#1 very quick build for a legacy post idea

[peonypyxels]

👀

[nausicaaandhermouth]

notes: parallels on silco & vander and romulus & remus

(prompted by this post, check it out)

from how their stories regard around the rise/makings of a nation, the relationship between two brothers, the characteristics of that nation, you can very easily draw parallels & connections between silco & vander (which i'll call in short the zaun pair) and romulus & remus (the roman pair). made me wonder if the writers were intentional about this, since there's just so much you can pull and make sense of. ofc not all the details align, but if you squint they're pretty much there. if intentional, that would be very cool.

for this analysis, we're going with the most popular interpretation that includes fratricide, rather than the other of remus simply dying out of stupidi- i mean jumping over a wall. if you need a quick brush-up on ur romulus and remus, here’s a concise summary for you.

anyway, this is very scattered but here are some notes. (maybe spoilery? in regards to warwick anyway, it's speculative)

brotherly relationship: ofc the most obvious parallel is the brotherly relationship. while the roman pair were twins and the zaun pair are more found/chosen family, point still stands, their relationship was one of that familial closeness and trust. the zaun pair fought to free zaun from piltover's governance, while the roman pair wanted to reclaim their grandfather's throne. this would've fostered that brother-in-arms type bond in both relationships.

founding of a city/nation: both pairs are linked to a founding of a city/nation. though it's ironic how the zaun pair wanted to be removed of another nation's rule, while the roman pair wanted to regain their right to rule. in a way, the zaun pair also wanted their own right to rule (not the way the roman pair did, ofc, though the roman pair didn’t accept the throne either), or at least have zaun be its own thing separate from piltover.

founding figures: both pairs are the founding figures of their respective nations. albeit yes for zaun it was mostly silco since zaun's independence was pushed by him later on, still that wouldn't have come to be without vander's... help (betrayal, but ofc he contributed to the cause in the past before becoming passive)

legacy: even after "death" vander's influence still remains through his symbolic presence; silco respected him (ish), his memory lives on with the firelights, how he's even got his own statue. this is very much like how the she-wolf became a lasting symbol of rome, how things used to be, the image of the nation before it was ever a nation and was still building towards it. (links to point 8)

interchangeable roles: vander initially seemed to play romulus in this tale, attempting to drown silco. however, he fails (attempted murder 1) and eventually silco later plays romulus and attempts to kill vander. (attempted murder 2). i’m reading this as them interchangeably using romulus as the brother that has the upperhand, and remus as the role of the victim

nation's birth after death: i found it interesting how 'zaun' isn't really a thing (as in it is not acknowledged as its own nation) until finally one brother dies. they keep not-dying, trying to kill each other, they both want to see zaun become independent, but only one brother survives to see it. it somewhat still follows the roman pair's tale. they had their ideas of the future, but only after remus dies is rome founded. the zaun pair only make this far more tragic, since we see their relationship a lot more and are able to see more nuance in their relationship, that push and pull.

symbolic representation: the she-wolf could symbolise zaun (besides vander). the wolf represents many things that we see echo in what zaun is and the kinds of people it welcomes. there's nurturing protection, wild nature (untamed, primal strength), loyalty to the pack, found family, transformation (from humble beginnings to a great empire), resilience in harsh conditions, duality (embodying both ferocity and nurturing). this complex place is the very same that mothered silco and vander, adopting each other as their own, innocence and danger blending together uneasily seemless, reminiscent of the lupo capitolina.

canine associations: there's also been a ton of association with vander to canines (him being the 'hound' of the underground, and him potentially being warwick). not much on this point, we’ll see in s2 how this progresses.

water-related transformative experience: both brother pairs have a water-related ordeal that leads to a transformative experience. even more, that the river is linked to attempted murder. very fun. vander attempts to drown silco, fails. the roman pair were left in tiber river to drown, fails. (and somewhat, silco 'baptising' jinx, attempting to rid her of the remnants of powder, lowkey fails). another thing, the water in silco's story is polluted, but his survival can be seen as a dark form of purification in a way. this would tie to the roman myth, where the river serves a more traditional purifying role, washing the roman pair to safety and setting them on their destined path.

city of outcasts: after romulus had sole power, he offered refuge to fugitives and exiles, sort of as a way to increase rome's population. picture that, a city of criminals. sounds familiar, no? bit like zaun. of course, that's a stereotype, but it's certainly the image that comes up about zaun. its danger, crime, lawlessness - especially when contrasted against piltover.

this is all i could think of the moment. if you’ve any additional ideas or want to discuss anything, do add on, i’d love to hear

tag: @q8qwertyuiop8p

[justkeeponsimming]

Hey, everyone!

It’s that time once again where we’re hunting for our next heir(ess) of the Quick legacy! I cannot believe we are already at Generation Six! Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading for this long! Generation Five (with Leo) will still continue for the foreseeable, but this heir(ess) vote allows me time to plan out the stories for our heir(ess) and spares! :)

Please use this link to vote for your favourite sim to be the next heir(ess) of the Quick Legacy! Thank you in advance to everyone who votes! :)

https://linkto.run/p/7NXPFVNL

I wrote far too much for each sim to give you an idea for their story, so please see Generation Six rules and each bio below. This is heir vote post #1 and there will be post #2 in a moment! 

                                                👪👨‍👨‍👧‍👧👩‍👩‍👦‍👦

Generation Six -

Theme: Perfect family

(base game + elements of parenthood & cats and dogs)

Your family was a bit odd, to say the least. Your mother/father was always there for you but you couldn’t help feeling that family wasn’t their first priority since their attention was always focused on science and space. Family means everything to you and you won’t allow your children to go through the same experience as you.

Objectives:

Get married and no woohoo before marriage (married once, no divorce)

Complete one of the Family aspirations One parent must stay at home as a homemaker to see to the raising of children. The other parent is the breadwinner.

No service sims - You wish to be the perfect mother/father and that means you do all the cleaning

Try for twins until you win! (Have at least four kids if you get twins first time)

Adopt one child - They can count (or not! Up to you) to the four children requirement

See to it that your kids all max at least one skill before each age transition Your kids should get the “Happy Toddler” or “Top notch Toddler” Traits. All children should age up with at least 2 positive character values

Master Parenting skill

Optional: Help children with homework every night & read a story to each child at least once a week (both parents count)

Optional: Have at least two animals in the house to complete the family (dog or cat)

Mila Quick -

As the eldest of the Quick siblings, Mila is the best big sister that anyone could ever wish for! She has been heavily involved in raising her siblings whilst her parents have been busy with their careers, developing a nurturing and kind personality. Through her childhood and into her teens, Mila has always been a very neat, organised sim who accomplishes anything she sets her mind to. As a child, she was a member of the scouts, earning a lot of badges. Since becoming a teenager, she has taken on an apprenticeship to build her skills before going to university. Although she loves her apprenticeship, Mila isn’t sure that it’s the right career path for her. She loves the outdoors and has always had a passion for sports. Her apprenticeship has given her a boost to her skills and experience, so she now has a foundation to take her future into her own hands.

Mila has fond memories of family holidays to Mt Komorebi and day trips to Sulani. With her desire to succeed and be the best at anything she sets her mind to, Mila wants to go to university to study biology and enter the world of professional sports. She’s set herself a goal to climb Mt Komorebi and set records for the Simness Book of Records. 

Mila isn’t necessarily looking for a partner right now, but having an adventurous sim who can conquer the world with her is definitely appealing! 

Will Mila accomplish her dreams of becoming the ultimate sports star?

Dilan Quick ~

Unlike his siblings, Dilan hasn’t always been academically inclined. The only red-head in the family has always been a charming, funny sim who deeply cares about everyone around him. He’s really the life and soul of any social gathering, far preferring how he can help others over what he can achieve for himself. However, there’s only so much satisfaction that Dilan can get from investing his time in other sims. Deep down, he does want to find something to call his own.

In his teenage years, Dilan finally finds an interest that he could see himself turning into a career. He develops a passion for cooking, but also starts to diversify his skills - creating his own, high quality fizzy drinks. The juice fizzer in the barn has never seen use, but Dilan sees a business opportunity. His access to good quality produce has turned him into a bit of a snob, but he prefers to call himself a foodie. Dilan wants to start his own business crafting artisan drinks and maybe other things too - completely surviving on what he can create with his hands. 

Romantically, Dilan is open to anyone and anything. His parents have had a grounded, healthy relationship. Dilan isn’t sure if he could see himself with one sim, or maybe a few! All that Dilan can focus on right now is finally having the direction he has always wanted. 

Will Dilan’s business be a success? 

[callistolivia]

How to read/calculate your birth chart

From time to time I get people who are absolutely brand new to astrology, so I figured I should make this post and add it to my FAQ for reference. In this post I’ll demonstrate step by step how to calculate and read your chart via Astro.com.

*This is just a simple guide; you will still be required to research on specific topics such as basic understanding of symbols in astrology.

Calculating Your Chart

Step 1

Create an account on Astro.com 

Step 2

Under ‘Free Horoscopes,’ you will find ‘Extended Chart Selection’ and it will take you to the chart calculating/format page.

Step 3

If you haven’t already inputted your birth info, you can do this now under ‘Add a New Person’

On the Extended Chart Selection page, it gives you options for how your chart will be calculated and formatted. The default House System will likely be set to “Placidus,” but I strongly recommend changing this to “equal” as it will be easier to understand and is the way I read birth charts.

You don’t need to change any other settings from here, however you’re welcome to. Under ‘Display and calculation options” you can adjust what planets or objects will be included in your chart, you can adjust the aspect orb, and you can change aspect allowances. Under ‘Additional objects’ you can choose to include certain asteroids and objects as well. I personally like to include Pallas, Ceres, Vesta, and Juno, but these are by no means required. 

Step 4

‘Click here to show the chart’ will take you to the actual chart page. This is your calculated chart.

(This is my chart with my personal settings)

The table below the circular chart lists the placements and aspects. Take note of the planetary symbols next to their names as this will help you learn the symbols and understand the circular chart better. 

The aspect chart (the staircase looking table) can be read by looking at one of the symbols (triangle, square, angle, etc.) and the planetary symbol above it and the planetary symbol to the right indicates which two planets are making this aspect. This page on Astro will give you a brief explanation on what the aspect symbols are. You definitely do not need to focus on aspects if you’re a beginner, but this may be good to refer back to when you’re ready to learn about them.

Looking at the circular chart, you’ll notice it resembles a pie with twelve slices. You will see that these twelve slices are numbered (near the centre). These numbers represent the Houses. Where the houses start is indicated by your Ascendant (AC in your chart. Ascendant can also be referred to as Rising sign). From the exact degree of your Ascendant, 12 slices can be marked around the circle in 30 degree intervals. In my case, my ascendant is marked at 22 degrees in Leo therefore my first house starts at 22 degrees in Leo, my second house starts at 22 degrees in Virgo, my third house starts at 22 degrees in Libra, and so on. The equal 30 degree slices are the result of the equal house system; other house systems will give you different house layouts. Placidus, for example, will give you different sized houses starting at different points (so you might be able to see why I recommend the equal house system.)

Still looking at the circular chart, you will see the planetary symbols sitting in these pie slices with a little number next to them. The little number next to the planetary symbols indicates in what degrees the planet is in the sign (note; the SIGN, not the house. The signs have their own ‘cusps’ apart from the houses which are also in 30 degree increments). So if you take a look at my Sun for example (circle with a dot symbol) it is sitting in the 4th pie slice (fourth house) at 16 degrees in Sagittarius. 

If you continue to look at my Sun in the 4th in Sagittarius, you will notice that a red line is pointing to it and connecting to Jupiter. This is considered an aspect. Aspects show the relationships between planets in our birth chart. If you refer back to the staircase table and where the Sun meets Jupiter, you will see a square symbol. This symbol indicates that the Sun and Jupiter are forming a square aspect.

The 3x4 table to the right of the staircase table keeps score of how many planets of the same element or same mode you have. C - Cardinal, F - Fixed, M - Mutable and F/Red - Fire, A/Yellow - Air, E/Green - Earth, W/Blue - Water. This will give you a basic and quick idea of the general emphasis of your chart. It only takes you really a second to realize that I’m a fire dominant with a significant lack of earth just by looking at this table. 

Reading Your Chart; Where to Start?

1. The Big Three

Locate your Sun, Moon, and Ascendant. These three placements are almost always the most important placements in your chart. Identify their meanings, their significance to the house they are in, and look into what their relationships are with other planets in your chart.

2. Your Chart Ruler

Your ascendant indicates what your chart ruler is. Your chart ruler is the planet that your ascending sign rules over. For example, if you are a Taurus or Libra ascendant, then your chart ruler would be Venus. Look at the condition of your chart ruler, is it in a sign that works well for it? What aspects are being made to it? What house is it in?

3. Day VS Night Chart

Your ascendant’s line is what divides the chart into two hemispheres. The top half of your chart is considered the Southern Hemisphere whereas the bottom half is considered the Northern Hemisphere. Depending on if your Sun is placed above (Southern) or below (Northern) the ascendant’s line will indicate whether you have a Day chart or a Night chart. In Day charts, the Sun has more priority and the chart’s main benefic planet is Jupiter. In Night charts, the Moon has more priority and the chart’s main benefic planet is Venus. You can find many other significances with Day VS Night charts that are worth researching into.

4. North Node

Your North Node placement is going to be one of the most eye-opening placements to look into. Definitely should not go overlooked. 

5. Midheaven 

Your Midheaven, also synonymous with your 10th house, gives some insight to future career or life goals. This represents where you will build your legacy. 

6. Love indicators (for those who are interested in this)

Your chart can imply insight to how you behave in love and the type of people you attract/may be most compatible with. The points you will want to research for this are Venus (romantic expression/aesthetic expression), Mars (sexual expression), and your Descendant/7th house. The asteroid Juno is a bonus you may want to look into. 

7. Jupiter and Saturn.... And the rest of the planets

Eventually you’ll want to look into the rest of the planetary positions in your chart. Jupiter typically suggests our eases and opportunities in life whereas Saturn indicates inhibitions and fears. There’s some really interesting things to unpack from these planets based on their sign and house position. When looking at the planets, you should also consider their condition as planets do better in certain signs and worse in others. This is considered exaltation VS debilitation. Outside of a planet’s ruled sign, it has a sign it exalts in, a sign it is debilitated in, and a sign it is detriment in. Planets in their ruling or exalted sign have significant influence on the chart.

8. What stands out?

When you look at your chart, what stands out to you? Any particular aspect shapes? Any over emphasis in one sign (Stellium)? Any major conjunctions? If it stands out, it’s likely important and should be looked into. Take my chart for example, there is a very obvious triangle shape in it; this is called a grand trine. There are other chart patterns too, as this is just one, that can lead a big impact in one’s chart. 

9. Literally at this point, go down the rabbit hole.

By this point, you would have gone over many of the main points of your chart and you can explore any particular point or section now! Aspects? The rest of the houses? Asteroids maybe?

To summarize, I want to emphasize that this is just a simple guide that will require research. Google, books, and forums are your best friend when it comes to researching astrology. Overall, I hope this post makes sense.

[mariska-sims]

Bubblegum Legacy Family: Day 1 Adventures!

played my legacy challenge file for a while yesterday and made a lot of progress in my Gen 1 starter sim’s life so far; here are a few highlights!

so, to start things out, i of course moved my starter sim, Bobbi Bubblegum, onto the biggest empty lot in my chosen neighborhood and set her money to 1,800 (the amount that the legacy challenge site rules state to start out with IIRC), leaving me with just enough to buy the absolute survival essentials:

(i put some extra walls on the sides of the bathroom area because i remember having issues in the past with sims on legacy starter lots not wanting to use the toilet or shower because other sims walking by could see them LOL)

this left Bobbi with a few simoleons to make herself a few dishes of salad that i stored in the fridge as leftovers so that she could have some backup food if hunger became an urgent issue in a no simoleons situation.

Bobbi is very into the cottage life aesthetic, so i got her a job as a gardener (haven’t gotten to do the first day of it in-game yet ‘cause it was the weekend) and put a couple of plots down for her to practice planting to improve her gardening skill a bit

there was also this random geode rock that kept spawning like two times on the edge of her lot so i had her dig that up lol, she found two little My Sims figures that i thought were very cute ‘cause i loved those games as a kid + i placed them next to her small makeshift library next to her cot bed

since it was the weekend and she didn’t have work to do, i figured it’d be a good idea to get a head start trying to build up some friendships & possibly a relationship for her! she visited a few cafes and parks and did a lot of socializing, and ended up making two pretty good friends within a few in-game hours

this townie was her first friend, and i think her style is adorable, so i tried to see if they might be a good fit as a couple, but the townie sim was a part of a Cool Scary Emo Club and Bobbi kept getting pop-ups saying she was like, nervous about her reputation going down because of their interactions or something along those lines haha. they were already friends so i didn’t want to sabotage that or anything, but i figured this sim probably wasn’t the best match for Bobbi, and i want her to be as happy as possible and hopefully live a great, long life, so we moved on to making some other friends around town!

that’s when she met Zoe Patel, another pre-made EA townie, at the park. they got along super well and became fast friends! Zoe’s interests and general attitude seemed to click a lot better with Bobbi’s, so i decided she would be the new relationship goal sim. and luckily it all worked out quickly!

they totally hit it off and i was quick to have Bobbi propose and secure The Generation 1 Spouse LOL. as Zoe had quite a few overlapping interests with Bobbi, i thought it would be nice to set her on a similar job path, so i signed her up to be an environmental conservationist! she’ll be starting her first day on Tuesday, the same day as Bobbi’s first work day. Bobbi’s life goal is to have a nice farm for both plants & animals (i just got gifted the Cottage Life expansion by my bestie irl so i was very excited to immediately jump into that pack’s gameplay cuz i am very much a cottagecore person too haha), and Zoe’s is to be a friend of the world, so i think as long as i’m able to do a decent enough job juggling their social lives, work lives, and eventual family relationships and challenges, i’m crossing my fingers that they’ll both get to see their aspirations through before the end of the first generation gameplay and household send-off to the next eventual heir!

i also gave Zoe a CAS makeover because i’m not the biggest fan of the base EA townies’ styles/makeup/etc etc and i tend to use a lot of CAS CC in my households; i’ll make a separate post eventually with more pics, but here’s how she looks now!

i give townies makeovers very often in my games, and when i do, i don’t like changing any of their actual genetics like skin, eye color, face shape, etc, i just like using their EA appearance as sort of a template to add fun looks onto! i swapped her base eyes out for CC eyes in the same color (sort of an amber brown shade), added a faceblend to add some more depth to her face a bit, and gave her new outfits & hairstyles that were similar to her pre-existing style. added the pink ombre to her hair in a few outfits where it worked with the hair just for a fun splash of color since i love non-natural hair dye colors irl and for sims :-)

i’m excited to make more progress for this growing family! i already love Zoe so much and i think she’s a perfect fit for the Bubblegum household <3

here are a couple other pics i took while playing last night too

this is a selfie Bobbi took of her and Zoe that i put up on the wall cus i think its cute and in my sims 3 legacy house i almost always had at least one family portrait/art piece of the main adults in each generation, i just think it’s a sweet way to carry on their individual stories/memories as the challenge goes on!

this was when i was trying to get a good pic of the gals interacting and this funky mailman walked by and it cracked up.....love that guy

[callophelia-ailingamnemonic]

If The Omori Fandom Played Homestuck... [Pt 1]

Okay... so um... y’all know how I love assigning hero titles/classpects to characters and how I love the potential of Fandomstuck, right? Yeah, lmao so I decided to assign a hero title to my Fandomstuck interperetation of this psychological horror RPG game called OMORI! It’s a really good game and I had an idea for a hero title for them! And cuz I have a feeling this post is gonna be pretty long, I’ll go through what I think their lunar sway would be, as well as other things such as chumhandles, typing quirks, planets, sprites, strife kinds, and fetch modi in the next post uwu

Though please keep in mind that this is purely my opinion, and if you disagree with it, then that’s cool, you don’t have to listen to my conclusions! They’re merely suggestions uwu Additionally, all this speculation is based off of OptimisticDuelist’s own research and that this post will contain a lot of spoilers for OMORI, so be warned, and remember; this is all just for fun and to satisfy my Fandomstuck obsession :33

For the sake of not confusing the actual game from the character, I will refer to the game’s personification as ORI.

