#the case of the golden idol spoilers

[dogboyrufus]

The case of the Golden Idol is pretty good, and I think the logic of each puzzle was much better than Return of the Obra Dinn, but I think my favorite part about it is that it has my favorite trope of

(SPOILERS)

The comedy character getting a big important part at the end. Like hell yeah Battley, kill that guy!

[ijsthee]

interesting that theres a difference between the naming and the writing of number, for example 6 is written as 2*3 but named as something like 0.5*12

[danielledelayed]

Started The Case of the Golden Idol last night and finished it and the DLCs this morning, and golly, what a great game!

I've got a bunch of miscellaneous thoughts but mostly I wanted to share the ~notes~ I had written. The fact that it was a good game for taking notes was precisely why I wanted to play it in the first place, and it didn't disappoint. Figured that there are some folks out there that would enjoy seeing them.

Hell, I'm a La-Mulana lover, I *know* there are other sickos who salivate and eyes-emoji over this kinda stuff. Got ~5 pages~ of it, babyy

[transathenacykes]

TOP TEN GAMES I BEAT THIS YEAR

In 2023, I completed 34 games, from Final Fantasy VII to Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion to PaRappa the Rapper. These are my ten favorite, in order, and a little writeup of each I had a LOT of fun doing. Enjoy!

10. DARK SOULS

It’s a game I had to want to like, and maybe more than any of the others on the list, I had to meet it halfway. I’m a fan of challenging games, and - stop me if you’ve heard this one before - Dark Souls is pretty hard. But it’s not bullshit. Mostly. I ran into some hard walls here and there, but those walls turned into my favorite fights in the game once I finally mastered them. The reason it’s so low on the list is because the back half is… Well, it’s not very good, folks. Of the four bosses you need to defeat to open the door to the final area, I could call two of them good fights, and I could only do one of those without hesitating. 

9. THE CASE OF THE GOLDEN IDOL

I love a detective game, and what makes Golden Idol really stand out is its incredible format and mechanics. Given a series of still* images, and the contents of a bunch of random people’s pockets, can you determine what happened? It feels cheap to compare games and not just speak about what I enjoyed of a game of its own merits, but I can’t talk about this game without talking about Return of the Obra Dinn, which had a similar sort of ‘fill in the blank’ approach to its mysteries. Golden Idol’s supernatural elements, twists and reveals, and charmingly off-putting art style lend themselves well to one of the most unique games I played this year.

8. SIFU

This is the best rhythm game I played this year. Finding the flow of Sifu’s combat felt like a dance, going from a steady beat to a frenetic scramble in the span of a single missed step. I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a massive sucker for good movement in games, and Sifu’s jives extraordinarily well with its combat and environments. Really, the only problem I had with Sifu was that it felt a bit short - well, and it didn’t quite deliver the challenge I was looking for, but that’s the fault of whoever described it to me as a Soulslike first just because it has, like… a revival mechanic? Also, the first time it transitioned to a side view for a hallway fight, it basically secured a spot on this list.

7. GHOST TRICK

I tried to play through this game in high school, but got stalled out on some puzzle or another. I honestly don’t remember which, but I’m SO glad I came back to it. I’ve always loved Shu Takumi’s writing and character work in the Ace Attorney series; Ghost Trick is just as good, if not better than any individual AA game in that regard. Really, the characters feel like the ones in the AA spinoffs like Investigations, Great Ace Attorney, or the Layton crossover, which are some of the best characters in the series - but with none of the self-defeating energy of having to be largely unimportant to the mainline games. Also, Missile might be the greatest character in video games ever.

6. PARADISE KILLER

Some games make you fervently pitch their merits to friends, hoping that they’ll play it so you can chat with someone who gets it. This is the fate of many detective games, which live and die in the territory of spoilers. There are detective games that try to get around this by having procedurally generated cases or multiple endings with multiple ‘real’ culprits, which can often be antithetical to what makes a detective game truly sing. Paradise Killer’s answer is that not only is it never going to tell you what the truth is, but that ambiguity is the point. The clues never change, and the only objective is to find a truth that satisfies you. All that is made even better by the premise being steeped in synths and neon, with a vibrantly occult cast who are all just the absolute fucking worst.

5. TEARS OF THE KINGDOM

I mean, come on. It’s Tears of the Kingdom. While I’d really hoped for playable Zelda, what we did get of the character was far more moving than whatever her deal usually is. The chasm was an incredible surprise, and since Skyward Sword is one of my favorite Zelda games, I had a ton of fun with the skydive mechanics. There’s also the building system, which managed the near impossible feat of having things control basically how you’d expect them to once you slapped a steering wheel on them. It felt like there was just so much love for the previous games in the series, without being overly reliant on them. If I had to pick a favorite moment in the game, it would have to be during the Wind Temple’s boss fight, when the Dragon Roost Island theme from Wind Waker cut through the track and made me feel like I could have taken on Ganondorf with a tree branch in that moment.

4. PERSONA 5 ROYAL/PERSONA 5 STRIKERS/PERSONA Q2

Is this cheating? Yes. But hear me out. I knew Royal was going to be on the list, and then it turned out that I liked Strikers and Q2 as much, if not more than Royal. While Royal has higher highs, it also has much lower lows - Strikers and Q2 don’t engage in nearly as much of the weak parts of Royal. But they also don’t function even a little bit without it. Strikers dragged in the gameplay department a little bit, but I loved being able to play as every Phantom Thief - and Q2 was such a vast improvement over Q1 in pretty much every department. So my number four spot on my top ten games of the year is ‘every game I played this year that has Akira Kurusu in it.’ So, since I started Tactica, maybe that counts too… and if you want to be technical, I think I played a few rounds of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in June, so I guess that has the number four spot too.

3. ARMORED CORE 6

In 2023, I really and truly entered my mech era. I built Gunpla this year, I started playing in a really fun new Lancer campaign, and I played the shit out of Armored Core 6. I’d never played one before, but I was hooked from the tutorial boss alone. I beat the game once and, at the advice of a few friends, started a new game plus run - and before I knew it, I’d already beaten it again. I’ll do a third run too, at some point. Once I learned the all-consuming power of the pile bunker, I was out there decimating the arena foes like nothing else - and, once I figured out how to time out my missile strikes, I managed to slam through 75% of the final boss’ health in a single blow. That was the single most satisfying hit of this year across any game. Oh, and - keep an eye out, because I have a hankering to write some Maeterlinck-focused fic at some point. Because I sure do love me my one-off characters.

