#Elie is a Cold Steel character ^^''

[fortune-maiden]

I was aiming for all 3 bonding events but I got Randy’s final event on my playthrough :D

So then I went to Youtube to watch the others and... yeah I think Randy’s was actually the best

Tio’s was cute and a great followup to what was started in Ch 3 with the promise, and the kick was hilarious. But ultimately it didn’t really provide and new info on either character.

Elie’s was great for Lloyd’s development. It felt like a mirror of the Ch 2 scene where this time Lloyd is the one to open up about his insecurities and Elie encourages him. But POOR ELIE! This was clearly more Lloyd’s bonding event than hers!

Meanwhile Randy’s event gives insight to both. On Lloyd’s side it touches on the same points as Elie’s event but with Lloyd having moved past his insecurities on his own. And then delves into Randy’s past and why he really left the CGF. I know Randy’s history will be explored more in Azure, so this is also great foreshadowing for things to come. I love that it puts the two of them on equal footing.

[alien-mil]

I feel like I have a very specific taste when it comes to fictional men

EXAMPLES

Percy Jackson: no explanation needed

Smiling Finn: childhood crush

Eli: also a childhood crush

Max: another childhood crush

There’s probably more I can did up like the classic Hiccup Haddock and Jack Frost but I wanted to get into specifics!

Extra note to add: also had a crush on the characters they were/are shipped with so the bi panic goes my way as well

[mugenloopdalove]

Miles' F/Ovember pinned!!

(original pinned for the masses)

My f/os are taking over my blog for the month!! You can ask them questions or chat or whatever else!! Also if your participating let me know

(please note that my health's been pretty bad lately and I have some appointments upcoming to figure it out so I'm not 100% sure how much I can do bshdj I'm taking things day to day)

The main stars of the show will be pretty much any BG3 character because I ship with them in some way!! My self insert is of course Theil!! I suggest just checking my f/o list bc it's COMPLICATED.

Other participating f/os and their associated self inserts and kins under the cut!!

I'm also rlly trying to work on info pages for my s/is but I'm Ded

Romos

💣 Pinstirpe Potoroo - Crash Bandicoot (any pronouns) - Self insert: Summer Squirrel (any pronouns)

♠️ Jackson "Blackjack" Chamberlain - Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point (he/him) - Self insert: Tess Bart (she/they)

🧇 Kevin - Saints Row (2022) (any pronouns) - Self insert: B (they/them)

🪩 Disco Kid - Punch Out!! (he/him) - Self insert: Mel (he/him)

🎹 Kaori Sakuramori - Idolm@ster Million Live (she/her) - Self insert: Mimi (they/them)

🍺 Kaede Takagaki - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (she/her) - Self insert: Mimi (they/them) (different s/i w the same name sorry hjksk)

👻🍸 Klaus Hargreeves - The Umbrella Academy (show) (he/they/she) - Self insert: Zero (they/them)

🐈 Matt Engarde - Ace Attorney (he/him) - Self insert: Kitty (they/them)

😈 Arataki Itto - Genshin Impact (he/him) - Self insert: Milo (he/they)

🧪 Jiro Yamashita - Idolm@ster SideM (he/him) - Self insert: Mimimi/Miles (they/it)

⭐ Rosalina - Super Mario (she/they/it) - Self Insert: Princess Gloop (they/she/it/goo)

🎶 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Fate/Grand Order (he/him) - Self Insert: Miles (they/them)

🛹 Lucas Lee - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (he/him) and ��� Gideon Graves - Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (any) - Self insert: Mi (they/them)

🤠 Cole Cassidy - Overwatch (he/him) and 🐉 Genji Shimada - Overwatch (he/him) - Self insert: Elliot/"MisterE" (they/he)

👨‍👧 Ryotaro Dojima - Persona 4 (he/him) and 🥬 Tohru Adachi - Persona 4 (he/they) - Self insert: Eli (they/them)

👻 Buffy Engarde - Ace Attorney OC (sister) (she/her) - Self insert: Kitty (they/them) (same as Matt!)

🏠 Nanako Dojima - Persona 4 (daughter) (she/her) - Self insert: Eli (they/them) (same as Dojima and Adachi!)

🩷 Miria Akagi - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (daughter) (she/her) and 📖 Arisu Tachibana - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (daughter) (she/they) - Self insert: Mimi (they/them)(same as Kaede!)

📱 Rio Momose - Idolm@ster Million Live (she/her) - Self insert: Mimi (they/them) (same as Kaori!)

🦝 Roary Racoon - Crash Bandicoot OC (they/them) - Self insert: Summer Squirrel (any pronouns) (same as Pinstripe!)

🦌 Eve Santaclaus - Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls (she/they) - Self insert: Mimi (they/them) (same as my other Imas CG f/os!)

Kin f/os

Kin: Gerard Lacroix-Overwatch

😡 Jack Morrison/Soldier:76 (romantic)(he/him)

💀 Gabriel Reyes/Reaper (romantic)(he/they)

🦁 Reinhardt Wilhelm (romantic)(he/him)

💤 Ana Amari (platonic)(she/they)

Talon AU Specific

🔘 Siebren de Kuiper/Sigma (platonic)(he/it)

🕷️ Widowmaker/Widow-Trans masc (romantic) (He/they)

📵 Olivia Colomar/Sombra (platonic)(any)

Kin: Agent Stone-Sonic the Hedgehog (Movie)

🥚 Dr. Robotnik (romantic)(he/they/it)

🖤 Shadow the Hedgehog (kid)(he/they)

❤️‍🩹 Sage (kid)(she/they/it)

Kin: Indrid Cold (The Adventure Zone: Amnesty)

♥️v♥️ Duck Newton (Romantic)(he/him)

🐇🔥 Aubrey Little (Platonic)(she/they/it)

Kin: Yoosung Kim (Mystic Messenger)

🚀 707/Saeyoung Choi (Romantic)(any pronouns)

🌸 Protagonist (Romantic) (she/her)

Kin: Galo Thymos (Promare)

🔥🐲 Lio Fotia (Romantic)(he/they)

Kin: Johnny Gat (Saints Row)

🎧 Aisha (Romantic)(she/her)

⚜️ Boss - Zuri Valdez (platonic)(she/her)

💎 Shaundi (Platonic)(she/her)

🤖 Matt Miller (Brother)(he/they)

[biskael]

LITTLE CHARACTER THINGS

just a fun little character game. fill in the below categories with 3-5 things that your character can be identified by. repost & tag away !

tagged by: .

tagging : anyone who wishes to do this .

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS:

001. arrogance .

002. seriousness .

003. self-confidence .

004. pride.

005. dedication .

VOICE / GREETINGS / SPEECH PATTERNS :

001. possesses a noticeable german accent . so , his Ws become Vs , his Vs become Fs , etc . a region-specific dialect is to be determined , personally .

002. his specific patterns are particular . his vocabulary seems to be quite formal . but , i do personally believe his delivery can be interpreted as casual .

003. has a very loud and commanding voice . also , occasionally rolls his Rs , a trait both in english and japanese ! thank you !

COLORS:

001. crimson / scarlet . namely in the form of his glasses . lends an almost uncanny look to his appearance, or an intimidating one , in the right light .

002. white . as in his uniform .

