#(it would take place a bit after sweet revenge lmfao)

[drawnecromancy]

9. Something embarrassing that they lose sleep over?

16. What's something they'd spend significant money on for themself?

HÉLIANTHE !!!! Pls?

From this ask game !

9. Something embarrassing that they lose sleep over?

Ah well that's a hard question when he's a vampire who straight up doesn't sleep. But something embarrassing that he spends a stupid amount of time thinking about despite it being really small in the grand scheme of things ?

Probably that time he fully assumed some dude breaking into his house wasn't a burglar but 100% a trained assassin here to kill him. In Hélianthe's defense it's because of some weird leftover childhood shit (hello, professional assassin mom), but it was completely mortifying for him when he realized that it was just some guy who wanted to steal his jewelry. No big deal.

He bought lunch to the dude to make up for it. And flirted with him. And had sex with him. As one does.

He still looks back on his initial reaction sometimes and cringes.

16. What's something they'd spend significant money on for themself?

Mmmmh. Well he's a rich boy and I want to say almost anything that catches his eyes but it's not entirely true. He is the king of buying himself treats just because he can, though.

Mainly the one thing he can't resist is buying stuff made out of silk. He just likes the texture, whether it's satin, organza, anything. One time a pair of silk gloves were stolen from his drawer and he was genuinely a bit miffed.

The one weird thing he keeps doing is having silk bedsheets if he's in a place that has silk ? (...Monthaut does not, currently, and it makes him very sad.) He doesn't even sleep in the bed. He just sits there with a book sometimes and puts his hands on the bedsheets because heehoo silk.

In Le Prix du Sang there isn't a lot of things he considers interesting enough to spend the Fumeterre wealth on, and he doesn't really have access to his own usual finances due to not being in the right country ? So he doesn't buy a lot of things. He does manage fief budgets though. I think after the wedding he'd be likely to get nicer clothes for himself so he doesn't look offputting next to Anne.

[malarkiness]

Finished Nier Automata, and I have many.... many thoughts.

I just want to start by saying that this game is aggressively bleak once you hit Routes C/D. Endings A/B are really the last bright spots in the story, and then it's just tragedy after tragedy from that point forward, and the worst part of it is that none of these tragedies result in anything good or even decent or even narratively satisfying. They just happen, and you're left thinking "wow, that fucking sucks" before you shake it off and proceed with the game.

Despite that, I kept playing because I thought all these tragedies would eventually result in something that would've made the characters' suffering worth it because that's just how a good story works, right? But that never really happens (at least, not within the context of the story itself), so when I finally got to Endings C/D, I honestly felt like I'd spent ~27 hours playing a game just to watch the leads die terrible deaths. It just felt really hollow and pointless.

But then I got Ending E, and that kind of changed my entire way of looking at this game.

So this ending shows the PODs deciding to try salvaging the androids' data rather than deleting it all as ordered. The game warns you that saving the data is risky and unlikely to work, then says "Knowing that, do you still wish for them to survive?" Choosing yes turns the credits scroll into a hacking minigame that is UNFORGIVABLY!!!!! difficult, but each game over screen reels you back in with something like "IS IT ALL POINTLESS?"/"DO YOU WANT TO GIVE UP?"/etc.

Now if you're connected to PSN, you'll also get little encouraging messages from players all over the world on each game over screen, but I wasn't connected for my first playthrough lmfao, so I just suffered through it for like 20 minutes and was starting to think the whole thing was deliberately impossible just to give the player one last kick in the teeth and show that yes, it really was pointless and that they're wasting their time trying to fix something that can't be changed. With the way this game's storyline played out, that really wouldn't have surprised me.

But then I restarted the segment and connected to """The Network""" when prompted, then died a few more times before getting a screen asking me if I'd like help. And I really wish I'd screencapped that prompt because that was when I started noticing all the little messages that other players left. There was one from someone in China that really got to me for some reason, and I can't even remember what it was lol, but it made me tear up. Once you restart after that, a bunch of other players' cursors will join in the fight to help you and the solo singer turns into a chorus, and I just.

😭

Every time you lose a player, though, you're told that "[name]'s data has been lost," which I thought was kind of sad, but it wasn't until I finally beat that segment that I realized what they all had actually done. After the credits wrap up, you learn that all the players who helped you finish the game gave up their save data to do it, and then you're asked if you'd like to do the same to help someone else. And while I've since learned that all this actually does is let you leave an encouraging message for other players and have your username show up during the ending sequence for someone else (sort of like an arcade game's scoreboard), the game presents it as an opportunity to really help other players finish the story, so of course I said yes. It wasn't a hard decision at all, and making that choice after playing through the credits was easily the most rewarding part of the entire game, or really any game I've ever played.

