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websterss · 22 days

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 ��𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄 — 𝐋𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: If there's one thing Caleb is scared of it's the color red and the devil.

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆(𝐒): angst, some fluff, implications of smut, some making out

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓: 3,604

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Luke Patterson x fem!Reader

𝐀/𝐍: I hope you enjoy it! This was one fic I lost when I made a new blog and was reposting my works. It's not exactly the same but I stuck to the same plot as best as I could.

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

You had caught Luke's eye as soon as he stepped out onto the floor. Many people flaunting and going amidst their night caught his attention. He felt that he and the guys were a little underdressed for the fancy club, but it had been your appearance alone that had you catching their eyes like flies. They were drawn to you in particular. Luke most of all, couldn't sway where his sights were directed towards.

"Hey boys, I'll be right back." He made to move past Reggie, his hand on his chest in passing but was stopped when Willie intersected him. Luke looked down at the hand that Willie pressed against his chest. He scoffed in amusement. "Where's the fire?"

"N-Nowhere, but there could be. I wouldn't recommend it. Not her. Y/n isn't someone you just go up and talk to." Willie's face fell with fear.

"Oh yeah, why's that? Is she important or something?" Luke laughed, but Willie wasn't finding Luke's advances towards you hilarious. "She off-bounds?"

"Yea- Yeah, she is in fact," Willie said nervously. After taking notice of Willie's shift in tone when he spoke of you, Luke's eyebrows furrowed with curiosity.

"What are you getting at, Willie? You seem protective." Luke questioned as he put two and two together. He was almost certain that Alex was Willie's crush, he didn't take him to swing both ways or had he simply misread him, that and the way he reacted just now…it seemed unprecedented. "I thought you liked Alex?" Luke crossed his arms.

"I do- It's not like that. Just- Just promise me you won't approach her. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you guys." Willie pleads.

Luke couldn't help but raise a brow, Willie was acting like she was some sort of monster. "A heartbreaker then, that's okay Willie. I've had my fair share of girls like her." He smiled boyishly. He reached up to slap Willie on his upper arm in reassurance. "Nothing's going to happen." Luke shrugged off Willie. Willie was being dramatic. The interest of doing something irrational intrigued him like a child who was told to not play with fire.

"Luke, I mean it. She's not even a regular. You won't see her that much. She's only ever here on business."

"Only ever here for business, huh?" Luke repeated curiously with an eyebrow up. "Then why can't I talk to her? What's gonna happen, Willie?" Luke wasn't one for following orders, that was not in his nature. He couldn't stand being told what not to do, it only made him crave what he wasn't meant to have or do even more. So, it was no mistake that Willie had made one just now. This little curiosity of Luke's was going to get the best of him. The way Willie made it sound like you did some kind of illicit activity intrigued him even more. "What, does she work for the mob or something?" He said half-jokingly with a brow lift. It was only natural to be enticed by a beautiful woman whom people were being tight-lipped about, it only made you seem more interesting and willing to know more about in his books.

"N-Nothing good." He muttered softly. "Why don't I show you guys to your table?"

"Yes, please!" Alex raised a finger, eager to move past Willie's sudden fear-stricken face.

"You guys go ahead. I'll be right back." Luke finally did move past Reggie and began making his way over to you.

"Luke, I wouldn't!" Willie exclaimed.

"I'm just gonna say hi." He turned to walk backwards as he faced him with a cheeky smile. Then turned as he approached the empty bar, beside you and the bartender giving you your drinks with shaky hands. That had him raising his brows with interest.

"Hi Marcus, long time no see." You flashed the man with a sweet smirk. Marcus's smile fell upon the realization you were sitting before the bar. He stopped cleaning the glass in his hands letting it fall to the ground with a smash. He winced at the sound of it breaking. He remained composed as your smile didn't let up. You were the mere image of innocence, you conjured up the identity of a teenage girl this time around. Last year you looked older, dressed up as a woman in a black dress, but this by far was his least favorite one on you, your childlike nature and appearance was scaring him shitless. Your soul was pure rotten, you by no means represented youth and innocence.

"Y/n." He dipped his head in greetings.

"I see Caleb still keeps you around." You tilted your head.

Because he knows I can keep you tranquil. He wanted to say but opted not to. "I'm the only one who can make a dirty cocktail." He lets out nervously.

"That you can, sweetie. Though I'm more in the mood for something sweet tonight, like you." You poke his sternum. Your sweet angelic laughter unsettles him, but he laughs along with you. Knowing Caleb would have his soul again if he made you angry.

"Perhaps a living soul?" He offered with a timid smile.

"Hell no, Lucifer knows I deal with too many of them back home as it is. Why on earth would I waste my time on one tonight? Though you do have a fair amount of them tonight..." You hum surveying the floor. You turned back to the bar. "How about a slushy, make it strong, and fruity." You order.

"So you're not here to collect a soul?"

"I have other matters to tend to Marcus. I've been getting screwed over you see. My bargain with your showman has not been followed down to the last letter, and I am not happy Marcus." You sigh. "I mean how stupid does Caleb peg me? Stealing souls from me." Your laughter darkens with every word that escapes you. "I am a woman of business, and I don't see my need to be tethered to one so insidious. You understand, Marcus?"

Marcus nods furiously. "Where's Willie? As of now, he's my new eyes and ears. Caleb still has his soul right? Of course, he does that's how he controls you all. If this gets out to Caleb sweetie, I'll be the one to devour that pure soul of yours." You raise a brow in question gesturing to his chest. Marcus nods and snaps his fingers. Your requested drink appearing before you. You raised the glass to your lips and let your shoulders drop. "This is why I love you, Marcus."

"Am I no longer your eyes and ears?"

"No." You could see Marcus's disappointment flash in his eyes. "You've been upgraded to my personal assistant."

Marcus felt honored. "Oh wow. Does this mean I don't have to be behind the bar anymore?"

"Only when we come to the club, but other than that..." You snap your fingers nonchalantly. Caleb's stupid stamp floated off of Marcus's wrist. The poor man looked as though he'd cry.

He did.

"Consider it a gift, sweetie. That's all you're gonna get...really." You shrug. You didn't like getting too sentimental with others. Marcus palmed his mouth. Covering it to muffle his cries. You looked around hopefully no one was watching the scene unfold before you. You shrink in your stool and take another sip of your drink. You took another gulp of your drink, enjoying the flavor it had, it was indeed what you had asked for.

"Marcus." You called his name softly when the tears finally stopped flowing. "Look at me." Marcus's head raised and eyes widened with fear once again. "Stop, please."

"S-Sorry. I'm good, I'm good." You nodded with him, your eyes widened with concern. "Thank you..." He muttered softly.

"Sure." You laughed out nervously wanting his hands off you. “Marcus.” You spoke sternly this time which brought him to pay attention and made him stop touching you. “How about another drink, yeah.” You shifted the mood, hoping to reassure him by taking his mind off of being freed by you. "Surprise me this time."

"Yes- Yes, right away." He composed himself as best he could and began to make your new drink.

Luke's gaze was fixated on the bartender's shaky hands, having caught the last of your conversation with him before he grew close. It was something that caught his attention to no end. A burning hole in his brain as he wondered why you had such an effect on people, good and bad. He wanted to know more about you. So he sat on the stool right beside you.

He turned towards you; his hands were resting on the counter, as he tapped along to the melody playing throughout the club. Luke's gaze met yours, raising a brow as he took notice that you were eyeing him. It made him a little self-conscious, but he hid that fact with an amused smirk.

"Nice shoes." His grin brightened. "I'm more of a vans guy myself but I think it's time I make a drastic brand change." Luke turned in the stool, next to the very pretty girl, who looked completely out of place. Your leather jacket and dark blue denim, not to mention your incredibly red shoes, didn't fit the club's dress code.

You peered over the glass in your hand. Your eyes narrowed curiously at the curly-haired stranger who unashamedly sat in the vacant seat next to yours. Surely he had to be pulling your hair. When you saw no falter in his charming smile, you played along. Hoping to amuse the poor lad unaware of the person you were, of your identity. Most would cower at the sight of you but his lack of knowledge told you all you needed to. He was clueless...and a pretty sight. You set your drink down and smirk, turning your full self towards him.

"Thanks. I had them dyed with the blood of the damned." You stuck your leg out, tilting your head in admiration of your shoes.

Your brows pinched closer together upon his laugh. You were confused by his reaction, what had been so funny? You were being your most sincere.

He snickered again, trying hard not to laugh, in fear of offending you. He let out another brief laugh, trying his best not to lose it. It was the way your words so casually rolled off your tongue that got him. He smirked. "Damned you say. Does that mean that you had to damn them yourself or were they already damned and you just decided to take advantage of the opportunity." He joked around, though curiosity filled his mind as he wondered what your answer would be. He sure wasn't expecting your sweet angelic tune that escaped you as a response. Your head fell back. Marcus stilled, looking at the new stranger who caused such a reaction from you and then at you. Was this a stroke you were having and he was completely unaware? He opted to join in, his fake laughs weren't noticed by you luckily.

He eyed Luke as though he put the moon in the sky. He got you to laugh. Completely unheard of.

Luke felt satisfied. His grin widened as he softly joined in on your bubbled display of joy. "I mean they do make killer shoes. I kind of want some now." He shrugged with half interest.

Marcus finally released a stifled laugh. The poor man was holding it in, not knowing where you two would take the conversation. "I can't say I've ever had the urge to wear shoes made of human blood," He spoke in an attempt to keep the energy at bay.

"Well," Luke started, "they're rather fashionable, right? I mean, I know leather clothing is still in style, you're perfectly on top of that trend already." He joked back casually. You felt something strange in your chest as he raked his eyes up and down your entirety. "All I'd be missing is the shoes..." He bit his lip.

"Yeah?" You looked back at him amused. "You want a pair?"

"Why not?" He entertained the idea.

"What is happening?" Marcus mouthed in shock.

What was happening indeed? Didn't he know who you were? His lack of fear was the most shocking part of this whole interaction. Surely he wasn't one of Caleb's newest edition of collected ghosts. Another soul he had taken, or made Willie lure him in to take it while he's blindsighted by the pretty picture Caleb paints for him. For once you wanted to lay your claim on a soul. To rub it in Caleb's face for stealing your portion of the bargain. You extended your hand out to him and asked him what any wise girl would do. You asked for his name.

"I'm Luke." He took your hand gently. Unaware of the marking you placed under his skin. Your bargains, your markings, were more subtle than Caleb's, where he wanted to show them off, you kept yours hidden behind a mere handshake. Along with the idea of never actually telling them you had done so.

"Pleasure." Your grip on his hand remained firm and tight as your eyes searched his own. You could already envision Caleb brewing with envy once he sees you and Luke engaging in a friendly, and dare you say romantic conversation. Luke didn't appear to know the full truth of what was going on. He appeared to be so blindly curious and unaware. So you went ahead and lit a spark to that curiosity as you pressed a finger to the back of his hand, caressing the length of it.

"Luke," you said slowly, testing it out. The name sounded nice; it rolled off your tongue perfectly. Luke, Luke, Luke. He would be your plaything for tonight, perhaps another time as well should you choose to extend that privilege. You felt a tinge of regret for marking a soul as pure as his, you could feel his warmth the second he sat down, but that was soon washed away with his charming grin; it made you want to make him break his moral barriers all the more. He seemed so different from the others, he was your next perfect leverage on Caleb. "I'm Y/n." You leaned forward, Luke's eyes falling in a daze at your sultry voice and doe eyes.

"Y/n..." He breathed out, mesmerized.

"Marcus I want a private space." You turned to the poor lad who was still stunned that this one guy alone was able to sweeten you down like honey. Get on your good side in the blink of an eye. "Now!"

Willie had paced back and forth, going over what he would say to Caleb as he waited for him at the bottom steps of his dressing room. When the man of the hour finally descended the steps Willied perked up.

"Oh hey um, Caleb." He smiled. "I brought those ghosts I met, um it's still cool they're here right?"

"Of course William! I even reserved a special table for them." Caleb shrugged him off nonchalantly.

"Woah! Uh alright, um thank you!" Willie reeled back, not expecting him to do something so nice.

"No, no, thank you!" Caleb sipped at his tea and watched as Willie made his way to leave but turned the wrong way.

"That way!" Willie laughed as he turned to go in the right direction this time.

"Hey William, while I have you here. Make sure to let me know when Y/n has arrived. I need a least half an hour to ready myself before her arrival."

"Oh, Y/n? She's already here." Willie shook his head confused, hadn't he known?

Certainly not, it appeared.

"What!" Caleb screeched, making Willie to flinch. The cup in his hands clattered onto the steps. Willie shrunk in on himself as Caleb berated him. "You useless monkey, why do I even keep you around? Oh my god, I'm not even dressed. Quick go make sure she gets everything she wants. Hopefully not my soul...Whatever she wants give it to her. A lifer's soul, it's hers. I don't care. I need to go look presentable. Go!" Willie straightened out as he walked away from Caleb's dressing room with haste. Caleb ordered staff to make sure you remained in a good mood. He was late, you had been earlier than expected and he was about to lose his shit.

When Caleb dispersed from the dancers and band, you had rolled your eyes as he made his entrance past the golden curtain.

He gulped nervously when his eyes danced back and forth between you sitting back on the sofa, and Luke kissing down your neck like a lovesick puppy. You hadn't stopped his attack on your skin. Caleb straightened out, clearly his throat to make his presence known.

"I don't like being kept waiting, Caleb, I have better things to do." Your voice broke in soft breaths as Luke found your sweet spot.

"Y/n, nice to have you back my sweet. We've missed your presence at the club and I-"

"Don't patronize me, ghost." You rolled your head back against the cushion.

"Ah, I see you've found our special guest of the night." He laughed nervously. "Have we bored you already, the night has only just begun." Caleb was thankful he didn't have to find you in a much more compromising situation. As he watched your hand run through Luke’s hair, a pang of emotion rose in him, jealousy? Anger? Regret? He felt his emotions bubble over as he watched Luke's lips meet your collarbones, his hands running down your back to your waist. Caleb bit his lip to keep an audible curse from escaping his lips.

You smirked, he was lucky that Luke wasn't getting too ahead of himself, but seeing how things were playing out at the moment it wouldn't take much for Luke to slip. Your attention turned back to him once Luke's lips had moved elsewhere on your body.

"Caleb, how stupid do you think I am?" Your question had caught him off guard.

He was speechless for a few moments before he regained his composure. He laughed a bit in your face. "Y/n, it's obvious," He took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "He's a soul I promise to you in our deal. I got two more waiting on you out on the floor."

Luke's head dropped lower to your chest, his kisses stooping lower down your blouse. Caleb's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Luke's already mine." You sigh in contentment. "I meant about the souls you’re taking for yourself, Caleb."

"What of them?" Caleb's face remained emotionless. He kept his arms crossed while your head was nuzzled into Luke's neck, you were barely holding on to the conversation while your chest had been preoccupied with Luke's hot breaths. His hands slide up and down your body.

"You can't even deny you've broken our bargain." You reminded him, your mind clouded with the sensation of his kisses. "You know what happens when people cross me, Caleb." You giggled as your breath hitched with every word spoken. You placed a hand over Luke's curls to stop him from continuing his kisses down your torso, his lips rested on your chest instead.

"Surely, we can work something out." He begins softly.

"I don't think so." You spoke plainly, your eyes finally focusing on Caleb. Your hands placed on the back of the sofa, you were feeling a bit confident and sassy, something Caleb hadn't seen for a good while, not with him at least. You sit up causing Luke to fall off you. You grip his chin gently and turn his face towards Caleb. You watch as the ghost shrinks back into the shell of the man that he is as Luke's gorgeous brown eyes flash red at him.

