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thewild--flower · 2 years

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[Translation] Heart no Kuni no Alice Light Novel ~Sunny Day Sunday~ - Chapter 1

Author: Yukiko Uozumi

Original Work: Quin Rose

Previous chapter - Introduction

~Chapter 1 - Lost Girl~

A cold personality, gloomy, and without charm.

That was Alice Liddell's objective evaluation of herself.

Though one might suppose she was a quiet person because she was gloomy, it was the opposite.

She plainly said the things she wanted to, and if it was something she could not agree with, even if it was someone who was her superior, she would not yield. From her homeroom teacher's point of view she was a student that was rather difficult to deal with.

However, ever since Alice had become lost in this world that was called ‘the Country of Hearts’, she had come to learn of the existence of countless other ‘problem children’, compared to whom she was quite normal. No, she had a feeling that comparing the world where she had been born and raised to this one was a mistake in and of itself.

‘This is for you.’

‘?’

The pink-coloured cat— or more precisely, the man with pink-coloured ears and tail, casually handed something to Alice.

It was a profoundly cold sensation. For a moment, Alice wasn’t able to judge what it was. It didn’t appear to be a toy, but was unexpectedly rather heavy.

‘What is this?’

‘What do you mean what is it? It’s a gun. A gun.’ He answered as if it was no big deal.

‘You don’t have a gun, do you? I have lots, so I’ll give you one. They’re pretty useful.’

‘I-I don’t need it!’

Alice returned the thing she had been handed, almost throwing it back.

Guns were no joking matter.

To Alice, a gun wasn’t a convenient item that was useful for her everyday life, but a dangerous weapon, nothing more, nothing less.

‘Hey, why did you give it back?! This isn’t a toy, but the real thing, you know?’

‘That’s why I gave it back!’

Alice protested, while slowly backing away.

‘I don’t need a gun. What would happen if I used it and killed someone!?’

‘? Nothing would happen. Guns are supposed to be used for killing people.’

Seeing Alice’s reaction, he— Boris, shrugged his shoulders as if puzzled.

That’s right. Of course. Apparently, in this world, the value of life was exceedingly low, and criminal behaviours were seemingly a widespread everyday occurrence. It was to be expected that he would carry guns, being that law and order was so bad here not even murder would be charged as a crime.

Compared to the world that Alice had been raised in, this was a world where there was a clear difference in the definition of common sense— that was the Country of Hearts.

Here, the concept of time was vague, daytime, evening and night all arrived at random, there was no extreme weather, nor did the seasons change. She wondered how much time had passed since she had come to live in this wonderland that did not appear on any map.

Although she ‘lived here’, it wasn’t as if staying was something Alice had decided herself.

More accurately, Alice had been carried away here against her will. By the man with the rabbit ears growing out of his head, Peter White.

Even now she clearly remembered it. It had been a Sunday afternoon, and she had been in the middle of enjoying the usual picnic with her older sister Lorina in the garden at their house.

As if he had been waiting for the moment Lorina left her seat, Peter had suddenly appeared and gallantly swept her up, diving away with her into a large hole that led to another world. And thus, in the place she had arrived at— Alice, who had been tossed out into the Country of Hearts, with no way to return to her original world, had somehow found a place to reside, and spent her days to reach this current point in time.

However, even now Alice wasn’t sure what kind of world this was, nor for what reason she had been brought here.

For all that she did not know, she had come up with a single theory.

In short, everything that was happening was a ‘dream’, and in reality she was asleep. If that was the case, without thinking too hard about this or that, it was likely best for her to enjoy the present and take it all as a dream.

If she didn’t think of it this way, it didn’t seem likely she would be able to maintain her sanity. Alice’s mind wasn’t so flexible as to be able to simply accept as reality the existence of humans with things like cat or rabbit ears.

‘—And, this is the safety. If you don’t release it, the bullets won’t come out, so be careful. After that, you just need to pull the trigger. Alright? Simple, isn’t it?’

Ignoring Alice’s rejection of guns, Boris continued his lecture.

Handling the dangerous object, his golden eyes sparkled like a child with a favourite toy in front of him.

Though he had a fairytale-like appearance with his cat ears and pink colouring, the truth was he was a hardcore gun fanatic.

Boris Airay. Also known as the ‘Cheshire Cat’, he was a freeloader here at the amusement park. In the Country of Hearts, the three powers,‘The Amusement Park’, ‘Heart Castle’ and ‘Hatter’s Mansion’ were constantly warring over territory. At present, though Alice was staying at Heart Castle, she was just a freeloader, so territorial disputes were nothing more than someone else’s problem. She freely came and went through each area and had built a circle of acquaintances, unlimited by friend or foe.

Both Boris and the amusement park’s owner Gowland welcomed her each time she came to have some fun. Even if she didn’t go to the effort of riding the jet coaster, the go karts, or the ferris wheel, she still enjoyed herself just having easygoing conversations with them like this. To be able to think this way was proof of how accustomed to this world Alice had become.

‘.....Sorry, but I still think I’ll pass. I don’t think guns are something I can use, and if possible I’d prefer not to carry one. I don’t feel as if I could relax if I did.’

Alice spoke gently to Boris who was still recommending the gun to her.

‘Eh-? It’d be more anxiety-inducing not carrying one. You’re really braver than you look. Walking around this country unarmed, it’s like you’ve got a death wish.'

‘I-I don’t want to die either. But what I can’t do, I can’t do, is what I’m saying. Even if I did carry one, it’s meaningless if I don’t intend to use it.’

She was well aware that her way of thinking was naive. In this world with neither law nor police, she couldn’t complain to anyone even if she did end up getting killed. She was the one that had to protect herself. Or—.

‘Or could it be that you have someone doing a good job protecting you?’

Boris narrowed his eyes, and bit-by-bit drew his face closer to hers.

This friendly cat was always freely getting close to her. Even if they were inside the park, it was still a place where a fair amount of people passed by. But as if he didn’t care that people might see, while swinging his long tail, he curled a lock of Alice’s hair around his index finger.

‘Oh yeah, there’s a knight at Heart Castle, isn’t there? It couldn’t be that he’s your knight in shining armor, is he?’

‘Hah? By knight….. You don’t mean Ace, do you?’

She thought of the man in the long red coat, with his suspiciously refreshing smile.

As Boris had said, there was a knight at Heart Castle, where she was staying. His name was Ace.

Though he held a high rank as a military leader because of his physical prowess, she wasn’t sure if he was someone to be relied on, and in any case was a man who was difficult to get a read on.

‘? He’s not?’

‘Of course he isn’t! I don’t know why you’d even bring Ace’s name into this. That guy has nothing to do with me. In the first place, before asking whether he’s protecting me or not, I hardly ever even see him at the castle.’

One of the reasons why he was unreliable, was that he had the characteristics of someone born without a sense of direction. It was already beyond the level of someone who merely couldn’t read a map. He could easily spend thirty hours getting to a place that would take a normal person an hour. At any rate, the current state of things was, he got lost even at the castle where he supposedly lived, unable to even reach his own room.

—Surprised he can even call himself a knight like that. She honestly was fed up with this world.

Even though she was a freeloader, Alice was severe in her assessment of the people she was staying with. Though she didn’t really see the aforementioned wandering man often enough to be able to call him someone she lived with.

‘Hmm, so not the knight then.’

Boris raised an eyebrow, and continued staring at Alice.

‘If that's the case, what about the Prime Minister?’

‘Huh?’

‘I’m asking you if your favourite is the Prime Minister, then.’

‘..................Huh?’

Alice doubted her ears.

Prime Minister. In other words, the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Heart Castle, she thought he had to mean Peter White. Other than him, she didn’t know of any other person that was called Prime Minister.

‘Favourite….. Wait a moment. Why are we talking about this?’

‘Why are you so bothered? Oh, don’t tell me it was a bulls eye? Uwah…… for real?’

‘No!’

She raised her voice and denied it. For some reason she didn’t quite understand, she had a feeling this was a scenario she absolutely had to deny.

‘I’m not sure what you’ve misunderstood here, but Peter is…… that man is the last person on earth that would ever be my favourite.'

Alice spoke in a low voice, her fists clenched. As if sensing her quiet anger, Boris' face stiffened and he gingerly drew back.

Peter White. The rabbit man with a predisposition for stalking. He should surely never be forgiven for the sin of rudely intruding that peaceful Sunday afternoon.

It was a strange thing, even in a dream, she could get angry, feel lonely and become irritated. In a world with no sense of reality, her emotions alone felt real.

Heart Castle, the place where Alice was currently staying, was one of three powers in the Country of Hearts.

The castle with its overly vivid pink and red colour scheme, striking architectural style and grand scale, exerted a dominating and eccentric presence even amongst other structures in the country.

On the castle grounds, red roses bloomed in profusion, forming an enormous labyrinth where the figure of the ruler of the castle, the Queen of Hearts Vivaldi, could be seen enjoying a stroll in the evenings. Though she was well known for being beautiful and cruel, for some reason it seemed she had taken a liking to Alice, and because of that her life at the castle was safe and without any discomfort, there ought not to have been any cause for dissatisfaction…… with one exception.

'Welcome back, my dear Alice!'

The moment she entered the castle, a high pitched voice called Alice's name.

Faster than she could prepare herself, a rabbit man wearing round glasses clung onto her. Such was his enthusiasm, a 'Guhaa-' escaped from her throat as she had the breath knocked out of her.

'Aah, I missed you……! I missed you, Alice! While we were apart, I was so lonely I was about to lose my mind. What a wicked woman you are, truly!'

'.......Your mind's been lost right from the start.'

She vigorously tried to push away his face as it nuzzled her cheek.

However, he did not draw back. No matter how hard she tried to resist, he hugged her tightly. Though she asked for help with her eyes from the soldiers that were nearby, there was no way they would be able to stop the rampage of his Excellency the Prime Minister, and they only looked on as if they felt sorry for her.

Silver hair and red eyes. A checkered suit and a pocket watch. And lastly, white rabbit ears. At a glance his looks were not normal, and as one would expect, he was not normal on the inside either.

'Peter…… I've been telling you from the beginning, don't hang onto me like this. You're being a nuisance. Think about where we are a little.'

Peter White's excessive displays of love were a source of distress for Alice. Clinging onto her was an everyday occurrence, each time he opened his mouth he would repeatedly say, 'I love you', and no matter where she was he would try to follow. There was no other word but abnormal to describe the way he would immediately pull out his gun and try to shoot the soldiers out of jealousy, whenever they were standing around talking together.

If this had been the world that Alice had been raised in, he was the kind of person that ought to be arrested. However, in this world, he was one of a small number of influential people known as a 'role holder.' No matter who he kidnapped, killed or stalked, he was free to do as he wished, a person of high rank and of extremely bad character.

'To be bothered that other people might see, you're more shy than I thought.'

As Peter chuckled, he continued,

'It's alright, Alice. Come, let us flaunt our relationship to them all!'

'Kyaaah!'

Dangerously on the verge of being kissed, Alice swung her hand high.

It connected with Peter's right cheek with a splendid and satisfying thwack.

'Owch-! Y-you're so mean, what are you so embarrassed about?'

'I'm saying your existence itself is embarrassing…..!'

How was it this man was always only able to think of things in a way that was convenient to him?

While she was completely fed up, Peter directed a dreamy gaze towards her while holding his right cheek.

'Heheh….. but I understand, that impressive slap of yours is just another form of your love, is it not……?'

'Hah?'

'You know, don't they often say? Tough love. You're too embarrassed to put your love into words, so you try to express it through your actions, right? Isn't that so?'

He was completely nonsensical.

He had it so totally wrong, she wasn't even sure where to begin.

It was always like this with Peter. And on top of that, was his pushy and over-the-top way of communicating his love. Because there was not even a hint of the concept of 'playing games' in any of it, Alice also didn't hold back in showing her rejection, but still he displayed absolutely no signs of withdrawing. If anything, his lovey-dovey aura only grew all the stronger. Even when she insulted, punched, and kicked him down.

It was simply futile to try and argue reasonably with someone who did not understand common sense, and recently Alice had half given up. Even if she used up her energy trying to argue with him in a direct way, she had learnt that she wouldn't gain a single thing from it.

'I-I've had enough…… I'm tired, so I'm going to get some rest.'

Pressing her temples, Alice quickly tried to leave the scene.

'Are you returning to your room?' For some reason, Peter's voice sounded cheerful.

'I've been working too hard, I'm completely exhausted. The working environment at this castle is the worst. Her Majesty is always in a bad mood, and everytime Ace leaves for work he never comes back, my word, they're all a completely useless bunch.'

'Hey, why are you following me!?'

As Alice walked at a fast pace, Peter kept tailing after her. Unable to bear it, Alice broke into a run.

'I said, why are you following after me! Quit it!'

'Why you ask, isn't it because you're running? Why not return to your room a bit more slowly? I think you're needlessly tiring yourself.'

'I'm running because you're following me!'

In order to put more distance between them, Alice ran. She was good at foot races. The sound of their footsteps echoed across the lavish marble hallways. The soldiers doing their rounds, looking startled, opened a path for them, one after the other, as they ran by.

However, even then Peter kept pace with her.

'Hey, stop chasing after me! Hurry up and go back to work!'

'I don't care about work, they should just feed something so worthless to the pigs. There isn't a single more important thing in this world than spending time with you!'

'You just want to slack off from work!'

Stamp stamp stomp stomp, the two of them continued their close race. However, though Alice was extremely out of breath, Peter was smiling, completely unfazed, as he ran alongside her. It was almost like he was a dog running around the fields with his owner, simple-minded and happy. However, that certainly did not mean she felt like being affectionate towards him.

'What's wrong? Are you tired?'

'Of course I am. Sheesh, who's fault do you-......Hyaaah!'

Alice yelled out as her body was suddenly suspended in the air.

Peter was now holding her in his arms. In the posture of the so-called 'Princess Carry.'

'Wh-what do you think you're doing, you kidnapper! Pervert!'

'Ah, please don't thrash around too much. What would happen if you fell?'

'I wouldn't be in a position to fall if you hadn't picked me up! Hurry up and put me down!'

'But, you're tired, aren't you? Please rest at ease, I shall take responsibility and deliver you to your room. Heheh, I'm stronger than I look, aren't I?'

'"Strong", you say, how rude, I'm not even that heavy…….'

And at any rate even though he had told her to 'rest at ease' there was no way she could. She didn't think there was any situation more nerve wracking than having your stalker see you to your room.

—What on earth was wrong with this man?

Still being carried, Alice directed a gaze of censure at Peter.

Even now she didn't know what he was thinking. Though he had kidnapped her and brought her into this world, it was not as if he had demanded a ransom or hurt her. No matter how much time passed, he merely repeated words of love and didn't try to take any further action than that.

If he was a true stalker that wasn't after money or material goods, even then it didn't make any sense. After all, Alice had not once met Peter in the past, and she could not think of any reason why he would feel so strongly for her. It wasn't impossible that he had one-sidedly fallen in love with her at first sight somewhere, but she didn't think her appearance was so exceptional for that to be the case.

But even so, Peter persistently told Alice, 'I love you.'

She didn't understand it at all. It was perplexing. She had no choice but to take this inconsistency as part of the dream, but even then it didn’t sit well with her.

‘Hey….,’ Alice summoned up the courage to put the doubts she had had over and over into words. ‘Why do you like me so much? We’d never even met before, right? Aren’t you mistaking me for someone else?’

‘No. I’ve known you well for a long time.’

The red eyes behind the glasses narrowed.

Frustratingly, in inverse proportion to his personality, this man’s face, and only that, was rather good looking.

‘And you also know me very well, do you not? Our love has always been mutual.’

‘............’

Not only was he a stalker, but a complete fantasist as well. He was beyond help.

‘Listen, I don’t remember ever meeting you, or falling in love with you, either.’

Though she complained to him, Peter only smiled happily. Somehow, it seemed as if those long ears of his were unable to hear things that were not convenient to him.

Alice sighed.

—Why am I with this crazy guy, I wonder.

Peter was without a doubt a kidnapper, but he did not try to restrict Alice’s actions. He would look lonely whenever she went to leave, but he had never once tried to stop her by force.

In short, if Alice wanted to escape him, she could do so at any time. Rather, from the beginning, the one to choose Heart Castle as her place of residence had been Alice herself. Peter’s will had had nothing to do with it. Now that she thought about it, on top of pulling her into this world, he hadn’t particularly done anything to look after her afterwards. He had simply left her at the place called the Clock Tower, without any detailed explanation of this world or any assistance with daily necessities.

It had taken her this long, but now that Alice thought about it, for all he talked so much about loving a person, his lack of responsibility towards her was somewhat suspect.

She didn’t pretend to understand the thought processes of a criminal, but supposing it had been a crime of love, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to confine or keep her under his watch. If he did not, then kidnapping her was meaningless.

……And so, in the end, not sure what to do after having been halfway left to her own devices, she had chased after Peter, found out his location, and chosen to live under the same roof as him. Though she had been reluctant, she hadn't anywhere else to go, and she had thought that surely he would know the way for her to return to her original world.

However, even now she had been unable to return to her world, and was still stuck in limbo to this day.

If this was a dream, it was one that had gone on for far too long. It was a long running dream. She thought that it was about time it came to an end, but as of now there were no signs of it doing so. It was highly unlikely that the dream would continue on forever, but while it still did, it wasn’t like she didn’t worry over it.

‘......Peter.’

‘What is it, Alice?’

The rabbit man was dashing through the hallways, looking happy. There was no ill will in his smile. If it was just in appearance, he was a genuine pure white rabbit.

‘Why don’t you have any intention of returning me to my original world?’

It might be a stupid question to ask of a stalker. But she couldn’t give up. Because this wasn’t the world she should be living in.

‘Do you wish to return to your original world?’

‘Of course I do, I’d want to go back right now if I could!’

Alice retorted with raised eyebrows at his shameless question. But even then his expression remained unruffled.

‘Hmm~? That’s strange. But are you not always able to go back anytime you wish, if that is the case?’

‘......Hah?’

‘If you truly wish to return, you can go back at any time, Alice.’

‘Don’t mess with me. As if you can say that, when you were the one that kidnapped me.’

‘Dear me, I am not messing with you.’

Peter continued as if sulking.

‘To return, or not return. That is the game you are playing. It is all up to you. While it is unfortunate, there is nothing I can do.’

—What’s unfortunate is that head of his.

Even if he told her it was a game, Alice had no idea what that meant. She had no memory of becoming a player, and it was not as if she were holding any cards. However, the residents of this world uttered the words ‘game’ and ‘rules’ at every turn.

It was ridiculous to be playing a game without knowing the rules

She very much felt like complaining to someone. But then Alice suddenly realized. …..What did she used to do at times like these? Whenever she had a problem, did she ever talk to anyone about it? The faces of her female classmates vaguely floated into her mind, but there wasn’t anyone in particular that she thought of. As she thought about it more, Alice, with her cold personality and plain way of speaking had often ended up in the role of listener, rather than being the one confessing her troubles.

—But, I used to talk about a lot of things with my big sister.

Her older sister Lorina. Ever since her mother had passed away due to an illness, though her sister had taken on the clear role of guardian, she had always been a good sister and friend to her as well. In front of her sister, she was able to show an unreservedly relaxed expression that she wouldn’t normally show to her classmates.

However, as to whether she was able to speak to her sister about anything at all— the answer to that was no.

She loved her big sister, but all the more because she was her beloved big sister, there were things she couldn’t talk about in front of her.

Each time the number of such secrets increased, she would look lonely and often say to Alice,

‘You’re no longer a child. To have secrets you can’t tell your family means you must be pretty grown up now, right?'

‘......So then, why come to me?’

As he looked at Alice’s face, the man with eyes the colour of dusk was clearly displeased.

She was at the Clock Tower, located at the centre of the Country of Hearts. Its master, commonly known as the Clockmaker— Julius Monrey, gave her a brief glance, then returned his gaze to his work.

‘That's a good question, though I’m not quite sure myself……’

‘Hah? What’s that supposed to mean? I have no business with you. Hurry up and go back home.’

At this point, Alice understood his personality well enough that she did not feel hurt. For him, ‘Go home’ was just a set phrase that he would say in place of a greeting. Or, at least that was how Alice had decided to take it, when she would sometimes wander over to visit this obstinate and gloomy man at the Clock Tower. While knowing that he would curtly dismiss her whenever she showed her face.

‘I climbed all the way up here, you could at least show a little appreciation.’

‘No one asked you to come. If you need someone to talk to, there are plenty of people at Heart Castle. The lost knight, the heartless queen, the crazy rabbit, pick whichever one suits your fancy. Leave me out of this.’

He’d told her to choose one of them, but weren’t those rather slim pickings? She didn’t really want to say it of people who she was indebted to, but there wasn’t a single normal person among them.

‘......Hm, but Vivaldi was easier to talk to than I had first thought. She seems scary, but has an unexpected cute side to her.’

