I don't post in forever and I am terrible at remembering it
Um, sorry? I got caught up with Nano in November, and then took a break from writing/living/doing anything other than studying for finals in December, and then playing video games afterwards.
Here's story snippets from five video games I played over my break instead of being productive and writing. Spoilers for each and every one of the games, so be warned in advance.
Pokemon HeartGold
She hadn’t been up to Mount Silver in a while.
Lyra knew that if she went back, Red would probably accept her request for a rematch. He probably wouldn’t even care that their last match had ended so badly.
No, it would only be in her imagination that his eyes held a measure of disappointment. She had just gotten so frustrated with the battles, growing stronger only to see Red grow stronger still, never being able to measure up. Lyra had defeated Team Rocket just as handily as he had. She defeated the Elite Four and the Champion to take the spot Red had relinquished shortly after he had won it. Most people didn’t even mention Red’s name in conversation anymore - Lyra was the one they talked about.
The important people all talked about Red - she understood, now, what Green must have gone through every time he lost out to his rival. If nothing else, she had to defeat him for her own peace of mind. So, last time, when Red had only looked disinterested as they battled, Lyra had pulled the pokeball that didn’t hold one of her regular pokemon, the one she promised herself she wouldn’t use...
It hadn’t mattered. Snorlax had fallen, and Charizard, but Ho-oh had finally succumbed to Red’s Blastoise. And it was once again that Lyra began the cold trek back to the base of the mountain, trying not to cry more of practicality than anything else - the blizzard was capable of freezing the tears to her face, and trying to navigate a blizzard blind wasn’t worth getting a good cry out of the way.
Red wouldn’t care. To him, it was clear that Ho-oh had just been another pokemon in her arsenal, a backup against his team of powerhouses. But to Lyra, bringing out Ho-oh in a battle meant to prove to herself that she was just as great as Red was...the shame was enough to dissuade her every time she neared the Victory Road gatehouse.
They always told her that when two trainers locked eyes, they had to battle. Lyra wasn’t going to return to the summit of Mount Silver until she was sure she could look Red in the eye again.
***
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Even when he had returned to Ayuthay, Amiti couldn’t forget about what that tree had said. He and Rief had tried to puzzle it out between the two of them, but Amiti knew nothing at all about the Warriors of Vale beyond what he had been told, and the only stories Rief had asked from his mother had been on subjects hundreds of years old. Given the nature of the stories, it had been fascinating to listen to how the Mercury clan had spread out over northern Angara, but from what Rief had known, they had either all retreated to Imil or died out.
There wasn’t much of a chance, but Uncle Paithos was currently in a stable condition, and Amiti, for all intent and purposes, was bored out of his skull - sitting back and allowing girls to feed you peeled grapes somehow wasn’t nearly as interesting after going out and saving the world. Within a week of begging, guilt-trips, and outright throwing a tantrum (during which Amiti studiously avoided the thought that he was nineteen and royalty and really should be Better Than This), he was granted permission to travel to Imil.
He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it, but Imil was Cold. Almost as cold, even, as when they had rescued the Sanan group from that abandoned shack. Except then, Amiti had known that at any minute, he could get back to the ship and wrap up in blankets belowdecks, while here he was forced to keep on trudging through the mounds of snow, hoping that he was going in the right direction. Even when he made it into the village proper, he was still shivering violently when guided into the healer’s house.
Mia was everything that he had imagined his own mother to look like, and wrapped him in blankets with a mug of cocoa within minutes of the door opening. When Amiti explained why he was there, though, her eyes widened, before a spark went out of them. She went upstairs while Amiti drank his cocoa, and brought down a set of winter gear, closer to what she was wearing than what Amiti had come in, and told him he should be wearing it if he wanted to stay warm.
Amiti left a week later without his answer and without the clothing Mia had pressed upon him. It had hurt too much to see a woman who had been kind to him look as if she was about to cry every time she saw him.
