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sensitiveheartless · 5 months

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20 questions for fic writers!

Tagged by @feralrookie! :D Thank you for the tag!!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

10! (technically, kinda)

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

379,547

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Bungou Stray Dogs! It's also the first fandom I've written for, actually. :D

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

This is how it feels to take a fall (Dazai goes feral, time shenanigans)

Plate :( (Dazai breaks a plate, experiences emotions)

Dazai and the Moving Detective Agency (Howl's Moving Castle AU)

Chuunyaa's Pawsitively Catastrophic Day (Chuuya is turned into a cat, it's short and pretty much just shenanigans)

Wish in one hand (First fic I wrote, and the first one I posted — Dazai has emotions about handholding)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to, but I've been absolutely terrible at it lately — whenever I'm particularly stressed I start worrying that the negative emotions are going to leak through into what I'm writing and make my tone sound weird, so then I end up turtling in on myself and not saying anything at all, no matter how much I want to engage with people. It's a bad habit, and I want to work on it, so I'm gonna try to catch up on comments! (I treasure every single one of the ones I receive, so for anyone who has left a comment and hasn't gotten a response from me yet, thank you and I am very sorry about my inability to form words in a timely manner skdjfksd)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably An Unsent Letter, since it's pretty much just a short snippet of Dazai being sad while he's leaving the mafia. And even with that one, I have in my head that skk still get together after the four years apart, I just didn't write it. I am dreadful with sad endings — although the ending to "This is how it feels to take a fall" is a little bittersweet, perhaps.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmm...I'm gonna say Dazai and the Moving Detective Agency, because it's the one with the longest buildup, so I think it has the most catharsis, at least for me! But I tend to give all of my fics happy endings because, as established, I am a wimp when it comes to hardcore angst. I will say that Zut Alors I Have Missed One is probably a contender for happiest as well, just because that fic had no angst whatsoever and was just Unhinged

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Nope! Everyone's been lovely! I have gotten some for my art, but honestly it was pretty toothless and I couldn't take it seriously lol

9. Do you write smut?

...Yeh. :0 There was an attempt, at least — one fic, and I made it anonymous (so on the extreme off-chance that anyone notices a discrepancy between my total ao3 wordcount listed here and the summed up wordcounts of the fics viewable on my profile, that's why!) It's also another fic I need to finish, I hit my writing roadblock with that one at the same time as all my others, and it's almost doneeee I just need my brain to cooperate >:|

10. Do you write crossovers?

Not any proper crossovers, only things like the Howl AU and the Little Mermaid AU, where I took the settings/plots and put in BSD characters.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

...Possibly? I'm not actually sure, I've given a couple people permission, but I'm not sure if anything came of that, I haven't heard one way or another :0 I do have a tendency to use puns, which I realize might make things difficult for translations

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, not so far — and given how tempestuous my schedule has been, it'll probably be a while before I attempt anything like that! Sounds fun, though

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

...I mean, it's gotta be soukoku, because for all that I've enjoyed a lot of fictional pairings before (for example, Howl and Sophie specifically from the HMC books, Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing — I like bickering duos, what do you know — Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, currently falling down the Hualian rabbithole because I'm reading Heaven Official's Blessing with my friend, and there's lots of other ones), for as much as I like all those, I haven't really had much of an urge to write anything for them.

So, purely in terms of me wanting to mess around with two characters and write them over and over and over again, it's really only skk! They hit the exact right combination of braincells, I guess lololol

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but probably won't?

Hmmm...honestly, most of my WIPs I still intend to finish at some point or another — first priority being the ones I've already started posting, of course! Although...just due to time constraints, I might not get around to writing the thief!Chuuya/detective!Dazai one I was planning a while back. (and I mean a WHILE lol) I didn't write very much of it, and honestly most of the reason I wanted to write it was for comedy — so maybe I'll turn it into a short comic series instead, because I do think some of the bits were funny :0

16. What are your writing strengths?

That's a hard one; I tend to look more at the ways I want to improve my writing then at what I like about it, and I nitpick just about everything I create, art and writing alike. But if I had to pick something, I would probably say dialogue? That tends to be what I write easiest, at least. I still want to get better at that too, though.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions and action scenes. I've been making myself write them more, so I think I'm slowly improving (the Howl AU has been great for that! It pushed me to write all sorts of scenes I wouldn't have normally :D ), but those two things remain what I get bogged down by the most.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Depends on the circumstances, I think? I'd include translations if I did. I do tend to include Japanese honorifics when I'm writing in the canon universe, because there's not really english equivalents and it feels like I'm leaving something out when I just do their names straight — although I did take them out when I was doing the Howl AU and the Little Mermaid AU, just as a setting thing.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Bungou Stray Dogs — like I mentioned in the ship section, this is the first fandom where I've really felt the urge. Although I did write things when I was little that very blatantly yoinked in various creatures and concepts from the things I was reading and watching, which resulted in stories with pirates and weeping angels and Ringwraiths all running around in the same place. But I didn't usually bother with bringing in actual characters from those pieces of media, or even using the settings, I just made ocs and had them run around in my own made up world.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I like all of them for different reasons, but I think my favorite overall has to be Dazai and the Moving Detective Agency. It's the longest thing I've ever written, and when I started out I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it — so the fact that it's most of the way done (currently chipping away at the epilogue, it is getting to be a LOT of words) makes me really happy. And it's just been so much fun! Writing characters I hadn't before, piecing the world together, working out the magic system, writing Dazai being a mess and Chuuya being cool, it's all been a blast. And I seriously need to finish the epilogue, because the followups are living in my brain and they demand to be freed aksdfjksdjfk

But yeah! I'm not sure how many writers I know on here have already been tagged, so I'll just go open tags on this one! :D If any of y'all write and feel like doing this, then go for it!

#tag game #senhart rambles #senhart's writing #long post

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gilded-garnet · 11 months

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Your Father's Son

Characters: Sebastian Sallow / Anne Sallow / Solomon Sallow

WC: 650 words / also on AO3

Summary: I wrote this short scenario which is basically how I picture the first time Solomon pulled the 'father's son' comment on Sebastian, unfairly, in this case. It also incorporates Anne being the more adventurous twin, and how I think Solomon has always been much more leniant with her. Anne and Sebastian are around 9 or 10 when this takes place.

"Anne, come on, you know you're not supposed to be up there. It doesn't look safe." Sebastian stood at the foot of the cliff, watching his twin ascend with concern etched onto his expression.

Anne turned to look down at him, a playful smile on her face. "Oh, don't be such a worry wart, Seb, it's perfectly fine." She reached out to grab another handhold, pulling herself upwards.

"See? Nothing to worry abo -" with that, one of her footholds gave way and she let out a yelp of surprise before she tumbled to the ground.

"Anne!" He yelled, running towards her. "Are you hurt?"