And I know I've spent like... 75% of this post talking about a credits sequence lmfao, but that really did change how I look at this game. When you finish the storyline with Endings C/D, the answer to this game's whole thematic question of "What's the point of living?" seems to be "There ain't one, chief." But finishing with Ending E, the answer leans more toward "The point is hoping for and working toward something better because you believe it's there." Add in the fact that you're given the option to "sacrifice" yourself to help someone else continue, and that the game makes this such a painless decision despite what an actual pain in the ass it is for you as a Gamer™, and it actually makes for a more satisfying ending than the in-story ending.

SE could've just had that one sequel-hook scene play at the end of the credits without the minigame at all, or just gone the typical RPG route and made that scene unlockable if you got 100% or whatever. But instead, they took this really creative meta approach that not only pushes you to do a task that's seemingly impossible, but also asks you to sacrifice something you've worked hard for just to help someone else get through that same task. And the fact that so many other players made that choice is just really sweet and honestly kind of touching. Like I'm sure plenty of people just got around it by saving their data on a usb lmao, but still. It's a nice thought. And for the record, my username is Larkey, and my message was "I bet you're having a tough time right now. But we've got this!"

Anyway! Other things about this game:

2B's history of killing 9S over and over or A2's backstory with Anemone and the YoRHa troops definitely should've been given actual screentime, and not just stated in the last 2 minutes of the story or shoved into some optional text. Watching 9S's grief-turned-madness was fascinating, sure, but 2B and A2 deserved just as much focus on their grief (which would've been way more interesting, just for the record. 2B purposefully distancing herself emotionally from someone she has to repeatedly kill, and A2 feeling betrayed by her own creators after watching her friends die needlessly, are storylines that would likely have a lot more emotional weight than "angry teenage boy goes on murder spree before finally getting his revenge only to fall on his opponent's sword and die like a dumbass." I know the Nier franchise has approximately 93 trillion pieces of supplemental material that fill in the gaps from the games, so it's possible that some of those cover 2B and A2 more, but come on. These characters are just as important to the story as 9S; They should've gotten actual in-game screentime devoted to contemplating their existences/grief/etc.

I talked about how bleak this game's storyline is, but the real kicker for me was the scene where all the children in Pascal's village commit suicide. That just seemed so needlessly cruel, and the fact that it happens (depending on how you play) maybe an hour after A2's shown to have warmed up a bit towards the machines is just... cheap? It really did feel like emotional string-pulling just for the sake of it, like the kind of silly edgelord shit I wrote when I was 14. It's so over-the-top that I almost couldn't take it seriously. And if all that wasn't 3edgy5me enough, Pascal then asks you to either wipe his memory or kill him because he can't live with the heartbreak. Fuck's sake. I think what really annoys me about this whole scene is that... This game introduces us to A2 by having her kill a defenseless baby machine, right? So you'd think there'd be some kind of reflection from her after Pascal loses all the children in his village. She fought an insane battle to protect them, too, and she's clearly horrified when she finds out what happens to them, but... that's kind of it. This incident is never brought up again, despite the huge impact it should have on her character. The only thing this scene really does for the narrative, I think, is set up a parallel between Pascal and YoRHa troops like 2B and 9S. And in that way, it does fit into game's overall theme of finding meaning for your life, especially after you've lost what you were living for in the first place (so Pascal's community, and YoRHa's "god worth dying for"). But like I said, the game never really seems to resolve that thematic question within the context of the story itself. And even if that parallel was the point, you could've accomplished it by just having everyone in the village die during the cannibal machine attack and Pascal + A2 failing to save them, no baby suicide needed. I dunno, I've gone back and forth on how I feel about this scene, but honestly, more than anything, it just comes off as a try-hard, eyeroll-worthy way for this game to earn its M-rating. And the fact that A2 gets 0 character development out of it just makes it seem lazy.

Characterwise, I'd definitely say A2 is my favorite. Her ending on the C/D routes was probably the most satisfying just because she essentially gets the only thing she's really wanted ever since she lost her friends, and I thought her unusual relationship with 2B was interesting (and again, deserved more screentime). 2B's also great, especially on the second playthrough when you know why she purposefully tries to get 9S to shut up anytime he innocently wonders something out loud. And I like 9S too just because he's so endearing in Routes A/B, making his stark personality shift in C/D that much more jarring. I'm a little annoyed that he never finds out why A2 killed 2B, though by the end of C/D, he's probably too far gone to actually take that in. I liked most of the NPCs, too. Anemone and Jackass are my favs, but 6O and 21O have some good moments, too. And while a lot of the female YoRHa designs are just... embarrassingly male, there are some really creative character/boss designs here and there. Simone's corpse dress is probably something I'll never forget.

The soundtrack is incredible. "Weight of the World/End of YoRHa" is a standout track not just because of the ending it plays through, but also just because of how cleanly it blends together the 8-bit sound from the hacking minigames and the English and Japanese versions of the song, and how it ends with the game's fictional "Chaos" language (which is apparently meant to be a futuristic blend of English, Japanese, Gaelic, and a few others). I definitely want to check out more of Keiichi Okabe's work, and that of the singers for all three languages. Some other favs are "Vague Hope," "Wretched Weaponry," "Alien Manifestation," and "The Tower."

