#I like this quest. I think some of the snippets are great and I'm loving the lore

[fragmentedblade]

I honestly have a pretty bad time capturing the heliobi

[roguishcat]

The Best Laid Plans

Summary: Even the best laid plans may go wrong. Admittedly, Astarion's plan hadn't been that great to begin with. Part 2 of 'Part of His Plan'.

Pairing: Astarion x unnamed female Tav

Word count: 4k

Tags: Romance, Astarion is bad at feelings, Unnamed female Tav, Angst, Tooth-rotting fluff, Romance and feels

A/N: This story has a wonderful beta!! Thank you so much @preciouslittlebhaalbae! 💖💖💖 You are an absolute gem and the loveliest person ever for doing this! 🫂Thank you for your patience and kind suggestions! (because I'm a silly person who can't spot even obvious mistakes and @preciouslittlebhaalbae has the patience of a saint). You might remember me posting snippets from this back in January, so this is my second finished WIP for @thekindredcollective BG3 Spring Cleaning!

Hope you enjoy the story and please let me know what you think! 💖💖 Comments, likes and reposts are always loved! 💖💖

Tav had a shadow and its name was Astarion.

She didn’t notice immediately. She was far too concerned with saving Thaniel, breaking the curse, helping every single one of their companions on their personal quests, and combating the mindless creatures wanting to murder them from the moment they stepped out of the dome protecting the Last Light Inn.

At first, Tav thought that she was just imagining it. Because every time she looked up, she seemed to glimpse silver curls, feel feather-light touches of cool fingers on her neck, all but taste rosemary, bergamot and brandy on her tongue. This lasted only a moment, yet a moment was all he ever needed to leave a lasting impression on her.

At some point, Astarion seemed to decide to stop bothering to pretend that he wasn’t following Tav around, his ruby eyes all but boring holes into her back as he watched her closely.

Now, this wasn’t the first time that Astarion acted somewhat uncanny. Perhaps two hundred years of being forced to do someone’s bidding did that to an elf. Either way, Tav didn’t want to offend Astarion. So she chose not to comment on how odd his behaviour was.  

However, the longer they travelled, the more Astarion seemed to insert himself into every situation, making sure that he was at her side at all times. She would round a corner and bump into his leather-clad back. Walk down the stairs and he was already waiting for her, tapping his foot in an impatient manner as he scowled at whoever was walking behind her at the time.

Finally, when she almost tripped over him, Tav decided to ask Astarion about it.

"Astarion, is there something you want?"

"Me? Why would you ask such a thing, my sweet?" Astarion said with a crooked smile, and Tav noticed how tensely he held himself. A coil waiting to spring upward at a smallest tap.

"Well.. Lately, I've noticed that you’ve started to… hover."

Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say. His expression shuttered and he took a step back.

“And I take it that you’d rather I didn’t, is that it?”

“No, that’s not what I meant, I -”

"If you do not wish for my company, you can just come out and say so! Send me back to camp to wallow in misery as Gale attempts to engage me in decidedly unengaging conversation," Astarion all but hissed at her.

Astarion regretted snapping at her almost immediately. He knew that it was uncalled for. Tav was nothing but kind and accommodating. But he couldn’t help the bitterness he felt when seeing her treat everyone else with the same thoughtfulness, the same caring. Was her protecting him nothing but an obligation? Was Tav offering her neck to him time and time again something that she would have done for any soul that needed sustenance? To him, it seemed that lately she led without making sure that he followed. Was whatever they shared coming to its logical conclusion sooner than he anticipated?

"I didn't say that I don't want you around," Tav frowned and took a careful step towards him, trying to mitigate the conflict before they started arguing in earnest. "I just want to make sure that everything is alright."

"As is your duty, my fair leader. To check up on any and all lost causes that seek your company, hm?"

Tav wasn’t sure exactly what he meant. His words felt cruel, though, and she felt herself flush.

"Sometimes I don't understand what you want from me, Astarion.”

He winced at how hurt she sounded. Another, better adjusted person, would be quick to apologise. Blame it all on being tired and frazzled, suggest with a rueful smile that the shadows were getting to him. Yet, Astarion only watched as Tav walked past the rest of the party. Shadowheart and Karlach, who had been standing nearby, choose not to comment on the exchange.

He'd rather have one of them punch him than have them silently disapprove. At least then he’d pretend he was angry at his companions rather than himself. Anger was familiar territory. Fear was nothing new. Whatever he felt now was a different, unfamiliar brand of torture.

An hour later Astarion found himself nervously pacing up and down his tent. Or at least doing something as close to pacing as he could in such cramped quarters. His thoughts a flurry of worries and poorly supressed insecurities, Astarion had no idea how to fix this mess. He wasn’t even sure why he was so worried about it in the first place.

By now he knew Tav well enough to be certain that she would not banish him. She would not do that to any of them without just cause. And no matter how unreasonable and hurtful he had been, she would not leave him to die.

So why did he want to fix this so badly? Surely not because he was worried that whatever this was, whatever tentative trust he’d managed to establish between them, would be over come morning once she had some time to think? Because even someone as forgiving as Tav had her limits. She was kind and warm, accepting and generous; but she was no fool.

Astarion stopped abruptly and put his arms around himself.

He had to fix this. Somehow.

Turning to his trunk, he lifted the lid and rummaged around, digging up the bottle that he was saving for a special occasion. Grovelling for his lover to forgive him seemed like special occasion enough.

Then Astarion spent an age making sure that he looked his best. After all, presentation was half the victory!

Thus primped and primed - and carrying a peace offering - Astarion stalked through the night, making sure to avoid his campmates. He really did not feel like getting some unsolicited advice from anyone for the time being.

Standing in front of the tent, he suddenly felt nervous. A strange, sick feeling in his stomach, he found he was unsure if he wanted to know what Tav would say to him.

Taking a breath he didn’t need, Astarion plastered his best smile on his face and moved the tent flap aside.

"Dearest, how about we both choose to be adults about this and make up, hm?"

"Sure," Tav said without looking up from whatever she was doing, effectively dismissing him. Clearly, it was 'thanks for the half-baked apology', but 'no thanks' to spending an evening together. Choosing to soldier on against all odds, Astarion pretended that he could not read her body language and sat down beside her on the bedroll.

"Now... Can I tempt you with some wine? Or perhaps with some other… delights?" Astarion drawled seductively, fingers dancing down the wine bottle’s curved side.

He was a vision and he knew it. Hair coiffed just so, shirt slightly loose and showing off more alabaster skin than usual. It was a very tempting sight, if only Tav were in the mood to be tempted.

She didn’t even look up.

"I'm a little busy right now."

Astarion fought back a scowl. He was finding that maintaining a charming façade was quite a challenge when Tav was so decidedly against playing along. Yet, he was not about to give up. Oh, he would not be ignored so easily! He didn’t spend an age getting ready, thinking of what he was going to say, and bringing the bottle of wine that Shadowheart squirreled away, just to be turned down. He would not spend the night alone in his own tent!

Astarion chuckled breathily. "Aren't you always? Which is why you should really let your hair down once in a while,” he dropped his voice an octave, inching towards her. “Live a little, whilst there is still living to be done."

There was a pause, and he would hold his breath if he still needed to draw it.

"Fine," Tav sighed, her shoulders sagging. "Wine, please."

"And whilst you are enjoying a goblet or two, I will fix that tear in your shirt I noticed earlier."

"You don't have to."

"But I want to. Allow yourself to be the one taken care of, for once. Or are you truly that upset with me that you would rather have to walk about with that tear?"

"I'm not upset with you. I'm angry with myself."

Now that was a development that he could not have foreseen. Angry with herself? Whatever had she done?

"Care to share why?"

"Not really."

It seemed that Tav definitely was not in the mood to make this easy for him. Luckily, he knew just how to engage her in conversation.

"And here I thought that we would play that question game you are so fond of! Go on, dearest. Question for question, as is our way."

Ah, finally a little smile for his efforts.

"I suppose.”

Tav took a sip from her goblet, eyes widening when she realised that the wine was actually pleasant. Honestly, did she really think that he wouldn’t bring something half-palatable?

"That's the enthusiastic answer I was hoping for! Now come on, off with your shirt."

Tav put her wine down and pulled the fabric of her shirt up, his eyes following the ascent as soft skin was revealed inch by tantalising inch. He ignored the unbidden, surprising urge to put his lips onto her neck, not to feed but to taste.

Tav handed him the shirt and as their fingers brushed, Astarion was glad that she wasn’t in any hurry to get away from him, allowing him to hold her hand in his.

“So um… same as last time? A question for a question?”