She sat up and winced as pain shot up her ankle. Luckily, she hadn't been high enough to cause herself more serious injury. "My - my ankle," she replied, voice shaking.

Sebastian gently helped her to her feet. "Lean on me, I'll get us home."

Solomon was out in the fields when the pair finally made it back to Feldcroft, Anne hopping with her arm slung around her brother's shoulders. At the sight of them coming over the hill, he hurried over quickly and scooped Anne up in his arms without a word. Sebastian trailed them back to their home, attempting to explain what had happened.

"Will she be alright?" Sebastian asked, peering over his uncle's shoulder as he gently rolled down Anne's sock to reveal her now swollen and bruised ankle.

Solomon only grunted in response. He waved his wand, "Brackium Emendo," and Anne gasped as her bones slotted back together.

She gave her ankle an experimental roll, pleased when she could no longer feel any pain. "Th - thank you, uncle."

Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. Solomon rose to his feet, turning to glare down at him with a sour expression.

"Egged her on, didn't you?" Solomon accused, wearing a thunderous scowl. Sebastian's eyes went wide in indignation, and he opened his mouth to retort before Anne interjected.

"Uncle, it was my fault, he tried to st-" Anne tried, but Solomon wasn't having any of it. He scoffed in disbelief, and his next words were tinged with bitterness.

"Truly your father's son through and through, it seems. He never took any damned responsibility either."

Sebastian, who had been preparing to defend himself, sharply closed his mouth, eyebrows drawing down into a fierce scowl of his own. His eyes flicked to Anne, who was looking at him with concern.

"You're right. I dared her to do it," he said, looking his uncle in the eye with conviction.

"Sebastian!" Anne shouted in alarm, "That's not true at all!" But she may as well have been speaking to a wall. It was like she was no longer in the room.

Solomon looked vindicated, crossing his arms across his chest. "Four weeks field labour, boy, and don't even think about putting your sister in danger like that again."

Sebastian looked down at the floor, hands balled into fists, but nodded without another word.

Dinner was a tense affair. Anne noticed how Sebastian barely took a bite of his supper, instead pushing his food from one side of the plate to the other, seemingly deep in thought. There were few words spoken between the three of them that evening.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Anne whispered later whilst in bed, looking across at her twin. "I would have made uncle see reason."

Sebastian shrugged, attempting to appear nonchalant. "It's fine. He'd made up his mind - no point you getting into trouble too."

"Still, it's not right..."

Sebastian's voice became firm, the matter clearly closed. "Let it go, Anne. Goodnight." He turned his back to her.

"Goodnight, Sebastian," she murmered, turning onto her back to look up the ceiling, trying to ignore the uneasiness swirling in her stomach. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, and thought of it no more.

#sebastian sallow #anne sallow #solomon sallow #hogwarts legacy fic #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #Solomon failing the don't think the worst of your nephew challenge

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hekateinhell · 1 year

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Re 🖤+ a ship

I ask for…. post-IWTV Armand and Louis. I challenge you to fluffy prompts on an angsty ship. I know you’re up for the challenge.

you know that... I thought about it. I remembered the quote about their 'gentle intimacy' during those years; I remembered the mutual fondness and concern they displayed for each other even following their initial separation; I remembered Armand beginning to heal and Louis relearning happiness at Trinity Gate -- which whether you read it as platonic or romantic -- didn't happen out of thin air. So here's what I came up with for the angiest ship era in all of VC:

Who is the most affectionate?

Armand knows Louis isn't exactly the most affectionate person by any means, and he doesn't want to push him and have him retreat into himself even further -- but every once in a while, Armand will gather up what's left of his confidence (or he's that desperate) and tentatively but outwardly confidently touch Louis's elbow or lower back in a way that reinforces the message 'I'm here, I'll wait until you're ready for me.'

Who initiates the handholding?

Surprisingly, Louis. Armand lacks the presumptuous arrogance required to snatch up Louis's hand against his will and they both know this. It's not often but Louis gets used to Armand making an effort to engage him, suggesting this or that or the other. So when he doesn't and a few days go by, it gets his attention in a way most things don't.

Armand doesn't complain, he doesn't lash out or get violent. He simply retreats into himself (much like Louis) and he looks so sad and so old curled up like a gargoyle on the seat next to him that Louis can't resist taking his hand, pressing their palms together and interlacing their fingers, even if just to keep one of them alive.

Who worries more for the other?

Armand does. In a way, by virtue of his actions, he not only made himself Louis's companion but also his caretaker. He feels a certain responsibility; he needs Louis to come back to life but it's simply not happening and it's Armand's burden to bear.

Who is more likely to ask for help?

They're both awful at this during this time. I would have to say Armand though (remembering 'Help me!' at the end of IWTV).

Who is the one always losing the keys?

Who needs keys when you can scale walls like a lizard? (Louis, it's Louis; he forgets he's alive half the time).

Who leaves little love notes for the other?

During their warmer spells, Louis was inclined to gift Armand a favored novel with a brief yet loving inscription on the inside of the cover. Stories could convey more of Louis's emotions toward Armand more easily than spoken words, and Armand cherished this very purposeful invitation into Louis's thoughts.

Who can’t sleep unless the other is there?

Considering how Louis didn't even notice Armand had initially left him in IWTV, I would say Armand. But also because knows how physically weak Louis is in comparison to any other vampires that might want to hurt him, and it also triggers his deep-seated abandonment issues when Louis disappears for days on end. Even if Armand can track him easily and knows more or less exactly where he is, it still hurts in a very raw way (echo of Daniel later on, whoops).

Who is more likely to propose to the other?

For the sake of some needed levity, I'm going to refer back to my post about Armand occasionally cross-dressing during this time so they could blend in as husband and wife in certain places that they travelled to. Armand "proposed" but it was strictly a marriage of convenience.

Who introduced the other to their family first?

Well, that levity was short-lived (RIP). I'm going to steal @covenofthearticulate's answer... technically, Louis did, didn't he? :)

LMAO 😭

Who is more likely to play with the other’s hair?

Armand, but I would say it's less playing and more so grooming. Thinking back to him being in despair over Lestat being left 'dusty' and disheveled on the church floor in TVA... It's very important to Armand that those he loves appear well-put together and cared for, even if he has to do it for them himself. They will not be looking dusty, abandoned, and forgotten like Armand was in the catacombs for 300 years.

Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated?

Armand again. Louis is his responsibility now; Armand saw to that. And it's bad enough that Louis refuses his blood and previously that of his own maker's for the protection it would offer, but a weak, hungry vampire is just too much.

Armand also finds the occasional rats somewhat triggering (Santino and his rats), and altogether very off-putting.

Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other?

Armand drives out any and all vampires that might pose a threat to them. Louis doesn't consider that anything could actually hurt Armand (physically).

Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other?

