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slocumjoe · 11 months

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If you were to rate the Fo4 companions from most to least favourite how would you rate them?

I can't list them in order, because I have too many feelings on them....and also, I love them all! It's just...there's such a Rollercoaster of quality of writing, of character concept, of VA performance, of actual attention and care given to the meat-and-potatoes aspects...

Like, I can say I have a favorite (Danse) and a least favorite (Piper) and a dude in the middle who I give not a crap about (Deacon), but I still like these characters??? They're fun! Its just, I like my idea of them more than what's actually there.

So, uhhhh

RORY TALKS ABOUT THE COMPANIONS 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO

this is basically a long-post of a bunch of mini-essays, so grab a snack or nice bev and get cozy

Cait, to me, is a prime example of "this character sounds better on paper". I've already complained about her three greatest flaws; being bloated, being mishandled, and being a very confused character. If I were to describe Cait, it would be that she's a troubled young woman who was traumatized all her life, but understands that it's effected her heavily and wants to work past it and better herself.

In game, she's...an Irish Girl. She talks about drinking and fucking and fighting. If not that, she's detailing her absolutely horrific life. It gives me tonal whiplash. I feel like they were too busy adding things on rather than fleshing her out. I mean, really...what is the significance of the Tough Irish Girl type in the wasteland, where everyone acts that way? Is Cait an example of your average wastelander, someone whos supposed to show the daily life in this world? Well...no, that can't be it, she's put away from others, an outsider who doesn't fit in whatever circumstances she finds herself in. She doesn't belong with raiders, she doesn't fit into the average civilian life. So, is she about ostracization and how even after being nuked, there still is a society to ostracize people? That is brought up in text, but that's not at all Cait's thing, that concept is with Hancock.

I travel with Cait to quickly get her affinity up to speedrun her "recovery" (see the Cait breakdown to learn my thoughts on That Fucking Chair) because I want her to get better...but I don't like traveling with her that much. It's not just that she often disagrees with my usual choices, she's just rather flat. I don't get the impression that the writers really considered her psychology, what she stood for, what someone should or could take away from her.

But I like her conceptually. There's a lot of fun and emotional catharsis to be had with a traumatized character like her, someone who has to navigate life after escaping her bad situations, and not knowing what to do with the survival instincts she had to cultivate, but no longer needs.

Codsworth is inoffensive to me, and I like sassy but polite characters. I find them refreshing in settings like Fallout. I had more fun imagining his lines as thinly-veiled bitching than sincerity, though. I think he's fine, just simple. Simple is best, sometimes. I wouldn't trust Beth to give the indentured servitude robot an even remotely palatable story, given how they handled the synths and their whole thing...

But Codsworth, I like having him around. He's the lemon water to the black coffee, sugary soda, whiskey, and occasional cups of tar. He's needed at a palette cleanser.

Curie should have been a main plot companion, argue with the wall. She's a Ms. Nanny who becomes a synth, which are functionally human beings. She has a lot of narrative potential, being an example and counterargument for many different things.

Unfortunately, she's kept mostly a secret, being the most hidden companion, and she's left as a simple French maid fantasy. I'm not even sure why they bothered to make her a doctor. It has nothing to do with how she's actually handled and presented. Curie's more often blushing than meaningfully interacting with the world. She talks to Amari, she becomes a synth, and the rest of her story is just her going KYAA~ at the SS. I wish they gave her some edge, some weirdness. I like my version where she's this slightly pretentious, condescending, incredibly old-seeming entity that clearly doesnt come from around here.

Danse...my boy. My boy. I adore him. You don't need me to explain why. And you don't need me to explain why his incomplete writing infuriates me.

I've said before he's very similar to Hancock, and since I have something else I want to discuss about with Johnny down in this, I'll use Danse's slot to discuss it, very quickly.

Danse and Hancock are remarkably similar people and characters, even there is parts that drift or parallel in their differences.

Substance dependency (Hancock does chems, Danse is a canonical alcoholic)

They both struggled to find their footing and place in the world, and hate the people they were in their act 1's (Hancock's takes place during his founding of Goodneighbor, Danse's after BB)

They're fiercely loyal and protective of 'their people', even if it can take a LOT for them to consider someone 'their people'

Both are suicidal and identity plays a huge part (Hancock pretends to be someone he isn't, Danse is desperate to be the person he thought he was this whole time/hates that he isn't who he thought he was)

Both of these characters are two sides of the same coin. It's just that Danse's upbringing led him to believe in authority and control being the best way to help and take care of the wasteland, Hancock's upbringing (filled with corrupt authority and control) led him to believe in an egalitarian, we-all-lift mindset where the people have the power, he's just the guy who people talk to about any issues. It's somewhat implied that Cutler was similar to Hancock, judging by Danse's few lines about Cutler.

So uuuhhh Todd where the fuck is the last 2 arcs for danse and last arc for hancock? todd? todd where the fu

As said above, Deacon is nothing to me. I like him. I don't care about him much. I think he's fun to play with, but the moment you start getting into his backstory/angst, I slide right the fuck off.

Okay, the Barb thing. Dead wife. Fucking boring story, done to death. At the point I met Deacon, I had already met Mac, Nick, knew of Longfellow and his deal. So it was like "JESUS they really dont know any other reason for a dude to be sad, do they." But the thing that keeps me from caring about Deacon is that no one can agree if Barb is real. If that actually happened.

...his backstory is supposed to inform his character. Why is Deacon doing this? Because of his backstory. If his backstory isn't real, we know nothing about Deacon, and he is, functionally, not a character. Why does Deacon lie if Barb didnt happen? Dunno. He just...does. Why is Deacon helping synths? Uhh...we needed an RR companion? Deacon's character rides or dies on Barb. If she's real, then the rest of him makes sense. She's the windex and towel to the cloudy glass house that is the rest of him. If she isn't, Deacon...doesn't matter, in any meaningful way. He's a guy in the RR who lies about everything, which means you can't care about him. Because there is nothing to care about, because it's all bullshit.

So, that's my thoughts on Deacon, in-canon. I don't know what his deal is or if his proposed deal is genuine, so I can't click with him. But in my own canon, Barb is real, so my Deacon ken-doll does appeal to me. But in Fallout 4, in text, I regard him the same as I do Tom Bombadil. To give you an idea of how flimsy Deacon is in text, a prevailing fan theory from around 2017-18 was that Deacon was Mrs. Rosa's son. Mrs. Rosa was a pre-war neighbor. Her son was a kid. The fact that Deacon is so weird and fluid and almost omniscient isn't a plus for me, it isn't a point of fascination. It's a puzzle that I know doesn't have a finished product, so I leave and go hang out with Danse, who can't speak if he isn't being absurdly blunt.

Gage is a character that deserved a better DLC. The more I think about Nuka World the more I kinda wish it was just Gage and the handmade rifle, instead the map...but that's about Nuka World. Gage himself could have easily been a swing and a miss and fall face-first into the dirt, but he's a surprisingly well-written character? There are layers of psychology with him. You can look at an action or opinion he has, and map it to something that happened to him. You can literally unravel why he does what he does, is who he is. His writers had a concept for him, and they worked backwards to understand why he would become that way.

What really sells him is his VA. Rolston put his whole pussy into that performance. Gage has so many lines that would be utter cringe if not full-assed. The "That vault suit makes your ass look great" line comes to mind...i've seen modded followers with similar lines, and jesus christ i want to pepper spray some of them. It helps that Gage has multiple faucets to his personality. It also helps that he is intentionally distinct from the other raiders, and occasionally doesn't associate with them, himself. It gives him standards and principles, which help give him shape and dimension. Good character. He isn't my favorite, that's Danse, but he's up there.

Hancock is such a waste of a character and it boggles me no one else seems to think so.

He starts on a bad note because his core reason for existing, is Beth wanted a historical figure reference. There's a reason he gives you a history lesson about John Hancock, it's so everyone knows exaclty what Johnny Ghoulie is a reference to. It's not even so much a reference, because it is a direct mimicking. I cannot stand the moments in 4 where something exists because the team learned a fun historical trivia fact, and wanted to pepper in that they did research. I've already bitched about their love of this with the Railroad at some point on this blog.

I genuinely wouldn't mind Hancock if he wasn't pulling so limp-dickedly. It's specifically the contrivance of explaining why this dude is called John Hancock, in John Hancock's clothing. It's okay if they pull from history and allude to it, But Hancock is just...some history stuff tacked on, with no real thought or care. The clothing, the name, the catchphrase. I feel like this is Disney's Hamilton on Ice.

But moving away from that...what is the point of Hancock?

Is his character about drug use and addiction? NOPE, only Cait's addiction is noteworthy. Okay...idenity issues, since he's larping? Not really. It could be, but that's not at all of interest to the story/writing itself. The Hancock thing is an aesthetic, not a trait. So, don't have that either. Is his character about leadership, in any capacity? Kinda, I guess. He briefly mentions insecurities and guilt about it a few times. But if I said "Hancock's story is about leadership", most people would raise an eyebrow and ask why. Not because it's...wrong, it's just not prominent enough to say that's his story, definitively.

So...what is the point of him? What should I take away from Hancock? Duty to the people? Preston does that, and does it better/more explicitly. Regret about past actions? Mac does that. Protecting the people from political corruption? Piper's thing (AND WE'LL GET TO FUCKING PIPER.) What is there to Hancock that isn't done by another companion? It isn't his depression because ALL these bitches be suicidal. What is unique to Hancock? Pretending to be someone else? Deacon. Drugs? Cait. Trying to figure out who you are, removed from the expections that come with having been someone else? Nick. Leadership, and the failures of it? Danse. Struggling to navigate the world in a new, different body, as a new person, functionally? Curie.

The only thing I can think of is mentioned only twice, and is immediately brushed off; the questionable nature of your leader being buddy-buddy with you, and acting like 'one of the bros' even as they hold power over you and have resources you don't. Parasocial government, if you will. It's brought up by Finn and Bobby No-Nose and is shut down/forgotten.

So...the only thing unique to Hancock, and it's regulated to, like, 3 individual throw-away lines. 2 of which you can miss.

Great.

Again, I like him. I just like him when I'm writing him, and can actually have him work through his shit and concepts. But as he stands, he's just...hey, y'know John Hancock? New Vegas also pulled from history, but New Vegas had shit to say about it. There was debating. There was actual philosophy and politics. There wasn't some dude named Caesar who was just...hanging out. What does Fallout 4 say about John Hancock?

Here's something you can say about Hancock; Hancock owned slaves. He inherited them from his uncle, Thomas Hancock. He later freed them due to terms in Thomas' will. But the guy Fallout 4 meagerly puts up as a figure of freedom and independence, and duty to fellow man, was a slave owner, and had slave owning family.

So, what does that mean for our Hancock? Who looked up to this guy, mantled him, and this guy is, in some way, a perversion of his own ideals.

And our Hancock's favorite quote is from Lincoln. Who started the Civil War. Did Lincoln own slaves? Contested, i couldn't find any clear answers. But Hancock mantles a slave owner, using a quote from the president that would try to outlaw slavery, while pushing for freedom and independence and anarchist rhetoric.

Is that the best you can do with Hancock? No. But it's an example.

MacCready, I've compared to a can of Campbell's soup. He's simple, he's decently-done. He's not Codsworth's lemon water but he isn't Cait's tar. I often struggle to write MacCready because he's so simple. There's not much there, he isn't a complex character. He's not even a complex person. And I like that! I like that the grumpy mercenary is a normal guy, who's just going through the motions and has simple desires. His type is often tar and I'm happy to see that subverted.

