey besties” fanfic

The morning after they rescue Adaine & Aelwyn from Calethriel Tower, after she restores Aelwyn’s memory to before she was captured, Adaine is sitting at the back of the Van trying not to spiral. Riz joins her, and they have a little chat.

(This is the first Fantasy High fic I’ve ever written & the first fanfic I’ve written in a hot minute so I’m sorry if it’s not the best but I needed this to exist because I love Riz & Adaine’s friendship sm.)

The songs of the Treants danced through the air around Kei Lumennura as Adaine sat at the back of the van with the doors open wide. Her sister was curled up and unconscious inside, restored back to her unfortunate past self. There had been an abundance of pain seeing her sister weak and broken and vulnerable, but there had also been hope. Hope that maybe this would be a new start for the sisters. Aelwyn had spoken to her in a way that made Adaine finally feel like her equal, finally feeling like she wanted to care for her instead of casting Ray of Sickness at any chance she got. But the world was cruel and unforgiving, so the walk through Aelwyn’s mind had torn her heart out and then had given her no time to grieve.

The old Aelwyn was back, her father was possibly dead, and her mother was working for somebody who definitely wasn’t good. The anxiety was mounting, quickly. She’d taken her meds upon waking up this morning but that just took the edge off enough to keep her from being incapacitated by her panic attacks. Holding Boggie tightly to her chest, she was lost in her own thoughts as the rest of the group carried on. After some time, she was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“So… It’s been a uh, wild few days, huh?” She lifted her eyes from the spot on the ground they’d been focused on to see Riz standing in front of her.

She scoffed lightly and nodded her head, not saying anything.

Riz didn’t say anything else for a long moment either. He moved to lift himself up and sit beside her in the back of the van, his legs swinging slightly as they dangled over the edge. There was a heaviness in her chest.

She wanted to be back home, with Jawbone there to help her through any crises she may have, or at least to have her group therapy once a week to keep her grounded. She wanted to be far away from Fallinel, far away from those who had captured her and were most likely going to execute her. Adaine missed Elmville terribly, and she missed the comfort of familiarity and regularity that it brought to her just as much.

“I’m really glad you’re back,” Riz finally spoke again. He rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head to look at her. “We weren’t really sure what was happening to you, or what they were going to do with you, and that was…” He sighed, “The not knowing was scary.”

“I’m pretty sure they were going to execute me.” Adaine said quietly.

Riz’s brow shot up in surprise. “What?!”

“Yeah. I mean.. I was basically given a choice. Either stay and be their Elven Oracle and do everything they told me to do.. Or they were going to kill me, so the gift of the Oracle could be passed on to somebody else, somebody who would stay in Fallinel and do what they wanted.” The weight of the words leaving her lips fell on her shoulders like boulders. She felt too numb to cry.

“Holy shit Adaine… And your dad was fine with that?”

“Of course he was, Riz. He’s a foul little worthless excuse of a man. We already knew that.” She spit the words out venomously.

Riz said nothing in response, just pursed his lips together and nodded his head silently.

Boggie let out a soft ribbet as she held him in her arms.

“They tortured my sister there for so long… She was like a shell of a person when I found her. So broken and helpless… When she woke up here she asked me if we escaped or if we died and honestly, I’m not sure which answer she was hoping to hear from me…” She was silent for a few seconds before continuing, “Then I thought maybe we’d have a chance to really get to know each other, for the first time like… ever? Maybe we could be on the same side for once… But now that version of Aelwyn is gone and she’s back to being exactly who I always hated her for being.” Adaine let out a shaky breath and pulled her feet up, crossing her legs criss-cross beneath her.

“Does that make me a bad person? For wishing she could be in pain again, and wishing she could remember what she went through these past few months just because it hurts me more if she doesn’t?” She turned her head to look at Riz.

He laughed and she furrowed her brow at him.

“Sorry, I’m not— I’m not trying to laugh at you.” He shook his head and turned to meet her eyes, “It’s just funny to me that you think you could ever be a bad person.” He offered a small smile.

She held his gaze for a moment, searching his face and finding nothing but genuine care and honesty. They’d talked about her family before. She’d told him bits and pieces about her parents, about how they were growing up, about her sister. There had been times when she’d even confided in him how she wished she and Aelwyn could’ve been close. He’d heard her say that it didn’t matter how much she hated and resented her sister, there would always be a part of her that wished things had gone differently. There would always be a part of her that longed to be close with her sister, and a part of her that loved her.

Riz knew what she struggled with. He knew how hard she tried to be the opposite of what her parents were, of what they’d turned her sister into. And he’d always been quick to reassure her that she was far from resembling anything close to them.

Adaine sighed softly before she looked out over the elven sanctuary, taking it all in.

“Are you okay?” He asked after a few more moments of quiet between them.

She scoffed again. “My shitty dad might be dead. I didn’t even get to have one nice day with my sister after saving her from being tortured for months on end. My mom is working for the Nightmare King or Kalina or whoever it is exactly that we’re dealing with. I almost got executed while I was in Elf prison and now I’m basically a fugitive, so,” She shrugged, throwing her hands up a bit as she did. Riz grimaced and she sighed heavily again, dropping her hands onto her lap. “I’m fine.”

Riz looked at her, skeptically raising his brow.

“You don’t seem fine.” He challenged. She turned her head and shot him a look, opening her mouth to say something, but he continued before she had a chance, “You don’t have to talk about it. I’m not here to be a dick, I was just worried about you. I was really worried about you while you were gone and I thought maybe that I’d feel better now that you’re back with us but… I’m still worried.” It was his turn to shrug, lifting his shoulders and letting them fall gently back down.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen with you and your sister or you and your family and these fuckin’ elves. There are still so many things we don’t have answers for and I don’t.. I don’t like not having answers. But when you weren’t here it just became so much more clear to me that nobody—” He stopped himself short, scrunching her nose in thought for a moment before continuing, “We can’t— I can’t do this without you.” He adjusted the hat atop his head. “This isn’t gonna happen again. I won’t let it happen again.”

“Well we seem to have taken down Calethriel Tower so I don’t think it could even if you wanted it to.” She said teasingly.

“Yeah I wanted to ask what happened with all that but there hasn’t really felt like a right time?”

“Oh, Fig played her bass and it cracked a gem that made the whole thing come crumbling down. It was kind of rad, honestly.”

Riz chuckled softly. “Wild..”

“Yeah, but I didn’t really expect anything less.” Adaine laughed along with him.

Another silence, comfortable and soft, settled between them as they looked out into the sanctuary, Fabian still dancing as the rest of the group encouraged him.

Still looking forward, Riz spoke again, “I’m sorry you got kidnapped and held as a prisoner, Adaine. We should’ve protected you so much better than we did. I wanted to come break you out sooner but we had some hang ups when we first got here, a bit of culture shock that set us back longer than I wanted and then the usual nonsense that set us back even more. I didn’t want you feeling like we were partying and having a good time and enjoying ourselves while you were being tortured or whatever... It felt fucked up.”

“That’s because it probably was a little fucked up.” She said, an ever-so-slight grin on her face as she teased him.

“I know,” He sighed, not completely acknowledging her teasing tone, “I couldn’t enjoy any of it. Fabian’s grandpa is too much to handle, honestly, and I thought the trees were kind of a nice vibe but then they started singing and it’s just…” He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and refocusing, “I’m just glad you’re with us again… This whole thing,” He gestured around to the rest of the party, to the van, to their surroundings, “Isn’t the same without you.”

She pursed her lips and gave a small smile, nodding her head slightly.

“I’m here if you ever want to talk, you know that, right?” He turned his head again to look at her, holding eye contact with her.

“I know,” She parroted the words he’d said not but a few seconds before, but sounding much gentler. “Thanks, Riz.” She smiled at him. It was a saddened, anxious, and broken smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Anything for my best friend.” He replied, giving her a small smile and nudging her side gently with his elbow.

After a few more seconds of silent eye contact, communicating thoughts of understanding and concern and care that Adaine felt too exhausted to have exchanged out loud, they both looked forward again. Sitting in silence, no longer alone, the comfort of Riz Gukgak’s presence beside her helped her feel like maybe she’d be alright outside of Elmville for a little while longer after all.

#fantasy high #fantasy high fanfic #riz gukgak #adaine abernant #dimension 20 #adaine and riz #riz and adaine #is this good? no #am i proud of it? no #did it finally break my year long writers block? yes #so i will post it

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camisimming · 4 years

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Elements Legacy Challenge

Welcome to the Elements Legacy Challenge Rules Sheet! (Wow, what a long introductory phrase!)

This challenge, as you’ll see, is heavily inspired by lilsimsie and alwayssimming’s Not So Berry Challenge (click here to read the rules). It’s evident that the format of the color coded generations & generation’s goals system wasn’t invented by me, but I wanted to make it clear anyway. I hope no one feels offended by the idea behind this challenge. I created this one out of boredom and good intentions! 💛

Basically each generation has its own color(s), material and style. Each one of these characteristics will have to be shown through your Sim’s aesthetic and/or in their house. However, if you don’t want to make a golden dressed Sim, but you’d like to give them a super tacky house, go for it! What matters is that these given characteristics are visible somewhere, even just a room or an object. The colors and materials for each gen are just a starting point, you can add whatever color or texture you like to them! Each generation has a few worlds they can live in, you can only choose among those listed for each gen.

As for money, the first gen is the only one with specified starting funds. In the following ones you can choose if you want to keep the money your family has, or if you want to start with less money to make the gameplay more challenging 😊

Then, each generation has of course some tasks and aspirations to complete, some skills to max and other stuff to do! When you play a generation, be sure to take a look at the following one as well, because sometimes there will be things that need to be taken care of before the start of the following gen!

You can play in whatever lifespan you want. It's a new challenge for me, too, so I don't know what's the best one to use.

To play some of the gens, a couple of packs are kind of necessary, like: Cats and Dogs, Seasons, Discover University, Get Famous, Eco Lifestyle, Spa Day, Realm of Magic and Jungle Adventure. Get Together, Parenthood and others are also somewhat important but you can do it without them. If anyone's interested I can do a basegame compatible version of the challenge!😊

If the challenge becomes "popular", I'll add some more generations🤩

Have fun ✨🥰

Camilla @camisimming

YouTube

I'm everywhere as CamiSimming if you want to tag me when playing the challenge, or to DM me in case of doubts about it💛

Twitter Instagram

Details under the cut 💛

Generations list:

��Earth

💎Gem

💧Water

🔥Fire

🌿Grass

👑Gold

❄️Ice

🌬️Air

🛎️Brass

🌈Rainbow

1 Earth generation🌄

You’re new in town and don’t know anyone. The only thing that moves your heart is...art! In fact, you brought only your easel with you from your old place, and you hope to make a living out of the stuff you’ll create on that thing. But staying inside all day is not good for anyone, so sometimes you’ll accept your (new) friends invitations, and follow them wherever they take you. Sometimes, however, friends can really pressure you to do things you don’t want to, and this really annoys you! You get married too young and have a kid, only to divorce shortly after the baby is born. You just weren’t ready. When you finally decide to settle down and start a family again, you’ll marry a spellcaster just for their looks (WHAT?!) and you two will give birth to a lovely little kid!

Starting funds: 18,000 S Traits: Loner, Art Lover, Snob Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Goals:

Max the Painting, Singing and Piano skills

Complete the Renaissance Sim Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Painter career – Patron of the Arts branch

Complete the Feathers collection

Earn the Night Owl satisfaction reward trait

Color(s): dark brown, dark green, orange

Material: stucco, wood Style: craftsman World(s): Willow Creek / Brindleton Bay / Windenburg / Britechester

---

2 Gem generation💎

As a spellcaster’s kid, you’re fascinated by what’s out of the ordinary. You don’t have many friends, and your parents are your best friends, until they pass away together in mysterious circumstances. Therefore, you decide to move in with your closest friend from high school, and of course, as it happens with anyone you say more than a ‘hello’ to, you fall in love with them! But it looks like this time this is for real! After some ups and downs, you win them over (did you use a love potion? You didn’t?! You sure?) and you turn your roommates’ home in a place ready for a family. With a lot of cats. You also have just one child, who you love more than anybody else. You’re gonna be the best parent EVER!!!

Traits: Romantic, Family Oriented, Cat Lover Aspiration: Spellcraft & Sorcery

Goals:

Max the Cooking, Gourmet Cooking and Parenting skills

Complete the Spellcraft & Sorcery Aspiration

Complete the Magical Artifacts collection

Complete the Crystals collection

Earn the Beguiling satisfaction reward trait

Color: purple Material: glass, gems Style: boho World(s): Glimmerbrook / Forgotten Hollow / Newcrest

---

3 Water generation💧

You are sick of mountains and rocks, you want to see the SEA. You are also sick of working (although you’ve never had a job, but just the idea of it makes you SICK). So you are determined to make a living out of vlogs, videos, videogames, juice fizzing and song recordings. You get married but your significant other can’t stand this lifestyle, so you get divorced. You adopt a kid to raise on your own in your little beach house. And you’re freaking HAPPY. Oh, another thing: one of the best memories you have is the one of your parents cooking together, so you want to learn how to make that grilled cheese they used to prepare for you. You want to learn it VERY BADLY.

Traits: Self-Absorbed, Vegetarian, Perfectionist Aspiration: Computer Whiz

Goals:

Max the Fishing, Media Production and Juice Fizzing skills

Complete the Computer Whiz Aspiration

Unlock and complete the Grilled Cheese Aspiration

Complete the Fish collection

Earn the Marketable satisfaction reward trait

Color(s): blue & white Material: light woods Style: coastal beach or tropical World(s): Sulani / Windenburg / Brindleton Bay / Evergreen Harbor / Newcrest

---

4 Fire Generation🔥

Your parent was a freak. Seriously, how could they expect to make a successful living out of videogames? No, no, no. You won’t make the same mistake. You’re gonna study hard and get a degree. Oh yeah. And you won’t stay home with that freak, you’re staying on campus. You will get a degree in Language and Literature, so that you can become a best-selling author. Unfortunately, having been so focused on your education, your love life is non-existent. So you think a meaningless fling could help you in that field but--OH NO. You get stuck with an unwanted pregnancy (even though you’ll never get married) and you have to leave campus and study between milk feeding and diaper changing. Anyway, you end up loving that little thing more than you’ve ever loved your parent, who never stops judging you (you end up hating each other)

Traits: Genius, Bookworm and Mean Aspiration: Academic

Goals:

Get a degree in Language and Literature

Max the Research and Debate, Writing and Charisma skills

Complete the Academic Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Writing career – Author branch

Have at least one enemy

Color(s): red & orange Material: red-toned woods, stucco Style: industrial World(s): Willow Creek / Oasis Springs / San Myshuno / Evergreen Harbor / Britechester

---

5 Grass generation🌿

Having seen your parents struggle with university, you have decided to go by a different path. You want to live your life surrounded by nature and by your big, happy family. A job is important though, so you’ll begin working when you’re still a teenager. You enter the Gardener career once you are a bit older, and you LOVE IT. You marry a co-worker and you have many many kids and animals playing in your backyard. AHH how beautiful life can be! Countryside life really works for you.

Traits: Cheerful, Loves the Outdoors, Family-oriented Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Goals:

Max the Gardening, Flower Arranging and Handiness skills

Have a full household when you’re an Adult (pets count)

Complete the Freelance Botanist Aspiration

Complete the Lord/Lady of the Knits Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Gardener career – Floral Designer branch

Complete the Gardening and the Frogs collections

Color: green Material: wood in all forms and colors Style: homey / craftsman / colonial World(s): Willow Creek / Brindleton Bay / Windenburg

---

6 Gold generation👑

Country life doesn’t really work for you as much as it did for your parents. You want fame and glory, you want the glam, you want a penthouse or a mansion in which to display your wealth. You still love your family, and one of your siblings is basically your best friend, and always will be. You always organize a Winterfest lunch to reunite with your folks. You also like music and everyone has to know you love it, you know you’ll teach your kids how to play the violin. You climb the social ladder (or marble staircase?) till the TOP. You have many lovers and many pregnancy scares, until one of them brings you an actual kid. Who would’ve thought you could love someone more than you love yourself? Oh you’ll get married, but only as an elder.

Traits: Good, Materialistic, Music Lover Aspiration: Mansion Baron

Goals:

Max the Acting, Violin and Dancing skills

Complete the Musical Genius Aspiration

Complete the Mansion Baron Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Acting Career

Become a Global Superstar

Earn the Shameless satisfaction reward trait

Color: gold Material: gold, marble Style: glam! (you can choose the amount of tacky-ness of your Sim’s glam style) World(s): Del Sol Valley / Strangerville / Willow Creek / Britechester

---

7 Ice generation❄️

Your parents are hella famous. You don’t know if that works for you, though. The only thing you know is that you can kind of play the violin. You go live on your own when you’re just a teen, with your beautiful dog, and make sure no one knows who your parents are, you don’t want to be treated differently. Part-time job after part-time job, you have a cute little house that you can call home. Another thing you become good at is photography, so you start working in the Freelance photography field, and you LOVE IT. You fall in love with one of your models and marry them. You have kids together, and the look in your spouse’s eyes when they look at your children is everything.

Traits: Goofball, Dog Lover, Bro Aspiration: Soulmate

Goals:

Max the Photography, Comedy and Pet Training skills

Complete the Soulmate Aspiration

Complete the Simmies Collection

Go on a vacation at least once in your life

Earn the Independent satisfaction reward trait

Color(s): white and light brown Material: fake fur, wood Style: Asian-like / Scandinavian / minimalistic World(s): San Myshuno / Mt. Komorebi / Windenburg / Newcrest

---

8 Air generation🌬️

You want to make this world a better place. You want to make yourself a better person. To actively make your world a bit greener, you decide to become a Civil Designer. When you’re not working you like to focus on your mental well-being with some yoga or meditation. You’re married with kids but your inner wellness and the one of the world matter to you more than the one in your house. Your spouse will take care of the kids while you’re cheating on them with your neighbor. Hey! It’s for your inner well-being! At some point you also decide to leave your family and go live on your own. But it’s too hard, so you make peace with your spouse and come back home.

