#Made it static so it's easier to see but it also makes it seem like my vision is fading
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#Made it static so it's easier to see but it also makes it seem like my vision is fading#Thank you for the submission!
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lighting the fuse might result in a bang
pairing: frat!luke castellan x reader
summary: Silena thinks you need to start blowing off some steam. You think you just need a fresh victory and Luke Castellan is the perfect opponent.
word count: 5.3k
warnings: smoking, drinking, usual college party stuff.
author's note: brought to you by my personal deep dark history with boys in hats. also i haven't gotten drunk in like 4/5 years so i don't remember what it's like so this was interesting. also i don't know anything about frats OR smoking. have the most fun <3
When Silena mentions a party you could go to, you jump at the offer, brain fuzzing at the edges where you’ve been locked in on flashcards all afternoon. It’s something you’ve started to navigate better this year, remembering to have fun after a year of non-stop focus. Silena makes it easier - a social butterfly with no qualms about dragging you out of the library when she thinks you’re pushing yourself too hard - and there’s no harm in listening to her without protest sometimes.
“Do you even know who’s throwing this one?” You ask as she’s leading you through campus, rubbing at your arms to fight the fall chill. “I do not want a repeat of March.”
“Have some faith in me. I’ve started vetting my sources.”
Both of you shiver, the memory of a night spent outside the Stolls’ cramped dorm still haunting you six months later. You’re not overly familiar with this side of campus, turning away from the usual halls and towards the sorority housing, but Silena walks the path with ease, arm looped through yours.
The walk seems to have cleared your head, the music as you approach shaking off the last of the static. You’ve been here before, borrowing notes from a teammate, but it’s different like this, all pumping bass and cheers from the kitchen. Clarisse waves at you from across the room, beer in hand, and you mutter to Silena that you’re going to grab a drink. She nods, making a beeline for Drew Tanaka. You assume that’s who the invitation came from originally.
There’s a different energy to the kitchen, not quieter by any means but less noisy. Less concentrated, maybe, with twenty different conversations happening at once and nothing you have to pay attention to. Most people you don’t recognise, a group from your first year stats class huddled together near the sink, and the Stolls off to the side pointing at every new person they see.
Mixing your drink is an easy fix, the kitchen island covered in more choices than you’ve seen in a while, and you savor the first few sips. Between class and swimming, you’ve barely drank since the semester began and the burn of vodka isn’t as numbed as you wish it was. Still, a drink is a drink so you refill it before returning to the thick of the party.
Clarisse takes it upon herself to drag you away from the conversation you end up trapped in with Lee Fletcher, quite literally taking hold of your elbow. You mutter an apology, however disingenuous, rolling your eyes in mock exasperation as he smiles grimly.
“I have no idea how you talk to that lot,” she says when you’re far enough away. “They’re all boring.”
“Lee’s great. He always lends me notes from the lectures I miss.”
She laughs, pushing you into another room. “He’s trying to swindle a date out of you and you’re using him for lecture notes.”
You shrug. There’s nothing wrong with Lee, except that Clarisse is a little right when she says most of your classmates are boring. It’s probably not intentional, and they definitely don’t realize it, but there’s this way they carry themselves around campus - half-nervous and half-haughty. It’s not a great combination and it’s why you gravitate towards the people Silena meets.
“We were wondering when we were going to see you next,” Chris says as he throws an arm over Clarisse’s shoulder. You still don’t quite know the story there, how Chris Rodriguez managed to sweet talk your stoic teammate. One day, you’ll find out - a drunken vow you made with Silena on your dorm room floor when Clarisse mentioned a boyfriend - but you’re content to let them enjoy their romance in peace for now. “Almost thought you’d succumbed to the dark side.”
“You’re not getting rid of me yet.”
“And thank god,” he knocks his cup against yours before gesturing to the far corner of the room. “Because we need someone to kick Castellan’s ass at beer pong.”
“Whose?”
Turns out, Luke Castellan is the newest brother to ksig. There’s not much to know about Chris’ fraternity in your eyes, just the basics of all frats, and you know from last year that there’s always bound to be a hotshot that needs someone to pump the brakes on their ego. Usually, they’re on the younger side, with more money than sense and they don’t expect anything from your approach. Luke Castellan isn’t quite that, but he’s not far from it either.
While Chris talks to the boy who was about to play, you take the opportunity to size up your opponent. It comes naturally, a part of constantly competing, and it comes in handy in moments like this, when the element of surprise is a key factor to the situation going ahead.
Fitted jeans, branded polo and a stupid snapback cap worn backwards to show how cool he is. Nothing you haven’t seen before, really, except there’s this focused glint in his eyes with each plastic ball he throws like he has to prove his worth here. It’s a simple practice, unnecessary for a silly party game, but there’s this serious set to strong shoulders that you’re curious about.
The same way you want to know about Clarisse’s relationship, you want to know what makes Luke Castellan, whoever he is, tick.
“Are you trying to get alcohol poisoning, Rodriguez?”
“I’m not playing you, Luke,” Chris says and you watch closely as the other boy tilts his head slightly to the left. “I just had to go and get the current undefeated champion on campus.”
There’s this moment that happens every time you play - those awkward seconds where everyone looks completely past you to anyone else, anyone more noticeable. You count on it, occasionally, so it takes you a moment to process the way Luke’s gaze slides to you, drinks you in before he nods towards the other end of the table.
Chris mutters a quiet “you got this,” as you brush past him, handing him your drink. You’re not delusional enough to think you can get away with mixing your drinks this early in the game.
It takes two of Luke’s shots for you to land your first, his last hour of playing an advantage you accounted for. He’s not getting sloppy, not in the slightest, but he’s at the point where he’s a little worse for wear - a tired arm and hazy mind - and you take the chance you have at a false sense of security, taking your losses on the chin before playing the game to win.
Within seven shots between you, you can see Luke start to get restless. How he reevaluates the table in front of him, his three empty cups to your four. Part of you really wants to knock that hat off his head, as if it’ll give you more of an insight into his mind. Instead, you wait for what you know is coming, a slight miscalculation that has the plastic ball rolling off the table to land at someone’s feet.
Chris hands you a fresh one and you take in the way Luke swallows, jaw clenching as you line up your next shot. Whether he knows it or not, you’ve just been handed your win.
Clarisse cheers, handing you one of the cups from in front of you as everyone yells. You both chug what’s left of them, the bitter taste of cheap beer drowned out by victory, and as soon as that’s done, she throws herself back into Chris’ arms. Laughing, you turn around to find another drink, only to be met by Luke standing beside you.
“Are you about to be a sore loser?”
He chuckles and it’s different like this. His eyes are brown, which you didn’t know five minutes ago, and his hair is dark from the little wisps of it you can see peeking out underneath his hat. You consider telling him that the hat makes him look lame, but then he’s leaning down to whisper anyway. “I expect a rematch.”
It’s quiet and heavy and you wonder if anyone can tell that your blood feels like it’s on fire. It’s nothing, really, and it takes more effort than you want to respond.
“Then expect to lose.”
The only saving grace to the exchange is that Luke looks a whole lot more affected by it, a blush crawling up his neck as you take the drink nearest to you and leave to find your roommate once more.
*
Losing never used to get to you. Not like this, at least, where everything sort of feels like a precipice and you’re waiting for the next loss to fall on your shoulders alone. It was meant to be an easy game, a warm-up, for when the season started in earnest and you couldn’t afford to be incohesive. There’s always a learning curve, new starters and new competition, but in no world should it have caused this.
Silena tells you to let it go, throwing yet another outfit on her bed as she gets ready. When you saw her at lunch, Clarisse told you to just push harder during practice. Sometimes you’re not even sure how you can be friends with both of them, how they can be friends with each other either. Unfortunately, it becomes very clear when Clarisse knocks on the door that night.
“Why aren’t you ready?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
She tuts at you, digging through the pile of clothing on Silena’s bed before throwing a dress at you. “Get dressed.”
“You can’t make me,” you protest, the black fabric scrunching in your fist. You’ve borrowed it before, for a party last year you don’t remember very well, and you don’t even want to consider why it’s the one Clarisse selected. You turn to your roommate, looking for backup, only to find her with a pair of your shoes in her hands. “Are you seriously going to make me?”
In unison, they raise a singular eyebrow each and it’s unsettling enough that you let go of all will to fight them. Today may as well just be full of losses that you can mourn tomorrow.
It’s only when you arrive at the party that you realize you have no idea who’s throwing it. Or who’s going to be there. Distantly, you really hope it’s a stranger Silena met on her way around campus - full of people you’ve ever met and will never see again. You could find someone nice enough to blow off some steam with before going on your merry way.
When Clarisse yells at her boyfriend, you let out a huff as both he and Luke Castellan turn around.
Since your first meeting, you’ve learned a few more things about Luke. He’s from Connecticut. He was responsible for half of Drew’s sorority coming down with the flu during freshers week. He’s in pre-med. He’s the reason Professor Chase introduced a ban on energy drinks in his lectures (one hundred students simultaneously opening a can of Redbull each was, apparently, mildly disconcerting). Most importantly, he’s always wearing that stupid cap.
You try to equate the things you know with the Luke standing in front of you. Some of it makes perfect sense - Professor Chase and Connecticut - and some of it unsettles you, but it’s all true. Freshers and pre-med and track meets. Focusing on the distracted way he taps on his beer bottle instead of Clarisse greeting Chris, you kind of want to find out a whole lot more.
“Fancy a rematch?”
It’s the first thing he’s said to you all night, twisting the cap off a fresh beer before handing it to you. Then doing the same with his own. You pretend not to notice the movement of it, the few short seconds where you can get away with staring at the shine of silver rings in low light. Taking a sip, you crinkle your nose.
“I’m not really in the mood,” you mutter and, at the very least, the beer is cold and you chug half of it before you even notice you’ve done it. “Don’t you have someone else you can bother?”
There’s seconds before you notice it, how his eyes shift from slightly curious to intense. They don’t change much but standing in front of him, you can tell when they go from relaxed to focused. How his back straightens and shoulders roll back just so. You should go and find something stronger to drink. Maybe even see if Lee Fletcher is nearby.
You stay put.
“It’s just a bit of friendly competition,” Luke shrugs, unknowing of how it echoes in your skull. How that’s all today was ever meant to be. Leave it to him to dig the knife in again just as the tightness in your chest was starting to ease. “But I guess you just can’t handle it.”
“I’d kick your ass in a rematch. I’m doing you a favor.”
It’s obviously the wrong thing to say, Luke’s eyes brightening as the words push past your lips. The beer you drank way too fast is forming words before you even know what they are.
“You can always choose something else for me to beat you in,” he says, like it’s an offer, something gracious that you should be grateful for. “I’m easy.”
“How many beers have you had?”
“Three, I think?”
Silena would tell you it’s a stupid idea - you have a coaching session at 9am and you haven’t gotten drunk since the party where you met Luke - and she would be right. But you need a win tonight, something guaranteed, and there’s this itch that crawls under your skin the longer you stare at the boy in front of you.
So you say it anyway.
“I bet I could outdrink you.”
“I’d like to see you try.”
He waits as you down two more beers in quick succession, nursing his own as you do. A clink of your bottles against one another, followed by the final sip you each take and it’s finally a competition.
The night continues, you and Luke almost joined at the hip. It’s to keep track, you tell yourself, talking to a kid that might be in your organic chem class. If the kid looks at you weird for pouring two drinks, only to hand one to Luke in silence, that’s probably just the alcohol misreading things. Only once, when you’re deep in conversation with Lee does Luke pass you a beer, eyebrow raised when Lee gives him a glare. You think that might’ve been drink eight.
By the time Chris finds you both again, you’ve thrown yourselves onto the couch on the outskirts of the room. Someone’s abandoned coat is thrown over your legs in a mediocre attempt to preserve some dignity in the dress you’re wearing and Luke’s hat has twisted to the side. You’re sure neither of you has drunk a sip in ten minutes.
“You guys doing okay?”
“We’re drunk,” you say and you can’t tell if it’s a whisper or a shout. “I’m winning.”
“You’re not winning,” Luke turns his head to glare and you blame the alcohol on the attention you pay to the slope of his nose. “Neither of us have finished these drinks.”
“Are you going to?”
He glances down at the cup in his hand, half empty. You can see it, the hesitation, before he places it on the floor by his feet, shaking his head. “Are you?”
The nice thing to do would be to give up, call it a draw and appreciate that you managed to have fun despite the bad day that had preceded it. However, you like to win. So you grit your teeth before drinking the final three sips, tilting the empty cup towards him so he can see the proof. It takes you a second to remember you have to actually swallow in order to drink, but you do and Luke scrunches his nose. You kind of want to kiss it as a way to smooth the skin back out.
“That’s two wins to me, Castellan.”
Chris shakes his head at you both. “I’m not calling either of you to make sure you’re alive in the morning.”
*
It’s an almost unconscious action when you walk into Drew’s sorority house, how you wave Silena off in favor of scanning the crowd, searching for the one reason you agreed to show up in the first place. It takes a moment, pinks and blues and silvers all merging together in your eyeline until you spot him near the staircase, familiar black cap resting on his head.
You’re already a little buzzed, the thrill of your final project this semester finally being handed in just hours ago, and it’s why you let yourself actually look at Luke for once.
By this point, you’ve seen him in a polo and a flannel, always with jeans. Laidback. That’s what party Luke was. Tonight, though, it’s like he’s trying harder - baggy pants, like they’re resting a little too low on his hips, a white t-shirt, white trainers that you know are going to stain before the night ends and a slightly oversized leather jacket that doesn’t quite go with the hat you used to identify him. Maybe it’s something he does on purpose, ruining a good thing over comforting familiarity. Maybe you’ll ask him.
Luke looks up then, as if he has a sixth sense, and you kind of don’t know what to do with the slight wave he sends in your direction. You wouldn’t call him a friend, that’s for sure, but you nod in response before weaving through your classmates to the kitchen.
It takes two vodka cranberries for Silena to find you. And it takes four shots with people you’ve never met for Chris to ask if you’ve seen Luke anywhere. You tell him where you last saw him, maybe an hour ago, and he shakes his head like he’s already checked the entire house.
“Do you think you can let him know I’m heading out?” Chris asks, one arm looped around Clarisse’s waist, more for support than anything else. She was already unsteady when you arrived and you know by the flush in her cheeks that it’ll only take a couple more drinks for her to start throwing up. You nod at Chris, cradling your drink to your chest, and he mumbles a thanks while steering his girlfriend towards the door.
With both of them gone, it leaves you with little to do except go hunting for Luke. So that’s what you do, waving Lee off as he attempts to grab your attention from the couch.
Focusing is a lot harder now, squinting over everyone’s heads in search of that damn hat. Nothing. You know he’s not in the kitchen, that’s definite, and you learn that he’s not in the garden either, Katie from your anatomy class staring at you bewildered as you explain your quest.
There’s only one place left to check for Luke and you consider if it’ll be a worthwhile risk. It’s entirely possible that he’s already left, whoever he was locked in conversation with earlier with him maybe, and you’re searching an entire sorority house on the off-chance he’s still in the building.
But you promised Chris. More than that, you refuse to let Luke Castellan beat you.
So you commit to the staircase, pushing past the line for the restroom upstairs. It’s quieter up here, not by much, but you can hear yourself think clearer. There’s three doors on your left, all closed, and you drain the remnants of your drink so it warms your blood and erases the small part of your brain still protesting.
There’s two yells when you knock on the first door, both hurried and pitching higher as the words fade so you move on quickly. No one answers to the second door, so you crack it open enough to see inside. It’s dark and neat and completely untouched by whatever is happening below, so you let it click shut again.
Luke is in the third room, you learn, pressing it open when there’s no response to your knock. The room itself is still orderly, but you find the boy you’ve been searching for sitting on the floor at the base of the bed, hat turned to the side and the sleeves of his jacket bunching carelessly where they’ve been pushed higher on his forearms.
“Chris wanted me to tell you he took Clarisse home,” you blurt when it feels like you need to say something. “He couldn’t find you so…”
Luke waits. When it becomes clear that’s all you’re here for, he says, “Well, thanks for letting me know.”
You’ve done your job. You can go back and enjoy the party downstairs, maybe make use of the empty room next door instead of remaining awkwardly in the doorway.
