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ackermanbloodline · 9 months

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Paperwork (Part I) - Levi Ackerman x Female Reader

Summary: As a high-ranking officer, part of your responsibilities is ensuring that the tedious amount of paperwork following every mission gets done. But when your team goes out on an expedition and all get slaughtered, you find yourself absolutely drowning in it. A giant pile of papers at your desk is now under a strict deadline by Commander Erwin for the next morning. How will you get it done in time?

Word Count: 4k

* * *

You glance over tiredly at the stack of papers that still need to be completed with your head resting on your hand. It has been only a few hours since you began this giant mound of paperwork. Unsurprisingly but still tragically, you lost most of your team in the struggle for Trost. And whenever there is death, a torturous amount of paperwork always follows.

Commander Erwin demanded that it be done by sunrise. Much to your dismay, he has ordered you to stay behind in order to meet this deadline while everyone else attends Eren’s military tribunal in front of Dhalis Zachary. Being a captain, you have spent your recent days incessantly scouting with your team. As a result, you haven’t had much time for the mind-numbing paperwork that comes with your title. If you are being truthful, this is the part of your job you hated the most.

Yes, even more than facing the titans.

Rays of sun brightly beam down onto the papers in front of you. It’s midday and there isn’t a single single cloud in the sky: the most perfect day to scout if there ever was one. And there you are. Stuck inside doing fucking paperwork. A heavy sigh heaves from your chest as you crack your knuckles and stretch your joints. You readjust yourself in your office chair, pick up your pen, and get back to work. You eventually tune out the painful cramping in your hand.

It seems endless. Paper after paper is the same, yet the details aren’t. Each new document requires a different medium of attention and recollection. It isn’t until the sky glows with pinks and yellows and purples that you take another break to bring yourself back from the brink of insanity. The saturated colors reflect throughout the walls of your office.

You turn around to look out the group of windows behind you and it’s breathtaking. The dimming sun sits just on the outer wall as warm pigments fill the air. Dark blue creeps in from above, slowly consuming the sky as the day dwindles away. You push your hair back and stand up. Your muscles slightly ache due to the lack of activity they’ve had today, making you wince slightly. Your hands reached down to your thighs and squeeze, giving them a quick massage.

With the observance of sundown, you look across the room and squint at the giant grandfather clock. Your mouth drops open slightly when you realize that you have been going at it for over twelve hours now without any real breaks.

I’ll finish up fifteen more and then go for a walk, even if it’s down the hall, you thought to yourself.

Those fifteen forms end up taking nearly two hours. You cover the tip of your pen with the cap and throw it on your desk, rubbing your eyes tiredly and groaning with exhaustion. You can practically feel the shadows darkening underneath your eyes. The good news is that the stack of papers was about half the size it was earlier.

You carefully place the candle holder in your hand, lit with a candle, and make your way to the bathroom. You gaze at the person in the mirror, who was almost unrecognizable. Dark circles riddle your bloodshot eyes, your skin color is abnormally pale, and your lips are chapped from lack of fluids. To say that you look like shit is a gross understatement.

You shake your head before turning on the tap and splashing your face a few times. The chiliness of the water slightly wakes you up and your face tingles. You turn it off and grip the sides of the sink in frustration. Your stomach groans and grumbles excruciatingly. Your palm lands on your abdomen, clutching it with pain.

It took me all day just to get halfway done with that pile. Fuck. But I have to get this done tonight. How can I even be in the Survey Corps at all if I can’t even complete this? God, Erwin will think I’m a joke. But I have to get some food in me.

Your hands search for a towel to pat your face and hands dry. You look at yourself again and straightened your clothes out, tucking away stray hairs back behind your ear. Once you found yourself to be somewhat presentable, you retrieve the candle from the sink and exit the bathroom.

You pull the office doors open to reveal dark and quiet hallways. You can probably hear a pin drop. You must’ve been so focused on your paperwork that you didn’t hear all the soldiers come in after today’s excursions. Everyone’s doors were shut. It must be almost midnight, at least.

As you near the kitchen, your stomach continues to send hunger pangs through your body. You grab it in annoyance again as you round the corner to the kitchen. You pad over to the cabinet and open it to find the usual leftovers: bread, soup, and potatoes. Your mouth floods.

You opt for bread and heat up some sort of meat soup. Once everything is ready, you sit down on a chair in the dining area with your candle. You silently gave thanks for the meal before diving in. The steaming bread and the soup tastes better than usual, probably because of your extravagant appetite.

Your cherished moments are short-lived when you see someone enter the kitchen, also with a candle in their hand. You could recognize the person from anywhere. Shorter in height, raven hair with an undercut, and an infamous, near constant scowl written upon his countenance. The only and only Captain Levi: Humanity’s Strongest Soldier.

Although you two never interacted much, you’ve heard many stories about him, including how he single-handedly saved Eren, Mikasa, and Armin from a titan shortly after Eren successfully completed his task of filling the breach in Wall Maria. Commander Erwin also recently had a meeting with distinguished military figures to plot and strategize for the next counterattack. He only spoke a few times and when he did, his thoughts were organized and clear.

Regardless of his presence, you continue to eat while he heated up tea. When your spoon scrapes against the side of your soup bowl, he turns his attention towards you. As quiet as a ghost, strolls over and stands next to you just a few inches away.

“Captain,” you regard him, breaking the silence.

“Hello,” his voice replies lowly. “Having a late-night snack, are we?”

“Something like that.”

“You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” you smiled up at him sarcastically. “Just what anyone loves to hear after a long day.”

“Mhm. Speaking of, how’s that paperwork coming along?”

“How do you know about that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Erwin.”

You sigh, “If you must know, I’m halfway done.”

“What? Have you been fucking around all day? You should be further than that by now.”

You sighed with exasperation, “With all due respect, Captain Levi—”

“Statements that start off like that rarely come across that way.”

“Regardless. Are you going to let me finish my meal in peace so I can get back to it or are you going to continue to hassle me?”

Levi goes quiet for a moment before responding.

“You were allotted a deadline, correct?”

“Yes, sunrise.”

“I can help you complete the remaining work.”

You almost spit out your tea mid-swig as it goes down the wrong pipe at his words, causing you to cough and look up at him with confusion. You’re met with a condescending, disgusted stare. A broken chuckle escapes your lips. He’s got to be kidding.

“This an offer or an order? Captain Levi, may I remind you that we’re both captains. Not to mention you know—” you stop for a moment and your eyes drop. “—knew—virtually nothing about my squad.”

“Both,” he turns away, looking over his shoulder. “And may I remind you that I have been here longer and I’m older. But if you want to push your body and mind past the point of exhaustion and still fail to meet Commander Erwin’s expectations, knock yourself out.”

Your hands retract into balled fists in frustration at the situation, nails biting into your palms in deep crescents. I guess I have no choice, do I?

“Alright.”

“Meet me in my office in ten minutes. And don’t be late.”

Captain Levi grabs a cup from the cabinet, poures himself the tea, and leaves. You are left staring ahead, dumbfounded. You snapp out of it quickly as his voice echoes in your mind. You scarfed down the remainder of your meal and wash up before walking back to your office in solitude.

You stroll over to your desk and sort out what needs to come with you. You pack it neatly in a briefcase and lock it. With a candle in your left hand and the briefcase in your right, you head towards Captain Levi’s office with a racing heart.

You approach the doors, which are much bigger, wider, and darker than yours. You lift your hand to knock and find yourself hesitating, your knuckles hovering just beside the sturdy wood. You take a deep breath to stabilize yourself and knock three times. For a moment, you hear nothing. Not even footsteps. You jump back slightly when the door suddenly opens and Captain Levi stands there with a stoic expression.

The cravat he usually wore is no longer tucked into his shirt. He isn’t even wearing a suit jacket. The first few buttons of his white shirt were somehow neatly undone, revealing a hint of his toned skin on his upper torso. Warm light shines from behind him—

“Are you going to just stand there and gawk or are you going to come in?”

Without realizing it, he had stepped to the side, allowing the door to open wider for you to enter.

You nod at him, composure remaining, “Thank you.”

Once you step through, you struggle to keep your jaw from dropping. His study is, dare you say it, beautiful. Numerous, tiny candles glowed warmly on the walls. Many bookshelves adorn the room as well as fine decor in dark frames. The shelves aren’t cluttered, quite the opposite. The contents on them are organized and minimal. The tall white ceiling has some type of flowery, elegant design on it. A large, intricate woven rug with dark greens, reds, grays, and black cushion your feet from the hardwood floor.

If you could summarize it, Captain Levi’s palette is dark and was accented with earthy colors. Even his large desk and accompanying chair are made out of a dark, glossy wood. Your eyebrows furrow with bewilderment when you both avert your directions opposite of the secretary.

You follow him and a large dining table with numerous chairs comes into your vision, seemingly with the same material his desk is made out of with the same glossy finish. An elegant, dark candelabra is lit up at the center of the table. A fire crackles in the fireplace and reflects off the table. Above the fireplace is a shelf for books and, above it, a giant piece of expensive-looking artwork.

It’s a bit unusual that he wants to work at the same place he eats, especially given his rumored cleaning habits, but you don’t say anything.

“Your office is nice,” you compliment, filling the quiet void as you pull out a chair and set the briefcase down on it. He nods and watches as your fingers fiddled with the metal clasps to get it open. You take out the contents and lay them down neatly on the dining table with two pens.

“I suppose it could be worse,” he says as he looks down at the stacks of papers, reaching a hand out towards them. He gauges the amount of work by using his index finger to flip the corners up. His dark hair falls in front of his eyes as he grabbed a stack. “Grab a pile and get to work.”

