#this is the first pokemon presents where everyone is excited and no one is complaining which is the most unexpected part of all this

[skipppppy]

Congrats?

[healthandfitness966]

Congratulations.....

[leggerefiore]

▽Alt. Coraline AU▲

cw: yandere, unhealthy relationships,

anon,,, brain now craves other lover ingo and i blame u for this mess

some music because is a bit long

○ Emmet was sweet. He did nearly everything for you and barely asked for anything in return. His smile was brighter than the gaseous orb that warmed the earth. His love was an unyielding passion that surrounded you so tenderly and made you feel safe. It was this tender, kind love that led to you both moving out of the city after fans of his had started stalking and harassing you. The Subway Boss could not stand to see your pain, so he returned to his childhood home, far away in Anville. It was an intense shift to speak lightly, a large metropolitan city meeting a sleepy, rural town where everyone knew each other.

○ Still, you moved to the property in his family's name. A larger, older house painted a bright pink over splintered, rotting wood divided into four separate apartments. Emmet held a strange facial expression as he observed his home of previous years. His smile present as always, yet his soft chrome eyes held such intensity you felt he could burn the building down. You grasped his hand softly to remind that there were more pressing matters. The emotion was extinguished as the light returned at a glance of you. Boxes are unloaded and unpacked as you settle into your life.

○ It was fine at first, Emmet coming home a bit later than he would to your apartment in Nimbasa, but still returning nonetheless. You shifted your schedule to meet his and were happy to greet your boyfriend at whatever time he made it home. Dinner was eaten together and his pokemon wandered about the house in a peaceful tandem. He was exhausted, lidded eyes with heavy darkness lingering underneath, yet he still pampered you in adoration.

○ That was until one day, during his lunch break, Emmet called. He explained that there was too much work for to do that day and the following and wanted to see if you were alright with him staying in Nimbasa for the night. You agreed, not wanting him to wear himself so thin. The man thanked you many, many times. That one time became two, then into four and once more into eight until it often became for him to stay in Nimbasa at least twice a week. Loneliness stung bitterly, and while you knew he'd come home if you simply asked, you didn't want to interrupt his busy schedule. Holidays were coming into the station and his time was to be consumed further. It stung when he told you (not asked, as he had many times before) that he wouldn't be back in town until Sunday. It was a Tuesday.

○ Your lonely heart grew worse as time ticked on in your boyfriend's absence. Friends were busy with their own obligations from the holidays, and your family wasn't nearby enough for a day trip. Emmet pour salt directly into the laceration when you complained lightly about being lonely with a simple, “I'm lonely too. Just put up with it.” You had hung up the call then and there to sob yourself to sleep. Where had your sweet lover gone and what devil had he been replaced with?

○ You awoke on your couch after the emotional crash from the distress Emmet caused. A doll that resembled with sat on your coffee table comfortably, it had white buttons for its eyes and wore the outfit from your first visit to the home. You found the strangeness of it both cute and creepy. Had Emmet gotten you it and left somewhere you failed to check? It didn't make you forgive him, but it made you smile at the thought. You moved it onto your bookshelf to overlook the shared living and dining room.

○ A bored exploration of the house happened. Nothing exciting was found until you landed on a piece of lightly burned wallpaper. Running your fingers across the surface, you felt abnormal grooves in it. A knife is taken from a kitchen drawer and stabbed to free the hidden contents from its off coloured, floral paper prison. A small door was the secret. You stared at it for a few moments as you wondered why such a thing would be covered. Curiosity grows as you grab the brass knob of the door. It refuses a turn. Locked. A keyhole proved your last barrier. You tried to recall where Emmet had lied the key ring the landlord had given him. Once remembered, you grabbed the item from his desk drawer, where it had been buried under forgotten paperwork.

○ Giddiness consumed your senses as you tried every key until you found the correct one for the tiny door. Perhaps you had found a long forgotten secret room or a path to neighbouring apartment's secrets. The lock clicked free, and you swung open the door. A running theme in your life seemed to be a bright sun rise followed by day's of heavy, stormy rain. A brick wall mocked you for all your effort. The door was slammed shut, the keys were strewn on the counter, and you stomped off to grab groceries out of the accursed house.

● Though, a following night had seen you waking up early in the unreal hours of the morning; everything hazy and filled with tired wonder. A soft purple will-o-wisp floated about your room and out your open door. The ethereal light led you to the answer of a hypnagogic reality as you threw off the duvet to follow. The will led you down the darkened hall and into the living room, where it faded into the small door you uncovered. You grasped the brass knob as you had previous. A change was felt within the pulse provided by strangely warm metal. One could say it felt alive. The door opened to show a quivering, hypnotic tunnel of unworldly lights. Hesitantly, you crawl into the new area.

● The tunnel leads you to a matching door as the one you entered through. It pushes open all the same to reveal your living room. Well, it resembled your living room. Minor differences in aesthetic choices were obvious. A vase of ebony roses sat delicately in the middle of a coffee table. You walked on your heels to silence your steps as you crept around the imperfect copy of your home. When you noticed lights pouring out of the kitchen along with an absolutely enchanting scent. Peering into the room, you spotted… Emmet - Yes, it definitely appeared to be your boyfriend from behind – cooking something on the stove. You shifted slightly and caused a floorboard to creak. His head whipped around to reveal two ebony buttons where bright silver usually lied. A frown replaced a smile, alongside a much stiffer body language. “My dear, you arrived much sooner than I had anticipated. I apologise for the dimness present, please don't hesitate to turn on the lights as you need them,” his voice was stronger in volume than Emmet's own with a more polite tone.

● He turned off the stove and made quick strides over to you. His movements more determined and precise than your boyfriend's, as flicked on the light switch just behind your head. His button eyes stared into your own for a moment. “Um…” it felt strange to ask, “Who are you?” He wasn't Emmet, that much had been easily determined, nor was he your dream idealised Emmet either. Carefully, he knelt before you. Your hand was grasped by his as it was brought to soft lips. The appendage remained in his grasp as turned to focus on your face again. His face was intense and showed no strong feeling, “I am your other lover, Ingo. It is pleasing to finally greet you properly. I have loved you for many long years, and I am elated to have you in my home.” His affection carried within his tone as he stood up to his full height again. You were pulled into a reassuring embrace by the other lover. The hug was reciprocated by you fully, happy to receive the absent contact that Emmet normally provided.

● The evening was a charming one, with Ingo serving you the meals you favoured most alongside a drink of your choice. He spoke with you as if he had known you for your entire life. Conversation flowed easily with him, words from him near hypnotising and pleasant. You were brought outside into a flower garden that Ingo stated he created specifically for you. His arm was linked with yours as you wandered through the flora with idle conversation. Flowers of yellow and purple hyacinths, aromatic lavenders, white heathers, begonias, black dahlias, and mallows. Along the ground, you spotted creeping willow as well. You found yourself leaning into Ingo as he explained some proper gardening techniques. Slowly, sleep reclaimed your weary mind. The other lover led you to your bedroom with a knitted black blanket covered your body. Ingo held you tightly as you drifted off, crooning a gentle love song to further ease your mind. You missed the darker promises his hot breath whispered as unconsciousness settled in.

○ You awoke in your normal bed, refreshed from the odd dream. It was a bit sad to see it wasn't in no part real, but you stretched and wiped the sleep from your eyes. Emmet had tried to call you on his lunch, but you had let it ring. Your heart sunk at the thought of speaking to him, fearing another cruel comment about sucking it up. Though, as it was Sunday, you would be seeing him later in the evening. You cringed as the lock clicked to signify he was home. Emmet opened the door and sighed in relief upon spotting you on the soda. The closed behind him as he rushed over to embrace you, spilling apologies out like an overfilled bucket. He has been so stressed, his brain stopped to consider your feelings. Never again would he say such a cruel thing to you. His silver eyes stared deeply into yours as pressed his lips to your own. The kiss turned passionate alongside the night, both of you were excited to feel the other's touch. Blissfully unaware of the doll watching from the shelf.

○ It was a month before another period of time away reared its ugly head into your life. Emmet apologised, but didn't bother to ask how you felt about it. The door shut loudly behind him, and you cried in bed that night until a wisp floated around your head. Crawling back through the tunnel, Ingo awaited. You were fed a delicious meal, and he listened to all your complaints about Emmet with a gentle expression. His hand held yours as the buttons bored deeply into your eyes, “I would never leave you alone, dear. I would hear all of the worries with a willing heart. You are my partner, and I wish to become more one day.” His lips pressed against yours. You reciprocated the gesture wholeheartedly. His hands wandered around your body with a chilled touch as he laid you again the couch, a mimicry of what your true boyfriend had done to you previously. Ingo proved himself a worthy lover that evening, all your needs and wants put before his. He was so different from Emmet in every way you needed. You were carried to the bed and laid to rest. “I'll take care of you, my love. I won't allow my ●●●● to ever cause you sorrow again. We'll be married soon and happiness for us will surely follow,” the words went unheard by you as he pressed a chaste kiss to your forehead.

○ You yelled at Emmet as he pretended to have no clue as to what you were talking about. The doll was missing from the shelf alongside the key for the door, which itself had been mysteriously locked. He coldly remarked that you seemed unwell and panicked over nothing. As you searched for the key wildly, you heard him say, “The door shouldn't even be there. There's just a brick wall behind it.” To which you immediately latched by stating he did know what happened to the key. His expression was terrifying as he pressed a finger to your lips, the air felt alive with something unearthly as he shushed you. Emmet passed out on the couch that evening, not bothering to acknowledge you anymore in his inexplicable frustration. You hated him, you thought. He was pretending you made up everything while choosing his stupid job over you. A promise of never wanting to leave your side, clearly incorrect. If he wanted trains over his own lover, then you would crawl back to Ingo one way or another.

○ This wish went ungranted until Emmet was forced to stay in Nimbasa one night. He didn't want to, he kept babbling over the phone, anguish evident in his tone. He had become suddenly clingy after that night and kept you at his side, apologising for his odd behaviour with wide, innocent eyes. It was stress and exhaustion, he claimed. The doll had made him uncomfortable with its button eyes, so he hid it in his office closet. It was returned to you, but something felt strange. The buttons were black, but you couldn't recall whether that was wrong or not. He genuinely didn't know about the key, he has wept into your shirt like a child. You had combed his hair and believed him. Both of you had been much too harsh toward one another. It had been settled.

● A gentle song pulled you from sleep that night as you saw the wisp once more. As you always did, you followed. It led you to Emmet's office, where it hovered above his desk. Dumbly, you pulled open every drawer until the low light from the flame illuminated the key to the crawlspace door. Tears welled in your eyes as you realised Emmet had lied to you. Why had he done so? It hurt more than it honestly should have. You grabbed the key and wandered over to the small door. Ingo would never lie to you as Emmet did. The melody lulled you further along as the ethereal tunnel squeezed around your form.

● Ingo held your body trembling for to his with hushed reassurances. “He's always so childish, isn't he, dear? Are you his partner or a fun way to pass his time? You're all alone out here in the countryside while he is surrounded by your friends in the city,” his voice reverberates through your entire body as it vibrates in his chest. “I would never do such cruel things to you, my darling. Together, here, I would give you the most wondrous life.” His fingers interlock with yours as he kisses the tears from your eyes. Ingo addresses all your concerns with expertise. Emmet didn't view you as his life partner. This was all some fun relationship, not something that would culminate into marriage. You wept harder at the thoughts. Ingo offers you what is wished for with ease. He excused himself, seeing pure opportunity in your distress. You were finally ready. “I have a present for you. Will you please wait while I go retrieve it?” His thumb traces circles of your knuckle. You nod and he walks down the hallway.

● His return brings a dark charcoal box with a bow of your favourite colour situated on top. You open it eagerly and see two ebony buttons alongside a sharp, shiny golden needle and matching ring. The set parallels the other lover's own. Ingo grasped your hand in a strong, yet gentle grip. “Dear, should you let me sew these buttons onto your eyes, then you will never have to leave my side. Wear my ring, and you can finally settle down here with me,” his voice is intense and serious, desire apparent within the stitching of the sentence. He craves you at his side and seems ready to accept no less. “I-I, I…” it was hard to think after the emotional low and sudden invitation, “I'm sorry, Ingo. I don't think I can do this. I'm not ready.” Not with him; not if you hadn't spoken with Emmet. Ingo was a dream husband, everything anyone could want in a spouse, but your heart belonged to the sweet lover who cooed while he squeezed too tightly. There was a reason Emmet had done all these strange things; he always had purpose behind his actions, even if it was just for fun. You'll call him before he goes to work – “You are ready; you've been ready for years. This I know from what you have told me,” his frowns grows deeper, and the tender affection he exudes shifts into something more corrupt, “Emmet will never give you what you want. He's afraid of devotion, afraid of dedicating himself wholly to you because he refuses to accept what he is. I will give you all that and more, my dear.” Your heart stops as he speaks your boyfriend's name, not once had you mentioned it in your time with him. Ingo speaks of the Subway Boss as if he's known him for a lifetime. His tone his controlled, yet something malignant lies just under the surface. The grip on your hand shifts into a shackle as you attempt to pull away.

● “I think I need to go, Ingo,” you refused the whimper that wanted to leave your throat about the entire situation, any weakness would be latched onto by him and thoroughly exploited. “I don't want what you're offering. There's no need to make this harder than it already is.” Ingo shook his head and tightened his grip enough to constrict blood flow. The air felt horribly heavy. “Ah, I understand it properly now. You're conflicted because you still care for him,” he pulls you up roughly and drags you through the house with precise movements. A mirror lies at the end of the hall. “End of the line, dear. Please reflect on what truly you want. I'll let you out when you stop lying to yourself,” he clasps your shoulders as he shoves you against the surface. It molds around your body like water and accepts you into its maw, obscuring Ingo into nothing more than a dark shadow.

● Footsteps marched away as you are left abandoned in the desolate room. Dust rests heavy on every surface in the dim light a stray will-o-wisp provides from resting on a nearly melted candle. Freeze nips at your skin, but there's no blanket in the room. At first, you push and shove at the mirror in an attempt at escape. Then you move to silent resistance. Lastly, you curl up on the filthy mattress on a rusty met bed frame to sob. Emmet was trying to keep you safe, you realised. Hiding the key, refusing to further acknowledge the situation. A failure of communication, but immediate action taken. Would he notice you had gone? Somehow, you knew that this place wasn't unknown to him, but would he be too late? Hiccups echoed off the unseen walls.

○ “Oh, darling… You really went and did it now. I know you're in there,” a soft voice coos across the barrier of your freedom. A phantom stands on the other side with hands pressed to the surface. You hopped up from the bed to the mirror. “Emmet! Help me, please,” you whimpered for the help of your true lover. His hand suddenly broke the tension of the surface and grabbed your forearm to pull you through. Crashing into his chest, you bawled quietly into his button down. His hand strokes your hair as he held you close to me. “I wish it was just a brick wall behind that door. I'm sorry this happened to you…” an explanation could be given later, you both silently agreed. “Let's go home. I bought your favourite dessert from the one shop. We can spend the entire night talking, I promise.” His voice was low, as to not attract Ingo's attention. The warmth of his hand surrounds your own as he leads you toward the door. Everything is pitch black, yet Emmet navigates with ease. As you pass through the living room, the light clicks on with a clearing of someone's throat.

● Ingo stands opposite to you both, walking to block the door. It's completely quiet in the home, barring the shifting of fabric with his movements. Emmet's eyes are wide with terror and tears. “My precious, younger twin finally returns,” his tone is not harsh, a genuine joy present. The simple sentence explains so much, but brings forth more questions than before. “Ingo. Let us go. You lost,” Emmet speaks to him in an empty tone. “We fought and I won. I was allowed to leave as we agreed. Leave my partner alone.” You wanted more information but were too petrified to speak. Ingo shook his head and glared at him. “Emmet, I do wonder whether you know how much to crave marriage. Neither of you are getting any younger, yet you still treat them like your college sweetheart. I simply gave them what they needed while you hurt them with your ignorance,” the mimic scolded his brother with your words. Emmet frowned to show just how frighteningly similar they were. “Then I will marry them. You won't,” his tone was harsh. It seemed impossible for either twin to intimidate the other.

● “I think we can find an agreement,” Ingo offered, “I know how you are, after all, moving them out to the country. Hiring those people to harass your dear partner to help influence them further along. You don't want to share them with the world, do you? How long until you trapped them in a web of your own?” Your heart shattered at the claim. Your boyfriend's face shifted into one of shock, then something neutral. “Emmet, you didn't — you couldn't!” A manic grin split his face as he turned to you, tears welling in his eyes. A hand swept his hair back as he shook his head. “You weren't supposed to find out. Ingo is verrrrrry mean. It's part of the reason I wanted to leave here in the first place,” his grip refused to let up as you tried to free yourself. “Do they truly want marriage, brother? I know they like you, too; they reeked of you often enough.” There was no escaping this, you realised. “Of course, Emmet. I would never lie to you. Are you agreeing to share them?” Ingo stepped forward to stand beside his twin. Emmet nodded, forced you into an embrace. “I'll get the needle and buttons then. I trust you'll restrain them?” Another nod. You hated this; you hated them. There was no escape as Emmet turned you to face his buttoned counterpart as the brilliantly shining golden needle travelled carefully toward its destination.

[thewritingof-therose]

Hi! Last week, with the publishing of the 20th chapter of Hasard, I reached the 100 kudos on the fic, so to celebrate it, here’s some kind of bonus chapter where I talk a little about the conception of the story, along with comments about each chapters. 

Enjoy!

----

So… 20 chapters and 100 kudos already. To be honest, by the time I started imagining this story, I wasn’t really expecting to be able to celebrate that milestone of kudo on a single fic and even if I already celebrated the 2000 kudos in general this year, if we make a quick calcul based on the numbers of kudos and all the fics I’ve published, at the time I’m writing those words, it’s the same that if each one of my fic had only 20 kudos… So yeah, finally reaching the hundred on a single one makes me so happy \o/

Anyway, here’s some trivia and fun facts about Hasard and the first twenty chapters of the story.

First of all, some history:

I had the idea for Hasard in May 2018 as I was watching the tv show Lucifer (I am not up to date with it, please don’t try to spoil me this show ^^’) and I imagined one scene that just… shaped the entire story and it took me less than a few hours to know that I would write it. Even if I wasn’t sure how long it would be and that there had been some changes. And no, I won’t tell what scene kickstarted it all because she still has to come and it could be quite a huge spoiler. 

Following it, my brain quickly went into developing the full story and a few things changed. On the top of my head, I can say that Maiev was meant to be more on her own, almost a complete independent Hunter that would have also been resented by the other Hunters, along with a way more black and white view of the demons. She was meant to be more aggressive against all demons and really thinking that they all deserved to die, but I softened that side of her as I shifted the world building with the presence of hybrids. 

At first, the hybrids were meant to be a really rare kind and I wanted to keep that status for a few select characters because it could have brought some really good story for them. Then, as I kept working on the worldbuilding, I came to the idea that actually, hybrids were extremely common, but at the same time, the demon’s presence was still a secret from most of the world because most hybrids started centuries ago and their blood and physical attributions were weakening the more they were reproducing. So, about 80% of the world is made of hybrids of all kinds of generation (who is my way of scaling the demonic influence on their life) and the 20% left is shared with the full demons and full humans. 

Full demons are simply people who don't have a single drop of human blood in them. Usually, they are born from two other full demon parents or they just appeared like that (that’s the mytho). They are extremely powerful and good magic users, but now, they are rare. It was easier to be a full demon millenia ago when they ruled over the world and the few that are left in the current world of Hasard, survived either by hiding really well, manipulating their way to stay alive, or simply because they accepted to work with the humans and they went on. 

My best example of a full demon is Velen. 

The full humans, are the humans who either had never gotten a single drop of demon’s blood in their bloodlines, either they purged the bloodline after making sure that there had been at least 10 generations since the last time a hybrid was born (technically, every child following it would be considered as an hybrid, but the other parent would be a full human to weaken the demon’s blood which each new generation). Full humans are rarer than full demons and they tend to be bad news as almost all of them are associated with the Priesthood (who’ll get some more explanation later.)

I haven’t presented yet one of them to give an example, but one is ready to show up in the Second arc of the story. Won’t say who to not spoil the surprise x)

As for hybrids, there are two kinds. The one born from a demon and a human, and or hybrids (two hybrids will keep creating hybrids and technically, as long as one of the parents has human blood, the bloodline will stay a hybrid one). And the second one hadn’t been introduced yet. We have characters that are that kind, but it’s some worldbuilding elements that will show up later and so, I'll keep it to myself for now. Feel free to theorize though! And usually, most hybrids will simply call themselves demons instead of showing signs of weaknesses by not being a full one.

For the title of the story, it had been extremely hard for me to find one. Ever since I started preparing everything, it had a codename and it was “Modern AU” and it stayed like that until the very minute of the publishing of the first chapter. I was already going towards “Le Hasard Fait Bien Les Choses” but I was bothered because it was French, and no matter what, I couldn’t find a good English idiom that would have all the nuances of the French one. The only thing that comes close to it would be “Fate is a funny thing” and yet, I’m not entirely satisfied with it. So, after a long debate with myself and help from other people, I came to the conclusion that I had to keep the French title if I wanted to be happy with it. 

It might not help much to get people interested, and I’m considering adding “Fate is a Funny Thing” after it but I’m debating it.