You think about how Chris mentioned that Luke can recite pi to seventeen places while drunk. How you’re still beating him by two points. How there’s an ashtray on the floor beside Luke’s knee and it’s sort of considerate of him to use one when no one else would.
“Mind if I join you?”
Being in an empty bedroom with a guy at a party isn’t unusual. You’ve had your fair share of them, rushed and quiet and mostly on a bed. Sitting on the floor with Luke is different, you find, a gravity to it than you can’t quite wrap your head around after so many drinks. It’s slow and languid and you don’t really say much of anything as your knee bumps against his thigh in an effort to get comfortable in the space.
No one told you Luke smokes.
You tell him as much.
“It’s a bad habit,” he shakes his head, twisting a cigarette between his fingers and you both act like you’re not paying rapt attention to it. “I try to avoid making it one.”
“I used to. Back in high school. Gave it up when I got accepted here.”
He turns to face you then, head tilted so the visor of his slanted hat brushes his shoulder. “I would never have guessed you were a smoker.”
It’s not said with judgment, just as an observation from the limited interactions you’ve had since the semester began. The focus in Luke’s gaze crawls up your spine and mingles with the alcohol you’ve yet to flush from your system.
“You ever blown a smoke ring?”
If you’re not challenging him, you don’t quite know what to make of Luke. It’s the thing you know most about him, the way his face shifts from victory into loss. The way it matches yours, stretches from his eyes to his jaw and into clenched hands. If you’re not challenging him, you can’t read him - you want to be able to read him in the low light of right now.
“I bet I’m better at it than you,” you say after he answers. A short laugh escapes him, almost a huff, and it raises the skin on your arms when it meets the top of your ear. “Wanna see?”
“I’ve only got one.” He waves the cigarette he’s been holding in front of your eyes.
“We can share.”
It’s a bad, terrible, absolutely stupid idea.
“You’re on, Castellan.”
As he lights the end of it, you wonder if he knows what the brief flame does for his cheekbones, for his jawline. Paints them in small, defined shadows that you might still see if you close your eyes. You almost want to mention it to him. You settle for watching his lips settle around it, the sinking of his cheeks on the inhale and the noise as he exhales. There’s an almost complete ring of smoke in the air.
Luke hands you the cigarette and you repeat his motions, a little quicker. A little smoother. The ring that leaves your lips is full, but less circular.
Both of you pretend not to notice the other one staring.
You agree to best of three. You agree and you win by the tiniest margin and you hand Luke the little that remains as a consolation prize. He indulges in the last few drags and you watch him do it, looking nothing like the pre-med student you know he is. You think he could be dangerous like this, based on the way your stomach twists as he puts the cigarette out, how his head tilts back and the final wisps of smoke escape his mouth.
You aren’t as drunk anymore.
You really wish you were.
It takes Luke a second to notice that you’ve moved at all, eyes still closed but he does, and the run of his gaze across your face is enough for you to seize the last of the alcohol in your bloodstream, pushing forward so you’re actually face to face with him, knees digging into the rough carpet beneath you.
“Can I help you?” It’s low and a little ragged and this is the first time you’ve really noticed the thin, pale scar that stretches down the skin of his right cheek. It’s actually a little insane how pretty he is up close.
“I think I want a little more than the glory of winning this time,” and half of your whisper is lost to Luke Castellan’s lips but it’s not that important anyway.
What is important is the warmth of his hand through your shirt, pressed into the skin that exposes itself as you shift even closer. It’s the slightly rough texture of his jaw underneath your palm, the way his breath hitches in tandem with yours and you both push through it anyway. It’s the unexpected catch of your finger on his cap and the way you give up on it entirely, finally snatching it off his head so it lands somewhere nearby.
You’re not sure what you expected Luke’s hair to look like. Horrible, probably, with odd patches that lie weirdly flat and should be covered from view. It’s not this, wild dark curls that deserve to be seen.
“You have curly hair?” You say it before you can think not to, so caught up in the discovery you’ve just made, and Luke squints at you, unsure. “I can’t believe you have curly hair.”
He’s preparing a smart-ass comment, you know it by the way his teeth dig into his bottom lip, and that’s really just not going to work this time - not when he’s been lying for months behind a hat. So you do what any sane person would, twist your fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck and trail your lips across his jaw like you’ll die if you don’t.
His hand hooks underneath your thigh and, when you bracket his waist between your legs, cool leather brushing against your knees, you think this might be the best victory you’ve experienced yet.
*
Silena knows something is up when you refuse to speak to her about the party. There’s few secrets you’ve kept from each other since meeting, and even less since Clarisse got involved. It’s pointless to try, mostly, since they all spill out of you when the lights go out and you’re left with each other's company. You almost forgot how annoying she could be when she’s pushing for information.
“Don’t think I’m going to tell you either,” you say when Clarisse joins you in the library a week after the party. “I am a fortress of secrets.”
“I know you hooked up with Luke.”
“Seriously?”
She rolls her eyes, passing you the book you’d asked her for during practice last night. “Calm down. Chris told me. I’m down ten bucks now.”
“You bet on it?”
“Of course we did, it’s our brand.”
“I’m not telling Silena,” you whisper again, frowning at your notes. You wonder if Clarisse is aware you haven’t actually spoken to Luke since that night. “She’ll make it a big deal for nothing.”
“I won’t tell but you should probably figure out what happens next. There’s a party at ksig tomorrow night before everyone goes home for the holidays.” You tap your pen against the textbook. Clarisse pushes a slip of paper towards you. Someone’s phone buzzes to your left. “Think about it.”
When she’s long gone, you grab the paper she left from the table. It’s wrinkled and you smooth it as best you can beneath your fingertips. Blue ink, messily scrawled, and you commit it to memory. Closing your textbook, you leave it pressed between chapters seven and eight.
The party is loud, louder than you’re prepared for after flaking out on so many since your first one last year. Silena brushes past you once you arrive, shoving your shoulder just enough that it twinges and you frown. You didn’t speak a word on the way here and the silent treatment is starting to drive a little crazy.
It feels silly now, in a place so crowded, and you breathe deeply. Someone points you in the direction of the kitchen after multiple attempts at asking and you miss the light chaos of throwing up outside the Stolls’ dorm with your best friend.
You grab a beer, using the table edge to pop the cap off, and it helps to ease the tightness in your chest at how unfamiliar this all is. You’re not sure you could even find the restroom, let alone a singular person.
Pushing back into the bulk of the party, you vow to leave if you don’t find him before you finish your beer. There’s a project you have to start looking into for next semester that could be a good use of time tonight.
If anyone tried to convince you that most of campus was here, you’d be willing to believe them. A drink raised in Lee’s direction, a nod to Ethan from last years’ stats class, a half-hearted smile at Rachel, who raises an eyebrow at you like she knows something no one else does.
And maybe she does, because you turn away from her to find Luke just feet away, gesturing animatedly to the guy next to him. There’s a beer in his hand and a hat on his head and his phone number so deeply etched in your mind since last night that you hardly think about it until you’re standing next to him again, drink placed on a table somewhere along the way.
“Hi,” he smiles and his scar shifts with it. He turns to the guy from before. “We’ll catch up later, man.”
“Have I ever told you that I hate that fucking hat?”
“I sort of got that when you threw it across the room.” His lips wrap around the rim of his bottle and you think you can be normal about it, go back to the way things were, until he smirks just slightly and you know you can’t.
“You’re such a sore loser, Castellan,” you mutter as you push yourself up to snatch it from his head. He doesn’t comment, lets your fingers brush through his curls until they’re a complete mess instead of compacted. He glances down at the cap in your hand and mutters, “And what is your genius plan for my hat?”
It’s a really fucking good question. Short of getting it off his head, you didn’t know what you were going to do. It’s one thing to throw it across an empty room in the dark, another thing entirely to abandon it to a frat party. So you choose the next best thing - placing it on your own head and daring him to question it.
“I guess that can work,” Luke says and it sounds like a promise soaked in laughter.
Neither of you find it as funny when he has to tip the visor upwards to kiss you.
#luke castellan#luke castellan x reader#percy jackson and the olympians#luke castellan x you#🖊️ abi writes…
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keep you close.
simon 'ghost' riley x fem!reader
summary: he's pretty sure he's in love with you. not that he'll admit it, acknowledge it.
an: angst with fluff, mentions of injury, war-stuff, cheeky stabbings, just cod things. no smut. just feelings. cause I wanted flangst.
word count: 3.6k
masterlist for ghost.
Ghost doesn’t think when his eyes land on you.
He should.
He knows he should.
But he fires his gun all the same, not content with the sound each body makes when they fall to the floor. He wants them to fall harder, almost land and shatter.
He wants them to hurt.
It’s all he thinks as he slides the metal edge along the throat of the last one. The one who is hissing at him in a language he doesn’t even care to translate.
Ghost cares about one thing, and one thing only: getting that radio message out of his head.
It’s an ambush. Do not proceed. Get out—
It has been on a loop since he heard it.
Your radio message.
The one which made Soap shout, calling for you as the static and crackle came back. The sound which made his blood run cold. The one which made him charge across the base grab the person who confirmed the intel by the shoulder, and made them piss themselves. Accidentally, of course.
It had been Soap who suggested sweeping the place, but it hadn’t been far from his mind.
They found your radio stood on, crushed—likely by your own boot. You’d always been thorough—you also usually wiggled your way out of these situations,
It’s how you’d earned the moniker Mouse to begin with.
His eyes caught the dried blood, hoping it didn’t belong to you as his flashlight followed its path until his jaw locked, his muscles tensing.
Your scrunchie.
That ridiculous one you bought months ago. The one which you’d found hilarious, and he had found anything but. Black, with tiny ghosts on it, for Halloween. No other reason, you’d said with a smirk. Unless you want to borrow it, sir?
It’s in his pocket now.
Has been since he found it.
As he lets the last man fall, he brushes the pocket with his hand before wiping the blood on his thigh, sheathing his knife.
Turning, nodding in the direction of the other men as they checked them as he moved across the room to you, sliding his gun behind his back, and dropping to his knees.
We bring Mouse back. By any means necessary.
He’s thankful you’re alive and breathing. Watching as your head tilts —trying to work out who it is. Cautiously, both for the fact he’s considering it and for the knowledge he could hurt you, his gloved hand slides up your cheek, watching you tense before he pulls down the blindfold with his fingers.
One eye is swollen, horrid, and puffy. Something which makes him want to put extra holes in each of the men for it. But, he can’t take his eyes from the one of yours, which blinks, and stares at him, taking him in.
“I’m undoin’ this cuff.”
You swallow, nodding, trying to keep the eye fixed on him. The handcuff releases from your wrists as your arms drop weakly.
It’s then he can see the bruises.
The ones which have formed and the ones about too.
How the colours vary in spots along your exposed arms, neck and cheeks. Dreading to think of how deep they go, how far they spread under your clothes.
“Sir…” you whisper, his head moving closer. “You’re a piss poor listener.”
“Almost as bad as you, soldier.”
Cautiously, he moves closer, his knees hitting against your legs as his hand slowly brushes over your arm.
He’s aware the others have their eyes trained on him, Soap giving orders, busying them. It doesn’t stop him from moving his arm around your shoulders, bringing you close until his chest is close to your side.
“Do you want me to close my eye, make it easier for you?” you cough—sounding like a deflated lung. “You seem the type to hate touching people.”
“Enough.”
It comes out gruff, but he knows that you don’t take it that way. The side of your busted lip twitching as he pulls you over his lap.
He’s pretty sure it’s the gentlest he’s ever been, even more so with someone. He doesn’t mean to press his forehead against the side of yours. But, he thought he’d lost you.
The annoying girl who talked too much, who smiled and had no issues with personal space. Unless you were on the battlefield. Then, you were different—quiet, tactile, mouselike. You scurry, you don’t miss, with a gun, a knife or a computer.
Ghost knew he was fucked before today.
But, this confirms it.
The sharp pang in his chest is a horrid, bitter reminder of how fucked he is—especially with how his heart skips a beat when your hand shakes as it brushes against his mask.
He should look away as he lifts you, breaking the stare he has with you, but you move closer, whispering for him—and him alone. “I knew-w you’d find me.”
He tightens his jaw, feeling a lump in his throat as he gives a curt nod. “Always.”
“Always,” you repeat softly, eyelashes fluttering, desperate to close.
“Hey, eyes on me,” he says, and you do your best. You hope he knows that. “Good girl.”
You hear someone shout for a medic, but it’s not him.
He’s saying very little, just letting his breath dance across your neck and cheek as he holds you to him.
The next time he sees you, he's visiting you when you’re in recovery.
He’s heard from others you’re improving. Soap nudging him, ensuring he’s heard him—thinking he knows more than he does.
He does go, though.
You’re smaller than him, but you look so much smaller in the bed. Your face finally regaining some colour, an expression not twisted up in pain. The bruises faded, eyes unswollen.
It’s a welcomed sight after the last time he saw you.
He crosses the recovery room floor, the room slowly emptying around him. He was glad that the rest of the med bay was without patients.
His chair squeaks with protest when he sits beside you, eyes glancing over your face, over your arms, checking and checking that everything is where it was supposed to be.
You say nothing.
He says nothing.
He just sits, staring at you, letting his eyes roll over your face. You seem to let him, likely basking in the fact that you’re currently not being boiled alive by him.
It’s nice. Quiet.
It’s helping to drown out the whimpers and groans you’d been making all the way back here from your injury.
Until the tension reaches such a height even if you can’t stomach it.
“What you doing here, Lt?”
“Ensuring you don’t act recklessly.”
“I think I can behave for one night.”
“Doubtful.”
You play with the sheets on the bed, rolling them between your fingers as he watches you, knowing what’s coming before you’ve even opened your pretty little mouth.
“I’d behave for you, if you asked.”
Sometimes, your brashness even surprises him.
“I have asked,” he says, stretching his leg out as he watches you smile. “You still disobey me.”
You nuzzle down into your pillow, not taking your eyes off him.
“Sleep, Mouse.”
“With you watching me?”
He clicks his tongue. “Sleep.”
You smile softer, eyelashes looking heavy. “Okay.”
Nodding, he interlocks his gloved fingers over his lap.
You’d been silent.
Too silent.
He knew how you got your Codename. He’d read your file, after all. You sneaked through impossible holes figuratively and literally. Price had informed him how good you were with computers, he hadn’t known how good until he read it himself.
You were good, capable, and able.
He knew you could handle yourself, which is why it wasn’t that which concerned him. It’s the silence.
You’ve been quieter overall since you came back—since he brought you back. Since he helped carry you back to the truck till he watched you get patched up.
Something inside of you, that annoyingly cheerful part of you, had withered. He knew it, Soap knew it.
“You following me?”
“Could say the same to you.”
“Can someone even stalk a ghost?”
You’d tried to hide it, more so from him than the others. Your body trying to twist from him, but his arm had stopped you.
“Something you need, Lt?”
“No.”
You’d given him a curt smile. “Goodnight then, sir.”
He didn’t miss the way you added the sir.
Not that he expects he’s supposed to. Shifting his jaw from side to side, having watched you walk down the corridor, not even bothering to turn to look back at him.
That had been two days ago.
Today, you had dark circles around your eyes. A tenseness in your shoulders as you were all briefed.
He waited, seeing if you approached him, and asked him to stay behind—not entirely sure what his answer would be if you requested it.
But you didn’t.
It should have been a warning, your demeanour shifting, darkness descending down over you the closer they got to the location.
“Mouse, you copy?”
Silence.
Even to Soap.
Often, Ghost knew he warranted your anger.
He was colder with you, more stern. Especially since he’d allowed himself a moment—when he’d been able to hold you, carry you. When he’d felt your heartbeat and watched your eyes fix on him—warming him.
He had wanted distance and walls. Many of them, more so.
Now, he wishes he hadn’t.
Because with Soap, you were light, never ignorant. And maybe he’d have recognised how your anger and hurt had consumed you. That what happened between you being taken and being found had festered and eaten everything good inside of you.
He could relate.
More than most.
“Mouse,” Ghost radios, gruff voice and all. “Fuck.”
He taps Soap, heading in your direction, almost charging. He knew it before he saw it before his foot kicked open the door and witnessed it with his own eyes.
He even freezes for the briefest second.
Half impressed with the number of bodies on the floor.
But then he reacts, hooking an arm under your hips as he both lifts and moves you against the wall. The knife falling from your fingers, clattering against the stone, the only other sound is your panicked breaths and Soap exclaiming, “Steaming bloody Jesus…” as he enters the room.