Alice said to herself.

There were times when the Queen of Hearts, who was famous for her highhandedness and cruelty, showed Alice a smile like that of a young girl. …..But then, there were also times when just a few seconds after showing her such a smile, she nonchalantly declared ‘executions’ for her servants.

Peter and Ace aside, she could somewhat be at ease with Vivaldi because she was a fellow woman as well. She was a proud and beautiful person. There were many things she admired about her, but when all was said and done, that brutal hobby of hers was far from normal.

Then, what did it mean to be “normal”? Amongst her few options, Alice thought it over.

At the very least, someone she could have a back and forth conversation with. Someone without animal ears coming out of their head, and who wasn’t always quickly drawing their gun every time she saw them.

Truth be told, there was barely anyone in Alice’s vicinity who met even those few modest conditions. It seemed like a lie, but all the more because it was the truth, she was at a loss.

‘What. Why are you staring so hard at me?’

‘No, it’s nothing.’

Nevertheless, it was still difficult to say outright that Julius was normal. He was only interested in his work, and spent his entire life holed up in the Clock Tower fixing clocks all day long, hardly ever making contact with other people. So complete was his concentration that even food and sleep were an afterthought.

However, as he did not lightly commit murder like the others, relatively speaking, he could be classified as normal.

To begin with, it couldn’t be said that Alice, who was well aware that she was a gloomy and contrary person, had the right to be criticizing other people’s personalities so minutely.

‘Hey, Julius. You’ve known Peter for a long time, right?’

Placing a chair near his workbench, she asked him the question head on.

‘Was he always like that?’

‘......What do you mean “like that”?’

‘I’m asking you if he was always annoying, one-sidedly stubborn and a stalker.’

‘He’s always been the first two, but I don’t know about being a stalker.’

Julius continued while inserting a screw into the clock he was working on.

‘Why are you asking me about Peter White? We’re just acquaintances, it is not as if we’re close.’

‘Of course I know that. Peter doesn’t seem like the type to have close friends.’

Like this, even while acting as if she was a bother, Julius would go along with Alice’s conversation. Fundamentally, he was a kind-hearted person.

‘If you already know, all the more reason not to ask me. ……Good grief, is there something wrong with you? Why would you come to me for love advice?’

‘......Wait a moment.’ Hearing words that she could not overlook, Alice directed a stern gaze towards Julius. ‘Did you just say “love advice”?’

‘? What about it?’

‘What do you mean “what about it”? Don’t get the wrong idea!’

She slammed her hands onto his desk with a bang and protested.

‘Why would I be asking for love advice…..?! And in the first place, who are you saying is in love with whom?!’

‘You sure are a noisy one. Of course I’m talking about you and Peter White. If you just want to brag about your love life, go somewhere else.’

‘~~~~~~~~~!’

Wondering exactly what he had heard to think she was after love advice, Alice was indignant. She was so indignant, she had trouble speaking. His interpretation was so completely the opposite of the actual situation, she felt like her head was spinning.

‘Julius…… it’s not as if you don’t know what that guy did to me, right? When I was first brought into this world, you saw part of what happened, didn’t you?’

Alice, having been pulled in by Peter into a hole that had suddenly appeared in the garden at her home, had come out onto the top level of this Clock Tower before she had even realized it. The one who had also happened to be there at the time was none other than Julius, the person currently sitting before her.

‘Just remembering it pisses me off. …..That jerk, making me drink that weird medicine……’

Shaking in anger, Alice gripped the vial she had tucked away in the pocket of her apron dress.

When they had arrived at the Clock Tower, the first thing Peter had done was make her drink the contents of the vial via mouth-to-mouth.

Mouth-to-mouth.

In other words, he had kissed her.

Of all things, it had not been enough for him to just kidnap her, he had also forcefully stolen her lips as well.

Alice had gotten her revenge for the time being, giving him a good punch in the face, but her anger had not yet completely abated.

What effect had the medicine had on her body, and for what objective had Peter made her drink it?

The answers to those questions were still a mystery, but after he had made her drink it through his mouth, he had definitely said,

‘This is the medicine of Heart. Now that you have drunk it, you must participate in the game. Until you have gathered enough hearts to fill the amount you have drunk, you will not be able to return to your original world.’

The details of the game he had proposed were certainly deranged, befitting of a deranged rabbit. Was there anyone alive who would simply agree and answer, ‘Why sure I will!’ when ordered to ‘Drink the medicine of hearts in the Country of Hearts and gather hearts’?

‘............’

‘What’s with you since just now? Stop looking at a person as if you’re holding a grudge.’

‘It’s not “as if”, I really am holding a grudge,’ Alice immediately snapped back. ‘.....When Peter forced his kiss on me, you were right there but didn’t do anything to stop him. You’re terrible.’

‘Wha-……you’re still holding something like that against me?’

Julius sighed with a worn out expression on his face.

Alice knew all too well that her resentment was unjustified. It was Peter who was at fault, and there was no wrongdoing on Julius’ part. It was just that since long ago and even now, he had decided that he would remain a bystander.

‘I told you before. I have no interest in the relationship between you and the White Rabbit. Don’t hold a grudge against me, but the turn of events that led you to be loved by such a troublesome man.’

As she thought he might, he sharply detached himself from the situation.

Julius’ stance on the topic would not waver. Despite the Clock Tower’s position in the center of the Country of Hearts, he did not involve himself at all in the territorial disputes. With the approach of maintaining his independence by not making himself anyone’s ally, not pandering to others was Julius’s way of life.

It wasn’t quite possible to say the Tower was a complete safe zone, but in this place, time passed more quietly and peacefully than anywhere else. That was likely the reason she kept coming here, undiscouraged by the harshness of its master.

‘You’re still the same as ever, Julius. But I feel relieved.’

Shrugging her shoulders, Alice smiled.

Being pushed away made her feel at ease. This kind of treatment suited her just fine.

Alice knew she didn’t have the kind of personality people found easy to like. In the real world she thought her personality was almost the ruin of her, always somehow or other causing strife in her personal relationships.

However in this world everyone was kind to Alice, and held unconditional good will towards her. She couldn't help but feel a sense of unease at an environment that was so excessively convenient for her. Even though it was a dream…… No, all the more because it was a dream, it was futile. Perhaps it was like this because deep within her unconscious mind, she wanted to be loved by everyone.

A personality that is beloved doesn't suit me. I'm different from my big sister.

Even if I were upside down, I can't become a pure person like my sister. And so for now, she didn't need to be loved by anyone. Like or dislike, a crush or love, for the time being, she wanted to live at a distance from such emotions.

'You're really a strange one. The Castle or the Amusement Park must be much more fun for you than a gloomy place like this.'

Julius murmured while looking slightly fed up. His seemingly fussy look softened a little.

'.....But, don't get used to this place. That is, if a part of you still wishes to return home.'

After saying this, he at last closed his mouth and ceased to speak.

Since Julius was now fully immersed in his work, Alice had no choice but to leave the Tower.

The day time period was always good weather. It was never windy, and the sun equally blessed the trees and flowers with its light. It wasn't just during the day, this world's weather always maintained a comfortable temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.

As Alice came out of a path from the forest, which twinkled with the light of the sun spilling through the gaps in the trees, she could hear pleasant music.

As if lured by the sound, her footsteps naturally started to head towards the Amusement Park. The area around the colourful gates was bustling with families and couples. It did not very much look like a place that was part of the territorial wars, but rather a place that looked as if it should be called the picture of peace.

—She didn’t really feel like visiting the amusement park right now, though.

She didn’t necessarily want to bask in the fairytale-like atmosphere of the place, nor did she particularly feel like forgetting her troubles by screaming it out on one of the thrill rides. She simply did not want to return to Heart Castle just yet. Having left the Clock Tower, she had walked on as if to avoid the Castle and its surrounds, which meant she would reach either the territory of Hatter’s Mansion or the Amusement Park eventually.

Alice took out a single ticket from inside her pocket.

It was a visitor’s passport that she had received from Gowland, the park’s owner, some time ago. Not only was she able to enter the park for free, it seemed as if having it allowed her to skip the queues and enjoy any of the attractions whenever she wanted.

—Gowland. That’s right, Gowland.

His real name was Mary Gowland. It truly was an absurd name, however he was one of the people in this world who could just barely be classified as normal.

He was mild-mannered, friendly and helpful. At any rate, he was someone capable enough to serve as owner of the Amusement Park. Unlike a certain Clockmaker, he had a lively disposition for good customer service— although at times he was a little too lively, destroying people’s eardrums with one of the destructively godawful violin performances he was so proud of.

Nonetheless, at his core, he was a good person.

And, most importantly, he didn’t have rabbit ears growing out of the top of his head, and wasn't a stalker. The fact that she was at the point where if someone could clear just those conditions, she would think of them as mostly normal, meant Alice’s standards for what was "normal" had grown quite slack.

‘Welcome, Lady Alice!’

The female employee at the gate called out to her cheerfully. Having visited the Park many times now, she and the people working here had become well acquainted.

‘Hello. Hey, is Gowland here?’

Right now, Alice really, really wanted to have a conversation with someone normal. She wanted to get normal advice from a normal person, and arrive at a normal conclusion.

Whether she had sensed Alice’s modest wish or not, the employee gave an exemplary customer service smile and merrily replied, ‘Yes, of course!’

‘If you mean the owner, then yes of course, he is here~!’

‘Really? I’m glad.’

‘Yes, he’s right over there! See!’

By chance, Gowland was there, just over at the place she was pointing at.

Delighted at her good fortune, Alice went to run over to him,

‘Gowlan-…..’

She started to call out to him, but then her footsteps stopped.

Gowland was definitely there. However, he was not smiling his usual kind smile. The seemingly composed gaze behind his glasses shone with a dangerous light and his brow was furrowed grimly. His tall and burly figure, which stood out because of the cheerful-looking suit with a motif of musical notes and rocking horses he was wearing, emanated a clearly murderous aura.

‘That bastard…… I’m gonna kill him……’

Alice felt a chill down her spine at hearing such a bloodthirsty sentence.

His figure as he paced back and forth carrying a large rifle was madness personified. Children who sensed this alarming atmosphere began to cry one after the other. Of course, anyone who saw the normally good-natured Amusement Park owner marching about with a face like a demon would want to cry, and to run away. Needless to say, that included Alice as well.

‘......Where did he run off to, that blasted cat! I’m gonna catch him and turn him into cat stew!’

With a man who was currently in a state that was difficult to call ‘normal’ before her, Alice slowly began to back away.

—Ah, that’s right. I forgot. Gowland was this kind of guy.

He was a good person. That was without a doubt. However, for all that he was normally a good guy, his reaction when someone incurred his wrath was far too extreme. The moment he snapped it was over, heedless of the safety of the park’s visitors and employees, he would start recklessly firing his rifle all over the place. Nonetheless, his anger did not subside so easily.

‘Looks like it’s bad timing~! My condolences!’

The employee brightly apologized. For her, it must have been a sight she was used to seeing, but Alice couldn’t yet quite view it so philosophically. She was simply scared.

‘I-I think I might go home after all-......’

—Bang, bang!

‘Kyaaaaaah!’

Hearing gunfire, Alice instantly dropped to the ground and took cover.

A billboard painted with a picture of a clown was mercilessly blasted into the air. The gunfire did not stop there, and all kinds of things, from colourful flowers in the flower beds, balloons, and the glass in the buildings’ windows got destroyed one after the other. The sound of screaming grew louder as the smell of gunpowder in the air grew thicker.

‘Come out, Boris! I won’t forgive you this time! I’m gonna kill you!’

Somehow or other, it seemed as if he was hunting for Boris.

As she was coldly thinking well, in that case it would be nice if he would turn up as soon as possible then so that things would settle down here,

‘Sheesh, he really needs to cut it out. What a pain in the ass.’

‘Yeah, you’re right,’ while nodding in agreement, Alice looked at the man next to her and then her eyes widened.

‘B-Boris!?’

Before she had noticed it, a cat man with pink ears was beside her. As far as Alice knew, there weren’t any other pink-eared cat men other than Boris. And speaking of Boris, he was currently a wanted man.

‘W-wait a minute, Boris…… What do you think you’re doing here?!’

‘What do you mean “what”? Something wrong with me being here? This is where I live, y'know, more or less.’

Boris answered her question somewhat sulkily.

There was nothing wrong with it. There was certainly nothing wrong with him being there, but having him next to her was rather inconvenient. She had a feeling her chances of getting mixed up in something were now very high.

‘By the way, could it be you came here to see me?’

‘Hah?’

‘Truth is, I’ve actually been wanting to see you as well recently.’

‘I-is that so. But, um……’

‘—Boris.’

Feeling a sharp gaze, Alice nervously turned to face the direction it came from.

The thin lenses of his glasses glinted. It was the moment a hunter emitting an aura of bloodlust spotted his prey. His rifle was pointed straight at Boris.

‘You bastard….. How dare you wreck my brand new attraction…..’

‘Uwah, this ain’t good.’

Boris, who had noticed Gowland, uncomfortably shrugged his shoulders.

‘A-Anyway, I didn’t really break it, ya know? That go-kart was so slow, it was totally boring. So I just played around with it a little. I think you should be thanking me, actually.’

‘You turned ten of them into scrap, and you want me to thank you…..?’

Bang bang bang!

Without a moment to spare, the sound of a gunshot reverberated. A bullet passed by right next to where Alice was.

‘Eek…….!’

‘Don’t shoot so suddenly old man! It’s dangerous, ya know?’

‘I am not an old man!’

An additional shot from Gowland’s rifle went off. As Boris contorted his body to avoid the bullet in a way that didn’t seem possible,

‘I call it like I see it. Sheesh, that’s what I hate about old timers, the more decrepit they get the less endurance they have!’

‘All right, you’ve got guts I’ll give you that…… So how about I close that mouth of yours for good!’

At Boris’ words, far from subsiding, it looked as if Gowland’s anger had reached its peak. And as she looked on, dumbfounded, someone grabbed her arm.

‘What are you spacing out for? Come on, let’s leave that old man behind and make a run for it.’

‘Huh? H-hey!’

His pink tail wiggled as it swayed as if in challenge. The chief culprit in stoking Gowland’s anger ran away, forcibly taking Alice with him.

‘—Haah. I think we’ll be safe here now, Alice.’

As they came up towards a ferris wheel within the Park, Boris turned around and smiled proudly.

‘Not even the old man will chase us all the way here. At his age, when it comes to physical strength, there’s no way I would lo-......’

‘Why did you have to get me involved in this?!’

Bam, Alice directed a no-holds-barred punch towards his pink head. Because her attack was so sudden, Boris screamed, ‘Ouch!’ and held his head in his arms.

‘Just a little longer and I could have been killed! You and Gowland can fight all you want, but don’t cause trouble for other people. If you’re gonna fight, go do it out in the middle of the desert or something!’

‘Owie ouch…… Don’t be so angry.’

Without looking particularly ashamed, Boris scratched his head.

‘That old man isn’t an idiot, he wouldn’t let any bullets hit you. When he snaps he’s all over the place, but he never loses himself to the point that he’d hurt an Outsider like you. So you don’t need to worry, it’ll be alright.’

‘It definitely didn’t feel as if I was “all right” though……’

No matter how good of a person Gowland was, she didn’t plan on being so naive as to completely trust someone she had not known for that long a time. There was still a pretty good chance she could be hit by a stray bullet.

‘And also, stop calling me an “Outsider.” I don’t like it.’

‘?’

‘I’m saying that I have a perfectly good name, “Alice Liddell.” Are you listening?’

‘Ow ow ow ow owwww!’

This time she had pulled hard on his cat ears. She had been so scared just now. She wanted to counter-attack by having him take at least this much in punishment.

‘A-alright, I get it! I’ll call you by your name. I won’t call you an Outsider. Happy now?’

‘I’m glad you understand,’ she said and quickly let go of his ears. ‘I certainly am an Outsider, but being stereotyped like that makes me mad. Feels like I’m being discriminated against somehow.’

“Outsider” was a word that identified those who were visitors from another world such as Alice.

According to Gowland, such extremely rare uninvited guests became lost in this world. In short, from their point of view, Alice was an “Outsider.” In that sense, being called one was not incorrect, however, for someone like her who had been kidnapped here against her will, she was a little reluctant to accept such a name.

‘Discrimination, huh……’

Boris sat down on a nearby bench, and the corners of his mouth lifted a little.

‘So by that you mean, you’ve gotten pretty used to this world, then?’

‘Hah?’

‘But I’m right, aren’t I? You don’t want to be discriminated against. Doesn’t that mean you want to be treated as a resident of this world?’

The cat with a faint smile on his face, spoke those words, somehow full of confidence.

Obviously, Alice could not agree with his opinion whatsoever. She sighed deeply and sat down next to Boris.

‘Why would you think that?’

‘Eh, so I’m wrong?’

‘Of course. ……I’ve certainly grown used to living in this world. I’ve made a lot of acquaintances, and the people at the Castle treat me well. But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve decided not to return to my original world.’

It was often said that home was where you made it, and once she had gotten used to it, this world wasn’t so bad. Rather, she had even felt that it was quite comfortable.

As long as she turned a blind eye to Heart Castle’s over-the-top fairytale-like interior, there was no place more pleasant to have as her place of residence.

But no matter how pleasant it was, her family wasn’t here. Her school friends weren’t here. With all the things that were important to her left behind in the world of reality, Alice wasn’t so unfeeling that she could think it was fine to part with them forever.

‘Hmmm. You’re pretty cold, aren’t you.’

She didn’t need Boris to tell her that, she was well aware.

Although part of her thought that she should immerse herself in this fairytale world and think of it as a dream, another part of her held back. She didn’t have the courage to truly let herself go. Her attitude towards everything was always half-assed.

‘......My big sister always used to tell me. That “You should enjoy the world of stories more sincerely.” Whenever I read mystery novels I can’t calm down and read them through until I have someone tell me the twist and who the culprit is first. That’s the kind of boring person I am.’

Becoming unintentionally critical of herself, Alice slightly shook her head. Such negative thinking wasn’t fitting for the amusement park and such fine weather.

‘You aren’t boring at all. If you’re gonna say that, I’m way more boring than you. Suuuper normal, I am.’

‘......Normal?’

While looking him over from head to toe, Alice tilted her head in puzzlement. She had a feeling that having the kind of taste to declare such an idiosyncratic appearance as normal wasn’t normal in and of itself.

‘Yeah. I’m such an ordinary guy I get bored of myself. So ordinary you’d be shocked.’

‘............’

While Alice was unsure of how to respond, he all of a sudden brought his face close to peer into hers.

All the animals in this world had no sense of personal space. Since they came close to her with an overfamiliarity that was just like that of a pet, Alice couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

‘Speaking of boredom, how’s life at the Castle?’

‘“How” is it?’

‘It’s boring, right? A place like that. I mean, they don’t have thrill rides or a horror house, do they?’

‘W-Well yeah, they don’t have any thrill rides, but it’s not boring at all. It’s so comfortable I almost feel guilty. They’re all good people.’

Alice continued while pulling away from him.

‘......That’s right. Vivaldi and Ace are a bit odd, but they’re not bad people. The only problem one is that man……’

That man. Of course, she meant no one other than Peter White.

If she had one complaint in her luxurious lifestyle as a guest of state, it would have to be the existence of that ‘national-level stalker.’ If not for “that”, her life at the castle would have been very peaceful.

‘By “that man”, you mean the Prime Minister, don’t you?’

Boris asked her with a face as if he understood all about it.

‘You must be having a hard time too. Being liked by a troublesome guy like that. If it was me, I would just shoot him, no ifs or buts. Having him around looks like it would be such a pain.’

‘Yeah, yeah you’re right……!’

Alice’s hands shot out and took Boris’ as she faced him.

‘He’s a massive pain, that guy. Even though he doesn’t even know me all that well he’s always following me around, even when I tell him he’s a bother he never learns, and for some reason he thinks we’re in love, truuuuuuly unbelievable. It’s so absurd. Don’t you think?’

‘W-Well. I suppose so.’

At Alice’s impassioned complaints, this time Boris was the one that looked as if he wanted to pull away.

‘That guy’s unexpectedly pretty stubborn once he’s gotten an idea in his head. Yeah. Really, my condolences.’

‘Stubborn doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s crazy. That XXXXXX rabbit……!!’

Hearing such unladylike language come out of her mouth, Boris’ eyes widened further.

It seemed as if so much frustration had built up within her that she had ended up using quite vulgar language, the kind that would have her big sister collapse in shock had she heard it, the kind that her normally good girl-ish self would not say.

……However. Having said it, she did feel a little as if she'd gotten something off her chest. Just a little.

She certainly wasn't thinking of putting a round through that White Rabbit's head, like Boris and the other residents of this world would do, that was a bit much. What she really wanted— was for someone to listen to her complain and curse, and for them to sympathize with her. Just like her female classmates used to normally do, whenever something had pissed her off.