003. silver . with strong blue undertones . the silver cage . the color of manipulated reishi .

004. green . representative of forests dark and looming . a place he had spent much time in , when outside of his military duties .

005. black . the supposed color of his aura . interpreted as the conqueror . intense . harsh . the absence of light .

SCENTS:

001. leather , being deeply polished and cared for . the tanned hide of a kill .

002. blood , but not his own . blood of man , blood of monsters .

003. sweat , something he washes away daily . of course , his duties are physical , and exercise is a hobby . it's bound to happen .

004. metal , gunpowder , and the iron scent that comes off of rust . hot smoke . cold steel . there is something menacing about it .

005. pine , as forests deep and dark . a man's cologne . from the woods of the hunt . something natural .

CLOTHING:

001. his wandenreich uniform is a slightly altered variation on the standard . garnered with a thick , dark belt , leather heeled boots & a white mantle . it's the little details that mark him as an important , commanding figure . stupid little hat included .

002. favors leather & fur , all sourced from his hunts or purchased and eventually tanned himself . has more than one fur coat . owns a fur-lined red and white cloak for more formal wandenreich ceremonies . it is worn on top of his regular uniform ( minus the mantle ) , and paired with two decorative , red-handled sabers . all of his black-colored accessories he wears are leather .

003. outside of his uniform , quilge's fashion varies . usually , though , he wears fancier , dandy-types of clothing . being from a noble family historically , quilge's family could afford such . even in adulthood , he thusly dresses rather elegantly . colors and styles vary , of course , but he could also be described as having a more eccentric taste , as well .

004. whatever THIS is . absolutely post-war looks .

005. giant platform boots with a big , ol' heel . or , even just boots with heel , in general . click click click click . that's all .

OBJECTS:

001. his military saber & personal sword .

002. the sternritter medallion , which houses the captured spirit of zangetsu . timeline dependent , as per my plot with eli's ichigo . :)

003. his belt is modified to holster and reinforced various tools / objects . namely smaller in nature , such as his hunter's horn , a number of knives , rope , etc .

004. a small , pocket-sized journal . has larger ones he keeps inside of his personal chambers at silbern . but , quilge enjoys what can be kept on his person , as he travels and hunts often . he journals when he hunts , as it helps him sort his thoughts when he's alone . during his deployment to hueco mundo , he wrote about it . he keeps notes about his fellow sternritter . he keeps notes about his hunts , his prey , even thinks of publishing hunting guides based on this information . he will draw the anatomy and bodies of monsters he's hunted . quilge is a rather talented artist in a technical sense .

005. owns a vast number of weapons from numerous eras and cultures . a personal collection . some of it is brought to silbern . most of it is at his ancestral home , a jagdschloss in the german forests . quilge personally favors bladed weapons , but knows how to use a variety of guns , as well as other types of weapons .

VICES / BAD HABITS: 

001. sadism . of any kind . quilge is a man made by his cruelty . it is flesh and bone real inside of him . in a particular reply , he had said that it is also his "food and drink." that might be an exaggeration , in that context , but someone like quilge , it feels like he was made to make others suffer .

002. zealotry . quilge , very obviously , has a deep faith in yhwach , his beliefs and his goals . one core belief he holds is that yhwach will succeed in the merging of realms , and that everyone quilge knows will thusly be reborn in this new world . and he screams about it every time he gets the chance to . of course .

003. the culling of the weak . sure . let's consider his low tolerance for weakness and fear a bit of a vice . it ends in killing , and that's always a vice for him . he will make plenty of excuses to be absolutely barbaric to even his own men .

004. a competitive attitude . quilge always never really liked his siblings . he easily deemed himself better than them . an absolute cain instinct . while not always manifesting in bloodshed, however, his competitiveness still drives in numerous ways . with his comrades , it can be more lighthearted . with his enemies , it will be deadly . he can AND WILL sit atop a pile of corpses when he's finished .

005. possessiveness , and an ultimate desire for control . the conqueror . the jailer . the butcher . the hunter .

BODY LANGUAGE:

001. a very straight posture when standing . extremely practiced and perfected . it's almost intimidating .

002. conversely , there's times when quilge is sitting down , and his posture can be more of a wicked slouch . he does this purposely . almost always crosses his legs with sitting , as well . hand on his chin or a carved cheek .

003. the slight gesturing with his hands . pointing , holding an open hand , waving his finger back and forth teasingly . sometimes , however , quilge's gestures are far more theatric and dramatic , taking up a lot of his space around him . it depends on his mood .

004. quilge has deep , widened smiles . normally , they are quite dark and indulgent . he smiles easily , and it's usually associated with his cruelty .

005. this is a special aspect for my ship partner @guadanya , but quilge and nnoitra share specific whistles and motions with each other . it is practiced between them , and only something they share . should they be separated or apart , visuals and auditory cues between them could be vital . this was , obviously , quilge's idea .

AESTHETICS:

001. the hunt . aside from torture , the hunt is his favorite . his sacred gathering . his holy work .

002. torture devices . divine instruments for the angel of torture .

003. chains , hooks , rope , riding crops . a double meaning for a man like him . ties directly into his work & his play .

004. german folklore / german fairytales . stories that were passed on from his parents to him , and take some presence in post-war . upon returning to germany , quilge shares some of these stories with his husband . his reishi sword is also named for a german folklore story , as well .

005. angels . views himself as one of god's angels . he deems what he does "holy work," and will often claim that he is "tormenting the wicked" by what he does . of course , given his vollständig's appearance & his zealous mind , it's not too surprising that he thinks so highly of himself .

SONGS:

001. ich tu dir weh // rammstein .

002. leather terror // carpenter brut .

003. prelude to das rheingold // wagner .

004. human trophy collectors // filmmaker .

005. bait and switch // KMFDM .

[nakanotamu]

God idk how I ended up in so deep with The Legend of Heroes series but it’s like seriously all I want to do right now is play those games. I finished Azure earlier this week and started Cold Steel like immediately after and I just can’t get enough, all I want to do is keep playing.

From the snippets I’ve seen on reddit it seems like the fandom consensus is that Cold Steel I is one of the worst if not the worst of the series and I just don’t see it. Like mechanically it feels like such an upgrade over what they’d been doing since the first game without losing the spirit at all, I’m just having so much FUN with the actual gameplay itself, so idk what people’s issues might be there. I mean the movement is kind of bad but it’s an early PS3 game so that’s about what I expected.

A lot of people seem to dislike the pacing but I disagree with the complaints I’ve seen tbh. Trails in the Sky FC is absolutely the slowest of the games I’ve played, but that’s because it’s the setup game for the entire series. The slow pace with the sudden twist at the end is what the whole thing is about, and it’s really only the first half of what should imo be considered a two-part single game, but that is by far the slowest entry. And imo Zero, as the other setup game, has significantly worse pacing than Cold Steel. Zero takes forEVER to go anywhere, and feels incredibly disconnected from all of the huge stuff you’ve gotten used to at that point thanks to Sky. They have the epilogue for the Estelle/Joshua/Renne stuff but that thread, while satisfying, is pretty thin. It spends forever setting up Crossbell only for nothing of real import to happen even by the end. I think Zero gets a lot of retroactive good will because of how incredible Azure is, and how that setup is necessary for it, but I really think it’s just not good when taken on its own.