After playing the game, I strongly believe that ORI’S hero title is the Prince of Hope.

The aspect of hope relates to faith, possibilities, positive emotions, and all things imaginary, idealistic, and as my friend would say, all about “Faking it until you make it”. Additionaly, as quoted by optimisticDuelist, hope also “describes our faith in the narrative’s coherence, our excitement for building plot threads and our ability to immerse ourselves in the fictional world”. Majority of the game takes place in WHITE SPACE, a DREAM WORLD created by SUNNY after MARI’s death as a sort of coping mechanism to handle the guilt of the truth. Many things about the DREAM WORLD relates to hope, such as how SUNNY hopes to forget what really happened to his sister by immersing himself in the DREAM WORLD for the price of isolation in the real world (for FOUR years!) where, in the DREAM WORLD, everything is better because MARI is still alive there and all his friends are together and happy. The aspect of hope, however, is not just restricted to SUNNY/OMORI and WHITE SPACE, but also to the characters outside in the real world which is why I think the aspect of hope relates to ORI beyond the game’s protagonist. BASIL believes in SUNNY and that there was no way he could have killed MARI or vandilised all the photos, no matter how clear it was, and instead blames SOMETHING for all of it. Additionally, the rest of the cast believed in the lie SUNNY and BASIL created regarding MARI’S death and don’t even find out until the very end of the game if you get the true ending. We can also go a few steps further by bringing up the group’s hopes and dreams for a brighter future, SUNNY’s hope for forgivness and the fact that happy (And its other stages) are all positive emotions that play a role in battles.

Although I’m pretty set in stone about hope, you do see traits of other aspects throughout the game.

Time, since the aspect is linked to music, narrative pacing, decay, and is associated with photographs through the canon Knight of Time, Dave Strider. Right off the bat, we can link the whole photography thing to ORI since the truth is revealed to the player through a series of photos, and also that BASIL loves taking them. Additionally when the game brings us to the real world for the second time, we get to learn how the world SUNNY used to know changed in the last four years. Additionally, MARI and SUNNY played the piano and violin (respectively) and MARI died the day of their recital. If we wanted to go above and beyond, we could probably bring up how BASIL’S mental state takes a quick turn south when he finds out SUNNY’s gonna move, and on the last day, if left alone, will kill himself, which will either lead SUNNY to lock that memory away, or kill himself by stabbing or jumping off the hospital’s roof if the player gives up during OMORI’s battle. So yeah... lot’s of death.

Void and how it can represent secrets, lies, misfortune, and the unknowable alongside nothingness/meaninglessness and the physical world. This applies to ORI and how the whole reason WHITESPACE exists was due to MARI’s death and how it was covered up with a lie and how hard OMORI tries to stop SUNNY from discovering the truth.

Light, which represents imagination and true information, good fortune, and what’s important. Imagination also applies to WHITESPACE and how as the game goes one, we begin to learn the truth behind MARI’s death. 

Blood, which represents connection, responsibility, commitment to a collective, an attachment to the world and character dynamic. This applies to ORI and how despite the fact the characters had drifted apart ever since MARI’s death, they were all able to fall back together due to their friendship. Heck, the whole thing about them all being close friends is often seen and mentioned throught the game! In addition to that, the lack of connections ended up making everyone miserable and eventually, SUNNY owns up and tells the others how MARI really died in the end of the true end.

Heart, which reflects the soul, inner feelings, love and attraction, and platonic ideals of both people and objects. Additionally, canon heart players are known for roleplaying and personality splinters, which if you count OMORI (SUNNY’S dream alter ego) going around and protecting the truth by pretending everything is alright, then that kinda fits the heart bill as well. We could additionally go a little deeper by bringing up Sweetheart and the fact that the dreamworld is personal and important to SUNNY, since everyone in that world was either people in real life when they were still young or mascots from games and comics SUNNY knows of.

Kind of breath, since a part of the aspect includes detachment from the world... since... y’know, SUNNY HASN’T LEFT HIS HOUSE IN FOUR YEARS.

And kind of rage, since anger is one of the emotions the play a role in battles, and that a part of rage is that its contrivance is meant to make us see through the illusion of the fiction and focus on its flaws instead. This can be applied to how quickly the dreamworld falls apart as the game progresses, breaking the harmony time and time again, and constantly reminding us that everything is not as it seems.

Although these aspects could all be used to describe ORI, I still kinda see hope as the main aspect.

Now for the next point, why in the world would I think ORI to be a prince of all classes (Especially considering Homsestuck’s canon Prince of Hope)??? Well, I’ve already describes what hope is and how it relates to the dreamworld and its purpose, and then I’m gonna bring up what a prince (Alongside its passive counterpart, the bard) does; they destroy.

Princes are ones who destroys their aspect, or destroys through their aspect for themselves. As one of the most active classes, it can be stressfull for them to adopt passive roles, and tend to dominate the plot with the sheer impact of their actions.  Royals (princes and bards) are those concerned with aristocracy, nobility, and the great figures who shape society, and due to that, share a focus on birth-rights and legacies. Royals are often intensly devout to the cause they believe in and the people they love and are not afraid to fight for what they believe is right.  They tear down what’s old and stagnant to allow the flourishing of the new and are often formidable attackers, but also effective debuffers, as they remove their aspect from reality or wear down their enemy through its use. However, their reverence for high-class court society can make them judgmental or arrogant, and their greatest challenge is to resist the ego that would convince them that they’re above others.

The main reason I chose the Prince class for ORI is because they can destroy their aspect, and in this case, I will their aspect, being WHITE SPACE/the DREAM WORLD. As mentioned countless times earlier, WHITE SPACE is SUNNY’S safe place and their protection from the truth or what really happened, but as the game progresses, the player’s actions and OMORI’s reaction to anything that would reveal the truth breaks the illusion of the DREAM WORLD, before eventually, destroying it althogether in the end and (if you managed to figure out the hangman’s game) uncover the truth in the form of a broken realm known as BLACK SPACE. Additionally, the entirety of HEAD SPACE (WHITE and BLACK) was created by the game’s protagonist, which would already put them (SUNNY/OMORI) in an important position. If we want to expand on the whole aristocracy-nobility thing, we could bring up the fact that SWEETHEART is... I don’t really know what she is, but she’s super popular, rich, and owns a castle in the DREAM WORLD, and that CAPTAIN SPACEBOY/FRIEND is a well-known space pirate, and MR JAWSUM who is the owner of this hotel-resort thing. The fighting part of the Royals’ description easily fits ORI, since it is an RPG game. I could keep giving reasons as to why I think ORI would be a prince, and several other alternatives I thought would fit, but this post is already really long :’DD So the last thing I wanted to say about this was that the reason I thought ORI would be a prince, and not a bard, was mainly because of the prince’s activness and how as the game goes on, OMORI grows stronger before the final battle of the game turns into a struggle for power between SUNNY and OMORI.

Anywho, this is my really long explenation of why I would think ORI (My Fandomstuck interperetation of OMORI) would be a Prince of Hope! At one point, I did contemplate the idea of them being a witch, but then I felt as if that would have suited SUNNY more as an individual.

So yeah, that’s basically it and I’m gonna make another post later about all the other stuff afterwards, and to finish this post off, here is a picture I made of ORI using Gacha Club uwu (Cuz I have no drawings prepared ;w;)

[nightwingshero]

Stay on the Path Chapter 1

Guys, I have to say, that I’ve been having so much fun with my AU’s, really. And I know I’ve taken it pretty easy here lately with my writing because it was honestly such a struggle for me. And while I’m still working on those AU’s....I am proud to announce that it’s here. That’s right, I’ve finally gotten around to finishing the first chapter to Wren’s canon! I have so many uncompleted chapters to this, but I’m so happy to be finally posting it!

A quick thank you to @xbaebsae and @chazz-anova for sticking with me and encouraging me to keep going with this. Honestly, without you two, this would still be a WIP. So, thank you!!!

This wasn’t how I imagined my first week to go. Hope County was small. Smaller than what I was used to. I hadn’t really settled in yet, I just showed up at the station eager to jump into an easy day of training. It didn’t faze me that Hudson barely acknowledged me or that Pratt was overly excited to show me the ropes. I just wanted to put my head down and do right; to make up for the “wasted time” I spent in college. That is, according to what my father believed. His dream was to have a son who would follow in the legacy of joining the military. Unfortunately for him, none of those things happened.

When I had arrived at the jail earlier today, my black hair was in a half-assed ponytail out of convenience. I had the sleeves of my uniform rolled up, but I had the first button or two unbuttoned. I didn’t do well with uniforms. Another reason why the military would never work for me. But when I walked in and began to get settled for the day, a U.S. Marshal had stormed in with a warrant talking about “the Seed family”. I honestly didn’t understand what the hell he was talking about. I mean, I had heard the name, but I kept to myself most of the time. I didn’t get out much and we hadn’t really been on patrol since I started. The Sheriff ushered him into his office as Nancy chatted us up over donuts and coffee. They had stayed in there for hours while Nancy asked me questions about my life, and she was beginning to become a friendly face.

But that conversation with the Marshal is what led me to the helicopter I was flying in tonight. I wasn’t the epitome of a perfect cop. In fact, this whole thing was new to me. I had experience shooting guns, sure. My father wouldn’t let that slip, so I started young. But I was new to the law enforcement career. It wasn’t my dream job, but it was something I could do if it meant doing what was right, if it meant setting my life right. So, I had went to the academy. The problem was that I knew people saw right through it, which was probably why the U.S Marshal, Burke, kept throwing me looks. I honestly couldn’t help it. That was my father, not me. It made me nervous that I was taking down a such a big operation, knowing that I had little to no experience in this field, other than the classes and little training I had to do in order to even get the position. I knew how to shoot a gun, my father taught me some survival skills, but that was it. The ramblings of a mad, bitter man didn’t do me much good here.

I just continued to look at my reflection in the window, my blue-green eyes stared back at me in wonder as I took in the beautiful landscape of Hope County from this height. I huffed and began watching the video that ended up bringing Cameron Burke here in the first place. It opened nicely with interviews with a pretty woman in a bar, a Father in a church, and a guy sitting on the couch. If you asked me, he looked like a rejected member of a rock band. It was a welcome of Montana at first, and then it began to speak of a cult, but before I could really get into it, the signal cutting in and out after it showed this “Joseph Seed” gauging someone’s eyes out with his bare hands. My stomach flipped uneasily, and I frowned as the signal went completely dead.

“Hey, Blake. Blake! You’re wasting your time. No signal out here.” Whitehorse called as I looked up at him and I caught the judging eyes of the Marshal before he went back to looking over his warrant.

“We’re crossing over the Henbane now.” Pratt informed us over the radio as I looked back out the window only to see a huge statue of a man with a beard and a man bun. I didn’t know how the hell I missed that when I was coming in, but all I could do now was stare at it. This guy has been busy.

“Oh fuck. There he is.” Hudson said with pure contempt in her voice.

“Crazy motherfucker.” Pratt commented back.

“Jesus….” The Marshall breathed.

“We’re in Peggie country.” I didn’t understand what Hudson meant by calling them Peggies, but her tone gave me chills. I knew that I heard a lot of people from around the town use it, I just never thought to ask. I thought it was a Montana thing. The Marshall ignored her and looked at Sheriff Earl Whitehorse.

“How much longer?”

“Just long enough for you to change your mind,” he turned his head to Burke. “so, we can turn this bird around.” I became more tense. I still didn’t truly understand what was really going on. Sure, I’ve heard some talk about the Seed family, but I honestly never paid attention to it. Everyone always had something to say about someone, so I always stuck to myself and I’ve lived that way for years. I didn’t know how long I was going to be out here, anyways. But they were just a religious family with followers, right? They couldn’t be that dangerous, could they? The video definitely suggested otherwise.

“You want me to ignore a federal warrant, Sheriff?” He asked icily. I raised my brows in surprise at his tone towards Whitehorse.

“No, sir. I want you to understand the reality of this situation.” He shifted and looked him straight in the eye. “Joseph Seed is not a man to be fucked with.” A chill ran down my spine at the weight of his words before he continued. “We’ve had run ins with him before and they haven’t always gone our way. Sometimes…just sometimes it’s best to leave well enough alone.”

“Yeah, well, we have laws for a reason. And Joseph Seed is going to learn that.” With that, he tucked the warrant away and looked out the window. It almost reminded me of a small child throwing a fit. Sheriff had an almost defeated look on his face before looking over his shoulder.

“Pratt, open up a call with dispatch.”

“10-4.”

“Whitehorse to dispatch, over.”

“Go ahead, Earl.” Nancy responded immediately.

“We’re approaching the compound, Nancy. Over.” My heart leaped when I realized we were close. I began to wish that I had stayed behind with Nancy. She brought in cookies earlier and anything would have been better than this situation.

“Roger, Sheriff. Still planning on going through with this? Over.”

“We are—unfortunately—still trying to talk sense into our friend, the Marshal. Over.”

“Alright. Lucky I’m not there. If you get into any trouble, you just let me know. Over.” I couldn’t help but smile at her response.

“10-4. Over and out.” It went silent until Pratt turned to Hudson.

“Maybe we should have brought Nancy along instead of the Probie. These Peggies wouldn’t fuck with her.”

“Pratt.” Hudson scolded. I rolled my eyes as I glanced back out the window. I didn’t need reminding how new I was to this; my nerves did that for me. The Marshal turned back to Whitehorse with a bit of a frown.

“Why do they keep calling them Peggies?”

“The Project of Eden’s Gate. P.E.G. Peggie. It’s what the locals call them. They started out harmless a few years back, but now they’re armed to the teeth. They’re looking for a fight.”

“…are you scared, Sheriff?” Burke asked incredulously. I studied the Sheriff out of the corner of my eye, waiting to hear his response, but none came.

“We’re here. Compounds just below.” Pratt said and I looked to see a decent sized church and some building surrounding it as we lowered.

“Oh, my Jesus.” Burke groaned as he studied our new surroundings.

“Damn.” I breathed out in shock at the sheer size on the compound.

“Oh man, this is a bad idea.” Hudson commented to herself.

“Last chance, Marshal.” Burke sighed for a second before replying.

“We’re going in.” I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until that very moment. My heart sank at Burke’s words. I had a bad feeling about this, and I didn’t want to be here. Anxiety clawed at my insides.

“Set ‘er down.” Whitehorse ordered and I wanted nothing more than to beg him to change his mind.

“Roger that.” The helicopter began to descend all the way down and I could see people armed with assault rifles and someone with a flamethrower that was burning a pile of wood. My uneasy feeling intensified. I knew we were on private property, so technically speaking, that was legal for them to do. I didn’t know what was on the Marshal’s warrant, but that definitely couldn’t be it. They were in their rights. As the helicopter landed, Whitehorse called out to Nancy.

“Dispatch, are you still there?”

“Yeah, go ahead, Sheriff.”

“If you don’t hear from us in 15 minutes, send in everyone. Send in the goddam National Guard if you have to. Over.” The blood in my veins went cold. What the fuck did I get myself into?

“Yes sir, Sheriff. I’ll be praying for you.” We took our headsets off and Whitehorse turned to us.

“Now listen up. Three rules. Stick close. Keep your guns in your holsters. And let me do the talking. Got it?”

“Got it.” Burke replied. But I wasn’t so confident. Everything was screaming for me to stay in the helicopter. I wasn’t welcome here; I could feel that, and I hadn’t even stepped out of the copter.

“Blake?” he called. I looked at him and gave him a quick nod, not trusting my voice. “Alright everyone, stay sharp. Let’s go.” I followed their lead as we stepped out of the helicopter, even though everything in me was screaming not to. Hudson, Burke, and Whitehorse began to make their way forward. “They’ll be in the church. Stay close.” I begrudgingly began to follow behind them. They were walking at a faster pace than I was, and to be honest, I lagged a little behind out of reluctance. All the people were glaring at me and they had way bigger guns than I did. I was allowed to feel a little nervous.

“Eyes open, these folks spook easily.” Whitehorse called from over his shoulder. Hudson slowed and began to walk alongside me.

“Blake, on me. Stay loose, huh?” she said, giving me a quick look. I guess it was obvious I was that nervous. I tried my best to hide it, but my heart was pounding. It wasn’t exactly comforting to have people with assault rifles glare at you. I just gave her a quick nod in response. Apparently, it was the only way I knew how to communicate right now.

“We didn’t do anything wrong!”

“What the hell are they doing here?” Voices rang out from the people as confusion turned to anger. If Hudson hadn’t been there, I probably would have tucked tail. This wasn’t something I was used to. Sure, I could hold my own. But I came here for a fresh start. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy being in law enforcement, but I felt like things had escalated quickly for me. I wasn’t about to pick a fight with someone that carried a damn flamethrower when all I had was a service pistol. I would do anything in that moment to trade with Hudson so I could have the shotgun.

“Be calm. Stay calm everyone. Just go about your business. This doesn’t concern you.” Whitehorse said as he continued to walk confidently through the gate.

“Sheriff, I don’t like this.” Hudson chimed in, saying exactly what I had been thinking. I was new, but Hudson wasn’t, and even she was picking up on it.

“Everything is fine, Hudson. Everything is just fine.” He reassured her. It didn’t feel fine, and I desperately wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t even sure if he believed himself.

“Jesus Christ, you’re wearing badges, aren’t you?” Burke spoke out condescendingly. I frowned and felt the strong urge to punch him. He spoke a lot like my father and that wasn’t something I really wanted to listen to. This badge meant nothing. It was a piece of metal. It was person that held that weight, not the badge, and people saw through that. Especially for those who didn’t care much for authority in the first place.

“Yeah, but they don’t respect badges much out here.” Hudson shot back, confirming my fears. I couldn’t help but smile just a bit at her sharp tongue. Subtle, but sharp. Maybe one day, we could actually be friends. Maybe.

“They’ll respect a nine-millimeter.” I looked at his back with disgust. I was liking this Marshal less and less by the second. I was tempted to ask him if he knew my father, and if not, they would make a great miserable pair. There was always some sort of power play, and I had a feeling that the Marshal enjoyed that badge a little bit more than he should and for the wrong reasons.

“Not every problem can be solved by a bullet, Marshal.” I spoke out. Hudson raised a brow at me as Burke shot me a glare which I returned. Hearing a clank behind me, I look over my shoulder to find them closing the gate behind us. I swallowed with another twist in my gut. That couldn’t be a good sign, and I had the heavy feeling of our fates being sealed along with it.

We finally came to a stop right in front of the church and I could hear them singing Amazing Grace. Curiosity began to outweigh the uneasiness I had felt. Burke must have been feeling eager as he was quick to just grab the door handle, but Whitehorse stopped him before he had a chance to open it.

“Whoa Marshal. Now we do this, we do it my way. Quietly. Calmly. You got it?” he asked as Burke let go of the door.

“Fine.” He huffed. The Sheriff turned to Hudson and me.

“Hudson, on the door. Watch our backs. Don’t let any of these people get in. Blake—on me.” I was only partially excited and that was just from the curiosity, which I knew was dangerous. It was my flaw. My curiosity always got the better of me, and I have been put in some bad situations because of it. The more logical side of me wished I could have stayed outside with Hudson and her shotgun. “And you,” he turned to Burke “just try not to do anything stupid.” I caught my laugh, but I couldn’t hide the smirk that bled through. Hudson turned and nudged me with her shoulder, and I could see the laughter in her eyes. I had a feeling we were going to get along. Friends, indeed.

“Relax, Sheriff. You’re about to get your name in the paper.” The Marshal replied as he put his hand on Whitehorse’s shoulder. It became very clear as to what drove Burke: Glory. Sheriff gave him grim look and turned to the door. Hudson took a step towards me, gaining my attention again.

“You’ll be fine.” She assured me quietly.

