#this is the MC in the story those four are all part off

[sanflawoah]

Black Myth: Wukong ramblings because I'M GOING INSANE.

FOUR YEARS. I. DID. MY. WAITING. WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO EXPRESS MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS GAME.

(Lengthy words and massive spoilers below!)

First minutes into the game I was all chill expecting the opening to be a long prologue cutscene about JTTW, explaining core things you need to understand, a helpful guide for those unfamiliar with the lore beforehand. But NOOOOO....we jump straight ahead fighting ERLANG SHEN AND THE FOUR HEAVENLY KINGS. We're WIDE AWAKE.

About gameplay, the devs stated repeatedly that it's not a souls-like game, and more like a God of War ish. Yet so many still questions whether it's a souls-like and then went into the game just to say "meh not souls-like". Amazing density of head.

I really don't demand much for whatever mechanic they serve, I'm really just here for the monkey smash experience and the childhood nostalgia and the fresh aesthetics.

The character design?? The environment?? The architecture?? The statues?? Soooo beautiful oh my god you really need to stop and admire these things (when you don't have a boss shredding you) up close. Look up their inspirations and concept arts, some statues and buildings exist in real life and it's really mind boggling how they incorporate it into the story. The part where you fight with Yellowbrow at Thunderclap temple, what a creative choice, the idea of "miniature fight" on the temple altar. I'm farming so many screenshots for art references. 10/10 visuals, graphics will definitely fry your PC.

Again with the character designs. I'm really loving the absurd looking bosses one, really fresh take. Then to the celestials and yaoguais, I just..... OH they're ALL hella gorgeous. I've seen some people going "WOULD" towards Wukong or The Destined One and I don't blame you. I've had my fair share of neuron activation moment.

Erlang yoo, I was stunned at first with the way they present his personality during the opening, but turns out we got the reason for it near the ending :"(((. He was helping us all along ughsjsjsjsksdsd. Also, they know EXACTLY what they're doing by casting Andrew Koji as the english VA.

White Clad Noble? Half snake man hissing at you to get off his lawn. I feel kinda bad for him lmao, dude was just minding his business and we go monkey smash all over his place.

Keeper of Flaming Mountain? Neat hat and cool makeup bro, awesome yin yang palette and battle area design. BANGER THEME I'll get to it.

The Third Prince in Pagoda realm prison, why does he looks so good, you encounter this guy in his cell just suffering, and somehow he's still serving looks.

The girlies damn, the spider sisters are gorgeous, and YES even madam violet spider, come look at spider granny serving fashion and arachnophobia.

At first I was scared that they're going to sexualise the hell out of the spider sisters or any of the female characters, since the book itself tells their trait as luring men with their beauty (to be eaten though). But actually?? They're a lot tamer than I expected? I mentally prepared myself for the worst, like racy sexualised outfit and personality, but turns out they're all very normal. Like how you would see Tang dynasty inspired ladies. I braced for GTA or cyberpunk-like explicitness but thank god it's not the case, not at all.

Rakshasi and Pingping having the relatively "sexy" look, but then both of them had a moment where they're not actually their real selves, but rather a transformation of Zhu Bajie and Red Boy LMAO. Funny boner killer.

Talk about this boi, our Destined One. To be honest I was kinda disappointed when I found out he doesn't speak at all. Banters, insults, cackles, anything you would expect a Wukong-like personality, he doesn't have it.

I tried to think of a reason, and I think the dev's choice of making The Destined One silent kinda has a root to it. Our MC is NOT the Wukong himself, we are literally just some monke, and we're tasked to gather the six relics Wukong had scattered by retracing his journey. Also, I think it's a funny thought that probably it's just their personality difference, Wukong the loud, Destined One the quiet. Wukong sometimes does chaos for shits and giggles, our Destined One does chaos because we have to.

My theory: our Destined One is just non-verbal! Zhu Bajie even acknowledged it. When we first met him after defeating Kang-Jin Loong, he bantered "A furry coat and a pinched face, luck's all you've got", and he looked confused when we don't say anything back because Wukong would've returned the favour, "Great, another mute. Let's not dally". So the game actually acknowledges it, it's not like they intentionally muted us and have the NPCs acting as if we talk back to them all the time.

Non-verbal and asexual coded? I'll take it.

THE ANIMATED CUTSCENES??? OH MY GODDD. Impossible to put ALL the epic frames here. I really don't expect this from a game at all, real time cutscenes are great, but a WHOLE 2D AND STOP MOTION ANIMATED SCENE?? No wonder the full development took SIX years. You could pause the scenes at any frame and it's worthy of analysis.

The stop motion one really surprised me, how are they that dedicated. The plot as well, it started out romantic and escalated into HORROR real quick. Batshit insane, love it.

For many players, the animated cutscenes may be confusing on the first watch. So many references to JTTW, metaphors, mix of Chinese Taoism and Buddhism. I personally encourage people to look around in forums for explanations, plenty of the Chinese words are untranslatable into English, but it's all so worth the knowledge.

Enjoying the JTTW shows and contents as a child is all about the fun and giggles, understanding the lesson of it all as an adult hits me like bricks, especially with the way they're adapted in this game.

I CRIED?? A LOT??? Of all characters I could cry for, ZHU BAJIE?? Man is literally a nasty pervert in the book, living to the pig form indeed, but in this game he's a bit better. Sure he's still his natural pervert self, but since the game took place after JTTW, he surely had some character development. His animated love story cutscene, loorddd they have no business making it so full of freshly diced onions.

Love how each character in animations have different styles. Erlang's design in particular are different in each scenes. Most of the time he has dark hair, in others he has white hair and different armor, same goes for Wukong's design. I'd imagine the devs struggled to choose for one consistent design and decided to just fuck it and put them all in lmao.

And then THE SOUNDTRACKS, THE SOUNDTRACKS YALL. Love love love it when they incorporate buddhist prayer chants flawlessly into the soundrack. The soundtrack during the chapter one ending animation caught my attention with it, I asked around what mantra is it and they say it's probably Cundi Dharani? Please correct me if I'm wrong. The track is called "I See" in the official playlist. The lyrics too, my god, the way they narate the animations.

During the fight with Keeper of Flaming Mountains, IS THE SOUNDTRACK A RENDITION OF "FISHERMAN'S SONG AT DUSK"? IS IT? Losing my mind because it's my favourite chinese traditional piece. Half expected him to pull out a guzheng and blast me with phantom blade from the strings, IYKYK.

And of course, a new rendition of the classic JTTW theme. This will be my neighbour's favourite music for a while.

Some tidbits I like, apparently if you're idle for a while and Zhu Bajie is with you, sometimes he'll start to talk about past stories or lectures you. If you push him around for a few times he'll get annoyed, if you keep pushing him then he'll struck you with his rake lmaoooo. Perhaps we weren't so different from Wukong after all.

Another insane stuff is the headless singing guy. GoW has a talking disembodied head, now BMW has a HEADLESS singing man, literally a reverse Mimir.

The rematch with The Four Heavenly Kings YOOOOO I love their design so much. They look like statues from temples jumping straight to life. The stances! Throwing hands with them is the true Monke of War experience. The East King with his Pipa literally playing the background music, excellent touch.

This has been an insane scroll of yappings, I'll stop here (for now) and take a moment to touch grass. If you've been reading ALL THE WAY to this line, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to harm your braincells.

[darkcircles4lyfe]

This doesn't have anything to do with anything, but i had a talk with a friend a few days ago, about shonen biasis and the way this shapes our expectations, and mha came up so i remembered how so many people apply those biasis HEAVILY into the manga, to the point that they sound like they're looking for a different story.

And one of those things that it seemed to be MOST talked about is exactly bkdk's relationship.

I have seen many times people from the fandom (sometimes really angrily) point out how in most cases Katsuki seems to basically take up not one, but four roles in Izuku's life and this includes putting him in situations that people associate with the MC's love interest, and it is weird that, despite Izuku "having a girl" for people to make assumptions about, he seems to completely repulse any female character that could be the counter part to Izuku's.

And this made us wonder if Katsuki's placement in those roles and lack of interest was made specifically because the author precisely did not want the actions that both do for each other as romantic but a whole another thing entirely, as a subversion for the these classic tropes, as he did by making the conflict between Ochako and Himiko not a "rivals fighting for the affection of a boy" but something that is connected to the plot of these characters instead.

Oh you bet! I am always down to talk about this, because I think about it a lotttt.

This reminds me, recently I remembered a funny habit I used to have with books I read. Like, back in middle school. I used to start by flipping directly to the last page and reading the final sentence. Usually this did not spoil anything whatsoever, but sure enough, by the time I read through the whole book, that sentence would take on new meaning.

So I started musing about what it would be like if only I could do this with bnha, if everything was already out. It made me feel so nostalgic…

Will the last panel be something grand, or something small? Hopeful or sad? Distant? Intimate? A parting message to the reader? Will it look like almost nothing of consequence to the unknowing eye—yet burst with hard-hitting subtext?

Of course I wonder about all the twists and reveals that might be still ahead of us, but it’s kinda soothing to think about how the whole thing could be put to rest. Because then I realize I’m not worried.

For once, this is not because the story is following so many tropes so predictably that I know exactly, in so many words, how it will end. It’s more like the story is a close friend who I’ve gotten to know well enough that everything they do is so “them” it makes me smirk. I'm often marveling at how Horikoshi has managed to pull all this off. How is it that (at least here in the west) people who aren't really paying attention call it basic and cookie-cutter. Even a Japanese animator called it "classic," and this interview shows such obvious dissonance between Hori and the interviewer, just... wow. But it's so clear that bnha has broken just about every rule in the book at this point, so much so that I struggle to condense it into words. I'm like--*gestures broadly at everything*--why haven't more people picked up on it??

Yet we still get bombarded with people saying "it's a shonen, c'mon, we all know how this will end." Um. No you don't. I KNOW there has to be a bunch of people who are secretly frustrated by Kacchan taking up all the roles and getting all the moments. It's not even in a mysogynistic way, because Kacchan is the most anti-dudebro character imaginable. Bkdk's relationship isn't intended for them and they know it... and you know what, I'm starting to ramble. You've heard all this before. The thing I should really be focusing on in your ask is the part where you mentioned how you and your friend were speculating about bkdk ending up as "a whole other thing entirely" rather than simply romantic.

Well, fuck it, I've been biting my tongue, but now might as well be the time I talk about this. I got into a bit of a disagreement with someone over it once and then I shut up. Because it's very difficult to approach the subject without being lumped in with those people who see bkdk as "brotherly" (ew) or otherwise try to push some "crisis of male friendship" agenda, or at the very least without being accused of enabling people to make excuses against bkdk being canon ad infinitum. So let me be clear that I do NOT want bkdk to have an ambiguous or open ending. I want their complexity and importance to be acknowledged. I want them to use their words. I think we may have created a bit of a false dichotomy there.

I am aromantic, and to suggest romantic relationships are inherently the most important and intimate goes against every fiber of my being. I also reject the idea that cut-and-dry gay representation is more desirable just because it is more easily understood by the masses than aspec representation or representation of relationships "beyond" both romantic and platonic. We recognize how ridiculous it is for people to expect Izu*cha at this point, right? Well, the reason they're so confident anyway isn't just because of heteronormativity. It's also because of amatonormativity, the assumption that romantic attraction trumps all: no matter how much focus bkdk get, Izuku blushed at Ochako, so that automatically makes them more "important." THAT is the notion that I want to challenge most. More than anything, I want bkdk's relationship to be fully acknowledged because they have so much more going for them than just attraction.

You and your friend make an excellent point, that it would be very much in line with Horikoshi's taste and the patterns of his writing so far if he chose to subvert the shonen romance trope not just by giving it to two boys, but also by disregarding its premise entirely. It's unlikely he'd try to stuff them into such a copy-paste ending right at the end.

So maybe they won't get the blushy confession, the obligatory kiss, the wedding, the 2.5 kids and a white picket fence. That's fine, we shouldn't pretend those tired tropes are suddenly revolutionary just because they're gay. But don't be disappointed! Without them, we have more room for things that are actually personally meaningful to bkdk to stand out and receive the nuance they deserve: talking through their feelings openly, building each other up like no one else can, understanding each other like no one else can, smiling at each other, embracing, holding hands, rushing to the other in the hospital, being glued at the hip (or even closer), healing mutual trauma, putting each other first in all things. Maybe we'll also get confirmation on Ochako's side as she moves on from her crush on Izuku. You know what other shonen manga took this exact angle as a way of subverting tropes and presenting genuine complexity? Blue Flag! There are so many ways to do bkdk justice.

Even a kiss isn't out of the question, if the right opportunity comes along. A perfect example of what I'm talking about is Good Omens (major season 2 spoilers) because the kiss between Crowley and Aziraphale was not at all about canonizing them. It was an expression of pain and desperation that just made sense at that particular moment. Neil Gaiman was adamant that if it took that kiss to understand the context of their relationship, you really weren't paying attention. I respect the hell out of that.

Recently I was even daydreaming about bkdk getting something similar to the sort of uh, shall we say tasteful nudity, that togachako got, because of how Izuku appears in the vestige realm.

Ya know like not in an nsfw way but in like a "this is so deeply intimate and soft that I feel like I'm intruding" kind of way... yeah. Because it represents vulnerability and openness and acceptance of someone as they are. And I don't care if people call that bait. It's not. It's beautiful. It’s honest.

[freyyzu]

PROMISE

All Cove wants is to see you happy, and all Baxter wants is to reassure him that he was going to do exactly that.

a/n; takes place some time during step 4 when your friends throw you another surprise party and you're off talking to someone else. i just think the two most important men in mc's life should interact a little more. implied step 3 ending on a bad note.

The twinkle of the fairy lights that hang from every wall of the first floor is mesmerizing. It's simple decoration, easy to put up, easy to get down, but beautiful all the same. The soft glow it emits puts Baxter at ease; even more so when accompanied by the sight of your smiling face.

His heart skips a beat when you glance over in his direction, your eyes meeting for the briefest moments. You discreetly wave at him, trying your best to not interrupt whatever story Terry is going on about, and he gives you a wave of his own back. He doesn't even try to fight the smile that tugs at his lips.

It was such a straightforward interaction, one that lasted all but three seconds, but just that was enough for him to feel the butterflies in his stomach lurch into a frenzy.

He's so enthralled by you, in fact, that he doesn't even notice the sound of someone making their way closer to him until they're already speaking.

"Uhm, how... how are you enjoying the party?" It's an expected question coming from an unexpected source.

Baxter turns to face the new presence by his side, more than a little surprised. Out of all the people here, Cove Holden would be the last person he expected to initiate a conversation, but the appearance isn't unwelcomed. Far from it.

"It's been fun," he says with full sincerity.

Despite the sparse decorations and only handful of people here, Baxter would say with his full heart that this is the best party he's ever been to. Surrounded by people who really care for him, those who took the time out of their day to surprise him even after all the stunts he's pulled. "Thank you for your part in this. I deeply appreciate it."

"Oh," Cove sputters, apparently flustered by the earnestness. "It's no problem. I'm... glad you're enjoying yourself."

Baxter smiles knowingly, "is there something on your mind?"

The taller male doesn't answer, but he fixes his gaze on a particular person across the room, still intently listening to Terry's story. Miranda and Xavier have joined them by this point.

'Ah.' his expression softens. "Are you worried about them?"

"Of course I am," he replies. Any hesitation in his voice from before lost within those four words. His hands clench and loosen by his sides a few times and he glances down at his feet, as if debating whether or not it was okay to say the next words.

You had forgiven Baxter a long time ago, that was a fact, but Cove couldn't forget your dejected expression or how many false smiles you wore to assure everyone you weren't hurt that summer.

Baxter waits quietly. He doesn't know exactly what your best friend intends to say, but from his fidgeting alone, he could garner a guess. Eventually though, he does break the silence. "I won't hurt them."

Cove looks over to your boyfriend, unable to keep the doubt from his expression. He trusts you, he wants you to be happy, that's all he ever wants for you; but that's even more of a reason for him to be wary. Baxter had broken your heart once, and he never wants to see that happen again.

"Can you promise that?"

There's a pause, and then a shake of a head from the black color haired man and Cove feels his heart nearly sink. "I'm not like you. I haven't known them my entire life. I'm just someone who showed up to the doorstep of your neighborhood one summer and then left."

There's a gleam in his brown eyes that make them seem to sparkle even more than the lights decorated around the room. "We'll have arguments, we'll get into fights," his voice lowers, "but I hope I can learn from those mistakes. That I'll make a better decision the next time." He turns to face Cove. "I can promise that."

Cove swallows the lump in his throat. He had come here to talk to Baxter, but in the end he ended up not being able to say anything at all. Though, maybe that was okay too. Whatever the lead up was, he heard what he needed to hear.

"Thank you," he says.

Baxter's face lights up at those words, eyes widening with boyish glee, before reverting back to his more well-known smirk. "No, thank you for coming over and chatting with me. I'm thankful we got to have this time together."

"Aha," Cove chuckles awkwardly now that the air has cleared. "But uh, Baxter?" He calls, wanting to get just one last word in.

"Yes?"

"You... should take care of yourself, too." And with that final statement, he steps forward to join your group.

Baxter blinks once.

He takes a moment to reign in his shock. Did Cove Holden of all people just give him some encouragement? He chuckles, straightening up as he spots you splitting from the circle to make your way over to his side.

This week has been full of surprises.

[defiledtomb]

Ouroboros: The first year in development (+small update!)

On this day, a year from now, I sat in the stark light from my monitors, eyes bloodshot and hands trembling; and I clicked the post button. I then choked my pc to death and ran away screaming, scrambling into the corner of the couch on all fours, hissing at every shadow (only one of those statements is a lie).

It was 4 am and I had been scrambling to get the last details of the demo correct, mumbling to myself and reasoning with my dog. I was so happy to be writing again, after years of piddling around with lackluster projects. I never thought Ouro would be welcomed as it was, and to be honest, the fact that it was scared the living shit out of me. After the hype settled, and I sat watching the continuous stream of support that poured my way, I kind of crumbled. There was a long and dirty road of clawing myself out of self-doubt, impostor syndrome and perfectionism. Some part of me knew it was coming, since its very on par with how I am shaped as a person (sopping wet pathetic meow meow), but after climbing many hills on my ongoing healing journey, I felt like I was prepared for it.

Writing Ouroboros went from fun little sidequest to get my mind off becoming a sturdy part of society again (exhausting), to another workload, to form of therapy, then torture and back again. My writing journal is amusing to scroll through:

Things went from bad to...

worse,

until the storm finally weakened. Every entry in my journal from this point gets progressively more hopeful, more resilient against the bad days.

:> This was around the point where I decided I wouldn't give up, come hell or high water. The progress was slow, like bleeding stone and pulling teeth, but it was moving. By the turn of the new year I was battered and bruised, but still hopeful. And I know that this, these emotions that I went through, were way out of proportion for a hobby writing project, but with every ask that came through telling me about your MC's budding journey in Ouro, every gushing emotion you've shared with me, every gleaming piece of art, every kind word; every correcting one, too, this grew to something really precious to me. I wouldn't give it up for anything, even if it feels like I'm barely keeping my head above surface in this terrifying, stormy sea of a life.

I can't wait to see what comes next, even if the road is bumpy. All I know is that I will keep chipping away at this story with everything I got. And all I can say is that I'm so grateful for your continued support and patience, I barely have words for it. You are incredible. Thank you.

Now, enough of my bleeding heart. Get over here! I have some treats to share.

Mainly, it is the little update to the demo that I'd like to share; Idren/Ida's 101. I did my best to finish it today, but I only had an hour or two of effective worktime (excuse: I was outside for most of the day in bloody blizzard and it knocked me on my ass more than I'd like to admit). It is cut off at the different scene transitions, which I will add after I have some time to work on them this saturday. Id's 101 was the most complex out of all of them, so there is still plenty to explore and different outcomes to see. I hope you have fun!

To see it, go through Lena's scene and don't scream -> accept alliance -> visit archives. That will take you to the new content. CW for very emotionally charged arguments and... almost dying.

Play it here. Save often. (or wait until next week as I sadly couldn't finish everything on time for the anniversary) (I have done bare minimum playtesting, but I will fix any gamebreaking errors if there are any, immediately. There shouldn't be any, but you never know.)

A sneakpeek of the short I also will be working on on saturday:

It is sunny on the day of $!{leith}'s funeral. It is not supposed to be sunny. It is supposed to rain on bad days, and the wind is supposed to whip dry leaves into dancing columns. Thunder is supposed to rumble in the distance, and then right near so that the even the windows rattle with trepidation. But it doesn't. The sun lounges calmly on the perfectly still water of Riven's lake, glittering with winking light as the serene waves lick the edge of the populated harbor. There is chatter, too, not the moaning whispers of grieving people. Not a sob to be heard, but the flutter of a laugh and a joyous embrace of lovers right in front of you. 

"People have forgotten, the sacrifice we made." Lyselin stands in full knight-hunter armor beside you, the silver gleaming in the stark light.

And some art of F!Leith that I have started:

♥ That's it. Know that I'm working as hard as I can (both on Ouro, and learning how to balance work around it, lmao.), even if I fall short sometimes, there ain't no quitting. See you soon!

[vendetta-if]

Progress Update (March 2023)

Hey guys 👋 I'm here with a progress update! 😁

First of all, Chapter 6 update will be divided into two parts because once again, this chapter will be a big one, probably similar to Chapter 3 and 2 in size.