With just that simple desire fulfilled, Alice felt unexpectedly refreshed.

'Say Boris……you're more of a decent person than I thought.'

Even as she said it, she knew she was being somewhat rude. Sure enough, Boris raised an eyebrow and said,

'Is that a compliment? Not too sure how I feel about that.'

'Of course I'm complimenting you. I mean, your appearance, Boris, you've got pink cat ears, your hair and muffler are pink too, and your tail…..'

'You mean you didn't think a person who was pink all over could be decent? Haah, you're a lot more blunt than you look. And you seemed as if you wouldn't hurt a fly.'

'I-I'm sorry.'

It wasn't good to judge a person just based on their appearance. And as proof of that, this punk-looking gun maniac cat had shown Alice an unexpectedly normal sympathy. At the very least, he had acknowledged Peter's existence as the nuisance that it was, and had understood the pitiable position Alice was in.

That alone made her happy. If there was just one person that would acknowledge that her feelings were not abnormal, Alice felt as if she wouldn’t lose sight of where she stood just yet.

‘I didn’t mean it in a bad way. In the world I used to live in, there weren’t any people that had pink hair or animal ears. So when I first came here, I wasn’t sure how to deal with those kinds of things.’

‘Hmm~ And now?’

‘Now……’

She was about to continue and say for now she didn’t hold any prejudices towards animal men, when Boris started to hold her hands tighter.

She immediately tried to free herself, but couldn’t. Boris drew closer to her while grinning as if pleased.

‘H-Hey-’

‘Listen. I’ve thought of a good idea.’ Shaking their held hands up and down enthusiastically, he spoke. ‘You’re having trouble because of the Prime Minister, right?’

‘Well, yeah.’

‘Then, he just needs to give up on you.’

‘If something like that was possible, I wouldn’t be having such a hard time. No matter what I do, he’s never discouraged, that guy.’

‘Really? It may be easier than you think. Like….. You and I could declare that we’re lovers in front of him.’

‘—What?’

Alice tilted her head, and stared back at the golden eyes that for some reason, shone with excitement.

‘Who are you saying are lovers?’

‘You and me,’ Boris repeated himself, as if it were no big deal.

‘If you have someone special to you, even the Prime Minister himself might have to change his tune a little, right? It would be best if he saw that there was no chance at all of you giving him the time of day.’

‘............’

Setting aside any comments she might have on the content of Boris’ plan of action, she could see that it did make a certain amount of sense.

It was possible that the reason Peter’s passion had yet to abate, was that he still had a ray of hope regarding a relationship with Alice. Although Alice, for her part, did not at all remember doing anything that would have caused him to have any such hopes.

‘It may be as you say, Boris.’

‘Right? So then……’

‘But I can’t.’ Alice stated her refusal point-bank. ‘Much as I would like to do something about Peter, I don’t really want to tell a lie like that. Even though you went so far as to think up a countermeasure to help me, sorry.’

It wasn’t as if Alice necessarily felt guilty about lying. She simply didn’t feel as if she had the confidence to do a good job of it. Getting their stories straight beforehand, conducting herself so there would be no contradictions, just thinking of the effort it would take to get her mind around all the details made her head hurt. Frivolous lies only caused more trouble.

‘......Uwah. You really are such a square.’

Boris sighed as if exasperated. He was probably thinking she was rather inflexible.

‘And anyway, I’m not saying we should lie. We should just make it the truth, and not a lie. If we’re lovers for real, there won’t be any problems.’

‘Huh?’

Alice frowned. What was this cat saying?

There very much were a lot of problems with what he was saying. A whole bunch of them. She didn’t think he was being serious, but for a pickup line it was too thoughtless.

'Well, for now, whether it's true or not doesn't matter. It'd be better if it was for real though.'

'Um, I appreciate the thought, but I don't plan on-'

'No need to worry. I'll make it good.'

In high spirits, Boris gave Alice a wink.

'I was getting sick of hunting mice, so it's good timing. Sometimes it's good to play with a different kind of animal.'

Next - Chapter 2

#heart no kuni no alice #hnkna #alice in the country of hearts #peter white #alice liddell #heart no kuni no alice sunny day sunday #heart no kuni no alice translation #boris airay #julius monrey #mary gowland #otome game

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real-godzekiel · 1 month

Text

forgot to post here OMG

continued character designs. again, more info below cut.

If you don't know Erin, go through this first! If you still can't understand, just know that it's an "ooo evil scary horror AI" character i made specifically about the interconnected fear, pain and loneliness on the internet. Erin's still silly, thank God, so don't be afraid that they're going to be too grim! Either way, Passage.EXE is not necessarily Erin, but it's one of his billions of branches. Desmond'll get it from the Huddled Inn Free Wi-Fi, Jesus Christ. It's a thing that will first only mess with Desmond's computer screen, and then spread to the game interface itself. Very much the reality-bending, manipulative, lobotomy-type shit you should expect from Erin. Erin's also ex-lovers with girl_Ghost before girl_Ghost even knew Phutredhaz. Blue shiny fuck just loves breaking the hearts of horrors beyond mankind's imagination. (any "bitter exes" joke regarding girl_Ghost is not completely canon!!!!! uh.) Gameplay-wise, you don't click the windows. Close the windows. Don't go in. Unless you're obsessed with IHNMAIMS-like hellscapes with added metaironic insanity, maybe.

Shitting Sheryl will be in the hotel girl's bathroom. You know which stall she's in, as text will appear to tell you where it stinks worst. Have friendly conversations with her. Maybe she'll give you items or drop some lore. Most likely she'll find you annoying and jumpscare you dead. Best OC I ever made.

Bookkeeper has a real name. It's. Ok, so she is a past accountant in the hotel, but now all the other clerks are gone. Now she does all the stuff, including the management of all the files, records and similar. No, she's not a head on a clump. That's an image. It does that sometimes. She's nowhere, not exactly. Sometimes in a book, sometimes on a website. Kind of fucked up in a head but relatively sane. Not a lot of power is on her hands anymore, unfortunately. She keeps records of all staff and entities on an online filing system. You can access it! Yes! (Did you know that Huddled Inn is an unabashed imitation of every horror media ever?) Unfortunately, again, she writes in a really biased manner. Lots of passive aggressive comments littered in all of the files, especially when it comes to events and staff. Entities, a little less so, since a few of the fuckers have enough power and knowledge to gain access and edit all the pages as they please. (Erin and girl_Ghost, mostly) Please don't think it's her when Nick's page description is changed to a copypasta. It's not her. Does not know how to feel about Jenny. Taunts him endlessly.

Umbras are shadow creatures made from pencil and pen drawings of children that were past guests. Intelligence is that of the average husky. Combination of wolf and deer. This concept art is as detailed as they tend to get. Usually, their appearance is even more vague and abstract. They hate the dark, but has to stay in it to survive. Usually hides in the woods. An Umbra drinks blood, and eats nothing. Quadrupedal. Likes windows. So, if it's getting dark at night remember to keep on the lights. And also keep some fresh back-up bulbs, while you're at it. They have pretty pokey limbs.

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reddragon-cowboy · 1 year

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for both niah & spike : Are there any certain scents, sounds, or textures that you like? What about ones that you dislike? / What are some weird interests or hobbies you have that people probably wouldn't expect you to have? / What scares you the most? And if it really happened... how would you deal with it?

☠ ― 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝐶𝑎𝑛 𝐴𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟. | open [ omg you get all my muses thoughts thanks you're the best <333 ]

Are there any certain scents, sounds, or textures that you like? What about ones that you dislike? /

❝ That's a funny question. . . ❞ his voice spoke flat with a heavy ounce of disinterest. Oh yes, definitely funny, one could observe the way boredom rests in his half-lidded eyes. There were various amounts of textures, scents, and sounds yet to be discovered by the human experience. The lists were endless and could go on and on for an eternity. Even for the small list of what he knew, laziness makes the bounty hunter less inclined to shift and maneuver through his mental memory bank that involves one's senses.

❝ But I guess I like. . . cigarette smoke, on account of I like to smoke, probably shouldn't tell Niah that though. ❞ He also like the smell of strawberries, rain, and roses. ❝ Mmm, music ? That's a nice sound. And something soft I guess. ❞

This was a bit easy, and unlike her bounty hunter friend, Niah willingly offers to share without much trouble. ❝ Mmmm, well, I do like the sound of birds, especially in the early morning hours. It's a sweet sound, I think. . . ❞ Memory recalls the numerous times where she woken up to natures harmonic melodies, a bit beyond glass barriers in which birds whistle and tweet a marvelous song that praises dawn morning-light in their own feathery language.

❝ The smell of rain is also nice, ❞ brown eyes veers only slightly off center, her gaze reminiscent of a faraway look where she gets caught in a daydream as rain pitter-patters fall behind her eyes, ❝ it's. . . relaxing for me. I usually sometimes read a book or work on some poetry when it rains. And I do like soft things. ❞

What are some weird interests or hobbies you have that people probably wouldn't expect you to have? /

Spike hears the question. He does. But he's ( purposely) slow to answer, instead, chooses to stick his pinky finger into his ear canal with a deep twist within. And his eyes fall close as he contemplates whether he wants to respond with any valid truth. ❝ You think you being a little nosey ? There's something you hope to gain from all these questions or something ? ❞

He was unfamiliar to this, the concept of offering pieces of himself that pertains to his interests, mainly due to the fact the people he surrounds himself with ( Jet & Faye) don't stop to ask questions to better know another. They all just kept to themselves in their own world, eyes drawn and pulled into the past as their reality, either drowning in the muck of it or running from it. ❝ I like to roller-skate and read. Is watching t.v and taking a nap also considered a hobby ? ❞

Her head tilts to one side, then the other side, all while being bombarded by a series of interests that skip about along with myriads of abstract thoughts. ❝ I don't think I'd call them weird. . . but. . . I do like wolves, ❞ she takes a second to pause, ❝ also snakes. Is that kinda weird to you ? ❞ She couldn't help the question that utters in mildness and curiosity about their perspective of her.

❝ I guess I only ask because people don't expect me to say I like those things and they usually ask me why I do, maybe because the animals seem like the opposite of myself from how people might see me as this . . weak girl or something. ❞ She starts to ramble, and something simmers in her earthy eyes where a touch of emotion starts to swell there. ❝ I don't know. . . but there is more to me than what I choose to give out. ❞

What scares you the most? And if it really happened... how would you deal with it?

Unlike the other questions that bobbled casual elements atop shallow waters, this one veered off into the deep end. A question that may or may not cause a light shudder to crawl up his spine once thoughts surfaces and swarm like a herd of locusts, reigns control of his mind. But his face leaves a blank canvas, lips pressed into a fine line and eyes hooded that brew something serious and sober within his empty gaze that became devoid of emotion, colorless.

This inquiry doesn't suit one's interests to bare a single fear that produces a silent scream in the darkest depths of his soul--he hears its echo within the soft yawn of restless nights where eyes weigh heavy and ache for slumber, when sleep doesn't descend yet hovers above him as does a cloudy mist. The ominous threat of transforming into something less human, lose another shred of whatever humanity he desperately holds onto by a loose thread, could easily slip through fingers smeared in blood or tear apart, break in two. No eagerness to share a slither of a crumb of it, couldn't as well in the same vein, bear to breathe aloud fear of harming a hair on her head .

❝ Think I'm done here for now. That's all you're gettin outta me. ❞

Full lips press together as her tongue lay flat and quiet, gaze slowly drawn to her lap, long lashes falling low to rest half-lid. She could never correctly tame the onslaught of emotions that rushes to cling onto every corner of her visage, ever visibly displayed for anyone's view-- how well the hand of sadness paints abstract strokes after dipping the brush in pensive watery color.

❝ I guess ending up alone. . . forgotten. ❞ And as something simply insignificant. Was all her heart could lament about this topic, not certain as to how she could deal with the prospect over a longer period.

#thank you dear for asking for both of them it means a lot #sorry for this word vomit though. spike and niah both get lost in their heads sometimes #spike is more dramatic though #alaikhadal #ic <> spike #ic <> niah #[ poetry in writing | niah meta ]#[ heart wounds | spike meta ]

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thinkin-bout-milgram · 2 years

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Tear Drop: Initial Thoughts

Hey, Venus here again with my off the cuff and early morning/late night theory!

So, on the whole, I feel like Tear Drop gave us a lot less to work with than All Knowing and All Agony. AKAA had a lot of new information as well as some really clear graphics, whereas this one I feel like expands upon stuff I was already pretty sure about. In any case, I’m going to do about the same thing that I did with Haruka and go through my various thoughts and overall standing on Yuno.

Yuno is being portrayed as a cat for some reason.

At the beginning of the MV (0:15), we see a cat silhouette in white light turn into a silhouette of Yuno with the cat ears like hairstyle. I have actually no idea what this is supposed to mean, but figured I’d toss it out there.

Yuno has stopped seeing things through rose colored glasses.

The rose colored glasses initially show up on the stuffed animal she receives as a gift from one of her lovers. The stuffed animal looks at Yuno through these, probably reflecting her clients; the clients see her through rose colored glasses as the “poor naive little girl.”

However, she takes those glasses for most of the MV, seemingly looking at her work through them. Look at this! Her work gets her money, and it’s not all so bad. Clearly, it’s fine.

Obviously, this is a bit of a front as she cries and the song is called Tear Drop. At the end, after she breaks the rose colored glasses and starts looking at reality, she seems much happier, right? She’s breaking free.

Yuno doesn’t think of her clients like real people and establishes no connection with them.

The thing that interested me the most here was how the different Yunos interact with each other. At the beginning, the Yuno in lingerie (who I'll be calling the real Yuno here) seems almost mad on behalf of the Yuno dressed in white, who appears like nothing more than a doll (0:59). Then, the two Yunos go to bed. Later on in the video, though, the Yuno in white gives a cold real Yuno a blanket (2:07).

I think that the white Yuno is basically a doll to her, given that it's a front that lacks personality. The scene where they go to bed illustrates that there's no emotional connection there, that it's just her by herself emotionally in those moments. However, as the blanket scene illustrates, Yuno gets what she needs from the relationship: assets in the form of money, and perhaps more importantly, warmth.

Yuno's first MV had a focus on "let's reload the warmth," and there's a similar idea behind the line at 2:24: "the fading warmth makes me anxious again." A blanket is a perfect symbol for Yuno, because in her line of work, warmth seems to equal survival. She needs warmth to stay alive. Here in Milgram, she's become cold. I wonder what that'll mean?

Yuno probably had a lot of abortion scares and did nothing to change it.

I’m still not sure about that “hellish” comment, but this is the best I can come up with, really.

Saturn saw a note by @snakeroll that I totally agree with. At 2:45, the windows behind Yuno look like this:

They look like pregnancy tests. However, because pregnancy tests are usually one line for not pregnant and two lines for pregnant, these are probably tests that are coming back negative.

Still, the fact that she’s seemingly taken at least four negative pregnancy tests if not more means that Yuno is regularly worried about the concept. That means she’s probably not really using much of any contraceptives and has to check basically after every single time.

Assuming Yuno does eventually get pregnant, that does show some irresponsibility on her part. Still, especially if it’s abortion, I still don’t really see how that could possibly stack up to the real murder that others have committed...?

If anyone gets the shots at 2:15 or 2:21, let me know. I feel like they mean something important, but I don’t really get what.

Vampire???

The Yuno vampire cover was really weird, and more importantly, the cover for vampire is in Yuno’s MV. Is this symbolizing the cover getting more important? Is it emphasizing the vampire aspect, that Yuno is gaining by taking away from others? I’m not sure what it’s doing there, but it’s making me uncomfortable.

Current vote: INNOCENT

I don’t see what Yuno did wrong??

Right now, I feel like she’s in a state of self loathing because she feels she, as an unapologetic woman who’s had to use herself to get what she needs, cannot possibly be innocent or forgiven by society. I disagree.

I want to tell Yuno she’s valid! Barring something terrible in the audio drama, I’m currently intending to continue her on her innocent path.

Let me know what y’all think!!

#milgram #ミルグラム #yuno kashiki #yuno milgram #milgram theory #admin venus #btw if you realize some of this is the same as a youtube comment that's me #i post to both #but yeah will do a full theory like the haruka one i posted today once i get my hands on an audio drama translation #this one kinda baffled me though #i don't feel like we actually learned that much #which kinda concerns me with the whole hellish thing #like yeah she should've used protection but... ????

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katyspersonal · 2 years

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🅱️loodborne creativity tips

- Don’t take for granted a word from a youtube loredigger that barely scratches the lore surface, he is probs wrong anyway. People who care usually lurk on hellsites like this one.

- Don’t feel pushed into accepting a most popular interpretation of a character, or most popular theory, or most popular ship. Try to sit and reflect and understand what you want. Trust me it’ll pay off.

- That’s me if I had a coin every time someone whitewashes Henryk:

(you get the point. check the face datas: ( x ))

- The more you neglect the ‘but it is a videogame logic’ and ‘creators maybe were lazy’ and instead use what you are given - the more interesting ideas open!

- Don’t rely on localisation team and instead always consult direct retranslation ( x ), you really don’t wanna trust people who created ‘Even the Doll, should it please you’ or made Kos (or some say Kosm) sound as though she is connected to the concept of ‘cosmos’ when that’s L + not true, or said that Emilia was Amelia or missed god knows how many nuances. HIRE FANS FDJHDSsdfsd

- There IS a timeline, Miyazaki is just a sick sadist even if he swears he is a masochist! Communication with other fans is a key.

- Don’t be scared to interpret Eileen as not black (only one of her like 5 VAs is black, nor VAs bind the character), or to interpret Maria as bi/pan/straight/aro (canon says jackshit about her orientation) or to interpret Yurie/Julie as not asian (not only her name is Julie, but also her data suggest a blonde gal) or whatever. Trust me normal fans at worst just won’t care is all. Ones side-eyeing you are aggressors that think most common interpretation = obligation and you don’t NEED approval of people like this. Just don’t insult the more accepted versions because if you call them “token diversity character!!!!! >:(” I will evict you from this plane of reality.

- Try to write your Adeline as if Maria didn’t exist. And try to write your Edgar as if Micolash was instead a stereotypical super ultra crazy 12 year old anime girl. And try to write your Henryk as if Gascoigne never knew him nor cared. TLDR; make sure characters are still interesting and written even if their popular ships are not possible.

- If you love Dark Souls a lot and want to connect the verse with Bloodborne, there are actually many incentives, not just Chester seemingly being a Hunter and ‘Deep Sea’ theme! Like go for it, the ‘well AKTUALLLLLY’ territorial redditors don’t know shit.

- If you check ‘Gehrman the first hunter’ tag know it is often lore inaccurate hate anyways and you risk just getting upset. However do post good stuff under this tag if you have something good to say about the character. We’ll weed em out eventually lets go lore accurate fans lets go

- It is absolutely ok to have "generic” design on Laurence or Adeline or Rom or whatever! Obscure characters we never seen as humans are a hassle to draw the fanart of, so more or less popular designs just speed up communication through fanart.

- If you want extra lore, check translations of latin lyrics and/or internal filenames! Did you know Ebrietas’ lyrics both refer to Mensis ritual and have ‘fair maiden why do you cry’ in it, or that Amygdala is ‘evil god’ but One Reborn is ‘failed evil god’?

- Don’t ever do the ‘but nobody cares about this character so...’. EVER. Post that character. POST them. Post ideas about them. Talk about that character. Huge chunk of Bloodborne cast is neglected. It’s been seven years and still no coherent stuff with Henriett, Gratia, Forgotten Madman, Yahar’gul Hunters, Dores, Research Hall ladies that kick your ass before you enter it etc etc. Trust me supply creates demand. Post that obscure character. (Please post them dsfghgfds ;-;)

- Shipping Adella and Arianna is the same as shipping Alfred and Annalise. No ship-shame here but if you adore one and hate another, think about why you do. Overall avoid the biases that boil down to ‘the wrong thing is only wrong if it is hetero’.

#bloodborne #/hs #text

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seddm · 2 years

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are you a sashannarcy stan?

AMPHIBIA'S FINALE SPOILERS BELOW

Not an easy question for me to answer.

I'm a simple man, easily swayed by what's more "canon". If you asked me what my favorite ship from the show was during S2, I'd have said Marcanne. Now that the show is over, I'd probably say Sashanne: their interactions and overall arcs got both more screentime and depth than Anne and Marcy's one, and some of the most emotional scenes in the series involved the two of them (Sprig doesn't count, that's cheating).

