#{ funny little feeling | cassius }

[kleinv01]

I’m curious to what the rest of the characters (apart from sera) would react to MC having an identical twin sibling that only has a few traits different from Mc (like short hair while mc has long hair or having different colored eyes ect)

://SYSTEM_MESSAGE_ANSWERED !

given that Yael has known you since you two were students, he would've at least heard of your twin, if not met them in person. it might be hard for him at first to distinguish the two of you, but he eventually learns quickly. however, discerning the voice difference would be a little more difficult for him. he would get really flustered if he accidentally mistook your twin for you, especially if you were dating him and he said something sweet only for your twin to respond, "erm actually, i'm not your partner." LOL

Klein would be curious. he would take some time to observe you just a little more closely, wanting to know every little detail about you to ensure he never, ever mistakes you for your twin (which is unlikely given his exceptional memory as an android in the first place, he's just an eager dog a bit extra like that). despite the shared similarities, there is a distinct difference in how he treats you and your twin.

Al wouldn't change much either. though he's a little surprised upon discovering your twin, he would have a hard time differentiating between you two. this would prompt him to talk to you more in person instead of observing from afar so he could learn more about you and differentiate between you and your twin quicker. he wouldn't want to accidentally stalk the wrong person /silly

Briar would simply try to befriend your twin as well! the same goes for Cassius, but Briar would mistake you for your twin more often than Cassius. either way, the two would still treat you and your twin just as friendly ^^

Ethan would treat you and your twin equally. if he and Sera wanted to go on trips, he would always want both of you to join, making sure neither of you feels left out. he would want to get along with your twin too, and Sera finds his insistence funny in an endearing way (Sera's family is his family too).

[somewhereincairparavel]

okay. So I've finished book 1 of keeper of the lost cities for the first time. And I'm loving this keefe dude already?? Like I never thought I'd like a fictional character so quickly. All it took was like one page for me to fall for him, I am aware that keefe is one of the most loved characters in the fandom, and I can see why (correct me if I'm wrong).

Also the book is a solid 9.5/10, the only thing I was frustrated about was probably the slight info dumping about the whole blackswan thing towards the end? because it took me like 3 reads to understand the whole situation, of course, we could just narrow it down to me being slow too, lol. But I'm VERY excited to continue reading the rest. So while we're at it, I'll put in my first impressions of the characters, so I can look back on it after I've read all the books, to see how much my perception has changed of them.

Sophie- i like her, she's really mature for her age, I keep forgetting that she's like 12 lmao. But she's well written, her emotions seem very raw and natural. Of course, she may seem overpowered but, I think that's the whole point of the story, she is supposed to be overpowered, so I don't mind and i wouldn't call her a Mary sue. Overall great protagonist, my girlie deserves a break tho, she got dumped in the hospital atleast 6 times lol.

Fitz- i actually think he's cool. I liked him better in the beginning of the story tho, I feel like afterwards, the dude kinda just disappeared a little? Keefe and Sophie seemed to have more private interaction than those two, and keefe literally only came by in the middle. But yeah, I feel like he had more of a personality in the start. Keefe and Dex, in my opinion had more personality in 5 minutes than fitz did the whole book, but I wouldn't judge so quickly, it's only the first book after all, Hopefully he'd have more page time in the later books. I still like him tho, just not as much as keefe.

Dex- Yeah he is such a typical best friend, I love him. His beef w the vackers is so funny lol I was relieved when Sophie stuck with him even after she became popular tho, also, he seems to have a crush on sophie right? It's kinda obvious, but overall friendship goals 10/10. I vocally "AWW-ed" after he said "are you kidding, i can't wait to tell everyone that you're my first friend" like I need a guy bestie like him :(

Alden- honestly, my heart warmed so much with his father-like dynamic with sophie tbh. He seemed to genuinely care about her well being, but I don't want to get too attached to him tho, just in case becomes a traitor or some shit later on, you can literally never tell with the adults lol. I've read enough books to back that up. But yeah, i really like him and della, the amount of reassuring hugs he gives sophie really heals me :(, They're like sophies 2nd (well, in her case, 3rd) parents. The amount of effort and lengths Alden put to get her out of trouble is actually sweet.

Elwin- This guy is such a W. He is like an adult keefe tbh. He is probably my favorite adult so far lol.

Cassius- I'm sorry, but Mr jerk face over here reminds me SO much of Lucius Malfoy??? Like ?? I feel so bad for Keefe, like poor baby leave him alone smh. I really wanna deck his royal highness in the face tbh.

Biana- absolutely loathed her in the beginning, she gave off such bad snob vibes lol but I love her now. I like the trope of two people forced to be friends w eachother by someone actually end up becoming friends. It's rather uncommon as far as I've read, atleast.

Grady and Edaline- is it bad that i thought they were going to be evil? Yeah I have so much trust issues, it's concerning. But yeah, they're both big W's, their backstory, their temporary contemplation to reject sophies adoption, everything aligned well with their backstory. Greatly written characters.

And last but not least, the king himself, Keefe- okay, he's like added to my list of fictional crushes now lol (along with Percy Jackson, Jason grace, Steve Harrington, chat noir, Eugene fitzherbert, edmund pevensie and Ravi singh ofc). How does sophie not have a fat crush on him, like- ma'am if you don't want him, I'll take him. But jokes aside, he feels like the most authentic character out of them all, tbh. Epitome of great writing. He was inserted to the story as this random dude that sophie runs into, and becomes an og in like 5 minutes. He is like a mix of Eugene from tangled, Kristoff from Frozen and chat noir from mlb all at the same time?? I cannot wait to see more of him and his backstory, especially with his parents. I know alot of people dislike the humorous guy with depression trope since it's overused, but I like how it played out on keefe, he uses school as an escape, which is very relatable.

Also, bonus, i LOVE the world building, the light leaping and all, very creative. I cannot wait to get my hands on book 2

[myfairkatiecat]

Who's your least favorite KOTLC character and why?

OKAY.

So.

Least favorite IN UNIVERSE or least favorite AS A CHARACTER?

Because in universe, I have so much hatred for Lady Gisela that it isn’t even funny. How could you do ANY of this to your son. Like even Vespera, who is insanely ruthless, has the whole numb-empathy-making-it-so-nothing-feels-like-hurting-people thing making her 1% more sympathetic (she still sucks majorly—don’t get me started on the thing with the humans). But Gisela just does all of this to H E R. S O N. I dislike Cassius of course but Gisela was just cruel, especially for showing at least a little affection……and then always having been manipulating him and then CHANGING HIM WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION IN A WAY THAT COULD HAVE KILLED HIM??? Also who seals a creepy doorway with their tiny son’s blood that’s just SO MESSED UP. Like, NO. Stop being the way you are. Just stop. This isn’t even just because I love Keefe. Even if you hate Keefe you should despise Lady Gisela. I hope Keefe gets to stab her. Or Sophie. Or actually Fitz that could be so good, his act on behalf of his best friend who he hasn’t talked to enough lately. Actually all three of them could stab her. Actually the whole crew could do an Ides of March and just totally Julius Caesar her…. All of them get to stab her.

BUT. Gisela is a great character. So who do I hate as a character? Probably Timkin Heks actually. His existence just angers me and there isn’t any great redeeming value to him, other than the fact that he gives background to Stina’s family and that stuff gets a little interesting. Which probably means Shannon is doing a GREAT job with the way she write him cause we’re not supposed to like him. Or wait wait wait. Councillor Alina!! GET RID OF HER. We don’t need her. GONE. POOF. She serves a purpose in the story sure, but I don’t have to LIKE IT.

I would never choose to make Gisela vanish from the story—I would choose to let the Keeper crew get their revenge (especially Keefe) and destroy her entirely. But if I could never have to meet Timkin Heks and just know that he exists for plot reasons, I’d be chill with that. And if I could poof Councillor Alina out of existence, I totally would!! Sure there would have to be another council member being gross and annoying, but I have so much beef with this woman, like honestly I hope the rest of the council just banishes her.

Anyway those are my thoughts

[chacegraves]

The Legend Of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC Review

Depth, Detail, and a sense that the world you're exploring is lived in.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in The Sky First Chapter had a reputation that intrigued me. I've heard that it's an incredibly slow game that's packed with text. That the purpose of this game was to serve as a 50 hour prologue to it's sequel, Second Chapter. And that it apparently has a brutal cliffhanger that justifies all of that. It does. I'm literally only writing this review in an attempt to stop myself from burning through the next game too fast. The reputation it has for being slow is very earned but being in the mood for a slow burn experience made that a lot less jarring. I can't recommend this game to people who don't want to read a lot though. It will kill the game for you.

In First Chapter you play as Joshua and Estelle Bright. Two 16 year old kids being raised by a legendary bracer named Cassius Bright. Bracers are a guild of freelance mercenaries with a very specific moral compass. Namely to help people. They'll get rid of monsters, save a cat from a tree, escort people from town to town, etc. They just can't intervene with the military or politics of any nation. Joshua and Estelle want to become full fledged Bracers just like their father but in order to do that they need recommendations from guild branches all over their kingdom.

You'll go from town to town picking up odd jobs from the local guild branch in order to complete enough work to earn that branches recommendation. All the while getting a familiarity with each town you go to and the people who live in it. A Bracer has a duty to the people after all. It may sound like pretty standard JRPG fair but this game does something incredible when it comes to talking to the townsfolk.

Minor advancements in the story will give EVERY person in a town something new to say, and this happens several times per town. A lot of these people have little storylines during your stay and may even pop up in future towns. Some will talk about what's going on in the story but others are absorbed in their own dramas. You don't have to go out of your way to talk to everyone but you will miss out on lore and flavor if you don't. There's a lot of fun stories and characters to discover. I've had entire play sessions just being talking to townsfolk because the story advanced a little. I really hope the sequel remembers these background characters.