2. SCARLET NEXUS

Up until the final entry swung through and claimed the top spot, Scarlet Nexus seemed like a complete and total shoo-in for number one. Very few games have ever motivated me to complete them to the degree I did this one, including getting all Steam achievements and a ton of the optional content in game you don’t need for that. Kasane and Yuito are endearing protagonists with cool powers, genuine flaws, and vastly different outlooks. There were some plot threads from chapter one I thought had been dropped, but as it turns out they were only really dropped in Kasane’s story, and were far more focused on in Yuito’s, while he didn’t engage with most of her whole deal until the endgame. She spends most of her story dealing with causality and time travel, and he doesn’t even know time travel is a thing at all until there’s maybe 25% of the game left. And at the end, it still manages to feel complete coming from either side. The supporting cast is extremely strong, too, and the way powers flow together make the fights feel dynamic, fun, and tie to the themes of combining disparate people to make things better for everyone - to stop holding onto the past and strive for a better future, no matter how much work it takes.

1. 13 SENTINELS: AEGIS RIM

You should play this game. There’s no two ways about it. It’s a severely underrated title with incredible art, writing, gameplay, voice acting - 13 Sentinels fires on all cylinders. It’s half visual novel walkarounds with the occasional puzzle, exploring the individual stories of the thirteen protagonists across a variety of genres. One character is doing 80s high school movie hijinks with his exposition-loving best friend, while another is trying to solve the disappearance of her best friend. Said best friend is engaging in escapades with a small alien just like her favorite UFO movies, and a fourth guy entirely is doing Blade Runner shit. At one point, there’s a character who has appeared fairly infrequently and finally becomes available to play, and when he appears on the select screen, he’s standing in front of a sea of flames while the other characters typically appear in front of schoolrooms, city streets, their own homes. The emotional beat when you click through and hear him start talking about how he’s proud to be enlisting as a Japanese soldier in 1944 is one of the strongest in the game. Each story weaves around another and provides further depth to events you’ve already seen, while the entire chronological story is combined into a single timeline of events you’re free to look at whenever. But then, on the other side of the game from the character stories, you have the fights - or, rather, the fight. Because the combat side of things all takes place within  pretty much a single day - a grueling, nonstop battle where the characters must drive away wave after wave after wave of invaders without letting even a single one through. Each has their own mechs and certain special abilities that gear them for different scenarios, and if you want to experience everything, you have to bounce back and forth between the stories and the fighting, constantly unlocking aspects of the other. The biggest problem with the game is just choice paralysis - there’s so much to do, it’s hard to know where to start. But once you’re able to bite into it, chipping away at the Gordian plot rewards you with a deeply moving story about the plight of a generation thrust into a ceaseless strife, burdened by the heavy expectations of their predecessors to finally solve it and the even heavier feeling that there just are no answers to find in the first place. And also, there are sick as fuck giant mechs. I told you I was in my mech era this year.

[pikaflute]

☕️ + the persona series in general (or just p4, if you prefer)

[HOLDS MY HEAD] UGH. spoilers for persona 4/golden obviously. i know it's an old game but it got released. no one play this though. it sucks ass

persona 4 has a special place in my heart and mind BUT it honestly can only truthfully (HAH) be experienced by mentally ill teenagers.

persona 4 is unironically really well written for what it is. a lot of people like to mention how it (at least initially) is more light hearted than 3 or 5, but that serves to the game's benefit in my opinion. inaba is supposed to be a boring quaint little town. the setting contrasts the horrors of what's in the tv and the murders that take place. the setting also leads to a lot of character motivation/reasoning which really make some of the characters and their social links have weight to them.

i think it really hit me how good this game is is in rise's dungeon. rise herself is a really well written character but her dungeon and shadow......oh my GOD is it good. her shadow and her relationship with identity as an idol, especially for her who just barely a teenager and feels initially that she can't be herself because everyone just wants her to be risette and not rise. overtime (in her social link) she realizes that risette is her and she accepts that there is no "real me". very good arc and i feel the same about all the other shadows as well and how they kinda develop the characters through their SLs. narrative wise the shadows and the midnight channel are the best parts of 4 and really highlight the whole truth aspect the game is going for.

kinda of a sidebar but: yes, my favorite social link is yosuke's. i think his shadow and social link kind of show a neat parallel to adachi. yosuke is bored of inaba (for a multitude of reasons) and his initial motivation for entering the TV is that he finally gets to do something exciting. we know yosuke isn't well liked because of his ties to junes, so getting to do something where he might actually get to be liked (his shadow even mentions he could play hero) was alluring enough to convince yu (YES I CALL HIM YU I PLAYED ARENA BEFORE I PLAYED THE GAMES) to enter the tv. he does eventually want to solve the murder case for his own reasons, but throughout his social link yuou see a little bit of his selfishness as well as jealously he has for yu. both of them are from the city but yu was accepted and liked immediately and was the "hero" he wanted to be. yosuke wants someone to like him, someone to be close to, someone he can be equals with and that's why he bonds with yu immediately because he sees yu as someone who he can be close with and relates to his struggle somewhat. he's also bisexual but. atlus are homophobes so kys.

the midnight channel and the fog itself are also it's own neat mystery on top of the whole. well murders. the initial theories the team has guide the player along of finding out the truth. the fog being representative of human's desire to "live in the fog" (escape the truth) and the midnight channel being representative of human's thoughts is a really good way to show how humanity has this desire to see only surface level of others (which is also shown throughout the game as most of the team is influenced by how the world around them views them).

this is really shown when you have the chance to kill nametame. the team's (justifiable) anger at nametame for killing nanako (who is dead at this point), manifesting a version of nametame on the tv who is supposed to represent nametame "true" feelings. if you do kill nametame, the "bad ending" plays and nanako stays dead, and the fog remains in the town and it cuts to you leaving. it's a very abrupt ending and it shows how the team who has been searching for truth through the whole game is maniuplated by this desire to see what they want to see. this is also shown on the last day in the game where you can find the "real culprit" in izanami.

it does suck sometimes though. the homophobia that yosuke has sucks (note: when kanji is in yu and yosuke's tent just skip until you see chie and yukiko enter. thats my message), and the way the game treats naoto (especially if you decided to do the romance route) is weird. some of the social links aren't good either? yukiko and rise while their social links are well written, the endings kinda suck doodoo.

i also feel like golden has the least amount of content for a remake. (barring all the QoL changes). while fes has aigis' development in the answer and royal has that third semester, golden adds very little imo. sure there's the ultimate personas you get and a couple new scenes (ski trip and beach scenes) but other than that? it's kinda barren with new story elements. adachi's social link is nice, i'll give them that. but. marie...oh my fucking god marie

listen. i know marie's purpose right. she's supposed to add more lore for izanami and the whole aspect of fog and truth but I HATE HER. she feels really shoehorned in and she's really mean to the team and yu for no reason at all. at least with like some of the "mean" characters, they're at least nice to you at some point, but marie is just a bitch! she's supposed to be a tsundere but like. i hate her so fuck her. her dungeon and boss design are really cool and im pissed it's wasted on a dumb character like her. her backstory is somewhat neat i suppose? but it just feels kinda tacked on as a last minute thing to tie into the original plot of the game. it seems like atlus also wants to push marie as yu's love interest but. man he has better chemistry with the homophobe than he does with her LMAO

despite that, the game really shines when the fog begins to descend on inaba and nanako is in heaven (dungeon). it floored me the first time i played. the music is no longer happy and upbeat and is now somber and eerie will long dull tones. before every cutscene the game reminds you of the fog in the area, which is a unsettling reminder of the end fate of inaba. npcs begin to breakdown and wear gas masks, and soon there's not many people roaming the streets anymore. even the shopping channel doesn't sell you items anymore. it just feels creepy and it feels somewhat hopeless endeavor as you spend your last couple months in inaba pursuing the truth however fruitless it may seem.