You roll your eyes at his abrasive command but grab a pile anyway. He brings the pen to his cravat and wipes it off with the slightest twinge of disgust on his face.

I guess the rumors of him being a clean freak were actually true.

You both sit at opposite ends of the table and throughout the process, he questions you about your squad, their respective positions and responsibilities, and the nature of their deaths. Apart from that, it’s quiet. Almost deathly quiet. That is, until the subtle sounds of pitter patter of rain plummets onto the windows of his office. It isn’t long before the boom of thunder and the streaks of lightning echoes in the sky. The pouring of the sound against the roof reverberates around the room, emitting a calming hum.

An hour or two pass by and you find yourself sometimes looking up through your eyelashes at the captain across the table, noting how many papers he has completed as the night goes on. His eyebrows are furrowed together yet somehow he maintains a blank expression, his eyes always lowered. His pen strokes are sharp and assertive, the flicking of his wrist being evidence of that fact.

You feel more and more pathetic with each paper he completed on your behalf.

“How you doin’ over there?” you break the silence between you and Captain Levi. His gaze met yours and he nodded in your direction.

“Getting there,” he says quietly. “Your pile looks the same as we first started. Move it. We don’t have all night.”

“I take my time when doing my paperwork to make sure it’s completed thoroughly.”

“Are you implying that I don’t do the same?”

“I am implying, captain, that you’ve been here longer than I have and you’re older. Isn’t that the sentiment you expressed earlier?”

Captain Levi scoffs.

“I suggest you learn quicker if you are to make it in the Survey Corps.”

“Thank you, but I’ve made it this far. I’m doing pretty well.”

Something flashes in Captain Levi’s features at that moment. His facial expression quickly became stoic again as he looked back down and resumed filling out the papers in front of him. You smile with victory. Nobody has had the courage to quip back at the captain like that.

Some time later, something clangs onto the table beside you, causing you to jump back. It’s a wine glass full of red liquid, presumably wine. Your gaze locks on it in bewilderment for a moment before looking up at the retreating hand, your eyes following up the wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, then face. Captain Levi has his gaze fixed on yours with another wine glass in his hand.

“Uh… thank you…?” you follow his figure as he sat back down in his seat across the table. He takes a drink from the wine. “I didn’t take you as a drinker.”

“You’d be correct.”

You pick up the wine and bring it to your lips, “So… why the wine, then? Are you trying to poison me?”

“Your sense of humor certainly doesn’t do any favors,” he says, setting his glass on the table with a muted clang. “You look like something crawled up your ass. I’ve seen you more relaxed outside the outer wall than right now.”

You stay quiet, waiting on him to elaborate.

“You’re overthinking it. You’re grazing over every miniscule detail in your mind, replaying them so you can reiterate word-for-word what happened to your comrades during their last breaths. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter.”

Your hand clenches around the glass, tight. You make a conscious effort for your voice to remain stern but natural as you respond to him.

“I appreciate your candor. But my goal is to bring solace and peace to those we’ve lost and their families. They made the ultimate sacrifice.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he repeats again, this time with an edge to his voice. “They’re still just as dead. Let it go and do your job.”

Shit. As much as you don’t want to admit it, he is right. For the entire day, you’ve been reliving your squad’s screams and seeing their blood splatter on the stone below as their skulls are crushed in between rows of giant teeth. You didn’t realize it, but you had been torturing yourself, even contemplating what you could’ve done to save them. Did the families really need to know the way that their loved ones went out in such a vile way in a play-by-play?

You close your eyes and take a sip of the wine. The flavor is delicious and fruity on your tongue. You’ve tasted a myriad of different wines before, but none you ever truly liked. This was sweet but also tart at the same time. It tastes more like grape juice than actual alcohol.

* * *

Done. I’m finally fucking done.

You set your pen calmly on the table, your hand actually shaking and the writer's callus on your finger completely decompressed. A heavy sigh escapes your lips as you lean back with exhaustion. The room slightly spins and you swallow harshly to fight the feeling of nausea uncomfortably brewing in the pit of your stomach.

You note how the wine bottle in the middle of the table sits, completely empty. You both had the same amount of wine, only two or three glasses, but it seems like he is handling it much better than you are. Not to mention there is an distinguishable ache deep between the apex of your thighs.

Captain Levi had got done with his section of the paperwork about a half hour ago. He has been going back and reviewing his work, but you could feel his eyes meeting yours like a parent scolding a misbehaving child.

“Let this be a lesson to not let this much paperwork get away from you.”

You nod, “Yeah, that’s good advice. Thank you, Captain.”

You stand up and make your way over to him, pushing the papers into the soft pocket of the briefcase. Once everything is inside, you lock it up and sit it back down on the chair. You lean forward onto the table, your hair falling in strands around your face as you avert your gaze downward onto the immaculate wood floor. Everything is spinning. It’s too much.

A hand suddenly but softly plants itself along the small of your back and Captain Levi’s mouth drops to your ear, brushing along the shell of it. A series of shivers involuntarily runs along your spine. Your mind begins racing a mile a minute as the ache between your thighs grows stronger.

What is this? I… huh? Maybe it’s the wine.

“If you’re going to vomit, I strongly suggest you use the washroom.”

A hearty laugh escapes your mouth but quickly fades away as you realize the amount of work he did on your behalf. He completed at least a quarter of it. Feelings of embarrassment and incapableness flood your mind like a tsunami. Now, you truly do feel like you are going to be sick.

“Why did you help me?” you sigh, facing him and folding your arms over your chest. Your cheeks feel hot. Whether it’s from the alcohol or the turbulence of emotions you are feeling, you aren’t sure. “You didn’t have to. We barely even know each other.”

“You had been filling out paperwork for hours on end. It was pathetic to see you moping in the kitchen so late at night.”

“Always met with some condescending answer. Wish you’d, for once, have some empathy in your responses, Captain.”

“Alright,” he quips back immediately. “How’s this… you actually have drive, dedication, and valuable intel that could benefit us in turning the tide of this 100-year titan reign. And I know you know this because you’re not a spineless coward whenever I speak to you like everyone else.”

Your mouth goes dry at his statement. You rock back and forth on your feet, not knowing how to respond. Instead, you walk over to the fireplace and look up at the artwork that hangs above it. It’s a picture of the most infamous fallen angel in history, his dark eyes boring into the viewer’s like a knife: Lucifer.

Your hesitant gaze meet the captain’s again and you’re surprised at what you see. He looks intrigued for once, his eyes slightly alight with interest.

“I have to ask… why did you join the Survey Corps?”

“Is this question a result of curiosity or the wine?”

“I’d say both.”

“To put it simply, it was never a plan. Erwin found me during a dark place in my life and insisted I join. That’s all that matters.”

A silence fills the air aside from the occasional crackling and popping of the firewood. Something about it also feels heavy. You’re so exhausted and you don’t know what to say to anything he responds with.

You feel tired. So, so tired. It’s time to go home and sleep for the next five days.

“Thank you for your assistance,” you turn toward him and say with sincerity, looking towards the door. “I never would’ve gotten the paperwork done in time if it wasn’t for you. I’ll show myself out.”

He asks suddenly as you reach for the briefcase handle, “I deflect the same question onto you: what made you want to join the Scouts?”

“Uh, I guess I’ve always wanted to help people,” you answer honestly, nervously playing with your fingers and looking towards the window. “I… wanted to make a difference in the world. I know, every single soldier who has joined the Survey Corps has said that. It’s a broke fucking record at this point. But I actually mean it. My household life wasn’t the greatest growing up. I wanted to get away from it and the Survey Corps was my way out. When I was training, I studied and worked harder, longer, faster than everybody else to land in the top ten of the class. Not because I wanted the freedom to choose my own branch, but because I wanted to prove to myself that I could be an asset to humanity by joining the regiment. That I’m worth something.”

Your eyes widen at your own words, realizing that you had definitely overshared. You haven’t told anybody that before. Not anybody. Ever. You internally kick yourself in the ass. Captain Levi has more important matters to tend to rather than hearing your pathetic backstory.

That goddamn wine.

Your heart thumps in your chest at the thought of looking at him. You swallow your saliva, which was almost unbearably thick with nervousness, and muster up the gumption to do so anyway.

He strolls over to you with a stern look across his face and your stomach drops. It feels as if your heart is skipping beats now. He stops and stands a few inches away. You swore you could feel Captain Levi’s body heat radiating onto you.

“That wine has really gotten to you,” he mutters. His voice, when he’s this close, causes a vibration to stir within you. A blood blush creeps up onto your cheeks and the tingling and feeling between your legs almost makes your eyes close with pleasure. “Tell me something…”

You blink slowly, “Hm?”

“Did it spark your libido?”

Your breath hitches involuntarily. In the most confident tone you could muster, you clear your throat and speak.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Captain.”

“Your body shuttered when I placed a palm on your back. You kept crossing your legs underneath the dining table and looking up at me. Your face is heating up as we speak. It’s evident that my theory is true.”

Your voice seemingly vanishes as when you try to respond, nothing comes out. Instead, your eyelashes flutter in response and a throb echoes throughout your body. He attempts to close the gap between you but you step back. Still, he follows. You back up and he keeps walking. The back of your legs eventually encounters something soft, probably the couch, causing you to fall back. Before you could though, Captain Levi wrapped an arm around your waist and holds you below his gaze, his other hand squeezing at your waist. Your hands land on his lean shoulders instinctively.

His eyes bore into yours in a way that makes you want to shrivel up.

“What are you doing?” you whisper, almost in horror.

“Something I’ve always wanted to do.”