I enjoyed most of the gameplay. The hacking minigames could be a little tedious sometimes, but overall, I found myself enjoying 9S's gameplay more than the other leads' because of it. I also actually liked most of the sidequests, too, and I normally don't like those all that much in other games (well, okay, I mainly just hate them in FF7R). I think I liked the machine quests the most because so many of them were just silly and low stakes, which was a nice change of pace compared to the main story. I remember the Father Servo one making me laugh a few times. And as for the androids, I liked 11B's memento quest and the Amnesia one (partly because 2B and 9S bicker so much through it, and partly because it's the first we hear about execution models).

I loved the voicework in this game, especially A2 and Anemone's. And whoever voiced 9S did his job perfectly.

I was crying through that whole Ending E sequence, but the part where the POD asks you something like "You put all that work into unlocking Chapter Select. Are you SURE you want to delete all your save data?" made me crack up. I'm doing a replay now, and Chapter Select is probably what I miss most from my original save data lmfao.

So... yeah? Overall, I liked it. I really do think that credits sequence was what sold me on this game as a whole, as weird as that sounds. I'd say the game's biggest faults are the unbalanced focus on the leads and its tendency to throw in pointless angst here and there, and I really wish those two things could've been smoothed out to make a good story even better, but eh. I'm enjoying my replay now, and I'm taking my time doing more quests and exploring areas. I'm going to try to get more of the joke endings, too.

[touchmycoat]

in terms of kinks for mas, what do u think of dp

alsfdkjfhasd I think great things about dp

(god this is nsfw as hell and got way too long)

ace takes it very well, doesn’t he? he’s a prodigious multitasker, coordinated as all hell, so it was really just a simple matter of tending to both his lovers at once. of all of them, i think ace has the most energy, so he usually, he doesn’t go down (so to speak) all that compliantly—imagine, if you will, round three of the evening, and marco’s made an error in his planning ‘cause he can last but only if he’s planned for it, and Ace is still fucking hopped up with libido. Nothing gets Sabo going more than being able to mock Marco for trying to tap out early. So you’ve got Marco keeping up by sheer force of will, Sabo grinning like a loon, and Ace between them having the time of his life. fantastic. marco throws out his back but he’s fine nobody noticed ‘cause he’s the phoenix

things get sweet with ace too though, ‘cause both Marco and Sabo are competitive fucks (again, so to speak), so their revenge is fucking Ace so slow and deep that Ace loses himself. imagine Marco’s sensitive patience, stretching Ace around him and a set of fingers. Sabo’s anxious, turned on as hell, and going out of his mind, mouthing off to Marco like there’s no tomorrow and kissing his way up and down Ace’s whole body. Ace just shaking, but taking it. And then taking it. This is where things get teary-eyed, maybe—Marco, probably. He’s just emotional like that. But just the sheer amount of gratitude and love in the air for all this shared vulnerability. The shocking intimacy of being inside Ace together, for Sabo and Marco.

(Sabo cleans Ace up after that. Very, very thoroughly.)

Sabo would give it a try, ‘cause he’ll try anything once (especially things that sound like he can struggle through). It goes very much like it did with Ace. Next time they do it like that though, Ace has an Idea. Sabo, hoisted between him and Marco, facing Marco. Sabo (and Marco, a little bit) is embarrassed as all hell by that face-to-face intimacy, and stubbornly tries to only cling backwards onto Ace at first. But of course as things get heated and the tempo gets rushed, he’s falling forward and holding onto Marco, doing his best to claw and bite but mostly just suctioning. He’s not not angry at Ace about it but fine it was hot whatever it was all Ace and had nothing to do with Marco

Marco, by nature, preference, and general consensus, is kinda just the service top of the relationship. He doesn’t mind being on the receiving end of anal, but since Ace and Sabo like it so much more than he does and there’s tons of other things he likes far better (like—and i’ve really said this a million times already but i’ll never stop spreading this gospel—giving oral), they don’t often bother with that particular configuration.

But. You wanna throw more polyamory into the mix? Tbh before Ace and Sabo, Marco was The Grand Ho of the High Seas, ‘cause he really just loves sex the grand line’s greatest love machine So I think Ace likes the polyamory factor, but couldn’t really feel secure in an open relationship model. Sabo too, ‘cause he’s already so often away from them, he’d just kinda be stressed out by open relationships. And not that either of them would ever admit it, but Marco’s sheer amount of experience sometimes makes them feel like they have something to prove. So they’ll happily keep Marco to themselves, thank you very much.

Except—they totally have a “That’d be hot enough to override our insecurities” list. Number 1? Motherfucking Shanks.

