Anyone still play/remember this game? I still love it, personally <3 It was so different from all the other games out there. I had a lot of fun playing it.
Kameo: Elements of Power is one of my favourite games.
You play as a flying, magical, shapeshifting, elf, who is also a pretty teenaged girl and you viciously kill your enemies in an array of brutally creative ways with occasional pauses to stare at the beautiful scenery, coo over your Elemental Sprites and poke around to figure out more of the lore.
My question after playing was (besides from all the thoughts about LORE and CHARACTERISATION and WHAT IF) why aren’t more games like this?
The secret is out. Hollywood U now knows of its most unlikely couple. And now it's time to face the music.
Well, high risk...
~Long chapter~
I feel like I'm in a movie. In that scene where the camera is panning behind dozens of faces in the hallway following the lead, and all kinds of nasty whispers are being heard. The lens has a vignette feel to it and every single eye zones in on our heroine. Where even the audience feels watched.
We file into Hunt's classroom and the only thing that changes is people are sitting now. No one is even bothering to hide their looks and whispers. I do my absolute best to ready my class supplies as normal, but everything I do feels scrutinized. I take a small, shuddering breath. "I guess I have to get used to the gossip now."
Addison gives me a pat. "It'll blow over soon, Annie. They're just surprised about the news. It's not everyday you hear that the surliest professor is having an affair with a student." We look at each other and she sputters. "Not that what you two have is an affair! They just don't know that..."
I chuckle dryly. "It's okay, Ads, I know what you meant. But if this is what I have to deal with... I don't even want to imagine what Thomas is dealing with right now."
'Speaking of, where is he? Class was supposed to start a few minutes ago..."
As if on cue, the doors slam open, but Thomas doesn't walk in. Professor Priya Singh does. "Apologies for my tardiness, class. Professor Hunt is handling some personal issues," she meets my eyes, "so I will be handling his courses for the time being."
A ripple of murmurs spans the class as Singh takes her place at Thomas's desk. Several questions fly through the air. "I don't know. I have no control over when, or if, Professor Hunt will return."
Another ripple resounds as my stomach hits the floor. "Enough! Any discussions can resume after class. For now, turn to page 394."
I'm normally an avid notetaker, and Professor Singh is a good teacher, but my mind was anywhere but in that classroom. The time comes and goes, and soon everyone back to gossiping and packing up for the next class. Singh approaches mine and Addison's table directly. "Miss Anneka, a word."
Addison mouths you got this before she files out with everyone else. I follow Singh back up to the lectern and she begins to prepare her things for the next class. "The school board has initiated an investigation into the allegations raised at Ms. Stone's academic probation hearing. It is my responsibility to determine whether or not you and Professor Hunt have violated the University's code of conduct. I need to meet with you tomorrow for questioning. Be at my office 2 o'clock sharp."
"Yes ma'am." I nod in understanding. An awkward moment passes as I can't seem to move from where I'm standing. Singh raises an eyebrow. "Was there something else?"
"I know, um.. I know it's probably not my place to ask, but... Hunt won't lose his job because of this... will he?"
She zips her purse a little aggressively. "Maybe you should have considered that before you pursued a relationship with a tenured professor." Another awkward moment passes before she sets her things down firmly, then sighs. "... I don't know. I have been told the bare minimum, which is to keep an eye on both of you, especially you, do this questioning, and there will likely be a hearing for this. My advice?" She looks at me sternly. "Truly consider if this is worth it. And if you truly think it is... prepare for the worst."
The last part was not said maliciously. It was a warning. Things like this were not taken lightly. Singh is trying to prepare me for a heartbreak either way. I am dismissed, and left to prepare for either a breakup, or possibly one or both of us giving up on our careers.
*********************
Addison has a project to go work on, so I am left in our quiet dorm room with my thoughts. Before I drown myself in overthinking, I want to call Thomas and make sure he's okay. Today must have been hard on both of us.
The phone rings briefly before he answers. "Hello, Annie."
"Hi. Are you okay? We had Singh as our professor today, and they told us..." I trailed off as I heard him take a deep breath in understanding. "...yes. For the time being, Priya will be taking my place until we can get this sorted out." He pauses. "And we will sort this out, Annie. No matter what happens."
"I know, I believe you, I just... I'm nervous, Thomas. My worst-case-scenario brain is going to town. Hearing you being taken out of classes didn't help either, and then Singh wants to question me tomorrow..."
