#Chapter: [Silver Linings]

[egophiliac]

ch 5 is coming in twsten ch5 is coming in twsten ch5 is coming in twsten (we gon die it's been a YEAR since I saw some clips and I have not emotionally recovered from the incredible deliveries by Silver's seiyuu because holy fuck) EGOOOOO ARE YOU READY TO SEE EVERYONE DESCENDING INTO MADNESS AGAIN (and a pool of tears??? MINE SPECIFICALLY)

YESSSSSS I AM SO EXCITED FOR EVERYONE ON ENG, chapter 5 is some of the most PEAK Diafamily content imo. 🤌 it's definitely my favorite part of episode 7 so far! (though 6 is pretty close...)

some (mostly) non-spoilery advice: on the hex maps, check out the non-required story cells, especially in the later parts! some are basically just throwaways, but there's some real good scenes hidden in there too that are potentially missable. 🥄 (it shows which cells you've cleared on previous attempts, so if you're low on resources and/or super impatient like me, do just the required ones to get through it, then when you're ready go back and restart as necessary to get to the others. enjoy! >:)

[tricitymonsters]

So I just wanted to take a second and give y'all a quick update about the game's chapter schedule going forward. One chapter update a month as a target is a sustainable and achievable goal for me so for the most part, that's what I'm planning on sticking with going forward.

If you've been following TCM for a while you know the game faced some delays earlier this year with some work I had brought on contractors for + the complexities of releasing on Steam. Because there was nothing in my power I could do to help speed things along, I turned my attention to writing, designing, and programming chapters to get ahead.

And now that backlog is all published! :D

So, because of this, yall can expect to get a new chapter each month instead of two. It's just a more sustainable schedule without having a backlog of chapters that are 75% complete.

As always, feel free to hit me up if you have any questions. I have anons off for Kinktober but you can always dm me on discord if you need to get a hold of me off tumblr.

[deanpinterester]

now that i've read the ballad of songbirds and snakes book i'm gonna rewatch the movie and see what happens

[wickedcriminal]

thinking about ur ocs again (jsyk)

ASDGHJKL ME TOOOOO I WAS JUST DRAWING MY BOYS THE OTHER DAY

Who needs names when your companion will call you whatever

[ronseyz]

[stergeon]

🦈❤️ (for that writer ask post)

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

i’m lucky in that most characters flow pretty easily for me, but i’ve struggled the most with writing ferdinand and bernadetta.

ferdinand’s voice is more challenging to execute than i ever anticipate it will be. i barely featured him in chapter 1 of muscle memory, but it was enough to stress me out. he has this particular tone i can’t seem to nail—he’s overly confident and sunny in a way that can come off as oafish, but that oafishness is usually hiding a clever and thoughtful truth.

in general, i like bernie, but she’s not my favorite lmao. pre-timeskip, i find her to be so tough to write as she spirals for nothing and can easily take control of a scene. it’s hard to keep her on task, and i worry about her coming off cringey. i’ve only made an attempt at writing her in echoes of zanado and i’m not sure i’ll do it again, though i’ll definitely give post-timeskip bernie a chance to shine at some point. gotta reward her for all that growth.

i’ve also taken a few stabs at writing locked tomb fics, but i simply cannot get harrowhark’s voice quite right, so those have yet to see the light of day. alas. maybe i’ll finish one eventually!

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

hmmmmm. i don’t feel like i’m particularly skilled at crafting one-liners that stand out or are all that witty. i tend to either be partial to parts of sentences or entire passages that flow well. for whatever reason, i was pleased with the line in muscle memory chapter 2 about kissing the “soft plateau below her navel” even though it’s just describing a tummy lol. the words feel nice together.

i’m gonna cheat and throw a few out here. edelgard’s rant about the cats’ names in her majesty’s favored felines was so fun to write and still cracks me up. she’s so high-drama smdh. love her. there’s also a really stupid sex joke early in that story that’s not even a joke, per se, but also makes me laugh.

i think like you mean it contains some of my most primo navel-gazing angst, and i’m especially fond of the very last paragraph:

She held her like she was the other end of the tether, like she was the only thing keeping her here, like holding her could save her, could give her purpose, could make her worthy, like the heat-on-heat of their intertwined bodies could make meaning of all the things that didn’t make sense in this world. She closed her eyes, and held her, and begged the favor of an absent god, praying that she—that this—could be enough.

i also like this line from chapter eight of at the edge of the void:

And even without her love, he would still choose to make himself a planet and remain in her orbit, knowing full well he would be eventually swallowed by the gravity of a dying sun.

unfortunately, my neuroticism doesn’t let me like it that much because i’ve not put enough thought into whether anyone in fódlan, especially edelgard, has a concept of what gravity is or that suns (plural) can die. i won’t let me have any fun.