Traits: Geek, Neat, Hates Children Aspiration: Eco Innovator

Goals:

Max the Fabrication, Wellness and Guitar skills

Complete the Eco Innovator aspirations

Reach level 10 of the Civil Designer career – Green Technician branch

Do at least one yard sale

Live in at least three different worlds

Complete the Metals collection

Color: beige Material: glass, Style: mid-century modern World(s): Willow Creek / Mt. Komorebi / Sulani / Evergreen Harbor

---

9 Brass generation🛎️

You are in love with adventure and discovering new things, they can be anything really. You just love knowledge, therefore you become a professor. Someday you find out about this place called Selvadorada, and want to know EVERYTHING about it. You explore it in your many trips there, and you also fall in love with a charming local. Ahhh their accent is so lovely!

Traits: Ambitious, Active, Bookworm Aspiration: Jungle Explorer

Goals:

Max the Selvadoradian Culture, Archaeology and Fitness skills

Complete the Jungle Explorer Aspiration

Reach level 10 in the Education career – Professor branch

Complete the Ancient Omiscan artifacts and the Omniscan Treasures collections

Color(s): grey, bronze and blue Material: metal Style: contemporary or European World(s): Del Sol Valley / Oasis Springs / Mt. Komorebi / Britechester / Windenburg

---

10 Rainbow generation🌈

Woah, your family tree is huge, isn’t it? Anyway. You’re a very outgoing person, you love meeting new people and making friends. You found a club where everyone is welcomed and accepted. You love, LOVE, parties, because you can meet more people there! You don’t care about the gender of your lovers, you love them because of who they are! When you finally find your person, you get married and have a beautiful pair of twins.

Traits: Cheerful, Outgoing, Foodie Aspiration: Friend of the World

Goals:

Max the Comedy, Dancing and Bowling skills

Complete the Friend of the World Aspiration

Complete the Leader of the Pack Aspiration

Complete the Voidcritters collection

Reach Level 10 of the Style Influencer Career – you may choose whatever branch you like

Found at least one club

Color(s): any/every color of the rainbow Material: metal Style: anything from the 50s > 90s designs World(s): San Myshuno / Willow Creek / Windenburg /Evergreen Harbor

---

Thanks for reading up to here!

-Cami

70 notes · View notes

therappundit · 3 years

Text

***BEST OF 2020: The Best Rap Albums From a Historically Horrible Year***

So much has been said about this year, so on the last day of 2020 I don’t need to dive any further into exploration of what made this year so challenging (both at a personal and global level), but on the bright side I will say that two unrelated forces saved this year for me: 1.) my amazing baby daughter, and 2.) the seemingly never ending cycle of new, interesting music releases.

Before we dive in, just two points on my criteria for this list:

- must be released within this calendar year (1/1 - 12/31/20)

- must consist of at least 7 tracks

- rankings are according to a combination of my own favorite albums, and other impressive pieces of work that might not be directly up my alley, but I still found truly impressive

So for my last post of 2020...here are the Top 100 Rap Albums/Projects of 2020 (and a more than worthy list of albums that belong on that same list, further down the page):

10. HOMME by Kipp Stone

Without a doubt the most under-the-radar project on this list, and technically a mixtape and not an "album"...but that doesn't matter much to me, because this effort contains every bit of passion, every bit of perspective, and every bit of sheer love for rapping as any of the the best rap albums of 2020. It's hard to say whether East Cleveland is headed towards similar territory that Detroit, Buffalo, and Rochester now occupy, but with HOMME Kipp Stone captures the hunger, anxiety and forever shoulder-chipped struggle of having big dreams that seem more like unlikely fantasies. Kipp was buzzing a few years back, but making his grand return with this project is confirmation that he is next level talent and is more than ready to make a big splash in 2021.

9. Reasonable Drought by Stove God Cook$ and Roc Marciano

Quotes, on top of quotes, on top of quotes. Not sure what else to say about Roc Marciano's protege at this point, who came out of nowhere to close out 2020 as one of the most sought after feature-verse assassins in the business today. Yes, his bars are hilarious, but it's the outside-the-box references and unpredictable bar pairings that truly made this project such an impressive debut. Roc provided high quality instrumentals for Reasonable Drought, but it's clear that he was intentionally lurking in the background to allow the Stove God to stand on his own two. While the album is probably not at the level of Jigga's classic Reasonable Doubt debut that this project tips its' cap to, it's not hard to imagine that someday we will look back at Stove God Cook$' debut as the coming out party for one of New York City's finest MCs.

8. Àdá Irin by Navy Blue

I never imagined that one of the biggest challenges at this point would not be whether or not Navy Blue deserves to be recognized as having one of the top rap 10 albums of 2020, but rather which album to choose for the top 10!? From Earl Sweatshirt affiliate and Soundcloud producer to standout solo talent, the west coast born by east coast stationed MC/writer/producer/model/skateboarder (!?) had himself a banner year. Of his many gifts, his strongest is his ability to craft beautiful, soulful soundscapes that blend the best elements of the NYC lofi scene with shades of late 90's L.A. underground. Dealing with themes of love, loss, joy, and depression, Navy seems to possess wisdom well beyond his years, and it enabled him to craft not one, but two of the most inviting and accessible offerings from lofi circles that I have heard, and I mean that in the best way possible.

7. From King To A God (Deluxe) by Conway The Machine

He did it. Griselda's top muscle came through to deliver his most well-rounded, and arguably strongest overall project yet. Everything from the bars, to the varied production, to the bleeding soul of this project exemplifies the difference between an album and a "tape". The Machine was a machine in 2020, blitzing an astronomical number of feature verses, but FKTG was the gem he needed in his crown to solidify himself as a contender for best MC in the game moving forward. While this is not his actual Shady Records label debut (who knows when that will arrive now), this certainly feels like his major league arrival.

6. Alfredo by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist

Two hip-hop specialists getting together to drop a project just for fun in the middle of a pandemic...what could go wrong? Well, almost nothing, actually. Freddie arrived dripping with soul and Al slid a nice little package of beats his way, and what we ended up with was a strong partner-project to FETTI (their previous stellar collaboration alongside Curren$y), only packaged with little snippets of personal revelations and free-flowing opinions throughout. Gibbs is one of the masters of hooking you in with his voice and contagious flow, so much so that his skills as a talented writer are often overlooked. While not necessarily the incredible revelation that his collaborations with Madlib have been thus far, there's enough strong chemistry here between MC and producer to lock Alfredo down as easily one of the best rap projects of 2020. And the Grammy's would certainly agree.

5. Descendants of Cain by Ka

One of the genre's true master writers, Ka albums feel like audio literature placed over hard-nosed rap beats. Many rappers view themselves as true artists, but few can say they are capable of weaving the type of rhyme poetry that Ka seems to wield with casual ease. The truth is that it's not easy, we just aren't around to witness the care and editing that goes into Ka's work. Featuring too many stirring quotes to single out (and let us not forget an incredible surprise verse from fellow Metal Clergy-man, Roc Marcinao), Decendants of Cain is yet another impressive addition to Ka's catalogue, doing more to capture the paradoxical surroundings of environments that are equal parts harsh and loving - and often doing so through religious metaphors - than many MCs can do in a year. His lyrical paintings of the world may be bleak, but they are not without hope.

4. As God Intended by Che Noir & Apollo Brown

Apollo Brown has been one of the most revered - albeit not loudly proclaimed - underground hip-hop producers of the past decade. He has joined forces with many talented MCs to drop full partner projects, but perhaps none as under-the-radar as Buffalo's Che Noir. But what Che Noir lacked in household name status heading into 2020, she more than makes up for with conviction, writing ability, and the skills of an elite MC. The result of this collaboration is a beautiful, personal, at times painful, and at times just straight badass album, and one that deserves recognition from top rap circles. In my opinion, this is the greatest production work of Apollo Brown's career thus far, and it's hard to say where it will rank for Che Noir since she seems to be a fresh talent that is very much still on the rise - but as of right now, you have to call her one of the best in the biz today.

3. Pray for Paris by Westside Gunn

Westside Gunn is one of the masters of the volume game. That's not to say he - or anyone in camp Griselda - sacrifice quality over quantity, but it's safe to say that you know what you're gonna get with a Westside Gunn album. Welp, WSG rewrote the script with this one. What began as an art-inspired passion project between album releases ended up being the overall strongest Griselda project of 2020, and one of the year's most fascinating rap albums. Since his highly regarded Supreme Blientele album, Gunn has gradually been pulling his own lyrical content out of the spotlight, opting to play cook and curator, throwing a mixture of in-house producers and rappers in a pot with outside talent, to mirror the ambiance of a dark, gritty rap fashion show. His projects are less statements of content, than they are audio "scenes" that the listener is invited into, as if they’re Basquiat level exhibitions quantum-leaping forward in time to now live amongst a hungry, thriving rap scene in upstate New York. That's not to say that PFP isn't a lyrical feast as well, with everyone from Tyler, The Creator to Joey Bada$$ to Wale to professional dancer Cartier William having their turn in the spotlight. All thanks to Westside Gunn, the rare MC that enjoys being the host of his own party more than being the center of attention at one.

2. A Written Testimony by Jay Electronica (featuring JAY-Z)

While some are waving the Act II flag as Jay Electronica's "real" debut album, I am less interested in a cool collection of mostly-finished old songs, and much more interested in a polished, brilliantly produced project with (again, mostly) new verses from both Electronica and JAY-Z. It's easily the shortest selection on this list, but I feel like the quality of each individual song makes up for the brevity. I couldn't care less whether anyone thinks this is more of a duo-album or a solo piece, because the themes are certainly coming from Electronica's wheel house, and the fact that Hov was able to tweak his content to meet him there, is one of the things that makes AWT so special to me.

1. The Price of Tea in China (Deluxe) by Boldy James and The Alchemist

No, it doesn’t represent a seismic shift in the culture, and no it’s not *the album* that we heard blasting out of everyone’s (or anyone’s) car speakers this year, but when it came to sheer execution, and mastery over the style of music they were aiming to make, there just simply wasn’t one flaw in Boldy James and The Alchemist’s The Price of Tea in China. From the distinctly moody production, to the guest verses, to the steady hand of a wizened veteran of the street life, intent on sharing unfiltered tales of his underworld without any additional bells or whistles, it all clicks so well that I can’t picture taking the project out of my rotation. Uncle Al went deeeeeeep into his bag with this one, and Boldy seems to have returned from the industry grave to reach the highest level of recognition of his career. In a year stuffed with a plethora of high quality examples of every flavor of rap music imaginable, The Price of Tea in China is the ideal pick for album of the year, because it’s prestige is built upon it’s ability to simply be what it wanted to be without turning an ear to trends or reaching for broader recognition. TPOTIC’s broader recognition is made possible due to Boldy & Al’s artistic commitment to just making the type of music that a MC from Detroit and a legendary underground producer from Los Angeles love to make, and for that we should be very grateful.

Top 100 (all belong in the Top 25-50, but…there’s only 100 spots in the Top 100, so here we go):

11. FlySiifu by Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu

12. Song of Sage: Post Panic! by Navy Blue

13. Eastern Medicine, Western Illness by Preservation

14. Too Afraid To Dance EP by Chuck Strangers

15. Noise Kandy 4 by Rome Streetz

16. Mt. Marci by Roc Marciano

17. Burden of Proof by Benny The Butcher & Hit-Boy

18. Battle Scar Decorated by Monday Night & Henny L.O.

19. We Know the Truth (Deluxe) by Drakeo the Ruler

20. The Allegory by Royce Da 5′9″

21. Bag Talk by yungmorpheus & Pink Siifu

22. Innocent Country 2 by Quelle Chris

23. Weight of the World by MIKE

24. Kontraband by Rome Streetz & Farma Beats

25. BRASS by Moor Mother & billy woods

26. Try Again by ovrkast.

27. Shrines by Armand Hammer

28. The Smartest by Tee Grizzley

29. Good Energy by Grafh

30. Substance Abuse by Rigz & Futurewave

31. Cold Water by Medhane

32. King’s Disease by Nas & Hit-Boy

33. Milestones by Skyzoo

34. Young & Turnt 2 by 42 Dugg

35. My Turn by Lil Baby

36. Manger on McNichols by Boldy James and Sterling Toles

37. The OutRunners by Curren$y & Harry Fraud

38. Mach’s Hard Lemonade by Mach-Hommy

39. Sages by Henny L.O. & Ohbliv

40. E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front by Busta Rhymes

41. Lake Water by SeKwence

42. At the End of the Day. by Fly Anakin

43. Sole Food by Deniro Farrar

44. The Oracle 3 by Grafh

45. The Blue Tape by Tree

46. lo&behold by lojii

47. Who Made The Sunshine by Westside Gunn

48. RTJ4 by Run The Jewels

49. Whitehouse Studio, Pt. 2 by Various Aritsts [Detroit]

50. Carpe Noctem by Big Ghost Ltd

51. Infinite Wisdom by Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon

52. The Throwaways by The Opioid Era

53. Anyways by Young Nudy

54. PTSD (Deluxe) by G Herbo

55. Holly Favored by Monday Night & Foisey

56. THE GOAT by Polo G

57. Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition by Your Old Droog

58. The Face of Jason by ANKHLEJOHN

59. Two4one by Jay Worthy

60. Poetic Substance by RIM & Vinyl Villain

61. ve·loc·i·ty by H31R (Maassai & JWords)

62. UNLOCKED by Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats

63. Slim E and Friends by CHASETHEMONEY

64. Alone Time by YL

65. FLYGOD Is An Awesome God 2 by Westside Gunn

66. OBLIVION by Black Noi$e

67. Sleeper Effect by Sleep Sinatra

68. Savage Mode 2 by 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

69. Thug Tear by Big Kashuna O.G. & Monday Night

70. II - The Next Wave by Quakers

71. Demon & Mufasa by Yhung T.O. & DaBoii

72. Eternal Atake by Lil Uzi Vert

73. Miles by Blu & Exile

74. IMMORTALKOMBAT by Al Divino & Estee Nack

75. The Baltimore Housing Project by Jay Royale

76. I’m Still Perfect by Baby Smoove

77. The Grotesque & Beautiful by Teller Bank$

78. Crime Scenes by Ransom & Nicholas Craven

79. Streams Of Thought, Vol. 3. by Black Thought

80. Ways and Means by Rasheed Chappell & 38 Spesh

89. Sacred Psalms by El Camino & 38 Spesh

90. As Above So Below by ANKHLEJOHN

91. Tomorrow Is Forgotten by Stik Figa & Conductor Williams

92. So Help Me God! by 2 Chainz

93. Sauce Monk Volume 3 by Sauce Heist & Camoflauge Monk

94. A Beautiful Drug by WTM Scoob

95. Don’t Play It Straight by Small Bills (ELUCID & The Lasso)

96. No More Humble Fashion by Flee Lord

97. Pharaoh Chain by Planet Asia & Tha Musalini

98. Numb by Sha Hef

99. Interstate 38 by 38 Spesh

100. Get Money Teach Babies by Heist Life & Spanish Ran

THE REST OF THE BEST (all belong in the Top 100 releases of 2020, blame 2020 for being such a stacked year for music) - in no particular order:

Assata by CV$ a.k.a. Con$piracy & Teller Bank$, Spencer for HIGHER 3 by Vic Spencer & sonnyjim, Big Bad Boldy by Boldy James & Real Bad Man, Da 5th Power by Mooch, Muthaland by BbyMutha, Act II: Patents of Nobility (The Turn) by Jay Electronica, Long Story Short by Heem, Eileen by 14 Trapdoors, Free Drakeo by Drakeo the Ruler, Da Fixtape by Da Cloth, The L.I.B.R.A. by T.I., Sinners & Saints by Rasheed Chappell & Buckwild, Black Schemata by yungmorpheus............... Polly by the Powder Keg by Chuck Chan & Pad Scientist, High Off Life by Future, Memphis Massacre 2 by Duke Deuce, LSD by The Leonard Simpson Duo & Guilty Simpson, Funeral by Lil Wayne............ RAW UNKNOWN by Spectacular Diagnostics, Nezzie’s Star by Eddie Kaine, ShrapKnel (self-titled), The Bluest Note by Skyzoo & Dumbo Station, WUNNA by Gunna, Meet The Woo 2 by Pop Smoke, Fresh Air by UFO Fev & Statik Selektah, Vito by Vince Ash, Avenues by Tony Seltzer & Adrian Lau, Spilligion by Spillage Village, GRIMM & EViL by GRiMM Doza, Closer Than They Appear by Lyric Jones, RUDEBWOY by CJ Fly, Wired Different by Ty Farris & Bozack Morris, Rocket to Nebula by Killah Priest, NO Blade of Grass by V Don, I’m My Brother’s Keeper by Yella Beezy & Trapboy Freddy................. Carhartt Champions by Tree Mason, No Hook 3 by Dunbar, Rowhouse Whispers by Ray West & Zilla Rocca, Magneto Was Right #4 by Raz Fresco, DUMP LIFE by Tha God Fahim, Jay NiCE & Left Lane Didon, FNTG: From Niggaz to Godz by Squeegie O, PANAGNL4E, Vol. 2 by Los and Nutty, Thank You For Using GTL by Drakeo & JoogSzn, Adjust to the Game by Larry June, BETTER by Deante’ Hitchcock, No Cosign Just Cocaine 3 by Ty Farris, Vangarde by Mr. Lif & Stu Bangas, MSYKM by Tsu Surf, Your Birthday’s Cancelled by Iron Wigs.................. LULU by Conway & The Alchemist, No One Mourns The Wicked by Conway & Big Ghost, Talk Soon by Nolan The Ninja, FULL CIRCLE by Medhane, Detroit 2 by Big Sean, Juno by Che Noir & 38 Spesh, Send Them To Coventry by Pa Salieu............... Marlowe 2 by Marlowe (L’Orange & Solemn Brigham), The Versace Tape by Boldy James & Jay Versace, The Balancing Act by Statik Selektah, Capital Gains by Willie The Kid, Deutsche Marks 2 by Willie The Kid & V Don, Keep Going by Larry June & Harry Fraud, The Sharecropper’s Daughter by Sa-Roc, Seven Times Down Eight Times Up by Elzhi & JR Swiftz.................... The Ghost of Fritz by Jamal Gasol, Don’t Feed the Monster by Homeboy Sandman & Quelle Chris, Anime, Trauma and Divorce by Open Mike Eagle, Brentwood by Poloboy Nunu, The Listening Session by Billy Danze & TooBusy, Midnight Sons by Zilla Rocca & Chong Wizard, A Piece of Mine by Bub Rock, The Rock Period by Bub Rock, WINTER by DJ Muggs, Bartier Bounty 2 by Sada Baby, Cincorginals by Tobe Nwigwe, Director’s Cut (Scene Three) by Ransom & Nicholas Craven, Rather Be A Real One by Vic Spencer.............. Exhibit Q by Deniro Farrar, After 12 by Che Noir, Blank Checc by Baby Money, Jesus Is My Homeboy by YL, The People’s Champ by Flee Lord, In The Name of Prodigy by Flee Lord & Havoc, Culture Over Corporate by Uptown X.O., Sell Sole 2 by Dej Loaf, Progress by Struggle Mike, Merry Wickmas by Shawny Binladen, Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Donsmith, Serene by VRN Hayes, In My Life by Dat Boi Vic, Ho, Why Is You Here? by Flo Milli, Limbo by Aminé........................................thank you, and cheers to a happier, healthier New Year. 🙏

11 notes · View notes

tameila · 4 years

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Bird Song.

