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#playing breath of the wild of all things lol not even the actual game itself
goldensunset · 2 years
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i listen to one song from the persona 5 soundtrack i become 16 years old again
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metanarrates · 2 months
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what gets me about the loz series is how it is insanely ripe for subversion. so much of the series feels like its building up for a plot twist, for an internal deconstruction, to tell us that everything was a lie that is now being torn down. but the final twist never comes, and thats felt the most painfully in totk, the game that is the number one most built for subversion, and arguable the game that subverts itself the least.
it also celebrates the empire of hyrule and zelda place as a ruler and link's role of hero to a degree that hasn't really been felt before, ocarina of time and twilight princess and the windwaker all hold varying levels of suspicion and melancholy to those systems of power, the wind waker going as far as to let the old hyrule be washed away. even skyward sword which celebrates the creation of the later questionable kingdom has an edge of hesitance with demise declaring his curse, regardless of how literally you interpret the curse itself, it holds a thematic weight of referencing the future suffering that occurs within the kingdom they build, of the cycle of war and violence and fate etc. totk almost seems to actively fights against any criticism of those things.
totk ends up feeling almost tired, botw sets up the beginning of a new era for zelda, both a return to its roots and a new direction. i feel like a lot of people were feeling like we were gearing up for a great grand plot twist, to have all those old referenced games dug up and recontextualized. and then it just, doesn't do that. there is no plot twist, everything is played straight, nothing changes.
no matter how much loz reinvents itself, it remains the same as it ever was. the cycle continues, forever.
the sense of incoming deconstruction comes from the fact that ideas of fate and the divine right of kings and such are inherently unsustainable ideas! a clever person may notice that and assume that the unsustainability and the doubt are purposeful elements. unfortunately, the creators do not treat those ideas as unsustainable, both for cynical moneymaking reasons and for reasons of genre convention. while breath of the wild and other games, as mentioned, put forward some doubt on the idea of fate, the series fundamentally cannot deconstruct itself. to do so would be to make its internal engine fall apart.
ultimately, loz is a conservative series. both in terms of its actual politics and what it's willing to do artistically. it cannot push the envelope too far because that would make it lose its mass appeal. acknowledging the negative aspects of fate and the divine monarchy or what the fuck ever is honestly part of its appeal. you can have a greater nuance of writing acknowledging that those are a shackle on the characters and series. but, in the same breath, you reaffirm them as integral to the world and therefore good. zelda struggles with failing as princess, but in the end, she becomes the barrier maiden she was always meant to be. link's issues as a hero molded him into silence, but his silence is a necessary part of his projectability as a player character. at the end of the day, the formula remains as it ever was lol. totk just did away with the nuance because the writers didn't feel like making it more than a cash grab. it's not going to ever deconstruct itself no matter how much you wish it would.
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ac-liveblogs · 3 months
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Hello! Just wanna say thank you to you & kyogre-blue (and the anons) for being like the only people I can find that agree that Genshin's storytelling is wack lol I'm surprised how many people praise the writing when it's so confusingly paced and conflicts they bring up don't really go anywhere or the payoff is lackluster. There so much unnecessary dialogue & the last acts of the main story are always such a big rushed mess!
That being said, I wanted to ask if there's any series(game, anime, manga, etc) you'd recommend that does the things genshin wants to do but better, or even just series you'd recommend in general or wish more people knew about!
Hi anon! Sorry for the late response, I have been adding and removing stuff from this list for a few days. I genuinely don't know why people think Genshin is well written - I can understand people thinking it's good in concept and that some of its high concept ideas are interesting, but the actual story itself? Beyond me.
Thank you in return for the validation - the more I see people go on about how great it is the crazier I feel...
As for recs...
The real issue is that Genshin tries to do a LOT of different things, but there aren't a lot of games that do ALL the things Genshin tried to do. That's what makes Genshin stand out, though obviously a lot of what it does do leaves a lot to be desired... I am mostly going to stick to anime/manga/games per your request, but if you like fantasy worlds with lots of lore there's a lot of western high fantasy that might also be your thing.
And you know, these are gonna be subjective recs.
In general, if you're looking for more JRPG fantasy games - Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Tales of Franchise are good places to start. They're all self-contained stories and you can easily jump from one entry to another. My experience with anything except Final Fantasy is really spotty, but narrowing it down a bit;
Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Symphonia are generally the most well-regarded Tales of games; they're on my 'to-play' list so I can't rec them personally. I am playing Tales of Berseria (very slowly) and quite enjoying myself, but it's supposed to be pretty different to the rest of the series.
Dragon Quest XI is a very well-regarded entry into the series, and the most recent. It's a fun game with a cute cast; it doesn't do anything particularly exciting and is a very standard 'save the world from the forces of darkness!' plot, but it's very cute and I had a good time.
As an generally well-regarded MMO Final Fantasy 14 probably comes the closest to encapsulating what Genshin offers, though I never got far (no shade to 14; I just don't like MMOs). Apparently the guy that wrote FF16 is also a 14 writer, but I thought FF16's writing sucked so take that with a grain of salt. Actually, FF16's combat reminded me a lot of Genshin too lmao. Lots of waiting for skills to cool down.
Final Fantasies 6, 7 and 9 are generally pretty safe jumping-on points - 7 being the most well-regarded for a reason, though arguments on the 'best Final Fantasy' can get vicious. 15 is also open-world but, uh, I got bored and couldn't finish it.
Final Fantasy Remake, Intergrade and presumably the upcoming Rebirth are very good, I just disagree with some choices made (and every they're not ALL bad choices.) Rebirth will apparently be open-world, but it's not a cheap investment to get them all.
Games that have elements similar to Genshin's;
Legend of Zelda; Breath of the Wild inspired Genshin's open-world and though it's not as pretty, it's certainly more engaging. It's not as story-heavy as Genshin. It handles exploration a lot better in almost all regards, imo.
Bravely Default and/or Octopath Traveller (party-based RPGs with HEAVY party customisation options - if you wish Genshin allowed for more variety/options there. Very different experience, BD is a 'complete party' and OT is '8 separate storylines')
Similarly, if you like character/party building and strategy games in general, while I didn't love the story Fire Emblem Engage was really fun to play. If you want a cute party and story, Fire Emblem Awakening is a pretty solid entry too.
Ace Attorney, if you need to detox after Fontaine's attempts at writing trials. Ace Attorney vs Professor Layton has a batshit ending, but its about witch trials, which is cool.
I'd also tentatively recommend Kingdom Hearts. A game about traveling to different worlds, meeting new people, searching for people that you've lost but still care about despite everything. Very fun hack and slash gameplay from KH2 onwards; iconic villain squad and some of the best (bonus) boss fights in the business, incredible soundtrack and plays around with identity and personhood as concepts in more interesting ways than Genshin does. Clunky and cheesy, but still close to my heart. But yes the worlds are mostly Disney.
Fate/Samurai Remnant is both probably currently the best introduction* to the Fate universe and a good game in it's own right. And if you like series with a fucktonne of lore and world-building that take their own spin on history and mythology, you'll probably like the Nasuverse. The original Fate/Stay Night will be getting an official english release later this year, along with Tsukihime. Witch of the Holy Night is also already out - they're meaty visual novels. FGO walked so that Star Rail could faceplant into the ground, etc etc.
Some general adventure anime/manga;
One Piece Live Action: Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this. You might also enjoy actual One Piece, on the off-chance you haven't already seen it. (maybe that's the more sensible recommendation? I really wish I liked One Piece more than I do) After all this time, Romance Dawn is still my favourite One Piece saga.
Hunter x Hunter is generally just good and fun, though its a bit of a slow start. Finally finished 2011's anime adaptation. It made me cry. Also, the Phantom Troupe are just. So fun. Chrollo my beloved scumbag
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Delicious in Dungeon are two adventure anime with extremely different vibes. Though you might already be watching those. Frieren has themes of living longer than your friends and companions, and watching people you care about vanish while you stay young - what it's like to experience that, and how to move on. Delicious in Dungeon is a comedy in a well thought out fantasy world.
Trigun's anime, Trigun's manga and Trigun: Stampede are all very different but similar narratives about a semi-immortal inhuman character traveling across an apocalyptic planet humanity failed to properly settle. I haven't watched the original anime, but the manga and Stampede were both fun.
If you haven't seen Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood yet, rocket that to the top of the list.
I'm currently watching a mid-2000s shonen isekai - Marchen Awakens Romance - with a friend. We're enjoying ourselves so far... at ep 40/ out of 100ish. If it gets bad it's not my fault.
Classic old-school isekai I haven't seen in ages are Inuyasha and Magic Knights Rayearth. Didn't finish InuYasha, actually. Fushigi Yugi is on my to-watch list.
Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles is a mid 2000s adventure manga that involves a LOT of dimensional travel and found family feels. It gets very mind-screwy by the end and has a sister series partially needed to understand what's going on - xxxHolic, which I also remember liking though it has been a hot minute (over a decade) for both of them. Go manga, not anime. More of a 'alternative to Star Rail' rec, tbh.
I think if you mentioned some specific characters or potential plotlines in Genshin I might be able to offer alternatives? Like, if you liked the House of Hearth as morally grey found family trying to protect Fontaine, I could say you might like Moriarty the Patriot or Bungou Stray Dogs, but a lot of that's gonna be way more subjective than broader fantasy/adventure story recs...
(If you wish Scaramouche had ever been able to confront his creator and his vague allusions to 'having a heart' and personhood/identity were more of a thing - Lies of P! If you liked Diluc but wish he still did anything vigilante-like, you'll probably like... some... Batman media! Depends why you like Diluc! Stuff like that.)
The thing I've watched most recently that I really, really liked was Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. I read the books in high school and revisiting it (and it revisiting itself) was really interesting. The show has some extremely interesting animation choices and generally looks incredible - it's also pretty funny, so there's that. I'd recommend either reading the books or watching the movie first (the entire movie cast returned to voice act Takes Off, actually - and do an incredible job).
I've also been playing a shitton of Castlevania lately. I didn't like the shows very much, but I found myself enjoying the games I got on the Switch store.
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ebonysplendor · 3 months
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Absolute Adoration (Demo) Review 🪻
TL;DR: We basically tell Rai to piss off, but he said "Okay, but what if I don't?" and proceeded to try to bribe us with food. ...I mean, yeah, it worked but still.
Game Link: https://wanderingthoughts.itch.io/absolute-adoration
Notable Features: Self-Insert, Gender Options, Yandere LI...honestly, that's about it so far but apparently the full game will have more (as expected) Spiciness: 0/5 -- No porn for the plot, mah bois LI Red Flags: 1.5/5 -- Gaslighter, implied stalking, implied vehicular sabotage
Wanna know more? Well, let's get into it!
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I ran across this game, like...honestly, a hot minute ago. Maybe around...September or so? It was way before I decided to start my gaming blog thing and write reviews and such. Anyways, I had recently revisited the page to see if there was any updates, and, unfortunately, there isn't. In fact...
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...there hasn't been an update since March, which is super tragic, but you can't rush greatness, that's for sure, and I am pretty damned invested in the story so far.
Nothing super wild happens, but typically, whenever I play, it's just tradition for me to pick either the super toxic route (ex. throwing hands, yelling back, shutting shit down from the jump with the LI, etc.) or the super naïve route (ex. going along with the LI, ignoring obvious red flags, being super compliant, etc.). That being said...I was super toxic to the LI lol that's probably why it threw me that Eris was so toxic towards Milo, like that was supposed to be my job. He didn't respond to it poorly, but damn, did we respond to him poorly, and that alone has me invested because surely a puppy can only be kicked so many times before it starts to bite, right?
Anyways, I'm going to go ahead and jump into the synopsis, if that's cool. The intro is a little short, but...meh, I think it's still a decent length, yeah? Not to mention that the demo is lowkey pretty short as well, so it makes sense. Either way, whether the intro is long enough or not, this is what it's gonna be because I can't think of anything more to say lol.
But yeah, enough yapping about the intro length, let's get into the game itself. As always, I'm going to tell you as much about the game as possible without ruining the game itself, so stick around, because it's going to get...well, I'm not entirely sure, because the LI's actually pretty tame. Either way, just hang with me for a bit, and you'll see why I'm so invested in what this game has to offer next.
Okay, for realsies, now. Let's start summarizing.
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So, boom.
We're waiting for the city bus, and it's cold as hell outside. Not only is it cold as hell outside, but the bus is late...like hella late...late as hell. Whatever though, this is what cell phones and social media and apps and all that crap were made for, so we whip out our phone and start scrolling. While scrolling though, we can't help but feel like we're being watched and...
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We are, in fact, being watched. Like, okay then, that's totally not uncomfortable or anything.
Clearly realizing that he got caught staring, he looks away. We kind've brush off this super brief interaction as him being a straight-up weirdo and go back to scrolling in peace. Well, it doesn't last long, because he somehow worked up the courage to come over and talk to us. Is it to rizz us up, is it because he's bored? Who knows, but we aren't entirely happy about it because, frankly, we want to be left the hell alone and just get to our class even though, at the rate that we're going, we're guaranteed to be late.
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So, now he's standing in front of us, and he's just like, "Hey!" and we're just giving him the look. You know what I mean by the look. That look. That "why the hell are you breathing my air" look, but he just keeps yapping.
"Sorry, to bother you--" Ayo, not the 'sorry to take up your time, but let me take up your time' approach. Lmaoooo here we go with this shit "--but my name is Rai! What's yours?"
The only way to respond to this was by way of bombastic side-eye, but he clearly doesn't get the message. Well, more accurately, he acknowledges the message, but he doesn't care, because he just keeps talking to us. Finally, we're like "Bro, nah" and try to leave because first off, it's ridiculous that the bus still isn't here, and second, it's aggravating that we've tried to dismiss him -- openly and, honestly, quite rudely -- and he refuses to do so. Notice I say that we try to leave, because tell me why he's like "Can I walk with you?"
"...What?"
"Can I walk with you? Please? I get really nervous walking by myself."
Like, bro, stop the cap. You walked all the way to this damned bus stop by yourself. Like, sir, if you don't leave me the hell alone. Like, we definitely had no choice but to stand on business, and ditch him and that damned bus stop.
So, we do. We ditch him, get to class, get that over and done with, meet up with our squad for a little bit, and head on home, but while walking home, something a little weird goes down.
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We're walking to our apartment, and that same feeling of being watched comes back. At first, we brush it off as us still being stressed from what went down earlier today, so we decide to listen to some music to self-soothe. That being said, we are by no means stupid, so we keep an earbud out just in case we hea-- *snap, no crackle or pop* *And cue someone's barely audible but said with feeling "shit"*
...what the hell was that?
We turn around, and, as expected, there's no one. What's wild about this though, is that...we could swear we had heard something. Remember, that was the whole reason we only put one earbud in, but it must've just been a squirrel or something? Better yet, we write it off as a squirrel or something, but we're pretty adamant we heard something. Whatever though. We make it to our apartment, do our homework, and hit the hay.
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The next day rolls around, and we head to the cafe to meet one of our friends. Oddly enough, it gets cancelled because of car troubles, but it's like damn, we're already here. Well, whatever. We try to order something from the counter because we're still pretty hungry, friend here to hang out or not, but the employee behind the counter is like "Nah, brah, we're out". Well, damn. Then -- unprompted, quite frankly -- they proceed to tell us some blue haired guy bought the last of what we were trying to order. "Blue haired guy" they said? Ain't no way...
We look over...
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Well, damn! ... for the second time.
Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah! Fuck that noise. We go to leave and pretend we didn't even see him, but he calls after us by name. Now, this is a red flag because, if you remember, we totally blew this guy off at the bus stop -- we never gave him our name, just a vicious side-eye.
So, we call him out on it, and naturally, he's trying to defend himself, and he honestly makes a valid point: why would he lie about something as stupid as us giving him our name?
...Aiight. We cave, and let it go.
Just trying to speed through this a bit, Rai bribes us with the snack that we couldn't buy to sit and talk to him for a while. We're a bit sassy and saucy and snippy about it at first, but we decide to lay off and give the guy a fair chance, and we leave when the sun starts to go down.
That's it! That the game! Lol kind've zipped through that last part, but meh, nothing really goes down, and I don't want to give you everything because, you've still gotta play this yourself, remember?
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Even though much didn't happen, enough happened to make me pretty damned invested.
I just really hate that they haven't updated the game in almost a year because it honestly has potential. Like, the story is there; it just needs to, very obviously, be completed. I mean, the fact that we were able to pretty much tell him to piss off right from the jump just for him to pretty much corner us into talking with him anyways and then...well, I can't tell you that part lol. But, I was sharing that to say that it's a solid build up to the actual game and to the next day, and I need it!
Admittedly, some parts were a little slow and redundant, but like I've mentioned in some of my other reviews, story telling is kind've hard. I'd imagine that narrating those "transition" scenes, let alone actually getting to it, is pretty difficult to not make boring or redundant.