* * *

Read Part II

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lu-vin-it · 5 months

Text

Balance

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

Summary: You’ve never cared much for James Potter, but the universe knows best, right?

Pairings: James Potter x Reader, Cindy Hawthorn (oc) x Marlene Mcinnon

Pronouns used: None mentioned

Word Count: 2,403

Warnings: R and R’s friends are kinda mean to James at first.

A/N: Thank you to @lemkay-luminary for proofreading! Ily!!!

They say you don’t actually live until you meet your soulmate, that the day you finally touch them for the first time the world stops and you magically start living. They say that before you’re on autopilot. You weren’t sure how much you believed that. You hadn’t met your soulmate yet, but you thought you lived a pretty full life.

You had a close group of friends— Cindy Hawthorn from Slytherin, Zachary Jones from Hufflepuff, and Michael Perez from Slytherin— you were in Ravenclaw just like your Mother, you were a prefect,you got mostly perfect grades. So how could you have not lived?

James was the opposite. He did every crazy thing he could think of to prove himself wrong, he wanted to believe his life was perfect as is, but it never worked. He knew he wasn’t living without his soulmate, he could feel it.

He had Sirius, Remus,Peter, Lily, Dorcas, Marlene, and Mary. He had a great set of parents, plenty of money, made fine grades and he was head boy. He had what seemed to be the perfect life, but he knew it was far from.

As a prefect, one of your duties this year was to help plan the winter ball. You were ecstatic, the winter ball was one of your favorite things ever.

You sat with Mike as usual at the prefect meeting. Mrs. Mcgonagall sat with James Potter and Lily Evans on either side of her, head boy and head girl. You hadn’t really ever talked to either one of them, the only class you had with them was astronomy and most slept during astronomy.

Though, you had an opinion on James Potter, who didn’t? Most people loved him, somehow finding him charming. You personally saw him as a childish boy disguised as a man.

You and the other Ravenclaw prefect, Eric Jonesy, were in charge of food. That was your favorite job since you got to taste everything the elves made to make sure it was good, and it always was. When you heard your name called, you gave Jonesy a polite smile, and he did the same.

“Well, I’d better go talk to Eugenia, how we’re to find music I’ve got no clue.” Mike says to you, standing up as the meeting ends.

“That’s fine, I’ve got to talk to Jonesy about snacks anyways. See you at breakfast?” He nods and salutes you as he walks away. You grab your bag and approach Jonesy. “Hey, do you have an idea on when we should talk about the snacks?”

“Oh hi L/N! Erm.. Are you going to the quidditch game on Saturday?” You scrunch up your face and shake your head. “Perfect me neither, would you like to meet up at twelve in the common room then?”

“That works for me. See you then.” You smile and wave before walking off. When you exit the meeting room, a boy runs into you, knocking you to the floor. You look up to see Sirius Black on the floor in front of you.

“I’m sorry!” You narrow your eyes at him.

“It’s past curfew, Black, what are you doing here?” I stand up and he follows soon after.

“Waiting for James.” You roll your eyes.

“Five points from Gryffindor. He’s inside.”

He grins. “Thank you!” He goes to hug you and you place your hand on his chest.

“Don’t push it.” With that, you walk off.

The next morning, you and Mike meet up with Zach, Cindy, and Cindy’s girlfriend, Marlene, in the great hall.

“Morning all!” You say, sliding onto the bench.

“Morning.” They chorus.

“How’d the prefect meeting go? Heard you took some points from us.” Marlene asks, taking a bite of her grits.

“It went well, I’m in charge of the food for the ball!” You smile proudly. “And yes, Sirius Black seemed to think that waiting outside a room full of prefects after curfew was a good idea.”

She rolls her eyes.“Course he did.” She turns to her girlfriend and smiles. “We’re going to the ball together right?” Cindy nods.

“I thought that was implied.” She says with a small laugh. Zach fake gags from beside her.

“I miss my best friend.” He says dramatically.

“I’m right here dumbass.” Cindy snorts, moving her blonde hair behind her shoulders.

“No you’re not. You’re on Marlene island. And you didn’t even get a ticket back.” She deadpans.

“Are you serious right now? I’m going to act just like this when you meet your soulmate and want to spend every second with her.” Zach grimaces. Mike wraps his arm around you.

“At least I have my stand-in soulmate still.” You smile and shake your head. Mike has been calling you that since you were 11 and witnessed two soulmates meeting for the first time.

“Agreed.” Zach opens his mouth to retort but is interrupted by four boys approaching you all. It’s James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. You sit up straighter. “Can we help you boys?”

“Heard you took points from Gryffindor last night. I asked Sirius to wait there for me so I’d like them back, thank you.” James replies.

“Does Mcgonagall know you, the head boy, are letting fellow classmates— not to mention your best friend— get away with being out past curfew?” No response. “You’re lucky I only took five. I could’ve taken ten. Fifteen even. And, Black, you’re lucky I didn’t give you detention.”

“Oh. Yeah thanks for that.”

“I would’ve revoked it anyways.” James murmurs.

“Dumbledore must have been feeling funny when he appointed you head boy.” You shake your head and start eating breakfast.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you’ve done nothing to actually deserve the honor of head boy. You’ve had more write ups than I can count on my fingers. Everyone else is just too blind to see.” Mike replies for you. “I mean, come on now, you barely even passed potions last year.”

“It’s a hard subject!” Mike rolls his eyes. “What have you all got against me anyways? Are you jealous?”

Zach turns around. “Potter, what could we possibly be jealous of? You didn’t even win the quidditch cup last year.”

“That’s because your beaters hit a bludger at him!” Sirius replied.

“Maybe that’s because that’s what they’re supposed to do?”

“If you all have some sort of problem with James, just say it.”

“I have a problem with James.” Zach and Cindy chime.

“I have a problem with James. Wow, that was actually really clarifying, thank you Sirius.” Mike says with a shit eating grin.

“I have no issue with James. I’ve got issues with rule breaking.”

“You must be fun at parties.” James says with a snort.

“I am actually.. when I’m not on duty. That’s the difference between you and me, I know when things have gone too far.”

“What are you talking about? I know when things are too far!”

“Really? Like in fifth year when you publicly humiliated Snape? That wasn’t too far?”

“I was fifteen!”

“So was Snape! You never even apologized.”

“What, so you don’t like me because of something I did two years ago?”

“Yes.. and the fact that you don’t seem a bit sorry for it, or any other prank you have ever pulled on anyone. James, don’t take it personally, I’m sure you just forgot or didn’t realize. At least I hope so.” You stand up, grabbing your things. “I’m off to class. Have a wonderful day.” You turn to your friends. “Whose common room are we meeting in later?”

“Yours!” Zach yells. He always preferred the Ravenclaw common room to his own. Especially since it’s a tower and, in his words, ‘The perfect landing pad’. He would open a window from the outside on his broom, and fly in.

“Alright. See you all then.” With that, you walk off.

The rest of the day goes by smoothly, your classes are great, seeing your friends is great, and you only had one more class. Astronomy. You were able to sneak in a small nap before heading up to the tower.

You don’t bother standing with anyone else, you’re far too tired to socialize. However, when James Potter walks in and sees you, he immediately goes to stand beside you.

“Evening, L/N!”

You deadpan. “It’s midnight.”

“How was your day?”

You glare at him.

“Sleepy?”

No response.

“Fair. I’m quite tired myself. Head boy duties, you wouldn’t get it.”

“Shut up, please, for the love of Merlin, shut up.” You beg, stepping away from him.

“Wait—“ James reaches out and grabs your hand. Before you can realize it, everyone suddenly stops, it’s like you're frozen in James’ grip.

“What the hell?” You whisper, looking around at your frozen classmates. You glance at your wrist and finally realize that James is touching you. For the first time.

“You’re my soulmate.” He says, with the biggest grin you’ve ever seen in your life. You stare at him astonished.

“What the hell?” You repeat. You pull your wrist out of his grip and everyone starts moving again. “We will talk about this later.” You walk off, leaving the tower, completely disregarding the professor yelling at you.

Your first thought is to go get Mike, but you knew he was asleep, he was always in bed at 8 PM on days he didn’t have Astronomy. So instead you just went to your room, and slept.

The next morning, you’re woken by someone pounding on your door. You groggily get up and answer, no one should be there this early on a Saturday.

“What?” It’s Mike, grinning at you knowingly.

“James Potter is your soulmate?”

You groan. “How did you find out? It happened at 12 last night, do you have a mic on me or something?” You shake your head and let him in, closing the door behind him and then collapsing on your bed.

“I know everything. How are you feeling about it?”

“Out of all the people in the world, it had to be him? He’s so.. childish.”

“And you’re pretty uptight.”You look at him in shock. “It’s the truth! You are! I say it out of love, you know that. Opposites do attract, maybe you and Potter will be really good together.”

“Maybe.”

“How did he react?”

“He was pretty happy. I just brushed him off like he was nothing. Merlin.. what kind of soulmate am I?” You rub your face. “I have to go talk to him huh?”

“Yeah.” He pauses. “I know I’ve never liked him, but I think you guys will be great together. You have to be. Look at this as a good thing, will you?”

“I’ll try.”

“Okay, now get out of bed, and go talk to your soulmate. I’ve got to high five the entire student body.”

You laugh. “Use hand sanitizer.” He nods before leaving. You sigh, looking up at the ceiling wondering if James would even want to talk to you after last night.

After getting up and dressed, you go to the Gryffindor common room, asking the Fat Lady for him. You waited for five minutes, until the portrait opened and Remus Lupin walked out. He gave you a polite smile.

“Is James in there?”