Characters/Pairings: Mei Birdwhistle (OC), Pike Trickfoot, Scanlan Shorthalt, Grog Strongjaw (mentioned), Pikelan

Summary: [~2k words, post-VM, canon adjacent] Mei Birdwhistle, adventurer by trade and enthusiast by hobby, leaps on a chance to meet her idol, Scanlan Shorthalt.

Warnings: none Notes: my piece for Pikelan Day’s oracle Scanlan theme! this is an incredibly self-indulgent little AU, but I had a lot of fun writing it. I probably won’t post it on ao3 since it’s Pikelan-centric content is low, so please enjoy this lil tumblr exclusive! <3

The poster on the tavern’s community board was unremarkable. Lots of flowery black inked cursive on white parchment with little else to draw the eyes, so Mei Birdwhistle could understand why so many had overlooked it. After all, she had done the same two days in a row before, on her last afternoon in town, in one final attempt at finding a task interesting enough to keep her, she caught the address of the quest’s giver: Edge of church district. Past the bridge. Red brick cottage.

There could be no mistake who posted this notice.

With a gasp and a flash of adrenaline, Mei tore the paper from the board and tucked it away into the pocket of her travel cloak. No one rushed her. The ambient noise of the tavern at her back continued on unperturbed, but Mei’s heart beat a frantic song in her ear — a song of triumph and adventure.

She swept out the door as it opened. As a gnome from a predominately human city, she learned from a young age that doors were a problem for taller folk, and it was best to wait for them to be opened rather than exert herself unnecessarily. The couple whose legs she snuck between were less than pleased to be knocked askew, but she threw a smiled apology over her shoulder and ran on.

She pulled the poster from her cloak once she escaped the busy, long-leg infested thoroughfare and found a calmer street. With the knowledge that its lackluster design held greater promise, she dedicated herself to a more thorough read-through of the notice:

FEELING BORED? UNFULFILLED?

DO YOU HAVE A COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DAD?

TRY ADVENTURING!

I am looking for a party of 3 or more novice-to-intermediate level adventurers to fetch a gem from Gatshadow. The gem is cool-colored, will probably have an iridescent shimmer or magical glow, and can fit comfortably in the palm of a gnome or similar-sized folk. May be cursed. Definitely haunted. Oh, and the gem is located in a wyvern den.

FIRE RESISTANT ARMOR WILL NOT BE PROVIDED. PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN.

ONE (1) SUPPORT MANDATORY.

For further information…

Mei’s reading trailed off as she reached the address, having already committed it to heart, and her thoughts instead wandered to the newest challenge at hand. She did not have a party. Not currently, at least. She had left Bulwark and the others in Whitestone two weeks ago after they had told her about their plans to stay in the city for a while, build a headquarters of sorts, and bunkered down on their research.

Unlike them, she could not stop.

Not when there was so much world left to see.

But — they were not her first party, and they would not be her last.

“I wonder if Sasha’s in the area,” Mei muttered under her breath. Somewhere rattling in her pack, probably lodged between her spare flute reeds and lyre strings, was a sending stone. And, maybe, if she had not turned the corner and spotted the red brick cottage in the distance, she might have taken it out and sent a message, but — as it were — she saw her destination and any thought of rekindling fragile flames fell flat in the face of her resurging excitement.

She was about to meet Scanlan Shorthalt.

Her idol.

Her inspiration to take up the bardic call.

Very little could deter her path now, and Mei took off down the road with a jump and a click of her heels.

❀❀❀

Pike Trickfoot was as beautiful as every story and legend described. Gentle eyes above a dazzling smile. A voice like a summer breeze. “Oh, hello,” was all she said, “Can I help you?” and Mei fell mute, the tips of her pointed ears burning.

With the paper held tight in her trembling hands, Mei presented it to Pike.

“You’re here about the quest?”

Mei nodded.

“Great! Come on in. Make yourself at home,” Pike said without a dip in enthusiasm, ushering Mei through the foyer to the living room. A whimsical dance of flute music drifted from somewhere deeper in the house, and Mei melted into an offered armchair, eased by the sound. Pike, with a quick “I’ll go get my husband”, smiled and disappeared up a nearby staircase.

Mei waited until her pounding footfalls faded before bouncing up from her seat. With rapt attention, she walked around the living room and snuck peeks at the other areas of the house. It had been some years since Mei left home, and many more years since her family had lived in a true gnomish home. Mei could see the bread starter on the kitchen windowsill from here, and she ran her fingers over the knick knacks on the mantelpiece. There was an empty space of wood flooring between the dining room and the living room, perfect for a spell of dancing after an evening meal. Mei’s fingers plucked at invisible strings as a plucky, folk tune sprung to mind as she continued her exploration.

Amongst the knick knacks and on either side of a statuette of Sarenrae were two wooden dolls, weather-worn and clearly hand-carved: one of Pike and the other — Well, she could only assume it was of Scanlan.

Huh. She’d never really thought about it before...that she didn’t know what Scanlan looked like, not truly, beyond the elaborate portraits he would include in his books.

“I carved those myself.”

Mei’s hand paused a centimeter away from the face of the Scanlan doll. She could feel the almost-sensation of contact on her fingertips. Flushed and embarrassed, Mei spun around to face Scanlan Shorthalt in all his true glory.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to snoop. I just — Your home is beautiful, Mr. Shorthalt! It reminds me of my own childhood home, and — ”

Scanlan laughed and waved a hand as if dismissing the rest of her ramble and, as if by magic (and maybe it was), Mei felt the words leave her. “Please, call me Mr. Trickfoot, if you must. Scanlan is preferable. Shorthalt is my nom de plume.”

“Oh.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Oh! Yes!” Mei hurried forward, holding out a hand to properly introduce herself as her upbringing would dictate. “My name is Mei Birdwhistle, sir — Ah, I mean, Scanlan.” When Scanlan took her offered hand, she shook his hand with — she would admit — a bit too much vigor. “I am an adventurer by trade and an enthusiast by hobby! I am so pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Birdwhistle, huh? Any relation to Ken Birdwhistle, the councilmen in Emon?”

“Yes, he’s my father!” A pleased warmth flooded Mei’s cheeks. How amazing! To think that The Scanlan Shorthalt knew her father’s name. “Have you met him?”

“Once, when he was sworn into his post,” Scanlan said, gesturing for her to take a seat in her abandoned armchair before sitting in the rocking chair by the fireplace. “Sometimes the powers that be in Tal’dorei seem to forget that I’m not the only gnome of note...but! Your father’s doing a lot of great work in Emon, so I won’t say it wasn’t a pleasure.”

Mei nodded. She couldn’t believe her father had never mentioned meeting Scanlan. She was still a young girl when her father moved them from the countryside to Emon. Then again, when she considered it...Things were often a blur in her adolescence...She wondered in her father had ever tried to seek Mrs. Trickfoot’s assistance with…

“...about the quest. However, I notice — ”

Mei came back to the moment with a chirped, “Hm?”

“Is the rest of your party on their way? Or, did you pick the short straw at the tavern?”

“Well…I don’t...Technically, I’m at the moment...gathering…”

Scanlan laughed. “Didn’t think that far ahead, huh?” and as much as it was accusatory, his tone was equally paternal, like he caught her with her hand in the cookie jar and not admitting that she came here just to meet him.

“I don’t have a party, no, but I can get one.”

“I wasn’t aware they were just handing them out these days.”

Mei grinned. “You would be surprised.”

Again, Scanlan laughed, and Mei followed his lead. First, she giggled her usual windchime of a laugh — short and sweet and contained, but she could not help but be memorized by the casual manner in which Scanlan lounged and laughed, his expression open and his voice filling the room.

She could not help but follow.

She threw her head back and laughed, which — if she were to reflect on the situation — was exactly where she went wrong. Half a laugh in, a spear of pain spiked through her chest, and her next laugh became half a cough and the next a cough half-laughed until she was coughing and wheezing and fumbling for her handkerchief.

“Um, Pike…”

There’s Scanlan’s voice and then the rattling of a tea tray somewhere beyond her before a gentle hand laid itself on her back, and Mei finally sucked in a breath that stayed. Meekly, with her handkerchief clutched tight to her chest, she looked up through her bangs at the gentle, smiling face of Pike Trickfoot and mumbled,

“Thank you.”

Pike did not remove her hand right away, a flicker of something flashing across her features, but... Then a teacup found its way to her hand, and Pike settled by Scanlan’s side and Scanlan resumed their conversation as if they’d never left off and...Maybe Mei was just being paranoid.

“I’ll be honest with you, Mei, I’m getting up there in years now,” Scanlan said, and Mei noted the wistful note to his voice and how, at his side, Pike muffled a laugh. She hid her own smile behind her teacup. “That’s why I’ve been more prone to outsourcing quests, you see, but...Well, how about I accompany you on this quest?”

Mei just barely saved her teacup from spilling as she jolted with surprise. “Y - You’ll come with me?”

“Sure!” Scanlan boomed and turned to Pike with an added, “My lovely wife and our friend, Grog, will come too, right?”

Pike nodded. “It will be nice to get out of the house, and — ” The door to the back garden opened, and Mei turned to see a goliath ducking through the doorway, stomping his boots and calling out his arrival. When she turned back to Pike and Scanlan, she saw Pike beaming widely, “That’ll be Grog. Here, how about we put this conversation on hold for a moment and start some dinner. You’re invited to stay, of course, Mei.”

Mei’s head spun, but her need to politely decline still came through, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to be a bother…”

“A bother? Nonsense!”

“We insist!”

Mei refused two more times before, with common courtesies accounted for, she smiled and agreed.

❀❀❀

“So, you think it’s her?”

Pike and Scanlan stood in the kitchen, tucked away in a corner out of sight from the dinner table where Mei and Grog were playing a game of bolder-parchment-sheers over the last biscuit. Scanlan pawed at some dishes in the sink, eyes on the horizon beyond the window but his mind farther. To Pike’s question, he shrugged.

“You know how these visions are….You never know for sure, but Ioun hasn’t knocked on my head to tell me ‘no’, so I’ll take it that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Pike leaned into his side, her cheek squishing up against his shoulder. Under her touch, an until-then-noticed tension melts away with a sigh.

“The girl’s cursed, by the way.”

Scanlan groaned, folding forward to lean over the sink in defeat. “And, this is, I’m just going to assume here..No whim-wham-Greater Restoration-and bam?”

“Yep.”

“Shit.”

#Critical Role #Scanlan Shorthalt #Pike Trickfoot #Pikelan #Pikelan Day #this is so self-indulgent and pointless but it exists now and I Love It!!!#my writing

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teaandgames · 4 years

Text

The Teacup Awards! (2019)

So, as holes begin to form in the parachute of time and we fall with gathering speed towards the hard ground of inevitability, we must bid good day to 2019. Another year of political upheaval as the Brexit circus marches on, the American president continues to document every thought in the form of a tweet and the English public prove themselves to be the best foot marksmen around. It was also a year of upheaval in my own life, with a new job and a new home to grapple with. Still, it was an interesting year for games. In part because of how few 2019 releases caught my eye. Because of that I looked back over the last few years, helped by the Humble Monthly bundle, and found a few gems that I missed. So, as usual, these awards will go to games I wrote about this year, rather than just released this year. Otherwise they’d be a little bare. Oh and I’m afraid we’ve lost the horror game award, due to lack of games. I’ll bring it back next year.

The ‘Tea Stained Page’ Award For Best Writing

Runner Up - Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice

There’s a strange thing in visual media where less writing can actually be better. Overwriting something can lead to it becoming weaker, as all mystery and personal connection are systematically destroyed. Hellblade understands that better than most. Most of its writing is given to the voices inside Senua’s head and offer up different interpretations of what’s going on. Some of them are hostile, while others offer encouragement. It’s a fairly unique way of setting up the protagonist. Tied in with the intriguing nordic setting, it makes it one hell of a well written game. Shame about the gameplay, but you can’t have everything.

Winner - The Outer Worlds

I had high hopes for The Outer Worlds. Made by the minds behind the original Fallout games, and my long term flame Fallout: New Vegas, I was hoping for some great character writing with original quests. I pretty much got what I wanted. While some of the quests weren’t exactly as original as hoped, the characters were all charming, deep people. There wasn’t anyone in my party that I excluded because I thought they were boring. Instead, I exhausted everyone’s dialogue trees.

I don’t think I’ve ever done that before, come to think on it. There’s always someone who gets kicked to the curb. If that’s not a testament to good writing, I don’t know what is. Like Hellblade, it suffers from gameplay issues but those almost fade into the background. Instead, it’s just a fun romp through space with a varied, interesting crew of nutjobs. Along with characters, it’s also got various flavours of well-written capitalism. Truly, all things to all men.

The ‘Head Nod’ Award For Best Soundtrack

Runner Up - Ori and The Blind Forest

Apparently, only fifty percent of people get goosebumps when listening to music. That’s a shame, because ‘Completing the Circle’ from Ori and the Blind Forest caused an explosion of goosebumps up my arm. It’s absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, I made a bad call of listening to it at work which brutally killed my productivity until it was over. There are other gems in the soundtrack too, with a mix of beautiful serenity and fast paced action. Damn, everything in this game is beautiful.

Winner - Katana Zero

When the protagonist of Katana Zero starts a level, he pulls out a pair of headphones and presses play on his walkman. Then the music starts. It creates this odd sense that we’re listening to the music through the protagonist, complete with all the time reversal and everything. It’s also a rare case of the soundtrack becoming part of the story. Our ‘hero’ is so desensitised to what he’s doing that he’s playing music while brutally killing people. But that’s by the by.

What we’re here for is some catchy synthwave tunes to kill along with. ‘Third District’ is a standout, being strangely relaxing for a game where death is only a failed slice away. But that’s kind of the point. Zero is chilling out. He already knows how this is gonna go. Then you’ve got the more faster paced songs, like the requisite disco song, ‘Hit the Floor’. The best comparison I can make is to DEADBOLT. Equally laid back soundtracks that somehow link together with horrific, bloody murder.

The ‘Perfect Cuppa’ For Best Looking Game

Runner Up - Spyro Reignited

Spyro Reginited Trilogy was a bit of a shock, to be honest. I’ve never been too invested in remakes, as they seem to be creative vacuums by nature. Spyro slipped me by when it was big, however, so I thought I’d give it a look. I’m glad I did, as I was greeted by a slick and smooth platformer. What did strike me was how bright and colourful it was. It just looks like a nice place to me. A variety of bright colours, helped by our bright purple dragon.

Winner - Ori and the Blind Forest

Before I played it, Ori and the Blind Forest struck me as an ‘art game’. The type of game that looks really nice as a cover up for its weak gameplay. That wasn’t quite the case, as Ori’s platforming is pretty good (though let down a bit by the combat). That’s not why we’re here though. We’re here because it looks absolutely bloody beautiful. The ‘blind forest’ relates to a part in the story where the forest withers, with Ori being one beacon of light in this dark place. This interplay of light is one reason why it looks so beautiful.

The forest starts off dark with twinkling areas of light throughout. As you progress through the game, life begins to return to the forest and you go off to new locations that all look different. There’s a cave full of lava, for example, or there’s the dark and mysterious Misty Woods. Either way, wherever you go, you’ll find somewhere that looks good. Can’t wait for Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

The ‘Spilled My Tea, Punk’ Award For Best Action Game

Runner Up - One Finger Death Punch 2

Sometimes simple is better. To make a fun game, sometimes you only need one button. Though, to be honest, I used two fingers, thus invalidating the point of the game. For shame. Still, One Finger Death Punch 2 has found new ways to make twatting stickmen challenging. It calls back to those old flash animations, with the exaggerated moves to send the variously coloured enemies flying. It may not look like much when you’re looking at the screenshots of it but I promise you: it’s a damn exciting game.

Winner - Yakuza 0

Another surprise this one. I got it through the Humble Monthly bundle and installed it while not really expecting much. I’d heard a few things about it, mainly how crazy and over the top parts of it were, but I wasn’t expecting to be quite so blown away. There is some madcap zaniness, of course, but layered on top of that is a serious crime story about a low level Yakuza drawn into something far bigger than him. Enter Kazama Kiryu, smart, stoic and with one hell of a heavy fist or two.

That leads us to the action part of the game. It’s split into three styles, Steady, Speedy and Heavy. Or Brawl, Rush and Crash if you want the proper names. The most exciting parts of these being the Heat Actions. Special moves that play out when proper conditions are met. Grappling someone near a wall, for example, will cause Kiryu (or Majima if you’re on his storyline) to throw them against the wall and then break a couple of ribs with his fists. These heat actions make me feel like im in a proper action film and for that, and many other reasons, Yakuza 0 is a clear winner.