conclusion: i literally could go on but i've been writing about this for 2 hours so i'll wrap it up. persona 4 is an incredible game that i feel deserves all the praise it gets. i am also secretly glad that people have been too busy discoursing about the p3p port so we don't have to hear braindead morons online tell me how i'm wrong for saying a a character might be gay. its been 15 years let it go atlus sucks!!!! the game is somewhat dated but i feel there's a lot to appreciate as you play the game despite those flaws. i've played it like 5 times. god help me. also arena is very good. that is all. DON'T PLAY THIS GAME THOUGH. YOU WILL BE BECOME MENTALLY ILL BEYOND REPAIR!!!!!

second conclusion: sam and max is a better detective game. they would've killed adachi in 5 seconds of meeting him.

third conclusion: shoutout to atlus usa and the localizers for making yosuke the most closeted bisexual ever. brendon small took these notes for nickles. homophobic teenager couple (souyo) and homophobic old man couple (nickles) and homophobic furry couple (sam and max). i see no difference love is love.

[radinagames2020]

The Case of the Golden Idol

Rating: 5/5. Fun detective puzzles that make you think without being impossible, with a clever and intriguing story.

After loving Return of the Obra Dinn, I've had The Case of the Golden Idol recommended to me a bunch, so I finally gave it a whirl - and I'm so glad I did! This is a somewhat similar detective game, although the art and presentation are quite different. You are presented with frozen scenes you can poke around in to find clues and hear people's immediate thoughts. Your goal is to identify who is who, what is happening in the moment, and what is going on overall.

(Images from Steam - and don't worry, no spoilers here)

This game executes on its premise extremely well. I loved pretty much every minute of playing it. Unlike Obra Dinn, I never ran into any extremely challenging sections, although I did get stuck a couple times, which to me is the sign of a well-balanced puzzle game. Most of the time, a bit of thinking got me unstuck. For moments of true need, there is an in-game hint system, which I also appreciated.

The world you uncover as you go, and the characters you meet throughout the scenes, are rich and fascinating, and the story is a delightfully ominous tale of greed, power, politics, and of course, murder. I loved every little side corner we poked into and each small note lending flavor to the setting. Figuring out the plot was super satisfying, and came to a wonderfully complicated climax at the end.

My only possible complaints are that the ending felt a bit abrupt, although there was a nice epilogue which mostly solved that. And also that the game was too short! I'll be eagerly awaiting a sequel. :)

[yoshistory]

case of the golden idol spoilers sorta but i looked up how much £300 in 1790s money would be today .... £56,685.45. peter battley casually asked his uncle for £56,685.45 / USD 72,647.51 at the tail end of a letter in todays terms that he lost in horse betting lmao

[cyarskaren52]

Even psychics could have never saw these plot twists coming

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TVLINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW!

2023 in Review: The Year’s Biggest Plot Twists, Ranked From ‘Wow’ to ‘WTF?!’

BY TEAM TVLINE

DECEMBER 8, 2023 7:00 AM

Courtesy of Disney+, Netflix (2)

If what Taylor Swift said is true, and any great love keeps you guessing, 2023 TV might just have been your heart’s true desire. 

Even though the concurrent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes meant there were fewer episodes of TV than usual this year, what didair still managed to surprise us with its narrative twists and turns. To that end, the list below chronicles 20 of the TV plot twists that kept us on the edge of our seats this year.

As is the case with all of TVLine’s year-end roundups: This post is FULL of spoilers. So if you’re behind on any of the shows listed here, consider this your mega, giant, very important, last chance Spoiler Alert! for:

The Afterparty, Barry, Fatal Attraction, Fear the Walking Dead, Gen V, Harley Quinn, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Marvel’s Secret Invasion, The Night Agent, Outlander, Quantum Leap, Rabbit Hole, Riverdale, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Silo, Star Trek: Picard, Succession, Virgin River, Wolf Pack and YOU.

Scroll down to relive the big moments and juicy plot twists that blew our minds this year, then hit the comments with your favorite “WTAF?” moments from 2023 TV.

Still to come in TVLine’s Year in Review: Character Deaths That Nearly Killed Us, Shocking Cast Exits, Dumb Things TV Did, Most Dynamic ‘Ships and much, much more!

20

Rabbit Hole (Paramount+)

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount+

In the final showdown, Weir’s “ex-wife” isn’t his ex-wife!

19

Fatal Attraction(Paramount+)

Photo : Paramount+ Screen Shot

Arthur killed Alex!

18

Fear the Walking Dead (AMC)

Photo : AMC Screen Shot

Alicia is alive!

17

Virgin River(Netflix)

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Mel has an estranged biological father… and he lives in Virgin River!

16

The Afterparty(Apple TV+)

Photo : Courtesy of Apple TV+

The killer intended to off Feng, but accidentally murdered the wrong person!

15

Marvel's Secret Invasion (Disney+)

Photo : Courtesy of Disney+

Fury is married! And has been for years! And his wife is a Skrull!

14

Gen V (Prime Video)

Photo : Prime Video Screen Shot

Cate has been erasing everyone’s memories and working with the dean to hide The Woods!

13

The Night Agent(Netflix)

Photo : Netflix Screen Shot

Diane Farr is a bad guy!

12

Outlander (Starz)

Photo : Courtesy of Starz

Rob Cameron knows Roger and Bree are time-travelers!

11

Riverdale (The CW)

Photo : The CW Screen Shot (2)

Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead were in a four-way relationship!

10

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)

Photo : Courtesy of Disney+ (2)

Seb cheated with Big Red!

09

Wolf Pack(Paramount+)

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount+

Kristin isn’t just a werewolf — she’s Harlan, Luna and Baron’s mother!

08

Harley Quinn (Max)

Photo : Max Screen Shot

Harley killed Nightwing! Oh, and she has a potato-based clone!

07

Silo (Apple TV+)

Photo : Apple TV+ Screen Shot

The “lie” about the outside isn’t what you think it is!

06

Barry (HBO)

Photo : Courtesy of HBO

Barry and Sally start a new life with a son years later!

05

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Matthew Patel defeats Scott… and seemingly kills him?!

04

Quantum Leap(NBC)

Photo : NBC Screen Shot

Ben has been missing for three years!

03

Star Trek: Picard(Paramount+)

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount+

Jack is Jean-Luc and Beverly’s son!

02

Succession (HBO)

Photo : Courtesy of HBO

Logan dies in Episode 3! And he’s really dead!