“Er.. yeah. I should warn you, Sirius set up a prank in the common room. There’s a trip-wire at the end of the tunnel, don’t touch it and you’ll be fine.” You nod.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.. And, for the record, James is happy it’s you.” He leans into the portrait and whispers the password, letting you in when it opens. You walk down the tunnel, hesitating, you are able to spot the trip wire and step over it.

It’s easy to find his dorm, “HEADBOY” is carved right above the door. You knock as soon as you get there so that you don’t overthink it and leave.

“One moment!” James calls out. You find yourself smiling at the sound of his voice. You can hear shuffling on the other side of the door before it finally opens and James meets your eyes. “Y/N!”

“Hi James. Can I come in?” He quickly nods and moves out of your way. His dorm is big, there’s a full sized bed, a couch, a few bookshelves, a desk, and two wardrobes. “You have a nice dorm..”

“Thank you! Perks of being Headboy I suppose.” You sit down on the couch and he quickly sits beside you.

“I apologize for running off last night.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

“I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know why I did that. I’m sorry.”

“Y/N, it’s okay. I understand that you were shocked.” You shake your head.

“More than shocked. We’re complete opposites, James. I was scared, I am scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of us hating each other!”

“Why would we hate each other?” You sigh.

“Because! You’re so.. loose. You’re brave. You’re the most Gryffindor-y person I’ve ever met. And I am not that. I am quiet, I’d do anything to stay out of trouble, I hate being in trouble. Meanwhile trouble seems to follow you wherever you go!” James just stares at you. “I don’t know how you could ever possibly be happy with someone like me.” You admit quietly.

“How could I not be?” He immediately replies. “You’re like sunshine. I’ve never seen you do anything other than laugh. You’re responsible, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I could probably do with being a little moreresponsible myself. If anything, you’re perfect for me. I’m perfect for you. We balance each other out. You have half of my soul, don’t ignore that, please.” You stare at him for a second, trying to form a response. Instead you just grab his face and kiss him.

When you pull away from the kiss, James smiles at you.

“Don’t.” You say, glaring at him.

“What? I didn’t even say anything.”

“You were thinking.”

“I do that a lot.”

“Poor brain.”

“You like me.”

“Hush.”

“You kissed me!”

“Shut up!”

“You fancy me!” You hit his shoulder playfully as you start to smile too.

“You kissed me back, you must fancy me too.”

“You caught me.” He leans in and kisses you again.

As you sat there with James, you realized that even though the relationship would definitely have its issues it was worth it.

── ⋅⋅⋅ ────꒰ ୨ ♡ ୧ ꒱───────

Taglist— @artvoyager

#james potter x reader #james potter fanfiction #james potter x you #harry potter x reader #sirius black x reader

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ladyloveandjustice · 3 months

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My Favorite Books I Read in 2023

I read a ton of good novels last year- 36 in all (and uh, 78 manga/graphic novels, but we'll examine that in another post). Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.

I reread a ton of Discworld this year, and it's as spectacular as ever. But what about new reads?

Well, here are my favorite books I read in 2023!

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

This is an autobiographical memoir about the abusive relationship the author went through with her ex-girlfriend. It's absolutely gut-wrenching, and at times, achingly beautiful. Machado uses the house she shared with her girlfriend, which she calls the "dream house", as a back drop. It's a place she always wanted and also a place she became trapped in, Machado's language is beautiful as she explores the relationship from different lenses-- The Dream House as Lesbian Cult Classic, the Dream House as Noir, the Dream House as Creature Feature, the Dream House as Stoner Comedy....All facets of the relationship are explored in a way that grips you by the throat and makes you remember everyone who ever tried to suffocate you-- but it also explores the hard work of moving on, of picking up the pieces, of living and embracing tenderness along with hardship.

I especially related to Machado's struggle to talk about abuse between queer lovers because of her fears of giving homophobes more ammunition...and when she says "we deserve to have our wrongdoing represented as much as our heroism, because when we refuse wrongdoing as a possibility for a group of people, we refuse their humanity", I felt that deeply.

This wasn't just one of my favorite books this year, it goes on the list of all-time favorite books. I wish I had this kind of writing style. I'll be returning to this again and again.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

A middle-grade novel about a Chinese-American teen who feels a bit alienated from his heritage, which becomes a bit of an issue once he finds out the First Emperor of China has possessed his A.R. Gaming Headset. Now he needs to close a portal to the underworld with the help of other kids possessed by emporers.

This was a whole lot of fun, and often quite poignant. I was unsure if I could really enjoy middle-grade books as an adult, and this absolutely proves I can. There's a lot of really interesting Chinese history blended with action-packed fantasy, and exploration of the complicated feelings a kid can have about their own heritage . The dynamic between Zachary and Qin Shi Huang was so entertaining with the Emperor being villainous, heroic, charismatic, detestable-- and Zachary realizing how his complicated feelings about him mirror his relationship with his culture at large. There was also a lot of fun with other historical figures, and Xiran's take on Wu Zetian is a joy. (Also, if you like Yu-Gi-Oh!, you'll probably like this, since Xiran says it was one of their influences).

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Rose is young woman who's raised in a fundamentalist Christian household, and she's a devout, obedient daughter. But some weird things are happening. She's seeing a terrifying demon everywhere, insects are coming out of her mouth....and she's possibly having feelings about other girls. What's going on?

Yes, this is by the Chuck Tingle who makes all those Tinglers. But THIS one... will make you tingle with fear! It's a great horror novel! It's skin-crawlingly creepy at times, but also does a great job digging into how fundamentalist dogma harms queer people, and the hypocrisy of such beliefs. The conversion camp aspect is handled tastefully, and overall it was a great spooky read that's also ultimately very affirming, cathartic, and hopeful.

Qualia the Purple by Hisamitsu Ueo

You might go into this thinking it's just a quirky yuri light novel about a schoolgirl and her crush who sees everyone around her as robots (like literally, when she looks at someone she sees a robot instead of a human). But it quickly becomes surreal queer psychological horror steeped in absolutely wild applications of quantum mechanics and thought-provoking time travel. Some of the quantum mechanics exposition dumps were a bit much but I deeply enjoyed having my mind cracked open by this book.

It's one of the most interesting takes of time loop stories I've seen. But it definitely covers a lot of rough subject matter, including a relationship with a serious age gap and extremely messed up relationships, so be cautious if you have triggers.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

This book follows Miri, whose wife goes missing on a deep-sea submarine mission for six months. Miri thought her wife dead, but she miraculously returns one day...but her wife has changed. She's like a stranger. She may have bought the horrors of the sea home with her.

This is a gripping exploration of grief and loss combined with a delicious, slow horror that creeps under your skin. There's excellent Lovecraftian and body horror elements to the novel, but it works very effectively as a metaphor for a loved one going through trauma, and a relationship starting to crumble because everything seems different. A moment that really stuck out to me is when Miri copes with her wife's disappearance by frequenting an online community where women roleplay as wives with husbands missing in space. The way the online drama of the community interacted with her grief was both funny and heartbreaking.

This is another example of a book that makes me deeply jealous with its lyrical writing, and another one for the ever-lengthening all time favorites list.

Otherside Picnic Volume 8: Accomplices No More by Iori Miyazawa

The latest entry in a series about two girls exploring an alternate dimension full of creepypasta monsters, while also falling in love with each other. See my other reviews here and here.

This volume has the payoff to a lot of careful character work and relationship building, and it was completely satisfying. In fact, it was...show-stopping. Spectacular. Incredible. I loved the exploration of how love, sex, and romance are so different for different people and it's impossible to put it in neat boxes. The frank and messy conversation our leads have about their relationship was perfect and so was that absolutely bonkers, wonderful finale. This is another one for the all times favorite list, and I loved it so much I wrote a extremely long review/recap here.

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer

This was a well-researched, well-crafted, easy to read book that explores queerness (mainly homosexuality, bisexuality, trans and genderfluid expressions in animals, and even the question of if and how animals can related to gender) in the animal kingdom. Though it's definitely aimed at teens, I learned a lot from it (who knew female bonobos were such life goals) and it presented its information in a fun way. It included some interesting examinations of how proof of homosexuality and bisexuality in animals was historically suppressed and filtered through homophobic assumptions. If you want to learn a little animal science in an accessible format, definitely check this out.

Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

The story follows Mia, a woman in her 20's living with her vampire mother. Her whole life revolves around not drawing suspicion towards her Mom. She also has to make sure to feed her Mom some of her blood every night--lest her mother fall back in with her abusive boyfriend and start hunting humans. But when Mia meets a cute girl, she starts to dream of living her own life...

It was a really interesting use of vampirism as a metaphor for both living with a parent struggling with addiction and having an abusive parent. It's just a well-told, heartwrenching tale that got deep into the character's mindsets. I thought the ending was bit abrupt and rushed, but it did make more sense once I realized this was the first in a duology. It's a fascinating take on vampires, and I'm interested in seeing more.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

This novel follows a middle-aged Muslim female pirate living around the Arabian Peninsula. She's supposed to be in retirement, but wouldn't you know it, she's lured in for one last job! I she rescues a kidnapped girl, she'll have all the riches she needs to set her family up for life. So Amina begins her adventure of fighting demons and monsters and ex-husbands. But the job might not be all it seems.

This novel is full of all the entertaining swashbuckling action and shenanigans that any pirate story should have. It's a rollicking good time, and feeds my craving for middle aged women going on quests and kicking ass. Amina's journey is a fun, wild ride full of dynamic characters and interesting mythology!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Juniper is friends with a successful Chinese-American author, Athena Liu, and has always been deeply jealous of her. When Athena dies in front of her, Juniper decides to steal her manuscript rooted in Chinese history and claim it as her own. But plagiarism might catch up with her...