Its just that his lack of complexity means there's not much to say about him that you don't already know. He's accessible, which is a good thing. Most people don't want to drink tar, but if you're reaching for a fun beverage, you're not often reaching for water, either.

I think the best thing about MacCready is how excellent he is as a romance option. I think he's the strongest romantic choice in the game, period, largely due to him being a simple guy. I would go for MacCready IRL, because he's a good dad, he has good work ethic, and he's emotionally available and isn't afraid to talk feelings, without being a clusterfuck of issues. I love Danse, but you have to talk him out of suicide before you do anything, and he himself will admit that there's going to be a lot of issues simply because he doesn't know what he's doing or what he wants out of his new life.

You don't get that with MacCready. He knows what he wants and who he is and what he cares about. He's such a solid romantic interest, and there's incredible fic potential with the Sole Survivor and MacCready both as soon-to-be grieving parents.

On the flipside, I can't understand people who romance Nick and think its all sunshine and roses. Mini-rant, but /rad-roche (i think thats their user?) has the right idea, with Nick being a hot mess of unresolved issues who is never not projecting or in denial. Nick is not fit for a romantic relationship, not in the state you see him in game. Especially not before Far Harbor. Especially if you don't get the good ending of Far Harbor. I know, bisexual women, I'm sorry. He's got more shit than Danse and Hancock combined. I write romantic Nick prompts as if this isn't the case, but make no mistake. Me giving yall what you want is not me under the impression that this is a good idea.

Anyway. Nick himself.

Dead wife. Booo. I've already complained about his dumbass quest, which i really dislike for all its contrivances. Also, I find him mismatched with the world around him, and I wish there was more attention paid to that. He's a stock character playing out in real life (in Fallout 4's real life, that is). He's a 40's noir flick detective. This character does not belong in a post-apocalypse. This is an urban setting character. Fallout is not urban.

But that doesn't mean he can't exist! I just wish they went more ham with it. I mean, how does a detective function in a lawless wasteland, full of secrets simply because there's so few people see shit happening, know what goes down? It's an information blackout, out there, and a detective is all about information. Nick deserved to be let loose and go full camp on it all. Instead, we got 2 piddly little piss stains of "mystery" side quests. With someone as clashing as Nick, you really need to either sand down the edges to make him fit, or make the fact he's so weird part of the Thing. Nick is played incredibly straight, and given that that man is clearly lgbtq+, i find that almost a waste. Let this man be deranged. This is why Far Harbor is best Nick. He's holding together in the base game, but i don't want him holding together. I want him to suffer. I want him to monolog like Hamlet before driving a cane into someone's forehead.

Now, as for Piper...

Oh, Piper.

You were doomed.

You were so fucking doomed.

I've written about Piper and her shitty paper multiple times, so if you want a refresher, go to my blog > pinned post > meta section, and find the Piper posts. My peer review of The Synthetic Truth will be your best look into what I think of Piper.

The thing is, if you removed her awfully done journalism aspect, I'd like her base form! When she isn't going on and on about shit that's either wrong, baseless, or presumptuous, she's sassy, she's community-orianted, she's mischievous, she's kinda sardonic. She has a sugar problem. She's a burnt out 20 year old with a parentification issue. There's a lot to like here! The problem is they set up the journalism, fuck it up, and then veer hard-right and crash into the "I'm raising a kid when I'm not even an adult either" thing, where it had no build up or time to unfold naturally.

In my own little world, Piper's journalism fuckups are addressed and have consequences. I don't want her smoothed out and perfect, I want her glaring flaws to be intentional and acknowledged. And that just doesn't happen in text.

Ive also got a ramble on my thoughts on Preston. I've said before I don't like his voice acting most of the time, and I actually got a lot of pushback?? But the people who disagreed didnt...disagree...they just pointed out that John Gentry had a gnarly recording circumstance. I think it was that his first takes weren't supposed to be the final product, because he wasn't really intended to be the VA? Something like that, I forget. Point is, I said John Gentry obviously had a rough time in the booth, and wasn't given a fair shot, and people went "No, his voice acting is good! John Gentry just had a rough time with his line recording and wasn't given a fair shot!"

M-ma'am. Thats...what I said.

If it makes anyone feel better, I don't like the majority of the voice acting in this game...a lot of it is very 'modded skyrim character.' Remember the Skyrim Romance Mod? Thats what most of it sounds like to me. Remember Mrs. Peabody? Holy shit. Do not let anyone involved in that cook ever again. I also have personal beef with Nate. The male VA for the SS...someone, somewhere, made a bunch of choices. It was the wrong one, frequently. (The only good male SS line i can think of is the one romancing Danse. Has some texture to it. It's shy and cute, very good)

As for Preston himself, love him, love my paragon good-guy characters. He's such a sweetheart but he's down for bloodshed. I adore those kinds of characters, those "do no harm, take no shit" types. He's treated as a fluffball by fanon (when not suffering racist ass takes or absolute disregard), but Preston has got some lovely edges to him. If you go through his dialogue page and his approvals, you'll find he can be hard at times. There are moments he approves of 'asshole' choices, which is very fun. I love this dude.

Anyway hot take. IF HE WAS WHITE, ALL OF THESE BITCHES WOULD LIKE HIM. YEAH. I SAID IT. He'd be a depressed white man who's buff and kind and snarky, and you Danse girlies, you Nick girlies, you Deacon girlies, all of them would love him too. He is tailor made for standom but nooo, he isn't #FFFFFF so I guess he's doomed to stupid ass settlement jokes.

Yall lack taste. Hawk puhtoo.

SPEAKING OF AWFUL FUCKING TASTE, LEAVE MY BABY X6-88 ALONE.

X6-88 is so unappreciated. Grotesquely so, by both Bethesda and fans.

X6-88, I've said many times, is a spoiled rich man's cat who sits all poised and hisses if you so much as look at it if you're below a certain tax bracket. He's fussy and egotistical and snippy and dislikes bugs, children, water, heights, and generally anything above ground. He gushes over Danse and thinks he's the coolest. He'll let you kill the Institute if you're Railroad or Minutemen and have high affinity with him. He'll brag about getting to travel with you with his courser buddies. He's a fucking dork.

X6-88 is a nerd/prep who could be goth if left in a Hot Topic to run wild, but until then, he's in a suit for his private school and he's going to sit on HIS bench at recess and snipe at the rival school children with his friends and then he goes home and complains that his english eacher failed him on his Roman history test for writing it in perfect Latin. That is X6-88.

If you don't like X6-88 we cannot be friends. Fuckiung look at him. He's such a little shit. He's perfect.

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thegalleonsnest · 3 months

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I finished both Signalis and the Evil Within 2 back to back and man. It's been a hot minute since I've played some genuine survival horror that hits some of its best strides from both a gameplay and psychological horror perspective.

Signalis is a game that truly understands what it means to be the very best in it's genre. A really interesting setting with fascinating world building and characters, while trying to parse and make sense of reality; what's real and what isn't. What memories are your own and what your purpose is. And can you really keep your promise? The themes and retro ps1/anime aesthetic add so much to the presentation and story telling, you will be utterly fascinated as you draw your own conclusions and feelings in understanding the story. Analysis essays would have a field day with this game.

It's moment to moment gameplay too with constant resource management and figuring out what to take and leave behind is always at the forefront, picking and choosing your targets constantly. Solving some of the most intriguing puzzles that had me sit there and really think, and bust out a pen and paper while I sort through my in game notes to gleam hints and possible solutions, it was really fun and a higher above challenge compared to most classic survival horrors. Highly recommend this game if ya'll are looking for something to scratch that Silent Hill vibe.

The Evil Within 2 is not in the same league as Signalis, as it's more of a horror themed action game fashioned after Resident Evil 4, but it's an extremely solid and fun time. I loved the first game with how much it drenched itself heavy horror and some awesome enemy and monster design. It took you on a haunted house ride that you couldn't wait to see while simultaneously go "oh fuck oh hell no". And the sequel succeeds in that, and then some.

What benefits this game from its predecessor is that it's a personal journey for the main guy, with a lot more at stake than just surviving the nightmare. It honestly added a lot more character and investment for him as the game ramps up in the finale. I was actively rooting for him as I played through it. It's a very satisfying story even if it isn't as deep as something like Signalis.

Gameplay wise, shifting from the more linear game design to embracing the open ended "open world" design was an excellent choice, as it added a lot of strategy and opportunity to stealth it up or choosing whether or not to engage with the enemy while you gather resources. It was very rewarding scouting around, finding upgrade materials, weapons, and hidden secrets.

And even outside of the open world bits, the linear set pieces alongside the new monsters makes them very memorable. Often tension filling, but still exciting to see what's next. And the fact that these kinds of moments can still happen in the open world too as your just doing your thing really puts you on edge, especially when some boss monsters just become standard enemies too. Very fun game through and through if your looking for a thrilling, yet tension filled ride.

#Galleon Talks #The Evil Within 2 #Signalis #I just wanted to talk about games I've had a lot of fun playing recently #highly recommend these two #ESPECIALLY SIGNALIS #I got plans for that game

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ghostsontelevision · 4 months

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sorry the gaylor stuff is fascinating to me so i wrote a whole damn essay abt it under the cut

something i find personally really interesting about gaylor stuff is like - i see the sentiment expressed often in gaylor circles that taylor swift's queerness needs to exist to justify her art. like, if taylor swift isn't queer, why does she write so much about hidden romances? about feeling like she needs to protect her lover from the public? how come she writes about these big dramatic whirlwind affairs when in real life she just dates boring white guys?

there's a few answers:

writing about normal dating stuff isn't as fun as writing about big dramatic whirlwind affairs. yes, love can be stored in going to the grocery store together and cuddling and movie nights - but it's hard to get multiple albums worth of material out of the bliss of domestic mundanity

she is a woman in the public eye. her dating life has been heavily scrutinized by a million strangers since she was sixteen. publicly being seen with someone is in fact a big thing for her, even though she is a cishet white woman who historically has only dated cishet white guys

as much as she hypes up her work as autobiographical - she is capable of writing fiction and has done so before. to assume that every song is ripped straight from her diary seems like it's discrediting her own creativity (and, see point one)

and i think its fair to say that these themes she returns to of forbidden love and having to hide your feelings can absolutely resonate with queer audiences. yeah, i do think a lot of her songs probably hit harder if you imagine they're about a queer person. but relatability and identity are not the same thing, and i think it's important to both not assume that everyone with x identity has experienced y, but also to not assume that experiencing y means someone must have x identity.

however, there's another layer to this. if i were to tell a straight girl about my personal experiences with homophobia, and she responded by saying "i absolutely understand - my dad wouldn't let me date anyone until i was eighteen, i had to sneak boys in and out of the house" - i would understand this as well intentioned, but i might feel slighted or misunderstood by the fact that she considered society-wide discrimination equivalent to having to worry about getting in a fight with her dad. similarly, i've seen many gaylors express that taylor being an ally would make her absolutely unpalatable to them - if she's straight, that means she centered herself every time she talked about lgbt activism despite being heterosexual, that means all the lyrics about hidden relationships are actually about her public boring white boyfriends, that means she didn't ramp up her gay activism because she was planning on coming out and she just did it to promote her new album, that means there really aren't any more secrets to decode and she might actually be dating a football player. for a lot of gaylors, the gay subtext is in fact the entire reason they like taylor swift, and if she's a heterosexual woman, that means they have to find a new favorite artist

in case it's unclear: this is an outsiders perspective. i find gaylor stuff interesting in the same way i find paul is dead stuff interesting - the concept of this long running conspiracy theory surrounding celebrities is really fun for me. paul mccartney is alive, though, and taylor swift is, at least to my knowledge, heterosexual. i'm actually not really a taylor swift fan - i won't change the station if she comes on the radio, but i'm only familiar with her hits and also steadfastly believe that her being gay wouldn't outweigh the damage her jet has done to the environment. i don't have any investment in taylor's sexuality at all - if she's been secretly dating whatever woman she was most recently photographed with, ok cool. if she's actually for reals dating the football guy - cool. but i think a lot of gaylor stuff leans on starting from the assumption that she's queer and works back from that, which makes for poor theorycrafting. additionally, i think it's fuckin goofy to pretend the biggest pop star in the world would face career-ruining backlash for being gay, especially when she's made her stance on gay rights known. i can't imagine someone going "i thought the gay rights song was good and tasteful but knowing she herself is queer has ruined her for me". if she could come back from the kanye scandal, the jet thing, the dating a right-wing asshole thing - she will literally be fine, and to pretend otherwise is to ignore the plethora of other queer pop stars who are far less famous than her and still maintained their careers.

however, i do find that theory that she and harry styles committed vehicular manslaughter and had it covered up pretty funny. i will incorporate that one into my belief system.