‘Cause Marco would be a lot grumpier with Shanks, wouldn’t he? It’s something Ace and Sabo don’t really get to see, but the snappy, demanding, selfish version of Marco? Hot as shit. Shanks eats it up too. Imagine MAS headed for the planned inn together. Shanks is inside waiting, and Marco strolls right up, grabs him by the shirt, all let’s get this moving then, yoi. Shanks is all smiles, what, no foreplay? Marco goes, there’s really only one thing I want from you so why bother? And to Ace and Sabo’s jaw dropping surprise he just pushes Shanks down on the bed and starts riding. (Marco knew exactly what Shanks wanted because Shanks, shameless bastard that he was, had phoned ahead to place his order.)

Of course Shanks is more than indulgent of Ace and Sabo joining in, though he’s really not as interested in them as he is in Marco (this is a very fluid fact of my headcanons lmfao). Soon enough you’ve got Shanks waving Ace up for a turn, ‘cause he wants a go at Marco’s mouth. Then when he needs a bit of a break, you’ve got the more familiar configuration of marco ace and sabo, Shanks appreciating the view from the side. Until he decides he’s not done yet, asks marco if there’s room for one more, and goddamn pushes in right alongside Ace. Marco never even lets Sabo out of his mouth. One of the best nights in all their lives, and it’s a cap in all their feathers.

But anyways. Yeah, dp. I’m all about it. Thanks for the prompt alksdjflaskdjfsd

[goforwardgreenwriter-blog]

The Worm Reads: Empire of Storms, Ch 54 - 57

I’m going on vacation for a couple of days so we’ll cover some extra chapters to make up for it.

The last leg of the trek the next morning was the longest yet, Manon thought.

At least we’re in Manon’s POV for now. They’re all still traveling through the marshes.

Dorian Havilliard’s tense tan face

Since when the hell was Dorito tan??

The others were swiftly pulling ahead, but Dorian remained still. Even had the audacity to grip [Manon’s] wrist—hard.

^ me when Dorito lays one slimy finger on my baby Manon

Dorito tells Manon he killed his father and Manon isn’t bothered by it, because y’know, she’s a witch and all. They finally stumble upon the temple that holds the Lock.

When Lysandra’s solitary, swift roar cleaved the air, Aelin murmured to Rowan, “What’s the catch? Where is the catch? It’s too easy.” Indeed, there was nothing and no one here.

Oh, there will be a catch or trap waiting, y’all are just fucking stupid and wouldn’t spot a trap if it punched you in the face.

“I keep a tally, you know, Princess. To remind myself to repay you the next time we’re alone for all the truly wonderful things you say.” [Aelin’s] toes curled in her soggy boots. But she patted [Rowan] on the shoulder, looking him over with absolute irreverence, saying as she walked ahead, “I certainly hope you make me beg for it.”

You two are goddamn disgusting and I hate you. Also, why does Rowboat call her princess when he’s constantly referred to her as his queen before? Consistency who?

Alien asks Manon what the name of her sword is.

“Wind-Cleaver.” Aelin clicked her tongue. “Good name.” “Yours?” “Goldryn.” A slash of iron teeth as they were bared in a half smile. “Not as good a name.”

lmfao roast her

Alien is about to tell Rowboat something, presumably important, but chickens out and says she’ll tell him later. That’s pretty much a guarantee that it’ll bite them in the ass. Anyways, they find a chest on the altar that presumably contains the Lock.

Manon leaned over the chest to study the lid but did not open it. Studying, Aelin realized, the countless Wyrdmarks carved into the stone. Nehemia had known how to use the marks. Had been taught them and was fluent enough in them to have wielded their power. Aelin had never asked how or why or when.

*sobs* these books were so much better when Nehemia was around......

Before they can do anything, Lorass sends them a warning signal that the Ilken are approaching.

Rowan’s throat bobbed, and [Aelin] knew he’d been taking in the horizon and surrounding lands not for any chance of winning the battle that was sure to come, but for any shot at getting her out. Even if the rest of them had to buy her time with their own lives.

I know it’s only logical to try and get the royalty out safely but I’m goddamn sick of everyone being so ready to lay down their lives for Alien, when she wouldn’t lift a single finger to help anyone who doesn’t kiss her ass. Alien is such a goddamn Mary Sue please free me from this hell.

Next chapter starts with Lorass and Elide making a run for it.

Lorcan sent out another flickering blast of his power. Not toward the winged army that raced not too far ahead, but farther—toward wherever Whitethorn and his bitch-queen might be in this festering place. If those ilken reached them long before Lorcan could arrive, that Wyrdkey the bitch carried would be as good as lost.

Oh my goddd, thank you for having someone’s motivation be anything besides hailing Alien as the best queen ever. Lorass, you’re at least interesting and you’re actually improving enough that I can stomach your POVs, plus you might kill Alien off and that’s a major bonus. You are hereby promoted back to Lorcan.