His forearm presses into the wall beside your head, caging you in as his other palm presses into the wall next to your hip.
Because it was the mission to kill him—once they’d got the information.
The information he couldn’t currently prove you had—but he’d hoped you did. Because otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to contain his anger, his fury. Right now, it simmered, being kept back by that vacant look in your eyes he doesn’t recognise. Not in you, at least.
You’re not looking at him. Not meeting his eyes.
Too busy staring at the body on the floor, the one which has scarlet seeping from each hole you’d inflicted with a knife. His knife.
“Mouse.”
You don’t move, staring as if transfixed in the knowledge he’s dead.
So he whispers your name.
Your real name.
Your eyelashes flutter into a blink, head-turning, finally pulling from the man who kidnapped you on the floor.
“Got the drive,” you say in a tone void of emotion.
Ghost didn’t want to shout, he didn’t want to scream at you, but he did all the same.
Both in anger that you disobeyed an order and in a panic because he couldn’t stop the way his mind unravelled when you didn’t respond.
That it took him back to that moment all over again. Where you were taken from him. Where he lost you. Where he should have protected you.
“You wanna explain what the fuck happened back there?”
You don’t look at him, folding your arms over your chest, suddenly finding the floor interesting. Pressing the sole of your foot against the wall as you leant, seemingly unbothered.
“That’s an order, Soldier—“
“I collected the information, and I stabbed him. Mission complete. Sir.”
Sir.
Fucking sir.
He hated how it made him hard. Little bitch.
“You disobeyed a direct order—“
“—The mission—“
“—You were supposed to wait for backup.”
“I couldn’t risk it.”
He rounds on you, forehead pressing against yours. “You couldn’t risk it?”
Your eyes don’t soften. They hold his gaze, full of fire, ash and destruction. “Well. We’ve both seen the evidence of bad intel, haven’t we?”
He stills.
Blinking, staring into your eyes, seeing the darkness still swirling. The anger has lessened but still remains.
“You need to let it go.”
“I need to… what?” You look hurt, more than he thought you could, and then it vanishes, swept away by anger. “…fuck you, Ghost.”
Moving from him, turning your back on him
“Fuck me? If you continue down this path—“
Then you turn, your eyes burying into him. “It’ll what? Keep me up at night? Consume me? Well, guess what, Simon, it already has.” Your chest rises and falls rapidly, a tremor to your outstretched arm before you snap it back to your side. “For days, they asked me who we were. They had ideas. They did… inklings. But, they… they knew my fucking name, Simon. They…told me what they’d do, and I had nothing, not a single thing to drown it out as they described all the ways they’d kill Johnny, how they’d break Gaz, how they’d hurt…”
You.
The unspoken word hanging in the room.
“I got it before, I did,” you say, words shaky at your almost declaration, “but I understand why you wear that mask—why you keep people out…”
Your eyes fill with tears, one’s he wishes he could wipe away before they even meet your cheeks.
“People you know can hurt you the most… right? That's what you said.”
His head reeling back an inch, but it feels like he’s been hit. And then you leave, storming out of the room, and he doesn’t stop you.
Because he knows he shouldn’t.
Because you’d called him Simon.
Not Ghost.
He hates that you’re not here.
You’ve been avoiding him. Outside of briefings and necessity, you’re nowhere else to be found.
The rest of them are around a table, beers in their hands. His mask lifted just enough to enjoy his—if it didn’t taste like nothingness.
Because there were no kind eyes on him. No jesting coming from a soft, sweet voice.
Especially right now, when it’s needed as they discuss who they’re currently fucking their fist over. He hears someone ask him, something he ignores.
And then Soap speaks for him. “I think Ghost here has his eyes on—“
“That’ll do.”
The others snigger, mumbling about getting some air as he cracks his neck. Hoping if he ignores Soap enough, he’ll vanish too.
“Talk to her.”
Ghost rolls his head on his shoulders, meeting his sergeant's expecting face.
Soap slaps his hand on his back. “Trust me, Lt, talk to her.” He tries to think of something, anything, to respond with. He hasn’t got anything until he continues, “Didn’t think you had a heart.”
“A cold one. I have a cold one.”
Soap smirks. “I doubt it’ll remain that way.”
It doesn’t take him long to find you, seeing you huddled over papers and a computer.
He considers watching you, but he steps in before he’s caught, offering you a mug, one you stare at suspiciously before taking it.
You prefer a milky tea, one sugar.
A person after his own heart.
Right now, he imagines you need something different, so he chose coffee.
“What’s this?”
“A boost. You need it.”
“Thanks?”
He doesn’t know what to say.
Letting himself see how dark the bags under your eyes have gotten.
“You’re not sleepin’.”
“Can’t.”
He taps the desk with two fingers, your eyes lifting up to face him. Slowly, he retracts his hand, holding your stare as he takes his glove from his hand. He knows his sleeve has risen, the ends of his tattoo showing as he offers you his hand.
“You made me a drink, and now you want me to what, leave it?”
Slowly, he nods.
Your huff sounds before you stand, slapping your hand into his. It isn’t until your fingers are in his does he watch your eyes flicker, realising that you're touching him—really touching him.
“Ghost…”
“C’mon. Now.”
He doesn’t let go or lessen his hold, not even when you slide your fingers between his. Not when everything inside of him tells him to run, to tell you to run.
His mouth doesn’t open, it remains shut as he brings you to his room, opening the door, letting it swing open before he lets his eyes meet yours.
Letting your eyes take it in before he nudged you forward.
“Ghost…”
“Simon,” he says gruffly. “My name is Simon.”
He shuts the door slowly behind the two of you, releasing your hand, moving it to his neck.
Your eyes follow him, the air thickening—he can feel it. The hairs on the back of his neck standing, the ones on his arms standing. He’s even sure time is ticking slowly.
Especially when he begins to slide his mask up, slowly showing you his chin, his cheeks, and his nose.
Your lips parting, mouth falling open as he pulls it off that last bit. Nothing hidden, not from you.
Swallowing, you make a noise, a squeak as if you’re about to say something, before clamping your mouth shut.
“Hi.”
Your lips twitch. “Hi.”
His fingers brush yours ever so slightly, forcing your eyes to dip before landing back on his with so much adoration—he’s not sure how he deserves it. Any of it.
“What does this mean?”
“It means you go to sleep. Here.”
You raise a brow, and he almost smirks. Almost.
“Not like that.”
Shrugging, you smile. “Coulda fooled me.”
Sighing, he lets go of your fingers. “You can’t sleep because you’re alone. But, if I’m here—“
“You’ll keep the ghosts away?”
He runs his tongue over the front of his teeth.
“Anything else this… declaration means?
“Means you can trust me.”
He watches your head tilt, a scrunch to your brows and your forehead as you look at him. “I trusted you anyway.”
“Then get in bed.”
He wonders if your cheeks are warm if they’re full or blush. More so when your eyes land on the floor, and he turns his back, moving to his things, finding you a t-shirt.
On you, it’ll bury you.
Which makes it perfect, just as perfect as the sound of you undoing your belt is to him and the faint sound of your trousers hitting the floor.
“Here,” he says, holding the T-shirt behind his back, not wanting to look.
Not even when he feels your fingers slide down his forearm, over his ink. When he feels your index and middle slide along his pulse, over his wrist and palm before taking it.
It’s not until he feels your hands on his sides does he turn, your eyes looking up at him—somewhat close to the eyes he knew, the ones which first had his heart pulsing furiously as it is now.
“Do you snore?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Sleep naked?”
“Not all the time.”
“Good,” you comment, loosening your grip as he turns to face you. “Hate for you to have gone to all this effort to not let me get a wink of sleep.”
The double meaning of your words isn’t lost on him.
Especially when he sees the twinkle in your eye, the grin desperate to blossom over your lips.
“Unless…”
“Another time,” he says, even if he hates himself for it just a bit. “Now, get in bed.”
You nod, smiling, “Yes, Sir.”
Fucking hell. “Less of that.”
“Any reason?”
He snorts, turning to watch you climb into his bed, slowly pulling his T-shirt over his head, hearing you inhale as if your mouth was next to his ear.
“I’m tryin’ to be a gentleman.”
He flicks the light off, wondering if your heart is hammering as much as his. Each step towards you feels like a mile, but he’d do it again and again. Feeling for your hand and the sheets you’re offering him, sliding in beside you.
For a moment, he’s tense.
Just as you are.
Especially as his bare legs find yours, your back to his chest, hair tickling his nose. He waits, letting you make the first move for comfort, feeling you breathe heavily before shuffling against him. Fingers trying to keep your hair out of his way, pulling it, twisting it.
And he remembers sliding his hand under his pillow, pulling it out slowly, the fabric rolling between his thumb and finger before he finds your hand over the sheets. He feels you tense, likely recognising it instantly, slowly taking it from him as you move, turning to face him.
Even in the darkness, he makes out your features.
His hand reaches up, touching his chin before fingers spread up your cheeks. His thumb rolls over your bottom lip, wanting to kiss you desperately.
“You found it?”
He says nothing.
“You kept it?”
He breathes out. “I did.”
You must feel his heart hammering. You have to.
Your body slowly comes down, arms sliding around his chest before hands find themselves on the back of his neck.
His head turns as you let hug him, as your body says everything without so much as speaking. And all he can think is he’s an inch away from your lips.
He’s within reach.
He could. He should.
“Simon…” you whisper.
His throat goes dry, and then you kiss him.
Silencing his mind, silencing everything that doesn’t matter—doubt, worry and the sound of that radio message—as he runs his hands over his T-shirt that covers your body.
Pulling you close.
Keeping you close.
I’m with you : read part two
#simon 'ghost' riley#simon ghost riley#simon ghost riley x reader#simon ghost riley x f!reader#ghost riley#ghost riley x reader#ghost riley x you#simon riley x reader#simon riley angst#simon ghost riley angst#ghost cod#call of duty modern warfare 2#ghost cod mw2#simon ghost#cod x reader
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》☆MY CREEPYPASTA AU LORE!!!☆《
Howdy! So I mentioned that I was making my own creepypasta au, and I wanna share the lore I have so far! This post will be a collection of a few things I've thought of, I'll try organizing it as best as I can! :>
(Hopefully this isn't too similar to anyone else's au, if it is then it wasn't intentional!)
》☆The Operator☆《
Ok let's start off with the tall guy. Slenderman is still a very big part of my au, but it's primarily referred to as The Operator or The Boss (and is referred to with he/him or it/its pronouns by the creeps, it doesn't care about what pronouns are used though). It is less of a physical entity and more of something that infects your mind like a parasite. However, it can manifest a physical body and interact with the world around it, though it takes effort to do so. Nobody knows its motive or origins, just that it appeared one day and decided not to ever leave.
The Operator communicates with the proxies through hallucinations, mostly auditory and visual ones but sometimes it uses a proxy's other senses to get a specific message across. This means the hallucinations can range from small annoyances (like making you see and hear faint static in the middle of doing something, or making you see him standing in the corner) to large horrible experiences (like making you live in an actual nightmare and overloading/depriving your senses). These larger-scale hallucinations are usually only done in The Manor because The Operator uses its abilities best in an environment it fully controls. However, this doesn't mean it's impossible for The Operator to give someone those hallucinations on earth, it just takes more effort. It can also implant words and phrases into a proxy's mind as a message ("bring Toby, foyer" or "get back downstairs"). These aren't usually accompanied by a voice or have fully visual appearances, they just form as thoughts in someone's head. However, if a proxy seems to respond better to these messages with different sensory cues then The Operator will use them.
The Operator seems far less critical with children or beings that are similar to children. This includes Ben and Sally, since they died at young ages. With older teenagers and adults, it treats them more harshly. Then again, this depends on how well they listen to The Operator, naturally ones who listen better are given more privileges.
》☆The Manor☆《
The creeps live in a manor in the woods, however it is less of an actual landmark on earth and more of a liminal-space or dream-like reality outside of earth. I don't wanna get too detailed about this because i feel like the mystery is more appealing, but I'll explain the basics. So The Operator can alter reality for one or multiple people, mentally and/or physically. It can seemingly create places that are outside the limits of earth, and somehow trap them inside of them. The Manor is a place it created where it can better manage and control its proxies. It is unknown how many worlds it created, or how they exactly work.
The entirety of the world The Operator made is called The Manor by the proxies. This is because the manor itself is the only structure in the world, the rest of it consisting of an endless expanse of forest and fog.
The inside of the building has practically endless amounts of rooms and doesn't always have a consistent floor plan. Some rooms are kept in the same places most of the time, like the foyer and the stairwell leading to the second floor, but other rooms sometimes inexplicably change places. Some proxies decided to make things easier by marking the door to any room that changes places more than once (by, for example, labeling a bathroom "downstairs shitter" by carving it into the door). Going through some doors can lead to new unfamiliar rooms, sometimes to the interior of entirely different buildings. It can be easy to get lost, but The Operator will know where any lost proxies are and can bring them back anytime. Sometimes though, it lets them stay lost and freaked out for a while.
Time doesn't visibly pass in The Manor, as there is no visible rise or fall of any sun and there's absolutely no night. However, the creeps can still tell time throught the clocks on things like phones and watches.
》☆The Proxies☆《
All creeps are referred to as proxies, as they are basically extentions of The Operator. However, some proxies (cough cough Jeff cough) don't like to listen to The Operator, and therefore aren't as trusted to do certain tasks. But then again, this means he is trapped with more mental anguish due to The Operator's mind-fuckery.
Some proxies primarily live inside The Manor while others are allowed to live outside of it on earth. If a proxy does well and meets The Operator's standards, they're allowed to live in their own place on earth. They can have a regular job and live almost a completely normal life, with social connections and interactions with things they miss about their old life. However, they're expected to drop anything and everything if The Operator says so, even if it means losing whatever they've gained in the process. Other proxies (cough cough JEFF- cough wheeze) are kept in The Manor because The Operator thinks they'll try to escape the range of its influence. To be fair, they probably would. New proxies are also kept in The Manor until they learn how to acclimate to their new life and not try to run away.
The Operator is referred to as Slenderman or Slendy by the proxies as an informal title, usually meant as a jab at The Operator for how it usually manifests as a tall skinny white guy in a suit for indiscernible reasons.
A lot of the proxies are human, but there are also proxies that don't seem to entirely come from earth. At least, they aren't as bound to earth constraints as human proxies are. One example would be Laughing Jack, who has abilities like stretching and bending and changing size to impossible proportions that humans can't replicate. There's also Ben and Sally, being ghosts, and EJ being a demonic creature. Nobody knows exactly where the nonhuman proxies came from or formed, and they'll usually answer in vague responses if you ask.
Here's info on some of the proxies!! Feel free to send an ask if you wanna know more! :>
#normal headcanons!#normal aus!#creepypasta#creepypasta slenderman#slenderman#the operator#marble hornets#creepypasta x you#creepypasta x reader#marble hornets x you#marble hornets x reader#slenderverse#jeff the killer#ben drowned#toby rogers#masky marble hornets#tim wright#hoodie marble hornets#brian thomas#eyeless jack#laughing jack#sally williams#jane the killer#nina the killer#clockwork#kate the chaser
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Sleeping with Eula, Lisa, Jean, Rosaria, Amber, and Lumine HC's
Despite how the title sounds, this isn't spicy, just simple fluff.
It came into my head as I'm falling asleep/listening to "I Really Want to Stay at Your House" from Cyberpunk Edgerunners.
Because I still haven't recovered.
Eula only lets her S/O sleep in the same bed because it's easier for her vengeance to be enacted, do not get that mistaken.
...With that formality out of the way, Eula holds onto them with an iron grip.
Even though her hold isn't going to loosen up any, its a very comfortable squeeze.
Her head will rest against her S/O's, making sure they're faced away so they don't see her smile.
Not that they could anyway with it being so dark.
At least she hopes so, anyway.
Eula's bed feels soft yet very cold. Although she tries to keep it as cold as she can, she doesn't mind the warmth her S/O brings.
She's not always there to fall asleep with them due to her duties, but she treasures every moment she gets.
Lisa being the beautiful lazy woman she is, prefers to be held in bed.
She holds her S/O all the time, she's entitled to being pampered too. Ignoring the fact she is every second of the day.