You staked your claim on him. "You touch the other two, and this all goes away." You gesture to the room, to the entirety of the club. "I’m going to need Willie's soul by the strike of midnight. Poor thing needs a break from you seeing as you can't do your job properly. He's mine until I say so. You understand, Caleb." You recline back into the cushion.

"Yes ma'am." He nods, feeling like a child being scolded.

"You can see yourself out now. It's like you said; the night is only getting started." Your angelic laugh is one for his nightmares. Not to mention your red eyes. You hold his gaze as you push down on Luke's curls, his body sinking to the carpet before you. "You might not want to stay around for this next part Caleb. Wouldn't want to traumatize you as it is." Caleb gasps and turns in place of the sound of your zipper being pulled.

Caleb's jaw went slack. His head tilted to the side. He tried hard to hide his surprise, but he wasn't sure what he should have said in this occurrence. "Right… I will be leaving. Enjoy yourselves." He uttered stiffly. Caleb retreated out of the room.

Luke's warm hands gripped your thighs, squeezing them slightly. His lips moved back up to your neck. His fingertips trailed lightly along your collarbone, his breath hot, you could feel his blood rushing. Once you were sure Caleb was out of earshot you pulled Luke up by the collar of his shirt.

"What's wrong?" Luke's dazed-out look had you feeling a smidge of guilt. "I thought we were having fun?" He breathed out a laugh as he tried to lean in to kiss you.

"It's not that kind of business, baby. Another time." You gripped his chin and sweetly placed a kiss on his lips.

#luke patterson #luke patterson imagine #luke patterson imagines #luke patterson x reader #luke patterson x fem!reader #jatp luke patterson imagine #jatp x reader #jatp imagines #my gif #writings by juls

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ms-demeanor · 6 months

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Also I have to say "but bands are using AI art for their album covers" is not a winning argument.

That band wasn't going to pay you. That band was going to beg somebody's artist brother for a freebie or they were going to have the people in the band who can kind of draw draw something or they were going to use a moody photo someone took with their cellphone. Best possible scenario is "they were going to trade for something from someone in the scene," and this is still the most likely scenario for bands that *give a shit* about that kind of thing.

And I've been the one doing freebie artwork for my musician friends; I've made album covers and done promo shoots, I've drawn logos and I've got a standing offer to make buttons for the cost of materials for every band I've ever played a show with. The people who give a shit in the scene are already doing this because everybody knows that everybody's broke.

I'm certain that there's not *zero* overlap between "bands that can afford to pay artists and photographers to create album artwork" and "bands that are using AI art for their album covers" but if you think "indie musician" is a demographic that has money to spare on commissioned artwork, I'm pretty sure you're mistaken.

Like. Okay, I mean my *big* argument is that AI image generation is fair use, full stop.

But the secondary argument that I've got is that I'm not sure there's a market to have the bottom fall out of.

The person making shitty covers for their amazon romance novel was not going to pay you. They were going to pay someone on fiverr eight dollars *at best* and that's only if they couldn't find a way to DIY.

That band that's trying desperately to sell ten tickets so they can play a show at the cool venue was not going to pay you to do their cover art. Their last fifty bucks just went to covering those tickets because their friends aren't even coming to their free shows. They were going to stage a photoshoot with a cellphone and a timer and someone's sister's selfie stick.

That person who made an AI avatar was not going to pay you for a custom avatar they were going to take a screenshot of your work and use that.

The people who are able to afford to pay artists and who are interested in paying artists are not the people who are replacing artists with AI. The t-shirt dropshippers, the shitty book cover designers, the bland corporate artists, and the art reposting instagram pages were the ones who undercut your market.

If you're concerned that someone is going to use AI to make art that is materially similar to yours and sell it, you're just concerned that someone is going to make art that is materially similar to yours to sell. The concerns about AI doing it are functionally exactly the same as what happens when someone says "wow, I want that on a t-shirt" under your drawing. If someone were to draw a character similar to but distinct from yours with words similar to but distinct from yours and put a link to that on a reblog of your post, that person is not actually infringing on you. They're a shithead, but that's not actually art theft. If they used your character and your words, or if they directly copy the image, that's art theft and you can try to get their post taken down. It's the exact same thing with AI.

The people who care about art and can afford to pay for it are always going to pay for it. Your problem isn't with AI, your problem is with the fact that people don't value art and that's as true now as it was a decade ago.

You are trying to sell a complicated, crocheted sundress made with 100% hand-dyed alpaca wool on Etsy and are complaining that the loose knit acrylic sundress from walmart is undercutting your market. Some people are always going to make the effort to save up and pay for your work because they value the craftsmanship, but those people didn't want to shop at WalMart in the first place. And the ones who value your craftsmanship but just plain can't afford it were going to dig through the bins at a thrift store until they found a crocheted swim cover from the seventies that they could pass off as a dress with a few alterations.

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multifandom--mess · 27 days

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Hannigram Fic Recs! pt.2

Here it is, the big fat fic recs post I've been putting off for like two months but at least that means I had time to read a shit ton of fics. I made sure to do a mix of short and long fics this time around since the first part were all long ones. Enjoy!

part 1

》 The Lamb and His Monster by petrodactyl352 (Explicit)(104k)

Will has always been drawn to the macabre. The proverbial flame upon which he has burnt his fragile moth’s wings time and time again, it’s why he had fallen in love with Florence and why he alone seems to see the beauty in the grisly but exquisite work of Il Mostro. But when he meets a young man in the Uffizi Gallery whose sketchbook is filled with nothing but page upon page of intricate renditions of the Primavera drawn in reverent strokes of pencil, he realizes he may not be alone in his fascination with the Monster. As they lift veils and scale forts and slowly begin to understand each other, Will gets a taste of exactly how bright the cinders of intrigue can burn—and how quickly they can kindle into an inferno of obsession.

(Young hannigram in Florence ahhh this is seriously one of the best fics i've ever read it had to be at the top of the list)

》 Spectral Hearts by mattHughdancy (Explicit) (16k)

Will has a meltdown at a crime scene. Guess who’s called in to help.

(Another top fave of mine they are so fucking cute in this fic 🤧 features autistic Will, and Hannibal just loves him so much oh my goddd my heart exploded reading this)

》 lay like a flood spills away by bleakmidwinter (Explicit)(35k)

Will Graham meets Hannibal, a frequent cruiser, at an open-minded nudist lake. Despite his reservations, Will is drawn to him, but is eventually forced to question his mysterious nature when the lakeside regulars start to go missing.

(I loved this one bc what better setting than a nudist lake. This is just gay as hell honestly lmao bc the lake is all dudes and Will is "straight" at the beginning until he meets Hannibal and it's all downhill from there. Definitely give this one a read it had some hilarious moments too)

》 Doing Things That Friends Don't Do by HigherMagic (Explicit) (39k)

A year after the fall, Will and Hannibal have settled into a fairly blissful, domestic harmony. But Will's imagination has never let him simply enjoy what he has - why should it start now?

(Basically Will trying everything in his power NOT to have sex with Hannibal but of course we all know he can't keep it together. They are so horny for each other in this i died laughing so many times. Also this author is such an amazing writer expect multiple recs from them in this post)

》 Railroad Romance by OneWhoSitsWithTurtles (12k)(Explicit)

Hannibal is still Hannibal, and Will is still Will. Except Will is not part of the FBI and they meet on a two day train trip from New Orleans to Baltimore.

(A strangers to lovers meet-cute on a train. Lots of fluffy moments and of course train sex ensues)

》 Three Stars by beforethedawn (94k)(Explicit)

Three months after the fall, Jack finally tracks them down in Canada and Will and Hannibal have to make a run for it, slumming it through America in three star hotels and eating sub par food.

(Hannigram roadtrip!! This fic was so fun I loved it. They take on the identities of some familiar Mads and Hugh characters ;)

》 Unexpected Delight by HigherMagic (Explicit) (61k)

Will has a kink that he’s deeply ashamed of. Unbeknownst to him, Hannibal has the same or a similar/compatible kink. They get together, and Will is going out of his way as he usually does to seem like his sexual tastes are as “normal” as possible. As a result, Hannibal gets the idea that Will is super vanilla and maybe a little prudish, and not wanting to scare him off, is also keeping his kinky side on the DL. This goes on for while, with them each trying super hard to hide how kinky they are and act as “vanilla” as possible, to hilarious results, all while privately thinking the other one would be super freaked out if they knew since they’re obviously so sweet and normal.

(This whole thing is literally ALL smut 😭😭 but Han and Will love each other to death and the sex is so good y'all omg I had to stop reading multiple times to catch my breath)

》 The Substitute by Devereauxs_Disease (Explicit) (10k)

When Hannibal tells Will he's sick, Will is skeptical. Before he knows it, he's laying in a hospital bed and being told he's going nowhere for two weeks. Will is distraught until Hannibal swoops in and offers to take over Will's courses at the FBI Academy. Will doesn't mind Hannibal showing up every night with a home-cooked meal, but he might just resent Hannibal becoming the most popular teacher at the Academy in just two weeks...

(A seaon 1 au if Hannibal wasn't an asshole had told Will about the encephalitis. This is hilarious tho because the students don't like Will no more when he comes back and they keep asking about Hannibal 😭😭 poor Will lmaoo)

》 When This Old Tired Body Wants to Sing by KareliaSweet (Explicit) (7k)

“Fuck me quicker, darling,” he purrs with liquid insincerity, “God forbid you see my face.” Will never touches him unless it is in the dark. In the daylight he is a ghost.

(Will being an asshole and only fucking Hannibal in the dark ugh 🙄 but things work out eventually so don't worry!)

》 Maybe Tomorrow by Shotgun_sinner (Explicit) (26k)

After recovering from their tumble off a cliff, Will agrees to get Hannibal to Portugal, where the good doctor can start a new life for himself. In exchange, Will can take the boat and return to his life, or start over himself. A storm hits on the open water, leaving them stranded somewhere in the Azores. With no one else on the small island, they're forced to work together for survival, and work through their violent past in order to get along.

(A survival au! I LOVED this and author is another fave of mine. I go crazy for a good stranded on a deserted island trope and this did not disappoint. Also there is an insanely funny part where I absolutely DIED. You'll know when you read it 💀💀)

》 I've Always Been A Daughter by air_of_the_Waterfall (44k)(Explicit)

It's been a month since Will and Abigail ran away with Hannibal. Living in a safe Canadian town, Will and Hannibal are free to explore their newfound intimacy and Abigail has a chance at the future she craves. However, upon meeting Hannibal’s sister Mischa and her daughter, loyalties are tested and insecurities run rampant. The Lecters have an undeniably dark past, and as Abigail and Will fall deeper into its truths, Hannibal’s manipulation and misguided love come to light more clearly than ever before.

(This fic is truly a hidden gem I am so glad I found it. Murder family post-mizumono and also MISCHA LIVES. The plot is so well written and I love Mischa's characterization. Definitely give this one a read, yall it is SO GOOD it deserves so much love)

》 Home is Not a Place by Shotgun_Sinner (11k)(Explicit)

Post-Fall, Hannibal recovers from his injuries. Will takes care of him, and their relationship evolves much more easily than Hannibal thought it would. The only issue is that Will is a constant presence, and he hasn't had alone time in three years. It ends up not being an issue at all.

(This one is so sweet. Basically Hannibal wants to jerk off but he can't because Will is just always there and he hardly gets a moment alone and he'll feel bad for telling him to go away 😭😭 but they finally get together in the end

》 Held in the Highest Regard by HigherMagic (12k)(Explicit)

What happens when a group of serial killers pick the absolute worst targets? Will is already having a pretty rough night, since Hannibal proposed to him and Will said 'No' for reasons he still hasn't quite figured out yet. It's not their fault - they couldn't have known - but sometimes people have to learn lessons the hard way, and Will could definitely use some stress relief.

(If you are familiar with the movie 'The Strangers' then you'll really like this one. I reread it like three times it was so good. Shit had me tweaking omg this is like the perfect au for them)

》 Green-Eyed Monster by CestPasDuBaudelaire (53k)(Explicit)

Will and Hannibal have settled in Cuba and, for the past year, they have been living their happily ever after in a small hidden community for retired wanted criminals. However, at the hazard of a gathering, Will is faced with an unbelievable fact, other members of the community may also fancy his monster of a husband. Then comes Will's spiraling, as he learns to come to terms with a disastrous, chaotic and slowly overwhelming possessiveness. And of course, feelings are never easy to deal with, when Hannibal is involved. A smut character study in three acts exploring Will's possessiveness.

(Top!Will my beloved. Don't let the title fool you, this was so fun to read and I love the community for wanted criminals idea. And possessive Will is always a treat ;)

》 Haunted by Anonymous (165k)(Explicit)

Still recovering from their fight with Dolarhyde, Will and Hannibal escape to New Orleans with Chiyoh's help. But Will is still struggling to accept Hannibal and his own darkness, something that Hannibal has every intention of helping him overcome...

(And finally I leave you guys with this monster of a fic. So sad that the author chose to go anon but if they somehow see this I hope they know how much I love this story. Will is struggling and Hannibal is an asshole at certain points but when is he not? Lots of references to Will's past too and some stuff about his mom that's very interesting)

I hope you guys enjoy these stories as much as I did. If you read any and want to discuss my messages and ask box are always open! ♡♡♡

#hannibal #nbc hannibal #hannigram #will graham #hannibal lecter #murder husbands #hannibal fanfiction #hannigram fanfiction #hannigram fic #hannibal fic #ao3 #fic rec

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catherinekal · 2 months

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Giant Fucking List of Obscure Video Games I Recommend!

It's finally done!! Took me long enough, but here it is. Over 50 games I recommend. Just in time for the Steam Sale. Holy shit I spent way to much time on this.

Some of these are well known to anyone into the indie/AA gaming scene or just on the internet often, but I still felt the need to mention in case people haven't heard of them. All of these are obscure compared to any AAA game and I'm confident no one would have heard or played all of these.

They all have something I found interesting in someway. I was going to include a trailer for each game, but apparently Tumblr doesn't like that. So I have put a link to a Youtube playlist for all of them in the same order as this list. Some of these games are also on various consoles to, but I can confirm they're all on Steam beyond one.

I only picked games I've played personally. I know of many other good obscure games, but haven't tried or bought them yet so they don't get on the list. Also many games on this list remain unfished to me, but that's more due to time and other life shit then them getting bad.

There's a lot of fucking games In this list so hopefully you find something you've never tried before and give it a shot. All these games are on Steam with one exception, but that's a free game. I also organized them by genres that make perfect sense to me.

Trailers Link:

The Best Game Ever:

Outer Wilds

Fuck it let's just start with the only mandatory game on this list you need to play. You know how nearly every space game is a overpromised underdelivered fucking mess? Like all of them.

Outer Wilds is the actual good one. Don't want to say much more then that. This is very much an experience that you need to know as little as possible to get the best experience. Not even linking the trailer in the playlist.

Absolutely play this game if you had to pick only 1 thing on this list.

EarthBoundLikes:

OMORI

OMORI is a game about a group of kids who go on magical adventures and save the day. That's it. Nothing else sinister going on here.

It's a well known indie game and for good reason. It's fucking good. One of my favorite games of all time.

Art style is peak. A mix of pixel and pencil drawn art that works so damn well for me. The battle system is turn based and revolves around changing emotions and teamwork. It mixes a happy child like vibe with a darkness underneath it, which is right up my alley. A tale of trauma and grief. I'm still fucked up thinking about some story bits in there.

All the characters are wonderful and the story is helped a lot by keeping it focused on a small group of friends.

Play it.

LISA: The Painful and LISA: The Joyful

LISA: The Painful/Joyful are a pair of games that fuck. They fuck hard.