#posts by me #sorry for having Opinions About T Swift

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honey-minded-hivemind · 25 days

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Beast Anon here ^^ Sounds like you're still having a good time with the show so far, I look forward to your thoughts on the rest of the episodes as time passes =p To answer your question... Hmm...hard to pick is an understatement, but, if I had to come up with something here and now I'd say...maybe: 1. Beast - Because he's a perfect example of what I personally like in a tragic character while also having the potential to best anything thrown at him. 2. Jubilee - Because I really liked how they evolved her character over time from the standard fish-out-of-water trope to the mysterious yet likable ward with a massive secret...that secret being she has the hidden ability to literally reset time and space if she dies!...I'm not joking, it's in the comics, it's mind-boggling how it's handled and I love it! xD 3. Wolverine - Because everyone loves Wolverine. 'Nuff said xP As for a favorite villain...erm...maybe Mister Sinister? I'll have to think about that some more, the entire list is subject to change really, but I did really like how they handled Sinister's backstory and how he was handled from that point onwards, even from the start he's a pretty intimidating villain who is 100% antagonistic. While you have villains like Magneto who are more like flawed-anti-heros capable of redemption and lumbering overpowered despots like Apocolypse who go "muhahaha! I am going to step on this basket of puppies! >:D ", Sinister has a sort of balance between the two types that I'm warming towards. I do like the way you write these relationships, and would be happy to read any ideas you put on the page ^^ As for any specific platonic yandere's I'd like to see, well, I suppose it'd be fun to see the dynamic/rivalry between Wolverine and Sabretooth get explored, I'm honestly fine with anything you decide to put down :D Hope these answered your questions sufficiently, you have a great day as well! And, if you celebrate it, Happy Easter! ^^

Good points, Beast Anon!

#1: Jubilee can do WHAT?! That is... so cool. Like, wow. Talk about a plot twist! And I like how they handle her character, too, at least in the Animated Series (I haven't read about... 99.9% of the comics... So I'm pretty much out of my depth with that stuff, unless I watched a video essay on them or watched a video reading them...). And that would be a pretty interesting plot to explore in a platonic yandere setting, too-

#2 Beast is awesome, he's a scientist, he's a lover of literature, he's friendly, he's fluffy, he's nice- The list goes on, but all in all, yes, he's a good character😊

#3 Yep, one way to sum up how we all feel about Wolverine. I myself don't like most of the comic romances he's been in, and while I'm not much a fan of the love triangle in the Animated Series, he is still the guy who will do his best to protect his kids (and adopted friends or partners). So even if he is a jerk at times, and would scare the cr*p put of most people who met him, he's nice on the inside, so I think that's what draws in a good bit of fans

#4 I see what you mean, now that you point it out. Mr. Sinister had a complicated past, started out good, went kinda nuts due to what he did and was trying to accomplish (and possibly failing, if I remember that part correctly? It's been a while since I watched his backstory episode in the Animated Series). And after all of that, he spends the next several decades, if not what, centuries, traumatizing mutants and experimenting on them. Interesting character, looks like a vampire, and is a threat whenever he gets involved. You have Magneto, who is flawed, but more of an anti-hero with his heart in the right direction, but his actions aren't the right way of going about it, and you have Apocalypse, the guy who would knock ice cream out of your hand (or step on puppies, as you said), who is not negotiable on his evil, and does not care about good or evil, just what he wants and how to make it happen... There are other villains and the like, but these three set the flavors you can expect for the show. (Then you have Sabretooth, and well... the Professor somehow saw something in him, or thought he could reach the guy, and the Professor has been known to actually think some people aren't good at all, I think? So he has that going for him. Not to mention the people at Marvel had at one point thought of having this guy become at least an anti-hero, or at best reformed into a hero... All of this to say, secret flavor unlocked: Unstable psychotic villain who somehow has the chance to become better, but the people writing him in the comics sadly won't stick to it or write him in as much of a person) (I hope this made sense😅)

#5 Aaaaaawwww! I'm so glad you like how I write the platonic yanderes! Trying to keep their personalities and vocal tics isn't always easy, but I try my best! Which doing our best is the best we can all do, no matter what!

#6 Hahaha, yes! I enjoy writing for those two, especially since they do have history, they liked each other at some point, and I can write them as brothers. I know that a lot of the fandom ships them, but... I prefer them platonically. I do ship certain characters, I just don't ship those two that way. Wolverine has had I don't know how many love interests, so the idea he can have a platonic relationship with someone who isn't a teenager or the odd person who died, is rather appealing. And it kinda fits in a way, doesn't it? How to explain these two guys, where one (Sabretooth) knows the past of the other (Wolverine) when even the guy he's obsessed (and protective?) of doesn't know it or him, hates him, and will attack him on sight. Cue at least a hundred years of being obsessive, protective, and a stalker towards this one guy. (I may have brainrotted there for a minute; my apologies, but you hopefully see what I'm trying to say, right?)

#6 It was fun talking with you once more, Beast Anon! I can't wait to hear from you again, but take it easy, okay? No rush, no pressure. Everything will happen when it happens😊

#honeycomb thoughts #platonic yandere xmen

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trentcrimminallybeautiful · 10 months

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☔️? i really love your work! (your trent is so dorky he's absolutely perfect)

thank you sm!!! i just. i just love him being a dork <33 he's so. 💗💞💖💗💓💞💞💗💖💖💗💞💖💞💞💗💖

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

okay i swear im not copying off of @sighonaraa here (hey !! 😘) bc my initial inspiration was poirot (silly mustache buddies!) not benoit blanc, although benoit blanc and sherlock holmes did cross my mind after i had the initial idea, but i have a fic i've rotated in my brain about like. amateur sleuth/gentleman detective/gumshoe ted au, with a tedependent angle.

i actually have a lot of interest in like. both mystery stories in general (amateur sleuth/gentleman detective versus private eye/noir detective is a good one! i have a very vague noir au too--and trent as a homme fatale, perhaps? inch resting) and in like. certain archetypes (gentleman thief, amateur sleuth, magical nanny, noir private eye, etc) and it's fun to see how ted would fit into them (magical nanny is weirdly fitting, the whole mary poppins/nanny mcphee--oh my god, "when you do not want me but need me, i must stay--when you want me but no longer need me, i must go" this is literally how ted thinks of his role with the teams he coaches isn't it. jesus christ. hang on a second i'm going to make that a Post.)

so like i have a lot of vague aus centered around these concepts: ted as a poirot/benoit blanc/sherlock type character, and trent potentially as his watson/hastings/etc, or the other way around possibly but less likely, and so on.

with the sleuth thing in particular, though, i just have a lot of feelings about how a good gentleman sleuth has to be like. kind, intelligent, underestimated, and non-judgemental. particularly that last one, i think, is a very important trait--because they go digging around in the domestic private lives of their suspects, and often uncover truths that are irrelevant to the crime at hand, but nonetheless have deeper life-changing implications. (a hidden relationship, a secret, a past indiscretion, whatever--i could genuinely write an essay aobut this but im trying to hold back here so i won't give specific examples) and in order to be kind, an amateur sleuth must know when to let things lie (in fact, a good sleuth will sometimes, if rarely, let the murderer go entirely, if it is needed, which generally, a cop in a cop show can never do), or when to be earnestly non-judgemental about it, you know? and i think all that suits ted to a "t". being curious, not judgemental. being kind and empathetic. i think trent would make a great partner in this as well because he very much cares about the truth, but ted helps him see when it's better to keep silent, because despite trent's determination (especially if he still starts off as a journalist with a Reputation) he does have a kind heart, and he isn't necessarily interested in causing pain. and he's very intelligent in his own right (although that's another thing, is that usually the watson/hastings is, while intelligent in their own way, an entirely different type of intelligence, while i believe trent would actually be pretty good at detecting, considering his skillset? so. hm.)

anyway i just have a lot of messy thoughts about this.

also see: i wrote like, one page of a selkie!trent au bc a single scene sprung into my brain fully formed and nothing else will cooperate now.

#wip #askbox #ty for the ask!!!!!!

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guzsdaily · 5 months

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Killing Demons

Day 34 - Dec 9th, 12.023

With a title like that, you're probably thinking that today's topic is something like: "killing your inner demons". But nop, I just don't have any good subject that I want to write today, so I will just talk about one of my favorite games that I played today.

GO FUCKING PLAY THIS GAME. I don't care if you like boomer shooters or first-person shooters, go play this fucking piece of art. This is simply one of the best, if not the best game I played in a long time. I not even good at it and a love it.

This game is still unfinished, but I think I never had so much fun with a game, the sound design, the graphics, the hidden lore, the soundtrack, oh my fucking god the soundtrack. I will try to be straight to the point and explain without giving spoilers, but just let me say, talking about this game in text, is not an easy task. However, let's just say that if this was a video essay, I would be screaming.

The Gameplay

I will just say this out of the gate: I'm not good at shooters, and even worse at fast-paced ones. I died a lot in this game, every single boss needed me at least 7 to 10 tries in this game, and the more difficult ones (I'm looking at you V2 and Gabriel) I lost count of how many tries I needed. But I think I never had so much satisfaction with a difficult game in my life.

This game is a boomer shooter, but not like your typical Doom, no no, this is Doom on fucking steroids. While games like Doom I would say it's just a walk and shot, I can't really say much because I never play it, but from what I seem it is somewhat to the ground. Well, let's just say that in this game, good luck being on the ground for more than 10 minutes without dying. Want to be in one place waiting for the enemies and being a tank? You will probably die instantly. I never played a game that makes me have to move and go around this much, while still needing to aim and kill enemies. I really wanted to have screenshots and videos for this entry, but unfortunately I didn't record any of my runs, but just fucking search it on YouTube or something, and you will know what I'm talking about.

And this isn't the best part. Again, I'm not good at this game, so unfortunately I can't really say that much. But the sheer amount of guns and attack combos you can do in this game is something which makes even my humble programmer mind blow up trying to figure out how much there's it. I think that the best way I can really tell about the combos is: you can toss a coin from your revolver, change to a laser canon, and shot that coin in the middle of the air to make the laser ricochet to the back of an enemy, killing it instantly most of the time. I almost am never able to shoot the coin, but when I do, the dopamine hits hard.