Armand tries to surprise Louis with trips and outings, anything to incite an emotional response. Sometimes it works, sometimes he's rewarded with a gentlemanly kiss to his hand or an uncharacteristically sudden, tight, and trembling embrace.

Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things?

... Even my imagination can't indulge this one.

Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch?

Armand usually thinks Louis looks cold and he's right, but he's hesitant to irritate him with too much fussing. Besides, it's not a physical coldness which is easily remedied.

Sometimes Armand tucks himself up into a reading chair and closes his eyes and remains completely still for the rest of the night--he's been so tired for so long. When Louis notices (and he occasionally does), he gathers a covering from near the fireplace that's warm and soft and arranges it over Armand's shoulders and around his chest. Armand looks incredibly innocent and childlike when he mimics a mortal in repose; it can't help but invoke Louis's long-buried caregiver instincts.

#it's cold and rainy here today perfect weather for brooding about them #i hope these are any good i HURT MYSELF to get them #vc #armand/louis #ship headcanons ask meme

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casino-au-eggman · 9 months

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Does Boom Egg slowly get more corrupted when hanging around any of the other eggs? Specifically casino Egg sexually? Like is he more of slut now /pos

The other Eggs would like if they could "corrupt" with evil by encouraging him to be eviller but he's nowhere near as evil as them and has limits and they're a bit disappointed at first but realize they need to accept that and let it be and also not talk about their own evil on much depth with him, so they don't make him uncomfortable lol. They can't corrupt him in one of the ways they'd like by encouraging him to be more evil

But all do play a part in encouraging him more sexually. Boom Egg was the most inexperienced of all the Eggs and he barely had any sexual experiences if at all before he met them as he was alone on his island far away from everyone for years. Even when he was around others before, he wasn't very social or successful, he was shy and lacked the confidence to pursue anyone. And he's gray asexual so he didn't mind much.

Modern Egg was the first alternate version Boom Egg met and had sexual experiences with. He had to take it very slow with Boom Egg for a while. They casually but not so subtly indulged each other's fetishes just for fun as friends after realizing they were into the same things. But then modern Egg started giving pecks on the cheek to thank him after their sessions and it eventually escalated to kisses on the lips.

After they began to get more intimate to the point of make out sessions, one time after they indulged in their fetishes and made out, modern Egg finally drew attention to the fact that he really turned him on every time they did this and he wanted to take it further. That's when Boom Egg gave him a handjob for the first time. Then he pleasured him back. Then it turned into oral, then penetrative. I plan on writing a fic of that

But now that we've summarized that quickly - onto the real focus right now with Casino Egg. Boom Egg was a little bit more experienced thanks to modern Egg but he still had a lot to learn and try and was still very shy about sex. But when Casino Egg met him, he found him so adorable and attractive and wanted him bad. Boom Egg was intimidated by him at first after hearing of his reputation through modern Egg

Casino Egg could tell Boom Egg was a bit shy but found it very cute. He always made sure not to make him too uncomfortable but he liked to see him get a little embarrassed and blushy around him. Especially with the way just the first simple quick kiss on the cheek already made him blush really hard. He's very gentle and considerate of his feelings and desires and Boom Egg loves his sweetness and fell hard for it.

He would charm Boom Egg and ease him into doing more intimate things together. From the beginning they were already entertaining each other's fetishes together too but that was very different than doing more physically intimate acts with each other, which Boom Egg was more shy about approaching with Casino Egg just like he was with modern all over again. But Casino Egg was very patient with him.

For a while, Casino Egg was content with just kisses on the cheek, cuddles, and handholding. But Boom Egg could tell he wanted more by the ways he couldn't help but flirt naughtily, touch a little more suggestively in certain places, and a few times he noticed the boner in his pants when they were together and how he tried to ignore and hide it, so he wouldn't be uncomfy or pressured to help him with it when he wasn't ready.

But Casino Egg wanted him so bad. Modern Egg would catch him pleasuring himself while moaning Boom Egg's name or mumble it during wet dreams frequently. He was very patient but only got more excited and desperate to make his fantasies come true. One time he got so horny during their cuddles as he hugged him from behind that he couldn't help but finally give in and grind himself against his butt briefly.

He apologized and admitted that he'd been wondering how it would feel for a while, that he loves him so much and longs for him. That was the first time they played with each other's cocks and squeezed each other's butts while kissing. He loved how shy Boom Egg was and enjoyed encouraging him to go for it. They didn't take it further than that for his comfort but Casino Egg was very happy to take that first step.

When it came to doing more with him, Boom Egg was worried by how little experience he had, even more nervous than he was with modern Eggman because he knows about Casino Egg's reputation and how he can get any guy he wants. He worried he'd be dissatisfied with that or quickly turned off by his much less than confident approach to it and fail to give him a good time because they're so vastly different.

But that couldn't have been further from the truth. Casino Egg loved how shy and inexperienced he was and took pleasure in teaching him what he knows and blow him away by how good he is, getting to give him things he's never been given or certainly not as good as he can! He treated Boom Egg very well with gentleness and patience but also gave him such a thrill and made him feel so good that he fell in love with him harder

I've already written their first time going all the way here but I could write some more about the even earlier days before that in the future.

So now to really get to the main part of your question -

Yes, Casino Egg definitely helped Boom Egg come out of his shell and let himself have fun and experience pleasure through sex more. He wasn't active at all before modern Egg came into the picture and he was a little with him but not much because modern Egg didn't know how to bring out his confidence for them to do so more often. But Casino Egg is the man for the job as he's done so with many men in the past.

Boom Eggman is gray asexual so there are times he's just not in the mood and nothing will really work so they won't do more fetish play but modern and Casino Egg respect that and will just have fun with each other when he's not up to it. Though Casino Egg does wish it was a little more common as he doesn't match him in horniness as often at all. XD But he's understanding and respectful and their relationship is very strong.

But there's definitely an increase in his interest. He helps him become more confident and comfortable with sex and enjoys it more. He discovers the joys of giving and receiving pleasure in new ways. Casino Egg encourages him to be more adventurous and experiment more and he finds more things he enjoys. And of course as usual, he knows how to work his masterful charm and seduction on him to get him into his bed.

He introduced him to a lot of ways of intimacy, positions, kinks, and toys that he never would've thought of trying before. He gets him into crossdressing to please modern and Casino Egg and sexy lingerie and just more revealing clothes of any kind. It does make him feel very slutty when he's playing with them in such dirty ways and is all dressed up sexy and he's very shy about it but realizes he enjoys it quite a bit!

He never even used to fantasize or pleasure himself outside of fetish stuff but starts thinking about general sex and doing it more. He manages to surprise himself and gets shy and flustered by his own thoughts because he's not used to his mind being so dirty! He'll blush and hide his face when he catches himself thinking about Casino or modern Egg like that or wakes up from an exciting dream about them.