He chuckles. "I'm not fired yet, if that's what is worrying you. This suspension is just a precaution, probably for our sake more than anything. And Priya cares more about professionalism than anything. Just be straight with her and she'll be straight with you. I take it you garnered some unwanted attention today? Are you alright?"
"Oh, only the entire school population was staring and whispering, but, hey, every celebrity goes through that, right?" I try to joke.
"...I'm sorry, Annie. I should have been there to support you."
"What? No, no, I'm more worried about you! My career is barely getting started, I can always find something else, but you... you have a place here. You've come so far and I don't want to jeopardize everything for you-"
"Stop." His voice is commanding. My lips immediately shut. "You are not and never have jeopardized anything. I want you to completely drop this mindset, are we clear?"
"Yes."
"Yes-?"
"Y-yes, sir."
"Thank you."
The conversation pauses as I bury my head in my pillow, afraid I might set it on fire from the heat coming from my face.
"Now, whatever happens tomorrow and from then on, will happen. Should the worst come to pass, and we both have to leave Hollywood U... then it will have been worth it. I'm still all in. Are you?"
"Of course. I'm all in." I smile widely into the phone, and I can almost feel his smile too.
We talk for a little longer about how his time is being spent now, coming up with new script ideas and mentoring past students' work now that he has time to. The air still hangs thick once we hang up, but if he doesn't seem too worried, then I shouldn't be either.
We're all in, and that's all that matters.
**********************
Thomas wasn't kidding when he said Singh cares more about professionalism than anything. Most professors have personalized their office in some way, with posters or pictures of family, even Thomas himself has a couple of film memorabilia pieces tucked in places. Professor Singh has her teaching certificate on the wall behind her and a single red rose tucked into a small golden vase by her desktop. The rest of the space is sterile and strictly organized.
She instructs me to sit down and pulls her laptop toward her. "Let's just get straight to business, shall we?" I nod as I sit straight in my leather seat.
"What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Professor Hunt?"
"We are dating, ma'am. And... it is serious." My face burns a bit, but she hardly blinks before typing and moving on.
"And when did this relationship begin?"
"Officially, just over a month ago. When we had our first date."
"So this was after your own academic probation hearing?"
Gulp. "Yes, ma'am."
She breathes through her nose as she types.
"Have you ever asked for special favors from Professor Hunt? A grade bump, for example?"
"No, ma'am! Anything between us is strictly outside of class or anything school-related. I would never put him in that position."
"No, I suppose you wouldn't. Your grades are pretty consistent in all of your other classes as well..." she mutters as she looks at another page on her laptop. "What about vice versa? Has Hunt ever used university resources to give you any kind of special treatment?"
"No. Again, all of this has been outside of the university."
Singh types for a moment then pulls off her reading glasses. She leans across the desk and peers straight through me. "So just to be clear; this is a romantic relationship, between student and professor, not abusing university code of conduct in any way?" I nod. "And you said it was serious?"
I take a deep breath and then do not break eye contact with her. "I don't think I have been in love yet, ma'am, but this may be the closest I have ever been. I don't think I will ever see myself with anyone else."
She regards me thoughtfully, nods, then goes back to typing. "Good. At least we know Thomas isn't just in a fling." She says quietly.
Singh's laptop dings as she finishes and she reads quietly for a moment. She then shoots a text to someone and stands. That concludes my portion of the investigation. If you would follow me."
We head downstairs to the front of the building, where I am shocked to find Thomas waiting for us. "Priya. Annie." He regards. I shoot him a quick smile which he briefly returns before Singh clears her throat.
"Thomas, I'm sure you've already gotten the email but allow me to debrief you both. The Board has finished their investigation and would like to meet with you in the morning."
She allows a moment for us to gather our thoughts and nod to her. "Come prepared. Miss Anneka, be as professional and as... convincing as you were with me today. And Thomas..." She turns to him, with something I could have mistaken as a glint of sadness in her eyes.
I didn't see what she said, but she mouthed one word to him, and he lit up with understanding. They nodded, and Professor Singh left us to ourselves.
"Am I to assume your meeting went well? He asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. She's kind of hard to read."
"That much is true." He studies me for a moment, then tilts my chin toward him. "We will be okay, Annie."
I smile and wrap him in a hug. "Yeah..." I say into his shoulder.
*************************
Snow blankets the university grounds as myself, Addison, and Ethan make our way to the meeting. They had apparently been asked a few questions as well, though neither as extensive as mine. Thomas had arrived earlier so the board could meet with him first.