The towns are gorgeous and they know it too. Every time you get to a new one you'll get this nice sweeping shot of the streets and points of interest. Each town has their own personality to them that keeps the game fresh but it goes beyond the aesthetic of the town itself. Each building feels intricately designed in a way that actually baffles me. Someone put thought into these buildings making sense in a way they genuinely didn't have to for a JRPG. There'll be rooms that you'll never have to enter for any reason but they'll be filled with props and purpose because THAT BUILDING would need that room.

I remember being blown away that a weapons shop had an out of the way stock room that I never had to go into but was still decorated top to bottom. It makes the world feel so much more lived in. This game revels in detail on every level and it's easy to see the love that went into this world feeling like a real place with real people.

My biggest fear for future entries is that they stop this level of detail with the townspeople and their surroundings. I can understand them not doing some of this when we switch to a more traditional 3D view without the set camera angles but it would still be disappointing. Only time will tell if they can keep that up!

That said the main cast are so charming as well. Joshua and Estelle's bickering is hilarious and got several laughs out of me. Joshua being this calm and subdued rogue countered by Estelle being a rage tornado is so funny.

There's a solid party to build in this one and they all bounce off of each other in fun ways. They'll be swapped in and out as the story progresses and I liked that compared to just collecting them all. It makes it feel like they have things to do aside from hanging out with you. My favorite party member is easily Zin. He's this massive bear of a man who is also a monk. My favorite character is Nial though. He's basically just Spike Spiegel as a reporter and I adore him.

Despite this game having magic and ridiculous airships it all manages to feel VERY grounded because they explain the hell out of it. Orbments are the way you access magic and skills and you get a literal manual explaining how it all works. Depending on the combination of quartz you install you'll get certain abilities or stat increases. Every characters abilities can be customized to your liking but some have certain elemental preferences. I really like how customizable this system is.

The airships are these hulking technical marvels with all these cool moving parts and when you actually get inside and explore them you can see how thought out the vehicle is. There's so much technology world building like this in the game that kind of teeters on steampunk or something similar. They have these cute chunky designs that I like staring at.

I should probably mention the combat at some point! It's turn based with moves that can change the turn order of everyone taking part in the combat. Random effects like critical hits appear on the turn counter and if you delay someones attack someone else might get that random effect. It's pretty engaging because if you don't pay attention you could give that critical hit to an enemy. It's a solid system all around and I never got bored of it. There's some awesome special attacks too!

I loved this game and can't wait to play it's sequel. The world building is fantastic. The environments feel lived in and atmospheric. I love the people that inhabit them and all their quirks. The writing is genuinely funny and heartwarming at times. The politics and subterfuge were engaging. I love the party we've assembled so far and can't wait to see more of what they get up to. First Chapter felt like reading a REALLY good book or watching one of those anime that just suck you into their world. It's a fantastic experience that I recommend heartily to anyone that can stand a bit of reading and a slow start because this meticulous set up is clearly going somewhere incredible.

[dogpixie]

i love cassius so much hes sooo cute his face and head are extra round from not getting squeezed out lol... and the funny (not rly that funny..) thing is that i kinda got a little experience of all kinds of birth too (dont read if u dont want to get scared of a bad labor >_>) bc towards the end half of my labor my epidural failed right in the middle and i didnt realize it wasnt normal and just went thru multiple hours of insane contractions i had to breath thru to stay sane. i was finally like ummm this isnt right!!!! and they were like uh yea that isnt and replaced it when i was at 9cm and then it worked normal and it was time to push which i did for over 4 hours :'( and then he was stuck so i had surgery.. phew... i cant imagine the people who do th whole thing unmedicated bc when i was going thru it i felt like dying sheesh!!! and i was so adament i didnt want a c section th whole pregnancy but here we are. in the grand scheme it lik wasnt tht bad it was uncomplicated and its healing good so far but surgery u can feel touch but not feel pain is pretttty freakish. anyway... glad its over and i never hav to do it again and i got a rly cool baby out of it!!!!

[mrpececitolo]

Aziracrow triplets. 🫠

They had 3 babies. 3 ugly babies(I love babies, but they are really ugly here), I can handle 1 at a time but 3 it's too much. For me and for my poor little angel.

Look at him, he is really out of it. I'm gonna make Crowley pay for this 😠

Well at least he is comforting him.

Since aziraphale is very tired. Crowley is taking care of everyone.

And let me tell you this doesn't really look like torture. I think his having the time of his life. So many little children, she is very much in love

They have grown!!!!! 💣💣And eden too. I just realized that he was all grown and all for no reason. He grew up in the last post (but had a disaster for a birthday party the triplets wouldn't stop crying 😭)

The party in question.

Michael sheen dancing with baby eden

THE BABIES!!! Crowley as always looking after them–, to be fair, azira always looks after eden.

Here they are!!!!!

They are Ciana, Cassius and Cole. two boys and one girl. I thought it would be very funny if Cole and Ciana looked alike and then there was Cassius like ☁️ like his parent. (Their names mean victory, Hallow and light)

Crowley would definitely make Ciana and Cole use the same clothes and play games with Aziraphale Mind, or the guests. You imagine? 2 little demons being babysitter and Crowley just told them that they only have 2 babies, and the babysitter thinks they are going insane because, how tf is Ciana teleporting.

But to be honest, I feel like the demon between the triplets would be Cassius.

Eden as a teen!!!!

Our baby is so pretty. 😿 He grew up so fast.

He has like pointy ears but I forgot to include them.

Here I am ranting about my little world like I'm God. I am at least, to them. Well having babies would be pause for now, let's focus on getting Crowley and Aziraphale married 😈

See you on the next post 🤪.

[mrsbsmooth]

Suzi, now… before the reveal I NEED you to rank the islanders based on their names and resumes (we mostly have similar opinions Id love to see your prospective)

Oh you NEED it well then okay I guess I gotta do it 😂 y’all wild.

Note: this does NOT indicate which LI I’m going for this season. I’m waiting for the rest of the sprites because I’m ✨ shallow ✨

Anyway, here you go!

(Hope this doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass)

Season 8 islanders ranked worst to best

Based on nothing but their applications

#8 Sports Physio (Jack)

Cyclist. Last place.

#7 Wedding planner (Emel)

Hannah/Juliet hybrid. Thinks she knows everything about love. “Can always tell when a couple aren’t right for each other”, now wouldn’t that be convenient if you’re coupled with someone she wants??? It sucks because she sounds so smart and cultured and I hope she’s nice, but I just have a feeling they’re gonna make her the villain.

#6 Acrobat (Sophie)

She could be interesting, but she’s screaming “I’m quirky! Look at me! Want to watch me do a handstand?” Like come on, at least Rohan had a personality outside of his job. It might end up being endearing like Tim with his rap career but somehow I don’t see it happening. I hope not though because I do so love the Irish.

#5 Cat Cafe Manager (Luna)

Idk what it is about her she just sounds laaaaaaame. And this is coming from someone with a cat who adores them more than life itself. One of those people who makes coffee their whole personality, you know??? I feel like she’s gonna be Thabi from S4 but without the personality quirks that made her unique.

#4 Firefighter (Oakley)

He sounds a little boring but I have a feeling he is going to be like, next level hot. Like NEXT LEVEL hot. I’m immediately picturing Blaze from Love Is Blind (Netflix Game) and if he is I might die. 6’3!?!?!?!? Strong silent type, Jake Wilson-esque, might be our “slow burn” (😏) of the season because I feel like one of the girls is gonna latch her claws into him like that cat he saved and NEVER LET GO.

#3 Underwear Model (Jin)

Don’t get me wrong, he’s gonna be hotter than the sun, but honestly his personality is just boring to me. It might be how it’s written, but the whole “I’m funny because I tell you I’m funny” is getting a bit old. I hope he’s got a serious/romantic side to him (a la Bruno 🥰) otherwise he’s gonna get on my nerves real quick (a la Bryson 🤢).

#2 Dentist (Claudia)

I’ll be honest I’ve already seen her sprite and holy moly mother of Mary she is a STUNNER. I already know MC is gonna have nothing on her, but she’s gonna be stuck in friendship couples for her whole time in the villa because she’s a female LI. This also means she’s probably a bestie option. She seems so smart and funny, and it seems like she doesn’t take things too seriously. She’s gonna be fanfic fodder for sure.

Drumroll:

#1 Travel Photographer (Theo)

Not only is this one of my favourite names, it’s also one of my weaknesses. Greek men. Y’all saw me last season demanding Cassius and it didn’t eventuate so if Theo is as hot as he sounds I might pass away. The reformed player vibe is doing it for me so I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing if he’s all that. If nothing else he sounds like he’s going to be a huge source of entertainment and will probably get himself into a lot of trouble 😂

[atopearth]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Part 1 - Journey of Junior Bracers (Prologue & Chapter 1)

After much encouragement from friends, I've decided to try and tackle this series! The little chibi models are cute. Lmao at little Estelle though, her wanting a fishing pole for a present is so cute. LOL when she thought the boy her dad was carrying was dead and said he looks dead😂😂 I mean, I gotta agree with Estelle that this is definitely not a present hahahaha! Estelle is such a funny child that the first thing she thinks of is this boy being an illegitimate child😂 Estelle's chibi model jumping on the bed indicating her hitting the boy for yelling when he's still recovering is so funny😂 That was quite a long introductory cinematic sequence. Aww there's a little boy on the bridge looking out saying the girl down there is cute! I wonder if there will be a love story considering she has a good feeling about something haha! Lmao at the little reporter girl Claire whose already sold on the love story between Joshua and Estelle. I wonder if it will happen as she says~ Wholesome pasta sounds great but how much is that newspaper Estelle needs to buy for her dad, do I have enough money?! Teenager worries😂 LOL at the notebook of the self-appointed bracer doing babysitting jobs and milking cows, I was like is this bracer job that boring?!😂 Oh wow, so there's only one female Bracer in Rolent! Estelle will be the second one if she passes! Dang, the Mayor's Residence is huge! Lmao at the Alan guy at the port working and checking for women to flirt with. It was fun walking around town talking to everyone Estelle and Joshua knows, it was so heartwarming to see how proud they are of them as well as how clumsy Estelle has been as she grew up haha!