They're morbid, tackle many taboos, and have a dark but also stupid sense of humor. The visuals are nothing groundbreaking, but this isn't a game that needs perfect pristine pixel art. The combat system is a lot of fun, but takes very clear inspiration from Earthbound. The story is just perfect though.

You play Brad whos on a journey to rescue his adoptive daughter who was kidnapped in a post apocalyptic world of only men. You meet the strangest allies and the game has a lot of odd characters in it. Want a lawyer fish in your party? This game has it.

It does not shy away from throwing punches and is not for anyone who can't handle a story that tackles themes of abuse, depression, suicide, and more. The game also has a sequel I don't want to say to much about, but it's absolutely worth it as well.

If you want a fun and fucked up 2D RPG adventure and somehow haven't played this then please do so.

Mandatory Metroidvania Soulslike Indie Game Darlings:

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

Ender Lilies is the first of many metroidvania's on this list. The indie scene is filled with them and for good reason. The formula works so damn well.

What I love about Ender Lilies is the concept of the player character. You play a white priestess who is also a child and helpless on her own. However, you can summon the spirits of allies and slain enemies to fight for you and those spirits are all your attacks. Gameplay is the same as any other Metroidvania, but knowing I'm this helpless child in this world infected by blight really sells me on the setting.

There's nothing revolutionary to this entry in the pantheon of Metroidvanias, but the visuals and setting are why I recommend it. This game is a slow descent into hell. Also you do get a big heavy hammer attack and any game with a big hammer weapon attack is a good game. Big bonks.

Craving a Metroidvania with a macabre setting? This will do it.

GRIME

GRIME is something else. I don't hear anyone talk about this game and it's a damn shame. I don't even know how to even describe GRIMEs setting. You play as essentially a sentient black hole on a rock body. You go through, with lore slowly revealed as is the Metroidvania stable, and absorb your enemies.

This games aesthetic is best described as fleshy stone. It's very unique visually and what made me want to try it out. As for gameplay you'll need to learn parrying as this games combat system heavily relies on it.

This game surprised me and has a entire level I never expected with one very unique boss to top that off. Also be warned. This game is very much a platformer as well. Similar to how the Ori games are, not just pure combat challenges. If you like your metroidvanias with little to no platforming then you won't enjoy parts of this game, but nothing as difficult as things in Hollow Knight.

If you enjoy metroidvanias then this is a must play. More people need to talk about it.

Salt and Sanctuary

This is where it all started. Certainly not the first Metroidvania by any means, but the first 2D Soulslike Metroidvania or at the least first advertised as such. The devs intended to make Dark Souls in 2D and they did it. Before Hollow Knight, the games listed above, or so many others that took inspirations from Souls in the 2D world, was this game. I know this game was popular with the souls community as it came out, but I don't really hear about it anymore. Hollow Knight just dominated all discussion.

The controls and combat are very much Dark Souls but in 2D. The lore is cryptic and hidden away. There's a fuckton of weapons and spells and multiple playthroughs worth of stuff. The game is hard though Hollow Knight would easily one up it in terms of difficulty.

This game also has covenants that are actually good and the mechanics around them are vastly improved over any souls game that has covenants. I won't go into detail, but I wish the souls games copied this games mechanics for that.

The setting is high fantasy with the lovely dark bloody horror underneath it all. The art style can turn people away, it's not as pretty as other 2D souslikes, but I enjoy it personally. It fits.

The game has a lot to explore and you can get lost in its world pretty easily. I remember walking into a boss room from the exit somehow and got behind the boss and it was all intended if you navigated around him.

If you can appreciate or just get past the visuals and want to see where the 2D soulslike genre began then you should play it.

Metroidvania's Before the Dark Age of Soulslikes

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Long ago there was a time where Metroidvanais didn't have soulslike mechanics defaulted in and set in these bleak post apocalyptic worlds. I have 3 of them to recommend. Starting With Dust: An Elysian Tail

This is a fun little game. A game that I'm not sure many people know about or would think to play today. Metroidvanias pre Hollow Knight tend to get forgotten when I see people about them now. It has a mix of platforming and hectic combat. I remember the game having a cool spin sword attack with a even cooler aerial attack. I liked it a lot when I played it many many years ago.

The art style is colorful and everyone is an anthropomorphic animal. More games need anthropomorphic animals beyond catgirl or rabbitgirl, seriously I grew up on shit like sly Cooper and Ratchet and Clank.

You play as Dust and are accompanied by Fidget. you got a magic sword and you kill a bunch of shit while saving the day. Just a fun little Metroidvania that doesn't overstay and go on forever.

It may be dated in some ways, but if you're a fan of these types of games and want to play a older one then here you go.

Guacamelee!

The combat in this game feel great. Another little forgotten gem of a Metroidvania. It has such a unique style to it and has a fun cartoony vibe. It's pretty fucking great.

You play as a farmer who dons a luchador mask to save his friend he loves and the world being taken over. The combat is a mix of punches, kicks, and throws which is unique from the usual swords and magic these types of games tend to default to. As the game goes along enemies will have shields that need certain moves to break and you'll be switching from the land of the dead and living in combat and platforming.

Both this and Dust before it don't reinvent the genre or anything, but have their own unique charms that I recommend them both if you're a fan of Metroidvanias.

Cave Story+

This is a old classic. The original Cave Story came out in 2004, and was released with a enhanced version in 2011. This is a must play Metroidvania and an old gem. It's the oldest game on this list technically.

This game has little to no melee combat, but instead goes all in on using guns. More Metroid then Vania in that sense. What's unique to the combat is enemies will drop experience that will level up your guns automatically. Each gun can be upgraded to 3 levels, but when you take damage you lose experiences and levels. This adds a extra layer or rewards and punishment to getting hit that I like. Your weapons are perfectly usable at level 1 so it's not like you're fucked, but it gives a greater incentive to avoid damage.

It has fun characters and and fun gameplay. It's a genuine indie gem that I think everyone should play.

Pixel Action Adventure Games With A Dash of RPG Elements to Taste:

ANNO: Mutationem

This game is a pixel art cyberpunk adventure. I adore the art style. It's a 2.5D action platformer set in a futuristic setting. You're on a quest to save your brother with the help of your hacker friend/girlfriend. A quest which leads to a far more complicated story.

The story in this game goes off the rails in ways I love, but I know it threw people off. People have compared the latter half to Evangelion and It can be confusing to follow at times. I still highly recommend it, even if you get lost near the end. A simpler story in terms of Lore would have worked better, but I say fuck it. Go all in.

To me the appeal of this game is the setting. A fascinating cyberpunk sci-fi setting shown through wonderful pixel art. Just walking around the various cities was a joy on its own. There's a lot of attention to detail and I think it's worth playing for that alone. Combat is your standard side-scrolling Metroidvaniaish kind of stuff with various weapons and upgrades and all that. I found it a little challenging at times, but this isn't a game meant for extreme difficulty from what I remember.

If you want to play as hot badass woman in a cyberpunk setting given life through detailed pixel art, then this is the game for you.

CrossCode

This is the most dense indie game on this whole list. CrossCode has so much to do. The game is expansive and slowly drip feeds you with more. You have 5 skill trees, 4 of which are tied to an element, multiple upgrade paths in them. You have a mix of melee combat with twin stick shooter mechanics thrown in. The game has multiple dungeons with puzzles that are both difficult to figure out and then execute the solution for. These aren't like a 2D Zelda dungeon where things never get to complicated, I really took a lot of time with every dungeon.

The setting takes place on another moon physically, but its actually all virtual and a MMO people are playing from all over the galaxy. Though the game itself isn't a MMO really. You play as a set character in a set linear story that's unrelated to that actual in lore story of the MMO.

The characters are fun and the setting is a joy to explore. There's a lot of side content and I don't remember any of it being a drag. This games also challenging and I know It took me a bit to progress at various points. The pixel art is very detailed, especially with the outdoor environments.

This game will keep you engaged for a while and there's challenging DLC and even fun incentives to play new game plus. This is just all around a solid game experience.

Hyper Light Drifter

I played this game a long time ago so details are hazy, but I know I really enjoyed it. It's top down and filled with action. You got a sword. You got a gun. You go kill things and I do remember many challenging combat encounters.

I have forgotten all story elements, but even now I still remember some imagery that reminded me of Evangelion, which is always a plus. Though story was never the main draw to games for me so the setting and combat were all I needed to keep engaged.

Not the most descriptive review of the game, but I know this is one of the furthest game on this list from when I played it and I only went through it once. It's a cool game though and if the trailer enticed you then you owe it to yourself to get it.

Phoenotopia: Awakening

I adore this little hidden gem of a game. If CrossCode is the most dense indie game on this list then this is a very close second. Possibly even more dense, I truly can't decide for sure. It's cute, funny, charming, and full of legitimate challenges.

You play as Gail who lives in a small town village. Some shit happens that I won't give away, but you end needing to travel the land and go on a fun adventure. The story is full of comedic and lively characters. It never takes itself to seriously or gets really dark which Is a nice change of pace.

This game really is an adventure. You will travel a lot and get very familiar with any hub area. There's secrets and puzzles packed all over and gives you good reason to revisit. A nice drip feed of progress is felt as you unlock more stuff.

In terms of combat it's bar far the most simplistic on this list and could even frustrate others, but like everything else in this game it has charm and I adore it. The simple mechanics don't mean no challenge though. I was stuck often, but felt so satisfying when I won.

Some of the late game areas can be bullshit and will frustrate you, but stick with it. This is a genuine top tier hidden indie gem that got no attention. Honestly just under Outer Wilds this would be the other must buy. Absolutely play this.

Vampire Survivorlikes:

20 Minutes Till Dawn

Everyone knows about Vampire Survivor and everyone knows many games came out that tried to capture that style of gameplay. This one is the only one of those I've played and it's wonderful.

You unlock multiple characters and multiple guns with various upgrade trees. Kill the horde, survive, upgrade, survive even longer. Each level only takes 20 minutes, hence the title. I appreciate that as the game would never end with how strong you end up being by the end after you learn the mechanics.

This isn't anything groundbreaking, but if you need to kill half a hour then it's a fun thing to play.

Hawklikes:

Umurangi Generation

Let's fucking go!! This game rules!

As someone who is going to pursue photography more seriously as a hobby this game is perfect. Unlike something like Pokemon Snap or games with photo modes, this game really captures the feeling of holding a physical camera and the moment to moment decisions you make with each shot.

You unlock different lenses and control each shot as you would a real camera. After each photo you can edit it on the spot purely for your own creative reasons. The visuals are low poly and very colorful.

The game has a tony hawk style of progression. A hawklike if you will. You get dropped in a level and are given a list of photos to try and take. You can of course take photos of anything. You have a limited amount of film and can find more throughout the level.

Also there's a story. There's a dark undercurrent to the whole thing and the game is very overtly political in all the right ways. Don't like politics in your games? Fuck you! This game dives right in while still maintaining the core gameplay loop. Need more games like this please.

Please buy this game and it's DLC.

Action Games:

Furi

Top tier action game. It's a boss rush game, that's it. 10 bosses with some vague story that briefly connects them. It's not bloated with bullshit and knows exactly what to focus on.

The combat is a mix of intense melee combat with parries and dodges and the like, with twin stick shooting. No upgrades. No farming. No choosing between this weapon or that. No additional moves or mechanics. You fight a tutorial boss which teaches you everything and then you go. You have the full toolkit from the start and that lets you master it slowly over the game.

It's so fucking satisfying finally winning and knowing you improved and earned that win. I like the story as well. It's not that complex, but the ending bits worked for me.

If you want a genuine good action game that has no bullshit attached then get this.

Amid Evil

There's not much to say about this one other then it's really fucking fun. It's a first person action game where you use magic and weapons to go through combat filled levels. You have health and mana that all weapons use outside of your axe. The levels are filled with secrets, you move fast, and it's just a fun action game.

Sometimes a game isn't more then that and it beats games that are stuffed with unnecessary mechanical bloat. If you want a fun first person action game that's not just a full shooter then this is the game for you.

Adventure Games:

The Cat Lady and Lorelai

I love these games. No one ever talks about them or knows about them and they will certainly linger in your mind. The devs have made 2 other games that I have yet to get to so for now I am recommending only these.

Play The Cat Lady first. It's the first one and tells the story of a very depressed middle aged woman who gets a second chance at life, at a cost.

Lorelai is about a young woman in a very abusive household trying to survive while seeing what lengths she will go to save those she loves.

Both these games revolve around deals with a devil and feature a lot of horrific violence. Fun!

The stories in both evoke a creepy disturbing feeling and you're always on edge. I won't say these are straight horror games, but they sure use horror imagery. The art style really helps sells it. The animations or character models may not be the most beautiful thing around, but it has that indie charm I love. The voice acting isn't perfect either, but these aren't negatives for me. These are passion projects and imperfections are what make any piece of art shine brighter. Real people put their soul into these games and it shows.

The gameplay is standard adventure game fair, but all keyboard controlled. So no endless mouse clicking everything on the screen. which works wonderfully. Though being pure adventure games you're here more for the story then the moment to moment gameplay.

Please play these.

Detention

Detention is probably well known due to the controversy with Red Candle Games other game, Devotion being wiped online for shitty reasons. It's available now on their own websites store, though I still have never played it. I should one day as Detention was pretty fucking good.

The gameplay is the usual 2D adventure game fair. A lot of clicking and puzzle solving with some horror thrown in. The story and setting are where it's at though.

The game is unique in that it's made from Taiwanese devs and the games setting is rooted in their cultures history. I don't want to give away any real details beyond that, but it certainly left an impact and seeing a game not set in Europe, America, Japan, or any fantasy equivalent to those was refreshing. The games also not super long and could easily be beaten in a day.

Go buy it. Play it on a long free night. Support these devs.

Rime

I love the aesthetic of this game. Cel shading indie colorful goodness. I got this for the visuals alone and was very happy the game that came with it was good to. Visuals are a major factor in me getting interested in a game and the reveal trailer was enough for me to play it.

It's very light and cryptic on story for most of it as to be expected from this kind of game. You're a kid, you wake up on a beach and go forth exploring. You solve puzzles and hide from danger and go through each of the unique levels trying to piece together whats going on.

Like the game before, this isn't a super long one. Shouldn't take more then a day or a few to get through it all. Though I do recommend you take your time and explore like I did. Let yourself be immersed in the setting.

This is another example of just a pure perfect indie game. Doesn't overstay it's welcome, tells a simple but cryptic story, and has lovely visuals.

Atominous

This is the one of the few games on this whole list that I would say is truly obscure. In fact I have no doubt this is the most obscure. If you're big into indie games then nothing on this list will honestly surprise you, but I'm confident this is the exception.

In this free game you place as a a little guy who's job is like pest control. Instead of bugs your job is to collect and protect the world from rare atoms called Atominous. Basically little atoms that can alter reality. You go into a big house and your job is to find them through the power of puzzle solving and clicking every little thing you see.

This game is all about clicking everything. Nearly every object has unique text that pops up, if not multiple. You find keys to open more of the house and slowly suck up the atominous atoms and clean up the place.

That's it. It's a fun quirky little free game that shouldn't take more then a couple hours. No excuse not to try it, it's free. It's also the only game not on steam, but instead here

Adventure Games Where You Hit Things:

TUNIC

TUNIC is a lovely indie game. You play as a little cute fox and go on a adventure to save your poor trapped mom. such a cute game :3

I adore the visuals, I love low poly stuff and the game is full of charm. Looking at this game makes me happy. The game is like a mix of a top down Zelda and Fez and it being reminiscent of FEZ was what really took me by surprise. I won't go further in how it's like FEZ, but it really elevated the game for me.

It's a fun top down game with simple fun combat. You kill enemies, find key items, unlock more of the world, and get fed cryptic lore. The perfect formula for a fun little indie game. The game is decently challenging to with it's boss fights, and overall a nice fun little experience with some neat surprises.