The ‘Perfectly Brewed’ Award For Best Revisited

Runner Up - Rayman 2

I finally got around to beating Rayman 2 this year, something I’ve not achieved since I was a kid. While the final boss was atrocious, it is still a great game to me. There is so much imagination filtered down into it. Nothing is predictable, especially not the giant eyeball monster in a hat chasing you down a hallway. It’s like being eaten by Mike Wazowski’s big brother. Couple that with some fairly decent 3D platforming (as decent as it could be in those games) and you’ve got yourself one hell of a Rayman game. I am glad it went back to 2D though.

Winner - Danganronpa

I’ve played games like Danganronpa before, most notably Ace Attorney. However, in that series the worst that could happen is a client being found guilty. It’s awful but it’s not quite on the same level as Danganronpa. Screw up there and all of your friends will die horrible deaths. That kind of contributes to the whole ‘despair’ thing that hangs over the entire game like a dark shroud. It’s very oppressive; it almost qualifies for a horror game if it wasn’t for all the upbeat anime cheeriness.

It’s an odd blend that. Half the game is figuring out whodunnit, while the other half is hanging out with your friends and giving them gifts. That’s what it makes it so effective. It’s rather a cruel joke, really. Danganronpa makes you care about your friends and then kills them without mercy. While it suffers from the usual problem of you desperately trying to catch on to the developers thread of logic when it comes to the murders, the core gameplay and the writing are both top notch. As is the second one, which you’ll be hearing about on Tuesday!

The ‘Accidental Sugar Lump’ For Biggest Disappointment

Runner Up - Sundered

Sundered had a lot of promise. It’s a Lovecraftian Metroidvania game and both of those things are very exciting. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite deliver on the second one as well as it does the first. The Lovecraftian stuff is there for sure, and lends itself to some good plot notes and strange bosses. Unfortunately, the combat is a total damp squib. It gives no real feedback and there’s rarely a better solution to a problem than spamming the attack button. As a result, playing the game quickly slips down into being a chore. A damn shame.

Winner - Layers of Fear 2

Unfortunately, I feel like this award could probably be named after Bloober Team. They always seem to hit on the right ideas but fail to properly implement them. Layers of Fear had a nice story about a troubled artist that ended with it throwing doll heads at us. Observer led with a great story about hacking into people’s minds but threw in awkward stealth sections and the usual screen wobbliness. Then we get to Layers of Fear 2. A promising story about a method actor blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

Unfortunately, it gets rather too full of itself, making its story take a lot of confusing twists and turns, which makes it hard to figure out who’s who and what they’re doing. Symbolism is haphazardly thrown in so often that it becomes frustrating to try and decipher exactly what it’s saying. That’s when it’s not throwing mannequins at you, for no readily available reason. They literally fall down from above you. All of this leads it to be one unfortunately disappointing title.

The ‘Rate Your Server’ Award For Best And Worst Developer

Best - Hopoo Games

I do love a developer who actually listens to their fans. Hopoo have proved that they really have their ear to the ground with Risk of Rain 2. The Early Access title has gotten a number of updates since it first launched on the service. It’s constantly bringing out new characters and levels, as well as variations on existing ones. More than that though, are the quality of life updates. Risk of Rain 2 has a very vocal community and their changes and suggestions are clearly being looked at.

While it might not seem like too much to ask from a developer, not everyone does it and implements it in the same way that Hopoo does. For consistent updates and an actual sense of community, Hopoo definitely deserves this award.

Worst - Bethesda Softworks

Well, this is a two-year streak, Bethesda. I can’t wait to see how you’ll screw things up next year. For those with their heads in the sand, this award goes to Bethesda for the constant mishandling of Fallout 76, already a silly idea to begin with. I thought the whole thing about the canvas bags, leaked customer data and a weird battle royale mode was bad enough but then they brought in Fallout First.

A paid subscription for a game you’ve already paid for is bad enough. It’s rampant money grubbing and they’re not even bothering to hide it anymore. This subscription service, which is about £100 for a year by the way, gives you a few bits and bobs like a travelling tent and a box for your junk, as well as private servers. Certainly nothing to justify paying more money for a game you’ve already bought. For shame.

The ‘Golden Teapot’ Award For Best Game

Runner Up - Yakuza 0

Well, I said most of what I wanted to in the Best Action Award but here I’ll talk about Goro Majima. A suave ponytailed man, who’s desperate to get back into the Yakuza but instead goes on the run with a blind woman in tow. Throughout the game he carves out his own breed of Yakuza, using his own heat actions and skills. For example, one of his combat styles is breakdancing. Seems a bit less useful than the one that’s just about smashing people over the head with a baseball bat. You take these skills all around the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori, getting embroiled in a deep and violent story.

If you like crime games, with excellent combat systems, and don’t take things too seriously then you absolutely need to look into the Yakuza series. And Yakuza 0, to my mind, is the current King of the series.

Winner - Dead Cells

There have been very few games in my life where I’ve started them and immediately felt in awe. Sometimes you just know a game is exactly what you want and made perfectly. This year, Dead Cells was that game. A roguelike game with Metroidvania aspects set in a world that’s been torn apart by a sickness called ‘The Malaise’. Our hero wakes up in a prison- oh I should say our hero is a big ball of sentient goo stuffed into a dead body. Probably important, that. He then has to fight his way through the prison to find the king.

And boy is the fighting good. The combat is extremely tight, with little forgiveness for panicking. A single blow can carve off most of your health, particularly when you add in the ‘Boss Cells’, which function as an extended new game plus system. Add to that some fairly tight platforming, which doesn’t take the center stage, and you’ve got a game that’s as fun as it is frustrating. It has that beautiful quality where every death, and there will be many of those, feels like it’s your fault. That’s absolutely crucial for a roguelike.

It also doesn’t make or break on its items, with each weapon type following generally the same pattern. It’s a game entirely bent on player skill (or lack thereof). I honestly can’t sing Dead Cells praises enough. Everything, right down to the sombre score is brilliant. Absolutely deserving of the Golden Teapot.

The ‘Golden Accompanying Teaset’ Award For Best Game of the Decade

The Binding of Isaac

I had a good long think about this one. A decade is a long time, after all. Ten whole years. A whole lot of games released. With that in mind, I wanted to pick one that was not only a good game in its own right but one that mattered a lot to me personally. With that in mind, I landed on The Binding of Isaac. I think we can all agree it’s a good game, for one. Brutally hard and relentlessly imaginative and it has grown substantially since it was first released, with expansion packs and a remake in the form of Rebirth.

Personally though, it sparked off a love for a genre that’s remained strong to this day. The roguelike genre has been around for many years, of course, since, well, Rogue. But it seems to have picked up a lot more oomph this decade and I wonder how much influence The Binding of Isaac had over that. Certainly, it was pretty damn high profile, initially off the back of Super Meat Boy and then in its own right. It proved that a simple, repeating formula that had thousands of different combinations could be incredibly addictive.

It certainly got its hooks into me. I remember my first year of university, where steam was blocked by my hall’s internet meaning I didn’t have much else on my laptop to play. So I did run after run of The Binding of Isaac, until I could beat the bosses without much trouble. And even then I kept plugging away, trying to unlock everything. I did get the ‘Golden God’ achievement, until multiple expansions made that irrelevant. Ah well.

For the sheer fun and the influences on the roguelike genre, and for making me love the same, it absolutely is my best game of the decade.

Well that’s 2019 done. Personally, I’m hoping that 2020 will be a bit less chaotic in the personal life department. A bit less juggling of money and filling out endless forms and more lying on the sofa playing the games I love. Either way, I hope everyone had a good Christmas, or a good break, and a happy New Year. I hope you’ll join me in looking forward to what 2020 is going to bring. Brace yourselves, eh?

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redfoxwritesstuff · 5 years

Text

Lady in Red (Clint x Ofc)

Ever decide to participate in a challenge hosted by a writer you adore and admire and wanna grow up to be just like? (I know I’m already a adult) Then you stop and think and it hits you like a sack of bricks that you’re going to shove your writing in their face by doing so and you just: “What the fuck did I just agree to do?” Cuz that’s what this is.

Below is my offering for @tilltheendwilliwrite‘s 6k followers challenge. You’re awesome!

The sing itself is The Lady in Red by chris de burgh

Warnings: Clint is clumsy.

Lady In Red

Clint sat on the edge of his unmade bed as he buttoned his shirt. The room was dim, lit only by a small lamp and the city lights shining through the uncovered window. It was just after seven and he really needed to get going but the nerves gathered in the pit of his stomach made it hard to get the motivation to get up no matter how badly he wanted to rush out the door. Still, his leg bounced up and down as he worked the last button through the slot.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go, he did. It was just that he was more terrified of what they night would bring than he had ever been of anything in his life. Facing down death was less frightening. On the dresser across from him was a little black box that held every hope and dream that he hadn’t let himself dare to ask for before he met her.

Deciding to forgo the tie in favor of not feeling like he was an actual hanged man, Clint slipped the little black box into his jacket pocket as he gave himself one last look over in the mirror. His dirty blonde hair couldn’t be tamed and for once he had only a few bruises darkening the skin.

The radio in the living room was playing softly but it brought a smile when the song switched and words that he long ago began to identify with her filled the air. It was their song, though he wasn’t sure if he had ever told her that.

For Clint, it wasn’t love at first sight when he saw her in the crowded club. She was just another attractive women, like so many others. But she didn’t throw herself at the team or him. In all honesty, she was rather indifferent to them each night. He, like many of the men there noticed her but paid her little mind as she slipped to the sidelines where she was quickly forgotten. The men that did seek her out were swiftly turned down.

But one night it was different. One night, she came through the doors wearing a red dress that clung to her in all the right ways. Her dark hair was curled loosely and she had a look about her he couldn’t begin to name. No longer was she just another attractive woman among a sea of them. This night, she was the prized gem and all wanted her.

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight I've never seen you shine so bright I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance And I have never seen that dress you're wearing Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes I have been blind It was that instant he wanted her. Still he had to battle for her attention against a sea of men. He had expected that she would just fall into his arms as so many women did when he made it clear that he wanted them but she did not. With a smile and a bat of her eyelashes, she danced with another man and only gave him a passing glance. And another man. She never stayed with the same man for longer than a dance and eventually it was his turn and he found that she fit perfectly in his arms.

“What’s your name?” He had to ask twice, the first time his words were lost to the sound of the music around them.

“Do you care?” She didn’t sound bitter or accusatory. Rather she sounded as if she were simply stating the fact that he did not. In truth, he supposed few of the men here she had danced with cared about anything more than getting her home and out of her dress.

“I do.” The admission threw her, he could see it in the way her dancing faltered.

“Andrea.”

“Clint.”

All she gave him was her name. Sure, he could have hunted her down, looked her up and made use of the considerable resources at his fingertips but if knowing he was Clint of the Avengers wasn't enough to get him her phone number he would have to earn it.

It was almost three weeks before he saw her again. This time her brown hair was pulled back in a messy braid. The dress she wore was black with shimmering red flowers.

Much like the last time he had seen her, all eyes seemed magnetized to her. She was a force moving on the dance floor. Men offered her drinks and dances only to be brushed aside while Clint made his way over to her.

He couldn't understand why before she never shined so bright. Before she was simply another body in the crowd. Now she seemed to be the only body he saw in the crowd.

“I've seen you in red twice in a row.” Clint's opening like could probably use some work but unlike the others, she smiled at him.

“I haven't been here twice in a row.” She countered knowing full well that the last time she was in this club she indeed had worn red.

“What's your favorite color?” Clint asked as he softly let his hands rest on her hips. The song had changed to something slower, more intimate and he fully intended to take advantage if she allowed him. It was encouraging when she draped her arms over his shoulders, lacing her fingers together loosely behind his neck.

“Guess.” They swayed and he could smell to soft scent of her perfume.

“Purple?” He couldn't help the puppy dog look on his face though he didn't even begin to hope he was right.

“Hmm” she stalled. “Nope.”

“Oh right, that one's mine. How about red?”

“Bingo.”

The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek There's nobody here, it's just you and me It's where I want to be But I hardly know this beauty by my side I'll never forget the way you look tonight I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight

For nearly three months he asked her to dinner every chance he got. For nearly three months she turned him down with a smile as they moved together on the dance floor. Still, as they danced nearly every week, he would learn more and more of her.

Her heart had been broken by a man she trusted. Her light had been dimmed by a man who wished to hide her from the world. The idea baffled him. If he could call her his even for a short time he would never hide her light. He would give anything to be the man by the side of a woman who shinned brighter than any star.

When his eyes landed on her, he knew this time would be different. She smiled at warmly at him when their eyes locked across the dance floor. All eyes were on her as she walked over, hips swaying seductively. Today was different, Clint knew it.

Her hair was hanging freely. The long smooth strands fell down her back tonight but he hardly noticed. Sparkling under the lights, her dress was a deep plum color with a large light purple flower on her hip. The grin that slowly spread over his face as he watched her wearing his color.

“Clint.” He had grown to love the way she said his name.

“Dinner tomorrow?” Without wasting any time, his hand found her waist and they began to sway with the music.

“How about breakfast?” She counted and he laughed.

“I like how you think.”

I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away And I have never had such a feeling

With one last look behind him, Clint turned off the lights in his apartment and shut the door. She was going to be meeting him at the restaurant. As he made his way down the stairs, he kicked himself for not thinking about getting a car to pick her up in. Tony would surely have loaned him on or he could have gotten a limo.

In truth, he knew that if he pulled out all the stops she would know. The little velvet box was burning a hole in his jacket pocket as he slowly walked down the stairs. His stomach was in knots and he wanted nothing more than to vomit. The thought to turn around, run up the stairs and hide out in his apartment circled through his mind.

Still, he didn’t doubt his choice. He wanted her. He needed her. She was everything he had ever dreamed of, everything he knew he didn’t deserve and somehow he got to call her his. If he was lucky, truly lucky she would allow him to call her his for the rest of their lives.

Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek There's nobody here, it's just you and me It's where I want to be

When he walked into the restaurant she was already sitting at a table. It didn’t surprise him at all, though they did plan on meeting out front. Things in his life never went according to plan. Things with her never went according to plan either.

Perhaps that's why she fit so perfectly in his hectic life without even batting an eyelash. From the speakers above them, he could hear that fateful song playing. It seemed that the song was meant for them. It seemed to follow him wherever he went when she was on his mind.

But I hardly know this beauty by my side

Standing in the restaurant, he look her in. There was once a time when he didn’t know her, when she wasn’t a part of his life. He couldn’t imagine his life before her. It was as if he had just been waiting for her to show up and not be impressed by him.

With her hair half pulled back, Clint could see the glitter of the ruby earrings he had gotten her a few months prior for her birthday. Red, her favorite color was quickly becoming his as well though he would never tell her that. Her took a moment to take her in. She was just as beautiful now as she was the day she had first grabbed his attention nearly two years ago.

He pledged to never put out the fire within her. Even now he couldn’t fathom a man wanting to hide her away, to cover the radiance that was her. How selfish of a man that must have been? But that man’s choice to seek out another, to cheat on this beautiful woman set her free and for that Clint would always be thankful for.

Slipping his hand one last time into his jacket pocket, he grabbed the box. Carefully, he opened it and ran his thumb over the ring hidden inside. Once he had reassured himself that he had the box and that the ring was indeed inside, he took a deep breath and walked up to the table.

I'll never forget the way you look tonight I never will forget the way you look tonight

He was distracted all dinner and she worried. He could see the worry in her eyes. While she had put up seductive front all those months and months ago, she had once confided in him that she felt not good enough for him. What had been done to her before caused her to fear it would happen again. He hadn’t been nearly as spectacular as Clint was and he found her to be not good enough. Why would Clint find her good enough for him?

Yet he asked himself the same thing. He was a disaster of a man. More often than not he returned from missions injured or damaged in some way. She worried for him and he hated that. But it felt good to know there was someone waiting for him to come back, someone who would notice if he didn’t make it out. He had someone at home waiting for him, who would miss him and remember him if he died. Who would mourn him and that gave him something more to live for. The lady in red, the lady in red As the waiter cleared away the plates, Clint took a deep breath. Looking around, he tried to gauge how many people would realize what he was doing. One more deep breath and he stood from his seat.

“Clint?” She asked and he just smiled at her. It was a nervous smile and if not for him walking around the table toward her, it would have done nothing to reassure her.

“Babe.” He plucked her hand up as he knelt down in front of her. Turning in her chair, cringing as it loudly scraped against the hard floor. She watched with wide eyes as he pulled a small black box out of his jacket pocket only to drop it. “Shit.”

“Breath, Clint.” A laugh slipped out from between her lips as she looked around. “And get up, people are looking. We can afford dessert, stop playing.”

“I’m not.” Shaking hands let go of hers and fumbled picking the box up off the ground. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. You put me in my place, tell me ‘no’ and lecture me. You’ve seen me at my worst.”

“Everyone who has a TV has.” She joked but her voice was tight with emotion.

“No, that’s not my worst.” He laughed and relaxed just slightly. “My worst is dishes piled in the sink, living off pizza for a few weeks, burning a pot of popcorn. My worst is having to wash my underwear in the sink because I miscalculated how long I could put off doing laundry.”

“You’re probably due for a load.”

“Probably.” Whatever had relaxed in him wound back up. “You’re my lady in red. You’ll always be my lady in red. It took me far too long to notice you but once you caught my eye I could never take my eyes off you. I got lucky that another man tossed you away. That is one of the few mistakes I swear to you I’ll never make.”

The lady in red,

“You’ll always be my lady in red. But right now I’m asking if you’ll be my lady in white. Will you marry me?”

As he asked the one question he had been most terrified to ask, he opened the box revealing the ring inside. He had tried for months to find one that would be perfect before finally working with a jeweler to custom make a ring.

At first glance it looked simple. A large red ruby was set with two small amethyst flanking it on either side. Knowing she didn’t like jewelry that scratched her, the band was raised smoothly to hug the edges of the stones. On the sides, swirls of white gold filled the open space.

my lady in red I love you

She slipped out of her chair, landing on her knees as she launched herself at him. The ring was knocked out of his hand as she crashed into his chest, arms winding around his neck as she kissed him. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she pulled away, trying to remember to breath. Around them, strangers cheered and clapped but the couple didn’t hear them.

“Is that a ‘yes’?” Clint asked as his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Yes, you dummy.”