Anywho that's pretty much all I have to say about the game. I mean, I thought Rai was super adorbs -- not to mention his eyeliner is fucking flawless -- but like...I miss him lol. Like, ugh, no update, no dev logs, no side social to follow the game progress, just nothingness and a super intense waiting game. Man's took the hint and said "I'll listen. I'll stay away". Like, no, Rai, babes, come back, please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.
But! Greatness shall not nor ever be rushed! I'm sure whenever the dev decides to jump back in, they'll come back damned swinging, and we'll finally get the unhinged, blue-haired man that we want to force us into a relationship with him! Truly exciting to think about, and I honestly can't wait. Until then, though, I'm just going to keep an eye out like I have been.
Oh whoops, totally forgot about the recommendation itself lol. Uh, yeah! I do think you should play it. As typical, it's free, so like...why not, ya know? Just, if you do decide to play it, don't get too attached, because it may be a while before an update gets dropped.
Well, uh...that's...honestly it. Lol like I said, I didn't have much to say about this one since it's relatively short, but hopefully it was still somewhat interesting to read.
Anyways! That's officially all from me! Drink water, don't be dumb, and hope to see you around!
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Absolute Adoration
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missyourflight · 11 months
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would love director’s commentary on the part of “all creatures wild and tame” where Daniel comes up to Max on the truck to ask if he’s done sex stuff —> their first hook up!!!! I love that fic sooooooo much 🥰🦑
ty liza!! 🦑🦑🦑
On the drivers parade truck in Jeddah, Daniel comes to stand next to Max and says, “So have you done, like, sex stuff?” the people need to know!
Max looks around quickly, but there’s nobody near them.
“Mate, shut up,” he says anyway. i don't love the dialogue in this little section but like, Mate as like an assertion of how totally platonic he's feeling etc
“I don’t mean, like, ever,” Daniel goes on, “I know you’re a man of the world, I just –”
He wafts his arms like he’s a jellyfish or something; he’s holding a GoPro that Max really hopes is not turned on. “Do they jizz?” really important to establish a) do they jizz b) what's the slick situation
“I don’t know,” Max hisses.
“But you’ve seen porn.”
“Of course not with real –”
Max cuts himself off, frustrated, and Daniel leans in, says, “Don’t you want to find out?” BRING BACK THE PARADE TRUCK
“I don’t know why I’m surprised,” Daniel says when he comes to Max’s hotel room after the race.
Max is playing COD, two-player, two of the tentacles holding a controller between them. max gaming with the tentacles is one of the first images i thought about for this fic, along with the tentacles reaching up to the flush the toilet and opening the hotel room door to let daniel in. i think it's funny and also gestures to the kind of matter-of-fact acceptance he has in dealing with them, while at the same time not really Thinking about them/why they're there at all
“They are actually pretty good,” he says.
“Well yeah,” says Daniel. “They’re you.” daniel said max is max!
Max isn’t sure he likes that. max meanwhile is Not ready to acknowledge the way in which the tentacles are an extension of his own desires lol. He pauses the game, sets the controllers on the coffee table.
“Be honest,” he says, twisting to look up at Daniel. “Do you think I’m a freak?”
Daniel grins at him. “Not any more than I did before.”
He sits on the couch beside Max and the nearest tentacle immediately unfolds itself across his lap. very obvious!!
Daniel laughs. “Okay, maybe a little more than before.”
He runs his finger down a row of suckers; they shiver and flex in the wake of his touch. i like shiver and flex
“Freaky,” he says, smiling sideways at Max. Max is afraid to move, to breathe, in case Daniel stops touching him.
Daniel presses his finger to one of the suckers and Max can feel it, the way it wants to cling to him.
“Is this okay?”
Max nods, his fingers digging into the couch cushions. a little thing from this fic which i'm not sure really works/comes across is that max doesn't reach for/kiss daniel himself (i.e. with his arms not his tentacles) until almost the end when he fucks daniel with a tentacle and holds onto him etc - at which point the tentacles disappear bc they've served their purpose
Daniel takes a breath. “What’s it feel like,” he says. “On your dick.”
Max’s brain freezes for a moment. He looks at Daniel, uncertain, and Daniel looks right back at him, intent, a little challenging – not a joke. up to this point daniel's kind of been normalising the tentacle stuff with humour - i'm not sure the way they tip over the line here entirely works but oh well!
“I haven’t tried –” he says, and Daniel says, “I don’t believe you.” i like this beat better lol
Daniel is right, obviously.
Of course Max has thought, in bed, what it would be like. The sheets thrown back, Max’s hand on his dick, one tentacle sliding in and out of his mouth, What if it was –
“You’re hard,” Daniel says. He moves his hand as if he’s going to touch Max, then puts it back on his own thigh. even though daniel's taking the lead here there's still an element of the tentacles as excuse “You should get it out. Go on, Max.”
Max lifts his hips, scrambling to shove his pants down. He takes hold of his dick, which is hard, like Daniel said, aching.
“That’s it,” Daniel says, and Max gasps as a tentacle wraps around him, teasing at the tip where it’s already wet.
The tentacle is thicker than his dick, which is embarrassing, 🤐 but it feels so good: the suckers; the way it twists around him, tightens.
Daniel’s staring; when he reaches out to touch just the promise of it sends Max over the edge.
Covered in Max’s come, the tentacle lifts its tip to Daniel’s mouth.
Max moans with shame, watching helplessly as Daniel opens up for it, sucks it clean, the inside of his mouth so pink and wet. the tentacles doing all the hot awful things he wants to do all the time!!
He meets Max’s eyes and Max feels the pull of it everywhere, shuddering, dick twitching like he’s going to come again.
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sinquisition · 1 year
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15, 18, 22 and A for any and/or all of the ocs 👀 from the question meme
Rubs my little hands together. Here goes. For my own reference: 15- How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first? 18- What embarrasses them? 22- How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? A- Why are you excited about this character?
Rodaine: 15- He's definitely one of those people who thinks deeply before he speaks. He's the kind of guy who can almost always give about 50 justifications for any given decision he makes. He probably sometimes comes off as a little pretentious, using fancy words, but he doesn't really do it because he wants to show off how smart he is, he's just trying to be as precise as he can be when describing his feelings on a matter. In terms of how his voice sounds, I think it's pretty mid-range (not super low, not super high,) and he speaks very clearly, rarely mumbling or stumbling over words. He's generally a quiet person so when he does actually speak, you know he's thought it through. 18- He's super weird about romance-y stuff bc of that sweet, sweet circle mage repression, so you can absolutely get him to blush by bringing up things like his teenage crush on King Maric, that time that Leliana assumed he was into her and yelled at him about it, and, conditionally, the fact that he was a virgin when he left the Circle (this is conditional because he was fine telling Alistair this information since he suspected that Alistair was in the same boat, so it was easier to be honest about it) 22- I would definitely lean towards aloofness for him, maybe even leaning towards outright sulking. He will deny that he's sulking but he absolutely is. He doesn't have that many friends so if his few friends are paying a lot of attention to someone or something else and kinda ignoring him, he'll definitely be hurt about it, but he's not gonna be forthright about that, especially if he knows it's irrational for him to be jealous about it. A- I just really like the way he ended up evolving the more I played and the more I thought about who he was as a character and how the events and his own choices in the game affected him. He's a lot more serious as a character than I usually like to make (even if i still love to make fun of him, lol) so it was fun to explore that as well. aaaand that was super long so I'm not going to do all my characters but I Will do Tierce because he's on my mind.
Tierce: 15- He's definitely a lot more impulsive than Rodaine, but that doesn't mean he's worse at articulating himself. He keeps his speech simple and direct. He maybe doesn't think super deeply about what he's saying and how he's wording it, but it's rarely confusing or incomprehensible. He's very much Not Quiet, he's loud and boisterous and what comes out of his mouth is what he fuckin' said, you heard him. He's a bit more prone to grumbling under his breath or grunting responses so voice-wise he's less clear than Rodaine, and I imagine his voice is also kinda mid-range but a little bit deeper than Rodaine's? 18- He's generally pretty shameless, but he does hate secondhand embarrassment stuff. That banter in Mark of the Assassin where Carver tells Merrill she could "Tame a wyvern's wild heart" (clearly talking about himself and his obvious crush on her) he wanted to freeze Carver's mouth shut because Maker, Carver, that was physically painful to hear with my own two human fucking ears. Most of the time, though, he skips the shame and just gets kinda pissed if someone makes a jab at something he's insecure about. 22- He is closer to the possessive end of the possessive/aloof scale, lol. He definitely is likely to lash out a bit at the person he is hoping for attention from, because, hey, negative attention is better than nothing! And he'd be likely to threaten someone who was taking up more of his friends'/partners' time than he likes. He doesn't mean to be toxic but also let's just say he is generally a big fan of the fact that everyone in Kirkwall seems to suffer from Hawke derangement because he is very rarely ignored in favor of more interesting people. He's basically the most interesting man in Kirkwall and he loves that for himself asdfasdjkf A- I was really hyped to try a red Hawke because I was too afraid in the past to try it, lmao but it has been so much fun, I love this ornery bastard <3
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joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh · 2 years
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rambling about Sonic Frontiers
Yeah so a couple days ago I 100% completed Sonic Frontiers, woo. And this post is just gonna be some rambling thoughts I have on the game as a whole and stuff. Spoiler warning obviously, though this’ll be text only so don’t worry about like visual spoilers. For some prerequisite information that probably doesn’t matter much, I played the physical version of the game on Nintendo Switch, I played it on hard mode, I was going completionist mode and trying to do literally everything, and I was able to do that all in just under 22 hours total. Also I had basically every control slider turned up to max except camera stuffs, turning speeds, and starting speed. I think that’s everything worth mentioning? So just gonna get into it I suppose. Fully embracing that this is gonna probably be incoherent, but hey.
First of all more than anything I think Frontiers already feels like a difficult game to talk about lol. For quite a couple of reasons, really. It’s the first mainline Sonic game in 5 years and it’s the first attempt at a formula as different as this, so already the playing field is a lot different. And that formula also invites lots of specific discussion – it’s both a point of comparison with other series attempting similar titles (Breath of the Wild being everyone’s most immediate comparison) while also being strange in that. I kinda don’t know how to word this but, Sonic Team have been quite vocal that this is the style they want to take Sonic in over the next decade or whatever, that the reception to Frontiers will be really important. In that regard I think it feels really easy to slip into talking about Frontiers as a stepping stone, for lack of a better description. “For the next title they should improve on this element” types of discussion. That’s kind of a conversation I don’t want to have – Frontiers is a full price game release and deserves to be spoken about as it stands by itself, but I’m invariably gonna talk about it as a stepping stone anyway I imagine. But hey.
Following up on comparisons I feel like talking about the core gameplay loop in Frontiers is a good starting point. Breath of the Wild comparisons invite themselves just on the basis of that game’s sheer influence and critical reception, and hey Sonic’s boost metre is just the BotW stamina wheel lol. Though I actually think Frontiers is probably closer to something like Mario Odyssey in terms of gameplay loop. Miniature (actually they’re pretty big in Frontiers tbf) “open world” environments that aren’t interconnected at all but get to be fun sandboxes for you to run around in, loaded with tons of miniature objectives that you can probably complete in under a minute for a small reward. Get enough of said small rewards to move on. It’s a pretty fun gameplay loop really – if you like gathering trinkets then it’s simple dopamine, and I think they did a good job at finding miniature in-engine gameplay things that take advantage of Sonic’s moveset. Stuff like homing attacking an orb into hoops, sidestepping onto lit up tiles, running to some spot before a timer runs out. Decently satisfying fun little progress check. Unfortunately, not all of these challenges are built equal though. I’m open minded about doing things that aren’t just “Sonic things”, but dealing a certain amount of damage within the time limit, running in place for x seconds, or the worst offender – parrying projectiles – some of these are so simple that actually doing them becomes a complete chore that you’re just doing to get the completion. All of these tasks are too easy with insanely generous timers even on hard mode by the way, but the ones that have fun gameplay make up for it by being fun. So the bad ones stick out a lot more. Definitely if they’re gonna stick to this gameplay format going forward they really need to make the mini-objectives around the map stand out a lot more and provide more interesting challenges.
Cyberspace levels were fascinating. I think it’s easy to feel cynical about them, certainly there’s lots of reason to – all those statements about taking Sonic in a bold new direction being contrasted with them just having standard boost gameplay return. Featuring the same 3 environments that’ve been used in like every Sonic game over the past decade + generic city. And featuring old level designs in addition to that. If you want to move past the boost formula then move past it, and I kinda don’t even need to comment on the reused environments either. But idk they’re also quite fun tbf? Micro length enough to where if you don’t manage all objectives at once (though tbf these are also super easy to 100% in one go so…) then it doesn’t feel like a chore to replay them at all. Short length also makes optimising your completion time quite a bit easier than other Sonic games too which works out well for their diet-sized length and position in the gameplay loop. I also didn’t mind some of the reused level designs? Namely anything from the Adventure games – level designs taken from boost games are kind of a straight downgrade from their original incarnations but with adventure games it’s a different enough context and different enough controls to actually be quite fun. Sky Rail in particular feels refreshingly open and easy to get lost in in a good way. Really in spite of their weaknesses I still found cyberstage spaces largely fun and a nice simple change of place. Helps that their music fucked a lot too.
Combat was interesting. I quite like that it just gets to happen in the regular engine – Sonic’s open world boosting gameplay and being able to engage in combat with enemies don’t conflict with one another as separate styles a la Unleashed as the obvious comparison. Cyloop also means you can just run around weaker enemies to take them out really quickly too if you don’t want to engage in combat which is awesome. Enemies don’t even have loads of health anyway so my worries that it would just be very repetitive and button mashy didn’t really come true. Ends up feeling somewhat akin to Heroes combat if anything, but flashier and with somewhat more puzzle solving elements going on. I also enjoyed a good amount of the overworld bosses – thoughhhhhhhh some of them could take a little too long to fight which was a bit annoying oops. But they’re cool still, I love their designs. Quite enjoyed Super Sonic’s boss fights as well – basically just the combat, but flashier. Giganto was really fucking challenging bc I went in without much upgrades and only had 100 rings so holy shit dealing that much damage in that little time was great fun. I was kinda disappointed in the other Super Sonic fights being comparatively easy as fuck but I think that’s just bc I was upgraded by then and had plenty of rings. On a replay I might attempt them without any upgrades and with a smaller amount of rings. Would’ve been nice if you could refight the bosses because they’re a very fun spectacle. The fact that they just are the base game’s combat but on steroids also puts them above most Super Sonic final bosses in the rest of the series, and we get fucking 4 of them! That’s awesome.
Though naturally I do have to. Talk about the true final boss now. Only accessible on hard mode is The End – a schmup encounter against the moon. It’s… hmmm. Technically it is an evolution of an earlier concept since hey the bullet hell stuff appeared like two or three times earlier in the game, and this is just more of that. But it feels so… out of left field anyway? None of the other random outside-usual-engine minigames like pinball (obligatory fuck the pinball btw) get evolved in that sense, so why have the bullet hell keep going, let alone for the true final boss? How is that building on an open world combative Sonic? The bullet hell formations (or danmaku if you want) aren’t even that special either lol. Idk it just leaves the whole thing feeling somewhat anticlimactic. But if you do it on normal mode it cuts it out in a really awkward way and like cuts to black loading screens like 5 times? There’s no way to have a good true final boss experience in this game huh.
Tbh the latter part of the game has already received quite a mixed reception for feeling more “rushed” than the main 3 islands. And it’s easy to see why – game’s definitely most outright fun for the first 2 islands. Traversal is pretty annoyingly difficult on the 3rd island and it has a bit too many 2D segments to lock you into in this open world game. But the 4th island is just a short story sequence set on the 1st island’s actual map lol, just pretending it’s different so the box can say it has 5 islands. Tbf actually I fucked hard with the story sequence in question and the gameplay of climbing the towers is some of the most challenging and fun platforming in the game. I enjoy the 5th island more than I think some others do but it’s pretty hmm that Sage has the same memory tokens as Amy, and it’d certainly be nice if the environment was more distinctive considering it’s another green plains and forests area like island 1. Also this is purely a like misc thought but Frontiers is one of those games where if you beat the final boss you just go back to the save before it. So while you can “100% complete” the final island you’re gonna have 5 Chaos Emeralds instead of all 7 and just permanently have the “go do the thing” final objective. I don’t really like this trope in any game but it especially annoys me in this for some reason. Just let me beat the game forever dude! Then just throw some postgame shit everywhere idk.