TUNIC is wonderful, go play it.

Kena: Bridge of Sprits

This is the most PS2 game I've played since the PS2. I mean that as a compliment. This game felt like going back in time to a simpler time.

Visually the game is not at all like the PS2. The visuals are beautiful and has been compared to Pixar. It's bright, colorful, and well polished. To me this is peak aesthetics. This game is worth playing just to see all the work that went into the game's visuals alone.

It reminded me of a PS2 game because it's a self contained fun third person action adventure. Just a fun game with no bullshit holding it down or any other purpose then being a fun adventure. The world is a joy to explore with a nice steady progression. I especially love how the Hub is mostly corrupted and you slowly restore it over the course of the game. Shit like that always feels so good.

There's a lot of unexpected challenge to. Some of the later fights and especially bosses took me a bit to beat. Just like a PS2 game you'll get random difficulty spikes that are so fucking satisfying to beat.

I highly recommend this game.

Adventure Games Where You're in the Desert:

Sable

Sable is a coming of age story presented in a very fun interactive package. This is a game about heading out into the world and exploring on your own whim to figure out what your character becomes as an adult.

You play as Sable, a young adult girl who has to leave her tribe and head into the wider world to discover herself. The goal is to find mask which representative a life path and pick one by the end. The actual game is about heading into a desert open world, solving puzzles, helping NPC's, and discovering what bits of hidden lore hide throughout. You do this all on a hoverbike you can customize as you unlock more parts.

As always the art style is important to me and this game has something really unique. The characters animation is low framerate and it can be off putting to some, but of course I loved it as I love any odd creative choice. I love the lighting and colors to. It's hard to describe just why I was so mesmerised by the art style, but I can safely say it's one of my all time favorites.

The only negative goes to technical issues. The game ran like shit on my PC and my PC isn't bad. Even people with far better PC's then me ran into frame rate issues and others didn't have any. Sometimes games aren't optimized well, but this game was so magical to me that I loved it, despite the tech issues.

It's a very chill game. You want to explore a cool world at a slow pace and get lost in it? Sable's the game for you.

It Comes In Waves

This is a short game where you have to start over if you die. A penalty I feared, but truthfully this isn't that difficult of an experience. You start on one end of a desert and have to carry something to the other end as it grows inside a tank on your back.

As you wait for whatever your transporting to grow you will explore minimalist environments with some unique imagery that speaks of a wider history you just have to wonder about. The whole time you have to watch out for raiders and watch your water level. It always depletes and you will need to explore and refill it as you journey on. I also love how you have a map, but the map is like an actual map. It doesn't show you on it, but just the overall area.

This game will take you a hour at best and is unlike anything else on this list. There's something about just slowly walking across the desert, not knowing what's ahead, and hoping you can make it to the next water tank. Just a little experimental game about a harsh journey.

Platformers With 2 Entire Dimensions:

MO: Astray

Ever wanted to play as a little blob? No? Well you should because this game was a hidden gem. I was thrown off by this game at first and then pleasantly surprised by the whole experience.

This game feels like it should be a metroidvania. It's 2D and you're on a broken down ship or facility or something. Nope. This game is fully linear and at first I didn't think I'd like that and was disappointed, but it works so damn well.

You play a slime essentially and you have the magical power to read the last thoughts and minds of corpses by settling on their rotten fleshy head. With this power and other little story tidbits you learn what's going on, your purpose, and so on.

There's no combat in this game really. You move by shooting yourself in any direction you can see and you can stick to surfaces. There's danger. There's enemies. There's boss fights. All without the usual fair of attack/dodge roll, that's standard for 2D metroidvanias now. This game is something different and that alone makes it worth it.

Also a note on the boss fights. All of them felt very unique from each other I prefer having a few well crafted unique bosses then having a bunch of the same type of fight over and over again.

Another genuine hidden gem you should try.

Platformers With 3 Entire Dimensions:

Frogun

Frogun is adorable. It's like a N64 game and I love it.

You have a frog grappling hook and go through little short levels that ramp up in difficulty. There's optional challenges in each one. The art style is absolutely going for that early 3D low poly vibe that is starting to become more popular.

This is a perfect example of just a fun video game for the sake of being a fun video game. No serious story or message or intense complicated gameplay mechanics. Just a cute 3D platformer reminiscent of a older time.

Also I played this back when I used to stream and a Frogun speedrunner showed up in chat and helped me pull off a couple speedrunning tricks so that was fun.

If you want something simple and fun then here it is.

Cyber Hook

The ultimate speedrunning game. You have a gun, a grappling hook, and the ability to slow down time. This is a pure platformer. You enter levels with the goal of getting through as fast as you can.

I never got great at it, but the few times I really got going fast and flew through a level felt awesome. It's so satisfying finally doing things right after many failures and you will fail a lot.

There's really not much more to it. Neat visuals with satisfying and simple mechanics. If that sounds fun to you then check it out.

Marble It Up! Ultra

Platformers really are just the perfect mechanic to make fun mindless games with. Marble It Up! Ultra is another simple 3D platformer that's just purely focused on being fun.

As always it's not that complicated either. You're a marble and you try to reach the end of each stage with a time limit. There's items to stop time, make you jump higher, and go faster. Just all about building up speed and there's tons of ways to skip past parts of levels. Like the two games before, this one is perfect for speedrunning.

It's fun, go buy it.

RPG's:

Roadwarden

I was going to make a big post about why I preferred this to BG3, but scrapped it. BG3 is fun, but the story just bores me from the get go. Where BG3 failed for me Roadwarden succeeded. All story and all fantastic.

This is a text based RPG. Very simplistic visuals which show just enough to let your imagination handle most of the work.

You play a roadwarden who has the lovely job to travel the dangerous roads and help the townsfolk all while working on your greater goals. You pick between 3 starting classes and those do change how you approach things quite a bit. You have a time limit and that will force you to prioritize things over others. You can't do everything in a single playthrough. Your decisions matter and you aren't going to figure everything out.

You have to manage your health, money, hunger, and cleanliness. You will never have enough money for everything and that helps create more interesting choices. You have to manage what you do in a day. You meet a lot of people and forge allies or enemies and it's all told with stellar writing.

If you want a well written fantasy interactive story then you must play this game.

RPG's With Intense High-Octane Turn Based Combat:

Epic Battle Fantasy 5

A long time ago in times forgotten there existed these ancient relics called Flash games. Maybe one day I'll talk about old flash games I was into, but for now I'm only talking about the latest instalment in one of them. Epic Battle Fantasy is a series of games made by Matt Roszak. They started as little flash games, but have since turned into bigger games that are on Steam. 5 is the latest one and also the best so I'm recommending this one.

I've gone through this game multiple times. This game fucking rules. The game is easy to control, satisfying, and has my favorite turn based combat system period. No seriously, this is my favorite turn based combat system. I could go on what I like about it so much, but I'll spare you all most of the details. I'll say it gets rid of mana entirely and put all your abilities on cooldowns which changes based on what you're using. This just fixes balancing and helps you from spamming heals and all that. I love this system. It's easy to control, intuitive to understand, full of options, and can have a chaotic randomness I enjoy.

In this game you explore the overworld, solve puzzles, and fight enemies. The story is not at all serious or anything like that. It may not be a Flash game anymore, but it still has the older internet spirit of not taking things to seriously and being a little juvenile. There's also a lot of post game challenges that still are impossible for me to really do well or at all.

You can change the difficulty anytime and another thing I love is the entire game can be controlled with just a mouse. You can use a keyboard to, but a mouse covers everything which I think is neat.

This is such a wonderful combat system and the game I've beaten most on this list. If you want legitimately challenging turn based RPG combat and don't care about story or characters to get that then this game is a must play.

Shadows Over Loathing

Want a lovecraftian mystery RPG injected with a dose of comedy where everybody is a stick figure? Yes? How very specific, but luckily there's a game just for you.

Shadows Over Loathing is a turn based RPG where you search for your missing uncle in a area full of strange locations and characters. I never did play their other game West of Loathing, and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It was a lot of fun, creative, difficult at times, and had a world I really wanted to explore.

It has a lighthearted comedic tone throughout and the silly art and stick figure characters help with that. The actual turn based combat is fun to. Nothing to complicated but could be challenging to which is needed to help this style of combat really shine.

There's really not much more to it. If this sounds like something you'd enjoy then please check it out.

RPG's Fused With A Light Novel:

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

AA games still exist! I finally get to talk about Ys. I've played 3 Ys games and I'm going to talk about my favorite one because of the fun gameplay. This is a very unknown franchise that has existed since the 80's and even now the 10th instalment is set to release later this year.

As for why I'm recommending Ys 8, it's because it has some of the most fun gameplay. The combat is fast paced, encourages good timing, and full of that anime over the top stylish action. You control up to 3 characters and can easily switch between them. Each character plays differently and has their own special moves and everything just feels so satisfying.

You play as generic light novel anime man, Adol. Tagging along is generic tsundere light novel anime girl and other light novel anime characters. Like edgy boy with a gun, loli raised in the wild, and blue haired girl. You crash land on a island and have to survive and find survivors. Much like LOST the story goes off the rails and of course in classic JRPG fashion you need to stop the end of the world somehow. Unlike LOST characters are generic and the usual anime fair.

Despite the lackluster story this game still fucking rules because it's so goddamn fun to play. It also solved crafting forever by making it so you can convert common items into rarer ones making anything you find useful potentially. Seriously it's such a nice feature and all crafting systems without it are lesser.

If you want some fun action combat and don't mind anime bullshit then really, check out the entire franchise. Any of them will do, but this is the one I'd recommend the most.

RPG's Fused With A Light Novel and A WW2 Textbook:

Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 4

Picture this. WW2, but with anime and magical girls. Japan just never stops with these incredible ideas.

I adore these 2 games. I haven't played 2 or 3 as those are PSP games and I don't hear great things. However I can confirm 1 and 4 are fucking fantastic.

These games are tactical RPG's where you command troops one by one in missions. Most are usually about capturing a enemy base, but there's a lot of variety beyond that in both of them. You lay out your troops at the start plus your commander who's in the tank. You get a set level of CP per turn and each CP is used to control a unit. The actual game is probably piss easy for experienced tactical game players, but I'm not that at all. I found it legitimately difficult, both games.

What sets it apart is the game turns into a sort of third person shooter when controlling the units. You can freely move up to your AP and get one action to do. If it was just top down the whole time I'd find that not that interesting, but actually moving around and taking cover unit by unit is very engaging. There's 5 classes in the first game and a 6th added in the fourth game. Each class can be upgraded as well along with weapons, equipment, and the tanks.

The stories in both are nothing special truthfully. It's anime WW2 with silly dumb anime characters. I don't mind that and had a lot of fun, but if you can't stand something like Persona then these games will infuriate you. To me stupid anime characters in games can be a lot of fun, like Raz in 4, the dumbest but somehow most entertaining character for me. Expect some silly anime cliches and tone changes and the usual fair for these kinds of games. Even if the story is a big nothing for you, I still think both games are worth it for the gameplay.

Another aspect that I really love is all your units have personality traits that can trigger as you control them. What caught me off guard was that they're both positive and negative ones. There's ones like a woman having man hater and fancies woman as traits, aka the lesbian. There's straight up a guy with misogynist as a trait. Some are lonely, frail, daredevils, have crushes or people they hate, even one with the masochist trait. All these good and bad traits translate into potential buffs or debuffs that can happen in the game.

Sadly these side characters don't get much story in the first game. Just a unique design with some personality traits and maybe a couple in battle lines of dialogue. However, the 4th one introduced squad stories. Essentially little side stories that revolve around the non important squad mates. They were always fun to do and the missions for them are more unique because they are designed around only using those 3 characters.

I recommend both of them, but if you had to play one I'm not sure. 1 has the better story, the overall lore itself establishes in 1, and the gameplay is still fun. 4 has the better gameplay, more unique missions, and the squad stories which were a highlight for me.

Just pick which one sounds more like your thing if you only want to spend the time with one of them. Both are fun.

RPG's About the Harsh Reality of Capitalism:

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale

I adore this games concept. It takes the common NPC seen in these little RPG adventures, the shopkeeper, and puts you in their shoes. You're father has a big debt to pay off and you now have to sell items out of your house to help pay it off before the deadline.

You lay the items out and then have to haggle your way to a profit. Finding the line of when to haggle and how much is the key to success and I failed miserably. I never did beat this game, but I haven't beaten many games on this list and that won't stop me from telling you to play them. I think the concept alone is enough of a reason to check it out.

The game does have combat as well. You can hire an adventurer to go with you into a dungeon and fight enemies for treasure. I like how you hire someone from the Adventurers Guild, just another cool concept as a typical game would have you play as the character being hired instead all the time. I also like how dungeons are high risk high reward. If they die then you lose most of what you gather and essentially just wasted the day.

It's just a cool concept and a nice change of pace from how a game set in these typical fantasy settings would go. You aren't some savior of the world, but just a shopkeeper trying to pay off debt.

Spooky Games:

Yuppie Psycho

Do you want a game about a corporate building being haunted by dark forces and being a badass fighting your way through it all? That's Control. You just want Control.

Unlike Control which bored me to death after a while. Yuppie Psycho is about a haunted corporate building, but you play a new lowly worker who's been tasked with something far above his pay grade. Brian Pasternack is a new hire who's in way over his head. What should have been a normal corporate jobs turns into a witch hunt, literally.

You aren't a badass and will have to sneak your way to victory, uncovering the buildings hidden secrets along the way. For me that's part of why this works over Control as a effective story. You're kind of a fucking nobody who has to be extra careful and is reluctant to even do this. Far more relatable honestly.

The joy of this game comes from exploring this building and uncovering the secrets and horrors. Each floor is unique and this game gets creative with the corporate horror vibe. I love some of the designs of things and how it blends comedy and horror together. It also has branching paths and even limited save slots which seemed frustrating at first, but wasn't really a big deal. Not saving every chance you can really adds to the tension when sneaking around.

It's not a true horror intense experience, but as someone who is a baby with horror I found a lot of genuine tense moments. It's a real indie gem.

The Complex: Found Footage

Kane Pixels backrooms videos are honestly pretty fucking great. I'm not usually a fan of horror at all, but there's something about these videos that just work for me. Then pgWave decided to make a video game creating the experience of exploring these kinds of spaces.

This is a creepy game where you slowly move through liminal spaces and just sort of get lost in it. There's no jumpscares or anything intense happening, but as a baby with horror this game was tense to go through for me. Honestly I appreciate it's not a more traditional horror game with a monster or something. Just dropped in a space that's inherently unsettling and leaving it up to you to explore.

If you have a free night and want to get lost exploring spaces only games could deliver then play it. It's literally free.

Games Where You Gotta Go Fast:

Distance

This game fucks. I actually remember when playing the first version of this game back when it was a student project. Students at DigiPen made a game called Nitronic Rush and it was (maybe still is?) available to download for free from the schools website. That game fucks and they announced a proper full game called Distance and it was one of the rare instances I actually bought a early access game.

Distance is a car game about going fast as fuck. The levels don't put you against anyone and instead just getting to the end is the challenge in itself. You have a boost that can overheat, a jump, and even wings when needed. The levels will require you to weave in and out of oncoming danger. They have jumps where you'll need to turn the car 90 or 180 degrees to land on a new track. All while giving you a wonderful sense of speed and accomplishment when you pull things off right.

It's not a easy game either and levels will get challenging. There's a ton of levels and challenges and if you get sucked into the gameplay then there's a lot to keep you there. This game seeks to deliver the thrill of going fast in a dangerous track where everything is out to kill you, and making it to the end. There's really not much more to say. It has a specific vision and fully realizes it.