So far, I've written around 15.6K words (excluding commands/codes). I' also have two sneak peeks up in both my Patreon and Ko-Fi, so please check out the pages if you're interested 😀

Part 1 of Chapter 6 will be a more talk-focused part of the chapter because it'll be here that the gang will truly meet each other for the first time. So, for those whose MCs have been flirting with all four ROs or just more than one RO (unless Ash and Rin, I guess), things might feel a bit awkward this time with all four ROs present 😂.

It'll also be the time for MC to catch the rest of the gang on what they learnt so far and there'll be a bit more time to spend with your chosen RO(s) 😊 I'm actually excited but also nervous to start writing interactions between the four ROs, which is happening real soon for me 😆 

Also, I'm just going to use this opportunity to share a little additional information about the sequel spin-off coming after Vendetta. It is set in the same universe, but with a new MC and it's set quite far into the future, maybe around two decades after the event of this book. 

Right now, my plan is that the MC will be Luka’s and Jackal’s adopted child. They’re also a haemokinetic like Jackal and trained by him to follow in his footsteps. This is of course the main reason why I had to reverse the ages back a bit for this story to the way I first planned them, so the characters right now that might make some cameo appearances can still do so and so Luka won’t be a really old man by the time this spin-off rolls around 😭

I still have a lot of other ideas on stories set in this universe too and I’m also thinking of even making some sort of shorter interactive stories with the current Vendetta MC set after the story in the future too 😁 Kinda like DLCs, like little stories with their own separate arcs.

Well, that's all the news I have for now! Hope you guys have a nice weekend! 💖

[rottenraccoons]

Not sure if this has already been asked yet, but how did the team come up with the four love interests in the first place? I feel like the hardest part of developing a character is figuring out how to start. All four feel so wonderfully complex, and are not very "trope-y," which is what I struggle with the most. Thanks!

Aw, thank you! I love answering stuff like this, so I decided to go through my process on Keir and rambled a bit. I'll put my answer under a readmore for brevity.

For us, we started building Obscura with the idea that we wanted to do something dark and mature, and began with developing a setting. Once we picked and started building out the marketplace under the mountain, we could start asking ourselves "why would anyone go to this place?" and work from there. (Vesper's fractum anima is one answer to this question that we really liked for the MC.)

"Thief" feels like a pretty natural role for a marketplace, and Tobi made it clear that she wanted to develop a very dark character, so I thought a more heroic Robin Hood-type character would be a nice contrast. My original concept of Keir was for a thief who burns for justice in a deeply unjust setting; think shounen-anime hero and you're in the right neighbourhood. Pretty tropey, and I say that with love! Proto-Keir would be a delight to write in a different story.

But the rest of the team didn't think that type of character really suited the dark tone we wanted to work with, and they were right. So we took the trope and twisted it. Yes, he's a good man who burns for justice in an unjust world; and he is extremely burned out. And that twist on the formula unlocked Keir for me and the rest of the team. Burned-out Keir could be exhausted and sarcastic and even cynical about the world, bitter about the state of the marketplace and very protective of Mouse Hole as a place he can improve.

This isn't to say that "burned-out activist Robin Hood" is an original characterisation that's never been done before; TV Tropes has a whole page on the Knight in Sour Armor, which deals with similar characters. But it was the foundation we could build on as a team to make a character that felt strong enough to be a romantic interest.

I've mentioned this before, but one of the inspirations I draw from when I write about the marketplace is the awful Web3/crypto environment, a topic I enjoy reading about mostly for the schadenfreude and ended up learning about as a consequence. For Keir, I use concepts like activist burnout and compassion fatigue, things I learned about much more intimately in 2020 (you can guess why). Taking these real life ideas and bringing them into my writing is my favourite way to add depth and texture to characters and settings. If you're looking to do the same, try looking outside fiction and see what things interest you, then bring them back to your fiction.

Not to say that tropey characters are a bad thing! I could write a whole other essay on the utility of character tropes, especially in the world of romance games. Tropes can be a great place to start constructing characters to ensure that they all have their own appeal, and they're just fun to experience as a reader, especially when it's one of your faves. There's no shame in being a bit tropey, if it suits the story you want to tell!

(And if you're looking for a bit of extra ~secret sauce~: give your characters two things they want super badly, but getting one thing will compromise the other. Safety and love are a classic pair; safety often means staying closed off from other people to avoid being hurt, love requires opening up to others. Then let them struggle with those competing wants.)

[vivienne-writes]

My Little Fairy 🧚🏻

Summary: Being one of the youngest in the family, Prince Garreth is far down the line to inherit the throne and is more than content to be left to his potion studies. However, his parents have decided to marry him off to a princess he's never met. Or... has he?

AO3: x

A/N: Here's my late submission for Weasley Wednesday! I wrote all this in one go. My brain feels like a sponge. The drawing above was based on a scene I omitted from the story cause it's right after the wedding, and we all know what happens after a wedding 👀 The princess is unnamed, so readers can base her off their MCs, but I had to give her a face so here's my OC. I'm absolutely in love with Oscar Weasley as well (all ya'll in the discord are to blame) so he's definitely making an appearance here, along with a few other made up characters to pad the story.

All was quiet in Prince Garreth's room save for the sound of bottles and flasks tinkling as he examined one after the other, debating which ones to take and which to leave behind. They were filled with an assortment of potions and ingredients alike, but far too many for the trip to his new home. Aurora. A neighboring country that prided itself on its scholars and academic breakthroughs in astronomy and ancient magic. 

He had been there once before, on a trip with his father to forge an alliance between their two nations. It was nothing like his home, Camellia, a land of sloping green fields, lush rivers, and forests teeming with beasts and critters. Home to humble hamlets and cities best known for their bountiful trade in rare magical ingredients and plants. No, Aurora was situated high in the mountains to get a clear view of the stars and the heavens, the altitude keeping the nation chilly and brisk for a large part of the year. 

Garreth did not mind the weather so much, nor its people. But then again, he had only been a child when he had visited. No more than a boy of eight, if he recalled correctly. But the purpose of that trip had been successful, and Aurora had deigned to ally with Camellia. However, it wasn't until quite recently that Garreth learned of the terms of their alliance. Aurora sought to solidify the alliance by way of marriage, and he was the unlucky one chosen to wed their only princess when she finally came of age. Why him and not any of his other brothers? Garreth had no clue. He'd ask his father, the King of Camellia, but Garreth was still too shaken up about being kept in the dark for so many years that he avoided his father since.

A knock at the door dragged Garreth from his thoughts, but he didn’t deign to answer. He knew who it was, and his visitor never bothered to wait for a response anyways. 

“Garreth, are you still sulking?” Oscar asked, resting an elbow on the door handle as he watched his youngest brother take a whiff out of an unlabeled flask. Garreth gave no reply, but Oscar forged ahead, unperturbed by the other’s silence. 

“Come on, getting married isn’t all that bad. Look at Septimus! Consort to the lovely Queen of Amaryllis with five children and counting. He spends his days hunting, reading, rearing those adorable nieces and nephews of ours… I’m sure you’ll get to be Potions Master of Aurora if you please the princess well enough.”

Garreth rolled his eyes. "I'd rather be Potions Master here like I've always planned," he grumbled under his breath. 

Being one of the youngest, Garreth knew he wouldn't have any claim to the throne. Not with seven brothers and four sisters ahead of him, and he didn't want it either if, somehow, all his siblings dropped dead and gave him a clear shot at being king. Since he could learn to read, Garreth possessed immense talent and love for potions, and his parents supported his studies. They indulged him with a tower of his own, supplied him with everything and anything he could ever wish for, and placed him under the tutelage of the court's Grand Master. He was more than content to have stayed on this path, forging his life by his terms and no one else's. But he supposed there was a reason now for his parents' indulgence. Perhaps he'd go along with the marriage without complaint if they gave him everything he wanted. 

“Why can’t you marry the princess instead, Oscar?” Garreth asked, throwing his brother a glance over his shoulder. “I’m sure you’d be able to win her over with that charm of yours.”

"Would if I could. I hear the princess is quite lovely. But father's word is law." 

Garreth returned to his packing, dejection weighing his shoulders with a slump. Oscar was right. As doting of a father the king was, there was no swaying him once an order had been decreed, and none of his brothers could save him from this miserable fate. 

Oscar regarded his brother with a sidelong glance. Out of all his siblings, he was closest to Garreth, pulling him into all sorts of mischief and saving him from them. But this was one predicament he had no hold over. He had spoken to the king about the matter more times than he could count, going so far as to argue with him. Oscar even pleaded with his mother to do something. The king loved his queen and took her word before anyone else, but she only shook her head sadly. Switching the princess' betrothed would be considered an insult, and Aurora was too great an ally to lose. 

Garreth finally looked up, staring out the window as he fought back the tears that prickled his eyes. "I just don't… understand why they'd keep this from me for so long," he finally admitted. Sure, an arranged marriage was awful in itself, but the lack of trust from his parents wounded him. "They could've told me ages ago. Kept me from believing the false truth that I had any agency of my own. It would've been easier to accept it that way." 

Oscar bit his cheek with a frown. “Perhaps they only wanted to protect you,” he answered softly, “to keep you happy as long as they could.”

Garreth scoffed. Happy. If the king and queen truly wanted their children happy, they’d let them choose a life for themselves than marry them off to strange princes and princesses. And if Garreth were to marry for himself, there was only one girl he could think of. One lovely little maiden that had haunted his dreams for years…

~~~

“Garreth? Your father has requested your presence – oh dear, he’s not in his room again.”

Lady Matilda rubbed her temple with a frustrated groan. Leave it to her youngest nephew to escape when he’s needed most. “That child’s probably wandering the grounds again,” she muttered as she closed the door behind her, head reeling with all the possible places he could be hiding in. As she turned around a corner, she nearly slipped and snapped her ankle. 

"Genevieve, what have I told you about leaving your toys in the corridor?" Lady Matilda eyed the youngest of her nieces, hiding behind a curtain, as she picked up the offending marbles strewn over the floor. 

"Aunt Matilda, I know where Gaz went," the child giggled with a toothless grin, her beautiful locks all tousled and in need of combing. "I think he went to the gardens to find lacewing flies again." 

“Just because you tattled on your brother doesn’t mean I won’t be back for you, young lady,” Lady Matilda said as she tossed the marbles back into Genevieve’s room with a wave of her wand. “And that hair better be brushed when I return.” 

“Yes, Aunt Matilda,” Genevieve pouted. 

"Now, to find that little prince," Lady Matilda sighed. 

Meanwhile, heat crept up Garreth’s neck, forcing him to tug off his sweltering vest and leaving it to fall in a crumpled heap on the grass. He’ll come back to it later. But right now, he was searching for any sign of a bowtruckle. His eldest brother William told him they liked to hide in the hedges, between the branches that provided camouflage underneath the thickly packed leaves. Garreth wondered what they looked like outside his book's diagrams and ventured out to see them. 

But the morning had gone on, and after much crawling and searching, Garreth found neither stem nor leaf of the little creatures and was beginning to turn back to the castle for a fresh glass of pumpkin juice when he heard a sharp shriek. 

"Help!" cried the girlish voice, one of his sisters most likely. Garreth sprinted around the corner and came face to face with a little lass dressed all in blue and silver with stars crisscrossing her dress. They were not the colors of his court, red and gold, which all the princes and princesses of Camellia wore. Garreth knew not where this little lady came from, but she was in dire need of assistance as a couple of naughty pixies had begun pulling her hair and clothes this way and that. 

“Leave me alone, you pesky things!" the girl cried as she swatted them away. But they returned, taunting her while pinching her skin. 

She seemed about his age, so Garreth wondered why she didn't repel them away with magic. Well, whatever the reason, he didn't think the poor thing should be left to fend for herself. So, with a flourish of his wand, Garreth sent the impish creatures flying with a repelling charm. Their teeth chattered, and their fingers clicked impudently, cursing him in a language he didn't understand as they flew off before he could repel them again. 

The girl straightened up, fixing her eyes on Garreth as she looked him up and down. "I suppose I have you to thank for that," she grinned, patting down her skirts to form some semblance of tidiness before readjusting the ribbons in her hair. “I shan’t think what would become of me if you hadn’t come along.”

She waited for his response, but Garreth stood speechless, captivated by the stars bedazzling her eyes as she looked him up and down. She was a pretty thing, not like anyone he's ever met around his father's palace. And she was very eloquent, her accent dancing with a different lilt than he was accustomed to. Having realized that he was staring, Garreth cleared his throat.

“You could’ve simply used magic to save yourself, you know,” he mumbled, keenly aware that she was staring just as intently as he was.

The girl shrugged. "I've no magic yet," she stated simply, as if that were a common occurrence, for it wasn't, at least, not in Camellia. Children began displaying their magic around five or six years of age, and this girl may have been around ten or eleven. Her eyes darted to the wand in his hand. "I see you're quite skilled already," she nodded at chin at his wand. "Have you started on lessons yet?"

"Of course," came his reply. "I'm a prince. We're taught far earlier than most." He wanted to ask why she had no magic or wand yet, but it seemed rude to ask that of someone he just met. 

The girl tossed her hair with a huff. “You’re no prince. Your clothes are all messy!”

Garreth looked down. His pants were scuffed with dirt from crawling around, and his shirt was wrinkled and creased everywhere. He even had leaves in his hair now that he brought his fingers up to push them away from his sweating forehead. Fighting the urge to blush, he bit back, "I am a prince! I –"

“If you’re a prince, then I’m a fairy,” the girl teased. There was no way this ragamuffin was a prince. Princes were supposed to be stately, well-dressed, and handsome. And although this boy before her was handsome, he was anything but stately. Well-dressed, yes, but his clothes were an utter mess. 

“Why are you even here?” Garreth demanded. 

The stars sparkled in the girl’s eyes as she beamed with excitement. “I heard there were unicorns here. Is it true? I’ve been walking around in search of them.”

Garreth blinked. Of course, there were. The forests of Camellia were filled with them. Even the royal stable housed a few for his sisters' delight. But if she wasn't from this court as he suspected, there was a good chance she had never laid eyes on them before. Garreth decided that this girl was pretty. Immensely so. And he'd like to impress her just a little bit. 

“Come this way. I’ll show you.” And as they walked, she practically skipped with glee, unleashing question after question about the numerous beasts that proliferated the lands of Camellia. And for once, Garreth was glad to have the answers. 

As the afternoon drew to a close, Garreth realized there was more to the adorable stranger than he initially thought. Where most of the young daughters of his father's courtiers were shy, timid, or downright snooty, this girl was excitable and feisty. She didn't care if he was a prince or not. She didn't seek his favor or endeavor to please him. Throughout the day, she teased and taunted but always good-naturedly. She asked many questions but listened with rapt attention to all his explanations. About the unicorns, his court, and most of all, his potions. 

He showed her the gardens where he got most of his ingredients, and she knew several of the plants already, having read about them in books. Like him, she had a penchant for snacks and shared several with him until her pockets ran out. 

"I feel awfully terrible," Garreth said, watching her skirt twirl in the wind now that it wasn't weighed down by candy and treats. "You sure I can't give you some in return?" 

The girl shook her head. “Consider it thanks for showing me your sisters’ unicorns. Felicity was my favorite one.” 

Garreth nodded. This was the most fun he'd had in a while, and something about this girl enchanted him. Everything she touched or looked at made them seem new and magical to his eyes. She saw the world with a fresh perspective he had never thought to see before… and it made him want to bask in her presence a bit longer. She was magical, this girl. Even if she didn't possess a lick of magic herself. 

“I’ve got an idea,” she whirled to face him. “You see that tree over there? Want to climb it?”

"Sure," he chuckled. At this moment, he'd do anything she asked if it meant keeping that bubbly smile on her face. 

“Good! Last one’s a rotten egg!” she jumped to a sprint. 

"Wait! No fair!" Garreth called out, but she stuck her tongue out at him over her shoulder, her thin legs dashing even faster. 

Unbeknownst to either, the king and queen of Camellia had been watching their son from atop a third-floor window with an emissary dressed in a fashion similar to the girl’s. 

“They seem to be getting along swimmingly,” said the king, giving his wife a thoughtful glance. 

But the queen remained worried, clutching a hand to her chest. Garreth was her youngest son. Her baby. She harbored a soft spot for him and wanted him home for as long as possible. With an electrifying glance at the emissary from Aurora, she asked, “Won’t my other sons do? My second eldest, Septimus, has always wanted to marry a princess. He’s a sentimental boy and woos ladies aplenty with his poetry and prose.” 

But the emissary shook his head. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, I must remind you that while the terms of the alliance hinge upon the princess’s union with one of your princes, it must be of her own choosing. And as such, I have no say in the matter.” 

The queen returned her attention to her son, who was now busy picking fruit from the tallest branches of the tree for the princess. While affectionate with his sisters, Garreth has never shown any inclination or affection for any other young girls in their court. No matter how well-dressed, respectable, or accomplished they were, he never gave them so much as a glance. The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted her reverie, and the king and queen turned to find Lady Matilda.

“Garreth is hell-bent on escaping me, it seems,” she began, but the king held up a patient hand. 

“No worries, dear sister,” he gave her a soft smile. “He’s with the princess.” 

~~~

“Where the fuck is the princess?” 

“Genny!” Septimus hissed reproachfully. “Must you use such foul language?!”

“Must you be a bore, Sep?” Genevieve stood on tiptoes, craning her neck to find her future sister-in-law’s carriage amidst the procession trailing into Camellia’s royal court. “I hear she rides a carriage of fairest white and starlight. But it’s too dark to see a blasted thing through this window!” 

William tapped a finger against his chin before taking out Oscar's bishop with his rook. "You'd see the carriage if you'd just wear your bloody spectacles," he murmured. 

Genevieve spun around. “I heard that! And you know why I refuse to wear them. They make me look like Aunt Matilda.” 

Oscar looked up and clutched his heart with feigned surprise. “Aunt Matilda! How long have you been standing there?” He dodged Genevieve’s shoe as the others erupted into laughter. 

"Prick," she bristled with annoyance, skipping across the room to fetch her shoe. "Anyways, has anyone seen Garreth? He's the man of the hour. He should be waiting downstairs with Mother and Father to receive his lovely bride." 

Oscar shook his head with a frown. “You know where he is.”

“Hiding,” said everyone in unison. 

It would have been funny, but their brother had stubbornly refused to appear before anyone, dreading their well wishes and congratulations. What should’ve been a joyous event felt like a death sentence, and Garreth was doing everything he could to stay hidden and out of sight. It was a shame, for his siblings have traveled, or are still traveling, from far and wide to see him and witness his marriage. 

“You would think,” Genevieve plopped down sadly beside Septimus, resting her feet on her brother’s lap, “he’d come out and spend time with us before he goes away.”

“If it’s any consolation,” said William, “Aurora is practically next door. He can visit us or vice versa whenever we wish.” 

“It’s not the saaame,” Genevieve moaned, hugging Septimus’ arm. “One by one, you’re all leaving me. Save for you, William, since you’re taking father’s throne. So, I’m stuck with your sorry ass.” 

“You might be married one day too, Genny,” said Septimus. 

“Never! I’d rather be a spinster like Aunt Matilda and serve Camellia to the end of my days. Mother knows I’m too capricious to be wed.”

“Never say never,” Oscar muttered, upending the chessboard as he realized his inevitable defeat.

The sounds of William's protests and Genevieve's shrill laughter escaped the study, and Garreth, who had been eavesdropping for a while now, frowned with a painful pang of his heart. This was his last week with his siblings, and here he was, running away from the sight of them like a petulant child. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't withstand their pity. Their fake happiness. But… if he were to face the rest of his life stuck in a loveless marriage, perhaps it was best to enjoy what remaining love he could get from his rambunctious siblings. 

With steady resolve, he plastered on the best smile he could muster and opened the door, greeting everyone with a decidedly cheery look. The others knew it was a façade, but they made no mention of it, relishing in their brother's presence before he was taken away from them forever. 

~~~

The week leading up to the wedding was a hectic mess that whizzed by in a blur. From outfit fittings to dining with guests, Garreth was extremely grateful for his siblings' help. Many of them were married and helped him endure the craziness of being a royal groom-to-be. And the ones who weren't, like Oscar and Genevieve, managed to steal the limelight whenever they noticed Garreth growing increasingly overwhelmed by the attention. 

Thankfully, out of the dozens of guests, Garreth had not been requested to meet his future bride or her parents. He wondered if she dreaded their wedding day as much as he did and if she was soaking up the last days of freedom before being shackled to a man she'd never even met. 

But as the wedding day drew nearer, word of his fiancee’s beauty began to spread like wildfire. She seemed to be roaming the grounds, coincidentally avoiding places Garreth was known to linger in. But she couldn't avoid his siblings' notice, with William and his other sisters claiming to have met her during a walk around the pastures. Genevieve, being the most eager to lay eyes on her, finally met her where the unicorns were allowed to graze and went on and on about the princess's kindness and beauty to whoever would listen. 

So much so that Garreth was beginning to grow nervous. He didn't care about his fiancée, to begin with, but… if she truly was the beauty they claimed her to be, would she find him dull and ugly? Garreth twirled a lock of hair around his finger. He knew it sent many girls’ hearts aflutter, but would it be enough to impress the princess?

“Genny’s a right ole church bell,” Oscar groaned from the sofa he was napping on, crossing an arm over his eyes. He opened one eye lazily and watched Garreth fuss over his hair. “I could be mistaken, Gaz, but are you seriously primping yourself right now?”

A flush crept over Garreth’s face. “Shut up, Oscar.”

Oscar bit back his smirk. A nervous Garreth was better than a sullen Garreth. 