This is a strong example of a book I thought was really well-done, but one I'm probably never going to read again. The way it depicted Twitter drama is just too accurate and I got anxiety. It did such a good job putting you in Juniper's awful shoes so you can feel the pressure close in along with her. The book's commentary on the insidious racism of the publishing industry was effective, and it made a horrible character's journey fascinating to follow. I was so intrigued yet anxious I had to force myself to finish the last few pages.

Bonus read:

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree

A very cute novel about an orc named Viv who decides to retire from the violent life of a bounty hunter and run a coffee shop instead. She ends up getting a lot of assistance from a succubus named Tandri...and my, is that a slow-burn coffee shop romance brewing? This book reminds me a lot of various cozy slice-of-life anime, and it's nice to be getting more of that feeling in book form. I wish there was a little more specific to the fantasy world rather than making it a coffee shop that line up 1 to 1 to a modern day shop, but it was definitely a sweet read.

#year in books #my reviews #our wives under the sea #in the dream house #zachary ying and the dragon emperor #camp damascus #qualia the purple #otherside picnic #queer ducks #night's edge #legends and lattes #the adventures of amina al sirafi #books #queer lit #yellowface #r.f. kuang #xiran jay zhao #carmen maria machado

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ellafushiguro · 8 days

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“Not bad…” Chapter 3

(Links to: Prologue & Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5)

Sitting alone in his dimly lit office, Levi leans his head back against his chair and stares up at the ceiling, recalling the events from a couple days ago. “I need you to sign these sir…” your voice echoes in his mind over and over. “I need you to…” The sound of your hard breathing. Your exposed chest, quickly rising and falling. Your ripped skirt exposing more of your skin as you walk towards him, showing the belt and clip that connects the top of your thigh high stockings to your undergarment. “I need you…” Your whole body, trembling. The wind blows your hair out of your face, revealing your eyes as the sun hits them. The perfect shade of—

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock knock on the door. He sits up straight and clears his throat, “come in.” Hange pops her head through the cracked open door, “c’mon shortie, we’re all waiting for you in the boardroom!” He rolls his eyes. I’ll get back to this later.

Holding your notebook and pen, you search for Levi in the room full of Scouts. Why were you even invited to this? You thought to yourself. You’re never invited to these types of meetings. Finally finding Levi in the middle row sitting closest to the window, you smile and quickly walk over to him, giving small waves to all those you pass by. He pulls out the seat next to him and pushes it in as you sit, resting his arm on the back of your chair, while his chin is sitting in the palm of his other hand. His right thumb lightly brushes against your shoulder. He’s such a gentleman. “Evening Captain” you say while organizing your notebook and pen in front of you on the table. “Mhm” he sighs. Obviously not ecstatic to be here this late in the day.

It’s been about an hour and a half since the meeting started, and you’ve written down 5 pages worth of notes all titled “57th Recon Mission”. Apparently it’s gonna be a big one so you aren’t writing the notes for you, but you figured you’d write them down for your Captain, since he’s just staring out the window. Little did you know, he was staring at your reflection. He wonders why Erwin had you come to this damn meeting. Her job isn’t out there, idiot. He thought to himself. “And before I forget, I’ll be having Lt L/N join the wagon defense squad, just for this mission only. That’ll be all. Get some dinner and rest. We leave at sunrise.” You and Levi both snap your heads toward Commander Erwin with confused looks on your faces. As everyone starts getting up to leave, you and Levi stay in your seats. Trying to process the situation. Once it was just you three left in the room, Levi gets up and walks over to Erwin in the front of the room. “So you assigned me a new Lt, without me even knowing, just to go and send her to her death?!” He growls. “Her skills, as you witnessed a couple days ago, have proven to be an asset. You should get her out of the office more Levi.” Erwin answers casually, straightening the papers in his hands. “THEN WHY DID YOU PUT HER THERE?” Levi yells. “Captain, it’s fine…” you say, putting your hand on his shoulder. He turns his head to look at you, his face softening. “No Y/N it’s not and you know it. You didn’t have any time to train or prepare yourself. You haven’t seen combat in what? Almost 10 years?!” He starts to get riled up again. “Was this your plan all along Erwin?” He asks, facing him again. After a long pause he answers, “Yes. The MP’s held her back. Kept her locked up in the Capital to do paperwork instead. To think, all the lives that could’ve been saved had she been out on the field. So yes, I arranged to have her transferred here. We need her. And Premier Zachary agrees.” He looks at you, “I apologize for deceiving you my dear, but posing you as an assistant was the only way to get the MP’s to let you go. I know this is sudden, but having you on this mission would be an extra layer of security for us.” You nod, “it’s not a problem sir. I’ll gladly come along.” Levi storms out of the room, “tch!”

Unable to sleep, you turn over to your bedside table and check the time on your watch, using the natural light of the moon. 10:00pm. Normally you’re already knocked out by 8:30pm. You’re not scared, so that’s a good sign. You’ve never shied away from danger or a fight. So why were you nervous all of a sudden? I guess it has been a long time. The thought of a warm cup of tea seems to bring a small smile to your face. Duh! Tea is the cure for everything! You throw your robe over your shoulders, slipped on your night slippers, lit a small candle, and made your way to the Officers lounge. On your way there, you passed by Captain Levi’s office. Light flickering from under the door. Is he still awake? You softly knock on the door, trying to avoid any echoes. No response. You crack the door open slowly, peeping your head through. “Captain?” You whisper. There he was, sitting behind his desk, arms folded across his chest, one leg crossed over the other, his head was leaning back on his chair, eyes closed. You force your body through the crack, slightly opening it more. Phew, no creaks. He must really take care of this place. You tiptoe over to the fireplace to add more firewood before tiptoeing over to him, trying to be light on your feet. As you get closer, you can hear him snoring softly. He looks so relaxed. So peaceful. You take this as the perfect time to just look at him. He’s so handsome. You’ve heard all the stories about the famous Captain Levi. Even developed a mental crush on him in your early 20’s, though you’ve never met him or knew what he looked like. You just loved the idea of such a strong man. “Humanity's strongest soldier”, that’s what they call him. You never imagined you’d be this close to him. Mesmerized, you couldn’t help but softly graze his cheek with the back of your index finger, slowly trailing down to the side of his chin, going lower—

He grabs your hand, quick as lightning and looks up at you without moving his head. I oughta shit myself right about now. “Oi, that tickles.” He says sleepily. God, even his sleepy voice is hot. “S-sorry Captain, I was—“ you stutter, trying to pull your hand away. But he pulls you closer, causing a soft whimper to escape your lips. His face leveled with your breasts, “what did I say about dropping the formalities when we’re not working?” You feel his hot breath on your chest through your silk nightgown. Your robe had fallen off your shoulders from the sudden pull. “So this is what you look like at this hour, eh?” He asks, his voice low and raspy. You nod nervously. “It looks good on you…” he continues, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. Is he drunk? You didn’t see any bottles around. Plus he would never do that before a mission. “What looks good on me, Levi?” You finally manage to ask. His eyes trail up from your abdomen and stops at your lips. “Being vulnerable.” He answers as he slowly swipes your bottom lip with his thumb, lightly pulling down on it to show a glimpse of your bottom front teeth. His low voice makes you quiver. You start to feel a warm sensation between your legs. Something you haven’t felt in a long time. Is this really happening right now?! “Can I kiss you?” He asks. It feels like your heart is gonna explode. You pause for a second, trying to calm yourself. Finally, you nod in approval. Moving both his hands to the back of your thighs, he pulls you on top of him, straddling him. Your bodies are touching now. You put both of your hands on his shoulders, moving them slowly up to his neck. He brushes his lips against yours, licking your bottom one slowly before crashing them against you. The kiss deepens, tongues clashing against each other, lips moving in sync. His grip around your thighs tighten, causing you to let out a hiss. The sound only riles him up more. He lifts you up onto his desk, his body leaning into yours. You feel something hard poking the inside of your thigh… This is wrong, he’s your Captain! But it feels so right… You pull away for breath. He quickly moves on to your neck, not wanting to waste a second away from your skin. “Levi” you moan. “I love the way my name sounds coming from you,” he says, the words vibrating against your neck, “so fucking innocent” he continues, pushing his hips into yours. You gasp at the feeling. “Levi… should we… really… be doing this?” You say, panting in between words. Levi pulls away and looks at you, eyes full of lust. “Tell me you’re not enjoying this” he challenges. “…I-I meant on the desk…” you giggle, rolling your eyes. His pupils dilate at your actions. He lifts you up again, wraps your legs around his waist and walks to his connected bedroom, practically kicking the door down.

Strong man indeed… not bad, Captain.

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fronomeeps · 10 months

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Abriged text of Off’s 15th anniversary stream!

official VOD on youtube: https://youtu.be/RG4yEM9J3Zg

full disclaimer there are inconsistencies with the typing and punctuation and capitalization, but here it is!!! the full 4 hour stream in abriged text form! i tried including as much as i can while making it short and sweet-ish, everything under the cut!

Part 1: Off’s Childhood (Off creation)

Q: Did you design and draw the characters before you decided to make a game for them or did you have the idea to design a game first and have the visuals come after?

Some of them he drew before. He knew about RPGmaker for a long time and used it to make little games. Most of the RPGmaker games he would make before were using the RPGmaker assets. When he started Off, he decided that everything would be made by him. He never made a game with his own resources before, so he had no idea what to do with the graphics. He made everything very simple with flat colors and lines, which made it easy to use and easy to create. The first map he made in OFF was Zone 0’s building extremely fast to test his chipset and as an exercise. Afterwards he thought of what characters to make for the game. He had piles of drawings he did for fun with no particular meaning, and he happened to have a drawing of a baseball player and a cat with a “very big head” and decided that these would be characters in the game. There was no symbolic meaning to it, he just thought the drawings were cool.