We immediately shift back to Alien and her group of jackasses making a run for it.

And Lorcan … somewhere out there. [Aelin]’d think on that later. At least Fenrys and Gavriel had remained, rather than charging off to fulfill Maeve’s kill order.

Of course they stayed to save your dumb ass rather than fulfill their orders. Of fucking course. Alien suggests she uses the Wyrdkey again and Rowboat gets all pissy, which I kinda understand because the last time Alien used the Wyrdkey she killed a bunch of innocent people, destroyed part of an island, and was possessed by a goddess. She really is fucking stupid.

Aedion let out a low, bitter laugh. “You wanted to send a message to our enemies about your power, Aelin.” (...) Aedion jerked his chin toward the army approaching. “It seems Erawan sent his answer.”

IMPOSSIBLE, ALIEN MAKES A BAD DECISION AND ASSDION IS CALLING HER OUT ON IT??? I know Rowboat is gonna shoot him down but holy shit, Assdion is thinking independently for once in his life! Maybe he’ll be promoted back to Aedion.

Aelin hissed, “You blame me for this?” Aedion’s eyes darkened. “We should have stayed in the North.” “I had no choice, I’ll have you remember.” “You did,” Aedion breathed, none of the others, not even Rowan, stepping in. “You’ve had a choice all along, and you opted to flash your magic around.”

FINISH HER

I am fucking living for this Alien roast tbh, I’d read a whole book of the characters taking shots at her dumb vain ass. That's right Alien, you thought you could kill innocent people for no reason other than to show off and get away with it but you were WRONG BITCH!!! WRONG!!!!!!!

Aedion’s lip curled off his teeth. “This isn’t a game. This is war, and you pushed and pushed Erawan to show his hand. You refused to run your schemes by us first, to let us weigh in, when we have fought wars—”

I LOVE THIS SONG!! I know Assdion has done shit in the past but oh my god, I am living for this redemption!!! Has SJM become self aware and is redeeming her characters last minute??? Even Rowboat thinks her plan is fucking stupid!

Only [Rowan’s] anger was directed at [Aelin]—perhaps more livid than she’d seen him since Mistward.

This is the best chapter no competition, I am loving this Alien roast. I know it probably won’t last but I am crying, finally we’re acknowledging that Alien’s plans are selfish and stupid.

But [Rowan’s] pine-green eyes were bright—almost soft—as he said, “Remember who you are. Every step of the way down, and every step of the way back. Remember who you are. And that you’re mine.”

Now we’re ripping off the Lion King? I mean, I know it’s a semi generic quote but given SJM’s past of ripping off other novels, I wouldn’t be surprised.

The Queen of Flame and Shadow, the Heir of Fire, Aelin of the Wildfire, Fireheart …

I feel like at this point, SJM, you should’ve realized you’ve given Alien waaaaay too many titles, none of which she’s done anything to deserve or earn. Can you say, Mary Sue?

Chapter ends with Alien firing out a huge fire tornado out of her ass that is most certainly going to drain up all of her magic. Gg dumbass, you’re gonna be useless for a few days after this. Fingers crossed that this bites her in the ass afterwards.

Lorcan knew they were still too slow, warning signal or not.

Next chapter opens with Elide and Lorcan again. Lorcan has given her Maeve’s ring to protect her, which is honestly really sweet. Maybe I’ll ship them. Maybe.

Elide staggered one step—one step toward Aelin, a small noise coming out of her.

No please SJM I’m begging you, don’t make Elide into a mindless Alien worshiper like Assdion... please SJM I’m begging.......

“What is … ,” Elide breathed, but Lorcan lunged for her, hurling them to the ground, covering her body with his. He threw a shield over them, plummeting hard and fast into his magic, the drop nearly uncontrolled.

Lorcan puts the safety of Elide over his own need for revenge against Alien. I’ve gripped about his character development before, but it’s probably the only real character arc in this entire novel, so I’ll take it.

There’s a switch to Assdion’s POV, but it lasts for like half a page before it returns to Lorcan. SJM really just wants to splooge over how uhmazing Alien is through Assdion. Gag.

Lorcan watched in silence as Rowan slid a hand over her waist, the other cupping the side of her face, and kissed his queen. Embers stirred her unbound hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close. A golden crown of flame flickered to life atop Rowan’s head—the twin to the one Lorcan had seen burning that day at Mistward.

Ewwww at least Lorcan is only saying what he’s seeing and not splooging over the shitty Ratlin ship.

Ash continued to fall, clumping on Elide’s silky night-dark hair. [Lorcan] gently picked out a bit, then put a shield over her to keep it from landing on her again.

P-pure...

Anyways Lorcan and Elide decide to stroll on over to say hello to the group of jackasses. Weird, since Elide just pointed Lorcan isn’t on friendly terms with Alien, but eh, maybe he knows they won’t prioritize attacking him due to the circumstances-

Slowly, Lorcan closed in on his prey, too focused on the fire-breathing bitch to notice that Fenrys and Gavriel had vanished from their positions in the reeds.