***
Final Fantasy V
Faris’ temper, Bartz mused, was a thing of legend. True enough, she didn’t let it out that much when Lenna was around during their journey - probably wanted to set a good example for the princess - but on the hapless chancellor and taggers-along of Tycoon? Well, he was glad he had brought something to snack on while he watched the show unfold.
“And why the hell are we buying from this sack of shite when we know that he’s overcharging us twice the price?” Faris demanded, smacking the wrinkled documents against the table. The chancellor winced. “Queen Sarisa, please - “
“Don’t you ‘Queen Sarisa’ me, matey!” She smacked the document in her hand, and Bartz thought it was a shame that after the first couple of incidents, Lenna had forbid Faris from bringing her sword to these policy meetings. “We aren’t about to roll over like a dog for some mangy, flea-infested nob who thinks he’s all that because he’s got a couple of ships in his command! I could swipe these goods for a quarter of what the wanker’s charging us!” Her eyes were lighting up, and Bartz grinned as the chancellor and other ministers tried to placate her.
“You.” She thrust the papers out at one of the ministers, who ‘eeped’ and nearly fell over trying to escape. “Tell the son of a bitch to cut his prices, or he can worry about cuts in other places. Perhaps a keelhauling might improve his attitude.” She shoved the document into the minister’s face, and turned around, sweeping out of the room.
Bartz smirked as he finished off the apple he had brought. It was too bad that they had forgotten that, Queen or no, Faris had been a pirate first. He should probably invite Krile to come over and watch next week, when they gave her the list of marriage candidates.
***
Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals
It was only to be expected, Miledy told herself. She and Zeiss had defected, after all. They should have known that they were going to face Gale eventually. And Lord Roy couldn’t have known who the commander was to them when he sent the two wyvern lords out to engage the wyvern knights to the east.
She was a loyal knight of Bern - no, of princess Guinevere. She knew her duty, just as Gale knew his. So when he swept past Zeiss towards the temple, and Zeiss visibly hesitated, Miledy had no choice but to intercept her former lover.
It was perverse, but she would have felt better if Gale had hurled insults at her. He had always fought silently, not prone to the battle cries that other soldiers shouted at the beginning of combat. In her mind, she wished that he had shouted something unforgivable, something to make her feel better about his death.
No. No need to soften it. About killing him. About moving to intercept and knowing that he wasn’t going to stop no matter how she pleaded and even as she hefted the spear to throw how the only thing she could think of was that morning long past, outside the stables, when she had tripped over a rake and while all the other soldiers had laughed, a blue-haired man had come over and helped her to her feet...
Even his last words, asking Zeiss to take care of Miledy... no. It was better that Miledy had been the one to kill Gale, that she had done it in cold blood. If it had been anyone else, she would never have been able to forgive them. It was best that the sin fell on her shoulders alone.
It was only to be expected that they cross blades, serving their lords. Miledy had just never expected that she would be the one to walk away from the encounter.
***
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (kinda KHII, too)
Sometimes, when the gummi ship is still en-route to its next destination, Sora dreams of Destiny Islands. It’s usually something normal, even if sometimes it’s one of those dreams, where you know who you’re dreaming about, but they don’t look anything like what they’re supposed to.
So, whether Riku shows up with silver hair or red, the grin’s the same, and Sora can relax in the feeling of best friend and just chill out with him, splashing each other in the surf or racing down the sand or exploring the Secret Place or eating sea-salt ice cream, watching the sunset together and using Riku as a pillow. Sometimes he calls him by another name, but neither of them ever notice, and when he wakes up he can’t remember what he called Riku or what they talked about.
It’s the other dreams that aren’t normal, when Sora and Riku are playing with another girl, one who’s Kairi and himself at the same time. In those dreams, the three of them are always together, and when they unwrap their ice cream the stick always says ‘winner’, because they’re winners, all of them - they’ve been through it all and they’re still together, they remember each other, everything’s fine and they’re back home -
Sora always wakes up from those dreams with a feeling of longing so strong it actually hurts, and the touch of phantom tears on his cheeks. Within minutes he forgets the dream entirely and only remembers the resolve to find his best friend and bring him home.