Yes, the characters were made before the game was made but not intended to be in the game.

Q: Was there anything in the game you weren’t happy with or anything you didn't get to finish when OFF released?

He was quite happy with everything in the game, there was some cut content, but when he finished he was really happy with what he made. It took him 1 year to make Off. He is still happy about the state of Off. Sometimes he was frustrated with the limitations of RPGmaker2003, such as the battle system, that he would change if he had total control of these things. But with the tools he had, he was happy with the results.

If he had tools he had today back then, Off would be a completely different game. There are some things he is unhappy with and says he was a completely different person back then, but it’s been 15 years and he’s proud of what he made and what Off is and is happy people like the way it is.

Q: If you could easily implement any game mechanic into off regardless of how hard it would be to implement, what would it be?

He would make a battle system from scratch. He likes the JRPG battle system, but the balancing of the numerical side of things (HP, damage, etc.) were difficult to manage and he feels he could have done it in a more fun way. He thinks there's better ways to do things with the system.

Battles such as Dedan are hard to beat but not very fun since it is hard because of his large amount of HP, since that’s how he saw to make it hard.

So if he could change the combat, he would.

Another thing he would change is the puzzles, he feels they are too hard. Especially in zone 1 he feels they are not fun. Reading text and remembering random information he does not think is very fun and weirdly difficult. The Calendar puzzle in Alma in particular comes to his mind when he thinks of a hard puzzle. The calendar was inspired by a Killer 7 puzzle that he liked at the time but doesn’t like it now.

Q: Were any of the characters inspired by real people in your life or by pets?

Real people no, but his friend made the voices for the characters.

The judge is inspired by a drawing he made of his roommate’s cat back in college. The cat was named Madame Le Judge.

Q: Have you considered other sportsmen other than batter?

No, Batter was made from a drawing he did of a baseball player from a book from the library and had no correlation to the game.

Q: Was Zacharie originally planned to be fightable?

There were doodles of Zacharie with angel wings and a sword, but they were just for fun and he was not intended to be a fighter in the game. But he is aware that it has made the fans question if Zacharie was intended to be a battler in the game.

Q: Was there anything cut or scraped from the game?

Not really, but in the doodle pack on his old website where he posted Off originally, there was a version of Enoch with a mask on as well as some items. And for the ballman and boxxer part he had some more enemies planned, one being a baseball with eyes. He scrapped it because it was an unimportant part of the game.

There were some really complex puzzle ideas that were cut because they would be too complex to put in. He likes reaction based games, rpg games where you have to think not so much. There is a game called MYST on pc where you travel to an island and are tons of insane puzzles which he was hypnotized by as a puzzle. He did not solve many of the puzzles but thought it was extremely cool as a kid and wanted to make a game as cool as MYST.

Q: Can we get the full list of magaka and artists the bats are named in reference to?

Harrold: Don’t remember

Masashi: Naruto creator

Emmanuel: French comic book artist, he liked at the time but no longer likes, but was a huge inspiration for Off.

Michael: Hellboy creator

Yoshihiro: Hunter x Hunter creator, which Mortis is a big fan of.

Lewis: French comic book artist.

Katsuhiro: Akira creator, “still a banger” -Mortis

Ashley: An American comic artist who did paintings.

Q: What went into the decisions that went into the creation of Zacharie’s masks?

If there was an inspiration, he doesn’t recall. He designed them that way because he thought he looked cool.

Q: What are the inspirations behind every character in the game?

Elsen: Just a business man, office man, supposed to featureless and “boring” or “normal”, some inspiration from his hatred of administration(?). He is sorry for what he puts the Elsen though.

Dedan: “I don’t know…” -Mortis, he has a military jacket.

Japhet: Fire bird, Final fantasy 6’s Valigarmanda who is a fire bird trapped in a block of ice was a big inspiration.

Enoch: Inspired Nicolas de Crécy’s comics. There is a character who is large like Enoch that he was heavily inspired by. He enjoyed the comics at the time but now sees there is some fatphobia with the character.

Vader Eloha (Queen): Generally, a mysterious, strange, princess-like lady. A beautiful lady to contrast the heaviness of the rest of the game.

Queen’s Addons: Just complex stuff.

Bad Batter: No direct inspiration, but is a scary, terrifying version of the batter.

Hugo: Child with a big ham, no direct inspiration.

Sucre: Was designed by a friend.

General aesthetics of the game: Inspired by Killer 7 for the aesthetics, backgrounds, feelings. If you like Off you would like Killer 7. It is similar to off, and is very violent. In general, Final Fantasy 6-10, Metal Gear Solid 2’s “Meta” content (THE GAME SPEAKS TO ME?!?!?!?!?!?!), Silent Hill 2 (after completing off, he played more silent hill games but SH2 was played before and was inspiration).

In the game, there are 2 maps that are a silent hill reference, in that the maps themselves spell “SH” “Silent Hill” and there are long hallways with locked doors like Silent Hill.

Q: What had to be the most difficult part of Off development for you?

There were some times he would get stuck not knowing what to do next. Alias Coldwood, who also made the soundtrack of the game, was his roommate at the time. Alias helped him code parts of the game as he was already a programmer, such as the Elsen balloon minigame in the Zone 2 amusement park.

He was stuck on the balloon game coding for 3 days and then Alias came in and fixed it in half an hour.

Zone 3 is mostly pretty straight forward and doesn’t have that much coding, except for the dropping Add-On collection minigame. He says that the way the engine is, if you want to do something other than classic RPG it becomes very hard.

Q: What is the overall feeling you want people to have when they play Off?

A bad feeling, guilt, sadness, emptiness. He says he was quite edgy at the time, he wanted the game to make you feel like you were the good guy, then gently make you feel like maybe you aren’t the good guy, and then at the end confirm that you are in fact the bad guy.

There is a short poem called 10 Little Soldiers, where the narrator is revealed to be the killer of the story, and it was shocking and unexpected. He wanted to recreate this feeling of shock in a video game setting. In the end, you end up doing what the creator of the game put before you regardless of feeling of freedom.

Q: How was the planning of the game?

Production of the game was 1 year, and there was no clear idea in his head before he started making Off. He sorta winged it as he went. He made all the characters, then went and made maps chronologically and made it up as he went.

Q: Who was your favorite character to design?

Japhet. There are 4 different forms of Japhet, and he likes the way he transforms. He wouldn’t change much about his design.

Q: What was your process for making the sprites?

They were drawn on paper, inked, scanned in, scaled down in photoshop, then the edges were cleaned up with a black border to work with the game (which took up most of the time in game production).

Q: What was the creative process behind the music and what did you use?

He did not make the music, Alias Coldwood did. He would come into Mortis’ room, check what Mortis was up to, see the areas, then go off and make music for the game. He would come back and give him the music gifts. He would ask if it was good or if anything needed to be changed but usually no changes were needed.

Q: Why was Over the Rainbow used for the ending of the game?

He loves the song, and it is a strong contrast of gentle music, reassurance, after the extremely brutal game.

It can also be interpreted that the game itself is a rainbow, with the zones being very brightly colored.

Q: What sorta things did you think about while making Off? What did you think it would be?

He didn’t think much about the game itself, he mostly thought about being done with the game and how cool it would be. He thought it would be so crazy and cool if 50 people played his game, or if his friends played his game.

It was his last year of doing comics studies at school. He had his studies which were art related, but his free time was filled with working on Off, which was fun for him.

Q: What role does the battle system play in the story?

None, other than Batter attacks everything he comes across. In most games you fight a lot, maybe it was more so that fighting is in games, so his game needs fighting. But it makes sense to look at it that you are fighting everything you come across, which is sort of evil. You can actually flee from most battles other than the bosses. But it is not easy to defeat the bosses without killing people beforehand.

Q: What was it like to work with Alias Coldwood?

It was really cool.

Q: Did you have a theme you wanted to follow?

Yes, the idea that the main character is the bad guy was the main theme. He had the ending idea in mind.

Q: What was the last thing you made in the game before releasing?

Since he did it in chronological order, he believes the last thing he did was the secret ending(space apes ending).

Q: Do you have any old concept art for the game/ characters?

He doesn’t have them on his computer, but if his website is still searchable, there should be a zip folder full of art. Website: http://gaarabis.free.fr

Q: Is it true that the train stations in zone 1 are based on pens?

Pentel: A really good brush pen he has

Sachihata: Don’t remember

Alma: An actual train station in brussels.

Damien: Don’t remember

Q: What were those unused soundtracks for?

Music for zones that already existed and he didn’t have a purpose for.

Q: How were the sketches for Off made, were they sketched and scanned in?

Yes

Q: Do you have any beta builds of Off?

No, just the one version.

Q: What happened to the Off Demo?

It disappeared, lost on the old website that died and he didn’t have a backup. It stopped at Dedan’s office in Alma, and a text would show up to say that’s the end of the demo. It was made for a french rpg forum for people to play there, and he received a price in a french rpgmaker contest. There is no additional or different content in the demo that isn’t in the main game.

Part 2: Into Off’s big castle (Off lore)

Mortis notes, nothing is cannon in Off, he had things in mind when he made it but nothing is cannon, “everything is cannon” anything that comes to your head when you play is cannon, everything is cannon and nothing is cannon.

Q: when the batter turns into a monster, is that a shapeshift or is it just how the judge sees the batter?