Everything Taglist: @0-0-0-0-0-0-0-7, @winterisakiller, @dangertoozmanykids101, @theoneanna, @alexakeyloveloki, @bambamwolf87, @j-u-s-t-4, @nonsensicalobsessions, @missaphrodite23

#t6ksongfic #clint barton x oc #clint barton x female reader #clint barton fanfiction #clint barton x reader

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mcrtiniblues-blog · 5 years

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hey guys ! i’m kat and atm, i’m either splurging at sephora or on my way home so i can’t be on for this first wave of activity. i kinda whipped everything up between endless exhaustion from my daily routine and people constantly looming over my shoulder at work and at home, so don’t mind my theme and everything, i’m still trying to figure out what i like and that means taking a while to set up my pages sklsd plus i wasn’t expecting us to open so soon, so i’m unprepared af, BUT ! we’ll make do with this intro for now.. didn’t have enough time to finish amla’s before i got off work. now, all of that being said, this is a monster of a post, so get settled as i introduce sovana’s resident skating brat halle, a bitch who overworks and doesn’t know how to chill long-term !! stats page is HERE for your reading pleasure, plots and what not will be up later on !

( jeon somin, cisfemale, she/her. ) hey that’s hyunmi “halle” chae over by the fountain! i wonder if they took a coin out. i heard the twenty-four year old’s been in sovana for three months and they’re known to be pretty darwinian but also charismatic. a song that describes their life would be challenge by lolo zouaï and blades gliding along the surface of ice, classical music on a rainy day, & silk bedsheets always reminds me of them.

honestly she is.. fucked sgjfsgdkl

this is mostly a carbon copy of an intro i’ve made for her in the past, so while some random points seem a Little dated or repetitive, they’re valid enough to stay here sfdlgkdg

i’ve had inspo for her ever since last year’s olympics and really wanted to use her Somewhere and Successfully, so if some things here seem a little.. idk, farfetched for your taste, we’ll pin it on that sfdgkdfj

this is her as popular vines

so chae hyunmi aka halle, ulsan born, raised in seoul and relocated to toronto, canada with her parents, little sis and partner — aka sho — to train bc..

she’s a figure skater, good enough to win ( .. junior ig ) titles when she was in her early teens, so it was only inevitable for her to leave for toronto to train with the Best eventually

she’s competed in international competitions, as part of a pair, and made her olympic debut in sochi by the skin of her teeth; hers and sho’s highest placement was third place ( not at sochi pls sgjkld they prob ranked in the top ten at best ), so she’s got a medal or two to her name

ultimately it was after sochi that she saw her coach and ( ex ) partner intervene with her.. unhealthy practicing habits

she’s a perfectionist through and through, so of course she’d spend hours on the ice at just seventeen/eighteen years old, even younger tbh, to get a routine right. but she pushed herself harder and harder, where small missteps would lead her to fall hard and recover for days on end, even spraining her ankle just before competition season was to begin

so when her coach insisted she take a break, her parents following suit, it was with good reason — one that she didn’t fucking see fsdkgkl

even so, them pushing her to prioritize education for a bit, to get ahead of the skaters who would prob only be able to do so upon retirement in a good few years’ time, and hanging up her skates until she saw it as.. less than something she needed to abuse herself to feel comfortable with, for as long as they would do so led to her resolve shattering and her applying for universities both in canada and sk ( the sly brat reasoned that it’d be nice to be reconnect with her roots.. for the sake of having something going for her beyond just competing in pyeongchang ! )

which is how, miraculously, she got accepted into uni in seoul ( still figuring out which, rip ). her grades were good, she had a super brief volunteering stint and she’s a rising star ( well, was.. the bitch wouldn’t be competing again anytime soon to keep herself where she was within the skating circuit ) in her favoured sport, she deemed it inevitable sfkljfdgk

the transition wasn’t too hard ofc; she got comfortable with the campus and seoul and was back on the ice in no time, joining the uni’s skating team under her parents’ noses and making the most of it as comeback/olympics prep

she saw herself as poised to be added to the roster once again, now a singles prospect after a major falling out with her longtime partner for one too many dumb bitch moves, and was desperate for it since it’s in pyeongchang, however the stars didn’t align when she just missed obtaining qualification on sk’s roster on a technicality, and nothing could’ve compared to the agony that was missing her chance in something she invested sm practice, time and compliance with the people around her to pull through and get to pyeongchang

she’s still distraught over it, it’s been a few months since that happened and she gets emo real quick, misty-eyed if you bring it up ( she uh, has issues with moving on from things if you can’t tell )

suffice to say she resents her coach for his minor contribution in fucking her and himself over, dropped him out of anger ( a move she.. does feels bad abt on a personal level but professionally ?? pft ) and linked up with one back in toronto who she began seeing when she was “ prepared ” to give it a shot again.. so right after graduating

wrapped up a season dedicated solely to training ( meaning she’s currently on hiatus from the sport, but she knows a good few people think her career is Over now — and it pisses her the Fuck off ) before her sister convinced her to have a proper break that wasn’t Just to appease someone else

.. even though it was to appease her sister. but she let it slide bc the kid’s the Only person who can do no wrong in halle’s eyes and she might as well keep her from stressing

literally the only instance she’ll ever, in her lifetime, Cave to someone SDFLKGSDFKL

so she picked sovana as her retreat at complete random and has been here since april

it’s a little weird to think of her Not being in her usual spots so this is as much of a ride for y’all as it is for me, the bitch doesn’t have many hobbies after all SDFKLSDF

studied history despite wanting to be a skating coach when she retires as a competitor, bc she rly loves history ok ??

personality and other shit

she is.. a mess rly

inflexible, independent, charismatic, etc

most of her actual personality is further down oops dsfgjklfg

kinda detached ?? like she doesn’t want too many distractions and she deems relationships as the fucking Worst for it.. she’s had some pals from skating with potential go downhill when they got too deep with certain partners or just with too many side hobbies, social obligations, so she’s trying to be level-headed while not destroying her social life ?

idk it’s hard to explain, she’s an enigma even to me in that area

only dated once. when she was like nine. with some other chick’s skating partner that she quickly ditched.

not.. super sexually active either ( rip ?? )

but she’s been Involved with people so fdskng

on the ice, or just in whatever she’s applying herself to, she’s domineering and blunt, v strict on herself though she’s slacked off a bit over the years.. so imagine how self-disciplined — in the worst of ways — she was when she was younger

with a rigorous work ethic like hers, her being a leader among those at the local skating club back in toronto implies that she’d be strict too with what little power she has.. but she’s kinda chill overall ?? tho you still have to get your twizzles right before the end of the day, don’t care that the hockey players will be out in two ! let’s go !

uh.. her attitude carries over with a Lot of things. she especially has no time for people who are Committed to their sport/career but show poor performances bc of laziness, distractions, etc. so brace your kids for hurricane hyunmi ??

call her ice queen. try it. try it. GKFDJKGDSF she hates that nickname 95% of the time, usually bc she assumes people are basing it off of her initial/professional demeanour first and her passion second

she really just has a hard shell where it matters, aka her career and stuff, but is a semi-precious gem overall

or, for a better way to describe it though it sounds like i’m just repeating myself: she gives off Proper head bitch vibes ( subtract the Need to feel powerful in being a piece of shit to anyone who walks past you while being surprisingly thin-skinned ) but she’s really just a blunt and serious brat with a super dry and at times menacing sense of humour

so don’t think i’m taking the piss out of anything on purpose or that she acts out of malice.. i had a better way of phrasing this but completely blanked, sorry SDFKLJDKL

kind of dramatic and a meme ngl, curses quite a bit, whips out korean or her conversational-level french far too often — especially if she’s shit-talking bc you made an ugly choice but is trying to be a Supportive Friend

english name came from halle berry bc hyunmi thought she was really pretty on all of the red carpets her mom would have on growing up sfgdkjflk

unwinds with the usual netflix and wine, but also dance — helps with her choreo for routines too so

oH also probably still hurts herself by overworking, especially after That Lost Opportunity, i hate

she’s pan but….. girls disappoint her far less than guys so she has a preference djfgskgdkf

all of that being said, it clearly plays into how she’s perceived by others, so —

#ooc tag tba.#sov.intro #this is so long and almost unnecessary.. sorry y'all #DJKSDFL

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joeys-piano · 5 years

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50 for the writer’s asks, I’m sure you have plenty ;)

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

I’m gonna share you the strangest, most ambitious one that inspired all of my other strange, ambitious story ideas. Because if I didn’t do this idea, I wouldn’t be the writer I am today. Nor, would I be the experimental writer I am today xD

Back in the Fall of 2017, I was writing for a non-discreet fandom that I used to love and during that period, I dipped my toes into urban fantasy. Fascinated by the concept of a mer!AU but unsure of how to tackle it, I created my own original lore. You’ll see this is a running trend where I’ll just make stuff up in worldbuilding and somehow tie it all together in the end.

The concept I went with originated from the earliest version of the Little Mermaid, I believe. Remembering that the Little Mermaid didn’t have a soul, I decided to work that into my lore and this was the earliest worldbuilding draft that I have of this idea (it’s on AO3, it’s pretty obvious to find):

Merfolk were humans who had died at sea. While their souls may go to Heaven or Hell, their bodies transform. Scales protrude across the skin, a vicious tail is all that remains of what once were legs, slits span down the neck, and the body is reanimated. Driven by wild instincts and led by ravenous hunger, Merfolk patrol the waters like zombies.

In the open waters, these creatures feast on fish and are quite the catch for a shark or lone predator that wander so willingly into their territory. But near coastlines and against shores, Merfolk are on the prowl to satisfy another hunger. Without a soul to call their own, these solitary creatures congregate on the edge of civilization and are on the prowl for any who bear the misfortune of falling into their waters.

Over the next few weeks and subsequent months, I began to expand that lore. At the time, for the project I was working on, I only focused on saltwater mers. I hadn’t considered freshwater or other variants yet. I didn’t consider aquatic species of mers or the different body compositions and characteristics depending on where these mer originated from or where they live. However, this was 2017-Joey, and he wasn’t thinking of these things. He didn’t think about it because he wasn’t worried about it. He was more focused on the lore than the biology, ecology, and whatnot that goes behind this.

I believe in the November of 2017, I began to expand the mer!concept from a a group perspective than an individual one. This was when I started to consider what were the ecological and behavioral characteristics of these creatures. Mer are solitary but then I considered, many aquatic species are solitary but they congregate and show up in mass populations during certain or special events. So I thought to myself: wouldn’t it be scary if you’re out at sea and you see a school mer trying to yank you from a ship so they can do away your soul?

And thus, I added that to the lore:

Merfolk are notorious for creating storms. A passing boat or a humble ship could easily find itself in the eye with nowhere to run, with nowhere to hide.

The storm appears normal at first: torrential rains, lashing winds, and with the vessel rocking back and forth over the mounting waves. Those who have survived to tell the tale often report of hearing voices, ghostly wails luring the ships and boats closer to the centre of the storm. Suddenly, the ocean is at peace, but a gray veil cloaks the sacrifices before the grooms stroke it back. Bobbing in the water are Merfolk. Tails swishing and their scales glistening like gems. They bring color to the chaos and sing their songs.

And then following that passage is a rather graphic scene of shipmates getting tangled in sea nooses and being yanked into the water, where the surface bubbles over with red and thrashes as mers are picking a shipmate to the bone and are snarling at each other to consume his soul. Because a mer understands that they’re lacking something that’ll make them feel whole. They lost their souls when their human selves died. So in order to truly come back to life and escape this Hellscape they’ve been surviving it, they have to steal and kill for another chance at life.

Even if it means sacrificing an innocent and having that innocent exchange places with them. For a young writer who had been writing pretty safe content for 5 years at that point, this was a stepping stone into more abstract and darker ideas. This began my journey into writing about the human condition and what it meant to be alive.

So you’re probably asking me: it’s been a few years, how did the idea and lore change over time? Back in May of this year when I thought about participating in MerMay, I decided to take my notes and polish them. I moved away from the sea and moved inland to incorporate freshwater mers, and I researched on the different body compositions and structures of how these characters would look like. I developed and fleshed out a more human side to the lore and talked about how some mers transitioned into society and are living comfortably amongst people. I wrote about mers that don’t want to be human, mers that are domesticated, mers that are wild, mers who couldn’t care less about having a soul, and about mers who’d do anything to have a soul and be human again.

I developed the mer!language. It’s not extensive, but it gets the point across. In addition, I included accommodations on how mers could live amongst humans and what were the challenges in doing so. Humans aren’t very tolerable of a lot of things. If we have trouble tolerating each other, imagine how difficult it would be for a mer that used to be human and who’s now living amongst humans and are having to adopt what humans expect of them when they aren’t able to do certain things that humans consider normal.

So I’d say that over the years, what started off as a curious pet project turned into a catalyst that made me become the writer and worldbuilder that I am today. It helped me approach and develop different worldbuilding styles and techniques, how is fictional reality intertwined with real reality, and how I can use stories to tell a bigger picture of an issue or problem that I see we as a society are still struggling and trying to find common ground and understanding on.

And since this is the end of the ask, I’m gonna share a little snippet from my most recent mer!notes. This one is for Dazai, who I turned into a freshwater betta fish mer:

After drowning in a familiar river near a bridge in Yokohama, the suicide ironically sparked the beginning of Dazai’s life as a Mer. Was he disappointed? Absolutely. He learned quite quickly that it was a lot harder to die as a Mer than it was as a human.

To visit him at the Armed Detective Agency, Dazai is typically seen wearing soaked, fettered, and messy bandages sprawled around his neck as he spends the majority of his day soaking in a kiddie pool. A pool that was a little smaller than himself so he’d be half-drying and half-dying while still having enough water to keep him from completely dying. If it wasn’t morbid, seeing a fully-grown Mer in such a tiny space was actually quite entertaining. Especially when Dazai would get his antsy fits and try to squish himself into the corners of his kiddie pool to completely submerge himself. Alas, it wouldn’t work and he’d silently curse himself for damning his existence to an inadequate space.

While Dazai does wear his signature trench coat, he’s merely draping it over his shoulders and the fabric spills behind him while he soaks so it doesn’t get wet. He does live on his own in the Agency dormitory, where he commutes from the office to the apartment and vice versa. Because of the soaked bandages meandering across his body, Dazai doesn’t dry out quite as quickly as other land-dwelling Mers. Although traveling on land doesn’t bother him as it would for others, he does prefer to have assistance merely for ease and to conserve his strength.

#this is pretty much the backstory of how i became the worldbuilder i am today #if you like mermaids or mers this ask is for you #i also include snippets of my worldbuilding notes #i also include a bsd example towards the end

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loisette · 5 years

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SL Switch Up Challenge (Camus)

...Except I changed up some things: the “add at least one of his cards to your teams” was ignored for the most part and I picked my least favourite character (Camus, if you haven’t read the title) instead of the one that I have the lowest bond with because it seemed more fitting with the spirit of the challenge! Original ruleset can be found here!

I actually did this a while ago but I didn’t have time to post it because I was busy with uni and then decided to go for T3 UK Reiji. Maybe it’s for the best though, my perspective changed a little with time.

Day 1

First thing I’ve noticed are his heart links. I love how they progress, you can tell which one is the level 1 and which one is the level 3 or at least I think that’s the order they should be in, I’ve been avoiding Camus since I saw his Bond 50 lines. It’s how I wish heart links were the first place... well, maybe not to this extent but you know, something like an obvious fact for the first one and as it progresses you learn more less-known stuff that’s not that easy to notice.

I picked this heart links because even though I knew he had this sort of dynamic with Ran, I didn’t expect him to say it so openly. Maybe it’s a sign that he grew closer to the player and starts to admit what he truly thinks of the others (considering that first line is said in his butler voice), maybe it’s the heart links progression I was talking about or maybe a little bit of both - I’m not sure.

Day 2

Yeah, I know, it’s the last heart link lines, I’m sorry. I have everyone x everyone heart links level 3 unlocked so I spend the day trying to see if all of them follow the same pattern as Ranmaru’s. There are two characters that he compliments in all of the heart links - Ai and... Natsuki.

Ai I understand, I figured this one out but Natsuki was a huge surprise to me, especially that last line. I didn’t expect him to even be able to stand Natsuki’s personality. I’m not sure when does he show that smartness but okay, I don’t know his character that well either...

The vision of him and Natsuki just chillin’ and drinking tea is pretty cute and calming. Welp, another rare pair to the collection I guess! ...Now I lowkey regret that Butler Natsuki event didn’t feature Camus as the SR tbh. Maybe we’ll get some tea party set with the two as the URs in the future?

Day 3

He’s ticklish?! A-anyway... Overall, his reactions when poked are surprisingly soft. Aaand the pictured ones are all said in his deep voice (well, I’m not sure about the laugh). There’s this I guess...:

...But he still doesn’t use that prideful, condescending tone. He’s almost tsudere-like tbh. Well, almost.

Day 4

That was the day I realized that even though I didn’t pick Camus based on the bond, I should still probably show it to prove I’m doing something. So, here’s my bond with him as of Day 4:

As well as his heart links:

I started the challenge with him being on early Bond 65 too (or 7th based on the bond) but I unfortunately have no screenshots of that moment. Also yeah, I changed his costume and wallpaper because I’m not even sure how long he’s been left with it and I was getting tired of it. I guess he deserves better than the LtM outfit.

I should probably show the teams I use(d) too. It was after the event already but here are the event teams anyway:

I kept switching Prince Natsuki with Renarty for Seien no Brave Heart for higher score. I could have done so with Camus because they score the same so there’s something I guess? Also there’s no Shine team because my Dream used to be my Shine (UK Reiji saved it...at least for now) with two members swapped and I only played one Shine song - You’re My Life - because I needed more Shine gems for the weekly misson.

Here you can see the team I used (and still use!) outside of the events:

After unlocking everybody’s heart links level 3 I started farming Ai’s level 4 ones. Originally it was 3 Ren and 3 Syo cards but I added Camus. Honestly... I wasn’t really to try to follow the original rules.