When he's admiring them he finds his mind flashing to thoughts of their bodies or mouths on him and feels a strong pull and temptation he's never felt before. He starts to enjoy the way they lust over him more too and has the urge to start dressing up more in the ways they like and enjoys the attention he gets and how special he feels when they go crazy for him and can't keep their eyes and hands off him.

Casino Egg is very happy when he starts rubbing off on him like that. He likes teasing him for it playfully and saying he must really like him for this to have gotten into him but is also sure to tell him how much he likes this side of him to keep encouraging him. He never loses that slight shyness but he loves it and finds it adorable so he wouldn't want to get rid of it, as long as it's in a way where he's still happy and comfortable.

Casino Egg wants to start being more intimate in public places too and he manages to get Boom Egg to be a lot more daring and risky in places where they could get caught. I've written that fic of them in the public showers together and talked about it a bit on my general ns4w blog but I'm planning on talking about that more here soon. That also makes him feel very naughty and he gets nervous but it can be pretty fun.

There eventually comes occasions where Boom Egg is actually in the mood before Casino Egg and that's very rare so when he is, he's sure to give him a surprise. There has been times where Casino Egg will wake up to some... very intimate surprises of Boom Egg sitting on him or greeting him from under the covers hehe. Or he walks into their bedroom to find him dressed up sexy, sprawled on the bed offering himself to him.

He dresses in more revealing clothes to surprise them and walks around the place showing off his body to him and modern Egg, teasing them with the view when he pretends to be innocent and oblivious but eventually starts to shake his cute little butt for them. He loves it when they come up behind him and smack his butt and put their arms around his waist from behind and start kissing him passionately and excitedly.

It's sort of like Casino Egg has corrupted him in a sense as he gets him doing a lot of dirty stuff he never thought he'd do like this, especially when he's the one to make the first move, offer himself to them, dress up for them, and take risks and be a lot naughtier in times, places, and ways he never would before. But with Casino Egg's charm, gorgeous body, and sweet intoxicating scent, something powerful comes over him.

He surprises himself with how slutty he feels and how he finds himself enjoying it, and Casino Egg is very happy! When he plays with him and Boom Egg gets so needy for him and pleads for more, dressed up sexy and offering himself in ways he never thought he'd see, he teases "Just look at what I've turned you into. You love being a slut for me don't you?" and feels great pride and they're sure to have lots of fun together ;)

So yes, while it's still more occasional for him than other Eggs, Boom Egg definitely gradually becomes much more slutty than before when he gets in the mood. And who knows, maybe that could increase even more with time, that's just the power of Casino Egg hehe 💜🩷🍓🥚

#casino au #boom eggman #ns4w

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pink-imagines · 3 years

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mischievous

request: can i request number 17 from handholding, number 12 from kisses and number 10 from touching with sugawara please?

a/n: hi this felt super rushed, so feel free to request again if you want something else :)

warnings: slightly bad writing, teasing

mha masterlist

hq masterlist

requesting rules

prompts:

hand-holding 17. holding hands in a museum to pull them to the next exhibition kisses 12. short pecks touching 10. whispering in their ear, lips touching the skin

You hadn't been this excited in a while. Koshi had set up a date that you couldn't believe he ever would! Of course, you had been talking about it for a while but you had never thought he'd want to do it. He was taking you to see an art exhibition that had just been put up in a pretty famous museum. Everything felt so incredibly perfect, so you went all out. You put on your favorite outside, fixed your hair, put on make up - basically made sure that you looked as perfect as you felt.

The plan was to meet at the train station, as you'd need to take a train to get to the museum, and then take a short walk together. There was still the question of eating lunch before or after the museum, but you decided to pick when you got there. You sat on a bench by the train station, waiting for Koshi. To pass the time you kept fiddling with your clothes, or looking at the time on your phone. Of couse he'd be there on time, but you still checked. When he eventually arrived you didn't see him at first, as you were too busy trying to find something to do. You only noticed once he was standing right in front of you. "Hey, sweetheart.", he said happily. "Koshi!", you exclaimed and got out of your seat to wrap your arms around his neck. He stumbled back slightly and put his hands on your back, steadying both you and him. A small laugh escaped his lips and he placed a kiss on your cheek. Because of fyour hectic university schedules you hadn't been able to see him that often. On top of that, you had tests to study for. Even though you'd love to lie to yourself and say that you'd be able to focus on the material when he was around, you just couldn't. You had tried studying together once, but it didn't end with you closing your books feeling ready for the test. However, now everything had come to an end and you were ready to spend your summer with him. "How've you been?", he asked as, to your dismay, he pulled away from you. "I've been doing alright, I managed to pass all of the exams!", you grinned, "Oh-... and I've missed you, of course." "I've missed you too, Y/N.", he gave you another kiss, this time on your forehead. Koshi took a second to really look at you. His smile seemed to grow softer and warmer with every second. Maybe you were a bit over-dressed, considering Koshi's jeans and shortsleeved button-up. But he made you feel like you looked absolutely perfect. "You look very pretty.", he said gently, "You always do, of course... but especially now." With a soft smile you reached up your hands to cup his face gently. He responded by putting one of his hands over one of yours, and held it softly. "And you look very handsome.", you said, "Thank you for planning this, I think it'll be wonderful." Koshi smoothly took your hands away from his face, holding onto one and intertwining his fingers with yours. He brought up your hand to his lips and gave it a quick peck, making you break out into a big smile. As if on cue, the train arrived and the passengers started getting off - which meant it was almost time for you to get on. "Let's go, hm?", he said, and you hummed in response.

The train wasn't as packed as you thought it would've been. Maybe it was due to your early vacation, or you just happened to pick the right train. Either way, you managed to find seats so that you wouldn't have to stand up the entire ride. Koshi held out one of his earbuds to you and you gladly took it. As the train started rolling, so did his playlist. Some of your favorite artists were on there, mixed in with songs that you had never heard before but were equally good. You let out a soft sigh and put your head on his shoulder, finding comfort in watching him play around with his phone. Koshi went back to his playlist, and you just happened to see the name. "Y/N's playlist", it said. A smile broke out on your lips, and if it weren't for you being on public transport you would've teased him about it. He quickly turned off his phone and put it on his lap. Now that his hands were free, you took a hold of one of them. Without using words, you tried to reassure him that the playlist was cute and not embarrassing. You kept playing with his fingers, but when he put your head on top of yours, which was still on his shoulder, you understood that he had gotten your message. You turned his hand around so that you could look at his palm. There your index finger softly drew hearts upon hearts, until Koshi let out a soft, barely noticeable, chuckle.

When you got off the train your hand was still in his. So when you had gotten a bit further away from the station you stopped him by pulling back his hand. He turned around, letting out a small hum of confusion along with showing off a furrowed brow. "Did you actually make a playlist for me?", you asked with a fond smile. "Ahh... I thought you'd forget about that quickly.", he let out a light, embarrassed, laugh. "No, why would I?", you said in a teasing tone. "Yes, I did make a playlist for you.", he nodded, "I put in the songs you usually listen to and found some other ones I thought you'd like..." "It was sweet, thank you.", you gave him a satisfied nod back, "Now let's go!"