She moved her hand, leaving his digits to cool once her warmth was gone.

“Yes,” he cleared his throat, “that seems reasonable.”

Tav stood up to get the sewing kit and a spare shirt. This gave him ample opportunity to admire her now that her back was turned. One wouldn’t want to be accused of staring! She slid the shirt on quickly, scars disappearing under the simple cloth, making him once again wonder what the story behind those was.

Tav was usually so forthcoming, answering questions without much hesitation or worry. He could understand why someone would be hesitant to talk about scars, but by the gods was he curious to find out the story behind hers!

Seeing that he probably was still in the proverbial doghouse, Astarion decided to start small.

“What is your favourite thing to eat?”

Tav looked at him over her shoulder as she adjusted her clothes.

“I’m surprised you want to know something so boring.”

“My sweet, when it comes to you, nothing could be boring,” he purred, putting his goblet to his lips and looking at her over the rim in a way that had made hundreds swoon.

Tav smiled and sat down on her bedroll, but otherwise did not seem to be affected by his act of seduction. How annoying.

“Well, whilst Gale’s efforts to make something edible out of whatever we manage to come across is close to miraculous, I do miss Baldurian Mash.”

Seeing the look on his face, Tav giggled, “Too common for your tastes?”

“On the contrary!” Astarion laughed. “I am quite sure that I too enjoyed something like this back when… well. Back when I could enjoy the taste of food.”

Tav’s face softened as he muttered the last part. Astarion shifted uncomfortably and took a gulp of his wine. Damn her and that look! Who even looked at people like that! Only Tav did, in his experience.

“As we are on the subject of food, why did you choose me to snack on? Surely others looked just as appealing?” Tav teased.

The truth was at the time he had already known enough about Tav to put his faith in her, to trust her to at least listen to his explanations. He had been almost certain that the others would strike him down for even attempting to come near their necks. Lae’zel would have probably skinned him alive, given the chance. Even now she occasionally questioned whether he was useful enough to keep around.

Astarion poured her more wine, thinking about the best way to answer her question.

“Perhaps you simply looked delicious enough for a predator such as myself to want to take a bite,” Astarion flirted without looking away, attempting to ascertain her mood.

Tav’s lips quirked into a smile and she took a sip of her wine.

“Or perhaps you had already established your reputation as a do-gooder, unable to turn away anyone imploring you to help them. Pick whichever reason you like, dearest,” Astarion shrugged.

Tav gave him a look that made Astarion both nervous and excited. Not exactly a combination a seasoned professional such as he could afford to feel. Maintaining his cool was crucial, he reminded himself. He could not afford to lose focus. Eyes on the prize and all that. The prize being Cazador's head on a silver platter, of course. Not the love of the woman in front of him. Or something equally ridiculous.

“What are you thinking of doing once our adventure is over? Assuming we don’t all die in some horrible manner.”

“I'm not sure," Tav started, "I might stay in Baldur’s Gate for a while. Assuming my house is still intact.”

“You’re from Baldur’s Gate?”

“Yes. Is it so hard to believe?”

“Hah! And I here I was, thinking that you were a country girl through and through. Meeting each sunrise and sundown in some picturesque little village where all the neighbours call each other by their names.”

Tav huffed and moved to punch his biceps without putting much force behind it.

“Oh, don’t get angry.” Astarion caught her fist and put his lips to her knuckles, fangs moving across skin without breaking it. “It’s a compliment, if anything.”

“I will choose to take it as one.” Tav gave a little laugh and pulled back, making Astarion release her hand.

Perhaps he worded it in a way that did not necessarily sound like praise, but he just could not believe that someone as kind and warm as Tav could be a Baldurian. In spite of being thoroughly and repeatedly defiled by him, she still carried that air of sweetness about her. And whilst this irritated him initially, it was… nice. Pleasant to be around someone who did something for others without any ulterior motive. Just out of the goodness of her heart. It was quite frankly a miracle that she hadn’t been killed yet.

Thinking about her mortality had him taking a furtive glance at her side, where the worst of her scars were.

 “About your scars, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, how did you get them?”

Tav’s fingers clutched her goblet a little tighter before she caught herself and made a show of wanting to put it down by the bedroll without tipping it over on the uneven surface.

“No, it’s fine. It’s not much of a story. Just a silly girl falling in love with the wrong person only to find out he was using me for his own gain. So, you are right, in a way. Perhaps I wasn’t quite made to live in the city.”

It wasn’t much, but the way her shoulders hunched, her pained expression, her looking at anything but him felt… wrong. To Astarion, Tav was annoyingly righteous, stupidly brave, incredibly stubborn, frustratingly selfless. She was all that and so much more. She deserved better from the world and seeing her look so small made him want to hurt something.

“About earlier…” Tav began tentatively.

“My words were uncalled for. I apologise. I didn’t-”

He wanted to say that he didn’t mean any of it. He wanted to tell her that he just found himself hating that she gave her precious attention to anyone else when he wanted it for himself. He wanted to tell her many things. Naturally, he didn’t say any of them.

“I know. Which is why I was angry at myself. We are all under so much pressure, it’s a wonder that we aren’t constantly at each other’s throats.”

“I was disappointed with myself for thinking that you were like him,” Tav picked her goblet up and took a sip. “Because at that moment, I looked at your face and I saw a spectre that haunted my waking days. And it was wrong of me to assume that you were like that. So, I’m sorry too.”

Astarion felt like someone sucker punched him. Hells, he’d rather she did punch him. Pain he could take. He was used to pain over the years. But this- this raw honesty, the way she looked at him when she said that, the faith she was placing in him-

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Astarion? Are you okay?”

He was not. Because this was wrong. His nice, simple plan had backfired so spectacularly and in a way he could never have imagined.

Shit.

She was waiting for an answer.

“Yes, of course, dearest! Why wouldn’t I be? We made up! I am well, you are well. All is well,” Astarion put both of their goblets of wine away and then moved towards Tav with an intense look in his ruby eyes.

“Just perfect.” Astarion whispered the last part and pressed his lips to hers to stop Tav from asking any more questions.

Astarion lowered Tav onto the bedroll, one hand behind her head, the other on her hip. Slowly, taking his time to savour the softness of her skin, he trailed his fingers up. The fabric of her shirt bunched as his hand traced the contours of her body and settled just below her breast.

“Are you sure?” He felt warm breath against his lips as they broke apart.

Instead of replying, Astarion put his mouth on Tav’s neck, fangs grazing sensitive flesh, her heartbeat strong in his ears. Her blood called to him, but he didn’t dare bite.

He would tell her everything. And he would tell her soon. Because the thought of him being in any way like that vile man who dared to use her and scar her, to put that dejected look on her face, was something that Astarion could not bear.

His movements grew more frantic as he removed the last of the barriers between their bodies, wanting, needing to do enough that she would stay.

Because whilst he didn’t want to examine his feelings for Tav too much, not daring to hope for anything, he was terrified of what the consequences of his deception would be. 

When Tav opened her eyes the next morning, Astarion was still in her tent, his deft fingers moving with precision and making quick work of the tear in her shirt.

“Good morning,” she murmured, pushing her messy hair out of her face. Gods, she must truly look a sight.

“Good morning, my sweet,” Astarion replied without looking up, seemingly too focused on his task to pay her much attention.

Tav didn’t expect Astarion to still be here in the morning. Not that she wanted him gone. On the contrary, his staying the night was nice. The thought that he wanted to stay made her blush.

Except Tav had a small problem now. She had to get dressed and Astarion was still here. She could hobble about with her bedsheet wrapped around her body, but she would probably just end up falling forward like a graceless lump. And that was less than ideal when one was in the company of the most attractive, stunning elf.

Astarion seemed to be busy enough not to pay her any attention. And Tav hoped that she didn’t look as horrible with her hair sticking up oddly and pillow lines on her face. She quickly brushed it back and tried to tame it by running her fingers through it.

And then she saw a ghost of smirk on those mocking lips. Oh, he knew what she was doing. And he was laughing at her! That ass. That gorgeous, beautiful bastard! She would show him!

Thus, filled with a strong resolve – that is to show Astarion that he could not have her flustered and stuttering over just a smirk - Tav turned around and rose, stretching her muscles in a feline manner that had ruby eyes following her every move. Astarion’s pupils dilated and his nostrils flared, one fang worrying his lower lip.

“How are you feeling this morning?” He gave his work a quick glance before cutting the thread.

“Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to infiltrate Moonrise Towers, actually.” Tav quickly (but not too quickly!) dressed and went at her hair with a comb.

“Hm, seeing as how little sleep you got last night, I’d thought you would be postponing that little outing of ours.” Astarion delighted in a little squeak she gave as she dropped her comb.