I think that's already a lot, so let's move to the trivia per chapters:

A Muffled Shout In The Night

Oh boy, first chapter! I was so excited to finally start the story but I was also really stressed. I tried to give away a quick summary of how the universe was working, along with my two main characters + showing up the first supportive characters towards Maiev. Trying to present all the cast (so adding Illidari and more about Illidan) right in that chapter wouldn't have really worked so, instead, I went to show that a more "Legion-y" timeline could be expected thanks to Khadgar and Velen's presence in the chapter. 

I kinda hope that I succeeded to already show Maiev's obsession towards the Betrayer through her first lines.

Though I will be one hundred percent honest with you. The end of the chapter with Illidan running away, don't expect much from that interaction. I kind of always forget about it unless I'm reading back the chapter… I only needed a reason for them to stop fighting and the chapter to carry on.

But who knows, maybe I'll tie it to something one day.

Two Black Coffees And A Meeting, Please

When writing it, I always knew that Drelanim was on the other side of the call (or at least another Hunter) but as I read the moment a few times, I realized that I could have gone for a completely different way. One that would have probably surprised everyone.

But yeah, in another universe, it's Illidan who calls Maiev because he's in front of her place as they decided to meet for breakfast there. It would have been quite nice and unexpected for the story, especially that Illidan would have gotten right away the reveal that Maiev was actually the Warden as she would have complained about the wounds of the night. 

In the end, I went on with my first idea and made them meet for good in the chapter.

And, like with the first chapter… the "current problem" that he talks about to Kor'vas went nowhere… I'll more than probably get him to acknowledge some uninteresting side story for it at some point.

Memories Of A Rainy Day That Will Never Be Forgotten

For that one, one word: Ouch.

By the time I started to write this chapter, I was also preparing the Advent Calendar of 2019 and I had decided on telling Naisha's story, and I had to realize that I still had to foreshadow some elements from it to make it work. Of course, the title is fully referencing the day she died and the demon that Maiev killed right at the beginning of the chapter was similar to Naisha, putting Maiev in a stabbing mood. And it led us to another necessary addition for the Calendar's chapter: Malfurion.

(I'm also wondering how many people guessed right away that Malfurion was the one Illidan was calling…)

Brother, My Brother, Tell Me What We're Fighting For? 

Even if Malfurion had more of a cameo than anything in the Calendar's story, I felt the need to introduce him to put the bases of the twins' relationship. I always knew that he was a doctor and that he was mostly helping Illidan when he was getting in trouble, and as their backstory is different from WoW and that they are both demons, I didn't want to go on the canon path for them. 

I cannot tell much about it because we'll get fast to their backstory (Second arc) but here, Illidan and Malfurion mostly grew up in a world where it was them against the rest of the world. They were born during the glorious days when demons ruled the world and they saw it change through the millennia that followed. After everything, they would be devastated to lose the other and suddenly be the only one left. This is why they are way closer than they could ever be in canon (and also Tyrande isn't part of their backstory so it helped them keep a good relationship). Sometimes, they part ways for a few decades. Malfurion goes back to medical school somewhere and makes sure that he's up to date for it, or Illidan just moves with his clan to experience new things. But they stay in contact and always come back in proximity of one another.

The end of the chapter was my obligatory "shock reveal/cliffhangers" before a break. But well, I wanted to keep the Legion's existence in my sleeve for a little longer, but I realized that it would allow me to make them into a concrete threat as the story will progress + allowing Illidan and, mostly, the Illidari to be a little more presents into the story.

Actually, the chapter's name comes from a song from the occidental version of the first Pokemon movie. It's a line from the song that plays when the Pokemon and their clone fights, and i used it mostly for the brother's mentions and because it would totally be a thing said by one of the twins in their past…

A Flower Arrangement Made With Your Face In Mind

At that time, I wanted to make a chapter to develop a little more the supporting characters of the cast, and as I was taking back the writing of the fic after a four or five months break, I thought it would be nice. 

So, we got a little side dish of Illidari for it and that’s pretty much the only chapter (until now) where Illidan or Maiev barely appears in it. Yet, I threw some worldbuilding and foreshadowing in it and I still like it, so it isn’t really a filler.

I’ll probably do more chapters like that in the future, but I’ll see with the pacing of the story.

Willingly Accepting Your Death Isn't As Easy As I Thought

I don’t have much to say about this chapter. I still really like it and especially Maiev and Velen’s interaction. 

Along with showing that we were far from a potential romantic relationship, at least on Maiev’s side x)

A Laugh That Will Echo Through The Ages

Oh my God, that chapter! I could probably talk about it for hours but we would quickly reach the spoiler territory so I’ll see what I can tell without shooting myself in the foot.

I loved giving Khadgar some more identity and I like his relationship with Maiev. In the story, they are around 10 years apart, with Khadgar being the youngest. He’s like an honorary younger brother to every Hunter and even if Maiev won’t admit it, she’s kinda thinking the same. 

If he had been in the spotlight for this chapter, it was actually because I was thinking of writing his backstory for the Calendar of 2020 but in the end, I scrapped the idea and wrote something else. But It’ll happen at some point.

You Were In My Dream Last Night, And I Found You That Morning

A simple and nice chapter to calm down from the action heavy that was the precedent. I do throw some crumbs of foreshadowing and backstory, mostly for Maiev, but we will have to wait quite some time for the full one. Even if to be honest, before I release it fully, there will probably be some people that will stitch everything from my crumbs.

Illidan’s dreams are meant to be a plot point all through the story, and I decided to start them with this chapter. And of course, we can see that it’s the first chapter where Illidan, even if he isn’t conscious of it, starts to like Maiev more than he should have at that point.

A Red Dress And Heels To Hide The Knife In Plainsight

I loved writing that one. Showing that Maiev had more hobbies than hunting demons, along with showing how you had to act to get her to do things that she would refuse to do otherwise. Most of the time, if Sira gently asks if she wants to go do some shopping, Maiev always has something else to do. Not that she hates shopping, just that she thinks there’s better things to do. 

I could probably go more about Worgens and their existence, but it would spoil some part of the story :/ 

And honestly, I had an alternate version of this chapter where Illidan saw Maiev and Sira hurrying in the streets, followed them and he would have eavesdropped on the conversation about him. It was obviously bad because it was confirming that Maiev was at least a Hunter (which he won’t know until a while by that time) and it would have been totally an excuse for smut x)

A Warning Falling In Deaf Ears

With this chapter, I’ve been working on mixing the idea of chapters 5 (to concentrate on rest of the cast) with more of the main story. Like that, I show that there’s more than Illidan and Maiev in this universe, but at the same time, I’m still progressing their story by sharing the chapter between the two. I really liked writing Kayn like that and I think that one of my favorite things to write in this story, it’s Illidan and Malfurion interacting.

A Touch So Familiar, Yet So Strangely Threatening

I remember writing that chapter and suddenly realizing that it was going to be longer than the precedent, and i thought for a moment that I had to cut it in half, but I couldn’t find a satisfying way to do it, and it would have fucked up my outline, so I just carried on with it until I had told everything that I had to. 

With that chapter, I’m trying to show that Maiev can be really crazy when it comes to the Betrayer and his followers, but I can assure that she wouldn’t wound any of the Hunters, even if they cannot really be sure about it. And the little dialogue with the B-word made me laugh and yes, Maiev already called the Betrayer a bitch to his face. In 13 years, it would have been weird that she didn’t think of it at least once.

For the rest of the chapter, I just wanted to show that Maiev and Illidan were becoming comfortable with each other + setting up a reason for her to be worried about Illidan to show him her good side.

Screaming Under The Full Moon Won't Change Your Fate

The one thing I keep from this chapter, is that I can’t wait to dive more into Velen and Maiev's relationship.

Otherwise, yeah, if Illidan were to go into a fight only wanting to use magic, he could kill Maiev without breaking a sweat. But he likes the challenge and feels like it wouldn’t be satisfying to annihilate her with just a spell, so he’s fighting blade against blades, unless Maiev is really close to kill him.

A Fateful Call That Only You Can Be Blamed For

I have nothing much to say about it. It was one chapter that I really wanted to write and publish, because it’s the one where Illidan just let his guard down around Maiev for good, and now that he won’t try to trap her into admitting that she is the Warden, it allows him to see Maiev in another light.

That anyone can guess what it is.

Oh yeah, just that I threw some good crumbs of the fact that Illidan is a self-loathing addict in my fics and that it’s one of the reasons he falls so hard for Maiev after this chapter. But it’ll be a good talk for either another chapter, or later.

Going Separate Ways For A Night But Not The Life

Nothing to say, it was a transitional chapter to show that Illidan really believes that Maiev isn’t the Warden, and that there’s more than the fight to them.

Stab Me Once, Shame On You. Stab Me More Than Twice...

A fun little chapter. Velen is more modern than most people can believe and once again, I like writing about the interactions between Illidan and Malfurion. Of course, if you go back to read this one after chapter 20, you might see that I already knew how it was going to happen from this chapter, as the 20th got his title in this one.

I just hope that people read the story from the Advent Calendar 2020 to know what happened in the middle of it.

And From There, Fate Laughed At Them

I could talk for hours about Cordana in my AU. I just love what I’m going to do with her characters and I hope that my readers will like it too. 

But to give some crumbs, Maiev and Cordana have been best friends since high school and she’s the first long-time friend that Maiev had made in her life and thanks to Cordana, she met with Sira and the group, but most importantly Velen. Cordana is a hybrid of sixth generation, so her demonic attributes are almost non-existent, but she kept some supernatural ability from her legacy. She knew from a very young age that she wanted to hunt demons and protect people, and met with Velen early to prepare her future job. Once she discovered that Maiev had some natural abilities to hunt demons, she saw them as the future “Best Best Friend and Hunters” and convinced Maiev to give a go to the hunt. She was forced to move out in another city but she kept contact with Maiev and the rest of the group. In terms of strength, abilities and hunting score, she is right behind Maiev.

Otherwise, I will add that I had a lot of fun writing the conversation between them about Illidan and how he would be better than the Betrayer *winkwink*.

I didn’t make it clear in that chapter and it won’t be important, but Khadgar has a crush on Cordana.

Cordana meant well with the message, and even if in real life, I would condone such action, here, I needed it to move things around because yes, neither Illidan nor Maiev would make the first step if it wasn’t for Cordana.

During the fight, at the beginning of the scene, Illidan totally complimented the Warden on her abilities but don’t try to make him admit it.

Last thing: my nickname is Fate. I’m the one laughing.

Games, Games, All Is Games

I don’t really have anything to say about this chapter.

Sometimes, Cowardice Allows The Survival Of The Smartest

To be perfectly honest, I regret how I handled Cordana’s week in the story because I’ve barely done anything with her but I can explain where the problem is. I knew that I wanted Illidan to discover the warden’s identity on chapter 20, and I planned all my updates around that one fact, but when it came to the outline, I wasn’t sure what to tell between the chapter 13 and 20 to reach that point and thanks to the Calendar, I moved things around that one and I ended up having the idea of making Cordana appears (She should have come in person in the story much, much later). And as I needed chapters 18 and 19 to build up to the reveal, I ended up completely stuck and making her appearance too fast and if it wasn’t for the message, she would have been useless to the story. But I realized it too late and I couldn’t rework my outline in time.

But well, i’ll give her a better mini-arc in the second arc of the story to atone for it.

Otherwise, I hope that the feel of the countdown to the reveal starting by the end of the chapter had been caught by some people x) It’s obvious to me, but well, i’m the writer.

Step By Step, Tick Tock Said The Clock

Just a build up chapter for the 20th. Even if I really like it and that I’m preparing the ground for future plotlines but I’ll let you guess which one it could be x) 

I know I haven’t make it clear in the chapter, but Malfurion knew that Illidan was lying when he pretended that his problem was the Warden “may-be-may-be-not-a-hybrid/demon” but as he also know that his brother is a “stubborn motherfucker” he let it slid. 

And yes, somewhere in my mind, there’s an alternate universe where Maiev accepted Illidan’s invitation and that they would spend the evening at her place. Without a reveal first.

Any Last Wish?

I don’t really have something to add to this chapter. I succeeded to write it just as I wanted.

I just had a long debate with myself as to how I wanted it to end, as I had the choice between cutting it right as Illidan is saved by the Warden (maybe not revealing her identity before the next chapter, or it would have been the last line) or just as I did, by them reaching her place first. I chose the latter because I want Chapter 21 to start with a really specific scene and I thought that it was better than a cheap cliffhanger. 

The last thing I'll add, is that for the story to go well, I had to make Illidan be the first to be aware of the identity of the other, mostly because he can be the one to change his mind more easily about wanting to kill the Warden. If it had been Maiev discovering that Illidan was the Betrayer at this moment of the story, he would have died.

And now, because I'm not done yet, here’s some info about the bonus chapters that were published independently from the main story!

AC Day 8: A Morning

First calendar, in 2018, and I already knew that I was going to write Hasard. It had no name by this time, but I had written that small scene to try out a few things and see how it’ll work.

There’s a really high chance that I end up rewriting it for the main story, but I think that a few elements will change. We’ll see.

AC19 Day 24: Hasard: Naisha

Probably the worst (in terms of feels) chapter of the story yet.

Naisha is probably the character who had a story and fate the closest to canon and I wanted to keep it like that, as it allowed to shape even more the hate between the Warden and the Betrayer. Honestly, she wasn’t deserving of a death like that, especially that if the Betrayer hadn’t intervened that day by trying to kill Maiev, Naisha would have survived.

Actually, in any other universes/storylines possible, she would have survived. Unfortunately for her, she fell right into the feud and became a victim of it.

At this point of the story, Illidan isn’t even completely aware of what happened that day, and he has no idea who Naisha was. All that he knows is that he thought to have killed the Warden, only to find her, even more angry in the following week. He just knows that he had killed the wrong person, but he had no idea who. Maiev herself doesn’t know for sure that it was the Betrayer the culprit, as she couldn’t see clearly in the rain.

Of course, it’ll end up being brought up in the story :)

AC20 Day 8: Hasard: Malfurion’s Hellish Day

It should have been Khadgar's backstory actually for that Calendar. But even if I have a good idea about it, I realized that I wasn’t completely inspired and that I was missing a few details to be able to write it. So, in the end, I went desperately after another idea and thanks to Melowen, I think, she got me on the idea of writing about Malfurion.

In the end, this chapter, meant to be a funny one with Illidan and Maiev forced to be in the same place for the same job, with Malfurion, aware that it would be a catastrophe to let them discover the truth, ended up shaping the last chapters currently published.

And if you are wondering, no, Illidan wasn’t trying to trick his brother in giving him the secret identity of Maiev. He was just trying to get his brother approbation about the woman he was starting to crush on.

The line: ‘“Yeah, everyone tells me that I look like a famous actor,” Malfurion faked a chuckle, glancing at the woman.’ is a reference to my Bodyguard AU where Illidan is an actor. 

Alright, that’s all for the trivia! Thanks for reading this bonus chapter, and the main story until now, and I hope you’ll keep enjoying reading Hasard!

Rose

[vertigoambrosia]

so i got my switch and started playing pokemon shield and i assume you’re DYING to hear my opinions about it so far

for once in my life i’m actually playing without a guide, and i didn’t really follow the development of this one at all so i’m going in almost blind

one thing i did know about beforehand is that there just aren’t as many  pokemon included as usual, which is a bit of a bummer

also found out they deleted a good chunk of moves, many of which were real good and some even my faves (how dare u get rid of signal beam!!), for reasons nobody really understands

i haven’t played pokemon since black and white, so having all these graphics and battles fully 3d is so fucking weird

also feels weird to not have the time match up with real life - apparently it starts doing this after you complete the plot, but it’s different adn different is weird

was legit distressed when asked to pick my starter because i have no idea about any of them, and then i felt bad because i wasn’t even thinking about water frog because it wasn’t nearly as cute as grass monkey and fire rabbit(i picked fire rabbit, who is now a fire rabbit ninja)

no elite four makes me sad. whyyyy???

i’ve mistaken pokekids for actual pokemon TWICE now, which is hilarious

also hilarious: galarian weezing

speaking of galar, poke-england is cute

my player character! can be black! i didn’t realize i cared about this

i wasn’t really into how the gym challenge is presented until i realized that it (or at least the uniforms) are reminiscent of soccer

legit had to stop myself from making my number 69 like an asshole

there’s so much going on before we even get to the damn gym! i’m over 4 hours in and just got to the city with the first gym

i am sick of hop. i hope he’s not constantly around for the entire game; it’s like he’s escorting us everywhere, or sonia is around or something; let me live my life!

i don’t hate him or anything, but he kinda feels like a less interesting version of the rival from gen 4. he’s super excitable and always wants to race and shit, but doesn’t have the same charm as ‘p

in general there’s been a LOT of talking, and not even like, plot talking

there’s SO much extra stuff - there are at least 2-3 stores in motostoke that are just about customizing your hair and clothes, sonia HAS to show you how league cards work, and fucking CAMPING

playing with your pokemon is pretty cute, but the cooking minigame is...not my favorite

is the chairman secretly evil? don’t tell me, but i’m kind of hoping he is. pokemon plots always have some sinister shit going on and there’s been no sign of it yet

we just have douchebag psychic trainer, who is definitely fun to hate

oh wait! maybe the mysterious missing 8th gym leader is evil?

sleeping wooloo is the new sleeping snorlax and the justifications for not moving them are hilarious

“well gosh we wouldn’t want to interrupt their adorable pure slumber, would we?” THIS IS A REGIONAL TRAIN LINE SIR. i have a ticket to motostoke and you’re telling me i have to fucking walk through a fucking forest because some puffballs are sleeping?

it’s weird that rotom are just objects now? and that’s okay with everyone?

i did chuckle at the dude at the vintage store selling TRs mention that they’re “old school” because they’re one time use

WHERE ARE THE FUCKING BERRIES? i have to have them to fucking cook curry but i have no idea what berry trees look like in this game. i might actually look this up because come onnnnnnnn

also need to look up how to fish because like....i tried in the wild area and it was like ‘you can’t fish from your bag!’, which.....what

anyway, i feel like this sounds like a lot of complaining but i am having fun

if you read all of this. ..why

[tigerlover16-uk-2]

Quick note to Pokemon fans

You know, about two months ago or so, I saw someone on Twitter ranting about Sword and Shield, and as an aside they commented on how "Sad" it was that the games would be some children's first Pokemon games.

This struck a very personal nerve with me for reasons I'll get to, and I made a snappy tweet of my own in response to it and was going to write up a quick post here about why it bothered me.

I decided not to because after being distracted for a bit, I felt like I didn't have the energy to bother with it after.

Something that happened last night made me decide to go ahead with it.

A tweet was going around recounting a story from reddit about how a fan saw a teenager bullying his kid sister for being excited for the games, straight up telling her she was a bad person for supporting a bad product and making her cry.

The girl apparently had a scorbunny plush with her, and the fan who saw this happening speculated that she was just getting into Pokemon, and these games might even be the first new ones her parents were going to buy for her.

Needless to say, I was disgusted and outraged. Not even just because of how cruel and selfish it is to behave in such a manner to a small child, this story resonated with me in a personal way because, honestly... I've seen this sort of thing before.

I've said before I grew up with the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy and the 3D era Sonic the hedgehog games (and media based on them like Sonic X). I loved them both growing up, and Sonic in particular meant the world to me for many years...

Which made it really disheartening to see the visceral hate they got from people online, accusing these things of "ruining" those respective franchises and those older fans own childhoods.

I've seen people called stupid, tasteless or "not real fans" for defending them, a general condescending attitude to every little detail of modern entries in the franchises, and an insistence that people like me who liked them were just innocent fools who were in denial because we didn't know any better.

"You only like them because you don't know what REAL Star Wars/Sonic is like"

I was rather stupid and reserved as a kid, rather depressed and isolated for a lot of my teenage years. I wasn't very critically discerning, so I never knew how to argue in defense of things that I liked. So needless to say, it felt really disheartening and alienating to see a lot of people treat the things that I liked and which resonated with me as so over the top horrible and the bane of some supposedly glorious triumphs of cinema and gaming that I'd missed out on.

There were people who felt differently and shared my appreciation back then, sure, but it sure felt like I wasn't welcome in a lot of fandom spaces.

I'm lucky to say I was never personally bullied by the more obnoxious older fans (I didn't really talk to people online until about a decade ago, and only through private messages on one website at that for a while), but I did hear stories of it, especially with Star Wars.

And the sheer negativity and cynicism from so many people did get me down and feel like maybe I was just stupid and in the wrong. And considering how part of this coincided with my teenage years (some of the worst of my life), it really got me down and took me years to start feeling confident in my own feelings on both franchises again.

Going back to Pokemon now: it's okay to be upset about the National Dex issue in Sword and Shield. It's okay to be disappointed with the overall presentation of the games and a lot of Game Freak's creative choices, and the business decisions that result in several of these problems like the yearly release schedule.

 It's encouraged to complain about things like that to a reasonable amount, constructive criticism is necessary. Things don't change for the better if people stay silent all the time or everyone becomes too complacent. I think the whole situation with Sonic's design in the upcoming live action movie is a good demonstration of criticism being a necessity.

I am certainly not without my criticisms and concerns.

But don't ever forget... these games are meant for children. And around the world, there are children who are going to be playing Sword and Shield as some of their first Pokemon games, if not their very first.

There are going to be kids for whom Sword and Shield are a big part of their formative experiences with the franchise, and that'll influence how they view it. There are going to be kids who grow up loving Scorbunny and Sobble and Grookey and a bunch of the other new Pokemon and characters as much as we all loved Charmander and squirtle and bulbasaur and all the rest.

There are going to be kids who's favourite Pokemon games are Sword and Shield.

That doesn't mean you can't complain about them. That doesn't mean you have to pretend to like them, or consider them good. It doesn't mean you can't be cynical about the direction of the franchise if you don't like where it's heading.