But things aren't that simple: while fans can find a lot of subtext in the show, and maybe the slightest of hints of possibly something more coming in Marcy's Journal, the show itself never put "girls" and "romance" in the same room. Not among the three of them, nor with any other character in fantasies or flashbacks. Matt himself acknowledged this:

“I love shipping, I feel like it is the greatest expression of love for characters, you’re really thinking about them romantically and what’s best for them [...] with our three leads, we have worked very hard to keep things very open and never commit because the last thing I would ever want to do is ruin somebody else's headcanon or ship for no reason. That’s destructive for me because oh my gosh all the fighting and the arguments. So for me, especially in this story that is ultimately about friendship, and their friendship dynamic is to end the show in a way that is constructive and open. That’s basically what I’ll say to that is how we’ve worked very hard to have empathy for the people who are shipping these characters and at the same time do right by the show and its themes."

And in a way that's good, less to worry about during the run of the show. But that also leaves me with a problem: the three girls were way too likeable and their interactions too endearing. I'm left with a trio of characters that scream to me "sold together, do not separate", but the show itself (despite the hopeful ending with the promise of a better, closer future) tackled the problem of life clashing with friendship, of stuff getting in the way and people moving and work life and school and our time on this Earth being limited and so on - in a word, of change, the main theme of the story. And that won't do.

In the perfect happy world of cartoons, to make me happy, the three girls should stay together forever and ever, but that's hard. Being in a romantic relationship absolutely isn't a requirement for a "lifelong devotion" to someone else (mutual, obviously), but it's the standard in the overwhelming majority of cases, at least in the modern way of life in most of the world. A job opportunity might mean you have to say goodbye to your friends and move away, but your spouse will usually move with you.

Aligning this concept with my personal bias was much easier with SVTFOE: by the end, Star and Marco are A- in love B- friends C- have displayed multiple times that being together takes priority over just about anything else in their lives D- in a world that has no immediate reasons to separate them

Clearly this doesn't mean nothing would ever change should Star and Marco and their world somehow take life and continue independently, but as far as the reality of the shows goes, the very last scene closes on their "happily together ever after".

Things are harder with Amphibia: I love the characters, I'd like to imagine them together forever, and their status at the very end of the canon was "indestructible bond, still partially physically drifted away for a time because life is like that, they meet again and it's like nothing ever changed, they're happier than ever".

With these ingredients, what can my little brainspace concoct? Personal preference, the very first thing that comes to mind, would be "Sasha and Anne in a romantic relationship, Marcy somehow always being close to them, maybe first as a roommate, then as a neighbor in some sitcom with almost daily shenanigans". But then I feel like that puts Marcy in a position of "third wheel", something that made her suffer already during their pre-Amphibia days; and she already moved once, they could be separated by life again.

So I look at the fandom favorite polycule, "Sashannarcy". Historically, as I've been critical of the Star related poliamory couple (throuple?), Star - Tom - Marco. But, in that case, canon gave plenty of reasons to identify a deep imbalance in the dynamics that (obviously we're talking about speculations in my lil' brain based on what the series showed us about the characters, it's not like they're real people) would have spelled doom for the relationship. But that's not the case in Amphibia, or at least not nearly to the same extent.

So all I'm left with is my monogamous bias, my subjective skepticism about the long term possibility of poly relationship, weighing me down from very easily and comfortably jumping on a ship that could (again, in the world of my brain trying to trace the path the characters might take after the end of their lives on screen) solve all my ""problems"" and allow this to be their daily reality

until they look like this

So the short answer to the question is: probably yes and that would be for my subjective best, but my brain isn't fully convinced.

#seddm answers #amphibia #amphibia spoilers

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hopeymchope · 2 years

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Go, Magica ☆ Riders!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been getting back into PMMM a lot lately. And obviously, my interest in the series led me to look deeper into the various spinoffs.

To that end, I’ve been reading Puella Magi Homura ☆ Tamura.

Ostensibly, this is largely a comedic series about the Homura Akemi of some universe/timeline (I don’t think it’s the same one that we know from canon PMMM) as she goes through her journey of many, many, maa-heh-heh-any time loops on her way towards saving Madoka from her fate.

Each time loop takes her into an alternate reality or “Time Flow.” One world might be largely the same, except that timeline’s Homura taught Madoka how to build and wield bombs in combat, making Madoka something of an explosives enthusiast. However, other worlds might be far more wild. There’s one where all magical girl candidates are made aware of the full terms and conditions up front, which has (naturally) severely curtailed the number of magical girls signing contracts. Soooo Kyubey has taken to imprisoning all magical girl candidates in an isolated compound, depriving them of home and loved ones until they sign up.

Sometimes you get drama out of these things, but like I said — these are usually played for laughs. However, some of the time loops, I must confess, don’t strike me as very “funny.” They’re just... awesome? To my point: I would legitimately read an entire straight-faced series about the Magica ☆ Rider universe.

Clearly, the Magica Riders get a MUCH cooler wardrobe than the standard Magical Girl fare. We’re ditching skirts and frills for leather racing outfits here.

In this universe, witches tend to stay invisible most of the time. They only emerge to feed off of innocents when they sense no other magical energies around. And once they begin to ensnare their victims, they put up barriers (called “The Field”) that prevent external entry.

So now the magical girls who contract to battle the witches can’t use their own powers very much. No psychic conversations, certainly, because they’d be sensed from miles away. They can’t even readily pull out their weapons as they approach, because even drawing a magical weapon is enough energy to alert the witches.

To prevent the witch’s escape and eventual re-emergence in a less-protected area, the girls must only use their magic once they’re already inside The Field. And how do they get inside The Field without using magic, you ask? Ah — that requires you to hit the barrier while moving at 186 mph/300 kmh.

.......which is why contracting with Kyubey gets you your very own high-speed motorcycle.

Based on the design of Mami’s bike above and Homura’s bike here, it looks like the girls are being granted Suzuki Hayabusa superbikes. Which is EXCELLENT.

Naturally, not every girl with the capability of wielding magic is also capable of driving at the intense speed required to even reach a witch. But those who can handle it become MAGICA RIDERS.

I want to give the mangaka “afro” a legit round of applause. BRAVO. What a concept. This is both utterly absurd and also incredibly cool! Successful balance achieved! Where do I sign up for a full series?!

#pmmm #puella magi madoka magica #magica rider #magica☆rider #puella magi☆madoka magica #puella magi☆homura tamura #puella magi homura tamura #pmmm manga

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bahamutgames · 2 months

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AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 11

February 2024

Hello hello! 2024 is already almost 1/4th of the way done right? That's pretty nuts. It's been a ROUGH month so far. But we'll keep trucking along!

I played a good bit this month but honestly I'm kind of feeling some burtnout so I haven't been blazing through anything seriously recently. So even in March I will probably play a little less than usual. But we'll see. In the meantime, there's still a good bit to talk about in February!

Also I just wanna mention... these are all a LOT longer than the usual length. I just keep having more and more to say about different games I play, and it might seem like I go on for a LONG time with some of them, but I promise I had less to say than I would with larger games that get their own post. Don't feel pressured to read ALL of it, right? lol

As always these aren’t reviews, just my thoughts, please play anything and everything I talk about if it interests you!

Sonic Rush (November 15, 2005) - DS

FINALLY breaking my way into the DS Sonic games! Rush is actually a game I played a loooong time ago, but I straight up could not beat the last boss of Sonic's run. I beat the whole game but got seriously and completely brick walled there. So I had to give it up, but, thanks to the power of cheating, I was able to finally overcome Sonic Rush!

Sonic Rush is, in my opinion, a SUPER cool game. Absolutely stylish as hell in a way only Sonic and the Nintendo DS could possibly be. It's got nice charming graphics, good models for the characters and good sprites for the enemies, some solid level aesthetics like Water Palace and even duller metal stages like Huge Crisis (GREAT name for a stage) felt unique and cool. The game feels good to play, everything works nicely, boosting is actually a huge help in 2D Sonic I feel like, and I thought the boost bar system where you can trick and hurt enemies to raise the meter was cool. I actually felt like there was a lot to this mechanic I didn't even fully explore, I liked it! Music is, of course, fantastic. This soundtrack is pretty popular and I totally get why. I ADORED the sampling in it, and pretty much every single song is a hit in this soundtrack. Some personal favorites were Wrapped In Black, Raisin' Me Up, and A New Day, but again they're all really good. I also really like the story, it's kind of simple, but I think it's really effective. I'm particularly really impressed with how it handles the parallel universe concept. Rather than having just Nega Sonic and the Nega Emeralds or something basic like that, you get a brand new character to be the alternate reality Sonic. She's completely unique in powers, personality, design, no connection to Sonic aside from being his AU counter. It's REALLY cool and way more interesting than just a purple girl Sonic which is what you would expect right?

However, I have one big complaint with Sonic Rush... It's that the game is HARD!! I have NO idea how I got through it as a kid! Some stages are filled to the brim with irritating death traps, and some stages can get a little long in the tooth, and those special stages felt impossible without the pause trick. But where the game really shows its true colors is in the boss fights. They are TOUGH and they are LONG! Like, seriously, I'm starting to think 8 hits is actually an INSANE number of hits for bosses in a 2D platformer. Some are easier than others, but some are just dementedly hard. I'm sorry to my younger self, I was NOT gonna beat the last boss of Sonic's Story. And if I did? I'd have to do it again in Blaze's. So die, I guess! They're not even bad fights, they're just way too long and expect way too much from you and can sometimes be a little annoying to land hits on. Like the Blaze vs Sonic fight (despite how bad ass it is) or the final boss where you have to knock the drones into Eggman. I also think the stages can be a little boring when they're too similar to each other, even if the game is short it is noticeable when you play the same stage twice.

But, yeah, while this game absolutely tested me and got under my skin sometimes, overall I'd say I had a very good time with it. I totally get why people are so obsessed with it. Is it my favorite 2D Sonic? Maybe not. But is it the worst? Not even close. I'm excited to try Rush Adventure cause I love pirates! And that's the only other non-port Sonic game on DS! Yep! No others! Cool stuff!

Mario + Rabbids : Sparks of Hope - The Last Spark Hunter (June 21, 2023) // Rayman in the Phantom Show (August 30, 2023) - Switch

2 for 1 deal here! I FINALLY got my hands on the Mario + Rabbids DLC! I was very impressed with the base game, so I wanted to try these side stories for a while. Let's start with The Last Spark Hunter!

The less interesting of the two, the Last Spark Hunter kinda was a little odd in my opinion? It's placed right before the final boss of the base game, which was odd to me as I feel like this should've been something that happens AFTER the game? You also go back to a previous planet, which was a bit of a bummer rather than seeing a new planet. I was kind of unimpressed with some of the overworld puzzles, and I personally thought the final boss, while good in concept, just didn't work. Or at least I couldn't figure out how to get it to work. The boss is immune to all damage unless you use bob-ombs to blow up switches, but the bob-ombs only spawn next to the boss, but if you're close enough to reach the bob-ombs, the boss will hit you typically sending all the bombs away, or worse all the bombs will walk up to you and instakill you. Idk I just couldn't figure it out. It's not all doom and gloom though, as overall I did enjoy this DLC. It's got a new warden who is really cute and hot, and even though it takes place on the melodic gardens again it felt very unique to itself. The battles felt good, the new enemies are absolutely annoying as hell but they look cool and I thought they weren't that bad. And Kanya... She's so hot, dude. I love girls with giant sharp teeth and eyebrows, and for some reason I just LOVED Kanya. She's also for some reason a character they decided to give panty shots of, and her underwear has a unique design on it. Sure. Why not. Thanks for the rabbid panty shot, not sure who came up with that but god bless 'em. And speaking of Kanya, while I didn't like the final boss I did actually really like the phase leading up to it where you had to run away from her mech, it didn't have the same issues with the bob-ombs like the last fight did and I actually really enjoyed it. Overall this DLC was good but I personally feel like it needed some slight changes to make it feel more impactful. Kanya deserved to really be her own villain rather than like a random footnote that takes place before the final boss of the base game.

Then we get to the Rayman DLC. I'm not a huge Rayman guy, I've only played one of his games (that I mostly played to get ready for this.) But... damn dude, this DLC blew me out of the water. The story isn't anything mind blowing, and the overworld puzzles were still nothing much to write home about, hell the villain of this one was full on recycled. But, I'm not kidding when I say this, Rayman is SO much fun to play as that this genuinely might be the better DLC just for his inclusion. All of his moves really play around with the gameplay of Mario + Rabbids in really unique ways. From summoning in items, to not being able to equip sparks to make room for alternative forms (which combine nicely with the summoned items) to having CRAZY movement with his ability to grab hooks, Rayman allows for some REALLY interesting gameplay. I was doing some NUTS shit with Rayman, and some enemies I actually beat in 1 turn using all his tools. I think Rayman might be one of the most fun teammates in the Mario + Rabbids series so far, and I genuinely would not mind seeing characters in the 3rd game take some inspiration from his moveset for how to shake up the formula even further. I think this one's story is also just a little better even if it's less exciting and lower stakes kind of. It actually takes place in a new planet, it takes place post game, I really think the movie set concept is funny and works well. And overall I had a great time with this one especially despite not being a Rayman fan!

Overall, both DLCs were good! There's certainly stuff I would have done differently, but both stories were fun and absolutely worth my time. Allegra and Kanya were hot if nothing else.

Kiwi 64 (December 30, 2014) // Macbat 64 (July 3, 2015) // Tasty Ramen Episode 1 (December 15, 2019) // Silver Trigger 64 (August 21, 2016) - PC

A 4 for 1 deal! A whole collection of games!! To prepare for Kiwi 64 : Doomsday, I wanted to play through all the Siactro games I hadn't tried yet so I could properly understand the deep lore when going in. They're all pretty short though so I'll just write a short thing about each!

Kiwi 64 : It's simple, but it's fun. Basically a tech demo but it was cool to go back to Kiwi's origins. You can absolutely see how they've improved in game making since this. Kiwi 64 massively improves the graphics, levels, and especially Kiwi's movement. But for one of their first games? This is impressive, and it's short enough that it's worth coming back to.

Macbat 64 : This one is a bit more interesting. It's also very short, and Macbat doesn't have as satisfying a moveset as Kiwi 64 still. But this one certainly feels like a more full game. It honestly feels on par with other indie 3D Collectathons I've played! And it's even got a pretty neat final boss battle which I wasn't expecting! I also appreciate them keeping all the super creepy shit as bonus post-game content lol. If you only play one of these 4, this is the one I recommend!

Tasty Ramen Episode 1 : This one was very interesting. It's a short horror game where you have to put all the comically oversized batteries hidden around the store back into the generator to return the power without getting killed by the cute bowl of Ramen. It's a little stupid, but honestly I was very pleased with this one. Death doesn't reset progress, and it's not actually scary which was HUGE for me! Where this one really shines is with the super nice PS1 graphics, and of these 4 I think this one does the retro low poly style the nicest. Even the anime cutscenes look scaled down to be on a PS1 disc, very cute.

Silver Trigger 64 : This is a Jam game and as such, is the shortest one. But a game is a game so I still wanted to shout it out. This is an on-rails shooter styled after Goldeneye, but I thought it actually has a pretty interesting gimmick to make the game a little more difficult. You're encouraged to shoot as little as possible, meaning you really have to pay attention and not have an itchy trigger finger. It's simple and really easy but I had a good time with it and I wouldn't mind another light-gun game attempt from Siactro in the future honestly.

Super Kiwi 64 : Doomsday (January 26, 2024) - PC

But all of that pales in comparison to the most important game release in 2024! Super Kiwi 64 was a pretty fun game I played last year, so I was VERY excited to learn it was getting DLC! A whole free story line no less! You love to see it!

Doomsday is very similar to the base game. You're still running around and collecting collectables in small maps with the same nice controls and graphical style. In fact the first level REALLY feels like a level from the base game. But I was pleasantly surprised with the new cowboy level! In addition to giving Kiwi a cowboy hat, it has new mechanics like swinging from a lasso and is a BIG level. Larger than any of the stages in the base game, with a lot to find. I was pleasantly impressed! I also REALLY liked the final boss! I think Siactro actually makes some really nice boss battles and I'd love to see them do more especially in the upcoming Toree Saturn.

But where this DLC really shines is the story. It's got nice cutscenes, and even full voice acting which is very surprising! And it even gives a nice little ending to the King Melon Saga which has played out over the course of Kiwi 64 and Macbat 64 (play them if you can!) The story is quick, this DLC is very short, but it gets a little crazy honestly lol. I won't spoil it, but it's just neat that there's like cosmic stuff in these games? I'm genuinely interested to see if the ending of this will tie into a potential Kiwi x Macbat crossover game where they... yknow... do what's teased at the end of this.

This DLC actually even goes back and corrects problems with the main game. Such as actual cutscenes like some actual context to the game and a satisfying ending. But even smaller stuff like voice acting and time trials! I particularly REALLY appreciated those new story scenes though because that was a BIG issue with the base game.

My only main complaints with this DLC are the complaints I had with the base game. Mainly, no maps for the areas, and no hints for the missions. Again, I get it if you don't want it in the first playthrough, and the worlds are mostly small enough that maps aren't required. But I feel like giving hints and maps as a post-game reward would be really nice and appreciated.

Other than that? Another Siactro banger, this DLC is free so if you haven't played it, or were waiting for a reason to pick up Super Kiwi 64, this is your chance!

Megaman Legacy Collection Volume 2 (August 8, 2017) - Switch

It's Mega Madness once again! I've finally played through Legacy Collection 2 and, with the exception of 11, have played all the Classic Megaman games! Unlike Legacy Collection 1, these are actually different enough that I feel like I can give thoughts on each on their own. So let's start!

Megaman 7 : Fun fact, this was my first Megaman game ever! I used to play it on the SNES when I was a kid, and even though I actually could beat the opening stage after enough practice, I never beat any of the robot masters lol. But now I've come back and beat the whole thing! I've heard this is the worst Megaman, but honestly? I thought it was fine. The sprites are nice (though Megaman's sprite is forever a Smash Kingdom character to me lmao) and the music is nice. I'll be honest though, I actually don't remember most levels in this game, so maybe that's not a good sign! I do remember the one that had Ghosts N Goblins references in it? And I remember the Wily Stages being really really annoying and the Wily Capsule being needlessly hard in this one. One thing I particularly REALLY liked was the ending, where Megaman genuinely wants to kill Wily but just can't bring himself to do it. I think this conflict of Megaman seeing that the only way to truly keep people safe is by killing Wily, and his very fundamental coding saying he can't kill humans is FASCINATING. But sadly, it seems to be a weird translation quirk because it's never really followed up on lmao. Bass is cool though.

Megaman 8 : I gotta be honest, I was actually kind of impressed with this one! I remember feeling like Megaman X4, even though I liked it, didn't FEEL like a Playstation game to me. This one though, kind of did. It's more of the same, and the anime cutscenes have some NUTS voice acting, like, more than the memes make you believe. But the actual in game sprites are NICE. Like, the mets have so many frames of animation. I think this game looks pretty cool! And I think having the robot masters actually talk was kinda neat even if it's a little pointless. I think the plot is neat too with the weird evil energy and what not. I do think some of the levels had pretty irritating gimmicks sometimes. Like the snowboard sections or the parts where you press buttons to get a little platform through lava. It's maybe not groundbreaking for the first Megaman on Playstation, but I thought it was neat. Getting to see the fan made designs for the robot masters in the credits RULED, by the way. I loved that. Also why was Aqua Man gay coded?

Megaman 9 : The shining return to form for the series after so long and... man... idk about this one. Some people told me they really loved this one, but idk man. I understand why they went back to the NES style, these games came out in an era founded on nostalgia bait. And I imagine it made the games WAY easier to make. And I was hoping these games would be visually REALLY good. Because Megaman 4/5/6 are true NES games, but looked so good I actually thought they were SNES games playing a trick on me. Sadly though, MM9 doesn't have interest in taking the graphics style of the NES games into insane heights with the new technology, and instead plays it safe with simpler aesthetics. It's a shame in my opinion. Also, the gameplay is massively stunted here in favor of trying to be more like MM2. That means no dashing, and no charging, and worst of all, no quick weapon selecting. It makes the game feel clunky after playing the whole series right beforehand. I think this game could've been more interesting if it tried to use the simpler style to push Megaman forward, rather than bringing it backward. I will give it genuine props though, they don't remove any characters from canon and all the bosses/stages are fully original. Which rules! Compared to something like Sonic 4, which was made with a lot of similar goals in mind, MM9 isn't totally soulless, at least. Though I think its story brings up some HORRIFYING implications about how robots are treated in this series, especially after stuff like the Robot Museum in 7. Idk.

Megaman 10 : That was a lot lol. 10 I have a little less to say about. It's very similar to 9, I have a lot of the same problems with it. But thank GOD there's a quick weapon select this time. THANK YOU. It also does do some interesting unique stuff with the series as it lets you play as Protoman in the main story, and even Bass if you beat the game. Similar thoughts with the bosses and stages. Very similar game. I think the story in this one is more interesting though with the Roboenza, I liked the plot of Roll giving up her medicine, I do think it's a little lame that Wily is the villain cause while his plan is REALLY good and evil. I think having Wily genuinely have to help you for real would've been cooler. This one is fine though.