“Well, I’m fine. But if you are too tired to come with us today, perhaps I can ask someone else to accompany me.”

“Someone else? Perish the thought lest you wish to perish!” Astarion rose in one graceful movement, taking a step and then another towards her. “Who can possibly watch your back better than yours truly?”

“No one can,” Tav conceded easily. She felt cool fingers on her waist as Astarion handed her the mended shirt.

“Thank you.”

“Darling, the only thanks I need is you not leaving me behind today,” he gave a breezy, lilting laugh, wondering if acting nonchalant would be enough to convince himself that her answer did not matter to him.

Please, don’t ever leave me behind.

“I wouldn’t.”

Because I’d rather take a chance on you than wonder what could have been had I been braver.

“Wise. Having Gale try his hand at picking locks could only end in disaster.”

I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got hurt.

“Oh, can you imagine! No, we need your magic touch and sneaky ways to make sure we are undetected,” she teased him and his eyes were momentarily drawn to the dimples on her cheeks. He wanted to kiss them, then make his way down the column of her neck, and then lower still until she couldn’t tell him to stop.

They were still holding the shirt, fabric bunching as fingers moved closer. Astarion let go of cloth, hesitant fingertips brushing against warm knuckles as Tav looked at him in a way that he had thought he caught her look at others.

And yet…

Perhaps it was simply a trick of the light. Or his mind playing games with him. Just wishful thinking on his part. But Astarion could not help but think that there was something more between them. Something precious and beautiful that bloomed to life among all the carnage and horror that was his life.

“Tav?” He swallowed nervously.

“Yes?”

“I-”

“Breakfast is ready!”

Saved by Gale, out of all people.

And yet…

Astarion felt a wave of disappointment as he watched Tav quickly put on her shirt, the magic of the moment broken, and they were thrust harshly back into their reality.

And yet…

When Tav took his hand and led him out of the tent, her thumb tracing circles on his cool skin, Astarion wondered if this could be real. If they could be real. Tav put her faith in him, chose to trust a predator with her life. He had thought her a fool. Now, as he looked at how radiant she looked even in these listless, lifeless lands, he wondered if he could summon a fraction of her courage and put his faith in her.

💖 Tag list 💖:

@ninty900, @ayselluna, @dajeong, @ravenswritingroom,

@misscrissfemmefatale,

@clazberryk, @anukulee,

@preciouslittlebhaalbae,

@sh3rl0ck, @mellowenthusiast2299,

@fleetstreet78, @starlight-rogue,

@obsessedwhyyes, @arzen9, @hellethil,

@khywren, @maeryls-journal, @larvasmoon, @xxnashiraxx

(divider by @saradika)

[be-it-so]

Okay, I lied, I'm not done with vengeance saga.

For some reason I'm still so angry and sad because of it, that I need to criticize it more or I won't be able to sleep.

I'm again so fucking disappointed, the whole saga felt like some kind of joke. I mean, the song I was worried the most about - "not sorry for loving you - turned out to be the most normal one. Like, yeah, Calypso is still very selfish and manipulative, Odysseus just want to be as far from her as possible and etc, I don't like that we are clearly expected to sympathise with her, but you know, in the context of this saga I'll go with it.

Dangerous felt a little overdone. I love Hermes, "wouldn't you like" was my favorite song for a long time, and maybe compared to it "Dangerous" is trying so much to go with the same vibe, but feels so deliberate about this.

I don't have much to say about "Charybdis" because there is nothing really to talk about, visuals were great, but everything felt so rushed, and also so meaningless, like they just needed to show at least one obstacle for Odysseus before Poseidon and nothing more.

And, yeah...

"Get in the water" and "600 strikes".

If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm very disappointed.

First of all, it is a lot weaker musically that I've expected. Okay, maybe there are good. Maybe I just am not able to hear this, because through these two songs I just stared at the screen with the confused and disappointed look, so I wasn't able to enjoy music or acting on its own.

Second, I was so interested in "get in the water", i liked the snippet we had so much before. It was so cool, emotional, and dark. I was so invested in finding out how Odysseus could escape this, what he might have said to change Poseidon's mind, maybe expected there to be some gesture towards the Odyssey, where Odysseus would tell Poseidon that he will go on this quest with the oar and so on. Also, i hoped to finally see "snake tongued" Odysseus in action because, like, that's what he is the most known about, for his mastery in words.

But this?

This was so bad. It also feels so fucking disrespectful to Poseidon, like, don't get me wrong, i like the change in power balance, I love when a character who wasn't able to do anything at some point now is beating the shit out of his former abuser and etc, BUT THIS IS NOT WORKING WITH THE GODS AND MORTALS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY. AND THIS IS NOT WORKING WITH POSEIDON AND ODYSSEUS, THE STORY OF THE ODYSSEY IS NOT ABOUT HOW TO BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAT THE GOD. IT IS SO FAR OFF!

Like, yeah, the original is neither about "learning that you need to be ruthless to be able to return home if that's what you want so much", but there is difference in the level of what level of getting things wrong is normal and can be called "creative liberties" and what level is just bad. If you wanted so much for Odysseus to show how ruthless he became, well, we've already seen "different beast" to show us his cruelty, don't you think that maybe if they showed us how epic-Odysseus is able to put aside all the men Poseidon has killed and all of the pain he himself have gone through because of Poseidon and just talk with him, bargaining about his own life or something like this it would have also shown his ruthless side in a new way and be so much more believable? Even if he pulled out "there are other ways" move I think I would belive it more than that he is able to defeat Poseidon, the god of SEA, STORMS and EARTHQUAKES, PHISICALLY, in the SEA, with the STORM and fucking power of friendship (no, I will not stop calling it like this).

You know, I have a lot more to say about this, but I guess i'll stop with this. I guess I feel so bad about it because I really liked epic, yeah, I had problems with it, but I considered it nice adaptation even if it's kind of far from the source material, it felt very good and respectful to the original Odyssey, but now it became this. So yeah, I'm really disappointed.

And also, even if epic Odysseus was somehow able to defeat a god, what the fuck will stop epic Poseidon from returning after couple of months recovery and just wipe whole Ithaca off the face of the earth after such offense and shame? Like literally what? Or little epic Poseidon is now so afraid of big bad epic Odysseus that wouldn't bare even think about his name again?

[lowkeyed1]

numbers 1,5,7 and 12 from that wip questionnaire :>

oh wow lol 1. 🦈Tell us the name of your/ one of your WIP(s): well, the second story in the "What a Prince and Lover Ought to Be" series will be called "If You Want to Tell Me Maybe". It'll continue to explore how Airk and Graydon deal with their surprise marriage and getting to know each other. 5. ⚠️Which wip your most likely to finish or update next? most likely i'm gonna do one more chapter of Thrown Like a Star next. the gang has just gotten to the wildwood and there's a lot that needs to be discussed, both in terms of plots and everyone's *ahem* interpersonal relationships. 7. 🖍Post Any sentence from your wip hmmmm to be honest most of my wips are in 'paragraphs of notes' stages more than actually written parts. i just posted the three things i was working on in the last week or so, lol. i do have this airk/elora snippet i wrote a while ago and still haven't decided quite where i'm going with it, but it cracks me up whenever i read it... please have this instead: -----

The quest had been over for some time, when Airk raised the question with subtlety and tact.

"Elora, my beautiful dove, my sweetest muffin! I'd like to get fucked."

She blinked with some amount of perplexity.

"You... do you want me to get one of those things like Kit and Jade have?"

He tilted his head. "And how do you know about that?"

Her eyes darted to the left. "Um. I... heard them..." Her eyes darted to the right. "...Talking about it. One time."

"Uh huh. Okay, that's a great idea. If you're up for it then we should definitely get you one of those." He grinned.

"But I was actually thinking more... organically right now. Like... a man."

"Airk! We're engaged, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"My dove, of course it does!" He slid closer, taking her hand. "It means I love you with all my heart and I want to spend the rest of my life with you!"

Elora smiled, her face radiant.

"But I'd also like to get some dick."

Elora stopped smiling. ----- 12. ❤️Not a question, just a second kudos to send. that is really freaking sweet, thank you so very much <3 <3 <3 and thank you for the ask!!!

[monriatitans]

MonriaTitans

Let's Play Some Demos! - Part 17

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Welcome to Part 17 of the Let’s Play Some Demos! | LPSD series! For those who are new, I aim to introduce gamers to, usually, Indie games and to provide commentary and feedback on the games for educational purposes! For this episode, I used some of the demos I had grabbed from the Cooking Fest and Cozy Quest Steam Events! I think. I grabbed a bunch during those events, and outside of them, so I don't know anymore… Each demo gets 30 minutes, not including the adjustment of settings and character creation.