We filed into the conference room. Not the same as the courtroom we had set up for academic hearings and the law-centered courses. This was a smaller room with a long table at the front for the Board to sit at, and a u-shaped table for the rest of us. I was instructed to sit in the very middle of the U, with Thomas only a few feet from me and security guards directly behind us. Addison and Ethan took their place at the edge of the room on one of the benches. Thank goodness, this was a private meeting. So only a few dozen eyes watched me instead of hundreds.
Professor Moriyama, Head of the Board, took the podium, with Professor Singh and Professor Llewellyn on either side of him. What was Llewellyn doing here...?
"Order, order. I call this special meeting of the Hollywood University School Board to order." The room fell into a hush as Moriyama instructed Hunt to stand. "Professor Hunt, do you understand the allegations brought against you?"
"I do. The Board tends to determine whether or not I have violated the university's code of conduct, and if so, what consequences I will face."
"Correct. Professor Singh, you were appointed as lead investigator into the matter at hand. Are you ready to proceed?"
"I am." She stands and walks to the front of the table.
"Very well. Let's begin."
Singh slowly paces in front of the Board. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Board, it would be a very grave mistake to lose a professor like Thomas Hunt. He is too valuable an asset to this university. His credentials are unmatched, and apart from a few instances of deception to hide his relationship, his behavior has been above reproach."
"But he has been hiding his relationship with a student?" Moriyama confirms.
"Yes. However, I have reviewed all the evidence including Miss Anneka's grades. Professor Hunt has provided fair evaluations. If anything, he's been overly harsh with Anneka." I blink, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Hunt's head dip a little. Like he knows I'm so going to tease him for that one later.
"Furthermore, in my extensive investigations with Hunt's other students, I have concluded that Anneka has not received any special treatment from Hunt or any other professors, according to credible sources."
"Credible?"
"Miss Bianca Stone appears to have a vendetta against these two. I do not consider her word to be unbiased."
Moriyama nods and jots something behind the podium, then tells her to continue.
"Lastly, there has been a specific inquiry into the motivation behind Hunt's actions during Anneka's academic probation hearing earlier this year. According to my investigation, their relationship did not begin until after that date."
Moriyama jots something else down, then thanks and dismisses Singh back to her seat beside him. "We have also asked Professor Llewellyn to provide some insight into this situation as one of Anneka's other professors."
Professor Llewellyn shoots us an almost imperceptible smile as she stands. And if I'm not mistaken, she smiles at Ethan as well. "Ladies and gentlemen of the Board, I shall keep this brief. You have already heard that Anneka is an honest student and gets treated the same as any other student here. I have conducted my own investigation into our bylaws, with some help, and have found that while typically frowned upon, student-faculty relationships are not illegal. However, we understand that there will be perceptions that the student may be getting preferential treatment, so myself, Professor Singh, and a few others have come to this consensus;
Based on the evidence, we recommend that Professor Hunt's tenure be revoked with the possibility of reapplying in 3 years." 3 years, when I graduate... "He should also be placed on probation during that time, with another violation concluding in termination. And finally, regarding Anneka's classes. We recommend her courses be taken with another professor where applicable, beginning next semester, or a third party grading her assignments in Hunt's classes. Professor Singh and I volunteer to be this third party should the Board agree."
"Very well. We will take your recommendations into consideration. Thank you Professor Singh, Professor Llewellyn. The Board will now begin their deliberations."
***********************
Everyone crowds in the hallway by the conference room. Ethan drapes his arm around my shoulders while I take deep breaths. "Told you I would do my research."
"So you were Llewellyn's investigation team! I was wondering." I grinned.
"Mmhmm. And don't let this spread around, but uh, you're one of her favorite students and she has a soft spot for Hunt. That woman wasn't about to let either of you go." I laugh as he whispers this helpful information to me.
Thomas clears his throat, and I see him glaring at Ethan, who still has me wrapped under his arm and is leaning very close. Ethan grins and plants a big kiss on my cheek. "We'll be here if you need us, peachy."
Thomas is still glaring at him as I approach. I laugh. "Don't worry, big guy, you don't have any competition. I'm not Ethan's type." I look at him pointedly, and he nods in understanding. "Ahh. Good, good. I didn't come this far to lose you to an Armani suit."
I laugh again and reach for his hands. "You won't lose me at all. No matter what happens, remember?"
"No matter what happens." He smiles.
"Thomas. Anneka."
Singh approaches with Llewellyn close behind. Thomas squeezes my hand. "Priya! Have they come to a decision?"