~~~

Come the morning of the long-awaited wedding day, the palace was awash in the sun’s buttery gold light, flitting through the towering glass windows in soft, dazzling beams. But the entire court was abuzz with servants and nobles running to and fro to get everything ready, too busy to take notice of the sun’s blessing light. 

Garreth dressed slowly, his limbs moving of their own accord while servants helped him with his vest and refinery. This would be the last morning he’d ever wake up in his own room as a single man and free prince of Camellia. He wondered if it was too late to hop on a stallion and make his escape. 

“Don’t even think about it,” came the gruff voice of the Grand Master from the doorway. 

“Professor Sharp,” Garreth swallowed loudly. Even with a limp, his master still managed to come off foreboding. “What are you doing here, sir?”

"Making sure you don't do exactly what you're thinking, son," he replied, ambling towards the nearest armchair. He studied his protegee with an unreadable look before saying, "I know you must be expecting the worst, but you'll come to love Aurora."

“How do you know that, sir?”

Professor Sharp gave a wry smile. “Because I was born and raised there. Everything I’ve taught you, I learned in Aurora. They can teach you things you couldn't learn anywhere else."

Garreth gave a tentative smile in return. In all the years he spent under his master's guidance, this was the first time he divulged anything about his personal life, and Garreth was grateful for it. It appeased his heart a little and gave him something to look forward to, even if this marriage might be as torturous as he expected. 

And to Garreth's dismay, the torture started as soon as he stepped into the massive ballroom where the wedding would take place. Grand and luxurious, no expense was spared for this wedding, and the heady scent of flowers filling the room began getting to him. Standing on a dais with his brothers as his best men, he wondered which of them would catch him if he were to faint. 

“Quit your fidgeting, Garreth,” William chastised, peering over Septimus’ head. “And Hector, spit that gum out of your mouth before I get it out myself,” he snapped at their second youngest brother. 

Garreth rolled his neck, clenching his teeth as the fabric of his coat made his neck itch. He utterly despised formal events. The stuffy clothes, the simpering nobles, all of it got on his nerves, and William seemed determined to make everyone as equally annoyed as he was. Thankfully, Oscar had the mind to discreetly transfigure his coat, widening the neckline to give Garreth more room to breathe. 

Garreth gave his favorite brother a grateful smile and turned his face towards the double doors as music began to fill the room, the peaceful strum of the orchestra drowning out the wild beating of his heart as it began to race. 

This was it. 

The moment he'd been dreading for. But regardless of his feelings, Garreth would push through the day with as much grace and charm as possible. There was no sense in starting off on the wrong foot with his soon-to-be wife. 

~~~

The princess clutched her bouquet nervously as she waited for the doors to open. The musicians began to play on the other side, signaling her queue to get ready to walk. Her cold, clammy palms started glistening with sweat, and she took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart. 

This was it. 

The moment she'd been waiting for. The moment to find out whether she made a good choice all those years ago when she was not but a girl older than ten. She felt soft, comforting hands grip her arm gently, and the princess turned her head to gaze down at her loving mother, tears threatening to spill down her face. A sob from her other side, and the princess wavered at the sight of her father, the stoic king of Aurora, now weeping into his handkerchief. 

She was their only daughter. The only girl to have been born in three generations, equally as witty and intelligent as her brothers. They knew this day was coming, and she would still reside in their palace as the heiress to the throne, but it hurt to hand her off to be wed. The king and queen had so many words to tell her, so many ways to say they loved her, but when the doors flung open, they knew it could wait. This day was to celebrate a new love. A love they hoped would grow between their daughter and the youngest prince of Camellia. 

From behind her thick veil, the princess could barely make out the silhouette of her groom. All her focus was centered on her feet, ensuring she didn't trip on the extravagantly puffy skirt. While the veil was annoying, it at least shielded her from the crowd's immense staring, as many craned their necks and eyes to see if she was as lovely as the rumors had whispered her to be. If all went well, she'd only have to do this once in her life, a thought that didn't seem as comforting the longer she pondered it. 

Goodness, did this walkway never end? Her petticoat was a bit itchy, and she wanted nothing more than to kick her heels off and scratch that itch. The princess focused on trivial matters to push the nagging possibility that Prince Garreth might never come to love her. Oh, she's heard the rumors. He didn't take the news of their betrothal well, and it broke her heart a little to learn that he didn't remember her at all. 

Well, no use crying about it now. The grave's been dug, and it's time to lie in it. She came to a halt right before the priest, each of her parents breaking protocol to hug her before sitting beside her new parents-in-law. And when she turned to the priest again, she felt her fiancé's arm barely graze against hers, sending ripples down her spine. Even years after, without a clue how he looked or acted now, he still had the same effect on her. 

~~~

The priest droned on about the sanctity of marriage and the importance of unification between nations, and Garreth fought back his drooping eyelids. From the corner of his eye, he saw William reach an arm to pinch Hector awake, and a chuckle escaped Garreth’s lips before he could stop himself. 

“Any day now, Father,” he muttered as quietly as he could, and Garreth swore he heard a soft giggle from behind the veil. Well, he supposed this marriage wouldn’t be as bad as he thought if his wife possessed a shred of humor. 

When all was finally said, the priest stowed away his holy book and looked to the young couple before him to ask if they would take each other as their lawfully wedded spouse. Oscar sighed in relief when he heard Garreth say, "I do," although knowing his brother best, it sounded a little too much like pulling his nails out. And when the bride finally spoke, "I do," everyone in the room waited with bated breath for Garreth to reveal his new wife's face. 

His hands shook with trepidation as his fingers met the soft fabric of gossamer and tulle. He shouldn’t be this nervous. He had no reason to be. But his eyes fell on the bride’s hands, and the bouquet quivered in her grasp. Garreth realized she was just as anxious as he was, and it consoled him. Made him realize he was not alone. 

Gently, so painstakingly slowly, he lifted the veil inch by inch, past her chest, her shoulders, then her chin, and – oh. 

Garreth's breath stilled, his skin blooming a viciously red hue as he took in familiar, star-bedazzled eyes framed by exquisitely long lashes and the most luscious pair of lips he had ever laid eyes on. Lips that curved in a shy but taunting grin as she dared him to remember her. Remember that distant day of chatter and play. Judging from how he gaped at her, it all came flooding back, clear as a bell. 

"I guess you ARE a prince, after all," she teased, eyes still searching his for any sign of assurance. Any sign at all that she did not make a mistake by choosing him. Over Garreth's shoulder, the princess could make out his siblings, straining to catch a glimpse of her face, but one in particular, Genny, waved at her with an enthusiastic grin.  

All tension in Garreth's shoulders fled him as he smiled down adoringly at his new wife without care that all eyes were on them. "There she is," he hummed pleasantly. "There's my little fairy."

The rest of the world dimmed away in a blur as Garreth leaned down to kiss his bride, his skin erupting into flaming ripples at the feel of her soft lips against his. This marriage may not be so bad after all. 

[shai-manahan]

Hi! It's been a while since I've talked about the upcoming updates, but I finally had a chance to actually sit down and make plans! (the life of a corporate slave, am I right? 🙃)

It has something to do with the changes I will be implementing on my patreon, though. I've thought for a while how to give content that's worthwhile of subscriptions while also making sure I can be comfortable with them, and in all honesty, I had a tricky time doing it. HM is too personal for me, as I used to talk about before, and some of the patreon benefits I promised before eventually felt too revealing - of my own thoughts and people whose lives were a huge inspiration for this story.

I will be talking about these changes and the update schedules as well below the cut.

UPDATES

I aim to finish at least half of HM's Book 1 this year. It seems to be a more realistic goal than forcing myself to finish everything right away (which tbh may have been a huge pressure I put on myself the past few years), though admittedly, things are unpredictable in the field I'm in; my job is full of overtime hours, and I spend most of my weekends trying to recover (or sick).

Still, I gotta finish it one way or another, and it's not going to write itself (though I wish it would!), so yeah, set realistic deadlines, pull out a few all-nighters, and maybe I'll actually get through it, who knows?

I do hope I'll have steadier finances by the time Book 2 starts so I can put more focus on writing and have sufficient energy for it, but that's a conversation for another day.

Changes in Prologue - Chapter 2

Okay. I know I promised not to make revisions until I write more chapters, but changing how some game mechanics work and reworking the stats made it a necessity, and I underestimated how much rewriting I'd have to do. A few scenes ended up not working well anymore, and I couldn't resist from revising a few clunky sections while I was at it.

Dialogue options were one of those that were significantly affected by the stat changes, but no worries, nothing is changed in the story -- meaning Wesley still fucks with the Ripper's life (oops), Richard still goes off doing whatever non-sus thing he's doing, you can still punch Bale (it's even a lot funnier this time), Bertrand remains a bitchy cop, and you'll still have your sad flashback with your former best friend/lover/crush or whatever they are to your MC.

The plan is to release the updated version of Prologue and Chapter 1 to patrons by the end of March (I will have a few days off work that week) and release it to the public once the new content is also ready, which I presume will be available next month (I will keep you all posted but I really hope I can get it done by then because it's been forever 🥲).

I might tweak Chapter 2 a little so the available portion can stand on its own rather than be divided into two parts, because it's just too long lmfao and is harming the pacing as I keep worrying about the length. I'm also incorporating a few suggestions a few folks gave me these past few months.

Succeeding chapters

I've probably said this before but things are bound to get more insane in HM once we're past the first three to four chapters. But also quicker to write in a way. They're the kind of scenes I thrive in, and while they have bigger variations, they're a lot more fast-paced, characters start being manipulative little shits, and the threats are more prevalent than ever. Your Ripper will not have a good time, but I certainly will (I say as I look at my outline and get sad doing it). There will be a few "breaks" in between, but this is not and will never be a light-hearted story. Anyway, I'm inclined to believe I'll be more consistent with updates when that time comes, so bear with me for now :')

PATREON CHANGES

This is getting long, so I'll just list the updated tier benefits and end the day with it. I'll be posting a schedule that I will be committing to (here and on patreon tomorrow morning), with the below details as well (so if you wanna stop here that's totally valid) but for now, here's the tentative list:

Tier 1

Early access - 4 days before a public update (this month will be an exception and you'll get the update as soon as the other tiers get it, too).

Sneak peeks and deleted scenes - I included the latter because apparently I delete a lot of great scenes

Hints for future revelations in the story - the categories will depend on results of polls; the hints may be about Bale's death, about Ripper's family, Pharos, Cyro, the ROs themselves, or the nightmares that the MC is getting, etc. Might be in form of vague conversations/dialogues between unknown characters, might be me dropping subtle info about those involved. Either way, it will be fun :). The polls and these hints will be given monthly.

Tier 2

Early access - 1 week before a public update

all the other benefits for Tier 1

monthly RO snippets - I'm still experimenting with this, but I might simply write MC x RO snippets (with different kinds of MCs for different scenarios because I deeply hate writing blank slate MCs, sorry)

a choice to see the POV of a character, decided through polls, for every chapter/update.

Tier 3

Early access - as early as it's available and goes through testing stages

all other benefits for previous tiers

Non-RO short stories

Previews on unintroduced characters :)

That's all for tonight! I am so tired lmfao but I hope you all are having a great weekend so far! See you tomorrow :)

[misc-obeyme]

i would read the barbatos essay ‼️

Anon, you have made my entire day lol. I'm always worried about answering asks with lengthy posts because I can really ramble on and on. But since you asked for the Barbatos essay, well...

Buckle up 'cause this turned out quite long! I'm putting it under a cut just so people don't have to scroll.

There's only one section of spoilers, which I indicate so you can skip it if you like!

Here it is, my Why I Love Barbatos essay:

Okay, first we have his design and the color scheme. That teal is just so pretty. And the way his hair has that one streak of brighter teal? Perfection. I very much think Barb would look amazing with long hair, too.

The way his uniform is altered to look more like a butler. The way he's always wearing those white gloves. When he actually does take off the gloves?? Though I do wish they had given him a casual outfit, they kinda do this with all the side characters - all of them are missing at least one outfit that the bros have. BUT it's funny to think that Barb just wears his uniform all the time instead AND sometimes he does take off the jacket when he's about to get into something. Such as in the Dust-Fighting Demon SSR and the Face Paint Charm SSR.

And then there's his human world outfit?! It's perfect for him. Elegant and unique and just visually interesting. And if iirc it's like a tea merchant outfit? I mean. Of course it is.

Demon form? Perfection. THAT TAIL. I wanna touch it so bad. And his horns are just so different from everybody else's. They're so unique. And the outfit? It's like butler uniform but upgraded. The patterns and the colors and the frills that come out of the wrists I just love it so much.

Needless to say, I very much love Barbatos's design. Visually he's just so pretty and I think that is part of what initially drew me to him. But in the end, what it really comes down to for me is personality, too.

I think there are a couple of things about Barbatos that I really love that just made him become my absolute favorite.

He's not instantly in love with MC. People have talked about this before. It takes basically all four seasons for Barbatos to say or do anything that indicates he might have feelings for MC. A lot of his more romantic interactions happen in his Devilgrams and the events, which are outside of the main story line. (A Party Just For Two UR card is one of my all time faves when it comes to romance with Barb and most of it happens in the kitchen lol.)

The thing about this that was always interesting to me was that he didn't act like he was NOT interested or that he disliked MC or anything. In fact, he always seemed to be curiously intrigued by MC. While most of the other characters usually develop a kind of crush on MC before they're just straight up in love with them, Barb is just kind of like, oh you are interesting. But that's it until much later in the story. And even THEN we don't get a straight confession out of him.

I have always been a fan of the slow burn. The little moments that just steadily increase the character's feelings, the build up, the anticipation... it's so good.

And then there's just how mysterious he is in general. We know very little about him. In the beginning I was like okay so who is this guy? He's just a butler? I don't get it. And yeah, he's a butler, but then you find out he's also got time powers and portal powers and suddenly he's a lot more than just a butler.

NB spoilers here for his Tea Time With You UR+ Devilgram:

The story in this Devilgram really hints to there being so much more about WHY Barbatos is Diavolo's butler. He talks a lot about atonement and how something he did had a profound impact on both Diavolo and Solomon. He won't tell us what it was because he's not ready to reveal it, which is not surprising, but also indicates that it still weighs on him pretty heavily. At least it does in the NB timeline. To me, this added a whole new layer to his air of mystery. We don't know why he stays as Diavolo's butler except that he says he likes it and that's what he wants to do. But there is clearly another piece to that involving some self imposed penalty for whatever he did.

End spoilers.

And even though there's a lot we don't know about him and especially his past (which to be fair, there are probably a billion years of past there so we'll never know all of it lol), he just has this comforting way about him. Once he accepts someone as sort of being in his charge, he takes care of them without being overbearing. He sort of does this thing where he gives each person in his life as much as they need from him.

Diavolo is the obvious example and he needs the most from Barb. So Barbatos does a lot for him and Dia is always his priority. But then we've also got characters like Luke and Solomon. With Luke, Barbatos is always ready to teach him how to bake or give him advice when he asks for it. But he also doesn't smother him or anything. He knows that Luke has Simeon and Solomon that help him, too. And with Solomon, Barbatos only really helps him when Solomon asks. In the OG, it's pretty clear that by that point, Solomon is incredibly independent. He doesn't need a lot of attention from Barbatos anymore, so Barb just lets him do his thing for the most part. But if Solomon does need him, Barbatos has no problem helping. (I am assuming, of course, that the only time that Sol forced Barb to do something he didn't want to do was in the labyrinth in NB.)

And I think this tendency to care for people extends to MC as well, but he knows that MC has everyone else looking out for them, too. So he's willing to sort of stay in the background, but you know that he's paying attention to MC. He will sometimes ask MC to come help him with something in daily chats or he'll invite them over for tea and he always says something about being happy to see them.

Another thing I love about his personality is his tendency to be subtly teasing. He's always so super formal and restrained that sometimes it's hard to tell when he's teasing because he does it the way he does everything else. But we all know that one demon sticker he sometimes uses, the one that's covering its mouth 'cause it's laughing slyly. Yeah, that one. It's kind of similar to the way he always smiles even when he's angry. He never breaks his butler persona, but those who know him can tell when he's being playful and when he's actually angry. (Unless he's really angry, which we have seen in the way he interacts with Solomon in Nightbringer.)

And then there are his interests. He loves tea, as we know, and he likes to cook and to bake. For me personally, these are big reasons why I love him, too. I drink both coffee and tea, but when it comes to tea I'm really picky. I only drink loose leaf tea that I buy by the ounce and I know about the different kinds and what my favorites are and how to make them correctly. I sometimes cold brew loose leaf tea to make iced tea and I have a very particular way of making it. So like... I get all that, you know? I think I would love to experience the way Barbatos makes tea. I also enjoy cooking and baking, but I don't get to do it very often. However, I absolutely have a sweet tooth. So again, I'm just imagining tea parties with Barbatos in the garden with some tasty dessert he made and that sounds like absolute heaven to me lol.

He's also just a little less boisterous than most of the other characters. He's calm and collected. I have some anxiety issues and I'm an introvert, but I just get the feeling that spending time with him would be so nice and relaxing. There's just something about him that makes me feel peaceful and contented.

And all of that is why I'm in love with Barbatos.

If he turns out to be Nightbringer, I don't know how I'll feel about it. I'm just hoping they don't change his character too much because I love him just as he is now.

[crazylittlejester]

oh, more halloween ep/monster au thoughts I need to share NOW or I’ll literally EXPLODE. Color coded :D

I have a list for what each Link would be, except for Sky. I don’t know what to do with him. I can only think of an angel(too basic, not weird or pop-culture monster enough imo) or a harpy(also not pop-culture monster enough imo and I don’t know who he would hold a sword, in his mouth???). Maybe he would be part dragon??? Bird thingy??? I’m not good at this. You love Sky, I know you have great ideas. Please help(only if want not forcing).

Here are what I have listed as the guys:

Wild: Frankenstein’s Monster - cause shrine and stuff

Twilight: Vampire - he’s a creature of the night and in some stories(like Dracula I think)vamps can turn into wolves. Also, Twilight joke.

Sky: Empty because I don’t know :(

Time: Half-Oni - he’s only half because of the Fierce Deity. It’s turning him into one. Also they’re like protector spirits in one source I’ve read. Only one, but I like it.

Four: Minish(The Fly 1986) - So the 1986 movie, The Fly, a guy(the mc? I don’t remember rn)basically accidentally steps into a teleportation machine at the same time a fly flies in. The guy gets a fly head now. Four has the head of a Minish now. That’s it.

Warriors: Final Girl(Human) - There’s this horror trope of a “final girl” where only one singular girl is left alive at the end of the movie. It’s kind of a meme in the slasher fandom tbh. Also the girl is only alive because of either shear luck or something else. I only have him listed as Final Girl for the meme.

Legend: Haunted Doll - he like, used to have strings, like one of those puppets. Hold up I have a picture but he also has one of those ventriloquist dummy’s mouths

Wind: Physic twin with Arryl(probs spelt this wrong but it’s fine) - Making him a sea creature would be too easy. Also, he would be kinda creepy 24/7, as those creepy twins in like The Shining are. He’s just slightly off. Also he’s physic.

Hyrule: Witch - He has spells and stuff.

I picture Wars-and humans in general-as being naturally terrified of monsters. Let me rephrase that-they are more naturally cowards in comparison to Hylians. So Wars, who has the Triforce of Courage within him, is still a bit cowardly in comparison to his fellow heroes. His slightly cowardly nature was actually helpful during the war, as he could make more rational decisions compared to his fellow Hylian soldiers. Also he was the only human to be in the Hylian Military atm, he’s the special special. I picture that even in his time, humans are uncommon in Hylian areas, with people in the army giving him the stink eye every once in a while, or them just asking why his ears are like that. Maybe he had fake Hylian ears even before he got sent off on his newest adventure, just to get everyone else to shut up.

Humans are also less durable compared to Hylians. Unfortunately for Wars, the rest were all either born as Hylians, or are very close to them. They don’t know how fragile he is. Except for Twilight, he grew up with them he knows how they are, but there’s reason for him to believe that Warriors would be stronger than most humans, to be able to handle more than most humans. There’s a reason, a very justified reason for the natural cowardice of humans. There’s a reason there aren’t many around in Hyrule.

Anyways, have a great rest of your week, that’s a order! Well, not actually, but still.

I LOVE YOU FOR COLOR CODING THIS, FIRST OF ALL.

reading through and finding “Wars: Final Girl” made me laugh so hard. Absolutely iconic 12/10

i am chewing on the walls over Haunted Doll Legend /pos

I FUCKING LOVE THIS SO MUCH IM EATING THIS AU UP THIS IS SO SO SO SO GOOD OH MY GODDDDD

[skylermadness]

Crystalline Conversion (Vandham TF/MC)

(Original Date of Upload: July 29, 2022)

Original Description:

Another story written based on a suggestion from my friend Nat! With today being the official release day of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, I wanted to write something to celebrate such an occasion. Especially in part because the Xenoblade series has been a favorite game series of mine for a little over half a year now. Picking a character to write TF for also wasn't that difficult. Vandham is probably my favorite character out of the entirety of the three games I have played so far (1, 2, and X), and that coupled with how much I liked this idea made writing a Vandham TF inevitable. Plus I feel like having the first written work of him have an intense, heavily descriptive story feels worthwhile for a guy like him. He's just a lovely character overall and I wish we could have gotten more of him. Cheers to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and here's hoping Guernica has a better fate! This story is rated Mature for heavy mentions of a bulge.