But the thing is, Cold Steel isn’t a setup game. I think that’s why people get upset and call it boring when they look at it as such. Because yeah, it introduces all these new characters (who I think are pretty good, at least so far) when you already know the game isn’t going to cover new ground compared to the end of Azure. But that’s exactly it. The game is idyllic, this almost slice-of-life adventure high school anime... Except you already know that horrific fucking war is coming for these children and it’s going to ruin their lives. It’s not a setup game, it’s an anticipation game.

Also Alisa is tsun so she’s immediately a way better default gf character than Elie ever was, I’ll say it.

Anyway this post was prompted by me deciding that I would rather play Cold Steel than watch Critical Role live tonight, since if I watch I won’t have time to play today at all, whereas if I catch up on Monday I can just not watch wrestling and have time to do both, and then I was like damn I’m super hooked on these games right now I should get my thoughts down.

[asoulofatlantis]

So there was that thing that randomly showed up on Reddit, where you basically shows you which your favorite characters from Trails-Games are, by choosing one character over another until you have a clear position for everyone and I did that 3 times and I've decided to show it to you.

The first try I kind of must have done something wrong, because it ended up looking like this:

So it took me two tries to figure out, that you can choose to not only have the girls in the list. So that is why in this and the next try, you only have girls on the list.

However, this list isn't accurate. While I do love KeA and really like Elie they should not be placed BEFORE Alisa and Tita. (Also... neither Millium nor Shirley are available in that "test" so that is why they are not in the list. The rest of the ranking is okayisch. Not completely accurate, but okayaisch.

My second try, I only chose girl who were in the Cold Steel Saga at some point and it ended up looking like this:

I am still a bit surprised about KeA to be honest, but I guess I just never realized how much I actually like her. Other than that, this ranking is very accurate, tho I am not so sure about Altinas position. I do not dislike her or anything, but sixed place is almost too good for the fact that I also do not like her very much. I do love how Musse is placed last with even Innes and Innea being before her, although I couldn't care less about those two XD

The last try, I finally found out I could add the boys to this.

And this one is basically perfect. First comes my golden child Rean. Then my 4 blond Angel Olivert, Alisa, Alfin and Tita and next is my new addition to my blond Angels, the fifth blond Angel Agnes. I love how high Lecher is in that list, but I do really like him a lot. I am almost shocked that "C" aka you know which blond asshole, is higher in the ranking than Crow. But I guess it is kind of deserved at this point. Juna is 59 of 72, which pretty much tells the tale about how Cold Steel 4 made sure I hate her ^^' And then you've got to see the only 3 characters I dislike more than Musse. Bergard, for putting Gaius in this position and playing dead. Arios for hiding who actually killed his best Friend and acting like he cares about Lloyd regardless after all he has said and done. And of course George for almost killing my Olivert.

I am really sad that Millium, Shirley and Cedric are not in there, but it was still a lot of fun.

[thebibblebobb]

I mean tbf I don't have like, a concrete list of thoughts I want to give, more just vibes lol. I guess a vague list of things in my head, in no particular order:

Imagine if cold steel was brave enough to make crow and rean gay... it would be so powerful

I do really love rean though. I know people don't like him because he's a bit of a harem protag, but like. He's depressed and his unhealthy coping mechanism is trying to be as useful as possible to others. He's just like me fr

Estelle is bestelle, genuinly such a great protag. Trails writing of female characters peaked with estelle tbh

I wish this series was less weird about lesbians, but hey it gave us Olivier at least. That's something.

in general theres just. a lot of quirks about the series that people don't like. and that's fair. But honestly I love this series and I love its stupid quirks. yh people LOVE dramatically referring to people by their fancy title, yh people are weirdly resistant to death, yh everyones extremely forgiving (elie referring to bell as her closest friend in cold steel 4 blows my mind girl she made ur 9 year old daughter want to kill herself. kloe wanting lechter to come back for royal acaedmy class reunion like he wasnt currently trying to start a world war was incredible)

but you know. that's just #quirky stuff. I love this series.

I want a slice of life spin off where for contrived reasons the prev protags and some members of ouroborus end up going on a cruise ship together, shennanigans ensure.

Getting back into the trails series was a mistake I have so many thoughts and no one to give those thoughts to because the fandom is so tiny. Sad.

[blackrosesandwhump]

Summer of Whump 21: Panic

This drabble features my oc Eli Ward, a former daredevil circus performer turned experiment subject after being sold to the doctor who saved his life. Eli is the main character in my series Experiment 13.

CW: human experimentation, fear, vaguely creepy whumper, needles, drugging, mild dehumanization

The silence of the empty laboratory rang in my ears, and I clenched my fists against the table, panicking. Any moment now, the silence would break with the doctor's footfall and cold voice. I had only a few seconds of peace, if it could be called peace. Peace usually doesn’t mean being strapped down to a table, waiting to be experimented on, but the momentary bliss of Steele’s absence was close enough.

“Experiment 13. Are you ready?”

His voice jolted me. I wanted to swear at him, protest, something, but any defiance on my part would only worsen what was about to happen.

He hovered over me, a smile playing on his lips. “We have a lot of work to do today.”

Goosebumps rose on my bare skin. His rubber-gloved fingers hovered over my exposed sternum as if deciding the best spot to cut it open. I tried to flinch away, straining against the straps holding me down, but Dr. Steele just laughed.

“You’ve got some fight in you still,” he observed, turning away to sort through a tray of tools. “I shouldn’t be surprised; I bought you because of that.” His expression changed abruptly and he leaned over me, his face inches from mine. “Don’t lose that fight, Thirteen. You’ll need it.”

A surge of panic rose in my throat. I couldn’t defy him, couldn’t escape, couldn’t even sit up. I was completely at his mercy, and I knew from experience that he didn’t show mercy to anyone, especially not to his experiments. Eyes fixed on the ceiling, I gritted my teeth as he tightened the strap around my chest. The intensified pressure forced air from my lungs, causing a pitiful hiss to escape my mouth.

And then I felt it: a sharp pinch in the crook of my elbow. A needle. As my mind fogged up and a dull ache started rising through my body, I couldn’t struggle against the panic anymore.

@whumping-out-of-time @forthetaintedsorrow-whump

[rockislandadultreads]

New Adult Fiction ft. Ace Characters 

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her. Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right? When Alison meets Dr Faraday, a visiting psychologist, she feels an instant connection. More, he believes her story. But there's more to Faraday than Alison can possibly imagine ... and the answers he will give her are ... extraordinary...

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye

A reimagining of Jane Eyre as a gutsy, heroic serial killer. A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life until escaping to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre “last confessions” of the recently hanged, Jane thrills at discovering an advertisement.  Her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, who seeks a governess. Burning to know whether she is in fact the rightful heir, Jane takes the position incognito, and learns that Highgate House is full of marvelously strange new residents—the fascinating but caustic Mr. Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, and the gracious Sikh butler Mr. Sardar Singh, whose history with Mr. Thornfield appears far deeper and darker than they pretend. As Jane catches ominous glimpses of the pair’s violent history and falls in love with the gruffly tragic Mr. Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him—body, soul, and secrets—without revealing her own murderous past? A satirical romance about identity, guilt, goodness, and the nature of lies.