Today, I, attempted, to play 4 demos for your enjoyment, which resulted in my picking a fifth:

Doloc Town - Available: To be announced Doloc Town is a cozy pixel art farm simulation game set in a post-apocalyptic world. Build your dream farm from scratch and explore this mysterious wasteland. Harvest, plant, build, and battle against ferocious creatures while discover the untold stories of this forgotten land!

Feed the Cups - Early Access Game Feed the Cups is a Roguelite multiplayer online cooperative game. Run a Drink Shop, stocking up, preparing ingredients, taking orders, crafting drinks, cleaning up, and checking equipment. Join your friends together!

Manitas Kitchen - Available Welcome to Manitas Kitchen, a casual cooking game with a dressing of arcade and mini-games, where you'll meet Trexito, a T-Rex with short arms that has one dream: to become the best pizza maker!

Mushroom Picnic Party - Planned Release Date: Q1 2025 Help find little mushrooms and prepare for an epic picnic party in this cute hand-drawn hidden object game!

Rift of the NecroDancer - Available: Feb 5, 2025 The NecroDancer's back in an all-new rhythm game! Dragged into a strange new world, Cadence must engage in musical combat with monsters surging through the Rift! Face pulse-pounding Rhythm Rifts where every beat is a battle, all set to an original soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky & friends.

All links above are to the games' Steam pages.

Why was it an "attempt" to play? Because the gameplay for Feed the Cups could not be recorded, just like with Backpack Battle. So, since the rest of the demos were short, I decided to grab a fifth! I'll have to pick a day to play the non-recordable demos on my own, take screenshots, and do a separate mini-review. Despite this, I will still be able to render a verdict, via the "Layered Compliment Sandwich":

Doloc Town's pixel art was great! I LOVE a pixel art game! And was enjoying the protagonist's oversized shirt and what looked like a welding mask. And, almost, the second I found out jumping was faster than walking, I became a hopping fool. The game has an interesting balance of tutorial and figure-it-out. The tutorial for removing platforms needs a slight adjustment. It took me a minute to figure out what "at your feet" meant. There's trying to be creative and then there's needless confusion. Advising stand on it to hit it with the pickaxe is fine. What I found amusing was when the bag got full, there was suddenly a letter about where to get a bigger one. Convenience kink!

Feed the Cups looked promising, but I can only comment on the snippets that actually showed up in the video, which was the art. It wasn't bad. I was looking forward to seeing more. And I think there's a pattern with their demos; they made Backpack Battle. If I remember, I'll dig deeper to see if it not being recordable was on purpose. It's not a good business move if it is, though. Video game journalism includes videos and, a lot of the time, people buy games because they saw someone else play them. I'M one of those people. Before I buy a game I'm looking forward to, or even their DLC, I look at reviews. I look at game footage. I wanna know what I'm getting into before I buy. So, IF they are purposely blocking their demos from being recorded... why?

Manitas Kitchen was a pleasant surprise! The typos threw me off, though. I don't know if I have a learning disability, or if it's because I'm Autistic, but the less grammatically correct a sentence is, the longer it takes me to process it, so there were a few pauses as I was reading. THANKFULLY, the tutorials were in pictures, which made picking up on the mechanics easier. I'm a visual learner, so words must come with pictures. Examples are, usually, needed, and they delivered. Well done! An annoyance, though, is the small space. The stations need to be widened a smidge and/or the area where Trexito can stand and still access the stations. I lost track of how many times I snapped at the game because I was pressing the button to put the pizza down and it wouldn't do it. Although, what is incredibly unique about this restaurant management game is stress. I don't remember there ever being a game where stress was taken into consideration AND it has effects. When Trexito became too stressed, he actually slowed down, forcing me to let him sit. THAT was brilliant!

Mushroom Picnic Party WAS ADORABLE! And fun! If you've been here a while, you know I hate puzzle games because I'm not good at them and they make me feel, and look, like an idiot. Not a pleasant feeling. Hidden item puzzles are the only ones that don't make me feel like an idiot. It's a hidden item game, so, if I can't find it, the designer did their job. It's a pleasant game! Mushrooms are a niche not well represented and the developers did well here! I wanted to keep playing! What was, also, incredibly satisfying was being able to choose the theme of the puzzles! More purple, please! It was a pleasant experience! Well done!

Rift of the NecroDancer combining a rhythm game with monster hunting is pretty unique! My first rhythm game was Rock Band and, funnily enough, I'm better at Rift. It probably has something to do with the fact I'm only using a keyboard. My coordination is limited, which Rift helps with. Where the game gets annoying, while being simultaneously brilliant, is the tutorials. Reiterating, I'm a visual learner. So, them showing how the monsters behaved before the tutorial began was BRILLIANT, but how they were to be stopped can use some work. I would suggest telling the player when to press the button during the first few encounters. Look at the section where I was dealing with the knight to see why. And the shield folks. I was following along with the beat as well as I could, but I was still missing. And I was starting to get pissed off. And feel like an idiot. When someone fails a section THAT many times, another tutorial needs to pop up to provide further guidance. Don't change the music. Keep that. My brain would, probably, be replaying the music if I wasn't balancing myself out with YouTube videos while writing this. And don't change the art style, either. Please and thank you.

Overall, I want Doloc Town, Manitas Kitchen, Mushroom Picnic Party, and Rift of the NecroDancer, and they are on my wishlist.

As a reminder, Doloc Town is not available, with a date yet to be announced. Feed the Cups, at the time of writing, is an Early Access Game. Manitas Kitchen is Available. Mushroom Picnic Party's Planned Release Date is Q1 2025. And Rift of the NecroDancer will be Available on Feb 5, 2025, at the time of writing.

And that's it for Part 17! Thank you for reading! If this series of videos is something you're interested in, the videos are available on YouTube, The Titans' Discord, Steam, Rumble, and Odysee!  Don't forget to hit the Subscribe and/or Follow buttons to know when there's more!

—

The Monday, January 27th, and 676th, Artist Shout-Out goes to TitansMonriArt! Check them out here!

—

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Welcome Gamers! 1:32 - Artist Shout-Out 6:03 - Demos' Intro 9:56 - Doloc Town - Available: To be announced 42:14 - Feed the Cups - Early Access Game 46:15 - Manitas Kitchen - Available 1:10:29 - Mushroom Picnic Party - Planned Release Date: Q1 2025 1:38:18 - Artist Shout-Out/Picking Another Demo 1:41:04 - Rift of the NecroDancer - Available: Feb 5, 2025 2:12:32 - Demos Line Up 2:15:49 - Artist Shout-Out 2:17:01 - Thank You/Links2:20:45 - Rendezvous Point Bookshop Plug/Viewing 2:28:36 - MonriaTitans & WGS Instagrams 2:29:51 - Farewell

—

“Let’s Play Some Demos!” Video Series YouTube Playlist “Let’s Play Some Demos!” Video Series Blog Posts

Pilot: CrossCode, Dumpy & Bumpy, Ynglet, Zero Ranger

Part 2: A Dance of Fire and Ice, 2064: Read Only Memories, Death and Taxes, Underhero

Part 3: TEKKEN 8, Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition, Secrets of Grindea, Forspoken

Part 4: Death's Hangover, Fae Farm, Fate/Samurai Remnant, Mini Settlers

Part 5: All-Star Fruit Racing, Indivisible, SaGa Emerald Beyond, Visions of Mana

Part 6: Glorious Companions, Tales of Arise, Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge, Cozy Island

Part 7: The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, Cursebane, Dex, The Lady Puppet

Part 8: Detroit: Become Human, Little Goody Two Shoes, Luma Island, Tinkerlands

Part 9: Backpack Battles, Glaciered, Ratopia, Slime Rancher

Part 10: Captain Contraption's Chocolate Factory, Maid Cafe on Electric Street, Neon Noodles, Tiny Glade

Part 11: Critter Café, Grimoire Groves, Pixel Cafe, Wizdom Academy

Part 12: AdventureBarStory, Bone's Cafe, DELTARUNE, Mudborne

Part 13: Food Truck Simulator, Magical Bakery, Magical Delicacy, Seaside Cafe Rush Hour

Part 14: Chef's Tail, Espresso Tycoon, Kulebra and the Souls of Limbo, Tavern Talk

Part 15: Chicken Journey, FANTASIAN Neo Dimension, Terra Memoria, Until Then

Part 16: Cornucopia®, Hipster Café, Let's Café, Spells & Secrets

—

MORE INFO & TO SUPPORT - About MonriaTitans | WGS - Rendezvous Point Bookshop - Artist Shout-Outs Criteria - The Titans' Discord - Throne Wishlist - #SubOffTwitch - YouTube - Rumble - Odysee - Twitch - Steam

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Originally published to https://opinionsandtruth.wordpress.com on January 28, 2025.