01

YOU (Netflix)

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Rhys was a figment of Joe’s imagination all along!

READ MORE ABOUT:

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[readingforsanity]

The Things We Leave Unfinished | Rebecca Yarros | Published 2021 | *SPOILERS*

28-year-old Georgia Stanton has to start over after she gave up almost everything in a brutal divorce - the New York house, the friends, and her pride. Now back home at her late great-grandmother's estate in Colorado, she finds herself face-to-face with Noah Harrison, the bestselling author of a million books where the cover is always people nearly kissing. He's just as arrogant in person as in interviews, and she'll be damned if the good looking writer of love stories thinks he's the one to finish her grandmother's final novel...even if the publisher swears he's the perfect fit.

Noah is at the pinnacle of his career. With book and movie deals galore, there isn't much the golden boy of modern fiction hasn't accomplished. But he can't walk away from what might be the best book of the century - the one his idol, Scarlett Stanton, left unfinished. Coming up with a fitting ending for the legendary author is one thing, but dealing with her beautiful, stubborn, cynical great-granddaughter, Georgia, is quite another.

But as they read Scarlett's words in both the manuscript and her box of letters, they start to realize why Scarlett never finished the book - it's based on her real-life romance with a WWII pilot, and the ending isn't a happy one. Georgia knows all too well that love never works out, and while the chemistry and connection between her and Noah is undeniable, she's as determined as ever to learn from her great-grandmother's mistakes - even if it means destroying Noah's career.

Georgia Stanton has returned to her hometown of Poplar Grove, Colorado after the demise of her marriage to a Hollywood producer. Six months prior, and the day she learned her now ex-husband was having an affair and impregnated Paige Parker, Georgia lost her great-grandmother, Scarlett Stanton. Scarlett was a world-renowned author, having penned 73 novels in her career.

However, Georgia has been made aware by her mother that she has found book number 74, or in this case, the book that started it all. Scarlett's own true story of her life with the man she had fallen in love with during World War II, Jameson Stanton.

Ava, Georgia's mother, wants to sell the rights to the novel and have it completed, using Noah Harrison, another well-known actor in his genre. Georgia is against the idea, as there was a reason why Scarlett never finished the book herself...and even Georgia hadn't read it yet. But, her against her better judgment, ultimately agrees with certain conditions: Noah can finish the book, but she has final approval before anything is finished and the book is published.

Noah works tirelessly to come up with a plot line to get the story moving, and each time, Georgia turns it down. When Noah finally shows up on her doorstep, the very home that Scarlett had lived in for the majority of her life, the two of them agree: they will complete two endings, one that Noah wants and the other that Georgia wants. Noah wants a happy ending, where Scarlett and Jameson are reunited and live happily ever after...and Georgia wants the real ending, where Jameson remains a POW MIA of the war with an unknown fate.

While Noah works to finish the books before the deadline, he and Georgia start up a fling...one that both Georgia needed in order to move on from her horrid marriage and divorce, and one for Noah that allowed him to completely open up to another person. The two of them are quickly falling in love, but Georgia is certain that Noah will leave as soon as the manuscript is finished and calls it a fling, while the two of them continue to fall deeply in love with the other in secret.

On the night of Georgia's gallery opening, where she has worked tirelessly, Ava returns from Seattle as a gift from Noah. While Georgia is tired of giving out chances with her mother after being disappointed so many times in the past, she allows her in and even gives her permission to stay with her and Noah in the house. Noah also invites his sister and brother-in-law. And Noah even finds something that is as timeless as Scarlett and Jameson's love for one another: the phonograph that supposedly broke sometime in the 1950s but works perfectly well.

While we are seeing Georgia and Noah's love for each other blossom; we also see Scarlett and Jameson's love blossom as well. In short, Jameson and Scarlett met while Jameson was, willingly, fighting during WWII in England. Scarlett and her sister Constance were Assistant Section Officers in the WAAF, their job confidential to all but those who worked with them. Jameson was a pilot, and despite her misgivings of being involved with someone whose very job could kill them in an instant, Scarlett falls hopelessly, head over heels in love with Jameson.

The two of them marry, and when Scarlett becomes pregnant, is forced to resign her commission in the WAAF and becomes a housewife. After two years of a stress environment, Scarlett isn't quite sure how to handle the free time she is now awarded, which quickly comes to an end with the birth of their son, William.

The war is heating up, and Jameson arranges for Scarlett and William to head to the US with the help of his Uncle Vernon, the very uncle who taught him how to fly planes. With Scarlett and William officially being given visas in order to travel to the US, the arrangements are made. But just a few days before their departure, Jameson and his squad are attacked, and his plane goes down somewhere over the ocean near the coast of the Netherlands. Despite their best efforts, Jameson and his plane are not located.

With the insistence of her sister, Scarlett agrees to leave. Constance is going to drive her to the airfield, but on the way, the air raid sirens begin going off and the three of them are forced to find shelter. Unfortunately, their efforts come to late, as a bomb explodes nearby. Scarlett comes too, and on the surface appears to be fine. However, Constance is injured.

Back to the present day storyline, Ava is attempting to take the finished manuscript, which Noah had finished six weeks before without telling Georgia, as he had wanted their love story to continue, and sell the rights to Georgia's ex-husband to turn it into a movie. Georgia refuses to do this, and finally, after many years, tells her mother to get out and stay out. She also tells this of Noah, who returns to New York City at Georgia's insistence, their love story officially over.

One day, Georgia receives one of her monthl gifts from Scarlett, who had arranged for something to arrive to Georgia every month after she had passed. Inside she finds three envelopes, and the truth about what really happened on the day that Scarlett, William and Constance were heading to the airfield are revealed:

When Scarlett comes to after the bomb went off, she finds that William is essentially uninjured, but that Constance had been killed in the aftermath. Or so she thought. Constance had simply been knocked unconscious. Unfortunately for Scarlett, she is fatally injured and after having COnstance promise to protect William no matter what, dies.

Constance hurries to the airfield, and everyone assumes she is Scarlett...so she essentially becomes her. Constance's entire existence simply becomes that of Scarlett's. For Scarlett and Jameson, they had been reunited this entire time, and the tragic love story that Georgia was led to believe all of these years ended up having a somewhat happy ending for the two lovebirds.

For Constance, she had spent the last 76 years of her life being someone else, raising someone else's son, and having a career that should have been Scarlett's. When word of her husband's death came to the US, Constance finally felt comfortable enough to marry the man she had been seeing for the last 17 years, and they had an extra blissful ten years together before his death.

Georgia shocked by this news, and right away calls the publisher for the book, having them change the ending she had chosen: the real one...to the happy ending that Noah said Scarlett and Jameson deserved.

As for Noah, he arrives on her doorstep after returning from a research trip for his next novel, completely blindsided that the ending was changed. The reviews on the previous ending were not good ones, but for Noah, Georgia wanted to save the career that he loved so much.