I went to shit between writing that paragraph and this one. I think I was probably gonna talk about the story now? And this is like, the best characterisation for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy we’ve had in years in terms of the game. They’re just very true to the best traits these characters have, all super well realised and giving them lots of room to grow as well. This is just the most earnestly they’ve been able to be actual characters and interact with one another that we’ve seen in years – as opposed to just templates for jokes. It’s awesome. I think the cutscene choreography could be a bit better, there are lots of cutscenes that are just characters standing around and talking, but god am I glad to be able to enjoy what they’re saying. I’m not as into Eggman for whom the attempts to like, humanise him and make him sympathetic just aren’t really what I like out of my Eggmen, where’s the callous narcissistic manchild bastard gone off to? Sage is a nice new character, I like her, very cute, arc is very simplistic but we’re cool with that. Just the core story as well of finding the Chaos Emeralds on these seemingly new islands but then some alternate reality rips everyone into it and Sonic has to save the day, it’s quite simple as a premise but they get some good mileage out of it and also like. This is where we get to the part which probably blows my mind the most. We’ve not really had a Sonic game add new lore to the series in like, over a decade. It’s kind of a status quo series anyway but everything from like 3&K through to like Shadow maybe was actually doing lots for the worldbuilding of this series in the background. And then it kinda just stopped. Frontiers changes that! It adds things! The Chaos Emeralds were brought to Earth by an ancient race resembling Chaos, the God of Destruction! Those guys were on the run from a being called The End! Which we don’t even beat at the end of the game anyway! New recurring antagonist? Hey I’m conceptually up for it! I don’t know how to feel about the new lore because I’ve literally never in my adult life had to digest the mere fucking idea of new Sonic lore but here we are! That’s still cool actually! I’m hype.
I don’t know if I have any other specific thoughts as it stands. The funky thing about Frontiers is that nitpicks, strange design decisions, full on criticisms – I can throw it all at the game but also. The core experience of playing Frontiers is actually just really fun lol. Like, genuinely just simply enjoyable being Sonic and running around in these environments and gathering trinkets and doing neat minigames and listening to the music and fishing and it’s. Like I just like it a lot dude! My thoughts are super preliminary – I’ve played the game once, I’ve not really been consuming other people’s opinions much, the game’s been out for less than a week. Like, there’s a lot of things that I’m sure will change about how I and the general public and Sonic fans will feel about this game. But as it stands my one playthrough just felt like a really fun time to actually sit down and do. Idk game’s just good lol.
Incoherent post, yeah. I have no ending for it either.
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schatlabsunlimited · 2 years
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Piers Headcanons | Music
Because I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately, lemme just lay some stuff down to share:
he’s a vocalist, first and foremost
he composes all his music, so of course he plays instruments too
he plays a whole range of instruments and he’s not gonna stop trying to learn how to play more
he probably collects instruments, but i honestly don’t know if he has the money and space for that since Spikemuth looks poor af and i think he doesn’t charge entry for his concerts there
but i’ll assume that he does anyways as long as he and Marnie are decently fed lol
recording equipment too
he definitely plays guitar, bass, keyboard. probably even a keytar
for drums, i think he also knows how to play, but i think he’s more likely to use drum pads or an electric set since he goes straight to recording his stuff when he’s on it
he records lotsa random ideas and gets a few really good ones polished enough
he’s always in his head with ideas and feelings so literally anything in the moment could end up becoming a song
seriously, dude’s just a one-man music machine and nothing can stop him
i swear, even artist blocks can become music
he’s just that musically expressive even though he looks like a tired grump who just wants to sleep and never wake up
speaking of sleep, he probably gets a lot of wild ideas from his dreams
so he just starts recording or writing down lyrics the moment he wakes up
i personally don’t think he’s formally trained, but he takes music so seriously that he figured everything out well enough on his own
he’s a pretty disciplined guy, ngl
things have to be perfect when it comes to his music
he has standards he has to uphold as a self-made artist
but he definitely isn’t a stickler or killjoy
for one, he does not discriminate any genres
obviously, he’s all about punk and hardcore genres
he’s all down for starting mosh pits and screaming his lungs out onstage
but he doesn’t think any less of “softer” genres
pop? cool. jazz? alright. opera? nice. rap? not his forte, but why not. country? sure, especially if it’s something he can do for acoustic nights. edm? sucks that he can’t sing here, but it gets the crowd going so he’s okay with that.
he loves and respects all genres equally, and will definitely participate in an intelligent conversation about any type of music, despite his clear preferences
just don’t be a rude genre-elitist jerk, and you’ll be good with this guy
dude’s actually pretty chill and is open to changing preferences and opinions
he makes his own music most of the time, but he occasionally covers other artists too, if the mood’s right for it
he values expression as the art itself
he loves music because of all the feelings, emotion, and passion it can convey and evoke
he loves expression because he’s a shy boy otherwise
he knows his own flaws, and that’s what makes him so strong
that’s why he pursued music as his passion because it’s life-changing to him
and it never ceases to fill him with awe every time he experiences something new with music
he loves the fact that his musical journey would be an endless one that’s full of surprises and knows no limits
music is his best friend
music is his life
he will always have some form of music with him, always, til his very last breath
he will not hesitate to put it aside for his responsibilities, though
for example, he took on becoming the Gym Leader and didn’t really pressure Marnie too much about taking the role from him, since he loves her and he also wants her to pursue her own ambitions first
he is a good brother and a good Gym Leader because of this, and it’s kinda sad that he fails to see this sometimes
but hey things got sorted out by the end of the game’s story, so yay!
I really wish he charges better for his concerts ugh he deserves the money
also he’s definitely gonna be using the money and exposure to breathe life back into Spikemuth so he really really deserves the money lol
once that’s done, do free gigs and benefit concerts as much as you want, bruv!
I’d love to hear your opinion on Piers, dear reader! Agree? Disagree? Tell me why 😁
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imaginingmyloki · 3 years
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Shift in Reality (pt 2)
Word count: 2,120
A/N: ok so obviously this took way longer than I expected/promised it would. Life has been getting in the way of fun lately. As some of you know, A year ago I left home and moved across country to Arizona to discover myself/make a new life/have an adventure. Well now I am moving back home to Virginia and it has just been a wild few weeks. (more on that later) anyways, enjoy part 2! There will definitely be a part 3! I said in a few answers to anons yesterday that this would likely be the last part but it kinda took off from me and started writing itself haha. I am not going to give a promised date for part 3 but I do have a good chunk of it already written from cutting it out of this lol. I won’t be linking any youtube vids about her powers this time, if you check out part 1′s note there is a compilation video of Daisy Johnson using her powers and she is based off of Daisy. ok byyyeeee
“No this can’t be right... I was just with them. What is going on?” I was frantically looking around the room trying to figure out where the hell I was. “Ma’am you need to calm her down or we will have to sedate her.” One of the white coats told the woman with the familiar voice. The heart monitor next to me was beeping rapidly, adding to my anxiety. She moved slightly closer to me and grabbed my hand and started talking. I couldn’t focus on what she was saying but the familiar cadence of her voice was calming me down significantly. “I don’t understand why I’m here. Who are you?” she looked hurt when I asked her that question. One of the many people buzzing about the room checking on the machines quietly said “Some amnesia is really common in these situations. She will likely regain her memories as time passes.” the woman nodded sadly and kept talking to me even though I was not paying any attention to her and was trying to focus on all the details I could about the room I was in and the different faces coming and going. 
                                                 -At the Compound-
Loki was sitting next to my unconscious form reading when Bruce came in with a machine that looked like a very small version of an MRI. “This is S.H.I.E.L.D.s latest, top of the line medical equipment. It is essentially a mobile MRI but way more advanced in what it can pick up. I didn’t do one before but she’s been out for almost 24 hours and hasn’t even moved so I need to see what’s going on in there.” He positioned the machine near my head and Loki watched Bruce’s face go from curious to concerned in a matter of seconds. “What is it?” He asked. At this point Nat and Wanda had come over to check on me and joined the group to see what was happening. Bruce shook his head, “I have no idea. There is something foreign in her temporal lobe. It looks like it is sending electro magnetic pulses to her brain causing her hippocampus-” He looked around and had to remind himself to use more understandable wording for them,”-uh her memory and dream centers to light up like crazy. I wish we could get in there and see what was happening.” Everyone slowly turned to Wanda who nodded and said, “Ok move the machine out of the way.” as she approached me. 
“Well? What did you see? Is she ok?” Loki demanded when Wanda had finished. She sat on the end of the couch by my feet, “We have to get that thing out of her, guys. She didn’t even see me when I was right in front of her trying to get her attention. It has her in this fake reality where she was in a coma and just woke up in the hospital with someone I assume is meant to be her mother. And the worst part is that we don’t exist in that reality. We are just movie characters. She seems really confused but the doctors are saying she has amnesia and its common for coma patients to wake up thinking they were a part of their favorite fictional world. It looks like she is starting to believe them. She looks so lost and heart broken. I couldn’t pull her out of it.” Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes, no one having words for the situation. Wanda looked to Bruce “How is this possible?” He was quiet for a few more minutes before answering “The only thing I can think of is the Winter Soldier.” He put a hand up to stop the incoming questions from the group as he continued, “With Bucky, their first and most formidable success, they wiped his memory, emotionally and physically tortured him until he broke and they had total, absolute control of him. Until Steve. The programming used on Bucky, while it was effective, didn’t hold up against the memories surfacing. So other than the obvious technological upgrades of this new programming- if that is what’s happening- they realized their fatal flaw. They tried to completely wipe out memories and when they resurfaced it undid everything. Making (Y/N) think that she made us up, that we are fictional characters, and now that she has forgotten her own life will not only break her but it will solve the issue of us breaking the programming in the future. She thinks we only exist in her mind and on the screen. I wouldn’t be surprised if this reality they have her in starts to change into doctors discovering she has a mental disorder that comes with hallucinations. Now, after they wipe her memory, if we start showing up again, she will question her own sanity and not her handler’s orders because her most recent memories of us are going to be that she can’t trust her own mind.” Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. “We need to get Tony and the others in here and brief them now. and we need to find Nelson.” Nat said and quickly left the room.  Loki looked at Wanda and said, “Please keep watching her. I know you haven’t been able to connect to her but at least we will know what she is dealing with.”
                                                   -Y/N’s Mind-
This doesn’t feel right. Something is just off about this hospital, these people. After initially waking up and everyone fluttering around my room to check vitals and ask me 800 questions that I couldn’t answer, they finally left me alone to rest with the promise of checking on me throughout the night to wake me up and see if I remembered anything. The woman- my mom I had been told- was sleeping on a cot in the corner of the room lightly snoring. I had asked her what had happened and the story was that I had been at the beach with my family when a wave had caused me to hit my head on a rock under the surface. I had nearly drowned but my best friend, Paul, had been right there and dragged me back to shore. That was 4 months ago and I had been unconscious ever since. She had spent a couple hours telling me all about our life as I grew up. I was an only child and we had traveled all over the world throughout the years. Because of moving around and experiencing so many different places, I knew 15 different languages by the time I was 18. We had recently moved here to California and bought a house close to my grandparents. She was going to call them and tell them I could have visitors in a few days when my memories started catching up with me but was going to call Paul and have him come tomorrow and see if it would hopefully jog my memory. A nurse came in very early and quietly woke my mother, “Ma’am, we called the friend you asked us to have come in. Mr Nelson? He’s here.” My mother got up and went with the nurse. I hadn’t slept at all and was very tired but that name sent a jolt straight through me. I knew he had to be behind this somehow. I looked around for some kind of weapon I could use when he came into the room. There was nothing but the dull butter knife from my dinner that was still untouched from the night before by my bed. I grabbed it a slid it between the bed and my thigh then, I waited. The door opened and I heard my mother’s cheerful voice, “Oh, Paul, she is going to be thrilled to see you. Well, she may actually not remember you yet. We have been waiting on her memories to come back but so far nothing has.” A chuckle and a chilling voice that sent shivers down my spine and raised the hairs on my neck replied, “No worries at all. I have talked this girl through so many breakups, I’m sure I can talk her out of amnesia.”
As they came through the door, my entire body tensed as I locked eyes with Nelson. It was definitely him but he looked different. Casual and relaxed with almost friendly eyes. “(Y/n)! I am so happy to see you conscious! You gave me quiet the scare.” he made his way towards me and my mother backed out of the room with “I’ll give you two some time to talk.” and a hopeful smile. As soon as she shut the door, I had him pinned against the wall with the knife to his throat. “What is this, Nelson?!” The look of fear in his eyes made me hesitate and he pushed me off of him. “(Y/n), what are you doing? We have been friends for years. Wait, you remember me? But, since when do you call me Nelson?” I slowly backed up until my legs hit the bed and I sat down. A nurse came in to check on the commotion I had caused and Nelson - Paul? - told her we were fine. Satisfied, she nodded and closed the door behind her as she left. “Stop playing games. I know what this is, Nelson. Let me go.” I watched his face carefully but showed no signs of knowing what I was talking about. He gave me a concerned look and slowly made his way to the chair by my bed with his hands raised to show he wasn’t a threat. “(Y/n), I don’t understand what you’re trying to say. Do you want me to get the nurse for you?” I rolled my eyes at his concern. Being trapped and the constant lack of answers were starting to fill me with a frustration that would typically have the room trembling around me but nothing was shaking except for my hands. As I clenched and unclenched my fists and took a few deep breaths to try and steady myself, I caught a glimpse of Nelsons face. It still had the mock concern plastered on like a mask but his eyes had a glint of amusement. He found my frustration and suffering amusing. The frustration bubbled over and I lunged for him, bringing both him and the chair to the ground. 
                                                 -The Compound-
  The compound shook violently as Loki used his body to shield my still unconscious form from the ceiling tiles and dust that was falling. “Why is this happening? Wanda, what is going on in there?” Tony asked as he came through the door followed by Nat, Steve and Bucky. Wanda explained the scene to them, “Nelson is in there with her under the pretense that he is her best friend. She’s on to him and just took him down but now they are fighting. She doesn’t have her powers in there so she’s struggling. Nurses and doctors are starting to come in to restrain her but she’s fighting them too.” The shaking stopped suddenly and Wanda gasped. When she didn’t say anything to explain the sudden calm, Loki inquired anxiously, “What happened? Is she ok?” Wanda nodded but was still watching the scene unfold in my mind. “They started it over. She’s waking up in a strange hospital again but it looks slightly different than the first one. It is exactly the same situation. They are telling her she has been in a coma for months and that she is finally waking up for the first time. Now she’s seen the tv showing you guys in New York again and she looks even more confused.” Everyone rushed around to clean up the area and Tony said “Loki, I set up space for her downstairs to keep anything like this contained and to keep her safe should Hydra try and take her. You and Wanda take her down there and watch over her while the rest of us clean this up.” Loki gently lifted me and he and Wanda headed towards what had once been my holding cell before the team decided they could trust me. 
“We need to bring Wanda back up here.” Nat said to Steve. They had just brought in Nelson. Bruce had figured out that Nelson had a device in his temporal lobe as well that was linked to the device in mine and had been able to track him using that connection. He had been unconscious when they had found him, likely because he was inside the fake reality with me and she knew that Wanda was the only one who may be able to get the information we needed about how to save me.