“Thanks.” I whispered back as I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders. I couldn’t let my feelings get the better of me, no matter how unnerving they were. Whitehorse finally opened the door and you could see how old the church was. The singing came to an end, and I could make out the pews with a few people and a man standing on a platform in front. Light poured out of the window, giving him a glow that definitely seemed holy. Above us were dozens of empty bird cages, lightly swaying. Some had candles in them, while the others were dark and empty, all of them giving off a haunting beauty. They were strangely similar to the cage tattooed on the inside of my forearm. Too familiar. A shiver ran down my spine as I caught myself from tracing over it.    

“Something is coming.” His voice rang through the church, bringing me out of my daze. “You can feel it, can’t you? That we are creeping toward the edge…and there will be a reckoning.” The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as the faceless figure turned to us once the door shut behind me. He continued as we slowly made our way forward. “That’s why we started the Project. Because we know what happens next.” His voice rose an octave. “They will come. They will take from us.” Burke looked at Earl and he raised his hand in a calming manner. “Take our guns. Take our freedom…take our faith.” My heart leapt a bit as everyone in the pews began to stand as we passed them. I could see the tv monitors now that had scripture and the logo for their Project. This was Eden’s Gate. I became more nervous as I could feel the anger from their followers for our intrusion. I wanted to run and hide from their eyes. “We will not let them.”

“Sheriff, c’mon—” I wanted to scream at him, to tell him to shut up and not say another word. Abrasiveness was all Burke knew, and the last thing we need was for him to light a match in the powder keg this situation had turned into.

“Just hold on, Marshal.” Whitehorse warned.

“We will not let their greed, or their immorality, or their depravity hurt us anymore.” We were finally close up enough to see a man with no shirt standing above everyone else. He wore yellow aviators and his long hair was in a bun. His beard wasn’t the longest, but it wasn’t short either. His jeans were worn, and his chest was covered in tattoos and scars. Out of the corner of my eye, there were people standing to the side, but I could only just take in this man: Joseph Seed.

“Sheriff…” Burke’s rang like a warning, my eyes only darting to his back briefly.

“There will be no more suffering….”

“Do not pull that trigger. Remain calm.” Whitehorse responded to him lowly.

“No. Fuck this.” Burke whipped out the warrant and faced Joseph Seed head on. I inhaled sharply through my nose and moved forward to grab Burke, my fight or flight response urging me to pull him back like the idiot he was. Whitehorse quickly placed his hand on my arm, stopping me. I glanced at the Sheriff, catching his eye in confusion. I couldn’t put a name on the look he gave me, but I knew what he was trying to tell me. Burke’s idiot decision would remain his, not mine. I took a slight step back as my attention moved back to the Marshal.

“Joseph Seed! I have a warrant for your arrest on the suspicion of kidnapping with the intent of harm!” I furrowed my brow and looked at him. What? My heart was racing, but the blood drained from my face. I was supposed to keep my composure. It’s one of the things that they teach you. But I couldn’t help my face contorting in disbelief. On suspicion. We had barged into a dangerous situation with a warrant due to suspicion. I clenched my teeth in frustration at the Marshal for believing he knew better than the Sheriff. “Now, I want you to step forward and keep your hands where I can see them.” I held my breath as I kept my eyes on Joseph, waiting to see what he would do or how he would respond. He lifted his hands and regarded us.

“There they are…the Locusts in our garden…you see, they’ve come for me.” As he spoke, all of the people in the pews began to make their way in front and around us, protecting their Father from the threat we had become. “They’ve come to take me away from you. They’ve come to destroy all that we built!” The crowd became rowdier and more aggressive. I began to feel panicked and overwhelmed, the claws of my claustrophobia wrapping around my throat, but Burke and Whitehorse held their ground.

“Alright, now. Put your guns down. Put your guns down!” Burke responded as he reached for his gun. Whitehorse and I took a step back as I watched the Marshal in horror.

“Dude, what are you—?” I called out as my hand brushed my holster, but the Sheriff put his hands up in defense, cutting me off as he addressed the mob and Burke.

“Now hold on, do not touch that service weapon and stand down! Stand down! Everyone, calm down!” Whitehorse raised his voice to try and get through the yelling and protests of the people in front of us, but it went unnoticed. Joseph stepped down, his hands finding the shoulders of some of his men, and everyone began to quiet as they turned to him.

“We knew this moment would come. We have prepared for it. Go. Go…” And just like that, they turned and began to walk out of the church as a man began to come up from behind Joseph Seed. I watched, as he walked across the platform, with another man finding his way next to Joseph. I frowned as the two men looked each other, giving a quick exchange I couldn’t quite hear, but one of the people shoulder-checked me on his way past us, pulling my attention only briefly. “God will not let them take me.” I frowned as I watched them leave, curiosity biting in the back of my mind. With just a touch on a shoulder, he had completely defused the situation.

“I saw when the Lamb opened the First Seal,” Joseph’s voice had me turning my head back to him. His hands were raised up over his head as he spoke, but he wasn’t alone. Along with the two men was a young woman with light dirty blond hair and a white dress that now stood to his left. I kept my focus on Joseph, the others “as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts say, come and see…”

“Step forward.” Burke sneered. Joseph dropped his hands and looked at the Marshal, allowing me a better view of the people that moved to support The Father. The man to his right had his arms crossed over his chest, legs spread as he stood firm. I knew immediately to be wary of him. Just size alone, he would be someone rough to go up against. The girl just stood there at ease, her green eyes light and scanning me with a soft smile on her face. She swayed, making her white dress move at the slightest movement. Then my eyes finally landed on the other man.

He looked younger than the other men, and I wondered if they were actually brothers. I couldn’t make out a lot from the distance, but he had dark hair and a well-manicured beard. He wore a trench coat and had a pair of blue sunglasses on his head. His eyes caught with mine as his brother eyed us, sizing us up. This guy seemed to have his hands behind his back, his head tilting back a bit, the lines of his chest flexing as more skin is revealed through his unbuttoned shirt, and a smug look on his face, completely at ease with no care in the world, and I couldn’t help but stare at him. But his smirk widened as he licked his lips, and then it occurred to me. He knew I was staring. I chided myself and I forced my eyes away as Joseph continued.

“…and I saw,” he pointed his finger in Burke’s face and I pursed my lips to keep myself from smirking. “and behold it was a white horse,” he looked at the Sheriff, before turning to me directly. I inhaled sharply at the unexpected attention. “And Hell followed with him.” A chill went down my spine as he refused to break eye contact with me. The heaviness of his words felt like it weighed down my soul. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. He then raised his hands and I stepped closer to him, unsure of what I was actually going to do. I broke eye contact only to find another pair of deep, dark blue ones staring at me with curiosity, smirk completely gone. I didn’t know what it was, I couldn’t really explain it, but the pull was there. He shifted a bit, his hands coming in front of him briefly as adjusted his coat, a quick roll of his shoulders that brought my attention back to his chest. I wanted to run up and…I don’t know. I felt like I was bare, that he could see right through me, and I didn’t know if that terrified or excited me.

“Blake,” Burke’s voice pulled me back to reality and I looked at him. “cuff this son of a bitch.” I frowned at his crass wording and glared while jutting my chin out, remembering how he pretty much fucked the entire situation. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the red head shift on his feet, throwing a glance at his other brother. Burke returned my glare tenfold, and I turned back to Joseph, not wanting to get into any more trouble I may have already been in. I hesitated, and as subtly as I could, I threw a look at the man in the trench coat again. I didn’t know why I was hesitating, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“God will not let you take me.” Joseph said confidently and I looked back at him. Something twinkled in his eyes, and I wasn’t sure as to what it was, it seemed there was a knowing intelligence that told me that perhaps I wasn’t as subtle as I thought.  But his eyes were on me, too and so were everyone else’s. The last thing I wanted was for the red-haired soldier to come at me. He looked like he was ready to take on the world. I would probably weigh nothing to him. Fear danced across my neck, creating goosebumps in its wake.  

“Blake! Put the cuffs on him!” Burke snapped, making me cringe. I took a calming breath before I looked back at Joseph. I was conflicted. I didn’t want things to get violent and I had a very bad feeling that they wouldn’t just let us take him, the sting of my shoulder still there. I just wanted to keep the peace.

“Put down your guns. Take your friends. Walk away.” Joseph said calmly, soothingly. I bit my lip, it was so easy to fall into his voice, to second guess everything. It did sound tempting, to just walk away and go against Burke. I could. We could. We could walk out of here like nothing ever happened. “God is watching. And he will judge you for what you do in this moment.”

“Come on, Rookie…” Burke groaned as I looked over to the Sheriff, irritated at the nickname. We both didn’t want this, right? He didn’t want things to escalate any more than I did. Would he really let us walk out of here? I continued to study the Sheriff, searching for some sort of indication. Anything. He had a look of reluctance and he clenched his jaw. I had a feeling that this was going to have to be my decision and I bit of frustration whispered in the back of my mind. “God damn it Blake, seriously? What are you doing? Asking your dad for permission?” I flinched slightly at his word choice, but I kept my focus on Whitehorse, not taking the bait. The man in the trench coat scoffed as he shifted, my eyes following his movement only briefly.

“Sheriff?” I asked, and even I could hear the doubt and uncertainty in my voice. Earl sighed in response.

“We came here for a reason, Deputy.” He replied, his eyes full of defeat as his eyes fell from mine. My shoulders caved a bit at his response, but before I could do or say anything else, Burke had elbowed me out of the way, and I stumbled to the side from being taken off guard. Joseph frowned as his siblings shifted a bit.

“Fuck this. I’ll do it my goddamn self.”

I shot him a glare, my anger momentarily pumping through my veins. The urge to mouth off to him was strong, but I held my tongue, even though his actions were uncalled for and aggressive. I took another breath as I tried to shove my retort back down my throat. Now was definitely not the time for me to run my mouth, it would only make things worse, and like it or not, he was still a superior of sorts.

“Easy, Marshal.” Whitehorse responded quickly but remaining calm. I dared a glance at the Sheriff in shock, not expecting him to defend me. I exhaled shakily as I turned, watching as Burke looked ready to blow and I bit my lip. Burke sneered as he roughly pulled Joseph forward and tightly cuffed one of his wrists. I winced at the click, but Joseph didn’t even flinch or make a sound. I took a step forward with a frown.

“You know that’s too tight.” I said lowly, but my voice echoed through the quiet church. I could feel Burke glaring at me, but I didn’t really care. I just wanted this to be over. I could feel the Seed family drilling holes into me with their piercing blue eyes.

“Who cares?” Burke sneered at me. I looked down as I fought back the tears of anger that were threatening to humiliate me in front of my superiors and our audience.

“If this is how you’re going do it, then step aside, Marshal. Deputy Blake, cuff him properly.” Whitehorse asserted. Burke’s face twisted as he took a step away from Joseph and I took a calculated step forward, my eyes watching his every move. I didn’t trust Burke, badge or not. I turned to Joseph and began to redo the cuffs, making sure they weren’t cutting off his circulation. I looked up to catch his intense stare.

“Sometimes…the best thing to do is to walk away.” He whispered to me and my heart stopped as the blood drained from my face. I opened my mouth, but I didn’t know what to say. Not that Burke really gave me an option to.

“Jesus Christ. Let’s just fucking go.” He muttered and the Sheriff sighed. I put a gloved hand on Joseph’s shoulder, prepared to walk him out.

“You have the right to remain silent,” Burke groaned out his frustration and I expected him to stop me, but he didn’t. He knew we couldn’t just arrest people without reading them their rights. “anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?”

“Yes.” Joseph replied softly.

“Let’s go.” Whitehorse turned, and began to make his way to the church doors with Burke beside him.

“Drag him if you have to.” Marshal called over his shoulder tauntingly.

“Dick.” I replied quietly to myself without thinking. A cough and a light giggle were the responses I got behind me as Joseph shot me a look from the corner of his eye. I chided myself and began to follow the two men while gently escorting the brother. Burke and Whitehorse opened the doors, and there seemed to be a start of an uproar. Hudson looked over at us in panic.

“We gotta get the fuck outta here.” She said as a truck of men pulled up with guns.

“Marshal take point. On the right.” The Sheriff ordered as I saw that the path we had taken before was closed off and sealed.

“On it.” I was honestly shocked that he took an order easily, but it was probably due to the fact that he had what he wanted, and to him, that was all that mattered.

“Stay on the path, Blake.” Whitehorse called out over his shoulder as I began to take everything in. People were starting to get more and more stirred out. Yelling out and asking about us taking “The Father”.  Amazing Grace began to play loudly, and dogs were barking viciously. Once or twice I got spooked, thinking that someone was going to grab me.

“Keep up, Rookie.” Hudson called out nervously. People began to pull out their guns.

“Stand back, I’m a Federal Marshal!” Burke yelled, but that didn’t stop them. They began to swarm us, and my pace quickened. Burke and Whitehorse then pulled out their service pistols in defense as we got closer the copter. Burke shot two warning shots into the air and Hudson and I rushed quickly to the bird. Hudson jumped on and ushered me forward, helping me situate Joseph. Pratt was freaking out in the pilot seat while Whitehorse and Burke were on my tail. We finally were able to get in after Joseph was taken care of, but someone grabbed Burke and he tried shaking them off. His followers began to climb on the helicopter. I looked around, panicked and in awe. I’ve never seen anything like this. Burke ended up shooting the guy in the head, and we both began to hastily buckle ourselves in. I gagged, cutting off the scream in my throat, at the sight of the blood and gore as my hands shook, and I could feel myself slipping into a full panic attack. My hand covered my mouth to keep myself from either puking or crying out as Whitehorse was trying to call Nancy from the front, but she wouldn’t answer. Joseph just sat there calmly with his head back and sang Amazing Grace. We couldn’t shake them off, even in the air, and then a man jumped up into the wings and blood splattered all over the windshield. My stomach lurched as alarms began to blare. We began to spin out of control, and I began to hyperventilate with the panic attack getting worse, but Joseph just kept singing.

“Brace for impact—" I couldn’t hear the rest of it as we hit the ground, everything turning black, and Joseph’s voice was still singing in my ears.

The smell of smoke was the first thing that caught my attention. Then it was Nancy’s voice over the radio that made me open my eyes. My body hurt, my head pounded, and my vision was a bit blurry. Across from me, Burke hung unconscious, which explained why my head felt the way it did.

“…This is Nancy, is everything okay? Over.” I looked to my side to see Hudson in a state that was no better than mine, but when I looked for the Sheriff, he was nowhere in sight. A headpiece just hung there, swinging back and forth. “Please, are you there? Are you there? Are you there, Sheriff?” I began to panic as I noticed that the seat Joseph occupied was now empty. Where was he? My heart started to pound, and I let out a whimper as I looked around. “Deputy Hudson, if you’re there, please pick up.”

“Amazing Grace…how sweet the sound.” Ice filled my veins and I began to desperately reach for the headset.

“Deputy Pratt, are you there? Are you there?” I almost cried when my fingers wrapped around it, and I pulled it to my face. A hand stopped mine, making me gasp in shock as Joseph Seed continued to sing.

“That saved…”

“Earl? Please, come in.”

“A wretch…like me...” he finished as he studied me. Tears were streaming down my face at this point, both from the smoke and the absolute terror I felt. Joseph only had a broken nose and a few bruises on his face and his yellow tinted glasses had made it through with on a crack in one of the lenses. I was too in shock to say a word.

“Are you there? Is somebody there? Please.” Nancy was becoming more frantic and my heart broke for her. Any words I was prepared to say choked in my throat as he leaned in closer, his eyes big and bright as the bore into mine.

“I told you that God wouldn’t let you take me.” He whispered and I exhaled shakily.

“Please…I need to know what’s going on.” Nancy pleaded as she began to cry. I wanted to scream and yell, to tell her that I was alive and to send for help. Send anyone. But Joseph reached for the headset and pulled the mic to his face while staring at me.

“Dispatch…”

“Oh, my God…” Nancy breathed a sigh of relief and I frowned.

“Everything is just fine over here. No need to call anyone.” There was a split second as I held my breath, waiting for Nancy to respond.

“Yes, Father. Praise be to you.” My heart sank at her words as I realized what that meant. She tipped them off. She was a part of it. A dry sob raked through my body in disbelief and heartbreak. Joseph leaned in closer as he let go of the headset.

“No one is coming to save you.” He whispered and another sob raked through me with new tears as the empty feeling of helplessness buried itself in the pit of my stomach. A car pulled up, gaining his attention and I watched as he left the helicopter. They rejoiced at the sight of their Father and he stood on the hood of the car to address the four men that stood before him.

“The First Seal has been broken. The Collapse is upon us. And we will take what we need. And preserve what we have.” I watched as Hudson and Burke stirred awake, coughing from the smoke. A sense of relief filled me. I wasn’t alone. “And we will kill all those that stand in our way!” I caught Hudson’s eye as Joseph focused his attention on us. “And these. The harbingers of doom will see the truth.”

“We gotta get outta here...we gotta get outta here.” Burke murmured, but I wasn’t paying attention to him. I was watching Hudson, making sure she was okay. I could see Joseph addressing his flock as she processed our situation.

“Begin the reaping!” Joseph yelled with his hands spread out to the sky.

“We gotta get out of here!” Burke said urgently and I watched as Hudson began to pull and struggle at the seatbelt. I turned and began to do the same as they approached Hudson and began to tug her out.

“NO!” I tried to yell as I reached for her, but it came out as a mere croak. We clasped hands briefly, before our grip was easily broken by the men dragging her. I tried pulling on her pants leg, but she was just out of reach. “Hudson!”

“Get the fuck off me! Pratt! Pratt!” she screamed, and I realized that they were taking him, too. They kicked as they fought against their captors.

“Jesus Christ, we got to get the fuck out of here!” The men turned back to us, but before they could reach in, the flames surged forward, blocking us from them momentarily. Burke dropped down and I felt a tiny bit of hope bloom in my chest.

“Help me out!” I cried at him as he took a second to collect himself.

“Let them burn. This is God’s will.  This is their punishment.” Before I could say a word, Burke took off running out of the bird and I watched in disbelief. He was leaving me behind. That little snake was leaving me to die. I began to struggle even more as panic made it hard to breathe, pulling at the buckle, begging and praying for it to come loose. I needed to run. I didn’t want to die like this. I wished more than anything that I could go back in time. I should have listened. I should have listened.

Sometimes it’s better to just walk away.

The buckle finally gave, dropping me on the roof. I winced in pain at the impact on my side. It was hot and hard to breath. Stray strands of hair clung to my face from the sweat and tears as I coughed a bit before getting to my knees and facing towards the woods. I had to run for it. I got to my feet as they finally caught on that we were free.

“Oh, whoa, whoa. Oh, hey! They’re getting away!” one of them yelled and I took a run for it. The sound of gunfire and bullets whizzing past me drove me to run faster than I ever have in my life. I dodged trees, branches, and logs as I made my way through unknown territory. I looked behind me briefly to see if anyone had followed, causing me to trip forward and hit the ground hard. I was shaking and my limbs felt like jelly. I was dizzy from the blood rushing to and from my head, and I vomited from the turning of my stomach. I steeled my resolve and stood again. I had to keep going. If I stayed there, I was going to either get caught or killed. Maybe both, if Joseph’s words rang true. All I could do was keep stumbling forward as I wiped my mouth on the back of my gloved hand.

It was super dark out, but the moon was bright enough to allow me to at least see my surroundings. I could see a cabin on my left, and I ducked down to avoid being spotted. I don’t know what had happened, but my pistol was gone. I was unarmed and definitely in over my head. I could hear them shouting in the distance, hunting us down. My radio came alive, making me jump clean out of my skin.

“Hello…? Anyone hearing me? Hello? It’s Burke…Hello?” I had a mix of emotions as his voice came through. Relief that he had made it out alive but pissed off that he had left me behind. I also didn’t want to be out here alone, so knowing that he was out here too made me feel just a bit better. “I think I lost them. I see a…a trailer nearby. It’s next to a long bridge. I’m gonna try and get inside…if anyone’s still out there…Listen, if anyone is still alive, meet me there.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as I spotted the bridge through the trees. He wasn’t far. I picked up my pace as best as I could and made my way to the steep incline, my muscles protesting in agony. Once I reached the top, I bent over to catch my breath. I almost cried in relief at the sight on the trailer once I started to walk over the bridge, but I honestly didn’t think I had any tears left. Exhaustion threatened to seep in, but I forced myself to keep going. I jogged lightly the closer I got, the trailer door a beacon of safety. I pushed it open and turned just as Burke yelled and grabbed my neck. I screamed in response as I tried to push him away. His eyes widened in realization and his grip loosened.