Noah admits that he had been in the Netherlands, attempting to locate the plane wreckage and Jameson. While they were successful in finding the plane, they did not locate any remains, but did find something that showed them that Noah had found what he had been looking for: a necklace engraved with the initial of J & S - Jameson and Scarlett.

With the revelations, Noah and Georgia admit their love for each other and three years later, the two of them are married and despite having told her ex-husband that she couldn't have kids (when she was really on birth control the entire time not wanting to have children with a man she despised), she is now pregnant and Noah is still writing.

Do you want a tear-jerker? Read this. Point blank. Period. I cried the entire last half of the book. I'm so glad I decided to give this author another shot. I enjoyed the first book I read from her, but this one...this one...there are truly no words for the beauty that is this book.

[quarterdollar]

the case of the golden idol is Insane and there are many many funny remarks to be made about its characters and plotline. but alas even people’s names are spoilers

[vonlipvig]

the case of the golden idol spoilers below!

ok but that bitch calling himself lazarus should have been instantly sus but alas i could barely keep up with what was being presented to me, there was no way i was gonna 4d chess that lmao.

what a cunty move tho, i'll give him that.

[elliestoybox]

I posted 49 times in 2022

That's 4 more posts than 2021!

17 posts created (35%)

32 posts reblogged (65%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@modmad

@toastyglow

@s33bie

@xxtc-96xx

@opossums-in-a-trenchcoat

I tagged 47 of my posts in 2022

Only 4% of my posts had no tags

#rambelings of el - 13 posts

#reblog - 10 posts

#moxydoodles - 9 posts

#khocweek2022 - 6 posts

#umineko - 6 posts

#kingdom hearts - 5 posts

#umineko spoilers - 5 posts

#kh oc week - 4 posts

#kingdom hearts oc - 4 posts

#kh oc - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#when i was tiny and wanted to go as her for purim (jewish halloween basically) and i didnt know how to explain who she was both my parents

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

My hyper fixation on Mermaid Melody flamed up again this week and I discovered there's apparently a new manga

Which I plan to check out

But I'm afraid to???

I have a lot of critique for the old show and the bits of the manga I've seen

But like

Every detail i discovere about Rukia makes me so scared

(i discover the details by frantically going on the wiki, reading one sentence and closing the tab, for the record lol)

Like

Why are Rina and Hanon listed as Rukias friends? That seems surprisingly sad to me?

Why is Rukias idol outfit ....Like That™️?

Why did Mudae use a picture or Rukia for Lucia?

Why does it seem to be implied that Lucia got pregnant before she was 18?

Is Rukia Lucia and Kaitos biological kid or was she born through the pearl thing that Siera went through?

Did Lucia die?

If it was the pearl thing then how old is Rukia actually? Because at least according to the wiki Siera seemed to be born around 10 years old??

Am I the only one who's bothered by these ideas?

Anyway I WILL check it out at some point

For the people who are caught up, is it worth it? Is it fun?

15 notes - Posted November 26, 2022

#4

Day 1- Appearance

Once again, this is Moxan (she/her)

Her clothes are made of a spare Organization XIII coat that she cut because it felt too restricting to her.

Her skin has been actually heavily darkened by uh *checks notes* actual darkness as a way to heal her after she got terribly sunburned by being forgotten in the Keyblade Graveyard for a bout a month.

Her hair stripes also come from the darkness she gets exposed to while traveling through Corridors Of Darkness, and they have gotten a little bit thicker over time.

Her golden eyes are, somewhat predictably, a result of holding a small piece of Xehanorts heart in her own.

Amusingly enough, Moxan suffers from body dysmorphia and basically refuses to look at herself in mirrors and such, as a result she practically is not aware of the changes that happened to her body since leaving her home-world and also because no one else her told her either.

@khoc-week

I had fun making this, I feel like I'm a rare case that doesn't have a keykid as an oc and also Moxans story has a very intentionally limited scope, so I'm definitely going to struggle with some of these promps lol

18 notes - Posted August 1, 2022

#3

I've been thinking of them for a while...

27 notes - Posted May 16, 2022

#2

Battler Ushiromiya x Erika Furudo wedding - circa 1997.

Bonus:

See the full post

53 notes - Posted March 10, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Diversity win!

The bitch who's gonna ruin your life and make you her dog has Prosopagnosia (face blindness)

68 notes - Posted August 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[temmtamm]

☪︎YANDERE COLLECTOR MEETING HUMAN READER SCENARIO ✯

(Trapped, not freed. Apologies!! Feel free to request stuff like this but with a freed collector. Asks are opened and appreciated)

"Shit, shit, shit!!"

Curses slipped from your lips as you scrambled up to your feet and broke into a sprint. Why did you have to get involved in all this? Guards, witches, the emperors coven. So many bad decisions.

You just wanted a glimpse into the castle, to meet your idol and Emperor Belos before you took the entrance exam to be one of his guards. After all, it wasn't everyday a human was excepted into the emperor's coven. Especially after Luz made it seem that all humans would chose wild magic. No Offense to her, she's your bestie but WOW was your reputation tarnished from that. And now look at you, getting chased by the golden guard just cause you happened to walk into a private contact between the two. Death was probably garenteed at this point, so turning yourself in was out of the question.

You're poor legs were pounding and throbbing in pain as the adrenaline that once courses through your veins began to fade once you couldn't hear the pitter patter of the golden guards feet anymore. You heaved and panted, your lungs burning as if someone has personally grabbed and squeezed them. Your steps began to slow down as you found yourself in a new room of the castle, one you've never seen before...at least not in the tours they usually give at schools.

It was, uh....hard to describe. Especially for a human who didn't even belong in this world. But it appears to try to be imitating the cluttered mess that a office holds.

Not like the room seemed all that useful in escaping. But there was however one thing in the room that had peeked (Y/N)'s interest though.

It was the slighty cracked window above a desk that shined some light in the room. Even if it was just moonlight-

"Maybe if I can climb the desk-" You muttered to yourself, though paused just I'm case someone might've heard. Once you were sure no one heard, you started to make your way past the piles of garbage and towards the table. You quickly hiked one leg over and on the desk and then another before gazing down at the ground from the window to see how steep the fall would be when you jumped.

Spoiler alert? Pretty fuckin' steep.

Though, seeing as how Luz had taught you levitation, it couldn't be hard to just make yourself float down.

With a shaky sigh, your hands grinned at the end of the cold window that had begun to collect some of the droplets of rain from the sky.

Push!!

.....Nothing.

Okay, how about pushing harder?

..........Nothing.

Pulling?

.............Nothing.

You hissed in annoyance before shuffling a bit to the side to get at it with an angle.

Before you could even push this time, you yelped and almost fell off the desk from a cold, almost metallic feeling striking your leg. (E/C) orbs snapped to the leg to see that the cause of such a feeling was a small little...slab.

It had some stuff engraved on it, though it wasn't like you could see it well with eye only lighting in the room being the pale moonlight the window provided.