Here's story snippets from five video games I played over my break instead of being productive and writing. Spoilers for each and every one of the games, so be warned in advance.
Pokemon HeartGold
She hadn’t been up to Mount Silver in a while.
Lyra knew that if she went back, Red would probably accept her request for a rematch. He probably wouldn’t even care that their last match had ended so badly.
No, it would only be in her imagination that his eyes held a measure of disappointment. She had just gotten so frustrated with the battles, growing stronger only to see Red grow stronger still, never being able to measure up. Lyra had defeated Team Rocket just as handily as he had. She defeated the Elite Four and the Champion to take the spot Red had relinquished shortly after he had won it. Most people didn’t even mention Red’s name in conversation anymore - Lyra was the one they talked about.
The important people all talked about Red - she understood, now, what Green must have gone through every time he lost out to his rival. If nothing else, she had to defeat him for her own peace of mind. So, last time, when Red had only looked disinterested as they battled, Lyra had pulled the pokeball that didn’t hold one of her regular pokemon, the one she promised herself she wouldn’t use...
It hadn’t mattered. Snorlax had fallen, and Charizard, but Ho-oh had finally succumbed to Red’s Blastoise. And it was once again that Lyra began the cold trek back to the base of the mountain, trying not to cry more of practicality than anything else - the blizzard was capable of freezing the tears to her face, and trying to navigate a blizzard blind wasn’t worth getting a good cry out of the way.
Red wouldn’t care. To him, it was clear that Ho-oh had just been another pokemon in her arsenal, a backup against his team of powerhouses. But to Lyra, bringing out Ho-oh in a battle meant to prove to herself that she was just as great as Red was...the shame was enough to dissuade her every time she neared the Victory Road gatehouse.
They always told her that when two trainers locked eyes, they had to battle. Lyra wasn’t going to return to the summit of Mount Silver until she was sure she could look Red in the eye again.
***
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Even when he had returned to Ayuthay, Amiti couldn’t forget about what that tree had said. He and Rief had tried to puzzle it out between the two of them, but Amiti knew nothing at all about the Warriors of Vale beyond what he had been told, and the only stories Rief had asked from his mother had been on subjects hundreds of years old. Given the nature of the stories, it had been fascinating to listen to how the Mercury clan had spread out over northern Angara, but from what Rief had known, they had either all retreated to Imil or died out.
There wasn’t much of a chance, but Uncle Paithos was currently in a stable condition, and Amiti, for all intent and purposes, was bored out of his skull - sitting back and allowing girls to feed you peeled grapes somehow wasn’t nearly as interesting after going out and saving the world. Within a week of begging, guilt-trips, and outright throwing a tantrum (during which Amiti studiously avoided the thought that he was nineteen and royalty and really should be Better Than This), he was granted permission to travel to Imil.
He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it, but Imil was Cold. Almost as cold, even, as when they had rescued the Sanan group from that abandoned shack. Except then, Amiti had known that at any minute, he could get back to the ship and wrap up in blankets belowdecks, while here he was forced to keep on trudging through the mounds of snow, hoping that he was going in the right direction. Even when he made it into the village proper, he was still shivering violently when guided into the healer’s house.
Mia was everything that he had imagined his own mother to look like, and wrapped him in blankets with a mug of cocoa within minutes of the door opening. When Amiti explained why he was there, though, her eyes widened, before a spark went out of them. She went upstairs while Amiti drank his cocoa, and brought down a set of winter gear, closer to what she was wearing than what Amiti had come in, and told him he should be wearing it if he wanted to stay warm.
Amiti left a week later without his answer and without the clothing Mia had pressed upon him. It had hurt too much to see a woman who had been kind to him look as if she was about to cry every time she saw him.
***
Final Fantasy V
Faris’ temper, Bartz mused, was a thing of legend. True enough, she didn’t let it out that much when Lenna was around during their journey - probably wanted to set a good example for the princess - but on the hapless chancellor and taggers-along of Tycoon? Well, he was glad he had brought something to snack on while he watched the show unfold.