[ajscico]

Could you post your continuation of Good Enough again?

I'm in the mood for some comfort today.

Here’s the original ask. And here’s a second snippet <3 hope this helps.

It was almost an amusing sight. The bed was nearly bowing under the weight of the four piled on top of it. Wild was propping up Twilight, Wind was practically glued to Twilight’s side and amusingly enough, Legend had sat himself across legs.

“Can I pry you three off Twilight for a few minutes?” Time began, this got him a dirty look from Legend. “I just need to talk to him…” Legend’s sour look temporarily abated as he reluctantly climbed off Twilight. Wind stopped at Time’s side, tugging at his arm to get his attention.

“He’s really sad about something already. Please don’t yell at him.”

“I know. I won’t.” Time ruffled Wind’s hair. Wind let Legend pull him out of the room. Time silently negotiated with Wild to take Wild’s place behind Twilight. (‘I’m holding him up’ was Wild’s simple answer to Time’s look. Time let it fall silent until the others had well and truly left. Meanwhile, Twilight was… withdrawing into himself.

“Pup, we need to talk…” Time began finally, heart tearing just a little more when Twilight flinched.

“I’m sorry… I’ll be fine to travel come morning. I promise…” Time pulled Twilight into his shoulder.

“That’s not exactly what I wanted to talk about…we’re staying for a couple days, Three willing. You scared us pretty bad there, Pup…” Twilight started to pull away again. “Please talk to me. What happened?”

It took a while, starting with the idea that Twilight had known that shifting had been a bad idea, but had done it twice. Once to comfort Sky (‘nightmares’) and then again and already in tremendous pain (‘everyone was gonna be up soon…’) then slowly prying into the reasons why he shifted so much to hurt himself like this…

(‘Wolfie is better for nightmares… Wind prefers him to me in Hylian form… Warriors said I wasn’t around enough…) all the time, there was this thread in the words that Twilight seemed to think this was a requirement of himself… to be helpful (he used ‘useful’ as his choice of words, though this failed to set Time’s alarm bells off until later) to be better somehow... Finally, Twilight let slip his companion on his quest. Twilight had joked about the ‘princess as beautiful as the setting sun’ who had broken his heart but it was…worse than Twilight had let on. She’d left his Pup without a word and left him thinking it had all been his fault. Three help this kid… Time sent a desperate prayer into the universe and threw in a plea for wisdom while he was at it.

“Pup…I can’t speak for your companion…” Three knew he’d been searching for answers to Navi’s leaving since he was a child…and it was awful to know his descendant had suffered a similar experience. “But I can speak for myself… and you need to know…You are enough. We love you. I love you. I’m so proud of you and the goddesses better give us enough time to prove that to you.” That was the straw that broke his pup once again as the quiet sniffing that had been Twilight trying to hold himself together gave way to full aching sobs. Time pulled his Pup tighter to him. Twilight cried himself out and all Time could do was hold him through it.

—

Wild was the first one to brave the doorway several hours later when Twilight had finally fallen asleep.

‘Is he ok?’ There wasn’t really a good answer to that.

“He’s asleep at least…” Wild nodded, then clambered up to Twilight’s other side. Time waved to get Wild’s attention before asking “You ok?” The fact that Wild was signing rather than speaking wasn’t a great sign.

‘Fine, just a bad day…’ Time read the body language of the Champion, twitchy, restless… squeezing eyes shut and hands twitching towards his ears as if trying to convince himself he needed hearing but didn’t want to… Wild was anxious and overwhelmed.

“You may want to find a spot other than right next to Twilight then…Wind is going to be in here the second he realizes where you’ve gone.’ Wild grumbled a bit at that but then moved so he was wedged between the wall and Twilight’s back and then curled up there to block out as much input as he could.

Sure enough, the others came filtering in by ones and twos. Wind resumed his spot wrapped around Twilight’s middle.

“You didn’t yell at him, right?” He questioned, seeing the tear tracks on Twilight’s face.

“No.” Time assured at the look. “We talked about what happened, why he collapsed… what we can do to prevent a repeat… and he told me some things about his adventure…”

“And?” That came from Legend as he took a spot on Wind’s side.

“Yes, anything we can do?” Now the bed was actually groaning under the weight as Warriors reached out to tousle Twilight’s hair.

“Boys, if you break this frame, you will be paying for a new one for our hosts…” that did manage to convince Sky and Hyrule not to also pile on.

“I can’t give many details. His story is his own and he deserves his privacy as much as any of us… but the worst scars aren’t the ones that we can see. We’ve all lost people, whether it be friends from other realms or kingdoms, family taken from us, or companions who left too soon. And loss leaves scars of its own…”

“What, does he think we’re going to just leave him?” Time let his silence answer. Four swore.

“He does, doesn’t he?” This revelation elicited several more muttered expletives that Time didn’t really have the heart to scold.

“That’s not going to be a simple fix…” Legend grumbled.

“No, it isn’t…” it had taken him years to make peace with Termina and the ideas about permanence and relationships it had put in his head.

“So we do what we can with the time we have.”

[clumsyclifford]

Hello bella my love <3 dw I saw nothing. Ahh I feel like a little kid at a candy shop I want a little bit of everything! but in the interest of making this game functional please tell me about "theo vs liam in the great quest for morality: kitchen edition" bc it has bella written All Over It, with a small side of frat cake? Ok good night I love you!

hfjglmdkj hello team i love u so much and per our discussion i will tell you about the brain is a funny place wip instead of thiam kitchen edition. and i will give you a frat cake briefing as well. i feel like im reading off the discussion topics for a meeting we're about to have. fdlhkgsmfdj okay let's get started im going to put a cut because this is kind of lengthy otherwise

ask me about my WIPs

so! oh the brain is a funny place OBLIIIIIVIIIIIOOOOON does not actually have anything to do with diet soda society. that was just the song i had stuck in my head when i originally started this doc and started writing the fic, so when i went to close the doc i needed to give it a title. but i have a sort of superstitious thing about doc titles, where when i start a fic but don't totally know where it's going or if i'll finish it yet, i feel like giving it a proper real title is like dooming it to never be finished. so i try to give my WIP docs very non-title titles (as i'm sure you saw) so i don't jinx myself into never finishing them. so anyway. that's the explanation of the TITLE of that doc.

as for the CONTENTS of the doc. well as you know it's a teen wolf fic, specifically a stydia fic. quelle surprise, i know. it's a 5+1 (quelle surprise again), and it centers around the idea that stiles actually already knows lydia's in love with him, and has known for quite some time. so the concept is like, five times a werewolf tries to tell stiles how lydia feels, and the one time lydia tells him. but also it's like, five times stiles already knew, and the one time lydia also knew. i was very inspired by the iconic exchange in the 6a finale where she goes "i didn't say [i love you] back" and he says "you don't have to" it just really made me think like.......he knew, yknow? like he didn't need her to outright say it in order for him to know it, he just knew anyway. and i guess it's probably a stretch to say he knew the whole time, starting from just after 3a, but this is fanfiction and i do what i want. plus, like. stiles is a very very astute guy, AND he's been in love with lydia for most of his life, which means he's probably been actively searching for signs that she likes him back, so you would think that the second she starts exhibiting those signs, he would pick up on them.

anyway. the reason it's five werewolves is because they can smell emotions (chemosignals) and the idea is that basically everyone knows before lydia (bc in 6a they make it pretty clear that she never really knew she loved him until after The Plot Of 6A happened. i don't know if i should actually spoil it for you. whatever). i have all six sections of this planned out at the minimum but only two of them are written so here's a snippet of the one with isaac because i fucking love isaac:

“You don’t seem surprised,” Isaac says. “That she loves you.”

Stiles shrugs. “I know her,” he says simply. “I pay attention.”

“Then do something about it, genius.”

“Nah,” says Stiles, shaking his head, “I took my shot sophomore year. If she wants something to happen, it’s her turn to make a move, and she won’t do that.” 

“How do you know?”

Stiles lifts a shoulder. “Like I said. I know her.”

so that's that one. i'm very excited to eventually finish it.

as for frat cake!!!! frat cake frat cake frat cake aka the frat cake fic that i will hopefully (god-willing) one day finish. i've talked about it before, here. i actually feel like i've talked about it more than just that one time but i cannot for the life of me find where OH I FOUND IT okay there's also further discussion of it here. essentially it is a frat cake au. here is a snippet, for your enjoyment.