Games Where You Trust the Heart of the Cards:

Foretales:

This game is very unique and nothing quite like what I've played before. The entire game is card based. Each of the characters have their own decks that are all mixed together in your hand. You have 4 resources you can collect, gold, food, fame, and infamy. You can get item cards as well. The board has various location cards you need to move through to move the story along. What's unique about this is the cards can be used in battle or on locations.

It's hard to really go into details how this all works, but you don't have a separate hand or anything for when combat begins.

Some cards have uses in locations and battles and others don't, but there all mixed together which adds to you planning ahead and making the best choice. You can use a eavesdrop card near a guard post to get a juicy secret which can be used for blackmail later. You can forage for food and obviously a forest will give you more then a mine shaft. There's a lot of really cool little interactions and creativity put into this systems that's just to complicated to type out and explain.

One thing I can get into is the best feature of combat. The fact that you can get through it without fighting or with less fighting then needed. Those 4 resources can be used in locations for story or optional reasons, but they can also be used in combat pacify enemies. Bandits can be bribed with gold or food for example. Fame and infamy can be used as well in certain circumstances. They are a constantly growing resource that always have uses. I'm sure it's possible to do a full pacifist run, though I imagine it would be difficult.

The game also has multiple paths for the story to go and lots of optional stuff. Multiple characters to use down the line but only 3 party members so there's more choice as well. Also everyone's an anthropomorphic animal because why not.

I just like how it's a card based game that's not just a battle between opponents or a roguelike or how cards are typically used in video games. If nothing else this game should be played for it's game design alone. If you want a really unique interactive story experience entirely dictated by cards then this is about the only game I know of like it.

One Step From Eden

I'm very bad at this game. So bad I still have never beaten it once. It's really fun all the same though.

It's a deckbuilding roguelike set on a grid. As the formula goes you fight your way through, choosing your path, collecting cards, and seeing if you can win. In my case that's a no.

The game is set on a grid where you have to manage what spells you currently have, dodging enemies, and somehow making sense of the chaos. You can unlock other characters that have their own unique mechanics to help freshen things up. Also the game just throws you in the deep end and lets you learn through playing. No tutorial or anything, just have at it.

If you're itching for a roguelike that's very fucking challenging then enjoy.

Inscryption

This is another game I expect many others to know about, but if not then honestly just play it.

It's a rougelike card game set in a wonderfully crafted creepy setting. You're alone in some mysterious persons shack forced to play a really well designed card game. Of course if it was just that I'd not be recommending it.

The mechanics are well thought out and slowly learning the mechanics feels nice. You will fail, a lot, as is the case for roguelikes, but keep at it. The game is filled with secrets and puzzles and mysteries that you'll just have to figure out for yourself.

Much like with Outer Wilds way back at the top, I don't want to say much more. If you have somehow not played this or don't know anything about it then you should.

Tainted Grail: Conquest

This is still the only proper deck-building roguelike in the same vein as Slay the Spire. While I haven't played much of that and honestly couldn't get into it, this game I did.

It was described to me as Slay the Spire meets Dark Souls by some poor soul who's brain is forever lost in soulslike hell. In reality it's just a cool deck building game where you fight creepy monsters and slowly build up the village to make each run easier. There's characters to find and NPC quest you can make little progressions on each run. It's just enough story and context to give this game a sense or purpose and progression outside collecting cards.

What added more replayability to me beyond the quest was having 9 classes to work with. In truth it's really 3 broad classes with 3 variations on those broader class types. You have the fighter, archer, and summoner as the broad classes. They use similar cards, but their strategies vary with each subclass. A summoner is more about making their summons powerful, bloodmages use their own life to summon minions that get stronger and die on their own, and necromancers sacrifice their minions to turn into a Lich. The fighter and archer subclasses are as varied and it's a good way to use similar cards across different playstyles.

I had a lot of fun with this one. It's a fun deck building game.

Thinking Games:

Manifold Garden:

I love the space this game takes place in. This is the shit only games can truly deliver on. The world is basically always looping. Each level repeats in all directions when your in open space. If you fall anywhere, you'll be ok. You can just fall endlessly even, it's very mesmerising and freeing once you get used to the fact that you can just jump off anywhere, and even needed to solve the level sometimes.

The other fun mechanic the puzzles primarily revolve around is the ability to walk on any surface and change gravity as you do it. Essentially you turn the wall into the new floor and is the main mechanic for puzzles in enclosed spaces. This game uses blocks of various colors and the simple task of putting them in the right slot is made complicated by having to altar gravity and matching them up. There's other mechanics introduced of course, but you'll need to discover those yourself.

The game can be beaten in a day give or take your skill at puzzles. I appreciate that it doesn't overstay it's welcome and uses it's mechanics in interesting ways. Also this reminds me I still need to play Antichamber someday.

If you like exploring spaces only games can deliver on or puzzles then this is the game for you.

FEZ

FEZ! This is such a fun interesting little game. It's probably well known given who the creator is, but if you haven't checked this out before, then you should.

The trailer makes it appear to be more a platformer then a puzzle game and that's half right. Similar to another game on this list, FEZ goes much deeper then a mere platformer. It has some esoteric puzzles. As I understand (could be wrong) one puzzle still hasn't been solved legitimately, but had to be brute forced and even now the community has no concrete answers on how you were supposed to get the solution.

The good news is the harder puzzles aren't technically required to just finish the game. You could still enjoy this as a fun platformer. The way the world works is you see the game world on a 2D plane. Like any other 2D platformer. However, the world itself is in 3D and you can switch the perspective to change where platforms and other things are. It's really fun moving about this world and in a sense each level is it's own puzzle to figure out how to get through it with these mechanics.

I highly recommend this game.

Thinking Games for DJ's

FRACT OSC

This is another game I would be shocked if anyone knew about. No one talks about this game ever and I don't even remember how I found out about it wayyyy back in college. This is also the oldest game on here I've played. I haven't touched this is years, but know I enjoyed it a lot.

What i remember is it's filled with music based puzzles. I also remember being very fucking confused and having to look shit up, but the real joy is just the vibe. Everything makes sound and the whole game revolves around music. I slowly explored as much as I could and just took it all in. It's a fun space to be in and I'm a sucker for being dropped in a unusual place only games can delivery on.

If you don't know shit about music production like me you might have a hard time or maybe I was just a fucking idiot and needed help. Either way I still recommend this to everyone.

Vibing with the Beat Games:

Sayonara Wild Hearts

This is basically a interactive album. It's a rhythm game that's not to difficult, which is good as this is more about the flow and vibe. There's not much more to say about it. It will take an hour and every bit is lovely. It's a visual and auditory feast that has some clever ideas packed in. I think everyone should experience it.

Soundodger+

This game won't be on the Steam store for much longer sadly. Warner Bros being shitty and taking cool shit down. I haven't played any other of the Adult Swim games that are being taken down, but I encourage you to find the list and get anything interesting while you still can.

The game itself is a fun little bullet hell rhythm game. The song plays and you are a circle in the middle of larger circle. Obstacles are thrown out into the middle timed to the music and you simply have to dodged them. I don't remember it being to hard, but I know there are community levels and I just have to assume those are going to be tough.

It's a cool game to vibe to and it's going to be gone soon. Don't miss your chance to get it.

Artsy Games That I Don't Know Where Else To Put Them:

The Beginner's Guide

This a narrative experience about the relationship between the narrator and the game dev who's games are being played. That may not sound like the most interesting premise, but trust me it's very engaging. This game has a unsettling feeling underneath it all and it's really hard to go into more without just spoiling things.

The actual game is you going through a series of small little games made by a Dev named Coda as the narrator Davey speaks to you about various things relating to the game and Coda himself. It's explores a character who's frankly caught up in a unhealthy obsession with someone else and quite the journey.

It will only take a hour and half to get through and I think it's worth a playthrough if you like narratives only video games can deliver on.

The Static Speaks My Name

This is the shortest game on this list. It's also the most depressing. If you struggle with dark thoughts and depression and really need something happy to distract you, then do not play this little free game.

It's a sad and unsettling little experience that has a lot of room for interpretation. I'm a fan of little strange pieces of art like this and if this sounds interesting to you then it's free. Check it out.

Minimalist City Builder Games:

ISLANDERS

This such a cute game. It's a simple city builder where the goal is to keep building things correctly and move on to another island. You start on a randomly generated island and are given a set of buildings and a number to reach. Buildings will get bonuses based on whats near them and as you unlock more buildings the number to reach gets higher.

That's really it. It's easy to understand and a nice little relaxing game about building a cool island town. Pretty cheap and pretty fun.

Multi Genre:

The Hex

This is multi genre because it quite literally has many different gameplay modes packed in it. A bunch of old video game characters stay at a Tavern where a murder may take place. It's a murder mystery! Also so much more.

In truth it's a narrative video game about exploring these characters past lives and revealing a larger narrative underneath it all. This was made by Daniel Mullens who's latest game I recommended earlier. Much like Inscryption, this game slowly draws you into it's setting and drop feeds you it's secrets slowly.

The Hex was pleasantly surprising as I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. It's worth playing.

That's it. That's the list. Over 50 more games to add to your Steam library which means over 50 more games you'll get to, eventually.

#video games #Steam #indie games #Steam Sale #Gaming

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shuttershocky · 7 months

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So what's Gigantic?

One of my favorite games ever made, and one I thought lost forever until now.

Gigantic was a free to play 5v5, third person action game released on PC back in 2017, though I first played the game back in 2015.

A weird and wonderful mix of MOBA mechanics, platforming, and third person action game combat, a match of Gigantic tasked each team with destroying the other team's Guardian to win the game.

Now in a traditional MOBA like Dota or League of Legends, this objective would be a building. In Gigantic however, the objective is a massive kaiju, willing and able to squish you underfoot. How are you supposed to slay a beast the size of a building you ask? Simple. You use your own.

Each match in Gigantic is a race to empower your Guardian faster than the other team. This can be done by capturing checkpoints and placing a creature on it to start mining for power, killing other players to steal their power, or the ballsiest move—attacking the enemy Guardian to steal the power it's already got, preferably avoiding the laser beams it fires from its eyes to fry you on the spot.

Empower your Guardian enough and it will rampage across the map, bulldozing over enemy players and smacking the enemy Guardian with an earth-shattering strike. While your Guardian has the enemy Guardian pinned down, you can then attack it to deal damage without it being able to fight back. However, even an empowered Guardian cannot keep the enemy's Guardian pinned for long, and once it breaks out your own Guardian retreats, and the power race begins anew.

But a MOBA game is nothing without its cast of characters, and on that end Gigantic had among the best in video games. These were just some of the many incredibly varied, gorgeously drawn faces you could find.

These guys made the most out of their medium being in 3D rather than the isometric top down view of most MOBA games, with many having skillsets greatly inspired from a wide variety of different genres, from first person shooters to fighting games.

That woman with the eyepatch? That's Imani. A classic sniper character, her gimmick was that her skills changed what sort of ammo she carried, from regular crossbow bolts, to freeze bolts, to fire bolts, to bombs. Imani's unrivaled range meant she could take over parts of the map that were too open, while her ammo types gave her utility to help her team with rather than simply be a DPS bot.

The frog? That's Wu. A proud fighting game reference, he could do a tatsumaki, a rising flip kick, even a shoryuken for his Focus move (ultimate).

Now the thing about Gigantic's combat is that rather than go the MOBA route of building items and increasing stats as you level up to get stronger, Gigantic instead went for the action-game approach. There were no item builds or gold to consider, and rather than mana, every character had a stamina bar that was used to activate skills, but also allowed each and every character to dodge, sprint, and jump around. Levels were merely to put in more skill points that added new features to your existing moves rather than to increase your stat lines. Good stamina management and clever movement could allow you to dodge an entire team's worth of skills, and the lack of gold or items meant you could never be too far behind to outplay a stronger opponent. I've come back from near impossible matches where my Guardian was on a sliver of health while the enemy's Guardian was untouched, all from the team rallying and playing to the absolute best of their limits.

If you would like a more visual explanation, here's a quick introduction to the first character in that picture, the acrobatic assassin Tyto the Swift.

youtube

And over here is a video of a full match featuring somebody playing that character as a hypermobile assassin, leaping all around the map, making fine use of verticality and enemy blind spots to swoop in, deal damage, and get out.

youtube

I'm so glad Gigantic is back. it can't be allowed to die again.

#Gigantic

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koolades-world · 18 days

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Words cannot express how much I adore your writing, ESPECIALLY when it comes to Satan, like hands down one of the best Satan writers🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️ but besides that- I would really love to see how the brothers react to MC who is… well… sensitive. As in- they care a lot about the brothers, and would obviously never even dream of hurting them let alone in reality. So I picture MC being extremely upset of the power they hold due to the seven pacts after the first time they use ‘stay’ (lesson 26-15). Then cue the events that result in MC getting the ring of light. Them being borderline horrified of their strength and tries to isolate themself thinking they might be a threat to brothers, even though at the back of their mind they know that the brothers could never actually be fatally injured because of them.

hello! of course :)

thank you so much for the satan writer compliment GAH he’s just my little guy and I’m glad people like my take on him. my sweet satan. hes the flame, and i am but a tiny moth drawn to his character potential and literally everything else about him

also, thank you for specifically requesting what you wanted!! usually I have no clue what people want and just guess haha. it's a little longer than a drabble would be so idk what it is anymore lol

hope you like where I went with this! did both satan and luci. enjoy <3

Sensitive Mc who's afraid of hurting the brothers

Satan

Satan was alone in his room, reading, when he was suddenly hit with a concerning thought. He had been meant to gift you that human world book he'd managed to find a second hand bookstore. Coincidentally, the two of you had been talking about that same book just yesterday, so he had to pick it up for you. He'd actually been hoping the two of you could read it together because he'd never read it. He could already imagine reading it aloud to you, how you’d be cuddled up in his lap, arms around him and using him as your personal pillow.

After he finished the page he was on, he grabbed the book. He'd probably have to reread everything he read before thinking of you, but that was alright. He’d learnt to treasure every moment he could with you. You were the only thing that could truly cause him to temporarily lose interest in a book.

With that, he set off, book in hand, to find you. First he check your room. It wasn’t unusual to not find you there. His brothers often dragged you elsewhere. Next he checked the library, his brothers’ rooms, and the attic, but it was to no avail. That was when he started to get worried. He started to call you and text you. He could see that you were reading his messages and the calls were ringing all the way through, but you didn’t reply once.

That's when he started to freak out. Every bad thing that could've possibly happened ran through his head. He stopped, and took a deep breath to clear his head to try and think more rationally. He knew he needed to find you, and while he knew telling his brothers was the best course of action, he figured he'd check your room one last time, just in case he managed to miss you somehow. As he stepped into your room and shut the door behind him, he caught sight of you. You were seated away from the door, head down on the table.

"Mc! There you are. I've been looking for you." He stepped towards you and put his hand on your shoulder. You jumped very suddenly, and whipped your head around to face him. The expression on your face wasn't one he'd ever seen you make. You looked deeply fearful, more so than when facing one of his angry brothers, or himself for that matter. The two of you made steady eye contact for a moment, before you suddenly stood up.

"Mc?" Satan was confused and concerned. You placed both of your hands on his chest and pushed him away as hard as you could before running to the opposite side of the room. "What's the matter?" He recovered quickly from his minor stumble.

"Stay back! I'm a monster. I can't hurt you. You mean too much to me." Satan got deja vu. He swore he'd said something exactly like that in the past. Your hands shook as you held them out in front of you, urging him to stop his advances towards you. You seemed to be struggling to hold them up, as your arm began to fall and your fingers could hardly stay upright. He saw himself in you in that moment. Afraid, alone, and confused, just like how he felt when he first came into being. While he wanted nothing more than to go comfort you, he found himself frozen mid-step towards you. This sent you into another fit of tears.