Oh my god, I...I actually feel... panic! Like, I actually do care about Elide and Lorcan a little bit now? I don’t want them to be hurt? What the fuck, how did you manage this, SJM?

Well, Chapter 57 picks right back up with Elide’s POV.

Elide had never been more aware of her limp. Of her dirty clothes; of her long, unshaped hair; of her small body and lack of any discernible gifts.

Christ I get it SJM, no one is even worthy of getting to lick Alien’s boots, I get it, stop rubbing it in my face.

[Lorcan] said coolly, “It would seem our bargain with each other is about to end anyway. I’ll be sure to explain the terms, don’t worry. I’d hate for them to think you were slumming it with me.”

Aww, Lorcan is putting her needs above his own......

Gav and Fenrys, understandably, attack Lorcan in furry wolf/lion form. Elide pushes him out of the way and one of them bites her arm.

[Lorcan] growled to the lion and the wolf, his shield a swirling, obsidian wind around them, “You’re dead. You’re both dead—”

I’m a sucker for that “Character A doesn’t know how much Character B cares about them until they’re injured and B loses their mind” trope, so I admit I’m warming up to them a tiny bit more.

Lorcan’s onyx eyes were unreadable as he scanned [Elide’s] face. And then he said quietly, “I wanted to go to Perranth with you.” Lorcan dropped the shield.

Damn.. can’t believe SJM’s writing is improving a tiny bit towards the end... it’s rather late, but not completely unwelcomed.

Gav offers to heal Elide while Fenrys and Lorcan wave their dicks around some more at each other. Can’t believe I’m grateful for Rowboat’s presence for once, but he comes to put a stop to the Alpha Male competition. Alien also shows up so SJM can splooge about her via Elide’s POV.

Aelin strode closer, eyes never leaving Elide’s face. Young—she felt so young compared to the woman who approached.

Ain’t they like, the same age, though?

And Elide sobbed as Manon Blackbeak emerged, smiling faintly.

PURE AND WHOLESOME................I hope we get more Elide/Manon interactions.

Fenrys feels legitimately sorry for injuring Elide, and I’m inclined to believe him. She did push Lorcan out of the way of a bite that was intended for him.

“I’m here,” Elide said as Aelin fixed those unnervingly vivid eyes on her, “because of Kaltain Rompier.”

So apparently Kaltain gave Elide the stone because she owed Alien for... giving her a warm cloak. What the fuck? Alien slutshamed Kaltain, insulted her, didn’t bother to free her from prison, did I mentioned she slutshamed her? And Kaltain wants to repay a debt for Alien doing the bare minimum? Fuck outta here with that nonsense.

“M-majesty,” [Elide] stammered, inclining her head. She should really get up. Really stop lying on the ground like a worm. But the cloth and stone still lay in her hand.

Elide, baby, it’s okay. None of these people are worth the dirt on the bottom of your shoe.

[Lorcan] didn’t let go of Elide’s arm, and she tried not to lean into his warmth. Tried not to make it seem like she hadn’t just met her queen, her friend, her court, and … somehow now found Lorcan to be the safest of them all.

Honestly fam, don’t blame you. These people are batshit insane.

“We like to call it ‘territorial male nonsense,’” Aelin confided. “Or ‘territorial Fae bastard’ works just as nicely.” The Fae Prince coughed pointedly behind her.

Unghhh this shit again. We’re almost done, my dudes, we’re almost done....

Lorcan had been willing to die for Elide. Had been willing to put aside his quest for Maeve in order for Elide to live. And had then acted territorial enough to make Rowan wonder if he seemed so ridiculous around Aelin all the time.

How can I hold all this self awareness??? Like what the fuck was SJM high writing this book but sobered up for these final few chapters???

“Aelin can decide what to tell you.” “Such a good dog.” Rowan gave him a lazy smile but refrained from commenting on the delicate, dark-haired young woman who now held Lorcan’s own leash.

Holy fucking shit, SJM really did want these guys to be werewolves.

[survivorandalucia]

Rites of Passage

Welcome to the *Rites of Passage*, don’t worry, there’s not a new twist we just honestly didn’t have an appropriate banner. We advised the castaways to write about who has played, it was a requirement to write about the Jury, but Pre-Jury they did not have to write anything if they did not have anything.

Feel free to listen to this music as you go along!

JENNA | 22ND PLACE

L.A.: We never got a chance to play together, sorry you were first boot. Nick:  I feel so bad about voting you out that first night. You honestly seemed like an amazing person. I'm remember very vaguely you said that your wifi was bad which kind of worried the newbies that maybe would hurt us in the challenge  Toby:  I don't really know you much at all, but girl you tried to boot me so early, and all I had to do was talk a little bit and flip it back on you, so somehow idk how much I missed.