But you absolutely should respect those children and their right to still enjoy modern Pokemon freely and openly.

Don't be like that stupid teenager. Don't be condescending and dismissive of people's enjoyment of Sword and Shield, or treat them like they're part of a problem for having fun with a simple video game.

And beyond that... don't ever let me catch you going "Oh, the poor kids, growing up with the worst Pokemon games" or anything like that. Because buddy: you don't care about children. Not really. 

You're angry on behalf of yourself and other older fans who are more clearly effected by Dexit and the other controversies. You're just using children as a shield to make your complaints sound noble.

I've no doubt there are plenty of kids who are disappointed with the Dex cut like all of you. But the kids who aren't, the ones that are getting into the series just now, and are going to grow up to view Sword and Shield fondly: they're not going to want your fake pity any more than I did.

Because I did eventually watch the original Star Wars movies and play some of the first 3 Sonic games to see what "REAL Star wars" and "REAL Sonic" were. And you know what?

Wasn't impressed.

It was all fine, but I liked my childhood better anyway, and I'm sorry I was ever dumb and insecure enough to let a bunch of joyless, angry crybabies on the internet convince me I should be embarrassed and ashamed of myself for liking what I got into the franchises through.

Be disappointed and critical all you want. Roll your eyes at adults who are being blatant boot lickers and trying to write off any and all criticism as just baseless hate. People like that are as silly as the genuinely toxic haters and are fair game.

But leave children out of all this, guys. Don't let them grow up thinking that they're a problem or that it's wrong to enjoy the new Pokemon games even if they do have problems.

[haikyuu-and-more-haikyuu]

Do you have any more ideas for that tsukki and yama post you wrote?? I love it so much and have been thinking about it all day

Thank you so much, Anon post would be so well received, but I’m happy people seemed to like it :D I thought about some more details about it from Yamaguchi’s mother, Kanami ;) 

Yamaguchi Kanami doesn’t get surprised anymore when Tadashi stubbles in to their home. Clothes stained in dirt and crumpled, ripped in some places, tears streaks running down his cheeks. She tries so hard to talk to the school, to get in contact with the parents of Tadashi’s bullies, but they wont do anything. And she tries so hard, so hard, to be there for Tadashi. But between her two jobs; there is little time to tend to Tadashi.

Tadashi has always been an easy kid to deal with. Maybe too easy to deal with. He doesn’t get upset when he has to have pre-packed dinner bentos or instant noodles for dinner alone. He doesn’t complain when he needs to get ready for bed alone and sometimes even falls asleep before Kanami comes home. He doesn’t throw a fit when Kanami explained that some things are just too expensive for her to buy and Tadashi can’t have the new toy everyone else in his class already has. But Tadashi isn’t happy, she can see it. 

He spends his days at home. First doing home work, then maybe watching a tittle bit of tv. Sometimes he plays at nearby park that belongs to the neighbourhood, alone. He often likes to play with his pokemon cards and figures, but she can see that Tadashi get’s tired of playing all by himself. 

One night, when she is cleaning up the kitchen, she notice that his dinner bento is still in the fridge. Kanami calls for Tadashi and asks why he didn’t eat dinner. Is he sick, have something happened in school today? Worry grows in the pit of her stomach. However, she is surprised when Tadashi tells her that he ate dinner with his new friend; Tsukishima Kei, from class two. We became friends last week!

He tells him that Kei invited him home to himself for dinner and Tadashi didn’t tell her since he thought it was okay since he would be eating alone anyway. Tadashi smiled brightly and told her that his new friend, Kei-kun, is really cool and is really tall and is really good in volleyball too. Tadashi just joined and Kanami thinks she can dig out some money to buy him fresh, new volleyball sneakers, so he doesn’t have to use the shoes provided from the school. 

It was like it changed over night. Tadashi doesn’t come home with wrinkled and tore up clothes. He doesn’t cry anymore over the boys in his class that tease him and push him around. In fact, he barley mentions them anymore.

She almost jumps out of her skin when Tadashi brings back a tall, kid with blond curls and big square glasses. Tadashi didn’t tell her that he would bring a a dinner guest. He proudly present his friends as Kei-kun and the taller boy bows politely and greets her. He had a small blush over his cheeks and twiddled with his fingers. 

Tadashi never brought people over. 

Kanami beams at them and Tadashi cheerily drags Kei to his bedroom while they talk about something or the other. She makes a bigger dinner than usual and all three of them talks happily over the meal, she even gives them an ice lolly. ‘even when it’s a week day?’ Tadashi had asked, mouth forming a small ‘o’ as he took off the plastic wrapper. Kei was already digging into his strawberry flavoured lolly. 

After that, Tadashi gets invited to Kei’s place when Kanami has the late night shifts. Tsukishima’s mother had no problem with having Tadashi over for dinner a few times a week. Kanami can’t thank her enough, she gives the Tsukishima family treats she made herself as a thanks- Often sweet buns and such for the Tsukishima’s boys. Tadashi doesn’t have to spend dinner alone with pre-packed microwaved food. She also starts keeping fresh strawberries in the fridge for Kei, because Tadashi slipped that ‘Kei-kun loves strawberries. He could eat a whole field, Ka-chan!’

They have their first sleepover when Kei is turning eight. She walked a happy and excited Tadashi over to their place, a backpack securely resting over his shoulders. He had been jittery all day, couldn’t even sit still when he ate his lunch. 

When he came home the day after, he was tired. Apparently, Kei and Tadashi was up way past their regular night time. But Tadashi talked to lively about the strawberry cake they ate, that they played Mario Kart with his older brother and that they stayed up reading through Kei’s mangas and played with his dinosaurs figures.

Almost two months later, Tadashi comes into the kitchen where she is washing up from their dinner. He tugs on her apron and shift slightly from foot to foot. A nervous manner he picked up years ago. Probably from her. 

“Um, Ka-chan, can Kei-kun sleep over here at my birthday this weekend?”

She smiles at him and crouches down to his level. “Of course, Dashi-chan.” She gives his hair a ruffle and blows raspberries on his cheek and Tadashi squirms in delight. Saying that he is too old to be babied like that, Ka-chan!

She almost have tears in her eyes when Tadashi beams up at her. Happy and joyful. How long had it been since he smiled like that? She doesn’t know, but she be damned if Tadashi doesn’t continue smiling like that. 

This got long, longer than I anticipated. But it was fun and I hope this was what you were looking for. Feel free to send me asks of prompts :) 

[the-canary]

Monday Afternoon - B.B

Summary: There was only one decent thing about the nursing department, not that he noticed you anyways. (College!Reader/Bucky Barnes)  

Prompt: What’s her name again? 

A/N: This is for @fangirlfiction ‘s 1k writing challenge. i went to a women’s college with one exception, the music/nursing program -- this oneshot steams from some of those experiences, just without a bucky ;A: however, i hope you enjoy.

Feedback is always welcomed.

First year.

It’s that time of year for any college freshman — the first week of your classes ever . You print out all the syllabus and pack them neatly into the folder you have set aside for all your classes. You are expecting a lot of wonderful things from the extra freedom this stage has promised to set up for you.

What you didn’t expect was for your second class to be canceled in the middle of the afternoon with the professor wanting a one-pager of what does democracy mean to you?

Written outside and placed in her inbox, any emailed essays were going to ignored. Your Pol Sci 100 class was small, so you didn’t expect many would be in the library at this time — it gave you ample time to write it out and find Dr. Hill’s office on the fifth floor.

You weren’t expecting the pre-nursing and bio students to be pilling onto top of the only two printers the library had — teenagers, excited and confused, like you printing out 100 pages of powerpoint presentations before their classes started. You end up on one of the computers near the large stained glass windows, watching for a moment before going to work on this one sheet of paper.

Between looking through your social media and cat videos, it takes you two hours to finish said paper.

You’re ready to print it out when you and the rest of the library hear it — the horrible whirling from the printer as it seems to come to life, spilling papers in front of the poor boy standing next to it before dying completely.

“Sorry,” he lets a nervous chuckle as one of the older students workers and one of the librarians come up to him and ask what he did. There are a handful of people waiting for their papers to print, but after half an hour, the librarian places the sign -- out of order in front of both computers.

You sigh, unsure of what to do now to get out your paper that is due by the end of the class period, though you feel a little bad for the boy with blue eyes shuffling his feet near the corner as you get your things and search for where you can find another printer. However, not before going to the one person that caused this disaster that had been accumulated by everyone else before hand.

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” is all you can say, as you stand a bit closer while seeing some people glaring daggers at him, “Probably happens all the time.”

“Thanks,” he states bashfully with a shrug, as you nod and move forward.

Eventually, you do find a printer in one of the common areas and through some careful maneuvering you are able to turn in the page before 6pm. You also do find out that the printer busting at least once is a common occurrence during the fall semester -- and that everyone hates the nursing students for that one reason.

The second time you meet Old Blue Eyes is during your Pol Sci 101 class. Wanda --the one friend you made during freshman orientation-- sits in back of you as Dr. Carter talks about the different structures of democracy and the broader political systems of the world.

“Mr. Barnes,” she declares in cold fury towards the back of the class as most of you turn to stare, “Would you mind stating some of differences between the structure of Congress and Parliament?”  

Blue eyes look up from what he was doing -- chatting with a pretty girl as the rest of the nursing students who hung in the back look at him. You had a little understanding of why they did so, but though you understood that nursing was the biggest major by far within the school, you didn’t understand why they all kept to themselves and barely interacted in any of the general education classes that you with some younger and older nursing majors.

James --from what you had learned from looking at all your class rosters-- gets up and smiles before going through the list like the back of his hand. Dr. Carter gives him a sardonic smile before going on with her lecture. The cocksure boy grins before sitting back down, glancing at the whole classroom. His eyes meet yours for just a moment as a crooked smile blooms on his face before he goes back to talking to the pretty brunette next to him.

You think nothing of it, as you go back to taking your notes.

Second Year.

Your second year of classes is more easier to handle than your first, though you aren’t without your late night binges to complete a paper in the middle of the semester here and there. At the current moment, you are watching Wanda and Natasha --a friend you made in that strange religion class you both needed for course credit-- dive into their books for the individual finals. You were sitting at the end of the table without nothing in front of you as you took out a smaller case than usual.

“Are you really going to play 3DS right now?” Natasha questions with mix of shock and anger, as you give her a bright smile before turning on the little game device. Wanda simply shakes her head.

In reality, you had completed the most frustrating finals -- your general ed courses, but Pol Sci as confusing as it could be sometimes, it came to you with ease. You could remember years and theories, top it with some fake, deep meaning to it all and you did well in filling up those little green books when it came time to for finals. It wasn’t like it was math or bio, which you scrapped by most of the time.

“I’m trying to defeat the last member of the Elite Four,” you whine, as Nat rolls her green eyes and throws her eraser in your general direction. You move out of the way and the three of you see it hit a familiar boy. You turn around completely in your chair, as James picks up the eraser from the floor and hands it to you.

“I hope it isn’t Karen and her Houndoom,” he chuckles as you frown at the mention of the character, as Nat and Wanda watch, obviously ignoring their finals for something juicer.

“I ran the floor with her last night,” you laugh, thinking about the aneurism the Pokemon leader had nearly given you, due to playing until the middle of the night just to beat her.

And even though James looked like he hadn’t slept in two or three nights, his comment was enough to make you laugh just a little. In return, his face seemed to lose some of its fatigue as those laugh lines come out with his chuckle.

“Well, good luck with beating Lance then,” James says with a smile before some girls in the back call his name.

“Good luck with your exams,” you answer back with a nod before going back to the game at hand, completely ignoring the flabbergasted looks that Wanda and Nat give you.  

Second semester is a bit harder than the first with more Pol Sci classes than before and both Dr. Carter and Dr. Hill realizing the good head that you have on your shoulders, even though you stay silent and in the back during most of their classes. Though, it also means solely evening and afternoon classes, as you wake around noon now more than ever.

However, you end up waking up right before class starts as you end running across the courtyard to the humanities building, only to notice the nursing students standing in front of the entrance with tables and edible goods in front of you. You stop and notice the badly painted sign: NURSING ASSOCIATION FUNDRAISER.

You skipping out on going to the cafeteria makes you pause and glance at all the food until you see the small packaged meals of mini-pancakes with a side of fluffy eggs. You keep staring it as your stomach rumbles.

“‘S my ma’s recipe,” a voice in front of you declare, as you look up to see James with a toothy smile and a brunette (maybe the same one from that one semester?) hanging off his shoulder. And while the sight causes you to pause for a moment, you can’t help but ask.

“And what makes them so special?” you question, as he gives you a cheeky grin, “That I should buy two...maybe even three boxes?”

“Fluffiest pancakes you’ll ever taste,” he teases back, which causes you to laugh. Blue eyes never leave your face, as you agree to buy some.

“If they aren’t the up to standard, I’m coming back to complain,” you state already walking away and heading into the hallway of the fifth floor.

“If it happens, I look forward to seeing you again,” James grins as he watches you disappear.

And while he’s disappointed he doesn’t see you for the rest of the semester, he surely does hope you enjoyed the meal.

Third Year.

You don’t see much of the main campus that semester since you are working in an internship straight in the heart of downtown and take most of your courses online as a result. You end up taking a mini course in the middle of the semester and spend the rest of your time in D.C as a result.

James doesn’t see much of the campus after his accident during the summer either.

You are sure that the Pol Sci department in some way has gotten more funding, either that or Dr. Hill had too much free time on her hands when she decides that there will be mock debates in lieu of it being on election year -- so that the young people will be excited to go out and vote , she declares. You aren’t sure why but she has you sign up for it, though you are more than fine with helping the mock presidential candidate in learning her lines.

It doesn’t help when she ends up getting sick two days before and the only one that knows everything is you.

“Please don’t make me do this,” you groan as Wanda just shakes her head, though you might be complaining she had seen you more than once in mock debate -- this were all just jitters.

“I think most of your department and I know you can do it,” Wanda reassures you with a smile and though you don’t believe her -- you tell Dr. Hill that you’ll do it anyways.

On the day of, you don’t expect the old auditorium to be so jammed packed with students, but apparently this had been promoted for weeks and some classes were even giving extra credit for it. You took a deep breath and ran through your candidate’s lists of arguments while rebuffing the other young women’s. For most of the time, you blank out and you don’t notice that most of the young women and Dr. Hill are grinning from ear to ear, the audience is enthralled with everything -- though one man in particular can’t seem to keep his eyes of you.

“ What’s her name again ?” the now buffer man with long brown-hair sitting near the back of the auditorium can’t help but question as your voice lulls some sense of peace into him, though you are fiercely defending your stance on a political issue that Bucky wasn’t really paying attention to.

You don’t know exactly how you ended up staying in the dorms, but between Wanda freaking out over her oral exam and you needing to stay a bit later than usual for a UN module -- it lead to you sleeping some hours on the floor of Wanda’s dorm room. However, it wasn’t the same as your bed which leads to you wondering around the campus for a moment, hoping that the communal cafeteria is still open in the middle of the night.

As secluded as the campus was, you still screamed a little at the sight of a man at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the new constructed fountain. It seems that he hear you come up, as he turns around and you are quick notice familiar blue eyes, though he is much bigger and now has slightly longer hair compared to the last time you had seen him.

“James?” you question softly, as you notice that he is sitting there by his lonesome as he answers back with the sound of your own name. He ends up getting up and for some unknown reason you have the urge to follow, “I haven’t seen you in awhile.”

“I saw your mock debate a few weeks ago,” he declares, turning around to look at you as he comes to sit on one of the edges of the fountain, “You were really good.”

“Oh,” you state a bit surprised, “Thank you, and how have you been?”

“Insomnia and phantom pain here and there,” he states with a sardonic smile, while moving his left shoulder back and forth.  You end up taking a seat next to him. However, instead of asking why and giving him a look full of pity, you simply nod and ask him:

“So what’s on your mind?”

Your question makes him pause of a moment, as you cock your head to the side in question. James had always known there was something that had always caught his attention when it came to you, but in that moment -- you simply staying quiet and being willing to listen grabs at his heartstrings as he talks about anything that comes to mind -- his family, his studies, Stevie, and even his accident if only vaguely.

And you just listen without a word being said, something he hadn’t had in a very long time is such a huge relief as he lets it all out. The only time you finally do ask something is when he is talking about his current courses. He had come back to have some sense of normally in his life, but he just couldn’t keep it up anymore.          

“So why did you end up choosing coming here anyways?” you can’t help but ask as James’ eyes glimmer in the lights surrounding the fountain. He pauses for a moment, playing with the water as he notices that the sun is starting to come up.

“Gotta be here for my ma, Becca, and Stevie,” he admits shyly, as he looks up at the sky as if embarrassed, “But now...I’m not so sure.”  

“I’m sure, you’ll find something you love, James,” you declare like it’s the easiest thing in the world, but as he stares at you with the first rays of morning light hitting your face -- he really wants to believe you.

Fourth Year.

“We’re sure he likes you,” Nat declares over lunch as she points her fork at you. You raise an eyebrow in confusion as Wanda shakes her head -- you weren’t sure how Nat complaining about her Statistics and Methodology class turned into her declaring Bucky liked you.

Since that night a few months back, James had turned into Bucky as he sought you out more outside of class. After deciding he was going to take an extra year to complete his degree with taking summer classes, he sought you to tell you the news and then whenever he saw  you in the library. Sometimes, you even had lunch together. You had even gone on the little shuttle for a weekend together here and there. You had even meet Steve -- an art student who was finishing his own schooling upstate. But, you were sure you were only doing it as friends, Bucky didn’t see you that way.

“You don’t see the way he looks at you,” Wanda smile, “But, we do.”

“I think you’re making too much of this,” you bite back, “He’s always been with that Dot girl, I saw them together the other day.”

“Because they’re in the same class,” Nat decides to fight off your bluff, “They haven’t been together since the end of second year.”

“Guys, seriously,” you let out a nervous laugh,”You’re putting too much thought into this.”

You get up from the table with a shake of your head before heading towards your only class for the day. They wait two seconds before they hear the sound of your name being called out loud by a familiar voice. Your two friends look at each other before shaking their heads at how foolish you were being.

The last final of your college career is on the fifth floor like always and aside from seeing Wanda in the morning, you are alone re-reading the book that is at the center of your final exam. The library is silent with the lack of students who have already finished their finals and have headed home, but you enjoy it as you sit near one of the large windows where you started this crazy chapter of your life to begin with.

The afternoon test passes you too quickly, as you end up standing in the hallway as one of the first people to finish the exam. The fifth floor was quieter than usual with no music playing and no students coming in and out of the small rooms. You walk around, enjoying the silence for the moment. Your head in the clouds and memories until you see someone waiting at the end of the hallway

“Bucky,” you declare with a soft smile, as he can’t help but return it. You ignore that he might have been watching you, “What are you doing here exactly? Aren’t your exams done with?”

You knew that Bucky had finished his exams since Thursday and he had moved out already to go back with his mom and Becca for the summer. So, you weren’t sure why he was here, even if Nat and Wanda wouldn’t stop declaring his supposed intentions since the beginning of the year.

“Waiting for you actually,” Bucky smiles as the two of you start to walk out and look at the emptying campus, though it was a bit more somber for you -- Bucky still had another semester here, you didn’t.

“I--” Bucky coughs out, as you turn to stare at him. The familiar nervousness from a boy you had tried to calm down four years ago more evident now than in any time you had known James, “If you wanted to celebrate the end of the semester with me...just you and me.”

“As in a date?” you question, somewhere between hope and despair over what your friends had been telling you, what Bucky was trying to actually mean, and your own personal feelings about the whole thing.

“Yeah, a d-date,” he stutters for just a second before giving you a bashful grin.

You end up grabbing his right arm and give him the brightest smile you can muster: “A date sounds perfect, Mr. Barnes.”

He laughs at your bad imitation of Dr. Carter before taking you down to where his car is parked. And as your college years come to an end one fine Monday afternoon, you can’t to see what life has in-store for you with Bucky at your side.        

[nelvana]

In which a birthday is celebrated

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which an agreement is reached Previous: In which a present is prepared

    Impatience rarely brought a good night’s sleep. Keahi knew this well, and found herself experiencing this problem on the night before her birthday. It had been such a long time since she went and celebrated a birthday just with friends, and she found herself more excited than she could remember being in a long time.

    Because of this, she now found herself laying awake in her nest, trying to catch just that last hour of rest before dawn. She would chat with Tsuki and Edgar, but Tsuki had insisted that Keahi needed to go back to sleep, so now that pair had gone downstairs as to not become distractions to Keahi trying to go back to bed.

    Unfortunately, this wasn’t working out as planned, since the torchic still found herself wide awake with anticipation. Even now as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she found herself staring around at the few decorations that they had set up upstairs for the celebration, or peering out the nearby window to glimpse the stars still lighting up the night sky. She could hear the faint whistle of wind outside, streaming by their window that was barely open a crack for some fresh air; a request from Alex and Tsuki that had been quickly agreed upon by everyone else, at least for as long as the nights stayed warm enough for it.

    Turning over in her nest onto her belly and laying her chin on the edge of the small bed, Keahi looked over at the rest of her teammates instead. The hammock at the back of the room sagged under the combined weight of the grovyle and shiny celebi, the latter of which laid peacefully on top of the former. Alex was resting on his back, as it seemed that he always did for whatever reason, though his breathing sounded less relaxed than usual. Either a nightmare or he wasn’t actually asleep, and Keahi couldn’t decide which would be preferable at this point; Alex needed some more sleep either way.