I genuinely like the way Camus heart links work so he’s staying in there until I unlock that last heart link...which might turn out to be next year if KLab doesn’t slow down with the events. At the time of writing this their heart link is 1801 until rank up so not much progress but Syo and Ren need way less time so it should get faster once I finish theirs.

I don’t have many of lines from that day and I read all of the stories but the focusing on the teams gave me an idea. His cards.

He has some very gorgeous cards (two pictures below are taken from the wiki). I went for Mafia Camus just because I loved the theme. Idolized art still looks great after all this time too!:

I like his Halloween v2 so much that I tried scouting in his half to get him (no luck though) and unidolized is honestly one of my favourite cards in the game!:

...Welp, I think you can guess what kind of aesthetics I like.

Also...as silly as it is, I like singing karaoke (but with vocals left and it’s only at home so not really) with my sister and occasionally one of my friends and have color-coded lyrics for almost 40 songs atm. We all suck me the most but it’s fun and we don’t care. Anyways, the point was - out of 4 Utapri songs we have prepared the lyrics for (well, only I did...), somehow 2 of them feature Camus - Junketsunaru Ai -Aspiration- and NorthWind and SunShine.

Junketsunaru is super fun to sing and it’s my favourite Camus solo but I really like Zettai Reido Emotion as well!

One of my favourite songs overall - Trois - also features Camus. Non-Fiction is a banger too! ...I’m not gonna list songs with 4 and more people because this would take way too long so I’ll stop here.

And as a side note, I really love how this line sounds (sorry for no clip, it’s sort of breathy, something in between his regular and fake voice):

Day 5

I’m not sure if the first line is mistranslation or not but I’ve chosen to believe it’s not. This sort of lines are the reason why Camus wasn’t at the very bottom of my favourite list for a short period of time.

Serious characters that act seriously or at least casually about stuff that sounds absurd or at least unfitting for them is something I find funny. I’m not sure if there’s a name for this trope, boke doesn’t exactly fit but I’m guessing I like it because I like this sort of Manzai humour Gintama uses anyways.

This also makes me chuckle but I felt like it didn’t match first two enough to get paired with them:

Aaand while this one might not seem particularly funny, it reminded me of my headcanons I first had when going through the profiles while SL was downloading - that the “fabulous hair guy” was a chuuni (because I didn’t believe his description) that loves Kuroshitsuji and tries to act like Sebastian because he think it’s cool:

I still headcanon that he’s a Sebastian stan btw.

And while not from SL and not something new I’ve learned, I just had to put this in here because it turned so fun themed (gif taken from here):

Day 6

Time for Camus idle lines! I really tried looking for stuff he says in his natural voice but I couldn’t find anything better.

First one is very basic but I wanted to give an overview of Camus lines at Bond 65 so it had to do. Ai’s were better even as early on but I guess there’s not much to show when you have to fit in some of the butler persona lines and there’s less idle lines that the ones caused by tapping (I think?) so I’m probably being too impatient... I hope.

The last one is something that I could put as a standalone “line of the day” though. It’s so satisfying to make him swallow his pride and ask instead of demand! It’s a small step but it would be so fulfilling to teach him his place... Maybe that’s one of the reasons his fans like him - they feel like they could change somebody for the better. Or is it more like revealing his true, soft side?

I guess characters like this make the thing more “realistic” (can I even use this word while refering to Utapri and Camus? Probably not). But I feel like it’s not what they were going for, considering the way he acts towards the player.

Anyway, I used to think his lines would be more like: “How dare you ignore me, peasant?” and couldn’t get what are the reasons people like him other than them having a thing for jerks. Now I can see some more logical ones.

Day 7

Aka all the negative stuff I cut out from the other days and my final thoughts and the bond/heart links update.

If you just wanted some wholesomeness and can’t accept any negativity, you can finish reading here, no hard feelings! Thank you for reading! and remember that liking or disliking a character doesn’t define a person so please no pointless attacking me

And if you are fine with it, thank you even more! A lot of this is speculations based on what I see in SL and I know still don’t understand Camus so feel free to try to change my mind if you know more than I do!

But first of all, here’s how my bond and heart links looked as of Day 7:

And this is how they look now, the week after the challenge:

Comparing Day 4 to Day 7, you can see that I was tapping him more than a couple times a day - he went up one whole level!

And about the current ones... I know Camus/Ai heart link barely moved but there was pretty much no downtime, my Bond/Link team is still the same! Most of the bond comes from being in my Star team.

Now that’s out of the way, here’s the line I mentioned Day 1, the very reason I Camus landed at the bottom of my list in the first place:

Yikes.

I already consider possessiveness a big flaw that they gave some characters because nobody’s perfect and some people are into that so it’s a win-win... but this is a whole another level (I’m not sure why out of all the words “can” is the one that’s capitalized though). It’s disturbing.

I do feel like there was a lot of potential in his character. They could give him some character development, make him show the side he shows to the player to the others too and I guarantee it would make him more popular.

I mean, my favourite is Ai. His attitude towards Syo and Natsuki in the early anime was pretty bad but he had changed, he even becomes friends with them and in the Denim stories it’s confirmed that they still hang out.

However... to me, even if Camus starts showing the same side he shows the player to the others, he will never make it higher than mid-tier of my list just because of this one line ...but I guess it still would be an improvement.

Also, I’ve heard that he’s no the only one that acts this way in the vn so if anyone could tell me the details that would be great... or not, depending on the boys but I’d still be grateful if you’d save me from liking someone like this!

Anyway, you could probably figure that out already but I find it awkward and uncomfortable how different he acts towards the player compared to how he acts towards the other idols, especially poor Cecil. Is there a legitimate reason he treats him this way?:

Other than simply “he dislikes him”, ofc. It’s a genuine question btw, if anyone knows more, especially from the VN, please tell me.

Don’t get me wrong, I really like the sort of rivalry between him and Ran but clearly it’s not how his relationship with Cecil works.

I might be reading too much into that but I feel like Cesshi seems aware of the side Camus shows to the player (which I didn’t catch first time I read the story tbh) and from the Camus side of the story I feel like he knows that he knows and yet, he still says this:

It’s just sad, really. Should I feel bad that he distanced himself from the others, is there any reason for that or is he making himself a victim to the player? ...Ugh, I know it’s not the case but it makes the most sense. Idk, is he too full of himself to notice? It doesn’t seem right, I mean... he called Natsuki smart... or smarter than he looks, at least.

Cecil is implied to know about his “true self” so I feel like he understands you to some extent. He’s trying to be nice to him, yet Camus refuses to acknowledge it... Here, despite the way he treats him, that poor baby still tries to (awkwardly) cheer him up:

I feel like his pride was hurt a little and Cecil did help him by saying that... but I don’t think I understand Camus enough so maybe not. Anyway, even though it was awkward, Cecil’s definitely being gentle here so I’m not sure why he can’t see that. Eh, I really don’t get this guy.

To quote best boy (who said this today as the 2nd bond boosting line so I had to put this btw):

And I doubt it’s just Cecil, it was probably implied by more people but it flew over my head because I didn’t know he’s so different when talking to the player.

Well, at least there's some improvement later in the story because he stops saying that kids like Cecil because he’s childish and instead rolls with the explanation Cecil gave him - it’s because Cecil has more experience with children.

I read those stories beforehand and it was why I was so surprised that he likes Natsuki - after all he acts the most childish and does what he wants. I’m not sure if there’s something important about Natsuki I’m missing don’t know or if talking to Alexander makes you smart in Camus eyes.

Okay, but back to his... triple-faceness, at this point? This is basically stuff I cut out of the Day 6 because I felt like it was getting too negative:

I don’t like how he’s only kinder to the player. If anything, it makes me wonder if he’s lying and picked just another mask good for geting what he wants. Ugh, I know it’s not the case again and you don’t need to convince me but with the character like this, I can’t really get rid of this feeling.

But I guess maybe it makes his fans feel truly special - characters like Otoya or Cecil are nice to everybody so the way they treat you in comparision to the others doesn’t have as much of an impact as it’s with Camus. Even Ran's softer side isn’t reserved only for the player. But ignoring how badly he treats the others just to feel special...it’s way too selfish for me but I get that some people find that attractive.

In conclusion, I didn’t have an accurate image of Camus personality before this challenge so I’m glad I did it. Now I understand that he’s way more complex, even if I don’t really get him. However I started seeing the reasons why some people might like him, so I feel like maybe I at least understood his fans better.

This challenge was pretty fun. I’m glad I learned something new, I might even do this again with Masato ...but probably without creating a post because I end up spending way too much time on it. I thought it’s gonna be way harder to pick the pictures (...though I made things easier for myself and started doing this by themes) or write anything about someone you don’t really like.

Even if I mainly focused on the negatives in the end, the things I said in the first 6 Day were important as well. He originally had his own separate “Nope” tier, now he’s in the bottom tier with Masato so it’s a bit of improvement? I still don’t like him (due to the stuff listed during Day 7 and more) but for different reasons and slightly less.

#slswitchup #camus #shining live #utapri #cecil aijima #natsuki shinomiya #ranmaru kurosaki #ai mikaze

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simplywlde-blog · 5 years

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leave the night on; Liv ft. Sam

Characters: Olivia Wilde and Sam Hunt ( @samlhunts ) Timeline: Sunday jan 20th, midnight and Monday jan 21st Warnings: mature content Plot: What happens when two complete strangers meet at a bar? Sparks fly as the mystery flares. What was supposed to be a night of harmless drinking and flirting ends up with an actress and a musician hooking up, driven by desire and pure curiosity. None of them knew each other’s names. Until the very next day where they meet again, realizing that they are hosting a charity event together. Life’s a rollercoaster, and you never know where it’ll take you.

Liv: Turquoise green eyes scanned their surroundings. Live music playing on the background, people dancing and swaying to the rhythm. Endless chatter making it almost impossible to concentrate on her task at hand: finding an empty table. Olivia could've gotten to any other bar in the city, probably one that was less packed, and provided more intimacy but there was something about the small place that held more people that she could count. Maybe was the music, maybe it was the good drinks, or the fact that in that place, in that hidden gem she could be herself and somehow feel... normal. So, when she failed miserably at finding an empty spot she almost turned around to face defeat and simply go somewhere else, but that's when her eyes caught a single booth right in front of the bar. Which to be honest, it was exactly what the girl needed. She made her way across the sea of people, keeping her eye on her target. Upon reaching the empty seat, the green-eyed actress took off her chashsmere coat and allowed for a breath to escape from her plump lips. "I hope this seat wasn't taken." She spoke to the person sitting on her right, without really looking at him, instead searching for the bartender's attention.

Sam: Licking his lips, Sam ordered another drink from the bartender. He was on his third scotch and quite frankly, he had no intention on stopping. He just needed some space and time away from the studio. He had been a little frustrated with himself lately, not being able to write any songs because he just didn't have the muse. So instead of locking himself up in the studio for weeks hoping something would happen (which clearly wasn't working) Sam knew he needed to get out and clear his mind. Or well try to. The fact that he was sitting by himself at the bar, breaking his head about new beats was taking his work ethic to a new level, even for him. It wasn't until he heard a voice next to him that he snapped out of his own thoughts. "No, no, by all means go ahead and .." his words trailed off as he saw the brunette. She was strikingly beautiful and she seemed familiar but he couldn't really place it. "What you tryin' to order? I'll see if I can get the bartender's attention" He said, his southern twang thick as ever.

Liv: When people would often say that life had a way of surprising us, she didn't know how true that statement had been until about three weeks ago when she decided to end her relationship, after having one of her many impulses. But this time? She didn't regret it, she knew it was something that needed to be done. For everyone's sake. But still, the actress had been visiting this very same bar every weekend since. Oddly enough, a crowded and loud room being the only place at the moment that she felt she could think... or well, not think. A voice brought her out of her reverie of thought, it had come from the man by her side, to which she couldn't help to turn slightly around in order to face him. A small lopsided smile immediately becoming visible all over Olivia's features, noticing that this person was quite a view. "Bourbon, neat." Olivia responded, "If you can in fact get his attention you'll become my favorite person... for an hour or two at least." The girl stated with a soft chuckle.

Sam: At the mention of bourbon, Sam nodded his head in delight. He was taken back at her drink choice and pleased she wasn't the type to go for those sugary drinks or low calorie vodka and seltzers. He couldn't help but chuckle at her joke as he flagged down the bartender. 'Hey man, can we get the pretty lady a bourbon, please? And make it neat." He said, watching as the man walked away to get the drink order fulfilled. Sam turned his body to better face the brunette female. "So what brings you here? Or are you just having a night to yourself in the worlds loudest bar?" He said with a grin

Liv: Olivia couldn't help the frown that formed in her face the moment the bartender immediately responded to her new friend's order, "How on earth did you do that? That's not fair by the way, where's the equality here?" She was joking, of course and it was evident by the soft laugh that accompanied her comment. His question caused a deep exhale to escape from her plump lips, "The amazing costumer service, of course. Best one in town." Olivia teased with a small smirk. "I'm kidding, in the bar's defense, this place is not usually this crowded, I blame the live band for stealing my hidding spot." She commented, looking over her shoulder, eyes on the stage. "They have great food, decent booze and the people who come here usually tend to stick to themselves, which makes it a good place to forget about the world and just have a drink." Her eyes turned their attention back to him, as she placed an elbow on top of the bar and her chin on the palm of her hand. "What about you? Nice choice by the way." The girl commented, while her eyes shifted to the scotch that was resting in front of him.

Liv: Olivia absentmindedly licked her lips, and in cue she ran her piercing turquoise eyes all over her new friend's muscular frame. Something the New Yorker found really attractive. Her focus broke the moment the bartender approached them, placing a glass in front of her. "I'll drink to that." Olivia said referring to his comment about needing a breather, as she picked up her glass and took a big gulp of the amber liquid. Loving the sensation it left on its way down her throat. A laugh didn't fail to escape from her the moment she felt the word 'boyfriend'. "Not anytime soon." She responded with a little smirk, taking another long sip of her drink. "Been there, done that. Not interested anymore. So, that means that tonight -- you have my undivided attention." Her voice was raspier than before, her bright green eyes looking straight into his. "But the question is, do I have yours?" The girl inquired, raising one of her perfectly done eyebrows.

Sam: The musician watched as the woman took a sip of her drink. There was something about her he couldn't quite place, but the fact that she wasn't making a big deal about who he was intrigued him in the best way possible. "That so? Because I find it hard to believe a pretty woman like you is single right about now" He replied, his thick southern accent lacing through his words. "You've had my attention the moment you sat next to me" He told her, turning his body to fully face her

Liv: His words immediately bringing an amused smile to her features, "A pretty face doesn't guarantee a relationship, for all you know I could be... stubborn.. intense.. demanding.." She leaned closer to the man when she spoke the last word, not breaking eye contact with him in the slightest. "You never know." She continued, finishing the last of her drink before setting her glass down. "You're good with words, aren't you?" Olivia commented with a chuckle. "It makes me wonder of the amount of girls you have at your feet."

Sam: A coy smile spread acrossed Sam's features as he listened to the woman speak. She was confident and it was sexy. "I'm trying to figure out what the downfall is with everything you've listed." He replied back just as confidently. "I've been told I am once or twice. But the same with you, too" Sam finished off his scotch, the feeling of the alcohol beginning to hit his body as the liquid confidence turned out a little more. "Oh, yeah, clearly a ton are at my feet with the mere fact that I came to the bar by myself. But, it's not all bad, because now you're here"

Liv: "A perfect combination of all three, of course." Olivia responded with a chuckle and a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. For some reason she couldn't remove the smile from her face. This man was incredibly easy to talk to, and also easy on the eyes. Deadly combo. "Okay that's bullshit." She laughed and shook her head from side to side. "Let's be real, you came here by yourself because you /wanted/ to. And, didn't you mention that you needed a 'breather'?" She challenged with a raised brow. "And since I'm a decent human being, I can help with that. I'm sure the live music from that not-so-good band and the insane amount of people are not exactly pleasing, and besides I don't feel like waiting a half an hour for my other round." She looked down at her empty glass. "So, my place is about two blocks away from here. I can have my drinks, and you can have your breather. You in?"

Sam: "You say that like it's a bad thing and not a turn on" He replied back, licking his lips and tasting the remaining alcohol that was left behind. He couldn't help but laugh and shake his head at her remark. "I mean, I did want a breather, but I can't say I came here by myself because I wanted to. More like I needed to" He said with a smile and a shrug. He let his hazel eyes catch her emerald ones as he tilted his head and thought about her offer. He didn't know this girl, but she was stunning and he'd be a bit of a fool to pass her up. "I'm in, let's head out" He said with a grin, motioning to the bartender to close out his tab and paid for the drinks before he let Liv lead the way to her place

Liv: "The things that turn you on are... interesting." Olivia commented with a small chuckle as she began to walk with him out of the bar. She normally didn't do this. Casual hook ups? Sure, but usually with people she knew. And with this man? She knew next to nothing about him, not even his name. But it wasn't like she had asked for it. If she could be honest with herself, the mysterious vibe that was happening was something that she found hot. And for some reason, she wanted to keep it that way. "You don't usually go to that bar, do you? Because if you had I know for sure I would've recognize you." She stated, while walking down the street. It was late and not many pedestrians were in sight, her perfect kind of night.

Sam: The musician wasn't gonna lie to himself, this wasn't how he expected his night to go. But who was he to complain when a beautiful woman asked him to her place? He watched as she walked, letting her lead a little mainly because he was enjoying the view from behind. "Nah, I don't go there often. Or anywhere much. My job has me on lockdown until further notice" He said, scanning at the building they stopped at. He was a bit taken back by how nice of a complex she lived at. And to his surprise she lived a few blocks away from him. Who exactly /was/ this girl? He didn't have time to think about all that though. He just wanted to have some fun and not lose the high he was starting to get from the scotch. "Nice place" He said softly as he followed her inside. "I think we need to have a few shots, what do you think?"