"See? I can't do anything right." You sobbed.

"Mc, please unfreeze me. I promise you, you can't hurt me." He could hear the desperation growing in his voice, and he was sure you could too.

"What if I hurt you on accident though? I don't know what I'd do. I care too much about you to do that to you." You tried to avoid eye contact, since looking into his eye was too painful.

"It's going to be alright. It'll take a lot to drive me away from you, because I care. If it ever gets to the point of you hurting me, I won't be upset with you because I know you didn't mean it. I trust you no matter what. Everything you just said proves that. Now, please, let me hug you. You need one." You eyed him skeptically.

"I don't trust me." You swiped away some of the tears with the back of your hand, but they kept flowing.

"You've already done so much for this family, and for me. Please, let me return the favor. I'll always be by your side. If the situation ever arises, we can work through it together. I'm not afraid to do what it takes to remain by your side." He silently implored you to meet his eyes, and when you finally did, he knew he'd gotten through to you.

"Alright. Come here." You smiled a little through the tears, and let your arms fall to your side. Like magic, Satan was able to move again and he quickly rushed forward to scoop you up. He held you close to him, gently wiping away your tears.

"I hope you can sense how much I care about you." He rubbed your back and sighed as you began to hug him back.

"Thank you." He knew that hurting him was probably the thing you feared most. He understood that, and promised himself that the two of you would work through that fear together. You changed his life, and wanted to really make sure you knew and didn't undermine how impactful you actually are to him.

Lucifer

It was late. Lucifer had already completed his nightly rounds and was doing paperwork, as usual. He'd made it through about half his stack, and had resolved to finishing it by morning.

He heard the the quiet footsteps of someone walking by his room, down the hall and up the stairs to the attic. With a sigh, he got up and followed whoever it was. He was too late to catch whoever it was, but he decided he'd let them get to the to top of the stairs before he went up after them.

He stood there for a moment, thinking. The only people who went to the attic were the twins, and occasionally you, if one of the twins happened to be up there. Really, only Belphie liked to be up there, and Beel and you just followed him, because he'd never seen either of you up there of your own volition. He wasn't sure why whoever it was needed to be up there at this hour. Belphie and Beel are usually knocked out at this hour. As he passed Levi's room, he heard the sound of a videogame and an angry sigh. Soft music was coming from Asmo's. The rest of the house was dead silent. Lucifer heard the stair at top of the staircase creak, meaning they'd reached the top landing. With that, he set off after them.

Once at the top of the stairs, he initially didn't see anyone and he quickly questioned if he'd been hearing things. Then, he spotted you sitting next to the window, hugging your legs and chin resting on your knees. Before he could speak, you beat him to it.

"Hello." You didn't turn around, or move at all.

"Mc. What are you doing up at this hour?" He stayed where he was, hoping that your conversation together would be quick.

"I could ask you the same thing." Usually, you'd say that with vigor, or some sort of enjoyment in your voice, but, your voice was flat.

"Very funny. Now, answer the question." He crossed his arms. While you were behaving a little strangely, he hoped it was just because it was late and continued as he usually would.

"Couldn't sleep. Didn't want to bother anyone." You sighed.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You are welcome to join me in my room tonight, if that might help." He felt a little sympathetic after you'd told him what was wrong. It would be nice to have them in his room as company, and a motivation to work faster.

"I've just been... thinking, is a good way to put it." All of your thoughts seemed jumbled, because everything that come out of your mouth, despite seemingly thinking hard about it, came out strangely.

"That's oddly vague, Mc." He took a few more steps towards you, but you still kept yourself turned towards the window. You remained silent, so he took the final few steps until he was right behind you.

"Lucifer. Will you make me a promise?" You turned to him slowly for the first time that evening. The little bit of moonlight streaming in through the window half illuminated your face. He could tell you hadn’t slept at all that night, maybe longer. The circles under your eye were very telling. The way you looked back at him unsettled him. That in itself spoke more words than he could ever say. There was a far off look in your eyes, like you were staring right through him. He never thought he'd be afraid of you, but the way you were behaving was scaring him.

“Of course, my love. Anything.” You turned back to the window, but he could tell you kept looking at him through the corner of your eyes.

“Promise me you’ll stop me if I ever do anything that might hurt your or your brothers. At any cost.” That sentence sent a shiver down Lucifer’s spine. It was an accomplishment to say that you could make a chill wrack through the body of Diavolo's right hand man, but this moment was anything but joyous or celebratory. The implications of your statement were grim.

"What are you talking about?" He stumbled on his words a little, unsure how to approach what you just asked.

"I'm not really sure how to put how I feel into words. But, that's what I do know." You glanced between him and the view outside the window.

"If you could, please try to enlighten me." He sat beside you

"I'm unsure of the power I have. I feel like I shouldn't have this. I'm unworthy and afraid of what I might do. You saw what I did on accident. I didn't mean to really make all of you stop like that. I know it didn't hurt too bad but... I just don't know how I feel." You sighed again.

"I understand how you feel, I believe. You're more than worthy to wield the power you do. It's not easy to quell the seven avatars of sin, but, you are, aren't you? Do not discredit yourself. I'm sure you know you could never hurt any of us, right?" Lucifer raised an eyebrow at you, awaiting your response.

"I'm not discrediting myself, I'm just afraid is all, alright? Sorry if I've felt distant lately. It's just been on my mind for a while." You snapped to face him again.

"I see. Please, do not isolate yourself like that from us again. We can work through this together. I know you're afraid of hurting us, but the day that happens is the day the Devildom freezes over, alright? We care." He paused. "I care."

A gentle smile made its way across your face. "Thanks. I think I'll always be a little afraid, honestly. But, I trust you, and I know you mean what you say." Lucifer remembered what you'd said earlier. He hoped he'd never have to follow through that.

For now though, he hoped to treasure this moment with you, and hopefully help you get to bed with the little nugget of peace he'd given you.

#obey me #obey me!#obey me x reader #obey me satan #obey me lucifer #omswd #obey me shall we date #obey me! shall we date

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simpforrooster · 1 year

Text

be careful with my baby pt 2.

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x F!Reader

Read part one here.

t/w: cursing, mentions of alcohol, mentions of death, some angst

....did he really just say that?

You didn't sleep a wink. How could you?

First, he drops that bomb on you.

Second, he had you pulled against him, his large hand splayed across your stomach.

Once he fell into a deeper sleep and that iron-clade grip loosened, you stealthily rolled off the couch and into his bedroom.

No way you could stay next to him on that couch with all those confusing thoughts in your head. Plus, his bed was a million times more comfortable than the couch.

When you finally decided it was an appropriate time to head into the kitchen, it was 7 am.

Rooster is still asleep on the couch, letting out little snores every now and then. His hand rests across his forehead, and you know he will complain that his arm is sore from that uncomfortable sleeping position.

You expertly move around his kitchen, putting on coffee and finding something to whip up for breakfast. Rooster's refrigerator and pantry are pretty bare bones since he just got back from a mission, but you manage to make something work.

Thank God your grandmother taught you how to make pancakes from scratch.

Rooster stirs on the couch, and you hold your breath.

"Fuck..." he moans. This has to be the most sexual-in-a-non-sexual-setting-thing he's ever done. "How much did I drink?"

Okay, so he remembers he asked you to stay over.

"Too much," you tell him from the stove.

Rooster rolls off the couch, his clothes from the previous night disheveled. He runs a hand through his sandy hair, grimacing as the lights in the kitchen hit him.

"Coffee?" he chokes out. You motion to the full mug you made for him on his bar. He slides into the stool opposite of you. Bringing the mug to his lips, he takes a large sip as if this coffee is a magical elixir that will cure his massive hangover.

He groans, confirming that that was exactly what he was hoping for, and the elixir failed him.

You can't help but let out a small giggle.

This man is adorable.

And sexy.

God, so sexy. How can someone be sexy and adorable?

Rooster smirks up at you. "You laughin' at my pain?"

"Always."

The two of you fall into a rather comfortable silence, considering the last thing he said to you before falling asleep, while you finish up the pancakes.

You set a plate in front of him, and take your own to the barstool next to him. Rooster digs in like he hasn't eaten in months.

"This is it," he gestures to the pancakes, "not the coffee. This is the magical hangover elixir. You have to stay over every time I drink to much from now own."

The compliment turns your cheeks pink. In the years you've known Rooster, this is the first time you've ever cooked for him. Your platonic nights spent together usually involved take out of some kind, or Hard Deck bar food.

Which is much better than you'd think.

Rooster takes both your empty plates to the sink, a new pep in his step thanks to your magical pancakes.

His words, not yours.

You watch as Rooster cleans up the kitchen. He told you when he grew up, the person who cooks gets out of clean up duty. Seeing Rooster act so domestic does things to you you didn't know possible.

Neither of you has brought up what he said last night. You're terrified he doesn't remember it. He remembers he asked you to stay, but maybe he blacked out before whispering those words to you.

Maybe he thought he was asleep and dreamt saying them?

You try not to dwell on it as you sip your coffee. The coffee is the best part about being at Rooster's. He always stocks up on fancy blends, sometimes bringing some back from overseas.

"Thank you for taking care of me last night," he mumbles, pulling you from your thoughts. He's drying the skillet you used, not making eye contact with you. "I hate when I step over that line I've drawn for myself."

You know Rooster likes to keep a clear head about him and typically stops after a few beers, but it's not like the rest of you haven't been there. Rooster has taken care of you countless nights. You've seen Phoenix guide Bob out to her car. Jake has pulled you down from a few tables. Hell, Mav's pulled a glass out of Jake's hand before when he's had enough.

Everyone looks out for each other.

"Roos, stop beating yourself up. You were celebrating a successful mission."

Rooster still hasn't met your eyes. "It almost wasn't." The words are so soft, you almost miss them.

Your blood runs cold. Being friends with fighter pilots has it's risks. You are well aware that when any of them go up, they may not make it back home.

"If Phoenix hadn't been there..." he trails off. His hand circles the skillet that is well dry by now.

You don't pry. Rooster has a very specific way of letting these moments out.

"All I could think of in that moment was you. Fuck, and how I've been such a coward."

Your heartbeat picks up. If you were wearing your Apple Watch, you're certain you'd get a "high heart rate" alert. You swallow your nervousness, waiting for his next words.

He finally sets the skillet down. Bracing his hands on the counter's ledge, he looks up at you.

"I meant what I said last night."

The confession knocks the wind out of you. The two of you stare at one another and your breathing starts coming in ragged intervals.

"I hate that I had to be drunk to say it. I've been so afraid to ruin this friendship." His eyes peer into yours. "I don't have family besides Mav, and I thought if I came clean, I'd loose you as a friend. I couldn't bare that."

Words still hang at the bottom of your throat, so he continues.

"When I was nose to nose with that jet, all I could think about was that I'd never told you how I felt. Dying without you knowing my feelings, shit, I couldn't believe it."

A tear escapes your eye and rolls down your cheek.

"So, I meant it, y/n. It wasn't just some drunk words."

The emotions you're feeling hit you like a tidal wave. Thrilled that Rooster feels the same way. Devastated that you almost lost him. Angry that he doesn't think more highly of himself.

"Please say something," he mumbles to the counter.

It takes every ounce of courage you have. "I love you too, Bradley."

His eyes snap up to yours, and within an instant he's rounded the bar. He swivels the barstool toward him. Looking up at him, with his arm above your shoulder, you feel so safe and small. His other hand brushes a piece of hair behind your ear. He hits you with the sweetest grin you've ever seen on your face.

"Can I kiss you?" he mumbles.

"You better, Lieutenant."

Rooster's hand trails from your ear to cup your face. Leaning in, his mouth covers yours in the safest kiss you've ever had. Your arms lock around his neck, pulling him as close to you as you can.

"Better than I've imagined," he whispers when he pulls back.

You answer him with another kiss.

a/n: I hope y'all liked it :) I'm so here for domestic!Rooster

masterlist

taglist:

@justanothermagicalsara

@baju69

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bradleybradshaw #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw #bradley x reader #rooster x reader #rooster top gun #top gun imagine #top gun maverick #top gun maverick fic #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #rooster x oc #rooster fluff #rooster fanfic #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradshaw x reader

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angelltheninth · 2 years

Text

Hunting Prey

Pairing: Rook Hunt x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, safe words, check-ins, outdoor sex, cunnilingus, hunter/prey dynamic, rough sex, pet names, degradation, aftercare

Word count: 1.4k

Ao3

A/N: This the first time I'm writing something a bit darker. Read the tags please and if it's something that's not for you then please don't read it.

You're running. Running as fast as you're legs can carry you through the thick and lush forest, the only light coming from the little rays of sunlight peaking through the trees. There's rusting of leaves, branches, hurried footsteps following close behind. He's closing in. You're running. Left, right, through the bushes and hidden behind trees.

You lean against the thick tree bark, hands on your knees, sweat beading down your forehead as you take deep breaths. There's a chuckle coming from somewhere near by. Not behind you. Above you.

"You're gonna have to do better than that little bunny." You look up and there he is. Rook standing among the tree branches, his bow drawn far back, the tip of the arrow pointed straight at you, "Well what are you waiting for?" He tilts his head and grins menacingly, "Run." Though it's barely a whisper you feel the word pass through you like lightning, giving you another burst of energy. As you run forward you hear him laugh in amusement and follow.

No matter how hard or fast you run, he's always behind you. Jumping to and from trees, laughing when you would stumble and pick yourself back up, winking whenever you look back and see him so close to catching you.

You can feel your strength leaving you, but Rook seems just as energized as when the hunt started, if not even more so somehow.

"Enough." You hear his proclaim from somewhere behind you. The next thing you know he's tackling you to the ground, his bow pressing onto your wrists, his legs bracketing your hips preventing you from doing much more than squirming under his body. "You put up a good fight my sweet, but you're all mine now."

"Let-let me go." You do your best to narrow your eyes at him, but it has little effect under his piecing gaze.

"Let you go? I don't think so, I've just gotten my hands on you. And I must say I don't think I've ever caught anyone so pretty." His free hand slowly drags down your body and cups your breast, squeezing just a little, just enough to get you to sigh, "Hmm, what's this? Did all that adrenaline, did being hunted down make my little bunny go into heat?"

"No." You groan as Rook's finger circles your nipple, getting it to it's hardened peak before rolling it between his thumb and index finger.

"You're a bad liar. But that's alright. I'm excited too. See?" He rolled his hips forward, his hardened length pressing over your stomach, "Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to run after you with my cock so hard? I almost lost my balance and feel flat on my face several times. So I think you should do something about it. I think that you and I should have a little fun. After all I do like toying with my prey." His grin made his slightly sharp canine teeth almost glimmer, his lips shiny as he slowly dragged his tongue across them, your eyes following every flick and movement.

The pressure from his bow let up but was quickly replaced by his gloved hand, gripping you tight as he turned your over and pressed your face down onto the grass.

"Do you remember our safe word darling?" His lips ghosted over your neck, his tongue licking the sweat before sucking a red bruise there, where anyone looking your way could see his mark. His voice is gentle, low, reminding you that you're safe in his arms.

"Yeah." You can't help but buck your hips backwards, feeling his hard dick press against the swell of your ass, "Poison."

"Good. Just remember it if it gets too much." He places one more hard kiss against your neck, "Until then..." His voice drops back to the dangerous, low, husky tone, "I'm gonna have my fill of you." He doesn't hesitate for a second to pull your wet panties down, a string of cum breaking as he pulls them off you, "So drenched already, you were getting off on the chase earlier after all. What a naughty little thing. Now then, lets have a taste of you."

A moan tears from your lips as Rook's tongue prods and twists deep inside of you. His pace is sloppy, messy, downright obscene, especially combined with the fact that you're doing this out in the open like this. Just the thought of someone passing by, seeing you dominated and taken like this makes your cunt clench and fresh juices slide down Rook's chin from the thrill of it.