Orbments feel a bit confusing right now, hopefully that clears up soon! Joshua is a very polite boy, I love how he handles Estelle. A little Estelle with a staff in combat is so adorable lmao. Aww they're the youngest ever to become bracers! For now the battles seem not too complicated, but could be tough if there's lots of monsters! Estelle fighting with little kids is so funny😂 Awww the boy on the bridge confessed to the girl under the bridge! Multiple times even lmao. I guess she's right to prefer a more romantic place than this alley with a bunch of boxes but it's hilarious how she's already thinking about how she doesn't want this to be the place she remembers for the confession when she's a granny hahaha. Girl, you're already thinking about reminiscing as a grandma?! I hope it goes well for the boy. I hope the lady's husband who is a miner comes back for dinner, the daughter loves him so they need to spend time together! I hope Freemont gets the approval of his father in law, he sounds very hardworking! Ohh Joshua worked at the weapon shop! That is a great place. Lita the maid at the Mayor's Residence is so cute, I'm glad they treat her like family and take her out to eat! Alan didn't see any cute girls on the flight, too bad for him! But it seems like flights are frequent so I guess he can check the next one😂 LOL the Trent guy at the bar ditched work😂 Aww is Radford the one that the Freemont or something is trying to get approval from? I was wondering where Yuni was! Are Luke, Pat and Yuni in danger? Well, I died trying to go and get a White Bracelet hahaha! I had to redo the whole sewer part but oh well! (EDIT: I'm an idiot and didn't realise autosave exists) Cassius (Estelle's father) coming to the rescue was expected. I'm glad all the kids are safe but didn't expect to need to protect them in battle!

Radford the old man at the bar is Freemont's father-in-law as expected, I'm happy that Freemont just wants to work harder even though Radford seems pretty harsh. Awww I feel so bad for the little kid waiting for her dad to come back home from the mine🥺 She was waiting for him to come home and eat dinner🥺🥺 I wonder if the new lode they discovered will be important later. I also feel sorry for the wife who cooked so much food hoping he'd be back to eat it. Elissa is so nice to offer Estelle's whole family a free meal like dang, can I take you up on it now?😆 I hope Pat's family are okay, the marital problems because the father Rhett is too absorbed in books and the wife's concern seems sad. It seems like Pat has a good head on his shoulders though. I was wondering what happened to Armand and Ellie and I am so happy for them!! Confessing at sunset on top of the clock tower is indeed very romantic! I guess it was good that Ellie insisted because that sounds pretty sweet! I'm so happy for Serra (Pat's mother) that they all had a good talk and are moving forward properly as a family! I'm glad that even though Rhett is obsessed with books, he makes sure to be a good parent too. Aww Estelle used to stay with Elger (Weapon shop guy) whenever Cassius had to leave for work, they're all so close. It's quite sweet how Radford cares about his son-in-law having to work by himself in the forest and wishes he could go as well but his back doesn't allow him to anymore. He's a big softie and I guess that's why Freemont doesn't hate him.

Lmao you can chase after chickens and they make noises😂 One of them gave me fresh eggs😂 Even the cow moos😂 It was nice to see Estelle chat with Tio and learn more about how popular Joshua is considering how oblivious she is. Personally, it's understandable why Joshua would think killing the critters at the farm would be for the best, but it's kinda sweet how Estelle and them thought it was okay to just teach them a lesson after giving them a good whack. I don't think Joshua is heartless, rather that Estelle and them are kind. Ooo the girls in uniform have faces to them! I wonder if it's because Estelle and Joshua will go to an academy later on? Poor Rinon is getting weird looks from everyone because his mother is looking for a bride for him and is asking everyone in town😅😅 I'm so glad Lita is so resilient and even the wife Mylene. They got tied up and robbed and they're as strong as ever! Guess you've gotta be quite mentally strong to be part of the Mayor's Residence haha. LOL when you talk to Faulkner with Schera in your party and he gets scared that she's going to get drunk again😂 It was also really funny how Estelle thought the only scary thing is Schera's drinking habits but Joshua thinks Estelle's cooking is just as fear inducing😂 Since there were 3-4 culprits, was it all the academy students that were staying at the hotel? Ah okay, it was just Josette and her sky bandit friends. Seagaro and them are okay hahaha. Kyle looks cool, but I wanted to see Schera's whipping in action😂 I hope Cassius is fine, it's scary to think that his airliner just up and disappeared. Well, I spent most of that Prologue chatting up everyone to see their lives haha!

On to Bose now! I'm glad to see how resilient Estelle is. It must have been shocking for her to hear her father is missing but I'm glad that to her it just means she'll find him, and as long as Joshua is beside her, she'll be fine. She might not understand the romantic feelings he has for her, but without each other, it definitely feels weird haha. It broke my heart to realise that Estelle's mother died protecting her when they destroyed the clock tower Estelle was at. I agree with Joshua that she can get her mother's strength and be the one to rescue her father now. I was thinking that Schera looked like a dancer! Good to know she was one before becoming a bracer. Even though Luke is bratty, it's kinda sweet how he told Estelle to hurry up and come back. I'm SO glad I got to see Armand and Ellie before we left Rolent. Nice to know that they'll be seeing the Queen's celebration together! LOL I was wondering why Yuni's dialogue was "Papa... I'm only seven years old", the man is trying to be like Rinon's mother and find her a husband already lmao, definitely jumping the gun here😂😂 I'm also very glad to see Frissa and Anya get to have a family meal together with the miner husband before leaving! They've been waiting for their husband/father to come home from the mine so I'm super happy for them! I knew the father would be the mine chief Gaton haha. I wonder if by the time we come back, Rinon will be married😂

I'm happy for Pat's family that everything seems to be going well. But I'm sad for Maggy, Luke's grandmother, she doesn't get to see her son Ashton since he's always at the checkpoint and Luke is always out🥲 I'm so happy to see that Radford has decided to believe in the man his daughter chose to marry, and Freemont seems to have even more respect towards Radford after getting to learn things from him, so I guess that will be another happy family! Bose is really nice and big! Lmao at the Laundry Pole weapon😂 Ingenious or pathetic? Definitely both hahaha! I didn't expect the Bose mayor, Maybelle to be so young! She looks very passionate and cool. Lmao at the random blond man just playing a song when Schera and General Morgan started fighting. I definitely agree with Schera though, regardless of their circumstances, it's a fact that things haven't been working out well enough (in terms of the search for the missing airliner) that Maybelle has enlisted bracers. Saying you're doing your best isn't enough especially when you're blocking others who have the power to make a difference and assist just because of your own biases.

Lmao at Olivier saying Estelle isn't sexy and even Joshua agrees😂😂 I'm dying at Seagaro commenting on how his wife is shopping like a crazy woman in Bose Market😂😂 It's kinda crazy how Professor Alba can survive going to all these towers but always need help when Estelle and them are there, like dude those roads are so dangerous and climbing up can be so hard, how did he survive! Anyway, those Robber Trappers at Amberl Tower do crazy damage. Joshua's Flicker skill definitely saved me haha. Anyway this skill is really OP because I've been using it to delay bosses and it's so good, easy kills all around! For now anyway haha! LMAO at Mina the kid telling off Harry for giving up before he even starts saying he'll always fail that way, and telling him he's such a little kid, and then you talk to Harry and he's like can I cry now, Estelle even responds and says yes you can😂😂😂 It's nice to see a very human side to Maybelle, watching her complain about all the paperwork is so cute. Is Joshua related to Ancient Dragons? Is he one himself? He seems to be from the Empire🧐 OMG injustice for the maid Dina! The manager made her work when she finally reserved a table at Anterose to treat herself! The poor girl! The Anterose owner sounds really cool! She basically hand-picked all her staff it seems like and she feels quite eccentric with how she picked the head chef without seeing him haha! LOL I love Harry and Mina. They're hilarious, well mainly Mina, but Harry digs his own grave all the time. It was so funny when Harry asked if Mina hated him and that's why she nitpicks him and she's like I wouldn't be here if I hated you, and then Harry blushes, and Mina's like, I don't like you either HAHAHA. Lmao at Seagaro hoping the flights start again so his wife can finally stop shopping😂😂

OMG, the girl at the fluffy sponge cake shop, Katrina, I was wondering what was going on with it since a guy used to be there apparently and Gantz (onlooker) has been eating it everyday to notice that the taste has improved, she has such a sad but sweet story. Her fiance was on the airliner that disappeared and she's protecting his shop waiting for him to come back, that's so sweet. She must have known next to nothing when she started because she seemed so confused but tried her best to always smile and now she's thriving! I'm happy for her, I hope we solve this airliner thing and everyone is safe. Even Mirano the merchant we've talked to since Rolent, her father was on the airliner too. Honestly, I have to agree with this Red-Haired Guy. If the airliner crashed then I would be worried about Cassius, but if it's a hijacking, he's definitely fine, he's probably just making sure he can save everyone imo. I really like Ravennue Village, very peaceful and nice with good fruit. I hope the people can come to an agreement though, Pesca's idea of using machines where they can in the orchard would make their lives easier but I can see why Gray wants things kept as is especially if he thinks the fruit quality has gone down. I just want it to be resolved so Lore can go to Bose and reunite with his family haha!