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland (Pseudonym), AdriAnne Strickland

Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn't listen ... Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people's souls while they sleep. But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it. When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door. A.M. Strickland's imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai's own soul, but the entire kingdom ...

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic

Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher. Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed. But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep. He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep. Who are the Sawkill Girls? Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find. Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is. Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies. Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now

Books pulled from Asexuals in Fiction list on goodreads.com

[fortune-maiden]

Sweet freedom!

Ch 3 of Zero is definitely a low point with how much it just drags despite there being some really fun moments throughout! Estelle! Renne! Kilika! LECHTER! (aidios cold steel ruined you so hard T_T) I did really like the slow buildup to the Schwarze auction but this chapter really felt like the place to dump all the character things that couldn’t be placed elsewhere. The Anniversary Festival itself also ended up feeling like a background event with most of the festivities happening while the SSS was doing their jobs (which from a story perspective makes sense but it’s a very different vibe from Cold Steel letting you enjoy the events and really feeling like something grandiose)

Also I can’t help feeling like Tio & Randy got the short end of the stick here though with how their Combo Crafts and backstories came out vs. Elie’s moment in Ch 2. They were great scenes but felt more like another event vs. a focal point.

(although to be fair, from what I know, Tio & Randy will have a lot more plot relevance than poor Elie going forward ^^”)

Anyway the SSS has KeA now and finally plot can proceed :D

One more day of Anniversary Festival Left….

I swear this chapter is where Cold Steel got its sidequest philosophy from x_x

[lady-byleth]

Three things about Trails of Cold Steel that should've been different

1. Way too many characters. Like, Class VII had what, 16 members by the end? Plus family, friends, allies and previous series characters we had like 40 playable characters for 4 and that's just...way too much. Even without all the small fry, there was way too little place to focus on all of Class VII so that once their important parts were mostly wrapped up they faded into the background until needed again. Most notable here is Crow, our second protagonist

2. Too many goddamn romance options, but the one that made the most sense wasn't one. We had around a dozen female characters to choose from by 4, none of which Rean himself had enough chemistry with to really make sense, some of which were his students and one of which is his adopted sister. Meanwhile his narrative foil wasn't one. And this isn't just me aching for representation, Crow was written and handled in a way that put his importance to Rean one step above everyone else, as best friend, rival and biggest regret. Rean literally went against and broke fate to save him. And yet he spent most of his screen time at the back of the group and the fact that he was literally a walking corpse for the whole game barely got focus. They didn't even really comment on his changed looks until he went back to normal. The whole Sol Shrine business was his big moment and then he, like all the others, faded into the background until needed.

And he was Rean's partner, Rean tied their lives together. He was advertised as Rean's Elie and Joshua, the canon love interests for Lloyd and Estelle, and his primary focus of angst and grief for 3. A little more woulda been nice. Just a little.

I mean, sure you don't start a romance with someone who you know is gonna disappear in a few weeks but they could've at least had them acknowledge something and then made it official in the epilogue.

3. Just, and I cannot stress this enough, you can romance Rean's goddamn sister and students but NOT his best friend.

[aion-rsa]

The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Proves a Little Less is Infinitely More

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This Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone analysis contains spoilers.

The ending will be discussed at length. If you haven’t seen it, I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse. Find the film, watch it with fresh eyes, then come back and celebrate The Death of Michael Corleone.

“The power to absolve debt is greater than the power of forgiveness,” Michael Corleone observes in the revelatory new opening of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. He may well be speaking for Francis Ford Coppola. The Godfather Part III concluded the family saga, made a profit for Paramount Pictures, and garnered seven Oscar nominations in its time, but Coppola has never been forgiven for it. The 1990 film has such an undeserved reputation, it almost feels like there was a vendetta against it. Having seen the new cut several times, the director can finally be absolved of sins he never committed.

Coppola’s finale has been bashed for its structure. Critics said he was just going through the motions and the arc of the first two films, and doing it much too slowly. However, the filmmaker was making one long film, and this is the conclusion. It references the other two films because the reality which forms this family history is well known. It is canon, the arcs are similar because each film dissembles William Shakespeare’s King Lear. The Godfather, Part III also has the balls to wear its opera cape up front, and it’s a Sicilian one. But does it move as slow as critics accused? We get an ear bite in the first quarter, a helicopter mass execution, and enough intrigue for three Hitchcock films.

The Godfather, Coda is not much different than The Godfather Part III. Coppola only cut five minutes from the 162 minutes of the original. But like a good haircut, it makes a difference, even though I think he took too much off the top. The streamlining speeds it up and makes it feel more tragic. Michael’s regrets are palpable, the dangers he and his family face are recognizable. It’s the same movie but tighter. The Godfather and The Godfather Part II are perfect films, like Casablanca or Citizen Kane, not a single scene is less than flawlessly framed, acted, and situated. The third one is a little sloppy. It happens. Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets is sloppy and works perfectly because of it. To this writer, Mean Streets packs more of an emotional punch than Goodfellas, which is also cinematic perfection from setup to cut. The Godfather III is rough around the edges.

Coppola loves the editing room as much as any wine vineyard. He recut Apocalypse Now Redux, and added scenes which may not have been imperative, but are wholly welcome. Coppola filled in the storyline to The Cotton Club for his reworking. When The Godfather trilogy was recut and re-released as a seven-hour chronological saga, it was like hearing the Beatles’ White Album with discarded tracks included. Scenes which landed on the cutting room floor were put back in. The Godfather, Coda takes scenes out. We get less of Eli Wallach’s Machiavellian cannoli-lover Don Altobello, which is a shame because his performance has grown on me since my initial viewing. Coppola also cuts Talia Shire’s Connie Corleone when she goes full-on Lucretia Borgia, ordering an execution in a chapel.

The Godfather Part III is the purest of the saga’s films in terms of cinematic input. The first film was a masterful adaptation of Mario Puzo’s book. The second one also drew heavily from the book. By the third, the motion picture saga was on its own. Part III was also the first of the films which didn’t have the Godfather himself, Vito Corleone, in it. Marlon Brando’s performance is more than iconic; it is Americana itself. Robert De Niro bridges generations as the young Vito in The Godfather Part II. Al Pacino’s Michael is the only godfather here.

“The Pope, the Holy Father, on this very day has blessed Michael Corleone. You think you know better than the Pope?”

The original cut of The Godfather Part III opens on the flooded Corleone compound in Lake Tahoe and dissolves to Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Lower Manhattan’s Little Italy. The Godfather, Coda opens with a low-angle establishing shot of the exterior of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It looks like a relic of another time. It is surrounded by the cold steel and glass of modern architecture. The midtown cathedral represents old money.

The first scene is a meeting between Michael Corleone and head of the Vatican Bank, Archbishop Gilday (Donal Donnelly). The Vatican is selling controlling shares in real estate conglomerate Internazionale Immobiliare to the Corleone family. These details don’t come out until 30 minutes into The Godfather Part III. By now putting the Vatican meeting at the beginning, followed by the Vito Corleone Foundation celebration, it fits better into the structure of The Godfather, and gives the proper weight to the deals with the Holy Roman Church.

The scene also reestablishes the Corleones as a family of great wealth. They have so much money they can bail out the Vatican. We don’t know how they made that money; we get very little detail about the years between The Godfather Part II and the late 1970s, when The Godfather, Coda is set.