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watched the end of some guy’s amnesia: rebirth playthrough and i have some boring thoughts @halloweenhavoc have u finished the game i feel like you have more of a grasp on all this stuff than i do lmfao what with having actually played it and also probably remembering machine for pigs better
i really did not like fully piece together either the lore of the Main Story of the game nor the broader Amnesia Universe Lore lmfao but i was interested in the latter especially, but re: the former, i did like having all these other Known People associated with the protag whose fates we could all find out and shit
i’m like, sort of underwhelmed, but that’s b/c even though i was like “okay so just b/c this is a frictional-produced amnesia sequel a decade later doesn’t mean you need to hype it up like it’s gonna blow your mind just coz atdd was That big a deal” doesn’t mean i still wasn’t partially like oh but what if it is like mindblowing horror game tho......it felt a lot more like soma than atdd which isn’t in itself bad b/c soma rules but when i’m expecting it to be more like atdd it just makes things kinda bemusing and hard to recalibrate.....it was a good game though lol just like the whole time trying to figure out what the experience is gonna be i guess
anyways so like in the direction frictional’s games have gone it def feels like they’re more into Game Environments (those ruled in this game....) and being very like Thematic Story-Centric.....atdd was very stripped down and they sure got creative with that and it was as effective as it was but yeah it feels like now that they have the clout from that and the game production experience and presumably more resources and stuff that they’re progressing in This Direction which is not as atdd-esque lmao like good for them if this is the creative vision, follow those dreams and stuff
did not feel at all invested in any of this baby lore lmfaooo like it was very abstract and also i don’t care. but 10/10 for breastfeeding gameplay
i did like the Other World lore like. this is where alexander is from, Maybe?? i remember he’s mentioned as an apostate from [somewhere else] but like, is that somewhere else in another dimension or just another Region in this world lmao i don’t know. out here Inventing the amnesia potion vitae harvesting strategy, and then it’s Something Else he does that is considered heinous and they just banish him to earth lmfaooo like our problem now......and who is alexander’s wife lmfao. in atdd bad ending, when alexander portals back, does he get to come back to the shitty place where nothing’s going on but eternal vitae harvest i guess? sucks. in atdd sorta-neutral-ending, when you toss agrippa’s head through the portal and then agrippa asks [someone, i forget who....the student? weyer? or whoever??] to Help Daniel, does everyone get to go to this crappy world or are there other better dimensions lmao....also i forget how this The Other World got so shitty in the first place. something something they flew too close to the sun with their technology and it got fucked up, i forget what The Gate even is........i do like this origin story for what the fuck is up with the shadow lmfao. that like, it’s just some other alchemical Invention expressly to fuck up the vitae system?? which is sort of counter to the idea that it’s simply a Guardian of any orbs.....but then also, there was some sort of note or memory that seemed to imply that having fucked up whatever Gate they fucked up created something that sounded like maybe it was the shadow?? or was it just something Else fucked up and b/c it was like “uh oh something shitty is happening here now” i just Assumed it was the shadow.....idfk. but idk maybe since Orbs are Other World Tech For Portals the shadow is just like, Other World Tech Ruiner and if you handle one improperly the shadow will like, sense orb-jostling Lol and be On It....i don’t knowwww
i gotta admit i did love the lore tying to atdd lmfao like maybe this game would’ve been better off not really being tied to atdd but i’m still like oh yep i’m a sucker for cameos / lore about these atdd people places and things.....herbert, alexander, daniel, brennenburg, and someone else i forget who was like “i’m the first human to get to this place but i don’t have A Traveller’s Whatever so i have to die here,” rip to him.....kinda funny that vitae-harvesting is like, so Industrialized in the other world with this factory and mass-produced as it were, which is Fucked Up, and alexander got shot to earth for some mysterious terrible thing and had to invite some rando with an orb to his castle and then get his help torturing other randos with medieval instruments like. banging rocks together over there. also i don’t get what the harvesters job was? they were sure Harvesting but if the vitae is just getting Sucked thru tubes why are these guys going around breathing it in also. just like, stray air-vitae filtering system?? idk
also what was going on time-wise with this weird accelerated pregnancy. i don’t think i get Why tasi got amnesia in the first place. coincidence i guess??? and why...did she end up back in the plane wreckage. was that just where she got dropped off after they were all like. taken from Our World into the Other World and then....back into our world?? i guess??? i’m just not clear on the Timeline Of Events and how everyone got split up with some people dying and shit....was everyone getting attacked by ghuls i guess. there was a crapload of them in that one place, wasn’t there.....i also forget Where things happened lmfaooo like shit was this in Earth or The Other World.....i guess the latter it was always like, “high tech” with that art deco design shit and green light and stuff.....god i don’t know. like i already forget why richard was like, held captive and tortured. just on evil principle??? augh lmfao
also it was certainly Interesting that people turn into monsters around here with some like, magic + corruption deal going on......felt like the Lore in atdd was sort of vague but that it could Maybe tie into that sort of idea....frictional games sure will like, Metaphorically have the Self and the Non-Self But Which Is Tied To Your Self in all its stories, atdd, soma, rebirth......daniel having this past self he’s now detached from but re-learning of his past exploits.......soma copy/pasting consciousnesses.......uhhh also when it was talking about the ideal Vitae Collecting Cycle being fear, amnesia, and then Hope, and about who was the best candidates for that, i was really thinking that like, we’d learn tasi was being put through a [Hope] sequence, basically
also (rachel if ur reading this lmfao) i remember this pre-release Audio Tape that wasn’t in the gameplay that i think was like, the doctor doing an experiment on a Monster to confirm it had regenerative properties?? i thought we were gonna get a whole fucked up subplot dealing with that guy lmfao but nah just at the end......i guess soma’s promotional stuff was similar, they had all these Files and Videos and stuff which was relevant to the Lore / story but which wasn’t like, flatout in the game......i guess at some point the doctor must’ve been like, experimenting on a crew member who was sort of in the process of Turning or w/e. hank or someone i guess.....UHHH i did like “talking” to so many monsters lmfaooo like leon and crap. wild, tragic, etc.......
RIGHT and i think frictional is really creative in its like, Game Mechanics, like how relatively recently we learned that that whole thing about being told that Low Sanity makes you easier to detect in atdd, but that wasn’t true and was just put in the game to put the player more on edge? i mean, daniel keeling over for a moment if sanity gets too low is probably unhelpful in a chase but. and like, here the “sanity” thing was neat, i liked the Sound lol, i liked the flashing images and how that was like, Relevant, but also it seems like you can’t ever die in this game?? basically, ish?? which i think is neat. like, you don’t really Need to.....said it last time how it feels like the player just is still going to react as Urgently if they’re being chased by the monster lmfaooo
idk there was something other neat / creative element i think i wanted to point out as Cool but i forget (HAHA...manesima.....) i dunno the 0.0001% chance any of you are Coincidentally into amnesia at all and know what all is being talked about here and have thoughts....feel free to send me an ask or whatever.......would be inchrested in hearing other takes on it etc
OH and it didn’t feel like machine for pigs was involved at all lmfao which makes sense since it wasn’t actually produced by frictional but now i’m really struggling to remember the Lore there and if it could Conceivably tie in with descent/rebirth-verse.......oswald’s soul got actually split with Evil Orb-Corrupted Self (which!!!! i forgot there’s even the implication that maybe orb-proximity fucks you up. didn’t seem that relevant here. here magic empress fountain water fucks you up) and Amnesia’d Good (Normal-er) Self and there’s the giant machine which is gonna.....consume the world to protect it from self-destructing in another way......or, that was the reason given to oswald anyways, i remember he like sacrifices his kids to it to save them from [his visions of ww1 being an impending thing] and he doesn’t find that out till the end......his evil self tricked his good self into firing up the machine......i forget where the pig men come from or what their point is, and the machine is like, another Factory Line Vitae Harvesting thing, right?? what’s the vitae For in this case....i sure don’t fuckin know. i forget what oswald does at the end as well to like, fix things, i remember feeling sad about it even though he was a horny weirdo.....i really forget what the full picture was there or what the Orb Involvement was. anyways. idk
would be fun to see more frictional games but it seems like they’re not too interested in doing something as atdd-esque again lol, soma seems more like What Frictional Really Wants To Do, which isn’t a bad thing cuz soma rules and like. objectively i guess soma is the better game, i’m not at all mad at anyone arguing soma is better lmfao, i just sure cherish atdd and it sure is the one that made the whole [subsequent horror game defining] splash lmfao. OH YEAH and i liked they threw in another moment where someone’s been alive for ages and you unplug them and it’s like what the fuck. and i guess you do that but even Harder in the one Rebirth ending where you shadow-infect everything and all the people in the vitae-pods die......which like, it Was def creepy having all those vitae pods lmfao. conceptually fucked up.....uh yeah that’s it i guess. was a sucker for the atdd-lore-fanservice stuff lol. thought it was good but wasn’t like atdd 2.0 which is both Totally Fine and also A Bit Disappointing Of Course lol. now i’m thinking about soma some more though which is Worthy cuz that game rules and i love its story / concepts so much. and i love that you keep fisting sphincters to Save until you have to fist your forearm off. we’ve all been there. and i love the “we have the better view. :)” audio log from someone on the surface. and how the gradual reveal of the [lady you talk to throughout the game who guides you along]’s story. and the Ending. and the gradual reveal of Just What Is Going On Around Here
anyways yeah atdd rules soma rules i thought this game was good too but def is like okay you’d rather make soma than atdd and that is valid
thots????????????????
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behappykeepclassy · 5 years
Text
LOVER Track-by-track Impressions
1. I Forgot That You Existed
catchy AF with the da-da-da in the beginning
“Free rent, living in my mind”
love how she sings “and quieeeetttt”
“It isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference”
“I forgot that you sent me a clear message, taught me some hard lessons”
The “So, yeah” at the end is gold, like vocally shrugging
2. Cruel Summer 
Pure BOP!
Feeling that bass in my soul
“I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below” - 80s John Hughes movie style!
“Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes” is perfect
The whole chorus floats and soars and I love it so much
“You say that we’ll just screw it up in these trying times, we’re not trying” - SUCH A GOOD LINE
“So cut the headlights, summer’s knife, I’m always waiting for you just to cut to the bone” Ouf!
“I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you”
The raspy roar in her voice when she sings “He looks up, grinning like a devil”
3. Lover
Quiet and precious and sweet and lovely and cozy
So happy we have an album with a title song again
4. The Man
“They’d say I played the field before i found someone to commit to”
“Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you”
“I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man” - MY MOTTO FROM NOW ON, just running through my head constantly
“What I was wearing, if I was rude” - I feel like this also doubles for her sexual assault case against that radio DJ (blaming the victim)
“I’d be just like Leo in Saint-Tropez” LOL
The whole bridge, when she switches from “And getting bitches and models” to “If I was out flashing my dollars, I’d be a bitch not a baller” OUF
MY INHERENT FEMALE ANGER AT THE INJUSTICE OF THE PATRIARCHY IS ALIVE AND WELL
5. The Archer
This is one of my favourites, even though I’ve had it longer than most cause it was released earlier
Lyrically, best or second best on the album
Destroys me every time, goddamnit
6. I Think He Knows
“I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans”
I love how she sings “skipping down 16th avenue”, like so specific and wonderful but universal
I like how she owns how much of a catch she herself is in the second verse - like yassss girl
“Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh, we can follow the sparks (SPARKS FLYYYYYYYY), I’ll smile”
7. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince
The way it starts, it made me think of The Killers “Well somebody told me that you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend…”
“American glory faded before me” - her fall from the spotlight
“I saw the scoreboard and ran for my life” - hiding away from media and everyone
I like how she incorporates the “OKAY” school chant in the background of the chorus
This has a lot of “I Know Places” vibes, especially second verse
The switch in the bridge from “And I don’t want you to (Go), I don’t really wanna (Fight), ‘Cause nobody’s gonna (Win)” to “And I’ll never let you (Go), ‘Cause I know this is a (Fight),” That somebody we’re gonna (Win)”
Wish she’d held the the last note that she started before entering back into final chorus (it sounded like it was going to go on longer
8. Paper Rings
Makes me think of the happiness of “Stay, Stay, Stay” with a dash of “Holy Ground” energy
Easily one of my faves
Jack Antonoff counting us into the chorus, just love him
Just such fun, every lyric and beat
“I like shiny things but I’d marry you with paper rings” and “I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this” SO CUTE
“Honey, without all the exes, fights, and flaws, we wouldn’t be standing here so tall” - so mature and wonderful and she’s so happy now!
I love that she brings it up an octave starting at the bridge and into the final chorus
I can’t help but smile listening to this over and over again
Like, I want Lover as my wedding song and Paper Rings as a choreographed 20s swing dance with my future husband
9. Cornelia Street 
Hit me the second time more than the first, like wow I actually love this
“‘I rent a place on Cornelia Street,’ I say casually in the car” CUTEEEEE
“That’s the kinda heartbreak time could never mend, I’d never walk Cornelia Street again”
Second half of the chorus makes me think of Dress
“Windows swung right open, autumn air, jacket ‘round my shoulders is yours” - ALL TOO WELL callback
“Back when we were card sharks, playing games, I thought you were leading me one, I packed my bags, left Cornelia Street before you even knew I was gone” - makes me think of when she sings “If I had known what I know now, I never would have played so nonchalant” in Come Back, Be Here
“Barefoot in the kitchen” - makes me think of All Too Well “dancing in the refrigerator light”
I also think Cornelia Street doubles for love itself, like this is it for her, this is the one big love for her and there won’t be another so she wants to get it right and keep it safe
10. Death By A Thousand Cuts
Ignore the lyrics and you almost think it’s a happy song (classic Jack Antonoff Bleachers thing to do)
“I look through the windows of this love, even though we boarded them up, chandelier still flickering here” - brilliant
THE PIANOOOOOOOOOOOOO (very Bleachers ‘Wild Heart’ outro)
She goes from “We were a fresh page on the desk, filling in the blanks as we go” in Cornelia Street to “But if the story’s over, why am I still writing pages?” in Death By A Thousand Cuts, and that kills me
“My heart, my hips, my body, my love, Tryna find a part of me that you didn’t touch”
“Our songs, our films, united, we stand, our country, guess it was a lawless land”
“Why are my fears at the touch of your hands? Paper cut stains from my paper-thin plans” - some of the best lyrics on the album right there, IMO
“My time, my wine, my sprit, my trust, Tryna find a part of me you didn’t take up” - this destroyed me more than I thought it would because it was so unexpected and raw, especially the second half of the line, like she’s realizing that he took too much and it hurts but it wasn’t good to lose herself like that
11. London Boy
Is the voice talking in the beginning Idris Elba?
“They say home is where the heart is, But that’s not where mine lives” - she says the second half like a secret she’s sharing with us over wine
Gotta go back to London STAT
“Doesn’t have to be Louis V up on Bond Street” LOL fancy baller line
12. Soon You’ll Get Better
This and The Archer are the two songs I cried during, just gutted
“The buttons of my coat were tangled in my hair” - how we think of the mundane things when the worst things are happening to try and distract ourselves
“Holy orange bottles, each night, I pray to you” - I don’t know what to say
“…’Cause you have to”
I love that the Dixie Chicks are lightly assisting the chorus without taking the song away from Taylor and its focus
The bridge and pre-final-chorus have me crying the most and I don’t know what to do
This remind me a lot of Ronan mixed with Never Grow Up and Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide
13. False God
Sax is a bit like the sax in Bleachers’ Everybody Lost Somebody (not complaining at all)
“We were stupid to jump in the ocean separating us
I get Dress sexy vibes from this (“The altar is my hips”)
The feathery way she sings the second “this loooovee)
Reminds me of “So It Goes…”
14. You Need to Calm Down
Still a bop, and always will be a bop - just so fun
15. Afterglow
I like that she owns up to her mistakes and destructive tendency
Makes me think of the Lover lyric “And I’m highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you” and in the music video it’s her jealousy that leads to a fight
“Fighting with a true love is boxing with no gloves”
“I lived like an island, punished you in silence”
16. ME!
Lyrically and musically, exactly like what happened with Look What You Made Me Do and Reputation - almost like a red herring to put us off the sonic trail of her album until single 2 came out
17. It’s Nice To Have a Friend
We get a story again! I’ve missed story song! (think Mary’s Song and Everything Has Changed mixed together)
Lovely chill indie vibes
“Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand”
Love me some trumpet
“Church bells ring, carry me home” (like third verse of Mary’s Song)
“Rice on the ground looks like snow” - poetic cute
18. Daylight
“My love was a cruel as the cities I lived in, everyone looked worse in the light” - like Cruel Summer and Getaway Car and even Back to December, she wanted something and got it, only find it wasn’t what she wanted and she ended up hurting someone in the process
Chorus makes me think of You Are in Love floating synth
“I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked” (Back to December, Getaway Car, I Knew You Were Trouble)
“Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke” harkens back to The Archer’s “The room is on fire, invisible smoke”
“Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it’s morning now” - she no longer needs I Know Places, no fear or hiding
“I once believe love would be (Black and white) But it’s (Golden) […] I once believed love would be (Burning red) But it’s golden” - Burning red calls back to Red (duh!), Golden calls back to Dress “Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo”, End Game “It’s like your eyes are liquor, it’s like your body is gold”, So It Goes… “Gold cage, hostage to my feelings” and Dancing With Our Hands Tied “Deep blue, but you painted me golden”
“You gotta step into the daylight and let it go” - remind me of the poem The Trick to Holding On that she wrote for Vogue (“The trick to holding on Was all that letting go”)
The talking outro is very Jack Antonoff/Bleachers’ Strange Desire, cause he threads introspective talking throughout, especially when she says “I wanna be defined by the things that I love” and he sings “I wanna be grateful for the experiences that I’ve had” in You’re Still a Mystery
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semercury · 4 years
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my dude, my beloved Sara, i must know: fave loz game?
well first of all, i’m a fake gamer girl, so like. i have never played a video game in my life. i have no authority on anything. actually, i have played a video game. i was being silly. but real talk, i’ve never beaten any zelda game all the way bc i’m really dumb hghfldksj.
there’s a lot that are special to me for lots of reasons. a link to the past was the first zelda game i ever had. it was that gba four swords combo. i was terrible at it. i bought a guide for it and followed it religiously bc i didn’t know what i was doing. i had a friend help me with some dungeons bc i was small and stupid and very afraid. four swords is also special to me for similar reasons. i have very fond memories of playing multiplayer with my friend and my brother.
ocarina of time is of course a classic and i’m very fond of it for the lore and setting. i eventually got the virtual console of it for the wii a long time ago and played maybe half of it. but there was a summer that my brother and i sat in front of the family computer and watched a guide/walkthrough of the whole game on youtube from a guy at zeldadungeon dot net. i also read some of the manga for it that my brother bought. i know it has its faults and it didn’t age the best graphically, but like i said, from a lore standpoint i really like it. a very simple and straightforward hero’s journey.
i have such a soft spot for twilight princess for the atmosphere and the world. it starts off so normal. i know it’s kinda slow, but i really really like just chilling in the town and seeing people and really feeling like this is a home for link. like he’s not some stranger or outcast, he’s not some rando whose uncle died, he just lives there. he has a horse. he has a job. he has a girl who teases him and there’s that awkward we’re-totally-not-flirting dancing the fine line between friends and something more thing going on with her. the village kids look up to him and think he’s the bee’s knees. and honestly for that alone i love it. it has heart. it has soul.
and of course i’m a slut for breath of the wild. the moment i saw that big open world with beautiful graphics... bruh. i know it’s cliche to say it feels alive, but it does. all the side quests are so fun and the different outfits and you can cook? and you can get horses?? and just all the little easter eggs you find... i love it. i love botw link and how it fleshes out his character and the relationships he has with everyone he meets. it tugs at my heart. i like it a lot.
i’m... really bad at picking favorites hhglfkjdls. i literally listed off all the main zelda games i’ve had experience actually playing like the cop out answer it is (i’ve also played phantom hourglass and spirit tracks and i just hhglfkjds. they’re good, don’t get me wrong, but they don’t live up to everything else. oh, and a link between worlds but that’s just... alttp but a little to the left.) it’s definitely probably between tp and botw, just bc i’m so story and character driven. i think the reason oot felt more alive to me is bc i read up on the lore and the manga and stuff when the actual game itself is more generic with the storytelling (saria staring at you blankly on the bridge as you run away and she’s just playing the bruh_2.wmv like... but in my head it was this bigger thing bc of other stuff lol).
this is a very long response for not even having a real answer, sorry hhglfkjdlksj
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izzy-b-hands · 4 years
Text
You Send Me: Chapter Six
Tag List: @xmxisxforxmaybe
10 hour road trip with the boys time! New Haven to Detroit, if I have my locations correct (and god I hope I do, I spent a lot of time trying to make sure I had the most accurate tour listing from ‘78 lol.) No time to yourselves, but you and Freddie can make it work regardless, right? We get NSFW again in this bit, just a warning!