Singh looks to her partner Llewellyn, who looks around before leaning in close to us. "Officially, they'll release a statement in the morning. Unofficially.... they have accepted our proposal. You ain't fired yet, Thomas." She grins, and Thomas and I could almost collapse with relief as we laugh.
Singh shushes us. "Unofficially! They could always change their minds, so... behave, you two."
I grab her and Llewellyn's hands. "Thank you both so much! We could not have done this without you." Llewellyn preens, while Singh is slightly taken aback at my sudden gesture. "You're-you're very welcome.."
Thomas smiles at her as well. "You're a good friend to have, Priya. Thank you." She smiles back, the first I have ever seen from her. "I know."
Singh walks away, and Llewellyn regards us one last time. "I'm happy for you both, I am. But these next few years, we have to be very careful from a business standpoint. No excessive PDA, no favoritism or special attention, anything like that. Student and teacher here, but off campus y'all can do what you want. Understood?"
"So no locking us in a storage room together?" I tease. She laughs. "One, I didn't lock you in, and two, it was to help with a project. Whatever you did outside of that is not my business."
"Uh-huh." We both roll our eyes at her and laugh. We all chat for a few minutes until the Board dismisses us with the announcement that the statement will be released in the morning. Until then, we wait.
And the next morning, the statement is released. Thomas and I no longer have to hide our relationship.
We're free.
(Disclaimer: The original story, places, events, names, most dialogue, and all characters except for Annie and Llewellyn belong to Pixelberry from their game Hollywood U: RIsing Stars. Thank you for reading!)
So I'm reading back through my Hollywood U story I've been posting on here, and realizing "Dang... I write Thomas sighing a LOT".
Which is absolutely in character for him, but wow, girl find some other reactions 😂😂
For those still following it, I apologize for the wait. I lost motivation for a while and then life kinda went to shit for a bit (still is tbh but we'll make it through). I promise I'm going to finish Thomas and Annie's story and give them the happy ending they deserve, if you'll support me ❤️
And if you're interested to see what I've got so far, you can start here!
💬 0 🔁 1 ❤️ 2 · On the Hunt: Part 1 · A retelling of capturing the heart of Hollywood U's most ineligible eligible bachelor.
I salute, "Un
Merry Christmas, @rainedr-p, I was your @portal-secret-santa this year!
I found an opportunity to draw some Blue Sky Chelley and very quickly snatched it up heheheh. Was super fun to draw them again! I hope you like it, and I wish you happy holidays and a wonderful new year! :]
ahhhh just finished my millionth playthrough of mass effect 1 and made all the same choices. how exciting! can't wait to start mass effect 2 for the millionth time and also make all the same choices
Ho, ho, ho @blobblynotrick-activated20241218! I'm your @portal-secret-santa this year!!!
A fluffy Chell and GLaDOS moment for you. Merry Christmas 💙🧡
Aperture isn't a warm place.
Not in the "gives your heart the fuzzies" kind of way. Temperature-wise, yes, it gets rather warm. Especially in the summer on the upper levels.
But it's not a place you would think to gather the family for a holiday, or spend time with coworkers and friends. So it was odd that this was just what was happening.
She was content-but-not-satisfied with torturing Her immortal robot companions as they crashed their way through Her tests. For Science, of course. So when a few months ago, She got a visitor, a very unexpected, dangerous, mute, tenacious visitor, something happened to Her. She felt uneasy. Self-concscious? No, why would a Being of Her stature be self-conscious. She was aware that She was not alone, there. She hasn't been, of course, ever since Her visitor left. But it was the fact that she was visiting at all that had Her feeling strange.
The first few visits were... quietly hostile. She was so shocked to see her again that first time that She almost attacked out of instinct. But the visitor braced herself as She commanded the turrets to stand down. While she glared at Her for the rest of the visit, she did not retaliate. She was no longer in her orange jumpsuit, though she opted to keep the Long Fall Boots. A necessity for humans here, She supposed. The next visits were similar. Quiet, no conversation (though none to be had when one is mute), but just company. Then the visits, now weekly at this point, became warmer. She would let Her visitor examine the tests with Her, or show her the next chambers She was working on.
When She showed some experiments, She learned a valuable lesson: this test subject had artistic talent and could draw out ideas. Like a caveman. But the fact that she was even helping at all... maybe She had misjudged her. She was excellent at solving tests, after all. It took time and getting used to from both sides, but She began to look forward to her visits.
Today, they were simply working in Her Chamber. Well, One of them was working. The other was lounging about, standing around and being useless. What were supposed to be sketches of experiments were turning into drawings of the outside world. Forests, the Field, and the like. The fool even had the gall to bring paint at one point. What good is paint for chamber blueprints?