You were going straight to the museum. There was a slight hop in your step because of the excitement that was slowly building up more and more. Of course you knew that you shouldn't get your hopes up, but you couldn't help it. Koshi seemed to notice your excitement, as he wore a fond smile whenever you'd look back at him. The walk to the museum was short lived and filled with little, to no, conversation. But you enjoyed the silence, feeling comforted by the fact that you didn't need to strike up conversation with Koshi. Whenever you did speak to each other his voice was gentle and warm, like a light summer breeze. His hand, which had previously held yours, would now occationally brush against yours. It was a teasing motion, in the somehow made up competition that had just been created. Who would grab the other's hand first? You weren't prepared to lose. But as soon as you got to the museum all thoughts of the competition left your head. Koshi payed to get in and then you were in a world of magical creations. You were so excited, you didn't even know where to start. "Y/N, come over here.", Koshi waved you over and you happily bounced after him, "I think we should start from over here, don't you?" He pointed at a table of headphones, above them an explanation. You were supposed to use the headphones to get around the museum, it would explain exhibitions as well as a few seperate works. You let out a small "aha" in the midst of your realization, which made Koshi let out a small laugh.

The two of you walked around in exhibitons, listening to the audios that the headphones provided and looking closely at different pieces of art. The next room would be the exhibition that you had been so excited about. You were so caught up in your emotion that you grabbed Koshi's hand to lead him to the next room, completely forgetting about your silly competition. Even though you didn't care anymore, Koshi still had a proud and accomplished grin on his face. In the other room you stopped by a particular painting. It was absolutely beautiful, but the headphones provided no explanation for it. So you waved Koshi over, who was looking at another piece at that moment. He walked up behind you, putting his arms around your waist and leaning his chin against your shoulder. "This one doesn't have an explaination...", you stated and leaned back against his chest, "What do you think?" Koshi took a good look at it, removing his headphones to let them hang around his neck instead. In response to his movements you pushed one side of your headphones off your ear, the side where Koshi had his head leaning against your shoulder. "Hm...", he sighed, "... well, there's not always a lot to say - maybe it's something that can't be explained with words." "I guess you're right... still, I'd like to know... experience it, if it's really unexplainable.", you muttered. There was a pause. You were looking at the beautiful painting, while Koshi was trying to stop himself from saying the thing that had popped up into his mind. Alas, he lost in the war against his brain. "I can give you an unexplainable experience.", he whispered softly in your ear. The light summer breeze that used to be his voice had turned into a bright and red sunrise, which was waking up in your chest. You felt warm, but in an entirely different way. On top of that, his lips had gently brushed against your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. "Koshi!", you hissed at him quietly and watched as he tried to hold his laughter back. You were sure that your face was as red as a tomato at that point. As you got out of his embrace and looked back at him he had already turned back to normal. "What?", he asked with an innocent smile. You felt like you were about to explode, you simply didn't know what to do. Koshi grabbed your hand out of the blue and started leading you away from the painting. A playful giggle escaped his lips, only loud enough for you to hear. The reason he had started leading you way was because of the big crowd building up in the exhibition room. "Is there anything else you want to see or can we go get food now?", he asked once the two of you got out of the big crowd. "I think food is a good idea.", you nodded.

The day ended with both of you slowly making your way to the train station. A part of you really wanted to go home, but the other part wanted to stay with Koshi for as long as possible. The sun was setting, creating beautiful light all around you - making Koshi's skin look like honey. His hand was holding yours in a tender grip, his thumb stroking over the back of your hand from time to time. There was so much to see around you, but the best view was always right beside you. "There's the station.", Koshi muttered. The two of you stopped walking completely. You hummed quietly and started playing with his hand again. It seemed to have become a habit of yours. Koshi looked over at the train schedule. "There's a train coming in a few minutes... but there's another one twenty minutes after that.", he murmered, slowly approaching you further. "I think we might miss the first one, let's just wait another twenty minutes.", you said with a playful smile. "Mhm, I was just thinking the same thing.", Koshi nodded. He continued taking tiny steps towards you. When he stood right in front of you, you let go of his hand and wrapped your arms around his neck instead. Of course you'd never do that with people around, but luckily the place you were standing was slightly shielding you from the few people that were currently around you. Koshi reciprocrated your movements by putting his hands on your waist. He looked so adoreable that you couldn't help yourself. The hands that were before locked behind his neck now made their way to his cheeks. You lightly squished his cheeks before leaning in and peppering his face with short kisses. "Y/N-" You knew that it wasn't what he had expected. A smile broke loose on your lips, but you kept placing small pecks all over his face. Eventually Koshi stopped struggling against you and just let it happen, letting out a low chuckle of defeat. Soon enough you slowed down your kisses, whispering out a short "I love you" between them. Koshi smoothly took ahold of your face and pushed you a bit further away from him. "I love you too.", he said with a chuckle. "I just wanted to thank you for today...", you pouted slightly, "... and you look so cute I just want to squish you!" You lightly squished his cheeks again, only letting go when Koshi took your hands away himself. "A thank you would've been enough, but I appreciate the effort.", he smiled, "We should start heading into the station." You looked over at the schedule with a sigh. "One more kiss?", you asked sweetly when you turned back to him. He motioned with his index finger towards his lips. You nodded happily and leaned in to place another short peck to his lips. But when you did, Koshi put his hand on the back of your head. What you thought would be a short kiss turned into something else. His lips were soft, you had felt them before but now they were almost demanding. It's easy to say that it made you weak in the knees. His fingers lightly tangled themselves in your hair, while his other hand reached up to cup your cheek. Your hands found their way to his shoulders, trying your best to stablize yourself. When he felt your hands on him he smiled into the kiss, making your heart flutter. Before pulling away completely he landed a short peck on your lips, to finalize the interaction. Koshi looked at you with a smile, so cute that you wouldn't have believed that he was the one that kissed you earlier. You took a moment to stare at him in disbelief before hiding your flustered face in his chest. You wrapped your arms around his middle. He let out an angelic laugh, only making you blush harder and hug him tighter.

[a/n:] i'm so sorry for this terrible writing, i've been really out of it ever since i got home😭

hq permanent taglist: @samus-bub | @crystal-lilac

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voidstilesplease · 3 years

Text

love and war

a demigod au [companion] ficlet

~•~

Theo's eyes snap open when he hears the loud honk from outside the motel they're staying. He sits upright in his makeshift bed on the cold floor. It's still dark, and when he checks the clock in the room, only an hour has passed since they went to bed.