    Closer to her was the other nest where Nelvana was sleeping. Or at least Keahi hoped. The cubone was better at hiding whether she was sleeping or not than anyone else the torchic had met. Regardless, Nelvana also lay on her back, but she was a much more restless sleeper than the rest of the team, something that Keahi could see even now with the blanket that was wrapped around the cubone from rolling around throughout the night. Now that she looked closely, she also noted that Nelvana’s headgear had been tilted in her sleep, now laying slightly askew on her head, showing another thin scar on her right cheek that Keahi had only seen a few times prior.

    Temptation pricked at the back of Keahi’s mind to see if she would be able to sleep better if she joined her partner, but she turned down the idea in favor of trying not to disturb anyone more than she may already have.

    “Keahi?”

    So much for that idea.

    “Sorry if I woke you,” Keahi immediately apologized.

    “Nah, it’s fine,” Nelvana murmured, “I’ve been awake for awhile actually.”

    “Another nightmare?”

    “Mhmm…”

    Now that she had given away that she was actually awake, Nelvana lifted a hand to scratch the fur on her chest before stretching and trying to readjust the tangled blanket on it. Keahi sat up, shaking out her sleep-ruffled feathers before blinking over at her partner again.

    “So, were we all just awake but trying to pretend not to be as to not wake up anyone else?” Alex’s voice pierced through the moment of silence.

    Keahi couldn’t help but laugh, turning to look across the room like before, “I guess so! Ceebee’s up too?”

    “Yup, I’m here!” Ceebee hummed, lifting her head up to meet Keahi’s gaze through the darkness. “Now that we know this was the case, maybe I should have checked telepathically to see who was awake earlier. Good thing Nel spoke up, huh? We would have been left here in sleepless silence until morning.”

    “Why are you two awake anyway?” Keahi asked.

    “Same as Nel for me,” Alex sighed, absentmindedly rubbing the scar that lay across his muzzle.

    “Nice, we get to be nightmare buds,” Nelvana commented with a hint of playful sarcasm to her tone.

    “Hell yeah,” Alex replied, lifting his hand to fist bump the air for a moment before dropping it to hang limply beside the hammock.

    “Alex woke me up,” Ceebee added, “kinda hard to stay asleep when the person you’re sleeping on starts kicking around.”

    Alex let out a quiet huff before sitting up, something Ceebee barely noticed in time to flutter up in the air before sitting down again to avoid being rolled over. Seeing that everyone else had sat up by now, Nelvana pushed herself up to a seated position as well, fixing her shifted headgear and then shuffling in place to angle herself so that she would be able to comfortably be able to continue the conversation with everyone here.

    “How ‘bout you, Keahi?” Ceebee asked, “what woke you up early?”

    “Impatience,” Keahi sighed, “it’s hard to sleep when you just really want the next day to start.”

    “Well, we’re all awake anyway, why not just start the day early? We could take the time to make a big breakfast at the very least,” Alex suggested, already swinging himself out of the hammock, which swung back up with only the smaller celebi left on it.

    “It is almost dawn anyway, right?” Nelvana added, peering over at the window she was facing, which happened to not be the one she was closest to.

    “Okay! I’m not going to complain about an idea like that!” Keahi chirped, swiftly hopping out of her nest. “Hey Tsuki, Edgar! Turns out that everyone else is awake, so we’re just going to get today started!” she called out down the stairs.

    “I’m hoping that they woke up on their own, and that you didn’t just wake them up to pull this off!” Tsuki’s voice came echoing back from the lower floor of the house.

    “Don’t worry, we did!” Ceebee assured her before flying downstairs to meet up with the other two.

    The remaining three didn’t take long to hurry to join their teammates, and soon they were all preparing their early morning breakfast together. Having all six of them in the kitchen sometimes got crowded, but when two of them could fly around instead of taking up floor space, and making sure that everyone had a proper job and space, the task passed along much easier than it could had they gone about this in a more chaotic way. They had never tried preparing a meal with everyone participating at once before, but everyone unanimously agreed that this was a fun challenge and a good way to start such an early morning. As usual, this large breakfast ended up being pancakes with fruit, since it was not only something that everyone knew the basics of at this point, but could also be made in bulk for the entire team to enjoy a tasty and filling meal. They probably would make it more often if it didn’t require so much time to make.

    Just past dawn was when they had completely finished up with breakfast, now hungry for the next activity of the day. While Keahi had expressed in many events that she wanted to take place during this day, she had not set up a proper schedule. To most of the team’s surprise, Keahi told them that she wanted to do a couple missions still, instead of just having a full day off.

    “I like going through dungeons with you guys and helping others!” Keahi explained, “besides, I wasn’t actually born until the afternoon, so I want to save all the really fun stuff until then!”

    “Well, it’s your day, so it’s your choice!” Nelvana responded.

    “Gosh, when was the last time we left for a mission this early? We’ve gotten up early recently, but we still usually wait to get to work. Probably when we went to fight Zapdos and rescue Shiftry, right?” Keahi commented as they walked outside, keeping her gaze on her partner. “That feels so long ago, but it wasn’t really! It’s just that so much has happened since then!”

    “Long enough ago that it was just the two of us in this house and that fighting a legendary felt like an impossible task,” Nelvana agreed, swinging her club up to rest on her shoulder. “Yeah, a lot has happened…”

    “I think we should get out in the mornings more often,” Alex said, “it’s nice and quiet out here, and you can look around for all the dewdrops.”

    “And for the sunrise,” Nelvana added.

     Alex nodded, “of course.”

    “However, from the perspective of doing our job, there are fewer missions on the board early in the morning,” Tsuki pointed out. “I am certain that in some cases, getting that extra sleep can be more important.”

    “Says the one who never sleeps,” Alex chuckled, patting Tsuki on the head and ruffling her fur.

    “Says the one who thinks we don’t notice that he never sleeps!” Edgar chimed in, “are you sure we don’t talk too loud? You’re rarely actually get any rest, and Nel isn’t far behind with that problem!”

    “Eh, we’re light sleepers, don’t worry about it. We already get a lot more sleep than we used to,” Alex replied, waving away the duskull lazily with a hand.

    “How come? It’s because of where you’re from, right? Always staying alert? Why isn’t Ceebee a light sleeper then?” Edgar continued, circling around the grovyle as he spoke.

    Ceebee giggled at the sudden endless questioning, “yes, it’s because of where we’re from. I… I found better places to sleep though, and most pokemon don’t want to go out and attack a mythical anyway, so I didn’t… have to be as alert,” she answered, her expression falling slightly as she went on.

    “Oh! That makes sense!” Edgar exclaimed, “thanks for answering my questions!”

    “You’re welcome, but you know, you don’t need to thank us each time we answer a question,” Ceebee responded patiently.

    As they all passed through Pokemon Square, they were quietly greeted by the various shop keepers up early to fix up their stands in time for opening them up for sales. Keahi received birthday wishes from each of them, Kangaskhan being the first to mention it and then starting a chain of every citizen in the vicinity adding on now that they were reminded and the timing felt right.

    The mission board outside of the Pelipper Post Office sat nearly bare. Like Tsuki had mentioned, it was hard to find much work in the early mornings. There were still a couple missions left though; an escort and an item delivery. While these were some of the least favored types of missions, it was still work. Plus, it gave promise that things were getting better for everyone. Fewer actual rescue missions just meant that fewer people were in danger.

    Team Galaxy completed the two missions that they had chosen before noon, returning to their base to enjoy the rest of their day together. Keahi mentioned that they had gotten back a bit earlier than she had expected, but that it just meant that perhaps they could get started on the celebration sooner.

    “Well, the cake isn’t completely ready yet, so I think I’ll be using some of that extra time for that,” Ceebee announced, fluttering over into the kitchen. “Tsuki, do you want to help me? I think you put away the icing anyway and I’m not entirely sure where that went.”

    “I want to help!” Edgar chimed in.

    With that, the duskull swiftly floated over to join his friend, and Tsuki calmly padded behind him.

    “What about the rest of us?” Alex questioned, glancing over at the remaining two with him.

    “There are still some balloons we could blow up! Oh! And remember the party hats we found the other day? We could bring those out!” Keahi exclaimed.

    “I left the hats upstairs, I can go get them,” Nelvana responded, taking the initiative and began climbing up the stairs.

    “Okay! Alex and I can get started on the balloons then!” Keahi chirped, directing the mentioned grovyle over to the living room area.

    Keahi tugged a bag full of colored balloons off the shelf, spilling the contents out on the floor. After some struggling with trying to hold one in her wing talons, she managed to bring one over to her beak to use, but then paused and glanced over at Alex.

    “Do you know what we need to do here?” she checked, accidentally fumbling with her balloon and dropping it on the floor again. “Ah, whoops!”

    “We’re just filling them with air, I know. It was mentioned when we first bought them,” Alex replied, “do you need help?” he added with a snicker.

    “I’m fine!” Keahi huffed, “it’s just hard to hold these at first without proper hands. I’ve done this before!”

    “Alright, if you’re sure then,” Alex shrugged, turning away from the torchic in order to hide his smirk, which he also covered up by taking one of the balloons in his mouth and beginning to blow into it.

    The two of them began trying to blow up the balloons, each experiencing some difficulties of their own. However, it wasn’t long before Nelvana returned, wearing a green and yellow spotted party hat, as well as carrying five other hats with her, most of them hanging off her left arm while two of them were held with her right hand. Leaping over the railing of the stairway, she hurried over to the pair, throwing the red and yellow starred hat at Alex, who easily caught it with a free hand, and plopping the green and blue striped one atop Keahi’s head, causing her to spit out her balloon in surprise, sending it spitting through the air as it deflated.

    “Ta-da!” Nelvana giggled, waving her hands in the air before wandering over to the kitchen for a moment to lay down the remaining hats before returning.

    “Nel! You ruined my balloon!” Keahi whined as she adjusted the hat on her head.

    “Yeah, I was waiting to see how she was supposed to tie a knot with that,” Alex added, putting his hat on his head. “Ack, these are not comfortable,” he muttered.

    “Sorry, you can get another balloon though,” Nelvana responded, sitting down with the others. “Aren’t we going to use them all anyway?”

    “Yeah, yeah!” Keahi stuck her tongue out at her partner before crawling over to where her balloon had landed and collected it.

    “Hey, Keahi, your hat looks kinda like another feather,” Alex pointed out, “if your feathers were weirdly colored and patterned, of course.”

    “And cones,” Nelvana added.

    “Of course,” Alex repeated.

    “Would your feathers all fit under that hat?” Nelvana asked, leaning over to poke the torchic’s hat.

    “I mean, they would…” Keahi replied, “wait! I’ve got a better idea! One hat for each of my larger feathers!” she suggested.

    “I’ll donate my hat to that cause,” Nelvana agreed, tugging off her hat and strapping it over one of the feathers, before helping her partner strap on her own hat onto one of the other hats.

    “Here’s your third one,” Alex said, tossing his hat back over to the other two. “It’s uncomfortable anyway.”

    Nelvana caught the tossed hat, quickly strapping it onto Keahi with the other two hats. The strings overlapped and the rims of the hats had to bend each other to all fit, but now the torchic had a party hat over each of her three large, yellow head feathers. There was a pause as Nelvana and Alex looked their work over, before Nelvana couldn’t help but laugh, and soon the rest of this trio joined in.

    “What are you three laughing about? I thought you were blowing up the balloons,” Ceebee, who had just hung her hat loosely from her neck, asked from the kitchen.

    In response, Nelvana swiftly picked up Keahi from under the wings and brought her partner over to the others, showing the torchic off proudly with all three party hats on.

    “It’s the birthday girl!” Nelvana giggled. “Here she is!”

    “Here I am!” Keahi continued, flapping her wings about.

    “Oh, that’s adorable!” Ceebee squealed, “please tell me that you’re going to keep wearing those hats like that for the rest of the day!”

    “I just might! This is kinda fun!” Keahi replied, “since we’re here, how’s the cake going?”

    “It’s going good! It’s really fun to decorate this!” Edgar exclaimed, “but no looking yet! Or else you’ll be spoiled! We want this to be a surprise!”

    “Alright, I’ve got it,” Keahi hummed, “c’mon, Nel, let’s actually get working on those balloons.”

    “Have a good time with that,” Tsuki said after setting down a bottle of frosting that she had been holding in her jaws. “But do try not to let any more of the balloons go, that noise is distracting,” she added, licking her whiskers before glancing away.

    “Oh, sorry about that. We’ll try and keep a better handle on things,” Nelvana responded, turning back with Keahi towards the living room.

    Once they got focused on their tasks, work went faster for everyone, even enough so that the trio that had been decorating the cake were able to joins the others in finishing up with the remaining balloons. And when the balloons were done being blown up and scattered around the house, they managed to find other forgotten decorations to pull out and use. There had already been some streamers and banners taped up the day before, but there was a confetti popper that had been hidden up until now that they used, after making sure everyone was ready for the bang, of course.

    Now with all the preparation was out of the way and the sun had passed its way into the afternoon, the question of lunch arose, and whether they would start actually celebrating Keahi’s birthday now or closer to the evening instead. It didn’t take long for Keahi to answer this quick dilemma, deciding to “get the party started” now rather than later.

    No one argued to this, and thus they began to prepare some food, which had been decided to be pasta and beans. Unlike breakfast, it was agreed that it would be better for just some of the team members to make this meal, those members were quickly being Ceebee and Alex, the former of which instantly volunteered with the opportunity to get to try cooking more, and the latter of which decided to join in “just because”; leaving everyone else to start up the party games, of which were mostly just some short and silly activities that Keahi and Edgar had chosen earlier.

    Cooking, games, eating, talking, games…

    Cake.

    “Where did we put the candles?” Nelvana asked, pawing through the various cupboards.

    “With the other non-food and dishes items,” Ceebee answered, adding a final frosting touch to the cake that she had just realized that she had forgotten.

    “Actually, I relocated them under the sink so that they would be easier to reach,” Tsuki inputted, “I had predicted that I would have to gather them, but I was wrong, sorry.”

    “Don’t worry about it, thanks,” Nelvana replied, crouching down to the cupboard under the sink so that she could finally find the small boxes of matches. “There we go!” she hummed to herself, approaching the cake. “Here you go, you can set them up if you want,” she told Ceebee.

    “Thank you, but you can actually set those up! Just make sure that it isn’t on top of any of the designs we’ve already set up, of course!” Ceebee chirped, fluttering away from the cake and back over to the others.

    Blinking in surprise, Nelvana stepped in front of the cake. She hadn’t actually seen it like this before now, all decorated up only for upcoming consumption. The frosting on top was a light-colored vanilla, and all lined up on the edge was a series truffle frosting. There was writing that had the simple message of “Happy Birthday Keahi!” along with the team’s “logo” messily drawn atop the cake. After taking a moment to look this over, bringing a smile to her face, Nelvana began carefully lining up the candles around the cake as well. She used up most of the candles in the small box, fifteen out of twenty to be exact, and then after looking it over once more, she turned around to face everyone else gathered by the island table.

    “Alright, I’m done… should I bring the cake over then?” Nelvana asked.

    “Yup! Bring it over here, and then you all can sing the birthday song, like I mentioned before!” Keahi chirped, bouncing excitedly on the stool she had seated herself on.

    Carefully, Nelvana grabbed the plate that the cake had been set on and brought it over to the table, setting it in front of her excited partner before sitting down in the stool beside her. None of the others had decided to sit down yet, them all either being tall enough to comfortably stand without missing out on anything, or just being able to float around.

    There was a pause after the cake was set down, and then Ceebee began singing the short song that, as Keahi had mentioned just moments before, had been taught to them a few times in the prior days. The shiny celebi had presumably sensed Keahi’s anticipation and decided to take the initiative, which no one else would complain about. The singing was awkward and quiet, but not off-pitched or janky. Afterwards, Keahi made sure to cheer and flap her wings about, letting the anxious tension that had built off quickly die off.

    “Okay, okay! So, usually we light the candles and then the goal is to blow them all out at once, but as a fire-type…” Keahi hummed, and Nelvana could already feel the fiery heat coming off the torchic. “We go the other way around.”

    With that comment, Keahi let a controlled, thin stream of flames come out of her beak; likely a compressed ember move. Carefully, she tilted her head over the cake, letting the fire follow and lick the tops of the candles. The first sweep lit most, but not all of them. With still some breath left in her, she tilted her head back the other way in an attempt to finish the job before running out of steam. She was granted success… but only for long enough to get her hopes up, where after that, one of the candles whiffed out on their own. Narrowing her eyes and letting out a huff, Keahi lit the final candle on the cake, prompting some cheering from the others.

    “You going to try blowing them all out at once too?” Nelvana asked.

    “Actually, I might. Back at home, usually someone get impatient and either shoves the birthday kid’s face into the cake early or someone ends up accidentally breathing too hard and blowing them all out again,” Keahi laughed.

    “We can provide either of those options, if you’d like,” Alex snickered, lazily propping his head up with a hand, elbow leaning on top of the table.

    “Let me try first!” Keahi snapped back, but only amusement lit up in her eyes.

    Taking in a deep breath, Keahi began blowing cooler air over the candles instead, swiftly snuffing most of them out in one sweep over them. Like when she was lighting them, there are just too many candles to go through after the first sweep, so Keahi tried again, and this time getting the rest of them out; with no fake outs.

    And then Alex shoved her face into the edge of the cake.

    “I believe there was a chant that we were supposed to do before that,” Tsuki pointed out, disguising a chuckle as a cough.

    “Yeah, but that ruins the surprise. I thought surprises were pretty important for this,” Alex shrugged with a sly smirk.

    “You just wanted to shove her face into a cake,” Ceebee responded, but she too held no sternness in her tone, despite the words that came out of her mouth.

    “Someone had to,” Alex replied, “Keahi told us; it’s tradition.”

    “I don’t remember it being tradition,” Nelvana muttered, before looking over at Keahi, who’s face was still in the cake. “Keahi! One bite!”

    “Iff r’ally goof h’ough,” Keahi said, the message muffled from her mouth still being full of the cake.

    Letting out a sigh, Nelvana grabbed onto the middle party hat that Keahi was still wearing, tugging it upwards and pulling the rest of the torchic, smiling beak and fluffy cheeks smeared in frosting, with it.

    “This cake is really good!” Keahi exclaimed, in case the first comment didn’t get through enough.

    “Strawberry cream,” Ceebee hummed, more for everyone but Keahi, seeing at the torchic already knew what it tasted like. “Kangaskhan recommended it to us, and it sounded like something that you would like!”

    “Arceus, Kangaskhan really deserves some sort of thank you gift someday for all of her help,” Keahi giggled, trying to lick the remaining food from her face.

    “She got to adopt Tsuki,” Alex joked, finally taking a seat on one of the stools.

    “Alright, alright, I’m going to cut the cake now,” Ceebee announced, lifting the plate back up easily with telekinesis and bringing it back to the counter.

    It was easy for the cake to be cut up into sixths and then distributed to the entire team, and soon everyone was chowing down on the delicious cake. Edgar was the only one who didn’t finish his slice, and seeing as he had been trying to eat a bit of everything today despite being a ghost-type that doesn’t require eating, it made sense. Though, even if he was full, he was also fully energized and was soon zooming around the base and excitedly chattering about what they would be doing next together.

    Next, as it turned out, ended up being some unexpected visitors knocking at the door.

    “It looks like our B Squadron!” Ceebee chirped, her antennae flicking back and forth with a slight psychic glow to them.

    Opening the door only confirmed this statement, as the rest of Team Galaxy stood at the doorway. Rayden was floating the closest to where the door had been when it was closed, so evidently they were the one who had knocked. Gathered around and behind them was the other four; Pearl and Bobo standing underneath the magnemite, close to the doorway, while Hiram and Baguette waited behind everyone else. Clearly, they were more well-versed in birthday traditions, and sang a little song for Keahi before pulling out a card.

    “BZT! WE DID NOT FIND ENOUGH TIME FOR INDIVIDUAL PRESENTS, SORRY. HERE IS A CARD THAT WE ALL WORKED ON THOUGH,” Rayden explained as Pearl brought out the card and handed it to the torchic.

    “Don’t worry about it!” Keahi chirped, accepting the card. “I’m glad you all decided to show up! You know, we do have some games in here, you guys could join us!” she offered.

    “Ooh! Could we?” Bobo exclaimed, glancing up at Rayden before turning back to look at the others.

    With a disappointed sigh, Hiram shook his head, “sadly, no. We picked up a longer escort mission, and are supposed to get started in five minutes. We’ll be out of the area for a few days on this,” he explained before looking down at the paras. “And you know that,” he hissed quietly.

    “Yes, sorry about that. We would love to spend more time with you all, but the client called us to let us know that this got bumped up a day, so we’re in a bit of a rush now,” Pearl added.

    “It happens!” Edgar hummed, “at least you still took the time to visit!” he continued, “good luck on the mission though!”

    “Where are you escorting this ‘mon to, anyway?” Alex questioned.

    “Ah! Just a lil’ bulbasaur who missed their herd going east! A shy fellow, they only bumped up the dates because they had written them wrong in the first place,” Baguette explained.

    “BZZ BZZ. HE DOES NOT SEEM TO LIKE FIGHTING MUCH THOUGH. THAT IS WHY HE ASKED FOR AN ESCORT. USUALLY HE HAS HIS HERD TO HELP, BUT AS BAGUETTE SAID, BULBASAUR MISSED IT. BZZ,” Rayden chimed in, “WE HAVE AGREED THAT WE ALL SHOULD HEAD OUT ON THIS ONE.”

    “Very well,” Tsuki murmured, “well, we wish you all luck out there.”