Her bed feels very plush, the perfect type of bed to relax to and not get out in the morning.
Lisa might tease her S/O and hang onto them, but she always puts her head on their chest.
The heartbeat is very comforting as her head goes gently up and down, as she drifts off to bed.
Lisa always has a way with her words to convince her S/O to stay in bed for an extra hour or two, wanting to go back to sleep.
Her hair will also go all over the place due to a slight bit of static from her Vision and the bed, so her S/O will occasionally wake up to hair all over their face.
Jean is ready to collapse onto her bed with S/O when she finally gets a chance.
It's not very often she's there at a reasonable time at night, but she's grateful whenever she can.
Her bed is honestly very standard, nothing too remarkable about it.
Other than her lover is now sharing this once empty bed.
She doesn't mind being little or big spoon, but she loves being both for different reasons.
Jean likes the new feeling of being held, but also wants to give a familiar comfort, hugging and protecting her S/O, even when they're asleep.
The stress of the day instantly melts the second she gets under the sheets, with a kiss to S/O's forehead she is out like a light.
Rosaria doesn't get back until ungodly hours in the night most of the time.
After patching herself up and making sure S/O is sleeping soundly, she gets into her bed and passes out next to them.
Her bed feels cold, though its because shes barely in it.
The times she does actually get to go to bed with her S/O is completely jarring.
Rosaria isn't used to being held or holding someone when she sleeps, and honestly she's still not sure if she wants to.
She loves her S/O, but she needs her own space too.
...But, if S/O is asking, she'll oblige, holding or being held.
It only ever so slightly warms her face, feeling arms gently wrap around her.
And if she's feeling very VERY special that night, she'll give them a small peck on the lips.
Even at night, Amber is energetic.
It used to take her a while to fall asleep, but now with her S/O, it doesn't seem as boring!
She'll casually talk with her S/O about her day, asking about theirs, talking a lot in general.
Though her voice gets very soft as she looks into her S/O's eyes.
She gets very soft at night, hugging S/O tight and expecting the same.
Amber falls asleep very quickly if they're both holding each other, and with the biggest smile.
Her bed is a little squeaky, and is definitely a bit on the stiffer side, but it still is nice to sleep on.
It also has a Baron Bunny on it, because she refuses to not have it there.
Lumine will tell her S/O that she made the bed herself, which is half true.
She swaps out her bed from Mondstadt style, to Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, it just depends on her mood.
And the vibe of the room, whatever that means. But hey, her teapot, her rules.
Lumine makes sure to kick Paimon out so she can snuggle with her S/O in peace without a snack goblin interrupting them.
She tells her S/O what kinds of things she got up to as her voice begins growing softer and softer.
Lumine holds onto her S/O, afraid that they'd disappear if she ever lets go.
But it always reassures her to see them when she opens her eyes.
Lumine also has a tendency to snore and drool, so the sweet moments are usually interrupted by either of the two. Or both.
But with how tired she gets from adventuring, who can blame her?
...
Paimon can.
#genshin impact headcanons#genshin impact imagines#genshin impact x reader#eula x reader#jean gunnhildr x reader#lisa minci x reader#rosaria genshin impact x reader#lumine x reader#eula lawrence#jean gunnhildr#lisa minci#rosaria genshin impact#lumine#amber genshin impact x reader#amber genshin impact
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Hii Petri, I want to request for headcanons please, it's maze runner boys x fem!reader and she was one of the first to go up in the box, she's been in the glade for enough time to pass for the transition of 'cute little girl who's happend to be there with a lot of boys' to 'really hot girl in the middle of tons os guys', and I want to see the moment that clicked for each one of them that "oh, she's a girl". I think it would be fun cause they're a bunch of virgin dudes stuck in a place with only one girl that they know since "forever" and then suddenly she's not that little kid anymore and it clicks that they'd could be the one to date her.
I am completely doing my requests out of order, but I really like this idea and headcanons are so much easier lol.
Also no Newt here, the boy likes men.
DEVELOPMENT
MASTERLIST | MULTI-CHARACTER MASTERLIST
SUMMARY: See above. Movie based fic.
WARNINGS: Inappropriate language, awkward teenage boys, you're the boss, everyone is useless, mild suggestive themes, the Thomas one is really bad 'cause I had no way of actually writing that based on this prompt.
You were the first person in the Glade, a young girl with no memories or idea what you were doing. Yet, somehow, you managed to survive for a whole month on your own. Then, one after another, the boys started joining you. And you went from soft girl to a leader they could rely on - though, it takes them a bit to notice this.
THOMAS
Being one of the later arrivals to the Glade, Thomas doesn't have the same reaction the others do.
You're just a badass from day one to him.
He thinks you're cool and calculated and you seem to know what you're doing.
He respects you from day one.
He doesn't get to have the whole realising you're cool moment that everyone else does.
He just thinks you're sick.
And he's like, stressed as shit, so he doesn't really have the time to think otherwise.
MINHO
Now, this is where it gets interesting.
Minho was one of the first boys to follow you into the Maze, just after Alby and Newt.
So he's witnessed your whole transformation.
From the early days of exploring the Maze together, to you making him Keeper, to the drunken nights where he'd had a rough day and you had to drag him to bed.
You've been together through thick and thin.
And some of Minho's confidence has definitely rubbed off on you.
The moment where Minho realised you were in face a girl, and not the one he first met was actually quite simple.
You'd had a long night, and with one of your Runners out of commission, you realised you hadn't told Minho to cover another route that day as you'd made arrangements for a new Runner to do a more simpler route- which meant switching up everyone's routines.
Fresh out of bed, wearing a sports bra and baggy trousers that hung off your hips, you went to the Map Room.
It wasn't uncommon for you to dress like this. The Glade is warm, and you basically mothered all these boys.
You whistled as you entered, gaining their attention.
"Oi, boys, listen up - I'm switching routes around today. With Sam off on sick and Darren being new, he's taking the easiest route. Minho, I need you to deal with covering the outer sections more. And Ben I need you to stick to your path for a change instead of going awol - your maps make no sense."
"Aw, what? But that's boring."
"I ain't shuckin' askin', Ben - do as you're told."
Oh.
Oh God.
Minho doesn't know why this is what made it click.
His eyes fell on your body, your words becoming static as he drunk in your figure.
Had you always been this attractive?
Had you always been this assertive?
Was Minho into dominant women?
Should he be concerned?
After this point onwards, Minho started looking at you differently.
In fact, you became the only thing he couldn't take his eyes off.
Minho would go from your confident and reliant friend to slightly awkward, but also occasionally flirty.
Like he can't actually decide what to do with you now.
It'd take a while, but after some near death experiences, he'd become more outwardly flirtatious.
Though, he still wouldn't be able to get over the admiration and awe for you.
GALLY
Gally would be your number one problem child in the Glade.
He always has been.
But, you normally left Alby or Newt to deal with him.
Especially at the start since he's a big dude with a big temper.
Gally always saw you unfit as a leader.
Too timid, quiet, anxious.
You name it, he thought it.
That was until the day him and Minho got in a particularly nasty fight.
You don't know why or what it was, but Gally had gone for the Runner. Alby was busy sorting out the Maps, and in light of Newt's recent injury - it was left up to you.
Jeff came running into your hut, panicking about the fight, leading you to running out after him.
"That's enough!"
You grabbed the boys, yanking Gally away by his collar.
"The shuck do you slintheads think you're doing?"
"He started it!"
"I did not!"
You'd had a hard day.
You didn't need this.
"I don't give two klunks who started it! We ain't got much choice to act like adults 'round here - and you two are actin' like diaper-klunkin' sissy babies! Get a shuckin' grip! I expect better."
Minho apologised quickly.
Gally did not.
"What? Why should I apologise when this shank can't shut his mouth?"
Well, you weren't having that.
"Because I shucking told you to. You're under my care and my order- what I say goes. You may be a Keeper, but that's up to me. Suck it up and do as you're told."
"...sorry.
"Better. Get back to work."
The way that Gally watched you walk away made it obvious to everyone who witnessed the scene that something had changed.
He'd always seen you as weak and a pointless leader, but now?
You'd put him in his place.
Initially, he was embarrassed.
But then he started seeing everything around the Glade, the power you actually held.
He also started to notice how attractive you actually had become.
Safe to say, he started to feel things after you basically called him a bitch.
He'd start showing you more respect after that.
Maybe a bit more than respect.
FRYPAN
Frypan has always liked you.
He's always respected you and been a good friend.
And he used to make sure that you were okay when things got too much.
But as you got older and more confident, you started to not need that comfort as much.
Unlike the others, there wouldn't be a specific moment where he realised.
He'd just be proud as he watched you grow as a person.
And you'd take charge.
It'd be a slow burn of feelings from friendship to genuinely having a crush on you.
You'd make sure his kitchen is always stocked and the Track-hoes do their job and the vegetables are up to scratch.
Though, his feelings came more with the physical transformation side of things.
You hit puberty, and went from being awkward to confident along with it.
Now, Frypan is probably one of the more respectful guys around.
But he can't help but stare when you bend over, or stretch or even just look at him with a smirk.
He's a teenage boy and you're the only girl around.
He's trying his best.
Though he did go from:
"Hey, everything okay? You look stressed."
To:
"H-hey uh, you uh, you need help, or...?"
Man's is down bad.
ALBY
Alby would probably be the person you're closest to.
He's the mouth and the power to your brain
You basically work side by side.
But, he'd always see you as someone he needed to look after and protect.
Then, as you grew up, came into yourself, that would change.
Especially when you started actually being in charge.
For the most part, he really doesn't care.
He noticed the others starting to act differently, but he didn't change much.
Apart from that one time you'd just come out of the shower.
And he just couldn't take his eyes off you.
And he kinda realised you're a woman.
But apart from that.
He's just... there.
Helping you lead.
Sorry for disappearing, this is not my best work but I am currently in full corpse mode.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed :))
#🌿 petri writes tmr#🌿 petri writes#🍃 petri tmr#tmr fanfiction#tmr imagines#tmr minho#minho the maze runner#the maze runner#thomas the maze runner#tmr frypan#alby maze runner#tmr alby
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What's in a Name
Summary: This would be Wiatt's first lunch joining his boyfriend (BOYFRIEND!!!) at his usual lunch spot with his usually lunch mates, which is to say that he was re-meeting Lewis's best friends with the context of dating Lewis. This was basically make or break it as far as Wiatt was concerned. Just had to make a good impression. No pressure. Right? Riiiiight.
(Also available on AO3)
Wiatt was nervous. This was his first time seeing having lunch with Lewis as his boyfriend. What's more, this was his first time having lunch with his boyfriend and his boyfriend's best friends. Wiatt knew how important the two friends were to Lewis. One was practically a sister that Lewis had grown up with and the other rounded out their energetic ideas and was a kind glue that smoothed out the edges and made the three closer than the two were before. He treasured these friendships and if either of them thought he wasn't right for Lewis or just didn't like him, well, a boyfriend of two days vs a pair of best friends for over a year? He was pretty sure who Lewis would choose, and honestly? Was Wiatt even that much? What did Lewis even see in him?
He had to make a good impression. He had been introduced before, but something about today felt more real. Oh, fuck! What if he got their names wrong? What if he forgot them? Asking them to repeat their names after he had known of them as long as he had known of Lewis? He was going to seem like such a careless jerk. Wiatt nervously jiggled the cord of his headphones and winced at the slight static sound it caused. He would have to put Coldplay on pause in a moment, but he let the tempo of 42 guide the beat of his footsteps as he scanned the area for a sign of blonde, brown, or orange hair.
Eventually, he spotted Lewis's beanie and made his way to one of the blue mesh metal tables with an umbrella. Next to Lewis was a girl with long brown hair. She was munching on baby carrots from a purple striped lunchbox with the Cheshire Cat on it. What a shifty character to pair with someone eating in a shifty way. Just carrots? Plain? No ranch? No hummus? As if sensing his judgment, she plucked a grape out of the bag and took a bite into another carrot. What a monster!
Next to the food fiend was a boy with slightly unkempt red hair and sunken green eyes. Wiatt's Wikipedia-scavenging heart went out the boy he clocked as a fellow insomniac.
Lewis looked up from his cafeteria soggy spaghetti and meat sauce and a beaming smile lit up his face. That smile could give solar power a run for its money, but instead it sent a charge to the butterflies in Wiatt's stomach, especially when his lips parted to sing out his name, "Wiatt! Darling! Come, join us."
At the sound of his harmonious voice, Lewis's friends looked up at the lunchtime interloper. Right! This was the make it or break it moment. The brunette was closer, so he offered his hand to her.
"Hi, Sara." Her name was a bit easier to remember because after their introduction he had the song “Que Sera Sera” stuck in his head.
Sara didn't take the offered hand. She just stared at him, as if challenging him to try and mess with her. Fair enough. He didn't need to talk to her. Let her resume her food crimes.
Time to greet the other friend. Right. His name had something related to plants, right? Oakley? Ash? Forrest?
“Wiatt!” The other boy exclaimed. Then he made a face like he was worried he said something wrong. Or maybe he was worried he said it too loud? Well, Wiatt would just up the energy and try to calm this guy’s nerves. Besides, he remembered the boy’s name. They were in World History together.
“Hey! Good to see you, Basil!” Wiatt cheered and gave his own smile.
Basil took the offered hand and smiled back, then paused.
“Yeah! Wait.”
Sara started to cackle. She leaned over and gave the redhead a noogie. “He sure is! It’s my bestest buddy, Basil.”
“Saaaraaaaa,” the boy whined.
At the same time, Lewis cleared his throat, stood up, and guided Wiatt to sit next to him. “That is Oliver, Darling.”
Oh. Oh. Oh no.
Wiatt covered his face. “Oh my god. Oliver! I am so sorry! Oh no. Hnnnngh!”
Lewis chuckled and pat Wiatt’s back. “It’s quite alright, Darling. We could tell you were nervous.”
“You sit next to me in World History.”
“I am really sorry!”
Sara took a breath to calm her laughter. “He’ll forgive you, don’t worry. I, however, will not let you live this down.”
“Noted.” Wiatt deadpanned.
“For the record, you got my name right, at least. But I am telling you now it is spelled S-A-R-A. No H.”
“Got it.”
“Do you want me to write it down? I can get a pen.”
“If I offer half my cookie will you forgive me?” Wiatt sighed.
“You may buy my silence for the moment.” Sara agreed cordially.
“I was asking Oliver.”
“Are you sure you don’t mean Basil?”
“I really don’t mind. Wiatt.” Oliver finally spoke up. Wiatt held out half the cookie to him nonetheless. Oliver gamely took the treat, broke it into thirds, and passed a piece each to Lewis and Sara.
“Aww! A sweet from a sweetheart!” Sara cooed in thanks. She then retrieved a bag of…more grapes??? from her lunchbox and passed the plastic bag to Oliver.
“You just don’t want to eat the olives,” Lewis chided
“Yes, and?” Sara retorted
Oliver looked at the bag, smirked for a moment, and held the bag out to Wiatt. “Want some? As a pneumatic device?”
Wiatt let out a nervous chuckle and plucked one of the offered namesakes. “Thanks.”
From there, things went a bit more smoothly. Aside from the occasional teasing from Sara that petered out after a while, the name mishap was forgotten for a while. At least, it seemed to be.
-Around a year later-
The three best friends looked over their new employees. To think, they had employees , now! People were relying on them for instructions and paychecks. The nerves!
Oliver was surprised to see some familiar faces. It felt weird seeing people he knew from school when they were now in a different city. Sara leaned over to inspect the list of names and photos to go with the names.
“Oh, no way! Lewis?” That was Andrew. He was in a study group with Sara as well as the art club Lewis had to drop once they started the project that led to them founding the Dreamworld facility.
“It’s good to see you, Darling.” Lewis greeted.
“Is it just you or is…Oh! Hi, Sara.” Andrew was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Then he turned to look at Oliver. “I didn’t get to know you as well as Lewis and Sara. Oh! But now I have the chance to know you more, too! I look forward to working with you, Basil!”
“Oh, um,” Oliver was caught off guard by Andrew’s enthusiasm, but his words registered after a moment. Oliver let his face fall into his palm, “Darn it, Wiatt.”
Sara patted his shoulder. “Not even here and the plus one is still causing trouble,” Sara laughed.