“Jesus Christ, Blake. I’m sorry…I thought they got you. Come on.” He stumbled back and motioned for me to follow him through another door. “Check the room.” He pointed to a bedroom on our right and as I looked in, I could see pictures and posters all over the walls. Pictures of the Father and Eden’s Gate. As I turned to take in the rest of the house, I realized how much of a mess it was. Burke was sneaking around, like some sort of burglar and had it been any other scenario, I would have laughed. He turned to me, pale and panting. The ashen tint on his face showed just how freaked out he was, which wasn’t reassuring in the slightest.

“Oh Jesus! I had no idea.” And I just stared at him. No idea? I wanted to yell, to scream at him that Whitehorse had warned him, but I didn’t really have the energy to do so, the panic attack and adrenaline slowly starting to wear off. Whitehorse told him that we shouldn’t do it, but Burke wanted the glory. His pride was more important. He turned to the wall of framed pictures and pointed. “Fuck!” He approached the wall as I finally caught sight of what he was looking at. It looked like a family photo that was professionally done, but Burke yanked it off the wall before I could get a closer look and looked me in the eye. “We’re putting this whole family away. All of ‘em. Fucking lunatics!”

He threw the frame down in anger and stomped away. I took a step closer to the table to actually get a look of the photo. Joseph sat in a chair in the middle, back straight with no emotion whatsoever. The girl sat on the floor to his right, with her arm on his leg. The red-haired brother stood behind Joseph with a red sniper rifle in his hands, and I couldn’t help but praise myself for not doing anything too stupid in the church. I couldn’t say the same about the Marshal though. Lastly, the youngest brother leaned against the back of Joseph’s chair with a book in his hand.

“We’re going to get out of this, Rookie. First things first, we gotta arm ourselves.”

“What’s the plan?” I finally asked as I looked back up at him and followed. I didn’t want to follow him, deep down, but I didn’t have a choice. I was way over my head, and I knew I couldn’t get out of this alone. He picked up a rifle and shoved it in my hands before grabbing the pistol for himself. I followed him as he approached a window and crouched down.

“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do.” He blew on the ammo cartridge before slapping it into the butt of his pistol before holstering it. “There’s a road out there. We’re gonna take it, and head Northeast. It’s probably only a few hours back to Missoula. And then,” he turned and grabbed my shoulder. I bit my tongue from biting his head off for daring to touch me. “we’re gonna come back here with the damn National Guard. And we’re gonna take out the rest of these—"

He was cut off by a couple of voices outside the trailer. I frowned. How did they find us so quickly? My eyes widened as it dawned on me. They took Hudson and Pratt, which meant they probably had their radios, too. If I had heard Burke’s message, then they had as well. I clenched my jaw in frustration. I wanted to strangle the Marshal for his constant stupidity, him and that joke of a warrant. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I looked at Burke with a twist of my mouth. “You idiot—"

“They came around this way!”

“Check inside the trailer!”

“Shh!” Burke whispered lowly as he motioned towards the other window. I gave a quick nod before I began my way over.

“They’re in there!” someone yelled as a rock was thrown through the window. I covered my face as glass exploded, landing on the carpet. I looked out to see a bunch of men running around, taking cover, and shooting at us with their own rifles. Great. Way to get your feet wet, Wren. Burke quickly ran to the other window on my side and began to return fire. To say the least, I was fucking terrified. I have done a lot of shit in my life, but I had never done this.

Aiming out the window, I tried to only land wounding shots instead of kill shots. I wasn’t prepared to take a life. I put my head down, made it through the academy, did everything I had to in order to get my life back on track. To get away from the shitty past. This wasn’t something I had asked for. The AR was digging into my shoulder, and I wondered briefly if I was holding it incorrectly. Burke cursed under his breath before jumping out through the window. As I returned fire, a stray bullet hit a red metal canister, causing an explosion that blew people off their feet.

I took advantage and followed Burke, trying to stay close enough to keep both of us protected. As much as I couldn’t stand him, I knew we were better off sticking together. The rush and panic were back, my heart pounding hard in my chest. Burke dashed, yelling me to cover him, as he ran towards a white truck.”

“Cover you with what?!” I shrieked, paranoid that he was going to take off without me, so I run towards the truck after him.

He was cursing, trying to get the thing started, throwing me an incredulous look as I yanked open the passenger door. “I told you to cover me!” he hissed.

“And give you a chance to leave me again?” I snapped, throwing him a look, finally losing my patience and giving into the fear that was pumping in my veins…I wasn’t keeping my mouth shut anymore, not after the shit he kept pulling. “Not likely.”

He grumbled something about not doing it again with a half-assed apology, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was watching the next wave of cultists running towards us, clinging tightly to the gun in my hands. With a victorious yell, the truck started just as a bullet ricocheted off the door next to my head. I quickly ducked in the cab of the truck as he slammed on the gas.

“Up ahead, watch it!” Burke yelled and I looked up to see two of them shooting at us, but Burke just pressed the gas harder. “Hold on!”

He rammed the truck into the chain-link gates, tearing it down as the yelling and gunshots faded behind us. I was drenched in sweat, my breathing quick. “Holy fuck.” I breathed out, one hand gripping on the door handle and the other cradling my rifle.

“You ok?” Burke asked, throwing me a glance. I gave a quick nod before his attention went back to the road. “Nice work back there. I’d be dead if it weren’t for you. We gotta get back…but we gotta be smart. We don’t know who we can trust…fucking Nancy.”

“Fucking Nancy.” I echoed with malice. I hadn’t gotten super close with Nancy, but her betrayal still stung. She was so nice, praising and talking about the niece she was so damn proud of all the time. She welcomed me into that station with open arms.

“Oh no…oh no, they got the roads blocked.”

“They what?” My eyes widened as I took in the amass of trucks and concrete blocks. I could see barbed wire and stop signs in the back of a few. The cultists turned to us, and opened fire. “Oh shit!”

“Shoot!!” Burke shouted at me, and I pulled the rifle up, aiming out of the window. Of all the things I expected from a small town, this definitely wasn’t one of them. I wanted to cry, curl up in a ball, and set on the floorboard of the truck. I was done with this shit, but I tried my best to defend us as Burke drove like a damn madman.

“For the Father!” A man shouted as two white trucks showed up out of nowhere, shooting at us.

“Behind us, keep them off us!” Burke yelled.

The panic was starting to spread again, from the yelling and the gunfire, it was just all too much. And then I see a burst of red on a windshield, the white truck swerving and hitting the other. But all I could think of was the blood. I killed someone...I just fucking killed someone! My chest pulled painfully as my eyes swam with tears.

“Jesus Christ, we can’t get around it! Hold on, we gotta get off the main road.” Burke jerks the truck roughly, knocking me back from the window and my thoughts. I gasped as he ran through a fence, pieces of metal and wood flying. “They keep coming, Blake! Get back out there!”

“How about you focus on not getting us killed?” I snapped as he flew off a hill, the truck slamming against the ground.

“Could say the same to you!” he retorted. “There’s a case of dynamite in the back of the truck, use it!”

“What?!”

He didn’t answer as I popped my head back out, eyeing the back to see an open wooden box. The sticks of dynamite were everywhere, strewn around from all the momentum, so I could only reach a few without falling. Burke swerved, and I gripped the truck tighter, praying to whatever higher being there was that I wouldn’t die like this.

The shooting continued as I, finally, made it securely back into the somewhat-safe interior of the truck. Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out a metal litter as my hands shook violently, flipping the top and lighting one of the sticks to throw. I wouldn’t normally condone this kind of thing, and nor have I ever done this, but my instinct to survive was above everything else. My body was just reacting, and my mind was still miles behind, with that red stained truck.

I would never claim to have the best aim in the world, but trying to throw something out of a moving vehicle, hanging out of the window, with a bulky rifle against you…well, it wasn’t the best. Most that I threw went off too late or landed too far away. Burke’s curses joined the choir of gunfire and the shocks on the old truck as it rumbled along. Then it was joined by an odd sound that I didn’t recognize.

“John’s here!” Someone yelled.

Who the fuck was John?!

“Is that a fucking plane? Don’t tell me they got fucking air support!” Burke yelled, slamming his hand against the wheel.

My face twisted in confusion as I tried to adjust my rifle, but I froze, eyes wide, as I saw what Burke was screaming about. I didn’t know much about planes, and I would never pretend to, but the black one I saw was gorgeous. Or at least, from what I saw of it before it started shooting at us, coming a little too close for my comfort. Quickly flipping off the plane, I went back to fending off Peggies in trucks and ATVs, people shooting us from the side of the road. The plane made another round, Burke doing what he could to avoid getting us killed.

“Motherfucking psychopaths!!” Burke screamed as he drove straight towards a roadblock. “Motherfucking Peggies!!”

“Burke, we’re not going to make that!” I yelled over the chaos. The truck was already trashed, I wasn’t sure how much it could take, but it wasn’t just that. It was the fact he was going to crash us into a fucking roadblock. I tried hard to keep the flashbacks at bay, fear overcoming the adrenaline.

We hit it head on with a huge bang, but somehow, we were still going. Burke straightened out, slamming the gas again to speed back up as we approached a bridge. Relief and hope dared to spread in my chest until a truck cut in front of us, laying down heavy fire. What the fuck was wrong with this county?!

“You’ve gotta be kidding me?!” he roared beside me.

“Is that…what is that?!” I screamed. “A mounted machine gun?”

He was about to answer until the color drained from his face. “Oh no—”

I turned just in time to see a glimpse of the plane and the explosion quickly after. I screamed as the Marshal jerked the wheel, launching us right into a free fall. My heart stopped and my breathing was caught in my throat as we nosedived towards the river. Flashes of memories buried deep flew in my mind: broken glass, the deployed airbag, the pain, the blood…

Gasping quickly, the truck landed hard in the water, the cab filling quickly through the open window. I’m too shocked to move at first as I watch Burke shoot out the windshield with his pistol. He moves forward, and I reach out to grab him in desperation, but he’s already swimming away. I clench my teeth in rage as I finally free myself from the seat belt.

I’m running out of air as I swim up, breaching the surface with a loud gasp, trying to breathe in as much as my lungs can handle. It’s a struggle, but I make my way to the riverbank, my muscles screaming. I whimper as I crawl, my body finally giving out from under me, and I collapse, rolling on my back. My focus is in and out as I fight to stay awake. The adrenaline, the panic, everything has left me numb and cold, pushed way past my limits.

“Let me go!!! I’m a federal Marshal—”

Burke’s words are cut off with the sound of him getting hit with something a distance away and I scoff. Fucker deserved that. “This one needs a little faith…look along the banks, there was another one. We need to take them to the Father.”

I groan as an older man came into view. My vision was too blurry to make out any features and I cough then take another deep breath. I don’t have the energy to say a word to this man, let alone fight him when he starts to drag me away. The last thing I see before my vision goes black is the starry night, wondering where the plane went.

[ellanainthetardis]

Alright, this will be my review for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes so obviously spoilers under the cut.

Also obviously, this is my opinion, I force no one to share it and I’m happy to discuss the book with anyone who wants to. 

First off, I won’t go into all the deep themes in the books. It seems obvious to me there’s a very clever allegory for a contrat social at work here but since I am not very much interested in that, I will leave it aside. It’s well done, I think, but I am more a character driven sort of reader than theme driven and the debate over “are we the product of our environment or is man a beast at heart” is a bit null here. Surely enough, as one of the quotes at the beginning implies, the whole book more or less struggles to show Dr Gaul somehow turns Coryo into a monster to her Frankenstein… Sure, he seems to hesitate between right and wrong, the nature of the two etc etc. But, really, I have troubles relating to a character questioning the nature of man when that character is so plainly a psychopath himself.

I’m sorry. I said it.

Did I love Snow in this book? Sure. Even when he was being bad, I loved him. What’s not to love? He’s completely over-dramatic. All the time. He’s a complex character with Draco Malfoy vibes and who tries to do well by his family. But he is also sick in the head and that predates Dr Gaul’s little mind games. Can we argue it’s because of his traumatic childhood? Maybe. It doesn’t change the fact he equals love with possession, does not seem to experience remorse nor guilt – or at least not very long and he’s  very quick to rationalize it – and has a natural ability to mimic or force himself to act as is expected in any given situation. He doesn’t react  to things, you will notice, he behaves the way he thinks people expects him to.

So, he is sick. And since he is sick, the whole debate through his head about the nature of violence, men being beasts without laws, freedom versus enforcement, right and wrong, etc seems void.

Let’s leave that aside for now.

The question you will probably ask me is: did you like the book? And the answer I will give is yes I did. I did enjoy the book. At least the first two third of it.

It’s fast paced, it’s engaging, it’s easy to read…

What I like most is the worldbuilding. What a difference a 3rd pov makes… I mean we finally got all the world building we deserved. And the names. Actually, there were so many names in there I’m pretty sure she threw them as a joke. But, yeah. Everything I reproach Thg was fixed here: we have a more consistent idea of how the Games work out of the arena, we know the currency used is dollars (which we didn’t up until now), we have a  better idea of how the Capitol works as a society, about the working of Peacekeepers and Districts… I quite enjoyed learning more about the 1st war and the post war world too.

I also enjoyed the Capitol families Cameos – and I was very wary about them if you read some of my posts pre-released. They were nice nods, it wasn’t too on the nose…  I am relieved beyond measure not to have seen a mention of an Abernathy or a Trinket – or an Everdeen or a Mellark, I guess – mostly because that means we are still free to stick to our own hcs. (it’s not that important but still).

The cast of characters were all great – with two notable exceptions but I will come back to that.

I loved Snow’s family. What a surprise to find out Tigris is a Snow? But what joy she is. I really enjoyed her character but I have to say I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get to see (or at least were told in the epilogue) how they grow apart or how she comes to have whiskers. The Grandma’am was an awesome addition too. Lucy Gray, the Coveys, the Peacekeepers, Sejanus, the other mentors…  They were great.

I will argue that maybe Lucy Gray, as a main character (second main character? She’s the yin to his yang in this book) could have been more fleshed out because when it comes down to it, she seems to float around in the story only in relation to Snow. This being said and the pov being mostly Snow’s, it’s coherent with his egocentric view of the world. And I’m sure a lot of people will argue the case that her only purpose being to die so he can get over love is a bit problematic better than I could.

The two characters that I think were disappointing were the “villains” of the tale: Dr Gaul and Highbottom. They were actually so disappointing that I spent a good portion of the book convinced that here was some kind of secret plot, that there would be a conspiracy or something. But no, they were just that… flat.

Highbottom first: the creator of the Hunger Games who, obviously, didn’t mean to and ends up doctoring himself with morphling to forget. And seems to hate Coryo (yes that’s Snow’s nickname) for no obvious reason. I was sure there must be some twist but no, it just turned out he hates Snow because his father stole his Hunger Games idea to pitch it to Gaul for a grade and now he’s responsible for the death of kids. Which, I mean, is valid. But since it’s only here to bring into contrast the “is Snow really bad or have the circumstances make him bad” when, really, he’s a psycho, it ends up being very disappointing on discovery – never mind as the final reveal of the epilogue.  

As for Gaul. Is she terrifying? I mean, for a young adult book, sure, I guess. She’s too obviously mean and crazy scientist for me though. I like my villains a little more subtle. She spent her times torturing her pet rabbit and various animals ffs. All she needed was a mustache to twirl. She’s cliché and, again, I’m sure it was like that for rhetoric purposes but… She’s Frankenstein and Snow is her creature, we get it. Why though? She takes a shine to him and proceeds to groom him so he can deliver the world she wants? So he’s her legacy? Because she’s a psycho too and she needs an apprentice? I thought that part was a little fishy because, at the end of the day… I don’t know, it seems a bit random.

But, I suppose, yet again, everything has to revolve around Snow in the book and in Panem.

And we’re touching to the part that annoyed me to death, that really really angered me and that, right now as we speak, I am a little disgusted by.

A short word first about the fan service. And there was plenty of that to go around. All the little wink wink, nudge nudge made me smile at first (like the grandma saying it only takes a spark for fire to catch, that sort of things), it was subtle so it worked. But as the book goes on, all the references built to the point I was sort of terrified Katniss would end up being related to Snow. And while she is not, I am fairly convinced she’s descended from the Coveys, it makes a lot of sense.

Ok… Where to start with that part and be coherent…

The less offensive (yes, I am using that word because it was offending to me) thing was Snow’s recurring reflection about the mockingjays. On hindsight, of course, it has so much more meaning than what is going on on paper, so it made sense and while it was a bit sold too thick, it was also interesting. That’s something I’m willing to grant was good.

I also liked the “it’s not over until the Mockingjay sings” saying. To be honest, I was 100% confident the epilogue would be a flashforward to the end of MJ and that quote would somehow come back into play but apparently not, that’s for us to fanfic instead.  

Now, as for the rest… I am going to speak as someone who loves Haymitch Abernathy an unhealthy amount, and while I speak as someone who loves Haymitch, I also feel it is only minorly about Haymitch and a lot about Katniss, Peeta and the rest of the victors. But Haymitch is my favorite character in the series, Haymitch is a big part of why I have dedicated so much time writing fanfics and contributing to the fandom, I am very protective of Haymitch. And, on his behalf, I am so deeply, deeply offended.

In this book, Suzanne Collins makes Snow a victor.

We can argue the semantics. Naturally, he didn’t actually win the Hunger Games.

Or does he?

Because there are no winners, only survivors and by that very definition Coriolanus Snow is a victor.

Coriolanus Snow walked into an arena, was forced into the arena.

Coriolanus Snow fought in the arena.

Coriolanus Snow killed someone in the arena.

Coriolanus Snow walked back out of the arena.

He survived.

It makes him a de facto victor. He is actually literally called that a couple of times throughout the book. It’s reinforced by the idea that mentor and tribute are a team, even.

And this very idea that Snow is a victor, has been a victor all along, is so deeply, deeply upsetting to me. The bond between victors, it’s something very special, I feel. Victors share something nobody else can understand – my very favorite part of the whole series is in Catching Fire when they hold hands, it is such a strong emotional moment, it always moves me, always. And Snow being a part of that defiles it. Worse, that means a victor was actually the one imposing such horrors on other victors all along.

And that’s… I mean, probably in terms of themes and the story as an independent object, it’s all very ironic and dark and full of great meaning about man and it’s condition. But for someone who loves Haymitch, it is very deeply offending to learn the man who has taken everything from him went through the same experience he did, that they share that bond, that they have so many similarities.

Too many similarities actually. And here we are going to branch out on TBOSAS in relation to Katniss more specifically.

That’s another thing I am not sure I liked: how similar Snow’s conditions were to our beloved characters. The starvation, the very similar experience they had growing up.

At first, I didn’t mind it. I thought, even, that it was quite fitting. But the problem came when so much of Katniss’ story was being… stolen, turned around. It started feeling like this book was subverting the powerful story in THG, not just the main plot, but everlark, and the character building. So, of course, here again, it’s probably a matter of questioning if, stemming from the same conditions, you become a hero or a villain. Nature or nurture. That sort of things. And, again, it depends if you look at the big picture and analyze it calmly or if you react with your guts as a fan, I guess. Yeah, no surprise, I’m going the fan route.

So there were a lot of parallels to Katniss.

The starvation. The strong sense of family. Lucy and the singing…

And it wasn’t limited to Katniss, it touched to everlark too.

The star-crossed lovers thing comes to mind obviously (and I want to talk about the ship too but after). Then, there was the bread thing that was both Snow’s and Lucy’s favorite and the fact that Snow brings her food all the time.  The poison in the arena we can land at snow’s door since it’s his weapon of choice, but still poison in the arena, my mind goes straight to the berries… (I will tackle the hanging tree song after)

At this point (before she goes in the arena), I was still mostly okay with it because I thought it would somehow have a reason later. Like either Katniss would turn out to be related to Lucy or it would remain light enough to turn out to be foreshadowing for THG.