“The drinks are not bad,” Luke agrees. He lifts the bottle and takes a swig, then offers it to Calum. “Want some?”

“I’m good,” Calum says, lifting his shitty beer. “I mean, it’s kinda gross, but straight vodka’s also kinda gross, so…six of one.”

“Yeah, and my mouth has been on this,” Luke adds, inspecting the bottle. “Hella unhygienic.” Because frat brothers are really the poster children for hygiene.

“That part doesn’t bother me so much,” Calum admits, taking a closer step.

[vellatra]

Thanks for the tag, @hollers-and-holmes ! Everybody else's stuff was fun to read. I have plenty of fics... my problem is they're mostly old enough that I don't know which ones are older than the others! So I'll go by the "last edited" dates listed on my computer I guess ;) Also added the fandom/series these belong to at the beginning of their titles. (Except Thalia; that's a one-shot book all to itself)

9/27/23 Fire Emblem: Behold Thy Mother - I had tried my best to forget all the terrible things that had happened, and the people who had done them. The last twenty years would never truly be forgotten – and how could they be? – but, as much as I could, I pushed them into the back of my mind, tried to bury them under the minutia of now – tending my garden, doing embroidery, quietly helping the poor as I could. I never wanted to look back and see those memories again, and, for the most part, my efforts were successful.

6/25/23 Zac & Joy: Joy to the World - It was the day before Thanksgiving, and the station was swarming with extra travelers. But the janitor didn't mind. While he might have more trouble navigating his mop bucket, it gave him a better chance to people watch on the job. You saw a lot of interesting people getting on the El, if you only stopped to look – kids asking their parents bizarre questions, teenagers with their crazy hair, couples talking and laughing.

6/24/23 Silen Fah: Book One (No name yet) - Everybody thought that old building should be torn down. They grumbled about how it was an ugly waste of space, was likely to come down by itself soon if nothing was done, and was probably housing all kinds of creepy crawlies. Somebody even put up caution tape around it, but the guy who owned it didn't tear it down, try to fix it, or do anything else with it. So there it sat, just waiting for somebody silly enough to venture inside. Of course, I didn't consider how silly we were being at the time, and when Tina tried to back out of it, we reminded her that it was a matter of honor!

3/29/22 Boyd the Orc: Quest of the Dark Knight - It was very much an ordinary day in Farenze, a castle town in the northern regions of Chane. The herdsmen were driving their sheep and cattle out to pasture for the day – they never stayed out overnight for fear of the wolves. The miners were heading to the base of Rapuzia, the nearest peak in the neighboring mountain range, to continue their daily hunt for copper. Meanwhile, the streets of Farenze were filling up with buyers, sellers, beggars, and small urchins. It was a busy town, but for the most part a happy one.

12/23/21 Silen Fah (snippet): Twisted Arms - She smiled in a way which was, unfortunately, rather familiar. “Fancy seeing you here, Great One!”

12/23/12 Silen Fah (snippet): Broken - “My lady...” I whispered, looking over the ledge.

11/24/21 Fire Emblem: The Snowball Effect - “Our people need help,” my brother had pleaded all those years ago. “We don't have to fight – I'm not asking you to – but can't we do something? They're suffering so much at Begnion's hands.”

11/19/21 Fire Emblem: A Feral Story - Leanne sat quietly in the corner, sipping her tea and listening to the birdsong. It was such a lovely morning.

10/7/21 Thalia - I once lived in a small town called Cucurbita, with my father, my father's sister, and my father's great gray dog, named Wolf. I never knew my mother.

9/29/21 Oakwood: The Blizzard - Never in all my life had I been so cold.

Kinda fun to look back on some of these! :)

I don't think I've got ten people to tag, unfortunately, but I'll sit here and brainstorm a minute.... Pretty sure you all do fics but if you don't, don't worry about this! ;) And if you do, but just don't feel like it, that's okay too! @firstfandomfangirl @card-queen @thethiefinwhite @reneethegreatandpowerful @aptericia @enbyleighlines @sailforvalinor

Rules: Share the first lines of your most recent ten fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway

From most recent to least recent :)

Edit: OHHHH I MISREAD I MISREAD!!! I thought this was specifically about fics you’ve posted. Ohhh.

Well, have the first lines out of my most recent posted stories XD

1. Unempty Boats (a poem rather than a regular fanfic)

You said you were going away

and then it started to rain.

At first I thought you meant something, but then I realized

that you meant something else.

2. Pebbles, Wood Lice, and Other Alright Things

Tommy shifts, wincing as he feels a pebble pressing into his back. It seems like he can feel every single pebble beneath him tonight, no matter how small. He didn't used to; he used to have a mattress, and the mattress was thick enough to block out all the rocks. It was comfortable, too. He and Wilbur both slept on mattresses when they first got to Pogtopia, but then Techno told them that the mattresses would get all moldy because the caves are damp. Tommy told him that he didn't care and that he could handle a little mold, but Wilbur—stupid Wilbur—agreed with Techno, so they'd tossed the mattresses. Now they sleep on the ground, with one blanket beneath each of them. The blanket doesn't really do much to protect against the rocks. It's not very comfortable either.

3. Endless Field, Singing Tree, Blue Sweater (Dandelion)

Ghostbur is in a dark place.

4. Better Than a Painting, Because Paintings Aren’t Perfect

Wilbur hasn't been to a beach in over thirteen years.

5. If You Want Love

"Do you want to hold him?"

6. keep running for the sink, but the well is dry

You're having a panic attack.

7. Little Songs

Ghostbur knows he shouldn’t stare into the sun.

8. Promise Me You Won’t Leave (This Time)

It's around seven in the evening when Wilbur bursts through the door.

9. I Was Nothing But A Kid Who Couldn’t Understand

It's gotta be here somewhere.

10. Cool People Don’t Draw Bees

Tubbo waits.

I like how every single fic (excluding the poem, which is obviously formatted differently) starts with a single sentence, apart from number two which is a hekkin monster of a paragraph sjsgajgsjsfsg my goodness-

No pressure tags: @biathediamond @thisistheendtimes @cryingtulips @icyfox17 @salineroses @kanerallels @thatfriendlyanon @cats-inthe-cradle @winterinhimring and anyone else who wants to hop in! :)

[championfrita]

Creepiest Locations in Pokémon

So, I don't really do Top 10 lists or stuff like that but I recently recieved Black 2 from a friend and reached one of the creepy game locations (you know what I'm talking about).

Suffice to say, I thought I'd talk a little about the creepiest locations in Pokemon.

Without further ado, let us begin!

Strange House - Unova Region

Yeah yeah, playing Black 2 so OF COURSE I'd put this on the list, right? Well that's not why. I put this on the list because it, for me, is the CREEPIEST location in Pokemon. Having not played White 2 in a while (because I lost it heh heh ^^') I had mostly forgotten it until now. I find Strange House to be the creepiest location in Pokemon not just because of the way it looks. The entire thing is Hellagar creepy. Not only does it have some of the eeriest music ever, but the furniture moves on it's own. AND YOU CAN HEAR IT MOVING. Straight up paranormal crap guys (and I'd know, I have paranormal investigative training and I'm a sensitive). When I first encountered this place I was super tentative about walking around inside. I jumped three feet when the first Pokemon Battle activated, no joke. Not to mention the backstory. A little girl put in an eternal nightmare by Darkrai who never wakes up and dies in her sleep? Yeah, no thanks. *horrified shuddering* Let's move on, shall we?

Old Chateau - Sinnoh Region

Yeah, you guys kinda expected this one huh? I put this on the list because it also has some seriously creepy music. Sure, Strange House is creepy, but mostly on the inside. Old Chateau is creepy ALL AROUND. Even the dilapidated exterior just screams "Yeah btw I have demons locked up in here, that a problem bro?" HELLGAR YES, IT IS! But that isn't even the creepiest part. The Chateau is straight up haunted. Ghosts of residents and even a butler can be found wandering around inside. Encountering them is for the most part a random event, except for the little girl, who you simply encounter by entering rooms on the second floor in order. Still not the creepiest part. In one of said rooms is a painting...who's EYES MOVE WITH YOU SO IT IS ALWAYS WATCHING. Plus in the kitchen possessed tableware flies at you if you stay too long. Even better? Find all the ghosts and a secret door under the stairs opens up to take you to the basement. Lovely. And guess who's down there? The creepy as Shuppet Gengar who's been using that painting I mentioned earlier to stalk you. I was so afraid of this place that I wouldn't enter it for like 2 years after the games came out. One look and I was like "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Did I say NOPE?!"