   Inventory duty has never been Maurice's expertise, which is a little weird since he's owned this store for literal months now. But having to deal with making sure everything is still in place, which is hard when your store has no organization system. Coupled with the fact this store replaces the objects he sells almost instantly makes trying to handle this specific duty rather lengthy. Then there's adding in that he has zero idea where most of this comes from, usually having left that part of the job to the store's co-owner, it all gives him a feeling of literally knowing nothing about what he's managing.

   Nonetheless, it's still a part of his job, meaning he has to take time out of his week to assess store stock.

   The hirsute bear of a man walks out from in between two shelf rows, cracking his back as he grumbles about the annoyance of looking around the lower shelves. He then pulls up his notebook and a pen, proceeding to slowly check off various names (many of which already had checks beside them) while listing things off to himself.

   "A'ready tied scarf, Delbin; Police badge, the'ret'cally Chief Bogo; Small du'l swords, unknown owner, should probbly have Two check that out…"

   He continues to stand there muttering to himself while verifying object placement and registration. It was all the same as last week, and the week before, and the week before… With his last sale only occurring a small while ago (a month, not like he starts counting days now), this part of the job is just slowly getting more monotonous. Perhaps he should consider rebranding to a cosplay shop-

   Still talking to himself and writing, Maurice starts to walk between another row of shelves. He takes a couple uncaring steps forward, his focus not really on where he was going and what his feet were touching. However his focus is quickly broken once he feels his boot collide with something, followed by the sound of said something rolling across the floor. Lifting his head from the notebook, a brow raised in question, he closed the object and stared down at the ground.

   "The hell 's this…"

   It wasn't hard to find what his foot collided with. Mainly due to the dim, lifeless grey color of the item being a lot different than the deep brown of the wooden floors. But the item itself was a rather peculiar looking one…

   Maurice stepped over to it and bent down to pick it up. It was obviously a rock or crystal of some kind, and a rather large one since it was the size of his hand. It was cleanly cut too since it was almost entirely smooth save for a few crevices, but those were obviously in there for design. The way it was cut was also fairly complex for something it's size; twelve facets, four pentagonal-shaped ones coming to an upward vertex with four also coming to a downward vertex. The sides didn't come to pointed vertices, those being replaced with diamond-shaped facets instead. 

   His gaze wandered around the shelves, the shopkeeper wondering if this had fallen off either of them. But all the shelves seemed to be filled with the usual objects. He then momentarily disregarded the crystal and placed it on the edge of one of the shelf rows. He moved his focus back to his notebook as he started to run through it again, quicker this time as he was looking for if the object was logged.

   "Row four, row four, row four…" he was whispering to himself in an almost panicked state. "Ah! Row four, now les see here…"

   His eyes scanned the list of assorted objects, trying to find any mention of 'strange crystal' anywhere, but it was quickly turning out to be fruitless as this row seemed to lack any objects such as that. Not unless he missed it in previous inventories, but that seemed… like a slim possibility actually. But that's beside the point. 

   Closing the notebook, sighing in disappointment as he does so, he picks up the crystal again and stares at it curiously. Turning it around in his hand, feeling out the facets and poking the points. "Pecular bugger, ain't'cha…"

   It didn't even respond to that, which… interested him, to say the least.

   Owning a magic object store tends to come with learning many things. For Maurice, one of these things was magic detection and object call/response. A lot of times objects would respond to comments towards them by dimly glowing, or sparkling or something. This doesn't always occur though, as Maurice has recently found less savory and more accursed and vile objects (objects that shouldn't be sold typically) tend not to respond.

   But then comes detecting magic. Having been working here for some time, Maurice is usually able to tell the magical aura of something just by staring at it. Wizard intuitions and stuff. And everything in this store has a magic aura.

   Everything but the crystal he was holding.

   He continues to gawk at the lifeless object, trying to determine if his growing concerns were correct. "C'mon ya' weird thing, glow 'r somethin'." 

   But all the rock did was stay dark.

   "Mmmm, maybe this shop can summ'n dead 'r useless objecs."

   He was half expecting the crystal to react to being called useless, but it didn't. He didn't really want to think of it as useless, but considering the way it was (or well, wasn't) functioning, it was far from something he was able to feel comfortable selling. 

   Lowering the hand holding the crystal, he had to think of something to do. On one hand, potent magic could activate it, but he has no idea what this is or what that would do. That was the same reason he couldn't stick it in the so-called Shame Closet with all the vile relics either. He could maybe brew something up that'd completely disintegrate the thing…

   …Or he could just throw it out.

   There was some risk to it, but his reasoning hinged on the fact that this thing had no magic within it whatsoever. Even something dormant contains trace magic. So it would be a pretty fine resolution.

   Leaving the shelves and heading to the front of his store, he disregards his notebook on the counter and heads outside, crystal still in hand.

   The outside proves itself to be cold the moment he steps out, not really being the weather to just be wearing a polo shirt and ripped jeans. Nonetheless, he heads to the alleyway that parts the end of his store with that of another.

   Besides a few stray puddles, the alleyway was a pretty clean one. Likely because the small family-owned restaurant that neighbored him didn't want rats or something. Although it seemed the dumpster that laid beside the wall of said restaurant was left open. A perfect opportunity to chuck the crystal in it and forget about this!

   A silly thought did cross Maurice's mind though. Lifting his arm up and pulling it back, he had decided he would just throw it in there! 

   "God, what'm I thinkin'..."

   Well, he's already committed to it.

   "Grruhh-!" He growls out as he hurls the object.

   It ends up hitting the side of the dumpster, pretty loudly, and clattering on the ground. And Maurice could've sworn he heard a cat run further into the alley at the sound of the incident.

   "Aw heck. Nev'r been the mos' athletic," he says, slightly dejected. He shrugs it off though, deciding to leave the crystal on the ground and walk back to the store.

   What's the worst that could happen with an impotent object like that anyway?

                                        ----------------------------------------------------------

   Even with a hoodie on, Nat found it to be pretty cold out here. The occasional gusts of wind did not help with that whatsoever.

   He was hoping taking a detour through the city's shopping district was going to end up shortening his walk home. It was somewhat working, but it was still somewhat tiresome since the block he was on still happened to be the largest block of the entire district. It did come with being mildly quiet though, not many people being around and all.

   He was roughly halfway down the block when his olfactory senses were assaulted by the smell of food, definitely thanks to the restaurant he was passing by. It was definitely doing its job at making him start feeling a little hungry, but not enough to really stop his walk home. 

   But once he passed by the restaurant, he found himself stopping. He had noticed a lengthy alleyway, but judging by what the other side looked like it looked to be a good place to try and cut his time through the block. Plus, thanks to the buildings in the way, he won't have to worry about the worsening cold that the wind doles out.

   Nat sauntered into the alley, relieved that it was less cold than the outer block seemed to be. The smell here was a little worse for wear though, likely due to the open dumpster that he was beginning to approach. He attempted to step aside from it, but his foot ended up snagging onto something that was just barely wedged beneath the dumpster.

   "SHIT-" was all he could yell out in reaction as he tripped over the object and fell onto the ground.

   Hands already sore from preventing him from face planting, he groaned as he steadily got up. While relieved that he didn't fall into the dangerously close puddle that was just a few centimeters from where he was, he was also curious as to what his foot caught onto.

   Curiosity turned to surprise once he turned around and looked at what was beneath the corner of the dumpster.

   Well, beneath isn't correct. It was too large to fit under it, but it was close enough to the dumpster that it could be a hazard. But what was most interesting about it was… everything, actually.

   Picking it up, Nat found that whatever this object was seemed to be a rock. Blackish grey in color, fairly large in his hand, extremely well cut, and being almost smooth on all facets. In all honesty it looked more like an extremely expensive gemstone, considering its size and cut.

   "Woah, you're pretty cool looking…" 

   While not sure what type of rock it was, it definitely looked to be a pretty neat object. He did wonder why it was so close to a dumpster, and if someone was just trying to throw it away, but why would anyone want to discard such a nice (and again, expensive looking) crystal like this?

   A thought then crossed his mind. "This would look great in my rock collection."

   Perhaps its size and look would be a little out of place, but it was hard to deny how awesome the prospect of having this thing in his collection would be. 

   He attempted to shove it into the pocket of his hoodie, having some trouble fitting the rather large thing in there, but he was able to force it in there after a few seconds. It's rather large size was kind of proven by the fact that one of the facets' shapes could be seen pushing into the pocket's fabric. Plus there was the new weight added thanks to it, but it wasn't all that heavy.

   Satisfied, Nat starts his walk back up again; excited to add this crystal to his collection once he gets home.

                                        ----------------------------------------------------------

   Click!

   Light switch flicking on, the living room brightens as Nat fully enters it. He lets out a long, calm exhale, glad to finally be home. He takes a moment to consider what he wants to make for dinner, but his mind quickly segways once he remembers the rock he found. He was rather curious at how it'd compare to the rest of his collection.

   With his collection being in his bedroom, Nat forgos going to the kitchen and decides to head upstairs to his bedroom.

   Once there, he pulled the box containing his rock collection off from the one shelf he had in the room and placed the box down on his bed. Opening it revealed a menagerie of stones of assorted sizes, types, colorations, all collected over the course of multiple years.

   But as he starts to look down at his hoodie, he sees that something is… glowing in there. Well, not just something. It was obviously the rock…

   "What…?"

   He plunges his hand into his pocket and grasps onto the rock, the cold glassy stone now feeling warm to the touch. It takes another few moments to wrestle the thing out of the pocket, but once he does he starts to inspect it.

   The crystal is now a soft blue color, glowing warmly while releasing a soft humming noise. 

   He decided to cup it with both hands in order to hold it easier, continuously staring down at it in a worried curiosity.

   "What kind of rock are you…" he whispers. 

   As if it were reacting to his question the crystal releases two flashes of light while starting to hover for just a second, which ends up startling Nat into dropping it. 

   "What the hell-"

   Interrupted, the crystal tumbles to the ground and Nat takes a few steps back while blinking his eyes, having been momentarily blinded by the mysterious object. Once he was able to see again, he readjusted his glasses and looked down at the crystal in worry.

   Everything was getting increasingly complicated to grasp- "Did… did it just…"

   He wasn't able to finish his sentence, being cut off by another blast of intense, shining light that was practically spilling out of the crystal itself. Nat was quickly enveloped by the light, warmth filling his body momentarily as he started to feel something within him alter- like there was something more to this warmth than he was aware of.

   "Wh-what…"

   He barely had time to properly react, the man starting to feel an intense pressure wrack his entire body, with his back being the area experiencing the most of it.

   "NNNGHRH-"

   Breathing intensifying, he could feel his entire form begin to pulsate. The pressure that had rapidly built up within it squeezed at his bones, practically tugging at them as his body was being forced to lengthen and grow taller. His spine was quick to decompress, his legs working alongside it as they stretched out more. His arms were getting longer too to fit the new proportions. 

   Despite all of this he was only gaining a few inches of height, going from 5’7 to 6 feet in seconds. This merely resulted in his hoodie becoming a size smaller with the bottom reaching his waist while the sleeves revealed some wrist. Beneath it, his t-shirt began to show just a hint of stomach. The same applied to his pants, the legs inching a little further from his ankles as his changes steadily built up within him. 

   All while his body lengthened, it was at the same time beginning to gain bulk. Intense heat coursed throughout his entire form, a feeling almost akin to a heavy workout settling in his muscles. At the same time came an odd bubbling sensation in his torso and gut, which was steadily shifting into bloating. 

   "Hhhhoh… what's… happening…" he spoke out in between breaths. His breathing was quickening, and he could feel his heart beating up against his already pulsing chest. It was hard to focus on everything though, everything was constantly burning in him and it was overwhelming.

   Muscles continuously ached; pulsating, enlarging, and slowly filling out his t-shirt while at the same time starting to make its way to tightening the man's hoodie.

   The muscle growth was more exemplified in his arms. Pulsations we're coursing through the limbs, his hands constantly shifting size but always ending up larger than they once were. They constantly were packing on more meat, a heavy thickness filling them out while causing his fingers to enlarge and lengthen into thick sausages in comparison to what they were before. Then there were his palms, slowly hardening with a callous as each hand continued to stretch.

   Happening concurrently was the changes in his arms. He was still in a constant sensation of burning. His arms begin to bulge, clear definition settling within them. The hoodie rode above his wrists slightly as his forearms were increasing with mass. It went upwards more with each passing minute of enlargement, riding onwards more and more, revealing his thickening lower arms. As it started to reach his elbow, the sleeves steadily and cleanly filled out, in due because his previously non-existent biceps were beginning to swell. Triceps were increased too, defining his arm even further.

   Nat could only get a glimpse of his hand for a moment before another blast of light, pale blue this time, assaulted him. A sudden spasm coursed through his nerves as a result.

   "GRRRAAGH-" 

   He clenched both hands into fists, his arm muscles tightening as his entire body underwent another rapid pulsation. His height increased yet again, forcing his shirt to rise further up his body making the top end of his jeans and his belt visible. Everything else was effectively following the same pattern too; sleeves going further up his forearms, pants getting high enough to reveal a small portion of the crus of the leg, and the t-shirt he wore rising to show a bit more of his gut.

   His arms continued to bulk causing the tightness of his hoodie to increase more. Muscles constantly pulsated, his muscle mass getting more defined with each pulse. Noticeably ridges forming within the skin, a more visible sign of his newfound strength. The sleeves of his hoodie only got tighter as a result, moreso with his ballooning deltoids. His shoulders were following his arms, bulking out while stretching to become massive, broader.

   Nat let out a deep, shuddered exhale, his legs buckling slightly as the magnitude of the changes were getting much. "Gghhoh, s…so… hot… so heavy…"

   His breathing deepens more as his neck enters the beginning phases of its own internal changes, the diameter of it increasing more and slowly reaching the edges of the necks of his clothing. His voice was also beginning to crack, with hints of it already starting to grow deeper.

   His deeper breathing was fuelling the bloating within his chest and abdomen with, at first, subtle changes. His chest started barreling outwards, his torso beginning to broaden, small cleavage forming as his pectorals first started to grow. His midsection quivers, a churning in his stomach commencing as the area begins to get slightly pudgy. This then progresses further, gradually swelling more each moment. And with each breath he took, everything slowly advanced. Everything rippling and churning, his pecs and gut on their way to becoming bulkier and heavier, less subtle. It all just made his hoodie even more discomforting to wear.

   "Tight… aaaahhh…" was all he could say. He slowly lifted a large, heavy hand up to the zipper. His bulging deltoids made moving his shoulder around a hassle, the sleeves of his t-shirt already filling in while the sleeves of his hoodie were constricting movement. The next issue came with the size ratio between his meaty fingers and the small zipper, making catching it in between two fingers a problem. But once he was able to grasp it, he attempted to pull it down.

   Unfortunately, trying to unzip his hoodie was a strenuous experience. He could only get it down roughly an inch and a half before it started having trouble, the metallic object being stopped by his increasingly large pectorals. His torso was still within its phase of growth with his pecs becoming thick slabs of muscle. He could swear an indentation of the cleavage was already subtly forming in the gray fabric of his hoodie, but he was more focused on getting the zipper down.

   "C-come down!"

   By some Architectural grace, the zipper did as he commanded and got beyond the cleavage. It was also beginning to slide down itself, his hulking torso forcing the zipper down further. For a moment it looked like it was going to get caught in his swelling belly, but it managed to reach the halfway point and got pushed down the rest of the way by his stomach. 

   He momentarily stopped as he saw what was going on with his abdomen. While he could feel the same strength and muscle beneath it, it was obviously shrouded beneath a developing gut. Fat was accumulating quickly in his belly, churning and bubbling around it forcing it to balloon and push the t-shirt he was wearing further upwards. 

   All of this forced the slider to escape the bottom stop, the two halves of his hoodie now drifting to his sides. He knew he had to take action fast if he wanted this thing off before it ripped.

   Moving around was a laborious and slightly painful task for Nat. He attempted to shift his arms around, constantly taking steps in order to find a good spot in his room to stretch everything. He was constantly worried he'd end up ripping the thing, fighting against the fabric to pull his hands through. It took almost half a minute of wrestling around with the arm before he could successfully pull his hand into the hole and slide it out the sleeve. 

   Everything was getting hotter though. Hotter and heavier and harder and- "Uurgh, fuck-"

   Breathing quickened more, beads of sweat materializing on his forehead. His hands weakened momentarily, just, everything was getting harder to handle. But he forced himself to go forward, and while clutching onto the other sleeve he was able to pull the other arm out a little more easily. Once that was over he heaved the hoodie onto the ground before being blinded by another flash of light from the crystal and forced to feel another overwhelming feeling.

   "GGHHHRRAAHHHAH-"

   This feeling was still intense, still hot, but now it felt… different. It felt like a sense of power surging through him. 

   Another set of inches piled onto him as he went through yet another growth spurt, the bones in his back and legs (along with the rest of his body) lengthening for a third time since this all began. His chest packed on more bulk, swelling cleanly into his t-shirt as the hem of it rose up his belly. The cleavage of his pectorals started to faintly etch into the orange cotton, meanwhile his delts enlarged to fill out the shoulders.

   His belt was the next major thing to grow constricting, now under the pressure of his widening waist and constantly shifting girth. The belt tried it's best to hold everything in, his jeans doing the same as the zipper slowly was getting pushed down by an increasing mass within. The same could be applied to the rear of the pants, steadily filling out as each second passed.

   Having already gained several inches, Nat now roughly around 6ft 4, his pants had started becoming too short for him. His legs soon begin trembling as bulk starts to fill them out. Thighs steadily swelling, the muscles in them hardening and widening them out. His calves were bulking up as well, thick, heavy, pushing his jeans up even more than they were now. The denim soon started digging into his skin as his muscles were thick enough to further etch themselves into the legwear. Bulging, rippling throughout them, slowly but surely becoming visible from beneath them.

   A surge of energy hits his feet, forcing yet another wave of changes. His feet slowly began to stretch, toes curling as both feet grew a size larger, then another. His shoes were a bit cramped now, and his feet were still growing bigger and thicker. The toe caps were beginning to bulge with the indents of his toes while the rest of the footwear was looking like it was swollen. The straps that held them closed were undoing themselves under the force of his feet, slowly but surely losing the ability to contain them.

   Another strap on each shoe snapped as Nat took another few disorientated steps backwards, bumping into a dresser and knocking over a few things on top of it. Sweat crept down his face and arms, heat still coursing through his muscles as he was still getting an instant workout. His shirt was still getting tighter by the second, he could even feel some air hit his shoulders as a few rips started forming in the sleeves. The neck continued to constrain, the hem continued to ride up his belly. It was getting hard to think. His mind was muddling, either under the heat or the confusion of it all.

   "Aaa… aaaahhh- f-fuckin'... ain't feelin' to well…"

   He swallowed a forming lump in his throat. Was his voice different? It seemed deeper and accented but he… he can't seem to tell anything anymore. 

   "Sso hot…"

   He raised an arm to his forehead and wiped off some sweat. "I… I nneed to…" His eyes closed for a moment as he tried to come up with what he wanted to say. Everything was confusing, muddled, he wasn’t quite sure what was going on. There was an odd feeling of something… pressing, in his mind? 

   “Can’t… think straight…”

   His voice was cracking some more. Although it seemed to be for a while, but then again it’s getting hard to remember that stuff. And did it sound… foreign? And if so, which parts? A lingering sense, a feeling of unfamiliarity with himself was settling in Nat, but his mind holds for just a bit longer.

  Nat started to stumble around the room, steps heavy and shaky, towards the bed. His shoes continued to constrain, feet uncomfortable with each step forward. His pants strained against his legs, both limbs progressing in their own muscle gain. Walking itself was even strenuous, everything hot, tiresome, heavy and aching.

   His belt was unable to take the weight anymore and the buckle cleanly snapped, the rest of the leather staining before scuffing and tearing. A heat was filling his groin, the region working its way in swelling itself. The zipper of his jeans were already pulled down, button struggling to hold it together, but the growth in size forced it to break. The groin region was bulging in size, slowly falling out his pants as his briefs attempted to hold his meaty package together. 

   The back of his pants were undergoing a similar challenge. A fatal attempt to hold in his thickening glutes while his legs moved. They were already filled out, but a growing crevice was getting visible with each step. His butt was expanding and pushing out the seat of the jean's further, forcing them tighter. Even with pressure alleviated around the waist thanks to the open zipper, wearing these pants wasn't going to last long. This became clear once the seat of his pants couldn't handle containing his ass anymore and started to split open, revealing more of his underwear.

   The seams holding the denim together began splitting; a mixture of weight, leg movement, and sheer leg size finally pushing past their limitations. His thighs widened, quads and hamstrings bulging out in opposite directions and tearing his legwear apart at the sides. His knees were growing increasingly visible, holes emerging on that area of his jeans with each step. His calves forced the legs upwards more as muscle mass spilled out of them too. His legs were easily becoming the same muscularity as his arms: thick, heavy, massive, powerful. 