    “Yes! Good luck!” Ceebee said, “and do try to enjoy yourselves out there!”

    “Thank you, and we will,” Pearl hummed, “now, we should be off now. You all have a nice day, and happy birthday again, Keahi.”

    Giving more goodbyes and last birthday wishes, the B Squadron was off again, heading off towards Pokemon Square to pick up their client before heading off on the mission. Now, it was just the A Squadron left in the base again as if that interaction had been taken place to begin with, aside from the new card sitting with the others on top of the bookshelf.

    And with that, it was decided that the presents would be distributed next. All of them, except the one from Nelvana, had been carefully wrapped and set aside for this moment. The bracelet that Nelvana had made was too small for any box or bag, so she had decided to hide it until she had to actually give it to Keahi.

    “Oh! Can I go first? Can I?” Edgar exclaimed, clearly still bouncing on that sugar high.

    Keahi could only let out a laugh in response, “alright, go ahead.”

    Letting out an excited cheer, Edgar dove over to collect the large box that he had wrapped up. There were a couple lines where the wrapping paper didn’t quite meet up, clearly the half-blind duskull misjudging how much he needed, but otherwise it was well-done. The box rattled with the various contents as he picked it up and brought it over to Keahi, setting it down in front of her to open up.

    She paused to look it over and then smile up at Edgar, before beginning to claw it open with her wing talons. The wrapping paper fell off easily, and Keahi opened up the cardboard box to reveal all the various trinkets inside. There are much more than when Nelvana had peeked at the collection a few days ago, and she can’t help but think that moving everything to a box rather than that sack was for the best. Keahi’s beak parted open in a look of surprise, and she gingerly reached inside the box to sort through all the items.

    Unable to contain himself any longer, Edgar begins speaking again, “they’re a bunch of lucky items I found for you! Look! Nel told me that the rocks with rings around them are lucky, so I found a lot of those, and Spinda said that his nephew likes feathers, so I found some of those by the cliffs!”

    Keahi’s beak closed into a smile, “these are really nice, thanks Edgar. I think I’ll have to use some of these to help decorate the house a bit more,” she hummed, “spreading the luck around,” she mused.

    Edgar giggled cheerfully, pleased that his gift was accepted.

    Without a word, Tsuki brought her present out next. She had been unable to wrap it herself, and had enlisted Nelvana’s help to get it done, since the cubone wouldn’t be wrapping her gift anyway. It was another large box like Edgar’s, but it didn’t make any noise when moved, and when Keahi opened it up, she could see that the cooking ingredients that Tsuki had gathered for her present were neatly organized inside.

    “I still don’t know that much of cooking, but I figured you would find some use to these ingredients,” Tsuki murmured.

    “Oh! These are great! Kecleon doesn’t even sell some of these herbs; where did you find them?” Keahi exclaimed, doing her best not to disturb the orderliness in this present while still looking through all its contents.

    Tsuki only gave a knowing smile and a shrug of her shoulders in response, silently prompting the next person to present their gift.

    Ceebee took this silent prompt, heading over to where she had placed her much smaller box. It was the same box Nelvana had seen her with three days ago, and it was in the same red and orange striped wrapping paper that Alex had cut and dropped. She carefully set this in front of Keahi as well, patiently waiting for her gift to be revealed. It was swiftly opened like the others, showing the fiery red gem left inside.

    “Is this… a fire gem?” Keahi asked, almost hesitant to even touch the item.

    Ceebee nodded, “yup! One use item, boosts a fire-type move. We haven’t run into any close calls lately, but… just in case, you know? It’ll make for a real nice flamethrower, no matter where you end up using it!”

    “I’ll have to make sure to save it then,” Keahi said in awe, closing the box again and setting it aside with the two larger ones.

    After a quick glance over at Nelvana, Alex walked over to where the last of the presents that had been set out was left. Despite being just a square envelope, he had wrapped it in wrapping paper like the boxes. Ceebee had told Nelvana that Alex had thought that everything had to be wrapped, but part of Nelvana thought that he just wanted a chance to try using the wrapping paper properly. This was opened faster than the earlier gifts, only requiring a sharp slice with one of her wing talons to open up the top of the envelope, and a bit of shaking to get the TM to fall gently on the ground in front of Keahi.

    “TM94?” Keahi read aloud, “that’s rock smash!”

    “I figured we needed some more fighting-type moves in the party, especially since you will become one if you evolve,” Alex commented, “I figure a lot of torchics in your family have used that move before…?”

    Keahi nodded, “yeah! Since we can’t really learn much better until evolution, you know? I think we even had the old HM version of it until it got lost for good a few years before I hatched. This will be really handy… I’ll actually go ahead and learn it now!”

    As she had done with the last TM that she had learned, which had been flamethrower, she slammed her head down onto the disc instead of picking it up and bringing it to her forehead. Ceebee and Edgar, who had never seen this before, flinched in surprise and began worriedly checking on the torchic, but the laughter from the other three soothed any nerves from this action. The TM glowed beneath Keahi’s feathers, and then cracked.

    And then it was Nelvana’s turn. Standing up, she went over to the bookshelf where she had hidden the bracelet in between the pages of her book like a bookmark. A simple hiding spot, but one she knew that Keahi wouldn’t check if she wanted to see any presents early. This was her book, and because it was written in the human language it was rarely picked up by the half of the team that still didn’t understand that tongue. Carefully, she pulled out the braided string from its place, pausing to look it over one last time before turning back around and giving it to her partner.

    Keahi’s expression was hard to piece together at first. Of course, it takes a moment to register exactly what is being handed over, that’s a given for any item. Then, she carefully took the bracelet, carrying it between each of her wing talons and looking it over. One could almost see the gears moving in her mind as she continued studying the simple bracelet, her beak slowly parting open again with recognition and her brown eyes become filled with understanding.

    “Did you make this?” she finally asked softly, looking back up at Nelvana.

    “Yeah…” Nelvana managed to answer, crouching down beside Keahi again, tempted to give an explanation of her choice like the others but finding her voice stuck.

    Keahi’s face twisted up into a familiar wide smile, and Nelvana felt relief come crashing down onto her at the sign of approval.

    “It’s beautiful,” Keahi whispered, “it’s… it’s like what Combusken has, but it’s mine and you made it for me and you even went and found the right colors…” she continued, emotion bubbling up from inside. “Thank you.”

    There are no more gifts after that. All the cards that were given had been gone through, and no one in Pokemon Square had managed to pull off anything more than that. They threw out most of the wrapping paper, and then that was the end of presents for this birthday.

    Afterwards, there was still some time for everyone to get involved in some games before having to even think about supper. They replayed some of the better ones, but made sure to try everything that Keahi and Edgar had come up with first.

    When supper did come up, they ended up simply having some corn chips with salsa, and later a card game was brought over to play while they ate. During this, Kangaskhan visited briefly like the B Squadron had done a few hours ago. She only had a few minutes before she would need to leave for her supper and then return to the storage stand, but she was able to give some kind words and more birthday wishes before leaving the group alone with each other again.

    “I wish I knew how to make pozole,” Keahi mused, “that would have been really good.”

    “This is still pretty good!” Ceebee responded, taking another chip and dipping it into the salsa almost as if to make an example of her statement.

    “Yeah I know! But pozole is super tasty, and I really like showing you guys new dishes,” Keahi sighed, “but that’s one recipe I never managed to pick up from my mom… I guess I’ll have to wait for a couple days.”

    “…what’s happening in a couple days?” Alex questioned, raising a brow before playing one of his cards.

    Keahi blinked in surprise, and then began nervously laughing, “oh, I guess I was thinking about it so much that I forgot to actually tell you guys… I want to go visit my family again in a couple of days. Maybe celebrate my birthday there, maybe just… visit them again,” she explained.

    “Ah, that’s fair,” Alex murmured, his expression relaxing only slightly.

    “I’d just be gone for the day, I’m sure you all can handle yourselves without me,” Keahi added.

    A few more hours later, and everyone was ready to turn in for the night. It would be good to get some more rest before another more work-filled day, especially since they had all woken up so early. However, while everyone else got settled down in their own sleeping spots, Keahi curled up beside Nelvana in the cubone’s nest. This didn’t happen terribly often, but often enough that Nelvana was adjusted to suddenly getting a warm bundle of feathers shuffling under the blanket beside her.

    “Hey there,” Nelvana whispered, patting the hatless head feathers of her partner.

    “Hello!” Keahi softly chirped, nestling up closely to the cubone.

    “Would you call this a good birthday?” Nelvana asked.

    “Mhmm, I had a good time,” Keahi hummed.

    Nelvana smiled, “that’s good…” she mused, trailing off as several thoughts spun around in her mind. “You know, I’ve been thinking…”

    “About?” Keahi prompted, blinking up at Nelvana.

    “I want to do something about bringing back Gardevoir,” Nelvana sighed, “I know that we can’t do anything about it without… Shinobi, or Gengar, or whoever… but I dunno, I want to do something. I feel like there is still something we can do.”

    Keahi paused, her brows furrowing as she mulled over this information, “me too… it was Gardevoir herself that said that it wouldn’t be possible without him though, right?”

    “Yeah,” Nelvana confirmed, nodding.

    “Hm… maybe, if you really want, we can ask Ceebee to use telepathy and get in contact with Ninetales, so we can ask more about it,” Keahi suggested, “later though. We should just get some rest for now.”

    “Alrighty then, goodnight,” Nelvana murmured.

First [ARC 1]: In which the human is transformed First [ARC 2]: In which a present is prepared Next: In which an agreement is reached Previous: In which a present is prepared

[mechaspirit]

Furball’s Soulmate

Author’s note: This first takes place in Book 3, chapter 7, where the gang returned back from their time after meeting Flora and Eugene. And this is about a special blue fox from Endless Summer. Enjoy! 😊💞💞💗😊

Disclaimer: All rights go to Pixelberry.

Pairings: The title explains it all.

Tagging: @mind-reader1 , @brightpinkpeppercorn , @scgdoeswhat , @princesstopgun , @queenaryn ,@itsagoodluckkiss,@sophie-summer , @xo-endlessmayhem-xo ,@endlessly-searching-for-you , @sceptilemasterr , @blightartsand@daniela2510 and@mysteli !

Summary: After escaping from a time rift, the gang found out something surprising involving their special snowflakes. ❄️

After narrowing escaping the warp by using the time rift, the gang manages to return back to their “normal” time and reunited with the Clockmaker and Jake, who was waiting for them back at an abandoned manor. It was only until Raj notice a blue streak coming towards them.

“Guys, I think I see Furball coming this way!”

Sure enough, the blue fox trotted up to greet his friends in excitement.

“Furball, you’re okay!” Yurika extends her arm out to let Furball jumped up and nuzzle against the blonde woman affectionately.

“He showed up to keep me and Mike company while we wait,” Jake explained.

“Uh...Guys. Is it just me, or does it look like Furball has a twin? Only a red version of him.” Raj spoke out after seeing another fox hiding behind a palm tree. The fox does indeed look a lot like Furball, only that this mysterious fox has flaming red fur, green eyes, and a hibiscus flower on its head.

“Mrrph, mrrph!” Furball jumped out of Yurika’s arm and barked to the other fox, telling them that it’s okay and that these humans are his friends. The scarlet fox trotted over to the icy blue one and gave him a nuzzle and a few licks on his cheeks. Quinn’s eyes widened in realization of the interactions between those two fluffers.

“OH MY GOD! FURBALL HAS A GIRLFRIEND!”

“WHAT?!” Everyone else, but Jake, exclaimed in shock and disbelief.

“Yeah. I was pretty shock, too, when I found Alolan Vulpix together with Regular Vulpix,” Jake admitted while Furball returned his affection to the scarlet fox.

“Aww...but they’re so cute together,” Quinn cooed.

“Goodness. Clearly, none of you are thinking about bringing another furball to our group, are you?” Aleister muttered.

Unfortunately for him, the scarlet fox took that as an insult and glared at the white-blonde British man. Right before everyone’s eyes, flames shot out from her mouth and aimed directly at Aleister, who barely dodged it in time and immediately went behind Grace. Silence ensued in the group because of that scene.

“Good lord…” Sean finally spoke out.

“Holy shit…” Zahra muttered.

“Yep. She does that,” Jake told them.

“Could’ve warn us, dude!” Craig retorted.

Later, as everyone set up the picnic to rest and set up the next plan to get the other half of the heart back, Yurika, Diego, Quinn, and Grace watched over the two foxes playing with each other. They grew to love the scarlet fox just as much as Furball and even agreed that she should come with them.

“You know, she’s going to be staying with us for a while, so why don’t we give her a name like we did with Furball?” Grace suggested.

“I think that’s a good idea, Grace,” Yurika agreed, “What should we name her?”

“As much as I like Pokemon, I don’t think we should name her ‘Vulpix’, despite the fact she can breathe fire,” Diego replied and tried to think of the name, “Felicity? Ruby? Amber?”

Yurika cringed at the last word and muttered, “Please don’t name her that.”

Quinn looked down to see the two foxes staring at her and gave both of them scratches under their chins. “You know, her fur sometimes changes from red to orange depending on the light outside and it reminds me of how the leaves change color during autumn. Such a pretty color, though.”

“Mrrph!” The scarlet fox squealed happily at the word ‘autumn’, which made Grace grinned.

“Autumn! I think she likes that name!” The scarlet fox nodded happily at Grace’s confirmation.

“Autumn it is then. Welcome to the family, Autumn!” Yurika told her.

Autumn barked happily with the fact that she joined the group along with staying with Furball.

“Gee Diego, you could’ve told us that Jake was going to propose to Yurika earlier, not make us gather all the firewoods like this!” Craig complained by the time the gang gather at another cabin and set up the fireplace.

“True, but if everyone knows that, then Rika will get suspicious and find out right away,” Diego replied before smiling, “Besides...everything turned out great at the end.”

Varyyn chuckled before kissing Diego on the forehead, “You did what you have to do.”

After placing the woods inside the fireplace, Raj turned to one of the two foxes, “Alright, Autumn. Hit it!”

On cue, Autumn shoots out fire to the woods, letting the flames burst out from the fireplace properly. She then trotted over to the blue fox and licked him on the cheeks affectionately. Furball returned the gesture by doing the same thing. Soon, they nuzzled against each other in front of the fireplace right before they fall asleep peacefully and lovingly.

On the day of the handfasting ceremony, both Furball and Autumn ran towards the entrance of the throne room where Yurika was, looking really nervous. She looked down and saw that the two foxes were carrying a bouquet of flowers for her. She smiled, gently took the bouquet, and ruffled the two foxes on their heads.

“Thanks you two!” She told them. They smiled back and went back towards the others who are waiting for Yurika to walked down the aisle. The ceremony went on without a hitch. As Seraxa officiated the wedding and Yurika and Jake said their vows to each other, Furball and Autumn glanced at each other lovingly and made small noises that may sound like that they are also making vows to each other.

To prove that, Furball picked up a purple devotion flower that he managed to took from the Vaanti and presented it to Autumn, who have tears of joy in her green eyes. He gently took off the hibiscus from the scarlet fox’s head and replace it with the purple flower. After staring at each other in the eyes for few more seconds, the foxes pressed their noses against each other and then let their foreheads touched in a loving manner.

Who would’ve thought that Furball would also be able to find his soulmate?

[somedaynotsoon]

Gift for Infinitetesimally

@infinitetesimally - I present, a piece of an anthro Sylveon, playing with her reeal smol trainer, two days late. 

Contains: paws, ultra micro/macro, furry, playful domination, continuous shrinking, socks, and so on

“Let’s see...at last measurement...” She holds the ruler next to you, standing against it on tiptoes. It has a bunch of added markings between each number, and though the distance between each one is imprecise, as a whole this modified foot-ruler has been an extremely useful resource. 

“You were...40 micrometers yesterday, right?” Your Sylveon asks. Her pink hand-paw is unsteady, and the ruler occasionally bumps your behind, nudging you forward a bit, towards her crouching, massive body, clad in naught but undies and sock, neither of which match her natural pink and white fur patterns. She’s a bit stocky, with a bit of chub and what cruder folks would call “plump thighs”, but really it’s just that she’s a bit thick in every part of her body. Also, “sock” IS singular. She’s only wearing one, the other one fell off a few minutes ago and she hasn’t really gotten around to putting it back on.

“Well, good news! You’re 4 micrometers today! Maybe 3! How exciting!” Her cheery voice flows over you like a cotton candy windstorm. She slowly lifts the ruler, and stands back up to her full standing height. She shifts a bit closer, almost standing directly over you, and leaning over a bit. She moves the tips of her feet towards you, as though pointing with her legs to show everyone where you were. Not like anyone without QUITE good eyes could see your speck-like body, anyway. 

“Alrighty! Is my teensy trainer eager to get back to fitting between my toes or what?” She cheered, and each of her fluffy pink toes on her unsocked foot thumped down in rhythm, creating a localized series of magnitude 6 earthquakes across the floor where you stood as long as you could before falling over from the shaking. Her other foot, socked in a weird color that you couldn’t quite place but knew didn’t jazz well with her pastel colors, followed suit. The frayed, somewhat disheveled fibers almost seemed to be struggling to hold her foot back, as though they were a fiber cage for the beast that was her sole. You could see her massive toes between the fibers, and thankfully the fabric dampened the earthquakes from this foot.

Not that she’d wait for your answer, because she knew it was yes. She splayed the digits on her bare foot, lifting so you could see the pads on the underside of her foot, and chuckled as she brought her heavy paw above you. Her heel thudded down first, then the ball of the foot, supported by soft, plump, pink pad, and then her first two toes, landing to either side, creating a wall around you. You looked up, between the toes more than several thousand times your paltry height by a large margin, up the leg which towered over them, to the titantic, fluffy body of the Sylveon you’d evolved not too long ago. She wasn’t quite *THIS* affectionate when she was an eevee. Certainly not this hands on, and nowhere near as excited that her trainer was microscopic.

Still, you couldn’t complain, not when - 

*SCRUNCH*

The toes hugged tightly on either side of your minuscule form, as though she were trying to pop a grape between her toes. You were too tiny for that, though. The squeezing rubbed at you, and you found yourself slowly get lost in a small, difficult to detect groove on Sylveon’s toe. 

Your uber-massive pokemon then started pacing around, looking for her dropped sock, causing shift after shift in gravity from your perspective. Each step was a roller-coaster, each THUD of her paws against the ground an earthquake to the tiny passenger between her thick, yet petite digits. Her fur blotted out all but slight glimmers of light, each strand swaying with motion, a canopy of warmth which eclipsed you utterly.

Of course, that warmth intensified as she lifted that paw, tugging the found sock up over her toes, creating a new color of sky, and trapping you for the rest of the day against her tight toes, under the sky of warm, worn fabric, in a tiny indent along her foot.

You felt yourself shrink ever smaller.

[crystalelemental]

USUM Did Bad - International Police

I have a strong attachment to post-game content.  I really do.  Once the plot is done, it's nice to know the story is carrying on, and that there's still more to do. It's like a nice bonus you get on top of everything else.  When done well, you can get some really great and memorable sequences.  Like, remember the entire Island that existed in Gen 4 that you had to explore?  And all the other legends you could hunt down in the world?  That was fun.   Or, heck, remember Black/White, when the post-game content was beating the league?  How amazing was that turn-around?

I bring this up because, in Sun and Moon, the post-game was pretty solid.  Not perfect.  I still hate the Battle Tree.  But the UB hunting sidequest was incredible. So going into USUM, I expected a really good post-game mission.  Instead, I got Team Rainbow Rocket.  Which is bad enough, but they had to go and actively ruin the previous games' post-game mission too by still introducing, but then side-lining, several great characters, including perhaps the best recurring character in the series.

In Sun/Moon, you get another quest with Looker.   These have gotten pretty common, and they're always great, so I'm not complaining.  Looker helps you to track down the Ultra Beasts that were unleashed on the world, but he doesn't do so alone.  He has the help of his superior, Anabel.  Now, Anabel is new to me, but I was informed that she may be recurring.  Apparently she was part of the Battle facilities in Gen 3?  I never did them.  I don't actually like battle facilities. Anyway, Anabel is cool.  She's very calm and sensible compared to Looker, and they make for a fun duo.  She's also really strong as a trainer, and like the player, is someone who has gone through the Ultra Wormholes.  However, Anabel lost her memories, and doesn't seem to be aware of this fact.

Through this, we get a narrative that presents the International Police as...kinda not the best of people?   Anabel is essentially bait for the UBs to be drawn out, while your character is instructed to capture or destroy them.  Looker is aware of this, but sees little way around it.  We even draw in Nanu, who was apparently Anabel's mentor.  Nanu gets a lot of development, shows how competent he is, but also gives hints of why he's so disillusioned with the force and why he left. It's a great sequence that not only lets you go out and capture the UBs, but also develops three characters in a great way.

In USUM, of course, they did not do that.   Instead, they did the Team Rainbow Rocket thing.  You know, where the turned Lusamine, one of the most competent and frightening villains in the series into a damsel in distress to make Giovanni look cool.  Where they side-lined Lillie in her own story AGAIN by making her do nothing but heal you when you want and be a hostage for Ghetsis.  Where they did no development of any team leader's character, and actively butchered Guzma's by insisting he showed up only because he was really worried about Lusamine, who didn't even acknowledge him.  Which would've been bad enough.  Removing a good post-game mission with this garbage would've been bad enough, but they could at least cut their losses here and not do any more damage.  Instead, they still brought in Looker and Anabel.  And that's why we're here: to talk about how badly utilized these two are.