Also, the Enemies

I will not turn this entry into an entire essay, I already plan to do it on the future, but I just wanted to highlight the design of some of the enemies here, because as someone who likes design characters, they are an inspiration I would say.

This first fella has a flamethrower, and if you toss a coin behind him and hit it, the bullet will ricochet to its gas tank, blowing him up.

These two made my life be miserable... but also a lot happier.

Images taken from the ULTRAKILL's community wiki.

The Lore

I will pass this paragraph because I've to admit that I didn't yet dig deeper into the lore and didn't finish the game yet. However, just the fact that that angel is called "Gabriel, Judge of Hell" and "The Apostate of Hate", is already a win for me. Just want to say that this game seems to have a lot of secrets, because it has a lot of actual hidden levels and sections, but also a lot of secrets and history telling in his characters and world in general.

The Soundtrack [and Voice acting]

This is something which I need to talk about, because it was what made me actually dragged to play this game in the first place. The soundtrack of this game makes my blood flow faster, even more when you mix the voice acting, I wanted to be lying here, but I actually feel hotter and something when listening to it.

The best way to describe is showing, so just listen to it:

youtube

I can feel the hatred of Gabriel, and when the music kicks in, it just makes me scream in a sense. I'm not a violent person, I'm not someone who feels hate or any similar feeling. However, this song, makes me understand what hate means in a way. Also, I cannot stop thinking about fight scenes and characters in an epic battle fighting for their deaths when I listen to it. It's the last breath, it's this or nothing, I can't die now, I will not die now.

The album arts

Never in my life I would think that a cover art for an album/song would inspire me so much.

I would like to again be lying here, but these cover arts actually made me create an entire section of the fictional universe that I'm writing/creating for my art and characters. This duotone style and even more the blend between holy and tech/industrial is something which I personally never seen, and simply love.

An inspiration in the form of game

This is probably stretching too much, however ULTRAKILL is somewhat of an inspiration to me. One, this game is made by mostly one guy as its seem, and he was able to make such a game design that I have never seen in other games. Two, every media that I consume of

it makes me be somewhat inspired to create my world and characters, from music to art. Three, it made me remember what I love in games, which is see your progress and skills improving over time, challenge yourself, actually give focus to the game instead of having it together with a video in the background or something like it.

Yes, it can be "just another boomer shooter", but it actually made me enjoy games again as a hobby and made me feel a lot more inspired, even more now when I'm focusing on work and job, and almost forgot for my love in video games, art and even video making. I have to admit that I almost forget to play it sometimes unfortunately, because it is comforting just sit and watch videos all day, but playing this game again really made me remember to also focus and have fun doing things that I love and can improve upon. Even when what you're improving is how fast and stylish you can kill a demon in a virtual game.

So go fucking play this game! And remember:

Mankind is dead. Blood is fuel. Hell is full.

---

Today's Artists & Creative Things

Game:ULTRAKILL - by Arsi "Hakita" Patala (published by New Blood Interactive) - Go play this game.

Album:Ultrakill: Imperfect Hatred (Original Game Soundtrack) - by Heaven Pierce Her (Hakita) - Go listen to this album (I personally prefer this act/soundtrack/album).

Song:The Death of God's Will - by Heaven Pierce Her (Hakita) - Go listen to this song (Personally prefer when it has the voice acting together, but even then it stills superb. Just the name of the song is already a piece on its own).

---

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License

#daily journal #ultrakill

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hangmanbradshaw · 10 months

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One thing about me is I LOVE spoilers, it never ruins the fun, it just makes me even more excited to see how things play out.

Another thing is that I’ve been wondering about is the title. I absolutely love TS and Paris is probably on my top 5 on midnights. I think it could be from either “pov”, or both (let me explain). I think Bradley fell first, which is why he agreed to the contract in the first place, so I think “I want to brainwash you into loving me forever” would be him saying that he wants to make Jake eventually want to be with him outside of just the contract. Now, Jake fell harder (or will fall harder), yeah he thinks Bradley is hot but he hasn’t allowed himself to even consider the possibility of love. Until some point in the story when he realises he needs Bradley more than he need air (no, it’s not too dramatic), probably after some angst. But Jake doesn’t think Bradley loves him (he does) so he is the one that wants to “brainwash” Bradley into loving him forever. Basically, both of them want to brainwash the other into falling in love with them forever, without realising the other wants the same thing. They are just two idiots in love, your honour.

wow, that was long…

If you ever want some spoilery hints, pop in my DMs and I'm happy to share some secret hints. I have a few things up my sleeve for these remaining chaps and there might be some hidden little hints in the already written chaps ;) I'm honestly not sure what everyone's expecting for the rest of the play out but I'm very excited about what I came up with :D

OKAY TITLE. Yes. I love TS obvi (like it's a problem) so I actually almost titled this 'are you ever dreaming of me' because Delicate is such a theme song for this in my mind. I have a playlist for this fic of specific songs that give the right vibes or remind me of the characters and a lot of it is TS, but Delicate is right there at the top for SO many reasons. BUT I went with Paris because that song is up there too. The idea of this fun relationship where being with them feels like being in their own world, 'no I didn't see the news cuz we were somewhere else', 'i'm so in love i might stop breathing', 'privacy sign on the door and on my page and on the whole world, romance is not dead if you keep it just yours', 'sit quiet by my side in the shade' just this idea of Jake's life being so insane, and Bradley becomes his anchor, his sense of normalcy, his escape from it. The rest of it falls away when they're together. And also vice versa. Bradley wants him to let go of the fame, the stress, his belief that people can't love him, and just be with him. So then you get to 'i want to brainwash you into loving me forever' which is definitely both ways, and you were right on the money with it. This idea that Jake feels he can't have that, but he so badly wants to convince Bradley to love him, to stay. And Bradley, who views Jake as unattainable in some ways for various reasons, wants to convince him to love him too.

Let the only flashing lights be the tower at midnight.

The end :D

That was an essay I'm so sorry. I could write this about every song on that playlist I swear.

#thank you so much omg i'm so happy you asked this #nfl fake dating au #asks

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selchielesbian · 1 year

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I did not meet my reading goal this year (and threw my list out the window about a month in) but I think that’s fine because I’ve done more reading in the last six months than I have the last four years, which was the point!!

For my own benefit, and your enjoyment, here’s what I read this year:

Finished:

Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall by James Polchin. Absolutely excellent book about the history and formation of the ‘gay panic’ defense. In depth and well researched.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Very glad I never got around to reading this in college because I would have made it my entire personality.

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers by Jude Ellison S. Doyle. Essay collection that started out strong but I think lost the plot somewhere around the chapter on motherhood and pregnancy. Since publishing the collection the author has come out as trans so I’d be interested to see them revisit some of their points—there were a few times when they brought trans identity into focus but mostly quoted other trans essayists because they felt they were unqualified to speak on the subject, but wanted to include trans women and nonbinary people when relevant. This book gave me a lot to research, and some film recommendations aside lol.

Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. I actually received this book from a friend back in 2020, read the first story, and went hmmm. Maybe not for me! I finally picked it back up this year and devoured it in a few days. Really delicious, left me feeling sick and raw for some time. Great stuff.

The Locked Tomb series (GtN, HtN, NtN, As Yet Unsent and Dr. Sex) by Tamsyn Muir. As you all know, it has taken over my life. I think this series has a lot of good and bad qualities and was designed to make me, specifically, insane.

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir. Very fun break down of the ‘princess trapped in a tower’ fairytale. This is one I listened to while driving and doing chores so I’d like to sit down with a print copy some time and dig through it a little more.

Antigonick by Sophocles, translated and reworked by Anne Carson. I love Antigone and Anne Carson so this was just entirely delightful. I really recommend watching the live performance here while you read along with the script!

Did Not Finish:

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. Really enjoyed the nonlinear storytelling and subject matter but I put the book down for a month and was completely lost when I tried to pick it back up again so it’ll have to carry over into next year’s reading list!

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado. Just as excellent and unsettling as Her Body, but the narrative hit a little too close to what I went through with my most recent relationship to the point where every chapter made me physically ill so I had to put it down for my own wellbeing. Lol. Someday I’ll return to it. Not this year.

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin. Very disappointing. First few essays were interesting and well written but this is not a cohesive collection and had very little to do with the pitched premise.

This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno. The plot sounded intriguing but I just found the first few chapters a slog. Could be persuaded to give it another shot but it’s not high on my list.

#personal #also feel free to give me recommendations for next year's reading list!

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steelblaidd · 1 year

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Rules: post the first lines of your last 10 fics posted to ao3. if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics.

@overworkedunderwhelmed tagged me a couple days ago but I was on travel for work and was not going to try and do this on my phone.

Most of these are prompt responses for the @miraculousfanworks booster rewards.

"Marinette sat with her chin resting in the palm of her hand staring dreamily at the back of Adrien’s head as the clock in Mme. Bustier’s classroom ticked slowly towards the end of the day. Her smile dripped across her face like melting ice cream as the light of the sun burnished his blond hair to spun gold." How Sweet It Is (to be loved by you)

"Even though it had never been more than an occasional thing, Anansi had had a lot of fun training Alya and Cappy off and on over the years. So it was particularly gratifying when her little sister had started showing up to the gym around the start of her second year of Lycee." Marital Kombat

“There are eight million stories to be told of the city. The City of Love. the City of Lights. Those lights cast deep shadows. The lives that huddle in those shadows pulse with the fire of passion and anger, or drip with unshed tears. Violence and corruption flow through those shadowed alleys like the dirty waters of the Seine hemmed in by its stone banks. Occasionally spilling out onto the glittering boulevards where the smiling people live. But those smiles can hide the shadows too and there’s no telling what darkness hides behind the closed curtains and lowered shades, what cries for help are muffled by the bustle of the streets. But secrets can't stay hidden in the shadows forever and we make it our business to -”

“Alya. You’re monologuing again.” Noir Would I

"Yuri did not want to be here.

It took every ounce of self control he had to walk, without scowling, down the long aisle of the Eden academy chapel between rows of guests with his beloved sister on his arm. Anya was prancing back and forth erratically in front of them, scattering great handfuls of rose petals over the scene as they processed toward the doom waiting at the altar. " Giving the Bride Away

"The first rule of being a successful liar: Be confident. " Hair Today

"There is no question that the wedding of Ladybug and Chat Noir was the biggest wedding in Paris this season. " Small Moments at the Biggest Wedding

“My son is an idiot.” Ring Side Seats

"At first she didn’t recognize what was going on.

Everything seemed natural. Adrien was very smart after all and he had been there for all of the events.

W~ell, most of them.

Mostly. 👀" I hear the secrets that you keep.

“Babe! Save me! It’s happening again!” This series didn't need a reboot!