Also, Scrabble! (The reason you’re all really reading this, I’m sure lol.) 
My love to all who read/like/reblog!
At least until you got on the van. Then, it was ‘hurry up and wait.’ 
“Makes sense,” John muttered as you all loaded up into the van, after a quick shower and retrieving your things from the hotel. “We had some extra time for once, so now the rest of the tour we’ll constantly be nearly late.”
“We’ll catch up,” Roger said patiently, staring down the Scrabble board. “Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worrying, I”m just saying,” John protested. “No sense in pretending it isn’t true.” 
“Which is not what I’m doing,” Roger said, glaring down his letters as if that would magically make them change. “What I am doing is beating our dear Mr. Mercury here at Scrabble.”
“You have to actually play another word for the game to progress, and for you to do that, Rog,” Freddie smirked. “In case you’ve forgotten how to play.” 
“Oh I know, and I’m playing,” Roger said, then proceeded to not put down a word, but frown again at the board. 
“You want help?” Brian offered, and Roger and Freddie both hissed. “Jesus, sorry. Be careful, Y/N. They’re like angry cats when they get into it.” 
“And you aren’t?” Freddie asked. 
“No, I am too, but I’m not playing right now, so I’m not the concern,” Brian replied. “And there’s literally a spot, right there, Roger, come on!” 
“I don’t see it yet, just give me a minute!” 
“This is unbearable,” Brian muttered. 
“Oh shut it,” Roger spat. “Or I’ll make you play against me next, and I’ll beat you too.” 
“Anything but that,” Brian said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I could beat you in my sleep.” 
“Is that so?” 
“Lord help us,” John muttered and shot you a look as if to say ‘I’m so sorry for all this.’ 
But you were oddly loving it. It was something most people didn’t get to see, the brotherly spats and all that. And that was exactly what this struck you as, a bunch of brothers stuck on a road trip, already getting on each other’s nerves while barely a mile from home. 
“I could play whoever wins,” you murmured. “Granted, I’ve only ever managed to beat my family members at Scrabble which isn’t saying much, but if you want a wild card...” 
All four of them looked up at you and smiled. 
“I like it,” Roger said. “Though I’ll apologize in advance for winning over both Freddie and you.” 
“Might be a little premature, don’t you think?” you asked, and they cackled. 
“He’s called your bluff!” Freddie crowed. “Come on, put something down, we’ve only got nine hours in this tin can.” 
“It isn’t that bad,” John fussed, and you couldn’t blame him. As Queen’s main financial officer, he had helped the crew pick out the van for this tour, and was understandably miffed whenever anyone made a comment about it. 
“No, it isn’t,” Freddie admitted. “Just a long drive, and that would be hell in anything. No harm meant, John.” 
John nodded, and stood to peek at Roger’s letters. “Oh, there’s no way he can win. You’ve got this.” 
“Would you stop making it harder for me to concentrate?” Roger gasped. “Jesus, all a man is trying to do is play Scrabble, and the ruddy peanut gallery can’t keep it down...” 
“Give it your all, Rog,” Crystal called from where he was laying down on some of the seats. 
“Thank you! Finally, someone believes in me,” Roger said. “That said...I don’t think I can find anything, these letters are absolute shit.” 
Everyone hit the roof at that, laughter echoing throughout the van. 
“All that talk,” Freddie shook his head. “You’ll get me next time.” 
“Yes, yes, I will,” Roger agreed. “Besides, this is more fun for me now. We get to watch you play your new boyfriend.” 
“That is a hell of a test on a relationship,” Brian said. “You sure about this, Y/N?” 
You nodded, and traded seats with Roger as Freddie cleared the board and let John take over handing out the letter tiles. “I don’t think I’ll win anyway, and this one had better not let me.” 
“I would never,” Freddie teased. “Only honorable victories and losses in this van.” 
“Good,” you smiled, and tossed down the first word you saw in your letters. 
“For fuck’s sake,” Brian laughed. “Is that the theme of this match?” 
“Not the strongest first word,” John remarked as he took down your score from the C, O, C, and K you had laid down. “But not terrible either. I’d be interested to see if you could keep this match on theme too.” 
Freddie smirked, then grinned at the shared laughter over his word. 
“Freddie, honestly,” Roger shook his head. “Cunt is almost too short a word, you two will never finish this game in ten hours if you keep up like that.” 
“Let them play,” John hushed him. 
You set down TITS and watched as they broke into laughter again. 
“What?” you asked. “Smaller than the ones I used to have, that isn’t anything ridiculous.” 
Freddie shook his head. “You’re really going to keep it on theme, aren’t you?” 
“If you will, then I will,” you replied with a smile. 
It was an odd turn on, Scrabble, and you fully realized it maybe wasn’t the game itself so much as just flexing intellectually with Freddie that was doing it, but it made it hard to sit still, to focus on the game. 
You figured Freddie was in a similar boat as he kept trying to tangle one of his legs with yours under the table, and you had a feeling you would have been in his lap had the table not been in the way, the Scrabble board tossed aside. 
“Get out, stretch your legs,” Brian said as you finally stopped at what appeared to be a completely abandoned truck stop, your game with Freddie only half over. “We’ll get back on the road in half an hour. Long enough to try and get food out of these vending machines, use the bathroom, and feel less like sardines in a can.” 
“Hey!” John cried, and you listened to him and Brian mutter on about the van as Freddie took your hand and led you into the truck stop. 
It was nicer than you’d expected from a truck stop, with individual, walled off showering sections with locking doors. You had just a moment to admire them as Freddie pulled you into one, locked the door behind you, and damn near tackled you with a kiss. 
“God that was unbearable,” Freddie muttered in between kisses. “I was praying we’d finally stop.” 
You wanted to tell him ‘me too’ but instead nipped at his neck gently, making him gasp and whine. 
“What if they come in here?” you managed after a moment, as Freddie’s hand undid the button and zipper on your jeans and slipped into your underwear. 
“Then we tell them to either enjoy the show or get out,” Freddie replied with a smirk, before doing his magic again with his fingers. One inside of you, while his thumb gently worked at your clit, grown bigger from the testosterone. Maybe it was just that it was him, or that his fingers were wonderfully long and talented in general, but the combination left you struggling to stand upright against the wall of the shower. 
Being quiet while he worked was also nearly impossible, and you pressed your mouth against his shoulder so you could moan and be relatively unheard, at least in theory. He seemed to like that even more, rutting his hard cock, still trapped in his trousers, against your hip, moving in time with how he moved his hand against you and inside. 
You could feel all that lithe muscle you’d admired before working to hold you up as you came and your knees buckled underneath you. You tried to keep yourself upright, only to finally let yourself fall, grateful he’d already slipped his hand back out of your underwear. 
“No, what are you doing, get up,” he whispered, hands reaching to help you up. 
You shook your head, and popped open your mouth instead, tongue stuck out, and waited to see if he’d get the message. 
“That is absolutely obscene,” he breathed softly. “Are you sure, I mean, you don’t have to-” 
You nodded, and reached for the zipper of his trousers. “I want to. I mean, I’ve never actually done this before, so forgive me any mistakes, and give me feedback; I at least know you don’t use teeth-” 
He interrupted you with a barely cut off laugh as he covered his mouth. “Christ. Not that you haven’t done it before, that’s not why I’m laughing. The teeth bit, that was it, but at the same time, I’m glad you know that.” 
You giggled despite your nerves, and started to reach for his underwear, only for him to stop your hand. 
“We should be doing this somewhere nicer. For your first time, I mean,” he said. “With more time. I don’t want you to have to rush and hate doing this as a result or something, I mean your first time sets the standard.” 
He pulled you to your feet, then pulled you close to him by your hips, and kissed you softly. 
“Well, we’re not leaving here if you don’t get to come too,” you murmured in between his kisses. “What a concert hold up announcement that would be.” 
He only smiled, and didn’t stop you as your hand moved to his cock, stroking him gently through his underwear. 
“Is that okay?” you asked. “For here, at least. For now.” 
He nodded, letting his head drop onto your shoulder, his hips rutting up to meet your hand as you palmed his cock, your thumb moving over the head slowly. 
You could hear Brian shouting something outside, and realized you were running out of time, if you weren’t out completely already. 
“If this is too much, or bad or whatever, just say, and I’ll stop,” you whispered into Freddie’s ear, stroking more vigorously, letting your own hips move against his. His last reaction to your teeth at his neck had been good, and this one was even better, as you nipped just hard enough to make him hiss in your ear at the sensation. 
Before you could nip again, you felt his cock pulse, and it was your turn to hold him up as he came, groaning into your neck as he did. 
“For fuck’s sake, wherever you two are, hurry up! We can’t leave you behind, but we can threaten to!” Brian’s voice echoed into the showers. 
Freddie raised his head, only for the two of you to break into giggles. 
“We’re in trouble,” he laughed. 
“I think we are,” you agreed. “We pissed off Dad. Two kids, out running around, making out in public-” 
“Little bit more than that,” Freddie interrupted with a smile and a kiss. 
“True,” you said. “Are you okay to go back out there? I mean, we didn’t really think this through in terms of your trousers.” 
“It’s dark,” he said. “It’ll be fine. And even if they do see...they probably guessed where we were, what we were up to. So let them see, because they won’t give a fuck, so why should we?” 
If anyone did give a fuck, they didn’t say it as you and Freddie joined them back in the van, settling onto one of the back seats, lounging against each other, content and tired. 
The Scrabble game had been forgotten, but you didn’t mind. There were plenty of cities yet, and more than enough time to start another. In the meantime, you were happy to lay in Freddie’s lap, watching with him as Brian and Roger swore at each other over a match. 
There were still at least six hours, and you hoped there might be another truck stop along the way. 
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I think about Zelink in each game and I seriously give Nintendo props for creating a compelling dynamic between the two no matter if it’s purely platonic or has romantic undertones or is just blantantly spelled out as soulmates.
OoT Zelink has romantic undertones. Don’t even try to argue with me if ya feel differently. It isn’t spelled out plainly enough that we could say it’s practically canon, but it does have that bond between them that’s undeniable.
In the game, you can literally go back into the castle as Young Link and show Zelda the different masks Link acquires through the side quests. And the entire idea of Link sneaking pst all those guards to show Zelda some mask is hilarious and adorable.
After the time jump, Sheik then accompanies Link and it’s 10000% obvious that he’s fascinated with them. Link wants to spend as much time with Sheik as he possibly can. Water Temple aftermath scene anyone? That made it obvious (for me) that OoT Zelink are soulmates, because it’s their souls pulling them together and creating this attraction. Gender has no say. (It’s also makes Link 10000% bi in this game since Sheik is considered a “guy” to everyone else and I live for this headcanon). No matter who they’re disguised as, the chemistry and attraction is THERE. Plus, in Kakariko when they’re attacked by the Shadow. Staying by the others side. Trying to protect each other. Please let me live.
And the final battle. Oh this poor bby. He sticks his arm out to protect her. He’s so loyal to this girl. He found out she was this person guiding him the entire time and she’s separated from him as soon as she reveals her identity. Foolishly banging on a crystal to free her? Desperate boy wanting to save the girl he cares so much about. Link’s entire life ends up revolving around Zelda in this game. She is the one person he truly truly cares about on a deep level.
I love Malon and all, but I never saw the connection. I’ve always headcanoned the idea that Link comes back from MM’s events and goes straight to Zelda and legitimately just grows up in Castle Town under Zelda’s orders and is trained for the Guard and eventually becomes the head of the entire Hyrulian Army. I also headcanon that OoT Zelink both die young, but not before they have a child who is then given to their trusted friend Malon to raise. (I know it’s a dark headcanon but hey I think it makes sense)
Twilight Princess, on the other hand, gives off much more platonic vibes. Partly because Zelda is barely in this game. I do love Midlink in this game too, but as an endgame, nope. The thing about Twilight Princess Zelink is that it could POSSIBLY happen after the game’s events. But during the actual gameplay? This Zelda and Link play their respective roles to ultimately defeat Ganon. It’s more professional.
People can debate about this one, with Link’s attention whenever Zelda is in the room being solely on her and all, but I see that more as a ranch hand meeting royalty for the first time and being awed by the regal and natural beauty she exudes. I have said that I can see them happening through a friends with benefits type of situation, but only after.
In game, the story pretty much implied that Ilia is the love interest and not Midna or Zelda. Tbh, I didn’t love her character but I knew for a fact that Link did so I went with it. But I’m replaying the game now and BOYYY it seriously points to Ilia and Link being an item. And it makes perfect sense too. But after everything, I’d see Link sticking around Zelda more because she at least understands. But again, in game and from the canon events, Zelink is more platonic than anything.
Skyward Sword is completely platonic. Idk how y’all got “soulmates” from this Zelda and Link, I mean-
Yeah no do I even have to talk about how this game is blatantly romantic? Its not even UNDERTONES like it’s full out “I’m doing this to save the girl that I love”. They’re literal soulmates and started the kingdom of Hyrule and I couldn’t be MORE PROUD! The first Zelda and Link happen to be in love and they managed to get cursed so in every incarnation they’re bound to meet each other and I think that’s beautiful (despite the angry third wheel that reincarnates with them). But otherwise, this game is legit a love story between Link and Zelda with a bit of action and adventure sprinkled in. Good quality and excellent eyeliner.
Breath of the Fucking Wild people. I know I already did romantic undertones but would I be me if I DIDNT go on a little rant about the beauty of this Zelink??? Didn’t think so. It’s also not even undertones. It’s also not blatantly romantic. It’s heavily implied.
So, you get the hate to love trope, the princess and her knight trope, AND the amnesia trope. All three in this very special pair. The memories play these two very well. The actual story to the game may have been a bit underwhelming, but Zelink’s story is MASSIVE. The memories show us a very complex Zelda, a mute Link who is loyal to a fault, and an epic love story between the two. This isn’t even a theory. It’s actually canon. (Thank you Kass, ily bby)
Now Link’s perspective isn’t fully fleshed out, but that’s the thing. It’s not supposed to be. But what we do get is a few pieces of information that makes you go “oh so he does have feelings for Zelda”. First being the Journal Entries. He wants to save Zelda ASAP so he can see her smile. He wonders if she will be pleased with how far he’s come. He is determined to save her after gaining all his memories of their relationship back. This Link only truly remembers Zelda. The Champion’s have some place in his mind, but he doesn’t remember like like he remembers Zelda.
Second being the little moments in the memories, like him staying by Zelda’s side in the castle to just hang out with her, listening to her ramble on about science things, being Extra Asf when the ground shakes and he immediately goes to make sure Zelda doesn’t stumble, turning around when Zelda begins to doubt herself, sheathing his sword despite being chased by murder bots. It’s just all those little things that makes you THINK.