#Welcome to Dreamworld#WTDW#Welcome to Dreamworld Fanfiction#Wiatt Nicholson#Lewis Bright#Sara Covetman#Oliver Acrimony#Andrew Owens (He is mentioned at the end)#Icy Scribes#This is based on something that happened with my brother and his friend
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Feeling down? Ryusei blue will save you ☆
Kanata Shinkai x Reader anxiety comfort !
A/N - I had an anxiety attack in spanish today and am very very tired from such so… self indulgent kanata. ALSO ITS MY FIRST TIME WRITING KANATA SO MIGHT BE OOC?? idk at this point i like the way this came out so ill continue to write him like this
TW - Anxiety attacks
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Short, shaky and shallow breaths left your mouth as you tightened your grasp on your sleeves in a desperate attempt to somewhat control your quivering. You tried to focus on the sheet of homework in front of you, but even thinking about schoolwork felt overwhelming. Everything was overwhelming.
You lifted your hands to reach for your pencil, slowly and uncertainly twirling it between your fingers in hopes of finding some calm, but the racing thoughts wouldn’t quiet.
It was too much.
Something in you gave up on trying to calm down. you could feel hot little tears prickling at the corners of your face, which only made your heart rate spike at the thought of somebody seeing you cry in class.
That was so lame. You hated when people thought lowly of you.
It was scary.
You sucked in a breath, only becoming more shaky after noticing the choked noise your dry throat made when you opened your mouth to breathe. Oh god. What if somebody heard it? What if the teacher got mad? What if—? Oh god, oh god, oh god—
“Professor~?”
You glanced upwards, eyes wet as you did so. You watched as the professor paused his scribbling on the board. “Hm? What is it, Shinkai?”
You blinked, taking another shaky breath as you bounced your leg with haste. for some reason feeling the need to listen as intently as possible, which temporarily stopped your mind from trailing elsewhere.
“Ah-… I don’t feel too well… Can I have a friend walk me to the main office~?” You felt yourself let out a slight, wobbly smile- Something about Kanata’s voice was incredibly calming to your static nerves.
The professor shrugged, turning back to continue writing notes down on the board and mumbling something of a ‘whatever, sure’ as he did so.
You let out a relieved sigh, although you were unsure as to why you cared. After a moment of peace, your mind caught back up to you, and you felt the quiver in your body start up again as you scratched your sleeve, trying for no particular reason to dig your nails into it.
You bowed your head back between your knees, breaths speeding up again until you felt a hand on your shoulder, making you jolt.
“C’mon~”
Kanata was smiling at you, putting the exact amount of pressure on your shoulder where it felt comforting. He extended his other hand to you, silently inviting you out of class, which was about the only thing you wanted in that moment.
With a moment’s hesitation, which Kanata seemed infinitely patient with, you shakily took his hand and let him take you out into the hall, keeping one hand on your shoulder the whole time. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that you were shaking to the point where someone who didn’t know better might think you were vibrating, and seemed to have no judgement in his eyes whenever you sniffled a bit.
The moment the door of the classroom closed behind you, he carefully removed his uniform blazer and placed it on your shoulders.
“Do you want to go to the fountain to calm down~?”
His voice alone made you feel a bit better, and the idea of getting fresh air sounded very calming. You nodded shakily, letting out a quiet ‘Thank you’ before he smiled at you and waved his hand dismissively and took your hand again, walking you outside to where the school fountain stood. The walk there was silent, except for the occasional humming from Kanata, and he had an air around him that made it easier to destress.
After a moment, you found yourself in front of the fountain, where Kanata wasted no time in sitting down in the water, humming his little ‘puka puka’ before smiling at you.
“Are you feeling better?” He asked, patting the ledge of the fountain for you to sit down at.
“Y- Yeah-…” You couldn’t bring yourself to say much, but it was true- your heart rate was slowly but surely slowing back to its usual pace, and you weren’t shaking quite as violently. Kanata smiled again, which set your mind at peace before he floated over near the ledge where you now sat.
“You don’t have to tell me what got you so anxious, but please feel free to if you so desire~” He hummed, reaching one hand to place over yours. It was wet, but you didn’t particularly mind as it was warm enough outside not to be uncomfortable. “It’s okay to feel afraid sometimes,” He continued, absentmindedly tracing shaped on your hand with his index finger as he spoke. “Just keep that in mind. No matter what happens, me and the rest of us in Ryuseitai will support you~”
Coming from Kanata, that was enough to properly calm you. You were still shaken up, but as he proceeded to drop his entire body under the water for a second so he could blow bubbles at you from underneath, you couldn’t help but crack a smile, and a moment later you were laughing.
Maybe you’d be alright for today.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── End
#kanata shinkai#kanata shinkai x reader#enstars#ensemble stars#enstars x reader#ensemble stars x reader#anxiety comfort#anxiety fic#anxiety SUCKS#fish boy#the silly <3#silly little guy#silly little fella#my babygirl kanata#i actually love him so much#KANATA SHINKAI MY LOVE#he is everything#im so normal about him#wdym#im#soooo#norml about him??#the normalest#i would never be not normal about kanata shinkai#shit thats a lot of tags
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A, J, W, T, and X for Yandere slenderman please (if those are too many than just pick the one’s you want to do most)
Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?
This monster has had many interactions with humans over the years, and despite all the progress he's made with learning how to puppeteer then to do his bidding Slenderman doesn't particularly know how to communicate non lethal intentions. What you see as unpredictable and scary is in all reality him trying his best to figure out how to show fondness
He's a rather composed creature so it'll never get anywhere near out of hand, an occasional hand offered to be held when taking you somewhere new and help from his tentacles to pick you up, retrieve what you can't reach and supply you with head pats. Soon you'll realize he's basically treating you like a human child out of not knowing how else to express his liking towards you
Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?
The closest thing Slenderman gets to jealousy is protective, he understands the need for communication between humans and doesn't see issue with you spending time with them even if they tend to come on too strong.
The reason he gets protective is that the only humans that happen to be around him are homicidal to the extreme. Scary features and behaviors he knows you haven't grown accustomed to just yet, therefore any friendship you make with those around you is to be supervised by him at all times
Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?
Simply put, not on purpose. You may irritate him from time to time if you behave aggressively but it's nothing he cant use a little mind static to deescalate. Though there will be times Slenderman forgets what he is compared to you, grab you a little too harshly or cause migraines that last hours from infiltrating your head
He'll ensure you properly recover from these mistakes he has made as a form of apology whilst also being a little bit easier to sway if you ask for something the monster was otherwise against, he doesn't want you holding this against him after all
Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate
At first he didn't seem to care, didn't make an effort to calm you down or provide comfort but that was because he didn't particularly know what these expressions meant for him, simply thinking this was just how humans theoretically let off pent up steam.
When he has a better understanding of your emotions, be it from figuring it out himself or one of the proxies, the monster goes out of his way to try and support you in whatever way he can, usually a gift is given of some sort, nevertheless as long as you seem to be doing better he doesn't mind what has to be done
Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would
Slenderman finds you fascinating, not exactly worshiping, rather he adores you significantly more than he has any other human that has found themselves on his path. The monster wants to learn about you, see how you handle situations while also guiding you through them hand in hand. This is the first time he hasn't used a human for his own personal wants, instead he just has you living besides him almost like a prized pet of some sort
#12000 celebration#yandere alphabet#slenderman#slenderman x reader#slenderman imagine#slenderman headcanons#yandere slenderman#creepypasta#creepypasta imagines#creepypasta headcanon#creepypasta x y/n#creepypasta x reader#yandere creepypasta#yandere#yandere x reader#yandere headcanons#yandere imagines#yandere imagine#yandere x you#yandere x y/n
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Unicorn Overlord: It’s good
Well you already know I like to talk about games sometimes and if you have ever read me you already know what gets me writing: When I think a game is really good but also tremendously disappointing in one or two relatively unimportant aspects. So let’s dive into my thoughts on the latest game by Vanillaware: Unicorn Overlord.
First off, nearly every attack animation in this game is a delight both graphically and sonically. The attacks truly feel like they have WEIGHT to them, like someone’s getting fucked up for sure. Of course halfway into the game I started skipping animations quite a lot but the reason I skipped is because fights are a bit hypnotic to look at, and seeing Every Single Fight would make the game last an additional 10 hours or so.
Beyond that, the fact that the game makes you a programmer is just cool, you get to set several conditions to decide if and when attacks will be used in skirmishes. This opens up a tremendous timesink to anyone who cares about optimizing their teams. And hey, if a fight doesn’t seem like it’ll work, just move the characters around a bit, or their skills, or turn the assists off and on again, the rng is seemingly static so you can try any number of combinations before combat, and the battle preview is perfectly accurate so any prediction you see is guaranteed to happen.
Ok but is it too easy?
Surely enough, you’d think any game with that much player freedom is bound to be either too easily beaten by skilled players or too hard for casuals and my surveying seems to indicate: both, but mostly the first one. Upon release date I had to read a plethora of people complaining that the game was Too Easy, even on expert and True Zenoiran difficulties (true zenoiran being the difficulty you unlock upon clearing the game).
Honestly though I think the difficulty should be fine for most players, the problem here is that obviously most of the people buying day one are seasoned srpg veterans who will obviously utilize the system to it’s greatest extents. It’s no wonder that I saw spoilers for The Worst ending (which requires beating the final mission extremely early into the game) before I ever saw spoilers for the midgame or even the actual finale. People playing this day 0 were freaks desperate for a new srpg.
So rather than complaining that the game is too easy, I’d rather say that the issue is that it is Too Rewarding. This is a game where doing stuff gets you stuff, if you make a well thought out unit that steamrolls your enemies it is no surprise that it actually works out and it successfully steamrolls your enemies.
It reminds a bit of the time Breath of the Wild was released. If upon clearing the Great Plateau you go straight to hyrule castle, you will have a fight against Ganon at this maximum possible difficulty. If instead you choose to actually do the game’s content, the divine beasts will let you skip the first few phases of the fight, resulting in an easier fight against Ganon not only because your Link is stronger thanks to the hearts, equipment, energy and techniques acquired through the journey, but also because Ganon simply has less hp. To a lot of people this was an issue, they wanted the fight to be hard, but clearing most of the game actually made it significantly easier.
As far as I’m concerned though I don’t really mind it! Obviously if you prepare for a fight the fight will be easier. This is a complaint that while I do understand, I don’t really share at all.
In the same breath that I praise it for being too rewarding I will however also admonish it for not having enough content for these types of players. Surely enough a casual like me feels like freaking Einstein for beating a boss while taking no damage but it’s fair to say more content or more interesting content needed to be there to fully satisfy those who love the struggle.
Not to say vanillaware didn’t try. You have the Coliseum where your units face off against actually well thought out teams, leading to an epic fight with a beautiful gigantic woman who will join your army only if you defeat her. And once you do defeat her there’s even more well thought out teams waiting for you in further arena levels.
This however begs the question: if you can make better enemy teams in this mode, why didn’t you do that for the main game too. Not only that but challenging coliseum levels will net you very powerful rewards that will make your army even stronger and the main game even easier. Hell, you can get all the way to Amalia early on and have a lvl40 behemoth among your lvl20 main army.
To make matters worse, Amalia’s fight is easily cheesed by the thieve, one of the very first classes you acquire. The fight will count as a victory as long as you lose less percentual hp than she does, which is way too lenient. For her final form at least they should’ve made it so you can only win by actually getting her hp to 0.
This highlights the issue we talked about earlier that I will spell out once again: the game truly rewards everything you do, however it doesn’t offer any further challenge for the rewards it gives you. To be fair with Vanillaware, they reportedly ran out of money while working on the game so it’s no surprise there’s no real post-game or whatnot.
The point is: you can show you understand team building and get Amalia early but this will make the following chapters extremely easy. Hell the game won’t force you to go to any place even though there’s obviously an intended order but if you skip ahead and go to the harder places, your reward will be having an abysmal time going back to easy low level content if you want to just enjoy the story. And oh boy, let’s talk about to the story, but first
The marketing
Can't recall if official sources actually said “From the creators of 13 Sentinels” or not but I'm still blaming the fans for spreading this one because no it’s not. Why would you ever say this. Different writer, different character designer and different game director. Blud_thinks_he’s_on_the_team.jpg. Yes it’s the same company and they have a similar style in the 2D segments but that’s it. If 13 Sentinels was an actually popular game (lol) do you have any idea how detrimental this would be to unicorn overlord?
These are completely different games. One is basically a visual novel with a gripping story that will have you hooked all the way to the end, which also happens to have some gameplay, while the other is an srpg with captivating gameplay, which also happens to have some story. These are two insanely different games, why even bring it up. Haven’t felt this mad since Zanki Zero said it was by the creators of Danganronpa. Bitch one of them is a cool, dark story taking place at the very end of humanity where some kids are humanity’s last remnants of hope, and the other is danganronpa. Don’t bring that shit up. They’re totally different games. Also before going on to the story:
The Characters
Auch is the coolest boy ever. He's my little blorbo or whatever tumblr people say these days.
Honestly, it’s a cool cast, for the most part. Some person said on twitter that the game really gets the essence of just throwing Guys at you and they could not be any more correct. “Hey guys I’m Lex and I climb trees”. What more could you possibly want from a character? One of them even has the balls to, in his epilogue, invent democracy in a story where there’s only kingdoms and empires, hell dude you helped a king rise to power. What the hell. You get an old witch that reverted back into being young and instead of looking like a 9 year old she looks like a regular grown woman. For a japanese company to do that it must have taken So Much restraint. There’s also a half-elf that’s discriminated against by full-elves, epic dungeon meshi reference, amirite. Hell there’s even a catgirl that’s just a human with no cat features, she simply used to be a cat.
Aight you got me, the characters are quite simple for the most part but I assure you they are endearing precisely because of that. My favorites gotta be Melissandre (been a sucker for swordmasters for over a decade now, plus her rapport with Scarlet is really cute), Aramis (his poses are so extra, love him), Auch (not only is everything about him hilarious but his epilogue goes HARD) and of course my most beloved: generic female elven fencer, for no one has ever breasted quite as boobily as she has.
The Story
Alright so, the story, now we’re heading into spoilers. That’s right, spoilers for King’s Ranking and Dangan Ronpa, and also Unicorn Overlord to a lesser degree.
You know how in Ousama Ranking we see how despicable it is when the previous generation clings on to life and their so called glory so desperately that they would rather supplant or ruin the lives of their children who insist on being their own person as opposed to merely vessels of their will, an impending global issue happening right now as our planet slowly rots away to it’s demise because 80 year old politicians outright despise the newer generations so much they’d rather burn the world as opposed to letting them have it. Ok. what if we used that theme but like, uninteresting?
Don’t get me wrong, I had fun with the story. At first I was supremely pissed off when there was mind control like 5 minutes into the story but the game eventually reveals there is no mind control and when it does, it kinda doesn’t fix the issue? Surely enough this is better than just a generic mind control scheme, the type of bullshit danganronpa 3 the animation despair side (aired in 2016) would pull off, but it’s still not stellar.
Turns out all these mind controlled people are actually possessed by souls from a bygone kingdom from olden days. The unicorn ring doesn’t dispel mind control, it exorcises the souls possessing the body, so that the original owner can retake control. So that’s pretty ominous and dark for sure but fundamentally doesn’t solve the issue brought up by mind control.
When Super Dangan Ronpa 2 reveals that it’s cast used to be supervillains prior to having their memory wiped all the way back to the time when they were still innocent, for a moment it raises a lot of questions. Going further beyond the issue of forgiveness for those who repent their crimes: Should we forgive those who don’t even remember their crimes? Who commited crimes against their will? A man burns down your house, your family still in it, but he was brainwashed, would you want him jailed? This is a fun thing to think about before it is revealed (in the anime) that they weren’t actually evil, they were simply brainwashed by brainwashing tech. Their acts of evil did not stem from bad choices made at bad times, they were simply forced into doing evil. This reveal of course retroactively ruins a large part of danganronpa and most of what it ever meant to me.
Unicorn Overlord, in trailers, fancied itself a game with Tough Choices, I vividly remember the trailer showing the protagonist next to a defeated enemy and the options Recruit and Spare being shown. So I for one thought that perhaps recruiting a bad guy would make it so I can’t recruit a good guy later on, or some other shortcoming. Like maybe executing someone would result in a drastic change in the narrative. But this isn’t the case.