.....

Oh well, back to the grind, gamers!! Time to open that window!

And how lucky you are!! With a couple of pushes, you actually got it to pop open this time!

Thoough, when has anything ever gone completely right for you?

The slab you kinda stepped on was now warm- not just room temperature warm, but almost scoltching hot.

You bit down on you lip to hold back a scream and quickly acted on instinct, causing for you to kick the....rock? Off the table and onto the dusty floor.

Smoke puffed up as if someone just lit something on fire from just the dust, though that appeared to be the least of your worries.

The....slab?? Rock? Ah, whatever- now had a long, completely pitch black shadow rising from under it and growing to the point where it crawled up the floors and onto the walls.

The cold embrace of the wet grass below the castle is looking so tempting right now-

Your gaze shakily followed the eerily person shaped shadow before resting on what you assumed was the shadows face.

.....

"BOO!!"

Light suddenly shined on the shadow, forming two eyes and a way to big grin. You couldn't even bite back the scream that creeped out of your throat from the scare.

The shadow seemed to take some glee out of your fear, snickering and pointing at you before morphing it's body to mock/recreate your reaction.

"That's what you get, meanie!! Kicking me to the floor, for shame!!" For shame!! What even are ya, anyway- ooooh, another human!! I've seen one of those before!~ Doesn't mean I'll let ya' off scott-free for your crime against me though!"

The figure twisted a bit, giving a disapproving shake of its head before cracking into a fit of laughter yet again.

Blink.

Blink.

You tried to blink the figure away but everytime you open your eyes, it's still there.

"What the fuck....?"

You whispered, barely audible which seemed to make the shadow stop it's hyena like giggle fit.

Now that silence had filled the air of the room, you were allowed the chance to hear the sounds coming from the halls.

You're heart almost stopped as you realized there was a sound of footsteps getting closer to the door.

A yelp of surprise escaped your slightly parted lips as you scrambled to hide under the desk.

'Shit!! I was too loud! That was probably the golden guard!' You internally kicked yourself for probably causing your stoning.

....

....

The door hasn't opened.

"Sheeesh!! Paranoid, much? It's probably just a guar-" The shadow paused as it's mind seemed to realize something, it's grin widening even more (if that's even possible) from that realization.

"Ooooo!!! You're not supposed to be here! You're gonna get in trouuublee!~" It sang out. Far too loudly, might you add. Almost as if it wanted to get caught.

You quickly shushed the creature before crawling out of your spot and hopping back up on the table.

"Shush!! If I get caught, I'm taking you down with me! I'll-i-i'll- I'll say you helped hide me!" You gritted your teeth and whisper-yelled at the....demon?

The shadow snorted before traveling across the room's walls, stopping once it hit the wall with the window on it.

"HA! Like Belos would believe that!"

Wait- Was Belos connected to this...thing?

You looked up at the shadow, puzzled. Well, that was until you heard the bang of what you could only assume was cause of the golden guard.

"Shit!! No time to talk!"

You hiked a leg over the window, which seemed to through the teasing and playful shadow person into a panic.

"WAIT!! Don leave!!don't uh....Dont jump out there!! There are guards AALLL around that spot down below!"

The shadow shifted and regained it's composure, now being your shadow itself, though still keeping it's previous form.

"I mean. I doooo know another way out~ But I only let my frieends know that route!"

The demon smiled as if they had you in a checkmate, though you simply shrugged.

"If I can evade the golden guard himself, I can evade the guards below!"

A gust of both wind and rain rushed to your face as suddenly, the window slammed shut, almost snapping down on your fingers in the process.

"Cmoon, just play along!! You did just toss me to the floor! I just want new friends and to okay some new games!! Belos only wants to play his games!! It's so unfair!" The demon(?) You once feared was pouting and whining like a spoiled little brat. You'd love nothing more to just tell him- wait, is it even a him? It doesn't seem to have a...bah! Unimportant!! anyways, you'd love nothing more to just tell it to suck a fat one and jump out the window, but with how loud they're being, you'd most surely get caught.

"Okay, okay!! Shhh! You have to be quiet though! I'll be your friend and we can play games as we go to the escape route, but you have to keep your voice down. The golden guard will hear us and he'll be out for my head!"

The creature beamed...it was hard to believe it's whining and sadness was real with how easily it got it's smile back.

"Sounds like a deal!!"

You scrunched up your nose.

"Yeeeaah, I don't do "deals" with shadow-demon-people."

That's Demon-ist.

"Hmm- okay!! Then let's make it a pinky promise then!!" The shadow extended a hand, as if trying to seperate itself from the wall to outstretch it's pinky. The attempt was futile though.

"Oh, jeez. I'm gonna regret this.."

Despite your words, you outstretched your hand to do the same.

And regret it you did!

But, at least you can get out somewhat safely now..

Thanks for reading!! Apologies, this one's rather long, huh?♥︎

[aemonds-sapphire]

Comfort — Hawks x Reader

Hawks’ nightmares only got worse with each passing day, but you finally found a way to give him some comfort.

Warnings: Hurt/Comfort. Fluff. Mentions of trauma and abuse. Manga spoilers.

Word count: 1.1k

The scream pierced through your ears like pins and needles, jolting you awake at once.

Another nightmare.

You rolled over to Hawks’ side, nudging him lightly, but to no avail.

“No… no… dad… no!”

“Keigo…” you took his damp face in your hands, attempting to still his abrupt jerks. “Wake up…”

It broke you seeing him like this. You were no stranger to his nightmares. They had been a constant in his life and in your relationship with him. But they had doubled in the past few days, and would often occur more than once each night.

“Keigo…”

His writhing body suddenly stilled, letting you know he had snapped from his sleep. Even in the poorly lit room you were able to see beads of sweat sliding down his skin and strands of his blonde hair sticking to his damp forehead.

Hawks’ eyes remained firmly shut. “I’m sorry…”

Something inside you cracked.

As you watched him bring one hand to wipe the wetness from his face, you couldn’t help but feel helpless.

It seemed like tonight his abusive father had plagued his subconscious.

But far more than that haunted him these days. He had lost his wings — even if not permanently — to his confrontation with Dabi. For somekne who valued freedom as much as he did, you knew this transcended physical pain.

The winged hero was now caged.

He was now bound to the ground and to the guilt of having taken someone’s life. Even though he had never mentioned it to you, you could see remorse eating him from the inside out.

And if these truly gut-wrenching experiences were not enough to tear someone down, something else had broken his spirit.

The very man he had idolized from a young age was exposed as an abusive father and husband. With Dabi’s reveal came not only shame to the hero society, but unspoken pain to Hawks.

He wouldn’t speak of it. He couldn’t. Not now. And even though the general public now resented heroes, he couldn’t turn his back on them.

But there is only so much one can take before they break down.

“I’m here…” you whispered kindly, tracing his skin with your thumb, careful not to touch the burn scar that spread from his neck and into his left lower cheek. “What do you need?”