Looker!  He shows up twice all game.  That's how bad it is.  The first is after that Diglett Cave thing, where he comments on how peaceful Alola is, and how other regions have all this crazy awful stuff going on.  I always interpreted this as foreshadowing of Rainbow Rocket.  That would've been cool, and was kind of exciting.  I was gearing up for Looker and Anabel and Nanu, as the police force, coming in with you to take down Rainbow Rocket.  That would've been awesome!  Spoilers: they do not do that.  In fact, they do not do anything.

Instead, the second time we meet Looker, is also the first and only time we meet Anabel.  They're in Poni Plains, where Anabel is talking about checking out the Battle Tree, and how she'll see you there if you want.  She then walks off.  Yep, that's it.  This interesting new(?) character that was a huge badass just walked off saying nothing but "See you at the Battle Tree, I guess."  And then, in an act of unparalleled audacity, Looker comments that his partner isn't that strong, but she's the partner he has.

First of all, Anabel from Sun/Moon nearly kicked my ass.  Second, Looker never battles.  Like, ever.  He's not actually strong.  He's a good detective, but not a good Pokemon battler.  So for him to be commenting that Anabel isn't that strong?  Asinine.  Third, this is probably true now, isn't it?  Because this game messed up everything else it tried to do, why not mess up Anabel?

You know how, with certain parody series, the only way they can attempt to be funny is to just reverse the traits of characters?  So the nice one is an asshole, or the funny one is super serious?  I feel like that happened here.  They wanted to do an AU of Sun/Moon, and were like "Wouldn't it be interesting if everyone was just the opposite?"  So Lusamine's good now.  Everyone said so, even though she does nothing to portray it.  Hau is super serious as a trainer now! Everyone said so, even though he's still carefree (thank god).  Lillie is self-empowered!  See, we gave her the clothes, so she has to be, even though the narrative gave her nothing to do!  Oh, and Anabel?  She'll be super weak this time around.  Looker said so, so it has to be true, and we aren't even using her character so you can't prove us wrong.  Honestly, between making Anabel seem weak and incompetent in a 30 second scene that didn't need to be there, Lusamine being reduced to a damsel in distress, and Lillie being entirely removed from her own game, I'm tempted to call misogyny on this one, but they did ruin most of their male characters too so I think it's just general incompetence.

I mean, just look at Nanu.  Remember when he had a genuine concern for his protegee?  Remember when he had a backstory that explained his distaste for the job?  USUM sure as hell doesn't.  USUM doesn't remember anything.  All USUM remembers is that this is an AU and they have to make things different, so change the character's personalities but don't actually change anything they do.   Then we'd have to write something from scratch and that's hard.

[superaus10]

24 months: December

First of all, thanks to @bills-pokedex, @shadowshrike, @melohax and @littletoughpuff for making this AU possible. Enjoy! ---

En la puerta del Sol, como el año que fue

Seriously, Xander didn’t knew what was wrong with him. It was the second time they celebrated New Year’s Eve in that hotel and he was being late again. He just hoped it wouldn’t become a tradition, as surely Odin, no, Owain, would say. And everything because he couldn’t find his watch. The one he got at Christmas from Ángel, he still needed to improve his pronunciation, and Celine decided that it was shiny enough to take it as a treasure. And then it was getting Celine in the transport. How much he wished for get Celine there like Angel’s Midori in her pokeball. But of course, he always had to dance with the ugliest.

Finally, he reached the Tide Song Hotel and Celine wasn’t so bothered. But of course everyone were there already, including his little sister, Elise. When Laslow, Íñigo, tried to explain him how parallel realms worked and how many different versions of one self could exist, he just got a big headache and decided that it didn’t matter in the end, his family was his family even from other realms.

-There you are big brother! The others are in the dinner hall by now! -exclaimed Elise from the reception, ready to throw herself into his arms. He grab her and give her a spin in his arms. By the Dusk Dragon, how much he missed those moments two years ago. When everything ended, when everything started.

otra vez el champagne y las uvas y el alquitrán, de alfombra están. Los petardos que borran sonidos de ayer y acaloran el ánimo para aceptar que ya, pasó uno más.

After leaving Celine and the birthday present, trying to get Elise not to squeal and disturb it. They went to the dining hall.

-By the way Xander… There is someone in the table that I haven’t met before

-Really? Who is it? -he asked, not expecting anyone except some friends and the Reyes family.

-I don’t know, but he is very cute with his black eyes and green hair and…

-Uncle Xander!

-Huh? -he turned his head to the voice’s direction. He felt tears on his eyes -Jordan! Wha-What are you doing here?

The teenager run towards him and they hugged each other. Xander could hear the kid trying no to cry. He wasn’t in a different situation.

-I missed you a lot Xander

-Me too, little sprout. But tell me, what are doing here?

-Oh! Don’t worry about it! Ms. Schiller allowed me to come and I’ve been in the hotel since noon with Mr. Reyes

-You should have told me, Jordan -he scolded, patting his shoulder.

-But then it wouldn’t be a surprise! Ángel and I were preparing these since November

Xander eyed the table, looking for the accomplice, but his frown couldn’t last too long after seeing them.

He was beautiful tonight, wearing an elegant beige robe, with long sleeves and embroidered with chrysanthemums, roses, peonies and other flowers Xander couldn’t recognize with different colours and shapes. He also had an decorated obi, which rested at his chest, with a decorative, bow at the end. The light brown bangs were styled a bit at his side, with a big peony working as a hair clip, the usual pixie cut was neatly styled too, in contrast of its usual way. He wore a bit of makeup too, so his eye bags weren’t noticeable, and a sharp brown eyeliner. Most of their friends complained that Ángel was wasting his talent to make a winged eyeliner with such simple forms, but he couldn’t care less. He was beautiful with or without makeup.

-Hey! What’s up Xander? Did you went to the moon or what? -said the other holding a laugh. Xander couldn’t help but sigh at the light tease, but decided to play a bit more.

-I’m sorry, but I was admired at how much do you look like my boyfriend, though he usually has eyebags for working at night.

The other couldn’t help but laugh. -Oh really? Well maybe can you tell me why is Nohr’s sky cloudy tonight? I can’t see the stars -that was really smooth even coming from him, and Xander hoped the concealer hid his blush as it hid his freckles when he kissed the other. He wouldn’t stand another compliment like dad or he would melt. The other guests rolled their eyes at the scene.

-But seriously Ángel, you look wonderful tonight

-It’s all Gabriel’s fault. He was so heartbroken I had to work on Christmas so I couldn’t go to Mexico that he got a Johtonian Kimono as a present. An actual Johtonian Kimono! Do you know how expensive is this? I’m going to get married with this for The Guardians’ sake

At the mention of marriage, Xander suppressed a shiver.

Y en el reloj de antaño como de año en año cinco minutos más para la cuenta atrás. hacemos el balance de lo bueno y malo cinco minutos antes de la cuenta atrás.

After greeting everyone, he sat in front of Ángel, because both Elise and Jordan wanted to be with him. Jordan told him everything he did in Japan after they arrested the former director of his orphanage, and how he passed last year’s subjects with a notable. It wasn’t like Xander didn’t knew already, he was always in touch with the teenager since he found him by himself, but he was so proud of that green haired teen. Xander told them different tales of his work at Aether Foundation, winning the table’s laughs and Ángel’s ever loving look. It was so hard for him to not just lose himself in those sharp, violet eyes and loving smile.

Marineros, soldados, solteros, casados, amantes, andantes y alguno que otro cura despistao. entre gritos y pitos los españolitos enormes, bajitos hacemos por una vez, algo a la vez.

And there they were, eating together and remembering this past year’s events, hearing Owain’s jokes, Íñigo’s travels stories, Lucio and Angel’s experiences at the hospital, Elise’s Island Challenge, she nearly defeated Alolan Champion! And so on. It was so nice to see everyone enjoying an evening together. It was surprising how many different people could be there, in peace. So different from anything he was used to live.

Y en el reloj de antaño como de año en año cinco minutos más para la cuenta atrás. hacemos el balance de lo bueno y malo cinco minutos antes de la cuenta atrás.

They finished the delicious menu the hotel served them, and they left to the room, better said hall, they rented for the night, where Ángel’s birthday presents waited for him. It wasn’t his real birthday, he didn’t remember it, but it was the day when Gabriel found him, and he decided to adopt that date as his birthday, or as Jordan proposed to called it, rebirthday. That kid was a ball of sunshine, and he and Elise rapidly became friends. Even Elise’s Eevee, Michaela, liked him.

They entered the hall, beautifully decorated for a Christmas party. There was a counter where they could get drinks, a sound mixer, he could see Lucio’s eyes lighting up, some sofas and coffee tables for those who wouldn’t want to dance, and a big Christmas tree where the presents were placed underneath.

-Oh my-! There are so much presents! What were you thinking when you bought me these!-he breathed, putting his hands on his face in embarrassment.

-You deserve every single one of them, little angel -his tutor interrupted. -So please, don’t be ashamed and open them before this year ends

All laughed, including the birthday boy. Lucio got the idea to sit Ángel, even though he was already sat on his wheelchair, in the center on the room and each one giving him their present, as it wasn’t enough embarrassment for the poor man. Xander wanted to be the last, and so everybody gave their gifts: a shiny bracelet Íñigo bought in Kalos, a grooming set from Severa, one of the limited editions of “The Silmarillion” Owain knew he would love, a new set of wheelchair modifications from Lucio, they were deep purple and green, and a silver pendant from Gabriel, Ángel said that the kimono and the pendant was too much but Gabriel dissed him saying he bought it for Christmas, before de kimono. When it was Xander’s turn, he box began to move, surprising everyone but Elise and Gabriel.

-Well, you know. I know you and the girls -Xander began signaling Midori, Ángel’s phantump, and Sweetie, Gabriel’s Mimikyu. They were properly dressed for the occasion. -were heartbroken after you couldn’t keep the sneasel you found. And you have recently made a friend in Aether Foundation. And since that little rascal wouldn’t want to go back in the wild…

-Xander, what did you? -Ángel asked, seeing three holes at the box said, opening it. Inside, an Alolan vulpix looked at Kaze with its wide eyes partially hidden by a hood. When the tiny pokemon recognized him, it jumped at him, howling in excitement. Ángel petted the little creature’s soft hair, in awe.

-Xander, why? It’s so small, I don’t know I can take care of it properly

-I know you can, Ángel. And it likes you more than any other trainer. And I’m the one watching over it every day at the Foundation! So please, let it be with you

Ángel watched Xander, then Sweetie, Midori and finally the vulpix. All of them wore that abandoned puppy look. He then looked at Gabriel, who instead had a knowing smile. Ángel was sure his tutor had something to do with all of this.

-You are a troublemaker Xander -he sighed, but with a smile underneath- don’t worry little thing, you’re coming with me tonight! -he laughed, lifting her. The room broke in applauses and hails while the tiny vulpix curled itself in Ángel’s lap. He would have to clean the kimono after, but he didn’t care.

Y aunque para las uvas hay algunos nuevos a los que ya no están le echaremos de menos y a ver si espabilamos los que estamos vivos y en el año que viene nos reímos. 1, 2, 3 y 4 y empieza otra vez que la quinta es la una y la sexta es la dos y así el siete es tres. Y decimos adiós y pedimos a dios que en el año que viene, a ver si en vez de un millón pueden ser dos.

After all the presents were given, the moved to the balcony. Severa and Owain prepared the champagne and non alcoholic drinks for the kids and Íñigo brought some party poppers and blowers. Lucio took photos of all of them. And in the balcony they were waiting and counting for the new year.

10!

All the pokemon stopped playing and came to the balcony.

9!

Neither Jordan nor Elise could hide their excitement, and began to bounce.

7!

The atmosphere was tense with the anticipation.

6!

Xander looked at Ángel, which smiled at him.

5!

Even at that moment, he couldn’t get past of how beautiful the other’s eyes were.

4!

So full of determination and strength. So familiar…

3!

Just like his.

2!

It didn’t mattered how much time it passed, he seemed always stuck in the past.

1!

But he was living a new life now. And how much grateful he was

Happy New Year everyone!

The fireworks began, and both Íñigo and Owain used the party poppers, filling the air with confetti. Xander bend down and kissed Ángel.

He couldn’t believe how much his life changed in the short span of two years. He still remembered how it began, very far away from there, when he actually had the duties of a Crown Prince on his shoulders.

En la puerta del sol como el año que fue otra vez el champagne y las uvas y el alquitrán, de alfombra están.

[neon-serpent-llc]

Here’s to 365 days of polygonal worlds, shot point-blank at our grey matter, some catching fire, others fizzling to the void! It must be that oh-so-pointless time to give out video game awards! For the third year running I present a cheeky list of spills and chills like no other (spoiler: Overwatch wins nothing). Anyway, blahblahblah, here's the awards already:

Game I Forgot Existed Until I Looked Up "Game Releases of 2016" Award

Quantum Break

Like previous winners Watch Dogs, and Evolve, this is a shining example of a game that simply vanished after it was released. Probably took hundreds of Artists four years to make, and then *poof* gone overnight. But alas, most games do, eh? Was the TV show any good?

Best Case for Virtual Tourism Award

The Division

Say what you will about the game itself, but this lovely facsimile of NYC is killer. And super accurate. If it weren't for all the invincible, hoodie-wearing street thugs it would be a pleasure to cruise this digital remake of my favorite city.

Genius or Madness Award

Zero Time Dilemma

A game that walks the line perfectly between the two. So clever, and yet maybe too clever? The twists are ridiculous when they work and outrageous when they don’t. Even so, its sheer confidence of going eight steps beyond everyone else, narrative-wise, is so refreshing. Truly a piece of Art that only works in the video game medium. Speaking of Art...

Most Unplayable Work of Art Award

The Witness

Conceptually, The Witness is flawless. Especially once you've seen the "real" ending, that perfectly frames the point of the whole experience (I watched it on YouTube). Unfortunately, to get that real ending is a monumentally painstaking chore. But, this isn't "difficult" Art in the sense that its meaning is opaque or it’ll challenge your worldview. Its simply that I have zero patience for puzzle games. If The Witness is an encapsulation of what it means to be Johnathan Blow, then it's clear that he and I couldn't be more different. And that's why it works as Art.

Don't Want to Be the Guy That Says, "I Told You So," but.... I Told You So Award

No Man's Sky

Even with its countless features, the spiritually-similar Spore got boring fast. How, then, was this bare-bones knock-off, No Man's Sky, going to keep people interested? And that was with the assumption that it would at least look nice. However, it absolutely did not. The novelty of seeing procedurally generated ANYTHING gets old fast, and it's made far worse when you're presented with a never ending stream of ugly, barren planets made of mud and more mud. Next year’s winner: Star Citizen?

Biggest Social Phenomenon Since the Wii Award

Pokemon Go

It didn't last long, but for a month this summer, everyone was out hunting in the parks of the world. Sure, we still mostly ignored each other, but there was a touch of bizarre camaraderie knowing we were all playing the same giant meta game. Like the Wii before it, it was a game-related subject you could talk to ANYBODY about, and they'd not only know what you meant, but have an opinion on the matter. How often does that happen? How odd was it to see a fifty year old business man asking where the nearest Clefairy could be found?

Welcome to the 90s Loading Time Award

Deus Ex Mankind Divided

I think I spent more time riding the subway in this game than I have in real life.

You Don't Know Your Audience Award

Metroid Prime Federation Force

As a new Nintendo IP this would have got tons of attention. Who doesn't like crazy new Nintendo ideas? But as a Metroid game it could only possibly get bad press. Why play as Samus when you can play as more-generic-than-Master-Chief, chibi space marines instead? A top tier faux pas.

They Finally Got it Right Award

Dragonball Xenoverse 2

After decades of awkward DragonBall games, they finally hit the sweet spot for over-the-top action with fun controls and interesting content (granted, I never played the first Xenoverse). In the year of Street Fighter 5, who would have thought I'd prefer the new DragonBall fighting game?

Well Deserved Retirement Award

Dark Souls 3

Still fun despite almost no alterations in what is clearly a formula now, but I'm glad this is the last hurrah, at least for a while. As I said when Dark Souls 2 came out, the magic is less pronounced with each additional entry. None will have that Demon's Souls impact anymore. But when it returns in 5 to 10 years, it'll be nostalgic to see the old tricks in action again.

Everyone's An Asshole Award

Dishonored 2

At least that's what the talking Heart makes it seem like. Half the populace has secretly killed their husband/wife, whereas the other half have burned down orphanages or something.

Late to the Party Award

Steins;Gate

Another game I played years after release. And damn it's good. Far more novel than game, but I don't mind for a story of this quality. Why wasn't I reading this earlier? Haven't got to Steins;Gate 0 yet, but I'm working on it.

Xenogears Disk 2 Award

Final Fantasy XV

Like Metal Gear Solid V last year, another all-around excellent game that suddenly sprints to the end, jumping vast stretches of story in an instant, clashing hard with the slow burn style of storytelling established before that. Much like Xenogears of yore, this is a game that tried to be far bigger than time/budget allowed.

Honestly, I wish these overly-epic games would get chopped in two, a la Kill Bill. At the point where the story would start getting rushed, end part one. Just end it. Then let its sales fund part two, the remainder of the story. Then again, you run the risk of a Too Human situation where you announce a trilogy and then don't sell enough to finish it. But honestly, Final Fantasy and Metal Gear would handily sell enough. I’m sure they’ll make a FFXV-2, but at best it’ll attempt to reassemble the pieces of its predecessors fractured ending.

Didn't Burn the House Down Award

Uncharted 4

The writers said the ending would "burn the house down" in terms of closure. But it didn't, at all, even slightly. Uncharted 5 could EASILY be made based off this exact ending, with no retcons and no changes to the game’s formula. They'd just have to make Drake constantly say, "I'm too old for this shit!!"

It Shouldn't Work, But it Soooo Does Award

Dragon Quest Builders

I don't like Minecraft. As a professional level designer, I find Minecraft‘s game building tools too crude to enjoy using at length (what a snob, eh?). And I don't like Dragon Quest. Too much grind, not enough story. Too simple. But for some reason when you combine the two it's fucking great! Dragon Quest adds the personality, charm, and flavor Minecraft was sorely lacking while also bringing enough story and tangible goals to make the building feel like a game and not like a chore. Plus, the game’s worlds are fairly handcrafted and feature proper level/zone design, which is greatly appreciated. The surprise hit of the year.

Best Game Industry Trend of the Year

Virtual Reality

I'm glad we're all working on it seriously now. Sure, the current headsets are uncomfortable as fuck, (can’t emphasize this enough), but its a step towards sunglasses-size VR in about ten years or so. Plus, by then everyone will be over their VR sickness so we won’t have to keep watering down the experiences we create. It’ll be sweet!

Worst Game Industry Trend of the Year

Infinite Sales

Between Steam, Good Old Games, Humble Bundle, Greenman Gaming, PSN Store, etc there is always a massive, store-wide sale going on somewhere. Wait a year and any game you want will be a mere $10. Why buy an unknown indie game when you can get a supremely polished, lengthy triple-A game for the same price? Indie developers basically need to charge $1 to get anyone's attention. Or make their game free *cough* ULTRAWORLD.

Best Game Awards of the Year

Obvious

Worst Game Awards of the Year

The Game Awards

A transparently corporate affair, the winners have all be carefully selected based on what needs to sell at Xmas. Companies won't even show up if one of their high profile games doesn't get an award. Even setting those complaints aside, it's hard to get interested or excited about a 2016 award show that happens with over a month of 2016 left; when wonderful games like The Last Guardian haven’t even been released yet. Speaking of which...

Game (Experience) of the Year

The Last Guardian

There's a layer of disconnect between the player and Last Guardian. The boy, Trico, and the camera all seem to disobey the player constantly. Many marked this as a flaw, but I think it's 100% intentional and part of why the game is so cohesive, thematically. For me, there's an added sense of surrealism when things are out of control. The chaos of physics interactions seem like they shouldn't work, yet suddenly you've made it to the next section of the castle. Did you really play that last section, or merely guide the chaos? Since you’re playing as a helpless child, lost in towering labyrinthine passageways, this obtuse disconnect feels entirely appropriate.

I feel it's intentional because Fumito Ueda and his team have managed to capture this sense of surreal play for three games in a row. Everyone manages to get to the end despite the feeling of disconnect. Trico is so aloof, yet will always get you where you need to go. Eventually. If everything functioned 100% predictably, God-of-War-precise, it would be FAR less memorable...as an experience. You, like the boy, legitimately struggle to escape the castle. Who has the guts to purposely make their controls imprecise to service the game, and theme, as a whole? It's amazing. A true work of Art. Game of the Year.

Non-Game of the Year

ULTRAWORLD EXODUS

The expansion and finale to whatever the hell this thing is. I liked it, but I think I'm literally the only one.

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

So that's the year, says I. Looking over my list, its clear I didn't play many indie games, even though I complained about people not buying indie games (which is bad Karma for me, but I'll live). As always, if you disagree: good. All awards are pointless, just fluff opinions with a bow on top. Your awards are as good as mine, good as the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, etc etc forever. Til next year!

2015 Awards 2014 Awards

[awindowintothisworld]

May 4th, 2019 - Saturday

I’ve never been very good with introductions, but here we go. This is going to be the start of my personal blog, where I’ll be documenting my life as kind of like a digital journal. I do have a physical one that I keep, but I’ve been having a hard time hand-writing stuff down, so I figured a digital one will be better since I can type better than I can write. As far as names and places go, I will censor for just in case something were to happen with the privacy settings. I’ll write them down somewhere so that I can remember what names I gave everyone, since I have the memory of a sad goldfish. (I’ll go back and make double-check to make sure everything is secure. This blog is not for anyone but myself.)