JAKE | 21ST PLACE L.A.: Jake, we were only on the same tribe for a couple of days but I enjoyed talking to you. It was the first time I found someone who like Marvel. I wish you could have stayed around longer. Nick: you seem like a cool person but we weren't on the same tribe  Toby: I don't know you at all, but you were pretty iconic in your boot tribal.

PAYTON | 20TH PLACE L.A.: You seemed like a nice guy, however we didn’t talk a whole lot.  Nick: we didn't really talk much maybe like 1 or 2 convos but I wish you stayed around longer Toby: So adorable and very robbed! Those goats were the cutest things ever.

AMANDA | 19TH PLACE L.A.: You had Daenerys as your picture and I LOVED that. Nick: Robbed Queen I wanted us to slay this game together. You are an amazing person. Hope we continue to talk afterwards  Toby: A really great person to talk to on Granada 1.0, pity you ended up on the HellTribe and didn't make it much further :/

JORDAN M. | 18TH PLACE Daniel: Jordan, you are one of my closest friends. Thank you for always being a nice person to me. I consider you to be a little brother and I'm so sad we weren't able to play this game together as much as I would've like to have. L.A.: I was sad to see you go, you were one of the people who talked to me the most and I wish we could have played together longer. Nick: never got to meet you except for that your in one of the VLs I'm in so yeah Toby: Didn't know you personally, but your boot had a surprisingly large impact on the rest of the game ahaha.

WILLA | 17TH PLACE L.A.: We didn’t add each other until late into the game, rip.  Nick: you were inactive and never talk but your name reminds me of Willy Wonka so that's cool Toby: Who?

RHONE | 16TH PLACE L.A.: RHONE! MY ROBBED SAVIOR! I AM SO UPSET WE DIDN’T GET TO PLAY TOGETHER. I was waiting for the moment we were back on the same tribe but it never came. You saved my game by giving me immunity the round you were voted out, honestly without it, I probably would have gone home next so thank you. You are amazing and some day we will play together and I will be the one saving you. Nick: sorry your biggest downfall was losing the WOF challenge for us. But you were fun to talk to hope to talk to afterwards  Toby: Ily Rhone, would've loved to have gotten a bit further with you this time, but at least there's always The Azores to look back on!

JACOB | 15TH PLACE Daniel:  You were really sweet to me and I wish you would not have gotten pre-merge; we could have gone far in this game. L.A.: We were only on the same tribe briefly, you seemed like a good bean. Nick:  robbed king and congratulations on returning. We talked a few times, you applied for my org. Nice to get to meet you and can't wait to talk to on the outside Toby: King of candles, you were a quite strong social competitor, but it really would've been nice to have had you around at the merge, instead of having you be booted just before the merge began. 

ADRIAN | 14TH PLACE L.A.: You were great, and always seemed to be around for the times I had dates. It was nice talking to you about them especially when I was highkey stressed for that first date. Nick: robbed I really don't remember your vote out that much but hopefully we talk afterwards  Toby: You try SO hard to snatch me, then come begging for my help? GURL. Nah, you're amazing but just ended up on a real bad tribe for you, so sorry it couldn't have ended up another way.

ISSY | 13TH PLACE L.A.: We never really talked. Nick: we didn't really talk all idk I wasn't on your tribe when you were voted out Toby: I think we exchanged like five messages, which is more than the last time we played an ORG.

CHRIS | 12TH PLACE Daniel: Although our past may be a little shaky, I'm glad to have gotten past it in this game. You know I have the most respect for you. L.A.: Chris. I had heard a little about you before coming into the game, I’m pretty sure Johnny (Solomon Islands) had mentioned being friends with you before so I figured you were a good guy and that was a right guess. You were my closet ally, I was so SHOOK when the planned failed and you went home. I really enjoyed meeting and getting a chance to know you, I hope we get another chance to play together. Nick: honestly you were a great person to talk to and get to know. You were a major threat to every ones games  Toby: Ugh, what an icon and one of my favourite people to talk to, but I’m CERTAIN that if we hadn't gotten you out first, you'd be here instead of me

TOPH | 11TH PLACE

Daniel: I loved the conversations we had, although we weren't able to be together that long, I hope the connection lasts outside the game. L.A.:  Honestly, I was surprised we started working together cause I think at one point we wanted each other out? But playing with you was a lot of fun, our call and trying to figure out a plan was one of my favorite parts of the game. Nick: honestly the first time I voted you out I was sad. But then you came for me. Idk if you wanna talk to me anymore, but it's fine If you don't  Toby: Bitch, if you ain't having yourself a good day, ask yoself why. Is shit that bad that you can't have yourself a good day bitch? You're great and never forget it, but you were a little too great for your own good - too much chaos for me to handle lmfao.