Then came part 3. And that’s where the book mostly lost me.

There are eleven other Districts in Panem. So why Twelve? And if it had to be Twelve why pollute everything Katniss loves? How are we supposed to see those things the same way again when we know what we now know?

The meadow? The meadow where the toastbabies are dancing and running? Where so many people are laid to rest? Snow has been there, kissed his girl there. And let me tell you, as a Haymitch fan, knowing that Haymitch never gets to reunite with his girl in the meadow because of Snow, it’s a special kind of pain to read Coryo frolicking there in the grass “with his girl”.

And then, of course, I don’t know what is worse… The lake or the song?

Let’s start with the lake. Where do I begin? The lake that is so special to Katniss? The little shack where she stocks everything? The lake that features into so many fanfictions and that, if some people feel the same way I do, can never be used again the same way? So, that lake was where Snow murdered (possibly) his “love”. The lake, thus, becomes a part of Snow’s narrative.

It’s stolen away from Katniss.

And to better stress that point? The scene with the Mockingjays taking up the hanging tree when Lucy is about to get murdered. (let’s make a digression to say oh boy how fun it must have been for Snow during mj, I’m very tempted to fanfic THAT). It’s all very full of symbolism, of course, but with the hindsight? It’s another great important moment stolen away from Katniss. Highjacked. Not unlike a mutt, actually. This book is a mutt XD

Which brings me to what really, really made me angry: the hanging tree song.

That song is so symbolic of MJ and everlark. I mean, there’s one thing I will give MJ the movie and that’s this scene with the song. The people attacking the dam and getting butchered while humming that song? Iconic. But more prosaically, book based, that song is such such a powerful moment. It’s special. And not only because of all the thing with everlark and the tree and midnight.

And suuuuure there might be a lot of symbolism in that song being not strictly about but still intimately related to Snow. Sure. But you know? It’s also another thing that now is about Snow. So even as Katniss was singing that song, getting the Districts to rebel, showing Peeta that District 12 was gone, letting the Mockingjays by the lake take up the chorus… It isn’t just about hope or freedom anymore. Now, it’s about Snow and about how terribly ironic it is this particular song comes to be his demise, how it’s fate or karma or whatever you want to call it. Because now, we can’t unread this book, we can’t unknown what we know.

And I hate that.

Because Katniss’ journey in THG? It’s now so deeply linked to Snow’s story that if you take a step back and think, it’s more all about Snow than it is about her, or her sister or the Districts. Snow lands on top, right?

And you know what really irks me?

The book is actually good as a character study book (not really so much as dystopia because in terms of actual plot, I feel there was really little) but it didn’t have to taint so many elements of THG the way it does.

Let’s say for a moment Snow isn’t Snow. Let’s say he is a wealthy Capitol fallen from grace and that character who is not going to be the President of Panem has the same journey Coryo does. Let’s say at the end of the story, he moves on to become a famous Head Gamemaker or a close advisor to the President?

Well, the themes explored then remained the same, the conclusions remained the same. We lose the visceral signification of his connection to the mockingjays but is that really important? The Hanging Tree now has a resonance for another character in that world, the meadow has probably seen countless lovers reunions and someone killed someone else at the lake, those things happen. The problem is they happen to Coriolanus Snow.

And baring that, let’s say we keep Snow as a main, why did it have to be Twelve? Again, there are eleven other Districts in Panem. He could have come to the very same conclusions in any other place.

Twelve is only relevant in relation to what happens in THG, to Katniss, to Peeta, to Haymitch.

Lucy and the Covey could have ended up stuck in any other Districts. It didn’t have to be Twelve. It didn’t have to spoil the Meadow, or the lake or even the Hanging Tree song.

Is that why Snow hates Twelve so much? Is that why he kills Haymitch’s family even if it’s completely stupid and leaves him without a leash around a Quell’s victor’s neck? Is that why he bombs the Districts into complete oblivion ? Not to punish its victors but because he so intimately hates the place? Because he walked in their very shoes? Because, for a brief time, from his Frankenstein’s experiment, he played in the mud?

For that matter, is that why he has this weird relationship with Katniss? Because she reminds him of Lucy? The similarities are there if you look…  Is Katniss a sort of ghost to him? Come back to haunt him after all those decades? Is that why it feels so personal between them?

I will say a quick word about the ship: I was into it at first. Then there was this scene at the zoo after the snake attack on Clemmie and I felt everything started going downhill from there. The ship is rushed. They go from attraction to love in ten seconds FLAT. I know it’s YA and concessions have to be made (although I will argue I read plenty of YA and some ships don’t seem this juvenile), I made them on account of the fact they’re both young and prone to being drama queens.

(I’m making a brief parenthesis because, rereading this, I realized I did say when the book announcement came out and we all very obviously predicted the romance, that as a hayffie fan I hated the thought Snow would have a Capitol/District romance, but on that account, I have to say after reading I don’t even care because it felt so immature and so not actual love, that I don’t feel it really counts? But at the same time, it’s definitely something I have to think upon in terms of hayffie and Snow because would his own experience play in the way he sees them/manipulates/threatens them?)

All in all, though, that ship didn’t convince me. I couldn’t believe it was real. On either part. On Snow’s part because I’m  not certain he’s capable of love. He equals love with possession,  “his” girl, she “belongs” to him, he liked her better locked in the zoo because he knew where to find her, he constantly questions Lucy’s loyalties… Every  time she sings something, he’s like “is it about me? Is it about me? It’s not about me? Who is it about? I hate her. She’s dead to me. Oh but now she’s singing she’s over him. So I love her again”. Being in his head is a journey, let me tell you.

As for Lucy, it’s frustrating. But with Collins, I learned long ago to be frustrated (hey, hayffie fan here XD. You know the two characters you need to build your own hc about if you want to use them with some depths). You can feel there’s this whole backstory about her but we never get to really touch that and so we’re treated to this very strange scene with the ex-lover but we don’t really care because there is  no passion, nowhere… In fact, as a character, outside of her singing, her being a show girl, and her little discourse about how man should be free, live and let live yada yada yada, Lucy’s character is very flat in the third part of the book. She’s here only to allow Coryo’s character development.

I would argue that Sejanus actually makes more of an impact on Snow and the general plot than she does in part 3 – or, if you think about it, in the book in general. Lucy is the trigger that gets Coryo’s reflection starting about the hunger games but it’s really Sejanus that challenges it and keeps it going. Sejanus is, in fact, the District character since Snow keeps telling himself the Covey aren’t really Twelve.

I  also want to say, on a completely unrelated note, that the constant mansplaying of songs by Snow was unbearable. And that’s not his fault. So, Mrs Collins, I know how to interpret a text thank you. And I’m sure everyone else does to. It broke the pace and the emotion so much for me when he started randomly explaining. The Lucy Gray ballad was the worst. “she’s dead.” NO KIDDING SHERLOCK.

And while we’re in that Lucy Gray thing: very subtle foreshadowing here, btw. Didn’t see it coming at all.

Ah and also something that made me cringe and that I felt was very out of place: the livestock cars and the cages at the zoo. Not to go all social justice warrior but when I read, it immediately hit home and not in the right way. It felt like a prop to stress how inhumane and racist the Capitol was being, they were easy references to loaded terrible horrifying history events and I truly, truly thought it was borderline because, like I said, it was used as a prop.

To conclude.

Is this book great? Yes and No.

I think if you take it independently of THG, it’s a very good book. It’s interesting, the characters are compelling, there is a moral for you to reflect on… It’s not the best dystopian book I’ve read in recent years, it’s not the best young adult book I’ve read in this lockdown (Hi, do yourself a facor, check out the Shadow of the Fox trilogy and then come shout at me in my ask box) but it was still a good read. And I forgot to say but the first half of the novel is actual crack. It was hillarious. Might not have been the intent but come on. It was funny. (and I’m satly they sent him in the arena but they sent him with a can of pepper spray and that will make me laugh forever) I had  a good time and, at the end of the day, that’s what you ask of novels.

However, in the general context of the series, loving thg as much as I do, it tainted some of the iconic things, twisted them, insulted some of my most favorites characters, and that really dampened my joy and made me angry. So as a fan… I’m not sure I can say it was great, no.

It certainly didn’t let me indifferent though and that’s already something.

And, I mean, it is so much better than the cursed child I feel I cannot complain too much.

 It also does leave the door rather open to a sequel, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another announcement soon.  

[ommsims]

story process challenge

i was tagged  by @xldkx​​ to do this challenge, created by @herpixels​​​ , like a month? a month and a half? ago and it’s been sitting half finished in my drafts for nearly as long. *sigh* (regardless, i love stuff like this so even if it takes me forever to get to it, i appreciate the tags! 💕). 

i decided to answer all the qs because it took me damn long enough to get to this, so i might as well put some extra elbow grease into it (plus it was fun!). btw it’s all going under a cut b/c it is long. i apologize in advance.

1. My Writing Process - used to be a hot damn mess. literally word docs strewn throughout my pc. However, I recently switched to using Onenote (it’s what i use to organize my d&d campaign notes) and hoo-boy is it so much nicer. this is how it’s set up and it’s honestly night and day. i can have a page with outlines, a page to organize & order screenshots, and a separate page for drafting text, and i can easily toggle though them without having to switch windows? a big thumbs up from me.

When it comes to actual writing- I used to write my drafts in novel format, which i enjoyed but it made “converting” them into tumblr posts time consuming and frustrating. I ended up scrapping most of the text in the process, retaining pretty much only the dialogue. 

Anyway, nowadays I write in more of a screenplay format: dialogue only + key scene information with the occasional note to self. 

I do keep a master “arcs” page with key events and each individual character’s arc from beginning to end and secondary “outline” pages with slightly more detailed outline for each leg of the project. No screencaps b/c spoilers galore! 

My typical work flow process for a scene goes: (1) brainstorm scene ideas, (2) take screenshots, (3) organize screenshots into a rough storyboard, (4) add 1st draft of text, (5) edit photos, (6) edit text, (7) upload to "drafts” here on tumblr, (8) let sit for a bit (9) take a final look at things/proofread and edit as needed. It may sound counterintuitive, but i find it much easier to write dialogue for a set of images rather than attempt to take images based on prewritten text. I feel more comfortable editing and tweaking tone and content in the text this way. Otherwise, I get frustrated when I “can’t” shoot a scene exactly as it appeared in my head.

2. How I build my scenes - A lot of what i do is rooted in gameplay, therefore my sets are usually (a) play-tested and (b) not super pretty. I’ve certainly improved at decorating & building over the years but more often than not I download lots off tumblr and the gallery because I don’t have the patience, aptitude, or time to build all of my own sets. That being said, I frequently gut builds only to build a number of completely unrelated mini sets inside to reduce the number of times i have to replace lots. I also keep a list of “important locations” and where certain characters live / will move to, to help keep this all straight as there aren’t nearly enough lots per neighborhood or even per world in this damn game...

my least favorite part of scene building is actually decorating. lol. Don’t get me wrong, I love clutter. I honestly do. but fuck me if i expect myself to spend hours meticulously decorating a set, spend another 3 hours toggling back and forth b/w BB & live modes adjusting things to get rid of the damn routing errors. (yeah, yeah, i know i could ignore them, they’re not important, especially in those scenarios where i’m using a set for screenshots and nothing else, but idk. it really grinds my gears.) and then have to replace the lot like a week later because there aren’t enough lots in the game. *sigh*

3. CC/Pose Making - i do not consider myself to be a cc creator nor a pose maker but i do dabble occasionally. And to be completely honest i’d much rather spend my time doing other stuff, so it’s not high on my list of priorities atm. plus there are so many talented cc creators in this community; i can usually get by with what’s already out there.

4. Getting in the zone - Honestly, I do a lot of brainstorming for plot & dialogue in the shower. I don’t have any particular playlists to get me “in the writing mood” but I do enjoy listening to music as I work. Either instrumental stuff or simply artists/songs I like. If something just so happens to “fit” a scene I’m working on, one i’ve got planned, or even just gives me vibes for a certain character or group, I add a quick note to the top of said scene’s draft. Most of the time I stick it in the recesses of my brain and add a quick link when I finally get to the point of posting the draft to tumblr. For whatever reason, when I have one of those “oh this song is perfect for X” moments it’s essentially ingrained in my mind for the rest of eternity. 

5. The screenshot folder - this will most likely give some of you out there major anxiety. but i swear it’s an organized chaos. :)

yep. 32.9gb of screenshots & related things... 

So with the raws from a single random scene selected, you can see i take roughly 10 screenshots per image posted. not terrible i guess but i’m working on it. Typically I take screenshots and once I’m done editing a scene I’ll move them from the general folder to a more specific project folder.

6. Captions - I’ll answer this in three parts:

for my townie story. not really. I prefer using the text box. I tend to write (& re-write) the dialogue for each one of these scenes several times over as I add more “scenes” into my drafts. It would be incredibly inefficient, time consuming, and would waste a lot more space on my pc to have to save .psds of each image just so i could edit dialogue when I decide: “oh hey maybe so and so needs to bring up X in this scene” and then change my mind an hour later.

for niko, noor, & co. I’m a text on image type gal here. don’t really know why, but it gives the project a different energy. ironically it makes it feel more laid-back to me. which i guess makes sense, it’s a much more light-hearted “story” than my townie project. which is, imo, very soapy haha.

for legacy stuff. all text goes below the images in the text box. reasoning: it’s gameplay, I don’t brainstorm, outline, or pre-write for this. I play the game, take screenshots, plug ‘em into my drafts and write some commentary / dialogue to go along with it.

7. Editing - i am a creature of habit and have not majorly changed my editing process in probably a year and a half (when I began using reshade and had to adjust my color correcting psd). it’s a super basic system:

drag & drop my “color correction” psd.

run actions in ps. (i made my own “all-in-one” actions to really streamline the process; i have different “actions sets” for my premades’ story and for other things that get posted to tumblr. even if no one else notices it, i like the little details that keep my projects separate and “identifiable”. 

voila. all set to upload.

sometimes i crop images, add “text effects”, or do more in depth editing (i.e. editing a phone screen or adding rain etc.) but overall i try and keep it simple for myself. 

8. Throwback - i posted an image of one of the first (but never posted) scenes I’d written for my townie project up above. but as for how would i redo a scene i’d already posted. well i’m currently re-doing my townie story so i guess i’ll just say you’ll see how it’s redone when i get to part 1! 😉

anyway, no tags because i’m so embarrassingly late to this party but if you hadn’t gotten around to this tag, wanted to do it but didn’t get a tag, or started it and left it to sit and now you’re thinking “oh god that was months ago should i even post this anymore?!?” consider yourself tagged by me and go ahead and post it for all to see!

[insomnishchurrin]

Devblog #1

Written June 17th 2020 | Authored by Churrin

Hello everyone and welcome to the first official devblog of Quiazal Legacy! Having spent the past 2 and a half months building this website for ease of access for the server, it's a breath of fresh air to be able to write information directly addressing my consumers and to inform them of my future plans with the server. I plan to post one of these every few weeks depending on how many updates I manage to get out to maintain transparency with my playerbase and to keep everyone informed of my development progress. This world has been in development for 7 years, and this server just over 3 months before posting these devblogs, and as a mono-developer it's been a hard task and an effort to get it out as quickly and effectively as possible. Errors may be prevalent, changes will be made and this server may not look the same way it did when it began, but that's the fun in developing a huge project like this. My intentions with making this world was to make an open and mature world setting where players could come and build stories in an open and encouraging environment, with other, welcoming players. During this blog I will be detailing what I plan to do in the future rather than what has been accomplished. All dev blogs after this one will be a changed process where I post what had been accomplished that half month or so, and what steps I plan to make next, as well as addressing any questions or comments left regarding the server which have yet to be addressed.  --

Species and Character Customization

From the beginning I've had a vast interest in designing a world appropriate for players to design and make their own things. This of course requires a magnanimous amount of content, something of which is already in the works but has been taking a long time. Currently, around half of the capacity of existing species is present on the website but this isn't enough, and ideally I'd like for a much larger array of species to be available to remove as much limitation as possible from our players.

From the beginning I've had a vast interest in designing a world appropriate for players to design and make their own things. This of course requires a magnanimous amount of content, something of which is already in the works but has been taking a long time. Currently, around half of the capacity of existing species is present on the website but this isn't enough, and ideally I'd like for a much larger array of species to be available to remove as much limitation as possible from our players.

Currently there is a work in progress advanced roster of about 30 species being prepared to be introduced to the website. I plan to gradually introduce these first and prioritise them over adding lore to the website as, at the heart of the server, a player's creativity and ability to actually mould their creations into what they want is the most important aspect of a good roleplay server. 

Because of the permanency of characters within the world of Quiazal, it's very easy for players to grow attached to their characters. By allowing players to customise their characters as much as possible within the lines of their species, with as huge an amount of species as is possible, players will be able to feel that even though they have a select amount to choose from their characters will be unique and stand out to the crowd, something important to general content creators and myself. It's with this in mind that the very first beginner roster of species was shaped, attempting to get a variety of everything possible while making it not overbearing to new players.

In the future, I plan to also add a species application system, so if players get their species approved for the world they can add even more levels of customisation for not just themselves, but other players too. 

--

Attributes and Character Customisation

Our system of attributes and dice based mechanics may be frustrating or even intimidating to some at a first glance, but I'd like to preface this section informing you all of the fact that it is truly easier than it may look. First, I should begin by explaining why we use attributes and dice in our server, and how they benefit you as players during your interactions and development:

Attributes lie at the heart of every character and their capabilities. No character is going to start off the best, especially in a new environment, which brought about the idea which lied in my heart but never had a functionality behind it until now. A problem I see in many roleplay servers is the lack of equal opportunities, places where not all characters can become the same things, and it can be tiring to players. Everyone wants to have a chance of getting to the spotlight no matter where they are, and its with attributes that I am to do just that. All characters in Quiazal Legacy have equal capabilities to develop into what their players want them to be. A character could start out as a mere peasant, but through development and determination from their player, with levelling up and adding points to their attributes where earned, a character could become a high noble and even go on to create a world changing business. Myself and the staff here at Quiazal are here not only to drive the overarching plot of the server, but to assist in this exact developmental process and to help enable players to get to where they want their characters to be.

Character Customisation is equally as important as character development. The way a character looks, acts and even feels when playing is extremely important to any character owner, and I know as a content creator how easy it can be to grow attached to your characters designs. My intention with our ''little to no limits'' character policy is to allow players to make and shape characters to be almost, if not exactly what they can imagine in their heads when traversing our world. All too often do I see roleplay servers implement silly rules on what characters can and can't do and it can direct attention away from the heart of the character and towards whether you're actually allowed to do something or not. I don't want this to be a concern with my players, and as such I enter a character review as open minded as possible and see the positives and negatives in everything a character can have. If a player does go too far with their creation, I'm not going to say ''no, you can't have that'' but instead I like to detail a different, simpler way they can do the exact same thing, thus not rendering the design of their character entirely pointless or unusable.

-- Our usage of dice is equally as important. Although it may be an intimidating annoyance to some players, I like to title it a ''necessary evil'' and is actually much more helpful than some may see it. Freeform Roleplay can especially difficult in such an open and creative environment and as such is rarely found in worlds which utilise such huge amounts of lore and world build (see Dungeons and Dragons for example.) While all different roleplay environments who utilise d20 have their own views, my particular view is this: The dice which we have are there to assist those who may not be quite so quick thinking in their environment just yet. What I mean by this is; say you're a freeform roleplayer in an environment which uses Attributes such as our own. The way we use our attributes is to guide players who do freeform, to help them know the appropriate degree their response to another's action should be, but this is not automated. With our dice system, it automates this and the player has to do much less maths, and more focus on what the dice feeds back to them as a base for their replies. Conjuring accurate and sensible replies in response to another's action can be a struggle for some. I personally wanted to use the dice in our server to help combat this and give all players the assistance they might need in making accurate responses, and eventually with some practise leave the dice behind. Of course there are other reasons the dice are present within the server, such as certain roleplayers having a preference for dice or for their use in some of our roleplaying scenes, but this is my overarching logic.