WOO, that was a lot. Apologies. Overall, these games are fine but I did think they were a little tedious in ways I didn't find any of the other games. And I think that comes down to this collection just... Not being as good? There's so few accessibility options, the only one is more health, and this is the ONLY collection that actively shames you for using it as it puts a little logo on the gameplay, not even on the border. It's so frustrating and NO other MM collections do this. Similarly there's no rewinding, no save states, you're at the mercy of the game's checkpoints which can be really far apart. And you can cheese this system just as hard as it can screw you over. I'm not sure why this collection just randomly doesn't feel as nice as the others, ultimately I feel like I could've just emulated these 4 and gotten more ease-of-access options. Oh well. Still glad I got to play them I suppose.

Nickelodeon Allstar Brawl 2 (November 7, 2023) - PC

This game got a free weekend this month, so of course I HAD to jump on it and give it a shot! I enjoyed the first one, but was so burnt by how barebones it was that I barely stuck around to try any of the free DLC (and especially didn't bother buying any of the payed DLC lmao). So I was really not confident in this one despite how much better it looked. And when I first played this free trial, I felt like my worry was justified. I did NOT enjoy it when I first played it. I thought it felt odd, and the story mode was too hard and a roguelike (a genre I dislike) so I just was thoroughly unimpressed. But I wanted to try it with a friend of mine who was into it, and decided to play it with them for a few matches. And I'm SO glad I did. Because playing it with a friend made the game CLICK. And it clicked HARD!

NASB2 is a little difficult to figure out at first, but once I got the hang of it, I was actually REALLY impressed with it. For starters, it makes a TON of improvements over the first. Actual voice acting, actual items, actual stages with actual stage hazards, and actual costumes for the characters. It's a HUGE step up over the first. And this also really shows in the unique gameplay, particularly the Slime Meter. This mechanic is INCREDIBLY cool. It allows you to roman cancel and burst, I'm not kidding, just like Guilty Gear. This game feels like Rushdown Revolt with Spongebob. But it also lets you use the slime meter to upgrade your moves to give them alternate effects, which reminds me a lot of Killer Instinct 2013's shadow meter. And of course, it also has final smashes when the Slime meter is full. I actually LOVE this concept of bringing in universal traditional fighting game mechanics into a Platform fighter. It's fun, and it feels GREAT! It can make this one feel confusing and daunting, I personally still feel like I don't fully grasp the extent of this mechanic, but it is GOOD and makes the game feel GREAT. The game also just looks better with some AMAZING models and animations, there's nothing that really sticks out as being super ugly unlike certain animations in the first game like Spongebob's taunt. The animations and references here are seriously SO good and this one feels like it was allowed to be a labor of love way more than the first one was.

The story mode is, yeah, a roguelike. And I'm still not super fond of that. But I actually did have fun with it. I feel like I didn't enjoy it as much as I could've just because it's REALLY Danny Phantom focused and I've never seen that show. But it is neat and I was really impressed with the fact there's actual minigames, as well as the amount of upgrades you can unlock for your fighters, and the amount of enemies that appear in the story mode. Like, even Chum Bucket slaves from the Spongebob movie, really random, but cool! Where the story really impressed me was the fact that EVERY character has unique dialogue for the cutscenes, and Clockwork and Vlad (and maybe the other characters?) actually have unique dialogue in response to each fighter. This is NUTS! Like, I played as Reptar who only talks in roars, but the characters always addressed him as Lizard and would be like "Somehow you make yourself perfectly clear" and other silly jokes like that. It's small but it's neat!

The roster overall is cool but it's a little hit or miss. Both games have tried to be a little out of the box rather than just picking the big names, which is great. But you do get some odd choices like Azula being there but no Toph or Zuko being pushed to DLC so there's 3 fire benders and no Toph. Overall though, I do think their approach to odd choices works well like Grandma Gertie makes a TON of sense. They bring in some much needed series like Angry Beavers and Jimmy Neutron, and a lot of the characters are pretty fun. Spongebob is great, I think Jenny was neat. And of course, Reptar, who was my main in the first too, is back and is still FANTASTIC! But my favorite newcomer, by far, is Plankton. He is SO interesting to play as and has a ton of really unique moves. Like his up smash being a grab? Or his down smash being a projectile? It's SUPER random, but it's cool! This game is cool and Plankton and Reptar are genuinely fun and are so much more fleshed out from the first. Also, as a side note, I actually secondaried Garfield and Korra in the first but I don't like their moveset changes this time lol.

But yeah the game isn't exactly perfect. There's still only 3 costumes per character without unlocking anything. Meaning 4 player dittos will just require 2 people to be dressed the same. It sucks. The items also are not that interesting honestly? I'm glad they're here! But I feel like they could be forced into the match a little better? And similarly while it's GREAT to have Final Smashes, the animations in them are easily some of the least polished parts of this game. I wouldn't mind an update that really fixes them up. And while the roguelike mode did grow on me and you can make it easier with upgrades, I still think it's REALLY brutal especially if you don't play as your main. I straight up could NOT beat story on texas tough even though I was able to beat Arcade on it no issues. Each run is also just a bit too long for my taste. I think maybe instead of 3 individual worlds, maybe one world that's long but shorter than all 3 worlds separate would've been nice? And maybe some different world themes so you're not always fighting the same bosses and enemies. Idk. Also, still forever salty that they only use the 80's TMNT stuff. I get that it's nostalgic but it's also maybe the worst of the 4 cartoons and has so little to work with when compared to any other series. I appreciate that a lot of it is inspired by the beat em ups this time. But idk if you have to make April's final smash the spirit bomb, maybe just consider using things from outside the most limiting TMNT series thusfar.

But yeah! I actually ended up having a really good time with this game despite my initial feelings! I was actually kind of sad when I woke up on the 19th and the free trial was over lol. I'm not a huge cartoon watcher but I do enjoy them. I used to watch a lot of Spongebob on DVDs I rented from video stores and Rugrats on VHS tapes my brother had. I used to watch a lot of bootleg episodes of Invader Zim and Angry Beavers online. And genuinely, Avatar and TMNT are some of my favorite things ever created currently. And similarly to Smash Bros, playing this makes me interested in some of these other shows I've never seen. I've never watched Danny Phantom but Ember is SOOOO hot I might honestly have to check it out.

I talked too much about this one. Mr. Meaty for DLC thanks

Killer Instinct (October 28, 1994) - SNES

Oh of COURSE I had to play this the nano second it got added to NSO lol. For anyone who doesn't know, Killer Instinct is my favorite original rareware series, by a long shot. Killer Instinct 2013 is not only one of my favorite fighting games but one of my favorite video games period, and I have TONS of fond memories playing the original SNES version with the black cartridge when I was a kid. So I was very excited to play this version again even though I own the way superior Arcade version on my Xbox lol. Originally I wasn't gonna write anything about this but I just had to gush about KI for a bit.

I still love this game. Yeah, it's pretty inferior to the Arcade version. Yeah, it's been completely outdone by 2013 (play KI 2013). But there's still something so magical about this one. I still think it looks very impressive, the 3D is cool, I like how weirdly chunky all of these old designs are even if they are very 90's and not as good as the 2013 designs (play KI 2013). I love the crunchy audio from the announcer, voice clips in old games are always SO impressive to me. The music is awesome, even back on the SNES before Mick Gordon got here, the soundtrack is just so damn good! I played as Sabrewulf as a kid and I kind of hate myself for that cause he has so many charge moves which I suck at using lol. But I also found myself really liking Glacius! My main in 2013 is Spinal and I think he's better to use in that game (of course it's way more modern) but similarly my other 2 favorite characters (and probably the 2 I'm better with if I'm being honest) are still Sabrewulf and Glacius! Some things never change!

My only real issues when coming back to this version is that it's SO HARD! I played on normal difficulty cause... I'm cool. I like KI. I know what I'm doing. But DAMN, later on into the arcade ladder they will knowledge check the fuck out of you. If you don't know how to Combo Break (something I can't even do in 2013) (play KI 20-) you WILL get destroyed. And of course, I don't like a lot of stuff in it as much as I do 2013, but like it's from the 90's of course the design sensibilities are very different.

But again still it's so magical to come back and play this game I was so obsessed with as a kid and just remember how important it was to 2013 which was a game so important to me as a teenager. 2013's ost wouldn't be as good if Mick wasn't a HUGE KI fan. The designs for the characters wouldn't be some of my favorites of all time if the original hadn't made some crazy as hell character designs. And KI 2013 wouldn't be potentially one of the most creative fighting games ever made if some weirdos at Rare weren't like "hey why are there no raptors and aliens in fighting games?" way back in the 90's. This brand of creativity stuck through all the generations to give us crazy shit like Aganos and Hisako years down the line.

Idk where I'm going with this. I love this series. If you haven't tried KI because you're not an xbox guy, but you do have NSO, I IMPLORE you to check it out. It's still fun, it's still cool, it's still creative, I still think it holds up surprisingly well. I would love to trick some people into playing online with me sometime soon. Please get into Killer Instinct, it deserves your attention! The raptor can eat an ice alien, for crying out loud!

#roundup #2024 #thoughts

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agent-gladhand · 1 year

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for the emoji oc ask, for anton (or whoever pops into your head first!): 🌌🚲🎀✏❄🍓

🌌 - Anton

Anton was actually inspired by a game of Pokemon Crystal Clear (Pokemon Crystal rom hack, very fun, look it up!). Started off as just one of the save files I was playing and then going "Hm, but what if I make an OC", and he eventually just started existing. Definitely a lot more changed from the initial concept for him, he used to be just a less smug Pokespe Gold, but then the PLA brainrot set in, and then the Submas brainrot set in, and then everything just becomes a big dark void after that, and now here we are! Also, first thing I decided about him was he worked on the Magnet Train, because in Crystal Clear I went everywhere on foot, no fly, and that had me riding the train a lot because I challenged all the gyms via a randomizer for an added challenge!

🚲 - Anton

Yup! Anton owns a bike while he's living in Goldenrod, he'll usually uses it to ride to work, usually when he's running late or he feels like he could use a bit of exercise. The rare time he has to leave Goldenrod, like to go visit his family or run a favor for Gold, he'll take his bike to make the drip easier if he can't catch another form of transport.

🎀 - Anton/Samba/Fau

Getting all the goobers together for this one-

Anton, I could see easily somewhere in the worlds of Ace Attorney or Ghost Trick, though he'd likely end up being a wrongly accused defendant or a victim in need of saving knowing his luck! Samba, absolutely could fit in Professor Layton, to him, his work is like putting a puzzle together to reach conclusions, and he has enough of an odd touch of whimsy to him to fit right in the world. One Piece also feels like a fun pick for him, give him a bumblebee Zoan devil fruit for fun, because why not. Fau feels like she'd be right at home in One Piece as well, slap some Armament Haki on that girl's fists and let 'er rip. Also Fullmetal Alchemist, I feel like she would just have a lot of interesting relationships between other characters!

✏ - Anton

A lotta parts of "Hi Ren" by Ren reminds me a lot of this boy, especially the first verse, makes me think of part of his inner conflicts and how he feels like Cinder views him.

Hi there Ren It's been a little while Did you miss me? You thought you’d buried me, didn't you? Risky… Because I always come back Deep down you know that… Deep down you know I'm always in periphery Ren aren't you pleased to see me? it's been weeks since we spoke bro, you know you need me You’re the sheep, I'm the shepherd Not your place to lead me Not your place to be biting off the hand that feeds me

❄ - Anton/Fau

Anton feels like he does come off as cold to others, since he's at least aware that the way he outwardly emotes with his face can be difficult to read at times, and his voice doesn't often have much inflection. In reality, people often find him awkwardly endearing, especially if they can get him on a tangent about certain subjects. And while he doesn't emote as much with his face, his body language is often quite expressive for him, though like with many things, he doesn't quite notice that well. For Fau, she's actually more opposite where she feels like she comes across to people as very caring and dedicated, while most people tend to think she's got a bit of a ruthless and harsh personality. She can be rough outwardly, but that's just the mama bear instincts in full throttle.

🍓 - Anton/Samba

Anton's not particularly picky about food unless it comes to meat, or if it's something very bitter; he enjoys fruits and veggies/berries a normal amount. If he had to pick, he likes sweet cantalopes and corn on the cob most, and enjoys a good Occa or Kasib berry when used in pastries. Samba has an insatiable sweet tooth, rejecting any and all veggies unless it comes paired with a sweet sauce to drown out the veggie taste. His favorites are gala apples and tomatoes, with his favorite berry being Watmel.

#this one took a hot minute because I had to double check the berries page which I already had bookmarked because I have problems #ask game #ask hand #leavingautumn13 #oc: anton #oc: samba #oc: fau

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makeroomforthejolyghost · 2 years

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while i'm on the subject of things that annoy me about disability discourse

i don't love the trend of disparaging posts that say to an implicitly able-bodied audience, "you should support this innovation that benefits disabled people, because it has cool benefits for other people too!"--

you know, the trend of like, "we shouldn't have to convince abled people that we deserve these things, shouldn't set the precedent that everything is For Them and only incidentally for us" &c. &c.

because like. yeah, it'd be pretty cool if there existed not a single person to whom "this cool thing can help you do x" made a more convincing argument than "this cool thing improves the lives of people you've never met" but like. that's now how humans work? different people will respond to different arguments. hell, the same person can read the same argument on two different days and respond to different parts of it each time

so it just seems kinda. pointlessly idealistic, i guess? to criticize an argument for the fact it has fail-safes, redundancies

especially because this same or at least a similar crowd can usually appreciate the position that, like. it benefits disabled people to popularize an item meant to serve their needs by selling it also to abled people, since a. that makes the item cheaper and easier to find, and b. it means disabled people are less likely to feel Visibly Weird when using it

but it seems like a lot of people are only comfortable w/ that concept in the abstract? which, hh

to be fair? if one of my also-young classmates started using a cane, and then when i brought it up in small talk with them i learned that they only used it to make an Aesthetic Statement or whatever. not gonna lie, ttttthat would disappoint and embarrass me quite a lot? but.

it would embarrass me in the same way i'd be embarrassed if i tried to small-talk with a classmate about their pokemon shirt, but when i asked them if they were looking forward to scarlet and violet they said they don't actually play pokemon anymore, they just liked the shirt for its nostalgia factor

i would definitely have to talk myself into thinking of it as a more important kind of disappointment than that, you know? rather than just a difference of degree. which--i don't think i'm immune to doing that! depending on my mood i absolutely might want to take comfort in the rationalization that this sensation becomes Different, more special and important, when it's about a mobility aid than when it's about a video game

but i don't think i endorse seeing it that way. in reality, i think it would embarrass me more only because using a cane already makes me self-conscious, and playing pokemon doesn't.

and idk maybe i'm just low-key fearmongering or something but when i see this "don't let abled people get away with only thinking an item is cool if they can use it too" sentiment, i feel like that's the norm they're encouraging:

the norm that Fake Disabled Girl (i.e., able-bodied person using a cane as a fashion accessory) would be a more important and objectionable phenomenon than Fake Nerd Girl (i.e., person in pokemon shirt who doesn't play pokemon)

#things i should hate thursdays

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linetennis64 · 2 years

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#date

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mademoisellehypergamy · 3 years

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✨ CREATING A PERSONA FOR HYPERGAMY & SOCIAL CLIMBING ✨

The votes are in and “Persona” won! Ladies, get the notebooks out. Class is in session. And this is gonna be a long one.

Be honest with me: Are you currently your ideal woman? The majority of you will probably answer honestly and say no. And there’s nothing wrong with admitting that. The harsh reality is most women on their hypergamous journey aren’t even close to being the ideal woman they aspire to be. Hell, the average woman (hypergamous or not) will probably live her life never being able to become that woman, if we’re being completely honest here.

I believe every hypergamous woman should create and adopt a persona. You are who you believe to be. When I was younger, my teachers and parents told me I was academically gifted. So guess what? I believed the same! That pushed me to work even harder in school. Same concept applies here. You are who you believe to be. A persona isn’t a “fake” version of you. It is you. Your ideal person. It is malleable, so it can change at anytime. Just like you changed throughout your life.

STEP 0 - WHY YOU SHOULD ADOPT A PERSONA

✨Not Everyone Will Win the Birth Lottery. But that doesn’t mean you can’t rewrite your past, and repave your future path. Let’s face it: some of you were born into bad circumstances; abusive families, poverty, toxic relationships, obstacles and barriers, etc. And some of you are living lives currently that you aren’t satisfied with: stressful job, health issues, bad environment, *insert sob story here*, blah, blah, blah, woe is me! But should your current and past conditions get in the way of your hypergamous journey? No! Absolutely not.

✨You Can’t Be the Same Basic B*tch Forever. Okay b*tch, when you were being “true to yourself” in the past, look where it got you. Probably in a less than favorable situation. Congratulations for being an authentic basic b*tch! 🥳😊

Ladies, change is necessary. When you started your hypergamous journey, you underwent a change. Are you saying your hypergamous self is fake? Of course it isn’t! It’s still you, just an “elevated you”. One that is more aware and knows what she wants.

✨ Most People Don’t Even Know Who TF They Are. It’s sad, but true. Most people are lost and suppressing their true desires and personality. I’m here encouraging you ladies to create your ideal persona and to become this woman. Because this woman is who you are deep inside, who you want to be. Stop hiding her! Create her, and become her! As long as this person isn’t harming anyone, there is no reason you shouldn’t chase your dream self.

STEP 1 - CHOOSE & CREATE YOUR PERSONA

This is the fun part ladies! Time to choose and create your new persona!

✨ What Kind of Woman Do You Aspire to Be? Have fun with this ladies! What kind of woman have you always dreamt of becoming? Is she wildly intelligent and beautiful? Or perhaps she has a heart of gold and is adored by all? Nothing is off limits. This is you.

For those of you who are truly struggling, below I have included a few examples of common personas. If you don’t know where to begin, choose one as the “foundation” and build on it. Make it your own!

*Disclaimer: Anyone that I mentioned/included below is simply for inspiration. Not all of these women are hypergamous. This is just for inspiration*

1. The Socialite/ The “It” Girl: This is the girl that everyone knows. She’s always at a party with a glass of champagne, wearing the latest styles, and living the BEST life. She’s glamorously unattainable and few have access to her, but somehow she’s a part of every social circle.

Inspiration: Jamie Chua (https://www.instagram.com/ec24m/)

2. The Traveler: This is the girl that travels constantly. Whether it’s across the globe or to a different state/town, she’s always on the go! No one seems to know how she funds her lifestyle because she always appears to be traveling and never working. Her pictures are always on point and high quality, with a combination of bikini pictures, relaxing scenery, exotic foods, and endless hotels.

Inspiration: Jennifer Tuffen (https://www.instagram.com/izkiz/)

3. The Influencer: Think of the ultimate Instagram Baddie; perfect body (usually because of surgery), full lips, carefully applied makeup, nails always done, hair on point. She is sponsored by all the clothes brands, and lives lavishly. She’s always out at a restaurant and traveling. Typically dresses in more revealing clothes/lots of bikinis. What differentiates her from the Socialite? The degree of elegance and class. While the Socialite gives you an “heiress” vibe, the Influencer is more on the “flashy celebrity” side.

Inspiration: Kaylar Will (https://www.instagram.com/kaylarwill/)

4. Femme Fatale: She rarely posts on social media, but when she does, it only makes you question her existence more. This girl is beautifully sensual, and her social media only reveals bits and pieces of her life. She is an entire mystery, no one knows about her private life. One day she’ll be flying from London, the next she’ll be visiting an art gallery She’ll sometimes post images of gifted roses with poetry captions. She oozes seduction and dark mystery.

Inspiration: Dita Von Teese (https://www.instagram.com/ditavonteese) Now I thought long and hard about who to choose for this one, and if you take a moment to look at Dita’s IG account, you will understand why. You will notice that the ONLY thing she posts about is her clothes/lingerie brand or things relating to business. She reveals nothing about her personal life. Every post is promotion about her business. In fact, the last time she posted something about her “life” was on October 8th when she posted her CAT modeling another designer’s scarf. She’s a very discreet woman, and it works in her favor.

5. Girl Next Door: You know that basic b*tch that’s SUPER popular for no reason? This is her. From her Starbucks to her Tiktoks, she’s just your average girl living her life. In a way, she isn’t a threat because she seems approachable, relatable, and friendly enough through social media. Something about her aspires others that they can achieve a similar lifestyle. She’s terribly basic, but somehow, it works.

Inspiration: Loren Gray (https://www.instagram.com/loren/)

6. Exotica: *This persona is best suited for women of color* She is exotically beautiful and unique. She is a trendsetter, not a follower. She has an air of heightened sexuality, with a touch of grounded-spirituality. Something about her is wild and untamed, and she oozes excitement and adventure.