It’s based off Killer 7, whose final boss is an angel. It is implied though that the character is not actually an angel, but is the way it sees itself. He liked the idea that you can people can be represented differently than how they actually are, and it is up to you whether that is batters view of himself, the players view of him, or the judges view of the batter.

Q: What is Zacharie and Sucre’s relationship? Are they friends? A couple?

They like each other, but as you prefer. If you want them together then sure. But he doesn’t have any thought on it.

Q: is the Judge a fluffy cat or a hairless cat?

Madame le Judge, the inspiration cat, was a fluffy cat, so the Judge is fluffy. Though he doesn’t look fluffy in game so that is up to the player.

Q: Top 3 vegetables for every character.

Too long of a question, but for the judge: Zucchini, Eggplant, and Tomato

Q: Do the zone guardians get along with each other or is there a reason they all rule their own zones?

They do know each other based on the events in The Room, but if they’re friends is uncertain. But Japhet did save Enoch from a hole, so they are probably on good terms. In the room, they have similar ideas on what to evolve the world into and at that point they are probably closest to being friends, more so that they tolerate eachother or are more akin to coworkers. Once they are in their own zones, they have no need to talk to each other.

Q: Is Off a universe or world?

There are definitely past events to Off, the world is already in a crisis point with its dead appearance. Maybe it is our own earth.

Q: What do Elsen and spectres taste like?

Elsen would taste like a human, and spectres would taste like smoke.

Sucre is also supposed to be a human, please don’t eat her.

Q: How is Zacharie doing, what are his views on the world?

He is not well, he is quite nihilistic and sees the world is not doing well, but he doesn’t care.

Q: Could you go into the game’s nomenclature, specifically the names for items, guardians?

The reason he calls the health items tickets was because he wanted a cool, clever way to refer to them rather than health potions.

He chose flesh for SP items because it was gross and fit with the universe. He chose demon names for the flesh because he thought it was cool and edgy at the time.

The guardian’s names are from the Bible, but there is no significance to the names themselves.

Q: How do you imagine the voice of the Judge?

He’s a cat with a big head so maybe there’s some resonance.

Q: What’s the Judge’s favorite brand of kibble/cat food and what is his favorite fish?

In zone 2’s marketplace, Judge is looking at an ad for catfood. Catfood made with meat from the fountains of Alma is his favorite food.

There is no more fish in the world, Judge doesn’t know what a fish is.

Q: What the heck is the zone 3 secretary?

It was a drawing he did based on a photo from a book from a library. They are drawings of wood carved baby artifacts. He drew clothes on them for the game.

Q: Does the batter like men?

In a previous stream, he and chat decided batter is a lesbian. He also states that batter (he/she/they) doesn’t like men.

Q: Is there a cannon explanation for the ending?

It’s in the game, it is cannon.

Q: Did you intend Sucre to have more content, and did you plan for other secret bosses to be in the game?

Sucre was the only planned secret boss and no other content was planned for her.

He asked his friend to design Sucre, asking her to design a character to be a secret boss in the game without knowing anything about the game.

Sucre’s speech pattern (using emojis and speaking in small sentences) is based on a character from Killer 7 as well.

We don’t know why she’s in the zone 0 room, though it’s implied she has changed and Zacharie knows she has changed.

Q: Why does Sucre like ducks?

She doesn’t like ducks.

Q: Is the art depicting Zacharie with wings and a sword cannon?

It is cannon and it isn’t cannon.

Q: How far does Zacharie’s self awareness go?

He knows he is in a videogame, and being in the videogame Off is quite depressing.

He knows everything, he knows about batter and his powers.

Q: What happens when the switch turns Off?

Everything is gone

Q: Was there any reason for the Panic in Ballville section in the room?

Everything in the room are hints to what led to the creation of the world, but the hints are obscure and it is up to the player to figure that out.

It’s up to interpretation

Q: Do you think Deltarune Queen and Off Queen would be friends?

The Queen from Off is not very friendly, and probably wouldn’t want to be friends.

He has played Deltarune and loved it and loves Toby Fox’s work.

Q: Do secretaries appear because of batter’s desires?

Secretaries have no emotion, they are mindless monsters. They are not even humans, they aren’t even living. They just exist in an empty world, symbols of despair and emptiness.

Q: Did spectres appear because of the Queen’s neglect?

Enoch says they’re just the souls of the people, so yes they are just the dead Elsen.

He had another idea with Alias that in the past of Off, when people die their souls would go to the future. But since there is no longer a future, they pile up in the present as the ghosts we see.

Q: How were Elsen made?

They are one person, who was cloned. They are all named Elsen. There are lots of him.

Cannon and not cannon: Before the events of Off, there was a man named Elsen, and he cloned himself over and over and had many of his clones in a bunker. When he died, his clones were all released. It is ambiguous that the Elsen know this fact about themselves.

Q: Is it possible that there are other lands in the nothingness or across the sea?

The idea is that it is a post-apocalyptic place, and the Queen and Hugo have power that emanates from them that certain people are strong enough to use that power to create worlds. Judge, Dedan, Enoch, and Japhet are those who can use this power, which is why when you kill them their zone dies. Though it is possible there are other survivors out in the world that may weild the Queen and Hugo’s power to create lands.

Q: Is batter bald?

Yes?

Q: Does the batter have any pets?

No, he would not be a good pet owner.

Q: Do the burnt elsen have any purpose other than being enemies you can fight?

The black material exploding from them comes from inside of them.

Since they are office men, it makes sense they are stressed. Burning is a direct representation of burnout. The world is too horrible for them to continue existing. As the world dies, they have a physical reaction which is dying and burning.

Q: Has the batter ever played baseball?

Q: Are Zacherie’s wings in the drawing Add-ons?

There is no cannon for this non-canonical drawing.

Q: How powerful would batter be in the real world?

He can kill lots of people, he can heal himself, and has magical powers so he would be pretty powerful.

His power is “4000”

Q: What is the Judge drinking in the drawing where he’s drinking from a cup?

Orange juice

Q: The drawing with the red dots in the room, is it an illusion?

The drawing itself is made by Hugo in the game world.

Q: How tall is Enoch?

Maybe like 4 meters.

Q: We saw the story of the zone guardians but what about Zacharie, Judge, and Valerie? Did they exist before the zones?

Yes they did exist before the zones, and they survived the apocalypse somehow, maybe in a bunker.

Maybe because Judge and Valerie have 9 lives as cats they came back to life, and Zacharie’s 4th wall breaking power allowed him to survive.

Q: Is there lore behind the important people of Zone 1 or not?

They are all dead.

Q: What happens to the puppeteer/player after we finish the cannon ending of the game?

You get back to your life, game ends.

Q: Does Hugo sees him as a monster or his human form?

Hugo would see him as a positive form, since Hugo created the batter, and is happy to see the batter arriving. But batter kills him. And Hugo probably changes his mind as he’s killed.

Q: Is the anniversary of Off also batter’s birthday?

When you start the game it is batter’s birthday.

Q: What is the reason the Queen isolated herself from everyone?

She doesn’t like anyone. She wanted to make a new world, but was disappointed in the outcome, and isolated herself and became crazy. She may be a bit of a narcissist.

Q: Who would win in a fight between Omori and Batter?

Omori

Q: How come the final hallway before the switch looks like a skull and spine?

It was not intentional, and he was just designing a strange hallway. But agrees that it looks like that.

Q: Is batter truly evil or is a victim of circumstances.

He is spawned from hugo’s wishes, in batter’s opinion he is not evil, but he is evil.

Q: Is there a timeline where Valerie lives after Japhet’s fight?

In the main game he dies, but there is many timelines where he lives.

Q: What does batter think of the player? A tool, a psychic?

He thinks of the player as a tool.

Q: Do the characters have cannon ages?

No, never thought of it.

Q: What is the meaning/story behind Off?

Play the game.

Q: Why does hugo have 8 dots on his forehead?

He doesn’t know why, but it was somewhat inspired by Krillin from Dragon Ball.

Q: Tell us more about Enoch

He’s a guardian of the zone 3, he is very big and tall. He tries to make people’s lives easier with sugar, but it is a drug in this world. But he does genuinely want his elsen to be happy, but he’s really not a good guy and doesn’t go bout it right.

Q: What characters from other franchises would batter get along with?

Batter wouldn't really be friends with anyone, he doesn’t really communicate, he doesn’t like to speak and he doesn’t want friends. He has a mission and he’s going to complete it.

Q: What’s up with the ring party members?

At first they were just there to add more party members, since being the only one is boring. So how do you have only 1 main character but multiple party members? The Add-ons do not have personalities but fill the party. But at the end they have meaning.

Each guardian is represented by an Add-On, and their ideas and thoughts and relationship with Hugo are represented by each Add-On. But as the world was created, the promises of their ideas were broken.

Q: How did the batter know what his purpose to purify the world was?

He just knew in his brain, in his programming.

Q: Was the batter the correct answer to the world’s problems?

It’s up to you to decide that, but there is probably a better solution than batter. Alooot of bad choices that led to batter.

Q: What are ghosts? Did the queen send them? Is it capitalism?

Mortis confirms he hates capitalism and you can see that in the game, and in a clumsy way it does speak about capitalism. But the ghost’s source is a mystery but they’re probably souls of Elsen.

Q: What happened to Hugo’s parents?

Probably dead.

Q: What did the batter save the elsen in zone 2 if they were all going to die anyways.

He didn’t care about saving the Elsen, he was just going after the spectres.

Q: Is each zone a planet or different universes?

They aren’t planets. The world is broken, and there are floating continents with light points that can be traveled to.

Q: Do Boxxer and Ballman have names?