I wonder if the sky bandits are stealing cargo etc because their country or whatever is lacking in resources or something since there's been lots of burglaries. I was wondering why the Anterose manager seemed so troubled. Lmao at Olivier drinking a legendary wine worth 500,000 mira, yep how indeed is the manager going to face the owner after that lol. Definitely feels like a classic JRPG to get thrown into jail at least once hahhaha. I didn't think Maybelle was also the owner of Anterose! Although I did wonder if she or Mirano owned it hahaha. Definitely makes it much easier to let Olivier out then. And yesss I stole Olivier's gear and stuff before including his quartz so it's great to know that he comes back with it all as if nothing happened! 10/10 recommend being a thief😂 Praise to Anelace for informing Maybelle about them being thrown into jail. Always good to have a bracer friend. Harry and Mina for best couple, they're so cute and funny. I love how when Harry said he's decided to become a merchant and Mina naturally said she'll do whatever she can to support him, best wife already!

I'm also surprised that the bandits didn't steal anything from Mirano's house, I wonder why. Lmao at one of the house residents, Cecile scaring them off when she thought it was her husband and started yelling😂 Lmao I love Mina's response when Harry asked what she wanted to be in the future and she said "a wife that's filthy rich"😂 Girl knows what she wants, you gotta respect that. Lmao I knew Libro, the guy who kept complaining about Minuet's books gathering dust in Bose Market would get hired by her, the guy was there all the time complaining, he might as well clean😂 LOL I feel so bad for the fisherman Lloyd😂 Poor man was just focused on his fishing and Olivier the creep blows into his ear OMG. Should we arrest him for sexual harassment?😂 Joshua playing the harmonica for Estelle at Valleria Shore felt so calming and sweet. I can imagine how good it'll look in the remake! Elke and Anette, a mother and daughter visiting this hotel every year is such a sweet thing to do! There's something really special about people who go to the same place and stay at the same hotel every year, I wish I could find a place like that!

Lmao there's obviously more to Olivier than he says, but I really wonder if he was drunk at all or if he really threw up everything and poured a bucket of water over his head to chase after Estelle and them to the Sky Bandits' hideout hahaha. I feel so bad for the hostage, Burrell, it was his first time on an airliner! What an experience. I wonder what's wrong with Don, especially with those red eyes. Seems like Josette is too soft for criminal activity and Kyle just wants money to get his home back. I'm so sad that Schera is leaving, I love her but OMG did she take my gear with her?! Olivier too?! Can they give me my gear back?😭 What is this injustice to poor people... But I guess we got paid decently from Maybelle.. It's understandable for them to leave though since this is Estelle and Joshua's journey and having your mentor with you the whole way wouldn't feel right. Okay YAY, the game was considerate enough to give us the gear back, thankfully! They understand the woes of the poor well. I can't imagine life without Olivier though, gimme my AOE back please.

Overall, been really loving Trails! Really fun, love talking to NPCs, honestly the best thing about this game. Story is nothing special right now but I'd say the NPCs really make up for it because by interacting them, everything feels so much more alive, it really feels like you're going on a proper journey from being so smothered with love by everyone at home in Rolent, first time going to a city like Bose and meeting different people and realising how different things can be and then helping out in an international incident to develop renown. A very chill journey to becoming a senior bracer and I've enjoyed it the whole time! The only thing that sucks but is apparent through many old games is the amount of backtracking they make you do for the smallest things but it's fine I guess. Turbo mode is definitely a saviour because I don't think I can live without it lol. I also don't think I can live without the NPCs. Reading my post again, 90% of it is just about NPCs LOL. Where is the story? Irrelevant because NPCs are the story for this game and I'm all for it.

[singdreamchild]

TIMING: Christmas Night LOCATION: Cassius's house PARTIES: Cassius (@singdreamchild), Richard, Inge (@nightmaretist), Dis (@disinfernus), Zofia (@zofiawithaz) & Lukas (@lukas-dark-miracles) SUMMARY: The group of undead (and extremely old fae) get together for Christmas! CONTENT WARNINGS: None!

It had been Inge’s idea initially. Cassius had gone and visited her (with candy, as per her request), and she had the idea to have a gathering. The vampire suggested hosting, seeing as she was still mending, and he finally had a house to throw get-togethers at. When he had told Richard of the plan, the elder vampire was none too pleased. Still, he eventually relented when Cassius told him that it would be full of people who mattered to him and knew about Richard. “No hiding in the basement,” he had told his sire.

So that’s where the pair found themselves decking out the old Victorian house head to toe in Christmas decor. Cassius hadn’t gotten around to putting his spin on the house (namely, painting everything black and purple), but the old house had enough charm to it that it didn’t matter. Cassius gave Richard a pointed look when the doorbell rang and said, “Don’t disappear. These people have wanted to meet you.” 

Richard rolled his red eyes and nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.” He replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. The elder vampire’s features were twisted to look more batlike than human, which made him feel self-conscious. “Behave.” Cassius insisted in an exasperated voice as he hurried to open the door. 

Inge wasn’t much of a fan of Christmas, generally speaking. It reminded her of things long gone and aches not yet properly mended, but with her body still in pain and her usual ability to partake in shenanigans significantly limited, she figured she should do something. And it was funny, because there was actually something to do. A small group of people to gather together to have the most ungodly Christmas with.

She was still in pain, her movement still limited. It’d be a few months, Zane had said, and she wasn’t pleased about the constant reminder of her shortcomings. But she had ample distraction, and Dīs on her side. She was impressed by the Christmas decor, amused by Cassius’ dedication to the craft and rang the bell merrily.

Merrily, as in a piece of performance art. As in, she still wanted to cry and rage and throttle Siobhan and Rhett both. As in, she missed those same things long gone. When Cassius opened the door she smiled brightly and wiggled a bottle that read merlot. “I brought a gift!” It didn’t contain merlot. It contained blood. This was the time to be charitable, after all. “And also this bottle of wine.” She moved inside, a small twinge of pain marking her features and looked around with a look of surprised awe. “Damn.”

___________

It seemed Zofia’s social life was a concern to a host of undead. 

Inge had invited her to a little holiday get together. Then, later, Cassius had invited her to the very same party being hosted at his house. She had been amused to say the least. She had no intention to attend, of course. It was very kind of them all to be so very concerned, but frankly she wasn’t feeling particularly festive. 

She had fully intended on sitting alone and adjusting to silence again, when she received one final invitation. Richard, of all people had decided to extend the invitation. She wasn’t entirely sure why the invitation had given her pause. But for some reason  she had found herself getting wine and a little poinsettia plant, and heading over to  Cassius’s. 

The door opened and her mouth quirked up into an attempt at a smile “. Wesołych Świąt, Cassius “ she said, holding up the gifts. She breezed into the space and took in the faces around her. It was strange to not offer embraces in greeting, but she wasn’t sure it would be appreciated. “Hello kochanie,” she waved to Inge, and then her eyes fell on a familiar figure with golden eyes. “You. I know you.”

———-

Lukas was pretty happy to get out of his own house, his Sire’s apparent willingness to let him only raise a few alarm bells in his head. After all, it felt nice to do something lightly normal even if he was fairly sure that he was about to have a rough time of it. She seemed to be amused for being alone on a holiday, and that usually meant she had something in store for him. 

A bottle of Whiskey in his hand he gave a small smile to Cassius before nodding to Richard. “Ah I believe I’m the last - apologies. Inge - Dīs - it’s nice to see you. ” He didn’t comment that Lizzie had been chuckling at him, and how he was sure something bad was about to happen and that’s why he was late. After all, it was just as likely that she was doing so on purpose. He also didn’t make his way next to Cassius quite yet, wanting to be sociable. 

To the only person he didn’t know he outstretched his hand to shake hers, “I’m sorry I’m not sure I’ve met you. I’m Lukas.” 

———-

Christmas wasn’t something that the lampade, or their family, celebrated - nor any holiday, really, save for birthdays and accomplishments are various kinds, so when they were invited by Inge to go with her to a little festive gathering of friends, Dīs thought: why not? They liked Inge, would have liked Cassius more had it not been for the unwarranted snacking, and Lukas — Lukas was unusual but not unpleasantly so. They nodded to him in response, offering a placid, yet amicable smile.

It was just nice to be included for a change, even if they didn’t care for the decorations.

Among the familiar faces, there was one that they had never seen before and one they didn’t think they’d see again so soon. At least, not in this capacity. They hung back, assuming that the older and clearly vampiric figure would be introduced by the host, so Dīs directed their attention to Zofia once she and Lukas became acquainted. “And I know you,” they agreed, a little amused by the circumstances. “Apparently, this town is deceptively small.”

Cassius watched as everyone said their hellos, suddenly realizing there was a reason he didn’t host any occasions. It’s because he was bad at it. He wanted to hide in a corner and wait for the gathering to start itself. But, of course, this didn’t happen. Sensing his nervousness, Richard strode up alongside the vampire and gave a welcoming smile (or as welcoming a smile as a batlike creature of the night could look, anyway). “I am Richard, for those of you who have not met me, which is, well, all of you. He gave a glance over to Zofia and winked. “Except you.” The man’s voice was deep and velvety, contrasting the monstrous face he wore.

Cassius swallowed, a sudden discomfort building as he let his sire take over. Why did he always let him take over? His gaze fell to the floor as he let his sire speak. It was weird to suddenly take on that submissive role that he always took as soon as Richard had put himself in the forefront. Cassius always told himself it was because Richard knew what he was doing and was more experienced in life. But a part of him was telling him that it wasn’t exactly the case. 

Cassius took a deep breath and forced himself to look up to his guests again, feeling Richard’s piercing gaze. “Food and drinks are set up in the kitchen, which is down the hall to the left, and the tree and chairs are set up in the living room, which is to the right.” He gave a cheerful smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, but there was a clear attempt. Richard’s presence made his skin itch. Why did it make him so damn uncomfortable? He watched as Lukas introduced himself to Zofia and nearly froze. He had never told Lukas her name, had he? Sensing the young vampire’s fear, Richard placed a hand on Cassius’s shoulder before walking toward the living room. “Let it be,” the elder vampire insisted as he made himself scarce.