   Heat was still burning in them as they continued to swell and stretch, pulling apart his pants furthermore. Portions of them were already beyond what they got handle and were torn from the rest of the legwear, material now sloughing off his legs and showing more skin. The growing in his rear split the seat even more, aided by his wide hips to force the midline of the jeans to fully split apart and causing his bulge to descend slightly as a result. Eventually the muscle changes would halt, but what fragments of denim remained would cascade off his skin, slowly flowing down softly onto the ground. This revealed his legs to be wide, meaty, and muscular. With all the additional shifts and changes undergone, he'd also be settling at 6ft 8.

   His shoes were next, unable to hold any longer as his blunt, thick toes pushed out of the toe cap of the cloth. The straps that once held the shoes closed were all undone. The bridge of his foot pushed through the tongue of the shoe and shredded the top apart. Ankles bulged out, the overall size of his feet finally decimating his footwear. And while chunks of cloth drifted off his feet, all that was left intact were the soles, left behind in two simple steps. Air hit his feet, both massive with thick toes, wide soles, and an overall huge and chunky look.

   The hem of his t-shirt was over his belly at this point, stretched over his torso and filled to the brim with raw muscle. His thick tree trunk of a neck was pushing out the neck, a fissure slowly forming down the midline as a result of the strenuous task of holding everything in. Cleanly split holes were also budding across the fabric; more of his rippling pecs, massive delts, and broad back growing evermore visible by the second. The fabric stretches so thin over his massive arms, his bulging biceps, that it starts to tear and gradually succumb to the thickly-muscled limbs, steadily bursting up the shoulders. Soon, his shirt was expanded beyond what even itself could contain. Rips and gaps meshing together, more and more skin becoming visible, lines of fabric and string finally breaking against his hard muscles. Soon, bits of orange fabric fell off his body and onto the ground as well.

   Spilling out of it all was his body. A large, massive gut that possessed strength behind its fat. Slabs for pectorals, meaty and somewhat soft looking. Huge hands with thick sausages for fingers, connected to muscular arms that clearly show off a lot of strength.

   An X-shaped scar started to emerge between his eyes, the scar slowly making its way across his face as his mind hazes even further. The pressure in his mind continues to grow, like a feeling of something overpowering him mentally.

   “Grrugh, c…can’t think straight-”

   A pressure ached around his face as a new set of shifts rippled across it. His skull steadily growing in size; jawline crackling, sculpting out into something smooth and chiseled at first. His chin then bulges as it descends a little more with a crease fading into it. His skull structure starts to make its way into a blocky, rectangular shape; the softer features it once had smoothing out into a more rugged, mature look. Protrusions start to poke out the diagonals of his face; hard, rocky, pointed scales emerging from those areas.

   His eyes shut again as he tries to fight whatever is in his head, attempts to resist whatever is going on and tries to collect himself. “This… feeling… bloody ‘ell-”

   The scar grows larger as his face does. The tip of his nose blunts, the bridge of it widening while the nostrils flare larger. His ears begin to poke out the sides of his head a little more as their own tips elongate to a point, the soft cartilage stretching out and thinning while the insides grow slightly deeper as the result of their new shape. These changes result in his glasses hitching onto his face, frames unable to simply fall off as they are now locked into its widening form. 

   Foreign thoughts cascaded through Nat’s brain, things getting harder to focus on. Resisting growing more laborious. “N-No, I… m… must be hungover or somethin’-”

   More changes wrack his face in its constant growth. Eyebrows getting thicker, hairs on them becoming a stony grey. The scales start to bubble up and down the sides of his face hardening then. His eyes get slightly smaller, a grayish-brown settling into the deep green of his irises while his vision steadily improves. It doesn't take long until the glasses he's wearing breaks apart, temples breaking apart at the hinge as the rim falls onto the ground.

   Eyesight woozes a little, momentarily shifting from blurry to improving for a few seconds. “W-what is… fuck, must’ve had to much to drink at Vargel’s… makin’ my eyesight all weird-”

   Impossibility was settling into him, the feeling of being ‘Nat’ more fleeting as a new entity took over. Everything foreign, everything faint. Conflicting thoughts and emotions beginning to arise. 

   The nape of his neck tickles slightly as his hair starts to steadily lengthen. Follicles getting longer, the brown coloration of them fading away into silver as each second passed. An odd mix of styles start to formulate on his scalp as his hair continues to grow. The top frontmost portions arise and comb themselves, messy hairs melding into a neat formation as they continue to extend. A thick, pomp-like style is what develops in that area; tall, rounded, dense, and clean.

   Yellows and blues etch into the follicles of his sides, the remainder of the hair to the sides and back of his head slowly cascading downwards. Unlike the hair to his top, the hair to his back was messier. Although it maintained the same luscious thickness, ends were sticking out and curling upward, an unkempt mane of hair trickling down his neck and onto his back. Despite this, it looked nice, full, and somewhat fluffy. 

   Confused stumbling continued, him completely unaware that the crystal was rapidly pulsating again. Another flash of light spilled through the room, and the moment his peripherals caught onto it his head began to ache. Hands trembled as he pulled them to the sides of his head, gripping onto them as his mind truly started to twist in confusion.

   His neck throbs, the inner workings of it finally beginning to solidify his constant vocal changes. The vocal cords shift; growing, strengthening, widening, all to cement a new voice as his own. Previously, all it's been doing is cracking his voice, deepening it, giving him a slight accent, conflicting between his own and a different one. But now…

   "I… ahhh… c-can't… walk very… Uurgh…"

   With a final crack, his voice hardens. Deep, gruff, and containing a very noticeable accent; Urayan of course (what was he thinking, it's… Aus… huh)... But that couldn't be his voice, could it?

   "Should've gotten another… one of the mates- could've helped with… uugh, Architect-"

   He squeezes his head harder, a headache now bulging in his forehead.

   "Bloody- this ain't… grrrruhh…"

   A crisis of identity starts to truly bud within his mind. His own name was growing foreign to him as he was having trouble determining who he was. The past few minutes became a blur, come to think of it everything was a blur. He was having trouble recalling memories of his own, rather remembering foreign memories that… that he could've sworn were not his own. 

   Vague recollections of pounding down one or two drinks at the tavern in Garfront (how does he know that name, and… he's never drunk alcohol, has he?)

   Congratulating some of the other mercs on a job well done- especially since this was a rather big one! (mercenary work? No- that… can't…)

   "Didn't think I… had that much to drink, gotta train some rookies today after all…"

   A small thought questioning why he'd be training anyone crossed his mind, but at this point whatever was left of Nat is fading fast. More muddled memories of a long life settling into his mind, much of it even he didn't care to remember, especially that name- there's a reason he's gone with Vandham nowadays.

   …Vandham…

   "Can't… can't believe I got so drunk I… couldn't recall my name!"

   That thought made him laugh a little, the haze slowly but surely subsiding. It did have some stuff to leave behind, replacing previous skills with new ones. He could recall how to wield quite a few weapons like the back of his hand! He's usually had a preference for the larger ones though-

   There were also a couple fleeting thoughts. Some smaller stuff that had to be done himself that he should probably get to once he sobered up- mostly awkward paperwork regarding payments and other job requests. Not the most exciting parts, but it helped keep the mercs afloat. 

   "Gotta get yourself together, mate…"

   A trail of destroyed articles of clothing was left in the man's wake, and all of his stumbling around brought him next to his bed. Still dazed and confused (and believing himself to be hungover), he took a seat upon it to rest. Unfortunately, the bed was instantly proving unable to hold his weight and a sudden cacophony of creaks and snaps rang through the bedroom. There was a sudden drop of a few inches shortly after, his belly and bulge jiggling slightly as that happened.

   Massaging a side of his head, Vandham lets out a small laugh at that. "Heh, I'm… guessing this thing can't support a big mate like myself's weight, huh?"

   The pain was already starting to die down, although heat was still coursing through his body a little. Sweat continued to edge its way down his body. There was even a slight throbbing sensation in his crotch area, likely a reaction to his undersized briefs he was wearing at the moment…

   "Don' quite remember puttin' these on-"

   Come to think of it, he was starting to realize he can't exactly remember where he was right now either.

   He shifted around the mattress a little, a slight itching sensation now entering some of his body. A result of scars starting to etch their way onto it. Down his left pec, across the side of his upper left arm, a slash across his back, a cut on his neck. Old scars multiplying across his body, all signs of a new life engraving in him.

   He flinched for a moment as another flash of light entered his vision, although now it was oddly familiar. "What the hel-"

   He was cut off, his breath suddenly hitching momentarily as he felt a slight discomfort in his abdomen. Sizeable scar tissue formed; a large pool of collagen spilling across the midsection of his gut. It was deeper in coloration than the other scars, an indicator of it being recent, with a slight area started bubbling in the middle of the tissue. 

   The light shone brighter as a reaction to this, the crystal beginning to float above the ground. Light was spilling everywhere, flowing from the blue stone and enveloping everything. Blinding white only intensified, Vandham closing his eyes as that light encompassed the entire room and enveloped his form.

   Then it all stopped…

   Opening his eyes, he found the light was gone and the source… disappeared? 

   There was still a minor discomfort in his gut however. Vandham looked down at it to find a shard of a Core Crystal embedded in his abdomen, a large contracture scar stretching from where it was placed.

   "Still tryin' to get used to ya; huh, mate?"

   All the crystal did was pulsate. But then again, it always did that. 

   His eyes then caught onto a pair of glasses that were laying on the ground. Or well, fragmented remains.

   "Huh," he leaned down, bed creaking some more, and reached a hand down to pick it up. He was a little bemused by the fact that the rim looked so small compared to the fingers that pinched it.

   Holding it up to eye level, he raised a brow in curiosity. "Where'd these come from…"

   Inspecting the glasses put his mind in a slight moment of questioning, trying to rationalize who they were (momentarily fighting himself thinking they were his despite their size). It was enough to distract him from what was occurring on the ground.

   Small motes of light slowly arose from the shreds of clothing that were on the floor. The edges of each shred started to glow as something began settling amongst them all. 

   The remaining sole of the shoes curled into itself amongst the light, the tip rising while the division between the heel and the rest of the sole grew. The bits and pieces of cloth that once composed of the shoe then floated off the ground, slowly making their way towards the soles as they themselves underwent a menagerie of shifts.

   What would end up being the top cap and upper heel merged back together, the cap itself curling upwards as well while the front sharpened to a point. The former tongue of the shoe enlarged, becoming less of a tongue and more of a covering of some sort. The same applied to various other aspects; the pull tab, the arch bandages, the padding, strap guard, all of them were meshing and melding into various layers of some kind of different footwear. The straps had even merged into two separate pseudo-belts, meanwhile another chunk of shreds enlarged and transformed into two-layered knee pads.

   All of this ended up coming together into a pair of complexly made boots. Chunks of leather connecting, sewing and stitching together, a belt wrapping around the back of the heel while the knee pads were left discarded on the upwardly curved toe caps. Multiple shades of green then started to seep into what used to be plain black and white, the inner layers of these boots being darker while the outer shades were lighter. The knee pads also appeared to materialize a blue gem on the middle of each one, metal buckles hardening to the sides as the second pair of belts slink over to them.

   Then came what happened to the remainder of his scraps of clothing. Denim and cotton all floating and twisting, more greens started to etch into those as well as they began to undergo similar drastic changes.

   Instead of simply restitching and becoming the new forms equivalent of what they would've been, the remains all seemed to undergo their own thing. A few scraps were growing, shifting and squishing together as they became a pair of leather bracers. Another set twisted together, deepening to black and oozing outward into a pair of fingerless gloves. 

   Many shreds became plain and simplistic objects. Some lengthened out, metal forming on the ends as they became various sets of belts that'd go across the big man's body. There was one belt that was meant for the waist; hard denim becoming a leathery blue while oranges shifted tone to green, everything coming together into a lengthier belt with an oddly shaped buckle and shards of metal studded throughout it. Many remnants of clothing then bulked out into pouches of various sizes to adorn this new belt. And out of everything that came from the minor clothes shifts, there was a clump of remains that merged together into a large, hefty shoulder pauldron that looked to be more metallic than it was leather. Beside the pauldron bubbled an orange, rigid arm bracer.

   The largest changes came with the scraps that fused into more complex objects. There came some that enlarged into rectangular metallic plates, interlocking side by side with each other until they could circle an entire body. Raising from those plates was a set of belts that would give this armor piece an odd overalls look when worn. A strip of a thin, small and blue material emerged and draped downwards from the outside of each plate.

   What remained of the cotton and denim fragments floated and stitched with each other. Black was spreading across the article of clothing they were making, thick pillars of red appearing on the front of the legs and back of the legs. The new legwear was undergoing an increasingly large size change, getting bulkier and baggier for a few seconds before stopping. 

   Now littering the ground were multiple articles of clothing and armor, belts and pouches, two big boots and knee pads. The only thing that was off about them was the size: miniscule in comparison to the guy on the bed. Rather, they seemed to be the size of how they would fit his previous form. Small and thin, although maybe slightly larger than his body would have been.

   This was quickly rectified, however, as another bout of glowing outlined the attire. Everything started to enlarge again, bigger and heavier, better equipped to handle a thicker guy. The shifts in size were quickly packing everything together, pushing everything around and moving things further than their previous locations. It was rapidly looking to become a mountain of metal and leather.

   Vandham continued to eye the glasses for another few moments, thoughts still trying to grasp who exactly these were before, but was snapped out of it when he felt something press against his foot.

   "Hm. Ah well, they look broken anyway." He then decides to crush them in the palm of his hand. Quick, easy, like they were nothing. 

   He disregards the shrapnel on the ground, then turns his head to see what was touching his foot, which was shown to be one of his boots.

   Wait…

   Vandham looked down at himself again. His hardened pecs, his massive gut, his rippling arms and legs. Then there was that massive bulge in his undergarments…

   He scratched the side of his head. "Bloody hell am I doin' naked…"

   Leaning sideways to pick up the boot, the sound of another snap echoed throughout the bedroom before his position fell downwards yet again. The front legs of the bed screeched for a moment as they pushed forward, the frame having split in half beneath his weight. The mattress remained intact, but he could hear the strain of its springs beneath his rear.

   "Heh, I should probably get off this thing quick."

   Trying to clothe himself was a little confusing. Partially because his mind was still having trouble between familiar and unfamiliar actions, but he easily found himself falling into the rhythm of things. Why wouldn't he, he's done this every day of his life!

   The armor was always the most annoying part. Having to place it upright and step into it, then heaving it upwards by the straps before buckling everything. Moving it around to be comfortable. Then came slipping on the pauldron, strapping it onto his shoulder with a few of the belts and more shifting for comfortability.

   Vandham shifted around the pile of clothing for a few moments in search of his arm bracer, but he ended up finding his pants. Big, baggy, black and red, perfect fit for him really. A part of him wished there was a pair of properly sized underwear in this pile, but the thought of seeing his bulge bobble around a bit gave a part of him a strange sense of… euphoria? Self-indulgence? …Arousal? Whatever.

   Getting the pants on was easy, then he had to follow it up with the belt. Somehow his pouches also all got unfastened, and they were also surprisingly empty. 

   With his legwear on, he was able to locate the arm bracer along with the gloves and wrist bracers he wore. Putting those on were easy enough, leather tightly hugging his calloused wrists while more leather wrapped around his wrists. Then there were the belts that went around his wrists and arm. 

   The springs moaned as he took another seat on the mattress momentarily, shoving his feet into his boots and putting his knee pads over the already layered footwear and baggy pants. With some final adjustments, loosening any tight harnesses and tightening any too loose ones. His gaze was then brought to one last article of clothing on the ground.

   A grey hoodie.

   He got up from off the bed and walked over towards the oddly familiar object. Bending down and picking it up, he found that it was already pretty small for someone his size. And holding it out seemed to prove that by quite a bit. It looked to only be comparable to his torso and abdomen alone, and that was pushing it since it somehow seemed smaller than that. 

   There was a fleeting thought in his mind over the concept of wearing it. "Heheh, dunno what I'm thinking. I'm much too big to wear this!"

   He crumpled the hoodie up and decided to turn it around and throw it onto the mattress. As he did so, his attention was drawn to another object. A small box that was slowly sliding down the mattress. 

   Curious, Vandham took a step forward and looked into the box. It appeared to be filled with assorted rocks of various shapes, sizes, and colors. But it didn't really seem to be the most interesting thing in this room, especially if it lacked any Core Crystals to find. Honestly, most of this room was growing rather disinteresting. He wasn't sure where he was or why he was here, and the nagging familiarity of the place was getting to be slightly annoying.

   He started to piece together all the weirdness of the scenario. "The hell did I do last night…"

   Vandham was pulled out of his thoughts by a low rumble escaping his belly. Smiling, he patted the armor over the spot (particularly where the crystal was embedded in him). "Guess you're gettin' hungry, ey mate? Definitely be good fer us to get somethin' if I drank somethin' that strong~"

   The feeling of knowing this place did come in handy at least. He knew where the kitchen was, somehow. Getting there on the other hand…

   This house was not built for someone of his proportions, to say the least. At least back in Garfront everything was accommodated to larger sizes (usually because Blade size can be fairly unpredictable), so residing in it was without inconvenience. Here though, the doorways were thinner than his width, and the first attempt to try and exit what he assumed to be the bedroom was more than slightly annoying. Trying to make himself as small as possible in order to fit past a door frame was not a fun experience, especially since his armor still made him seem a little thicker laterally. Having that press up against your body (especially when you're still getting used to a Crystal embedded in you) is uncomfortable, to say the least.

   "With how much work this is already getting to be I'm hoping this place has some good Armu T-Bone Steak."

   Escaping that eventually led to a small walkway that he could just barely fit through. The top of his hair also seemed to graze the ceiling. There was also the fact that his steps made the floorboards of these creak sometimes.

   Going down the stairs was another uneasy trek. Railing forcing him to go sideways, feet too large to really fully fit on a step. The steps creaking rather loudly beneath his feet also did not make matters any better. Not even Uraya's cliffsides made him feel this uneasy. Luckily, he was able to get down fairly unscathed; save for that final step that seemed to just break as he got off. 

   With one final right turn he reached the doorway of what his mind told him was the kitchen. Getting through the doorway was just as much of a hassle as the last time, but it wasn't as hard since he knew how to handle this now… mostly.

   Just as expected, everything in the kitchen was small in comparison to him, but really his focus was now on the fridge. Squeezing in the space between the fridge and a table (which really just his rear bumping into the table and pushing it back some); Vandham foregone pulling the handle (knowing it to be too miniscule for his hand) and just went with pulling the door open from the side. Considering his strength, doing so was a success.

   Most of the food in here seemed to be random leftovers, assorted fruits, and various other foods that needed to be kept cold; all of which was in a clean three layer system.

   That was disrupted rather quickly once Vandham shoved his hand in there and started rummaging around. Rummaging meaning knocking things around, trying to pull some things out but having trouble doing so when everything is diminutive in comparison to you, and accidentally squishing one or two fruits. 

   "Architect, this thing is small…"

   Eventually, after about half a minute of messing up the fridge, Vandham was able to find something that would be of interest to him.

   It looked to be a slab of meat wrapped in foil. Likely already cooked, just needed to get it heated up. Unfortunately, it literally fits in the palm of one hand, so he didn't expect it to do too much filling.

   "Likely not Armu, but this'll do. This'll do…"

[choices-binglebonkus]

Do you think the theory that TRR and TFS series got so many books and why Pixelberry has been milking the romance/smut books while eschewing other genres is because ATV was supposed to be their next TC&TF, and it bombed? Do you think it has something to do with Nexon? Or do you think Pixelberry would've gone in this direction regardless? Realistically, how much longer do you think Pixelberry/Choices will last as a company w/all the upset fans and backlash they've gotten over the past few years?

Excellent questions, anon. This is going to be a long post, so buckle up.

I do absolutely believe Nexon was at least partly to blame. Before Nexon entered the fray, collectibles were pretty much nonexistent in Choices. Endless Summer was the first collectible-heavy series, and as much as I loved it, it was VERY costly. To collect all the clues, dossiers, idols, and embers, it costs a grand total of 895 diamonds. BUT, since one of the clues in ES book 3 can only be obtained by marrying one of the love interests, the actual cost may be much higher.

But while Nexon was partly to blame, I truly do believe AtV's failure screwed Pixelberry over BIG TIME. Like, more than any of us actually realize.

Using Endless Summer as an example again, Pixelberry took a huge risk with the series. Ultimately, it a was a risk that paid off, because Endless Summer was very well-received and is still lauded as one of the greatest series in the app.

Across the Void, in my opinion, was a bigger risk than Endless Summer. It was (until WtD) the only series in the app that actually took place in the future, and it was also the only space-fantasy story. But more on the risk-factor in a minute, we'll come back to that.

Across the Void was also a very, very long book. It's actually the third-longest in the game tied with TRR book 3 at 22 chapters, only beaten out by Witness: A Bodyguard Romance at 28 chapters, and My Two First Loves at 100 chapters.

In addition to being a long book, it was originally titled Across the Void book one, until it was later changed to just Across the Void. This means Pixelberry had plans for at least one more book in the series but they had to change plans at the last minute due to the book's poor performance.

But when, you may ask, did they make this huge change?

Across the Void's release ran from August 20, 2018 to November 5, 2018, when they announced the book would be on hiatus. The book returned in MARCH. It resumed releasing from March 18, 2019 to May 13, 2019.