You were about to slide off bed to get him a glass of water when his hand gripped your wrist.

“Stay… please…”

His hooded golden eyes were fixed on you in a silent plea.

Your heart clenched tightly, and you didn’t dare say a word.

And still, he smiled faintly at you.

Because that’s what Hawks was best at. Being a beacon of hope and comfort to others even when he was the one in pain.

“I’m fine,” he said, knowing his body language told you otherwise. “C’mere…”

He shifted to the side, and motioned for you to join him.

“Keigo… you need to talk to someone about this…” you started slowly, and even though his smile quickly faded you carried on. “If you don’t want to talk to me, then please ask the comission for help.”

This was a blow to his pride, and it was splattered all over his face.

“I told you I’m fine. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to become a hero.”

“Really? You a child when they took you in.”

This was definitely not what you had planned. Hawks had a deep devotion to the commission, and, in a way, you could understand why. But it still left a sour taste in your mouth knowing that they used him to carry out their dirty work, which eventually cost him his wings.

“You don’t get it. You never will.”

There was no anger in his voice, but there was no point in prolonging this. You doubted he’d ever get mad at you, and deep down he knew you were right. But his pride was the only thing he had left now.

You heaved a deep sigh, scooting closer to him. “How can I help?”

The urge to make him feel safe was so ablaze inside you that it hurt.

His lips tilted into a genuine understanding smile. Hawks knew that you meant well, and he wanted you to be assured of that.

Fuck. You loved him so much.

“C’mere… please. Let me hold you.” He insisted once more.

You were still hesitant to, again, let him get off the hook so easily.

“Keigo…”

“I need you by my side,” he said, the grip on your wrist tightening with urgency.

You slowly lowered yourself next to him, until his chest was firmly pressed against your back as one of his arms circled your body, deepening the embrace.

“You’re so warm,” he whispered as he rested his chin on your shoulder.

There was a bittersweet feeling to this. One the one hand, you wished that he’d open up to you about his struggles, but on the other you were grateful that he hadn’t pushed you away.

Silence fell between you two, and for a brief moment it seemed like nothing else matter. Nothing else crossed your mind as his heart drummed into your skin and his fingers laced with yours.

After a while, you felt him rock his body lightly. You vaguely wondered if it was just him being playful, but soon realized that it was far from that.

He was lulling himself to sleep.

And it would have been fairly easy to overlook had you not known the cause of it. He had once shared how his mother had gotten him an Endeavor plushie as a child. For a long time, he relied on it for comfort. He’d cradle it in his arms when things at home got rough. The tiny stuffed object had provided Hawks with more comfort than his parents ever had.

The comission eventually took it away, claiming that it was unbecoming of a future hero to depend on such trifling things for emotional support.

Even if he refused to admit it, you knew that that was the exact moment when he first lost his freedom and became a puppet on their strings.

But it was crystal clear that old habits die hard, and in the event of traumatic events, your body will donits best to provide comfort.

And when you can’t do it by yourself, it will seek out another source.

In Hawks’ case, it was you.

You had taken the role of Endeavor’s stuffed toy. It was enough to fill your entire skin with goosebumps.

This felt far more personal than you had anticipated.

Being his safe haven even if only momentarily.

As his back and forth faint motion slowly faded into stillness, you realized he had fallen asleep. His steady breath fanned your neck, but his grip on you never eased.

And no more nightmares or wicked dreams dared haunting Hawks that night.

He was safe with you.

-

Masterlist

-

Thank you to my beloved @dabifixation for suggesting this to me ❤️

[exilethegame]

What would everyone wear to get married in?

>:3 The urge to have made a joke that would’ve been SUCH a big spoiler-- instead I shall simply say in the most thought of and common cases, this is what they wear.

Also if you can’t tell Billie Porter is my idol for fashion (and also also I tried to explain Syfyn’s outfit in a way that made sense but simply could not and decided to die instead<3)

Vethna: Depends on a lot of things, like how their personally feeling leading up to the wedding, what MC is wearing, theme of the wedding, etc. Would like long sleeves that partially cover their hands for sure, and either way they’d want it to be “flowing” in a sense. Would like something that goes across their shoulders. Honestly, the closest thing I’m thinking of is Billie Porter’s white outfit that he wore to the Emmys 👀 Would have their hair up and have a hell ton of silver accents.

Nikke: Would honestly not dress up at all unless MC wants him to-- in which case he’d wear a dark green + scaled three piece suit except without a shirt beneath it all (his chest must be exposed, it is law). Would wear a choker and long necklace along with a lot of rings (both silver and gold).

Amilia: Barefoot, as per usual, and a wedding dress with a lot of lace and floral designs on it that’s short enough for her to get around in, probably an a-line cut!  Wears a flower crown for sure. 

Sabir: You know that dress/suit that Billie Porter wore to the Academy Awards? Something very similar to that, except not nearly as poofy and maybe a bit similar to a robe situation as opposed to a tux. Would be a deep teal/royal blue with designs on it, and he’d have on heeled boots with silver accenting.

Syfyn: Would wear a short sleeved sort of jacket/vest situation with trailing fabric around the waist + pants beneath-- her entire outfit would be white and there’d be no accenting jewelry. Definitely has her sword on her. Would have a golden arm band for jewelry.

???: Wears all black regardless, and a gown either way. Has a chest/boob window because they refuse to not show themselves off in some way, a corset, and long flowy sleeves-- so real similar to what they usually wear. Still has on their signature thigh-high boots. However-- if masculine presenting they’d have a long, bellowing black coat situation while if feminine/ambiguous they’d have a long ass train on their outfit.

[lady-grace-pens]

Wip Excerpt: HTKAG

In light of this wip hitting another 10k word goal recently (currently sitting pretty at a whopping 120k/150k 😅), another excerpt is due! This babe I wrote today, buut I actually loved it so much I knew I had to share it with y'all right away. That all being said, let's stop wasting time and get straight into it!

Our scene begins with Allister entering a restaurant to have dinner with Mikko, Fingal, and Perci, but Perci is late.

—

Upon telling the hostess Fingal’s name, she leads me away to the right half of the room. Off in a booth stowed away in the corner sit Mikko and Fingal jabbering away mid-conversation. Once they notice me, they stop and smile.

“Hey! There’s the man of the hour,” Mikko exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.

“Not late, am I?” I grin, taking a seat beside him.

“Nope. Right on time to get some drinks,” Mikko starts smouldering at our hostess.

“With what money?” Fingal retorts with a glare.

Mikko blinks, struggling to come up with a defense. It seems he mustn't have anticipated Fingal to interrupt his attempt at flirting…

“Wha - With our money, of course,” he laughs, trying his best to make a smooth recovery.

“Aye. Which is why we’re not using my money to buy alcohol while a minor is here.”

Mikko doesn’t reply. Then again I suppose he doesn't need to, his confusion is written all over his face.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about Perci. He’ll be here any minute.”