Third being the flowers. The symbolism. It’s all too real and I won’t even get STARTED on how Nintendo gave us a canon ship name for BotW Zelink and we had the audacity to IGNORE IT!!!
Fourth being the fact that they practically debunk Miphlink after giving it the potential to become official. Stay with me. They painted Mipha as the typical childhood friend that falls in love with the protagonist. Except, I can say with certainty that it’s 1000% one sided. In the game, Link goes to Zora’s Domain as a kid and Mipha heals kid Link’s wounds because she a kind and gentle soul. There’s nothing romantic about that given the fact Mipha writes about it before she writes about the feelings she develops.
When Link goes back, she writes about how he looks past her, doesn’t open up to her, but still remains the kind soul she knows him to be. This in and of itself tells us that Link has no feelings for her whatsoever. He’s a knight and he does his best to protect whoever is in need. But he doesn’t truly reconnect with Mipha as a teenager because he remains closed off and in her diary, Mipha confirms the fact that he doesnt give her the same attention that she gives him. She makes the Zora Armor, yeah, but she didn’t present it to Link AND she prayed to Ruto. Ruto being the Zora that fell for Link but that relationship never happened because Link didn’t have feelings for her whatsoever. That in and of itself gives the impression that this relationship is also one sided. The thing that always stood out to me was how Mipha never presented the Zora Armor and how she realized Link and Zelda would grow closer because all the time they had was spent with each other. My theory is that Mipha saw Link and how he seemed a bit less weighed down. And it hit her that the Zelda is also more carefree at this point. And she puts two and two together and realizes that Link and Zelda have opened up to each other and gotten much closer as a result. Hence, why she didn’t give him the Zora Armor since she saw where Link’s heart truly lies. That’s just my own personal idea and theory on her not giving him the armor, so don’t judge lol.
But BoTW Zelink is so COMPLEX and is heavily implied to be canon after the events that I cannot wait to see how the sequel treats their relationship. It’s definitely going to be fun to watch and play.
OKAY SO MY POINT WAS
Nintendo provided all thes unique takes on two characters yet never gave them a toxic relationship, but always one where they can rely on the other when they needed to. And I think that’s beautiful.
*please take note that these are more of my personal opinions and how I view the relationships which may differ from others but that’s okay since LoZ is supposed to be a franchise where you are Link and so whatever you love, he loves. I’m just a slut for Zelink 🤷🏻‍♀️
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saltpepperbeard · 5 years
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Open Up ~An Everlark One-Shot~
A/N: Hello hello! Does this still count as an Everlark one shot with a particular character of a particular kind thrown into the mix? I’d hope so lol! But hey there; quite the unexpected twist from me, yes? Considering how much I absolutely ROAST the guy who shows up in this story.
I wanted to do it as a fun little exercise however! Oddly enough, I think it was burning his trading card at Toastcon that gave me the extra motivation to go through with this fjkdskds. CATHARTIC, PERHAPS? I have had a headcanon for quite some time though, one where Gale matures enough to actually come back to Twelve to face Katniss and consequently Peeta as well. I decided to play with that idea, and it was definitely fun/challenging figuring out how everyone would react, Katniss especially.
Now, I know this may be a little less than ideal content for some shippers lol! If you’re anything like me, his name alone is enough to send you into a “HMMNOTHANK” most of the time. But I’d definitely appreciate some open-mindedness for this one! Katniss may not throw up Gale, no, but she definitely has some OPINIONS.
So without further adoooooo...
Open Up
I feel relaxed for the first time in weeks. Curled up into the couch, my hands laced over my stomach, my unborn baby stirring softly within...
The scent of Peeta’s baking cheesebuns a comforting perfume in the air, the rain gently tapping against the glass of the window, the warmth of the fire blanketing both body and soul...
It’s nice. And very much needed. Getting this deep into my pregnancy has caused a whirlwind of emotion. Terrors have been frequenting my dreams more often than not. Panic has overtaken me more than relief has. Uncertainty has danced through my system in contrast to the usual steadiness.
I don’t know; something’s different about today. It feels like everything has fallen into place, everything’s where it should be. All my favorite things have lined up to swaddle me in comfort, swaddle me in relief. Seems like not too many things could threaten such a wonderful, easygoing morning.
“Love?”
The familiar, handsome voice calling from the kitchen breaks me from my thoughts, but not from my eased state, in fact adding to it. A warm smile stretches my cheeks as I reply back.
“Hmm?”
“Doing alright in there?”
I can hear him still working as he talks, pounding dough and bustling around the kitchen. I bite my lip, smiling more as I picture his concentration.
“I guess.”
Now, he halts, giving a firm slap to the dough before pausing.
“You guess?”
I shake my head softly; so protective as always. He’s got even more so with my pregnancy. Even the slightest bit of upset or discomfort on my part will get him leaping to action. If it were anyone else, it would almost be annoying. But with him, with my husband...it’s strangely endearing.
I worry my lip more, puffing with mirth. Shouldn’t worry him, I guess, so my response turns to teasing.
“Just missing someone. He’s wrapped up in his work though, so maybe I shouldn’t bother him.”
I can practically hear the tension in the kitchen break, Peeta sighing before falling victim to laughter.
“Oh,” he snickers, and continues on with baking, “Well, yeah, he is pretty busy making cheesebuns for his two favorite people. Not that he would mind the company, but such a distraction might put said cheesebuns on hold.”
“That might be a risk I’m willing to take,” I murmur back.
I know my husband’s grinning tremendously, the warmth from his smile outdoing the heat from the fire in the hearth.
“Really?” he chuckles, “You’d cast aside cheesebuns for this person? Are we talking about the same Katniss here?”
Now I’m laughing as well, shaking my head once more before heaving my rotund form off my perch, readying myself to saunter towards the kitchen.
“Guess I love him a bit more than his baking. Only a bit though.”
Again, Peeta laughs, a joyous, wonderful sound that brings me to the same level.
“Hmm, sounds about right,” he snorts, “Well, if not a cheesebun, he definitely has a kiss with your name on it.”
My heart flips, absentmindedly licking my lips as I picture his offer. Despite the aches and pains coursing through my body from being late into term, I begin to waddle my way towards the lovely enticements in the kitchen.
“He sounds cheesier than what he’s making,” I say, a blush dusting across my cheeks as I add, “Guess that’s why I love him more.”
“I’m going to cut this third person thing we have going only to say that I love you too.”
I blush even harder, and am just a few waddles away from entering the kitchen, a few waddles away from collapsing into my husband’s embrace, when my jinxing words decide to catch up with me.
Because the morning does indeed shift. Not with anything bad, per say, but with something very unexpected; a series of knocks sounds from our front door.
The warmth surging through me is quick to shift to the opposite, every part of me freezing. I try not to grow anxious, but it’s difficult not to. Though mysterious visitors are often just Haymitch, or Sae, or even Hazelle, some deep recess of my mind always worries about it being someone from the Capitol.
Especially now, with a pure little unscathed life growing deep within me.
What if they’re here to take Peeta and I back on some twisted Victors’ Tour. What if they’re here to reap us into a new set of Games. What if they’re here to take my child, our child, away, leading it to death before I could even ease it into life...
I hadn’t even realized I had been shivering with quick breaths until Peeta’s voice sounds to ground me.
“Katniss?” he asks, his tone a strong whisper, “Who-”
The knocks persist, cutting us both off. My anxiety hikes up, my arms subconsciously wrapping around my stomach. I take steps away from the outside world, visions rolling dark throughout my head.
“I...I can’t...” I wheeze, silently begging my husband for help. He understands almost immediately, our closeness seemingly connecting our minds.
“It’s alright,” he murmurs, his voice soothing, though I think I can hear a hint of concern, “It’s alright, Katniss. Let me just clean my hands off and then I’ll answ-”
Once more, we’re cut off. This time though, not from knocks. This time, it’s from my name, my name being uttered from someone different than Peeta.
“Katniss?”
I didn’t think it was possible to freeze more. But I do, every ounce of me locking up at the voice on the other side of the wood. It sounds incredibly strange, but all too familiar. Absolutely awful, but oddly wonderful all the same. 
Following along with the contrasts, my body remains rigidly still, all except for my arm, which slowly and cautiously reaches for the door’s handle. I don’t know what or who I’m expecting to see. I don’t know what to expect. But when I hear a soft, “I know you’re in there,” I’m able to summon enough strength to breech the final barrier between myself and the “stranger.”
Although it’s definitely not a stranger. And it’s not Sae, or Haymitch, or anyone from the Capitol. And I’m not sure if it’s way better than seeing a Peacekeeper at our door, or far worse.
Talk about locking up; I go utterly cold. My eyes turn wild, my mouth hangs agape, my grip on the door runs iron. And once more, my body and mind go to war, leaving me awkwardly hanging in the middle, unsure of what to do, unsure of how to react.
Part of me wants to start sobbing, crying at the notion of something returning from the dead. Part of me wants to slam the door, to forget I ever saw the person standing before me. Part of me wants to scream until my voice runs raw, shrieking my pain from the past few years.
Instead, I’m left doing absolutely nothing, simply staring in complete shock. 
The inner battle within me continues, and a reaction birthed from pure instinct presents itself. Vile things form on the tip of my tongue, anger being the first to pull ahead in my internal fight. But, just as fast, my heart is quick to douse the flames, preventing anything from being said.
It’s quite the brawl, between body and spirit. Before a side can come out on top though, before I can truly react, truly process, I hear shuffling behind me. Then, comes the voice the eases my soul, but unfortunately leaves me more aware of reality.
“Katniss? Who’s at the...”
Much be pretty extraordinary if Peeta finds himself speechless too.
We all remain in a tense, uncomfortable silence for a beat. But of course, my husband is the one to cut through. Amicable and wonderful as always, even in a situation like this. So I’m not surprised at all to feel him slide up behind me, his presence warm and welcoming.
And with a composure I wish I had, I watch as he extends a hand in greeting to the man before us, followed by the name I’ve tried not to think about in years.
“Gale...” Peeta murmurs, “It’s...a surprise to see you back in Twelve!”
Gale.
I’m not sure whether I want to vomit, smile, or dart back into the house.
But with my husband behind me, and the initial shock wearing off, I settle on actually looking at him, actually taking him in.
He looks so incredibly similar to how he did when we parted. I’m not sure how that’s even possible; it’s been years. I guess the only difference would be that he looks fitter, more composed. Like the kind of person who should be working in District Two.
But I can still see the familiarity in his grey eyes, the concentration in his gaze that I saw so often when we were hunting. Now, instead of using it to figure out snares and traps, I watch as it washes over my form. My very vulnerable, very pregnant form. It seems to settle on my stomach, his brow furrowing just enough to rouse a reaction from me.
I suddenly feel incredibly self-conscious, judged, and uncomfortable. I can’t imagine he’s not sneering at the fact that I’m pregnant with another man’s child, scowling in jealousy like he did not too long ago.
Bile rises in my throat, and I cast my gaze downwards, shutting myself out from the situation. The only thing I choose to focus on is my husband, inhaling his therapeutic cinnamon and dill scent, relishing in the warmth of his body pressed against mine.
The small ounce of my conscious paying attention braces for the usual snarky comment from Gale. But strangely enough, he simply returns my husband’s greeting, shaking Peeta’s hand back.
“Peeta. Yeah it’s...definitely been a while.”
His voice even sounds similar. Strong, authoritative, steady. It takes me back to the better times between us, but of course, it also takes me back to the terrible. I feel my throat tighten further, and I still find myself unable to look at him. Instead, I lean back to seek the same comfort I’ve been receiving all these years, my own true solace.
Peeta’s quick to deliver, slipping his hand around my hip when he retracts it from Gale’s, holding me close. I can’t tell if his arm around me is a protective or a possessive gesture. Either way, it does its intended purpose, soothing me and ironing out the high peaks of anxiety.
“How have you been doing?” Peeta asks, thankfully keeping the awkward silences somewhat at bay.
“Ahh, pretty good. Keeping busy in Two.”
The mention of Gale’s job, his life, causes me to shiver slightly. Though Peeta tightens his grip around me, every ounce of his warmth pouring into my veins, my nerves continue to wave. I want nothing more than to bury my face in Peeta’s chest, to hide myself away from all of this. Even though it’s not much, simply catching up and exchanging pleasantries, it’s...more than overwhelming. I wasn’t ready for this. I want to go back to the regular, gentle day we were having, go back to focusing on my life and the life I’m preparing to welcome.
But, Gale being stubborn and Peeta being more than polite, neither give me that option, continuing to converse.
“...Take it things are going well for the two of you?”
Even after all these years, I think I can recognize that tone. Seemingly well intended, but laced with jealousy and negativity. Does nothing but make my urge to flee stronger, my trembles more intense.
Peeta begins to softly caress my hip, my lower back, rubbing tender circles as he carries on with the conversation.
“Yeah. We’re slowly starting to rebuild. Opened the bakery back up, and the forest continues to provide. Life’s been...getting back to normal really.”
My husband definitely doesn’t disappoint; even if Gale had been making some kind of stab at our relationship, at my pregnancy, Peeta stepped entirely around it. It makes me relax a tad, leaning even further into his touch.
“That’s good to hear. You seem like you’re doing much better,” Gale says.
My relaxation is short lived, tensing back up at Gale’s words. That’s...strange for him to say. Years ago he didn’t want Peeta to get better; him being well was too much competition. And now he’s commenting on my husband’s well being?
“I am, thank you,” Peeta murmurs, before looking down in my direction, “It’s been rocky at times but...We’ve really helped each other through a lot.”
“I can tell.”
Gale pauses for a moment, before taking a breath and continuing in a softer voice, “I’m...glad you two have each other.”
Now there’s a silence that even Peeta can’t mend, the both of us stunned at such a different character. I raise my head slightly, though still not looking Gale in the eyes, confusion surging in to mix with the nerves. Almost as if on cue, Gale inhales before breaking through.
“Guess you’re wondering why I’m at your front door?”
It’s like Peeta suddenly becomes fully aware of his surroundings; I guess Gale showing up was enough to shock him into greying out as well. He tenses slightly, looking down at me, back to Gale, and then down at me again, his mouth flopping a few times. I hear him swallow hard, before he releases with a sigh, almost like he was fighting something as well.
“Oh, sorry; would you like to come in out of the rain?”
“Yeah, thanks. Not quite used to this weather anymore.”
The two share a good-natured chuckle, keeping the atmosphere cordial. But, cordial as it may be, and as friendly as my husband is, it doesn’t stop my vision from nearly blacking out. There’s something about inviting Gale into our household that almost makes the contents of my stomach reappear onto our porch. Maybe because inviting him in almost feels like letting him back into my life, neither of which I’m ready for at all.
I can barely handle my pregnancy, can barely handle my past nightmares. How the hell am I expected to handle an individual who carries such immense weight with him, who’s left such a hefty scar across my body?
My form signals to me that I’ve had enough, and before either of them can say anything more, I tear myself away. I move the fastest I have in weeks, practically ignoring the added weight in my abdomen as I glide across the cold floor. I’m quick to find a bathroom, and I barely have time to sink in front of the toilet before the retching begins.
I cough harshly, tears streaming down my face as I fiercely grip the porcelain. Nothing comes up, but my body continues to react, heaving all the while. A scream builds up in my throat, but it comes out as a gag, dampened by all my rampant emotions.
There I remain until both physical and mental exhaustion kick in, my entire form slumping downwards. I wheeze, breathing heavily as I claw my way across the floor, easing myself to the bathroom door. I prop myself against it, leaning on it as I rake my hands across my face, tears still a plenty.
I expect to be reduced to sobs, or screams, but I find that I’m numb instead. I’m motionless, remaining against the doorway, now impervious to the conversation on the other end. I have no choice but to listen in, to be subjected to whatever is so important.
I wait for Gale to drop some big news, some kind of something from the likes of District Two. But instead, the conversation between he and Peeta continues to sound entirely casual.
“Did you want anything to drink? Or eat?” I hear Peeta ask.
“No, I’m good, but thanks,” Gale replies.
I hear them pass through the house, the two of them heading to either the living room or the kitchen. They probably think they’re out of ear shot, or that I’m not listening. They’d be wrong; I’m entirely attuned.
There’s another awkward beat, one silent enough for me to hear my heart pounding in my ears. This time, Gale’s surprisingly the one to break it, with something rather unexpected.
“...So when’s the baby coming?”
I feel my fists tighten on their own accord, an ember of anger alighting within me. It may have been a perfectly innocent question once again, but it reeks of envy and bitterness.
Thankfully, my husband’s warmth combats the negative fire; I can almost feel the heat of his smile as he gingerly answers.
“In a few weeks, we think. That’s what the doctor keeps telling us anyway.”
“You excited?”
“Yeah, absolutely,” Peeta chuckles softly, “I’ve wanted to be a Dad for...a while.”
Picturing the look on my husband’s face and hearing his current contentment soothes me, my form easing a bit against the door. But because fire is here to combat my own, Gale speaking gets me tensing right back up again.