[spacecasehobbit]

Writing slow burn "getting to know you again" dialogue between a compulsive liar with deep insecurity issues and a wealthy Brit who was raised with a core value for strict avoidance of any subjects that make him the slightest bit uncomfortable...

This Groundhog Day loop might need lower standards.

Maybe the loop should actually end when they manage to get through one whole Meaningful Conversation without any lies or hedging or one of them bursting into flames from stress.

[tamalesnsuch]

"I didn't really understand what mothers were because mine was in a tree, but I knew they were very good things and you were very angry and sad if you lost them..." -Naomi Novik - Spinning Silver

[acourtofquestions]

"But just remember that this fear of yours? It means you have something worth fighting for-something you care so greatly for that losing it is the worst thing you can imagine." He pointed to the frost-covered windows.

"Those bastards out there on the plain? They have none of that." He laid his hand on hers and squeezed gently. "They have nothing to fight for. And while we might not have their numbers, we do have something worth defending. And because of that, we can overcome our fear. We can fight against them, to the very end. For our friends, for our family ..." He squeezed her hand again at that. "For those we love ..." He dared to look up at Lysandra, whose green eyes were lined with silver.

"For those we love, we can rise above that fear."

"Remember that tomorrow. Even if you throw up, even if you spend the whole night in the privy. Remember that we have something to fight for, and it will always triumph."

Evangeline nodded. "I will."

Aedion ruffled her hair once more and walked to the door, pausing on the threshold. He met Lysandra's stare, her eyes emerald-bright.

"I lost my family ten years ago. Tomorrow I will fight for the new one I've made."

Not only for Terrasen and its court and people. But also for the two ladies in this room.

I wanted it to be you in the end.

[raayllum]

When she didn't perk up, he added, "If you really want to make sure we're a fierce fighting party though, there is something that might be cool to try."

"Dumb idea face," she said skeptically, but she nodded for him to go on anyway.

He hoped his excitement would be infectious. "I was looking through Macchus' book of runes, and apparently elven weapons can channel magic too? So I could like, make my fulminus spell course through your weapons. You have to admit, that sounds pretty cool."

Rayla's eyes widened by a fraction, and it was enough to make Callum smile. "Really? Hm. Well, as long as you don't electrocute me like you did the first time you were learning fulminus."

"Hey, I didn't electrocute you last night."

Rayla flushed. "You didn't," she relented, smiling slightly.

"Plus, I'm the first human mage in well—maybe forever, and you're a badass elf assassin, and we're probably the first human-elf couple in a while, too. We're already super cool. Why not look like it, right? My magic and your swords."

"Alright, alright," she said, fighting a growing smile, "I'll give your ideas of grandeur a shot one of these days. I do like the idea of looking even cooler than I already do. Happy?"

They unlocked Callum's cell, and they pulled him to his feet, roughly pushing him forward. They forced him down to his knees as Arnath looked down at him with glittering, gold eyes. "What's your name?" he demanded.

"What's it to you?" Callum said, glowering back. The anger was streaked with pain when Arnath drew back a hand and slapped him so hard the sound echoed around the dingy halls of whatever sort of compound they were in.

"Your name," Arnath said.

[...] 

Callum pushed himself up. "Don't touch her—" His fingers began tracing aimlessly in the dark, and it gave him a very, very stupid idea. They thought he was just a regular human, and that was going to be their undoing. He drew the rune, making sure his aim was true—he couldn't afford to almost hit Rayla—and then shouted, "Fulminus!"

Lightning exploded from his fingertips. His arms prickled and stung, as if lightning was being drawn from beneath his skin, before the impact pushed him back onto the ground. For a moment, he couldn't see, as the most lightning he'd ever conjured set the room ablaze. It took down a few of the elves, and Arnath let Callum drop as a Skywing's elf's wings fanned out angrily.

"But you don't have—" Arnath hissed, eyes narrowing. "It doesn't matter what you are. You'll still be dead by the end of this. And so you can't use those hands of yours again—Zephyr?"

The Skywing elf drew the rune as Arnath kept Callum's hands in a tight, burning grip, and he felt the heat of the lightning before it hit him. It was pain beyond the imaginable, cooking his veins from the inside out and piercing his chest, snaking all the way down. Callum screamed, blood in his mouth.

In Search of Silver Linings, Ch 11, June 2019 / Book 5: Ocean, 2023

[kaymarie-bell]

⚠️Diasomnia Spoilers⚠️

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Malleus is such a funny character, he'll see Yuu reading the engravings on the statue of the Witch of Thorns and be like "oho? you're interested to know about the legend? I'll tell you everything I know about her right now if you want" I'm obsessed with him

[teruthecreator]

having the tfs doc open at all times so it haunts me like a looming specter whenever im not working on it

[beautifulpersonpeach]

I am extremely sad and missing all the boys, but I have to say, for the first time in a while, the fandom these past couple days has been very enjoyable to be in, and has provided me the most comfort through my sadness. I love the energy that is happening around OT7 content.