Lavender Tower - Kanto Region

This is obviously a classic from my childhood. Lavender Tower was the original creepfest of Pokemon, and while it may not actually be all that scary anymore, going in there without a Silph Scope was terrifying as a kid. Literally everything was a ghost, not just the ACTUAL ghost of Marowak that haunted the place. Even your Pokemon were too scared to fight in this place. Not to mention the crazy as Shuppet Channelers walking around the joint. Yeesh. Get a life guys.

Caves - All Regions

I know, I know. You're all thinking, Seriously?! You're afraid of CAVES?! Well hold on. Have you ever walked one without Flash, back in the old days when the screen was just black? It's not so much the dark that's terrifying. It's the idea of never escaping that cave. Of being lost in there forever because you can't bear to lose those Pokemon you've spent months lovingly raising. Without Flash, your options were: Try and stumble around in the dark hoping to get lucky and find a way out, or restart your game and do things from the beginning because you done messed up my friend. Horrible. Not to mention you had no idea what might be down there.

Kaminko's House - Orre Region

I don't care what you say, when the screen suddenly goes black and white and some deranged lunatic comes flying out of a creepy mansion surrounded by dead trees roving like a madman to challenge you to a battle, it's creepy. It may not be super scary, but still creepy. Especially when you enter the building and discover that it's home to basically a mad scientist. For a while I thought the player character, Michael, was gonna almost get murdered. Super weird stuff in there I tell you.

Scary House - Kalos Region

Not actually that scary. The way this location becomes pretty creepy is by watching the XY anime episode that goes with it. It reveals the house to basically be a house of horrors for Ash and friends. The old man they find there says it's all for the sake of saying hello the Ghost Pokemon Way. Entertaining his guests with a good scare as it were, except that at the end of the episode both he AND THE HOUSE DISAPPEAR. Then they reappear for Team Rocket. A DISAPPEARING HOUSE?! How is that NOT creepy?

Chargestone Cave - Unova Region

It's dark, weird stones float around, and it has creepy music. Yeah, no thanks. That being said, I absolutely LOVE Chargestone Cave. It is one of my favorite locations in Pokemon, but it's still creepy. You can practically FEEL the supercharged air through the game screen, which sets off all your instincts to flee, and you never know when a Pokemon is gonna suddenly attack you. It just has an all around creepy feeling to it.

Pokemon Mansion - Kanto Region

Oh look, and abandoned mansion. Let's go look inside! Creepy music and statues with switches and eyes that light up? Great! Oh boy, a book! Let's read it. Oh it's a journal…with the creation of a superstrong clone of Mew in it…Oh yeah, btw you're just casually walking around in a place where Mewtwo SLAUGHTERED ALL OF IT'S CREATORS. LOVELY! No big deal, just an abandoned house of DEATH. And you better have an Escape Rope with you if you plan to jump off that broken floor, cuz if you don't you'll be stuck there…FOREVER. Place is super creepy. And thanks to the one and only Braxton Burks and his musical reboot called Kanto Symphony, it just got creepier. Woo!

Route 217 - Sinnoh Region

Yup. I'm just gonna paste this snippet from Bulbapedia:

“If the player re-enters the house near the Ice Rock after the Spell Tag is obtained, the woman that gives it has disappeared. When obtaining the Spell Tag, her speech is: "...A person...? ...A rare sight... ...Thank you for visiting... ...A gift..." The nature of the item, in conjunction with Ace Trainer Olivia's comments of hauntings in the area, implies that the woman was a ghost, specifically a Yuki-onna.”

A Yuki-onna is a Japanese ghost woman who froze to death and roams snowcovered mountains waiting to kill people. It's a wonder the player survived. O.O

N's Room - Unova Region

I LOVE N. Love, love, LOVE him, but his room is creepier than a Mega Banette in a dark alley. N obviously has some serious mental issues, and it's this implication of dereanged mental health, combined with equally deranged music, that makes this place so darn creepy. The whole CASTLE is creepy, but this room takes the cake for creepiest room in the whole building.

Abandoned Site - Alola Region

Not exactly THE scariest location, this newest of creep fests lies in the context of it and the idea of being there in person. I know I'd find it super eerie, especially at night and when Accerola mentions she thinks you're crazy because the room you found Mimikyu in doesn't exist. Gave me some chills, let me tell you. Observant players will notice Mimikyu in the background of this scene, shuffling away behind the chainlink fence.

Pokémon School - Alola Region

While normally cheery and upbeat, if the player does a sidequest in UltraSun and UltraMoon this innocent place of learning turns into the stuff of nightmares. A creepy little girl and her Drifloon want you to look into some rumors...and appear only at night. The music makes for utterly terrifying atmosphere that will give you chills, especially if you find your own school creepy at night. While the occurences turn out to be completely harmless or normal things they make for some heartpounding suspense, and the little girl and Drifloon mysteriously disappear after you finish investigating. Creepy. It is strangely satisfying if you time it right like me and end up completing the quest at in game dawn though.

And that's about it. What locations do YOU think are creepy? Let me know in the comments!

[tsuki-kirigakure]

Romance MD: Always on Call

This has been a long overdue review of Romance MD: Always on Call because I have already finished it a few days ago. So for those who didn't want to or haven't checked or read the title it's about you being a new doctor in a famous teaching hospital where you are assigned to the elite ICU which consists of our hot and skilled surgeons. You will have an assigned mentor - the guy you will choose - that will help you in your quest to determine your specialization.

So the first route available is Doctor Munechika Takado, an orthopedic surgeon. I'm going to make this spoiler free as possible so I won't elaborate much on his route. Here are some things I loved in the story:

First of all, I loved MC and her clapbacks. The fact that she was a doctor got me then her scientific retorts and her internal deliberation that are hilarious as heck made me a goner. I loved her relationship with her colleagues and their banters. I loved her positive attitude especially how she turns her mood upside down real quick.

I loved how this title actually uses scientific terms which are like so cute to me - a med student - and hey they also explain those terms especially the patient's sickness if we should call it that. This is like a title straight out of my fantasies.

I loved how the story progressed. It was a cute, maybe a lil cliche, but it was impossible not to smile, laugh, and fall in love with the characters.

They put up these signs from time to time and uses these funny background music that literally makes me laugh out loud. I'm sorry it's super easy to make me laugh.

I love how they used Ayakashi RR reference.

Last and certainly not the least, I loved MC and Takado's relationship both as mentor-student and lovers. They're just so cute.

Here are some snippets:

#4

#5

#6

And now for the cons. To be honest there is only one thing I hate about this title. It's a love choice. Believe me, it was bad enough that it was a love choice but they just had to make it 30 episodes wherein each episode is a whole lot shorter than the normal ones. It's hella expensive if you want to get the SHE and/or choose every paid choice in the story. I only got two cgs cause I'm too broke to spend a single money on it. I had to use up the hearts that I have saved through daily spins.

Tbh, I think it's okay to not spend hearts on the story if you don't want to because it's still a nice title for me. Of course it's a lil disappointing to not see the scene where they kiss for the first time and a picturesque totem of hot doctors are watching you two but still it's okay. It's okay if you want to read it or not. It's okay if you wanna pay for it or not. It's entirely your choice and I just wanted to share my opinion.

Thank you for spending the time reading this and I hope you have a great day. This is Tsuki, signing out. Good night. ♡

[itsclydebitches]

She's the kind to be like "i'll kill for you", it's all fun and games until she actually means and/or does it. I'm assuming it's the same if not similar in the books? it's just so annoying to see a character treat everyone, including the man she is supposed to be in love with like shit and have it just be "well that just makes her a good mum" like idk this kind of devotion isn't healthy for her or Ciri either.

I read a lot of posts all over talking about yen and why people do and don't like her and it's all "you have to get past the cold rude arrogant outside to learn deep down she does care", or there was this one said people take what she says as who she is over what she does, as if she isn't saying AND doing terrible things, but there was this other one that was "actions don't define you as a person" that was a fucking ride to read through.

Anyway I'm just kinda miffed cause I went in to this trying really hard and wanting to like yen but she's so unlikable it's crazy. Maybe if her first few scenes weren't her being rude to Geralt for no real reason (and that snark about him and amnesia like BRO??) there wouldve been something to build off? Idkkkk

tysm for letting me talk about this! there's still so much within the series to look at and I adore it. apart from some things lmao BUT as with everything, there'll be bits you really just hate I guess.