Ballman is Casper, and Boxxer is Jeremy.

Q: Is it the player’s fault that batter is the way he is?

Q: What are the actual names of the Elsen?

They’re all named Elsen.

Q: What was the batter doing before the game started?

Nothing, he didn’t exist before.

Q: What would happen if you microwaved an elsen?

They would die.

Part 3: Off, the game

Q: Will the game be on steam or console?

He already got some proposals from companies to put it on different platforms, but for now he doesn’t want to, but he isn’t against it. It’s a long process of copyrights and other things and maybe one day it’ll happen, but for now no.

Q: Would you ever reconsider remaking Off in another style or game engine?

No, he’s happy that people enjoy Off as it is, but he’s not as invested in it as he was when he made it. He won’t be making any remakes or continuations, since he has other projects and plans and stories and universes.

Q: Would you ever make a sequel, comic, any continuations of Off?

When he first made Off, he had an idea for a part 2 and even spoke to Alias about it but dropped it because it works so well as a one-shot.

Q: Would you ever be interested in making projects similar to Off?

He has another videogame in the works, and RPG he’s working on with friends called HELP.

Q: Do you see yourself working on something Off related in the future? Or are you done for good for this world?

He doesn’t close every door but probably is done with the world.

Q: Will you ever expand on Hugo’s lore?

Probably not

Q: Will you ever remake Off with your current style?

If he did something Off related now, it would be in his current style, he can’t recreate his old style.

Q: Have you ever considered making merch, plushies or artbooks?

He doesn’t have any of the original drawings anymore, he sold his sketchbook. All the files he still has are too small to be used in an artbook. For plushies, it would be fun, but it isn’t a priority right now.

Q: Do you regret being better known as the creator of Off rather than other things you’ve made?

He is a little frustrated by the fact that nothing else he’s made is as popular as Off, such as comics he’s made since Off or other work he’s done. He isn’t complaining though. Whenever he does anything Off related, people give him lots of love and he’s extremely happy and moved by it and is happy that people love the game lots. He’s happy with his life.

Q: What’s your favorite piece of music from Off?

He loves all the music, his favorite would be Fake Orchestra, Dedan’s boss music.

Q: Do you think there’s a good way to adapt Off into an animated series?

It could be fun, but he doesn’t like translating video games into other mediums other than video games.

Q: What’s your favorite character from Off?

Japhet, he is a bad guy, even though he’s egotistical now, he really tried to please his elsen. Reading his journal, we can see he is disappointed in himself, and self-reflects.

Q: What’s your favorite spectre design? Which one is the sexiest?

His favorite is the 6th spectre, the one that explodes into many little spectres.

Smash or Pass round: He passed every spectre. The sexiest is the large spectre.

Q: Which character/creature design is your favorite?

The whale is still a favorite of his.

Q: After 15 years, what do you honestly think of Off as its creator?

He is happy that so many people still like, so he feels he succeeded in making something that speaks to or is relatable to so many people. To himself however, he thinks there’s a lot he would’ve done differently if he made it now. He’s a different person now, and elements of the game don’t resonate with him anymore.

Q: What was your reaction after the game’s big success?

Before the success, there was a translation to english, and then a while after that it really exploded. He was not prepared. He felt successful from just 50 people playing it and thought that was it for Off.

After 2 years when youtubers started making let’s plays of Off and fanart was being made, and now he is used to it. But it took a long time for him to understand that the game was a huge success.

Q: What ending do you choose, the batter or the judge?

For a long time, he liked the batter ending more. But now he likes the judge ending more. It feels like a small small spark of hope. You have a choice to not destroy everything.

Q: Do you think Off would ever get as big as it is now?

No, never.

Q: Did you expect Off to have such a big impact on people? Were you overwhelmed by it?

It wasn’t overwhelming, but he didn’t understand it at first but he was really really happy.

Q: Had you ever made a plan in case the game becomes popular?

No, he only made it to be played a little and got a price from a french rpg forum and that was all he thought would come of the game.

Q: If you could pick 5 songs not from the soundtrack to encapsulate the game what would they be?

The Kid A album from Radiohead was an album he was listening to while he was making Off and encapsulated a lot of Off’s themes that you can find in the game.

Q: How do you feel about Papyrus looking like Dedan?

He is so glad that his game had an impact on Toby Fox when he made his games.

Q: Would Papyrus and Dedan be friends?

No, Dedan is really mean and Papyrus should not be around Dedan.

Q: Where do you consider Off in your artistic journey? Has it impacted/ influenced you?

It is a part of him. Even though the stuff he does now doesn’t look like Off and everything he does doesn’t relate to Off anymore it’s a big part of him.

Q: Are you willing to/ planning to release the music on vinyl? Limited releases?

It is not in his hands, that is up to Alias.

Q: Is there anything about Off (the game, the characters, etc.) that you like much more (or less) now?

He is happy about the alternate ending with the Judge.

Q: What’s the biggest thing you scrapped out of the game?

Nothing was really scrapped out of the game.

Q: What would you say is the concept that defines OFf as a whole?

It’s a really nihilistic game about destroying a game that’s already destroyed. It’s a very sad and dark story.

Q: Which character was your favorite to draw?

Zacharie was the most fun to draw, as well as Judge with his big mouth.

Q: What do you think of the fangames?

He’s really glad and happy that people like the game so much they want to make other games. But he always thinks, why? It takes so much time to make these fangames when you could be making something you want to make.

Q: Can you explain the philosophy in the game?

It’s nihilistic and depressing.

Q: Do you have a favorite zone?

Zone 2 is his favorite. It’s more like a city, and it’s more organic than the other zones. The center of the city is a bit maze-like and he likes the way you move around it, and with a library at its center.

Q: For the longest time, I thought the batter’s left eye was a nose. Can you point out the intricate details of his face, for clarity?

Mortis sees it as a nose for the first time. But his nose is actually a left eye, both of his eyes are visible. The top 2 lines are his eyebrows, the bottom lines are his eyes closed.

Q: Is the judge smiling or is his face just like that?

He is smiling.

Q: Is there any want for batter to get into frame makers or any fighting game?

No, he won’t contact any companies to get batter into any game. If someone wants to put the batter in their game, it’s alright. Though he’s not a big fan of fanservice stuff.

Part 4: Officionados

Q: What is your favorite Off fangame and is it cannon to Off?

He doesn’t play any fangames but will in the future. He’s planning to play Home. All fangames are cannon. He’s really happy that there’s so much work around his universe.

Q: Why do you think people are still talking about and playing Off today?

Society is quite dark today, the future is not too happy, and maybe it makes sense to people nowadays. Maybe it is also because of the funny jokes.

Q: Have you seen the animated series by Tanblaque?

No, but he has seen animated content made about Off back a long time ago.

Q: What is your opinion about fan projects nowadays?

Do what you want, and he is 100% ok with it. You can use any of his graphical assets, you have to ask Alias to use the music, and you can’t use the space monkeys since they were not made by him. He is happy if you make stuff for him, but also he would like people to make original stuff too.

Q: Have you ever played or seen gameplay of Home?

He has seen gameplay, but never played. He was in touch with Felix when he started the game, Felix would send him screenshots.

Q: What do you think about fandom theories?

It’s awesome and he loves it. What he loves the most about it is that Off is a very cryptic and vague story, and people are able to piece together things from what is presented. He thinks many of the theories are really cool. Even with the small community in the french rpg forum the game started getting really cool theories which made him really happy.

Q: Would you be open to someone remaking the game in a modern take?

He would prefer it not be done.

Q: Any silly fan ideas or head-cannons that you personally consider cannon?

He saw a lot of fan characters and fan ideas that he finds impressive, and his own personal story is not cannonic, and he doesn’t like the “trying to find cannon” way of thinking, anything is cannon. Once you play the game, the story is up to you.

Q: Thoughts on Zacharie being a tumblr sexyman?

It’s funny, there’s lots of sexy drawings of his characters and he was shocked at first, but finds it funny, but some of them are not ok. But mostly funny.

Q: Do you like my roblox cosplay?

Yes, it’s fun.

Part 5: Off-topic

Q: What’s your top 3 favorite sauces?

Archiduc sauce, Pili-Pili sauce, Pepper sauce

Q: Are you working on a new game? How is it going?

New game is called HELP, it’s being made by a team and it’s a sci-fi rpg. It is just at the beginning of production. If you want to help make the game then you can support him on patreon.

Q: Have you ever thought of making another game?

There was a large gap between Off and HELP, because making a game is a lot of work, and HELP is in another engine.

Q: Can we expect any Off references in Vold Vago?

Vold Vago had to be pushed aside for now, he doesn’t have the tools to make it right now. Maybe it will exist in the future or be restarted. But he is more comfortable staying in rpg games for now. And maybe there will be a reference, but probably not, he doesn’t like fanservice.

Q: Have you heard of other popular rpgs like Yume Nikki, Undertale, or Omori?

Yes, He has played the others but not Omori yet.

Q: Would you ever consider taking art commissions?

He did before but he doesn’t have time to do that right now. He has a lot of work to do right now, and he doesn’t see a future where he can.

Q: How much weed you’ll smoke?

He doesn’t smoke or drink.

Q: Have you made other comics similar to Doctor Cataclysm?

Yes, he worked on Star Delivery with Marie Spénale, and is working on other comics.

BONUS QUESTIONS he wanted to include but not answer:

Why is the game called Off when you have to turn on your computer in order to play it?

Does Zacharie know I love him?

Can I hug the batter? (no)

Can Sucre be my wife? (no)

Bye Bye!

#Off 15th Anniversary Stream #Off game #Mortis Ghost

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