The only face Inge did not recognize had to be that of Richard, that big bad in Cassius’ life that she had grown to detest and grown to be intrigued by. “I’m Inge,” she said, purposefully not going for her full name. She glanced at Cassius, who seemed almost like a puppy at the feet of its owner and redirected her gaze to his sire. “It’s great to meet you after all the stories I’ve heard. Spare a moment for me tonight so we may get to know each other properly?” 

Her gaze was considerably warmer as it fell on Zofia, giving her a smile, “Hi lief,” she said, giving Lukas an equally warm smile in greeting. Her eyes flicked between the female vampire and Dīs, wondering how they’d met. “Well, there’s a story there …” She was intrigued, a bit excited that the two of them were familiar. Jealousy didn’t arise. She had no need for such things.

Inge considered their options. “Should we get a small bite, then, and gather in the living room?” She moved towards the left, not with the usual skip to her step. She had no need for this either, the ache that spread from her waist to her legs. She half considered moving by astral — she could here, after all. “You guys –” this was to all the vampires in the room, “– should really try this wine. It’s locally sourced and though it’s not a vintage …” She smiled. “It’s supposed to be a good year. ‘93 if I’m correct?” 

____________

Zofia’s mouth tugged up into a small smile, and amusement glimmered in her usually cloudy eyes as the other vampire introduced himself. They certainly hadn’t met, but she knew who Lukas was. She’d watched him and Cassius when she’d first come back to town and her mind was worse for wear. She’d also become familiar with the name through his sire. And if Elzbieta Kowalska was his sire… “Lukas. Hello, kuzynie.” She said with a bad. “I’m Zofia.” She wondered if Lizzie had said anything. It was more likely than not though that the mad old vampire had neglected to inform Lukas of her, for her own entertainment. 

Her gaze drifted back to the only fae in the room, the small smile still hanging tentatively on her face. “Decidedly so. Lovely to see you again, Dīs.” Then her eyes found Cassius looking… stressed? He had invited her, was her presence really that alarming? Zofia was mostly in control of her own mind that day, and holiday festivities weren’t likely to send her spiraling off the deep end. She rolled her eyes as the elder vampire shot her a wink, but the smile on her face tugged a bit wider. She’d by no means consider Richard a friend. But he certainly wasn’t her enemy any longer. Not if he held out his hand to help. 

Zofia let out a small laugh at Inge’s interest. “We met under… interesting circumstances. Our goals were similarly aligned.” Cassius probably wouldn’t want talk of vengeful murder and fae sparked madness at his holiday party. The vampire smirked as Inge described the contents of the wine bottle. “What region is it from?”

__________

Lukas blinked, not quite knowing why he was someone's cousin, but took it a little in stride not wanting to make it more complicated. Then it hit him on why that might be the case, he asked with a bit of a laugh , “Znasz więc Elżbietę? - Because you don’t look a little like my mom or dad’s side. In anycase, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Zofia.”  It was a small world after all, and part of him wanted to run out the door as he spoke, scared that his Sire would be there in a moment, and not wanting to appear too stressed. He couldn’t look at it after all. 

Still, his eyes followed Cassius’s and he paused something feeling off. Part of him wanted to go to him, but he didn’t want to intrude on him and Richard’s space knowing how much he was nervous around his own Sire.  So as Inge went to move he nodded and said, “Of course. It’s also lovely to finally meet you, Richard.” Moving to go to the room he said, “Excellent. I hope you don’t mind that I brought Whiskey. It was pretty standard in my family. I’m afraid I picked up the habit.” Glancing at Inge, he wondered briefly why she seemed to be straining, although thought better than to bring it up. 

 __________

When the stranger finally introduced himself, the energy seemed to shift. Not just from the guests, from the host, as well. There was a mixture of uneasiness and intrigue, both of which Dīs felt equally, but it was thwarted momentarily when Cassius took back the reins and explained the setup. They watched as Richard stalked off towards the living room; Inge's desire to know him better did leave an acrid taste, but they did their best to ignore it.

They were glad for the change in conversation, though intrigued as to why Zofia chose to leave out any details really about their impromptu interrogation. Was this not the time for such talk? There was more of a curiosity than disappointment, a want to understand. "Interesting is certainly one way to describe it. But I am glad they were, otherwise this conversation would be much different," — if they made it out in one piece, at all. If their collision with the vampire had soured because she chose not to show the grace she did that night, Dīs couldn't be certain that they'd escape the encounter unscathed.

"I'll explain more later," they directed to Inge, happy to share even the smallest of victories. "I think you may enjoy hearing it."

Drinks sparked the turn of attention. While blood wasn't exactly a drink of choice for the lampade, the whiskey would have to do. "There are worse habits to have," Dīs assured Lukas as their glass was filled. They stole a sip before continuing, "how have your meetings been? Are you still having them?" After their brief and awkward, yet enlightening conversation, they didn't really bother with keeping tabs on the community meetings.

 __________

Richard stopped in his tracks as Inge introduced herself. Yes, Cassius had mentioned her since his arrival. Cassius for his part, shot Inge a warning glare before turning his attention to his sire, who nodded toward Inge. “Lovely to meet you, Inge. I will not be hiding this evening, so you are sure to find me.” Richard’s gaze then fluttered over to Lukas, and his eyes narrowed. He didn’t know what to take of this new one, and he wasn’t so sure if he were to be trusted. After all, he knew his sire. And with that, the elder vampire disappeared into the living room, doing his best to hid the only way he could with the expectation from Cassius that he would be on his best behavior and socializing. He used to be so good at it, but not it made his skin crawl. What was he turning into? 

Cassius seemed to relax the second Richard disappeared, a soft sigh and a fake smile plastered onto his features as he looked to Inge and her bottle of so-called wine. “Yes, I’m sure it’s… great.” Cassius shook his head, unable to get himself back into the groove of things. There was something to be said about two of your exes and your current love being under the same roof. Maybe he was crazy for allowing such things to occur, but all three of them were genuinely important to him. 

The blonde’s gaze flitted back and forth between Zofia and Lukas’s exchange, a curiosity surging through him as she claimed to be family to him. Then, Cassius listened as Dis spoke of Lukas and his meetings. What meetings? A confused frown crossed his face as he looked over to Lukas. Instead of asking outright, he filed the question away for later. “Inge, Lukas, feel free to place them on the island in the kitchen. Presents go in the living room under the tree.” It was suddenly too much, so many people all knowing the most private things in his life. No, he had to get himself under control. So after taking a deep breath, Cassius turned to follow his sire to the living room. 

She flashed Cassius’ sire a bright smile that didn’t hide the mischief behind it. She’d been bored, restricted during her day hours and wallowing in self-pity/self-hatred. Pulling at the seams of an elderly vampire would be a welcome addition to what promised to be an interesting evening. Inge nodded at Cassius. “It’s glorious. I mean, so I was told — I haven’t tried it myself. I’ll be having regular wine.” To Zofia: “It’s local, of course.”

A small look was given to Dīs, one of excitement to see what they had to tell her, but she was off to the kitchen. Walk stiff, but back straight: Inge knew that if there were people to not hide her pain in front of it might be these people, but she still had her pride. Plopping the bottle of blood on the counter, she wondered if she should pop it open to let it ‘breathe’ or if that wasn’t a thing with blood. “Lukas, do you decant this? And I’d love a bit of whiskey.” She took an empty glass, sliding it towards him as she worked on picking out some food. Best to reconvene in the living room, she figured.

With enough to satiate her non-existent hunger for human food, she made her way over there, glad to sit down on a chair. The pain from her abdomen and lower back strained down to her legs but at least there was no more pressure. “This is much better than the crypt.”

_______

So you know Elżbietę? Zofia’s mouth curled into a smile at that. “My aunt. However distant a relation she may be.” What were a few hundred years to blood relations, after all? 

The smile widened as Dīs insinuated Inge would enjoy listening to the tale of their murderous evening. The hunter had without a doubt deserved it. And based on Inge’s recent encounters with hunters, it would likely be nice to imagine the face of the one who had done her harm on the other’s body. “A local vintage?” Zofia laughed softly. “Those fine ‘vineyards’ of Wickeds Rest will be delightful, I’m sure.”

She perched herself in a corner and watched as the others continued to interact.

———

The others' proclamation that she was his Sire’s niece only stilled him for a second before he shook his head slightly in amusement. “That would explain why she was excited for me to come.” Lukas didn’t mention that he was nervous now, his hands clutching at the bottle a little too firmly for protection. Still he went to open it, keeping the nerves off his face and the odd looks from Richard out of his mind. 

At the question Lukas chuckled and said, “Yes, I am still doing community outreach. They are going very well.  You are welcome back if you’d like.” He didn’t think the other would want to go back, but still the offer was always there. Pouring out the whiskey for both of the other two he shrugged lightly and said, “For a wine? Usually you would for a Red I believe. There you go.” 

———

Aside from the riveting tale about the death of that young hunter, there was plenty that Dīs wanted to speak to Inge about — mostly ask, if she was privy and willing to indulge their curiosity — but for the moment, they would enjoy her presence, even if she seemed keen on learning about the elder vampire. Truthfully, they couldn’t blame her. His introversion was interest piquing.

They caught a little of the back and forth between Lukas and Zofia, but they were more concerned with the vampires in the other room — and the whiskey in their glass. They stole another sip as their fingers picked at a few of the food items made available, though they felt just a hair uncomfortable with the knowledge that they were the only one that needed anything on their plate to survive, that they technically were a meal fit enough for the rest of them. It was an interesting position to be in, to feel like prey among predators, as awkward as they all seemed to be.