He transfers his gaze at the sleeping lump on the single bed, wrapped tightly in the comforter like a human burrito. Stiles is dead to the world, open-mouth with a bit of drool on one side. He looks so young and innocent and can't hurt a fly like this. But under his pillow, Theo can see the handhold of his dagger. They're almost to the entrance of the Underworld now. More monsters are after them. Caution and vigilance are of utmost importance if they want to come back from this quest alive.

Soft snoring takes his attention from Stiles to the shape on the couch. Involuntarily, Theo scowls at the sight of him. Derek Hale, son of Poseidon. He still can't believe he's on a quest with him, or even that all three of them are together in some mad twist of fate and managed not to kill one another yet. Barely, but still. Their godly parents are the worst rivals and are the three Olympians on the verge of a war if Theo, Stiles, and Derek fail. The last thing they should become is allies.

Derek shifts and Theo notes that he looks uncomfortable in his position. It makes him oddly satisfied.

He hears the loud honk again, but it's apparent now that only he does among them. Otherwise, his two companions would have sprung up, wide-eyed and ready to pounce, no matter how exhausted they had been from a full day of running and fighting monsters.

Theo gets up to his feet, clutching the hilt of his sword, and approaches the window guardedly. With sure fingers, he pulls down the blinds enough to peek. The image that greets him gives him a moment's pause, lips parting in surprise.

Outside, a spotless, white limousine casually parks on the deserted road. A muscular man in black jeans, combat boots, and a red muscle shirt underneath a black vest leans against it. There's a familiar sneer in his mouth noticeable even from afar, and though he's donning sunglasses, Theo knows his eyes are on him.

He's imagined this happening since his claim at Camp Half-Blood. If he appears to him right now while Theo's in the middle of a make-or-break mission, things must be getting worse in Olympus. He usually communicates to Theo in vague dreams, in a voice in his head, in some other weird manifestation since this started, but never coming to him in the flesh.

He lets go of the blind, delays for a second of contemplative silence, and then opens the door to meet his father, the God of War, Ares.

~•~

He slows his steps as he nears the broad figure. Up close, Theo notices the fire reflecting from inside his glasses. He has heard from his siblings that their dad had fireballs in his sockets instead of eyeballs. And that any children of Ares are compelled by unexplainable force to meet those flares, cowering.

Theo stops and raises his chin to meet his father's gaze, and no matter how he tries and how tough he is, he still dips his head in submission to the god. He swallows, "Father,"

His reply was a terse and detached, "Son,"

Theo lifts his head again, not quite meeting Ares's eyes this time, and hesitates for a second, but asks, "What are you doing here, father?"

The god's face twists like he has swallowed a lemon. His head fastens in the direction of the room Theo is renting for the night. "You have such unpromising companions," he spats, glaring at the window as if he sees through it. Ares probably does. "The son of Poseidon I can scarcely forgive," his attention slips back to Theo, and even without the proper organs, Theo can feel the disgust that would be reflected in them if he had eyeballs. The disapproval is rolling like waves in his aura, and it makes dread crawl up Theo's spine. He hates that his father can evoke such emotions just with his presence. He's also starting to feel his blood boil. "but Athena's spawn?"

Theo bites his lip and balls his fists to avoid saying something that will make his father smite him to smithereens. That is not at all the way he had imagined his first meeting with his father to end.

"She dares call me a thief," Ares's voice does not rise, but it doesn't have to. Theo's hyper-aware of his father's rage, and it makes his knees quiver to kneel and supplicate.

Theo forces to say the words, "Stiles is helping to find an end to this conflict,"

Ares scoffs, unimpressed. "And by an end," he crosses his burly arms. "You mean victory against our enemies in the war."

Theo shakes his head, breathing through his nose. "I was thinking about not starting a war at all."

The look Ares gives him makes his stomach coil, and he hates it. The god regards him similarly to an insect: small, insignificant, and revolting. "No child of War runs from war."

Theo breathes in deep, his blunt and dirty nails digging in the skin of his palms. "There isn't one yet, that is necessary."

Ares's face thunders and the fire in his eyes glow brighter. It seems the god expresses no aversion to smiting his son right then and there. "She slandered my name-"

"Ares, dear, do be nice now." A silky, feminine voice interrupts his father from inside the limo. And amazingly, the god's anger deflates, albeit grudgingly. He's still enraged, but he's holding himself back from committing a crime. Theo inwardly sighs in relief.

The god purses his lips, nose flaring slightly, "My Lady wishes to give you a weapon,"

Theo draws his eyebrows together, "Your Lady?" Just as he says the question, the answer comes to Theo. He remembers the afternoon Stiles discussed with him in their session about his father's amorous relationship with a fellow Olympian.

"Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty and is married to Hera's son, Hephaestus, the god of the forge. The union forced upon Aphrodite as it was a condition made by Hephaestus so he would free his mother, Hera, from being bound into a magical throne he built and tricked the queen of the gods into sitting. Zeus granted it, and so they were married. Aphrodite resented his husband because Lord Hephaestus was, in the standard of the divinities, ugly and lame, and therefore, not befitting the goddess of beauty.

The god tried to gain her affection by designing beautiful jewelry for her in his workshop. But she wasn't interested. Instead, she used the opportunity of his husband's work arrest in his workshop to be unfaithful and be with other gods or goddesses, and even mortals.

Then she met Ares, and they fell in love. They kept on having affairs with other immortals and mortals, but they always came back to each other -even though that's against the rule of formal infidelity of the Greeks."

"Bring him in, dear,"

The soft voice breaks Theo's reverie, and with a huff, his father motions him to the door as requested by the goddess Aphrodite.

He doesn't know what to expect the goddess of beauty would look like, but when the door opens, Theo catches a glimpse of the car's occupant, and he thinks he hallucinated Stiles for a brief moment. When he blinks, he now sees the flowing hair and feminine features instead of gelled up hair and slender muscles.

He takes a seat, and the door shuts. Theo finds himself captivated by the different aura that she emanates in comparison to what he had felt with his father. His skin feels warm instead of burning, and his heart steadies instead of races. He stares at the face of the goddess, and if he isn't so gone, he would have remembered his manners -whatever little he has. At least, the goddess doesn't seem offended by the rapt attention -she's probably used to it- but amused.

Theo had never mentally built a picture of the goddess, but he didn't expect for her to have moles sprinkled in her pale face or have amber, almost molten liquid, eyes. But she has an elegant upturned nose and pink cupid's bow lips, which are as expected. Her features remind Theo so closely of Stiles. That must be why he thought he saw him for a second there.

When she smiles, it even feels familiar to Theo.

"What do you see?" She asks.

"Um," Theo swallows and licks his dried lips. "Your beauty, goddess."

She emits a soft, coy chuckle. "It is not universal. Do I resemble someone specific that you know?"

The question throws him for a little, and he blinks. "Yes," He says honestly, figuring there is no point in lying.