Liv: Once they were both inside her penthouse, the actress closed the door behind them and removed her coat. "Thanks -- sorry for the mess though, it's been a hectic week." She said with a slight wrinkling of her nose, an expression that quickly changed into a grin upon hearing her companion's suggestions. "It's like you read my mind." Olivia said, while turning on the fireplace's switch and putting some music on. "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back with the shots." She said as she handed him the remote to the sound system before disappearing into the kitchen. It didn't take her long to prepare the essentials, she placed an unopen bottle of tequila, two shot glasses, freshly cut lime, salt and some pretzels in a silver trail. Making her way back to the living room, the actress set the trail down on the table that was right in front of the fireplace, where she knelt next to it. "Ready?" She inquired with a small smirk as she started to pour the liquid in both glasses.

Sam: "Oh, no, don't apologize in the slightest. I hear you on that" He replied as he sat down on the couch. He couldn't help but ponder who he was with right now because her penthouse honestly reminded him a lot of his. So she mustve been someone. But who, it was beyond him right now. The previous drinks at the bar were starting to flow through his system and when the brunette female walked back with the shots, he couldn't help but smile. She was quick to want to take the shot, but Sam shook his head. "No, no. He said, sliding off his white t-shirt. Body shots" He said with a devilish grin spreading across his face.

Liv: "Damn." Olivia couldn't help saying the moment her eyes settled upon his bare chest. He was ridiculously good looking, from the way his shirt hugged his muscles before, it was evident that he had a great physique. But she didn't know how insanely good it was until he took off his shirt. Her eyes had been glued to his chest for a few seconds before a small mischievous smirk took over her features. Without a further word, she decided to go with it and was quick to remove her own shirt. Staying only in her black laced bra, that hugged her breasts beautifully, making them stand out. "Since you're my guest, you should go first.." She invited as she pushed the trail closer to him.

Sam: Sam bit down on his lower lip as he watched her remove her top, her bra hugging her breasts beautifully. "Fucking hell" He said under his breath, already feeling his cock begin to throb at the mere sight of this beauty. A smile pulled from the corner of his lips as she gave him the tray. He stood up to his full height, gently making sure she laid down on the couch before spreading a thin line of salt between her breasts. Sam took a lime wedge and placed it in her mouth before grabbing the tequila bottle. He positioned himself between her legs a smile on his face. "Ready?" He said as he poured the tequila in her belly button. Immediately Same shifted up and licked the salt from between her breasts before drinking the tequila off her toned stomach. He hovered over her lips, taking the lime wedge with his mouth, his own lips gently grazing hers.

Liv: Everything he was doing was making her breathing eneven. The way he was hovering on top of her, the sensation of his tongue trailing up her bare chest, leaving a burning sensation behind, to the way his lips had grazed her own when he had retrieved the lime from them, all of it making her feel pure desire for him. To the point that she could feel her wetness between her legs. "Fuck.." Olivia breathed out, swallowing hard. Eyes looking up at his hazel ones before she skillfully escaped from underneath him, rolling them over on the couch so she could be on top. Straddling him. Before Olivia could get the bottle, she couldn't help the way her fingertips slowly traced down his abdomen, feeling his strong muscles under her pads. Deciding that she didn't need salt, his body being the only thing she needed with the booze, she poured the strong liquid on his lower stomach, a little more than the normal amount. She leaned down and slowly started licking off the liquid from his naked chest, taking her time. Until she reached his neck, where she began to lick and bite even if there wasn't any booze on it. She sucked right on his pulse. Hard. Her lips proceeding to move to his jawline, stopping when she reached the corner of his mouth. She planted an innocent peck there, and pulled back with an smirk on her face while she remained sitting comfortably on his lap.

Sam: Feeling her touch sent shivers down his spine. As she began to lick the booze off his chest, he could feel his cock becoming rock hard under his jeans. Everything she was doing was turning him on to an extent that was out of this world. As she began to bite his neck, a soft moan escaped from his lips as his hands trailed up her back, unclasping her bra with one hand. As she pulled away Sam licked his lips, his eyes catching her green ones. "You know what you're doing, huh?" He said with a grin. "I know too" He said as he slid her bra off, exposing her perfect breasts

Liv: Olivia raised a brow when he removed her bra, in one swift movement. She was impressed. "So, you took a piece of clothing from me... I should get even, don't you think?" But before he could even respond, Olivia started grinding down against him. Feeling his hard cock press deliciously against her core. Desiring that friction -- no, /needed/ the friction like she needed air. "I'm so going to have my way with you tonight." She announced, as she leaned down and immediately began to devour his lips, parting his lips with her tongue so she could slide it inside his mouth. Tasting the remains of his previous drink, which was intoxicating her even more. Her hands traveled all the way down to his jeans where she began to unzip them before she broke the kiss and moved her lips to his ear. Where she whispered, "Take them off." Her teeth gracing on his earlobe. She was determined to taste as much of him as she could.

Sam: As he felt her begin to grind against him, Sam let out a soft moan, the friction between them teasing him as he just wanted to be inside her. Just as he was about to answer her, he felt her lips against his and he kissed her back deeply, his tongue sliding into her mouth to further taste her. A devilish grin played across his features as he heard her say take it off. He knew she meant his pants, but instead Sam let his hands glide down her body and began to slide off her jeans and panties, leaving her naked on top of him. "I took it off" He said with a grin before letting his lips catch hers once more.

Liv: Olivia narrowed her eyes as she looked at him, a smirk on her face feeling his hands getting rid of her last pieces of clothing. "That's so not fair" Olivia complained and just when she was about to say something else, his lips found his again and she couldn't help the moan that escaped from the back of her throat. He was driving her crazy and something told her that it was exactly what he was aiming for. "I really /really/ need you to take off the rest of your clothes and fuck me right now." The girl breathed out against the man's lips, before she grabbed his lower one. Tugging on it harder than necessary, loving the way he tasted.

Sam: It was crazy to Sam. He never really hooked up with a person he didn't know. Hell, he didn't even know this girls name, but here he was completely turned on by her every move as if he'd known her his whole life. A grin played across his lips at her request and in one motion he let his muscular arms wrap around her and gently swap her until she was laying down underneath him. "Easy, tiger" He said with a smile, his hazel eyes admiring her body as he began to undo his pants. He pulled his pants down, releasing his hard cock and lined himself up against her sex, slowly pushing into her

Liv: Olivia’s eyes immediately went to his cock, right after he rolled them over. He seemed to swell, thickening, red and eager, almost pulsing. God, she needed him inside her. Her eyes switched to his face and the pure lust and desire she saw that resembled hers almost had her flying to pieces right then and there. “Oh fuck..” Olivia moaned the moment he entered her. Digging her nails into the hard muscle of his shoulders, her breaths coming out in ragged gasps. She was already sensitive from their grinding earlier, and the fullness had her inner walls rippling around him. “You feel so good” she whispered, rocking her hips slightly, urging him even deeper.

Sam: The male let his thick cock sink deep into her slowly, her moans turning him on further. He began to pump in and out of her, picking up his pace with each thrust into her until his entire cock was sliding fully in and out of her. "Fuck, you're so tight" He moaned out in pleasure before he let his lips latch on to one of her breasts, sucking on her nipple, being sure to leave his mark behind

Liv: Olivia whimpered, sensation raining through her, digging her nails into him even harder. The air between them sizzled, electric and intense, setting her nerve endings on fire as much as his hold on her was. Her gasps turned into cries that echoed off the walls as she clung to him. When he picked up the pace, her hips began to move in perfect sync with his. Wanting to feel every single inch of him. Her wet heat encased him perfectly, so damned perfectly, taking over everything. A loud gasp escaped the actress’s mouth the moment she felt his lips on her breasts, it was if he knew exactly what to do to drive her over the edge. “Don’t stop, fuck…” She had to bite on her lower lip to stop herself from being louder than she was already being.

Sam: The musician listened to her words and kept his rhythm going, speeding up and allowing himself to go deeper and harder into her. The fact that she was taking him so effortlessly was such a turn on for the man, and he couldn't get enough. He began to kiss up her neck, sucking on her skin. He kind of felt bad that he was leaving his marks all over this woman, but at least she'd have something to remember him by. "Fuck you feel so good" He moaned against her warm skin, his lips gently grazing her as he spoke. He was feeling himself inch closer to releasing his load, but he wanted her to cum first. So he brought one hand down and began to rub her clit as he continued driving himself deep into her wet pussy

Liv: “Yes, oh god, yes, yes… don’t stop, don’t stop,” she whimpered desperately, her hips moving faster. Every single one of her ministrations was driving her crazy. She knew that by the way he was sucking on her skin, she would surely have marks all over her. Marks from a man whose name she didn’t even know. But she didn’t care. She couldn’t think about anything else than the way this stranger was making her feel. “I’m so close…Fuck..” The moment he rubbed her clit, it was the moment where she lost herself. She stiffened underneath him, her hips moving in a flurry, chasing her release, chasing oblivion… and then she came with a vicious moan, her walls clenched around him, sucking him in even deeper. A sound that ripped out of her chest and echoed through the apartment, her juices flooding both of them, her sex clenching with a needy desperation, her clit trembling under his touch.

Sam: Sam felt as her walls tightened around his thick length, the tightness driving him crazy as he equally released his load while continuing to pump into her. "Fuck, god, just that" His voice deep and raspy as he felt their juices combine. He took his hand from rubbing her sex, bringing it straight to his lips as he licked his fingers clean, tasting her. He slowly pulled out, licking his lips before collapsing next to her, his breathing heavy as he pulled her into him so she could lay on top of him

Liv: Just the mere view of him licking off her juices from his fingers was probably one of the hottest things Olivia had ever witnessed, to the point that she placed a hand behind his neck and kissed him deeply, tasting herself on his lips. "You're not that bad--" The green-eyed girl whispered before she collapsed on top of him. Feeling like she could barely move her limbs. So she decided not to fight it, and instead she got comfortable on his chest. Just needing to rest her eyes for a couple of seconds.

Liv: ------ The Next Morning --------

Liv: The dim light coming from behind her living room curtains woke her up. Keeping her eyes half closed. Why did every single inch of her body hurt? She didn't want to get up just yet. Her eyes were begging her not to force them open, but she did the moment she felt someone's arms around her. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw the man she met last night, still fast asleep behind her on her couch. "What time is it?" The actress said to herself as she extended her hand to grab her phone from the coffee table. Her eyes immediately going wider than ever. "Oh my god. Dan is going to kill me.." She immediately woke up and started picking up her clothes. "Hi um-- shit, I don't know his name.. Hey -- " Olivia poked his muscular arm a few times. "I'm sorry but you need to go /I/ need to go. I'll be dead if I don't make it somewhere in less than 30 minutes SO, thank you for the sex.. it was awesome. Close the door behind you on your way out okay??" She was already walking down the hall to reach her bedroom, needing to shower in less than three minutes. "It was nice meet you! Bye!" She yelled as she closed her bedroom door.

Sam: The musician was in a deep sleep when he felt someone waking him up. He opened his eyes to see the woman he slept with last night frantically moving about. "What the.." He said to himself, grabbing his phone to check the time. "Shit.." He said under his breath, realizing he himself was running late. But it showed that there was two type of people, and maybe it was the Southern in Sam to always keep it slow and steady, and he couldn't help but chuckle as she thanked him and scurried away. "No problem" He said, giving her a wave as he got dressed and made his way out. Luckily Sam lived a few blocks away. He quickly made it home and showered and got into a black button down shirt, black slacks and some nice dress shoes. He had an event he was hosting and he needed to look presentable for the rehersal. Spraying a bit of cologne, Sam slicked his hair back and in no time got into a cab and was making his way through the city to the venue.

Liv: These things didn't happen to her. Of course they didn't. And on the one night she decided to finally let loose, she completely forgets she had work the next day. She was damming herself for that. So, there she was in the back of a cab, trying to do her make up. Sporting a just-fucked hair since she had zero time to do something about it, she was wearing a pair of black tight jeans, a creamed loose blouse, with her favorite grey coat on top. Her crimson red lips matching the red scarf that was around her neck. "Thanks, keep the change!" She said in a hurry once they reached the venue. The actress was quick to find the organizer of the event, apologizing for her tardiness. "Olivia, it's okay. You're just in time." Dan assured with a wide grin as he placed a hand behind the woman's back and began to lead her down some corridors. "Come on, let's go meet your co-host."

Sam: "Thanks for the ride, man." Sam told his uber drive as he got out. He casually walked in, as if he wasn't pressed for time. But he always said you could take the boy out of Georgia but you couldn't take Georgia out the boy. As he saw his manager, he grinned. "Sup?" He said with a laugh, his manager shaking his head. "Let's go Sam, you can't always be cool as a cucumber. You're late! We need to meet your cohost for the event before you go on for soundcheck." The woman told him. Sam nodded and walked into the next room, seeing the back of a brunette woman. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sam Hunt" The man said cordially as he waited for the woman to turn around.

Liv: Olivia was nodding her head, while she listened to some of the instructions that were given to her. But suddenly she heard a voice that paralyzed her in her position... she had heard that voice before, it was one that was hard to forget. What on earth? As she slowly turned around, her eyes fixed on the very same eyes she had been staring at the night before. Was this some kind of joke? The actress stared at him for a few seconds, trying to keep her cool and hide her surprise, but it was almost impossible. Her heart was racing. So she cleared her throat, demanding herself to get her shit together. She was a professional. "Olivia Wilde, pleasure." The actress said, extending her hand while a small smirk began to form on her face.

Sam: As the brunette female turned around, Sam was completely taken back. The fuck was going on. And the second she said her name, Sam couldn't help but smile and shake his head. He had a random hook up with Olivia Wilde. What were the odds. He felt a nudge from his manager. "Be nice!" She said to him, causing him to look at Olivia with his hazel eyes. "Oh, I think we're gonna get on just fine." He said with a smirk, his southern accent piercing through. "I gotta head to sound check, wanna come?" He asked, nodding his head over to the direction of the stage where his band was set up and waiting for him

Liv: Of course -- he was a singer. That's why he seemed so familiar, and that's why she had found his voice so pleasing. How could she had been so stupid? How she had missed this? The actress could only chuckle to herself. Life was in fact a messy rollecoaster, surprising us when we least expect it. Taking us places and putting us in the most unbelievable situations. "Do you know each other?" Dan asked with honest curiosity. Olivia's eyes were still on Sam's while she responded to Dan's question. "We've met." She simply stated, matching Sam's smirk before she said, "lead the way."

#Leave the night on #p: sam #hfrpmc

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daughterofsinsloth · 6 years

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Hello. I saw your post about giving recommendations of skk fics and I seriously love them! Thank you ❤️ Is it okay to ask you if you know any skk fics that are complete multi-chapter? I had been trying to search them but I most see one shots and abandoned multi-chapters.

Hello hello anon-chan!!! thank you so very much about your comment!! It means a lot! :) Mmm… I jnow what you mean! I have a lot of favorite fics that are uncompleted! But let’s have some fate that they will be upload! 💪💪

Here some soukoku multi-chapter fics!

i won’t lie (i knew you belonged here) by mountainlaurels:

(AU/9 chpts) this one is my very first fic and the one that actually got me inyo skk. the writer has done a great great job bringing you to their wolrd. here we are on modern setting but abilities are still on. Chuuya works at a flower shop and Dazai at the cafe across the street. their interctions are slow and natural. you cant help but ship them. the other bsd characters are all in and they are treated respectifully and well done as if they are the mains. i really like the story and how it grows to the finale.its well writen and the feelings are overwhelming! this has a spanish translation from the writer.

Intoxicated by setosdarkness:

(AU/21 chpts) a really really great fic! nothing less from setosdarkness! definatly read her other works that are currently on-going. they are awesome and cinematic-like. really welldone and well-written. the plot is a bit tricky but it keeps you on edge. you get into the characters and when you will finish it, you will be suprized. its a mafia!AU and everyone plays. its a well build game. you are gonna love it. there is also smut in it, but its part of the game too. the hole thing is a game that you cant helped it but fell willingly into it and you will be satisfied with it.

Find Something Worth Dying For (And Learn How to Live) by kibasix:

(17 chpts) read the name of the writer.. no thats it. thats my analysis. KIBASIX! we are talking about one of the best writers, in my opinion. I cant even explain how perfect this fic is! this fic here?! I cried my eyes out! i was waiting the next chapter like kids wait Santa. simply immersive. it was an absolutely agonized journey. it was like a dance between the feels and the rightness of their world. its chapter was more majestic than the last and the next was more painful than the last. the writer’s words get imprinted in your heart and mind and you cant help but want to read more, feel more, see more. it has a cinematic feel. it starts from the very beginning and we see skk relationship how it evolved and how it suttered like you are seeing it live. a sad poem in a form of a fic. the characters are practically singing their emotions out, only to be ignored by their life. and yet the fate laughs at them as she entangle them together. I can talk for hours how they write each of the character like a living being, forgeting none, and how they give each one a right place and the spotlight they deserve! an amazing work that leaves you full and empty in the same time. this one has a smak 4 chpts sequel “

Sparks Like A Match (Burns Like A Wildfire)

“ and another sequel that is yet to come (I believe in you kibasix-sama!). also check their other works, both multi and one-shot!

Noir by Adargo:

(20 chpts) another gem. another feel train. noir is the color of skk and this fic is the sorry song of their lives. a corrupted fic that leaves you craving for more. here we read with the shadow of Corruption on our back and the characters live under it. its one of the character lives under their own corruption and try to get out only to have an odd feeling at the end. it could be more chpts or only this this and the feeling will be the same. we never leave corruption, just learn to live with it in this noir world. although I would love to see more, when you finish it you can only mutter a “wow” and then never live properly again. rips your heart out and fixs it momentaly to rip it again later. you live and breath with the characters and in the end you breath a new air, a better one for me. this epitomy of angst heals you so amazingly. as the characters go a step foward you take one too and from then one your heart has a different weight. a truly and without doubt exceptional work.