“And why the hell are we buying from this sack of shite when we know that he’s overcharging us twice the price?” Faris demanded, smacking the wrinkled documents against the table. The chancellor winced. “Queen Sarisa, please - “
“Don’t you ‘Queen Sarisa’ me, matey!” She smacked the document in her hand, and Bartz thought it was a shame that after the first couple of incidents, Lenna had forbid Faris from bringing her sword to these policy meetings. “We aren’t about to roll over like a dog for some mangy, flea-infested nob who thinks he’s all that because he’s got a couple of ships in his command! I could swipe these goods for a quarter of what the wanker’s charging us!” Her eyes were lighting up, and Bartz grinned as the chancellor and other ministers tried to placate her.
“You.” She thrust the papers out at one of the ministers, who ‘eeped’ and nearly fell over trying to escape. “Tell the son of a bitch to cut his prices, or he can worry about cuts in other places. Perhaps a keelhauling might improve his attitude.” She shoved the document into the minister’s face, and turned around, sweeping out of the room.
Bartz smirked as he finished off the apple he had brought. It was too bad that they had forgotten that, Queen or no, Faris had been a pirate first. He should probably invite Krile to come over and watch next week, when they gave her the list of marriage candidates.
***
Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals
It was only to be expected, Miledy told herself. She and Zeiss had defected, after all. They should have known that they were going to face Gale eventually. And Lord Roy couldn’t have known who the commander was to them when he sent the two wyvern lords out to engage the wyvern knights to the east.
She was a loyal knight of Bern - no, of princess Guinevere. She knew her duty, just as Gale knew his. So when he swept past Zeiss towards the temple, and Zeiss visibly hesitated, Miledy had no choice but to intercept her former lover.
It was perverse, but she would have felt better if Gale had hurled insults at her. He had always fought silently, not prone to the battle cries that other soldiers shouted at the beginning of combat. In her mind, she wished that he had shouted something unforgivable, something to make her feel better about his death.
No. No need to soften it. About killing him. About moving to intercept and knowing that he wasn’t going to stop no matter how she pleaded and even as she hefted the spear to throw how the only thing she could think of was that morning long past, outside the stables, when she had tripped over a rake and while all the other soldiers had laughed, a blue-haired man had come over and helped her to her feet...
Even his last words, asking Zeiss to take care of Miledy... no. It was better that Miledy had been the one to kill Gale, that she had done it in cold blood. If it had been anyone else, she would never have been able to forgive them. It was best that the sin fell on her shoulders alone.
It was only to be expected that they cross blades, serving their lords. Miledy had just never expected that she would be the one to walk away from the encounter.
***
Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (kinda KHII, too)
Sometimes, when the gummi ship is still en-route to its next destination, Sora dreams of Destiny Islands. It’s usually something normal, even if sometimes it’s one of those dreams, where you know who you’re dreaming about, but they don’t look anything like what they’re supposed to.
So, whether Riku shows up with silver hair or red, the grin’s the same, and Sora can relax in the feeling of best friend and just chill out with him, splashing each other in the surf or racing down the sand or exploring the Secret Place or eating sea-salt ice cream, watching the sunset together and using Riku as a pillow. Sometimes he calls him by another name, but neither of them ever notice, and when he wakes up he can’t remember what he called Riku or what they talked about.
It’s the other dreams that aren’t normal, when Sora and Riku are playing with another girl, one who’s Kairi and himself at the same time. In those dreams, the three of them are always together, and when they unwrap their ice cream the stick always says ‘winner’, because they’re winners, all of them - they’ve been through it all and they’re still together, they remember each other, everything’s fine and they’re back home -
Sora always wakes up from those dreams with a feeling of longing so strong it actually hurts, and the touch of phantom tears on his cheeks. Within minutes he forgets the dream entirely and only remembers the resolve to find his best friend and bring him home.