“And Katniss?”
I clench my jaw, my hands lacing protectively across my stomach. I’m half-tempted to burst out, to hiss at him to leave and stop questioning my growing family. But I still find myself locked up, Peeta tenderly speaking for me.
“She’s alright,” he murmurs after a breath, “She’s been scared of course.”
I tense further, wishing I had a knife to throw if Gale dares to make some kind of snide comment towards my husband, something about him not helping me properly or me not being ready. Once again, he surprises me, simply remaining silent and allowing Peeta to continue.
“But...I think she’s excited too. She already talks to the baby a lot, and I’ll catch her singing lullabies on the occasion.”
I hear Peeta chuckle gently, before he adds, “She’s going to be a wonderful mother.”
It’s astounding how well and how quickly Peeta can bring me back down, tension sapping from a body with a ghost of a smile to match. I blow out a soft breath, tenderly starting to rub my stomach, only to freeze when another voice interjects.
“...Yeah. She will,” Gale agrees.
That sort of melancholy-laced tone takes me back to when I was so confused, to when I didn’t know what to do with myself or how I was feeling. I expect it to trigger those same awful feelings of guilt, my throat tightening in preparation.
I’m pleased when nothing of the sort arises.
Because no, there’s absolutely no questioning it now. The baby growing within me is Peeta’s. And the heart pounding in my chest belongs to him as well. It’s something that Gale has absolutely no place in wiggling himself into now. It never was. So why the hell is he-
“Guess you’re wondering why I showed up here?”
I inhale sharply; guess he’s answering my question is more like it.
“Kind of,” Peeta admits.
“I came to Twelve for inspections. Decided to come here, kind of at the last minute. Partly because...”
He pauses with an exhale, and I’m barely breathing myself as he continues.
“Peeta, I wanted to apologize. And to thank you.”
It’s like everything in Twelve comes screeching to a halt. Nothing’s audible except for the rain just barely pittering outside, and my breaths puffing out in perplexed bursts. I sit up a bit, needing to shake my head and inwardly ask myself if that was real. Very out of character from what I’m used to, from what I’d expect from him.
Peeta must be on the same wavelength, his question just as soft as the raindrops on the window.
“...Pardon?”
I hear Gale take another breath, his voice taking an oddly soft tone as well.
“You’ve really taken care of each other. I can see that in the short time I’ve been here. But the way you’ve cared for Katniss...I never could’ve...”
He trails off, swallowing the old longing. I can feel myself scowling at the thought of his old self punching through whatever thing he has going now. Peeta must be making some kind of furrowed expression too, because Gale is quick to keep explaining.
“She was my best friend. And I cared about her a lot. Still do.”
I think I can feel my heart twang within my chest. Before I can think about that too much though, the flickering fire of annoyance within comes to the rescue.
“But I was just too wrapped up in myself,” Gale says, sighing, “Too wrapped up in the war. I don’t know. I didn’t pay attention to her as much as I should’ve. I didn’t realize what she wanted, didn’t know what she needed.”
He takes another deep breath.
“Obviously it was you. And I shouldn’t have fought against that as hard as I did.”
I can’t help but nod slightly against the door. Despite my distrust for him though, and the situation, I find myself continuing to listen intently.
“After the rebellion I was worried she’d never heal but...Here she is with you, alive, happy...pregnant...”
Almost as if on cue, the baby stirs softly, and I go back to rubbing my stomach. I can feel the tension levels easing down, only slightly, but still.
“Thank you for giving her this life. For being there for her. Trying to wedge myself between that was...inexcusable. I’m sorry.”
I’m surprised to feel my breath catch, and I lean my head back, looking towards the ceiling as I contemplate things, as I process. Where did this all come from? I never would have expected anything of the sort from him. The last time we saw each other, I was perfectly content on never seeing him ever again. And now he’s here, in my house, apologizing to my husband?
I shake my head again, scowling. Damn Gale. I guess I wasn’t safe from the confusion he inflicts after all.
Admittedly though, this...is far more welcomed. He’s perplexing, but not in the way I was so accustomed to years ago. 
I am still annoyed with him though, for making me attempt to figure it out.
There’s another pause, less awkward this time. Peeta must be trying to process things too. I hear him heave a gentle sigh, before he speaks up again.
“You loved her. You didn’t know what to do. We both didn’t.”
It’s the first time throughout this exchange that my husband’s words have made my throat tighten. I find myself worrying my bottom lip, knowing it’s the truth but hating to hear it.
Following the pattern of oddity, Gale gives a sort snort.
 “No, if I really loved her I wouldn’t have acted how I did. To either of you.”
The sigh that departs from deep within my lungs syncs up perfectly with Peeta’s.
“Don’t worry about it,” he murmurs, “It’s in the past now.”
“...You can’t speak for Katniss though.”
“No,” Peeta agrees, “I can’t.”
And he’s right. He can’t. Peeta understands me like no one else does, but I don’t even think he can figure out the complexity of what all I’m feeling right now. For the record, I don’t think I can either.
I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want this. Things have already been so crazy lately. I didn’t need more wounds from my past to reopen.
And I don’t want to forgive him.
But I feel...eased. I feel slightly lifted. It’s equivalent to putting a bandaid on a scar, sure. Doesn’t erase the fact that the scar is still there. But...it still feels oddly better than having the scar ugly and untreated.
Before I can get too wrapped up in my thoughts, Peeta’s gentle and sincere voice breaks through.
“...Thank you though, Gale. I appreciate the apology.”
Some kind of movement is audible, and I imagine the two are shaking hands again. If anything, I guess I’m glad that Gale and Peeta are on better terms.
But where does that leave me.
It’s like they read my mind, my energy, directing their conversation my way after another pause.
“Should...we check on her?” Gale asks.
Peeta replies with a long breath, before audibly answering.
“I think...she just needs some time. This was all very sudden. Guess anything else will have to happen on her terms.”
I love you, Peeta.
I let out a shaky breath, feeling Gale’s tension before he relents.
“Right. Sorry for showing up with no notice.”
“It’s alright,” Peeta murmurs, letting out a huff of mirth, “Definitely took us by surprise though.”
They both share a strained, quiet laugh, before things go quiet. There’s the awkwardness again, like neither of them are sure where to proceed. They both know they can’t force me out. So after a few more pauses, Gale backs off with a sigh.
“Alright. Well, good seeing you, Peeta,” he says, “Take care of yourself.”
“You too. Safe travels.”
More pauses, before I hear a pair of departing footsteps, followed by another. I recognize the heavier tread of my husband, sounding like it’s slowly departing off towards the kitchen again. Gale sounds closer, likely heading for the front door.
And that’s when I feel completely strange. That’s when all the swirling emotions take hold. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know is about to take place. But I find myself standing up and bursting through the door, tearing back through the house.
I round a corner, and freeze at the sight of him. His back is turned to me as he collects his things, but he raises his head and stills at my approach. I thought I had been silent on my feet, but I guess my pregnancy makes my footsteps a bit harder. That, or his hunting background must still be evident despite years in District Two.
Either way, I inwardly curse, and consider darting away before he can say anything.
I find that I’m still locked into place though. And he beats me to it anyway.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me.”
Him talking to Peeta was easy to stomach. But for some reason, him talking to me after so long instantly makes me defensive, a scowl hardening my features with building nasty words to match.
“I wouldn’t forgive me either,” he continues, still turned away from me, “But I have to apologize to you anyway.”
I feel myself trembling, close to bolting or yelling, I’m not sure which. Again, he doesn’t give the luxury of deciding. He instead turns to face me, our grey eyes connecting in a strange hold. It’s very quick to make me feel nauseous, the whole thing a bit much to handle. I don’t know why I chased him in the first place.
I want Peeta. I want to go back into hiding. I want...
“Katniss...” he says, his voice saddened and just barely above a whisper.
My nostrils flare, numerous responses attempting to surface but failing. He takes it as a cue to go on.
“Will you at least listen to what I have to say?”
My body tenses up, like a cat arching its spine. I don’t say yes, but I don’t say no either. That leaves us in a strange limbo for a bit, with Gale being the one to venture out of it.
“I was bent out of shape. I was too caught up in my own interests. So caught up that I forgot how to treat you as my best friend. Hardly anything else mattered.”
I’m heaving shaky breaths, feeling a glassy, angry sheen form at the bottom of my eyes.
“It wasn’t right of me at all. It won me the battle I was fighting but at what cost.”
I watch as he swallows hard, his expression dropping further.
“Katniss, I’m so sorry about...”
He chokes on his apology, unable to finish. I know what he’s referring to though. The thought is enough to break the glass, a single, hot tear rolling down my cheek. I want so badly to swipe it away, but I’m completely motionless.
At this, he seems to droop, pain clearly reading across his face.
“I’m sorry...”
I close my eyes, trying not to think too hard about anything. I attempt to shut it out, reverting to hardness as I always have.
“We’ve been here before, Gale,” I say, my tone cold but catching slightly at the utterance of his name.
“I know. And nothing I can say will fix it.”
“No.” 
He heaves a shaky breath himself, and switches course away from that awful topic.
“So, I guess I’ll just say that...I’m so happy for you.”
This is enough to bring my eyes back into view, and I’m stunned to see him wearing a sad smile.
“I never would have been able to say this years ago. But really, I’m happy you’re here, with Peeta. He...really cares about you. And it’s good to see that you’re happy too. That you love him.”
I blink slowly, instinctively resting my hands atop my stomach at the talk of my husband, the talk of love.
“That’s all I could have wanted. You to be happy and safe. And he’s done that for you. All that and more. I’m glad, Katniss. I really am.”
I don’t want to believe him. I don’t want to believe any of this. But his expression, his voice...It all seems so oddly genuine. I mean, why would he show up here to say all of this if he didn’t really mean it?
My breath catches, and I blow it out slowly, beginning to shift my hands across the strained fabric of my shirt, comforting myself. I nearly stop when I see Gale’s gaze momentarily flit down to my stomach, but it’s too quick of a glance.
“Seeing you...like this...I know everything’s just right for you. And that he was right all along.”
“It is. He is.”
I of course expect him to sulk, but he simply nods, continuing to gently smile.
“I think I can breathe easier now, that’s for sure.”
I fall slightly agape, unable to hide the perplexity swirling around my subconscious.
“Why...do you...”
“Care?” he finishes for me.
When I give a slight nod, he continues, “Spending time away from home made me reflect I guess. It’s weird being there without really knowing anyone. It’s weird not being able to hunt.”
It’s his turn to look away, his eyes flitting down for a moment before reconnecting with mine.
“...I’ve missed you, Katniss.”
It’s back to me looking away, my throat tightening up as well. I can feel his gaze on me, and lets out a mirthless puff of air.
“Know that’s probably not mutual.”
I’m about to start scowling at what sounds like a guilt trip, but he sweeps away my building annoyance.
“Which is okay. And...understandable,” he huffs.
Another awkward beat, the two of us shifting on our feet. Of course Gale is the one to cut it, his voice the gentlest it’s been this entire time.
“I just had to apologize. Get that all off my chest. I owed it to both you and Peeta for too long. I really am sorry, Katniss. For everything.”
When I don’t respond, hanging my head as moisture settles in my eyes again, he lets out another sigh. 
I won’t forgive him. I can’t forgive him. But I can at least...accept this, accept what he’s said. I can at least acknowledge that I appreciate his strange shift in mindsets.
Not with words though, of course. Not by saying something. So, almost as if on their own accord, my feet are carrying me towards him, closing our proximity for the first time in nearly a decade. I barely have the time to register his shocked expression before I’m against him, as best as my rotund stomach will allow.
The feeling of him against me, the ashen scent that floods my nose, is almost enough to make me gag, to make me think that this was a mistake. I’ve gotten accustomed to speaking through physical gestures. But with him, with Gale...
I tense, my breath speeding up considerably. But when he slowly and hesitantly completes the embrace, when his arms come around me...
There’s an absence of warmth, yes. But the familiarity, the promise of sincerity in his apology...
One or two tears manage to break free, streaming down my cheeks and signalling a breach in my composure. I have to break away before I let my emotions get the best of me. I guess after all of these years, after everything that happened, I still can’t let him see me cry. So I tug back against his hug, breaking it and avoiding his gaze.
“You and Peeta take care of yourselves,” he murmurs, finally signalling his departure.
I nod softly, starting to fidget with the bottom of my shirt.
“And...congratulations,” he says; I can see him nod towards my stomach out of the corner of my eye, “I can’t believe you’re about to become a mother...”
Again, I nod, my lip trembling ever so slightly.
There’s another pause, and then he murmurs his departing words.
“Good seeing you, Catnip...”
I heave at the utterance of the old nickname, finally looking at him again. He gives me one last saddened smile, before slowly turning back towards the door. He opens it, and is quick to venture out into the rainy weather, his form disappearing into the mists of Twelve like a shadowy apparition, like he was never even here.
I walk out onto the porch after he goes, before stepping into the gentle rain myself. I need it to stay in touch with reality. I need it to make sure that wasn’t some weird dream.
My grey gaze travels skyward towards the matching clouds, allowing the cold droplets to splash across my face. It feels cleansing, therapeutic.
Kind of like...the whole exchange that was just had. Cold, could be considered unpleasant even, but...perhaps needed. Cathartic.
Like some kind of weird closure to something that was so painful.
I open my eyes and lower my head, blinking away the tears and rain. I suddenly feel chilled out in the deluge, after such a conversation, needing warmth like nothing else. I spin on my heels and dart back into the house, seeking the only person who can give me that.
“...Peeta?” I call, though it comes out more like a whimper, my composure swaying dangerously.
“In here, love,” he tenderly replies.
I follow his voice into the living room to find him sitting on the couch in front of the roaring fire, a fresh plate of cheesebuns on the coffee table beside him. He’s wrapped in a blanket, and as grey meets soft blue, he holds it open in an invitation, one I don’t hesitate in taking.
In mere seconds I’m against him, burying my face into his neck, into everything that he is. And as he wraps half of the blanket around me, as he nuzzles me and peppers me with comforting kisses, all the crazy emotions that had been boiling up in me surface.
I cry. I sob. I wheeze my tears against my husband until I can barely breathe. He’s extraordinarily patient with me throughout, letting me get it out and not saying a word, simply stroking my hair or giving me soft kisses.
When I’ve exhausted myself, when I’ve drained myself of feeling, I sniffle and reveal my face again, snuggling further against Peeta. He of course is aware of the shift, and wraps his arms around me in a loving embrace.
“Hey...” he whispers, pressing his lips against my forehead, “You okay?”
“I...I think so...” I whisper back, my chest continuing to shiver with the occasional sob.
Peeta nods slowly, and continues to caress and kiss me. I have to give him credit; he doesn’t pry, doesn’t ask any questions about what happened. He puts the conversation entirely in my hands, only discussing what I feel comfortable with.
I allow the shivers coursing through my system to lessen, the fire and rain to soothe, and my husband to nurture, before I softly speak up again.
“He tried to apologize before...”
Peeta stops peppering me with his lips only to lean back a tad, listening intently to my soft explanation.
“After...after Prim...”
Her name comes out as a croak, which gets me another gentle kiss to the cheek before my husband leans back once more.
“I couldn’t forgive him then. Still couldn’t now.”
I can see Peeta’s mouth slightly tighten out of the corner of my eye, but he doesn’t say anything, simply nodding.
“I don’t know though...Something felt...different today...Better...”
“Yeah?” Peeta murmurs.
“Yeah...I don’t know. Maybe I’m just wrapped up in how unexpected it was...And weird...”
My husband lets out a puff of mirth, his hand softly drifting across my shoulder, rubbing gentle caresses
“It was...pretty weird, admittedly,” he agrees with a chuckle, before his voice runs serious again, “But...I think it was a good thing...”
I nod slowly, simply gazing towards the fire as I think things over. The flames have lessened a bit, not crackling and popping as strongly. Just like Gale; his flames seemed to have died down too. Neither are as aggressive anymore, as overpowering. That’s definitely not a bad thing at all.
A soft sigh huffs from my nose. I wonder if he’s ever going to stop by again. I don’t think I’d be affected if he didn’t. But I also don’t think I’d be full of hatred if he did.
Strange. I didn’t expect to make some sort of semblance of peace with so many things today. Everything really does seem to be easing into harmony, into gentleness.
“What about you?” I finally murmur into the comfortable silence.
“Hmm?”
“How’re you feeling about it?”
“Oh,” Peeta replies with a puff of soft laughter, “Ah, about the same as you I guess. Weirded out.”
I return the huff of laughter, and my husband chuckles more before continuing.
“I just...never expected him to show me gratitude.”
“Or apologize.”
“Oh, you heard?”
I nod, my voice dropping a tad in pitch, protectiveness and possessiveness swirling throughout.
“About time he actually showed you proper respect and appreciation.”