Gameplay-wise there is no particular downside to recruiting any character in the entire game. Everyone recruitable is a Certified Good Person, who was either possesed or Doing It For A Very Good Reason. Ultimately it’s just the age old question: would you rather spare a poor man’s life and hang out with him, or gain +1 movement?
Hell, there’s only two recruitable guys I actually wanted to kill. One survives anyway, you face him off again later on and he lives again and is spared without your input. He’s not even possessed but still did something questionable, I wanted him in jail but he just lives on like nothing.
The other guy I would’ve killed is immediately spared without player input. He also wasn’t possessed but still cooperated with the bad guys, in a nation high enough in levels to possibly be able to resist the forces of evil. Tough Choices my ass.
Even if there’s no changes to the story though, the ethical question would by itself be worthy of note. I forgave this guy who aided evil but did he really have a choice? Was he right in that it would protect the people if he cooperated or is there something inherently insidious about allowing evil to be in power? Unicorn Overlord says: Who cares. He was just possessed bro. Or his ends justify his means. Stop having moral conundrums we’re trying to have fun over here.
Point is that it doesn’t matter if they’re mind controlled or possessed, ultimately it just absolves criminals and takes away any moral question to be had about their forgiveness. No one has to be a bad guy because the zenoiran empire are the bad guys.
I guess a more interesting question would be: What if the zenoirans were good guys? Or at least decent guys. What if they only possessed bad guys, and once in control they just chilled and formed a secret society instead of trying to take over the world. Would their robbery of people’s lives and free will be so inherently wrong that it fundamentally makes them evil even if they’re improving other people’s lives? Is it ok to let people lose their free will as long as they’re shitty people? If there was some kind of evil guy, a king who’s a molester and abused everyone around him, but he turned good once he lost his free will or was possessed by an ancient relatively chill guy, would that make it ok? If you think those are decent moral conundrums know that you’re indirectly praising Persona 5, a game were The Good Guys go inside people’s minds to take away their free will.
Anyway, I shouldn’t be complaining, I’m the type that for a while has been on the side of just wanting simpler villains, any time we get something with even a little bit of nuance to it you get the most annoying people online consistently arguing about it for… I guess 5 years now?
They did put plenty of effort into this possession stuff, particularly notable in The Worst Ending. If you sequence break in a tremendously unnatural way and clear the final mission before saving Scarlet (the main love interest who is kidnapped at the beginning of the game) you get the worst ending in which you face off against her possesed body (which is implied to have undergone tremendous suffering and agony before finally giving up to the possession). After beating her and the final bad guy, Galerius possesses the protagonist and we see an ending featuring all the good guys in black armor led by Galerius, implying they’ve all been possessed too.
What’s really cute about this ending is that the credits show Galerius and his buddy Baltro first in the credits, that shit is hilarious for something that so few players will actually get, showing the final boss first in the credits like he’s the protagonist.
Well, aside from that, all the stuff with the sanctuaries that tell the lore of each continent near the end of the game, that’s really cool. Angels aren’t heavenly, they’re a failed experiment that can breed. Furries aren’t a different species, they’re elves that adapted to the environment using magic, whereas elves from the south had no need to evolve like this because their environment is so different. Honestly, that stuff was cool, I liked it. Really cool world building.
Anyway, by the end of the story the game spells out even louder for everyone that judging is bad and forgiveness is good, as it gives you the option to either kill or cleanse Galerius, with the choice to kill Galerius leading into the bad end. So if you’re ever in a situation in which you can kill Hitler remember: Unicorn Overlord wants you to spare him, he’s just a little baby boy who’s probably doing it for very good reasons.
Jesus christ dude just stop talking and tell me if the game is good or not
It’s a good game. 8/10 at the very least. Elven fencer my beloved I will follow your tits and ass to any game you’re featured in. Also play 13 Sentinels, not because it’s related in any way but because it’s freaking 13 Sentinels, if you haven’t played it then you really should
#unicorn overlord#she uni on my corn until I overload#she overlord on my unicorn until I vanillaware#review
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Sanctuary
Art trade fic for @vexa-legacy! I wrote ssome Toe Beans circa War for Iokath, ~2000 words
---
The meadow was easy to visit.
Its distance from the Jedi temple was no more than an invigorating hike, the solace he found there always more than worth the effort. And it was his. A place where the troubles of the galaxy couldn't reach him, serene, unspoiled. Birdsong and babbling brook a soothing backdrop when he wanted to meditate and cleanse his thoughts.
Pristine.
Quiet.
Paradise.
Through all his training, all his adventures, it was a ready sanctuary when he needed the space to breathe. And he visited it often as he could. After defeating Bengel Morr, after dealing with Darth Angral and mourning Master Orgus, when he was freed from the Emperor's control. Always alone, with only his thoughts and the Force for company--except for the one very special time he shared it with Kira.
It was even easier to reach now--a memory no more than a thought away when he needed to retreat, to breathe, thanks to the Empire's assault on Tython so long ago.
He had needed it a lot. Fighting Arcann was draining, the demands and decisions hung on his shoulders with the mantle of commander a weight to carry, no matter how willingly he assumed the role. Fighting Vaylin was even more arduous--her flame may have burned out faster than her brother's, but it had burned hotter as well, claiming lives with the reckless and voracious hunger of wildfire. And even now, the lull between storms, as his feet tread Odessen's wilderness paths, his mind was in a far-off hideaway on Tython.
Centering himself on the babble of a remembered stream as he passed between trees. Hearing the faint birdsong as his steps finally slowed. Almost able to smell the long-lost flowers as he settled himself on a large boulder.
The picture of it was crystal clear in his mind as he slipped deeper into meditation. The Force whispered around him and made it all the more vivd. He wasn't sure how long he'd been there, aware of the wildlife around him while also visiting the secret place he would never again see in person, before his comm beeped. A couple hours, at least, judging by the sun.
He let the idyllic slip from his mind, returning to reality as he unclipped his comm and answered it. "Yes, Lana, go ahead."
"We've received some information that should be discussed, Commander." The connection feathered static on the edges of her accent. "Information regarding Iokath. How soon do you think you can return?"
He sighed, straightening his legs and pushing off the rocky seat. "Give me an hour, I suppose. Is it really that important?"
"Let's say I believe it should be acted on as quickly as possible, and leave the rest for when you're back."
If she was being this evasive on a private comm channel on the Alliance's own planet, it must be serious. "Of course, I'll be there soon."
Corrus started walking, leaving wilderness real and remembered behind.
---
Lana's news was indeed big--an anonymous tip giving rough coordinates of a superweapon on Iokath. Something you might want to investigate, the source added vaguely.
"Not a lot of detail," Theron muttered, and Corrus had to agree. It sounded almost like a trap; just enough information to catch their attention and make it seem they couldn't pass it up, without specifics to make it more solid.
"Do you think it's credible?" he asked Lana.
"Credible enough to investigate," Lana said with a firm nod. She pulled up a holo of the planet, a small orange marker hovering over a location. "It's rough coordinates, not exact, but if such a weapon truly exists, I don't think we can afford to leave it unclaimed."
She had a point, and both men nodded. Given their previous experience with Iokath technology, a superweapon from there was not the sort of thing to just leave figuratively lying around.
"And the radiation has receded to safe levels," Lana continued. "If we send a small team to investigate, I don't see any real danger." She keyed up the planet's stats and the levels, sure enough, had just dropped below dangerous.
"Alright," Corrus said with a nod. He studied the planetary information still scrolling across the holo. "Who do we send?"
"Oh, I can handle it," Lana said briskly, hands clasped behind her back. "You have quite enough on your plate, Commander."
She wasn't wrong there, either. The saying might be "No rest for the wicked", but the good didn't seem to catch any more of a break.
"Awfully quick to volunteer," Theron drawled in a tone of friendly prodding, leaning back against a console with arms crossed. "Feeling cooped up, Beniko?"
"Perhaps," Lana said, faint smile pulling her lips. "Perhaps I'm curious to see this mysterious superweapon myself."
"Whatever the case may be, I think you can handle it," Corrus said wryly. "Go ahead. I'll want status reports."
"Of course." She nodded, already heading for the exit. "We'll work out how frequent once we see what's waiting for us."
---
What was waiting for them, in the long run, was a clusterfuck. The Republic and Empire had received the same tip, the planet was still rife with homicidally protective droids, and the superweapon was--as Theron so eloquently put it--more akin to the apocalypse than a mere weapon.
"No one should have this," Corrus said grimly, and then set about making it so, even if the Republic's backing in the endeavor was more to keep the Empire from getting it rather than agreeing.
Still, he and Theron fought more droids than Imps as they worked their way across the planet. Scouring droids, like they'd faced on their last (unwanted) visit, caretakers, remotes, they all seemed to still regard any organic life as an infection to cleanse. That would weight less on his conscience than human life, at least.
He wondered what Kira would think of this place--all metal and angles and apocalypse weapons. There'd be some deadpan commentary for sure and he wished she was here to give it. He closed his eyes briefly as the tram whisked along and the image of her face lingered, followed by his meadow; natural beauty in sharp contrast to the mechanical austerity that surrounded him.
He only had a moment to dwell on the person and place he missed most before the tram lurched as it came to a stop and it was time to deal with reality.
"Theron, I've reached the superweapon command..."
Determination and Jedi focus carried him through the initial rush of energy as the throne controls reacted to his presence. Through his confrontation with the machine god Tyth and the revelation of a traitor in the Alliance. But the rush of power unleashed as Tyth's rage boiled over under the Fleet's bombardment proved too much and the world went white.
---
It shouldn't have been a surprised where his mind went when overwhelmed.
He supposed it wasn't.
The meadow, of course, looked exactly the same as the last time he'd visited in meditation. And the time before that, and the time before that. The same as it always would.
"Hey, handsome."
He spun at the familiar voice, heart leaping in his chest. "Kira."
She pushed away from the outcropping she'd been leaning against. "First things first, you know this is a dream, right?"
"Considering this place" --he trailed his fingers gently over flower heads--"is no more than a crater now?" He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know." He walked closer, leaning in with a smile to kiss her forehead. "But it's a good one, so let me enjoy it, huh?"
"Oh, fine," Kira(but not really Kira) grinned. "I suppose heroes are allowed occasional breaks. Though it really shouldn't take getting shocked unconscious for you to let yourself have one, you big dummy."
"Hey, that's hardly my preference, either," he protested. "You know how it goes; dangerous business being a hero, and there's only so much I can do to fight an electrical surge," he said with affectionate teasing.
"Yeah, well, do a little better will you?" Kira arched a brow and tugged on the collar of his armor until he bent toward her. "I need you healthy, Toe Beans." She kissed his nose and he laughed.
"You know, no one's called me that in months," Closer to a year, maybe, "Guess they all think it would be too informal a way to address the Commander. Or they just don't know about it."
"All the more reason to have me around," Kira joked, though her tone was just as wistful as it was playful as she traced her fingertips along his markings. "I'd fix both of those in a jiff."
This laugh was a little sad. "I'm working on it. Awful big galaxy to be looking for one person. But I will find you, Kira."
She grinned and winked. "Not if I find you first. Can't expect you to do all the work, handsome."
"Whatever gets us together faster," he said glibly. "I'm happy to let you win that race."
"Aw, come on, Cor, its not fun without a little competition," Kira teased. She let her fingers trail down his jaw as she let him go and turned to survey the meadow. "Y'know, I miss this place a surprising amount for only visiting it once. Can't imagine how it feels for you."
"Why do you think I'm here now? I've accepted the real thing is gone, but the memories are still there to visit when... when I need to."
She cocked her head. "You're not the type to run away."
"Not running away." He tugged her in, back to his chest, his arm loosely around her shoulders. "Call it a strategic retreat. A sanctuary to clear my head and better process my thoughts so I can plan. A lot of people depend on my plans, y'know."
Kira snorted a laugh at the exaggerated gravitas. "I do know, Battlemaster. Speaking of people depending on you..." She reached up and squeezed his arm before stepping away and turning to face him. "Shouldn't you be getting back? If I know the sort of trouble you like getting yourself into, the fun's just starting."
He hummed almost-a-laugh. "I should. Though you don't need to make it sound like I go looking for trouble. It just always finds me."
"You don't hide from it very well, though, love." She traced her fingers down his jaw once more, before putting more space between them.
"Once we're together, I will," he promised, then smirked. "At least for a little bit. Then we'll go find trouble and kick its ass."
Kira grinned. "You do know how to make a girl feel special. I'll hold you to it." She winked, blew him a kiss, and stepped out of sight around the outcropping.
"Kira-" He followed, but she was gone when he swung around the rocks. He should've expected it; he could feel reality imposing itself over his retreat.
He still looked, even as the sun flared brighter, soft beams that had lit the space now dazzlingly harsh, until it was overwhelming--harsh and clinical and washing away the meadow.
---
He was barely given time to miss Kira or the meadow when he woke, barely given time to adjust from almost dying. Pulled into conversation about what happened, who betrayed you, what should we do now? with a headache still banging behind his eyes. He was used to it. Sometimes you had to just keep moving forward to maintain your momentum, deal with problems before they spiraled out of control.
Once they settled things for Iokath and he had a moment for himself, Corrus found himself dwelling on the long lost meadow and Kira's smile in almost equal measure. One was lost forever, but that only increased his determination to see the other again. I'll find you, Kira. Somehow, in all this mess. I will.
He'd almost swear he heard her chuckle. Not if I find you first.
He could find sanctuary enough in that smile. Deal.
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All of the Times Ateez Has Been Plagiarized (That I Know Of, So Far)
For legal purposes, these are all allegations.
So, I’m making this little essay/list/thing partly for myself (because I know *I* keep forgetting all of these instances) and partly because I always see incomplete lists going around and it annoys me a little that some of the people on this list seem to have been forgotten for whatever reason. Also, a lot of lists I’ve seen aren’t in chronological order? Which I just find odd. I’m going to try and include as many links as I can to articles, videos, etc, and I’ll be including pictures from them here, just to make it easier for you lovely readers.
(Also, if you think I'me being biased towards koreaboo articles, it's only because they embedded the tweets they used correctly, so they actually click through. Other sites I looked at, either the tweets show an error, or they're static images of low quality.)
Here's the incomplete article that inspired this.
So here is the list of:
All of the Times Ateez Has Been Plagiarized (That I Know Of, So Far)
---2020
MONOPOLY, HOLY MOLY – 2020 (Sept)
I can’t find anything about this artist, it seems to be only one person so maybe they’re just releasing it for fun? They plagiarized Treasure: Epilogue Action To Answer (and not even well, if you look at the shape of the black bar closely).
They did end up apologizing and changing the cover to something else, so at least they have more integrity than some of the other people on this list.
.
---2021
Ammonit, Reverse – 2021 (Oct)
Another small artist or group, Ammonit plagiarized the style of the Fever series album covers. Like Monopoly, Ammonit also changed their cover later. Though I haven’t seen whether or not they issued an apology, at least they changed it.
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TRINITY, Life Ain’t Over – 2021 (Dec)
For their 2021 release of *Life Ain’t Over* Thai three-member group TRINITY copied Ateez’s Deja Vu photoshoot (the one member even having the same shirt as wooyoung), and their Fireworks mv. I’m actually not sure if they had ever acknowledged that they were being accused of plagiarism or not or apologized when I tried searching. (I thought someone had made a video comparing the two, but I can’t seem to find it.)
Now we get into Ateez’s worst year for plagiarism (so far)...
.
---2022
Soyeon, Sun – 2022 (Feb)
This is probably one of the biggest ones to happen, I won’t lie. I remember the indignation of Atiny, the disappointment of (G)-IDLE fans, and general disappointment and confusion by Knets.
This was the finale of the survival show My Teenage Girl, and the song in the video, Sun, was written for the contestants by (G)-IDLE member, Soyeon. The chorus sounds like a pitched up version of the chorus from Ateez’s Wave.
Sportskeeda article
Koreaboo article
At first people wondered if it was maybe a sample, but it wasn’t. To sum up the initial discussion:
Then on Feb 28th it got weird, because suddenly EDEN-ary (Ateez’s production team) had a credit on the song on Bugs (though this wasn’t changed on other platforms).
Also on the 28th, KQ issued a statement after receiving reports from fans about the similarity:
“On the 27th, the Challenge Team’s stage, called ‘SUN’, was broadcast for the first round of the FINALs on My Teenage Girl. Afterward, we received multiple reports through the company’s official channel and mails from webmasters that the song’s chorus melody was similar to ATEEZ’s ‘WAVE’, which was released in 2019.