We assume the Corleones had nothing to do with heroin, probably sidestepped any involvement in the Kennedy assassination, and stuck with the traditional vices, which could be best maneuvered into real power. We can imagine a Hoffa scenario because of their union involvement, but we get little indications of business beyond the chase for legitimacy. With this deal, Michael will be one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Moving the meeting also casts the archbishop in the same role that the funeral director played in the opening scene of The Godfather. The priest’s favor becomes his regret, but in a way that inverts the structure of the original film. The funeral director came to Don Corleone seeking justice after chasing the American dream, believing in it with all his soul as much as he believed in holy Mary, mother of God.

Archbishop Gilday’s impossible dream is to turn that around, to siphon the American success of the Corleone family back to Italy, after skimming his part, of course. Michael is awarded the Order of St. Sebastian from the Catholic Church after the charity run by his daughter Mary (Sofia Coppola) donates $100 million to the institution. Immobiliare is the other side of the coin, and it is a beautiful flip.

The move also fits the film closer to the original 1972 classic, positioning the Vito Corleone Foundation ceremony as the wedding scene, and introducing us to the players, and the ones who don’t play well with others. Joe Mantegna plays Joey Zasa, who is a stand-in for the John Gotti ascendancy, running Don Corleone’s old territory now that the family has moved up. Eli Wallach ties us into the family behind the family. Vincent Mancini is the bastard son of Sonny Corleone and his mistress Lucy. Actor Andy Garcia clearly enjoys this part. He turns into James Caan a few times.

Sofia Coppola’s performance has been called flat, amateurish, and not in the same universe as the rest of the film. Mary is an important part. For most of the audience, she is the most recognizable character as far as an entry into the world of the underworld. Sofia did it because her father needed her, and quickly. Winona Ryder’s unexpected bout of physical exhaustion didn’t fit with Paramount’s time schedule, and the studio’s replacement options didn’t fit the age of the character.

Coppola’s 18-year-old daughter, Sofia, still had baby fat on her face. She’d made appearances in Rumble Fish and Peggy Sue Got Married, and was used to working with her father, even though she was not an actor. European filmmakers cast non-actors all the time; they bring a real quality to roles. Lenny Montana, who played Luca Brasi in The Godfather, was a former wrestler who came to the set as the bodyguard of a ranking Colombo family member. Martin Scorsese’s mother Catherine makes an appearance in The Godfather Part III. Sofia is playing herself, a college freshman who wants to help her father.

This makes the gnocchi scene feel almost uncomfortably incestuous. Mary is Vincent’s first cousin, and we can see in the way they look at each other; it’s wrong even though it feels so right. Sofia is natural in her scenes, not emotive. She is the tourist the audience needs to circumnavigate the treacherous waters. Mary is the civilian who becomes the collateral damage of the Corleone family life. She takes the bullet intended for her father, Don Michael Corleone. Sofia did the same for her father, becoming the scapegoat for a job she took to get his movie in on time.

Read more

Movies

Redeeming The Legacy Of The Godfather Part III

By Don Kaye

Culture

The Real Goodfellas: Gangsters That Inspired the Martin Scorsese Film

By Tony Sokol

Mary’s death scene has been called the worst in the history of motion pictures. It never was, and as presented in the recut, it’s entirely, emotionally effective. It’s not Bette Davis in Dark Victory, and even though it happens on the stone steps of a church, it isn’t James Cagney’s death scene in The Roaring Twenties. It isn’t meant to be. It is sad. The death itself is one of the most underplayed in film, but the music gives it the tragedy to match Michael’s reaction.

It is hard to resist the pull of the music when considering how much of a worthy ending this cut is to The Godfather saga. The themes are the trilogy’s blood and wine. Composer Nino Rota tells us when to celebrate and how to mourn. We relive Michael’s lost love Appollonia more through our ear’s memory than we do from the faded black and white photograph in the old Sicilian villa. And his reunion with Kay evokes the post-war era they met in. The music ties the film together so beautifully that this time around it feels like the skin of the original, rather than its clothes.

By the end of the film, the emperor has no clothes. Michael thinks he can break a glass ceiling through legitimate business but admits “The higher I go, the crookeder it becomes.” Senators and presidents have men killed. The church is no different. Legitimacy is an illusion. Coppola saw The Godfather Part III as an epilogue. Paramount wanted to grow a franchise. Coppola had to be persuaded to make a sequel to the first film. Paramount wanted Coca-Cola instead of wine. And they treated The Godfather Part III like the Fredo of Godfather movies.

Fredo is all over this film. How he died is the first question Mary asks Vincent. It’s the last rite in Michael’s confession to the Vatican priest who will become Pope, a scene which contains one of the funniest exchanges in the film. Michael tells Cardinal Lamberto (Raf Vallone) a list of his sins would take up too much time. The first cut may have been the deepest, but the final cut in The Godfather, Coda is the most ironic. Coppola adds the subtitle, in quotations, apart from the puppeteer logo of the films and book, and then takes exactly that promise away.

The final scene cut from The Death of Michael Corleone is the death of Michael Corleone.

The Godfather Part III ends as Michael is sitting alone outside a villa in Sicily. All family debts have been settled, but he has no family left. He is wearing dark glasses, slumps in his chair, loses his grip on the orange in his lap, and falls dead to the ground. Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone ends, not only with him still alive, but wishing him Cent’anni, telling the audience it means “for long life” and reminding viewers “a Sicilian never forgets.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The phrase actually translates to 100 years. Imagine how many Godfather sequels could be made in that time. Michael is left alive, alone. Atonement is beyond him. He loses his family just as he is on the precipice of finally being able to give them what they need. But the coda to Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is an allegory to what Paramount wanted, more life. Yes, Al Pacino’s Don Michael Corleone spent all this time waiting for them to pull him back in.

The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is available now on Blu-ray and digital.

The post The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone Proves a Little Less is Infinitely More appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/39SIclX

[biskael]

LITTLE CHARACTER THINGS

just a fun little character game. fill in the below categories with 3-5 things that your character can be identified by. repost & tag away !

tagged by: @za-baransu thank you !

tagging : anyone who wishes to do this .

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS:

001. arrogance .

002. seriousness .

003. self-confidence .

004. pride.

005. dedication .

VOICE / GREETINGS / SPEECH PATTERNS :

001. possesses a noticeable german accent . so , his Ws become Vs , his Vs become Fs , etc . a region-specific dialect is to be determined , personally .

002. his specific patterns are particular . his vocabulary seems to be quite formal . but , i do personally believe his delivery can be interpreted as casual .

003. has a very loud and commanding voice . also , occasionally rolls his Rs , a trait both in english and japanese ! thank you !

COLORS:

001. crimson / scarlet . namely in the form of his glasses . lends an almost uncanny look to his appearance, or an intimidating one , in the right light .

002. white . as in his uniform .

003. silver . with strong blue undertones . the silver cage . the color of manipulated reishi .

004. green . representative of forests dark and looming . a place he had spent much time in , when outside of his military duties .

005. black . the supposed color of his aura . interpreted as the conqueror . intense . harsh . the absence of light .

SCENTS:

001. leather , being deeply polished and cared for . the tanned hide of a kill .

002. blood , but not his own . blood of man , blood of monsters .