“Are they still being held on the same days? I’m afraid I haven’t kept track of the schedule,” they returned to Lukas after finding a rather lonesome seat with a leg crossed over the other and back straight. Dīs was surprised that he was even allowed back after the discomfort of their first meeting, that the offer was even being made to begin with. Regardless whether or not it was a genuine offer mattered not, they might have to take him up on it. If only to satiate their ‘nosiness’.

—

Cassius flitted about the kitchen, pulling out glasses for the various drinks. As he came upon the bottle of ‘wine,’ he shot a look at Inge before opening it up and pouring himself a glass. He made eye contact with Richard at that moment, then took a sip. Richard didn’t let anything show, but his monstrous face finally changed from monstrous to human. One of his many abilities that the older vampires could pull off, letting him blend in among them. Instead of batlike features, he looked just like anyone else. An older man with a hint of a beard and blue eyes instead of red.

Cassius smirked at the taste of the wine, his eyes glowing a brilliant red, proving to everyone that it was, indeed, blood. “Inge has always been good with picking out a good red.” He noted before moving to sit on the couch, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back. He listened to the various conversations, from Lukas hosting meetings to Inge’s comment. He snorted into his wine glass, shaking his head. “Much roomier than it too,” he shot back with a laugh. “I wonder how Mrs. Lindamann is doing.” He wondered, referring to the woman who actually was laid to rest in the crypt. “Oh well, I’m sure she’s glad I’m gone.”

The blonde’s gaze flitted over to Richard, who seemed content to be sitting in the other corner of the room that Zofia didn’t already occupy. Two well-adjusted vampires cooped up in the darkest corners of the room. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Lukas, who was pouring whiskey and speaking of his community outreach. Cassius didn’t know too much, it hadn’t come up in conversation organically, so for now, he simply listened to know more.  In truth, Cassius hadn’t celebrated a Christmas properly in over a century. And it was finally in Wicked’s Rest of all places that he finally had established a family of his own that was worth celebrating with. Surrounded by people he cared about, the blond vampire for once finally relaxed. He was content.

[alitgblog]

s9 vol 7 thoughts: ah fuck this season has its problems but I don't think I've ever been this conflicted over love interests in a while

STEFAN 😍😍😍 literally I have to change my top five islanders now like I'm so sorry evan. AND he's an artist?? And it's my own fault for already buying into the second chance romance bit before he even showed up but like he's not ugly? omg stop. oof it's tough, like, shit I'm so sorry Natasha and Hamish I don't know who to pick in this love square they've got

him illustrating his sister's book for his sisters?? 🥺 I may be folding for that alone

I like Cassius' design. I like it more than Theo's but he does remind me of Liam unfortunately. and also he's looking like my MC's cousin this season so I gotta pass this time but makes it easier for me. but he does seem great, I like him and he's sweet without being boring (so far), but I also kinda wish we had an LI that gave us more pushback/banter? bc I picked a few options that disagreed with his whole thing about love/fate and he was just like "yeah fs that's a cool opinion too" which OK I get it he's nice but I'm just kinda sick of all the Islanders being so agreeable to MC. I guess Marshall is supposed to be the banter-y one but I have problems with him being here so I wish it was Cassius instead.

that being said they're fucking teasing me with this response to why are you here though

also at some point Cassius calls his season boring and I thought it was funny fusebox was dunking on themselves bc I didn't finish s7 either but no he was just referring to the fact he got dumped quickly.

I'm glad Lyle is back, like I'd be upset if an islander was only brought on for a date and then left, so I'm not mad at this even though he was momentarily mad at MC (and that became nothing?? like just take out that plot point) and i dont really care hes only coded in for Kat now. I'm just more upset bc they've literally already done this in S8 bc your LI has to pick between Sienna and Bea when they get "dumped" and then Sienna comes back in Casa.

And then we get to marshall and I don't even wanna talk about it. And ive made separate posts and reblogged some opinions on that so ill just add that also i hate his orange outfit. him dressing all white and ozzy all black was peak I hate he's out here in orange smh.. anyway so that'll be easy for me to not pick this season

although we get this and I thought it was funny like OK fine you got me marshall

he says it with a smile too not even angry/sarcastic

then after that I honestly don't remember what happens apart from way too many challenges all at once and the whole Stefan storyline. I wanted him to be a little upset initially bc it did seem like MC had some misunderstanding and then left him so quickly like I just wanted a little bit of angst where he came in with the gameplan of wanting to give her a piece of his mind and was on the show bc he couldn't contact her any other way, before he realized he was being silly and just was happy to see her again. like if anything, the story beats that Lyle goes through being snarky at mc in episode 1 then immediately asking for forgiveness by episode 3 makes more sense for Stefan but nah instead it just feels like another perfect li loyal route (which is fine but I like some tension in the story). like we can still have the terrace scene where he explains things though.

also if I saw this on love island? I'd be voting for them without question the angst is so good

OK I'm looking thru my screenshots and am now remembering I was upset at raunchy races for being subjective again. notable offenses:

straight out the gate, most creative boy and Kelly says "craft brewing is creative" gtfo as if it's not Chen the set designer (and anyone who brought back Lyle from the dates, I'd imagine musician over craft beer brewer as well)

Kat somehow doesn't win best dancer

I love Kelly and sure, biggest foodie but not when my mc is a chef smh at least in S6 the dialogue would change slightly with your occupation lmao

the physical challenge is OK but I just think it doesn't belong in casa. like on the actual show where they spend real days in casa it's fine but for the game that has to shorten it bc the volumes definitely don't add up to the length of real love island, it feels like a waste. if anything, the real villa needed a physical challenge rather than continuing to do variations on excess baggage type games.

someone help Kelly out with the mask pls

anyway the OG islander to visit instead of a postcard is interesting. I think a postcard makes the most sense but bc the game has to fabricate drama while also probably wanting most of the guys to still look good since the villa is like 75% love interests for MC, maybe it makes sense?

I think having it be MC's partner doesn't give us a lot of drama unless MC wants to bring up Stefan. Finn and Hamish could be interesting whether you're pursuing them or not. Like under the guise of them checking in on their partner, but they just care about MC and are asking her not to forget them. Most likely i think it'll be Kat's partner and he'll make up some lies about what's happening in the villa.

anyway a little rough first few weeks of the season but I'm enjoying at least this episode, surprisingly, so we'll seeeeee.... I think the seasons generally gets worse post casa so I'm not betting on this being a good season overall, but I'm not calling it a flop just yet.

[chikaoofka]

something of an (player-)oc master-post?

info on them beneath the cut cos I HAVE THE CHANCE!!!!! hear about my BLORBOS, BOY.

CASSIUS TUREVER-

listen to cassius by foals lol. lol . lol :-) lol. no relation

Jazz agent :-)

OBIE OBIEEEE OBIE my friend OBIE 's his companion ...

left-handed in more ways than one

he was originally just some guitarist guy until i decided i was gonna just like MAKE HIM in LOATHING. which was the best thing I could've done. it was either CASSIUS in MY LOATHING GAMES or err (checks notes) milo.....murphy.......... because i couldn't think of a better name. not related to the show i swear. it just came to me

he's british . dearly sorry or whatever i dont know . low-class, came to america 'for jobs' at age like 19. in 1922

HE'S NOT ACTUALLY SHADOW TAINTED (or at least in any substantial amount) WOULD YOU BELIEVE ME IF I SAID THE SHADOW STUFF IN HIS HAIR ACTUALLY CAME BEFORE I EVEN KNEW ABOUT SHADOW TAINT???? your honour i thought it would be cool . and it is . lol

fun fact about the stuff in his hair that was actually supposed to have been caused by terrence's accounting but now I have no idea. literally your honour it looks cool

ALFIE ACHIVUNTER-

Cheese wizard!

Barker (pre-taint)

Alphonse-gator (mid/post-taint)

average muscle, high mysticality, and like a 1 in moxie at all times ever

his last name is a portmanteau of achievement and hunter but i keep misspelling it as archivunter . maybe it could instead be archive and hunter but that doesn't make sense? anyway

hey alfie gullible's written on the ceili- hey yeah it does aw now i'm mad (in the shadow-tainted way . he's supposed to be my shadow-tainted guy except He Is Not Evil . He is just full of Madness . Knowledge of the unknowable or whatever you know? yeah)

he's worry. just look at him

CHARLIE HOLLOWAY-

fraternal twin

former bean-slinger, switched with Sylvester and became a snake-oiler

honourable :-)!

absolutely TERRIFIED of dying . more specifically of old age . that's why he found this clock of never-aging-ever*. it's pretty cool . does not look a day over 25 (or so)

more on this. if he played the sims i think he would pass out at the sight of the grim reaper (HALF SILLY?)

*ACTUALLY FUN FACT. it's more like never-changing-ever in the sense of he never gets sleepy nor hungry nor anything of that sort anymore. lol . if he got a cut he wouldn't bleed either

THOUGH despite all of that he'd quite literally turn to dust à la Maxwell Don't Starve if the clock got taken away somehow......

SYLVESTER HOLLOWAY-

guess . is this man a twin ? i have no idea . absolutely no idea (FRATERNAL TWIN)

former snake-oiler, switched with Charlie and became a bean-slinger

Pardner is Doc Alice . half the reason why he swapped classes w Charlie probably

neither honourable nor ruthless . lol

TBH HE'S THE LESS COOL BROTHER IN SO MANY WAYS I DONT HAVE MUCH TO SAY ON HIM. he's like. the shy one the one who never smiles ever the cautious one . but he IS there I GUESS

Mon Frère is a funny little mix of Sylvester and Charlie . I'm mentioning this cos I feel sooooo smart for it . instead of forgetting one and misremembering the other Rufus misremembered them BOTH and MUSHED THEM TOGETHER I GUESS. though that's specific to myyyyyyyy little loathing thingy . yeah

........SORRY IF THIS IS UTTERLY UNREADABLE? BY THE BY?