"Noel was so proud that he was finally allowed to walk over to the park by Marinette’s House all by himself that he was barely paying enough attention to the bustle of the sidewalk around him on his way there. He had been looking forward to the chance to see his friends Ella and Etta and Manon all week as they lived just far enough apart that they ended up attending different primaire." Fly Away home

I made it eleven because that's every Fic I published Since 2022 started

Honorable Mention: I updated my analysis essay collection Miraculous Short Takes several times

@everybody

#steelblaidds writing #tag game

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magioffire · 2 years

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I would like to create my own fae characters but I have no idea where to begin finding research material that I trust. Do you have any recommendations for where to learn about fae?

ohhh well first of all, congrats on wanting to write your own fae!! also im far from an 'expert' on fae but i can provide some stuff to get you started.

when studying fae myths its good to keep in mind that a lot of fae lore is inherently contradictory because of regional variation and the fact that the fae themselves are often just very contradictory creatures. so dont be surprised if you read one article that claims one thing, and then read a book that claims the exact opposite.

you also will want to take in account where the specific fae legends or lore you are reading are coming from. the original location of a piece of folklore can give a lot of context as to how it became folklore in the first place, and its importance to the people living there.

because while when we think of typical fae, we might think of them being a monolithic fantasy creature of the british isles, they can be wildly different between cultures just in that area. not to mention all the other fantasy beings that very much resemble fae or elves in their demeanor, appearance, or abilities from cultures all over the world. ill just focus on interpretations about fae from the UK and surrounding areas in my recommendations tho. it will ultimately up to you what kind of interpretations you use for your idea of fae.

here are some good books to read, mostly nonfiction. some are taking the perspective of examining the fae purely as folkloric and mythological beings, while others may discuss them as actual spiritual beings that exist, either sincerely or as a sort of 'mockumentary' fashion (think that red dragon book we all read as kids)

Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia by Carol Rose The O'Brien Book of Irish Fairy Tales & Legends Finding Faeries: Discovering Sprites, Pixies, Redcaps, and Other Fantastical Creatures in an Urban Environment by Alexandra Rowland (this one is cute) The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales By Bruno Bettelheim (take with grain of salt, the author uses Freudian analysis to explain the importance of fairy tales to the human psyche, likely before freud's ideas fell out of favor with the psychology community. still an interesting and informative read.) Meeting the Other Crowd: The Fairy Stories of Hidden Ireland by Eddie Lenihan and Carolyn Eve Green The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns & Fairies: A Study in Folk-lore & Psychical Research by Robert Kirk Celtic Tales: Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and Wales -- illustrated by Kate Forrester. Brian Froud's World of Faerie written and illustrated by Brian Froud (art book, very beautiful) Fairies: A Dangerous History by Richard Sugg Seeing Fairies: From the Lost Archives of the Fairy Investigation Society, Authentic Reports of Fairies in Modern Times by Marjorie T. Johnson The Good People: New Fairylore Essays - an assortment of essays on fairy mythology by folklorists and academics

ive either read these or they are on my to read list.

at the end of the day, you should do your research - but make your fae what *you* want them to be. dont let anyone tell you that you have to make your fae look, act, or be a certain way in order to be 'lore' friendly. as the lore is so varied and diverse, you could likely find a story of a fae thats alot like what you had in mind. have fun with it! i swear you wont make the fae mad, if anything they like it when people tell stories about them :)

#ooc.#ask.#anon.

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knightofthegarden · 1 year

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Speaking of the 3ds (and wii U) eshops going offline next week, I would like to make a list of 3DS games that I think are fantastic and worth obtaining!

Putting under a readmore so that I can give a description to go with my recommendation!

Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure

This cute and stylish rhythm game hooked me from the demo for the main character's sassy, hilarious attitude. If you love 90's style Spunky Heroes like Sonic the Hedgehog, you will love following Phantom R's thieving adventures. This game has some frustrating minigames, but also many I would willingly play again just for fun, and a cast, story, and art style that I adore. Please play this game.

Witch and Hero (1, 2, and 3)

This simple, retro-inspired game with a snarky sense of humor also hooked me from its demo. The gameplay is simple but addicting, with a quick gameplay loop that makes it easy to pick up and put down for only a few minutes at a time if you want. I am not normally a completionist of any kind, but I ended up beating all these games on all their difficulties, playing with the hidden modes from the secret codes that carry over between games, and thinking far too much about the simple premise that I think the developers cared about as much as my overthinking-self (but it's still fun if you take it at its simple surface). You can now play some of these games on switch or PC, but only the 3DS has the third, and all of them are $5 each, so if you want the chance to get sucked in to the complete extent, scoop this trilogy up now!!

Kid Icarus: Uprising

When this game launched, a lot of people said the controls were awful and hurt your hand. I did not find this to be true (except for a specific level that is a marathon arena challenge), and never needed to use the special stand they eventually made to help reduce hand strain for this game. Some people also claim that the writing is cheesy and unfunny, while others claim it is the best writing ever and absolutely hilarious - and am firmly in the latter camp. The jokes are funny, the characters (and full voice acting) are fantastic, and the story is capable of making you cry. The music is also fantastic. Do not be scared off this game. It's a good game and it deserves to be remembered, and to make you laugh, and to be the thing you write essays about how good it is and how many feelings you have because if you do those things about any video game, you will do it for this one.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor

Hi there, do you like Persona? BUY THIS GAME!!

Okay now I'm talking to the rest of you. This is a difficult, kind of grindy grid-based JRPG (think disgaea, final fantasy tactics, triangle strategy) whose story about how different political and social bodies - both mass and individual - react to crisis has only become more relevant since it released (it takes place in a LOCKDOWN). It talks about government manipulation of information to maintain control, it talks about how different people cope with powerlessness and fear, it has multiple endings, it delves into several mythologies (mostly Norse and old testament - and I'm so thrilled to see Christian mythology being treated as mythology, these stories are so much more interesting played as stories). If you like a dark, intelligent story, and if you don't mind a challenge or grinding turn-based gameplay (also, a hard rock soundtrack that does.. get a little old after a while), please play this game.

If you're a Persona fan, you'll also really like Devil Survivor 2! (If you're more like me and have gotten disillusioned with how trope-y and mainstream-appeasing the stories and characters in Persona games have gotten, you will probably not enjoy DeSu2 as much. But most people like the newer Persona games so don't let me keep you from this other game you'd probably enjoy.)

Fashion Savvy (Trendsetters, Fashion Forward)

The switch is about to get a spiritual sequal to this series, and oh boy if you like dress up games or management sims, you will love these games. They also have weird stories about magic dollhouses or whatever - it's not Love Nikki levels of weird, but they put more effort into the writing than you would think. But the most important thing is that you can make yourself, or your ocs, or whatever, and make them wear lots of cool outfits. Very fun.

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itheume · 3 years

Photo

nudge and iggy Are the stars of this photo and in this essay i will

#maximum ride #( what is Up w me today like im in maximum ride mode for some reason #but anyways nudge and iggy pestering fang to do things and he does them at the least expected and most snapshot worthy moments #iggy and nudge: attempting to beat up fang in order to get him to hold up a heart #fang two second into it: does it when neither of them can tell #hOW MANY FAMILY PHOTOS OF FANG DO U THINK MAX HAS TAPED ONTO THE FRIDGE OF HIM DOING THIS #also im fooling around w fang's hair so look away if smth wack happens ignore it #nudge did the braid bc nudge does everyone's braids #uH #fang wearing super chunky eyeliner bc nudge tells him it makes his eyes look more threatening #iggy was the only person who got a piercing before max could get there and stop him ??? incorrect #i Know this man got an ear pierced i just Know It like jAMES !!!!! OPEN UP I JUST KNOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!#his nose bothers me but it's too late like we're here now i guess #i've already written my essay in the tags so #@ least i have nudge's socks tbh #honestly what would the dynamics be if both angel And gazzy were taken #How Would The Flock Dynamic Change #im having thoughts rn look away but also ??? i don't think we ever get a flock of the older four in the first three books #they would be so Fun and in this hidden secret essay i will )#arting #( sorry to the maximum ride tag like i promise this will be it for another few weeks #i'll let u guys rest i promise )#// scars

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plant-flwrs · 3 years

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Heyy!! I wish you would write a fic where Fred is lowkey really into Shakespear and Romeo and Juliet and tries to woo the reader cs she’s muggleborn? Idk but it would be so cute!! 🥺

romeo and juliet // fred weasley

masterlist!

summary: Fred reads Romeo and Juliet and can’t help but fall in love

a/n: schools out, so hopefully that means more time for writing! thanks for the request anon i thought it was adorable, hope you like it!!

(2.5k)

At first, it was a secret. Fred had no intention of actually enjoying it. He had simply accepted the book Professor Lupin had lent him, thumbed through it, and stayed up all night to read it by accident.

Maybe it was because Lupin had seen the way Fred looked at you across the class, separated by hidden bloodlines and upbringings. You, with your muggle pens that you smuggled in. You, with your muggle records you used an entire bag to carry onto the train. You, with your muggle magazines that spread through the common room like wildfire. You, with those weird little things called cigarettes that you sold in your third year to the older students. You, with the way the older pureblood witches would sit and ask you to do their hair for them because only you could do all the newest muggle styles. You, with your reluctance to Quidditch but your love for soccer.

Fred was gone, absolutely gone for you. He was even more behind than usual in class because he couldn't help but find you with his eyes, no matter the room you were in or the distance between you both. Remus Lupin, the secret romantic, asked Fred to stay after class.

"Mr. Weasley," Professor Lupin called, feet kicked up on his desk while he levitated a novel wandlessly in front of him. A half-eaten apple rested on a napkin beside a chocolate wrapper and Fred was forced to remember the breakfast he had barely eaten, choosing to instead pretend he hadn't noticed the fact you had only sat a few seats away.

Fred stood in front of Lupin's desk, waiting as the room emptied out and George shot him a wink from the doorway.

"Yes, Professor?" Fred rocked on his feet, hands stuffed in the pockets of his robe. He tried not to wonder if you had noticed that he had been called behind, or if you had noticed him at all. He vaguely registered that this might what his brother would call 'pathetic'.

"You never turned in that essay on wandless defenses," Lupin said slowly, the book moving to rest on his desk as he moved his feet to the ground.

Fred was quiet, biting the inside of his cheek as he couldn't seem to recall the last time a teacher had bothered to talk to him about his assignments instead of deeming him a 'lost cause' or a student who 'simply wouldn't apply themselves'.

Professor Lupin sighed, moving again to stand. Fred thought he caught a flash of pain on the professor's face, perhaps a wince as he stood, but the moment was gone before Lupin was giving Fred a calculating and sympathetic glance.

"Do you need an extension?" Remus offered, leaning his hip against the desk and inclining his head to show Fred the importance of this offering.

"I'd appreciate that, Professor," Fred admitted.

They were silent again, Remus still looking at Fred like he was something to figure out. Remus shifted, eyes dropped to his desk and lips lifting.

"What's got you so preoccupied?"

Fred was blushing before he could think of a lie, and then he realized he didn't want to lie. He hadn't even told George about his crush on you- no doubt it was obvious. Fred had had flings and crushes on loads of girls, all fun and easy, but this felt heavier. He didn't want to have a fling with you.

"I guess-" Fred sighed, removing his hands from his robes and wiping them on his trousers, "I've just been distracted recently. A lot on my mind."

"Ah," Remus smiled fondly, nodding slowly.

A book began to move from a pile in the corner, elegantly and easily avoiding the tall stacks of clutter and various lumps of papers to levitate to Fred. Fred reached out for it, moving it in his hand to read the cover. Romeo and Juliet.

"I'll make you a deal, Fred," Professor Lupin said, his voice sounding so mischievous that Fred was surprised he hadn't become ten years younger right in front of him. "You can either write the essay on wandless defenses, or you can read that and write an essay on 'Romeo and Juliet'."