In those four months of hiatus (the longest hiatus a book has EVER been on, by the way), they had to hasten to conclude what was once a multi-book series rich with lore and background. And that couldn't have been easy on the writers or the budget.

Back to the risk-factor of the book. We've already established that it was unique, long, and had at least one other book planned, possibly two. But the biggest financial losses in the book came from quite literally everything imaginable.

Every background, every character sprite, every music, every miscellaneous item, all of it was brand spanking new. And believe me. There were a LOT of backgrounds, characters, music pieces, and miscellaneous items. Additionally, the love interests had different sprites and outfits, too, so those were also probably pretty costly in the art department. And there were TEN love interests. Ten!

We also got a brand-new set of MC faces and hairstyles, and you know what else? There were male and female MCs. Eight new faces, eight new hairstyles, and twenty-two new outfits. And the worst part? None of the faces or hairstyles were reused. Ever.

In fact, a LOT of the assets in this book were unusable due to how niche and out there they were. Occasionally one or two of the characters with tamer designs or miscellaneous items or even some of the music gets reused in other books. But a lot of AtV's stuff doesn't, and won't, be reused. The financial losses from the book won't be recouped.

Another costly aspect of the book was definitely the writing, though it definitely wasn't as expensive as the art. You could tell the writers busted ass creating lore. There were over a dozen alien races with their own histories, worlds, traditions, you name it. And there was the Vanguard and the Jura, who were at war with each other, which divided the galaxy far and wide. And, of course, there was the Void, which had its own lore.

Like Endless Summer, the book was very lore and detail-heavy. Unlike Endless Summer, about 90% of it was locked behind paywalls, including the majorly important bits of information. And as we all know, that just doesn't work.

Across the Void had a lot put into it. A lot of money and resources, a lot of writer's investment, a lot of time. And in kind, it had a lot of potential. Like, I don't want to say Across the Void could've been an S-tier book, but it could've definitely been up there. A-tier at lowest.

Unfortunately, it got a rough start, and when things didn't get better, that's when Pixelberry put it on hiatus and scrambled to wrap things up. It's why a shit ton of characters died if you didn't pay diamonds to save them. It's why the four endings we got were rushed, sloppy, abrupt, and unsatisfying. And it's why we were left confused as hell and saddled with more questions about the lore and story than answers.

To put it simply, Across the Void is the perfect example of Great Taste, Awful Execution.

2017-2018 is pretty commonly regarded as the Golden Era of Choices, and 2019 was the year Choices started to steadily decline. It still had some good releases, but we got a lot of really mediocre ones that year, and unfortunately, the dip from the Golden Era to a decline directly coincides with AtV's release and its poor performance. The timeline fits. And the 2020-2022 era was seriously rough. Granted, part of that was a result of the pandemic, but I don't think AtV financially flopping helped. Things are sort of starting to look up again, but I'm not holding my breath.

So yeah, AtV took a lot of financial risks. It was probably the riskiest book they've ever written due to how ungodly expensive it likely was and the sheer amount of effort and resources that went into making it, and because it performed poorly, it was a huge blow to Pixelberry.

And that really sucks, because like I said, AtV had a lot of potential. It truly could have been one of the greats if they had executed it properly, but they didn't, so the story suffered as a result.

Funny thing is, if AtV released now, in 2023, I think it would be received much better than it was in 2018-2019. What was mediocre and disappointing back then would probably be considered half-decent or even good now.

As for The Freshman and The Royal Romance, The Freshman ended at the tail end of 2018, so I don't think PB milked it because AtV screwed them financially. The timeline doesn't fit.

But The Royal Romance? Absolutely. The Royal Romance performed so well Pixelberry has implemented several rewrites and remasters, including the brand-new photo gallery in book one and even new outfits in the rewrites. What blew me away most of all were the two art scenes of the MC. Six different MC faces, eight different hairstyles, three different dresses for both scenes. AND the Liam art scenes had three different Liam faces to account for.

It also performed well enough that Pixelberry felt comfortable enough to budget for extra art for the outfits and cutscenes. One that comes to mind is the cutscene of the MC's spouse holding the baby after she gives birth. Three Liams plus Drake, Hana, Maxwell, plus six variations of the heir. I know that couldn't have been cheap.

So they milked The Royal Romance series and even invested more into it because they knew it performed well and wasn't a financial risk like AtV was. They weren't afraid it was going to fall through and flop on them. AtV was a risk while The Royal Romance was a secure, safe choice. Hence eight books in the TRR series.

I'd say, realistically, PB will last for a long while. I truly can't pinpoint a time where they'll go under. I mean, look at Episode. It's been around since 2014 and it's still going strong.

Pixelberry found that soulless smut attracts them the biggest paying audiences with the least amount of effort. VIP has also evidently worked well enough for them that they're now catering to VIP-only crowds. So while I (and many, many others) hate that Choices has gone in this direction, it's obviously working out for PB, so they're not going to make any changes anytime soon.

The only thing that I could see potentially screwing things up for PB is if Blades of Light and Shadow 2 either doesn't release or flops. This, however, is unlikely, and even if it did happen, it would probably just be a minor bump in the road for PB.

TL;DR: Across the Void's financial risks and poor performance directly led to the decline of the quality of Choices books. Particularly well-received books/series like The Royal Romance were milked to death as cash cows until PB discovered that low-quality smut would keep the app afloat.

[luckyqueenreign]

The Story of Us - is a four-part series that will delve into MC (Gemma) and Suresh's relationship pre-villa.

If you missed click here to read Part One + Part Two

PART THREE: The End

"And there's no one to blame but the drink and my wandering hands"

Tag List: @squishy-noodles @hi-im-karla @kunepie @brasister @kvngdomheartz @whati390 @smexilexi420 @viperidae94 @misterytull @theesocialintrovert @kiwi-tai @future-mrs-suresh @ordoesshemouthfuckyouforever @kikithegr8 @fujihime-litg @0shewrites0 @abecerra611 @kimberlae @roundbrownlover @novelcurrentmodern @paleslutz-blog

NC-17 🥵🌶

I had to call on the queen of sadness @katsie to help me with some of the sad bits, so if it's extra sad - blame her! @0shewrites0 thank you so much for your help too!! You are both angels and Part Three is so much better bc of your help 💖

Is it possible for guilt to eat you alive? Would it be slow and painful or quick and painless? Seems like slow and painful is the only way I know. 

Gemma’s infectious laugh pierced through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Suresh looked up to see the waiter joking with her, while he pretended to be engrossed by his menu. He was a corporate lawyer, but somehow could no longer read. All of the words on his menu, jumbled together into a mess on the page. 

Cheater. Cheater. Cheater. 

The singular, painful, horrible word echoed in his mind. It had been a week since he had done the unthinkable. A week since “the incident”. As much as it killed him to hide this secret from her, he knew he couldn’t tell her what happened that fateful night. She meant too much to him to blow it all away on one mistake that he would never make again. With each day that passed, the decision on whether to tell Gemma weighed heavier and the secret seemed to hang like a dark cloud over him. He grew more and more worried that she would somehow find out. But he tried to push back those negative thoughts, especially when his Gemma was back. 

“Have you decided to tell her you cheated tonight?” the waiter asked Suresh with a smile. 

Suresh’s entire body tensed and he stopped breathing. 

“Excuse me?” Suresh choked, looking at him incredulously. 

“Have you decided on what you’re eating tonight, sir?” the waiter asked again. 

Fuck, of course he didn’t ask if I was going to tell Gemma about the cheating. How could he possibly even know?

“The steak frites look good, thanks,” he said, handing him the menu. 

“Resh, you ok?” Gemma asked when the waiter walked away. 

Nope. Absolutely not ok. Not even close. Because I’m so terribly close to losing you. 

“Yes, Gem. Just got assigned this really tough case at work this week,” he said, then reached out and took her hand. “But I don’t want to talk about that right now.”

Fake it Suresh. Fake it till you make it. If Gemma suspects something is wrong she’ll start asking questions and you know you won’t be able to lie directly to her face. You can’t tell her. You have to stay strong. For her.

“You look stunning tonight, you know?” he said, smiling at her. 

Suresh couldn’t help but stare at Gemma. She looked radiant tonight, she positively sparkled. 

“Thank you, babe,” she blushed. The crimson hue on her cheeks bore the same color as the scarlet letter etched on his heart. 

“I think I have an idea on how we can get your mind off work tonight,” she said with a mischievous glint in her eye. 

Under the table he could hear Gemma’s shoe drop to the floor and she started to tease Suresh moving her way up his leg. Slowly caressing him, continually moving upwards finally landing on her desired target, his crotch. She gently stroked it, feeling it harden underneath her. 

“Gem…” he said, his breath hitching. 

 She responded with a devilish smirk on her face. “Resh…”

“Wha- What are you doing?” 

“Just having a little bit of fun. Is it helping you forget your work problems?” 

“Yes, babe. You’re the best distraction.” 

And he decided right then and there to push the nagging voice to the back of his mind, to ignore the guilt and instead focus on Gemma. Because he had his Gemma back and he wasn’t going to waste anymore time dwelling on the horrible thing he’d done. 

“Let’s go home,” she said.

Suresh smiled and flagged the waiter over. 

In the car park they found it difficult to keep their hands off one another. Suresh leaned in close to her, his tongue dipped between the seam of her lips as they parted to let him enter.  They lost themselves in the kiss and he pulled her body closer to his, pressing his erection into her thigh. 

Gemma’s phone started to vibrate non-stop in her bag and she pulled away from the kiss, gasping. 

She looked down at her phone screen. “Shit, it’s my boss!” She took a deep breath to try and steady her breathing, calming her pounding heart.

“Hey Fran!” Gemma’s voice was unnaturally chirpy as she answered her boss. Suresh started dotting her neck in kisses, occasionally sucking hard, then swirling his tongue over the soon-to-be bruise.

“The marketing deck? Yes I sent it over on Monday morning…” she said, angling her neck, giving Suresh more room to ravish her neck. “Yes, I can resend it.” She suppressed a moan. “I’m not home but I’ll be home in 10 minutes or so.” Her boss cut the line, and Gemma rolled her eyes as she hung up. 

“Damn, do you need to go home? I was hoping we could go back to my place tonight,” he sighed. 

“I don’t need to go home babe, I just need to get on your laptop.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. “ I already sent her the file earlier in the week, I’ll just log onto my emails and resend it to her.” 

“Amazing.” He gave her a searing kiss. “ Let’s go home then,” he said, as he opened the car door. 

“You drive,” she said, tossing him her car keys. 

When they arrived back at his apartment, Suresh ran around the length of his car to open the door for Gemma, picking up exactly where they left off in the restaurant’s car park. He closed the distance between them, crashing his lips onto her. 

She giggled as she shimmied away from him, watching his disappointed expression.

“We’re going inside first.”

There was a dark glint in his eye. “That didn’t seem to bother you when we were in Sicily.” Gemma blushed at the memory, making Suresh’s grin widen. “I recall you liking that very much.” He reached for her again, but she stepped back. “This is different. This is Edinburgh. Where we live. People we know could see us.”

He winked. “That just makes it more fun.”

“Okay, you have got to calm down,” she giggled, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside towards the elevator. He clicked his tongue and pulled her towards the stairs instead. Gemma pouted. “But my feet hurt,” she said.

Suresh grabbed her thighs and lifted her up. She instantly hooked her legs around his waist.

“Better?” He asked. She answered him with a searing kiss. Suresh stumbled on the first few steps, grabbing the banister to catch himself.

“Careful,” Gemma cooed. “Or we’ll end up in the hospital instead.”

“I’ve always wanted to have sex in a hospital,” he said. She could feel his erection now, and she pressed her hips into him, making him gasp and stop momentarily. She stared down at him through her lashes.

God she’s beautiful, he thought, nearly doing two steps at a time now.

“You are going to hurt yourself,” she gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly.

“The faster I get you upstairs, the faster I can ravish you,” he said, his voice gruff. 

“Then we should hurry,” she purred and leaned down to pepper his neck with kisses. He groaned at the feeling, then pressed her up against the wall next to his door. He fished out his key from his back pocket, unlocked the door and slammed it behind them the second they stepped inside. He pressed her up the wall again, giving her an onslaught of kisses and unzipped her silky, mini dress, sliding it off her body. His fingers greedily roamed her body ready to devour her. 

“Babe…Laptop and then you can ravish me all you want,” she purred. 

“Fuck. OK…” 

He led her to the office and opened up his MacBook Pro, entering his password. The background a picture of the two of them on their trip to Italy a few months back, he noticed Gemma smiling fondly at the picture before opening the internet browser and logging into her email account. He quickly undressed as she bent over the laptop, clicking a few key words into the search bar. It only took her a few minutes to find the marketing deck and she started to draft a new email to send to her boss. 

Suresh made his way over to her and continued kissing Gemma’s neck and letting his hands roam her body. 

Swoosh.

The familiar email sound indicating her email had been sent. Her job was now done and she was now his. 

Ping. 

A text message popped up on the screen. Both he and Gemma could see that it was his coworker Simon, who also was dating Gemma’s best friend, Chloe. 

Simon: Resh, have you looked at the Thomas file yet? I sent it to you an hour ago…

“Do you need to get th -” 

Before she could finish her thought, Suresh’s lips were on hers. His tongue reached deeper into her mouth and hers into his, hungrily searching for one another, deepening the kiss as his hands roamed her body. There was an urgency to the kiss that neither had experienced before that bordered on violence. She raked her fingernails over the sculpted ridges of his washboard abs as she made her way down to his dick, twitching at her touch. Suresh squeezed her ass pulling her closer to him, lifting her in his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist, carrying her to the bedroom. 

“Resh! I can walk!” 

He softly chuckled into her neck, “Nope, you said your feet hurt.” 

In the bedroom, Suresh lowered Gemma onto the bed, climbing on top of her, caging her under his muscled frame. His dick pressed into her stomach, as he claimed her lips with a tongue thrusting kiss, while his hands scooped up her perky, needy breasts. He lowered his mouth and flicked his tongue around her nipple, licking and sucking, causing her entire body to come alive as she moaned softly against his touch. His hands gently traveled south, down her taut stomach and between her legs, releasing a delicious moan from her lips. 

“Gem, you’re so wet…” he growled, as he slid two fingers into her wet folds. 

Arching her back into him, he pumped his fingers back and forth in a steady motion, curling them inside of her. 

“Fuck, Resh…” 

He looked up at her with a devilish grin, circled her aching clit with his thumb and continued to pump two curled fingers inside as she gasped. He continued a steady pace as he felt her getting closer and closer to release. 

“Resh…I’m c-” Gemma moaned in ecstasy as her body collapsed underneath him. Suresh didn’t give her a second to recover before his tongue was devouring her overly sensitive clit. Licking, sucking, and swirling her swollen throbbing nub. Gemma lost all control as he continued to go deeper, pushing her further into another climax. Tasting her as she screamed his name at the top her lungs and her legs quivered and shuddered underneath him as her orgasm washed over her in an intense wave.

Gemma tried to catch her breath as he slowly made his way up her body, trailing her stomach, breasts, and neck with soft kisses. 

He brought his lips to her ear, his breath hot on her neck, and whispered, “are you ready for round three?” He grazed his teeth against her earlobe as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. 

“Yes baby, please I need you,” she whimpered. 

He cupped her ass, lifting her up slightly as he filled her up in one swift motion. 

Gemma snapped her head back and moaned as Suresh thrust into her harder and faster. 

She dug her fingers into his back as he continued to thrust, hitting her most sensitive spot. 

“Babe…fuck…” 

Her walls clamped around him and he could feel her nearing her orgasm with every new plunge. Suresh gazed into Gemma’s eyes, and was met with a look of pure unbridled love, desire and heat. He quickened his pace and Gemma matched his thrust underneath, her legs gripping tight around his waist until they both released at the exact same time, his body shuddering against her as his lips reached down to devour hers, desperately. 

He wrapped his muscular arms tight around her, giving her a light kiss on her forehead. 

“Let me get a towel to get you cleaned up,” he said. 

Gemma smiled up at him, “what an absolute gent, thank you babe.” 

Suresh smiled, got up from the bed and started to head into the bathroom when he heard a text ping, coming from his cell phone. 

Ping.

“Babe, will you check that for me? I bet it’s Simon again about that damn Thomas file.” 

“Sure, babe.” 

Gemma reached over to Suresh’s side of the bed and grabbed his phone off the nightstand. 

She entered in his code, and opened his unread messages. It was an unknown sender. When he walked back in the room, the whole mood had shifted and the silence in the room was deafening. She  was staring at his phone confused with tears welling in her eyes. He could see her body stiffen and her breathing was off. 

Ping.

Gemma looked down at the phone in her hands again in disbelief. “What the fuck is this, Suresh?” She held up the phone screen facing him. 

“Hey it’s Gabi…Thinking about coming to the bar tonight? Would love u inside me again.” 

And then she scrolled down to a picture Gabi took of them together, her head nestled in his neck so you couldn’t see her face, her turtle tattoo taunting him. 

Tears rushed to her eyes. “You’re cheating on me?”

“Gem, please, it’s not how it looks. It was just one time.” He heard how weak his excuse was the moment he said it.

“As if that’s better?!” she spat. “As if one time doesn’t matter? Suresh, you slept with someone else. It’s exactly how it looks!” 

“Gem, please, just let me explain…I was so incredibly drunk after that fight we had…”

“The one last week? You can’t be serious,” she growled. “I just…I just don’t understand... I don’t understand how you could do this to me, to us!” 

“Gemma, I never wanted it to happen. I was so upset and drunk and it’s never going to happen again. I’m sorry, Gemma, please forgive me,” he cried. 

“Forgive you? Fuck you, Suresh!” She wrapped the duvet around her small frame as she got up from the bed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with him seeing her naked. “You’ve had multiple chances to be honest with me. And you’ve just been lying and hiding things from me. You slept with another woman after one fight - one fight - and you couldn’t keep it in your pants''. She laughed, but there was no humor in it, only disbelief and sadness. “I know that I pushed you away after my parents’ separation, and I am sorry for that, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to go fuck someone else. We’re done, we-we’re fucking through.” She picked up her underwear from the floor and pushed past him into the living room to gather the rest of her clothes.

“Gemma, no, please!  It was one time, I love you so much Gemma, please don’t leave me.” 

Gemma spun around and glared at him. “This is not what love is,” she said through gritted teeth. 

“Gemma, please, I’m so sorry.” He reached out to touch her but she stumbled back to avoid him.

“I hate you,” she sneered. “I hate you. I can’t believe you’d do that to me! I thought we’d…” She choked on her words, squeezed her eyes shut. Then she opened her eyes and stared at him, unable to hide the heartbreak. “Clearly I should have listened to literally everyone when they told me I shouldn’t trust you. They said you’d be the biggest mistake of my life. They were right.” 

“No, Gemma, please.” He jumped from one leg to another, trying to pull on his pants as fast as he could as he watched her hurry towards the door. He grabbed his shirt from the sofa and barely let himself pull it on as he ran after her. “Gemma!”

Gemma held her head high despite the tears washing down her face, smudging her make-up further. She heard him follow her, then shout, “I love you!”

She whipped around, almost shaking with rage. “Don’t you dare!”

“I love you so much,” he choked, his eyes welling up with tears. She let him approach her, whimpered when he reached out and brushed his fingers along her arm. “Gemma, please talk to me.” 

“All I ever did was love you, Suresh,” she whispered with tears streaming down her face. 

“I know. And I love you so much. You’re the only one for me,” he pleaded with her, tears running down his own face.  

“I love you, too,” she said. “But it doesn’t even matter anymore. I no longer trust you.” 

She turned from him and ran down the stairs, not bothering to turn around and look at him. It wouldn’t change anything. Their relationship was irrevocably broken, and he was to blame. 

[vynegar]

vyn rainy pickup SSR, part three

off to the market!

same disclaimer and notes from part one & two

youtube link to Sherry’s Game Notes‘ video of the card story

links to other parts: one & two 

more tot translations here 

do not repost

[PART THREE]

[11:07] Four-Gate Loop Marketplace

Back at the marketplace, I followed with the flow of people as I looked at the visitor map Master Zhou had given us. I felt a bit awkward at the moment.

MC: How about we first pick a place without too many people? Or somewhere that's a bit more open, so it won't be as crowded. Let's see... walking south would take us to the area with general stores. That would probably work. Vyn, what do you think?

There was no response. I turned around in confusion and saw Vyn watching a nearby salesperson. When I reached out and waved my hand in front of his face, he came back to his senses and helplessly grabbed my hand.

Vyn: We might as well be like the other visitors and abandon our plan, do as we please.

MC: Do as we please?

He took the visitor map from me and simply folded it a few times, putting it in his pocket.

Vyn: Based on the shape of the marketplace, we will reach the general store area sooner or later. Since we will not get lost, there is no need for a map.

MC: Okay, then I'll follow your lead. We'll go wherever you want to go.

Vyn: Uh, I...

Vyn froze. He looked around at the dizzying array of shops around us, for a long time not making a decision. I smiled and nudged him.

MC: No need to fret about it, how about I pick?

I walked forward, tugging Vyn along, when suddenly we heard a burst of cheers from beside us. Then..

MC: Huh?!

Vyn: MC, look out!

Everyone was rushing ahead toward something that we couldn't see. Vyn grabbed my arm and we struggled to stick together amidst the horde of people, forced to move along with the crowd.

--

MC: W-we're finally out!