You kidding? I love chatting about all this! XD

From what I've read myself and encountered elsewhere (I've gotten a lot of snippets from the later books as fans post excerpts for various arguments) Yen is a bit more complex in the novels than she's presented in TW3, especially depending on which dialogue options you choose. I mean, it's eight books. There are absolutely moments where I've gone, "Oh yeah, that's cute/sensible/romantic/heroic/etc." of her. She'd have to be a pretty static character to have that much content and not produce those reactions at least some of the time. That being said... she's definitely too similar in the books for my taste. Really, Yen was going to be an issue for me from the start, just given how her and Geralt's meeting goes in "The Last Wish." Her cruelty, brainwashing, and nearly getting him killed aside - because let's be real, an enemies to lovers-esque dynamic can be great - the wish itself always tainted their interactions for me. Yeah, yeah, I understand the theme of Geralt choosing his family regardless of what destiny or magic might say about it... but that doesn't erase that they are ambiguously bound by some kind of magic. We can read Yen's "You've condemned yourself to me" as just a lack of self-confidence, Geralt's love remaining a true thing no matter what any genies might have to say about it, but I personally can't ignore the very real, in-world, magical influence here. Every time the books discuss how often they've split, cheated on each other, fought, betrayed... but deep down they were still meant for one another, I'm thinking, "Are they? Or is that just the magical wish keeping two incompatible people tethered?" We can read them finding joy in one another despite the magic as something beautiful, or something tragic because what other choice did they have? Given how central that rocky relationship is to our protagonist's characterization and how awful Yen can be in general, yeah, she's still an acquired taste lol. She does get better later on, but how better I think depends on how you perceive her attitude at the start. Idk if you're into My Hero Academia or not, but I often compare her to Bakugo. Those who were already inclined to excuse his behavior hail the amazing growth he undergoes; those who couldn't stand him from the start (me) find the comparative improvement to still equal a pretty unlikable person. They're both undoubtedly better... but if you're starting that low, "better" won't necessarily be enough.

Oof yeah, I've seen those threads lol. One of my favorites was a discussion about whether Yen was a "bitch" or not (it also doesn't help when conversations about her character devolve into generic accusations of misogyny) and there was a response to the effect of, "Just because she's cold, judgmental, makes cruel remarks, and doesn't listen to Geralt doesn't mean..." and it's like okay, so we're just supposed to ignore all those traits - bypass them - to reach a "Yen is actually a kind person" reading? I have trouble with that lol. Honestly, the majority of my respect goes to those who are just in their fandom corners with their John Mulaney voice going, "Yen is a bitch and I love her SO MUCH." Like yeah!! I love lots of mean, awful, bitchy characters too!! There's no need to bend over backwards trying to prove they're actually a uwu poor baby whose every action was justified (outside of, you know, fandom joking like the "I've done nothing wrong ever in my life" meme). But yeah, I WANT to like her too! I don't enjoy being a part of a franchise where such a core, prominent character is someone I don't like spending time with. Who would want that?? So I've given her so many tries since getting into Witcher... and it just never sticks for me. I tried in the comics too only to come across a panel where Geralt dreams of Yen, but isn't sure if it was an actual dream, or a magical vision where they literally met. Vesemir asks if Yen was kind to him and when he responds that she was, he's like, "It was a dream lol." And yeah, that's the characterization! Geralt knows he didn't actually meet with Yen because the real Yen wouldn't have been that nice to him. And it's not in a funny "My real lover ALWAYS teasingly insults me as an act of kindness!" way but a much more literal, "Yeeeaaah. Yen just isn't that nice a person most of the time" and the examples we can point to when she is kind don't outweigh/erase everything else for me. In TW3 at least, she's very much the kind of person who will, completely seriously, blame you for getting amnesia. And you know the best part? She had it too! Not only that, but she actually recovers her memories earlier than Geralt and never looked for him and you also learn in the second game that she had a relationship with another guy while trying to remember who she was... so the fact that she's pissed at Geralt for going through the exact same thing (not seeking her out/relationship with Triss - only Triss was actively seducing him, so) is just wild to me.

But yeah, TW3 is a MASSIVE game that deliberately plays with different choices and perspectives. To say nothing of its "Life is hard and people need to be harder" worldbuilding. It would be a miracle if we liked every single thing in it lol. Like, Blood and Wine is probably my favorite bit of gaming ever and yet I just fundamentally disagree with CDPR's idea of a happy ending there. For both the main questline and a particular side quest the game goes, "This one is the correct choice ;)" and I'm like, "Lol not to my mind I'll take one of the 'bad' endings thanks!" Yen is just another example of that. The game clearly wants us to like her - she and Geralt are canon in the source material - but giving us the ability to decide who Geralt is means that we might just go, "Nope. Sorry. This 'correct' choice is one I'm passing by."

[andiwriteordie]

OK HI I’M BACK I HAD TO TABLE THIS WHILE I WAS AT WORK BUT I’M BACK. LONG REPLY AHEAD.

so two different things: 1) i once went insane after rick announced he was gonna drop a new book with the og trio, and i wrote a stranger things/pjo au where mike was percy and will was annabeth. no i don’t think mike’s a poseidon kid or will’s an athena kid. yes i do think they’re so freaking percabeth coded and would write like 100 different snippets again with them in this au. 

2) i’m assuming your questions are related to “what godly parent would everyone be” and i LOVE THIS QUESTION EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THEM (... mostly just el actually) I AM IFFY ON. i answered this like months ago when i wrote a byler fic that was inspired by percabeth’s arc in mark of athena, so i’m gonna. find that and add on to my answers.

El - Ok, tbh, she's probably the hardest of the kids to nail down, so I'm gonna go with the easiest answer and say Jupiter (not Zeus, idk El gives me Roman vibes and I can't explain it) because it lines up most to her powers. Character-wise, I think she's similar to Bianca di Angelo though, so I suppose maybe Hades could be a fun alt if we're ignoring her powers?

Mike and Nancy - Athena. Such Athena know-it-alls, and I love them for it. it’s just like... the wheelers are so smart. i swear if they actually got to interact they would be able to just figure everything out in the show. so basically, Athena made two brain babies with the beautiful Karen Wheeler because who needs Ted anyways.

Will and Jonathan - Apollo. Isn't is obvious? Art? Music? Yeah. Such Apollo kids. Also will and the light imagery with apollo being the god of the sun??? crying forever and ever, alright? Lonnie is the asshole stepfather.

Lucas and Erica - Nike. These two are just the best and radiate such competitive, go-getter energy. Big Nike vibes! alternatively? they also give me such poseidon vibes. lucas in particular feels like the ocean—a bit reckless at times, but then also calm and steady at other times. learns to adapt, but then in turn can also escalate a situation very quickly? something something like that. 

Dustin - Hephaestus, because Dustin's great with science-y/building type of things and is incredibly smart, which gives me Hephaestus vibes. like dustin’s just a little genius. he’d absolutely be a Hephaestus kid. 

Max - Ares/Mars. El needs another Roman camper with her, so let's go with Mars. Max just gives off those "don't fuck with me" vibes obviously, and I think her strength and resilience shown in S4 also gives huge Ares/Mars vibes. Billy is her half-brother on her godly parent's side, except he got all the bad qualities of their dad.

Steve - Hermes, for sure. Part of me wants Hermes!kid Dustin and Steve for the brother moments. something something, maybe dustin ends up in the unclaimed /hermes cabin for a while and steve is the counselor? and they bond that way, and steve is actually just really bummed whenever dustin leaves him? Robin - Apollo probably. She's in band and has that same kind of warmth that I feel like Apollo kids have, ya know? Also, I suppose that makes her half-sibs with the Byers which I fullsend support.

Eddie - Honestly, either an Apollo kid too OR he's some poor mortal who can see through the Mist and gets dragged along by the Fruity Four into this chaos.

Argyle - part of me wants to say Demeter because you cannot tell me the Demeter kids wouldn’t be growing weed. but Argyle ALSO gives me the vibes of a poor mortal that Jonathan picked up and decided to drag on a quest (isn’t that essentially the california plot lol?)

Andi, I need you to know that I deeply admire your work and dedication BUT YOU'VE INFESTED ME MY BRAIN IS ROTTEN. YOU HAVE OPENED THE GATES FOR NEW AUs AND NOW IM PUTTING TOGETHER A DOC FOR PJOGATES AND ALSO TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH ATLAGATES

Love you though 🫂

NICO ILY TOO

okay did i make this up or did you tag me or reply to something asking about my thoughts on PJO? i feel like i saw it while i was scrolling at work for a menty health break, and i was like "OH I'LL RESPOND LATER!" and then. i. forgot to.

because i have so many thoughts on pjo as well. atla/pjo are my two dormant hyperfixations that at any time can be called back into action and can take over my brain (as evidenced by atla gate) so we are in DANGEROUS TERRITORY HERE MY FRIEND