A Hearts Desire by Kaokita:

(AU/6 chpts) a beautiful fic. prostitute!Chuuya opens to us a world that we see journalist!Dazai to bark in and challenge Chuuya in a “bet of felling in love". a proud chuuya is always present but here it compinate with a kinda impulsive chuuya, exposed to Dazai's hungry feeling for actual feels. here we are talking about the dark world of the underground were a no less dark but bright light (dazai) comes to shake the everyday life of our protagonist. its well written and well build. doesnt leave you with a complain and brings you to another world. really enjoyable to read. spoiler oda and chuuya having seeeeeex

Forgettable Significance by Witheryvine:

(32 chpts) after the anime, the feels start. if you thought that dancing with angst was easy, then you havent read this own. betreyal and love complicate each other and come to you to cry with them. a really interesting work and stunning. it is overwhelming but you want it to be. there are things that are needed to be said, words that have to come to the light and the writer not only do that perfectically but also gives you more to heal yourself and breath. it takes a lot to take back someone who meant the world for you and throw you away, yet! the writer has done such a nice jod giving as the feelings, thoughts and fears that you cant help but be one with it. the style of writing helps the fic to encrave into you and honestly i havent see many write it so good.

You Won’t Lose Me (So Don’t Leave Me Behind) by hybridempress:

(14 chpts) now it will be a terrible mistake to leave this out!from bottom to the top its a must read. an emotional roller coster with the best of fluff. emotions well hidden are suddenly out. too fast changes leave you breathless and the characters have to take fast decisions, act fast and start to live from the zero. a phychological rebirth thats requares a lot of courage to abandon everything so you can chase after an old wild dream in a form of a man, new to you but as old as time to your heart. along with sequel of it “

You Have a Heartbeat (You’re Real, You’re Here, You’re Human)

” by mostladylikeladythateverladied they create a perfectly must read at all cost fic that gives you the most satisfying feeling of “ah thats how it should be done”. skk are a complicate pair but the writers give them to you bare to see and feel with them to all your might. p.s. that amazing scenes with sskk at the sequel cured my heart!

Sorrow Already Spoiled by Soukokuhell:

(AU/16 chpts) an awesome fic is here once again. this AU is really well written and well build around two people way too hurt, who find love and healing together. trying to move foward but with the past to hunt them down. love and fear are walking together here. the angst is getting healed by the characters emotions and the lovemaking is great! with each chapter the characters are getting healed and at the finale you get to breath again. the fluff is in the love and devotion they have for one another.

All Aboard by Asmicarus:

(8 chpts)an action fic with a lot of feels. chuuya is suffering again and dazai is an asshole but you can see that there is much more behind them. Dazai’s manipulating nature comes out to play and although it fools everyone, Chuuya manage to sutter it to the ground with a few words. the remark is 10000000% what we all need and what Dazai needs to hear. he pretends to be human but chuuya leave him naked to the bone. from here the story takes another turn to dazai realizing what is happening and what he needs and chuuya finaly decides to take what he deserve.

Silver and Shining by ShesAParadox:

(25 chpts) okay thats a fic that i havent read in a long time, but i remember it still in this day how good impression it left me. the protagonist is fate and the puppets are skk, but not like any other fic. here there are a little things they can do.as their lives unfold and hardships are presented to them continuously, it becomes apparent that they are both the best and worst thing to have appeared in each other’s lives. the well written text gives you piece by piece their thoughts and mind, fears and love from the first meeting are amazingly describe and it leaves you complete. it happends what it should happen.

Underwater by meupclose:

(11 chpts) one hell of a fic. here is hopeless chaise with mori as the hunter and dazai as the prey. chuuya is the ‘innocent’ love one of dazai who has been called to play the savior. oda feels rip you apart, every character battles with inner and out demons and dazai is having a crisis. yet! the writer never fails to right a complicated masterpiece where life and death are playing chess. the fluff and smut take the fic to another level as a celebration of life and mori is practically playing death himself. a foolish man who wants to be a god and dazai is the child here who is desperate to live. chuuya steals the spotlight and lead to the end. its an excellent work of a mad song with the most logical story in a world that rules are made to be broken.

from my prievious fic rec please read “own no doubt”, “shared gravity” and insomnia_productions.

Why most of them are angst-like I dont know and Im sorry dear anon-chan. Im terribly sorry! kinda.. nonetheless they are all amazing and you should read them!!!

thank you very much for your ask! I hope that my reccomendations were good and you enjoy reading them! Tell me what you think~~ have a wonderful day anon-chan!!!!bye bye :)

#fic rec #highly recommended #bungou stray dogs #soukoku

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kittykatknits · 7 years

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Hi! So I came across (several) posts stating how Sansa is "removed" from everything Northern and how Lady's death means she's less of a Stark and that she doesn't fit in the North arc as her arc is completely different from her siblings (which is magical),the Northerners won't accept her,SR destroying snow castle means she'll never return to WF etc. My question: Do you think Sansa will return North? Do you think she'll ever reunite w/ her siblings and stay in WF? Thanks

Oh yes, to both questions. Easily. I’d also say Sansa will be the first Stark to cross the gates into Winterfell and it’s quite possible she’ll serve as a focal or rallying point for her siblings.

As for the rest, Sansa suffers from a negative POV bias in the first book, and honestly, I’m often left with the feeling that the old adage is true, first impressions matter. I’m not going to get into the narrative structure of Sansa’s chapters or character in this but we can tackle the rest of it.

I’ll go through those comments, point by point, below. This is long because I don’t know how to shut up.

(1)First, Sansa isn’t removed from everything Northern. She happens to be the only Starkling born in winter, and as we know, winter is a time for wolves. Not only that, much of her story line is about her ties to the north, it’s why she’s being used for her claim. It’s also important to note Sansa’s claim is not just over Winterfell, it’s about her name. Sansa is a Stark, she’s descended from a line going back several thousand years. That matters a lot in Westerosi politics, where name and status mean so much. The girl has power and her story is very much about her learning to wield it.

Her strongest desire is to go home, back to Winterfell, back to the north, to the place her family has lived in and ruled over since Bran the Builder. She also has the distinction of featuring snow and winter imagery in her chapters. In fact, the prominence of both only increases as the books go on. I’d say of the Starklings, she shares it with Jon the most. Here are a few lines from aFfC below:

So lovely. The snow-clad summit of the Giant’s Lance loomed above her, an immensity of stone and ice that dwarfed the castle perched upon its shoulder.

The small diamond-shaped panes of the window were obscured by frost. Alayne rubbed at one with the heel of her hand, enough to glimpse a brilliant blue sky and a blaze of white from the mountainside. The Eyrie was wrapped in an icy mantle, the Giant’s Lance above buried in waist-deep snows.

Old snow cloaked the courtyard, and icicles hung down like crystal spears from the terraces and towers. The Eyrie was built of fine white stone, and winter’s mantle made it whiter still.

Shards of ice and snow rained down on them, and the oak creaked and strained. Robert gave a gasp and clung to her, burying his face between her breasts.

There are lots more I could mention but let’s focus on that last one. Shards of ice and snow are raining down on them. Literally, winter is falling in that quote and Sansa is the one leading Sweetrobin down the mountain. Remember what she said in SoS? She’s stronger within the walls of Winterfell. She’s stronger when winter falls. If that isn’t Northern, I don’t know what is.

Beyond that, this girl is a wolf, or more accurately, she can sometimes be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. However, Sansa never forgets who she is and she lets her fangs show at times:

A kind of madness took over her then, and she heard herself say, “Maybe my brother will give me your head.”

She would name them Eddard and Brandon and Rickon, and raise them all to be as valiant as Ser Loras. And to hate Lannisters,

When Sansa had first beheld the Great Sept with its marble walls and seven crystal towers, she’d thought it was the most beautiful building in the world, but that had been before Joffrey beheaded her father on its steps. “I want it burned.”

Let his sword break and his shield shatter, Sansa thought coldly as she shoved out through the doors, let his courage fail him and every man desert him.

We also get one of my favorite exchanges in the series:

“…Harrenhal has withered every hand to touch it.“

“Then give it to Lord Frey.”

-Alayne I, aFfC

None of the above are words or thoughts from a character that should be perceived as meek or passive. Sansa is one the most empathetic characters in the series and one of the kindest but she can be fierce too.

Now, as to Lady, the discourse tends to focus so much on whether Sansa got her wolf killed, even though the entire answer isn’t so simple. What happens after often gets overlooked:

When it was over, he said, “Choose four men and have them take the body north. Bury her at Winterfell.”

“All that way?” Jory said, astonished.

“All that way,” Ned affirmed. “The Lannister woman shall never have this skin.”

- Eddard III, GoT

So, if the wolves are representations of the Stark children, then Sansa is currently the only Stark to have a piece of her soul within the grounds of Winterfell, none of the rest can make that claim. More than that, let’s look at what Ned is saying here, it’s foreshadowing. The Lannisters tried to lay claim to Lady but, ultimately, they failed. It’s the same with Sansa, they had her as a prisoner but they never got her skin. Ned also says that Lady will be taken north, all that way, with four men to act as an honor guard. Sansa is going to go north, with an army of men, and she will be able to do it, in part, because of the relationships her father built so long ago. Lady connects Sansa to the north.

(2)I’m really not sure what to make of her arc as being different from her siblings because of the lack of magic. For starters it’s horribly reductive, for all of them, not just Sansa. Jon’s arc is just as much about politics, negotiation, diplomacy, and leadership. Heck, part of his story in Dance is to count hams. Where’s the magic in that? It’s the same with Arya. Her arc also includes themes of leadership, identity, and justice v. vengeance. All of that matters as much as the magic.

Sansa is also a warg, just like her siblings. She’s mentioned by the Ghost of HH which connects her to magic. She has magical stories being told of her. And you’ll rip my Sansa is an empath theory out of my cold, undead, wightified hands. I’ll grant that magic is not as prevalent in her story line but completely devoid? Nope.

She also happens to have very similar story lines to both Bran and Arya. They start the series secure, are held prisoner, forced to hide behind false identities, have taken up with mentors that all have…well…dubious motives. All three are moving towards a point where they will somehow outsmart their teachers, reclaim their identity, and make their way home.

(3) I’m not going to break down the entire snow castle scene, its been done many times before and I don’t have much new to add at this point. However, as it relates to her, it’s the symbolism that matters.The giant managed to knock over a couple of tower roofs and part of a wall. The giant didn’t destroy WF, Sansa stopped him. Even more, the snow castle scene gives us this line:

She wondered where this courage had come from, to speak to him so frankly. From Winterfell, she thought. I am stronger within the walls of Winterfell.

Not only that, we get this gem later:”You were bold enough in the snow.“

Lysa says that to Sansa just before trying to shove her out the moon door but it’s a heck of a line. Snow makes Sansa bold, she’s stronger where winter falls.

(4) The northerners are fighting to save The Ned’s little girl, so not sure why this would not also apply to Sansa? The challenge with her is that no one knows where she is or how to get to her. The whereabouts and “identity” of Jeyne Poole are well known.

Sansa was forced to marry, just as Jeyne was. If Sansa and Tyrion returned north, under similar circumstances, it would only be a matter of time until Sansa was made a widow. Not only that, it’s made explicitly clear why northerners are fighting:

"Ned’s girl,” said Morgan Liddle. He was the second of three sons, so the other wolves called him Middle Liddle, though not often in his hearing. It was Morgan who had almost slain Asha in the fight by Deepwood Motte. He had come to her later, on the march, to beg her pardon … for calling her cunt in his battle lust, not for trying to split her head open with an axe.“Ned’s girl,” echoed Big Bucket Wull. “And we should have had her and the castle both if you prancing southron jackanapes didn’t piss your satin breeches at a little snow.”

..and later (in one of my favorite passages in the entire series)…

That seemed to amuse the northman. “I want to live forever in a land where summer lasts a thousand years. I want a castle in the clouds where I can look down over the world. I want to be six-and-twenty again. When I was six-and-twenty I could fight all day and fuck all night. What men want does not matter."Winter is almost upon us, boy. And winter is death. I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. No one sings songs of men who die like that. As for me, I am old. This will be my last winter. Let me bathe in Bolton blood before I die. I want to feel it spatter across my face when my axe bites deep into a Bolton skull. I want to lick it off my lips and die with the taste of it on my tongue.”“Aye!” shouted Morgan Liddle. “Blood and battle!” Then all the hillmen were shouting, banging their cups and drinking horns on the table, filling the king’s tent with the clangor.

-The King’s Prize, aDwD (bold emphasis mine)

What about the above would lead the reader to believe they would not care about Sansa? They are fighting for Ned’s girl and House Stark, they don’t care about a crown or the Iron Throne.

Let’s switch gears to Manderly now:

“The north remembers, Lord Davos. The north remembers, and the mummer’s farce is almost done. My son is home.”

-Davos IV, aDwD

Manderly got his son back and now he’s honoring his promise, because he remembers. He wants his liege lord back and he’s at Winterfell, making it pretty clear to us, the readers, that his mission is a suicide mission.

Also, let’s not forget the Umbers, they remember as well. Whoresbane is repeatedly described as old. Not only that, the Umber forces are divided so the green boys are with his brother while he has the old men. Whoresbane is planning to turn his cloak and go down fighting, exactly as described earlier.

With all of the above, I’d sooner think Sansa, the girl who is believed to have killed Joffrey, will be welcomed home.

Sansa is a Stark and a Wolf. She’s going home and she’s going home soon. If I’m wrong (and I’m not), I’ll eat my hat.

#Sansa Stark #sansa stark meta #house stark #house stark meta #ASoIaF #asoiaf meta #anon asks #feel free to ask #feel free to ignore #my meta

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cutsorcuddles · 7 years

Text

snowfall; an oddlita fic

Hello everyone! As I’d mentioned before, I made a little challenge for myself in trying this thing called the 12 days of fanficmas, where I post a one shot every day leading up until Christmas. This is day one! I am going to be having surgery next week so I’ll try to queue some stuff up for when I’m not online, but I may end up not having something for every single day. Anyway, here’s day one!

Creepy as he felt, Odd found himself glued to the spot. He heard the quiet whir of the vending machines behind him, feeling the slight warmth on the back of his neck from the vents. Before him he watched the snow fall, like little white bugs dancing in the wind. It wasn’t a very romantic thought, but Odd had never been the best at romance. He was good at the game that middle and high schoolers liked to play, but that wasn’t too useful to him now.

His eyes were on the bench, just on the other side of the field, and the two people sitting on it. They faced away from Odd, unaware of his presence, both laughing at whatever joke she was making. For a brief moment, Aelita covered her face with her pink mittens. Jeremie put his arm around her. She leaned into him, and Odd’s gaze shifted to the snowflakes again. They rested on the ends of her hair like sugar on strawberries. Jeremie whispered something in Aelita’s ear, and she smiled at him. God, that smile.

Now Odd definitely felt like a creep, watching two of his best friends have a moment – whatever that moment was, he wasn’t sure. His hands shuffled nervously behind his back, fingers playing with the ribbon wrapped around the small box he was holding. He shouldn’t have even bought the present in the first place, but it wasn’t the gift that was the problem. It was the note he’d written to accompany it that was eating away at him inside.

She’d probably appreciate the earrings. They were small pink gems of some sort that she had pointed out to Yumi excitedly on the day that the girls dragged Odd to the mall with them; Jeremie was busy with homework and Ulrich had martial arts practice. It took all the self-control in the world to not spill the real reason why he had asked Yumi to drive him back to the mall the next weekend. Odd was pretty sure she’d picked up on the reason anyway, though.

For weeks the earrings sat in a small box under Odd’s bed. Ulrich never bothered to snoop around Odd’s side of the room, even when he went on one of his sprees where he would clean everything in the room and then leave it alone for a couple of months before it happened again. Ulrich had found one too many year-old half-eaten bags of chips or slobbery Kiwi toys in the years they lived together so now he left Odd’s bed alone.

It wasn’t that Odd didn’t want anyone to know, like it was some atrocious secret that could get him kicked out of the friend group; he just didn’t want to cause unnecessary drama. After all, Jeremie and Aelita were two of his best friends, and he made her so happy. Hell, Jeremie was the reason Aelita was even here in the first place. Odd didn’t want to cause any rifts. And of course, all of that sounded completely logical in his head, until she came into view. He wasn’t sure if it was something that had grown in the past three years since she stepped foot on this earth, or something that emerged when he’d realized they only had a year and a half of school left before they all went their separate ways.

But now, he couldn’t stop paying attention. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed, or stuck her tongue out ever so slightly when doing physics homework, or the intense look of concentration she got when it came to music. That was probably when he liked to be around her most. He loved when she laughed at his jokes or when they’d just sit outside of English class and make up stories about the random upperclassmen walking by. However, Aelita was the most, well, her, when she was with her music. She wouldn’t even remember Odd was in the room sometimes, mixing the same few seconds of a song, looking for the perfect combination of sound. Odd could watch her for hours. And he would, until she’d look up with an apologetic look and asked why he didn’t say something about the time passing. He’d respond that he didn’t notice it either. If he’d felt this way about any other girl (well, except maybe Yumi), this wouldn’t be an issue. But of course, it had to be her.

None of that had been stupid. He could avoid being impulsive in-person. What had been stupid was when he wrote down what he felt on a piece of paper the size of a post-it note. He hadn’t spilled his heart, of course. Odd had never been exactly good with words, even less so than romance. But still, he’d written that note, the pencil trembling, and then stuffed it into the box with the earrings before he could talk himself out of it.

Aelita,

I have to say this because it’s literally eating me alive, but I think I like you. Ok no, I know I like you, but I know I shouldn’t. I’m not trying to do anything to sabotage your relationship. That’s the last thing I want. I just feel like you deserve to know.

Odd

He had to ask Ulrich how to spell sabotage.

As if waking up from his thoughts by unexpected movement, Odd’s attention went back to the bench. He saw Jeremie lean in to whisper something in Aelita’s ear again. She nodded, and then the blonde stood up and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked away, hunched against the cold.

Odd took a step forward onto the snow, hands still behind his back. He squinted against the wind, and saw that Aelita hadn’t moved from her spot on the bench, and she still hadn’t seen him. He could walk away like nothing had happened, unwrap the present, take the note out, rewrap it, and make things far less complicated for both of them.

Instead, he found himself walking closer to the bench.

“Hey, Aelita,” he called from a couple of yards away.

Aelita turned around to face him, grinning. “Hey, Odd.”

Odd dropped one hand to his side, holding the other out to her. The small red box reflected sunlight in a way that made it seem like a gem itself. He hoped that, if she noticed his hands shaking, she’d think it was from the cold.

“Merry Christmas.”

#oddlita #code lyoko #fanficmas #odd della robbia #aelita schaeffer

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