When we had at last pushed through the mass of people, I breathed a deep sigh. Although Vyn's expression was the same as usual, his jacket had gotten slightly wrinkled.

MC: Vyn, maybe we should go home...

Vyn: What is wrong? Did you get pushed just now?

MC: I'm fine, you were blocking the other people for me... I'm worried that you’re uncomfortable with how packed it is.

I straightened out his wrinkled jacket. Vyn held my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Vyn: I am alright. Besides, it is still crowded up ahead. Even if we wanted to go back, we would still have to wait until the crowd thins out.

MC: Okay...

Vyn: MC, what is that?

While I was still looking around for another exit route, Vyn was looking in a different direction. Following his gaze, I saw a huge square-shaped fish tank with sign standing next to it, the words "GOLDFISH CATCHING" written in big letters.

MC: It's a kind of game. When I was a kid, I would play it a lot at night markets.

Right after I said it, I remembered how Vyn had received a noble education since he was a child, so he had probably never played this kind of game. Just as I thought, Vyn picked up the crude fishing pole next to us with a puzzled expression.

MC: The rules are simple: catch goldfish within the allotted time.

Vyn: Just using this kind of fishing pole? But if it is simply catching goldfish, it should not be difficult...

Aquarium shopkeeper: Haha, not necessarily.

Hearing our conversation, the aquarium shopkeeper chuckles and waves at us.

Aquarium shopkeeper: All of these fishing poles have all been adjusted so that catching fish is much harder than the games that kids play. However, there are valuable breeds of goldfish in the tank. If you can catch those ones, it's definitely good value for your money. How about it? You two interested?

Immediately after, we heard a plop. A goldfish had just been hooked and pulled up above the water, but it struggled free and fell back into the tank. The audience surrounding it all sighed, while the visitor playing the game scratched their head, looking vexed.

Vyn: Do you want to try?

Vyn handed me the fishing pole. Seeing how fascinated he was made me temporarily quash down my thoughts of leaving. However, instead of taking the fishing pole, I pushed it back toward Vyn.

MC: I'm an expert at catching goldfish, so this is no challenge for me. You should try.

Vyn: Hm? Me?

He fiddled with the fishing pole in his hands, nodding. When the previous person finished, we stood side-by-side next to the glass tank.

Vyn: Which one do you like?

MC: Hm... I like that goldfish with three colors. But the shopkeeper said it's a bit difficult, so how about going for a random one at first, just to try?

Vyn: No need. I will start with that one.

Vyn put the bait on the hook and lowered it into the water, his movements calm and practiced.

MC: (It doesn't seem hard at all.)

I couldn't help holding my breath as we waited for a goldfish to bite. However, while the audience had gradually dispersed and most of the bait had been eaten, Vyn was still unable to hook a single goldfish. The empty fishhook floated unsupported in the water. Vyn stared at the escaped goldfish, frowning slightly.

MC: (Vyn seems to be completely at a loss...)

I lowered my head, lips tightly pressed together to hide my smile, but I heard a faint sigh. A hand reached out from beside me and pinched my cheek.

Vyn: You can laugh if you want to.

MC: I thought such a simple game would be a piece of cake for you.

Vyn: Yes, I did not expect this either... that I would be bad at catching goldfish.

Perplexity flashed across Vyn's golden eyes. He looked down slightly, staring blankly at the goldfish swimming idly around. I immediately grabbed the fishing pole in his hand.

MC: Here, let me teach you. But just so you know, I charge tuition~

Vyn: Okay. What do you want?

MC: How about... you're in charge of dinner tonight!

As I spoke, I took the fishing pole from Vyn. After trying it a few times, I discovered that from a certain angle, the fishhook would stay secure. Soon, I caught my first goldfish.

MC: Great!

I put the goldfish in a bucket of water next to us and shifted closer to Vyn.

Vyn: What is it?

MC: This is a trade secret, so I have to tell you quietly.

I leaned in to Vyn’s ear and whispered the secret to the fishhook.

Vyn: Since it requires a specific angle and amount of force, do you need to personally demonstrate it for me?

Vyn gripped my hand that was holding the fishing pole and interlaced his fingers with mine, so that we were holding it together. I froze. Vyn looked down and laughed. He didn’t apply any force from his wrist, seeming to be waiting for my next move.

MC: No problem. I guarantee you’ll learn it

When we lowered the fishhook again, I gripped Vyn’s hand back, searching for the proper angle.

MC: This should be it.

I looked at Vyn, then realized that the whole time he had been focused on me instead of the fish tank. My every move was depicted in his gaze. My hand went slack, and just as the fishing pole was about to slip, Vyn raised our hands. The next second, that tricolored goldfish was lifted up out of the water by the hook. When our eyes met, it was as if the surroundings had been frozen in time, and I was a bit dazed.

Vyn: I caught the tricolored goldfish.

A smiled played at the edges of his lips. Suddenly I felt like I was the “goldfish” that Vyn had caught.

MC: Vyn, did you already know how to do this?!

Vyn: When I was watching you catch fish, I mostly figured it out.

MC: Yet you still…

Vyn smiled gently.

Vyn: Because I happened to want to be in charge of dinner too.

--

After figuring out the trick to it, we were successful with almost all the remaining bait, and the bucket quickly filled up with a considerable number of goldfish.

Aquarium shopkeeper: Very impressive you two, I’ve never seen anyone catch this many fish before. Should I help you pack them up?

MC: Yeah, thank you.

--

A while later, the shopkeeper gave me a clear plastic bag that was tied off at the top, so I could carry the goldfish as we continued browsing the marketplace. I rested the bag on my hand and brought it up to Vyn’s face. Several goldfish swam about happily inside, casting multi-colored reflections under the sunlight.

MC: How nostalgic! If I’d been able to catch such a pretty goldfish when I was a kid, I’m sure the others kids would’ve been jealous of me.

Vyn: When you were a kid, what other games would you play besides goldfish catching?

MC: Hm… Let me think. Games like shooting balloons and ring toss are all pretty common. Oh right! I saw a lot of them when we walked past just now. Here, let’s go play.

Vyn: Okay.

I quickly locked onto my target.

MC: Over there…

Drip – suddenly, a drop of rain fell on my face.

MC: Huh?

Thinking it was someone’s prank, I looked up, but the next moment raindrops were falling in a pitter-patter. Even though it was still warm and sunny outside, we could hear the faint sound of thunder and see dark clouds sweeping by in the distance. For a moment, everyone around us was busy either closing up their stalls or seeking shelter from the rain. Before I could react, this area that was safe from the rain became packed with people.

MC: It’s raining?! Vyn, we should find somewhere dry too…

I saw an awning in the distance and tried to grab Vyn to run over there, but my hand was met with thin air.

MC: Vyn?

[18:13]

Under the shroud of a small shadow, a familiar scent enveloped me. The damp sensation of raindrops stopped instantly. I turned around in surprise. At some point Vyn had shed his jacket and was now raising it partway, creating a shelter above us.

Vyn: Let us go. We should avoid the rain.

MC: Okay…

The rain had soaked the uneven ground tiles, so when I stepped on a loose one while running, the rainwater splashed up onto our ankles. I looked down and saw the muddy water on my ankles, as well as Vyn’s soaked pants legs.

MC: Your pants… Oh no, the goldfish!

The plastic bag began to shake with how vigorously we were running. I stiffly held my hand aloft, trying to keep my arm balanced as much as possible. I couldn’t help but slow my steps, causing me to bump Vyn’s arm by accident.

Vyn: …

MC: What are you laughing about?

Vyn: Seeing you so worried about the goldfish, I cannot help but think that you are cute.

MC: I’m already in a rush…

Vyn: Watch your step!

Splash – but I had already stepped into the puddle. The water extended up from my feet, and I could feel the wetness at my toes. It was such a sorry sight, but Vyn and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Vyn: The rain is getting heavier. This jacket will not last for much longer.

MC: Vyn, over there!

I pointed at an awning nearby.

Vyn: Let us make a run for it.

Facing the dense mist of rain, we ducked our heads and charged forward. The shadow cast by his shirt swayed along with Vyn’s running. The alarmed crowd, chaotic stalls, and torrential rain all flashed by in my peripheral vision. I heard a fleeting sound that masked the noise of all the surroundings, and then all that remained was the thumping of my heart and our gasps as we ran.

[END PART THREE]

[PART FOUR]

[yjano]

All of me.

Part 8.

Pairing: Jake x Mc.

Warnings: slow burn, swearing, angst, a little fluff, smut, violence and other pairings.

Words: 5k

Author's note: Although this story is not related to the Duskwood game, I will add some of our beloved characters. Please read it only if you're into angst prison stories, slow burns, etc. A little hint: You will get to see some similarities to Jake and his gang from "Never The Same" fic.

.

Mc focus.

.

Chaos was the one and only word that could describe the situation right now. The girl behind the wheel turned corners like crazy, dodged whatever came across her path, and sped way above the speed limit. My whole body got thrown around in my seat, and I was pretty sure that a few nasty bruises would start to form on my arms in a few days.

The girl behind the wheel wasn't the only one who created complete chaos, though. The guy in the passenger seat was even worse. He kept screaming orders at the girl who was driving, while he kept looking in the side mirrors to inform the others inside the car about what was happening behind them.

Apparently, we were being chased by four police cars, and judging from the volume of the sirens, they were getting pretty close towards us.

"For fucks sake, drive faster Jessy!" The guy in the passenger seat screamed again and with a quick movement he turned around towards Jake and the others.

"I hope you still know how to shoot a gun, Jake, because we're gonna need you and Kaden to clean this mess up!"

Without a second thought, Jake turned towards Kaden, their eyes locking for a short moment while Kaden handed Jake a small handgun.

"Took you long enough, brother."

Jake snatched the gun from Kaden's hand and walked towards one of the windows.

"Shut up. I would have been out sooner if your girlfriend had worked a little faster, you know. It's not my fault that she-"

Kaden pushed Jake with a loud crash against the side of the window, bringing his face close towards Jake's ear.

"I give you two seconds to shut the fuck up before I lose it bro. Lex did everything she could and you have no right to blame all this on her. She worked her ass off while you were playing sleeping geauty inside those walls."

My eyes widened at the sight in front of me, my heart beating rapidly and my body shaking a little. Firstly, there were freaking guns inside their hands, and secondly, they were about to fight inside the car right in front of my face. Where had I thrown myself into, and who were these people?

A guy with dark red hair pushed himself between the two fighting guys, and within two seconds, both of them stood on opposite sides of the car.

"Stop this bullshit and release your anger on those cars that are chasing us instead of on each other!" The red-haired guy looked from one guy to another, fixing both of them in place with just one look. "Now!"

As if on cue, both guys rolled down the windows on their side of the car. Both of them readied their guns, and with a soft nod towards each other, the guys threw their head and arms outside the window. Shots could be heard almost immediately, and by the slight shake that I could see in Jake's body, I was pretty sure that the shots came from his gun.

I crawled a little further in my seat, everything but happy with the situation I was currently in. When Jake offered me the chance to escape, this wasn't what I had expected at all. My understanding of escaping was camping in the woods while staying away from the cops, something thoughtful while keeping a low profile. Being part of a real-life action movie wasn't in my plans at all, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Go, Jessy, go! You need to move faster!" The guy from the passenger seat yelled again, his vision darting between all the mirrors in the car and the ginger haired girl. The girl behind the wheel turned her face for a short second towards the passenger seat.

"God, Dan, shut up! I got this okay!" Her vision changed back towards the road, and she made another sharp turn to shake off the police cars.

My eyes darted through the car, and I could only scream for help at the sight in front of me. The girl behind the wheel I knew as Jessy kept driving like a complete lunatic while the dark browned haired guy next to her kept screaming her name to alert her of her surroundings.

Jake and the guy I knew as Kaden kept shooting on the cars behind us. The continuous shooting terrified me more than anything. I had never seen a real gun up close in my life, and now there were two being used to shoot the police cars chasing us right beside me.

In front of me was a small girl who kept typing away on her high-tech computer, fast breaths left her mouth, and her hands kept shaking. It was more than clear that besides me, this girl wasn't fond of the whole situation, too. The one who terrified me the most, though, was the last guy, the red-haired one.

Ever since the redhead had managed to stop Jake and Kaden from fighting, his eyes had fallen on me, making him the only one who was aware of my presence. The guy's eyes kept staring at me like I was some kind of enemy, and the whole scene made me more uncomfortable than ever. I felt like the guy was going to throw me out at any moment, and I wasn't ready for that scenario to happen at all.

"Jessy! Go faster they're closing on you!" Kaden suddenly yelled, and without any warning, Jessy turned the car 90 degrees, throwing everyone off their balance. My head and shoulder hit the side of the car with a huge smack.

Small tears started to form in my eyes from the sudden impact. A loud crash sounded from behind the car, and Kaden came shorty inside the car to reload his gun.

"One down! Three to go! Nice one, Jessy!" With lightning speed, Kaden reloaded his gun and threw his head and arms back out the window to shoot at the cars once more.

I didn't know what kind of road Jessy chose to turn on, but judging from the many bumps and shaking of the car it felt like Jessy had thrown the car into a meadow filled with unsteady ground. I pushed myself even further in my seat, hoping to stop my body from all the shaking that was starting to make me nauseous and hurt my body.

All this time, the red-haired guy still kept an eye on me while the girl in front of me kept typing like crazy on her laptop, both of them completely unbothered by the shaking and bumping.

"For fucks sake...Lex how much longer!?" Jake suddenly yelled while a second crash could be heard behind the vehicle.

"Hurry the fuck up girl!"

The girl I assumed was Lex typed even faster on her hightech laptop, little droplets of sweat dropping down from her head while her eyes darted over the numbers on the screen in front of her.

"Almost there, a few more seconds..."

Jake turned his head inside the car, anger radiating from every pore in his body.

"You take too much time Lex, hurry the fuck up you-"

Within a second, Kaden was back up in Jake's face, grabbing him by his collar and pushing him against the side of the car once again.

"Last warning, brother. Leave. Her. Alone." Kaden whispered dangerously low through his teeth, his eyes throwing daggers at the guy before him.

Both guys kept staring with eyes full of anger towards each other, both of them refusing to give up and admit defeat. Within an instant, the red-haired boy had ripped his eyes away from me and maneuvered himself between Jake and Kaden for a second time that day. He pushed Kaden away from Jake, breaking their eye contact.

"You two seriously need to stop this shit!" Dan yelled from the passenger seat while his eyes darted between the two males. He turned back around, and his eyes immediately blew up at the sight in his mirror.

"Oh my god baby, drive faster! They're getting closer."

Jessy turned her eyes towards Dan, and with a deep glare, she shut him up.

"For the last time, I got this. Stop ordering me around! I know what I'm doing, okay!?"

The tension in the air was almost unbearable, and it made the panic in my veins only higher. If the police cars didn't catch up to us, I was pretty sure that the people inside the car were going to be the death of me. There was no way I was gonna make it with people who preferred to fight against each other instead of teaming up against the cops.

I should have never gone with Jake. This whole idea was terrible from the beginning. I was pretty sure that I was going to die right there at the spot, and this was the end...

"It's done!" Lex suddenly yelled, and the whole car fell silent. Kaden and Jake crossed eyes again, and with a quick nod from Jake, Kaden started to smirk at Lex.

"Hit it blue!"

With a soft nod, Lex pushed a button on her laptop, and Jake, together with Kaden, threw their heads out of the window to look at whatever was going to happen outside.

One second passed by without anything happening. Two seconds passed by... Three seconds...Four sec- Boom!

A crash much more louder than the last two suddenly sounded through the car, and a huge smirk fell on the faces of the people inside the car. Both police cars had been blown up at the same time, creating a massive fire explosion that made it impossible for any following cars to chase after us anymore.

"Hell yeah! Nice one, blue! 10 out of 10, I would recommend you do that again!" Dan yelled, and a small smile fell on Lex's face.

Jake and Kaden got back in the car and started to high five every one of them. Everyone except for me. I was still sitting as far as possible in my seat in the corner of the car, completely forgotten by everyone except for the red-haired guy who threw suspicious glances at me once in a while.

I could only hope that these murderers had all forgotten about me and that I could run away from them as far as possible and as soon as possible.

My breathing had become uneven, and I looked with big eyes at the people before me. I saw how everybody started to high-five each other, celebrating their victory while still not noticing me.

"That was fucking awesome, well done Lex!" Dan yelled again while he sat back in his seat, throwing his head back and placing his feet on the dashboard in front of him.

Kaden and Jake both hung against the sides of the car, cleaning out their weapons to get rid of any form of dust or gunpowder. Lex closed her laptop and placed her head in her hands after, clearly stressed about the whole thing. Jessy slowed the pace of the car down, and with somewhat of a more normal speed, she drove away from the whole scene that happened behind us.

The redhead was a whole different story, though. He didn't seem bothered by the whole ordeal that just happened. He could only look at me with those soul piercing eyes of him. Eyes that freaked me out the longer they were on me and made me push myself even further in the seat I was currently occupying. A short silence fell over the car before Jake was the first to speak again.

"Dan, update me."

A smirk fell over Dan's face, and he slightly turned around so he could look at Jake.

"With pleasure." All eyes were immediately on Dan. "The business has been quite the same, still the same people and still the same problems. There were some changes, though..." Dan shortly fell silent.

"Uh guys-" Redhead started but got cut off immediately by Kaden.

"We arranged a huge deal with a weapon dealer. If everything has gone according to plan, the weapons should have arrived by now." Jake gave both guys a nod.

"Guys-" Redhead tried again, but again got cut off by Jessy.

"Thanks to Lex, we intercepted a huge cargo of cocaine that we used as trade for the weapon deal." Jessy amplified, creating a small smile on Lex's face.

"Guys, who is-" Redhead tried for a third time, but nobody seemed to listen to him.

"Nobody got badly wounded, some small cuts and stuff, but Jessy took care of it right after." Dan spoke again. "We've already planned out our next mission-" But before Dan could finish his next sentence, redhead suddenly yelled to get everybody's attention.

"Guys!"

The five people all turned their heads towards redhead, an irritated look on their faces.

"What do you want? This isn't the time for stupid questions, Sam." Kaden blurred at the redhead, his eyes squinted together and his lips in a fine line.

"I-I know that, but-" Sam stammered softly, clearly intimidated by the other five.

"For fucks sake get on with it!" Kaden now full on yelled and within an instant Sam had grabbed me by my arm, pushing me towards the middle of the car.

"Who the fuck is this!?"

The whole car fell silent, all eyes on me when I stood between them all. My eyes were big, my skin getting pale and my body shaking like a leaf. I felt like dying right at that moment, I had seen how dangerous these people were, and I felt everything except from safe now that I stood in between them all. These people were gonna murder me, and I was sure of it. There was no way I was getting out of this alive. There was-

Before I could even finish my thoughts, complete chaos erupted in the car. I heard how Dan started to yell at Jessy to watch out for a tree they were going to crash into due to Jessy sitting backward and looking at me. The car made a sharp turn to avoid the tree, Jessy started to yell back that Dan had to leave her alone and that she knew what she was doing.

Dan defended himself, and Jessy yelled back. The two kept going back and forward like an old married couple, completely ignoring what was in the back.

The back of the van was a whole different story, though. The moment Jessy had made the sharp turn to avoid the tree, Kaden had taken it upon himself to push me against the side of the car. His hand around my throat, his arm against my chest and his face right before mine.

I had tears dripping down my face, and my breathing had become to start even more uneven than it already was. My legs felt weak, but I had to keep myself up to prevent myself from being strangled by Kaden.

"Who are you? What do you want-" Kaden started, but he got ripped away by Jake almost instantly.

"Stop that, you fucking idiot!" Jake yelled at Kaden and he pushed him away from me. Without giving it a second thought I lunged myself at Jake, grabbing the front of his shirt for dear life.

.

Jake focus.

.

I immediately engulfed the girl in a hug, bringing her towards the seat next to Lex. I sat down with her in my lap and slowly stroked her through her hair to try to calm her down a little.

"What the fuck." Kaden whispered, looking at the two of us when we sat next to his own girlfriend.

"This..." I motioned to the girl in my lap while I looked at Kaden and the others. "This is Mc. She was my cellmate back in the prison, and I brought her with me. She can be useful." I slowly lifted Mc's head, wiping away the tears and turning her towards the others.

"You're okay. They won't hurt you while I'm here. Calm down." I whispered in her ear, and she slowly started to calm down by my words and my soft touch.

"And she is good for what exactly?" Kaden started out, giving Mc a foul look. I glared back at my brother and protectively placed my arms around Mc.

"She was studying to become a nurse. She could help Jessy out in the hospital."

Kaden suddenly started laughing, and Mc pushed herself even harder against me. Mc seemed to be more and more frightened of Kaden.

"You're joking, right? Do you want to put this one in the business? She looks like she couldn't even hurt a fly if you asked her to! Why the fuck was she even in that prison? Did she kill an ant or something!?"

I gave Kaden another glare, and I flipped him off instantly.

.

Mc focus.

.

I looked up at Kaden, knowing that if I wanted to impress the crazy guy, this would probably be my only chance. Murder was something to impress people with, right? Maybe by telling Kaden the reason why I was in prison, he would get somewhat frightened and leave me alone.

"I killed my sister." I whispered almost inaudible. The whole car fell silent, and a new wave of anxiety took over my body. Maybe this wasn't as good of an idea as I had first thought.