--

For now, these are my main regions for the next steps of development. Of course, development always takes time, and as such I don't want to rush in head first and make updates too quickly while my players claw at the server's walls trying to keep up with the movement. As stated at the beginning of this blog I will be putting out updates once every couple of weeks so, potentially faster immediately after release. I look forward to seeing what everyone makes of the world I've build and I simply cannot wait to work on the world with everyone!

You can find the link to our Discord Server on our sidebar.

[fandom-scribe]

Dick and Dami Week: Day 1 - Dynamic Duo

Title: Well-Founded Reasons

Word Count: 3,635

Author’s Note: Here’s the fic for day 1, 6 days late as per usual! I honestly don’t know how it got so long but whatever. It’s a Revsere!Age AU, an AU I’m gonna be exploring in a longer fic that’s in the works right now.

Shout out the anyone that recognizes the reference and where it’s from!

—

Damian hadn’t liked the idea of sharing his mantle when Drake came on the scene. He hadn’t been done with it, hadn’t approved of the new holder, and wasn’t going to let some know-it-all sully the name he had spent so long building. It wasn’t right for Drake to demand his costume, wasn’t fair that Father had let him take it. So Damian had done the only thing he could.

He took his mantle back.

He had ripped the cape and mask off Drake right there on that rooftop, couldn’t have cared less who saw. It wouldn’t’ve been a threat to their secret identities: Drake wasn’t connected to them, wasn’t apart of the team. Who cared if he was caught in a torn costume on a rooftop in the middle of the night? It wasn’t Damian’s problem. In fact, very little managed to bring Damian as much joy as that moment had. Glaring at the shot down bird, watching him desperately trying to pick up his plucked feathers - it was the epitome of satisfaction. That is, until Batman crashed the moment, swooping in the save the damaged bird and heal its broken wings.

It was probably that moment that motivated Drake to hand over his own mantle when the time came. It was infuriating how Father had praised Drake for giving Todd his suit, but not as infuriating as Drake’s smugness and holier-than-thou attitude. It was so so obvious that he was only passing on his mantle to get under Damian’s skin. The way he had glared at Damian beforehand and the smirk on his lips as he made the offer - how could anyone else see it!? It had taken everything not to knock Drake out in that moment, and taken even more not to offer up his own old mantle, just to prove something.

Of course, then Todd had gone and died in Drake’s costume which really stained the whole affair.

It would be a lie to say that Richard’s arrival hadn’t worried Damian just a bit. Damian knew how the story went, knew the exact dance that was his father bringing in a new child. There was never a doubt in his mind that they would end up right here, with Richard preparing for his first night in the field. The question was what would he wear. Would he want to carry on Tim and Jason’s legacy? What he be allowed to? Who would stop him? Damian found himself, for the second time, with the urge to offer his own mantle in hopes of never having to answer those questions.

(For some reason, the idea of Richard being the second Shadow didn’t bother Damian as much as he thought it would. He was certainly a better successor than Drake. But, then again, everyone was better than Drake.)

Luckily, any intervention on his part was unneeded. Richard didn’t want to take on Tim and Jason’s mantle: he already had ideas for his own. Sketches and magazine clip outs had seemed to appear out of nowhere, and Richard had talked a mile a minute trying to explain it all. All Damian could do was zone out, dazed by the amount of preparation the boy had done for something Damian hadn’t even considered.

Perhaps if he had paid more attention, Damian couldn’t help but mull, he would’ve been better prepared for… this.

“Ta-da!” Richard exclaimed as he bounced around in his new costume. It was Damian’s fault. He should’ve supervised more, should’ve looked over Richard’s sketches and gone to the fittings. How did he ever think for a second that a 9-year-old could craft a practical uniform?

Richard’s design was… ridiculous, to say the least. He looked like a living traffic light in the bright reds, greens, and yellows that wrapped his body. His cape was comically short, the hem of it fluttering around his waist as hopped from foot to foot, and - oh my gosh - what was with his shoes? They were slip-ons of all things, flimsy with no type of arch or ankle support, and with their… unique shape, they could only be classified as pixie boots, something one might find in a pop-up Halloween store.

But that wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was his pants - or, rather, his lack of pants.

Panties, that’s what they were. Scaly, green, sequined panties. While Richard’s skin was not pale by any means, his bare legs seemed to glow in the Batcave’s fluorescent lights. Damian could already see the blood and scars that would mar the smooth skin if they weren’t covered soon. Richard’s suit seemed to have no reinforcement but even the shoddy fabric that made up his vest would be a better alternative.

How could Richard think this was an acceptable outfit?

How could Pennyworth let this happen?

How did he let this happen?

“Damian?”

Damian blinked, realizing he’d been staring for too long. Richard had yet to still but he had deflated from a joyful jig to an awkward shuffle. His eyes were wide and inquisitive as he wrung a black domino mask between his hands. “So, uh, whatcha think?”

“Absolutely not.”

Richard’s face practically shattered, his nose scrunching, brows furrowing, and muscles stiffening before Damian could process his own words. He sniffed once, twice - oh no he was going to cry, wasn’t he? For a quick second, Richard’s blue eyes brimmed with tears, but then he squeezed his eyes closed tightly. When he opened them all signs of tears where gone, leaving behind a look of devastating disappointment and hurt.

The pain in Damian’s chest that look left behind was more than annoying.

“I am appalled that you would even think this to be an acceptable ensemble,” Damian continued, hoping the balm that was his words would soothe that annoying pain. “No type of padding, no reinforcement, you are not even 100 percent covered! Is this some type of game to you? Are you trying to get injured out there? If you cannot take this seriously–”

“I am taking this seriously!” Richard exclaimed, his voice laced with panic. Or maybe it was Damian who was panicking, though he wasn’t quite sure why. He was angry but there was something else there, something he didn’t quite want to analyze, nearly afraid with what he would find if he did.

(It was something that had been there for some time now, ever since that night when Richard had entered his room and took it upon himself actually asked how Damian was feeling about his presence and tried to compromise with him.)

“You obviously are not. A bullet would rip through that material like tissue paper, a blind person could those colors 3 miles away, and do not even get me started on your legs! Did you honestly think you could fight crime in panties?”

“They’re not panties!”

“Yeah, and I’m not Batman.”

“You’re not Batman! Bruce is Batman!”

“Father is dead! We have talked about this, Grayson!” Grayson reeled back, as if the sound of his name had physically assaulted him. Maybe it had, considering how long it took for them to get to a first name basis, but Damian couldn’t make himself care. They had talked about it, many many times. And Grayson had encouraged him to take the mantle, had said Damian would be a great Batman, had wanted to work beside him. But apparently he had lied.

Damian didn’t have time for liars.

“Just… go to your room. I refuse to patrol with a laughingstock.” Damian spun on his heels and stalked towards the Batcomputer, ignoring the sharp gasp of pain and sniff Grayson had expelled. He plopped down in the computer’s plush rolling chair, busying himself with powering up the computer as the sound of velcro - velcro - filled the cave. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that Grayson had discarded the cape and vest on the ground, revealing that the shorts were in fact not panties, but rather the bottom part of a green unitard.

Still didn’t explain the questionable placement of sequin.

With a muted sigh, Damian turned back to the computer, losing himself in the files as Grayson sulked away.

~*~

“How could you let Grayson wear such an atrocity!?” Damian exclaimed as soon as he entered the kitchen. He still wore the Batsuit’s under armor despite the strict rule to leave all uniform pieces in the bunker below. He couldn’t make himself take off everything, was frustrated that he even had to take off anything. But he couldn’t go patrolling by himself. Not while bearing this mantle. It didn’t feel right.

“Whatever do you mean, Master Damian?” Pennyworth replied with that tone, the one that was uniquely Pennyworth and completely infuriating.

“You know exactly what I mean, Pennyworth. That costume of Grayson’s is completely unacceptable! He will die wearing that!”

Pennyworth sighed. He placed down the spoon he was using to stir their post-patrol dinner, turned down the stove’s flame, and turned towards Damian, a gray eyebrow raised. “There seems to be some misunderstanding, young sir. I do not design the costume, I simply stitch it together. It is your responsibility to make sure that Young Master Richard is properly dressed for any outings you may have, and to assure that he is properly protected during said outings. I may give the occasional critique or sought after advice but other than that, I have no duty to make anything acceptable.”

“That is bullshit!” Damian snarled, his scowl only deepening when Pennyworth had the audacity to chide his language. “You spent my entire childhood wrangling Father into taking care of himself and making sure he was always in proper condition before letting him out for the night. Do not tell me that you cannot do the same for Grayson!”

“As your father’s former guardian, I took it as a personal responsibility to make sure he was always in good health. You are Master Richard’s guardian now, thus it is your responsibility to do the same for him. I gave him my concerns and learned his well-founded reasons for wanting to wear such an outfit. I still did not agree, however, he assured me he had your approval. …You did approve his costume, right Master Damian?”

Damian pressed his lips tightly together, fighting against the heat spreading across his face. He could not remember what he had said when Grayson presented his ideas. Had he simply waved the boy off or did he actually give some sort of appraisal? Whatever remarks he had made, he had accidentally given the child the impression that he approved of his choice in outfit.

Pennyworth’s silver eyes roamed his face knowingly before he let out an inaudible sigh. With a small shake of his head, he turned back to his cooking, returning the flame to its previous height and picking up the spoon once more. “I believe we have found the problem. You said you wanted to be Master Richard’s new guardian. This is what comes with the title.”

Damian worked his jaw, fist clenching and unclenching at his side. The problem has indeed been found and it was him. He wanted to argue, but he knew Pennyworth was correct. He had neglected his duties as Grayson’s guardian. With a grunt he made up his mind, straightening his back and turning on his heels. He’ll talk to the boy, discover his “well-founded reasons” behind the abomination that was his costume, and then make him see reason.

“Oh, and Master Damian?” Pennyworth called out as Damian strode towards the door. Damian looked over his shoulder at the elder, watching as Pennyworth turned off the stove and balanced the spoon on the edge of the pot. “I hope you do not actually believe that I would ever let Master Richard outside the house dressed like that. I would never comprise a real costume out of such cheap fabric and velcro.”

~*~

Damian found Grayson curled up in the center of his bed, his room nothing but a mosaic of shadows. It was a pitiful sight, one that made Damian feel a great amount of shame for a reason he couldn’t explain. It was obvious that the boy was crying, even if he wasn’t making a sound. The way his whole body shook and the light hitches in his breath was evidence enough.

“Gray-… em, Richard?” Damian winced at his stutter, and winced again as Richard stiffened on the bed. He froze before curling further into himself, leaving Damian to fight the desire to grab him by the ankle and force him to uncurl. Instead, Damian busied his hands with finding the light switch, flooding the room with light once he found it. “Richard, I just want to talk.”

Damian waited with bated breath for some type of acknowledgment. His fingers wouldn’t stop fluttering, which only served to worsen his agitation. He had been trained by the best to control all nervous tics, yet here he was, unable to hide how uncomfortable he was. And why was he so uncomfortable? He was well versed in dealing with other’s idiocy and held faith in his ability to change Richard’s mind. So why was simply speaking to the distraught boy so hard? With a heavy sigh, Damian tried again.

“Richar-”

“What do you want?” The response itself was unexpected, but the dejected tone was even worse. Richard sounded as he did when he first came to the Manor, deep in mourning and filled with anger and despair. Damian had to admit it: that tone broke his heart.

“Richard, please, sit up. I want to know why you designed your costume the way you did.”

“I already told you,” Richard said as he pulled himself into a sitting position anyway. His bright blue eyes were dull and lifeless, partly hidden by usually bouncy curls that hung in his face. Everything about Richard seemed to droop, from his hair to his lips to his posture. It was wrong on so many levels: even after his parents’ deaths, Richard had had a stubborn spring to his step.

“I admit that I was not the most attentive when you took the time to explain your choices to me. For that, I apologize. I am ready to listen now, if you are willing to explain once more.”

The look Richard gave him was not the trustworthy one that Damian had come to expect from the boy. Still, Richard straightened ever so slightly and gave a small nod. Then he held out a piece of crumpled paper.

“What…?” Damian whispered as took the paper. Smoothing it out he saw that it was a picture. From it, Richard smiled up at him, eyes sparkling and smile so wide that Damian could feel his own cheeks cramping. Damian ran his thumb over the image, taking it all in. The trailers in the background, the blur in the corner where a finger was covering the camera’s lens, the costume Richard wore-

The costume Richard wore.

Damian felt sick as his eyes roamed over the attire Richard adorned in the photo. It was, in its most basic sense, a sparklier version of the costume he had tried to wear tonight. A tight green unitard hugged his tiny body, the top part of it covered by a red vest that hadn’t been properly fastened; a golden sash was tied tightly around his waist, and the tips of those damn pixie boots pointed sky-high. There was even a cape, one with a ridiculously high collar that Damian was glad Richard didn’t try to duplicate, though he’d wish he had kept the length the same. Well, at least he decided to tone down on the sequin, that marked everything besides the boots and the vest.

“That was supposed to be our costume for the next show,” Richard said, pulling Damian’s attention back to him. “Y’know, the one after Gotham. But then… then the trapeze… the line, it… y’know! And I’m never leaving Gotham so I thought why not wear it now? I loved that costume so I thought maybe with a few alterations it could be Robin’s costume!”

“Robin?”

Richard sighed, head hanging as he pulled at the comforter beneath him. “It was my mom’s nickname for me. I wanted to use it as my superhero name. I know it’s stupid-”

“No, it is… understandable. But you must understand that… this costume its… its, um-” Damian pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, biting down until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. Silence was better than stuttering and stuttering was all Damian could do right now. He had been prepared to set Richard straight but he hadn’t been prepared for this. How could he tell Richard that the costume of his parents was wrong?

You’ve already did, a nasty voice whispered in the back of Damian’s mind, causing Damian to flinch. He couldn’t even be mad at it: he had already told Richard in very clear, very harsh, words exactly what he thought of his parents’ costume.

“Richard, while I can understand the sentimental logic behind your choices, I simply cannot allow you to fight crime in that outfit. The skills you’ve learned on the trapeze may have been adaptable to your fighting style, the same cannot be said for your circus costume.”

“But I made alterations! Like the cape! I shortened it since that one was more for show and not really for flying-”

“And it would be an excellent alteration if you was on the trapeze. But crime fighting is more than just ‘flying’, as you put it. The costume does not work Richard. I am sorry.” Damian didn’t know what exactly he was sorry for but it felt like the right thing to say. Still, Richard’s shoulders slumped and his lip wobbled.

“But-” Richard was cut off as a sob escaped his lips. He quickly threw an arm over his eyes, but that did little to hide the shake of his body or the sounds he tried hard to quell. It took everything within Damian not to fidget; he didn’t know what to say or do to calm Richard down.

“But, I don’t - have any - other - ideas! Bat-Batman needs a - partner. Please, Dami!” Richard choked out between sobs.

“We will figure out something,” Damian said in what he hoped to be a soothing tone. However, his words only seemed to make Richard curl into himself once more. He shook his head wildly, pulling his feet onto the bed and sandwiching his head between his knees. Damian could do nothing but sit there awkward and attempt to block out the scene next to him until Richard could calm himself. When he finally did, he was back to the zombie-like state Damian had found him in, body so still Damian was sure if he was breathing.

“Richard…” No response. Damian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, already regretting the words about to come off his lips. “You can wear the costume tonight.”

Richard’s head shot up, bloodshot eyes wide and mouth agape.

“But only for tonight. Tomorrow we will try to make some more alterations. Like pants. There are leotards with pants, you know.”

“Pants!? Pants are a luxury! My costume is designed to be aerodynamically perfect,” Richard announced with the huge smile Damian was used to.

“Richard…” Damin drawled and, no, Damian most certainly was not grinning.

“What happened to safety? If I were to wear pants, my crime-fighting abilities would be decreased by 20%! I can’t afford that, can you?“ By now Richard was practically vibrating in his seat. Damian shook his head, slightly turning his face away - not to hide his smile or anything, though. Damian was not smiling. Honestly!

“You’re insufferable, Richard. Go get dress, we are already late.”

Richard pushed himself halfway off the bed before freezing, the smile on his face slowly melting away. “But, I thought you didn’t want to patrol with a laughingstock…” Damian flinched once more, this time harder with no hopes of hiding it.

“You are not a laughingstock, Richard, and I am sorry for calling you one. Anyone who dares to laugh at you will have to deal with my sword! Try laughing at that.”

A heavy weight Damian hadn’t noticed before lifted from his chest as Richard’s smile sprung back into place, and the boy gave a hearty laugh. “Batman doesn’t carry a sword, silly!”

“This one does. Now go, Richard!”

Richard darted out of the room, faster than any speedster. Damian didn’t move right away. He would have to keep Richard safe tonight. Keep Richard on the rooftops, away from any fighting. Tonight would obviously be mostly charity work, maybe a chance to work on Richard’s observational skills. Everything would be fine. Tomorrow they’ll get him a new uniform and then the real stuff could begin.

With a solid plan in mind, Damian pushed himself off the bed. A quick word to Alfred, then he was in the Batcave, slipping on the remainder of the Batsuit. Soon enough they were strapped in the Batmobile, ready for their first night at the new Dynamic Duo.

“Ready, Robin?” Damian asked the boy next to him, secretly liking the way the chosen name felt on his tongue. Richard, who was one second from exploding with excitement, could barely answer and settled on a jerky nod instead. With a smirk, Damian reached over and turned on the air conditioning to its highest setting.

“Hey!” Richard screeched.

Damian watched with enjoyment as the boy shivered, his bare legs pimpling with goosebumps. Richard pulled his knees to his chest, desperately trying to wrap his ridiculously short cape around his naked skin. Damian held his breath to keep from laughing and focused on maneuvering the car out the cave.

Oh, yes. Richard would definitely be wearing pants tomorrow.

[paladinsnevergiveup-blog]

An Open Letter to Voltron: Legendary Defender and DreamWorks

AUTHOR: @astralsheith

SOURCE: https://twitter.com/astralsheith/status/1074317099730919424

READ ON WORDPRESS

What happened to Voltron?

Back in October, screenshots from the final episode of Voltron’s eighth and final season were leaked online. The fandom split down the middle regarding who thought they were real and who thought they were fake and bad behaviour sprung up from both sides. I tried to maintain as neutral a stance as possible, waiting for an official statement to be made but none ever came and confirmation on the leaks came when the final season dropped on Netflix on December 14th. I had always remained hopeful that the leaks were fake, because the implications of them were troubling to me, such as Allura dying and Shiro’s last-minute wedding. My trust in Voltron’s showrunners (Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim Dos Santos) and creative team’s storytelling kept me going and I was, ultimately, excited (if sad about Voltron ending) to see the last season of a show I hold close to my heart.

Lo and behold, here we are, and it is somehow worse than I thought possible.

I can’t say that I hated Season 8. They were some stunning and powerful moments, to be sure, and as always, Studio Mir’s animation was incredible and breathtaking. The documentary episode was clever, dynamic, and brilliantly animated. Honerva’s arc as the show’s final villain was, in my opinion, one of the strongest points of the season. But when the dust settled after I’d finished watching I realised how disappointed and hurt I felt by this season. How, in the end, Voltron’s final season largely felt...hollow. As if the passion and heart that had been put into the previous seven seasons had been lost or smothered somehow. And the air of silence from the showrunners, the cast and crew that has bookended both the build up and response to Season 8 feels not only deafening but damning to how this final season ultimately turned out. Both the cast and crew and the fandom should be celebrating. The show ending may be bittersweet but ultimately, we should be celebrating the successful final season of an incredible show that has given so much to so many people.

Instead, people are crying - out of disappointment, hurt, a sense of betrayal. People are physically sick. Unable to eat. Unable to sleep. Children (Voltron’s supposed target demographic) are upset and confused by what transpired in Season 8.

What happened? What happened between SDCC of this year - when the cast and crew seemed so alight with passion and love for the show and the fact that they’d achieved the momentous feat of having a queer main character like Shiro - and now, with a final season that has left fans in pieces and its showrunners seemingly running as fast as they can from what their beloved show ended up being? For what purpose is this the outcome? Did LM and JDS get tired after working for so long on this show? Did they bite off more than they could chew? Did DreamWorks and other IP holders decide to, ultimately, take matters into their own hands and mold the final season into the Voltron they’d wanted all along? Robot action, transformation sequences, power-ups - those are all amazing if there’s some meaning behind them. That did not seem to be the case in Season 8. Season 8 was something separate in terms of its story and its characters than what had been developed in Seasons 1 through 7.  