As the company was monitoring the related issue, they discovered that the company’s producing team, Eden-ary, was listed in the credits for ‘SUN.’
We want to clarify that we did not have any discussions before with the company or Eden-ary. In hopes of respecting creators and their unique works and in hopes that any misinformation can be corrected, we ask everyone to refrain from making unreasonable assumptions regarding the issue.
Thank you.”
So they did not have discussions with CUBE about the use of Wave prior to the premier of Sun on MBC.
CUBE then released a statement:
“Hello, this is CUBE Entertainment. We would like to explain what happened on MBC’s My Teenage Girl regarding the song ‘SUN’ and (G)I-DLE’s Soyeon. First, we sincerely apologize for the concerns caused by the production of the song ‘SUN.’ Following the broadcast, through monitoring the episode, we recognized some of the similarities in the two melodies.
Our artist immediately reached out to the original composer to explain the situation and apologize. In this process, especially since we admitted the similarities, we decided the song credits should be edited and properly given to the original composer. Soyeon discussed this option with the original composer and we asked the producers of the show to implement the credit change.”
So their statement seems to be that they realized the similarities after, and that Soyeon contacted EDEN-ary and then added them to the song credits. Their statement continues:
“An hour before the song’s release, however, the original composer’s agency declined our suggestion to be credited. We asked the producers of the show to undo the credit change but the change could not be applied and the song became released as-is.”
So, an hour before the show aired, they called up KQ, KQ declined a song credit (I would guess because it sort of made it look like a collaboration and let CUBE/Soyeon off the hook for plagiarism), and it was too late to change it.
Soyeon’s statement is a little different:
“After the episode aired, I thought I should apologize to the original composer for some of the similarities that have been suggested. So I got in touch with the original composer, explained what happened, and apologized for it.”
In that, in her recounting of events, her apology took place *after* the show aired.
Koreaboo article
As one person observed:
So yeah, kind of a Grade-A Mess.
After everything died down, CUBE registered the song copyright and it seemed like comments regarding the controversy were disappearing? No clue what that’s about.
Koreaboo article
.
NMIXX, OO – 2022 (Feb)
Welcome to: A Bigger Mess.
Koreaboo article
Someone at JYP is a BIG Ateez fan, I think. There are similarities between the look of their mvs (NMIXX even having some locations be the same as Ateez’s mvs), but there’s similarities with lyrics, graphic design choices, and lore. Basically, the only thing that isn’t similar is their sound.
The studio DIGIPEDI has worked with Ateez before and worked on NMIXX’s O.O video, but Illusion (the mv that NMIXX’s debut seems to mirror most strongly) is not one that DIGIPEDI worked on.
Now, while it’s not as if another group can’t have a pirate ship, can’t have a dreamy landscape - in fact, the group Treasure has a flying ship and a dreamy landscape in some of their mvs - but, as someone observed:
(I apologize for having to screencap a tweet from an article, but Mr. Muskrat has made his website so unusable that I can’t even find the original tweet.)
Even if the production team at JYP somehow happened on the same concept and look that Ateez has used for years, it would still be on them to realize, “Oops, this is too similar, we need to change something before people think we’re copying,” and then change the things that were too similar so they didn’t look like they had no ideas. Marketing research is a thing that companies that make stuff (even music) do as a prelude to starting a project, so I don't understand why it seems like JYP's team didn't do any.
Like, Charles Dickens had books where people were arrested for stealing bread, Les Miserables has a main character arrested for stealing bread, the Disney movie Aladdin has a character almost arrested for stealing bread; having the action “someone stealing bread” doesn’t mean that all of those creators have stolen the idea from each other, the idea exists as an idea a lot of people have. Just like flying ships and flying whales (Gojira, anybody?) and pirates and dreamlands aren’t owned by anybody - not even Ateez - it’s when you use all the ideas someone else has already used, and you use them in a way that looks JUST like the person or people you got the ideas from that it starts to become a problem. You can take inspiration from someone or something else, but you can’t just take That Thing and make it “2 inches to the left,” you know? For instance, I might read Lord of the Rings and want to write a book with elves and dwarves and a terrifyingly evil bad guy with a ring - those are all things in other stories that no one owns - but I CAN’T write a story where a group of people take a ring once owned by a terrifyingly evil bad guy and bring it to a volcano to throw it in, I have to write a different story where the ring does something else and the elves and dwarves maybe won’t even work together and there’s a different type of battle, and the bad guy looks a different way and maybe isn’t even a guy, and the world doesn’t look like Middle Earth-- and definitely I can’t use hobbits because they’re legally owned by the Tolkien estate because they were his original idea (that’s why they’re called “halflings” in DND, because of legal reasons.)
Anyway, back to normalcy. Please direct your attention to the lyrics portion of this video:
There’s a lot of similarities with their lyrics as well, so I don’t think NMIXX’s look kind of being “Ateez but 2 inches to the left” is as coincidental as some people wanted others to believe.
(PS: this is not me hating on the girls in NMIXX at all, they seem talented and nice. This is about one of the Big Three companies having a production team that doesn't need to copy others but seem to have done so anyway. But, since their look and even their sound seems to have changed a whole hell of a lot since debut, it seems like JYP has sort of abandoned NMIXX’s look at debut?)
.
Eltee Skhillz, Odg – 2022 (Mar)
(Sorry for the quality.)
I don’t even have to say anything, the evidence is right there.
youtube
I think I have a moral obligation to make the joke, “His name is Eltee Skhillz [elite skills], but the only thing he’s skilled at is not having his own ideas.” (I think I’m allowed to be salty, he really went frame by frame as he copied.)
Eltee Skhillz (or someone in his team) put in the youtube description of the mv, “Partly inspired by ATEEZ "The Real" and "Say my name" music video”. Please see my earlier tangent about how inspiration and copying are not the same.
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Vata, New Thing choreo – 2022 (Oct)
This accusation was about a point of choreography. On the dance competition show Street Man Fighter, We Dem Boyz leader Vata performed a dance move that looked pretty similar to Atinys:
This is straight up the Driving move from Ateez’s first comeback, Say My Name. It’s in between a “starting a bike” move and a “getting off a bike move”, but the move in between is the SMN Driving move.
Interestingly enough, there’s a moment in Street Man Fighter where We Dem Boyz is unhappy that it seems that another group has copied their choreography, and they say, “They copied about four counts,” of the choreo, from 1:48 - 1:54:
youtube
I WISH I could find this other video, where they were in the middle of a dance battle on the show, and Vata copied another groups move. The other group got annoyed and started arguing and Vata and his group said, “If it’s three beats, we’ll consider it copied.” Meaning: if someone does 1 oe 2 beats of someone else's move, it's not copied, but 3 or more beats is. I just found that so funny because Vata insists he didn’t copy the SMN move, but it’s 3 or 4 beats, both of which match with WDB's (conflicting) arguments for why they didn't copy other teams during Street Man Fighter.
(If anyone finds that clip, please let me know. I saw it around the time everything was happening but I can’t find it now. It was sort of dark and the two groups were in kind of a tight ring as the members of each were dance battling and the camera angle was from higher up.)
During the show the groups were allowed to “vandalize” each other’s rooms earlier in the season, and other groups wrote some interesting things on We Dem Boyz flag:
From this Koreaboo article:
(Written on the paper) “Melvin copycat ㅋㅋㅋ” and “JBLAZE copycat”
(the comment circled with the hearts) “JBLAZE copycat”
“This is SMF but they said they’re going to do Street Boy Fighter after!!”
“Tristan copycat”
“We Dem Kid”
“Some people might think you made Fear of God”
“Some people might think you also made Essentials”
“If you mess with us”
(knife) “You need to practice dancing. ‘You should dance the same dance at least, you guys are a team'”
“Vata [cut off] Melvin copycat”
JBLAZE (along with Anze Skrube and Josh Smith) are the choreographers who created the dance for Say My Name (Anze credited Josh with creating the Drive move). Coincidentally, Melvin Timtim is another choreographer who also worked with Ateez, so that’s kind of interesting that the other groups accused WDB of copying him as well. It seems as if Vata has a well known history (in the dance community) of copying other choreographers.
Anze Skrube took to Instagram to reblog some posts regarding the situation (there was more than just this, he was popping off for days) and talked about it on his Stories:
(“I thought you are a friend of San” is in reference to San and Vata having done a challenge together a few weeks before and KQ uploading it to social media.)
Allkpop article
Mnet also coddled Vata, not taking a stance, but saying "We are in the midst of arranging a position while respecting the situation of the artist (Vata) as much as possible." Which fans HATED, because - if anyone needs to be respected here - it’s the people who were stolen from, not the one doing the stealing. (What the *fuck* Mnet? Why are you like this? This is why kpop fans use a snake emoji when they talk about you and how shady you are.)
Koreaboo article
Vata made an apology:
“This is Vata.
I thought this would be a cold wind that would breeze by, but I am writing this to stop the misunderstandings.
When I first heard the song, I thought of the wilderness and so I made the intro of riding a horse or motorcycle. That’s why in the beginning, there is a motion of kicking to start the engine and a motion of getting off the bike. These are parts of one move that transition from one to the other.
I think the choreography its being compared to has a different transition and means something different entirely.
As someone who loves the dance culture, I believe it is at its best when the artist and dancer respect one another. It saddens me to see that this isn’t taking place.
Regardless of the reason, I apologize to viewers of Street Man Fighter and to those who root for We Dem Boyz for any controversy that had occurred on my behalf. I will repay you by putting on a better stage.”
Koreaboo article
I just have to say: this really reads like one of those youtube apologies, where the youtuber deflects and doesn’t want to be held accountable for their actions. He also seems to say that Wooyoung and Anze are being disrespectful by calling him out. (And he even said "I was hoping this would blow over" I don't think you're supposed to say that in your "apology" even if you were thinking it, homes."
Because, PS!: Wooyoung called him out with the “biting” motion during a stage at Kcom Saudi Arabia:
And here are some other shorts that have clips from Anze and his IG:
Short 1
Short 2
While everyone was doing WDB's dance on tiktok, San did the LAW challenge instead (which I feel is a better song anyway, but that's just me) and it seemed that, aside from Wooyoung's call out, and San's snub, KQ was not commenting on it.
Atiny, meanwhile, streamed Say My Name and made art about respecting artists (what Vata had NOT done to Ateez). There were hashtags and SMN challenges and tweets galore:
The thing that made this whole incident REALLY strange, is that the dance Vata had plagiarized the Drive move for was for the kpop artist Zico… who is managed under KQ. So, when the music video for Zico’s song, New Thing, came out, it lacked the drive move at the beginning:
Dance Performance video
So all the people trying to say that it wasn’t copied or tried to defend Vata (I saw someone say they would defend him because he’s more famous than Ateez… please lick boots somewhere else) didn’t matter because… Zico and KQ thought it was too similar to let it slide.
(Oh! Also, Carats, EXO-Ls, Shawols, Ahgases, Monbebes, ARMYs, ELFs, and Inspirits were spotting tweeting on Atinys’ behalf, so I would like to personally thank our friends who stan other groups for their help and support. The kpop world needs some love more often than not, because we are not each other’s enemy… capitalism is our enemy.)
(Love you, bbys 💖💖💖)
.
---2023
Super Dragon, Revolution – 2023 (Feb)
I hate trying to look this group up because the SEO for their name is GOD awful. Like you could not pick two more common words to name something. It’s also the name of several restaurants, the co-creator of a California wrestling promotion, and - of course - part of a title for a Dragon Ball series.
Maybe that’s why this is probably the incident I see the least. Maybe it just gets lost in the SEO sauce and no one even sees it so it’s just flying under the radar? Which is weird, because it’s like a combination of the TRINITY incident and the incident that will come next. A Frankensteinian amalgamation of a lack of imagination, if you will.
But oh, oho! I have twitter-- I don’t have twitter, I have *a friend who has twitter,* and she messaged me very early in the morning on February 21st to send me a bunch of tweets of this band:
It’s the sound of Wonderland and the look of Fireworks.
The two songs played at the same time:
The thing that - I don’t know if I find it the funniest or if I hate it the most - but the thing is… there’s such a *severe* LACK of imagination. I’m inspired by things all the time, people, places, things, any kind of nouns, inspire me… but like I said earlier, there’s a difference between writing a story with elves and dwarves and just rewriting Lord of the Rings and pretending it’s your own. And this is just a poor man’s version of Wonderland.
.
3WICH, Kicking Your Face – 2023 (Sept)
On the Taiwanese music competition show, Music Maker, group 3WICH had a song that didn’t just seem similar to Ateez’s Guerrilla, but seemed to be almost a carbon copy:
If you listen to the whole song, it’s literally just been skinned so they could put new lyrics. Originally, 3WICH and their composer, Jhen F, did a livestream where they denied there was any plagiarism, and at first the song had been left up pending investigation, but was soon taken down until the copyright issues could be clarified. The president of the TV station that ran Music Maker, Huang Liang-hsun, made a statement:
(translated by @ananmiyabi630 on twitter (I think))
Koreaboo article
This story is still developing as I write this, but it seems to have affected the president of the TV channel Music Maker is on a lot:
If he goes, I hope he has fun. 3WICH and Jhen F can sit in the parking lot and think about what they did while they listen to the stadium scream “Break the WALLLL!” at the end of the concert.
.
------
So yeah, those are All of the Times Ateez Has Been Plagiarized (That I Know Of, So Far). I hope you enjoyed all of this mess, and maybe people won’t try to plagiarize them so much, now that they’re a bigger group and it’s more apparent that people are paying attention to them.
Idk.
Probably not.
I’ll update if I see any new ones in the future.
#ateez#plagiarism#thank you for coming to my ted talk#I was thinking of making this multiple posts#but I think one is enough lol#so sorry that it's a bit long#I got tired of forgetting things on the list so I made it so I can see it and others can if they're looking#I literally never see the Super Dragon one and it's like the worst one#like did their producers think that combining the music of one song with the mv of another would stop people from thinking they copied?#please have your own ideas#and thank you to my friend for being my twitter liaison lol
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MAG 84 - hair dying session
Oh! Alex knows how to pronounce "ei"! (because of the statement-giver's name, Adrian Weiss)
"A pristine, unopened can of baked beans" - Synchronicities! (Hellier anyone?)
Yeah, don't have much to say about that statement. It again has the theme of toxic love, this time it's not worms. It's hoarding.
Martin sounds like he actually needed a few moments to recover when he was done with the statement…
MARTIN "John, the, uh, Head Archivist is… absent" - That little pause and then the way he says "absent" XD
MARTIN "so I’ll be trying to fill in as best as I can. Um. Maybe Tim as well, if he… if he feels like it." - Same here! Also poor Martin, basically running the Archives on his own right now…
MARTIN "Ah. You’re Miss, er… Richardson?" - Interesting to bring Helen up, given that he actually met her in the Spiral's corridors. We also know, that Martin was actually jealous of her, since she and Jon bonded for that very short time when they met. Hm, interesting, I guess he did now recognize her in the corridors? Maybe this was what made him look up the statement and the recording?
MELANIE "Um, well… I… I flew out and I’ve been, well, that is, before that I was, I was looking at some books. Er, there were history books that were talking… Look, are you sure I can’t just talk to John? You know, Jonathan Sims? He still works here, right?" - Ohhh, not so easy to remain coherent without the presence of the Archivist, is it? Does she subconsciously notice that it was easier to talk to Jon?
Lol, Melanie not getting the pipe XD
MARTIN "Right? But everyone just seems totally convinced he did it. I mean, they think he did something to Sasha too." MELANIE "Jesus. Which one?" - For the audience, this is a super comedic moment. For Melanie, it's going to be very frustrating in about a few seconds…
Elias is watching from his office, sees Melanie with a Slaughter bullet in her leg and probably can't believe his luck! I wonder if he did a little dance?
ELIAS "Ah, you’re not the Melanie King who runs Ghost Hunt UK, surely?" - Elias watching ghost hunting shows on Youtube canon! XD (I know, he most likely used beholding for that, but it's funnier the other way. I actually saw a fanart of this! Him and Peter in bed in the evening, claiming he watches it for research.)