So where to begin? Maybe a little bit more about myself or should I just go right into what’s been going on? I suppose for the sake of posterity, I’ll go ahead and give a little bit of background about myself. My name is Alissa Mead, born to Carl and Penny Mead. I was born on February 3rd, 1993 in Utah and grew up most of my life in Kaysville, a once very small suburban town in Utah that’s grown exponentially over the years I’ve lived there. It wasn’t until about two or three years ago that we started to experience heavy traffic on main street. Though there is a lot I tend to complain about my little hometown, I have to admit that it’s a pretty neat little place to live, mostly because the architecture still has that “old-timey” vibe. I’ll post a couple of really cool old black-and-white photos I found off of google. It’s weird to see how much it’s changed since 1913, what was dated on one of the photos I’ve found. I actually only just found out too that Kaysville was settled back in 1868. That’s cool.

Anyway, I come from a fairly large family. We have 8 in total, including me and my parents. I have three sisters and two brothers, the oldest being Amber, and the rest, in order being Ryan, Ashley, Me, Quetin, and Alaina. I grew up in a little home, about 1,000 square feet, just a couple blocks away from main street. It’s a little brick home with three bedrooms and one bathroom. It sounds crazy that we managed to cram 8 people into that little box, but we did it and I feel like we all turned out okay. Most of my siblings are moved out and have families, minus me and my little brother, Quetin. Amber has married a funny and large man by the name of Jason and have five kids, four of them being twins. You have Abby and Own, (twins,) Oliver, and then Ira and Elis, (who are also twins.) They’re all very social and very hilarious kids. They’re not afraid to speak their minds and ask you endless amounts of questions. They’re quite the handful, so I commend Amber and her husband for being able to handle them on the daily. I do love them though.

Ryan is married to a cute Latina girl names Candice. We don’t see them much, and as much as I hate to say it, I don’t mind that. Ryan has always left a foul taste in everyone’s mouth, since he doesn’t exactly have the best track record with anyone in my family. He’s managed to fuck everyone over in some way or another. From maxing out every credit card my mom had ever owned, to stealing Amber’s social security and ruining her credit score badly enough that it took her years to bounce back from it, and stealing nearly $2,000 from me because I stupidly let him have access to my bank account when I willing helped him out with buying a birthday present for his little girl, Maylee, who was born from another marriage before he and his first were divorced, due to Ryan’s bad habits and compulsive lying. However, that didn’t mean his first wife wasn’t just as scummy. Actually, no. Whitney wasn’t a bad person, her mother was. But that will perhaps be another tale for another day, since it’s a rather long one. Anyway, how Ryan managed to keep from being thrown into jail will always be a mystery to me, but because of all the shit he has pulled, everyone has been very careful as to what they say and bring to family events we know he is going to. It may be surprising to a lot of people, but we’ve never excommunicated him from our family. Why? Because he’s family, regardless of what he’s done. I still call him my brother, but that doesn’t mean I trust him. At all.

Ashley is married a man named Walter, who I would say is my favorite in-law just because I get along with him the best. He’s quiet, and comes off very grumpy and a bit stuck-up since he doesn’t talk to anyone much, but that’s just because he’s shy and is still a little uncomfortable around our family. Ashley and I had a conversation about this, and we think it might be because of the strict religious values my family holds. (That I do not anymore. I’ll explain this later.) Walter grew up in a very non-LDS home, so I guess he just feels a little out-of-place with us since we behave in a way that he’s not, I guess, familiar with? Even though he’s LDS himself. It’s kind of a weird and complicated situation to explain, but I can completely understand where he’s coming from. He and I bonded over video-games and other nerdy things, which is why I think we got along so well the first time we met. He’s even invited me to some of his works games nights, where they sit around and play video games. And no, before anyone assumes anything, (you fucking nasty,) nothing fishy is going on. He loves Ashley with all his heart, and treats her like a queen. I’m just the cool in-law he likes to hang with. Plus, Ashley has always been present whenever we’d meet up. She and Walter don’t have kids, even though Ashley really wants them. Maybe we’ll see some little Steeds running around here within a few years, but who knows.

Quentin is still living at home with my dad. He’s newly “returned” as an LDS missionary and I would consider to be my very best friend out of all of my siblings. He served a service mission here at home because of his Addison’s Disease (also known as primary adrenal insufficiency and hypocortisolism, is a long-term endocrine disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough steroid hormones. Symptoms generally come on slowly and may include abdominal pain, weakness, and weight loss. According to Google.)  It’s also an auto-immune disorder that assaults the adrenal gland and, basically, renders your fight-or-flight reflex obsolete. We actually didn’t know he had this until just a few years ago, when he quite literally almost died because of it. It’s an extremely rare disease that his doctors were comically were so excited to diagnose, just because of how uncommon it was.

Quentin is an awkward nerdy kid who has an obsession with cars and Pokemon. He also has an ungodly talent for comedic timing. I don’t know how that kid does it, but he can make the most mundane sentence into pure comedy gold. I’m extremely jealous of it. As I said, he’s living at home with my sweet papa and working 9 to 5 job at the DI, or Deseret Industry.

Last of my siblings is Alaina, who is married to a complete sweetheart who is named Braden. They have a cute little daughter named Della who has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. (Which is a respiratory disease.) Alaina is a very sweet and head-strong little lady whom I haven’t been able to get along with very well. We don’t exactly fight very often, and she has never done anything that would warrant any bad blood between us, we just don’t exactly get each other. She’s very much one way, and I’m just the exact opposite. Ashley and I have talked about this, and she feels the same way. Alaina is just very much her own person and has a very set way of how she does things, and we just can’t quite get on the same wave-length. I think Amber and Quentin have managed to get passed the barrier, but Ashley and I haven’t. Neither has Ryan.

As for me, I’m about as much of a bachelorette as they come. I’m currently living in my hometown with a roommate in her grandmother’s basement. It’s a strange situation, I know, but I’m totally for it since the rent is free and her grandma doesn’t bother us much. For the year we’ve lived there, I think I can only think of maybe one time that she did something that really upset me. (She walked in on me while I was bare-naked and trying to get ready to go out. In my bedroom. I wasn’t happy.) So I can’t complain too much!

I’ve been working for the same retirement facility for about four years now, who of them being a server when I first started out. My third and fourth being with the department I’m in now, which the official title is “night security,” but I’m more of a night time receptionist and housekeeper, so it isn’t as cool as it sounds. I quite honestly hate my job. The hours are long (12 hours each shift, and I usually work three in a row, 8 to 8,) I don’t get to see the sun much, and I get to miss out on a lot of day-time activities because I’m either too tired or I have to work that night. It’s also started to really effect my physical and mental health. I’ve noticed that my depression and anxiety has been getting worse, my body is constantly aching and in pain because I sleep too much, and I’ve started to hallucinate a little bit. It’s nothing too intense, I just see weird shapes and people out of the corner of my eye for a couple seconds and then they’re gone, but it happens pretty often. I’m hoping that something that I really want to do will come up and I can apply to that, but after working this job and knowing how miserable I am doing it, I really want to find a job that I’ll like. The problem is that I don’t really know where that would be, and if the pay will be the same. I’m currently making about $11.75 an hour where I am, and I don’t think I’d be willing to go any lower. I know for some places, that isn’t a lot, but here in Utah, we don’t have the new “standard minimum wage” which is like $12 or something . . . Personally, I think that’s outrageous because you’re not suppose to live off of minimum wage. The minimum wage is suppose to be a starting point for people who are just starting out in the work force, and work their way up to a higher pay grade, but America is America and they made a big stink about that quite a few years back. (I can’t remember exactly when, but I know that California has implemented it. What a little bitch.)

I’m mostly just living life, trying to experience new things, and making an effort to try and meet new people. Since I work nights and most of my friends are either married or are complete hermits, (like my dear roommate,) it’s been pretty hard for me to get out there and see people, as well as find someone to date. So, to combat that, I’ve sucked up my pride and lowered my standards to sign up for an online dating site called Tinder. I’ve gone on a couple of dates, and for the most part they have been pretty good. (Minus maybe the first one, because it ended up crashing and burning after the second date, but more on that later because it still upsets me when I think about it. Listen to your gut kids. You’ll thank yourself later.) I’ve been talking with a couple of people and I might go on a date with some of them, but it’s been hard because since I work nights, I’m really bad at responding to them in a more consistent way, which is a huge flaw I need to work on.

I’m sorry to cut this off in a really weird spot, but I’m just now checking the clock and I need to get to work. I’ll be sure to continue this again tomorrow! Until then, cheers!

[minnesotacumdumpster]

               Christmas had always sorta sucked. Every year it seemed like more and more things went wrong for Kendall Knight. Growing up without a dad made the holidays depressing, there was the year the tree fell on top of him while he was napping on the couch, and while meeting Miranda Cosgrove was a night he’ll never forget, that Christmas he got stuck in LA and had to eat the same shitty canned ham as B*tters was a low point he didn’t know the holiday could reach. Watching Dustin fuck his brother last year kinda sucked too, but it was a step in the right direction.

               Needles to say, when Carlos offered to bring Kendall with him to Maui for the holidays, the blond nearly had to call 911 after the pounding in his chest didn’t stop after an hour and a half. It had been way too long since he’d been on vacation. He’d been strapped for cash ever since the last four songs of his earned a collective $7.68. Sitting around the apartment and eating snickerdoodles every day was only possible because Logan didn’t know that he was still logged into his Amazon account on Kendall’s iPad.

               Plus, it’d been far too long since he’d spent any time with Carlos. He really missed hanging out with the man. Getting married and adopting a baby created a divide in their social lives. Living with some of his closest friends was a dream come true, but one of the few things that made Christmas bearable while growing up was because of the gift exchange Kendall would do with Logan, Carlos and James. Sadly, nothing like that happened anymore. The fact that these four hadn’t been together in years made him want to cry himself to sleep more than he usually did.

               Carlos told Kendall to pack his bags because he’d be flying in on his third jet on Thursday so that the two could spend some quality time together throughout the weekend. He explained he needed to go film some commercial for a cologne and Alec wouldn’t be able to make it because of some stupid prior commitment to his dumbass mom and dad for the holidays. Carlos wasn’t on the best speaking terms with either Logan or James, so Kendall was the only option left after he tried calling Katie and she had the nerve to not pick up after two rings.

               “Hey, can I borrow some of your swimming trunks? Logan Jr. is sleeping on my pair and I will NOT wake her up.” Kendall asked, looking over to Dustin. “Kendall you know I don’t wear anything when I go swimming. Jeez.”, the older male mumbled to himself as his eyes stayed glued to the screen of his chrome pink DS. Samus still had two stocks and Dustin was sweating his ass off. He knew he shouldn’t have picked Larry.

               “I’m so excited man. I don’t think I’ve been on vacation since we snuck on Logan’s tour bus. Are you gonna miss me while I’m gone?” Dustin sighed, pausing the game since his boyfriend refused to shut the hell up. “Eh. Logan said he’s bringing all of ex boyfriends over so they can give him presents. I’m kinda excited to drink some wine and watch all of that unfold.”

               “I’m just ready to work on my tan, catch up with an old friend and ignore this stupid holiday.” Kendall exclaimed as he stuffed a 7th Tamagotchi into his suitcase. “We get it. You hate Christmas. You don’t need to bring it up every 12 seconds.” Dustin replied, shooting a fed up look as he stood up from their bed. “Yeah, well you don’t need to bring up your 11 inch dick all the time but you don’t hear me complaining.” The blond said, cocking an eyebrow and causing Dustin to chuckle.

               “The jet is here…bitches..I’ll see you guys in a few days!” Kendall shouted through the apartment, awkwardly and trying to sound important. “Cya Kendall!” Jo shouted as she ran through the kitchen and up to the blond to give him a quick hug goodbye. “Uh, where is everyone?” Kendall asked, cocking an eyebrow at her while she frantically tried to hide behind him. “We’re playing freeze tag. Victoria is it and she’s ruthl-EAHHHHHHHHHH!’ she screamed as Victoria all of a sudden leapt over the kitchen table with her claws out.

               “and then, Elle said that taking a shower less than a day after a perm would deactivate the ammonium thiglycolate, solving the case and proving her worth as a real lawyer.”

               “I’m glad to see you haven’t changed at all.” Kendall laughed. He missed this. Carlos was..so nice. It seemed so unusual to Kendall after living with two men who had to make a sarcastic comment toward him any chance they got. He missed the days of being the defacto leader of his friend group. The feeling of everyone looking to him for advice and the mindset he was in during his time in Big Time Rush had sadly faded away, just like his aspirations for his life. After seemingly every dream he had was crushed and every friendship was ruined or became estranged, it was no wonder he had such negative feelings toward a cheery holiday that now served no purpose but to remind the blond of the downward spiral his life was trapped in.

               “Do you want another glass of champagne?” Carlos asked.

               “Of course!” Kendall beamed.

               “and that’s the story of the 3rd time I had to tell a twelve-year-old to kill herself.” Logan said, eliciting a boisterous reaction from the people in attendance of his Christmas party. Lorde in particular was laughing so hard she had to pull out her inhaler. Logan was enjoying the attention from everybody, as usual, and was impatient to open all the gifts he demanded every guest bring him that night.

               He’d been terrified Kendall wouldn’t find other plans for the night until Carlos invited him to Maui. The chart-topping superstar had bought several boxes of Febreze just in case that hadn’t happened. All his best friends and, as far as he was aware, all but two of his ex-boyfriends had shown up. He lost count at 39. Truth be told, he was mildly upset they were all getting along so well. He’d been hoping there’d be more tension between them and they’d fist fight to determine who’d be the one he used as a chair for night. This was also the first night his two current boyfriends would be in the same place. Jake Miller, his on again off again boyfriend since 2015, only came after Logan bribed his family $50k to pretend like Jake didn’t exist during the entire holiday season. Diego Boneta was his other boyfriend, who Logan briefly dated back in 2016 and then came back into his life this summer when Logan bumped into him in the ER. As it turned out, punching Kendall 17 times in the face (with several rejected but kept engagement rings on) would break his nose. Diego’s aunt’s heart was beating irregularly, and he was the only by her side until he saw Logan and they went on a trip to Disneyland together. Kendall and Diego’s aunt had to share an Uber later that night.

Now that he thought of it, he had no idea where either of his boyfriends were.

               His roommates seemed to be having a nice time though. Victoria, who couldn’t handle her alcohol at ALL, was five seconds away from face planting into her signature spinach and artichoke dip. Jo was playing Pokemon Yahtzee Jr. with Carly Rae Jepsen, Hillary Duff and Jimmy Kimmel, and Dustin was practically gasping for air sitting on the couch stuck between several bodybuilders he’d only seen cooking Logan breakfast omelets in their kitchen naked before this night.

               The night wasn’t cracking up to be what he’d hoped for either. There wasn’t enough tension! He’d been banking on catfights, maybe some wrestling and/or a vase being smashed over a head, but nothing! He’d play Happy Home Designer to pass the time but his DS was dead and all of the outlets in the house were occupied by phone chargers because these gays couldn’t go nine seconds without checking Instagram.

               Plus, all his wine had been spilled after Logan Jr. knocked the bottle over. He couldn’t be mad though. She was nervous around the large amount of people and she wasn’t used to wearing her tap shoes. With that, he decided it was time to leave. He’d go into the lobby, watch Sailor Moon on his phone until his battery died., and go from there.

               The brunet managed to slip out the front door of 2J unnoticed, thankfully. Slipping his hands into his jacket pockets, he made his way towards the stairs. The Palmwoods halls on Christmas Eve were eerie to the man. He’d never been too big of a fan of Christmas either, what with his parents kicking him out of the house for being gay when he was a teenager and all. The only good experience with the holiday had been the past few years with Kendall, so hearing the blond trash talk it so heavily pissed him off just a little. Moving into the hotel over five years ago now was one of the best decisions of his life, and seeing it so devoid of life at this hour made it seem so unlike the way he viewed it that day he first arrived and met Kendall.

               Everybody’s lives were so different at that point too. While laying in bed together with Kendall talking about which Neopets were the cutest was the norm now, he was incredibly anxious around the younger male when they first met. Dustin wasn’t too familiar with Big Time Rush while they were active, so meeting Kendall only a few days after the band’s break up made it hard for him to feel too much sympathy about it. The blond was still very confident in himself and he intimidated Dustin in a way that’s completely gone now. Logan was the opposite, seeming like a complete and utter nerd devoid of any chance of becoming People Magazine’s #1 Asshole of the Year, but here we are now. And Carlos certainly didn’t seem like the type to become a multimillion-dollar mogul with his own brand of cologne and non-fat yogurt.

               Dustin couldn’t really say the same for James. He’s still never met him. They barely missed each other, what with Dustin moving into the Palmwoods just 16 hours after James took off. Judging by what Kendall and Logan had to say about him, he seemed like an asshole. And not in the fun way Logan was. Despite moving back into the hotel this summer, James still hadn’t come into contact with his former friends. Kendall and Logan didn’t even seem to acknowledge his presence. From what Dustin could deduce from the man’s Instagram account he stalked one night, he was dating Jett Stetson, living in this penthouse suite of the hotel and didn’t have a job. After several failed attempts at a music career, acting career and being humiliated on several reality shows, James had no drive to do anything with his life anymore.

               The musician arrived to the center of the hall and pressed the down button on the elevator. Despite being on the second floor, he really couldn’t muster up the energy to walk down a flight of stairs right now, and nobody was around to make him feel ashamed about it.

               But maybe it was fate at work, because as soon as the elevator doors opened, Dustin was met face to face with James Diamond.

               “HOLY SHIT!!” Kendall roared as he tore off the Hello Kitty wrapping paper encasing a brand new Nintendo Switch.

               “Merry Christmas man.” Carlos laughed as he watched the raw emotion pouring out of Kendall’s face right now.  The two sat across from each other on the balcony of Carlos’ mansion, overlooking the sunset over the ocean. A ginormous silver Christmas tree stood in the corner baring at least 100 gifts, all addressed to Kendall. The two were wearing matching pajamas, made up of white cashmere shirts and red flannel sweatpants lined with microscopic diamonds. Carlos really went all out for the blond this year, hoping to spark some Christmas cheer once again, while also subtly letting him know it’s unacceptable to only own one pair of jeans.

               “Thank you Carlos. You really have no clue how much this means to me.” Kendall began to choke up. “I’m so grateful to have you in my life, and I’m sorry I couldn’t get you anything. I love you.”

               Hearing that made Carlos sort of emotional too. He cherished his time growing up with Kendall and to a certain degree wished he could still live in 2J with his friends. But he wouldn’t give up his marriage, career or child under any circumstances. He loved his life now and wanted nothing more than for Kendall to feel the same. “I love you too buddy.” Carlos said as he took another sip of his eggnog.

               “I’m so excited to play this! Ugh I need to call Logan and tell him right now!!!!” the blond said as he fumbled with his phone.

               “And after I told her off, that girl scout never tried any shit with me ever again.” Logan explained, telling his story to Charli XCX, Troye Sivan and Nikki Blonsky, making them laugh just as hard as they did when they heard the story 20 minutes ago. Looking down, he felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out to read “My Everything<3<3<3 is calling”.

               “Sorry guys, I need to take this.” He told the three just as he walked down the hallway to hear better. “Hello? No! Kendall! You’re being a fucking idiot!”

               “Whatever. Just don’t think for one second you’re ever allowed to race as Rosalina. Bye.” Logan said, spiking his phone down on the ground. He was getting tired of the coral iPhone XR anyways. Just before turning around to go back to his party, he heard Jake’s voice coming from the bathroom. Annoyed that his boyfriend had been missing for the entire night, he kicked the door open with his 6 inch stiletto furiously, fully prepared to yell at him for looking at himself in the mirror for too long, which was a common occurrence.

               The last thing he expected to see was Jake cheating on Logan with his other boyfriend. The musician was sitting fully naked on the sink while Diego, wearing only a pair of skinny jeans, jerked his cock and kissed his neck.

               “Logan!” the two shouted in unison as they snapped their necks toward the door to see him standing there, unable to react.

                 Dustin stepped into the elevator, awkwardly reaching in front of James to select the floor he wanted to go to. Unfortunately, James was headed to the top floor, so Dustin was going to have to ride all the way to the top with him first. Silently standing side by side in an elevator wasn’t how he’d envisioned their first time meeting.

               “Hi Dustin.” James said, laughing under his breath at the clearly uncomfortable situation. Dustin was taken aback, actually sort of surprised James even knew his name. “Uhh, hi.” He replied. He took a moment to look to his left at James. He had a gym bag slung over his shoulder, and was dressed in black shorts, a blank tank top and a black snapback. Judging by the attire and the fine coat of sweat all over him, Dustin could assume he just got done working out.

               “How’s it going?” James asked, making Dustin’s eyes snap up from the brunet’s well toned legs up to his eyes. “Um, good! I guess. Just going to the lobby to hang out.” Dustin said, half smiling at James who was giving off the same pompous vibes Dustin knew he’d have. “What’s wrong? Kendall and Logan pissing you off?” “No, uh- Logan’s preoccupied with his party and Kendall’s on vacation with Carlos.”

               “Oh.” James said solemnly. With that, any cockiness, any attitude he had with Dustin was put to a halt as he straightened his posture and his eyes went back to the front of the elevator. He’d admit it, he was a little pissed off none of his former friends made any effort to see him. Sure, they were still on bad terms, but he’s sexy! Hot people should be forgiven of all of their faults, the brunet consistently thought to himself whenever he thought about how absurd it was that none of the three ex-bandmates forgave him for his streak of homophobic remarks online.