What happened to Voltron?

There are several things that are wrong with Season 8 that I could discuss. How about I start with Shiro? Shiro is my favourite character in Voltron and has been from since I started watching the show. At first glance, he might seem the prototypical hypermasculine and stoic leader type but there was such a kindness to him, a willingness to look out for his team no matter the cost, that made him different. An ambition to explore the universe and a passion to help people in need. A sense of humor that was dorky and dark in equal measure. He dealt with trauma. He faced immense adversity. Yet he survived. More than that, by the end of Season 7, he seemed to be thriving. Former Black Paladin of Voltron and current Captain of the IGF Atlas. And he was a gay man - a gay man not defined by his sexuality by any means. There has always been so much more to Shiro than meets the eye. Except in Season 8 - in Season 8, for the most part, all that made Shiro so wonderful as a character in a so-called kid’s show was...gone. He was “Captain”. He shouted orders and directions and rarely did his personality get any real chance to shine. The arm-wrestling in the episode Clear Day was probably the most engaging Shiro was as a character in the entire thirteen episodes. He didn’t have to be the focus of the season - that was clearly Allura and Honerva and that’s great - but he should still have been the character we’ve come to know and love and admire over the last two years or so. But he wasn’t. He just wasn’t.

Furthermore (and I am well aware I might just get written off as a “spiteful shipper” for this), the relationship between Shiro and Keith in Season 8 all but vanished. Putting aside the question of whether Shiro and Keith being canon as a romantic couple was ever on the table for Voltron, their strong friendship was all but erased from Voltron’s “canon” in Season 8. This is a relationship that has been a pillar of the show since the very beginning. Keith’s introduction to the show was him saving Shiro. His first bit of dialogue on the show was Shiro’s name. They’ve had near-entire episodes dedicated to their relationship - Across the Universe, The Blade of Marmora, The Black Paladins, A Little Adventure. What other duo in Voltron can boast that? Maybe Zarkon and Honerva but not even they - as two of the main villains of the show and the catalyst for the entire war that takes place throughout Voltron’s story and plot - have that much plot and character attention as Shiro and Keith have had regarding their bond. Shiro and Keith have soundtracks specific to their relationship.

What could possibly have happened to warrant the kind of erasure they faced in Season 8? How is it I can point to several moments throughout Season 8 where Shiro and Keith’s relationship could have continued to shine yet there was almost nothing there? Was it censorship? Was DreamWorks and Co. unable to handle a gay main character having a close relationship with his male best friend? Because it certainly feels like that’s the case - a fear of what Shiro and Keith could have been by the end of Voltron (even as best friends) and a desperation to backpedal. Was it “think of the children”? Yet how are you “thinking of the children” when Lotor’s melted corpse is allowed on screen? Is body horror and violence “safe” for children but meaningful relationships involving queer main characters are not?

And then there’s Shiro’s wedding in the “epilogue”. I won’t deny that the image of a gay main character such as Shiro, marrying and kissing another man, isn’t (on the surface) powerful in its own way and could perhaps prove to be a gateway to more male queer representation in Western animation. Yet when that man is a man I only the know name of because I watch Voltron with captions, when that man is mistaken for Shiro’s dead ex partner by Netflix’s audio description, when that man is marrying Shiro at the seeming expense of Shiro’s entire character, it can’t help but feel cheap. A PR stunt for “representation points”. A quick-fix due to the backlash Voltron faced after Season 7 and Adam’s death. There’s no weight or true meaning behind it. No development. The fact that Voltron’s supervising producer last work for Voltron that he posted on his Instagram was him drawing and animating Shiro’s wedding weeks (September 13th) after said backlash kicked off (mid-late August) does not feel unrelated or coincidental to me. It doesn’t feel genuine. It doesn’t feel true to the story Voltron’s been telling these past 2 ½ half years.

Allura. Oh, Allura.

I can’t think of a solid reason why the decision was made to kill Allura off. I’d like to think that the original idea was to have Voltron be sacrificed but DreamWorks was reluctant to let go off the eponymous robot and Allura was the only character close to powerful enough to be convincing of rebooting all realities, along with Honerva. But who's to say that’s even close to the truth? And why not have it be solely Honerva? I would have believed that if they were truly committed to a “redemption in death” for Honerva. Why Allura? Why go against Allura’s character of arc of moving away from destructive self-sacrifice, learning to trust her team, finding a new family in the paladins? Why have the paladins so readily accept Allura’s decision? “We are always stronger together” - yet Allura is the only paladin to sacrifice herself? She faced so much loss as a character - why have her lose her life, too? Allura was never meant to be a martyr. She was meant to live. To move past her father’s legacy and help rebuild the universe. Lead her people. Experience Altea again. And the relationship between Allura and Lance in Season 8 was wonderful and sweet but in light of Allura’s death can’t help but feel somewhat contrived for maximum emotional impact when they say goodbye. Allura’s death, ultimately, felt unnecessary, unfair, and ill aligned with what I thought were Voltron’s primary themes. Power of love, of friendship and family, of teamwork. What’s the point of a team if, in the end, they do very little to help save the universe and the burden is left on one person alone?  

And the rest of the team in Season 8 suffered, too. Pidge barely interacted with any of the other paladins. Hunk displayed some great moments with his love of cooking and how that helped people but the heroics he displayed in Season 7 seemed to fall to the wayside. Lance’s signature goofiness seemed to get lost in his constant worry over Allura. I am grateful for his newfound maturity but it shouldn’t come at the expense of what made these character so distinct in the first place.

I have loved Voltron. I still do, even if I am currently working through these difficult emotions regarding its final season. I have defended it in the past from irrational “critique”. Seven seasons of great storytelling does not vanish in the wake of a troubling and disappointing ending. At some point, I will continue with my rewatch. Right now, I think that would be difficult. I’m not trying to point specific blame at any one person or party in particular, as I don’t know the truth of what happened during Voltron’s production (as much as I would like to). I just know that Season 8 felt like a lie. Not only a lie but a bad lie. A transparent lie. And I and so many other dedicated fans would greatly appreciate the truth. I don’t need to see what Season 8 would have originally been, if there is such a thing. I can honestly quite easily imagine it, because Voltron’s previous seasons had set it up so thoughtfully. But I would be grateful for an explanation, for a break in the silence, for someone involved with the show to come forth and help the fandom move forward in the wake of Season 8.

What happened to Voltron? Tell us, because we’re ready to listen.

[laughinglullabies]

Inelaa Locte - Contacts Wanted!

basics ––––

NAME: Inelaa Locte.

AGE: 19.

RACE: Keeper Miqo’te.

GENDER: Female.

SEXUALITY: Straight.

MARITAL STATUS: Taken.

SERVER: Balmung

physical appearance ––––

HAIR: Thick and black, often left down to fall in soft waves and curls around her face. When hunting, she keeps it bound back in a strict ponytail, and there’s often flowers and trinkets wound in the strands - leftovers from playing with her siblings.

EYES: Bright & shiny silver doe-eyes.

HEIGHT: 5′6″, give or take a half ilm.

BUILD: While healthy and nourished, Inelaa’s youthful figure has filled out with curves that haven’t left in the aftermath of her pregnancy. She presents as a healthy pear with a little more chub that she’s still working to get rid of.

DISTINGUISHING MARKS: Like her aunt, Inelaa’s most distinguishing trait is her tail - a full seven-and-a-half fulms long, featuring soft black fur. When hunting, it is dressed in a leather and webbing ‘netting’ that tames the fur to something more like a thick rope, and she can control the limb very well. Additionally, there is a scar along her back gained during her coming of age trial.

COMMON ACCESSORIES: A magitek harp that was a gift from her mother on her 18th Nameday after so many years apart, and a few trinkets gifted by her beloved that she wears on a cord around her neck.

personal –––-

PROFESSION: Whimsical Bard and sometimes Host at the Keeper’s Kiss. Dreams of performing professionally, but does not like the thought of advancing a career with a little one.

HOBBIES: Child care, hunting, and music. Enjoys catching fish with her hands. Likes teasing people.

LANGUAGES: Common, hunt-speak, and smartass.

RESIDENCE: Alternates living-quarters with her mother in the Mist, and her beloved in the Lavender Beds.

FEARS: Leadership, isolation, finding out her father is dead.

relationships –––-

SPOUSE: "That’s none of your business!” She grins. “Still, he’s my sun and I am his moon.”

CHILDREN: "My daughter, Nii! Well, Y’niisa. I wanted her to carry her father’s legacy.”

PARENTS: "Moma is Kiipa Locte-Nulstat, and Papa is Obera’a Polaali.”

SIBLINGS: “I um... I have quite a few! Do you have the time? I should get you something to drink!” She quickly darts off, forgetting to answer the question on her return.

OTHER RELATIVES: "Ah, there’s Papa Gen ( @genpaw​ ) and his mate, Tikka! He’s more an adopted Papa, but that doesn’t make him any less a Papa, and Tikka is more like a sister since we’re so close in age. Then there’s Ahnaa ( @locteshadow​ ), and um... Anton ( @supermegachefbarguy​ )! There’s also Uncle Leroy ( @leroymurrand​ ) and Auntie Keim ( @purple-eel​ ) and Uncle Kweh ( @snow-and-sea​ ) and... oh, you might need another drink? Sure!”

traits –––-

extroverted / introverted / in between

disorganized / organized / in between

close minded / open-minded / in between

calm / anxious / in between

disagreeable / agreeable / in between

cautious / reckless / in between

patient / impatient / in between

outspoken / reserved / in between

leader / follower / in between

empathetic / unemphatic / in between

optimistic / pessimistic / in between

traditional / modern / in between

hard-working / lazy / in between

cultured / un-cultured / in between

loyal / disloyal / in between

faithful / unfaithful / in between

additional information –––-

SMOKING HABIT: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

DRUGS: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess.

ALCOHOL: never / sometimes / frequently / to excess

possible hooks –––-

Keeper of the Moon: Inelaa absolutely loves meeting her fellow Miqo’te, and she can spend bells upon bells asking all the proper questions! Expect a little playful competition if you’re a fellow archer - Inelaa’s the star archer in her clan and she likes to show off!

Musician: Inelaa is fascinated with music of all sorts, and will sit and listen to an instrument for bells. She loves to learn new ones, though prefers to fall back on her voice and small harp. She’s happy to become anyone’s #1 Fan!

Social Butterfly: This girl is never one to cling to the walls for too long. Her happy demeanor and cheerful ways are remarkably infectious, and she’s delighted to meet new people and shove them at other new people. It’s never all about her - expect to be the spotlight if she latches on, and get ready for an adventure!

'Are you my father?’: A hook that has potential in different ways. Inelaa and her father were exceptionally close, and his long-time absence has always been a point of sorrow for her. Not actually her father, but charmed by the girl enough not to correct the mistake? Sure! Actually her father, but maybe age/travel are making memories a little rough? Cool! Actually her father, returned as he promised? Great! This one requires discussion, but also unlocks interactions with her mother and aunt both! Woo!

Any other ideas! I’m very open to all kinds of connections for Inelaa. There’s a lot I can work her into unless it’s very much not her thing.

what I’m looking for ––––

Mostly, just a little more development for the character. She’s a happy and perky young lady who is head-over-heels in love with her beloved and is a very happy mommy, but she needs to get out of the house and socialize!

If you need a little joy in your day, this baby has it in spades!

oocly, I am ––––

I’m a PST timezone player who has a slightly erratic schedule due to fluctuating sleeping patterns - which is to say that the only pattern I have is that there is no pattern.

I don’t mind any length of posts! One liners through to multi-para is fine, though I prefer snappy, quick replies when at events, especially busy ones.

I am available for both in-game and Discord role-play. Discord tends to be a slower medium and I do enjoy in-game a bit more, but I’m absolutely open to any and all forms of medium.

I am open to all themes when it comes to this character. She is best suited for bubbles and sunshine, but I’m okay running with all other themes as well. I have no issues with sexual content, but please mind that Inelaa is monogamous.

a warning ––

Inelaa is an alternate character that I play between leveling Flidais and when the urge hits me. It’s considerably easier to interact with her on Discord, but if you should run into her in game, please know that I am absolutely always in character with her.

Additionally, my putting up this LFRP ad in no way negates the other characters that I have, nor the roleplays that I may have with them. All of my characters are available to play with!

you can contact me via ––

You can always reach me here on Tumblr, either through messages or through asks. If that’s not your style, feel free to contact me via Discord @ ♦ AshadelMG ♦#2352. You can also catch me in-game, though I frequently forget to slap up the RP tag!

[route22ny]

“You have to imagine it as it was 50 years ago. Folks would roll down ol’ U.S. 95 in their two-toned, fishtailed Buicks, headed for Las Vegas. As they approached Downtown, they would be dazzled by a parade of neon: tumbling dice and roulette wheels, crescent moons and shooting stars, signage for blocks of motels and auto courts. Back before 1-800 or dot-com, the night’s accommodations were chosen upon arrival and a cascade of lights above a cool swimming pool or a sign advertising 'color T.V.’ and 'air-conditioning' promised luxury to weary travelers.

“Today, the lights are dark and the only vacancies are the lots where the Blue Angel and the Par-A-Dice Inn once welcomed visitors; same goes for Lucky Cuss Motel, whose legacy still sparkles up Las Vegas Boulevard traffic medians, thanks to the Neon Museum.

“Most of the motels are empty—broken neon tubes, weeds sprouting between faded parking lot lines. The Gables still advertises 'nice rooms' and curtains still decorate many of the boarded-up windows under its fairy-tale-peaked roofs; the shell of a payphone hangs on a red brick wall. The Alicia 1, 2 and 3 were once the Las Vegas Motel, Fremont Motel and Star View Motel, respectively. Now they all sit vacant beneath crookedly nailed particle board. The Travelers Motel, with its elaborate gateway, terracotta-tiled roofs and radio tower, seems like someone could whip it into shape and fill it with hipsters like they do in Austin or Joshua Tree, but it’s doubtful any well-shod feet will tread these grounds until they become a parking lot.

“Whether open or closed, the same sign hangs in the window: “No visitors allowed after 10 p.m.” Even motels still serving patrons seem to have one foot in the land of the dead—broken signs, drained pools, doors hanging open into darkened rooms. An anti-meth poster hangs near a notice advising patrons that there will be a “$5 storage fee for all items left in room” by the check-in at the Safari. Bedspreads fly on a line outside the Sky Ranch. Desert Moon Motel seems the most prosperous, but the neon advertising “free XXX movies” probably has more to do with that than the well-maintained cacti. These days, surviving on Fremont Street takes more than pretty lights …”

“The swimming pool is filled with rocks at one boarded-up motel. A short walk away, pigeons rest inside a motel sign whose missing letters make it all too easy to fly in...

“The fenced-off, decades-old properties are on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas, and all are owned by Zappos chief Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project.

“Hsieh has pumped money and foot traffic into the city’s core, giving the area a sorely needed boost of commerce. But for the most part, his group isn’t doing anything with a cluster of closed motels on Fremont that sit blocks from the street’s nightlife scene.

“Formed in 2012, Downtown Project went on a real estate buying binge as part of its $350 million campaign to fund tech startups, restaurants and other ventures. With a $200 million allocation, real estate constituted the bulk of Hsieh’s plans, with his group assembling a portfolio of some 90 properties.

“Among other things, it operates apartment buildings and retail complex Downtown Container Park, and it partnered with Arizona real estate firm The Wolff Co. to develop Fremont9, a five-story apartment complex under construction next to Atomic Liquors.

“Hsieh’s group also bought motel properties farther east on Fremont, in an area that was a 'hotbed’ for drugs, prostitution and other crime, according to management. And it bought them not knowing what it would do them.

“It launched redevelopment efforts at the Fergusons. But otherwise, its Fremont Street motels are boarded-up and fenced-off, with a noticeable touch-up: Plywood sheets covering doors and windows were painted to look like cartoonish doors and windows.

“Downtown Project’s real estate portfolio manager, John Curran, spoke with the Las Vegas Review-Journal last month about the motels and other properties. The interview has been edited for length and clarity:

Do you have plans to develop other residential projects besides Fremont9?

We don’t have any specifics to share, but it’s certainly something we’ll be looking to do. Fremont9 is going to open by the end of the year. We’ve gotten an incredible outpouring of interest, more than 700 pre-leasing inquiries, and we’re still a few months away from opening.

It looks like the only motel with any notable project plans on file with the city, and the only one you’ve started any work on, is the Fergusons. What’s being built there?

Tony Hsieh lives in what we call the Airstream Village, which is condensing and moving to the back of Fergusons. A section of the motel has been demolished, and that will be a courtyard with Airstream trailers, a pool, a small stage area and lounge area. That’s basically Tony’s residence with a bunch of his friends and other downtowners. The next phase will be for the front of Fergusons. We hope to have two food and beverage anchor tenants here. There will be boutique retail, and the second floor would have office space. We would do major renovation work on the inside.

Do you have a next motel in mind for redevelopment?

The next block will be the Travelers. We’re not prepared to share anything about that; it’s still very fluid. Candidly, we bought all these blocks a few years ago with no idea of what we were going to do with them, but they were a hotbed for a lot of unsavory activity — crimes, drug use, prostitution, all those things. We knew someday that market conditions would allow for redevelopment, but in the meantime, us boarding them up, fencing them off, really gave us a buffer from a lot of that activity. It’s not great to look at a boarded-up motel, although we have stenciled designs on the doors, so at least aesthetically, it looks a little better than just plywood.

Why buy all these motels and sit on them?

People think, ‘Wow, $350 million, that money’s going to last forever.’ Ultimately, we’re restricted by bandwidth and resources. If we opened a major development on 14th and Fremont today, I don’t know if the market’s ready for that. It doesn’t get the foot traffic down there just yet. It’s not uncommon for developers to buy things and sit on them and wait until market conditions allow for development. We have a massive portfolio of real estate; a lot of them are ripe for future developments. We can’t do it all at once. We just opened a bar, Corduroy, for instance, and that was a major production. We’re focusing on Fremont9 and some other renovation projects. We’re never not busy.

For the motels, do you get calls from developers looking to do joint ventures? Like the project with Wolff, is that what you’re looking to do?

Definitely. We recognize two things: One, everybody’s bandwidth is limited, and we also figured out what our core competencies are. With Fremont9, we recognize that Wolff can take us further and better than we could on our own. We’ve talked to boutique hotel operators about renovating these motels and other properties. It’s definitely something we’re open to.

Have you considered knocking the motels down, scraping the sites and starting from scratch?

We have; we’ve even probably got hard demo numbers. But from an urban design perspective, I think it’s much more aesthetically appealing to look at a boarded-up motel that has some sort of history — perhaps some people find some charm and character in them. I think it is actually more interesting looking at a vacant, boarded-up motel rather than just pieces of dirt.

Do you get vandals or people climbing the fence?

That happens. It’s a never-ending battle. We’ve got around-the-clock security presence in the neighborhood. They usually report graffiti to us before the city gets it. We’re usually pretty quick to address it; we paint over any graffiti. But it’s always a moving target.

Following up on a recent post about apparently doomed midcentury motels on the east side of Las Vegas’s traditional downtown, the two articles above clarify the status of these properties: Top and middle photos taken August 23, 2018 by me.  Bottom photo by Bizuayehu Tesfaye, accompanying the second section of text above including interview, from the September 2017 article Downtown Project’s closed Fremont Street motels remain stagnant by Eli Seagall in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, copied here in full to spare you the pop-ups, adblocker detection, and other BS on the Review-Journal website.  First section of text from No Vacancy: The Last Motels on Fremont Street  by Lissa Townsend Rodgers, December 2016.