JORDAN PINES | 10TH PLACE Daniel: An absolute beast in this game. Every time you play a game you improve so much. I hope the next time you play you are able to take it all the way. L.A.:  I was shocked you went out before me, I was so sure you’d vote me out before I ever had the chance. But coming into this you were kind of a big threat for most people I think, and I mean rightfully so, you are a challenge beast. I did wanna try working with you again but I was unsure even after our talk, it didn’t help that we ended up on different tribes for a bit so it was difficult for us to build trust.  Obviously after the plan to blindside you the first time failed, there was no way to come back from that and it just felt like a matter of time before one of went home. Nick: Ugh I so sad at this. You were one of my closest friends I've made in this experience. anyways i think well defiantly talk outside but yeah miss you bro (Thanks for the Twist <3) Toby: Scariest player in this game, imo. You had two idols (minimum), had an army of people ready to do as you said. That tribal was one of the most nervous I've been, just hoping that you wouldn't play that idol. I was glad it worked, but also a shame that you had to leave.

PETRA | 9TH PLACE Daniel:  Absolute queen! One of the funniest people I've ever met. I'm so honored and blessed to have met you :) L.A.: We never talked so I’m not too sure what to say here. Nick: another one of my closest friends . I miss you and your humor. Plus it should've been me not you. Just everyone thought I had the twist and I tried my best to save you but by this point everyone started being shady to me and literally constantly lying to me  Toby: Whew, my wig was never safe around you, Petra. The first time I met you isn't something I'm liable to forget any time soon. This merge tribe has surely been a lot less fun now that you're no longer around, because you were certainly something very special.

MADISON | 8TH PLACE Daniel: Madison, you are probably the sweetest and most tender people I've ever met in a game. I think your niceness caused people to take advantage of you and I hope the next time you play a game you allow yourself to be the strong independent woman that I know you can be. L.A.: Was it just me or did it feel a little strange working together after Chris and Toph were voted out? I think you’re funny and it was nice working with you and I wanted you to stay but after the boys were voted, I was unsure of where you and I were in the game cause they seemed to be the ones keeping us working together. Either way, I didn’t want you to go. Also I voted to go on a date with you on touchy subjects.  Nick: ugh you were the one that I wanted to be allies and friends with but it just never worked out. You don't know how shook I was and everyone was when you gave me the twist. Thanks boo I wouldn't be here without you<3 hope to talk to you on the outs. Toby: Madison M: You really came from my blindspot, and was one of the strongest players this season. If you kept plugging towards that endgame, I think you really could have taken it all, and you should be proud of that!

ISAIAH | 7TH PLACE

Daniel: Isaiah, I really loved the times where we talked about your rap career and I know no matter what you'll be a force to be reckoned with in any game you'll play. L.A.: I’m not totally sure how we started working together, it just sort of happened but I was glad for it. You kept me in the loop and I appreciate that a lot. Nick: ok look, let's just say my decision taking you out was kind of revenge. You pretending like we were friends, got me to think you were with me. But all along I knew you were shady. You were shady since that tribal were Pines was suppose to go but played in idol. From there you continued to play me like a fiddle. And when I knew you were voting me out with everyone else and it was my decision I took your ass out. Look if you want to repair the relationship after the game, I'm down but I'm straight up pissed with you. Don't question why I made this move cuz obviously I made the right one WHEN YOU VOTED ME OUT. Anyways done ranting Toby: Of all the ways someone could be eliminated, yours is one of the most painful - You never had the majority of votes against you, and were consistently in positions of power, so you did an amazing job!

JOHNNY | 6TH PLACE Daniel: First of all, No Effort was a shit show so I'm happy I was able to play a game with you that wasn't one. I'm happy to have finally been able to connect with you in a level that's not just me watching you play a game! L.A.:  We pretty much talked game during this season, kind of working together when we needed to, but you became such a challenge beast and that was very scary. (Also impressive but mostly scary) Nick: ugh it was either me or you lmao and I at least wanted f5 😂 also you were a comp beast. Although you lied to me, which everyone has pretty much, I found you cool and hope to talk to you afterwards  Toby: Challenge BEAST. I really grew to like you this season, but your challenge skills were so scary that when you lost once, we had no other choice but to get you out.

TAYLOR | 5TH PLACE Daniel: First of all, No Effort was a shit show so I'm happy I was able to play a game with you that wasn't one. I'm happy to have finally been able to connect with you in a level that's not just me watching you play a game! L.A.:  You were someone else I mostly talked game with. That last round/tribal was very stressful, I really thought you were going to beat me in the immunity challenge. Nick: you got caught for being shady, don't say "why am I get voted out" you wanted me out for at least the last two rounds, so I mean duh when I had the opportunity I took it Toby: We made a pretty great pair, but sadly it couldn't go all the way. You were a strong UTR player, and you made a great attempt at a move at F5. It's a shame it didn’t work out for you.

There you have it! Thanks to the Final Four for getting this to us in a timely manner, even if it took me a while to write this up! You will be getting information about your challenge as soon as possible!