Enjoying being an Army and an OT7 right now, when just a couple months ago I was seriously contemplating if I could call myself that anymore is an interesting feeling. I love all 7 so much, but even still, I was very much sucked in by solo rhetoric for a bit. I have a bad habit of 'wanting to see all sides' of things, and wanting to see what everyone is saying so I can create a less naive, more informed opinion about something, but at some point while doing that I started getting sucked in. I didn't want it to, I'd step away for a day when I'd notice myself getting angry or some of it sort of got shaken loose when they'd hate on another member, but only temporarily, and then I'd find myself back at it looking at solo content again, so instead I just felt kind of guilty occasionally reading somewhat snarky remarks made about people I felt so much affection for (I never was able to deal with the genuinely hateful ones, just the ones that made snide comments now and again).

The thing that finally snapped me out of it was reading a different member's solos claims. They sounded absolutely ridiculous, and were almost verbatim what the solos I'd been reading think pieces from for the last three months were saying. Being able to stand on the outside of those claims, knowing they're nonsense, forced me to acknowledge the similarities and the hooks in my brain finally came loose.

I was never posting negative thoughts, or #ARMYDONTRESPECTX #HYBERESPECTX, and I definitely wasn't joining in on any of the hate toward any of the members (I own and stream every member's solo albums, solos could never make me hate them, it was always way more about how I felt about ARMY's feelings/treatment of the members).

I know that you think people who fall for solo rhetoric are unintelligent, and would have ended up like that anyway. But, as someone who was actually very distressed knowing I was headed down that path but was also unable to pull myself out of that place for a while, I went to blogs like yours and other similar ones hoping to find thoughts that could help me break the bitterness but even if I understood and even agreed with a lot of things you or others said. it never provided me with the answers I'd hoped for. It was only until I was able to hold a mirror up to myself that so many of my questions went away. I understand why ARMY have no desire to give an ounce of space to most solos, and I don't think that's an incorrect thing to do. But I do think that, more than people being stupid and predisposed for hatred/solo stanning, a lot of people have questions or concerns, and unfortunately, find answers in the worst spaces in the fandom.

I don't have a solution to keep this from happening, only that maybe if you post this maybe someone who is also struggling with those feelings might see this and relate and maybe can start work on realizing that ARMY may not have the answers to your questions, but neither do solos. You're not going to find anything illuminating, because nobody is actually saying anything new or unique, it's literally all the same angry claims of mistreatment and sabotage.

Anyway, stream No More Dream and Attack on Bangtan, and Standing Next to You and Like Crazy, and Slow Dancing, and Hageum, and The Astronaut and Wildflower, and Arson, or whatever songs are your favorite, go listen and be happy, BTS is great and getting to be a fan of all of them, collectively and separately, is great, listening to their discography or watching original content is probably the best answer to most questions anyone may have.

***

“You're not going to find anything illuminating, because nobody is actually saying anything new or unique, it's literally all the same angry claims of mistreatment and sabotage.”

This is what I thought I’d been communicating for the last year, but I suppose it’s one thing to read someone else write it, and another thing to experience for yourself.

I think BTS is the most (and best) documented Korean artist in recent times, whether filmed footage or written interviews, there’s no other k-pop group or idol that’s been as filmed or interviewed as BTS, and they are actually fairly consistent in their views about the group and about themselves. Everything required to understand the kind of group BTS is, is right there. And so when I see people struggle, I just take it as an indication of the limits on their capacity to get it. Some reasons for those limits might be due to language and prior experiences, things that aren’t their fault exactly, but it is what it is.

It’s encouraging to read you were able to pull yourself out of that mind muck. Like some other Anon said, it’s far easier to go from ARMY to solo than the other way around, so I don’t take it for granted that you’ve found your way back. At least for now lol.

Thanks for the write-in. Here’s to hoping more people find their way out.

Enjoy the calm the fandom is experiencing right now. We both know it’s temporary lol (until we get the next major release and then the madness starts all over again). I wish both you and me luck navigating the madness the second go around.

[prismstonearchives]

ストリートライングリーン - Street Line Green

[dravidious]

You're more amazing than an integer between 0 and 100

When I made my outline for my latest story I realized "Wait. The protagonist is just angry and miserable for like 75% of the story. This isn't fun. Oh no what do I do???" And then I remembered that the premise involves the protagonist being taken to a palace. With a wide variety of luxurious Things to enjoy. So that just kind of solved itself.

Protip: If your sub's bad mood is bothering you then simply give them a steak that's more expensive than their entire house.

[lameow-l]