[mtgsharzad]

the cool thing about doomsday is it’s a very efficient tutor for multiple cards

so you can set up your clunky combo onetwothreefourfive justlikethat

(and how do you like your blue-eyed boy mister death)

I. DOOMSDAY CONTEXT AND HISTORY

Doomsday in Constructed is originally a Vintage combo deck that uses Black Lotus to pull off some really quick combo kills. There's a Legacy port of it, which is where most of my knowledge comes from, but it's a different beast without Lotus and Yawgwill. The OG OG OG kill is Lotus, Recall, Mana Vault, Mind's Desire, Beacon of Destruction - so elegant! - but Doomsday decks have killed in a number of ways. Vintage Doomsday is brutal and uncompromising while legacy doomsday is a lot more work than every other combo deck for no discernible edge, so of course I have a soft spot for the card and not the anger it deserves. 

Some early piles used Ill-Gotten Gains, a Storm engine card from a beautiful deck from a bygone age. It was called IGGy Pop, and it abused Ill-Gotten Gains to generate mana and storm and featured Intuition both as part of the combo and a tutor for its initiator (intuition for IGGx3, loop 2 IGGs, Lion's Eye Diamond and cabal ritual for mana and storm, eventually IGG for Intuition for three Tendrils of Agony for lethal). Sometimes you could just use fast mana to slam IGG as a Mind Twist that sets up your combo a turn or two later, also.

Obviously IGG says "each player", so it could only really work in a meta without Force of Will control decks (which indeed is when it lived up until like original rav block) and so it died out. Traditionally you'd get recursion, protection and a kill, cast your Duress first to strip their Force, and then go off. As if Force of Will weren't cruel enough, New Phyrexia dealt the death blow. Now IGG had a real enemy - Misstep on Duress, Force exiling the other blue card. [c=Counterbalance]Counter[/c][c=Sensei's Divining Top]top[/c] control's rise to prominence was also less than kind. Good luck setting up your clunky kill! Doomsday used Top itself (it filters for the combo before you go off and then taps to draw you into it) but didn't really gain an edge until it started to kill with the uncounterable combo of Shelldock Isle casting Emrakul.

Contemporary Doomsday builds usually kill with Lab Maniac in Vintage and Tendrils in Legacy, (siding in to Shelldock/Emrakul against counterspell decks) but they're flexible enough that they can play (and play around) all sorts of things, which is what Doomsday in particular enables. It's not that hard to go through the motions, the challenge is in working out which kill gets around what sideboard hate and how many turns you should do it in.

II. HOW TO PLAY DOOMSDAY

Here's how you build piles: card draw and mana on top, combo and protection in the middle, recursion on the bottom. That's Doomsday, now you know how to pilot Doomsday. You're welcome!

III. DOOMSDAY IN CUBE

Now this is where this post stops being pointless b/c even though Doomsday is allegedly REALLY COMPLEX or whatever it's honestly not that hard to play if you have an idea of what's up and don't care about mastering the deck. Obviously some people have exhaustive tables of potential weirdo combinations (kill around two swords to plowshares and Leyline of Sanctity is one i remember being impressed by) but you're essentially going to look at the resources you have, the kills you have available, and build a pile that takes you from A to B. With fast mana, Brainstorm and recursion, the Eternal formats get a really sweet package out of it.

In the Lab Man case, you need lab man, mana to cast him, a way to draw five cards, and protection for Villain's meddling. Thought Scour is cool because it's not just 3 cards off your pile for 1 mana, it's valid protection against removal (thought scour in response, can't draw the card, win), so where you put it in the stack can depend on what you need it to do. Flexible cards like these are probably key to making Doomsday/Lab Man work in Cube.

The key to porting it to Cube is you probably need to give up on the idea of winning the turn you cast Doomsday. That's fine, I think! It lets us really focus on its strengths and show them off. First off, it's a combo-agnostic tutor; it doesn't care what you wanna do, as long as you don't need more than 5 (12) cards to do it. This excites me because conceivably I (one of my drafters?) could use it to support whatever janky corner-case interaction I think is interesting that draft. It's "for" DDLM combo though, that's just a bonus.

I'll go through a couple of Cubable DDLM piles at the end of the post, so don't worry if this doesn't make sense yet. Doomsday's interesting as a combo enabler in that you're not doing anything to your hand when you cast it. Any spells already in your hand are part of your combo resources, but remember that Doomsday also looks through your graveyard so if your fair spells are part of the combo you get to cast them as fair spells first! This is really key to making it work over other combo archetypes IMO - you can cantrip away in the early game and then have those cantrips all over again post-resolution. 

IV. PRACTICAL EXAMPLES

You do some stuff, maybe draw some cards, make some mana sources, and then you cast Doomsday. We're doing Soft Doomsday here so let's assume we pass the turn and kill next turn or the turn after that. This lets us draw 1 or 2 cards off our pile naturally, which is huge, because then we can build looser piles. Instead of 'draw six cards and you win', we just need to draw 4. It also means we're probably putting protection at the top of our pile so we draw it first. If we don't have any protection, that's okay, we can recur Doomsday somehow, draw into it, and make a new pile (remember, we can tutor from the graveyard).

We drafted Brainstorm, Snapcaster and Unearth, so we'll untap, cast a cantrip from our hand (activate a planeswalker?) to go to 3 cards in deck, and then we'll cast Lab Man. Maybe we fight over it on the stack - maybe we drew into Thoughtseize and that isn't a problem - or maybe Hero (at this point I concede I am in fact the villain here) tries to bolt it immediately. We could either cycle Unearth and then brainstorm in response (winning the game) or wait for Lab Man to die, Unearth it, and hold brainstorm in case there's a second piece of removal. Or just make a pile of Lab Man, recursion, brainstorm, and two flex slots for draw or protection.

Remember for these examples that we're passing the turn and drawing into the first card naturally unless otherwise noted. If you've got a Ponder still in your hand when you cast Doomsday, that resilience should count for something, no? You get to go off a turn faster, and the tightest builds get to go off really early (esp. with Dark Ritual).

Left card is the top of the deck.

'just the brainstorms, thanks' pile: (negate on the bottom brainstorms out a turn faster but doesn't protect your first brainstorm)

'he's already in the lab' pile

'high school boyfriend' pile (eternal witness gets back doomsday but he forgot to bring protection)

'johnny five aces' pile (he gets all the goods)

Conveniently there's actually all sorts of marginal stuff (at a few power levels!) we might already be running to support DDLM combo and probably wouldn't suck that much to include (although I think Brainstorm and Unearth will be key to making it work):

Sensei's Divining Top

Unearth

Thoughtseize

Darkblast

Lotus Petal

Chromatic Sphere

Conjurer's Bauble

Duress

Eternal Witness

Thought Scour

Painful Truths

Tezzeret's Gambit

Breakthrough

Meditate

Dark Ritual

Cabal Therapy

Gitaxian Probe

Brainstorm

Snapcaster Mage

Mnemonic Wall

Ancestral Vision

Relic of Progenitus

Faithless Looting

Red Sun's Zenith

Emerge Unscathed

Chain of Vapor

Ill-Gotten Gains

Unearth is awesome because, like Thought Scour from earlier, it pulls double duty: recurring Lab Man or drawing the last card you need (since if lab man dies in response to the cycle, you'd lose and be unable to unearth regardless). Brainstorm's resolution involves drawing three cards before you put back two; if there's two cards in your library it'll win the game as well. These are the heavy hitters in Cube, but obviously the looseness of the tutor leaves our panicked drafter open to alternatives.

Next time, I’ll talk about the Tendrils of Agony kill, but this has already gone on for long enough. 

ALLEZ CUISINE

[frosty-mage]

Lands at Legacy Champs

I had a great time at my first eternal weekend this year, where I brought Lands to the event. You can find my decklist (and some commentary) here. I wanted to add on a full tournament report as well, written for people who have no experience beyond knowing the basics of the game.

This will be fairly lengthy, so I’m gonna put a read more.

I’m going to assume you’ve looked at the list and read the description. That way, you have some basic idea of what I’m playing. I’ll link cards the first time (for convenience), plus if it’s been a while since it’s been referenced. 

That said, let’s get into the event!

Round 1: I played against Czech Pile, which is a base blue-black deck that touches on red and green for a few other powerful cards, such as Leovold, Abrupt Decay, and Kolaghan’s Command. Unfortunately for them, while their deck is packed with powerful spells, their manabase is rather fragile. They don’t have much ability to play around repeated Wastelands, especially not recurring ones, since their lands are mostly fetchlands (like Misty Rainforest) and the original duals (such as Underground Sea, which can be fetched with the aforementioned rainforest since it is an island), with few basic lands. As a result, your primary gameplan is to reduce their manabase to nothing before killing them with whatever method is easiest. 

I unfortunately don’t have notes from game 1 of this match, but I did win it after executing the game plan said above. He can’t stick a threat, and soon he can’t cast threats or answers. A Marit Lage soon ended him. 

Game 2 was one of the most sickening kick-in-the-junk games I’ve played in a while. He lost the previous game, so he went first, and lead with a Misty Rainforest. I cracked my own fetchland for a Taiga, cast Mox Diamond, and followed that up with Sylan Library. My opponent cracked his fetchland for a Tropical Island, then cast Brainstorm during my end step. He then untapped, cracked a fetchland for an Underground Sea, and cast Abrupt Decay to kill my library, since an active library isn’t something that he can compete with. 

I then untapped and played Stage into Choke. My opponent’s lands stayed tapped. He didn’t play a land on turn 3. I had a Dark Depths to follow up. He missed his next land drop. I made a 20/20 on his end step, then attacked him for lethal. He then revealed his hand, which contained two copies of Diabolic Edict (sacrifice does get around indestructible) and a copy of Ensnaring Bridge, none of which were castable. 

Round 2: I played against mono-red prison. This deck is dedicated to playing Blood Moon (and its little brother, Magus of the Moon) as soon as possible, sometimes as early as turn 1. It also plays Chalice of the Void to lock out large chunks of cards. I faced Chalice on 1 on my opponent’s turn 1, and while I was able to delay the blood moon for a few turns, I wasn’t able to stop it. I have no way of beating that particular combination in my maindeck, so I lost. 

I do bring in 3 copies of Krosan Grip after sideboard, but even those weren’t enough. I got quickly run over by a Goblin Rabblemaster after getting hit by an early moon. I wasn’t expecting to win this matchup. It happens. 1-1.

Round 3: I played against a sweet blue-black control deck that splashed green for Sylvan Library and Abrupt Decay. It wanted to hide behind powerful planeswalkers, such as Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Liliana of the Veil, but also played Sinkhole and Smallpox to disrupt the opponent’s mana. Unfortunately, his mana is more vulnerable than mine, so I was able to do to him what he wanted to do to me. It was closer than the decks would suggest, but I still came out with a win in two games. 2-1 so far.

Round 4: I played against one of the champions of the archetype I was playing, Jody Kieth. However, he was playing 12-post, a deck dedicated to using Cloudpost to generate lots of mana, using Vesuva to copy it and Glimmerpost for even more Loci. This mana then gets funnelled into casting gigantic spells, such as Ulamog. 

I wish I took more notes on this matchup, because it was very intense and very challenging, but unfortunately I can’t say more than that this was a close win in three games. We talked quite a bit after the match and he gave me some tips and discussed what the correct way to build the deck was. 3-1.

Then wizards’ event running program crashed, and we had about an hour between the end of the 50 minute round timer and the start of round 5. 

Round 5: I played against mono-red burn. This is a deck that focuses on killing you as quickly as possible with fast creatures and Lightning Bolts to the face. This is one of my better matchups, since they can’t beat a Glacial Chasm lock and have no answers to a fast Marit Lage. They mulliganned on the play in game 1, and managed to get me down to 8 before dying a painful death to a giant squid. 

In game 2, I opened on Forest, Crop Rotation, Depths, Stage, Wasteland, Ghost Quarter, Tranquil Thicket. While that hand has next to no disruption, it does put a 20/20 into play on turn 3 (after crop rotation for Ancient Tomb), and that should be enough. I then drew Manabond and put it into play on turn 1 instead. 4-1

Round 6: I played against Sneak and Show, a deck dedicated to using Sneak Attack and Show and Tell to put Griselbrand and Emrakul into play. I have a bad matchup here, because they’re a fast combo deck with a manabase that dodges Wasteland. My only real hope is that they help me put a lage into play. I can’t really beat Sneak Attack, but Karakas can help me win. 

I lost game 1 to a turn 2 Show and Tell into Emrakul off Ancient Tomb. No Karakas or crop rotation to get me out of it. In game 2, my opponent put Grislebrand into play, but I made a Marit Lage on the same end step, forced him to block, and then killed him with the squid. In game 3, I never really got off the ground, and he had another early grislebrand. 4-2.

Round 7: I played against Blue-white Miracles, a controlling deck with a lot of 1-mana deck manipulation spells, like Brainstorm, Ponder, and Portent. The things to worry about are Swords on your Marit Lage token and maindeck Back to Basics. While this does give you a lot of life, it doesn’t stop the last ability of Jace, the Mind Sculptor from killing you. This is a fairly accurate description of how game 1 went. He was attacking me with a pair of Snapcaster Mages, and started using the +2 of jace to filter my draws. I had to do something, so I tried making a Marit Lage, which did stop me from dying to the mages, but it got Swords’d and I died to a Jace ultimate soon after. 

However, this matchup changes greatly after sideboard. I have Choke, Krosan Grip to deal with his back to basics and Counterbalance, and even a couple Tireless Trackers to pressure Jaces and require him to use removal on things that aren’t Marit Lage. 

In game 2, I managed to resolve a pair of early chokes, so he couldn’t really get out from under them. I then made a Marit Lage, but it got Swords’d. My gameplan then shifted to casting Punishing Fire repeatedly at my opponent’s face, using Grove to get it back. While he did have a pair of copies of back to basics, I had a pair of Grips to deal with them. 

In game 3, he managed to get down a quick back to basics again. However, I got down a Marit Lage, which once again decided to take up farming. Luckily, my list is designed to be able to win through back to basics: I have two basic forests, which is enough to dredge Life from the Loam, cast loam to get back stage and depths, then replay stage, next turn replay depths and make a token end of turn. Even miracles struggles dealing with a 20/20 every other turn, and while he did manage to remove the first, my second got there. I’m not supposed to win that matchup, and I’m definitely not supposed to win when all seven of my sideboard cards are in the bottom 10 cards of my library. Got there anyway through a resolved hate card. 5-2 and feeling amazing.

Round 8: I faced Eldrazi-post, a deck that uses the lands mentioned in round 4, but is only colorless rather than playing green. It instead chooses to pair them with Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors to power out threats like Thought-knot Seer and Reality Smasher. It also plays artifact disruption, such as Chalice of the Void and Sorcerous Spyglass. This matchup is close to even. While I can sometimes blow up all of their lands, sometimes they just run me over. Additionally, they tend to bring in both Leyline of the Void (which stops Loam) and Ensnaring Bridge (which stops Marit Lage). 

In game 1, they got an early start and cast Chalice with 2 counters. This stops my loam recursion and my punishing fires. However, I managed to stall with a Glacial Chasm for a while, while a looming force presented itself on the other side of the board. My opponent misplayed by tapping their Ancient Tomb to charge their Walking Ballista, bringing them from 21 life to 19. Additionally, they didn’t prioritize getting Endbringer into play. He finally cast it, but this was also the turn that I drew Crop Rotation to get Dark Depths, which put a 20/20 into play on his end step, which flew over his team for the win. 

In game 2, I got run over by a pair of thought-knot seers, one of which took the Drop of Honey I sideboarded in. It happens.

In game 3, I managed to get a Molten Vortex down early, but had to give him a few life off Grove plus his own Glimmerpost. Once again, he got Endbringer on the same turn that I got Marit Lage, but I got an attack in, bringing him to 3, and finished him off with Loam+Vortex. 6-2.

Round 9: I’m playing against Grixis Delver, a blue-black-red deck designed to stick a threat (such as Delver of Secrets or Young Pyromancer), then counter your spells and deny your mana to stop you from stopping them in time. I completely punted game 1 by running a Crop Rotation into a Spell Pierce that he revealed to transform his delver. I could have played Ancient Tomb on the previous turn, but didn’t because it’s not a standard maindeck inclusion and I wanted to try getting a surprise Marit Lage. I then got run over in game 2 by a strong delver draw to my mediocre one. 6-3.

That was the end of that day’s tournament. Sunday would have the last two rounds of swiss for the legacy event, then the top 8 of the vintage tournament, then the top 8 of legacy tournament.

Round 10: I played against blue-white stoneblade. It’s a similar deck to Miracles, but it trades the more reactive/slow cards, such as Terminus, Counterbalance, and Entreat the Angels, for more proactive cards like Stoneforge and True-name Nemesis.  This list was also running maindeck Back to Basics, so it plays similarly to the miracles matchup before, but with them having more pressure but not the counterbalance-jace combination to lock out Life from the Loam recursion (repeatedly put a card with converted mana cost 2 back). 

Game 1 goes about the same as game 1 of miracles in round 7. They are on blue-white, start getting basic lands, eventually play back to basics. They apply some pressure with a threat (this time, it’s a true-name instead of a snapcaster), start ticking up a Jace, I make a Marit Lage, they swords it, and I can’t make a second before Jace kills me. Same old, same old. Once again, however, I get to bring in a lot of cards to deal with his threats and present my own backbreakers. 

In game 2, he was forced to keep a hand with his only lands being Arid Mesa and Plains. He needed to use his library manipulation to draw into a third land to cast his back to basics, but that meant he had to get Tundra, which left him vulnerable to my Wasteland. While he did find an island, he was stuck on those two lands for a while. I made one Marit Lage; he had it take up farming. I made a second; he died. 

In game 3, he played not one, but two copies of Rest in Peace, which shuts off Loam and Punishing Fire. I make a Marit Lage, hoping that will be enough, but he Plows it, forcing me to try again. In the process, I also manage to use Crop Rotation to deny myself green mana, so everything in my hand isn’t castable. we both draw a card and pass with no play for a few turns in a row. I play a Taiga, which turns on the three (!) Krosan Grips I have in hand. He taps out for a back to basics, but I turn my Ancient Tomb into a Thespian Stage with a Crop Rotation, then make another marit lage and kill him with it. 7-3, and holy hell I just won through three active hate enchantments. 

In the 11th and final round, I played against burn (this being the only repeat deck I’ve faced the whole event). I easily win game 1 by making an early Marit Lage. However, in game 2, he has an Alpine Moon out of the sideboard, which he uses to name Thespian’s Stage. I can no longer make a marit lage that way, so I have to stall with Glacial Ghasm in order to win with Molten Vortex or Punishing Fire. Unfortunately, I put my one copy of Vortex (the faster kill) into the graveyard by dredging Loam, and I have no way of getting it back. I then take forever to find a Grove to start recurring Fire. All the while, my opponent is whiffing on an instant-speed burn spell to kill me while I don’t have a chasm (between my upkeep and main phase). Eventually, however, they find it and I die.

In game 3, I keep Taiga, Gamble, Exploration, two copies of Dark Depths, Wasteland, Rishadan Port while going first. I keep this hand, figuring that I’m not beating Alpine Moon with a six card hand anyway and this has a good chance of turn-3 Marit Lage (I can either draw crop rotation or stage in my first draw step to get it on turn 2, or if I don’t, I can gamble for stage and hope to not discard that particular one of my 5 cards, and if I do discard it, I can always hope to draw it or a crop rotation soon after anyway). In total, I have over an 84.9% chance to get a marit lage by turn 3. However, I landed in that 15% of universes where I don’t draw stage or rotation and my gamble hit the one in five chance of discarding stage. I putter around for the few turns it takes him to kill me. I did slightly mess up; I should have held the Wasteland I played on turn 1 after leading with Taiga into Exploration. While this does win me the games where I draw stage/rotation and he draws alpine moon on turn 2 exactly, it also removes an extra card from my hand. Had I held onto the wasteland instead of playing it on turn 1, I would have had 6 cards in hand instead of 5 when discarding to gamble, which could have been the difference between winning and losing. Variance will sometimes get you though.

Overall, I finished 7-4. I’m happy with my performance, other than the punt in round 9. I had played magic from 9:30 to 7 before that, though, so take that how you will. 

The event was a lot of fun. I’ll definitely do it again next year.