"You're enjoying this. You like being a little slut for me don't you? Getting chased down and broken by me. Well if that's really what you want, then I'll make you scream, make you regret giving me such a hard time." You hear the sound of his belt buckle and zipper being undone, followed by one last kiss on your cunt before he spreads your lips with his thumbs and rams his cock inside you in one go. "Barely any resistance at all. I was right wasn't I? You want this. You were so desperate to be railed by my cock that you had to go and make me angry." He pulls out, leaving just the tip inside, enjoying the way your walls flutter around him for a moment before he sinks back in, even harder than before. He sets this brutal pace with his cock slamming it inside your wet cunt over and over as you squirm and whimper between pleasure and pain. "Does it feel good to be fucked like this? To be used?"

You shake your head, "No. No I'm not like this. I'm not-"

"Yes. You. Are." He slams his hips hard against yours, "You're what I say you are. And right now you're my fucktoy. My pretty little slut, who's gonna be good and take my cock. Who's gonna let me fill that slutty hole with my cum."

Oh. Now that. That threat, that promise, makes your pussy clench, you arch your back and spread your legs farther. You can't help yourself. Rook's commanding voice and the feeling of his dick repeatedly hammering into your pussy is all you can think about right now. You should be trying to get away. To make him work for it more. But right now all you want, what you so desperately need, is to be fucking destroyed by him.

"Ah. I see we have an understanding. That's what I like. That's my girl. My pretty, slutty girl." His hands grab your ass cheeks so hard you're sure you're gonna have fingermarks there afterwards. And the wild pace at which he's fucking you isn't helping either, "I'm gonna fill you up sweetheart. You're gonna be so full of my seed when I'm done. Your messy cunt will be absolutely dripping with it. Fuck. Come for me. Come on my cock like the desperate slut you are. Squeeze every last drop out."

"Rook! I- ah!" You turn your face into the grass, your hands grabbing fistfuls of the leaves, the grass and the dirt beneath you as your body locks up and then spasms, your pussy intent on doing just as Rook said and milking him dry.

"Yes. Fuck. That my good whore. So good, so good, so fucking good around my cock. Fuck!" His orgasm hits hard, flooding your inner walls with his hot, thick cum while he pistons his hips against yours, growling and calling your name.

You take deep breaths as he continues to spill inside you, "There's so much. Oh my god." Another moan leaves your mouth, "Rook, I love you." You weren't supposed to say it just yet but you couldn't help yourself.

"I love you too my darling." Rook doesn't seem to mind though, "You did so well for me. Was it good for you as well?" His hands rub your reddening ass cheeks, "Was I too rough on you?"

"No. That was exactly what I needed. Thank you." You hear him chuckle in your ear, a shiver passes your body as he kisses the spot just underneath.

"Anytime my love. I'm going to pull out now. Don't worry, I'll do it slow." True to his word Rook's now softening dick slips out of you, leaving the thick river of cum to flow from your sensitive pussy hole. "What do you say I take you back to your room now hm? Draw you a nice bath, get you some water, something nice to eat while you relax."

A pleased hum passes through your lips as you turn your face and smile at him, "That sounds nice."

Rook gives you a warm smile as he sweeps you up in his arms, "Let's be on our way then." He gives you the softest, sweetest, most gentle kiss as he starts to slowly walk towards the dorms.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #rook hunt #rook hunt x reader #twisted wonderland smut #rook hunt smut #twst #twst x reader #twst smut #twst imagines

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swarmishstrangers · 3 months

Note

i’ll give you my entire left tiddy for some more mspar alien difference fluff. written or drawn, with mallek or marvus or pretty much anyone else. warm blooded/cold blooded cuddles with marvus. mallek purring and being embarrassed abt it. mspar not realizing they’re being flirted with til someone spells it out to them. just any troll/human (??) difference shit or any of your hcs please i’m starving

Starve no more!! I'll feed you AND me cause I honestly fucking live for alien differences between trolls and humans like? Omg...I'll try to sneak some Mallek and Marvus for ya since you seem to mention both of them (and I'll throw in some other ones for more comparisons >:])

So for general troll temperature headcanons, let me tell you, you'd better enjoy being cold/not be too bothered by it cause the higher on the spectrum, the colder the blood you're touching and cuddling. The warmest a troll will ever be is if they're a mutantblood, the closest thing to getting to normal human body temperatures and the ones with any real warmth to them. Rust bloods being the lowest on the hemospectrum that aren't mutants don't have as much warmth but still tend to run warmer than other blood types on the hemospectrum. Not exactly lukewarm, little bit warmer than that. When we hit the goldbloods, that's when it starts getting lukewarm temperatures. Smack dab in the middle of the spectrum, the Jades, aren't very warm or anything, but it's a few hairs away from being able to consider them cold feeling. Anything above the jades is when things start getting cold.

Teals you could say are cold, maybe not unpleasantly so, you could feel such a difference that you would no longer feel any real warmth. Cerulean is when the temperatures could be so stark as opposed to human warmth that coming into direct skin to skin contact with it could definitely shock your skin and make you flinch initially. Purples are. Man. Remember how I said you'd better like being cold? This is where the cold could be the brink of being unpleasant for some who can't handle it very well, it really starts setting in the longer you choose stay in physical contact with them. Violets, I'd argue, would be downright unpleasantly cold to the touch, like, you know how if you go outside in the snow and your body feels numb and face would be stinging? Like that.

With that general stuff of how perceive the coldness of some trolls established. Um. Mallek and Marvus :} I'm going to apologize in advance, Marvus is a character I've always been intimidated by in terms of writing. I feel like I just don't get him enough, and I'd hate to mischaracterize him :(( but I'll do my best!! (Putting a break here cause I type a lot)

Marvus and Mallek I feel like have a tendency to be mischievous little shits sometimes, once becoming aware and acquainted with the warmth Mspar emits and how cold they are in comparison they like to have fun with it. Mallek likes to do that thing some people do, ya know, where people take something fucking cold like a thing of ice cream or an ice cold drink and fucking PRESS it against your skin and it makes you scream? That. But no ice cream, it's his hand touching their bare skin (which still makes them shriek and jolt in surprise). They turn around and playfully smack him on the shoulder in retaliation.

Marvus likes doing the same thing but for him GOD FUCK the cold feels so much worse than Mallek. Bitch IS the ice being pressed against your skin. He doesn't even need to use his whole hand, he could press a finger to them and get a reaction. Punching doesn't do much to Mallek anyways, trolls and their thicker skins, but Marvus doesn't have a lot of squish to begin with. It's weird punching someone who feels so..solid? Not to say he's got absolutely no squish, but he has very little of it.

Cuddling... ahehhehehe cracks knuckles.

Since I'm already talking about Marvus lemme get to him already. Since he is a freezer, it'll take a bit to get fully comfortable laying against him. Warmth can overpower or balance out a trolls temperature, this is something that's very hard to do with bloods higher than indigo. Something like either them or Marvus wearing a good amount of clothing to separate makes it to where they don't feel immediately uncomfortable with the chill of his skin. Marvus I feel like is kinda finicky when it comes to touch or laying for long periods of time?? It's kinda funny, you could hug him, and he'd allow it for just a few seconds before he'd wiggle his way out of it, a playful look to his eyes. Or allowing you to rub his skin for a bit before pulling away. Only when he's tired or is ready to be settled in completely is when you can really, for real, cuddle him without him squirming out of it.

Now Mallek? Umpfh. Touch starved. Mspar too actually, I headcanon that they are a touched starved person themselves. So how about two touched starved people help another out..by cuddling. And everything else that involves touch under the moon really.

For him, he kinda loses it when he's in physical contact with them. It's the warmth! It really gets to him, and it makes his brain go nuts. He used to fight the overwhelming urge to wrap them up really tight in his arms cause ya know. Snake brain, cold, friend/flushcrush is warm, curl around the warmth. He didn't fight it anymore when they actively sought out physical touch from him themselves and was actively encouraging him and letting him know it was okay to search for it back.

It was through being around him that they discovered the most surprising thing they never thought of a troll doing. Purring.

They have never heard of a sound as soft as purring coming from a troll.

Trolls only purr in the presence of those they feel the utmost comfort with. To feel the safest with, to trust them the most, and to be at your most vulnerable with. It's super intimate stuff in troll culture. Hearing that anywhere out in public could make trolls snap their head in that direction and make them flush in the face. Get a room!!

I imagine it was one of those many days where they stayed over at his hive. They had just decided that they were done playing video games and it from leaning against each other in silence while the game systems powered off, then it transitioned into Mspar coaxing Mallek to lay on then while they had their back laid down on his lounge plank. His weight against them was comforting to them.

They were just nuzzling his shoulder and rubbing their hands all up and down his back and sides, all with no patterns to it. He had his face pressed against their chest, his arms pushed underneath them to wrap around them. They could feel his smile against their skin, and they were all smiles and happy, too. Then they, well, they felt it before they heard it.

It was something they didn't even notice at first, the rumbling, the small vibrations emitting from his throat and chest. When it was growing stronger and the purring became audible, they still didn't question it at first. They were just so comfortable, and the cuddling was just so nice, his purring could put them to sleep and...wait. Purring?

When the realization of Mallek purring hit them, they temporarily halted their hand movements. Mallek stayed put for a bit before his purring stuttered a little, and he cracked an eyelid open to gaze at them, wondering why they stopped. He finds them kind of staring at him, their hands still under his tank top just stopped on his back.

"you okay;"

This snaps them out of it and they and they lean in to kiss his forehead, Mallek snorts in response and immediately relaxes against them again.

They kindaaa wanted to point it out at in the moment but ultimately decided against it so that he didn't get embarrassed or shy and stops. They think it's SUPER fucking cute.

As for general differences between troll and human romance? Cracks fingers. Obviously it depends on what quadrant a troll is interested in having you in. I'll go with red romance for now unless someone later wants the other quads too lol.

I talked about purring before and purring is a BIG one. Purring is how trolls communicate that they feel absolutely safe and comfortable in their partners presence along with purring being a form to heal when their partner is hurt or isn't feeling well. It leaves them very open and vulnerable and so it feels very intimate for most trolls. A troll purring in the presence of human they're interested in a human may not pick up the significance of it so they just see it at its simplest until explained. Some trolls may feel a little hurt when their human partners don't pick up on their purring and they don't purr back in response, again, until explained that humans aren't capable of making sounds such as purring. Make no mistake though! Troll purring does not sound like how a cat's would. It's sounds like how you would imagine an insect purring would sound like.

Sleeping in the presence of a person you're interested in or around your partner is another big thing trolls do. Sleeping near other trolls is again, a vulnerability thing. To sleep near someone? To be so open and let your guard down like that? To trust someone that much? Wipes sweat from brow. Humans being able to do this with trolls they're even a little comfortable with is absolutely flabbergasting to most trolls.

Okay there's sleeping when someone is nearby...then there's sleeping WITH someone. No not like that ya nasties. Sleeping with someone, in their recuperacoon, it's a vulnerability thing again woo boy. It's the HIGHEST form of trust a troll could show their partner! The significance of this can really go over a human's head, they truly don't understand the gravity of trust at play here.

Here's something not sleep related. Scent marking. This one is more subtle than just. A partner wearing their sign or typing the way their typing quirk is. This one is when a troll leaves something, take a shirt or their socks or something, at their partners hive. It leaves a bit of them, their scent, there and it's meant for their partners + any other trolls that are over know. Humans tend to also seek their partner's scent/how they smell (think stealing your partners clothes), it's another thing that means more deeply than they originally think about.

#hiveswap #mallek adalov #marvus xoloto #<- juste a leetle bit #homestuck #troll headcanons #swarms-asks #draft saved and being used for Valentines yippee

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astro-break · 4 days

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I've been sitting on this ever since the chapters came out but Kiriwo vs Iruma and Azz was actually a really good section? Both from a technical and a storytelling standpoint it was top notch and is an excellent case study of how far Osamu Nishi's writing has come

First off, its the first time both Iruma and Kiriwo are meeting face to face after the events of the Battler Party. And it only took 300-ish chapters. Of course its going to be impressive, but I kind of want to focus on what I really really love about these two chapters.

From a technical analysis, I absolutely adore the double page spread with Kiriwo breaking the panel to lean over and devour Iruma. Demons are the most powerful when they are their greediest and not even the foundations of the medium can stop Kiriwo. I also absolutely adore how the hand pointing into his mouth lands right over Iruma's terrified face, the outstretched hand as well boxing him in with no way to escape. It breaks the natural flow of reading manga, forcing readers eyes to jump from the first panel to the last immediately. Even the speech bubbles which also break the panels to bleed into the next are boxing Iruma in, leaving only Kiriwo as the only option. He's right. Right here. Into his mouth. That's the only direction the manga allows him to go. Not even Azz, who is logically right behind Iruma on the other side of the barrier, can't be seen. Its just them.

One thing that Mairuma likes to emphasizes is eyes. Nishi likes putting in a lot of close ups of the face but eyes specifically is something she puts a lot of focus on. Of course, eyes are the only reliable way to tell if someone has returned to origins but eyes also change according to wicked phase. They are the windows to the soul, and whenever a hype moment occurs, the eyes are almost always a focal point to enhance the action.

The latter half of 303 really ramps this imagery up as eyes become one of the main focus points of the sequence. Iruma's watery eyes when he asks if its really Kiriwo, the concealment and subsequent focus on Baal's eyes as he looms over Princes Shura revealing his motives (also Shura covering her face up till Baal "saves" her is an interesting symbolic choice i might write about), the ever present return to origin markings on Kiriwo's eyes after declaring his intentions, and that final page is all about eyes. My favourite is the hiding of Azz's eyes as he breaks the barrier only to reveal them as he boldly says he'll stay by Iruma's side, eyes finally coloured in when up till that point in the chapter it was left white.

Speaking of panels though, Kiriwo is allowed to break past the gutters and invade other panels. His single minded devotion to consuming Iruma allows him to bend the laws to manga and lean right over. So logically, the next page where Azz saves Iruma, Azz who is consumed by devotion and is perhaps even more enamored with Iruma would do the same, no?

Nope.

Despite everything, Azz is still trapped within the story and its confines. Not even his words break through the boundaries. The best he can do is close the gap between the gutters, squeezing the panels together as close as he can. He still lacks critical information and Kiriwo has and no matter how much he tires, without that he will always be a step behind his senior. Even all the power in the world will not change that Suzuki Iruma is a fragile, fragile human.

As if to rub salt into an already gaping wound, Kiriwo's speech bubble at the end of the chapter literally shuts down Iruma's protests. Kiriwo is in control of the situation and his words take over the page. He's also drawn to be taller than Azz who is canonically about 10-15 cm taller

Control seems to also be a big theme/determining factor for whose words are allowed to transcend the metaphysical boundaries boxing them in because who else would be the one to quite literally dominate the next climatic moment than the unpredictable agent of chaos, Clara herself? The ringtone from her call quite literally cuts both Iruma and Kiriwo's words in half, drowning them out in her silliness. I remember seeing that a lot of people were upset that Clara interrupted Kiriwo but I argue that Clara is the perfect person for this? Master of funtimes and such a wildcard that she managed to seduce Raim through pure innocence? You can not tell me that you didn't laugh at the stupid fonts that Misfit Scans used for Iruma's ringtone. (Thank you Flare, whoever you are. Because I laughed. So hard.)