003. sweat , something he washes away daily . of course , his duties are physical , and exercise is a hobby . it's bound to happen .

004. metal , gunpowder , and the iron scent that comes off of rust . hot smoke . cold steel . there is something menacing about it .

005. pine , as forests deep and dark . a man's cologne . from the woods of the hunt . something natural .

CLOTHING:

001. his wandenreich uniform is a slightly altered variation on the standard . garnered with a thick , dark belt , leather heeled boots & a white mantle . it's the little details that mark him as an important , commanding figure . stupid little hat included .

002. favors leather & fur , all sourced from his hunts or purchased and eventually tanned himself . has more than one fur coat . owns a fur-lined red and white cloak for more formal wandenreich ceremonies . it is worn on top of his regular uniform ( minus the mantle ) , and paired with two decorative , red-handled sabers . all of his black-colored accessories he wears are leather .

003. outside of his uniform , quilge's fashion varies . usually , though , he wears fancier , dandy-types of clothing . being from a noble family historically , quilge's family could afford such . even in adulthood , he thusly dresses rather elegantly . colors and styles vary , of course , but he could also be described as having a more eccentric taste , as well .

004. whatever THIS is . absolutely post-war looks .

005. giant platform boots with a big , ol' heel . or , even just boots with heel , in general . click click click click . that's all .

OBJECTS:

001. his military saber & personal sword , der freischütz .

002. the sternritter medallion , which houses the captured spirit of zangetsu . timeline dependent , as per my plot with eli's ichigo . :)

003. his belt is modified to holster and reinforced various tools / objects . namely smaller in nature , such as his hunter's horn , a number of knives , rope , etc .

004. a small , pocket-sized journal . has larger ones he keeps inside of his personal chambers at silbern . but , quilge enjoys what can be kept on his person , as he travels and hunts often . he journals when he hunts , as it helps him sort his thoughts when he's alone . during his deployment to hueco mundo , he wrote about it . he keeps notes about his fellow sternritter . he keeps notes about his hunts , his prey , even thinks of publishing hunting guides based on this information . he will draw the anatomy and bodies of monsters he's hunted . quilge is a rather talented artist in a technical sense .

005. owns a vast number of weapons from numerous eras and cultures . a personal collection . some of it is brought to silbern . most of it is at his ancestral home , a jagdschloss in the german forests . quilge personally favors bladed weapons , but knows how to use a variety of guns , as well as other types of weapons .

VICES / BAD HABITS: 

001. sadism . of any kind . quilge is a man made by his cruelty . it is flesh and bone real inside of him . in a particular reply , he had said that it is also his "food and drink." that might be an exaggeration , in that context , but someone like quilge , it feels like he was made to make others suffer .

002. zealotry . quilge , very obviously , has a deep faith in yhwach , his beliefs and his goals . one core belief he holds is that yhwach will succeed in the merging of realms , and that everyone quilge knows will thusly be reborn in this new world . and he screams about it every time he gets the chance to . of course .

003. the culling of the weak . sure . let's consider his low tolerance for weakness and fear a bit of a vice . it ends in killing , and that's always a vice for him . he will make plenty of excuses to be absolutely barbaric to even his own men .

004. a competitive attitude . quilge always never really liked his siblings . he easily deemed himself better than them . an absolute cain instinct . while not always manifesting in bloodshed, however, his competitiveness still drives in numerous ways . with his comrades , it can be more lighthearted . with his enemies , it will be deadly . he can AND WILL sit atop a pile of corpses when he's finished .

005. possessiveness , and an ultimate desire for control . the conqueror . the jailer . the butcher . the hunter .

BODY LANGUAGE:

001. a very straight posture when standing . extremely practiced and perfected . it's almost intimidating .

002. conversely , there's times when quilge is sitting down , and his posture can be more of a wicked slouch . he does this purposely . almost always crosses his legs with sitting , as well . hand on his chin or a carved cheek .

003. the slight gesturing with his hands . pointing , holding an open hand , waving his finger back and forth teasingly . sometimes , however , quilge's gestures are far more theatric and dramatic , taking up a lot of his space around him . it depends on his mood .

004. quilge has deep , widened smiles . normally , they are quite dark and indulgent . he smiles easily , and it's usually associated with his cruelty .

005. this is a special aspect for my ship partner @guadanya , but quilge and nnoitra share specific whistles and motions with each other . it is practiced between them , and only something they share . should they be separated or apart , visuals and auditory cues between them could be vital . this was , obviously , quilge's idea .

AESTHETICS:

001. the hunt . aside from torture , the hunt is his favorite . his sacred gathering . his holy work .

002. torture devices . divine instruments for the angel of torture .

003. chains , hooks , rope , riding crops . a double meaning for a man like him . ties directly into his work & his play .

004. german folklore / german fairytales . stories that were passed on from his parents to him , and take some presence in post-war . upon returning to germany , quilge shares some of these stories with his husband . his reishi sword is also named for a german folklore story , as well .

005. angels . views himself as one of god's angels . he deems what he does "holy work," and will often claim that he is "tormenting the wicked" by what he does . of course , given his vollständig's appearance & his zealous mind , it's not too surprising that he thinks so highly of himself .

SONGS:

001. ich tu dir weh // rammstein .

002. leather terror // carpenter brut .

003. prelude to das rheingold // wagner .

004. human trophy collectors // filmmaker .

005. bait and switch // KMFDM .

[benisasoftboi]

Unorganised thoughts on Trails to Azure:

What a depressing ending!

Also spoils what I’m assuming will be a big twist in Cold Steel 2 re: Osbourne, but like... ‘they don’t know where his body is’? Come on, we all know what that means

Also Lloyd shut up about goddamn barriers, Jesus

But like in all seriousness, I heard a lot of people call this the best Trails game, and while I personally liked Zero and SC a little more, that’s not an unjustified statement. The beginning’s a little slow, but everything after the intermission is pretty much non-stop great

It had been bothering me SO MUCH that Estelle and Joshua weren’t in Zero’s opening flash-forward, but were there when we returned to that point... the reveal that it was actually a different goddamn timeline was immensely satisfying 

KeA’s powers in general are great. I love reality warpers

I absolutely knew from the moment I saw her that Mariabell would be no good. That is just an evil looking woman, right there 

The Grimwood twist felt a little last minute. Also, goddamnit, the ‘oh I didn’t ACTUALLY kill him I just made it LOOK like I did for no reason’ thing. Like why is this series so afraid to kill characters off (outside of backstories, because everyone is required to have a dead relative, obviously)

But speaking of dead relatives, I loved everything we saw of Guy Bannings. He reminds me a lot of Phoenix Wright, lol

It was really exciting to see my boy Kevin - I love his Japanese voice!

Oh and Olivier and Kloe and Mueller and Julia cameos, yesss!