[raviliuz]

Smoking and drinking headcanon

Hiya, I dunno why cigarettes are so Slytherin but they are so let's take a look at drinks and cigs

Terence Higgs

Terry loves wine and whiskey, he's the type of person who drinks alcohol with meals for its taste not to actually get drunk. And he really likes cigarettes, especially flavored ones. Terence likes to try new flavours but his ultimate favorite is a mint

Marcus Flint

He likes drinks with those little umbrellas. The sweeter the better. If he just wants to get wasted for whatever reason, he would drink straight-up vodka, but his ultimate choice is always Clover Club. Marcus doesn't really smoke, sometimes at parties but it's rare

Cassius Warrington

Boy, oh boy. Cass hates the taste of alcohol but likes that dizzy feeling. So he prefers vodka so he would get drunk without drinking much of it. About cigarettes, he was the first of them to start smoking and dragged Montague and Higgs with him. So yeah, he smokes a lot

Peregrine Derrick

Perry loves rum. It's always his choice and when he's drunk he always jokes about being a pirate. He doesn't smoke, he tried it and started coughing and it was awful. But he usually goes with the rest for a cigarette break during parties or between lessons. Derrick is there for the conversation, not for cigarettes

Lucian Bole

Luke is a health freak. He keeps his diet, doesn't eat sweets, trains every day, and sleeps for at least 8 hours. He's abstinent, never smoked and doesn't plan to even try. The only alcohol he has ever drunk was a sip of champagne on his 16th birthday

Adrian Pucey

Adrian likes alcohol more than most people would have guessed. He enjoys trying new drinks and new flavours of beer. He has a surprisingly great tolerance for alcohol. He tried smoking, he sometimes does that at parties. For whatever reason, Higgs never smokes around him so Adrian wouldn't inhale that. The dude literally lives with Montague, he does inhale that. On topic...

Graham Montague

Graham is abstinent. He doesn't really care about his health (talking about teenage Graham), he doesn't drink for a different reason. His father is a drunk and Graham doesn't want to be like him. He hates feeling similar to him so he has never drunk even a sip of any liquor. He loves cigarettes tho. Montague tried it because of Warrington and ended up addicted. He enjoys having a cigarette between his fingers and holding it to his lips. It's weird but sometimes he does that gesture with e.g. pen, it just feels right

Miles Bletchley

Miles drinks only at parties and barbeques. At parties, it's funny drinks and at barbecues, it is rhubarb flavoured beer. His favourite drinks and cocktails are the ones with chocolate. Miles hates cigarettes, he never tried smoking but the smell itself disgusts him. He fights with Graham over smoking in the dorm and never goes with the rest of the team for cig-break

Bonus, I think all of them except Lucian Bole would be willing to try smoking weed. Higgs would be a philosopher, Marcus would be emotional and sappy, Warrington would just be relaxed, Derrick would for sure have an anxiety attack, Adrian would be even more touchy than usually and I think he would swear more, Montague and Miles would be sleepy. And Lucian would be the mother of the group and take care of them and panic every time anyone moves thinking they're on their way to do sth stupid

Please, take care of yourself and remember alcohol and cigarettes are extremely unhealthy, didn't get into that shit

[cassiuspr]

(CONTENT WARNING. I WENT A LITTLE CRAZY. THIS TRANSCRIPT CONTAINS GORE, BLOOD, THE KILLER, EYE TRAUMA, DEATH AND WHATNOT. BE CAREFUL.)

[Video transcript begin.]

[The video begins at chest height in a room, the door is closed, and an unconscious man with 6 arms is in the center. The person whom the device belongs to seems to be bored. After a few minutes, the man in the middle of the room wakes up. Looking around before his eyes land on the person with the device, they widen, and he scrambles backwards.]

?: Hey there! So nice of you to join me!

[Voice identified: Cassius.]

?: Y– you don’t have to do this, y’know! We’re all friends here, right?

[Voice identified: Nicholas.]

C: Hm, yeah, no. I do. And apparently we’re not. 

N: [Nervous laughter.] Whaaaat? Nooooo, we’re friends!

C: Friends don’t push each other down elevator shafts.

N: L– look, I know I’ve done some bad stuff lately, but can we just let it slid–

[Cassius takes a step towards Nicholas. The pure violent hatred is clearly audible in his voice.]

C: Do you know how much of your bullshit I’ve let slide? From the beginning of your employment to now, do you know how many times I’ve let you off easy?

N: I–

C: [As he lists things, he grows more and more angry.] Remember the 17 times you let me die just so you could take full credit for a job? Or maybe the thousands of times you’ve pulled ‘pranks’ on PR members that actively upset them? Remember when you purposefully left Dorian's finger behind so we had to go out of our way to get him a new one? Oh! Maybe you’ll fucking remember this! Laughing as I had to SNAP THALIA’S FUCKING NECK. But no! We’re all friends here, right?

N: Oh, real mature, bringing Thalia int–

C: [Forcefully.] Enough. 

[Nicholas flinches back, Cassius takes another step forward.]

C: You’ve crossed a line today, Nicholas. 

N: S– so? Just snap my n– neck already, man. 

C: Your obliviousness is funny. History lesson time! Do you know what we used to do in France if someone committed high treason?

N: No…? Wh– pretty– pretty egotistical. To consider yourself–

C: Dismemberment, that’s what. Can you see where I’m going with this?

[Nicholas pales, and Cassius finally closes the distance between the two of them. Grabbing Nicholas by one of his 6 arms and yanking on it, one leg braced against his torso, he screams in pain as the arm is ripped off, blood begins to seep from where it had sat.]

C: Oh, you think that was bad! Just wait until I get to your actual fucking limbs.

[Cassius continues to do this, and the screaming only gets louder and more agonized as he does. Within 10 minutes, each metal arm is removed, Nicholas moves his two arms around, seemingly trying to get used to the feeling. Tears flow down his face from the pain of the whole ordeal.]

N: P– please, Cass, I– just– just kill me already! 

[Cassius scoffs at Nicholas’ plea, and just reaches forward and takes hold of his right arm. Nicholas shakes, either from the miserable state he’s in, or from fear. Maybe even both. Cassius begins laughing uncontrollably, and he yanks on Nicholas’ arm once, twice, and then finally three times, it comes out on the third. Nicholas lets out a shriek worthy of a horror movie. Cassius holds the arm out in front of him, and waits until Nicholas opens his eyes again before bringing it to his mouth and seemingly taking a large bite. He discards it, and grabs his left leg next. This time stamping down on his upper leg, and bending the lower part backwards. Nicholas’ voice is hoarse as he screams out again.]

C: Mm… Might have to speed this up a bit…

N: [Quietly.] Please.

[Cassius jerks his arm, snapping Nicholas’ leg, another shout. It sounds as if his voice can’t take much more.]

[He pulls out his phone, a glare on the screen preventing it from being seen. He puts it away.]

C: Yeahhh. As fun as this has been. It’s time to finish this. Ready to die?

[Nicholas shakes his head, as the silhouette of the spider legs appear on the ground. Terror fills his eyes, and Cassius begins to hysterically laugh, it turns into more of a screech, inhuman in nature, as the spider legs dig into Nicholas, aiding in the cutting of the rest of his limbs. Before Nicholas can bleed out, Cassius jams them into his torso, and ever so slowly cuts the man open, spilling organs out onto the now blood covered floor.]

C: Now, final touch!

[Two spider legs make their way to Nicholas’ head, positioning themselves right above his eyes, the man is unable to move away as they stick themselves right into his eye sockets. The dying man now remains still. Cassius makes a small satisfied noise, and reaches up to the camera, turning the transcript off.]

[Transcript end.]

[sacredsanguine]

OdetteWatches: Magical Gurls

THIS EPISODE?????? like I know I've been going a little stir-crazy because of the hiatus, but HELLO????? MY MIND IS BLOWN!!!!!

you already know i have thoughts and feelings. they're long.

Weird amount of camera time on Taran this week without him having a lot of lines...and I am LOVING the set for Razac's manor! The vibe, the decor, it all feels so him - and you can tell where Penelope has her little touches too! The teeny tiny little rosary beads detail around the edge of the doorknob is so cute.

Penelope power!!!! I have so many theories about what might be causing her magic to spike - I still think it's got something to do with the fae - and seems like Luna has some ideas about Zeke being a magical creature?? I wonder if she and Yvette will talk about it....

Aurora is a super powerful mage, so I wonder if she can sense anything about Penelope's powers? Andrey could, I think, because of how he's attuned to inner magic, but he's busy cuddling with Nikolai lol!

Okay speaking of ships....LOVE this positive relationship turn for Andrey. RIP Luna. I felt SO bad for her this ep, like she just kept taking turn after turn into psychic damage. :( I wanna give her such a comfy hug ;n; i hope we get to see the convo between her and esme afterwards though....like i hope it HAPPENS and also happens on-screen.

JOESME NATION RISE UP THO. guys we are FED today, amen thank the larva and st. cassius! We got hands touching, we got close contact. We got the absolute Moment of "Breathing sounds nice." WE GOT JOESME KISSES. PLURAL!!!! WE GOT CONFESSIONS!!!! (like okay. "you're here, of course i'm alright" had me DEAD. the silent KISS TO THE CROWN OF THE HEAD??? cremated. "i rather like having you to myself"?? ASHES TURNED INTO DIAMONDS. "all yours. always. no matter what-" AND HER INSTINCT BEING TO PROTECT HIM??? WHAT WAS SHE GOING TO SAY BEFORE THAT??? i am the CORE OF THE EARTH. "i think i'm allowed to be a little selfish, for once. we've both earned it. never enough time, we ought to carve out a slice for ourselves"??????? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I'M SOBBING GUYS THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND THEY'RE SO HAPPY AND IN LOVE IN THIS STOLEN LITTLE MOMENT TOGETHER I'M NEVER GOING TO BE NORMAL AGAIN

also omg squeeee at balisongsters having their silly cute hallway moment!!! nikolai is such a bully (gay, affectionate) and drunk andrey is so funny. i have a microwave compartment just for them

razac and taran are either eating in complete disgust and silence or making out furiously in the dining room. you know which one i'm choosing to believe.