MARTIN "I mean, that doesn’t actually, er, make her qualified." ELIAS [Pointedly] "Formal qualifications aren’t everything, Martin." - Letting Martin know very firmly, that he Knows! And he knows it'll shut him right up. Also Martin clearly not trusting Elias enough to say in front of him, that there is something wrong with this place.
Oh, there's static when Melanie answers Elias whether she wants the job!
God, Martin tries again to save Melanie although Elias has already threatened him!
Ha, I actually remembered the jump scare of Martin hitting something in frustration and turned the volume down when Elias and Melanie left!
Even though Martin is trying to save Melanie to anyone looking from the outside he seems like an asshole who's trying to prevent someone from joining his workplace
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heyy it's cafe enchante anon here again (incase you don't remember me😭: https://www.tumblr.com/dulcesiabits/695412570616643584/yahoo-cafe-enchante-anon-here-i-just-woke-up-and ) i see you post abt virche sometimes and i was wondering if you can talk abt it indepth?? (i dont mind slight spoilers)
ive been meaning to get a new otome game but i think it would be nice to know your thoughts on it before buying it,,, all ik it's pain but not the specifics
Oh my gosh!!!!!! Hi cafe enchante anon ^_^ it’s been a while! It’s nice to hear from you again <3
I don’t mind going more in-depth with my thoughts on Virche!! I’ll give my general opinion and also try to break it down by category and individual characters while trying to keep it as spoiler free as possible, with some vague allusions to events in each character’s route. Under the cut for length ^_^
As a caveat, Yves is locked until you finish Mathis, Lucas and Scien (can be done in any order), and La Salut (Ankou/Adolphe) is locked until you finish Yves.
Recommended route order (in terms of plot progression): Mathis -> Lucas -> Scien -> Yves -> La Salut (Ankou/Adolphe)
My personal favorite characters (ranked from favorite to least): Mathis, Lucas, Yves, Ankou, Scien, Adolphe
Overall: I actually really enjoyed my play through of Virche and I would recommend it to people if they enjoy angst/having to play bad endings first. It’s the first otome game in a while that I had so much fun with that I ended up playing it for 12 hours straight!!! I would rank it up there with games like code:realize, cxm and cafe enchante (in fact, the main scenario writer for CE is the same one for Virche… and you can really tell lmao). I had some minor complaints in regard to writing and character choices, but overall, I would rank it 8/10!
Music: The music was very gorgeous! The OP in general was so good I would listen to it every time I opened up the game, letting the opening video play in full, haha. I found myself going to the soundtrack list so I could replay some of the songs.
UI: I feel like otomate has gotten a lot better with UI. I love the “skip to unread section” feature, the flow chart, and the scene list! It made it easier to keep track of what I had to finish (bc I am a completionist), and the flow chart even tells you if a section has an unread piece of dialogue. The design of virche in general was pretty and neat, and never felt overwhelming or distracting. I wish there were afterstories, or bonus content, but that’s just a personal preference. I wanted something to soothe the angst, haha.
Voice acting: Listen. I’m one of those people who love to skip voice acting before they finish speaking because I read faster than the characters talk. However, the VAs (ignoring the fact some of my favorite actors were on there) really knocked it out of the park. I would replay some of the emotionally charged scenes just to hear the actors scream their lines!! The acting really helped to bring the characters to life!
Art: I’ll be real. I don’t think I would have liked virche quite as much if Yomi wasn’t the artist for it. Her art is gorgeous, hands down. I honestly open the game again just to stare at the CGs for Lucas and Mathis!! I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the characters blinked and their mouths moved in time to the voice acting. My only complaint is that outside of a few CGs, a lot of the ones for individual routes felt… very similar, at least in terms of the fact they always seemed to be static waist-up poses for the LIs, haha.
Plot: The mystery and suspense were extremely gripping, and I was impressed by how most things fit together. I also noticed all of the routes tended to have the fluffier and sweeter moments in the beginning of the chapter before it transitioned to angst and horror and started throwing issues at the characters as fast as it could. My only issues here were the way some of the science logic didn’t quite make sense and made me go “I don’t think it works like that…” though I was willing to suspend my disbelief because the writing was strong enough. Additionally, the good endings sometimes felt more like after thoughts, the way bad endings in most otome tend to feel, and some of them just didn’t provide enough cope for me.
Ceres: Ceres felt like her own character, with her own motivations and personality! I don’t like self-inserting into otome protagonists, so I always appreciate it when they can stand on their own. I think her motivations and development made a lot of sense considering her circumstances!
Mathis: My absolute favorite character because I adore the shy bookworm trope and he was so cute and sweet. I admit the romance felt a bit rushed, but his dynamic with Ceres was adorable. I also felt like aspects of his plot could have been changed to make it run a bit more smoothly for me. I feel like the writers didn’t like Mathis, or knew what to do with him sometimes, and his particular skill set could definitely have been more relevant/they could have made him a bit more involved in the other routes. Additionally, there was a character in his route I simply despised and I hated how the writers tried to redeem them. Some thematic elements of his route could have been elaborated on/carried through some more.
Lucas: Lucas is my other favorite, though I feel like he’s a bit more of a controversial choice in that regards due to certain… reasons. His route definitely felt the most horrific and tragic, but similar to Mathis, I felt like the romance was rushed, or at least needed more development. I didn’t get why Lucas liked Ceres, though I could see why she liked him. His route definitely could have benefitted from more time or even an extra chapter, and some scenes should have been extended instead of being left in summary. Certain thematic elements didn’t quite carry through either.
Scien: Scien is THAT bitch and he’s the most popular character for a reason. His writing was definitely the most solid out of the initial routes, with the plot and romance progressing smoothly without feeling too rushed or like it was dragging. I loved his development and his endings really tied up the thematic elements introduced in his route in a satisfying way. He’s really fun, even if he’s not my favorite!
Yves: Yves is super sweet! He has a bit of a longer route than the others, but I loved his character a lot. He’s definitely the one I think suits Ceres the most, and I loved his development and his motivations. The endings were satisfying, and the way he subverts typical tropes had me SCREAMING. It was so delightful and cunty of him, and I think when the plot kicked up, it kicked UP and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!
La Salut (Ankou/Adolphe): The beginning of the route felt liked it dragged a bit especially because it was rehashing the common route, and I admit, I wasn’t quite sold on Adolphe as a romantic interest and character until much later in the route. I did love Ankou a lot, and I cried several times when I was playing this route. It’s the final route so it ties together all of the plot points in previous routes and introduces answers to overarching mysteries in a really satisfying way, I believe. There are several tropes here that I particularly adore (and can’t mention for spoiler reasons), and I think it was a fitting end to virche!
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wip weekend challenge
so here are the snippets per my poll found here. i don't know how to do math so i can't figure out how to do sentences per vote. so instead i'm doing each of them with sentences per total votes. so 24 sentences across the board. (next time i do a poll i'm going to add a little "acey's rules" where i change the rules based on what math is easier)
below are each of the snippets and hopefully for wip wednesday y'all will be excited to see more from these guys. & since bartender au was the winner i did write specifically more in it i'm just giving you a snippet of 24 ish sentences. also i don't want to spoil so i gave a snippet from tied part 2 rather than 3 but i promise i did write 24 sentences!!
another life
“No, I don’t think you want to,” her voice was soft but there was something else in it. Something a little sharper, hidden beneath the hurt she felt, hiding within the words. She didn’t think that he wanted to do this, that he wanted to end what they had. Because neither did she. Does he think that she does?
There was another long stretch of silence. He fidgeted whenever he was upset or stressed, she could tell he was spinning his rings on his fingers, chewing on his lips. She knew everything about him. Or she thought she did.
She liked to think she did.
“Then what are we doing? Are we going to keep fighting for another six months until one of us ends up cheating and getting caught?” She closed her eyes when he spoke. She didn’t need to look at him. “Fuck! We don’t need a messy divorce on page six, right?”
The word hung between them. Divorce. It was so final. It was so full of pain and anger and exhaustion from months of fighting. Months of growing apart. She had a tour coming up, he had a movie. They were going to be separated anyway so why not go for it completely? Sever ties between them, divvy up the things they own together, and figure out who gets the house in Beverly and who gets the apartment in New York.
daydreams
“You good, man?” Argyle’s voice filtered through Jonathan’s thoughts or lack of. It was almost like static was in his brain instead of the usual thoughts that kept him up at night. Without realizing it, he had calmed down, he had shut down his mind and breathing felt easier. He looked up at Argyle and blinked a few times.
Is he good? “Yeah, I’m good,” he watched Argyle place the joint somewhere safe and moved to open up the side door.
All of the smoke that seemed to accumulate inside the van began pouring out, it hit the sinking light of the sun in a way that made Jonathan giggle. Well, anything will make him giggle now, but it was kind of pretty. With slow hands, he managed to pick up his camera and take photographs of the last remaining tendrils of smoke. He hoped they’d show up the way he thinks they will.
And without any warning, he turned to snap a picture of Argyle, who was half sitting and half lying, with a smile on his face. It was wide, close-lipped but it reached his eyes. He looked content. He looked beautiful.
But he wouldn’t say that out loud. God. If he did that would be embarrassing.
“Do you want to go hit some golf balls?” Argyle was already moving, not even waiting for Jonathan to say anything, grabbing a couple of golf clubs from beside Jonathan. When did they get there? And a bucket of balls.
They were really going to hit some golf balls. He placed his camera down in its bag, keeping it in the van as he very slowly moved out. Or maybe he was moving regularly and his brain was thinking it was slow. Either way, he felt wobbly on his legs and every step made him laugh a little more. So, is this being stoned? He felt floaty, like a balloon, and if Argyle wasn’t going to hold on to him he was going to float away.
tied pt 2
The early morning light was a blueish gray, casting an eerie glow over the street. Birds sang in the trees, the morning routine uninterrupted as usual. Too early for the paperboys, too early for the commuters. No, the world around the house slept on, unaware, blissful. Peaceful. They knew, of course, as the whole town knew, of the tragedy that occurred in this house.
What they didn’t know was that inside this house lived ghosts. Shells of the people who live here. The constant daily reminder that one does not. An empty bedroom left untouched and eagerly waiting for its occupant’s return. An empty fourth seat at the table, an empty spot for her to stare at while her father stayed quiet and her mother—her mother didn’t know what to do with herself. Swinging from her grief, one minute she’s inconsolable with loud sobs wracking through her body, sure to wake the neighbors and the next she’s putting every ounce of anger and hates she has toward the only child she has left.
They didn’t know. They didn’t know the weight of grief that hung around the Cunningham family. They could see it, evident in their polite smiles and eyes full of condolences. They’re so sorry for the family’s loss. But they don’t know. They don’t know the depth of this loss. She is still finding herself falling into the deepest pit of loss with no telling when or if she’ll ever find the bottom. When she thinks she can’t possibly cry more, she manages to cry silently in her room. Sleep evades her. She’s watched the sun come up for days now. She barely eats. Both out of her grief and out of fear of her mother’s pointed wrath. She doesn’t take calls. She hasn’t called her worried boyfriend. She couldn’t deal with the outside world. Not yet.
bartender au
Nancy was about to open her mouth but luckily, for everyone in close proximity, someone else yelled from their spot a few feet from the bar. And continued to talk at high speeds as they neared the bar. “Good! You met! Argyle, Nancy this is Eddie Munson. He’s like some rockstar turned solo act or whatever. Anyway, he’s stranded here, in town, so I figured he could stay with us. What’s another body, yeah?”
Robin Buckley loved to take in strays. Anyone who seemed down and out and needed someone to pick them up by the scruff of their neck. When Nancy landed in the city a year ago, Robin was the first person she sought out because she knew Robin. Before she got popular here before anyone knew her from social media or from performing when she was just a band geek that went to her college. Robin took Nancy in without even a second to think about it. She simply said sure. Eddie seems to be another stray.
“No.” Was all Nancy could say, shaking her head as if it would make a point. As if she was the one who paid the rent or bills when she was not. Argyle had the apartment covered while Robin did the bills and let Nancy stay on a pull-out sofa in the living room. Even Steve paid his way through making family-style dinners for them whenever the four of them are home together. It isn’t often but it’s pretty appreciated.
“Rob, I’m going to have to side with the angry one,” Argyle was using his apology voice, trying to let Robin down in easy and soft tones.
“Wait, why?” Robin was looking between her roommates with confusion, her brows furrowed and her blue eyes almost clouded.
“Theory three,” was all Argyle said and Nancy watched Robin’s confusion worsen before theory three dawned on her as eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened into a perfect circle.
before sunrise au
Someone had walked into the back of the train car, where he was sitting, and took a seat from across him. He was tall with long, black hair and there was something about him that caught Steve’s attention. He gave Steve a polite smile, one that he returned, before trying to go back to reading.
“Sorry,” Oh good, he’s American. At least by the sound of it. No more language barrier. It’s been fucking hard being on a completely different continent, in different countries, and each of them looks at you like you’re the enemy because you only speak American English. “Do you know what they’re arguing about?”
Steve had to laugh with a shake of his head. “Unfortunately, my time in high school was not spent learning and mastering the German language.” It was spent usually thinking about girls, occasionally boys, and trying to get Nancy Wheeler to fall in love with him. What a waste of four years.
“Right. That’s German? Damn, makes sense then. We are in German-speaking lands,” the other guy looked around at the car, then out the windows, as if he was just now realizing where they were. “I was fine in Spain. I mean the vernacular is completely different but I could at least understand it, y’know?”
“I take it you know Spanish, then?”
“Yep, first language.”
Steve was now completely forgetting about his book. There was something about this stranger on the train that captivated him. Maybe it was his cool exterior. Maybe he was just hot. Either way, Steve wanted this to keep going. Whatever the fuck this is.
^ most of these have been written on the fly so there isn’t a whole lot of editing going on.
#acey writes#wip challenges#wip games#i wrote most of these in like an hour / hour and a half#so i'm pretty proud of myself for working on them
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status report production wise...
so, about the latest update. you may have noticed i've been able to put out two updates in a single week, which is insane considering the short amount of time i've got to work on these, but a big help has been my recent decision to switch to a much quicker and more consistent method of updates.
you see, the stray star went through a few revisions on what type of media its updates would mainly consist of. first it was going to be mostly fully animated video game cutscene-esque videos with original music and sound effects. then, it was scaled down to special occasions for videos, but fully colored and self contained comic issues for each update.
finally, we have reached the current compromise, which is a few exceptions made to make fully animated videos when it might seem cool to do so, as well as some other types of media once in a while, but mostly sprite comics.
there are a few reasons for this, the first being as you can see being that it gets the job done much quicker. i can simply draw up a static background, get a few character sprites done for each fitting pose and expression, and set that bad boy rolling with the dialogue necessary.
the stray star is a big, BIG story, and i know it may not look it at the moment, but if i'm going to tell this whole story before i, oh, i don't know, end up doing this for like four years, i need to cut down on how much time it costs me to get these going. i want to at LEAST have arc 1 finished by the start of next year, and that's already a big ask.
but with this format of updates, things get significantly easier. therefore, you may see comics popping up significantly less. as for animated videos, there are some in store, but again, they will only show up when fitting.
that being said, one of such situations is the next video! i have the music ready for it and i'd hate to see that funky little baby go to waste. it's quite different from the demo i put up here a few weeks ago, so i wonder if people will get pleasantly surprised from hearing the newer version :3 i sure hope so!
so that's going to take a little longer. drawing all the sprites, looping animations, effects, arranging the video, all of that requires a lot of time to get going, so i'll do my best to work on that and get it to you as early as possible! we will see how long this takes...
there is one more thing before i wrap up this update. i think if you frequent the site enough you may or may not have noticed tumblr is kind of. uh. going through a rough patch. i'm currently hatching a plan to, if possible, move the stray star to its own neocities domain, however i have never made such a website before, and i'm famously bad at coding (believe me, if i could make tss a video game, i would, but i really and truly suck shit at this, plus it would require a lot more asset building than i already am doing). i have heard there are some ways to set up domains easily via using handy assets to set up a premade code n then customize, so i'll try that this weekend... and we shall see.
all this to say, as i work on the next update which will take longer because of its complexity, expect me to also try and set up a website for tss. i probably won't shut down this blog and will keep updating on it and will keep it up as an archive even if i decide to stop using tumblr, but if i can help it, i'll try to move most of tss there and spruce it up as a definitive gateway for the project.
well, that's it, see you all next update! (or status report... we will see)
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