Ries was also there and I like her just fine, but not as much as the rest. Sorry, Ries

So,

Lloyd: I really like Lloyd. Way more than Rean. I guess it’s that he feels like more his own person than a player avatar, and also doesn’t have multiple bullshit super powers. God do I hate Rean’s super powers. There’s also just the fact that I find lots of girls liking Lloyd way more believable than lots of girls liking Rean. Lloyd is cute, and sweet, and he’s kind of a huge dork, and he’s that very adorable combination of extremely smart and extremely dumb. Rean has the personality of a plastic bag, and is friends with multiple guys who are far hotter and more interesting than he is, and yet every girl wants him. It’s a blatant self-insert player fantasy 

Seriously. There is literally zero reason any of these girls would be into Rean when Gaius is right there. Gaius is just Rean but less whiny and much better looking

Anyway Lloyd is great

Elie: I still really love Elie, she’s just so consistently good, man. I’m glad she’s the ‘canon’ love interest, and I thought her confession scene was lovely - she and Lloyd are good together. I only wish there’d been more focus on how she felt about the Mariabell reveal

Randy: I liked Randy so much more in this game. His backstory was well handled, and his more annoying traits were toned down. I really enjoy his relationship to Lloyd, I think that’s excellent

Tio: Didn’t get to do as much in this game, shame, but still great. I’m assuming she’s the most popular Crossbell character, right? She’s very funny and I’m glad that the game acknowledges that the cult stuff is still traumatic for her to remember even after Joachim - it feels more realistic than ‘we defeated it and I’m better now!’

Noel: Uhhh... I don’t dislike Noel or anything, she’s just... kinda boring? Compared to the others? She was easily at her most interesting during her short time in the state guard, and then that was undone almost immediately. I wish that they’d kept that up

Wazy: Wazy’s my favourite Crossbell character. I have a weakness for the sassy long haired pretty boy archetype, I guess. I would have liked to see more interaction between him and Kevin. I love his relationship with Wald though, and I’m so glad the epilogue establishes that they go off together with Abbas after everything. I really didn’t want them to go their separate ways 

I thought it was... interesting that they specifically called attention to the fact that we never see him shirtless

Dudley: Underused in this game! More Dudley!

KeA: This girl deserves the world (no don’t give it to her Mariabell PUT IT BACK)

Arios: Aww, man. Poor Arios. I’d like to play like, a short spin off about his perspective on the story. I think he’s a fascinatingly complicated person

That’s something I really like about this game, by the way - none of the antagonists really change personality or temperament when their true natures are revealed. It just takes a different meaning in this context. I think that’s much better than total personality shift (it worked with Weissman, but it would suck if that’s how they did it all the time)

Shirley and her dad whose name I already forgot lol: Fine as accessories to Randy’s backstory. Don’t know why Rixia and Shirley had to have a rivalry. I’m assuming we’ll be seeing Shirley again. I know Fie mentions her in CS2

Rixia: Rixia’s another interesting one. Her backstory was really good. To be honest, she feels a *little* superfluous to me, but I don’t dislike her

Uhh, what else

Nice little cameos from Renne, Estelle and Joshua - noo, Pater-Mater!

I know why Anton and Ricky aren’t around but also :( 

Liked seeing Ellie and Armand from Rolent, though. That was nice

I knew Shizuku was going to get her sight back, because I know how stories work. I just didn’t know how it would happen, and I was prepared to hate it. I liked how it happened

Seriously I never want to hear the word barrier again

Trails to Azure is very good. I can’t believe I’m now more than halfway through this franchise

Man am I excited to go to Calvard, whenever that happens!

Oh, also I got a Liberl Bracer Guild t-shirt for Christmas, because I’m going Full Nerd for this series. I am extremely cool, you guys

[siverwrites]

Yuletide 2020 Letter

AO3 - Siver

Thank you so much for taking this on! Here there are some general prompt details if you want them and if you already have some idea of your own, awesome. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

In all cases, all listed characters do not have to be included.

General Likes: fluff, hurt/comfort, comfort, missing scenes, close relationships of any sort whether romantic or platonic, family found or otherwise, sickfic (but nothing covid/quarantine related please), fandom crossovers or fusions, angst with a happy or at least bittersweet end, bonding, cuddling/hugs/holding, banter, mutual care and support, emotional bonding, loyalty, pre-canon, post-canon, reunited characterse, slice of life, supernatural stuff, mystery, adventure, worldbuilding, creepy or unsettling atmospheres

General DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, shipping (except those ships listed as liked or background canonical pairings), infidelity, explicit gore, modern mundane AUs (eg. coffee shop, college, high-school etc), perma-death of requested characters

Any gen combination of character tags within each fandom is cool. Heck, any crossover/fusion between any of these fandoms is welcome too, go nuts.

Ghost Trick

Alma

Jowd

Cabanela

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, infidelity, explicit gore, modern mundane AUs (eg. coffee shop, college, high-school etc), permanent death of requested characters (unless doing something during Alma being dead)

Alma/Jowd/Cabanela are the OT3 of my heart but I’m perfectly happy with gen fic for them too with bestest friend Cabanela to Alma/Jowd. I’m also happy to see something focused on only one of them here or two of them--I only ask that if there’s a ship situation between 2/3 here it’s a situation with no infidelity please. 

I’m a big fan of hurt/comfort and the more tenderness on the comfort end the better. However you can’t go wrong with pure fluff either.

That said I’m also a sucker for those five years of Jowd jail time and Cabanela’s 5 year solo mission or interactions with Pigeon Man (who is more than welcome; I love him too) during that final year, so anything exploring that is always welcome as is anything post Ch.9 which I can never get enough of.

On the OT3 front I’m always down for that initial get-together, but I’d also love to see the early days and basking in the feelings of ‘oh, this is happening’ and a very sparkly, very in-love Cabanela. Already well-established is also great. What do they do for fun? What’s a vacation look like? How does Jowd tease Cabanela mercilessly? How does Alma come out on top of the teasing game period?

I love the whole cast wholeheartedly, so if you need anyone else to make an appearance by all means throw them in.

The Legend of Heroes VII | Trails to Zero/Azure (Any)

Alex Dudley (LoH VII)

Elie MacDowell (LoH VII)

KeA (LoH VII)

Lloyd Bannings (LoH VII)

Randy Orlando (LoH VII)

Rixia Mao (LoH VII)

Sergei Lou (LoH VII)

Tio Plato (LoH VII)              

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, ships in general (except canonical background pairings & mentions eg. Cecil/Guy or past Sergei/Sonya), infidelity, explicit gore, modern mundane AUs (eg. coffee shop, college, high-school etc), permanent death of requested characters, spoilers for Cold Steel IV or Hajimari

Any gen combo of characters welcome here--as few or as many as you want.

I love the sheer amount of found family feels in this pair of games and in the SSS in particular but let’s face it Rixia and Dudley may as well be SSS members by this point too.

I love the idea of uncle Sergei to KeA. I’d love to see more KeA and Dudley interaction. I love Randy so much and very fond of the sibling kind of relationship formed with Tio. Tio’s love of Mishy is adorable. Elie needs more chances to shine--she’s skilled and knowledgeable and so well-connected; put it all to use! Lloyd is Dad and I love him dearly. We see plenty of Lloyd and Rixia but how about Rixia and anyone else here? Sergei and Dudley interactions are great and have the history. How about some time working together? How about some time off the job?

Send the SSS on a job. Or a big family trip. To Mishelam? Could they go to another country (Liberl perhaps? >.>)?