Fred thumbed through the book, eyebrows furrowed. He had never liked reading, most of the books at the Burrow belonged to Bill, Percy, or his father. He was pretty sure that George would find Fred reading Shakespeare to be just as funny as the time they released Cornish Pixies in the Slytherin changing rooms.

"Yeah, alright."

Fred managed to eat dinner that night, with you safely at the opposite end of the table. The curtains to his fourposter had been closed for hours and the light from his wand had been steadily bright for just as long. He had gone from laying on his back, head propped up beneath his arms, to resting his back against the headboard, to sitting upright in the center of his bed, head propped on his fist, to laying on his stomach, to laying on his back again with his head at the foot of his bed, and soon enough, the sun was flooding through a crack in the curtains. He had just finished Romeo and Juliet when he heard the showers starting.

"Lupin!"

Remus stopped and watched Fred catch up to him. He looked tired and simultaneously wide awake, his hair was a mess, and Remus was almost certain that he was wearing his pajama pants beneath his school robes.

"Mr. Weasley," Remus said cordially, continuing his walk to the greenhouse.

"I wanted to talk to you about that book you lent me-"

"Oh, you can keep it, if you'd like. I've read it dozens of times."

Fred hesitated, a wide smile spreading over his face, "Oh, thanks, Professor! It's just, I wanted to tell you I really liked it."

"You've finished it, then?" Remus asked with an impressed smile.

"Read it last night," Fred admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

"I look forward to the essay, then," Lupin said with a kind smile and a nod, turning into the greenhouses and leaving Fred in the corridor.

Inside his robes, he felt the weight of the tiny book against his chest. He kept it in a pocket there, fingers itching to hold it and read it again.

He couldn't help the roaring thoughts in his head. The idea that you were his Juliet, that you and he could find a hidden love, just for you two, amongst your external differences. He was oddly disappointed by the ending and decided he might not completely finish the book if he read it again, perhaps pretend it ended differently. He leaned his back against the stone wall behind him, fighting a blushing smile from his face.

So, Fred loved Shakespeare in secret. He loved reading in secret. He loved the weight of the book in his hands in secret. He loved the words and the phrases in secret. He loved the way it made him think in secret. He loved you in secret. He loved in secret.

Until you started dating Thomas Meadowbrooke. Thomas was a Ravenclaw, wickedly smart, handsome, kind, and the victim of many of the Weasley twins' pranks for a while. George didn't directly ask Fred why they were suddenly pranking this one boy so relentlessly all of a sudden, but he didn't need to.

Thomas wore blazers with patches on the elbows and combed his silky hair down the middle. He always had a flower in his coat pocket to give to you and he always carried a book of poetry with him. He was sensitive and wistful in all the ways girls loved, including you.

You thought Thomas was painfully boring. He would fawn over you in the most annoying ways, giving you poems that he wrote (horrendously awful, they were) and quoting lines from old and boring books to you. He didn't listen to Joan Jett or Janis Joplin and he cringed when you played your records. He suggested Bach or Debussy instead. He was boring.

You had only agreed to go out with him because he asked. Thomas Meadowbrooke may have been able to put a cornish pixie to sleep just by talking to it, but he was undeniably handsome. Well, he was more handsome before he had fallen victim to a particularly entertaining Weasley twin prank that turned his hair gelled and spiked up for a few days.

You broke up with Thomas soon after. He took it well, saying it gave him fuel to finish some poetry he hadn't been inspired enough for before.

Remus heard this gossip quite excitedly.

"She did, did she?" Remus tilted his head, a coy smirk on his lips.

The smell of fertilizer was strong, but he learned not to mind it as he watched the merry witch digging in various pots.

"He was quite heartbroken, the poor thing. Filius said that when he did routine bed checks, he could hear Thomas crying for weeks!" Professor Sprout sighed, patting down the soil and checking for weeds.

"Teen romance is always quite fickle," Remus commented, following Pomona as she moved to the next pot.

"Says you!" Pomona playfully scolded Remus, her red cheeks filling as she smiled.

Remus chuckled, thinking back to Sirius who would sneak into his office later to distract him from grading papers.

"You know, Pomona," Remus said in that voice of his, the one that got Sprout to drop her trowel and lean in close to hear the latest gossip. "I think Fred Weasley's got a bit of a crush on Y/n."

Pomona gasped, dirty hand flying to cover her mouth. She paused, scrunching up her face and sticking her tongue out to spit out the clump of dirt.

"He hasn't!" she continued, not minding Remus' amused smile and the clean rag he offered her to wipe her hands.

"He's always staring at her," Remus said, thinking on it. "I reckon he's quite the secret romantic."

Pomona cooed and awed as she continued to tend to her plants, she and Remus trading anymore gossip that they could think of.

The weather changed at quite a convenient time for Fred. With the slightly warm but still a bit chilled fall weather, Fred could dawn his lighter coats. His lighter coats that happened to have wonderfully shaped pockets on the inside, just the right size for a book.

Fred wondered if you had gone out with Thomas because Ravenclaw book nerds were your type, or if you had broken up with him because Ravenclaw book nerds weren't your type. Fred had spent almost all of the warm weather contemplating how he was going to continue to live if he was determined to remain secretly in love with you. By fall he had figured it out.

Fred wasn't going to hide anything, not the books he had recently begun to love, or the way he loved so strongly. He wasn't going to miss meals because you were so distracting. He wasn't going to suffocate under his crush on you.

It was a beautiful day. George was up in the dorms with Lee working on a prank and Fred had decided to take a walk down to the Black Lake. His lighter coat was a bit heavier because of the book in the pocket, and Fred pushed his hair out of his eyes as he looked down at the ground to avoid stepping on tree roots. He found a nice spot beneath a tree, resting against the trunk and reading.

"Hey, Fred," a voice called, coming closer as they easily avoided the maze of tree roots.

Fred looked up to see you, in those perfect muggle clothes you wore any chance you could, hair styled in that wonderful muggle way, one of those muggle cigarettes tucked behind your ear, walking towards him.

"Hey," he responded, surprised by how easy his voice sounded.

"Have you been reviewing at all for Lupin's?" You sat next to Fred like it was the easiest thing in the world, brushing your shoulder against his.

"No, not really," Fred closed his book with his thumb tucked between the pages saving his spot.

"Mmm," you hummed, leaning your head back against the tree and closing your eyes. "What're you reading?"

"Romeo and Juliet," Fred replied, looking at your profile while he had the chance.

"Didn't think that was your thing," you said playfully, opening one eye to catch Fred looking at you.

He flushed and turned his gaze to his hands in his lap. "Me neither," he admitted, swallowing.

"I always liked ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, personally."

Fred smiled to himself, because of course, you had also read Shakespeare, and of course, you would have a cool favorite.

"I like that one, too," Fred said lamely, enjoying the way you were smiling at him.

By winter, Fred had devised a plan. It was perfect, more perfect than any prank he had created or any Zonko's product he had bought. He would die if he kept all this love to himself, so he decided all he needed was one kiss.

The Yule Ball was in full swing, the classical and slow music long forgotten as everyone moved to the dance floor and rocked to the loud and fast rhythm. Fred had seen you when you first arrived, noticing with glee that you were alone, and hadn't lost sight of you since. He had removed himself from the heavily crowded dance floor, stumbling to the table with the juice he and George had spiked hours earlier. He loosened the collar of his robes and pushed his already disheveled hair out of his face.

You watched Fred move through the crowd like a tornado, a mass of energy that you felt required to look at and admire. He strode to the table, a quiet and self-satisfied smirk on his lips as he took a long sip of punch.

Fred caught you staring at him with pleasant unexpectedness. You looked just as beautiful as you did when the night started, skin glowing and everything dawned upon you with your magical muggle-ness. Fred put his cup down, a comfortable pink hue warming his cheeks, and approached you. He touched his hand to yours.

"Hey, Fred," you said with an entertained smirk, glancing down at his hand on yours.

"I need you to do me a favor," he slurred, voice easy and breath warm as it landed on your skin.

"What kind of favor?"

"I need you to kiss me," Fred pulled his mouth away from your ear, looking to your face.

He didn't have much of an opportunity, though, before your lips were on his and you stole his breath. He tasted of the spiked punch and his hands were trembling and careful as they rested on your waist. You grabbed a fistful of his robes, pulling him close to you with urgency.

He pulled away, lips red and swollen, with his eyes still closed.

"I need you to do me a favor," you said, mouth hovering above his.

"Yeah?"

"Kiss me," you whispered, just loud enough for Fred to hear.

He listened, and held onto you with less trembling and more confidence as you kissed for the second time.

#fred weasley #fred weasley fanfiction #fred weasley fanfic #fred weasley fic #fred weasley imagine #fred weasly x reader #fred weasley x you #fred weasley x y/n #fred #weasley #george weasley #professor remus lupin #fred weasley fluff #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #hogwarts #yule ball #romeo and juliet #Shakespeare inspired fic

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jungkxook · 3 years

Text

—amortentia.

⟶ pairing: jungkook x reader

⟶ genre: hogwarts/harry potter au / enemies-to-lovers + fluff

⟶ words: 5,486

⟶ rating: pg-13

⟶ summary: jungkook loves everything strawberry but the simple pleasure is always kept hidden, stowed away as if some hideous secret to protect the rumours that had built up around him — until a love potion outs him.

⟶ disclaimer: this is a repost of an old fic from my old blog since i know some of you were asking about it! i hope you enjoy!!

Jungkook loves strawberries.

He remembers fondly the warm summers as a child when he would go strawberry picking with his grandmother, and revels in the taste and the memory each time he bites into a fresh berry, the juices coating his tongue in sickly sweetness; he likes the smell of all the lotions and lip balms, candles and fragrances, that carried notes of the red fruit in comforting wafts, remembering distantly a time when his mother’s fruity perfume would breathe warm life into his cold house in the middle of a dull winter; he remembers sentimental times spent at the local cafe near his home, loving and basking in the way the homely and warm aroma of a freshly baked pie and the sugary tartness of strawberry lemonade would fill his nostrils and consume his senses, leaving his mouth watering.

Jungkook loves everything strawberry but the simple pleasure is always kept hidden, stowed away as if some hideous secret to protect the rumours that had built up around him.

Ask any girl that thought Jeon Jungkook is handsome or any boy that thought Jungkook is a god and they would say he smells like the purest form of any man with a harmonious scent of musk, cedar wood, and oak; like fresh rain that soaked in the middle of a mossy forest, spices, and black coffee — but they couldn’t have been more wrong. Maybe he did smell of musk or wood or rain when he was continuously outside, practicing every moment he had with his Quidditch team, but Jungkook was more than just that. Really, though, it made sense as to why people thought that way about him when he had left such a lingering impression on the school.

You can still remember the very first day you saw him; the very moment you had, from your spot in line in front of the Sorting Hat on the first day as a first year, saw the stoic boy step forward. Made up of a nervous face and obsidian locks that fell into his equally dark eyes, the Hat had instantly deemed the boy a Ravenclaw — and perhaps the house’s reputation was what added to his mystique and strange charm. Even then, from what you observed, he had been a silent boy, making his way to and from classes usually alone, and somehow ignoring the gaggle of girls (from all years and from all houses) that trailed along behind him, giggling and clamouring over how cute he is.