               And in all honesty, he had changed. After coming to terms with his sexuality, he felt deep remorse for taking his internalized bigotry out on Carlos and Logan. He’d never directly insulted Kendall, but he knew he still hurt the blond with everything that happened. And on top of that, meeting Jett again gave him a new perspective on everything in his life. The former musician found himself living in a homeless shelter for a month before Jett came in. The arrogant blond had turned over a new leaf after having some similar career troubles. With New Town High being cancelled and his agent going missing in a scuba diving trip gone wrong, Jett was suddenly out of work and his time left in his apartment was dwindling. The distinction between him and James was that instead of shunning his coworkers, Jett took any job he could get. Stocking craft services for movie sets, interning at local radio stations and playing extras in films were how he got by for a while until a casting director recognized him from his previous work, as well as appreciating the speed he’d restock the peanut M&Ms on set.

               Taking note of the grind Jett had been on, he was given the lead role of a brand new show that later wound up being an enormous success. This time spent working odd jobs humbled the blond, so when he came across James while volunteering at a soup kitchen, he couldn’t help but feel compelled to take him in. After paying for a haircut, a new wardrobe and a hot meal, Jett explained the remorse he had for being such an insufferable dick to James and his friends years back. He told James he could stay with him in the penthouse for as long as he needed, which had eventually turned into him helping James coming to terms with his homosexuality, and the two falling in love.

               It was really strange how fast it happened too. Jett, for all things considered, saved his life, and his new lifestyle was helping make James a better person as well. He wanted to be in touch with his old friends again, but he knew it would be best for them to come to him. Despite this, it still stung knowing that they’d had seven months to come upstairs and say hi, but still nothing. He’d spent some time listening to Logan and Kendall’s music and was genuinely proud of them, and was happy to at least get to finally meet Dustin now, who was still unsure how to treat James.

               “So, what are you off to?” Dustin said, breaking James out of his long winded reflection of the last few years of he and Jett’s lives.

               “Was about to sit my ass on the couch, heat up some pizza roles and watch Stuart Little 2. You’re more than free to join me. Don’t think the lobby is the most festive place right now.”

               “Good point. God when will Bitters just die already?”

               Both men shared a laugh for a second, leading to another awkward silence.

               “Jett’s not home either, so I’d like some company. Would be nice to finally get to talk to you.” James said, flashing a smile.

               “Ehhh, I don’t know. No offense, but if Kendall knew I was—” Dustin said, being cut off as the elevator finally halted and opened up right into the penthouse suite.

               Jett’s apartment was furnished with exquisite Italian white leather couches, several fish tanks and had THE most tasteful recessed lighting Dustin had ever seen. Not to mention access to the exclusive roof patio and Jett’s personal pool. Just because he was humble didn’t mean he couldn’t spoil himself, and now James, who only left the apartment to either go to the gym or to Arby’s.

               “C’mon, let me show you our 88” plasma.” James said as he strode into the apartment, dropping his bag onto the marble countertop.

               Seven drinks deep, Kendall and Carlos had reached their emotional peak. Kendall migrated over to the couch Carlos sat on, bodies pressed together as they laughed while reminiscing about all of the funny shit that happened to them after moving to LA.

               “Okay, but remember when fucking SNOOP DOGG came to our Christmas dinner?” Kendall practically yelled, followed by the cackling of both of them.

               “God that was so funny looking back.” Carlos breathed as his head fell down into the blond’s lap. “I missed this Kendall. I really love you man.”

               Looking down at his friend, Kendall blushed. “I love you too Carlos. And I know I said it already, but I’m sorry I couldn’t buy you any gifts this year.”

               “Well..” Carlos said, tongue lingering against his teeth. “If you really love me, there’s something you can do for me.”

               Kendall knew exactly what was coming next. And he was too drunk to do anything expect laugh into his hands.

               Carlos repositioned himself, rising to his knees and straddling Kendall’s lap. His hands went straight to the top button of the blond’s pajama shirt as his fingers struggled to pop the button out of the hole. “Alec has been gone for three days.” Carlos whispered, popping a button. “I haven’t had anything in my ass since he left.” Kendall’s breath got harder as another button popped. “Do you want to fuck me?” Carlos asked, popping the third button.

               “Fuck..” Kendall struggled to even think about the answer. He was already pretty drunk, and all of the blood rushing to his cock made it hard to focus on anything except Carlo’s knuckles teasing his chest. “Yes. Fuck….yes.”

               “Hhmm.” Carlos chuckled. “How long have you wanted to fuck me?” he asked as he continued down the row of buttons. Kendall would’ve answered had it not been for Carlos dropping his ass down onto his painfully growing bulge.

               “I know you heard Logan and I going at it when we were dating. I always wondered why you never joined in.”

               “Carlos..” Kendall choked out.

               “Remember when Alec would come over? I know you were picturing what we looked like when we’d eat dinner together.”

               If Kendall could even make an audible sound right now, it would be completely unintelligible.

               “I love riding him. I sorta go crazy anytime I can get his dick inside of me. Logan’s too! I would loooove when he’d fuck me.” Carlos continued, pressing his ass down especially hard when he said love.

               “Nghh.” Kendall miraculously sounded out as his hands gripped the shorter males ass, guiding it as it moved around.

               “I was always sad you never got to fuck me.” Carlos said, finally undoing all of the buttons. “Logan told me all about how you are.” Carlos grabbed both sides of the shirt and quickly tore it off the taller male.

               As soon as it was gone, Kendall’s lips attached to the base of Carlos’ neck, eliciting a moan. With much, much less care Carlos had for the shirt, Kendall tore the material straight off the other male’s torso, revealing a very well toned upper body, coated with a neatly kept patch of chest hair.

               The two rose to their feet and their lips attacked one another. Kendall’s hands trailed up and down Carlos’ muscular arms and craned his neck downward to take in all of the man he could. Carlos slid his tongue past Kendall’s lips, exploring every inch of his mouth while his hands pressed against his friend’s pale stomach.

               Suddenly, Carlos broke away, swiftly turning around and climbing upon the other couch, followed by him pulling his pants down just far enough to expose his tight ass to Kendall. It was definitely unlike the ones he was used to. Dustin’s was ginormous. Two fleshy globes covered in hair. Logan’s was fat as well, but completely hairless and very pale. Carlos would fit right in the middle, size-wise. He had tan marks, courtesy of a speedo and his ass was extra hairy around his hole.

               And with his dark brown eyes looking over his shoulder and a few shakes of his butt, Kendall was almost tripping trying to yank his pants off and makes his way over so he could sink his dick in there.

               “So let me get this straight.” Logan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his two boyfriends looked nervously between each other. “You two thought it would be a good idea to fuck each other..in my apartment..”

               “Logan, we-“ Diego interrupted before being cut off by Logan’s finger pressing up against his pretty pink lips. The taller male looked down into his boyfriend’s eyes, or, at least he tried to make them out through his sunglasses.

               “Without me!?”

               With that, Diego and Jake both took a sigh of relief. They both knew Logan was one to typically overreact, so the risk of being caught making out was certainly dangerous. It had miraculously been the first time they’d been together since they both began dating Logan and they found each other irresistible. Plus, they’d heard one too many stories about how amazing the other’s ass was via Logan on a daily basis. Diego had walked in on Jake mesmerized at how pretty his reflection looked and the alcohol inside the two of them did the rest.

               Logan, on the other hand, had been DYING to have a threeway with the two since before he’d even started dating either of them. Both of his boyfriend’s had very different yet hectic schedules, what with Jake constantly performing at concerts for charity and Diego having to juggle school, filming and doing his weekly podcast about woodworking which he never fucking shut up about. Logan had the idea in his head he’d spend the night making all of his guests jealous as his two boy toys felt him up and told him how perfect he was. So when they’d gone missing for the entire party, he thought his chances of bending them over side by side and pounding them were shot.

               The brunet put his hand out, helping Jake down off of the sink, taking notice of the way his cock bounced. Jake wasn’t particularly huge, having only a 6 inch dick, which was two inches shy of Diego’s, but neither really mattered to Logan considered they were his strictly obedient bottoms. They’d do anything he instructed with no hesitation and very much so obliged.

               The shorter male smirked at his two boyfriends, flicking his index fingers toward himself, signifying he wanted them to kiss him. Both pairs of lips attached to his neck, making their ways either to his collarbone or his ear, electing a moan from Logan, who then wrapped his hands behind their shoulders and felt the two lift him up and carry him out of the bedroom as he sat in their arms.

               Pulling out a megaphone, Logan positioned it against his mouth and pointed it toward the main area of the house. “Go home bitches. Party’s over.”

               The three made their way upstairs to Logan’s room. The shorter male was let down and suddenly had four hands rubbing up and down him. Diego’s fingers snaked under his XXL shirt and his lips teased Logan’s, just barely touching so he could watch him beg for more. Jake fell to his knees and placed his hands against the top of Logan’s thighs, slowly sliding down toward his knees. He licked a line on the bottom of his now exposed stomach, leading to him sucking on a part of the flesh as he undid Logan’s jeans.

               Diego and Logan’s kissing became more passionate the more attention Jake gave to his dick. The brunet took control, grabbing Diego by the face and shoving his tongue down his throat. Similarly, he found his hands grasping the top of Diego’s pants and yanked them down as far as he could. He felt himself spun around and with a firm push, he was face first on the king sized bed taking up too much space in Logan’s room.

               The brunet tore off his jeans and kicked off his shoes, sinking into a more comfortable position on his knees. He instinctively spread his cheeks, showing off his hairy hole to his boyfriend, who’s dick was now fully engulfed by Jake. “Fuckin’ right.” Logan smiled, pleased at how obedient he had his boys. The world famous musician unbuttoned his shirt before discarding it and tore his cock out of Jake’s mouth before he got behind Diego on his knees and grabbed his ass, diving in with his tongue and licking every inch of his crack, generating a muffled groan from Diego into the goose down blanket imported from Monaco. Jake immediately got back into position, laying on the carpet under Logan, who was using his chest as a seat. He found Logan’s cock with his lips once again, immediately slobbering on it as he looked up towards his boyfriend’s several chins.

               Taking a breath from Diego’s ass, Logan took a deep breath “Babe. Finger yourself. Gonna need you loosened up too.”

               Jake’s lips popped off Logan’s cockhead with a deep breath of air as well. “Yes daddy.”  His hands both laid on the bottom of Logan’s back, gently massaging his pale flesh. His right hand now raised into his mouth as he sucked on the digits before it fell towards his ass and he sunk one inside his tight, trimmed hole. Logan liked his two boyfriends to be distinct, forcing Diego to grow his body hair out and making Jake wax and shave every single day to be completely smooth. Once Jake had gotten loose enough to fit in a second finger, Logan began thrusting down, replacing Jake’s sucking with a forceful face fucking, choking the man with every erratic snap of the hips. With every extra hard thrust, Logan gave an equally hard smack to Diego’s juicy ass. He liked hearing both of his boy’s whimper at the same time. He was amazed he hadn’t even came yet.

               The guests downstairs still waiting for their Ubers felt super uncomfortable with every moan, slap and choke sound they were hearing.

____________________________________________________________________________________

               Dustin’s night hadn’t been as fun as either of his roommate’s at this point. Pretty much immediately after he decided to come into James’s apartment, the brunet had not. Stopped. Talking.

               He’d been here for 37 minutes and Stuart Little 2 was still stuck on its main menu. And James only gave Dustin like three pizza rolls. On one hand he could appreciate how much James wanted to connect with him. It was cute that he cared so much about his old friend’s he was willing to share every single intimate detail of his monotonous life with him. But on the other hand, if Dustin wanted to listen to vapid Instagay thirst trappers make themselves sound like the second coming of Jesus just because they had a 6-pack and didn’t hate women, he would’ve just stayed at the party!

               Eventually he got to the point where he drowned out everything James was saying and started imagining himself winning a grammy. They’d announce Heffron Drive as most iconic band of the century, but Kendall wouldn’t be able to make it because who cares. Dustin would RUN to the stage, and Lady Gaga, being the hilarious, carefree spirit she is, would join Dustin up there in place of Kendall. Then maybe his parents would call him and tell him how proud they are of him for once!

               Perhaps if he hadn’t gotten so wrapped up in this fantasy he’d have noticed James flirting with him for the past few minutes. The unemployed ex-musician started going into pretty heavy detail about he and Jett’s sex life, describing how obsessed Jett was with his ass. He spent a few minutes talking about how much he loved to tie James up and followed that up by listing the top 10 times he had his ass ate.

               When Dustin’s eyes hadn’t even budged from the ceiling after James told the iconic story of Jett fucking him in the bathroom of a Sonic, James knew he was being ignored. He took matters into his own hands; literally. His left hand landed atop Dustin’s hairy knees and slowly inched into his shorts.

               “So! How do you liked to get fucked?”

               Dustin couldn’t help but to snap back to reality, look at his knee, look at James, and burst out laughing at this absurd situation he didn’t realize he was in.

               With a huff, James rose to his feet and got in front of Dustin, yanking his own shorts down, unveiling his 9 inch cock, pointed straight at the guitarist. “I wanna fuck you. Let’s go!” he shouted.

               Dustin….didn’t think he could laugh harder, but he did. He had to remove his glasses for a second to wipe a tear away, already internally ‘dfsgd-ing’ at the idea of telling this story to Logan and Kendall.

               “What’s a matter?” James asked under his breath “Never seen a cock this big? Too scared?”

               Dustin stopped laughing. His straightened his lips and looked James dead in the eyes as he pulled the front of his shorts down, unleashing his 11.5 inch monster dick. “I think I’d rather fuck you.” Dustin claimed, raising to his feet, stepping forward, cock pushing against James’s. The brunet had wide eyes and a frightened look while Dustin’s demeanor was stern, yet calm. “Come on.” Dustin said, pushing James slowly down to his knees. He shook as he faced the largest cock he’d ever seen, but felt more excited than he was to the idea of topping Dustin’s fat ass.

               His lips widened, taking in his dick and slid down gently, getting about 7 inches deep until he felt himself gag. He felt a hand rub through his hair as he heard Dustin softly sigh. He began rocking his hips, making James gag a tad each time. “Fuck yeah..” Dustin whispered. “Takin’ it just like a champ. Just like Kendall.”

               With that, James came for the first time that night.

               “Ung. Mmm. Oh FUCK. Fuck yes. Fuck fuck fuck yesssssss.” Carlos moaned at the rapid speed of Kendall’s dick entering him from behind. The blond’s fingers dug into his toned thighs and hearing Carlos talk so much was making it hard for him not to blow his load already.

               Sadly for Carlos, Kendall pulled out without warning before laying on his back next to the husband. He grabbed him and rolled him over so his back was on Kendall’s chest. Lining his ass up, Carlos was soon getting dicked down once more, and losing his mind. Kendall’s hands wrapped around the man’s abdomen as he snapped his hips upward. “Nghhh, Kendalllll. Fuck me. Ooohhh. Fuck you make me feel so good daddy. So so so gooooood. Love you, unfffgggh. Love your cock. OOOHH fuck! Fuck daddy yess. Ngggh”

               “Fuck, Carlos. Your ass is so tight. Look so hot on my dick, fuck.” Kendall couldn’t help but join in.

“Gonna cum…ennghhhhh.” Carlos groaned, gritting his teeth. Kendall’s speed picked up, focusing more on strength than rhythm until he felt Carlos’s hole tighten around his cock, watching his load shoot and land on both of their faces, some going up Kendall’s nose.

               Kendall’s load followed suit, quickly spilling into Carlos’s ass and feeling warm around his cock. The two caught their breath, laying in the same position. Carlos tilted his head to the right to lick his cum off of Kendall’s cheek, leading into a sloppy kiss, which resulted in Kendall taking Carlos’s tongue into his mouth and sucking on it.

               Several minutes of kissing later, they came down from the high they got from fucking each other for the first time, laughing at the experience. Kendall helped Carlos off of him and the two went inside to the bathroom to clean each other off. Carlos soon after turned on the faucet of the tub to take a shower, inviting Kendall to join him, rather than using one of the 11 other bathrooms.

               The taller male stood behind Carlos lathering his back with bodywash and admiring every muscle of his back. “So Alec and I are thinking about adopting another baby.” Carlos stated as he shampooed his hair. “Cool” Kendall replied unenthusiastically as his dick glided up between his tan cheeks, watching his cock go in and out. His hands tightened around his friend’s waist as his head rubbed against the small of Carlos’s back. The shorter male arched his back, hands resting on the wall in front of him as Kendall’s length teased his hole, missing it each time. “Fuuuuuuck”

(here’s where I stopped writing for like 4 weeks lmfao)

                         “Unf. Fuck. Yeah.. just like that.” Diego breathed out with every jab against his prostate.

                         The young actor was laying on his stomach at the foot of Logan’s massive custom made bed, having his hole ravaged by his boyfriend’s decently sized cock. On top of him was Jake, whose hole was taking turns with Diego’s.

                         Logan’s hands massaged Diego’s bulbous ass with every thrust of his hips, loving how fat his boyfriend’s butt was. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that it was his favorite quality of Diego’s.

                         With a swift motion, Logan removed his dick from the bottom bottom’s ass and quickly reentered Jake’s hole, taking him off guard and causing him to yelp.

                         “Fuck yeah boys. Takin’ my cock like some champs.” Logan exclaimed, one hand moving to grasp the bottom of Jake’s hair and the other swatting down against Diego’s left ass cheek.

                         Jake’s moans continued to fill the room as Logan grew closer to climaxing. Had Diego not begun shoving his tongue up into Jake’s mouth, Logan probably could’ve lasted much longer. The sight of that caused him to bust his load deep into Jake’s ass.

                         The black haired popstar and future world leader took a moment to catch his breath while his two boyfriends continued to tongue fuck each other.

                         “Alright, get up. Time for me to take care of my boys.” He said with a smirk. The two men got up off of each other, revealing a puddle of cum on the bed from Deigo, as well as a load sprayed up his back. Thankfully, however, both had gotten hard again already at the sight of Logan on his knees with his mouth wide open. Despite being a domineering top, he loved letting his boyfriends facefuck him and make him feel sorta like a slut.

                         Diego held Logan by the jaw, keeping his head steady as his cock slowly eased in and out of his mouth, staring him deep in the eyes as he continued the motion, only being interrupted by Jake slapping his dick against Logan’s nose and sliding it in alongside Diego’s cock. From there, they both pretty much just did whatever the fuck they wanted while Logan gagged and had the best Christmas of his entire life.

                         “Ohohohoho..fuuuuuck.God fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-“ James moaned against the glass window overlooking downtown Los Angeles. Dustin had a strong grip against the brunet’s head and had his entire body pushed flush against the balcony window as he annihilated James’ ass. He’d never had a dick this big inside of him and Dustin’s lack of empathy for James’ wellbeing wasn’t making taking it any easier.

                         At least he was certain he looked good, what with all of his muscles pushed up against the glass like that. For all he knew, someone in a neighboring building could be watching them. Hopefully they were enjoying the sight of Dustin biting on James’ ear.

                                               (Took another long ass break here lol)

                         Suddenly, James felt himself being pushed to the floor and before he knew it, Dustin was straddling him, holding onto one of James’ perky tits in each hand and wedging his cock in between them. The older musician’s fat fucking ass was crushing the brunet’s stomach. In an unusual way, James was loving the pain. He’d never been fucked so recklessly, most men who he’s been with have looked up to him or treated him like the king he likes to think of himself as. Dustin didn’t give a fuck. After hearing so many stories about him, he was fed up with his cocky little smile and his stupid fucking perfect body. Someone needed to put him in his place, and Dustin was satisfied with how much James was getting off on it.

                         Without warning, Dustin rolled his weight off of James, who had begun stroking himself to the feeling of the cock dragging up his chest. The older male laid beside him on the floor, standing his enormous cock up in his left hand. “Ride.” He commanded.

                         James was a little embarrassed at how quickly he rolled over, quickly positioning his hole above Dustin’s member. It was the first good glimpse he’d gotten at it in a while and it tripped him out to realize that he fit the entire thing inside of him. He couldn’t believe he was desperately shoving his ass backward onto a cock that long and that thick because he couldn’t get enough of it.

                         He also couldn’t believe it took so time at all for his ass to sink all the way down into Dustin’s lap. His hands fell to both sides of the male and he quickly began bouncing up and down, giving Dustin a glorious sight of James’ titties bouncing while he tried his best to breath. It didn’t take long for Dustin to get bored laying there, resulting in him halting James and making him turn around.

                         Suddenly, he wrapped a left hand around both of James’ wrists, yanking him backward as he began fucking upward, assaulting the model’s hole. James could help but arch his back as his prostate was hit over and over. “Fuuu-u-u-u-uckkk.” He whined, gritting his teeth.

                         “Fucking cry for daddy.” Dustin grunted between jabs. James let out a soft whimper, actually unable to keep himself quiet being in such pure ecstasy. “Fuck me daddy! Punish my little faggot ass. My pussy is all yours. Fuuuuck goddd. Piss on me after your blow your load in my tight ass.”

                         With that, Dustin’s eyes widened, and he came harder than he ever has life.

                      Two days later, Kendall lugged all 4 of his bags by himself up to the apartment, excited to plug his new Nintendo Switch in and to teach Logan a thing or two with a game of Mario Party. Also he was so fucking excited to tell everyone about how many time he got to fuck Carlos. Victoria and Buddha Bob had a bet on whether not it would happen, and she was going to have to pay up.

                      To say the least, he was NOT expecting to open the door and find James sitting in the kitchen with Dustin, taking a bite out of HIS Toaster Strudels.