Inspiration: Monica Leon, or “Danger”. Now if you’re in my generation, you may remember the reality show “For the Love of Ray J” (which was ghetto btw💀). To this day, one girl that I will NEVER forget on that show, was “Danger”, the girl with the tiger tattoo on her face and that NO ONE liked, but Ray J was obsessed with. Although she no longer is on Instagram (and has since legally changed her name), I still believe she naturally embodied that exotic and mysterious woman persona. I recommend watching the show for free on Youtube just to observe her (and only her because the other women were pickme’s 💀)

7. The Luxurious Diamond: This woman is the epitome of class and elegance. She exudes femininity and grace, and holds an air of mystery by only showing us bits and pieces of her life. What we see is soft luxuries, wineries, beautiful clothes/scenery, and a life of comfort. She balances a mature, elegant, ladylike presence, with subtle girly-youthfulness.

Inspiration: Г-жа Анисимова https://www.instagram.com/creme_de.la_femme/

✨How Does She Look Like? From her hair to how she wears her makeup, be able to create a vivid description of her appearance. Being able to do this will show you where to work on with your current appearance.

✨Personality We all have traits about ourselves that we don’t like. This is your chance to identify your traits that you love and maximize them, while also working on the aspects of your personality that are a bit more problematic.

It’s important to recognize that some “negative” traits are not really negative. Society just shames us for them. For example, “The Socialite” persona may be polite, but that doesn’t mean she’s super open and friendly with everyone. Not everyone is her friend, and she is naturally unattainable. So why would she be super friendly to everyone? Some may call her “standoffish”, but I call it “selective”.

✨Past Self? Not a Problem. So let’s say you had a less than perfect childhood and endured a lot of trauma. Not a problem, just reinvent your past! Now I’m not saying to straight up lie and make up a crazy story about how you grew up with billionaire parents and traveled the globe. I’m saying adopt a realistic story that’ll help you on your journey.

For example, if your date were to ask about your past, instead of telling him how tragic your childhood was and how you were homeless and abused by your parents, and no longer have a relationship with them, you can say: “I moved around a lot as a child (“homelessness”), so I really enjoyed being able to interact with a lot of different people (make the negative seem positive). My parents still move around a lot, so it’s hard for us to meet (explains why you aren’t in contact with your parents).

Reword and reframe, ladies. Not everyone needs to know everything.

STEP 2 - BRING HER TO LIFE

✨Remove. You cannot embrace your new persona, your new IDENTITY, if you are still stuck in the past. And that includes past connections that do not serve you. Some of your old friends (college friends, childhood friends, etc.) are not meant to accompany you on this journey. And that’s OKAY. Same with other toxic relationships in your life, family included. You will have to decide who to keep, and who to distance yourself from.

✨ Social Media! I’ve mentioned this in an earlier post, but social media is the easiest way for you to push your new persona. You control the content that goes on your social media, so even if you haven’t fully embodied your new persona, you can sure as hell fake it on social media.

- Unless your persona is a socialite/influencer type, avoid posting too often. - Be consistent; if you retouch your images, make sure its consistent with all your photos. - Be mindful of what people tag you in/post about you. You know that “friend” who always posts the ugliest pictures of you? Yeah. They’re not your friend, hun.

✨Dress. The. Part. Okay, sis. You can have the personality down perfectly, but if the look doesn’t match, no one will buy it. Your look is the first thing people notice, so invest in it. It doesn’t cost a lot, especially with fast fashion sites like Shein that sells clothes for $5. Just be able to keep up the appearance.

✨ Immerse Yourself in the Environment. Looking the part and having the right personality is not enough, ladies! It wouldn’t make sense for you to be a “Socialite” sharing pictures of you eating at Red Lobster and Olive Garden every night. It wouldn’t make sense for the “Traveler” persona to share only bathroom selfies in her apartment. You have to live like the woman you aspire to be, and that includes placing yourself in those environments.

If you are not in the place financially to do so, learn to project the image without spending money. Ex: If you can’t afford to go to Hawaii, go to your local beach and take bomb ass pictures. Don’t tag the location. People will automatically see a beach in your picture and assume you are on vacation traveling. Get creative, ladies.

✨You Owe Them Nothing. Ladies! Remember you don’t owe anyone anything. Not an explanation, not your time, nothing. So if you are living this new persona and people are asking questions you don’t want to answer: don’t. This is your life.

STEP 3 - YOUR PERSONA WHILE DATING HYPERGAMOUSLY & SOCIAL CLIMBING

So now that you have created your ideal persona, and taken the steps to incorporate it into your life, how can you use your newfound persona to aid you on your hypergamous journey and while social climbing?

✨Infiltrate New Circles. Your persona should be someone exciting and enticing. People love befriending people who are happy and adventurous. Use your persona to befriend others and enter new social circles. You can do this through: - Social media; follow similar accounts to yours and interact with them. - Activities related to your persona; Let’s say you adopted the “The Luxurious Diamond” persona and started visiting wineries. You may notice when you go that there are regulars; identify the regulars and use your common interest of wine to strike a conversation. -Interest groups; join clubs/groups that help you reach your goals. For example, “The Traveler” may have always wanted to travel to Bali, but didn’t want to go alone. She joins a travel group to meet other likeminded inviduals and meets a travel buddy. This person ends up introducing her to others who also enjoy traveling.

✨ Be a Chameleon. You should never be set on just one persona. Like I said earlier, your persona should always be malleable. You should be able to change yourself to your benefit, and always be open to expansion. When it comes to dating, a man may “want” a certain type of woman, but the secret is that most men just want a woman who is open to possibilities. I remember a man who used to be on my roster who loved music. This man was always insisting on taking me to operas and symphonies. And he too was a musician (I really don’t like dating musicians, but that’s a topic for another day), so whenever he was performing he would have me sitting in the box so I’d have an “undisturbed” experience. Now ladies, I’m not into music AT ALL. But I was open and willing, and guess what? The man adored it, and he adored me even more! He spoiled me like crazy and would serenade me with music he wrote about me because I was his “muse”. Although I ended up ghosting him, I definitely appreciate a good opera now!

✨Be Larger than Life to Entice. The attractive part about these personas is the fact that it feels almost fake. The image that is portrayed is almost mythical, like something out of a fantasy. You can’t believe this girl is traveling so much, or you can’t believe this girl still has a social life in the middle of a pandemic! It’s unbelievable, but that’s what makes us so intrigued. Men especially love fantasy. That’s why many men have a “dream girl”, a woman that embodies their physical and emotional fantasies. They love the impossible. It’s also important to remember that you are always being watched. People see you, whether in person or on social media, and when they see someone or something more interesting than their mundane life, curiosity will get the best of them. They’ll be drawn to you and want to know you.

✨ The Persona Advantage. Creating a persona is supposed to help your journey. The purpose is to reinvent yourself into someone who will help you better navigate your hypergamous life. For example, if you are trying to get into more exclusive, affluent circles, creating a persona who is skilled in social and dining etiquette would be more beneficial than a persona that’s an Instagram Influencer. Being an Instagram Baddie that wears Fashion Nova won’t help you at a Charity Gala. So be sure to think of what you desire in life to shape yourself into that. Don’t just become someone who won’t get you to where you want to be.

This post will definitely have a Part 2 in the future, but in conclusion: You can be whoever you want to be as long as you play the role. Be an actress in your own life, and live the life you desire.

Well ladies, I’ll be away for Valentine’s day weekend. Wishing you all a wonderful and safe weekend ❤️ Lots of love.

Follow my IG for more: @mademoisellehypergamy

#mhlessons #hypergamy #hypergamous #black hypergamy #hypergamy tips #black femininity #keptwoman #kept wife #spoiled girlfriend #spoiled gf #spoiled heaux #black girls in luxury #black women in luxury #luxury lifestyle #black women in leisure #black women in femininity #sugaring tips #sugaring

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potter-imagines · 4 years

Text

Left Waiting at The Three Broomsticks (Fred Weasley x Read)

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader

Request: Hi! I was wondering if I could have a Fred Weasley imagine where he pisses off his gf somehow and so she gives him the silent treatment and only talks to literally everyone (including George) but him so he gets all jealous and pouty lol. Eventually he gets her to start talking to him again and then it’s all fluff etc. Hopefully this wasn’t a confusing request! Thank you!! :)

Warning: Tiny bit of sexual content towards the end, little bit of swearing, kinda angst at the beginning ?? and a lil towards the end ?? I think that's all, a lot of fluff scattered about

Word Count: 9.5k (I am so sorry I got carried away)

Two hours. Y/n had spent two hours waiting for him. Two stupid hours on a Saturday night that she could have spent elsewhere making something productive of her day but no. The last two hours Y/n had been seated in a small booth in the corner of The Three Broomsticks waiting patiently for her boyfriend, Fred Weasley.

The thing that infuriated her the most was that it was his idea in the first place! Originally, the couple had planned a stay-in date in her dorm room for the night before, Friday, but other plans came up. Fred got tangled up in a prank with George that had landed him in detention with Snape for the night. Yes, it annoyed her but what could she do? It wasn’t like Snape would excuse Fred because she tells him they have a date. If anything, Snape would hold him back longer.

When Fred and George were finally dismissed, it was nearly eleven at night and Fred was sprinting down through the dungeons to the common room. Their arrangement was for eight and he was praying to anyone listening above that she was still awake, but not furious at him.

Skipping up the transporting stairs, Fred basically shouted the secret password at the Fat Lady making her narrow her eyes at him. She swung open, not without muttering about how rude he was, and Fred jumped inside. Ten or so students were scattered around the common room, chatting amongst themselves. Hermione, Ron and Harry sat around the couch near the grand fireplace. They sent Fred a wave, which he frantically returned. The golden trio watched in curiosity as Fred darted up the stairs of the girl’s dormitory.

Hermione looked back to the group and asked,

“Wonder what that’s about- he seemed in a hurry.”

“Heard him and George got detention. They put stink-bombs in the Slytherin common room! Heard it stained some of the furniture maroon!” Ron chuckled at his brother’s antics then resumed his debate with Harry over their thoughts on the Quidditch World Cup happening every four years. Harry tried to explain the concept of the Olympics to Ron, but Ron was too focused on how amazing it would be for the World Cup to happen each year. Hermione went back to her studies, blocking out the mindless bickering of the boys.

Above the common room, Fred Weasley was scurrying to his girlfriend’s dorm room. He hoped Angelina and Alicia were out so he could be alone with her. Their time spent together had been oddly less than usual the last few weeks. Fred had no change of heart- actually, he found himself falling more in love with her every day, but their final year at Hogwarts was creeping up from the woods and he was working on a dream career behind the scenes with George that was eating up his time with her. He had shared this idea with her before- but it was just an idea then. Fred and George planned on putting their dreams to action once they finished up the next year. He wanted her to come- George did as well, but he didn’t want to mention it until it was a reality.

Reaching his destination Fred took a second to compose himself. A thin line of sweat was forming near his forehead. This was the first chance he had to take a breather since detention ended. Fixing his dark robes Fred knocked against the door, quiet enough not to startle her but loud enough to hear.

“Y/n… Y/n… love, are you awake? It’s Fred-“

Abruptly, the heavy wooden door cracked open and a weary looking girl poked her head out into the quietness.

“Darling, did I wake you up? I’m so sorry.” Fred stepped forward and wrapped the girl in a tight embrace. Y/n’s head fell against his chest out of instincts. His arms fastened around her waist as he invited himself in the room, slowly walking her back.

“Here, go back to bed, love. You look exhausted.” Fred led the sluggish girl to her familiar bed. Throwing back the covers, he readjusted her pillows so there would be room for him to fit as well. Fred then walked back to Y/n and took her hand softly. Kissing the back of her hand, Fred helped Y/n get into bed then slipped in beside her. His arms snaked around her body without thought. The naturalness of holding her in his arms made Fred feel confident in his dreams of starting a future with her. All the tension in his body collapsed when she leaned into his frame. Fred held her close and kissed the side of her cheek lovingly.

“I’m sorry about detention tonight but I promise I’ll take you out Saturday, alright? We can have a date at Hogsmeade and spend the night together, does that sound nice?”

The sleepy witch gave a tired mumble and nodded her head. She was cuddled under a stack of blankets, wearing Fred’s sweatshirt which made him smile. He’d usually crack a joke at this and tease her but, she was already asleep when he looked back to her. Fred couldn’t help but stare at her for a while. There was never a moment that went by where Fred didn’t think of Y/n as anything other than beautiful but in these moments, she looked ethereal.

Moonlight poured in from the open window and splashed across her s/c cheeks. Her hair was sprawled against the white pillowcase. Fred smiled at the sound of her light snores. Fred wouldn’t leave until he was sure she was deep asleep. It was their thing. She hated going to bed without him there.

“Okay, I love you, Y/n. Get some sleep, angel.” Fred whispered.

He pecked her forehead, then kissed her lips gently. Removing the covers, Fred tucked them back into Y/n so she could keep warm. He closed the open window then tip toed out of the room. Instead of rejoining his friends, Fred decided to head to his room. He felt too guilty for missing out on their plans to go have his own fun. Anyways he did have a Potions paper coming up and if he was going to spend the day with you Saturday, he surely wouldn’t be doing any homework.

So, the plan was confirmed the next morning, Friday. Y/n ran into Fred on her way to breakfast and they discussed where they’d meet and a time. They ate breakfast together, walked to class, then headed in different directions when six rolled around. Fred had a Quidditch match and she had a group project, so they didn’t cross paths for the rest of the night. Even though he refused to admit it, Fred absolutely hated when Y/n missed one of his games. His favorite thing to do was search for her in the stands during each game and it made him sad not to see her smiling face standing out in the crowd. Y/n entered the common room around midnight and went straight for her bed. Gryffindor had lost so there wasn’t a single housemate sitting in the common room. She could only imagine how upset Fred must be, she’d be hearing about it tomorrow. Y/n giggled to herself at the recollection of Fred’s angry rants about his teammates to you in private. She basically crawled to her bed, dreaming about the handsome, goofy, witty twin that had captured her heart.

Which would bring us to Saturday night. Fred and Y/n had made specific plans; they were to meet at The Three Broomsticks at seven then hangout for a while and spend the rest of their night sneaking around the castle with the help of The Marauder’s Map. Fred had practice at six so he was planning on meeting up with the girl at the pub. Y/n expected him to be running late- it wouldn’t be Fred if he didn’t show up a good twenty minutes late.

Only Fred never showed up at seven thirty, not at eight, and by the time nine neared, he was still nowhere in sight. The Three Broomsticks would stay open for a few more hours but the thought of sitting there alone for any longer, jumping at the sound of the door every time it opened, it made Y/n feel less than sane.

Throwing a handful of coins on the table, Y/n thanked her server then exited through the front doors. The walk back to the castle wasn’t long but being with Fred made it a lot more amusing. He’d pick her flowers, give her piggy back rides, play games, race, and hold her hand the whole walk back.

This time, Y/n walked alone hugging the material of her raincoat to her chest. A light drizzle had been pouring on and off for most of the day. Earlier, it was perfectly bearable- hardly noticeable. Although the weather had only worsened as the night grew darker. Hard rain drops crashed against Y/n coat, cascading down her covered arms and bouncing to the wet ground. Her black boots were soaked. She could feel the water rising to her socks, one of her biggest hatreds. Wet socks.

The hood of her jacket only helped so much before the pelting raindrops started to seep to her hair. Typically, Y/n loved the rain. If Fred was here, they’d be dancing right now. But he wasn’t, she had no clue where he was and that was exactly what Y/n was headed to find out.

By the time Y/n made it back to the castle and up to the Gryffindor common room, it was past ten.

Much as Y/n had expected, the common room was lively with energy and conversations. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were all sitting in a circle with Fred, George, Lee Jordan, Seamus, and Dean. A dark bottle of Dragon Barrel brandy and Daisyroot Draught were being passed amongst them. Y/n watched as Fred leaned into his brother’s side, obviously tipsy and slurring his words while he practically shouted to their friends who were only sitting feet away.

His frame twitched with every small hiccup he let out. The whole group was smiling, they were happy. Y/n wondered to herself if Fred even noticed that she wasn’t there. She wondered if he liked it more when she wasn’t there, they were having fun and although the group was also her friends, no one was interested enough to invite her. Biting on the tender skin of her bottom lip, Y/n bundled her fist to her sides. The anger refused to simmer, only continued to boil. Her dripping clothes weren’t helpful to her sour mood.

It wasn’t the fault of her friends, no, but they were bound to get caught in the crossfires. Fred was the one who left her waiting for hours on end. Her chest was tight- livid yet sad all at once. It was an aggravating feel, unfamiliar. Y/n hated the suffocation entering her drying throat. More than anything she longed to handle situations like these in an aloof fashion. The last thing wanted was to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she couldn’t help it. Her head screamed ‘just go to bed, ignore him’ but her heart wanted to scream at him and let him know just how bad he had hurt her. Her breathing quickened, each inhale received a choppy exhale.

For the first time, Y/n decided not to join her friends or to even say a word to Fred about how he stood her up. She was sick of it- completely exhausted and drained from his lack of care and presences in their relationship the last few weeks. If he wanted her as bad as he claimed, he’d find a way to show it. And leaving her sitting alone in a noisy pub while he partied and drank with their friends, showed her the exact opposite of his words.

Diverting her leer from the inebriated group and studied the rest of the room, hearing voices near the sitting area. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were all staring at Y/n in mixed judgement. Harry, Ron and Neville looked concerned by the appearance of Y/n. Hermione on the other hand, she was absolutely flabbergasted, Y/n could see the pity written on her face. You had mentioned having a date night with Fred in Hogsmeade to the four the night before. Harry had invited Y/n to hangout with them and visit Hagrid, but she politely declined and informed them about the special night Fred had planned for them.

Harry and Hermione stood up at the same time ready to comfort the teary-eyed girl. They motioned her over but just as she started towards them, Angelina Johnson noticed her friend who had been absent for most of the night. Setting the bottle of brandy down, Angelina wobbled up to her feet and smiled giddily,

“Y/n! Come- come drink with us! I was wondering where you- why… why’re you all wet?”

As the words fell from her mouth, a crowd of eyes planted on Y/n. Her fists clenched, bone white knuckles visible, at her sides. Angelina scurried over to her friend and wrapped her in a tender hug. If the scenario had been different, she’d gladly join in the fun but there wasn’t an ounce in her body that desired a drink.

Y/n’s eyes found their way to the boy she had been longing for all night. Her lips quivered, the anger and sadness reaching it’s overpour. He looked so handsome, so happy, but it meant nothing to her.

Pulling back, Angelina squinted in confusion at Y/n. The lack of embrace given back had thrown her off. The group had been awaiting her arrival, no one was quite sure where she’d gone off to. Angelina scanned Y/n’s reddening face, noticing the emotions bubbling under the surface.

Moving away, the dark-skinned girl turned to her friends. No one else seemed to notice the offset of Y/n’s attitude.

“Angel, where have you been? I missed you!” Fred’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Quickly standing up, he held his hand out to his girlfriend. Y/n shot a dangerous look to his outreach, then up to his face. Usually she’d find his toothy grin and childlike state loveable but for obvious reasons, it made her irate.

Stepping back, Y/n sternly scowled at Fred,

“Missed me? You’re the one who left me waiting all goddamn night, Fred Weasley.”

A part of Y/n felt guilty for forcing her friends to witness their unpleasant exchange. George was now to his feet standing behind Fred, just as lost as the group he had been sitting with. Despite the alcohol running in his veins, George could sense an argument budding by the second.

“Not like any of you really seemed to care where I was.” Y/n kicked herself for this cold statement.

Her friends weren’t at fault- not in the slightest. But everyone was at risk of becoming a victim to her fiery wrath. In actuality, it did hurt her a little that no one had gone searching for her. It had been hours! Tears welled in her eyes as she took in the reactions of the group. George took his arm off Alicia and nudged his twin.

“What- I don’t know what you’re talking ‘bout, love. I think you should have a drink and loosen up-“

Y/n couldn’t take it. She just couldn’t take it anymore. Scrunching her face, she used every bit of strength to force her salty tears to hide at bay. Although her emotions screamed to be heard and saw right through her façade. Sweeping her hand across her cheek, Y/n caught the stray tears that rolled down her rosy cheeks. Huffing all her emotions out at once, Y/n shook Fred away from her and hurried towards her room.

Fred stood appearing dumbfounded. He could only gawk in perplexity. Blame it on the alcohol, but Fred’s mind was drawing a blank when surveying her words. For most of the night, he was the one thinking she was leaving him waiting. No one else had a clue as to where she’d gone off to, so he assumed she was in the library or wanted some space.