My sudden seriousness must take Peeta by surprise, because he halts his caresses and movements. When he gets a load of my scowl though, my grumpiness, he lets out another soft huff, his facial expression melting back into tenderness.
“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t really matter in this, sweetheart. What’s more important to me is that he showed that respect to you.”
“No, he needed to understand how much I love you, Peeta. How much you mean to me. I don’t think he does entirely, don’t think anyone does. At least he has a better idea now.”
Again, I’ve stunned my husband. Only this time, I can see a wonderful, shy smile slowly stretching his features. It reminds me of the smile he gave me when I thanked him for the pearl, or the smile he gave me when I first told him I loved him.
He hangs his head a bit, letting out a soft laugh.
“You’re...incredible, you know that?”
I feel my scowl shifting towards a smile now as well, shaking my head at his compliment.
“Alright. Well, how about we say that...it was good for both of us, and that I love you to the point where I can’t properly express it myself,” he murmurs.
“Hmm...Guess I’ll have to settle for that.”
This time when Peeta laughs, I’m unable to stop myself from doing so too. And I finally turn to look at him for the first time since sitting down, as he’s actually the person I can give a proper physical gesture to.
“Peeta?”
“Hmm?”
I take a moment to appreciate his tender stare, his striking features, his ever growing smile when our eyes meet. I cannot help but smile softly in return, my tone growing lighter.
“There’s...a kiss with your name on it...”
The way his face manages to light up even more, even brighter than the embers beside us, melts my heart.
We kiss and embrace until we run hotter than the fire, until the cheesebuns beside us run cold. We caress until the cold dampness still clinging to my skin shifts elsewhere, until the possessiveness really wants to take over. We ravish each other until we drown out the rain pounding on the roof, until we give each other all the love and appreciation we can offer.
Later, we lay in bed as both us and the evening weather cool down, our bare bodies tangled and our hands laced across our precious one nestled within me. Mental and physical exhaustion set in as I nestle closer to Peeta, lazily peppering him with kisses. But after everything, after such an odd turn of events...I feel whole.
My week had started with mounting worry, with growing fear. And now, it’s ending with heightening peace, with easing tension. It’s ending with things tying up in strange, lovely little knots. It’d ending with more of a focus on what’s ahead, less of what’s behind us.
In the loving arms of my husband, I don’t have any nightmares. And with the apologies still hanging in my conscious, my scars hurt a little less.
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Survey #279
“she could kill you with a wink of her eye.”
Have you ever met a guy for coffee? No, I don’t like coffee. Do you feed your leftovers to your dogs? I don’t currently have any dogs, but when I did, it was very rare and (almost) only if he wasn’t begging for it. The only exception was chicken nuggets; Teddy loved him some chicken nuggets, holy shit. That and peanut butter he would always get so excited about. What tricks does your pet do? Neither my cat nor obviously my snake know any tricks. Do you believe in psychics? No. When you hear the name “Ginger” what do you think of? Jason’s fatass beagle. I wonder how she is a lot, she was a darling. What is the worst damage that your car has seen? N/A What was the last thing that annoyed you? Probably my chronic boredom. :’) How would your parents react if you got pregnant (or got someone pregnant)? Both would be extremely confused seeing as I’m not with a guy and absolutely do not want kids. Have you ever had a fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend’s mom or dad? Nope. Are you afraid of frogs? No, they’re Good. How would you react if a complete stranger complimented you? It depends on the compliment and how it’s delivered. If you sound genuine and it’s not creepy, it’s honestly really flattering and sweet, though I get really shy. Who was the last person to make you cry? Myself, technically, thinking too much about he who I shouldn’t, y’know. Do you have Facebook? I do. How would you react if you found out your crush had a terminal disease? God, I don’t want to think about this. I’d be absolutely crushed. Do you eat applesauce? I don’t go out of my way to get some, but sure, I like applesauce. What was the last pill you took for? It was one of my mood stabilizers. Are you in the hospital a lot? No, thankfully. What is your dentist’s first name, if you know it? I have no clue. Have you ever walked on the beach at night? Yes. Does your mother have any sisters? One. Do you read poetry/make it? I don’t really read it anymore, but once in five blue moons I’ll write one if I’m really inspired. Have you ever had braces? Yes, for way too long because we couldn’t afford to take them off. I think it’s why one of my bottom front teeth is angled back a bit. Your parents split; would you want to live with your mom or dad? My parents are divorced and I live(d) with my mom. Ever told your parents you were going somewhere but went somewhere else? To Mom, yes. My sisters and I were going to visit Dad and it was just easier back then to make something else up. Are you afraid of lifts? Elevators? Yes. Not terribly, but I’m not a fan. Who did you last talk to in person? Is that person attractive? My “other mom” Tobey; she brought me some groceries while Mom’s away. She’s Mom’s age though so no, I’m not attracted to her. She’s like family. Have you ever had a deep, personal conversation with a stranger? I mean, isn’t that therapy at first? lmao Let’s talk about the person you had your first kiss with. Do you still talk to that person? If so, do you still like them? Would you kiss them again? No; no, I like his memory; I fucking hope not. How many times have you cried over the person you love/like? A couple times. When was the last time you wanted to cry, but didn’t, because you didn’t want to show that you were upset? Why? I’m really not sure. What are three things that are guaranteed to make you smile, or put you in a good mood? Going on a car ride with me in shotgun to blare my music; seeing Mark laugh oh my FUCKING god; and seeing meerkats being cute. What is something in your life that you feel hopeful about right now? Nothing. What was the last thing you worried about that turned out better than expected? My first teletherapy appointment. What is a meal you eat extremely often? Or do your meals & food choices vary a lot? Chicken of some sort is very, very common. What was the last thing you changed your mind about? Ummm… good question. I know I have done this recently, I just can’t remember it… Who tends to show up in your dreams? Do you ever wonder if you appear in anyone else’s dreams? Jason is practically a staple. Mom is there a lot. And sure, doesn’t everyone? Instead of flat earth, what do you think of the simulated earth theory, that we’re basically all just a giant computer program or virtual reality? I think it’s possible, there really is some convincing evidence, but I lean more towards not believing it. What worries you most about your future? What the fuck I’m doing with my life. What is something you do to feel better when you’re scared? Deep breathing. Who do you feel you can count on the most in life? Is there anyone you wish you could count on more? Mom, and sure. When was the last time you shared a secret with someone, and how did they react? I’m not sure. Are you more likely to give advice or to ask for it? Give. What is the strangest book you have ever read? How did you find out about it? OH MY GOD, SUDDEN MEMORY. There was this book we read in elementary school about this kid who made everything he touched turn to chocolate and it was fuckin wild. Do you prefer to watch movies or tv alone or with other people? Is there anything you refuse to watch alone? Oh, absolutely with someone. Y’all know I don’t enjoy TV that much anyway. What was the subject of the last video you watched? I’m watching the VOD on-and-off of a WoW streamer I like. Who taught you the most valuable lesson in life and what was that lesson? Jason. Don’t let anyone but yourself become your main source of happiness and worth. Have you got perfect vision? Hell no. I’ve got glasses for a good reason. What colour is the door to your house? White. Would you prefer a pet rat, mouse, snake, lizard or spider? Snake. <3 Are you a good liar (tell the truth this time)? Yes. Do you like the smell of a barbecue or bonfire? Yeah, even though I hate barbecue itself. Do you think rainbows are pretty or overrated? Who the fuck thinks they’re “overrated”??? Rainbows are gorgeous. I think we can all agree on that. Are you more skeptical or gullible? Skeptical. How often do you drink sodas or fizzy drinks? LOLOL I DO NOT WANT TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION. Has anyone ever called you apathetic or unemotional? Considering I’m the polar opposite, no. Prefer being in control in a team environment, helping out, or taking orders? Help out. Do you like carrot cake? GIRL yes. Do you view animals as being just as important as people? Why or why not? Yes, because we have no greater right than them to be here. Hell, they’re probably more deserving with humanity’s selfishness. I’m aware as a meat eater there’s some hypocrisy here, buuut still in my heart I see them as just as valuable. What made you stop talking to the last person you cut out of your life? She made an absolutely infuriating, false assumption of my mother. Is there a situation or person you haven’t been able to get over/forgive? I’ve forgiven him. Forgetting’s a different story. What are you like during arguments? Regardless of the topic or severity, I will absolutely be fumbling over my words, stuttering, and find eye contact difficult. It’s definitely not rare that I’ll be crying. Where do you like to be kissed? WELL this depends on the mood y’know. What is more difficult for you, looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when they are telling you how they feel? I dunno, both can be very hard. Think of the last time you were REALLY angry. WHY were you angry? Do you still feel the same way? It’s petty and I’d rather not give it the time of day. But I still am kind of angry, though I shouldn’t be. There is a fire in the back of the plane. You have enough time to make ONE phone call. Who do you call? What do you tell them? Why is this so oddly specific lol. But anyway, Mom, and that I love her. Would you rather be hurt by the one you trust the most or the one you love the most? The one I trust the most. Think of the last person who you know that died. You have the chance to give them one hour of life back, but you have to give up one year of yours. Do you do it? Why or why not? No, because she was miserable. When was the last time you told someone HONESTLY how you felt regardless of how difficult it was for you to say? Who was it? What did you have to tell the person? I don’t know. What do you think would be the hardest thing for you to give up? Why would it be hard to lose? Sara. Her friendship means a fucking lot to me. Excluding romantic love, when was the last time you told someone you loved them. Who were they to you? Yesterday to my mom. Are you old fashioned? HA, definitely not. Have you ever gone up to a car thinking it was yours and tried to get in it? Oh my god yes. What’s your most irrational fear? There are plenty of them that I have. Whale sharks lmao. Musicals: yay or nay? I can’t help it, they’re always cheesy to me. Do you play the games on MySpace/Facebook? No. When was the last time you were sunburnt? A few years ago when I went to the beach with Colleen and her fam. It was actually to the point of being sun poisoning. No words for how painful that shit was. How many times have you re-pierced a piercing yourself? Never have, never would. I’m trusting a professional with that. What’s your favorite band? Ozzy Osbourne, of course. :’) How often do you pray? Never. Have you ever hugged someone for over a minute? Yeah. Would you ever get a tattoo on your collarbone? I already have one but am getting it covered with something else eventually. It just doesn’t really apply to me. Do you wake up cranky? Not usually; I’m usually in my best mood in the morning. Are you an official couple with the last person you kissed? No. Who was the last person to hold your hand? I don’t recall. What do you miss most about your ex? Define which ex. Are you attracted to the last person that kissed you? Yeah. Do you and your last ex hate each other? We’re best friends lmao. Have you ever regretted kissing someone? Yes. Are you faster at text messaging or typing on the computer? Absolutely typing on the computer. I make typos while texting too much. Has anybody ever told somebody one of your secrets? Probably. Have you ever kissed anybody who had a mustache? Yes If you were famous do you think you could handle the popularity? Nooooo no no. Have your parents ever told you about their love lives, and any previous relationships they had before they met? I’ve heard small stories about past relationships. Do you know anyone that’s gotten an abortion before? Yes. Have you ever been arrested? No. Who’s the last person that gave you roses? Tyler. Who’s the last guy you texted? My dad. What about the last girl? Sara. When was your first real relationship? From age 15 to 19-ish. Have you ever cried over an ex? I have PTSD stemming from one of them so guess lmao. Do you ever think about your ex and cry? ^ Have you ever cussed someone out? I remember one occasion at my sister’s stupid fucking ex. What’s the most trouble you’ve ever gotten in with your parents? Hm, not sure. Is there something really bad that you’ve done, that only YOU know about? No. Do you have a lot of secrets? Not really. Have you ever made out with someone who was just a friend? No. Have you ever told someone’s deep, dark secret? No. “Your secret it safe with me” is something I’m hardcore about. Have you ever pushed someone into a pool? I don’t think so, no. Do you have a super-secret hiding place and what’s in it? No. Have you ever you shop lifted? No. What state (or country) do you live in? North Carolina. Are you listening to music right now? Yes; 3TEETH's cover of "Pumped Up Kicks." I have fallen in LOVE with them. What is your newest favorite website? I don’t think I’ve really had a “new” favorite website in like eons. Do you have embarrassing memories of stupid things you've done? You have no fucking idea. I still remember things that embarrassed me in pre-k. What was the last thing you cooked on the stove? Scrambled eggs, I’m sure. What color Christmas tree do you want when you have a house someday? BLACK. BLACK WITH FAUX SNOW. How fucking gorgeous would that be??? Have you ever had to use an epi pen? No. Do you know the names of 3 of your neighbors? No. I only know the name of one. What was the last thing you cooked that you burnt or cooked for too long? I’m unsure. If you could have a car in any color, which color would you choose? ANY color? Pink. What was the last grocery store you shopped at? Walmart. What was the last type of milk you drank? 2%. Do you plan to vote in the next election? Yes. I believe silence speaks for the evil in situations like this, and I’m done doing that. Thooouuugh I gotta educate myself on the candidates… What was the last act of creativity you displayed? Writing. What is the last thing you charged? My laptop. Who was the last person to upload a picture with you in it? I don’t know, been a long time. Do you like peas? NOOOOOOOOO. It’s funny, according to Mom, I loooved peas as a baby, but now I’m just like… can’t relate. Do you ever wear sleep masks when you sleep or shower caps when you shower? No. Which friend are you most similar to? Sara and I are very similar. Your ex calls wanting to hang out. What do you say? Well Sara is many states away so like,,,, we can’t unless I wanna buy a plane ticket lmao. If it was Jason, I pretty much know I’d say yes like a fucking idiot. If it was Girt, it’d be a yeah, we haven’t hung out in forever. Do you have alcohol in your house? No. Have you or anyone you know been to rehab? I’m sure someone has. Have you ever swung on a tire swing? I think I have at least once. What’s a discontinued product you wish they still made? Damn, I know there are some, but they’re not coming to me. Have you ever been involved in Facebook drama? Yes. Actually told a motherfucker off a few days back that claimed there was “something wrong” with Breonna Taylor and her death was justifiable. I. Went. The fuck. Off. Then everyone joined in. :D Do you have anything against women who choose to be stay-at-home-mothers? No?????? The fuck?????????? Have you ever kissed someone with a beard? Not a lengthy one. What gaming consoles do you own? PS2, Wii, GameBoy Advance, Nintendo DS Lite, my laptop, and uhhh I think that’s it. Have you ever been so sick you had to be taken to the hospital? Well, mentally sick. Do you know any lesbian couples? Yes. Did your parents monitor your internet usage when you were a teen? Yes. Well, Mom did. Is there anything in the USB key slots in your computer/laptop? Yes, the thing that communicates with my wireless mouse. What advertisements are on your screen at the moment? None. Was there ever a time when you felt absolutely terrified? If so, why? I can’t describe how terrified I was the night of the breakup. It felt so unreal, and I was so certain my life was over. Then there was an occasion where my dad picked my sister and me up from school and he was in an AWFUL mood; he was speeding like a motherfucker and running red lights. I absolutely thought a we were going to get in a wreck or die. Then I have anxiety and have experienced panic attacks, so… guess lmao. Who’s one person who changed how you viewed something? One of the most profound in my life is actually Rhett and Link as well as Hannah Hart. When I started watching GMM, I was actually still homophobic, but gradually I started to ship the fuck out of those angel boys despite it. I started questioning my viewpoint, and finally, on their podcast where Hannah was the guest, telling her personal LGBT story, it just clicked how disgustingly wrong I was. When was the last time you went to a bar? I’ve never been to one. Why did you last see the doctor? I’m going to assume you mean a doctor for physical reasons, in which case I went in to talk about if I qualified for a sleep study regarding my nightmares, only to be told that because my actual doctor was absent, she could do nothing. Sooo Mom and I walked in pretty much just to pay someone to say “wait.” How do you spend the majority of your free time? Something on the computer, I’m sure. Lately, what I’ve been doing most is playing WoW while watching/listening to something. List the cards in your wallet. I don’t care enough to look. Not a lot. What was the last thing to inspire you? Ummm idk. How has COVID affected you? It really hasn’t, other than giving me anxiety regarding my mom as she is in the “of most concern” demographic, if you will. We don’t know if her cancer is gone yet due to the whole emergency trip to NY. But yeah, I personally leave the house like… never, so my daily life hasn’t really had any deviations. What is a comfort show of yours? Hm. I share enough that I’m not a TV person, so I don’t really seek out a show when I need comfort. But I guess if I was sitting there with the remote and I was really down, I’d be happy to find That ‘70s Show. Do you think we were put on this earth for a reason? As I believe *some* sort of greater intelligence is responsible for the universe, I like to think so. But if not, make your own reason. What is something you have done this year you’re proud of? I’ve been home alone for over a month now and am somehow doing okay, taking care of the house and myself. Animal Crossing , yay or nay? I’ve never played it. Not of my interest in games. Do you think breaks are toxic in a relationship? “Breaks” are bullshit. You’re either together or you’re not.
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