I WANNA SEE MAGICAL GIRL PENELOPE!!!!

[wickedsrest-rp]

Welcome to our weekly round-up! We do these every week to provide plot drops, highlight starters posted that week, and share other information about the setting. Anyone is welcome to use these bullet points in starters, plots, anons etc. Also let us know if you want us to include one of your setting-related plots in here for next week by sending us a bullet point!

What's new in town?:

Further mining efforts by EER have left Wicked’s Rest in a state of disarray as the anomalous sludge has covered whole blocks of land. People and animals alike have become encased in it as well, unable to escape as it slowly hardens around them. Check out our final plot of the week of Season 1 for ways to interact!

Local spellcaster, Molly Cooper, thought it’d be funny to play a joke on her classmates for Mean Girls Day. Unfortunately, she hasn’t quite gotten the hang of this whole spell casting thing just yet. So instead of just the college kids having everything they touch turn to pink when they asked what day it was on the fateful October 3rd, the spell has been a bit more wide reaching. Some parts of downtown may be giving visitors who ask the day a bit of a ‘Barbie touch’ for several weeks to come. 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and as is to be expected in Wicked’s Rest, a handful of teens have already gone missing during their October games of Truth or Dare. Maybe don’t dare your friends to lower themselves into a sus looking well, kids. No cap. 

Every year, without fail, someone decides it’d be a great idea to host a music festival in the scenic town of Wicked’s Rest. Sure, all the ghost stories might seem like a good warning that it’s a bad idea, but somehow that only seems to add to the appeal. This year, the unfortunate event was an event featuring artists of the farmhouse grasspop variety. A little bit niche, but the festival goers had some interesting farmer meets raver looks… which has led to a chimera lit up with lots of glow sticks and the faint sound of a tambourine running around Seven Peaks. Members of Club Cryptid have started lovingly referring to it as the Fleetwood Men.

Starters:

Do you need a place to live? Hit up Arden or Wynne to become one of the worm-mate roommates today! (Or when the building is un-gooed, but what is a little goo bonding between roomies?)

Please read the menu before asking Van for toppings they just don't have, you're making frogs sad

Please do Dis a favor and collect your reptile, it is not wanted at Elysium Casino

Leila loves spooky season as much as the next nightmare (daydream?), but this feeling of being watched is not very cool

How is a vampire supposed to brood book and bother in these conditions when Cassius can't even enjoy a night hike without running into walking beehives

After a conversation with a not very nice classmate who might deserve burnt cookies Ariadne has to question if loving root beer is a character flaw

Who's got sculpting equipment lying around that Teddy could possibly borrow for certainly very normal reasons

If you know Archie's address you have full permission to break his door down since Wade (a truly good dog) locked Archie in a closet

Sorry folks in need of investigative services, Emilio has updated that Axis Investigations is closed for... goo? Apparently a fellow tenant named Jeff is hopeful that the update was a typo and really meant "for good".

Goo might be where Winter has really reached her limit, she's not trekking through that. If you're looking to make some cash, get a pizza to Winter ASAP

The PSA that many in Wicked's Rest sadly probably needed. Van is here to tell you, don't eat the goo. Ask Van for safer snack alternatives today!

It's a sticky situation for many in Wicked's Rest with all the sludge and Leila is feeling very generous. If you were displaced by the goo, please stop by the Party Thrifter for any clothing you may need on the house

Save Jerome, Owen's neighbor and send him two truths and a lie to prevent murder today!

Parker wants you to weigh in on the cats vs dogs debate and attach a photo if you must

[h-worksrambles]

A certain 3h video essay made me sit down and read Adastra in like a day and I loved it of course! (This is therefore long and rambly haha). One of the characters that really intrigued me from the start was Alex. While I understand and 100% agree that he's a selfish calculating little shit to put lightly and his cowardice is disgusting, the way the fandom treats any discourse about him seems way too harsh and dismissive for me.

Isn't Marco in a similar boat by the end? He's on a mission, desperately trying to convince himself it's the right thing and that he's not just being used, while the "choice" given to him is not even a choice. We've surely seen that the parents don't give a single shit what happens to any living creature, what horrific spectacles occur, as long as the thing they want happens, cause it's all totally "pre-destined"; all threats and fearmongering coming almost overtly from the parents.

I find it a little similar to the way Alex speaks of certain things in particular to justifying his people trying to isolate the wolves and his actions on Adastra. It's like he's reading a script he learned from memory and I think it's even noted by Marco somewhere near the beginning of the story. I think they're way more similar in how both of their broader situations are sort of decided for them, even if we don't really delve deep into Alex's story or motivations to say for sure. Still, I find the similarities interesting, Marco would never step down to Alex's level per say, but what if he was pushed down?

Of course, it doesn't help that Alex almost immediately falls back to his old ways (planning to steal the ship to leave Adastra) and showing no acknowledgement of seeing Marco again after being basically dead is ice cold (I really think they could've been good friends in different circumstances), but boy does he have a lot right about wolf society and their treatment of others. Amicus is not at fault for what he was born into, but even he has to admit change will be slow. Alex and Marco agree on a whole lot more that Marco and Amicus butt heads on, which I think is an interesting way to have the two couples mirror each other, so it'd be only fair to explore their relationship next.

I really can't help but wonder how much of Cassius' feelings are based on something unknown to us, not just the few tender scenes Marco saw, and how much it's him trying to brush off Alex's actions and spinelessness to avoid being hurt. Even if it's the latter, the quality of Alex's writing to render such feelings is insane. But also them still choosing each other with all the shit they both got into is sweet? Alex is really the perfect poor little meow meow.

Oh sweet! Welcome to the fandom! I do wonder how many newcomers got into this game through that video essay? It certainly pulled me back in.

I think it’s partly a consequence that Adastra is a game that’s very good at playing to people’s feelings and giving them a very emotional response. People are invested in this story. They utterly fell in love with Amicus. And they cried buckets over the ending. And so I think it’s very easy to take a similar response to all the characters, especially the antagonists. As I’ve said Alexios’ betrayal seems to hit very close to home for a lot of people. And, it’s funny that you mentioned Keith Ballard’s essay because I think he made another very good point as to why this gets people when he was examining Adastra through a queer theory lens.

Thing is, there’s a good chance you know someone like Alexios. Maybe they’re not a spy who tears down a government resulting in dozens of deaths in riots. But you may know someone who plays up a sweet facade, puts on a different face to everyone around them and always plays the victim when they’re called out. Alex’s breed of toxic friendship hits a very familiar sweet spot, especially for queer audiences, that prompts an aggressive negative reaction from players. And he’s absolutely supposed to. Which I think is where ghat immediate dismissal comes from.

That being said, I still find him really interesting, and like you, I really like that this character is the one who makes a lot of very accurate criticisms of how awful the wolves’ society is. I definitely also get the feeling that Alex is parroting the Omorfan ‘party line’ so to do speak. It’s how he convinces himself that the consequences of his actions don’t affect him and aren’t his problem. His hands may not be quite as tied as Cassius wants to believe, but he also doesn’t entirely have full freedom of choice either. It’s complicated. And yes, I really enjoy that he voices the same criticisms that Marco and Neferu are also thinking. It makes the parallels between him and Marco kind of fascinating. Your point by the end that Marco’s servitude to the Parents puts him in a very similar situation is a really intriguing point that I haven’t considered before.

As for him and Cass, I definitely think there’s a lot more to their relationship than we actually see. Do I think their bond is healthy? No. Do I ship it anyway? Yes. A major theme in Adastra is that everyone is putting on a facade. Everyone is playing the political game and they all have something to hide and that theme of hiding identity also plays into the queer subtext. The reason Marco and Amicus’ relationship hits so hard is because it’s a rare moment of sincerity. In a setting filled with masks and deception, they’re each the one person the other can be themselves with. But even if we don’t see it as much, I do think that applies to Cass and Alex too. It’s a lot less healthy because they’re both deeply screwed up people. But that doesn’t mean it’s not sincere and I find that really compelling.

So yeah, Alexios is a despicable character, but I think it’s worth briefly putting that immediate emotional reaction aside and digging a little deeper because he’s honestly a really intriguing and well written character. Thank you for your ask. And I’m glad you loved the game too!

I do want to come back to your point about the Parents. But I don’t know if you’re following the ongoing updates of Interea so I’ll hide them in a ‘read more’ to avoid spoilers.

Thing is, Interea has already started to dig into the ramifications of Alex’s actions and to into Omorfa as a whole. He’s still immediately trying to send info back to his superiors back there, suggesting further that he’s learned nothing. And Amicus and especially Virginia are both pretty strongly in favour of having him killed for what he’s done. But what makes this especially interesting is that Omorfa is apparently making steps to isolate themselves from the Parents. And there’s movements on Adastra pushing for the same thing. I have pretty much all the same thoughts about the Parents you do. So once again, we have a character who does deplorable things the cause real harm, but who’s justifications are all things with an uncomfortable grain of truth. As someone who thinks the Parents are giving every sus vibe imaginable (I’ve played enough JRPGs to know a self-involved manipulative god figure when I see one), then I’m curious to see what role Omorfa’s distance from the Parents will play in the story and where that leaves Alex in the middle of it. Again, his role is really fascinating to me.