Trails in the Sky (Any)

Estelle Bright (Trails in the Sky)

Kevin Graham (Trails in the Sky)

Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese (Trails in the Sky)

Mueller Vander (Trails in the Sky)

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor (Trails in the Sky)

Renne Hayworth (Trails in the Sky)

Ries Argent (Trails in the Sky)

Tita Russell (Trails in the Sky)

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage ships (adult and minor), ships in general except those listed as liked or background canonical ships (eg. Cassius/Lena mention), infidelity, explicit gore, modern mundane AUs (eg. coffee shop, college, high-school etc), permanent death of requested characters, spoilers for Cold Steel IV or Hajimari

Liked Ships: Estelle/Joshua, Kevin/Ries, Olivier/Mueller

Ries &/ Kevin: Anything in 3rd or after, pre-Ao no Kiseki, or after Ao no Kiseki. Give them some much needed soft times. Or could expand on a moment in Gehenna if you want to do something creepier, or really anything in Phantasma in particular or another Gralsritter mission.

Any combination of the Brights and those they adopt: Really feeling the family/found family vibes strongly with any combination of the Brights and Renne. Please give Renne some warmth, peace and happiness, or at least 2 out of 3.

Tita & Renne: Girl time! Bonding time! Give these girls some joy. Send them plushy shopping or engineering nerding. Send them both to hang out at the Bright home!

Olivert & Mueller, Olivert/Mueller: Being there for each other. I’m fond of the little things like how Mueller always calls him Olivier even in Erebonia when Olivert’s identity is known and public. Something on the Ark or in Phantasma? Address Olivier’s wishful thinking of staying there a little more? Final preparations before leaving Liberl?

I’ve grown very fond of the growing connection between Kloe and Olivier (working together in Crossbell!) and would love to see more of that, the start of this blooming allyship/friendship after Olivier’s identity is revealed?

Friendship and sister-like bonds between Kloe and Estelle. Estelle providing our crown princess with support?

Or try some unexpected combos! Ries and Tita? Mueller and Kloe? Olivier and Renne? etc.

Dragon Quest XI (Any)

Graig | Hendrik (Dragon Quest XI)

Marutina | Jade (Dragon Quest XI)

Rou | Rab (Dragon Quest XI)

Sylvia | Sylvando (Dragon Quest XI)           

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, shipping of any sort (reference to parents and other background canonical pairings are fine), explicit gore, modern mundane AUs (eg. coffee shop, college, high-school etc), permanent death of requested characters, any kind of focus on the Ogler’s Digest

I’m focusing more on two characters at a time here, but if you have a way to pull in three or all four, awesome. If you just want to focus on one of the characters here, also awesome.

Throwing Sylvando at anyone here is great. I love him and how bright and genuinely caring he is. I love his dynamic with Hendrik and always want more of them. Beyond fighting how else might they support each other? That said we don’t get to see much between Sylv and Rab and/or Jade and I’d love to see more of that too.

Jade and Rab are perfect for family feels. Exploring more of their time pre-game is cool. It’s a very different life from what either were used to. How do they adapt and grow together? Any moment in-game is great too. Or post-game helping each other out in Heliodor and rebuilding Dundrasil. Grandpa Rab and adopted granddaughter Jade just makes me happy.

Jade and Hendrik once knew each other. Hendrik’s a knight of her family. How do they reconnect? How does Hendrik adapt to Jade no longer being the little princess he once knew? How do they get along after the world is saved?

Rab and Hendrik have points of connection through both Carnelian and the fall of Dundrasil. Hendrik has also lost his homeland with the fall of Zwaardsrust. I’d like to see interactions between these two explored more.

[asoulofatlantis]

We should really have gotten Alisa and Elie giving “the glare” to Lloyd and Rean at the same time. It is such a damn missed opportunity for a good laugh and to make those two quirm XD

(In case you think I’ve kind of gone astray from the original intend of this re-play, I did not! I just decided that I do not always have to mention why something I mention makes the game worth replaying or not replaying. In this case, its noticing the missed out potential the friendship between Elie and Alisa has. But I believe you can get that yourself.)

Crow being forced on you in a chapter about rescuing Towa. Always nice. (Towa IS part of Rean harem and it is hinted multiple times in CS4 that Crows relationship with Vita was deeper than expected. HOWEVER you can not help but notice the game also making sure you see the strong bond between Towa and Crow. And sure enough, in Kuro 2, when Towa joins us in Calvard, Crow is not very far away...)

I do wonder if the other girls (if you take them along, since Alisa is one of the optional characters) have the same reaction than Alisa, especially given how she is more the jealous type then most of the other girls.

You would be surprised how often those two manage a Link-Attack. This is all fun and games while we get this link event, but it gets frustrating really quickly after the breakup when we get the akward-one and those two still keep getting Link-Attacks like crazy XD Shipping-Pain is hard and real I tell you ^^’

This one is awkward too, but on a very weird level XD

Awwwww.

Honestly? This explanation likely came because some people were wondering how the Ironbloods could best the SSS, Yin and Arios despite their combined strength and so Falcom had to come up with a convenient explanation á la the usual “the curse did it!”. BUT I NEVER questioned how the Ironblood managed to make operation Birdcage work to begin with. We know that Claire and Lechter are gifted (plus Lechter does know all the people in question to some extent and was surely able to predict most of their movements in advents. Rufus too, is as we all know, a genius when it comes to plotting evil schemes.  I was pretty sure they lured the SSS and Friends into Michelam via a dirty trick and then managed to hold them there with yet another dirty trick. Something as easy as threatening the safety of people they care about or the like of dirty tricks like that. So I don’t know if I like that they brought up that explanation or felt the need to explain it at all. It makes the ironbloods look cheap in comparison to the Crossbell-Heroes and given how we are still struggling with just one of those ironbloods despite the fact that we have far higher numbers AND special powers in our team (two Awakeners, Reans Ogre-Powers to boost, a Witch and a freaking Dominion...) it makes us look even cheaper. The SSS (Yin and Arios aside) barely started out half a year before class7 and they have been on the run for around two years now and you are telling me, they are still stronger than Rean?

Rean is by far Claires biggest weakness, meaning those words did hurt her A LOT. But it makes you wonder how she could even as much as think as she could get away with her suicidal thoughts when he stood right in front of her. She should know him better then that and she should also have known that she would falter if he stands Infront of her.

Claire is very hated in the western part of the fandom. I always liked her though. I know how hard it is to put up a front, when you are breaking inside and most of the Cold Steel Saga, this was what Claire had to do. And the fact that she got through it and managed to do what she could for Rean, even when she wasn’t supposed to, only speaks for her being yet another strong female character.

YOU and YOU alone made that promise, hunny. And YOU and YOU alone were responsible for its failure because IT WAS CLEAR AS DAY THAT THIS WAS A PROMISE YOU IDIOT WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO KEEP IN THE FIRST PLACE! Seriosuly! Even if Crow had no died, even if he would have been pardoned for trying to kill Osborne because he did what he could to save Cedric and despite his active role working with the noble alliance, its not like he could have walked out of the infernal castle free as a bee. He would have been taken captive and questioned and it would have taken weeks for him to get out of this mess and he would have hardly made it to graduation AND to top that off, he was still an enemy of Osborne, did you really think Rean, your father would let him run around freely, ready to try to kill him yet again? I doubt, even for an immortal, it was fun getting a shot through the chest.

I guess its time for the breakup... but I am not feeling it today so... lets do it tomorrow XD