As the months went on, you never witnessed much change in Jungkook safe for the friends he suddenly made in the first half of second year (a surprising mix of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and Slytherins) and the smug attitude he began to develop. A rebel, they said, a bad boy at heart, the very antithesis of Ravenclaws. Someone all the girls craved for and all the boys yearned to be. And while you tried to assume that perhaps there was more to the boy than meets the eye — that maybe he was built on different layers you could one day explore — when he begins to become too conceited with the way he is praised, you grow disenchanted by him and his cocky smirks. Yet, for some reason, he finds it necessary to go out of his way to talk to you no matter what — and you were quick to learn to despise him and his constant mocking, all possibilities of trying to get to know him diffused.

In first year, you had to endure a whole semester worth of Jungkook tugging at your hair when he sat behind you in Charms class. In second year, an unspoken rivalry began in which the two of you would compete to see who could earn the better grades. You can’t quite pinpoint when or where the hatred for one another began, but the irritation that comes as a result of it only grows more adamant with each passing day.

In third year, you distinctly remember being confined to the many dusty oak shelves and rows of leather bound books in the library, your eyes constantly flickering to the ornate grandfather clock nearby you as you wait alone. An agreed time of 6 pm to meet in the library after dinner to work on a partnered assignment had otherwise vanished from the boy’s memory. Had it been up to you to decide what partner you wanted, you would have much rather preferred to pick one of your friends and not the Ravenclaw who was fifteen minutes late. With the project due in two days, and with the nearly three weeks you had to finish it, you had constantly asked to meet with Jungkook to work on it and each time he had made a different excuse.

As time crept on and the waning hours of the daylight dwindled to a dull darkness, twenty minutes would pass and it was then that you would grudgingly begin packing your belongings. The wait was not worth the trouble. Yet just as you are standing from your seat, the boy waltzes into view, coming to a nonchalant halt in front of you and placing his bag on the table, as if he didn’t know how late he is. He has abandoned his robe to wear only a grey fleece pullover on top of his white button up, his torn up Converse shoes ruining the uniform outfit with his casual flare. Your stare flickers up to meet his smug face and a frown forms on yours as you spot the other third year Slytherin girl giggling a flirtatious goodbye to the boy who winks in response. Finally, he turns to look at you.

“You’re leaving already?” Jungkook asks. “I just got here.”

“Twenty minutes later, Jeon,” You snap.

The boy quirks a brow, twisting around in his spot to look at the clock. “I could have sworn you said we should meet at six-thirty. I’m ten minutes early.”

“I remember saying six o’clock,” You say. “As well as you telling me that six was perfectly fine. Look, History of Magic isn’t my favourite either but I would appreciate it if you at least put some effort into the class and this project.”

“Shh!”

The hiss that comes from the student studying near you only makes you scowl. You turn around hotly to continue shoving your books and papers into your backpack.

“I was busy,” Jungkook says.

“Busy flirting with every living thing?” You asks.

“What?” Confusion paints his face, and then he is shaking his head furiously. “No!”

Your eyes narrow into a scrutinizing glare. You point over your shoulder at the same Slytherin girl who is still within the library, standing just a few feet away from the pair of you. She has an opened book in her hands in an attempt to look distracted but her eyes are fixated solely on Jungkook. When she catches Jungkook staring, his gaze lifting over your shoulder, she hurriedly looks away and blushes.

“So I assume she’s just a friend?” You retaliate. “You know what your problem is, Jeon? You never take anything seriously.”

Immediately, Jungkook tenses. His arms snake around to cross in front of his chest.

“Well, you take everything too seriously,” he says. “When was the last time you had some fun? Any time I talk to you, you’re always fussing about the work or about how much you hate me— it’s like you’re a walking, talking, breathing dementor! You suck the life out of everyone.”

“Shh!”

The snarl this time is much harsher, coming from yet another student who has been devoting his time to writing an essay. But now you can’t be bothered to worry about silence. You slam shut the book in your hand with a very loud thump that seems to echo around the eerily silent room and fling a strap of your bag over your shoulder.

“Well, I’m sorry that I, and this assignment, are such inconveniences to you,” You say, “but from now on I give up on making sure we both don’t fail this class. If you need me, which I assume you won’t, I’ll be in my room, far from you.”

“Excuse me!” The familiar bark of the librarian’s voice hardly makes you jump even as she comes marching down to the two of you. “This is a library, a quiet place to study. It would be greatly appreciated if you could bring your conversation out into the halls.”

Had she not interrupted your conversation with Jungkook, you would have never realized just how loud your voice had risen. Clearing your throat and tightening your grip on your bag and the book, you tear your eyes from Jungkook and stomp defiantly out into the corridors to retreat to your common room, leaving Jungkook alone. He would find you the day after in a sluggish state, his hair dishevelled and his clothes askew as if he had slept in them — or, rather, had not slept at all — showing you all the work he had finished for the assignment the night before.

In fourth year, you are leaving the stands of the Quidditch pitch on a surprisingly warm November evening. Following the slew of students back to the school after a heated game between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor — where the latter team won after a fiery race between the two Seekers for the golden snitch — the eager chatter buzzes in the air. Beside you are your two friends who are, just as many others are doing, whispering excitedly about Jungkook’s role as Seeker and his “amazing performance.”

“Did you see the way Jungkook played?” Hana asks from the right side of you. “How can someone be so attractive?”

To your left, Nayeon is practically standing on the tip of her toes, desperately craning her neck to search the crowd for the boy and his friends. “Oooh, look! There he is! He’s so sweaty! Imagine his muscles—”

“You’re ridiculous,” You sigh with a disapproving shake of your head.

Despite your condescending tone, you can’t help but glance over your shoulder to follow your friends’ gaze. Laughing in triumph with his team and friends, Jungkook stands adorned in the usual Ravenclaw royal blue Quidditch uniform, the robes somehow accentuating his tanned skin and dark hair that clings to his sweat-covered forehead. Since when had he grown so tall? And maybe Nayeon was right — since when did Jungkook start looking so muscular?

“Your staring is obvious, Y/N,” Hana says.

“And so is your crush on him,” Nayeon murmurs.

“Crush?” You burst out into laughter. “Now that’s funny. I could never have a crush on him!”

“Have a crush on who?”

The familiar voice makes you groan inwardly and the arm that is tossed around your neck almost makes you gag. Your body grows rigid under Jungkook’s touch, though he doesn’t seem to notice that or the way you carefully try to peel his arm off of you but to no avail. Joining him is his typical duo of friends. The other Slytherin boy next to Jungkook is the shy and soft Park Jimin, accompanied by their inseparable Hufflepuff friend, Kim Taehyung. The two boys smirk wolfishly down at your friends, both of whom are so suddenly at a loss for words.

“Evenin’, ladies!” Jimin says. “Enjoy the show?”

“We hate to brag but we taught him everything he knows,” Taehyung says, ruffling Jungkook’s hair.

Jungkook rolls his eyes and swats Taehyung’s hand away. “Maybe the three of you can come down to watch us practice one day.”

Your friends exchange glances and giggle nervously.

“We’d love to,” Nayeon smiles.

Your lack of response clearly doesn’t go unnoticed by your friends, nor Jungkook and his friends. As you turn your head to look away from the group, you briefly catch the sudden scent that is Jungkook and your face scrunches. It isn’t so much as gross as it is overpowering. Passed salt and sweat, you can smell something clean like freshly cut grass or some sort of lemongrass shampoo. But instead of telling him out loud what you thought, you pushed him away.

“You smell terrible,” You said. “Go take a shower, Jeon.”

“Always playing hard to get,” Jungkook sighs. “Sorry we can’t all smell like your floraly essence after playing an intense Quidditch game.”

You only hum in response, turning your head to look away from him and his friends. The act seems to earn a smirk from Jungkook and then he and his friends are parting from you, walking back to the locker rooms. After that day, your friends’ profuse pleads and begs for you to come with them one day when the Quidditch teams are practicing would eventually make you cave in. When Jungkook sees you sitting in the stands burrowed in a wool scarf and heavy robes, albeit with a frown on your face and your eyes scanning the pages of a book in your lap, he catches your attention by shouting your name and then winking at you. Seconds later, a Quaffle is thrown his way by a fellow teammate and nearly knocks him off his broom.

In fifth year, you are seated in your Transfiguration class at the back and nearly dozing off as your Professor drones on and on in the early morning about some boring lecture. Jungkook sits in the row opposite you and a seat behind but that doesn’t stop him from constantly trying to catch your attention, whispering your name. It is only when you hear a few classmates near you break out into wondrous awes that you lift your head from its resting place wedged between your folded arms on top of your desk and turn. Soaring above the students’ heads is an enchanted paper bird, its thin wings fluttering its way to you.

You gaze at it for a moment, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips, before noticing that it is Jungkook who had magicked it, wand in hand as he waves it towards you. As soon as it reaches your table, it floats around your head and lingers in front of your face, beckoning you to take it. Instead, your hands try swatting it away though it doesn’t seem to budge. When you relent and succumb to taking the bird, it is not before you shoot an annoyed glance back at Jungkook. Then, you unwrap the bird in your hand. With thin black ink sprawled out in perfect cursive writing, a single dreadful question is poised in pretty script: Meet me tomorrow at noon at the Three Broomsticks? It’ll be my treat.

“Is that from Jungkook?” Hana asks. She peers over your shoulder from beside you to look down at the paper, her voice incredibly louder than you would have liked. “It is! Is he asking you out? You know, I always knew you liked him. You’re a terrible liar— ”

You gasp. Your hand quickly covers the paper, yanking it out of Hana’s view. “I do not like him!”

“Do too!” Hana laughs. “So, what are you going to say? Huh, who knew Jungkook was so soft and cute? Have I told you how cute the two of you would be together?”

Maybe it’s the way she so suddenly begins to gush over you dating Jungkook, or the way her voice garners the attention of those sitting around you, letting other girls fawn over how cute his simple gesture is, that makes you curdle with embarrassment. But what are you so shy of? You are insistent that you don’t like Jungkook but you were certain that if word spread that you did have feelings for him, your whole life would be drastically ruined. Or maybe you were more fearful of the idea of possibly liking Jungkook in return, even if you had so profusely been lying to everyone and yourself.

“Stop it!” You hiss. “I would rather kiss the squid in the Black Lake than date him!”

Then, as if to emphasize this apparent hatred, you grab your quill and furiously write in big scratchy letters “NO” before crumpling it in your hand and twisting in your seat. Set on chucking the balled up piece of paper right at Jungkook’s smug face, you are startled when you feel the paper being plucked from your grasp by none other than your Professor. She stands before you with a sour look on her face, a willowy old lady with gray wisps of hair pulled back into a tight bun.

“Ah, Miss Y/N,” she hums, “if you have more important matters that you seem to want to discuss with Mr. Jeon, surely you can divulge with the rest of the class too.”

Your mouth clamps shut. You watch, stricken with horror, as she unravels the paper in her hands, her glossy eyes skimming its contents from beneath her half-moon spectacles. She purses her lips, and then shifts her gaze to you and then to Jungkook sitting behind you. The silence that follows as she moves towards him is near unbearable, making you shift uncomfortably in your seat.

“If you would have much rather preferred to flirt with Miss Y/N than listen to my lecture, feel free to leave my class, Jeon,” Your Professor says. She drops the paper onto his desk with a flourish. “Though, it’d be in your best interest to stop your daydreaming and pay attention to my class because I’m afraid her answer was no.”

Your eyes widen as you twist in your seat to look at your Professor and a startled Jungkook. And, maybe, if you looked hard enough and passed the smug smirk, you could see his conceited stare falter as a look of hurt flashes across his eyes. A few murmurs and giggles break out amongst the students, making your cheeks burn hot and forces you to turn back around and away from Jungkook.