“You’re an idiot, Fred.” Hermione’s sharp voice cut through the thick air. The happiness and drunken laughter was extinct. The girl’s shared an exchange, all confused as to what just happened. The glass bottles didn’t help clear their judgement. Dean and Seamus took small sips from the Daisyroot Draught. The tension was unbearable, it felt wrong for their friends to be a part of it.

George set a hand on Fred’s shoulder, pulling him back slightly. Leaning forward, George whispered to his twin,

“I reckon it’s best if we turn it in for the night.” Fred gave a tug of protest. His intoxicated fought against him though he knew he did something wrong and needed to find Y/n. In spite of his desire to chase after the girl, George couldn’t let him do that. It was obvious Fred had forgotten something and Y/n was more than upset. Sending his brother up to drunkenly apologize to his hurting girlfriend for a reason he can’t even recall, that was a recipe for disaster and would only cause a bigger mess.

“Fred, you’re going to bed. You’re too drunk to talk to Y/n right now, okay? We’re going up the boy’s stairs, not the girls, okay? You two can talk in the morning, maybe you’ll remember where you fucked up tonight by then.”

Suddenly, Fred stop moving and let out a low groan,

“Oh shit… merlin’s sake, I fucked up, George. Oh my god- Hogsmeade… shit! I told her we’d meet at Hogsmeade and I forgot-“Fred whipped around in his discombobulated state. Everything clicked at once. Fred had been so concentrated on Quidditch that once practice had wrapped up, his exhausted body dragged him back to the common room out of muscle memory. It was his typical routine; Quidditch practice, head back to his dorm, shower, change, eat, work on some possible products with George, then hangout with his friends. How could he be so neglectful?

George sent his brother a comforting look then grabbed him by the shoulders, helping aid him up the winding staircase. It came as a shock to him that Fred had forgotten about their date. All he spoke about was Y/n, it was a rare occurrence for the couple to

“So that’s where she’s been all night?” George pushed open the door to their room, looking to his twin sternly. Fred had most of his weight piled on George, trying his hardest to remain upright. Lee had decided to stay back, allowing the brothers a chance to talk.

George helped his frantic twin in the dark room, then gave him a light push towards his bed. Fred plopped down, burying his face in the fluffy pillow. Pulling off his jumper, George threw the large maroon comforter over Fred’s tall frame while he wailed,

“I’m a terrible boyfriend. I planned the bloody date too! I left her-“

“How ‘bout you get some rest? You can find her in the morning and apologize to her and… hope for the best. It’ll give you more time to think of a way to make it up to her. You’re just a rambling mess right now.” The alcohol was not wearing George down. He had been on an adrenaline high since his second shot. This was the first moment of the night where he had stepped back. His tiresome hands rubbed against his face as he made his way to his bed and collapsed on it.

Fred was still moaning on, the sound of his drunken voice making it harder for George to fight back the urge to sleep,

“She’s gonna dump my sorry ass-“

“Go to bed, Fred. It’ll be okay.”

George let out a sigh of exhaustion. The twins had been best friends with Y/n since they were just children, new to Hogwarts and unfamiliar with the power of magic. It pained him to see his brother hurt, but it also hurt to see Y/n upset. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Turning his head, George let out a breathy chuckle at the sight of his twin passed out cold. The worry that dripped from his voice was now gone as he eased into his dreamland.

George wanted to scold him, knock him upside the head for skipping out on Y/n again. He cared a lot about her, she was basically a sister, a triplet to him. If Fred was gonna win her back, it wasn’t going to be easy, George knew this. Y/n was stubborn, and the twins had witnessed this first hand for years, it was a trait they loved, when not directed towards either of them.

As George’s head hit the pillow, all he could do was pray to Godrick that the morning would bring good news.

Sunday morning arrived much faster than Y/n had hoped. A bright, loud, light interrupted her sleep as the gears in her head started to turn. Her mind was groggy, the events of last night were foggy. Warm sunlight broke through the glass stained windows. Y/n wiped her eyes and slowly sat up. Her mouth was dry, screaming for a drink of water.

For a minute, she felt calm- happy almost. The room was half empty; Angelina’s bed was bare and Alicia laid in a star-fish position, a snore sounding from her mouth. The image made Y/n laugh.

Standing up, Y/n’s hands flew above her head as she stretched. She cracked her back, a morning ritual for the girl. Just as she reached for the knob of her dresser, a wave of recollection nearly knocked her off her feet.

Fred had stood her up, of course, how could she forget? The irritated skin under her eyes and nose suddenly made sense. Leaning against the wooden cabinet, Y/n huffed. It was times like these she wished she could crawl into bed and stay there for eternity. Nothing would get better though if she didn’t at least try to fix it.

As quick as the thought came, it had evaporated once more. Why did she have to be the one to put forth the effort to fix things? There was no use in fixing their relationship if Fred wasn’t willing to try too. More than try, Y/n thought. It took a piece of her when she came back to the castle just to see him drinking with their friends, not thinking a thought of her. She needed to see that he cared. His words held no value to her anymore, not until he could prove he meant what he said.

Y/n went through her morning routine like a snail, wanting to drag out her time. Eventually, she was fully dressed and ready for the day. She liked to take advantage of the days her school robes weren’t required. The cooling weather led her to a fuzzy black sweater, and light washed jeans. Sliding her delicate wand into her back pocket, Y/n exited the room and took the stairs down to the common room.

Approaching the bottom of the steps, Y/n could hear familiar voices exchanging hush words. She stepped into the room and was surprised to see the lack of students. The only ones present were sat one the long leather couch on the left half of the massive room. All of their gazes fell on Y/n.

Fred, George, Ron, Angelina, Harry and Hermione were all relaxing- well all of them except Fred. He on the other hand was frantic- disheveled. His knee bounced in anticipation. The clock was sneaking

“Oh, uh, hey Y/n!” Ron Weasley moved his hand side to side, waving to Y/n. The temptation to admire the handsome boy at his side leaped into her heart. Using every ounce of strength, Y/n trained her eyes on Ron, not allowing a single peek at Fred.

“Hey, Y/n/n!” The voice of Angelina brought a perk to Y/n’s head.

“Hi.” She greeted the younger Weasley and her close friend back, then headed for the portrait. Before she could make it half the distance, the tall figure of her boyfriend appeared.

“Angel, how did you sleep?” Fred was by her side in an instant. He was desperately trying to read her expression, testing the waters to see her mood. He had hardly slept, he spent most of the night thinking about this exact moment, when he’d have the chance to apologize and make it up to the girl he loved. “Can we please talk? I’m really sorry for last night, honestly, I am so so sorry, darling.”

Y/n stared at him, or rather, through him. It was like she didn’t see the tall wizard in front of her.

“I’m gonna go study, I’ll meet you with you guys later.”

“Y/n, love-“ His warm hand took hold of her of her own, an action she’d typically love. The familiar grasp sent a burst of comfort in her stomach, but she ignored it.

Wiggling out of his grip, the girl shot him a look of displeasure then rushed off. Hermione chased after her, no one else brave enough to step in. Besides, Hermione was one of her closest friends. Watching the younger girl follow after her roommate, Angelina walked after them. Fred stomped like a toddler having a tantrum as the portrait swung open then closed. He knew he had to do something- anything to get her to talk to him again, and that was his plan.

For a Sunday evening, the school library was relatively empty. A majority of the students occupying the tables were studying away for their O.W.L.S. The exams weren’t for another two months but hardly anyone dared to procrastinate until the last week before opening their books. The stress of the exams was enormous, but the students still had other classes to keep in mind.

Y/n Y/n/l and George Weasley were sitting across from on another at a study table. Three hefty textbooks were open as the two discussed their Potions paper. Y/n had been stuck on hers and George had yet to start so they decided to head to the library together and get it done.

Fred was usually right by their side, his hand wrapped around Y/n’s shoulders, but she neglected an invite for him. About an hour after their exchange in the common room, Y/n had apologized to each friend she had snapped on the night prior. They were understanding, clearly seeing where her frustrations had come for. They also felt bad as she was right, no one had even checked to see where she’d gone, and George especially felt terrible for not searching for his friend.

At least three hours had passed since the two Gryffindors started their study session. Y/n was sneaking up on her last two pages while George still had three left. They collaborated every few minutes, then returned to tranquil silence, scribbling away.

Y/n was in the middle of sharing her idea for the last section of her paper when George’s eyes brighten and he interrupted her,

“Fred, how nice of you to join us.”

Turning in her chair, Y/n found her boyfriend standing behind her with a nervous smile. She hated how perfect he looked, even in the poor lighting of the library. He still managed to make her breath hitch in the back of her throat.

“Hi, Y/n. You look beautiful as always.” Fred announced himself softly. George scoffed teasingly, muttering a ‘hello’ to himself to make up for his brother ignoring him. Freds words were genuine though didn’t make much of a difference. Y/n was still hurt and a compliment wasn’t going to mend that. She needed to feel it, to see him truly show that he cared- that she meant something to him. That she was deserving of his time. Sweet comments didn’t not add up to that feeling.

George closed his textbook, then glanced up at his twin,

“Should I leave?”

Before Fred could answer, Y/n slammed her hand on top of George’s Potions book. Wide eyed and frightened, the boy gaped in shock. Even Fred was taken aback by her unexpecting movement. Leering at her friend Y/n replied,

“No. I want you to stay, we were in the middle of a conversation.”

Fred’s heart dropped at her words. It was heartbreaking to have the girl of his dreams now shunning him- brushing him off with ease. It was driving him mad. All he wanted was for her to acknowledge him, give him a little hope that he can earn his way back in her heart. He loved her, every bit of him loved her.

All he wanted was to make it up to her for his mistakes the night before. He couldn’t stop thinking about the look on her face when she saw him sitting with their friends. She was miles exceeded hurt- more devastated at his negligence than hurt alone.

Maybe it was the fear of meeting the reality that losing Y/n was a possibility, but Fred experienced a new sort of emotion when his girlfriend asked for his brother to stay. Yes, they’re friends, all three of them are. Fred had to remind himself of this like a record on repeat. He couldn’t fight the envy off though.

It made his heart twist as she stared at George. Never did he think he’d be jealous of his own twin, but Fred was livid. The seething stream of covetousness overtook his veins. Fred wanted to be the one you ran to for comfort, not his brother. His entire life he had shared everything with George, Y/n was far too meaningful to Fred for her to be shared.

Now it does take two for a turn of events like that to happen. Fred knew, clear as day, that George had no romantic feelings for Y/n and she had none for George. This was true, but for some reason, it didn’t help tame Fred’s envy.

He knew causing a jealous scene would do no good for anyone, so Fred realigned his train of thought and asked,

“Could I steal you from that conversation, please love? I really need to apologize to you.”

Fred allowed his hands to reveal themselves from their previous position hiding behind his back. When he moved them, a full bouquet of colorful flowers and small green plants of different shapes and sizes. The flowers were a display of fuchsia, pink, orange, red, and yellow. They were beautiful, so beautiful, Y/n thought to herself. She couldn’t help the gasp that slipped past her lips.

Fred had gotten her flowers their first-year dating but since the last month or so, she hadn’t received many of his heartwarming gifts. It wasn’t the monocle value of a present but the thought and attention to care that captured Y/n’s heart. Fred had always been the best at creating meaningful gifts on a tight budget. Whether it was flowers he stole from school grounds, or necklaces he made out of stones she found around the Great Lake. He’d make her perfume- proving rather excellent in the Potions department. He also asked Molly to teach him how to knit in order to make Y/n a sweater. This of course delighted Molly over the moon.

George bit on the skin of his knuckles to keep for laughing at his brother. He recognized the flowers, as did Y/n. Fred had picked them from the garden outside the castle- something that had earned him a detention before. George decided not to comment on his observation, Fred was sure to murder him in his sleep if he put his apology in any jeopardy.

Fred extended the bouquet to his flustered girlfriend. He felt a sense of accomplishment while watching her reaction. It was small to most, but for as stubborn as she was, it was big in his eyes. The girl reached forward, accepting the gift with a tiny smile rising to her lips, one she didn’t force down.

For the first time since the night before, Y/n fully saw Fred. She peered directly at him silently. George glanced between the two, stuck between a dual. Without speaking, Fred took some steps forward and pulled the chair next to Y/n out. He slipped into the seat, the couple still staring at each other. Y/n studied his demeanor, he didn’t push her anymore, but he wouldn’t leave her side. Not that she would tell him but, she was happy he joined in. She didn’t want him to leave, she had missed being around him. Tearing herself away, Y/n focused herself back on the other twin.

“As I was saying, George…”

Fred drowned out the words but accepted the fact that Y/n didn’t reject him from sitting down. She also didn’t set the flowers down for the rest of their study session. The remained clutched in her hands, resting in her lap the whole time.

Monday night came in the blink of an eye. Classes had resumed and the castle was bustling in stress. When the end of the year neared, the time spent sitting through lectures was an eternity, while the weekends flew by. Fred had always hated summer break, actually, that’s not entirely true. His dismissive of break budded around the same time his relationship with Y/n became official.

Their first two years, she would spend the holiday back home in London with her family. She loved her family but once she experienced her first holiday at the Burrow, she never wanted to miss another. Her family was a bit distant, not the warm and welcoming pure-bloods like the Weasley’s, but not as cold as the Malfoy’s. Y/n’s family had no issues with her spending breaks at the Burrow, as long as she had Molly and Arthur Weasley’s approval. Molly insisted each time that there was no need for her to even ask to stay. They accepted her with open arms, ecstatic to see Fred had found such a lovely girl.

The end of the school term was coming up and Fred needed to fix things with Y/n before that happened. She planned to spend the break at his family’s home and he feared she’d take her agreement back if things weren’t improved between them. Spending almost two days stuck in the anger of his love was two days too many. Fred was going to fix this and he planned the best idea he could think of, good thing he had their friends happily available to help.

Unbeknownst to Y/n, while she was resting up from her illness Harry, Ron, Lee and George were helping Fred create his masterplan. Hermione helped in her own way by remaining near Y/n’s dorm, sitting in as the lookout. It gave her an excuse to get her school work done so she didn’t protest.

Alicia and Angelina stayed in the room. Once Y/n started to feel better, thanks to Madam Pomfrey, the girl’s altered Hermione who passed the news along to Harry as the chain continued until it reached Fred. At the confirmation, his plan was set into action. Ron was sent to retrieve the girl after Alicia and Angelina convinced her to get some food from the dining hall.

She walked through the common room then down the moving staircase, when her redheaded friend popped up. Ron scared the girl, making her stumble back, her hand placed over her chest.

“Y/n! I’m so glad I ran into you! No one has seen you all day- Angelina said you were feeling ill this morning.” Ron rambled at a fast pace. Y/n, still surprised by his sudden arrival, took a deep inhale, nodding to the boy,

“Yeah, I saw Madam Pomfrey this morning when classes started. I just had a stomach bug and she said I’d have to wait it out but the medicine she gave me seems to be doing the trick.” Y/n gave Ron a kind smile. Ron was two years younger than her but they had always been great friends. Y/n would travel to the Burrow as a guest of the twins during the holiday breaks, so Ron and her had spent a lot of time hanging out together. It was sweet of him to ask how she was doing, but he didn’t seem that her health was the reason for their conversation.

“That’s good to hear. You wouldn’t happen to be heading anywhere, are you?”

“Just to get some food. I’m starving-“ Ron nodded eagerly, cutting his friend off in the process.

“That’s great! I mean, not great, just… well… uh, follow me please!” Scrambling like a mess, Ron clasped his hand over Y/n’s wrist and abruptly dragged her down the stone corridor. She couldn’t find the words to question him and allowed Ron to lead the way. Her curiosity was far too big to ignore his odd request.

Ron carried on for another five minutes then took a sharp turn, heading for the courtyard. Two figures ran off around the side of the castle in the darkness. Y/n swore she recognized the pair as George and Lee. What were they up to? Snapping her head to the younger boy, Y/n waited for him to fill her in on why he had dragged her halfway across the castle to the freezing courtyard.

“Okay! We’re here- I’m just gonna… head out. See ya, Y/n!” Ron rushed his farewell then ran off towards the direction George and Lee had escaped to. What in the world is going on? Left by herself without any explanation, Y/n threw her hand up in annoyance.

“What?”

Alone in the cold, Y/n wrapped the opening of her fuzzy cardigan against her body, attempting to keep warm. Although warmth entered her vein as a pair of arms snaked around her waist, snatching her backwards into a firm surface. She gasped, thrown off by her attacker and tried to turn in retaliation, but their grasp was far too firm. The familiarity of the hold made her body ease up. As much time as the spent together, she could recognize his touch anywhere. Fred.

His touch released a swarm of butterflies through the girl. She could feel the anger washing away as she leaned her body into his chest, having pined for his arms for two too many days than she was accustomed to.

The tall Gryffindor held her tightly. Moving forward, Fred pressed his lips against the shell of Y/n’s ear. The heat of his breath causing her to shudder as he whispered,

“I’m so happy you came, darling.”

Y/n smirked, looking up at him. The concurrent willfulness of her nature could only carry on for so long until her headstrong demeanor crumbled. A pang of chagrin still grumbled in her stomach but the sight in front of her certainly was a runner in her change of heart.

Soaking in her surroundings, Y/n realized they were just a few hundred feet outside Hargid’s hut. This explained the garden full of massive orange pumpkins. In the middle of the path was a small gazebo decorated in fairy lights and sunflowers. A small table set for two was tucked inside. Small teacup white candles line the path, creating a runway of sorts. Another candle, larger and purple, sat flickering in the breeze in the center of the neat table.

Y/n stood motionless absorbing the creation her boyfriend made- all for her. Speechlessness was not common for Y/n so Fred undoubtably began to second guess if his efforts were good enough. His fears were stomped in a matter of moments when Y/n harshly yanked at the material of his collar and placed a brisk, short kiss to his lips. Fred was startled, losing the opportunity to kiss her back but Y/n didn’t want him to. It gave her a sense of control- they still had issues they needed to work out, but she loved him nonetheless. Besides, avoiding and staying mad at Fred forever? Impossible. In two days, Y/n had to stop herself a million different times from approaching Fred and sharing a laugh with him, or kissing him, or holding his hand and giving him a hug. She didn’t want to fight off the urge anymore- and Fred couldn’t handle the distance spaced between them. Thus, being the motivation for his grand, heartfelt, date.

“I’ll assume that means you like it. I won’t take all the credit- it was my idea, but our friends are the main reason I was able to pull this off. I feel really bad and… I need to do something special for you- I don’t do that enough lately. I forget sometimes to remind you how important you are in my life and how much I love you.” Fred sheepishly smiled, nervously awaiting her reaction.

The small table was set, a new bundle of crimson red roses placed on her seat. To the side of her plate was a small box with a beautifully wrapped ribbon tied to the top. Fred had a special way of showing his love and adoration for his girlfriend, but even this was new to her. Never before had he gone so over the top to prove his feelings to her.

Y/n lifted her hand and intertwined it with Fred’s, smiling up at him,

“It’s gorgeous, Freddie.” The bashful smile made Fred’s heart melt on sight. He had prepared himself for the repetitive rejection she had been sending, so when she whispered those sweet words, his chest tightened, and his pace stopped.

Fred almost fainted in shock at the sound of her voice. He squeezed her light hand and drew it back, forcing her body into his own. Y/n couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips. She missed his playful ways. With the foreheads pressed against each other, Fred grinned,

“I’ve missed your voice, love.”

Although his words made her heart take flight, the reality of her hurt was still roaming. Y/n detached herself from his grasp and rested her hand on the black metal table. Her fingertips fumbled with the white cloth, it served as a distraction only for a short period of time. Fred sent her a sorrowful look. Her shift in moods was confusing to him, he only wanted to make things better.

Y/n sighed and ran her hand through her h/c locks. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply then asked,

“Why don’t you have time for me anymore, Fred?” The question of the night- or rather month. His date was beautiful, absolutely stunning. As riveting as it was, it couldn’t erase the hurt she had been experiencing.

Fred shook his head frantically, dismissing the accusation. He knew why she would think that way, he understood. It wasn’t true, though. Actions speak louder than words and Fred despised the fact that recently, his feelings for Y/n weren’t lining up with his actions. His words could only do so much. But he also knew soon, things would be different. Missing the Hogsmeade date was his fault, and he paid for it. Two days might seem minute to most, but when you spend essentially everyday attached to someone’s hip, two days of them purposely ignoring you and speaking to every soul expect you, it can feel like a lifetime. He realized a few things in this time.

Fred remembered how fun it was to act as if he was still trying to win her over. Gifts, no matter their cost, always brought a gleam to her face which never failed to make Fred grin. However, it was much more entertaining when she wasn’t upset with him and would throw the flirtatious comments right back at him. He was also reminded of how lucky he was to be with Y/n. While she ignored him, Fred found himself envious of every living being Y/n spoke to, as they were not him. When he started engulfing himself in his plans for the joke shop, his effort in his relationship had decreased and this was something he vowed to never let happen again.