“Oh! Fuck, that’s right. Him. Well obviously he won’t be getting any. And come on! You know how fast I can down a beer Fin! It’ll just be a few. Just a few rounds! Don’t be an ass.”

“Watch yourself Mikko, it's not polite to use such language in the presence of a lady.” I chime in, giving the hostess a polite smile.

“Oh I’ll show you what’s not polite-” Mikko says before slapping my head.

I try to hit him back, but he catches my hand before I can. Before we know it, we’re caught in a ridiculous slapping fight, both laughing our asses off.

“Not in a restaurant, not in a restaurant!” I speak through gasps, trying to end things.

Mikko obliges, tossing his hands back in his lap.

“A waiter will be right with you,” the hostess makes a case to look at each one of us except for Mikko before finishing her sentence, “... gentleman.”

Much to my surprise, Mikko doesn’t seem to be affected by that backhanded insult. Instead he kicks his knees up against the table and rests his head back, totally listless.

“Mikko, I would’ve thought you’d be more offended by that.”

“Huh? Why would I be offended at something when it’s true?”

“I’ll say. You and Al couldn’t be any more opposite. If there’s anything larger than the truth, the fact that you’re not a gentleman is way beyond it.”

“Exactly. And Mikko, you are aware of the fact that she was just a hostess, right? It isn’t even her job to serve us drinks.”

“I... “ Mikko laughs before leaning over the table again. “Listen. You two just don’t get it, do you? No. You don’t. Allow me to be the one who graces your palettes here, eh? Let me tell you what I’m gonna do. Okay? I’m gonna give you a tip. A piece of advice that will change your lives forever. All for free! You don’t even have to pay me. All you gotta do is listen. Got it? You both ready?”

Fingal and I share a look. I can tell we’re thinking along a similar vein of confused intrigue. We should most likely stop Mikko here, as whatever will come out his mouth won’t be anything good. However, we’re both too stunned to stop him, so…

Mikko beckons us to lean closer to him. Fin and I oblige. We’re almost touching heads when at last our dear mentor speaks once again, in a hushed voice. “It’s not about what you say. It’s about how you say it.”

…

There are no words. For about a minute straight Fingal and I are just staring at each other wearing the same expression that exudes two questions. ‘What the fuck? You’ve heard that too, haven’t you?’

Soon after that’s established and our shock subsides, we burst back to life. Fingal starts us off with, “Dammit Mikko. What the fuck? Where did you learn that? Who taught you that?”

“Some guys from the bar! Why, what’s wrong with it?”

“Which guys from the bar?”

“I don’t see how it-”

“Mikko. Which guys from the bar taught you this?” Fingal insists, a flash of anger showing in his eyes.

Mikko seems to notice this, and complies straight away. “Leo, John, Peter and Paul!”

Fingal buries his head in his hands. This sparks my curiosity. I haven’t heard these names before, but Fin clearly has.

“I can’t say I’m familiar with them, who might they be?”

“Bar friends-” Mikko starts, only for Fingal to finish for him.

“Jokesters. Jerks. Cheapskates always looking for a laugh. Assholes. Can’t wait to give them a piece of my mind.”

Mikko shrinks away from Fin. His head is turned away from me, but I don’t need to see it in order to know how stunned he is. It’s expressed flawlessly through the abnormal quietness of his voice. “Fin? What’s up, why’d you-”

“Because those dicks have been filling your head with shit like this every damn time I turned my back, Mikko! Dammit, this - this is why you always get rejected! Universe, I just wish you would’ve checked with me first about things like this. Not some strangers you barely even know, yet idolize them anyway.

You wanna know how you get a girl Mikko? Huh? You be nice. You be nice to them, you talk with them, and you listen. Compliments and flirting, all that helps, of course, but not forever! And you sure as hell can’t build a relationship strictly off of it. Okay? Standards and expectations vary from girl to girl, but with each and every single one there are a few things that you just have to do. Be nice, have respect, help them just for the sake of helping them! Don’t expect anything in return. Overall just - just be a decent fucking human being. That is how you get a girl.”

Mikko sits there, staring at his brother. I can’t help but do the same. In every respect, Fingal is right. Of course he is. It’s just… rare that we see him so worked up. I can hardly believe my eyes. I can hardly believe my ears, I… I can’t imagine how Mikko must be feeling.

Oh so gradually his head sinks down into his lap. He slumps over, and I swear I can see fractions of tears reflect the golden light radiating above us.

“Can’t believe I’m actually telling you this when you’re eighteen. Fucking eighteen,” Fingal scoffs, crossing his arms.

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t be. I’m not mad at you. This is my own fault, I blame myself.”

“Aw, come on man! That’s even worse,” pouts Mikko.

Fingal then turns to me with an abruptness that makes me jump. “Al, what’s up? You’ve been quiet for a while. You can back me up on this, can’t you?”

“I…” I force a chuckle to try and lighten the air some. “I don’t think that I’m currently in a position to give advice like this, to be honest with you.”

Fingal leans his elbows on the table, holding his head with one hand. “Why? Something happen with Maddie?”

“Oh, did it ever,” I shake my head.

—

Aand that's all you guys get for spoiler reasons! Lmao

(also because that's all I've written today but shhhh don't tell anyone)

Buut yeah. Legit I swear I didn't mean to go so hard on feminist Fingal 😂 I mean don't get me wrong here, he's absolutely right and I'm keeping it in. But still, the words just kept on coming and coming and we ended up with this

so

y'know

yeah

writing is super fun sometimes

Plus tbh, writing the part where Mikko is stroking his ego and whispers his ‘top secret trick to get women’, I was literally laughing out loud 😂 like he's just so wrong, and I love how horribly Mikko fails in life. It's just super funny to me, I enjoy it a lot.

Fingal, however, clearly does not enjoy it, lmao. Legit I had no clue he could be so protective until today! Especially over Mikko. I mean I always knew their dynamics, but today… it really hit home for me.

Go back and look at the line of dialogue Fingal says right after Mikko apologizes (a rare occurrence, actually).

It’s just one little piece of dialogue, barely a few sentences! Yet I feel like it hits you. You know? It reveals so much about his and Mikko’s vibes, their situation. A pair of brothers poor and orphaned by their birth parents and raised by their grandmother, who is only growing older and weaker each year. Fingal, the eldest, having to take responsibility often. He feels pressured to raise his little bro, and feels like he's failed when Mikko turns out to be the way he is. Ya know? It's just one little thing of dialogue but I feel like it makes you feel the pressure Fin has to bear in a situation like theirs. Even if it’s only for a moment.

And Mikko! While he does incite a lot of the comic relief in HTKAG, I wouldn’t call him a strict comic relief character because that's never what I had in mind while writing him. He and Fin actually play a vital role in the plot of the story! Much more than what I can currently reveal to y'all.

Buut anyways, I'll stop rambling now. I really hope you guys enjoyed this little excerpt just as much as I adored writing it :)

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