The smile on her face broadens, "My beauty is an individual's perception of it, son of Ares. It is one or the other, depending on who's looking."

He frowns, confused. Before he can ask what the goddess is trying to say or process it himself, Aphrodite procures an object in her hands that she passes to Theo. When he looks down at the item, it's a palm-sized rose looking-glass. He sees his reflection as he studies it. It's a simple circular mirror with roses encrusted around it; each petal is elaborately carved.

"It is a present from my husband," the goddess says.

Theo nods, thinking it makes perfect sense. Something as well-crafted as the item he holds must only be from a god.

"When you absolutely need it," she continues, "look upon the mirror, and help will come. It grants only one call."

He gives the goddess a quizzical look, "Why are you giving it to me, though, Lady Aphrodite? I am grateful and honored to receive such a gift," he hastily adds, remembering Stiles's warning of always showing gratitude to the gods. It avoids spontaneously combusting. "But I don't know why me?"

Thankfully, she seems to be in good spirits because she only inclines her head. "Do you think it appropriate if I gifted that to the children of my beloved's rivals?"

Theo made a humming noise.

"I must say," she adds, "I assumed if it was the son of Poseidon I invited, I know what image he would see in my face. But, I wonder," she gives Theo a look, her brown eyes twinkling in the same fashion as Stiles's when he formulates a clever, and devious idea. "If it was the son of Athena, whose face would he have seen between two?"

Theo pauses, caught off guard.

Then, the goddess straightens. "Remember. Only once. Choose the moment wisely."

Theo opens his mouth to thank her once more and asks what is in exchange for the goddess' generosity. Stiles had also taught him that gods don't just hand out presents to the mortals they favor without a deed or a sacrifice. But, the next time he breathes, he's back inside the room, sitting in his comforter on the floor.

He blinks rapidly and scrambles to his feet toward the window. He pulls the blinds aside and sees nothing but a deserted road outside where the limo has been.

He almost thinks he dreamt it, but when he looks at his hand, Aphrodite's mirror is in there.

"Remember. Only once. Choose the moment wisely."

~•~

[1][2][3][4][comp 1]

#teen wolf #steo #steo ficlet #steo au #teen wolf au #teen wolf crossover #camp half blood #teen wolf characters #as demigods #demigod au #tw demigod au ficlet #teen wolf demigod au series #word count: 1935 #fics tag #i just remembered this scene #in pjo 3 #the titan's curse #and i had to make a steo version lol #demigodseries

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championfrita · 4 years

Text

Pokémon Sword and Shield Review

So...I've taken some time to fully play Pokémon Shield. Now, I know this is pretty delayed, and I got the double pack so I wanted to play Sword first to see if how I felt was really accurate or if I was being too harsh. That said, let's talk about my experience with the Galar Region.

Initial Impressions

Overall, I was excited to play Shield at first. Everything was bright and exciting and the characters were easy to recognize and not overly generic.

The first few hours of this game, well it's a slow burn. And I do mean SLOW. Even with the text set to Fast and me taking things at my own pace it took me at least a good couple hours to reach the Wild Area. Furthermore, this game has an infernal amount of handholding, even when given the option to say "I know all this already" it still gives a brief explaination for almost anything and STILL makes you sit ALL THE WAY THROUGH the catch tutorial.

It's 2019 and older players still don't get the option to skip this. Come on GameFreak.

That said, the longer I played the more I began to notice...how should I put this? Blatant laziness?

The Wild Area

Now, the CONCEPT of the Wild Area in theory is amazing. It's still not too bad as is, but there are definitely flaws. For starters, the same tree has been copy pasted all over the place to make up 90% of the foliage.

More than that, though, despite the Wild Area having a good selection of Pokémon and a fairly varietied environment (desert, lakes, forest) it feels oddly...empty. There are no real secrets to speak of, no hidden areas, no easily missed items. Everything is all right out there to see and spread pretty far apart. I don't know if it's a lack of Trainers or the fact that I don't have an Online membership so I played alone, but the Wild Area feels like it just needs something MORE.

Dynamax Raid Battles, even when done alone, are fairly fun and sometimes challenging with the turn limit. Radiant AI Trainers spawn in to assist you if you're playing alone so there's no worries about having to take one on with just one Pokémon.

Camping, which can be done anywhere but is introduced to the player here, is an absolute treat. Have YOU played fetch with a unicorn? I have, and I love it. The wide variety of curries you can make with different ingredients is nice, and your Pokémon even get EXP boosts if you play with and feed them while camping.

The Pokémon

Honestly, I'm really not impressed. The Galar Dex of new Pokémon feels painfully small, so much so that playing Pokémon GO and catching a few Unova Pokémon made me yearn for the days when we used to get regions completely FULL of new Pokémon. Remember when you had to wait until AFTER the main game to start catching Pokémon from past gens? I...well, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I LIKED that.

That said, using a sparse selection of Galar Pokémon and Galar Regional Variants on my team definitely made the Gym Challenge more difficult. I picked Scorbunny, because Fire Types, and honestly didn't really care for it or its evolutions at first. Cinderace has really grown on me though and I like Pyro Ball as a move. It's flashy and powerful and that suits me just fine. Most of the new Pokémon's DESIGNS were good and I liked them, there just really weren't ENOUGH of them.

I'm fairly pleased with the regional variants as well. It was difficult to adjust to Ponyta and Rapidash being Psychic Type, but I really liked having them on my team. At the same time...Meowth not evolving into a Persian doesn't really sit right with me.

I'm all for branch evolutions, but Perrserker honestly just looks more like a giant Galar Meowth than anything. I played this with only the info given in the few scattered trailers I'd seen, so I was genuinely excited to see what a Galarian Persian would look like only to end up with Perrserker. The Typing is phenominal, and I think it's great to see a Steel Type Meowth for a change, but I just don't like where they went with it. Eh. Ces't la vie, moving on.

The Story

It's weak. Straight up, the story in this game is poor. There were so many directions they could have gone. I really liked the idea of Rose being this charismatic chairman hype man for the League and being the bad guy. I saw it coming, but it was a nice change to see just based on his personality. Still, it feels rushed. His motivations are really one dimensional and glossed over. Like, "Oh, here's the bad guy. Go get him." It worked in Gen 1 because Giovanni was a MOBSTER. He was MEANT to be a bad guy straight to the core in general, but Rose just doesn't have that vibe.

Not only that, but the "Bad League Members" are kinda meh. That feels REALLY lazy. They didn't even really get a decent uniform change when they started taking on the name Macro Cosmos in Rose Tower. They got black glasses. That's it. Just that. The fight with Eternatus feels painfully rushed and shoehorned in too, almost like they thought "Oh no, we need to give them a big nasty boss to fight! Let's just throw a random monster at them and say Rose summoned it. Seems like a solid plan."