“And I suppose that now neither of you are busy tomorrow, you wouldn’t mind spending it in detention with me,” Your Professor says. Then she was rounding on her heel, marching back to the front of the classroom and restarting her lecture.

After the torturous detention where Jungkook suddenly refuses to look or talk to you after what had happened, and a week after the missed Hogsmeade trip, you would find Jungkook walking the halls, hand-in-hand, with another Ravenclaw girl. As they pass you, seemingly unaware of your lingering presence, you see the girl stop Jungkook and lean forward to kiss him, his own hands resting on her waist and tugging her closer to him. Though you tell yourself you’re free from his constant flirting and mocking, you can’t help but feel somewhat let down as you walk away that day.

In the beginning of sixth year, when all the students had found a moment to themselves and a much needed break from all the sudden stress of homework, you would wind up at a party being held in the Room of Requirements. Though you weren’t quite sure how the students were able to smuggle alcohol into the school, you remember drinking until you are blissfully numb and without a care in the world. Most of the evening had been spent chatting to Nayeon and Hana but when they become distracted with flirting with their crushes, you are left alone. It isn’t much long after that you stumble into Jungkook. Drunkenly dancing to the upbeat thump of music that reverberated around the room, you had, somehow, lost your footing. As you fall into the thick crowd, a pair of strong hands reach out to swiftly catch onto yours arms and hold you up. Jungkook’s surprised when you don’t bother pushing him away and let him help straighten you up. Clearly, you’re much too drunk to function, and he makes sure to hold you at a comfortable distance away from him. Then, there, under the dim lights of the room, you are met with his typical smirk tugging at his luscious pink lips (which you find yourself gazing at for longer than necessary).

“Ah, if it isn’t Jeon Jungkook,” You rasp. You sway dangerously in his hold and nearly fall to the floor again. He tightens his grip on you and catches you once more before you can slip away. “What do you want from me tonight?”

“Hey, you bumped into me. I’m just being nice and making sure you don’t face-plant the floor.”

“Yeah, but of course you had to be right beside me. I think I’d rather have face-planted the floor.”

He quirks a brow. He feigns dropping you, momentarily loosening his grip just enough for you to come flailing forward with a yelp of surprise. He doesn’t let you fall too far, though, and catches onto you swiftly once more, hooking his arm around your waist. When you meet his stare with a scowl, he grins. “You were saying?”

“Do you remember that one time you told me I never have fun?”

“Not really.”

“Ah, well, you say a lot of shit to me,” You say. “But that stuck out the most. You called me a dementor. A dementor. My thirteen year old self never forgot that.”

Jungkook winces at how carefree you seemed to say it, at how you still remembered it three years later. His hands drop from you once you’re steady and he runs his fingers through his locks, softly pushing them up and out of his eyes before they ultimately fall flat against his forehead once more.

“I didn’t mean it,” he says. “I mean, look at you now. You seem to be having a lot of fun. How drunk are you anyway?”

“It’s not fun when it feels like I’m trying to prove a point to you,” You sigh. “But I already know you don’t care about me.”

“That’s not true,” Jungkook says. “You’re the one who doesn’t care about me.”

You burst out into a fit of mocking laughter and shake your head at him. Swaying forward, almost precariously close to him, you tap the tip of his nose with your finger. “Jeon Jungkook, you can be real oblivious.”

And then you are kissing him, pressing your soft lips to his. He doesn’t push you away, albeit however incredibly surprised he may be. Instead, as he feels your lips move against his, he finds himself basking in everything that is you. All he can smell is your floral perfume and, passed the liquor that stained your lips, could taste your peach lip balm and the bubble gum you had been chewing earlier in the night. He hates how much he loves it. His hands lift to rest on either side of your face and he gently brings you closer to him, his tongue laving at your peach flavoured lower lip. He hears you moan softly in content as you melt against his chest, your fingers suddenly tugging desperately at the hair at the nape of his neck. It’s then that you realize that all you can smell is the scent of freshly cut grass and his lemony shampoo, but all you can taste is something warm and sugary that feels all too comforting.

You come to the conclusion in your drunken mind that you would have loved to keep kissing him. That, maybe, kissing Jeon Jungkook wasn’t so bad. But then just as suddenly as you had kissed him, he is pulling away from you, sending you crashing and burning down from your reverie. With swollen pink lips, wide eyes, and dishevelled hair, Jungkook shakes his head abruptly and mumbles a quiet, “I’m sorry.”

He flees from your grasp and from the party before you can stop him — and it is in that moment that you began to hate Jungkook, but not more than you hate yourself for actually enjoying the way it felt to kiss someone like him. You would never learn why he had left so soon until much later when he tells you that he didn’t want you to regret anything you did drunk — didn’t want you to regret kissing someone like him when you had seemed to hate him for years prior.

In the second half of sixth year, when you begin to fail Potions, your Professor does what he thinks is best and pairs you with Jungkook, the smartest student in his class. Hearing that Jungkook, of all people, is remarkable at Potions doesn’t come as a surprise. You are quick to learn just why he had been placed into Ravenclaw, carrying their impressive ambition and intelligence. If anything, you are almost jealous of how easily he seems to pick up on things and can reproduce them at top notch quality.

Your friendship with him is still strained and is perhaps even worse than it had once been ever since the night of the party. Neither of you talk about the moment and, from what either of you were concerned, both of you had long since forgotten the night had ever happened. Unbeknownst to you is that when Jungkook sees how cold and distant you become in the days after, he refuses to tell you the truth that the kiss is always on his mind. So, when you are forced to work with him for any assignments or in-class work, most of your conversations end in constant bickering. Miraculously, somehow, your grades do gradually begin to pick up.

One day, when you both walk into class, you are greeted to the sight of a smoldering cauldron placed neatly on top of your Professor’s desk, a beautiful scent filling the room that seems to be coming specifically from whatever has been brewing. The liquid contents within contains a mother-of-pearl sheen and clear smoke spirals from it in wisps. As soon as everyone is seated at their desks, your Professor steps forward and begins his lecture.

“Good evening, class!” he chirps. “Today we have a very exciting lecture that has to do with what is currently sitting on my desk. Now, can anyone tell me what exactly it is?”

A few shouts of guesses are tossed into the air but all are wrong as your Professor simply shakes his head. Jungkook raises his hand casually and your Professor points enthusiastically at him.

“Yes, Jungkook?”

“It’s Amortentia,” he says.

“Right you are, my boy!” Your Professor beams. “Five points to Ravenclaw! This is, in fact, Amortentia. Now, for those of you who do not know what it is, that is perhaps all the best. But as it is, it’s important to educate you on the various effects each potion can have on a being and why someone should, or should not, administer it. Amortentia, simply put, is a love potion.”

Gasps of awe and murmurs from certain students circulate the room as your Professor carries on.

“And not just any love potion — the most powerful love potion in the world,” he says. “If anyone were to receive such a potion, it would cause an intense infatuation and obsession on the drinker. However, the potion must be continuously administered to the drinker or else the effects will wear off and the drinker will regain his or her conscience and free will. Now, if you ever wanted to know how to identify Amortentia, you can rely on its very distinct smell. Differing on the person who smells it, it will always morph into the scent of whomever you desire most. For instance, I smell lemon drops, toothpaste, and parchment paper. You may all smell something different.”

A handful of students lean forward in their seat, desperately moving closer to the cauldron and the potion that carried such charming scents. Despite not wanting to show your immediate interest in something as strange as a love potion, you sit back in your seat but inhale a slow, deep breath of air and the scent that makes your heart skip a beat. It would pose as an obstacle to focusing on the lecture as your Professor carried on, though you find you’re not the only one so easily distracted by it. Halfway through the class, he stops his lecture and informs the students of their task for the evening: replicating Amortentia perfectly with the help of the partner sitting next to them.

So, you and Jungkook immediately head to work, beginning the tedious process of preparing ingredients and brewing the potion. Naturally, your own potion brewing goes faster than others as Jungkook seems to know what to do with everything. For the most part, you sit back and watch, as Jungkook refuses your help any time you offer, claiming you would only just slow him down. When it’s done, and the entire class is still halfway through theirs, you fold your arms over your chest and look up at Jungkook, noting the way his eyebrows scrunch together as he peers down at the glistening potion.

“I can’t smell anything,” You say. “Did you even do this right?”

Jungkook grimaces, though his stare falters. He doesn’t admit it aloud, but he worries for a moment that maybe he isn’t as good at Potions as he thought he was. In the next second, he scowls and shoots you a look.

“What kind of question is that?” he asks. “Of course I did it right! I followed everything properly. It even looks perfect.”

“Well, obviously it isn’t perfect if neither of us can smell anything,” You say.

“Well,” Jungkook says, irritated, “maybe if you didn’t bathe yourself in your ridiculous floral perfume, I could smell something.”

“Me?” Your mouth drops open in an appalled gap. “Now it’s my fault? You’re one to talk. Did you have practice this morning? All I can smell is grass and your stupid lemon shampoo or whatever it is. It’s disgusting.”

The bickering continues on between the two of you until you’ve seemingly grabbed the attention of the entire class. Near the very end of the period, it’s Taehyung who finally says something, leaning back in his chair to look at the two of you.

“Jungkook didn’t have practice this morning,” he says. “He also didn’t shower because he slept in late. Or did you forget that, Jungkook?”

“And Y/N?” Nayeon chimes in from beside you. “Didn’t you run out of your perfume last week?”

Jungkook clamps his mouth shut. Your own heart stops. Suddenly, your face is burning intensely and Jungkook’s own cheeks are pinched a bright red as, slowly, the realization seems to dawn on the both of you. Chuckles emit from your friends as your Professor signals that the time is up. You don’t dare look at Jungkook as your Professor grades each potion, and then anxiously await the chance to dash out the door when your Professor claims yours and Jungkook’s potion was done just perfect. As soon as he moves on to the next pair, you have gathered your belongings and have darted out the room. You are nearly halfway down the corridor when you hear Jungkook calling after you, begging you to stop.

“Y/N! Hey, Y/N! Wait up, please!”

Your feet quicken in pace as you round the corner. Just when you think you’re free, you feel a hand clasp around your wrist and pull you back into a hardened figure. Jungkook. He’s standing so incredibly close to you now, his gaze softening as he looks you once over. You can only avoid his stare, though your eyes fall to the distraction that is his hand clamped around your wrist.

“I really am not in the mood to talk right now, Jungkook,” You mumble. “Just leave me alone.”

“What else did you smell?” Jungkook asks.

His question makes you stop. It’s what causes you to carefully lift your stare to look at him.

“What?” You stammer. “What does it matter?”

“Just tell me, please,” he says, his grip tightening around your wrist. “I need to know.”

You could have shaken your head at him, pushed him away and walked off, but the longer you stare at him, the faster you begin to cave. Your mind is instantly brought back to just moments ago and the love potion that had filled your senses. As you think about all the lovely things you could smell, you whisper the answer in a sheepish voice:

“Strawberries.”

There is a split moment where all you can see is Jungkook’s beaming grin before he is pulling you toward him for a kiss that nearly sweeps you off your feet. You collapse against his broad chest, your hands flying up to bundle in his shirt and pull at him tightly as he kisses you and kisses you. You wonder why he had done so spontaneously but then it seems to hit you.

All you can smell on Jungkook, all you can taste, is lemon, grass, and strawberries.

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