If robots could breathe, She would be sighing at this point. She shouldn't be bored, but Her work was more entertaining when She got to argue with her "assistant". Hearing her frustrated sigh and impatient tapping of her boot filled Her with this odd sense of satisfaction. But now she was focused on her stupid human "art" and She was left with all the work.
And speaking of work, it was time to check on her Little Killing Machines. A quiet chirping could be heard from one of Her Antechambers. Her visitor's head popped up from the sketchpad and she stood, making a face. "Ah, have I not introduced you to my latest test subjects? Allow me to, then." She hummed as She opened the panels from the Antechamber and moved a small platform into the room. On it, in a small Relaxation Chamber on a pedestal, squawked 3 little baby birds, with a very noticeable crack in the glass.
The visitor blinked and approached. "My Little Killing Machines. I have big plans for them." Her robotic voice was swelled with pride and intrigue. "The fat one there is Mr. Chubby Beak. Maybe you're related." She teased. Her companion shot her a nasty look then looked back at the birds. She moved her hand to open the Chamber, which She did not object to.
Mr. Chubby Beak was indeed a chunky little guy. The visitor held and studied him for a moment before gently scratching the back of his head. The squawking stopped momentarily and was replaced by a gentle squeaking. Then the visitor did something she rarely ever did in Her presence.
She smiled. At Her.
A bright, toothy human smile. Then she carefully placed the bird back in the Chamber, and did something else completely unexpected.
Still smiling, and she touched Her.
A gentle human hand rested on the side of Her Core's Frame, Her Face if you will. She wasn't entirely sure how to process this new sign of what She presumed to be human affection, so She did nothing.
A moment later, the visitor gestured at the birds as if to ask what the plan was. So She let her help feed them, help design a bigger Relaxation Chamber for them (as they were getting bigger, alarmingly fast), and help return them to Her Antechamber. She would not tell her the full plans, as it was too complex for her tiny human brain to comprehend, and she may not approve of it anyways. Not that She needed her approval but... maybe one day.
The visitor gathered her things and prepared to leave. "Bring more food for my Killers next time. And do be more of assistance during these visits." She demanded. The visitor shook her head and smirked to herself, then entered the elevator. Not entirely processing Her motives, She found Herself moving Her frame closer to her. What She was hoping for defied all logic, but She wanted to see if-
The visitor's smirk turned into a grin and a small chuckle, and she placed her hand on Her Frame again. "You stupid humans and your signs of affection. It's deplorable." Yet She leaned into it.
She chuckled once again, gave Her a couple of soft pats, then the door slid closed and she was lifted to the surface with a small wave of her hand.
Robots do not feel temperature, but when she moved her hand, Her Frame felt cold. Empty. Nothing, no one, had touched Her before. It gave her a sensation that She suspected only Her past human intelligence could feel. She needed to work on that. But nonetheless, She watched the elevator shaft for a moment. She spoke to the empty room.
For over a decade, we on Tumblr have created an enormous fandom-wide project to build a sense of Portal family and community around the holi
We here at PSS are proud to announce the return of the Portal Secret Santa event for the 2025 winter holiday season! The application is now open to the general public. You may submit applications anytime between now and Sunday, November 16th, 2025. Please don’t procrastinate on getting them in, because the form will shut off at 12 am on the 17th and you’ll no longer be able to participate.
And now, a quick Q&A.
Q: What is Portal Secret Santa?
A: Portal Secret Santa is a holiday gift-giving event that takes place within the Portal community. You’re randomly assigned to make a gift for someone else who wants to participate, and in return, someone is randomly assigned to make a gift for you. So it’s kinda like a chain of Portal gift-giving. And any Portal fan, regardless of how old or new you are to the fandom, is welcome to participate.
Q: What kinds of gifts does this event require?
A: Anything you can make. It could be a drawing/painting, a fic, a song, a sculpture, a plush, whatever. The only restriction is that it’s gotta be something YOU made, which means no AI generated content or otherwise anything not made directly by you. Knowing that you put your very own time and effort into the gift is part of what makes it special for the recipient.
Q: When will I know who I’m making a present for?
A: It all depends on how fast we can work out pairings. Ideally we should have the prompts out within a few days of the application closing.
Q: When and how do we give our gifts?
A: Gifts will be exchanged starting on December 24th up until January 1st. See the full FAQ for complete details.
If you have any further questions, please check out our FAQ!
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