I DID like the after story with Piers though. It really solidifies that older brother sort of nature with him, even if he tries to hide it most of the time.

The Characters

I liked Hop. As a character he's really fun and I like how they gave him this over excited very grand gestured sort of personality. He's really just happy to be ANYWHERE as long as it's with his Pokémon and you. His admiration for his big bro might come off strong and make him seem a little flat at first, but he's overall portrayed as a good kid and I like him.

Leon on the other hand...well I hated him for most of the game. His design is great and he looks fabulous, but he just has the most cocky, obnoxious, pandering personality 90% of the time. Still, I have to give credit where credit is due and recognize that he IS actually a multifaceted character. He showboats not just because he's too confident but also to give the crowd a show and put people at ease in times of danger. Not only that, but his recognition of his little brother's accomplishments and his graceful acceptance of defeat when you beat him reveals a really well written character.

I don't DISlike Sonia, and I have no problem with Prof. Magnolia sitting on the sidelines, but she can be a little...irritating at times with the way she speaks about and to people. The Gym Leaders, aside from Piers, feel a little...light.

I mean, most Gym Leaders don't have detailed backstories, but these ones feel paper thin personality wise as well. I had to look at the official GUIDE just to be sure what the relationship between Melony and Gordie even WAS because you only seem him in her Special League Card in Shield and that tells you nothing about him. The only real leaders that stood out to me were Piers and Raihan, and while I was iffy about his design at first I LOVE Raihan. He has so much more personality and ferocity than any of the other leaders. And the social commentary about him needing to constantly take and post a selfie, even after losing, is a nice touch.

The Galar Region

Is very linear. Like, VERY linear. Even when you take a branching path it either loops back around or gives you a free ride to wherever you have to backtrack to. I hope you like Hammerlocke, cuz you're gonna be visiting there several times.

I know that the region is based off the UK, and maybe my Americanized idea of cities is different (idk, I've never been to the UK), but a lot of the towns in this game feel really small. Like, almost smaller than some of the towns in Hoenn small. Maybe it's a lack of significant interactable buildings, but despite many of them having multiple floors you typically can only access one and that's kind of a disappointment. The hotel in Wyndon won't even let you get in the elevator, and while I get that Alola also did that, it's kind of jarring when the hotel in Motostoke WILL let you see other floors.

That said, I kind of expected more than ONE Wild Area. The one we DID get is fine, and I appreciate what it is and lets us do, but I honestly thought there would be multiple places to really explore outside the standard straight lines. Pokémon has never been a franchise to shy away from puzzles before so I expected this to not be any different. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Moreover, many of the environment pieces are just UGLY. A lot of the ground textures are reused 3DS assets, and those copy pasted trees I mentioned earlier? Also 3DS assets. How do I know? They're pentagonal instead of round. In other words, they have five sides. Why? Because the 3DS hardware couldn't handle complex environmental shapes that well so they could get away with it, but now that we have nice round berry trees the contrast becomes painful. The Wild Area is so ugly the first time you see it is at NIGHT. They were so aware of what they did they hoped making it darker would hide the lazy flop instead of showing off how bad it was.

It isn't like they COULDN'T fix it either. Look at Ballonlea and Glimwood Tangle. They're absolutely beautiful and very well done. The modeling with them is fantastic and I love the glowing effects. They absolutely could've made the poorly done areas look amazing, but for some reason they didn't and the game suffers some as a result.

Other Thoughts

The Gym Challenges...they were not fun. Like, honestly some were ok. Herding Wooloo was easy, but they really didn't feel like anything I would expect from a Gym. The water puzzle in Nessa's Gym was fine, and I personally liked the spinning cup ride, but the rest just felt like agonizingly long padding because they couldn't come up with anything. Look at Circhester's challenge. It's a dowsing rod gauntlet where you have to avoid falling in pits in an artificial blizzard. It. is. SO. SLOW. That said, Spikemuth having just a Trainer gauntlet instead was kind of awkward. I reached the end and asked myself "Was that it? Is this it? Is this all there is to Spikemuth? Just one giant alleyway and a Pokémon Center?"

Raihan's three trials of worthiness challenge? It was more difficult than the battle AGAINST RAIHAN. Speaking of, I beat Hop, Marnie, Bede, all the Gym Leaders, Rose, Oleana, and Leon on my first try every time. While it was more difficult with my specific Pokémon choices, it really wasn't much. And can I just say that the Gym Badges are kinda lame? I get what they were going for, but the designs of each piece could've been really unique and intricate and instead we got glorified stamps.

I liked a lot of the general features of the game. Camping, clothing shops, League Cards. I love designing League Cards, even if I'm the only one who's ever gonna see em. That said, the clothing choices were really narrow based on what we got in Sun and Moon. The variety of different items was pretty small, though I loved all the punk leather stuff but WOW IS IT EXPENSIVE. Like Lumiose Boutique expensive. AND WHY IS THERE NEVER A REDHEAD HAIR COLOR THAT ISN'T JUST AUBURN RED? There are actually A LOT of redheads with LIGHT RED hair (that's more a personal gripe than anything, I know).

A lot of the music felt almost like rehashes of older BGMs. Like, Postwick, Route 1, and Wedgehurst all sound like they have remixed Hoenn music. A lot of the other music tracks just don't feel fitting for the areas or for Pokémon games in general. I like parts of the Slumbering Weald music and I like the Gym Music, but the opening of Slumbering Weald feels awkward and like it doesn't fit a mysterious forest we're not allowed to be in.

I know I've complained a lot, but there were some things I genuinely liked. A lot of the Pokémon designs, place names, and other radiant decor and parts of the region are actually subtle and not so subtle references to cultural points of the UK. Skwovet and its evolution for example are a gray and red squirrel respectively and are a nod to invasive species, which is neat.

In Conclusion

Is Pokémon Sword and Shield amazing? No. Is it bad? No. Sword and Shield fall into that mediocre middle ground of being ok but nothing to write home about. Could I have done without them? Sure, they aren't some world ending imperitive must play. They're ok, and they make for a fine jumping on point and a fine little adventure if you have spare time. Have other mainline games done it better? Heck yeah, but that doesn't mean Sword and Shield haven't done a few good things too.

Overall, it sort of feels like GameFreak bit off more than they could chew, or were afraid to make changes because of unfamiliarity with the Switch's hardware and software limitations. Pokémon Let's Go had a lot more effort, but it also was much safer and had a much easier to work with art style to everything. Chibi proportions are a lot easier to fake than a more realistic counterpart. Things can be not perfect and it's less noticable than with more realistic proportions, and I think they were afraid to push back the deadline any further for the inevitable backlash despite that being what they likely needed. The DLC may change my mind, but as it stands, just the fact that they feel they can JUSTIFY their laziness with DLC packs really upsets me.

I give Pokémon Sword and Shield a 5/10.

It's just, OK.

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