“I’ll always have time for you, darling. And if I don’t, I’ll make some. I truly am sorry about this weekend- you don’t deserve that.”

“It just seems like you’re distracted, like you don’t care anymore.” Y/n batted her reddening eyes, finally throwing her worries to the air.

“No, no, Y/n, not at all. I’m so sorry I made you feel that way, love. I’m a terrible excuse of a boyfriend, I never meant to create this mess. I love you so much.” Fred’s head bowed down. It tore him up to know the way his actions made her feel, the only girl he loved.

“I love you too, Freddie. I really do but I can’t feel alone in this relationship. I let our date Friday slide, even though I was annoyed, but Saturday night? I feel like it broke me. Just knowing you forgot about me-“ Y/n fought back the burning sensation in her eyes as the tears began to brim.

The anxiety blooming inside her was clear to Fred. Suppose that was the downside to dating your best friend, they can always tell when somethings wrong. Before a tear could hit the floor, he whisked her to the iron garden chair, then kneels before her, his hands holding her face as if it was a priceless, dainty piece of china.

“I didn’t forget about you, darling, that’s impossible to do. I’ve been… well I’ve been working on something with George for when we leave school next year. It’s real important to me and I wanted to share it with you but I was scared that it might not happen but… if I have your support and you with us, I know it’ll happen.”

“What’re you rambling on about, Fred?”

“Remember how I told you that George and I wanted to open a joke shop? Well, it’s happening… I think. We’re really close, we just gotta make it through next year then we’re free! We’ll have our own joke shop and get to sell our own products and start our future.”

A silence overtook the atmosphere. Y/n’s lips were stuck open in a small ‘o’ shape, eyes glued to the floor. Was he really going to leave her all alone next year? Would they have to break up? Surely, he wouldn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship.

She was snapped from her own mind when her skin registered the touch of Fred’s lips as they traced her knuckles, kissing each finger as he did. His eyes then peered up to meet her own. She could tell he was serious by the feeling of his stare. Then he continued, making Y/n perk up,

“But none of that can happen without you… Y/n I want you to come with me. Move in with George and I, start a future with me. We want you to be a part of the shop. I want you there. You’re the only girl I want, for the rest of my life.”

Her once open mouth clamped shut in a swift motion. Ever since she met the twins, Y/n wanted a future with Fred. Everyone saw it as a childhood crush, but she always knew it was more. She never stopped loving him- never could. Even when his pranks took a step too far over the line. They always found their way back to each other and would work through it. Fights such as the most recent were rare- but Fred’s admission filled in a lot of empty spaces that had left Y/n sleepless for days. Finally, the crushing weight was lifted from her chest as she choked out a shaky breath.

Leaping forward from the chair, Y/n threw her body into her boyfriend’s body and clamped him in a koloa like hold. Fred chuckled in amusement, falling onto the near ground at her jump.

“Why do you have to be so lovable? I hate it. I should be angry with you, but I just love you too much. Besides, I think you did enough suffering.” She giggled as she pinched his round cheeks in her hands. Fred poked his tongue out at her and grabbed at her sides. Y/n swatted his hands away, giving him a stern glare saying, ‘don’t push it’.

Slowly, she leaned down and brushed her lips against Fred’s, smirking down at him. It was a change in roles. In their more adult situations, Fred was typically the one on top with Y/n pinned below him, but that’s a story for another time.

A small, almost whimper, sound came from Fred. He hated being teased- that was his job. Dragging out the moment, Y/n tugged on the skin of his bottom lip with her teeth, earning a groan of approval from Fred. She grazed over his mouth one last time before dipping her head down to meet his and interlocking their lips, still straddling his waist. Fred’s hips pushed towards her core out of instinct. Not ready to give in quite yet, Y/n lifted her body and shifted forward, entrapping Fred even more so in the heated kiss.

They parted for seconds to sneak a bit of air, then continued their needed make out. It had been a while since they proved their love to each other in this way. For the last month, it had been small kisses here and there when the couple had a chance to see each other. Y/n needed his touch- she needed him. Fred longed to have under him, pleasuring her. He desperately wanted to sink his head between her legs and really show her just how much he loved her.

The coldness of his fingertips hit Y/n’s skin as his fingers dug into the sides of her waist. As much as she longed to keep the exchange going, the last thing either of them needed was a detention.

Y/n plucked herself away, a small pout lining Fred’s lips. His hands remained tied up in her own, lying them on his stomach. The weight of his question seeped in like molasses. Opportunities like this presented themselves once in a lifetime, there was no way Y/n was going to let it slip by.

Rolling off his lap, Y/n plopped down on the ground to the side of Fred. Their heads turned simultaneously towards each other, Fred winking to Y/n.

This is what she wanted. To see him care for her, show his love. His attention. It was the one thing she had been striving for but now that the cat, or rather joke shop, was out of the bag, Fred didn’t feel the need to hide anything from her anymore and keep his work to himself. He was over the moon with excitement to have her join George and himself. It was everything he could hope for.

Coyly averting her peer, Y/n asked,

“Do you really mean it, Fred? You really want me to come with you and George?”

Kindly, Fred swiped his thumb under her chin and raised her head up so their eyes were level.

“I wouldn’t want you anywhere else in the world then with me.” The serenity in his voice didn’t go unnoticed. Y/n propped herself up to her elbows and brought Fred in a bone crushing hug. Heavy chuckles croaked from Fred as she smothered him lovingly. He managed to sneak in a tiny peck to her check and she hugged him. Placing her head on his shoulder, Y/n poked the side of Fred’s cheek, commenting,

“You’re gonna be stuck with me forever, Fred, I love it!”

Throwing his arm around the elated girl, Fred just smirked.

“Duh, that’s kind the whole point of you moving in with me.” He replied in a matter-of-fact tone. The night was growing darker and the steady wind was escalating. In an hour, two if they were lucky, Filch would be surveying the grounds in search of students, mainly Fred and George, out past curfew. It was a sport to him, catching students breaking rules and getting to turn them in. It was part of his job, yes, but Y/n hated that he never took it easy on anything for the Gryffindors like he did the Slytherins. Fred looked at the scenery around them and remarked,

“Y’know, angel, as much as I’d love to spend the rest of the night laying with you in my arms, we can do that in my dorm room tonight… in an actual bed instead of dirt. I mean, we didn’t set up this whole thing for nothing! If I knew laying in the dirt would win you back, you should’ve told me!” His sarcastic words were received with a light slap.

“Smart ass.” Y/n rolled her eyes teasingly and started to sit up. Before she could get to her feet, a pair of hands planted themselves at her waist and lifted her. Fred had his moments, but he was always a gentleman to her. His teasing ways were comforting to Y/n, reminding her that they were good now, in comparison to the recent downfalls.

Fred helped Y/n to her seat, then jogged over to his own. He presented the girl with a cake he made for her. Hermione brought him to the kitchens and taught him how to make one. It took about three hours, he burnt the first, put too many eggs in the second, then forgot to add eggs to the third. Finally, on the fourth attempt, Fred created a passable cake. Hermione had no desire to spend any more time in the kitchen, so she quickly frosted it for him, not wanting him to ruin it this far in, then covered it and locked it in the fridge. Much to Y/n’s surprise, it was one of the best homemade cakes she’d ever had. Her teeth were practically chattering from the intense amount of sugar, but she had to keep in mind it was Fred who baked it.

After eating, Fred and Y/n took their sweet time strolling around the castle. Fred swung his hand back and forth, causing the same effect to Y/n’s. They laughed feverishly as Fred chased Y/n up the moving stairs as they raced to the common room. When they entered the room, they sprinted straight for Fred’s, still in a chase. Hermione, Ron, Harry, George, Angelina, and Lee all watched in amusement as the couple seemed to be reunited.

“Wonder if they’re back together. You guys think the date worked?”

Everyone shared glances at the obliviousness of Ron. There were times when social cues and context clues just didn’t exist to Ron. George scoffed at his little brother and shook his head. The rest of the group roared with laughter as Ron’s face scrunched in irritation.

“Not sure, Ron. Why don’t you go out to our room and ask them?” George smirked mischievously causing Ron to turn white as a ghost in realization. A faint ‘oh’, tumbled out of his lips and his eyes went wide.

Despite their assumption, up in the top room in the Gryffindor boy’s dormitory, Fred Weasley laid snoring in his large mattress, still in his school robes. Squished against his chest by his arms, Y/n was sound asleep, similarly dressed. The two didn’t care what they looked like or who came in, as long as they were together, that’s all that mattered.

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realcube · 3 years

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The Maid Café || Saiki K x Reader

summary: nendou and kaidou keep pestering saiki to visit their favourite maid café but he shuts them down every time. however, after a bit of prying they manage to convince him to give the place a try and while they are there, you just so happen to be on shift.

tw// cussing, maid café, (she/her) reader

key:

“non italicised text” = somebody besides Saiki speaking

“italicised text” = Saiki telepathically communicating

‘italised text’ = Saiki’s thought

‘Of course Nendou and Kaidou would be into maid cafés of all things — not cat cafés, not internet cafés — it just had to be maid cafés.’

Saiki’s internal monologue began as Kaidou continued gushing on about the cute lady he met at the café a few days ago as an argument to why Saiki should join them next time they go. Not to say Saiki wasn’t listening as he felt extremely sorry for whatever lady had to tolerate Kaidou’s advances and his prayer went out to her but besides that, he really couldn’t care less about the maids or the café.

Until, his attention was involuntarily aroused at the vocalisation of his name from Nendou, “Saiki’s definitely in for Friday, I’m pretty sure I sold him when I told him that the sandwiches there are almost as good as the ramen we usually get.”

‘No, you didn’t. I won’t be coming to join you on Friday. I’d much rather stay--’

Somehow Kaidou managed to cut off Saiki’s internal monologue with his annoying voice, “Don’t be silly, Nendou. You’re not going to win Saiki over with such a ridiculous comparison, one that he clearly doesn’t care about.”

‘Am I delusional? Is this a hallucination? Or did Kaidou just say something logical and based in reality?’

Kaidou’s aura immediately changed to dark and sinister as a mischievous smirk crossed his face, the background squawks of the crows suddenly became much louder for some unknown reason. “Instead, you must locate your opponent's weak point before you can recognise the crucially important moment to exploit it. The process takes patience but it is one I have learned from my many years rebelling against Dark Reunion. Now, young Nendou, watch and learn.” He finished with a dramatic flip of his school jacket which was slung over his shoulders as a cape.

‘What was all that about?’

Saiki wondered before Kaidou turned to him, much less brooding than he was a few seconds ago, and said casually, “Your loss if you don’t come, Saiki — you’ll be the one missing out on some of the best desserts in our whole town — not to mention the coffee jelly.”

✿✿✿✿✿

‘How do I always end up losing to these people? I am a psychic for god’s sake!’

Saiki mentally cursed himself out as he stood shamefully in front of the maid café, wearing a carefully curated outfit — including his germanium ring — created especially to hide his identity from anyone from his school that might pass by the café and spot him in there through the window or something. Honestly, he wouldn’t be caught dead in a maid café, or so he thought.

However, all the reviews he read along with both Nendou and Kaidou’s thoughts helped him conclude that this place’s coffee jelly and general dessert selection is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, his favourite Tumblr blog - DeadlyDesserts11037 - visited the place and gave it a 5 star review, recommending everybody who happens to pass by the town to definitely check the place out. After that, he was sold.

Saiki looked over at his friends and couldn’t help but facepalm in response to their bright red, thrilled expressions. “Good grief, please don’t tell me you are both that excited over ladies in maid outfits.” As you might’ve guessed, Saiki didn’t really understand the concept of a ‘maid café’, so he simply assumed the male obsession with maids had something to do with the objectification of women hence he obviously did not want to take part.

“Saiki, you’re seriously just built different if this doesn’t touch your soul.” They both brushed the pink-haired boy’s comment off, completely mesmerised by the sight of a particularly pretty maid-lady walking by the window — probably on her way to serve a table — carrying a notepad in one hand and a plate with a scrumptious-looking coffee jelly on top.

Saiki followed their gaze, his breath hitching at the sight. He was speechless; no sarcastic comment, no running commentary, nothing. Just..woah! If he had known that the girls that work at this place were so gorgeous and the food looked so delicious, he would’ve came a long time ago.

He wasn’t even sure which one he wanted more; the girl or the jelly. In a way, one wasn’t complete without the other because the coffee jelly which she held high next to her head brought out her (E/C) eyes while her shapely figure highlighted the defined curves of the jelly. Drool was quick to start forming at the corners of his lips but he was even quicker to wipe it away; he was starving.

“We’re going in.”

✿✿✿✿✿

To Saiki’s dismay, it was not the stunning (H/C)-haired girl who he had caught a glimpse of through the glass that ushered them to their table. Rather, it was a slightly less gorgeous maid-lady who had long, bright purple hair which was clearly a wig.

Fortunately for him, after she left Kadiou, Nendou and himself to take their seats, she rushed off saying that someone will come take their orders whenever they are ready.

Even with his psychic abilities, there wasn’t much he could think of to alter fate so the pretty coffee-jelly lady would end up serving their table, and besides that, he was way too caught up in gawking at all the mouth-watering desserts they had pictured on the menu.

Simply glancing over the menu brought a stupid grin to his face, he wanted to try every delectable treat presented in front of him. However, he knew he must exhibit restraint, which was fairly simple as he knew deep down there was only one thing on the menu that he was truly after. You guessed it — coffee jelly.

Usually, he couldn’t care less about what his friends comrades were going to order but in this case, he was tempted to try convince both Kaidou and Nendou to order something he liked so he could take a bite of whatever they were having, “What are you two going to order?”

Yet again though, he was ignored as Nendou and Kaidou were both too busy checking out other types of snacks to care about the ones on the menu.

Then, a movement out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention so his head jolted from the menu to his new target, the beautiful girl he had saw through the window earlier. Previously, she was holding a coffee jelly but now she was basically empty handed, until she approached the table and pulled out a notepad and pen, “May I take your orders?” She asked in the most calming, melodious voice Saiki had ever heard, the sounds that left her mouth were nothing short of angelic. Which made sense since her serving their table must’ve been god’s gift to Saiki for all his hard work.

Chills, Saiki got literal chills before he mused, “A coffee jelly, and two brownies for the pair of clowns.” His blood ran cold; curse his smooth sarcastic comments! Most of the time, he was able to filter himself but due to the nerves that arose while talking to you, he probably shouldn’t be surprised that he had a little slip of the tongue. But now, you probably think he is a bitch that insults people on the regular; which he is, but not usually aloud! Plus, he couldn’t even tell what you were thinking due to his germanium ring and your distant expression, awful combo!

While he was in the middle of feeling bad for himself and considering teleporting away home, a miracle happened, you burst out laughing. And somehow, your laughter was even more silvery than your voice.

Saiki had zoned-out from pure shock for a moment before coming back to reality, noticing that you had started jotting down something in your notepad, a sweet smile still lingering on your face despite the fact you had stopped laughing. “Alright, so one coffee jelly and two brownies. Anything else?” You asked, glancing back and forth between the three equally unique and strange men sitting at the table.

“That’ll be all, thank you.” Saiki telepathically communicated as he usually did, considering actually using his mouth to speak for a change so he didn’t seem weird but in all honesty, he couldn’t be bothered. In any other situation, he would’ve gotten a drink of water or perhaps hot cocoa but right now he was way too afraid of making another error in his speech to request something else.

Silently, he extended his arm to hand you the menu he was given when he entered the café, along with the ones Kaidou and Nendou were given too. His actions single-handedly shooting down your plan of leaning across the table to ‘take the menus’ but in reality it is just a subtle way of showing-off how nice your torso looked in this maid outfit, a trick you learned from your supervisor.

You nodded, closing over your notepad and making your way over to the kitchen, being sure to swing your hips just a little bit extra to impress the pink-haired megane at the table you just took an order from. You mentally cursed your stupid brain though for always crushing on guys/gals who don’t seem the least bit interested in you. In this case, the guy’s attention was divided between his star-struck friends and the desserts on the menu, rather than you which was an unusual sight in a maid café considering that most people would only come to ogle at the waitresses.

✿✿✿✿✿

“So, Saiki.” Kaidou finally landed back into reality after a large chunk of the waitresses roaming around were now in the kitchen which he didn’t have viewing access to, “What did you order us?”

‘So, he was fully aware that the waitress came to take his order, he just chose to ignore her and left me to order his food. What a child, it must be a side-effect of his eighth grade syndrome.’

Saiki couldn’t help but sigh, “I ordered you both brownies.”

Kaidou stuck out his bottom lip to form a pout as he crossed his arm over his chest like a toddler, “I hate brownies.” He muttered to himself, realising that if he wanted something done right, he’d have to do it himself.

An amused smirk tugged at Saiki’s lips but he resisted the urge to laugh, ‘I know.’ He thought, his masterplan to eat more food without looking greedy falling into place. “Oh well, more for me then.”

Suddenly, Nendou spun his head around to abruptly join the conversation, “Hey guys, did you see the hottie that was serving our table?” He inquired with starry eyes, as if he was a kid in a candy store.

Saiki nodded, ‘Obviously I did, you moron. I was the one who ordered the food for goodness’ sake!’

Kaidou shook his head, his eyes lighting up as he leaned in close to Nendou, “Nope! I was busy looking at the other girls, but tell us!”

Nendou chuckled at Kaidou’s enthusiastic reaction before glancing to the side, outstretching his arm and pointing at the waitress that was now approaching the table with the food in her hands. “There she is!”

‘Don’t point at her, you idiot!’ Saiki mentally insulted his friend but instinctively followed the guidance of the tip of his finger until his eyes landed on your shapely figure — accentuated by the nature of the maid outfit — slowly heading toward his table, holding the coffee jelly and the plate of brownies in the same graceful way you did when he saw you through the window.

The gleam of your gorgeous hair, the movement of your luscious lashes, the gentle bounce of your upper body, how your perfectly manicured nails clutched the base of the jelly glass; everything about what he was seeing made him believe that if/when he were to die, this would be his ideal first sight as he passed through the gates of heaven.

Before he knew it, you had reached the table and placed his jelly down on the table, gently nudging it towards him, “One coffee jelly for the cute boy with antennas.” You mused, making Saiki’s heart flutter in a way he was unfamiliar with. Then, you placed the brownies in front of Kaidou and Nednou who sat opposite from Saiki, “And two brownies for the clowns.”

If it wasn’t for the fact the pair of clowns were too busy leching over you in your maid outfit, they’d probably be curious as to your choice of words but luckily for both you and Saiki, they were way to entranced by your visible bra strap to care about the little nickname.

Saiki felt a light blush creep onto his face, which only got worse as you discretely sent him a playful wink before turning on your heels to stroll back to the kitchen, “If you need anything else, just give me a wave.”

All of them hummed agreement in unison until the waitress was out of sight, giving Saiki a moment to process the events that had just went down. Not only did you refer to him as ‘the cute boy with antennas’ but you also winked at him, if that wasn’t a clear sign you were interested, what was? However, Saiki still had his doubts since this was a maid café after all, perhaps you were just trained to do that with all your customers.

Luckily, the had the foresight to slip off his germanium ring to read your mind and that helped him come to the conclusion that you were either interested in him or you were just very competitive as the whole time you were serving the table your thoughts were along the lines of;

‘I’ll adjust my skirt- Ha! You looked! Try resist falling for me now, you hot lil’ megane! Your heart is mine and I know it! See, I’ll fidget with my corset too-- just make a move already, pinkie!’

Although he didn’t appreciate being called ‘pinkie’, he had no right to judge what was going on in your brain. All he could do is be thankful that you didn’t say that aloud.

✿✿✿✿✿

You sighed as you noticed the pink-haired boy and his little posy exit the establishment without so much as a goodbye, or even a wave!

It was disappointing as you had already mentally planned your future with this guy and he had the audacity to do the real life equivalent of leaving you on read. But oh well, it would be approximately a week until you developed a crush on a random customer that lasts for around 30 minutes and for the time being, you can focus on doing your job.

You glumly shuffled over to their table to gather their plates to be washed, then a piece of colourful paper attached to the empty jelly glass caught your eye. As you held up the glass to inspect it further, you realised that it was a sticky note with a message written on it in black ink and neat, cursive handwriting. It read:

‘Dearest waitress,

Thank you for the excellent service, we (myself) tipped accordingly.’

You hadn’t finished reading yet but you were curious as to what he meant by that, and apparently you service must’ve been exceptional as the writer had left a whole ¥2000 tip. That’s a huge addition to the demonia fund.

Followed by this charming little message was an extra tip for you; the writer’s phone number! Meaning that this little sticky note was something you had to protect with your life..so you shoved it in your bra for safe-keeping.

But not before taking a moment to giggle with delight at who the note was signed by,

‘Sincerely, the hot lil’ megane (aka Kusuo Saiki)’

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