Also KiriAzz's faces when they look at Iruma? Peak visual comedy

Clara calling is also just the breather that the story needed. Yes, she inadvertently protected Iruma's secret, but she also the most emotionally mature out of the Love Trio which I think so many people forget. Clara is super smart when it comes to her boys, she knows that off on their own, they're bound to get caught up in their own heads worrying and agonizing in silence. Clara knew to call her boys after the Devilculum because it would had undoubtedly been stressful mingling among the upper ranks. Of course she was lonely and wanted to know how her soulmates were doing but even if she knows it or not, she is their emotional center and grounds them when they drift too far into their own self flagellation. But more importantly, she grounds the story in its genre. Lets not forget, Mairuma is a comedy series. Devilculum Arc was quite uncharacteristically somber for the series which runs on comedy of errors and misunderstandings galore. Sure, the beginning of the Arc was kind of funny but once everyone stepped into the venue, comedy became secondary to the plot.

Would it have been interesting to see what would have happened if Clara didn't call? Of course, yeah. But I think thats better left explored in fanfiction. At the end of the day, they're the Love Trio, they are a tripartite. Do not separate. And even unknowingly, Clara's protecting Iruma in her own way. And because of that, she is given the power to take over the page, filling it with images of Magitools Batara and her own silly creations, flower shaped speech bubbles framing the members as they work towards their own ambitions. She is the one that reminds Iruma of his own goals, who reminds him that there are demons at home who are waiting for him, and who he too is waiting for.

On a more aesthetic note though, I do like how Iruma's necklace this arc mirror's Kiriwo's collar. Its a very nice parallel but also acts as a way for Iruma to be connected to the people he's attending Devilculum with. The frilled collar on Ameri's dress and the Amosdeus Clan's rose brooch that both Azz and Amu have on their suits.

Idk how to end this ngl but I am completely normal about ch 303+4 the writing and set up is so so so good. I remember Misfits being so mad that others were translating the human part and I agree. Its so vital for the Love Trio and their relationship that their secrets are theirs to tell and not anyone elses. And the way these dynamics are portrayed through diegetic story telling is just perfect, I will never get over how good the KiriIru double spread is. Like those two pages specifically is my Roman Empire. I think about those pages on a hourly basis. I love that spread so much but 90% of what makes it so great is the surrounding context and the proceeding events. One day Nishi will probably top this and make me slobber all over her artistic storytelling but for today, I will continue to be consumed with thoughts about these two chapters.

One last thing but the fact that Iruma's secret got cockblocked from being revealed twice because of a phone call is just hilarious. Once is good enough but Narnia prioritizing a work phone call over warning his brother about what he sees as a great evil? He's so silly actually.

#mairimashita! iruma kun #m!ik #mairuma #welcome to demon school iruma kun #wtdsik #suzuki iruma #ami kiriwo #amy kirio #asmodeus alice #valac clara #analysis #inspired by my term end thesis paper i word vomited this after handing it in (￣y▽￣)╭#i have a lot of thoughts about 303 specifically but you can't talk 303 without adding in 304 so I just winged it #those two 303 double page spreads are so special to me specifically i love the symbolism behind them

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gffa · 4 months

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Realizing that I think I've read probably 80% of the High Republic stories is wild because honestly I thought I was barely halfway, but the stories go faster than I expect them to. There's a lot of good I have to say about the High Republic stories, they're surprisingly fantastic at all the moving parts of the story, that through books and comics and audio dramas and multiple authors writing all of it, it does feel like multiple points of view on a singular created universe, they really got their continuity shit together. They're also very easy to read, I can pick them up at any time, and while I have my issues with the whole thing, I will say that more than half of the books have left me feeling like I want more once I've finished them, that I'm definitely ready to pick up the next one. The issue I have though is that I cannot get over that the whole project feels like a palette swap of the prequels story--the Jedi philosophy is the same, the Jedi abilities are the same, the Jedi's interaction and treatment from the galaxy are the same (put on a pedestal by some, reviled by others, they usually make friends wherever they go, the political entanglements are almost exactly the same), the reasons they're drawn into a large-scale battle are exactly the same, the conversations they have about why they've joined this fight are the same, the technology of the era is almost exactly the same, etc. This works great for me in a lot of ways, because you couldn't have handed me a better example of why the Jedi were doing their best in the prequels and how they were good people, I couldn't have asked for anything more to demonstrate my case except for maybe a silver platter to deliver it all on. But it also keeps me from connecting with the story as uniquely its own, because how am I supposed to care about a character when they're so clearly patterned off Obi-Wan or when half the cool things about them are a nod to Mace? How am I supposed to get invested in a character when the majority of their personality is made up of quirks or that they're the bestest ever ever ever, rather than giving them any kind of bite as a person? I have had zero desire to read fic about any of these characters, which tells me a lot about how much I care about them as characters, instead of plot points. Would I recommend these books and comics? I think so, they're fun, I'm genuinely having a good time, but also at least half the reason I'm reading them is so I can quote them for my Jedi Citations project. They often lack any real bite, but that's an overall Star Wars books problem that's not unique to these ones and, eh, lots of people are super in love with these books and I can see why, it's entirely possible I just am too deep into Prequels Brain so I can't get past that basically half of what's going on in these books is a retread of the prequels' plot points and worldbuilding.

#lumi.txt #star wars #the high republic #meta

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renaiswriting · 1 year

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A cup of comfort

Pairing: Joshua Hong/Reader

Summary: You were so excited for this date, only to get stood up. Luckily for you, there's a cute baterista who's more than happy to keep you company.

Warnings: none, just fluff (!!)

Word count: 2.4k

Masterlist.

Gif is not mine.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

You checked the time one more time; you have officially been waiting for almost forty minutes now.

For the first ten minutes, you thought he might be trapped in traffic.

But as time passed, you got more and more anxious.

You have been thinking about this blind date your friend insisted on for quite some time; you weren't too thrilled about meeting new people yet since it hasn't been so long since you and your ex-boyfriend broke up.

Oh well, since he dumped you, to be more exact.

Your friend told you this guy was the sweetest and smartest guy she had ever known. Talking nothing but good things about him for weeks.

Apparently, he was your friend's boyfriend's best friend, and he has also been dumped by his ex-girlfriend and is ready to start something new.

So, you put so much effort into looking good. You went out of your way to your friend's house to ask her to lend you one of her dresses that you loved so much. It was red with cute little flowers.

You also spent hours doing your hair and make-up, using even your favorite lipstick and that special perfume that you only use on special occasions since it's really expensive.

You checked if he, Jaemin, had sent you any texts, as you have been texting him asking if he was coming.

Nothing.

Should you send another one?

You stopped yourself from going through your chat; you didn't want to seem that desperate.

You made eye contact with the barista once again; he had approached your table on two occasions now, and both times you told him you were waiting for someone else.

Considering the amount of time you have been there without ordering, you were suspecting they were just about to ask you to leave or order something.

But the thing is, you weren't even hungry.

At first, the nervousness of having a first date, most specifically a blind date, with a guy your friend was constantly telling you how much of a perfect match he was for you took all the appetite away from you. But now that you were there alone, the embarrassment of spending so much time and getting all excited about this date made you feel nothing but nauseous.

You sighed. It would be best to just leave now. The quicker you left, the quicker you could put all this ugly experience in the past.

As you started gathering your things, you heard someone cleaning their throat.

You turned, your cheeks getting red as you saw the same barista that had come to your table for the third time.

He had a big hot chocolate cup with cream on top and a cheesecake. You raised an eyebrow, looking confused at him.

"Um, I didn't—I didn't order anything."

He smiled softly at you, his smile reaching his eyes as they turned into two crescents.

"I know, it's on the house; you seem kind of sad."

His voice was just as soft as his smile.

"Oh, thank you, but I was actually about to leave."

"I thought you were waiting for someone." He said, putting the things in front of you. A cute cat had been drawn with powdered chocolate on top of the cream. You smiled at that.

"It seems like he couldn't make it." You shrugged.

"We can't let a customer look this sad; it would be bad business for us." He said it, a serious expression decorating his face.

"I'm kind of embarrassed," you confessed to him, but still you sat down again, your eyes focused on the cheesecake that looked way too delicious. "I feel like people just know I've been stood up." You laughed to lift the mood and not give away how much you actually meant it.

"Of course not," he shook his head, smiling again, "no one noticed, trust me, so please enjoy it."

"It feels uncomfortable being here on my own," you told him, moving the food from the tray. "I usually come to places like this with my friends."

The guy looked at the clock behind him and at the number of clients there were inside the little cafe. "Well, I can keep you company for some minutes if you want to."

"Oh no, if you're busy, please don't mind me." You smiled at him.

"I'm free right now." He reassured you.

You nodded, connecting your eyes with his, saying, "Well then, please take a seat."

"So, what's your name?" He asked, getting comfortably into the seat. You were struggling to drink the hot chocolate, not wanting to ruin the cute design. He seemed to notice this, as he encouraged you to try it, saying it was his favorite.

"(Y/n)," you introduced yourself, "this is so good by the way."

"Thank you," he laughed, "hot chocolate is my specialty." He said it proudly.

"What's your name?" You asked, noticing that he hadn't said yours.

"Joshua, you have a beautiful name."

You felt your ears getting red, feeling thankful that your hair was long enough to hide it.

It has been so long since the last time you actually got a compliment, even if it was a polite one, as Joshua just did.

"Thank you; so do you." You returned the compliment, "You want some? This is way too big for me."

"Oh no, please, it's for you. I didn't know if you liked cheesecake, but that's our most popular one, so..."

"I do! It's actually my favorite!"

"I'm glad," he replied; his voice sounded genuine. "I'm more of an apple pie fan myself, but cheesecake is really good too."

"I didn't see apple pie on the menu." You commented, your eyes traveling to the big menu on the wall.

"Oh, we don't. Not yet, at least. But my mom used to make the best apple pie ever. It's been a while since I have had it."

"She doesn't bake it anymore." You asked out of curiosity.

"She does, but she can't send it here without it getting bad, so I just have to accept the pictures she sends me." He smiled.

Now that he mentioned it, you did recognize a slight accent here and there.

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from America," he answered, "but I got a chance to study at one of the universities in here with a scholarship, so I couldn't say no to that opportunity."

"I bet you miss your family a lot, huh?"

"I do, but well, I hope it's worth it in the end."

You smiled at him, taking another sip of the hot chocolate.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" You asked, confused.

"Yeah, you came in here alone."

"Oh," you mumbled, cleaning your lips from the rest of the brown drink you were drinking.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he rushed to add, "because it kind of sounded like I was forcing you to tell me."

"Nah, it's okay," you reassured him. "I was supposed to meet with a guy today. My friend planned this blind date thing, but it seems like he couldn't make it."

"Did he tell you he would come?" He asked with a frown.

"No, I sent him some texts asking, but oh well."

"What an asshole." He abruptly said it, sounding annoyed. "And you waited all this time here looking this pretty." He added.

You felt your cheeks turning red, avoiding looking at him in the eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He apologized.

"It's okay, you didn't."

"His loss, honestly." He tried to cheer you up, "but you should honestly be glad it happened; you really dodged a bullet with this one. If he can't take a first date seriously, then he wouldn't take anything seriously."

"I guess so..."

Your phone's screen lit up as a new text from your best friend popped up.

You excused yourself, unlocking your phone to see what your friend sent you.

It was a screenshot of Jaemin's close friend's Instagram story. It was a picture of him and another girl hugging him on the bed.

Oh.

You locked up your phone. But Joshua was frowning.

"What happened?"

You shook your head and said, "Nothing; I just found out why Jaemin didn't come." You smiled.

"Wanna talk about it? If it makes you feel better, I don't know any Jaemin and probably would never know him." He smiled.

You sighed, showing him the screen you had received.

You didn't want to talk about how disappointed you felt about the whole blind date fiasco with your best friend, knowing that she would probably go straight to her boyfriend and tell him everything.

You needed to get everything out of your chest.

You cleared your throat, taking a deep breath to control your emotions because you felt like you were about to explode. " I don't know Jaemin in real life at all. Everything I know is what my friend knows about him because her boyfriend is Jaemin's best friend. Apparently he had broken up with her girlfriend a couple of weeks ago (I don't know how long, but based on what my friend told me, it has been way longer than it sounds), and he said he was ready to find someone else. Long story short, my friend's boyfriend showed him a picture of me, and he was apparently really excited to meet me. So my friend gave him my number, and we talked for around a week before deciding to meet each other here and have a date."

You took a sip of what was left of the hot (now almost cold) chocolate, trying to calm down because the longer you talked about everything, the more hurt and angry you felt.

"He told me he was over her, but now my friend just sent me a screenshot of him and her ex, who I suppose is still her ex and girlfriend together."

Joshua's eyes opened wide. "So he stood you up because of her ex-girlfriend?"

You nodded, cleaning your lips from the brown drink.

"This is really a boomer; I was actually looking forward to this date; he sounded so sweet," you sighed, "whatever."

Joshua moved forward, giving you the sweetest smile you have ever seen. "Don't worry about it; like I said before, this is his loss. You'll find another person, someone better."

"I hope so," you replied honestly. "I've been searching for more fish in the ocean for so long now that I'm starting to think I'm the last one standing." You snorted.

"What do you mean?"

"It's been really long since me and my ex-boyfriend broke up. And if I'm honest, I'm starting to think that was the only relationship I'll ever get in my life, like that was my only chance in the love area." You laughed, trying to mask how honest you were feeling. "Whenever I like someone, they don't even spare me a second look. Jaemin did sound like he was looking forward to our little date, but I think it was only me." You chuckled awkwardly.

Joshua didn't say anything; he just kept looking you straight in the eyes.

You felt awkward all of a sudden. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to dump all of that on you." You chuckled once again, trying to lift the mood. "I'm not usually this pathetic, I swear."

There was something comforting in knowing that, even if you cringed lately at how much you were feeling right now, you could simply ignore coming to this cafe ever again and would never have to face Joshua again.

It kind of gives you the freedom to just let all of your feelings go. If he's judged you lately or made fun of you with his coworkers, you couldn't care less; it's not like you were planning on meeting him ever again anyway.

Joshua shook his face and said, "There's nothing to feel sorry about; I get it. And honestly? It does sound like he was using you—well, maybe not using you but more like playing with your feelings. " It's almost like he was only talking to you to distract himself from his ex if he didn't give it a second thought and simply let you come here all by yourself. I mean, he could easily send you a text letting you know he wasn't coming."

You send him a smile and say, "I guess so; oh, it's already so late." You noted, looking at the time on your phone, "I'm sorry for getting you away from your work." You quickly apologized.

"Don't worry about it; I didn't mind it at all." He reassured you: "What are you going to do now?"

"Well, it's late, so I should probably get home by now. Today has been such a rollercoaster of emotions for me," you laughed. "I feel like it's been forever since I left my house."

"I see. I hope you can have a nice rest today, then."

You nodded, both of you walking towards the door of the cafe.

You were the last customer inside, now that you've noted it.

There were two other baristas, one of them behind the cash machine.

You approached them, with Joshua following behind. "How much do I own you?" You asked, taking your wallet from your purse.

"Nothing," you heard Joshua say from behind. "I told you, it's on the house."

You turned around and said, "I'm being serious."

Joshua nodded and replied, "So am I." He moved his attention from you to his co-workers, saying, "Just take it from mine."

You saw them nodding.

You sighed, knowing that there was no way to convince him. Instead, you took the money you were going to pay for the coffee and cheesecake and put it in the tip jar.

"For the therapy session." You shut him up before he could protest.

"There's no need, really." He reassured you. "That's way too much for a tip."

"I don't care," you replied, putting the wallet back in your purse. "Thank you for the food."

"I'll have to do something to return it." He mumbled. "It's way too much."

"Like what?" You said laughing; you weren't going to accept whatever he was thinking of; you were going to walk past that door and never come back. After all you talked about with him, you were not embarrassing yourself more.

"Let's go to the cinema." He offered. "Tomorrow night."

Oh, boy.

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