"You did what?" Kaden whispered back, his eyes squinted and his eyebrow raised.

"I killed my sister." I whispered a little louder, casting my eyes downward to avoid eye contact with the guy before me.

"You... You killed a person?" Kaden dragged out slowly, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Was your judge an idiot or something?This must be the joke of the century, right?"

I kept silent while Kaden, on the other hand, started to laugh again.

"They put you... A girl who started crying the moment I pushed you against a wall in a prison for killing a person?"

I gave him a small nod, and another set of laughs erupted from Kaden's mouth.

"You sure are a funny one, crying baby. But you didn't kill a person. You couldn't even kill an ant if I asked you with my gun against your head. What a fucking joke... Killing a person."

Jake tightened his arms around me, and he gave Kaden a stern glare.

"Shut the fuck up, leave her alone. It shouldn't even matter why she was there and why she is coming with us. This isn't your choice first of all, it's mine and I'm taking her with us! Deal with it!"

Kaden fell silent at that and with one last foul look he pushed past the people and took a seat next to Sam in the back, muttering something in the words of 'Unbelievable' and 'Idiot'.

Jessy on the other hand was a lot more enthusiastic about me, she immediately started to welcome me and tell me how she could use my help pretty badly at the moment, how she would show me around and how we would have lots of fun working together.

Dan, Lex, and Sam all kept silent, not knowing what to do with the whole situation. Bringing Jake back home was one thing, but bringing someone else with them was a whole other thing.

Jake softly started to whisper to me how there was nothing to be afraid of and that once we got home, he would make sure to give me some new clothes and a soft bed to sleep in. I could only softly nod at him.

~

I had no idea how long we drove in the car, but it felt like an eternity to me. The whole ride, everybody spoke about stuff I didn't understand, and all of them ignored me completely. Jake was the only person who said something once in a while, but even he had almost no attention for me.

The only thing that made me smile a little that whole ride was the fact that Lex had looked at me once while giving me a small smile. Just the fact that someone had actually noticed me had been enough for me to smile, even if it was just for two seconds.

I wasn't part of this group, and that feeling took me over more and more. I was a burden to them, and they didn't want me here. Jake had taken me out of spite, but not because he wanted to. I was alone in this, and I hated every last bit of it.

The car finally came to a hold, and within an instant, everybody except from me had jumped out of the car. I looked with big eyes at the exit of the car, not sure if I wanted to get out or not. Once I got out, there was no way back, and I was more than aware of that fact. Jake popped his head back in the car, and he reached out towards me.

"You coming? I promise you that nobody is gonna hurt you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

With some hesitation, I reached out towards Jake's hand, knowing that staying in the car by myself was also not an option. My whole body felt stiff and cold, I was shaking, and the color had drained from my face. I didn't like this one bit. With some difficulty, I got out of the car, still holding on to Jake's hand like my life depended on it.

"Welcome to our humble home." Jake whispered, and slowly, I looked up at the building before me.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I had expected a lot, but this wasn't on my list of options. An abandoned warehouse that looked like it was going to collapse in the middle of nowhere was definitely not on my list of options. The building looked terrible. Twigs of ivy surrounded one side of the building, huge patches of rust affected the metal windows and walls, and the rooftop had multiple holes it in.

The whole building looked unsteady and ready to break down at any moment. If I had come across this building any other day, I would for sure have marked it as one of those abandoned haunted houses you see in horror movies. It looked that bad.

I kept shaking like a leaf, the sight in front of me making it even worse than it already was. The others didn't seem fazed at all, though. Lex and Kaden walked a little bit in front of us. Kaden's arm thrown over Lex's shoulder, while Sam walked next to them and kept chatting about something random I didn't quite understand.

Dan and Jessy were a bit closer to me. The two of them stood a little to my right, still bickering about the car ride. Dan was still not happy with the fact that Jessy almost crashed into a tree while Jessy kept going about the fact that Dan didn't need to treat her like a child and that she knew what she was doing.

Jake grabbed my hand, and we slowly made our way over to the bickering couple, grabbing their attention immediately. He slowly rubbed his thumb a little over my hand to calm me down. I gave him a soft smile in the meantime.

"Jessica?" Jake started. "Could you show Mc around while I fix some business with Dan?"

My anxiety grew even more with that statement. The only person I somewhat trusted in here was going to leave me, too, and I didn't like that thought at all.

"Will you be okay with that, Mc?" Jake spoke again, but before I could shake my head and disagree with the idea. Jessy had already grabbed my hand and started to drag me to the building.

"Make sure to keep an eye on her the whole time, Jessica! Bring her to your chamber when you're done with the tour! I will pick her up there after I'm done!" Jake yelled after us before the both of us would be out of sight.

I looked a little panicked at the girl next to me, not trusting the situation at all. With a wide smile on her face, she dragged me inside the building, following the other three others with a little skip in her step.

"First thing, let's get some food before we start with this tour. I'm sure you're hungry, right?" She gave me another smile, and she tightened her grip on my hand.

"I'm Jessy, by the way, but I guess you've figured that out by now. Jake calls me Jessica, though, but please call me Jessy. I don't know why he brought you here, but I'm happy that he did. I could use some help in the hospital wing."

My anxiety reduced a little at that statement. Jessy didn't seem that scary on second thought. She had a very motherly vibe around herself, and she didn't look like someone who would bring any harm to me. To say I trusted her was a bridge too far, but I wasn't as frightened anymore. Jessy looked like a happy and caring girl, a vibe I could connect with easily.

The inside of the building looked somewhat better than the outside. It didn't feel like a home or something, but it didn't look that bad either. It was cold and empty looking, but contrary to the outside, it didn't look like it was gonna fall apart at any moment. We walked through three long hallways before we reached two big double doors with a lot of noise coming from behind them.

"This is the canteen. The food isn't that good, to be honest, but it keeps us alive." Jessy opened the doors, and the sight before me frightened me completely. There were about one hundred people sitting in groups on long straight tables. It looked like the prison all over again, and that fact alone made me hate it completely.

"It gets a little crowded over here every once in a while. Feel free to come by our apartment if you ever want to eat something more delicate and in peace. We usually eat apart from the crowds, and you're welcome to join us anytime, okay?"

I nodded softly at the girl beside me, still in shock about the sight in front of me.

"Does everybody have an apartment?" I asked, still eyeing the room before my eyes. Jessy started to chuckle, closing the doors and walking further into the hallway.

"I bet they wished they had, but no. Only the people who are close to Jake have their own. The others share rooms in little groups on the opposite side of the building."

I jogged after Jessy to catch back up with her. If there was one thing I didn't want right now. It would be losing Jessy and getting lost in here. The girl kept walking while giving me little bits of information about the building and the rooms we passed on our way.

Information I tried to memorise as best as I could. Jessy took a left before she opened another door, motioning me to walk inside before her.

"Welcome to my ward." Her voice sounded from behind me. A soft smile fell on my face. In front of me was a small hospital wing filled with stuff I knew from my days as a nursing student. On the left side were around twenty beds, none of them occupied at the moment.

White blankets are neatly thrown over them and small nightstands between every two beds. Compared to the rest of the building, the room looked neat and clean, almost too clean. Without knowing there was no way, you would guess that the building would hold such a nice room inside of it.

Jessy walked a little inside the room, pushing away some curtains to show me the whole room properly. Her action revealed a small desk in the middle of the room with two huge metal lockers behind it.

"This is where I work if I'm not busy with the patients. One of the lockers holds all my paperwork while the other holds everything you could possibly need around here. Medicins, operation tools, you name it, and it's probably there."

Jessy removed another curtain, revealing a white wall with a small window in it and a door.

"May I introduce you to my operation room?" Jessy opened the door and motioned me to follow her inside. With small steps, I made my way over to her, stepping through the door while Jessy turned on the lights.

My eyes widened immediately at the sight, in front of me was, in fact, a small operation room. It's just big enough to do any kind of operation that didn't need too many people.

"I'm glad Jake took you with him, you know. I was dying to finally get some help around here." Jessy put her hand on my shoulder and walked back inside the bigger room.

"It gets a little lonely in here sometimes, but I'm sure that won't be much of a problem anymore now that there are two of us." A small smile fell on both of our faces. Jessy closed all the curtains back up, and with another motion of her hand, she took me back into the hallway.

Jessy showed me everything we came across on our path, telling little stories on the way about funny things that happened in certain places. It didn't take us long to reach the hallway filled with private rooms, as Jessy called them while she led me to her own. She opened the door for me, and a soft gasp left my mouth.

"Welcome to my and Dan's apartment. I hope you like it."

I could only look around myself, taking in the beauty before my eyes. Completely agreeing with the fact that I indeed liked it.

[sangyeonsmuse]

BUTTON EYES

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | All Chapters

PAIRING | OT8, MC SEONGHWA

WORDS| 2.7K

GENRE | Coraline au, angst, suspense,

SUMMARY | What happens when Seonghwa returns to the home he was once fond of as a child? This time around making his return as a full adult with the company of friends. Nightmares and old friends return and the button eyes that Seonghwa desperately escaped as a child have returned to haunt he and his friends.

WARNING | Graphic descriptions, mentions of death, ghost children, witchcraft, grsphic nightmares, arson, lost memories

MORE | Based on the childrens novel & Henry Selick film Coraline

Before i go any further i want it to be known i am in no way claiming Coraline as my own. I wrote a concept for a part 2 or spinoff long ago and I just felt that it was time to finally put it to use. I do not own Ateez or any Coraline named Characters in this story but the Storyline is indeed a self made one.

And so the four boys found themselves huddled up by the fireplace sitting in silence. Mingi hasn't spoken a word about what he heard and Seonghwa seemed lost in thought. He couldnt stop thinking about his night terror from the previous moment, he hadnt had any nightmares since he was eleven.

"So what exactly was it that you heard Mingi?" Yunho spoke up finally deciding to break the silence.

"Sounded like..like a kid, i woke up to get some water and when i passed the art room there were i dont know silent cries or something, if ive learned anything from the movies Jongho has forced me to watch its if you hear things like that you run the opposite direction." Mingi babbled without even stopping to take a breath.

"Have you been forcing him to watch horror movies again?" Yunho turns to look at Jongho who simply shrugs his shoulders in response.

Yunhos eyes then shoot to Seonghwa who hadnt spoken a word since the four of them set up their space down there. He could tell that something was wrong but he didn't want to question it. All he knew was that distant look in Seonghwas eyes showed he saw something that shook him up.

"Movie or no movie, i know what I heard."

The next morning while Yeosang took the others into town Seonghwa found himself alone in the house as he awaited Hongjoongs arrival. The fact that he couldn't remember much even having spent soo much time in the house bothered him. As he waited he decided to search around as Yunho had said the previous day. Many doors remained locked and he couldn't hide his curiosity as to what lay beyond the other side.  The man tried every key that he'd found in the kitchen drawer, but to his dismay neither worked. It didn't quite add up to him that there wasn't a key in the house that seemed to work.

When Hongjoong arrived the two sat silently drinking tea in the kitchen. Needless to say it was quite awkward between the two, after all thirteen years had passed without the two having talked with one another.

"I assume you didn't simply call me here for company while you drink your tea Seonghwa..so what is it that you need from me?" Hongjoong asks as he places his up down onto the countertop.

Seonghwa sat silent for a moment as if thinking over what he should say. "What happened here Joong, Ive been racking my brain trying to remember something, anything from my past here yet it seems like any memory of those days are non existent in my mind." At his words Hongjoong seemed to stiffen in his seat and this didn't go unnoticed by Seonghwa

"So you dont remember anything...? Nothing at all from your stays here..?"

"I know you know something about this place, you were eager to leave the moment you let us into the place when we arrived. Yeosang said that Mr. Bobinsky told him stories about this place, what is it that I'm not remembering.. what happened here"

Hongjoong could sense the desperation in Seonghwas voice but he still remained unsure on whether he should bring up any memory of the past. Perhaps Seonghwa was better off left in the dark about everything he had experienced there. Hongjoong had never had it as bad as Seonghwa when it came to the old manor but there were a few moments HongJoong spent in the house that just the thought of sent chills down his spine. As if the lord had answered his prayers to end the conversation there was a soft click as the door opened before loud voices were heard in the foyer.

"They were into me, I could have had two dates for that movie drop tomorrow night." A voice unfamiliar to Seonghwa whined amongst the many other loud voices before a voice he recognized as yeosangs spoke in response.

"Two girls out of the many that already fawn over you already I think youll be fine Wooyoung." He spoke menacingly before pushing the door to the kitchen open. In walked the others, this time accompanied by two men unfamiliar to Seonghwa but familiar to Hongjoong.

Hongjoong locked eyes with Yeosang, a look that spoke a thousand words but most of all a look that said to him "we need to talk"

Pulling Yeosang from the kitchen and away from the others hongjoong brings his arms up to his chest. "What have you been telling Seonghwa?''

"What?''

"What have you been telling Seonghwa about the house yeosang?" hongjoong questions once more, at his serious tone Yeosang finds himself somewhat cowering before him.

"Not much, after all i don't really know much he gave me a tour earlier and i just told him about the stories that my grandfather would share with me about the place i didnt think it was such a big deal-" he shrugs

"Leave the story telling to your grandfather Yeo, there's a reason Seonghwa left this place, all the ghost stories, the things youve heard about the manor. Keep them to yourself or refrain from telling Hwa. the last thing we need is him running around here looking into things that will only hurt him." at hongjoongs words yeosang fell silent. He had never seen his friend this serious about the topic. To be honest though he knew he should have simply listened to what his best friend had been telling him, yet instead he found himself getting even more intrigued by his sudden change in demeanor.

The next morning each of the guys went their separate ways, Mingi found himself exploring the garden out back, Yunho and Jongho had gone out into the town to search for a job that actually interested them in the small old town. This meant that once again seonghwa had been left in his home alone. After unpacking the boy had grown bored and decided that he'd explore the rest of the house. It had been so long since he walked those halls and he couldnt seem to pull a single memory from anywhere in his head. As seonghwa made his way down the hallway his eyes had landed on a space beneath the stairwell, the wallpaper had been peeling and he could have sworn he could make out what looked to be a door. He drew closer and as he reached out his hand to brush across the wall he heard a faint whisper and then there was a knock at the door. He chalked it up to him simply hearing things and made his way up front to open it.  As he swung the door open there stood hongjoong with a smile on his face.

"Hello there mars~'' he greets him in a sing-song voice before pushing past him and into the house.

"Are you seriously back to calling me that again?'' Seonghwa groans at the use of his old nickname, one that Hongjoong had used to greet him ever since they were children.

"For as long as we know each other yes, I plan on using it for the rest of our lives.'' Hongjoong laughs as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Used grandmas recipe made bibimbap, kimbap, kimchi and tteokboki, figured you guys hadn't had time to grocery shop yet and since she didnt add the proportions to her recipe book i accidentally made enough for at least ten.'' he laughs as he places all of the food into the fridge.

"Thanks no matter the amount i'm more than sure Mingi, Yunho and Jongho will be grateful they could eat for days.'' he laughs as he rests his head on his palms.

"Hongjoong, was there any construction or something done to the house while I was away?'' Seonghwas question earns a confused glance from his old friend.

"Construction? No I don't think so why?''

"Well I was taking a look around the house and the staircase, it seems like someone blocked off something.'' hongjoong pressed his lips into a thin line, he was well aware of what hid behind the wall but he refused to tell Seonghwa, so he found himself struggling to come up with a lie, any sort of lie when the front door opened and in walked Jongho and Yunho. Hongjoong immediately sighed and thanked the gods.

"Ah Hongjoong you're here today.'' Yunho sang happily as he took a seat at the counter beside Seonghwa.

"Yes yes, I came to drop off some food how was the job search?'' Hongjoong avoided Seonghwas gaze knowing very well that he had been waiting for him to answer the question.

"Well I start my job at the daycare in a week and Jongho here will be working at the theater with Wooyoung and San." he cheerfully pinches Jonghos cheeks earning a glare from the latter.

"Well this calls for a celebration, yes? How about we go out tonight grab food and some drinks  at the old pub across the street from drearylane park?'' Hongjoongs suggestion got immediate yeses from both jongho and Yunho who nudged seonghwa to get excited for it as well. Seonghwa on the other hand had been too lost in his thoughts wondering why Hongjoong had avoided his question. Ever since seonghwa had arrived back there hongjoong seemed to be acting weird

Later that night when Seonghwa was finally able to gather his three routy roommates, Hongjoong gathered the other three and they all made their way into town. Along the way Hongjoong had been telling the guys the history of the town, the backstories behind the few buildings that were actually left in the town.

"Wait, so some fire took everything out? How come it didn't take out everything?'' Yunho asks, only getting a shoulder shrug from Hongjoong in response.

"That part I'm not sure of. Grandma only ever tells me bits and pieces since you know..she doesn't really remember much, there also isn't much about the fire or what caused it in the town library files." the others nodded in understanding as they followed along

For the rest of the night the eight of them stuffed their faces and drunk until every word they said was barely audible, well everyone except Seonghwa that was. He kept thinking about the door and the house, something about being there bothered him. Why couldn't he remember a single detail? He remembered crying his eyes out as a child when his mother told him he wouldn't be going back to grandmas but he couldnt for the life of him even remember any memories of having been ther with her. Standing up from his seat Seonghwa slipped away from the group of guys that were now drunkenly yelling at one another over a game of mafia. As soon as he stepped outside he took in a deep breath before taking in the old town, his eyes then landed on the old park and to his surprise a little girl stood there staring back at him.

"Are you lost..? Why are you out here all alone?'' he asked? Worry laced in his tone as he looked around in search for the little girl's parents.

No answer.

"Where are your parents?'' he further questioned, once again being met with silence.

"Who are you talking to?" Yeosangs voice startled him, pulling his attention away from the little girl only momentarily.

"Um i was asking her where her parents were.'' Seonghwa responds, earning a confused glance from Yeosang.

"Who?'' As Seonghwa turned and raised his hand to point into the direction of the girl his eyebrows knit together as he too now grew confused. The girl had been standing right there and it was as if she had just vanished.

"You know what nevermind, did you need something?'' he turns back to yeosang who only shrugs his shoulders at the mans odd behavior.

"Well mafia got out of hand and Wooyoung bit Jongho and now he's chasing him around the pub like a maniac and Mingi is chasing jongho trying to get him to sit down.'' At his words Seonghwa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why is it always those two.'' He follows Yeosang into the pub taking one last look back in the area in which the girl once stood.

Their night out ended with them all walking back to seonghwas place, wooyoung with a pout on his face having been turned into a human punching bag by Jongho and Jongho with a smug grin on his after having gotten Woo back for biting him. They each disappeared into their rooms San and Wooyoung sharing one of the guest rooms and Yeosang and hongjoong having their own rooms, unbeknown to them this would be a rough night for each of them.

This was part of the reason Hongjoong hadn't slept in that house and barely stepped foot into it since Seonghwa had left. The night terrors, the nightmares that all seemed to come flooding back due to just one simple visit to the house.

As Hongjoong walked along the garden he could hear faint whispers from the woods behind him. Unwillingly his body moved towards the whispers and they grew louder and louder as he began to close the distance. A familiar black cat circled his feet as if forbidding him from moving any further but he continued on. He found himself looking back at an old memory one hat he thought the pills had helped bury deep.

He and aYoung seonghwa stood shouting and screaming as the woman in black held Seonghwa by his neck, her slick fingers squeezing tight enough to draw blood. Hongjoong bit her ankle making her hiss and drop Seonghwa to the ground before reaching out for hongjoong. It was then that Seonghwa raised the medallion and a loud screech emitted from the woman before she disappeared. It was then that Hongjoongs eyes locked with his younger self and he woke up in a pool of sweat

He found himself quietly making his way down the hall to grab some water from the kitchen, now finding it hard to get himself to sleep again. To his surprise he found Seonghwa sitting at the window with a cup of tea in his hand.

"I guess you couldn't sleep either?'' Hongjoong chuckles and makes his way over to the fridge pouring himself a glass of water.

"Not really haven't really been able to sleep since we got here.'' Seonghwa sighs and pulls his legs to his chest to make room for his friend to sit.

"There are so many details that just arent adding up in my head, so many things I feel like i'm missing being here.'' he sighs and Hongjoong immediately felt guilty he knew why but he vowed to his grandma coraline that if he ever returned he wouldn't speak a word.

"Hongjoong you know something, I'm sure of it. Ever since I came back you've been acting weird and ever since that day you pulled yeosang from the kitchen you've been even weirder. What is it you aren't telling me?'' hongjoong sighs, he couldnt help but grow slightly annoyed at his friends' persistence.

"Seonghwa there are some things just not meant to be remembered, whatever you think it is that you feel you should be remembering do yourself a favor and let it go. It'd be best that you just carry on as if there's nothing bothering you. You're better off not remembering.'' he stood from the bay window with his water in hand and made his way to the door.

"I'm going back to bed, you should try and get some rest." Honjoongs leaves the room with a sigh, leaving seonghwa alone to wallow in his silence.

After finishing his tea Seonghwa silently shuffles back to his room. He thought for sure that Hongjoong would give him something, even the tiniest of detail of what had happened back then but instead he told him nothing, and basically asked him to completely forget the thought of any past memory here.

Seonghwa closed his eyes and tried his best to fall back asleep, it felt like time had gone by so slowly until he naturally found his eyes fluttering shut and soon his entire body relaxed as he finally fell asleep.